If Guardian gets banned, doesn't Mardu Vehicles just get better?
They play Ballista to stop the combo but it slows the deck down. Without the combo to worry about, they go back to Veteran Motorist and the deck gets a lot faster and more consistent with the scry.
Guardian will get banned eventually, just not sure if it will be on Monday. The combo will be in standard for 2 years since they are both in the same block. Having it viable for that long is just not going to happen IMO.
I still believe they wait till Amonhket to ban Guardian as banning it this soon will hurt consumer confidence.
I never been to a CFB hosted GP event. Can we confirm they charge premium for their GPs?
I mean GP: New Jersey this weekend is $80 for standard, but they are only giving away a promo and no playmat. Have to spend $100 for both which seems like a rip off.
Pithing Needle and Scroll Rack Masterpiece for $72 store credit?
I don't really need the masterpieces, but I'd also wouldn't mind using the credit to buy into another modern deck. I'm not strapped for cash so I can always just buy the modern deck, I just don't like cards sitting in my binder that I don't need.
Seems like a monopoly, now there won't be any competition and price gouging will continue. CFB has always been on the higher end of GP prices. I could see GP's being $100 by the end of 2018.
Played Cheerios, Tron, Affinity, 5c Tribal Flames, and Burn in the Swiss. Affinity, Jund, then lost to Cheerios in the finals.
Some General Thoughts
- Cheerios is an unwinnable matchup, they combo faster and we don't have creature removal. Swan Song is a beating plus they bring in Leyline vs us.
- Really like the Dreadship Reef in the SB. Against Jund/Junk we take out Pentad Prism so having another mana source/ramp card is really nice.
- Ethereal Haze needs to be Darkness as there is a lot more black. Haze saved me a against Affinity as I chained 3 in a row to survive then topdecked Ad Nauseam to win.
- Painful Truths as great vs attrition matchups. I cast it T2 vs Jund off SSG to play around a discard spell.
- Cut Patricians Scorn at last second and didn't miss it. Truth/Maniac handle anything that Scorn did.
- Spoils was fine for me as it let me win some games, but other times it was just a dead card in my hand. Also a lot of games were grindy and a Teaching would have been nice. Still not sure which version is better but I'm going to try 3 Spoils/1 Teachings going forward and maybe move towards Peer.
Thoughts on Kalitas as a 1-of in the SB? Seems decent vs the mirror to exile those Scrapheaps. Probably more of a 5-drop with push but it seems decent.
Motorist/Ballista debate: Ballista is terrible T2 and doesn't crew much which is why I like Motorist. However Motorist changes your mana base a lot to play more red, dies to Thopter tokens, but it does crew and fixes your draws.
Thoughts on Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim, Dhund Operative? Ayli is easier on the manabase as you're splashing red, plus it can help turn off the 3 damage from Unlicensed Disintegration. Operative crews Heart of Kiran which is nice, and also attacks through Felidar Guardian.
I like Asylum Visitor as well as it crews and gets advantage in the late game, but dies to Thopters and Ballista.
The only thing I thing that needs banned is Retract, and maybe Mishra's Bauble.
Retract: Enables the Cheerio's deck to combo off T2. Banning Opal doesn't seem reasonable as it just kills Affinity which I don't think Wizards wants while also severely hampering Lantern.
Mishra's Bauble: I put this in the same vein as Gitaxian Probe, but slightly different as it only see's play in 1 deck. The card costs zero which is a red flag already, enables delirium on T1 a lot of the time, replaces itself(enabling 56 card decks, gives information about your deck or your opponents, and draws a card.
They play Ballista to stop the combo but it slows the deck down. Without the combo to worry about, they go back to Veteran Motorist and the deck gets a lot faster and more consistent with the scry.
What was this guy doing here? So he Serum Visions last turn and kept Land and SSG on top of his library.
He gets lucky that the guy goes for Revelry as if he just Skullcracked he would have lost.
You sac the bloom, use your spoils to draw the land on top, draw SSG for turn, then cast Unlife.
Opponent killing you next turn is very unlikely as he has 2 lands.
The only thing I can think is he thought he was still taking damage from the Revelry? Am I missing something or did he just punt the game away?
I still believe they wait till Amonhket to ban Guardian as banning it this soon will hurt consumer confidence.
I mean GP: New Jersey this weekend is $80 for standard, but they are only giving away a promo and no playmat. Have to spend $100 for both which seems like a rip off.
I don't really need the masterpieces, but I'd also wouldn't mind using the credit to buy into another modern deck. I'm not strapped for cash so I can always just buy the modern deck, I just don't like cards sitting in my binder that I don't need.
Played Cheerios, Tron, Affinity, 5c Tribal Flames, and Burn in the Swiss. Affinity, Jund, then lost to Cheerios in the finals.
Some General Thoughts
- Cheerios is an unwinnable matchup, they combo faster and we don't have creature removal. Swan Song is a beating plus they bring in Leyline vs us.
- Really like the Dreadship Reef in the SB. Against Jund/Junk we take out Pentad Prism so having another mana source/ramp card is really nice.
- Ethereal Haze needs to be Darkness as there is a lot more black. Haze saved me a against Affinity as I chained 3 in a row to survive then topdecked Ad Nauseam to win.
- Painful Truths as great vs attrition matchups. I cast it T2 vs Jund off SSG to play around a discard spell.
- Cut Patricians Scorn at last second and didn't miss it. Truth/Maniac handle anything that Scorn did.
- Spoils was fine for me as it let me win some games, but other times it was just a dead card in my hand. Also a lot of games were grindy and a Teaching would have been nice. Still not sure which version is better but I'm going to try 3 Spoils/1 Teachings going forward and maybe move towards Peer.
Motorist/Ballista debate: Ballista is terrible T2 and doesn't crew much which is why I like Motorist. However Motorist changes your mana base a lot to play more red, dies to Thopter tokens, but it does crew and fixes your draws.
Thoughts on Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim, Dhund Operative? Ayli is easier on the manabase as you're splashing red, plus it can help turn off the 3 damage from Unlicensed Disintegration. Operative crews Heart of Kiran which is nice, and also attacks through Felidar Guardian.
I like Asylum Visitor as well as it crews and gets advantage in the late game, but dies to Thopters and Ballista.
Retract: Enables the Cheerio's deck to combo off T2. Banning Opal doesn't seem reasonable as it just kills Affinity which I don't think Wizards wants while also severely hampering Lantern.
Mishra's Bauble: I put this in the same vein as Gitaxian Probe, but slightly different as it only see's play in 1 deck. The card costs zero which is a red flag already, enables delirium on T1 a lot of the time, replaces itself(enabling 56 card decks, gives information about your deck or your opponents, and draws a card.
why does it have to be a rare? Can't it just be a common or uncommon?
crucible isn't ruled out yet, could still be rare
yes, but boxes never sell for MSRP
Standard legal sets have 36 boosters and packs retail for $3.99, so that MSRP would be $144 and you can usually get them for around $100
and now non-foils are higher than $40
either that or Oracle of Muldaya seem like the best bets. Or it could just be a common/uncommon like Nature's Claim