- MOON_E
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Member for 14 years and 3 months
Last active Sat, Feb, 3 2018 13:28:50
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Crypt Rat posted a message on Great Designer Search 3Get your stockpile of red commons ready.Posted in: The Rumor Mill -
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Astrolabe posted a message on ScrystrikeAnother what if- What if you got to look for X cards with this, but put only put one back on top?Posted in: Custom Card Creation
Scrystrike (Whenever this creature deals combat damage, look at that many cards from the top of your library. Put one of those cards on the top of your library and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.)
I feel like this would give you the benefit of getting to dig deep and it would also speed up the decision making process. (You just need to choose the card you want to draw the most, rather than decide how you want to arrange the top/bottom N cards of your library.) -
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Manite posted a message on ScrystrikeWhat if you went for "Indexstrike" instead of Scrystrike? Rather than scrying the top N cards, you look at them, then put them back in any order. Granted, I've often thought that would be an interesting overlap for WU (because white is the organization color, you see), but since UB is the ruling color pair of library manipulation, maybe Indexstrike could fit there instead? Then, when your Indexstriking Sphinx smashes into the opponent, you get to rearrange the top 4-5 cards of your library.Posted in: Custom Card Creation -
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italofoca posted a message on Top-Down Jace cardYeah but -2 for a chump blocker ?Posted in: Custom Card Creation
Just not worth it. -
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willows posted a message on ScrystrikeI really think it's best to use the nested keyword approach here. I know Wizards likes to avoid it, but it's very silly to be doing this much scrying and miss out on scry triggers.Posted in: Custom Card Creation -
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Sheldon posted a message on [[Official]] General Discussion of the Official Multiplayer BanlistPosted in: Commander Rules Discussion ForumThe RC quite literally would rather discourage those Spikey new players from EDH than deviate from their vision
This is 100% correct, with no apologies. -
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deritof posted a message on The Archester Revival Thread! (Steampunk Set)Because otherwise it quickly becomes confusing and can easily break some Components. (Look at the old Sol Battery, compare with and without Component improvement, there's a huge difference.)Posted in: Custom Set Creation and Discussion
The most confusing situation of all: Two Components are attached to each other.
Less Confusing but worst on board state: An artifact creature has 2 components attached and one of them as 2 components attached to it. How do you properly represent that on your board? - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
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It seems like this really just needs to be tested, since the main concern everyone has is power level.
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Honestly I think yes, but I'm not going to argue against those who disagree. Personally I think black and blue need to share space and "Scry beyond 1" I think is space they could share, but I also know some people (including some WotC members) don't want to change either of their pie slices to find overlap (which seems unrealistic to me).
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I'm sure there's some amount of play to it, what I'm saying is that there are only a few "basic game actions" left to utilize and this seems like the most boring one.
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White
Individual Notes
Brago's Representative - In addition to being a good defensive body, this card offers up a lot of value for white's many WotC cards. Additionally, it seems like this plus Grudge Keeper is meant to set up a small WotC theme in white and black (the other color with many voting cards). Not sure this is a viable archetype, but it could be a cool subtheme. Obviously great in multiples.
Soulcatcher, Wakestone Gargoyle & Intangible Virtue - There are very obvious archetypes of fliers, defenders, and tokens in WU, RW, and GW respectively. These cards are obvious plants and should be taken accordingly.
Swords to Plowshares - As mentioned earlier, this the only true removal spell in white. It's a damn good one, but it's worth remembering that white will be strapped for removal, especially if its paired with a traditionally poor removal color like blue or green.
Rout - I don't want to talk too much about rares, since this is an analysis for limited, but I will point out that Rout is the only reliable wrath effect in the format (The other two both rely on voting (Magister of Worth and Coercive Portal)
Blue
Individual Notes
Screaming Seahawk - CNS is full of many ways to utilize extra copies of the same creature. Not only is Seahawk naturally good in a flock, it's bad enough on it's own that it shouldn't be hard to pick up multiples.
Brainstorm - Little needs to be said about the power of brainstorm. I do want to mention that even though there are no fetch lands to shuffle away the top cards, the set does include Parley as well as a number of other top-deck interactions like Wood Sage.
Dream Fracture - This is the only hard counter in the set, and at common you can expect it to come up a lot. Just be sure to remind your opponents that they got to draw a card too, since nothing makes enemies faster than countering spells.
Wind Dancer, Air Servant, & Favorable Winds - If the WU fliers deck exists, these are the cards it wants to have. Wind Dancer in particular seems important as a way to get non-fliers into the air.
Black
Individual Notes
Grudge Keeper - As mentioned earlier, this could go well in a WB WotC deck. Unlike Brago's Representative, a 2/1 body won't do much in this format, which means this needs a little more support to really shine. Also, don't forget this triggers on any vote, not just your own.
Altar's Reap & Plagued Rusalka - This set does not feature a whole ton of death triggers, but it does feature a lot of Morbid, which is where these cards will shine. As mentioned before, most black cards are playable on their own but interact well with others, and these two are prime examples.
Tyrant's Choice - This seems like a key card for most black decks. Edict effects get better in multiples, which means this goes nicely with Smallpox and Reign of the Pit, but can also pressure life totals along with Grudge Keeper, Infectious Horror, and Syphon Soul.
Victimize - Black has a lot of ways to get creatures into graveyards, and a lot of ways to get them back to its hand, but not a lot of ways to simply reanimate them. This is the only mono-black reanimation card in the set, so use it wisely.
Bite of the Black Rose - Worth noting this as a potential board sweeper (-2/-2).
Red
Individual Notes
Grenzo's Cutthroat - Dethrone is an ability that shows up on a number of cards in Red and Blue, but the cutthroat seems by far the best, given how strong a 2 mana 2/2 first striker is. Dethrone creatures get better in a group, since swarming the "throne" means more of them are likely to survive and attack another day, but I think any sort of "dethrone deck" needs to start with this guy; I don't think Enraged Revolutionary and Marchesa's Emissary can do it on their own.
Vent Sentinel - This is the backbone of the RW defender deck. Granted, Red has only two defenders (the other being Cinder Wall) so it's unlikely that the deck will be as focused as it was in RoE draft. Still, being defensive is hardly a bad idea in a multiplayer game, and having a way to kill people while turtling is even better.
Trumpet Blast - I think it's important to mention here that this card does not say "you control." This means it can be used to pump another player's team during their turn. Not sure if this makes Trumpet Blast amazing, but it certainly gets a good deal better.
Volcanic Fallout - Another 2 toughness sweeper.
Sulfuric Vortex - This is a card that's impossible to ignore. It steps on the gas pedal and almost ensures action. It's also the kind of card that attracts a lot of attention and creates a big target. In general, I think it's important to remember this card exists and play accordingly.
Green
Copperhorn Scout - It should be noted that in a multiplayer setting, this card may not be horrible.
Sporecap Spider, Plummet - Blue and White both have a lot of powerful fliers, and it's more than likely a payer will be "the fliers deck", which makes these cards better than normal, and both were fine before.
Howling Wolf - See Screaming Seahawk above.
Echoing Courage - This card has always been fine: a serviceable pump spell with some incidental advantage. Here, it's even better, fitting perfectly into the tokens deck and the "multiples" deck.
Provoke - There's no fighting in CNS, which means this is as close to non-flier removal as green gets. This is an important point to remember when drafting green alongside other removal light colors like white or blue.
Respite - Like Trumpet Blast, the ability to use this on another player's turn increases its value.
Sakura-Tribe Elder - The elder has always been a solid creature, but don't forget its hidden ability to trigger morbid.
Multicolor
Sky Spirit - The WU archetype is Fliers, using cards like Favorable Winds and Soulcatcher. This one is pretty straightforward, and while I think it can vary in intensity of how many "flying matters" cards you have, the general defensive stats of White and Blue's ground creatures means that flying is almost always going to be the win condition of this pair.
Extract from Darkness - UB is a color pair that feels a bit mismatched in this format. While both have powerful spells, they don't seem to have much synergy. Even the "mill and reanimate" plan that Extract seems to suggest is suspect, since little of either exists at lower rarities. The idea of a UB "graveyard deck" is certainly possible, but it would rely heavily on key rares such as Academy Elite, Drakestown Forgotten, and Dimir Doppelganger.
Spontaneous Combustion - BR in CNS is definitely a control deck, using removal and sweepers like this one to keep the board clear. There's a small sacrifice theme in Black (not so much in red as there was in say SoM or INN), but this card in particular helps clear away the small guys for Black's edict effects to really hit home.
Fires of Yavimaya - Red and Green are the colors with the best attacking creatures. RG is set up well for an aggressive midranged deck, and while this strategy is reliable (since it doesn't require specific support cards), it's also dangerous to play in a group situation. I have a feeling RG beats is going to be a strong deck, just a hard one to manage in a political game.
Woodvine Elemental - GW is set up as a token deck, using this as a anthem-esque finisher. Both white (Rousing of Souls) and green (Squirrel Nest, Predator's Howl, Selvala's Charge) can make tokens, but Intangible Virtue is the only card that really forces you to commit to tokens, while others like Echoing Courage or this card only push you in that direction.
Mortify - this card has little to do with WB as a deck, which I believe is a defensive control deck that wants to abuse Will of the Council with Brago's Representative and Grudge Keeper. The good defensive creatures of white and the good removal of black (along with mortify) do combine well, but the deck may be stuck with no way to win. Then again, a savy player just weather the storm as their opponents kill each other, and vote manipulation is a good way of doing so.
Marchesa's Smuggler - UR is set up as the "dethrone" deck, which isn't bad, but doesn't seem all that great either. This card in particular would be a much welcome addition, as getting your dethrone creatures up to size means compounding bonuses. The main problem with dethrone is that your creatures have to get over the "hump" of those first 2-3 attacks. Once their big enough, their size alone means they can effectively battle. This card definitely helps with that, and is more than fine without other dethrone cards, but I think the entire idea might end up being too cute to be practical.
Deathreap Ritual - Morbid is very strong with more players in the game, and this card fits right into a BG deck. The nice thing about morbid is that, while building around it is possible, it's not necessary. Morbid cards are pretty much all good solo, so any additional synergy is just gravy.
Flamewright - It's rare for RW to be a defensive deck, let alone a deck built specifically around defenders, but here we are. This card seems great in the defender deck, but also fine without it. Red and White both have enough decent cards that a RW deck could definitely end up being not defender based. Still, that won't stop me from trying to live the defender dream.
Wood Sage - The GU "deck" is pretty subtle, but interesting. I believe the general idea is that the GU deck wants to have as many copies of a certain creature as they can, most likely Screaming Seahawk or Howling Wolf. Not only do they combo with themselves and Wood Sage, but also with the many Hidden Agenda conspiracies. I don't know if this deck is real or just a pipe dream, but it definitely seems like something worth trying out. (Outside of this deck, Wood Sage seems very hard to use well, though it does mill you.)
(Normal) Artifacts
"Stamped" Slot
At common, Whispergear Sneak and Cogwork Spy both seem underwhelming. They provide fun effects and are marginally playable otherwise. Cogwork Librarian seems like an incredibly powerful card, allowing you to take two cards from a pack at any point in the future. The fact that it's put into the pack when its used means you'll most likely get to pick one up late in each pack to use early in the next one. If you get stuck with it at the end, it's still a reasonable creature. Lurking Automaton has potential, but it is also easy to counterdraft. Still, getting this up to a 4/4 or 5/5 makes it big enough to tangle with most creatures in the format, and as a common it's likely you'll find at least one more copy. Common conspiracies are all reasonable, with the best IMO being Brago's Favor. A one mana discount on potentially 3 or 4 copies of a creature can be huge. It's important to note that 4 of the 5 common conspiracies are Hidden Agendas, and all of them deal with creatures. This makes the "multiples" plan somewhat of a safe bet, since it's likely you'll get at least 2 or 3 HA's over the course of the draft. Sentinel Dispatch is a nice card for the defender deck.
Uncommon has only two cogwork creatures, and neither is super exciting. Agent of Acquisitions looks fun, but it seems worse than the Librarian; the probability of getting a "perfect pack" are far less than getting one with just two cards you want. Cogwork Tracker is a little better than he looks given how small most creatures in the format are (a 4/4 for 4 is pretty efficient) but the downside is real. Uncommon conspiracies include Double Stroke and Iterative Analysis, which could lead to a fun spell based deck if it were not for both being uncommon (making it far less likely to see both, let alone multiples of each). Unexpected Potential seems excellent as simply a free splash. I would be careful with multiples of Advantageous Proclamation though, as games can run long and having too small of a deck could start to become a liability.
The rares have varying levels of playability, but all seem incredibly fun. Some, like Backup Plan are obviously powerful. Others, like Lore Seeker, are a bit of a crap shoot until we can play with them ourselves.
Follow Up Observations
- Mid-ranged creatures are generally good. They allow you to apply offensive pressure while not being a lightning rod for removal. On the ground that usually means 4/4s and 5/5s, enough to breach through the Vent Sentinels and Plated Seastriders. In the air, a 3/3 is very solid (Custodi Squire is an all-star)
- Every game is different of course, but certain archetypes are almost inevitable (especially if the entire table is playing in the same game). There's almost always a dedicated Fliers deck, which makes cards like Plummet always live, but usually only against a single person. Depending on your play group you may or may not get to sideboard (if you're playing multiple rounds) so keep that in mind.
- Hidden Agendas are incredibly strong, but to maximize their power you have to draft accordingly. A HA will always be decent, but if you have the choice between two similar cards, it is far better to have 4 of one and 1 of the other than to split the difference. Additionally, the "pack" cards (Howling Wolf and Screaming Seahawk) are fine, but not amazing. Yes they combo well with conspiracies, but their base stats are bad enough that rarely is it worth it to go all in for that express purpose. Basically, HA's are good enough with multiple copies of any card that you don't really need to prioritize these two creatures highly.
- There are a few archetypes that aren't mentioned in the OP. I think the most notable ones are White/x voltron, Red/x burn, and Black/x removal.
A couple of notes on individual cards:
Conspiracy still continues to excite me, and I may be inspired to write a full limited set review if I find the time. Let me know if you have any further questions or your own observations to share, there are many things I don't know just from drafting with my play group.
Hope you enjoyed this early look into the Conspiracy draft format. Let me know if you have any other ideas of if there's something I've missed.
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I don't see how this definition of assemble could ever be on a non-rare.
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On the other hand, a second mana rock would go a long way in helping components have a tappable non-creature artifact (in a way the land wont).
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I think we could make the Karoos less bad and still have them printable at common.