Glamdring, your Innistrad map is absolutely gorgeous, but I do have a quick question for you. The Art Book says that the Nearheath in Gavony comprises "the fertile, rolling hills within a few miles of Thraben" but according to your scale it appears that Videns, Wittal, and Effalen are 50+ miles from Thraben. The scale of the map is quite different as a result. Was this a creative decision or was there some other factor taken into consideration? It's obviously not a major issue and creatively I'm not opposed to it but Gavony appears much larger than I had envisioned as a result.
Yeah, the above is one of a few issues with the Innistrad map (from the Mikaeus the Unhallowed preview article, the map is at least twice the size it should be). Some of the towns/landmarks are out of place relative to each other, some are missing, and the arrangement of the provinces is likely off ("A Gaze Blank and Pitiless" tells us that Gavony is south of Stensia). Still, the map is absolutely lovely and more accurate than the other Innistrad maps out there.
Did you guys see the list of the MOL tournament that ended 5-0, its a combo-version of the termo thing deck, and seems very cool, but i think it works in a very aggro meta.
*snip*
Ran this one at FNM tonight, went 1-3. First match was against Gruul energy. While there was some variation, both games basically went T2 Thing, T4 Awoken Horror, T5 win. Second match was against Orzhov Planeswalkers. Both games he killed every creature I played before they could do anything. Third match was against Rakdos aggro. First game I couldn't draw creatures after he hit Thing in the Ice with Unlicensed Disintegration, second game I drew all three Bedlam Revelers in quick succession and drew neither the spells nor lands to play them. Fourth match was also against Rakdos aggro. Won the first game off a pair of Awoken Horrors, the second I couldn't draw instants/sorceries and he kept drawing removal, the third I got stuck on two land. The three games it worked it was a ton of fun to play, but it felt inconsistent and didn't do much if the opponent drew any removal. I hated Bedlam Reveler, although to be fair that's probably because I only drew it in games where I couldn't play it and always drew it in multiples. I also found myself underwhelmed by Stormchaser Mage.
EDIT: Thinking about it, the biggest difficulty I had tonight (other than just bad luck) was removal. My creatures just kept getting killed before I could do anything really big with them. Does anyone else think this list might benefit from running something like Turn Aside in the sideboard?
Dynavolt Tower is more efficient in terms of damage generated per spell; making 40% of a Lightning Bolt is 1.2 damage per spell, which outpaces Thermo-Alchemist.
That's not technically true. Dynavolt Tower gives you damage for energy, so you have to be playing spells and energy-generating cards to deal damage with it. Thermo-Alchemist gives you damage for untaps, so it deals damage all on its own the longer it sits in play. Play 3 spells now, Dynavolt Tower gives you 3 damage and Thermo-Alchemist gives you 4. Play 5 spells now, Dynavolt Tower gives you 3 damage this turn and 3 next turn while Thermo-Alchemist gives you 6 damage this turn and 1 next turn. Play 1 spell a turn, Dynavolt Tower gives you 3 damage every three turns and Thermo-Alchemist gives you 6 damage over the same time period. Hit a land pocket, Dynavolt Tower sits looking pretty while Thermo-Alchemist goes to work. If you have 3 energy lying around from other sources then yes, that first Dynavolt Tower will be more efficient than a Thermo-Alchemist in its first two turns, but Thermo-Alchemist will surpass it over time. Now, you're right about Dynavolt Tower being more resistant to removal. You're right that it can use energy from other sources, so you may have a little starting gas lying around from Harnessed Lightnings or Aether Hubs (energy generated by previous Dynavolt Towers really doesn't count, since Thermo-Alchemist would've dealt damage at the time rather than creating a resource to deal damage later). You can also use Dynavolt Tower to kill creatures if necessary. For those reasons you could argue that Dynavolt Tower is better, but Thermo-Alchemist is the more efficient damage dealer.
Yeah, the above is one of a few issues with the Innistrad map (from the Mikaeus the Unhallowed preview article, the map is at least twice the size it should be). Some of the towns/landmarks are out of place relative to each other, some are missing, and the arrangement of the provinces is likely off ("A Gaze Blank and Pitiless" tells us that Gavony is south of Stensia). Still, the map is absolutely lovely and more accurate than the other Innistrad maps out there.
Ran this one at FNM tonight, went 1-3. First match was against Gruul energy. While there was some variation, both games basically went T2 Thing, T4 Awoken Horror, T5 win. Second match was against Orzhov Planeswalkers. Both games he killed every creature I played before they could do anything. Third match was against Rakdos aggro. First game I couldn't draw creatures after he hit Thing in the Ice with Unlicensed Disintegration, second game I drew all three Bedlam Revelers in quick succession and drew neither the spells nor lands to play them. Fourth match was also against Rakdos aggro. Won the first game off a pair of Awoken Horrors, the second I couldn't draw instants/sorceries and he kept drawing removal, the third I got stuck on two land. The three games it worked it was a ton of fun to play, but it felt inconsistent and didn't do much if the opponent drew any removal. I hated Bedlam Reveler, although to be fair that's probably because I only drew it in games where I couldn't play it and always drew it in multiples. I also found myself underwhelmed by Stormchaser Mage.
EDIT: Thinking about it, the biggest difficulty I had tonight (other than just bad luck) was removal. My creatures just kept getting killed before I could do anything really big with them. Does anyone else think this list might benefit from running something like Turn Aside in the sideboard?
That's not technically true. Dynavolt Tower gives you damage for energy, so you have to be playing spells and energy-generating cards to deal damage with it. Thermo-Alchemist gives you damage for untaps, so it deals damage all on its own the longer it sits in play. Play 3 spells now, Dynavolt Tower gives you 3 damage and Thermo-Alchemist gives you 4. Play 5 spells now, Dynavolt Tower gives you 3 damage this turn and 3 next turn while Thermo-Alchemist gives you 6 damage this turn and 1 next turn. Play 1 spell a turn, Dynavolt Tower gives you 3 damage every three turns and Thermo-Alchemist gives you 6 damage over the same time period. Hit a land pocket, Dynavolt Tower sits looking pretty while Thermo-Alchemist goes to work. If you have 3 energy lying around from other sources then yes, that first Dynavolt Tower will be more efficient than a Thermo-Alchemist in its first two turns, but Thermo-Alchemist will surpass it over time. Now, you're right about Dynavolt Tower being more resistant to removal. You're right that it can use energy from other sources, so you may have a little starting gas lying around from Harnessed Lightnings or Aether Hubs (energy generated by previous Dynavolt Towers really doesn't count, since Thermo-Alchemist would've dealt damage at the time rather than creating a resource to deal damage later). You can also use Dynavolt Tower to kill creatures if necessary. For those reasons you could argue that Dynavolt Tower is better, but Thermo-Alchemist is the more efficient damage dealer.