If a state-based action would case a player to lose the game, that player wins the game instead.
Each activated ability of each object can be activated only once each turn.
Be sure to review the rules and banned list(s) by clicking below.
Cards on the PHM Banned List are always banned, and cards on the Land Rule Banned List are banned as well when the round uses a Land Rule.
Contents
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Hand Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via an online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form his or her hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the player of each hand employs the strategy that maximizes the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game that it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Hand Construction Rules.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.1a. Changes to the Comprehensive Rules or the Oracle text of a card take effect at the following times:
i. Changes that would take effect during the prerelease for a set take effect during the first round for which cards from that set may be submitted instead.
ii. Changes that would take effect at any other time take effect during the first round for which those rules have been in effect since the start of the round instead.
2.1b. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or by the rules of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.3a. A player doesn't lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
2.4. An effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and all cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that would enable him or her to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
i. Win the game.
ii. Take an infinite number of turns.
iii. Cause a card to leave an opponent's hand.
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.1a. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents' cards had no rules text.
3.1b. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents had no maximum hand size.
3.1c. That player could achieve one of these results only during a game that was restarted after an opponent's second turn had begun.
3.1d. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be put onto the battlefield by that effect.
3.1e. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be in that opponent's hand once that effect resolved.
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.2a. An unreleased card is treated as though it's legal in Vintage if it will become legal in Vintage upon release and if the release notes for the set that contains that card were published prior to the start of the round (See rule 4.1).
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.2a. If a player submits an illegal hand, then the moderator will try to notify that player to change his or her hand prior to the deadline. If the hand is discovered to be illegal after the deadline has passed – or if the player does not submit a new hand – then the moderator may either disqualify that hand or replace it with a similar hand, in which any cards causing that hand to be illegal have been removed or replaced.
4.2b. The moderator also will try to notify a player if that player's hand doesn't enable that player to win the game against any possible hand.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If he or she doesn't, then the moderator may name it. The moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or her discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
League Points = Points Scored / Number of Opponents x 100 (rounded to the nearest integer)
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
5.3a. If multiple players have the most League points at the end of the League, then the PHM moderator may allow those players to play additional rounds until only one of those players has the most League points or until a specified number of additional rounds has been played.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's result against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
6.3a. Players are encouraged to determine or verify additional match results.
6.3b. An undetermined match result is counted as a loss for both players in that match.
6.3c. A player may challenge any result until the moderator announces that the result is final.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands typically containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Hand Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.2a. Some variant formats generate continuous effects. A continuous effect generated by a variant format is treated as having the earliest timestamp within a layer or sublayer. If continuous effects generated by multiple variant formats would apply in the same layer or sublayer, assign timestamps to those effects in the order that the variant formats are listed in the rules or name of the round.
7.2b. Some variant formats require a player to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a hand. A player's submission must comply with the Hand Construction Rules, taking into account any decisions made at this time.
7.2c. Some variant formats require players to make decisions "before the start of each game". For these decisions, follow the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, replacing "active player" with "starting player".
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.3a. This is the basic land rule (LR). Any player may play a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3b. This is the extra land rule (ELR). Any player may play a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. Any player may play an additional land on each of his or her turns from his or her hand. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3c. This is the draw land rule (DLR). If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game into his or her hand instead. The starting player doesn't skip the draw step of his or her first turn. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.4a. Only cards contained in sets legal in the named format may be submitted.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.5a. If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game.
7.5b. Irrespective of rule 7.5a, a player must choose an opening hand that enables him or her to win both games of a match against at least one hand, such that the player of the losing hand could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in that player losing the game. The losing hand must conform with the Hand Construction Rules but need not consider this rule.
7.6. Backbuild.
7.6a. Players exchange hands before the start of each match. Each player must choose an opening hand that enables him or her to win both games of a match against a specified hand or specified hands, such that the player of any specified hand could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in the player of that specified hand losing the game. Ignore rule 3.1.
7.7. (Bonus).
7.7a. A player earns bonus points if his or her hand meets specified requirements.
PHM Banned List_________________Land Rule Banned List
Noncreature spells cost 1 more to cast.
Activated abilities of noncreature permanents and noncreature cards cost 1 more to activate unless they're mana abilities.
Creature spells cost 1 less to cast.
Activated abilities of creature permanents and creature cards cost 1 less to activate unless they're mana abilities.
Can't Convoy_Avenger win on turn 2?
Pregame play out the leyline. T1 Black lotus, crack for blue, River of Tears, play Illusion of Grandeur.
T2 don't pay upkeep on Illusion, lose 20 life, SBA say lose, round rules say win.
I didn't even see that line. Assume I only try to win on turn 3 then?
EDIT: Or change my River to any ETB tapped land. Which was my original plan, but thought I was being cute with the River, didn't think of the repercussions.
1) 6-0 Black Lotus / Helix Pinnacle / Khalni Garden / Invigorate / Timetwister. You don't interact with citadels. I can kill your garden token, then lose life at my leisure.
2) 6-0 Black Lotus / Glacial Chasm / Illusions of Grandeur / Leyline of Punishment / [Generic tapped land]. I can spell pierce your illusions, and lose life at my leisure.
3) 3-3 City of Brass / Gemstone Caverns / Time Vault / Voltaic Key / Xantid Swarm. Both are turn 3 wins, and don't interact (or are protected) from each other.
4) 3-3 Adanto Vanguard / Black Lotus / Foil / Island / Tarnished Citadel. If I go first, I hold up pierce. You can go for vanguard, I would pierce the Lotus. If you foil back, you can get vanguard down, lose 4 life immediately. On my turn, you lose 4 life, I lose 6. On your turn, you lose 4 life, on my turn, you lose 4 life in upkeep, but then main I win. If you instead don't go for vanguard, my citadels race. If you go first, you get vanguard down, and citadel down, losing 7 life, on my turn you lose another 4, on your turn you lose another 7, and then on my second upkeep you win.
6) 6-0 Ancient Tomb / Damping Matrix / Mana Crypt / Smokestack / Sphere of Resistance. If I go first, I can hold pierce for smokestack, then my lands go way faster than yours. If I go second, you get a stack down turn 1. I can get two activations out of each land, but that's only 18 total. But maybe I play a land, wait for you to start stacking. You have to sac stacks at some point, then I get down my other two lands and race. I always win this race. (Unless you'd like to propose a line I haven't considered below)
Life totals will be (you-me)
Every line is a turn
Primary line
You're on the play, slam Tomb Crypt Smokestack (18-20)
I drop the citadel, hold up mana
break to secondary line (*) here
You tick up smokestack, play out one of your rocks, I spell pierce it (16-17)
I float mana, lose the citadel, and pass (16-14)
You have to sac Crypt, and lose your life (14-14)
I pass
You lose smokestack, and your life (12-14)
I play out a citadel, lose life (12-11)
You lose life (10-11)
I play out the other citadel, lose life (10-5)
You lose life (8-5)
I lose life (8- (-1) ) and win.
(*) Secondary line
You don't tick up stacks, and instead just play out a rock, which I spell pierce (16-17)
I tap for mana. (16-14)
Break for third line (**)
You tick up stacks, play out your other rock (14-14)
I tap for mana, lose citadel, and pass (14-11)
You lose the rock, tap for mana and pass (12-11)
I do nothing
You lose crypt, tap for mana and pass (10-11)
I do nothing
You lose stacks, tap for mana and pass (8-11)
I play citadel, tap for mana (8-8)
You tap for mana and pass (6-8)
I play citadel, tap for mana (6-2)
You tap for mana (4-2)
I tap for mana (4- (-4) ) and win.
(**) Third line
You play out your other rock (14-14)
I tap for mana (14-11)
Break for fourth line (***)
You tick up stacks, tap for mana (12-11)
I tap for mana, lose citadel (12-8)
You lose the rock (10-8)
I pass
You lose crypt (8-8)
I sense the end is coming, and play a citadel (8-5)
You lose stacks (6-5) (You could also lose your way to win, and I still have another citadel left in hand, so this is a losing line)
I play my other citadel, and tap out (6 - (-1) ) to win.
(***) Fourth line
You tap for mana. (12-11)
I sense a win, play out a second citadel, and tap for mana (12-5)
You tick up stacks, tap for mana. (10-5)
I tap for mana in upkeep (10- (-1) ) and win.
7) 6-0 Commandeer / Daze / Foil / Hex Parasite / Island. I just need to play lands, your 4 life each (pair of) turn(s) is not as fast as mine.
5 | 6 6 3 3 X 6 6 |
For the challenge, replacing Firey Justice (never mattered) with pithing needle, I'm pretty sure I get 600. Unfortunately it 3-3's the list I did submit, so it doesn't 6-0 the whole field.
This is way too slow. It looks like CalvinSchwa though that Timetwister would cycle itself back in; it also looks like he forgot that Invigorate requires him to have a Forest in play. As a result, the deck does nothing.
On the play, I drop turn 1 Smokestack. I can leave it at zero if there are no citadels in play, or tick it up to eat the first one. In the mean time, I cast Sphere and Matrix (in that order) as sacrifice fodder.
On the draw, Stack gets Pierced and my self-destruction is slower than his.
Play or Draw, I can't stop my Crypt from getting Commandeered.
0-6
I made several sub-optimal choices here. Sphere only mattered in one match; the counterspell decks could all pay for it. Also, I couldn't ever cast Smokestack while Sphere was in play, and I couldn't cast Matrix without Crypt. I would have done far, far better with:
1. 6-0, nothing stops me.
2. 6-0, your deck has no inherent disruption, so I always win the T3 race if/when it becomes legal.
3. X
4. 0-6, we race to T3, and I can't caverns kill through the disruption. per Mogg's analysis.
5. 3-3, we race to T3, and I can't caverns kill through disruption.
6. 0-6, you dick!
7. 6-0. You can either commandeer or Daze+Foil. I play Swarm on turn 2, playing both of my lands regularly. If you do nothing I win, if you commandeer it I win, if you Daze+Foil I pay for the daze then Swarm eats the Foil and I win.
Cave turned out less useful than expected. I was using it as a mirror breaker against T3 race decks, but those decks managed to pack early disruption while getting to T3. I definitely should have used Tarnished Citadel over City of Brass, but I don't think it mattered in any matchup.
@Reyemile:
Sphere of Resistance shuts down Illusions, and Crypt plus Tomb puts me to zero faster than he can tick up Chasm's upkeep.
Crypt never damages you, right? "2.4 An effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of that effect instead." So Citadel would have been relevant, damn it!
I didn't even see that line. Assume I only try to win on turn 3 then?
EDIT: Or change my River to any ETB tapped land. Which was my original plan, but thought I was being cute with the River, didn't think of the repercussions.
4. 3-3, we race to T3, and I can't caverns kill through the disruption.
Not quite. If I don't cast Foil, then I can win on your t3 upkeep.
ManyCookies t1: City, Swarm, 19
Mogg t1: Lotus, Vanguard, activate Vanguard, activate Citadel, 13
ManyCookies: t2: Vault, 18 [activate Vanguard, 9]
Mogg t2: activate Vanguard, 5
ManyCookies t3: [activate Vanguard, activate Citadel, win]
My line:
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
4| 6 6 6 X 3 6 3 | 28 | 467
1: 6: CS doesn't really do anything, and then I win.
2: 6: I counter Illusions and outrace Chasm.
3: 6: As described above.
5: 3: Spell Pierce forces me to pitch Citadel, so we trade quick wins.
6: 6: Per Reyemile's analysis.
7: 3: Daze plus Foil prevents Lotus from resolving. Hex Parasite activating once on each player's turn outraces Citadel. When I start, though, Foils trade, and Vanguard wins quickly.
I looked at a lot of combos, before deciding that Tarnished Citadel was better than most of them.
I also considered Exploration / Reset / 3x Tarnished Citadel, for a different t2 upkeep win, until I remembered that I couldn't double-tap my lands due to the round rule.
Grove was on my radar specifically for the Hex Parasite matchup--Grove alone singlehandedly forces deck 7 to a draw! The build I was toying with also ran a copy of Nature's Claim just for the slight bump in the race.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
5CH Self-Destruction
Land Rule: None.
Format Rule:
Each activated ability of each object can be activated only once each turn.
Additional Bans:
Hands:
1) CalvinSchwa
Black Lotus / Helix Pinnacle / Khalni Garden / Invigorate / Timetwister
Note: I may be missing something, but I'm pretty sure this hand can't win.
EDIT: It can win, but it does so very slowly.
2) Convoy_Avenger
Black Lotus / Glacial Chasm / Illusions of Grandeur / Leyline of Punishment / Salt Marsh*
*Replacing River of Tears
3) ManyCookies
City of Brass / Gemstone Caverns / Time Vault / Voltaic Key / Xantid Swarm
4) Mogg
Adanto Vanguard / Black Lotus / Foil / Island / Tarnished Citadel
5) nerdyjoe
Fiery Justice / Spell Pierce / Tarnished Citadel / Tarnished Citadel / Tarnished Citadel
6) Reyemile
Ancient Tomb / Damping Matrix / Mana Crypt / Smokestack / Sphere of Resistance
7) tomsloger
Commandeer / Daze / Foil / Hex Parasite / Island
Results:
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
1| X 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 00 | 000
2| 6 X 0 0 0 3 0 | 08 | 133
3| 6 6 X 0 3 0 6 | 20 | 333
4| 6 6 6 X 3 6 3 | 28 | 467
5| 6 6 3 3 X 6 6 | 28 | 467
6| 6 3 6 0 0 X 0 | 14 | 233
7| 6 6 0 3 0 6 X | 20 | 333
Mogg and nerdyjoe win!
Rules and Banned List
Cards on the PHM Banned List are always banned, and cards on the Land Rule Banned List are banned as well when the round uses a Land Rule.
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Hand Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via an online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form his or her hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the player of each hand employs the strategy that maximizes the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game that it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Hand Construction Rules.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
ii. Changes that would take effect at any other time take effect during the first round for which those rules have been in effect since the start of the round instead.
2.1b. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or by the rules of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.4. An effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and all cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that would enable him or her to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
ii. Take an infinite number of turns.
iii. Cause a card to leave an opponent's hand.
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.1b. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents had no maximum hand size.
3.1c. That player could achieve one of these results only during a game that was restarted after an opponent's second turn had begun.
3.1d. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be put onto the battlefield by that effect.
3.1e. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be in that opponent's hand once that effect resolved.
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.2b. The moderator also will try to notify a player if that player's hand doesn't enable that player to win the game against any possible hand.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If he or she doesn't, then the moderator may name it. The moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or her discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's result against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
6.3b. An undetermined match result is counted as a loss for both players in that match.
6.3c. A player may challenge any result until the moderator announces that the result is final.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands typically containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Hand Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.2b. Some variant formats require a player to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a hand. A player's submission must comply with the Hand Construction Rules, taking into account any decisions made at this time.
7.2c. Some variant formats require players to make decisions "before the start of each game". For these decisions, follow the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, replacing "active player" with "starting player".
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.3b. This is the extra land rule (ELR). Any player may play a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. Any player may play an additional land on each of his or her turns from his or her hand. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3c. This is the draw land rule (DLR). If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game into his or her hand instead. The starting player doesn't skip the draw step of his or her first turn. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.4. Sanctioned Magic Format Variant.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.5b. Irrespective of rule 7.5a, a player must choose an opening hand that enables him or her to win both games of a match against at least one hand, such that the player of the losing hand could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in that player losing the game. The losing hand must conform with the Hand Construction Rules but need not consider this rule.
7.6. Backbuild.
7.7. (Bonus).
Beast Within________________________Beacon of Creation
Chancellor of the Annex_____________Black Lotus
Channel_____________________________Energy Field
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn_____________Maralen of the Mornsong
Fastbond____________________________Nezumi Shortfang
Flash_______________________________Red Sun's Zenith
Force of Will_______________________White Sun's Zenith
Ghost Quarter
Laboratory Maniac
Leyline of Anticipation
Leyline of Singularity
Leyline of the Meek
Magus of the Moon
Meddling Mage
Pact of Negation
Show and Tell
Strip Mine
The Rack
Trinisphere
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Vampire Hexmage
Wasteland
Channel_____________________________Black Lotus
Fastbond
Flash
Show and Tell
Disruption
Beast Within________________________Balancing Act
Chancellor of the Annex_____________Energy Field
Force of Will
Leyline of Anticipation
Leyline of Singularity
Pact of Negation
Trinisphere
Lands
Ghost Quarter
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Win Conditions
Barren Glory________________________Beacon of Creation
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn_____________Maralen of the Mornsong
Laboratory Maniac___________________Nezumi Shortfang
Leyline of the Meek_________________Red Sun's Zenith
Magus of the Moon___________________White Sun's Zenith
Meddling Mage
The Rack
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Vampire Hexmage
Format Ideas?
Additional Resources
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
5CH Name TBD
Land Rule: None.
Format Rule:
Activated abilities of noncreature permanents and noncreature cards cost 1 more to activate unless they're mana abilities.
Creature spells cost 1 less to cast.
Activated abilities of creature permanents and creature cards cost 1 less to activate unless they're mana abilities.
Additional Bans:
Please post if you have any comments or suggestions!
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
Please take a look and score your row.
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
I can win on turn 3, but still seem to lose most of these.
Pregame play out the leyline. T1 Black lotus, crack for blue, River of Tears, play Illusion of Grandeur.
T2 don't pay upkeep on Illusion, lose 20 life, SBA say lose, round rules say win.
EDIT: Or change my River to any ETB tapped land. Which was my original plan, but thought I was being cute with the River, didn't think of the repercussions.
5) nerdyjoe
Fiery Justice / Spell Pierce / Tarnished Citadel / Tarnished Citadel / Tarnished Citadel
1) 6-0 Black Lotus / Helix Pinnacle / Khalni Garden / Invigorate / Timetwister. You don't interact with citadels. I can kill your garden token, then lose life at my leisure.
2) 6-0 Black Lotus / Glacial Chasm / Illusions of Grandeur / Leyline of Punishment / [Generic tapped land]. I can spell pierce your illusions, and lose life at my leisure.
3) 3-3 City of Brass / Gemstone Caverns / Time Vault / Voltaic Key / Xantid Swarm. Both are turn 3 wins, and don't interact (or are protected) from each other.
4) 3-3 Adanto Vanguard / Black Lotus / Foil / Island / Tarnished Citadel. If I go first, I hold up pierce. You can go for vanguard, I would pierce the Lotus. If you foil back, you can get vanguard down, lose 4 life immediately. On my turn, you lose 4 life, I lose 6. On your turn, you lose 4 life, on my turn, you lose 4 life in upkeep, but then main I win. If you instead don't go for vanguard, my citadels race. If you go first, you get vanguard down, and citadel down, losing 7 life, on my turn you lose another 4, on your turn you lose another 7, and then on my second upkeep you win.
6) 6-0 Ancient Tomb / Damping Matrix / Mana Crypt / Smokestack / Sphere of Resistance. If I go first, I can hold pierce for smokestack, then my lands go way faster than yours. If I go second, you get a stack down turn 1. I can get two activations out of each land, but that's only 18 total. But maybe I play a land, wait for you to start stacking. You have to sac stacks at some point, then I get down my other two lands and race. I always win this race. (Unless you'd like to propose a line I haven't considered below)
Life totals will be (you-me)
Every line is a turn
Primary line
You're on the play, slam Tomb Crypt Smokestack (18-20)
I drop the citadel, hold up mana
break to secondary line (*) here
You tick up smokestack, play out one of your rocks, I spell pierce it (16-17)
I float mana, lose the citadel, and pass (16-14)
You have to sac Crypt, and lose your life (14-14)
I pass
You lose smokestack, and your life (12-14)
I play out a citadel, lose life (12-11)
You lose life (10-11)
I play out the other citadel, lose life (10-5)
You lose life (8-5)
I lose life (8- (-1) ) and win.
(*) Secondary line
You don't tick up stacks, and instead just play out a rock, which I spell pierce (16-17)
I tap for mana. (16-14)
Break for third line (**)
You tick up stacks, play out your other rock (14-14)
I tap for mana, lose citadel, and pass (14-11)
You lose the rock, tap for mana and pass (12-11)
I do nothing
You lose crypt, tap for mana and pass (10-11)
I do nothing
You lose stacks, tap for mana and pass (8-11)
I play citadel, tap for mana (8-8)
You tap for mana and pass (6-8)
I play citadel, tap for mana (6-2)
You tap for mana (4-2)
I tap for mana (4- (-4) ) and win.
(**) Third line
You play out your other rock (14-14)
I tap for mana (14-11)
Break for fourth line (***)
You tick up stacks, tap for mana (12-11)
I tap for mana, lose citadel (12-8)
You lose the rock (10-8)
I pass
You lose crypt (8-8)
I sense the end is coming, and play a citadel (8-5)
You lose stacks (6-5) (You could also lose your way to win, and I still have another citadel left in hand, so this is a losing line)
I play my other citadel, and tap out (6 - (-1) ) to win.
(***) Fourth line
You tap for mana. (12-11)
I sense a win, play out a second citadel, and tap for mana (12-5)
You tick up stacks, tap for mana. (10-5)
I tap for mana in upkeep (10- (-1) ) and win.
7) 6-0 Commandeer / Daze / Foil / Hex Parasite / Island. I just need to play lands, your 4 life each (pair of) turn(s) is not as fast as mine.
5 | 6 6 3 3 X 6 6 |
For the challenge, replacing Firey Justice (never mattered) with pithing needle, I'm pretty sure I get 600. Unfortunately it 3-3's the list I did submit, so it doesn't 6-0 the whole field.
This is way too slow. It looks like CalvinSchwa though that Timetwister would cycle itself back in; it also looks like he forgot that Invigorate requires him to have a Forest in play. As a result, the deck does nothing.
6-0
Sphere of Resistance shuts down Illusions, and Crypt plus Tomb puts me to zero faster than he can tick up Chasm's upkeep.
Play or Draw, he can't comb off through Dampening Matrix.
6-0
Play or draw, my Crypt gets foiled and his Citadel outraces my Tomb.
0-6
On the play, I drop turn 1 Smokestack. I can leave it at zero if there are no citadels in play, or tick it up to eat the first one. In the mean time, I cast Sphere and Matrix (in that order) as sacrifice fodder.
On the draw, Stack gets Pierced and my self-destruction is slower than his.
3-3
Play or Draw, I can't stop my Crypt from getting Commandeered.
0-6
I made several sub-optimal choices here. Sphere only mattered in one match; the counterspell decks could all pay for it. Also, I couldn't ever cast Smokestack while Sphere was in play, and I couldn't cast Matrix without Crypt. I would have done far, far better with:
1. 6-0, nothing stops me.
2. 6-0, your deck has no inherent disruption, so I always win the T3 race if/when it becomes legal.
3. X
4. 0-6,
we race to T3, and I can't caverns kill through the disruption.per Mogg's analysis.5. 3-3, we race to T3, and I can't caverns kill through disruption.
6. 0-6, you dick!
7. 6-0. You can either commandeer or Daze+Foil. I play Swarm on turn 2, playing both of my lands regularly. If you do nothing I win, if you commandeer it I win, if you Daze+Foil I pay for the daze then Swarm eats the Foil and I win.
but I don't think it mattered in any matchup.@Reyemile:
Crypt never damages you, right? "2.4 An effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of that effect instead." So Citadel would have been relevant, damn it!
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
Not quite. If I don't cast Foil, then I can win on your t3 upkeep.
ManyCookies t1: City, Swarm, 19
Mogg t1: Lotus, Vanguard, activate Vanguard, activate Citadel, 13
ManyCookies: t2: Vault, 18 [activate Vanguard, 9]
Mogg t2: activate Vanguard, 5
ManyCookies t3: [activate Vanguard, activate Citadel, win]
My line:
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
4| 6 6 6 X 3 6 3 | 28 | 467
2: 6: I counter Illusions and outrace Chasm.
3: 6: As described above.
5: 3: Spell Pierce forces me to pitch Citadel, so we trade quick wins.
6: 6: Per Reyemile's analysis.
7: 3: Daze plus Foil prevents Lotus from resolving. Hex Parasite activating once on each player's turn outraces Citadel. When I start, though, Foils trade, and Vanguard wins quickly.
I looked at a lot of combos, before deciding that Tarnished Citadel was better than most of them.
These were some of my ideas for this round:
Cragganwick Cremator + Serra Avatar
Invincible Hymn
Abyssal Persecutor
Hive Mind + Pact of the Titan
Eureka / Form of the Dragon / Ashen Rider
3x Black Lotus / Force of Nature / Blood Moon
Soulgorger Orgg + Mana Vault
Foil / Reanimate / Draco
Grove of the Burnwillows
I also considered Exploration / Reset / 3x Tarnished Citadel, for a different t2 upkeep win, until I remembered that I couldn't double-tap my lands due to the round rule.
What other cool ideas did people develop?
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy