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  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Dec 6, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Sisterless Soulsisters
    I like the general idea, especially with some many decks being aggro at the moment, but I would say from you maybe list that Collective Brutality is one of my favorite/most-played cards in Pioneer. I would have in the 75 for sure.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Dec 4, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Banned List Speculation
    Quote from WarMachinePrime »
    I hope you see that these are two different things entirely.


    They are and they aren't at the same time. As for power of play, yes they are coming at different angles, but that isn't what I was referring to. I was referring to straight variance/luck.

    Increasing variance (by reducing consistency) by banning a green card would be the same as banning a black card (Thoughtseize) which would increase the variance of a black deck. Thoughseize is a guaranteed hit on turn 1 or 2. There is ZERO variance when it is played. No luck involved. And nearly no skill involved as well. People aren't going to hold all land hands. You hit a card and it will always be the most important card. Its a shotgun blast that is guaranteed (ZERO variance) to pick apart a hand early game. Then on top of that it gives valuable information of what and how an opponent will be playing. I would like to see the increased variance of players making a choice between Despise and Duress. Now there is some real variance. Even a "whiff" isn't so, again knowing an opponents hand is HUGE in this game.

    Killing OuaT reduces green variance by introducing inconsistency. A ban of TS would do the exact same thing, reduce black consistency and up variance. It can be argued that banning TS would be a far greater blow to black decks than OuaT to green. But that is another debate.

    I hope I have conveyed my point and I am not trying to enflame. I am pleased as punch at the recent bans and I hoping they cut just a bit deeper soon. Just my opinion, nothing more, nothing less. Smile


    There are two problems here, though, in the Thoughtseize discussion. First, targeted discard isn't a skill-less play. It requires understanding of the board state, your opponent's deck, and your outs. Say you can TS on turn one and your opponent has Teferi, Time Raveler, Narset, Parter of Veils, and Search for Azcanta. Well, you can't kill enchantments in Black, so do you take Search? Are you relying on playing cards reactively? Do you take 3feri. Do you have card draw in hand? Do you take Narset? What if one of these cards is instead Oko, Thief of Crowns? What does the rest of your hands look like? What if you take 3feri, but Search let's then bin a land next turn and draw another one, anyway? TS isn't just cast and win. Many games have been thrown by choosing incorrectly. Secondly, as I eluded to, some cards Black has an astronomically difficult time dealing with. It's nice to not just auto fold to enchantments and artifacts. I'd also like to mention against burn or low-to-the-ground aggro TS might be helping them. What if I TS and all they have is Loxodon Smiter? Already happened to me a few times at my local LGS. Whiffing on discard is bad.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Dec 3, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Question about werewolves
    This is the forum for Standard of which Werewolves are not currently in. Rules questions go here Rules Forum

    I will answer this question, but in the future looks in that forum for rules questions.

    711.12. When a double-faced permanent transforms, it doesn’t become a new object. Any effects that applied to that permanent will continue to apply to it after it transforms.

    Since it's the same object, it can attach the same as normal rules. If it is under your control at the beginning of your turn, it can attack.
    Posted in: Standard (Type 2)
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Dec 3, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on MonoUleyline
    Smuggler's Copter is banned now, anyways, as we all thought it was going to be; but he was saying Copter is bad when half the creatures in your deck are on par or bigger than Copter. You wouldn't crew it with Tempest Djinn or Sphinx of Foresight, for example, as you'll be losing out on damage. You might also just have it sit out there and you not have any creatures to crew it until you hit 3 or even 4 mana. I also think Tempest Djinn and Mutavault are at direct odds with one another. One needs UUU to be cast, the other taps for 1. One gets stronger the number of islands you control, one is not an island. There will be games where you will draw 2 Islands, 3 Tempest Djinn, and 2 Mutavault and just lose.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Dec 2, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Banned List Speculation
    Quote from pzbw7z »
    Quote from WarMachinePrime »
    Top cards in the format. Total Golgari-fest.

    https://www.mtggoldfish.com/format-staples/pioneer/full/all

    I would ban the top 3


    Don't be sad,
    'Cause two out of three ain't bad.
    -Meatloaf


    Smuggler's Copter and Once Upon a Time should be banned, because they do things cards shouldn't do. Giving any aggro deck an efficient 3/3 flier that loots for 2 mana is insane. Giving Green the free digging power of OUaT when they already have so many playable 1 mana dorks gives it a consistency that circumvents variance, a huge part of Magic. I don't think Thoughtseize makes any sense as a bannable card. There has to be low cost interaction to battle combo and control decks. It's definitely a strong role player, but that doesn't make it bannable in my book. Otherwise we'd have to play something like Duress and completely whiff against creature-based decks, then what? Sideboard in 4 Despise and side out the Duress in games 2 and 3? That's awful. I just don't like that as an option.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Dec 2, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Artisan Format: Would you play it?
    It's similar to Peasant (Pauper with 5 uncommons), but I don't remember that ever being nearly as popular as Pauper. To be honest, there have been many powerful uncommons, often times more powerful than the Rares/Mythics in their respective sets. Pricing can be difficult, but I'm not sure there is really a way around that. Shocklands are one thing, but if a player has been playing for a while, having a playset of shocklands shouldn't be that expensive. Often times when Ravnica sets come out they dip fairly low. Some recently have been as cheap as $5 a piece. Wild Slash is currently sitting at $4.50 and that's a common. Cards that are extremely hot in a format will always spike and retract. You are obviously free to make your own formats and try to recruit players, but without Rares and Mythics cuts you off from a lot of theme payoffs. Delirium without Grim Flayer or Ishkanah, Grafwidow seems really boring and bad. I suppose you could just play Gurmag Angler, but then that's just Pauper, anyways. Although I enjoy Pauper and do play it sometimes, adding Uncommons seems to kill the fun of the format. Playing all commons for the sake of playing commons is interesting, but playing commons and uncommons because I don't want to have to buy rares and mythics seems less interesting. I don't think I would ever try this format, but that's just my 10 cents.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Dec 2, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Format Information (including Up-to-Date Ban List & Ban List History)
    Added December 2nd, 2019 banned announcement:

    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 25, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Banned List Speculation
    Quote from WarMachinePrime »
    No changes.

    https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/november-25-2019-pioneer-banned-announcement

    I was personally hoping for a heavier hand in this format. Time will tell I suppose.


    As they said, I think they are going to be, but a number of pro-written articles, tweets, and posts have said that they want some more data before randomly banning cards.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 25, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Format Information (including Up-to-Date Ban List & Ban List History)
    Added November 25th, 2019 banned announcement:

    • No changes
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 25, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Dimir brainstorming ideas
    Quote from ardillacody »
    Totally right @boombox_smk. I will like to know your thought on what would you change from the deck to include them, and how many. Maybe a couple is enough. In my opinion, I could change it for Drown in the Loch.

    Maybe on the sideboard? My meta is a bit aggro with monogreen devotion and hardened scales, so in my case it would be better to keep mainboard Drown in the Loch and Collective Brutality on the sideboard.


    Personally I like to run 1 main and 2 in the board. I would try running 1 over a Tyrant's Scorn and see how it feels. If you miss the Scorn, go back. If it plays better, try another one. It's really good against aggro too. It can be used as removal and lifegain.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 25, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Dimir brainstorming ideas
    I would consider Collective Brutality in any deck that can play it, at least somewhere in the 75. It's amazing against all the shop decks right now, and it's a Duress against control, with an additional upside.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 24, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on UR Indomitable Creativity
    Drawing your combo pieces is a real problem. The only two cards in Pioneer that are Brainstorm-type effects are both creatures: Cavalier of Gales, Riverwise Augur. So that doesn't help, because you'd have to guarantee X is always = to the number of creatures left to get your combo, although having 1 copy of either might be okay. You'd have to hit X = 3, but then you could put them back on top of your library should you draw them.
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 18, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Format Information (including Up-to-Date Ban List & Ban List History)
    Added November 18th, 2019 banned announcement:

    • No changes
    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 11, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Pioneer Format Information (including Up-to-Date Ban List & Ban List History)
    Added November 11th, 2019 banned announcement:

    Posted in: Pioneer
  • boombox_smk's avatar
    Nov 10, 2019
    boombox_smk posted a message on Golgari Ideas? Let's Brew
    I'm obsessed with cards like Stitcher's Supplier and Grisly Salvage. I like dumping cards into my graveyard for some reason, although I don't like the Dredge mechanic. I like some Delve cards, but not cards like Treasure Cruise. One of my favorite cards of all time is Tombstalker. Carried me to a States Championships top 4. I've been trying to experiment with cards that let me dump things into the yard.

    List of cards I've been experimenting with:

    DumptrucksMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
    Creatures
    1 Stitcher's Supplier
    1 Satyr Wayfinder
    1 Glowspore Shaman
    1 Grim Flayer
    1 Nyx Weaver
    1 Crow of Dark Tidings
    1 Gorging Vulture
    1 Cavalier of Thorns

    		Spells
    1 Grave Strength
    1 Drown in Filth
    1 Gather the Pack
    1 Grapple with the Past
    1 Grisly Salvage
    1 Commune with the Gods
    1 Corpse Churn

    		Enchantments
    1 Vessel of Nascency

    Planeswalkers
    1 Liliana, the Last Hope


    I've been trying reanimator decks, Delirium decks, even Undergrowth decks. I just don't know what I want to play, yet.
    Posted in: Pioneer
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