i'm not the only one then :). and yeah, interesting quote there which I largely agree with:
It took me a while to figure it out, because I just couldn’t accept the fact that a two-mana 2/2 guy is basically unplayable in this format. M14 is not about curving out and emptying your hand faster than your opponent, it’s about synergy and/or card advantage.
But it's interesting isn't it how the devs can mess with your expectations of cards going into it, even with something as "simple" as a core set. Stuff like barrage of expendables and bubbling cauldron were dismissed as unplayable, but are actually quite good. I know there's still doubters out there, but I think angelic accord lifegain is actually a real deck (though imagine if it had stayed at 1W like it was originally, they cut it back for constructed balance reasons). Tenatious dead is a really good card with even a minimal amount of synergy, act of treason is first pickable and diviniation is almost impossible to pass early in pack 1. I doubt anyone would have thought this going in.
My, and seemingly everybody's, understanding of this format has definitely shifted it seems when I'm looking at what's wheeling in drafts and what isn't.
Opportunity is completely bombs-away in M14. I agree that Bubbling Cauldron is a thing, albeit one that I haven't really messed with myself. Early on in M14, I was really cleaning up with U/B "death from above" as I call it, but people on MTGO have gotten wise to it.
And, I must begrudingly admit that I've lost to Mark of the Vampire and Trollhide way too many times. I would say that high-impact auras are a real thing in M14 as well. Black and red are both basically hopeless against a properly-timed Trollhide as they lack answers to it. At least blue and white have some good answers. It's pretty tough to beat a Trollhide in green as well.
I despise having such high-impact enchants running around, but that is the format and I've had to make that adjustment.
It's an interesting format... I agree that bears aren't that great. Most of the 2/2s for 3 outclass 2/2s for 2 here along with 2/3s for 3. It might even be to the point where Undead Minotaur is sometimes the correct pick over a bear, depending on what your deck is doing (i.e., if Predatory Sliver and Voracious Wurm don't really have upside in your deck and are just bears).
I've even warmed up to Brindle Boar's usefulness in this set. And, there's always Rootwalla of course. Really nice base 2/2s for 3 abound in M14.
On a side note, 2x Voracious Wurm with 3x Brindle Boar was actually pretty cool today. With board stalls, when 2/2 becomes irrelevant, it's not that much of a loss to get 6/6 and 4 life out of it.
Bears are unplayable in this format without a large upside. There are too many good blockers. I would generally avoid playing Goblin Shortcutter and Child of Night in most draft decks. Predatory Sliver usually doesn't make the cut for me in my green decks now. I think 2/3s and 1/3s are completely playable. I avoid playing 2/1s (except for Hauler / Pyromancer which have enough upside), and 2/2s are at best mediocre.
That's different from most formats and from where I was at the start of the format.
I think the enchantments are reasonably good, but they have a vulnerability to the blue decks and most decks are blue. I think if you play against the average deck, Mark of the Vampire will help you win. If you play against the average deck that has won a match already, Mark of the Vampire will be a liability.
It's an interesting format... I agree that bears aren't that great. Most of the 2/2s for 3 outclass 2/2s for 2 here along with 2/3s for 3. It might even be to the point where Undead Minotaur is sometimes the correct pick over a bear, depending on what your deck is doing (i.e., if Predatory Sliver and Voracious Wurm don't really have upside in your deck and are just bears).
I've even warmed up to Brindle Boar's usefulness in this set. And, there's always Rootwalla of course. Really nice base 2/2s for 3 abound in M14.
On a side note, 2x Voracious Wurm with 3x Brindle Boar was actually pretty cool today. With board stalls, when 2/2 becomes irrelevant, it's not that much of a loss to get 6/6 and 4 life out of it.
Some interesting points there. I agree with your latter point, and going back to the earlier discussion in this thread, I would say in this format that running out voracious worm after the brindle boar when you have them both in your opening hand is correct most of the time. That's not what most people were advising here.
Also I think you're right on the grey ogres with upside being mostly better than bears here. going real deep, i'd even argue that sliver construct fits in that category, the ability to block accursed spirit and academy raider makes it better than a vanilla 2/2 a remarkable amount of the time.
The Bubbling cauldron is a interesting card. If you get that with the tenacious dead you are in a really good place. Especially against green where you can block and sac preventing some damage and gaining 4 life. Such good repeatable effects go far to help you win games.
Where 2 and 3 were the critical points on the curve in Gatecrash, I would argue that it's 3 and 4 in M14. In M14, I find myself concentrating a lot on ensuring I have decent three drops and strong 4 drops like Nephalia Seakite, Rumbling Baloth, and Marauding Maulhorn. 5 is often the top off point for me, with the odd bomb here or there getting in at 6 or 7.
It's interesting that the data show that there is a significant spike at 20+ turn games in M14. Obviously, it's not like they're happening often, but the data seems to bear out that a relatively high number of games are really knock-down, dragged-out board stalls.
I've busted Brindle Bro plus Wurm once, and Child of the Night giving me a turn 3 4/4 twice..
I didn't prioritize anything.
Like you said, pick up a nice bear in the middle (early if there is nothing else in the pack) and if you get on-color lifegain (that is playable without the wurm) grab it and get to wrecking.
Goes nice with Cauldron also, which fits in any deck. Whenever you have Newts, awesome! If not, screw your 5 Claustrophobia, I'm gaining 20 life!
I kind of feel like prioritising bears too much is bad in this format. They tend to just get bricked by the pillarfield oxen of the world too soon to do anything. There's no two-power creature with evasion for two mana nor a lot of ways of getting your smaller guys through, beyond auras.
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But it's interesting isn't it how the devs can mess with your expectations of cards going into it, even with something as "simple" as a core set. Stuff like barrage of expendables and bubbling cauldron were dismissed as unplayable, but are actually quite good. I know there's still doubters out there, but I think angelic accord lifegain is actually a real deck (though imagine if it had stayed at 1W like it was originally, they cut it back for constructed balance reasons). Tenatious dead is a really good card with even a minimal amount of synergy, act of treason is first pickable and diviniation is almost impossible to pass early in pack 1. I doubt anyone would have thought this going in.
Opportunity is completely bombs-away in M14. I agree that Bubbling Cauldron is a thing, albeit one that I haven't really messed with myself. Early on in M14, I was really cleaning up with U/B "death from above" as I call it, but people on MTGO have gotten wise to it.
I agree that synergy is huge in this format. For that reason, and also because 2/3 is great because of some pretty nice Goblin Pikers running around, (Corpse Hauler, Child of Night, Goblin Shortcutter) Advocate of the Beast is getting snatched up faster. Reasonably so... even with no beasts, it's a good card in this format. When it starts running up the count of Rumbling Baloth, Kalonian Tusker, or once in a while, Mutavault, it gets really good.
And, I must begrudingly admit that I've lost to Mark of the Vampire and Trollhide way too many times. I would say that high-impact auras are a real thing in M14 as well. Black and red are both basically hopeless against a properly-timed Trollhide as they lack answers to it. At least blue and white have some good answers. It's pretty tough to beat a Trollhide in green as well.
I despise having such high-impact enchants running around, but that is the format and I've had to make that adjustment.
Oh yeah... and Blood Bairn gets picked over almost any bear, even though it is a Gray Ogre variant. With Claustrophobia and Pacifism running around, that little child is value. Your mention of Tenacious Dead also makes it nice (pulled that one off a few times!) along with Festering Newt and Molten Birth.
It's an interesting format... I agree that bears aren't that great. Most of the 2/2s for 3 outclass 2/2s for 2 here along with 2/3s for 3. It might even be to the point where Undead Minotaur is sometimes the correct pick over a bear, depending on what your deck is doing (i.e., if Predatory Sliver and Voracious Wurm don't really have upside in your deck and are just bears).
I've even warmed up to Brindle Boar's usefulness in this set. And, there's always Rootwalla of course. Really nice base 2/2s for 3 abound in M14.
On a side note, 2x Voracious Wurm with 3x Brindle Boar was actually pretty cool today. With board stalls, when 2/2 becomes irrelevant, it's not that much of a loss to get 6/6 and 4 life out of it.
That's different from most formats and from where I was at the start of the format.
I think the enchantments are reasonably good, but they have a vulnerability to the blue decks and most decks are blue. I think if you play against the average deck, Mark of the Vampire will help you win. If you play against the average deck that has won a match already, Mark of the Vampire will be a liability.
Some interesting points there. I agree with your latter point, and going back to the earlier discussion in this thread, I would say in this format that running out voracious worm after the brindle boar when you have them both in your opening hand is correct most of the time. That's not what most people were advising here.
Also I think you're right on the grey ogres with upside being mostly better than bears here. going real deep, i'd even argue that sliver construct fits in that category, the ability to block accursed spirit and academy raider makes it better than a vanilla 2/2 a remarkable amount of the time.
It's interesting that the data show that there is a significant spike at 20+ turn games in M14. Obviously, it's not like they're happening often, but the data seems to bear out that a relatively high number of games are really knock-down, dragged-out board stalls.
I didn't prioritize anything.
Like you said, pick up a nice bear in the middle (early if there is nothing else in the pack) and if you get on-color lifegain (that is playable without the wurm) grab it and get to wrecking.
Goes nice with Cauldron also, which fits in any deck. Whenever you have Newts, awesome! If not, screw your 5 Claustrophobia, I'm gaining 20 life!