I feel like Paradox Engine is going to be abused like crazy. "Oh you like to play elf/druid-ball? Knock yourself out!" I plan on getting one for Selvala to help keep me going during my more explosive turns, as well as one for an elf deck I'm looking to make. At least until its potential ban.
It's strength is in its versatility. Grabbing a creature from an opponent's deck has varying levels of effectiveness, based on deck type and familiarity with your opponent, but on some level, I think it's always effective. Even if there isn't an Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre or Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur available, you can always go grab a utility creature.
Pretty much. Someone used it on me back when I used to play Prossh and the most useful card they found was Oracle of Mul Daya. No titans, no Craterhoof Behemoth, or anything else he was hoping to find off of me.
CMC is a little higher than I'd like to see on a general for either of these two, but you are in mono black. All this means is your manabase will need to be well on point.
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa isn't exactly underrated/underplayed, but it would be a good idea to run him. If you're interested in running and elf-ball style deck you should look into Ezuri, Renegade Leader. And since you're ramping, you could run Helix Pinnacle if you're okay with "I win" style cards.
I've played at a few different LGS locations, and they all do points a bit differently. The one I play at now does a max of 6 points, 2 per kill in a 4 man pod (3 man pod gives double points for first kill), and one per person for anyone left alive at the end of the time limit. (Usually. I did have one pod where me and my opponent died at the same time once our Angel's Graces wore off, making it an 8 point pod.)
The other place that I can remember the system for was a lot more intricate. Lose points for things like a T1 sol ring or a pre T3 commander, players can vote for the best play in the match to award points, points for highest amount of overkill, and things like that.
I like these. I usually run them with a good supply of Spellbook-type cards to make the maximum hand size issue irrelevant. (The best one of these is probably Reliquary Tower, but Venser's Journal can be nice in—or against—Nekusar decks.)
What I find interesting about them is, even playing a land cantrips.
Depends on when you drop the no max hand size cards. If they come down before Recycle/Null Profusion, your maximum hand size goes down to two.
The official ban list can be found here (don't look at the Wizards sites because they don't update quickly). Any version of a legal card may be played.
Except IE and CE versions. But most sites let you know that those aren't legal.
Yes, all versions of cards with either a black or white border that are not on the ban list are legal to run in your deck
Man, I remember the first time I bought a white-border card without knowing there were any like that. Freaked out for a bit because I thought it wasn't a legal card. Good times.
Thankfully the people I play with are fine with me just saying some large, arbitrary amount of mana. I'd hate to do that math. Plus I usually have a kill available, even without using Staff.
Playing The Gitrog Monster and drop a turn 2 Mesmeric Orb. Get brought down to 5 life by my turn five, where I still haven't cast my commander yet because it would've been the wrong play. Play Uncharted Realms, picking out Dakmor Salvage; Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth; Lake of the Dead; and a random fetch land. Chosen player gives me Salvage and Lake, which is good except that I don't have a discard outlet to combo off. Draw a swamp for turn, play it, cast Gitrog, and drop Lake to sac a swamp and draw a card. Still nothing good. Float a black off of my swamp and sac it for another four, drawing Skirge Familiar. Cast it, get infinite mana, cast a lethal Exsanguinate and win.
EDH is how I started playing MtG with friends. Three of them were playing their decks and I was playing a spare fourth deck that was laying around. I didn't do great, considering it was my first time playing Magic in the first place, but I really enjoyed how the game worked and started looking at decklists to make my own deck. It took my a little while to get the rules down, but luckily all three of them were patient with me and explained how things worked as we played. I can understand not wanting to start someone out with EDH, but if you know they can pick things up quickly it's perfectly fine.
I know that you said you want to avoid alarm bell cards, but are you sure running Bloodchief Ascension is a good idea? I know you don't have Mindcrank in the list, but whenever I see the Ascension played, everyone at the table targets that player because they suspect Mindcrank to drop shortly after and will do their best to either get rid of the Ascension or whoever dropped it.
Least favorite way is definitely against stax, control, and MLD decks. There's a special place in hell for people who play those.
Pretty much. Someone used it on me back when I used to play Prossh and the most useful card they found was Oracle of Mul Daya. No titans, no Craterhoof Behemoth, or anything else he was hoping to find off of me.
It doesn't need to be too refined. Just Cabal Coffers, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, and maybe a Caged Sun or similar.
I don't think you would really want to run Vorel if you don't have enough things to use him with, seeing as he can't hit your PWs.
The other place that I can remember the system for was a lot more intricate. Lose points for things like a T1 sol ring or a pre T3 commander, players can vote for the best play in the match to award points, points for highest amount of overkill, and things like that.
Depends on when you drop the no max hand size cards. If they come down before Recycle/Null Profusion, your maximum hand size goes down to two.
Except IE and CE versions. But most sites let you know that those aren't legal.
Man, I remember the first time I bought a white-border card without knowing there were any like that. Freaked out for a bit because I thought it wasn't a legal card. Good times.
Thankfully the people I play with are fine with me just saying some large, arbitrary amount of mana. I'd hate to do that math. Plus I usually have a kill available, even without using Staff.