Haven't posted in a while, but I just wanted to share this with you guys. Placed 2nd in a 10-man tournament not too long ago with a deck list based off of Petr Brozek's Extended Quest list from yesteryear:
Game 2
I mulligan once to find three Leyline of Punishment in my hand. Wtf? I drop all three before play begins and open with Quest. He opens with Soul Attendant. I cast Keldon Marauders and ping the Attendant down. He plays Martyr of Sands. I drop Goblin Guide and swing for 5. He blocks the Marauders with the Martyr. He draws, plays a land and takes a while to analyze the board. He concedes, revealing two Leonin Relic-Warders in his hand. I still can't believe that game.
Game 3
At this point I'm feeling pretty lucky. My opening hand had 2 Goblin Guides and 2 Quests. I get him down to 4 but he manages to stabilize after popping Martyr and playing another. I never see my Leylines and by the time I get Figure on the board and pump it up to an 8/8, his Ascendants are active and punching me in the neck.
1-1; 3-2
Round Three vs. Affinity
Game 1
I get a pretty explosive start with Goblin Guide followed by Hellspark Elemental, then Quest and Bolts. My opponent's Arcbound Ravager gets big enough to eat my Guide and Marauders before I top deck a Magma Jet and Scry two Mountains away to the bottom of my library to topdeck a Flame Javelin and win. I was at 2 life.
Game 3
I mulligan down to five with a terrible hand to push offensively with. I try to play mono-red control with Smash to Smithereens and Slagstorm for a while. I eventually draw into a Figure and begin to level him up until it gets Dispatched. My opponent is at 6 life and I'm at 11 when I topdeck Hellspark Elemental and bring him down to 3. The board is nearly empty. My opponent draws a card and shows it to me: Darksteel Citadel.
2-1; 5-3
At that point I had to leave but I ended up splitting four packs with someone else. I loved playing with Quest, it was just utterly explosive. In a few pre-game matches with some of the guys I ended up winning on turn four pretty consistently.
I'm seriously thinking about adding in stuff like Needle Drop or Gut Shot to get Quest activated much sooner. Keldon Megaliths is another option. Teetering Peaks was an obvious inclusion at the time but I found it rather lackluster in the late game. It doesn't help Quest and it relies on your creatures living through the ridiculous amounts of removal in this format. Also, the burn package could probably use some tweaking. Flame Javelin is very top-heavy but potentially dealing 8 damage in one go is really, really good.
The sideboard could use a lot of work, though. I feel like I haven't even begun to touch on the true potential of that extra 15 yet.
With Mimeoplasm, milling your opponent is as good as disrupting them, made all the better if they're running some fatties. Of course, graveyard hate will often stall this deck to a halt but I see it come back hard sometimes.
I'll try to get the deck list from her if I have time.
Ah, my mistake. I assumed this thread was the more active of the two since it was getting bumped a lot these past few days. I'll migrate over there once I can get my Kemba list updated.
Just wondering if you've ever had the opportunity to test out a few of the newer cards like Mentor of the Meek or Nevermore.
I personally found Mentor to be a huge boon to Kemba, particularly in the end game when you need to find something specific. But I've never been able to cut anything from my version. I've also been on the fence with Nevermore but in testing it completely hoses general-based strategies (like Edric), especially if you can tutor for it early on, but it seems a bit gimmicky.
Collector's Editions have straight corners and backplate gold borders, so it's not a CE/IE proxy. Even if the corners were cut with a precision tool and the borders painted there'd be inconsistencies within the edges of the material enough to warrant question (I've seen it done before, it is extremely difficult to replicate the rounded corner look and black border of a legitimate card without some kind of press cutter, which is out of the reach of many people).
Yes, I withdrew because I don't like revealing personal information on the internet. Just a rule I have. I was assured that it would be kept private but I just didn't feel comfortable with it.
And with your above post it seems that I made the right choice, because what I believed would be a private matter (my private messages in the application process) is now being openly discussed in this thread, I can only assume in an attempt to shame or discredit me. I can only imagine what would have happened with my supposedly private photo that I was supposed to send in.
There seems to be a misconception about what the Gutter really is. Before I was given access to it I had presumed it to be exactly what you think it to be: an orgy of violent, foaming-at-the-mouth insurgents with nothing else to do but mindlessly slam people. I couldn't have been more wrong.
If you sift through the heaping pile of garbage, you'll find some genuinely thought-provoking discourse. I honestly believe your hostility towards the Gutter and its members is only because you haven't seen it yourself. I don't post there (mainly because I'd probably end up looking like a fool) but you need to realize that closing off the only forum that approaches the policies and actions of this site with a critical mindset in a casual environment is actually a pretty big deal. It's not all rainbows and unicorns here at MTGS. Some of the Gutterites actually care enough about the site to warrant that notion.
Actually, now that I think about it, this card has a lot of potential, especially since it's blue. Utilizing Skaab Ruinator and Haakon, Stromgald Scourge in a Mirror-Mad deck would be the nuts.
This card just convinced me to construct a Mimeoplasm deck.... I don't know why, but I always loved dredge. btw, where did you get your profile image from?
The avatar is a painting by Raymond Swanland, which is somewhere here.
I've seen a Sakashima deck use it with Laboratory Maniac to pull a win from out of thin air. It has nice synergy with cheap flashback cards too, like Memory's Journey and Dread Return.
I love cards with weird effects like the Phantasm has but I'm just not creative enough to exploit it.
I had an interesting conversation with a few of my classmates over this and it'd be interesting to get everyone's input on the format.
What most drives you to play Commander/EDH?
Is it for a financial reason?
I know that I've spent less money on several EDH decks than I have in one season of Standard. When you begin to dabble in competitive Legacy/Modern your bill begins to skyrocket. Do you play EDH mainly because of wallet constraints?
Maybe it's the availability of cards that has you interested?
In EDH, cards that are shunned by other constructed formats are praised in this format. The large selection of viable cards is something worth noting. Do you play because you like playing with obscure, flavorful cards?
Is it the low barrier to entry?
With hidden gems at low costs, being a singleton format, and encouraging house rules, as well as garnering format support from The MothershipTM, do you find EDH to be your cup of tea?
Or is it for another reason entirely? Let's hear it!
Alright, I tuck it and cast Bribery, pulling it out of Jhoira's library and onto my side of the table. I get to choose any one card in an opponent's graveyard to play for free. Bosh decides to play something in response as I pass priority. He plays Firestorm discarding Apocalypse.
Yeeeeeesssssssssss.
I use Chancellor to play it. Hard. Fifteen minutes later Jhoira gets knocked out by a 22/22 Slag Fiend flung by Bosh and I get Bosh and Memnarch down to 3 and 4 respectively before Bosh flings himself at me.
Finally, a FNM art that is superior to the original.
Resurrection would like to have a word with you...
Jace's nose just takes up half of the frame. Actually, I think I prefer the original art to this one. I like the Kevin Bacon look more than the "Mickey Rourke" that Argyle created.
The competitive European EDH scene is rather secretive as far as top deck lists from what I gather. The closest you'll get to a French deck database is probably magicville. You can try and search for some French Nationals results, although the Nat results will probably be outdated already.
Sorry, that's all I got. There are plenty of others on the board who will be more than glad to help you, they just have to stumble across this thread.
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Keldon Marauders
Spells (24)
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Quest for Pure Flame
4 Magma Jet
4 Rift Bolt
4 Flame Javelin
16 Mountain
4 Teetering Peaks
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Leyline of Punishment
4 Slagstorm
3 Smash to Smithereens
Round 1 vs. Metalcraft
Game 1
I win the roll and drop Quest for Pure Flame. He drops Glimmervoid, Memnite, Mox Opal, Springleaf Drum and Carapace Forger. Ugh. I drop Figure of Destiny and Lightning Bolt him. He eventually gets me down to 2 and I have a fully active Quest while he still sits at 17. I topdeck a Lava Spike, pop the Quest, and cast Lava Spike, Lava Spike, and Rift Bolt to drop him to 0. Whew.
Game 2
He opens up with an Ornithopter and two Memnites. I drop Figure of Destiny first, then Quest for Pure Flame and level my Figure up the next turn. He drops Tempered Steel and swings for 8. I topdeck Slagstorm then level up my Figure again who's now a 4/4. He swings with everything. I block a Memnite and take 5 to the gut. He drops a Signal Pest and an Auriok Sunchaser. I cast Slagstorm to clear the board. Figure attacks for 4, then I cast Lightning Bolt, Lava Spike, and Magma Jet, activating Quest. My opponent draws then concedes.
1-0; 2-0
Round Two vs. Soul Sisters
Game 1
He wins the roll and opens with Soul Warden. I open up with Guide. He plays Serra Ascendant. I play another Goblin Guide which gets Path to Exiled immediately then I suspend Rift Bolt. He drops Ajani's Pridemate and attacks with Ascendant. I play Hellspark Elemental and swing with it to drop him to 21. He plays Ranger of Eos searching for more Ascendants. After he drops a couple of Attendants I scoop.
Game 2
I mulligan once to find three Leyline of Punishment in my hand. Wtf? I drop all three before play begins and open with Quest. He opens with Soul Attendant. I cast Keldon Marauders and ping the Attendant down. He plays Martyr of Sands. I drop Goblin Guide and swing for 5. He blocks the Marauders with the Martyr. He draws, plays a land and takes a while to analyze the board. He concedes, revealing two Leonin Relic-Warders in his hand. I still can't believe that game.
Game 3
At this point I'm feeling pretty lucky. My opening hand had 2 Goblin Guides and 2 Quests. I get him down to 4 but he manages to stabilize after popping Martyr and playing another. I never see my Leylines and by the time I get Figure on the board and pump it up to an 8/8, his Ascendants are active and punching me in the neck.
1-1; 3-2
Round Three vs. Affinity
Game 1
I get a pretty explosive start with Goblin Guide followed by Hellspark Elemental, then Quest and Bolts. My opponent's Arcbound Ravager gets big enough to eat my Guide and Marauders before I top deck a Magma Jet and Scry two Mountains away to the bottom of my library to topdeck a Flame Javelin and win. I was at 2 life.
Game 2
Magus of the Moon locks him out of the game early but I run out of gas pretty quickly. He uses Springleaf Drum to cast a Dispatch on it. Cranial Plating on top of an Inkmoth Nexus nails me out of nowhere. I come to realize that I had not sided in my Smash to Smithereens this game. Doh.
Game 3
I mulligan down to five with a terrible hand to push offensively with. I try to play mono-red control with Smash to Smithereens and Slagstorm for a while. I eventually draw into a Figure and begin to level him up until it gets Dispatched. My opponent is at 6 life and I'm at 11 when I topdeck Hellspark Elemental and bring him down to 3. The board is nearly empty. My opponent draws a card and shows it to me: Darksteel Citadel.
2-1; 5-3
At that point I had to leave but I ended up splitting four packs with someone else. I loved playing with Quest, it was just utterly explosive. In a few pre-game matches with some of the guys I ended up winning on turn four pretty consistently.
I'm seriously thinking about adding in stuff like Needle Drop or Gut Shot to get Quest activated much sooner. Keldon Megaliths is another option. Teetering Peaks was an obvious inclusion at the time but I found it rather lackluster in the late game. It doesn't help Quest and it relies on your creatures living through the ridiculous amounts of removal in this format. Also, the burn package could probably use some tweaking. Flame Javelin is very top-heavy but potentially dealing 8 damage in one go is really, really good.
The sideboard could use a lot of work, though. I feel like I haven't even begun to touch on the true potential of that extra 15 yet.
Traumatize (a surprisingly underrated card)
Chancellor of the Spires
Jace, Memory Adept
Dread Return
Forbidden Alchemy
Memory's Journey
Think Twice
Mimeo Combos:
**The first card is what Mimeoplasm is mimicking**
Putrefax + Lord of Extinction = a huge, hasty, tramply infecter; usually wins on the spot
Simic Sky Swallower + Death's Shadow = a 19/19 flying trampler immune to spot removal
Sutured Ghoul + everything you have (via Trauamatize/Buried Alive) = yeah
With Mimeoplasm, milling your opponent is as good as disrupting them, made all the better if they're running some fatties. Of course, graveyard hate will often stall this deck to a halt but I see it come back hard sometimes.
I'll try to get the deck list from her if I have time.
Just wondering if you've ever had the opportunity to test out a few of the newer cards like Mentor of the Meek or Nevermore.
I personally found Mentor to be a huge boon to Kemba, particularly in the end game when you need to find something specific. But I've never been able to cut anything from my version. I've also been on the fence with Nevermore but in testing it completely hoses general-based strategies (like Edric), especially if you can tutor for it early on, but it seems a bit gimmicky.
I was wondering when that would get someone.
Collector's Editions have straight corners and backplate gold borders, so it's not a CE/IE proxy. Even if the corners were cut with a precision tool and the borders painted there'd be inconsistencies within the edges of the material enough to warrant question (I've seen it done before, it is extremely difficult to replicate the rounded corner look and black border of a legitimate card without some kind of press cutter, which is out of the reach of many people).
However, I do agree with S.M. that this Beta might be a fake. Read up on this: http://forums.starcitygames.com/showthread.php?9455-Fake-Beta-Black-Lotus-Amazing-Fake-read-inside-for-more. Beta Black Lotuses are notoriously known to be re-backed.
Re-scan the card out of its screwtop case and perform the tests. If it still seems legitimate we could definitely help you sort out its worth.
I believe he's saying that even though a card like Command Tower is legal in eternal formats, it isn't functional.
There seems to be a misconception about what the Gutter really is. Before I was given access to it I had presumed it to be exactly what you think it to be: an orgy of violent, foaming-at-the-mouth insurgents with nothing else to do but mindlessly slam people. I couldn't have been more wrong.
If you sift through the heaping pile of garbage, you'll find some genuinely thought-provoking discourse. I honestly believe your hostility towards the Gutter and its members is only because you haven't seen it yourself. I don't post there (mainly because I'd probably end up looking like a fool) but you need to realize that closing off the only forum that approaches the policies and actions of this site with a critical mindset in a casual environment is actually a pretty big deal. It's not all rainbows and unicorns here at MTGS. Some of the Gutterites actually care enough about the site to warrant that notion.
The avatar is a painting by Raymond Swanland, which is somewhere here.
I love cards with weird effects like the Phantasm has but I'm just not creative enough to exploit it.
What most drives you to play Commander/EDH?
Is it for a financial reason?
I know that I've spent less money on several EDH decks than I have in one season of Standard. When you begin to dabble in competitive Legacy/Modern your bill begins to skyrocket. Do you play EDH mainly because of wallet constraints?
Maybe it's the availability of cards that has you interested?
In EDH, cards that are shunned by other constructed formats are praised in this format. The large selection of viable cards is something worth noting. Do you play because you like playing with obscure, flavorful cards?
Is it the low barrier to entry?
With hidden gems at low costs, being a singleton format, and encouraging house rules, as well as garnering format support from The MothershipTM, do you find EDH to be your cup of tea?
Or is it for another reason entirely? Let's hear it!
Jhoira is being a prick because of Meishin, the Mind Cage and Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. Psychosis Crawler is suspended with one time counter left and it's my turn to play. Empty-handed, I draw a single card. Bribery.
Clique is in my command zone with a counter on it. I cast it. I peek at Jhoira's hand.
Chancellor of the Spires.
Alright, I tuck it and cast Bribery, pulling it out of Jhoira's library and onto my side of the table. I get to choose any one card in an opponent's graveyard to play for free. Bosh decides to play something in response as I pass priority. He plays Firestorm discarding Apocalypse.
Yeeeeeesssssssssss.
I use Chancellor to play it. Hard. Fifteen minutes later Jhoira gets knocked out by a 22/22 Slag Fiend flung by Bosh and I get Bosh and Memnarch down to 3 and 4 respectively before Bosh flings himself at me.
Resurrection would like to have a word with you...
Jace's nose just takes up half of the frame. Actually, I think I prefer the original art to this one. I like the Kevin Bacon look more than the "Mickey Rourke" that Argyle created.
Sorry, that's all I got. There are plenty of others on the board who will be more than glad to help you, they just have to stumble across this thread.