The General Magic: The Gathering Thread

[Ollie, don'tcha know!]

Ah, ok. As said earlier, I have no idea about all the different formats. I was just typing words, really. But even better, then, seeing as you can now use the Joragas and Arbors and keep it Standard.

On a side note, now that our Magic group is getting pretty srsbsns and rather competitive, a few of us have picked deck ideas that look fun and tried to make reltively cheap decks with them to buy and play with more casually, without all the constant refining and super-competitiveness of our other decks. I've always thought the Zendikar block looked cool, especially allies, so I made this [url][u]Ally/Control deck[u][/url] that is reaaaaaally fun to play with.

It's plan of 'remove anything the opponent tries to play in the first few turns and let allies do what they do' works well, and even when I lose it's fun to just see my cards pump each ther up.

[SilentBobCDN]

Ok, because I can't fit this question in 120 characters, it goes here.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/A ... eature/144

Maybe I'm just not fully awake yet, but I dont quite get it. I can't target planeswalkers directly (shock in the article, or say, a bolt), but I can target an opponent and have the damage go to the planeswalker instead?

[Robert Merlow]

Yeah, it is a bit confusing, but Core Sets cycle out Core Sets while Expansions cycle out Expansions.

[theDreamer]

Yeah, that's how planeswalkers work, it's odd.

The point is, if I have a leyline of sanctity (using new magic 2012 terminology, making myself hexproof), you can't target me, and therefore can't deal damage with "target player" spells to me or my planeswalker.

Also, hexproof, life is easy now! Formerly, "selective shroud." Also, I like "dies."

[Yaxley]

I liked calling it troll shroud A. because several trolls have it and B. you can troll your opponent when you play it. "I play Silhana Ledgewalker. What you gonna do about that, Mr. Burn Player? That's right, nothing!"

Hexproof is good too. I'm glad there is a keyword for it now.

[SilPho]

The other reason for why the Planeswalker rule works the way it does is because Planeswalkers are not players, and treating them as such breaks too many other rules. It's much easier to target the player with the spell and provide an extra clause to deal with damage from an opposing player.

[Trymantha]

Yeah, it is a bit confusing, but Core Sets cycle out Core Sets while Expansions cycle out Expansions.

the new way it works(from core 2010/2011) is that the core sets rotate out every year when the fall set is released(Innistrad is the next one)
so for about 3-4 months both 2011 and 2012 will be standard legal.

[njsykora]

Yeah, it is a bit confusing, but Core Sets cycle out Core Sets while Expansions cycle out Expansions.

the new way it works(from core 2010/2011) is that the core sets rotate out every year when the fall set is released(Innistrad is the next one)
so for about 3-4 months both 2011 and 2012 will be standard legal.

Thus giving fans of evil burn decks like myself time to get their 2012 burn spells stocked up.

On Zendikar, I am going to be sad to see that leave standard. The ally mechanic I was hugely keen on and when my friend got back into the game I had loads of fun ripping his old legacy decks apart with a flood of cheap allies.

[Robert Merlow]

Zendikar leaving standard will be sad, as half of my first competitive deck (my Elves) will be phased out and I'll have to replace cards like Joraga Warcaller and Nissa Revane with... I don't know. I hope Innistrad will have some good Elves, like the Core Sets usually do, but I guess I'll just have to stick with my Livewire Lash Infect deck for FNM until more news about the set comes out.

[Trymantha]

my sadness at zendikar rotating is out matched by my joy of jace rotating.

[theDreamer]

It is possible that Ally will return in 2012.

Unlikely, but possible.

[Ollie, don'tcha know!]

Allies are soooo fun to play with. Also, Zendikar block some of the best card art out there.

Not really a fan of the Scars block art. Phyrexia's too... icky... I know that's kind of missing the point, but I still don't like to look at it.

[BertZ]

Yea having started playing during Scars, i really wish i was playing when Zendikar block was being released...its looks AWESOME!

[theDreamer]

Zendikar is still my favourite block, and I started during besieged.

Eldrazi are a great "I win" card, and are nice because they can be ANYWHERE, though, better in some decks than others, Nissa is the one planeswalker I use, and I love her, and I have a thing for vampires, which were awesome in Zendikar.

[Ottoman]

Eldrazi are just stepping on Artefacts' turf, Allies are utterly evil, and Nissa. . . is a fucking elf.

Personally, I think Zendikar was mediocre play-wise.

[Robert Merlow]

So much hate for the elves, man. Consume the Meek is the greatest control card I have ever seen against elves. You can keep them on lock real easy.

[Lyinginbedmon]

So I ordered Hovermyrs, Lotus Blooms, Gilder Bairns, Prototype Portals etc. from two different companies about four days ago, the same day that, according to USPS, my Nevinyrral's Disks arrive in the UK.

Those two orders have arrived this morning, still no sign of the Disks.

Grr.

[auberginequeen]

Dreamer ordered me to tell you that I pulled a Phyrexian Obliterator.

So there.

[MowDownJoe]

Heh... I pulled an Olbiterator during the pre-release. It's sitting in my Sheoldred EDH deck.

[aeric90]

Next deck is sorta built. It's a G/W/U Golem. Missing a few cards but almost there.

Creatures
4 x Brids of Paradise
4 x Spellskite
4 x Blade Splicer
4 x Master Splicer
4 x Vital Splicer
4 x Precursor Golem

Spells
4 x Mirrian Mettle
4 x Apostle's Blessing
4 x Cultivate

Planeswalkers
2 x Venser, the Sojourner

Lands
10 x Forest
2 x Islands
2 x Plains
4 x Razorverge Thicket
4 x Sunpetal Grove

Best case scenario is getting the Precusor out early and hit it with both Apostle's Blessing and Mirrian Metal so I have an unblockable swing of 21. The Spellskites are in there to avoid the opponent using the Precursor copy ability to wipe the golems out. If the game lasts long enough then Venser's exile and return ability on the Precurors or Splicers would dump extra tokens on the battlefield.

I know there are some better options in the Zendikar block but I'm avoiding going back that far. Just current block and M11 for now.

What do you think?

[Robert Merlow]

It looks pretty damn decent. My only worry is the control and removal. Your biggest enemy looks like it will probably be field-wipes like Day of Judgment and Phyrexian Rebirth. If you manage to move faster than them, however, I don't think that will be a problem, just board in some Mana Leaks or Stoic Rebuttals if you're facing some field wipes.

[Lyinginbedmon]

Dragon decks definitely eat my Myr if they don't get moving quickly, but in a multiplayer game (that involved 4 people though it largely devolved into 2 1x1s) where I managed to get an early Prototype Portal on a Myr Turbine I came pretty damn close to taking the opposing dragon deck down, had I survived another turn I'd likely have taken home a victory. Not sure I've ever played so many counterspells.

Basically my Myr deck's biggest glaring weakness is its lack of any response to fliers, but adding defenses against them would weaken its capability for pulling the cards it needs, as demonstrated by my previous dilution efforts that rendered it nigh unplayable

[Robert Merlow]

Well, of your deck is designed to function in a 1v1 scenario, then I think you need to make a proper multiplayer deck. Have you tried playtesting outside of your usual playgroup?

[Lyinginbedmon]

It can win in a multiplayer situation, and indeed usually functions rather well now that I've stopped diluting it for their "benefit", it's just that the only flying creature that would really work at all in the deck is Hovermyr, and putting them in would mean either increasing the card count or removing cards that build it towards its intended purpose. There just isn't room to do both and it's a weakness I sort of just have to live with.

[Roadie]

currently perfecting a legacy/1.5ish artifact/blue mill deck (painful to go against everything is a max 3 cast with urza lands and locus lands (just fast mana, such fast mana!)