Even buying Singles, From new in print sets helps the process, It adds value to a set, This either a) makes standard cheaper to play since value has shifted to the modern friendly card or b) makes seller buy more packs to acomidate demand for the card.
Not to any significant degree. You're talking pennies on the dollar here. It doesn't solve anything at that level.
Looking at my list, it almost seems like it would be easier to fit Harsh Mentor into the main than the sideboard. I run 10 one drops currently, so cutting two of those and going down to 2 Kari Zev instead of three would net 3 Mentors, with maybe a 4th in the SB.
A few random cards doesn't make it worthwhile for a Modern player to buy packs/boxes of Standard sets. A few random cards does little to make my Standard collection worthwhile when transitioning to modern.
Yes there is Modern Masters, but at the price they charge for it I think it's a sucker's play compared to buying singles.
1. Modern players don't buy sealed product
2. The cardbase for Modern is now so deep that new sets produce zero to few cards relevant in modern, especially when the sets are on the weak side like they have been for a while
3. Given #2, drafting or playing Standard transfers almost no value towards playing Modern
4. Playing non/less-competitive Modern can be less expensive than playing Standard, and transfers more value towards playing competitive Modern
5. Playing competitive Modern, which IMO involves the ability to play more than one deck, is a 4 figure investment minimum given that competitive decks start at $600. Given this expense, it's hard to also afford Standard given there is little overlap.
Falkenrath Gorger is always a 2 power threat no matter what, but nothing more. Bomat Courier is the weakest attacker but can steal games if you can get 3-4 cards out of its ability. Village Messenger is the most unreliable but strong vs decks with few early plays. Soul-Scar Mage is the hardest to kill, can block real creatures combined with instant burn, lets you kill Hazoret in the mirror.
My meta is heavy on control and gimmick decks, somewhat light on the mirror, and Zombies are a threat. I'm running 10 1-drops for all the control. I like Soul-Scar Mage for Zombies and the mirror, I'm considering a 4th. I have a 4th Hazoret, but that's a judgement call IMO between more consistency or more nut draws. I want two Scavenger Grounds maindeck as I'm not running Incendiary Flow or Magma Spray anywhere. I went to 3 Sunscorched Desert to be able to run 2 Sea Gate Wreckage after sideboard since Im expecting a lot of grindy matchups . My burn package stresses instant speed and not being completely dead cards vs control(Shock can be directed at the face if nothing else). Collective Defiance isn't an instant, but I want at least 4 cards main deck that can kill Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet or Hazoret. Sideboard is heavy on Zombie hate, thinking I'm likely to leave the Soul-Scars in vs Zombies.
Lost two matches to Zombies. When you play red and get a less than ideal draw against Zombies, they can flood the board with creatures and get ahead to the point where you can't catch up. Considering putting Sweltering Suns in the SB.
One could run Cut/Ribbons instead of Collective Defiance. It's less versatile but does the main thing Collective Defiance does for 1R.
Also, I'm running this on Sunday and was wondering if somebody could explain the sideboard plan against things like U/R control, Temur Energy, and some of the lower tier decks.
1. Casual to me means no format. I'm a casual player more than anything because I don't care for formats.
2. Necropotence is an unfriendly card, I'll give you that. I have a Necro deck, and how I deal with that in friendly play is to carry a toolbox with 38 decks in it and if the Necro deck is being too unfriendly I put it away and grab another deck.
3. Necro being banned in most formats was mostly because of its role in combo decks like Trix, not casual jank or even vanilla aggro like mine.
With the sac outlets and Ranumap Excavator I prefer Dunes of the Dead. The original Desert is strong, but I'm hesitant to add more colorless mana to this deck. I was running Sand Stranglers in an earlier version of this deck, but swapped them for Flametongue Kavu which has more synergy with Rhonas and the Hammer.
I'm somewhat higher on Gilded Cerodon because it really overperformed at the Prerelease, especially in multiples, and unlike there I can take having deserts for granted. It has synergy with the Hammer, as it's a nasty trick when you can attack with haste and they don't see it coming. It also turns on Rhonas where Sand Strangler does not. That being said, it is still probably the weakest card in the deck, and I have 4 other 5-drops. What the deck does lack in my mind is a high end payoff. I've been wondering if Rampaging Baloths could be squeezed into this. If Gilded Cerodon is the weak link, maybe a trade for 2 Rampaging Baloths, 1 Dune Diviner, and a 4th Flametongue would be in order.
Yes there is Modern Masters, but at the price they charge for it I think it's a sucker's play compared to buying singles.
1. Modern players don't buy sealed product
2. The cardbase for Modern is now so deep that new sets produce zero to few cards relevant in modern, especially when the sets are on the weak side like they have been for a while
3. Given #2, drafting or playing Standard transfers almost no value towards playing Modern
4. Playing non/less-competitive Modern can be less expensive than playing Standard, and transfers more value towards playing competitive Modern
5. Playing competitive Modern, which IMO involves the ability to play more than one deck, is a 4 figure investment minimum given that competitive decks start at $600. Given this expense, it's hard to also afford Standard given there is little overlap.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Bomat Courier is the weakest attacker but can steal games if you can get 3-4 cards out of its ability.
Village Messenger is the most unreliable but strong vs decks with few early plays.
Soul-Scar Mage is the hardest to kill, can block real creatures combined with instant burn, lets you kill Hazoret in the mirror.
I haven't found it necessary yet. There are a lot of strong cards against control already present.
4 Bomat Courier
3 Falkenrath Gorger
3 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Earthshaker Khenra
3 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
3 Hazoret the Fervent
Spells:12
4 Shock
4 Abrade
2 Collective Defiance
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
14 Mountain
4 Ramunap Ruins
2 Scavenger Grounds
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
3 Sunscorched Desert
2 Pia Nalaar
4 Glorybringer
2 Chandra's Defeat
1 Cut // Ribbons
3 Sweltering Suns
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
My meta is heavy on control and gimmick decks, somewhat light on the mirror, and Zombies are a threat. I'm running 10 1-drops for all the control. I like Soul-Scar Mage for Zombies and the mirror, I'm considering a 4th. I have a 4th Hazoret, but that's a judgement call IMO between more consistency or more nut draws. I want two Scavenger Grounds maindeck as I'm not running Incendiary Flow or Magma Spray anywhere. I went to 3 Sunscorched Desert to be able to run 2 Sea Gate Wreckage after sideboard since Im expecting a lot of grindy matchups . My burn package stresses instant speed and not being completely dead cards vs control(Shock can be directed at the face if nothing else). Collective Defiance isn't an instant, but I want at least 4 cards main deck that can kill Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet or Hazoret. Sideboard is heavy on Zombie hate, thinking I'm likely to leave the Soul-Scars in vs Zombies.
Also, I'm running this on Sunday and was wondering if somebody could explain the sideboard plan against things like U/R control, Temur Energy, and some of the lower tier decks.
2. Necropotence is an unfriendly card, I'll give you that. I have a Necro deck, and how I deal with that in friendly play is to carry a toolbox with 38 decks in it and if the Necro deck is being too unfriendly I put it away and grab another deck.
3. Necro being banned in most formats was mostly because of its role in combo decks like Trix, not casual jank or even vanilla aggro like mine.
In particular, using Dunes of the Dead to get more value out of sacrificing lands and putting them back into play with Ramunap Excavator.
Here is what I run:
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Dauthi Slayer
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Gifted Aetherborn
4 Hypnotic Specter
3 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Zuran Orb
4 Dark Ritual
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Necropotence
4 Tendrils of Corruption
20 Swamp
If I don't draw Necro, I'm a generic aggro deck. If I do draw Necro, I usually just flood the board and wait for Gary.
I'm somewhat higher on Gilded Cerodon because it really overperformed at the Prerelease, especially in multiples, and unlike there I can take having deserts for granted. It has synergy with the Hammer, as it's a nasty trick when you can attack with haste and they don't see it coming. It also turns on Rhonas where Sand Strangler does not. That being said, it is still probably the weakest card in the deck, and I have 4 other 5-drops. What the deck does lack in my mind is a high end payoff. I've been wondering if Rampaging Baloths could be squeezed into this. If Gilded Cerodon is the weak link, maybe a trade for 2 Rampaging Baloths, 1 Dune Diviner, and a 4th Flametongue would be in order.