Messages

16

Commander Discussion / Re: Pip-Boy 3000.... is likely going to become a staple like Arcane Signet

« on: March 10, 2024, 12:27:40 pm »

Magic has always been ridiculous (eg a squirrel equipped with a sword defeating a zombie), but at least there was some manner of consistency in the flavor.

Yeah, all the cyborg aliens, transforming mech vehicles and all the LotR things are really ruining it for me. I want to go back to the days where we only had a few cyborg aliens and transforming mech vehicles, and only clones of LotR stuff.

I agree: WotC is being very lazy with the setting of their expansions, lately.
I mean, Phyrexia: All Will Be One is just the Invasion 2.0 (i.e. a self-rip-off, so to say), Crimson Vow is just a rip-off of the red wedding from Game of Thrones, Strixhaven is a rip-off of Harry Potter, Kaldheim is a carbon-copy of norse mythology, Ikoria is just Godzilla vs King Kong etc.
The last new setting that felt really original to me was Ixalan, 6 years ago (and even that was a clear reference to the age of conquistadores).
This said, MtG hasn't always been like this and, while a point can be made that any high-fantasy setting is basically a rip-off of the Lord of the Ring, I think it's still a kind of unfair statement.

17

Commander Discussion / Re: Pip-Boy 3000.... is likely going to become a staple like Arcane Signet

« on: March 10, 2024, 11:57:13 am »

It looks like a mix between Sword of the Animist and Smuggler's Copter, plus a third random ability.
Both cards are quite strong in EDH (although not remotely as omni-present as Arcane Signet) and the versatility is surely a plus.
Personally, I'd have preferred it to be 2 mana to cast and 1 to equip, instead of the other way around.
The way it is costed, it won't trigger before turn 3 (worse than any 2-mana rock or any 1-mana dork, then) and, even then, it will basically pays for its own equip cost.
Moreover, it grants no static buff so, unless you're choosing the +1/+1 ability (the worse of the bunch, I'd say), the equipped creature must be already worth attacking by itself.
A neat card, but nothing spectacular, I'd say. Although the story teaches us that Umezawa's Jitte's three abilities, while unassuming when picked individually, made for a ground-breaking card when merged together.
Time will tell...

18

Commander Discussion / Re: Removing Enchantments

« on: March 10, 2024, 12:17:42 am »

All I know is that there is a card that brings back all enchantments from your graveyard back to play (maybe even for all players? Not sure)

I played against an almost all enchantment deck and didn’t know such a card existed. Dude was a new coworker so when I had a chance to kill him, left him and another guy with 1 life (the 4th and I had plenty) instead of killing him to be nice. Dude had like 10-15 enchantments in his GY that got there over the course of the game. He plays the card, brings them all back.

He won the game I think (I lost before him at least).

After that, I still don’t want to add any just enchantment removal to my deck. It would have been me chipping away at random enchantments that all did next to nothing until he got lucky enough to have a ton all at once. So I am not afraid of those (I should have finished the guy when I could, lesson learned).

I do fear Rain of Gore specifically, but if I see that, and someone didn’t slot it in for my deck specifically, I would just treat it as an amazing challenge and see if I can possibly deal with it or win around it.

All the newer enchantment creatures would have made me think twice, but all the best ones are gods with indesctructable so now I need an enchantment exiler…

The card is Replenish.
Any Enchantress deck plays it, except for budget reasons (it's in the reserved list).
Moreover, it's only one card (don't know if WotC recerntly created a replacement) and you should run some amount of graveyard hate anyway.

19

Commander Discussion / Re: Removing Enchantments

« on: March 06, 2024, 09:53:44 pm »

You're right: I forgot Chaos Warp.
Other black removals you're citing are pretty narrow (I didn't know about them, but I honestly don't think they're relevant anyway).
Wild Magic Surge looks like a second Chaos Warp, but I'd say it's too dangerous (you'd swap enchantment for enchantment, not enchantment for random land or even nothing).
It's true that Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast could hit blue enchantments, but I'd say that's beyond the point (technically, we could include Anarchy as well, then).

20

Commander Discussion / Re: Non-stax Lavinia?

« on: March 06, 2024, 09:43:16 pm »

Most common line in UW is: cast Spellseeker to search for Ephemerate, cast Ephemerate to blink Spellseeker, search for Dramatic Reversal, next upkeep rebound Ephemerate to blink Spellseeker again, search for Enlightened Tutor, cast Enlightened Tutor still on your upkeep to search for Isochron Scepter, draw Isochron Scepter and cast it, imprint Dramatic Reversal, make infinite mana, win somehow.
You can also fetch Spellseeker sacrificing Lavinia to Pyre of Heroes (they're both humans), so your commander still makes sense besides her stax abilities etc.
Does that fit you?

21

Commander Discussion / Re: Removing Enchantments

« on: March 06, 2024, 09:05:20 pm »

If you're playing either white or green, I don't see the advantage of an enchantment-specific removal over artifact-enchantment stuff.
I didn't know about Barrier Breach, and on the surface it looks great, but when would you actually have 2-to-3 threatening enchantments on the battlefield to justify it?
If you're playing blue, you'd just go for nonland bounce spells, if you're playing black there's Feed the Swarm and that's all, if you're playing red you've just got no option.
So, in the end, my answer is: no, I don't think playing any solely-enchantmemt removal is worth it, in EDH.

22

Commander Discussion / Re: Need some ideas a commander deck.

« on: March 06, 2024, 08:44:02 pm »

Márton Stromgald is a decent monored aggro commander from old days.
Normally, you'd want to run a load of goblins, Goblin King, Goblin Warchief, Coat of Arms etc. Attack for a lot. Win the game.
The deck would be pretty straight-forward, but you asked for aggro, so I think it suits you.
Moreover, Martin (and other relevant cards) shouldn't be that expensive to acquire.

23

Deck Comments / Re: Grenzo's Doomsday - Comments

« on: October 09, 2023, 07:26:35 pm »

I dont like it, seems pretty useless.

I'm sorry. Didn't update the description for a long time and many cards and combos cited in the description are no longer used.
Apart from that, the list is 60% the same as that in the cEDH Decklist Database (i.e. it's good) and the other 40% are cards that, while they may prevent this list from being fully competitive, I've been using for years and they definitely fit in.
Of course, you may disagree with some individual choice, but you should at least justify your opinion or else it will remains what it is: just your opinion. And nobody cares.

24

Commander Deck Reviews / Re: What are must have cards and strategies for Zur the Enchanter EDH? Here'so far->

« on: October 09, 2023, 08:29:10 am »

Hello,
I've seen you added also Shimmer Myr and Aetherflux Reservoir.
I don't think it's a good idea: too many cards that do nothing besides the combo.
I think your plan should be something like this: drop Zur, attack, fetch Necropotence, draw as many cards as you can, cast Borne upon a Wind and win at the end of turn with something like Thassa's Oracle + Demonic Consultation/Tainted Pact.
Thassa's Oracle is the best combo available and you can go for it even without Zur.
If you have Entomb and something like Shallow Grave, you can Reanimate it at instant speed even without the need of Borne upon a Wind.
If you have Reanimate or any other sorcery spell, Quicken will be enough to win at instant speed.
If you want to make your deck competitive, there are many cards that I'd cut. In particular, think that you won't get to attack with Zur twice. It's just now or never, cEDH is too fast for you to have a second chance.
Moreover, you need a lot more interaction, i.e. more cheap counterspells, stuff like Silence etc.
Some obvious inclusions: Gemstone Caverns, Phantasmal Image (it may copy Dockside Extortionist, unlike Gilded Drake), Esper Sentinel...
The mana base has a lot of room for improvement as well and you need a lot more fast mana for your plan to get together: Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual etc.
You may want to test Rain of Filth as well. It's a sorcery, but with Borne upon a Wind it won't matter.

25

Commander Deck Reviews / Re: What are must have cards and strategies for Zur the Enchanter EDH? Here'so far->

« on: October 08, 2023, 02:30:38 pm »

One of the most common lines of play used to be: fetch Necropotence, draw a bunch of cards, drop Shimmer Myr, drop Aetherflux Reservoir, storm off with a bunch of spells.
I don't think that line (and probably the deck as a whole) is still competitive, but there is this new card: Borne upon a Wind, that could bring new life to it.

26

Commander Discussion / Re: CMC tribal. What are you picking and why?

« on: February 26, 2023, 06:34:32 pm »

I assume all transmute cards are an obvious choice here.
I'd then suggest Disciple of Deceit. It goes in a CC2 tribal, but if you're a bit flexible with the CC constraint it can work in any deck.

27

Commander Discussion / Re: Protection thought experiment

« on: February 26, 2023, 06:26:10 pm »

The question in not well-posed, in my opinion.
You see, with Grand Abolisher you'd better remove it as soon as possible, because once it's your opponent's turn and he goes for the win, you won't be able to do a thing to stop him.
As for the others, I normally don't care that much. Any wrath effect could still wipe the board with or without them in play.
So, in the end, it depends on the protection. If it screams: "Kill me or you're gonna lose next turn." Yes. I will kill it. Otherwise I don't bother.

28

General Magic / Re: What was your worst misplay?

« on: February 26, 2023, 06:12:59 pm »

I once played a Stoneforge Mystic and somehow forgot to fecth Batterskull.
I mean, in my mind it was like I've had already searched my library and the Batterskull was already in my hand. I was already planning my next turn, when I'd have put into play etc. Except the search never happened, it was all in my mind. 

29

General Magic / Re: 3rd edition

« on: February 26, 2023, 05:43:00 pm »

You have what's called a Foreign White Bordered (FWB) card. There also exists a Foreign Black Border (FBB) Edition.
They count as Revised cards, although they don't look like English Revised cards.
I personally own a French Basalt Monolith that looks exactly how you say, it even has the 4th Edition TAP symbol (instead of the tilted 'T' used in Revised) but, as you may know, there is no Basalt Monolith in 4th Edition.
Moreover, I'm Italian and I can tell you that at the beginning in my country (and I assume that was the case for all foreign languages across Europe) Magic: the Gathering was published by a national company: Stratelibri.
Of course, Wizards of the Coast held the copyright, but the actual printing was up to Stratelibri, that's why the first editions are not quite aligned.
For instance, I own an Italian White Bordered Sacrifice (another Revised card that's not in 4th Edition) and its copyright is dated 1995 (unlike French White Bordered).

30

General Magic / Re: Flying vs Trample

« on: February 26, 2023, 04:05:48 pm »

In short, flying is better when you go wide (lots of small creatures) while trample is better when you go big (a few big creatures).
I'd say going big in general pays off better than going wide. Decks that rely on lots of small creatures normally play aggro, which isn't fast enough to win against combo and can easily run out of gas against control. Decks that rely on few big creatures, on the other hand, tend to play midrange, which has a fair match-up against more archetypes.
Moreover, on an average-sized creature, I'd prefer flying because it's harder for the opponent to trade on block, while I can still do so when he's attacking me.
In the end, I'd say flying is better.