@kakwann: Mortarpods are amazing. They give the deck a little more reach, sealing away games very easily. They also allow you to recycle creatures much more easily, while also serving as spot removal.
One thing to keep in mind about the RDW and Vamps matchup: Leyline of Punishment. My friend-the-Vampires-player had them in his sideboard, but took them out before the torunament (he forgot that I had Lone Missionary and wasn't expecting any other life-gain strategies.) So don't side out your Kor Sanctifiers and do side in your Revoke Existences/Leonin Relic-Warders
Because Lone Missionary allows us to drag that game out to our inevitable victory.
Note that this isn't even the final build I wanted, it's just what I could get. Ideally, I want 2 more Sun Titans and I want to replace Dispatch with Dismember, but I can't get a hold of any. I just don't have any money to spend on Magic, so I'm borrowing these cards. That's also why I only have 1 WOmen.
Round 1: EsperBlade/Darkblade 0-2 (0-1)
This match was a prime example of why Stoneforge was banned. Turn 2 SFM, turn 3 Batterskull. I never saw a Tumble Magnet or any of my artifact removal either game, and I dealt too much damage to myself trying to get a Phyrexian Metamorph out to counter her Batterskulls, which all inevitably met with Go for the Throat.
Fortunately, I won't have to worry about it next week :-D
Round 2: Baaaaaaaaad GW Allies 2-0 (1-1)
I sat down across from this guy and he basically said "prepare for some easy wins." His deck was bad. GW Allies with no mana fixing except Khalni Heart Expedition and all basic lands. He ran Birthing Pod, which he used to some decent effect, but I had Day of Judgment. We almost went to time only because he refused to surrender when I had a recursion lock and he had nothing. He insisted that I actually deal 20.
Round 3: BR Vampires: 2-0 (2-1)
This is one of my friends and testing partners. He has a tendency to get pissy when he loses, and, unfortunately, he was losing this round.
Badly.
Pristine + Lone Missionary recursion = all of his work undone. Game 2 he had me to 2 life when I drew Lone Missionary before he could draw bolt. He scooped when I got back to 11 life.
Round 4: Mono White Tempered Steel 2-1 (3-1)
I was told when I was walking over to this match that this guy "never loses."
I love proving statements like that wrong.
Game one, he did what Tempered Steel does well; drop a bunch of cheap dudes, dropped turn 3 Tempered Steel, swung for 13 (Leaving me at 2). I scooped it up after I failed to draw Day of Judgment.
Game 2, he kept a hand with some number of dudes, a Tempered Steel...and 2 Contested War-Zone for his only mana. Needless to say, when he failed to draw anymore mana for like 4 turns, he scooped it to me, and we went on to game 3.
Game 3 was simple: he never drew Tempered Steel, and I curved out flawlessly.
Round 5: UbR Tezzy 2-0 (4-1)
This guy thinks he's an amazing Magic player, but he's...not. He added red to a Tezzy deck for Galvanic Blast and...
Koth.
Yes, he added Koth to a primarily UB deck, I think because he had them.
Game 1, I drew land, he drew action, so I scooped it up. Game 2, I stumbled him until my Emeria came online (more or less right on time around turn 8) and after only a couple turns, he said "Yeah, I can't deal with your recursion engine, GG."
Game 3 was more of the same, except he kept dragging it out. My deck was giving it up flawlessly, double Kor Sanctifiers in my opener, plus Emeria and triple Pilgirm's Eye by turn 5. This time, I remember quite clearly that my Emeria came online turn 9, because I Tec Edge'd his Creeping Tar Pit away, and then his Darkslick Shores a couple turns later.
And I don't think he drew anymore land than the 3 mountains and one Blackcleave Cliffs he had in play. The game was over long before he conceded, because I was doing stuff, while he was Scrying with Jace.
Overall, I was pleased. MVP was Kor Skyfisher, especially paired with Kor Sanctifiers, where relevant (do I even need to mention that Sun Titan was amazing?). Lone Missionary was excellent, as others have mentioned.
LVPs were Dispatch and Norn's Annex. With 19 artifacts, you'd think I'd get Metalcraft more often, but every time I drew one, I almost always wanted a Dismember. And Norn's Annex was just too clunky in the main. As I said, I'm hoping to replace Dispatch with Dismember, and I'm gonna replace the Annex with either more removal (Journeys and Dismembers/Dispatch) or WOmens, if I can get 'em.
Anyway, let me know what you think, and any suggestions you can think of.
The board is just kind of...there. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
I noticed several people putting Chalice in their 60. While I like Chalice (and one might argue that it has good synergy with Clasp) the deck isn't building to a critical amount of colorless mana, especially sans Equip package. I know Pristine costs 1 more for the same thing, but the life gain can help (even if you have nothing to do with it...thank you no mana burn!) but I would rather play a WOmens turn 2, Pilgrim's Eye/Pristine turn 3, DoJ turn 4, than Chalice turn 2, DoJ turn 3. But that may just be me, it's rare that a turn 3 Wrath would do more than another blocker, except against Tempered Steel's god hand.
And I know what you're thinking. "Deathblade, you sexy fool, there's only 23 lands! How do you get consistent mana!?" I don't know. I'm not saying the mana count is right for everyone. It works for me, especially since I can function on 4 mana, and draw Pilgrim's Eyes like that's all that's in my deck. Again, I'm not saying "everyone's running too many lands", I'm saying 23 works for me.
And with 18 artifacts, I get Metalcraft pretty consistently, especially since Tumble Magnet/Annex keep things at bay in the meantime.
For reference, here's what it looked like with the SFM package:
Somewhat related question, just to clarify something for a friend, am I interpreting the rules correctly that if you somehow gave Mogg Fanatic first strike (or used a native first striker with a sacrifice ability) could you let its damage resolve, then sacrifice it?
How does your deck do against caw? If it doesn't have game against caw, I would switch back, but you might be on to something with the clasp. I imagine it couldnt be horrible. Clasp is pretty good at killing hawks. Not sure if I like the MD Ratchet Bomb, unless your meta is filled to the brim with K-Red.
I feel like relying on Sun Titan with no way to get him back is a bit risky. I would still maybe run 3-4 Emeria (Did you forget to list them? You are 4 lands short). You also need some form of MD artifact destruction. Kor Sanctifiers is a good choice, but I could see someone running Divine Offering too. Sanctifiers is a creature though, which helps its case. Not sure if I like Ajani, because all he does is either gain you life, which elspeth does better, or make your guys better at attacking, which you don't run that many guys. His ult is decent, but can be easily handled, and may not win you the game. Maybe more elspeth? Again, I havent tested and he could be a house. I am just assuming at this point. I think your list at least warrants testing.
D'OH! Yeah, 4 Emerias are definitely in there. And like I said, it's a rough draft. Ajani probably isn't good enough, he was just a neat idea. And I honestly haven't tested it that much, I only threw it together in MWS this afternoon. I just thought I'd throw it out there. Planning to do some serious testing in the next couple days...on MWS, unfortunately, but at least it's something.
Let me preface this by saying I like the current builds, but I feel that exploration is not a terrible thing. Also, if this has been tried before, I apologize. I'm just looking for thoughts/criticisms/denouncements/whatever.
Obviously, this is a rough draft. I just really like the interaction between Contagion Clasp/Planeswalkers (especially Gideon and Ajani)/Tumble Magnet (and I've been in love with Tumble Magnet since I first saw it).
So whaddaya think? Could it be viable, or am I just wasting my time and need to go with the tested Mystic Squadron package?
To go back to the blightning example...if he's playing it at a Competetive REL, wouldn't he be forced to Target himself? I know that everything gets rewound if there's no legal Target...but, in this case, there is. Blightning says target player. He is a player capable of being targeted.
I actually have an extremely hard time tapping counterclockwise. I'd have to think about it. When I tap, I just put my index finger near the middle of the card for a pivot point, then put my middle finger toward the top, and bend my middle finger in, tapping it clockwise.
I do the exact same thing. That's weird.
I also didn't notice until now that the name of this thread was "the Dos and Don'ts of Magis The Gathering", so Edghyatt's post made little sense to me, even though I lol'd.
Where is Life from the Loam? Seems like an auto-include for any deck trying to abuse lands coming into play... I know Crucible does nearly the same thing, but LftL allows you more ways of getting lands out, and isn't as vulnerable to artifact destruction, which, IMO, is more prevalent than permission in the current Meta.
Pithing Needle sounds fine to me, but Momentary Blink is probably too narrow.
The other problem with Blink is that it can only hit your creatures. It will do nothing against Marit Lage. That's why people were running Otherworldly Journey; it dealt with Lage, and could save your dude from Wrath/removal.
1: Have some combination of a Warden/Auriok Champion and Saffi in play and or the graveyard.
2: Play Crypt Champion without red, returning either Saffi or the Warden/AChampion, whichever is in the graveyard.
3: Sacrifice Saffi, targeting Crypt Champion.
4: Repeat steps 2-3 ad nauseum.
5: ??????
6: Profit!!!!!!
Skred might not be bad, but it requires a significant investment on Snow-Covered lands. Since there's no R/U snow dual land, you're looking at a lot of basics, which is fine in a strict R/U build (4x Tarns, 4x Steam Vents, 16+ snow-covered Islands/Mountains) But it seems to me that it's worthwhile, given the absurd availability of colorless mana fixing in Extended, not to at least splash other colors. For instance, add a couple Arid Mesas and one or two Hallowed Fountains/Sacred Foundries, and you've got a decent, reliable W splash. The same with a couple Breeding Pools/Stomping Grounds and Misty Rainforest for a G splash.
If we're talking optimal build here, I think splashing White (even if the final build goes Black or whatever) is not too difficult for such a powerful card as Path to Exile, among others.
One thing to keep in mind about the RDW and Vamps matchup: Leyline of Punishment. My friend-the-Vampires-player had them in his sideboard, but took them out before the torunament (he forgot that I had Lone Missionary and wasn't expecting any other life-gain strategies.) So don't side out your Kor Sanctifiers and do side in your Revoke Existences/Leonin Relic-Warders
Because Lone Missionary allows us to drag that game out to our inevitable victory.
16 Plains
4 Pristine Talisman
3 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
3 Tectonic Edge
Creatures: 18
4 Pilgrim's Eye
3 Kor Skyfisher
3 Lone Missionary
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Sun Titan
2 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Wall of Omens
4 Day of Judgment
3 Tumble Magnet
2 Mortarpod
2 Dispatch
2 Journey to Nowhere
Other: 3
3 Norn's Annex
4 Kor Firewalker
3 Celestial Purge
2 Mortarpod
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Leonin Relic-Warder
2 Revoke Existence
Note that this isn't even the final build I wanted, it's just what I could get. Ideally, I want 2 more Sun Titans and I want to replace Dispatch with Dismember, but I can't get a hold of any. I just don't have any money to spend on Magic, so I'm borrowing these cards. That's also why I only have 1 WOmen.
Round 1: EsperBlade/Darkblade 0-2 (0-1)
This match was a prime example of why Stoneforge was banned. Turn 2 SFM, turn 3 Batterskull. I never saw a Tumble Magnet or any of my artifact removal either game, and I dealt too much damage to myself trying to get a Phyrexian Metamorph out to counter her Batterskulls, which all inevitably met with Go for the Throat.
Fortunately, I won't have to worry about it next week :-D
Round 2: Baaaaaaaaad GW Allies 2-0 (1-1)
I sat down across from this guy and he basically said "prepare for some easy wins." His deck was bad. GW Allies with no mana fixing except Khalni Heart Expedition and all basic lands. He ran Birthing Pod, which he used to some decent effect, but I had Day of Judgment. We almost went to time only because he refused to surrender when I had a recursion lock and he had nothing. He insisted that I actually deal 20.
Round 3: BR Vampires: 2-0 (2-1)
This is one of my friends and testing partners. He has a tendency to get pissy when he loses, and, unfortunately, he was losing this round.
Badly.
Pristine + Lone Missionary recursion = all of his work undone. Game 2 he had me to 2 life when I drew Lone Missionary before he could draw bolt. He scooped when I got back to 11 life.
Round 4: Mono White Tempered Steel 2-1 (3-1)
I was told when I was walking over to this match that this guy "never loses."
I love proving statements like that wrong.
Game one, he did what Tempered Steel does well; drop a bunch of cheap dudes, dropped turn 3 Tempered Steel, swung for 13 (Leaving me at 2). I scooped it up after I failed to draw Day of Judgment.
Game 2, he kept a hand with some number of dudes, a Tempered Steel...and 2 Contested War-Zone for his only mana. Needless to say, when he failed to draw anymore mana for like 4 turns, he scooped it to me, and we went on to game 3.
Game 3 was simple: he never drew Tempered Steel, and I curved out flawlessly.
Round 5: UbR Tezzy 2-0 (4-1)
This guy thinks he's an amazing Magic player, but he's...not. He added red to a Tezzy deck for Galvanic Blast and...
Koth.
Yes, he added Koth to a primarily UB deck, I think because he had them.
Game 1, I drew land, he drew action, so I scooped it up. Game 2, I stumbled him until my Emeria came online (more or less right on time around turn 8) and after only a couple turns, he said "Yeah, I can't deal with your recursion engine, GG."
Game 3 was more of the same, except he kept dragging it out. My deck was giving it up flawlessly, double Kor Sanctifiers in my opener, plus Emeria and triple Pilgirm's Eye by turn 5. This time, I remember quite clearly that my Emeria came online turn 9, because I Tec Edge'd his Creeping Tar Pit away, and then his Darkslick Shores a couple turns later.
And I don't think he drew anymore land than the 3 mountains and one Blackcleave Cliffs he had in play. The game was over long before he conceded, because I was doing stuff, while he was Scrying with Jace.
Overall, I was pleased. MVP was Kor Skyfisher, especially paired with Kor Sanctifiers, where relevant (do I even need to mention that Sun Titan was amazing?). Lone Missionary was excellent, as others have mentioned.
LVPs were Dispatch and Norn's Annex. With 19 artifacts, you'd think I'd get Metalcraft more often, but every time I drew one, I almost always wanted a Dismember. And Norn's Annex was just too clunky in the main. As I said, I'm hoping to replace Dispatch with Dismember, and I'm gonna replace the Annex with either more removal (Journeys and Dismembers/Dispatch) or WOmens, if I can get 'em.
Anyway, let me know what you think, and any suggestions you can think of.
11 Plains
4 Marsh Flats
4 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Pristine Talisman
Dudes: 16
4 Sun Titan
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Pilgrim's Eye
4 Wall of Omens
3 Norn's Annex
3 Tumble Magnet
2 Contagion Clasp
Removal: 9
4 Day of Judgment
3 Dispatch
2 Mortarpod
4 Kor Firewalker
3 Devout Lightcaster
3 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Leonin Relic-Warder
2 Revoke Existence
The board is just kind of...there. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
I noticed several people putting Chalice in their 60. While I like Chalice (and one might argue that it has good synergy with Clasp) the deck isn't building to a critical amount of colorless mana, especially sans Equip package. I know Pristine costs 1 more for the same thing, but the life gain can help (even if you have nothing to do with it...thank you no mana burn!) but I would rather play a WOmens turn 2, Pilgrim's Eye/Pristine turn 3, DoJ turn 4, than Chalice turn 2, DoJ turn 3. But that may just be me, it's rare that a turn 3 Wrath would do more than another blocker, except against Tempered Steel's god hand.
And I know what you're thinking. "Deathblade, you sexy fool, there's only 23 lands! How do you get consistent mana!?" I don't know. I'm not saying the mana count is right for everyone. It works for me, especially since I can function on 4 mana, and draw Pilgrim's Eyes like that's all that's in my deck. Again, I'm not saying "everyone's running too many lands", I'm saying 23 works for me.
And with 18 artifacts, I get Metalcraft pretty consistently, especially since Tumble Magnet/Annex keep things at bay in the meantime.
For reference, here's what it looked like with the SFM package:
11 Plains
4 Marsh Flats
4 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
4 Tectonic Edge
Dudes: 18
3 Sun Titan
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Pilgrim's Eye
4 Wall of Omens
3 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Norn's Annex
2 Tumble Magnet
2 Contagion Clasp
Removal: 12
4 Day of Judgment
3 Dispatch
1 Mortarpod
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Batterskull
4 Kor Firewalker
3 Devout Lightcaster
3 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Leonin Relic-Warder
2 Revoke Existence
Again, any thoughts or criticisms are welcome.
MWS nickname: [MTGS]Jupiter
Country: USA
Timezone: GMT+6:00
Availability: Most nights and most days...currently unemployed
Currently testing:
Mono White Control
Tier 1 decks: CawBlade, Vamps
D'OH! Yeah, 4 Emerias are definitely in there. And like I said, it's a rough draft. Ajani probably isn't good enough, he was just a neat idea. And I honestly haven't tested it that much, I only threw it together in MWS this afternoon. I just thought I'd throw it out there. Planning to do some serious testing in the next couple days...on MWS, unfortunately, but at least it's something.
13 Plains
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Marsh Flats
Dudes (12)
4 Sun Titan
4 Pilgrim's Eye
4 Wall of Omens
Removal (12)
4 Day of Judgment
4 Tumble Magnet
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Journey to Nowhere
3 Gideon Jura
2 Elspeth Tirel
2 Ajani Goldmane
Other Control (4)
4 Contagion Clasp
4 Kor Firewalker
4 Luminarch Ascension
3 Leonin Relic-Warder
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Ratchet Bomb
Obviously, this is a rough draft. I just really like the interaction between Contagion Clasp/Planeswalkers (especially Gideon and Ajani)/Tumble Magnet (and I've been in love with Tumble Magnet since I first saw it).
So whaddaya think? Could it be viable, or am I just wasting my time and need to go with the tested Mystic Squadron package?
I do the exact same thing. That's weird.
I also didn't notice until now that the name of this thread was "the Dos and Don'ts of Magis The Gathering", so Edghyatt's post made little sense to me, even though I lol'd.
Either you missed the [/sarcasm] tag in his post, or I missed it in yours.
The other problem with Blink is that it can only hit your creatures. It will do nothing against Marit Lage. That's why people were running Otherworldly Journey; it dealt with Lage, and could save your dude from Wrath/removal.
1: Have some combination of a Warden/Auriok Champion and Saffi in play and or the graveyard.
2: Play Crypt Champion without red, returning either Saffi or the Warden/AChampion, whichever is in the graveyard.
3: Sacrifice Saffi, targeting Crypt Champion.
4: Repeat steps 2-3 ad nauseum.
5: ??????
6: Profit!!!!!!
Skred might not be bad, but it requires a significant investment on Snow-Covered lands. Since there's no R/U snow dual land, you're looking at a lot of basics, which is fine in a strict R/U build (4x Tarns, 4x Steam Vents, 16+ snow-covered Islands/Mountains) But it seems to me that it's worthwhile, given the absurd availability of colorless mana fixing in Extended, not to at least splash other colors. For instance, add a couple Arid Mesas and one or two Hallowed Fountains/Sacred Foundries, and you've got a decent, reliable W splash. The same with a couple Breeding Pools/Stomping Grounds and Misty Rainforest for a G splash.
If we're talking optimal build here, I think splashing White (even if the final build goes Black or whatever) is not too difficult for such a powerful card as Path to Exile, among others.