I ran him as a one of in the prerelease. My guilds were selesnya and simic. He does need to sit for a turn but as a 4drop you should be trying to set him up. Rancor or armadillo cloak him and hold your populate for the next turn. Any game I played him, I easily made him a 8/8 which forces unfavorable blocks that your opponent must deal with at instant speed.
It does appear to be underwhelming by itself, but in constructed you have access to all kinds of blink effects (cloudshift and restoration angel) that could abuse it. Plus it is worth running in limited especially if you grab the new Boros 2drop enchantment. I will likely be trying it in a pauper homebrew as well.
momir can be fun, but the format is variable enough that your 10tix investment isn't any more likely to 3-1 in to money more than any other deck.
I would suggest pauper. Yes there are a few grinders that always place because they have so much experience in the format. You will lose to these people to begin with. They only win because they know how to properly execute their deck within the confines of the metagame. Invest in a deck that is similar to your play style(stompy for aggro, post for control) and play the dailies until you figure out how to correctly play around MUC or 8-post. Over time your hardest match-ups will probably be mirrors because it comes down to the draw.
As for pauper, the strongest colors right now seem to be blue and green. Since you are on a budget, go green and build stompy for like 30tix. This will provide you with a few staples that are also good in the Elves deck. So then you are half the way to having another deck. Most importantly Magic is still about having fun. Lost a DE, head over to the "just for fun" room and smash face a few times to bandage your ego.
I have heard that nearly 60% of WoTC sales are generated by MtGO. They stated that it will be great to draft and available online at an undisclosed date.
My thoughts:
1. WoTC is going to make a killing selling the MM digital product in online drafts at $10.00 more than any other draft price.
2. Since the MM set will not be redeemable and the drafts will be heavily populated, the Modern market online may actually see a price reduction on reprints.
3. My suggestion: If you want to make money or play with friends, pre-order the paper. If you want to just draft the set, then likely online may be the cheapest place to do it.
4. By making the most sought after cards into mythic rarity they can still print a little heavier without tanking the market on goyf and bob and such.
As per suggestions, here is my updated list. I have cut back on the dual lands(although boros garrison can help enable a landfall trigger), and I added evolving wilds and a couple more basic lands in its place. I ditched the knightly valor adding furor of the bitten and kor skyfisher. I also main decked apostle's blessing.
So I have started to fall in love with Ethereal Armor and one of his best buddies in my opinion is Madcap Skills. Having tried a few things I have settled on a White-Weenie shell splashing Red.
I would like to make this deck as competitive as possible, although I understand it may never be tier 1 in the current meta. I am relatively new to magic, so I am unfamiliar with cards from older sets unless I have played against them. I have piloted delver blue, white weenie, infect, stompy, and elves.
So if anyone has any suggestions, please let me have them.
Discussion: The Knightly Valor's need to go I think, I just wanted something to do in case of a land flood. I'm thinking I'll put in more Curse of the Pierced Heart as multiple of those really can help if the game goes long. I'm thinking apostle's blessing should be in the main-deck as well since any creature with an enchantment on it is a target for removal. Freeing up spots in the sideboard, I think I should add artifact removal to combat Affinity.
Ideas anyone?
The whole idea is to use the enchants explosively. I have frequently had opponents at less then 10 on turn 3.
Hey Boros, Glad to see you on and getting back into the game. I was in your position about a year ago. I wanted to play but playing FNM's are hard when you work in the restaurant industry. So I started an MTGO account. It's been wonderful so far. You really can play when ever you want, especially if you have the money. I have personally found Pauper to be my "go to" format online. For about $30.00 you can have a competitive deck that can fire in 2 daily pauper tournaments for $6.00(tix) each. Also there are 2-man queue's if you want a quick match for $2.00. Payday no where near close? You can find a game in the "just for fun" or "tournament practice" rooms for free.
With the current payouts, if you place 3-1 in 1/3 of the pauper events you join, then you will be in the money.
Also, Standard is seeing quite the showing from our friend the color "Red". If you have $75.00 you can put together a reasonable Red-Deck-Wins and try your hand at standard. I've seen a $35.00 list go 3-1 in the Daily Events.
Grab your account and play with the planewalker decks that come with it until you are familiar with the program (like 4hrs time maybe)
One last thing, to re-iterate what an above poster mentioned. The level of competition goes up drastically when the payouts get higher. If you draft, stick to the swiss drafts if you want to have fun or until you have a solid draft strategy.
Ran Boros with a splash of Green for the Bloodrush effects and a couple more fattys. Went 4-2 on the backs of a solid deck with nothing more of a bomb than spark elemental or ruination wurm.
My VIP's: Spark Trooper, Wojek Halberdiers, Ruination Wurm, the Bloodrush effect, and last but not least Cinder Elemental. Cinder Elemental for direct damage to the face won me 3 of 6 games. Almost all of my opponents played out their removal before I dropped him down, and just watched as they lost to it. He can be ok on your opening hand, but you really want to topdeck him around turn 5-7 so you can pump his X effect for 5+ damage.
Underperformer: Rubblebelt Raiders: I thought that this would become a bomb easily in a boros/aggro deck, but I found it really hard to actually swing her effectively. In limited, your looking at a 4/4 if you swing it by turn 5, which is the earliest you can unless you ramp or give it haste somehow. I found that my opponents usually had the board in a state that it was not worth it for me to swing her, leaving her as a 3/3 blocker which just isn't quite big enough.
Cinder Elemental: I found him to be awesome at the pre-release. I think his utility in standard is questionable and it may only find a home in a red/x aggro deck, but Cinder Elemental for direct damage to the opponent won me 3 games in the pre-release.
I believe that Cinder Elemental was undervalued so opponents did not waste removal on him, even though he was an obvious threat on the board. I also believe that in an red/x aggro deck such as boros was in the pre-release, that removal was wasted on earlier creatures (wojek halberdiers) as they were already presenting a threat.
Wildwood Rebirth: I was late to realize how I could abuse this card in a limited pool. I ran Boros with a splash of green. I had a Spark Trooper that was doing me well but I kept losing him. Wildwood Rebirth to the rescue! It has me thinking of a hyper-aggresive Naya deck.
I would suggest pauper. Yes there are a few grinders that always place because they have so much experience in the format. You will lose to these people to begin with. They only win because they know how to properly execute their deck within the confines of the metagame. Invest in a deck that is similar to your play style(stompy for aggro, post for control) and play the dailies until you figure out how to correctly play around MUC or 8-post. Over time your hardest match-ups will probably be mirrors because it comes down to the draw.
As for pauper, the strongest colors right now seem to be blue and green. Since you are on a budget, go green and build stompy for like 30tix. This will provide you with a few staples that are also good in the Elves deck. So then you are half the way to having another deck. Most importantly Magic is still about having fun. Lost a DE, head over to the "just for fun" room and smash face a few times to bandage your ego.
My thoughts:
1. WoTC is going to make a killing selling the MM digital product in online drafts at $10.00 more than any other draft price.
2. Since the MM set will not be redeemable and the drafts will be heavily populated, the Modern market online may actually see a price reduction on reprints.
3. My suggestion: If you want to make money or play with friends, pre-order the paper. If you want to just draft the set, then likely online may be the cheapest place to do it.
4. By making the most sought after cards into mythic rarity they can still print a little heavier without tanking the market on goyf and bob and such.
4 Squadron Hawk
3 Steppe Lynx - Testing this
4 Suture Priest
2 Doomed Traveler
4 Loyal Cathar
3 Plated Geopede - Testing this
4 Kor Skyfisher
Enchants
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Madcap Skills
3 Curse of the Pierced Heart
2 Furor of the Bitten
3 Journey to Nowhere
2 Apostle's Blessing
Land
2 Boros Garrison
2 Boros Guildgate
3 Mountain
7 Plains
2 Terramorphic Expanse
2 Evolving Wilds
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Journey to Nowhere
2 Apostle's Blessing
1 Pacifism
2 Lifelink
2 Act of Treason
2 Volcanic Strength
4 Smelt
I would like to make this deck as competitive as possible, although I understand it may never be tier 1 in the current meta. I am relatively new to magic, so I am unfamiliar with cards from older sets unless I have played against them. I have piloted delver blue, white weenie, infect, stompy, and elves.
So if anyone has any suggestions, please let me have them.
Boros Enchant - 24 Creatures - 18 lands
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Steppe Lyn - Testing this
4 Suture Priest
4 Doomed Traveler
4 Loyal Cathar
4 Plated Geopede - Testing this
Enchants
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Madcap Skills
4 Knightly Valor
2 Lifelink
1 Curse of the Pierced Heart
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Pacifism
4 Boros Garrison
4 Boros Guildgate
2 Mountain
6 Plains
2 Terramorphic E panse
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Journey to Nowhere
2 Apostle's Blessing
1 Pacifism
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Act of Treason
2 Volcanic Strength
4 Wojek Halberdiers
Discussion: The Knightly Valor's need to go I think, I just wanted something to do in case of a land flood. I'm thinking I'll put in more Curse of the Pierced Heart as multiple of those really can help if the game goes long. I'm thinking apostle's blessing should be in the main-deck as well since any creature with an enchantment on it is a target for removal. Freeing up spots in the sideboard, I think I should add artifact removal to combat Affinity.
Ideas anyone?
The whole idea is to use the enchants explosively. I have frequently had opponents at less then 10 on turn 3.
With the current payouts, if you place 3-1 in 1/3 of the pauper events you join, then you will be in the money.
Also, Standard is seeing quite the showing from our friend the color "Red". If you have $75.00 you can put together a reasonable Red-Deck-Wins and try your hand at standard. I've seen a $35.00 list go 3-1 in the Daily Events.
Grab your account and play with the planewalker decks that come with it until you are familiar with the program (like 4hrs time maybe)
One last thing, to re-iterate what an above poster mentioned. The level of competition goes up drastically when the payouts get higher. If you draft, stick to the swiss drafts if you want to have fun or until you have a solid draft strategy.
My VIP's: Spark Trooper, Wojek Halberdiers, Ruination Wurm, the Bloodrush effect, and last but not least Cinder Elemental. Cinder Elemental for direct damage to the face won me 3 of 6 games. Almost all of my opponents played out their removal before I dropped him down, and just watched as they lost to it. He can be ok on your opening hand, but you really want to topdeck him around turn 5-7 so you can pump his X effect for 5+ damage.
Underperformer: Rubblebelt Raiders: I thought that this would become a bomb easily in a boros/aggro deck, but I found it really hard to actually swing her effectively. In limited, your looking at a 4/4 if you swing it by turn 5, which is the earliest you can unless you ramp or give it haste somehow. I found that my opponents usually had the board in a state that it was not worth it for me to swing her, leaving her as a 3/3 blocker which just isn't quite big enough.
I believe that Cinder Elemental was undervalued so opponents did not waste removal on him, even though he was an obvious threat on the board. I also believe that in an red/x aggro deck such as boros was in the pre-release, that removal was wasted on earlier creatures (wojek halberdiers) as they were already presenting a threat.
Wildwood Rebirth: I was late to realize how I could abuse this card in a limited pool. I ran Boros with a splash of green. I had a Spark Trooper that was doing me well but I kept losing him. Wildwood Rebirth to the rescue! It has me thinking of a hyper-aggresive Naya deck.