ok, so lets say your opponent is at 5 or something, and you have 2 3/3's and 3 inactive treetop villages. You say "attack step" and your opponent Cryptic Commands and taps all your creatures. Is there a time after Cryptic resolves but before the declare attackers step that you could activate the Villages?
There is a very subtle nuance.
Say you have a 3/3 creature and a treetop village in play. The opponent is at 3 hp.
The best play here is to pass priority at end of beginning of combat step, and then the opponent will play Cryptic Command to tap/draw. You allow it to resolve, and you will receive priority again as the active player afterwards. You can then activate Treetop Village's ability and then pass priority. Either your opponent plays another Cryptic Command, or he passes priority and then the Declare Attackers Step begins.
Make sure not to activate Treetop Village's ability in response to Cryptic Command, otherwise, you'll end up with a tapped land and nothing to show for it.
Summary: Assuming your opponent only has a single Cryptic Command, if you don't activate your manlands, you may force at least some portion of your creatures to attack. Either the opponent doesn't Cryptic Tap, or he does, and you may activate your man lands afterwards, and swing with those. If you activate your manlands in order to do a big alpha strike, all your creatures will be susceptible to a single Cryptic Command. So you can gamble for a lot of damage, or ensure you do a mediocre amount.
If I were you, I'd drop Nettel Sentinel, rip-clan crasher, and colossal might for flame javelins and volcanic fallout. !! Yes, it seems counterintuitive, but bloodbraid > volcanic fallout sweeping the board is amazing against faeries and tokens.
Sideboard is kinda iffy, I'm thinking that Runed Halo, BFT, and Wall-Packages will give this deck the most trouble. So Everlasting Torment is there to get around prevention, and banefire for the extra end-game reach. And Pithing Needle is pretty useful in all MUs.
I appreciate the combo you're trying here, and while it's very cute and theoretically effective CA, I've found this is far too clunky for real games.
-3 Call To Heel
-1 Makeshift Mannequin
+1 Reveillark
+1 Wrath of God
+2 Esper Charm
Situational countermagic isn't workable without first having hard counters, imo.
-3 Soul Manipulation
-3 Ponder
+2 Jace Beleren
+2 Puppeteer Clique
+2 Slave of Bolas
I think we have enough creature hate here
-3 shriekmaw
-3 path to exile
+2 broken ambitions
+4 cryptic command
Really, Sanity Grinding owns any controlmagic-based deck, just because they run more counters and will almost always win a counter war.
And you're especially vulnerable since Esper-lark is built around card advantage, usually of the normal kind (card drawing), so usually a single sanity grind is sufficient to deck you. A resolved Runed Halo is gg though =)
I hope this helps: the above are really just deck change suggestions in order to streamline your deck a bit, and allow it to be capable of dealing with the current meta. If you can't afford the cryptic commands, you can swap them out for cancels/ more broken ambitions.
Anyone knows how we can deal with Anathemancer?? Seems silly for Runed Halo SB dont you think? Unless there's some other uses for Halo?
The version I run only has 16/24 non basic, and I never drop more than 5-6 lands, so on average only 4 non basic.
It's not so much anathemancer as in trying to stablize with all the burn and fallout effects. Once your tokens are beyond fallout range, and you're not in burn range, it's game for them.
1: Magic: The Gathering
2: Anime/Manga
3: Building computers
4: Collecting medieval weapons
5: Collecting rare books
Of those five hobbies, Magic is the cheapest, and I tend to get the most for my money (Money/Fun ratio if you will).
Anime is free.
Computers are a platform for a multitude of entertainment venues, not just a single game like MTG, and is the same price as MTG, depending on what you're building.
Medieval weapons enable you decapitate people, a priceless activity.
Back to MTG prices:
The only gripe I have with mtg is the existence of $25 cards as staples of most tier1-2 decks.
I don't mind the average value of a good deck, but the range of the prices. IE, I'd rather all the cards be worth more or less the same, so trades are easier and more fluid (which in turn lowers transaction costs and losses).
Like, you can purchase a Faeries or B/W Tokens, or 5CC deck for around $250. The majority of it goes to playsets of 2-4 cards (Cryptic Command, Bitter Blossom, planeswalkers, etc.)
Edit: Someone mentioned Reflecting Pool being a staple for Tier 1 decks?
B/W tokens doesn't require reflecting pool, it just prefers it for mana stability for T2 Sculler then T3 Spectral Procession. (T2 Bitterblossom doesn't require the reflecting pool otoh.)
Also, with Anathemancer being the new FotM, Reflecting Pools are being cut in most B/W decks entirely, or down to 2x.
Lands aren't really as bad as the stupid broken cards. I mean a playset of filterlands are 33, and a playset of painlands are 12-18, whereas a playset of Thoughtseize is friggin $70.
II've also gone back and forth on 22 or 23 lands. I've been getting mana boned on 22 a lot so i mulligan down to 5 or 6 almost every game. so now im testing 23. When i play 22 i have one more fallout. I used Homee's build as a template (thanks Homee!) since he's posted a lot of success and figured i'd test something proven to work.
Thanks!
You can try running a 61 card.dec w/ 23 lands, if you want to keep the same/similar % of your cards while improving your mana situation.
Sounds to me like he got lucky and dodged around 15-20 decks that should beat him usually. His SB looks horrible too. No focus and some bad choices.
5CC can afford those silver bullet SBs, but yeah, some of his choices are very questionable. Celestial Purge MB?
Quote from Unhlyjspr360 »
ok...ba may be able to counter on turn two however in my experiance turn two is a vivid land anyway and getting a counter on turn two isnt likly...if you really are aiming for turn two counters than remove soul and negate should be the better choice cause they are hard counters 100% and dont any *may or may not happen*...
BA only doesn't work, when they're playing a 1 drop, or during the late game only after you've nearly tapped out on your turn. And honestly, 5CC needs the scry effect.
I've been playing Magic on and off since 6th edition. I've just picked it up again after a 4 year break (Kamigawa Block), and have been playing mostly online, but hoping to play irl again.
If anyone in the nyc area needs a playtest partner or wants to draft, let me know. I've been trying to stick with limited formats until I gather a decent cardpool to try my hand at T2.
There is a very subtle nuance.
Say you have a 3/3 creature and a treetop village in play. The opponent is at 3 hp.
The best play here is to pass priority at end of beginning of combat step, and then the opponent will play Cryptic Command to tap/draw. You allow it to resolve, and you will receive priority again as the active player afterwards. You can then activate Treetop Village's ability and then pass priority. Either your opponent plays another Cryptic Command, or he passes priority and then the Declare Attackers Step begins.
Make sure not to activate Treetop Village's ability in response to Cryptic Command, otherwise, you'll end up with a tapped land and nothing to show for it.
Summary: Assuming your opponent only has a single Cryptic Command, if you don't activate your manlands, you may force at least some portion of your creatures to attack. Either the opponent doesn't Cryptic Tap, or he does, and you may activate your man lands afterwards, and swing with those. If you activate your manlands in order to do a big alpha strike, all your creatures will be susceptible to a single Cryptic Command. So you can gamble for a lot of damage, or ensure you do a mediocre amount.
4 Swans Of Bryn Argoll
4 Seismic Assault
2 Ad Nauseam
4 Bituminous Blast
1 Forest
3 Mountain
3 Plains
4 Swamp
4 Ghitu Encampment
2 Mutavault
4 Reflecting Pool
1 Rugged Prairie
4 Spinerock Knoll
4 Treetop Village
4 Vivid Crag
4 Vivid Grove
3CC is pretty packed, they all do 4 dmg minimum w/ better reach, except for giant baiting, which can be conspired.
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
3 Jund Hackblade
4 Hellspark Elemental
Spells
4 Flame Javelin
3 Giantbaiting
4 Volcanic Fallout
4 Incinerate
3 Sarkhan Vol
Lands
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Karplusan Forest
5 Forest
6 Mountain
4 Spinerock Knoll
4 Naturalize
3 Everlasting Torment
3 Pithing Needle
3 Banefire
3 Murderous Redcap
Sideboard is kinda iffy, I'm thinking that Runed Halo, BFT, and Wall-Packages will give this deck the most trouble. So Everlasting Torment is there to get around prevention, and banefire for the extra end-game reach. And Pithing Needle is pretty useful in all MUs.
Zealous Persecution is pretty backbreaking against tokens/mirror. Used correctly, it's usually a 1-sided ***.
Yeah, I can see him as being in Jund Ramp as a powerful T4 bomb alongside violent ultimatum.
3x tidehollow sculler
3x kitchen finks
3x shriekmaw
3x mulldrifter
2x reveillark
3x call to heel
3x path to exile
3x makeshift mannequin
3x Soul Manipulation
2x Wrath of God
2x Esper Charm
3x Ponder
1x Jace
1x Underground River
1x vivid Marsh
1x vivid meadow
4x island
6x plains
6x swamp
3x Negate
1x Kitchen Finks
2x Mark of Asylum
2x Celestial Purge
2x Burrenton Forge-tender
2x wispmare
3x Agony Warp
I think this deck will have problems with RDW or blightning aggro, and even the RG or 5CB bloodbraid shenanigans.
-3 Phyrexian Rager
+1 Kitchen Finks
+1 Mulldrifter
+1 Tidehollow Sculler
I appreciate the combo you're trying here, and while it's very cute and theoretically effective CA, I've found this is far too clunky for real games.
-3 Call To Heel
-1 Makeshift Mannequin
+1 Reveillark
+1 Wrath of God
+2 Esper Charm
Situational countermagic isn't workable without first having hard counters, imo.
-3 Soul Manipulation
-3 Ponder
+2 Jace Beleren
+2 Puppeteer Clique
+2 Slave of Bolas
I think we have enough creature hate here
-3 shriekmaw
-3 path to exile
+2 broken ambitions
+4 cryptic command
4x Tidehollow Sculler
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Mulldrifter
3x Reveillark
2x Puppeteer Clique
Spells
2x Makeshift Mannequin
3x Wrath of God
4x Esper Charm
3x Jace Beleren
4x Cryptic Command
2x Broken Ambitions
2x Slave of Bolas
4x Arcane Sanctum
2x Vivid Creek
2x Vivid Marsh
2x Vivid Meadow
5x island
4x plains
4x swamp
3x Runed Halo
3x Pithing Needle
4x Burrenton Forge-tender
1x Wispmare
4x Infest
Really, Sanity Grinding owns any controlmagic-based deck, just because they run more counters and will almost always win a counter war.
And you're especially vulnerable since Esper-lark is built around card advantage, usually of the normal kind (card drawing), so usually a single sanity grind is sufficient to deck you. A resolved Runed Halo is gg though =)
I hope this helps: the above are really just deck change suggestions in order to streamline your deck a bit, and allow it to be capable of dealing with the current meta. If you can't afford the cryptic commands, you can swap them out for cancels/ more broken ambitions.
The version I run only has 16/24 non basic, and I never drop more than 5-6 lands, so on average only 4 non basic.
It's not so much anathemancer as in trying to stablize with all the burn and fallout effects. Once your tokens are beyond fallout range, and you're not in burn range, it's game for them.
Imo, 5CC, Boat Brew, and Kithkin are weaker than the other 3.
Anime is free.
Computers are a platform for a multitude of entertainment venues, not just a single game like MTG, and is the same price as MTG, depending on what you're building.
Medieval weapons enable you decapitate people, a priceless activity.
Back to MTG prices:
The only gripe I have with mtg is the existence of $25 cards as staples of most tier1-2 decks.
I don't mind the average value of a good deck, but the range of the prices. IE, I'd rather all the cards be worth more or less the same, so trades are easier and more fluid (which in turn lowers transaction costs and losses).
Like, you can purchase a Faeries or B/W Tokens, or 5CC deck for around $250. The majority of it goes to playsets of 2-4 cards (Cryptic Command, Bitter Blossom, planeswalkers, etc.)
Edit: Someone mentioned Reflecting Pool being a staple for Tier 1 decks?
B/W tokens doesn't require reflecting pool, it just prefers it for mana stability for T2 Sculler then T3 Spectral Procession. (T2 Bitterblossom doesn't require the reflecting pool otoh.)
Also, with Anathemancer being the new FotM, Reflecting Pools are being cut in most B/W decks entirely, or down to 2x.
Lands aren't really as bad as the stupid broken cards. I mean a playset of filterlands are 33, and a playset of painlands are 12-18, whereas a playset of Thoughtseize is friggin $70.
You can try running a 61 card.dec w/ 23 lands, if you want to keep the same/similar % of your cards while improving your mana situation.
5CC can afford those silver bullet SBs, but yeah, some of his choices are very questionable. Celestial Purge MB?
BA only doesn't work, when they're playing a 1 drop, or during the late game only after you've nearly tapped out on your turn. And honestly, 5CC needs the scry effect.
If anyone in the nyc area needs a playtest partner or wants to draft, let me know. I've been trying to stick with limited formats until I gather a decent cardpool to try my hand at T2.