Madhatter: Cards with phasing don't actually leave or enter the battlefield, so those will be little use for Vela. However, they can work to avoid an unearth trigger of Sedris.
Here's a question to start off your week: Select one card from the banned list and use it in a deck. What card to you choose and what kind of deck to you put it into? To abuse or not to abuse?
Easy. Protean Hulk goes right in Karador, to abuse the hell out of it.
Disagree completely. If you need to tutor for more than three cards to win the game, I think you're doing something terribly wrong. Also, if your opponents let your Planar Portal exist for more than one tutor cycle, they're doing something terribly wrong.
The three tutor limit is not a drawback, and is well worth being able to use it two turns sooner.
I've always like Portal, but this really made me reconsider.
Agreed. It was one of the things I considered when comparing to the portal. 3 tutors (20 mana) compared to 3 tutors (24 mana). Hard to imagine being upset at "only" being able to tutor 3 things. I think that if that were the case you'd have won anyways.
What does everyone think about Charmbreaker Devils in my Prossh, Skyraider of Kher deck? It seems like it could be really good at times, I usually don't have more than one or two instants/sorceries in my graveyard, so recurring those over and over can decimate my opponents. Also, grabbing a wrath back to my hand seems cool. What's your opinion on this?
Madhatter: Cards with phasing don't actually leave or enter the battlefield, so those will be little use for Vela. However, they can work to avoid an unearth trigger of Sedris.
Hmm. Good to know.
Kinda makes Vela less interesting (to me) to build, since it'll be so reliant on a few high-drops... :/
Re-using ramp/removal/tutors is never a bad thing. It's one of those things where it performs well or doesn't do anything.
I guess its worth some testing, Charmbreaker Devils might turn out to be an all-star (as long as no one messes with him). Just one bounced instant/sorcery can be extremely powerful, and I like reusing cards occasionally. I'll stick it in the deck foir now and see what happens. Also, there's not very much randomness (only instants are ramp, tutors, and removal) which actually makes him better. He used to be in my Izzet EDH full of instants and sorceries, but that makes the randomness EXTREMELY RANDOM. I'll need to find another copy, but I'll put it into Prossh (I like him better).
It kind of depends on who you play with and the synergy Charmbreaker Devils has with your deck... If your group isn't into control or heavy-removal decks, I don't see a problem; if they are, Devils is a minimal threat at best that can just get wrathed away after another creature or two hits the board.
It kind of depends on who you play with and the synergy Charmbreaker Devils has with your deck... If your group isn't into control or heavy-removal decks, I don't see a problem; if they are, Devils is a minimal threat at best that can just get wrathed away after another creature or two hits the board.
If you're interested, my deck is in my sig below.
Most of the people I play aren't doing that, heck me and my best friend are the only ones that actually run field wipes but some of the more competitive players might be. I still think it could see some play, help me out AND could draw spot removal to it, only for me to play a bigger threat next turn. And if my hand doesn't look like it will work with him, I can just pitch him for something else, I'm not afraid to pitch things away for better spells.
Creatures that does things when damage an opponent are awesome in Vela, for the evasion she provide to them. However, the new Bident of Thassa that has been spoilered today seems to fit perfectly in the deck, along with Coastal Piracy
Here's a question to start off your week: Select one card from the banned list and use it in a deck. What card to you choose and what kind of deck to you put it into? To abuse or not to abuse?
I would try balance, and I wouldn't try to abuse it I just feel it is a strong anti ramp card.
Charmbreaker Devils is in my 5c Charm deck, and it's an absolutely amazing card if you can protect it. When most of your deck is charm spells with three modes, you never get a dead card: of course, your mileage will vary, but I personally love mine.
Also, throwing a 60 power Thromok at someone's face is hilarious.
Charmbreaker Devils is in my 5c Charm deck, and it's an absolutely amazing card if you can protect it. When most of your deck is charm spells with three modes, you never get a dead card: of course, your mileage will vary, but I personally love mine.
Also, throwing a 60 power Thromok at someone's face is hilarious.
After some quick testing (going through hands etc) it turns out Charmbreaker Devils just doesn't fit in here very well... If it's in my hand, I'm pitching it. If I get it late game, its not really going to affect the board until a turn later, MAYBE. Honestly Ruric-Thar the Unbowed is a lot better than him in this case. Oh well.
When you build your CMD decks, do you plan them to work best with a certain number of players or do you try to make them good no matter how many opponents there are? And in the former case, do you have separate decks for, say, duels and big multiplayer games? The reason I'm asking is that I've always built my decks for games of four or five players but I also play a lot of two-player games in which the dynamics are very different.
You can theory-craft all you want, but this is the true test for whether or not it belongs in the deck. I've cut really good cards because I would simply rather have something else in my hand.
You can theory-craft all you want, but this is the true test for whether or not it belongs in the deck. I've cut really good cards because I would simply rather have something else in my hand.
Yeah, that definitely causes problems. Sometimes cards are good enough to be in the deck, but are often better left in the deck than in your hand (too many ramp spells in an opening hand doesn't really help that much). It just depends on context I guess, maybe a Quicksilver Amulet won't do anything if your hand doesn't include a single good creature, but can still support a spot in the deck (lately I've questioned this though, maybe I just haven't drawn it enough lately).
Sadly, Charmbreaker Devils doesn't make that cut. I can try and force it in my opening hand, but then why? I feel like my deck should take a turn towards the more control/combo/wraths type of deck right now. Prossh is such a good creature on his own and brings lots of defense to the table. Correct me if I'm wrong, but even if he's countered he still makes the tokens for defense. Cutting some creatures that aren't going to win me the game (do I really need that lord of shatterskull pass, or another removal spell? Should I have Balefire Dragon, or another wrath? Is Rakdos, Lord of Riots really necessary?) could help me to win my games more often with a much less disrupt-able strategy.
An easy way for my deck to win (in the near future) is to simply play Food Chain, combo out, include a simple sac outlet to transfer to damage and BAM, game over. This might be a more boring way to win, but it just seems more effective.
I want my deck to be more competitive, but is this the right route to victory?
When you build your CMD decks, do you plan them to work best with a certain number of players or do you try to make them good no matter how many opponents there are? And in the former case, do you have separate decks for, say, duels and big multiplayer games? The reason I'm asking is that I've always built my decks for games of four or five players but I also play a lot of two-player games in which the dynamics are very different.
Personally, I build mind to be optimal at 2 other players, but able to to handle 3-4 other players (we don't play more than 5-player FFA due to turn/round-length issues). Needless to say, the deck should be able to just manhandle the opponent in 1v1.
I try to built so the deck can handle a variety of strategies, too.
When you build your CMD decks, do you plan them to work best with a certain number of players or do you try to make them good no matter how many opponents there are? And in the former case, do you have separate decks for, say, duels and big multiplayer games? The reason I'm asking is that I've always built my decks for games of four or five players but I also play a lot of two-player games in which the dynamics are very different.
In general, a deck designed for multiplayer will struggle in a 1v1 environment, and vice versa. This is because a multiplayer deck usually has a higher mana curve, and has to worry about being able to deal with many opponents. A 1v1 deck is better off packing a lot of cheap spot removal and an overall lower curve, while a multiplayer deck can afford a higher curve and typically wants sweepers in addition to spot removal.
That's not to say that one deck will not perform in a different environment, but it won't be as good.
Most my decks are geared for 1v1 I think, but it doesn't make them terrible multiplayers. I mean, my Taniwha deck wiped everyone last night- Sundered everyone then went around 1-shotting people with double swords of FoF and Fireshrieker. EoT, phase it out with Vedalkan Illusionist so it could attack against on my next turn. Completely turned the game around.. one guy had a swarm of boosted tokens that would've won on his next turn. Hurray for Cloak of Invisibility!
I think my next deck project will be Basandra, Battle Seraph focused on multiplayer politics and control... with enough rattlesnakes to keep me safe but not the things that make the entire group hate me (Torpor Orb, I'm looking at you!)
I'm always geared toward multiplayer when building my decks (our group basically goes by 1v1 is standard, multiplayer is commander) but I sometimes play 1v1 with my friend, and I somehow STILL win. I don't know how it works, but it does!
In general, a deck designed for multiplayer will struggle in a 1v1 environment, and vice versa. This is because a multiplayer deck usually has a higher mana curve, and has to worry about being able to deal with many opponents. A 1v1 deck is better off packing a lot of cheap spot removal and an overall lower curve, while a multiplayer deck can afford a higher curve and typically wants sweepers in addition to spot removal.
That's not to say that one deck will not perform in a different environment, but it won't be as good.
My most potent deck is a glissa edh that has a curve of 2.1 so that's not necessarily true.
When you build your CMD decks, do you plan them to work best with a certain number of players or do you try to make them good no matter how many opponents there are? And in the former case, do you have separate decks for, say, duels and big multiplayer games? The reason I'm asking is that I've always built my decks for games of four or five players but I also play a lot of two-player games in which the dynamics are very different.
I hada Ruhan of the Fomori deck. I'm sure I didn't enjoy it because I always wanted to play it in a big game, but I only used him in games of 3. Generally, the bigger the game, the more likely I'm going to use Sakashima the Impostor. Not because hes tuned for a faster game, but he lends himself to more interesting interactions. That being said, I don't think about the number of players when I build a deck, just how fun/interactive it could be played.
In general, a deck designed for multiplayer will struggle in a 1v1 environment, and vice versa.
That's my experience as well, to a certain extent at least. It seems to vary from deck to deck, though. For example, my Karador deck always beats Phelddagrif when they're against each other but both are equally strong when there are five players.
However, my new Tajic deck performs a lot better in duels despite being built as a multiplayer deck. That's what made me think about this in the first place because I was thinking how to improve it for multiplayer but realized that the changes it would take would probably taint the deck's flavor and feel. In this light, specializing decks doesn't sound like such a bad idea anymore. In any case, I've got enough decks to tailor some of them for different purposes (and big bags to carry them around).
In tribal goblins these are very solid tutors. I run all of these in Krenko, Mob Boss.
RBGKresh, The BloodbraidedRBG
GBWKarador Spirit TribalGBW
UUUTaniwha SillinessUUU
MTGO Username: Aukan
Easy. Protean Hulk goes right in Karador, to abuse the hell out of it.
I've always like Portal, but this really made me reconsider.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
Hmm. Good to know.
Kinda makes Vela less interesting (to me) to build, since it'll be so reliant on a few high-drops... :/
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
I guess its worth some testing, Charmbreaker Devils might turn out to be an all-star (as long as no one messes with him). Just one bounced instant/sorcery can be extremely powerful, and I like reusing cards occasionally. I'll stick it in the deck foir now and see what happens. Also, there's not very much randomness (only instants are ramp, tutors, and removal) which actually makes him better. He used to be in my Izzet EDH full of instants and sorceries, but that makes the randomness EXTREMELY RANDOM. I'll need to find another copy, but I'll put it into Prossh (I like him better).
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
If you're interested, my deck is in my sig below.
Most of the people I play aren't doing that, heck me and my best friend are the only ones that actually run field wipes but some of the more competitive players might be. I still think it could see some play, help me out AND could draw spot removal to it, only for me to play a bigger threat next turn. And if my hand doesn't look like it will work with him, I can just pitch him for something else, I'm not afraid to pitch things away for better spells.
I'll test him out and see how he does.
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
I would try balance, and I wouldn't try to abuse it I just feel it is a strong anti ramp card.
Sig and Avatar Credit: Heroes of the Plane Studios
Also, throwing a 60 power Thromok at someone's face is hilarious.
RBGKresh, The BloodbraidedRBG
GBWKarador Spirit TribalGBW
UUUTaniwha SillinessUUU
MTGO Username: Aukan
After some quick testing (going through hands etc) it turns out Charmbreaker Devils just doesn't fit in here very well... If it's in my hand, I'm pitching it. If I get it late game, its not really going to affect the board until a turn later, MAYBE. Honestly Ruric-Thar the Unbowed is a lot better than him in this case. Oh well.
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
Dreams of the Sphinx (Sharuum the Hegemon)
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
For vår jord (Azusa, Lost But Seeking)
Black Power (Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed)
You can theory-craft all you want, but this is the true test for whether or not it belongs in the deck. I've cut really good cards because I would simply rather have something else in my hand.
Yeah, that definitely causes problems. Sometimes cards are good enough to be in the deck, but are often better left in the deck than in your hand (too many ramp spells in an opening hand doesn't really help that much). It just depends on context I guess, maybe a Quicksilver Amulet won't do anything if your hand doesn't include a single good creature, but can still support a spot in the deck (lately I've questioned this though, maybe I just haven't drawn it enough lately).
Sadly, Charmbreaker Devils doesn't make that cut. I can try and force it in my opening hand, but then why? I feel like my deck should take a turn towards the more control/combo/wraths type of deck right now. Prossh is such a good creature on his own and brings lots of defense to the table. Correct me if I'm wrong, but even if he's countered he still makes the tokens for defense. Cutting some creatures that aren't going to win me the game (do I really need that lord of shatterskull pass, or another removal spell? Should I have Balefire Dragon, or another wrath? Is Rakdos, Lord of Riots really necessary?) could help me to win my games more often with a much less disrupt-able strategy.
An easy way for my deck to win (in the near future) is to simply play Food Chain, combo out, include a simple sac outlet to transfer to damage and BAM, game over. This might be a more boring way to win, but it just seems more effective.
I want my deck to be more competitive, but is this the right route to victory?
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
Personally, I build mind to be optimal at 2 other players, but able to to handle 3-4 other players (we don't play more than 5-player FFA due to turn/round-length issues). Needless to say, the deck should be able to just manhandle the opponent in 1v1.
I try to built so the deck can handle a variety of strategies, too.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
In general, a deck designed for multiplayer will struggle in a 1v1 environment, and vice versa. This is because a multiplayer deck usually has a higher mana curve, and has to worry about being able to deal with many opponents. A 1v1 deck is better off packing a lot of cheap spot removal and an overall lower curve, while a multiplayer deck can afford a higher curve and typically wants sweepers in addition to spot removal.
That's not to say that one deck will not perform in a different environment, but it won't be as good.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
I think my next deck project will be Basandra, Battle Seraph focused on multiplayer politics and control... with enough rattlesnakes to keep me safe but not the things that make the entire group hate me (Torpor Orb, I'm looking at you!)
RBGKresh, The BloodbraidedRBG
GBWKarador Spirit TribalGBW
UUUTaniwha SillinessUUU
MTGO Username: Aukan
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
My most potent deck is a glissa edh that has a curve of 2.1 so that's not necessarily true.
Sig and Avatar Credit: Heroes of the Plane Studios
I hada Ruhan of the Fomori deck. I'm sure I didn't enjoy it because I always wanted to play it in a big game, but I only used him in games of 3. Generally, the bigger the game, the more likely I'm going to use Sakashima the Impostor. Not because hes tuned for a faster game, but he lends himself to more interesting interactions. That being said, I don't think about the number of players when I build a deck, just how fun/interactive it could be played.
PS - I was thinking about rebuilding Ruhan.
[Inkfox Aesthetics] [The Spirit of EDH] U Sakashima the Impostor R Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker Sigarda, Host of Herons
That's my experience as well, to a certain extent at least. It seems to vary from deck to deck, though. For example, my Karador deck always beats Phelddagrif when they're against each other but both are equally strong when there are five players.
However, my new Tajic deck performs a lot better in duels despite being built as a multiplayer deck. That's what made me think about this in the first place because I was thinking how to improve it for multiplayer but realized that the changes it would take would probably taint the deck's flavor and feel. In this light, specializing decks doesn't sound like such a bad idea anymore. In any case, I've got enough decks to tailor some of them for different purposes (and big bags to carry them around).
Dreams of the Sphinx (Sharuum the Hegemon)
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
For vår jord (Azusa, Lost But Seeking)
Black Power (Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed)
Also, I got FtV:20 -box from draft today for 120€. I feel both happy and devastated at the same time...