The Grindstone combo is easier to get out, but Grindstone is a worthless card. Just ban Grindstone and forget about the Iona combo. The only way you'd play the combo is if you actively wanted to grief, and Hermit Druid does that without an unwieldy 9 mana creature.
I played two different games against two different people in which both of us managed to cast Curse of Death's Hold.
It's freaking hilarious when both players have one out, because it's impossible for either side to deal a lot of damage if both sides are playing horde strategies. Games take absolutely forever.
And even funnier is when people forget that their precious Howlpack Alpha has one toughness in its human form...>
Kamigawa has nothing to do with Japanese mythology. I has spirits and characters with Japanese sounding names but nothing from actual Japanese legends.
Not true.
Ogres/Oni Demons: Oni
O-Kagachi: Design is directly based on the Yamata no Orochi
Akki and Shell of the Last Kappa: Kappa
Moonfolk: The Moon Rabbit
The Onna cycle: Yuki-Onna (There's even one with that name!)
The Kirin cycle: Qilin.
The setting in general is based on Shinto beliefs, with a focus on the "Spirit in every object/concept" part. There's various references to Shinto in the setting, like the Hondens.
Abattoir Ghoul: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He resembles Leatherface and is a butcher. The art is also very grim and dirty, in the style of the movie.
This is a set where interactions are much broader than they appear. The format is not just better than Scars limited, it's smarter. Colors aren't nearly as constricting, since Infect isn't focused in a few of them. There's no "herp derp, artifacts solve everything!" choices like Perilous Myr or the various good equipment, so color choices really matter while still giving more freedom. Because there weren't many artifacts, I went up against a very diverse mix of decks.
As for my personal success, I went 4-0! That was pretty awesome, although I got lucky in quite a few games (In one, I managed to win with only black mana and mostly blue cards in my hand, just because of cheap black spells). I opened two good (But not game-ending) rares and a good mix of commons and uncommons. Because I stayed in two colors, I rarely had to deal with mana problems. I had to use all the cards in my colors, but that was okay, because most of the common/uncommon cards in my colors were good.
My MVPs were my flashback cards. I never realized just how crazy flashback was in this format (I didn't play Time Spiral limited or Odyssey limited).
We also got a place with air conditioning. Thank the Lord!
I'll try to post my deck later, since I didn't record the cards in it. I have them still lying in a stack somewhere around the dorm.
This is such a great sealed environment. It feels less like the pre-built decks of Mirrodin, since the tribal interactions aren't backbreaking. And the bombs aren't that great, which I prefer in a draft format.
My MVP cards were my flashback cards, especially with Runic Repetition. I played UB control, and there were tons of different choices and strategy that made my games a blast.
They are annoying as all get out to actually play with. And the werewolves are INSANELY overpowered in limited. It's almost impossible to be able to reliably cast 2 spoells a turn to flip them back. I dominated my prerelease off the backs of 5 DFC werewolf cards. And even then you jusgt end your turn and flip them back. They are just broken.
Gx werewolves will dominate this draft environment
Werewolves are slow. Against a good curve, the only ones that are a real threat are the 1, 2, and 3 mana ones, and I still managed to handle those with my removal.
As for draft, it's incredibly easy to draft hate for them because you'll know when someone has them.
It would be about a world of brown spikes and red fire, where men fight and scream and become blurry masses. Then the vocals would change to somber, and we would learn that this glorious place exists only in Raymond Swanland's head. To visit it, you must enter the maw of Hell itself.
To put the dumb Twilight thing to rest, the werewolves are nothing like the ones in Twilight. Twilight werewolves are people who turn into regular-looking wolves whenever they want, and can easily change back. Innistrad Werewolves are transformed against their will at night into hulking, bloodthirsty monsters that eat people.
The vampires bear more resemblances to Dracula (Transformation into bats, spooky castles in the misty mountains, aristocratic control over peasant groups) than to Twilight. Yes, the vampires are sexy. Dracula was a story with about a zillion metaphors for adultery and lust; it's not new.
Curses are pretty much a card type, as cards are printed checking for curse permanents.
That makes no sense.
Curses are just Enchant Player Auras with an extra flavorful subtype. They act identically to other Enchantment Auras with Enchant Player, just like Sorceries/Instants with Arcane don't actually act differently. The reason the subtype exists is that other cards care about the subtype.
I think tribal was just fine, it literally hurt nothing by being on the card, he said so in his own article about it "It's addition didn't really add anything except a bit of extra confusion about the card type". So basically, it didn't unbalance anything or change anything, it was basically service to the tribe and making it a bit more flavorful by making a spell tribe-inspired.
The problem with Tribal is that it simply doesn't do much most of the time, yet it's another two words in the textline. Tribal itself was an inelegant use of a loophole.
It's also created a clunky text construction of "creature-type creatures".
Curse literally is pointless, remove curse and the card is exactly the same mechanically except the two cards that remove curses.
And the card that searches for a curse and puts it into play. You might want to read the spoiler again.
I'm of the opinion that Tribal was not good. Most of the cards that could interact with Tribal don't, there's something wrong. It also forced them to use more text on the cards, never a good thing.
Besides, it never made sense to me how a tribal spell worked in flavor. Tarfire can be resurrected by Boggart Birthrite because it's... A goblin? What? Did someone just give birth to a ball of burning tar?
I know I'm being literal here, but Tribal still is just weird in flavor, especially with the amount of non-tribal cards we've had that could have easily been tribal in Lorwyn block.
To everyone saying Innistrad is terrible: Compare it to Scars of Mirrodin. Not the block, just the set.
Scars of Mirrodin was in standard at the same time as freaking Zendikar and M11, yet its number of playable cards was less than or comparable to Innistrad's. Most of the currently playable Scars cards weren't even playable until New Phyrexia hit standard.
So stop whining, we're already off to a better start than last block.
Besides, Innistrad has a church. Christians aren't the only religion to have angels and churches and such... this is a fantasy world.
It's more that Innistrad's visual style seems to be based on Germanic Europe with some Gothic folklore. The Church of Avacyn takes a lot of design cues from Catholicism, from Tricorn Pope to the church in Endless Ranks of the Dead.
Still, it's not that big of a deal, and the art is really pretty and unique. If this is "anime-styled", it's a thousand times better than the Jace vs. Chandra art.
The Grindstone combo is easier to get out, but Grindstone is a worthless card. Just ban Grindstone and forget about the Iona combo. The only way you'd play the combo is if you actively wanted to grief, and Hermit Druid does that without an unwieldy 9 mana creature.
It'll be funny if Kibler's prediction is right.
It's freaking hilarious when both players have one out, because it's impossible for either side to deal a lot of damage if both sides are playing horde strategies. Games take absolutely forever.
And even funnier is when people forget that their precious Howlpack Alpha has one toughness in its human form...>
Ogres/Oni Demons: Oni
O-Kagachi: Design is directly based on the Yamata no Orochi
Akki and Shell of the Last Kappa: Kappa
Moonfolk: The Moon Rabbit
The Onna cycle: Yuki-Onna (There's even one with that name!)
The Kirin cycle: Qilin.
The setting in general is based on Shinto beliefs, with a focus on the "Spirit in every object/concept" part. There's various references to Shinto in the setting, like the Hondens.
This is a set where interactions are much broader than they appear. The format is not just better than Scars limited, it's smarter. Colors aren't nearly as constricting, since Infect isn't focused in a few of them. There's no "herp derp, artifacts solve everything!" choices like Perilous Myr or the various good equipment, so color choices really matter while still giving more freedom. Because there weren't many artifacts, I went up against a very diverse mix of decks.
As for my personal success, I went 4-0! That was pretty awesome, although I got lucky in quite a few games (In one, I managed to win with only black mana and mostly blue cards in my hand, just because of cheap black spells). I opened two good (But not game-ending) rares and a good mix of commons and uncommons. Because I stayed in two colors, I rarely had to deal with mana problems. I had to use all the cards in my colors, but that was okay, because most of the common/uncommon cards in my colors were good.
My MVPs were my flashback cards. I never realized just how crazy flashback was in this format (I didn't play Time Spiral limited or Odyssey limited).
We also got a place with air conditioning. Thank the Lord!
I'll try to post my deck later, since I didn't record the cards in it. I have them still lying in a stack somewhere around the dorm.
My MVP cards were my flashback cards, especially with Runic Repetition. I played UB control, and there were tons of different choices and strategy that made my games a blast.
Werewolves are slow. Against a good curve, the only ones that are a real threat are the 1, 2, and 3 mana ones, and I still managed to handle those with my removal.
As for draft, it's incredibly easy to draft hate for them because you'll know when someone has them.
It would be about a world of brown spikes and red fire, where men fight and scream and become blurry masses. Then the vocals would change to somber, and we would learn that this glorious place exists only in Raymond Swanland's head. To visit it, you must enter the maw of Hell itself.
The vampires bear more resemblances to Dracula (Transformation into bats, spooky castles in the misty mountains, aristocratic control over peasant groups) than to Twilight. Yes, the vampires are sexy. Dracula was a story with about a zillion metaphors for adultery and lust; it's not new.
Also, Chancellor of the Dross looks like a zombie blimp.
Read the Mirrodin block books.
That makes no sense.
Curses are just Enchant Player Auras with an extra flavorful subtype. They act identically to other Enchantment Auras with Enchant Player, just like Sorceries/Instants with Arcane don't actually act differently. The reason the subtype exists is that other cards care about the subtype.
The problem with Tribal is that it simply doesn't do much most of the time, yet it's another two words in the textline. Tribal itself was an inelegant use of a loophole.
It's also created a clunky text construction of "creature-type creatures".
And the card that searches for a curse and puts it into play. You might want to read the spoiler again.
I'm of the opinion that Tribal was not good. Most of the cards that could interact with Tribal don't, there's something wrong. It also forced them to use more text on the cards, never a good thing.
Besides, it never made sense to me how a tribal spell worked in flavor. Tarfire can be resurrected by Boggart Birthrite because it's... A goblin? What? Did someone just give birth to a ball of burning tar?
I know I'm being literal here, but Tribal still is just weird in flavor, especially with the amount of non-tribal cards we've had that could have easily been tribal in Lorwyn block.
Curse is not a card type, much like Trap or Arcane.
Please understand why tribal was bad before actually complaining about it.
Also, this thread shows that we really do shoot the messenger.
Scars of Mirrodin was in standard at the same time as freaking Zendikar and M11, yet its number of playable cards was less than or comparable to Innistrad's. Most of the currently playable Scars cards weren't even playable until New Phyrexia hit standard.
So stop whining, we're already off to a better start than last block.
For 1 mana, you kill any 2 or 1 toughness creature, or you can cripple the assault of a bigger one.
Yes, but those monks are male. Those who live a monastic lifestyle and are female are called other terms.
I can't recall whether there are priestesses in Innistrad, but if there are, good point.
It's more that Innistrad's visual style seems to be based on Germanic Europe with some Gothic folklore. The Church of Avacyn takes a lot of design cues from Catholicism, from Tricorn Pope to the church in Endless Ranks of the Dead.
Still, it's not that big of a deal, and the art is really pretty and unique. If this is "anime-styled", it's a thousand times better than the Jace vs. Chandra art.