A lot of people are talking about using Relentless Dead in a dedicated Zombie deck, which is certainly a good place for it, but I see it more as a support card in a midrange or mono-black devotion strategy. This guy is an absolute card advantage machine in the mid and late game, and you don't really need a deck crammed full of zombies to make him worthwhile, unlike, say, Diregraf Colossus. Just including a handful of value zombies such as Geralf's Messenger,Gray Merchant of Asphodel, or even Lifebane Zombie in certain matchups would make this guy usable. Heck, it even works with the aforementioned Colossus, since a sac outlet will allow you to keep spamming this guy for zombies at BBB a pop in standard.
Even if this forum has declined, it's still nothing compared to being on the ghost town that was the WoTC forums between the redesign and last year's shutdown. If you want a basis for a dying forum, that was it. Only a handful of subforums had any activity at all, and the regular users couldn't have numbered more than a couple dozen across the whole site.
Well yes, except that you haven't pointed out the reason in words =).
It is because the mods have the attitude that threads aren't supposed to discuss how things could be with mtg in all the various areas. The only discussions allowed outside the geek vs not geek threads are the ones clarifying how things are.
The mods use all the tricks in the book to eliminate good ideas from the forums, because once those get visible all the lacks in this game become much clearer (to newer players).
That and the hopeless discussions that root in comp-rules/ipg/tournament "principles"/"policies".
I've only joined MTGSalvation recently, and have been lurking for a few months, so I can't speak for this forum. What I can say is that the old WoTC forums had a serious moderation problem in regards to how they let trolls and spam occur.
Even if this forum has declined, it's still nothing compared to being on the ghost town that was the WoTC forums between the redesign and last year's shutdown. If you want a basis for a dying forum, that was it. Only a handful of subforums had any activity at all, and the regular users couldn't have numbered more than a couple dozen across the whole site.
I think you have to dig a little deeper to find out why he's so slow. Play more practice games, play open-hand games, get him to explain his thought process or why he does what he does. Is he a slow thinker or just a slow learner? Also, avoid tournament environments. Sometimes, you'll find a new player who picks up the rules in one or two games and can dive into tournament MTG very quickly, but most people take a few months before they're ready.
Sure have. Regarding rules lawyering, I used to go to this summer camp that had lots of MTG players across all ages and levels of experience. As a new player there, it irritated me to have better players pull rules on me (damage on the stack was particularly bad for me back then), and, as an experienced player, it was often frustrating to teach inexperienced players who thought they knew everything.
I also had a few bad habits, most severely asking my opponent if I could take back moves made without fully thinking situations through. One of my opponents practically shouted at me when I did that once, and I've been more careful ever since. I was also a sore loser with a horrible poker face when I first started. If I wasn't doing too well, it would register, especially if I had mana problems.
Mairsil's reappearance in card form absolutely can be a coincidence because Commander products are a dumping ground for neglected legendary figures, the vast majority of whom are irrelevant to contemporary sets.
While its value probably won't spike, I disagree with your assessment of Bygone Bishop. It has applications outside of clue-based decks; for example, it makes every creature that Collected Company decks hardcast replace themselves. If any sort of white weenie crops up (human or spirit tribal?), Bishop would give the deck crucial staying power in the mid and late games.
I've only joined MTGSalvation recently, and have been lurking for a few months, so I can't speak for this forum. What I can say is that the old WoTC forums had a serious moderation problem in regards to how they let trolls and spam occur.
I also had a few bad habits, most severely asking my opponent if I could take back moves made without fully thinking situations through. One of my opponents practically shouted at me when I did that once, and I've been more careful ever since. I was also a sore loser with a horrible poker face when I first started. If I wasn't doing too well, it would register, especially if I had mana problems.