MTG Salvation

A little speculation is fine while hoarding is a personal problem one should address with one's counselor or therapist. I collect--when I can, which used to be more frequent than it is these days; in fact, just before I had to get out of Magic after being stabbed in the back I was *very* close to having a complete playset of Standard--4 or more of every card legal in that format. Yes, I can approximate the total value of all the cards I currently own as "somewhere just shy of $15,000"...which would buy me only about *half* of a competetive Vintage deck *yeesh*...but I am not going to obsess over card prices or get upset if something gets banned and tanks an individual card's value. Most speculators are betting that a card will be an "all-star" in some format and almost all of them wind up being wrong.

Quote from Tiro of Meletis »

Why did Thassa spike so hard right before the prerelease?

Wild speculation is always wild.

Let us remember to be thankful that we cannot treat cards which have not yet been released as if they were securities; otherwise, there would be unscrupulous short-sellers out there. "I bought that pre-release card for $10 the day it was first spoiled and now it is trading at $30, so I'll sell it to you for only $15 which is 50% off" when the person making the offer does not have the card in hand to sell.

Ravenous Chupacabra was Standard-playable, so as long as your devotion to black is >= 5 (which it should be by the time this comes around) this will be, as well--it removes an opponent's creature and leaves a body in its wake. With devotion >= 6 it also gets rid of almost any indestructible legendary enchantment creature, which is trade that is more than fair (at least for you). That being said, 6 mana is far more than most players are willing to pay for this cominbation of effects.

True.

I got back in to Magic after more than 20 years just before Khans got released, so the first Theros block was everywhere. The timing is really odd now because after nearly a year off I am just about to get back in to Magic again as another Theros set comes out--I guess it was just meant to be.

Quote from Tiro of Meletis »

A new name for this and I’d have played Both

Painted Bluffs.

Even if your opponents get to draw 1, maybe 2, cards that isn't a problem--this still kills the board for only 4 mana, after which you exile their graveyard either one way or another.

Dig Through Time (if you spend 6 mana) without delve sounds pretty bad (yes, I know--look at top 6 versus look at top 7, but those are very close) but "scry x, draw 2" sounds pretty good, even though it doesn't really count as a "draw" effect.

Any thoughts on how this might interact with Underworld Breach? Is it possible to apply an alternate escape cost to a card which already has escape? If so, can you use the one which is less expensive?

Quote from Ratinyourwalls »

What's Anax's power when he's in the graveyard? Can I rez him with Alesha if I want to, or only if my devotion to red is low enough?

His power in the graveyard should be 0 since he isn't on the battlefield, making him a valid Alesha target.

Other people are guessing about Thassa's Intervention so I might as well join in. What do I have to lose except being shamed and humiliated for eternity when I wind up being wrong?

Instant speed, mode 1 will be Spell Blast and mode two will be a double Dreadwaters except x = the amount of mana you spent instead of the number of islands you control

Not terribly happy about the first mode but the second mode is another good way to deal with Haktos.

That being said....maybe the first mode with Anointed Procession but if casting the first mode you are probably about to win, anyway.

Quote from TheOnlyOne652089 »

Playing a proven working deck is better in almost any case than failing to ponder around with your own brew, not that its not fun to brew stuff up, but the vast majority of people is not really successful throwing their own ideas into an actual working and competitive deck.

That depends upon one's point of view. I have done the netdeck thing and gone 4-0 or 5-0 at the LGS before, but that always leaves me feeling bored and unsatisfied. I would rather put something together myself and go 3-2 because at least it was mine, not someone else's. Being a professional Magic player is like being a professional sports player--everyone dreams of being on an NFL, MBA, NHL, or NBA team while playing sports in high school but the reality is that only a very few ever make it there. If I were independently wealthy--or retired--then I could devote the time necessary to get there, which necessitates grinding out games on a daily basis. That goal, though, is not important to me.

Quote from knto »

Battle at the Bridge didn't see play and I suspect this won't either, but maybe maindeckable graveyard hate will actually be very important.

This is because far too many players are copycats--if it wasn't played at the last big tournament by a well-known player then they don't play it, either. Several Ramunap Red players got frustrated because I would just take a hit from Hazoret then bridge her for 5 next turn.

I absolutely love the -X/-X type of cards, especially since I once got rid of Ulamog for only B with Dark Salvation. Battle at the Bridge was a two-of when I was playing around with Jund Energy before those sets rotated out.

Quote from Wraithe »

Quote from Courier7 »

Sadly, Haktos always has protection from cmc 1, so he cannot be targeted with Gods Willing.

Oh right, duh. Obvious mistake is obvious.

Disclosure: that was my first thought, as well, and then I reread the card. We do have Center Soul or Feat of Resistance at cmc 2 but the likelihood that your opponent will just happen to have the correct cmc of removal in hand is low enough that this card should prove difficult for them to remove, sweepers notwithstanding (since they don't target). Rather than trying to find neat combos to use to make him absoluately invulnerable, we should probably rely on his inherent effects--those are more than sufficient. Blink effects in white are probably better--not only will reentering the battlefield change the number but the blink means the original spell isn't targeting him any more.