Messages

1

General Magic / Re: Games you've enjoyed

« on: June 15, 2023, 02:21:14 pm »

I got to sac a Cavalier of Flame twice in a row last night for 19 damage each time to take the win. Not an unsatisfying way to win.

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Commander Discussion / Re: Hullbreacher Alternatives

« on: May 16, 2023, 08:12:55 pm »

Leovold, Emissary of Trest is banned, but Narset, Parter of Veils isn't?  How does that make sense?

IIRC, a big part of Leovold is that he's available routinely in the command zone.

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Commander Discussion / Re: Hullbreacher Alternatives

« on: May 16, 2023, 01:46:51 pm »

Colossal Hullbreacher OP

I, for one, welcome our new Merfolk Dinosaur overlords.

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Commander Discussion / Re: Countering Creature Spells

« on: May 10, 2023, 05:44:02 pm »

I play very few counters in paper Magic, but if historic brawl on Arena has taught me anything it's that countering the abilities of creatures is essential. I really think Tale's End and Stifle are the real winners in regards to your question. Honestly, one of my favorite cards to play in simic is Repudiate // Replicate. Who cares if Dockside hits the board if all they get is a goblin?

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Commander Discussion / Re: Is Ramp Too Good?

« on: May 08, 2023, 08:13:36 pm »

So, to answer the question succinctly, I'd say current ramp is fine.

It may be a little subtle, but this isn't the question you quoted. I asked "how powerful do you think ramp cards should be, and why?", not "is what we have at the moment OK?". It's possible that what we have now is fine but something else would be better, so not having any problems with the game as it is now simply doesn't rule out the option of existing ramp (but also doesn't rule out anything else).

Bro, it's literally the title of the thread. Is it too good? No. How powerful should it be? The current level of variable power. In the context of my whole post, this answer makes complete sense with your question. I mean, I'm trying to be on your side in this, but your discourse is making it really hard. I know someone mentioned before that they didn't want to say you were arguing in bad faith here, but I'm starting to think their instincts were right. I can't tell if you can't read the room or if you're intentionally being argumentative for the sake of argument. I think at this point the waters are so muddied that it's a good idea to just start a new thread that is intentional, clear, and directed at the level of pedantry you're looking for in this discussion.

Interesting take, but I think that, if you think about it, it doesn't quite work out like that; for every opportunity for someone to catch up, there's a time when someone else gets ahead faster, creating the very problem you're trying to fix in the first place (and being in that position on turn 2 sucks even worse). Essentially, you've increased the variance, because yes sometimes I will miss land drops but be able to tutor for some fast mana, but other times I will do neither whilst someone else is doing both.

And, of course, the effect is limited by how many tutors you have and how many pieces of fast mana. Plus, you could just replace some of those with lands and the difference between worst cases and best would already be smaller. I actually think that MDFC lands or cards like Abundant Harvest, Dig Up, etc are a much better fix to this problem than Sol Rings and Mana Crypts.

I agree with your point about MDFC's here. However, when it comes to the two types of situations we've been discussing, I can only go by experience alone. I don't keep any data on this in my pod. All I know is that the enduring feeling is one of relief when I can catch up, and not of frustration of getting smoked by fast mana.

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Commander Discussion / Re: Is Ramp Too Good?

« on: May 08, 2023, 03:44:46 pm »

"In EDH, how powerful do you think ramp cards should be, and why?"

I honestly don't have a problem with any ramp. I've had a few games where someone drops a Sol Ring T1 and then has 4-5 mana on T2, and I've scoffed; however, my dissatisfaction level is the same as when someone plays a stax piece. I knew it was a potential, and I've got one in my deck, so it just comes down to the natural variance of the game that my opponent stuck the landing and not me.

We've discussed fast ramp in my pod before and the discussion always comes down to the same factor, late game catching up. No matter how good your card draw, sometimes you miss you 4th, 5th, and/or 6th land drop, and everyone else boosts ahead. Going mana positive on a later turn is sometimes essential to even have a horse in the race. I think we all remember that time we tutored for a sol ring when we would have loved to get a combo piece or a board wipe. If the only two options were to 1) never have explosive first turns, or 2) have the ability to catch up, I'm picking 2 every time and dealing with any drawbacks of accelerated games.

Additionally, I think it's hard to decide that a certain mana cost for a certain mana output ratio is inherently too powerful. An everflowing chalice or a black market can very quickly generate absurd amounts of mana in the right decks. Sure it takes setup, but not much. And I've definitely experienced mana crypt into sol ring into a signet plenty of times where the player was just dead in the water without good spells to play while hoping no one has a nature's claim.

So, to answer the question succinctly, I'd say current ramp is fine. If we had to draw a line on cost/output, I would say Black Lotus is a pretty good barometer. 

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Commander Discussion / Re: Is Ramp Too Good?

« on: May 03, 2023, 04:09:20 pm »

Also ngl, I tried to read everything but ended up skimming after a while because of the repetitive arguments, so forgive me if this has already been talked about. I can't speak for all players, but I really feel like this discussion is missing the dominant point of ramp here. Everyone keeps talking about ramp in terms of acceleration, but as lots of people have correctly pointed out: ramp is much less common in other formats. So we have to ask, why? And I don't think the answer that "edh is splashier and plays bigger spells" is a true one; it just feels true because of how we tend to look at ramp.

In my experience, acceleration is like 30% of it. Sure, every once in a while someone fast tracks a Craterhoof to close out the game too quickly, or a Genesis Ultimatum that absolutely takes over the board; however, this is pretty rare for my pod. Moreover, you have three opponents now hyperfocused on cleaning up or disrupting your splashy spell. The way I look at ramp (only since recently) is about access to multi-spelling. In a four person game, you're behind if you're only casting one spell per turn, even if that spell is a really good one. How many times have you been stuck on three mana so you're forced to play one creature and say go, when you really wanted to cast another spell to trigger an ability of that creature? Then, the board gets wiped and you've basically been timewalked. You don't just need access to mana to cast big plays, but also early on to have flexibility.

Outside of fast ramp, which explicitly exists to unfairly put you ahead of your opponents, I think ramp is a necessary component of how multiplayer works. It's inextricable from the format, and if it's removed then you're shoehorned back into kitchen table magic where top decking is the main factor in determining games. Ramp allows you to have strategy in your turns as well as keep open mana for answers to game ending threats that can appear suddenly.

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Deck Comments / Re: Omnath Gates Deck - Comments

« on: April 24, 2023, 05:27:31 pm »

36 lands feels greedy... and I like it!

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General Magic / Re: Games you've enjoyed

« on: April 18, 2023, 03:42:42 pm »

March of the Machines prerelease ...

This set was the most fun I've had drafting in a long time. Really great experience.

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Commander Deck Reviews / Re: RATS! -in The land of the dead

« on: April 05, 2023, 07:59:08 pm »

I can't speak for all rat deck players, but here are some major tips I learned from my Marrow-Gnawer deck experience:

1) If a rat costs more than 2 mana, cut it (with the exception of Crypt Rats, which is a house and a win-con). That being said, I don't play infect, but you could make a niche case for those two.

2) It's truly an aggro deck. It doesn't really work as a mid-range deck since the Marrow-Gnawer play is telegraphed and expensive, and rats are super underpowered in general. So, don't try to control the board, despite being in black. I'd drop 5-7 removal spells and replace them with things that progress your game plan (e.g. thrumming stone, door of destinies, etc.)

3) You're rarely going to have a bunch of creatures unless you're winning the game anyways, so death based card draw is only good if you have a sac outlet infinite combo, which is also another win-con. Don't expect to draw cards with Greed, because your life total will be low already due to people targeting you as the aggro player.

4) Is Conjurer's Closet only in there for the discard synergies? It's only an expensive way to make enemies with everyone at the table.

5) Most important thing I've learned: Bontu's Monument. Just use one. Don't ask questions.

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Commander Deck Reviews / Re: Chat GPT - Boros Dwarves voltorn

« on: March 31, 2023, 03:33:33 pm »

I LOVE this idea. Honestly, with the amount of net decks I run into at LGS play, I would be so much more impressed by an AI generated deck. ChatGPT is blocked at my workplace, but I'm trying this out the minute I get home.

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Deck Comments / Re: Dihada ligendary beating preliminary 100+ - Comments

« on: March 20, 2023, 04:39:00 pm »

Scratch that. I didn't see the other lands in the separate category. Looks sick!

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Deck Comments / Re: Dihada ligendary beating preliminary 100+ - Comments

« on: March 20, 2023, 04:37:35 pm »

This seems like a super fun deck. I'd just be worried about getting the lands you need. 32 is pretty low for 3.6 avg cmc, and the ramp is really limited. I totally get that Dihada can make treasures, but without the lands to get there I wouldn't rely on that, especially for that crucial turn 4.

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Commander Discussion / Re: Morophon in the 99: Worth it?

« on: March 09, 2023, 10:45:01 pm »

Instead of cutting one card, cut three cards and throw in Morophon, Fist of Suns, and Jodah. Now you're cooking with gas.

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Commander Discussion / Re: Can you guess the theme?

« on: March 03, 2023, 05:11:00 pm »

Oh,

Rolling  Stones songs