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Magic: the GAFering |OT2|

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Just finished sleeving my RUG Riku Commander deck in Cthulhu sleeves, now I just need to figure out my mana base. I have the guildgates, a Sulfur Falls, Shimmering Grotto, and some of the INN lands tat do fancy things. But I dont have any fetches or Shocks, and for now I dont think I want to include them. Whats a good ratio for Mana to Cards in a commander deck, in three colors?

Well the general rule for most magic decks is 40% land, so you'd want 40 lands I guess. Depends on the deck though.
 

ultron87

Member
I think it's still really weak at XB... compare to Divination or any of the higher CMC variants, it's like 100 times worse (and Divination is not a powerhouse card).

I did vote for it though, because maybe there's a way to make the mana cost work, and the other card is boring :p Plus, GAF :p

Yeah, it definitely isn't super strong or anything. It is generally a bad Phyrexian Arena. I figured the flavor was the most important and the power level could get tweaked along the way. I thought two extra cards a turn would be too broken and wouldn't get picked, but there might be a mana cost where that works. I didn't really come up with other benefits that would fit in.

Maybe I should've made it Dark Ritual you every turn. But that effect isn't really in Black's color pie anymore. I guess it would need to mana flare your swamps instead.

If there was room on the card to pay life for X instead of mana that might also work.
 

kirblar

Member
Probably nothing, I didn't see anything interesting either, but I was just checking that I didn't overlook anything with you guys.
You did catch the megaton in the promo listings, right?
Yeah, it definitely isn't super strong or anything. It is generally a bad Phyrexian Arena. I figured the flavor was the most important and the power level could get tweaked along the way. I thought two extra cards a turn would be too broken and wouldn't get picked, but there might be a mana cost where that works.

If there was room on the card to pay life for X instead of mana that might also work.
All of a sudden, the card "feels" right with life.
 

Emitan

Member
Actually it looks like my friend wants to go to the card shop tomorrow. I'm so excited.

I have no idea what kind of deck I want to buy. I fired up DotP 2013 last night because I bought it on release but never played it and had a lot of fun with the starting white deck that focused on flying and life gain.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Actually it looks like my friend wants to go to the card shop tomorrow. I'm so excited.

I have no idea what kind of deck I want to buy. I fired up DotP 2013 last night because I bought it on release but never played it and had a lot of fun with the starting white deck that focused on flying and life gain.

Hit me up if you want a nice pool of cards to mess around with.
 

joelseph

Member
I recently built my first EDH deck and it was the Riko RUG shell. I swapped out over 75% of the cards preferring land draw and destruction over card draw. Took a lot of good suggestions from Magicgaf a few pages back. Frenzied Tilling is bonkers. Preator Counsel is disgusting. Malignus is cheap and pretty slick. I might post a list tonight if it strikes my fancy. Let me know if you have any questions.
 
Just finished sleeving my RUG Riku Commander deck in Cthulhu sleeves, now I just need to figure out my mana base. I have the guildgates, a Sulfur Falls, Shimmering Grotto, and some of the INN lands tat do fancy things. But I dont have any fetches or Shocks, and for now I dont think I want to include them. Whats a good ratio for Mana to Cards in a commander deck, in three colors?

Depends on the colors and the curve... in green I usually get away with fewer mana rocks and a slightly lower land count, in exchange for a bunch of powerful green mana-ramp staples. (Nature's Lore, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Wood Elves, Cultivate, Skyshroud Claim... etc.)

In a three color EDH deck with green and a moderate curve, I run ~37-38 lands, and ~6 mana fixing cards, and ~1-2 mana rocks (Sol Ring, sometimes with Chromatic Lantern and/or Coalition Relic). Without green, and with the same curve, I would run probably ~7-8 mana rocks instead, and maybe one more land.

One of the secrets to EDH is not to skimp on the mana or the ramp. It can feel shitty because it forces you to cut a lot of cool cards from decks in order to run the nuts and bolts of mana, but it'll feel a lot better to play.
 

y2dvd

Member
I'm thinking of going to the local card shop and getting back into Magic. I was always super casual because I didn't really know anyone who played, never went to shops, and couldn't afford cards. It's kind of ironic that the friend I introduced to Magic will be helping me get back into it.

If you are planning to do drafts, check if you're store does store credits for packs won or if you can use those packs for the next draft. My lgs lets me do store credit and I haven't "paid" for entry since my first draft a few months ago. Of course, making a constructed deck is another story on how much you will spend haha.
 

noquarter

Member
So been playing FNM again recently and my wife is really starting to get into it. It is really fun now that she isn't as afraid to play out of the house anymore. Just wish the store did more than drafts, since I would like to play something constructed every once in awhile.

It's also nice to have a wife play since she doesn't mind rare drafting and we get a ton of rares. She still has somehow been able to make some decent decks still, so pretty jealous of her. If you have an SO, you should get them into it.
 

ultron87

Member
mana cost of BB, pay X life as it ETB... might be pretty playable.

It'll still be worse than Phyrexian Arena, but that's already a powerful staple card so no big deal.

I would be afraid to cost it at B. The line between B and BB is huge.

I've seen people elsewhere reworking it as not an X card but instead just entering with a fixed number of counters. I actually kind of like that as well. So you could spend something like BB or 1BB, get 5 (or however many) turns of free extra cards, and then have to deal with the token.
 

Lucario

Member
All of the YMTC submissions are overly complicated johnny bait. Like, they'd all look at home in Mirage block. It would be impossible for any of the cards (except a very undercosted Consuming Contract or Blood in the Watering Can) to see competitive play.


I love 'em.

Soulfeaster's Rising is terrible design, though. It's a slightly larger (and harder to activate) Quest for the Gravelord. It'd suck even if costed at B.
 

kirblar

Member
All of the YMTC submissions are overly complicated johnny bait. Like, they'd all look at home in Mirage block.


I love 'em.
There are a few good ones, but it's kinda emphasizing "Boy, this REALLY depends on the tastes of the person winnowing it down." Especially when Crucible is still the gold standard. (Keep it clean!)
 

kirblar

Member
In other news, I will be buying the iPad, Android, AND steam versions of DOTP2014.
I'll just be ordering a playset. :p

Also, I had suspected this deck was very, very possible in the format, and will likely be trying it soon: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1123989

MAIN DECK
3 Armada Wurm
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
3 Trostani, Selesnya's Voice
2 Voice of Resurgence
Creatures [12]
3 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Planeswalkers [3]
4 Advent of the Wurm
4 Call of the Conclave
2 Druid's Deliverance
4 Farseek
3 Parallel Lives
2 Rootborn Defenses
3 Selesnya Charm
Spells [22]
2 Evolving Wilds
8 Forest
5 Plains
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Temple Garden
Lands [23]
SIDEBOARD
1 Collective Blessing
4 Deathrite Shaman
1 Growing Ranks
1 Intangible Virtue
2 Nearheath Pilgrim
2 Triumph of Ferocity
2 Unflinching Courage
2 Voice of Resurgence
 

JulianImp

Member
In other news, I will be buying the iPad, Android, AND steam versions of DOTP2014.

I might buy the Steam version and gift it to my cousin, since he likes the game but doesn't want to spend a fortune on purchasing cards. How are these bonus cards supposed to be redeemed?

The ooze looks really nice even if its price plummets afterwards, since I collect ooze cards, and I think getting my hands on a copy on top of letting my cousin get into MtG could be a sweet deal indeed.
 

Lucario

Member
I'll just be ordering a playset. :p

Also, I had suspected this deck was very, very possible in the format, and will likely be trying it soon: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1123989

That looks amazingly fun. Parallel Lives is probably a safe investment, too, considering the timmy appeal. (hell, nearly every card in that deck is made for timmy.)


oh, and IMHO, the recent melira pod win in modern is a fluke. Deathrite Shaman does way too much to that deck, voice of resurgence or no.
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Pod was like 3 or 4 slots of the top 8, it wasn't a fluke at all. DRS doesn't really do much at all to pod since pod doesn't interact with the yard at all.
 

Lucario

Member
Pod was like 3 or 4 slots of the top 8, it wasn't a fluke at all. DRS doesn't really do much at all to pod since pod doesn't interact with the yard at all.

do you know how melira pod works?

it's reliant on persist creatures coming back from the yard. I've played the deck a shitload -- DRS absolutely kills it.
 

kirblar

Member
Pod was like 3 or 4 slots of the top 8, it wasn't a fluke at all. DRS doesn't really do much at all to pod since pod doesn't interact with the yard at all.
Melira Pod most definitely interacts with the GY. So does Kiki, actually (Reveillark-> instakill if the pieces are dead.)
 

Lucario

Member
Melira Pod most definitely interacts with the GY. So does Kiki, actually (Reveillark-> instakill if the pieces are dead.)

yeah, I'm confused how he thinks the deck works.

kiki survived as a deck post-DRS because it can combo off without graveyard interaction. Melira cannot.

I know the meta shifted away from BGx being dominant, but that card is still errywhere.

The top 8 looks bizzare to me. Why the hell don't people sideboard against affinity? 1 copy of kataki in any top 8 deck. It's obviously a commonly played deck, but nobody bothers doing anything about it, when it's one of the most easily hated decks in the format.

I know the format is diverse and everything, but that's just throwing wins away.
 

kirblar

Member
yeah, I'm confused how he thinks the deck works.

kiki survived as a deck post-DRS because it can combo off without graveyard interaction. Melira cannot.

I know the meta shifted away from BGx being dominant, but that card is still errywhere.
The deck's primary shell is still obnoxiously expensive and out of reach of most players.
 

Lucario

Member
The deck's primary shell is still obnoxiously expensive and out of reach of most players.

Kiki or BGx?


.... I guess both.

Either way, it's a GP -- high enough level of play that budget concerns shouldn't factor in to top 8 performance. I wouldn't think, at least!

And if that is indeed the case, it makes the lack of Kataki in sideboards even more baffling. Affinity is one of the cheapest consistent decks in the format -- it's going to be everywhere if you're playing amongst budget conscious players.

edit: yeah you were talking about BGx.
 

Jaeyden

Member
The lack of Kataki is indeed a bit interesting but don't forget Sliver/Metamorph combo can be quite potent against Affinity. Add Pontiff/Redcap and Witness to that mix and you can disrupt Affinity well enough without necessarily needing to tax them into submission. I was thrilled to see so much Melira Pod in the top 8 this weekend but I am also a bit scared by it's success. I just don't want my pods to see the ban hammer :( It gets a bit tiring trying to support a format when all your decks get nerfed every couple of months.
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
The lack of Kataki is indeed a bit interesting but don't forget Sliver/Metamorph combo can be quite potent against Affinity. Add Pontiff/Redcap and Witness to that mix and you can disrupt Affinity well enough without necessarily needing to tax them into submission. I was thrilled to see so much Melira Pod in the top 8 this weekend but I am also a bit scared by it's success. I just don't want my pods to see the ban hammer :( It gets a bit tiring trying to support a format when all your decks get nerfed every couple of months.

Pod is still very beatable, I wouldn't worry about a ban for the time being.
 

rCIZZLE

Member
Getting back into standard for the first time in a couple years since it's becoming a lot more popular again at my LGS. Didn't want to build anything where the price would plummet post-rotation and one that was different enough to not have any dedicated strategies against it. Ended up choosing an aggressive BUG list with the undying and rapid hybridization synergy and duskmantle seer to top off the curve.

Still a lot of changes to come but here's the list I used yesterday at the weekly:

Creatures (25)
4x Strangleroot Geist
4x Young Wolf
1x Skirdag High Priest
3x Dreg Mangler
2x Wolfir Avenger
3x Duskmantle Seer
1x Evil Twin
4x Experiment One
2x Zameck Guildmage
1x Varolz the Scar-Striped

Spells (13)
1x Rancor (couldn't find my other 2)
4x Spell Rupture
4x Rapid Hybridization
2x Abrupt Decay
2x Devour Flesh

Lands (22)
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Watery Grave
4x Breeding Pool
2x Drowned Catacombs
1x Woodland Cemetary (looking for rest)
1x Hinterland Harbor (looking for 1-2 more)
4x Forest
2x Swamp

Sideboard (15)
2x Tragic Slip
1x Deathrite Shaman (need 2 more, possibly moving to main)
3x Vampire Nighthawk
1x Abrupt Decay
1x Appetite for Brains
1x Putrefy
2x Simic Charms
2x Ultimate Price
1x Sever the Bloodline
1x Devour Flesh

Went 3-1 and likely would have won had I not punted Games 2 and 3 in the last match. Rapid Hybridization was amazing. Skirdag always was targeted with prime removal which is absolutely fine. Spell Rupture just ended most games as did a resolved Duskmantle Seer when I had board position. The only changes I'm looking to make are removing the underwhelming Zameck Guildmages for Rancors and adding more hate for Junk Rites and Zombies to my MB since they were the most common decks by far.
 
oh, and IMHO, the recent melira pod win in modern is a fluke. Deathrite Shaman does way too much to that deck, voice of resurgence or no.

That's the really nice thing about pod; it's not a narrow linear combo engine deck. It's perfectly capable of winning without melira combo. Just look over the coverage. It's a deck that can operate from multiple angles and it packs a lot of flexibility.
 

Emitan

Member
Keep in mind that the first deck there isn't standard legal anymore, so depending on the format you guys play at your store he might not be able to use it.

Oh really? I guess that makes sense that a deck from the oldest set would have non legal cards. I didn't think of that.
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Is Morphling still the best Summon spell in the game?

I've been out a while.

They kind of one upped it in the newest set:

Image.ashx


But no neither of those is the best anymore. I dunno what creature I would say is outright the best...
 

antitrop

Member
They kind of one upped it in the newest set:

Image.ashx


But no neither of those is the best anymore. I dunno what creature I would say is outright the best...
Did that see any play? I fucking doubt it for 6 mana. And if so probably not at all for the same reason Morphling was back in the day.
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Did that see any play? I fucking doubt it for 6 mana.

It's only been out for a couple of weeks but it will definitely see play as a finisher in control decks.

Most control decks go super long game, and commonly have like 10 - 12 mana in play so he's great for them.

I'd say Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, and Stoneforge Mystic are the 3 best creatures right now.

Yea those 3 are definitely the contenders.

Image.ashx
Image.ashx
Image.ashx


It's still early but I wouldn't be surprised to see DRS in the same list some day.

Image.ashx
 
It'll be hard to find Rally & Route for MSRP. It has some solid cards in there and will likely be in the $35 range at any shop you'll find it in.

So a coworker and I are doing a miniature league between each other at work. We started with 2RTR, 2GC, 2DGM. We play once at the beginning of the week and once at the end, best of 3. We are on week 2 of 7 and we get to add 2DGM to the mix. We keep our card pools at work and only play out of those. Person with the best percentage at the end gets a standard-legal fat pack of their choice from the other.

I got SHIT pulls for my beginning packs. All of my rares were Izzet based terribads that played off having a ton of instant and sorceries. I managed to freak-win the first round because of Gruul War Chant. He rightfully wastes my ass on the 2nd round with his Mirko Vosk milling me straight out once and killing me while I was trying to deal with Mirko the second time. He's just plain got the better cards and it'll show until we can get more packs mixed in.

So I get my new packs, I pull an Aetherling and a Mirko myself. I'm feeling good. He mentions one of his two pulls: Progenitor Mimic. Fuck my life.

Here's the schedule we made for our play:
Week 1: 2RTR, 2GC, 2DGM
Week 2: 2DGM
Week 3: 1RTR, 1GC ; 1 proposed trade with the other at the end of the week.
Week 4: 2DGM
Week 5: 1RTR, 1GC
Week 6: 2DGM
Week 7: 1RTR, 1GC, 1DGM ; End of the week, I will likely be buying him a fat pack. : /
 

antitrop

Member
It's only been out for a couple of weeks but it will definitely see play as a finisher in control decks.

Most control decks go super long game, and commonly have like 10 - 12 mana in play so he's great for them.
#ReprintFactOrFiction

I'd say Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, and Stoneforge Mystic are the 3 best creatures right now.

I'm guessing Dark Confidant combos with something in the current metagame?
 

antitrop

Member

I have no idea what the fuck a Planeswalker does, but I sort of get the idea (I'm familiar with term in MTG lore, though).

I bet $10 that card is restricted as fuck in Type 1 and it probably dominated all of Type 2 for the few months that it was legal?

I'm guessing it comes into play with 4 counters on it and you can remove 2 counters to "Fact"?
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
I have no idea what the fuck a Planeswalker does, but I sort of get the idea (I'm familiar with term in MTG lore, though).

I bet $10 that card is restricted as fuck in Type 1 and it probably dominated all of Type 2 for the few months that it was legal?

Not restricted at all in any format and is only marginally played. It's a brave new world in MTG, power creep is pretty crazy. You want to draw cards? You got this motherfucker now:

Image.ashx
 
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