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Magic: the GAFering |OT2|
- Thread starter The Technomancer
- Start date
I qualified with Grixis.
Jace was pretty dope, but Mana Leak singlehandedly made the Jund matchup from nearly unwinnable to bring it motherfucker. So you may have a point on Mana Leak's power level.
It did and it was. Discard, mana acceleration, removal out the wazoo, suicide black / impermanent red situational cards... that's what a black / red deck should be.
The decklist G.ZZZ posted was runner up that Worlds, IIRC.
somehow I managed to win three cube drafts in the last couple days, all with the same deck.
now I'm 2-0 in a fourth cube draft, and this list is comparatively shit.
I feel like green (i've been almost mono green all 4 times) is very underdrafted. If you want to rack up some cube points/invasion block packs, you might want to give it a try.
now I'm 2-0 in a fourth cube draft, and this list is comparatively shit.
I feel like green (i've been almost mono green all 4 times) is very underdrafted. If you want to rack up some cube points/invasion block packs, you might want to give it a try.
divisionbyzorro
Member
Every time I've drafted cube on MTGO, the "fair" green deck has always been open. I've never drafted it, and when my draft is done, I think "man, I'm really soft to that fair green deck." I've said it before, but I have a really hard time drafting cube with a competitive mindset - hence why I only draft Swiss cube.
I only draft the "fair" green deck if I happen to pick up the "unfair" Upheaval in the first pack. Otherwise what's the point? You scoop against mass removal, blue/x with shackles, mono red without a combination of kitchen finks/primal command/obstinate baloth, so basically every colour except the mirror.
In theory, yeah. I thought so too before I tried it more.
...But I haven't really had any trouble with any of those archetypes. 12-0, won all four drafts. Depending on your list, you can beat mono red handily with stuff like Polukranos and random fatties, ignore wraths if you pick up the correct fat, out-advantage control if you pick up any planeswalkers (or just ramp too fast for them if you're a spell version of the deck), etc.
The midrangier pieces of the deck have been wheeling like crazy. I have yet to have any trouble grabbing all the pieces I need. Like, seriously -- Polukranos, Master of Wild Hunt, even Thragtusk. Nobody takes them for some screwed up reason, and they stall out aggro like crazy. Mana dorks have been lingering until the last couple cards of a pack.
This means it's been fine for me to take 'unfair' cards to build around early. Emrakul, Thran Dynamo, Channel, Survival of the Fittest, Kozilek, Ulamog, etc. They all fit insanely well in the 'fair' mono green list, and I'll usually end up with one or two of them.
Let's say you grab one of two of these bonkers cards. Now you can pick up the other G/x ramp insanity that's been going late -- Iona has been wheeling for me, as have Terastodon and Eureka(!). Same with the other mono-G staples, like Rofellos and Sylvan Library. Maybe it's just today and yesterday, but MTGO cubers seriously hate green for some screwed up reason.
But yeah.. mono-G can get very christmaslandy. I like it because it fits in so well with the scarier build-around-me cards, and it always seems to be open.
divisionbyzorro
Member
Consistency. You only scoop against decks doing broken things if they get their broken draws or if they've drafted the nuts deck with a critical mass of broken things. Whereas you're curving out, playing equipment, and presenting threat after threat after threat.
It's also a metagame thing. Blue gets overdrafted on MTGO - seriously overdrafted. So you let the blue decks fight, and you get the pick of the litter in green.
Yeah, my first list went with the N.O->Progenitus route. Was a lot of fun, but never saw another proggy
It's just another broken thing that an underdrafted color can do
I cannot believe it is the year 2014 and people are arguing that cards like Gush and Mana Leak are anything less than broken.
divisionbyzorro
Member
There's a part of me that wants to play Pauper just because Gush is legal. Which I find hilarious.
Just play Vintage.
divisionbyzorro
Member
Just play Vintage.
It's not on MTGO. Although that is about to change.
There's a part of me that seriously wants to sell all my Modern stuff and just start buying into a Vintage deck for when it does hit MTGO. After all, broken combo is what I have the most fun playing, and that's kinda the home of broken combo. That Burning Tendrils/Oathelbrand deck that Menendian is always talking about sounds like a blast. I mean, why wouldn't you play the deck that plays all of the broken restricted cards?
It's not on MTGO. Although that is about to change.
There's a part of me that seriously wants to sell all my Modern stuff and just start buying into a Vintage deck for when it does hit MTGO. After all, broken combo is what I have the most fun playing, and that's kinda the home of broken combo. That Burning Tendrils/Oathelbrand deck that Menendian is always talking about sounds like a blast. I mean, why wouldn't you play the deck that plays all of the broken restricted cards?
i'm really tempted to do this too... Do you think now is a good time to buy into eternal formats on MTGO?
divisionbyzorro
Member
The problem is that we don't know what Vintage Masters is going to do. I wouldn't buy anything like Force of Will, but it's possible that buying the dual lands now is the right thing to do. I'm not sure though. It's probably a crapshoot either way.
blindrocket
Member
I just bought into Modern on MTGO and spent a ton of money.
As much as it would hurt, I think that value may drop once Vintage Masters gets going since people may rather play that format over Modern.
I don't know for sure though.
I'm about done building the same deck in paper Magic as well.
As much as it would hurt, I think that value may drop once Vintage Masters gets going since people may rather play that format over Modern.
I don't know for sure though.
I'm about done building the same deck in paper Magic as well.
If you can see that Gush is a broken card it doesn't require much more analytical thinking to realize that Mana Leak is also a broken card.
Saren is Bad
Member
In y'all's experience, how much do LGS offer on buylist cards as opposed to say ChannelFireball.com?
ThLunarian
Member
Gush and Mana Leak aren't even comparable to each other in function. And I agree with whoever earlier said that Mana Leak is only broken when there are good blue tempo cards to help it along.
Mana Leak wasn't a problem when blue permanents sucked. Now that they're good (creatures, planeswalkers, and now even enchantments), and more importantly, tempo-oriented, yeah Mana Leak is probably too good.
I dislike the new design philosophy where everything always has to come down to creature battles, and the implicit idea that ridiculous creature power creep is a good thing. I understand that it's a bigger draw for new players and is responsible for all this insane growth the game's been experiencing, but I still personally don't like it.
Mana Leak wasn't a problem when blue permanents sucked. Now that they're good (creatures, planeswalkers, and now even enchantments), and more importantly, tempo-oriented, yeah Mana Leak is probably too good.
I dislike the new design philosophy where everything always has to come down to creature battles, and the implicit idea that ridiculous creature power creep is a good thing. I understand that it's a bigger draw for new players and is responsible for all this insane growth the game's been experiencing, but I still personally don't like it.
blindrocket
Member
Sphinx's Rev is played in Modern, but I think it will still drop in price past rotation.
What do you guys think? Good enough of a savings to wait? (paper magic)
Here is my UWR list I have built in MODO right now. My sideboard is kind of messy.
What do you guys think? Good enough of a savings to wait? (paper magic)
Here is my UWR list I have built in MODO right now. My sideboard is kind of messy.
divisionbyzorro
Member
Expect to see a giant fall-off with M15. But don't get greedy; pick it up when the Standard grinders are dumping it. See Geist of St Traft as an example:
http://www.mtggoldfish.com/price/Innistrad/Geist+of+Saint+Traft
It should tank pretty hard. It's only played in one Modern deck, and that deck is not very well-positioned.
keeblerdrow
Member
Guys, I want to say that a Wu deck with Ephara, Brimaz, Vanguard of Brimaz, and Precinct Captain is a fun and wonderful thing. Toss in Ephara's Enlightenment and you get to toss around +1/+1 tokens and flying. Toss in a Deputy of Acquittals to be able to get it back into your hand at any time for two and this is a good core to a thrumming deck.
I'm trying to build around these cards and I'm thinking of dropping in a Heliod, a few Spears, D.Spheres, Soldier of the Pantheons, and one of the counterspells. Any thoughts on what I can prop this core up with? I was thinking some good heroic triggers for the bouncing enchantment.
I'm trying to build around these cards and I'm thinking of dropping in a Heliod, a few Spears, D.Spheres, Soldier of the Pantheons, and one of the counterspells. Any thoughts on what I can prop this core up with? I was thinking some good heroic triggers for the bouncing enchantment.
blindrocket
Member
Thanks.
divisionbyzorro
Member
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/owens-a-win-brewing-with-ephara/
Also, I have a feeling that Lavinia of the Tenth might actually be playable in a deck like that.
I really want to proxy that deck up and throw it at a gauntlet. Looks stupid fun.
Mihara ran an Esper version this weekend. The shell is very good.
Also, the Living End vs Mono-Black Devotion matchup in Modern is actually really weird. Obliterator just trumps them on the board, making it incredibly difficult for them to Living End you early.
Or buy tickets and start shopping at Vendors.
This is players who still think Jund is going to be top tier in Modern post-bans: http://www.hulu.com/watch/19878
divisionbyzorro
Member
I'm essentially expecting Zoo and Jund to trade places in the tiers. All we've done is trade one boogieman for another.
Zoo's vastly more manageable, thankfully. Nacatl could end up axed again though, which would be hilarious.
So I've been thinking, with the exit of DRS, Pyromancer Ascension is playable again. Wow. Had a lot of success with it in both standard and extended. No Ponder and Preordain anymore which sucks. Those cards made the deck into a vicious draw engine. We'll see if it can compete. Maybe I'll buy the deck on MTGO. Have a few leftover ascensions since nobody drafted them in zzw drafts lol.
divisionbyzorro
Member
Are you talking about Ascension counter-burn? I suppose it's playable, but it never was all that good even prior to Deathrite Shaman. If you're talking about Storm, it's not very good without Seething Song.
Well, Jund is probably going to see a decline (together with Abrupt Decay), with Zoo and Bitterblossom decks on the rise, so Pyromancer Ascension (the control version) may be well-positioned. I played against Faeries in ye old extended and Volcanic Fallout mainboard was pretty much a blowout (I top8'd that ptq) and Zoo can be slowed down easily enough with 8 one mana burn spells and blood moon in the sideboard.
acheron_xl
Member
NO into Progenitus may be my favorite play in all of cube. Especially if I can get it out really early. I've been really stuck on drafting W/x mana denial decks lately. Seeing my opponent tap out to kill my Winter Orb when I have a Hokori in hand makes me smile every time.
Fragamemnon
Member
Zoo is really soft to board control cards (especially when paired with format all-start Snapcaster Mage) in a way that Jund w/ Deathrite Shamans wasn't.
I really like the idea of a three toughness+ Zoo deck that runs fallout. It's reasonable burn damage to the dome and provides bulletproof kills on lot of the most popular blue critters in the format.
I wish. Lavinia is actually one of my favorites of the guild champions, but she just seems underwhelming. 4/4 for 5 that will pretty much give you a free attack in, but past that does virtually nothing. Pro-red could make it a sideboard card though.
"God's Beard!"
Member
If I name Sphinx's Revelation with Council of the Absolute, do I get two extra cards?
Uh-oh, we have conflicting opinions here.
I found this page:
http://www.planeswalkerslibrary.com/card/Council-of-the-Absolute
The only possibly relevant ruling is:
Do "X" costs count as additional costs? If so, Council's ability works well here, doesn't it?
No, an additional cost would be something like
where it clearly says "additional cost. Just remember to tap 5 lands and announce "Rev for 4"
You choose the value of X during the step of casting a spell where you're choosing modes and other options:
From the CR -
Then a few steps later, after choosing targets and whatnot, you determine the total cost. At that point there isn't any distinction made between a (5) in the mana cost or a (X) where X has been chosen to be 5. So you can apply the reduction from Council just fine.
From the CR -
Then a few steps later, after choosing targets and whatnot, you determine the total cost. At that point there isn't any distinction made between a (5) in the mana cost or a (X) where X has been chosen to be 5. So you can apply the reduction from Council just fine.
Oh cool, that's an awesome interaction. I'll have to remember that one.
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