MTG Salvation

so I have fallen hard into testing with Domri, Anarch of Bolas, and I really think the payoff is nice. Hes an extra mana per turn and an anthem effect. I feel like he fits really well here but I could see him being too slow or low impact.

Quote from idSurge »

Quote from alanyuan0408 »

So for people talking about Counter spell in modern:


Can you imagine having to play against a sultai control deck in modern with Assasssin's Trophy, Counter Spell, Push, Cryptic where you literally won't be able to resolve anything?

No I cannot, because I would also have counters.

`He would play spell snare and not care. I would love to be in those days though, so +1 to counterspell and sultai being good

Can we get good non-mill dimir cards, please? and preferably not over-costed to high hell while we're at it?

Creeping tar pit can handle planeswalkers, and the package of infernal reckonings plus steel sabotages can truly help. I have damping sphere swapping places with flaying tendrils sometimes though, so it depends on the vibe of the competitive atmosphere

I think this is just what needs to happen. Players are going to start learning the KCI deck, as they very well should. Its a reaction to being unable to interact. So some of you will suffer through this new competitive metagame for a short while. I'm applauding shaheen Soorani for picking up KCI wholeheartedly though, as a blue player who plays other colors to learn the decks myself. This is what modern has made players do to be competitive, as the nature of the beast. So until we get a different environment more players with a background in combo loops and play-sequencing will likely pick up the deck, and maybe more people struggling to interact will learn how to play it, or how to beat it...but isnt that what we're here to do anyway?

you will want engineered explosives and ratchet bomb if budget is a huge concern. Damnation is a big necessity for the match more often than not so the overall money for 2 Modern Masters versions may be well spent. otherwise up your spot removal count between maindeck and sideboard

Quote from FoodChainGoblins »

Quote from Colt47 »

Modern players are also a lot more jovial from my own experience than most standard players that do the same type of thing. I mean, if you sat down and played a game vs IdSurge or purklefluff it's probably going to be a good experience.

Isn't FoodChainGoblins on this list as well?

I think there are definitely more of the mtgsal crew on that list. But yeah the people in your environment make modern an easier format to play in, even if games are a struggle.

I am so excited to play Wizard's retort. All my nontoken creatures in faeries are wizards.

Quote from Monti »

If having required slots for sideboard is part of their banning, then why has affinity (the dredge of modern) had no bans for so long?

Id venture a guess and say that its because those answers are very effective against affinity

Thanks for all the work you did and all the help you've given us with the faeries primer.

1. I think the Heliod + Ballista Combo will likely be a noticeable presence in Modern.

2. Green Devotion got one sideboard card thus far in Setessan Suplicant

3. Underworld Breach and Storm Herald both scream to be broken...so it’s very possible a deck gets built for them.

Outside of that I’ll not seeing a ton (maybe the red boardwipe in Red Prison.). There is still a good amount. The power level does seem high enough that another few cards could make it.

I hear that Modern is “dying” and that a huge chunk of Modern players are focused on Pioneer right now; but as a Modern-centric player I think we’ll have a good year coming up!

This one... i feel is overrated. The cost is just too damn high.

5 (you gotta tap it too so 5) mana is a lot, even late game, to leave open just to.. scry 2.

That said theres about 8 edh decks i want to at least try it out in, but im positive itll never be activated and will be cut for a basic instead.

Quote from Ryperior74 »

Dude the blue is no question the best one so far that scry ability will clearly make it playable in eternal formats

Now I haven’t kept up with legacy or modern play in a while but certainly they haven’t slowed down so much that a 4 mana tap ability is a reasonable thing in those. So far this one and the black one are maybes for me in commander.

Quote from MercurialMemory »

It feels like half of Eldraine has reach and/or trample.

Guess they were afraid of faeries being too good again, even though I haven't seen any really good faeries yet.

Quote from CavalryWolfPack »

I might be on the ban mania train at this point. I'm just so tired of watching things be the way they are. This isn't good Magic. And by "good Magic" I mean it actually feels like Magic. For example, Gitaxian Probe is a card I like having banned because it's not good Magic. It's borderline free for perfect information and it make you play 56 card decks. This isn't "good Magic."

Speaking from my own definition of ban mania, I want to be clear that not all calls for bans are ban mania. As a term, "ban mania" specifically refers to framing an issue that is fundamentally about the metagame, format, cards, decks, strategy, etc. as a ban policy issue, doing so with minimal or no evidence, and/or doing so out of dialogue with known Wizards ban criteria/decisions. This encompasses most of the ban calls we have seen aimed at decks since 2017: GDS, E-Tron, CoCo, Storm, Humans, Gx Tron, UWx, Dredge, Bridgevine, etc. all come to mind. Even KCI ban talk was initially ban mania because it lacked evidence for many months. But once there was significant evidence against KCI, in the form of disproportionate T8 performance and MWP stats, the initial ban mania became just a ban argument. Ban arguments are okay. Ban arguments can, in fact, be positive if driven by reasonable arguments and framed as cases or conversations. As long as you're engaged in that dialogue, it can be healthy and interesting to discuss bans.

In the same vein, I'm having a harder and harder time enjoying Modern. I dislike how Modern is defined by degeneracy (however you choose to interpret the word, it's how Modern has felt to me for a long time). I'm tired of there being these insane cards that enable so much absurd things. I'm tired of how UW is now my only control option for the most part. I'm tired of the gymnastics of testing new decks in an effort to enjoy this format again. When I first started playing the format the deck diversity was great and there were options, oh so many options. Now I feel like I have to be playing a deck I dislike playing in order to do well. I don't want to play Dredge, Phoenix, Humans, Tron, maybe Amulet. I don't want to feel forced into playing UW if I want to play Control. Maybe I just dislike how this is another phase in Modern's history, and I need to suck it up and just keep going. But at this point, I can even enjoy playing the format anymore. I don't feel like the format is diverse anymore. I feel like my options in order to compete keep getting smaller.

Maybe I'm not a fan of the Graveyard Check people were talking about earlier. I'm I being unfair to the format here? I just can't get behind the format and need something to reinvigorate my interest once more.

I don't know your local scene or what venue you play in, but I always encourage players to think in terms of what they are likely to face from week to week, not what they are likely to face in a hypothetical major paper tournament. It's easy to get sucked into believing that only the Tier 1 decks of any given time are viable, and we tend to define such decks as those which T8 a GP or SCG Open (maybe; some people are STILL skpetical of these events). For one, it's always surprising just how many decks are in T8 contention. Second, very few of us actually play in these kinds of 15 round events. We are more likely to play in 8-rounders or smaller. I find if players pick for those events in known metagames, they have more success and enjoyment.

Quote from ktkenshinx »

We can do better.

So can WOTC.

Remember when printed small Eldrazi, knowing about the manabase, because it would be cool and fun?
Remember when they said Ancestral Vision would help grindy slow blue decks?
Remember when they said Thopter Sword would help grindy slow blue decks?
Remember when they said Jace would help grindy slow blue decks?
Remember when they said Twin stifled blue diversity?
Remember when they bombarded blue with specifically UW cards (stifling diversity) and it still wasn't good enough for sustained competitive relevance?
Remember when they gave Dredge Cathartic Reunion and free 3/3s?
Remember when they printed a free, uninteractable Lightning Helix for Dredge?
Remember when they thought GGT was the problem with Dredge?
Remember when they thought BBE was the problem with Jund?
Remember when Jace and BBE came back and did nothing?
Remember when Tron kept getting new toys to become more obnoxious all the time?
Remember how they keep printing busted colorless cards for Tron/Prison?
Remember how they let Phoenix dominate GPs at disturbing levels for months?
Remember how green and red still have the best cantrips in Modern?
Remember how they think any blue cantrip has to be worse than Serum Visions?
Remember how they think Stoneforge Mystic is too good for Modern?
Remember how they think Counterspell is too good for Modern?
Remember when they printed that wacky new pump spell so Infect can T2 kill better?
Remember how they view diversity from a name standpoint and not archetype?
Remember how they hide and obfuscate information in order to create a false narrative of format health?
Remember when they printed Iconic Masters, and it lacked any sort of Iconic cards?
Remember when they printed a celebration of 25 years of Magic, and left out the most celebrated cards of Magic's history?
Remember when they printed a Modern-focused set, filled with maybe half a dozen playable cards, and a ton of Commander and Limited chaff?
Remember when they missed the mark entirely on what it takes to make a card playable in Modern?
And then there's recent Standard...
Remember when they printed ridiculous graveyard abuse cards with no way to fight it?
Remember when they printed Energy, and no way to interact with it?
Remember when no one in R&D noticed the Saheeli combo, spotted within 15 minutes of its spoiler?
Remember when they printed fetchlands and fetchable duals with a tri-color themed set?
Remember when they ignored all the other formats because they were too busy putting out the dumpster fire that was Standard?
Remember how they continued to ignore Modern almost entirely to focus on the "new! better!" Ravnica Standard?

There are likely many more instances, but these are just off the top of my head and I think you get the idea. You make the case that many of these things are isolated and specific events. This is true. But when taken on the whole, they indicate a pattern of incompetence, a lack of understanding of the format, and a specific desire to force their own narrative about what the format is by hiding data and telling us that our miserable experiences are just isolated small events.

I know we're only 90 cards deep, but holy balls, the distinct lack of any playable answers outside the green force for artifact decks (in the SB) is a joke. No, prohibit/exclude is not modern playable. FoN is SB material at best (There are way too many creature decks to MB such a narrow card in this format...I know, the amount of games I've lost because I'm holding negate/countersquall is ludicrous), Firebolt is interesting in a deck like Phoenix, but it's not really playable as a catch-all answer. Where's Deed, Vindicate, Swords, Abrupt Decay/Assassin's Trophy, (RIP Counterspell), cheap red removal to deal with X/5's, Containment Priest/GY hate, Tribal hate (E-Plague, etc.), Port, more non-basic hate, etc. There's nothing.

There is however, a ***** load of non-sense tribal/EDH cards and very low power level callbacks (bad bad preordain, 5 mana ponder, did we really need a white beast within?, etc.). The marketing of this set has been atrocious.

Feels like the format is rewarding the linear decks even more with this set (the Canopy lands tend to be much better in decks like burn, bogles, etc., than mid-range/control decks), really good infect card, tribal aggro, etc.

I'm really tired of WoTC designing premium sets primarily for limited. Most people aren't going to regularly draft your 7$+ booster set. Burns my britches. /rantover

Quote from ktkenshinx »

Quote from Joban8 »

You'd think that the same people who allegedly monitor format health would have an expert understanding of the modern infrastructure and which existing cards would be most efficacious when it comes to filling in gaps, balancing the color pie, bolstering lower tier archetypes, etc were they ever reprinted into modern. Instead of utilizing those existing cards, which have concrete data, and opting to make MH a majority compilation of brand new unknown variables is a sign of either ignorance or ineptitude, in my eyes. I won't damn the set until everything is laid out on the table, but I'm going to have some serious trust issues come June 14 if all we have is a set with sweet EDH toys and one solid land cycle.

Quote from cfusionpm »

I have literally been saying this for years, and constantly mocked for it. But time and time again, they show that their understanding of the format is embarrassingly thin and almost entirely dictated by spreadsheets and data sets of names. There is no deep and fundamental understanding of the actual format meta or how the decks interact with each other, outside of the absolute most basic, surface level observations. Is this set what it finally takes for others to see that?

It's very easy for players to criticize Wizards' understanding of the format if we focus on misses without context. I prefer to look at the big picture since 2016.

I wholeheartedly agree, which is why it's taken me this long to seriously wonder if wotc knows just what the hell they're doing when it comes to Modern. I haven't been happy with every decision they've made regarding the format over the years and I've criticized them when I felt it was warranted, but in the end I always assumed there were people onboard who likely know infinitely more about the format than I keeping tabs and monitoring the overall state of modern. The majority of aforementioned decisions pertain to the B&R list. I've deferred back to the "too powerful for Standard" rhetoric whenever I'm frustrated about the format lacking certain answer cards or color representation.

Despite having an overall unfavorable opinion of wotc/R&D the last 10 years, I was excited when MH was announced, because I assumed they would finally be able to improve the format through direct intervention now that the red tape and excuses were gone. Maybe we'll get some rock solid reprints in the second half and the set ends up being a great thing for Modern. However, if all we get in the end are some lands, slivers, and ******* bear tribal then that'll be straw that breaks the camel's back and I'll no longer be able to suspend my disbelief. The thing is they didn't have to make a direct to Modern set. Hell, even if they did they didn't have to put 'Modern' in the name and market it to the players of that format. But they did. And if EDH fodder along with a handful of immediately-relevant lands & cheeky tribal bull***** is what they think Modern NEEDS, I think those people need to be fired yesterday. I can see investor-related concerns contributing to a mindset of hedging bets by including a few EDH goodies, but you still need to deliver on the set's namesake. Frankly speaking, missing the mark by a mile is flat out embarrassing for a set that was hyped and promoted as something "powerful" that would shake up the format.

Regardless, after each day of spoilers its becoming more clear just how much time was spent on MH compared to recent standard sets. I know standard is the bread and butter, especially now with Arena taking off, but Modern is exponentially more complex due to the sheer amount of possibilities and it just feels like instead of taking the time to dig deep and design a set aimed at balancing out the meta, color pies, certain strats, etc they thought they'd be able to get away with skipping the time commitment by including cute nods to older cards and other surface level bull*****. It's like when you were a kid at christmas and your Grandma knew you loved playing games on your gameboy, so she went and got you Roller Coaster Tycoon for PC. It seems like there's mutual understanding on the surface, but that's the extent of it.

I'm really trying to be optimistic here but I can't lie to myself about being disappointed. When the set first got announced I thought it would be a good mix between old cards and new cards... then you find out it's only 15% reprints. I tried to stay positive, but with every reprint it just made me hurt even more. Professionals and casuals made lists of cards they wanted in Modern but now they're lucky if one of those made it into the set. As of now, there is no counterspell, containment priest, wirewood symbiote, quirion ranger, vindicate. It feels like the day I watched the Last Jedi -- I just feel hollow.

It looks like some EDH players will be happy, though.