Indeed. Your help in making these, to say nothing of what you've done for the forum have really been a solid support for us all. We'll miss seeing you in the mod cave.
I'm glad your last mod piece made it to publication though, and that you got to talk about Ephara.
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- bobthefunny
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Member for 13 years and 5 days
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Jan 11, 2015
bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #4 - Engines of CommandPosted in: Articles -
Dec 3, 2014
bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #3 - Welcoming New CommandersYour method of letting players tumble out into their own camps can be a good one when you have enough room to do it. People will naturally gravitate into the games that fit their decks' schedules.Posted in: Articles
In smaller environments where you may only have one or two pods going though, it can be a bit more difficult. Also, you then get problematic players like me who like to play across the entire spectrum.
I also believe that casual environments can provide excellent learning areas, but you have to be careful of it as well. One trap that my own group has been running into now is being too lenient on take-backs. Originally implemented to allow the newer players some freedom of thought and to help them work through what courses of actions to take. It can start to be abused into not fully thinking through a situation. An example being that one player cast Council's Judgment to remove my Commander. The second player voted for another permanent in order to set up a double exile option for player C, and player C then mistakenly selected a third permanent for more exily goodness, at which point I selected one of the other targets for my vote in order to save my Commander. Player C hadn't really thought things through (and I'd also quickly jumped the gun on my own vote, I'll admit), but we ended up rewinding that play so he could properly select his vote.
I find it helps best to properly (and as honestly as possible) represent the board state for newer players. For example, with cards with the Will of The Council, such as Council's Judgment, I find that it helps to explain to newer players what the consequence of their vote will do to the options the next player in line will be able to make. After a while, you can scale back the aid you give to after the play or game is over, that way they can learn from their own choices, but still have the benefit of a different viewpoint.
In one game, my brother should have had lethal on me since he had a pro-black creature, and he was paranoid about a Duplicant in my Chainer deck's graveyard... except that he misplayed having forgotten that Chainer would reanimate it as a black creature and opted to spread his equipments out instead. Since my brother should have known better, that was an observation I made at the end of the game (a few turns later). He has never forgotten it again.
These kinds of interactions though can really help all players improve their own levels of play. -
Nov 8, 2014
bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #3 - Welcoming New CommandersAbsolutely! The greatest way to truly learn anything is to teach it. It really makes you get an in-depth understanding of the subject.Posted in: Articles
I'm glad you enjoyed the article. -
Sep 28, 2014
bobthefunny posted a message on Word of Command #2 - KHAAAAANS!Should have been Corpsejack Menace, I guess.Posted in: Articles
Indeed, much thanks to the entire editorial staff, this wouldn't be possible without them. -
Mar 29, 2012
bobthefunny posted a message on Tibor & LumiaSol Grail, while getting points for being oldschool, has never impressed me in EDH. Here are a few alternatives (some less budget than others):Posted in: Deck Compilation
Coalition Relic - the most expensive of them, but far more useful.
Phyrexian Lens - a bit painful, but may be worth the added color utility
Star Compass - the best budget alternate. Taps for either color we have; CiPT, but costs 1 less, so same net mana gain when played.
Also, do not overlook Fire diamond and Sky diamond
Also, for storm count, do you have a Frantic Search? -
Aug 22, 2011
bobthefunny posted a message on Being a substitute teacher is no substitute to teachingTeachers have been cut, this means there are less teachers that are teaching to get sick; this also means there are more teachers now looking for work, and thereby more substitutes looking for work.Posted in: Stoogeslap Blog
A full time teacher's resume will look better when a school is looking for a sub, so they'll be called in first. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Interesting thread, I'll look through it. The original deck ran burgeoning as it was a faster ramp early game, I unfortunately don't actually have any. The two atlas ' both ramp up on my turn as well, so long as I have lands to drop, and they also help with the glaciers.
As far as the multiples go, you are right, and some copies can be cut, especially for more draw, but right now its for redundancy rather than synergy. 8 copies of each card helps guarantee the deck will get running.
The Paradox Haze is also a very weak link. I included it for flavor, so I would have an "upkeep" section. Adding some card draw, or non-basic land search, to guarantee glaciers/temples may be a quality play, so that the deck gets stripped faster.
The deck also cares very little about basic lands, a few extra Rav Bounces, even in off colors helps generate more virtual land advantage with the atlas'.
4 Burgeoning (+4)
0 Paradox Haze (-3)
3 seedborn muse (-1)
4 expedition map (+4)(crop rotation may be more solid)
2 Deep Analysis (+2)(or concentrate, so long as we're running blue)
4 island (-2)
2 izzet boilerworks (+2)(pick your semi-offcolor of choice)
Read through the list, I find it interesting that someone started the exact same train of thought, step by step, as my playgroup. Although, truth be told, 2 people in my playgroup built the deck on top secret mode, and showed up one night with both of them done and went "wth?"
What I got from it mostly was Consecrated sphinx, mainly for the flavor, and Rhystic Study. The study is probably a solid add, but has a tremendous hate level in my playgroup. I also have no sphinx's, so neither will go into my cut, but both are solid cards to remember for it.
The core idea of the deck is to be able to have an extra turn, during your opponents turn. Seedborn muse untaps your stuff, Sakura tribe scout, walking atlas or burgeoning lets you play lands on their turn, and vedalken orrery lets you play spells. The deck is built for casual, and especially multiplayer, as it gets rather ridiculous the more opponents there are.
I'll only be posting the core of the deck here, as this engine is really just a ridiculous card draw/acceleration engine, and you can pick your finisher of choice for it.
4 seedborn muse
4 awakening - as redundancy, also if your killcon is a tapper...
Upkeep(3):
3 paradox haze - works with awakenings for more fun! Though only for one player...
Draw (8):
4 Minds Eye
4 harmonize
4 walking atlas
4 sakura tribe scout
Play (7):
3 Vedalken Orrery
4 leyline of anticipation - blue may be cheating a bit, but the redundancy for flash is good.
Kill (4): -example (my favorite).
2 sprout swarm - all those tokens can convoke more and more on each untap
2 wurmcalling
3 thawing glaciers - great with untap.
3 deserted temples - more untap!
4 simic growth chamber - since those glaciers are going to bounce anyways...
6 forest
6 island
My version doesn't really need the orrery's, since you can use all the mana to sproutswarm, but emptying out your draws, and dumping extra awakenings and harmonizes on opponents turns to accelerate more mana is always nice.
For a fun twist on the deck, try this:
4 minds eye
4 sakura tribe scout
4 walking atlas
4 vedalken orrery
The muse untaps you as they do. The Minds eye lets you draw a card when they do. The scout/atlas lets you drop lands into play on their turn (alt Burgeoning so you can play a land when they do). Orrery lets you play cards when they do. It's like free timewalks!
Per rules, the votes on Jaya combine, and 2 are cut.
Also, Rix Maadi isn't just for us to have a madness outlet, its also there to rip up the opponents hand. Whether we need 3 for that, or 2 will do, I'm not sure. Just that I'd defend my choice there.
21 Placeholders
3 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace (1 vote to reduce 1)
Enchantments: 4
4 Pyromancy
Sorceries: 13
4 Slice and Dice
4 Dark Withering
2 Volley of Boulders
3 Lightning Surge
2 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage (-1)
4 Reckless Wurm
4 AEther Membrane
3 Pitchstone Wall (2 vote to add 1)
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Fiery Temper
Pairing it with red damage board wipes, like starstorm and chain reaction are great ways to put a target on your head too!
General example: (as I went monogreen, I actually removed your unwinding clocks in prefence to the green untappers, but this is for example only)
4 llanowar elf
4 fyndhorn elf
4 priest of titania
4 elvish archdruid
4 llanowar mentor
4 omnath, locus of mana - backup wincon
4 upwelling - backup
Untap: 8
4 seedborn muse - good defense too
4 awakening - unlike muse, these stack
4 riptide replicator
lands:
20 placeholders
with all of the mana accel and the low cost, 20 lands will be plenty, and may even be more than needed.
This is very rough, and several cards can easily be cut. The llanowar mentors I included for fun, as they will accelerate your mana production by a) making more mana producers, and b) giving more elves for the priests/archdruids, but they are certainly overkill. The upwellings are there for redundancy, but also help your opponent, removing 2 may be a solid play. The replicators themselves can be cut (maybe 2?) since omnath is a solid wincon.
Finding a way to give omnath trample may be a better investment. Play around with it.
Some fun stuff:
paradox haze + awakening = lots of fun, if you choose to go into blue.
If you splash red, toss in some dragon roost. Nothing is more fun than a)winning with a C card, and b) FREAKIN' DARGONS!
explanation: I like that cycle of cards, but it is very mana intensive. We already are paying 3 to pitch whatever we draw, then we have to madness it, then we have stuff to flashback from earlier discards. I think it will be unrealistic to think we'll have 4 left over after all that.
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also one of the votes vs emrakul was dropped. (selvaxri, magnetman) I mentioned earlier that either emrakul or the threshhold had to go. I like the idea of 3: 15 damage, but emrakul makes the deck less fun, and eliminates the flashback aspect too. I'll finish him off with a final vote.
0x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn (-3)
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Don't know how I feel about the Gargadon's. I feel our games won't last 10 turns, and we don't really have much to sacrifice. I guess we can burn out their creatures with pyromancy and sac for the haste for an alpha strike with him, but that may be a bit all-in-ish. I won't vote against yet, rather see how other people feel about him. The 10 on the discard though does seem kinda nice.
21 Placeholders
3 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
Enchantments: 6
4 Pyromancy
2 Planeswalker's Fury (-1)
4 Slice and Dice
4 Dark Withering
2 Volley of Boulders
3 Lightning Surge
4x Jaya Ballard, Task Mage (-1, 1 vote to remove 2)
4x Reckless Wurm
4x AEther Membrane
3x Greater Gargadon
4 Fiery Temper
EDIT: I need some rules clarification: does suggesting a mana base count as a card addition vote (basic lands)? what about non-basics?
EDIT:
Looks like this one was me, we both replied to the same post and I didn't see his until after you fixed it.
I think the drake may work for me, since I'm going to try and add a few more of the free cost creatures.
When acquiring the missing cards, I was surprised at how much money this deck actually wants, All the one drops lulled me into a sense of security, thinking it would dilute the cost down a bit, but the last 10% are real money cards. Especially when you start looking at some of the optional stuff that could go in... if you were made of cash.
-A more solid body at 3/3, in EDH though, this is still considered small.
-Lands go into play: but since you already have green, your ramp should be fine. I do like that it keeps lands from cluttering your hand though.
-Vigilance: This is where I start to like this guy, the 3/3 part means that sticking an equipment makes him a decent beater to start fooling around with, as well as his innate ability.
Overall, I'm not terribly sold on the 6 tri-color cost, but he seems to be a solid low-threatening card that gives advantage.
So, I'm starting to assemble the deck, and I found a few other potentials in my boxes that need to have their drawbacks examined.
thought nibbler - early game a 1 flyer for 1, but he drops you to a 5 handsize. I don't see this as an issue in the first few turns since you're dropping weenies like crazy, and i wonder as to the impact late. Most of what you play is from the 12 billion cards you draw on the attack, in the second main. How harsh is holding only 5 cards of extra turn / counters?
shrieking drake - 1 flyer for 1, but need to bounce a creature. This means at worst he matches a 1/1 flyer for 2, and with a memnite/other free creature he's a 1 drop, though that might be rare. (or late, lose a saproling token to get evasion?).
deeptread merrow - rogue?
phantasmal mount - can give edric flying for the rogue hit, else is a 1/1 flyer for 2.
The Compleat Strategist has casual magic on Wednesday nights. We've mainly taken it over for EDH, and it gives a nice change of pace from the typical Friday Night stuff. We play rather casual, tend to frown on mass LD but it still happens strategically, tend to frown on infinite combos, but they still happen accidentally/occasionally. Decks are at varying power levels.
Curse me and my tendency to search Gatherer.
We're also missing a great red card when looking at discard.
voice of the woods
Those that require a mana cost only require a llanowar elf to go with it.
Also, not infinite, but a common combo was: anything that gives you cards when you play stuff. I have an elf deck that runs glimpse of nature and Recycle. You can routinely play out the entire deck by turn 3, occasionally on turn 2. It's all mana producing elves, and you just cycle through the entire deck. ((edit: The deck is not Modern, its being used as an example of alternates to simply doing infinite with intruder alarm))
Other things to do with intruder alarm involve creatures that can bounce themselves, and creatures that tap for mana for infinite mana.
Eg: Wirewood Channeler + Shrieking drake
I'd hold off on the damnation, since we're already looking at a heavy investment in red (Volley). Double black isn't a hard investment to make, but it may slow down a little bit. Although, we can toss in cheap duals like the tainteds to help remedy this.
I think eventually we may need to make a choice between lightning surge(thresh hold mechanics) and Emrakul.
We may also want to look at some card advantage of some sort?
I suggest Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace. I don't think we want 4 copies, as they eat up a fair amount of mana to use, so I'll add 3.
21 Placeholders
3 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
4 Pyromancy
4 Slice and Dice
4 Dark Withering
Edit: Other than the theme of mass discard, the reason I forsee hellbent potentially playing a role is that being able to drop to a 1 card hand makes the pyromancy a bit easier to focus. Rix can help by tossing a cheap madness card out, then pyromancy for the pain.