I'm not sure why people are like "oh detain only stops a creature from hitting me so Martial Law is terrible" etc.
It might be terrible, I'm not sage of formats, but what I do know from playing UW all the time is that I usually lose to creatures hitting me. It's not often someone goes over the top of my PWesque, card drawing monstrosities, so I'm at least going to give it in particular and detain as a whole a look.
I guess waiting two turns and playing Martial Law first, then uncounterable wrath, then Tamiyo with no way for her to take creature damage beyond flash/haste is bad? I must be doing control all wrong.
I am sad that I don't have a C-Purge level hoser, but you can't have it all ;p
I thought we had already had the "Lapille is terrible and if the FFL is going to involve him and his fatty loving buddies then we're going to have a ton of skewed metas with hate cards that hate nothing out" thread when he supposedly stopped working on MtG. I'm more concerned that they're letting him back. Design Lead: Nagle and/or Dev Lead: Lapille on sets was already something I dreaded seeing and if that's who they gave the keys to the "gold sets that everyone loved before" block, I can't wait to see what kinds of things we get to break over the next 6 months with these all-stars at the helm!
Doesn't get hosed by Abrupt Decay, plays well with other UW cards and seems like it'll be good against Zombies (which is what I assume everyone and their mother will be playing out of the gate), I'm willing to give it a shot. Hopefully I can come up with enough stuff to hold the fort down before turn 4 so that laying a T5 Judgment is good enough.
Thought Scour does let you miracle on your opponent's turn, fwiw. To stay on topic though, Index doesn't seem particularly playable because of Thought Scour, because at that point you're giving up two cards to essentially do what Ponder does better.
Aside from Kibler and Chapin, GFabs is one of my favorite commentators. He's good enough to know what's going on and be able to identify the cards, notices most misplays and explains them, but doesn't think that he invented modern MtG like some of the other guys. Even when he does reference his goofy decks like Team Italia, he's usually doing it in a sort of mock self promotion that people expect from him. His stories are usually alright and the random pack cracking and trading on air fill the dead time well.
Some of the rando commando SCG circuit guys they bring on though just make me close it and then browse the decklists the next day. Don't care for Sullivan and Flores, like most people, but JVL I listen to just to see how high he is and to see if there's anything added to the hashtag for JVL's musings.
I don't care for it so far, but that makes sense, since it certainly isn't catering to my playstyle. Also, Memory Adept is awful, just putting that out there. I do like that I'm not having to shell out for any PWs this time around though, but that probably means my RTR bill is gonna be through the roof, since I'll have to likely buy new Sweeper X and White and/or Blue Walker Y plus dual land Z.
The troubling thing is that I don't see much excitement in it for anyone. SCG is trying to scalp Liliana and Ajanis but idk who'd bite on $40/30 for those. The mythic angel is okay, but attacking with one guy who isn't sworded or a stalker for a gameplan seems a little loose for Standard. The only thing people are talking about (aside from how bad the X3BBB spell is!) in this set is Rancor, and it on hexproof seems like hopping on the bus to Frowntown to me.
There's 80 cards left, but I'm not sure exactly what sheen they'll put on this set that'll get people going. If not having the Titans in it is the best thing M13 has going for it, I'd have to call it a disappointment.
Nice to have a few cards that actually are in a few standard decks as FNM prizes for a bit. Granted they'll probably rotate slime out of the core set now lol.
Hey, an ex-ygo cheat who was only good with a deck that involved having the same exact pieces every time (a hallmark of stack happy ygo decks) got a few months off. What a shame.
What in your sideboard? And can we get more info on RDW, or was it Titans=Win?
If you're asking me, my board was 3 Flashfreeze, 3 Spellskite, 2 Celestial Purge, 1 Wurmcoil, 2 Memoricide, 1 DoJ, 1 Dismember, 1 Tribute to Hunger. Wasn't really sure what would be good so I just hedged against what I'm used to seeing.
Anyway, playing against RDW was the same as usual. Have to counter or O-ring Shrine of Burning Rage, remember that Snapcaster can't block Noble and that the Phoenix on Turn 3 or later has haste. Beyond that, outside of them using Volt Charge to put counters on the Shrine, Noble and the bloodthirst two drop, nothing particularly tricky.
The way I won by landing Wurmcoil in one game and Snapcastering C-Purge then getting to turn 6 in the other.
Obviously it's not going to be the list that sets the world on fire, hence the Jin-G, but I enjoyed playing it. My FNM isn't the roughest meta by any sense, but it beat a Flare deck, 2 RDW with proliferate and a pile for the 4-0. I've got to see if it has any game against Wolf Run, since that's what everyone in my area is switching to. Last time that happened en masse there were bannings, but none of those cards are blue so I'm sure Wolf Run is fine ;p Side was just Spellskites, some more removal, C-Purge, Wurmcoil and DoJs.
It says draw two cards and has a low cost, so I'm willing to try it. Maybe DKA will have something worth splashing or getting into red for, the last time I did that we had Ajani V. to make it worthwhile.
Let me preface this with a "your mileage will certainly vary". I'm a durdler of the first degree, my playstyle is probably very different than most people's, and as such, Jace, Memory Adept is far better for me than Elspeth 2.0 and Venser. Gideon still is the cream of the crop at 5, but Jace comes out ahead of all the others.
Onto the response then. He's in there already as a two of, and what I've found is that milling other control decks isn't as bad as it would seem since I am usually out Snapcastering and draw/countering them anyway. Plus, I like the idea of making them pay 6B if they want to use Alchemy instead of 2U and them using it at all puts them on a shorter mill clock. In the case of Unburial Rites decks, I'd rather deal with it once than twice and in my opinion Liliana is the biggest threat they usually present and I'd rather bin her and make them try to get it out with a Sun Titan than cast it on turn 6 with counter mana up.
I usually side him out against aggro actually, since we have a lot of sideboard options that are better, like Flashfreeze, Timely Reinforcements, Spellskite or whatever else that costs less than five that you want to cast rather than lose. He's a more of a beast against control decks, particularly the other ones that are win-con light since he outraces a Drownyard 3 to 1.
As for the other question, the deck actually lives and dies by the Snapcasters, whereas a lot of others that I've seen are leaning on Ratchet Bomb, Elspeths or Zeniths, which don't play well with him. I'm not being Doom Blade Guy or anything like UB decks, but since the deck is built on countering everything, he plays more like that Zendikar counter that makes a 2/2 for 2UU that can also impulse or dissipate for 5 and wrath for 6. He helps make it so that I can live long enough to put the actual card advantage cards to work. The O-Rings are gap coverage for anything that falls through. Plus, on occasion he lowers how much I have to get in there for with Gideon or Sphinx. If I get in there for two once, it takes one less Gideon swing to end it.
I'll test the Negate for the Cancel and see if I miss being able to hit creatures or not. It's worth checking out, since off the top of my head I can't remember much I'd want to snag with a turn 3 cancel but being able to push through a win con a turn earlier seems good.
I haven't really wanted to mess with the manabase too much, since I don't really want to have to flashback Alchemy for the 6B and splashing for something means that I could also splash for removal etc. and then it's just an Esper badmana deck ;p
My side is 4x Flashfreeze, 2x Spellskite, 3x Timely Reinforcements, 2x Negate, 2x Celestial Purge, 1x Nevermore (since I know the people I'm playing against and the decks they're running) and 1x Azure Mage.
What I have wanted to try to find though was a source of actual instant speed card advantage, since Alchemy doesn't really put you up a card, as nice as it is. I think the only instant thing we have going at the moment is Blue Sun, but if I'm missing anything, let me know.
It might be terrible, I'm not sage of formats, but what I do know from playing UW all the time is that I usually lose to creatures hitting me. It's not often someone goes over the top of my PWesque, card drawing monstrosities, so I'm at least going to give it in particular and detain as a whole a look.
I guess waiting two turns and playing Martial Law first, then uncounterable wrath, then Tamiyo with no way for her to take creature damage beyond flash/haste is bad? I must be doing control all wrong.
I am sad that I don't have a C-Purge level hoser, but you can't have it all ;p
Some of the rando commando SCG circuit guys they bring on though just make me close it and then browse the decklists the next day. Don't care for Sullivan and Flores, like most people, but JVL I listen to just to see how high he is and to see if there's anything added to the hashtag for JVL's musings.
The troubling thing is that I don't see much excitement in it for anyone. SCG is trying to scalp Liliana and Ajanis but idk who'd bite on $40/30 for those. The mythic angel is okay, but attacking with one guy who isn't sworded or a stalker for a gameplan seems a little loose for Standard. The only thing people are talking about (aside from how bad the X3BBB spell is!) in this set is Rancor, and it on hexproof seems like hopping on the bus to Frowntown to me.
There's 80 cards left, but I'm not sure exactly what sheen they'll put on this set that'll get people going. If not having the Titans in it is the best thing M13 has going for it, I'd have to call it a disappointment.
Nice to have a few cards that actually are in a few standard decks as FNM prizes for a bit. Granted they'll probably rotate slime out of the core set now lol.
If you're asking me, my board was 3 Flashfreeze, 3 Spellskite, 2 Celestial Purge, 1 Wurmcoil, 2 Memoricide, 1 DoJ, 1 Dismember, 1 Tribute to Hunger. Wasn't really sure what would be good so I just hedged against what I'm used to seeing.
Anyway, playing against RDW was the same as usual. Have to counter or O-ring Shrine of Burning Rage, remember that Snapcaster can't block Noble and that the Phoenix on Turn 3 or later has haste. Beyond that, outside of them using Volt Charge to put counters on the Shrine, Noble and the bloodthirst two drop, nothing particularly tricky.
The way I won by landing Wurmcoil in one game and Snapcastering C-Purge then getting to turn 6 in the other.
4 Forbidden Alchemy
4 Mana Leak
3 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
1 Tribute to Hunger
3 Unburial Rites
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Sun Titan
2 Phantasmal Image
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Grave Titan
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Swamp
2 Plains
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Drowned Catacombs
3 Darkslick Shores
2 Sulfur Falls
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Dragonskull Summit
Obviously it's not going to be the list that sets the world on fire, hence the Jin-G, but I enjoyed playing it. My FNM isn't the roughest meta by any sense, but it beat a Flare deck, 2 RDW with proliferate and a pile for the 4-0. I've got to see if it has any game against Wolf Run, since that's what everyone in my area is switching to. Last time that happened en masse there were bannings, but none of those cards are blue so I'm sure Wolf Run is fine ;p Side was just Spellskites, some more removal, C-Purge, Wurmcoil and DoJs.
Onto the response then. He's in there already as a two of, and what I've found is that milling other control decks isn't as bad as it would seem since I am usually out Snapcastering and draw/countering them anyway. Plus, I like the idea of making them pay 6B if they want to use Alchemy instead of 2U and them using it at all puts them on a shorter mill clock. In the case of Unburial Rites decks, I'd rather deal with it once than twice and in my opinion Liliana is the biggest threat they usually present and I'd rather bin her and make them try to get it out with a Sun Titan than cast it on turn 6 with counter mana up.
I usually side him out against aggro actually, since we have a lot of sideboard options that are better, like Flashfreeze, Timely Reinforcements, Spellskite or whatever else that costs less than five that you want to cast rather than lose. He's a more of a beast against control decks, particularly the other ones that are win-con light since he outraces a Drownyard 3 to 1.
As for the other question, the deck actually lives and dies by the Snapcasters, whereas a lot of others that I've seen are leaning on Ratchet Bomb, Elspeths or Zeniths, which don't play well with him. I'm not being Doom Blade Guy or anything like UB decks, but since the deck is built on countering everything, he plays more like that Zendikar counter that makes a 2/2 for 2UU that can also impulse or dissipate for 5 and wrath for 6. He helps make it so that I can live long enough to put the actual card advantage cards to work. The O-Rings are gap coverage for anything that falls through. Plus, on occasion he lowers how much I have to get in there for with Gideon or Sphinx. If I get in there for two once, it takes one less Gideon swing to end it.
I'll test the Negate for the Cancel and see if I miss being able to hit creatures or not. It's worth checking out, since off the top of my head I can't remember much I'd want to snag with a turn 3 cancel but being able to push through a win con a turn earlier seems good.
I haven't really wanted to mess with the manabase too much, since I don't really want to have to flashback Alchemy for the 6B and splashing for something means that I could also splash for removal etc. and then it's just an Esper badmana deck ;p
My side is 4x Flashfreeze, 2x Spellskite, 3x Timely Reinforcements, 2x Negate, 2x Celestial Purge, 1x Nevermore (since I know the people I'm playing against and the decks they're running) and 1x Azure Mage.
What I have wanted to try to find though was a source of actual instant speed card advantage, since Alchemy doesn't really put you up a card, as nice as it is. I think the only instant thing we have going at the moment is Blue Sun, but if I'm missing anything, let me know.