My biggest complaint about the deck is you are using blacks slightly underpowered creatures without taking advantage of its biggest strengths. The necromancer interaction is very powerful but whites humans hit way above their cost and the blacks ones mostly under-preform. You have to ask why you are in monoblack?
Grey Merchant to go over the top is a justifiable reason to stay in mono black along with the BB removal spells but your deck is lacking taking full advantage of those.
You need to slot in some number of hero's downfall and a full set of bileblight or the two mana removal of your choice and probably 4 thoughtseizes
Your creature base seems a bit weird, rakdos cackler justifies his slot as a 2/2 for 1 but the two of herald seems kind of odd. A 3/3 flyer for 3 is solid but not amazing the other zombie thing is fragile and just not very good, maybe a good roleplayer in jammed up boards in limited.
If you insist on looking to proc heroic sometimes swap the two demons for the sac heroic human and a solid aggro enchantment like dark favor
You should strongly consider Thoughtseize in the main and perhaps even a 2-2 split on duress if you think your meta will not have so many G and G/r lists. Stripping a supreme verdict will be really important and thoughtseize is great in every matchup.
When the core plan of your deck involves two 1 toughness creatures the easiest permanent to deal with in magic. You better be prepared to go to plan B most of the time, and your deck runs to many marginal and bad cards to have a strong plan B as is
The young Pyromancer and Firedancer are there to stop aggro. Whether by spot removal or chump blockers.
I omitted the strike because it has less options vs a lot of meta decks. Skullcrack is also good against monoblack, the most popular PT/FNM deck I see.
Lightning strike is probably the most versatile and reasonably cost burn spell in standard. The point he is trying to make is that skullcrack would be better if you have your ideal gameplan go uninterrupted but is way less versatile if everything doesn't go as planned which happens more often than the perfect line of play. Lava axe probably anywhere nowdays and skullcrack main over ls are terrible ideas
- Don't stand over my match, whether competitive or casual, and make remarks about how I'm not playing good cards/decks, or try to distract my opponents.
Sorry this is part of the game. In a competitive event anyone asking me not to watch a game would be extremely suspicious if it was from a neutral perspective. Playing in a competitive event if you are doing well or have a unique deck will lead to many people standing over your match. The idea of someone commentating in a competitive match where the players could here or in a way that could influence the game is ridiculous. In a casual setting non game altering comments should be somewhat expected.
- Don't "talk at" me. If I'm not looking you in the eye and/or responding to you, don't keep talking just because you feel like talking.
Sorry but the game is more fun if there is at least a little conversation or small talk, especially about the match. If you don't say something like "lets focus on the game" or something i'm just going to keep talking and assume you are just being an awkward nerdlord.
- Don't take up valuable table space if you're not playing. You can take your 17" gaming laptop somewhere else and loudly watch My Little Pony while you play League of Legends somewhere else.
This is up to the LGS owner and staff to determine. It would be really annoying sure I agree. However who is to say MLP super fan who buys a case from the store every release doesn't belongs there over the 4 edh casuals who maybe sometimes buy a pack or single. It isn't you unless your name is on the lease. I would find it really laughable if someone went around my store telling people what they can't and can do in such a passive aggressive manner like leaving a note or flyer.
- If you're talking so loudly that everyone in the shop is looking at you, that doesn't mean that we want to hear what you're saying or that we think you're funny.
This is maybe the only valid point on your list, that being said a simple "hey man can you tone it down your getting a little rowdy" would do a lot more than stares. Also I have played with guys that treat something like FNM as a lets pre-game go to FNM and then the bar/out whatever type thing and it is a ton fun and a few of them did get a little loud sometimes. Maybe you should lighten up a bit and try to enjoy yourself more.
- You don't need to bring an entire backpack full of cards if you're not planning on doing some heavy-duty trading. And please don't drop your backpack on my cards, or leave your stuff on a table and act like people will look after it for you.
Who are you to tell other people what to do? It isn't a good idea I agree but if someone wants to do that the risk is on them and it is their choice. Many times someone is looking for something specific and maybe he is tired of waiting a week or having trades fall through because he didn't have the card on him. Leaving it on top of your cards and asking you to watch it? Why not just say hey i'm not comfortable with watching your stuff or something....
- Try to keep the bathroom clean. I know it's not your house and your mother won't make you wash your hands, but other people have to use it, too.
Another failing of your LGS and not its clients. Maintenance is an important part of a successful business. Employees think they are to good or are just lazy and do not clean the bathrooms in any regular manner if ever. Gamer management/owner types have a weak understanding of retail business and also won't get their hands dirty or just plain close off the bathrooms. The idea of having a retail space with no bathroom is absolutely laughable if the goal is to have customers in for multiple hours and encourage consumable turnover at high mark up and impulse purchases.
</rant>[/QUOTE]
In your OP you wrote "a basic amount of communication and respect" but the irony is the issues you rant about could all be dealt with basic communication on your part with a little bit of chilling out instead of internet ranting and getting worked up over non-issues, and respect for different people. Oh and a game store that doesn't let their bathroom go to ****.
I don't think the ramping spells are worthwhile really in this standard and the creature ramp plan seems really weak trying to get to 6+ with so many scry bonus ways to remove them and supreme verdict in the format. Not to mention sphinx rev just seems more powerful then creature based ramp targets in this format.
Mid-range with the o/3 hexproof to clog up the board and to hit your 4 drop seems much more viable
It will be interesting if the new slagstorm and the o/3 and creature based ramp can exist peacefully in the same deck, as they both seem like very important cards for the archtype. I think the o/3 is viable enough to clog up the board and force your opponent to overextend into the slagstorm thing.
At the end of the day I don't think it is as powerful as the RTR block based U/w control decks it just doesn't have the tools
Don't get to strung up on "abusing her". Play good cards instead in a deck that is powerful in the mid or late game, and if its something like lingering souls thats good by itself or discarded anyway just count that as an added bonus.
It is really her versatility, ability to edict and stick around, and her general slowing down of the pace of the game that makes her gold.
Not bad OP. I think it fits well, but I also think it's cost should be more to ephasize that red needs a lot of energy to mess with time, unlike blue which has "Mastered" it.
Yes make anything interesting red might do cost more than blue spells because blue already has mastered that part of the color pie blah blah. You might as well just out and say what you are thinking. Make it cost more because it isn't a good color like blue.
Its fine though just give me some more versions of lightning bolts red elemental blast / pyroblast and something to harvest delicious jace self-insert worshipping nerdlords tears with instead wizards
I'd look towards the block variant to see what is doing well and what isn't. Nightveil Specter is a sideboard card for Esper, which is doing the best out of the control decks.
You should try actually playing the formats for context. Its almost entirely for the maze's end list as you can quickly remove their win con and get a few lands out of the deal. It isn't terrible in the mirror but there are much better things to be doing even if block if that was the only concern, much less an expanded card pool.
Everyone here is going on and on about how Tom Lapille is basically the devil incarnate, but I've seen NO EVIDENCE. Not even a single quote beyond someone getting their knickers in a twist over an instant being made a sorcery.
If Tom Lapille is really this monster who's bad mouthing the game, the community and says nonsensical things about development, then post them. Don't just turn this thread into some sort of character assassination. If he's so bad for the game there must be evidence.
My favorite Tom LaPille moment is when he said that nobody was playing Mystical Tutor in Legacy because it was too good and everyone had a "gentleman's agreement" to not play the card.
This times a thousand is all the evidence you should need, there is no "character assassination" going on the <dude is a ****ing clown>.
He also wrote:
As Jace, the Mind Sculptor is the elephant in the room here, I will address it directly. I can think of at least two cards in New Phyrexia that are targeted specifically at planeswalkers. In our Future Future League testing, those two cards proved to be potent weapons.
I can just see him slamming hex parasite down and paying the 3 mana to kill a jace after it jacestorms, woah I traded 4 cmc for 4cmc and I left a 1/1 behind WICKED SICK magic is saved
Any cards in white or colorless that make 1/1 tokens that is not dependent on activated abilities or can any cards in white or colorless win through ensnaring bridge without any activated abilities. Not like something that makes 1 token but something that makes HELLA TOKENS?!
Ugh this is so terrible you are not looking to debate but boldly declare "Legacy will also cease to exist..." without any real supporting evidence. Use some obscure nonsense term "KA" and suggest reading an entire book series or some **** when there were plenty of other options I am sure.
Honestly all anyone newer needs to know is it used to be like modern with a fixed starting point, was changed to rotating but with a much larger card pool and dropped off in popularity. Now it has been replaced by modern which has a fixed starting point and is non-rotating.
Maybe splash green for a fight effect I dunno, 4-mana is pretty much the top end of playable cards in modern and its a big investment for something that doesn't have an etb value
Grey Merchant to go over the top is a justifiable reason to stay in mono black along with the BB removal spells but your deck is lacking taking full advantage of those.
You need to slot in some number of hero's downfall and a full set of bileblight or the two mana removal of your choice and probably 4 thoughtseizes
Your creature base seems a bit weird, rakdos cackler justifies his slot as a 2/2 for 1 but the two of herald seems kind of odd. A 3/3 flyer for 3 is solid but not amazing the other zombie thing is fragile and just not very good, maybe a good roleplayer in jammed up boards in limited.
If you insist on looking to proc heroic sometimes swap the two demons for the sac heroic human and a solid aggro enchantment like dark favor
You should strongly consider Thoughtseize in the main and perhaps even a 2-2 split on duress if you think your meta will not have so many G and G/r lists. Stripping a supreme verdict will be really important and thoughtseize is great in every matchup.
When the core plan of your deck involves two 1 toughness creatures the easiest permanent to deal with in magic. You better be prepared to go to plan B most of the time, and your deck runs to many marginal and bad cards to have a strong plan B as is
Lightning strike is probably the most versatile and reasonably cost burn spell in standard. The point he is trying to make is that skullcrack would be better if you have your ideal gameplan go uninterrupted but is way less versatile if everything doesn't go as planned which happens more often than the perfect line of play. Lava axe probably anywhere nowdays and skullcrack main over ls are terrible ideas
Sorry this is part of the game. In a competitive event anyone asking me not to watch a game would be extremely suspicious if it was from a neutral perspective. Playing in a competitive event if you are doing well or have a unique deck will lead to many people standing over your match. The idea of someone commentating in a competitive match where the players could here or in a way that could influence the game is ridiculous. In a casual setting non game altering comments should be somewhat expected.
Sorry but the game is more fun if there is at least a little conversation or small talk, especially about the match. If you don't say something like "lets focus on the game" or something i'm just going to keep talking and assume you are just being an awkward nerdlord.
This is up to the LGS owner and staff to determine. It would be really annoying sure I agree. However who is to say MLP super fan who buys a case from the store every release doesn't belongs there over the 4 edh casuals who maybe sometimes buy a pack or single. It isn't you unless your name is on the lease. I would find it really laughable if someone went around my store telling people what they can't and can do in such a passive aggressive manner like leaving a note or flyer.
This is maybe the only valid point on your list, that being said a simple "hey man can you tone it down your getting a little rowdy" would do a lot more than stares. Also I have played with guys that treat something like FNM as a lets pre-game go to FNM and then the bar/out whatever type thing and it is a ton fun and a few of them did get a little loud sometimes. Maybe you should lighten up a bit and try to enjoy yourself more.
Who are you to tell other people what to do? It isn't a good idea I agree but if someone wants to do that the risk is on them and it is their choice. Many times someone is looking for something specific and maybe he is tired of waiting a week or having trades fall through because he didn't have the card on him. Leaving it on top of your cards and asking you to watch it? Why not just say hey i'm not comfortable with watching your stuff or something....
Another failing of your LGS and not its clients. Maintenance is an important part of a successful business. Employees think they are to good or are just lazy and do not clean the bathrooms in any regular manner if ever. Gamer management/owner types have a weak understanding of retail business and also won't get their hands dirty or just plain close off the bathrooms. The idea of having a retail space with no bathroom is absolutely laughable if the goal is to have customers in for multiple hours and encourage consumable turnover at high mark up and impulse purchases.
</rant>[/QUOTE]
In your OP you wrote "a basic amount of communication and respect" but the irony is the issues you rant about could all be dealt with basic communication on your part with a little bit of chilling out instead of internet ranting and getting worked up over non-issues, and respect for different people. Oh and a game store that doesn't let their bathroom go to ****.
Mid-range with the o/3 hexproof to clog up the board and to hit your 4 drop seems much more viable
It will be interesting if the new slagstorm and the o/3 and creature based ramp can exist peacefully in the same deck, as they both seem like very important cards for the archtype. I think the o/3 is viable enough to clog up the board and force your opponent to overextend into the slagstorm thing.
At the end of the day I don't think it is as powerful as the RTR block based U/w control decks it just doesn't have the tools
It is really her versatility, ability to edict and stick around, and her general slowing down of the pace of the game that makes her gold.
Yes make anything interesting red might do cost more than blue spells because blue already has mastered that part of the color pie blah blah. You might as well just out and say what you are thinking. Make it cost more because it isn't a good color like blue.
Its fine though just give me some more versions of lightning bolts red elemental blast / pyroblast and something to harvest delicious jace self-insert worshipping nerdlords tears with instead wizards
You should try actually playing the formats for context. Its almost entirely for the maze's end list as you can quickly remove their win con and get a few lands out of the deal. It isn't terrible in the mirror but there are much better things to be doing even if block if that was the only concern, much less an expanded card pool.
This times a thousand is all the evidence you should need, there is no "character assassination" going on the <dude is a ****ing clown>.
He also wrote:
I can just see him slamming hex parasite down and paying the 3 mana to kill a jace after it jacestorms, woah I traded 4 cmc for 4cmc and I left a 1/1 behind WICKED SICK magic is saved
Warning for Flaming. -Xen
Honestly all anyone newer needs to know is it used to be like modern with a fixed starting point, was changed to rotating but with a much larger card pool and dropped off in popularity. Now it has been replaced by modern which has a fixed starting point and is non-rotating.