This a definitely strong card... While a bit expensive to cast, the fact that it has evasion and vigilance (and can still tap for mana after attacking!! :o) makes this card very strong.
Do I dare hope for the return of Blue to the Type 2 Tournament seen? This puppy just screams "PUT ME IN A CONTROL DECK WITH BANESLAYER AND I AS FINISHERS!!!" That and the 2cc Force Spike w/ multikicker are giving me renewed hope yet for Blue!
Well, now Im off to go brew deck ideas for U/W or U/W/r control...... once AGAIN!
Winged Coatl wasn't overly exciting, but It was a flash creature that almost always traded with whatever it blocked... Essentially a UG removal spell, which, like Gravemind said, is something we dont see that often... Both Coatls are playable, the same with Nulltread Gargantuan (Although it certainly isn't anything to write home about)...
So that leaves Sages of the Anima and Vedalken Heretic... Heretic does have the magic words "draw a card" on it, but without evasion it's about as good as Dimir Cutpurse turned out to be :rolleyes:.
That said, my vote still has to go to Sages of the Anima. The card is almost completely useless, I mean who wants to just shuffle away ALL their removal in Shards limited? 5 for a 3/4 isnt exactly great either.
I really can't beleive that Birds of Paradise has as many votes as it does. Yes its a good card, yes it is iconic, but is it on a power level anywhere near close to making it the MOST Impactfull or BEST card in MTG EVER?? I dont think so...
Ive opened about 3-4 boxes of Zendikar when you take into account all of the prize packs I have opened... I also at one point traded away 3 Arid Mesa for Baneslayer, so that means I really opened 3 more than I am listing. I only traded for 1 of the Fetchlands, so every single other one was cracked by me.
Id like to thik I have a pretty decent collection (12 Original Dual Lands, all 40 Ravnica Duals (1 Foil of Each), 4 Force of Will, 4 Tarmogoyf, all 20 Zendikar Fetches(3 Foils), Chrome Moxes, Old Fetches, Dark Confidants, Mutavauts, Baneslayer Angels....blah blah...
Anyway, ammassing a collection like this took MANY many years, and I dont even have a Crazy collection, just a slightly impressive one. Much of these cards came from keeping an open eye on eBay or dealer tables for good deals on Staples for Eternal formats, which seem to be the best investment since they will very rarely loose their value (unlike cards in Standard). On top of eBay deals, I have been trading actively online here at MTGS for almost 5 years, and trade like a madman at my loca FNMs and SNMs, as well as at PTQs, GPs etc...
Like others said, another way that I build up my collection (specificaly my Type 2 Collection) is by Winning... Taking first place in one of my local FNM tournaments gives about 14packs to first, 7 packs to second, and 4 or 5 packs (depending on match wins) for 3&4th. If you can consistently place in the Top 2 you can bring home a VERY nice amount of packs to rip open for rares, or save to draft with your friends... In any case, you end up with all the rares from those packs. My packs wins, along with buying a single Booster Box of Zendikar got me almost all the cards I could even need from ZEN (a complete playset of ALL the Zendikar Fetches, 4 Day of Judgements, etc, and allows me to have extras of the money cards to trade for cards I dont have or cards I need, or even cards I already have, but know that I can re-trade quickly for a small profit.
It takes a lot of time, patience, determination, and unfortunately....you aren't going to amass a collection of any value without honestly putting a decent amount of money into it. With your budget ($10-$20 a week) it may be your best bet to save the money for a few weeks and buy all the cards necessary for a STRONG Teir 1 deck for Standard. Get comfortable with it, learn all the ins and outs of the deck... then take that to your local store and win yourself some packs!!!
Good luck trading, and hope your collection grows! Just Remember that no-one started the game with a Huge collection of old expensive cards...ya gotta work for it, and beleive me, its worth it!
Ive been trading here since the beginning of '06 and have done hundereds of trades here (though many times with the same folks :)), and have only handed out 3 Negative iTrader ratings... All 3 of these ratings came when a trade was agreed upon, and they had all agreed to send first (I had 2-3 times their iTrader rating when the trades were made) but NEVER sent the cards. Numerous PMs, posts to Mods, BTR threads...none of them ever replied, so I simply left Negative feedback.
However, I have left Nuetral feedback even less than Negative. I reserve Nuetral feedback for people who are generally rude, late, lazy, sloppy, or those who don't follow the terms of the trade as we set them. Some examples are when a trade was made near the beginning of July. He was to send first, so after 2 weeks and no cards I sent him a PM, which took him nearly another week to reply and his reply was something like "Jeez I havent gotten to the Post Office yet, calm down"... This was all after almost 3 weeks since addys were exchanged and I had previousy expressed the fact that I needed the cards for an upcoming tournament or they would be useless to me.
I finally received my cards more than A MONTH of waiting...needless to say I sent my cards to him, and left him negative feedback explaining his rudeness, lack of communication, and just general bad trading practices.
In any case, I think that a Negative rating is usually only justified if someone agrees to a trade and doesn't send/sends different cards than agreed upon/not in condition stated, etc. Of course some of those cases can be mediated through a BTR and might not result in negative feeedback if it can be resolved easily. (Perhaps that is another time Nuetral Feedback might be appropriate)
As many stated, in this community especially, a negative feedback can completely ruin your reputaiton and any realistic ability to trade online, and should, for that reason, be used rarely and only when a trader rips someone off or a resolution cannot be made through moderator action in the BTR section. Neutral feedback is a bit less damning and can be used whenever you feel a trader has not lived up to the standards of a solid trader (By excessive rudeness, lateness, lying, etc) but not quite deserving of a BAD trader rating.
The lines are a bit blurry, but at the same time it is up to personal discretion and feelings about how satisfied you are by the trade.
Did he trade you an Underground Sea with rips and tears in it and the border colored in with crayon after telling you it was NM??
Then open a BTR immediately and prepare to leave Negative Feedback.
Did he take a few extra days to get to the Post Office but threw in an extra card or foil, and had good communication about his delay?
Then once the cards arrive and you are happy, leave positive feedback! He did his best to make up for his delay.
Did he not communicate to you for 2 weeks and then be rude and evasive when asked why he has not yet sent the cards?
Then when you receive the cards feel free to leave Negative feedback citing the reasons you feel he did not live up the standards that are required for a Positive rating.
I think thats the guide I usually go by, and nearly 99% of feedback I leave is absolutely positive! This site is a great resource for trading, and in trading with almost 100 seperate individuals on the site I have found only a few bad apples. Almost all of the feedback left on this site is indeed positive, and I think that speaks a LOT to the quality of the traders on this site, and it is unfortunate that a few "bad apples" can leave us worried about what feedback is appropriate.
As a metal-loving guitar player, owner of a small studio, and recording engineer I can honestly say that "black" metal is one of the most boring forms of metal to me. Of course I have not listened to every single Black metal band under the sun, but It just does nothing for me. The drummers are usually the most talented bunch in the bands, and the Guitar work does nothing to gratify my ears. I can even appreciate the orchestral route that many black metal bands seem to have adopted with their musical stylings.... As I siad before it does little for me.
I do have an unhealthy love for Mercyful Fate however, if you can really call that Black Metal... Old Mercyful Fate always wound up in the "Thrash Metal" category for me (which is my favorite style of metal and always will be)
I have absolutely no qualms with those who like Black metal, however your Original Post leads off in the most Elitist of ways (something Black Metal enthusiasts are known to do) by calling anyone who doesn't like black metal as much as they do a "Pansy, Mainstream Douche". That is what I dislike the most about "Black" metal, their fans are the most elitist and judgemental of any other style of music. And the whole while I am half giggling over the whole "OH I am so evil!!!! Buy my album!!!!" routine that consistently gets young teenagers to buy into the genre.
I just like good music... Forget the names and labels.
Before I get bashed for my beliefs, I would be interested to know what label you put on the AMAZING and Genre defying Metal band "Death". Chuck Shculdiner is one of the most prolific metal guitarists of all time, but I hardly can see them being classified as "Black" metal... Are they therefore considered to be "Pansy mainstream douche metal"?
Just curious..
Some of my Favorite metal bands, for those interested:
Death
Mercyful Fate
Vital Remains
Heresy
World Under Blood (Go check out their Myspace... seriously..... right now!!!)
Sleep Terror
Gorguts
Malevolent Creation
etc etc...
Of course Im a pansy metal douche because I also Love Pantera and Metallica, so flame away....
Ok folks... I beleive I may have the most rediculous 12 packs ever opened...
I recently returned home from the Brooklyn PTQ at King's Games, and came in 23rd I beleive, getting me 1/3 of a box (12 packs)... So I waited the whole ride home to open them, and this is what I found waiting in store for me. It sounds completely improbable (and really, it IS) but I assure you 100% these pulls are real. (FOILS in parentheses)
So how insane are those packs?? Ive never seen or opened anything like it before in my life in such a small amount of packs... Keep in mind that these packs came fresh from I sealed box I saw pulled from a Sealed case, and the entire Middle Collumn of packs was handed to me.... Honestly Pack 1, 5, 6, 9, and 11 weren't exactly hot, but I think the others MORE than made up for that..:D
Needless to say I feel blessed, and while this may be a tad bit of bragging, I am legitimately shocked at the odds of 3 fetches in the 12 packs, let lone 3 mythics!
As other's have said, it completely wrecks Storm counts, as well as insane Cascade shenanigans like the 'ol Enlisted Wurm into Bituminous Blast into Bloodbraid Elf into Maelstrom Pulse move... It is obviously more powerfull in eternal formats, but does have applications for Standard. Mindbreak Trap answers all of those situations and does it in ANY color, which I beleve is the proverbial Icing on the Cake.
Also in a less important, but (to me) more cool and flavorfull aspect, Mindreak Trap lets you "counter" pesky uncounterable spells and creatures since it doesn't counter the spells but rather Exile them. So yet another nice application for Standard when you can counter Great Sable Stag, or any other 5+power guy once a Spellbreaker Behemoth is in play (not that Spellbreaker sees any competetive play in Type2 right now, but hey, just saying...)
Easily worth the $10 dollar price tag and its mythic rarity.
Well, since Im on my way to my local store for the FNM draft, I may as well see how many more boxes he will let me preorder at $100 each... not too expensive, but I doubt he will have many left he can pre-sell to me.
This is a really great business move by WotC, and I can see myself only getting prize packs of Zendikar after Tournys now (since my local store gives us the choice of what T2 packs we want for prize)... Even after Worldwake is on shelves, people will still want to crack ZEN.
I can't believe how people like you can't accept logic, and continue to believe this is unbelievable.
You are aware that Sense was one of the first to report this rumor aren't you?
He was the one to post up the strange new Rule about only "cards from the set of the booster pack" and then was bombarded by people calling him a liar and a troll.
I think Sense was having a bit of fun with his last comment there, as he clearly knows these are real, as we all should by now.
This rumor doesn't hold any water at all with me, because of the confusion it would create.
Whoa now im confused.... You first post up this rumor, citing the flavor and the new rules changes, only to change your stance once your point has been confirmed?
Old cards are cool, but for a standard only player, id rather have the land lol. :/
Please tell me you are joking.....:facepalm:
Even as a standard player, you can surely appreciate ripping a beautiful NM Mox, Recall or other Vintage staple... If for some reason you dont want it, then Im sure you can sell it to feed your "Captain Crazy-Ass Mana *****" fund;)
Strange it would be Beta, as the Ancestral Recall was Unlimited I beleive. If true it would mean that not all the cards are as powerfull/expensive as Recall or Candelabra...
True or False this is going to generate hype around Zendikar that I dont think we have seen before.
Ok, now Im really going to bed.... Seriously, I am.
Do I dare hope for the return of Blue to the Type 2 Tournament seen? This puppy just screams "PUT ME IN A CONTROL DECK WITH BANESLAYER AND I AS FINISHERS!!!" That and the 2cc Force Spike w/ multikicker are giving me renewed hope yet for Blue!
Well, now Im off to go brew deck ideas for U/W or U/W/r control...... once AGAIN!
SEAN
Winged Coatl wasn't overly exciting, but It was a flash creature that almost always traded with whatever it blocked... Essentially a UG removal spell, which, like Gravemind said, is something we dont see that often... Both Coatls are playable, the same with Nulltread Gargantuan (Although it certainly isn't anything to write home about)...
So that leaves Sages of the Anima and Vedalken Heretic... Heretic does have the magic words "draw a card" on it, but without evasion it's about as good as Dimir Cutpurse turned out to be :rolleyes:.
That said, my vote still has to go to Sages of the Anima. The card is almost completely useless, I mean who wants to just shuffle away ALL their removal in Shards limited? 5 for a 3/4 isnt exactly great either.
I really can't beleive that Birds of Paradise has as many votes as it does. Yes its a good card, yes it is iconic, but is it on a power level anywhere near close to making it the MOST Impactfull or BEST card in MTG EVER?? I dont think so...
Heres my Fetch Count:
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Verdant CatacombsFoil
3 Arid Mesa
1 Arid MesaFoil
5 Scalding Tarn
1 Scalding TarnFoil
4 Marsh Flats
6 Misty Rainforest
So thats 24 Fetches (3 Foils) not counting the 3 I traded away... A decent haul I'd say
Anyway, ammassing a collection like this took MANY many years, and I dont even have a Crazy collection, just a slightly impressive one. Much of these cards came from keeping an open eye on eBay or dealer tables for good deals on Staples for Eternal formats, which seem to be the best investment since they will very rarely loose their value (unlike cards in Standard). On top of eBay deals, I have been trading actively online here at MTGS for almost 5 years, and trade like a madman at my loca FNMs and SNMs, as well as at PTQs, GPs etc...
Like others said, another way that I build up my collection (specificaly my Type 2 Collection) is by Winning... Taking first place in one of my local FNM tournaments gives about 14packs to first, 7 packs to second, and 4 or 5 packs (depending on match wins) for 3&4th. If you can consistently place in the Top 2 you can bring home a VERY nice amount of packs to rip open for rares, or save to draft with your friends... In any case, you end up with all the rares from those packs. My packs wins, along with buying a single Booster Box of Zendikar got me almost all the cards I could even need from ZEN (a complete playset of ALL the Zendikar Fetches, 4 Day of Judgements, etc, and allows me to have extras of the money cards to trade for cards I dont have or cards I need, or even cards I already have, but know that I can re-trade quickly for a small profit.
It takes a lot of time, patience, determination, and unfortunately....you aren't going to amass a collection of any value without honestly putting a decent amount of money into it. With your budget ($10-$20 a week) it may be your best bet to save the money for a few weeks and buy all the cards necessary for a STRONG Teir 1 deck for Standard. Get comfortable with it, learn all the ins and outs of the deck... then take that to your local store and win yourself some packs!!!
Good luck trading, and hope your collection grows! Just Remember that no-one started the game with a Huge collection of old expensive cards...ya gotta work for it, and beleive me, its worth it!
However, I have left Nuetral feedback even less than Negative. I reserve Nuetral feedback for people who are generally rude, late, lazy, sloppy, or those who don't follow the terms of the trade as we set them. Some examples are when a trade was made near the beginning of July. He was to send first, so after 2 weeks and no cards I sent him a PM, which took him nearly another week to reply and his reply was something like "Jeez I havent gotten to the Post Office yet, calm down"... This was all after almost 3 weeks since addys were exchanged and I had previousy expressed the fact that I needed the cards for an upcoming tournament or they would be useless to me.
I finally received my cards more than A MONTH of waiting...needless to say I sent my cards to him, and left him negative feedback explaining his rudeness, lack of communication, and just general bad trading practices.
In any case, I think that a Negative rating is usually only justified if someone agrees to a trade and doesn't send/sends different cards than agreed upon/not in condition stated, etc. Of course some of those cases can be mediated through a BTR and might not result in negative feeedback if it can be resolved easily. (Perhaps that is another time Nuetral Feedback might be appropriate)
As many stated, in this community especially, a negative feedback can completely ruin your reputaiton and any realistic ability to trade online, and should, for that reason, be used rarely and only when a trader rips someone off or a resolution cannot be made through moderator action in the BTR section. Neutral feedback is a bit less damning and can be used whenever you feel a trader has not lived up to the standards of a solid trader (By excessive rudeness, lateness, lying, etc) but not quite deserving of a BAD trader rating.
The lines are a bit blurry, but at the same time it is up to personal discretion and feelings about how satisfied you are by the trade.
Did he trade you an Underground Sea with rips and tears in it and the border colored in with crayon after telling you it was NM??
Then open a BTR immediately and prepare to leave Negative Feedback.
Did he take a few extra days to get to the Post Office but threw in an extra card or foil, and had good communication about his delay?
Then once the cards arrive and you are happy, leave positive feedback! He did his best to make up for his delay.
Did he not communicate to you for 2 weeks and then be rude and evasive when asked why he has not yet sent the cards?
Then when you receive the cards feel free to leave Negative feedback citing the reasons you feel he did not live up the standards that are required for a Positive rating.
I think thats the guide I usually go by, and nearly 99% of feedback I leave is absolutely positive! This site is a great resource for trading, and in trading with almost 100 seperate individuals on the site I have found only a few bad apples. Almost all of the feedback left on this site is indeed positive, and I think that speaks a LOT to the quality of the traders on this site, and it is unfortunate that a few "bad apples" can leave us worried about what feedback is appropriate.
I do have an unhealthy love for Mercyful Fate however, if you can really call that Black Metal... Old Mercyful Fate always wound up in the "Thrash Metal" category for me (which is my favorite style of metal and always will be)
I have absolutely no qualms with those who like Black metal, however your Original Post leads off in the most Elitist of ways (something Black Metal enthusiasts are known to do) by calling anyone who doesn't like black metal as much as they do a "Pansy, Mainstream Douche". That is what I dislike the most about "Black" metal, their fans are the most elitist and judgemental of any other style of music. And the whole while I am half giggling over the whole "OH I am so evil!!!! Buy my album!!!!" routine that consistently gets young teenagers to buy into the genre.
I just like good music... Forget the names and labels.
Before I get bashed for my beliefs, I would be interested to know what label you put on the AMAZING and Genre defying Metal band "Death". Chuck Shculdiner is one of the most prolific metal guitarists of all time, but I hardly can see them being classified as "Black" metal... Are they therefore considered to be "Pansy mainstream douche metal"?
Just curious..
Some of my Favorite metal bands, for those interested:
Death
Mercyful Fate
Vital Remains
Heresy
World Under Blood (Go check out their Myspace... seriously..... right now!!!)
Sleep Terror
Gorguts
Malevolent Creation
etc etc...
Of course Im a pansy metal douche because I also Love Pantera and Metallica, so flame away....
I recently returned home from the Brooklyn PTQ at King's Games, and came in 23rd I beleive, getting me 1/3 of a box (12 packs)... So I waited the whole ride home to open them, and this is what I found waiting in store for me. It sounds completely improbable (and really, it IS) but I assure you 100% these pulls are real. (FOILS in parentheses)
Pack 1: Blood Tribute
Pack 2: Mindbreak Trap (this is my first mythic)
Pack 3: Misty Rainforest
Pack 4: Scalding Tarn (FOIL Valakut, the Molten PinnacleFoil)
Pack 5: Bala Ged Thief
Pack 6: Emeria Angel (FOIL Blood SeekerFoil)
Pack 7: Ob Nixilis, the Fallen (this is Mythic #2)
Pack 8: Bloodghast
Pack 9: Turntimber Ranger
Pack 10: Lotus Cobra (this Mythic #3!!, in 10 Packs!!?!?)
Pack 11: Halo Hunter (FOIL Trusty MacheteFoil)
Pack 12: Arid Mesa (this is my 3rd fetch as well for those keeping count)
So how insane are those packs?? Ive never seen or opened anything like it before in my life in such a small amount of packs... Keep in mind that these packs came fresh from I sealed box I saw pulled from a Sealed case, and the entire Middle Collumn of packs was handed to me.... Honestly Pack 1, 5, 6, 9, and 11 weren't exactly hot, but I think the others MORE than made up for that..:D
Needless to say I feel blessed, and while this may be a tad bit of bragging, I am legitimately shocked at the odds of 3 fetches in the 12 packs, let lone 3 mythics!
Either way Im a happy Magic Player!!
Also in a less important, but (to me) more cool and flavorfull aspect, Mindreak Trap lets you "counter" pesky uncounterable spells and creatures since it doesn't counter the spells but rather Exile them. So yet another nice application for Standard when you can counter Great Sable Stag, or any other 5+power guy once a Spellbreaker Behemoth is in play (not that Spellbreaker sees any competetive play in Type2 right now, but hey, just saying...)
Easily worth the $10 dollar price tag and its mythic rarity.
But who knows, they arent exactly the same, and she does seem to have the red face paint that the new Vampires have. A guy can dream though can't he?
This is a really great business move by WotC, and I can see myself only getting prize packs of Zendikar after Tournys now (since my local store gives us the choice of what T2 packs we want for prize)... Even after Worldwake is on shelves, people will still want to crack ZEN.
Ahhh... gotcha...
I guess my sarcasm detector was on the fritz for a few minutes there
You are aware that Sense was one of the first to report this rumor aren't you?
He was the one to post up the strange new Rule about only "cards from the set of the booster pack" and then was bombarded by people calling him a liar and a troll.
I think Sense was having a bit of fun with his last comment there, as he clearly knows these are real, as we all should by now.
EDIT:
Whoa now im confused.... You first post up this rumor, citing the flavor and the new rules changes, only to change your stance once your point has been confirmed?
Confused forum-goer is confused...
Please tell me you are joking.....:facepalm:
Even as a standard player, you can surely appreciate ripping a beautiful NM Mox, Recall or other Vintage staple... If for some reason you dont want it, then Im sure you can sell it to feed your "Captain Crazy-Ass Mana *****" fund;)
Any Pics?
Strange it would be Beta, as the Ancestral Recall was Unlimited I beleive. If true it would mean that not all the cards are as powerfull/expensive as Recall or Candelabra...
True or False this is going to generate hype around Zendikar that I dont think we have seen before.
Ok, now Im really going to bed.... Seriously, I am.