Magic the Gathering XXII: Where Puns Go to Die

[sonofzeal]

I'm trying to collect a set of decklists to represent the ten Ravnica guilds. Problem is, finding relevant decklists online is tough because the guild names also refer simply to any deck with the relevant pair of colours. The intent is to try and capture the spirit and playstyle of the guild, and hopefully showcase the relevant in-set legends.

Any suggestions on where to look, or any recommended decklists online I can check?

[Svata]

I'm trying to collect a set of decklists to represent the ten Ravnica guilds. Problem is, finding relevant decklists online is tough because the guild names also refer simply to any deck with the relevant pair of colours. The intent is to try and capture the spirit and playstyle of the guild, and hopefully showcase the relevant in-set legends.

Any suggestions on where to look, or any recommended decklists online I can check?

Which format?

[sonofzeal]

Which format?

Casual?

Relevant-era (Ravnica or RtR block) Standard, or Modern I suppose. I just don't want the Izzet deck to be "Modern U/R Control" with a one-of Niv-Mizzet thrown in, y'know? Style over substance, within reason.

[Svata]

Casual?

Relevant-era (Ravnica or RtR block) Standard, or Modern I suppose. I just don't want the Izzet deck to be "Modern U/R Control" with a one-of Niv-Mizzet thrown in, y'know? Style over substance, within reason.

I am sorry, I cannot be much help, though I will try. If it was EDH, you could use EDHrec to find decks with said legendaries as commanders.

[sonofzeal]

I am sorry, I cannot be much help, though I will try. If it was EDH, you could use EDHrec to find decks with said legendaries as commanders.

It's okay. I found this resource which will probably help a lot. I mean, okay, the prebuilt WotC theme decks are pretty terrible, but they do exactly what I want. I figure if I take those, upgrade some cards, throw in some legends and refit the curve a little, it should be decent place to start.

[Fable Wright]

Casual?

Relevant-era (Ravnica or RtR block) Standard, or Modern I suppose. I just don't want the Izzet deck to be "Modern U/R Control" with a one-of Niv-Mizzet thrown in, y'know? Style over substance, within reason.

Izzet: It's a counter-burn deck that may run the infinite Niv-Mizzet/Curiosity combo.
Azorius: Ghostly Prison, Isperia, and Archangel of Tithes are how you survive. Fliers are how you win.
Dimir: You're running a mill deck that's... presumably going in a multiplayer environment. Good luck. Jace's Archivist, Whispering Madness, and Consuming Aberration are your wincons here.
Simic: Really hard to go wrong here. I had a fun EDH deck around Zegana and Masumaro with Lab Maniac as the wincon, but Renegade Krasis, Vigean Hydropon, and a bunch of other random derpy evolve stuff sounds like a fun time.
Selesnya: Tokens with Trostani.
Orzhov: You're making an extort deck with Crypt Ghast and Debt to the Deathless. Original Teysa is what you want here.
Boros: Something something weenies sideways Argus Kos and Tajic.
Golgari: Death's Shadow + Varolz is good, I hear. Lord of Extinction is fun with Varolz and self-mill, as well as with Jarad.
Gruul: Dig up much land. Ramp much land. Borborygmos weaponize spare land. Backup plan of the Gatecrash doublestriking Hydra. Seething Song, Geothermal Surge, and Vessel of Volatility might be useful here.
Rakdos: Is this a Lyzolda or Exava deck? This is a crucial question.

[sonofzeal]

Izzet: It's a counter-burn deck that may run the infinite Niv-Mizzet/Curiosity combo.
Azorius: Ghostly Prison, Isperia, and Archangel of Tithes are how you survive. Fliers are how you win.
Dimir: You're running a mill deck that's... presumably going in a multiplayer environment. Good luck. Jace's Archivist, Whispering Madness, and Consuming Aberration are your wincons here.
Simic: Really hard to go wrong here. I had a fun EDH deck around Zegana and Masumaro with Lab Maniac as the wincon, but Renegade Krasis, Vigean Hydropon, and a bunch of other random derpy evolve stuff sounds like a fun time.
Selesnya: Tokens with Trostani.
Orzhov: You're making an extort deck with Crypt Ghast and Debt to the Deathless. Original Teysa is what you want here.
Boros: Something something weenies sideways Argus Kos and Tajic.
Golgari: Death's Shadow + Varolz is good, I hear. Lord of Extinction is fun with Varolz and self-mill, as well as with Jarad.
Gruul: Dig up much land. Ramp much land. Borborygmos weaponize spare land. Backup plan of the Gatecrash doublestriking Hydra. Seething Song, Geothermal Surge, and Vessel of Volatility might be useful here.
Rakdos: Is this a Lyzolda or Exava deck? This is a crucial question.

Fantastic advice!

As to the last question... what would you recommend? What feels more wild and crazy and "Revels" to you?

[Blue Ghost]

Out of the two, I think Exava has more of the Rakdos feel. The most Rakdos kind of deck would probably be all-in suicide aggro.

[Fable Wright]

Out of the two, I think Exava has more of the Rakdos feel. The most Rakdos kind of deck would probably be all-in suicide aggro.

It really depends on the expected format, really. If this is 5 person multiplayer, Rakdos really would be punished for going with Exava, being public enemy number 1 and all. Basing the deck around Lyzolda means that it's much slower, and could hold up better lategame. Get some Ashnod's Altar and recursion shenanigans flowing, and the party may never end with Murderous Redcap/Deathbringer Thoctar/Underworld Cerberus/Showstopper shenanigans.

[tgva8889]

Alternatively, you could play Rakdos, Lord of Riots, who is hilarious in multiplayer.

[ChaosOS]

I'll just suggest building decks using the two ravnica blocks only; While not everything meshes nicely the guild themes remain intact across sets, making it a pretty workable.

[Svata]

So I was playing EDH, and blisterpod is great in a Meren deck, especially with Phyrexian Altar(ashnod's is ok, too, but phyrexian is superior), and especially especially when you have a Sifter of Skulls out. Slightly better (as in, the three mana can be different colors), uncounterable (though vulnerable to kill spells on meren or the sifter) Black Lotus every turn? And it fuels your exp. counters, and combos with Grave Pact effects? Delicious.

[ryuplaneswalker]

I'll just suggest building decks using the two ravnica blocks only; While not everything meshes nicely the guild themes remain intact across sets, making it a pretty workable.

Eh lots of cards outside of Ravnica work very well with Guild stuff, Oddly The Lord of Riots seems to work best with non Rakdos Cards since..his ability is best with lots of cards in hand.

Interestingly about half of the Guild Leaders don't mesh well with the guild mechanics

[DJ Yung Crunk]

What did you end up pulling?

Arlinn.

Which was awesome because I had already committed to Gruul halfway through pack one. Pack two opens and there she is and she's looking at me with this expression like "Don't act like you're not going to take me" and I did, because she's awesome.


"Let's go win this draft, kid"

[Blackhawk748]

Hello all, Im building an EDH deck with Sek'Kuar as my general and im not sure where i should be going with this. When i ran him in non-EDH i had a bunch of disposable minions that i rezed with Grim Harvest etc to get more Graveborn, and this doesnt really work in EDH as i cant have 3 of each cheap as hell goblin or whatever.

Im thinking of just packing a bunch of Red, Green and Black Humans in there and comboing him with Xathrid Necromancer to get 2 tokens per dead thing, but idk.

[Svata]

So this is something I can help with, as I run a Meren deck. You'll want Black Market, High Market, Sifter of Skulls, Viscera Seer, maybe Pawn of Ulamog, and at least one or the other of Ashnod's/Phyrexian Altar. Birthing Pod is also good.

There's a lot more to it, but I'm busy and will give more detail later.

[Blackhawk748]

So this is something I can help with, as I run a Meren deck. You'll want Black Market, High Market, Sifter of Skulls, Viscera Seer, maybe Pawn of Ulamog, and at least one or the other of Ashnod's/Phyrexian Altar. Birthing Pod is also good.

Which Black Market? One gets me 1/1 Assassins and the other gets me stupid amounts of mana. Hell i might just go for both.

[Androgeus]

Which Black Market? One gets me 1/1 Assassins and the other gets me stupid amounts of mana. Hell i might just go for both.

What card gives you 1/1s? The only card with "Black Market in its name is the mana one.

[Svata]

Which Black Market? One gets me 1/1 Assassins and the other gets me stupid amounts of mana. Hell i might just go for both.

The mana is the only one I know of. Anyway, you'll also want Grave Pact effects (when one of your guys dies, everyone else sacs something). Sac outlets (Altar's reap is really nice), and probably to top your curve with an It That Betrays, as you'll be making people sac things with your Grave Pacts. Creatures who can sac themselves or who have dies/leaves the battlefield triggers are great. Reanimation is always nice in these types of value decks, as you recur etb effects, and have more guys to sac/use. If you have one, toss a Liliana, Heretical Healer in there too, you have things dying all the time, so she flips easily, her plus fills your 'yard, her -x reanimates, and her ult is just gravy. And, in the 'yard, she's a creature, so you can reanimate her, which is absolutely delicious.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Today I learned that drafting Eighth Edition is like drafting any other format, only between each pick some guy smacks you in the face with a sandwich board.

Wow. What a P.O.S. that set was.

[tgva8889]

Yeah, don't draft white-bordered sets, they're all awful.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Well, I'm going to give EDH another chance. Gonna go mono-red Diaochan. See how that floats me boat.

[Blackhawk748]

Ok, so im gonna scrap the Sek'Kuar deck for right now as i've got two other token EDH decks to work with and i dont need a third. Now, i just bought the Shadows over Innistrad Soul Swallower Deck (the Black Green one if you dont know) and its a Delirium based deck, and i really like this mechanic. So now im thinking about making a Delerium EDH deck, preferably Green and Black, and im probably gonna use that Intro Pack as the base.

[Dhavaer]

What colours and how expensive do you think this effect should be:

Each player sacrifices all permanents they control and then exiles that many cards from the top of their library. They may put any number of permanents exiled in this way onto the battlefield.

[Fable Wright]

What colours and how expensive do you think this effect should be:

Each player sacrifices all permanents they control and then exiles that many cards from the top of their library. They may put any number of permanents exiled in this way onto the battlefield.

This is basically a weaker Warp World, so Red.

[geonova]

What colours and how expensive do you think this effect should be:

Each player sacrifices all permanents they control and then exiles that many cards from the top of their library. They may put any number of permanents exiled in this way onto the battlefield.

I'd say that this would be Black/Red, because even though it does have randomness like warp world; it is also a sacrifice based board wipe that also leaves all of the Instants and Sorcerys exiled by it in exile. Considering that; i'd say it's mana cost to be about 7BBRR or something like that.

The spell could be B/U/R, but i prefer it as B/R.

[Bucky]

Questions for everyone about your strongest (non-cube) booster draft deck ever:

(1) What format was it in?
(2) What was so exceptionally strong about it?
(3) How many rares and mythics did it contain?

[Dhavaer]

1: Oath of the Gatewatch.
2: It was almost mono-colour (black + colourless), heavy on control (lots of creature removal and hand disruption) and most of its creatures were quite powerful.
3: I think three: Bearer of Silence, Remorseless Punishment and Reality Smasher.

[Ninjaman]

Questions for everyone about your strongest (non-cube) booster draft deck ever:

Affinity
(1) Modern Masters 2
(2) Really quick and really resilient, put on pressure while drawing a lot of cards.
(3) Etched champion, lodestone myr, possibly others but that wasn't what made the deck so good. 4 thoughtcast, 2 frogmites, 3 myr enforcers, a cranial plating, 4 darksteel citadel (i think)

[Blue Ghost]

Is there anything cool I can do with Clues in EDH? I'm thinking of building an Edric deck with an investigation theme, but I don't quite know what to do with that.