- NinStarRune
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Member for 10 years and 6 months
Last active Wed, Apr, 17 2024 01:27:38
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Aug 18, 2014NinStarRune posted a message on Standard Quick Hits: M15 Game-ChangersOh. :x When did they change that?Posted in: Articles
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Aug 17, 2014NinStarRune posted a message on Standard Quick Hits: M15 Game-ChangersAlso...Garruk, Caller of Beasts isn't in Standard any more. Sorry.Posted in: Articles
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Mar 24, 2014NinStarRune posted a message on Casual Castle: Nemesis of MortalsAs long as we're playing in the Graveyard:Posted in: Articles
Might as well combo with Necrotic Ooze. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
After putting it off for almost a decade, I finally pulled the trigger and decided to start making a Commander deck.
Ever since I saw Damia, Sage of Stone I knew I wanted to have her as my Commander. My main issue of all things is knowing what ratios to use. Since I've been slowly hoarding random cards that I thought would be useful for EDH, I've collected a pile of "goodstuff" that I would imagine are EDH staples or just good cards for the format.
Following is NOT a decklist, but a collection of cards that I have at my disposal for use in EDH that I thought would be good. The might not be. Reasoning will follow:
1x Damia, Sage of Stone
Creatures: 11
1x Chasm Skulker
1x Cryptoplasm
1x Diluvian Primordial
1x Rune-Scarred Demon
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Genesis Hydra
1x Eternal Witness
1x Thragtusk
1x Bane of Progress
1x Deathrite Shaman
1x Shardless Agent
Planeswalkers: 1
1x Kiora, Master of the Depths
Instants: 14
1x Pact of Negation
1x Mana Drain
1x Disallow
1x Dissipate
1x Fated Infatuation
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Insidious Will
1x Cryptic Command
1x Dig Through Time
1x Slaughter Pact
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Chord of Calling
1x Putrefy
1x Sultai Charm
Sorceries: 10
1x Rite of Replication
1x Ugin's Insight
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Three Visits
1x Nissa's Pilgrimage
1x Kodama's Reach
1x Eldritch Evolution
1x Hour of Promise
1x Driven//Despair
1x Future Sight
1x Necropotence
1x Grave Pact
1x Khalni Heart Expedition
1x Sylvan Library
1x Growing Rites of Itlimoc
Artifacts: 14
1x Sol Ring
1x Pyramid of the Pantheon
1x Arcane Signet
1x Dimir Signet
1x Golgari Signet
1x Simic Signet
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Thought Vessel
1x Oblivion Stone
1x Rings of Brighthearth
1x Whip of Erebos
1x Bottled Cloister
1x Thran Dynamo
1x Nevinyrral's Disk
Nonbasic Lands:
1x Lonely Sandbar
1x Barren Moor
1x Tranquil Thicket
1x Command Tower
1x Command Beacon
1x Drowned Catacomb
1x Woodland Cemetery
1x Hinterland Harbor
1x Darkslick Shores
1x Blooming Marsh
1x Botanical Sanctum
1x Polluted Delta
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Dimir Aqueduct
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Simic Growth Chamber
1x Jwar Isle Refuge
1x Dismal Backwater
1x Jungle Hollow
1x Thornwood Falls
1x Underground River
1x Llanowar Wastes
1x Yavimaya Coast
1x Watery Grave
1x Overgrown Tomb
1x Breeding Pool
1x Temple of Deceit
1x Temple of Malady
1x Temple of Mystery
1x Temple of the False God
1x Opulent Palace
1x Terramorphic Expanse
Chasm Skulker: Great synergy with Damia. Grows tall and then wide if it dies.
Cryptoplasm: Clone into the best thing on the board each turn. Downside is it has to live a turn so I'm not sure how useful it'll be.
Diluvian Primordial: Cast the best thing each opponent has already played.
Rune-Scarred Demon: A Demonic Tutor for 4B more that comes with a free 6/6 flyer attached to it.
Birds of Paradise: Always good.
Genesis Hydra: Genesis Wave's cousin that comes with a free Hydra.
Eternal Witness: Another copy of the best thing I've played this game.
Thragtusk: Lots of value for one card.
Bane of Progress: Mass hate/soft reset button.
Deathrite Shaman: Always good.
Shardless Agent: Can hit some value off Cascade.
Kiora, Master of the Depths: Mostly for her +1 to help ramp out although her -2 isn't bad either.
Pact of Negation: Emergency counter.
Mana Drain: It's Mana Drain.
Disallow: "I never want this ability to resolve" counter.
Dissipate: "I never want to see this recur from the Graveyard" counter
Fated Infatuation: Copy my best thing, plus Scry 2 if I want. Might cut this.
Fact or Fiction: I originally ran this aside Gifts Ungiven until I learned it was banned. As for now it gives me value plus can put stuff in the Graveyard for later if I need it. Probably will cut this.
Insidious Will: A lot of options for one card. Probably will use the second and third modes more than the first.
Cryptic Command: Value town.
Dig Through Time: Delve is broken. UU to draw 2 of 7 cards. Do I need bonus card draw with Damia? Probably not, but greed is the name of the game.
Slaughter Pact: Emergency kill button.
Vampiric Tutor: Control my next draw to be whatever I need at Instant speed.
Chord of Calling: Follows up well to Chasm Skulker dying. Currently don't have much for it to hit though.
Putrefy: Flexible kill spell or artifact breaker.
Sultai Charm: Flexibility.
Rite of Replication: Clone the best creature on the board (and late-game, do it 4 more times).
Ugin's Insight: U[mana][mana]B[/mana]G[/mana] has some fatties available to it so why not capitalize on that fact and help stack my deck?
Demonic Tutor: It's Demonic Tutor.
Green Sun's Zenith: Doesn't currently hit much. Might cut.
Three Visits: Grab a G Shock or Forest.
Nissa's Pilgrimage: Depends on my mana base, probably will cut since I don't see myself running a ton of Forests and Kodama's Reach is probably better for 3color.
Kodama's Reach: Value.
Eldritch Evolution: Birthing Pod's weird twin. Currently not much for it to go into. 3 drop into Thragtusk is cute, as is Thragtusk into Diluvian Primordial or Rune-Scarred Demon.
Hour of Promise: Can pull out any Land but the additional effect will never happen. Will probably cut this?
Driven//Despair: Both halves are good and cheap. Probably don't need the Driven half but it's nice to have in the turns before I can drop Damia.
Future Sight: Play a card draw a card. A bit expensive though and with how much card draw Damia provides I might not need it.
Necropotence: I'm already skipping my draw step. Might as well capitalize on it.
Grave Pact: Good card. Not much synergy at the moment.
Khalni Heart Expedition: Free ramp for playing the game.
Sylvan Library: Draw manipulation or straight up draws if I like what I see.
Growing Rites of Itlimoc: 3 mana to possibly draw a dude and turns into massive ramp if I get ahead in the game or crash Chasm Skulker into something.
Sol Ring: It's Sol Ring.
Pyramid of the Pantheon: Inefficient filter for 3 turns then turns into a repeatable Black Lotus. I don't see it used in a lot of decks according to edhrec so it's probably not that good.
Arcane Signet: Mana rock.
Guild Signets: Filter rocks.
Lightning Greaves: 2 investment for Haste and Shroud for anything I want.
Thought Vessel: Great synergy with Damia and is a mana rock.
Oblivion Stone: Reset button.
Rings of Brighthearth: Value potential. Not sure how much synergy it has right now but once I slot in common staples it should be better.
Whip of Erebos: Fat value.
Bottled Cloister: Synergy with Damia. Can manipulate the stack so that I draw 7 with Damia then get all the cards exiled with it back. Do I need like 14 cards in hand? No. But it's neat and boosts Chasm Skulker to high heaven.
Thran Dynamo: Big mana rock.
Nevinyrral's Disk: Slow reset button.
Mono Cycling Lands: Slow mana early game, draw later game.
Command Tower: It's Command Tower.
Command Beacon: I want Damia out and if she leaves then I want her back ASAP. I have the mana (possibly) to keep up with her costs but if she gets too expensive then this is for that.
Dual Checklands: Don't know how good these are for EDH but they're duals. Can't afford ABU duels.
Dual Fastlands: Don't know how good these are for EDH at all. ETB tapped if I have 2 other lands up.
Fetchlands: They're fetches.
Guild Bouncelands: Mana fixing.
Jwar Isle Refuge + Khans Gainlands: I feel these aren't that good but it's 1 free life plus utility.
Painlands: I feel these are good early game while I wait to build my mana pool. Yes it pings for 1 if I want a color but I can live with that at 40 life.
Shocklands: They're shocklands.
Theros Temples: Same with the Khan Gainlands but I get a Scry off of them.
Opulent Palace: Second Command Tower that ETBs tapped.
Temple of the False God: Useless early game. Good late game.
Terramorphic Expanse: Mana fixing.
Like I said, these are just bones. With these bones I hope to understand how to construct a skeleton, and later onto that skeleton graft flesh with other useful cards for the deck. But to continue the analogy, I have too many bones, and need to know which bones don't fit, and which bones I should use instead.
Normally I wouldn't make a thread for this, but looking at the Damia primer and a lot of other Damia decks, they're all a few years out of date. In those few years we've gotten hundreds of new cards for the potential toolbox and posts from 2-3 years ago won't take those and the possible synergies they bring into account.
Thank you in advance for any advice and help!
Another Affinity player at my LGS showed me his list which ran 1 more Memnite, no Thoughtcasts, and 4x Galvanic Blasts but I like the ability to draw 2 for U for that extra gas to put a few more guys on the field or maybe nab an extra Plating. The more I think about it though I wonder how useful it is actually.
That is true, but I don't really know what to cut aside from 2x Thoughtcast for the Spire of Industry. I'll probably do that anyways. Might even go 2x Dispatch in the main instead of Thoughtcasts altogether. Still unsure.
I might just do that honestly. But again, I feel like I'd be boarding in a lot and I don't know what to start taking out when sideboarding for matchups.
Dismember is cool but at the same time Dispatch can get rid of things Dismember can't (a 3/4 Goyf, for example whereas Dispatch just exiles him or at worst taps him so we can get through)
I look at Wear//Tear and I just don't see the appeal in it. It's a worse Ancient Grudge and/or a worse Erase and while having the option to choose is there, it doesn't make much sense since I feel the only time we'll use it is against Stony Silence and with a 1-of we'll only be using Tear, and the only deck we'd use possibly both sides would be mirror but why would Affinity use Stony Silence on itself?
Either way it's making me think but if no one else is objecting or has any criticism I guess I'll let it go gold and see how it does.
So I've had the pieces of Affinity lying around for a while from the good old days of Scars block and I've recently cobbled something together for a maindeck. What sort of things should I have in Sideboard? The meta there seems to be a lot of CoCo/Counters Company/Abzan Exalted, with a mix of Eldrazi Tron, Bant Eldrazi, Gx Tron, and a few people running Bogles, Gifts Storm, and BUG Death's Shadow.
2x Memnite
4x Ornithopter
4x Signal Pest
4x Vault Skirge
4x Arcbound Ravager
4x Steel Overseer
1x Master of Etherium
3x Etched Champion
Spells: 5
2x Galvanic Blast
3x Thoughtcast
4x Mox Opal
4x Springleaf Drum
4x Cranial Plating
Lands: 17
3x Glimmervoid
2x Spire of Industry
3x Darksteel Citadel
4x Blinkmoth Nexus
4x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Island
1x Dispatch
2x Spell Pierce
2x Thoughtseize
2x Natural State
1x Graffigger's Cage
1x Rest In Peace
1x Ancient Grudge
1x Blood Moon
2x Giraphur Aether Grid
1x Whipflare
1x Etched Champion
So I had a little trouble coming up with the sideboard but I think I found a good mix (although I'd like 1 more Dispatch and 1 more Whipflare but sacrifices must be made)
•I'm not sure how much weight a single Dispatch will pull but it can at least remove fatter threats if I pull it.
•Spell Pierce, Thoughtseize, and Natural State give me 6 answers to Stony Silence and since a lot of my local meta is Abzan I feel like I'll see a lot of it, or at least there's a higher potential for it.
•Natural State also helps against the solitary Bogles player, at least killing Spider Umbra or something that gives it flying.
•Grafdigger's Cage is for the single Storm and the couple of Death's Shadow or Dredge decks. I'm a bit worried about Goyf but I'm hoping to outrace him or at least fly over him before he gets too big so that's why I'm using it over Relic of Progenitus.
•Rest in Peace, see above. Also not too sure about this one.
•Only 1x Ancient Grudge since there isn't a lot of Affinity (only one other deck I think?) at my LGS so I don't expect many mirrors, plus 2x Natural States act as cheaper versions of the Flashback anyways most of the time and I feel they have greater potential reach, especially against Bogles.
• Blood Moon for the handful of Tron players and maybe some CoCo?
•2 Grids against Stony Silence but then again I'll be boarding in like 8 cards to deal with it which seems like too much for Affinity (and honestly I don't know what to cut aside from Memnites, Galvanic Blasts, and a Thoughtcast.)
•Whipflare as a weak semi-boardwipe.
•Etched Champion for Abzan.
I'd also probably cut something for an Ethersworn Canonist or two but then again I'm not sure how good she'd be anyways.
Old in case you want to compare:
2x Memnite
4x Ornithopter
4x Signal Pest
4x Vault Skirge
4x Arcbound Ravager
4x Steel Overseer
1x Master of Etherium
3x Etched Champion
2x Galvanic Blast
4x Thoughtcast
Non-Creature Artifacts: 12
4x Mox Opal
4x Springleaf Drum
4x Cranial Plating
Lands: 16
3x Glimmervoid
4x Darksteel Citadel
4x Blinkmoth Nexus
4x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Island
Need 4 Push since it kills like 90% of the top 40 played creatures or something like that, for basically the price of 1 life (off a Fetch) and 1 Black mana. I went down to 2 Bolts to accomadate it. Much like how run Green = play Goyf, now it's run Black = play Push.
What matchup is the Grid for?
So those are the staple sideboard cards, then? What about something like Whipflare? I mainly need help with making a sideboard.
2x Memnite
4x Ornithopter
4x Signal Pest
4x Vault Skirge
4x Arcbound Ravager
4x Steel Overseer
1x Master of Etherium
3x Etched Champion
2x Galvanic Blast
4x Thoughtcast
Non-Creature Artifacts: 12
4x Mox Opal
4x Springleaf Drum
4x Cranial Plating
Lands: 16
3x Glimmervoid
4x Darksteel Citadel
4x Blinkmoth Nexus
4x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Island
Also any criticism is welcomed since I just kind of based this off of the front page primer. ._.;
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Dark Confidant
3x Scavenging Ooze
1x Huntmaster of the Fells
1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Spells: 18
4x Fatal Push
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
3x Thoughtseize
2x Lightning Bolt
2x Abrupt Decay
2x Terminate
1x Kolaghan’s Command
1x Maelstrom Pulse
4x Liliana of the Veil
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Lands: 24
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
2x Overgrown Tomb
1x Blood Crypt
1x Stomping Ground
4x Verdant Catacombs
2x Bloodstained Mire
2x Wooded Foothills
1x Twilight Mire
3x Raging Ravine
2x Treetop Village
1x Swamp
1x Forest
1x Grafdigger’s Cage
2x Nihil Spellbomb
2x Ancient Grudge
3x Fulminator Mage
2x Kitchen Finks
2x Anger of the Gods
1x Damnation
2x Thrun, the Last Troll
The meta there seems to be a lot of CoCo/Counters Company/Abzan Exalted, with a mix of Eldrazi Tron, Bant Eldrazi, Gx Tron, and a few people running Bogles, Gifts Storm, and BUG Death's Shadow. If I can come out strong then I usually can stabilize and start to bash, but more often than not they'll absorb the Thoughtseize and just dump out dudes G1. G2 I never get my board wipes or they T0 a Leyline of Sanctity which I honestly don't know what to do about.
I also feel like I never draw what I want or need. Should I mull a hand that doesn't have any opening discard on G1? I also feel like I don't have enough creatures, but that's coming from me running maindeck 3x Kitchen Finks for the longest time, but the majority of the time I feel like I'm animating Treetop Village or Raging Ravine to swing for damage.
Another big roadblock aside from the Leylines dropping are Pithing Needles naming Liliana of the Veil on G2/G3. Should I board in Ancient Grudges if I know they run it in their board?
Thanks for the help. For the longest time I'd only ever piloted against RG Tron so I'm still learning matchups.
Well it turns out my info was outdated.
G1: R/B Storm. Round 1 I died on turn 3 to a 15-storm grapeshot, round 2 I fought back but got swarmed by 4-storm Empty the Warrens with no board wipe to counter.
G2: CoCo. Won 2-0 due to him flooding and screwing in both games.
G3: Bant Eldrazi. He scooped Round 1 due to Thoughtsiezes and Inquisitions plus Bob on board for gas before he could stabilize. Round 2 he dropped Thragtusk and I had no Goyf or kill spells to deal with him so I really just had to take 6 to the face. Round 3 I fought back pretty well after a tough choice between Pulsing a Pithing Needle naming Liliana or a Thought-Knot. I went with the Thought-Knot (in hindsight I probably should've hit the Needle but I was already pretty low and afraid he had another creature in hand and I didn't want to let that much power on the board with nothing on my side). He dropped a Reality Smasher and managed to get me to 0 with a Finks on my field through Trample.
G4: Bant Spirits/Coco? G1 he came out fast before I could stabilize, plus I drew all three Scoozes. He also Reflector Mage'd one pretty much locking me out, plus swinging in the air with double exalted Spell Queller. Round 2 he dropped Burrenton Forge-Tender which made the Anger of the Gods I drew on T2 useless as I tried to stall out for a Terminate/Bolt. He double Spell-Quelled my Scoozes and my Goyf couldn't do anything about it.
All in all a pretty bad night. :/
So since no one is saying anything about 2x 4cmc, should I take it that it's alright?
Is it alright to run no 3 drops and 2 4 drops? I don't know whether to cut Kalitas or Huntmaster. If I cut one a Finks might go mainboard, or maybe a Fulminator Mage.
Sideboard also needs work in the upper half but I'm not sure exactly what to put in there. Lots of DS, some Jund and Tron at the LGS from what I've heard.
4x Dark Confidant
3x Scavenging Ooze
4x Tarmogoyf
1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1x Huntmaster of the Fells
Spells: 18
4x Fatal Push
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Thoughtseize
2x Lightning Bolt
2x Terminate
2x Abrupt Decay
1x Kolaghan's Command
1x Maelstrom Pulse
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4x Liliana of the Veil
Lands: 24
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
2x Overgrown Tomb
1x Blood Crypt
1x Stomping Grounds
4x Verdant Catacombs
2x Bloodstained Mire
2x Wooded Foothills
1x Twilight Mire
3x Raging Ravine
2x Treetop Village
1x Swamp
1x Forest
1x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Ancient Grudge
2x Fulminator Mage
2x Anger of the Gods
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
2x Crumble to Dust
2x Obstinate Baloth
2x Thrun, the Last Troll
1x Slaughter Games
Here's what I'm currently running. My LGS has a lot of Jund and some Affinity, with a bit of Bant too.
4x Dark Confidant
2x Scavenging Ooze
4x Tarmogoyf
1x Courser of Kruphix
2x Kitchen Finks
1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1x Huntmaster of the Fells
Spells: 17
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
3x Thoughtseize
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Terminate
3x Abrupt Decay
2x Kolaghan's Command
1x Maelstrom Pulse
3x Liliana of the Veil
1x Chandra, Pyromaster
Lands: 24
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
2x Overgrown Tomb
1x Blood Crypt
1x Stomping Grounds
4x Verdant Catacombs
2x Bloodstained Mire
2x Wooded Foothills
1x Twilight Mire
3x Raging Ravine
2x Treetop Village
1x Swamp
1x Forest
1x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Ancient Grudge
2x Fulminator Mage
2x Anger of the Gods
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
2x Crumble to Dust
2x Obstinate Baloth
2x Thrun, the Last Troll
1x Slaughter Games
I have these lying around.
1x Courser of Kruphix
1x Kitchen Finks
2x Fulminator Mage
1x Olivia Voldaren
1x Huntmaster of the Fells
1x Stormbreath Dragon
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Back to Nature
2x Rakdos Charm
1x Jund Charm
Also, haven't updated since last July; anything new I should be looking at?
Here's what I'm currently running.
4x Dark Confidant
2x Scavenging Ooze
4x Tarmogoyf
1x Courser of Kruphix
2x Kitchen Finks
1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1x Huntmaster of the Fells
Spells: 17
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
3x Thoughtseize
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Terminate
3x Abrupt Decay
2x Kolaghan's Command
1x Maelstrom Pulse
3x Liliana of the Veil
1x Chandra, Pyromaster
Lands: 24
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
2x Overgrown Tomb
1x Blood Crypt
1x Stomping Grounds
4x Verdant Catacombs
2x Bloodstained Mire
2x Wooded Foothills
1x Twilight Mire
3x Raging Ravine
2x Treetop Village
1x Swamp
1x Forest
1x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Ancient Grudge
2x Fulminator Mage
2x Anger of the Gods
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
2x Crumble to Dust
2x Obstinate Baloth
2x Thrun, the Last Troll
1x Slaughter Games
I have these lying around.
1x Courser of Kruphix
1x Kitchen Finks
2x Fulminator Mage
1x Olivia Voldaren
1x Huntmaster of the Fells
1x Stormbreath Dragon
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Back to Nature
2x Rakdos Charm
1x Jund Charm
In-block Wolfbriar was really good. My friend had like two in his Ally Deck.