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  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    1

    Oct 3, 2021
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on [[Primer]] Norin the Wary - Heads I win, Tails you lose.
    Quote from trancekat »
    OMG.. ISB! Your still here! I was just looking over your Martin deck yesterday.

    I dint get to play anymore, but I still keep an eye out for mtg stuff.

    Thanks for the link, I'll rage a peek.

    How you've been well.


    Well, still here is a vague stance. I check in every few months mostly to see if I have any PMs but all of my new stuff is over on Nexus these days. Ohhhh Marton lol some of the things I did back then I probably wouldn't subject a playgroup to now lol.

    Been doing well, I have a kiddo now days and my wife works a lot of nights when I could normally play commander so due to my child my games have been less frequent. I played some 1v1 against a buddy yesterday and it had been the first time playing in like.... two months.

    Quote from trancekat »
    Ps.. I gyess i need to move to mtgnexus. Thank you as always.


    There was a very long and annoying history when curse owned salvation that mostly the staff of salvation knew but in short in the last two or three years of being owned by curse we got just flat out zero assistance from developers outside of things that outright broke the site. The curse devs created a deckbuilder tool for the site which was the last thing they did and immediately pulled any assistance from the site after creating it never addressing the myriad of bugs that we attempted to report to them on the tool.

    After getting zero attention for a few years curse decided to shut down salvation as they didn't feel they could transition it to other owners. The moderator team and tecnician (Feyd_Ruin) tried to reach out to them to attempt to purchase the site from them but were denied. We were told a final closure date of salvation and Feyd_Ruin began to create MTGNexus with a frenzy as we were planning to move at that point.

    Feyd was well under way of development and MTGNexus opened publicly as the closure date that was told to us came close. Then, at the absolute last moment a previous developer of curse bought out the rights to a few sites including MTGSalvation. It was really awkward as we knew that salvation had been sort of long neglected at that point and we had already created a new location via Feyd who was actively improving Nexus. On the flip side, Salvation wasn't closing but we had no idea if it was going to be updated (it hasn't) as we moved forward. Essentially all of the staff at the time was pissed and I would say something like 80% of the staff transitioned to Nexus and dropped salvation. Most of the commander players of salvation also transitioned over to nexus but some just moved over to the new discord that the RC set up (the discord is quite active if you are into that style of thing).

    So, we got burned a few times and were tired of it. Nexus was set up and we knew Feyd would be active in giving it upgrades where as salvation had grown stagnant and unsure of its future. To some degree though internet forums are becoming less used and instead more social media stuff is being used these days. I like nexus and while I wouldn't call it anywhere near as active as salvation 5-10 years ago it doesn't feel like the ghost town that sally is these days.
    Posted in: Multiplayer Commander Decklists
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    1

    Jan 6, 2021
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on How to Counter Atraxa superfriends
    Posted in: Commander (EDH)
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    1

    Sep 14, 2020
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on Edgar Markov - Low Mana Curve Build
    Crap, its been too long since I checked in over here lol.

    Quote from NZB2323 »
    ISBpathfinder, what are your thoughts on Ruinous Ultimatum? I know 7 mana is a lot but it destroys all nonland permanents your opponents’s control and I know you’re running Austere Command. It’s probably an easy replace, right?


    Edit: Also what are your thoughts on Savai Triome?


    Even with the mana cost being similar to Austere Command, I think that the color intensity is off the chart. I also think that even just one more mana when it comes to anything that costs 4 or more is all increasingly difficult for this deck. We run on a low curve so whenever possible I think its better to curve in lower rather than moving curves up.

    Savai Triome is a sweet card. I think there are a lot of decks where it makes sense to run a copy of these tri lands with fetches but unfortunately ETB tapped lands are a problem that get compiled a lot more when you are trying to move fast which this deck is. I think in a budget markov list it could be fine but if you are trying to move as fast as possible I don't think we can justify an always tapped fix land.

    Quote from Drakon »
    I think that instead of focusing on bigger spells I'd like to ask if Bastion of Remembrance might find a slot in this build? It's essentially a 3-CMC Zulaport Cutthroat effect that survives boardwipes and convinently provides a 1/1 body to use for other effects like Phyrexian Altar.

    I've tried my build recently and must say that I'm very impressed with Cordial Vampire and Blood Artist and co. because their incidental value is huge and these small effects were the reason I've won some of my games. That's why I'm wondering about adding another card like this.


    Bastion of Remembrance - I don't hate it. Its still a non vampire card but coming with a free body, being cheap, and accomplishing something we want helps to some degree. Hitting each opponent is also a big deal with aristocrat effects. Some of my issues with aristocrats is that I haven't found quite enough density of sac outlets I like. I would LOVE to find another few Bloodthrone Vampire level sac outlets but its so rare that we get anything new that I would put on that level. I tried doing aristocrats recently and I ended up backing off because I didn't feel like I had the sac outlet density I wanted especially for the mana price I was willing to pay for them.

    Quote from DrunkT »
    I think if you lean your build towards sac outlets and sac payoffs with Yahenni, Undying Partisan, Pawn of Ulamog, Falkenrath Aristocrat and similar stuff, it could be very good.

    I think if it was a 2 CMC i would include it in a heartbeat, but i struggle with a non-vampire 3 CMC spell.



    ^

    I did try going down that path a while back and I just found that I couldn't get the consistency out of it that I wanted. I wanted a few more sac outlets and I wanted them to cost a little less as well as a few more payoffs. I think we tend to see some new payoffs but the sac outlets we still struggle with.

    Quote from jakethewhale »
    Thoughts on Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner? She looks like a solid draw option that also happens to give some evasion as a mana sink.


    Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner its cute but its a non vampire and I think that I would more consider her a five drop because I really wouldn't want to just cast her at three and not activate that ability in the same turn. I think that the cost is a little steep and you might be paying a lot of mana to blow up your hand before drawing cards so it could easily end up with overdrawing after tapping out. I think its interesting but I think I would pass.

    Quote from NZB2323 »



    I don’t think any creatures who cost 3 mana and aren’t vampires are worth it.

    Quote from jakethewhale »
    I don't think it's fair to write it off just based on that criteria alone. Using that logic, we also couldn't use Tymna, Purphoros, Iroas, or Yawgmoth


    Quote from NZB2323 »

    The only one of those that I run is Purphoros, who is never a creature in this deck.


    Quote from DrunkT »
    As a budget replacement for Tymna i think it's ok. They are kind of similar, but Tymna it's far superior.


    I think that all non vampires are things to look at and question in this list. I think there is a time and place for several though. Obviously I have had some good results with several that are in my own list but I think its well worth questioning each. There is a question of how efficient an effect is when its on a nonvampire for this deck though. Anything where it has continued mana costs to maintain and do something is going to be a lot harder to justify in my book than something that is a fire and forget one time mana cost.

    Quote from Chaos Milk Tea »
    The problem with Subira is once your vampires become too big she's a dead card. Also if you want draw immediately, you need to have 5 mana sitting around which Edgar will likely not.
    Not an awful card, but probably one of the last options to consider.


    If you have a swarm of vampires and they are bigger than 2 power then I think you probably don't need more draw :p

    Quote from Drain Life »
    I haven't checked in for some time, so here I am. Over the Covid 19 global crisis and beyond, I have been updating my build and playing through Skype when I can. I always come back to this list to see what is going on and if there is any cool tech to plunder. I am glad that this thread has not been abandoned. As always, this is an inspiration for my budget build.

    My best friend has a Scion of the Ur Dragon deck and it is imperative that I have ways of removing and/or blocking his dragons, or I just lose. Scion can ramp into play by the 4th turn and knock me out through the air on turn 5. Based on the turn order, that gives me 4-5 turns to have an answer or scoop. Similarly, my wife plays Inalla which can ramp on turn two, cast Trophy Mage on turn three and combo on turn 4... in addition to other paths to victory. The best I can do is attack Inalla and try to have removal in the form of Path or StP or something for the Scion.

    You know how much I respect your build, but against the decks I face, I find it better to have some interaction (instant speed removal) and some more anthems such as Glory of Warfare and combat modifiers like Dolmen Gate or Cover of Darkness which were both older tech you had shared before. In my games, it has been less about the fast initial rush as it has been about being mana efficient and having individually strong attacks that go in as unblocked as possible.

    I really feel like the wonderful thing about Edgar Markov is that, depending on your budget and meta, it can be a "Your millage may vary" kind of a deck, and this is a wonderful starting place to see how it fits with your meta. Never stop updating and improving it. I deeply appreciate it.


    I think that every meta has different demands that will get you playing a little different with different tech. Dolmen Gate for instance is fantastic if you play against a lot of other go wide decks but it might not be the card you need if your opponents are playing a bunch of sweepers and control.

    There is nothing wrong with adjusting your list to fit the meta you play in. Spot removal has its place as well, I just think that it is primarily for must answer things which in my book for this deck are threats that are ending the game if not answered or preventing you from playing. The more of that stuff you see the more answers you need. I have been hating on Swords to Plowshares for a few years now from the standpoint that so many of the must answer threats don't feel like they are creatures anymore. They still exist though and if you see something like an Elesh Norn, Consecrated Sphinx, or Seedborn Muse I am more than happy to have and cast that Swords to Plowshares. I just also feel like I see a lot of combo based things where I would rather have a Disenchant or can't be responded to at all with spot removal (looking at you Thassa's Oracle).

    Thanks, I ended up downsizing my collection a little selling off a number of expensive things like going from 4 Mana Crypts to 2 and selling off a lot of duplicate ABU Duels to pay off some debt before my kid was born. I have found it a little harder to have as many active multicolored and or fast decks together after that. Currently my Markov list is not complete but also not put away. I might order a few more Mana Crypts as I do like having another one or two on hand but at that time it was more important to get things payed down. Since then I paid off the house that I sold that I had to take out a loan to cover the sale of, I paid off my car, my student loans, and am within the next few months going to pay off the hospital for my daughter's birth. I am almost debt free so I might be able to pick up some of the things I purged at the time to not be up to my eyeballs in debt lol.

    Quote from NZB2323 »
    Is Malakir Blood-Priest worth it? Vampires can have their own party. He already counts as a cleric.

    Warriors:


    Rouges:


    Wizards:


    I think I might have responded to this question on Nexus already but I think it is not because I would want 3-4+ as the hit before I feel I would be happy with it. I feel like it would be sort of rare to hit for more than one as it stands and one to two is not a good result in my book.

    Quote from Chaos Milk Tea »
    The determining factor is probably comparing the trigger vs just playing another 1 drop or card draw instead. Comparing it to a 1 drop, you could say that in the case of blood-priest you are paying 1 mana for the bodies, and 1 for the drain effect. That means the drain has to on average deal as much damage as simply having two more bodies in play would. There will be times where you have no other party creatures, or you have 2. A fully party is very unlikely. Let us assume then that on average you have a party of 2, which is 6 damage total.
    With pump effects, your vampires will on average be 3/3s. This means that two additional bodies are offering at least a potential 6 damage, possibly more if they attack more than once. The damage potential of just playing two 1 drops instead of this card is better, but I could see the argument that blood-priest dealing direct damage is more reliable.
    In the end, leaning into synergy with the number of bodies in play is probably the better direction as it is what Edgar is best at. It is much easier to optimize for a wide board than it is having a 3+ party. Blood-Priest is by no means a BAD card, but if you have a refined deck list there probably isn't anything worth cutting for it.


    I agree.

    Quote from DrunkT »
    This is interesting just as a 2 drop. I've been favoring a couple of lifelinkers in the deck and this is an upgrade.



    Life is a resource, being an aggro deck generally speaking I usually feel like we haven't been fast enough before my own life total is an issue and by then its hard for a little bit of lifegain to be what keeps us in. Use up the life and move faster. If you run out, its usually because it took too long to kill everyone.
    Posted in: Multiplayer Commander Decklists
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    1

    Sep 18, 2017
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on Edgar Markov - Low Mana Curve Build

    INTRODUCTION:

    So, like many people who have approached Edgar Markov I started out with a build that utilized a lot of vampires that were fairly good standalone (such as Olivia Voldaren). My original build was more about how many bodies I could move through play and it played off of some token generators that were not at all vampire. This first build did have some success but in this first build I kept noticing how good the cheap 1-2 mana vampires felt because of the efficiency they gave me in the amount of bodies for the mana given Edgar Markov's free token.

    After having played my original version for a few weeks, I decided I wanted to investigate what a low curve would look like given how good those cheap vampires kept feeling. As I was feeling this concept out I realized that there was a lot of tempo draw that I could use for such a build for refilling my hand and keeping my deck active. With that, my current version took off.

    STRATEGY:

    Edgar Markov's free tokens generates sooooo much free value when you look at cheap vampires and getting 2 for 1 bodies on top of the natural abilities of the creatures. When I first built a list like most people I had some expensive vampires and I found that all of my cheap vampires just felt SOOOO much better because of the added value of the vampire token. I have built this list with a super low curve to try to take advantage of those free bodies.

    The idea of this build is to curve in with very cheap bodies and utilize the power of the anthems. Edgar Markov himself also cares a lot more about having a swarm of creatures. When I first built Edgar I really never cast him because I wasnt swarming with enough creatures for it to really be a good move. Since moving to more of a low curve swarm deck anthems have picked up a TON of value that they did not have for me in my previous build because I was trying to play standalone good vampires. The move has made the deck work so much better I cant even express how much better it feels now.

    The other element of running a low curve is that some cards like Dark Confidant and Ad Nauseam care specifically about what the cost to cast cards are. I run a lot of tempo draw as well such as Wheel of Fortune and Null Profusion that play off of being able to curve the hand in and then refill. Skullclamp and Tymna the Weaver are more examples of repeat draw that I run in here and being able to draw those cards cheaply and then move them really keeps the action of a deck like this high.

    DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
    COMMANDER (1)
    1 Edgar Markov

    CREATURES (39)
    1 Changeling Outcast
    1 Duskborne Skymarcher
    1 Guul Draz Assassin
    1 Guul Draz Vampire
    1 Indulgent Aristocrat
    1 Insolent Neonate
    1 Knight of the Ebon Legion
    1 Pulse Tracker
    1 Quag Vampires
    1 Serra Ascendant
    1 Shadow Alley Denizen
    1 Skymarcher Aspirant
    1 Stromkirk Noble
    1 Universal Automaton
    1 Vampire Cutthroat
    1 Vampire Lacerator
    1 Vampire of the Dire Moon
    1 Vicious Conquistador
    1 Viscera Seer
    1 Adanto Vanguard
    1 Blood Artist
    1 Bloodghast
    1 Bloodthrone Vampire
    1 Cordial Vampire
    1 Cruel Celebrant
    1 Dusk Legion Zealot
    1 Legion Lieutenant
    1 Zulaport Cutthroat
    1 Captivating Vampire
    1 Stromkirk Captain
    1 Tymna the Weaver
    1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
    1 Bloodline Keeper
    1 Iroas, God of Victory
    1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
    1 Sanctum Seeker
    1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
    1 Champion of Dusk
    1 Malakir Bloodwitch

    		ARTIFACT (8)
    1 Chrome Mox
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Mox Diamond
    1 Skullclamp
    1 Sol Ring
    1 Arcane Signet
    1 Bolas's Citadel
    1 Obelisk of Urd

    ENCHANTMENT (7)
    1 Legion's Landing
    1 Reconnaissance
    1 Goblin Bombardment
    1 Goblin War Drums
    1 Grasp of Fate
    1 Necropotence
    1 Shared Animosity

    INSTANT (4)
    1 Enlightened Tutor
    1 Vampiric Tutor
    1 Anguished Unmaking
    1 Fire Covenant

    SORCERY (6)
    1 Imperial Seal
    1 Demonic Tutor
    1 Diabolic Intent
    1 Wheel of Fortune
    1 Minions' Murmurs
    1 Austere Command

    PLANESWALKER (1)
    1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General

    LAND (34)
    1 Arid Mesa
    1 Badlands
    1 Blood Crypt
    1 Bloodstained Mire
    1 Cavern of Souls
    1 Command Tower
    1 Fetid Heath
    1 Flooded Strand
    1 Gemstone Caverns
    1 Godless Shrine
    1 Graven Cairns
    1 Mana Confluence
    1 Marsh Flats
    1 Mountain
    1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
    1 Phyrexian Tower
    1 Plains
    1 Plateau
    1 Polluted Delta
    1 Reliquary Tower
    1 Rugged Prairie
    1 Sacred Foundry
    1 Scalding Tarn
    1 Scrubland
    1 Strip Mine
    4 Swamp
    1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
    1 Vault of the Archangel
    1 Verdant Catacombs
    1 Windswept Heath
    1 Wooded Foothills


    CONSIDERATIONS:
    • Luminarch Ascension - it seems like a card that could potentially explode with a lot of action. I like that its cheap and could be dropped very early on as well. Its kind of a mana hog if it goes live but if it goes live I don't care its good. The concerns being that you need to probably draw it early and it could possibly suck to topdeck it later. This deck is not really a big mana deck and it generally has a lot of use for its mana so stopping the vamp gameplan to make angels seems questionable.
    • Attrition - its a good effect and I have the bodies to fuel it, its just kind of expensive at BB to cast and another B to activate immediately. The restriction of nonblack creatures sometimes does not matter and sometimes it feels like you cant ever hit what you want.
    • Gate to Phyrexia - its a little slow but its repeatable and I have the fodder to feed it.
    • Raging River - the evasion is alright. I guess its sort of like Menace assuming I am not staring down a bunch of flyers.
    • Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant - potentially it lets me attack without fear of blockers / chump block without losing tokens. The life total restriction is a little concerning though as sometimes my life fluctuates depending on how suicidal I get with Necropotence and other suicide draw like Dark Prophecy.
    Posted in: Multiplayer Commander Decklists
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    2

    Oct 31, 2019
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on Kess + Adventures
    If you check the gatherer for any of the adventure cards it states that they are creatures in all zones except while on the stack. Adventure cards in graveyards, libraries, exile, or play are only considered creatures. For the purposes of Kess they will never be spells while in graveyard. I asked more or less the same thing for Toshiro Umezawa.

    https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=473052

    First Ruling:
    "An adventurer card is a creature card in every zone except the stack, as well as while on the stack if not cast as an Adventure. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it’s in your graveyard, Giant Killer is a white creature card whose converted mana cost is 1. It can’t be the target of the triggered ability of Mystic Sanctuary."
    Posted in: Commander (EDH)
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    1

    Jul 24, 2019
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on Akroma angel of fury dci promo???
    There is no product like that right now. If you saw it IRL its probably some sort of proxy / fake someone made. All real magic the gathering products have the official back to them. Anything that doesn't have that is not a real card.
    Posted in: New Card Discussion
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    2

    Jul 23, 2019
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on Commander Decklist Database
    Thank you for all of the work you have done to maintain this resource for us scoeri. You did a very valued service for salvation and I am happy that we had you to help us with this.
    Posted in: Commander (EDH)
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    1

    Jul 16, 2019
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on What you want to see in Commander themes
    I would love to see mono colored commanders again. I say this from the standpoint that I would love to see more payoff effects for creating mono colored decks.

    I wouldn't mind more partners so long as they don't go crazy strong with them. I hate partners with mechanic though as I feel like it takes all the fun out of it.
    Posted in: Commander (EDH)
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    1

    Jul 11, 2019
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on New Website - MTGNexus
    Quote from ilovesaprolings »
    So we basically have two mtg salvation right now, or something like that?
    I haven't fully understood this whole situation...


    Its more than just a second site. To give some back story, MTGSalvation has recieved almost zero development time in the last year and a half. A year and a half ago, we were given the deckbuilder which we had expected to point out the bugs in it quickly and have them be fixed. I think we got like one or two days of developers reviewing and a few minor bugs were fixed in it and then we received no further assistance from development other than to make sure that the site was still up and functioning since then.

    Before the deckbuilder, it was probably a few years before that that we recieved significant developer assistance on the site and it was probably mobile which was the previous attention we got.

    In a nutshell, we have not received much for attention from development since curse bought and transitioned the site which has been something like.... 5 years now I would guess. We had a HUGE backlog of requests of which a lot of the fixes were small cosmetic things that could have been quickly fixed. The upside of nexus is that essentially Feyd_Ruin (who was our previous tech) wrote the whole site and is updating and fixing things as he goes. The current product we have now can be requested to be improved and I believe Feyd will actually continue to improve the product there. MTGSalvation is like a half sunken ship on the other regards. Its unsure as to what kind of assistance it will have from the new owner but the backlog of requests is kind of large at this point.

    I can't even tell you how often I have had to say, that's a great idea, we can add it to the stack but for the foreseeable future we don't know when we will get dev time next.
    Posted in: Commander (EDH)
  • ISBPathfinder's avatar

    2

    Jul 10, 2019
    ISBPathfinder posted a message on London Mulligan
    Quote from Card Slinger J »
    I've always wondered why EDH / Commander never had a set mulligan rule for the format but now that we finally have one it seems as though there's been some backlash for it lately. One of my friends made an argument saying that since EDH / Commander is a casual format by default that it should be up to the players to decide what type of mulligan rule that their playgroup adopts. Problem is that it ends up creating an unfair advantage among players in a 4+ player pod or at least that's the way I potentially see it anyway.

    As for me I personally don't have a problem with it but I understand that this is an issue that should be determined based on house rules. Friends of mine who I've been playing Magic with for years have been so used to the old mulligan rules (Partial Paris / Vancouver) that they think that the rules were fine the way they were. As long as I get used to the new change then it shouldn't be a problem though If other players want to mulligan the way they've been doing it for years then who are we to judge If that's how they enjoy playing Magic?


    Commander does have a set mulligan rule, its the same mulligan as every other format. At one point it was Partial Paris and there were rules outlining how that worked but as wizards moved to the Vancuver mulligans the rules committee decided to move away from Partial Paris and adopt the official mulligan rule that all other formats would be using. This reduced the number of rules for the format and brought it more in line with the other formats not to mention decreased the average speed of starting hands.

    There is nothing saying people can't ask and suggest an alternate mulligan system for games. The rules committee usually encourages people to adapt based on what players want.
    Posted in: Commander Rules Discussion Forum
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