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[DashReindeer]

Fucking Magic 93/94. Finally decided to try to finish my Legends collection and that format is seemingly causing huge spikes in random reserved list cards for no reason. $45 on TCGplayer for a NM Firestorm Phoenix? No thank you. Thunder Spirit at $100 TCG mid? Good god, man. Think I'm gonna sell off my Eldrazi deck to help with filling out the rest of this collection as quickly as possible. Feels like any card with even fringe playability is spiking hard.

 

[FeD.nL]

It's a 5/5 going into a set with discard/self mill mechanics that can be returned from the graveyard for close to free using Shamble Back. Or you could do something like Lightning Axe for R, Discard Erebos's Titan, then Shamble Back the creature you just killed to put Erebos's Titan into play on Turn 2. 7 power and toughness on Turn 2 across two bodies sounds decent. If the creature you killed was their only body it's now Indestructible as well. I think it's going to potentially be more playable than as just an anti-control card.

But Titan returns to your hand, not to the battlefield and you have to discard another card. Though you could set-up another madness trigger that way, two Titan's in-out the graveyard might be fun.

edit: Nvm the last part, don't think it works that way

 

[y2dvd]

So anyone think Drana will see more play in SOI standard? She's really good for the 3 mana she costs in my experience playing a deck interested in attacking where double-black isn't prohibitive.

Mantis Riders rotating out? Probably one of the reasons Drana wasn't seeing much play.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Mantis Riders rotating out? Probably one of the reasons Drana wasn't seeing much play.

Mantis Riders aren't seeing THAT much play to begin with; most people seem to have tossed them in favor of Monastery Mentor. You can really punish an opponent who doesn't remove her quickly with Reality Smasher.

that reminds me I need to sell off Monastery Mentor, Ugin and several other cards right now so I have a built up stash to buy SOI stuff.

 

[Jhriad]

But Titan returns to your hand, not to the battlefield and you have to discard another card. Though you could set-up another madness trigger that way, two Titan's in-out the graveyard might be fun.

edit: Nvm the last part, don't think it works that way

Man, my reading comprehension sure has gone to shit.

 

[Lucario]

Knight of the Reliquary/CoCo decks are pretty hilarious to play against as Eldrazi.

Unless you nut draw and overwhelm them insanely fast, their creatures are just.... bigger. It's hard to make profitable attacks, and they eventually just hit you with a trampling 15-power Knight.

Might be time to toss 2-3 All is Dust back in the sideboard.

 

[shrapnelmagnet]

Fucking Magic 93/94. Finally decided to try to finish my Legends collection and that format is seemingly causing huge spikes in random reserved list cards for no reason. $45 on TCGplayer for a NM Firestorm Phoenix? No thank you. Thunder Spirit at $100 TCG mid? Good god, man. Think I'm gonna sell off my Eldrazi deck to help with filling out the rest of this collection as quickly as possible. Feels like any card with even fringe playability is spiking hard.

Is that format really causing spikes? I noticed Typhoon shot up a decent amount.

 

[noquarter]

I don't know if out is just that format causing spikes, think it has a lot to do with collectors as well. Alpha and Beta cards started going up even higher a few years ago and looks like Legends, Dark and Arabian Nights are the next targets for collectors to go for.

 

[Royal_Flush]

I'll say it: I think Theros/Khans block art is the best. I'll admit the old stuff looks better than some duds from BFZ or OGW, that look like a 90s game prerendered cutscene or whatever they thought they were doing during Llorwyn block, but that's it. I like the new art better and I think the "new" frames a way superior to the old ones. There, I said it.

 

[Giant Panda]

I'll say it: I think Theros/Khans block art is the best. I'll admit the old stuff looks better than some duds from BFZ or OGW, that look like a 90s game prerendered cutscene or whatever they thought they were doing during Llorwyn block, but that's it. I like the new art better and I think the "new" frames a way superior to the old ones. There, I said it.

Agreed. I always make sure to buy new frame versions of cards if available. M15 frame is the best.

 

[JulianImp]

Agreed. I always make sure to buy new frame versions of cards if available. M15 frame is the best.

I kind of like the old black frame, mostly because of its scroll-like rules text box and the background that looks like lots of droplets or bubbles. I think I rememeber the bubbles looking especially good on foil cards.

 

[Angry Grimace]

It sort of bugs me that despite Maro claiming that first they were going to complete cycles of dual lands, and then clarifying that they just wanted it to be the same difficulty to put together a deck of enemy colors as allied colors, there are still a bunch of incomplete cycles and its way easier to put together specific decks due to their refusal to print full cycles.

 

[shrapnelmagnet]

Super random, but as I'm trying to build a really specific casual deck, I need to be "sure".

Is Teferi's Honor Guard a guy or girl?

My guess / hope is that it's a girl, but when I actually looked at the card up close, I started doubting.

 

[aidan]

Super random, but as I'm trying to build a really specific casual deck, I need to be "sure".

Is Teferi's Honor Guard a guy or girl?

My guess / hope is that it's a girl, but when I actually looked at the card up close, I started doubting.

I don't think there are any markers that definitively indicate whether it's a male or female. If I had to guess, however, I'd say it was intended to be an illustration of a male.

However, all non-legendary cards can be both male or female, regardless of what's depicted in the art (such as Knight of the Reliquary).

 

[divisionbyzorro]

I don't think there are any markers that definitively indicate whether it's a male or female. If I had to guess, however, I'd say it was intended to be an illustration of a male.

However, all non-legendary cards can be both male or female, regardless of what's depicted in the art (such as Knight of the Reliquary).

Or Meddling Mage.

 

[Haly]

I see that character as female. It's the lavishness of her outfit that sells it.

 

[OnPoint]

It sort of bugs me that despite Maro claiming that first they were going to complete cycles of dual lands, and then clarifying that they just wanted it to be the same difficulty to put together a deck of enemy colors as allied colors, there are still a bunch of incomplete cycles and its way easier to put together specific decks due to their refusal to print full cycles.

They definitely went back on that. It bothers me because they did it in exactly three blocks before bailing on it when the prices of the cards needed coming down the most.

Scars: Half the fast lands, maybe someday you'll get the other half?
Innistrad: Completed the enemy check lands here, that's OK since the others were in Core
RTR: All the shocks get reprinted, which was majorly helpful
Theros: All temple pairings printed, which was also nice
Khans: Here's these old ONS fetches, but LOL at the prices of the ZEN fetchs
Battle: No one will agree on what to call this half-a-cycle, the other half in ???

I see that character as female. It's the lavishness of her outfit that sells it.

Feminine-ish facial structure sells me on it, but really, it's the exposed arm. It's a womanly arm/shoulder build. Maybe if it weren't a "guard" or a "knight". But it's too lean and sleek to be a male IMO.

 

[ultron87]

Looks female to me.

The way the necklace is pushed forward at an angle suggests the presence of breasts.

 

[Ashodin]

I need some avvy dragons and moar jace.

Also Erebos' Titan

 

[shrapnelmagnet]

Haha, okay - thanks

PS: A ton of knights in MTG are female, I noticed. And there are some weird ones like Sworn Defender. And of course, Knight Exemplar, obvs.

 

[Angry Grimace]

They definitely went back on that. It bothers me because they did it in exactly three blocks before bailing on it when the prices of the cards needed coming down the most.

Scars: Half the fast lands, maybe someday you'll get the other half?
Innistrad: Completed the enemy check lands here, that's OK since the others were in Core
RTR: All the shocks get reprinted, which was majorly helpful
Theros: All temple pairings printed, which was also nice
Khans: Here's these old ONS fetches, but LOL at the prices of the ZEN fetchs
Battle: No one will agree on what to call this half-a-cycle, the other half in ???



Feminine-ish facial structure sells me on it, but really, it's the exposed arm. It's a womanly arm/shoulder build. Maybe if it weren't a "guard" or a "knight". But it's too lean and sleek to be a male IMO.

My guess is that they would say it leads to "interesting deckbuilding choices," but I would call it "arbitrary deckbuilding restrictions."

The problem is the assumption that all lands are created equal, e.g. ETBT lands vs. untapped lands, etc. I don't think its particularly interesting to be hamstrung by landbases in Standard (where you are already restricted by limited selection of cards) or in a format like Modern where Jund has a built in advantage over Abzan simply by virtue that Blackcleave Cliffs exists.

 

[Royal_Flush]

If Magic lore does one thing amazingly well, it's Gender Balance. I'm always surprised they don't fall into that trope where your women's defining characteristic is that they are women.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Knight of the Reliquary/CoCo decks are pretty hilarious to play against as Eldrazi.

Unless you nut draw and overwhelm them insanely fast, their creatures are just.... bigger. It's hard to make profitable attacks, and they eventually just hit you with a trampling 15-power Knight.

Might be time to toss 2-3 All is Dust back in the sideboard.

If only voice wasn't so expensive right now. Fun deck and has access to a turn 3 combo.

 

[aidan]

Aaron Forsythe just posted some tossed-out ideas for the colourless mana symbol on twitter.

 

[Ashodin]

Aaron Forsythe just posted some tossed-out ideas for the colourless mana symbol on twitter.

The left symbol, lmao. It would look like a NO symbol. Also looks too similar visually to a phyrexian mana symbol.

Right symbol is just dumb. It's just a (1) turned black.

 

[Haines]

I like the symbol they ended up with. I just still have a hard time remembering something like a blighted makes a wastes. But thats just my noobieness.

Hearthstone has it 40 million 'registered' users. Which is insane. That has to be the most for a ccg and only in a couple years. im a new fan of card games but im really happy to see wotc at its most popular and hearthstone growing in many ways. Can only mean great things for fans.

Finally downloaded xmage and imstalled. Going to tinker with the interface tonight and see if i like it.

 

[red13th]

Aaron Forsythe just posted some tossed-out ideas for the colourless mana symbol on twitter.

lol the other two are terrible.
also, did they use this Wastes art?

 

[Xis]

I'll say it: I think Theros/Khans block art is the best. I'll admit the old stuff looks better than some duds from BFZ or OGW, that look like a 90s game prerendered cutscene or whatever they thought they were doing during Llorwyn block, but that's it. I like the new art better and I think the "new" frames a way superior to the old ones. There, I said it.

I agree that Theros and Khans had great art, but I also love Llorwyn the block art. Old sets have a lot of bad art (especially pre-Mirage), but even the earliest sets had a few outstanding pieces. The new frames are fine, but I kind of miss the old frames, they seemed more "magical".

 

[kirblar]

lol the other two are terrible.
also, did they use this Wastes art?

No, they didn't, I think it's concept art.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Trying a third color with B/C/x Eldrazi. The problem is that due to the way mana bases are in Standard, the only real option I have is green or white (I can't really take out the playsets of B/X painlands).

 

[bigkrev]

Interesting interaction I saw in this article: http://blog.mtgprice.com/2016/02/11/double-the-exposure-double-the-puns/

With there being cards that create Clue artifacts, Shape Anew from Scars (currently a bulk Rare) to get Blightsteel is something that could happen in a slower, more fair version of Modern than we currently have

 

[pigeon]

I do want to point out that this card art is incredibly troll. I'm actually amazed they printed that. I remember opening it and being like, what the hell?

Still, RIP.

 

[shrapnelmagnet]

According to MaRo's twitter, Christopher Rush was the genesis of the Full Art Land idea. Kinda neat

https://twitter.com/maro254/status/697650350153576448

 

[Angry Grimace]

You can do this right: end of turn Collected Company for Eldrazi Displacer and Reflector Mage? Seems good.

Augmentor of Kozilek is a total mouthful lol. Endbringer is more generic but less weird.

 

[kirblar]

You can do this right: end of turn Collected Company for Eldrazi Displacer and Reflector Mage? Seems good.

Ok, that might turn me around on Displacer, especially post-rotation.

 

[Ashodin]

I need a full playset of displacers too.

 

[divisionbyzorro]

Interesting interaction I saw in this article: http://blog.mtgprice.com/2016/02/11/double-the-exposure-double-the-puns/

With there being cards that create Clue artifacts, Shape Anew from Scars (currently a bulk Rare) to get Blightsteel is something that could happen in a slower, more fair version of Modern than we currently have

You can do that now with the thopters from Magic Origins.

The problem is that Blightsteel, while sweet, isn't really that great of a wincon in Modern.

 

[Matriox]

Interesting interaction I saw in this article: http://blog.mtgprice.com/2016/02/11/double-the-exposure-double-the-puns/

With there being cards that create Clue artifacts, Shape Anew from Scars (currently a bulk Rare) to get Blightsteel is something that could happen in a slower, more fair version of Modern than we currently have

That existed back when blade splicer was in standard too. It wasn't super competitive if I recall.

Trying a third color with B/C/x Eldrazi. The problem is that due to the way mana bases are in Standard, the only real option I have is green or white (I can't really take out the playsets of B/X painlands).

http://decks.deckedbuilder.com/d/159888

Haven't played standard yet since OGW dropped, but here's where I am currently. Displacer and dark dwellers seems so sweet.

Misread your B/C as B/W for some reason. Ignore me, I'm tired.

 

[Matriox]

Oops double post.

 

[tch]

According to MaRo's twitter, Christopher Rush was the genesis of the Full Art Land idea. Kinda neat

https://twitter.com/maro254/status/697650350153576448

That's awesome!

 

[Angry Grimace]

Adding white has proven trivial, but I can't really think of a reason to play Displacer in this deck, so Drana's still beating people down. The only real reason I'm playing white is for Silkwrap-Wasteland Strangler shenanigans, 4 manlands and Sorin (running 8 painlands sucks your life total). Hallowed Moonlight out of the board gives you at least some kind of game against Rally because that match was utterly ruinous in the "mono black" version.

Deck: Black-White-Colorless Eldrazi

//Lands
3 Blighted Fen
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Llanowar Wastes
3 Plains
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Shambling Vent
6 Swamp

//Spells
1 Murderous Cut
3 Silkwrap
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
3 Spatial Contortion
4 Transgress the Mind

//Creatures
4 Bearer of Silence
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Reality Smasher
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Wasteland Strangler

//Sideboard
2 Flaying Tendrils
3 Duress
1 Languish
1 Infinite Obliteration
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Hallowed Moonlight
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Spatial Contortion

Display deck statistics

 

[kirblar]

Adding white has proven trivial, but I can't really think of a reason to play Displacer in this deck, so Drana's still beating people down. The only real reason I'm playing white is for Silkwrap-Wasteland Strangler shenanigans, 4 manlands and Sorin (running 8 painlands sucks your life total). Hallowed Moonlight out of the board gives you at least some kind of game against Rally because that match was utterly ruinous in the "mono black" version.

Deck: Black-White-Colorless Eldrazi

//Lands
3 Blighted Fen
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Llanowar Wastes
3 Plains
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Shambling Vent
6 Swamp

//Spells
1 Murderous Cut
3 Silkwrap
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
3 Spatial Contortion
4 Transgress the Mind

//Creatures
4 Bearer of Silence
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Reality Smasher
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Wasteland Strangler

//Sideboard
2 Flaying Tendrils
3 Duress
1 Languish
1 Infinite Obliteration
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Hallowed Moonlight
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Spatial Contortion

Display deck statistics

Feels like we're 3 months too early on this deck.

 

[twobear]

Some of my favourite MTG artwork:

RIP

man i don't wanna be 'that guy' (luckily gzzzzzz has already done it for me) but the art on mtg cards is fukken lame today compared with this stuff

 

[Ashodin]

New Standard is going to be so much fun, I can't wait. I want to see what Equipment is available in Shadows.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

man i don't wanna be 'that guy' (luckily gzzzzzz has already done it for me) but the art on mtg cards is fukken lame today compared with this stuff

It bothers me that Wizards considers it necessary for there to be a cohesive art style within a block. Which is just dumb.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Feels like we're 3 months too early on this deck.

0 Fetchlands, 0 Shuffle is a deckbuilding restriction I'm operating under for now. I prefer my Magic to actually be fun and not sitting around doing mechanical shit. Sure, it's FNM tier right now, but I only had to shuffle between games last week and went 4-1 against a bunch of people playing Tier decks. At the very least its both consistent mana-wise and not playing cards that are independently weak outside of Strangler.

I vaguely suspect Tribal Vampires and Zombies is a thing I'll be raring to do when SOI comes out, so might as well run it out there for the what, 6 weeks of standard we've got left.

 

[Matriox]

I vaguely suspect Tribal Vampires and Zombies is a thing I'll be raring to do when SOI comes out, so might as well run it out there for the what, 6 weeks of standard we've got left.

Risen Executioner to see some play?

 

[Angry Grimace]

Risen Executioner to see some play?

I mean, maybe but Kalitas usually just wins the game if you have any removal.

 

[noquarter]

0 Fetchlands, 0 Shuffle is a deckbuilding restriction I'm operating under for now. I prefer my Magic to actually be fun and not sitting around doing mechanical shit. Sure, it's FNM tier right now, but I only had to shuffle between games last week and went 4-1 against a bunch of people playing Tier decks. At the very least its both consistent mana-wise and not playing cards that are independently weak outside of Strangler.

I vaguely suspect Tribal Vampires and Zombies is a thing I'll be raring to do when SOI comes out, so might as well run it out there for the what, 6 weeks of standard we've got left.

I hope I'm able to do either of these. Last time I played a Vamp deck was Zendikar. Tried in Innistrad and it was just a little to slow. Ended up going Zombies, also not that great, but had fun. I have a soft spot for tribal decks, just seems like they are always afraid of them being to good.

Also, I know it wasn't that big of a thing, but I really wish they wouldn't have gotten rid of Tribal cards. Feel like I'm missing so many Tribal ____ - Vampire or Zombie.

 

[Ashodin]

2 Ally Encampment
4 Battlefield Forge
7 Mountain
4 Needle Spires
7 Plains
4 Bone Saw
2 Captain's Claws
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Magmatic Insight
4 Monastery Swiftspear
3 Oath of Gideon
2 Reckless Bushwhacker
2 Ride Down
2 Roast
4 Stone Haven Outfitter
2 Stoneforge Masterwork
4 Weapons Trainer
2 Wild Slash
Sideboard:

3 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Relic Seeker
2 Ride Down
2 Secure the Wastes

My Boros Equipment deck. I'm eagerly looking at SOI for new additions.