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31

General Magic / Dominaria Power Check - by Color

« on: June 20, 2018, 02:46:40 pm »

So the premise is that Dominaria is geared to run strong mono colored decks.

I am interested in seeing which color best meets this premise.

I am also interested in which color YOU think is the strongest.

The poll will run for 3 days.  You can change your vote as often as you like, but the overall results of the poll will not be shown until the deadline.  (No stacking the result if you don't know what it is!!!) 

I have done an exercise where I have created 5 mono colored decks, each inspired by uncommon cards within each color.  I kept each deck in line with the general themes of each color as well, so as to see how well each color does it's thing against the others. 

After a double round robin, I made minor corrections to each deck, and ran a single round robin again to get my results.

I will share those results, when we get closer to the end of the poll.

Looking forward to your votes!!

32

General Magic / Best New Two Mana Spells in Standard - Dominaria

« on: May 15, 2018, 01:18:09 pm »

There is a significantly larger number of two mana cards then there were one.  The majority of them are appropriately costed and playable.  I will be highlighting some that go above and beyond that with this article. 

There are a number reprinted spells in the two mana category; Gideon's Reproach, Gaea's Blessing, and Nature's Spiral have all seen play before.  All three of these spells are useful, but nothing game breaking here.  The only reprinted two mana creature is Sage of Lat-Nam which has some utility, but is no where near broken.

There are no real stinkers here and nearly every spell and creature is worth at least the two mana spent to cast them.  Some are worth exactly that, like a few 2/2 for two vanilla creatures.  Of course, as noted by others on the internet, those cards are in the set for drafting and limited play.  There is also a number of cards that have kickers that are just not worth the additional kicker cost.  Saproling Migration costs 1G for two 1/1 Saproling tokens, and two more for 4 additional mana.  Double the tokens for three times the cost is not such a great bargain.  I also think Ghitu Chronicler has an over priced kicker cost.  If you look at a card like Gift of Growth, you have a much better deal.  1G for an instant that gives a creature +2/+2, and if you pay the kicker, you get +4/+4 for 3G. 

Two Mana Spells

Seal Away - This is a Flash enchantment that will exile a target tapped creature of your opponents, until Seal Away leaves the battlefield.  Understanding that this card requires you opponent to HAVE a tapped creature, this is still a very powerful removal spell for 1W.  White again has a strong early game removal card. 


Triumph of Gerrard - This is one of the more useful of the new Saga enchantments, that can have a lot of early impact in the game.  For 1W you will get to put +1/+1 counters on your strongest creature for two turns, and then on the third turn the strongest creature gets Flying, First Strike, and Lifelink until end of turn.  These are good enhancements for any creature, but if you have an unblockable creature on the board, Triumph of Gerrard adds 5 additional points of damage and 2 points of life gain over the three turns it is in play.  In addition, the counters remain after the saga is in your graveyard, so there is a lasting effect.


Pierce the Sky - A green instant that deals 7 damage to a target flying creature for 1G.  Bubb-bye Glorybringer.  See you next time Lyra Dawnbringer, and here, take Serra Angel with you.  This is very likely a sideboard card, unless you meta is leaning heavy on big flyers, but some of the best decks in standard right now are bringing those flyers as well as vehicles down on your head for victory.


Damping Sphere - A 2 mana artifact that crushes multiple mana generation and decolorizes it, as well as taxing each spell cast after the first for each player on each turn.  This artifact forces magic games to be played fair.  Damping Sphere does not effect creature or artifact based mana generation, so you can get around it that way, and of course you can always work to remove it from the battlefield.  As this artifact affects all players, you will have to design your deck to work around the effects, or just prepared to play within the confines of it.  It is much more likely that this card will not be found in the main deck but in sideboards.  Damping Sphere will also have an impact in the Eternal formats, where multiple tier one decks win by emptying their hands in the first few turns and beat you to a pulp before you can even start to build a defend-able board state.


Knight of Grace and Knight of Malice - These two knights are the current incarnation of good ol' White Knight and Black Knight; iconic (is it too soon?) cards from the very first days of Magic the Gathering.  They now have color based Hexproof and their casting cost is 1W or 1B respectively, but they can no longer continually defend against their opposing color as they can still take damage.  Regardless, both of these cards bring more to the battlefield than their two mana cost, and would be a solid sideboard card to strengthen your two mana creature slot when your opponent is playing in the right color.


Merfolk Trickster - For UU you get a 2/2 merfolk that has Flash.  In addition, it taps an opposing creature and shuts off their abilities for the turn.  That makes the trickster a nice combat trick in addition to the 2/2 body on the battlefield.  It does not require any special deck construction beyond its color requirements, so it is very playable in any type of deck.  An excellent choice for shutting down blockers and creatures before they can be tapped to attack, not to mention crewed vehicles and activated man-lands. 


Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive - This is my vote for the sleeper creature of the set.  For 1U you get a 1/3 human rogue that makes all of your 1/x or x/1 creatures unblockable.  With a great start, Tetsuko can allow you to end the game in a turn or two if your opponent cannot deal with the fugitive or sweep the board.  Charge, Dinosaur Stampede, In Oketra's Name, Invigorated Rampage, Pride of Conquerors and other spells cast after blocks have been declared can really ruin someones day.


Untamed Kavu - 1G gets you a 2/2 Kavu with Vigilance and Trample.  That is excellent value in the early game.  Add in some equipment or an aura and you have a beat stick by turn 3.  Untamed Kavu also has a kicker option so that for 4G you now have a 5/5 vigilant trampler!  Again, the Untamed Kavu is like two cards in one and is well worth playing if your deck is using green creatures.

33

General Magic / Best New One Mana Spells in Standard - Dominaria

« on: May 09, 2018, 02:08:27 am »

Dominaria has arrived, and with it a whole new set of cards to choose from.  As I have focused in the past on early game cards that help jump start you to victory, now offer that analysis for one mana spells from the latest set. 
In addition to new cards, there is a list of reprints that are of mention.  Opt, Syncopate, and Rescue have all seen print before.  All three of these are welcome cards to Standard.  It is also interesting that they are all blue, like it is getting harder to improve on some of the blue spells of the past.  For creatures there are Llanowar Elves, Tragic Poet, and Skirk Prospector as reprints.  These are all welcome cards as well.
Overall the spells in the one mana category are decent, with the only stinker being Bloodtallow Candle.  That card even has use as a cheap artifact, if you are playing an artifacts matter deck.
I also wanted to point out that Sorcerer's Wand is part of a three card eternal "I Win" combo that can go off on like turn 4.

Zero Mana Spells


Mox Amber - Yet again, a zero mana mox added to the mix.  Tempting fate in trying to create moxen that are not broken.  We are back to Dominaria after some time away, it is high time we get a new mox.  Mox Amber play to the legendary matters theme, as it allows you to generate one mana of a color of any legendary creatures or planeswalkers you control.  That is a strong enough restriction to keep Mox Amber from being splashed in every deck in Standard, and certainly makes it harder to use in the Eternal formats.  That does not mean this card is not great, it is still a zero casting cost artifact that generates mana, at least most of the time......

One Mana Spells


Fungal Infection - For B, you give -1/-1 to a target creature and get to place a 1/1 greenSaproling token on the battlefield.  This could be a huge early game shift as there are plenty of early turn targets that get removed, including Llanowar Elves.  It does require that a creature is on the battlefield, but Fungal Infection is removal and a creature in the same one mana card.


Blessing of Belzenlok - An instant that gives target creature +2/+1 for B, and Lifelink if that creature is Legendary.  With all of the Legendary creatures in Standard right now, this card can easily get its extra bonus Lifelink.  Along with the Sorcerer's Wand, this is NOT the second card of a three card "I Win" combo. EDIT(sorry, didn't realize the third card was not legendary)



Shivan Fire - Two damage to target creature for R is just OK, but Shivan Fire has a kicker.  For 4 more colorless it deals four damage to target creature.  That makes Shivan Fire very flexable with impact in the first few turns, and quite dangerous later in the game.  The main weakness is that it only targets creatures.  In the early stages of Dominaria Standard, it appears that Blue White control decks and Superfriend Planeswalker decks are already climbing the charts, so this card may be a bit risky main board depending on your meta.



Navigator's Compass -  Here we have an artifact that for a casting cost of 1, provides you 3 life when it enters the battlefield.  The compass also allows you to tap it to give a target land you contol a basic land type in addition to whatever else that land already is until the end of the turn. This is a unique way to fix mana, in that the Navigator's Compass has significant flexibility every time you use it.  I do believe this also would allow you to bypass Blood Moon effects in Modern.  I think this card may be destined for big things.


Stronghold Confessor - A 1/1 black creature with Menace for B is already a good card.  The Stronghold Confessor also has a kicker for 3 that provides an additional pair of +1/+1 tokens.  So a kicked Stronghold Confessor is a 3/3 black Menace creature for 3B.  That is also a well priced mid-game card.  With Stronghold Confessor, you get 2 cards in one. 


Sparring Construct - The Sparring Construct is a basic 1/1 artifact creature for 1 mana.  The nice thing about it when it dies, it gives it's stats to another one of your creatures, in the form of a +1/+1 token.  A well timed sacrifice can save another creature, or kill an opposing one.  This card is not a game breaker, but a nice utility card in a creature deck, especially if you are running low to the ground.  Chump block and boost another of your fast creatures all for 1 mana is very economical.

(Edited to add in Zero casting cost Mox Amber)

34

General Magic / MaGI – Magic as Garfield Intended: A Proposed Deck Design Format for MtG

« on: March 22, 2018, 05:00:36 am »

MaGI is a deck or design format, not a game format like Standard or Modern.  The intent here is to enforce a deck design standard that closer emulates what Richard Garfield expected Magic the Gathering play to be like when it was first released.

I read an early interview of Richard after the overwhelming success of MtG, and although I cannot seem to find the exact article, I did find this quote that nicely summarized what I knew to be true.

“Richard Garfield (rather naively perhaps) never imagined that people would feel obsessively driven to collect every card. He anticipated coming across a new rare in another player's deck as a thrilling event. Rarity was explicitly designed to create a more breathtaking gaming experience. The game where you never know what you might be playing against when you sit down opposite a player from out-of-town. ”

The premise of the MaGI deck design standard enforces this idea while constructing your competitive deck by taking into consideration the rarity of the card.  It starts with these current deck design rules used for DCI constructed events.  60 card deck, 15 card sideboard, unlimited basic lands.  Instead of the traditional limit of 4 of any card, MaGI would replace that restriction.

MaGI deck structure.
Common card limited to 4 copies.
Uncommon card limited to 3 copies.
Rare card limited to 2 copies.
Mythic card limited to 1 copy.

This restriction would be on unique cards, not on the deck itself.  A person could still play a 60 card standard deck with say 24 lands and 36 unique Mythic cards; not that a Highlander deck would likely be competitive. 

The main premise here is that with the MaGI rules in place, there would no longer be a need for banned or restricted lists for Modern and Standard, and a significantly reduced list for Vintage and Legacy.  It would also allow more people to have the cards to be competitive as fewer numbers of the rare and mythic cards would be required to create the top tier decks.  MaGI would also likely lead to the overall cost of decks to be less as well, since they will no longer be filled with 4 each of some of the most expensive cards in the format.

Here is an example deck.
Temur Energy – Still has the critical cards needed to be competitive, but MaGI design rules limit key cards requiring a more diverse structure of both the mana base AND the key cards cannot be relied on as consistently. 

A theoretical starting point for a MaGI version.  (Yellow is added or increased, Red is reduced)
//Lands
3 Aether Hub
2 Botanical Sanctum
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Forest
1 Island
2 Mountain
2 Rootbound Crag
2 Sheltered Thicket
2 Spirebluff Canal

//Spells
2 Abrade
1 Aethersphere Harvester
4 Attune with Aether
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Confiscation Coup
3 Harnessed Lightning
1 Magma Spray


//Creatures
4 Aether Chaser
2 Bristling Hydra
2 Glorybringer
2 Greenbelt Rampager
2 Lathnu Hellion
3 Longtusk Cub
3 Rogue Refiner
3 Servant of the Conduit
3 Whirler Virtuoso

35

Deckstats Feedback / Collection modification issue.

« on: February 24, 2018, 01:55:04 pm »

Lately when I have been adding singles to my collection, the tool suddenly loses the color and set info and it saves that way

Using either the + to add or directly adjusting  the quantity will cause this.
Also trying to assign a card to a set will do it as well.

36

General Magic / Kitchen Table Magic: The Adventure Deck

« on: January 27, 2018, 02:55:53 pm »

I wanted to share an idea that I have been toying around with, called the Adventure Deck.

I used to be an avid role play gamer and dungeon/game master.  I also am an old school magic player.

When I am mentoring a new player to magic, I build a gauntlet of one color decks that only use cards from the original magic set.  (No power cards included)
I use these to show off the core powers of each of the colors.  Theme decks, so to speak, and yes that is nothing new.  A few Halloweens ago, I built a Haunted Keep theme deck to play against a friend of mine at lunchtime.  Kind of the same idea, but I built a custom set of rules that the Haunted Keep deck had to follow, and in addition, I told a story as my deck played cards.  It resulted in something very much like a normal magic game, but it felt different as it brought the flavor of the fantasy aspects of the Magic world to the game being played.

Knowing that was my goal when building the deck made for some interesting card choices, as they needed to fit the flavor of the story based on card name, and yet still needed to provide a powerful enough effect to make the deck challenging to play against.

There is really only two standard rules for an Adventure deck so far:
1.  The Adventure deck is always on the draw.
2.  The Adventure deck gets to mulligan as many times as necessary to get a playable hand.  Meaning a nice land to spell mix, including the right colors of mana.

Now each deck can come with its own set of rules, depending on the nature of the deck itself. 
Other rules for the Haunted Keep deck:
Not allowed to play any creatures until my opponent did.
Not allowed to attack until my opponent did.

I did explain these rules to my opponent before hand.  Now could a player completely abuse this set of rules, by building giant board states and such? Certainly, but the adventure would not be fun any more and would likely ruin the overall experience.  Maybe then, break out something more competitive and stomp them in revenge.

Here is a link to my original https://deckstats.net/decks/35805/592543-haunted-keep/en deck.


Here is my newest one that I made this last fall.
It has no additional rules, just a warning that things will happen FAST.

I was https://deckstats.net/decks/35805/869273-traveling-through-innastrad/en minding my own business when........



Please kids, try this at home!!
Let me know what you come up with, share you decks and any new ideas or rules you find helpful.

37

General Magic / Ranking Ixalan Tribes

« on: January 24, 2018, 04:16:10 pm »

I wish there was a way to do full ranking in the poll.

So please vote for the Ixalan tribe you think will dominate in Standard.
Then, post a comment, ranking all 4 tribes.  Feel free to explain your choices.

38

General Magic / Your Ixalan tribal favorite

« on: January 24, 2018, 04:10:02 pm »

It is getting close to Valentine's Day, 2018.

I am looking to see which Ixalan tribe is closest to your heart.

Feel free to explain your vote in the comments!

39

General Magic / Best Two Mana Spells in Ixalan Standard – Rivals of Ixalan additions

« on: January 15, 2018, 01:39:36 pm »

There are some seriously strong two mana cards in Rivals of Ixalan.  There are also a number of playable cards that will not make this list, but will be seen in plenty of decks.  Two that spring to mind immediately is Legion Lieutenant and Merfolk Mistbinder.  Both of these cards will be key catalysts to their respective tribes and will often be a four of in those decks.  These would both make the best card list if they were not creature specific. 


White
So many playable cards in White; not so many best cards.  Cleansing Ray is over priced as enchantment removal, but it kills vampires too.  The right meta you may find this card in sideboards.  Paladin of Atonement is another that is quite iffy on its own, but as an inexpensive vampire with a huge potential upside it will be found in the tribal deck.  Then there is Sphinx's Decree.  This has got to be an EDH card because the situation where I am glad to see this card on my draw step would be when I know they have their second Approach of the Second Sun, and will have the mana next turn to win.   If I can cast Sphinx's Decree and survive one more turn I can kill  them on my next turn.....  Merry Christmas!


*Baffling End – Originally this card did not make this list.  In my final review, I did decide to add it with an asterisk.  This is cheap but restricted creature removal, as it can only target a creature costing three or less (and just about every token creature) that your opponent controls.  The down side of this card is really not nice, as it provides them with a 3/3 dinosaur token with trample when it leaves the battlefield.  That includes bouncing target permanent, so an opponent could potentially get multiple dinos from that.  I just want to point out that this is an enchantment, not an aura, so even if a token creature target is permanently removed by Baffling End, the enchantment stays until removed.  I am not convinced that I like this card personally, but by the numbers this can be really strong currently.  Not a lot of people have enchantment removal readily available in their 75.


Martyr of Dusk – Here we have a 2/1 Vampire for 1W, that replaces itself with a 1/1 Vampire token creature with Lifelink.  That is double the fun all for 2 mana.  Martyr of Dusk would only be on the cusp of this list, but that Lifelink ability on the token makes the replacement vampire as annoying as the original was.  Then when you consider this card in a Vampire Tribal deck and you can expect that token to be a 2/2 or a 3/3 with lifelink.  Ouch!

Blue
There are a number of very playable cards that Blue brings to the table at a two mana cost.  There are your staples such as Negate, and Expel from Orazca, which is your bounce with a twist card.  It does have Ascend and become a Time Ebb for permanents instead of a Disperse.  There is also a slew of good creature support for Pirates and Merfolk, Silvergill Adept being of particular note.  It was originally printed in the Lorwyn set and has been a Merfolk tribal staple ever since.  It is awesome that it has returned to standard.  It is a 2/1 Merfolk Wizard for 4U that draws a card when it comes into play.  If you have other merfolk in your hand it only costs 1U.  This is not really splashable, and so does not get a nod for one the best cards.   Timestream Navigator is another crazy potentially amazing card, but certainly nothing that will be helpful in the early game as the ability to pay 2UU, tap, and put the Timestream Navigator on the bottom of your library to get an extra turn only happens when you have the city's blessing.


Warkite Marauder – Here is the blue creature to make the best card list; 2/1 Flying Human Pirate for 1U.  The cool trick this card can do is cast Turn To Frog (almost) on one of the defenders creatures  every time it attacks.  This not only helps keep the Warkite Marauder alive and doing damage, but you now have an opportunity to destroy a creature that may have been out of reach before they became a Louisiana delicacy.

Black
Where to begin.  Dusk Legion Zealot is going to be in many decks.   It is a 1/1 Vampire for 1B that gets you a card, and loses you a life when it enters the battlefield, which is extremely useful, but not over the top.  Oathsworn Vampire will also see a lot of play as it is splashable, and can come back from the graveyard on turns where you gained life.  If it didn't come into play tapped, this would be on the best list.  Lastly, Dead Man's Chest is a unique card that I originally was going to asterisk, but it is too situational to really count.  You enchant and opponent's creature and when it dies you get to exile a number of cards equal to that creatures power from your library.  You now have the privilege of casting any non-land cards from that stack and treat your mana as the colors needed to do so.  Pirates are tricky like that.  I pulled this from the list because in the long run that is not an early game effect if you want best results.  I sooooo want to put this on Longtusk Cub. 


Moment of Craving – A Black instant for 1B that gives a target creature -2/-2 until end of turn and nets you 2 life.  In the early game, this will kill most creatures on the board straight up.  Not quite Walk the Plank, but still a great card.


Dire Fleet Poisoner – A 2/2 Deathtouch with Flash for 1B is already on the best list.  If you happen to have any attacking pirates when Dire Fleet Poisoner is flashed in, one of them will get +1/+1 and Deathtouch as well!  This is a bomb, and should supplant something on the top 5 list.

Red
There is a lot of cards to talk about in Red at the two mana cost point, most of them the usual tribal staples and boosters that we find in Rivals of Ixalan.  Buccaneer's Bravado is just an ok card, unless you are playing pirates, which makes this card very strong.  +1/+1 and double strike on one of the pirates numerous evasion or unblockable creatures could be a game changer. 
Storm Fleet Swashbuckler is an average card unless you have the cities blessing, in which case it gets double strike as well.
Sun-Collared Raptor has a built in pump to go with its under powered body and trample ability.  This card is very playable as a 4/2 trampler for a 2R pump and 7/2 with a double pump.
Path of Mettle is too situational to be on this list of best cards, but you can build around this card and make it easy to flip.  Partner this with Relentless Raptor and one other qualifying creature or enrage creature and you now have Metzali, Tower of Triumph, and a potential game winning battlefield for your R/W deck. 
Tilonali's Summoner  has a very good chance of having a deck built around it, as it can do powerful things.   Even without having the city's blessing, paying xR to generate X tapped and attacking Elemental 1/1 tokens that go away at the end step has potential to swing games.  This is not going to be an early game impact card, which is why it is not on the list, but once the right cards are found to keep Tilonalli's Summoner alive when attacking this is going to played.  It may not end up in tiered decks, as those types of combo setups can lead to inconsistent results, but I expect this card will be brewed like Starbucks Coffee.


*Tilonalli's Crown – An enchantment costing 1R that provides +3/0 and trample.  You can sign me up for that.  There is a down side in that the creature being enchanted will take a point of damage when Tilonalli's Crown enters the battlefield.  That is what puts an asterisk on this card, but considering the ability enrage, that point of damage just makes it even better!


Dire Fleet Daredevil – Human Pirate with 2/1 stats for 1R that has first strike.  That is worth the cost and very playable.  Then DFD goes all blue, and exiles a target instant or sorcery from your opponent's graveyard, and lets you play it this turn, with color of mana being no object.  WHAT?  That means,  Dire Fleet Daredevil is the new Snapcaster Mage.  This is not as reliable, nor does it have instant speed but that is still so good!!

Green
There is a collection of playable cards in the two mana slot for Green.  There is a combat trick in Aggressive Urge, and other reprinted staples for your deck and sideboard in Naturalize and Plummet.  Thunderhead Migration is a dinosaur flavored version of Rampant Growth which used to be a staple.  There are also a number of solid role players for Merfolk and Dinosaur decks. 


*Siegehorn Ceratops – 2/2 for GW is a slightly over costed bear with two different colors of mana.  Enrage the siegehorn, and it grows by 2.  This is similar behavior to Longtusk Cub, but the cost is quite different.  Just using this creature can cause it to grow, but there are so many other ways to trigger its growth and nearly any point in the game.  This will be a favorite target for combat tricks, from both sides of the battlefield.

40

General Magic / Best One Mana Spells in Ixalan Standard – Rivals of Ixalan additions

« on: January 11, 2018, 01:41:35 pm »

I no sooner finished the Best One and Two mana cards in Ixalan Standard run, and the new Rivals of Ixalan show up.  I will be discussing all of the best one mana cards from the new set in this article.

The main new ability in Rivals of Ixalan is called Ascend.  When an Ascend card is cast, or when in play, it will check to see if you have 10 permanents on the battlefield.  If you do, you are considered to have Ascended, and from that point until the end of the game any card that has Ascend will provide you the additional benefits listed.  That makes Ascend useful for mid to late games. The lists that I have been creating are specifically focused on early game, mostly the first two turns, and leading into the third.  Ascend does not lend itself to early game impacts in Rivals of Ixalan Standard.  The opportunity to have 10 permanents on turn two is not possible, and even turn three is slim.  There are a number of one and two mana Ascend cards that have strong Ascend effects and abilities and if the card is on the cusp of being one of the best then Ascend will put it over the top.

White
There are only 4 one mana spells in White, and two of those are very interesting.  Snubhorn Sentry seems like potentially a great card.  0/3 for W that aspires to a 3/3.  As was just mentioned above, Aspire is not an early game effect, and we are grading early game cards.  By the time the snubhorn reaches its aspirations 3/3 isn’t going to be too impressive any more. 
Another unique card here is Blazing Hope.  Exile target creature with power greater than or equal to your life total.  Thr first strike against this is the targeting, which eliminates the choice of any hexproof targets.  Second strike is that this could only be used mid to late game.  Unless you are running a very close game and nearing the end, the chances are even the successful use of this spell would provide you with Blazing Hope, so this is well titled.  Please top deck the winning card before I die next turn……


Moment of Triumph – A very good combat trick for W.  +2/+2 for a creature, and two life for you can keep your momentum, or start to build it with the surprise shift.  Not very useful in a creature lite deck, but RIX Standard will likely be even MORE creature heavy with the new additions to Merfolk and Vampires.

Blue
Blue has very interesting cards at one mana but really nothing that qualifies for this best cards list.  The Mist-Cloaked Herald is a great addition to the Merfolk tribal decks as a 1/1 unblockable creature for U.  Sea Legs is just ok unless you are playing Pirates, in which case the card delivers nice choices between boosting your Pirates defense, or nerfing an opposing creatures power.  A permanent effect at instant speed makes this even better.
Curious Obsession is almost good enough to make the list but the use it or lose it clause keeps it off the list.  There are a number of deck arrangements you can make to take great advantage of this card, like the Mist-Cloaked Herald I just mentioned, but as a general use card without the guarantee that it gets you at least a replacement card back, you would be better off using a cantrip.

Black
Really? Grasping Scoundrel?  There was a time when Black got some of the best one mana cards.  I remember when….  Oh, Fatal Push. Ok, I will shut up now.

Red
Daring Buccaneer needs a Pirate deck to be a good card and Reckless Rage is a very situational combat trick that may have a home in a R/W Enrage deck.  That brings us to Mutiny.  Again, very situational, but in the early game if your opponent is running on curve and already building a dangerous line of creature threats, this card can dull the edge quickly.  It would be way better as an instant, maybe even close to the best list.


Fanatical Firebrand – This is the improved Pirate version of the Mogg Fanatic.  Improved in the fact that as a hasted 1/1 Goblin Pirate for R, I also have the choice to tap and sacrifice it to ping a target for one.  The older Fanatic could ping on demand, but did not have the option of attacking with haste instead.  That makes Fanatical Firebrand more flexible.

Green
Jade Bearer is another Merfolk that is really nice for tribal, but not useful without cousins.


Enter the Unknown – Requires a creature on your battlefield, already eliminating this as a turn one play unless you also have Ornithopter.  As a sorcery that grants explore ability for a turn, Enter the Unknown is a nice trick.  Your creature is either going to get a counter boost of one and a modified scry effect, or you are going to get a land in your hand.  Conveniently this card also let you play an additional land, UNTAPPED!  So either result has an immediate impact on the battlefield, and both are great early game impacts.

Sideboard

Silent Gravestone – Here we are dipping our toes back into to history for inspiration.  Silent Gravestone is an artifact that shuts down the Scarab God and a number of other effects that target the graveyard to advance the battlefield.  It effects all players not just your opponent, but what it doesn’t do is shut down embalm or eternalize abilities.  For 4, Silent Gravestone can be sacrificed to exile the contents of all the graveyards and draw you a card.  Two different effects at different stages of the game.  This is a worthy sideboard addition in RIX Standard.

41

General Magic / Best Two Mana Spells in Ixalan Standard – Colorless

« on: January 04, 2018, 10:44:15 pm »

Ixalan Standard does include the Kaladesh block which has an artifact focus.  There are a lot of really great artifacts out there currently that see play at all levels of constructed play.  At the 2 mana cost point there are a few really strong choices, and some interesting cards that are worthy of building a deck around.  Dowsing Dagger is fairly easy to flip and generates mana like a Mishra’s Workshop once it does, but the two 0/2 plant tokens that it gives your opponent kept it off the list.  I know those plants can be worked around but the numbers say that is painful.  There are also some really odd ones like Pendulum of Patterns and Perpetual Timepiece that are just hard to determine the best use.  Smuggler’s Copter was a 4 of in every Standard deck built until it got banned.  Sorcerous Spyglass and Crook of Condemnation are both specialty cards that show up in sideboards.  Treasure Map, Thaumatic Compass, all of these are interesting cards with interesting effects that will provide great benefits in mid to late game.  But that is main reason those “Quest” artifacts are not on the list because they don’t really do their thing until later in the game.  This list is about great starts, and the cards that give strong benefits when they are cast or immediately thereafter.

Artifact Creatures
*Metallic Mimic – A 2/1 artifact creature for 2 is slightly below standard, but Metallic Mimic brings a unique set abilities.  First off, when it comes into play, a creature type is chosen.  Metallic Mimic becomes that creature type.  That is followed up with the ability to put +1/+1 counters on every other creature of that type that enters the battlefield while the Mimic is in play.  That would include any additional Metallic Mimic cards with the same creature type chosen.  The asterisk is here because this card does its best work when there is a tribal theme to your deck construction, it is not exactly playable in every deck.

Scrapheap Scrounger – 3/2 for 2 is a really good deal as there is no color requirement at all.  This artifact creature is not allowed to block which certainly limits the normal capability of a creature, making the Scrapheap Scrounger an aggro choice.  The big seller on the Scrounger is that for 1B, and the removal of one creature from your graveyard to exile, this construct comes back into the battlefield.  There is no timing restriction on this so it can be done at the most opportune moments.  Just don’t exile any of your other Scrapheap Scroungers, unless you don’t have any other choice.

Walking Ballista – 0/0 for XX, but this construct gets X +1/+1 tokens.  I have included it in the 2 mana card pool because more than half the time a Walking Ballista hits the battlefield 2 mana was spent to get it there.  For 4 mana you can put an additional +1/+1 token on it, which is twice as expensive as the original price, but you do not have a tap requirement to use that ability.  That means you can boost it at the end of your opponents turn to maximize your mana efficiency.  But that is not all!!!  For ZERO COST, they threw the ability to remove tokens from the Ballista and do direct damage to creatures or players!  Talk about flexibility.  The only real control you can possibly have on an opponent with this card in play is that removal of the Walking Ballista basically forces them to ping off all the tokens before the thing dies, which in reality kills it before your removal takes effect.  That never feels good, but at least it allows you to try to advance your game with a card that would have been victimized had the Walking Ballista still been on the battlefield.
This is a top 5 card.  (Yes, I am quite aware there are six cards in the top 5)

Artifacts
*Cogworker's Puzzleknot – All five colors have a puzzleknot to represent one of their core capabilities.  They all only cost 2 mana, and all of them repeat their own ability when they come, and when they go.  There are only two real differences between them all.  What it costs to sacrifice them, and what the ability is.  The Cogworker’s Puzzleknot is the only one that makes the list of best cards, because it puts 1/1 Servo artifacts on the board.  It does require 1W to sacrifice, so there is a color requirement to use it fully and that is where the asterisk comes from.

Heart of Kiran – This is a vehicular all-star, and the final top 5 card.  For 2 mana you get a 4/4 Flying Vigilant vehicle that can be activated with the alternative cost of a Planeswalker’s loyalty counter.  A crew 3 is a bit expensive, but certainly an achievable value to get these benefits.  This card was a key player recently in a number of top tier competitive decks, although it is not currently as prevalent.  Heart of Kiran also has a strong sideboard presence as it is a nice way to change up threats in a deck, and it is not color specific.

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General Magic / Best Two Mana Spells in Ixalan Standard – Green

« on: January 04, 2018, 02:55:49 pm »

Green has a fairly short stack of cards on this list.  Like red spells in Ixalan Standard, green has a number of strong staples that are available for use that are not the best in power to cost ratio.  Gift of Strength is like a Giant Growth with Reach and is a good combat trick, but the reach factor is not as impactful as other abilities could be.  If it was trample or hexproof, that would make it one of the best.  Commencement of Festivities and Haze of Pollen are the current fog abilities and Dissenter's Deliverance is for targeted artifact removal which also can cycle for G.  Green's staple functionality is represented well in Ixalan Standard.
There is another card that I think deserves mention that I don’t see used, and I am not exactly sure why.  Verdant Rebirth, is turbo version of a typical green ability.  Returning a creature from the graveyard to your hand has been around a long time in green.  This is an instant that keeps the target creature from ever making it to the graveyard as it goes straight back to your hand.  It is also a cantrip, drawing you a card.  This is all at instant effect and can have a significant impact on your ability to keep your momentum, even when your opponent has done their best to remove your creature.  This also stops the trick where they kill your best creature, and God-Pharao’s Gift it from your graveyard. There is some nice flexibility here for 1G.



Creatures
*Channeler Initiate – A 3/4 Human Druid for 1G is amazing!  That is until it enters the battlefield where it gets three -1/-1 counters, lowering it to a 0/1 creature.  That is where Channeler Initiate gets interesting, because you can tap it for mana, remove one of those counters and generate one mana of any color.  This will eventually bring it back up to a 3/4.  As removing the negative counter is part of the activation cost of Channeler Initiate, when it no longer has any there will be no more colored mana.  Of course there are plenty of other cards in Ixalan Standard that can provide additional -1/-1 counters to keep you in business.  This card gets an asterisk because getting it to the 3/4 level takes time or tricks, and in the meantime it is a non-flying  Bird of Paradise.

Longtusk Cub – This cat is a 2/2 for 1G which is right on expected cost.  The Longtusk Cub only generates energy when it actually deals combat damage, which is a stricter method to generate energy than most cards that do so.  On the flip side, you can spend two energy at any time to put a +1/+1 counter on the Longtusk Cub, which is a more lenient activation.  This allows you to be very deliberate on when you grow your Longtusk Cub, like in response to Lightning  Strike or to beef it up to survive a surprise block.

Resilient Khenra – A 2/2 Jackal Wizard for 1G is standard stuff, but when Resilient Khenra enters the battlefield you can have another creature get +X/+X where X =  RK’s power until end of turn.  That gets Resilient Khenra really close to the best card list, but when you add in the Eternalize ability it makes the list.  In the late game this guy can come out of the graveyard and gives+4/+4 to one of your creatures which can be a game changer. 

Servant of the Conduit – This is the Kaladesh version of the green mana generating creature.  A 2/2 for 1G that generates two energy when it enters the battlefield.  As it costs one energy and a tap to generate one any colored mana, that is enough to use the ability twice.  In an energy based deck, Servant of the Conduit could be used more times than two, but this cards supplies enough of its own energy to make is useful in any deck using green.

Spells
*Heroic Intervention – The wording on Heroic Intervention is permanents you control, not just creatures.  This is a great card when your plan is to go wide with creature swarms to win.  It protects your army from all the big sweepers, except for Settle the Wreckage and can protect from targeted removal, as the cost is reasonable enough to use in that way.  It also adds an extra layer of protection, if your opponent had plans to empty their hand to dismantle your battlefield.  This card is still quite situational regardless, and thus the asterisk.

Larger Than Life – The only downside to this card is that it is sorcery speed.  Larger Than Life is an aptly named card that gives a target creature +4/+4 and Trample until end of turn.  Most of the time when I see this card played, it is a component of the finishing move to win the game.  Combined with the Electrostatic Pummeler it is just devastating.

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General Magic / Best Two Mana Spells in Ixalan Standard – RED

« on: January 03, 2018, 04:42:52 pm »

Red has more cards on the list than any other color in Ixalan Standard for two mana.  There is still quite a few more cards that are above average that did not make this list.  The competition is stiff. 

I originally had Lightning Strike on the list with an asterisk, but I removed it.  Lightning Strike is a staple Red card, and should be included somewhere in your 75 if you are playing Red, but that is because of its utility and flexibility, it is a staple after all but is does not deliver more than expected.  Harnessed Lightning, in the right situations can deliver far more than it offers on its own, just not to your opponents dome.

Red also has a plethora of combat tricks that are strong contenders, and many of those are staples as well, like Brute Strength and Fling.  (Which along with Lightning Strike, are all reprints.)  Review your red two mana options when preparing your deck for an event, there are so many worthy tricks that your opponents likely won’t expect.

Creatures
Aether Chaser – 2/1 Human Artificer for 1R that comes with First Strike, and two energy when it hits the battlefield. That is already value above its cost, but when it attacks you can pay the two energy to get a 1/1 Servo. If the Aether Chaser lives to attack another round, if you have the energy, you can keep adding Servos. Even if that Servo has summoning sickness, it still is a potential blocker to keep you from being wide open to attack (from the ground). Aether Chaser gives you an affordable means to start to build a small army.

Bloodrage Brawler – A 4/3 Minotaur for 1R. The catch is that you have to discard a card when Bloodrage Brawler enters the battlefield. Understand, that is not a part of the casting cost, it is a come into play effect. So if you don't happen to have any cards, then you did not have to discard at all. On the power curve, if you could go, Turn 1 – Land, spell. Turn 2 – Land, Bloodrage Brawler, discard. Turn 3 Land, Hazoret, the Fervent and you are ready to use her to her fullest.

Earthshaker Khenra – Another creature that became popular as soon as it was legal is the 2/1 Earthshaker Khenra for 1R.  Haste, and the comes into play ability of causing a creature to not be able to block makes this creature a very strong early game card.  The cannot block ability is restricted to creatures of lesser or equal power to this Jackal Warrior, but later in the game Earthshaker Khenra can Eternalize itself from the graveyard.  As a 4/4 coming back from the dead, this card is also a very strong late game card as well.  Certainly honorable mention for top 5, or for arguments sake, could replace Glint-Sleeve Siphoner.

Harsh Mentor – Coming in as a 2/2 for 1R is the expected level, using the Bear Standard.  There are no other standard abilities on this card, but the Harsh Mentor earns its name because when it is on the battlefield the activation of any abilities that are not mana related, or from a Planeswalker, results in two points of damage to any opponent doing the activating.  That includes using energy in most cases.  Triggered abilities do not cause the pain, but this can severely impede many top tier decks.  Expect your Harsh Mentor to be eliminated as soon as can be, and plan for its protection.

Kari Zev, Skyship Raider – This card also immediately saw play upon its release, and then fell out of favor for a while.  She is back in a number of decks.  1/3 for the cost of 1R is a fair price.  This young pirate comes with both First Strike and Menace as well as her ever present sidekick Ragavan making Kari Zev, Skyship Raider one of the best two mana creatures in Ixalan Standard.  Kari Zev’s abilities make it quite safe to attack often, with Ragavan being the real threat here.  This card really enables a deck to use combat tricks.  Top 5 card.

*Raptor Hatchling – If this card was not inspired by Jurassic Park 3, I would be surprised.  Although it is only a 1/1 for 1R, the Raptor Hatchling is being carefully watched by much larger relatives.  Enrage kicks in when damage is done to the hatchling, which in almost all cases kills the little guy.  That is when the extremely angry 3/3 Green Trampling adult Raptor hits the battlefield.  This little hatchling is on this list with an asterisk as it is right on the cusp of best cards.  I would say, if you can find a way to trigger the Enrage and keep the Raptor Hatchling alive, the ability to generate more than one angry adult token would not be fun for your opponent to deal with.  (But VERY fun for you!)

*Sky Terror – 2/2 for RW is more expensive than the Bear Standard because there is a two color cost.  The Sky Terror comes with both Flying and Menace, making it similar to Kari Zev, but with wings and no monkey sidekick.  That leaves this card on the cusp of being on the best list, but because it is double evasion, it makes the list with an asterisk.  There are many affordable removal spells that can take this card out, in addition to the two color cost, it really isn't a gimmie for any deck that can include it.

Voltaic Brawler – Here we have a 3/2 Human Warrior for the two color cost, which is more appropriate than the Sky Terror.  In addition, the Voltaic Brawler generates two energy when it hits the battlefield.  As an attacker, the brawler can use a single energy to become a 4/3 trampler for that turn.  It provided enough energy to trigger that growth twice, which makes it useful even in a deck that is not energy based.  Voltaic Brawler has good potential to put your opponent on the ropes really early in the game, and is a nice way to soften your opponent up for Glorybringers and Hydras.

Spells
*Harnessed Lightning – This instant generates 3 energy.  That is a nice boost that not a lot of other cards deliver, too bad there has to be a viable target creature in play to cast it.  In addition, you get to decide how many energy you want to pump into the spell to deliver damage.  That is excellent as it allows you to tailor the damage as needed.  The target creature requirement, and the reliance on additional energy supply to be at peak effectiveness, is why this card is tagged with an asterisk.

Sideboard
Abrade – Choices are good.  Having the choice between 3 damage to a target creature, or complete destruction of a target artifact is great, especially at 1R.  There remains quite a number decks in circulation that prevent Abrade from being an effective choice for the main deck, but that really depends on your meta.  I have placed it in the sideboard section because this card should always be considered, if your deck contains Red.

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General Magic / Best Two Mana Spells in Ixalan Standard – BLACK

« on: January 01, 2018, 06:14:15 pm »

Black has a fair number of cards on the list for two mana spells, but more than half of the top 5 are also black cards.  Black is very strong right now in standard, and is a color that is represented in many top tier Ixalan Standard competitive decks.
There are also a number of cards in Black that did not make my list that some folks would consider good.   I would likely agree with you they are good, just not the best.  Hidden Stockpile is a card that sees top tier play.  It does some strong things.  Token creature generation is very strong ability.  The reason cards like Hidden Stockpile and Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons do not quite make the list, is that they are cards that you have to build a deck around.  They are not powerful when they stand alone nor do they provide a strong enhancement to a multitude of other decks.  Winding Constrictor is of a similar nature, and not only did it make the list, but it is a top 5 choice.  The big difference is that even though you can build a powerful deck around the snek there are plenty of decks that can be enhanced by including it.

Creatures
Gifted Aetherborn – 2/3 Vampire for BB is a good price, but the double black cost makes it a bit more expensive from a color perspective.  Not as splashable as many of the two mana cards are.  Having both Deathtouch and Lifelink in addition to good stats not only puts Gifted Aetherborn on this list of best two mana cards, but makes this a top 5.  This card quickly becomes a target as it must be dealt with on the battlefield.

Glint-Sleeve Siphoner – 2/1 Human for 1B does not meet the baseline, but Glint-Sleeve Siphoner also has Menace plus it generates a point of energy entering the battlefield and when it attacks.  That alone makes this card real close to being on the best card list.  The Siphoner also gives you the option of drawing a card at the beginning of your upkeep.  It does cost two energy and you will lose a point of life, but it does not require a tap.  That is what puts this card squarely on the list and I would add to the top 5, but some may consider that arguable.

*Kitesail Freebooter – 1/2 Human Pirate for 1B that comes with Flying and has a built in Duress when it enters the battlefield.  I have included this card with an asterisk, as it barely qualifies.  The combination of the evasive body, plus the Duress effect gives it a boost in value.  If the Kitesail Freebooter can be removed from the battlefield, the card will return to its owners hand.  That makes this a bit tricky. 
As a victim of this card, how you time the destruction of the Freebooter in conjunction with the card that will be returned, you could turn this into a well timed combat trick.

Winding Constrictor – Another two color card with BG as the casting cost for this 2/3 Snake.  Winding Constrictor became a popular card as soon as it was legal as the ability to increase all of its owners counters, and the counters on their permanents, by one.  There are many ways to produce counters in Ixalan Standard.  Explore, Energy, and Fabricate abilities can all trigger the ability of Winding Constrictor.  Be wary though, as -1/-1 counters also get the proliferation effect.  I mark Winding Constrictor as one of the top 5 of the two mana cards in Ixalan Standard.

Spells
Die Young – Die Young is very similar in how it functions to Harnessed Lightning.  It generates one less energy and gives -1/-1 instead of doing damage, but the top end is only limited by how much energy you have.  Because this is not damage, Die Young can remove creatures that are indestructible.   That means Amonkhet gods are not immune to these effects like they are damage spells and combat damage.

Walk the Plank – Barring your opponent playing Merfolks, for the cost of BB, Walk the Plank is the newest representative of Black removal.  Terror with a twist, so to speak.  Like all spells that have double color in their casting cost, it is not very splashable, but we have Fatal Push for that.

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General Magic / Entitlement and Competitive Magic (Local Level)

« on: December 31, 2017, 02:05:41 pm »

I played at one of the local Store Championships yesterday.  The format was Standard Constructed.  As per my usual, I brought a home brew.  It is a deck I have been working on in one form or another for over 8 months.  I know the deck fairly well, even though it did go through a major transition after Innistrad and Zendikar rotated it has only gotten more aggressive.
Anyways, there was a light turnout at the event.  Really bad snow and crappy roads cut the number of attendees down.  There were only 9 players when it kicked off. 
My first opponent was on Approach of the Second Sun.  My deck is an Aggro/Control, so speed and removal are what it is about.  My first game the deck showed itself poorly.  Second game it came out like gangbusters.  Third game my deck was trying to do its thing, but my opponent had every answer and kept me from keeping control of the battlefield until he got his second Approach cast.  This whole time he came across to me as friendly and yet a bit haughty.

So as only one person failed to make the top 8, that person was not me.  First round of the top 8 and I get paired up with this guy again.  He was quite happy with that pairing, and I was too.  See my deck if it goes well, can take out the Approach deck far more often than it loses to it.  Plus, after having lost to him in the first round, I had lots to time to think how I would have side-boarded differently.  This time I had a plan.

My deck went off, and handed him a turn 5 kill in the first game.  He derided his own deck for not showing well.  Second game was more grindy, but my better side-board choices had a big impact on how smoothly my deck went, and I won the second game as well.  Well timed tricks plus a fake-out at the very end, and the game was mine.  He started going off.
"I guess I should have held my Negate for that second spell instead of stopping your Lightning Strike." (fake out)  "Hindsight is 20/20."  This was a true and friendly comment.  It ended here.
"So you don't have a single Censor, or Negate, or counter spell of any kind and you are playing BLUE?"  (Repeat that sentence out loud with your best Sheldon Cooper voice.)
I told him that there were some in the beginning but as this is really an aggro deck, counter spells did not help it meet its objective and eventually they were all removed.
He didn't say too much more after that, but his face got redder and the packing of his stuff got angrier.  Spending 5 games of magic playing against a Blue deck, and working around counter spells that did not exist might do that to someone I guess, especially if they considered themselves a much better magic player.  He just got knocked out of the event by an old guy who doesn't play competitive magic who is playing some ridiculous U/R Aggro/Control deck that does not even have COUNTER SPELLS!!! 

After his buddy's game was over, they were deriding me, my deck, my card choices, and my luck, while being plenty loud enough so that I could hear it all. 
"Perilous Voyage??  Man, that must be super double secret tech!!!"
"Oh, and of all the times he could have cast it, he happened to hit my Search for Azcanta just right and kept me off my last lands to start Approach.  I had two in my hand so it was game over."
Yeah, and the two cards I Scryed, helped me put my game in place to win in 2 turns.  Plus I fed him 8 points of damage.....  Sure, that card is stupid, no one plays it.  What a rube I am....

That kind of behavior has been around Magic since the beginning.  I have dealt with that through the years when I was playing.  In some ways, it is very satisfying to me that I can tilt them like that.  In other ways, I find that this type of attitude and behavior is asinine.  First off Magic is a game.  There is a winner, and a loser in each match.  Second, as long as you are going to assume you are the better player, and approach the game that way, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. 
I will admit, I took advantage of this person feeling like he was entitled to win, assuming he was a better player, with the better deck, and I am just a scrub.  A scrub who acted like he did have counters, and played basic pattern Magic (always playing land first, and casting spells during first main phase) until it was time to not do so.
He just got duped, but he is going to go off on me instead.

Sad part is, he is likely not going to learn anything from what happened in that event.  He already has his excuses, and his cronies backed them up.

As an older guy, I like to help others grow and learn.  I have played magic on and off since Beta left the shelf.  Over the years I have taught many folks how to play Magic.  I know this game.  I might not be Pro Tour level competitive, but I believe I could be if I dedicated myself to attain that.
I am not going to try to explain anything when a person chooses to behave like that.

When a friend asked me if I got there, I nodded and said (rather loudly....) " Yup.  Payback!"

** Last edit to remove lines that were not appropriate to the message.