Hi folks. I have been off in la la land exploring decks to make people pay for playing the decks that officially go out of style tomorrow morning. I felt that D+T was overmatched during the dark days Ancestral Recall x4 Legacy.
I will be pleased to take my Spirits of the Labyrinth out of the main now that there is an actual format again.
My big question, how much sense does the green splash actually make now?
I have a savage collection. Until recently I trotted my expensive cards out with reckless abandon whenever I felt like it. But I have "lost" about 10 dual lands over the last 20 years. I can't say for sure that they were stolen. Or lost. Or what. But I will say that expensive cards have a way of disappearing if you use them enough no matter how careful you are. I simply cannot afford to replace them anymore. I will happily buy lots of inkjet cartridges instead.
But take pride in your proxies, friends. I know a fellow who has up to two card names crossed out and a third crammed in on the bottom of basic lands. I know another who writes nearly, but not entirely unintelligible phrases on card backs to tell him what a card is, but it does nothing for anyone else. Jason, my old friend, if you are reading this, having to translate "g/w" and "dive top" into card text really limits everyone else's immersion into the game. A third person actually has "Swamp" printed large and clear on Disowned Ancestor in the same deck with actual swamps acting as proxies for something else.
I still have several in my main. I like the comfort of having that extra level if disruption. I acknowledge its shortcomings. It often feels like simply a fragile enchantment with no power and a toughness of 1.
I have said this since the begining; Spirit if the Lab belongs in Zoo. It is an uncomfortable fit in D+T. But the meta feels so overdone right now. I don't like getting blown out by Treasure Cruise.
Also, my phone has a hard-on for turning "of" into "if". Arg!
I am not so sure. There are plenty of creatures that cost three vying for position already. We already have a relatively high cmc. I do not think I want more than 8 at the most, no matter the meta. Even that amount is taking chances on screwing you. It's really bad news to get stuck with too many expensive spells when facing an opponent on aggro. In the recent past, Goblins, Zoo, and Merfolk have all been out of the meta. That left only RUG for aggro. We could afford to be on the slower side against all the stoneforge decks and Miracles. If UR Delver stays popular - and I think it will - we will need to be fast enough to keep up, with fewer spells that cost 3. If not, I would feel comfortable staying at 7 or so 3-drops.
Something to consider about ticking Vial up to three is that as the game progresses, you are reasonably likely to draw another. That happens often enough to impact the flow of the deck.
Locktor, this deck is simply chock full of these sorts of tactical decisions. Luckily, there is an arrow that can point you in the right direction on this one. Most of the two-drops do not have as big a timing bonus as the threes. Serra Avenger makes a great surprise blocker and Spirit of the Lab, well, the blowout factor is a very big deal in response to a Brainstorm. But beyond that (some folks have neither of those cards), the pull to keep the Vial at 2 once you enter mid-game is not especially great. You can simply wait until you are actually holding something worth bumping to 3 over. But I actually do not find this to be a hard decision most of the time. The deck guides you.
I really enjoyed the SCG stream commentary. Ced and Mathias were basically saying what we always do about how to play this deck. And of course Konig made it all look good. The Vialed Thalia with the Terminus trigger on the stack was just so beautiful. Caught everyone except Marc by surprise. What a great show. Cedric has been watching DnT for several years now. To hear him say that he may sleeve it up after all this time gently dissing it...
Sidle up, boys. This round is on me. I'm quite at my leisure.
Blade Splicer is fine. But is is really better than the many other options? The one thing I like is the single white mana symbol in the cost. Other than that, meh. Thorn has always been a win card for me. I would not use Sphere of Resistance though. It hurts too much. The one deck around that it would be better than Thorn against is Elves. And that deck gets around it much better than this one.
I have never heard of Shamans. How about a decklist, chief?
Also, I just looked up Rage Forger. There is a reason I was unfamiliar with it. Why on this planet would I pay three mana for that guy, and search for him? Really? Are you sure Legacy is the format you are looking for?
Phew! Another U-R Delver match. Thank goodness. I am so happy that this is at least the third U-R Delver matchup in a row. I was afraid SCG would having repetitive and boring content.
He speaks a lot of sense, but I just don't think he has played this deck nearly enough to give this kind of advice.
Judge's Familiar is only ever reasonable in an environment rife with non-Elf combo. Some of us were doing a lot of testing with this card when it was first printed. I VERY MUCH - I can't properly tell you how much - wanted this card to be good. But in the end, it just does not do enough against most of the field, and it feels a lot like a dead draw after turn 3. Samurai of the pale Curtain is a laughably bad choice. It was run back in like 2007 as little more than a filler card. It's exile ability hits basically just lands since we mostly exile with our removal. It was only kept because it could trade with a mongoose. Now even that is gone. He does not have any Ethersworn Canonists, a card which is still the brass ring against just about everything. For the life of me, I can't imagine what his experiences have been to bring him to think that he should not be using that card. I also do not like Sunlance, but at least that is debatable.
You guys would do well to largely disregard the flavor Adrian is pushing for.
Tramd, I have worked on the deck you describe long enough to say that it is not ultimately viable. Your opponent must have gotten the nuts draw on you.
It does seem like a good time to be playing this deck. Any time the format contracts in variety this deck gets better. When the contraction happens to be difficult sideboard cards, it seems doubly so.
I will be pleased to take my Spirits of the Labyrinth out of the main now that there is an actual format again.
My big question, how much sense does the green splash actually make now?
I have a savage collection. Until recently I trotted my expensive cards out with reckless abandon whenever I felt like it. But I have "lost" about 10 dual lands over the last 20 years. I can't say for sure that they were stolen. Or lost. Or what. But I will say that expensive cards have a way of disappearing if you use them enough no matter how careful you are. I simply cannot afford to replace them anymore. I will happily buy lots of inkjet cartridges instead.
But take pride in your proxies, friends. I know a fellow who has up to two card names crossed out and a third crammed in on the bottom of basic lands. I know another who writes nearly, but not entirely unintelligible phrases on card backs to tell him what a card is, but it does nothing for anyone else. Jason, my old friend, if you are reading this, having to translate "g/w" and "dive top" into card text really limits everyone else's immersion into the game. A third person actually has "Swamp" printed large and clear on Disowned Ancestor in the same deck with actual swamps acting as proxies for something else.
I still have several in my main. I like the comfort of having that extra level if disruption. I acknowledge its shortcomings. It often feels like simply a fragile enchantment with no power and a toughness of 1.
I have said this since the begining; Spirit if the Lab belongs in Zoo. It is an uncomfortable fit in D+T. But the meta feels so overdone right now. I don't like getting blown out by Treasure Cruise.
Also, my phone has a hard-on for turning "of" into "if". Arg!
Something to consider about ticking Vial up to three is that as the game progresses, you are reasonably likely to draw another. That happens often enough to impact the flow of the deck.
Sidle up, boys. This round is on me. I'm quite at my leisure.
Also, I have finally updated my 75.
4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
4 Karakas
2 Horizon Canopy
9 Plains
4 Mother of Runes
3 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Spirit of the Labyrinth
2 Serra Avenger
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Flickerwisp
2 Mangara of Corondor
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Æther Vial
1 Sword of Fire and ice
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Batterskull
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
2 Containment Priest
2 Council's Judgment
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Ratchet Bomb
2 Rest In Peace
2 Ethersworn Canonist
Also, I just looked up Rage Forger. There is a reason I was unfamiliar with it. Why on this planet would I pay three mana for that guy, and search for him? Really? Are you sure Legacy is the format you are looking for?
Judge's Familiar is only ever reasonable in an environment rife with non-Elf combo. Some of us were doing a lot of testing with this card when it was first printed. I VERY MUCH - I can't properly tell you how much - wanted this card to be good. But in the end, it just does not do enough against most of the field, and it feels a lot like a dead draw after turn 3. Samurai of the pale Curtain is a laughably bad choice. It was run back in like 2007 as little more than a filler card. It's exile ability hits basically just lands since we mostly exile with our removal. It was only kept because it could trade with a mongoose. Now even that is gone. He does not have any Ethersworn Canonists, a card which is still the brass ring against just about everything. For the life of me, I can't imagine what his experiences have been to bring him to think that he should not be using that card. I also do not like Sunlance, but at least that is debatable.
You guys would do well to largely disregard the flavor Adrian is pushing for.