Quote from AzureShadow »Just because it's pyramid scheme doesn't mean it's bad, per say. It provides a service that nowhere else does, just like one could argue that Bitcoin does, albeit an illegal one in that case. It does, though, absolutely fit the textbook definition of what a pyramid scheme is. The initial referers or payees have the highest amount of value in the system, and that collectively decreases as it spreads to the bottom.
The biggest risk to pucatrade is that the owner can give himself an account with, say, a few million points and buy up a huge pile of cards, then shut the entire thing down. I don't think that's particularly likely, but it is possible.
EDIT: Actually, allow me to amend that. The biggest risk to pucatrade is that the owner(s) can give themselves any points at all, because if they exchange them for cards then that represents more loss when the system inevitably closes, period. That is the big payoff of the pyramid scheme, is that they can exchange a non-existent entity that will eventually lose all value and which they can generate in infinite quantity, which can then be traded to others for physical value. It is very easy to obscure that, and I'm sure it does happen. The question then becomes how long it's worth risking the use of the system before it shuts down and the value vanishes.
I've seen this pop up a few times--why would puca close down? I also believe enough people buy points to hurry some of the process along (thus keeping the site up). I could see everyone trying to cash out if they did announce closure, but its a hypothetical that seems to be getting more attention that it probably should (surprise surprise).
Chris Flink was my introduction the deck, back at GP Worcester, fun to see his list nowadays.
I've been thinking about this for so long...so glad you're working on it!!!
The need for multiple bodies that grave titan makes is somewhat lessened--I think that elspeth may be the better six drop knock out alt-win con right now (which I've never said before).
I'm going to vegas and locked for ANT for the legacy portion--I've been on UW control for the last few months but don't want to to bring it to vegas...but ad naus (my old faithful) feels kinda crappy too. Don't know what to do!
On the vizier company decks--I'm thinking about running grafdiggers cages, paths, and if I can find any room 2 porphry nodes too. Only problem is I'm having trouble finding outs to stony silence (which I had plenty of room for before).
Is it possible its time for something like patrician's scorn to make a comeback? I miss playing with that card.
I've been playing UW control for the last few months--I'm picking up my list and fiddling with some sideboard stuff for fun (my eternal weakness w/ this deck). I don't see any reason to change the main more than a single card or two since I picked up nearly two years ago. I like to mess with a single tech land or two here and there and that's basically it since the MAJOR change of going from the usual 3 unlifes to 4 across the board.
I like your tech land approach (even if I think you may be taking it a little too far in some cases), but I think the key is that you've made every change over a long stretch of time and know how the deck runs because of those changes. Picking up a deck raw and ******* with it is just wrong no matter who you are. Offhand, I'd have no idea how to sequence if all the sudden I had a fetch in every opener against an unknown deck on the play.
With the exception of lists you've been working on forever and know how to play (basically just for yourself), everyone else should just take a peek and quit messing with things for a while (A PSA to all new, non-tomcourtney Ad Nauseam players).
Just read the primer, its very good and answers all your questions. Don't brew anything except the stock lists (spoils version if you wanna try it, or a stock peer/mystical list). In a month or so of playing, then maybe look at an adjustment or two.
I feel like everyone who picks up this deck wants to play it, but mess with it too much. There's yet to be a good reason from a new player for changing anything that I've seen and I've been watching this thread for nearly three years now.
I've been playing this deck for a long time. Please go play the stock list--don't make any changes. Goldfish it a bunch until you know how to keep turn 3/4/5 winning hands--then go play a bunch of matches and then come back and discuss the deck.
You haven't tested, you haven't goldfished, and you have no idea what you're talking about. Inexperience and a misunderstanding of how the deck works is warping your list and worsening your results before you're even competent enough to make a change should you feel the real need for one.
Not being rude or mean, just passing on some good advice for someone new.
That being said...there's no good discussion here in the last like million pages and its getting lame. Did anyone talk about godhead of awe and how sweet that ***** is?
This is what I've been playing. They don't have a ton of countermagic...and they're super slow.
Plan to beat some countermagic and maybe bring in something to blow a stony silence and you basically can't lose. Deck runs 2/3 remand or mana leak and cryptic (which is the easiest counterspell ever to beat). Post-board you need more counters and it might be wise to try and bring in echoing truth to take spreading seas off a boseiju--but they usually only have an extra three or four counters for you in the board (two or negate and a dispel).
The one change will be that if Ad Naus somehow really takes off--we'll be running 1 slot in our sideboard of the new gideon. Someone come back and quote me.
I think the 1 mana is totally negligible--often in non-leyline hands getting this down means you've got the mana to spend on it because quite often all your cards you would be casting are striped from your hand anyway. That these kill liliana as they have psuedo haste AND can block afterwards is pretty sweet.
I doubt drakes will win you the game but I'm willing to give this a shot as a 2-3x in the sideboard when it comes out.
I dunno if it'll cut it--but I'd like to work 1 of these puppies into ad nauseam.
1 extra mana to cycle at instant speed uncounterably for the lab man win is pretty appealing. Beats abrupt decay better than serum visions.
My hesitancy is that it makes a single turn lab man kill more expensive--and it already is more mana intensive than lightning storm. It also isn't very likely you can set this up with spoils and grace without the ad naus because I doubt we'd want to run a lot of these lands like we want to run 4 visions. Time will tell!
Another plus tho is that if the meta slows, this is a transmutable lab man combo piece via tolaria west.
This is incorrect. Decks like Esper are so slow that they more or less can't win without real pressure. Extra mana on your combo turn and holding two counters while you go off is quite common in slow matches like this and often the only thing I find myself looking to stop is a stony silence or a vendillion clique.
A 2/2 for an opponent who is on the play and trying to cast a stony silence should be more than beatable outside of cases when the deck itself fails you or you keep poor hands to begin with.