This is intended to supplement legacy. If there is organic interest in the format, if players believe this offers them a more engaging play environment than legacy, it might one day become more dominant, but this is neither the goal nor the expectation. I believe that formats need to be carried by the community in order to succeed. Here are two example lists so you get a little bit of a feel for what it's like
DEATH & TAXES
24 Land
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Wasteland
3 Rishadan Port
3 Ghost Quarter
2 Karakas
10 Plains
3 Aether Vial
3 Swords to Plowshares
3 Path to Exile
3 Mother of Runes
2 Giver of Runes
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Flickerwisp
3 Recruiter of the Guard
3 Aven Mindcensor
1 Remorseful Cleric
1 Sanctum Prelate
1 Palace Jailer
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
1 Tomik, Distinguished Advokist
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
As you can see, archetypes are preserved but it gives a bit more room for other outclassed cards to compete and offeers a cheaper onramp as compared to legacy.
The Trinity Manifesto is a grass roots movement to adjust the Legacy rules to a 3 card limit. There's an elaborate rationale behind this, but the goal is to give more cards the opportunity to be played while reducing the entry barrier to the format. It's the first real solution to the Reserved List supported to by players.Based on the economic calculations used to build up the arguments for the Trinity Manifesto, Legacy should be 40% more expensive than Trinity. All this without ruining existing decks.
I'm posting this because, now that SCG has stopped supporting Legacy, it's a good time for introspection and format innovation. I'd like to invite you all to absorb the information, discuss, critique, build decks, play or organize a small Trinity tournament if you like it.
Connive // Concoct just got a lot better given that fish became a real deck. You can use it to steal an unblockable creature with an curious obsession on it, provided they don't have a counter or a Deep Dive. Any ideas on how to shore that up? More Dead Weight or Hostage Taker?
So this is an Esper control list with reanimation finish via Connive/Concoct and The Eldest Reborn and elegant reliance on Surveil mechanic to setup the reanimation. Connive steals Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice, Legion Warboss and Thief of Sanity, while giving you a reanimate next to The Eldest Reborn with the Concoct part. Zetalpa, Primal Dawn is used to have something that kills Chromium, the Mutable that doesn't die to sweepers and can pressure with vigilance. I chose against Nezahal, Primal Tide because I feel that it is easy enough to answer by other decks and in the control mirror I can simply rinse and repeat Disinformation Campaign a few times. Sort of a meta call though. Perhaps 1 should be in the sideboard.
If you're facing a lot of control, you can put Expansion // Explosion in the sideboard to Twincast an opposing Chemister's Insight or use it as a protective counter (No need to run Explosion and muddy the manabase).
Karn, Synthesized 0cc
Planeswalker - Karn
2 loyalty
+1 Target opponent reveals a card in his hand at random, you lose 2 life.
-2 Add one colorless mana to your mana pool, exile the top 5 cards from your library.
-7 Exile all permanents from the game.
Flavor: After Karn was liberated, Karn was bound again, this time turned into a Mox/Trinket (Think espers of Final Fantasy 3). May be a little bit too good, but Chalice of the Void at 0, abrupt decay, repeal and lightning bolt are pretty good at keeping it contained. Colorless mana and exiling (from 2 zones: board and deck, instead of board and hand) are themed accordingly.
-2
Exiling the top 5 cards makes it so that you can accidentally blow yourself out of the game by exiling winconditions, especially for combo decks, like Tendrils of Agony and ties into Karn's exiling. Karn, Synthesized starts at 2 so it takes at least 2 turns to get 2 mana activations out of it, which keeps it a bit more balanced for the combo players out there. The additional damage also makes it more dangerous for combo to play against tempo and burn decks compared to using lotus petal.
+1
The +1 mirrors the +4 of Karn Liberated. The damage ensures Karn Synthesized isn't better than an Ancient Tomb and references Shahrazad (and thus Karn Liberated's ultimate). Although it's possible to now drop turn 1 Trinisphere, you would lose your Karn, Synthesized and the next one would cost 3 mana.
-7
The ultimate costs -7 mimicking the mana cost of Karn Liberated. The -7 costs a lot of turns and half your life. Shahrazad also eat half your life, and the -7 sort of 'restarts' the game the same way Karn Liberated and Shahrazad do. The idea is that Karn, Synthesized shatters and explodes its power onto the world, destroying everything.
This would be a high impact card, for being the first 0 mana planeswalker; which fits Karn since it is one of the most iconic characters of the game and is very important to magic's storyline. Auto-restricted in Vintage. Not sure whether the ultmate should exile non-land permanents instead.
The art should be a based on Darksteel Relic; but this time charged with the spirit of Karn.
Thanks @MercurialMemory
As of now, I don't want to get rid of the pay off spells. There need to be more lands to make deadeye tracker more useful. I think it's role is in the vein of deathrite shaman / dark confidant / tireless tracker.
64 cards? The extra cards undermine Opt. Either remove those or pick 4 other cards you can live without.
62. I find it hard to cut the last two cards, but I don't want to cut cantrips. Do you have any suggestions? -1 Search for Azcanta -1 Siren Stormtamer is an option
I think you're missing the best dinos. If you're ramping, I'd consider Ranging Raptors. And I would also really not leave home without at least 3 Deathgorge Scavenger. You need the life gain and exile effects.
This is my first brew for the upcoming meta. I expect dinosaurs (Enrage, Carnage Tyrant & Regisaur), merfolk, ramunap red, Energy, UB scarab god and UW Approach.
Some explanations:
- 7 one drop creatures to trigger turn 2 Chart a Course
- Deathgorge Scavenger provides life against ramunap red and pressures graveyards against scarab god and other graveyard strategies
- Deadeye Tracker is a source of card advantage, a way to keep graveyards small and can potentially grow big lategame (although that's not the reason for it)
- Trial of Ambition/Hostage Taker/Torrential Gearhulk can be replayed with Disappearing Act
- Vraska and Hostage Taker are my outs against Artifacts, Vraska is my out against Enchantments
- Cartouche is there to replay Trial of Ambition and lifelink against Ramunap Red
- I don't want to play with artifacts other than T. Gearhulk due to abrade
- I want to play only with destroy effects as removal due to Energy (longtusk cub) and Enrage
- Disappearing act works against a resolved Confiscation Coup
- Sideboard:
Life Goes On against Ramunap Red
Bontu's Last Reckoning against dinos
Vraska's Contempt for life gain (Ramunap Red) and exile effect (Scarab God, random planeswalker)
Duress and Negate against UW Approach and other hard control decks
Siren's Ruse is experimental, but used to flicker Gearhulk, Hostage Taker and Deathgorge Scavenger
Any feedback is welcome. Also, I still need to cut one card.
can we please keep this topic out of our game. If you're in anyway offended by Ixalan, don't play it. 1 Charlottesville is more than enough, thank you.
REANIMATOR
Creatures (10)
3 Hapless Researcher
3 Griselbrand
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Tidesprout Tyrant
1 Gin Gitaxias, Core Augur
Spells (29)
3 Force of Will
3 Daze
3 Entomb
3 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
3 Preordain
3 Careful Study
2 Thoughtseize
3 Reanimate
3 Exhume
Other (6)
3 Lotus Petal
3 Animate Dead
Lands (15)
3 Polluted Delta
3 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Island
1 Swamp
DEATH & TAXES
24 Land
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Wasteland
3 Rishadan Port
3 Ghost Quarter
2 Karakas
10 Plains
3 Aether Vial
3 Swords to Plowshares
3 Path to Exile
3 Mother of Runes
2 Giver of Runes
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Flickerwisp
3 Recruiter of the Guard
3 Aven Mindcensor
1 Remorseful Cleric
1 Sanctum Prelate
1 Palace Jailer
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
1 Tomik, Distinguished Advokist
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
As you can see, archetypes are preserved but it gives a bit more room for other outclassed cards to compete and offeers a cheaper onramp as compared to legacy.
I'm posting this because, now that SCG has stopped supporting Legacy, it's a good time for introspection and format innovation. I'd like to invite you all to absorb the information, discuss, critique, build decks, play or organize a small Trinity tournament if you like it.
Here's the manifesto: https://www.mtgtrinity.com/
maindeck
4 Watery Grave
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Drowned Catacomb
3 Isolated Chapel
2 Swamp
4 Island
1 Plains
1 Detection Tower
4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Chromium, the Mutable
1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
2 Connive // Concoct
2 The Eldest Reborn
3 Chemister's Insight
2 Search for Azcanta
3 Cast Down
1 Price of Fame
3 Seal Away
2 Settle the Wreckage
3 Discovery // Dispersal
3 Thought Erasure
4 Sinister Sabotage
2 Syncopate
1 Essence Scatter
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Disinformation Campaign
1 Moment of Craving
1 Vraska's Contempt
1 Cast Down
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Syncopate
2 Cleansing Nova
1 Negate
1 Golden Demise
2 Lyra Dawnbringer
1 The Eldest Reborn
So this is an Esper control list with reanimation finish via Connive/Concoct and The Eldest Reborn and elegant reliance on Surveil mechanic to setup the reanimation. Connive steals Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice, Legion Warboss and Thief of Sanity, while giving you a reanimate next to The Eldest Reborn with the Concoct part. Zetalpa, Primal Dawn is used to have something that kills Chromium, the Mutable that doesn't die to sweepers and can pressure with vigilance. I chose against Nezahal, Primal Tide because I feel that it is easy enough to answer by other decks and in the control mirror I can simply rinse and repeat Disinformation Campaign a few times. Sort of a meta call though. Perhaps 1 should be in the sideboard.
Against control mirror:
Board in Disinformation Campaign and Arguel's Blood Fast
Against Rekindling Phoenix and Risk Factor:
Board in Syncopate and Lyra Dawnbringer
If you're facing a lot of control, you can put Expansion // Explosion in the sideboard to Twincast an opposing Chemister's Insight or use it as a protective counter (No need to run Explosion and muddy the manabase).
Against Carnage Tyrant:
The dispersal part of Discovery // Dispersal, Settle the Wreckage, The Eldest Reborn, Detection Tower and just creating a bigger butt with Zetalpa, Primal Dawn, or Thought Erasure. Sideboard Cleansing Nova
Karn, Synthesized 0cc
Planeswalker - Karn
2 loyalty
+1 Target opponent reveals a card in his hand at random, you lose 2 life.
-2 Add one colorless mana to your mana pool, exile the top 5 cards from your library.
-7 Exile all permanents from the game.
Flavor: After Karn was liberated, Karn was bound again, this time turned into a Mox/Trinket (Think espers of Final Fantasy 3). May be a little bit too good, but Chalice of the Void at 0, abrupt decay, repeal and lightning bolt are pretty good at keeping it contained. Colorless mana and exiling (from 2 zones: board and deck, instead of board and hand) are themed accordingly.
-2
Exiling the top 5 cards makes it so that you can accidentally blow yourself out of the game by exiling winconditions, especially for combo decks, like Tendrils of Agony and ties into Karn's exiling. Karn, Synthesized starts at 2 so it takes at least 2 turns to get 2 mana activations out of it, which keeps it a bit more balanced for the combo players out there. The additional damage also makes it more dangerous for combo to play against tempo and burn decks compared to using lotus petal.
+1
The +1 mirrors the +4 of Karn Liberated. The damage ensures Karn Synthesized isn't better than an Ancient Tomb and references Shahrazad (and thus Karn Liberated's ultimate). Although it's possible to now drop turn 1 Trinisphere, you would lose your Karn, Synthesized and the next one would cost 3 mana.
-7
The ultimate costs -7 mimicking the mana cost of Karn Liberated. The -7 costs a lot of turns and half your life. Shahrazad also eat half your life, and the -7 sort of 'restarts' the game the same way Karn Liberated and Shahrazad do. The idea is that Karn, Synthesized shatters and explodes its power onto the world, destroying everything.
This would be a high impact card, for being the first 0 mana planeswalker; which fits Karn since it is one of the most iconic characters of the game and is very important to magic's storyline. Auto-restricted in Vintage. Not sure whether the ultmate should exile non-land permanents instead.
The art should be a based on Darksteel Relic; but this time charged with the spirit of Karn.
As of now, I don't want to get rid of the pay off spells. There need to be more lands to make deadeye tracker more useful. I think it's role is in the vein of deathrite shaman / dark confidant / tireless tracker.
-2 chart a course
-1 opt
-2 siren stormtamer
+1 Ifnir Deadlands
+1 Fetid Pools
+1 Deadeye Tracker
62. I find it hard to cut the last two cards, but I don't want to cut cantrips. Do you have any suggestions? -1 Search for Azcanta -1 Siren Stormtamer is an option
3x Fatal Push
3x Deadeye Tracker
4x Siren Stormtamer
4x Chart a Course
2x Walk the Plank
1x Search for Azcanta
3x Trial of Ambition
3x Disppearing Act
4x Hostage Taker
2x Essence Scatter
1x Cartouche of Ambition
2x Deathgorge Scavenger
2x Torrential Gearhulk
2x Vraska, Relic Seeker
4x Botanical Sanctum
3x Drowned Catacomb
4x Island
3x Swamp
3x Fetid Pools
1x Ifnir Deadlands
4 Duress
1 Fatal Push
2 Life Goes On
4 Negate
1 Siren's Ruse
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Vraska's Contempt
Some explanations:
- 7 one drop creatures to trigger turn 2 Chart a Course
- Deathgorge Scavenger provides life against ramunap red and pressures graveyards against scarab god and other graveyard strategies
- Deadeye Tracker is a source of card advantage, a way to keep graveyards small and can potentially grow big lategame (although that's not the reason for it)
- Trial of Ambition/Hostage Taker/Torrential Gearhulk can be replayed with Disappearing Act
- Vraska and Hostage Taker are my outs against Artifacts, Vraska is my out against Enchantments
- Cartouche is there to replay Trial of Ambition and lifelink against Ramunap Red
- I don't want to play with artifacts other than T. Gearhulk due to abrade
- I want to play only with destroy effects as removal due to Energy (longtusk cub) and Enrage
- Disappearing act works against a resolved Confiscation Coup
- Sideboard:
Life Goes On against Ramunap Red
Bontu's Last Reckoning against dinos
Vraska's Contempt for life gain (Ramunap Red) and exile effect (Scarab God, random planeswalker)
Duress and Negate against UW Approach and other hard control decks
Siren's Ruse is experimental, but used to flicker Gearhulk, Hostage Taker and Deathgorge Scavenger
Any feedback is welcome. Also, I still need to cut one card.