Archers of Qarsi becomes an actually playable card, not only because it trades with all the uncommon dragons but also that it is a great Formidable enabler.
Cool card. I like how you can turn him into a dragon, then cast a second one and use his minus to kill a creature. Probably the most likely reason for the weak second ability.
I found myself watching Modern Dailies today, and stumbled upon a player named "sacakewalk" playing a really cool blue-white Tallowisp Aura deck. He was running Geist of Saint Traft, Academy Researchers, Arcanum Wings, Eldrazi Conscription a small toolbox of auras, etc. He 4-0'd a daily with the list, but it wasn't featured for that day, so I can't see his actual list. Anybody ever seen that before? I want an idea of what else was in it, it seemed like a really cool deck to try out.
So I built a really awful Red-Blue aggro deck in draft yesterday (that somehow made it to finals, but believe me, it wasn't pretty), and I had managed to pick up 2 copies of Peak Eruption ~13th pick each.
Now, obviously against a slower red deck, they were excellent, keeping up pressure and preventing his better cards from coming online. That, plus a stumble on lands, was how I escaped round 1. But my round 2 opponent was GUb greed-stuff, and showed me Nylea's Presence game 1, so I figured, I need luck to win anyway, brought it in, and it destroyed him on turn 3.
Question being here, in a normal, doesn't-need-tons-of-luck-to-win deck, in what circumstances (what kind of deck, how many presences seen) is what I did actually correct? I think, given my underpowered deck it was correct, but I'm not so sure that it is right in situations where you don't need to get lucky, Thoughts?
As for obvious things in my pool, I played Black and opened Erebos, God of the Dead and Whip of Erebos, both of which were insane. (Whip was way better, though...when you're ahead, Erebos is devastating, but he's pretty much a blank when you're behind.) I also had Erebos's Emmisary, and I got to live the dream of discarding an Abhorrent Overlord and reanimating him in the same turn, swinging for a bunch and making 6 1/1 fliers. (I won that game.)
As for my not so obvious good cards? I ran RB, and figured I'd throw Tymaret, the Murder King in as a bear with a little upside. But he was an absolute house in an aggressive curve. He pretty much says that they can't win a long game, because he throws all your chump blockers at them, and he's nigh unkillable.
As for non-rares, with some of the common enablers, Akroan Crusader was very good for me as well. T1 Akroan Crusader, T2 Scourgemark or Dragon Mantle + pump is 3 damage on turn 2 with only 1 card invested. Definitely lead to some of my more explosive starts.
Wasn't this downtime only supposed to last until 12pm PST? That puts it at 3 hours behind, including the extra 8 hours they took from normal downtime length. Seems unprofessional, I dunno.
The only reason people are even putting Islands in their deck is Azorius Guildmage so im not sure i agree with your statement.
The fact that you can discard any lands you don't need means you're usually better off with a slightly more even ratio. Aside from the "I win" guildmage, there are card draw creatures like Azure Mage for when you need to ramp past 8 mana or make up for their Mournwhelk, or Memnarch for the to take over the game.
Rarely have I needed more than 4 Mountains in a game, and I think having the ability to hit domain in a game, even if you don't usually choose to do so, will win you more games.
Exactly. Limited is a nuclear bomb swingfest anyways. You might as well explain the functionality of Search the City, Jar of Eyeballs, Conjured Currency and Lost in the Woods in any format they can be played to me because I don't even know why they exist because even Limited players avoid those things too.
Hey, I've won a game with Lost in the Woods. Sideboard against a deck with no enchantment removal, play 40 forests and 1 Lost in the Woods, and mulligan into it, win by decking.
On a more serious note, rarity is important for casual players, too. Having cool, splashy effects at rare is exciting for new players, regardless of how "good" the card actually is. Clone is worth next to nothing now, but it's reprinted at rare again because, to a new player, it's really cool. And that's WAAAAAAY more important to Wizards than Standard, or Limited. People on these forums forget what being a casual player is like. When I was new, a card like this would have been so awesome to open. I'd put my one copy into a new blue deck with random fliers and card draw, and it would help me against my friend's red deck with that Mindsparker that I can't seem to ever beat. And the first time my friend's Green deck beats me by Giant Growthing his guy, we're going to have a great, memorable game. And that's why they make cards like these. For those players.
I found myself on Britanick.com last night (main site's fine, some of the videos might be NSFW), and I watched one called The Coach, http://www.britanick.com/videos/?id=3pyuFfKPCvY. Near the end of the video, there's a random piece of paper wedged behind a sign on the door while Nick is talking, and I'm almost positive it's a Magic token creature of some kind, but the resolution wasn't good enough for me to figure it out. Anybody who has watched the video and can figure it out for me would be saving me from being stuck on this all day. Also, that site is just funny in general, so even if you don't figure it out you're probably just enjoying yourself anyway.
Maybe he's just a terrible fighter for his size? I would personally get destroyed in a fight against a bodybuilding dwarf even if I have a size advantage. Perhaps the whale's only options are "eat it" and "slowly ram into it like a bafoon."
Besides, anything past 3 or 4 power/toughness varies wildly in actual flavorful power. That's been the case for many years.
You might think you're explaining something or sounding smart by just listing cards, but in fact you are doing nothing. Explain how the games can go for hours outside the situation where both players are able to execute both portions of the combo (life and damage) at the same time. Even in that situation, the game doesn't go for hours, it just ends in a draw.
Edit: I'm not trying to be an ass. I really don't understand how outside of the situations where the game ends in a draw that Melira Pod games will go any longer. Each player has a way to kill the other even from infinite life.
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Actually, since Melira is a 2 toughness creature, it would likely never be an issue. Just kill her, then do infinite to them. Barring mass reanimation, one player will have the pieces before the other does, even if that means while a piece is on the stack. Even in the rare situation where both are on the field and both others have the combo enabled, persist still uses the stack, so the first guy to go for it loses in reponse.
To people using Geist, Sigarda, Jitte, and other powerful legendary cards to justify the old rule... You're missing the point. Having answers to overpowered cards like those isn't worth the feel-bad moment when two players cancel each other's legends out, or when one player gets to use his planeswalker first and the other player gets no benefit. Zooming in on individual cards isn't fair to the rest of the very more likely scenarios where this comes up.
Or they play Jace, the Mind sculptor on the draw turn 4, activate his brainstorm, then you both steal three cards, they put back 2, AND you kill Jace with your new 3 power creature.
My idea was a nod to classic "powerful but can really screw you" cards.
Painful knowledge (awful name, but oh well.)
If you would lose life, lose twice as much life and draw a card instead.
Didn't even try to cost it, but I think somewhere around 2 or 3 mana is fair considering this one hurts a LOT. Makes fetches amazing, but aggro eats you alive.
Also, Hewed Stone Retainers seems really really good with Rebound spells.
Now, obviously against a slower red deck, they were excellent, keeping up pressure and preventing his better cards from coming online. That, plus a stumble on lands, was how I escaped round 1. But my round 2 opponent was GUb greed-stuff, and showed me Nylea's Presence game 1, so I figured, I need luck to win anyway, brought it in, and it destroyed him on turn 3.
Question being here, in a normal, doesn't-need-tons-of-luck-to-win deck, in what circumstances (what kind of deck, how many presences seen) is what I did actually correct? I think, given my underpowered deck it was correct, but I'm not so sure that it is right in situations where you don't need to get lucky, Thoughts?
I was hoping it gave the enchanted creature that ability, too...nothing like killing a player at 1 by pumping up his best creature.
As for my not so obvious good cards? I ran RB, and figured I'd throw Tymaret, the Murder King in as a bear with a little upside. But he was an absolute house in an aggressive curve. He pretty much says that they can't win a long game, because he throws all your chump blockers at them, and he's nigh unkillable.
As for non-rares, with some of the common enablers, Akroan Crusader was very good for me as well. T1 Akroan Crusader, T2 Scourgemark or Dragon Mantle + pump is 3 damage on turn 2 with only 1 card invested. Definitely lead to some of my more explosive starts.
The fact that you can discard any lands you don't need means you're usually better off with a slightly more even ratio. Aside from the "I win" guildmage, there are card draw creatures like Azure Mage for when you need to ramp past 8 mana or make up for their Mournwhelk, or Memnarch for the to take over the game.
Rarely have I needed more than 4 Mountains in a game, and I think having the ability to hit domain in a game, even if you don't usually choose to do so, will win you more games.
Hey, I've won a game with Lost in the Woods. Sideboard against a deck with no enchantment removal, play 40 forests and 1 Lost in the Woods, and mulligan into it, win by decking.
On a more serious note, rarity is important for casual players, too. Having cool, splashy effects at rare is exciting for new players, regardless of how "good" the card actually is. Clone is worth next to nothing now, but it's reprinted at rare again because, to a new player, it's really cool. And that's WAAAAAAY more important to Wizards than Standard, or Limited. People on these forums forget what being a casual player is like. When I was new, a card like this would have been so awesome to open. I'd put my one copy into a new blue deck with random fliers and card draw, and it would help me against my friend's red deck with that Mindsparker that I can't seem to ever beat. And the first time my friend's Green deck beats me by Giant Growthing his guy, we're going to have a great, memorable game. And that's why they make cards like these. For those players.
Besides, anything past 3 or 4 power/toughness varies wildly in actual flavorful power. That's been the case for many years.
Actually, since Melira is a 2 toughness creature, it would likely never be an issue. Just kill her, then do infinite to them. Barring mass reanimation, one player will have the pieces before the other does, even if that means while a piece is on the stack. Even in the rare situation where both are on the field and both others have the combo enabled, persist still uses the stack, so the first guy to go for it loses in reponse.
Or they play Jace, the Mind sculptor on the draw turn 4, activate his brainstorm, then you both steal three cards, they put back 2, AND you kill Jace with your new 3 power creature.
Painful knowledge (awful name, but oh well.)
If you would lose life, lose twice as much life and draw a card instead.
Didn't even try to cost it, but I think somewhere around 2 or 3 mana is fair considering this one hurts a LOT. Makes fetches amazing, but aggro eats you alive.