Somebody needs to forward this thread to Wizards. This is Commander we are talking about here. Competitive or not, the goal should not be to combo out at turn 4 "Consistently". I play commander regularly, primarily online as I don't have time to visit LGS or put a group together. I honestly spend more time in the queue initiating games than I actually do playing them. It's disappointing. The game is supposed to be a casual break from the cut-throat Vintage/Legacy/Modern world, that you can enter without ponying up the cash to stay up on Standard. I digress. OP, find a commander that suits you, as in it fits your play style and personality, then go from there. I'll gladly lose 100 games with a deck I enjoyed building, with my own personal touch, than just to copy some crazy combo-out with cards I'll never afford to own.
Somewhat off topic, but I think HOTH is underrated. I was play testing Sphinxs Tutelage in a spell-slinger type shell. You'd be surprised how many times I had out tutelage and was able to raid HOTH with goblin tokens into 3 copies of treasure cruise Milling a minimum of 18 cards. Either way, the above answers are correct for your question.
I agree with most of that, but Our returned explorer not only requires another colored mana, but non-green, which puts it atleast a turn slower without some crazy opening hand. Also, can top deck answers for opponents, and is a turn slower than Azusa with the ramp. The thing that Azusa brings to the table is, once she hits the board, you are almost guaranteed to be at 5 untapping lands on turn 4. Selvala also gains nothing from flipping lands, which is a very real possibility. Why bother with the utility white brings when you can play Terastodons, Vorninclex and the like on turn 4/5, if not earlier. Don't get me wrong, Selvala is an interesting Commander, but quite a gap still exists.
Decks cannot function without lands. When somebody builds a competitive landless build, then we can start talkin LD as a strategy. Until then, it is like hitting the ball over the fence, sure you can do it, but doesn't it defeat the purpose of playing the game?
If this thing was a true man-o'-war but at 2 mana it would be bonkers in limited, I mean look at what the man-o'-war variants we have had lately 4 mana+ is very very common for the ability bounce ability attached to a body in limited. Obviously as a rare it wouldn't impact limited as much if they made it true man-o'-war, but you never would feel more behind when you play a 3 or a 4 drop and they cast this card or you play a 2 drop on turn 2 and then on their turn 2 they cast this guy bouncing your guy back.
Man-o'-war is king of the tempo game and there is a reason he hasn't shown his face in quite a while in a set. I mean outside of Vintage Masters which was a special set not printed in physical form man-o'-war hasn't seen print in a normal draftable set since Visions.[/quote]
But 1 mana cheaper is very relevant. As for man-o'-war in limited, Aether Adepts wasn't long ago.
My opinion on this (primarily EDH scenarios) is the same as my stance on counters. If you're idea of playing EDH is to jam every counter/LD obscure or otherwise, then it is solely for the purpose of pissing people off. I primarily play MTGO, and It's an epidemic. You may balk at players who walk away with the old adage "It's part of the game", but in reality, you are the one "taking your ball, and going home". Your only play is to prevent others from playing, kind of negates the point of playing a game.
6 is easy when only 1 of the 6 mana required is colour specific. This is a crude example but what if you only have 2 islands, 2 mountains and 2 swamps in play. You can still play the flayer, you cant the Messenger. I have played many games where i only have been stuck with only one or two of each color. Sometimes im just unlucky and get completely screwed on one of my colours completely
Agreed, but as I said. The reanimator approach I have gets around that. It's a bit janky, but you can essentially end the game with Flayer, Messanger and Cryptborn horror, and with rean effects, happens more than you think. It's totally feasible to do this turn 5, although it takes a ton of pieces. Tutors and self mill make it a bit easier. Let me sum this up before this gets jumped all over... No this isn't the primary win-con of my deck.
idk why he's not running flayer, I am. Geralf's messenger is ok at best, and the 3 black is hard to pull off on this guy since the best time to play him is turn 3.
Mines a bit heavy on reanimator and run cards like cunning lethamancer and Delerium Skein. BBB is hard, but so is the 6 for FOHB.
Where's Flayer of the Hatebound and Geralf's messenger. With Marchesa +1 and a sac outlet/boardwipe you can deal up words of 25 damage on a single play. I'll post my deck list for critiquing as soon as I can, but I do like a few inclusions you have that I do not.
Since when is it Lightning bolts gameplan to hit a creature? And for 2 no less?? Waste your gas all day bolting my taxers.
Outside of burn? All of the time, and unlike thalia your getting upside to your mana investment. As was pointed out in the D &T thread, glowrider hasnt seen usage for a long time and flying wasnt going to change it.
Well, glow rider isn't modern legal, so possibly there's a reason for it not seeing play? So you're telling me a deck besides burn, everyone else will gladly pay 2 to nuke this creature, or as stated, a possible 3 with Thalia? Against aggro, poor, everything else, sign me up. If your not playing burn, you are more than likely living on your turn, therefore all non-creatures will cost an additional 1. It's a relevant effect with evasion, non-staple that sees play and will annoy most decks.
If they wanted to push WW or death and taxes Vryn Wingmare (I keep thinking Nightmare) has to be WW 2/1 flyer, not a 3cmc creature.
For every answer to the pegasus the opponent just need to pay R+1 (bolt) while you pay 3. The loss of tempo is still on the Pegasus controller.
Thalia is fantastic because she's 2cmc.
On a sidenote, what kind of world is Vryn? It does feel slightly similar to Kaladesh.
Im finding myself in steady agreement with you evaluations, at the very least it needed to be a 3/1 it doesnt even provide a good clock if it stays alive.
I think its far too inefficient and fragile to see much play, could be wrong though.
White isnt being pushed, its been being outclassed by green and red in its small creatures and losing its good removal to black. There is a reason its barely played in modern and more of a splash color in standard.
Since when is it Lightning bolts gameplan to hit a creature? And for 2 no less?? Waste your gas all day bolting my taxers.
Why is everybody so hung up on the fact that this isn't Thalia? Thalia is a legendary creature... Her effect stacks alone, at all times. Turn 2 Thalia, turn 3 Pegasus makes almost all finishers (non-creature) in the format unplayable. Oh, you're going to bolt my Thalia for 2? I'll eat that and then eat another 2 drop bolt for the Pegasus. The reason why all of those non-creature-centric decks work is because they out tempo all others. Taxing their spells, even for one turn, totally swings the game. It also, more often than not, negates an instant speed removal because of the tax. Is it the next best thing? Nope, so it obviously is trash I guess. New card threads, to me at least, sound like muscle car guy vs. Import. All opinion with little facts to back it up.
Not true. Ending the turn is part of the spell, it resolves, ending the turn and drawing at the same time. The triggers will activate on the cleanup step.
Please explain how said black creature dies to Doom Blade.
Edit: Well, does devoid counteract the black in the casting cost?
If this thing was a true man-o'-war but at 2 mana it would be bonkers in limited, I mean look at what the man-o'-war variants we have had lately 4 mana+ is very very common for the ability bounce ability attached to a body in limited. Obviously as a rare it wouldn't impact limited as much if they made it true man-o'-war, but you never would feel more behind when you play a 3 or a 4 drop and they cast this card or you play a 2 drop on turn 2 and then on their turn 2 they cast this guy bouncing your guy back.
Man-o'-war is king of the tempo game and there is a reason he hasn't shown his face in quite a while in a set. I mean outside of Vintage Masters which was a special set not printed in physical form man-o'-war hasn't seen print in a normal draftable set since Visions.[/quote]
But 1 mana cheaper is very relevant. As for man-o'-war in limited, Aether Adepts wasn't long ago.
Edit:Aether Adept, not adepts.
[/quote]
That "Not long ago" was 15 sets ago...
Agreed, but as I said. The reanimator approach I have gets around that. It's a bit janky, but you can essentially end the game with Flayer, Messanger and Cryptborn horror, and with rean effects, happens more than you think. It's totally feasible to do this turn 5, although it takes a ton of pieces. Tutors and self mill make it a bit easier. Let me sum this up before this gets jumped all over... No this isn't the primary win-con of my deck.
Mines a bit heavy on reanimator and run cards like cunning lethamancer and Delerium Skein. BBB is hard, but so is the 6 for FOHB.
Well, glow rider isn't modern legal, so possibly there's a reason for it not seeing play? So you're telling me a deck besides burn, everyone else will gladly pay 2 to nuke this creature, or as stated, a possible 3 with Thalia? Against aggro, poor, everything else, sign me up. If your not playing burn, you are more than likely living on your turn, therefore all non-creatures will cost an additional 1. It's a relevant effect with evasion, non-staple that sees play and will annoy most decks.
Since when is it Lightning bolts gameplan to hit a creature? And for 2 no less?? Waste your gas all day bolting my taxers.
Not true. Ending the turn is part of the spell, it resolves, ending the turn and drawing at the same time. The triggers will activate on the cleanup step.