Hey guys,
I'm seeing a lot of 1x or 2x Dissipate in peoples' sideboards, and I was wondering when you guys are siding those in/against what matchups. I'm running the Illusions version of the deck, so I don't think maindeck Dissipate is logistically sound.
Assuming you have a decent run, your graveyard might look something like this by the time you hit 7:
-Viridian Emissary (2/1)
-Sea Gate Oracle (1/3)
-Entomber Exarch (2/2)
-Acidic Slime (2/2)
-Wurmcoil Engine (6/6)
That makes him a 13/14 trampler, at the cost of exiling all that stuff. While that is impressive, I would prefer
a) edicting my opponent with sheoldred's ability
b) rebuying that WCE to play with sheoldred's ability
In my experience, Sheoldred doesn't "win more" so much as she maintains the extreme level of pressure a decent Pod-start lays on, forcing your opponent to scramble for answers. I don't think Sutured Ghoul does anything in the 7-slot that Sheoldred doesn't already do (evasive fatty), and Sheoldred does a lot more on top of that.
The drawback to Nihilus doesn't really exist the way I assume you think it does.
I'm assuming the reason you think a 7/2 with that ability is okay is that if it dies, omglol, the opponent gets back ALL the copies of the exiled ☺☺☺☺ that they had in their deck! What a delightful risk!
Except it isn't.
You're going to fail to find any other copies of the cards, because you can, unless you can see NO removal in their deck and you really feel like screwing them out of ever drawing the stuff you exiled. So it's just upside piled on more upside piled on a retardedly cheap creature.
This was by far one of the most disappointing articles I've read on this site. The quality of this writing indicates an intense lack of any sort of editing or organizational process. It's as if you cranked the whole thing out because you remembered that you were supposed to have written an article, so we're graced with a jumbled rambling mess about enchantment identity and...purple, for some reason.
I read the whole thing, and I'm no closer to understanding your point than I was after reading the comments. There have been some really good Off Topic articles, so please don't take this as a personal attack, just a really frank opinion- this article was really bad, and you've shown that you can do much better.
That's right.
During damage assignment, BSC puts 4 damage towards the Keepers and 7 towards the opponent. Then the 4 damage is prevented, and the 7 results in 7 poison counters. Not really ideal because obviously you want to kill them in one swing and only be vulnerable to removal for 1 or even 0 turns. Could still win you the game though, if you get some pokes in with a Nexus early.
Oh, I agree, this isn't nescessarily a great approach. I've been pondering how to abuse leyline of anticipation since it was first spoiled, and I've a liking for Esper-like Decks. Basically, take 24 permission/draw cards, 4 coatings, 3 new tezz, 2 jace, 2 elspeth, 1 gideon etc etc, you start to see the picture, the coating interactions are just to make all my enchant/artifact removal more consistent. Add some contagion clasps, and a few other cards, and you have Artifact control :P...
Or I am just dreaming concoctions in color Still, its fun to see all the interactions
Stratgan
This is an online forum; there's a whole separate section for your signature, and your name is directly to the left of your post. Whatever would make you want to individually sign all your forum posts? It seems silly, maybe even ridiculous.
On topic, I had no expectations for new Tezz beyond hoping for a 4-drop (5 is historically a little high, 3-drops are almost unheard of). I have to say, I like what I see. Definitely a solid addition to any artifact-based deck running U/B or Esper colors (or some other mad concoction). Definitely hope I get the chance to rip one open. Maybe even a shiny, if the gods are kind?
I think there won't be a RW Mirran card, since otherwise it would have been the Mirran Prerelease Promo for simmetry reasons. (omg if the sentence was in proper English please tell me because it would be awesome! :o)
Grammatically, there's nothing wrong with this sentence. However, native English speakers almost never use negations this way. Rather than "I think [something] won't/isn't/doesn't [whatever]", it's more "proper" to say "I DON'T think [something] WILL/IS/DOES [whatever]", even though there's no strict grammatical rule indicating this.
Feedback Loop (Red Burn Spell...H? What are we up to?) R
Instant
~ deals 1 damage to target creature or player. If that creautre or player has taken damage this turn, ~ deals 3 damage to them instead. Open wounds make it easier for the pain to get in.
Spoils of Triumph RG
Sorcery
Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control that dealt damage this turn. "We lost Hargrim in a raid today; I will wield his sword for him." -Gaavrin, barbarian
Nachtmoore/Profiteers...
Pain for Profit 1BB
Enchantment 1B, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control: Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only any time you could play a sorcery. 2B, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control: Draw a card. Activate this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.
When you control no creatures, sacrifice Pain for Profit.
Fenstalk Wight 3BB
Creature- Spirit
Deathvoke
Fear
3/3 Wights appear wherever death abounds, drawn like dogs to the scent of freshly severed souls.
The Unquiet Earth XBB
Instant
Deathvoke
Return target creature in a graveyard with converted mana cost X or less to the battlefield under your control.
These are all formated with the new rules templating. Are we going to do that or stick to pre-2010 wording/rules for this set?
I don't want to sound like a douche here, but I just don't like Lashout. It's not a terrible mechanic, and it's not unbalanced or anything, it just doesn't seem very fun or interesting. Spellwield and Deathvoke are both interesting mechanics; Deathvoke changes the way players think about creatures dying, allowing them to pursue different battle plans in order to pull off huge spells on the backs of their dead armies (or their opponents). Spellwield allows us to rework the way people think about attacking by adding basically any effect or cost we want to an attacking or blocking creature. It's a very simple but extraordinarily versatile effect.
Lashout is literally Spellwield with less options. We can make a Spellwield creature that does extra damage when it attacks or blocks, and the fact that the mechanic can be completely absorbed by another mechanic we already have is probably the greatest piece of evidence towards not using Lashout. It doesn't change combat in any significant way, it just gives players more damage to toss around, and it reduces the desire to block, which as we've been discussing is something we're trying to promote in this set. Especially if we're going to be playing around with persist and wither, there's not really any room for a mechanic as uninteresting as Lashout. I'm still reluctant to bring back persist and wither as well, especially so soon after Shadowmoor/Eventide, but I think as long as we're doing things that are fresh and new with the mechanics, we can pull it off.
On a somewhat different note, just as pstmdrn has a speciality in flavor text, I am talented when it comes to templating cards properly. I've noticed that a great many of the cards we're posting here are improperly worded or are worded such that they don't do what they're supposed to. I would like to be a part of any group that's eventually going to address that issue.
Whoa damn. I like it. A lot. I'm a little sad at just how catastrophically bad it is in multiplayer though. In a four player game this thing is dead even if everyone only has 5 lands each XD. I think it's an intriguing card that a lot of people would want to play as a very large creature, and i think they'll find it's actually very hard to do so and win.
Bodybloat Fen
Land- Swamp
T: Add B to your mana pool.
T: Add BB to your mana pool. Play this ability only if a creature you control has been put into a graveyard from play this turn.
Truth or Consequences UB
Sorcery
Look at the top seven cards of your library. You may reveal a card among them, sacrifice a creature, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library. If you don't, shuffle your library, then draw a card.
Steep in War 1R
Enchantment- Aura
Enchant Creature
At the end of each of your turns, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.
Whenever enchanted creature attacks or blocks, it gets +2/+2 for each -1/-1 counter on it. Day in, day out, he sat by his tent, polishing his sword absentmindedly. Then the wargongs began to toll and the age fell away from his brow.
Hoy guys, sorry I've been under radio silence for like two weeks, summer vacation is always a bit spotty for me, I move around a lot. Within the next ten days or so I should be settling down into a more permanent location where i'll have more steady access to the internet.
If we're picking areas of focus, I'd love to work on Nachtmoore, since I named it, and I love B, and I'd also love to work on the Hordes and/or Structures across the board. Everything seems to be shaping up very impressively, though I'm concerned about the density of keywords we've got going on at the moment. We really need to thin out some of the unnecessary stuff (banding can definitely get the boot imo, and we seem to have one or two kicker variants that we can just do away with). We also seem to be using a bunch of block mechanics in Rampage, like wither, that aren't really applicable in all sets, but we can still use if we want.
Epic! No wait Legendary! No wait Mythic! CURSES!
Also 8-Bit Theater is a fantastic comic, an I like the idea of a person becoming a nexus for mana. Idea: maybe you could have a creature that is fuelled by mana, but only your own?
Arcane Devourer 2UB
Creature- Horror
Flying
Whenever you play a noncreature spell, counter that spell and put X +1/+1 counters on ~, where X is that spells converted mana cost.
2/2
1: I thought the Dampening was caused by the events of time spiral?
2: Bralke is unspeakably busted. He's a hard lock by himself unless your opponent can counter him, or float mana for a kill spell in response, because once he hits play no one can do ANYTHING. On the other hand, if you just make it nonland permanents, he's not good at all. Maybe something like:
"Players can't play mana abilities of permanents they control unless they pay 1 life."
3: Just make the "Legendary" spell have an extra line of rules text that states that it's restricted.
The Coalition-conflict idea is a very good one. It allows us to make cards representing areas that have significant mana while also being a driving point to the story.
Brouhaha- I like it. This seems delightfully abusable.
Blood Scrolls and maybe Temporal Loop seem a bit underpowered, while Desperate Study may be a little too good. Some additional questions:
Why is Whirlwind of Destruction Epic? If you get that spell every turn, then you just stay at one life while your opponents lose everything, then they have to hope they topdeck a shock to hit you with their one mountain they get to play before you destroy everything they have at the beginning of your next turn.
Why does Lightning Storm end the turn?
I like Daring Apprentice as a reprint, it really fits everything nicely and thematically.
Shieldmage Adept W
Creature- Human Cleric
Spellwield- Whenever ~ attacks or blocks, you may pay W. If you do, all damage that would be dealt to other creatures or players this turn is dealt to ~ instead.
1/1
Much better. I would never invest 6 mana into a fog effect ever, even if I also occasionally got to swing for 1. WW for fog on a 1/1 isn't so bad.
Edit: With this guy existing, be careful about printing auras or equipment granting indestructibility, as this guy being indestructible would make for brutal control lockdowns of combat.
I'm seeing a lot of 1x or 2x Dissipate in peoples' sideboards, and I was wondering when you guys are siding those in/against what matchups. I'm running the Illusions version of the deck, so I don't think maindeck Dissipate is logistically sound.
-Viridian Emissary (2/1)
-Sea Gate Oracle (1/3)
-Entomber Exarch (2/2)
-Acidic Slime (2/2)
-Wurmcoil Engine (6/6)
That makes him a 13/14 trampler, at the cost of exiling all that stuff. While that is impressive, I would prefer
a) edicting my opponent with sheoldred's ability
b) rebuying that WCE to play with sheoldred's ability
In my experience, Sheoldred doesn't "win more" so much as she maintains the extreme level of pressure a decent Pod-start lays on, forcing your opponent to scramble for answers. I don't think Sutured Ghoul does anything in the 7-slot that Sheoldred doesn't already do (evasive fatty), and Sheoldred does a lot more on top of that.
I'm assuming the reason you think a 7/2 with that ability is okay is that if it dies, omglol, the opponent gets back ALL the copies of the exiled ☺☺☺☺ that they had in their deck! What a delightful risk!
Except it isn't.
You're going to fail to find any other copies of the cards, because you can, unless you can see NO removal in their deck and you really feel like screwing them out of ever drawing the stuff you exiled. So it's just upside piled on more upside piled on a retardedly cheap creature.
I read the whole thing, and I'm no closer to understanding your point than I was after reading the comments. There have been some really good Off Topic articles, so please don't take this as a personal attack, just a really frank opinion- this article was really bad, and you've shown that you can do much better.
During damage assignment, BSC puts 4 damage towards the Keepers and 7 towards the opponent. Then the 4 damage is prevented, and the 7 results in 7 poison counters. Not really ideal because obviously you want to kill them in one swing and only be vulnerable to removal for 1 or even 0 turns. Could still win you the game though, if you get some pokes in with a Nexus early.
This is an online forum; there's a whole separate section for your signature, and your name is directly to the left of your post. Whatever would make you want to individually sign all your forum posts? It seems silly, maybe even ridiculous.
On topic, I had no expectations for new Tezz beyond hoping for a 4-drop (5 is historically a little high, 3-drops are almost unheard of). I have to say, I like what I see. Definitely a solid addition to any artifact-based deck running U/B or Esper colors (or some other mad concoction). Definitely hope I get the chance to rip one open. Maybe even a shiny, if the gods are kind?
Grammatically, there's nothing wrong with this sentence. However, native English speakers almost never use negations this way. Rather than "I think [something] won't/isn't/doesn't [whatever]", it's more "proper" to say "I DON'T think [something] WILL/IS/DOES [whatever]", even though there's no strict grammatical rule indicating this.
Feedback Loop (Red Burn Spell...H? What are we up to?)
R
Instant
~ deals 1 damage to target creature or player. If that creautre or player has taken damage this turn, ~ deals 3 damage to them instead.
Open wounds make it easier for the pain to get in.
Spoils of Triumph
RG
Sorcery
Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control that dealt damage this turn.
"We lost Hargrim in a raid today; I will wield his sword for him." -Gaavrin, barbarian
Nachtmoore/Profiteers...
Pain for Profit 1BB
Enchantment
1B, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control: Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.
2B, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control: Draw a card. Activate this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.
When you control no creatures, sacrifice Pain for Profit.
Fenstalk Wight
3BB
Creature- Spirit
Deathvoke
Fear
3/3
Wights appear wherever death abounds, drawn like dogs to the scent of freshly severed souls.
The Unquiet Earth XBB
Instant
Deathvoke
Return target creature in a graveyard with converted mana cost X or less to the battlefield under your control.
These are all formated with the new rules templating. Are we going to do that or stick to pre-2010 wording/rules for this set?
Lashout is literally Spellwield with less options. We can make a Spellwield creature that does extra damage when it attacks or blocks, and the fact that the mechanic can be completely absorbed by another mechanic we already have is probably the greatest piece of evidence towards not using Lashout. It doesn't change combat in any significant way, it just gives players more damage to toss around, and it reduces the desire to block, which as we've been discussing is something we're trying to promote in this set. Especially if we're going to be playing around with persist and wither, there's not really any room for a mechanic as uninteresting as Lashout. I'm still reluctant to bring back persist and wither as well, especially so soon after Shadowmoor/Eventide, but I think as long as we're doing things that are fresh and new with the mechanics, we can pull it off.
On a somewhat different note, just as pstmdrn has a speciality in flavor text, I am talented when it comes to templating cards properly. I've noticed that a great many of the cards we're posting here are improperly worded or are worded such that they don't do what they're supposed to. I would like to be a part of any group that's eventually going to address that issue.
Bodybloat Fen
Land- Swamp
T: Add B to your mana pool.
T: Add BB to your mana pool. Play this ability only if a creature you control has been put into a graveyard from play this turn.
Truth or Consequences
UB
Sorcery
Look at the top seven cards of your library. You may reveal a card among them, sacrifice a creature, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library. If you don't, shuffle your library, then draw a card.
Steep in War
1R
Enchantment- Aura
Enchant Creature
At the end of each of your turns, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.
Whenever enchanted creature attacks or blocks, it gets +2/+2 for each -1/-1 counter on it.
Day in, day out, he sat by his tent, polishing his sword absentmindedly. Then the wargongs began to toll and the age fell away from his brow.
If we're picking areas of focus, I'd love to work on Nachtmoore, since I named it, and I love B, and I'd also love to work on the Hordes and/or Structures across the board. Everything seems to be shaping up very impressively, though I'm concerned about the density of keywords we've got going on at the moment. We really need to thin out some of the unnecessary stuff (banding can definitely get the boot imo, and we seem to have one or two kicker variants that we can just do away with). We also seem to be using a bunch of block mechanics in Rampage, like wither, that aren't really applicable in all sets, but we can still use if we want.
Also 8-Bit Theater is a fantastic comic, an I like the idea of a person becoming a nexus for mana. Idea: maybe you could have a creature that is fuelled by mana, but only your own?
Arcane Devourer 2UB
Creature- Horror
Flying
Whenever you play a noncreature spell, counter that spell and put X +1/+1 counters on ~, where X is that spells converted mana cost.
2/2
2: Bralke is unspeakably busted. He's a hard lock by himself unless your opponent can counter him, or float mana for a kill spell in response, because once he hits play no one can do ANYTHING. On the other hand, if you just make it nonland permanents, he's not good at all. Maybe something like:
"Players can't play mana abilities of permanents they control unless they pay 1 life."
3: Just make the "Legendary" spell have an extra line of rules text that states that it's restricted.
The Coalition-conflict idea is a very good one. It allows us to make cards representing areas that have significant mana while also being a driving point to the story.
Blood Scrolls and maybe Temporal Loop seem a bit underpowered, while Desperate Study may be a little too good. Some additional questions:
Why is Whirlwind of Destruction Epic? If you get that spell every turn, then you just stay at one life while your opponents lose everything, then they have to hope they topdeck a shock to hit you with their one mountain they get to play before you destroy everything they have at the beginning of your next turn.
Why does Lightning Storm end the turn?
I like Daring Apprentice as a reprint, it really fits everything nicely and thematically.
Creature- Human Cleric
Spellwield- Whenever ~ attacks or blocks, you may pay W. If you do, all damage that would be dealt to other creatures or players this turn is dealt to ~ instead.
1/1
Much better. I would never invest 6 mana into a fog effect ever, even if I also occasionally got to swing for 1. WW for fog on a 1/1 isn't so bad.
Edit: With this guy existing, be careful about printing auras or equipment granting indestructibility, as this guy being indestructible would make for brutal control lockdowns of combat.