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[Angry Grimace]

LSV calls rare-drafting "reasons external to the draft."

Which makes me laugh.

I mean, Dark Confidant is about 10 billion times worse than Bitterblossom is in draft, but hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Sequence Six]

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.

Bolas should've stayed dead.

 

[Infinite Stars]

Looking at current card prices, I'm happy I jumped on the Collected Company boat before it exploded. Got my playset for the same price one is going for now. Now to try and pick up the other pieces I need for my Modern Elves deck. Might as well post it here:

4x Collected Company
3x Devoted Druid
4x Dromoka's Command
4x Elvish Archdruid
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Elvish Visionary
3x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
6x Forest
3x Heritage Druid
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Nettle Sentinel
2x Plains
1x Reclamation Sage
2x Scavenging Ooze
2x Spellskite
3x Temple Garden
4x Windswept Heath
3x Wooded Bastion

Sideboard:
3x Angel's Grace
3x Fracturing Gust
2x Kitchen Finks
1x Nissa Revane
4x Path to Exile
2x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

 

[aidan]

Looking at current card prices, I'm happy I jumped on the Collected Company boat before it exploded. Got my playset for the same price one is going for now. Now to try and pick up the other pieces I need for my Modern Elves deck. Might as well post it here:

I grabbed copies for $4 a piece just after the set released. It seemed too strong not to find a home in competitive decks.

 

[OnPoint]

Holy shit it's up to $15 on SCG now? I thought that card was cool when I saw it -- I should have known better.

 

[Firemind]

Bolas should've stayed dead.

If Bolas should have stayed dead, then Ugin should have stayed dead too.

When I think about it, they used the same trick twice. :lol

Also, maybe we can get a Return to Kamigawa where Bolas plots his revenge against Tetsuo.

 

[Matriox]

I really hope we get return to Kamigawa.. I really liked that blocks aesthetics..

 

[Sequence Six]

If Bolas should have stayed dead, then Ugin should have stayed dead too.

I'm fine with this trade.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Holy shit it's up to $15 on SCG now? I thought that card was cool when I saw it -- I should have known better.

Its being played in Modern now as a pseudo Pod to assemble the Viscera Seer, Kitchen Finks, Melira/Anafenza infinite life combo.

 

[Firemind]

I'm fine with this trade.

What do you have against Bolas? :lol

 

["God's Beard!"]

Its being played in Modern now as a pseudo Pod to assemble the Viscera Seer, Kitchen Finks, Melira/Anafenza infinite life combo.

I watched somebody play that deck on CFB's youtube channel and it seemed kinda bad lol. Every time he cast Company it did not seem worth the 4 mana at all.

 

[kirblar]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164729259]I watched somebody play that deck on CFB's youtube channel and it seemed kinda bad lol. Every time he cast Company it did not seem worth the 4 mana at all.[/QUOTE]
BBD's Legacy version looked absolutely hilarious.

 

[Angry Grimace]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164729259]I watched somebody play that deck on CFB's youtube channel and it seemed kinda bad lol. Every time he cast Company it did not seem worth the 4 mana at all.[/QUOTE]

Its not a very consistent combo. You just end up with multiples of semi-useless creatures way too often and it takes too much time to reliably assemble the combo with Chord of Calling.

 

[JulianImp]

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

Still, making a format where every constructed playable is also a windmill-slam that makes you win drafts would make drafting the cards pretty brainless, when draft's supposed to test your decission-making skills rather than just "pick this $50 bomb up that nearly wins drafts by itself" strategies.

 

[Firemind]

But not every constructed staple is a bomb in limited. (see: daybreak coronet, leyline of sanctity, splinter twin.) I'm pretty sure they could have made confidant and clique a rare, but they chose not to. Enjoy your mythic snapcasters in MM3!

 

[acheron_xl]

I hope they reprint Shardless Agent at mythic just for laffs.

 

["God's Beard!"]

BBD's Legacy version looked absolutely hilarious.

This is perverse lol

Its not a very consistent combo. You just end up with multiples of semi-useless creatures way too often and it takes too much time to reliably assemble the combo with Chord of Calling.

Speaking of Modern combos, I just watched Sam Pardee cast two Prime Times on turn 2 for lethal with Pact of Negation backup on the play with Amulet Bloom.

 

[Sequence Six]

What do you have against Bolas? :lol

I think he's a silly, weak villain that better served the story as an example that anyone could fall if they got arrogant.

 

[JulianImp]

I think he's a silly, weak villain that better served the story as an example that anyone could fall if they got arrogant.

Honestly, I agree with this. While I haven't read too much into supplementary material, Bolas sounds to me like your typical "all according to keikaku" character (even though I remember Ajani once beat him by creating a spiritual clone of Bolas or something).

Still, cards that have Bolas in its name are kind of amusing/awkward in Spanish (protip: "bolas" can mean "balls"), so they have to go out of their way whenever his incomplete name pops up and rename cards such as "Slave of Bolas" into "Esclavo de Nicol Bolas".

 

[Firemind]

Silly? Weak?

I think the writers did a good job introducing Bolas in Shards of Alara. They did just enough foreshadowing (Cruel Ultimatum etc.) to make you believe something was up without revealing his identity. Then he's like "yo wassup" in Conflux and everyone is like "daaamn." It's a better job than how they did it in Khans of Tarkir where he suddenly shows up and kills Ugin, the magical broodmother, and in Zendikar where he frees the Eldrazi titans because reasons. Basically, writers, write better stories and characters. Shards is one of the worst blocks though apparently, so what do I know.

 

[OnPoint]

Still, making a format where every constructed playable is also a windmill-slam that makes you win drafts would make drafting the cards pretty brainless, when draft's supposed to test your decission-making skills rather than just "pick this $50 bomb up that nearly wins drafts by itself" strategies.

I get that. I'm sympathetic to that. But it's not like the worthless cards are mostly playable either, though. There's just a lot of jank in this set on both sides of the fence (constructed playable vs draft-only value) and it feels like it's suffering from an identity crisis because of it.

 

[Angry Grimace]

They shoulda just put Thoughtseize in. Nobody's ever mad to open a Thoughtseize.

 

[Sequence Six]

Silly? Weak?

I think the writers did a good job introducing Bolas in Shards of Alara. They did just enough foreshadowing (Cruel Ultimatum etc.) to make you believe something was up without revealing his identity. Then he's like "yo wassup" in Conflux and everyone is like "daaamn." It's a better job than how they did it in Khans of Tarkir where he suddenly shows up and kills Ugin, the magical broodmother, and in Zendikar where he frees the Eldrazi titans because reasons. Basically, writers, write better stories and characters. Shards is one of the worst blocks though apparently, so what do I know.

Even in Magic talkin' planeswalkin' dragons strike me as silly, yeah. And he's weak in that he's used as a cudgel by the writers to do whatever they want.

His reappearance in Time Spiral was awful, too. No real explanation beyond "I was just hiding! As a ghost!" And having him be better at blue than Teferi and better at black than Leshrac was fanboyism. The weaknesses of writing Bolas began as soon as he came back.

For all the work they did in Invasion and Time Spiral to shut the door on older planeswalkers I don't get why Bolas was the one that got brought back.

 

["God's Beard!"]

They shoulda just put Thoughtseize in. Nobody's ever mad to open a Thoughtseize.

Losing Thoughtseize and Wayfinder is probably gonna fuck my deck at rotation :-(

C'mon awesome cards in the next two sets!

 

[Firemind]

I didn't really pay attention to the story in Time Spiral because it was all sorts of whack and I had too much fun drafting Time Spiral. The writers may have been biased, but Bolas is a millennia old dragon. It isn't unbelievable that he has a few tricks up his sleeves. And, honestly, who doesn't like a villain with hubris? not sure why bolas is red tho

 

[Sequence Six]

I didn't really pay attention to the story in Time Spiral because it was all sorts of whack and I had too much fun drafting Time Spiral. The writers may have been biased, but Bolas is a millennia old dragon. It isn't unbelievable that he has a few tricks up his sleeves. And, honestly, who doesn't like a villain with hubris? not sure why bolas is red tho

Because he's a strong independent dragon that etc. etc.

I don't mind a villain with hubris. I liked it more when he had paid for that hubris and the writers hadn't bailed him out to be their perfect li'l boogeyman.

 

[Angry Grimace]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164743437]Losing Thoughtseize and Wayfinder is probably gonna fuck my deck at rotation :-(

C'mon awesome cards in the next two sets![/QUOTE]

Make a different deck

 

["God's Beard!"]

Make a different deck

No way! Gotta curve out Liliana, Sidisi, Sidisi on the way to value town!

 

[Angry Grimace]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164746044]No way! Gotta curve out Liliana, Sidisi, Sidisi on the way to value town![/QUOTE]

I see a lot of losses in your future.

 

["God's Beard!"]

I see a lot of losses in your future.

New Liliana is a beast. So much random synergy. I like the idea of dodging removal by flashing in Silumgar Sorceror. Also, playing a second Lili to flip her is sweet since she's not as dead in multiples as other legends. There's going to be cases where your attacks get fucked up because your opponent kills your other creature when lili attacks, but I do think she'll see play.

 

[Matriox]

So those premium Hyper Mat sleeves came in today.

They shuffle and feel as amazing as ever. Sorry for the amateur photography. I had to order 300 (bulk card sleeves) so I might do something to send 2 packs of 50 to one gaffer just for fun.

 

[Crocodile]

Are those Premium Hyper Mats different from regular Hyper Mats? Same size? Like I think it was said the front side was less shiny but besides that what's the difference?

 

[Firemind]

Because he's a strong independent dragon that etc. etc.

I don't mind a villain with hubris. I liked it more when he had paid for that hubris and the writers hadn't bailed him out to be their perfect li'l boogeyman.

I know what ya mean. I assume they brought back Bolas because he was the most badass and sought after elder dragon in Legends. Personally, a villain that isn't a human(oid) is already more than I can hope for. Let's hope the writing improves, though reading those story articles... let's just say Battle for Zendikar is going to go places.

 

[Matriox]

Are those Premium Hyper Mats different from regular Hyper Mats? Same size? Like I think it was said the front side was less shiny but besides that what's the difference?

Now I havnt gotten a chance to play with them yet, just sleeved them up and gave a few shuffles. Time will tell depending on if they split as easy, and maybe the "Woohoonewcardsleeves!" or "paying a premium makes stuff better" talking, but I do think they feel like better quality sleeves. Those shown are doublesleeved with perfect fits as well, and the dimensions are identical (aka I didn't have any issues doublesleeving).

Edit: pulled out some regular Hyper Mat, the premiums are harder to shift the sleeve around the card than the regular ones for what it's worth.

The fronts of the cards are definately a better quality material but the back feels the same.

 

[Gurrry]

Hey guys, im brand new to the game. Like I litterally learned how to play today.

I want to get just a pre-constructed deck for 2 players so that me and my gf can play. Is there anything like this that I can easily find, say at Target or Walmart? Do they even have pre-constructed starter decks for 2?

 

[red13th]

I'm picking up my box tomorrow, how many mythics are in each box? I need... six different mythics. :lol
Elesh Norn, Clique, Confidant, Bitterblossom, Tarmogoyf and Karn.
plus Cryptic, Spellskite, Hierarch, Wildfire, Shadomage Infiltrator and Mystic Snake for rares.

 

[Wichu]

Hey guys, im brand new to the game. Like I litterally learned how to play today.

I want to get just a pre-constructed deck for 2 players so that me and my gf can play. Is there anything like this that I can easily find, say at Target or Walmart? Do they even have pre-constructed starter decks for 2?

That's what the Duel Decks and Clash Packs are (Clash Packs are Standard-legal but slightly pricier). However, they're a little more complex than the Intro Packs you can get, so you might be better off just getting an Intro Pack each - they should be reasonably balanced against each other.

 

[Matriox]

Hey guys, im brand new to the game. Like I litterally learned how to play today.

I want to get just a pre-constructed deck for 2 players so that me and my gf can play. Is there anything like this that I can easily find, say at Target or Walmart? Do they even have pre-constructed starter decks for 2?

Welcome! You could go for 2 intro pack decks which are 60 card pre-constructed decks with an additional 2 booster packs for about $15 each. The advantage here is the additional boosters and you can decide on the colors you'd prefer to play, depending if you or your girlfriend have a preference yet. The other option are called Duel decks or Clash Packs. They are literally 2 60 card decks designed to be battled against each other. The advantage is better quality competitive cards (usually) but the disadvantage is you don't get to pick your colors here, but Walmart has them for about $20 so you have a finance bonus there but you don't get the additional booster packs you would in the intro decks for swapping in and out new cards you may want to try. Target/Walmart should have both of these kind of decks.

Edit: Wichu was quicker, also correct about complexities. Just starting out I'd go Intro Packs.

I'm picking up my box tomorrow, how many mythics are in each box? I need... six different mythics. :lol
Elesh Norn, Clique, Confidant, Bitterblossom, Tarmogoyf and Karn.
plus Cryptic, Spellskite, Hierarch, Wildfire, Shadomage Infiltrator and Mystic Snake for rares.

The average is 1/8 Mythic to Rare, so hopefully you'll get 3 or more

 

[The Technomancer]

Holy crap whats with all the new players. That's what, four in the last two days?

 

[Gurrry]

Welcome! You could go for 2 intro pack decks which are 60 card pre-constructed decks with an additional 2 booster packs for about $15 each. The advantage here is the additional boosters and you can decide on the colors you'd prefer to play, depending if you or your girlfriend have a preference yet. The other option are called Duel decks or Clash Packs. They are literally 2 60 card decks designed to be battled against each other. The advantage is better quality competitive cards (usually) but the disadvantage is you don't get to pick your colors here, but Walmart has them for about $20 so you have a finance bonus there but you don't get the additional booster packs you would in the intro decks for swapping in and out new cards you may want to try. Target/Walmart should have both of these kind of decks.

Edit: Wichu was quicker, also correct about complexities. Just starting out I'd go Intro Packs.

The average is 1/8 Mythic to Rare, so hopefully you'll get 3 or more

Schweet! Thank you for the input! I am going to stop by there and see what I can find. Between this and Dicemasters, I think my wallet might attempt to murder me in my sleep.

Holy crap whats with all the new players. That's what, four in the last two days?

Hahaha, well ive been wanting to learn to play for awhile now. Then I read that Dicemasters is alot like Magic (well atleast the combat system is) and I thought id give it a shot. I always see people playing at my local shops and have always been interested but too scared to try and learn.

 

[Matriox]

Holy crap whats with all the new players. That's what, four in the last two days?

Played some hearthstone and wanted to try the real thing.

Spoiler

Serious answer: Magic is a great game.

 

["God's Beard!"]

What's the cut?

Spoiler

I'm leaning towards Nest Invader. Dimir Guildmage is the hardest to cast, but any time we can play it it's a huge part of our gameplan. You need to dig a ton in this style of deck, and a lot of topdecks are going to be low impact. It's all about density. Nest Invader is only good enough in our opening hand, and we don't have enough green cards to justify the extra forests it necessitates.

 

[Firemind]

Dragonsoul Knight sux

 

[Matriox]

Schweet! Thank you for the input! I am going to stop by there and see what I can find. Between this and Dicemasters, I think my wallet might attempt to murder me in my sleep.

Pray that Magic doesn't consume your soul then...

 

["God's Beard!"]

Dragonsoul Knight sux

Hmm.. with Skyreach and Kozilek, you probably don't need the second Knight.

 

[Firemind]

Speaking of murdering wallets, why is Chains of Mephistopheles demanding such a high price? I mean, nobody knows what it even does!

Spoiler

I want it in my Bolas deck.

 

[Angry Grimace]

The entire deck. Domain is bad and loses to any other deck that does anything. You can't carry a deck with Tribal Flames and Manta.

 

["God's Beard!"]

The entire deck. Domain is bad and loses to any other deck that does anything. You can't carry a deck with Tribal Flames and Manta.

Only dreams now, Grimace. Only dreams.

 

[Angry Grimace]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";164756526]Only dreams now, Grimace. Only dreams.[/QUOTE]

Your deck plan would be hoping your opponent gets mana screw.

 

[divisionbyzorro]

Speaking of murdering wallets, why is Chains of Mephistopheles demanding such a high price? I mean, nobody knows what it even does!

Spoiler

I want it in my Bolas deck.

Have I got a proxy for you: