The only issue with the Mike and Trike scenario is by ahortcutting they didn't specify how they were directing each point of damage. If they intent to kill player 2, then 3, then me last, you can bet I'll let them proceed until I'm a target. But if they do one point each going around the table and repeat until we are all dead, then I won't let any part of the combo survive. So how do you project wanting to see that part of the combo without giving away your poaition?
I always just ask what order they're going in. Of course, this works for me because I play in tournaments at my LGS where the order you get taken out matters, so it doesn't really show that I have an answer. You could always rules lawyer and tell them that before you shortcut, the loop has to be displayed and then decide based on how they show it.
I think the most I've done without going infinite or even a "I could go infinite, but I can make enough mana without my LGS considering it infinite" situation was around 2.5k combat damage.
At this stage this isn't really doing much. I was thinking that Torpor Orb would stop the time counters on ETB, but unfortunately this would cause an actual infinite loop that can't be broken, so would end in a draw. You'd have the legend rule kick in and this would in turn keep creating new version of Lazav, and you have no way of stopping it.
This wouldn't actually work, because the counters get put on Chronozoa as a replacement effect and not an ETB trigger. "This card enters play with three time counters on it" and not "When this card enters the battlefield put three time counters on it."
Honestly, it depends on where/why I'm playing. If I'm at my lgs to play in the tournament there, I'd prefer they use real cards and not proxies. But if I'm just playing casually with friends, I don't care if they proxy and they won't care if I proxy by using cards that aren't "real."
3. I do get where you're coming from with presenting an alternate viewpoint. But it really doesn't help garner sympathy. I don't know if it's the point you're trying to make, or the way it seems to come across...sorry on that. But I am curious as to why 'talking to someone to continue playing' is a bad thing. Is sitting around fiddling with your deck somehow better than at least interacting as a kingmaker? I don't see that it is.
As someone with a combo deck with only a few wincons, it's not that I don't want to play the game out to the end. If my few wincons in that deck are taken out, I know for a fact there is nothing I can do to affect the game because of how little interaction there is. So if I'm playing that deck and that happens, it's better for me to just scoop because I'm not going to sit and be miserable just to keep other people happy. Of course, if that deck had more interaction it wouldn't be that big of a deal, so I know it's partially my fault for how I built the deck.
With Sensei's Divining Top banned in legacy, price drop might happen and you can always include one in your deck.
And if it doesn't drop, the Mirri's Guile already mentioned is a very underrated green card. It can't draw you a card when you might need it to, but the top deck manipulation is very valuable.
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary would be my pick.
Mostly because of the somewhat similar Selvala, Heart of the Wilds that is legal.
While often coming a turn later and arguably being less persistent, she can be way more explosive than him if built around and comes with her own card advantage engine.
Considering the already somewhat high price (for a card that sees no play anywhere), I could see Rofellos becoming quite expensive if an unban ever happens. Even in the unlikely scenario of an return of the banned-as-commander rule.
I feel that either Rofellos needs to be unbanned or Selvala gets banned. My Selvala deck is far more explosive than any Rofellos deck I've seen. It isn't uncommon for me to play Selvala T2, drop a 5/5 4 drop T3, and then go infinite by T4-5.
Yes. The OG titans shuffle effect is a triggered ability, meaning any kind of instant speed effect to exile them will remove them from the game. The shuffle will still happen, though.
If we keep getting only ally-colored fetchable lands, there may come a time when some of them aren't good enough. Feels weird to say.
Many of them already are not good enough. In a three color deck, only the abu and shocks are good enough.
Even in a three-color deck, I'd consider the BFZ duals good enough. Depends on how much you're willing to spend on a manabase. I'm just hoping for enemy ones so I can throw a GB one in Gitrog to go with the cycle-demon if I can find a spot for him.
I have her in my Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder deck and she works nicely as an additional "cascade" type trigger on my first spell of the turn. Sometimes she lets me cast sweet cards for free, other times I just get random stuff in my hand, but it's never bad to have her out.
And most of those are just for the ETB trigger, usually with a synergy with Sun Titan or Alesha, Who Smiles at Death or whatever, so I'm going to sac them anyway. I guess there's Keldon Vandals in Kresh? But "in Kresh" just means I'm going to sac it anyway.
That first part is incorrect, the last ability still triggers because you still paid the echo cost.
Nope. "You may pay 0 Rather Than pay the echo cost..." It functions as a replacement effect, not as a reduced echo cost. Just as if you pay 1 life and exile a blue card to cast FoW, you didn't pay its mana cost, if you pay 0 to thick skinned's replacement effect, you didn't pay the echo cost, and Shah doesn't trigger.
"5/1/2007 If you use Thick-Skinned Goblin's ability to pay {0} instead of Shah of Naar Isle's echo cost, the Shah's last ability will trigger." It still happens because it replaces the cost of whatever echo normally is.
Infinite combos I don't consider fun losses. As soon as one of those combo starts rolling my brain just switches off along with the enjoyment I was having. As what an infinite combo feels like to me is all this build-up to what amounts to a puff of smoke. Very anti-climatic.
What about an infinite combo that's technically a slow-play because you don't know how your graveyard will look like so it takes twenty minutes to find your pieces to finish the game? That's why I don't play my The Gitrog Monster deck anymore. I didn't want to piss people off by playing it. I still enjoy playing combo and playing against it, but that's just my current meta is and how my friends who got me into MtG and EDH played. I do have one non-combo deck that's more about synergy and working on another so I can play games against people like yourself who don't like combos so no one gets upset and the game stays fun for everyone. Whether it's you because you don't like combos or me because I have to pull my punches to make the game more enjoyable. I'm fine with both styles of play, but I'm used to a combo-heavy meta and my decks reflect that.
So you don't like playing against decks that interact with your deck. Got it.
I suppose I should've specified that I don't like pure control. As in, everything in your deck is meant to stop opponents from doing anything until they scoop in frustration or you maybe get a wincon out. I don't mind interaction as long as it doesn't shut every single player out for the entire game.
For some reason, Rakdos flavor text always makes me snicker and I really want a Juri card. That said...this is a rather skippable card, though it can do a nice burst of damage the mana cost is just too much.
If it was a 4-drop, I think it would be more playable. Or if I had more creatures in my Yidris deck, it'd make for a nice cascade.
I always just ask what order they're going in. Of course, this works for me because I play in tournaments at my LGS where the order you get taken out matters, so it doesn't really show that I have an answer. You could always rules lawyer and tell them that before you shortcut, the loop has to be displayed and then decide based on how they show it.
This wouldn't actually work, because the counters get put on Chronozoa as a replacement effect and not an ETB trigger. "This card enters play with three time counters on it" and not "When this card enters the battlefield put three time counters on it."
As someone with a combo deck with only a few wincons, it's not that I don't want to play the game out to the end. If my few wincons in that deck are taken out, I know for a fact there is nothing I can do to affect the game because of how little interaction there is. So if I'm playing that deck and that happens, it's better for me to just scoop because I'm not going to sit and be miserable just to keep other people happy. Of course, if that deck had more interaction it wouldn't be that big of a deal, so I know it's partially my fault for how I built the deck.
And if it doesn't drop, the Mirri's Guile already mentioned is a very underrated green card. It can't draw you a card when you might need it to, but the top deck manipulation is very valuable.
I feel that either Rofellos needs to be unbanned or Selvala gets banned. My Selvala deck is far more explosive than any Rofellos deck I've seen. It isn't uncommon for me to play Selvala T2, drop a 5/5 4 drop T3, and then go infinite by T4-5.
Even in a three-color deck, I'd consider the BFZ duals good enough. Depends on how much you're willing to spend on a manabase. I'm just hoping for enemy ones so I can throw a GB one in Gitrog to go with the cycle-demon if I can find a spot for him.
What about an infinite combo that's technically a slow-play because you don't know how your graveyard will look like so it takes twenty minutes to find your pieces to finish the game? That's why I don't play my The Gitrog Monster deck anymore. I didn't want to piss people off by playing it. I still enjoy playing combo and playing against it, but that's just my current meta is and how my friends who got me into MtG and EDH played. I do have one non-combo deck that's more about synergy and working on another so I can play games against people like yourself who don't like combos so no one gets upset and the game stays fun for everyone. Whether it's you because you don't like combos or me because I have to pull my punches to make the game more enjoyable. I'm fine with both styles of play, but I'm used to a combo-heavy meta and my decks reflect that.
I suppose I should've specified that I don't like pure control. As in, everything in your deck is meant to stop opponents from doing anything until they scoop in frustration or you maybe get a wincon out. I don't mind interaction as long as it doesn't shut every single player out for the entire game.
If it was a 4-drop, I think it would be more playable. Or if I had more creatures in my Yidris deck, it'd make for a nice cascade.