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[MjFrancis]

Quoting everything may be overkill, but thank you all for the advice pertinent to piloting UR Storm. I appreciate the input.

Just don't listen to those guys who tell you that it's acceptable to play Faithless Looting.

Storm is such a bizarre deck. When you first start playing it, it feels completely impenetrable. Then you get fluent with it, and you wonder what was so hard about it in the first place. Then you watch Finkel play some matches with it, and realize that there's a level of play that you didn't realize was there.

As much as I miss Seething Song, the deck did get more interesting to play without it. You don't get the free wins that you used to. Although it was a lot of fun to Epic Experiment for 13...ahh the memories...

This is like the second most important lesson in learning how to be a better Magic player after learning that straight lifegain cards are unplayable. It shocks me that there are people who still use this card, and probably hurt their win %s by using it.

The other thing you need to do is test SB games- not just what others bring in against you, but drawing your actual SB cards can hurt the combo!

I've been playing T.E.S. for years so I know a thing or two about storm.

• When you're first starting out the most important thing to practice is clean accounting. Carry dice or take notes for counting your exact storm count and how much mana you currently have floating.
• You must clearly explain every action you take to your opponent and be prepared to answer a question at any point and then resume where you left off without getting flustered. I've gotten wins off opposing Storm players by asking their exact storm count at the moment and then asking how much mana they have floating. If either answer is incorrect or they forget where they left off you can call a judge and get a free win.
• When you're goldfishing the deck go through the motions every time until you can do it perfectly. Storm is a performance piece.

SUPER IMPORTANT! I would also recommend doing this from time to time if you are ever being combo'd out by a deck like Storm or Eggs- if you actually know, and your opponent gets it wrong, you can get a free win. While it may look really stupid, using an Abacus can really help you out and is easier than fumbling around with a die.

At the very least, if you want to use dice, get some spindown D20s and learn how to use them. Fumbling about with D6s just isn't practical. One guy at Richmond had an iPhone app he was using - that works too.

Also - while we're talking about how to operationally execute Storm: make sure it's obvious which cards have flashback from PiF and which ones don't. Make separate piles in your yard or something. And when you exile cards, separate them from your yard. Don't just turn them sideways. If someone does judge call you, you need to be confident and correct.

 

[Hero]

I have a personal policy to only draft mono-red in cube if I get a Sulfuric Vortex in the first couple of picks. I see that as a sign from the cosmos that it's time to be the fun police. This deck 3-0d an MTGO cube draft easily, only dropping one game in the process:

In a way I felt bad. But at the same time I just wished I had a Strip Mine somewhere in there too...

I love drafting RDW and stomping over people that tried to get fancy. Keeps the format honest.

 

[ThLunarian]

I have a personal policy to only draft mono-red in cube if I get a Sulfuric Vortex in the first couple of picks. I see that as a sign from the cosmos that it's time to be the fun police. This deck 3-0d an MTGO cube draft easily, only dropping one game in the process:

In a way I felt bad. But at the same time I just wished I had a Strip Mine somewhere in there too...

This kind of deck becomes absolutely, unbeatably bonkers if you manage to get a few ways to go "Four drop on turn 2". Once I drafted something a lot like this with a Sol Ring, a Mana Crypt, Ancient Tomb, and two Moxes. It was just incredible. One game I managed to go Turn 1 Chrome Mox, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Goblin Guide, Grafted War Gear, swing for 5. That turned out to be the only game I lost during the entire tournament.

 

[MjFrancis]

What are everyone's thoughts on the possibilities of Snapcaster Mage being banned in Modern within a year? Travis Woo has talked about this a lot lately, mostly on the premise that if you play UR you're most likely running these 20 cards in your deck:

• 4 x Serum Visions
• 4 x Lightning Bolt
• 4 x Remand
• 4 x Snapcaster Mage
• 2 x Cryptic Command

From there you can build Splinter Twin, Delver, a Restoration Angel deck or whatever. I've noticed a lot of top Modern decks that play UR always have these 20 cards, and often a full playset of Cryptics. Snapcaster has been described as blue's Dark Confidant, and I tend to agree with that assessment.

It's just something I'm keeping in mind while I'm looking for another two Snapcasters to make a full playset. I bought a full set of Innistrad for $100 not too long after it rotated and traded a Brimaz for a Snapcaster after a draft, so I've got two for relatively cheap. The next two will be at least $40 each, in trades or in cash, and that number isn't going down anytime soon. So if it gets banned it's going to hurt a lot more than $60 playsets of Deathrites getting kicked out of the format.

 

[bigkrev]

What are everyone's thoughts on the possibilities of Snapcaster Mage being banned in Modern within a year? Travis Woo has talked about this a lot lately, mostly on the premise that if you play UR you're most likely running these 20 cards in your deck:

• 4 x Serum Visions
• 4 x Lightning Bolt
• 4 x Remand
• 4 x Snapcaster Mage
• 2 x Cryptic Command

From there you can build Splinter Twin, Delver, a Restoration Angel deck or whatever. I've noticed a lot of top Modern decks that play UR always have these 20 cards, and often a full playset of Cryptics. Snapcaster has been described as blue's Dark Confidant, and I tend to agree with that assessment.

It's just something I'm keeping in mind while I'm looking for another two Snapcasters to make a full playset. I bought a full set of Innistrad for $100 not too long after it rotated and traded a Brimaz for a Snapcaster after a draft, so I've got two for relatively cheap. The next two will be at least $40 each, in trades or in cash, and that number isn't going down anytime soon. So if it gets banned it's going to hurt a lot more than $60 playsets of Deathrites getting kicked out of the format.

Storm doesn't run Snapcaster and is a U/R deck....

 

[red13th]

I don't think they will ban Snappy but it's Modern, you never know. It's defnitely a ridiculous card.

 

[MjFrancis]

Storm doesn't run Snapcaster and is a U/R deck....

Storm is an exception to this, I thought about mentioning it but it's really quite peculiar and in a class by itself in Modern. I still agree with Woo that most UR decks will want those 18 cards in their final 75, and when I see those colors in a Top 8 Modern deck he's mostly right.

 

[Bandini]

What are everyone's thoughts on the possibilities of Snapcaster Mage being banned in Modern within a year? Travis Woo has talked about this a lot lately, mostly on the premise that if you play UR you're most likely running these 20 cards in your deck:

• 4 x Serum Visions
• 4 x Lightning Bolt
• 4 x Remand
• 4 x Snapcaster Mage
• 2 x Cryptic Command

From there you can build Splinter Twin, Delver, a Restoration Angel deck or whatever. I've noticed a lot of top Modern decks that play UR always have these 20 cards, and often a full playset of Cryptics. Snapcaster has been described as blue's Dark Confidant, and I tend to agree with that assessment.

It's just something I'm keeping in mind while I'm looking for another two Snapcasters to make a full playset. I bought a full set of Innistrad for $100 not too long after it rotated and traded a Brimaz for a Snapcaster after a draft, so I've got two for relatively cheap. The next two will be at least $40 each, in trades or in cash, and that number isn't going down anytime soon. So if it gets banned it's going to hurt a lot more than $60 playsets of Deathrites getting kicked out of the format.

I wouldn't put it past them, but at this point I don't see it happening. With so many other strong decks, and another current top dog (pod), banning Snapcaster would probably stifle the format rather than diversify it.

This is a bit nitpicky, but I feel like 4 remands is too many. I like running 2 with 2-3 mana leaks.

 

[kirblar]

I don't think they will ban Snappy but it's Modern, you never know. It's defnitely a ridiculous card.

It's definitely a card that might need to be axed some day, but that day is not today. (Much like Pod.)

 

[esterk]

I think it's fine right now, but will probably get out of control at some point. I don't think we will see it banned anytime this year unless some card or keyword from the next set allows for too much abuse.

You never know though, he could be in modern masters II!

 

[kirblar]

I think it's fine right now, but will probably get out of control at some point. I don't think we will see it banned anytime this year unless some card or keyword from the next set allows for too much abuse.

You never know though, he could be in modern masters II!

MM2 is very unlikely to include Innistrad cards.

 

[OnPoint]

I hope he doesn't get the ban. I'd like to flip my extra playset someday

 

[kirblar]

I hope he doesn't get the ban. I'd like to flip my extra playset someday

Flipping Modern->Legacy is almost certainly part of what's fueling the Legacy price increases, actually.

 

[OnPoint]

Flipping Modern->Legacy is almost certainly part of what's fueling the Legacy price increases, actually.

I can't beat em, so I might as well join em

 

[f0rk]

If they have to ban Snapcaster hopefully it's because they printed efficient card advantage on spells for a change.

oh Woo's complaining again. He's like an EDH player that hates the best decks because they beat his janky 5 card combo

 

[kirblar]

I can't beat em, so I might as well join em

I gotta move pretty quickly on Trops. Have 3 Bayous now, and it's the last "major" dual I don't have a playset of.

 

[rCIZZLE]

I panic bought a trop last week for like 85 on tcgplayer lol. Was listed as moderately played but I remember the seller harshly grading their cards like the bigger shops so it was an easy purchase. Cutting myself off though from just buying a ton of duals since I don't get to play much nowadays and having most of the storm variants + Maverick will keep me plenty busy when I can play. Thinking of buying a Grim Tutor now though before that shit spikes lol.

 

[OnPoint]

I gotta move pretty quickly on Trops. Have 3 Bayous now, and it's the last "major" dual I don't have a playset of.

Currently working through my Volcanics. Then Trops then I'm good for a while I think. Trops might be out of range by the time I'm ready though

 

[blindrocket]

After the DRS ban neutering Jund, I went for UWR. If they ban the elements of that deck, I think I'll just give up.

 

[MjFrancis]

If they have to ban Snapcaster hopefully it's because they printed efficient card advantage on spells for a change.

oh Woo's complaining again. He's like an EDH player that hates the best decks because they beat his janky 5 card combo

I think it's just an observation on his part. After all, Ninja Bear Delver ran a playset of Snapcasters, and he brewed that only a few months ago.

 

[bigkrev]

I think it's just an observation on his part. After all, Ninja Bear Delver ran a playset of Snapcasters, and he brewed that only a few months ago.

He wants Storm banned out of the format because Living End can't interact with it

Take whatever he says with a grain of salt

 

[f0rk]

His Raging Ravines and Treetop Villages just got bolted too many times, making the 7 land keep feel really silly. But if he got thoughtseized it would have been sweet!

 

[MjFrancis]

He wants Storm banned out of the format because Living End can't interact with it

Take whatever he says with a grain of salt

Good to know. I'll have to explore a few of his nuances further.

 

[rCIZZLE]

Anybody playing in the SCG Invitational this weekend?

 

[aku:jiki]

Can anyone recommend an RSS feed for MTG that posts only actual news, spoilers, product announcements and stuff like that? I'm not looking to be flooded by daily deck techs or countless MTGO drafting videos like I get in all the feeds I've tried, I just want the good stuff!

 

[divisionbyzorro]

Lost round one to mana screw, then proceeded to crush the loser's bracket at FNM draft tonight. I got to put Ghostblade Eidolon on some Vulpine Goliaths, which was exactly as awesome as you'd hope it would be.

 

[OnPoint]

Need one more stupid Volcanic Island and they jumped in price.

Fuck I hate this game sometimes.

 

[kirblar]

Ya, I gotta jump on a few Trops real quick.

 

[rCIZZLE]

Ya they just went up like 12 dollars since yesterday lol. Best to just grab a couple cheap ones on tcgplayer and be happy you're not paying 200 ea.

 

[kirblar]

Ya they just went up like 12 dollars since yesterday lol. Best to just grab a couple cheap ones on tcgplayer and be happy you're not paying 200 ea.

Have you done duals through TCGP before? I'm sort of willing to gamble here, lol.

 

[rCIZZLE]

Have you done duals through TCGP before? I'm sort of willing to gamble here, lol.

Well it's definitely a gamble. Sometimes they'll list a card as LP and it'll in pretty rough shape and sometimes they'll list as MP and it'll be nearly flawless. I try to stay away from HP since people will probably rationalize away from listing a card as "Damaged" for obvious reasons.

I did buy a trop on there last week for ~87 shipped which was listed as MP but only had some whitening on the back. Beat paying 120 though.

 

[An-Det]

Need one more stupid Volcanic Island and they jumped in price.

Fuck I hate this game sometimes.

Holy crap, just looked, prices on them are crazy now.

 

[MjFrancis]

Lost round one to mana screw, then proceeded to crush the loser's bracket at FNM draft tonight. I got to put Ghostblade Eidolon on some Vulpine Goliaths, which was exactly as awesome as you'd hope it would be.

Last week I lost my first matchup in three to a red/green deck starring Staunch-Hearted Warriors and a bountiful arsenal to pump them up. Messenger's Speed made them monsters. I was running a red/white aggro deck that just couldn't keep up after turn five or six.

So, I sympathize with the people you ran over when you put a Ghostblade Eidolon on a 6/5 with trample. Double strike and trample is nuts.

I didn't lose another game the rest of the night, which felt weird. It was like I got to play for the championship then got sent to the minor leagues to clean house.

 

[kirblar]

Well it's definitely a gamble. Sometimes they'll list a card as LP and it'll in pretty rough shape and sometimes they'll list as MP and it'll be nearly flawless. I try to stay away from HP since people will probably rationalize away from listing a card as "Damaged" for obvious reasons.

I did buy a trop on there last week for ~87 shipped which was listed as MP but only had some whitening on the back. Beat paying 120 though.

Thinking of going with ChannelFireball, since it's not that big a premium over the othere guys. I need 3 for the virtual playset, am willing to wait on the 4th since its non-essential.

edit: oh crap I actually have a coupon code for them. I never remember to use them normally since Im doing such random small orders normally.

 

[OnPoint]

Jumped on two Trops yesterday but I might just bite the bullet and complete the set today.

 

[bigkrev]

Feature match in MOCS- guy freaks out because the client takes away ALL STOPS on his turn, so he can't actually do anything.

This beta has been going on for 3 years now, it's time to just kill it.

 

[DixieFlatline]

The playmat for GP Atlanta looks absolutely amazing - obviously a Walking Dead homage. As an ATLien, having the skyline on my playmat is pretty neat, I think.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Man I invested in the wrong dual lands back in the day.

I also feel bad for trading all of my dual lands for Elder Dragons.

Do people still hate Kiora? I find her pretty useful in my BUG deck.

 

[blindrocket]

Well it's definitely a gamble. Sometimes they'll list a card as LP and it'll in pretty rough shape and sometimes they'll list as MP and it'll be nearly flawless. I try to stay away from HP since people will probably rationalize away from listing a card as "Damaged" for obvious reasons.

I did buy a trop on there last week for ~87 shipped which was listed as MP but only had some whitening on the back. Beat paying 120 though.

The one time I received a card via TCG that was conditioned less than stated, I complained and they replaced it. And they replaced it with a pretty near mint card in fact, when I was just buying a card in Lightly Played condition.

Sellers vary of course, but they may still want to please their customers for a good review.

 

[esterk]

Man I invested in the wrong dual lands back in the day.

I also feel bad for trading all of my dual lands for Elder Dragons.

Do people still hate Kiora? I find her pretty useful in my BUG deck.

Love her in BUG. She's a fairly balanced walker that needs to find the right home to be powerful. She's not like Jace who just gets thrown in every standard blue control deck and calls it a day.

 

[kirblar]

Love her in BUG. She's a fairly balanced walker that needs to find the right home to be powerful. She's not like Jace who just gets thrown in every standard blue control deck and calls it a day.

In retrospect, he clearly should have had 3 starting Loyalty. He was a last-minute complete re-do, apparently.

 

[esterk]

Agreed. Being able to be at 5 loyalty when he drops and making it harder to attack into him is just so good. I can't blame decks for putting him in.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Getting her and a Courser of Kruphix out at the same time is a lot of fun, too.

 

[esterk]

The playmat for GP Atlanta looks absolutely amazing - obviously a Walking Dead homage. As an ATLien, having the skyline on my playmat is pretty neat, I think.

Holy crap I somehow missed this. Where is it going to be at? Gwinnett arena again?

 

[kirblar]

If you go to Atlanta, Pure Taqueria is an insane chain there.

 

[platypotamus]

We are doing a pauper standard tournament (league) at work now. I have decided to try my hand at a non-EDH constructed format. Damn peer pressure to helllllllllllllllllll


(I think my izzet deck is going to get worked).

 

[divisionbyzorro]

There are few things more tilting than running into back-to-back opponents who just have it all.

Reanimate Griselbrand to stabilize the board? Oh, he's playing Erebos for some terrible reason. Rip a Sword of Body and Mind off the top against a green/blue opponent? He chooses that precise draw step to Clique you. No matter, we'll just stack a perfect Gifts Ungiven to guarantee a Griselbrand next turn (one of the advantages of having an active Lotus Bloom). Of course, he'll just rip Riftwing Cloudskate.

That's the first 0-3 I've had in a draft in over a year. Damn my opponents just always had it. I need to take a cooldown; for some reason it really got to me - I'm on tilt so bad right now. I learned long ago to avoid jumping back in when this sort of thing happens.

 

[divisionbyzorro]

Double post! Has anyone been watching the SCG invitational? Round two, with Reuben Bresler playing Imperial Painter vs Sam Black on Esper Stoneblade was awesome to watch. Painter is one of those decks that doesn't show up all that often, and I always love seeing it in action.

 

[An-Det]

Double post! Has anyone been watching the SCG invitational? Round two, with Reuben Bresler playing Imperial Painter vs Sam Black on Esper Stoneblade was awesome to watch. Painter is one of those decks that doesn't show up all that often, and I always love seeing it in action.

It's definitely underplayed, people are too focused on blue (though I can't say I blame them) and ignore powerful decks like Painter. I'd consider playing it if it weren't for all the fucking Turbo Drazi in my area.

 

[rCIZZLE]

I did consider Painter at one point but it had to start getting coverage time right before I could buy in. Imperial Recruiter was ~50-60 on ebay before then but jumped to 100 then jumped again to nearly 200 now. Just too expensive for a deck I won't get to play very much.