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Magic: the GAFering |OT2|

Gannd

Banned
Here's the thing- lets say you want a competitive deck that has black in it. That means you are going to need 4 Thoughtsiezes. Thoughtsieze is a 15 dollar card. If you wanted to buy 4 copies, its going to cost you 60 dollars. For that same price, you could enter 4 FNM drafts. You are going to get a chance to crack 12 boosters across those events, plus any that you win. There are 53 rare cards in Theros.

Yes, by drafting, you will get more cards, but it isn't likely you will get ones you actually want for your deck. If you enjoy limited, I would play limited. If your goal is to take 500 and make a competitive deck, then you are going to be buying singles to achieve that goal.


I am thinking I'll do some limited just to get back in the "swing" of things unless the meta game for limited is very different than standard.

Do most compettive players even crack boxes anymore? I guess they just look at the spoilers for the sets and build out that way.
 

y2dvd

Member
Is it better to get back in then doing sealed events and drafts?

It's pretty much what I do. I haven't bought singles in forever and I have a pretty complete competitive deck or 2. I just use the rares I obtain from drafting and trade for stuff I want. It's been a long time in the making but eh I'm not dropping hundreds of dollars for a deck.

I doubt competitive players crack boxes. They'll usually proxy cards in testing and buy singles they need.
 
Whenever I win packs there's always some kid or another that runs up to me and is like, "What did you get, what did you get?"

They're always so disappointed when I tell them I'm not gonna open the packs.
 

OnPoint

Member
I have decided that I'm going to start investing into MTGO.

Anyone have any tips or tricks for not being ripped off? lol

I think I'm going to go in on Modern in BW Tokens, and standard with... I don't know. Maybe just Mono-B to try and win some.
 

bigkrev

Member
I have decided that I'm going to start investing into MTGO.

Anyone have any tips or tricks for not being ripped off? lol

I think I'm going to go in on Modern in BW Tokens, and standard with... I don't know. Maybe just Mono-B to try and win some.

Best advice- don't install MTGO
 

Firemind

Member
Use mtggoldfish.com to search for low/mid/high price points and then search for bots on mtgo that are close to the low/mid end if you're buying and mid/high if you're selling.
 
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";99590933]Whenever I win packs there's always some kid or another that runs up to me and is like, "What did you get, what did you get?"

They're always so disappointed when I tell them I'm not gonna open the packs.[/QUOTE]

Same. If I open them now, how can I draft them later?
 

Lucario

Member
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";99590933]Whenever I win packs there's always some kid or another that runs up to me and is like, "What did you get, what did you get?"

They're always so disappointed when I tell them I'm not gonna open the packs.[/QUOTE]

my group used to run up to me and chant 'openyourpacks' whenever i won anything

shit was hilarious
 
WTF?

Noble Hierarch is now $54


fml-253x300.jpg
 

An-Det

Member
I have decided that I'm going to start investing into MTGO.

Anyone have any tips or tricks for not being ripped off? lol

I think I'm going to go in on Modern in BW Tokens, and standard with... I don't know. Maybe just Mono-B to try and win some.

Tokens is a good deck; you need to know your matchups to be consistently successful with it though (on the flip side, the deck doesn't get a lot of serious respect, so a lot of players don't test the matchup enough, so you can get some surprise wins). The deck got a lot more expensive though; Bitterblossom is essentially a must-have in a deck that runs Intangible Virtue, and Auriok Champion is also stupidly expensive for a little dork. Fortunately Thoughtseize isn't $35 anymore, so that helps.
 
There goes ever getting that card for my infect deck.

I thought $30 was too much, but freaking over fifty dollars? For basically a mana dork.
Modern is getting stupid (on the prices).

In other news, at my LGS I picked up a foil Thundermaw Hellkite (gonna kick those faeries ass) for $10, play sets of foil Scars lands for $2.50 each, foil Blood Artist for $2.50. They also had a foil Snapcaster Mage for $40 that I *almost* bought. I still may go back and get it. They also had FTV 20 for $80 each which if I had $320 I would have bought four of to have a play set of Jace for if he ever gets unbanned in Modern.
 

Firemind

Member
guys, guys

play night of soul's betrayal and watch all the mana dorks and fairy nerds turn into pieces of worthless cardboard.

my proposition:

24 mostly basic lands

4 chalice of the void (good luck casting living end)
4 blood moon (good luck casting anything)
3 night of soul's betrayal (bye bye, tokens)
4 dimir signet (t3 night of soul's betrayal go)
4 simian spirit guide (t2 blood moon go)
4 dismember (just in case they play something t1)
3 WRECKING BALL (anti-basic land tech)
4 thirst for knowledge (gotta draw some juice)
4 liliana of the veil (protagonist)
1 karn liberated (wise old tutor)
1 nicol bolas, planeswalker (villain)
1 sorin markov (anti-villain)

boom
 

f0rk

Member
I've been thinking about UWR. Thundermaw Hellkite was pretty much main deckable before, now it's even better. Lightning Helix is great against Zoo, and makes Bitterblossom very raceable. I'm not 100% on Blade Splicer but it seems better than Geist maindeck. Still really like Restoration Angel, I'm starting with 4 but that might be too many. Spell Snare got more targets. Might start main decking Engineered Explosives and get a 2nd. I am quite scared of Loxidon Smiter and Knight of the Reliquary, Smiter especially, so a 3rd Path might be needed. Thanks for listening.
 

OnPoint

Member
guys, guys

play night of soul's betrayal and watch all the mana dorks and fairy nerds turn into pieces of worthless cardboard.

my proposition:

24 mostly basic lands

4 chalice of the void (good luck casting living end)
4 blood moon (good luck casting anything)
3 night of soul's betrayal (bye bye, tokens)
4 dimir signet (t3 night of soul's betrayal go)
4 simian spirit guide (t2 blood moon go)
4 dismember (just in case they play something t1)
3 WRECKING BALL (anti-basic land tech)
4 thirst for knowledge (gotta draw some juice)
4 liliana of the veil (protagonist)
1 karn liberated (wise old tutor)
1 nicol bolas, planeswalker (villain)
1 sorin markov (anti-villain)

boom
What's the win con?
 

rCIZZLE

Member
MPR Wastelands up to $400 now. Thinking about trading off the current foils I have in my legacy deck since it's just not worth it to try and get the rest now.
 

rCIZZLE

Member
Which foils?

(all pack foil)
2 SFM
1 BSkull
1 Jitte
2 Noble Hierarch
2 Mom
4 KOTR
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Zen Forest
1 Zen Plains
2 Teeg
1 Canonist
1 Dryad Arbor
4 GSZ
3 Thalia
1 Sigarda
2 Ooze

Probably forgetting a few of the cheaper ones but that's mostly what I have currently. Also have foils of some sideboard options like Elspeth, KE and Master of the Wild Hunt.

Was thinking about giving modern Zoo a shot so I could probably turn these into the non-foils plus the 4 Goyfs I need.
 

kirblar

Member
(all pack foil)
2 SFM
1 BSkull
1 Jitte
2 Noble Hierarch
2 Mom
4 KOTR
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Zen Forest
1 Zen Plains
2 Teeg
1 Canonist
1 Dryad Arbor
4 GSZ
3 Thalia
1 Sigarda
2 Ooze

Probably forgetting a few of the cheaper ones but that's mostly what I have currently. Also have foils of some sideboard options like Elspeth, KE and Master of the Wild Hunt.

Was thinking about giving modern Zoo a shot so I could probably turn these into the non-foils plus the 4 Goyfs I need.
Put it into duals/staples/etc, imo, while replacing them with non-foils if necessary.
 

The Adder

Banned
As some of you may remember, I quit actively playing the game a few months ago due to a consistent streak of statistically improbable bad draws.

Figured I'd give this pre-release a try as it had been a good while.

I went with black. My deck was black red. 10 swamps, 7 mountains.

My first game I didn't draw a swamp until 16 cards in (I didn't make it to sixteen cards in, mind, I was long dead, but the first swamp was sixteen cards into the deck).

Fuck it, I'm done spending money on this game entirely now.

My opening hand was entirely playable for about five turns. 2 lightning bolts, 2 3cmc red minotaurs, and 3 mountains.
 
Never felt bad personally from bad draws or getting unlucky

making a play error I should have noticed and that causing me the game. those are the ones that make you think.
 

Crocodile

Member
As some of you may remember, I quit actively playing the game a few months ago due to a consistent streak of statistically improbable bad draws.

Figured I'd give this pre-release a try as it had been a good while.

I went with black. My deck was black red. 10 swamps, 7 mountains.

My first game I didn't draw a swamp until 16 cards in (I didn't make it to sixteen cards in, mind, I was long dead, but the first swamp was sixteen cards into the deck).

Fuck it, I'm done spending money on this game entirely now.

If 10 swamps + 7 mountains was the correct build, then your deck must have been overwhelming black cards. What kind of hand did you keep where keeping with no swamps was acceptable?

Also what happened the other two games of that match? Or all the other matches you played during the pre-release? I gotta be honest this sounds like a whole lot of salt to me :/

EDIT: You edited in your hand. That seems like a reasonable keep so it seems you had a bad draw which is a shame. I'm curious as to how you discern that your mana problems have been statistically improbable though given how bad humans in general are at discerning such things. You might want to review your shuffling techniques an dhow you construct mana bases.
 

The Adder

Banned
Never felt bad personally from bad draws or getting unlucky

making a play error I should have noticed and that causing me the game. those are the ones that make you think.

If I had a chance TO play badly I wouldn't be upset. Losing because my opponent played better or I played worse is fine. But I have had statistically improbable mana problems in every fucking FNM and event I've played in since November. I'm sick of not even getting to play.

If 10 swamps + 7 mountains was the correct build, then your deck must have been overwhelming black cards. What kind of hand did you keep where keeping with no swamps was acceptable?

Also what happened the other two games of that match? Or all the other matches you played during the pre-release? I gotta be honest this sounds like a whole lot of salt to me :/

10/7 was not the correct balance. 9/8 would have been the correct one (same number of cards of each color, but black had a single card that had 2 blacks in the cost). I did that because this shit keeps happening.

Second game I drew 2 mountains 2 swamps, lightning bolt, Titans strength. Got a Minotaur skull cleaver on the field turn 5. Labyrinth Champion turn 7. And I was dead turn 8

---

First game of the next match I got reasonable things and had a good match.

Second game of this match I mulled to 5 and wound up with a Swamp and a Mountain. Harpy turn two. Deathbellow Raider turn 3. Sat on 3 mana the rest of the game.

Third match, Minotaur Skullcleaver, Weight of the World, and Rescue from the underworld were the only non-land's I saw.

---

First game of the third match I mulled to four, still only had one land, played that game, and went the fuck home.
 

bigkrev

Member
Watching LSV and Paul Cheon stream- while Luis is trolling Cheon hard (like pre-boarding in Great Stable Stag), Faries, even with a nut draw, has no ability to beat a Nacatl Zoo deck
 
Watching LSV and Paul Cheon stream- while Luis is trolling Cheon hard (like pre-boarding in Great Stable Stag), Faries, even with a nut draw, has no ability to beat a Nacatl Zoo deck

I have this feeling that Zoo, not Fae, is going to be the new villain of the format. I see a lot of Jund players moving over (they probably own the expensive stuff for it already) .
 

Hero

Member
Watching LSV and Paul Cheon stream- while Luis is trolling Cheon hard (like pre-boarding in Great Stable Stag), Faries, even with a nut draw, has no ability to beat a Nacatl Zoo deck

I totally forgot about GSS being a thing. Wonder if investing into some of those is worthwhile considering it was only in one set. Between it and Volcanic Fallout it doesn't surprise me that Zoo is stomping on Faeries, even in testing.
 

y2dvd

Member
Mutavaults continues to climb up to $40. I'm watching the scg blue BNG review and Fated Infatuation can make a copy of a creature Mutavault. Pretty neat I suppose.
 
The real loser with the Bitterblossom unbanning? Young Pyromancer. All that hype, and now there's literally only one format left for him to play in.

He's pretty keen in Vintage! But that's about it.

edit: I went long with a speculation of seven bitterblossoms like two and a half years ago. Hoping to move those soon before people realize that there is no way faeries is going to be able to deal with the resilency of modern creature threats given that it had a hard time handling kithkins and freaking boat brew, which was the worst successful PT deck I have ever seen.
 

OnPoint

Member
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";99679346]neogaf pie bet:

akroan horse will see top 8 in standard constructed before journey into nyx arrives.[/QUOTE]

Pair it up in a RW control build with Assemble the Legion, the Horse and maybe Purpletoes as the win cons maybe?
 

ultron87

Member
Horse gets outstripped pretty quickly by other token making options and is easier to get rid of if the opponent really needs to.
 

noquarter

Member
He's pretty keen in Vintage! But that's about it.

edit: I went long with a speculation of seven bitterblossoms like two and a half years ago. Hoping to move those soon before people realize that there is no way faeries is going to be able to deal with the resilency of modern creature threats given that it had a hard time handling kithkins and freaking boat brew, which was the worst successful PT deck I have ever seen.

Good luck getting rid of the BBs. My trade list on MOTL was bumped after a month of inactivity with everyone trying to get me to trade FoW, Foil Snapcaster, other high dollar cards for a Bitterblossom.

You might get more luck trading them down for mid priced cards, or even shocks and going that route.
 

Firemind

Member
Thoughtseize into Bitterblossom is one of the best plays you can do in Modern. Not as good as Ancestral Visions into BB, but you can't have it all.

I wonder if Aether Vial is viable for faeries. Turn it into a more resilient merfolk deck with snapcasters.
 
Pair it up in a RW control build with Assemble the Legion, the Horse and maybe Purpletoes as the win cons maybe?

Nah, all flying creatures all day. Cloudfin, Familiar, Skyknight, Prognostic Sphinx, maybe an archetype or two in the sideboard. Plus Detention Spheres and Azorius Charms, dissolve and Opportunity/the UW god.
 

kirblar

Member
Thoughtseize into Bitterblossom is one of the best plays you can do in Modern. Not as good as Ancestral Visions into BB, but you can't have it all.

I wonder if Aether Vial is viable for faeries. Turn it into a more resilient merfolk deck with snapcasters.
Not enough Faeries. Merfolk's the only good Vial deck because of how overwhelming it can get.
 

ultron87

Member
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";99709922]Nah, all flying creatures all day. Cloudfin, Familiar, Skyknight, Prognostic Sphinx, maybe an archetype or two in the sideboard. Plus Detention Spheres and Azorius Charms, dissolve and Opportunity.[/QUOTE]

So where does the horse fit into this plan?
 
Good luck getting rid of the BBs. My trade list on MOTL was bumped after a month of inactivity with everyone trying to get me to trade FoW, Foil Snapcaster, other high dollar cards for a Bitterblossom.

You might get more luck trading them down for mid priced cards, or even shocks and going that route.

We have an actively legacy community that always has leftovers from previous decks in their binders with interesting cards, and I'll be aiming at that. outside of my decks that I actually play I have been trying to migrate my trade binder to legacy and commander staples-they are more or less liquid, stable assets and a few cards a quarter seem to go bananas.
 

Firemind

Member
Not enough Faeries. Merfolk's the only good Vial deck because of how overwhelming it can get.

I seem to remember a u/g fairies abomination that used Scryb Ranger and other green nonsense. Perhaps it's possible to mutate it with the Eternal Witness + Cryptic Command combo. Or just play Next Level Blue. :p
 
What is your opinion on picking up four FTV:20 @ $80 each just to have Jace The Mindsculptor for if he becomes unbanned for Modern?

I guess I'd use him in Commander too, but still it's a heavy investment. Better to have it now before the price goes up?
 

bigkrev

Member
What is your opinion on picking up four FTV:20 @ $80 each just to have Jace The Mindsculptor for if he becomes unbanned for Modern?

I guess I'd use him in Commander too, but still it's a heavy investment. Better to have it now before the price goes up?

I don't think he is ever getting unbanned. If you think he will at some point, you should buy in, although I wouldn't want to use FTV cards at anything higher than an FNM- too much risk of Marked Cards rule violations
 
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