I like the deck. I like the meaty green approach a lot.
However, three points. First, if you're going to run ledgewalker, why not go 4? I mean, your only other 2cc drop is the Spider. Second, its a real shame to run Ledgwalker in a deck and nothing that gives him a permanent boost. A Ledgewalker is one of the few creatures with which you can be reasonably certain your opponent won't get a 2fer. Have you considered any of the Aurochs? Third, what's the role of the Shinen? What are you looking to push through that you need its "block me" ability for?
I'm now accepting your votes for the top 10 most promising commons in Time Spiral. These need to be the best 10 cards, the ones you feel will help shake things up in the Standard format. (I'm concerned with T2 right now, not Classic.) Do you think Errant Ephemeron will do good things for the Pauper Standard format? How about Orcish Cannonade? If you get a chance, I'd really appreciate your input. The more explanation you give, the better. But even just a list is better than nothing at all.
/Solicitation
Eegag: Are you running beef, or are you playing a game of tricks? I would just go right up the curve.
I may try a smaller, faster version of RG or GW with lots of pump and either burn or Blessed Breath. I have to enjoy it while it's still around, after all.
I had an idea for a deck. It might even work well with Eegag's idea for a deck based around Simic Ragwurm and Ocular Halo.
I'm thinking an aura based deck. I think it may work for three reasons: Ledgewalker-style untargetability, Magemarks, and Flash auras.
Once you drop a Ledgewalker or a Shielding Plax on a creature, you can cast auras on them with near impunity. There's almost nothing in this format that can deal with a big untargetable. That's why Ledgewalker has become such a problem.
The magemarks were cool when we first saw them. However, they have somewhat fallen out of favor. Once you drop a magemark on an untargetable, they can confer their cool little abilities as well as a boost to your other enchanted creatures. I suggest the green and blue magemarks. The green because its in-color and the blue because it gives evasion.
Lastly the flash auras - Aether Web (1g, +1/+1, can block shadow and flying creatures) and Ophidian Eye. Once there's a magemark down, these become permanent pump spells.
Another thing to note. Each of the enchantments mentioned above (except for Aether Web) are 3cc. That means if you keep your creatures to 2cc and less, you will have a pretty good chance of dropping a creature or two and then an aura on the third turn.
Now, Polyjak, ask yourself what makes an aura worthwhile? When is the benefit worth the potential risk of a 2-for-1 for your opponent?
If casting an Ophidian Eye on a creature, at instant speed, also gave the creature evasion, a +1/+1 for each blocking creature, and a +2/+2, would you pay 2U for this? If so, I think we can build a deck around these ideas.
I'm now accepting your votes for the top 10 most promising commons in Time Spiral. These need to be the best 10 cards, the ones you feel will help shake things up in the Standard format. (I'm concerned with T2 right now, not Classic.) Do you think Errant Ephemeron will do good things for the Pauper Standard format? How about Orcish Cannonade? If you get a chance, I'd really appreciate your input. The more explanation you give, the better. But even just a list is better than nothing at all.
/Solicitation
Here's a deck I drafted up for Standard Pauper this week, taking Eegag's RG idea and merging it with Haloscope's post-rotation WW idea. (Path of Anger's Flame is a red Fortify.)
Haloscope, you were right. If I am going to use Silhana Ledgewalker, I need to maximize its potential with four copies and permanent boosts. So, I decided to cut it altogether. Without the ability to give it a boost, Ledgewalker isn't much better than a good pinger. So, I brought in the pumpable Boreal Centaur for some added beef. Aquastrand Spider has also proven valuable in pushing my creatures out of Last Gasp or Shock range, so three copies of it stay. Also, I did consider the Aurochs, but I decided against them for this deck.
Jak, as much as I may want to put more creatures in, there isn't that much room. In a snow deck, I think that Boreal Centaur is consistently a better card than Scab-Clan Mauler. Also, I decided against working my way up the mana curve. I want to top out with bigger creatures than Orzhov, but not higher mana costs. I need to be able to discard lands from time to time to deal with the discard element of Orzhov and Harvester, and that tactic would often leave a Streetbreaker Wurm stranded in my hand.
A quick word about Shinen of Life's Roar. I think we forgot what that card can do. It has two functions: it allows you to force your 3/3s through for more damage, or it acts as a pseudo-Wrath (when Channeled or coupled with growth). I'm glad I remembered it in time to get a few more weeks use out of it before the rotation.
Looking over Jak's deck, I think that may be what it's missing. In Haloscope's post-rotation Ivory Weenie, Ivory Giant is a card that makes the deck tick. It allows for that big alpha strike on turn six or seven, after your army of weenies is on the table and you have a Fortify in hand to pump them. Maybe you should give it a try. If it works out, you might have a nice metagame deck for the few weeks before the rotation.
Eegag, I agree with your decision to cut the Ledgewalker. I'm still uncertain as to the utility of the Shinen. However, perhaps I just need to get hit over the head with it a few times.
Given that you only have 4 red spells, it looks like you're going to be relying upon the Civic Wayfinders to pick out the Mountains for you. I'd suggest cutting the Mountains back to 4, probably only 3. If you think about it, 7 red mana sources (3 mountains and 4 Civics) is enough to run your four Skreds. This would also smooth out the rest of your deck.
Also, your deck has a LOT of 3cc spells. Why not maximize your chances to cast them on the second turn? If you're already running 4x Llanowars, you're hoping for that chance. I think with 2-3 Boreal Druid would work wonders. You would be basically assured of casting a 3cc spell on the second turn. I figure, you're either hoping for an aggressive 1 drop or a fast start with casting a 3/3 a turn early. It would be worth cutting back on a 2cc creature to include the extra elves.
Have you considered Strength in Numbers? Slightly more situational than a Giant Growth, but the potential for damage is there.
I'm now accepting your votes for the top 10 most promising commons in Time Spiral. These need to be the best 10 cards, the ones you feel will help shake things up in the Standard format. (I'm concerned with T2 right now, not Classic.)
Hmm. Well, my top 10 list isn't the same as a list of cards that would shake up the format.
Top 5 TSP Terramorphic Expanse. This card is not going to change the format, but it going to appear in a TON of pauper decks. Thallid Shell-Dweller. As someone recently noted, when a new set comes out, people immediately build aggro decks. This card is a great anti-aggro card. Its a big fat wall that will help you stay in the game. Think Twice. Instant draw for blue is not something we see much of any more. A good solid draw spell. Blazing Blade Askari. This got a lot of attention early on, but I haven't seen it in many decklists since. Flanking and the ability to become colorless make this card a must include for a red deck in a format with GotG. Icatian Crier. Tokens are important to the development of a WW deck. They are also going to be important to stopping an alpha strike.
I think it's safe to say that Terramorphic Expanse will be huge as a colorless mana-fixer and will make 3-color decks all the easier. I have a feeling it will be fetching swamps a lot of the time...
Errant Ephemeron is obviously a contender for the role of new blue finisher and it seems pretty good in that role, if a bit vulnerable.
As I was discussing with Eegag, I think that speed and disruption will be potential trumps to the reign of GWB. WW, WW/g, or WW/r are potential options for speed weenie decks. (Maybe even WW/u, considering the new blue shadow creatures are fairly aggressive, and the First-Wing is resistant to Pillory.) Rakdos offers many options including sligh-style decks and various mid-range decks involving land, graveyard, and hand disruption and denial. WW with Fortify is capable of delivering major damage in a lateral spread that is difficult to cope with, and Rakdos disruption has access to the black tools that help combat recursive elements that make the top decks so tough to beat.
I also have hope that MUC/b (UB) may be able to shake things up a bit. Time will tell.
As for Standard this week, I will probably try and run the speedier RG build I posted, with some changes if I can get in some testing. I'll consider Shinen of Life's Roar.
There have been at least three such decks posted in this thread. You can easily track them down by scanning back through the posts. However, I think you're looking for one of these:
I'm now accepting your votes for the top 10 most promising commons in Time Spiral. These need to be the best 10 cards, the ones you feel will help shake things up in the Standard format. (I'm concerned with T2 right now, not Classic.) Do you think Errant Ephemeron will do good things for the Pauper Standard format? How about Orcish Cannonade? If you get a chance, I'd really appreciate your input. The more explanation you give, the better. But even just a list is better than nothing at all.
/Solicitation
What I've done is gone through the TS Pauper spoiler and "graded" the white commons in terms of their potency in general and/or their potential impact on the format. Some white commons were omitted because they fail. Here's the list so far. Please feel free to dispute my grades or to continue this system into the other colors.
Cloudchaser Kestrel. Dude. That's no mediocre card. 3cc, flies, blocks Ledgewalker, kills pillory and fetters. You don't even need the last ability to make this a good card. B, bare minimum.
What I've done is gone through the TS Pauper spoiler and "graded" the white commons in terms of their potency in general and/or their potential impact on the format. Some white commons were omitted because they fail. Here's the list so far. Please feel free to dispute my grades or to continue this system into the other colors.
That's a bold list, Jack. Temporal Isolation is an A-level card. It is Pacifism at instant-speed! It can also be used to prevent combat damage in a pinch, or to give you an emergency blocker for Looter il-Kor. I also don't think Icatian Crier deserves an A. It's solid, but I don't think it's as good as the other A-level cards. And, I agree with Haloscope about Cloudchaser Kestrel, thought I think that it should receive an A. Benalish Cavalry is also stronger than a C rating. It's a better card than Fallen Askari, which sees play in Classic.
I suppose I'll go ahead and rate the blue commons:
Perhaps the ratings should be broken up into "stand alone value" and some sort of "combo value." The example of the cloudchaser is a good one. It's a decent stand alone card but it really shines when there's an enchantment to kill. Ivory giant would have a good stand alone rating, but it doesn't really combo with other cards.
I disagree with that assessment. Ivory Giant alone isn't that great. Its in combination with other cards that he really shines. Ideally, you'd want an army of white creatures ready to attack as soon as his last Suspend counter wears off. Otherwise, alone he's just three damage five turns from now.
We all have our own reasons for giving A, B, etc... we don't have a standard rubric. (Welcome to public education.) Anyway, I like the fact that we're talking about it and agreeing or disagreeing, so I'll post my OWN blue ratings.
I'll put mine in parenthesis after yours so we can compare.
Halo and I (mostly Halo) have been working on a Fortify-centric deck. Halo took my GW build down to WW, and it shows a great deal of promise. I tinkered with the idea of splashing blue for a few key plays, but here's the pure white build:
I piloted my deck to another disappointing finish in the Standard PDC, and here is how it played out:
Round One - idoru playing MUC/b
These games were not very close, as idoru had the right combination of counterspells and removal to disrupt my strategy. As soon as I would break through his defenses and assemble an army, he'd just transmute for Chilling Shade, drop it, and win. I was able to Skred a Shade once, but it didn't really help. He just got another.
Loss 0-2
Round Two - briefcandle playing WW
This match, on the other hand, was quite close. With a 2/3 Shinen to take out his fliers, and a couple of Skreds to remove his blockers, I took game one. Then, I messed up sideboarding and neglected to bring in my Sundering Vitaes for his Pacifisms. I lost that game as he neutralized my biggest threats with auras and Kitsune Blademasters. Game three was close. I had an excellent start, accelerating into a turn two Gnarled Mass, which he Pacified. I took out his aura with Sundering Vitae the next turn, then followed with a Spider and Shinen the turn after that. Things looked good, but my inability to draw Mountains or Civic Wayfinders left two Skreds stranded in my hand, allowing his fliers, pumped by War Cry, to soar over for the win.
Loss 1-2
Round Three - Bye
I won easily.
Win 2-0
The thing is, I never felt as though the deck failed me (except for the one instance of mana screw). Shinen was great against another weenie deck, especially coupled with Giant Growth. Aquastrand Spider was good as well. Skred was amazing, as anyone would have guessed. However, I always wanted more removal. Perhaps Jack is right, and more burn is the way to go.
If I am not busy, I will play again tonight in coolbartr's Standard Pauper tournament, just for the practice if nothing else. Speaking of practice, I think that more testing would really benefit our clan. We always test the heck out of a new format, but decide to play a deck that we hadn't previously considered (or, in some cases, hadn't previously built!).
White Weenie is making a surge here in the weeks before Time Spiral, both in Standard and Classic, and I think we all agree that Time Spiral only makes the deck better. What other trends are developing heading into the rotation?
I think that as long as Dredge and Grim Harvest are around, they are going to skew our format. We're going to have some version of Harvester for a long time to come. Even though Orzhov loses a bit of punch with the loss of the ninjas, it is stilla potent deck.
However, after much testing of my own WW deck, I'm not convinced that pure W is the way to go. Too many times I end the game with my opponent at 1 or 2 life when they finally stabilize. The problem is that I have to take an alpha strike when I can, rushing forward with a War Cry or Fortify. If I wait too long, I won't be able to do it again. Ultimately, what I'd like to do is to be able to count on my WW guys to do about 15 damage with War Cry or Fortify boosted attacks, then switch to Cackling Flames for the win. I have a decklist I'll post later.
However, after much testing of my own WW deck, I'm not convinced that pure W is the way to go. Too many times I end the game with my opponent at 1 or 2 life when they finally stabilize. The problem is that I have to take an alpha strike when I can, rushing forward with a War Cry or Fortify. If I wait too long, I won't be able to do it again. Ultimately, what I'd like to do is to be able to count on my WW guys to do about 15 damage with War Cry or Fortify boosted attacks, then switch to Cackling Flames for the win. I have a decklist I'll post later.
Blind Hunter, Faith's Fetters, Gutless Ghoul, etc... want a word with you. Fetters shuts down your ability to deliver a quick 15 AND it puts that last 5 out of reach. Boros really struggles with Orzhov, no matter how you slice it. There's nothing I'd love more than for WW/r to be viable in Standard, but considering the loss of Yamabushi's Flame and a few other solid red creatures, I think Boros is WORSE off, rather than better, after rotation.
If you manage to make it happen you'll be my personal hero.
I'd like to be the first to congratulate Eegag on his win! Since I played him, and lost to him, in a little match just prior to his win, I'd like to take credit because it was I who gave him the practice he needed. I'd like to take credit, but I won't. But really, congrats!
In other news...yes, I still exist. Yes, I still play Magic. And yes, there is a reason my name sounds vaguely familiar to you; I am a member of this clan...the one who posted once or twice and then disappeared off the face of these threads. I must admit, I didn't know where to start when I tried to jump into the clan the first time. I love playing Magic and I love playing with commons, but most of the time I have no clue what you guys are talking about. But I have resolved to try harder, even if it means all you get from me is a generic "I agree with that" or a random "I think this card is cool" from time to time.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Anticipating Playing Pauper T2 Lorwyn Faeries ............................................................ The original Princess of Pauper
In other news...yes, I still exist. Yes, I still play Magic. And yes, there is a reason my name sounds vaguely familiar to you; I am a member of this clan...the one who posted once or twice and then disappeared off the face of these threads. I must admit, I didn't know where to start when I tried to jump into the clan the first time. I love playing Magic and I love playing with commons, but most of the time I have no clue what you guys are talking about. But I have resolved to try harder, even if it means all you get from me is a generic "I agree with that" or a random "I think this card is cool" from time to time.
Retropa, That's really all you need Welcome back!
Right now we're each giving our 2 cents about the new Time Spiral commons, and trying to come up with post-rotation decks that would be able to beat the WB Orzhov, GB Harvester, and GWB Good Stuff decks.
I find it quite promising that a GU deck won SPDC this week. Here's the list:
I encourage everyone to read that matchup report because he details victories over WW, Orzhov, UB control, and GWB Untergetables (Good Stuff?),and a rematch vs. Orzhov. I remember Eegag bemoaning the sad state of Simic, and how it looked as though they'd never win. Here's the little deck that could.
One thing that is reassuring from Evu's matchup report is, according to him, "...apparently it's easier to make Orzhov run out of creatures than I thought, especially if you counter them before they get into play." That bodes well for the power of U/x control.
Izzet. I'm getting to like this meta game. There's GoodStuff (I have given up trying to have it named MonsterMash), Harvester, Orzhov, Simic, and also Redleg's deadly deadly UR. It seems to be able to take on Harvester without much of a problem.
I have a feeling that his deck can take the GoodStuffs, Harvesters, and Orzhov's of the world. Its raw drawing power is a match for the raw card advantage of Grim Harvest. Killing creatures with damage when the GS/H/O player is tapped out or doesn't have 2B open really hampers their style.
Eegag: Congratulations on the Friday SPDC victory! We eagerly await your tales of conquest!
Haloscope: Yes, Izzet does have major potential. Redleg has been playing a bouncy CIP deck since RBP; he got in that mindset when Guildpact came out. When he saw Dream Stalker he was quite thrilled at the power level and abuseability.
However, three points. First, if you're going to run ledgewalker, why not go 4? I mean, your only other 2cc drop is the Spider. Second, its a real shame to run Ledgwalker in a deck and nothing that gives him a permanent boost. A Ledgewalker is one of the few creatures with which you can be reasonably certain your opponent won't get a 2fer. Have you considered any of the Aurochs? Third, what's the role of the Shinen? What are you looking to push through that you need its "block me" ability for?
- H
PoP Website
Magic Workstation
H/W list
OLD H/W list
GB Pauper T2 Rock Harvest v9b1
BR Pauper T2 Toolbox v2d5
Watcher of SPDC 1.07
I'm now accepting your votes for the top 10 most promising commons in Time Spiral. These need to be the best 10 cards, the ones you feel will help shake things up in the Standard format. (I'm concerned with T2 right now, not Classic.) Do you think Errant Ephemeron will do good things for the Pauper Standard format? How about Orcish Cannonade? If you get a chance, I'd really appreciate your input. The more explanation you give, the better. But even just a list is better than nothing at all.
/Solicitation
Eegag: Are you running beef, or are you playing a game of tricks? I would just go right up the curve.
1cc
Skarrgan Pit-Skulk
Simic Initiate
2cc
Aquastrand Spider
Boreal Centaur
Silhana Ledgewalker
Humble Budoka
3cc
Trained Armodon
Gnarled Mass
Golgari Brownscale
4cc
Order of the Sacred Bell
If you add red, you have Scab-Clan Mauler and Streetbreaker Wurm helping the curve along. Then you could just run some burn, instead of pump. Or a little of both. Giant Growth, Skred, Seal of Fire, Wildsize.
I may try a smaller, faster version of RG or GW with lots of pump and either burn or Blessed Breath. I have to enjoy it while it's still around, after all.
I'm thinking an aura based deck. I think it may work for three reasons: Ledgewalker-style untargetability, Magemarks, and Flash auras.
Once you drop a Ledgewalker or a Shielding Plax on a creature, you can cast auras on them with near impunity. There's almost nothing in this format that can deal with a big untargetable. That's why Ledgewalker has become such a problem.
The magemarks were cool when we first saw them. However, they have somewhat fallen out of favor. Once you drop a magemark on an untargetable, they can confer their cool little abilities as well as a boost to your other enchanted creatures. I suggest the green and blue magemarks. The green because its in-color and the blue because it gives evasion.
Lastly the flash auras - Aether Web (1g, +1/+1, can block shadow and flying creatures) and Ophidian Eye. Once there's a magemark down, these become permanent pump spells.
Another thing to note. Each of the enchantments mentioned above (except for Aether Web) are 3cc. That means if you keep your creatures to 2cc and less, you will have a pretty good chance of dropping a creature or two and then an aura on the third turn.
Now, Polyjak, ask yourself what makes an aura worthwhile? When is the benefit worth the potential risk of a 2-for-1 for your opponent?
If casting an Ophidian Eye on a creature, at instant speed, also gave the creature evasion, a +1/+1 for each blocking creature, and a +2/+2, would you pay 2U for this? If so, I think we can build a deck around these ideas.
-H
PoP Website
Magic Workstation
H/W list
OLD H/W list
GB Pauper T2 Rock Harvest v9b1
BR Pauper T2 Toolbox v2d5
Watcher of SPDC 1.07
I'm now accepting your votes for the top 10 most promising commons in Time Spiral. These need to be the best 10 cards, the ones you feel will help shake things up in the Standard format. (I'm concerned with T2 right now, not Classic.) Do you think Errant Ephemeron will do good things for the Pauper Standard format? How about Orcish Cannonade? If you get a chance, I'd really appreciate your input. The more explanation you give, the better. But even just a list is better than nothing at all.
/Solicitation
Here's a deck I drafted up for Standard Pauper this week, taking Eegag's RG idea and merging it with Haloscope's post-rotation WW idea. (Path of Anger's Flame is a red Fortify.)
Some testing could certainly be done.
10 Snow-Covered Forest
10 Snow-Covered Mountain
2 Gruul Turf
//24 creatures//
4 Frostling
4 Skarrgan Pit-Skulk
4 Simic Initiate
4 Aquastrand Spider
4 Humble Budoka
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Skred
4 Path of Anger's Flame
3 Yamabushi's Flame
3 Giant Growth
4 Burning-Tree Bloodscale
4 Naturalize
4 Volcanic Hammer
1 Yamabushi's Flame
1 Giant Growth
1 Cackling Flames
There's no room for the uncertainty of Scab-Clan Mauler. This may be a mistake, but time will tell.
17 Snow-Covered Forest
5 Snow-Covered Mountain
// Creatures
4 Boreal Centaur
3 Aquastrand Spider
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Trained Armodon
4 Gnarled Mass
3 Shinen of Life's Roar
4 Civic Wayfinder
4 Skred
4 Giant Growth
4 Wildsize
Now, to respond to some of the comments.
Haloscope, you were right. If I am going to use Silhana Ledgewalker, I need to maximize its potential with four copies and permanent boosts. So, I decided to cut it altogether. Without the ability to give it a boost, Ledgewalker isn't much better than a good pinger. So, I brought in the pumpable Boreal Centaur for some added beef. Aquastrand Spider has also proven valuable in pushing my creatures out of Last Gasp or Shock range, so three copies of it stay. Also, I did consider the Aurochs, but I decided against them for this deck.
Jak, as much as I may want to put more creatures in, there isn't that much room. In a snow deck, I think that Boreal Centaur is consistently a better card than Scab-Clan Mauler. Also, I decided against working my way up the mana curve. I want to top out with bigger creatures than Orzhov, but not higher mana costs. I need to be able to discard lands from time to time to deal with the discard element of Orzhov and Harvester, and that tactic would often leave a Streetbreaker Wurm stranded in my hand.
A quick word about Shinen of Life's Roar. I think we forgot what that card can do. It has two functions: it allows you to force your 3/3s through for more damage, or it acts as a pseudo-Wrath (when Channeled or coupled with growth). I'm glad I remembered it in time to get a few more weeks use out of it before the rotation.
Looking over Jak's deck, I think that may be what it's missing. In Haloscope's post-rotation Ivory Weenie, Ivory Giant is a card that makes the deck tick. It allows for that big alpha strike on turn six or seven, after your army of weenies is on the table and you have a Fortify in hand to pump them. Maybe you should give it a try. If it works out, you might have a nice metagame deck for the few weeks before the rotation.
Prison Yard (Pauper Future Extended)
Given that you only have 4 red spells, it looks like you're going to be relying upon the Civic Wayfinders to pick out the Mountains for you. I'd suggest cutting the Mountains back to 4, probably only 3. If you think about it, 7 red mana sources (3 mountains and 4 Civics) is enough to run your four Skreds. This would also smooth out the rest of your deck.
Also, your deck has a LOT of 3cc spells. Why not maximize your chances to cast them on the second turn? If you're already running 4x Llanowars, you're hoping for that chance. I think with 2-3 Boreal Druid would work wonders. You would be basically assured of casting a 3cc spell on the second turn. I figure, you're either hoping for an aggressive 1 drop or a fast start with casting a 3/3 a turn early. It would be worth cutting back on a 2cc creature to include the extra elves.
Have you considered Strength in Numbers? Slightly more situational than a Giant Growth, but the potential for damage is there.
Hmm. Well, my top 10 list isn't the same as a list of cards that would shake up the format.
Top 5 TSP
Terramorphic Expanse. This card is not going to change the format, but it going to appear in a TON of pauper decks.
Thallid Shell-Dweller. As someone recently noted, when a new set comes out, people immediately build aggro decks. This card is a great anti-aggro card. Its a big fat wall that will help you stay in the game.
Think Twice. Instant draw for blue is not something we see much of any more. A good solid draw spell.
Blazing Blade Askari. This got a lot of attention early on, but I haven't seen it in many decklists since. Flanking and the ability to become colorless make this card a must include for a red deck in a format with GotG.
Icatian Crier. Tokens are important to the development of a WW deck. They are also going to be important to stopping an alpha strike.
I'll think of more later.
-H
PoP Website
Magic Workstation
H/W list
OLD H/W list
GB Pauper T2 Rock Harvest v9b1
BR Pauper T2 Toolbox v2d5
Watcher of SPDC 1.07
Errant Ephemeron is obviously a contender for the role of new blue finisher and it seems pretty good in that role, if a bit vulnerable.
As I was discussing with Eegag, I think that speed and disruption will be potential trumps to the reign of GWB. WW, WW/g, or WW/r are potential options for speed weenie decks. (Maybe even WW/u, considering the new blue shadow creatures are fairly aggressive, and the First-Wing is resistant to Pillory.) Rakdos offers many options including sligh-style decks and various mid-range decks involving land, graveyard, and hand disruption and denial. WW with Fortify is capable of delivering major damage in a lateral spread that is difficult to cope with, and Rakdos disruption has access to the black tools that help combat recursive elements that make the top decks so tough to beat.
I also have hope that MUC/b (UB) may be able to shake things up a bit. Time will tell.
As for Standard this week, I will probably try and run the speedier RG build I posted, with some changes if I can get in some testing. I'll consider Shinen of Life's Roar.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=1446551&postcount=25
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=1459770&postcount=41
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=1483028&postcount=91
- H
PoP Website
Magic Workstation
H/W list
OLD H/W list
GB Pauper T2 Rock Harvest v9b1
BR Pauper T2 Toolbox v2d5
Watcher of SPDC 1.07
I'm now accepting your votes for the top 10 most promising commons in Time Spiral. These need to be the best 10 cards, the ones you feel will help shake things up in the Standard format. (I'm concerned with T2 right now, not Classic.) Do you think Errant Ephemeron will do good things for the Pauper Standard format? How about Orcish Cannonade? If you get a chance, I'd really appreciate your input. The more explanation you give, the better. But even just a list is better than nothing at all.
/Solicitation
What I've done is gone through the TS Pauper spoiler and "graded" the white commons in terms of their potency in general and/or their potential impact on the format. Some white commons were omitted because they fail. Here's the list so far. Please feel free to dispute my grades or to continue this system into the other colors.
Amrou Scout B
Amrou Seekers B
Benalish Cavalry C
Children of Korlis A
Cloudchaser Kestrel C
Flickering Spirit B
Fortify B
Gaze of Justice C
Icatian Crier A
Ivory Giant A
Momentary Blink B
Pentarch Ward B
Temporal Isolation C
Sidewinder Sliver B
Watcher Sliver B
-H
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That's a bold list, Jack. Temporal Isolation is an A-level card. It is Pacifism at instant-speed! It can also be used to prevent combat damage in a pinch, or to give you an emergency blocker for Looter il-Kor. I also don't think Icatian Crier deserves an A. It's solid, but I don't think it's as good as the other A-level cards. And, I agree with Haloscope about Cloudchaser Kestrel, thought I think that it should receive an A. Benalish Cavalry is also stronger than a C rating. It's a better card than Fallen Askari, which sees play in Classic.
I suppose I'll go ahead and rate the blue commons:
Cancel A
Clockspinning C
Crookclaw Transmuter B
Dream Stalker C
Drifter il-Dal B
Errant Ephemeron A
Fathom Seer A
Looter il-Kor A
Mystical Teachings B
Sage of Epityr B
Screeching Sliver C
Shadow Sliver B
Snapback C
Spiketail Drakeling A
Think Twice A
Prison Yard (Pauper Future Extended)
[join the princes of pauper]
+1
-H
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I'll put mine in parenthesis after yours so we can compare.
And red:
Blazing Blade Askari - B
Bonesplitter Sliver - A
Empty the Warrens - A
Flamecore Elemental - C
Ghitu Firebreathing - C
Ironclaw Buzzardiers - C
Keldon Halberdier - C
Mogg War Marshal - B
Plunder - C
Rift Bolt - A
Two-Headed Sliver - A
20 Snow-Covered Plains
//32 creatures//
4 Children of Korlis
4 Martyr of Sands
4 Haazda Exonerator
4 Boros Recruit
4 Benalish Cavalry
4 Veteran Armorer
4 Icatian Crier
4 Ivory Giant
4 Kjeldoran War Cry
4 Fortify
We were thinking of a couple things.
#1: Add Momentary Blink. Think of its synergy with Ivory Giant, especially cast just before the opponent's declare attackers step.
#2: Splashing blue. Allows us to flashback the Blink, as well as run Azorius First-Wing and perhaps Think Twice or a counterspell.
#3: Plumes of Peace to tap down those pesky white creatures the Giant doesn't get. It also locks down GotG. It has forecast for re-useability.
#4: What's better, Icatian Crier or Cloudchaser Kestrel in this build?
I'm pretty excited about this deck. What do you think?
17 Snow-Covered Forest
5 Snow-Covered Mountain
// Creatures
4 Gnarled Mass
4 Llanowar Elves
3 Shinen of Life's Roar
4 Trained Armodon
4 Boreal Centaur
3 Aquastrand Spider
4 Civic Wayfinder
4 Giant Growth
4 Wildsize
4 Skred
4 Centaur Safeguard
1 Aquastrand Spider
4 Sundering Vitae
3 Silhana Ledgewalker
3 Scab-Clan Mauler
I piloted my deck to another disappointing finish in the Standard PDC, and here is how it played out:
Round One - idoru playing MUC/b
These games were not very close, as idoru had the right combination of counterspells and removal to disrupt my strategy. As soon as I would break through his defenses and assemble an army, he'd just transmute for Chilling Shade, drop it, and win. I was able to Skred a Shade once, but it didn't really help. He just got another.
Loss 0-2
Round Two - briefcandle playing WW
This match, on the other hand, was quite close. With a 2/3 Shinen to take out his fliers, and a couple of Skreds to remove his blockers, I took game one. Then, I messed up sideboarding and neglected to bring in my Sundering Vitaes for his Pacifisms. I lost that game as he neutralized my biggest threats with auras and Kitsune Blademasters. Game three was close. I had an excellent start, accelerating into a turn two Gnarled Mass, which he Pacified. I took out his aura with Sundering Vitae the next turn, then followed with a Spider and Shinen the turn after that. Things looked good, but my inability to draw Mountains or Civic Wayfinders left two Skreds stranded in my hand, allowing his fliers, pumped by War Cry, to soar over for the win.
Loss 1-2
Round Three - Bye
I won easily.
Win 2-0
The thing is, I never felt as though the deck failed me (except for the one instance of mana screw). Shinen was great against another weenie deck, especially coupled with Giant Growth. Aquastrand Spider was good as well. Skred was amazing, as anyone would have guessed. However, I always wanted more removal. Perhaps Jack is right, and more burn is the way to go.
If I am not busy, I will play again tonight in coolbartr's Standard Pauper tournament, just for the practice if nothing else. Speaking of practice, I think that more testing would really benefit our clan. We always test the heck out of a new format, but decide to play a deck that we hadn't previously considered (or, in some cases, hadn't previously built!).
White Weenie is making a surge here in the weeks before Time Spiral, both in Standard and Classic, and I think we all agree that Time Spiral only makes the deck better. What other trends are developing heading into the rotation?
Prison Yard (Pauper Future Extended)
However, after much testing of my own WW deck, I'm not convinced that pure W is the way to go. Too many times I end the game with my opponent at 1 or 2 life when they finally stabilize. The problem is that I have to take an alpha strike when I can, rushing forward with a War Cry or Fortify. If I wait too long, I won't be able to do it again. Ultimately, what I'd like to do is to be able to count on my WW guys to do about 15 damage with War Cry or Fortify boosted attacks, then switch to Cackling Flames for the win. I have a decklist I'll post later.
-H
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Blind Hunter, Faith's Fetters, Gutless Ghoul, etc... want a word with you. Fetters shuts down your ability to deliver a quick 15 AND it puts that last 5 out of reach. Boros really struggles with Orzhov, no matter how you slice it. There's nothing I'd love more than for WW/r to be viable in Standard, but considering the loss of Yamabushi's Flame and a few other solid red creatures, I think Boros is WORSE off, rather than better, after rotation.
If you manage to make it happen you'll be my personal hero.
In other news...yes, I still exist. Yes, I still play Magic. And yes, there is a reason my name sounds vaguely familiar to you; I am a member of this clan...the one who posted once or twice and then disappeared off the face of these threads. I must admit, I didn't know where to start when I tried to jump into the clan the first time. I love playing Magic and I love playing with commons, but most of the time I have no clue what you guys are talking about. But I have resolved to try harder, even if it means all you get from me is a generic "I agree with that" or a random "I think this card is cool" from time to time.
Pauper T2 Lorwyn Faeries
............................................................
The original Princess of Pauper
a.k.a. Scrybble on MTGO
Prison Yard (Pauper Future Extended)
Retropa, That's really all you need Welcome back!
Right now we're each giving our 2 cents about the new Time Spiral commons, and trying to come up with post-rotation decks that would be able to beat the WB Orzhov, GB Harvester, and GWB Good Stuff decks.
I find it quite promising that a GU deck won SPDC this week. Here's the list:
10 Forest
12 Island
//19 creatures//
4 Skarrgan Pit-Skulk
4 Aquastrand Spider
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
3 Surveilling Sprite
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
3 Mana Leak
4 Rune Snag
4 Boomerang
4 Surging Might
2 Shielding Plax
2 Infiltrator's Magemark
2 Peel from Reality
1 Mana Leak
4 Remove Soul
2 Infiltrator's Magemark
2 Shielding Plax
4 Frozen Solid
Here's his posted matchup report.
I encourage everyone to read that matchup report because he details victories over WW, Orzhov, UB control, and GWB Untergetables (Good Stuff?),and a rematch vs. Orzhov. I remember Eegag bemoaning the sad state of Simic, and how it looked as though they'd never win. Here's the little deck that could.
One thing that is reassuring from Evu's matchup report is, according to him, "...apparently it's easier to make Orzhov run out of creatures than I thought, especially if you counter them before they get into play." That bodes well for the power of U/x control.
I have a feeling that his deck can take the GoodStuffs, Harvesters, and Orzhov's of the world. Its raw drawing power is a match for the raw card advantage of Grim Harvest. Killing creatures with damage when the GS/H/O player is tapped out or doesn't have 2B open really hampers their style.
- H
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Haloscope: Yes, Izzet does have major potential. Redleg has been playing a bouncy CIP deck since RBP; he got in that mindset when Guildpact came out. When he saw Dream Stalker he was quite thrilled at the power level and abuseability.