Pod would be sad. The meta is shifting bot just to adapt, bit to feed on that adaptation in a manner that is based on deck selection as much or more than tuning tech.
hell, it almost works, aside from a misplay.
*sigh* We're seeing the birth of a healthy metagame mechanic and the format beeds confidence if it'sgonna grow. We can disagree about appropriate amounts if prubing, but either way now is NOT the time
Aaaagh! Stop thinking about colors. Yes, they take money, but void and opal (and drum) mean one doesn't care. Any double mana cost is dead to us, and all 5 colors can fit in if the effect is right
Fling is bad and the origional build had all the artilands.
The thing that your missing is by and large counterspell is an answer to any permanent. Enchantment you can't deal with, counterspell, creature to big or fast or evasive, counterspell, artifact, counterspell, equipment, counterspell, instant, counterspell, sorcery, counterspell, planeswalker, counterspell. It answers everything for UU, all you need to know is the interactions your opponent is trying to capitalize on. Think of it like an investment plan. The smart guy plans ahead and sees the problems before they become probelms (counterspell). The not so smart guy still sees the problem but defers it to a later date (spot removal). What happens on that later date when two or three more problems arise or interact with the first one? A lot of times your SOL.
Its also important to remember Modern is suppose to be a 4 turn format. Games aren't gonna last that long to begin with. Its why 1 mana removal is considered optimal. Its also why Mana Leak should be fine as well. It's usually nearly a hard counter through turn 5. And its still considered really good. Now imagine a counter through turn 15 (if you ever see 15 turns lol) that is as solid at 15 as it was at turn 2.
The other thing to take into account is there was no snapcaster, no delver, no GoST when counterspell was legal. Two of these are big aggro cards, which U never had until recently. The other turns your 4 counterspells into 8.
Er, no. The other guy gets turns into cryptic command by counterspell. There's a difference.
Also... Blue has had aggro cards. Fish has been a thing for ages.
I mean, I love it dearly... but does WoTC really want Smallpox to be a dominant archetype?
Consuming contract would be an amazing control card, but... do you really thing WoTC is going to make it costed fairly enough to be a valid lock?
Double Down just has too many chances to be an engine and Extraction defense regime.
We've already got black GY hate that was so beneficial that people started running GY hate to fight it and they're giving us a second one in M14. Let's not go there.
It's a nuts and bolts staple, not a bomb-diggity powerhouse.
Also, this is a draftable format. It's a great card for a drafting format at uncommon, just like path and the like would be. It won't win the game outright but it's a solid threat on the offense with the option of some defense if the other guy is beating all over your face with some stupid swarm or is turning a goyf sideways every turn.
Aether Vial... could go to rare, but keeping it at uncommon would do an AMAZING thing for the manafixing while "only" being as nuts as the signets.
Seems a bit narrow for a land that comes into play tapped. This deck is quite mana hungry, and I'm afraid that too many CIPT lands may hinder its tempo.
I don't think he meant in terms of actually playing it unless you really needed the extra land. I'd personally rather have loam, however.
Any 2-color combo is a beast, to be honest. Getting a combo that yields you the gold cards p2 is nice since it limits your odds of getting stepped on by someone who, say, noticed half of the signal.
Also, why are you sticking to 2-colors archetypes in a format where the 3rd booster is plain blank if u're not running 3?
There are no blanks. RTR and GTC both feature a large number of single color and hybrid staples. The power is high for the golds, but the glue for your deck is going to come from cards with single color.
Let's take Gruul for instance: I cut red hard (well, scooped up all of the burn) and picked up the best support/curve creatures I could find (which meant I went into green by happenstance). Because of how highly I was ranking the burn (which stands to reason, really), my leftward dude had enough of a base of green creatures that there was a 0% chance of him not continuing down that rout. Luckily I was able to nab any and stuff that came around. Then, p3 I was back to the regular, and even though I couldn't count on anything in-guild specifically there was still an utter horde of red and green cards floating around.
Since I was going 2 colors, even with only one guildgate, I was able to ignore any cost to double-costed cards and pretty much ignore manafixing, which gave me enough flexibility to pretty much just pick whatever I wanted pack 3, as opposed to the traditional "ack, my deck has holes in it!" scramble that one usually finds oneself doing.
If they runner out mana dudes and you follow up with Whipflare, prepare to win.
For me it was mostly single mana dude and then an attempt at pod or a wall of roots, etc.
And, to be honest, if a dork was hitting t1 I was killing it if I could. t2 pod is a nasty, nasty thing. T3 pod/bait for it/mana for it is something I'd rather not fight through.
Still, it's part of me running 6 MD removal (4 of which can be aimed at the face, 2 of which can create a broken back for the other guy) which is about where my comfort zone is.
You look around the room for one of the employees (who are also the judges) and yell "JUDGE!" And then when they have a break in the game they're playing, they'll answer your question.
Based on all the responses I've gotten here, I think I'm going to talk to the store owner in the near future. The thing is that I love the Magic community at that store, but the events are so freakin' disorganized.
So, what about appeals to the head judge? Are they playing to?
Having your judges present in the competition, even where not against rules, etc., is a bit of a nonbo.
After the GPQs I was inclined to cut the Whipflares for cheaper removal, but given the thought of playing through three match's of jank without any edge besides being a reasonably well made deck just seems so... soulcrushing.
That being said, against Melira pod or something where you're just trying to knock about the combo a bit to buy time and/or clear a blocker away so that they have less time, using a 2cc spell to kill something is just downright obnoxious.
hell, it almost works, aside from a misplay.
*sigh* We're seeing the birth of a healthy metagame mechanic and the format beeds confidence if it'sgonna grow. We can disagree about appropriate amounts if prubing, but either way now is NOT the time
Fling is bad and the origional build had all the artilands.
Er, no. The other guy gets turns into cryptic command by counterspell. There's a difference.
Also... Blue has had aggro cards. Fish has been a thing for ages.
I mean, I love it dearly... but does WoTC really want Smallpox to be a dominant archetype?
Consuming contract would be an amazing control card, but... do you really thing WoTC is going to make it costed fairly enough to be a valid lock?
Double Down just has too many chances to be an engine and Extraction defense regime.
We've already got black GY hate that was so beneficial that people started running GY hate to fight it and they're giving us a second one in M14. Let's not go there.
But... meh, Rites would be a delicious engine.
Also, this is a draftable format. It's a great card for a drafting format at uncommon, just like path and the like would be. It won't win the game outright but it's a solid threat on the offense with the option of some defense if the other guy is beating all over your face with some stupid swarm or is turning a goyf sideways every turn.
Aether Vial... could go to rare, but keeping it at uncommon would do an AMAZING thing for the manafixing while "only" being as nuts as the signets.
Er, more cantrips means you've effectively got more lands. Alan Comers and the Xerox effect and all that.
Protection's "protectiveness" can be remembered by running down an acronym, DEBT.
That means that you cannot be
Damages
Enchanted/Equipped
Blocked
Targeted
by things that fit the criteria. Gaze of Granite does none of those things so protection will not impair/protect against it.
I don't think he meant in terms of actually playing it unless you really needed the extra land. I'd personally rather have loam, however.
Sorcery speed is bad?
There are no blanks. RTR and GTC both feature a large number of single color and hybrid staples. The power is high for the golds, but the glue for your deck is going to come from cards with single color.
Let's take Gruul for instance: I cut red hard (well, scooped up all of the burn) and picked up the best support/curve creatures I could find (which meant I went into green by happenstance). Because of how highly I was ranking the burn (which stands to reason, really), my leftward dude had enough of a base of green creatures that there was a 0% chance of him not continuing down that rout. Luckily I was able to nab any
Since I was going 2 colors, even with only one guildgate, I was able to ignore any cost to double-costed cards and pretty much ignore manafixing, which gave me enough flexibility to pretty much just pick whatever I wanted pack 3, as opposed to the traditional "ack, my deck has holes in it!" scramble that one usually finds oneself doing.
What on earth are you talking about? You play around it by playing into it and giggling maniacally if they 2:1 themselves.
For me it was mostly single mana dude and then an attempt at pod or a wall of roots, etc.
And, to be honest, if a dork was hitting t1 I was killing it if I could. t2 pod is a nasty, nasty thing. T3 pod/bait for it/mana for it is something I'd rather not fight through.
Still, it's part of me running 6 MD removal (4 of which can be aimed at the face, 2 of which can create a broken back for the other guy) which is about where my comfort zone is.
Good god, man. Do you really want them to force fast aggro and nothing else in the format?
The only thing that'd be happy with a format where decks running black have a reasonable chance of having a pair of thoughtseizes would be fast aggro.
So, what about appeals to the head judge? Are they playing to?
Having your judges present in the competition, even where not against rules, etc., is a bit of a nonbo.
That being said, against Melira pod or something where you're just trying to knock about the combo a bit to buy time and/or clear a blocker away so that they have less time, using a 2cc spell to kill something is just downright obnoxious.