This is a really good write-up for this part of the primer. I really like the fact that you break apart the card selection in tiers to separate the Pauper/Peasant/Budget builds. I just have a few things that I think are worth including/changing.
- 3rd Paragraph - you say activate CoA's ability even though it's a trigger (I know, not really a big deal, but never know if someone may get confused)
- When talking about cards like Altar's Reap etc. that have sacrifice a creature as an additional cost, I think it is worth mentioning that these spells make it impossible for opponents to counter the sacrifice. When using targetted removal, things can end poorly with bounce / exile removal or counters. This is a good way to play around countermagic heavy metagames which is something I have found relevant. I even played Fling before.
- I agree with Overheat's opinion on more basic lands. Having so many ramp spells in the Pauper version leads to absurd mana advantages in the late game thanks to cards like Far Wanderings that help us keep opponents buried under our card advantage.
- I also think the Game Plan of the deck shoudl be in a section before this. Probably just before this. I would think that starting out with the history of the deck --> Game Plan --> Card Selection --> Other Resources would be a good plan, or something along those lines.
I really like how this is looking though. Very detailed and lots of information. I can't wait to see a thread where formatting makes it look that much more organized and cleaner.
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- bfine70
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I completely missed Scribe of the Mindful so that's in over the Weird. Admittedly, it is a spot that is being watched, but I like the idea that it is a way to return spells repeatedly using Muldrotha's ability.
I added your suggestions to the maybeboard. Spark Harvest will definitely get a spot once I figure out what to cut for it.
At this point, I have a few cards on the watch list that could easily end up being cut to try out other cards. That list currently includes: High Tide, Pestilence, Scribe of the Mindful, Transguild Promenade & Co. I have only played it once so I still have some testing to do before I come to any conclusions, but those are the ones that immediately jump to mind. I have no shortage of cards I want to try out, but the tricky part is figuring out where to fit them in.
Re: Looters - I'm not so sure I really want those effects. They do let me churn through my deck faster, but I also want to make sure I don't get completely hosed by GY hate. I envision just looping spellbombs alongside Mystic Remora and Rhystic Study to keep a steady supply of cards in my hand. This also means keeping a lot of my tricks on board and keeping my graveyard only partially stocked at any given time. That being said, I still think Stinkweed is valuable in refilling the yard once I do fall victim to Bojuka Bog and the like.
Mnemonic Wall is great for all the reasons you mentioned. At this point I have Scrivener strictly because it is a wizard and because I don't see the P/T being significant. If it ends up mattering, I will happily make that swap.
1x Muldrotha, Gravetide
Land (37)
1x Ash Barrens
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Command Tower
1x Dimir Aqueduct
1x Dismal Backwater
1x Evolving Wilds
3x Forest
1x Gateway Plaza
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Halimar Depths
8x Island
1x Jungle Hollow
1x Mortuary Mire
1x Path of Ancestry
1x Piranha Marsh
1x Rupture Spire
1x Seat of the Synod
1x Simic Growth Chamber
1x Strip Mine
4x Swamp
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Thornwood Falls
1x Transguild Promenade
1x Tree of Tales
1x Vault of Whispers
Sorcery (7)
1x Brainspoil
1x Cultivate
1x Kodama's Reach
1x Merchant Scroll
1x Night's Whisper
1x Ponder
1x Preordain
1x Arcane Denial
1x Brainstorm
1x Capsize
1x Counterspell
1x Crop Rotation
1x Diabolic Edict
1x Displace
1x Dizzy Spell
1x Faerie Trickery
1x Forbidden Alchemy
1x Ghostly Flicker
1x High Tide
1x Muddle the Mixture
1x Murder
1x Mystical Teachings
1x Negate
1x Perplex
1x Reaping the Graves
1x Shred Memory
Enchantment (11)
1x Alexi's Cloak
1x False Demise
1x Font of Fertility
1x Kaya's Ghostform
1x Mystic Remora
1x Pestilence
1x Rhystic Study
1x Seal of Doom
1x Seal of Primordium
1x Seal of Removal
1x Vessel of Nascency
1x Archaeomancer
1x Caustic Caterpillar
1x Cloud of Faeries
1x Crypt Rats
1x Dimir House Guard
1x Dimir Infiltrator
1x Drift of Phantasms
1x Mnemonic Wall
1x Mulldrifter
1x Peregrine Drake
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Salvager of Secrets
1x Scribe of the Mindful
1x Slum Reaper
1x Spore Frog
1x Stinkweed Imp
1x Sylvok Replica
1x Trinket Mage
1x Vedalken Aethermage
Artifact (6)
1x Aether Spellbomb
1x Commander's Sphere
1x Executioner's Capsule
1x Expedition Map
1x Nihil Spellbomb
1x Wayfarer's Bauble
Here are some of the cards I was considering that didn't make the initial cut, but are on my radar as things to add if I find anything I want to cut.
1x Costly Plunder
1x Deglamer
1x Disdainful Stroke
1x Dispel
1x Dream Fracture
1x Eyeblight's Ending
1x Foil
1x Grim Harvest
1x Grisly Salvage
1x Impulse
1x Perilous Research
1x Rend Flesh
1x Soul Manipulation
Land (2)
1x Cradle of the Accursed
1x Sunscorched Desert
1x AEthersnipe
1x Augur of Skulls
1x Battlefield Scrounger
1x Diligent Farmhand
1x Sage's Row Denizen
1x Scrivener
1x Sea Gate Oracle
1x Sidisi's Faithful
1x Spellkeeper Weird
1x Yavimaya Elder
Enchantment (5)
1x Aboshan's Desire
1x Broken Fall
1x Font of Fortunes
1x Shade's Form
1x Unbridled Growth
1x Ashes to Ashes
1x Commune with the Gods
1x Compulsive Research
1x Deep Analysis
1x Fade into Antiquity
1x Read the Bones
1x Spark Harvest
1x Treasure Cruise
Artifact (7)
1x Alchemist's Vial
1x Explosive Apparatus
1x Lifespark Spellbomb
1x Moonglove Extract
1x Necrogen Spellbomb
1x Neurok Stealthsuit
1x Tormod's Crypt
1) Why isn't there any love for Altar's Reap and Costly Plunder? I get the appeal of Perilous Research because it is searchable by Merchant Scroll as well, but I feel like the ability to blow up Child and dodge counterspells (except for Stifle, Trickbind, etc.) is very valuable.
2) I was also surprised at some people passing up on Displace. Ghostly Flicker feels like such an essential part of the deck that I'd love an extra. Sure, when I am about to combo off I tend to have plenty of counters and answers to things that could stop me. However, oftentimes I find myself just flickering recursion wizards and ETB creatures to generate a ton of value and create a softlock while I am digging my way to Cloud of Faeries.
3) I have yet to be sold on Mistmoon Griffin. I like the idea, but I feel like it is just so much easier to get False Defeat / Breath of Life to work than Mistmoon Griffin. I would love to hear more feedback on how testing that card has gone for others.
4)I haven't personally added Strip Mine or Maze of Ith to my list yet, but I've always considered adding them. I may just bite the bullet and try that soon.
Other than that, I really enjoyed going over the last few posts from everyone. I'll be updating my list over the next few days. I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts and checking out the updated primer.
1 Child of Alara
Creatures (16)
1 Sidisi's Faithful
1 Spore Frog
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Dimir Infiltrator
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Vedalken Aethermage
1 Cadaver Imp
1 Drift of Phantasms
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Tilling Treefolk
1 Archaeomancer
1 Izzet Chronarch
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Mulldrifter
Sorceries (12)
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Distrubed Burial
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Rolling Thunder
1 Cultivate
1 Far Wanderings
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Mind Extraction
1 Read the Bones
1 Deep Analysis
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Brainstorm
1 Crop Rotation
1 Dizzy Spell
1 Reclaim
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Altar's Reap
1 Arcane Denial
1 Counterspell
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Grim Harvest
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Perilous Research
1 Shred Memory
1 Terminate
1 Capsize
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Ghostly Flicker
1 Perplex
1 Pulse of Murasa
1 Reaping the Graves
1 Soul Manipulation
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Rewind
1 Scour from Existence
Artifacts (4)
1 Expedition Map
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Command Tower
1 Opal Palace
1 Rupture Spire
1 Transguild Promenade
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Grixis Panorama
1 Jund Panorama
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Simic Guildgate
1 Dismal Backwater
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Thornwood Falls
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Barren Moor
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Halimar Depths
1 Mortuary Mire
1 Strip Mine
1 Plains
7 Island
4 Swamp
2 Mountain
4 Forest
As I mentioned before, I'm going to add in Deprive, probably overRewind. I'm also considering adding Reap and Sow, Azorius Chancery, and some of the other ETB lands. Very open to suggestions on how to make room. I've always wanted this deck to move towards a more land-centric theme, and the pieces that are necessary for that to be a reality are starting to finally come to fruition.