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["God's Beard!"]

Dat feel when you first and second pick Ruthless Deathfang and see literally no sac outlets in all three packs.

Dat feel when your deck has double palace familiar and jeskai sage.

Dat feel when it works out anyway because you get five rares and five uncommon dragons.

 

[Firemind]

I literally got paired against Dragonlord Atarka, Dromoka and Silumgar in the last three drafts. Fuck. This. Shit.

 

[ElyrionX]

I want a cutthroat tier one EDH deck that I can whip out in appropriate situations. But they all seem so boring. I am leaning towards Sharuum Combo but that clone + Sharuum infinite combo sounds awfully lame.

 

["God's Beard!"]

I just like my Teysa EDH deck. Tokens, planeswalkers equipment and sweepers.

I literally got paired against Dragonlord Atarka, Dromoka and Silumgar in the last three drafts. Fuck. This. Shit.

I beat Dragonlord Silumgar in the last draft

Used his own Scorn against him. Get bopped. I sided in shifting loyalties for the last game but he never drew Silumgar for me to steal :-(

I've been playing a lot of UB mirrors lately. The archetype's ok, but I've just fallen into it the last couple drafts.

 

[Matriox]

I want a cutthroat tier one EDH deck that I can whip out in appropriate situations. But they all seem so boring. I am leaning towards Sharuum Combo but that clone + Sharuum infinite combo sounds awfully lame.

I play a mono blue Kami of the Crescent Moon combo deck that's a blast to play. Just draw a shit load and counter relevant spells until you can go infinite turns, tap for infinite mana, or draw your entire library and win with Lab Maniac.

 

[ElyrionX]

I play a mono blue Kami of the Crescent Moon combo deck that's a blast to play. Just draw a shit load and counter relevant spells until you can go infinite turns, tap for infinite mana, or draw your entire library and win with Lab Maniac.

Yeah but I don't think that's tier one. I already have fun to play decks that are decent. But I need something that can winl fast and consistently.

 

[acheron_xl]

Isamaru Voltron.

 

[Hero]

I want a cutthroat tier one EDH deck that I can whip out in appropriate situations. But they all seem so boring. I am leaning towards Sharuum Combo but that clone + Sharuum infinite combo sounds awfully lame.

I have a Sharuum deck but I only combo out if someone else is trying to or the game has gone on too long.

 

[ElyrionX]

I have a Sharuum deck but I only combo out if someone else is trying to or the game has gone on too long.

Can you combo out at instant speed?

 

[OnPoint]

I want a cutthroat tier one EDH deck that I can whip out in appropriate situations. But they all seem so boring. I am leaning towards Sharuum Combo but that clone + Sharuum infinite combo sounds awfully lame.

What combo is this?

 

[ElyrionX]

What combo is this?

Cloning Sharuum and using the legendary rule to throw the original into the graveyard and recur back instantly which creates infinite triggers. Then using cards like Disciple of the Vault, Bitter Ordeal or Altar of the Brood to win.

 

[OnPoint]

Cloning Sharuum and using the legendary rule to throw the original into the graveyard and recur back instantly which creates infinite triggers. Then using cards like Disciple of the Vault, Bitter Ordeal or Altar of the Brood to win.

Ahh. That does seem relatively cheap.

 

["God's Beard!"]

I made two builds in my last draft. I stayed open as long as possible in order to tell what colors were open and as a result wound up with a large number of bombs but slightly below the ideal number of playables. So I shifted a little between splashing two great cards for my deck and a build with some stinkers but a more consistent mana base for my double-color bombs.

I wound up going with the second build, but I'm curious to know what you guys think.

Unfortunately, the problem with the classic "staying open" strategy is that you're slightly less likely to have a good variety of sideboard cards. The Pinion Feasts I passed over because I wasn't sure what colors I was yet wound up biting me. My second round opponent had Dragonlord Dromoka with two more dragons on top of several rare ground beaters and despite casting mastery and three Pacifisms in one game and siege in the other I couldn't keep up with the raw power.

I was surprised that there were two high-quality GW drafters at the table, especially after getting passed Mastery, Temur Sabertooth and Abzan Beastmaster.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I feel like all that Ferocious and Formidable would be hard to actually turn on in that deck.

 

[Amory]

Hey All, haven't posted in this thread before. I started playing MTG probably 15 years ago or so, and am coming off a long hiatus from the game. The last time I played with any kind of consistency was around the release of the Odyssey block, so I'm pretty rusty.

I recently started playing MTGO, and my god the game has really gotten complicated. There are so many more mechanics now that it make it far more difficult for a beginner to just quickly put a deck together and have a decent chance of winning. Scry, bolster, double-strike, cards that morph, planeswalkers, way more bi- and tri-colored permanents, it's crazy.

Does anyone have a suggestion for which of the "newer" abilities are the most important to quickly get to know/use, and a suggestion for which expansion might be good to start with?

Kind of a subjective question, I know.

 

["God's Beard!"]

I feel like all that Ferocious and Formidable would be hard to actually turn on in that deck.

You're not wrong, but none of those abilities actually matter all that much. It's just about delaying until I hit Mastery or Citadel or Temur Sabertooth and letting them take over. My low curve means I got to play a lot more spells than my opponents which was nice. But it was certainly possible to get overpowered with my 0/2s and such and that's exactly how I lost.

I'm starting to run low on prize packs again after a couple losses in a row in the 8-4s. I've got enough tickets left for one or two more but I'm gonna try not to fall off the train again. These things are too expensive.

 

[The Technomancer]

Hey All, haven't posted in this thread before. I started playing MTG probably 15 years ago or so, and am coming off a long hiatus from the game. The last time I played with any kind of consistency was around the release of the Odyssey block, so I'm pretty rusty.

I recently started playing MTGO, and my god the game has really gotten complicated. There are so many more mechanics now that it make it far more difficult for a beginner to just quickly put a deck together and have a decent chance of winning. Scry, bolster, double-strike, cards that morph, planeswalkers, way more bi- and tri-colored permanents, it's crazy.

Does anyone have a suggestion for which of the "newer" abilities are the most important to quickly get to know/use, and a suggestion for which expansion might be good to start with?

Kind of a subjective question, I know.

Ahaha, you picked one of the most complex blocks in recent memory to jump in at. Don't worry, its not always quite this insane, although there is a lot more to learn.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Hey All, haven't posted in this thread before. I started playing MTG probably 15 years ago or so, and am coming off a long hiatus from the game. The last time I played with any kind of consistency was around the release of the Odyssey block, so I'm pretty rusty.

I recently started playing MTGO, and my god the game has really gotten complicated. There are so many more mechanics now that it make it far more difficult for a beginner to just quickly put a deck together and have a decent chance of winning. Scry, bolster, double-strike, cards that morph, planeswalkers, way more bi- and tri-colored permanents, it's crazy.

Does anyone have a suggestion for which of the "newer" abilities are the most important to quickly get to know/use, and a suggestion for which expansion might be good to start with?

Kind of a subjective question, I know.

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking for. You have to know all of them because if you're playing a constructed deck someone's gonna play those cards against you.

If you understand the basic gist of the game from the last time you played, the first thing I'd suggest knowing very well is turn and phase sequences, learning how the stack works and understanding priority. MTGO makes all of these very easy, actually.

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164343662]You're not wrong, but none of those abilities actually matter all that much. It's just about delaying until I hit Mastery or Citadel or Temur Sabertooth and letting them take over. My low curve means I got to play a lot more spells than my opponents which was nice. But it was certainly possible to get overpowered with my 0/2s and such and that's exactly how I lost.[/QUOTE]

"Unplayables until I get my bomb" has never been a very good archetype for me. I also found out the hard way a lot of the green role-players in the Formidable archtype are just unplayable in Dromoka-Bolster. Don't always listen to me though: the other day I P1P1 a Stampeding Elk Herd, (I did 2-1 that draft, so it wasn't as horrible as it sounds, just tons of Formidable-enabling uncommons and zero rares).

I lost the first match by misplaying Epic Confrontation (I thought it was instant, fuck) and then I just couldn't get around a Sunscorch Regent.

 

[Matriox]

Yeah but I don't think that's tier one. I already have fun to play decks that are decent. But I need something that can winl fast and consistently.

Tiers are so dependent on playgroup though. Mine is full of sharuum combo, Zur, and maelstrom combo decks, which I love to see. I don't like seeing aggro decks though, which are rare in multiplayer EDH anyways.

EDIT: I find it comparable deck wise to Azami, but since Kami hugs they don't usually go for me until its too late.

 

[Angry Grimace]

If someone says "I'm playing ________ combo" in EDH I just leave and don't play with them. Nobody wants to play your shitty, fun-wrecking combo garbage.

 

["God's Beard!"]

"Unplayables until I get my bomb" has never been a very good archetype for me. I also found out the hard way a lot of the green role-players in the Formidable archtype are just unplayable in Dromoka-Bolster. Don't always listen to me though: the other day I P1P1 a Stampeding Elk Herd, (I did 2-1 that draft, so it wasn't as horrible as it sounds, just tons of Formidable-enabling uncommons and zero rares).

They're not unplayables, they're solid cards and I actually like stuff like Colossodon Yearling. The bad cards are Sansteppe Scavenger and Dromoka's Gift. Soul Summons is a little out of place, but I'm happy to have all the rest of the cards in my deck. It just happens that I picked primarily defensive creatures.

Part of that was that I was Green Black until the middle of pack two and I was setting myself up to get passed the fight cards in FRF. But around when I decided to take the second Pacifism over a Secure the Wastes that got passed to me I was able to determine that white was more open.

 

[OnPoint]

If someone says "I'm playing ________ combo" in EDH I just leave and don't play with them. Nobody wants to play your shitty, fun-wrecking combo garbage.

Agreed. For me, it takes away from the spirit of an EDH game to play a deck built around an insta-win combo.

 

[Matriox]

Agreed. For me, it takes away from the spirit of an EDH game to play a deck built around an insta-win combo.

For me, I prefer taking broken decks and throwing them into a pod to duke it out. I do have casual decks though, it all just depends on the playgroup. One asshat playing combos galore with everyone else not so much is definitely a douche move. I think there is room for the two to exist in their own worlds, but meshing the two doesn't make me happy.

 

[OnPoint]

For me, I prefer taking broken decks and throwing them into a pod to duke it out. I do have casual decks though, it all just depends on the playgroup. One asshat playing combos galore with everyone else not so much is definitely a douche move. I think there is room for the two to exist in their own worlds, but meshing the two doesn't make me happy.

Yeah, I could see playing like a "broken decks only" pod and having it be fun. But yeah, it's pretty playgroup dependent.

 

[Angry Grimace]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164344582]They're not unplayables, they're solid cards and I actually like stuff like Colossodon Yearling. The bad cards are Sansteppe Scavenger and Dromoka's Gift. Soul Summons is a little out of place, but I'm happy to have all the rest of the cards in my deck. It just happens that I picked primarily defensive creatures.

Part of that was that I was Green Black until the middle of pack two and I was setting myself up to get passed the fight cards in FRF. But around when I decided to take the second Pacifism over a Secure the Wastes that got passed to me I was able to determine that white was more open.[/QUOTE]

They aren't unplayable, they just don't win you the game at all unless you're in a deck type that actually lets them win the game.

Also, don't pass Secure the Wastes

 

[SigmasonicX]

Hey All, haven't posted in this thread before. I started playing MTG probably 15 years ago or so, and am coming off a long hiatus from the game. The last time I played with any kind of consistency was around the release of the Odyssey block, so I'm pretty rusty.

I recently started playing MTGO, and my god the game has really gotten complicated. There are so many more mechanics now that it make it far more difficult for a beginner to just quickly put a deck together and have a decent chance of winning. Scry, bolster, double-strike, cards that morph, planeswalkers, way more bi- and tri-colored permanents, it's crazy.

Does anyone have a suggestion for which of the "newer" abilities are the most important to quickly get to know/use, and a suggestion for which expansion might be good to start with?

Kind of a subjective question, I know.

Funny you should say that, when for years people have been complaining about how the game has been dumbed down. In particular, cards at common are generally much less complex than they used to be. That said, Khans of Tarkir block is definitely more on the complex side of what they're willing to do nowadays. Morph was actually introduced the block after you left (Onslaught), FYI, along with double strike.

The reason why there are so many multicolored cards right now is because we came out of a multicolored block--like Invasion block, you know. The next block will likely have much less, and the block before (Theros) was heavily monocolored.

In any case, if your goal is to quickly get into tournaments and start winning, then you shouldn't go through the effort of memorizing mechanics, but rather just copy a cheap deck and go. The top 8 of a recent Grand Prix didn't have too many unique keywords. Red aggro is a cheap and successful option in Standard now, and I think you could get away with leaving out expensive cards like Goblin Rabblemaster. This is the first one I found from a Google search, and it seems like a fine starting point, even if it isn't the best around. Again, get rid of Goblin Rabblemaster to bring the price way down; Hordeling Outburst is a decent substitution. You probably also want fewer Purphoros-es, regardless of the price. Valley Dasher also isn't a great option. I'll leave it up to you how to adjust the deck.

Also, from MaRo's article today

The real question is can we ever LANDwalk again? Landwalk has really fallen out of favor with R&D and thus is not getting used very often. More on this in a couple of weeks.

Evergreen keyword update? Evergreen keyword update.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Yeah, he said they would be doing it earlier. Landwalk is almost assuredly gone since it never gets used and Intimidate is still technically on the evergreen list since it was in M15 in a couple places. Both of those are probably getting axed.

Prowess is probably a good option for blue, but not likely for a few years since they didn't necessarily know it was gonna be a big hit.

 

[OnPoint]

Seems like Regenerate would be on the short list to be chopped as well.

 

[MjFrancis]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164344582]They're not unplayables, they're solid cards and I actually like stuff like Colossodon Yearling. The bad cards are Sansteppe Scavenger and Dromoka's Gift. Soul Summons is a little out of place, but I'm happy to have all the rest of the cards in my deck. It just happens that I picked primarily defensive creatures.[/QUOTE]I like Colossodon Yearling as well, having never drafted it but I am always forced to play around it as aggro - I have to have the right combat trick in hand or spend removal on it - both of which would be better served against bigger threats later on, not to mention I'm also hoping to drop a 3 CMC threat of my own on T3. I picked Defeat in this weekend's draft with the Yearling specifically in mind - I've used Flatten on that card before and that never feels good.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Seems like Regenerate would be on the short list to be chopped as well.

Temporary indestructibility seems like it works similarly enough (obviously its not the SAME) and with less confusion as to how it works.

 

[OnPoint]

Temporary indestructibility seems like it works similarly enough (obviously its not the SAME) and with less confusion as to how it works.

I hope that's what they do

 

[phazedplasma]

Best clash pack/duel deck to buy?

Looking to having some prebuilts on hand for friends who want to play but have no cards.

 

["God's Beard!"]

They aren't unplayable, they just don't win you the game at all unless you're in a deck type that actually lets them win the game.

Also, don't pass Secure the Wastes

Knowing you're in one of the most removal-light color combos in a defensive deck that can't make good use of Secure the Wastes, I do like picking Pacifism over it halfway through pack two. It wouldn't be terrible to take the rare, though.

 

[acheron_xl]

Ugh. I'm so sick of U/G good stuff EDH decks. Prophet should be nuked from orbit.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Ugh. I'm so sick of U/G good stuff EDH decks. Prophet should be nuked from orbit.

them freaky Rafiqs

 

[Infinite Stars]

Looking at DTK now, am I alone in wishing we had gotten Shards instead of pairs? Yes, shards are kind of Alara's thing, but some of the mechanics of DTKs clans feel like they fit in Shards. Exploit fits with Grixis, Formidable with Naya, Bolster with Bant, etc. Plus, lorewise I kind of see Dromoka being more like Bant then Selesyna and so on.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Exploit fits with Grixis

I mean, Collateral Damage is cool but that's really about it. I guess you could stretch it to threaten effects, but ehh.

Unless you're counting sick Smoldering Efreet tech

Formidable with Naya

I don't think the white cards play that well with individual bonuses.

And the blue cards only work with bolster by virtue of them having low toughness. They're actually kind of bad with bolster because the best blue creatures sacrifice other creatures.

I don't really see it.

 

[OnPoint]

Ugh. I'm so sick of U/G good stuff EDH decks. Prophet should be nuked from orbit.

Bah. I just built one. It's a really fun deck to pilot, and it isn't unfair. I can see how it would be unfun if people built the deck in an abuseable way. I never saw the point of EDH decks that just win unquestionably though. Where's the fun in that?

Looking at DTK now, am I alone in wishing we had gotten Shards instead of pairs? Yes, shards are kind of Alara's thing, but some of the mechanics of DTKs clans feel like they fit in Shards. Exploit fits with Grixis, Formidable with Naya, Bolster with Bant, etc. Plus, lorewise I kind of see Dromoka being more like Bant then Selesyna and so on.

I agree in full. It's stupid that they didn't go the full gamut with the time travel changes. Feels like a cop out.

 

[Angry Grimace]

My personal vision of EDH decks are just good stuff decks with the one-of fun cards you have that don't have any real business being in your house otherwise. The idea of competitive EDH to combo out your opponent just seems dumb to me.

 

[Yeef]

DTK draft feels pretty different from KTK draft. I'm not sure if that would be as noticeable had they gone to shards.

 

[Angry Grimace]

DTK draft feels pretty different from KTK draft. I'm not sure if that would be as noticeable had they gone to shards.

This is literally the reason why DTK is allied and not even enemy, much less shards.

 

[OnPoint]

My personal vision of EDH decks are just good stuff decks with the one-of fun cards you have that don't have any real business being in your house otherwise. The idea of competitive EDH to combo out your opponent just seems dumb to me.

Agreed. I'm not against the idea of assembling a combo through the chance of the game, but using your commander as the lynchpin for a reliable combo is not in the spirit of the game to me. I'd simply not play with someone who played that way.

 

[acheron_xl]

I'm just generally opposed to EDH decks that aren't interactive, and seem to exist solely to enable their pilot to spend immense time masturbating for endless amounts of time. Especially when it's with the same array of cards every time. It's boring to me. One of the best feelings in EDH for me is seeing a card in a new context that's utterly appropriate for what the deck is doing mechanically. I got a real kick the other day seeing someone put a Spitting Spider in their Titania, Protector of Argoth deck.

 

[Jhriad]

Hey All, haven't posted in this thread before. I started playing MTG probably 15 years ago or so, and am coming off a long hiatus from the game. The last time I played with any kind of consistency was around the release of the Odyssey block, so I'm pretty rusty.

I recently started playing MTGO, and my god the game has really gotten complicated. There are so many more mechanics now that it make it far more difficult for a beginner to just quickly put a deck together and have a decent chance of winning. Scry, bolster, double-strike, cards that morph, planeswalkers, way more bi- and tri-colored permanents, it's crazy.

Does anyone have a suggestion for which of the "newer" abilities are the most important to quickly get to know/use, and a suggestion for which expansion might be good to start with?

Kind of a subjective question, I know.

This is pretty hard to answer but I'll try to give you a few options from the perspective of someone recently returned from approximately the same era (Torment was the last time I even very casually played Magic prior to my return). First, you can probably pretty safely start by learning the Khans block (Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir) and leave Theros block (Theros, Born of the Gods, Journey to Nyx) for last as that will be rotating out in the not too distant future. Starting with Limited formats like Draft or Sealed has the advantage of being a smaller pool of cards and mechanics that you need to wrap your head around. It also means that you can introduce yourself to new/old mechanics as they're reintroduced with the release of each set. This is a relatively slow way to expand your knowledge base but if you're not looking to spend a lot of time coming up to speed quickly it's a decent way to go about it.

Assuming you're going to get up to speed with Standard/Constructed play instead of Limited I'd suggest you do a few things first as playing games on MTGO without knowing what you're doing sounds like an expensive way to reintroduce yourself to the game. Before you start playing it would be a good idea to peruse articles on sites like ChannelFireball to read up on the current Standard decks and watch videos of the various decks being played. Both ChannelFireball and StarCityGames have good YouTube channels that are great places to start. Watching decks being played can give you a good feeling for the cards and their specific mechanics, how various common decks play, and how they interact within the format.

If you like podcasts I'd also suggest Constructed Resources, a podcast on the various constructed formats with a focus on Standard. They do set reviews where they go over the cards they consider to be "playable" and the various mechanics introduced in the set. It's a fairly new podcast so you can't go back too far set-wise but it's a decent resource for the more casual player. You might also be interested in Limited Resources, a podcast by the same folks that focuses on the Limited formats.

 

["God's Beard!"]

I'm just generally opposed to EDH decks that aren't interactive, and seem to exist solely to enable their pilot to spend immense time masturbating for endless amounts of time. Especially when it's with the same array of cards every time. It's boring to me. One of the best feelings in EDH for me is seeing a card in a new context that's utterly appropriate for what the deck is doing mechanically. I got a real kick the other day seeing someone put a Spitting Spider in their Titania, Protector of Argoth deck.

I agree, but a lot of interaction is effectively card disadvantage in EDH. Counters and spot removal are hard to justify when you have three opponents doing things. I like sweepers, though.

 

[Kwixotik]

So my fiancee and her brothers picked up MTG pretty heavily lately, so I'm trying to get into it since I used to be pretty good at YGO and enjoyed Hearthstone (though I never had good enough cards to be good at it). Anyway, the way combat works in MTG is very unique to me and I'm having trouble figuring out when it's a good idea to attack/block, or whether combat trades are going to end in my favor.

Is there a good general strategy or video explaining this in simple terms? Or is it mainly just intuition that comes with experience?

 

[Angry Grimace]

Whether a trade is worth it is based on a lot of things, though, e.g. whether the opponents card threatens you with losing, how many cards your opponent has in his hand, whether he's mana screwed, what else is in your hand, how big your brass balls are, etc.

 

[SigmasonicX]

My recommendation is, if your attackers are bigger than the blockers, then attack. If your blockers are bigger than the attackers, then block. You'll figure out how to look for combat tricks if you let them go off a lot.

 

[ultron87]

So my fiancee and her brothers picked up MTG pretty heavily lately, so I'm trying to get into it since I used to be pretty good at YGO and enjoyed Hearthstone (though I never had good enough cards to be good at it). Anyway, the way combat works in MTG is very unique to me and I'm having trouble figuring out when it's a good idea to attack/block, or whether combat trades are going to end in my favor.

Is there a good general strategy or video explaining this in simple terms? Or is it mainly just intuition that comes with experience?

It does come with experience but there is some stuff you can figure out some decent rules for.

You generally don't want to block if your blocker/blockers will all die without killing the enemy creature and you probably won't die without blocking. Your life total is a resource, and one of things it lets you do is not be forced to toss creatures in front of large attackers for no reason. If you hang onto those little guys they might be able to double or triple block that creature later on and actually kill it.

You do need to be careful as your life gets lower though, because if you are at 8, and let a 5/5 past, there are a lot of spells that will kill you on the spot (most notably a +3/+3 pump spell or a three damage burn spell).

You generally don't want to attack if your opponent will get to block that creature without also losing their blocker. So if you have two 2/2s and they have a 3/3 that attack isn't great. Losing a creature to do 2 damage to your opponent is pretty bad. It's probably a decent attack if they have a 2 toughness creature instead.

In general, you want to try and avoid losing creatures creatures in combat if your opponent isn't losing an equal number of creatures. Things get more complicated when you start thinking about the various available combat tricks and which deck is the aggressive deck and stuff like that, but starting from "don't give them creatures for free" is a decent place to start.

 

[Firemind]

I'm just generally opposed to EDH decks that aren't interactive, and seem to exist solely to enable their pilot to spend immense time masturbating for endless amounts of time. Especially when it's with the same array of cards every time. It's boring to me. One of the best feelings in EDH for me is seeing a card in a new context that's utterly appropriate for what the deck is doing mechanically. I got a real kick the other day seeing someone put a Spitting Spider in their Titania, Protector of Argoth deck.

Agreed. Flavour > lol i take infinite turns

Speaking of edh interactions, me and my buddies played a few games last night and one of my friends insisted you can play generals with aether vial and you can tick it up and play them with their inflated costs too. I said lolwut. Someone clarify so I can slap some sense into him.