I know Jadelight Ranger is a 3 or 4 of in every list but I'm finding turn 3 of my matches pretty vulnerable, where the Ranger probably won't cut it and unless I have a 2 drop & Blossoming Defense or my opponent did nothing to my turn 2 drop(which is never) I don't feel great moving forward or waiting a turn to have Blossom up.
I saw some lists trying out Claim // Fame as a way to recover your dead 2 drop and lay another 2mana spell on turn 3. I think that might be okay but there's still Magma Spray out there; but if its a snek at least it's safe. Maybe it's good enough for me because I also run Gifted Aetherborn
all the Sultai lists I see now are identical and I don't know how to keep the tempo going, I miss charms and multimodal spells
maybe maindeck Thrashing Brontodon or Greenbelt Rampager could live to see my turn 4, or I'll cave and just run the Shapers' Sanctuary
I scanned these at a price scanner at the Walmart just because they're often re-packaged(not tampered with mind you)because kids I guess shoplift and they have no idea what loose packs should go for. I bought a couple of these 6 pack bricks at 2.99.
nothing of interest in the packs that I recall, but I don't remember them being horrible either.
U/W doesn't seem bad vs control.
if you can handle Gearhulks with something that doesn't o-ring it and open yourself to them freeing it again for value
the 8-0 list only had 2 Jace's Defeat. I don't think that's much versus Hulks.
Gift decks look like a large part of the control meta, it's inexpensive to build, it doesn't waste a lot of deck slots on removal in a control heavy meta hence improving its control mirrors
probably my all-land Treasure Hunt Lightning Storm deck
opening with Gemstone Cavern + Reliquary Tower to end turn 1 with a hand of 30 cards and your win-con.
never didn't have it
I liked Chronicles, a ton of other people did as well. Ernam, Blood Moon, Enchant Worlds like Land's Edge, all those cool legendary guys, Storm Seeker, Urza's lands
those cards were all played in Standard; and no one cared about secondary markets and collections because there was a Tsunami of Standard playing going on
and it was the heart and Lifeblood of the company.
expensive packs don't serve the supposed goal of increasing accessibility, look at all the cards reprinted in the first modern masters set and how well that set up the public for building their collections. high pack price means less bought, increased rarity, secondary market + collectors etc etc etc
They've tried 'reprinting to death' Tarmagoyf and it's failed. (insert made up %)people still don't have a playset of them
people can't even get a set of Scarab Gods unless they bought at set release, and that was a year ago... how about your Phoenixes!?!? didn't think so.
I think if there was no mythic rarity the game would exist today as it did for more than a decade where anyone could make a competitive deck and if they found a deck someone else had made they liked they could put it together without too much difficulty and needn't sweat hundreds of dollars on trying out something new.
now someone can continue this rant regarding the placement of format warping cards at mythic rarity, hoohoo where have we seen that before..
I think the only answer is Scavenger Grounds. preferably with a few other deserts laying around. I'd probably end up with at least 1 in the maindeck much to the detriment of a clunky manabase already.
Deadeye Tracker might work and be cute with a snek
Approach decks don't bother me because you can clear that easy with Lost Legacy or a bunch of Duress
but Gifts decks are an impossible headache without you curving out & having disruption.
even Dispossess on Gifts doesn't end the game, they still have Wrath's to clear everything you've put out and a GY full of 'free' 4 toughness creatures which draw them more free cards or grab your stuff.
I'm going to make a spreadsheet of my testing because I'm pretty sure my Gifts matchups have been putrid, but I play against control so much more often I could have tunnel vision worrying about coin flip matches when I should worry about the 20/80.
slightly less than half the prices of most tier 1 competitive decks
list & prices https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/967079#online
I think a couple cards have gone up in just the last week it was closer to 80 tix when I built it from the sale of leftover draft commons that are used in pauper.
I think the Ballistas are worth the money for 2 but not for 4, you could probably get away without the Aethersphere Harvesters if you had to go more budget.
any # of Vraska's Contempt would help a lot.
I think the only 'budget' deck I lost to in 50 games was B/W tokens with Hidden Cache + Fumigate/Settle the Wreckage
I almost lost to an ultra budget vamps decks
I'd like to see more Field of Ruins
for help against U/B Azcanta's
and as a general color fixer
it comes into play untapped.
with a bunch of 1 drop removals you can still sac it on turn 3 and cast something.
I think having less Fields contributes to you being overloaded by your opponent having 1 more. All things considered Azcanta will flip 5+ turns before any Arch possibly could. I'd have the 4 Fields just for their Fatal Push fun. lolurhydraded
Poisoner seems like a decent answer to Carnage Tyrants from B/G or BUG decks but I wouldn't trust it vs R/G, so if your meta players can afford Phoenixes; you need Doomfall(for their Tyrants) or the spicy Bontu's Last Reckoning
Treasure Map seems a must if you're going to run Arch
played snek for a few days because I think I'll try and make an upcoming GP
my 'budget' list was strictly B/G but you'll want blue in your list in some capacity, think I 5-0'd the newbie leagues once or twice
toughest matchups were against control where they trade card for card and I get them to 1 life and they resolve Scarab God and it's over
lost a few to white control decks like Hidden Cache, or Second Sun because of multiple Settle the Wreckage/Fumigate. Don't think I ever lost to Red or creature strategies in general; maybe once to dinosaurs. I think in 50 games I never played a mirror, of any Constricter build.
my sideboard is nothing to write home about; different hand removal, Naturalize, I'll probably put in Lost Legacy somewhere when I get around to it.
thoughts on cards in my list: Fatal Push didn't do much that another card didn't do better(given my list is overloaded vs aggro, and why not? not every can drop $ on Scarabs). dead draws against control game 1 are baaaaaad, I suppose they have Siphoners. Ifnir Deadlands underperformed; mana intensive or dying to Field of Ruin, but the cycling land was solid with many Jadelight Ranger 'whiffs' being closer to an actual Divination.
Rishkar was always great! unless I had my first 3 plays removed. Rishkar into Rishkar never seemed awful. I originally started with 2 Ghalta but I think he'll be sideboard only for Dinosaurs or other non-interactives. If you to want to live the dream of 26 power on turn 4 as I did you can leave 1 in.
Even with Jadelight Rangers sometimes I couldn't muster 5 mana for on-curve Gearhulks, but they were usually excellent unless my opening 7 was 5 land 2 hulk.
I liked Harsh Scrutiny to hedge dicey 2 land keeps and the knowledge of my opponents' hand helped me maximize which 2 drop to play out if I had to bait removal to resolve snek or Gifted Aetherborn.
Dreamstealer was deece, but Magma Spray is trending up now so he'll get cut
This was all done on budget for 80~ tix I never felt I needed extra Ballistae, though not having Vraska's Contempt was/is agony.
play a blue version. and use Carnage Tyrant & Scarab God
I know Jadelight Ranger is a 3 or 4 of in every list but I'm finding turn 3 of my matches pretty vulnerable, where the Ranger probably won't cut it and unless I have a 2 drop & Blossoming Defense or my opponent did nothing to my turn 2 drop(which is never) I don't feel great moving forward or waiting a turn to have Blossom up.
I saw some lists trying out Claim // Fame as a way to recover your dead 2 drop and lay another 2mana spell on turn 3. I think that might be okay but there's still Magma Spray out there; but if its a snek at least it's safe. Maybe it's good enough for me because I also run Gifted Aetherborn
all the Sultai lists I see now are identical and I don't know how to keep the tempo going, I miss charms and multimodal spells
maybe maindeck Thrashing Brontodon or Greenbelt Rampager could live to see my turn 4, or I'll cave and just run the Shapers' Sanctuary
nothing of interest in the packs that I recall, but I don't remember them being horrible either.
people could get their playsets for 250$ 1 month after release like clockwork
if you can handle Gearhulks with something that doesn't o-ring it and open yourself to them freeing it again for value
the 8-0 list only had 2 Jace's Defeat. I don't think that's much versus Hulks.
Gift decks look like a large part of the control meta, it's inexpensive to build, it doesn't waste a lot of deck slots on removal in a control heavy meta hence improving its control mirrors
swamp
Nicol bolas
Pox
The Rack x 1
Shallow grave
this was 1995~ standard
7 from Pox, 7 from Nicol Bolas coming in, and 3 more waiting for opponent's upkeep
opening with Gemstone Cavern + Reliquary Tower to end turn 1 with a hand of 30 cards and your win-con.
never didn't have it
those cards were all played in Standard; and no one cared about secondary markets and collections because there was a Tsunami of Standard playing going on
and it was the heart and Lifeblood of the company.
expensive packs don't serve the supposed goal of increasing accessibility, look at all the cards reprinted in the first modern masters set and how well that set up the public for building their collections. high pack price means less bought, increased rarity, secondary market + collectors etc etc etc
They've tried 'reprinting to death' Tarmagoyf and it's failed. (insert made up %)people still don't have a playset of them
people can't even get a set of Scarab Gods unless they bought at set release, and that was a year ago... how about your Phoenixes!?!? didn't think so.
I think if there was no mythic rarity the game would exist today as it did for more than a decade where anyone could make a competitive deck and if they found a deck someone else had made they liked they could put it together without too much difficulty and needn't sweat hundreds of dollars on trying out something new.
now someone can continue this rant regarding the placement of format warping cards at mythic rarity, hoohoo where have we seen that before..
Deadeye Tracker might work and be cute with a snek
Approach decks don't bother me because you can clear that easy with Lost Legacy or a bunch of Duress
but Gifts decks are an impossible headache without you curving out & having disruption.
even Dispossess on Gifts doesn't end the game, they still have Wrath's to clear everything you've put out and a GY full of 'free' 4 toughness creatures which draw them more free cards or grab your stuff.
I'm going to make a spreadsheet of my testing because I'm pretty sure my Gifts matchups have been putrid, but I play against control so much more often I could have tunnel vision worrying about coin flip matches when I should worry about the 20/80.
list & prices https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/967079#online
I think a couple cards have gone up in just the last week it was closer to 80 tix when I built it from the sale of leftover draft commons that are used in pauper.
2 Harsh Scrutiny
2 Duress
2 Fourth Bridge Prowler
1 Fatal Push
1 Blossoming Defense
4 Winding Constrictor
2 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Gifted Aetherborn
4 Jadelight Ranger
3 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
2 Aethersphere Harvester
1 Dreamstealer
1 Rhonas the Indomitable
2 Walking Ballista
4 Verdurous Gearhulk
1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
1 Desert of the Glorified
4 Blooming Marsh
2 Ifnir Deadlands
4 Aether Hub
4 Foul Orchard
5 Forest
4 Swamp
I wrote comments in the non-budget Constricter thread if you wanted thoughts on specific cards. https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/proven-standard/782517-gbx-constrictor?page=21 at the bottom of the page
I think the Ballistas are worth the money for 2 but not for 4, you could probably get away without the Aethersphere Harvesters if you had to go more budget.
any # of Vraska's Contempt would help a lot.
I think the only 'budget' deck I lost to in 50 games was B/W tokens with Hidden Cache + Fumigate/Settle the Wreckage
I almost lost to an ultra budget vamps decks
for help against U/B Azcanta's
and as a general color fixer
it comes into play untapped.
with a bunch of 1 drop removals you can still sac it on turn 3 and cast something.
Poisoner seems like a decent answer to Carnage Tyrants from B/G or BUG decks but I wouldn't trust it vs R/G, so if your meta players can afford Phoenixes; you need Doomfall(for their Tyrants) or the spicy Bontu's Last Reckoning
Treasure Map seems a must if you're going to run Arch
my 'budget' list was strictly B/G but you'll want blue in your list in some capacity, think I 5-0'd the newbie leagues once or twice
toughest matchups were against control where they trade card for card and I get them to 1 life and they resolve Scarab God and it's over
lost a few to white control decks like Hidden Cache, or Second Sun because of multiple Settle the Wreckage/Fumigate. Don't think I ever lost to Red or creature strategies in general; maybe once to dinosaurs. I think in 50 games I never played a mirror, of any Constricter build.
2 Harsh Scrutiny
2 Duress
2 Fourth Bridge Prowler
1 Fatal Push
1 Blossoming Defense
4 Winding Constrictor
2 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Gifted Aetherborn
4 Jadelight Ranger
3 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
2 Aethersphere Harvester
1 Dreamstealer
1 Rhonas the Indomitable
2 Walking Ballista
4 Verdurous Gearhulk
1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
1 Desert of the Glorified
4 Blooming Marsh
2 Ifnir Deadlands
4 Aether Hub
4 Foul Orchard
5 Forest
4 Swamp
my sideboard is nothing to write home about; different hand removal, Naturalize, I'll probably put in Lost Legacy somewhere when I get around to it.
thoughts on cards in my list: Fatal Push didn't do much that another card didn't do better(given my list is overloaded vs aggro, and why not? not every can drop $ on Scarabs). dead draws against control game 1 are baaaaaad, I suppose they have Siphoners. Ifnir Deadlands underperformed; mana intensive or dying to Field of Ruin, but the cycling land was solid with many Jadelight Ranger 'whiffs' being closer to an actual Divination.
Rishkar was always great! unless I had my first 3 plays removed. Rishkar into Rishkar never seemed awful. I originally started with 2 Ghalta but I think he'll be sideboard only for Dinosaurs or other non-interactives. If you to want to live the dream of 26 power on turn 4 as I did you can leave 1 in.
Even with Jadelight Rangers sometimes I couldn't muster 5 mana for on-curve Gearhulks, but they were usually excellent unless my opening 7 was 5 land 2 hulk.
I liked Harsh Scrutiny to hedge dicey 2 land keeps and the knowledge of my opponents' hand helped me maximize which 2 drop to play out if I had to bait removal to resolve snek or Gifted Aetherborn.
Dreamstealer was deece, but Magma Spray is trending up now so he'll get cut
This was all done on budget for 80~ tix I never felt I needed extra Ballistae, though not having Vraska's Contempt was/is agony.
play a blue version. and use Carnage Tyrant & Scarab God