Always bolt the bird, IMHO*. Especially G1 in the blind. They may have kept a sub-optimal hand that the bird digs them out of. What if the T2 creature they play is Kitchen Finks or Geist? It's not like your Searing blood won't be good at some point anyway if they're playing a deck that has birds in it.
*notable exception is against druid company but even then if you're playing a zillion ways to kill druid anyway I'd still bolt the bird.
Yes on Ingot Chewer. It's CMC is 5 even when you evoke it.
I've only played 8 matches with the deck so far and haven't yet felt the need for an alternate win condition. But I did lose a match where if it ended up going to G3 it would definitely be nice.
Last night's outing was 2-2. Beat robots and bant druid company. Lost to abazan druid company due to drawing 4 mox opals in my first 9 cards G1 and misplaying pithing needle both games. Say it with me, Qasali Pride Mage. Learning I am. Lost to burn 2-1 because I lost the die roll and didn't aggressively mull for a leyline G3.
MD 1 of grafdigger's cage is a mutha****in MVP. And LOL at whir making bridge CMC 6 to dodge spell queller.
I don't have any of those cards in my side; he's constantly changing 1-3 of his sideboard slots just for grins I think. He beat someone down with Hazoret in his latest stream.
But basically search would come in against anyone not playing a deck that kills you on t3. the other cards just come in every time to throw your opponent off when they side out all their creature removal.
3-1 in my first outing with Whir-Lantern control. Man this deck is fun and engaging to play. Loss was to U/W control in a fun match of controlling the top decks and him getting down to like 10 cards with 3 cryptics left when I ran out of ways to stop his draws. Popped my last lantern to shuffle cryptic off the top (with ruins to bring it back next turn tho) and shuffled, cuts, draws cryptic, bounces bridge and wins. gg
Last match was brutal for my opponent. After me winning game one, he mulled to five, scry'd to the top and then played land go. I go land, shredder, mill Kataki off his library, then bauble, opal, thoughtseize.
My opponents varied in their salt levels but I had a blast. I've been a defender of Tron for years against claims that it's brainless....but compared to Lantern it is. It's a nice change and goes at the game from a completely new angle.
Depends on the build. In the Pia's revolution build, you can easily net mana once they can no longer take 3.
It's also been a solid way to end a turn where I don't quite go off but end up with 8-12 mana. Going to their turn with a 4/4 or better creature that can instantly turn into 4 or more thopters has bought me several turns to actually win the game.
Orbs seems overcosted at first glance but having used 2 in my SB for a SCG open they have game. Storm can't Gifts while it's on the table for instance.
I don't think it or Thragtusk are enough against burn by themselves, by the way. Timely reinforcements has been my go to sideboard card against decks that try to kill me quick. Consider Timely Reinforcements. T3 much more reliably than Thrag. I've lost too many games to a skullcrack/atarka's command in response to Thragtusk/Wurmcoil trigger.
If you don't mind a non-Eldrazi commander and want blue and green look no further Prime Speaker Zegana. Play eldrazi, play her, draw a million cards, play more eldrazi. Sac her and Eldrazi to Greater Good.
New card in HOU for big mana black is dope: Torment of Hailfire. The fact that they can't sacrifice lands is huge. Wiped a table with X=18, something Exsanguinate can't do, though an ex for 18 isn't bad either.
It definitely doesn't feel favored but if their gameplan ends up being a single titan and then top decking lands path to exile can buy you time to play ulamog/karn/worldbreaker to put it away. Wurmcoil engine isn't the worst either if you get it early and start gaining life. Warping wail counters scapeshift if they're playing it. Leyline is fine, though you really should be running 4 or just running Orbs of Warding for that effect. If you don't draw it in your opening hand WW is highly unlikely early enough for it to matter. Orbs at least can be found with an ancient stirrings and helps against swarm decks as well as giving you hexproof.
Silly sidenote, I brought in a singleton Boil against my Round 1 Titan Shift opponent who was playing Prismatic Omen and one-sided Armageddon'd him in response to a valakhut trigger game 3 last week.
It's your boat, but 3 mana to add 10 mana to your pool to then cast your bonkers cascade spells seems pretty alright. Don't play mana rocks if that's a concern; just play ramp spells. Preferably multi-colored as possible.
This is akin to saying you deserve to win more because you have more money.
Except I didn't even suggest that. In fact, I pointed out that I get enjoyment from beating people with actual cards because I understand what they've likely had to do to get them. The years of trading, preserving, buying, grinding. There is something less impressive about sharpie'ing the back of a card, but that's my opinion. I didn't say they deserved to win less, I said they didn't deserve the satisfaction with winning as much.
To claim this positions is supported from a "deck-builder's perspective" is bull*****. Having access to the entire card pool highlights deck building, and emphasizes the player's skill, rather than your wallet.
I think this is just a miscommunication of the term "deck-building". I include tracking down the cards and maintaining them as part of that process. You probably don't. Apologies for the lack of clarity there.
The moment you begin a game, the collective aspect of M:tG is no longer relevant. Do you get upset if someone beats you at Chess using 'fake' pieces? As long as they are clearly identifiable, it does not matter how they are made, or what from.
Well, that's just your opinion, man. The chess analogy isn't really applicable because everyone has the same set of pieces. If Queens were exceptionally rare and someone was playing all counterfeit queens then yeah, I wouldn't be thrilled.
I only have proxies of cards I already own and I almost always swap them out (use the same colored sleeves for most of my decks). I also routinely replace them with reals once decks are firmly established.
I personally feel like the C in TCG is nearly as important as the G. I've spent a lot of time and resources building my collection. Getting beat by people with "workshop" and "tabernacle" written on the back of a card is an affront to that entire process. I don't avoid those people and I'm happy to play against them from time to time but the satisfaction they get from winning seems at least partially unearned from a collector and deck-builder's perspective. Losing to a player with an actual Mishra's Workshop or The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale doesn't sting as much because I can respect the effort and time it probably took to get and maintain those cards, and beating them with my comparatively cheaper counterparts feels that much sweeter.
Playtesting is a thing, sure. But if someone has no intention of ever collecting a gaea's cradle how much more testing do they need to know it's awesome? Just my 2c, as I said I don't actively avoid playing with proxies just find them personally distasteful when abused.
*notable exception is against druid company but even then if you're playing a zillion ways to kill druid anyway I'd still bolt the bird.
Yes on Ingot Chewer. It's CMC is 5 even when you evoke it.
Last night's outing was 2-2. Beat robots and bant druid company. Lost to abazan druid company due to drawing 4 mox opals in my first 9 cards G1 and misplaying pithing needle both games. Say it with me, Qasali Pride Mage. Learning I am. Lost to burn 2-1 because I lost the die roll and didn't aggressively mull for a leyline G3.
MD 1 of grafdigger's cage is a mutha****in MVP. And LOL at whir making bridge CMC 6 to dodge spell queller.
But basically search would come in against anyone not playing a deck that kills you on t3. the other cards just come in every time to throw your opponent off when they side out all their creature removal.
Last match was brutal for my opponent. After me winning game one, he mulled to five, scry'd to the top and then played land go. I go land, shredder, mill Kataki off his library, then bauble, opal, thoughtseize.
My opponents varied in their salt levels but I had a blast. I've been a defender of Tron for years against claims that it's brainless....but compared to Lantern it is. It's a nice change and goes at the game from a completely new angle.
It's also been a solid way to end a turn where I don't quite go off but end up with 8-12 mana. Going to their turn with a 4/4 or better creature that can instantly turn into 4 or more thopters has bought me several turns to actually win the game.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/ramos-3/
I don't think it or Thragtusk are enough against burn by themselves, by the way. Timely reinforcements has been my go to sideboard card against decks that try to kill me quick. Consider Timely Reinforcements. T3 much more reliably than Thrag. I've lost too many games to a skullcrack/atarka's command in response to Thragtusk/Wurmcoil trigger.
Stand outs in my deck include Descendants' Path, Intuition for Life From the Loam+Thespian's Stage+Dark Depths.
Silly sidenote, I brought in a singleton Boil against my Round 1 Titan Shift opponent who was playing Prismatic Omen and one-sided Armageddon'd him in response to a valakhut trigger game 3 last week.
Except I didn't even suggest that. In fact, I pointed out that I get enjoyment from beating people with actual cards because I understand what they've likely had to do to get them. The years of trading, preserving, buying, grinding. There is something less impressive about sharpie'ing the back of a card, but that's my opinion. I didn't say they deserved to win less, I said they didn't deserve the satisfaction with winning as much.
I think this is just a miscommunication of the term "deck-building". I include tracking down the cards and maintaining them as part of that process. You probably don't. Apologies for the lack of clarity there.
Well, that's just your opinion, man. The chess analogy isn't really applicable because everyone has the same set of pieces. If Queens were exceptionally rare and someone was playing all counterfeit queens then yeah, I wouldn't be thrilled.
I personally feel like the C in TCG is nearly as important as the G. I've spent a lot of time and resources building my collection. Getting beat by people with "workshop" and "tabernacle" written on the back of a card is an affront to that entire process. I don't avoid those people and I'm happy to play against them from time to time but the satisfaction they get from winning seems at least partially unearned from a collector and deck-builder's perspective. Losing to a player with an actual Mishra's Workshop or The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale doesn't sting as much because I can respect the effort and time it probably took to get and maintain those cards, and beating them with my comparatively cheaper counterparts feels that much sweeter.
Playtesting is a thing, sure. But if someone has no intention of ever collecting a gaea's cradle how much more testing do they need to know it's awesome? Just my 2c, as I said I don't actively avoid playing with proxies just find them personally distasteful when abused.