MTG Salvation

Ok, I'm going to give the orbs of warding a try but I'm highly skeptical. I've been running through my head how effective a T3 orbs against burn would actually be vs a thragtusk and it really depends on what they're doing. I've gotten skullcracked one too many times though so I can see the benefit.

Against scapeshift I'd bring them in *after* warping wail. I fully expect them to bring in ancient grudge or whatever so having an instant speed answer to scapeshift seems much much better. Also there's a non-zero chance they're bringing in crumble.

Since I'm on GW I wonder if leyline isn't just better but I'd have to dedicate 4 slots for it.

Also one thing that warping wail does that orbs doesn't is exile devoted druid at instant speed.

For "Scapeshift, Melira Company and the new, let's call it, "Ballista Company"." I'd think I'd want to max out on Warping Wails before thinking about orbs of warding. Instant speed, fraction of the cost, not susceptible to echoing truth or ancient grudge.

Not much against Storm (counter the flashback'd past in flames to buy you a turn perhaps) but in GW you have Rule of Law effects for that if you want.

*EDIT V, that too! I wouldn't play orbs until I had 4x Wapring Wail and 4x relic in the 75.

IOK doesn't hit crumble maybe?

I agree with RIP being bad here. Play Relic. You have more control and can get it with Stirrings. I'd only consider RIP if I was already at 4 relics in the 75 and still wanted more gy hate.

I'm happy with the Rule of Law effects to stymie Storm, Ad Nauseam, and Living End decks.

I would not agree with running 4x condemn over path in GW. Especially with these devoted druid decks popping up, melira combo, lab man, baral/electromancer, etc. Many times the thing you want to get rid of to not lose will not be attacking you.

Got it thanks.

In my King Macar, The Gold-Cursed deck, I play good Improvise spells and Inspiring Statuary to boot. I've had a grand old time tapping my gold tokens to Improvise spells, but then someone asked can you also sacrifice them for that spell? My gut says surely you cannot but then looking at the text of Improvise from the comprehensive rules:

702.125. Improvise

702.125a Improvise is a static ability that functions while the spell with improvise is on the stack. “Improvise” means “For each generic mana in this spell’s total cost, you may tap an untapped artifact you control rather than pay that mana.”

702.125b The improvise ability isn’t an additional or alternative cost and applies only after the total cost of the spell with improvise is determined.

702.125c Multiple instances of improvise on the same spell are redundant.

I'm not so sure. Spell is on the stack, I tap the gold token to pay the mana cost, I still am paying the mana costs and be able to sac it too?

601.2f The player determines the total cost of the spell. Usually this is just the mana cost. Some spells have additional or alternative costs. Some effects may increase or reduce the cost to pay, or may provide other alternative costs. Costs may include paying mana, tapping permanents, sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, and so on. The total cost is the mana cost or alternative cost (as determined in rule 601.2b), plus all additional costs and cost increases, and minus all cost reductions. If multiple cost reductions apply, the player may apply them in any order. If the mana component of the total cost is reduced to nothing by cost reduction effects, it is considered to be {0}. It can’t be reduced to less than {0}. Once the total cost is determined, any effects that directly affect the total cost are applied. Then the resulting total cost becomes “locked in.” If effects would change the total cost after this time, they have no effect.

601.2g If the total cost includes a mana payment, the player then has a chance to activate mana abilities (see rule 605, “Mana Abilities”). Mana abilities must be activated before costs are paid.

601.2h The player pays the total cost in any order. Partial payments are not allowed. Unpayable costs can’t be paid.
Example: You cast Altar’s Reap, which costs {1}{B} and has an additional cost of sacrificing a creature. You sacrifice Thunderscape Familiar, whose effect makes your black spells cost {1} less to cast. Because a spell’s total cost is “locked in” before payments are actually made, you pay {B}, not {1}{B}, even though you’re sacrificing the Familiar.

My reading now is telling me my gut is wrong and Improvise with King Macar is even better than I thought. What's the deal here?

1-3 last night with my first GW outing. Can't win em all I guess.


Match 1: 1-2 vs Living End. T3 or 4 he hard casted a Simian Spirit Guide so I Karn'd it to keep him off of Demonic Dread. Cycles a bunch of dudes for a few turns and then Violent Outburst and attacked me for 24. Path on an Archfiend brought me from 20 to 1. But Ugin cleaned that up, ultimated a couple turns later and it was over. Game 2 I kept a terrible 6 with one land and some action and he played T2 Fuliminator, T3 Fulminator, Living Death them both back next turn. G3 I got an early rule of law but never drew more than 3 lands (not Tron) and he just played big dorks and attacked me with them. Not a bad matchup for me and the Rule of Law effects are pretty sweet against a variety of decks.

Match 2: 1-2 vs Merfolk. Early cursecatchers G1 means he won. None G2 means I did. G3 I was at 4 T4 with 8 mana, Ugin and ostone in hand but he had a pair of mutavaults. So I cracked a star looking on top of my library for a Wurmcoil I guess. Kinda sad that Ugin or O-stone weren't enough to get there but <shrug> 1 fewer mutavaults and I probably had that game.

Match 3: 2-0 vs Jund. Sorry, not sorry dude.

Match 4: 1-2 vs Mono-Red Burn. Pretty standard match against burn. Wurmcoil engine got there G2. I thought Thragtusk would be good enough G3 but skullcrack in response followed by more burn sealed it for him. I like my side where it is but maybe take emmy out for a burrenton forge tender or kor firewalker or something.

IMO you need a non trivial amount of spellskites/selfless spirits in the MB or you're just going to go the way of Cheeri0s. I'd pack at least 5 total in some combination. Path/Push/Bolt on devoted druid turns you into a slow coco deck.

Unsubstantiate says "owner's hand". That's you. Your friend is the spell's "controller" but if you brought the deck that the card is from you're the "owner". I'm almost completely certain there is no effect that would let you put someone else's cards into your hand.

King Macar, the Gold-Cursed

Inspired — Whenever King Macar, the Gold-Cursed becomes untapped, you may exile target creature. If you do, create a colorless artifact token named Gold. It has “Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”

I have a King Macar deck on MTGO and I'm working on building one in real life. My question is about when you use his ability on other Commanders, shouldn't you get a gold token? Right now, on MTGO you don't. I did some searching online and most people agree that you should so I just wanted to verify and make sure I knew the relevant rules/rulings.

Does the card actually have to end up in exile for the "If you do" to be true? Does the commander replacement effect prevent it from giving you a token?

No love for Vhati Il-Dal?

Back to Tron for me then. Sheesh. How frustrating.

Yeah, that goryo's deck definitely wasn't standard. I think a more streamline groyo's/through the breach deck would be a tougher match. Basically logic knot or bust. Although pathing a Griselbrand isn't optimal it doesn't mean gg. Them using Kari Zev's basically turned all my paths and pushes into 1 cmc hard counters to their plan.

I am going tomorrow night and I will report. This feels like a deck that will reward practice and familiarity and it really engages the analytical and predictive parts of my brain that make the game fun for me.

*edit: remembered that I can't go tonight and I'll be out of town next week so it'll be awhile before an update.

I did play on Monday night! 2-2 with one bye unfortunately. Even in the matches that I lost I didn't feel completely behind. It always felt like if I had one more answer card or they had one less threat I would have had it. It's far too early for me to make any judgment calls I need more familiarity with the cards and the lines of play.



Match 1 was against BUG Midrange I guess. Goyfs, Baby Jaces, Abrupt Decay, Scooze, Push, Courser and Tireless Trackers and New Lily. Game one I never saw a brain and was just behind his curve. It got to the point where I could Call to stay alive a turn and considered just scooping to not give the info but it didn't matter. Game two, brain on 1 counter with Beck//Call in hand met Abrupt Decay and I ran out of answers and Lily was able to recur his threats and go under me.

Match 2 was the bye.

I saw my Match 3 opponent play and was shocked to see none other than Brain in a Jar on his side. Instead of Esper Control however, he's playing like a mashup of Goryo's Vengeance/Through the Breech with Griselbrand and Emrakul along with Brain in a Jar and Kari Zev's Expertise to cheat out both Beck/Call and Breaking/Entering. It was a very interesting deck and match. I saw him earlier that night playing Forbidden Orchard which is a card I've only ever seen in Commander really but it enabled him to have targets for Kari Zev's expertise if the opponent doesn't play a creature.

Game 1 I lost on account of my error. I was making my 4th land drop and I had a choice between Hallowed Fountain and Celestial Colonnade. In hand was path, push, cryptic, and the lands. I play the colonnade thinking that if he somehow gets grisel in to play I can at least path it. He exiles Simian Spirit Guide and Through the Breaches an Emrakul in my face. I will never, ever prioritize anything over Cryptic again.

Game 2 He gets a T2 Griselbrand through my logic knot for 1 thanks to the 2nd Simian Spirit Guide in his hand. Unfortunately the 7 cards he drew weren't all that great and I was able to counter basically everything he tried to do. I was able to efficiently counter Kari Zev's expertise by pathing or pushing the token he targetted in response and keep my more expensive counter magic for other things.

Game 3 I extirpate Griselbrand and he tries to respond I think by somehow discarding Emrakul. Then he realizes it's not surgical extraction. The rest of the game was academic again with me pathing tokens and countering whatever he tried to do.

Match 3 was Death's Shadow Jund. Both games with T1 thoughtseize getting either Brain or Runed Halo in the case of game 2. That Runed Halo would have probably won me that game. They were long games but getting brain thoughtseized or kologhan's command really keeps me from getting over the top. I killed/exiled a bunch of threats but we're getting into top deck mode and he's drawing Liliana of the Veil and I'm drawing lands.

As I said, I don't feel particularly outclassed by DSJ. It didn't feel unwinnable even though I lost both. It was definitely more fun and engaging than Tron though I'm definitely not hanging that deck up yet. Hopefully can go again next week but maybe 2 weeks.

I should have my last card for this deck and 8 bird tokens from Aaron Miller by next week's Monday night or FNM. I haven't been this excited to play magic in a long time.