Yes it is powerful. A Mind Twist, Wrath of God, and Armageddon all in one card for 2 mana. But it is a control card that does not out right win the game. For a deck to utilize 4 copies it would have to be built to maximize on Balance. Even then it would have difficulty against the other top vintage decks but it would be no more broken than Oath of Druids, Dark Ritual, or Mishra's Workshop. Current decks would probably not use a full playset of Balance, instead a whole new arch-type would have to be built around a deck involving 4 Balance - a type of control deck with either a combo finish or way to take control of a game after the Balance. I know people will think this is crazy but Balance isnt as broken as you think - playing it doesnt win you the game, its a control card that requires a specific build to make use of it (like Force of Will)
Balance as a new archtype? Would a Balance deck be viable in vintage? How would a Balance deck look?
Storm decks would probably not run 4 Wheels but i could imagine red burn and goblins using 4 Wheels, and even then its going to take a lot more than unrestricting Wheel of Fortune to send red into the top tier but at least it points it in the right direction. Like Balance, i dont see this as becoming a auto include in every deck. Not many will splash red, or have a use for 4 as it is dangerous in vintage to refill your opponents hand.
Would Dark Ritual decks splash for red to run 4 Wheel of Fortunes? Would unrestricting Wheel of Fortune be enough to keep red competitive in vintage?
This card was restricted too soon. People didnt have enough time to learn how to fight against it, nor did they have enough time to see it grow as a arch-type. WotC was far too hasty with their restricting it. It was the 4 Mana Vault and 4 Mana Crypt that put Tolarian Academy over the top. Yes i could see Workshop decks auto-including 4 Tolarian Academies however - they already have access to crazy amounts of mana with the Shops, Tombs, and Metalworkers. However, there is hate for Tolarian Academy in the form of Wastelands, Strip Mine, and of course all the artifact hate we currently have for the game against Shops: a Tolarian Academy is useless without the artifacts.
Artifact and land hate exists in the format, so isnt it time for Tolarian Academy to make a return?
THIS, read what it does and then look at how much it costs. Its a free Ancestral Recall every turn for just 1 mana. Theres a reason why it was restricted and not Endless Horizons.
I would love to play Vintage but it seems very silly that there are decks that win on turn 1 - 2 (the tendrils of agony storm decks come to mind, those are brutal!)... but Tolarian Academy, Necropotence, Demonic Consultation, are all restricted.
Sorry, but its just my dream that Vintage would be a everything goes, bring your deck and destroy kind of format because even though it seems like it is a brutal format, it really isnt when you have so many cards restricted to 1 that its pointless to even bother playing Necro or Tolarian.
If i remember right Star City Games had a little competition between some classic decks but without any restrictions: Necro, Academy, Stax, Parfait, Trix, etc etc. THATS what i want, all out brokenness, or at least enough brokeness to defend myself against those lame Ad Nauseam-Tendrils of Agony decks or those equally as lame Windfall decks.
Puca's Mischief takes the role of Donate for this deck until MTGO has Urza's Destiny. The Gaea's Blessing is for Painter's Servant + Grindstone to stop me from being milled.
EDITED the deck list to include fetchlands. and better counters. Now its all upto waiting for Urza's Destiny so i can replace that junk Puca's Mischief with the better/faster Donate. However, after alot of testing with Puca's Mischief i have had some interesting games where i would trade an opponent the illusions for a garruk wildspeaker so Puca's does have a few benefits.
Tempted to take out Gaea's Blessing so i can put Morphling back in the deck, i havent seen too many painter's decks.
Theres no way in hell Yawgmoth is ever coming back. Hell, his card Yawgmoth's Will is banned - that tells you right there the guy isnt coming back any time.
If anything id like to see more stuff about Tourach since he tends to have some of the cooler cards: Hymn to Tourach, Order of the Ebon Hand, Tourach's Gate. Hes the sort of guy that needs to make a epic return and teach everyone some real Magic history.
Hey, guys! I've heard of people playing Magic over webcam programs like Skype and stuff. Do any of you guys do it? How would you do that? Aim the camera at the battlefield I would imagine? The issue is that I have a Macbook and the camera is right on the screen. (Positioning would be a problem.)
Anyway, I'd be interested in trying this out, so if anyone wants to, reply or send me a PM with your Skype name!
Id love to try this out but the decks i run dont follow the banned and restrict cards list (necropotence, demonic tutor, strip mine, etc). It does sound fun though!
The biggest complaint I've always heard about about Kokusho in multiplayer games is that it becomes more powerful as more players are involved in the game, which is arguably a good complaint when someone uses it in a multiplayer setting.
That said, the OP used a VERY slow engine to pop and bring back Kokusho, and if people in his play group didn't prepare for the deck, it's not the OP's fault, it's the other guys in the group.
Exactly my man. I think they were a bit prepared because they were chump blocking it with their tokens, just enough so that the Kokusho wouldnt die, and they wouldnt get damaged. Not that i really want to destroy the Kokusho, i mean hes a good threat, but a Necro deck needs more life to draw more cards so destroying the Kokusho is usually to my benefit when it allows me to draw more cards easily.
I hear you man, i hate the planeswalkers also. It seems like WotC was trying to get some players in and make some easy cash. Smart for them, they are a business.
Planeswalkers feel broken in the sense that now your opponent has a buddy now who is casting his own crap at you every turn for free. Add this on top of whatever your ACTUAL opponent is doing and its like GRRRRRRRR. I really dislike it alot.
I refuse to use them.
PS: Check out Vampire Hexmage for planeswalker destruction. Makes building a vampire deck worth it.
1 - Unrestrict Balance:
Yes it is powerful. A Mind Twist, Wrath of God, and Armageddon all in one card for 2 mana. But it is a control card that does not out right win the game. For a deck to utilize 4 copies it would have to be built to maximize on Balance. Even then it would have difficulty against the other top vintage decks but it would be no more broken than Oath of Druids, Dark Ritual, or Mishra's Workshop. Current decks would probably not use a full playset of Balance, instead a whole new arch-type would have to be built around a deck involving 4 Balance - a type of control deck with either a combo finish or way to take control of a game after the Balance. I know people will think this is crazy but Balance isnt as broken as you think - playing it doesnt win you the game, its a control card that requires a specific build to make use of it (like Force of Will)
Balance as a new archtype? Would a Balance deck be viable in vintage? How would a Balance deck look?
2 - Unrestrict Wheel of Fortune:
Storm decks would probably not run 4 Wheels but i could imagine red burn and goblins using 4 Wheels, and even then its going to take a lot more than unrestricting Wheel of Fortune to send red into the top tier but at least it points it in the right direction. Like Balance, i dont see this as becoming a auto include in every deck. Not many will splash red, or have a use for 4 as it is dangerous in vintage to refill your opponents hand.
Would Dark Ritual decks splash for red to run 4 Wheel of Fortunes? Would unrestricting Wheel of Fortune be enough to keep red competitive in vintage?
3 - Unrestrict Tolarian Academy:
This card was restricted too soon. People didnt have enough time to learn how to fight against it, nor did they have enough time to see it grow as a arch-type. WotC was far too hasty with their restricting it. It was the 4 Mana Vault and 4 Mana Crypt that put Tolarian Academy over the top. Yes i could see Workshop decks auto-including 4 Tolarian Academies however - they already have access to crazy amounts of mana with the Shops, Tombs, and Metalworkers. However, there is hate for Tolarian Academy in the form of Wastelands, Strip Mine, and of course all the artifact hate we currently have for the game against Shops: a Tolarian Academy is useless without the artifacts.
Artifact and land hate exists in the format, so isnt it time for Tolarian Academy to make a return?
1. Workshops
2. Workshops
3. Workshops
4. Workshops
5. Workshops
I think you get the picture.
THIS, read what it does and then look at how much it costs. Its a free Ancestral Recall every turn for just 1 mana. Theres a reason why it was restricted and not Endless Horizons.
Sorry, but its just my dream that Vintage would be a everything goes, bring your deck and destroy kind of format because even though it seems like it is a brutal format, it really isnt when you have so many cards restricted to 1 that its pointless to even bother playing Necro or Tolarian.
If i remember right Star City Games had a little competition between some classic decks but without any restrictions: Necro, Academy, Stax, Parfait, Trix, etc etc. THATS what i want, all out brokenness, or at least enough brokeness to defend myself against those lame Ad Nauseam-Tendrils of Agony decks or those equally as lame Windfall decks.
Here's the deck list:
4 Mana Drain
4 Echoing Truth
4 Force of Will
1 Gaea's Blessing
4 Illusions of Grandeur
4 Impulse
3 Intuition
13 Island
4 Merchant Scroll
2 Mox Diamond
4 Puca's Mischief
4 Sapphire Medallion
1 Sol Ring
4 Misty Rainforest
Puca's Mischief takes the role of Donate for this deck until MTGO has Urza's Destiny. The Gaea's Blessing is for Painter's Servant + Grindstone to stop me from being milled.
EDITED the deck list to include fetchlands. and better counters. Now its all upto waiting for Urza's Destiny so i can replace that junk Puca's Mischief with the better/faster Donate. However, after alot of testing with Puca's Mischief i have had some interesting games where i would trade an opponent the illusions for a garruk wildspeaker
Tempted to take out Gaea's Blessing so i can put Morphling back in the deck, i havent seen too many painter's decks.
If anything id like to see more stuff about Tourach since he tends to have some of the cooler cards: Hymn to Tourach, Order of the Ebon Hand, Tourach's Gate. Hes the sort of guy that needs to make a epic return and teach everyone some real Magic history.
The other planeswalkers i really think we could do without though.
Id love to try this out but the decks i run dont follow the banned and restrict cards list (necropotence, demonic tutor, strip mine, etc). It does sound fun though!
Nvm.. you already have Innocent Blood.
Rab wasnt trolling
Exactly my man. I think they were a bit prepared because they were chump blocking it with their tokens, just enough so that the Kokusho wouldnt die, and they wouldnt get damaged. Not that i really want to destroy the Kokusho, i mean hes a good threat, but a Necro deck needs more life to draw more cards so destroying the Kokusho is usually to my benefit when it allows me to draw more cards easily.
Planeswalkers feel broken in the sense that now your opponent has a buddy now who is casting his own crap at you every turn for free. Add this on top of whatever your ACTUAL opponent is doing and its like GRRRRRRRR. I really dislike it alot.
I refuse to use them.
PS: Check out Vampire Hexmage for planeswalker destruction. Makes building a vampire deck worth it.