The only card I stole from you was your black lotus. Upon trying to sell this black lotus I was promptly laughed at. It seems that hobby shops don't buy cards that are copies of other cards glued to random common cards. lol
Thanks for defending me, Drew. Or perhaps it was you that stole my cards while I was in the bathroom which forced me to start playing MTGO. You shall rue the day, my friend!
it sounds like the above poster has probably played against one of these aforementioned decks. He also sounds like a trickster that would post a comment following his to try and make it seem like it wasn't him that posted it.
These deck ideas sound like they come from someone living with their parents. These ideas might also come from someone making minimum wage at a supermarket that spends all their money on an online card game. Trying to play these decks in a reallife atmosphere would promptly get your cards stolen when you are using the bathroom.
Thanks for the inside report Alex. I watched as many games as I could but it is nice to get the context which is missing from casual observation. Sounds like a blast. I said to you in private, your skills are on a roll...go win a PTQ now.
OH, and JOHNNY JOHNNY JOHNNY! INFP's are by far the rarest of the personality types, actually more around 1-2% according to the Myers book I have, and I've only ever met on other one in my life. She's also a johnny. So I think it's a trend. It's because we tend to be curious people, as well as (Not to be arrogant) generally on the higher end of intelligence, since we crusade for personal perfection as well. THis makes us great Johnnies, because I personally know that I can spot complex interactions fairly easily among cards, without really having to have it explained to me.
I actually am an INFP, and it's difficult to explain why I play based on the rather short description you gave. Basically, INFP's feel a calling to a higher good, and crusade for what they believe to be goodness on earth. Unfortunately, alot of times this works out to personal relationship in modern life, and alot of them (Me included) tend to have cataclysmic love lifes because they tend to idealize their mates, so they generally fall horribly in love with one person and are simply incapable of moving on. Not that that's wrong, it's just how we are. So I know that personally I play magic because it gives me a place where I don't have to care about the justices of love and life, I just play cards with some guys, you know?
It's an escape.
And yes, I'm about as anti net-decking as it gets. Mainly because they always fail epically when I play them.
Paul, (Ankh of Mishra) is a great card. I run it in my LD deck, except that it's Zo Zu, which I really should switch to Ankh since it can't be killed by Dark Banishing. It also combos nicely with (Grazing Gladehart). Why should I take damage for playing land?
On another note, if you make the first deck Classic, you can add Divining Top as noted, but you can also add Divine Intervention to get a legal draw. I run one copy of Divine Intervention in place of the Storm Herd in my classic version, but I've never gotten it to work.
She sounds like a mix of Johnny Timmy and Vorthos. Just a guess. Be glad your wife takes an interest in deck building. My gf will play and enjoy the games if I bring decks but doesn't really care for the process of choosing cards to play. She has stated general preferences like "Burn cards" and "Creatures". But other than that she will play her decks unseen.
Actually Id be much happier to agree with you to not play the cards you don't like in advance. I have an equally good time just playing fun decks. But I do like to win and win with vigor (not the card). If I get blocked by someone who doesn't like my cards, I shrug because I never go in to other people's games spoiling for that. Just the same way I always block the haters and blankslates. (I call them dumb mooks.)
So... by the author's reasoning it is okay to intentionally play a game with the explicit purpose of trying to get a rise out of his opponent if he is in foul mood. At least you admit to feeling guilty at being a dick.
With regards to your Flaming Shots deck, I think the best creature based use for Quest for the Pure Flame is to use creatures with double strike, and in particular, double strike and trample. However, I prefer granting double strike with Sunholme. Opponents always seem to forget that it is in play.
Cotton, I'm pretty sure I showed you this already online, but if you're running Concerted Effort, the avatar you want is Akroma. It helps you get in there with abilities without needing to run creatures with abilities. Loxodon Heirarch is fun, but he is more fun with Trample and Haste. :-)
Also, a must for any deck running Effort. Dramatic Enterance (on opponent's turn) + Concerted Effort + Progenitus = Hooray!!!
Chances of actually getting that combo to work? Not very good, but seriously fun if it does.
lol I have a quest to convert all my foil lands to specific foil Zenidkar ones to solve this issue. It's just hard work tracking them down when I have spare tickets.
And finally Flippers, you should definately give in to your inner Vorthos. I mean, those basic lands you play are unacceptable! They are from all different sets with many different art. This is all wrong!
Joking aside, I really think that playing at least the same art for all basic lands, is very important. You should make it a rule for all your decks for all the formats. If you bounce a Ravnica Island in a game back to hand and then the next turn play a Lorwyn Island, I would know that one of the cards you have in hand is an Island. You can't allow me to know that. Playing same art for all basic lands prevents that.
And please also consider giving in to your inner Vorthos. Art matters!
kalandine "So, I understand the idea of running out a 50 minute clock in paper magic, but MTGO works entirely differently. There is no draw in MTGO, someone's clock will expire and the other player will win. Is your goal to make your opponent run out of time?"
First, NERD ALERT, that deck was inspired from the Star Trek: TNG episode "Peak Performance" in which Data postulates that he did not beat Kolrabi because he (Data) was not playing to win. It made me think about Magic in that when you sit at the table with your opponent, it is assumed you have the same goal; to win. However, if you were not playing to win, but to draw, there are plenty of ways you could force your opponent into a stalemate. That deck IS designed to play forever and never win.
More to the point, yes, MTGO works a little differently. That was the other reason I added Storm Herd. Even I think it would be wrong to build a deck that would purposefully run out an opponent's clock. I have found that most players concede to my "I Hate Magic: Part 2" deck. So I usually don't play it in the casual room unless I am in a foul mood. It works well in 2HG and often get compliments from my teammate for being able to keep us alive forever. So the not-so-short answer to your question was, no, it is not my intention to run out an opponent's clock.
To respond to Anonymous, call it liberal guilt or whatever, but I do sometimes feel bad for making decks like this. Which is why when I make decks like this, I always tend to leave an opening in them. The old, "For every lock there is a key" concept. I like building decks that are excessively mean, but have a massive weakness that if exploited will make the deck fall apart. (For instance both of these decks suffer from mono-black control) The alleviates some of those feelings of guilt. :-)
The only card I stole from you was your black lotus. Upon trying to sell this black lotus I was promptly laughed at. It seems that hobby shops don't buy cards that are copies of other cards glued to random common cards. lol
Thanks for defending me, Drew. Or perhaps it was you that stole my cards while I was in the bathroom which forced me to start playing MTGO. You shall rue the day, my friend!
it sounds like the above poster has probably played against one of these aforementioned decks. He also sounds like a trickster that would post a comment following his to try and make it seem like it wasn't him that posted it.
These deck ideas sound like they come from someone living with their parents. These ideas might also come from someone making minimum wage at a supermarket that spends all their money on an online card game. Trying to play these decks in a reallife atmosphere would promptly get your cards stolen when you are using the bathroom.
lol. If I were you Id be collecting all the Windborne Charges I could get my paws on. :D
congratz alex, thanks for all the pauper contributions. And yas next year is our year. Go Mets!!!
" If you see Erik ever, have him sign Windborne Charge- it's his card now."
...
Oh, you would do this... wouldn't you! I guess I have that coming. :D
Is it possible to have nostalgia for something that happened less than a month ago? Because reading this brought back awesome memories...
Thanks for the inside report Alex. I watched as many games as I could but it is nice to get the context which is missing from casual observation. Sounds like a blast. I said to you in private, your skills are on a roll...go win a PTQ now.
Since 2002.
OH, and JOHNNY JOHNNY JOHNNY! INFP's are by far the rarest of the personality types, actually more around 1-2% according to the Myers book I have, and I've only ever met on other one in my life. She's also a johnny. So I think it's a trend. It's because we tend to be curious people, as well as (Not to be arrogant) generally on the higher end of intelligence, since we crusade for personal perfection as well. THis makes us great Johnnies, because I personally know that I can spot complex interactions fairly easily among cards, without really having to have it explained to me.
I actually am an INFP, and it's difficult to explain why I play based on the rather short description you gave. Basically, INFP's feel a calling to a higher good, and crusade for what they believe to be goodness on earth. Unfortunately, alot of times this works out to personal relationship in modern life, and alot of them (Me included) tend to have cataclysmic love lifes because they tend to idealize their mates, so they generally fall horribly in love with one person and are simply incapable of moving on. Not that that's wrong, it's just how we are. So I know that personally I play magic because it gives me a place where I don't have to care about the justices of love and life, I just play cards with some guys, you know?
It's an escape.
And yes, I'm about as anti net-decking as it gets. Mainly because they always fail epically when I play them.
Or you could just replay the same land that got bounced. Which is what I do. I don't have any 2 basic lands the same in any deck.
Paul, (Ankh of Mishra) is a great card. I run it in my LD deck, except that it's Zo Zu, which I really should switch to Ankh since it can't be killed by Dark Banishing. It also combos nicely with (Grazing Gladehart). Why should I take damage for playing land?
On another note, if you make the first deck Classic, you can add Divining Top as noted, but you can also add Divine Intervention to get a legal draw. I run one copy of Divine Intervention in place of the Storm Herd in my classic version, but I've never gotten it to work.
She sounds like a mix of Johnny Timmy and Vorthos. Just a guess. Be glad your wife takes an interest in deck building. My gf will play and enjoy the games if I bring decks but doesn't really care for the process of choosing cards to play. She has stated general preferences like "Burn cards" and "Creatures". But other than that she will play her decks unseen.
Actually Id be much happier to agree with you to not play the cards you don't like in advance. I have an equally good time just playing fun decks. But I do like to win and win with vigor (not the card). If I get blocked by someone who doesn't like my cards, I shrug because I never go in to other people's games spoiling for that. Just the same way I always block the haters and blankslates. (I call them dumb mooks.)
So... by the author's reasoning it is okay to intentionally play a game with the explicit purpose of trying to get a rise out of his opponent if he is in foul mood. At least you admit to feeling guilty at being a dick.
With regards to your Flaming Shots deck, I think the best creature based use for Quest for the Pure Flame is to use creatures with double strike, and in particular, double strike and trample. However, I prefer granting double strike with Sunholme. Opponents always seem to forget that it is in play.
Cotton, I'm pretty sure I showed you this already online, but if you're running Concerted Effort, the avatar you want is Akroma. It helps you get in there with abilities without needing to run creatures with abilities. Loxodon Heirarch is fun, but he is more fun with Trample and Haste. :-)
Also, a must for any deck running Effort. Dramatic Enterance (on opponent's turn) + Concerted Effort + Progenitus = Hooray!!!
Chances of actually getting that combo to work? Not very good, but seriously fun if it does.
lol I have a quest to convert all my foil lands to specific foil Zenidkar ones to solve this issue. It's just hard work tracking them down when I have spare tickets.
The last deck wasn't going to be allies... but I may extend the Zendikar block articles to cover them as well : )
And finally Flippers, you should definately give in to your inner Vorthos. I mean, those basic lands you play are unacceptable! They are from all different sets with many different art. This is all wrong!
Joking aside, I really think that playing at least the same art for all basic lands, is very important. You should make it a rule for all your decks for all the formats. If you bounce a Ravnica Island in a game back to hand and then the next turn play a Lorwyn Island, I would know that one of the cards you have in hand is an Island. You can't allow me to know that. Playing same art for all basic lands prevents that.
And please also consider giving in to your inner Vorthos. Art matters!
LE
kalandine "So, I understand the idea of running out a 50 minute clock in paper magic, but MTGO works entirely differently. There is no draw in MTGO, someone's clock will expire and the other player will win. Is your goal to make your opponent run out of time?"
First, NERD ALERT, that deck was inspired from the Star Trek: TNG episode "Peak Performance" in which Data postulates that he did not beat Kolrabi because he (Data) was not playing to win. It made me think about Magic in that when you sit at the table with your opponent, it is assumed you have the same goal; to win. However, if you were not playing to win, but to draw, there are plenty of ways you could force your opponent into a stalemate. That deck IS designed to play forever and never win.
More to the point, yes, MTGO works a little differently. That was the other reason I added Storm Herd. Even I think it would be wrong to build a deck that would purposefully run out an opponent's clock. I have found that most players concede to my "I Hate Magic: Part 2" deck. So I usually don't play it in the casual room unless I am in a foul mood. It works well in 2HG and often get compliments from my teammate for being able to keep us alive forever. So the not-so-short answer to your question was, no, it is not my intention to run out an opponent's clock.
To respond to Anonymous, call it liberal guilt or whatever, but I do sometimes feel bad for making decks like this. Which is why when I make decks like this, I always tend to leave an opening in them. The old, "For every lock there is a key" concept. I like building decks that are excessively mean, but have a massive weakness that if exploited will make the deck fall apart. (For instance both of these decks suffer from mono-black control) The alleviates some of those feelings of guilt. :-)
Yep, your right! I missed that one.
To be honest I always find it hard when building Blue/Green decks I never seem to get the creature/control balance right.
I really like your build, I wanted to up the Baloths to 4 and Rite of Replication I somehow missed when I was looking over the cards in block.
It doesn't matter how big that Ally creature is; if you have your River Boa then you can hold him off forever.
It does not help with Kabira Evangel
I know you have said hold ground troops with the Boa, but the Raptor is also in most Ally builds.
things to keep in mind