OP is pretty much saying that monowhite would dominate legacy if multicolor decks were banned from legacy, which is a worthless thought exercise that's not tethered to reality (even if it's actually true).
I wonder if monowhite would dominate all formats if it was the only color lol jk jk (are we allowed to make jokes here? I did make my valid point two posts above).
Edit--dang it lands and artifacts. Curse you. Although to be fair, lands would be an easy matchup for Mono White.
Can't speak for standard as I don't/haven't ever really followed and/or played it. Modern, Legacy, Vintage see few decks play white extensively (if at all, sans Mentor) but it does see some nice SB play. Now speaking from personal experience: all four of my EDH decks (discounting Vorel of the Hull Clade as he was my 1st and casualish) contained white--I did not intentionally include it, and it was certainly far from the central color in any. It was, however, an EXCELLENT support color.
I think my conclusion would have to be that it does not even come close to dominating any format but that it can be a good-to-great support color with exile effects to both creatures and enchantments, as well as wrath effects being the big reasons to splash/play it. As I said, I never picked white to play consciously, it was more of a product of the unique appears-to-be-nice effects it produces.
I will say the same about red, while I'm at it, though not all points above are valid for this color. Red is pretty weak by itself. But it is another very good support color. It doesn't do enough on it's own but it has just the right cards to side in or splash for to make it a contender in many 75s or 99s. (P.S. exception is Burn of course, which is a strong contender in the right meta in modern).
Now green, blue, and black on the other hand--I don't think there's any debate that those are the strongest colors and their dominance varies by format (e.g. Green in EDH, blue in Vintage). This isn't to say they're necessary to win or that those two examples I mentioned mean they are THE BEST hands down; just saying that they play the best in these formats in a way that push white and red to "lol tier?" status or aforementioned support role imo.
Cockatrice is the way to go...if you can find some good players to learn with. If you just go into a random room without knowing how to play, you're liable to run into some jerk who doesn't remember when he first started playing.
My recommendation is still Cockatrice, no doubt; just make sure you make a room titled something along the lines of "New to Trice, Please Help!". That usually works. If you have a buddy who can also download and play Cockatrice, even better: just make a room with you two, check out the controls and shortcuts in the "Settings" tab and you're good to go! It's really super easy once you get used to it. Sometimes things can get confusing because, as izzetmage said, everything is done manually, but in a way it helps you learn and understand the game better! idk maybe not but either way, my vote is for Trice.
I don't think so, Marath is only good against aggro with no removal, which is pretty much only Elves...
Edit: Having said all that I just want to say I'm not certain Marath should have been banned eithor. He wasn't exactly dominating the format. I'm glad Ooze is gone because Sidisi was everywhere and an even harder matchup for (non blue) creature decks.
I think the "rule" (I put quotes because I know it's not set in stone, rather the collective sentiments of the decision-makers and some players) is that a deck's dominance/prominence in a format is no the sole dictating factor in the decision to ban or not ban a certain card. In my opinion, having played Marath all the way from a casual-ish elfball version years ago up to a fine-tuned iteration a couple months ago, Marath just wrecked many decks that played with creatures less than 3 toughness. These were typically aggro/midrange decks, and yes, blue/control matchups (e.g. flip Jace) were not necessarily easy or in our favor, but most matchups could be won even if not likely a large percentage of the times.
Regardless of whether or not what I just said is really true, putting three very different and very versatile abilities on an aggressively costed creature is a pretty bad idea from a design standpoint. If Marath costs 5 do you think he's banned now? Probably not (I'll concede a "maybe"). Just like JtMS: four good abilities at a relatively low cost is almost virtual card advantage and we all know what wins games...
I haven't played in some time but I always keep up with everything. Marath was by far my favorite commander ever and it's sad to see him go but even though he did have terrible MUs vs many top tier decks he was a very strong deck. No question. I'd be more upset if I still played but fair banning IMO.
Ooze...thank heavens. That needed to go too long ago. The worst combo ever. How many T1/2 Buried Alive T3 instawin games did I see with that dude? Too many. Sure, run 10 GY hate in your deck, see how you fare vs. the rest of the field. Lol. Beatable but too consistent with Sidisi. If you weren't playing blue with mana up all game it was a downhill battle every time.
Cruise I could see going either way. Of course draw three is good and it's even better for one mana lol. But it's rare to play super early and isn't an instant. Still, it's a top deck which singlehandedly won unwinnable games. D3 AND leaving almost all of your mana up to play your new hand is too good.
Finally, Dig. If there is one single person who argues this banning, they need to stop playing magic now. Instant speed puts it over the top of Mt. Everest. Dig seven? Wtf were they thinking printing this? Stupid stupid stupid card (I loved playing it too lol) which is probably one of the top 25 cards in the game in a vacuum.
Moving forward, I think two busted cards stand out (and that does NOT say anything about how dominant they are or how much they are played, simply how strong they are for their expense): Survival of the Fittest and High Tide. SotF just has so many chains and different applications it's crazy. Add a 'tap' next to the 'g' and idk if it gets played (Shaman has a butt at least, an elf one at that). High Tide is not the only way of enabling infinite combos in U but for one mana and easily recurred, probably wouldn't hurt to see it go. Cmon you still have Lens and Candelabra and friends ;).
Idk just thoughts. Sucks for marath to go but overall these are all good steps for French 1v1.
Wait why are people upset this is a rare? I mean it is a pretty ridiculously bonkers card. I guess in limited you might not take a rare on your first pick if you're not playing elves lol but...this was $15+ at a point not long ago and now it's half that with the HUGE HORRIBLE JUMP TO RARE. Ummm?
Oh because your $10 or $15 or whatever EMA pack is worth less now heh. Sucks when you're forced to buy these packs here. Terrible.
If you're doing it for fun it shouldn't matter. If you're doing it for financial gain, you're doing it wrong by opening EMA boosters?
Nooooo why the heck was Lodestone restricted? Awwww that's disappointing. Well, here's your chance Big Blue lol. Storm, go nuts! I get that a T1 golem on the play sucks but this is a far different deck as far as it's policing ability with a few Juggernauts slotted back in...
edit-come to think of it, it's a little odd that AV is unbanned, too, considering we just found out drawing three, even mid-game (TC obv) is really good but I will enjoy watching Modern players everywhere figure out what the hell to play at the next big tourney!
I really don't care as it doesn't affect me but I don't think Yisan needed to go...He's good, sure, but very easy to disrupt along with all his dorks and support. I think cradle alone would have certainly been enough to at least start with until next announcement but either way.
Nobody will oppose Tas's ban I wager. Jenara? Interesting. Very very fair commander and don't see him a lot. The others, yeah they are strong so I don't have any qualms about them being on watch (remember it's a WATCH list, not ban list!). Little surprised about Ooze not being banned. Also Survival of the Fittest? I love that card! But it is really jacked up, similar to Entomb *in a sense*.
No major issues here. I think adding all these guys to a watch list at once makes the RC look a little scared maybe but I don't believe these changes (and lack of changes for cards not added) but I don't think that they were made without merit or discussion :).
This. Such an annoying and boss card especially on curve. I see almost nobody play it ever.
Because it doesn't really do anything on its. Without cute tricks, its either there to deter attackers or just bash. Which of course relegates it to not being played in competitive lists (which want to end the game between turns 3-5 anyways)
I play French/Duel and don't see wins T3-5 usually but they definitely can and do happen (Kaalia or Animar, even Marath with the right hand!); however, I definitely feel as far fewer decks run hard to interact with combos that go off that quickly (Sidisi? Yup lookin atcha!) than "fair" or at the very least slower decks can stick with. I can definitely see your point though, 4 CMC is kinda the turning point in some decks where a card HAS to have an impact before you untap for it to be included in the 99.
[\Quote] Bottom line, this is a card game, and cardboard squares shouldn't be worth hundred dollar bills.
Ah omg so true...***** is only worth what people are willing to pay for it!! This applies to nearly EVERYTHING in life! This is not communism; it is straight up and down capitalism! And for all the "bad" it brings, it creates that much more good and then some!
This is common sense guys...
Edit- that was meant to agree with @degenerate1 not whom he quoted.
Just sold my Imperial Recruiter JP in hopes of a reprint...even if not, meh, good $$. Glad I picked up my R Tundra at $110 a few months ago--probably gonna win on that one...idk aside from some of the Portal cards, Port, Fetches...nothing too crazy coming to mind. At least the rest of my revised duals should look good in the near future. Fun stuff! Better than "I wonder how many Goyfs will be opened at my draft tonight" over and over again (yes I realize we got a lot of good price drops with MM1-2, Cryptic, Bob, BBlossom, Clique, especially),
As for Tasigur MU, sometimes you just get unlucky (and sometimes, a lot of times!) and they get ridiculous draws. I've found the best way to beat him is removing him 2 times immediately. Then it becomes difficult to cast even with Delve. Of course, Scavenging Ooze is an all-star but you can't count on him due to the mass wipes; that's why Gaddock Teeg is very good here, too. He deals not only with most sweepers (Toxic Deluge will never be beat lol) but some card draw and Upheaval as well.
If he gets Life from the Loam going early, it's very difficult. Overextending without a Boros Charm or something to get value out of creature death triggers (Voice of Resurgence token can be huge 1. because Cradle still taps for mana and 2. he'll still have to be dealt with; sometimes he just gets big and you win) is a no-no so play your planeswalkers (haha, ironic) and enchantments while he's got open mana. ANOTHER SHAMELESS PLUG FOR Nissa, Voice of Zendikar who absolutely LOVES this matchup.
Mina and Denn, Wildborn: as everyone pointed out when I first saw the card, Oracle and Courser are there for card quality and with nine fetches and tutors galore those two shine here. M&D don't do that. You're likely to be playing it on T3 or T4 in a vacuum. So you probably already have three or four lands out meaning there are but so many cards in your hand and if you have spare lands in your hand then you do not have threats or win-cons. Now, I will say, it's certainly not bad I don't feel. The large body is very helpful and the ability has some really neat tricks available for abuse. Finally, the trample is very relevant.
Solid card but I feel for the same CMC, I'd play Huntmaster of the Fells (whom I have run in the past}; he serves a totally different purpose though but his is value. Token on ETB is great, 2 life is great, Pod-into-5 drop is great, Resto and Kiki with him are great, flipping him is gravy and the Huntmaster is even better against control. I think we can do better than him but in a control-meta, value is good so that not everything is a 1 or 2 for 1. And after all that, I'd not recommend playing him unless you have a flex spot you need to fill at 4 CMC or something.
Aside from that, looking at your deck you run a lot of stock pieces which of course are staples. I play Nature's Claim over Harmonic Sliver because even though HS is a creature which is extremely relevant (at relevant 3CMC), one mana at instant speed is so sweet and I personally feel it's just that good. Some don't play it. Personal preference. Don't play Reflecting Pool because it can break many otherwise good explosive hands. Cinder Glade isn't good here because although it's another RG and fetchable target, it will CIPT too often with no addt'l upside on ETB.
Ivy League Denizen isn't bad but again, I think we can do better. Interesting number of big beaters. Depending on the meta, Sigarda could be fine but I don't think Inferno Titan and/or Sun Titan are worth it; you gotta consider Birthing Pod targets for every card in this deck and we have none for them and they're really just goodstuff. Of course they will be good when you get em out but too often they'll ruin hands early and mid game.
Sylvan Safekeeper? I personally don't feel its protection capabilities are worth sac'ing a land or "combo"-ing with Titania alone. We love our lands.
Too tired now but tomorrow...I'll post my thoughts on @zkopce's post.
Finally for the night, remember that in order for the deck to get better, cards have to be taken out and every single card we play is a good card which means sometimes you're going to have to take out a good card in order to make room for a great one.
Lands without R/G though? No Punishing Fire for you!
I wonder if monowhite would dominate all formats if it was the only color lol
Edit--dang it lands and artifacts. Curse you. Although to be fair, lands would be an easy matchup for Mono White.
I think my conclusion would have to be that it does not even come close to dominating any format but that it can be a good-to-great support color with exile effects to both creatures and enchantments, as well as wrath effects being the big reasons to splash/play it. As I said, I never picked white to play consciously, it was more of a product of the unique appears-to-be-nice effects it produces.
I will say the same about red, while I'm at it, though not all points above are valid for this color. Red is pretty weak by itself. But it is another very good support color. It doesn't do enough on it's own but it has just the right cards to side in or splash for to make it a contender in many 75s or 99s. (P.S. exception is Burn of course, which is a strong contender in the right meta in modern).
Now green, blue, and black on the other hand--I don't think there's any debate that those are the strongest colors and their dominance varies by format (e.g. Green in EDH, blue in Vintage). This isn't to say they're necessary to win or that those two examples I mentioned mean they are THE BEST hands down; just saying that they play the best in these formats in a way that push white and red to "lol tier?" status or aforementioned support role imo.
My recommendation is still Cockatrice, no doubt; just make sure you make a room titled something along the lines of "New to Trice, Please Help!". That usually works. If you have a buddy who can also download and play Cockatrice, even better: just make a room with you two, check out the controls and shortcuts in the "Settings" tab and you're good to go! It's really super easy once you get used to it. Sometimes things can get confusing because, as izzetmage said, everything is done manually, but in a way it helps you learn and understand the game better! idk maybe not but either way, my vote is for Trice.
I think the "rule" (I put quotes because I know it's not set in stone, rather the collective sentiments of the decision-makers and some players) is that a deck's dominance/prominence in a format is no the sole dictating factor in the decision to ban or not ban a certain card. In my opinion, having played Marath all the way from a casual-ish elfball version years ago up to a fine-tuned iteration a couple months ago, Marath just wrecked many decks that played with creatures less than 3 toughness. These were typically aggro/midrange decks, and yes, blue/control matchups (e.g. flip Jace) were not necessarily easy or in our favor, but most matchups could be won even if not likely a large percentage of the times.
Regardless of whether or not what I just said is really true, putting three very different and very versatile abilities on an aggressively costed creature is a pretty bad idea from a design standpoint. If Marath costs 5 do you think he's banned now? Probably not (I'll concede a "maybe"). Just like JtMS: four good abilities at a relatively low cost is almost virtual card advantage and we all know what wins games...
Ooze...thank heavens. That needed to go too long ago. The worst combo ever. How many T1/2 Buried Alive T3 instawin games did I see with that dude? Too many. Sure, run 10 GY hate in your deck, see how you fare vs. the rest of the field. Lol. Beatable but too consistent with Sidisi. If you weren't playing blue with mana up all game it was a downhill battle every time.
Cruise I could see going either way. Of course draw three is good and it's even better for one mana lol. But it's rare to play super early and isn't an instant. Still, it's a top deck which singlehandedly won unwinnable games. D3 AND leaving almost all of your mana up to play your new hand is too good.
Finally, Dig. If there is one single person who argues this banning, they need to stop playing magic now. Instant speed puts it over the top of Mt. Everest. Dig seven? Wtf were they thinking printing this? Stupid stupid stupid card (I loved playing it too lol) which is probably one of the top 25 cards in the game in a vacuum.
Moving forward, I think two busted cards stand out (and that does NOT say anything about how dominant they are or how much they are played, simply how strong they are for their expense): Survival of the Fittest and High Tide. SotF just has so many chains and different applications it's crazy. Add a 'tap' next to the 'g' and idk if it gets played (Shaman has a butt at least, an elf one at that). High Tide is not the only way of enabling infinite combos in U but for one mana and easily recurred, probably wouldn't hurt to see it go. Cmon you still have Lens and Candelabra and friends ;).
Idk just thoughts. Sucks for marath to go but overall these are all good steps for French 1v1.
Oh because your $10 or $15 or whatever EMA pack is worth less now heh. Sucks when you're forced to buy these packs here. Terrible.
If you're doing it for fun it shouldn't matter. If you're doing it for financial gain, you're doing it wrong by opening EMA boosters?
edit-come to think of it, it's a little odd that AV is unbanned, too, considering we just found out drawing three, even mid-game (TC obv) is really good but I will enjoy watching Modern players everywhere figure out what the hell to play at the next big tourney!
Nobody will oppose Tas's ban I wager. Jenara? Interesting. Very very fair commander and don't see him a lot. The others, yeah they are strong so I don't have any qualms about them being on watch (remember it's a WATCH list, not ban list!). Little surprised about Ooze not being banned. Also Survival of the Fittest? I love that card! But it is really jacked up, similar to Entomb *in a sense*.
No major issues here. I think adding all these guys to a watch list at once makes the RC look a little scared maybe but I don't believe these changes (and lack of changes for cards not added) but I don't think that they were made without merit or discussion :).
I play French/Duel and don't see wins T3-5 usually but they definitely can and do happen (Kaalia or Animar, even Marath with the right hand!); however, I definitely feel as far fewer decks run hard to interact with combos that go off that quickly (Sidisi? Yup lookin atcha!) than "fair" or at the very least slower decks can stick with. I can definitely see your point though, 4 CMC is kinda the turning point in some decks where a card HAS to have an impact before you untap for it to be included in the 99.
This. Such an annoying and boss card especially on curve. I see almost nobody play it ever.
Ah omg so true...***** is only worth what people are willing to pay for it!! This applies to nearly EVERYTHING in life! This is not communism; it is straight up and down capitalism! And for all the "bad" it brings, it creates that much more good and then some!
This is common sense guys...
Edit- that was meant to agree with @degenerate1 not whom he quoted.
As for Tasigur MU, sometimes you just get unlucky (and sometimes, a lot of times!) and they get ridiculous draws. I've found the best way to beat him is removing him 2 times immediately. Then it becomes difficult to cast even with Delve. Of course, Scavenging Ooze is an all-star but you can't count on him due to the mass wipes; that's why Gaddock Teeg is very good here, too. He deals not only with most sweepers (Toxic Deluge will never be beat lol) but some card draw and Upheaval as well.
If he gets Life from the Loam going early, it's very difficult. Overextending without a Boros Charm or something to get value out of creature death triggers (Voice of Resurgence token can be huge 1. because Cradle still taps for mana and 2. he'll still have to be dealt with; sometimes he just gets big and you win) is a no-no so play your planeswalkers (haha, ironic) and enchantments while he's got open mana. ANOTHER SHAMELESS PLUG FOR Nissa, Voice of Zendikar who absolutely LOVES this matchup.
Mina and Denn, Wildborn: as everyone pointed out when I first saw the card, Oracle and Courser are there for card quality and with nine fetches and tutors galore those two shine here. M&D don't do that. You're likely to be playing it on T3 or T4 in a vacuum. So you probably already have three or four lands out meaning there are but so many cards in your hand and if you have spare lands in your hand then you do not have threats or win-cons. Now, I will say, it's certainly not bad I don't feel. The large body is very helpful and the ability has some really neat tricks available for abuse. Finally, the trample is very relevant.
Solid card but I feel for the same CMC, I'd play Huntmaster of the Fells (whom I have run in the past}; he serves a totally different purpose though but his is value. Token on ETB is great, 2 life is great, Pod-into-5 drop is great, Resto and Kiki with him are great, flipping him is gravy and the Huntmaster is even better against control. I think we can do better than him but in a control-meta, value is good so that not everything is a 1 or 2 for 1. And after all that, I'd not recommend playing him unless you have a flex spot you need to fill at 4 CMC or something.
Aside from that, looking at your deck you run a lot of stock pieces which of course are staples. I play Nature's Claim over Harmonic Sliver because even though HS is a creature which is extremely relevant (at relevant 3CMC), one mana at instant speed is so sweet and I personally feel it's just that good. Some don't play it. Personal preference. Don't play Reflecting Pool because it can break many otherwise good explosive hands. Cinder Glade isn't good here because although it's another RG and fetchable target, it will CIPT too often with no addt'l upside on ETB.
Ivy League Denizen isn't bad but again, I think we can do better. Interesting number of big beaters. Depending on the meta, Sigarda could be fine but I don't think Inferno Titan and/or Sun Titan are worth it; you gotta consider Birthing Pod targets for every card in this deck and we have none for them and they're really just goodstuff. Of course they will be good when you get em out but too often they'll ruin hands early and mid game.
Sylvan Safekeeper? I personally don't feel its protection capabilities are worth sac'ing a land or "combo"-ing with Titania alone. We love our lands.
Too tired now but tomorrow...I'll post my thoughts on @zkopce's post.
Finally for the night, remember that in order for the deck to get better, cards have to be taken out and every single card we play is a good card which means sometimes you're going to have to take out a good card in order to make room for a great one.