First of all, if you don't want sleeves tearing don't purchase cheap sleeves. Remember you get what you paid for. I prefer Dragon Shields and they are amazing. I have had my pink DS for 2+ years on my EDH decks and some are starting to rip and split. I shuffle my decks the same way I shuffle my opponents, HARD. I have split their sleeves while shuffling. It is not my problem it is theirs.
Secondly, Desecration demon should not be a $10 rare. It was a trash rare a couple months prior to rotation then found a deck. After rotation the card will be worth 10 cents again so don't be angry that a card which is not an investment got "played." They are meant to be shuffled and played in a game.
It was only a trash-rare because of cards like Midnight Haunting and Lingering Souls that would keep it tapped for most of the game. Once those rotated, it became worth playing. And it found several decks, not just 1.
Anyways, I riffle shuffle my opponents' decks all the time. If they complain about it or call a judge over, I ask for proof that I am in fact damaging their cards, and when they mention that I am bending them, I always bring up the bend test, and state that I am not even close to bending them in half, and that the sleeves are in fact undamaged. Remember, the burden of proof is on them.
And CorruptDictator, just because you see them shuffle does not mean their deck has been randomized. If they pile shuffle and then do a few mash shuffles or overhand shuffles, it is in no way randomized. Look for the shuffling primer in one of the other sections for more information.
The problem with your analysis is that all those extra creatures past the first REQUIRE you to toss a card. Yes, Pack Rat is good I am not debating that, but you don't always want to rely on one creature and toss the rest of your hand in the trash for it.
So for 4 4/4s it requires 11 mana and 3 cards discarded.
The 3 discarded are negligible with the Whip if they are creatures. And if they are land, then it means you have all you need already. And if it is removal, then it must be things that are dead against the current deck. You do not just toss everything away.
Plus, thanks to Underworld Connections, what we lose is easily gained again.
Ok, I know not many are questioning Pack Rat right now, but I want to do some simple reasoning as to how good it is, just to clear things up.
A 1/1 for 2 Mana is bad.
2 2/2's for 5 Mana total is generally terrible, but not too bad on T3.
3 3/3's for 8 Mana total is good, especially on T4.
4 4/4's for 11 Mana total is insane. This is at T5, mind you.
It snowballs from there. Add in Mutavault's "every creature type", and those just got better.
So, in the end, if let unanswered, Pack Rat not only provides devotion, but is a very capable beater as well. Plus, it is hard to keep them down. They are a card that requires immediate attention.
I think the best answer to a heavy aggro meta is the red splash. Gives you Anger of the Gods(SB) which is a house and exiles annoying creatures, and Dreadbore which upgrades your situational 2 CMC removal (Doom Blade, Ultimate Price, etc.) saving you SB slots. Also other options as well like Mortors.
Mortars and Dreadbore, yes. Anger of the Gods, no.
The main shell of MBD runs too many BB-mana requirements. Adding a RR would be far more hindering than helpful. Even with the Scrylands and the Shocklands, we cannot hit RR early enough all the time.
Packrats probably came in against control if anything. Forces them to burn a sweeper 90% of the time and lets you dump dead removal into something useful. Pack rat doesn't really do much against aggro.
Not true. Pack Rats was one of the most undervalued cards pre-GP. It provides plenty to the deck, and was never once sided out from what I had seen. The G/R 2nd place winner used an aggro deck, and was taken down Game 1 and Game 3 by Pack Rats.
And to add to that mono-black teared Esper completely apart. I think that will make Esper suddenly a lot less attractive. In mean we saw that mono-black was playing control versus Esper. That was just sick.
I already knew Esper was a favorable match up for MBD. I playtested against the most common decks, and Esper was always hard pressed for any kind of victory.
My LGS goes with what the card is worth shortly after release, and then updates it every now and then. They had $6 Shrine of Nyx when they had jumped up to $15, and still haven't changed it! They quickly sold out, so say the least....
Does anyone have the deck that Brad Nelson / Todd Anderson posted about at SCG (Premium.) Here is the article if you have premium and don't mind posting it.
Apparently Nelson is playing this at the Grand Prix and said it's one of the best decks in the format. Hopefully someone can post this before I leave to go to an event tomorrow morning :x
Sorry, but we are not allowed to post information from the Premium pages. There is a reason why we pay for it.
For those of you playing Green, have you tried Deathrite Shaman? Seems like he and Pack Rat could become VERY good friends quickly. Get rid of land, tap to ramp, ect. ect.
Well thanks for the advice, Pro Tour hero. Whatever you mean by editing out statistics, it's false. Do you want a complete report on every game? Because I kept the replays.
For future reference, whenever you are accused of falsehood, reply with the evidence.
Anyways, I have been out of the loop for the past few days, but I can still help a bit.
Desecration Demon, while having flaws, is one of the best cards out there for our deck. There is a reason for the $10 price tag, and its not because he bakes cookies. By refusing to use the most optimal cards for a deck, you are hurting your own chances in the long run. And there are plenty of reasons why he is good. For instance, against Control decks, he is an absolute monster. Either they answer him, or they lose. RDW has to waste multiple burn-spells on him, and against mirror/midrange, if they lack an answer, they are behind further. Against Weenie and Token decks, yes, he is a bit underwhelming, but not completely useless.
Lowering the curve of the deck would be a great idea. Flooding the 3-drops is not. Our Turn 3 is already a crucial turn for us, and proves to be either the most advantageous or the most disastrous. By adding in a second creature that is a 3-drop, you give yourself more options to make a mistake.
I find it funny how recently, everyone stopped playing Read the Bones. I used to love it, but the lose of life was not easily dealt with in the end.
Mono-Red decks will always be a bit of a tough match up for us. You could add in Cacklers Tenacious Dead to try to get a 1-drop early on, but most people would turn away from both since one is strictly a beater and the other is strictly a chump blocker.
I am hoping to test my deck out tonight. My current variant is as follows.
I am running 2 Ashen Riders in SB with 3 Rescue from the Underworld only as a temporary fix until I can get something better. I like how easy we can cheat things into play, and thought it would be neat to add something that would be even more devastating if it were cheated into play. I know we aren't running Reanimator, but you can't blame a guy for trying, right?
Lately, I have been contemplating removing Read the Bones for something with a bit more staying power. I know I am going to get Illness in the Ranks for my SB to use against MUD to replace Shrivel, but that has to wait a week.
It was only a trash-rare because of cards like Midnight Haunting and Lingering Souls that would keep it tapped for most of the game. Once those rotated, it became worth playing. And it found several decks, not just 1.
Anyways, I riffle shuffle my opponents' decks all the time. If they complain about it or call a judge over, I ask for proof that I am in fact damaging their cards, and when they mention that I am bending them, I always bring up the bend test, and state that I am not even close to bending them in half, and that the sleeves are in fact undamaged. Remember, the burden of proof is on them.
And CorruptDictator, just because you see them shuffle does not mean their deck has been randomized. If they pile shuffle and then do a few mash shuffles or overhand shuffles, it is in no way randomized. Look for the shuffling primer in one of the other sections for more information.
The 3 discarded are negligible with the Whip if they are creatures. And if they are land, then it means you have all you need already. And if it is removal, then it must be things that are dead against the current deck. You do not just toss everything away.
Plus, thanks to Underworld Connections, what we lose is easily gained again.
A 1/1 for 2 Mana is bad.
2 2/2's for 5 Mana total is generally terrible, but not too bad on T3.
3 3/3's for 8 Mana total is good, especially on T4.
4 4/4's for 11 Mana total is insane. This is at T5, mind you.
It snowballs from there. Add in Mutavault's "every creature type", and those just got better.
So, in the end, if let unanswered, Pack Rat not only provides devotion, but is a very capable beater as well. Plus, it is hard to keep them down. They are a card that requires immediate attention.
Mortars and Dreadbore, yes. Anger of the Gods, no.
The main shell of MBD runs too many BB-mana requirements. Adding a RR would be far more hindering than helpful. Even with the Scrylands and the Shocklands, we cannot hit RR early enough all the time.
Not true. Pack Rats was one of the most undervalued cards pre-GP. It provides plenty to the deck, and was never once sided out from what I had seen. The G/R 2nd place winner used an aggro deck, and was taken down Game 1 and Game 3 by Pack Rats.
I already knew Esper was a favorable match up for MBD. I playtested against the most common decks, and Esper was always hard pressed for any kind of victory.
Sorry, but we are not allowed to post information from the Premium pages. There is a reason why we pay for it.
For those of you playing Green, have you tried Deathrite Shaman? Seems like he and Pack Rat could become VERY good friends quickly. Get rid of land, tap to ramp, ect. ect.
For future reference, whenever you are accused of falsehood, reply with the evidence.
Anyways, I have been out of the loop for the past few days, but I can still help a bit.
Desecration Demon, while having flaws, is one of the best cards out there for our deck. There is a reason for the $10 price tag, and its not because he bakes cookies. By refusing to use the most optimal cards for a deck, you are hurting your own chances in the long run. And there are plenty of reasons why he is good. For instance, against Control decks, he is an absolute monster. Either they answer him, or they lose. RDW has to waste multiple burn-spells on him, and against mirror/midrange, if they lack an answer, they are behind further. Against Weenie and Token decks, yes, he is a bit underwhelming, but not completely useless.
Lowering the curve of the deck would be a great idea. Flooding the 3-drops is not. Our Turn 3 is already a crucial turn for us, and proves to be either the most advantageous or the most disastrous. By adding in a second creature that is a 3-drop, you give yourself more options to make a mistake.
I find it funny how recently, everyone stopped playing Read the Bones. I used to love it, but the lose of life was not easily dealt with in the end.
I am hoping to test my deck out tonight. My current variant is as follows.
24 Swamp
Creatures
4 Pack Rat
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Erebos, God of Death
1 Abhorrent Overlord
4 Read the Bones
3 Hero's Downfall
3 Underworld Connections
2 Doom Blade
2 Devour Flesh
2 Pharika's Cure
2 Whip of Erebos
3 Rescue from the Underworld
2 Ashen Rider
2 Duress
2 Pithing Needle
2 Shrivel
2 Quag Sickness
1 Corrupt
1 Ratchet Bomb
I am running 2 Ashen Riders in SB with 3 Rescue from the Underworld only as a temporary fix until I can get something better. I like how easy we can cheat things into play, and thought it would be neat to add something that would be even more devastating if it were cheated into play. I know we aren't running Reanimator, but you can't blame a guy for trying, right?
Lately, I have been contemplating removing Read the Bones for something with a bit more staying power. I know I am going to get Illness in the Ranks for my SB to use against MUD to replace Shrivel, but that has to wait a week.