I really don't understand why people have voiced negative concerns about this article. It is refreshing to read an article showing the early stages of deck development. The content is not repetitive it simply tells a good story and has depth and shows a lot of time was spent on the article. To all the compainers please try and write you own article then you will appreciate how much time it takes to write an article let alone continue to produce high quality articles week in week out. Good article sir keep them coming and take no notice of these whiners
Personally there are two reasons why I prefer to 100CS over Standard Singleton. (Although I'm planning on playing both.)
1) 100 Singleton caters to the people who have favorite cards and want to keep playing them. A lot of the standard cards are a bit too new for some of us to have any kind of attachment to them. With 100 Singleton I can still play favorite cards like Meloku, Sword of Fire and Ice, Animate Dead, Zur, Imperial Recruiter, and others without worrying about losing to a turn 3 combo deck that would normally kill me every game in regular classic.
2) 100 Singleton has some of the most complex game situations imagineable. This makes some of the play decisions as challenging as a game of chess. Even mundane decisions like which land to get with a fetchland can be a decision with game determining ramifications. When you have a deck full of tutors and somewhere over 20 targets for those tutors, you know it's going to be an interesting game based on the choices each player makes.
Standard Singleton just seems a bit more basic in comparison. With few viable tutors and somewhat limited choices for viable decks, it seems closer to Standard with weak substitutions rather than 100 Classic Singleton.
I'm not saying I won't play. I'm just saying that I still prefer 100 singleton. Thank you very much....
I'm seeing Aaron Forsythe almost everyday these days testing 100CS decks. And just yesterday I played against Mike Turian and he was testing a mono green Nissa/Garruk Elves deck.
Anyway, I wish you guys the very best of luck. Just get me my Momir, will ya!
100 Card Singleton has a very dedicated and large player base. At first I thought that they would jump into this new Singleton but apparently most of them are still fond to their Classic decks.
Give the format some time; I'm sure in the very near future it will have its own player base. And yes, I too have difficulties playing 2 games in a row now but I hope it will be better in time.
The purple buttons: Excellent. In fact, they look gorgeous.
Charts: Excellent.
Decks: The deck editor still doesn't recognize MED3 and ZEN cards and therefore some are very confusing.
The general look: Very clean and neat.
Overall: Perfect.
A question: I wanted to check that Mono White Standard deck and clicked the link you provided but there I saw no such deck. Something's wrong?
I have tried Standard Singleton. Its nice to be forced to play different cards. However, I find it difficult for me to play more than 2 games in a row in the Standard Singleton format.
I just find myself getting bored quickly with it. I still play it from time to time, but I still fine 100 Card more fun.
Thanks guys for the comments (and the fireballs!!).
I liked this version of singleton more, mainly because it requires 60 cards to play. Deck building is easier and the consistency of decks is higher. Yes I know that highlander formats ment to be random and that's the beauty of them. But the 100 card version is a little bit too random for my taste and one must play too many cards (tutors) to make it less random.
But of course after tasting that sweet "aroma" of Classic, this new Standard version might be a little bit tasteless for some, but at least it's worth to give it a try. In summary I personally think that a format called "60 Card Classic Singleton" would be the best of all Singleton formats(so yes, I still believe that 60>100).
And ArchGenius I have a few things to say about your article and now I'm moving there to write them.
I worked with all of the Magic Online Post-Zendikar constructed decklists that have been posted.
The formats that are missing are most likely not there because they didn't have a tournament a medium to large tournament with posted results that I could find.
I'm planning to look at Zendikar Block as soon as I can get some data on it.
Oooh you found a big purple (violet?) button to click! Nice :) I was just thinking youd use the ole <button onclick='doSomething()'> tag that is par for the course but that works too. :D And holy moly Batman! Thats a lot of decks! Nice analyses without getting too into depth in any one. Sharing top 8 decks is always a good starting point for discussion on how the format works. I feel like you missed some formats (extended, tribal wars, etc) but I understand you only have so much time in a given day to write these articles. :) As far as I can tell from reading it you had no typos! (I wish I could say the same for my latest which I am waiting to get back from submission for a revision or 3.)
Hey Pete, first of all nice article and good luck on Thursday+. I think your problem with the formating the 100s deck is not hard to solve if you use mymtgo to upload the txt file you download from mtgo via the client. 1) load the deck in the deck editor, 2) next save as local text deck, 3) get on mymtgo.com (you've got an account there right? If not make one) 4) go to applications >>my decks and click upload a deck. Then browse your computer for the file (should be fairly easy to find if you set up your deck folder somewhere you know the location of (like off the desktop).) 5) just click submit after changing the appropriate form fields. Really easy and as long as you set it to public you can link to it from anywhere (including your articles). As far as WotC members seeing them well mark them as WoTC - No PEEKING or some such in the title.
I disagree with the statement that Standard Singleton is better than 100 singleton but we each have our own opinions and they both have good selling points.
You mention that you can't transfer Goblins and Turbo-Fog to Standard Singleton because there aren't enough substitutes available to make that strategy work. I think you really understate this idea. I believe there are about equal numbers of decks that can and can't be transferred to a standard singleton format.
For instance, Jund, Naya, WG, Grixis, Esper, Mono-red, and Bant can probably be transferred because they focus on a broader topic.
Nissa-Elves, Hedron Mill decks, Vampires, Goblins, White Weenie/Soldiers/Kor, Ball Lightning Burn, and Valakut can't be transferred because they depend too much on too few cards.
I will have to listen when i get up tonite. And then Ill be off to work on my zany card creation idea. Good luck Hammy and Co! :) I tried to be of service as a playtester/punching bag but I am afraid I failed to provide much time. Anyway I know you guys will succeed because the community is behind you and rooting for you.
I am really not interested in singleton standard but you do make a very compelling case. In fact your article points up where my collection has some strengths (singleton standard legal cards being more common in it) and makes it a tempting idea to at least start building and see where it goes. This article delivered on your promise and didn't disappoint. Id hit you for 6 but 5 is max.
Terrific article. After playing a good bit of EDH with friends, I could see where this format could be pretty fun. I still prefer 100-card singleton due to the variety of cards (which lets me please the Timmy and Johnny in me, while Spike gets a little loving too), but this could be an OPTION to say the least for limited budget players trying to break into standard. Of course, I can't shell out $35+ for a singleton Baneslayer, but I want to give it a try one day.
Best use i've found out of it so far is to get out Tezzeret. And i'm not conviced on that deck (at least in the current build I have) is anywhere near competitive.
How hasn't anyone else much smarter than I (a large pool indeed) found a good abuse for this yet?
The most fun I have with the card is a causal mono blue deck which has sexy spells like Fact or Fiction, Honden of [card drawing, can't remember the name], Braingeyser etc.
Ive only been playing a couple years. While im nowhere even close to a tourney player watching you over the last 2 years has opened my understanding of this game. You've shown me how deep it really is and i see the game with different eyes now. Thought maybe you could discuss mana curves, land type , and why. As this is what i struggle with the most id love to read your thoughts on it. looking foreward to your next article.
I agree with your 1st sparkmage pick. I think that at that spot considering what you had it is the pick. I'm not surprised that some people will disagree here, cards like sparkmage are very context/format dependent and difficult to evaluate. Yes it plays well with other pingers.. but more important it kills the best common creature, merfolk looter. charger+child of night answers are nice too and you could really make a list of 50+ specific situations where it does something pretty good. Not the most exciting card vs. green usually but otherwise a key roleplayer. Fiery hellhound is not a card that I like to much because of the heavy red requirement. As red is so shallow it doesn't make a lot of sense to get to invested in the color early. Obviously this draft is an example where people were refusing to take red cards(fireball?)
Great article I found it incredibly helpful/informative
I really don't understand why people have voiced negative concerns about this article. It is refreshing to read an article showing the early stages of deck development. The content is not repetitive it simply tells a good story and has depth and shows a lot of time was spent on the article. To all the compainers please try and write you own article then you will appreciate how much time it takes to write an article let alone continue to produce high quality articles week in week out. Good article sir keep them coming and take no notice of these whiners
Personally there are two reasons why I prefer to 100CS over Standard Singleton. (Although I'm planning on playing both.)
1) 100 Singleton caters to the people who have favorite cards and want to keep playing them. A lot of the standard cards are a bit too new for some of us to have any kind of attachment to them. With 100 Singleton I can still play favorite cards like Meloku, Sword of Fire and Ice, Animate Dead, Zur, Imperial Recruiter, and others without worrying about losing to a turn 3 combo deck that would normally kill me every game in regular classic.
2) 100 Singleton has some of the most complex game situations imagineable. This makes some of the play decisions as challenging as a game of chess. Even mundane decisions like which land to get with a fetchland can be a decision with game determining ramifications. When you have a deck full of tutors and somewhere over 20 targets for those tutors, you know it's going to be an interesting game based on the choices each player makes.
Standard Singleton just seems a bit more basic in comparison. With few viable tutors and somewhat limited choices for viable decks, it seems closer to Standard with weak substitutions rather than 100 Classic Singleton.
I'm not saying I won't play. I'm just saying that I still prefer 100 singleton. Thank you very much....
I probably transposed a tournament number or something like that. I'll try to find the link and get back to you.
I'm seeing Aaron Forsythe almost everyday these days testing 100CS decks. And just yesterday I played against Mike Turian and he was testing a mono green Nissa/Garruk Elves deck.
Anyway, I wish you guys the very best of luck. Just get me my Momir, will ya!
LE
100 Card Singleton has a very dedicated and large player base. At first I thought that they would jump into this new Singleton but apparently most of them are still fond to their Classic decks.
Give the format some time; I'm sure in the very near future it will have its own player base. And yes, I too have difficulties playing 2 games in a row now but I hope it will be better in time.
LE
The purple buttons: Excellent. In fact, they look gorgeous.
Charts: Excellent.
Decks: The deck editor still doesn't recognize MED3 and ZEN cards and therefore some are very confusing.
The general look: Very clean and neat.
Overall: Perfect.
A question: I wanted to check that Mono White Standard deck and clicked the link you provided but there I saw no such deck. Something's wrong?
LE
I have tried Standard Singleton. Its nice to be forced to play different cards. However, I find it difficult for me to play more than 2 games in a row in the Standard Singleton format.
I just find myself getting bored quickly with it. I still play it from time to time, but I still fine 100 Card more fun.
Thanks guys for the comments (and the fireballs!!).
I liked this version of singleton more, mainly because it requires 60 cards to play. Deck building is easier and the consistency of decks is higher. Yes I know that highlander formats ment to be random and that's the beauty of them. But the 100 card version is a little bit too random for my taste and one must play too many cards (tutors) to make it less random.
But of course after tasting that sweet "aroma" of Classic, this new Standard version might be a little bit tasteless for some, but at least it's worth to give it a try. In summary I personally think that a format called "60 Card Classic Singleton" would be the best of all Singleton formats(so yes, I still believe that 60>100).
And ArchGenius I have a few things to say about your article and now I'm moving there to write them.
Thanks again for the comments.
LE
I worked with all of the Magic Online Post-Zendikar constructed decklists that have been posted.
The formats that are missing are most likely not there because they didn't have a tournament a medium to large tournament with posted results that I could find.
I'm planning to look at Zendikar Block as soon as I can get some data on it.
extended and tribal wars doesnt get enpough people to fire atm though, so no lists posted
on wizards site.
Oooh you found a big purple (violet?) button to click! Nice :) I was just thinking youd use the ole <button onclick='doSomething()'> tag that is par for the course but that works too. :D And holy moly Batman! Thats a lot of decks! Nice analyses without getting too into depth in any one. Sharing top 8 decks is always a good starting point for discussion on how the format works. I feel like you missed some formats (extended, tribal wars, etc) but I understand you only have so much time in a given day to write these articles. :) As far as I can tell from reading it you had no typos! (I wish I could say the same for my latest which I am waiting to get back from submission for a revision or 3.)
Very cool. Thanks for the article.
Hey Pete, first of all nice article and good luck on Thursday+. I think your problem with the formating the 100s deck is not hard to solve if you use mymtgo to upload the txt file you download from mtgo via the client. 1) load the deck in the deck editor, 2) next save as local text deck, 3) get on mymtgo.com (you've got an account there right? If not make one) 4) go to applications >>my decks and click upload a deck. Then browse your computer for the file (should be fairly easy to find if you set up your deck folder somewhere you know the location of (like off the desktop).) 5) just click submit after changing the appropriate form fields. Really easy and as long as you set it to public you can link to it from anywhere (including your articles). As far as WotC members seeing them well mark them as WoTC - No PEEKING or some such in the title.
Very informative article.
I disagree with the statement that Standard Singleton is better than 100 singleton but we each have our own opinions and they both have good selling points.
You mention that you can't transfer Goblins and Turbo-Fog to Standard Singleton because there aren't enough substitutes available to make that strategy work. I think you really understate this idea. I believe there are about equal numbers of decks that can and can't be transferred to a standard singleton format.
For instance, Jund, Naya, WG, Grixis, Esper, Mono-red, and Bant can probably be transferred because they focus on a broader topic.
Nissa-Elves, Hedron Mill decks, Vampires, Goblins, White Weenie/Soldiers/Kor, Ball Lightning Burn, and Valakut can't be transferred because they depend too much on too few cards.
I will have to listen when i get up tonite. And then Ill be off to work on my zany card creation idea. Good luck Hammy and Co! :) I tried to be of service as a playtester/punching bag but I am afraid I failed to provide much time. Anyway I know you guys will succeed because the community is behind you and rooting for you.
I am really not interested in singleton standard but you do make a very compelling case. In fact your article points up where my collection has some strengths (singleton standard legal cards being more common in it) and makes it a tempting idea to at least start building and see where it goes. This article delivered on your promise and didn't disappoint. Id hit you for 6 but 5 is max.
Terrific article. After playing a good bit of EDH with friends, I could see where this format could be pretty fun. I still prefer 100-card singleton due to the variety of cards (which lets me please the Timmy and Johnny in me, while Spike gets a little loving too), but this could be an OPTION to say the least for limited budget players trying to break into standard. Of course, I can't shell out $35+ for a singleton Baneslayer, but I want to give it a try one day.
Can't wait to see Core Constructed!
Finally, something with Mana Drain :)
Best use i've found out of it so far is to get out Tezzeret. And i'm not conviced on that deck (at least in the current build I have) is anywhere near competitive.
How hasn't anyone else much smarter than I (a large pool indeed) found a good abuse for this yet?
The most fun I have with the card is a causal mono blue deck which has sexy spells like Fact or Fiction, Honden of [card drawing, can't remember the name], Braingeyser etc.
I was referring not to the card's title, but to the "E=mc2" in the artwork.
Don't you mean Archimedes?
Ive only been playing a couple years. While im nowhere even close to a tourney player watching you over the last 2 years has opened my understanding of this game. You've shown me how deep it really is and i see the game with different eyes now. Thought maybe you could discuss mana curves, land type , and why. As this is what i struggle with the most id love to read your thoughts on it. looking foreward to your next article.
Another really solid article and entertaining read.
*in his best homer's voice* hmmm bacon. Great article fatman i always enjoy listening to your output on classic.
I agree with your 1st sparkmage pick. I think that at that spot considering what you had it is the pick. I'm not surprised that some people will disagree here, cards like sparkmage are very context/format dependent and difficult to evaluate. Yes it plays well with other pingers.. but more important it kills the best common creature, merfolk looter. charger+child of night answers are nice too and you could really make a list of 50+ specific situations where it does something pretty good. Not the most exciting card vs. green usually but otherwise a key roleplayer. Fiery hellhound is not a card that I like to much because of the heavy red requirement. As red is so shallow it doesn't make a lot of sense to get to invested in the color early. Obviously this draft is an example where people were refusing to take red cards(fireball?)