You are allowed to make notes about your opponents deck composition and you must keep them public, but you do not have to explain them. There is no hard rule for how long you have to do this, but if it's longer than a minute you will probably run into trouble.
Yeah, I had taken about 15-20 seconds before my opponent called a judge, and within another 10-15 seconds I completed, before the judge came by. Where did you pull that ruling from? I think I should collect these tidbits into one spot, for Lantern players to reference.
I think you need to learn how to keep track without notes. You should be able to fan through the deck and just count how many relevant cards there are. I find if you call them out as you see them it helps. Time is an important resource and you need to cut corners as much as possible imho. Its easier to recall that there were say 5 answers left and just count backwards as you mill them.
I find this is also useful because you opponent is then reminded how few outs they have left. They often concede on the spot or soon after.
I am going to a small tourney tomorrow. Probably 30-40 players. I haven't played the deck in probably 2-3 months. I run a Jund build because I don't have Baubles and I like to have Grid as a win con, Pyrite comes second but it's currently out of the deck. The meta is probably Tron,Eldrazi, Jund and Abzan. Do I play Lantern or Ponza?
I am going to a small tourney tomorrow. Probably 30-40 players. I haven't played the deck in probably 2-3 months. I run a Jund build because I don't have Baubles and I like to have Grid as a win con, Pyrite comes second but it's currently out of the deck. The meta is probably Tron,Eldrazi, Jund and Abzan. Do I play Lantern or Ponza?
Depending on each decks share of the meta I'd be running Ponza on that one. Tron and Jund are bad matchups for lantern but most of those fold easily to land destruction and a fast clock.
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Standard: GR Pummeler
Modern: Mono-Red Control, Lantern Control, Eldrazi Taxes, Skred Infect
Pauper: Affinity
EDH: Gaddock Teeg Kithkin Tribal, Meren
Legacy: 8 Rack, Omnitell (Both in progress)
Whats usually a keepable hand against Abzan? Is hand disruption a priority ? What about good sideboard cards ? usually I just side in 2 Jars and 2 cages
Im not sure if its already been talked before but For bauble users, What matches is it sided out ? I find it hard to side out sometimes it kinda becomes a pet card because it helps me become more consistent on game 1
I think first time posting in this thread ( or ever really).
I just 3-0'ed my local FNM with Lantern using a list based on Crexlbo and Skitzafreak (Whir+Stirrings) and I wanted to ask about when to mulligan and what to mulligan into. I get viable hands w/ lands and things that are good....just don't know if those things are "good enough" so to speak. Doc's previous comment finally got me to speak up and ask.
I think first time posting in this thread ( or ever really).
I just 3-0'ed my local FNM with Lantern using a list based on Crexlbo and Skitzafreak (Whir+Stirrings) and I wanted to ask about when to mulligan and what to mulligan into. I get viable hands w/ lands and things that are good....just don't know if those things are "good enough" so to speak. Doc's previous comment finally got me to speak up and ask.
Whir lists are still largely unexplored territory. I think you're gonna have to figure out a lot of those things yourself.
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CRUGGCCCCCCCGBGBGBCCCCCCCBBUWC MODERN – LANTERN(aka Fateseal or Barbershop) Primer–Subreddit–Facebook–Decklist–Gameplay Thnkr's Content:Gameplay–Datasheet Each eye sees a different possibility for tomorrow. CWUBBCCCCCCCBGBGBGCCCCCCCGGURC
So first off, I did horribly. I dropped after going 1-3 and did some Modern Masters 3 drafts. But some stuff happened that I want to talk about.
THE BAD:
So I am still kicking myself over a mistake I made in the first round of the tournament. I'm playing against Burn, and we're on Game 3 with me being on the play. And man am I playing HORRIBLY. I think I missed a total of 6 counters for Sun Droplet in the early stages of the game, and I also missed a few triggers of lifegain off the card as well. However my worst mistake was around the middle of the game. I have Ensnaring Bridge out and I have Lantern with a few lockpieces. I am getting low on life, and my opponent has an Eidolon of the Great Revel so I'm thinking, "Mill every burn spell that I can." I see my opponent has a Lightning Helix on top of his deck so at the end of his turn I activate Pyxis of Pandemonium to exile to top card of his deck, leaving up Codex Shredder in case he has another card I want to immediately deal with. What didn't register in my head was that the top card of my library was a f$%*ing Leyline of Sanctity and I had 3 Glimmervoids in play so I was completely able to cast it. Needless to say the mistakes I made this game seriously piled up and he ended up winning making me start the day with a 0-1 record.
I added it to the deck as a spur of the moment, last minute decision a few minutes before the tournament started. A friend of mine has been singing the praises of Walking Ballista for weeks, with him even having success with the card in Modern Jund. I was also driving him to the tournament, so on the ride there we started talking about putting Ballista into Lantern Control. Before the tournament started, I decided, "Screw it!" and I bought a Ballista and shoved it in. Not only was it good, it was simple amazing. SO let's run down a couple of things I did with this card:
1) I played against Burn in rounds 1 and 2. In both rounds I was able to use Ballista to shoot down Eidolons whenever I wanted, but it was able to deal with Goblin Guides and Monastery Swiftspears if my opponent dealt with my bridge. EDIT: I was wrong about Searing Blaze
2) I've always had an issue with Planeswalkers. Sometimes Pithing Needle just isn't enough. Well hello Ballista, ban to Planeswalkers everywhere. I played against WB tokens in round 4, and my opponent minused Liliana to try and kill off my Ballista. Well needless to say he lost not only his Liliana, but a Lingering Souls token or two.
3) Against my Round 2 Burn opponent there was a spot in game 3 where I was in a pinch. I am sitting at 1, and my opponent has two Swiftspears being held back by an Ensnaring Bridge. The top card of my deck after I'm out of mill effects on my upkeep is a Thoughtseize. I'm trying to think of a way out of this scenario and then I notice I have Walking Ballista in my graveyard. I Academy Ruins it to the top, play it for 0 (I am out of mana) and pass the turn. Do not underestimate the "Walking Ballista for 0" play.
THE UGLY:
So about that Round 2 opponent. I don't feel great about this, but my friends think this is hilarious. By the time the Round had ended and I beat him...well...he was actually crying.
So yes. Lantern Control can literally make your opponents cry.
I added it to the deck as a spur of the moment, last minute decision a few minutes before the tournament started. A friend of mine has been singing the praises of Walking Ballista for weeks, with him even having success with the card in Modern Jund. I was also driving him to the tournament, so on the ride there we started talking about putting Ballista into Lantern Control. Before the tournament started, I decided, "Screw it!" and I bought a Ballista and shoved it in. Not only was it good, it was simple amazing. SO let's run down a couple of things I did with this card:
1) I played against Burn in rounds 1 and 2. In both rounds I was able to use Ballista to shoot down Eidolons whenever I wanted, but it was able to deal with Goblin Guides and Monastery Swiftspears if my opponent dealt with my bridge. Not only that, but even if it's a creature, they can't use Searing Blaze because you can just remove all the counters on Ballista in response to counter it.
2) I've always had an issue with Planeswalkers. Sometimes Pithing Needle just isn't enough. Well hello Ballista, ban to Planeswalkers everywhere. I played against WB tokens in round 4, and my opponent minused Liliana to try and kill off my Ballista. Well needless to say he lost not only his Liliana, but a Lingering Souls token or two.
3) Against my Round 2 Burn opponent there was a spot in game 3 where I was in a pinch. I am sitting at 1, and my opponent has two Swiftspears being held back by an Ensnaring Bridge. The top card of my deck after I'm out of mill effects on my upkeep is a Thoughtseize. I'm trying to think of a way out of this scenario and then I notice I have Walking Ballista in my graveyard. I Academy Ruins it to the top, play it for 0 (I am out of mana) and pass the turn. Do not underestimate the "Walking Ballista for 0" play.
Your Searing Blaze plan doesn't work. If at least one target is still legal at the time of resolution the spell will do as much as it can which is deal you three. For your 0 mana play usually people get back a Mox Opal or Mishra's Bauble, but it is a good play when you need to keep your hand empty. As for being a kill spell it's just too mediocre. The strength of Lantern control is that it deals with all of the opponents creatures with 1 ensnaring bridge and blanks all their removal.
I think first time posting in this thread ( or ever really).
I just 3-0'ed my local FNM with Lantern using a list based on Crexlbo and Skitzafreak (Whir+Stirrings) and I wanted to ask about when to mulligan and what to mulligan into. I get viable hands w/ lands and things that are good....just don't know if those things are "good enough" so to speak. Doc's previous comment finally got me to speak up and ask.
So honestly, mulliganing with this deck can sometimes depend on your match up. If you know your opponent is on Burn for example you'll 100% want to mulligan a hand with all your Thoughtseizes, even if the rest of your hand is everything you need.
I look for 2 (optionally 3) things when I am deciding to Mulligan or Keep a hand:
1) Does the hand have a sufficient amount of mana sources? Do I have the colours to cast what I am currently holding?
This is more important when you are playing the Whir of Invention lists. If your opening hand has say an Inquisition of Kozilek or a Collective Brutality but the only mana sources you have are Inventors' Fair and Botanical Sanctum that's usually a sign that the hand should probably be mulliganed.
2) Does the hand have anything I need to start getting the game plan going?
This could be anything from having an Ensnaring Bridge to a millrock and an Ancient Stirrings. I've had few to almost no game wins off of hands that are only lands, disruption, and removal. We need to start somewhere, and our opening hands need to get the wheels rolling.
3) [OPTIONAL] Do the cards in my hand match up well against the deck I am playing against?
This one is optional since at a large tournament you may not know what you're playing against, at least not for Game 1. But if you do know what you're playing against make sure you have few to no dead cards for your match up. We can easily mill away dead cards if we see them on the top of our deck, but if we start out with them it's a lot harder to get rid of them.
Your Searing Blaze plan doesn't work. If at least one target is still legal at the time of resolution the spell will do as much as it can which is deal you three. For your 0 mana play usually people get back a Mox Opal or Mishra's Bauble, but it is a good play when you need to keep your hand empty. As for being a kill spell it's just too mediocre. The strength of Lantern control is that it deals with all of the opponents creatures with 1 ensnaring bridge and blanks all their removal.
You are correct on the wording of Searing Blaze. I'll edit my post.
Walking Ballista isn't just a kill spell. I agree that if that is all it were, it is pretty damn mediocre. However Ballista is extremely versatile in what it can offer to the deck and honestly, I'm going to continue to use it. While I know I only played 4 rounds with it in my deck, I never at any point wished it was a different card. And unless their removal spell is Sudden Shock Ballista does blank all their removal. Any problems like Searing Blaze are the same problems you'd see if I was running Spellskite instead.
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Modern Decks: UBG Lantern Control GBU BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
It blanks removal in that it can deal its damage in response to removal and there are even decks it can be good against. Killing a Noble or Glistner Elf on turn 2 against infect is great. The problem is that against a lot of decks it doesn't become good until the late game where you are already winning. It's sort of like the Crucible of Worlds that comes in and out of favor in the main deck. That being said I haven't actually run the Ballista in lantern and if your experience is positive then I might try it just to see. I've been wrong many times before.
Thanks for the Mulligan tips, I ended up playing a team tune-up practice to today and didn't do well :/
Lost to Eldrazi Tron (G1 couldn't find a bridge and G2 lost to natural tron Karn)
Won against mono-green treefolk (....yep)
Lost against Kiki/Chord (G1 no bridge, g2 went to time...there was dispute to slow playing my team)
Lost against Burn (G1 burned me out, G2 he kept a slow draw, I had lock/inventor's fair, G3 he had burn I mulled to 5 looking for disruption)
Overall I like the Whir in the list, but I just don't think I'm a solid pilot yet.
Play of the day was Whir in response to Chord of Calling for grafdigger's cage.
If I have a Thoughtseize against Burn game one, I will still cast it. Rather take two damage off a TS and strip out an Eidolon or second Guide early. I have also won games in the past where I Thoughtseized cards out of my own hand.
I think you need to learn how to keep track without notes. You should be able to fan through the deck and just count how many relevant cards there are. I find if you call them out as you see them it helps. Time is an important resource and you need to cut corners as much as possible imho. Its easier to recall that there were say 5 answers left and just count backwards as you mill them.
I find this is also useful because you opponent is then reminded how few outs they have left. They often concede on the spot or soon after.
https://www.twitch.tv/tengo_hambre
Depending on each decks share of the meta I'd be running Ponza on that one. Tron and Jund are bad matchups for lantern but most of those fold easily to land destruction and a fast clock.
Modern: Mono-Red Control, Lantern Control, Eldrazi Taxes, Skred Infect
Pauper: Affinity
EDH: Gaddock Teeg Kithkin Tribal, Meren
Legacy: 8 Rack, Omnitell (Both in progress)
https://www.twitch.tv/tengo_hambre
Whats usually a keepable hand against Abzan? Is hand disruption a priority ? What about good sideboard cards ? usually I just side in 2 Jars and 2 cages
Im not sure if its already been talked before but For bauble users, What matches is it sided out ? I find it hard to side out sometimes it kinda becomes a pet card because it helps me become more consistent on game 1
I just 3-0'ed my local FNM with Lantern using a list based on Crexlbo and Skitzafreak (Whir+Stirrings) and I wanted to ask about when to mulligan and what to mulligan into. I get viable hands w/ lands and things that are good....just don't know if those things are "good enough" so to speak. Doc's previous comment finally got me to speak up and ask.
MODERN – LANTERN (aka Fateseal or Barbershop)
Primer – Subreddit – Facebook – Decklist – Gameplay
Thnkr's Content: Gameplay – Datasheet
Each eye sees a different possibility for tomorrow.
CWUBBCCCCCCCBGBGBGCCCCCCCGGURC
4 Glimmervoid
3 Darkslick Shores
3 Botanical Sanctum
2 Inventors' Fair
2 Spire of Industry
1 Academy Ruins
1 Blooming Marsh
1 Island
Spells - 21
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
3 Whir of Invention
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Battle at the Bridge
2 Collective Brutality
2 Surgical Extraction
4 Codex Shredder
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Mox Opal
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Pithing Needle
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
1 Pyxis of Pandemonium
1 Walking Ballista
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Welding Jar
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sun Droplet
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Witchbane Orb
So first off, I did horribly. I dropped after going 1-3 and did some Modern Masters 3 drafts. But some stuff happened that I want to talk about.
THE BAD:
So I am still kicking myself over a mistake I made in the first round of the tournament. I'm playing against Burn, and we're on Game 3 with me being on the play. And man am I playing HORRIBLY. I think I missed a total of 6 counters for Sun Droplet in the early stages of the game, and I also missed a few triggers of lifegain off the card as well. However my worst mistake was around the middle of the game. I have Ensnaring Bridge out and I have Lantern with a few lock pieces. I am getting low on life, and my opponent has an Eidolon of the Great Revel so I'm thinking, "Mill every burn spell that I can." I see my opponent has a Lightning Helix on top of his deck so at the end of his turn I activate Pyxis of Pandemonium to exile to top card of his deck, leaving up Codex Shredder in case he has another card I want to immediately deal with. What didn't register in my head was that the top card of my library was a f$%*ing Leyline of Sanctity and I had 3 Glimmervoids in play so I was completely able to cast it. Needless to say the mistakes I made this game seriously piled up and he ended up winning making me start the day with a 0-1 record.
THE GOOD:
Has anyone tested out Walking Ballista?
THIS CARD IS INSANE!!!
I added it to the deck as a spur of the moment, last minute decision a few minutes before the tournament started. A friend of mine has been singing the praises of Walking Ballista for weeks, with him even having success with the card in Modern Jund. I was also driving him to the tournament, so on the ride there we started talking about putting Ballista into Lantern Control. Before the tournament started, I decided, "Screw it!" and I bought a Ballista and shoved it in. Not only was it good, it was simple amazing. SO let's run down a couple of things I did with this card:
1) I played against Burn in rounds 1 and 2. In both rounds I was able to use Ballista to shoot down Eidolons whenever I wanted, but it was able to deal with Goblin Guides and Monastery Swiftspears if my opponent dealt with my bridge. EDIT: I was wrong about Searing Blaze
2) I've always had an issue with Planeswalkers. Sometimes Pithing Needle just isn't enough. Well hello Ballista, ban to Planeswalkers everywhere. I played against WB tokens in round 4, and my opponent minused Liliana to try and kill off my Ballista. Well needless to say he lost not only his Liliana, but a Lingering Souls token or two.
3) Against my Round 2 Burn opponent there was a spot in game 3 where I was in a pinch. I am sitting at 1, and my opponent has two Swiftspears being held back by an Ensnaring Bridge. The top card of my deck after I'm out of mill effects on my upkeep is a Thoughtseize. I'm trying to think of a way out of this scenario and then I notice I have Walking Ballista in my graveyard. I Academy Ruins it to the top, play it for 0 (I am out of mana) and pass the turn. Do not underestimate the "Walking Ballista for 0" play.
THE UGLY:
So about that Round 2 opponent. I don't feel great about this, but my friends think this is hilarious. By the time the Round had ended and I beat him...well...he was actually crying.
So yes. Lantern Control can literally make your opponents cry.
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Your Searing Blaze plan doesn't work. If at least one target is still legal at the time of resolution the spell will do as much as it can which is deal you three. For your 0 mana play usually people get back a Mox Opal or Mishra's Bauble, but it is a good play when you need to keep your hand empty. As for being a kill spell it's just too mediocre. The strength of Lantern control is that it deals with all of the opponents creatures with 1 ensnaring bridge and blanks all their removal.
So honestly, mulliganing with this deck can sometimes depend on your match up. If you know your opponent is on Burn for example you'll 100% want to mulligan a hand with all your Thoughtseizes, even if the rest of your hand is everything you need.
I look for 2 (optionally 3) things when I am deciding to Mulligan or Keep a hand:
1) Does the hand have a sufficient amount of mana sources? Do I have the colours to cast what I am currently holding?
This is more important when you are playing the Whir of Invention lists. If your opening hand has say an Inquisition of Kozilek or a Collective Brutality but the only mana sources you have are Inventors' Fair and Botanical Sanctum that's usually a sign that the hand should probably be mulliganed.
2) Does the hand have anything I need to start getting the game plan going?
This could be anything from having an Ensnaring Bridge to a mill rock and an Ancient Stirrings. I've had few to almost no game wins off of hands that are only lands, disruption, and removal. We need to start somewhere, and our opening hands need to get the wheels rolling.
3) [OPTIONAL] Do the cards in my hand match up well against the deck I am playing against?
This one is optional since at a large tournament you may not know what you're playing against, at least not for Game 1. But if you do know what you're playing against make sure you have few to no dead cards for your match up. We can easily mill away dead cards if we see them on the top of our deck, but if we start out with them it's a lot harder to get rid of them.
Hopefully this helps. Best of luck with the deck
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
You are correct on the wording of Searing Blaze. I'll edit my post.
Walking Ballista isn't just a kill spell. I agree that if that is all it were, it is pretty damn mediocre. However Ballista is extremely versatile in what it can offer to the deck and honestly, I'm going to continue to use it. While I know I only played 4 rounds with it in my deck, I never at any point wished it was a different card. And unless their removal spell is Sudden Shock Ballista does blank all their removal. Any problems like Searing Blaze are the same problems you'd see if I was running Spellskite instead.
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Lost to Eldrazi Tron (G1 couldn't find a bridge and G2 lost to natural tron Karn)
Won against mono-green treefolk (....yep)
Lost against Kiki/Chord (G1 no bridge, g2 went to time...there was dispute to slow playing my team)
Lost against Burn (G1 burned me out, G2 he kept a slow draw, I had lock/inventor's fair, G3 he had burn I mulled to 5 looking for disruption)
Overall I like the Whir in the list, but I just don't think I'm a solid pilot yet.
Play of the day was Whir in response to Chord of Calling for grafdigger's cage.
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Current decks of choice:
Vintage: Shops.
Legacy: Lands.
Modern: Lantern.