I don't believe it was bearscape who suggested that. I however added our resident conspiracy lover to my ignore months ago, so I'm not going to go confirm.
Either way, Historic is going to be nothing for a few rotations and that's how Wizards wants it. They don't want to invest energy in another format, just let it be there so ppl don't cry about their virtual content being lost.
Some hype around Esper Mentor with Unearth, and as a Sideboard plan in UW Control. It was always a card waiting for a shell, and if it actually takes off in Modern, its going to jump even harder.
I picked up a playset as soon as Force of Negation was spoiled. Glad I did, even if it has only been mediocre for me personally. Only time it shined was out of sideboard of Jeskai Phoenix. I could see it in UW though.
Yeah, the lack of free counters is always what held it back. I've had a playset for ages just waiting.
Some hype around Esper Mentor with Unearth, and as a Sideboard plan in UW Control. It was always a card waiting for a shell, and if it actually takes off in Modern, its going to jump even harder.
I'm in the same boat! My LGS wont even buy my collection, its too much for them to take on at once. I'll have to ship out to Face to Face or Card Kingdom.
By the metric of 'is anything seeing too much Top 8 success that cannot be hated out, and across all archetypes?' Yes, sadly its healthy.
We have our 'brainstorm'. It is Faithless Looting.
We have our 'FoW'. It is Surgical, with the added benefit of it being playable in every single deck in the format.
We have cards that punish Faithless Looting, in the form of Leyline, RIP, Ravenous, and Surgical.
We have Control, Disruptive Aggro (Humans, Folk, Spirits), Combo, Prison, Dredge/GY, Xerox, Burn, Creature Combo, Artifact Abuse, Ramp, Tron, Infect, and if Jund can stick, Midrange. Heck, is GDS/Esper Shadow Midrange?
What else could we want other than a shift in the types of decks being played by %? We wont get that. It just wont happen, as Modern is too diverse for that to be a thing. Its no shock to me that UW Control/Esper and Jund, see an increase when the meta warps around a deck or 2, because thats what those decks NEED.
When Modern goes back to its average, which is now wildly diverse, Control drops down.
We should I guess be thankful for Hogaak and Phoenix, for tightening up the meta.
It won't happen, because it's not about the deck we are on. It just isn't. Play UR Wizards. It's almost all Flash, and Tempo and reactive. Play UW, it's reactive and Tier 1. Play Esper, it's reactive, and competitive.
Play Blue Moon, or Breach.
In the end we both know, 1000s of $ and 3 years later, that it doesn't matter. You'll still have to play against decks that don't care what you are doing, and force you to warp to them, instead of playing with/against you.
You know why people loved Dominaria/Ravnica Standard? Because it reminded them of 2016 Modern, when it was BGx vs URx.
Moderns moved on. Heck Standard has moved on.
What you play matters a who lot less I think than what everyone else is playing.
By the way, that’s another reason why Force of Negation is a mainstay, and not running it in the maindeck is digging your own grave.
I've gone up to 2 now. Would have saved me both matches, hitting Breach and Plating. Doesn't change the utter *****show of experiences though. Luckily, some poor sap was on Jund that evening as well, and we had an amazing, long, back and forth game of resource trading and relevant game decisions. If only there were more of that, and less of the trash (or at least better, more reasonable means to deal with the trash. Force isn't enough). I guess that's what I get for changing stores to a place that actually represents the garbage fire of the actual Modern meta, instead of a bunch of stubborn people like me jamming BGx and bad blue decks all day.
See this is what I'm talking about.
It's not that you have issue or that Modern has issue, it's that you simply don't like what Modern is. That's it.
I get it too. Seeing E Tron across the table draws out a physical disgust from me.
In the end though we are not going back. They won't ban 75% of the format. 2016 is a long time ago.
- Izzet Phoenix is good
- Mono Red Phoenix is good
- Urza’s Prison is good
- Bridgevine is good
- Human is the usual beast
- UW Control has game against everyone
- Eldrazi Tron and Creature Toolbox are on the resurgence
We have, more or less, every strategy covered. Can someone explain to me how playing in this environment isn’t fine?
You'll have to forgive me, as my post history would probably show that I came to this realization late.
Objectively? Nothing is wrong with Modern right now. Even Jund appears to have found some upgrades, and if your objective is to play X type of deck, there is one for nearly everyone.
What I feel is the basis of most arguments right now, even if its not explicitly stated is that SUBJECTIVELY, people do not like the decks that make up much of Modern. People will wrap it up as if there is something wrong with the format, I myself was guilty of this, because we find the decks distasteful, but thats not a flaw, thats perception.
Surgical is our FoW, there is nothing wrong with that.
I'm kind of over arguing about bans. Wizards does whatever they'll do and nothing I can do or say will make much difference. I'm going to focus on playing the format in front of me. And for now, that means maindeck Surgical with Traps in the board.
I've 100% come to the same conclusion. We are not as a thread, as a forum, as a format community, ever going to come to a consensus on something, and Wizard's is never going to listen to the few of us that 'know' we are right.
So either adapt, or give up. That's literally it. Honest to god though, I would rather watch Hogaak, than Phoenix, or Dredge, some of the new versions of Jund look spicy as hell. UW is actually viable, Burn and Mono R Phoenix are competitive, the Urza deck as the current form of Whir/Thopter looks legit, Infect coming back as Bant now, the final of the Classic as Burn (winner) vs Esper Control.
Between War/Horizons/2020, the format is as 'shaken up' as we can likely expect for..years.
I mean, while its true Hoogak didn't have extreme numbers dont forget people were outrageously prepared for it. We're talking like 7-9 hate pieces in a bunch of decks, this by no means reliquenishes Hoogak being problematic.
The winning list had 2 Surgical main, and 4 Rip, I believe that's it.
There is literally no leg to stand on in regards to banning Hogaak at this point. As I mentioned yesterday I think we have not seen the 'best' of it yet, but as of right now? Phoenix is still a greater offender.
Either way, Historic is going to be nothing for a few rotations and that's how Wizards wants it. They don't want to invest energy in another format, just let it be there so ppl don't cry about their virtual content being lost.
Yeah, the lack of free counters is always what held it back. I've had a playset for ages just waiting.
By the metric of 'is anything seeing too much Top 8 success that cannot be hated out, and across all archetypes?' Yes, sadly its healthy.
We have our 'brainstorm'. It is Faithless Looting.
We have our 'FoW'. It is Surgical, with the added benefit of it being playable in every single deck in the format.
We have cards that punish Faithless Looting, in the form of Leyline, RIP, Ravenous, and Surgical.
We have Control, Disruptive Aggro (Humans, Folk, Spirits), Combo, Prison, Dredge/GY, Xerox, Burn, Creature Combo, Artifact Abuse, Ramp, Tron, Infect, and if Jund can stick, Midrange. Heck, is GDS/Esper Shadow Midrange?
What else could we want other than a shift in the types of decks being played by %? We wont get that. It just wont happen, as Modern is too diverse for that to be a thing. Its no shock to me that UW Control/Esper and Jund, see an increase when the meta warps around a deck or 2, because thats what those decks NEED.
When Modern goes back to its average, which is now wildly diverse, Control drops down.
We should I guess be thankful for Hogaak and Phoenix, for tightening up the meta.
Horizons is a new revenue stream that recognizes Modern as a format some of us play exclusively.
It's going to be a higher power level because the only cards to see play are well above curve, or have synergy not present in Standard.
I don't see anything wrong with Horizons power level.
Play Blue Moon, or Breach.
In the end we both know, 1000s of $ and 3 years later, that it doesn't matter. You'll still have to play against decks that don't care what you are doing, and force you to warp to them, instead of playing with/against you.
You know why people loved Dominaria/Ravnica Standard? Because it reminded them of 2016 Modern, when it was BGx vs URx.
Moderns moved on. Heck Standard has moved on.
What you play matters a who lot less I think than what everyone else is playing.
See this is what I'm talking about.
It's not that you have issue or that Modern has issue, it's that you simply don't like what Modern is. That's it.
I get it too. Seeing E Tron across the table draws out a physical disgust from me.
In the end though we are not going back. They won't ban 75% of the format. 2016 is a long time ago.
You'll have to forgive me, as my post history would probably show that I came to this realization late.
Objectively? Nothing is wrong with Modern right now. Even Jund appears to have found some upgrades, and if your objective is to play X type of deck, there is one for nearly everyone.
What I feel is the basis of most arguments right now, even if its not explicitly stated is that SUBJECTIVELY, people do not like the decks that make up much of Modern. People will wrap it up as if there is something wrong with the format, I myself was guilty of this, because we find the decks distasteful, but thats not a flaw, thats perception.
Surgical is our FoW, there is nothing wrong with that.
If the meta narrows however, I've always been successful enough with it.
I've 100% come to the same conclusion. We are not as a thread, as a forum, as a format community, ever going to come to a consensus on something, and Wizard's is never going to listen to the few of us that 'know' we are right.
So either adapt, or give up. That's literally it. Honest to god though, I would rather watch Hogaak, than Phoenix, or Dredge, some of the new versions of Jund look spicy as hell. UW is actually viable, Burn and Mono R Phoenix are competitive, the Urza deck as the current form of Whir/Thopter looks legit, Infect coming back as Bant now, the final of the Classic as Burn (winner) vs Esper Control.
Between War/Horizons/2020, the format is as 'shaken up' as we can likely expect for..years.
The winning list had 2 Surgical main, and 4 Rip, I believe that's it.
I already did! Lol.
It cannot be banned until it does something.
Edit: let's not forget pros thought original bridgevine was worth playing at the pro tour, and then did nothing.
Modern Classic posted (I'm on my phone can't copy) and it's cool too.
Bring back jund!