Question to you guys; eldrazi tron and deaths shadow are gaining popularity in our group. What are MB and SB cards to combat these? (BW list, decklist 1 page back)
I think there is about 8 flex slots in the EnT lists, mind you my opinion is probably not shared
Interesting - what d'you think they are? Being new, I'm going off the MTG Goldfish lists, which seem to remain consistent in most of the main board choices.
Essential 4-ofs are only: Vial, Path, Arbiter, Flickerwisp, TKS
My list for comparison: http://www.mtgvault.com/asatas/decks/eldrazi-taxes/ (don't mind the SB, it's for our local meta). It leads the current season's leaderboard (~50) but I don't have time to go to big events with it. The Copter is purely experimental, as are the two utility lands, but I'm keeping the rest of the MB pretty tidy.
Keep in mind that you have to answer Aetherwind Basker with Removal or you will get utterly crushed unless its owner has no energy AND no board. He sizes up to such heights that nothing can challenge him, and no chumping allowed. I had him go up to 30+ NRG, but a 10/10 trample will do the trick just as well. Trample is just so good that it can turn a bad Energy source into a one-turn-clock.
A 5/4 vanilla however? I got Servos for days!
I think Magic Duels was supposed to do this originally. It has a very Hearthstoneish flair. It is a nice way of casually playing magic, cheap, quick, online.
But the developer is just plain horrible. Their system is worse than anything I've seen in recent AA/AAA franchises.
Peer-hosting (->cheating/hacking), a cheating flawed repetitive AI, unfixed bugs and glitches that have existed since its launch, no real gratification model, it just feels like a sloppy job with no quality control at all.
I wish it had been more closely monitored by WotC
merging Planes is really a bad thing to do and only evil non-Planeswalker guys like Yawgmoth are interested in that sorta thing. If anyone ever tries build a Rath again, I'm sure a lot of people, including evil Planies, will not like that at all...
Awww. my reply didn't save. Lost a nice long post...
Thanks for the reply Aazadan.
In short, here are my opinions:
-Miracles: I don't have enough practice to make an informed comment. you may well be right.
-DnT: Thalia is worse if we can't answer her. She can easily Time Walk us in my experience and she's YET ANOTHER mana denier.
-Eldrazi: We can't attack their weakest point: mana. All of their guys are bigger than 90% of ours. I continue to see 1+ Plains main, so I even ramp them. Postboard, Ulamog (worse with Karakas) and All is Dust absolutely wreck us. TKS, Smasher and Sower are all really big pains in my butt.
-Chalice: manageable vs slow decks like lands. But the hamstringing it provides aggressive decks like Eldrazi with just makes their early game so much better vs us. With chalice out, I can't keep up with their clock.
-Yes, T1 Blood Moon hurts. But any later than that (or T2 on the play) and we have it a lot easier than other decks.
I'll try SneakFit before I move on to Deathblade, because it gives us a faster clock and bigger beef. We'll see.
I'm abandoning NicFit for the moment. I think it's time to move on for now;
Traditionally good MUs like DnT have become increasingly annoying with added Eldrazi.
Eldrazi Stompy, which has basically replaced MUD (another very good MU for us) is basically unwinnable, they are stronger in every phase of the game. Chalice of the Void has become a format staple (much more present than, say, 2 years ago) and it's also a card we must handle in a timely fashion to stay in the game.
Miracles, traditionally also one of our better MUs, has lost % of the meta cake...
Combo decks are cutting inevitability to dominate the first 2 turns, which is also bad for us.
The list goes on.
I feel like we either need a new approach, much more hate-oriented with a faster clock and less late game(a fusion of NicFit and Lands) or a new deck altogether. Me personally, I'm shifting to Stoneblade Deathblade, but if you wanna stay close to NF, Maverick and AggroLoam are probably good choices, too.
So long, fellas
I would like to see some truly game-warping or annoying pieces to spice up a few draft games. Since they're Masterpieces it would happen very rarely and them being played in streamed/taped tournaments would go insta-viral;
Drop a Humility and enjoy their "no way!"
Play Stasis and hear their their lamentations ShahrazadWorldpurgeTime SpiralNaked SingularitySoldier of Fortune, oh I could go on...
NWO:
Lava Spike is Common because it's that simple
2 Mana 1/1+Lava is probably still Common because it's also not very complex. Might already be Uncommon.
2 Mana 0/1+Bolt is Uncommon as it can already do 3 things (burn face, burn dude, interact as creature) and the body is a little weird (ever seen an X/0 Common? )
Not NWO but real:
2 Mana 1/1+Lava might get lifted to Uncommon for balancing reasons.
1 Mana 1/1+Lava is at least rare or gets a drawback stamped on by Development, also for balancing reasons.
P.S. I already like the (1R: 0/1 Elemental, ETB: Bolt) card. Make it happen!
Zurgo Bellstriker if color doesn't matter. As mentioned, Radha if you want a good deck, because you get to play 2 colors. Mirri, Cat Warrior if it has to be Mono Green, or Yasova Dragonclaw as a french vanilla 4/2 Trample
I've been playing GR Dragons for some time and I'm now switching to Naya. This is to be less vulnerable to Languish; Thunderbreak Regent and Stormbreath Dragon die to it, which is really really bad because they were my main threats vs any Abzan decks. Also Shrapnel Blast is now a thing and Stoke the Flames is now up to 8-of.
I found this pre-PT-deck; http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=10097&d=258175&f=ST and am now playing with numbers and replacements to tune it for Game Day (expecting mostly Abzan, Red, GR Devotion and UR Thopters.)
How I think this might beat the top decks:
Abzan: MVPs: Hidden Dragonslayer, Dragonlord Atarka, Xenagos on the play, post-board Mastery of the Unseen
Red: Dragonlords, Dromoka's Command, Post-board Anger of the Gods(definitely 3-of SB), considering adding some Feed the Clan (also vs the aggressive UR variant)
GR: this is still a tough one because they have a lot of problematic dudes. Their Atarka comes out earlier, Hornet Queen without an Atarka of ours is hard to deal with, Whisperwood and Hydra generate CA... MVPs: Our Atarka, Dragonslayer, probably Roast if I find some SB space, Mob Rule wins if we can still resolve it after an Atarka has killed half of our mana dudes.
UR: With the right SB, this should be a cakewalk because we don't have the ground-dweller problem of devotion decks. Both Dragonlords are really good (they don't have any answer to Dromoka), being joined by Dromoka's Command and Anger...
First changes to the_Yoda's list would be: Main: -2/3 Whisperwood Elemental, -1 Polukranos, -1/2 Rattleclaw Mystic, +3/4 Draconic Roar, +1-2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
SB: -3 Hornet Nest, -2 Arbor Colossus, -2 Valorous Stance, +3 Anger of the Gods, +2 Feed the Clan +2 Roast
As you can see, most changes are making the deck more reactive, as hard Control strategies are losing favor and removal spells are gaining use as a result. I don't like introducing Feed the Clan as we are taking out big creatures, but I feel like there are too many decks that just kill us before we resolve Dromoka, so that's the best thing I found...
Waddaya think, guys? Any oversights or good other changes?
A quick update: So far I am running well with only Bonfire of the Damned as Mass Removal. I really don't want to wipe my board in the process of wiping his.
What turns out to be my go-to "win con" (rather a "scoop-con") is a Goblin Sharpshooter with Deathtouch (or Marath on a small board and almost empty hands). So few decks can recover from that...
I also replaced some cards to speed up the deck.
Essential 4-ofs are only: Vial, Path, Arbiter, Flickerwisp, TKS
My list for comparison: http://www.mtgvault.com/asatas/decks/eldrazi-taxes/ (don't mind the SB, it's for our local meta). It leads the current season's leaderboard (~50) but I don't have time to go to big events with it. The Copter is purely experimental, as are the two utility lands, but I'm keeping the rest of the MB pretty tidy.
A 5/4 vanilla however? I got Servos for days!
But the developer is just plain horrible. Their system is worse than anything I've seen in recent AA/AAA franchises.
Peer-hosting (->cheating/hacking), a cheating flawed repetitive AI, unfixed bugs and glitches that have existed since its launch, no real gratification model, it just feels like a sloppy job with no quality control at all.
I wish it had been more closely monitored by WotC
Thanks for the reply Aazadan.
In short, here are my opinions:
-Miracles: I don't have enough practice to make an informed comment. you may well be right.
-DnT: Thalia is worse if we can't answer her. She can easily Time Walk us in my experience and she's YET ANOTHER mana denier.
-Eldrazi: We can't attack their weakest point: mana. All of their guys are bigger than 90% of ours. I continue to see 1+ Plains main, so I even ramp them. Postboard, Ulamog (worse with Karakas) and All is Dust absolutely wreck us. TKS, Smasher and Sower are all really big pains in my butt.
-Chalice: manageable vs slow decks like lands. But the hamstringing it provides aggressive decks like Eldrazi with just makes their early game so much better vs us. With chalice out, I can't keep up with their clock.
-Yes, T1 Blood Moon hurts. But any later than that (or T2 on the play) and we have it a lot easier than other decks.
I'll try SneakFit before I move on to Deathblade, because it gives us a faster clock and bigger beef. We'll see.
Traditionally good MUs like DnT have become increasingly annoying with added Eldrazi.
Eldrazi Stompy, which has basically replaced MUD (another very good MU for us) is basically unwinnable, they are stronger in every phase of the game.
Chalice of the Void has become a format staple (much more present than, say, 2 years ago) and it's also a card we must handle in a timely fashion to stay in the game.
Miracles, traditionally also one of our better MUs, has lost % of the meta cake...
Combo decks are cutting inevitability to dominate the first 2 turns, which is also bad for us.
The list goes on.
I feel like we either need a new approach, much more hate-oriented with a faster clock and less late game(a fusion of NicFit and Lands) or a new deck altogether. Me personally, I'm shifting to
StonebladeDeathblade, but if you wanna stay close to NF, Maverick and AggroLoam are probably good choices, too.So long, fellas
Drop a Humility and enjoy their "no way!"
Play Stasis and hear their their lamentations
Shahrazad Worldpurge Time Spiral Naked Singularity Soldier of Fortune, oh I could go on...
Lava Spike is Common because it's that simple
2 Mana 1/1+Lava is probably still Common because it's also not very complex. Might already be Uncommon.
2 Mana 0/1+Bolt is Uncommon as it can already do 3 things (burn face, burn dude, interact as creature) and the body is a little weird (ever seen an X/0 Common?
Not NWO but real:
2 Mana 1/1+Lava might get lifted to Uncommon for balancing reasons.
1 Mana 1/1+Lava is at least rare or gets a drawback stamped on by Development, also for balancing reasons.
P.S. I already like the (1R: 0/1 Elemental, ETB: Bolt) card. Make it happen!
I found this pre-PT-deck; http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=10097&d=258175&f=ST and am now playing with numbers and replacements to tune it for Game Day (expecting mostly Abzan, Red, GR Devotion and UR Thopters.)
How I think this might beat the top decks:
Abzan: MVPs: Hidden Dragonslayer, Dragonlord Atarka, Xenagos on the play, post-board Mastery of the Unseen
Red: Dragonlords, Dromoka's Command, Post-board Anger of the Gods(definitely 3-of SB), considering adding some Feed the Clan (also vs the aggressive UR variant)
GR: this is still a tough one because they have a lot of problematic dudes. Their Atarka comes out earlier, Hornet Queen without an Atarka of ours is hard to deal with, Whisperwood and Hydra generate CA... MVPs: Our Atarka, Dragonslayer, probably Roast if I find some SB space, Mob Rule wins if we can still resolve it after an Atarka has killed half of our mana dudes.
UR: With the right SB, this should be a cakewalk because we don't have the ground-dweller problem of devotion decks. Both Dragonlords are really good (they don't have any answer to Dromoka), being joined by Dromoka's Command and Anger...
First changes to the_Yoda's list would be: Main: -2/3 Whisperwood Elemental, -1 Polukranos, -1/2 Rattleclaw Mystic, +3/4 Draconic Roar, +1-2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
SB: -3 Hornet Nest, -2 Arbor Colossus, -2 Valorous Stance, +3 Anger of the Gods, +2 Feed the Clan +2 Roast
As you can see, most changes are making the deck more reactive, as hard Control strategies are losing favor and removal spells are gaining use as a result. I don't like introducing Feed the Clan as we are taking out big creatures, but I feel like there are too many decks that just kill us before we resolve Dromoka, so that's the best thing I found...
Waddaya think, guys? Any oversights or good other changes?
Goblin Sharpshooter and co. like to eat this deck...
What turns out to be my go-to "win con" (rather a "scoop-con") is a Goblin Sharpshooter with Deathtouch (or Marath on a small board and almost empty hands). So few decks can recover from that...
I also replaced some cards to speed up the deck.
1 Basilisk Collar
//Creature (15)
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
1 Eternal Witness
1 Fleecemane Lion
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Hooded Hydra
1 Marath, Will of the Wild
1 Mother of Runes
1 Nightshade Peddler
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Thornscape Battlemage
1 Voice of Resurgence
//Enchantment (1)
1 Aura Shards
//Enchantment Creature (1)
1 Courser of Kruphix
//Instant (7)
1 Dromoka's Command
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Lightning Helix
1 Naya Charm
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Unexpectedly Absent
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
1 Domri Rade
//Sorcery (3)
1 Fiery Justice
1 Genesis Wave
1 Green Sun's Zenith
//Land (20)
1 Command Tower
1 Forest
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Krosan Verge
1 Maze of Ith
1 Plains
1 Plateau
1 Raging Ravine
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Savannah
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Stomping Ground
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Taiga
1 Temple Garden
1 Vesuva
1 Wasteland
1 Wooded Bastion