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Deck Comments / Re: Azorius Invoke FAV Deck - Comments

« on: June 24, 2023, 12:19:42 am »

I just played an MTGA match against this deck, and it was awesome. Seems like a very cool deck and I look forward to trying it out myself!

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General Magic / Re: Very new, read the general tips..How do Playtest after entering a deck?

« on: April 13, 2017, 02:57:20 am »

PS - Thanks for reading the general tips! :p. I'll try to add this in when i get the chance.

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General Magic / Re: Lightning Runner Question

« on: April 13, 2017, 02:53:56 am »

If you pay the (tons of) energy and get a second combat that turn, he will gain the 2 energy on the 2nd combat if he attacks then as well.

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Deck Reviews / Re: [Modern] Deck # 5: Kylie's Herbal Remedy Kit

« on: April 07, 2017, 06:40:28 pm »

Honestly, no, I think you should cut the lifegain all together to focus on your main strategy of artifact removal. naturalize instead of natural end is really where you'll want to be. Liquimetal coating on T3 and T3 with a Double naturalize on T4, is the dream, and you can't do that with a 3 mana card. you won't need the extra life, because they'll be on 2 land an won't be able to do anything to you anyway :p

Populate would be a very different way to go with this deck, you'll need a lot of cards working together for it, but could work well as your closer once you shut them out of mana.

Think about rebuilding with populate and liquimetal coating+artifact removal. Start with those 2 things and nothing else, and see if you can get a functioning deck out of it.  If you're constrained to cards you already have I realize it can be a bit tough, but think about buying some cheap cards to supplement. For $5 or less you should be able to get playsets of naturalize and some decent to good populate cards.

look forward to seeing the next iteration of your deck!

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Deck Reviews / Re: [Casual] Ultra-Budget Atogs

« on: April 07, 2017, 06:33:16 pm »

If you want to break ugin's nexus, build a combo deck that cheats it out on turn 3 or something :p  Add in mindslaver for the lols.

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Deck Reviews / General Deck Advice, Specific Topics

« on: April 05, 2017, 08:34:51 pm »

Playing Around Board Wipes

One of the best ways to play around a board wipe is to avoid overcommitting on the battlefield.  Leave some creatures in hand if you think they might have a Supreme Verdict.  If you add the man-lands (Mutavault) or other creatures that are invincible to sorcery speed removal (Haunted Platemail, Aetherling) and you play wisely without over committing, you can probably drastically increase your chances to recoverboard position after a wipe. But remember, if you're going to lose to a board wipe even if you hold back, then don't hold back! Try to get in that extra damage and hope they don't draw the wipe before you win. Don't play around something if you lose regardless when they have it.

RAMPING

As to the quantities of ramp, the best way is to test it in your deck.  Play it, change it, play some more, etc. until you feel the balance is right.  Also, consider that Abundant Growth (while being my favorite green 1-drop) isn't really ramp, just color fixing and card advantage.  If your overall curve can handle it, swap a few rampant growths in.  I also usually prefer Borderland Ranger to Arbor Elf (since if the creature dies, you still have the extra land,) but in this deck, I'd keep the Arbor Elfs in order to keep the cost down.  But if, through testing, you find that the ramp allows you to run a higher curve while still being agressive, consider that swap as well. Your options outside of green are scant. If you're not doing much on early turns anyway, there are some good mana rocks available. I really like the talismans in Modern (eg. Talisman of Impulse.) If you drop one for two mana on turn two, you'll still be able to tap it for a single mana that turn.  A lot of people like the Signets from the original Ravnica block.  Don't use the Keyrunes or Cluestones if you're not being standard legal, these cost an extra mana to put down and clog up a later turn.

LIFEGAIN

You'll often have some sort of lifegain thing going on in a deck that's not well-formed. Lifegain is not good like that. You either need go all in with things like Soul Warden and having _everything_ do it, so you gain so much that you can't lose. Or you need to have cards like Ajani's Pridemate (or something better?) that can gain enough extra value from it. Ideally both, but then it's a lifegain deck, not whatever deck you're trying to build, so you should probably just cut it. A little life gain here or there won't swing the game in your favor, so it's really not worth the extra mana: replace those cards with cheaper versions that don't have the gain.

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Deck Reviews / Re: [Modern] Deck # 5: Kylie's Herbal Remedy Kit

« on: April 05, 2017, 08:27:50 pm »

Ha! Love the role-play that you're doing with the deck! I also like it that you've got a strategy an are going for the synergy to get there. However, the deck is quite un-balanced, and since you asked for advice i'll tell you that i honestly think it needs a lot of work. Start with reading the General Deck Advice sticky, your deck makes a lot of those mistakes. Here are some of my specific thoughs, in no paticular order;

You mana curve is not good. You have too many 4-drops, and not enough stuff to do early game. Llanowar elves instead of Elvish Pioneer might help with ramp, Gatekreeper Vines is Ok but not great, but ramp won't get you there alone anyway.

You can't be running only 22 lands when you're trying to get to a bunch of 4s and 5s. Even with ramp and/or a decent curve, you should have 24, or you'll just be missing too often in your opening hand.

Get this down to 61 cards. Every extra card is just one more draw until you get to your best stuff.

Your synergy play is not strong enough, and too clugy to get it to go off. Tapping a Liquimetal Coating so you can self-target Natural End so you can get a +1/+1 on Lumberknot is too many steps in general, and you still only get +1/+1. And that also requires you to have drawn one of you're only 2 copies of Lumberknot in the first place. For lumberknot to really go off, you need sac outlets. Add black and Viscera Seer, put in the implements that can at least sac themselves. Use ichor Wellspring that will at least give you a card when it goes. Better yet, add some low curve creatures that can sac themselves for value and avoid having to setup a clugy chain. If Lumberknot is going to be your win-con in this deck you need to find easier ways to get it to go off, and to get around chump-blocks (and you'll need 4)

At 2 mana, Naturalize is better than Natural End, and Oxidize is even better.

Elvish Scrapper has a place in this deck, it does both of what you want at the same time.

You have some sort of lifegain thing going on here, but it's not well-formed. Lifegain is not good like that. You either need go all in with things like Soul Warden and having _everything_ do it, so you gain so much you can't lose, or have cards like Ajani's Pridemate that can gain huge extra value from it. Ideally both, but then it's a lifegain deck, not the Herbal Remedy Kit, so you should probably just cut it. A little life gain here or there won't swing the game in your favor, so it's really not worth the extra mana: replace those cards with cheaper versions that don't have the gain.

There are some more thoughts in the back of my head, but these are the big ones.

I'll try to take another look once you make some of these updates, and don't forget to read through the General Deck Advice sticky and see what improvements you could make based on those.

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Deck Reviews / Re: [Casual] Ultra-Budget Atogs

« on: April 05, 2017, 07:52:27 pm »

I was going to suggest Etherium Sculptor, which you should at least think about. Maybe give it a try if Scrap Trawler ends up being too expensive, though I think you could be right about that one.

However, I do really like the idea of Pia and Kiran Nalaar as a curve topper. The value is there, and the synergy with Atog is great. This is really what you should be playing instead of Ugin's Nexus, but I respect the fact that you understand that having fun is sometimes more important than win percentage in casual!

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Deck Reviews / Re: [Casual] Ultra-Budget Atogs

« on: April 05, 2017, 09:34:26 am »

I was going to suggest evasion of some sort, but I think you may have that covered. For example, Temur Battle Rage would be crap if you're only hitting the double strike, but I suppose you probably won't be casting it without getting the trample as well 99% of the time, so you're good there, and this should be your answer to large creatures as well...this and making sure your Atog is larger!

On the other hand, I think I'd prefer Fling to Shrapnel Blast. If you get critical mass on artifacts or Myr Retreiver, an Atog could get a lot bigger than the 5 from Shrapnel Blast, and if you can send that straight to the dome you will probably close out some games (make sure you sac the Great Furnace's to the Atog while Fling is still on the stack!). But there really isn't anyway to know for sure until you start playing it and reply here with your results!

On other notes, I drew some sample hands, and I am a little uncomfortable with the curve. Sometimes it draws fine, an implement (great choice here!) into Atog and Servo Schematic (also great synergy!), but other times I have 2 Atogs, and some 3 and 5 mana artifacts. This could just be variance (play it and you'll know for sure) but I really think you'll want to be brutal in cutting out every artifact that doesn't have major synergy and low cost. You'll really want this deck to be explosive and close out before they can cast removal or good blockers. Specifically, I'm not sure the wellspring is good enough, even though there's the same mana:card as the implement. Maybe cut the Scrap Trawler (though the 3rd creature is important, see below), and definitely cut the Ugin's Nexus: they both have some cute combo-like synergy with the 'togs, and it will be fun to pull it off, but I suspect this deck needs to be more cutthroat with your mana.

Also, I'm worried about removal. I play a pauper deck that also relies on combo-ing off a creature and it's functional reprint (Nivix-kiln fiend.) It's a super fun deck, (and I bet this will be too) but let me tell you, 8 creatures is not enough. I back it up with Delver, and have at a minimum 4 protection spells in the deck at all times, and I still lose a decent amount by having no creatures on the board. Thus, I highly recommend finding some (cheap) artifacts that protect your Atogs somehow. I'll leave you to decide exactly which ones, and how to slot them in, but you'll have games where you need to find a way to keep that last Atog on the board, and popping a Glaring Spotlight is probably the way you'll do that.

Good Luck, and let us know how it works out!

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General Magic / Re: Very new, read the general tips..How do Playtest after entering a deck?

« on: April 05, 2017, 07:11:48 am »

You may be recalling the Starting Hand Simulator, one of the tabs at the top will simulate your opening hands, and allows draws and mulligans as well.  I totally understand the difficulty with testing a paper deck, there's no replacement for playtime, but it can be hard to find people in person. So in terms of online play, there are the programs mentioned above, but also mtgo of course, if you have money to get digital versions of the cards as well.

good luck!

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General Magic / Re: New Playing Style

« on: January 01, 2015, 04:36:13 pm »

Why don't you post the details here so we know what you're talking about?  Is this a deck archtype? A way to flip your cards around distractingly?

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General Magic / Re: How do I save another member's deck so I can easily reference it later?

« on: November 03, 2014, 08:09:36 pm »

Close.  Just go to Deck Tools and copy deck, it will input the whole deck for you.  Just click Analyse Deck and you can save it in your account.

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General Magic / Re: Stack Question

« on: October 26, 2014, 04:13:22 pm »

Mikuyume is right, mana abilities don't use the stack. (this goes for any ability the only generates mana, e.g. llanowar elfs, not just lands)

You might also want to note that a player can (and usually does in tournament play) tap the land during the casting of the spell, so you would only be able to respond after the spell is on the stack, not before.

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General Magic / Re: Kicker question

« on: October 07, 2014, 11:59:06 pm »

I think the OP referring specifically to you casting from their hand, not controlling them casting it from their own hand, but you are right.

In general, when casting a card from an unusual location, if you have to pay the regular costs (i.e. the ability that lets you do it just says, "you may cast cards from your graveyard") then you can cast it however you like, with or without kicker, any value of X and any additional costs.

If you don't have to pay the regular costs (i.e. the ability says, "you may cast a card from an opponent's graveyard without paying its mana cost") then you are not allowed to pay alternative costs.  Essentially, think that the game pays the mana cost for you, as shown in the upper right, with 0 for X.  No Exiling cards instead with Misdirection, no increasing your search limit by convoking with Chord of Calling, etc.  However, you can pay additional costs. You can kick a spell, strive it, or be forced to sacrifice creatures. Remember that you're still paying for these extras, you have to spend the mana for each strive in this case to get the benefit, but you can do it. The important thing to know is the difference between alternate cost, and additional cost. The game takes care of the regular cost, and it chooses the regular casting route, not any alternate options, but you can pay for additional things.

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General Magic / Re: Vengeful Pharaoh Mechanics question

« on: October 07, 2014, 11:38:55 pm »

Ha! you're right, Vengeful Pharaoh is one of those cards that "specifically states otherwise" as I mentioned above.  I should have read it more closely.