Geist is one of the fastest clocks and not to hard to play you just have to counter/remove the things that can block it or would beat you and you will do pretty well.
I can't wait to see your newest build.
Also Tron boarded in a Grim Poppet against me the other day on MtGO. I didn't have a Nature's Claim so he 4 for 1'd me and then easily won. Just something to look out for.
Banning Bloodbraid Elf would in no way stop jund from being the best deck. Huntmaster of the Fells would fill that slot very nicely if nothing else did it better. They even board it out in some matchups. Again, the 1 cmc selective discard (Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek) is what gives Jund even matchups across the board. It is the only thing that gives a midrange deck game against Storm. Twin gets beat by it, along with removal. Infect often times only has one infect creature in its opening hand, and once stripped of that they are holding lands and pump spells. Taking a Cranial Plating, Master of Etherium, or Etched Champion away from affinity is pretty damaging. Pod loses its birthing pod and is now a worse than jund midrange deck. Discard is awesome against control so gifts and UW struggle against it. Urzatron in play and Karn or Wurmcoil in the Graveyard makes all that mana just mana. Definitely not good against GW little kid, but taking a bear and saving removal for the 4/4 is okay. Against Bump Red decks its little more than a healing salve, and I think thoughtseize for a lightning bolt is slightly better than getting lightning bolted.
In summary discard is good against:
Storm
Twin
Gifts
UW Angels
Infect
Affinity
Tron
Birthing Pod
Discard is not good against:
GW Little Kid (Hatebears)
Bump Red
I've tried a million kinds of sleeves at this point. I pile shuffle and mash shuffle only. I am mostly a spike and highly competitive.
Dragonshield: Blue, Green, Black, Purple, Silver, and Gold.
KMC: Matte Blue, Metallic Blue, and Super Orange.
Ultra Pro: Old colored ones, Artsy, new Matte Blue.
Dragonshields are awesome. I would recommend them very highly. I think the black scuffed a little easier than the others. They last forever. The perfect sleeves for non tournament decks. I believe they are the most durable.
KMCs have given me mixed results. I had a new pack of metallic blues for a ptq. By the end of it I was worried about getting a game loss because of how damaged and marked they were. The corners were all bad. The Matte blue was fine but scuffed a little. The super orange were by far my favorite and I would recommend them. I guess color and texture matter a lot here.
Ultra Pro is my least favorite. They are ok. The art ones kinda suck. The old ones would break. The new matte ones fit great and shuffle very nicely though.
If you double sleeve (I use KMC perfect fit) then Dragonshield works. The problem is that they are a little puffy and hard to put the sleeved card in another sleeve. KMCs slide in easily and trap less air in them.
I would say that Dragons are best for EDH. The right color/texture KMC or Dragon is best for tournaments. I would suggest a 50 pack of pro-matte Ultra Pro for drafting.
Now my reason for posting. I am starting to put all my cards that I play in double sleeves. I think KMC are better for this, but I have had mixed experiences with them. Does anyone have a lot of experience with KMC's? Which ones are the best? I like the oranges, but they are a little transparent.
I think Jitte could come off the BL and not really be relevant. I also think that about Jace TMS to a lesser extent. Regardless of those opinions, and much more important to consider, would wizards ever want to risk it? I think a single unbanning gone wrong can seriously derail this format and set its popularity way back. WotC will do whatever it takes to avoid this.
Also, as the BL is now, and the format defined, they can test cards to see what can come off. Inserting a card into an existing format to see if it is broken is way easier than deciding which previously dominant cards are too good for a giant card pool like modern. In 2 years I believe modern will have a much more perfect BL and this thread will be much less busy. 4 pages in 1 day!
As for cards that might need to be banned... I have been thinking that the reason Jund has such a "stranglehold" over the format is due to 6 copies of 1cmc discard spells that seems to be industry standard for the deck. I think Thoughtseize is a much more likely ban than Inquisition of Kozilek. Either way, I think it would weaken that deck more than anything else. On the play they can completely wreck your gameplan before you do anything. On the draw, it is less powerful like a lot of cards, but not a lot less.
Banning either of these cards would probably strengthen combo decks in the format though, so it might not be the right way to fix it. Chapin said in an article that there are about 20 cards that need to be banned, or about 5 to unban. So clearly a lot of things could be done that might work maybe.
And I think that the most important thing I have to say is be nice. I could see this thread turning into a brawl if the conversation was happening in a shop instead of online, and I know that the typical magic player only brawls on Wii.
If you were to build a Changeling deck, what general would you use?
I'm glad you mentioned the low chance of this working out. I think you want JHorde of Notions or Reaper King like you said.
Horde is an awesome creature by himself and I think a decent general all by himself. Reaper King is easier to cast, when needed, but not as good of a creature. Bigger, but no other perks besides the +1+1 to scarecrows.
I think the real question to ask is are you going to be in a position to be reanimating "elementals" or vindicating with "scarecrows"?
Either way you have to have a lot of mana or untap with your general in play. I'd rather be untapping with Reaper King in play if I was playing a Changeling deck, because Vindicate plus a body is going to be crazy. However, Horde of Notions is a better general in the format overall.
Tibalt the Fiend Blooded is not the kind of card you want for a control deck. The +1 is not terrible, but we really don't want to be discarding a card randomly. Its better in a deck that will have a lot of excess lands to be discarding, this is definitely not that deck.
If you are looking for replacements for Force of Will and Jace the Mindsculptor, don't worry too much. Obviously those are the optimal card slots, but you don't need them. I don't think FoW can be replaced by just another counterspell, so if you don't have it, then just treat it as a swing slot. Same with Jace, except for he helps win games and creates card advantage. Hard for most cards to do. I think I would try Propaganda and Chandra the Firebrand. Both strong cards that will help make up for the lack of the other 2. Once you play the deck, you will get a feel for what will and won't be effective.
Update: Swapped out Electrolyze for Sleight of Hand.
I am going to be looking for cards to cut for Opt, Telling Time and Sphinx's Revelation. The deck seems like it just needs to smooth out the draws and get some extra cards lategame. The lifegain will help too. I might want to get Karn Liberated back into the deck, but before it was always to expensive to cast, so I'll be thinking about that as well.
I haven't missed Stoneforge Mystic but I was never playing it with Batterskull, so maybe that is where I messed up.
Standard usually sucks because every year there is a different Thragtusk or Primeval Titan that runs rampant in the format. I just don't like having to buy $25 cards once a year.
Modern (and other eternal formats) are actually cheaper to play than standard. I didn't agree with this statement when I first started playing. The price of duals is scary. But once you have them, you never have to buy them again.
That being said, I think modern will fail as an fnm format. I love modern, but will probably not play in it. The EV of a modern tournament at fnm compared to a standard event or draft is very low. No new players have modern decks. Only people who are invested in the game and are at least reasonably good at the game will be able to play.
With prize support I pretty much draft for free at FNM. I doubt it will be that easy in modern.
That being said, modern is my favorite format by far.
I got one of these from my LGS courtesy of my brother.
The box is awesome. Sturdy Cardboard. Longer than fat pack boxes.
The dividers are way better than the ones that used to come in fat packs. They are thicker and taller. The art on them is amazing.
The stickers have a set symbol for everything back to the original ravnica as well as a divider for every format. Also a million mana symbols.
I opened a hallowed fountain. I was definitely satisfied to receive it as a gift, and I was planning on buying one for myself anyway. I will be buying another as a gift.
It is very hard to make someone no longer believe something. This is more true when said person has possessed the belief since he or she was a small child. We all used to believe in Santa Claus. At some point we are given undeniable proof that Santa is not a real person. We then stop believing in Santa.
What undeniable truth is their for the non existence of God? I don't think there is any, because God is all knowing, all powerful, and perfect. So even something that is blatantly contradictory to God, like evolution, can be explained by saying God intended for evolution to occur. Or evolution can be denied, like dinosaurs and the heliocentric theory.
I think the worst part, is that science uses theories to explain things. A theory can only be reached once the whole scientific method has been used and proven the the best of our knowledge to be true. Science just accepts the fact that they do not have all the information. The bible is "God's Word".
It will be a never ending debate.
Enter the Infinite will be banned in EDH. I don't see any way around it. It is just so good. All you have to do is play mana crypt into sol ring into whatever else. They must be running out of ideas for the top of the curve.
I think Wizards already has a plan in place to make this format what they want it. They are making it an FNM format starting in January. I think the unbanning of Valakut shows that they are figuring out what is okay in the format. An eternal format that has Jund as the best deck is in no way broken. It might not be extremely exciting, but not broken. Originally this format was very broken. It takes time to get this thing right and WotC is letting the players sort out the format for them. My guess is that at least one more card will be unbanned during the next update. They are just going to be careful so that they do not have to reban something. That is the last thing they want.
Based on the recent printing of Rest in Peace and Deathrite Shaman it seems that there is less of a reason to have Dread Return and Golgari Grave Troll banned.
It is important to remember that if they do too much at one time, with bannings or unbannings, a lot of players will be upset. The shock to the meta could scare people off. I like how they are handling things and playing it safe. There have been much more unhealthy metagames in modern. A good pilot who knows his or her deck well doesn't have a problem beating jund. It does the same thing every time, it isn't that fast. The same rules apply as always, you can't keep a hand that loses to turn 1 Thoughtseize.
I love this format. WotC wants it to thrive.
Also Tron boarded in a Grim Poppet against me the other day on MtGO. I didn't have a Nature's Claim so he 4 for 1'd me and then easily won. Just something to look out for.
In summary discard is good against:
Storm
Twin
Gifts
UW Angels
Infect
Affinity
Tron
Birthing Pod
Discard is not good against:
GW Little Kid (Hatebears)
Bump Red
Dragonshield: Blue, Green, Black, Purple, Silver, and Gold.
KMC: Matte Blue, Metallic Blue, and Super Orange.
Ultra Pro: Old colored ones, Artsy, new Matte Blue.
Dragonshields are awesome. I would recommend them very highly. I think the black scuffed a little easier than the others. They last forever. The perfect sleeves for non tournament decks. I believe they are the most durable.
KMCs have given me mixed results. I had a new pack of metallic blues for a ptq. By the end of it I was worried about getting a game loss because of how damaged and marked they were. The corners were all bad. The Matte blue was fine but scuffed a little. The super orange were by far my favorite and I would recommend them. I guess color and texture matter a lot here.
Ultra Pro is my least favorite. They are ok. The art ones kinda suck. The old ones would break. The new matte ones fit great and shuffle very nicely though.
If you double sleeve (I use KMC perfect fit) then Dragonshield works. The problem is that they are a little puffy and hard to put the sleeved card in another sleeve. KMCs slide in easily and trap less air in them.
I would say that Dragons are best for EDH. The right color/texture KMC or Dragon is best for tournaments. I would suggest a 50 pack of pro-matte Ultra Pro for drafting.
Now my reason for posting. I am starting to put all my cards that I play in double sleeves. I think KMC are better for this, but I have had mixed experiences with them. Does anyone have a lot of experience with KMC's? Which ones are the best? I like the oranges, but they are a little transparent.
Also, as the BL is now, and the format defined, they can test cards to see what can come off. Inserting a card into an existing format to see if it is broken is way easier than deciding which previously dominant cards are too good for a giant card pool like modern. In 2 years I believe modern will have a much more perfect BL and this thread will be much less busy. 4 pages in 1 day!
As for cards that might need to be banned... I have been thinking that the reason Jund has such a "stranglehold" over the format is due to 6 copies of 1cmc discard spells that seems to be industry standard for the deck. I think Thoughtseize is a much more likely ban than Inquisition of Kozilek. Either way, I think it would weaken that deck more than anything else. On the play they can completely wreck your gameplan before you do anything. On the draw, it is less powerful like a lot of cards, but not a lot less.
Banning either of these cards would probably strengthen combo decks in the format though, so it might not be the right way to fix it. Chapin said in an article that there are about 20 cards that need to be banned, or about 5 to unban. So clearly a lot of things could be done that might work maybe.
And I think that the most important thing I have to say is be nice. I could see this thread turning into a brawl if the conversation was happening in a shop instead of online, and I know that the typical magic player only brawls on Wii.
I'm glad you mentioned the low chance of this working out. I think you want JHorde of Notions or Reaper King like you said.
Horde is an awesome creature by himself and I think a decent general all by himself. Reaper King is easier to cast, when needed, but not as good of a creature. Bigger, but no other perks besides the +1+1 to scarecrows.
I think the real question to ask is are you going to be in a position to be reanimating "elementals" or vindicating with "scarecrows"?
Either way you have to have a lot of mana or untap with your general in play. I'd rather be untapping with Reaper King in play if I was playing a Changeling deck, because Vindicate plus a body is going to be crazy. However, Horde of Notions is a better general in the format overall.
Tibalt the Fiend Blooded is not the kind of card you want for a control deck. The +1 is not terrible, but we really don't want to be discarding a card randomly. Its better in a deck that will have a lot of excess lands to be discarding, this is definitely not that deck.
If you are looking for replacements for Force of Will and Jace the Mindsculptor, don't worry too much. Obviously those are the optimal card slots, but you don't need them. I don't think FoW can be replaced by just another counterspell, so if you don't have it, then just treat it as a swing slot. Same with Jace, except for he helps win games and creates card advantage. Hard for most cards to do. I think I would try Propaganda and Chandra the Firebrand. Both strong cards that will help make up for the lack of the other 2. Once you play the deck, you will get a feel for what will and won't be effective.
I am going to be looking for cards to cut for Opt, Telling Time and Sphinx's Revelation. The deck seems like it just needs to smooth out the draws and get some extra cards lategame. The lifegain will help too. I might want to get Karn Liberated back into the deck, but before it was always to expensive to cast, so I'll be thinking about that as well.
I haven't missed Stoneforge Mystic but I was never playing it with Batterskull, so maybe that is where I messed up.
Modern (and other eternal formats) are actually cheaper to play than standard. I didn't agree with this statement when I first started playing. The price of duals is scary. But once you have them, you never have to buy them again.
That being said, I think modern will fail as an fnm format. I love modern, but will probably not play in it. The EV of a modern tournament at fnm compared to a standard event or draft is very low. No new players have modern decks. Only people who are invested in the game and are at least reasonably good at the game will be able to play.
With prize support I pretty much draft for free at FNM. I doubt it will be that easy in modern.
That being said, modern is my favorite format by far.
The box is awesome. Sturdy Cardboard. Longer than fat pack boxes.
The dividers are way better than the ones that used to come in fat packs. They are thicker and taller. The art on them is amazing.
The stickers have a set symbol for everything back to the original ravnica as well as a divider for every format. Also a million mana symbols.
I opened a hallowed fountain. I was definitely satisfied to receive it as a gift, and I was planning on buying one for myself anyway. I will be buying another as a gift.
Ari's updated list was with 3 thoughtseize main and one in the board.
In the OP you absolutely want a 4th groundswell. The point is to cast it turn 2 or 3 when you will still have land.
What undeniable truth is their for the non existence of God? I don't think there is any, because God is all knowing, all powerful, and perfect. So even something that is blatantly contradictory to God, like evolution, can be explained by saying God intended for evolution to occur. Or evolution can be denied, like dinosaurs and the heliocentric theory.
I think the worst part, is that science uses theories to explain things. A theory can only be reached once the whole scientific method has been used and proven the the best of our knowledge to be true. Science just accepts the fact that they do not have all the information. The bible is "God's Word".
It will be a never ending debate.
Based on the recent printing of Rest in Peace and Deathrite Shaman it seems that there is less of a reason to have Dread Return and Golgari Grave Troll banned.
It is important to remember that if they do too much at one time, with bannings or unbannings, a lot of players will be upset. The shock to the meta could scare people off. I like how they are handling things and playing it safe. There have been much more unhealthy metagames in modern. A good pilot who knows his or her deck well doesn't have a problem beating jund. It does the same thing every time, it isn't that fast. The same rules apply as always, you can't keep a hand that loses to turn 1 Thoughtseize.
I love this format. WotC wants it to thrive.