All I see are these four decks in the top of the Dailies:
1. W/r Humans
2. W/G Tokens
3. Jund Planeswalkers
and
4. U/G Mill yourself (though this seems a little weaker than the top 3).
I've never played block with just one set. Is it normal for things to quickly distill down to just 3-4 possible decks? I've played them all and getting a bit bored lol
Though ultimately BUG is like basically the same as Jund, with mostlythe same core cards except it is better vs. control and worse vs.aggro. At least AFAIL remember.
Still, I'm whining a bit. This is BLOCK after all. There are only so many cards, so obviouslythings get solved quickly. In fact, 3 (.5 with UG Mill) decks in a healthy balance at the top is probably great or one set. In SOM block we really had one deck at the end - with THREE sets lol.
Though ultimately BUG is like basically the same as Jund, with mostlythe same core cards except it is better vs. control and worse vs.aggro. At least AFAIL remember.
Still, I'm whining a bit. This is BLOCK after all. There are only so many cards, so obviouslythings get solved quickly. In fact, 3 (.5 with UG Mill) decks in a healthy balance at the top is probably great or one set. In SOM block we really had one deck at the end - with THREE sets lol.
That is so correct. I stopped playing Scars block because I got tired of having a choice between losing to white with Tezzeret our playing a bunch of mirror matches.
I think there's a lot more viable and that for a 264-card format, this block is pretty amazing.
For one, RUG control/midrange decks have been doing quite well in dailies recently, particularly those that splash white for Midnight Haunting (not sure I agree) and Geist of Saint Traft (definitely agree). The proliferation of RW is going to make Burning Vengeance more viable, and there have been some more interesting brews around that are trying to address its shortcomings. If BV makes a bit of a comeback, the Dredge will be better, and things like UW Hexproof, which has been hanging around the fringes, may start to show more.
I would be surprised if all of the viable brews have been discovered yet as well. Some of the cards that are considered the best ISD cards in standard are not prevalent in block...things like Snapcaster Mage, Geist of Saint Traft, and Delver of Secrets. It could be that they just don't fit as well in block, but I think there's a place for these cards somewhere. (You do see Snappy and Traft in some small number of current decks, but it seems strange to me that Delver has so little presence in a format with so many decks dependent upon instants and sorceries.) I even suspect that UB Zombies could be a decent deck, if not tier 1 quality (yet).
My biggest concern about the next two expansions is that it doesn't make over or two of these decks so much better than the rest that we end up with Scars block 2.0. But so far, I'm pretty happy with what we've got.
Snapcaster kind of sucks in Block because so many of the spells already have flash back.
Geist often sucks because in block there are so many creatures to block it.
Delver is hard because of the mana and red/blue creatures suck for aggro. But White and green don't pack enough good spells.
Cloistered Youth sucks because it's a two-drop 1/1 that causes you damage constantly after it transforms. Compare to Mayor of Avabruck, which for the same cost adds an anthem effect and a token generator without causing you damage.
Midnight Haunting sucks without Intangible Virtue because...well, seriously, 2 1/1 fliers for three mana? That's very clearly just not worth it.
Elite Inquisitor sucks because it's a double-white early drop that precludes playing a second color early. Besides, it's special abilities aren't all that compelling, except for the first strike, and if you count just that it's worse than an old school White Knight.
These things are all true about these three cards, and three weeks ago, a lot of us would have made the same arguments. Now they're all important parts of the best aggro deck in block. Go figure.
They found a place. There's nothing to say that the three cards I mentioned, which are strictly better than these three, can't find a place as well.
Besides, I did not intend to forecast the cards that will be part of the next great block deck. I merely intended to point out that there are still a lot off possibilities out there, and I certainly stand behind that opinion.
But Delver, Geist, and Snapcaster are VERY good - even amazing in some cases - in other formats. I doubt they will ever be close to that good in block - at least not with just this one set.
Snapcaster kind of sucks in Block because so many of the spells already have flash back.
Geist often sucks because in block there are so many creatures to block it.
Delver is hard because of the mana and red/blue creatures suck for aggro. But White and green don't pack enough good spells.
Except a lot of times, the flashback is more than the mana cost of the spell. For instance, look at Silent Departure. The flashback is way more than the mana cost.
The red/white deck is just so lightning fast off the draw, it is hard to beat.
I saw that after I was already trying out a similar idea, although more controlling, partially in anticipation of Faithless Looting. I think it's a real deck; it has some bad match-ups (It basically can't really beat Gnaw to the Bone nor giant durdles, at least not preboard) and it mulligans so badly you'll start to keep some truly miserable hands, but I think it can get there.
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I think that RUG snapcaster control is on the rise due to its ability to deal with RW. It has very good control measures against this and GW Tokens. I am playing the desperate ravings variant of Jund and I have no issues RUG although RW gives me headaches at times.
Cloistered Youth sucks because it's a two-drop 1/1 that causes you damage constantly after it transforms. Compare to Mayor of Avabruck, which for the same cost adds an anthem effect and a token generator without causing you damage.
There is a very real cost associated with having to flip Mayor of Avabruck. Most decks are able to keep him from flipping, most of the time, until they can kill it. If you take a turn off to flip it, that is a real cost and a risk especially if your opponent just kills it, bounces it, or plays two spells on his turn. Cloistered Youth is 2-mana creature that attacks for a guaranteed 3 damage; it's much better in certain decks. You're comparing the potential upside of the Mayor to the Youth's guaranteed upside.
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Thoughts on a sort of Dredge/BV hybrid? It's probably the case where combining the two decks makes it worse, but it seems like there is a lot of synergy between the two and maybe could adress some of the weaknesses of the respective decks. Maybe something like...
1. W/r Humans
2. W/G Tokens
3. Jund Planeswalkers
and
4. U/G Mill yourself (though this seems a little weaker than the top 3).
I've never played block with just one set. Is it normal for things to quickly distill down to just 3-4 possible decks? I've played them all and getting a bit bored lol
Still, I'm whining a bit. This is BLOCK after all. There are only so many cards, so obviouslythings get solved quickly. In fact, 3 (.5 with UG Mill) decks in a healthy balance at the top is probably great or one set. In SOM block we really had one deck at the end - with THREE sets lol.
That is so correct. I stopped playing Scars block because I got tired of having a choice between losing to white with Tezzeret our playing a bunch of mirror matches.
I think there's a lot more viable and that for a 264-card format, this block is pretty amazing.
For one, RUG control/midrange decks have been doing quite well in dailies recently, particularly those that splash white for Midnight Haunting (not sure I agree) and Geist of Saint Traft (definitely agree). The proliferation of RW is going to make Burning Vengeance more viable, and there have been some more interesting brews around that are trying to address its shortcomings. If BV makes a bit of a comeback, the Dredge will be better, and things like UW Hexproof, which has been hanging around the fringes, may start to show more.
I would be surprised if all of the viable brews have been discovered yet as well. Some of the cards that are considered the best ISD cards in standard are not prevalent in block...things like Snapcaster Mage, Geist of Saint Traft, and Delver of Secrets. It could be that they just don't fit as well in block, but I think there's a place for these cards somewhere. (You do see Snappy and Traft in some small number of current decks, but it seems strange to me that Delver has so little presence in a format with so many decks dependent upon instants and sorceries.) I even suspect that UB Zombies could be a decent deck, if not tier 1 quality (yet).
My biggest concern about the next two expansions is that it doesn't make over or two of these decks so much better than the rest that we end up with Scars block 2.0. But so far, I'm pretty happy with what we've got.
GBW Melira Pod WBG
BW Tokens WB
Geist often sucks because in block there are so many creatures to block it.
Delver is hard because of the mana and red/blue creatures suck for aggro. But White and green don't pack enough good spells.
Cloistered Youth sucks because it's a two-drop 1/1 that causes you damage constantly after it transforms. Compare to Mayor of Avabruck, which for the same cost adds an anthem effect and a token generator without causing you damage.
Midnight Haunting sucks without Intangible Virtue because...well, seriously, 2 1/1 fliers for three mana? That's very clearly just not worth it.
Elite Inquisitor sucks because it's a double-white early drop that precludes playing a second color early. Besides, it's special abilities aren't all that compelling, except for the first strike, and if you count just that it's worse than an old school White Knight.
These things are all true about these three cards, and three weeks ago, a lot of us would have made the same arguments. Now they're all important parts of the best aggro deck in block. Go figure.
They found a place. There's nothing to say that the three cards I mentioned, which are strictly better than these three, can't find a place as well.
Besides, I did not intend to forecast the cards that will be part of the next great block deck. I merely intended to point out that there are still a lot off possibilities out there, and I certainly stand behind that opinion.
GBW Melira Pod WBG
BW Tokens WB
Except a lot of times, the flashback is more than the mana cost of the spell. For instance, look at Silent Departure. The flashback is way more than the mana cost.
The red/white deck is just so lightning fast off the draw, it is hard to beat.
New to Commander? Read the Above article.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnlineTourn.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/tourn/3137211
Togmaster's deck
Heh. Only U/R deck I have seen is the Burning Vengeance deck.
New to Commander? Read the Above article.
I saw that after I was already trying out a similar idea, although more controlling, partially in anticipation of Faithless Looting. I think it's a real deck; it has some bad match-ups (It basically can't really beat Gnaw to the Bone nor giant durdles, at least not preboard) and it mulligans so badly you'll start to keep some truly miserable hands, but I think it can get there.
There is a very real cost associated with having to flip Mayor of Avabruck. Most decks are able to keep him from flipping, most of the time, until they can kill it. If you take a turn off to flip it, that is a real cost and a risk especially if your opponent just kills it, bounces it, or plays two spells on his turn. Cloistered Youth is 2-mana creature that attacks for a guaranteed 3 damage; it's much better in certain decks. You're comparing the potential upside of the Mayor to the Youth's guaranteed upside.
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Ambush Viper
3 Armored Skaab
3 Splinterfright
3 Geistflame
3 Garruk Relentless
3 Silent Departure
3 Desperate Ravings
3 Burning Vengence
2 Spider Spawning
2 Gnaw to the Bone
1 Dissipate
1 Rolling Tremblor
1 Devil's Play
4 Sulfur Falls
4 Shimmering Grotto
2 Island
4 Forest
4 Mountain
And we'd have a ton of flexability with the SB
Thoughts? Just free styling here, go easy