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[hermit7]

Some grinders have talked about how they call a judge every time in case the person has accumulated warnings basically so they can get free wins. Wouldn't be surprised how many tricks of the trade exist to try and get wins via judges.

Man I guess it is different when you move from a hobby to a way of life.

 

[Zocano]

Didn't expect Taking Turns to crack top8. Super exciting and glad for the deckrunner for such a sweet

Spoiler

quad-sleeved

deck.

 

[Infinite Stars]

Stoney Silence is completely backbreaking against Affinity, especially if you land it on T2.

I know it's backbreaking, but an one lander, 2 artifacts, and Stony Silence isn't a good keep imo

 

[Wulfric]

What makes that planeswalkers art irreplaceable right now is that it's life-sized. It took weeks (in old-ass Photoshop 7, no less).

I figured it was something like that. It'll take a fundamental change in marketing or main characters before they consider replacing this illustration.

I'd love to see Chase Stone (Amonkhet gods) do the next version of this group. He does some good digital work. Or they can pay Chris Rahn or Donato Giancola some mega $$$$ for a group portrait in oil.

 

[red13th]

I hate Ari Lax.

 

[noquarter]

I know it's backbreaking, but an one lander, 2 artifacts, and Stony Silence isn't a good keep imo

Do you know what would be a better three card hand? There isn't really many, especially since you would probably still end up with at most one land.

That hand sounds alright against Affinity, for what your options are. If you draw into threats, you have Vials to get them out, if you draw into a land you have Stony Silence to slow down the opponent and most of your cards only cost two or three anyway.

 

[charlequin]

I've actually loved a LOT of the second set of Invocations art-wise, but wtf @ Threads.

Yes, this is basically my position as well. I think the best-looking Invocation out of the whole set is the Blood Moon from this batch. Threads, on the other hand, is bizarre and also not good.

 

[Infinite Stars]

Do you know what would be a better three card hand? There isn't really many, especially since you would probably still end up with at most one land.

That hand sounds alright against Affinity, for what your options are. If you draw into threats, you have Vials to get them out, if you draw into a land you have Stony Silence to slow down the opponent and most of your cards only cost two or three anyway.

Except it wasn't a 3 card hand, it was a 7 card hand that really should have been mulliganed/avoided by completely boarding out the Vials. I'm not sure what he could have brought in, but keeping even one Vial in was a mistake.

Aether Vial is a brick of a card when drawn Beyond turn 3, and so keeping Vial in is a dumb idea. His Sideboard was overly geared towards Shadow/Dredge(5 cards shut down the yard) and I'm 90% certain at least the Relics would have drawn him more outs.

 

[noquarter]

Except it wasn't a 3 card hand, it was a 7 card hand that really should have been mulliganed/avoided by completely boarding out the Vials. I'm not sure what he could have brought in, but keeping even one Vial in was a mistake.

Aether Vial is a brick of a card when drawn Beyond turn 3, and so keeping Vial in is a dumb idea. His Sideboard was overly geared towards Shadow/Dredge(5 cards shut down the yard) and I'm 90% certain at least the Relics would have drawn him more outs.

Alright, yeah stupid them. If he was on the play I could see keeping the vials in, even though your SB card hates your own cards. On the draw, yeah, get rid of themm, would rather see a couple more creatures than vials.

 

[Yeef]

Thoughtseize & Armageddon Invocations

 

[Hero]

Thoughtseize & Armageddon Invocations

Was legitimately going to be pissed if Armageddon wasn't an Invocation here.

 

[traveler]

That Thoughtseize art is pretty great. Black is the least offensive color on the frames too, so I wouldn't mind actually pulling that one.

Super surprised Cruel Ultimatum didn't make it. Don't really mind as I never find a place to play that card and I already have copies, but it seemed like the most obvious pick by far.

Man, that top 8 looks so nice. Jeskai would have been incredibly well positioned, outside of Eldrazi Tron. (I think Taking Turns is doable, but haven't actually faced it.) Affinity is certainly a pushover for the Tamada list, what with 4 maindeck Electrolyzes and all manner of other instant speed interaction to kill plating holders. I've even stripped an Affinity player of 5 artifacts before killing his defenseless etched champion without any sideboard tech before.

 

[charlequin]

I would definitely play that Armageddon if, uh, I went back in time to 1998 when I actually played decks with Armageddon but somehow magically I could use a copy with a weird design from 2017 and it was okay??

 

[Remembrance]

I would definitely play that Armageddon if, uh, I went back in time to 1998 when I actually played decks with Armageddon but somehow magically I could use a copy with a weird design from 2017 and it was okay??

Sometimes I'm convinced that Masterpieces/Invocations are for getting together with your friends who still have their old decks from 1998 and somehow luring them into getting back into the game with the shock value of putting down an extra-shiny Black Vise or an unreadable Counterspell.

 

[traveler]

DNT can occasionally find use in an armageddon. (or cataclysm) Don't think they're necessarily the right call for the current meta though.

 

[Ozigizo]

So, like, Apocalypse has to be one of these, right?

I feel like they missed it.

 

[GoutPatrol]

Didn't expect Taking Turns to crack top8. Super exciting and glad for the deckrunner for such a sweet

Spoiler

quad-sleeved

deck.

Yeah, the deck is awesome. There are many different ways you can splash, but I had never seen black before. Mostly is was white for the standard SB cards. Wong had some interesting choices (1x Snapback, Commandeer, Censor) and Push maindeck instead of Remand, which makes the deck better against DS/Burn/Affinity game 1 when you're already a dog. I really love playing Turns, and I could try the black splash over the weekend at my store.

 

[traveler]

There's only room left for the two remaining gods. We know all of the old invocations now.

Re:apocalypse specifically- there are a lot of cards that represent disaster; (see armageddon above) there was just no way they were going to hit them all. It'd also be kind of boring to just have a bunch of different wrath variants.

Still don't understand how Bolas' signature spell- Cruel Ultimatum- didn't make the cut, though.

 

[GoutPatrol]

Still don't understand how Bolas' signature spell- Cruel Ultimatum- didn't make the cut, though.

Becase they're gonna put it in the actual set, duh.

Spoiler

please oh please

 

[charlequin]

There's only room left for the two remaining gods. We know all of the old invocations now.

Man, they missed Cruel Ultimatum and Desert Twister.

 

[pseudocaesar]

Are Invocations legal in standard?

 

[SigmasonicX]

Are Invocations legal in standard?

No, that's how they can get away with printing powerful and expensive cards.

 

[traveler]

Oh, that reminds me. My friend- the same roommate from the story earlier- had a pretty decent sealed main event deck. His first match opponent literally mind twisted him for 4 both games on curve, though, so he got to start his event off 0-1. While hilarious in a twisted sort of way and undoubtedly fun for the opponent, it seems pretty weird they're still allowing masterpieces to be played in competitive REL limited events. Anyone who opened worship or a consecrated sphinx was probably fairly advantaged.

 

[Remembrance]

Man, they missed Cruel Ultimatum and Desert Twister.

I'll give them that it's unsurprising that nobody actually wants Desert Twister.

But that's just asking for "as opposed to..."

Also I'm pretty sure Desert Twister is one of Maro's pet color-pie violations.

 

[Ozigizo]

Are Invocations legal in standard?

No, but you can use them if you get them in limited.

 

[Rafy]

Depending on the price, I might pick up a thoughtseize invocation. The art looks really good!

 

[pseudocaesar]

No, but you can use them if you get them in limited.

OK cool, just checking as I have seen them used in FNM Drafts but not in Standard Showdown events.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

What makes that planeswalkers art irreplaceable right now is that it's life-sized. It took weeks (in old-ass Photoshop 7, no less).

but why use it over any other gatewatch art? They make such an effort to enforce some kind of continuity with the group and then use this artwork with strangers displaying as them and Nissa barely discernable from the background.

 

[OnPoint]

I just saw that Boil is one of the Invocations.

They ran out of cards for this as quickly as we guessed they would.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

They haven't even done enchantments just rolled them into this one halfheartedly.

Didn't even get a beast within or lightning bolt or path to exile.

Wouldn't say they ran out of them just fucked this one up.

 

[Santiako]

Yeah, this is a terrible list

31 - Armageddon
32 - Capsize
33 - Forbid
34 - Omniscience
35 - Opposition
36 - Sunder
37 - Threads of Disloyalty
38 - Avatar of Woe
39 - Damnation
40 - Desolation Angel
41 - Diabolic Edict
42 - Doomsday
43 - No Mercy
44 - Slaughter Pact
45 - Thoughtseize
46 - Blood Moon
47 - Boil
48 - Shatterstorm
49 - Through the Breach
50 - Choke
51 - The Locust God
52 - Lord of Extinction
53 - The Scarab God
54 - The Scorpion God


SO many puzzling choices there.

 

[Tunoku]

Alright, sleeved up a Temur Energy list and pretty excited to play it. It's the most straightforward deck I've played ever since I got back into the game. I'm not sure if this deck even needs/wants EDF, but I'll try it out anyway.

EDIT: WTF no Lightning Bolt, but Chain Lightning?!?

 

[DrArchon]

I hope WotC wasn't surprised that Invocations didn't take off like the other masterpieces. It's hard to get excited when there's no coherent theme to the picks and it seems like they're just all over the place.

If this is the best they can do, then it's for the best that they're not doing these every set.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Huh, I wonder what that art that was clearly Lightning Bolt was for, then.

 

[Santiako]

Huh, I wonder what that art that was clearly Lightning Bolt was for, then.

Iconic Masters probably.

 

[Yeef]

EDIT: WTF no Lightning Bolt, but Chain Lightning?!?

We still have this artwork unaccounted for. There's a slim chance that we get Lightning Bolt (or Lightning Strike) in the set proper.

 

[Santiako]

We still have this artwork unaccounted for. There's a slim chance that we get Lightning Bolt (or Lightning Strike) in the set proper.

We have lightning strike for 2R in the set already. That art might be for something else or held back for bolt in iconic masters.

 

[DrArchon]

We still have this artwork unaccounted for. There's a slim chance that we get Lightning Bolt (or Lightning Strike) in the set proper.

No way. Open Fire is Lightning Bolt/Strike except worse. Why would they print two cards that are identical except for the mana cost?

It's gotta be something else. Some new burn spell that still has to do with lightning.

 

[TheBlackMarvel]

It's going to be Rift Bolt.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

With Abrade already spoiled it'd be weird to also print lightning strike.


What's with all the red lightning anyways? Just because the card is red is a bad reason to have the entire art tinted red.

 

[Santiako]

With Abrade already spoiled it'd be weird to also print lightning strike.

Or this, as mentioned:

It's going to be Rift Bolt.

There's no suspend.

 

[TheBlackMarvel]

There's no suspend.

I wasn't being serious.

Spoiler

Though I could have probably conveyed that better.

 

[Santiako]

I wasn't being serious.

Spoiler

Though I could have probably conveyed that better.

There's no joking.

Spoiler

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Or this, as mentioned:

That reminds me, this art is trash conceptually.

The jackal and arrowhead have different methods of injury. The arrowhead pierces while the jackal head wants to enclose on something.

 

[Giant Panda]

I hope WotC wasn't surprised that Invocations didn't take off like the other masterpieces. It's hard to get excited when there's no coherent theme to the picks and it seems like they're just all over the place.

If this is the best they can do, then it's for the best that they're not doing these every set.

I guess they'll probably save them for special occasions (Dominaria) or to help ensure risky sets do well (Return to Kamigawa).

 

[Remembrance]

No way. Open Fire is Lightning Bolt/Strike except worse. Why would they print two cards that are identical except for the mana cost?

It's gotta be something else. Some new burn spell that still has to do with lightning.

It'll be Lightning Blast.

At uncommon.

 

[Santiako]

Oh shit, just realised. That's just Abrade non-promo.

 

[TheBlackMarvel]

Oh shit, just realised. That's just Abrade non-promo.

That makes sense.

Spoiler

Rift Bolt it is.

 

[Tunoku]

Oh shit, just realised. That's just Abrade non-promo.

You are probably right. Whatever, never got my hopes up and both versions of Abrade look alright.

 

[Santiako]

DARKEST HOUR, PART 1

This is going to be annoying as shit.

Oketra's Mercy is part of a rare monocolor cycle of sorceries, each tied to one of the Amonkhet Gods. Each is a spell with a significantly lower than normal mana cost that comes with the restriction that your lands don't untap on the next turn. While these spells are inspired by exert, they aren't technically using exert, meaning the keyword doesn't appear in their rules text.