- kenderbox
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Member for 8 years, 10 months, and 17 days
Last active Sun, May, 21 2017 01:59:09
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Oct 16, 2016kenderbox posted a message on Word of Command - Kaladesh Post-ReviewAetherflux Reservoir's interaction with Sydri, Galvanic Genius is just begging to be said and re-said, as the animation and the lifelink can easily take out all of your opponents if left uninterrupted.Posted in: Articles
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Mar 7, 2016kenderbox posted a message on Word of Command 11 - A Basic Manabase"One advantage to artifact ramp is that every mana rock you add to your deck adds to the total mana your deck could produce, while land search cards simply find existing ones." - This statement totally made me look at mana rocks in a whole different way, and made me care about whether my commander has mana extensive abilities or not. Nice article!Posted in: Articles
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Dec 30, 2015kenderbox posted a message on Word of Command #8 - Introducing the 2015 Commander DecksKalemne is definitely the commander with experience counters that's hardest to break, mainly because her experience condition costs a lot and thus may seem very slow. Because of this, maybe she wouldn't be looked at by a lot of players, which is a big plus for Johnnies who love legends that lie low on the radar.Posted in: Articles
Perhaps enterprising players can speed up Kalemne's experience build up by stocking the deck with "cheat" creatures? High-cost creatures with suspend, evoke, dash, and even affinity might be a good idea. -
Sep 21, 2015kenderbox posted a message on Archive Trap: The World of Zendikar: Part IYay! A vorthos article appeared in mtgsalvation.com and I am sooooooo stoked. Keep em coming!Posted in: Articles
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Jul 13, 2015kenderbox posted a message on Sphinx-Bone Wand Combo?Hi,Posted in: Uhhh... Quick question...
I think that's a nice combo, and I think that you will be able to kill your opponent's creatures with that, with the way Sphinxbone Wand works.
Then again, I'm not a judge, and I'm only basing this on my knowledge of the rules. If you want some reference, you can always forward your question to cranialinsertion@gmail.com.
Good luck! -
May 5, 2015kenderbox posted a message on High Stakes Magic - A New Way to PlaySince your system allows players to spend their gold as mana of any color (for activation costs etc.), would it be safe to just call them gold counters so they can interact with proliferate? Or how about calling them gold tokens so they align with cards like Gild and King Macar, the Gold-Cursed.Posted in: Articles
This is a very, very interesting format indeed. It could even be played alongside normal games of Commander, since the cards from the auction block are revealed face-up and could easily be distinguished from drawn cards. It can find an audience from the same people who play Planechase+Commander games.
As for building the auction block, there are TONS of ways to do it. I'm already dreaming of a mercenary auction block, where the communal deck is composed of nothing but legendary creatures that you "pay" to join your cause (again, it would be a refreshing addition to a normal Commander game).
I like it!
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Can anyone please explain (or direct me to where I can find an explanation) as to what's the theme behind the invocations? I really don't understand what's holding this masterpiece set together. Dark Ritual and Maelstrom Pulse and Aven Mindcensor and Counterbalance together... I don't get it. What do these cards have in common???
I think I'm one of the few Melvins who find this just as glaring as the gaudy Egyptification of Magic frames.
I think I'm one of the few Melvins who find this just as glaring as the gaudy Egyptification of Magic frames.
Anyway, hello Jackal Pups. You no longer belong amongst the Ainok.
Still, I'm happy about getting a copy of Jhoira and Radha (who could have been a face for the Might deck instead of Lovisa).
Anyway, I'm gung-ho about developing my partner's lands because the format uses French banning, which means no Strip Mine.
Plus, a lot of people seem to be missing the point in cards like Frantic Search. They think that since it doesn't target, it won't let me touch my partner's lands, when it's actually the very reason I may do so.
What are you gonna do if someone casts Goblin Game? How much life will the Piñata pay in Pain's Reward? You might roll a dice... but how many, and how many sides would each dice have?
One alternative is to actually build a Piñata deck that could be affected by milling and graveyard effects. Instead of getting candy, a player who damaged the Piñata the first time in a turn could draw from the Piñata deck and put it in their command zone face down. They can cast the card without paying the mana cost anytime the card is legal to cast. If they don't like the card, they can keep it face down. Each card put in the command zone this way increases the damage of a source controlled by that player assigned to the Piñata by 1. This will further encourage future aggression.
For laughs, use overly-costed junk like The Great Aurora. Or fill up the deck with "I might win" cards like Reverse the Sands which will entice people further to draw first blood.
Neither deck can really win reliably on their own, but by covering each other's weakness, they ought to be unstoppable.
My partner has Sigarda, Host of Herons and is really apt on playing the sword so I have to think of a way to support her. Hers is an enchantress deck with a lot of hatebears that aims to cripple fast combo decks that she said is dominating the meta:
Sigarda, Herald of the Host (Commander)
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Kor Spiritdancer
Gaddock Teeg
Argothian Enchantress
Qasali Pridemage
Cataclysmic Gearhulk
Scavenging Ooze
Hushwing Gryff
Verduran Enchantress
Mesa Enchantress
Eidolon of Blossoms
Magus of the Moat
Sun Titan
torpor orb
damping matrix
soul snare
Containment Priest
Kismet
rancor
Tragic Arrogance
hyena umbra
exploration
ethereal armor
mana bloom
stony silence
Conviction
Kataki, War's Wage
Felidar Umbra
sterling grove
Ground Seal
Daybreak Coronet
Spirit Mantle
Unqestioned authority
Unflinching Courage
Blind Obedience
Aura of silence
Enchantress' Presence
City of Solitude
Ancestral Mask
Battle Mastery
Oblivion Ring
Shield of the Oversoul
Duelist's Heritage
Bear Umbra
Sphere of Safety
Priveleged Position
Dragonlord Dromoka
Evolutionary Leap
Worldly Tutor
Enlightened Tutor
Berserk
Swords to Plowshares
Green Sun Zenith
Suppression Field
Open the Armory
Beast Within
Grand Abolisher
Armageddon
Replenish
Winds of Rath
Fumigate
Catastrophe
Temple of Plenty
Exotic Orchard
Sunpetal Grove
Temple Garden
Brushland
Saltcrusted Steepe
Wooded Bastion
City of Brass
Reflecting Pool
Blossoming Sands
Razorverge Thicket
Canopy Vista
Vivid Grove
Fortified Village
Selesnya Sanctuary
Flood Plains
Windswept Heath
Cavern of Souls
Temple of the False God
Reliquary Tower
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Riftstone Portal
Hall of the Bandit Lord
Command Beacon
Tectonic Edge
Strip Mine
Dryad Arbor
Forest x 5
Plains x 5
Her list's weakness is control (little protection against counter spells) and aggro (since the deck is rather slow). The playgroup enforces a Unified Deck Building rule which means that aside from basic lands, none of our cards should be the same.
She's thinking that I should play control. I could, but it's just too much mental strain to think which spells to counter (since you can only counter so much) so I thought about becoming support instead.
The playgroup uses French banning and disallows cheap mana artifacts like Sol Ring, Mana Vault, and Mana Crypt. Also Strip Mine.
Now what if I build a deck that allows me to funnel our our mana supply to her side of the board?
I know you can't share mana in 2HG, but it doesn't mean that you can't untap your partner's lands.
Ludevic, Necro-Genius (Commander)
Thrasios, Triton Hero (Commander)
Voyaging Satyr
Peregrine Drake
Magus of the Candelabra
Garruk Wildspeaker
Frantic Search
Quirion Ranger
Arbor Elf
Hidden Strings
Kiora's Follower
Ral Zarek
Toils of Night and Day
Twitch
Bear Umbra
Wirewood Symbiote
Fertile Ground
Market Festival
Overgrowth
Unbridled Growth
Verdant Haven
Sheltered Aerie
Weirding Wood
Wild Growth
Utopia Sprawl
Fertile Ground
Racecourse Fury
Reckless Charge
Assault Strobe
Armed / Dangerous
Phytoburst
Might of Old Krosa
Groundswell
Lightning Mauler
Lightning Greaves
Eternal Witness
Bazaar Trader
Mina and Denn, Wildborn
Elvish Spirit Guide
Simian Spirit Guide
Bounty of the Hunt
Lotus Petal
Hanweir Garrison
Temur Sabretooth
Zhur-Taa Druid
Elvish Pioneer
Birds of Paradise
Farseek
Into the North
Rampant Growth
Noxious Revival
Groundskeeper
Sunstone
Summary Dismissal
Squelch
Negate
Void Shatter
Krosan Grip
Red Elemental Blast
Pyroblast
Llanowar Reborn
Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
Izzet Boilerworks
Gruul Turf
Simic Growth Chamber
Novijen, Heart of Progress
Arcane Lighthouse
Wooded Foothills
Flooded Strand
Polluted Delta
Breeding Pool
Reflecting Pool
Exotic Orchard
Hanweir Battlements
Rootbound Crag
Snow-Covered Mountain x5
Snow-Covered Forest x14
Snow-Covered Island x5
With fast mana, we can have Sigarda out by turn two with either haste or protection from counterspells (via elemental blasts).
By turn 3, she could cast any of the hate cards or even lock everyone out with an MLD. With a little bit of luck, we can even deal upwards of 72 damage by turn 3 if our opponents don't react soon enough.
My deck lacks obvious inclusions like Earthcraft. These are just the cards that I have at the moment.
However, I'm pretty stoked with this idea of support and would like to hear what you guys think. I'm also interested in pairing my deck with different commanders who could use a mana boost (preferrably with green).
Has anyone had any experience on this build before?
I will be going to my first 2-headed giant Commander match in about a month and I need some feedback. I need to find ways to support my girlfriend's Sigarda, Host of Herons deck. I'm avoiding having to play blue control because it's just so much mental strain on my part, so I'm thinking of other ways I could support Sigarda using a playstyle that I actually enjoy.
One of the ideas that I came up with is by helping develop her side of the board. I've very much aware that you can't share your mana pool with your partner in 2HG, but that doesn't mean that I can't untap her lands. She's already playing an enchantress deck that draws a lot of cards, so I think funneling our mana supply to her side of the board would be a nice game plan.
Here's the deck that I'm thinking of building:
Ludevic, Necro-Genius (Commander)
Thrasios, Triton Hero (Commander)
Reckless Charge
Assault Strobe
Armed / Dangerous
Phytoburst
Snapback
Might of Old Krosa
Groundswell
Lightning Mauler
Lightning Greaves
Voyaging Satyr
Peregrine Drake
Magus of the Candelabra
Garruk Wildspeaker
Frantic Search
Quirion Ranger
Arbor Elf
Hidden Strings
Kiora's Follower
Ral Zarek
Toils of Night and Day
Twitch
Bear Umbra
Wirewood Symbiote
Fertile Ground
Market Festival
Overgrowth
Unbridled Growth
Verdant Haven
Weirding Wood
Fevered Visions
Eternal Witness
Bazaar Trader
Mina and Denn, Wildborn
Elvish Spirit Guide
Simian Spirit Guide
Fog
Respite
Lotus Petal
Hanweir Garrison
Temur Sabretooth
Elixir of Immortality
Zhur-Taa Druid
Part the Waterveil
Jeweled Amulet
Birds of Paradise
Gruul Signet
Simic Signet
Izzet Signet
Farseek
Edge of Autumn
Into the North
Rampant Growth
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Crop Rotation
Groundskeeper
Sunstone
Summary Dismissal
Squelch
Negate
Dissipate
Void Shatter
Overwhelming Denial
Krosan Grip
Relic of the Progenitus
Glacial Chasm
Llanowar Reborn
Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
Izzet Boilerworks
Gruul Turf
Simic Growth Chamber
Novijen, Heart of Progress
Arcane Lighthouse
Wooded Foothills
Flooded Strand
Polluted Delta
Breeding Pool
Reflecting Pool
Exotic Orchard
Hanweir Battlements
Rootbound Crag
Snow-Covered Mountain x3
Snow-Covered Forest x9
Snow-Covered Island x5
The idea is to give Sigarda an explosive start and have her out in the battlefield attacking as early as turn 2. I'll do this by upgrading her lands using auras and untapping them for her so she'll be able to use them more than once each turn. I'll probably even end up giving her some of my lands if necessary. Hopefully once Sigarda is out, she can cast some MLD or a Cataclysm-type effect to really seal the deal. When opportunity presents itself, I can give Sigarda haste and double-strike to really push the attack.
I really want to keep the mana curve low so I chose Thrasios as I predict that I'll be running out of things to cast from my hand and I could use a mana sink (which helps develop my hand and board as well). I chose Ludevic because he gives us both free draw if Sigarda ever manages to punch through with damage. (The other options to partner with Thrasios - Tana and Kraum - don't really add anything to the battleplan).
This, of course, is not an optimized list, as it lacks obvious additions like Earthcraft. This is just a list of the cards that I already have (I'm not inclined to spend on singles unless I confirm that the idea is feasible). It could even use cheap commons like Ghostly Touch but then again, is this idea even worth a try? The Sigarda deck, by the way, already packs some hate cards that should cripple combo decks, and right now I just want us to outpace control (which I think can be done with her enchantress card draw) and aggro (which should be managed by my fog suite).
My gf is not 100% sold on the idea yet, but the thought of dealing at least 72 damage by turn 3 is really starting to tempt her.
Has anyone tried this idea in 2-headed-giant commander? What are your thoughts? Is this a good battleplan against control and combo, or should I just stick to playing Azami (shudder) instead?
"Thanks," he replied, "but I all I need really is a Stolen Identity."
As soon as the monk left the tent, Silas sighed to himself. "Sidar," he said to noone in particular, "if it were not for Daxos and his pet Spanwrithe, I don't think we even need you here. My spotlight can do all the things that you can do."
"Yes, but how else can you invite me if it weren't for him?"
Silas, surprised, turned to look at the one who spoke.
"I heard there's a lot of sabotaging going on here," Vraska the Unseen said, her voice dripping with venom. "I'm sure my assassins would make a fine addition to your group."
And speaking of artifact eaters, what are your thoughts on Pia Nalaar? She's cheap, she replaces herself with a Thopter, she can wield the Spine like a whip, and she can be an alternate Rogue's Passage.
Your list is so tight, I can't think of any cards to cut just to make room - I guess this is just for folks like me who don't have access to some of the older powerhouses that you included and are looking for alternatives for the meantime
"You love sending out ninjas, you say?" Silas Renn, Seeker Adept said, rubbing his chin with a filigree'd hand. "Then I'm sure you're going to love this." With a flourish, he removed the tarp from his invention. Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa shielded his eyes from the burst of light that followed. And when he rubbed off the glare from his eyes, he smiled at what he saw: a Glaring Spotlight
Thanks for all the feedback. I kinda agree that black would be a better addition for eggs. It's really tempting to just use Silas but I really wanted a Nephilim-colored commander deck and Akiri offers more partner options.
Eggs wasn't really meant to be a goal - just a decent back up that happens to have the potential to close the game as well. I too wouldn't want to bend the deck list just to make sure the combo fires off consistently... but hey, Sunforger is looking really nice. It searches for and is searched by artifact tutors after all.
Can I also know again why Helm of Awakening got cut?
Also on the topic of alternate win-cons: with all that junk mana, why not Memnarch?
I've always been worried about artifact sweepers so I thought about adding Faith's Reward and Second Sunrise. Then I'm thinking of justifying these reactive cards with Codex Shredder and Krark-Clan Ironworks to simulate the old sunny-side eggs archetype. I mean, it's protection and an infinite combo - probably worth looking into? Any thoughts?
In the first one, I played a RW-Vehicle deck with Depala and Fumigate. I won all of my games in that one, although I had a lot of pretty close matchups. Vehicles start out really slow and you are at the mercy of your opponent during the first few rounds where you actually hope he or she keeps making mistakes and keeps getting landlocked until you come across something decent.
In the second one, I played an UW-Energy deck. I lost all but one match. It was a really slow deck, but since I already won all of my matches in the first pod, I was in no pressure to win any of my games in the second - I really just wanted to have fun with energy. I had the energy Module and tons of energy creatures (with that energy-scry creature to help me look for them), until I can chain towards a Demon of Dark Schemes (if I still happen to be alive).
In one of the games, I faced against Dovin and Chandra AND Aethersquall Ancient. In a set with so little mana fixing, it was remarkable to see people brave enough to go for three colors, but I guess if you get two planeswalkers in your card pool, you just GOTTA play them both. I had no hope of winning against a flying leviathan
The likelihood of getting two mythics in a single prerelease pack is extremely low, it's almost impossible. I suspect my opponent got some of the best cards that he got from an earlier pool and added them to his pool during the second pod. It's kinda frustrating, but I guess there's no way to police this sort of thing during prereleases? Sigh...