I like the article, keep it up.
I really hope next article is not about pokemon, though...
- Tom
- Registered User
-
Member for 13 years and 3 months
Last active Sun, Sep, 3 2017 12:19:57
- 2 Followers
- 6,698 Total Posts
- 272 Thanks
-
May 27, 2012Tom posted a message on Other Peoples' Decks, pt. 2: Rakdos, Coast to CoastPosted in: Rocko's Modern Blog
-
May 27, 2012Tom posted a message on Magic for Hipsters, pt. 1: The Speed of SoundSo the All is Dust is working out for you?Posted in: Rocko's Modern Blog
-
Feb 16, 2012Tom posted a message on Entry #5 - Other People's Decks, pt. 1: You Bantstard!i'm not so sure about crusader. i personally like giest and kotr better, and they already take up a bunch of 3-mana slots. not to mention the swords and cliques (which i like better than crusader as well).Posted in: Rocko's Modern Blog
could be wrong, but it seems like it could make the mana curve rather awkward.
just my thoughts. when is the next blog entry coming? -
Feb 6, 2012Tom posted a message on Entry #5 - Other People's Decks, pt. 1: You Bantstard!i love this article, and the list. looking forward to something on GW jumanji, or a thread link.Posted in: Rocko's Modern Blog
as for the list... really liking it. though i would make these changes:
-1 geist
+1 kotr
(kotr is generally better, especially as you have no goyf, and 3/3 splits are very strange in general)
-1 land
+1 sejiri steppe
(even in legacy one of the most awesome things to do with kotr, it offers instant speed protection)
-2 rafiq
-1 sword
+1 pridemage
+1 gaddock
+1 something
(3 swords seems like a lot, and i never was a fan of rafiq, but i could be wrong about him not being so great)
seems good elsewhere, though only running 7 counters and no filtering makes the blue seem rather underpowered and clunky.
keep up the good work! -
Nov 20, 2011Tom posted a message on Entry #4 - Rug Burnsleek, sexy machine eh?Posted in: Rocko's Modern Blog
you said something like that about wolf run rug.
then, you tested with it. -
Nov 18, 2011Tom posted a message on Breakdown of the Top Standard Metagame 11-17-11just for reference:Posted in: Sacrificial23 Blog
[*deck] [*/deck]
[*cards] [*/cards]
[*card] [*/card]
that is how to use the tags as you were wondering. place the left on on the left side of your card/cards, then the right one on the right. remove the * for your posts.
also, whenever you make a post, see where the bold, italic, underline, color, etc. buttons are? if you go to the right, there is something that looks like the back of a card. that one and the two tho the right of it are a shortcut for doing the above.
sorry it's a little off topic, but i hope i helped! -
Nov 10, 2011Tom posted a message on Food for Thought: Is 60 Cards Always Optimal?thanks it will be the beginning to a series. subscribe! ;DPosted in: Tom's Blog... Enjoy!
and yes, i agree with what you are saying. in that circumstance, i'd say the extra value of another toolbox card outweighs the small percentage. especially if the toolbox is a green sun's zenith toolbox. you technically have more than 4 zeniths in a deck, as they keep coming back.
however, this isn't always true. maybe you need to draw lightning bolt as much as possible (in which case then the 0.01% does matter). then you would have to reevaluate whether it is a good idea or not. -
Nov 9, 2011Tom posted a message on Entry #3 - 'Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."i'm in.Posted in: Rocko's Modern Blog
my suggested place to have our group would be on mtgsalvation. if you go to outside magic > clans > playtesting groups, then we could make a thread for our playtesting group. i don't have facebook and skype and the like. -
Nov 8, 2011Tom posted a message on About to engage in a huge endeavorthat's quite ambitious.Posted in: Zelderex Blog
who is going to help? sounds like a lot of work for a deck that doesn't seem at all constructed playable (imo, but then again i'm not hugely into T2). the deck seems like if it has it's lord then it's amazing; if not then it's just meh. -
Nov 7, 2011Tom posted a message on Food for Thought: Is 60 Cards Always Optimal?yah, eclipse. if you have a 4-of in a deck, you decrease the chance of drawing one by only 0.1%Posted in: Tom's Blog... Enjoy!
however, if you have less than 4-of a card in a deck, like one or two, the chance of not drawing one is decreased and the 61 cards becomes more relevant. but really, if you run less than 4 of that card in a deck, you obviously don't want that card too often in the first place. -
Nov 6, 2011Tom posted a message on Entry #2 - Wolf Run RUGPosted in: Rocko's Modern Blog
DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards Main Deck
4x lotus cobra
4x tarmogoyf
4x primeval titan
3x snapcaster mage
3x oracle of mul daya
4x lightning bolt
3x mana leak
3x spell snare
3x explore
2x flame slash
2x punishing fire4x scalding tarn
4x misty rainforest
2x steam vents
1x stomping ground
2x breeding pool
2x kessig wolf run
2x inkmoth nexus
2x forest
2x island
2x mountain
2x grove of the burnwillowsSideboard
2x spell pierce
2x punishing fire
3x spellskite
2x flashfreeze
3x engineered explosives
3x relic of progenitus
my list. pretty awesome, and on paper it looks like it can compete with jund/zoo.
pretty awesome deck, man!
looking forward to next blog post! -
Nov 6, 2011Tom posted a message on Food for Thought: Is 60 Cards Always Optimal?but why? seems like jumping to conclusions by just standing by what you have ever known. i'm well aware that it increases your chances of drawing certain cards, and i mostly run 60-card decks myself.Posted in: Tom's Blog... Enjoy!
but if you look at the mathmatics of it, it really does only decrease the chances you draw any particular card that you have 4-of in a deck by 0.1%. using 61 cards you can twist other percentages to your advantage, and if you are smart about it the pros can outweigh the cons. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Though I disagree with Hedron Crab being bad. I run Jund, but have been considering 4 color or trying Sultai just for the crab; it is the most powerful thing you can do on turn 1. Sure its weak and might eat removal, but you could say the same thing about goblin lackey in legacy.. the fact of the matter is that if it sticks, you can get super ahead super fast.
You're playing Jund completely wrong. It's definitely not a "bad jund deck", and "only fast with a god hand". With the list I run, I am consistently unleashing a very large amount of power on turn 2-4. Not an entire army, but VVine + several other creatures on early turns is hard for opponents to stop or race. I've tested against Zoo decks multiple times, and every time they are put on the defensive. That is honestly impressive. It isn't so much as a "bad jund deck" as a "faster yet slightly less consistent zoo deck" (with different matchup skills as well).
The dredge cards are bad, and I don't play a single one. Relic absolutely makes you lose the game when you play the all-in version, and I'd rather not skip draws and miss getting my Varolz or my sideboard cards.
As for getting VVine back... yeah, you hit the nail on the head, you skip so many draws milling your deck that you are left with crap in your hand and it's hard to actually do something unless you can cast a zombie. I run 14 1-drops, and 13 2-drops, so getting VVine back is almost never a problem. Though to properly answer your question, there are a few zombies that can be unearthed (dregscape zombie and rotting rats) but you'd need 2 gravecrawlers in your grave.
I've found Lavamancer to be pretty lackluster in most cases. But I definitely agree with lots of 1-drops... I run 14, and think 6 is far too low. I can hit turn 2/3 Vengevine fairly consistently with my high 1-drop count.
I've said it before, but I think Wayfinder is the much better card. I started with 4 salvage 2 wayfinder, based on a Pizzap list. One of the first changes I made was 4 salvage 4 wayfinder. Since then I went 3 salvage 4 wayfinder, and now I'm on 2 salvage 4 wayfinder. The default card that gets boarded out on game 2? Salvage. It's an ok card, but it's not nearly as aggressive, and it really only shines late-game when you're falling behind.
I agree that Urborg is an great card, and that life-loss can be really bad against burn. But I can't see myself playing 2 because the second is just so awful. What I do to help counter-act life-loss is run the "fastlands", like Copperline and Blackcleave. I run 2 of each but kinda want to raise my count. I also am against running a Mountain in my deck.
EDIT: I guess I ought to point out we are running different lists with different goals... I run BOP and Varolz combo to kill as fast as possible, instead of dredge cards / removal. So maybe stuff like Lavamancer / Salvage works better in your list.
I actually appreciate this comment quite a lot. Thanks, man.
To be fair I haven't done a whole lot of testing yet comparing the delve-men, but just logically (or "on paper" as people call it) I can't see how Tasigur is the best option. I could be completely wrong, I suppose.
So far in what testing I've done, I've run into some situations where I think "well, if this Angler was one less, I could cast it here". But instead I just do something else and save it for a later turn, and that something else is usually just about as powerful in that point of the game. I really like to drop him as one of the last big plays of the game, and the cost is almost a non-factor then.
Running 1-2 vs. 3-4 was never the question. It's simply that of the 3 delve creatures, he seems like the worst. You and I both agree that Mandrills is probably better, and I'm currently testing the Angler.
But as far as I'm concerned, Angler is far more powerful when it's on the board than Tasigur, and since you don't want to play delve cards very early in the game, the extra delve card isn't very relevant.
We'll see where my testing takes me, but at the moment my point is that I don't see any reason to run Tasigur over the other two creatures.
Seer was originally put in because I liked the protection Varolz offered against PtE and Anger the Gods. It's a 1 drop so it's easier to cast which is also relevant to VVine. Sacing also allows you to play gravecrawlers multiple times, so it's extra easy to get out VVines. And in that situation, it's basically pay 1 mana to scry 1, as many times as you like... great for finding what you need. As far as my behavior, that's my way of being assertive and grabbing attention (and lets be honest, that is in no way un-civil). And I find it very ironic when you're the one who just got done saying that people who think Tasigur is bad are "idiots". Like the other guy said you're missing the point, Tasigur might be alright but I can't see him being as good as the other two options.
Not a miscount. I run 4 Birds, 4 Satyr, 4 Faithless Looting. It works; 2 land hands are ideal, and if I have a BOP or Looting, 1 land hands can be totally keepable. I rarely want to see more than 3-4 mana, so I've found this count to work quite nicely.
The current list I'm testing is as follows:
4 Gravecrawler
4 Death's Shadow
2 Viscera Seer
4 Lotleth Troll
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Bloodghast
1 Rotting Rats
3 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
4 Vengevine
1 Gurmag Angler
2 Grisly Salvage
19 Land
Gurmag is for experimental, seeing whether I like it or Mandrills better, or Tasigur I guess.
How is Tasigur better in a late-game top-deck scenario than Angler? With Tasigur you'd probably have to wait a turn and hope your 4 mana gets you somewhere the turn after. With Angler you can immediately bring back Gravecrawlers and Vengevines, assuming you have at least one of each, which hopefully is the case, and is by no means uncommon. Really the only benefit I see in Tasigur is the cost, which doesn't matter if it's late game and you're top-decking. It could matter in the early game, but again, I don't think it's very good to play delve cards in the early game.
Angler and Tasigur have the same toughness, so I suppose you are referring to Tasigur vs. Mandrils... eh, I think trample is better than passing the "seige rhino test", and again I feel that Tasigur's ability is just hideous, there's almost always going to be something I'd rather spend my mana on.
I don't know where you're coming from on asking me to be civil; I modded this section for like a year. I swore once and not in a mean way, for me all swearing is un-starred so it's just another word, and for you it's starred, so...? I guess I can come off as snappy, but that's just my way of being assertive. Sorry, man. I play mafia on this very website, so my language/mood can rub off sometimes I guess.
Back on topic, Desperate Ravings is an interesting choice. I never really liked the random part, but if it's working for you, have you considered burning inquiry? It's card disadvantage, but it could potentially be more powerful, and it also messes with your opponent's plans.
Yes it is one delve card more, which might be harder to achieve in the early game. Except that if you are wrecking your grave to cast these delve-men in the early game, I've found you put yourself more behind than ahead.
I tested a bit with Mandrills and almost never found the trample relevant... If you did take the early game route, trample barely matters, you've got a huge creature. It's like complaining about goyf not having trample. You're beating down and they usually don't want to block... so what if it doesn't have trample. If you play it as one of the last cards in your hand, which I found to be the better route, usually you still have a lot more creatures than them and trample is only relevant sometimes.
If you talk about wanting trample to be more aggressive, I'd argue that having a 5/5 that can bring back gravecrawlers and thus VVines is actually more aggressive than a 4/4 with an ability that is only semi-relevant. I mean hey, they chump your Angler and take 4 from a Vine, or they chump a Vine and take 4 from Mandrills. This is just one of many examples where I find trample to be lackluster.
But again, I'd like to restate that I am not sure about Angler being better than Mandrills.
What I am confident about, is that Angler is better than Tasigur. Tasigur is easily the worst of the 3. If you ever actually use his ability, you're probably dead. And even if you're not, you get a crap card out of your grave. Woo Hoo. A 4/5 body with nothing else going for it is strictly worse than the 4/4 trample you get with Mandrills. And I'll definitely exile another card to get a 5/5 which can bring back Crawlers and VVines consistently, and for much less mana than what Tasigur offers.
I'm going to test with Angler and Mandrills and see, each time I get one, if I wish it were the other. Then hopefully I'll be more confident on which is better. But I'm not going to test with Tasigur, because that would be a waste of my ******* time; as far as I'm concerned people just want to play him because they'd rather have a rare in their deck.
I'm surprised people find him much easier to cast than Gurmag Angler, but I'll take their word for it.
The card is generally not for the first couple turns in the game, so 6 delve instead of 5 is pretty irrelevant. Yet for the extra card, you get more power AND, most importantly, a zombie type. EDIT: To clarify, if you are trying to play one of these delve cards on turn 2/3, you're going to end up losing. Your graveyard is now empty and all your hard work dies to PtE, among other things. EDIT#2: I hope no one tries to act like Tasigur's ability is relevant, because... it's not.
I believe Angler is even better than Mandrills, though I'm not positive. This deck tends to swarm, so trample isn't always that useful unless you have Varolz. It's good, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather have a zombie type so I can easily get my Vengevines back almost every turn, even if my board is empty and Angler is a topdeck.
@deadmarmon: please get a proper avatar, you are messing with MTGS code.
@parasitian: I forgot what kind of list you are running, but in mine (non-dredgers) I've found Satyr to be way better. I'm currently running 4 Satyr, 3 Salvage. I wouldn't go below 2 Salvage, I think, because Salvage does help you when you are falling behind. But as an aggro deck, I'd much rather be playing Satyr as creature 1, and then dropping another creature to bring back some VVines. Having an extra attacker/blocker is also very relevant.
I continue to test with that list and I like Seer, though I do at times wish I had some removal in the Main. But other times I don't, so IDK. I think it's fine how it is but I still need to do more testing.