Being an Ohioan, and actually using the joke "I tap for snow mana" before, I was suprised to see it here... Very funny.
I'm not sure if Pact of Negation is a viable answer to Mindslaver. If I was the one controlling the turn, and I drew my opponent's Pact, I'd be sure to burn it on one of his spells, so the following turn I would simply deny paying the upkeep... however:
Can a player even *choose* to not pay a Pact's upkeep trigger? It does not say "may pay {3}{U}{U}" it says "pay {3}{U}{U}." Sure, if they don't pay it, you could say the trigger is on the stack waiting to resolve, and if they ignore it and draw, they lose my drawing extra cards, or if they don't want that, they'll lose by wasting too much time, or something... It's usually not something you want to ignore, but can a Mindslaver player draw his opponent's card for the game loss?
Generally, you can choose to lose the game (or have your slavered opponent lose the game). You are required to pay the cost if possible, but you aren't required to play any abilities to generate the necessary mana.
More specifically, let's say (slavered or no) Albert has played a Pact of Negation. On his next upkeep, if Albert has :3mana::symu::symu: in his mana pool when the pact's upkeep trigger resolves, he must use that mana to pay the pact's upkeep cost. If Albert lacks that mana, he can generate that mana by playing mana abilities (tapping lands, etc.). However, he is not required to play those mana abilities, so if Albert chooses not to generate the mana, he won't have it in his pool to pay with, and will lose the game.
I could easily be wrong on that part. I'm about 200 ratings points worse at deck building when I can't see and manipulate the cards. I could get around that if I really wanted to by "building" your deck on MODO, but that would take too much effort for my tired person. Anyway, the thought was that you had a lot of green mana symbols and most of your red is single cost, so cutting the early double-coster might be the best cut. Anything you cut is going to be a good card, and I definitely think you want the finishing power of Elite and acceleration of Banneret in your deck. Others are probably right about cutting Seed-Guide Ash and reducing the number of 5+ drops you have.
Hmm, I obviously think differently than those who have posted thus far.
Changeling Titan vs. Lash Out. I actually think this is close and am fine with taking either. P1P3 it's a little based on my first two picks, a little based on an early feel on what else will be coming my way, and a lot based on my mood--Titan's better in a beatdown deck whereas Lash Out is better in a controlling deck (though both are great in either). I'm fine with the Titan here.
Incandescent Soulstoke vs. Consuming Bonfire. I don't like Soulstoke as much as many do; I only want him as a high pick if I get him early enough to build around, or when I have some good evokers already. That said, Bonfire isn't the greatest of removal, so unless it's deep enough into the draft that I can tell I need to grab removal, I probably take the Soulstoke. If it was late enough into this draft to feel the paucity of removal, you had plenty of compelling reasons to take the Soulstoke over the Bonfire anyway (surprise 7/7 or Mulldrifter, mid-combat Vigor, etc.). Soulstoke over Bonfire easily.
Bosk Banneret vs. 2nd Shard Volley. I start thinking hard about my curve and mana base when I'm looking at a 2nd Shard Volley, but I still think it's the right pick here, and I don't think it's close. At this stage of the draft I know I'm lacking removal, and Shard Volley is excellent removal. Banneret is certainly great, and good for the deck, but it's not what the deck needs at this stage. Shard Volley over Banneret with only a moment's hesitation.
As for the build itself, I don't play the Mulldrifter main. I can't deal with my opponent's bombs, so I need to deal with my opponent before his bombs can take over the game (or out-bomb him), and this deck is certainly capable of beatdown draws that do just that. Drawing more cards around the time my opponent is getting his bombs online isn't worth the cost in consistency for this deck, even if I do get an evasive beater in the process. Now if I had a couple of Vivid lands, or even a Twig....
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edit: completely agree with adding Nath's Elite and the Brighthearth Banneret, but I replace Mulldrifter and Inner-Flame Acolyte, and swap the Islands for Forests. Makes my mana a bit better with my only RR spell being the Consul.
Great article, nice and clear. But i really missed how to stack replacement effects (if you call it like that). I mean, how does the stacking go when i sacrifice a evoked creature to greater gargadon or when i momentary blink Mangara of Corondor and sensei's divining top tricks.
Firstly, none of the situations you ask about involve replacement effects. The first involves triggered abilities, while the other two are just neat timing tricks that involve playing multiple abilities/spells without passing priority. Taking them one at a time:
When you evoke a creature, and it comes into play, at least one triggered ability--its sacrifice ability--goes on the stack. If it has a comes into play ability, like Shriekmaw, that also triggers, and goes on the stack at the same time (you choose the order of multiple triggered abilities that you control when they go on the stack simultaneously). If it has a leaves play ability, like Reveillark, that won't trigger just yet. When the sacrifice ability goes on the stack, each player will get priority. To do what you want, you'll need to play Greater Gargadon's ability when you have priority, before the evoke sacrifice resolves. This will remove a counter from GG, and other stuff might happen, and eventually you'll resolve the sacrifice ability, which no longer does anything because you don't have the creature it is referring to in play anymore.
To abuse Mangara of Corondor with Momentary Blink, you take advantage of the fact that you get priority immediately after playing a spell or ability. Play Mangara's ability, which goes on the stack, then, without passing priority, play Blink targeting Mangara. Assuming nothing else happens, Blink will resolve first, removing Mangara from play, and then returning Mangara to play. The game now treats this Mangara as a different permanent than the one that played the ability on the stack, so when that ability resolves, it does not remove Mangara from the game.
The Top trick is similar. By putting the rearrange ability on the stack, and playing the draw ability in response, you get to put the Top on top of your deck, and then look at and rearrange the top three cards, thus potentially burying the top as far as 3 down.
Your Blue does have a nice selection of 4 mana fliers, but it only adds 2 Rogues to your pool, and is missing the best Blue commons and uncommons. Your Black is ridiculous and demands to be played; Shriekmaw, Pall, Flitter, and Witches are marquee commons and uncommons. I think you want to pair it with Green or Red, although you might well want to look at a Red/Green Warrior build splashing the top Black cards off the Fertile Ground and Twig. If the curve works out, I'm pretty sure that's your best build.
(Note: This is supposed to be Sealed, not Draft - makes a big difference in this case.)
I was going to post my points, but bateleur basically nailed it. My only quibbles: I think Schoolmaster is closer to 2.0 than 2.4, as he's only good if I get to activate him at least once (not counting suicide attacks), and I think Mosquito Guard is closer to 1.5 than 1.1 due to the usefulness of reinforce.
1) Synergy can work either way. Odie has a Changeling Berserker, for example (either Champion a 1/1 Kithkin or Champion the Cloudgoat so you get another three Kithkin when the Changeling dies). Wizened Cenn also interacts well with it.
I maintain that Cloudgoat Ranger has synergy with fewer cards, since Brigid has synergy with creatures that attack or block. I did miss the Berserker when looking over the pool drafted so far; Wizened Cenn and Surge of Thoughtweft were the primary things I had in mind for positive synergy with Ranger. On the other hand, I also made no mention of the Knight of Meadowgrain, which benefits greatly from an active Brigid.
2) Dealing damage makes other (aggressive) cards in your deck better.
Cloudgoat Ranger deals damage well. Brigid helps your other creatures deal damage better. Meh?
Not that I'm saying the opinions of this group are comparable to those of, say, Finkel and Wafo-Tapa, and the environment is obviously strange, but we do have at least one example of a draft where Brigid and Cloudgoat Ranger were featured "together". For reference, Brigid went 2nd pick to Lee Sharpe (11th overall), while Cloudgoat Ranger went 9th to Lee (70th overall).
On a more serious note, I do agree that Cloudgoat Ranger is a better threat than Brigid, and is, in a card to card comparison, much more aggressive. However, I disagree that the Ranger is more aggressive in the context of a Kithkin deck, and I definitely disagree that Brigid is better in a controlling deck than an aggressive one.
Cloudgoat Ranger is a great threat, and can single-handedly win a game in short order. However, he rarely makes the other cards in your deck better. Brigid makes every other attacker in your deck better. She reminds me of playing with a souped up Kabuto Moth from Champions era white aggressive deck. She sits there and makes combat math awkward for the opponent, and plays pretty good defense when they decide they can't afford to block into her tricks.
The cards obviously do different things well, which makes for awkward head-to-head comparisons. I think they're of comparable power in this style of deck, with a slight edge to the Ranger. With no effects that really interact well with the Ranger, and at least one that interacts quite well with Brigid, I think the pick is Brigid by a good margin.
I believe that Cloudgoat Ranger is that much more powerful than Brigid. It's hugely difficult to fully deal with compared to Brigid, and it fit's the aggressive theme of kithkin decks (we're drafting a deck, if you'll remember). Ranger is absurdly large for it's cost and it's absolutely nuts with Surge/Wizened Cenn; Brigid is small and doesn't even neccesarily effect combat math too much. Brigid is still obviously an solid card, but it's better in control decks. From my perspective, Ranger is much more powerful and fits this deck much better than Brigid, so I thinks it's the pick.
I think you underrate Brigid's effectiveness in an aggressive deck. She makes blocking very awkward for your opponent, which is great, and she plays some defense while she's at it, which is important enough to be worth something even if it's not your primary concern. Since the other half of your post makes it clear that you also overrate Cloudgoat Ranger, I think we'll have to agree to disagree from here.
Cloudgoat is the sixth best pick-one-pack-one in the format. I think it's a very obvious pick here if you're already in kithkin. However, like Tahn said, we need pick order to be sure. I'd take the Lash Out if the white stopped flowing early.
This is exactly the kind of reasoning that holds people back in limited. You're drafting a deck, not a collection of good cards, which means p1p1 reasoning quickly gets overshadowed by the influence of the cards you've already drafted.
As others have pointed out, Cloudgoat Ranger is more powerful than Brigid. However, it's not all that much more powerful. Harbinger means that I get to double my chances of seeing Brigid as opposed to Ranger. Therefore, Brigid is a better pick for this deck.
First of all, none of these cards is unplayably bad. As others have noted, Shield-Bearers is a Snidd, and therefore sometimes playable. Forfend has sideboard applications against Thundercloud Shaman, Hurly-Burly etc. Witsniper can pick off Harbingered cards, Hostile Realm is actually good in the right deck, Clanger is a poor one drop but might play in the same deck that wants Realm, and Luminescent Rain can be backbreaking in a damage race.
Which brings me to Pulling Teeth. No one has yet made the points that make this card playable, albeit only occasionally. So here they are:
Sometimes I feel like my deck is so powerful that I just need to live long enough to get there. In this deck, I consider Pulling Teeth because it lets me clash as early as turn 2 without losing card advantage, and clashing is much better for me than for my opponents.
Sometimes my deck is chock-full of one-for-ones, and I feel like I win if I can just get a card or two ahead. This card gives me a chance to do that, and if I'm desperate enough for a chance at card advantage, I'd run it.
Finally, sometimes my opponent has some kind of bomb that I can't possibly handle except by making him discard it, and this is my only shot at that.
I think the first is the most important. I've certainly drafted decks that love to clash early in the game so they can keep making land drops/pull out of mana flood, and this card is actually pretty good at that job.
My vote goes to Clanger. My warrior decks want fatter guys, my goblins decks aren't this aggressive, and my weenie red decks have better options.
I actually remember reading that Weight of Conscience removed the creature that was enchanted when the ability was played... but I can't guarantee that whoever said that was right, so I guess that's wrong.
You're probably remembering a related but different question where Weight of Conscience is removed from play after its ability is activated but before it resolves (Disenchanted, Boomeranged, etc.). When the ability resolves, since Weight is not enchanting a creature at all, it will use last known information and remove the previously enchanted creature from the game.
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edit: and hopefully that answers your post too, wcsae
Give Torchrunner trample x3 with the Flamekin. Add 8 to mana pool.
Cast Hostility.
Cast Fodder Launch, sacrificing Mudbutton Torchrunner, targeting one blocker. Torchrunner triggers and targets the other blocker.
Blockers die, 5 to the dome turns into 5 3/1's with haste.
Swing for 23, win the game.
Why does everyone giving it creature types Stuffy and Doll? I could accept Doll, but Stuffy? That's not a noun...
Because there are 5 hits on Stuffy and 5 hits in Doll in the Orb. Having it have creature type "Stuffy Doll" takes care of one hit each, whereas if it has creature type "Doll", then we need an unpaired instance of "Stuffy" somewhere.
More specifically, let's say (slavered or no) Albert has played a Pact of Negation. On his next upkeep, if Albert has :3mana::symu::symu: in his mana pool when the pact's upkeep trigger resolves, he must use that mana to pay the pact's upkeep cost. If Albert lacks that mana, he can generate that mana by playing mana abilities (tapping lands, etc.). However, he is not required to play those mana abilities, so if Albert chooses not to generate the mana, he won't have it in his pool to pay with, and will lose the game.
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Changeling Titan vs. Lash Out. I actually think this is close and am fine with taking either. P1P3 it's a little based on my first two picks, a little based on an early feel on what else will be coming my way, and a lot based on my mood--Titan's better in a beatdown deck whereas Lash Out is better in a controlling deck (though both are great in either). I'm fine with the Titan here.
Incandescent Soulstoke vs. Consuming Bonfire. I don't like Soulstoke as much as many do; I only want him as a high pick if I get him early enough to build around, or when I have some good evokers already. That said, Bonfire isn't the greatest of removal, so unless it's deep enough into the draft that I can tell I need to grab removal, I probably take the Soulstoke. If it was late enough into this draft to feel the paucity of removal, you had plenty of compelling reasons to take the Soulstoke over the Bonfire anyway (surprise 7/7 or Mulldrifter, mid-combat Vigor, etc.). Soulstoke over Bonfire easily.
Bosk Banneret vs. 2nd Shard Volley. I start thinking hard about my curve and mana base when I'm looking at a 2nd Shard Volley, but I still think it's the right pick here, and I don't think it's close. At this stage of the draft I know I'm lacking removal, and Shard Volley is excellent removal. Banneret is certainly great, and good for the deck, but it's not what the deck needs at this stage. Shard Volley over Banneret with only a moment's hesitation.
As for the build itself, I don't play the Mulldrifter main. I can't deal with my opponent's bombs, so I need to deal with my opponent before his bombs can take over the game (or out-bomb him), and this deck is certainly capable of beatdown draws that do just that. Drawing more cards around the time my opponent is getting his bombs online isn't worth the cost in consistency for this deck, even if I do get an evasive beater in the process. Now if I had a couple of Vivid lands, or even a Twig....
t~
edit: completely agree with adding Nath's Elite and the Brighthearth Banneret, but I replace Mulldrifter and Inner-Flame Acolyte, and swap the Islands for Forests. Makes my mana a bit better with my only RR spell being the Consul.
When you evoke a creature, and it comes into play, at least one triggered ability--its sacrifice ability--goes on the stack. If it has a comes into play ability, like Shriekmaw, that also triggers, and goes on the stack at the same time (you choose the order of multiple triggered abilities that you control when they go on the stack simultaneously). If it has a leaves play ability, like Reveillark, that won't trigger just yet. When the sacrifice ability goes on the stack, each player will get priority. To do what you want, you'll need to play Greater Gargadon's ability when you have priority, before the evoke sacrifice resolves. This will remove a counter from GG, and other stuff might happen, and eventually you'll resolve the sacrifice ability, which no longer does anything because you don't have the creature it is referring to in play anymore.
To abuse Mangara of Corondor with Momentary Blink, you take advantage of the fact that you get priority immediately after playing a spell or ability. Play Mangara's ability, which goes on the stack, then, without passing priority, play Blink targeting Mangara. Assuming nothing else happens, Blink will resolve first, removing Mangara from play, and then returning Mangara to play. The game now treats this Mangara as a different permanent than the one that played the ability on the stack, so when that ability resolves, it does not remove Mangara from the game.
The Top trick is similar. By putting the rearrange ability on the stack, and playing the draw ability in response, you get to put the Top on top of your deck, and then look at and rearrange the top three cards, thus potentially burying the top as far as 3 down.
Hope that helped.
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Cloudgoat Ranger deals damage well. Brigid helps your other creatures deal damage better. Meh?
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On a more serious note, I do agree that Cloudgoat Ranger is a better threat than Brigid, and is, in a card to card comparison, much more aggressive. However, I disagree that the Ranger is more aggressive in the context of a Kithkin deck, and I definitely disagree that Brigid is better in a controlling deck than an aggressive one.
Cloudgoat Ranger is a great threat, and can single-handedly win a game in short order. However, he rarely makes the other cards in your deck better. Brigid makes every other attacker in your deck better. She reminds me of playing with a souped up Kabuto Moth from Champions era white aggressive deck. She sits there and makes combat math awkward for the opponent, and plays pretty good defense when they decide they can't afford to block into her tricks.
The cards obviously do different things well, which makes for awkward head-to-head comparisons. I think they're of comparable power in this style of deck, with a slight edge to the Ranger. With no effects that really interact well with the Ranger, and at least one that interacts quite well with Brigid, I think the pick is Brigid by a good margin.
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As others have pointed out, Cloudgoat Ranger is more powerful than Brigid. However, it's not all that much more powerful. Harbinger means that I get to double my chances of seeing Brigid as opposed to Ranger. Therefore, Brigid is a better pick for this deck.
t~
Which brings me to Pulling Teeth. No one has yet made the points that make this card playable, albeit only occasionally. So here they are:
Sometimes I feel like my deck is so powerful that I just need to live long enough to get there. In this deck, I consider Pulling Teeth because it lets me clash as early as turn 2 without losing card advantage, and clashing is much better for me than for my opponents.
Sometimes my deck is chock-full of one-for-ones, and I feel like I win if I can just get a card or two ahead. This card gives me a chance to do that, and if I'm desperate enough for a chance at card advantage, I'd run it.
Finally, sometimes my opponent has some kind of bomb that I can't possibly handle except by making him discard it, and this is my only shot at that.
I think the first is the most important. I've certainly drafted decks that love to clash early in the game so they can keep making land drops/pull out of mana flood, and this card is actually pretty good at that job.
My vote goes to Clanger. My warrior decks want fatter guys, my goblins decks aren't this aggressive, and my weenie red decks have better options.
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edit: and hopefully that answers your post too, wcsae
Opponent has some fliers tapped from attacking, 2 blockers, and is at 20 life. My friend has 8 lands, Soulbright Flamekin, and Mudbutton Torchrunner.
Give Torchrunner trample x3 with the Flamekin. Add 8
Cast Hostility.
Cast Fodder Launch, sacrificing Mudbutton Torchrunner, targeting one blocker. Torchrunner triggers and targets the other blocker.
Blockers die, 5 to the dome turns into 5 3/1's with haste.
Swing for 23, win the game.
I once had a Fodder Launch kill a Dauntless Dourbark, Garruk Wildspeaker, and Avian Changeling (via Hornet Harrasser), but I got nothing on my friend's win out of nowhere.
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