The only difference between this and Wild Guess, which we already had in standard, is that its one colorless and one red vs. two red to cast. Not sure that will make this playable. Some burn decks tried Wild Guess, but I think they opted for more threats instead. I see this following the same path. Still might be playable in limited.
Ill bet he isnt running Cranial Plating because of the double black and this is a budget white splash blue deck. Its not as good if you can't use its ability and the mana wouldnt allow for it.
Beyond what other people are saying, I'd like to add this: if winning a little will still make FNM more worth it to you, make a budget deck as consistent as possible. Besides power, amazing consistency is really all that the big money decks buy you. Fortunately, you can make a deck pretty consistent on a budget, and even if your power level is a bit lower, you'll still probably eek out more wins if your own deck is consistent. It will let you take better advantage of misplays, luck, and your own skill in trumping the skill of other players. Even in the most competitive FNMs, their will still be variance in these three aspects.
As far as specifics go, the main way to have a consistent deck is to have the appropriate mana in it so that you'll have the mana you need at the appropriate time in the game. Most people think this means monocolored decks only for budgets, but if you have lots of one-color pips in most of your casting costs, you might be able to splash a second color. If there is anything you need to spend money on to make FNM worth it, though, it's the manabase.
Secondly, there are plenty of cards out there that are just a few shades worse than their counterparts, that still might have their uses otherwise (take for instance Hero's Downfall vs Silence the Believers, quite a bit of difference actually). If you curve out in the right match-ups, these cards can seem more powerful than they actually are because of how well-timed you play them. Thus, in addition to having the right land in the deck, you want to have a mana curve that fits it, too, so that you get to cast cards at the right time, in the right proportion.
Consistency can do amazing things for you if you're at least wanting a few wins.
All the other posts pretty much nail it, but I want to add this anecdote:
I used to not really care about using a playmat and my sleeves would literally get stuff growing on them. Now that I started using a playmat, I have no issue with this any more, and even the sleeves that had grime on them look cleaner and less grimy, as if taking them out of the petri-dish of the tables I was regularly playing on stopped feeding whatever was growing on them.
Candyman ****ed with me pretty good as a kid, too. The made-for-TV movie, Stephen King's IT just about ruined my life though! Event Horizon was another one later in life that messed with my head.
Reminds me of Savage Knucklebade. This, too, could theoretically fit in any type of deck (aggro, midrange, or control) and could work at any point in the game (early, mid, or late). Not to say that it will fit in any of those, but versatility is great if you like brewing.
You know, there are a lot of people who play games to unwind and let out stress, and in doing so sometimes they let their job or life stress seep out into the game. It's not excusable, but it's explicable. Probably best thing to do is just be friendly and say, hey man, I'm just playing a deck, let's have fun together. I used to have a really stressful job and I would play shooter games after work to just like, kill zombies with a shotgun instead of getting irate in meetings. I was always pretty glad no one could hear me yelling at the zombies as I chainsawed their arms off or whatever.
Because of this, we should give people the benefit of the doubt and let them cool off. Maybe their day sucked at their stressful job and they got carried away. It happens to everyone at some point; we are emotional animals.
But, I'm also glad you pointed out how it is still inexcusable. On that note, I see nothing wrong with calmly calling people out on their repeat *****y behavior; if you're going to be a little ***** about it, then you've opened the door for me to walk through and lay into you about it. It's not my problem your life/job/etc sucks. Not until you bring me into it by dumping all your emotional bull***** on me. It might be a little too "Code of Hammurabi," I admit, and I don't condone fighting, but people get this way because no one throws up any roadblocks. You gotta be smart, give it time, pick your battles, and not let it rattle you, but its perfectly fine to confront people on it if they are routinely ********s. I'm not saying get in their face, but they should be made aware that their behavior is unacceptable if it doesn't change. (This path also requires that you should be aware of the consequences of calling people out.)
Tattling is fine, but adults should try to solve their differences on their own first, then pull in the authorities if there is no other means.
So, does Jace, the Living Guildpact's ultimate shuffle himself into the library if you activate the ability when he's at 8 loyalty, thus bringing him down to zero loyaly, or is he not in the gy until after the ability resolves?
Another general way of asking my question is are state-based effects checked when you pay for an ability before it is actually activated?
Jesus. What a circlejerk. This is just as insufferable and hyperbolic as the posts you're railing against.
It sure is insufferable that people don't find the littlest thing about the new sets to nitpick about, blow out of proportion, split hairs over, or completely exaggerate and be overly melodramatic about because wotc is not specifically catering to unrealistic and often naive expectations. What a shame that people instead try to enjoy this game, find reasons to like it, interpret things realistically, and get fed up with how ridiculous all the complaining can be. Yup. Just insufferable.
As far as specifics go, the main way to have a consistent deck is to have the appropriate mana in it so that you'll have the mana you need at the appropriate time in the game. Most people think this means monocolored decks only for budgets, but if you have lots of one-color pips in most of your casting costs, you might be able to splash a second color. If there is anything you need to spend money on to make FNM worth it, though, it's the manabase.
Secondly, there are plenty of cards out there that are just a few shades worse than their counterparts, that still might have their uses otherwise (take for instance Hero's Downfall vs Silence the Believers, quite a bit of difference actually). If you curve out in the right match-ups, these cards can seem more powerful than they actually are because of how well-timed you play them. Thus, in addition to having the right land in the deck, you want to have a mana curve that fits it, too, so that you get to cast cards at the right time, in the right proportion.
Consistency can do amazing things for you if you're at least wanting a few wins.
I used to not really care about using a playmat and my sleeves would literally get stuff growing on them. Now that I started using a playmat, I have no issue with this any more, and even the sleeves that had grime on them look cleaner and less grimy, as if taking them out of the petri-dish of the tables I was regularly playing on stopped feeding whatever was growing on them.
And the lich lord was spoiled in a commander article, for God's sake!
Get a clue!
Because of this, we should give people the benefit of the doubt and let them cool off. Maybe their day sucked at their stressful job and they got carried away. It happens to everyone at some point; we are emotional animals.
But, I'm also glad you pointed out how it is still inexcusable. On that note, I see nothing wrong with calmly calling people out on their repeat *****y behavior; if you're going to be a little ***** about it, then you've opened the door for me to walk through and lay into you about it. It's not my problem your life/job/etc sucks. Not until you bring me into it by dumping all your emotional bull***** on me. It might be a little too "Code of Hammurabi," I admit, and I don't condone fighting, but people get this way because no one throws up any roadblocks. You gotta be smart, give it time, pick your battles, and not let it rattle you, but its perfectly fine to confront people on it if they are routinely ********s. I'm not saying get in their face, but they should be made aware that their behavior is unacceptable if it doesn't change. (This path also requires that you should be aware of the consequences of calling people out.)
Tattling is fine, but adults should try to solve their differences on their own first, then pull in the authorities if there is no other means.
Another general way of asking my question is are state-based effects checked when you pay for an ability before it is actually activated?
Thanks in advance!
It sure is insufferable that people don't find the littlest thing about the new sets to nitpick about, blow out of proportion, split hairs over, or completely exaggerate and be overly melodramatic about because wotc is not specifically catering to unrealistic and often naive expectations. What a shame that people instead try to enjoy this game, find reasons to like it, interpret things realistically, and get fed up with how ridiculous all the complaining can be. Yup. Just insufferable.
<This thread is doomed.>