Similarly, this is one of the few threads I follow here still, since there isn't a Norin thread on MTGNexus. A large chunk of Commander/EDH folks moved there, but even then I'm more active on discord and have been playing paper games over webcam.
Thanks for monitoring the thread and doing updates/discussion. And good luck to you.
If you're in the Commander RC discord, I check that occasionally. I'm on Discord most of the day when not at work.
This is probably one of the last times I'm posting here. I've been growing away from the game and don't play very often, as I've mentioned in the past. My experience on this site has had ups and downs.
I was an irregular for a while, then eventually started paying attention to various eternal format decklists, particularly EDH, and Custom Set Creation. I was here for a couple years as a moderator of Debate and Vintage, looking to moderate Commander throughout the entire time I was in those positions. Moderation had some fun moments, but I was constantly being ridiculed, scapegoated, gaslit, and held to a double standard by other staff, particularly senior staff. I stepped down when I realized that it had gotten to be too much, in the middle of such a conversation with one of the admins. I dealt with serious depression throughout my time as a moderator, and while I was allowed to take a break from the site, the site staff atmosphere was still not a helpful one.
Given the closing of Debate, I made a Debate discord, which is still a comfortable and active hangout to this day for the former MtGS Debate community.
Through my staff position, I met a few people I still call friends, one of whom got me into Mafia here. I enjoyed playing in the mafia section for a while and eventually branched out to other sites. I still regularly came back to MtGS to check spoilers, post set reviews, and occasionally play or host some mafia.
This Norin thread has been one of my favourite last links to this site, even as the spoilers are no longer useful (I use Mythic Spoiler), a chunk of the community no longer posts here, and my interest in Magic has declined alongside my rate of playing the game and my opinion of WotC as a company.
All in all, though, I feel old. I feel like even if I didn't feel now like WotC is an awful company, I'd still feel left behind by Magic. The designs don't feel designed for me. I don't get that sense of excitement that I used to get from new sets and new cards. And I'm only 28 years old.
I'll check back here a bit if I have the time this month, but I don't expect to be regularly posting set reviews or anything else for a while. With the mafia community moving on from MtGSalvation, I can finally let the site go.
Ending on one of my favourite Doctor Who quotes feels fitting:
"We all change, when you think about it, we're all different people; all through our lives, and that's okay, that's good, you've gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this, not one day, I swear. I will always remember..."
Fervent Mastery - Ehh? 5 mana is a lot. It's still a 3 card tutor in red, so it's something... It's probably worth testing, but I sorta sneer at the downsides and cost, personally.
Strixhaven Stadium - Maybe? We do a lot more non-combat damage than combat damage, but it's a fun idea.
Commander 2021 Review:
Audacious Reshapers - This hurts, and I think it's too likely to find a mana rock, but it's a cool effect all the same.
Battlemage's Bracers - I feel like this could break something, but until I've figured out exactly whether or not I have something I want to break with it, I'm not slotting it in.
Cursed Mirror - Cool card. Again, needs something to break, but it's pretty cool in and of itself. Might be synergistic enough intrinsically.
Rionya, Fire Dancer - I know we're not super heavy on the spellcasting, but this card just feels like untapped potential waiting to happen. Might try to go this direction.
Triplicate Titan - What?! It's a Wurmcoil Engine at 9 mana? That has flying and vigilance? That seems really good. I'd probably only ever Welder this, but it's a really good target for that. Definitely a consideration.
Imma test Tibalt's Trickery for sure. I love the fact that you don't see it coming, and I'm looking forward to the time I'm countering my own Curse of Opulence to reveal a Warstorm Surge after using SDT.
Also, I really overlooked Pyre of Heroes. I'm not a Pod fan in commander, but as you know I do run the goblin package. And saccing a token to fetch Goblin Welder. Also, the chain would go Norin the Wary --> Mogg War Marshal --> Squee, Goblin Nabob --> Krenko, Mob Boss.. Unchecked off course, and slow, but still... that's sweeeet. And good value and alternatives along the way.
not to burst anyone's bubble but...you can't SDT in the middle of resolving tibalt's trickery.
Yeah, so it might just nombo, but it's worth a try if the deck lends itself to the card. My feeling is that it won't be nearly as exciting as ideal, but oh well. (I picked up an ugly-border (extended art) Tibalt's Trickery from the one pack of Kaldheim I opened, so I'll at least goldfish it some.)
Birgi, God of Storytelling - Both sides of this card are quite interesting for Norin. Definitely a consideration, though at the moment, I'm not QUITE there on it.
Goldspan Dragon - I sorta like the idea of going all-in on a treasure subtheme, but at the moment it's not quite good enough. This would be a definite contender for that subtheme.
Magda, Brazen Outlaw - Same point as Goldspan Dragon about this being good for a treasure subtheme.
Quakebringer - Meh. For 5 mana this doesn't do enough, and the foretell ability isn't enough to justify it.
Tibalt's Trickery - This MIGHT be worth it. I do like me an unexpected counterspell, and you can use it to set yourself up, particularly if you get lucky with the numbering.
Toralf, God of Fury - I sorta want to do some shenanigans here too, but again, the effect's not quite worth it for its cost. A bit too niche.
Pyre of Heroes - Norin meets Pod? Might be good for the Goblin decks.
When/why did grip of chaos and planar chaos fall out of favor? Those were some of my favorite cards in the deck but it seems like they got cut.
Grip of Chaos doesn't do enough immediately for its cost for my build. Planar Chaos impedes my own plan too much for not having effective ways to ignore it.
Hi osie, what does your deck look like now? How does this deck stack up nowadays to say a high power casual group? I haven't touched this deck since around 2015 with a gobin focused build, and I'm thinking of updating it.
I have yet to pick up the Commander Legends cards. Flamekin Herald is exciting.
I don't get to play very often any more; I'd love to have more opportunities to play via webcam...
Need to get Rings of Brighthearth back in the deck for realsies just because it's SO good. Also, want to increase my creature count again, by 1-2 slots.
Feldon always feels a little slow for me. Gadrak is not as exciting as I hoped. Relic is less necessary with Scavenger Grounds in the deck. Mind Stone is the least likely of these to disappear, but is a consideration I've had in the past. Gauntlet of Power just feels not very helpful when it comes up given the usefulness of the other two nowadays. Flameshadow Conjuring is very win-more in my experience with it.
I've had a bit of mana irregularity from the last games I remember, so I may ponder some fixes for that, particularly involving damage or draw.
From Commander Legends, I'd really want to give Wheel of Misfortune a shot. More wheel effects definitely seems worth it. Also, reading it again the way you put it Osie, Flamekin Herald is really the way I want to go with Norin. Having a shot at a Wheel of Fate (but not being certain you'll hit it) is exactly what I want to achieve in Norin. The other ones I'm considering are War Room (card draw is still an issue in my opinion) and Jeska's Will - the latter feels like a red 'intuitive' ponder in most cases I think.
Also, I got my hands on a Lithoform Engine recently and I'm tempted to try it out in Norin. Seems like there will be enough decent options to copy for us.
The moxen are also a benefit to it.
As for the Lithoform, I think it's not as good as Rings of Brighthearth and/or Strionic Resonator. The CMC is slightly too high for what it is. The spell ability is irrelephant and the permanent ability is mostly irrelephant.
Forsaken Monument - Great card for the deck. Interacts quite well with a lot of other cards, despite being on the high-mana side of things.
Lithoform Engine - I'm torn on this card. I like Rings-style cards, but this feels just slightly too costly for its effect not happening more than once per turn.
Coercive Recruiter - Comparable to Zealous Conscripts. Worth consideration.
Dargo, the Shipwrecker - I mean, it is just a beefy dude, but it's very easy for it to be a 1 mana 7/5 with trample.
Emberwilde Captain - Monarch is kinda whatever for me, but I'm going into the red zone a bit more often so I'm not entirely opposed to considering this card.
Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith - I feel like this card fits really well into what we want to do in the deck.
Wheel of Misfortune - I wish this card was better than it is. As is, I like the idea of it, but the most effective usage bothers me. I sorta feel obligated to test it if and when I next get a real game going.
Horizon Stone - Not nearly as effective as Leyline Tyrant. Worth consideration, but I think it's a little too do-nothing/win-more for its cost.
Ingenuity Engine - It's okay. At 7 mana, it's unlikely to be as worthwhile as I'd like, but it's worth consideration when going wide.
War Room - Decent consideration. Red decks like this one can use the draw, and this is one of the first lands where the cost/effect ratio might be worth it. That said, it's going to be hard to slot it in given the already present issues with lack of coloured mana. I'll see where I go on this. For now, picking one up to at least consider testing.
If you're in the Commander RC discord, I check that occasionally. I'm on Discord most of the day when not at work.
osieorb18#0126
This is probably one of the last times I'm posting here. I've been growing away from the game and don't play very often, as I've mentioned in the past. My experience on this site has had ups and downs.
I was an irregular for a while, then eventually started paying attention to various eternal format decklists, particularly EDH, and Custom Set Creation. I was here for a couple years as a moderator of Debate and Vintage, looking to moderate Commander throughout the entire time I was in those positions. Moderation had some fun moments, but I was constantly being ridiculed, scapegoated, gaslit, and held to a double standard by other staff, particularly senior staff. I stepped down when I realized that it had gotten to be too much, in the middle of such a conversation with one of the admins. I dealt with serious depression throughout my time as a moderator, and while I was allowed to take a break from the site, the site staff atmosphere was still not a helpful one.
Given the closing of Debate, I made a Debate discord, which is still a comfortable and active hangout to this day for the former MtGS Debate community.
Through my staff position, I met a few people I still call friends, one of whom got me into Mafia here. I enjoyed playing in the mafia section for a while and eventually branched out to other sites. I still regularly came back to MtGS to check spoilers, post set reviews, and occasionally play or host some mafia.
This Norin thread has been one of my favourite last links to this site, even as the spoilers are no longer useful (I use Mythic Spoiler), a chunk of the community no longer posts here, and my interest in Magic has declined alongside my rate of playing the game and my opinion of WotC as a company.
All in all, though, I feel old. I feel like even if I didn't feel now like WotC is an awful company, I'd still feel left behind by Magic. The designs don't feel designed for me. I don't get that sense of excitement that I used to get from new sets and new cards. And I'm only 28 years old.
I'll check back here a bit if I have the time this month, but I don't expect to be regularly posting set reviews or anything else for a while. With the mafia community moving on from MtGSalvation, I can finally let the site go.
Ending on one of my favourite Doctor Who quotes feels fitting:
Commander 2021 Review:
Birgi, God of Storytelling plus Tuskeri Firewalker or is that too far down the rabbit hole?
You can Krenko into Kiki-Jiki...
Yeah, so it might just nombo, but it's worth a try if the deck lends itself to the card. My feeling is that it won't be nearly as exciting as ideal, but oh well. (I picked up an ugly-border (extended art) Tibalt's Trickery from the one pack of Kaldheim I opened, so I'll at least goldfish it some.)
As a theorycraft for the lolz, this is what the start of a treasure package might look like:
1 Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
1 Goldspan Dragon
1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
1 Treasure Map
Grip of Chaos doesn't do enough immediately for its cost for my build. Planar Chaos impedes my own plan too much for not having effective ways to ignore it.
All of which are probably worth it?
Only if the player is strong enough (as has always been the case for Norin).
I have yet to pick up the Commander Legends cards. Flamekin Herald is exciting.
I don't get to play very often any more; I'd love to have more opportunities to play via webcam...
Current Decklist:
1 Norin the Wary
Creatures (24):
1 Goblin Welder
1 Goblin Engineer
1 Iron Myr
1 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
1 Smuggler's Copter
1 Feldon of the Third Path
1 Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
1 Grinning Ignus
1 Imperial Recruiter
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Squee, the Immortal
1 Hellrider
1 Leyline Tyrant
1 Ogre Battledriver
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Terror of the Peaks
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Moraug, Fury of Akoum
1 Myr Battlesphere
Artifacts (20):
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Amber
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Sensei's Divining TOp
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Springleaf Drum
1 Genesis Chamber
1 Mind Stone
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Honor-Worn Shaku
1 Inspiring Statuary
1 Skyclave Relic
1 Gauntlet of Might
1 Panharmonicon
1 Trading Post
1 Forsaken Monument
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Memory Jar
1 Goblin Bombardment
1 Impact Tremors
1 Underworld Breach
1 Blood Moon
1 Valakut Exploration
1 Flameshadow Conjuring
1 Confusion in the Ranks
Planeswalkers (5):
1 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame
1 Chandra, Fire Artisan
1 Daretti, Scrap Savant
1 Ugin, the Ineffable
1 Karn Liberated
Instants (1):
1 Chaos Warp
Sorceries (8):
1 Wheel of Fate
1 Faithless Looting
1 Gamble
1 Shattering Spree
1 Tempt with Vengeance
1 Vandalblast
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Blasphemous Act
Lands (34):
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Buried Ruin
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Field of the Dead
1 Flamekin Village
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Haunted Fengraf
1 High Market
1 Inventors' Fair
1 Kher Keep
1 Prismatic Vista
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Scavenger Grounds
15 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Strip Mine
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Wasteland
1 Wooded Foothills
Need to get Rings of Brighthearth back in the deck for realsies just because it's SO good. Also, want to increase my creature count again, by 1-2 slots.
Planning to pick up Flamekin Herald and probably Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith, along with Tome of Legends and Mox Opal.
Probably cutting Field of the Dead for a Snow-Covered Mountain.
On the shortlist to consider cutting:
1 Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Mind Stone
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Flameshadow Conjuring
Feldon always feels a little slow for me. Gadrak is not as exciting as I hoped. Relic is less necessary with Scavenger Grounds in the deck. Mind Stone is the least likely of these to disappear, but is a consideration I've had in the past. Gauntlet of Power just feels not very helpful when it comes up given the usefulness of the other two nowadays. Flameshadow Conjuring is very win-more in my experience with it.
I've had a bit of mana irregularity from the last games I remember, so I may ponder some fixes for that, particularly involving damage or draw.
The moxen are also a benefit to it.
As for the Lithoform, I think it's not as good as Rings of Brighthearth and/or Strionic Resonator. The CMC is slightly too high for what it is. The spell ability is irrelephant and the permanent ability is mostly irrelephant.
Commander Legends Review: