I've definitely heard the phrase "During your upkeep" said before to make sure an opponent doesn't jump the gun to the next phase where such confusion could happen.
I think I've even had someone play a silence during my upkeep once which I am not sure was legal. Thoughts?
Your opponent can definitely silence you during your upkeep. It doesn't matter whether or not you pass priority, because you can only cast instants and cards with flash during the upkeep phase. If you force your opponent to "rewind" so you cast a spell before they get priority, they can respond with an instant anyways. Bottom line: yes
Okay good, cause I've also done it, haha. Not exactly the nicest thing to do I'll admit.
I've definitely heard the phrase "During your upkeep" said before to make sure an opponent doesn't jump the gun to the next phase where such confusion could happen.
I think I've even had someone play a silence during my upkeep once which I am not sure was legal. Thoughts?
This is actually the best place to play in terms of numbers and organization. The other store I like is only doing drafting, and hasn't done standard in a while and this place runs standard twice a week. Maybe it was just a bad day. I play very stall mid-rangey like decks and I know he was frustrated with the pace. The place has some experienced players worth sticking around for who explain a lot in terms of tweeking deck lists and what not.
Again, thanks for the advice everyone. Pretty sure I am not going to be taking that from him again without a dignified response. Whether he takes it well is another question.
Generally, players say "I'm done" or "End my turn" to imply that they're passing priority to the end of turn step, and the cleanup step. This is a shortcut. You can always interrupt this by saying "During your end step" or "During your second main phase, I'm going to activate Underworld Connections to pay a life and draw a card." Magic isn't a game of gotcha; players always have a chance to respond to things. If he gets belligerent at something this simple routinely, call a judge to get it sorted out, and hopefully put him in his place.
He was already belligerent where he yelled at me say "You do realize there are six steps to a turn"...literally yelled. I should go to the magic general forum and post the whole match. I am bipolar I cannot handle that sort of thing, next time I may just concede to be honest if there is no other solution.
The problem is that he either works at the store and I didn't realize it till then or he just hangs out behind the counter like he has some sort of special privilege and without a proper judge I am afraid his bad behavior won't warrant anything but a bat of an eyelash.
Thanks for the answers guys, this was important for me to know as I completely switch decks for next week.
If I play him again I don't know how to address the situation (any tips on that are appreciated).
Call the judge. There are a couple ways that he actually could keep you from activating Underworld Connections in his end step, but a John Moschitta impression is not one of them.
We don't have an official one onsite (no clue why, the group is talented and we need one) but we do defer to other more knowledgeable people who are there, most of which have more respect for the game than personal biased so it works out pretty well.
At this past Friday's FNM I was playing against a "competitive player" (his words). He was the active player and after combat he doesn't do anything main phase two and skips straight to announcing his discard phase pretty coarsely.
I stopped him saying I never passed priority acknowledging the end of the turn phase wishing to activate an underworld connections and he basically goes ballistic saying I couldn't do that. This guy has a short fuse and we were in round 3 after a late start so I didn't take it much further.
I told him I never heard a player announce out loud the discard step like that so abruptly to which an onlooker agreed and left it at that.
I know in the flow of the game the phases are implied at some points depending on if mana is tapped out etc. but I am pretty sure I was able to underworld connect, right? Or is an actual announcement of the discard enough to shut me down?
If I play him again I don't know how to address the situation (any tips on that are appreciated).
EDIT: He did not discard before I stopped him by the way.
Nobody at FNM was happy to play against a junk midrange deck tonight. But with 3 BBoV and a Vraska out to kill your one white flier (a 7/6 mind you) I think I was going to win but the players reaction was unnecessary. He just starts packing up everything like the game didn't even happen.
I get it. It's frustrating to lose over and over when you start (hell I still do that)...but man was this kid sour. For him to say with five minutes in the round and me up a game that he was just going to give it to me is different then conceding. Soured the top 4 and the pre-release.
If you can stabilize and attack with lifelink creatures or just punishing with obzedat, having a sanguine bond out is good (doubles gray merchant effect and obzedats as well). Gift of Orzhova of course grants lifelink to a smaller guy and possibly secures banisher priest on the battlefield longer.
Coming from someone who's been trying to make this deck work for a good couple of weeks, your list puzzles me. You simply don't have an outright wincon, not even the one copy of aetherling that just about every control deck runs. Also, I'm curious on why you don't want to run Jace AoT. I've had okay results with my Dimir control deck, but it's still not where I want it. It just doesn't have a good shot to win every game. Anyway, I'll post my list for anyone wanting to compare.
x4 Watery Grave
x4 Temple of Deceit
x1 Dimir Guildgate
x1 Temple of Mystery
x9 Island
x7 Swamp
I agree with the "more dimir charm" comment. So much versatility early game. A turn one thoughtseize and turn two dimir charm can really set a player back.
I would take out the far and away and replace with more dimir charm with the simple fact that far//away gives the opponent the option of what card they will be getting rid off where as dimir charm doesn't, you basically get the choice of what two cards get taken out (can disrupt early scry in esper too)
I don't see what Jace AOT is here instead of Jace MA, if you wanted to control the game. I don't see a direct threat besides a two of aetherling you would draw with AOT to end the game where esper normally uses AOT to find more than one game ender, not as efficient.
I like the card choices of OP just re-shuffling and tweeking the numbers. Some of the sideboard cards I would personally mainboard but hey, it's dimir and I am a fan.
Contaminated Ground just doesn't really do much in this deck. Sure it can shut off some color against non-black decks but the damage it does is nearly insignificant in this deck. I'm not too worried about Sphinx's. The lifegain has little to no bearing on my win condition and the large card draw actually helps me with it.
Play test it. My experience was it prevented turn twos (sometimes 3s) and a lot of people are not willing to take damage just for tapping a land at all and would simply abandon that mana.
I didn't know it was requisite to do a large sphinx! Heck, once most people realized I was playing mill they knew not to do it! Same with their Jace AOTs (I like that you have pithing needle and heros downfall in your deck though, so many decks without pithing needle!)
Welp, good luck. I think out of defender mill I am actually kind of warming up to your deck, but I always require dimir charm in my builds and have casted out consuming aberration for mirko vosk. Developing a taste for land hate.
I've come across plenty of people OP refers to. Sadly I've run into quite a bit more of people with OPs sort of attitude which I have little to no patience for.
Okay good, cause I've also done it, haha. Not exactly the nicest thing to do I'll admit.
I think I've even had someone play a silence during my upkeep once which I am not sure was legal. Thoughts?
Again, thanks for the advice everyone. Pretty sure I am not going to be taking that from him again without a dignified response. Whether he takes it well is another question.
He was already belligerent where he yelled at me say "You do realize there are six steps to a turn"...literally yelled. I should go to the magic general forum and post the whole match. I am bipolar I cannot handle that sort of thing, next time I may just concede to be honest if there is no other solution.
The problem is that he either works at the store and I didn't realize it till then or he just hangs out behind the counter like he has some sort of special privilege and without a proper judge I am afraid his bad behavior won't warrant anything but a bat of an eyelash.
Thanks for the answers guys, this was important for me to know as I completely switch decks for next week.
We don't have an official one onsite (no clue why, the group is talented and we need one) but we do defer to other more knowledgeable people who are there, most of which have more respect for the game than personal biased so it works out pretty well.
I stopped him saying I never passed priority acknowledging the end of the turn phase wishing to activate an underworld connections and he basically goes ballistic saying I couldn't do that. This guy has a short fuse and we were in round 3 after a late start so I didn't take it much further.
I told him I never heard a player announce out loud the discard step like that so abruptly to which an onlooker agreed and left it at that.
I know in the flow of the game the phases are implied at some points depending on if mana is tapped out etc. but I am pretty sure I was able to underworld connect, right? Or is an actual announcement of the discard enough to shut me down?
If I play him again I don't know how to address the situation (any tips on that are appreciated).
EDIT: He did not discard before I stopped him by the way.
I get it. It's frustrating to lose over and over when you start (hell I still do that)...but man was this kid sour. For him to say with five minutes in the round and me up a game that he was just going to give it to me is different then conceding. Soured the top 4 and the pre-release.
I agree with the "more dimir charm" comment. So much versatility early game. A turn one thoughtseize and turn two dimir charm can really set a player back.
I would take out the far and away and replace with more dimir charm with the simple fact that far//away gives the opponent the option of what card they will be getting rid off where as dimir charm doesn't, you basically get the choice of what two cards get taken out (can disrupt early scry in esper too)
I don't see what Jace AOT is here instead of Jace MA, if you wanted to control the game. I don't see a direct threat besides a two of aetherling you would draw with AOT to end the game where esper normally uses AOT to find more than one game ender, not as efficient.
I like the card choices of OP just re-shuffling and tweeking the numbers. Some of the sideboard cards I would personally mainboard but hey, it's dimir and I am a fan.
Play test it. My experience was it prevented turn twos (sometimes 3s) and a lot of people are not willing to take damage just for tapping a land at all and would simply abandon that mana.
I didn't know it was requisite to do a large sphinx! Heck, once most people realized I was playing mill they knew not to do it! Same with their Jace AOTs (I like that you have pithing needle and heros downfall in your deck though, so many decks without pithing needle!)
Welp, good luck. I think out of defender mill I am actually kind of warming up to your deck, but I always require dimir charm in my builds and have casted out consuming aberration for mirko vosk. Developing a taste for land hate.
Will you report back?