I cannot tell you of his playing preferences, but he is correct. Adding PoP ruins Modern as a format.
Any single card strategy that completely hoses multiple decks out of a format without meaningful interaction is not healthy for any format.
The modern format is all about pushing player interaction and deck diversity to the absolute limits, hence the aggressive pro-active approach to bannings (a ban list I really do like and understand even though it has quite a few of my favourite cards), any card that goes against that is not healthy for the format.
Master of Cruelty deals no damage he just sets their life total, therefore I don't think Wound reflection will activate.
Actually, any form of reduction in life is considered life loss and vice versa, any form of increase in life total is considered life gain wrt abilities that trigger off said events.
The only difference between fuse and entwine is that the separate cards don't have the same mana cost... although it seems way cooler to have two cards instead of one, and you can cascade and play the more expensive half like you could with the other split cards
Is that still viable with rules changes a little while ago regarding split cards considering you can't imprint the 'expensive' part onto isochron scepter's anymore etc?
And like I said, it's a very interesting and visually attractive way to revisit something old. It's quite scary that Entwine is THAT old and generally unexplored compared to many other abilities that many ppl seeing the new Fuse cards believe the ability to be completely new.
@ratinyourwalls. U do realise the duals are in fact cheaper than the most played scars lands were? most expensive dual is 15 on starcity wheres uw and ub scars lands were 20 a pop? Manabases are actually, looking cheaper post rotation not more expensive.
There are always ppl in the room that show the excitement, just by paying attention to things going on around you.
Heck, surely, just by the fact that 'professional' shark is only the 5th person in 3 minutes to ask if you trading that dual land you opened in the prerelease, surely, a person should think, wait a minute...
Hell, I've had ppl open up duals or bombs, and actually cry out with happiness in the prerelease, and then watched some noob trade the one he opened for nothing cause its worthless... Seriously? How stOOpid can people possibly get?
This are things my freakin 9 year old knows from everyday life.
How people don't get this when they start playing...
I started playing the year after the game came out, I'm 31 now. And I really don't understand how anybody doesn't get this stuff.
Yes, I know, being mean etc etc... But to be honest, don't you guys think past your noses. You open a card, and everyone around you starts going gaga-mad wanting it... That alone should sound freakin LOUD alarm bells that you missing something.
I especially don't get how a new player doesn't get value of mana fixing though. It was the first, most important thing I ever realised with the first dual land I ever saw.
All the PC strategy games, just simple. Warcraft, mine Lumber and Gold. And here's a 'peon' that can do both at the same time, 'doubling' your resources, crude example, but that how my little mind worked it out the moment I saw my first dual.
I'm not trying to mean, its a legitimate question, after having also run magic and had to save plenty a player from being ripped off. The biggest thing for me. How does the excitement of every other player that sees you have the card alone, raise some kind of an alarm bell that you assessing the card wrong? I helped a friend learn the game, and the biggest lesson I had to drill into his head. Stop being so arrogant, thinking you so smart, and start paying attention to whats going on around u, the responses from ppl and the things ppl in general are up to. Even in a casual environment, odds are, there's at least one guy who knows this stuff.
Even my 9 yearold son, when he first started watching me play a year or two ago, being able to read the cards, picked up a dual land and was like OMGosh dad, this land is a forest and a island, its gotta be one of the best cards.
The current modern format is what extended was before it was destroyed and made Lorwyn forwards. What bugs me is that all the banned list has done is make 3 maybe 4 decks that were played back then not playable anymore. Hasn't introduced anything new and with how easy it was to predict current tier 1 metagame when banned list came out and with what already feels a little stagnant as just aren't seeing anything generally new outside of delver, its only a matter of time before the format gets boring/stagnant, as certain decks are already starting to creep ahead.
Regarding manabase not supporting cards and cards not being good because not being played. Alot of whats being played is done so under the assumption that mana in modern doesn't support it, not because not strong enough. Its very easy to make make a manabase for a 2 colour deck without much pain from the lands and have 24 lands that produce every colour. As for Bloodmoon. So far, all off about 2 decks in the field play the card, so not exactly a particularly big problem at all.
My issue is that nothing in the current modern is even new. So much of it just ports of decks that were standard legal at the time this sets were legal. None of whats around is new, all decks that were around a long time ago with others just being evolutions of decks already in the meta, aren't seeing new decks, just evolution after evolution of old deck ideas.
And when I say pushing mana, I mean on 2 colour decks. Why has nobody explored the fact that you can play 20-24 dual colour lands, meaning zero risk lost.
Pls, don't see this as netdecking complaint, as not at all, nothing against netdecking, the best want to play the best, which I do myself, I'm just so surprised so little true brewing has been taking place by knows who know how to. Seems like a mountain of possibilities to thump unsuspecting players and honestly expected at least some new decks to have arrived on the scene by now, things that weren't being played last year worlds. This modern format isn't even new, it was what extended was with just a more robust banning, and that's my issue, why are things still very much the same, even with more robust ban list.
The total lack of this surprises me. In all honesty, the current decks as tier 1 were so obvious as a 'begginer' metagame for the fledling format it was predictable the day of latest bannings in December.
Come on. This a format that supports Phyrexian Obliterators alongside Cryptic commands in the same deck. Where's the exciting ingenuity? Where's the imagination?
No, not an argument about netdecking, this is about how boring the decks out there are considering the toys available.
The comparison to tarmy is not raw power. Yes not as playable but just like tarmy the ability is new and definitely not well understood. When tarmy got everyone everyone also said it sucked cause had to many hoops had to jump thru. Turned out ppl were wrong and tarmy just fit naturally into the gameplay. My comment is aren't we missing a trick here again. Does this guy need hoops or is he gonna generally be a 4cmc 10/10 in every aggro deck especially when factor in how wizards have made the game all about dorks and you only need 4 in the yard for him to just cost 4mana. And aggro deck who's creatures are still in play turn 4 or 5 will win with him in hand, same aggro deck with said creatures in yard will be casting this for 4 mana turn 4 or 5. There is definite comparison to goyf. Yes not as wide applications, control can't play him, which is awesome, nice balance, but in all honesty, what avg aggro deck won't be hgard casting these turn 5 with zero acceleration needed? How's that not something to take a little seriously at least?
Yes he's not tarmogoyf but let's not make the same mistakes. his discount must not be taken lightly. a basic aggro deck drops this after day everytime. Solemns and viridians power this out. Yes no evasion. Yes dies to removal. So does tarmy.
Any single card strategy that completely hoses multiple decks out of a format without meaningful interaction is not healthy for any format.
The modern format is all about pushing player interaction and deck diversity to the absolute limits, hence the aggressive pro-active approach to bannings (a ban list I really do like and understand even though it has quite a few of my favourite cards), any card that goes against that is not healthy for the format.
Actually, any form of reduction in life is considered life loss and vice versa, any form of increase in life total is considered life gain wrt abilities that trigger off said events.
Is that still viable with rules changes a little while ago regarding split cards considering you can't imprint the 'expensive' part onto isochron scepter's anymore etc?
And like I said, it's a very interesting and visually attractive way to revisit something old. It's quite scary that Entwine is THAT old and generally unexplored compared to many other abilities that many ppl seeing the new Fuse cards believe the ability to be completely new.
I don't see much different at all.
It's not a complaint though.
Actually very interesting and very 'visual' way to refresh something 'old'.
There are always ppl in the room that show the excitement, just by paying attention to things going on around you.
Heck, surely, just by the fact that 'professional' shark is only the 5th person in 3 minutes to ask if you trading that dual land you opened in the prerelease, surely, a person should think, wait a minute...
Hell, I've had ppl open up duals or bombs, and actually cry out with happiness in the prerelease, and then watched some noob trade the one he opened for nothing cause its worthless... Seriously? How stOOpid can people possibly get?
This are things my freakin 9 year old knows from everyday life.
I started playing the year after the game came out, I'm 31 now. And I really don't understand how anybody doesn't get this stuff.
Yes, I know, being mean etc etc... But to be honest, don't you guys think past your noses. You open a card, and everyone around you starts going gaga-mad wanting it... That alone should sound freakin LOUD alarm bells that you missing something.
I especially don't get how a new player doesn't get value of mana fixing though. It was the first, most important thing I ever realised with the first dual land I ever saw.
All the PC strategy games, just simple. Warcraft, mine Lumber and Gold. And here's a 'peon' that can do both at the same time, 'doubling' your resources, crude example, but that how my little mind worked it out the moment I saw my first dual.
I'm not trying to mean, its a legitimate question, after having also run magic and had to save plenty a player from being ripped off. The biggest thing for me. How does the excitement of every other player that sees you have the card alone, raise some kind of an alarm bell that you assessing the card wrong? I helped a friend learn the game, and the biggest lesson I had to drill into his head. Stop being so arrogant, thinking you so smart, and start paying attention to whats going on around u, the responses from ppl and the things ppl in general are up to. Even in a casual environment, odds are, there's at least one guy who knows this stuff.
Even my 9 yearold son, when he first started watching me play a year or two ago, being able to read the cards, picked up a dual land and was like OMGosh dad, this land is a forest and a island, its gotta be one of the best cards.
Judge's Familiar
Dryad Militant
Thalia Guardian of Thraben
Rancor
Gavony Township
I feel is probably going to prove the strongest core for a W/g aggro deck.
Regarding manabase not supporting cards and cards not being good because not being played. Alot of whats being played is done so under the assumption that mana in modern doesn't support it, not because not strong enough. Its very easy to make make a manabase for a 2 colour deck without much pain from the lands and have 24 lands that produce every colour. As for Bloodmoon. So far, all off about 2 decks in the field play the card, so not exactly a particularly big problem at all.
And when I say pushing mana, I mean on 2 colour decks. Why has nobody explored the fact that you can play 20-24 dual colour lands, meaning zero risk lost.
Pls, don't see this as netdecking complaint, as not at all, nothing against netdecking, the best want to play the best, which I do myself, I'm just so surprised so little true brewing has been taking place by knows who know how to. Seems like a mountain of possibilities to thump unsuspecting players and honestly expected at least some new decks to have arrived on the scene by now, things that weren't being played last year worlds. This modern format isn't even new, it was what extended was with just a more robust banning, and that's my issue, why are things still very much the same, even with more robust ban list.
4 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Path to Exile
3 Dismember
2 Elspeth Knight-Errant
6 Undecided 1/2cmc creature slot
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
3 Baneslayer Angel
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Godless Shrine
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Fetid Heath
4 Marsh Flats
4 Swamp
__
60
Come on. This a format that supports Phyrexian Obliterators alongside Cryptic commands in the same deck. Where's the exciting ingenuity? Where's the imagination?
No, not an argument about netdecking, this is about how boring the decks out there are considering the toys available.
Surely something like:
4 Thoughtseize
4 Path to Exile
2 Elspeth Knight-Errant
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
3 Baneslayer Angel
Is just a rocking good start for something exciting don't you think?
What about Kitchen Finks and Demigods in something Red/Green?
Or Demigods and Cryptic Commands side by side?
Why aren't we seeing discussions like this for a format with a ban list specifically designed create a world for this?
So here's the question. Where has the ingenuity and imagation gone?
Why such limited thinking so far, already a month into the ptq season?
This is where I am so far:
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Stormblood Beserker
4 Cloistered Youth
4 Mirran Crusader
2 Hero of Oxid Ridge
4 Incinerate
4 Arc Trail
4 Volt Charge
2 Angelic Destiny
__
36
4 Clifftop Retreat
10 Mountain
10 Plains
__
24
Sideboard:
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Angelic Destiny
2 Traitorous Blood
2 Revoke Existence
1 Manic Vandal
2 Dismember
3 Manabarbs
3 Vulshock Refugee
__
15