Depending on if you are playing classic burn or a variant of it, I would play that for awhile. However, you do need another deck unless you do not play at the same location each week, because burn just loses to some decks/cards, and people plan for burn.
Personally, I'd build Elder Dragon Stompy (A version of Red Stompy that I've been running for over 6 years) to crush your opponents. You can find a thread in the archives HERE.
Last finish was a Top 4 (3rd) at a small tourney. The turn 2 attacking Nicol Bolas/Dragon Tyrant or Turn 1 Trinisphere followed with a Double Strike Creature and Blazing Shoal wins you games against combo and junk. The Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, and Chalice of the Void handle most of the other decks in the field.
I really like this play the most against all decks...
On the play first turn...Trinishpere, turn 2 Seething Song into Zirilan of the Claw, turn 3 Nicol Bolas for the lock, and turn 4 with Dragon Tyrant. Basically, your opponent never gets to do anything unless they are playing Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Elvish Spirit Guide, Simian Spirit Guide, Wasteland, or Rishadan Port.
But couldn't you do that with simply the first doll and the enchantments? I might be too tired but do you even need the Pariah for that?
One dolll with guilty conscience: Tap the doll to deal one damage to itself. The doll then deals one damage to the chosen opponent triggering guilty conscience and so forth. Will not be an infinite loop since the player will lose when he hits 0 life.
Yes, but that is only a 1 for 1 trigger where as the other way create a huge stack of triggers. If your opponent comboed into we'll say 1,000,000,000 life, you can't just shoot him with a combo for 1,000,000,000 points of damage and expect him to respect your combo. Now if you were to do 1,000,000,000 damage to him with another 1,000,000,000 on the stack, then he might respect the combo because it was much cooler and unique. Besides anyone can pul off a 2 card combo, but a 5 card combo...that is respectable.
I also don't see any point to the second Stuffy Doll, besides stalling. The Guilty Conscience could just as easily go on the original Stuffy Doll.
It isn't called stalling, it is called winning in a more classy way. I mean anyone can generate an arbitrarily large amount of life (Often called infinite, which is incorrect.), but who generates an arbitrarily large amount of damage with a Stuff Doll only to shift it onto another Stuffy Doll to kill your opponent.
See, each point of damage that is dealt to the Stuffy Doll targeting you actually generates an additional trigger for more damage beyond the first. Thus if I chose to repeat the process the same arbitrarily large number of time my opponent chose for his life before starting to send the damage to the other stuffy doll, then I would have twice as much damage on stack then that arbitrarily large number of life.
614.1a Effects that use the word "instead" are replacement effects. Most replacement effects use the word "instead" to indicate what events will be replaced with other events.
616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object’s controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply...
When you tap Ancient Tomb, it wants to deal 2 damage to you. So you are the affected player. You have two replacement effects, one from the Pariah on your swans and one from the Pariah on the doll. You choose which one it will apply first. (The second will attempt to apply afterwards, but will fail because damage is not longer being dealt to you.) Do note the ability on stuff doll to deal damage to your opponent is not a replacement effect, it makes a trigger. Time stamps do not apply in this circumstance.
That is what I had expected, I only talked about time stamps in the possibility that for some off reason it wasn't player's choice.
However, you do bring up a good point.
If my opponent had just comboed off into making his life an arbitrarily larger amount, and my board position was Stuffy Doll (Opponent Chosen) with Pariah on it. Would I still be able to out class him by casting another Stuffy Doll (Choosing myself) and enchanting it with Pariah and Guilty Conscience? (of course followed by 1 damage to that Stuffy Doll.)
Would this allow me to combo off indefinitely until my opponent dies, or would Guilty Conscience not trigger, because the damage done by Stuffy Doll was being replaced by damage from Pariah?
I mean it is a replacement effect, not a redirect effect right? Thus the source of the damage is now Pariah back onto the Stuffy Doll?
QUESTIONS:
1. In short what happens?
2. Do I choose to either inflict 2 damage to my opponent or draw 2 cards; or can I do both?
3. If I can not do both, is it my choice or is it dependent on the time stamp?
REASON: 10/4/2004 All damage being dealt to you at one time gets redirected to one Pariah. If you take 3 damage at once, all 3 damage goes to one Pariah. If you take damage from multiple creatures in combat, all the combat damage goes to one Pariah.
I ask this, because in English it could be understood as "one" meaning each one, as well as "one" meaning a individual one.
Additionally, rulings are usually much more clear when it concerns multiple instances of a card in play, usually stating it is referring to when there are multiples in play.
OK, Mike. I had hoped you would see that you don't want to be playing a "Bad something else". That was silly considering your initial question, I suppose. How about Academy Rector into Barren Glory with Kaervek's Spite for sauce? Astoundingly, the Barren Glory thread that was alive for a year or so never mentioned Karevek's Spite. I think it is total jank, but...ya know. It has this going for it. The sacrifices are part of the cost, so it can't be countered or responded to (like with Swords to Plowshares).
The deck really isn't about combo with rector, but rather rector fits nicely into the deck. BTW, I am talking about my Ugly Duckling deck. I search vastly with different search devices trying to look for cards, but sometimes there is something that someone else knows that is phrased ever so differently.
I also find that asking a question with a deck list is less productive as people tend to exclude what they think might not work well for the deck. I want unfiltered ideas and opinions, and you would be surprised what cards young new players suggest when they don't feel pressured to not meet an expectation level that a deck may set.
I certainly am not trying to build a deck based off of rector to win with combo, but having an oops I fell into getting a 1 of that is searchable for tricks isn't bad. It is the same reason Elder Dragon Stompy is better than Dragon Stompy; having the ability to just luck your way into a combo can win you games.
Do you really need something better than Omniscience? And if that is already a deck, shouldn't the discussion be on that?
Finn, in short yes.
Longer answer...Omniscience does not work in my deck, and even if it did, I would think you would be one of the first to encourage exploration into knew ideas.
That said, thank you Mild Wongrel. 3 of those cards may be of some good use.
Anything to stop you from using Zombie Infestation along with Ad Nauseam and your Lich Enchantment to change all the rest of your library into zombies, then just use an elixir of Immortality to shuffle them all back in?
You waited 5 and 1/2 years to say this, we could have warped the format.
Again, looking for best answer mostly to Emrakul and possibly some other combo decks. The deck is already designed to do what it does, and Academy Rector is really only plan B or C in the deck.
I am not trying to design/redesign a deck, I am looking for a solid choice "1 of" to tutor into play from an already constructed deck. I guess maybe it would be better phrased as that I am looking for a list of best enchantments against the commonly played decks.
If you pull up the rulings on Emrakul you'll find:
"Protection from colored SPELLS"
6/15/2010 "Protection from colored spells" means that Emrakul can't be the target of colored spells (including colored Aura spells) or of abilities whose sources are colored spells (such as the "when you cast" ability of an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre that's been turned red by Painter's Servant). It also means that all damage that would be dealt to Emrakul by colored spells is prevented. Like every protection ability, it works only while Emrakul is on the battlefield.
6/15/2010 "Colored spells" is not synonymous with "colored instants and sorceries." For example, if a player cycles Choking Tethers, its triggered ability may target Emrakul because Choking Tethers wasn't cast as a spell.
He is not protected from Auras that are not "CAST" as a spell, and rector puts them in play without making them a spell.
As for omniscience...I can't really abuse it for the win.
I need the best enchantment that you can slap down on the table from an Academy Rector trigger.
I know most people say Yawgmoth's Bargain, and while that sounds nice and all, it doesn't answer the fact that I may have just sacrificed my rector to a swinging Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
Additionally, the deck does play something like a combo deck, but bargain isn't really going to be what I'm searching for, because it isn't that type of combo deck. Also, if I am at the point mentioned above, it isn't going to win the game.
I am already running the following: Oblivion Ring Humility Moat
Which are great cars to deal with Emrakul, but I want better. I want to just plain win.
I am thinking of something like: Confiscate Take Possession Volition Reins
To take Emrakul for my own, but somehow I can't stop to think that there has to be better more classy way to say you just got owned.
Too bad I can't expect to be out of cards or I could go for Barren Glory.
Except its your choice to view. You are not being forced to. So the whole time=money argument is out the window. When making a choice, then complaining about said choice, makes the one complaining look foolish.
You only think the argument is out the window because you do not understand or did not read what I posted, as it was more than just "stuff."
Look at the fulfillment section of the post, and what MONEY can also be represented by.
As for complaining, try and find one place I complained. I have discussed the topic of the coverage, because the topic alone is worthy of discussion, but no complaints from me. Probably, because I don't waste my time watching any MTG coverage. I have never found enough value in it. I could spend that time doing something like writing my next book.
Guess its just a matter of different views by different generations.
Yea, because all the rest of us are 14 year olds, and there just isn't anyone else on the internet that is of your generation, as they've probably died off, right? How was your walk to and from school by the way, uphill and in the snow both ways?
Seriously, you can clearly see the intended sarcasm, but why reference generational thinking, if not to try and show that people should listen to you? Would you like to know what my daddy does? I mean it has the same relevance as one's age.
However, coming from a different generation does not guarantee that you will have the same views, just look at politics...you have idiots of the same age on both sides at times. Age is not the main determining factor, but I will give you that some experience (KNOWLEDGE) comes with TIME if you did not waste the TIME you had. Do you realize that you just made a statement that supports my argument?
In general, Magic players are never happy. I dont know why I felt something free would be any different.
This is conjecture, as you take the sampling from those who speak out. Those that speak out more are proven to be more likely to complain, where those that remain silent tend to be content.
Additionally, people have a tendency to project onto others of how they view themselves. I guess the question is are you never happy?
To paraphrase Mr. Jeabus, Wotc could package $100 bills in $4 packs and Magic players would complain how the bills were folded.
Highly unlikely, as MTG players tend to be incredibly intelligent, quick with math, very friendly, willing to debate openly based on facts, and take time to help those around them.
Thus they would buy the packs for $4 and sell them $25-$50 making a profit while passing on more to the guy who paid them for the packs.
Or, maybe I am just projecting how I view myself onto others.
You choose the targets when the ability is put on the stack, and you choose whether to pay when it resolves. You may choose zero targets. You can pay the mana even if you chose zero targets.
Thank you, this clearly shows how it should be handled.
A delayed trigger will always indicate a future time for the ability to trigger, such as "at the beginning of the next end step", "at end of combat", etc.
Correct me if I am wrong, but it can set up a trigger to happen if an event, condition, or a game state is reached, not necessarily a time. Something like, "When this creature becomes untapped."
Thus why I thought an event of not paying something could be looked at as a reason to trigger a delayed trigger.
When Knight of the Mists enters the battlefield, you may pay {U}. If you don't, destroy target Knight and it can't be regenerated.
It does says etb so obv it is not meant to be a delayed trigger, but the reason they word it this way is because here it has a default action that can be done if the trigger is missed. This becomes very important when it comes with to missed triggers as the way you word it would cause it to not have one. They won't do your wording simply cause it favors whoever plays the card, because if they accidentally miss the trigger in your case they may still decide which to do (while in current wording it would have to be to destroy a knight)
I am not saying it is a delayed trigger as a whole, but rather ETB trigger, followed by delayed/conditional trigger.
As for saying it is obvious that it isn't meant to be a delayed trigger, then that means it is in the gray area or open to interpretation, and those things receive rulings for clarification.
BTW, I do not have a problem with this going either way. I am just saying that this is not clear.
Personally, I'd build Elder Dragon Stompy (A version of Red Stompy that I've been running for over 6 years) to crush your opponents. You can find a thread in the archives HERE.
Currently I have been playing...
9 Mountain
4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
4 Chrome Mox
Artifacts (Non-Mana Producing)
4 Trinisphere
Spells
4 Seething Song
3 Blazing Shoal
2 Reforge the Soul
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Zirilan of the Claw
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Rakdos Pit Dragon
4 Hound of Griselbrand
3 Gathan Raiders
1 Nicol Bolas
1 Dragon Tyrant
1 Hellkite Tyrant
4 Chalice of the Void
34 Blood Moon
34 Phyrexian Revoker
23 Flaring Pain
23 Anarchy
1 Thunder Dragon
Last finish was a Top 4 (3rd) at a small tourney. The turn 2 attacking Nicol Bolas/Dragon Tyrant or Turn 1 Trinisphere followed with a Double Strike Creature and Blazing Shoal wins you games against combo and junk. The Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, and Chalice of the Void handle most of the other decks in the field.
I really like this play the most against all decks...
On the play first turn...Trinishpere, turn 2 Seething Song into Zirilan of the Claw, turn 3 Nicol Bolas for the lock, and turn 4 with Dragon Tyrant. Basically, your opponent never gets to do anything unless they are playing Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Elvish Spirit Guide, Simian Spirit Guide, Wasteland, or Rishadan Port.
EDIT: No "the" in Hound of Griselbrand.
Yes, but that is only a 1 for 1 trigger where as the other way create a huge stack of triggers. If your opponent comboed into we'll say 1,000,000,000 life, you can't just shoot him with a combo for 1,000,000,000 points of damage and expect him to respect your combo. Now if you were to do 1,000,000,000 damage to him with another 1,000,000,000 on the stack, then he might respect the combo because it was much cooler and unique. Besides anyone can pul off a 2 card combo, but a 5 card combo...that is respectable.
Again, this isn't something most people get.
It isn't called stalling, it is called winning in a more classy way. I mean anyone can generate an arbitrarily large amount of life (Often called infinite, which is incorrect.), but who generates an arbitrarily large amount of damage with a Stuff Doll only to shift it onto another Stuffy Doll to kill your opponent.
See, each point of damage that is dealt to the Stuffy Doll targeting you actually generates an additional trigger for more damage beyond the first. Thus if I chose to repeat the process the same arbitrarily large number of time my opponent chose for his life before starting to send the damage to the other stuffy doll, then I would have twice as much damage on stack then that arbitrarily large number of life.
In short it is a Timmy/Johnny thing.
That is what I had expected, I only talked about time stamps in the possibility that for some off reason it wasn't player's choice.
However, you do bring up a good point.
If my opponent had just comboed off into making his life an arbitrarily larger amount, and my board position was Stuffy Doll (Opponent Chosen) with Pariah on it. Would I still be able to out class him by casting another Stuffy Doll (Choosing myself) and enchanting it with Pariah and Guilty Conscience? (of course followed by 1 damage to that Stuffy Doll.)
Would this allow me to combo off indefinitely until my opponent dies, or would Guilty Conscience not trigger, because the damage done by Stuffy Doll was being replaced by damage from Pariah?
I mean it is a replacement effect, not a redirect effect right? Thus the source of the damage is now Pariah back onto the Stuffy Doll?
GAME STATE:
I have two creatures Stuffy Doll (Ability targeting an opponent) and Swans of Bryn Argoll in play. I have enchanted both creatures with Pariah, and I tap my Ancient Tomb.
QUESTIONS:
1. In short what happens?
2. Do I choose to either inflict 2 damage to my opponent or draw 2 cards; or can I do both?
3. If I can not do both, is it my choice or is it dependent on the time stamp?
REASON:
10/4/2004 All damage being dealt to you at one time gets redirected to one Pariah. If you take 3 damage at once, all 3 damage goes to one Pariah. If you take damage from multiple creatures in combat, all the combat damage goes to one Pariah.
I ask this, because in English it could be understood as "one" meaning each one, as well as "one" meaning a individual one.
Additionally, rulings are usually much more clear when it concerns multiple instances of a card in play, usually stating it is referring to when there are multiples in play.
The deck really isn't about combo with rector, but rather rector fits nicely into the deck. BTW, I am talking about my Ugly Duckling deck. I search vastly with different search devices trying to look for cards, but sometimes there is something that someone else knows that is phrased ever so differently.
I also find that asking a question with a deck list is less productive as people tend to exclude what they think might not work well for the deck. I want unfiltered ideas and opinions, and you would be surprised what cards young new players suggest when they don't feel pressured to not meet an expectation level that a deck may set.
I certainly am not trying to build a deck based off of rector to win with combo, but having an oops I fell into getting a 1 of that is searchable for tricks isn't bad. It is the same reason Elder Dragon Stompy is better than Dragon Stompy; having the ability to just luck your way into a combo can win you games.
Finn, in short yes.
Longer answer...Omniscience does not work in my deck, and even if it did, I would think you would be one of the first to encourage exploration into knew ideas.
That said, thank you Mild Wongrel. 3 of those cards may be of some good use.
Are there any real good enchantments to stop activated abilities other than Suppression Field, Stony Silence, & Faith's Fetters?
You're right, but kind of refferencing what I am looking for. A answer and win.
You waited 5 and 1/2 years to say this, we could have warped the format.
I am not trying to design/redesign a deck, I am looking for a solid choice "1 of" to tutor into play from an already constructed deck. I guess maybe it would be better phrased as that I am looking for a list of best enchantments against the commonly played decks.
"Protection from colored SPELLS"
6/15/2010 "Protection from colored spells" means that Emrakul can't be the target of colored spells (including colored Aura spells) or of abilities whose sources are colored spells (such as the "when you cast" ability of an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre that's been turned red by Painter's Servant). It also means that all damage that would be dealt to Emrakul by colored spells is prevented. Like every protection ability, it works only while Emrakul is on the battlefield.
6/15/2010 "Colored spells" is not synonymous with "colored instants and sorceries." For example, if a player cycles Choking Tethers, its triggered ability may target Emrakul because Choking Tethers wasn't cast as a spell.
He is not protected from Auras that are not "CAST" as a spell, and rector puts them in play without making them a spell.
As for omniscience...I can't really abuse it for the win.
I need the best enchantment that you can slap down on the table from an Academy Rector trigger.
I know most people say Yawgmoth's Bargain, and while that sounds nice and all, it doesn't answer the fact that I may have just sacrificed my rector to a swinging Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
Additionally, the deck does play something like a combo deck, but bargain isn't really going to be what I'm searching for, because it isn't that type of combo deck. Also, if I am at the point mentioned above, it isn't going to win the game.
I am already running the following:
Oblivion Ring
Humility
Moat
Which are great cars to deal with Emrakul, but I want better. I want to just plain win.
I am thinking of something like:
Confiscate
Take Possession
Volition Reins
To take Emrakul for my own, but somehow I can't stop to think that there has to be better more classy way to say you just got owned.
Too bad I can't expect to be out of cards or I could go for Barren Glory.
Any ideas?
You only think the argument is out the window because you do not understand or did not read what I posted, as it was more than just "stuff."
Look at the fulfillment section of the post, and what MONEY can also be represented by.
As for complaining, try and find one place I complained. I have discussed the topic of the coverage, because the topic alone is worthy of discussion, but no complaints from me. Probably, because I don't waste my time watching any MTG coverage. I have never found enough value in it. I could spend that time doing something like writing my next book.
Yea, because all the rest of us are 14 year olds, and there just isn't anyone else on the internet that is of your generation, as they've probably died off, right? How was your walk to and from school by the way, uphill and in the snow both ways?
Seriously, you can clearly see the intended sarcasm, but why reference generational thinking, if not to try and show that people should listen to you? Would you like to know what my daddy does? I mean it has the same relevance as one's age.
However, coming from a different generation does not guarantee that you will have the same views, just look at politics...you have idiots of the same age on both sides at times. Age is not the main determining factor, but I will give you that some experience (KNOWLEDGE) comes with TIME if you did not waste the TIME you had. Do you realize that you just made a statement that supports my argument?
This is conjecture, as you take the sampling from those who speak out. Those that speak out more are proven to be more likely to complain, where those that remain silent tend to be content.
Additionally, people have a tendency to project onto others of how they view themselves. I guess the question is are you never happy?
Highly unlikely, as MTG players tend to be incredibly intelligent, quick with math, very friendly, willing to debate openly based on facts, and take time to help those around them.
Thus they would buy the packs for $4 and sell them $25-$50 making a profit while passing on more to the guy who paid them for the packs.
Or, maybe I am just projecting how I view myself onto others.
EDIT: Yea, 1100th post.
Thank you, this clearly shows how it should be handled.
Awesome answer!
Correct me if I am wrong, but it can set up a trigger to happen if an event, condition, or a game state is reached, not necessarily a time. Something like, "When this creature becomes untapped."
Thus why I thought an event of not paying something could be looked at as a reason to trigger a delayed trigger.
I am not saying it is a delayed trigger as a whole, but rather ETB trigger, followed by delayed/conditional trigger.
As for saying it is obvious that it isn't meant to be a delayed trigger, then that means it is in the gray area or open to interpretation, and those things receive rulings for clarification.
BTW, I do not have a problem with this going either way. I am just saying that this is not clear.