Needing to put something together for a part-time magic player has gotten me to turn the gears in my head and brew a deck for him. He's an aggro player and is on a budget, so I thought about W/x Heroic.
I have one simple rule when trading with me - we use the same resource for value. If you can't accept that, walk away. Making arbitage by knocking dollars of the cost of my card is lazy - if you want to make arbitage by finding cards tcgplayer undervalues, be my guest. I expect that you won't complain when I do the same.
The moneychanger analogy is true, but if someone wants to be a bully and tries to give you the reach-around, call them out. Sunshine burns more than vampires.
First time poster on this site. THIS LINK is to my Tapped Out account for anyone who wishes to playtest it. (Two creatures are also enchantments. That is why the deck is showing 8 more enchantments than are listed in that category)
This deck resolves around getting out one (or both) of the 4 drops. Ajani's Chosen will allow a large chunk of the deck to give you a free 2/2 creature. Heliod is a beat stick all on its own. Besides giving all your creatures vigilansce, the 2/1 enchantment creature can ensure you always have something to spend your mana on. When the Nxy land is also out, you can create a lot of enchantment creatures. Things go nuts if all three are on the board at once.
The two 4 drops also combo off of each other. Since Heliod's 2/1 creatures are also enchantments, Ajani's Chosen will trigger, giving you a 2/2. So, for four mana, you get four power on two bodies at instant speed. Won't happen often, but it will quickly end games. Another unlikely, but powerful possibility, is the Hopeful Eidolon + 2 Ethereal Armor start. You could be swinging for 7 lifelink damage on turn 2. Yes, you will almost certainly be getting 3 for 1'd on the next turn. But, if you hit their face, that's still almost half their life, while putting you up 14 points to them.
I'm not sure if its worthwhile to splash blue just for Negate. Is there any better solution to stop a Supreme Verdict?
Why?
- it's a repeatable effect on a low CC creature
- it's versatile
- it fixes mana and deals damage with pants (albeit small ones)
DRS will peak at 50 each by next modern season. It's already everywhere (as highlighted upthread) and there is no current value sub for it. Thoughtseize and Scavenging Ooze won't be slouches either - I think both will be low 20's by next Modern season.
Caveats to the above - if they put DRS in an event deck, i'd revise it downward. If fetchlands get added to M15, i'd expect it to skyrocket.
Purely anecdotal, but folks who were moving them back and forth at my LGS were valuing them at 20 bucks (40 lands @ 50c ea) which seems fair for right now at least, IMO.
I'd check completed auctions if you want an up to the minute comparison for a guideline.
George and Shellie lived across from us for a year when my wife and I first moved in together, back in 2008.
They were just a nice, average couple. They had a dog, she was in school to work in a salon and he was out of work (had gotten laid off from a car dealership around the time we moved there.)
Neither of them were racist or otherwise untoward in any way - just nice, average people. We often *****ed about the conditions of the apartments we lived in (it was a classy place - the front office regularly stole packages and sold drugs out of their offices) - and had planned to stay in touch after we moved to a nicer place. It just never happened.
The whole situation saddens me.
As far as what happened - he should be charged with manslaughter, not second degree murder.
Definition of Manslaughter (in the form of a cite from the FL State Leg)
782.07 Manslaughter; aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person or disabled adult; aggravated manslaughter of a child; aggravated manslaughter of an officer, a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, or a paramedic.—
(1) The killing of a human being by the act, procurement, or culpable negligence of another, without lawful justification according to the provisions of chapter 776 and in cases in which such killing shall not be excusable homicide or murder, according to the provisions of this chapter, is manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(2) A person who causes the death of any elderly person or disabled adult by culpable negligence under s. 825.102(3) commits aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person or disabled adult, a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(3) A person who causes the death of any person under the age of 18 by culpable negligence under s. 827.03(2)(b) commits aggravated manslaughter of a child, a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(4) A person who causes the death, through culpable negligence, of an officer as defined in s. 943.10(14), a firefighter as defined in s. 112.191, an emergency medical technician as defined in s. 401.23, or a paramedic as defined in s. 401.23, while the officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, or paramedic is performing duties that are within the course of his or her employment, commits aggravated manslaughter of an officer, a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, or a paramedic, a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
History.—RS 2384; GS 3209; RGS 5039; CGL 7141; s. 715, ch. 71-136; s. 180, ch. 73-333; s. 15, ch. 74-383; s. 6, ch. 75-298; s. 12, ch. 96-322; s. 2, ch. 2002-74; s. 12, ch. 2012-155.
IMO, his decision to exit the vehicle and confront Martin is the crux of the case. It can't be proven that his life was in danger in the vehicle, and Martin was not committing a felony (Florida law allows the use of force to stop a violent felony from occurring or to interrupt one) by walking through the neighborhood.
George should have stayed put, and radioed the PD. While the PD in this town is notoriously bad (google Sanford Florida PD controversy), it would have been the *correct* thing to do. Instead, he became negligent by confronting the teen.
Does it pass the test for self defense? I think it doesn't - in fact, he is negligent in seeking out the teen. No confrontation, no incident. FL law has broad leeway when it comes to self defense and citizen's arrest, but both require the commission of a violent felony - which is not the case here.
Finally, I think he will walk. Why?
States attorney is highly political and likes to overshoot. This is what happened to Casey Anthony. States attorney Ashton wanted charges that weren't applicable by statute, and the jury *followed* the letter of the law and acquitted her. I think this will happen here. If the prosecutor was competent, the right charges would have been filed, and this would be a slam dunk.
Frankly, I don't want to be anywhere near Sanford when they reach a verdict - Sanford is a racially charged powder keg ready to blow.
Might be roundly panned for it but i'd pick up a few Jace, Architect of Thought - unless Jace, the better gets unbanned.
Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay will be 20 bucks post INN rotation, and will likely be around there until Magic dies, they obsolete them with something better (!) or Wizards bans them (not likely, but just sayin)
Besides what's already confirmed, the only ones I believe will be shoe-ins are:
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Doubling Season
Reasons? The swords to give parity to the swords from the new Mirrodin Block, Elspeth (already Mythic and in need of a reprint), and Kiki/DS because their abilities "feel" mythic.
As for the other slots, some of the stuff the OP posted is fair game, but I would think limited is not a consideration, because MM draft is going to be busted anyways.
Thoughtseize will probably be Mythic, though....
Sleeper pick for mythic in this set? Something underutilized but OP from TSP - think Daybreak Coronet or Bridge from Below.
First, take a deep breath. It's a hobby. You will recover/recoup - eventually.
If you need to step away for a couple of weeks, do it. Clear your head. When you go back, take stock of what you have, be extra vigilant. I got hit for for a full playset (!) of Zen fetches once. What I changed:
1 card in each binder spot (can see right away what's missing)
changed to 4 card instead of 9 card binders (less exposure)
changed to side load binders - harder to take items
one binder and one trader at a time (so i can focus on the trade)
Afterwards I started talking to people in the shop to see if they had been hit too, and some indeed had. Eventually, the culprits got caught, and got banned from the store (and the others, after we advertised his transgressions to other places) - but the cards were long gone. With changes i've made - it hasn't happened since.
Round 2 - G/W Aggro (W 2-1)
Game 1 played out like Jund should against aggro - I was able to keep the table clear with Dreadbore and Abrupt Decay until I could drop Huntmaster of the Fells and Thragtusk and go to town.
+2 Mizzium Mortars
-2 Lilliana of the Veil
Game 2 he was able to drop 3 Loxodon Smiter off of a Rakdos Return. Didn't recover there.
Game 3 played out like Game 1 and I was able to win handily.
Round 5 - Jund Aggro (L 1-2)
Game 1 was a blowout for my opponent - he kept my side clear with Decay and Dreadbore, and landed a pair of Boros Reckoner (!) to keep me down.
+2 Abrupt Decay, +2 Mizzium Mortars
-2 Lilliana of the Veil, -2 Duress
Game 2 I had no business winning, but I was able to stabilize with Staff of Nin and had the gas to come back.
Game 3 was close, I had a 1 turn clock when he ripped a Falkenrath Aristocrat to tag me for lethal.
Round 6 - U/W/R Flash (W 2-1)
This was one match I hadn't tested extensively - UWR feels alot like my deck in that it's chock full of good stuff. Game 1 I was able to keep the board clear long enough for Huntmaster -> Thragtusk -> Staff of Nin.
+2 Deathrite Shaman, +2 Skullcrack
-2 Rakdos Keyrune, -1 Abrupt Decay, -1 Garruk Relentless
Game 2's loss was brought to me by Sphinx's Revelation. I was able to rip a Rakdos Return, but he was able to respond with a Revelation, making it into a "Cycle 5" courtesy of me.
Game 3 I was able to stabilize and eat his graveyard with Deathrite and peck away with Vampire Nighthawk to stay in the game until I was able to roll a pair of Tusks then Rakdos for 5. Draw-go isn't so spectacular when you are ripping off the top.
Missed the cut for T8 by 2 - breakers ended up being really bad.
Personal Observations
Before the tournament started, I saw tons of people on Junk Reanimator. In this configuration, I wasn't able to prevail pre or post board.
Rakdos Keyrune was underwhelming for me - every time I saw it, I wished it was either straight removal or a dude.
Staff of Nin was the real deal for me - we might have lots of straight up value, but very little gas. Both modes helped me out a lot that night.
This card kind of feels like the value substitute for Thoughtseize- with that card being north of 50 bucks. For a long time it was what I used in casual decks that wanted this effect, but when I saw they were on the way up, back into the binder.
It's possible to see 10 dollars on this before Modern Masters happens. I think where it goes from there depends on how the market digests the increase in certain cards printed in MM...
I too hope that they print a fair amount of this. I have playsets of most modern staples from Time Spiral on - some of which cost a pretty penny - but honestly, i'd rather be able to walk in to the LGS I go to and play pickup modern while waiting for drafts, as opposed to standard only.
I think once the print run normalizes, the staples will be close to if not more than they are now, honestly.
i think we need a small discussion about what deck this really is. it most definitely isn't control.
i have no problem writing a primer. i think it'd be fun and i've played this deck a ton. plus i'm on vacation right now, and i can only take so much family before i go crazy. haha.
I've been playing this for a while - since Avacyn Restored and the addition of Restoration Angel - and it definitely feels like Draw-Go, even with Geist and Kitchen Finks amongst the critters. I'm sure my list differs from some of the others in here, but my goal is to do as much on your turn as I can. Here's my list:
Baneslayer Angel feels like an awesome trump. It usually comes out against other control decks, but against aggro it usually means "I win".
Telling Time feels like a good draw/filter, but i'm new to blue, so feel free to offer something else up.
Not scientific at all, but threading an opponent's goyf feels REAL GOOD.
So far, only having issues with Jund. Gonna read through the thread to see if there's any guidance on that matchup. Let me know what you think of my list.
I live in the Delaware Ohio area and recently experienced a massive theft from right out of my car. My black Ultrapro case with 14 valuable decks (included duals, Goyfs, Bob's, and others) right from the back seat of my car in my own apartment complex.
Lesson Learned - Never EVER leave stuff in cars. Cards go with me to store and stay on my person until they go home, then back inside.
Theft sucks in general, but this theft really sucks since this collection was a rebuild in response to my exwife enjoying a toasty bonfire with my Mercadian Masques/Invasion Block era collection
Lesson Learned - Hire a better divorce attorney next time
and an overzealous pastor destroyed my Ice Age to Urza's Destiny era collection.
Lesson Learned - File charges against the pastor next time. Let him tend to the flock in prison.
Each collection had thousands of dollars of stuff in it and I've never able to truly recollect the memories and fun that was lost each time.
Is it honestly worth it to try and rebuild a fourth time in fourteen years?
In all seriousness - if you want to continue playing, continue playing. Just use the lessons you've learned already. At this point, you should probably be the most hyper-vigilant person in the world, re: your cards.
W/U Heroic
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Phalanx Leader
4 Battlewise Hoplite
4 Triton Fortune Hunter
4 Fabled Hero
2 Daxos of Meletis
Spells
4 Triton Tactics
3 God's Willing
2 Ethereal Armor
4 Aqueous Form
3 Ordeal of Thassa
2 Hopeful Eidolon
2 Spear of Heliod
4 Hallowed Fountain
10 Plains
6 Island
3 Rootborn Defenses
2 Glare of Heresy
3 Judge's Familiar
3 Mizzium Skin
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Murder Investigation
It hits the high notes for an aggro player, is very linear, and is low-cost. Anyone have anything to add on this?
The moneychanger analogy is true, but if someone wants to be a bully and tries to give you the reach-around, call them out. Sunshine burns more than vampires.
Rootborn Defenses - bonus for populating the tokens.
Why?
- it's a repeatable effect on a low CC creature
- it's versatile
- it fixes mana and deals damage with pants (albeit small ones)
DRS will peak at 50 each by next modern season. It's already everywhere (as highlighted upthread) and there is no current value sub for it.
Thoughtseize and Scavenging Ooze won't be slouches either - I think both will be low 20's by next Modern season.
Caveats to the above - if they put DRS in an event deck, i'd revise it downward. If fetchlands get added to M15, i'd expect it to skyrocket.
I'd check completed auctions if you want an up to the minute comparison for a guideline.
George and Shellie lived across from us for a year when my wife and I first moved in together, back in 2008.
They were just a nice, average couple. They had a dog, she was in school to work in a salon and he was out of work (had gotten laid off from a car dealership around the time we moved there.)
Neither of them were racist or otherwise untoward in any way - just nice, average people. We often *****ed about the conditions of the apartments we lived in (it was a classy place - the front office regularly stole packages and sold drugs out of their offices) - and had planned to stay in touch after we moved to a nicer place. It just never happened.
The whole situation saddens me.
As far as what happened - he should be charged with manslaughter, not second degree murder.
Definition of Manslaughter (in the form of a cite from the FL State Leg)
782.07 Manslaughter; aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person or disabled adult; aggravated manslaughter of a child; aggravated manslaughter of an officer, a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, or a paramedic.—
(1) The killing of a human being by the act, procurement, or culpable negligence of another, without lawful justification according to the provisions of chapter 776 and in cases in which such killing shall not be excusable homicide or murder, according to the provisions of this chapter, is manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(2) A person who causes the death of any elderly person or disabled adult by culpable negligence under s. 825.102(3) commits aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person or disabled adult, a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(3) A person who causes the death of any person under the age of 18 by culpable negligence under s. 827.03(2)(b) commits aggravated manslaughter of a child, a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(4) A person who causes the death, through culpable negligence, of an officer as defined in s. 943.10(14), a firefighter as defined in s. 112.191, an emergency medical technician as defined in s. 401.23, or a paramedic as defined in s. 401.23, while the officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, or paramedic is performing duties that are within the course of his or her employment, commits aggravated manslaughter of an officer, a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, or a paramedic, a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
History.—RS 2384; GS 3209; RGS 5039; CGL 7141; s. 715, ch. 71-136; s. 180, ch. 73-333; s. 15, ch. 74-383; s. 6, ch. 75-298; s. 12, ch. 96-322; s. 2, ch. 2002-74; s. 12, ch. 2012-155.
IMO, his decision to exit the vehicle and confront Martin is the crux of the case. It can't be proven that his life was in danger in the vehicle, and Martin was not committing a felony (Florida law allows the use of force to stop a violent felony from occurring or to interrupt one) by walking through the neighborhood.
George should have stayed put, and radioed the PD. While the PD in this town is notoriously bad (google Sanford Florida PD controversy), it would have been the *correct* thing to do. Instead, he became negligent by confronting the teen.
Does it pass the test for self defense? I think it doesn't - in fact, he is negligent in seeking out the teen. No confrontation, no incident. FL law has broad leeway when it comes to self defense and citizen's arrest, but both require the commission of a violent felony - which is not the case here.
Finally, I think he will walk. Why?
States attorney is highly political and likes to overshoot. This is what happened to Casey Anthony. States attorney Ashton wanted charges that weren't applicable by statute, and the jury *followed* the letter of the law and acquitted her. I think this will happen here. If the prosecutor was competent, the right charges would have been filed, and this would be a slam dunk.
Frankly, I don't want to be anywhere near Sanford when they reach a verdict - Sanford is a racially charged powder keg ready to blow.
Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay will be 20 bucks post INN rotation, and will likely be around there until Magic dies, they obsolete them with something better (!) or Wizards bans them (not likely, but just sayin)
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Doubling Season
Reasons? The swords to give parity to the swords from the new Mirrodin Block, Elspeth (already Mythic and in need of a reprint), and Kiki/DS because their abilities "feel" mythic.
As for the other slots, some of the stuff the OP posted is fair game, but I would think limited is not a consideration, because MM draft is going to be busted anyways.
Thoughtseize will probably be Mythic, though....
Sleeper pick for mythic in this set? Something underutilized but OP from TSP - think Daybreak Coronet or Bridge from Below.
First, take a deep breath. It's a hobby. You will recover/recoup - eventually.
If you need to step away for a couple of weeks, do it. Clear your head. When you go back, take stock of what you have, be extra vigilant. I got hit for for a full playset (!) of Zen fetches once. What I changed:
1 card in each binder spot (can see right away what's missing)
changed to 4 card instead of 9 card binders (less exposure)
changed to side load binders - harder to take items
one binder and one trader at a time (so i can focus on the trade)
Afterwards I started talking to people in the shop to see if they had been hit too, and some indeed had. Eventually, the culprits got caught, and got banned from the store (and the others, after we advertised his transgressions to other places) - but the cards were long gone. With changes i've made - it hasn't happened since.
Sealed Duel Decks from Garruk v. Liliana to Izzet v. Golgari
Opened but 100 percent complete decks from Divine v. Demonic to Venser v. Koth
I'd rather just sell as a lot, so what do you think is a good price for the lot?
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Thragtusk
2 Duress
2 Searing Spear
3 Abrupt Decay
2 Dreadbore
3 Farseek
1 Slaughter Games
2 Rakdos' Return
2 Lilliana of the Veil
1 Garruk Relentless
2 Rakdos Keyrune
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Blood Crypt
3 Stomping Ground
4 Woodland Cemetery
4 Dragonskull Summit
3 Rootbound Crag
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Appetite for Brains
2 Deathrite Shaman
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Pithing Needle
2 Skullcrack
2 Slaughter Games
2 Mizzium Mortars
1 Dreadbore
FNM Report (6 Rounds)
Round 1 - 4 Color Good Stuff (L 1-2)
Game 1 was lost to 3 straight Thragtusk.
+2 Skullcrack, +1 Slaughter Games, +1 Dreadbore
-2 Abrupt Decay, -2 Duress
Game 2 i was totally unprepared for Gisela, Blade of Goldnight - she mopped the floor with me.
Round 2 - G/W Aggro (W 2-1)
Game 1 played out like Jund should against aggro - I was able to keep the table clear with Dreadbore and Abrupt Decay until I could drop Huntmaster of the Fells and Thragtusk and go to town.
+2 Mizzium Mortars
-2 Lilliana of the Veil
Game 2 he was able to drop 3 Loxodon Smiter off of a Rakdos Return. Didn't recover there.
Game 3 played out like Game 1 and I was able to win handily.
Round 3 - Unexpected Results Combo (W 2-1)
This matchup wasn't on my radar at all - I was soundly crushed under the mammoth foot of Griselbrand in game 1.
+2 Slaughter Games, +2 Appetite for Brains
-2 Abrupt Decay, -2 Searing Spear
Games 2 and 3 is where Slaughter Games and Duress did yeoman's work for me - both times I was able to strip Unexpected Results early, and in game 3 I was able to slaughter both Griselbrand and Thragtusk from the board to ensure victory.
Round 4 - Bye (W 2-0)
Round 5 - Jund Aggro (L 1-2)
Game 1 was a blowout for my opponent - he kept my side clear with Decay and Dreadbore, and landed a pair of Boros Reckoner (!) to keep me down.
+2 Abrupt Decay, +2 Mizzium Mortars
-2 Lilliana of the Veil, -2 Duress
Game 2 I had no business winning, but I was able to stabilize with Staff of Nin and had the gas to come back.
Game 3 was close, I had a 1 turn clock when he ripped a Falkenrath Aristocrat to tag me for lethal.
Round 6 - U/W/R Flash (W 2-1)
This was one match I hadn't tested extensively - UWR feels alot like my deck in that it's chock full of good stuff. Game 1 I was able to keep the board clear long enough for Huntmaster -> Thragtusk -> Staff of Nin.
+2 Deathrite Shaman, +2 Skullcrack
-2 Rakdos Keyrune, -1 Abrupt Decay, -1 Garruk Relentless
Game 2's loss was brought to me by Sphinx's Revelation. I was able to rip a Rakdos Return, but he was able to respond with a Revelation, making it into a "Cycle 5" courtesy of me.
Game 3 I was able to stabilize and eat his graveyard with Deathrite and peck away with Vampire Nighthawk to stay in the game until I was able to roll a pair of Tusks then Rakdos for 5. Draw-go isn't so spectacular when you are ripping off the top.
Missed the cut for T8 by 2 - breakers ended up being really bad.
Personal Observations
I'm contemplating changes for next week while I read through the backlog of pages on here. No new tech to report, either.
It's possible to see 10 dollars on this before Modern Masters happens. I think where it goes from there depends on how the market digests the increase in certain cards printed in MM...
I think once the print run normalizes, the staples will be close to if not more than they are now, honestly.
I've been playing this for a while - since Avacyn Restored and the addition of Restoration Angel - and it definitely feels like Draw-Go, even with Geist and Kitchen Finks amongst the critters. I'm sure my list differs from some of the others in here, but my goal is to do as much on your turn as I can. Here's my list:
4 Restoration Angel
3 Kitchen Finks
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendillion Clique
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Spell Snare
3 Mana Leak
2 Path to Exile
1 Cryptic Command
3 Telling Time
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
2 Echoing Truth
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
5 Island
5 Plains
1 Mystic Gate
1 Disenchant
2 Path to Exile
2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Pithing Needle
2 Threads of Disloyalty
Some notes on choices...
Baneslayer Angel feels like an awesome trump. It usually comes out against other control decks, but against aggro it usually means "I win".
Telling Time feels like a good draw/filter, but i'm new to blue, so feel free to offer something else up.
Not scientific at all, but threading an opponent's goyf feels REAL GOOD.
So far, only having issues with Jund. Gonna read through the thread to see if there's any guidance on that matchup. Let me know what you think of my list.
In all seriousness - if you want to continue playing, continue playing. Just use the lessons you've learned already. At this point, you should probably be the most hyper-vigilant person in the world, re: your cards.