Not exactly a big deal in all honesty but I don't have much to complain over. I appreciate maybe some players have had bad experiences of people cheating. However at pre-release one guy I was paired against had this habit where when we were both shuffling our decks in front of each other, when we put them down to cut them (tbh I barely ever bother to even cut theirs), he takes my deck and proceeds to shuffle it for some time, happened in all 3 rounds (he won 2-1). I suppose it irked me slightly as I felt it the implicated he suspected me of being dishonest, just felt unnecessary when he's seen me shuffling. Just cut and play lol.
You'll find that pretty normal in competitive REL, so some people get in the habit of doing it. Not really a thing to get angry about.
I've played a version of this deck since rotation and even won game day and multiple other events with it. I always have cast Soulfire Grand Master on turn two if I have it. If it eats a wild slash or silkwrap, that's fine. If it eats a murderous cut or something better, that's great, one less thing to hit my larger creatures.
There is no solid answer to this though. Sometimes casting it on turn three if you think you can afford to wait is fine. But generally you want to start the beatdown as soon as possible by just playing out your creatures.
You're pretty wrong. Just in this current standard there's a combo deck that has won multiple big tournaments, burn focused mono red won the last pro tour, blue/black and esper control strategies have been very dominant (some creatureless), and even graveyard based decks have had a good run. So I'm not quite where you're getting any of that from.
Forerunner of Slaughter is pretty bad in standard. Trading with one drops and dying to Wild Slash/Fiery Impulse doesn't sound super appealing considering he doesn't do anything but be a 3/2. Omnath, Locus of Rage also isn't very good in a deck that doesn't aim to break him in some way. I'd almost always play Dragonlord Atarka over him.
I've only seen one or two people get actually angry in my 5 years of playing at my LGS. Everyone is chill, chats with eachother, trades, playtests, loans cards. Definitely a case-by-case thing.
Oh wait I'm confused I got him mixed up with an even more lesser known grinder. So who is Owen why so upset he has to test with MJ and Gerry and brad cause they are just A bunch of slouches. Sorry just think its kinda whinny seeing his tweets tonight.
He doesn't have to test with them, he's with channel fireball...
It only saw play after jtms and sfm got banned, and even then that was a couple months at best before rotation. sure the combo was known but you sure wouldn't be able to tell by standard top 8s of the time.
That's not true at all, there was decks that played twin combo with jace and stoneforge.
Lightning Bolt
Snapcaster Mage
Surgical Extraction
Llanowar Elves
Spell Pierce
Will not be reprinted:
Pyroblast
Rishadan Port
Red Elemental Blast
Krosan Grip
Dark Ritual
You'll find that pretty normal in competitive REL, so some people get in the habit of doing it. Not really a thing to get angry about.
There is no solid answer to this though. Sometimes casting it on turn three if you think you can afford to wait is fine. But generally you want to start the beatdown as soon as possible by just playing out your creatures.
Yes, the most played card in standard is definitely a dud.
4 Dragonlord Ojutai
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
Planeswalkers
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Spells
4 Dig Through Time
4 Silumgar's Scorn
3 Foul-Tongue Invocation
3 Ruinous Path
3 Anticipate
2 Crux of Fate
1 Ultimate Price
2 Languish
2 Despise
1 Stasis Snare
4 Sunken Hollow
2 Prairie Stream
2 Shambling Vent
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
5 Island
3 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Blighted Cataract
1 Dragonlord Silumgar
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Ultimate Price
1 Foul-Tongue Invocation
1 Stratus Dancer
1 Stasis Snare
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Scatter to the Winds
2 Duress
1 Crux of Fate
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Dragonlord's Prerogative
Thoughts/questions/constructive criticism welcome.
For jund, I'd start with some number of Kolaghan's Command, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Den Protector, Nissa, Vastwood Seer and other good value cards.
Mill yourself using Satyr Wayfinder, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, and Gather the Pack and win with a Rally the Ancestors for three returning Nantuko Husk, Mogis's Marauder and tons more small creatures.
#1 Farseek
#2 Thragtusk
#3 Sphinx's Revelation
#4 Angel of Serenity
#5 Restoration Angel
Completely serious.
He doesn't have to test with them, he's with channel fireball...
That's not true at all, there was decks that played twin combo with jace and stoneforge.