MTG Salvation

I'm voting Thunder Dragon.
I collect dragons, and own every single one besides Zodiac Dragon, Fire Dragon, and Thunder Dragon.
That said, this would grant easy access to an otherwise somewhat difficult card to find.
That, and it's actually very good.

I'm currently trying to build a mono-black control deck by harnessing the power of Phyrexian Etchings and Arena to draw into cards like Soul Spike, Consume Spirit, and Feast of Flesh. With everyone's favorite Evening Star as the finisher, it has some potential, but I just don't know if the ends justify the means....

I suppose the idea is this: in Ravnica Standard, green can't easily compete alone. Mono-blue can (and quite easily, in fact), as can white. Red can't, but only because Story Circle ends the game. Black can, and I intend to find out the best way to do so.

Green is my favorite color, but it just doesn't have enough answers. There is no creature removal. Yes, we have Naturalize and the like to axe enchantments and artifacts, but there is no Mortify or Faith's Fetters to neutralize other threats. Green, in the current Standard, sadly needs to splash simply for support. Even with the crazy card-drawing power of the Viper, there just isn't enough there. Granted, the Viper offers up some creature removal, but spot-kill and block-kill are two VERY different things. The only other option is Jitte, and that is simply why the deck posted previously works, am I right? That -1/-1 part is all that makes mono-green even SLIGHTLY playable.

I've personally never had anything stolen from me, but my friend (Kresnik Alchemist here on the boards) had most of his stuff stolen years back.

Interestingly enough, three days ago the shop the two of us play at was robbed. The same thing happend months earlier, but that time the cash drawer (no cards) was taken. This time, only the PS2 and six games were stolen (the owner plasy Wolfenstein while we play...it's awesome). Either way, theft is terrible.

I avoid theives by just keeping my cards with me in a backpack at all times. If I need to move to a new table for a match, I do so with all of my things.

The price guide in InQuest is so horrible...
Then again, Beckett's isn't much better. Wait, I can buy Helix, Exhaustion, and Tidings for $.50? WHERE!?

Quote from extremeicon »

I've subscribed to it for around 10 years. It was a hell of a lot funnier back in the old days before they started taking themselves so seriously and began trying to pass themselves off as a legitimate Magic strategy magazine/video game reviewing magazine/etc., etc. I currently keep my copies on top of the toilet. I read them once or twice a day for around 5 minutes.

Yup, toilet for me, too.
I still buy it, but only because it costs less than a pack of cards.
Lately they've included more Magic, but wow. The LEAST they could do is print a Standard player's guide in each issue. THAT would be useful.

Quote from MajoraX »

Kodama's triple-green cost makes it nearly impossible to splash, costs one more even with that, and can't be enchanted with your own spells.

Three green is no problem for Gruul. If you're playing Gruul, chances are you can cast him on Turn 5 or earlier anyway. He's a finisher.

But maybe you're right.
Okay, instead of Kodama and Strider, use Solifuge. I'm sure a Gruul deck can cast that.

Quote from Jushi Yamabushi »

Umm . . . the strider only has "can't be the target of blue or black spells" it doesn't have "protection from blue and black." There fore, blue and black can still block it, and deal damage to it. The just can't use spot removal.

I'm glad someone else caught this.

There is no way to even compare Paladin and Strider. The Paladin is so superior it isn't even funny.
If you want a mono-green creature that can't be killed by spot removal, do yourself a favor and play with Kodama of the North Tree. It's better. Seriously.

Ah, yes, but a paragraph of strategy is not quite the same as a whole article of it.

And yeah, sure, Saturday School isn't too much help for seasoned players, but I still used it once in a while for either quick reference if I had a rules question or a way to see if this new crazy card could be used with this other crazy card, etc.

At any rate, let's just hope that the Academy does some good. I suppose that's all we can do.

Personally, I still don't like the idea of the Academy in the first place.
Here's the deal: new players don't go to the Wizards homepage. Most new players just learn from watching their friends play. Besides...practice makes perfect.

I like that Wizards wants to draw more new players in, but perhaps a more detailed Rulebook in the Starter kits would help. I see no reason to take up a weekly slot on the homepage that could be used for strategy or something seasoned players can use. The entire Academy could have been one large page that could have been linked on the homepage.

But I digress. At any rate, this week's article is far too complex for a "n00b," as mentioned. So much for the "beginning."

I kinda miss John Carter.