I tried to file mail fraud, but was informed at the post office that there is no grounds for charges as my package was picked up and therefore in the eyes of the post office, delivered. Any arrangement made between Kenzin and myself the post office is not liable for.
This seems odd ... Mail Fraud, in my understanding, has nothing to do with whether or not the package is delivered. Mail Fraud is more along the lines of defrauding a person of currency or goods, in which the perpetration of the crime involves the USPS. Meaning, fraud through the mail, not fraud of the mail.
Perhaps I'm mistaken. But, I know Galspanic isn't the only member to have filed claims and had nothing come of them; from what I've heard it takes MANY complaints for them to bother investigating a person.
I have never been ripped on MTGS, but years ago when I branched out to other sites I was ripped of 4x FOW on Pojo. I ended up using a reverse lookup service with the kid's address, and calling his house. Turns out it was like a 15 year old kid. He hung up on me, but I called back later and spoke with his father. The kid was pissed, but surprise surprise I had 4x FOW in the mail a few days later. So, I was out my postage and some time, but it was fairly resolved.
I agree with what the other established traders above have said. As for sending order, I always ask a trader with less than 40ish refs to send first. Often I will simulsend without saying so; their reaction to the sending order question is what I'm looking for. If the response is "Oh, I need the cards right away, so please please please can we simulsend?" my answer will be No. If they have no problem sending first, and have at least a few refs, and I get a good vibe from them, I may send early.
My biggest suggestion would be to start off trading with high-ref members. Not just 10ish, but a good 40+. While this doesn't guarantee anything (Everyone remember Lance?), it's a fair indicator, and probably the safest bet.
Third-party trading can be difficult to justify if the trade isn't large ($100+?), but if called for, it helps.
What would you try for a list? As I've said, I think Survival kind of goes against the grain of the deck. I will definitely say that it toolboxes the deck nicely, but it seems to detract too greatly from the inherent explosive nature.
Additional Through the Breach and Lotus Petal : Had thought this, but wasn't sure if the open playset would be better suited otherwise.
Additional Eldrazi : Honestly, I had incorrectly remembered Ulamog's abilities. Having checked them again, I absolutely agree.
Akroma, Angel of Fury : a card I have repeatedly disregarded ... do you think it's a good fit? I shy away from it given the increase in Eldrazi, and the logical thought process that leads to then adding in the Demon
Hellcarver Demon : Again, I like the idea, I just worry about the stability of it. I suppose that a dead flop can happen just the same as a game when you somehow never get a Sneak effect, or never get a beater. As I said I wholeheartedly believe it's worth testing, and apparently you guys have a favorable opinion after testing.
Grim Monolith : I also had overlooked it. My only concern would be in adding that as well as Ancient Tombs, that's taking away 8 sources of red mana in favor of colorless. What would Monolith replace? I would have to assume Rite of Flame. The Seething Song adds more, thus keeping first turn capability, and Spirit Guide as well as Lotus Petal don't require a red source to build off.
Not sure about the spread involved in putting the Demons in ... right now this list is at 61. Actually considering dropping an E-Tutor, as we've increased to 8 Sneak effects. Next concern is the low count of basics, but I'm not sure it really matters most of the time, given the speed. I had knocked out 3 fetches and a basic to fit the Tombs. I think that mana base will need some test/tweaking. Obviously the R/W ratio in basics will depend largely on sideboard options. Also, would it be worth dropping Emrakul to 3 and up Ulamog to 3, to cut down on legendary double-up?
So, after some changes using cards I have, this is what I'm starting with for Sneak. Prior to this change there were still remnants of green in the deck (back in the day my accelerant base was Orcish Lumberjack, Tinder Wall, Elvish Spirit Guide.) I'm strictly white/red now, and after the decklist I will list some card analysis and proposed changes; as I said this is with the cards I have in front of me.
The accelerant base should explain the lack of Trinisphere, to answer that question.
Sneak has 4 parts: Core, Beats, Acceleration, Land. I tend to run more explosively, with any defense in the Sideboard. Thus, there is a high count of beaters and acceleration, probably higher than most people will choose to run. Also of note is that I am no longer familiar with the Legacy Metagame; I don't know if there are things that should be maindecked as defense or situational support. That also is the reason I didn't post a sideboard, as the board I have with the deck is very outdated. (Currently comprised of Disenchant, Swords to Plowshares, Pithing Needle, Chalice of the Void, Tormod's Crypt.)
I've always run Gamble in this deck, at the very least as effective copies 5, 6, and sometimes 7 of Enlightened Tutor. However, I had never considered Through the Breach, which I think precludes the need for Gamble. Slightly more reliable, if you can build your beats to win in one swing. So, I propose a direct switch of the two. On that note, I feel I need to get away from my current beaters, and shoot for something a little more combo-licious. For that reason, I would propose losing 4x Kokusho and 4x Dragon Tyrant in favor of adding 4x Maelstrom Archangel and 2x Kozilek. The other 2 spots can join and make 4 spots currently open. I am wary of Kozilek because he lacks evasion. I remember many games where a first turn Serra Avatar was chumped by a Birds of Paradise, and I went to topdeck mode while making almost no impact on the game. Hopefully Annihilator 4 spells the major difference there; turn 2 that should leave no blockers.
I can't stress enough the importance of the E-Tutor. Solid fetch for the Sneak, but also fetches a beater (DSC) and half the sideboard options. It's really a must-have.
I don't know how I feel about Hellcarver Demon. If it fails, it's an epic fail, as you've blown your hand to get him swinging turn 1. Basically, a failed Demon means your opponent went "pay 6 life, opponent does nothing for the next 4 turns minimum." That's a play I'd much rather be on his side of. SudekiCd said that he got Demon for first turn win in 10% of games, and overall the Demon led to the win in more than 50% of games, drawing from 100+ games experience. For the first turn win stat, I say congrats because you are extremely lucky with your opening hands. For the other stat, I would argue that either you are excessively lucky, or your games are lasting too long, and you should probably have either lost or won by the time you consistently draw him (with other combo pieces, and little to no means of fetching him) 50+% of the time. I haven't tested him, but I don't foresee him being that reliable for me. I would add him to the "must test" list, right along with Changeling Titan, Godsire, and a good handful of other combo-based beaters.
Again, I'm not familiar with the current Legacy environment, but I would assume you need to walk one of two paths: either be fast, or have every solution. Sneak definitely leans towards the first path. The decklist as of now has a playset of open slots; I don't know if those would be best suited to maindecking removal such as Swords to Plowshares, or if something geared towards strengthening combo would work best. Also, once that decision is made, there's a good chance we can drop a land, to add 1x something else, possibly a third Through the Breach? Current proposed decklist to test:
By no means is it perfect, but it's a start. I'm sure all of you know the direction of the format better than I do right now, so input is appreciated, and hopefully I can lend some help as someone who has played the deck in some form for 10+ years.
I will close with a short list of creatures I've run over the years; I don't know if anything may have become viable again for the deck:
I've run Sneak Attack in one form or another for several years (although I really haven't played MtG much at all in the last couple years). Primarily I've run as a "competitive casual" deck, with some attempts in Legacy here and there. Honestly, I've never had too much success in a tournament setting, unless you land the t1 Bolas, or in days past the Serra Avatar on t1. As far as Survival goes, I ran it in the deck for a little while, but it seemed that it somewhat stretched the deck. It's tough to balance the explosive nature of the deck with a sense of stability. While Survival provides stability, there is too much hate in the format, and there always has been, to try to build the deck for a turn 3-4 win. Effectively, that is what adding Survival does. Sneak needs to be built for the turn 2 win, while trying to work in the ability to rebuild quickly after the all too common removal spell.
To quickly comment on creature choices, over time I worked Bolas and Serra Avatar out of the deck; neither is a reliable combo card. Avatar is chumped too easily, and 7 damage from Bolas seems to leave you wanting for too much, often 2 more creatures.
Pre-Eldrazi my main beaters were Kokusho (15 point life swing), DS Colossus (11 damage, dampens mill, fetchable with E-Tutor), Dragon Tyrant (minimum 12 points flying trample). While I haven't taken the deck out of the box in a couple years, Emrakul makes me think about pulling Kokusho/Tyrant out. Also, I like the Hellcarver idea, though I haven't tested it yet. If it works for me, Kozilek is another obvious addition. All in all, the other recent cards that I like as ideas people have posted are Maelstrom Archangel and Changeling Titan. The Titan I don't think I will run, as it seems on par to me with the problem of running Sakashima or Bloodshot Cyclops, videlicet it is great in theory, but sucks when it's the only guy in your hand. Maelstrom seems more worth the risk to me, as it can gain the extra turn from Emrakul.
In any event, I believe I had more to say on the subject, but I'm tired so that's my 2 cents for the time being. If people are interested, I can dig out the deck tomorrow and put up my old decklist, possibly with a few new additions.
Another point that some people seem to overlook in this thread, as well as some others, is that you only ASSUME that the majority want to see the reserved list repealed. In fact, it is the majority of people posting in these forums. Dedicated collectors don't tend to frequent the forums nearly to the extent that competitive players do. The claims of "majority" are based on a very focused group, and thus are not representative of the Magic community on the whole.
When Wizards first separated Legacy from Vintage before GP Philly a few years back, certain cards were banned for the new Legacy based on the concept of "barrier to entry" in the format. They were concerned that higher value cards would dominate the format and thus block new players from being competitive. Whatever your feelings about that may be, they showed us that they DO concern themselves with the secondary market. In reality, they MUST concern themselves with it; it is the lifeline of the game. However, to ban a lengthy list of cards in Legacy because their value exceeds a certain dollar sign would kill the format. Given the rise in popularity of the format over the last few years, they simply wouldn't dare risk it.
Lastly I want to point out what the first C in CCG is. Yes Magic is a game. But it is also collectable, and Wizards must walk a fine line not to disrupt that aspect of it. I would be pissed personally if my duals suddenly bottomed out. And I am not the only one. Notable is the fact that for Wizards to change the policy (thus potentially reducing sales of future sealed products), it must have been in response to something. Someone is pissed that Berserk was in FTV. Not everybody involved in the game expects to play for little to no money, and have their cards hold no value. Cards = value.
I have a SATA hard drive that I need to pull the contents off of ... bought a USB to IDE/SATA cable. Problem is, the drive itself has flat pins that are too broad to fit the cable. I haven't been able to find anything online about SATA drives with flat pins; all the cables I can find are the same. Anybody know anything about this?
If you use Priority Flat Rate boxes, it cuts the cost to ship way down. You can fit about 6,000 in the large box, which ships for under $13. So that brings it down to a hair over $2 per thousand to ship.
2x Damnation OR Mutilate => Damnation with Wastelands and Factory Mutilate often can´t get a threshed bear down..and i think you should play more Damnation instead of Deed, caus you will need to remove the early threads without skipping to much LD and with deed you pay mana turn 3 and 4
I was actually leaning more towards the Mutilates; the reason being that they won't be hitting the Wumpus/Wurm. Deed as an addition is largely local meta-related; I see a lot of silliness like Affinity and odd Combo decks that the Deed is quite decent against.
Solidarity - hard, if they play enough fetchies instead of Islands caus you would have to attack their fetchies and force them to fetch or they will just build op 2-3 fetchies, if possible, drop an Island and go off in response to your LD spell targeting the Island..T1 needle on fetchland helps a lot
To be honest, Solidarity has just about died out around here. I'm not concerned about it; worst case I'll just add a couple Gaea's Blessing to the board, and call it a crap-shoot.
Goblin - T1 Lackey is your death without Lightning Bolt...T1 Vial is just your death most of the time---bad matchup i think
Again, an instance where Deed can be great. However, I will admit that the Deed is about a turn too slow for what I need here; possibly worth adding Lotus Petal to the deck?
As for games 2 and 3, it's basically a matter of aggressive paris until I get an E-Plague.
An obvious addition would be Nether Void, but truth be told I don't own any.
I'm debating about trying to find room for Duress and Extirpate.
I'm gearing more towards a casual Legacy than a competitive Legacy.
I'm sure I can develop further before building, but I'm looking for a couple ideas to see what others think. Thanks!
This seems odd ... Mail Fraud, in my understanding, has nothing to do with whether or not the package is delivered. Mail Fraud is more along the lines of defrauding a person of currency or goods, in which the perpetration of the crime involves the USPS. Meaning, fraud through the mail, not fraud of the mail.
Perhaps I'm mistaken. But, I know Galspanic isn't the only member to have filed claims and had nothing come of them; from what I've heard it takes MANY complaints for them to bother investigating a person.
I agree with what the other established traders above have said. As for sending order, I always ask a trader with less than 40ish refs to send first. Often I will simulsend without saying so; their reaction to the sending order question is what I'm looking for. If the response is "Oh, I need the cards right away, so please please please can we simulsend?" my answer will be No. If they have no problem sending first, and have at least a few refs, and I get a good vibe from them, I may send early.
My biggest suggestion would be to start off trading with high-ref members. Not just 10ish, but a good 40+. While this doesn't guarantee anything (Everyone remember Lance?), it's a fair indicator, and probably the safest bet.
Third-party trading can be difficult to justify if the trade isn't large ($100+?), but if called for, it helps.
Karakas : simply overlooked this. Absolutely agree.
Additional Through the Breach and Lotus Petal : Had thought this, but wasn't sure if the open playset would be better suited otherwise.
Additional Eldrazi : Honestly, I had incorrectly remembered Ulamog's abilities. Having checked them again, I absolutely agree.
Akroma, Angel of Fury : a card I have repeatedly disregarded ... do you think it's a good fit? I shy away from it given the increase in Eldrazi, and the logical thought process that leads to then adding in the Demon
Hellcarver Demon : Again, I like the idea, I just worry about the stability of it. I suppose that a dead flop can happen just the same as a game when you somehow never get a Sneak effect, or never get a beater. As I said I wholeheartedly believe it's worth testing, and apparently you guys have a favorable opinion after testing.
Grim Monolith : I also had overlooked it. My only concern would be in adding that as well as Ancient Tombs, that's taking away 8 sources of red mana in favor of colorless. What would Monolith replace? I would have to assume Rite of Flame. The Seething Song adds more, thus keeping first turn capability, and Spirit Guide as well as Lotus Petal don't require a red source to build off.
Perhaps the next evolution to test:
4x Enlightened Tutor
4x Through the Breach
4x Emrakul
1x Darksteel Colossus
3x Maelstrom Archangel
3x Kozilek
2x Ulamog
3x Hellcarver Demon
4x Seething Song
4x Grim Monolith
4x Lotus Petal
4x Plateau
4x Ancient Tomb
4x Arid Mesa
1x Wooded Foothills
2x Mountain
1x Plains
1x Karakas
Not sure about the spread involved in putting the Demons in ... right now this list is at 61. Actually considering dropping an E-Tutor, as we've increased to 8 Sneak effects. Next concern is the low count of basics, but I'm not sure it really matters most of the time, given the speed. I had knocked out 3 fetches and a basic to fit the Tombs. I think that mana base will need some test/tweaking. Obviously the R/W ratio in basics will depend largely on sideboard options. Also, would it be worth dropping Emrakul to 3 and up Ulamog to 3, to cut down on legendary double-up?
4x Enlightened Tutor
2x Gamble
2x Open Slot
4x Emrakul
4x Darksteel Colossus
4x Kokusho
4x Dragon Tyrant
4x Seething Song
4x Rite of Flame
2x Lotus Petal
4x Plateau
4x Arid Mesa
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Snow-Covered Mountain
2x Plains
The accelerant base should explain the lack of Trinisphere, to answer that question.
Sneak has 4 parts: Core, Beats, Acceleration, Land. I tend to run more explosively, with any defense in the Sideboard. Thus, there is a high count of beaters and acceleration, probably higher than most people will choose to run. Also of note is that I am no longer familiar with the Legacy Metagame; I don't know if there are things that should be maindecked as defense or situational support. That also is the reason I didn't post a sideboard, as the board I have with the deck is very outdated. (Currently comprised of Disenchant, Swords to Plowshares, Pithing Needle, Chalice of the Void, Tormod's Crypt.)
I've always run Gamble in this deck, at the very least as effective copies 5, 6, and sometimes 7 of Enlightened Tutor. However, I had never considered Through the Breach, which I think precludes the need for Gamble. Slightly more reliable, if you can build your beats to win in one swing. So, I propose a direct switch of the two. On that note, I feel I need to get away from my current beaters, and shoot for something a little more combo-licious. For that reason, I would propose losing 4x Kokusho and 4x Dragon Tyrant in favor of adding 4x Maelstrom Archangel and 2x Kozilek. The other 2 spots can join and make 4 spots currently open. I am wary of Kozilek because he lacks evasion. I remember many games where a first turn Serra Avatar was chumped by a Birds of Paradise, and I went to topdeck mode while making almost no impact on the game. Hopefully Annihilator 4 spells the major difference there; turn 2 that should leave no blockers.
I can't stress enough the importance of the E-Tutor. Solid fetch for the Sneak, but also fetches a beater (DSC) and half the sideboard options. It's really a must-have.
I don't know how I feel about Hellcarver Demon. If it fails, it's an epic fail, as you've blown your hand to get him swinging turn 1. Basically, a failed Demon means your opponent went "pay 6 life, opponent does nothing for the next 4 turns minimum." That's a play I'd much rather be on his side of. SudekiCd said that he got Demon for first turn win in 10% of games, and overall the Demon led to the win in more than 50% of games, drawing from 100+ games experience. For the first turn win stat, I say congrats because you are extremely lucky with your opening hands. For the other stat, I would argue that either you are excessively lucky, or your games are lasting too long, and you should probably have either lost or won by the time you consistently draw him (with other combo pieces, and little to no means of fetching him) 50+% of the time. I haven't tested him, but I don't foresee him being that reliable for me. I would add him to the "must test" list, right along with Changeling Titan, Godsire, and a good handful of other combo-based beaters.
Again, I'm not familiar with the current Legacy environment, but I would assume you need to walk one of two paths: either be fast, or have every solution. Sneak definitely leans towards the first path. The decklist as of now has a playset of open slots; I don't know if those would be best suited to maindecking removal such as Swords to Plowshares, or if something geared towards strengthening combo would work best. Also, once that decision is made, there's a good chance we can drop a land, to add 1x something else, possibly a third Through the Breach? Current proposed decklist to test:
4x Enlightened Tutor
3x Through the Breach
4x Open Slot
4x Emrakul
4x Darksteel Colossus
4x Maelstrom Archangel
2x Kozilek
4x Seething Song
4x Rite of Flame
2x Lotus Petal
4x Plateau
4x Arid Mesa
4x Wooded Foothills
3x Snow-Covered Mountain
2x Plains
By no means is it perfect, but it's a start. I'm sure all of you know the direction of the format better than I do right now, so input is appreciated, and hopefully I can lend some help as someone who has played the deck in some form for 10+ years.
I will close with a short list of creatures I've run over the years; I don't know if anything may have become viable again for the deck:
I know there are others, but I don't remember right now.
To quickly comment on creature choices, over time I worked Bolas and Serra Avatar out of the deck; neither is a reliable combo card. Avatar is chumped too easily, and 7 damage from Bolas seems to leave you wanting for too much, often 2 more creatures.
Pre-Eldrazi my main beaters were Kokusho (15 point life swing), DS Colossus (11 damage, dampens mill, fetchable with E-Tutor), Dragon Tyrant (minimum 12 points flying trample). While I haven't taken the deck out of the box in a couple years, Emrakul makes me think about pulling Kokusho/Tyrant out. Also, I like the Hellcarver idea, though I haven't tested it yet. If it works for me, Kozilek is another obvious addition. All in all, the other recent cards that I like as ideas people have posted are Maelstrom Archangel and Changeling Titan. The Titan I don't think I will run, as it seems on par to me with the problem of running Sakashima or Bloodshot Cyclops, videlicet it is great in theory, but sucks when it's the only guy in your hand. Maelstrom seems more worth the risk to me, as it can gain the extra turn from Emrakul.
In any event, I believe I had more to say on the subject, but I'm tired so that's my 2 cents for the time being. If people are interested, I can dig out the deck tomorrow and put up my old decklist, possibly with a few new additions.
When Wizards first separated Legacy from Vintage before GP Philly a few years back, certain cards were banned for the new Legacy based on the concept of "barrier to entry" in the format. They were concerned that higher value cards would dominate the format and thus block new players from being competitive. Whatever your feelings about that may be, they showed us that they DO concern themselves with the secondary market. In reality, they MUST concern themselves with it; it is the lifeline of the game. However, to ban a lengthy list of cards in Legacy because their value exceeds a certain dollar sign would kill the format. Given the rise in popularity of the format over the last few years, they simply wouldn't dare risk it.
Lastly I want to point out what the first C in CCG is. Yes Magic is a game. But it is also collectable, and Wizards must walk a fine line not to disrupt that aspect of it. I would be pissed personally if my duals suddenly bottomed out. And I am not the only one. Notable is the fact that for Wizards to change the policy (thus potentially reducing sales of future sealed products), it must have been in response to something. Someone is pissed that Berserk was in FTV. Not everybody involved in the game expects to play for little to no money, and have their cards hold no value. Cards = value.
startup date is now 10 September.
I was actually leaning more towards the Mutilates; the reason being that they won't be hitting the Wumpus/Wurm. Deed as an addition is largely local meta-related; I see a lot of silliness like Affinity and odd Combo decks that the Deed is quite decent against.
To be honest, Solidarity has just about died out around here. I'm not concerned about it; worst case I'll just add a couple Gaea's Blessing to the board, and call it a crap-shoot.
Again, an instance where Deed can be great. However, I will admit that the Deed is about a turn too slow for what I need here; possibly worth adding Lotus Petal to the deck?
As for games 2 and 3, it's basically a matter of aggressive paris until I get an E-Plague.
Thanks for the great food for thought!
4x Boom / Bust
4x Molten Rain
4x Choking Sands
4x Dark Ritual
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Pernicious Deed
2x Damnation OR Mutilate
4x Shivan Wumpus
4x Wasteland
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Wooded Foothills
3x Mishra's Factory
4x Badlands
2x Taiga
1x Bayou
1x Swamp
1x Mountain
4x Chalice of the Void
4x Pithing Needle
3x Planar Void
An obvious addition would be Nether Void, but truth be told I don't own any.
I'm debating about trying to find room for Duress and Extirpate.
I'm gearing more towards a casual Legacy than a competitive Legacy.
I'm sure I can develop further before building, but I'm looking for a couple ideas to see what others think. Thanks!