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Magic: the GAFering |OT2|

Never was a serious Magic player, and I haven't played since like Odyssey or Mirrodin or whatever. Old friend of mine wanted to learn how to play so I bought a few packs this week. He insisted on playing black, so I picked my second favorite color, white. And the last pack I opened this week had an Archangel of Thune in it.

So I have a rules question: if I have a Staff of the Sun Magus out and play the Archangel, does the +1/+1 ability trigger? I've been assuming it does not, but it has not come up yet in a game either.

When you cast Archangel, you are casting a white spell so the staff trigger will go on the stack. At this point, the staff trigger resolves gaining you 1 life, but the Archangel is still on the stack and not the battlefield.

So in short, no you don't get counters for casting her
 

zoukka

Member
Umm... you don't get boosters if you drop from swiss do you? Just lost three packs because I pressed drop due to a brainfart :(

Edit: I guess not :)
 

Jeff-DSA

Member
My new favorite thing is to play a mono green deck with 4 Mystic Elves, 4 Manaweft Slivers, 4 Garruks (a bit spendy, I know), and 4 Worldspine Wurms. I also have 2 Kalonian Hydras, and I'd put more in if I had them.

Essentially you can do this:

Turn 1: Play a forest and a Mystic Elf
Turn 2: Second forest and a second another Mytic Elf and Manaweft Sliver (or if you're super lucky, your third Mystic Elf, but this rarely happens)
Turn 3: Third forest and hopefully a Mystic Elf, another Manaweft, or a Predatory Sliver
Turn 4: Forest if you have it, Garruk, use his -3 and bring out Worldspine Wurm or Kalonian Hydra

If you get to turn 4 without either Worldspine or Kalonian in your hand, you've at least got Garruk out and you can do his +1 for 3 turns (or until you get one of the two in your hand, whichever comes first).

It's been playing real strong, even against faster decks. When all the turns don't line up with the planned cards perfectly, I can still get out big spells early.

Usually game 1 is a freebie win and then they sideboard in all the removal or Pacifisms they have. Games 2 and 3 are a bit harder, but I've generally gone 2-1 or 2-0 with it in most match ups.

It's a really simple concept, so I'm sure it's being done a lot. Anybody running into this regularly?
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
My new favorite thing is to play a mono green deck with 4 Mystic Elves, 4 Manaweft Slivers, 4 Garruks (a bit spendy, I know), and 4 Worldspine Wurms. I also have 2 Kalonian Hydras, and I'd put more in if I had them.

Essentially you can do this:

Turn 1: Play a forest and a Mystic Elf
Turn 2: Second forest and a second another Mytic Elf and Manaweft Sliver (or if you're super lucky, your third Mystic Elf, but this rarely happens)
Turn 3: Third forest and hopefully a Mystic Elf, another Manaweft, or a Predatory Sliver
Turn 4: Forest if you have it, Garruk, use his -3 and bring out Worldspine Wurm or Kalonian Hydra

If you get to turn 4 without either Worldspine or Kalonian in your hand, you've at least got Garruk out and you can do his +1 for 3 turns (or until you get one of the two in your hand, whichever comes first).

It's been playing real strong, even against faster decks. When all the turns don't line up with the planned cards perfectly, I can still get out big spells early.

Usually game 1 is a freebie win and then they sideboard in all the removal or Pacifisms they have. Games 2 and 3 are a bit harder, but I've generally gone 2-1 or 2-0 with it in most match ups.

It's a really simple concept, so I'm sure it's being done a lot. Anybody running into this regularly?

I'd replace the slivers with Elvish Archdruids or Arbor Elves. The version of this that people play online runs Craterhoof Behemoth as the win con instead of worldspine wurms.
 

Jeff-DSA

Member
I'd replaced the slivers with Elvish Archdruids or Arbor Elves, the version of this that people play online runs Craterhoof Behemoth as the win con instead of worldspine wurms.

Ah, I forgot to mention that I'm keeping it post-rotation legal. Otherwise, yeah, Arbor Elf all the way.
 

Yeef

Member
Went to 3 LGS today, all 3 told me that FTV haden't come in today.

Anyone else have this happen?
We got it yesterday (Wizards Direct) and we're on the east coast, so everyone using Wizards should have gotten it. If your stores are using other distributors, that may be the cause.
 
Well boys, my wife went into labor today... of all the days... lol
And the manager that would actually hold something for me was off yesterday and today... I called.
 

Yeef

Member
No, I was curious what you meant by the TCG being "work-for-hire"
I assume he means it was handled by a third party rather than Blizzard themselves, much the same way Wizards used to handle the Pokemon TCG before it was moved in-house.
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
I am interested in both Hex and Hearthstone.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
I have an Ooze out with open mana.
Guy plays Lingering Souls.
I can't tap mana to eat souls.
He makes 4 Souls.

Please to explain?
 

kirblar

Member
I have an Ooze out with open mana.
Guy plays Lingering Souls.
I can't tap mana to eat souls.
He makes 4 Souls.

Please to explain?
He retains priority after resolution of the first cast, you don't have an opportunity to respond while the card's in the yard unless he's a moron.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
It's always this specific scenario too that feels like bullshit because of the way spell resolution occurs.

Pretty much this. I get all of it but in this particular instance. It seems very counter intuitive and pretty much goes against how the rest of the game is played.

But hey. Now I know. And fuck that rule in the nose.
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Pretty much this. I get all of it but in this particular instance. It seems very counter intuitive and pretty much goes against how the rest of the game is played.

But hey. Now I know. And fuck that rule in the nose.

Yeah, its a bit quirky. Its not just the priority thing either, my first instinct would have been then to try and use the Ooze in response to the second casting.

It feels wrong because the vast majority of the time priority and the stack feel like when you respond it means that your action happens "before" the opponent's action, since its so rare that the location the spell is being played from is relevant. The only analogy I've come up with to make it more intuitive (and really, this example is only intuitive because of lots of experience) is trying to cast Castigate as a counterspell by thinking you can force them to discard the card they're playing.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Yeah, its a bit quirky. Its not just the priority thing either, my first instinct would have been then to try and use the Ooze in response to the second casting.

It feels wrong because the vast majority of the time priority and the stack feel like when you respond it means that your action happens "before" the opponent's action, since its so rare that the location the spell is being played from is relevant. The only analogy I've come up with to make it more intuitive (and really, this example is only intuitive because of lots of experience) is trying to cast Castigate as a counterspell by thinking you can force them to discard the card they're playing.

I get that casting from the GY means the card is gone as part of the flashback mechanic. That part makes senses. But, since it's a resolved spell, it seems very odd that you can't then interact whatsoever until what now seems to be an arbitrary point in time. That's a dead space in the game. Why does one player get to hold it with no chance of response, even from an instant speed effect (only kind that could be played here, but hey)

Obviously, the thing with Castigate makes sense when comparing it to the second casting from the graveyard. The card is out of the hand and on the stack, same as Souls being out of the yard
 

kirblar

Member
I get that casting from the GY means the card is gone as part of the flashback mechanic. That part makes senses. But, since it's a resolved spell, it seems very odd that you can't then interact whatsoever until what now seems to be an arbitrary point in time. That's a dead space in the game. Why does one player get to hold it with no chance of response, even from an instant speed effect (only kind that could be played here, but hey)

Obviously, the thing with Castigate makes sense when comparing it to the second casting from the graveyard. The card is out of the hand and on the stack, same as Souls being out of the yard
It's cause the spell's floating on the stack till resolution.
 
I get that casting from the GY means the card is gone as part of the flashback mechanic. That part makes senses. But, since it's a resolved spell, it seems very odd that you can't then interact whatsoever until what now seems to be an arbitrary point in time. That's a dead space in the game. Why does one player get to hold it with no chance of response, even from an instant speed effect (only kind that could be played here, but hey)

Obviously, the thing with Castigate makes sense when comparing it to the second casting from the graveyard. The card is out of the hand and on the stack, same as Souls being out of the yard

It feels weird because we're used to cards in the graveyard (or play, or any other area but the hand) being the target of other spells or effects, a situation where you're more than welcome to interact with it before the effect resolves, rather than the spell to be announced itself. Being able to do something about LS in the yard before your opponent can cast it is like being able to respond to playing a land. Now let's all go appreciate those Blood Artist triggers that allow us to RFG Gravecrawlers before they're cast again.
 
I'm looking for a deck box to hold one 60-card starter deck, but sleeved. Clear is fine (and maybe even preferable). What do you all use? I've been using those crappy trays that come in the box to store them but that's obviously not great. Thanks!
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
I'm looking for a deck box to hold one 60-card starter deck, but sleeved. Clear is fine (and maybe even preferable). What do you all use? I've been using those crappy trays that come in the box to store them but that's obviously not great. Thanks!

Yeah, the Ultra Pro boxes are good. I'd recommend going for these
41y5k4bMO1L._SX342_.jpg


over these

31P4OAmMX8L._SY445_.jpg


since in my experience the first one is much more durable
 
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";78088509]What about good sleeves? The ones I use are super slippery and it's kinda hard to shuffle.[/QUOTE]

You mean they're super easy to shuffle? Once they wear out and become sticky, you'll have an even worse time.

If I could, I'd resleeve my deck every time with new sleeves. DAT NEW SLEEVE MASH FEEL
 

f0rk

Member
What do you guys think about Smallpox in Modern? I looked around a bit and put together this list, can't decide how good it is.

4x Bloodghast
4x Deathrite Shaman
3x Kitchen Finks

4x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Lingering Souls
4x Smallpox
3x Abrupt Decay
1x Disfigure
2x Doom Blade
1x Go for the Throat

1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4x Liliana of the Veil
1x Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

4x Flagstones of Trokair
4x Godless Shrine
4x Marsh Flats
2x Overgrown Tomb
1x Plains
2x Swamp
2x Temple Garden
2x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Vault of the Archangel
2x Verdant Catacombs


The numbers on the removal and lands is sort of random for now but you get the idea.
 
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";78088509]What about good sleeves? The ones I use are super slippery and it's kinda hard to shuffle.[/QUOTE]
Ultra-Pro Pro-Matte

I posted a little mini review of them a couple of pages back.

Real life Stuff:
Baby stuck in nursery because his oxygen levels are a little low but really as far as they can tell he's fine. It worries us because we want him in our room. :/
 
Yeah I use Ultra Pro. They work very well.

Baby boy was born 8 lbs 10 oz. :)

Didn't name him Jace. lol

Congrats, that's awesome!
Edit: Just read your last post, about him being back in the nursery -- hope everything goes great with that, they are super careful so it's probably all good.

Thanks for the recommendations everyone, I'll get some of those Ultra Pro boxes. Thanks!
 
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