I also played at GP Columbus and went an embarrasing 0-3.
Match 1 against w/b tokens
I lost game 1 after miss counting mana. I had 10 available mana and Eye in play.Opponent had me on a 2 turn clock(I was dead next turn if he played honor of the pure) I played ancient stirrings and saw Wurmcoil, Urza's Tower and 3 random cards. I grabbed the Wurmcoil thinking i needed the blocker and lifegain. He proceeded to Path to exile my Wurmcoil Looking back I should have grabbed the tower and searched up Emrakul
I won game 2 on the backs of batterskull and Wurmcoil
Game 3 He got a very explosive start and Tideshallow sculler and thoughtsieze stripped me of every threat i could find.
Match 2 against naya Pod.
I won game 1 with Ulamog and Batterskull.
Game 2 He triple!!!! Sowing Salts me. First one on my turn 2. I obviously lose this game.
Game 3 I get turn 3 Karn. He turn 4 sowing salts me. The game turns into a long grindy match where I play all 4 wurmcoils off of getting 6 lands in play through another sowing salts and fulminator mage. I still lose to a top decked birthing pod into seer(off of dryad arbor).
Match 3(Im pretty much out of it at this point. I think I wanted to go eat some depression food at Ted's Montana Grill more than play my last game. I should have...)
Game 1 He leads forest, Birds, go. I lead tower, map(turn 3 wurmcoil is in the works). He then proceeds to play forest, remove a simian spirit guide from the game, tap birds for a red, then play a MAINDECK!!!???? sowing salts. Im on tilt now and lose to strangleroot giest and bloodbraid elf(into molten rain.....)
Game 2 in much the same as game 1 only less sowing salts more stone rain and molten rain.
Overall, If I play match 1 correctly I think my day goes completely different. Losing that match put me going the wrong way at the tables and forced me into playing the random decks that lost.
I'm not defending what Sam Black did. But his opponent is responsible for allowing it to happen.
This. His opponent is responsible for removing as many ghasts as he wants from the game. Not Sam, Not me, Not you. His opponent. Just like its his opponents responsiblity to state targets, cast spells, play/tap lands. I will not and your opponent will not play for you or assume you are playing correctly.
At your end of turn I activate Expedition Map grabbing Urza's Tower.
On my turn I play a forest instead of my third piece of urzatron. Should I be allowed to play the third tron piece instead? I clearly want to play that third piece, why else would I have searched for it last turn?
Situations are no different. One player cannot ever assume the intentions of another player no matter how odd they may seem. Given the wording on Surgical Extraction he is not required to remove all copies of a card. If I removed the last one for him(assuming his intentions) and a board state occured where he wanted me to have that bloodghast(ass odd as that may seem, once again, I cannot assume his intentions, nor assume how his deck works)Would I or Sam be a cheater then?
I have always wondered why(Beyond high initial investment and labor) card shops don't use a scan and electronic inventory system like every other store uses. bar codes are easy to print. Bar code scanners are even easier to set up. One could set up 4-5 tablet PC's with a link to your stock of cards. One guy goes back to the stock room, grabs the wanted cards brings them out and checks the customer out. The cards could be scanned at the register and your count in the "stock room" is automatically updated. This would use FAR less upfront floor space and also allows quick and easy check out of customers and updating your stock.(I have never run a business, I'm an engineer who wants to run a game shop someday)
~~EDIT~~
Im not sure the initial investment is actually all that much more than traditional shelves/boxes/display cases now that I think about it.
Whats wrong with Wurmcoil Engine? Its strictly better than both if all you need is a blocker with lifelink
nothing really, i find myself not able to draw one against aggro a lot of the time. being on a 4 turn clock means that I need to drop one turn 3 or 4 to actually affect the board(I.E. actually save me) I realize Wurmcoil is strictly better is just about every case but I'd like a little more assurance that Im going to get something to keep me alive.
Without testing i feel like thragatusk is better
1)Gain life immediately
2)get "2" blockers
Batterskull however
1)Is colorless(Ancient stirrings and can block etched champion)
2)can return itself to our hand if needed.
3)Can attack AND block while gaining life both ways.
Ill be testing both for this weekend but my gut says thragatusk is the better card while batterskull fits the deck better.
Im playing Karn Tron. I decided to run despite the sea of blood moons and spreading seas. I'm not likely to win(My only previous GP exp is running merfolk at GP Columbus the year Saito won it, I was running a nearly identical list as wen 3-3 drop ). Also the deck is pretty simple to play, after 8-9 hours of magic straight, my brain just gets worn out lol.
After playing this deck for a while, I feel like its turn 3 or bust in a lot of scenarios. Against Boros and Affinity, MD pyroclasms are great, and having Ugin + Emrakul is great against slower control decks.
But if you dont have a turn 3 Wurmcoil for Burn, or a way to force pyroclasm/karn through against Delver/Faeries, good luck. Mindslavers in the board are almost a must for the Storm matchup as well. And I still havent figured out what to do against Twin, a well timed Remand is GG in some of the games Ive played.
Edit: Relic of Progenitus helps against Storm to a point, but Storm decks these days are going all in with multiple win conditions. (Ascension, Swath
This is what Ive noticed. I'm starting to wonder if Batterskull(only other colorless creature that has lifelink that I can think of) is warranted either MD or SB. I completely removed Relic and pyroclasm as everyone knows we run them and play around them. Id rather have those 8 spots for more threats or more draw.
I'm taking this to GP columbus and I'm very tempted to run 6-7 lifelinkers main deck. Threats would be
Match 1 against w/b tokens
I lost game 1 after miss counting mana. I had 10 available mana and Eye in play.Opponent had me on a 2 turn clock(I was dead next turn if he played honor of the pure) I played ancient stirrings and saw Wurmcoil, Urza's Tower and 3 random cards. I grabbed the Wurmcoil thinking i needed the blocker and lifegain. He proceeded to Path to exile my Wurmcoil Looking back I should have grabbed the tower and searched up Emrakul
I won game 2 on the backs of batterskull and Wurmcoil
Game 3 He got a very explosive start and Tideshallow sculler and thoughtsieze stripped me of every threat i could find.
Match 2 against naya Pod.
I won game 1 with Ulamog and Batterskull.
Game 2 He triple!!!! Sowing Salts me. First one on my turn 2. I obviously lose this game.
Game 3 I get turn 3 Karn. He turn 4 sowing salts me. The game turns into a long grindy match where I play all 4 wurmcoils off of getting 6 lands in play through another sowing salts and fulminator mage. I still lose to a top decked birthing pod into seer(off of dryad arbor).
Match 3(Im pretty much out of it at this point. I think I wanted to go eat some depression food at Ted's Montana Grill more than play my last game. I should have...)
Game 1 He leads forest, Birds, go. I lead tower, map(turn 3 wurmcoil is in the works). He then proceeds to play forest, remove a simian spirit guide from the game, tap birds for a red, then play a MAINDECK!!!???? sowing salts. Im on tilt now and lose to strangleroot giest and bloodbraid elf(into molten rain.....)
Game 2 in much the same as game 1 only less sowing salts more stone rain and molten rain.
Overall, If I play match 1 correctly I think my day goes completely different. Losing that match put me going the wrong way at the tables and forced me into playing the random decks that lost.
deck list in case in matters.
4 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Emrakul, the aeons torn
1 Ulamog, the infinite gyre
3 batterskull
2 oblivion stone
4 chromatic sphere
4 chromatic star
4 explore
4 sylvan scrying
4 expedition map
2 pyroclasm
4 ancient stirrings
12 Tron Lands
4 grove
2 forest
1 Eye of ugin
4 Nature's claim
1 Seal of Primordium
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Relic of progentitus
2 Torpor Orb
2 Combust
1 ancient grudge
1 batterskull
2 Beast Within
This. His opponent is responsible for removing as many ghasts as he wants from the game. Not Sam, Not me, Not you. His opponent. Just like its his opponents responsiblity to state targets, cast spells, play/tap lands. I will not and your opponent will not play for you or assume you are playing correctly.
On my turn I play a forest instead of my third piece of urzatron. Should I be allowed to play the third tron piece instead? I clearly want to play that third piece, why else would I have searched for it last turn?
Situations are no different. One player cannot ever assume the intentions of another player no matter how odd they may seem. Given the wording on Surgical Extraction he is not required to remove all copies of a card. If I removed the last one for him(assuming his intentions) and a board state occured where he wanted me to have that bloodghast(ass odd as that may seem, once again, I cannot assume his intentions, nor assume how his deck works)Would I or Sam be a cheater then?
~~EDIT~~
Im not sure the initial investment is actually all that much more than traditional shelves/boxes/display cases now that I think about it.
nothing really, i find myself not able to draw one against aggro a lot of the time. being on a 4 turn clock means that I need to drop one turn 3 or 4 to actually affect the board(I.E. actually save me) I realize Wurmcoil is strictly better is just about every case but I'd like a little more assurance that Im going to get something to keep me alive.
I didn't know that(my current batterskulls are plains with "BATTER" written on them lol)
Any other opinions on which is better? I'm still leaning towards Thrag. He gets me 5 life and a 3/3 even if they have removal.
Without testing i feel like thragatusk is better
1)Gain life immediately
2)get "2" blockers
Batterskull however
1)Is colorless(Ancient stirrings and can block etched champion)
2)can return itself to our hand if needed.
3)Can attack AND block while gaining life both ways.
Ill be testing both for this weekend but my gut says thragatusk is the better card while batterskull fits the deck better.
This is what Ive noticed. I'm starting to wonder if Batterskull(only other colorless creature that has lifelink that I can think of) is warranted either MD or SB. I completely removed Relic and pyroclasm as everyone knows we run them and play around them. Id rather have those 8 spots for more threats or more draw.
I'm taking this to GP columbus and I'm very tempted to run 6-7 lifelinkers main deck. Threats would be
4 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Batterskull
1 Ulamog
1 Emrakul
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Tower
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Forest
1 Eye of Ugin
3 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Chromatic Star
4 Chromatic Sphere
3 Relic of Progenitus
4 Expedition Map
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Pyroclasm
4 Explore
4 Karn Liberated
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Grafdigger's cage
4 Nature's Claim
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Torpor Orb
1 Oblivion Stone
2 Mind Slaver
Does that seem right? Im unsure on the Oblivion stones, Mindslavers, and cage.