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[Horatorobor]

Do creature abilities have colours?

 

[SigmasonicX]

Do creature abilities have colours?

Yes, same color as the source. So protection from red would protect the creature from Goblin Arsonist.

 

[JulianImp]

Do creature abilities have colours?

An ability from something uses its colors, types and all that, so you can't target a creature with protection from red with your Young Pyromancer's "T: Deal 1 damage to target creature or player" ability because the Pyromancer's red (unless you change the creature's colors through whichever means).

 

[Horatorobor]

An ability from something uses its colors, types and all that, so you can't target a creature with protection from red with your Young Pyromancer's "T: Deal 1 damage to target creature or player" ability because the Pyromancer's red (unless you change the creature's colors through whichever means).

Yes, same color as the source. So protection from red would protect the creature from Goblin Arsonist.

Thanks for the answer, I kinda have Distorting Lens for changing the color, I guess that would work.

 

[JulianImp]

Thanks for the answer, I kinda have Distorting Lens for changing the color, I guess that would work.

An interesting card that manipulates exactly this is Eight-And-A-Half Tails: http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=50296

Basically, its abilities allow you to give your permanents protection from white in response to a spell or ability somebody uses on them, and then combine that with its second ability to change the source's color to white.

This achieves two things:

1. The spell or ability that was legally played ends up doing nothing (as long as that permanent was the only target of the spell or ability, though) when it tries to resolve because it realizes it's white (or from a white source) and the intended target has protection from white
2. If you made a permanent white, that means it can no longer even try activating its abilities targeting your pro-white permanent for the turn

 

[ultron87]

One random colored ability thing that tripped me up recently is that Emblems don't have a color. So you can't protect stuff from Venser's emblem with Protection from Blue, for example.

 

[Firemind]

where do i even begin to cut?

Spoiler

plateau sacred foundry where?

 

[Angry Grimace]

Ajani Vengeant is love
Ajani Vengeant is life

I never said I knew what the fuck I was doing in cube, okay? (2-1, good enough to cube again for free, I suppose!)

(okay fine Firemind, T1 Swamp, Mox Ruby, Mana Vault, T2 Mind Twist is sort of amusing. But not in the competitively interesting kind of way)

 

[Firemind]

sorry ajani. you're just not good enough.

probably gonna scoop to t1 sol ring.

 

[acheron_xl]

Oh yeah, cube is back. I need to get on that.

edit: Well, this sucks. 1.1 pick Shackles.. see blue dry up. End up R/B.

 

[Firemind]

lol i swear to god i posted that before the match started.

edit: phew my opponent is playing storm. dodged a bullet there.

 

[blackflag]

Okay GAF need some advice here.

I used to play Magic pretty seriously. back in 1995 to around 2000 then switched to MTGO but quit that and sold most of my cards when they got rid of leagues. I got back into it for a few months a few years ago during Ravnica but then quit again because I got sick of no leagues.

I need to play again. I love the game and Duels is pretty shit overall.

What's the best way to reinvest into MTGO so I can start playing again? Should I just buy tickets from the store and use those for events and packs or is there a better way?

I have some cards with some decent worth but I'm not sure if I should just keep them.

4x Dark Confidant
4x of most of the Ravnica and kagimawa block lands.

How would you go about it?

 

[Angry Grimace]

Okay GAF need some advice here.

I used to play Magic pretty seriously. back in 1995 to around 2000 then switched to MTGO but quit that and sold most of my cards when they got rid of leagues. I got back into it for a few months a few years ago during Ravnica but then quit again because I got sick of no leagues.

I need to play again. I love the game and Duels is pretty shit overall.

What's the best way to reinvest into MTGO so I can start playing again? Should I just buy tickets from the store and use those for events and packs or is there a better way?

I have some cards with some decent worth but I'm not sure if I should just keep them.

4x Dark Confidant
4x of most of the Ravnica and kagimawa block lands.

How would you go about it?

Leagues are in beta at the moment, no clue how they will work when they re-implement them.

Ravnica duals were reprinted in Return to Ravnica 2 years ago and are worth a few tix each, but nothing near as much as Zendikar fetchlands. Dark Confidant is like ~10 tix? The only deck playing it is Modern Jund. The original RAV Dark Confidant is worth like ~.4 tix more than the Modern Masters versions because the guy on the original Dark Confidant looks like a total goober.

 

[Crocodile]

Leagues are in beta at the moment.

Leagues have been "in the beta" for the past like 10 years

Granted I'm sure you knew that but I'm just letting any new readers in on that. I wouldn't expect them any time soon.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Leagues have been "in the beta" for the past like 10 years

Granted I'm sure you knew that but I'm just letting any new readers in on that. I wouldn't expect them any time soon.

I don't know that they said they were actually bringing them back until recently. There may have been rumors, I don't know. You shouldn't expect anything on MTGO to arrive anytime soon.

 

[blackflag]

Yeah I don't expect them. I'll just assume they aren't coming. I need to play.

 

[Firemind]

turn two thragtusk

dafuq

edit: lol still won

i love mana vault's damage trigger

edit2: first prize gets 48 phantom points? woo no more pack prizes that are worth pennies!

 

["God's Beard!"]

After playing with the flip walkers more, my current rankings for the upcoming Standard format:

1. Nissa
2. Jace
3. Chandra
4. Gideon
5. Liliana

Nissa is just an all-star, and Jace is the Satyr Wayfinder + Narset hybrid that UB control wanted to stay a 2-color deck.

I still maintain that Chandra is much better than people have been giving it credit for despite it being slightly awkward, and Gideon would be a lot higher on the list if I could figure out a home where it stands out. Liliana is just a constant stream of disappointment.

 

[Angry Grimace]

There's basically no way you're going to convince me Jace is good. His + is basically worthless and his - is basically worthless.

 

[Firemind]

He's a two mana planeswalker that is also a snapcaster minus the flash.

 

[Angry Grimace]

He's a two mana planeswalker that is also a snapcaster minus the flash.

He's not a two-mana planeswalker, he's a two mana Merfolk Looter without a relevant creature type that can turn into a Planeswalker on occasion. His plus ability is worth practically nothing and not having flash pretty much makes his minus useless. Why would a control deck ever ever ever need to use that at sorcery speed?

Jace is about as good as Tibalt. He's only better because he doesn't actively fuck you the way Tibalt does.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Why would a control deck ever ever ever need to use that at sorcery speed?

I've been using it mostly to replay Drown in Sorrows and Languishes. The plus is pretty good against goblins.

Generally it goes like this:

Play Jace, untap flip, sweeper. Then plus on whatever they play the next turn or replay the sweeper. Then once you stabilize you just tick up and start replaying your digs or whatever.

Jace also gets you to your Dig Through Time about a turn quicker than normal and has semi-evasion in some situations. He also chumps then flips against the fatties running around which comes up once in a while.

The main thing is that he's a super low investment that smooths the deck out and helps tighten the noose in the mid-late game. He's also a great turn 2 play when you don't have a Clash or Ultimate Price.


I think people are reacting negatively to him because they're expecting a mythic bomb when he's more of the role of a slightly worse Satyr Wayfinder in a control deck that doesn't want to dip into a third color for a two-drop.

 

[charlequin]

So the more I think about it, the more I think people are way off with this imagined cavalcade of ways that BFZ is going to be exactly the same as Zendikar. If you read most discussions, people are convinced that this set is going to have Landfall, and enemy fetches, and manlands, and full-art basics, and otherwise just be every single thing people remember from Zendikar, but all over again. At this point I think it'll be one of those, tops.

While I love the look of Kaladesh, I do hope its steampunkyness doesn't rule out a return to Fiora outside of Conspirary, or even just again in a supplemental set. I love the more renaissance vibe they had going on there

Fiora isn't really steampunky, the aesthetics aren't really that similar either. Plus people liked it in Conspiracy. It might kind of fall under the Shandalar category of planes that they don't think can support a whole block, but I'm sure it'll show up again.

 

[kirblar]

Landfall and full-art basics for sure. No fetches though, 10 w/ landfall isnt something they want.

Block after might have em tho, so Zen always has access in Standard.

 

[Crocodile]

If there are no enemy man lands in BFZ block (or they are there but suck) I will riot.

 

[ultron87]

I kind of hope they use full arts for a different set. We already have sweet Zendikar full art lands. Get some Kalasesh full arts in here! Yeah!

Origins would've been perfect for full arts to hit a bunch of planes at once.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Expectations of Battle for Zendikar:
* Landfall.
* Reprints of Hedron Crab and Steppe Lynx at uncommon.
* Eldrazi, with some sort of ramping strategy, but not necessarily Eldrazi Spawn.
* Allies, since they appear to be highly requested to return.
* Return of major creature tribes, but not necessarily with the same level of tribal support as in original Zendikar.
* Shocking reveal that the escape of the Eldrazi uncovered underground colonies of dwarfs that were there the entire time.
* Equipment theme with kor and dwarfs.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Fuuuuck Sigil of the Empty Throne :-(

 

[charlequin]

Landfall and full-art basics for sure.

Full-art basics go against literally every thing any R&D staffer has ever said, tho. (And it's pointless to save them up for years and then just repeat the exact same landscape they covered the first time.)

 

[kirblar]

Full-art basics go against literally every thing any R&D staffer has ever said, tho. (And it's pointless to save them up for years and then just repeat the exact same landscape they covered the first time.)

There are 25 basics - 4 new + 1 repeat, like Ravnica. Zendikar is "land matters" - you don't need fetches, but you do need something spicy.

 

[ultron87]

I totally missed that there is an uncommon near Overrun in the set. Bah. Worst way to lose limited games.

 

[WanderingWind]

Full-art basics go against literally every thing any R&D staffer has ever said, tho. (And it's pointless to save them up for years and then just repeat the exact same landscape they covered the first time.)

Last word we had on full art basics was that they would be used, sparingly. But reality is they'll probably be used to prop up the next Theros-style power downturn block to prop up interest.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Man if I can't find a good deck in the next month I dunno what I'm gonna do for GP San Diego lol

Come on Pro Tour! Show me something better than Abzan Control I can mess with!

UB control seems strong but I'm having the same problem as last season where I have zero confidence in the mirror match not going to time. Sidisi Whip is going to lose to all the new engine decks, Devotion is going to lose to control and Goblins. Elves is super medium across the board, always feels like I'm one turn away from losing despite having one of the stronger records in my testing.

I've been testing spoilers like 3 hours a day for the past week and I need a break. It's a lot of fun, but makes my brain hurt after a while. I'll just wait until the meta fleshes out instead of trying to preempt everything for now.

 

[WanderingWind]

Yet you're never on Trice.

Kidding aside, go with what is testing well. If that's Elves, it's elves. I messed around with it a bit and I found it pretty damn resilient. There just is no single good call at the moment. I'm avoiding Abzan because I'm just so fucking over Siege Rhino and Thoughtsieze.

 

[Angry Grimace]

So the more I think about it, the more I think people are way off with this imagined cavalcade of ways that BFZ is going to be exactly the same as Zendikar. If you read most discussions, people are convinced that this set is going to have Landfall, and enemy fetches, and manlands, and full-art basics, and otherwise just be every single thing people remember from Zendikar, but all over again. At this point I think it'll be one of those, tops.



Fiora isn't really steampunky, the aesthetics aren't really that similar either. Plus people liked it in Conspiracy. It might kind of fall under the Shandalar category of planes that they don't think can support a whole block, but I'm sure it'll show up again.

Gonna laugh when Scalding Tarn hits $100.

Also, we haven't seen much of these planes and it's pretty clear they just mash together tropes in planes if they think it will work. There is a lot more to Kaladesh than lolthopters, same as any of the Origins planes. The idea that you guys think Vryn isn't gonna happen just tells me you guys are severely underestimating fan and R&D interest in all things Jace.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Speaking of manlands, that sac land that makes the thopter tokens is actually pretty good. I wouldn't play more than one in my control deck, but it's pretty sweet.

Also, I think I'm too stuck on the old style of building control where you lean on like 2 win conditions in the deck. I want at least one more but there's nothing good. Maybe just play a second Ugin? But it's so bad to draw early. Maybe that Thopter Assembly thing? Seems awkward.

Yet you're never on Trice.

Kidding aside, go with what is testing well. If that's Elves, it's elves. I messed around with it a bit and I found it pretty damn resilient. There just is no single good call at the moment. I'm avoiding Abzan because I'm just so fucking over Siege Rhino and Thoughtsieze.

Must be our time zones. I only ever see dux and bandini on. I like Elves because Eyeblight Massacre wrecks Goblins, but I need a wider testing pool. I keep running into the same three established decks and a bunch of mono black brews so I'm not comfortable saying how strong the deck is yet.

 

[Sober]

Full-art basics go against literally every thing any R&D staffer has ever said, tho. (And it's pointless to save them up for years and then just repeat the exact same landscape they covered the first time.)

I haven't kept up with Magic in years but what's wrong with full-art basics? Even though I don't buy paper cards any more I would probably still want to collect them for the sake of it.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I haven't kept up with Magic in years but what's wrong with full-art basics? Even though I don't buy paper cards any more I would probably still want to collect them for the sake of it.

That's it right there. Full art lands are things that people would buy sets for no matter what the quality of the set is, so they realized that they are better used in sets that they are otherwise unsure of, such as the original Zendikar set.

 

[charlequin]

The idea that you guys think Vryn isn't gonna happen just tells me you guys are severely underestimating fan and R&D interest in all things Jace.

Oh, it' not that I think they won't eventually do it, it's just hilarious that they first showed off this plane three years ago and they haven't come up with a single setting element in the intervening time.

I haven't kept up with Magic in years but what's wrong with full-art basics?

Nothing's wrong with them, they're great. Basically everybody wishes they would print them all the time, for every set.

Whenever anyone asks about it, though, Rosewater gives some lame line about how they can't use them all the time because then they woudn't be special, and admits that they put them in Zendikar because they didn't think the set would sell well. Holding off on them through years of sets (a few of which could have probably used a little boost) and then including them in the anticipated set that's a return to a super popular plane is just gilding the lily.

 

[duxstar]

Holy shit why do core sets hate me, like legitimately my worst pre-release experiences are always core sets.

Here are the Rares I got
Nissa's Revelation
Animist's Awakening x 2
Abbot of Keral Keep x 2
Tragic Arrogance
Nissa, Vastwood Seer

Here was the removal I had across all colors
1 x Suppression bonds
1x Fiery Conclusion
1x Wild Instincts

Here are the Uncommons I had that were Notable
2x Zendikar Incarnate
1 x Skysnare Spider
1x Joraga Invocation
1x Patron of the Valiant

And now I come home to find that I traded away 2 Animist's awakening cause I thought they were junk rares for 1 ethersworn cannonist only to realize I lost out on that deal =/ I had won 3 pre-releases before tonight; just super frustrating. No removal, no real bomb (Even flipping Nissa didn't provide enough advantage in LIMITED, I don't know how people expect her to be good in standard), and not even a good aggro deck (No act of treason, no can't block effects) made for one frustrating as hell night. Why do i want to wake up tomorrow to do this again ?

 

[Sequence Six]

My big money pull was Alhammarret's Archive. The rest was a pile of sticks and storm drain runoff. I would've been over the moon for any 'walker, especially Nissa.

 

[Jhriad]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";171564041]

I think people are reacting negatively to him because they're expecting a mythic bomb when he's more of the role of a slightly worse Satyr Wayfinder in a control deck that doesn't want to dip into a third color for a two-drop.[/QUOTE]

So it's a mythic that replaces a common 1/1? Can't imagine why people think it's bad.

 

[ironmang]

My big money pull was Alhammarret's Archive. The rest was a pile of sticks and storm drain runoff. I would've been over the moon for any 'walker, especially Nissa.

Ya I pulled mostly garbage. Was frustrating to see people pulling multiple walkers then complaining about their decks. The prizes at the store I went to weren't even that great so even a single walker was basically the same as winning a pod.

I ended up 2-2 with a couple bad losses. Hoping they implement the new mulligan scry rule soon. Just not fun when you have to keep a 5 card hand of spell + 4 lands then instantly draw another land.

 

["God's Beard!"]

So it's a mythic that replaces a common 1/1? Can't imagine why people think it's bad.

That common 1/1 is my favorite card in Standard.

 

[Joe Molotov]

6 rounds, cut to Top 8. Examining my life choices atm.

 

[MjFrancis]

I pulled an Erebos's Titan which I promptly traded for a Sacred Foundry after my games. Did horrible in the sealed portion of the tournament. No biggie. Drafting Origins looks promising.

 

[Hackworth]

7th best in the store but all the prize support goes to top four ;_;

My janky BW deck was pretty fun tho.

 

[Firemind]

7th best in the store but all the prize support goes to top four ;_;

My janky BW deck was pretty fun tho.

That's pretty shitty of them. What was the turnout?

 

[Jhriad]

Got second at the DTK FNM draft last night. The final match put me on tilt for a bit because the guy was rules lawyering the whole time calling over judges multiple times because he started playing a few months ago and "wants to play at a tournament level." First game I have to mull to 5 and take a crap hand and lose relatively quickly. The second game lasts for over 50 minutes and goes to turns because he's slow playing the entire time. All I wanted to do was snidely remark that, "if you want to play at a tournament level you would have gotten a game loss or at least multiple warnings for slow play at this point." Thankfully I still got a Path promo but if we'd played three games I'm pretty certain I win so long as I don't get mana screwed. I'd cooled off and didn't hold any hostility toward the guy by the time the prerelease started. Went 2-2 in the prerelease with a pretty average BW deck. Hopefully today's prereleases go better.

 

[Yeef]

Got blown out by this combo last night:

Other than that round, I didn't drop any games. Had a fun Ru Thopter deck. Got two copies Pia and Kiran two copies of Ravaging Blaze. Spell Mastery is even better than I expected.