Re: "By playing eight one mana accelerants, it almost guaranteed having one in the opening hand."
I think you're overstating this a fair amount. The odds of having one in your opening hand is 76.8%. That's good, but that's also why you'll see many decks play 9-12 Elves if they absolutely need one, and a third exists in the format.
If you're playing RG Ponza with 8 elves and 8 stone rains, the odds of having at least one of each in your opening hand is 58.9%, with slightly better odds of drawing into a stone rain by the turn you need it.
Playtesting can tell you a lot about your deck vs the metagame, but I think the number of spells at Xcmc to play is more a question of math and the constraints of a format.
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Jul 12, 2010Promatim posted a message on Lurking is such a painDrafting on modo is about as much as IRL. Two dollars and 3 packs. Packs (if you buy from bots) range from 4 to 2.50 USD, depending on the set.Posted in: Pet Snakes Corner
If you like avatar/sigs, any kind of activity in artwork (other than spam of course) is good. That subforum has been waning, and it could really use a couple regulars. -
May 5, 2010Promatim posted a message on Esper Control V 2.0Can I cast firewalker very well...Posted in: Promatim Blog
Hm. I guess my white mana is okay. I might have to up the marsh flat or colonnade count or something.
I'll take out some of the spot removal for flashfreezes and purges, for sure.
Not enough jund opposite my tables for maindeck spreading seas, at the moment. I end up playing against vamps, white weenie, burn, and a lot of rogue decks. -
May 4, 2010Promatim posted a message on U/W/b Control@ esper charm - getting a walker out from under an o-ring is also really nice.Posted in: Sanguine Blog
divination, or hand disruption, or demystify all on one card is pretty sweet. -
May 4, 2010Promatim posted a message on U/W/b ControlHey Buddy,Posted in: Sanguine Blog
I'm working on kind of a similar deck. Might I suggest wall of denial over wall of omens? Wall of omens is good, but you're weighing a cantrip vs +0/+4, flying, and shroud.
Also, I tried to cast gatekeeper in my esper deck, and I was a lot more dedicated black than you. It looks like you'll have a lot of trouble getting trips black with eight black sources. You'd have to dig through half your deck. You might want to swap out the gatekeeper for something else. Maybe a fourth O-ring, and two elspeths? - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Yep, still alive! And Tahn's stuff has been quite cool to see. Right now, I just can't financially justify Limited, which is kind of a shame, because Battle for Zendikar actually looks pretty neat.
Ah well, I REALLY like Cube and EDH, and I've been having fun setting records in a small speedrun community (Terraria), so that's been a blast.
Re:Bateleur - Noted! I'll definitely look for you on one or two of those nifty social media platforms. Hope making games is going well.
Haha, yeah, you did kinda walk in on us all reminiscing about how we're never here.
I like to check on the clan now and then, just to see how things are going. It's been since... whatever came before Theros, that I really, really followed Magic. I never thought I'd go on this long of a break again, and I feel kind of filthy.
As soon as I have some spare cash, I'm hopping back on the limited train.
Edit: And I'm a bit far from Madison, but if I'm ever by that way visiting my cousins, I'll look you up!
I'd read that article! A lot of my friends are suuuuuper psyched about the new premium mythics, talking about ordering cases of Zendikar, etc., but something just feels... off, to me. I like Magic for the fun of 2-for-1ing with a cool sorcery, or outthinking my opponent. I can't tell if it's just sour grapes about having spent thousands on Magic and not wanting to keep re-investing, but it feels strange to see Magic become all about blinged-out decks and which creature is going to be the next Goyf.
I'll definitely miss your contributions. If you have a twitter or blog or something, I'd surely check it out. (If you want want to publicly share something like that, feel free to PM me.)
Yeah, I still cube and play EDH very occasionally, and sometimes I teach people Magic, but... I'm more-or-less on a break from the game, until I get really in the mood to play limited again. Khans should've been the ideal get-back-in-there set for me, but nothing has clicked.
For Limited, it's reeeeally hard for me to care about a draft format, unless I care a LOT. I want to be an expert. I want to have strong opinions. If I can't be fully devoted to a game, then I tend to lose interest.
I know exactly how you feel. I have hardly touched magic since Fate Reforged, and lately played a bunch with some visiting friends. I was so, so rusty. Complicated board states that would've been nothing two years ago caused me to make misplays. Ah well, it happens.
Triple ARB was a lot less fun than I remembered, but it's honestly a pleasure just to draft a format that I know the ins and outs of.
Triple ROE is probably my second favorite format of all time (first being Innistrad, I know I missed the golden age of limited, RGD through TFP, oh well) so I would've loved to do that. I'll have to start paying more attention.
Man, I've played so little Magic lately... I did do a couple triple ARB phantom drafts. Had some trouble, kind of bad at the new client... declined to cascade once, and it cost me a game in an intense jund mirror.
Had fun with ARB, though. It was nice to sling cards again.
Welcome Hardened! Added!
Also, I haven't checked this thread in a while, has anyone else tried to join?
However, I've heard of people getting in big trouble for "selling" their old accounts. I myself have been away from MTGO for a while - is this still a thing? Where is the line? Is there a way I can make my friend an account and hand it over to her?
If not, I guess I could buy 10 dollars worth of pauper staples on my account and then pass them along.
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Edit: The TOS is not terribly long, but the only really relevant thing I can see is.
"Wizards does not recognize any purported transfers or sales of Digital Objects, event tickets or other virtual assets outside of the Software. Accordingly, you are strictly prohibited from selling, gifting (except as permitted herein) or exchanging Digital Objects, event tickets or other virtual Game items for currency or other value outside of the Game."
I really don't get the "except as permitted herein" part. That's the end of the section, and nothing else really comes back around to when it is/isn't okay to gift people things.
My takeaway is that my friend definitely needs to sign up for her account, and I can _probably_ gift her cards. I think I'm correct in this?
What do you guys think of the set so far? Too early to ask for drafting advice?
The new MODO client... while I don't think it's as bad as other people, Hearthstone has really showed how huge Magic could be if only Magic Online was attractive, high-performance, and easy.
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Edit: A thing I'd rather have over the Banners? Enemy-colored borderposts. Maybe later in the set.
I'm also not super pleased with RUG guy. He definitely isn't making my "add to Maelstrom Wanderer" EDH hunt, which I go through every set. I'm assuming that I'll get some interesting cards, this being a wedge block, but I've yet to see anything good enough.
I like the idea of unmorphing him and going nuts, but the turn three investment is too much, just for a turn 4 ritual. I'd rather play Lotus Cobra, which is currently also on the outside of the deck looking in.
I guess there's always MODO, but that's definitely not going as deep as renting a beach house and playing block for two weeks.
I agree with most of what you said, especially being worried about block.
As for third sets not affecting standard much, I at least partially disagree...
I mean, you aren't going to see too many people switching decks right before rotation, but Bloodbraid Elf was an incredibly powerful card for Jund and 5CC. Two other heavy hitters are Splinter Twin and Birthing Pod.
Tarmogoyf, Eldrazi Conscription (and the Eldrazi), Batterskull, Coalition Relic, Aetherling, lands in many cases, Bonfire/Entreat/Miracles... Tamiyo and Gideon.
I feel like third sets tend to really swing things in control's favor. They push midrange decks into aggro/control variants, and often enable random metagame control decks to find the bomb, removal, land, or combo piece they were missing. Maybe they are a few factors in this - not just the availability of the third set, but also the "settling" of the format, but I feel like third sets have had their impact in more than a few standard formats.
Also, how come whenever I start building a Modern deck, it turns into "I'll use Simic Guildmage to slide Genju of the Realm across all my lands and make an army of 8/12's..." What's wrong with me.
I do love the feeling of a full-set block, holding those varicolored packs. The idea of a complete block, of one pack per set being the fullest realization of a draft format, always appealed to me. But it was only ever an idea.
When was the last time a full set outshone a triple fall set? RGD? Maybe TPF, but I'd argue that triple Tsp is just as fun. My favorite formats have been triple Innistrad and triple ROE, so no great loss here.
I'd say that this is bad for reprints, but... it might not be. Time will tell. Right now the thing we're most hurting for are Fetchland reprints, and those could certainly come in a block. In fact, I'd expect them to come from a block way more than from a Core Set. At the end of the day, reprints and magic-finance aren't my priority.
I have to say, I'm really excited, surprisingly excited.
It's too early to tell, but I might even play standard again.
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Edit: Also MaRo's huge article on the change was adorable. Pages of "oh god please don't hate me... I promise I have the best intentions..." So cautious.