Magic the Gathering X: Deal X damage to target thread.

[Suedars]

This Thursday I'm going to a booster draft, and I haven't done one of these since Unglued.

What is the best colors to draft for in 2012? Any monster cards that if I see I should instantly pick up to either prevent them from getting or take for myself?

Red is probably the strongest color in M12. It's got the best density of removal, and its Bloodthirst guys are extremely efficient. It might be overdrafted depending on your local shop though. Look to pick up as many Incinerates, Gorehorn Minotaurs, Chandra's Outrages, Blood Ogres, Stormblood Berserkers, and Shocks as possible if you're in Red. Goblin Fireslinger is also an excellent support card for enabling Bloodthirst.

Don't worry about hatedrafting. It's pretty counterproductive since you gain almost nothing from it outside of very rare circumstances.

I'd look to avoid Green. It's unquestionably the weakest color in M12.

[tgva8889]

If it's got an Orange rarity symbol, take it, it's probably amazing. Try to take removal spells. Cheap, strong creatures are also very good, especially if those creatures have evasion. Green is the worst color in M12, so unless you get multiple very powerful cards or you perceive that there are a lot of good Green cards going around you probably want to avoid it.

Lower mana cost cards are significant. 1-drop creatures are generally quite useful, and most of the 2-mana creatures are very playable. Bloodthirst is a real threat, so you should strongly consider blocking early on if you feel like your opponent will be dropping the Bloodthirsters on you.

Taking bombs away from your opponents, I've found, is rarely worth more than taking a good card for your deck. Some bombs are good enough that they become worth taking for your deck, but those cards are very few.

[BobVosh]

Taking bombs away from your opponents, I've found, is rarely worth more than taking a good card for your deck. Some bombs are good enough that they become worth taking for your deck, but those cards are very few.

Odd, I found it was very important in whatever set the spiritmonger came out in.

Too bad green is weak, it is usually one of my favorite draft colors as it tends to have semibeefy creatures that do well in such settings.

However I can see how bloodthirst is strong enough to negate it. Is black the second best, as it seems to have a decent mix of removal/creature for this set?

[tgva8889]

Draft is a different world nowadays. Every color has a very strong Uncommon creature (Green has a few because, well, it's Green), and it's much easier to build a successful deck with absolutely no bombs whatsoever. It's generally better to pick cards you're actually going to play, because there are a lot of them and chances are you won't have to play against the guy who has whatever bomb you're afraid of anyways, and even then he has to actually draw said bomb.

Black is amazing for having 3 Common removal spells. Red comes in at a close second with 2 Common removal spells and Fling. Red, however, has mostly better creatures than Black due to Bloodthirst.

Really, Red, Black, and White are all superior colors. Blue is good sometimes but I've found you really have to have the right cards for it, and it usually works best as a secondary color to one of the 3 superior colors.

[BobVosh]

Huh, this is going to be odd then. Thanks for the advice :D

[Suedars]

Draft is a different world nowadays. Every color has a very strong Uncommon creature (Green has a few because, well, it's Green), and it's much easier to build a successful deck with absolutely no bombs whatsoever. It's generally better to pick cards you're actually going to play, because there are a lot of them and chances are you won't have to play against the guy who has whatever bomb you're afraid of anyways, and even then he has to actually draw said bomb.

Black is amazing for having 3 Common removal spells. Red comes in at a close second with 2 Common removal spells and Fling. Red, however, has mostly better creatures than Black due to Bloodthirst.

Really, Red, Black, and White are all superior colors. Blue is good sometimes but I've found you really have to have the right cards for it, and it usually works best as a secondary color to one of the 3 superior colors.

Red has three: Shock, Incinerate, and Chandra's Outrage.

In Black Doom Blade in Black is excellent, and Sorin's Thirst is pretty good (though BB is awkward at times), but Wring Flesh (which is what I'm assuming you're talking about) is sort of a weird halfway point between removal and combat trick.

I'd give the edge removal wise to Red.

[tgva8889]

Oh yeah Outrage.

I prefer Black because, well, people aren't taking all of it even if they're not playing Black. Doom Blade is splashable, but the others will find their way to you 6th or 7th pick and you'll be happy to have them. Red has better removal, but you're less likely to get it unless you force it.

Also, Wring Flesh kills a lot of important creatures. I've rarely been unhappy to have a Wring Flesh in my hand. I consider it better than Sorin's Thirst and have played it over Sorin's Thirst without a second thought.

[Tao the Ninja]

Quick question about m12 draft: if you get minds unbound, is it worth it to pick up zombie infestation+elixir of immortality a/o jace's erasure? These combos seem decent enough, but does u/b just get out aggro'ed?

[tgva8889]

That build probably will. Minds Unbound isn't actually a very good card, because it's rarely something you want to spend 6 mana on. Jace's Erasure is a very bad reason to play Minds Unbound, and if you're going to play Elixir you need to have 5+ removal spells in addition for it to be worthwhile. Zombie Infestation is unplayable unless you have, like, 4 Zombie lords.

[Suedars]

Minds Unbound:

Turn 1: 6 mana and a card to do nothing? Yeah, I sure am glad I'm running this...
Turn 2: I got my card back. Now where did that 6 mana go? I sure could use it.
Turn 3: Ok, drawing two cards isn't the worst. Still no Jace's Ingenuity.
Turn 4: 3 cards? Yeah, this is pretty sweet.
Turn 5: 4 cards? And it only goes up from here? You might as well scoop.
Turn 6: Hey, my library is looking a little thin...
Turn 7: Uhhh.... so apparently I have to kill you this turn or I lose. Now if only my guys had Haste
Turn 8: Well, I know what I'm boarding out next game.

or the more common version:

Turn 1: Those are some nice Bloodthirst guys you've got there. But can they stand up to all my card drawing?
Turn 2: Yeah, you might have me dead on board, but now I have twice the chance to topdeck an out!
Turn 3: Why didn't I just pick the Amphidian Cutthroat?

[Lix Lorn]

Does anyone have any advice for improving the Grab For Power deck? My assumption would be add more tutors and more copies of the artifacts, but other than that?

[Penguinizer]

It depends entirely on what format you're building for to be honest. It also depends on your budget and level of competitiveness.

[Zetapup]

So I decided to make a deck combining infinite life and permanent destruction. The problem I see is that there aren't any heavy hitters, but I'd like to have any other problems pointed out before I order the cards.

Spoiler

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Creatures
4x leonin relic-warder
4x soul's attendant
4x suture priest
4x phyrexian metamorph

Other spells
4x liquimetal coating
4x divine offering
4x numbing dose
4x revoke existence
2x preordain
2x foresee

Land
4x glacial fortress
4x seachrome coast
8x island
8x plains

The deck uses soul's attendant/suture priest, leonin relic-warder, and phyrexian metamorph to get to say, a million life. Then it uses liquimetal coating and artifact destruction to get rid of land/other permanents.

[Lix Lorn]

It depends entirely on what format you're building for to be honest. It also depends on your budget and level of competitiveness.

Standard, to keep it simple, and not that competitive. I'm not going to aim for a proper cut-throat tournament level.
As for budget, I don't particularly want to spend money, but I have EXTENSIVE trade options.

[The Extinguisher]

I love M12 draft! I just did one online, managed to pick up two incinerated, a shock, a fireball and an outrage. Unfortunately, I hit a snag in the draft where I wasn't sure what my second colour was, so I missed out on some aggressive creatures. Still, got three packs out of it (I only do 4322. Not as strong drafters on there most times)

[The Extinguisher]

I love M12 draft! I just did one online, managed to pick up two incinerated, a shock, a fireball and an outrage. Unfortunately, I hit a snag in the draft where I wasn't sure what my second colour was, so I missed out on some aggressive creatures. Still, got three packs out of it (I only do 4322. Not as strong drafters on there most times)

[BobVosh]

Bleh.
I got third in my because I got mana screwed twice against this one guy. Who managed to draft 3 chandra outrages, 2 incinerates, 2 shocks, 2 gorehorn minotaurs and 2 fireballs.

Due to the way it was set up (19 players) we had 3 tables drafting, then the best eight ranks went into single elimination.
In case someone was curious what I got:

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8 Swamps, 8 mountains
1x Crumbling Colossus
1x Warpath Ghoul
1x Bloodrage Vampire
1x Zombie Infestation (shouldn't have used it lol)
1x Disentomb (wow this card was money)
1x Cemetery Repear
1x Doom Blade
2x Duskhunter Bat
1x Sengir Vampire
1x Goblin Bangchuckers
2x Gorehorn Minotaurs
1x Slaughter Cry
1x Shock
1x Chandra's Outrage
1x Incinerate
1x Circle flame (shut two decks down :D)
2x Fling
1x Tectonic Rift
2x Goblin Arsonist
1x Goblin Chieftain

However I earned double my buy in store credit, so thats cool.

[The Extinguisher]

3 O-rings!
I am the best at opening M12 packs in drafts

Removal:

2x Wring Flesh
2x Shock
1x Incinerate
2x Sorin's Thirst
1x Pacifism
3x Oblivion Ring

[Frankelshtein]

So, I wanted to try my hand at building a solid Standard deck. I've always had a soft spot for Shape Anew, and I liked Blade Splicer much more than Master's Call. Then I realized how crazy Phantasmal Image could get with the stuff I'm running, and the deck made itself.

Spoiler

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Standard Fun Times
60 cards, 13 sideboard
2 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Inkmoth Nexus
8 Island
8 Plains
26 lands


4 Phantasmal Image
4 Blade Splicer
2 Master Splicer
2 Sun Titan
2 Blightsteel Colossus
14 creatures


4 Preordain
4 Mana Leak
3 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Day of Judgment
4 Shape Anew
2 Venser, the Sojourner
20 other spells


Sideboard
4 Phantasmal Bear
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Day of Judgment
1 Dismember
1 Sun Titan
3 Ponder
13 sideboard cards

So, ideally the game plan is to get a Blade Splicer out turn 3, followed by a turn 4 Shape Anew. If that doesn't work out, the Splicers are quite cost-efficient, and Phantasmal Image can copy them for cheap golems, or my opponent's big threats. If I can get a Sun Titan down, I can pull back Blade Splicers, or Images copying the Titan! Venser fits perfectly with the Splicers, and can get the Blightsteel unblockable. And I also included many of the Standard staples, to give the deck plenty of control.

I may actually be able to build it, too. I have a spare Koth that I'm not using, and the most prohibitive cards are Venser and the Inkmoths.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

[Khal]

Sideboards are generally always 15 cards, if you ever go to a tournament, you can get docked for it. I doubt it'll happen for FNM, but something to consider if you go for anything bigger than that.

Seachrome Coast is a decent U/W land, but it's a troublesome topdeck with 4 lands out and you need it as a fifth. You're playing collonade however, so this isn't as big of a deal.

Topdecking blightsteel is also a huge concern, maybe throw in See Beyond to put blightsteels away?

Grand Abolisher is somewhat expensive, but effectively makes everything you play on your turn uncounterable. With all the other U/W control and U/R splinter twin, he can be a heck of a sideboard card.

[Penguinizer]

If you have less than 15 the judge will most likely say you're wrong, give you a warning and make you add basic lands to it. There's a chance you may get a match loss.

You can add a Revoke Existence or two, they're handy.

[Narkis]

If you have less than 15 the judge will most likely say you're wrong, give you a warning and make you add basic lands to it. There's a chance you may get a match loss.

You can add a Revoke Existence or two, they're handy.

There's no conceivable way this'd lead to a match loss. If the decklist has less than 15, then it's a game loss (with a possibility of a downgrade to a warning if you bring this to our attention fast enough) and you either add basic lands, or cards of your choice depending on the circumstances, the timing and how convincing you are when you say that you meant to have these cards all along.

If the list is fine and you miss cards from your sideboard, then it's a warning. If you can find the missing cards, or identical replacements in time, then you get to continue as you were. If not, the missing cards are replaced with basic lands on the list as well, and you can't go back to the original configuration no matter what.

Of course, the above is all for GPTs and up. Generally, there'd be no penalty other than a word or two at an FNM, unless you keep doing the same thing after being warned.

[Frankelshtein]

I fixedthe sideboard, and decided to sideboard four Master's Calls after realizing that the entire deck gets effectively hard-countered by Torpor Orb.

One of the most frustrating and rewarding experiences I've had trying to assemble this is pricing some of my cards. I'm happy my single Bitterblossom is still being priced well, but that Elpseth Tirel I opened at the Scars prerelease has dropped a ton. My FLGS doesn't have the biggest trading scene, but there's no way I'm shelling out four bucks per Blade Splicer.

I've been reading some trading articles online, actually. Fascinating stuff. I find it amazing how such an economy has cropped up around fancy pieces of cardboard. I'm also sure I have a Dark Confident lying around somewhere that I could cash in on.

Also, I have a Sword of Fire and Ice I traded for. Thing is, it's fairly beat up. Nothing too bad, but it would probably necessitate opaque sleeves. Do most people really care about that in trades? I mean, it's still a Sword.

[MammonAzrael]

Also, I have a Sword of Fire and Ice I traded for. Thing is, it's fairly beat up. Nothing too bad, but it would probably necessitate opaque sleeves. Do most people really care about that in trades? I mean, it's still a Sword.

People absolutely will. Swords are good, but they aren't exactly an impossible-to-find card. So when they know they can just order a NM/M version for $35, they won't be willing to value a beat up copy at $35. You're probably better off just keeping it and using it if you play Commander or something.

[Khal]

Card quality is somewhat hit or miss, for certain cards, I don't care what they look like, but those are almost entirely cards from between 1993 and 1996.

SoFaI isn't a super hard to get card in my area, but it's not particularly easy either. Darksteel was an amazing set for quite a few cards. Do you have any way to take pictures of the card(front/back)? Would make it somewhat easier to tell how much you can expect for it.

And yeah, certain pieces of cardboard are expensive as heck. Doubling season and Akroma's Memorial are my favorites for odd prices, as they can really only do things in commander, and cost twenty apiece.

At least things like force of will are applicable in multiple formats to offset the absurd cost

[Frankelshtein]

I'm away on my ipod right now, so I can't really do pictures. The Sword us less "beat up" and more "Scuffed". Defenitely not NM, but not super bad.

My favorite odd-priced card in my collection has to be Dark Depths. I remember what people were saying when it first came out. And now? Second turn (first if it's the right format) 20/20 flyer. It's playable in Modern too, so if that takes off it may get even better

I'm also a fan of Progenitus. When a giant Lovecraftian jellyfish just won't do...

[Khal]

I'm away on my ipod right now, so I can't really do pictures. The Sword us less "beat up" and more "Scuffed". Defenitely not NM, but not super bad.

My favorite odd-priced card in my collection has to be Dark Depths. I remember what people were saying when it first came out. And now? Second turn (first if it's the right format) 20/20 flyer. It's playable in Modern too, so if that takes off it may get even better

I'm also a fan of Progenitus. When a giant Lovecraftian jellyfish just won't do...

I thought they banned it with fire in modern.

This implies they banned it from the community cup, but there's not a 'real' B&R list for modern yet.

[Frankelshtein]

I thought they banned it with fire in modern.

This implies they banned it from the community cup, but there's not a 'real' B&R list for modern yet.

Oh. Huh.

That makes me sad, but I suppose the combo leans a bit into "unfun" territory.

Fun fact: the Marit Lage token from the Coldsnap prerelease is worth a fair amount (>10, I think). I want one...

Marit Lage was doing the Lovecraftian thing before the Eldrazi made it Flavor of the Week .

[BobVosh]

Ok got a question. I think the spoiled rule beneath is what answer it, but I wish to be sure.
608.2e

Spoiler

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Some spells and abilities have multiple steps or actions, denoted by separate sentences or clauses, that involve multiple players. In these cases, the choices for the first action are made in APNAP order, and then the first action is processed simultaneously. Then the choices for the second action are made in APNAP order, and then that action is processed simultaneously, and so on. See rule 101.4.

So if I living death and have a Malakir Bloodwitch come out, I can gain life for all the vampires I brought out. Correct? By choosing it as my last vampire to enter the battlefield.

[Penguinizer]

They come out simultaneously if I recall correctly. You don't bring them out in any order. You still get the life for all of them.