Indeed. Your help in making these, to say nothing of what you've done for the forum have really been a solid support for us all. We'll miss seeing you in the mod cave.
I'm glad your last mod piece made it to publication though, and that you got to talk about Ephara.
- bobthefunny
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Jan 11, 2015bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #4 - Engines of CommandPosted in: Articles
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Dec 3, 2014bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #3 - Welcoming New CommandersYour method of letting players tumble out into their own camps can be a good one when you have enough room to do it. People will naturally gravitate into the games that fit their decks' schedules.Posted in: Articles
In smaller environments where you may only have one or two pods going though, it can be a bit more difficult. Also, you then get problematic players like me who like to play across the entire spectrum.
I also believe that casual environments can provide excellent learning areas, but you have to be careful of it as well. One trap that my own group has been running into now is being too lenient on take-backs. Originally implemented to allow the newer players some freedom of thought and to help them work through what courses of actions to take. It can start to be abused into not fully thinking through a situation. An example being that one player cast Council's Judgment to remove my Commander. The second player voted for another permanent in order to set up a double exile option for player C, and player C then mistakenly selected a third permanent for more exily goodness, at which point I selected one of the other targets for my vote in order to save my Commander. Player C hadn't really thought things through (and I'd also quickly jumped the gun on my own vote, I'll admit), but we ended up rewinding that play so he could properly select his vote.
I find it helps best to properly (and as honestly as possible) represent the board state for newer players. For example, with cards with the Will of The Council, such as Council's Judgment, I find that it helps to explain to newer players what the consequence of their vote will do to the options the next player in line will be able to make. After a while, you can scale back the aid you give to after the play or game is over, that way they can learn from their own choices, but still have the benefit of a different viewpoint.
In one game, my brother should have had lethal on me since he had a pro-black creature, and he was paranoid about a Duplicant in my Chainer deck's graveyard... except that he misplayed having forgotten that Chainer would reanimate it as a black creature and opted to spread his equipments out instead. Since my brother should have known better, that was an observation I made at the end of the game (a few turns later). He has never forgotten it again.
These kinds of interactions though can really help all players improve their own levels of play. -
Nov 8, 2014bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #3 - Welcoming New CommandersAbsolutely! The greatest way to truly learn anything is to teach it. It really makes you get an in-depth understanding of the subject.Posted in: Articles
I'm glad you enjoyed the article. -
Sep 28, 2014bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #2 - KHAAAAANS!Should have been Corpsejack Menace, I guess.Posted in: Articles
Indeed, much thanks to the entire editorial staff, this wouldn't be possible without them. -
Mar 29, 2012bobthefunny posted a message on Tibor & LumiaSol Grail, while getting points for being oldschool, has never impressed me in EDH. Here are a few alternatives (some less budget than others):Posted in: Deck Compilation
Coalition Relic - the most expensive of them, but far more useful.
Phyrexian Lens - a bit painful, but may be worth the added color utility
Star Compass - the best budget alternate. Taps for either color we have; CiPT, but costs 1 less, so same net mana gain when played.
Also, do not overlook Fire diamond and Sky diamond
Also, for storm count, do you have a Frantic Search? -
Aug 22, 2011bobthefunny posted a message on Being a substitute teacher is no substitute to teachingTeachers have been cut, this means there are less teachers that are teaching to get sick; this also means there are more teachers now looking for work, and thereby more substitutes looking for work.Posted in: Stoogeslap Blog
A full time teacher's resume will look better when a school is looking for a sub, so they'll be called in first. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
second sunrise may help you as well.
Why don't you tell us a bit more about the deck/general so we can see what you're trying to do and help you out more? Pretty much all you've asked so far is to do a Gatherer search so far.
symbiotic beast symbiotic elf symbiotic wurm
any of the "splicer" guys that make golems maul slicer
any of the "penumbra" guys that leave a copy behind. penumbra spider
myr sire
green will also give you azusa, which with crucible of worlds will let you play any land you pitch through trade routes.
I would Skyshroud Cutter before both, based off of what you just said though, about life total not really mattering.
As far as the counters I list go; with all the cards that end up in the GY, Logic Knot seems like an extra copy of counterspell for anything beyond the first few turns. First few turns, its lackluster, especially with the double blue. Tedv, how much has UU costs been a pain to keep open? The psychological advantage though is people who see UU open immediately know what that means and plays around it.
Daze I think will be a champ. Worst cast, it's a force spike. Best case, it saved you when someone tried to play around your counter.
delay At first I didn't like it since it would come back, but on second inspection I will run it if I have the space. Some decks like to run recursion, and this stops them from recyling a threat. Also, you should hopefully be able to knock out the problem person in 3 turns to remove it from hanging over your head, and if not, you should have been able to find a harder answer in that time frame. Also, if other people see a wrath ticking away on the side, they may play around it.
I also did a double take on signal pest, and really wished battle cry would affect him as well, which is why I did a follow up search for +1 effects, but it's too much work to actually try to make him work, sadly not even pendelhaven will help there.
I had forgotten about arbor elf in recommending the lands, I still think pendlehaven could have a positive effect in your deck, replacing a non-basic possibly. I wouldn't be too concerned of the pioneer losing functionality myself, but I haven't gotten this version of the deck fully scrapped together yet, so I'll defer to your larger expertise. I would also use it more defensively, rather than offensively. Use it as one of your lands held back for counterspells, so it can potentially be a one mana save from ping effects, or even if someone flashes out a whitemane lion or something.
Likewise, I think you should take a second look at winding canyon, while the cost appears high (2 + itself) and it taps for colorless, there are a few things to consider, the 2 you are paying into it could be the 2 you are holding back for a counter, if you feel opening up on an end step worth the risk of instant speed removal, most wrath effects are sorcery speed. This leaves it as 1 to give all your creatures flash, which doubles as being able to hold open more mana on enemy turns in case you need to stop two back-to-back wraths. It amounts to security vs tempo.
Springleaf drum was added due to a comment that you were considering re-adding earthcraft, and while the power is ridiculously lower, since it pays itself with just one sick creature the turn it CIP, you can drop it a turn earlier than EC and then see results immediately afterwards, which I think the tempo is worth more than the power in the deck, though once again you have more experience in that. I would only give it a second look if you actually do consider a slot for EC.
While you were drafting your reply, I edited in a few more cards, most of which are below cut (again, the list is fairly optimal, finding gems is hard). The one that I think is the best utility card would be Phantasmal Image, but I am a very big fan of cloning effects.
Edit: How much of a champ is memnite, as a free creature with no evasion? Green has Skyshroud Cutter as another potentially free creature, but is giving each opponent 5 life too much of a cost? It accels you into your game plan faster, but at the cost of a significant amount of extra life to have to go through?
Also, if forcespikes are good enough for play in this deck, would daze potentially make the cut? One mana more, to add to the two mana counter list, but the possibility of playing it for free if needed?
free bounce? : submerge
free creature?: rushwood legate
unfortunately these are both expensive for their effects if your opponents fail to accommodate you.
Sprout Swarm can also turn two sick guys into a free creature. This is the first time I have ever considered casting it without buyback.
-turn 1: elf
-turn 2: 2drop, 1drop, convoke saproling
-turn 3: edric, 4 cards
seems nice.
Logic Knot could be another counter
Delay could be a counter?
Sadly, there is little good in suspended cards, makes me sad.
chatter of the squirrel can be two creatures for one. =/
(Guess where my latest search took me! =P)
Edit: I figured I should expand upon that statement. Dropping a llanowar would cost you one mana this turn, and produce an extra for ramping the next turn; Natures lore does the same, effectively costs 1, and gives one more the next turn. The problems are this: Nature's lore can't attack. If you need the ramp, you could always leave the elf back, but you have the option to attack with it (and get cards). The elf is also a turn one ramp. Natures lore can only be played turn 2 and beyond, which is... less good.
The advantages: it mana ramps, it thins the deck.
Overall, it could still have a slot in the deck, but I feel it would be a lower slot.
A few ideas for utility:
heap doll - 1 to cast, no evasion, but can deal with problem cards in GY's such as opposing wonders. I don't know much of what in GY's would really hurt this deck, but it's something to keep in mind.
hex parasite - 1 to deal with anything that has counters.
Flayer Husk - 1/1 for 1 that leaves a toy behind?
Shuko - cheap toy, better than bone saw
signal pest - 1 to cast, evasion, and pumps other creatures, this doubles your power on each attack. Also helps with 1 turn drops in color issues. -just re-read battle cry, made me sad... Tried to see if there's anything worthwile with graft, but meh.
Phantasmal Image - can be any evasive creature if needed, (is someone really going to waste killing your scryb sprite copy) otherwise can be any better threat that is out, or kill legendary Elesh Norn's. Clones are always just great utility.
Contested war zone - would be good on the battle cry aspect, but I don't know if you want to give people incentive to smack you, especially since you won't be blocking. Also, ties up 2 mana on your turn.
Hall of the bandit lord - taps for colorless, but can give edric haste. Problem is, it always pings you, and not many other creatures in the deck can use it.
*Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers - CIP untapped, and can potentially help edric, very low potential downsides, for minor potential upside?
*Pendelhaven - same as above, but with MUCH bigger upside. Can potentially stave off early trades, and can save something from a shock or tremor, etc.
soaring seacliff - loses a mana, gain some evasion, probably not necessary, but I figured I'd list it.
Winding canyons - turn all your mana into counterspell mana.
Yavimaya Hollow - protects creatures from basic removal.
Flight Spellbomb - 1 mana to give edric evasion for a turn? can also draw an extra card, including EOT on previous player with mana that had been saved for counterspells.
Springleaf drum - is a cheaper mini-earthcraft, can use one creature each turn to pay for another, may actually be better then craft in this deck because of how much the early tempo matters.
meekstone - for 1 mana, you stop other people's card advantage, does it make you a target of other aggro decks though?
Well, there's the fruits of my quick search, I hope something helps. I think some of the lands would be helpful; i see nothing against pendelhaven or okina. I would even run Yavimaya Hollow or Winding Canyon over some of your other colorless lands.
Oddly, I think springleaf drum will actually be better in this deck than EC, because of the cheaper cost and the instant early tempo, but it may simply be that the power of EC will just massacre it.
EDIT: more potentially fun stuff:
pygmy hippo - no evasion, but if you have an empty board to swing at can potentially help ramp? The colorless aspect hurts though.
skarrgan pit-skulk - kinda evasivy for the first few turns?
slith predator - potential to get bigger and has trample evasion?
whirling dervish - in this case, a worse slith predator.
Wren's run vanquisher - cheap beater, that has psychological unblockable, and can be used defensively if needed?
mold adder can get big
quest for the gemblades can encourage people to not block your creatures.
a bit expensive, but i've been wanting to try spawnwrithe myself. The potential to aggresively grow could be intriguing, especially with tap effects like mind over matter.
I don't see it breaking anything, or being bad for a local rule, I just think there will be unintended side effects that makes it less fun than you think.
Taking Traitorous Glissa as an example: She likes for things to die, and she likes re-using artifacts. So you build your deck around killing stuff, and re-using artifacts. Since you have built the deck so that it kills stuff, putting in other cards that profit when creatures die is easy, Glissa doesn't have to be the only one on that bandwagon. Having other artifact recurring cards isn't bad either, such as a salvaging station (hey look, it loves it when creatures die!), this way even if both are out, they complement each other by letting you use MORE stuff whenever something dies, and your theme persists even if the general is removed.
Examples can be made with any General. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it hurts some more than others. No, that doesn't need to crush the deck's strategy.
Also, because it bears repeating, sac outlets stop tuck, and every deck has at least one sac outlet it can make great use of.
What it really boils down to is that manaechoes/pentavus/ashnod's altar/krark-clan ironworks/doubling season are all of a type of card that say "I am built to be broken with absurd combos."
For reference - Tangle root:
pentavus 5 counters / 0 tokens / 1 mana (to start the chain reaction)
pay 1 (0 mana left): create a token (2, doubling): 2 triggers of tangleroot (+2 mana)
pentavus 4 / 2 tokens / 2 mana
pay 1: sac token for 2 +1/+1 counters:
pentavus 6 / 1 token / 1 mana - You are now at your 1 mana starting point with +1 counter, +1 token. Repeating the above steps nets infinite creatures and counters, while remaining at 1 mana.
pentavus 1005 / 1000 token / 1 mana
pay 1 (0 mana left): make token, get 2 tokens (doubling season), 2 triggers of tangleroot (+2 mana)
pentavus 1004 / 1003 token . 2 mana - every 1 mana you pay produces 2 tokens. Each token gives you 1 mana, netting you 1 additional mana per iteration. You have infinite tokens and mana, though you deplete your pentavus.
This is slightly different from the other combos in that you have to create tokens to generate mana, thus you will always have to have more tokens than you are able to generate mana to kill them, whereas both altar and mana echoes generates a larger amount of mana than tokens, thus allowing you to end the series in any proportion desired. - Incorrect, I need to read my cards before posting from memory.
Phyrexian altar is the one that doesn't work actually. My apologies on that one. Replace it with the krark-clan ironworks, which is just an alternate ashnod's. Earthcraft actually works as well, under the same idea as tangleroot, although all of your tokens will be tapped (assuming using a basic, using lands that tap for >1 mana equals or exceeds altar as a production value, and allows you to leave tokens untapped).
Jor Kadeen wants you to a) play lots of artifacts, b) smash face.
While he himself gives a massive buff, there are other cards with similar effects that can be added in, such a strategy dilutes the power loss if any one effect is removed, and complements each other when both are out.
Also, adding some Sac outlets can really help prevent tucks. There are few decks that cannot benefit from a spawning pit, and it protects against tuck effects, as well as translating your dying creatures into more creatures and artifacts.
These kinds of additions hardly turn a theme into generic "good stuff."
Overall you are right that certain decks will have a harder time of it, and it comes down to personal preference and playstyle.
Mana echoes / ashnod's / tangleroot / the other altar - are all interchangable there. They all give infinite +1/+1 counters, cards, mana, and creatures.
Phyrexian Altar
Fecundity + Pentavus/thopter squadron
... + doubling season
... + ashnod's altar