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  • posted a message on [Q+A] Lands for Solar Flare
    Hmm... I might try out moving the ghosts mb for a swamp to make my deck 61 cards, it'd give me a bit more room in the sb.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on People who say Magic is a "waste"
    When people say MTG is a childish game I like to tell them it was designed by a mathematics professor at Penn and remind them that the games they play were probably made by people with a college or professional degree.
    Posted in: Magic General
  • posted a message on [General] An Aggressive Take on Solar Flare [Yadobo Flare ^_^]
    I guess my wording was a bit contradicting with the usage of Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer. Before we continue further discussion it should be noted I run 0 Snapcasters and 0 Lilianas. This is both for budget and, after playing my deck thoroughly, not needing them. I also lack a Wurmcoil; however this is a card I want against RDW, its just a factor of it being 25$.

    Since I find it hard to structure an argument about cards without context I'm gonna try and explain my card choices in my list.



    This is the list I'm currently running and have gone 2-1 in all the matches I've played at FNM. The only thing I'm really working on is debating on adding an extra land.

    DRAW:
    Fobidden Alchemy, and Ponder are slowly becoming the staple draw cards for Solar Flare. And it seems that we both agree on this. Gitaxian Probe is in for several reasons: There are a decent number of rogue decks (4-5) in my meta, and it helps scout out t1 to see what they can play. It also enables me to see if I can safely play my Mirran Crussader or Blade Splicer earlier. This is probably what I should have mention earlier when talking about being either aggressive or waiting a few turns. 3rd Gitaxian Probe in sb is for heavy control, to scout out counters; and fast aggro, to see the big threats and draw faster.

    REMOVAL:
    Doom Blade and Go for the Throat: WRR is annoying in my meta and there aren't that many UB Control or MBI in my meta so a split towards Doom Blade seems ideal. Side board allows me to split towards the more favorable one game 2. Oblivion Ring handles any annoying permanents such as Orings, Planeswalkers, Titans, Enchantments, and Shrines.

    COUNTERS:
    3 - 2 split of Mana Leak and Dissipate. Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer eat removal and early game creatures, so Mana Leak against aggro isn't as necessary. Instead Dissipate is needed against WRR.

    CREATURES:
    Standard Elesh Norn since my meta does have tokens and UW Hummans. Sun Titan and Phantasmal Image package since it really puts pressure, and Phantasmal Image is the cheapest way to remove Thrun against WRR decks. Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer are there to chump block early game and provide late game pressure when recurred by Sun Titan. I actually love it when my opponent wastes removal on them since it means less burn against me or less removal for my titans. Grave Titan is in the sb against control decks since its less susceptible to removal and works great with Phantasmal Image.

    In total, there is one major difference between my list and yours. The usage of Phantasmal Image over Snapcaster Mage. From that it fuels the rest of my decisions to run Sun Titan over Consecrated Sphinx and Grave Titan. And from there the use of Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer to increase the recur targets for Sun Titan.

    Reason for Phantasmal Image:
    It acts as a chump blocker in a cinch especially against RDW and their Pheonix, I copy and crash to delay them a turn and then I can either draw into a counter or better removal and then late game I drop Sun Titan to recur. It acts as legendary removal against both Thrun and Geist without me needing to whipe my board, and again I can recur it later for more pressure. I can also copy a Mirran Crusader or a Blade Splicer to either put on more pressure or delay the game longer while I search for an adequate response. And I can copy Elesh Norn for double the fun!Tongue A really big thing is that I can also copy the titan they just dropped for cheap (This is really fun when I'm somewhat short on the right mana and they drop a Primeval Titan). I've also used this to copy Birds, Emissaries, Sad Face Robots, Heros, Snapcasters, etc. To me this card is the embodiment of control in Standard; its the most efficient card in my deck and allows me to alter the board state so easily.

    @NoobOrPro: Geist is an interesting card idea; however I have a few problems with it. Its a legendary, it means I can't target it with my Phantasmal Image and any I draw into past the first one are useless. And he's decent, but is kinda bad without AD or a blade. Unlike Crusader he's a 2/2 so at best he'll trade with some of UW Aggro's creatures and at worst he dies to their Crusader. He is also pretty much only focused to aggro and that doesn't quite work out in a control deck, no matter how aggressive it might try to be. It might work out though since he does evade removal and can swing for 6.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [Q+A] Lands for Solar Flare
    How have the mb Ghost Quarters been for you? I have 2 in the sb and am curious on how you changed your mana base to accommodate the two colorless sources.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [Q+A] Lands for Solar Flare


    Never listen to anyone suggesting you to run more than 2 of the tap lands; they don't know what they're talking about.
    My mana base is extremely budgeted, and if I could have my way I'd probably have a play set of Isolated Chapel and switch some swamps over to Plains or Islands. As it stands right now I'm really considering running 61 cards mb for that 25th land.

    No budget discussion allowed outside of the designated thread. Warning issued.
    -Sene
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [General] An Aggressive Take on Solar Flare [Yadobo Flare ^_^]
    Elesh should still be in the sb at least.

    I have to highly disagree with your choice to use dismember. Its a terrible card in this deck. The fact that it can t1 kill is worthless since t2 we have doomblade. Not to mention in order to use it t1 we have to pay 4 life. In an aggro heavy environment losing 4 life early game is probably the worst thing you can do. In its place you can take a page from UB Control and use Wring Flesh.

    I also have a slight problem with how you list the cards. Rarely do I play Mirran Crusader or Blade Splicer t3, unless I know they're down mana. To many dangerous things happen at the 4 to 5 cmc slot (Koth, Acidic Slime, Hero, Elspeth, etc). Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer provide a way to stall the game, something Solar Flare needs, while also being cheap enough that we can easily leave mana open for something.

    Also t2 and t3 need to be only played with instants. Its where the most annoying cards come into play (Shrine, Pheonix, Emissary, etc) that control lacks decent removal for.

    Another problem with your list: Its no longer aggressive, and this is a thread for an aggressive form of Solar Flare, and not just a general solar flare thread. However, beyond that, a passive form of control is just not feasible in the current meta. The amount of variability between meta lists is to large for a control deck to manage, and they all (other meta decks) usually manage to find a kill by turn 6 or 7. This is why UB Control and Grixis Control didn't do well, they just don't have consistent answers and they cant drop threats early to put pressure back on the opponent.

    However Solar Flare can survive because it has access to the 2nd most aggressive color in Standard currently: White. White gives us access to both removal in the form of Oblivion Ring and DoJ while also opening us up to running more aggressive creatures such as Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer. Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer enable us to put pressure back on them. And yes there is a lot of removal floating around; however if they play removal against him, it means less burn on us, and slows them down. Also the protection isn't his most amazing factor. Its the fact he is sitting at 3cmc, is a 2/2, and has double strike. These things alone make him a great card that just kills aggro until they can respond. The double strike also makes him one of the strongest finishers when combined with Elesh, and even without Elesh he puts them on a five turn clock. That being said RDW is definitely not the deck you want to run Mirran Crusader against, just because of their massive amounts of removal, instead you put in Timely.

    Control in the current standard needs to be played more as a tempo/pressure control; threatening more than playing.

    EDIT: Also to further the case for the inclusion of Mirran Crusader: If he wasn't a good meta card, would 3-4 different meta decks run him? He's a good card, even when he eats removal. He also adds an aggressive target that Sun Titan doesn't have.

    -----

    Ok, after thinking more about it I think it comes down to what your run in the way of finishers. Mirran Crusader and Blade Splicer add to a semi-decent Sun Titan package that consists of: Liliana, Phantasmal, Oring, and Land. It allows Sun Titan to be either aggressive or defensive just by changing what you recur. I feel that this variability is needed in order to be able to work against the current meta.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [General] An Aggressive Take on Solar Flare [Yadobo Flare ^_^]
    A fliped delver is great, but when it stays as a 1/1 its a bad card that dies to a lot more removal than Mirran Crusader does. I've tried a UR tempo deck that had about 30 instants and sorceries and it still didn't consistently flip Delver. There might be potential with the Delver, but I feel its doesn't quite fit in this deck.

    Another thing to consider is sb Divine Offering, Wring Flesh or Doom Blade, both cards have uses beyond the occasional inkmoth (swords, mana dorks, tempered steel), while also supplying life.

    Pure control is just not viable in standard right now, as seen with the downfall of UB Control. The reason why Solar Flare has managed to last so long is that it can be proactive with its threats. And Mirran Crusader fills this spot nicely, it puts major pressure on Kessig where their main kill spells are green.

    Another idea is the usage of Phyrexian Crusader. With UB Control falling out most decks have either W or R as their main kill spells. This'll help shore up the MU against RDW which I feel is really bad right now and support a more black focus for RSD.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [General] An Aggressive Take on Solar Flare [Yadobo Flare ^_^]
    I'm not sure if Delver is really supportable with this deck. Firstly its standard and the absence of a decent cantrip like brainstorm lowers the chance of it fliping. And then depending on what lists you play you don't have that many instants and sorceries. It might be doable, but Delver just dies to more than what the Mirran dies to and is weaker by 1 power.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [SCD] Ponder
    I run only 3 kill spells mb, opting for a 3Mirran/2Splicer Yadabo package against aggro. I'll try the ponders out, but it seems like I'd end up loosing a lot against control. It probably doesn't help that I have no Sphinxes in my list either.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [SCD] Ponder
    I think the bigger question is how many snapcasters do you run to support your preordains?
    I have no snapcasters so I'm somewhat leery of giving up the CA from Think Twice. Then again the only MU that'd be important in is control and I haven't really played against that many.

    If anything it provides a potential t1 play against Reckless Waif.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [Official - Solar Flare] Decklists thread


    I feel pretty good about the creature composition, but I feel like I need at least 1 more land to smooth things out more; however I have no idea what to take out.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on [General] An Aggressive Take on Solar Flare [Yadobo Flare ^_^]
    Phyrexian Crusader in the sb?
    It'd be a bit of a pain to get the mana base just right, but switching between Mirran and Phyrexian depending on the MU would be immensely helpful. I think maybe a 2/2 split mb and sb and then dedicating to one or the other g2 would help this list have more answers against other meta decks.
    With this the deck might end up shifting to just trying to get one of the crusaders to stick long enough to win, and I'm not sure if that would just no longer match the "idea" of solar flare.

    I also chose to do a 2/2 split of DoJ and Timely with 1/1 in the sb. This is primarily due to my meta being very aggro heavy (last FNM I only played 1 non aggro deck in 4 rounds this was same for both of my three friends who also went, they played aggro and I didn't play any of them).

    Another interesting card is Gut Shot. Its a great "free" removal spell against birds, inkmoths, waifs, etc. I'm actually stealing this idea from the person who won our FNM, he ran a UW Aggro with Gut Shot in sb. It'll enable this deck to have something even if we tap out and can serve to get in that last point of dmg for the win.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • posted a message on Hullo!
    Obligatory introduction thread...










    Started playing MTG during Mirroden and Kamigawa, then stopped for a bit. Just recently picked it up again in highschool where I've finally found some other people who play. I like to play standard and classic pauper.
    Posted in: Introduce Yourself
  • posted a message on Stalker Mill
    This is my WUB take on a mill deck based around equipping Sword of Body and Mind to Invisible Stalker. Currently all the cards have mostly been decided on; only really considering Curiosity or Visions of Beyond as a replacement for Ponder and maybe trying to fit in some Spellskites in case my meta ends up being full of artifact hate.




    Invisible Stalker & Tormented Soul: This is the heart of the deck, in order to put on the pressure you need to be able to swing freely. That being said casting this t1 or t2 also leads to the best play possible for this deck.

    Mirran Crusader: Because milling 20 cards is insanely fun, and I needed some more creatures as targets for Sword of Body and Mind in order to improve the consistency. Some problems with this card is that it's cmc slows the deck down if you didn't cast a t1 or t2 Invisible Stalker or Tormented Soul.

    Undead Alchemist: This adds a bit of extra pressure on the opponent. Only has to be on the field for 1 swing of the sword so protecting it from things like Shock isn't an issue. The deck can also function just fine without it; this card is merely icing on the cake.


    Dismember: Creature removal for 1 and 4 life? Yes please. The hit you take on life shouldn't be a problem with Timely Reinforcements This lets you tap out more in order to equip the swords and cast the proper creatures without worrying about any potential t5 bombs; past t5 you'll have mana open for Mana Leak to stave off any serious threats.

    Mana Leak: Kind of an obvious add in when running blue this card lets us stop the opponent from casting the ONLY thing that can ruin our day: boardwipes.

    Oblivion Ring: Because planeswalkers are really annoying to deal with along with any other potentially dangerous bombs that are out of reach of Dismember.

    Timely Reinforcements: This lessens the hit we take using Dismember and provides a way to stall the opponent while we whittle away their deck.

    Distress: Sniff out those boardwipes before they hit the field, counters that could ruin our day, artifact kill spells, or anything that could prove to be dangerous.

    Optimal Play
    t1: Swamp; Cast Tormented Soul
    t2: Island; Cast Invisible Stalker; swing with TS
    t3: Land; Cast Sword of Body and Mind; swing with TS and IS
    t4: Land; Equip SoBaM to IS; Cast Distress and nab their boardwipe; swing with TS and IS (mill 10; + 2/2 wolf token)
    t5: Land; Cast Mirran Crusader; Equip SoBaM to IS; swing with all; (mill 10; + 2/2 wolf tokens)
    t6: Land; Cast another SoBaM; equip both SoBaM to MC; swing with all; (mill 40; +4 2/2 wolf tokens)

    So yeah, t6 win for mill and it isn't that hard to do. And even if you can't win through mill (Elixir of Immortality) all those tokens you're making will kill the opponent eventually.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
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