Magic the Gathering XXII: Where Puns Go to Die

[tgva8889]

Your deck surgery deck seems like it would LOVE a Seasons Past. You only need one, and it just goes nicely with Diabolic Revelation.

[gooddragon1]

Your deck surgery deck seems like it would LOVE a Seasons Past. You only need one, and it just goes nicely with Diabolic Revelation.

It costs .54 tix tho and more importantly, I just don't know what I'd take out. Definitely considering it though.

Thinking tormod's crypt to sideboard (I can fetch and cast with the right card straight away and it is a bit niche, removing maw of the mire altogether as a possibility).

EDIT: Got it for .509 tix in exchange for a mindslicer I'm not using and a grave pact.

Got a perilous vault as well for the novelty of being able to exile absolutely everything other than lands.

[Bucky]

Rivals' single set combo was straightforward.

Spoiler

Show

Ritual: Float 24 mana, Zacama
Recursion: Zacama shoots self 3 times, Atzocan Seer returns Zacama, Atzal returns the seer
Convert to life gain: Zacama's third ability
Optional mana source to avoid needing 25 lands: Sanctum of the Sum

[Androgeus]

Rivals' single set combo was straightforward.

Spoiler

Show

Ritual: Float 24 mana, Zacama
Recursion: Zacama shoots self 3 times, Atzocan Seer returns Zacama, Atzal returns the seer
Convert to life gain: Zacama's third ability
Optional mana source to avoid needing 25 lands: Sanctum of the Sum

You can get infinite turns if Timestream Navigator is the only card left in your library (and you have the city's blessing). Don't know if that is too absurd of a board state for you to count though.

[Dhavaer]

I went 3-1 at my prerelease (7-2 in games), mostly due to an absurd cardpool.

Spoiler: Esper Greedpile

Show

Creatures
1x Gleaming Barrier
1x Martyr of Dusk
1x Inspiring Cleric
2x Sailor of Means
1x Deadeye Plunderers
1x Azor, the Lawbringer (!)
1x Nezahal, Primal Tide (!!)
1x Zetalpa, Primal Dawn (!!!)

Other Spells
1x Entrancing Melody
2x Moment of Craving
1x Baffling End
1x Luminous Bonds
1x Queen's Commission
1x Recover
1x Vanquish the Weak
1x Profane Procession (!!!!)
1x Run Aground
1x Bright Reprisal

Mana
2x Traveller's Amulet
7x Plains
7x Island
4x Swamp

Azor, Zetalpa, Profane Procession and to a lesser extent Nezahal are ridiculous cards. Each of them won me at least one game effectively single handed. I did get lucky in only flooding once despite having effectively 20 lands, however; I think I could have dropped a land and still done fine.

[danzibr]

I went 3-1 at my prerelease (7-2 in games), mostly due to an absurd cardpool.

Spoiler: Esper Greedpile

Show

Creatures
1x Gleaming Barrier
1x Martyr of Dusk
1x Inspiring Cleric
2x Sailor of Means
1x Deadeye Plunderers
1x Azor, the Lawbringer (!)
1x Nezahal, Primal Tide (!!)
1x Zetalpa, Primal Dawn (!!!)

Other Spells
1x Entrancing Melody
2x Moment of Craving
1x Baffling End
1x Luminous Bonds
1x Queen's Commission
1x Recover
1x Vanquish the Weak
1x Profane Procession (!!!!)
1x Run Aground
1x Bright Reprisal

Mana
2x Traveller's Amulet
7x Plains
7x Island
4x Swamp

Azor, Zetalpa, Profane Procession and to a lesser extent Nezahal are ridiculous cards. Each of them won me at least one game effectively single handed. I did get lucky in only flooding once despite having effectively 20 lands, however; I think I could have dropped a land and still done fine.

Grats!

I was thinking to get a single Zetalpa for my Reanimator.

[Ninjaman]

You can get infinite turns if Timestream Navigator is the only card left in your library (and you have the city's blessing). Don't know if that is too absurd of a board state for you to count though.

Only if you have either a way of giving it haste, or can draw it again the turn you use it, still it is still summoning sick.

[Silfir]

You can activate it in your upkeep while you have an empty library - it makes it back into your library just in time to save you from decking yourself.

Then you resummon it in a main phase, and next turn you can activate it in your upkeep again etc.

Of course, unless you have a boardstate that wins with infinite turns that won't help one bit.

[gooddragon1]

History with Mastermind's Acquisition
1.41 bought@
3.57 sold@
3.62 bought@

lost about 0.06 overall, but I feel like I'd rather have a copy of it than not and if it crashes all the way down I'll get the other 3 copies. If it goes up to bonkers amounts (maybe 20.00 or 100.00 then I'll sell it). I'd rather just have fun with it though.

Also I thought about the following...

I could lock someone's 60 card deck down completely with possessed portal. Then I could destroy all their nonland permanents with gaze of granite. Then I could make them discard their hand with wit's end. Then I could exile their lands with scour from existence. Then I could pull from eternity the cards I exiled. Then I could shuffle 3 cards at a time back into their library with gaea's blessing. Then I could praetor's grasp every single card in their library and put their lands and permanents onto the battlefield under my control and effectively have all their nonpermanents in exile face down that I could play. I shouldn't do that and it'd be boring and they'd probably concede, but it's a possibility.

[danzibr]

For you EDH/Commander players, what's your favorite theme/combo/tribe/et cetera?

I currently have 4 Sliver decks (RG aggro, WU control, prismatic with Wild Pair and Whitemane Lion, prismatic with mana ramp), thinking of repurposing one. But... I dunno, it's just not that appealing to me.

I recently played against a Hydra deck and an Energy deck. Seem like neat ideas.

oh, btw I've been pretty much out of the game since 2005. Unaware of a lot of "new" cool stuff. Still learning about damage not being on the stack, no mana burn, and colorless mana.

[The Hellbug]

I personally enjoy making things that are really reliant on the commander itself (my two most played are Experiment Kraj and Krenko, Mob Boss) so that's how I do it--see cool commander, build deck relying on them. Of course, our meta is quite casual so mileage may vary in places where it's absolutely impossible to stick someone like that.

Of those two:
Kraj is a combo deck. More importantly to me, he can do wonky things by borrowing other people's activated abilities. More often than not, though, it's him, a mana ability creature, an untapper and Triskellion murdering everyone instantly.

Krenko is just goblins and more goblins--a good time. It also gets to run a lot of 'everybody suffers' red enchantments, which I've found help keep the speed up on games a little bit (nothing speeds up an EDH game like Bedlam).

[LastCenturion]

I went 3-1 at my prerelease (7-2 in games), mostly due to an absurd cardpool.

Hey me too. Same record and everything.

Spoiler: Jund Bombs

Show

Creatures (12):

1 Golden Guardian
1 Seeker's Squire
2 Sun-Crowned Hunters
1 Ravenous Chupacabra
1 Grazing Whiptail
1 Forerunner of the Empire
1 Stampeding Horncrest
1 Crested Herdcaller
1 Burning Sun's Avatar
1 Carnage Tyrant (foil!)
1 Tetzimoc, Primal Death (Datestamped Foil!!)

Enchantments (1):

1 New Horizons

Artifacts (4):

3 Traveler's A1mulet
1 Orazca Relic

Spells (6):

1 Unfriendly Fire
1 Recover
1 Thunderherd Migration
1 Sure Strike
1 Lightning Strike
1 Mutiny

Lands (17):

4 Swamp
7 Mountain
5 Forest
1 Evolving Wilds

Turns out playing lots of bombs and some stuff to support them makes your deck pretty decent. I didn't lose a single game where I actually drew Tetzimoc.

[enderlord99]

If someone targets you with Karn's +1 while you have Phage in your hand, laugh as dramatically as you possibly can before exiling her.

[Techwarrior]

That would be way more hilarious to me if I actually saw Karn ultimate getting used, although that does sound like it makes for amusing table talk.

[gooddragon1]

If someone targets you with Karn's +1 while you have Phage in your hand, laugh as dramatically as you possibly can before exiling her.

And now I know an excellent counter to karn...

I think I might just switch out my rude awakening and biorhythm in sideboard for Phage in sideboard then.

[danzibr]

I personally enjoy making things that are really reliant on the commander itself (my two most played are Experiment Kraj and Krenko, Mob Boss) so that's how I do it--see cool commander, build deck relying on them. Of course, our meta is quite casual so mileage may vary in places where it's absolutely impossible to stick someone like that.

Of those two:
Kraj is a combo deck. More importantly to me, he can do wonky things by borrowing other people's activated abilities. More often than not, though, it's him, a mana ability creature, an untapper and Triskellion murdering everyone instantly.

Krenko is just goblins and more goblins--a good time. It also gets to run a lot of 'everybody suffers' red enchantments, which I've found help keep the speed up on games a little bit (nothing speeds up an EDH game like Bedlam).

Whhhooaaaa Krenko looks awesome. Love 'dat exponential growth.

Kraj seems cool. Not a huge UG fan.

Thanks!

[Shadow of the Sun]

People only ult Karn if they really need too. Having a thing on the board that can exile stuff from hand and from the battlefield is usually enough to win the game.

[LastCenturion]

B&R Update:

Standard:
- Rampaging Ferocidon is banned
- Ramunap Ruins is banned
- Rogue Refiner is banned
- Attune with Aether is banned

All other formats:
- No changes

Effective: 19 January 2018

At least Wizards is taking action to try and fix Standard. Kinda wish they'd messed with other formats, but I guess no other formats really need messing with.

[Fable Wright]

...Man, Wizards had some quality slippage recently. Though, I stopped playing just before Aether Revolt, what the heck happened to make Attune with Aether and something like Ranumap Ruins banned? I do not understand. Does it have something to do with the lack of 4-mana Wrath effects?

[mythmonster2]

...Man, Wizards had some quality slippage recently. Though, I stopped playing just before Aether Revolt, what the heck happened to make Attune with Aether and something like Ranumap Ruins banned? I do not understand. Does it have something to do with the lack of 4-mana Wrath effects?

For Attune with Aether, its main problem is that it plus Aether Hub made Energy decks' mana base way too good, and they could easily play 4 colors while the rest of the field can struggle with only 2 colors. The extra energy also helped other energy cards get out of control way too easily. Ranumap Ruins just gave RDW decks a bit too much reach. As the article says, Ranumap Red was the shoe-in for best deck once Energy was nerfed, so they decided to nerf both at the same time to preempt that.

[Tvtyrant]

For Attune with Aether, its main problem is that it plus Aether Hub made Energy decks' mana base way too good, and they could easily play 4 colors while the rest of the field can struggle with only 2 colors. The extra energy also helped other energy cards get out of control way too easily. Ranumap Ruins just gave RDW decks a bit too much reach. As the article says, Ranumap Red was the shoe-in for best deck once Energy was nerfed, so they decided to nerf both at the same time to preempt that.

Which is what led to the last ban, when they decided to pre-nerf UW in response to removing Emrakul and so kept energy the best deck.

[gooddragon1]

People only ult Karn if they really need too. Having a thing on the board that can exile stuff from hand and from the battlefield is usually enough to win the game.

I guess. Still it's 1 card win con that's flavorful rather than 2.

In other news: Mastermind crashed to .17, but I had to buy it at .27 (because it spiked up slightly in demand). So I got 3 of them to round out my playset of 4.

[Fable Wright]

For Attune with Aether, its main problem is that it plus Aether Hub made Energy decks' mana base way too good, and they could easily play 4 colors while the rest of the field can struggle with only 2 colors. The extra energy also helped other energy cards get out of control way too easily. Ranumap Ruins just gave RDW decks a bit too much reach. As the article says, Ranumap Red was the shoe-in for best deck once Energy was nerfed, so they decided to nerf both at the same time to preempt that.

...Wait.

A 1-mana "Get a basic land" spell made manabases too good? That's... Wizards, what are you doing?

[Svata]

1 mana get a basic and also any one of the following.

• +1/+1 counter on your Longtusk Cub.
• 2 extra damage on your burn spell. your Aether Hub taps for a mana of any color 2 more times.
• 2/3 of an activation to make your big tramply threat hexproof until end of turn and also get a +1/+1 counter.
• 2/3 of an activation for a 1/1 flying thopter.
• Your Mana dork taps for 1 of any color 2 more times.

And you can choose to use any one of those, whenever you need it.

[Dhavaer]

For you EDH/Commander players, what's your favorite theme/combo/tribe/et cetera?

I'm currently putting together a Queen Marchesa deck, mostly gods and propaganda-type enchantments.

[tgva8889]

The problem with it was flexibility. It allowed energy decks to play 3 colors when non-energy decks could only play 2 (because it powered up Aether Hub early), it provided a resource which sped up the rest of their other cards toward doing their thing enough times that they were impossible to deal with, and it did all of that for a very low mana cost. Having played a lot with and against Energy, I'd agree that it's a reasonable card for them to target. It doesn't look too good on the surface, but there's a big difference between games where energy has that card and/or Rogue Refiner and games where they have neither card. Too much free energy on top of effects that a deck like that might want to play anyways. You would never play G: Get a land, but you would definitely play G: Get a land, draw a card, which just isn't that far from what Attune did most of the time.

As for Ramunap Red, I dunno if you've ever played it but Ramunap Ruins is the reason that deck is as powerful as it is. The way a you beat an all-out aggressive deck like Ramunamp Red is by holding them off and buying time until they have eliminated their resources, then going over the top and winning after they've run out of gas. The problem is that Ramunap Red decks reach the point where they have no resources, then they start throwing their lands at your face 2 damage at a time. You usually stabilize at relatively low life totals, so if you control the game at 6 life, Ramunap Red still wins the game because they just throw 3 deserts at you. Not only that, but because of Ramunap Ruins, it's possible that if you stabilize at 10 life, they can draw one or two burn spells and then have enough lands to finish the game with damage from the Ruins. Having a mana base that is worth damage makes the deck more able to play more lands, which makes them more able to play cards like Hazoret the Fervent, Chandra, Torch of Defiance, AND Glorybringer where red decks in the past could barely get away with playing a few 4-mana threats for fear that they'd never be able to cast or use them. This is the key card that allows this red deck to do things that other red decks couldn't.

For you EDH/Commander players, what's your favorite theme/combo/tribe/et cetera?

I love to make things happen quickly. People see EDH as a slow format, but I think my favorite decks are the ones that come out fast and make people react. I love my aggressive decks, I love my quick decks that put a lot of threatening things onto the table. Stop durdling or start getting hit for lots of damage.

I also really love my quirky theme decks. I have a deck that is only 85 cards because I add the other 15 at random from a stack before the game starts. I have a deck I decided to be less than the cost of a Precon that is actually extremely powerful because of how well it interacts. I have a deck using Conspiracy to make one of the tribal Commanders from the recent 2017 Commander work with creatures not of that tribe. I like taking these cards and really making them my own in some way.

[Shadow of the Sun]

So, what I've learned here is that if a mechanic is one of Mark Rosewater's darlings, they probably shouldn't have printed it. Storm, Infect, and Banding... and now Energy.

[Svata]

RE: "Ramunap" Red- Can I just say how much I despise that name? Can we not just call it "(Boss) Sligh" or "RDW" or "mono-red" like we always have?

[danzibr]

I'm currently putting together a Queen Marchesa deck, mostly gods and propaganda-type enchantments.

Huh, Monarch is a cool mechanic. Thanks!

I love to make things happen quickly. People see EDH as a slow format, but I think my favorite decks are the ones that come out fast and make people react. I love my aggressive decks, I love my quick decks that put a lot of threatening things onto the table. Stop durdling or start getting hit for lots of damage.

I also really love my quirky theme decks. I have a deck that is only 85 cards because I add the other 15 at random from a stack before the game starts. I have a deck I decided to be less than the cost of a Precon that is actually extremely powerful because of how well it interacts. I have a deck using Conspiracy to make one of the tribal Commanders from the recent 2017 Commander work with creatures not of that tribe. I like taking these cards and really making them my own in some way.

Hmm... I'm a fan. Dunno if I can pick a favorite.

[Gauntlet]

For you EDH/Commander players, what's your favorite theme/combo/tribe/et cetera?

I play Maelstrom Wanderer / Yidris mono-threats. Basically, I'm of the opinon that trying to answer your opponent's stuff in multiplayer is always something of a mistake - all that happens is someone else plays something that ends the game themselves. Instead, I tried to build the deck with the philosophy of 'the only answers in the deck are ones that also demand an answer themselves'. Just keep slamming game ending issues people have to deal with until something sticks.

It helps that Warp World is one of my favourite cards.