Better Evolving Wilds
Land T, Sacrifice Better Evolving Wilds: Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Evolving Wilds sucks and I wish wizards would stop printing it. Better Evolving Wilds would be a fetch land that is standard and modern playable without being strictly better or worse than the existing fetches, as it cannot fetch duals.
I heartily agree about Evolving Wilds and the need to make a playable version of it.
Better Evolving Wilds is a rather over powered card. It's essentially just a fast land that also feeds Delve strategies. Like a dual land is good because it gives you the color you want when you want it. BEW does the same thing. Shock Lands alter this power by dealing you 2 damage to have the color you want when you need it.
I don't understand you comparison with fast lands. You only get a basic land so you pick one mana color and stick with it for all following turns.
Apart from the possible interaction with graveyard strategies it doesn't look specially powerful to me.
1. When you don't need it to win the game, it's pretty much a dead card. Adding one counter for 1GGUU is pretty aweful compared to your other cards even with Hardened Scales.
2. Your opponent gets at least one turn to figure out how to destroy, exile or bounce it before you can win.
3. You need blue mana which isn't impossible at all but will need to re-think the whole deck. Ravnica Allegiance may yet bring some other great simic card for Hardened Modular but until then I doubt adding blue for Simic Ascendancy alone would be worth it.
I find it funny that this deck is called scaled affinity but the decklists being posted literally no longer have any cards with the actual keyword affinity.
I guess it's just for historical purposes but I feel like "scaled modular" would be more accurate. Doesn't have the same ring though.
I agree and I'd also add that "Scaled Affinity" seems to imply that this deck would be similar to the classical affinity deck while it actually is very different.
Affinity uses cheap artifact creatures with great synergies while this deck's central themes are :
1. Creatures with +1/+1 counter
2. Creatures which aren't completely lost when they die (transfer counters, create counters or deal damage)
So "Scaled Modular" or "Hardened Modular" would make a lot more sense.
I didn't know what the scan quality slider was for. I think I understand now and that solves my problem. I was afraid it would add another layer of compression to an already jpg-compressed image. If you start from a png then it's fine.
I think you're right there's no need to add an option for additional image sizes (in pixels). It's better to keep the image at 672x936 and reduce the compression quality. The artifacts created by the jpg lossy compression aren't as noticeable as the lost resolution.
I'll play with the compression quality, no need for other options. Thanks again!
Gather Extractor offers 3 options:
- original : same image as Scryfall's "large" but with a much bigger file size (ex: Hardened Scales KTK 672x936 579KB)
- full : the same image with the border completely cropped and an even bigger file size (ex: Hardened Scales KTK 620x886 636KB)
- cropped : art crop only
I'd like to ask you to make two improvements to GEx:
1. Please fix the file size of "original". I suppose that the file size difference comes from the compression level which must be modified by GEx at some point, but I'm no expert.
2. Please add more options, at the very least Scryfall's "normal" and possibly "border_crop" as well. I hope this can be done without too much extra coding.
Baral's Expertise went to the graveyard after Whispering Madness was cast but before it was resolved. So, yes you can target it with Noxious Revival and draw it again.
I don't understand why Wizards insist on not reprinting it even though they added Utopia Sprawl which is variation with both an advantage (you can choose the color) and a drawback (the land must be a forest).
I've been playing for some time with a treefolk deck which is based on the one presented in the first post of this thread and which, I believe, stays true to its original intent.
- I removed Heartwood Storyteller because I felt I actually used quite a few non-creature spells.
A Doran, the Siege Tower / Assault Formation / Tower Defense deck can be fun to build and play but it has nothing to do with the original idea of this treefolk deck which I found to be a lot more subtle and efficient.
I would define the deck as mid-range with mana acceleration, quality creatures and moderate disruption. What I find fantastic about this deck is the amount of sinergy between the different cards :
I don't have any experience of competitive Magic and I actually only play using Forge. This is why I didn't include a sideboard because I've never actually used one.
That being said, I've played with many different decks and I have a strong belief that this deck could actually do well in a tournament.
It can easily control aggro decks. It is fairly resilient to disruption and would, I believe do well against control and mid-range decks.
It is however going to have trouble against combo decks. Adding discard spells (Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek...) might help against them.
I'd be glad to see this deck getting more attention.
Why only 2 swords?
Why only opposing colors horizon lands?
Using Blanchwood Armor with Dungrove Elder and other hexproof creatures is interesting.
Invisible Stalker is nice but I'm not sure that adding blue for this card alone is worth it. Silhana Ledgewalker is just as good in many situations and green also has all the best CMC1 hexproof creatures : Gladecover Scout and Slippery Bogle.
You are missing all the basic extra land spells : Sakura-Tribe Elder, Search for Tomorrow, Rampant Growth etc...
If you really want to keep blue you could also try the brand new Growth Spiral.
I don't see what Tarmogoyf is doing here. Vines of Vastwood won't help your hexproof creatures.
I heartily agree about Evolving Wilds and the need to make a playable version of it.
I don't understand you comparison with fast lands. You only get a basic land so you pick one mana color and stick with it for all following turns.
Apart from the possible interaction with graveyard strategies it doesn't look specially powerful to me.
It seems like Bedlam Reveler on steroïds, and in case of graveyard hate you still get a 1/1 flyer.
But maybe it's not worth replacing Cackling Drake or Thing in the Ice.
It should be at least B if not A.
1. When you don't need it to win the game, it's pretty much a dead card. Adding one counter for 1GGUU is pretty aweful compared to your other cards even with Hardened Scales.
2. Your opponent gets at least one turn to figure out how to destroy, exile or bounce it before you can win.
3. You need blue mana which isn't impossible at all but will need to re-think the whole deck. Ravnica Allegiance may yet bring some other great simic card for Hardened Modular but until then I doubt adding blue for Simic Ascendancy alone would be worth it.
I agree and I'd also add that "Scaled Affinity" seems to imply that this deck would be similar to the classical affinity deck while it actually is very different.
Affinity uses cheap artifact creatures with great synergies while this deck's central themes are :
1. Creatures with +1/+1 counter
2. Creatures which aren't completely lost when they die (transfer counters, create counters or deal damage)
So "Scaled Modular" or "Hardened Modular" would make a lot more sense.
Thank you for your answer.
I didn't know what the scan quality slider was for. I think I understand now and that solves my problem. I was afraid it would add another layer of compression to an already jpg-compressed image. If you start from a png then it's fine.
I think you're right there's no need to add an option for additional image sizes (in pixels). It's better to keep the image at 672x936 and reduce the compression quality. The artifacts created by the jpg lossy compression aren't as noticeable as the lost resolution.
I'll play with the compression quality, no need for other options. Thanks again!
First of all I'd like to thank you for creating Gatherer Extractor and taking the time to update it after the demise of magiccards.info.
It has been a wonderful tool for downloading card scans up to know and I hope I can keep using it.
I do, however, have a problem with the card images version 6.0_delta downloads from Scryfall.
Scryfall offers several image sizes and formats which are listed here : https://scryfall.com/docs/api/images
- png : very large image and file size (ex: https://img.scryfall.com/cards/png/en/ktk/133.png 745x1040 1815KB)
- large : large jpg image (ex: https://img.scryfall.com/cards/large/en/ktk/133.jpg 672x936 265 KB)
- normal : smaller jpg image, close to the size of old magiccards.info (ex: https://img.scryfall.com/cards/normal/en/ktk/133.jpg 488x680 144 KB)
- border_crop : slightly larger image than "normal" but with a large part of the border cropped, very close to what magiccards.info used to offer (ex: https://img.scryfall.com/cards/border_crop/en/ktk/133.jpg 480x680 159 KB)
- small : very small jpg image, too small for most uses (ex: https://img.scryfall.com/cards/small/en/ktk/133.jpg 146x204 16KB)
- art_crop : a crop of the art only
Gather Extractor offers 3 options:
- original : same image as Scryfall's "large" but with a much bigger file size (ex: Hardened Scales KTK 672x936 579KB)
- full : the same image with the border completely cropped and an even bigger file size (ex: Hardened Scales KTK 620x886 636KB)
- cropped : art crop only
I'd like to ask you to make two improvements to GEx:
1. Please fix the file size of "original". I suppose that the file size difference comes from the compression level which must be modified by GEx at some point, but I'm no expert.
2. Please add more options, at the very least Scryfall's "normal" and possibly "border_crop" as well. I hope this can be done without too much extra coding.
Thanks again for all the hard work!
Unstable contains a few exceptions, but that's a fun set, not meant to be used in a regular deck.
I think all it would take to make it viable would be to add "basic" before "Forest".
Nature's Knowledge 1G
Sorcery
Search your library for a basic Forest card and put that card onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
I don't understand why Wizards insist on not reprinting it even though they added Utopia Sprawl which is variation with both an advantage (you can choose the color) and a drawback (the land must be a forest).
I hate losing an Utopia Sprawl due to Spreading Seas.
8 Forest
4 Murmuring Bosk
3 Overgrown Tomb
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Windswept Heath
4 Dauntless Dourbark
4 Doran, the Siege Tower
4 Dungrove Elder
4 Leaf-Crowned Elder
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Timber Protector
4 Treefolk Harbinger
3 Abrupt Decay
4 Fatal Push
3 Nameless Inversion
3 Search for Tomorrow
Here are the changes I made, compared to the original deck :
- I removed cavern of souls, because they'd cripple Dungrove Elder and Dauntless Dourbark.
- I replaced Ulvenwald Tracker with Fatal Push. While Ulvenwald Tracker is a shaman, it is slow, inefficient and casting it for free with Leaf-Crowned Elder wouldn't be such a great feat. Fatal Push on the other hand can be fueled by your sacrified fetch-lands and Sakura-Tribe Elder.
- I replaced Birds of Paradise with Search for Tomorrow because the birds are neither treefolk nor shaman while Search for Tomorrow boosts Dungrove Elder and Dauntless Dourbark.
- I removed Heartwood Storyteller because I felt I actually used quite a few non-creature spells.
A Doran, the Siege Tower / Assault Formation / Tower Defense deck can be fun to build and play but it has nothing to do with the original idea of this treefolk deck which I found to be a lot more subtle and efficient.
I would define the deck as mid-range with mana acceleration, quality creatures and moderate disruption. What I find fantastic about this deck is the amount of sinergy between the different cards :
- Doran, the Siege Tower works great in this deck, being a 5/5 for 3 mana, boosting Treefolk Harbinger, Leaf-Crowned Elder and Timber Protector, but you can perfectly win games without him.
- The most central card is, I believe, Leaf-Crowned Elder which is the main reason for playing as many treefolks and shamans as possible.
- Murmuring Bosk can be found by fetch-lands and Treefolk Harbinger and has, in my experience, no risk of coming into play tapped.
- All your lands are forests and Sakura-Tribe Elder adds extra lands making both Dungrove Elder and Dauntless Dourbark grow large very fast.
- Nameless Inversion is a treefolk, you may reveal it for Murmuring Bosk, fetch it with Treefolk Harbinger in case of emergency, and cast it for free with Leaf-Crowned Elder.
- Treefolk Harbinger can be very useful in the first turns for balancing your hand and can later let you choose which card to play for free with Leaf-Crowned Elder, maybe Timber Protector?
I don't have any experience of competitive Magic and I actually only play using Forge. This is why I didn't include a sideboard because I've never actually used one.
That being said, I've played with many different decks and I have a strong belief that this deck could actually do well in a tournament.
It can easily control aggro decks. It is fairly resilient to disruption and would, I believe do well against control and mid-range decks.
It is however going to have trouble against combo decks. Adding discard spells (Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek...) might help against them.
I'd be glad to see this deck getting more attention.