This has got to be one of the most boring block formats I've ever had the displeasure to play in.
You play some form of tokens (RW, WB, RWB, RWG) or you lose. Sure that is 4 slightly different builds, but it all amounts to the same deck. Intangible Virtue in your deck or you lose.
I even went to the dark side and got the cards for RW humans. I'm tired of mirror matches and I feel bad for the guys in the tourney practice room trying to rock out cool strategies like Ghoultree/Splinterfright.
Nothing stands up to these tokens. It's pretty dumb.
I was running B/W tokens before DKA and was doing alright when spoiler season came around I got my last games in and waved goodbye to the format, because mirror matches for days didn't seem appealing.
Of the 15 decks listed, if I counted right, it breaks down like this:
10 Various Tokens Decks
1 Spider Spawning Deck
2 Anti-Token Jund Decks
2 Mono-Black Zombie Decks
The thing about the Spider Spawning deck is that it only has 4 main deck Dark Ascension cards (1 Evolving Wilds, 3 Tracker's Instincts). The rest is standard mono-Innistrad stuff.
The Jund Decks are really funny, one of them running 4x Blasphemous Act, 4x Curse of Death's Hold, and 4x Sever the Bloodline. For their creatures they only run Daybreak Ranger, Huntsmaster of the Fells, and Olivia Volderan.
edit: Looked back at a couple more of the results, and yeah, it's basically tokens and anti-token jund placing in the top 8. There are also random zombie decks. But then I saw an interesting Naya Brew, I'll post it here because I think it's interesting:
I think the 4x Thalia and 3x Sudden Disappearance are the most interesting parts of the deck. Thalia is anti-tokens and probably anti a lot of other things. Sudden Disappearance is anti-tokens and a win condition on its own.
I like it, but it might just be a random deck that got lucky or it would probably have popped up more.
You might want to give one of the two anti-metagame decks a try. There is one I've seen played that basically plays every anti-tokens card you can think of including enchantment removal, Sever the Bloodline, sweepers, Curse of Deaths Hold, etc. Here is an example of that:
I've seen that one in the dailies also if you look around for the 4-0 or 3-1 lists you can probably find one. In addition to that, the Gr Undying deck has pretty good anti-token synergy with it's sweepers and you could certainly throw in a few naturalizes as well to pop Intangible Virtue. Here is the thread for that deck:
I think it's going to take a lot of people adapting anti-token specific strategies and decks on a large scale before people start diversifying a little bit... Lingering Souls and Hellrider are just so fricking strong it's hard NOT to play with one or both of them.
It's not true! I run a personal version of UGx Dredge, splashing just a tiny black for Spider Spawning and I do very well! People are learning how to SB against it better, but it still is fun to play and has good wins.
There are lots of ways to handle tokens if they get a slow start, but getting two of these down and then throwing out 4 3/3 flying vigilance is just beats.
The card wasn't as bad when there were fewer token producers in the format. Perhaps it should have affected both sides of the board like crusade.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I wonder if this has to do with Avacyn Restored not making the format diverse enough, they see the daily results and must think damn.
EDIT: I mean with their future release, they don't think they will be releasing anything that will make people turn from tokens.
It's actually kind of going to be ok, since tokens will still be a strong strategy without virtues, and will make it so enchantment removal main isnt mandatory, but I wish they had given a little more time for the format to kind of balance out. I've been having fun with the Jund control deck, and the RG werewolves deck is actually not as bad as I thought when you play 4 hellrider, I , although I think I should probably just be playing RW with hellriders.
There are lots of ways to handle tokens if they get a slow start, but getting two of these down and then throwing out 4 3/3 flying vigilance is just beats.
The card wasn't as bad when there were fewer token producers in the format. Perhaps it should have affected both sides of the board like crusade.
I've heard crusade was pretty oppressive when it was part of the big deck around so I doubt it.
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You've got a rat in your walls, and cheese won't solve anything.
Yes, if its a "True Mirror", ie the lists are the same card-for-card. Realistically though, there will be variations, a swapped card here n there. In this case the person with tweaks that are best for the mirror will be favored - stuff like mainboard Ray, Curse, and so forth. I actually had a ton of success early on when I mainboarded these cards ahead of the rest of the meta. Before people included mainboard Rays, I could drop a game 1 Curse and elicit an instant scoop something like a fourth of the time. Then everyone else started catching up
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This has got to be one of the most boring block formats I've ever had the displeasure to play in.
You play some form of tokens (RW, WB, RWB, RWG) or you lose. Sure that is 4 slightly different builds, but it all amounts to the same deck. Intangible Virtue in your deck or you lose.
I even went to the dark side and got the cards for RW humans. I'm tired of mirror matches and I feel bad for the guys in the tourney practice room trying to rock out cool strategies like Ghoultree/Splinterfright.
Nothing stands up to these tokens. It's pretty dumb.
I give up. I'm gonna go play pauper again.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=7718699&postcount=248
But I just looked at the latest "Decks of the Week" for Innistrad Block and if you go to the latest results (3/13), it's kind of funny:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnlineTourn.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/tourn/3529345
Of the 15 decks listed, if I counted right, it breaks down like this:
The thing about the Spider Spawning deck is that it only has 4 main deck Dark Ascension cards (1 Evolving Wilds, 3 Tracker's Instincts). The rest is standard mono-Innistrad stuff.
The Jund Decks are really funny, one of them running 4x Blasphemous Act, 4x Curse of Death's Hold, and 4x Sever the Bloodline. For their creatures they only run Daybreak Ranger, Huntsmaster of the Fells, and Olivia Volderan.
edit: Looked back at a couple more of the results, and yeah, it's basically tokens and anti-token jund placing in the top 8. There are also random zombie decks. But then I saw an interesting Naya Brew, I'll post it here because I think it's interesting:
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Daybreak Ranger
4 Hellrider
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Spells (11)
4 Brimstone Volley
2 Devil's Play
2 Ray of Revelation
3 Sudden Disappearance
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Evolving Wilds
8 Forest
1 Gavony Township
1 Kessig Wolf Run
6 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Blasphemous Act
1 Dawntreader Elk
2 Geistflame
3 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Moonmist
1 Ray of Revelation
4 Slayer of the Wicked
I think the 4x Thalia and 3x Sudden Disappearance are the most interesting parts of the deck. Thalia is anti-tokens and probably anti a lot of other things. Sudden Disappearance is anti-tokens and a win condition on its own.
I like it, but it might just be a random deck that got lucky or it would probably have popped up more.
Thread | Draft
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=393784
I've seen that one in the dailies also if you look around for the 4-0 or 3-1 lists you can probably find one. In addition to that, the Gr Undying deck has pretty good anti-token synergy with it's sweepers and you could certainly throw in a few naturalizes as well to pop Intangible Virtue. Here is the thread for that deck:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=393746
I think it's going to take a lot of people adapting anti-token specific strategies and decks on a large scale before people start diversifying a little bit... Lingering Souls and Hellrider are just so fricking strong it's hard NOT to play with one or both of them.
She is the key to the format though. If there is a perfect hate build that will also handle the non token decks, its gonna involve her.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=7718699&postcount=248
[Clan Flamingo]
There are lots of ways to handle tokens if they get a slow start, but getting two of these down and then throwing out 4 3/3 flying vigilance is just beats.
The card wasn't as bad when there were fewer token producers in the format. Perhaps it should have affected both sides of the board like crusade.
EDIT: I mean with their future release, they don't think they will be releasing anything that will make people turn from tokens.
It's actually kind of going to be ok, since tokens will still be a strong strategy without virtues, and will make it so enchantment removal main isnt mandatory, but I wish they had given a little more time for the format to kind of balance out. I've been having fun with the Jund control deck, and the RG werewolves deck is actually not as bad as I thought when you play 4 hellrider, I , although I think I should probably just be playing RW with hellriders.
How would that have made any difference? It would have made the tokens matchup worse against... itself? Isn't the mirror already 50/50 by definition?
I've heard crusade was pretty oppressive when it was part of the big deck around so I doubt it.
Yes, if its a "True Mirror", ie the lists are the same card-for-card. Realistically though, there will be variations, a swapped card here n there. In this case the person with tweaks that are best for the mirror will be favored - stuff like mainboard Ray, Curse, and so forth. I actually had a ton of success early on when I mainboarded these cards ahead of the rest of the meta. Before people included mainboard Rays, I could drop a game 1 Curse and elicit an instant scoop something like a fourth of the time. Then everyone else started catching up