@IMadeYouReadThis2: Likely because since BGx decks are becoming a significant portion of the modern meta game, at least in premier events, and the meta is a bit on the fairer side UW control can be better tuned to fight those strategies. That said I don't think this is a Tier 1 deck, Tier 2 for sure but by metagame share this deck is definitely not a Tier 1 deck.
That said the smaller the modern deck pool gets, the better UW will do, see eldrazi winter.
but if this is true, why are decks like esper control and cruel control still in developing competetive.
Both of those decks have just as good matchups against BGx decks.
The
Today, when I read MaRo's column wherein he once again stated that Desert--yes, Desert--is too strong for standard (he used "harsh and unforgiving" this time)
The
Today, when I read MaRo's column wherein he once again stated that Desert--yes, Desert--is too strong for standard (he used "harsh and unforgiving" this time)
The
Today, when I read MaRo's column wherein he once again stated that Desert--yes, Desert--is too strong for standard (he used "harsh and unforgiving" this time)
they can respond to the ability on the stack. They cannot however use something like dream's grip to tap elixir of immortality to prevent it's ability.
So your opponents can react to the ability being played, but they cannot prevent you from paying the costs required to activate elixir of immortality
I believe it's a combination of two things easily correctable. One is planeswalkersby themselves snowball and not easy to remove. --> good against control.
The other is removal is much weaker than creatures. So I feel when removal improves up to the level of creatures control will exist again.
Planeswalkers will exist and still be a challenge to remove. I believe they are a net boon to aggressive-anti control strategies. They should be hard to remove as they are iconic. They do help control snowball as well but inherently make creature based aggro strategies a solution.
What I would propose is removal swings on line with power of creatures.
The issue with planeswalkers however is they are 1) easier to protect with control 2) easier to snowball with control 3) easier to draw with a control strategy
What I would propose which wizards has not yet announced (they announced increasing power level of creature removal) is increasing the probability to draw planeswalkers for aggressive strategies above control.
Example:
When this creature comes into play you may search and put this planeswalker type on top of your library.
When this creature comes into play you may reveal the top five cards of your deck and put a planeswalker into your hand. Put the remaining revealed cards on the bottom of your deck in any order.
Really I think creature tutors for planeswalkers are the way for aggressive strategies to be on line with control. When control has removal to keep aggressive strategies at bay.
Furthermore with Planeswalkers being iconic, this will allow the timmy/big creature player to draw and play their new iconic, flashy Nissa/Gideon/Jace more often.
I've been playing Mtg since its birth and I've always played casual.
Here's what I think;
1) The game quickly degenerates when a casual group of players is joined by one or more who play anti-creature (denial) type decks and/or combo.
You need to give the casual (aggro) players more answers against combo by [re]printing more anti-combo cards at common or uncommon level. For example, Krosan Grip, etc. If the aggro casuals have/find no answer in their collection, they quit and the group falls apart. I write 'at common or uncommon', because casuals will not look for some specific outside of Standard rare to beat the combo player.
2) Print less vanilla/crap cards. I understand you need a vanilla 2/2 to explain the game to noobs, but we don't need three vanilla creatures in every set. Also: When you print crap cards, try to make them interesting chaff in some way; For example, 'Goats your opponents control get -1/-0.' Is a completely worthless ability, but it's a lot more fun than nothing. Your business model (collectible) forces you to print crap. But at least make the crap funny or versatile or weird.
3) The artwork/flavor is too immature (comic book style) and too bland (derivative). Most of the people I know who play this game are now 30+ and at least 20+. We can handle artwork and themes which are more iconic and intellectual. The first editions of this game had "iconic" art (i.e. like Tarot cards). We were the sorcerers, crunching lotuses and trading glyphs. A thing I personally hate is the way in which WOTC takes existing mythologies like the Greek or Egyptian gods, and then sticks new names on them. It feels derivative and cheap most of the time.
* What we need is an oldschool art set with King Arthur. I want to equip Excalibur and tap the Holy Grail. And I want these things to be called what they are. Not 'Barthur, the king' but King Arthur!
4) The 'world' is beginning to feel unhinged, like a cheap collage of not really connectable things. (Same is going on in D&D if you look at its art.) We need something like Warhammer has. The new planeswalkers generation, although WOTC have been pushing them for a decade now, are not interesting. They are cartoons, really. Gerrard was not popular, and neither was his story, but the idea of a group of non-superhero heroes travelling the planes and fixing things made sense. One of my favorite sets, flavorwise, remains Fallen Empires, because its flavor told a history. It felt like a place, a place with a history, instead of a creatures collection.
If you have a healthy meta, the control decks should also keep the combo decks in check
Also, control has been doing very badly recently in all formats. There is no need to print control hate in standard sets if control is non-existant
in legacy, the last true control deck, miracles has just died due to the top ban
in modern, control is dead
in standard, the answers are completely terrible. Without any control decks to check combo decks, copy-cat went crazy and destroyed the standard environment.
We dont need to tone BGx down by banning sth, we need to make UW better by unbanning a card.
Still hoping for urban SFM & Preordain and printing counter spell in Hours.
The longer Wizards are inactive on Modern unbans the more it seems like Jace has a grave.
I don't think that WotC will reprint counterspell...
so wouldn't solemnity not apply as divine intervention never has counters placed on it, but instead enters the battlefield with counters on it?
or does entering the battlefield with counters count as having them placed on?
ah, that makes sense,
thanks
how can you "double dip" on ancestral vision with Jace?
but if this is true, why are decks like esper control and cruel control still in developing competetive.
Both of those decks have just as good matchups against BGx decks.
why is it tier 1 now?
thanks
what changed?
wow...
im so done...
lol, I checked Almonket talkings,
your right, MaRo did say that it was "harsh and unforgiving", he also said that it was unfun to play against.
He said desert was too powerful for standard?????
what?????
Why??????????????????????
can I see a link?
So your opponents can react to the ability being played, but they cannot prevent you from paying the costs required to activate elixir of immortality
Uhhhhhh
control is doing terribly in every format.
Midrange plays plainswalkers
one of controls worst problems in modern it LOtV
a resolved LOtV spells doom for a control deck.
Why do you want to make control even worse?
if anything control needs to be better.
there are plenty of cards printed at common or uncommon that are great against control
such as:
bloodbraid elf
duress
cabal therapy
lingering souls
treetop village
young wolf
strangleroot geist
shardless agent
skullclamp
embalm creatures
hexproof creatures
and so many more
as for combo hate at common/uncommon, you have
duress, despise, cabal therapy
any form of spot removal such as terminate, doom blade, go for the throat, swords to plowshares, beast within, lightning bolt, fatal push ect...
you also have counterspells such as negate, dispel, spell pierce ect..
If you have a healthy meta, the control decks should also keep the combo decks in check
Also, control has been doing very badly recently in all formats. There is no need to print control hate in standard sets if control is non-existant
in legacy, the last true control deck, miracles has just died due to the top ban
in modern, control is dead
in standard, the answers are completely terrible. Without any control decks to check combo decks, copy-cat went crazy and destroyed the standard environment.
I fail to see how this can destroy a non creature permanent without any downside
please explain
I don't think that WotC will reprint counterspell...
they just reprinted essence scatter in ahmonket.
if WoTC was planning to unban SFM or preordian, they would have unbanned it in the last banlist change.
Why is preordain still banned in modern?
I know it was banned for making combo too consistant...
specifically twin and storm.
but twin is now dead, and storm has been neutered so hard that a preordain unban would probably make the deck barely tier 2
there aren't really any other combo decks in modern that would be broken by a preordain unban
preordain would also help decks such as grixis control, and delver.
what decks would preordain make overpowered in modern?
I can't think of anything
if it won't break anything, then why hasn't it been unbanned?
am I missing something?