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[marrec]

Wow, not expecting so many more bannings in Modern.

Also, Woo! Fact or Fiction is no longer redistricted!

 

[red13th]

They banned Mental Misstep in Legacy? Wasn't that like 90% of the point of the card?

I can see why they banned it, before Mental Misstep you saw tons of diversity on Legacy tournament results which all but died with this stupid card. Being no Legacy player I can't say if it's warranted but it seems like it was. It's the definition of metagame warping!

 

[TheSeks]

Their intent was to make a colorless counter to balance things. In reality, it was still blue and it worked best in blue aggro-control/control.

"Why pay 2 life when you can just pay blue and save that 2 life?" I mean, it's no wonder why it's played in blue-majority decks. They should've made it another color or a colorless cost (like 2-3 colorless in the trade-off to 2 life), but I doubt people would still play it due to 1) high counter cost 2) life cost to counter that high mana cost = ew.

I've said it before, the only way to balance blue is to not print any blue cards for a few years and let the other colors catch up.

I can get behind this. It seems Wizards has a hard-on for Blue as does most players, and it really sucks for the other colors.

Then again, I'd love for Wizards to bend the rigid defined rules (Blue controls, Black destroys, Red destroys quickly, Green buffs...) of the colors and have green-destroy blue-quick-damage, etc... come into play to shake the game up. Not too sure how balanced that'd be, as I'm not a competitive player but it would be a nice change of pace from "MORE BLUE!?"

 

[The Technomancer]

Blue's problem goes a bit deeper then that I think. When you get down to it, most of blue's core identity consists of mechanics like counterspells, filtering, and other control techniques. Remove those and you're probably left with card drawing, creature copying and giant sea monsters.

 

[TheSeks]

Blue's problem goes a bit deeper then that I think. When you get down to it, most of blue's core identity consists of mechanics like counterspells, filtering, and other control techniques. Remove those and you're probably left with card drawing, creature copying and giant sea monsters.

Which is why bending the rigid color themes would be a good thing. Having a G/W/B/R counter-spell or two would bring some of those U deck counter-spell players out. Or make them throw in a few 1/1 U creatures to counter the sudden counter-counter-counter and them being stuck with no creatures and the like.

I dunno. Maybe it's too late in the 15-18 year life of Magic to do things like this, but the whole rigid color themes kinda drags the game down when there is so many counter-spells for Blue but nothing for the other colors.

I mean, I speak as a Rainbow deck player because I like having the ability to buff/counter/etc. in my decks, so it would be nice to see mono color decks gain some of those abilities without having to splash blue everywhere. *shrug* Not sure if I'm articulating myself well enough.

 

[Leunam]

I think siddx called it a long time ago with Mental Misstep. He had proxied a playset of them when was first revealed and he attested to their effectiveness.

 

[Eteric Rice]

Someone one the Wizard's boards is whining because his $100 foil Japanese Misstep is now worthless. I find it difficult to have any sympathy for someone who can afford a hundred bones on an uncommon.

My God link to thread please. Lol

 

[y2dvd]

LOL I got some preordains coming in the mail any day now. Eh, I play casual anyways so I'll play those banned cards regardless!

 

[bigkrev]

Which is why bending the rigid color themes would be a good thing. Having a G/W/B/R counter-spell or two would bring some of those U deck counter-spell players out. Or make them throw in a few 1/1 U creatures to counter the sudden counter-counter-counter and them being stuck with no creatures and the like.

I dunno. Maybe it's too late in the 15-18 year life of Magic to do things like this, but the whole rigid color themes kinda drags the game down when there is so many counter-spells for Blue but nothing for the other colors.

I mean, I speak as a Rainbow deck player because I like having the ability to buff/counter/etc. in my decks, so it would be nice to see mono color decks gain some of those abilities without having to splash blue everywhere. *shrug* Not sure if I'm articulating myself well enough.

You can see here (http://bit.ly/qmCkKA) that they occasionally make counters in different colors, but they are mostly situation-based cards that are strictly sideboard-material.

The problem I have with your idea of "every color should be able to do anything" is that it breaks the game. Why shouldn't every color get Doom Blade? Because they tried that with Dismember, and people hate it. Over the course of Magic history, every color has had a Tier 1 fast beatdown deck, powered by unique cards in that color- Red with burn, White with Armageddon, Black with Hatred, Green with Rancor, and Blue with Force of Will (Legacy Fish). Each deck, while having the same purpose, plays very differently than the next, due to the limitations of the color. If you take that away, you really have a different, less interesting game.

 

[Macattk15]

For those of you who may be familiar with League of Legends ... I found this thread awesome ...

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=1254210

Someone turned LoL champions into Magic cards ... some thoughtful and awesome.

 

[TheSeks]

I agree that the color pie shouldn't be taken apart, as it would destroy the entire identity of the game. However the problem remains that Blue has two mechanics (card draw, counters) which work together perfectly fine and grant Blue domination over a vast amount of utility cards in general.

As for the counterspells in colors other than Blue: The ones printed in the last 11 years have been virtually unplayable, not even as sideboard-material, with maybe Mana Tithe or Pyroblast the only exceptions I can think of, the latter hasn't been printed in quite some time (for good reason).

What mechanics does e.g. Green have that haven't made it into any other color ? Searching for lands has been in other colors, directly (e.g. as Basic landcycling) and indirectly (via tutor effects).
Fatties ? That's standard in almost any color nowadays.
Mana fixing ? Plenty of that in other colors and as artifacts.
Artifact and enchanment destruction (separately) have been in other colors, not even taking Disenchant into consideration.

While Blue's dominance is not really a problem in casual/multiplayer, it's just disappointing to me that - as someone who's been playing for years - they've never made any real effort to break Blue's hold on competitive Magic (or utility cards).

This is what I'm trying to get at. There hasn't been "other colors than Blue" control cards in a while if ever. I'm not asking for a complete blowout, but there should be less dependency on blue for counters and that sort-of thing, given other abilities like land searching and the like have crossed over/dabbled in other colors.

What I'm getting at is that I think there should be less rigid defining for the colors while keeping their traits. At the same time, balance the counters/abilities to where the whole thing doesn't become muddled but to the point where blue isn't needed all the damn time because "lol it is the counter color!"

Mental Misstep should've been a red card, IMO. Due to the 2 damage or color pay-off cost. It seems like a "red flavor" ability counter card to me.

 

[bigkrev]

This is what I'm trying to get at. There hasn't been "other colors than Blue" control cards in a while if ever. I'm not asking for a complete blowout, but there should be less dependency on blue for counters and that sort-of thing, given other abilities like land searching and the like have crossed over/dabbled in other colors.

What I'm getting at is that I think there should be less rigid defining for the colors while keeping their traits. At the same time, balance the counters/abilities to where the whole thing doesn't become muddled but to the point where blue isn't needed all the damn time because "lol it is the counter color!"

Mental Misstep should've been a red card, IMO. Due to the 2 damage or color pay-off cost. It seems like a "red flavor" ability counter card to me.

There are a few mechanics that get almost no color bleed. Why isn't discard in more colors? Its pretty much exclusivly black, with a rare bleed into red (and the last red discard spell I remember was Burning Inquery from M10, which wasn't really a discard spell).

As for what green has that other colors don't, no color has the powerful creature tutor-into-play spells like green does (Green Sun Zenith, Natural Order, Tooth and Nail, ect), nor the powerful reusable tutor effects (Birthing Pod, Survival of the Fittest). Also, while black can return creatures from the graveyard to the hand easily, only green has many different ways to rebuy its spells from the graveyard with all the Regrowth variants it gets- normally at least 1 per block (Scars block had 2- the Phyrexian Mana one, and Preators console). Furthermore, green gets the best creatures, size wise. 2 mana 5/6s (Tarmagoyf), 3 mana 4/5s (Letherback Baloth), and so on. The issue is that greens creatures never get evasion, or powerful effects (think Dark Confidant)

And red, to me, is the last color that should be able to counter spells, flavor wise. Red is all about brash, impatient, unthinking actions. Red is the color of "I'll deal with it when it comes up." Red is never going to hold back and stop an action in the planning stage. Red can deal with whats put in front of it by lighting it on fire (creatures), or smashing it to bits (artifacts). Magic confuses Red, as illustrated by its inability to deal with enchantments (one of the few color pie laws that has never been broken), and its true of other spells as well. The only counterspells that red has were from a time when R&D often made symmetrical color hosers between 2 colors (Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast), or havent been entirely red spells (Gutteral Response, Suffocating Blast).

 

[y2dvd]

Can't decide on which set to get, Blade Splicer, Mirran Crusaders, or Hero of Bladehold. I would think Blade Splicer is better than Mirran Crusader so now it's BS or HoB.

 

[Totakeke]

Blue isn't always dominant. JTMS made blue dominant. It comes and goes.

 

[The Technomancer]

Yeah, if there was one card in recent years that bothered me from a design perspective more then any other it was Vampire Nighthawk, since that would have been pushing the efficiency boundary in green, and should never have been in black.

 

[WanderingWind]

Yeah, if there was one card in recent years that bothered me from a design perspective more then any other it was Vampire Nighthawk, since that would have been pushing the efficiency boundary in green, and should never have been in black.

Man, we're going to have problems if you keep hatin' on my favorite staple like that.

 

[The Technomancer]

Man, we're going to have problems if you keep hatin' on my favorite staple like that.

Its so good! A 2/3 flyer for 3 is good in any color, with lifelink or deathtouch its very good, with both its just...

 

[WanderingWind]

Its so good! A 2/3 flyer for 3 is good in any color, with lifelink or deathtouch its very good, with both its just...

Awesome and the staple of any black deck for the rest of time???

 

[Haly]

I wish I got in around Zendikar.

The vampire event deck looks sick, but it's rotating out so that makes me sad.

Here's to hoping they'll print a werewolf or vampire event deck for Innistrad block.

 

[WanderingWind]

I wish I got in around Zendikar.

The vampire event deck looks sick, but it's rotating out so that makes me sad.

Here's to hoping they'll print a werewolf or vampire event deck for Innistrad block.

Yeah, right before they rotate out and/or are about to ban the only usable cards!

 

[The Technomancer]

Damn, I was thinking it over today and given the proportion of double faced cards and the one-per-pack system deckbuilding for THG sealed at the prelease is going to be a challenge, since werewolves are much weaker in team multiplayer (since both heads would have to pass a turn to transform)

 

[OnPoint]

Man... that foil Mental Misstep I pulled out of a pack is worth so much less now, comparatively.

Should have sold it when it was worth $40 haha

 

[Boogiepop]

So, rules based question.
With a deck out loss, does it have to be draw, or would discard and the like work too? My friend plays a deck out deck, and I actually ended up playing a card that let me gain life instead of draw, bringing up this debate.

 

[Leunam]

So, rules based question.
With a deck out loss, does it have to be draw, or would discard and the like work too? My friend plays a deck out deck, and I actually ended up playing a card that let me gain life instead of draw, bringing up this debate.

Which card is this?

 

[Fragamemnon]

Assuming you are using the gain life ability as a replacement effect for drawing a card, he'll need to somehow remove the means for you to use the replacement effect for the draw before he can kill you. You only lose the game if you draw a card when the library is empty.

 

[ajf009]

Do you HAVE to draw a card at the beginning of your turn? or can you choose not to

 

[Orayn]

So, rules based question.
With a deck out loss, does it have to be draw, or would discard and the like work too? My friend plays a deck out deck, and I actually ended up playing a card that let me gain life instead of draw, bringing up this debate.

If you aren't actually forced to draw, there's no loss for deck out.

 

[Boogiepop]

Which card is this?

Words of Worship, from Onslaught (all my cards are old so we aren't playing any of the card restricting formats).

 

[Orayn]

Do you HAVE to draw a card at the beginning of your turn? or can you choose not to

Draw step is mandatory, and it's not technically the first thing you do with your turn. (Untap step and upkeep come first.)

 

[ultron87]

It is really silly that that M12 Vampire Event Deck that was released mid-August contains a ton of cards that are rotating out a little over a month later.

 

[f0rk]

It is really silly that that M12 Vampire Event Deck that was released mid-August contains a ton of cards that are rotating out a little over a month later.

I hope the replacement is a Zombie deck.

 

[Hex]

Woot!
FNM, then midnight prerelease tonight, then prerelease tomorrow and draft on sunday.
I am going to be so tired.

 

[An-Det]

Woot!
FNM, then midnight prerelease tonight, then prerelease tomorrow and draft on sunday.
I am going to be so tired.

I've tried midnight prereleases before, but I just can't do it anymore. My store runs straight from fnm through sunday events. I'll be skipping tonight's stuff (heading to uconn instead), but I can't wait for tomorrow.

 

[Haly]

I opened a Gideon in my sealed but so far I haven't drawn it yet

On the other hand, I drew my Primordial Hydra 4 times.

 

[alternade]

Will the new set be available for purchase starting tomorrow?

 

[Orayn]

Will the new set be available for purchase starting tomorrow?

No, you shouldn't be able to buy any normally until next Friday. Stores get product, but it's supposed to be used for the pre-release tournament before anything else.

 

[alternade]

No, you shouldn't be able to buy any normally until next Friday. Stores get product, but it's supposed to be used for the pre-release tournament before anything else.

So can I use the cards i get from the pre release in my deck this upcoming fnm?

 

[Brazil]

I'm off to the pre-release. Woohoo.

 

[-tetsuo-]

My friend got a Grimgrin, a FOIL Grimgrin and Garruk IN THE SAME DAMN PACK. I cried.

 

[alternade]

Kicking ass so far at the tourney. This deck is really surprising. Really liking the transform ability but can't get daunting when you have a bunch of triggers to remember.

 

[Rokam]

My friend got a Grimgrin, a FOIL Grimgrin and Garruk IN THE SAME DAMN PACK. I cried.

I'm assuming you mean in multiple packs, 3 mythics in a pack is impossible.

 

[darkside31337]

I'm assuming you mean in multiple packs, 3 mythics in a pack is impossible.

It's actually not impossible in this set.

You can rip a mythic card, a mythic double-faced card, and a mythic double-faced foil card in the same pack.

 

[Rokam]

Well then color me stupid! I didn't realize that's what they meant when they said each pack would have a double face, didn't know it'd be completely random. That's kind of intriguing.

 

[TheSeks]

Blue isn't always dominant. JTMS made blue dominant. It comes and goes.

Hahahahahahahahahaha. That's cute that you think blue isn't in nearly every damn deck under the sun for counter/control-ability. Again: Blue is too friggin' powerful because it has the counter/draw-etc. deck manipulation ability and hasn't been merged into other colors too well to where the dependency on blue is lessened.

I'm not asking for a complete breaking down the color walls, but I do ask they redo the meta-game and shake it up by giving the other colors a few counter/control abilities to where blue isn't strong and in every friggin' tournament as the near majority.

Blue is the main color that everyone nearly uses because it has waaaay better uses for it's abilities and cards than the other colors. Hence, why nearly everyone uses it.

 

[bigkrev]

So, how was the pre-release for everyone? I played at All Things Fun in West Berlin, NJ (about 50 people), and ended the day 4-0-1 after all 4 of us 4-0s decided to draw and evenly spilt prizes (we each got 13 packs).

I ended up opening a fairly underwhelming pile, and ended up in a controlish U/B build, with 4 Silent Departure, and doubles of the new Edict and the Aura that gives -2/-2. My MVPs were Murder of Crows, which is an insane value (4/4 flyer with incredible ability for 5), and Mindshreiker, which worked as a mill card and a giant flying beast. I managed to win 3 of my games by milling, even though I only had 3 mill cards (the 2/3 for 2U that makes them mill when a creature dies, and the Equipment that mills them till they hit a land whenever you attack).

My initial impression is that this is a limited format that rewards slow, controlling decks more than aggro/werewolfs. The simple fact is that if they can't keep there guys flipped over, there all pretty bad and overcosted cards. Every time my opponent spent an early turn playing a flip card, I got giddy, as I knew they had no chance against me. I chose to draw instead of play every chance I got, and the only games I lost were 2 games where I got mana screwed.

Oh, and While the card that makes 13 2/2 zombies looks like lots of fun, its really not that good. By the time I could cast it, it was always a win-more card.

 

[An-Det]

I went 1-1-1 drop (lose, draw, win) with a shitty pool. I probably could have kept going and won some packs, but I wanted food and to chill. We had 53 for the one today, and 69 for the midnight one last night. Great times.

 

[f0rk]

Went out on Friday night so didn't go to the midnight draft and overslept for the sealed today, but planning on going to the a sealed and draft event tomorrow.

I'm still new to the game and put together this as my first target for a Standard deck to put together, anyone have any comments?
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/zombies-185/
It's based on a flavour I like but have no idea if it's good. I also don't know any of the cards in Scars block so there might be some zombies in there that could be a good fit.

 

[Akim]

I had the worst pool ever friday night. Ended up in Green/Blue splash white. Opened 7 rares and had 0 in my deck. No bombs, barely any removal, basically very poor. My play got me to 2-2.

 

[alternade]

Went 4-1. Almost every game I won with civilized scholar equipped with the artifact that doubles its damage. Surprisingly I didn't see much blue played. White humans were the dominant tribe and pretty much everyone who played werewolves lost. They kinda suck.

 

[bigkrev]

Went 4-1. Almost every game I won with civilized scholar equipped with the artifact that doubles its damage. Surprisingly I didn't see much blue played. White humans were the dominant tribe and pretty much everyone who played werewolves lost. They kinda suck.

Yeah, the top 4 decks for us were all blue based. And wolfs tended to loose. We might be looking at another M11 situation here

Oh, and one more thing: Forbidden Alchemy is just as insane as advertised. It feels like cheating when you flash it back at the end of their turn.