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Magic: the Gathering |OT4| Izzet Me; Izzet You? A Love Story

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Firemind

Member
Say if you were to build a Nicol Bolas EDH deck, what would his masterplan be? I'm trying to think of ways to dominate the world kitchen table, but it's either too convoluted or not evil enough.
 

Matriox

Member
Say if you were to build a Nicol Bolas EDH deck, what would his masterplan be? I'm trying to think of ways to dominate the world kitchen table, but it's either too convoluted or not evil enough.

Doomsday into a combo of some sort, or Darksteel Reactor and say it's a doomsday device.

Edit:

Image.ashx


Wtf this isn't an un-card?
 

JulianImp

Member
Say if you were to build a Nicol Bolas EDH deck, what would his masterplan be? I'm trying to think of ways to dominate the world kitchen table, but it's either too convoluted or not evil enough.

Maybe use cards that do evil stuff whenever people draw cards (such as Underworld Dreams), and skip drawing cards with Tomorrow, Azami's Familiar, Obstinate Familiar, any of the cards from the "Words of "cycle or even Chronatog.

Regarding other evil plans, Mindmoil would also be an interesting way of very quickly sifting through your library, and you could use a morph subtheme with saboteurs such as Riptide Entrancer, utility creatures such as Disruptive Pitmage, Chromeshell Crab or Mischievous Quanar and downright big creatures such as Quicksilver Dragon.

You should also consider adding political cards where you can have another player profit at the same time you do, such as the Hunted creature cycle from Ravnica (give your ally tokens!), or even something wacky such as Abyssal Persecutor (so people might actually fight others to protect you).

Nicol should also have pawns and agents that let him put his grand plans into motion slowly but surely, such as Johira of the Ghitu or Firemind's Foresight, and ones that are fair in their unfairness, such as Braids, Cabal Minion or Umbilicus/Blood Clock.

I might be overthinking all this, but I tend to look at EDH deckbuilding more from a standpoint of making the deck's theme work rather than making it just a goodstuff deck.
 

FeD.nL

Member
So I went to my local store today to get a deck builders toolkit but they weren't available, but the guy heling me was very nice and asked why I needed it. He was telling me that the new toolkit should come in July and if I really wanted to play right now I could buy two Dragons of Tarkir intro packs and start of from there, so he offered me two intro packs for 22 euros, should I do that or not?
 

Matriox

Member
So I went to my local store today to get a deck builders toolkit but they weren't available, but the guy heling me was very nice and asked why I needed it. He was telling me that the new toolkit should come in July and if I really wanted to play right now I could buy two Dragons of Tarkir intro packs and start of from there, so he offered me two intro packs for 22 euros, should I do that or not?

From a perspective of someone without any cards to work with, it isn't the worst thing you could spend your money on. In the interest of pure value it isn't a great deal, but as a start to a collection I would say its a good place to start.

Play it with Eye of the Storm for extra shenanigans.

A general rule of thumb for me:

Am I playing Blue? If answered yes, I am also playing Eye of the Storm. Lol.
 

Firemind

Member
Doomsday into a combo of some sort, or Darksteel Reactor and say it's a doomsday device.
Doomsday is good! I still need a nefarious win condition. Darksteel Reactor is a bit too obvious though. "Look, here's my doomsday device! You can't stop me! *maniacal laughter" Nicol Bolas is too smart for that I'd think. Then again, he was defeated by Tetsuo.

I'm a big fan of Grixis Underworld Dreams.dek. I have one put together. Nekusar is a little too on the nose for my taste; it feels like it was designed with the deck in mind. Would still be plenty fun with Nicol Bolas though.
I was thinking of building a Nekusar deck, but like you said he's a bit too powerful, and it's no fun for the rest when you wheel of fortune and add a million mana and tokens with Waste Not. I was thinking of using another grixis general, never play him/her and reveal that behind the scenes it was me, Nicol Bolas!

Maybe use cards that do evil stuff whenever people draw cards (such as Underworld Dreams), and skip drawing cards with Tomorrow, Azami's Familiar, Obstinate Familiar, any of the cards from the "Words of "cycle or even Chronatog.

Regarding other evil plans, Mindmoil would also be an interesting way of very quickly sifting through your library, and you could use a morph subtheme with saboteurs such as Riptide Entrancer, utility creatures such as Disruptive Pitmage, Chromeshell Crab or Mischievous Quanar and downright big creatures such as Quicksilver Dragon.

You should also consider adding political cards where you can have another player profit at the same time you do, such as the Hunted creature cycle from Ravnica (give your ally tokens!), or even something wacky such as Abyssal Persecutor (so people might actually fight others to protect you).

Nicol should also have pawns and agents that let him put his grand plans into motion slowly but surely, such as Johira of the Ghitu or Firemind's Foresight, and ones that are fair in their unfairness, such as Braids, Cabal Minion or Umbilicus/Blood Clock.

I might be overthinking all this, but I tend to look at EDH deckbuilding more from a standpoint of making the deck's theme work rather than making it just a goodstuff deck.
Yeah, Bolas definitely needs minions to do his bidding, but I was more thinking of taking over creatures from others with the Promise of Power. Bribery, Treachery, Mind Control, Persuasion, they're all flavourful additions to Bolas. I also like to add Cruel Ultimatum, Wit's End and Mind Shatter to his arsenal of spells, but I don't know how that would fly. If I were to build a Nicol Bolas deck though, I wouldn't half-ass it with fancy pansy spells. I'd want to be as nefarious as possible. No politics, only self-preservation and hunger for power and knowledge. It's the Bolas way.™

A general rule of thumb for me:

Am I playing Blue? If answered yes, I am also playing Eye of the Storm. Lol.
Oh god my mind was trying to repress it. This and Hive Mind. No. Just no.
 

Matriox

Member
Doomsday is good! I still need a nefarious win condition. Darksteel Reactor is a bit too obvious though. "Look, here's my doomsday device! You can't stop me! *maniacal laughter" Nicol Bolas is too smart for that I'd think. Then again, he was defeated by Tetsuo.

Honestly I wasn't thinking in terms of Nicol Bolas level intelligence lol, I was going for the cartoony Dastardly Dan approach :p
 
Doomsday is good! I still need a nefarious win condition. Darksteel Reactor is a bit too obvious though. "Look, here's my doomsday device! You can't stop me! *maniacal laughter" Nicol Bolas is too smart for that I'd think. Then again, he was defeated by Tetsuo.

Helm of Obedience/Leyline of the Void combo.
 

FeD.nL

Member
From a perspective of someone without any cards to work with, it isn't the worst thing you could spend your money on. In the interest of pure value it isn't a great deal, but as a start to a collection I would say its a good place to start.

Thanks for the reply! I went back to the store to get the decks but then the store owner kept asking if I was sure I would want to transition into standard, and well I just said I wanted a fun deck to play, told him I really enjoyed playing Elspeth in the duel deck and then he began talking about modern and the modern event deck. Well 20 minutes later and I left the store with said Modern Event deck, but he told me that it really is one of the better products WotC has made for people coming back and even beginner level people and that the deck is really fun to play. Just unboxed it and I must say that the packaging is really nice, and well I guess the Witcher 3 can wait a little. So hopefully I made a good purchase but from what I have seen from the cards it looks like a really fun deck.
 

y2dvd

Member
Infect is pretty decent and only requires green fetches. You missed the boat on inkmoths but hierarchs should be pretty cheap soon.
That's the only modern deck I own lol. I just need me a set of Noble Hierarch and my deck is set.


What are these decks?

I finally put together a Naya Burn deck with all Khans fetchlands:

http://www.mtgvault.com/francis/decks/modern-burn/

I'll probably switch a Sacred Foundry and the Mana Confluence with two Windswept Heaths to give Grim Lavamancer more targets. Even those should probably be Arid Mesas, but I'm not that picky.

I think I can do these. I just need a set of Goblin Guides and a few other cards. Unfortunately, I know the guides went up with no reprints in MM2.

*Edit: posting on the phone and no idea why the post looks different from what I'm actually doing.
 
Bogles is a deck built around Slippery Bogle and Gladecover Scout. The idea is that you play one of these one-drop hexproof creatures and suit them up with auras like Ethereal Armor and Daybreak Coronet to make giant monsters that the opponent can't remove or tussle with in combat. The deck has a very hard time beating Thoughtseize and Liliana of the Veil, however.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Bogles is a deck built around Slippery Bogle and Gladecover Scout. The idea is that you play one of these one-drop hexproof creatures and suit them up with auras like Ethereal Armor and Daybreak Coronet to make giant monsters that the opponent can't remove or tussle with in combat. The deck has a very hard time beating Thoughtseize and Liliana of the Veil, however.

It has a hard time beating other decks in Modern at this point. It was positioned okay when Delver was the dominant deck.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
That Anafenza Collected Company deck is really popular right now too.

Got a link to a list? i'm curious to see a build.

Land

1 Blood Crypt
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Mountain
4 Polluted Delta
2 Steam Vents
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave

Creatures

4 Delver of Secrets
1 Gurmag Angler
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
4 Young Pyromancer

Spells

2 Deprive
1 Electrolyze
4 Gitaxian Probe
1 Kolaghan's Command
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Leak
2 Murderous Cut
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Snare
1 Terminate
4 Thought Scour

SB:

1 Electrolyze
2 Dispel
3 Dragon's Claw
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Flashfreeze
1 Izzet Charm
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Rending Volley
1 Sulfur Elemental
1 Vandalblast
 
Modern doesn't just need more fair decks, it needs a real control deck. It's all bombs flying around because the interaction is so weak compared to the win conditions.

Hive Mind, get fucked. Splinter Twin, get fucked. Turn two Blood Moon, get fucked. Games just end in Modern.

Reprint Top, Wizards! I want my Modern Miracles!
 

kirblar

Member
Because it makes 2 fair decks that see serious play?
The format badly needs a blue counterspell deck around to play police force- Jund/Abjund/Golgarund/Sultund aren't really good enough.

The "control deck" thing is absolute bullshit. Tempo decks like Delver serve the exact same role, their threats just come down before the disruption, not after.

When "control" is universally good in a format, it's usually because it's pretty dumb.
 

kirblar

Member
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164708754]C'mon Terminus! Grip 'em and rip 'em![/QUOTE]
Miracles isn't universally good, but yeah Terminus is preeeety dumb.

F top
 
Miracles isn't universally good, but yeah Terminus is preeeety dumb.

F top

Halimar Depths, Telling Time, Noxious Revival, I can feel it! Modern Miracles just needs that last push! Just spin the wheels until you buyback miracled Bonfire every turn!

Remand into Terminus!
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
That Modern Esper Mentor deck is pretty fun too. Why, oh, why do I love fair decks so much in Modern?
KuGsj.gif


The format badly needs a blue counterspell deck around to play police force- Jund/Abjund/Golgarund/Sultund aren't really good enough.

The "control deck" thing is absolute bullshit. Tempo decks like Delver serve the exact same role, their threats just come down before the disruption, not after.

When "control" is universally good in a format, it's usually because it's pretty dumb.

Give us back Ancestral Visions and we'll try our hardest to make Faeries that deck!
 

Bandini

Member
So, after sorting through stockpiles of cards and borrowing a few more from friends, I have come up with this janky Jeskai build I'll be sleeving up for a PPTQ this weekend. Yeah, it's a couple years behind the times, but I didn't have to spend any money, so there's that.

Land (24)

4x Flooded Strand
1x Glacial Fortress
3x Hallowed Fountain
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
2x Sacred Foundry
1x Steam Vents
2x Sulfur Falls
1x Tectonic Edge
2x Windswept Heath

Sorcery (1)

1x Supreme Verdict

Instant (23)

2x Cryptic Command
1x Electrolyze
1x Izzet Charm
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lightning Helix
4x Mana Leak
3x Path to Exile
1x Remand
2x Spell Pierce
1x Sphinx's Revelation

Creature (11)

4x Delver of Secrets
2x Restoration Angel
3x Snapcaster Mage
2x Thundermaw Hellkite

Planeswalker (1)

1x Jace, Architect of Thought

Sideboard (15)

2x Dragon's Claw
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Flashfreeze
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Izzet Staticaster
1x Kataki, War's Wage
2x Negate
1x Path to Exile
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Stony Silence
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Wear / Tear

I really don't expect to do well, but I haven't played a tournament since sealed FRF prerelease, so I'm excited. Might transition it into Grixis Delver over the next month since I'm only lacking Serum Visions and a couple other random, fairly inexpensive cards.
 

Firemind

Member
I played Grixis Delver before it was cool!

I think I can build this whole deck. It's putting up good results? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
Burn. Lotsa burn. I'd consider 4 Leylines of Sanctity for this purpose. I'm a bit miffed it isn't reprinted in MM2 and yet Daybreak fucking Coronet is.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Leyline of Sanctity is a card that will piss everyone off to open since it does nothing in draft.

Same with Coronet.
 

OnPoint

Member
Leyline of Sanctity is a card that will piss everyone off to open since it does nothing in draft.

Same with Coronet.

There's a ton of those high-value terrible-draft rares. Splinter Twin? Jeeze, who wants that in their deck? It's utterly worthless in this draft environment.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Tarmogoyf is probably a mediocre as fuck card if you pull it in Sealed, really.
 

OnPoint

Member
That's a good thing.

I'm torn. On one hand I feel like you definitely do need high-value cards and low-impact draft rares, and sometimes these things will be one in the same. On the other hand, it gives the person drafting a horrible conundrum to deal with. Do you pass Coronet and try to draft an awesome deck? Or do you take Coronet and sacrifice the pick, and pay for a portion of your entry. It just sucks that they couldn't make the pricey cards worth taking.
 

kirblar

Member
I'm torn. On one hand I feel like you definitely do need high-value cards and low-impact draft rares, and sometimes these things will be one in the same. On the other hand, it gives the person drafting a horrible conundrum to deal with. Do you pass Coronet and try to draft an awesome deck? Or do you take Coronet and sacrifice the pick, and pay for a portion of your entry. It just sucks that they couldn't make the pricey cards worth taking.
I meant that Pestermite & Friends being out was a good thing.
 

OnPoint

Member
I meant that Pestermite & Friends being out was a good thing.

I guess without an infinite enabler the card is going to be useless. Maybe this just wasn't the ideal place to reprint it, but it had to be reprinted somewhere I guess. I just know if I were drafting I'd probably open it and just roll my eyes.
 

Firemind

Member
Leyline of Sanctity is a card that will piss everyone off to open since it does nothing in draft.

Same with Coronet.
I would rather open a leyline than a Surrakar Spellblade. The latter was only marginally playable in 3xROE and only because the format had Distortion Strike, which MM2 doesn't have. It isn't even an elemental! Honestly, I have no idea why it's in the set. It's much worse than Magmaw could ever hope to be.
 

JulianImp

Member
I'm torn. On one hand I feel like you definitely do need high-value cards and low-impact draft rares, and sometimes these things will be one in the same. On the other hand, it gives the person drafting a horrible conundrum to deal with. Do you pass Coronet and try to draft an awesome deck? Or do you take Coronet and sacrifice the pick, and pay for a portion of your entry. It just sucks that they couldn't make the pricey cards worth taking.

The difference between draft and constructed-playables will always exist, and I don't think they ever should make cards that are either powerhouses or suck in both formats.

I mean, it's painful to have to choose, but it's also bad when picks become no-brainers.
 

OnPoint

Member
The difference between draft and constructed-playables will always exist, and I don't think they ever should make cards that are either powerhouses or suck in both formats.

I mean, it's painful to have to choose, but it's also bad when picks become no-brainers.

But they aren't MAKING cards here. They're picking. It's literally a cherry-picked format.
 
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