Just out of curiosity... has anyone tested Lignify? The main issue would be enchantment removal, but it costs 4 less life than Dismember and helps devotion. Sorcery speed, of course (big drawback), but seems like it might be an effective replacement...
Required literature at most middle schools, so if you're just now reading it for the first time, that explains a few things.
1) In response to your "0.00000000031% of Americans" comment:
April 20, 2016
Let’s just look at the exit polling from New York – which by no means is the outlier in this Republican primary contest.
According to CNN exit polling, Mr. Trump won the woman vote by 57 percent, he won all ages, he won 69 percent of voters with a high school or less education, but also cleaned up 51 percent of those who have postgraduate degrees. Mr. Trump won 52 percent of the vote of those who earn less than $30,000 and 63 percent of the vote of those who earn $100,000 - $200,000 annually.
The New York results are not the exception to the rule – although some would like you to believe they are.
In New York, Trump won 57% of the female Republican voters. He also won 63% of the male voters, which means that women voted for him in lower numbers than men.
In a Fox News Poll that came out today (yes, Fox News):
"Clinton is ahead among blacks (+76), unmarried women (+34), women (+18), lower-income households (+14), and voters under age 30 (+13).
Trump is preferred among white evangelicals (+42), whites without a college degree (+25), whites (+16), men (+15), and independents (+5)."
Short answer about the Bogle: No. It just isn't efficient enough, not even close in fact. We need to run the absolute most efficient creatures if we want to stand a chance and Bogle just doesn't cut it.
Gotcha. I take it Vault Skirge falls into the same category?
I'm new to this deck, but I did a quick search and didn't find any discussion of a couple cards. What are all of your thoughts on Slippery Bogle? Wouldn't Bogle be really good against burn?
How can anyone look at Sorin and not connect that he's going to be in the same standard format as the Ulamog and the rest of the Eldrazi titans/enablers? I mean, what's better than casting Ulamog for 10? Letting Sorin Ula-mug opponents for 10 several turns earlier!
I doubt he'll be modern playable, but there's a really good chance he'll be a house in Standard.
Now that we know Werewolves and Humans are both in the set, what are the odds that we're going to see a Cavern of Souls reprint? Seems like a ripe target, now that Wizards has said they're going to be aggressive with reprints, there's only one printing of it, it's a mult-format staple, and the card has eclipsed $40.
I haven't seen anyone discussing this list, but it's a really unique take on the Rock, and I suspect part of the reason for its success was the surprise factor, but I'm always in love with anything that's this different. I love Tower Defense being used as a little mini-overrun. Thoughts?
Ghost Quarter is going to be a huge dead card for you. They still get a basic land for you destroying one of theirs and the only thing you can use it to cast is hard casting rift bolt, your browbeat which I'm anticipating being the first thing to go, and your skullcrack. Molten Rain would be a much better selection for land destruction Definetely do not run a land that cannot produce red mana (so, plains, swamp, and ghost quarter are out).
Torpor Orb is a great SB card in modern for those decks. I run a couple Volcanic Fallout as a sweeper. If you are facing a lot of pod problems in your area though I would suggest Anger of the Gods.
You're totally right about Ghost Quarter - I didn't realize that there were virtually no non-red sources. I'll replace them with fetches/Molten Rain in the board. I actually mostly use it to destroy my own lands, sadly, to search for basics. I might even main deck Molten Rain... though it has an expensive casting cost. And since the single Plains and Swamp are in there to tutor up with the Ghost Quarter, those can be moved out, too.
I vacillate back and forth on Magma Jet. I like it, but there's a big difference between 2 and 3 damage - it's a matter of reward, especially on two-mana cards. I've used Flames of the Blood Hand before, but it felt like a dead card. I'll probably throw it back in as a one- or two-of, maybe out of the board.
As far as Pod goes, Smash to Smithereens works quite well. The big issue with Pod is the lifegain via Finks, so maybe Bloodhand out of the board would be preferable - since those games go longer, the 3 mana cmc wouldn't be as much of an issue.
I'm currently running a creatureless RBW Burn deck, since it felt to me like the metagame has too many answers for Guide and Devil, Lavamancer is too slow, and Eidolon seems to hurt me more than it helps for that casting cost. Getting rid of creatures reduces the efficiency of their control spells, giving them fewer answers to this deck's threats (counterspells and discard being the primary ones).
My deck:
A note on the lands: this part of the deck is not finished, but I don't want the focus on that. The plains and swamps are in there because I found myself needing that third color and lacking the ability to tutor them out before I get the fetch lands (which I plan on once the initial Khans supply increases). Ghost quarter is a wonderfully versatile card in that it hoses matchups this deck struggles with (Tron) and allows me to tutor up that needed basic by sacrificing my own tapped land.
But my big question is in regards to what the consensus thoughts are on Browbeat? Yes, I know... it's always the worst of the two choices for you. But I often found myself running out of gas with the opponent at about 5 or 6 life, and it feels like Browbeat offers a really good high-damage/low-cmc option. I'm testing it as a two-of and in a couple matches so far it's really helped me; there's almost never a good choice for the opponent to make.
To illustrate, let's look at the following situations:
Opponent life total
1 - 3: you're obviously drawing three cards. In this case, it would have been better to have just a direct-damage spell, but the only time having Browbeat instead of a 3-damage instant actually hurts is if they can kill you next turn (or before you draw your next burn spell). The odds of this happening are pretty low, but I'm sure it does rear its head on occasion.
4 - 5: you're obviously drawing three cards, but in this case, Browbeat is better because it helps dig for the two answers you need. I found my deck stalling out at about this point on a regular basis, and I suspect that having Browbeat as an answer will limited the amount of games I lose in this case; the few test matches so far have born this out. Additionally, if I happen to have five lands at this point (land flood being a common reason for stalling out), then it's not uncommon to win off the draw.
6 - 8: you're probably drawing cards, but here's where it starts to get iffy. Again, though, compare it to having a direct-damage spell; either you draw three cards, giving you gas, or they take 5 damage and hope you don't draw a burn spell next turn. Either way, the game is going another turn, and it can do so with you having three cards in your hand or with them at 1-3 life. Either way you're in pretty good shape, and better than if it was just another burn spell or creature they could deal with.
9+: If you're casting it here, it's because you have nothing left. Having an extra Lightning Bolt instead isn't saving you.
So the trade-off is that you lose more often when you have the opponent at 1-3 life, but win more often when you stall with them between 4 and 8 life (which was happening more frequently since I'm running a creatureless deck). It seems to me like it's a good trade to make, and I don't understand why more people aren't making it. Maybe you guys can help on this one - what am I missing?
A clue that this is where it is headed is the discussion of Morph by MaRo as "Ancient dragon magic that is currently being used to conceal combatant's identities". This implies that we will see some other form of draconic magic, potentially involving facedown cards, in the future sets.
That would make sense if the ancient dragons were colorless with colored abilities and/or colored with colorless abilities. I could see it.
There are a couple ways that this could go, but I definitely think that it points toward at least a colorless matters set or (more likely) a developing colorless block.
My guess it that KTK is a enemy-tri-color set, Louie is an allied tri-color, and Fate Reforged is colorless since it is being drafted with both and colorless can work with either situation. The flavor could be that the time shift sees a past where magic was relatively new to the plane and the development of it altered how the tribes emerged.
Grim Haruspex
Xathrid Necromancer
Liliana, Heretical Healer
Basically, anything that either makes killing 3-4 creatures sound like a really bad idea or at least mitigates the damage done when it happens.
In New York, Trump won 57% of the female Republican voters. He also won 63% of the male voters, which means that women voted for him in lower numbers than men.
In a Fox News Poll that came out today (yes, Fox News):
"Clinton is ahead among blacks (+76), unmarried women (+34), women (+18), lower-income households (+14), and voters under age 30 (+13).
Trump is preferred among white evangelicals (+42), whites without a college degree (+25), whites (+16), men (+15), and independents (+5)."
Gotcha. I take it Vault Skirge falls into the same category?
I doubt he'll be modern playable, but there's a really good chance he'll be a house in Standard.
Creature (22)
1 Gavony Ironwright
2 Siege Rhino
3 Noble Hierarch
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Doran, the Siege Tower
4 Spellskite
4 Tarmogoyf
Instant (10)
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Path to Exile
4 Tower Defense
Sorcery (4)
4 Lingering Souls
Enchantment (2)
2 Assault Formation
1 Godless Shrine
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Plains
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Forest
2 Horizon Canopy
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Temple Garden
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Windswept Heath
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Choke
1 Rest in Peace
1 Stony Silence
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Dismember
1 Golgari Charm
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Creeping Corrosion
I haven't seen anyone discussing this list, but it's a really unique take on the Rock, and I suspect part of the reason for its success was the surprise factor, but I'm always in love with anything that's this different. I love Tower Defense being used as a little mini-overrun. Thoughts?
You're totally right about Ghost Quarter - I didn't realize that there were virtually no non-red sources. I'll replace them with fetches/Molten Rain in the board. I actually mostly use it to destroy my own lands, sadly, to search for basics. I might even main deck Molten Rain... though it has an expensive casting cost. And since the single Plains and Swamp are in there to tutor up with the Ghost Quarter, those can be moved out, too.
I vacillate back and forth on Magma Jet. I like it, but there's a big difference between 2 and 3 damage - it's a matter of reward, especially on two-mana cards. I've used Flames of the Blood Hand before, but it felt like a dead card. I'll probably throw it back in as a one- or two-of, maybe out of the board.
As far as Pod goes, Smash to Smithereens works quite well. The big issue with Pod is the lifegain via Finks, so maybe Bloodhand out of the board would be preferable - since those games go longer, the 3 mana cmc wouldn't be as much of an issue.
Thank you for your advice.
My deck:
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Lava Spike
4 Bump in the Night
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Shard Volley (multiples can be rough)
4 Lightning Helix
4 Skullcrack
4 Boros Charm
2 Searing Blaze
4 Rift Bolt
2 Browbeat
1 Keldon Megaliths
3 Ghost Quarter
1 Swamp
1 Plains
16 Other
2 Silence
2 Wear // Tear
2 Smash to Smithereens
3 Tormod's Crypt
1 Anger of the Gods
3 Volcanic Fallout
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Keldon Megaliths
A note on the lands: this part of the deck is not finished, but I don't want the focus on that. The plains and swamps are in there because I found myself needing that third color and lacking the ability to tutor them out before I get the fetch lands (which I plan on once the initial Khans supply increases). Ghost quarter is a wonderfully versatile card in that it hoses matchups this deck struggles with (Tron) and allows me to tutor up that needed basic by sacrificing my own tapped land.
But my big question is in regards to what the consensus thoughts are on Browbeat? Yes, I know... it's always the worst of the two choices for you. But I often found myself running out of gas with the opponent at about 5 or 6 life, and it feels like Browbeat offers a really good high-damage/low-cmc option. I'm testing it as a two-of and in a couple matches so far it's really helped me; there's almost never a good choice for the opponent to make.
To illustrate, let's look at the following situations:
Opponent life total
1 - 3: you're obviously drawing three cards. In this case, it would have been better to have just a direct-damage spell, but the only time having Browbeat instead of a 3-damage instant actually hurts is if they can kill you next turn (or before you draw your next burn spell). The odds of this happening are pretty low, but I'm sure it does rear its head on occasion.
4 - 5: you're obviously drawing three cards, but in this case, Browbeat is better because it helps dig for the two answers you need. I found my deck stalling out at about this point on a regular basis, and I suspect that having Browbeat as an answer will limited the amount of games I lose in this case; the few test matches so far have born this out. Additionally, if I happen to have five lands at this point (land flood being a common reason for stalling out), then it's not uncommon to win off the draw.
6 - 8: you're probably drawing cards, but here's where it starts to get iffy. Again, though, compare it to having a direct-damage spell; either you draw three cards, giving you gas, or they take 5 damage and hope you don't draw a burn spell next turn. Either way, the game is going another turn, and it can do so with you having three cards in your hand or with them at 1-3 life. Either way you're in pretty good shape, and better than if it was just another burn spell or creature they could deal with.
9+: If you're casting it here, it's because you have nothing left. Having an extra Lightning Bolt instead isn't saving you.
So the trade-off is that you lose more often when you have the opponent at 1-3 life, but win more often when you stall with them between 4 and 8 life (which was happening more frequently since I'm running a creatureless deck). It seems to me like it's a good trade to make, and I don't understand why more people aren't making it. Maybe you guys can help on this one - what am I missing?
That would make sense if the ancient dragons were colorless with colored abilities and/or colored with colorless abilities. I could see it.
My guess it that KTK is a enemy-tri-color set, Louie is an allied tri-color, and Fate Reforged is colorless since it is being drafted with both and colorless can work with either situation. The flavor could be that the time shift sees a past where magic was relatively new to the plane and the development of it altered how the tribes emerged.