"Creature gets better" is the theme of this format, and I don't think Tromper does it particularly well. I rate it as curve-filler, personally, like Ms. Staunchy in a non-Heroic/Cavalry Pegasus deck.
Seriously, though, does no one else think this pick is between Insight and Unravel? I haven't played enough to see if I'm way off base here, but sideways-Naturalize that disrupts Scry seems good in this format. Also, I like having an answer to the Gods in my decks.
The card gets exponentially better, it doesn't increase its P/T exponentially. The difference between a 3/3 and a 4/4 in this format is huge. Also, this card does a fine job of getting better because it doesn't require any other cards to make it happen as opposed to Heroic creatures
There are other cards that deal with Gods. Not to mention that Gods are mythic so you're not going to see them very often, and the only ones that are really scary without being activated are Phenax, Mogis, and Thassa. The rest can be played around or ignored for the most part. Passing on two solid playables for a sideboard card with a replaceable effect isn't something I want to do here
Wait, this isn't an almost unanimous Oracle's Insight? Do people see the Tromper as more than a Hill Giant with a relatively minor upside or something? The card is fine, but it's not a raw card advantage engine in an open color that basically wins the game if not handled in 2 turns.
Tromper is a good deal better than Hill Giant. If it untaps once it becomes exponentially better and if it untaps twice it becomes terrifying. It's not hard to profitably attack with a 3/3 on turn 5 in this format, especially if you're holding a combat trick. Insight does come online a turn sooner and is more powerful, but it also leaves you vulnerable to a 2-for-1. Both cards can take over games if left unanswered. Insight probably gets the nod because activating it is unconditional
I would have probably picked the Insight, but I didn't see it in the pack when I submitted my post and don't feel like editing it. I don't think it's a snap pick though
Lol. I didn't recommend arbiter at all. I just noted that you don't need some kind of drum silliness. You either use it and are happy with what you've got or you don't because its a subpar choice. I tend to evaluate cards through a number of scenarios. While you don't just look at magical christmasland, you don't want to ignore the possibility of it either. Ex, you could have no hand and a measly field. Prophet of kruphix must be bad, being a 2/3 for 5 that will probably die. Obviously not true.
Prophet is bad with no cards in your hand, I'll agree with that. Honestly, if the entire deck wasn't built around her, she would be unplayable. I guess there are exceptions to the worst case scenario rule.
Unlike the last pack, Pheres-Band Tromper seems like the obvious pick here over some sideboard stuff. Deepwater Hypnotist is worth considering since we're heavier into blue, but I'm really not a fan of that card. It's a good play on turn 2 in an aggressive deck, but it loses value very quickly after that. It does go into both UG and UR, but it's probably never going to be a card I'm happy to run. Tromper is a solid playable. Not exciting, but at least average
While this is a good signal, after this we get the last half of a pack of BNG, and then it's on to hope-for-Lightning Strike land. I'm hesitant to go into red here because I don't think odds are good that we'll end up with a fistful of good red. That said, our current pile isn't screaming for a Tromper, either. I'll take the Fall but put it to the side and think to splash it, for now.
3 of the best 4 cards in the pack are red. It actually seems pretty possible, if not probable, that we will end up with a bunch of good red.
That reminds me - who are we drafting "against" - is it some site that does AI-drafting I assume?
That's my question. Reading signals from an AI opponent will get you nowhere
Having said all of that, Fall of the Hammer is obviously the best card in the pack. Tromper is the best on-color card, but it's still not very good. I evaluate it as a Hill Giant with upside if I'm already ahead which means it's a mid-late pick. It's fine, but FotH is leaps and bounds better
Your heroic suggestions should work just fine - hidden strings gives them unlimited triggers. However, the opportunity idea requires two charlatans in play for it to work.
You have to cast a spell for heroic to trigger. Copies of spells don't count.
I'm all for janky combos, and this may be the jankiest one yet. I wonder if I can shoehorn into the 2x Kiora's Follower + Illusionist's Bracers combo deck to make one huge janky mess of combos? Nykthos and Codex Shredder/Razortip Whip both work in that deck. Hell, I might throw Biovisionary + Fated Infatuation in there for extra lols
While I don't think that arbiter of the ideal would be ideal, I wouldn't fail to mention that you can flash it in eot with prophet of Kruphix, swing, and get the first trigger as they untap for the first time since playing you it. As its during untap, they won't really be able to stop the trigger unless they already could the turn before.
Always evaluate cards with the worst-case scenario in mind. On its own, Arbiter seems just plain worse than Prognostic Sphinx.
If we have a Prophet out and it survives for two turn cycles, then we should be winning anyway. At six mana, I can't imagine when Arbiter is ever going to be a better option than AEtherling short of your opponent having Pithing Needle naming it
Okay, so GP Melbourne is this weekend along with BNG Game Day. This is my current deck; thoughts? I'm running a single abrupt decay main board since all major decks have at least one good target: Domri, Mistcutter, Pack Rat, Spectre, Bident, Spear, Banisher Priest, Brimaz, Detention Sphere, etc. I have 11/23 lands CIPT/shock, so I don't think ramp in 1 and 2 drop is essential: scry/shock T1, follower/caryatid T2, courser & scry T3. Also allows to ramp into courser T3 prior to playing a land then trying to play a land off the top once the courser is on the table. Mystic/Courser/Planeswalker/Prophet would be nice though. (I ran 3/3/3/3 mystic/follower/caryatid/courser at FNM and it seemed ok, but I'm looking to pump the overall power upwards from that a little.)
I really like this list, probably because it closely resembles mine
I think the black splash gives us a whole lot and doesn't really cost us anything since we want to have extra scrylands. Golgari Charm has been huge for me out of the board and having access to Abrupt Decay is always good
I also like cutting Elvish Mystic. While this is essentially a ramp deck, we don't need to ramp turn 1. The only line of play where Mystic is important is if you want to go T1 Mystic, T2 Courser, T3 Kiora. That's a backbreaking line (unless they are packing Hero's Downfall), but it's something the deck can live without
DiD in the board is really interesting as it is very good in the matchups where Bounty really isn't. I'm going to try that one.
...it's true. Decks with the card: UWR Delver, merfolk, BUG Delver, and RUG Delver. Miracles doesn't want it. Shardless BUG doesn't want it. Basically the card belongs in tempo decks and nothing else.
I know, that was my point. Pretty much every tempo deck in the format runs it
If you're running a list that abuses kalonian hydra, mistcutter hydra , etc. bioshift should probably be included. You can use it as a combat trick after blocks are declared, and as a response to spot removal.
bioshift for some reason will not tag in the above sentence
Wow, I don't know how I over looked that. Maybe splash black and run corpsejack menace instead of mistcutter? That would be a totally different kind of deck though.
One of the more common last picks in Born of the Gods for good reason
This card is extremely difficult to get value out of. The vast majority of the time, you're going to be fogging one of their creatures or letting one of your creatures kill one of theirs (which pretty much any other combat trick can do regularly) and that's pretty much the extent of its upside. I'd rather take Mortal's Ardor or even Mortal's Resolve
A toss-up, like everyone else. I'm inclined to take Retraction Helix, but couldn't fault taking Nullify.
The problem with taking Nullify is that if we get passed another one (not entirely unlikely), then this pick is a bust because I really don't want to run two copies of Nullify if I don't have to. However, if we take the Helix and get passed another one, I am just fine snapping up both.
Reap is the best card in the pack, but being two off-colors makes it not worth considering. I'm really not liking that Servant of Tymaret over Pheres-Band Raiders pick now
Nyxborn Wolf is probably the best option. There's nothing in our colors, and UG and BG are both solid color combos in BTT. Sadly, I don't think we're going to get anything decent on the wheel except perhaps Necrobite which is a fine combat trick
The card gets exponentially better, it doesn't increase its P/T exponentially. The difference between a 3/3 and a 4/4 in this format is huge. Also, this card does a fine job of getting better because it doesn't require any other cards to make it happen as opposed to Heroic creatures
There are other cards that deal with Gods. Not to mention that Gods are mythic so you're not going to see them very often, and the only ones that are really scary without being activated are Phenax, Mogis, and Thassa. The rest can be played around or ignored for the most part. Passing on two solid playables for a sideboard card with a replaceable effect isn't something I want to do here
Tromper is a good deal better than Hill Giant. If it untaps once it becomes exponentially better and if it untaps twice it becomes terrifying. It's not hard to profitably attack with a 3/3 on turn 5 in this format, especially if you're holding a combat trick. Insight does come online a turn sooner and is more powerful, but it also leaves you vulnerable to a 2-for-1. Both cards can take over games if left unanswered. Insight probably gets the nod because activating it is unconditional
I would have probably picked the Insight, but I didn't see it in the pack when I submitted my post and don't feel like editing it. I don't think it's a snap pick though
Prophet is bad with no cards in your hand, I'll agree with that. Honestly, if the entire deck wasn't built around her, she would be unplayable. I guess there are exceptions to the worst case scenario rule.
That's my question. Reading signals from an AI opponent will get you nowhere
Having said all of that, Fall of the Hammer is obviously the best card in the pack. Tromper is the best on-color card, but it's still not very good. I evaluate it as a Hill Giant with upside if I'm already ahead which means it's a mid-late pick. It's fine, but FotH is leaps and bounds better
You have to cast a spell for heroic to trigger. Copies of spells don't count.
I'm all for janky combos, and this may be the jankiest one yet. I wonder if I can shoehorn into the 2x Kiora's Follower + Illusionist's Bracers combo deck to make one huge janky mess of combos? Nykthos and Codex Shredder/Razortip Whip both work in that deck. Hell, I might throw Biovisionary + Fated Infatuation in there for extra lols
Always evaluate cards with the worst-case scenario in mind. On its own, Arbiter seems just plain worse than Prognostic Sphinx.
If we have a Prophet out and it survives for two turn cycles, then we should be winning anyway. At six mana, I can't imagine when Arbiter is ever going to be a better option than AEtherling short of your opponent having Pithing Needle naming it
I really like this list, probably because it closely resembles mine
I think the black splash gives us a whole lot and doesn't really cost us anything since we want to have extra scrylands. Golgari Charm has been huge for me out of the board and having access to Abrupt Decay is always good
I also like cutting Elvish Mystic. While this is essentially a ramp deck, we don't need to ramp turn 1. The only line of play where Mystic is important is if you want to go T1 Mystic, T2 Courser, T3 Kiora. That's a backbreaking line (unless they are packing Hero's Downfall), but it's something the deck can live without
DiD in the board is really interesting as it is very good in the matchups where Bounty really isn't. I'm going to try that one.
I know, that was my point. Pretty much every tempo deck in the format runs it
Seems pretty janky
Correct. Bioshift says "target" for both sides of the effect, so you can't use either side of it on the Hydra
Bears with upside aren't good in limited? Since when?
Sun Guide has won me quite a few games
This card is extremely difficult to get value out of. The vast majority of the time, you're going to be fogging one of their creatures or letting one of your creatures kill one of theirs (which pretty much any other combat trick can do regularly) and that's pretty much the extent of its upside. I'd rather take Mortal's Ardor or even Mortal's Resolve
The problem with taking Nullify is that if we get passed another one (not entirely unlikely), then this pick is a bust because I really don't want to run two copies of Nullify if I don't have to. However, if we take the Helix and get passed another one, I am just fine snapping up both.
Nyxborn Wolf is probably the best option. There's nothing in our colors, and UG and BG are both solid color combos in BTT. Sadly, I don't think we're going to get anything decent on the wheel except perhaps Necrobite which is a fine combat trick
Huh?