As the title suggests, I run blue in almost every commander deck I have, and I am looking to branch out. I've been trying to find a red commander that would appeal to me, but I'm having some difficulty, so I'm asking for suggestions. When I initially began my search, I thought I would go with Prossh, but someone in my meta beat me to it, so I'd rather avoid him. Thromok might be a possibility (I really like the idea of getting to use Gutter Grime and Feed the Pack), or maybe Ulasht, but I'm not sure those decks wouldn't just be outclassed by Prossh.
Some general info: I prefer a "build around" commander as opposed to goodstuff, as well as decks with a lot of synergy. I tend to favor a more controlling style of play (blue, remember?), although at least two of my decks are fairly aggressive, at least in a duel. My meta is very casual, so the power level doesn't have to be super high. I like tokens probably more than is healthy.
My current decks include: The Mimeoplasm, Kemba, Talrand, Rhys the Exiled, Vorel, Memnarch (no combo artifact ramp), Rubinia (bant populate), and Sydri (Esper artifact blink).
Any recommendations or thoughts would be appreciated.
Not sure if this warrants a post, but I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, and it seems interesting. Today's Command Tower article mentioned an "obtuse hint" for the new Commander decks in the feedback prompt for last week's article. The relevant text from that article as follows (emphasis mine):
Taking Command
What else is possible with the latest commanders available in Theros? It's an exercise I'll leave up to you, but just remember to keep other players in mind as you assemble your next contraption.
And we won't be settled out of legendary options anytime soon, as we're already gearing up for another Commander-packed release: Magic: The Gathering Commander (2013 Edition) is right around the corner. While we're still a couple weeks away from previews, I'd like to get the conversation started now: How, or why, do you attack with your commander?
Feedback via email
200 word limit to answer the question
Name and email required (non-personal information to be used in column)
Do you suit up your champion in the finest Equipment and Auras available? Do you use a commander with a special ability just for attacking? Do you throw your commander into the fray unfettered, and leave others to decide whether to deal with it or not? If you use your commander on offense I'd like to know how you pull it off.
Join us next week when I share what you shared so we learn what you've learned. See you then!
Doesn't seem that obtuse, so maybe it's something else?
My standard procedure for shuffling my deck between games is to pile shuffle my deck, face-down, into random piles once or twice, then mash shuffle several times. I had an opponent stop me as I began my second pile shuffle, saying that it was pointless and wasting time, so I commenced mash shuffling and we moved on. This experience generated a few questions:
Why is pile shuffling "not sufficiently random," as I subsequently found in the tournament rules? I know I can't do a 'mana-weave' pile shuffle, but I don't pile shuffle in any pattern; I throw cards into one of five or six piles until they're all gone. I certainly couldn't tell you the position of any card in the deck after I've done this twice.
Since I'm going to mash shuffle afterwards, does my opponent have any grounds to object? I would prefer to keep my current method. I know a sufficient mash shuffle is supposed be enough, but if all you're doing is cutting the deck in half and mashing the halves together, don't the cards at the top of the deck tend to stay at the top? I thought by combining the two methods I was avoiding this possibility.
An opponent attacks with Odric, Master Tactician, enchanted with Tricks of the Trade, and three other creatures. Can the opponent still compel the defending player to block Odric? If Odric were not enchanted, but the defending player cast something like Veil of Secrecy on him before declaration of blockers, can the opponent force a block? I believe the answer to both questions is "No," but some 3rd party confirmation would be awesome. Thanks.
Just curious what people think about this situation. The owner of my LGS decided he didn't want to deal with handing out the promo boosters for purchasing DotP 2013, so he opened all the packs and is selling the mythics for $10 each. Personally, I think it's a jerk move. The boosters are provided to him to help promote the game, not to directly supplement his revenue stream. Is this sort of thing frowned upon by Wizards? It seems like there should be some sort of policy to discourage this kind of behavior.
Green looked tempting, but I didn't think it had enough to be a main color, which I thought would be necessary for the Vorapede. With a little luck, I went 3-1 and took 2nd. (Deck I lost to was pretty brutal, running Havengul Lich, Bloodline Keeper, Evil Twin, Geralf's Mindcrusher, and a Murder of Crows along with some mill.) Anyway, had some really good matches and cracked a Huntmaster and a Sorin in my prize packs, so no complaints here.
I went 1-2 with this deck last night, and I'm just trying to figure out if my construction was off. (I certainly didn't play optimally, but that aside...) I thought I drafted a respectable pool at least, but I'm concerned with whether or not I should have MD'd some cards I didn't and if the mana base was OK. I had quite a few problems with screw last night, and I'm trying to figure out if that was due to bad luck, bad mulling, or bad mana base. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks.
Match 1 (vs. UR, 2-1): Game 1, I mull to five on the draw after a one-land hand and a five-land hand. The game ends up being pretty even, but I lose to a Traitorous Blood in combination with forgetting about Cobbled Wings on one of his guys. Game 2, I eventually win after we're both stuck on 3 lands for almost the whole game. Game 3 goes normally, and I win on swingback after my opponent misjudges an attack.
Match 2 (vs. GB, 0-2): Game 1, I keep a hand with 1 Island and the Traveler's Amulet. I get my third land a turn late, and successfully mill my next 2 or 3 lands with an Armored Skaab. (Something similar happened at some point in Match 1, also). I don't draw any more land (specifically a needed Island) in time for it to be relevant. Game 2, no mana problems I recall, but I misplay with the win on the board and die the next turn.
Match 3 (vs. WB, 1-2): Game 1 gets off to a good start for me, but he lands a Reaper of the Abyss (that I passed him pack 2) and I can't deal with it. Game 2, he lands a Liliana, but not much else, and I pull off the win. Game 3, I keep a 2-Island hand with a lot of green cards and don't draw a Forest until it's waaaay to late. Again, I mill past at least one Forest with a turn-3 Armored Skaab.
Congrats on the win - I am becoming a fan of UB myself, and that deck list is pretty sick. Two observations: You've got a Dead Weight in your deck, but I didn't see one in the draft cap, and the posted deck has 14 creatures, not 15, making the deck one card short. Perhaps a transcription error somewhere?
I will preface my comments by saying that I am also new to drafting, having only done 1 M12 draft and 3 ISD drafts to date, but I have done a bit of research on the set (e.g. drafting videos, etc.)
I think I would have gone with Bloodline Keeper P1p1. I've seen the Keeper win games by himself, whereas the Geist needs support to get the most use out of him. There's some discussion in the Pick vs. Pick thread over this exact choice, if you're inclined. I think I would have paired that pick with the P1p2 Silent Departure to go UB, or taken the Tribute to Hunger to stay in black, since Keeper is not really splash-able.
I have to second Kusi on the anti-bot sentiment. I found magicdraftsim.com about a week ago, and I thought it was a great tool at first, but after a while it became apparent that the bots' card evaluations just weren't on-target. It did help me actually learn the cards, for what that's worth. I'm going to check out tappedout now, as I am not familiar with it.
I pulled these from the comp rules (emphasis mine):
603.5. Some triggered abilities’ effects are optional (they contain “may,” as in “At the beginning of your upkeep, you may draw a card”). These abilities go on the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether their controller intends to exercise the ability’s option or not. The choice is made when the ability resolves. Likewise, triggered abilities that have an effect “unless” something is true or a player chooses to do something will go on the stack normally; the “unless” part of the ability is dealt with when the ability resolves.
116.2e Resolving spells and abilities may instruct players to make choices or take actions, or may allow players to activate mana abilities. Even if a player is doing so, no player has priority while a spell or ability is resolving. See rule 608, “Resolving Spells and Abilities.”
I hope that's what you were looking for. It seems to be in line with what everyone else has said.
Thanks for the reply. If signaling is not a concern, do Fiend Hunter or Smite the Monstrous become more relevant? Or is the Volley still the best card in the pack?
My question simply is what is the pick here? I like Divine Reckoning, but the other white cards seem strong, leading me to wonder if going into another color is a better idea, since the person to my left may also choose white. (Possibly go red with Brimstone Volley?) Incidentally, the drafter in the video went with Reckoning, and then got passed Geist-Honored Monk early pack 2, which I was surprised to see. Thoughts?
I played in my second Innistrad sealed event last night and would appreciate some advice/suggestions on my deck construction. I'm new to the limited format in general and my card evaluation skills are pretty weak. Here's the pool:
My initial impression was that the pool was lacking in removal overall, and that blue and green did not have enough depth or cohesiveness to run. White and red seemed to have a good creature base and I really wanted to run black because of the Bloodgift Demon. I favor white as a color generally, so I went white/black. Here's the deck:
In retrospect, the curve might be a little high (Is it? I'm not really sure.) I also needed to mulligan better since I did end up with higher casting cost cards in my opening hand more often. Not sure about the inclusion of Trepanation Blade - I know a lot of people here say its garbage. Was it worth going into black for the demon? Or should I have run red, or maybe even splashed something? Any replies would be appreciated, but I would really like explanations for card choices with as much depth as you're willing to provide, as I certainly need work on card selection. Thank you in advance.
Some general info: I prefer a "build around" commander as opposed to goodstuff, as well as decks with a lot of synergy. I tend to favor a more controlling style of play (blue, remember?), although at least two of my decks are fairly aggressive, at least in a duel. My meta is very casual, so the power level doesn't have to be super high. I like tokens probably more than is healthy.
My current decks include: The Mimeoplasm, Kemba, Talrand, Rhys the Exiled, Vorel, Memnarch (no combo artifact ramp), Rubinia (bant populate), and Sydri (Esper artifact blink).
Any recommendations or thoughts would be appreciated.
What else is possible with the latest commanders available in Theros? It's an exercise I'll leave up to you, but just remember to keep other players in mind as you assemble your next contraption.
And we won't be settled out of legendary options anytime soon, as we're already gearing up for another Commander-packed release: Magic: The Gathering Commander (2013 Edition) is right around the corner. While we're still a couple weeks away from previews, I'd like to get the conversation started now: How, or why, do you attack with your commander?
Feedback via email
200 word limit to answer the question
Name and email required (non-personal information to be used in column)
Do you suit up your champion in the finest Equipment and Auras available? Do you use a commander with a special ability just for attacking? Do you throw your commander into the fray unfettered, and leave others to decide whether to deal with it or not? If you use your commander on offense I'd like to know how you pull it off.
Join us next week when I share what you shared so we learn what you've learned. See you then!
Doesn't seem that obtuse, so maybe it's something else?
Why is pile shuffling "not sufficiently random," as I subsequently found in the tournament rules? I know I can't do a 'mana-weave' pile shuffle, but I don't pile shuffle in any pattern; I throw cards into one of five or six piles until they're all gone. I certainly couldn't tell you the position of any card in the deck after I've done this twice.
Since I'm going to mash shuffle afterwards, does my opponent have any grounds to object? I would prefer to keep my current method. I know a sufficient mash shuffle is supposed be enough, but if all you're doing is cutting the deck in half and mashing the halves together, don't the cards at the top of the deck tend to stay at the top? I thought by combining the two methods I was avoiding this possibility.
1x Nibilis of the Urn
1x Silverchase Fox
1x Unruly Mob
1x Loyal Cathar
2x Midnight Guard
1x Fiend Hunter
2x Ray of Revelation
1x Skillful Lunge
1x Smite the Monstrous
2x Gather the Townsfolk
1x Increasing Devotion
1x Burden of Guilt
1x Bonds of Faith
1x Ghostly Possession
Blue
1x Deranged Assistant
1x Civilized Scholar
1x Headless Skaab
2x Nephalia Seakite
1x Tower Geist
1x Soul Seizer
1x Artful Dodge
2x Chant of the Skifsang
1x Curse of the Bloody Tome
Black
1x Walking Corpse
2x Highborn Ghoul
1x Chosen of Markov
2x Falkenrath Torturer
1x Markov Patrician
1x Wakedancer
2x Abattoir Ghoul
1x Falkenrath Noble
1x Sightless Ghoul
1x Vengeful Vampire
2x Tragic Slip
1x Deadly Allure
1x Night Terrors
2x Death's Caress
1x Forge Devil
1x Ashmouth Hound
1x Bloodcrazed Neonate
1x Hinterland Hermit
1x Heckling Fiends
1x Russet Wolves
1x Tormented Pariah
1x Rage Thrower
1x Fires of Undeath
1x Faithless Looting
1x Blasphemous Act
2x Talons of Falkenrath
Green
1x Young Wolf
1x Darkthicket Wolf
1x Woodland Sleuth
1x Village Survivors
1x Hollowhenge Beast
1x Vorapede
1x Gravetiller Worm
1x Moonmist
1x Clinging Mists
1x Crushing Vines
1x Wild Hunger
1x Make a Wish
1x Increasing Savagery
1x Grim Flowering
1x Immerwolf
1x Stromkirk Captain
1x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Avacyn's Collar
1x Blazing Torch
1x Heavy Mattock
1x One-Eyed Scarecrow
1x Haunted Fengraf
1x Hinterland Harbor
1x Shimmering Grotto
How would you build it? I did this:
1x Silverchase Fox
2x Highborn Ghoul
1x Falkenrath Torturer
2x Midnight Guard
1x Wakedancer
1x Fiend Hunter
2x Abattoir Ghoul
1x Falkenrath Noble
1x Rage Thrower
1x Avacyn's Collar
2x Tragic Slip
1x Bonds of Faith
2x Gather the Townsfolk
1x Fires of Undeath
2x Death's Caress
1x Increasing Devotion
1x Blasphemous Act
9x Swamp
5x Plains
2x Mountain
1x Shimmering Grotto
Green looked tempting, but I didn't think it had enough to be a main color, which I thought would be necessary for the Vorapede. With a little luck, I went 3-1 and took 2nd. (Deck I lost to was pretty brutal, running Havengul Lich, Bloodline Keeper, Evil Twin, Geralf's Mindcrusher, and a Murder of Crows along with some mill.) Anyway, had some really good matches and cracked a Huntmaster and a Sorin in my prize packs, so no complaints here.
1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
1x Ambush Viper
2x Darkthicket Wolf
1x Deranged Assitant
2x Armored Skaab
2x Orchard Spirit
1x Villagers of Estwald
1x Stitched Drake
2x Moon Heron
2x Ulvenwald Mystics
1x Grizzled Outcasts
1x Murder of Crows
1x Skaab Goliath
1x Traveler's Amulet
2x Prey Upon
2x Silent Departure
1x Travel Preparations
Land
8x Forest
7x Island
1x Plains
1x Ambush Viper
2x Boneyard Wurm
2x Festerhide Boar
2x Ranger's Guile
2x Caravan Vigil
1x Mulch
1x Parallel Lives
1x Sharpened Pitchfork
2x Shimmering Grotto
The matches:
Match 1 (vs. UR, 2-1): Game 1, I mull to five on the draw after a one-land hand and a five-land hand. The game ends up being pretty even, but I lose to a Traitorous Blood in combination with forgetting about Cobbled Wings on one of his guys. Game 2, I eventually win after we're both stuck on 3 lands for almost the whole game. Game 3 goes normally, and I win on swingback after my opponent misjudges an attack.
Match 2 (vs. GB, 0-2): Game 1, I keep a hand with 1 Island and the Traveler's Amulet. I get my third land a turn late, and successfully mill my next 2 or 3 lands with an Armored Skaab. (Something similar happened at some point in Match 1, also). I don't draw any more land (specifically a needed Island) in time for it to be relevant. Game 2, no mana problems I recall, but I misplay with the win on the board and die the next turn.
Match 3 (vs. WB, 1-2): Game 1 gets off to a good start for me, but he lands a Reaper of the Abyss (that I passed him pack 2) and I can't deal with it. Game 2, he lands a Liliana, but not much else, and I pull off the win. Game 3, I keep a 2-Island hand with a lot of green cards and don't draw a Forest until it's waaaay to late. Again, I mill past at least one Forest with a turn-3 Armored Skaab.
I think I would have gone with Bloodline Keeper P1p1. I've seen the Keeper win games by himself, whereas the Geist needs support to get the most use out of him. There's some discussion in the Pick vs. Pick thread over this exact choice, if you're inclined. I think I would have paired that pick with the P1p2 Silent Departure to go UB, or taken the Tribute to Hunger to stay in black, since Keeper is not really splash-able.
I hope that's what you were looking for. It seems to be in line with what everyone else has said.
My question simply is what is the pick here? I like Divine Reckoning, but the other white cards seem strong, leading me to wonder if going into another color is a better idea, since the person to my left may also choose white. (Possibly go red with Brimstone Volley?) Incidentally, the drafter in the video went with Reckoning, and then got passed Geist-Honored Monk early pack 2, which I was surprised to see. Thoughts?
1x Doomed Traveler
1x Selfless Cathar
1x Avacynian Priest
1x Silverchase Fox
1x Spectral Rider
1x Village Bell-Ringer
1x Voiceless Spirit
1x Mausoleum Guard
2x Chapel Geist
1x Abbey Griffin
1x Thraben Sentry
2x Thraben Purebloods
1x Purify the Grave
2x Spare from Evil
1x Urgent Exorcism
1x Midnight Haunting
Blue
2x Delver of Secrets
1x Invisible Stalker
1x Ludevic's Test Subject
1x Stitcher's Apprentice
1x Undead Alchemist
2x Frightful Delusion
2x Lost in the Mist
1x Silent Departure
1x Grasp of Phantoms
1x Spectral Flight
1x Typhoid Rats
1x Manor Skeleton
1x Markov Patrician
1x Village Cannibals
1x Brain Weevil
1x Bloodgift Demon
2x Corpse Lunge
1x Bump in the Night
3x Maw of the Mire
1x Unburial Rites
1x Dead Weight
1x Gruesome Deformity
1x Skeletal Grimace
1x Heartless Summoning
Red
1x Reckless Waif
1x Ashmouth Hound
1x Village Ironsmith
2x Kessig Wolf
1x Rakish Heir
1x Riot Devils
1x Night Revelers
1x Pitchburn Devils
1x Rage Thrower
1x Geistflame
1x Nightbird's Clutches
1x Traitorous Blood
1x Past in Flames
1x Burning Vengeance
1x Curse of the Nightly Hunt
1x Orchard Spirit
1x Grave Bramble
1x Somberwald Spider
1x Spidery Grasp
1x Caravan Vigil
1x Prey Upon
1x Mulch
1x Travel Preparations
1x Make a Wish
1x Wreath of Geists
1x Full Moon's Rise
Artifacts/Lands
1x One-Eyed Scarecrow
1x Galvanic Juggernaut
1x Manor Gargoyle
1x Cobbled Wings
1x Wooden Stake
1x Graveyard Shovel
1x Trepanation Blade
1x Woodland Cemetary
My initial impression was that the pool was lacking in removal overall, and that blue and green did not have enough depth or cohesiveness to run. White and red seemed to have a good creature base and I really wanted to run black because of the Bloodgift Demon. I favor white as a color generally, so I went white/black. Here's the deck:
1x Doomed Traveler
1x Manor Skeleton
1x Avacynian Priest
1x Silverchase Fox
1x Spectral Rider
1x One-Eyed Scarecrow
1x Village Bell-Ringer
1x Voiceless Spirit
1x Mausoleum Guard
2x Chapel Geist
1x Thraben Sentry
1x Galvanic Juggernaut
1x Abbey Griffin
1x Manor Gargoyle
1x Thraben Purebloods
1x Bloodgift Demon
1x Spare from Evil
1x Midnight Haunting
1x Dead Weight
1x Unburial Rites
1x Trepanation Blade
10x Plains
7x Swamp
In retrospect, the curve might be a little high (Is it? I'm not really sure.) I also needed to mulligan better since I did end up with higher casting cost cards in my opening hand more often. Not sure about the inclusion of Trepanation Blade - I know a lot of people here say its garbage. Was it worth going into black for the demon? Or should I have run red, or maybe even splashed something? Any replies would be appreciated, but I would really like explanations for card choices with as much depth as you're willing to provide, as I certainly need work on card selection. Thank you in advance.