Sometimes I think the whole proxy thing comes down to the following:
Mr. Suitcase: I have the cards nah nah nah.... I should beat you every time because I have the cards. I have the cards nah nah nah.... you can't play on my level because I have the cards... nah nah nah.
Mr. Magic PLayer: I just wanna play!!!
Mr. Suitcase: Well, you will never be on my level. I have the cards. I have the cards. I win. I win. But wait. I will play you one game to show you how powerful I am....
Mr. Magic PLayer: Cool!
(dice roll magic player gets to go first-.)
*shuffle shuffle*
Mr. Magic Player: Mountain, Black Lotus, sac for green.... lightning bolt, channel fireball.
Mr. Suitcase: Mother...........
I believe a more accurate reflection would be as follows-
Mr. Magic Player: I just bought/traded for some really cool cards and want to play a game.
Mr. Entitlement: Oh, well I want to play without paying.
Mr. Magic Player: So... did you want to borrow one of my decks?
Mr. Entitlement: No, your cards aren't that cool. I'll just forge the ones I want.
Mr. Magic Player: That sounds a little lame.
Mr. Entitlement: Are you judging me?! I'm entitled to play without paying the price.
Mr. Magic Player: Why?
Mr. Entitlement: Because I'm special. I deserve it.
Now, obviously this is biased, but I just went polar opposite to your "conversation" to make a point - and I did it using arguments I have actually read in this thread. I realize most people fall in a category entirely separate from these two extremes (yours vs. mine), but I have been disgusted by the amount of entitlement represented in this thread. No one is entitled. If you want something, you have to pay the price. Infringing on someone's intellectual property because you don't want to pay is a form of theft.
I would take out Indestructibility for the Darksteel Plate unless you have any non-creatures you really wanted to protect. While you're at it, I would consider replacing Rancor with Darksteel Axe - it may not give trample, but once it's on the board, it can be moved to any creature. Besides, Brawn give you trample.
As brunhill said, Bane of the Living will kill some of your indestructibles, so you could remove that to make room for Novablast Wurm.
Withstand Death could be on the chopping block, as well. The more indestructible creatures you have, the less relevant this will become.
Also, the more immune your deck becomes to wrath, the more important it is for you to run your own wraths (or even cards like Sunblast Angel). Your opponents will be less likely to play theirs, but the option to clear their board is too good to miss.
Also, if you do increase the indestructibles, you may want to add Novablast Wurm as a repeatable wrath. And maybe a Darksteel Plate for anything that isn't indestructible on its own.
Made some changes. In theory, Djinn Illuminatus and Riftsweeper are good, but I just never had the right conditions for them to shine. Comet Storm did give me some kills back when I had PrimeTime, but I just find it less interesting than the rest of the deck.
@Rogue'd - I have a copy of Aluren, but I've never liked the symetrical advantage outside of a group hug deck. While it lets me do broken things, it sometimes aids my opponent more. I know it combos awesomely with Cloudstone Curio, but without that on the table, is it worth it? What's everyone else's experience?
Also - what do you guys think about Flash? With PrimeTime, it was awesome, but now I wonder how useful it may be. Without a creature in hand, it's a dead card, and with Leyline of Anticipation, it's redundant. Is this card still worthy of a slot, or should it be the next to go?
this analogy does not work. Beer is a tangible object. A card is a representation of an intangible idea.
Ironically, a card is a tangible object, too. One that is copyrighted. And regardless of your position on the "moral highroad/amoral chaos" scale of proxyism, the law is a bit less flexible. For those who have said copyright only applies to distribution, this is false.
Let's use movies as an analogy. A copy of a film (whether celluloid, VHS, DVD, or digital) is a physical representation of an audio/visual experience. The physical manifestation is simply a means to an end - the fun, the terror, the catharsis, etc. that you experience while viewing (and later remembering) the actual movie.
Now, if you burn 100 copies of your favorite DVD just so you can fill your DVD shelf and never distribute a single one, you have still broken copyright law - if you have a legal copy of said manifestation, you are licensed to watch it within the private confines of your home and to make one archival copy in case something happens to the original; anything more is illegal. Distributing is simply the easiest way to get caught.
Applying that back to Magic, the card is the physical means to an end (the fun of the game), but you have to have an actual copy of an official Wizards-printed card to have an actual card. Anything else is in violation of copyright law.
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I have proxied exactly two cards. At one time, I was running Akroma, Angel of Wrath in more than one deck but only had one copy. Later, I realized there were better options and now only run my one copy in Mayael, mostly for nostalgia. The other was Gilded Drake - one copy, two decks. I eventually scrapped the other deck.
My personal philosophy is if i don't own it, I don't proxy it. I don't need a copy for the 3-5 days something is being shipped, and if my card judging skills aren't adequate, I learn from the mistake of buying/trading for something that doesn't work out.
As for playing against other people's proxies, it depends. One or two I can see, but expect some light banter. If you show up with an entire deck of Magic: the Printering, don't be shocked if I choose to play at the other table.
I think free use of proxies is almost mandatory in social play, because otherwise, magic becomes a game of "The Richest Kid Wins".
I think this attitude is self-defeatist at best. It gives no acknowledgement to skill, luck, or politics. Money isn't everything. I have routinely seen more expensive decks get beaten by cheaper ones. I myself have beaten a power-9 deck with one worth 1/200th of it's value. I have also been beaten by the cheapest EDH deck in our playgroup. I like playing Magic for the novelty of seeing what people can build, not what they can print.
Still looking through the list, but I would recommend Mindcrank. you've already got other mill cards and Bloodchief Ascension - Bloodcrank is a two card combo that wins. I've used it to good effect in my Kuon deck. I'm also a fan of Altar of Shadows, though it is pretty expensive mana-wise
I'd like to see more reprints with their errataed creature types - like a Karmic Guide that says "angel" and doesn't cost a fortune over the regular version. Or Priest of Titania that says "druid," etc.
Also, some tribes would love a general. Like a legendary spider or werewolf or elephant, etc. It's kinda funny - I've always pictured spiders in the BGR color pie, but when I just did a quick search, they've only been printed in WGR. What gives? Why aren't spiders B? Maybe this is how we start on the four color legends - a WBRG legendary spider with a cool tribal ability.
I ran Crystal Shard and Erratic Portal in my Momir Vig deck, which had a much heavier creature base than this. With the split focus on spells, I didn't feel I could dedicate that many slots to bounce. I could probably swap it for Cloudstone Curio, but do you think the added level of control (being able to activate when you want) overcomes having to dedicate more mana to bouncing and only being able to do it once per untap?
I fluctuate a bit but currently have 13 constructed and another 2 being built. I don't like going over 15, so I've dismantled another 12. I really like deckbuilding (possibly even more than I like playing) - it's like a mental puzzle, trying to get just the right pieces to fit. Plus, I get bored playing the same thing over and over. I like variety, both in the cards I see and the way they interact.
Angel of Despair may have recently been outclassed, but it will remain my favorite card - awesome art and a powerful ETB ability in colors than allow it to be recurred either by blinking or through reanimation, all stapled to a big flying body. What's not to love?
I believe a more accurate reflection would be as follows-
Mr. Magic Player: I just bought/traded for some really cool cards and want to play a game.
Mr. Entitlement: Oh, well I want to play without paying.
Mr. Magic Player: So... did you want to borrow one of my decks?
Mr. Entitlement: No, your cards aren't that cool. I'll just forge the ones I want.
Mr. Magic Player: That sounds a little lame.
Mr. Entitlement: Are you judging me?! I'm entitled to play without paying the price.
Mr. Magic Player: Why?
Mr. Entitlement: Because I'm special. I deserve it.
Now, obviously this is biased, but I just went polar opposite to your "conversation" to make a point - and I did it using arguments I have actually read in this thread. I realize most people fall in a category entirely separate from these two extremes (yours vs. mine), but I have been disgusted by the amount of entitlement represented in this thread. No one is entitled. If you want something, you have to pay the price. Infringing on someone's intellectual property because you don't want to pay is a form of theft.
As brunhill said, Bane of the Living will kill some of your indestructibles, so you could remove that to make room for Novablast Wurm.
Withstand Death could be on the chopping block, as well. The more indestructible creatures you have, the less relevant this will become.
Also, the more immune your deck becomes to wrath, the more important it is for you to run your own wraths (or even cards like Sunblast Angel). Your opponents will be less likely to play theirs, but the option to clear their board is too good to miss.
Also, if you do increase the indestructibles, you may want to add Novablast Wurm as a repeatable wrath. And maybe a Darksteel Plate for anything that isn't indestructible on its own.
1) Phyrexian Tower - free activation, mana ramp
2) High Market - free activation, trivial lifegain
3) Grim Backwoods - expensive activation, but card draw is handy
4) Miren, the Moaning Well - expensive activation, relative lifegain
and
5) Diamond Valley - way too expensive for not even producing mana
That being said, Tower and Backwoods are limited to what deck can run them because of color identity, so if you're not in B the Market would be best.
Did this thread just deteriorate into a countdown to "And a Birds of Paradise in a Utopia Tree"??? LOL
I like the colorless ideas because they could be more used.
If they weren't so hard to get, I'd vote for the holiday promos
1 Comet Storm
1 Djinn Illuminatus
1 Riftsweeper
1 Crystal Shard
1 Mystic Snake
Made some changes. In theory, Djinn Illuminatus and Riftsweeper are good, but I just never had the right conditions for them to shine. Comet Storm did give me some kills back when I had PrimeTime, but I just find it less interesting than the rest of the deck.
@Rogue'd - I have a copy of Aluren, but I've never liked the symetrical advantage outside of a group hug deck. While it lets me do broken things, it sometimes aids my opponent more. I know it combos awesomely with Cloudstone Curio, but without that on the table, is it worth it? What's everyone else's experience?
Also - what do you guys think about Flash? With PrimeTime, it was awesome, but now I wonder how useful it may be. Without a creature in hand, it's a dead card, and with Leyline of Anticipation, it's redundant. Is this card still worthy of a slot, or should it be the next to go?
This one is really cool. Such a simple concept and so fitting.
Ironically, a card is a tangible object, too. One that is copyrighted. And regardless of your position on the "moral highroad/amoral chaos" scale of proxyism, the law is a bit less flexible. For those who have said copyright only applies to distribution, this is false.
Let's use movies as an analogy. A copy of a film (whether celluloid, VHS, DVD, or digital) is a physical representation of an audio/visual experience. The physical manifestation is simply a means to an end - the fun, the terror, the catharsis, etc. that you experience while viewing (and later remembering) the actual movie.
Now, if you burn 100 copies of your favorite DVD just so you can fill your DVD shelf and never distribute a single one, you have still broken copyright law - if you have a legal copy of said manifestation, you are licensed to watch it within the private confines of your home and to make one archival copy in case something happens to the original; anything more is illegal. Distributing is simply the easiest way to get caught.
Applying that back to Magic, the card is the physical means to an end (the fun of the game), but you have to have an actual copy of an official Wizards-printed card to have an actual card. Anything else is in violation of copyright law.
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I have proxied exactly two cards. At one time, I was running Akroma, Angel of Wrath in more than one deck but only had one copy. Later, I realized there were better options and now only run my one copy in Mayael, mostly for nostalgia. The other was Gilded Drake - one copy, two decks. I eventually scrapped the other deck.
My personal philosophy is if i don't own it, I don't proxy it. I don't need a copy for the 3-5 days something is being shipped, and if my card judging skills aren't adequate, I learn from the mistake of buying/trading for something that doesn't work out.
As for playing against other people's proxies, it depends. One or two I can see, but expect some light banter. If you show up with an entire deck of Magic: the Printering, don't be shocked if I choose to play at the other table.
I think this attitude is self-defeatist at best. It gives no acknowledgement to skill, luck, or politics. Money isn't everything. I have routinely seen more expensive decks get beaten by cheaper ones. I myself have beaten a power-9 deck with one worth 1/200th of it's value. I have also been beaten by the cheapest EDH deck in our playgroup. I like playing Magic for the novelty of seeing what people can build, not what they can print.
Myr Reservoir - limited ramp, decent recursion
Gallows at Willow Hill - bad removal
Griffin Canyon - untap/pump
the All-Stars -
Swarmyard - regen
Notorious Throng - no one sees it coming
Harsh Mercy - works great except against tribal, especially well with an amoeboid changeling to strip their best creature of all types
Peer Pressure - theft
(I know you had two of those listed, but I wanted to second the vote)
Also, some tribes would love a general. Like a legendary spider or werewolf or elephant, etc. It's kinda funny - I've always pictured spiders in the BGR color pie, but when I just did a quick search, they've only been printed in WGR. What gives? Why aren't spiders B? Maybe this is how we start on the four color legends - a WBRG legendary spider with a cool tribal ability.
Current Commanders:
Riku of Two Reflections, Ghost Council of Orzhova, Scion of the Ur-Dragon, Mayael the Anima, Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile, Phelddagrif, Kuon, Ogre Ascendant, Glissa, the Traitor, Kaalia of the Vast, Ezuri, Renegade Leader, Cromat (who I would like to replace with Sliver Queen), and Basandra, Battle Seraph
Under Construction
Merieke Ri Berit and Niv-Mizzet (have both, Dracogenius will probably command)
Dismantled
Jhoira of the Ghitu, Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, Teysa, Orzhov Scion, Thraximundar, Uril, the Miststalker, Horde of Notions, Sisters of Stone Death, Wort, Boggart Auntie, Zedruu the Greathearted, Oona, Queen of the Fae, Momir Vig, Simic Visionary, and Maralen of the Mornsong
As you can see, I like variety.