charlequin
Banned
There's always a lot of complaining about the limited data but not a lot of suggestions for how to actually address the problem they're responding to....
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Magic: the Gathering |OT12| Hour of Devastation - Hour of Jace getting dunked on
- Thread starter SigmasonicX
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You aren't wrong but shadow is 15 percent of the field. Cryptic is good against most of the field. Plus bouncing a delve creature is always a treat.
Running giant events every weekend is the "problem." Not MTGO datacrunching.
But isn't that actually getting better now? It used to be SCG had a big standard tournament on camera every weekend, but now, there are more Modern SCG opens than there are standard ones.
charlequin
Banned
These feed back on each other though. Tons of huge events means both an opportunity to develop the metagame and an incentive to do it, while MTGO data means an easier time mining out the data about the current environment before each of these events.
Like, I agree that just hamhandedly reducing data output isn't a very smart or effective strategy here, but I don't think opening the floodgates to perfect crunching of online data will improve things for anyone.
I'm guessing you're just using the cards you have collected so far?
Off the bat, can't have mardu manner as it creates white mana and you have too many lands. 36-38 is the sweet spot for most decks. I would recommend looking at edhrec.com to get an idea of what people put in the deck. What is that you want to do with him? His cost reduction ability means that you can take the deck multiple ways. Typically I've seen it go either cheating out fatties or a ton of punisher effects to lock down the board.
Megalosaro
Banned
I don't have many mana rocks, so I compensated by having more lands.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Git gud? It's clear obfuscating information doesn't make for a better constructed environment. It's fair for Wizards to hide the stats but it's crazy they actively discourage 3rd party tools.
Not even Blizzard is that brazen with Hearthstone and tolerate all sorts of data collection tools, even when they don't actively publish their data.
Is cryptic good vs. tron? 4 cmc when you don't have busted lands is a tad slow.
Official SDCC 2017 Planeswalkers:
These sort of remind me why I dislike the current storytelling format so much. How cool would it be to return to Amonkhet 1,000 years after the first set, where the battle between Bolas (the hero) and the Planeswalkers (disruptive villains) was an ingrained cultural/religious teaching?
These sort of remind me why I dislike the current storytelling format so much. How cool would it be to return to Amonkhet 1,000 years after the first set, where the battle between Bolas (the hero) and the Planeswalkers (disruptive villains) was an ingrained cultural/religious teaching?
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
why the weird angles and lighting? Right idea terrible execution, Chandra in particular has too much detail.
It's getting better because Standard has sucked.
Going from 10->5 isn't about datacrunching, it's about them being able to prop up a mediocre deck like Temur Tower without everyone else being able to call them on it. Move is based only on optics.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Is Bolas so petty he has engrave his triumph personally?
What level of competition do Standard Showdowns usually draw? I understand that every area is different but have most people found that the level of deck power level is a little bit lower? Group of friends that play magic is wanting to try to make decks for the Standard Showdowns and Game day and trying to get an idea of what the 'power level' at these events generally are. If it is completely area dependent then we're just going to keep doing what we're planning on and see how destroyed we get during the first one. Plan for me is to make a -1/-1 counter deck and i'm currently leaning towards R/B/G. I may post the list later today if that's all right.
having seen these, hieroglyph art and normal frame makes so much more sense than normal art and hieroglyph frame it's ridiculous
Whats your budget like? Most mana rocks are less than $1.00 that would work for you.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
it will vary by store but you can expect everything from upgraded Planeswalker Deck to Tier 1 just won the Pro Tour list.
Please post your -1/-1 deck when you get the chance. I am working on one myself and am having a hard time finding the right setup. I started with Archfiend/Hapatra/Obelisk Spider but after pulling 2 Scorpion Gods this weekend I think Archfiend needs to be replaced with them.
It's almost like this doesn't help and is just a way to obfuscate information
The fact that they are doing this for modern, a format all about the meta and the sideboard, just reinforces this.
why is there no hieroglyph of bolas
I think Bolas is destroying the art.
I will definitely post it this evening. I initially started with the idea of Ruthless Archer and Archfiend but have found myself incorporating Soul-Scar Mage and Burn spells to help with snake generation while running things like Ammit Eternal, Obelisk, and a few other creatures that generate tokens. I'll have it up in like 2 hours. If the opinion of the deck is it's trying to do too much or will have mana problems then I think i'll end up dropping the red aspects and focus on B/G counters and cycling/discard.
I guess they were afraid it would look too flat if it was just straight up hieroglyphics? Which completely misses the point, of course.
Ah well. Nothing will beat the baller "all black" style promos they used to do.
I will post mine later tonight when I get home from work. I think I had a similar set up to you but I had Key to the City to trigger Archfiend and Sniper and was just Green/Black but I think dropping the Archfiend and Key and adding Scorpion god opens up a few more slots.
Fuck, this is a cool idea.
Actually, it's too bad they didn't frame it as Bolas' fighting a different, ancient group of planeswalkers to take the plane over in the first place 1,000 years ago. Then the Gatewatch could have discovered this and been like "Oh... no...". Instead we had this empty narrative about the planes gods, which was pretty throwaway because now they're mostly dead.
The whole Amonkhet story is like 75% of the way to being amazing. The 25% that sucks really weighs it down though.
With his bare claws? That kind of blows my mind.
When was the last time there was a decent enough story?
Now granted, I think I usually bitch about the story. However...
Khans block (re: the Sarkhan/Ugin stuff) was pretty OK. I liked how it sidestepped the usual time travel stuff by making sure it was all tied to just that plane. The clans stuff was kind of just there for me, but whatever. The planeswalker story was interesting here for me as the world changed around him.
I didn't dislike the Theros stuff much. There was a lot to like there honestly, but I wish we got more from the world and less from the planeswalker in focus. The world and story attached wasn't bad, though. Of course it's always a case by case basis if the planeswalker in the story is interesting or not.
I think it's really started to crash a bit around the focus around the Gatewatch, and I they are aware of this.
I just can't believe they've been setting up Bolas' plan for this long and it's so lame.
I never saw it as a "relationship". I liked that he had a crush on her in timeline B, and when he switched it over to timeline A and came back, she was like "Uh ok. Get away werido".
I don't think the dragons destroyed them so much as removed a color from each and became the rulers. (i.e. Dromoka not believing in necromancy, so Abzan now has no black)
Ugin ended up on Zendikar during the BFZ story.
SigmasonicX
Member
Sarkhan is completely fine with the Dragons timeline, and after he recovered, Ugin talked to Sorin and told him to get Nahiri. Ugin went to Zendikar and Sorin went to Innistrad. There wasn't really a story to the Dragons set.
Joe Molotov
Member
You have some problems with the deck, I'm assuming you only have access to recent cards, mostly commons/uncommons, so I'll try to keep my recommendations very cheap. First of all, Lashweed Lurker and Mardu Banner are not legal in your deck and you have too many lands.
Some big creatures that you can cheat in with Rakdos: Artisan of Kozilek, Conduit of Ruin, Desolation Twin, Bane of Bala Ged, Ulamog's Crusher. Overall, big colorless Eldrazi are great for your commander.
Try to swap some non impactful creatures, like vanilla 4/2s and 5/2s you have for creatures that can tap to deal damage (Thermo-Alchemist, Conduit of Ruin, etc) so you can play Rakdos more easily. Also, try to play creatures that have impact even if they never get to attack (Pilgrim's Eye, Burnished Hart, Beetleback Chief, look for "enter the battlefield" abilities).
Some cards to give Rakdos haste and protection are essential (Swiftfoot boots, Lightning Greaves).
Adding some mass removal (Hour of Devastation, Sweltering Suns, Earthquake, etc), some card draw (Read the Runes, Sign in Blood, etc) and some graveyard hate (Bojuka Bog, Tormod's Crypt, Rakdos Charm, etc) is always a good idea.
Finally, mana rocks are cheap and very important (Rakdos Signet, Talisman of Dominance, Cryptolith Fragment, Darksteel Ingot, Manalith, Commander's Sphere).
Obviously the deck is rough, but with time you can mold it into something great.
Imperfected
Member
Sometimes Planeswalkers just go sight-seeing.
Fun Fact: Garruk was actually on Amonkhet during the Hour of Devastation, but he just stopped by to hang out with Rhonas and try craft beers.
You asked what happened to him.
Presumably he was trying to come up with a solution for re-trapping the titans before the Gatewatch went all BLAP BLAP on them and took them out. Then he yelled at them. He was probably counting on Sorin and Nahiri coming back. He's a loose end right now, but in a good way, in the way that you can pick back up on later.
There's more to come from Ugin, I'm sure.
Jokes aside, where the fuck is Garruk? He was one of the Lorwyn 5 and he was the main face of the last core set, but we haven't seen him since M15. Nissa just showed up and stole his spotlight as the main Green planeswalker.
I really liked Garruk, and it was cool when he became a crazy inter-dimensional Predator. I get that that's not really an angle they can throw into every set, especially not when they're focusing on the Gatewatch as a team, but still.
Garruk will be an issue eventually, as he's likely going to come after Liliana. Let's hope they do him right.
#curenotkill
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Let's play a game called which to cut/keep from Tiaigam
Expensive spell wincon
Spot Removal:
Control Magic:
Draw:
Wrath:
Counters:
Utility:
Sad thing I got about 15 more cuts to make.
Expensive spell wincon
Spot Removal:
Control Magic:
Draw:
Wrath:
Counters:
Utility:
Sad thing I got about 15 more cuts to make.
TheBlackMarvel
Member
Official SDCC 2017 Planeswalkers:
These sort of remind me why I dislike the current storytelling format so much. How cool would it be to return to Amonkhet 1,000 years after the first set, where the battle between Bolas (the hero) and the Planeswalkers (disruptive villains) was an ingrained cultural/religious teaching?
I love the Liliana one. Shame I'll never own it.
Yeah that's a missed opportunity, hopefully they'll loosen up and allow for cool stuff like that.
That giant crack on Gideon just screams death foreshadowing to me.
Shame he's gonna live.
EDIT: Bolas being the one carving the story is a nice touch but makes no sense.
They really need to have him come out of nowhere and gank someone.
Like, in Ixalan, Jace and Vraska are off searching for something, plot progressing as usual, adventure and action, then BAM! Giant hulking dude out of nowhere, Vraska gets her head lopped off, Garruk fucks off to somewhere else.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Don't think they'll make a new dominaria native PW so I could see Garruk tracking Lili there.
Please not Vraska. Multicolor planeswalkers are hard enough to come by as is. Have him kill off one of those mono-color ones that no one likes, like Tibalt.
But yes, WotC desperately needs to implement a "Garruk Everywhere System" into Magic.
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