The most useful decks RoC will be good against would be RDW, Boros (both have artifact destory at socery speed, but the burn to kill a frenzied creature like hoverguard and thopter easily), mirror, gobos (except for sharpshooter tricks and incinerator), ideal (before confinement or post blocking deed). And most certainly Ich (another sac outlet also).
To consider it's worth against a deck, it needs to the creature to survive instant casts (obv.) and combat. Frenzy outside combat is a good tell you're going to kill their face with a fat blast. Overall, I recommend it's use outside of any frenzy/ravager tricks (plating wasn't something I considered as a trick though), thus the only tell will be a tog/ravager eating things outside the combat zone, which gives you huge bluff options (you don't have to overkill, aka 16 power tog + 16 RoC, eat 2 artifacts for combat, then the rest for the RoC to the face). Overall, it depends on how "tricksy" (prrrrecioussssss) you want to be, and thus gives the card enormous reach.
Lets look ahead. What does everybody think of Rite of Consumption from Shadowmoor. Being a sorcery limits it some but I think it has potential. Could be a good finisher. I probably won't be testing extended until after regionals but this card peaked my interest.
Limit fling with lifegain. Considering that you can easily throw a large ravager post combat main phase, the matchup depends on the best use of it. Also goes with frenzy nicely (though that is getting pretty far into main game). Note it is only player which is partly limiting.
Overall, instead of a SB card, I would call it a possible blast replacement. The pros/cons should be obvious (and all things are dependant on meta).
Sorry I wasn't paying attention to the references he made about why blast would be played other than just as good removal for doram (since he didn't quote any). If you want removal for doran, blast can do that (along with other things), but there are different ("better") options.
You said that the appendix has no reason. Well it does. It resupplies the good bacterian in your intestinal tract that helps you digest food. Now you might think that you can just ingest bacteria, however the three types of bacteria in your intestines are not commonly just picked up. This is important for people who take lots of antibiotics and continue to get sick (because they are no longer properly digesting food).
If you're scared of Recall + Arcane Lab my best advice would be to run Spell Snare in the Sideboard, which isn't a bad option because it counters Hurkyl's Recall, Kataki, War's Wage, and Ancient Grudge, which are the most seen hate card brought in verse Affinity.
Speaking of Sideboards, I feel like I can't get mine right:
Seal of Fire is for Kataki, Grim Lavamancer, and other small bothersome creatures. Envelop verse Ideal and Death Cloud. Ancient Grudge for the mirror. Offalsnout verse Dredge and the new Reveillark combo (this space could easily be Extirpate as well, but I'm not sure what is better) Pithing Needle (I run two copies main deck as well) verse Pernicious Deed, Engineered Explosives, etc.
The biggest thing I don't like is I have nothing to bring in against NLU, Chase Rare, TEPS, or Aggro Loam. I know Cabal Therapy would be a great option, but is it worth dropping something else in order to fit it in? If I do that I'm just hurting one match-up to help another. Maybe I should drop the numbers of certain cards to fit Therapy in (-1 Seal -1 Envelop -1 Offalsnout, +3 Cabal Therapy)? But if I do that then I drop my chances of drawing the hate cards in matches that I really need them for... please help!
Offalsnout isn't needed, with large number of ways to get bridges removed, you can go with something strictly better at GY removal.
Therapy is relevant in almost every single other matchup that you play (cept for certain RDW versions, but can be good against boros). When it comes down to SB, don't just think about cards the overwhelmingly counter a deck, think of ones that are playable and good against a deck.
If you want, you can do what Vintage is doing, thoughtseize > therapy. Don't want to wiff with therapy (although with flashback it is technically impossible to miss), that's how you do it. Even if you only take 3 cards with thoughtseize and therapy, you still come out on top for CA. Hows that? First, thoughtseize will 1 for 1, that's obvious. If you want to up CA on your opponent, you need to sack a something with modular. Yeah, you don't have many, but that's what you do. See modular goes around card advantage. The reason you kill a creature is to remove it's power from the board (power = damage = loss of life), modular goes around the mechanic, so even a kill card on a ravager or worker puts you up CA by 1. And therapy is only half a card ( because of flashback).
Cut envelop for a discard. Oh no, but then you can't counter things like deathcloud etc. So what, countering and discarding do the same thing in two different ways (though with different drawbacks), if you compare the two, discard is better. Yes, your opponent can topdeck, but then so can you (though not discard or counter, I mean a way to recover if you can). Also therapy takes care of some of the worries in your first paragraph. Also, therapy is GREAT for all those wishers out there.
Other options for seal of fire are mogg fanatic (not that it is better, but it is an option). A better turn 1 play is obviously fanatic, how ever the opponent could just burn him then play kataki, but it wouldn't be any different from him needling your seal and playing kataki. Depends on your meta.
EDIT: I'd also like to point out one other thing. Shrapenl blast has been largely forgotten, and it is rather sad. Blast gives you amazing reach, considering most opponents will be doing about 5 damage to themselves. Blast means you only need to do 10 damage to them, double blast 5 damage. Do you think that affinity can get 5-10 damage in on the opponent, and let blast finish them off?
but still drum don't cause you to draw instead of chromatic star, to draw is too good, and remember afer a wrth you could have a drum but not acreature to tap, you have to draw it, if you not you wont be able to play a spell you have in hand you've not the colour, but this is only an hypothesys
You speak odd golem gutterspeak I see. First you are making assumptions about what happens after the wrath, like you have cards in hand, and were expecting the wrath. That means that you shouldn't need colorfixing to rebuild your board, you shouldn't be holding only colored cards and not have any creatures as backup. So drawing a star or drum won't matter, color fixing is irrelevant, and drawing either card midgame is garbage (less so with the star cantriping).
Not necessarily. If someone really wanted to make the deck more resilient against Hurkyl's recall, they could just add more 0-cc artifacts. An artifact land and a couple of Welding Jars allow you to rebuild nicely following a Recall. You could still play the same core of creatures and most of the other good spells. I'm not saying the deck should go in this direction, but the option is there if people fear a lot of Hurkyl's Recall.
Not really, recall happens EoT so you will only have 7 cards to rebuild with, you will want to increase you card quality.
kataki doesn't matter anymore. We have all options to kill him. Pyrite spellbomb, smother, darkblast, sudden shock. it's enought for a creature.
For the recall... don't know. Maybe spell snare can be a good option, but.. well.. I can't really say. Must test.
For now, I'll still play Cabal therapy SB. and maybe i'll move 'em to MD.
A 2cc card isn't an answer to kataki because you lose your board if you are on the draw. Or you lose your turn 2.
It depends mostly on the matchup. Playing against aggro you would probably want the ravager as an extra body, unless their board is short blockers. In the control, plating is a very large threat, so depending on how you want to play, you can cover plating with a threat, or use plating to cover a threat, or push through a plating so they have to spend early game using removal instead of counters, meaning you can resolve threats, which is the optimal situation. The control match is by far the more sofistocated, because you have a lot of bluffing options and play order options.
i think the golem will stay in game long enough to deal a good amount of damage ... and before it dies you sac it to the ravager ...
Quite possibly a good two drop. However, as a two drop, it runs the risk of you not having another creature to play right after it, meaning you would hold it back, lose a turn blah blah etc. Quite possibly very good, it just depends how easily you can get around its draw back (which isn't very large in affinity but enough for it to be considered).
First off, switch your SB duress for therapy. Therapy is superior in extended (unlike vintage). Other cards to consider for SB are extripcate (or however it is spelled), the previously mentioned darkblast (> sudden shock), if you have mirror problems, run overload.
Rock is very difficult if you don't have disruption and lots of beats. Removal isn't as needed as rock will try to win with 1 creature while keeping the board clean. GY removal is essential to locking down any recursion they try to set up. Genesis, witness, deed, therapy is a common gift (or switch therapy for the green recover card, I cant' recall). In general, you will want to give them genesis and therapy. Yes, they get two shots at your hand, but this keeps them from playing deed for 3-4 turns (even longer if the gift happened on turn 4). For flow rock, you just need to nail that flow before (or when) it hits play. It is game ending. Yes it sucks. Extripcate plays double duty here, if you can get a therapy with it. They are removal heavy, so shraps are hot here. I would advise taking out any second turn birds/elves they play. Rock will keep a hand that is land land bird/elves for that first turn flow.
Wasn't around planeshift so I'm not sure about this, but will hull breach work if there's only 1 artifact + enchantment in play or would it still work if there's just one?
Also, I'm working on the Affinity mirror match as well. Been testing this, and I'm kind of getting the feeling that swapping artifacts for targeted removal kind of slows down the deck and ruins its nature. I'm now trying to sideboard in the mirror by NOT sideboarding anything and going for the aggro road (have 2 scale of chiss goria and 2 fire // ice main). Anyone else tried something along these lines?
The thing you are speaking of (though I don't remember the exact term used to describe it) is the aggro vs aggro matchup where one deck has to go control while the other is aggro. Zvi has a really really old article on it at SCG, his example being the old extended goblins vs. RDW (believe). In the end, your opponent needs to know he is the control player and you are the aggro. If you know in the mirror they are siding in hate, you can do the same, just as long as you remain the aggro.
In the mirror, spot removal that isn't damage based is what wins (unless it is supreme ownage of the face). That would include, therapy, smother, nat, grasp (or whatever this green stuff people are playing). If you know people aren't doing that, then scale works wonders.
I'd prefer to throw Plating down turn 2, than Confidant turn 2. One helps my artifact-count, the other does not.
If you play a card that has no effect on the game then it doesn't matter which one, niether will become active until the turn after (assuming turn 2) and only confidant will power out a plating sooner to be played and equiped on turn 3 (or you could play it turn 2 and equip it turn 3, in which case you will be swinging for less).
To consider it's worth against a deck, it needs to the creature to survive instant casts (obv.) and combat. Frenzy outside combat is a good tell you're going to kill their face with a fat blast. Overall, I recommend it's use outside of any frenzy/ravager tricks (plating wasn't something I considered as a trick though), thus the only tell will be a tog/ravager eating things outside the combat zone, which gives you huge bluff options (you don't have to overkill, aka 16 power tog + 16 RoC, eat 2 artifacts for combat, then the rest for the RoC to the face). Overall, it depends on how "tricksy" (prrrrecioussssss) you want to be, and thus gives the card enormous reach.
Limit fling with lifegain. Considering that you can easily throw a large ravager post combat main phase, the matchup depends on the best use of it. Also goes with frenzy nicely (though that is getting pretty far into main game). Note it is only player which is partly limiting.
Overall, instead of a SB card, I would call it a possible blast replacement. The pros/cons should be obvious (and all things are dependant on meta).
Sorry I wasn't paying attention to the references he made about why blast would be played other than just as good removal for doram (since he didn't quote any). If you want removal for doran, blast can do that (along with other things), but there are different ("better") options.
2 for 1 a doran or just smother it? I'm going to go with smother.
Ah, so you're deciding how many to play by comparing it to different decks.
How man lavamancer's are you playing in affinity? Oh how are those Isamaru's working out too?
Offalsnout isn't needed, with large number of ways to get bridges removed, you can go with something strictly better at GY removal.
Therapy is relevant in almost every single other matchup that you play (cept for certain RDW versions, but can be good against boros). When it comes down to SB, don't just think about cards the overwhelmingly counter a deck, think of ones that are playable and good against a deck.
If you want, you can do what Vintage is doing, thoughtseize > therapy. Don't want to wiff with therapy (although with flashback it is technically impossible to miss), that's how you do it. Even if you only take 3 cards with thoughtseize and therapy, you still come out on top for CA. Hows that? First, thoughtseize will 1 for 1, that's obvious. If you want to up CA on your opponent, you need to sack a something with modular. Yeah, you don't have many, but that's what you do. See modular goes around card advantage. The reason you kill a creature is to remove it's power from the board (power = damage = loss of life), modular goes around the mechanic, so even a kill card on a ravager or worker puts you up CA by 1. And therapy is only half a card ( because of flashback).
Cut envelop for a discard. Oh no, but then you can't counter things like deathcloud etc. So what, countering and discarding do the same thing in two different ways (though with different drawbacks), if you compare the two, discard is better. Yes, your opponent can topdeck, but then so can you (though not discard or counter, I mean a way to recover if you can). Also therapy takes care of some of the worries in your first paragraph. Also, therapy is GREAT for all those wishers out there.
Other options for seal of fire are mogg fanatic (not that it is better, but it is an option). A better turn 1 play is obviously fanatic, how ever the opponent could just burn him then play kataki, but it wouldn't be any different from him needling your seal and playing kataki. Depends on your meta.
EDIT: I'd also like to point out one other thing. Shrapenl blast has been largely forgotten, and it is rather sad. Blast gives you amazing reach, considering most opponents will be doing about 5 damage to themselves. Blast means you only need to do 10 damage to them, double blast 5 damage. Do you think that affinity can get 5-10 damage in on the opponent, and let blast finish them off?
You speak odd golem gutterspeak I see. First you are making assumptions about what happens after the wrath, like you have cards in hand, and were expecting the wrath. That means that you shouldn't need colorfixing to rebuild your board, you shouldn't be holding only colored cards and not have any creatures as backup. So drawing a star or drum won't matter, color fixing is irrelevant, and drawing either card midgame is garbage (less so with the star cantriping).
Not really, recall happens EoT so you will only have 7 cards to rebuild with, you will want to increase you card quality.
A 2cc card isn't an answer to kataki because you lose your board if you are on the draw. Or you lose your turn 2.
It depends mostly on the matchup. Playing against aggro you would probably want the ravager as an extra body, unless their board is short blockers. In the control, plating is a very large threat, so depending on how you want to play, you can cover plating with a threat, or use plating to cover a threat, or push through a plating so they have to spend early game using removal instead of counters, meaning you can resolve threats, which is the optimal situation. The control match is by far the more sofistocated, because you have a lot of bluffing options and play order options.
Quite possibly a good two drop. However, as a two drop, it runs the risk of you not having another creature to play right after it, meaning you would hold it back, lose a turn blah blah etc. Quite possibly very good, it just depends how easily you can get around its draw back (which isn't very large in affinity but enough for it to be considered).
Rock is very difficult if you don't have disruption and lots of beats. Removal isn't as needed as rock will try to win with 1 creature while keeping the board clean. GY removal is essential to locking down any recursion they try to set up. Genesis, witness, deed, therapy is a common gift (or switch therapy for the green recover card, I cant' recall). In general, you will want to give them genesis and therapy. Yes, they get two shots at your hand, but this keeps them from playing deed for 3-4 turns (even longer if the gift happened on turn 4). For flow rock, you just need to nail that flow before (or when) it hits play. It is game ending. Yes it sucks. Extripcate plays double duty here, if you can get a therapy with it. They are removal heavy, so shraps are hot here. I would advise taking out any second turn birds/elves they play. Rock will keep a hand that is land land bird/elves for that first turn flow.
The thing you are speaking of (though I don't remember the exact term used to describe it) is the aggro vs aggro matchup where one deck has to go control while the other is aggro. Zvi has a really really old article on it at SCG, his example being the old extended goblins vs. RDW (believe). In the end, your opponent needs to know he is the control player and you are the aggro. If you know in the mirror they are siding in hate, you can do the same, just as long as you remain the aggro.
In the mirror, spot removal that isn't damage based is what wins (unless it is supreme ownage of the face). That would include, therapy, smother, nat, grasp (or whatever this green stuff people are playing). If you know people aren't doing that, then scale works wonders.
If you play a card that has no effect on the game then it doesn't matter which one, niether will become active until the turn after (assuming turn 2) and only confidant will power out a plating sooner to be played and equiped on turn 3 (or you could play it turn 2 and equip it turn 3, in which case you will be swinging for less).