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Written up by our very own Mirrinus, some tips on how to play Red: (warning - long)
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirrinus
Red is a very strong color when it comes to making an impact. It is fast, devastating, and effective at what it does. Direct damage, one of red's defining mechanics, is a very versatile mechanic because it can usually pull double duty: killing your opponent's creatures, or killing your opponent. Most other colors only do one or the other (for example, most white and black removal can only kill creatures). This gives red the best "reach" in the game. "Reach" (not the mechanic) refers to your deck's ability to win without having to attack using creatures. Against many control decks seeking to win the long-term game, you'll find all your creatures swept away by board-clearing spells, leaving you unable to do the few final points of damage to seal the victory in your favor. Red decks, though, can simply chuck some burn spells at your opponent for the win, giving them fantastic reach.
You may find that many red creatures aren't quite as efficient as green or white creatures in a vacuum, but red direct damage goes a long way to remedy it. Red creatures are very aggressive and quick, but may be easily outclassed by more defensive creatures that your opponents play. This is where the creature removal aspect of direct damage becomes important. The ability to kill potential blockers makes red creatures far more dangerous in effect, even if they might be weaker than what green gets. It is very important to learn when it is the right play to spend a burn spell to kill a creature, and when it's better to save that burn spell for hitting your opponent instead. Generally, you want to use your burn spells in the early game to hit potential blockers, so your creatures can get in for as much damage as possible. After your creatures become completely outclassed, your burn can then be spent to take out what little life your foe has remaining.
Red does have a few major downsides that you should beware of, though. One weakness is its inability to deal with enchantments at all. This makes cards like Circle of Protection: Red a major pain. There are a few answers to such problems, but they tend to be rare or very situational. Another weakness is that Red is poor at card advantage. Card advantage is an important term in the game: in a nutshell, it refers to how many cards you have in hand and in play compared to your opponent. If each card you play is canceled out by one card your opponent plays (i.e. you play a creature, your opponent counters it; your opponent plays a creature, you burn it to death), then whoever drew the most cards will still have a card left when the opponent is out of options to play. Card advantage can be gained by effects that let you draw more cards, or a single card that can take out multiple opposing cards. Red is generally the worst color at gaining card advantage, but that is not a death knell. Card advantage is usually most important in the late game, when both players are running low on cards but have plenty of mana available. In the early game, it barely matters at all, which is when Red shines the most. If you can build up enough of a lead right from the start of the game, then no amount of card advantage can save your opponent.
The two most common strategies that play to Red's strengths are exemplified in two major archetype decks in Extended right now: Red Deck Wins and the Lightning Bolt Deck. Both decks are designed to blitz your opponent with overwhelming power before they can set up enough defense to stabilize with card advantage. Red Deck Wins uses primarily creatures to do the damage, while the Lightning Bolt Deck prefers direct damage spells. One good thing about Red is that a lot of tournament-caliber decks actually use lots of common and uncommon staple cards, so overall good Red decks are oftentimes less expensive than other decks to build.
There are of course plenty more archetypes that utilize Red cards well. Red control decks, Storm Combo, All-in Red, and a multitude of multicolor decks spring to mind. However, for the vast majority of usual Red decks, these are some of the staple cards you'd want to play:
(I focus mostly on relatively cheap, recent cards, so they shouldn't be as hard to obtain. It's by no means an extensive list; I'm sure others here can contribute a lot. Also, every one of these cards (except Hellspark Elemental, of course) has been played in tournament-caliber decks either maindeck or sideboard (I've checked), so they've been tried and tested. )
Burn Spells:
Incinerate - Simply one of the most efficient burn spells available right now. (Other simple and efficient burn spells, like Shock and Seal of Fire, you probably already know about, so I'll just skip those.)
Fireball - Learn to love X-cost spells. You generally don't want to clog up your deck with them, but a few copies could give you the perfect game-winning spell. Blaze is a cheaper and easier to acquire alternative.
Puncture Blast - If you're playing with people who own mostly recent cards, then this becomes very useful for its ability to kill creatures with Persist or even Indestructible abilities. It permanently weakens a creature if it survives, which means your own creatures probably won't be outclassed for long.
Lash Out - This is mostly for opponents whom you know will be packing lots of creatures. It can't hit players directly, but sometimes it hits both a creature and a player, making it quite efficient. Also, Clash lets you look at the top card of your deck, which can be helpful if you're trying to dig for another land, or if you already have enough land and would rather not draw the one on top of your deck.
Pyroclasm - The standard board clearing spell. This card eats weenie rush strategies for breakfast. It's made more for slower red decks that try to win with big, powerful, late-game plays (like Big Red). Also check out its bigger brother, Firespout, and its upcoming sibling Volcanic Fallout (in the soon-to-be released set Conflux).
Flames of the Blood Hand - One of the most annoying things you will run across while playing a red deck is when your opponent tries to gain tons of life. You can ignore big blockers by throwing burn spells at your opponent, but there's little you can do about lifegain. This card is one such answer to lifegain, and has been an important staple to the Lightning Bolt Deck for years.
I'll be mentioning mostly just recent creatures, as I think they exemplify the concept of Red Deck Wins very well, plus they'll be easier to acquire. I'm listing these creatures in order of mana cost. Once you learn about the importance of having a smooth mana curve, you'll come to appreciate building a tight succession of mana costs in your deck. This goes doubly important for decks that want to establish a lead early on, as you want to maximize your efficiency in those crucial early turns.
(Once again, note that I'm sticking to common and uncommon budget cards. This doesn't include stuff like Flametongue Kavu, as it's actually pretty expensive on the secondary market due to being out of print and no longer legal in Extended, but that's still probably one of the best red creatures ever printed.)
Mogg Fanatic - One of the most efficient and effective 1-mana creatures in the history of Magic. This is actually a goblin worth playing, even if you dislike goblins in general.
Tattermunge Maniac - It simply doesn't get any more efficient than this. Not for every red deck, as it lacks versatility, but still a solid, aggressive choice.
Keldon Marauders - It's technically a creature, but it plays more like a burn spell. It does 2 damage total simply by your playing it, and it swings once for 3 more damage. If played on turn 2, your opponent is very unlikely to have something that can safely block it, ensuring you 5 damage for just 2 mana. Very efficient, eh?
Blood Knight - If you want a 2-mana creature with more staying power than Keldon Marauders, then Blood Knight is your man. White removal spells have been getting better and better over the years (especially in Conflux), so Protection from White is sweet to have. This guy is also nuts against an entire popular deck archetype (white weenie).
Hellspark Elemental - It's not released yet (it comes out in Conflux in 2 weeks), but when it is released, it's likely to be a popular budget card for fast Red decks looking for efficient damage-to-card ratio.
Ashenmoor Gouger - In general, a creature with the same power and toughness as its casting cost is considered decent. A creature with more power and toughness than its casting cost is excellent, which is good news for the Gouger here. Its drawback doesn't matter; if you're playing Red, chances are you'd rather be attacking than on the defensive. 4 is a magic number for toughness, as the most commonly played removal spells (Incinerate, Lash Out, Last Gasp, Agony Warp, Nameless Inversion) all hit a creature with toughness 3 or less. This makes the Gouger hard to deal with, especially when it hits the board as early as turn 3.
Boggart Ram-Gang - Haste is one of the most underrated, yet inherently powerful, abilities in the game. The most effective cards are oftentimes the ones that have an immediate impact on the game. With most creatures, you can't attack or tap them until your next turn, which gives your opponent one full turn to find a way to neutralize it. Haste removes that option, and makes life all the more difficult for your opponent. Boggart Ram-Gang is one of the best hasty cards printed in recent times.
Murderous Redcap - A bit slow for the fastest Red decks, as it serves more of a controlling, defensive role, but this is one of Red's better options for card advantage available right now. This guy has high potential to kill off 2 or even 3 opposing creatures before it dies. If you squint, he's sort of like a Flametongue Kavu; sometimes better, sometimes worse.
Spitebellows - This guy can serve as a powerful creature-killing spell as early as turn 3, or as a hard-hitting later play that takes another opposing creature down with when it dies. It may be too slow for the fastest red decks, but it's got nice potential. If you can clear a way for it to attack with your burn spells, then this guy will pack a huge wallop.
Utility:
Other neat effects beyond direct damage that might be worth a shot (including 2 lands).
Unwilling Recruit - What's better than removing a beefy blocker harassing your creatures? Forcing it to join in your beatdown! This card also serves as an X-cost spell that gets better in the late-game. Pair it with one of my old casual favorites, Scorched Rusalka, for even more fun.
Smash to Smithereens - One day, you will run into a really annoying, artifact-heavy deck. Whether Affinity or Esper, I don't know, but chances are it will be very annoying. This is a solid spell to deal with those pesky artifacts. An upcoming Conflux card, Molten Frame, fulfills this same job quite admirably as well (some may argue it's even better, or at least more versatile).
Keldon Megaliths - As I stated earlier, Red decks can be prone to running out of cards before their opponents do. When your hand is empty, this card turns your disadvantage into a boon with its useful effect.
Ghitu Encampment - Basically, a creature disguised as a land. Valuable for being able to survive sorcery-speed sweepers like Wrath of God on your opponents turn, animating itself at the most opportune moment for attacking your opponent.
Anyway, those are some of the generic Red staple cards that you will probably end up using in several Red decks somewhere down the road. If you did nothing more than take a few copies of each, shuffled up with some mountains, and called it a deck, I daresay you will still do reasonably well with it. Of course, tossing in some juicy rare cards like Demigod of Revenge, Magus of the Scroll, and Chandra Nalaar probably wouldn't hurt. Looking at the Jace vs. Chandra decklist, I see a few nice cards I didn't mention that could certainly find a home in a good Red deck.
And an answer to your later questions:
The minimum deck size for most Magic formats is 60 cards. Technically, this isn't that bad compared to Yu-gi-oh, as much of those extra cards are probably lands.
First Strike lets a creature apply its damage before another creature. If you are able to kill a creature with First Strike damage, then the other creature won't be alive anymore when it's suppose to normally deal its damage back, so your First Strike creature survives. A creature with Double Strike will deal both First Strike damage and regular damage, effectively doing twice its power's worth of damage in one attack phase.
Echo simply means paying an additional cost at the beginning of your first upkeep since the creature came under your control. Your upkeep step takes place right after you untap your cards, but before you draw for the turn. Most Echo costs are mana costs, although there are some weird exceptions, such as Shah of Naar Isle.
Many people have decks that they wish to tell the world about, and here is your chance to show off! When posting a deck you wish to be included in the first post, please specify you want it there.
Links to the cards used are preferred, as well as some tips on how the deck works.
That deck focuses on getting the kill as fast as possible, and is an extremely simple deck to play - I gave it to my mom, and she managed to beat me with it, twice out of three games. The other one was multiplayer, and did manage to take down somebody else before I did the same to her.
It has a very good record, wins most games it plays and consistenly trounces my Faerie deck.
Start the game off by playing Flamekin Harbinger to tutor up either Nova Chaser or the Soulstoke, depending on what you need more. Then play Smokebraider for some cheap mana. Play Incandescent Soulstoke turn three, and up to 3 Nova Chasers through the Soulstoke's ability turn 4 for the win.
If they somehow survive this, just champion Flamekin Harbinger, fling your Nova Chasers and Changeling Berserkers at the opponent. When they do, search up a new one and do it again! Vengeful Firebrand is great end game. He'll likely have haste from one of the many warriors in the deck, and his firebreathing effect quickly escalates from Smokebraider's ability.
Conspiring Ultimatums
A truly magical, non-budget deck by tgva8889
Gameplay:
When playing this deck, it's important to survive the early game. Once you get into the late game, any deck without an abundance of counterspells will suddenly be faced with an onslaught of powerful spells. Between the 5 game-winners, one being a repeatable spell, the 4 Naya Charms, and the 3 Primal Commands and 4 Cone of Flames to control the game a bit, this deck should have no problem pushing through a late-game backbreaker. Maelstrom Archangel is there to help you push through some spells; after all, it's not very likely you'll be able to play two Ultimatums in one turn, is it?
In terms of your early game, the key to surviving is to play Sprouting Thrinax, Naya Charm, and Cone of Flame as much as possible to slow down your foe. In addition, don't be afraid to take a bit of damage; you can afford to go down to 10 or even 5 before you're really in dire straits. The Primal Commands can gain you some important life early on, and it's not uncommon to be casting Maelstrom Archangel on turn 5 if it's in your opener, so the Angel can act as a last-ditch blocker if need be. Garruk's Beast tokens are also extremely helpful in surviving to your big guns, and Garruk himself provides you some acceleration that can get you there faster.
Naya Charm is truly your ace in the hole. Acting as Regrowth, Lash Out, and a fourth of Cryptic Command is truly something amazing. However, don't be afraid to spend Naya Charm early on. If you get Wort up and running, you can recycle your Naya Charms with your other cards extremely easily.
Remember, the objective with this deck is to conspire ridiculous spells for ridiculous fun. If you're about to lose, don't be afraid to Conspire Conflux and show off your deck in a glorious fashion. It's all about making big explosions, after all!
The basic strategy is to play evasive creatures with nice CIP abilities, then bounce them with ninja to replay them again, gaining tons of card advantage. Save the instant counters for things you can't handle, like high cost spells that Spellstutter Sprite can't hit, or board-wiping spells. The deck has lots of disruption and can usually play pretty aggressively. Nearly every spell can potentially 2-for-1 the opponent, giving me control of the game thanks to my strong card advantage. It's a very cheap deck to build due to being made entirely of commons, yet I find that it's still a solid deck to play in other casual formats as well. Its biggest weaknesses appear to be board-sweeping spells and pingers, so my sideboard is built to accomidate either of those threats. Peppersmoke handles most pingers and can decimate casual aggro decks. Remove Soul is also good against aggro, while Negate is for control decks that have been popular lately. Echoing Truth is to stop pauper storm decks based on Empty the Warrens, and the Mistblade Shinobi is for keeping midrange creature decks off balance.
Mirrinus' Pauper MWC
Spoiler
Deck: Sarutabaruta (or just call it Pauper Mono-W Control)
Format: MTGO Pauper Classic
(Note: the circles of protection were common when printed in 7th edition, so they're legal for pauper.)
Anyway, I realized that most decks for pauper are creature-heavy, due to the lack of mass removal. So I built a deck designed to crush aggro strategies. I run a wealth of removal spells, some of which can earn card advantage. My creatures are few, but are versatile and are great both early and late game, oftentimes utilizing my excess mana to the fullest. The Kami of Ancient Law in the sideboard is mostly to switch in against creature-light decks as an early beater, or to replace Holy Light against white decks. I figure that if a deck is playing white, it's likely to be playing white enchantment-based removal like Oblivion Ring or Temporal Isolation, so the Kami would be great at keeping my other creatures clear of these answers.
What I'm still considering, though, is the removal suite. I like Fire at Will for its potential for card advantage, particularly against weenie swarms like Slivers. Unmake is also great simply for the lack of the attack/blocker clause. The Dawn Charms are there mostly for versatility, as I can usually think of a good use for it. I'm not sure if I should be maindecking the Holy Lights, though. So far, they've only been useful against pinger decks, Empty the Warrens, and certain elf builds. However, given that Storm may be one of the best pauper builds, Holy Light affords me with my best chance of trumping Empty the Warrens. But most of all, I'm debating Judge Unworthy. On one hand, having 8 removal spells that require attacking/blocking is kind of restrictive; on the other hand, it's my cheapest removal spell, and my only removal option for turn 2. The Scry is oftentimes a toss-up; getting rid of excess land is great, but I've had instances where I needed to draw another land, but can't put a land on top of my deck with Scry if I want to kill a creature. I guess Temporal Isolation is a possible substitute, but it's pretty lousy in the Silvers matchup, which is perhaps the most common deck played in the pauper casual room as of late.
I'm still debating whether Relic of Progenitus should be in the sideboard; perhaps I could use more aggro options to switch in against creature-light decks, even though those tend to be fewer in number for this format.
So, what does this deck do? At its core, this deck is made to abuse Mirror Sheen with various effects that can target me. Beneficial effects like Compulsive Research, Oona's Grace, and Walk the Aeons can be spread to both myself and my teammate, especially in MTGO 2HG, where turns are taken separately. Meanwhile, burn spells like Electrolyze, Cone of Flame, and Conflagrate can spread their damage to point just 1 damage at me, allowing me to copy them as well.
My plan is to lay down some beefy blockers and control the board with versatile burn while building up mana and drawing cards for both me and my partner. Lots of card drawing spells plus Drift of Phantasms allows me to quickly find Mirror Sheen, while Hinder (my counterspell of choice in extended) and Swerve protect me and my flagship enchantment. With Mirror Sheen on the board, most of my spells become super-charged. Eventually, I will seek to win the game with a huge, crazy turn. Most commonly, I'll flashback Conflagrate for just 2 mana, discarding my hand of 7-8 cards and targetting myself with just 1 point of its damage, then pump all of my mana into copying that huge Conflagrate. With 8 mana available and 7 cards in hand, that's 20 damage divided as I choose, perfect for eliminating all blockers for my partner's alpha strike, or just sending it all to the dome. Or I can copy Walk the Aeons (and buy it back) before this too. Either way, my other goal is to supercharge my partner's deck, which I hope will make the game very fun for both of us. Most players appreciate being given extra cards and turns, right?
I still have no idea what I would do for the sideboard, as that doesn't usually come up for 2HG, but it might matter if I take the deck out for a spin in 1-on-1 duels, where it'd play more like a combo deck with heavy control elements. I'm also not sure about a few individual choices. Should I run cheaper burn that can't synergize well with Mirror Sheen? Are more board sweepers necessary? Do I have enough defense to avoid being run over in the early game? Is my mana base stable enough to support UUU for Plumeveil and RR in Cone of Flame and Conflagrate, or should I cut the Cone of Flames? Is Cone of Flames even worth 5 mana? Is Swerve any good at all? (It can counter counterspells by changing their target!)
This deck is built around my personal favorite creature, Twilight Shepherd. It started out as a simple WUB blink deck, but then morphed into a toolbox-style deck revolving around 1-mana artifacts. Nearly every single card syngergizes with Twilight Shepherd. Any of the sacrificed artifacts can be returned to my hand with the angel's ability, evoke becomes absurd when the angel activates, CIP creatures play nicely with her, and wiping the board with Magus of the Disk tends to be rather one-sided when all my stuff comes back to me, including the Magus himself! But the star of the deck is Voyager Staff combined with Twilight Shepherd, which basically lets me pay 3 mana each turn to ensure that any permanent that goes to my graveyard that turn gets returned to my hand. That includes lands like Terramorphic Expanse and Flagstones of Trokair as well (hence the high number of basic lands to fetch). Mannequin and Momentary Blink both ensure that my angel is never rid of permanently, and Trinket Mage tutors for the Staff right when I need it, or for any other silver bullet artifact. The sideboard includes stuff like Relic of Progenitus, to hose even more strategies. Lack of artifact lands is due to anti-synergy with the Magus. It's a fun deck with an insane amount of resiliance, as that angel is almost impossible to ever get rid of permanently, thanks to the massive amount of blink and recursion in the deck.
Today's topic. . . Eventide/Shards of Alara!
Thoughts?
Worries?
__________________
Spoiler
Avvies by Z-Axis, now bearer of 3 divine rank.
So you may have heard of Lord Herman. Well, he's pretty awesome.
Chief Arial Commander of HALO
Through hostilties, Leader of AMEN
Annoyingly Androgynous Elf
Eventide: Mixed feelings.
More high cost lands will be brought in, making standard that much more expensive...
One thing that I do want to see right now, however, is Shards of Alara pushing Cold Snap and Time Spiral block. I'm tired of Tarmogoyf.
Actually, I want the lorwyn block to cycle already too. And 10th. I don't want to see manlands anymore either.
Shards of Alara of featuring yet more changes though.
They are reducing set sizes, adding in a new rarity ("Mythic Rare") which is supposed to carry nontournament choice rares (which, in fact, increases the chance of getting a choice rare), while, since mythic rares will be so sparse yet have so few, the chances for those cards will only drop a little bit per card.
Also, they are doing planeswalkers again apparently in it.
As an aside.. how is a fourth set strange or unlikeable just because it's a fourth set?
It threw me off. Not unlikeable, just feels odd. I'm slow to change and M:tG changes too quickly when you pay attention to the new sets. I have been playing sense I was like...12 or so..when it was just getting around my little town. My dad and me used to play. i didn't get a single new card from when i was a kid till I was 17 That is five or six years of advancement. It was the end of Onslaught. Then I didn't buy any more cards till Kamigawa, then my life got comfortable and I started buying a booster pack a day (I quit smoking to support my gaming habit) Sooo, I'm already ready for something new. I don't need more Lorwyn. I'm done with that stuff.
__________________
"I laugh at life, it's antics make for me a giddy game. Where only foolish fellows take themselves with solemn aim.”
Spoiler
Avatar by: Etcetera|Doll by Recaiden|Sigbanner by Szilard
The fourth set in a block has never been done before. I'm not used to it. It's throwing me off. Oh well.
Well, I was sort of being semi-serious. Fourth sets in a block? What are they doing? Its such a strange, alien even, concept, like from some other dimension.
And "Mythic Rare"?
Maybe I just liked it when it was simpler, with flanking and various kinds of Atogs, back in the day.
Well, I was sort of being semi-serious. Fourth sets in a block? What are they doing? Its such a strange, alien even, concept, like from some other dimension.
And "Mythic Rare"?
Maybe I just liked it when it was simpler, with flanking and various kinds of Atogs, back in the day.
GOSH I feel old.
I had less fun with it when everything was simpler.
I enjoy my convoluted combos, seeing my decks work when I need them too, and similar.
Of course, this could also be memories I tie to it. But, not until I started really building did I start not being last anymore. Now, I'm the "one to come to" for deck building from my old group.
Magic is just a different type of LEGO block for me. And I was always happy to see new creative blocks released of that...
I, do, however wish they would slow down on set releases... and I'm glad they are doing such.
(Side comparison, I've also been playing since Weatherlight)
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Avatar by slayerx
Last edited by SweetRein : 06-26-2008 at 03:00 AM.
I had less fun with it when everything was simpler.
I enjoy my convoluted combos, seeing my decks work when I need them too, and similar.
Of course, this could also be memories I tie to it. But, not until I started really building did I start not being last anymore. Now, I'm the "one to come to" for deck building from my old group.
Magic is just a different type of LEGO block for me. And I was always happy to see new creative blocks released of that...
I, do, however wish they would slow down on set releases... and I'm glad they are doing such.
(Side comparison, I've also been playing since Weatherlight)
Since nemesis, and I also enjoy the new releases. It allows me to evolve the decks I've made from before into something slightly different, shaping it to achieve the same goal in a different way. Give me red with green, and I shall conquer.
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Half-Orc Scout by Magioth
Founder of the Therkla Fanclub My Exalted Characters
The problem with Lorwyn though is that I just find it's been dragging on for far too long. Sure, I'm happy about Eventide, because enemy colours don't get nearly enough support, but I don't think both Lorwyn and Morningtide were necessary.
Also, Unmake is a great card.
Unmake:
Spoiler
Unmake
b/w b/w b/w
Instant
Remove target creature from the game.
__________________
Spoiler
Avvies by Z-Axis, now bearer of 3 divine rank.
So you may have heard of Lord Herman. Well, he's pretty awesome.
Chief Arial Commander of HALO
Through hostilties, Leader of AMEN
Annoyingly Androgynous Elf
Didnt they add plansewalkers again in the last set?
I remember one of the having a good ability that added a point of loyalty. It was like draw two cards +1 loyalty or something like that.
Or am I thinking of a different type of card.
Didnt they add plansewalkers again in the last set?
I remember one of the having a good ability that added a point of loyalty. It was like draw two cards +1 loyalty or something like that.
Or am I thinking of a different type of card.
Also, that was the first time ever that planeswalkers had been used.
On the subject of unmake, I'm just glad my Orzhov deck is getting some love.
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Spoiler
Avvies by Z-Axis, now bearer of 3 divine rank.
So you may have heard of Lord Herman. Well, he's pretty awesome.
Chief Arial Commander of HALO
Through hostilties, Leader of AMEN
Annoyingly Androgynous Elf
I like the card, I've been playing a Simic sense Ravnica, so B/W is out of range at the moment.
I don't like the G/U cards from this block mostly. I'm still waiting for things to show up.
So sorry, but what's wrong with card draws? That seems like what B/G is up too to me.
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Spoiler
Avvies by Z-Axis, now bearer of 3 divine rank.
So you may have heard of Lord Herman. Well, he's pretty awesome.
Chief Arial Commander of HALO
Through hostilties, Leader of AMEN
Annoyingly Androgynous Elf
Technically, Eventide isn't a forth set in a block. Shadowmoor was it's own block.
I'm looking forward to Eventide. My two favourite decks are Red/Blue and Black/White. And Guildpact has been out of use for a long while now.
I find that even more stupid.....bah...bahbahbah...What now wizards are in the business of printing half-sets? what is this trend expands to their other products?
ME: Hey, could I get a Troglydite Mini?
STORE: Yeah, but only half. The next half will be out in about 3 months.
ME: Well....damn
__________________
"I laugh at life, it's antics make for me a giddy game. Where only foolish fellows take themselves with solemn aim.”
Spoiler
Avatar by: Etcetera|Doll by Recaiden|Sigbanner by Szilard
I started playing around Onslaught. So while I haven’t been playing quite as long as some others. I think because I’ve played through the disasters that was Scourge (my gosh was that a crappy set), and Mirridon block (one of the most broken blocks ever). I’ve just dumped too much time, effort and money into that game, now I’m… well… simply done with it.
Another problem is that there are no casual magic players here at G.I Joe headquarters. They all draft, and I refuse to draft (unless your good its just throwing your money away), and I refuse to keep up with the current tournament legal game (too expensive). So now I just play my (horribly cheesy) decks against my friends (and their horribly cheesy decks).
I started playing around Onslaught. So while I haven’t been playing quite as long as some others. I think because I’ve played through the disasters that was Scourge (my gosh was that a crappy set), and Mirridon block (one of the most broken blocks ever). I’ve just dumped too much time, effort and money into that game, now I’m… well… simply done with it.
Another problem is that there are no casual magic players here at G.I Joe headquarters. They all draft, and I refuse to draft (unless your good its just throwing your money away), and I refuse to keep up with the current tournament legal game (too expensive). So now I just play my (horribly cheesy) decks against my friends (and their horribly cheesy decks).
Ya'know I used to play a Scourge only deck...and I dropped out for Mirridon...my Dad said 'What's next? A fully Enchantment Set? Gee' Then I came back for Kamigawa, I did it for the Ninjas...
As for Casual players, I love playing Casual...mostly because I pown hard in Cas...I play with the Legal types with I want a challange.
As for the Superblocksethalfstuffwhatever I Don't like it..
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"I laugh at life, it's antics make for me a giddy game. Where only foolish fellows take themselves with solemn aim.”
Spoiler
Avatar by: Etcetera|Doll by Recaiden|Sigbanner by Szilard
Yeah, I’ve got like one pure single block deck, it’s a green/blue threshold odyssey deck, and its one of my weaker decks. Most of mine are mixtures of just about everything but the newest stuff (going back to timespiral is as about as new as I have), and that’s really for Jaya ballard, Torchling, and Akroma, Angel of Fury. (I collect angels, and the others are just cool).
Some people don’t like it when you cross old and new, but hell the game is about having fun, and if that’s what you have fun with that’s great.
The only problem in cas I have with crossing old with new, is the fact I don't have limets on cards past the 4 of each. And such. And after I said stuff like that, a friend of mine ran home, grabbed some artifacts some other stuff. Came back with Tolarian Tinker deck with Mind Slaver and such.....stupid infinite stealing my turns.
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"I laugh at life, it's antics make for me a giddy game. Where only foolish fellows take themselves with solemn aim.”
Spoiler
Avatar by: Etcetera|Doll by Recaiden|Sigbanner by Szilard
I'm just hoping for more good blue or white untap cards in Eventide, to round out my extended untap deck (although it's fairly complete as is). And maybe more counter-manipulation support, to complement my other deck that runs 4x Power Conduit, Leech Bonder, and Chisei, Heart of Oceans alongside lots of random types of counters. (Just need to find some Spawning Pits now...)
Unmake is undoubtably a powerful card, but I don't think it'll take Oblivion Ring's place in my B/W deck. I already have a strong creature removal suit with Tallowisp to tutor up Prison Term, Pillory of the Sleepless, and Weight of Conscience. Oblivion Ring's ability to hit enchantments, artifacts, and planeswalkers is more valuable to me for its utility over Unmake, even if it is a less permanent solution for creatures.
I find that even more stupid.....bah...bahbahbah...What now wizards are in the business of printing half-sets? what is this trend expands to their other products?
ME: Hey, could I get a Troglydite Mini?
STORE: Yeah, but only half. The next half will be out in about 3 months.
ME: Well....damn
...Except, it wasn't released that way. (That is, half mini block, half mini block, go vs one full block go).
All sets are released, even sets within a block, steadily - as I figure you already know.
Within the duration it took to release 1 block (3 sets), instead they released 2 mini blocks (4 sets). Why is how a block set up so important?
The comparison is faulty since you are getting more cards released in the same amount of time.
I agree that I don't really mind new sets and abilities, but I wish they'd slow down a little bit. I played back during Urza's Saga era (or shortly thereafter), but I stopped right after Mercadian Masks (which, according to a lot of my Magic friends, was pretty common). At the urging of two friends and a professor, I got back in for the release of Time Spiral and played (well, actually it was all just drafting) through the rest of the TS block, a bit of 10th Edition, and then through a little of Lorwyn and Morningtide.
I don't mind Eventide, since I like the idea of hybrid enemy cards (that's the big theme, right?), but I don't know anything about Shards. Since there's no real gaming store or card shop within probably 30-40 minutes of my house (as opposed to two within 6 minutes while I was at college) I'm kinda out of the loop.
Planeswalkers I'm not excited for. Sure, they had some cool stuff, but I spent a bit of money at drafts and never got more than one (Ajani), and when I did it wasn't in my color for that night (as opposed to one guy that was also a regular and got three of the Blue planeswalker in 2 weeks ). Also, since I don't spend a lot of time or money on Magic, Planeswalkers, popular rares, fancy combos, and (probably) these new Mythic Rares mean it's difficult to build competitive decks for Standard even if I do play.
(Of course, I'm not really as big a Magic player as a lot of people - I don't build decks for FNM or Standard tournaments unless my friends and I decide to get together and play, and I mostly just draft so I can get some cool cards for not too big of a price.)
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The Playgrounder Formerly Known as rtg0922
Also, since I don't spend a lot of time or money on Magic, Planeswalkers, popular rares, fancy combos, and (probably) these new Mythic Rares mean it's difficult to build competitive decks for Standard even if I do play.
Words from the grape vine says that the Mythic Rares are targeted to cards that won't be standard staples.
That is it will cause the move from normal Rares to cause the staple rare cards to be increased in the chance of being pulled.
Plus, apparently the sets are shrinking.
Both of which is making standard more accessible.
Personally, I want to see 'dual' lands (whether pain, shock, or any newer good dual) become uncommon strict now. That would definitely make standard a lot more accessible.
Regarding the Mythic Rares, I'm willing to bet that they won't likely be the ridiculously powerful and efficient tournament staples like Tarmogoyf or Bitterblossom. MaRo's article on them makes it sound fairly likely that they'd be the really "mythic" stuff from a flavor standpoint; basically, legends and planeswalkers. While yes, this does mean that planeswalkers might be harder to obtain, most rare tournament staples might actually be a bit easier to find due to the shifting numbers with rare cards. Things like Tarmogoyf, Cloudthresher, Fulminator Mage, and Sower of Temptation would probably not be printed as Mythic Rare; a splashy legend like Wort, the Raidmother or Rhys the Redeemed probably would. Overall, I don't think the change would be too bad. And looking at the decklists of top contenders in the last PTQ, I don't seem to see Planeswalkers making much of a splash anyway...
Then again, either way it doesn't really affect me all that much, seeing as I play entirely budget decks, mostly online, and get most of my cards from the secondary market.
Completely unrelated note: Anyone here read the M:tG webcomic, UG Madness? It's not always that funny, but it's got some decent stuff. And I'm still bummed about the Magic Lampoon ceasing; they had some hilarious stuff. My favorite was probably the one about banning Umezawa's Jitte.
Personally, I want to see 'dual' lands (whether pain, shock, or any newer good dual) become uncommon strict now. That would definitely make standard a lot more accessible.
I just want some of the dual lands that have the type "Land - Mountain Forest" or whatever they were, like were in that city-based block. That would make my Sliver Coalition deck a lot easier. (Basically, the plot is to do a bunch of deck-searching to get those or, worst case scenario, at least one of each basic land, tutor to find Sliver Legion and Coalition Victory, and then win. I never said it's a great deck, but it's always surprising to people when I beat them with Slivers in a non-beatdown fashion. )
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The Playgrounder Formerly Known as rtg0922
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). Also, since I don't spend a lot of time or money on Magic, Planeswalkers, popular rares, fancy combos, and (probably) these new Mythic Rares mean it's difficult to build competitive decks for Standard even if I do play.
