MTG Salvation

aka Slapcaster Mage , looks really nice!

I hope I did not write this for nothing and it can help some people:

Play and Sideboard guide against Living End

In this matchup you (the Hardened Scales player) can get the win but you have to keep many things in mind. The matchup can be played very differently depending on the opponent's sideboard and what cards are drawn.

General strategy
Game 1: Don't commit too hard on the board with creatures unless you have an Arcbound Ravager. This is the best card (in this matchup) to draw. When Living End goes on the stack, sacrifice your creatures to Ravager and if you want to get an advantage put all those counters on a Hangarback Walker which is generally the second best card in the matchup.
You dont't loose much and get many Thopters and your Ravager and other non XX mana creatures are back on the field.

Example boards against Living End:

Top: Ravager, Hangarback, Arcbound Worker, Hardened Scales.
Don't worry about Living End at this point.

Good: Ballista, Metallic Mimic, Hangarback walker. Hardened Scales
Shot down the Metallic Mimic and if you can in any way put more counters on Hangarback walker. When Living End resolves Hangarbacks ability will go on the stack but first Mimic will enter the battlefield, you name Thopter. Hangarbacks ablity will resolve last and create X thopters all 3/3 flying.

Decent: Every board where you get some thopters or can kill your non XX creatures. OR a board without any creatures because Demonic Dread need a target and if the opponent got the violent outburst you don't lose creatures and hopefully don't get run over. No creature in the Living End deck has trample and because their Archfiends cost 2 to cycle you normally don't see a board full of flyers. Animation Module is good here as it creates chump blockers and gives you much time.

Bad: A board full of your value creatures like Steel Overseer or Metallic Mimic starting without the option to sacrifice anything.


What you should expect and fear of the Living End player:

3-4 Ingot Chewers
Best answer to all Artifacts ever, does not get hit by chalice / Inquisition of Kozilek can be devistating because its a 2 for 1 if Living End resolves. The opponent will most likely hit hatecards like Relic of Progenitus with it. But if you don't watch out your Arcbound Ravager is also going to die to it.

3-4 Faerie Macabre
One of the reasons this matchup feels bad for many Hardened Scales players. If you play well and sacrifice your creatures this prohibits them from comming back. I personally never play Living End without at least 3 of them and you have to expect them in the main board in this meta.

Leyline of the Void
Some lists run it in the sideboard. It is really bad because it is Faerie Macabre in far worse for the Hardened Scales Player. It makes our main interaction with the combo useless, and exiles Hangarback Walker which is really bad.


What you should side in:

all Relic of Progenitus that you have in the side board. Slows down the game enormously which helps the Hardened Scales player a lot.

2 Dismember can be great against the Archfiends of Ifnir who otherwise can kill yor chump blockers/ thopters by putting -1/-1 counters on them.

2-4 Nature's Claim. It depends if you now your opponent plays leyline or not. If you are unsure play 3 because it is another good way to kill our creatures so they come back with living end. then if you now, switch up to 2 or 4.


What NOT to side in:
Gravediggers Cage - it does not work so don't use it.

Chalice of the Void - you could play it on 0 but with all the cheep artifact hate that Living End has, it is not worth it, as it has no effect on the graveyard itself and the opponent can just cycle normally until he/she finds an answer.

Damping Sphere - It will the opponent only cost 1 mana more to play Living End and because it has to be on the battlefield the opponent can easily play around it.

My final suggestion:
In: 3 Relic of Progenitus / Tormod's Crypt , 4 Nature's Claim ( 2 If the opponent does not play Leyline of the void. If so: 2 Dismember)
Out: 3 Welding Jar , 2 Throne of Geth , 2 Steel Overseer

Quote from Vissah »

I`m really into just being the best combo deck I can be, specially game 1. After that I don`t mind changing or playing a bit more midrange because games turn out a lot like that.
I play the same style with Reanimator so what kind of list would you suggest if I just want to combo off as fast and cinsistent as possible.

OK, here we go:
Living End is a good Deck for game 1 in particular when your opponent tries to fill the boards with many creatures very fast. (Elves / Bogles / 8Wack Goblins)
And it is much better against hand disruption than Ad Nauseam, Vizier Combo or Saheli Cat, because you need 1 Cascade spell as the payoff and thats it. I would agree that it is very easy to achieve the combo so it is in my opinion the most consistent combo deck. I like to play both cascade spells 4x but many play only 3 Demonic Dreads. But the combo does not directly win you the game and the opponent has the option to interact with it. You still need to attack with the creatures and when you Cascade for 4 creatures with Demonic Dread your opponent can play a wrath card or burn you to death. (For example Affinity sacrifices all creature Artifacts to Arcbound Ravager and they can basically keep their board if you don't have the Faerie Macabre) Which brings me to my next point: Imagine you play against a "normal deck" with black Interaction for destroying creatures, attacking the hand and so on. They will interact with you, they will Push / Bolt their own creatures on the board Or will Thoughtseize /Thoughscour themselves for that juicy Gurmag Angler Boy who hols up your 4/4s. If your opponent knows what he is doing and has a game plan against Living End, he will interact with you even in game 1, because he can. You do get some really free Game 1s with T3 Cascade and reanimate a 6/4 , two 4/4s and a 3/4 and your opponent just scoops or does not have an out, but that is not the case against most non super linear decks. On the other hand the games against Hollow One and Grixis Deaths Shadow are among the most interactive matches I ever had and I love it. Thats one reason you see Faerie Macabres and Fulminator Mages in the main board on basically all the lists. You want interaction, because it is often worth it / you need it because the opponent hits harder / is faster. (Storm / GrishoalBrand / BridgeVine)

One of the big upsides of Living End (in my opinion) is that you don't fold to hate automatically. Your main gameplan has already 2 sides: Kill everything on the board AND put everything from your GY back to the field. The opponent has a Rest in Peace and 3 creatures on the board? OK, Cascade into living End, wipe the board and start casting your stuff. Even a small living end can win you the game when you wipe the opponents board. Then you also have the Land-destruction plan which is awesome against Tron and Ux-Control Decks. They don't care about their creatures -> hit the lands.

I feel like Living End is not a usual Reanimator deck at all, at least not to me. It is much more interactive and flexible and plays super interesting cards like faerie Macabre and Ricochet Trap while being in my favorite colors black and red.
Edit: It may also be noticed, that the living end combo disrupts other combos like Saheli, Vizier or Kiki-Angel.

Quote from InfinityDie »

Pen and Paper 1
Artifact (M)
At the beginning of your upkeep, each player puts a +1/+1 counter on target creature they control and draw a card. Then, if your life total is equal to or less than half of your starting life total, transform ~
Some wars are won with the diplomat speaking words of peace...
/////////////
Shield and Sword
Artifact
Creatures you control have lifelink and double strike
...and others are won when the knight stabs the diplomat

I think it is ok balanced but it has a really big impact on the game. If your opponent(s) don't play creatures they are in massive disadvantage and if everyone does, much more cads will be drawn. This would mostly fit in a commander set where the chance of removing this is higher but also can benefits a large amount of the players. (and keeps you from getting attacked.) I like it

My newest edition to the Guild Elementals. (I honestly want to think of a cool name for each of these, but I am just not good at it.
Golgari Elemental 3
Creature - Elemental
When Golgari Elemental enters the battlefield, target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn if B was cast to spend Golgari Elemental
When Golgari Elemental enters the battlefield, you gain 4 life if G was cast to spend Golgari Elemental
Evoke
2/4

One thing I don't understand at all: Why do WOTC always choose to print a full cycle of lands even though there is only like 1 or 2 good of them. Why don't they printed these 5:
Horizon Canopy G/W
Celestial Colonnade W/U
Creeping Tar Pit U/B
Blackcleave Cliffs B/R
Copperline Gorge R/G

In all these reprint sets they do stupid stuff like printing crap rares no one plays, just for completing a cycle.

Hello, I am actually not sure if I am supposed to post my card here, but I would like to hear your opinion on this bad boi: Gruul Elemental.

EDIT:
Gruul Elemental 2R/R/

Creature - Elemental
When Gruul Elemental enters the battlefield destroy target artifact
if R was spend to cast Gruul Elemental
When Gruul Elemental enters the battlefield destroy target encahntment
if G was spend to cast Gruul Elemental

Evoke R/
3/2

basicly when you play GRx you can destroy 1 artifact / enchantment for 1 mana or do both for 4. I am not sure if that is too powerful already but I see cards like Ingot Chewer or Fragmentize and maybe this could work as well. I am mostly unsure if 3/3 is too strong of a body I would most likely change that if I had to power it down or also rewuire the target to be CMC 4 or lower.

Also: why not evoke on other permantent types like enchantments with ETB + On going effects. What do you think about that?

This is my new deck configuration. I am going to try the Dark dwellers but i feel them to clunky. I have 20 lands because as of late i have been getting short of mana. The worst thing you can do is getting mana screw in a deck that only needs 3 lands. More lands is more appreciated and i've even considered to put a kessig wolf run for the punch.

The Faerie macabre is great and you should have a full set on Main, but with that you assure yourself to have a tough matchup against Humans and Spirits. Otherwise it's a great card in all sorts of other matchups. I find it superior to Leyline in every way, since it's clunky and you can win the same amount of matchups with Faeries against graveyard based decks than without. Sideboard wise, i use Jund charms and Anger of the gods (to diversify my hate against Humans) which come great. Jund Charm is outperforming in this meta: Every time i draw it i find a relieve, in many times a game ender if the matchup stalls. If you manage to draw a brindle boar in a Burn matchup the game becomes way tougher to lose, so i think at least some lifegain is good against them.

"Um, the card says, "FORM your graveyard". Just saying"

But overall, the card is very versatile for red, in my opinion, turning into either a recurring burn spell or a recurring blocker, depending on the situation. I do believe that the cost for discarding could stand to be 1 less, so that it can stack up with Shock.

Also, I would make the "Return to hand" cost RRR, as it doesn't seem to good at the current cost. Even with those two adjustments, its 4 mana for 2 damage each time, or 6 mana for a 2/2, so it is not incredibly broken

Time for mine:

Pen and Paper 1
Artifact (M)
At the beginning of your upkeep, each player puts a +1/+1 counter on target creature they control and draw a card. Then, if your life total is equal to or less than half of your starting life total, transform ~
Some wars are won with the diplomat speaking words of peace...
/////////////
Shield and Sword
Artifact
Creatures you control have lifelink and double strike
...and others are won when the knight stabs the diplomat

I wouldn't say the card is overpowered. It's EXTREMELY good but situational. One of those reasonable for Standard but strong in eternal as a highly versatile hoser. It IS a big upgrade over Ingot Chewer but it's comparable to the Commander roleplayer that is Hull Breach.

The use of hybrid "double enhanced" spells plus evoke is clever but does not feel like Ravnica. Although Ravnica had the OG enhanced spells, this iteration is associated with Shadowmoor block (and evoke is associated with Lorwyn block). I don't know if "Gruul Elemental" is a placeholder name but even in a Ravnica setting I would change it.

I miiiight make this a 3/2 and put it in a setting based on the reunited Lorwyn/Shadowmoor but rare is indeed where I'd put it for Limited reasons.

Finally, as a courtesy, make sure to post text versions of your custom cards in the future.

that depends on your meta entirely.
if you are going blind most likely it will feature:
3-4 ricochet trap
2-3 ingot chewer
1-2 shriekmaw
0-3 blood moon
3 anti burn stuff (brindle boar, kitchen finks, leyline of sanctity etc)
anti graveyard stuff (faerie macabre, leyline of the void, ravenous trap)
anti combo stuff (lost legacy or slaughter games)

personally i think we can bench anti combo stuff until the meta settles, most player will be playing either control decks or bbe decks in a few weeks.

If anyone actually cares, I can post my decklist... but I recently took this deck to a FNM-like tournament with a lot of Spikes and went 4-0! I think the deck is very well suited for the new BBE/JTMS meta. Here is my tournament report:

Round 1 - Living End vs U/B Faeries

So I'm paired up against Mr. Suitcase guy to start the night. He is this hippy dude that carries his whole collection with him in a metal locked-up suitcase everywhere he goes. He is the type of guy that brags about playing since the game's inception and flaunts Power 9 in your face just to make you feel like less of a man... which always works on me

Game 1: He wins the die roll and plays an insignificant Faerie to start off. I drop a Turn 2 Blood Moon (That's right, I maindeck that) with the assistance of SSG. He proceeds to flounder with nothing but non-basics and I ruin him with an army of Living Ended fatties.

Game 2: He elects to go first and starts the game with a few basics. I drop another Turn 2 Blood Moon... but he has enough basics to play around it. I proceed to lose to some dinky faerie beatdowns and a Spellstutter that countered what would have been a clutch game-stealing Living End.

Game 3: I go first on a Mull to 5... and for the third time in a row I windmill slam a Turn 2 Blood Moon! My opponent was noticeably peeved, as the only lands he produced the whole game were non-basic. After slowly killing him with two hardcasted SSGs attacking each turn, I overhear him talking to a friend complaining that I must have cheated. He thought that there was no other way I could plop a Turn 2 Blood Moon every game like that. I couldn't help but laugh at his despair.

Round 2: Living End vs R/G Eldrazi

This time I have to go up against Mr. State Champ. He won the State Championship one time, and he won't let you forget it. This guy plays with the Champ playmat facing towards you every match so that you are fully aware of his Champ status in case you didn't already know. I stroke his ego a bit and pretend to be really impressed by the art on the mat (which he loved to talk about) and we proceed to play out our games

Game 1: He wins the die roll and proceeds to go first. He plays a Turn 2 Matter Reshaper with the help of Eldrazi Temple... I drop a Turn 2 Blood Moon again thanks to SSG! I look around hoping that Mr. Suitcase guy saw it too, but unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen. I proceed to cycle like a madman and overwhelm him with a slew of recurring Fulminator Mages blowing up lands and Cerodons beating his face off my resolved Living End. He revealed a BBE after losing the Reshaper, indicating that he was probably playtesting how well BBE can hang with the Eldrazi

Game 2: I overwhelmed him with Fulminator Mages and an assault of cyclers off LE pretty quickly. He never really got going and don't remember him playing anything relevant other than Ancient Stirrings and a few Noble Heirarchs that he had to sac to the LE. The land destruction really put him down in this one because he kept what looked to be a slower hand.

Round 3: Living End vs. Mardu Pyromancer

Next, I had to play this guy that was visibly older than my Father. I don't have anything against old people, but I find it funny the age range that the game attracts sometimes.

Game 1: I lose the die roll again, but end up winning this game by the skin of my teeth (literally at one life point when I finished him off). He threw a couple of Bolts at my face early in the game, and I was pooping my pants because I thought this meant he was on Burn, which is an auto-loss for the deck (he even started off with Sacred Foundry and Mountain to my chagrin). Never in my life have I been so happy to see someone drop a Blackcleave Cliffs and cast a Turn 3 Lingering Souls in my life. I immediately cycle the two Street Wraiths I was hoarding (didn't want to help my opponent out by losing unnecessary life if he was playing Burn) and used one of his Spirit Tokens as a much needed Demonic Dread Target. He flashbacked the Lingering Souls to stall off for a bit, but the onslaught of my cyclers were too much in the end.

Game 2: I drop a Turn 2 Blood Moon like a champ. He gets a basic Swamp, but I blew it up with Avalanche Rider (Yes, I run that trash). He gets a Pyromancer online and produces some tokens... but the mana denial was too much for him. Old man couldn't eingenner a comeback.

Round 4: Living End vs. Grixis Control

For the Final Match, I had to play this College kid that was obviously ripping adderall before coming to the store. He was super hyper and jittery, yet focused the whole match. He had tunnel vision and was pretty curt with me when I tried to make small talk... As 3-0's fighting for perfection, we prepare for epic battle. I won the die roll.

Game 1: That's right, Turn 2 Blood Moon again. You really can't make this crap up. I thought he was going to weasel his way out when he played a Turn 2 Basic Island and Search for Azcanta to maybe help dig out his other basics... but luckily for me he couldn't do it. I dropped a Turn 3 Fulminator, and a Turn 4 Avalanche Rider blowing up his only basic. He was dead in the water when I returned them again with other beaters off a LE.

Game 2: I literally dropped this Game due to JTMS. He fetched out basics early rendering my Blood Moon useless (which I played much later than Turn 2), and could never deal with Jace when it entered the battlefield. It also didn't help that I drew all 3 Ingot Chewers I sideboarded in since I was expecting Graveyard hate... which I never saw the whole match. So, I had 3 dead cards in hand, and my opponent kept Brainstorming for counterspells and fatesealing me into oblivion with Jace. Every LE attempt I made was soundly countered and I was locked out the whole game.

Game 3: I think going first was the decider in this one. I played a Turn 2 Fulminator blowing up a non-basic, and did a Turn 3 EOT Beast Within on another land he had setting up My Turn 4 Demonic Dread Target for the game winning LE. Afterwards he was complaining that he obviously "had me" if he drew into Damnation. Such is life.

Living End is fast, competitive, and super fun. I feel like the new decks that BBE and JTMS usher in put us in a good spot in this meta... especially if you play aggressive