MTG Salvation

Quote from Manite »

Given how likely an Egyptian world would have catfolk, I could see Ajani showing up in a block set there easily. Perhaps he's seeking some means by which to bring Elspeth back from the Underworld? A reincarnation ritual?

If/when we went to Egyptian World, I would much rather see Ainoks that look like jackals than Catfolk. They're not mutually exclusive, but I feel like if they did a block with prominent Cat and Dog races... well, I know you know. :-p Besides, I feel that Ajani's motivation right now isn't to bring Elspeth back, but rather to destroy the gods by taking away their devotion and power. So I don't foresee him leaving for awhile.

On a more thread-relevant topic: I saw this pointed out on another thread, but I wanted to remark here that we have yet to see anything indicating if this is a +1/+1 counter block, or a -1/-1 counter block. Original Innistrad used +1/+1 counters, but we haven't seen -1/-1 counters since Scars block 5 years ago. I know that -1/-1 counters have less design space, but with the smaller blocks, I'm hoping to see them happen more often.

Quote from scottjhebert »

I find it interesting that there is a glaring hole in the Green PW department. Nahiri is clearly WR in this incarnation (apart from the Vengefulness and the Equipment angle, she's a Lithomancer... and historically earth and stone have been Red hallmarks). Tibalt also seems 'out there', and likely RB. Jace is Blue. Not suggesting that we need a Green PW in SOI, but trying to figure out who it would be. Garruk is the 'obvious' choice. That might make Eldritch Moon a Liliana/Garruk issue, though.

I guess it's possible that Nissa, as another Gatewatch member, shows up in Eldritch Moon, but I'm kinda 'Nissa'd out' right now.

I feel that the GW slot is held by Ajani. I know he was mono-white last we saw him, but that's because it was a core set; he was GW in Journey Into Nyx, and I don't think anything has happened to him story-wise to push out the green. I would put down money that the next time we see Ajani (which probably won't be until Return to Theros) he will be GW. Maybe full Naya (RGW), but that probably won't happen unless/until he shows up on a block with some sort of shard support.

I doubt any other Gatewatchers will show up in SOI block. My prediction is that at the end of OGW's story, Ugin is going to send each of the four off to different planes on separate missions, with Jace's being to track down Sorin. Subsequent blocks will likely be checking in on where the other 3 go, hopefully leading to some new planes.

*Sees Eldritch Moon announcement*

Gods damn it... I'm really upset that we're seeing Liliana on Innistrad again. If they give a strong, compelling reason why, then fine, but I have a suspicion that it's gonna be pretty lame. I'm sticking by my guns that she won't be in SOI the set though; she'll show up late in the story and get a card in EMN. Also, the confirmation of Liliana reinforces my belief that Sorin won't be making an appearance in the block.

Side not, I'm really bummed that they announced EMN so soon. I mean, it's not gonna be out for 5 months, we barely know anything about SOI. Hell, we're still neck-deep in OGW's storyline with no indication it will be wrapping up soon, so we still don't even know exactly why Jace is heading to Innistrad in the first place. Either the storytelling needs to pick up the pace a bit and get more in sync with the sets coming out, or they need to start holding back their set announcements. Because at the current rate, I feel like we're going to get the Uncharted Realms that actually sends Jace to Innistrad just as the set is releasing, at which point the cards will have given away 90% of the story.

Quote from krishnath »

I would argue that Sorin is very likely in SOI block, mostly because it is literally his home plane, and Nahiri is there looking for him, as is Jace. If something goes wrong on Innistrad he will come running, and something has gone very, very wrong on Innistrad.

Avacyn had been sealed in the Helvault for years (decades? Centuries?) before Sorin showed up and realized how bad things had gotten. I don't believe any planeswalker has the ability to sense what's going on on another plane, even their home plane. I think Nahiri is wreaking havoc on Innistrad as revenge, not to lure Sorin there.

I'd say there are only two planeswalkers that are "locks":

Jace: He was a major player in BFZ and didn't get a card, and he's the face of SOI; he WILL get a card. It may not be a new card, though. I could see them reprinting Memory Adept of Beleren with the new art.

Nahiri: Her presence in the story is now confirmed by the leaked cards, and it's looking like she could be a/the main villain, so a card for her is certain. RW seems a safe guess, but it could go several ways.

That's it. Yes, it's possible that Tibalt, Tamiyo, or Garruk could show up, but we have no compelling reason to belive that they WILL. I also doubt any of the other Gatewatchers will be with him, I predict Ugin is going to send them all off on different missions at the conclusion of OGW's story. As for those predicting Liliana and Sorin, you really need to keep up on the Uncharted Realms. Liliana has NO reason to be on Innistrad. She killed her demon there, and still has two more to track down. I know Wizards said that the Origin 5 will all be relevant to the story in the coming years, but any reason that they could give for her to have gone back to Innistrad will be contrived and forced. Don't worry, Liliana fans, I have every confidence that she will be the face character of the block after SOI, probably on a new place. Just have patience.

As for Sorin... Last we saw him was talking to Ugin. Ugin asked Sorin to find Nahiri and meet him on Zendikar, something he clearly did NOT want to do. He knew that she was alive, so it's reasonable to assume he knew where she was; anything beyond that is just speculation on our part at this point. He doesn't want to look for Nahiri, but he also doesn't want have to confront Ugin, so he's likely hiding. And if you're trying to avoid someone, I feel that the LAST place you would go to hide is your home plane. I don't expect Sorin to pop back up for awhile.

Hey I've got a Magic related question for everyone:

What's your favorite website for card purchases? Who has the best prices for reference (like when it comes to determining fair value for trading), who has the best selection, best balance between cheap and fast shipping, etc.? I've always used StarCityGames, and I haven't had any issues with them, but just looking for other options.

I think I might buy a Return to Ravnica booster box, but I want to pre-order it before previews start. That way if they reveal some bomb cards like a really good planeswalker or the next set of dual lands, I'll have a cheap price locked in.

Quote from Deyna

Oh man, just saw Dark Knight Rises. Soooooo good. Added treat of seeing it in imax. Totally worth it for the shot of Tom Hardy shirtless.

I went to the midnight showing, but I only did the "small screen" because the nearest IMAX theatre was sold out of both the midnight and 3:30am showings. I intend on seeing it again in IMAX sometime before it leaves; hopefully I've got some time. I enjoyed it as well. I don't know that I would say it's better than TDK, but still very good, stands up will with Nolan's other films, and a good conclusion to the trilogy.

I have a lot more faith in this project than most simply because Ubisoft made the decision to produce it's own games-to-movie productions. The biggest complaint about most previous adaptations has been the lack of connection to the game in question, and I think the route Ubi is on will help make sure we see more of those elements. I don't want a literal translation of one of the games, but any original story for the AC movie will feel like it fits with the AC games simply because they're handled/written by the same people.

And Fassbender is wonderful, enjoyed him is almost anything I've seen, he'll make a great assassin.

I realize the point of the deck is to NOT be dealt the damage by your creatures, but cards like Convalescence, Convalescent Care, and Ajani's Mantra can help you stay in a safe range if you do dip too low.

Yeah, like I said, not exactly planning on taking this to any tournaments, just want something "competitive" within a casual play circle. Shocklands, the original duallands, and the fetchlands are all a bit out of my price range, but if I ever got a hold of any of them, I'm sure I'd play them. Though I actually playtested with the fetchlands, and I found they were pretty unnecessary.

Countryside Crusher is a good suggestion, I may try to work some of those in. I worry they have the same problem as Vinelasher Kudzu in that they aren't very effective late-game, but I could do some playtesting in MWS and see. I also may look into adding either Devastating Dreams or Seismic Assault, as having some form of direct damage or board wipe would be very beneficial, and still fits the deck. Maybe borrow your Burning Wish/"silver bullet" sideboard idea.

So this deck has a bit of a story. Originally I wanted it to be a GU deck based around lands. I sadly no long have the deck list, but it used cards like Coiling Oracle, Ior Ruin and Khalni Heart Expedition to pump up a Vinelasher Kudzu, then Trade Routes to get the lands in my graveyard to pump Terravore, and had some Sphinx of Magosi as a alternative wincon. While I liked the theme of the deck, it just never seemed to work very well; the pieces of the puzzle just weren't there. Any tweaking I did didn't seem to help much, and I found myself taking more and more blue away. I didn't want to scrap the deck, but it was clear that it wasn't gonna work in it's current form.

I tried going monogreen, but only having access to 4 cycle lands hurt the deck. I tried doing G/, as white has a decent number of land tutor cards, but never quite got it to a build I was happy with. G/ got kicked around, but I just didn't see the tools needed to make it work.

Then, I reread Terravore and noticed something I'd always glossed over: "Terravore’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of land cards in all graveyards." Suddenly, it all seemed so obvious, and I set out making it R/.

I still wanted the focus to be on getting lands into MY OWN graveyard, so I limited myself to land destruction spells that still accomplished that. I also decided to splash white at the last second, replacing the Vinelashers with the Knight of the Reliquarys, as they're more reliable (Vinelashers suck if you don't get them out in the first 3 turns), and opted to run Riftstone Portal over any Plains, as they also allow my Evolving Wilds' and Ghost Quarters to tap for colored mana.

31 lands may seem excessive at first, but not when you break it down: 10 of those are cycle lands, which ideally should never actually be put into play. 4 are Evolving Wilds, so those don't stick around very long. The 3 Riftstone Portals want to be in the graveyard more than anything, and the Petrified Fields and Ghost Quarters aren't really meant to be used as lands. So, all told, there's only about 9 lands that I actually want to play, and have stay out.

It still has some glaring weaknesses. For one, it has no direct way to deal with creatures, so if my opponent has something in the flying or some other form of evasion, I can't touch it. In fact, I have no "control" elements at all apart from LD. I pretty much have no way of doing anything direct to my opponent.

I'm not trying to make this deck competitive in any way, I just want it to be good, as well as fun to play with (and hopefully against). Suggestions are welcome.

Quote from {mikeyG}

Peer pressure and the promise of naughty things!

Ah yes, I forgot that latter part.

Hear hear. My ex once requested that I delete grindr. I told him that I like making local queer friends (small area, tough to establish ties to the lgbt community, the hookup app has the unintended benefit of linking me to potential friends I'd never otherwise meet) and that he'd have to trust me that I wasn't cheating on him. He questioned that and I told him it was his issue, not mine. I don't think he liked that but if he didn't trust me, I wasn't going to obey like a good dog until he did.

To be fair, isn't Grindr one of the apps that's very focused on "short-term relationships"? Not saying he's in the right, but I'd probably be more worried about a partner keeping an active profile on there than, say, Match.com or OkCupid. But you're right, it does come down to trust. As long as his profile is clear about what he's looking for (i.e. specifying he's in a relationship and just looking for friends) then I'm fine. If I'm still suspicious, then it's either a problem with me, or there's something else he's doing that's making me suspicious; either case, it's a separate issue that needs to be addressed.

Quote from {mikeyG}

Where do you think I keep my backups in case my phone gets wiped? Geez.

ETA: Well, Kraj did it. I'm now on Manhunt. mikeydontlikeit if you're into that sort of thing.

Congrats on caving to peer pressure, Mikey. Your middle school teachers would be so proud.

Quote from Deyna

And if I wasn't seeing someone I totally would get on manhunt now.

Why should that stop you?

Quote from SilverSihhe

I also feel like we need to clarify the reason for the creation of this group. Is it being created to stop drama from building up, or to answer it once it has already built up? This is a critical question that hasn't been answered to my satisfaction yet (if I missed it in the middle pages, you have my apologies).

I view the watchdog/tribunal group as almost a last resort. If there is an issue so large, so seeped in drama and subjectivism, that it's believed the mods/admins and and the community at large can't reach a conclusion, then the tribunal is called. These 3 (or 5) people sit down, discuss the situation, look at the evidence, and try to reach a conclusion that a CI thread couldn't. But everyday disputes would still be handled by the site staff. If the tribunal were brought in for every issue, then they might as well be mods.

Also, I remember seeing it asked but don't know if many answers were given: I don't think current staff should be in the watchdog group, but I'm not opposed to ex-staff.

Though that makes me thing of another question: if one group chooses a representative that the other strongly disagrees with, could anything be done about it? If the mods chose Belgareth, for example, and the community at large objects to it (not that they would/should), do we want them to be able to veto the decision?

Quote from Gaea"s Regent

I personally believe in the value of having the Mod Lounge being exclusively for mods, so here's a wild idea: create a new private forum with group permissions that both staff and tribunal can access. Then any mod is free to share Mod Lounge information in there without it being a breach of the CoC, yet the non-staff don't really have access to the Lounge. This keeps the non-staff from getting access to non-relevant information that shouldn't be disclosed just yet.

This seems like the best solution. There's no reason any member of the tribunal should have full access to the Mod lounge, as long as all relevant information from there is brought out for the tribunal to read.

Quote from Yanni

I'd like to echo what N_S has said here. Non-staff should be involved in suspension appeals, but that's a different topic.

I think this is something that could be discussed here, as we're trying to discover what functions this tribunal would serve. I understand N_S's desire to have suspension repeals looked at by a third party; it can seem pointless to ask the very people who issued the suspension to basically admit they were wrong, something very few people like to do. I know the staff has overturned suspensions and bans in the past, but not very often. If we found a way to prevent abuse of it (someone who got suspended for a perfectly valid reason just sees it as two opportunities to be told what they want to hear), I would support the tribunal being involved in suspension/ban repeals in certain situations.

The only reason I see mods scared about this is because they want to keep their own issues covered up and they're afraid that if this watchdog so to speak comes in, what happened to Rian will happen to them.

I don't think that's quite accurate. Things are said in the mod lounge under the assumption that only mods will ever see it. It's an expectation of privacy, which some use to perhaps be more brutally honest than they would in other places. If non-mods were suddenly able to see the mod forums, I don't think the mods would discuss things as openly, and that would defeat some of the purpose of the mod lounge.

Quote from big_ticket

is the movie good as advertised?

I think a lot of the feedback you're hearing right now (on these forums and elsewhere) is gut reactions. It was already going to be pretty polarizing; some people love what Nolan had done with Batman, others haven't, and there was little hope that this movie would change anyone's mind one way or another. Most of what your hearing is either praise from the Nolan Fan Club, while many of it's detractors are the comic book readers who don't care for the grim and gritty retelling, or people who didn't care for the series to begin with. Over time, I think we'll start to see these two sides reach a lot more mutual ground on aspects of the film.

I think the true test for me is two things - A) How much I remember aspects of the film over time (though I can already say, the fast pace means certain things weren't at impactful or memorable as they should have been), and B) How many times I go back to see it. Dark Knight brought me to the threatre three times. I anticipate going to see DKR again to see it in IMAX, but we'll see if there's a third for this one as well, or if the second one even happens.