MTG Salvation

I'm definitely going to run Rampaging Ferocidon. I value consistent damage output over lifegain any day.

How does this not have the god damn rigger subtype?

*puts playset of Steamflogger Boss back in storage

It seems like just about everything on the RL is being targeted and bought out probably based on supply, especially cards from older sets like Antiquities and Legends as the "price" will be easier to artificially spike abusing the automated price calculation systems in place due to such low existing numbers online.

The weird part is that a lot of these cards are being bought mid-spike or after the initial buyout. Sword of the Ages is a good example of this. A card that was 10 dollars a month ago was bought out in the last few days, rocketing its perceived price to numbers that people aren't going to pay (for example mtgstocks has it at over $130, which is silly), but during the buyout people were paying up to $50 for the card.

Maybe that's the representation of the few collectors out there that would want this card that bought it out of panic? Either way, quite a few people just got 40-50 dollars for an unplayable card (or maybe its played in 93/94 but I don't know). Many of the other recent bad RL card buyouts follow the same trend.

I'll just do one of each because of time.

Artifact: Salvaging Station- this card does so. much. work.

Creature: Sun Titan - even at 6cmc and white he's on the shortlist for best/most useful creature in EDH

Enchantment: Humility - shuts down so many strategies all by itself. incredible card.

Land: Glacial Chasm - the amount of turns this card has bought me since I started EDH is amazing

Instant: Crop Rotation - flashing in Glacial Chasm and Maze of Ith isn't done enough

Sorcery: Eternal Dominion - the challenge is to see how many times you can copy it while it's on the stack

Planeswalker: Venser, the Sojourner - always happy to see this card in hand, an amazing + ability (+2 no less!) with a useful - and a reachable yet insane ultimate make this one of the most useful walkers in the format.

I will say, having over 20 decks makes it hard for people to meta-game you.

It's decent in food tribal.

That would be Sram, Senior Edificer. He's amazing.

I like Divine Intervention.

Guys...Progenitus has protection from "everything" this includes colors and artifacts, making it impossible to target Progy with the equips and auras will just fall right off.

I built a deck like this for my younger brother (very budget) that is able to consistently play Progenitus in a timely manner. A really good often overlooked card in here is Composite Golem, this combined with the other ramp in the deck will allow some really early Progenitus plays. I need to look at his list again, and when I do I'll bring some more suggestions.

Quote from flaming infinity »

Flying, Deathtouch, Vigilance, Lifelink on a 4/4 4 mana 4 color legendary creature is pretty weak compared to Flying, First Strike, Lifelink on a one color 5/5 for 5. If she scaled like Baneslayer she could easily be like a 6/6 or 7/7 for 4.

This, to me is like making an argument that Tarmogoyf is better in commander than Tasigur, the Golden Fang.

It's just not.

Quote from Stoogeslap »

No one wants to chime in here? Or is this another case of sweeping buy-outs under the rug & pretending they don't happen?

Nobody is sweeping buyouts under the rug. We all acknowledge that they happen - they've been the most active topic in the café, this summer - but unless you're the person performing the buyouts then it's impossible to know whether or not they'll continue. I have no credible information on other people's future spending, so I felt that it wasn't worth responding. Simple as that.

I need a huge poster of the art of New Horizons.

Also, I know I should expect as much at this point from MTGS users, but I can't stop rolling my eyes at the "herp-a-derp this set is too weak" comments. There are many powerful cards in this set, not least of which are the flip lands. Plus, the tribes look fun as hell to play. Remember fun? The point of playing a game??

Interesting discussion going here, altough it saddens me how few participants we have these days.

One thing that I didn't see anybody pointing out yet is what we all should expect these spikes to cause as secondary effects...

All duals and P9 cards should see a significant uptick. Some are already doing this, but I foresee all of them following. This is basically the same thing that happened when revised duals jumped in 2009, modern staples jumped, Zen Fetches jumped etc. And everytime when stores finally upped their buy-prices, people flooded them with the newly more expensive cards and bought duals and low-end power (Twister, cheaper Moxes, unlimited duals etc.) and when those prices needed to be corrected the expensive p9 started to feel underpriced and allowed people to trade in few Moxen to get an Ancestral Recall or trade their unlimited duals for few betas etc. (And this increase in price will lead some people who were very close to buying Unl P9 pieces to choose CE or ICE versions, leading to incresed demand on those, which is already happening...)

Another effect of these buy-outs is that collectors of old sets, who normally take their time, have accelerated their rate of acquisition, which is mostly why we see the alpha and beta spikes on random cards like Camouflage, which aren't on the reserved list. The market only has limited amount of the 93/94-period cards, so any additional interest will increase the price at this point. There are also some collectors (myself included) who collect some alpha cards just for fun and will gladly sell some formerly bulk Lg rares to finance a new burst of activity.

And last, there's now a major financial redistribution going on. Group of people have pumped propably few hundred thousand bucks to the MtG-market buying reserved-list cards in a few short months, and knowing Magic players, lot of that money will go towards other cards. I know I have sold a lot of high end commnder foils to people, who have sold a stack of cards they had got when first starting playing in the mid 90s. I will naturally put some of the money towards some of my less important collection goals (like set of alpha Kudzu, I would have loved to own twenty years ago for my GR-LD-deck) which can sometimes lead to additional effects on the market...

Lot of the people who have sold their reserved list cards are entrentched players, who already have large collections, so they will put their gains into cards they want, which often are legacy and vintage staples and reserved list cards. This means that I believe strongly that while the reserve buy-outs will most likely calm down in a while, there will be a notable increase across the board in dual lands, power and high end old cards, which will keep going for at least few months after these buy-outs slow down, before the inevitable downtick in value, which usually happens after a price increase, when the market tries to find the new balance betwen supply and demand and the less patient speculators try to unload their copies.

There's also the 'organic' dual value increase caused by legacy GPs, which had already caused some upward pressure towards other legacy staples, so it's hard to say exactly how strong the RL-buy-out effect actually is, but at least we finally will see how many copies of the old cards will find their ways out of the closets and attics of retired players when the market finds the new price equilibrium and those cards start selling again.

So, I made this a pinned thread. We'll see how it goes. Please continue to post the "Save $15 on $75" coupons here, and if it's wildly popular then maybe we can expand it to more money-saving venues.

Resource denial is one method of controlling the board. It's also a more efficient method of controlling multiple opponents simultaneously than, say, counterspells.

So you might as well ask "why do people play control?"

Because some people find it fun. We live in a world where "well adjusted, relatively social" people jump out of airplanes, hop bare ass naked into frigid water, and try to beat each other to death for money and the adulation of strangers. Much like degenerate combo decks, the only time they're an issue is when other decks aren't prepared to face them.

There's no accounting for taste, after all.

Quote from 3drinks »

I'm used to it. I don't have an "off-switch" when I play. I "don't know how" to tone down what I do and how I do it. As a result, I have quite the rep as that guy, but once you know this about me, people come to respect it. I once Boil'd a casual Thada Adel deck on the end step of their t3 (my t4) to which they just glared at me. Two other players laughed and high-fived. I stared at him in the most stoic expression and just replied;

"If you're going to bring mono-U...you need to accept the consequences. U decks win when they are left alone."

He never did get back into the game after that. No regrets. No rest, no mercy. No matter what.

I feel like you think this makes you sound like an awesome player, when in reality it makes you sound like a bully picking on the weak for no other reason than you can.

If you want to actually test your skills as a commander player, rather than wave your wallet in people's faces, play a bad deck. One of the best commander players I've played against only played precons, and he still won quite often. I'm willing to bet he was a way better player than you are.

Alternately - go play legacy. Or modern. Or limited. Or whatever. If you want no-holds-barred competition, go play a competitive format.

I think it's pretty hilarious how people feel so superior for "enjoying a challenge" when they play the most powerful decks available. If you want a challenge, then play a BAD deck. Play a precon and beat tuned combo decks. That's a REAL challenge, you'll REALLY feel great after you pull that off. That would sure be a glorious victory (Eventually). You wanted a challenge, right? That's your goal?

Oh, or maybe what you actually want is a fair fight. In which case, don't criticize other people for wanting the same.

(not to say there aren't people who have powerful decks but still whinge about any hate directed at them, that's still annoying)

To OP: I mean, if it's an issue of your turns taking too long. just figure out how many things everyone else has to bounce and tell that that number, turn over. Seems straightforward enough to me. Just get better at math or something?

Obviously roughly matching the power level of your group is important, but your post doesn't really give me an idea of where you are on that metric.

Quote from illakunsaa »

No, in fact it is the worst color combination. Even mono color decks are better. Boros has almost no card advantage, ramp or cool commanders. If you want dumb beatdown play Xenagod instead.

That's some lazy deck building there.

Boris can compete just fine, you need to think outside the 'online opinion' box.
There is a lot of conditional tutors in white and looting effects in red. It's true that a lot of Boris is turning sideways but you can also go the Enlightened Tutor, Repercussion -> massive creature damage spell.
Red can Fork ramp spells, counter blue spells like Cyclonic Rift with Red Elemental Blast.
White is the best exile/sweeper colour out there. Can also Armegeddon if your group is ok with MLD. But most people who think Boros sucks whine like babies when their land/artifacts get blown up.
Just put some effort and thinking into it and Boros is viable, I would not call it the worst deck to make, but definitely the hardest to build.

I know there have been arguments to ease up on some color restrictions (hybrid being the most vocal) but this is the first I have seen about removing color identity restrictions altogether. If you have specific opinions on Hybrid or Phyrexian Mana, feel free to voice those in the appropriate threads. And "a lot of people" wanting those to change is a meaningless statement. A lot of people think these should remain the same. "A lot of people" want a lot of different things.

Anyway, overall, this seems like a terrible idea. This isn't a simple matter of a obscure rule that makes the format worse/better (whatever). This is the foundation of the format. This is complaining that a motorcycle is awesome but would be so much better with 4 wheels and a roof. If you want that, just drive a car.

"Color Identity matters" is what makes EDH a format. There isn't anything inherently wrong with doing what you want to do, but then it is not EDH. Feel free to create your own format ad play it among your friends, but I see no reason to petition for this change to made to the current EDH format.