As a message of balance: I have always been suspicious of the suppression of communication on a topic, for the reason that "everybody knows." I speak for myself, not "the average MMI reader," and perhaps I am out of the loop, but I "didn't know," and I find it helpful that someone takes the time to quickly summarize goings-on.
Information on the Internet is easy to manage. If I choose to skim, I can skim. Eleven hundred words might be tl;dr for many, and scrolling might cause them some inconvenience. But considering the role you appear to have accepted, glossing over a significant phenomenon with little comment may be considered irresponsible in a sense.
And for the record, I personally could not have executed it in a superior manner.
Thanks.
J
PHASE 1
I arrange in color wheel order from left to right, white to green, setting artifacts and lands (and special items, such as Colorless spells) in their own piles, below and to the left of white.
I set multicolor cards toward the bottom of the mat (or sometimes at the top instead), near one of their colors, and pile similar multicolors together.
If a strictly two-color card can be placed between two colors, it goes there (such as white-blue (Adarkar Wastes) or red-green (Ulrich's Kindred)).
I set mana-fixing lands and artifacts at the top of the mat above everything, tapped (so they fit), unless they go specifically with a color (usually Green), then I slide them a little toward that color.
I put the must-play creatures and bomb rare creatures at the top of each color column.
I make a small separation, and put the non-creatures below the creatures.
If a card is situational, I lay it in its column tapped.
I put identical cards on top of one another.
If a card is merely a filler for a color, I place it at the bottom of the column, tapped.
If it's unplayable, I pile it with the tokens and lands.
I decide on the deck more or less, and put the definite dismissed cards or colors in the bad pile.
I take a moment and look at the second-runner-up alternate color deck, or see if I can build a second deck out of the pool, and place those cards on top of the bad pile. Not too unusually, I change my mind and refocus on the alternate deck.
I whittle the pool down to the requisite number of cards.
PHASE 2
I place the deck from left to right with smallest mana cost on the left. X spells on the far right.
I will have a row for each color (and a column for each mana cost).
I put creatures in their own row, spells on a lower row. Spells don't always go in the column of their mana cost. If a 2-costing spell will never be played until turn 3, I put it in the 3 column, the earliest that it can be played.)
Artifacts or multicolors, I put in a middle row, sorted by mana cost, or I set them aside, if they can be played using any mana.
(With a very multicolor deck, such as with some Khans builds, or Shards of Alara, I will put mana-fixing at the far left. I have also arranged the cards in a wheel pattern under extreme cases).
(For several years, I wrote out a grid in a similar layout, with color abbreviations to the left and converted mana cost at the top. I went through the whole deck and made a tick mark for each pip of a color in each column, for example, Silklash Spider would put two tick marks in the Green row under the 5 column. I would split a grid in half and put 2 tick marks, representing activation cost, in the lower half of the 6 column, because you would never use the activation cost prior to turn 6.)
I determine how many lands of each color are required.
PHASE 2B
I will pick up the cards one by one (sometimes sleeving as I go), in the optimal sequence I would wish to play the deck, and if I find I am more weighted in a color early game, I will adjust the mana base.
PHASE 3
I will sleeve up, and if I have time, I'll goldfish, and I will readjust the deck.
PHASE 4
I will assess the sideboard cards and sleeve all the playable ones.
If I have time, I will roughly build a second deck, and pull out lands for it, and note what cards from the main deck can transfer between each deck.
NOTE
With Shadows over Innistrad, during Phase 1, I find I am adjusting by taking a couple minutes piling Discard-enablers, Madness, and Delirium into their own piles.
I can also try alternate piles, such as with one Shadows deck with Equipments, Equipment-loving spells and creatures, and cards that synergize with Equipments in other ways (such as Graveyard, Delirium, etc. that work with self-milling or looting Equipment).
J
I am currently running 2x Rest in Peace, and 2x Relic of Progenitus.
The match-ups you mentioned specifically struggle with that, and with Absolute Law, and a bit with Pithing Needle.
J
If you want one silver bullet for Infect, run Spellskite. It's the kryptonite in Modern and the same in Legacy.
It's not a terrible creature for a lot of other removal-heavy matchups, Jace, and burn, and a few other odds and ends.
And if your Sideboard is up for it, you can tutor for it.
J
J
1x Weathered Wayfarer
3x Phyrexian Revoker
4x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2x Serra Avenger
1x Vryn Wingmare
3x Mirran Crusader
3x Flickerwisp
1x Mangara of Corondor
4x Aether Vial
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Batterskull
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Maze of Ith
1x Dust Bowl
4x Wasteland
4x Rishadan Port
4x Karakas
5x Plains
3x Flagstones of Trokair
2x Relic of Progenitus
2x Warping Wail
2x Rest in Peace
2x Ethersworn Canonist
1x Seal of Cleansing
1x Absolute Law
2x Honor of the Pure
2x Flex Spots TBD
I'd consider Phyrexian Revoker out, though it hits Mox Diamond, and perhaps Engineered Explosives (which is deprecated), but I'd add in Pithing Needle, especially for Maze of Ith.
I'd consider Stoneforge Mystic and the whole Equipment suite out, as it's kind of durdly, and too many things have to go right to get a fast clock out of it. On the other hand, a Sword with Protection from Black (if you run it) could save you from Marit Laige.
I'd probably bite the bullet and cut Swords to Plowshares. I have Swordsed Marit Laige a few times but I can't remember ever having enough time in the match (which is already terribly slow) to close out a Lands player at 30 Life.
I run Spirit of the Lab (which is much-maligned) so it's safe to take that out.
I have been known to even side out some number of Aether Vial. Aether Vial has a few benefits, but the strongest is uncounterability to your creatures, and some amount of "acceleration," or more precisely, being able to "do something else" with your Lands. I find those two functions are decreased against Lands. On the other hand, I have been shut out of the game by multiple Rishadan Port by a Lands player, tapping me out on my Upkeep.
Sorry for all the Pros and Cons!
J
Crusader is not optimal, it is fragile to Punishing Fire (as is practically every creature), but it is one of the fastest clocks in the deck. Against Lands, you have to try to play the aggro game, because they will always stall you out over time.
At least twice I have beaten Lands when they had a 20/20 out, and I was at 21 life or higher (due to Grove of the Burnwillows), and they couldn't chump block the Crusader because it has Pro Black.
J
Not sure if this is a typo.
I am pretty intuitive about the mana of this deck, and I've made it my focus for seven years or so.
I understand that no one believes my gadfly opinion on running minimal green sources in the splash build.
But I believe there is plenty of space for colorless spells.
If any other deck can manage colorless spells (besides MUD Kuldotha Red, or Cloudpost) it's DnT.
I also recall Goldmeadow Harrier beats when Emrakul first showed his ugly face on the scene, and now Emrakul's baby brother is promising a similar role.
Don't have any concrete experience, but tapping creatures for 3 is not too bad, all other things considered too.
J
Is it 2 Battle, 4 Oath?
Thanks in advance.
J
Pros are actually slow-adopters, and have been especially so with DnT. I think Brad Nelson was first, if I remember right.
J
Use the "Search this Thread" function and use Choke as your search item. Or try Savannah, etc.
J
I'm not sure which one is which in this comparison. I remember the olden days when you dropped an Isamaru, Hound of Konda and the control player said Oh s---.
Lightning Bolt every turn against Blue is another way you can look at it.
I guess YMMV.
J
I honestly don't want to get into a SotL versus EC debate, because in this case I don't think they are mutually exlusive. But I am a SotL believer in the maindeck, and I'm a little surprised people don't run him more.
I have heard, "dies to -x/-1 effects" and "only good if vialed in, in response to x" and even "comes down too late to stop Brainstorm" all of which I must dismiss.
I play a more control game than most, I believe, and I value a preventative rather than a curative approach to playing stuff. In other words, building more of a prison deck. If the opp gets one Brainstorm off, good for him. I was never going to do much about that anyway, except possibly a Judge's Familiar. But having SotL out there forces the opp to deal with my line of play, whether that's obligating his one-of or two-of Green Sun Zenith for his likewise one-of or two-of Reclamation Sage, or whatever it is. I don't dispute that the opp CAN DEAL with my plays. What intrigues me is when he MUST DEAL with my plays. If I have to drop a Mother of Runes first, or bank on SotL living a turn and dropping an +X/+X effect afterwards, so be it.
I'll confess I'm not certain I am doing it right, but this is my approach, and this is why I like SotL in the maindeck as a two-of or one-of minimum.
Almost all the other decks in the format are trying to draw extra cards. I am certain that many opponents, when they have successfully resolved a Brainstorm against my otherwise empty field, wish they could take that Brainstorm back and re-do it, when I have dropped a SotL or a Thalia or whatever, on the following turn. They are setting up for x, and then I present y. When they zig, I zag.
J
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/legacy-type-1-5/established-legacy/control/179856-deck-death-and-taxes?comment=13593
J
Depends of course what you got, because we got a lot of different DnT decks on here now, but for me:
Mirran Crusader for their Abrupt Decays, Knights of the Reliquary, and other rando creatures,
Phyrexian Revoker for their Deathrite Shamans, Lilianas, Knights of the Reliquary,
I don't have anti-search, but Containment Priest for GSZ or Aven Mindcensor for the whole deck,
Absolute Law for P-Fire; I think it's the best answer for P-Fire overall,
I also run some number of Paladin En-Vec,
Relic of Progenitus is a house against them because they develop the gy relatively slowly, otherwise the standard Rest in Peace,
I wouldn't dismiss Spirit of the Lab for cycle lands (though they should be using them on your turn) or for Sylvan Library
Your boost spells such as Wilt-Leaf Liege for their Golgari Charms should come in if you run them.
My personal pleasure is to bring in Canonist, if I bring in Wilt-Leaf Liege against a P-Fire deck, because it combos, and usually you don't have too much to bring in.
J
I don't know what Faith's Shield does. But Apostle's Blessing is probably better. I have seen Elspeth, Knight-Errant played as a one- or two-of, but there are good creature options at three mana that should be given priority.
PS: I humbly suggest card tags, especially if you are proposing atypical cards. Faith's Shield is ok against Storm, otherwise I'd look at Mother of Runes clones such as Benevolent Bodyguard to focus on protecting your creatures.
J