Eitherway, you know that you will be on a 3-4 turn clock.
One of your creatures is in your hand, Hellkite Overlord is in your deck.
Which means, the only way to get Iona in play is to find a brainstorm. AND at the same time, you are going to want to throwback Gaea's Blessing AND find an Oath of Druids
Also, what do you want impulse to dig up? If it's a brainstorm, you are going to lose before you can assemble. If it's an Oath to Druids, you have 2 very important cards in your opening hand.
So in my opinion, I would probably toss this hand back.
You have no first turn play without breaking your Lotus petal. Since you like having Lotus petal as a useful storm count, you can go to 6.
Also, if you brainstorm and don't hit a land or a blue mana producer, you are sstuck without shuffle effects. If you break Lotus petal to tutor, your stuck grabbing a tutor or will, both of which is worthless without more mana.
How about Workshop Aggro. Here's the hand:
Mishra's Workshop, Mox Jet, Tanglewire, Tanglewire, Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere and Wasteland.
You are playing a newer player who you put on some form of aggro.
When using Dark Confidants with Staxx variants, you need 30 mana sources or 1/2 your deck with CMC of 0. Otherwise you are going to kill yourself. Also, think about nethervoid over chains. You want a lock within the game and chains doesn't provide that lock. Also, think about Sickening Dreams as a 1 of for the deck.
I think you will find the dark rituals are overkill.
Conley took 3rd with his deck. I don't think the deck has that bad a match up against Thopter. I know some changes he talked about included cutting Stoneforge and another card to add in a Chrome Mox and potentially Spell Snare.
The foil proxies that have the alterned name are a game store's proxy that was created for Charity. The only reason they can be sold here is that they are not an actual magic card, the front and back are a different card all together. We don't allow proxies on this site because many times, they are very very good and have been passed off as real to an unsuspecting buyer. The rule is in place to avoid any dispute that could arrive. It's easier for everyone to not allow them then it is to let them be traded.
I don't know why this is even a question. Think about it, they are fake. Meaning, they are not worth the cardboard they are printed on. Anyone, who would knowingly but a "fake" card, seems to have more money than they deserve. If you can get "any" money from someone who knows they are not real, you should take it.
I don't know if it's that crazy. It seems like every other box or so has one. I opened 7 boxes today and pulled 3. The store opened up 13 boxes and pulled 5. A buddy just told me he opened 4 boxes and pulled 2. It seems to me that as hard as they are to pull, 50-60 is about right.
In two-three weeks, I expect them to settle around the value of Elspeth (before Zen).
I think Jace will see play as a 1 or 2 of. Brainstorm for free without card disadvantage. Unsummon is a highly underated spell that never sees play, but we do run cards that bounce and this card does that too. Especially since it bounces Darksteel Colossus and Sphinx of the Steel Wind
I think the Bokuwhatever Bog will see play as well. I don't forsee a 4x of, but potentially a 1-2 of. Beware of the Dark Obedience deck that is starting to gain popularity. It's stronger than people believe (Ive been playing it for 3 weeks now competitively and have only lost 1 match to Oath).
Nature's Claim will certainly see boards for Ichorid, and potentially BuG. It's a nice way to mix up your hate so that a chalice to 3 doesn't shut you out completely.
The Merfolk Legend, Thada Adel, Acquisitor is also very good. You can take key kill cards out of a person's library. Whether that is Inkwell Leviathan, Black Lotus or Time Vault, you are going to FORCE people to deal with that creature and for 3 mana, it fits nicely in Fish base decks and potentially into Tezzeret sideboards.
As for under-rated cards, the Brainstormish land - Halimar Depths will see play.
Dispel is also a card that may see play as a 2 of. 1 casting cost counterspell is never something to overlook, even if it only hits instants.
To be fair, my 5c list cheats. I play a 5c Workshop Aggro, but I still don't use Juggs. Also, my 5c is more for Post Board. I don't like having to try and fix mana mid-way through a game.
Juggernaut/Lodestone Golem is a good beater, but I think we all underesitmate the drawback to the card. It's non-artifact.
If we went through a list of all the major cards that we are terrified of, the top of the list is: Time Vault
The last card would probably be Painter Servant or Grindstone.
Now I am not saying that the other decks are not competitors, nor am I saying that they don't have valid threats, but with the three listed above, most will kill us on the turn they are played. 2/3 listed are unaffected by Lodestone Golem.
What are you cutting for golems? The reason I believed that it doesn't fit is based simply on the fact that there are only 3-5 actual threat creatures (2 Trisk, 2 Karn, 1 Sundering Titan). Adding Golems would mean that I'd have to cut what?
Your hand is:
[card]
Mana Drain[/card], Gaea's Blessing, Impulse, Iona, Intuition, Forbidden Orchard, Mox Sapphire.
You know your opponent is playing dredge, but it's pre-side, and you're on the play.
What are your first turn plays?
Forbidden Orchard + Mox Sapphire into Impulse.
Or you play:
Forbidden Orchard + Mox Sapphire and camp the Mana Drain.
Eitherway, you know that you will be on a 3-4 turn clock.
One of your creatures is in your hand, Hellkite Overlord is in your deck.
Which means, the only way to get Iona in play is to find a brainstorm. AND at the same time, you are going to want to throwback Gaea's Blessing AND find an Oath of Druids
Also, what do you want impulse to dig up? If it's a brainstorm, you are going to lose before you can assemble. If it's an Oath to Druids, you have 2 very important cards in your opening hand.
So in my opinion, I would probably toss this hand back.
Thoughts?
You have no first turn play without breaking your Lotus petal. Since you like having Lotus petal as a useful storm count, you can go to 6.
Also, if you brainstorm and don't hit a land or a blue mana producer, you are sstuck without shuffle effects. If you break Lotus petal to tutor, your stuck grabbing a tutor or will, both of which is worthless without more mana.
How about Workshop Aggro. Here's the hand:
Mishra's Workshop, Mox Jet, Tanglewire, Tanglewire, Sphere of Resistance, Trinisphere and Wasteland.
You are playing a newer player who you put on some form of aggro.
I think you will find the dark rituals are overkill.
As for being a Johnny, those that know him would place him somewhere between a Johnny and a Spike.
In two-three weeks, I expect them to settle around the value of Elspeth (before Zen).
I think the Bokuwhatever Bog will see play as well. I don't forsee a 4x of, but potentially a 1-2 of. Beware of the Dark Obedience deck that is starting to gain popularity. It's stronger than people believe (Ive been playing it for 3 weeks now competitively and have only lost 1 match to Oath).
Nature's Claim will certainly see boards for Ichorid, and potentially BuG. It's a nice way to mix up your hate so that a chalice to 3 doesn't shut you out completely.
The Merfolk Legend, Thada Adel, Acquisitor is also very good. You can take key kill cards out of a person's library. Whether that is Inkwell Leviathan, Black Lotus or Time Vault, you are going to FORCE people to deal with that creature and for 3 mana, it fits nicely in Fish base decks and potentially into Tezzeret sideboards.
As for under-rated cards, the Brainstormish land - Halimar Depths will see play.
Dispel is also a card that may see play as a 2 of. 1 casting cost counterspell is never something to overlook, even if it only hits instants.
Juggernaut/Lodestone Golem is a good beater, but I think we all underesitmate the drawback to the card. It's non-artifact.
If we went through a list of all the major cards that we are terrified of, the top of the list is: Time Vault
The next card would be Oath of Druids
The last card would probably be Painter Servant or Grindstone.
Now I am not saying that the other decks are not competitors, nor am I saying that they don't have valid threats, but with the three listed above, most will kill us on the turn they are played. 2/3 listed are unaffected by Lodestone Golem.