MTG Salvation

Even Max almost missed the Familiar, so I don't think everyone should dog on Chas for the misplay (even though I'm pretty sure the first miss cost him the game).

I have seen plenty of players miss opportunities with Familiar, it happens.

Meanwhile, Chas just made a SUPER play against Brad's Anger of the Gods. So, there's that.

Interesting...

Your fb page shows first place is either a box OR the Arsenal?
Has the prize structure changed?

Oh joy. People arguing about Steam Augury and what to run alongside it.

I have one Aetherling, 2 Assemble the Legion, and 2 Elspeth in my 60.
I pretty much only play Steam Augury when I have one of those in my hand.
Now, it's easy to say that Augury is a dead card if that play-style is adopted, but in a pinch you can emergency it.

Consider this scenario from the past Friday ..

My opponent plays Burning Earth. FML.
I respond with Augury, segue into my best 5 to date, and it is..

Wear // Tear
Land
Detention Sphere
Elspeth
Revelation

I made D Sphere, Revelation, Land & Wear // Tear, Elspeth

Next turn I took 2 damage to D Sphere, next end step I revved into Verdict and Aetherling.

Luck was a factor, but my post is meant to illustrate that Augury CAN be used in a Control shell profitably.

Nothing surprising about Worcester, unfortunately. Although Ross Merriam (from my LGS) had an odd take on Boros that I think accounts more for his quality as a player than the build.

Aggro tends to edge a brand new meta, and while I knew GR Monsters would be in good numbers, RDW just curves a lot easier. Not sure if having UW in the finals instead of Esper is a bit of false encouragement, though.

Finally ... Slightly disappointed that UWR was seemingly absent. I do think Assemble is a solid threat right now.

Is it impossible to have a smooth mana base in a two color deck without duals?
No. This happens in Limited often.

But in Constructed, where you have access to duals for mana-fixing?
It's foolish to limit yourself to basics or not utilize the duals available to your colors.
It's a matter of probabilities, plain and simple. If you want to regularly hit UU and WW on consecutive turns, you maximize your chances with as many U/W duals as possible.

This is really elementary deck building theory on discussion.

Maze's End is definitely an inexpensive, competitive deck. Every deck will have bad match ups, RDW is no different.

If I were in your shoes, I would sleeve up Maze's End and see if it's a good fit for you. It won't be a big financial risk.

Quote from redthirst

Redthirst's guide to playing Standard:

1. Buy singles you need.
2. Use singles to build dominant deck.
3. Play deck to win store credit/prizes/cash in extreme excess of what the deck cost to build.
4. Build up store credit/cash until rotation.
5. Use that to repeat Steps 1-4.

Uh, this. I have seen so many players who want to be competitive, who ultimately falter and complain about not having the right cards (because they 'wasted' most of their budget on packs).

Put into perspective ... I have spent a couple hundred on preorders. 3 Elspeth, 4 Thoughtseize, 3 of each of the Temples and some playsets of assorted other cards I expect will rise in value. Now, I could have spent that same amount of cash on boxes, but am I guaranteed the cards in the quantities I mentioned above? Probably not.

I may pick up a playset or two of some decent rares, but mostly I will end up with a lot of junk that has minimal trade in value.

Quote from aurorasparrow

Ral Zarek is pretty weak for control. Bolting twice for 4 mana isn't great (especially in this metagame), and even that won't happen a lot of the time.

Yeah, I have considered dropping Ral, the +1 is just not relevant and my curve is pretty high already. I will probably drop both and just play Mortars in the main instead.

Supreme Verdict is just better than Wrath of the Gods 90% of the time.

Not going to disagree (although I think you meant Anger), but is it worth removing completely? The exiling clause seems useful and it's a turn faster than Verdict.

I think I'd trade one Elspeth for 1 Aetherling. Elspeth is a lot easier to deal with than AEtherling, and if your AEtherling shows up in a Steam Augury you may have trouble finishing the job.

The Augury-Aetherling interaction is a very good point, and Aetherling is always going to be more vital to win than Elspeth. I will probably follow suit with your suggestion there. Thanks for the feedback.

Hi all,

New poster here, but I have been following the discussions on these forums for the last year-and-a-half. I'm also not much for introductions, so I figure I will just jump in to the conversation.

I have noticed recently the control conversation has placed emphasis on Esper being the best option. I am hoping to revive discussion on American, as I see that as another viable option for those of us who want to play with a UW shell. Of course, as soon as I try, someone beats me to it.. Anyone with arguments against that route, I'd love to discuss.

I come bearing a decklist as well. You'll notice Ral Zarek -- he is something I have been toying with, as he provides repeatable removal & an ultimate that more-often-than-not will get you so far ahead of the opponent that you win outright.

I am a bit tentative about not running Mortars or Turn in the main, and Stormbreath Dragon should probably be in here but I am not sure where and to what extent. Suggestions are welcome.