Hi Flippers, I have a few constructive comments if I may:
First of all, Blue/Green is the weakest color combination in ZEN. The biggest problem is of course, that this color combination has no removal. And competing in a format without any real removal where people play either Hideous End or Burst Lightning or Day of Judgment is really hard and to make it work, one should be using some special cards.
The first one is as you also figured out, Gomazoa. That creature works as a removal and can deal with anything. Then there is River Boa and unless it gets Disfigured or sent to a Journey to Nowhere, it sits there and blocks and stops all opposing ground forces. And finally there is Into the Roil which is very useful and also Mold Shambler that can deal with any non-creature permanent.
But I think that you should run 4 of those cards instead of 3(except Shambler; 3 of it is okay). You most definately should do so because otherwise you can't deal with the fast decks of the format (such as the Kor, Vampires, Allies etc...). It doesn't matter how big that Ally creature is; if you have your River Boa then you can hold him off forever.
The second thing about Blue/Green is this: You should be dealing with some threats before they become threats. And by that I mean counterspells. Why don't you use Cancel? I would even use two Mindbreak Traps too if I were to play a Blue/Green deck and add Spell Pierce to my sideboard. You have Summoner's Bane but that card cannot save you from the wrath of Day of Judgment or Mind Sludge. The latter will destoy your hand and eventually will make you lose the game; you just can't allow that.
And finally where is Rite of Replication? It costs $0,60 per copy so it is definately a budget option. Play Harrow and get mana and fix your mana, and then play Rite of Replication with kicker targeting that Ally and see what happens. Or target that Vampire Nighthawk and you'll get yourself an invincible army!
Finally my Blue/Green deck would be something like this:
25 Lands
18 Creatures
4x Gomazoa
4x River Boa
4x Rampaging Baloths
3x Mold Shambler
3x Sphinx of Lost Truths (card drawing is important)
17 Other Spells
4x Cancel
4x Into the Roil
4x Harrow
3x Rite of Replication
2x Mindbreak Trap (you can always replace this with Spell Pierce for budget reasons)
Alternatively, you can try a more aggressive deck with Scute Mobs and Cosi's Tricksters but I would personally prefer the above version.
Interesting deck and a nice idea, i remember playing this deck and was shocked about seeing the Misty Rainforest's ... Very unfair of you Sir ..:) way over budget :)
Flip i hope for your last article for a zen block deck its going to be allies
Lets face it for a Budget deck you really ""as u have stated here"" can't beat them for value and enjoyment in playing them.
They cheap, fun to play, sliver like and make a strong deck for any format.
Just a sample of 3 game changing/game winners for the price of 1 tik for a play set of each
I know you like to explore different budget decks but when one is just begging for you to add an article to your series on Budgeted resources i feel u should give them chance.
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?
" Ankh of Mishra + Armageddon would make it more annoying. Just a thought. :) I guess this is a great way to weed out those annoying casual players who block you for enjoying your collection."
That's what's great about MTGO. I'm happy to block players like you, and you're happy to be blocked by players like me. None of the shouting and hurt feelings of paper MTG.
I'm an ISTJ. To which all who know me say: well, duh.
My wife taught me to play this game, not long after meeting her 8 years ago.
She's an INFP. She plays for fun. Period. Full stop. In recent years, magic at home has been a tad strained at times - apparently I suggest "the correct play" just a bit too often.
She's some combination of a Johnny, and "because I like this card". Her deck ideas always tend to be a little off the beaten trail, and can be awesomely powerful the 10-20% of the time that everything comes together. The last thing I recall her really taking a fancy to was various Izzet cards.
There's one thing she does that's really, really hard for an ISTJ to uncerstand: She'll take a deck, jank out a dozen or two cards, stuff in replacements, and happily keep playing. Usually the theme remains the same, sometimes it shifts. One way or another, there's no need to keep track of what the old cards were, or which of the new ones perform better, and which are worse.
I had a problem with a replay recently and asked an ORC about it and they advised repairing the build. I did that and the reply worked without a hitch, any chance that could help your problem?
I like the Roil Elemental on paper though it is fragile, and needs shroud/counter protection to be really useful. Yes I've noticed Allies do tend to be out of control from the matches Ive seen. Someone asked a question though which I found interesting: Why play 1/3 or 1/2 a block? I think the answer is obvious but giving it could lead to some interesting discussions.
That would imply a steady increase but according to shard it one day just shot up to $2.5 which boggles. Did the dealers just suddenly all realize it was underpriced?
Ankh of Mishra + Armageddon would make it more annoying. Just a thought. :) I guess this is a great way to weed out those annoying casual players who block you for enjoying your collection.
Well... nice as a concept... but once I've encountered you playing this purposely "annoying" deck, I will promptly block you... since when is that a viable goal in the Casual Room?
Isnt this card terrible? I mean spending 6 mana to give your opponent the opportunity for a 2-1 seems bad. Not to mention by the time you cast it, even if it sticks, it wont gain you much life, as you are probably getting pretty low by then, and doubling 3-5 life, while ok, is not earthshaking. To me the risk/benefit seems way too low. I would much prefer to see Kor Skyfisher in that slot. It helps your curve a lot and gives you another evasive beater.
I agree about the Birds. To be honest, I was surprised when I looked up their price, since Birds has always just been an 'expensive' card in my head. I'd definitely recommend picking up a playset for anyone who likes that style of card, but there are still budget options if you need them.
Yeah I meant to say that whithering wisps is a replacement for non-pauper players suffering from crypt rats high price, which is due to its popularity/legality in pauper.
hmm I got ISFP as a result for my quick test- Im playing the game for over ten years now-and most of the time i m a tournament player on ptq/gp level-also some drafts with friends-but no regular shop player-just private testing with other tournament players. I m also playing online since the very beginning of Modo and play drafts and smaller events most of the time-no casual games-would play more bigger events when my timeframe would allow it to me.
interesting test and outcome - thanks for the experience :-)
I scored as INTJ, always have and have taken a professionally delivered test; again, as others have said, I am not a fan of combo decks but of internal synergies. It's pretty much like what others have said before; something that may be useful to you are my favorite two decks: Zoo and The Rock.
The thing is...it isn't stereotyping. It is similar though. I can see how you might be confused by it. The major difference is this is information how people prefer to behave just as stereotypes give us information about EXPECTED behavior. Often times those expectations are erroneous and not based on factual data. That said stereotypes fill the same role for people socially though more so for immature people.
On the other hand the personality types gathered above have been the subject of serious study and controversy for a long time. Some people will declare they are not rigorous scientific data and should be ignored however despite that people find them useful for informal identification with others who exhibit similar preferences. Hope this clarifies things for you.
Hi Flippers, I have a few constructive comments if I may:
First of all, Blue/Green is the weakest color combination in ZEN. The biggest problem is of course, that this color combination has no removal. And competing in a format without any real removal where people play either Hideous End or Burst Lightning or Day of Judgment is really hard and to make it work, one should be using some special cards.
The first one is as you also figured out, Gomazoa. That creature works as a removal and can deal with anything. Then there is River Boa and unless it gets Disfigured or sent to a Journey to Nowhere, it sits there and blocks and stops all opposing ground forces. And finally there is Into the Roil which is very useful and also Mold Shambler that can deal with any non-creature permanent.
But I think that you should run 4 of those cards instead of 3(except Shambler; 3 of it is okay). You most definately should do so because otherwise you can't deal with the fast decks of the format (such as the Kor, Vampires, Allies etc...). It doesn't matter how big that Ally creature is; if you have your River Boa then you can hold him off forever.
The second thing about Blue/Green is this: You should be dealing with some threats before they become threats. And by that I mean counterspells. Why don't you use Cancel? I would even use two Mindbreak Traps too if I were to play a Blue/Green deck and add Spell Pierce to my sideboard. You have Summoner's Bane but that card cannot save you from the wrath of Day of Judgment or Mind Sludge. The latter will destoy your hand and eventually will make you lose the game; you just can't allow that.
And finally where is Rite of Replication? It costs $0,60 per copy so it is definately a budget option. Play Harrow and get mana and fix your mana, and then play Rite of Replication with kicker targeting that Ally and see what happens. Or target that Vampire Nighthawk and you'll get yourself an invincible army!
Finally my Blue/Green deck would be something like this:
25 Lands
18 Creatures
4x Gomazoa
4x River Boa
4x Rampaging Baloths
3x Mold Shambler
3x Sphinx of Lost Truths (card drawing is important)
17 Other Spells
4x Cancel
4x Into the Roil
4x Harrow
3x Rite of Replication
2x Mindbreak Trap (you can always replace this with Spell Pierce for budget reasons)
Alternatively, you can try a more aggressive deck with Scute Mobs and Cosi's Tricksters but I would personally prefer the above version.
LE
Interesting deck and a nice idea, i remember playing this deck and was shocked about seeing the Misty Rainforest's ... Very unfair of you Sir ..:) way over budget :)
Flip i hope for your last article for a zen block deck its going to be allies
Lets face it for a Budget deck you really ""as u have stated here"" can't beat them for value and enjoyment in playing them.
They cheap, fun to play, sliver like and make a strong deck for any format.
Kazuul Warlord @ 0.10
Kabira Evangel @ 0.10
Ondu Cleric @ 0.5
Just a sample of 3 game changing/game winners for the price of 1 tik for a play set of each
I know you like to explore different budget decks but when one is just begging for you to add an article to your series on Budgeted resources i feel u should give them chance.
ok enough rant just an idea.
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?
" Ankh of Mishra + Armageddon would make it more annoying. Just a thought. :) I guess this is a great way to weed out those annoying casual players who block you for enjoying your collection."
That's what's great about MTGO. I'm happy to block players like you, and you're happy to be blocked by players like me. None of the shouting and hurt feelings of paper MTG.
I'm an ISTJ. To which all who know me say: well, duh.
My wife taught me to play this game, not long after meeting her 8 years ago.
She's an INFP. She plays for fun. Period. Full stop. In recent years, magic at home has been a tad strained at times - apparently I suggest "the correct play" just a bit too often.
She's some combination of a Johnny, and "because I like this card". Her deck ideas always tend to be a little off the beaten trail, and can be awesomely powerful the 10-20% of the time that everything comes together. The last thing I recall her really taking a fancy to was various Izzet cards.
There's one thing she does that's really, really hard for an ISTJ to uncerstand: She'll take a deck, jank out a dozen or two cards, stuff in replacements, and happily keep playing. Usually the theme remains the same, sometimes it shifts. One way or another, there's no need to keep track of what the old cards were, or which of the new ones perform better, and which are worse.
i totally know what that deck is like, ugh! hit the head right there, no one likes that deck.
im at a stage of aggresive decks, although, the mtgo ui makes it 'funner' to pull of some crazy rules combo. too many clicks stinkaroo
Hey Blau, nice article :D
Sorry to undercut that griefer persona but I did have fun playing against that second deck yesterday.
Fun with cantrips :D Particularly on repeat.
I had a problem with a replay recently and asked an ORC about it and they advised repairing the build. I did that and the reply worked without a hitch, any chance that could help your problem?
I like the Roil Elemental on paper though it is fragile, and needs shroud/counter protection to be really useful. Yes I've noticed Allies do tend to be out of control from the matches Ive seen. Someone asked a question though which I found interesting: Why play 1/3 or 1/2 a block? I think the answer is obvious but giving it could lead to some interesting discussions.
That would imply a steady increase but according to shard it one day just shot up to $2.5 which boggles. Did the dealers just suddenly all realize it was underpriced?
Ankh of Mishra + Armageddon would make it more annoying. Just a thought. :) I guess this is a great way to weed out those annoying casual players who block you for enjoying your collection.
Well... nice as a concept... but once I've encountered you playing this purposely "annoying" deck, I will promptly block you... since when is that a viable goal in the Casual Room?
in other words
std season and ext just had a pro tour a month ago as well
all serve to increase the use of the card
I scored INTP, both online and in a professionally administered test 3 years ago. Your description was actually pretty good.
That is no sudden change though. It has been that way since it came out.
Isnt this card terrible? I mean spending 6 mana to give your opponent the opportunity for a 2-1 seems bad. Not to mention by the time you cast it, even if it sticks, it wont gain you much life, as you are probably getting pretty low by then, and doubling 3-5 life, while ok, is not earthshaking. To me the risk/benefit seems way too low. I would much prefer to see Kor Skyfisher in that slot. It helps your curve a lot and gives you another evasive beater.
I can't believe I forgot suppression field, not only is it a solid budget null rod replacement, but it's a personal favorite.
I agree about the Birds. To be honest, I was surprised when I looked up their price, since Birds has always just been an 'expensive' card in my head. I'd definitely recommend picking up a playset for anyone who likes that style of card, but there are still budget options if you need them.
Yeah I meant to say that whithering wisps is a replacement for non-pauper players suffering from crypt rats high price, which is due to its popularity/legality in pauper.
hmm I got ISFP as a result for my quick test- Im playing the game for over ten years now-and most of the time i m a tournament player on ptq/gp level-also some drafts with friends-but no regular shop player-just private testing with other tournament players. I m also playing online since the very beginning of Modo and play drafts and smaller events most of the time-no casual games-would play more bigger events when my timeframe would allow it to me.
interesting test and outcome - thanks for the experience :-)
PtE is used in every format online from classic to std and inbetween singelton
I scored as INTJ, always have and have taken a professionally delivered test; again, as others have said, I am not a fan of combo decks but of internal synergies. It's pretty much like what others have said before; something that may be useful to you are my favorite two decks: Zoo and The Rock.
Opps ignore this post
Not really sure why Path suddenly shot up but Im glad I didn't trade mine off. $2.5 seems an awful lot for an in print uncommon.
The thing is...it isn't stereotyping. It is similar though. I can see how you might be confused by it. The major difference is this is information how people prefer to behave just as stereotypes give us information about EXPECTED behavior. Often times those expectations are erroneous and not based on factual data. That said stereotypes fill the same role for people socially though more so for immature people.
On the other hand the personality types gathered above have been the subject of serious study and controversy for a long time. Some people will declare they are not rigorous scientific data and should be ignored however despite that people find them useful for informal identification with others who exhibit similar preferences. Hope this clarifies things for you.