I can actually see Goyf going back up as soon as another extended season rolls around and people start testing on MTGO again. Definately going to have to get a playset of those monsters.
Sometimes I imagine you delivering your articles like a standup comedian on stage. "So what's up with that Lightbringer Paladin? He isn't bringing any light! The picture is of a giant armored elephant. *pause* And how about that Magebane Armor?"
I agree on all counts. And while we're complaining about the art on M10 white cards, don't you think the white creatures are very dark? Half of Lightbringer Paladin's art is his mount, which is covered in a shadow. Baneslayer Angel surprisingly isn't Rebbecca Guay, but it's not very bright at card size. And the Serra Angel is flying in a hurricane. I don't know if she's supposed to be parting the clouds or something. I was hoping she'd get new art, even if I never use her card.
Something that irks me about the 4R "land edict", is the thought process behind it. Did they really test it at 3R and find it to be too powerful? Did they drop it from 1RRR? Was it ever something like 2R, Boom (the card)? If the game is going to be about ramming a bunch of dumb creatures into each other then how about giving us a tempo card? If we had just Stone Rain, and nothing else, we couldn't build LD. But we could cascade into it, or God forbid cast it, and it might have a powerful but not unfair effect on the game. But as printed there is not a single psychographic that will play this card. The worst part is that if your opponent is sitting there with two hybrid lands and a Murmuring Bosk, they can just sacrifice a hybrid land. Or if you play it against 2 Plains and an Island then they'll sacrifice a Plains. WHY???
I made a deck just like your Urza's March once, only without Mana Crypt, Fabricate, and Tezzeret because they weren't printed yet. Sometimes it would work fine and I'd be rewarded with screenshot worthy messages like "_____ is being attacked by: Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor." (Sculpting Steel!) But if I ever got above 10 or so animated artifacts then it would bug out and print messages like "Icy Manipulator is being attacked." And this was no later than Time Spiral, long before planeswalkers existed to the public. Good times.
Aw man, good article. I do this in my spare time. I follow Hamtastic's stuff, I watch the marketplace ads, and I always buy low. Sometimes I play with it, sometimes I sell it. Meddling Mage is something I've been watching for a long time. I'm not a hoarder by any means. I never own more than 4 of anything. But I actually kind of enjoy 'winning' the marketplace.
Goyf isn't budget, and neither are the MED2 duals, but now is also the time to buy MED2 duals. I heard that they were dropping in anticipation of MED3 duals, which will apparently satisfy some of the demand for duals. But Underground Sea and Taiga are kind of awesome, aren't they? I don't think demand is going to drop. I think they're just cheap(er) today because no one is entering classic right now, and the classic players already own them. Right now on this very website Taiga is $17 and Sea is $31 with dozens in stock. And if I login online: 28, 23, 16, 13.5, 13.5. Really?
Part of that is a playset of LED goes 120ish, and the LED deck uses other expensive cards too. You'll note the Earthcraft and Ravager classic decks (also pox while I'm there) don't play MED 2 dual lands.
In this draft format I don't really freak out if my curve is lacking in the 4CC slot. There's a lot to do with your mana in the first few turns with cycling things away and setting up borderposts, etc. I wouldn't just toss a Captured Sunlight into my deck because I'm low on 4-drops.
I will however run one as a 23rd card if my deck is susceptible to an early rush and there isn't a high chance of it cascading a card that doesn't help me in those situations.
I had to limit myself, or there would be hundreds of cards on there. Heath keeps his prices very fair, and there are tons of worthy cards out there. In fact, most of the cards mentioned were considered. LED was not.
I will endeavor to provide a mix of 84 and Swiss, but this goes to a point I made in my second article: what makes Swiss a beginners format other than aspects that are a valid appeal for advanced players as well (flatter payout, guaranteed three matches), or are self-fulfilling ("because beginners play in them")?
One of my goals with this column is to promote Swiss as superior to 43 for solid players who win under the 1.5 pack-per-draft average at 84. That means playing in it to support my contention. Swiss ought to be more popular than 43, and there's no reason good players shouldn't be playing in it. I would love to see more competitive players in the Swiss queues.
Fortunately, my game-analysis content holds up as interesting and instructional regardless of the format (and is arguably more instructional in Swiss, where I can speak to Villain play mistakes more often).
All that being said, 84 does represent better overall drafting, and my goal is to mix it up, but to not do much/any 43. Note, though, that there are plenty of picks in 84 drafts that might cause Shaterri (below) to mutter "Swiss...just Swiss" in disbelief. For example, in my third article, which was 84, there's a P2P9 Sludge Strider, a P3P8 Ethersworn Shieldmage, P3P10 Arsenal Thresher, and P3P11 Glassdust Hulk.
In the end, a lot boils down to the will of the readers. I imagine Swiss walkthroughs are more helpful to those that don't play in 84. Those that play only in 84 or aspire to it would get more from 84 walkthroughs. I'm curious to hear more from readers about which they would prefer...
I definitely like the look of your Prison Guards deck. With all of the different protection variants, I do think it would need some sort of tutor like the Congregation at Dawn or some Worldly Tutors, to get the right one for the current situation.
As for Wrath of God leaving standard, I don't know what to think yet. As you mentioned, and showed with your M10 White Weenie deck, white is looking a bit more aggressive with this new core set. It's also been talked about that the toned down Wrath in the core set will make way for a better one in an expansion set.
Some others that come to mind for the digital investor
Forbidden Orchard @ 2tix
-With Oath in the wings (eventually) these will likely be a hot commodity
Burning Wish & Cunning Wish (have dropped significantly floating between 3 and to apiece respectively)
With Balance supposedly coming online, better to have 4 search instances and 1 restricted in the board. Burn wishes may spike up in price a bit.
----
Another thing I can think of, is some high priced cards that can & will drop
One of the main reasons I haven't picked up Lion's Eye Diamonds at 30, is I can't see how they're going to remain unrestricted forever. I don't think Yawg Will, assuming it's not flat out banned, and unrestricted diamonds can exist in the same format.
I think a few of the cards in M10 are really designed for singleton in mind. Sphinx seems perfect against a singleton strategy because it is almost impossible to guess which of the many creatures your opponent runs will you will pick. Gargoyle Castle also is nice as an addition to singleton. Not sure if either card is competition worthy but they will at least see casual play for sure.
Re Planar Cleansing. Not it isn't Wrath of God and yes Austere Command is strictly better but it does more than either at one shot. I think it is an ok if not great card and could see it being played. The main question is...will games containing white cards reach 6 mana sources played? I am betting most people will opt to play the rather obvious white weenie rather than the harder more controlling stall decks. Particularly since some of the control is gone with WOG. But I definitely think those who do play control will want Planar Cleansing.
I like how you tried to tell stories and selected specific cards you like in the new set. I don't know if you hit the mark...particularly the art comment on the Lightwielder Paladin. It is most definitely a paladin even if he isn't in action in that picture wielding the light we expect. I think it likely that the name is what was tacked on after the fact not the art. The art does seem like a 4/4 first striker to me.
As far as the Magebane Armor I think that was a last minute balance issue. If you put it on a flyer and make it tougher AND have absorption why not just give it indestructibility? In other words I think they wanted the player to work to make it useful. Of course the answer is to put it on an nonflying evasive creature instead.
As many have said I think Sigiled Behemoth is overrated -- his problem is that he's in exactly the wrong colors. The good Bant decks don't really want 6-drops that don't win the game on the spot, so Exalted is fairly moot; and the Naya decks have so many choices for 5-power guys at 5 mana that having to pay 6 for your 5/4 is just a serious overcosting. The W in the casting cost hurts more than is immediately obvious, too, because a lot of the big Naya decks actually end up more GRb or GRwb than GRW, so being in a splash color makes him a lot less enticing compared to something like Cavern Thoctar (the other 5-power 6-drop likely to come up).
Meanwhile, I actually think you have Behemoth Sledge underrated (!) -- I've seen Esper decks comfortably splash for it and I wouldn't hesitate to do that. It's pushing Tier I.
And while Sigil of the Nayan Gods is certainly not a *great card, I'm surprised you didn't mention the Naya Hushblade trick; I've watched more than one blowout start with something like turn-1 Akrasan Squire, turn-2 Naya Hushblade and swing for 2, turn 3 Sigil and swing for 6...
I can actually see Goyf going back up as soon as another extended season rolls around and people start testing on MTGO again. Definately going to have to get a playset of those monsters.
Sometimes I imagine you delivering your articles like a standup comedian on stage. "So what's up with that Lightbringer Paladin? He isn't bringing any light! The picture is of a giant armored elephant. *pause* And how about that Magebane Armor?"
I agree on all counts. And while we're complaining about the art on M10 white cards, don't you think the white creatures are very dark? Half of Lightbringer Paladin's art is his mount, which is covered in a shadow. Baneslayer Angel surprisingly isn't Rebbecca Guay, but it's not very bright at card size. And the Serra Angel is flying in a hurricane. I don't know if she's supposed to be parting the clouds or something. I was hoping she'd get new art, even if I never use her card.
Something that irks me about the 4R "land edict", is the thought process behind it. Did they really test it at 3R and find it to be too powerful? Did they drop it from 1RRR? Was it ever something like 2R, Boom (the card)? If the game is going to be about ramming a bunch of dumb creatures into each other then how about giving us a tempo card? If we had just Stone Rain, and nothing else, we couldn't build LD. But we could cascade into it, or God forbid cast it, and it might have a powerful but not unfair effect on the game. But as printed there is not a single psychographic that will play this card. The worst part is that if your opponent is sitting there with two hybrid lands and a Murmuring Bosk, they can just sacrifice a hybrid land. Or if you play it against 2 Plains and an Island then they'll sacrifice a Plains. WHY???
I made a deck just like your Urza's March once, only without Mana Crypt, Fabricate, and Tezzeret because they weren't printed yet. Sometimes it would work fine and I'd be rewarded with screenshot worthy messages like "_____ is being attacked by: Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor, Urza's Armor." (Sculpting Steel!) But if I ever got above 10 or so animated artifacts then it would bug out and print messages like "Icy Manipulator is being attacked." And this was no later than Time Spiral, long before planeswalkers existed to the public. Good times.
:| thanks!
August 3rd, so just about 2 weeks from now.
Aw man, good article. I do this in my spare time. I follow Hamtastic's stuff, I watch the marketplace ads, and I always buy low. Sometimes I play with it, sometimes I sell it. Meddling Mage is something I've been watching for a long time. I'm not a hoarder by any means. I never own more than 4 of anything. But I actually kind of enjoy 'winning' the marketplace.
Goyf isn't budget, and neither are the MED2 duals, but now is also the time to buy MED2 duals. I heard that they were dropping in anticipation of MED3 duals, which will apparently satisfy some of the demand for duals. But Underground Sea and Taiga are kind of awesome, aren't they? I don't think demand is going to drop. I think they're just cheap(er) today because no one is entering classic right now, and the classic players already own them. Right now on this very website Taiga is $17 and Sea is $31 with dozens in stock. And if I login online: 28, 23, 16, 13.5, 13.5. Really?
when does m10 hit MTGO?
Part of that is a playset of LED goes 120ish, and the LED deck uses other expensive cards too. You'll note the Earthcraft and Ravager classic decks (also pox while I'm there) don't play MED 2 dual lands.
Price is a barrier.
Good call, definitely find room for a playset.
"It's also been talked about that the toned down Wrath in the core set will make way for a better one in an expansion set."
You mean like Damnation? =)
No Lightning Bolt in the Grixis deck??
This is, until now, the best article ever on Puremtgo.
I mean really, when's the last time you've seen LED placing Top Eight in the Classic Daily Events?
I can count on 1 hand the number of times LED has been in a T8 deck in the last month.
I know, that was supposed to be a joke.. swing and a miss on that one I guess =)
Vampire Bats isn't a Vampire, just a Bat
lolled at that :D
Nice analysis, but not exactly timely...Most people have figured this out by now. Nice try still
:)
In this draft format I don't really freak out if my curve is lacking in the 4CC slot. There's a lot to do with your mana in the first few turns with cycling things away and setting up borderposts, etc. I wouldn't just toss a Captured Sunlight into my deck because I'm low on 4-drops.
I will however run one as a 23rd card if my deck is susceptible to an early rush and there isn't a high chance of it cascading a card that doesn't help me in those situations.
I had to limit myself, or there would be hundreds of cards on there. Heath keeps his prices very fair, and there are tons of worthy cards out there. In fact, most of the cards mentioned were considered. LED was not.
I will endeavor to provide a mix of 84 and Swiss, but this goes to a point I made in my second article: what makes Swiss a beginners format other than aspects that are a valid appeal for advanced players as well (flatter payout, guaranteed three matches), or are self-fulfilling ("because beginners play in them")?
One of my goals with this column is to promote Swiss as superior to 43 for solid players who win under the 1.5 pack-per-draft average at 84. That means playing in it to support my contention. Swiss ought to be more popular than 43, and there's no reason good players shouldn't be playing in it. I would love to see more competitive players in the Swiss queues.
Fortunately, my game-analysis content holds up as interesting and instructional regardless of the format (and is arguably more instructional in Swiss, where I can speak to Villain play mistakes more often).
All that being said, 84 does represent better overall drafting, and my goal is to mix it up, but to not do much/any 43. Note, though, that there are plenty of picks in 84 drafts that might cause Shaterri (below) to mutter "Swiss...just Swiss" in disbelief. For example, in my third article, which was 84, there's a P2P9 Sludge Strider, a P3P8 Ethersworn Shieldmage, P3P10 Arsenal Thresher, and P3P11 Glassdust Hulk.
In the end, a lot boils down to the will of the readers. I imagine Swiss walkthroughs are more helpful to those that don't play in 84. Those that play only in 84 or aspire to it would get more from 84 walkthroughs. I'm curious to hear more from readers about which they would prefer...
I definitely like the look of your Prison Guards deck. With all of the different protection variants, I do think it would need some sort of tutor like the Congregation at Dawn or some Worldly Tutors, to get the right one for the current situation.
As for Wrath of God leaving standard, I don't know what to think yet. As you mentioned, and showed with your M10 White Weenie deck, white is looking a bit more aggressive with this new core set. It's also been talked about that the toned down Wrath in the core set will make way for a better one in an expansion set.
But isn't it confusing either way that it doesn't tell you what to do with the card if it isn't put into play?
Some others that come to mind for the digital investor
Forbidden Orchard @ 2tix
-With Oath in the wings (eventually) these will likely be a hot commodity
Burning Wish & Cunning Wish (have dropped significantly floating between 3 and to apiece respectively)
With Balance supposedly coming online, better to have 4 search instances and 1 restricted in the board. Burn wishes may spike up in price a bit.
----
Another thing I can think of, is some high priced cards that can & will drop
One of the main reasons I haven't picked up Lion's Eye Diamonds at 30, is I can't see how they're going to remain unrestricted forever. I don't think Yawg Will, assuming it's not flat out banned, and unrestricted diamonds can exist in the same format.
I think a few of the cards in M10 are really designed for singleton in mind. Sphinx seems perfect against a singleton strategy because it is almost impossible to guess which of the many creatures your opponent runs will you will pick. Gargoyle Castle also is nice as an addition to singleton. Not sure if either card is competition worthy but they will at least see casual play for sure.
Re Planar Cleansing. Not it isn't Wrath of God and yes Austere Command is strictly better but it does more than either at one shot. I think it is an ok if not great card and could see it being played. The main question is...will games containing white cards reach 6 mana sources played? I am betting most people will opt to play the rather obvious white weenie rather than the harder more controlling stall decks. Particularly since some of the control is gone with WOG. But I definitely think those who do play control will want Planar Cleansing.
I like how you tried to tell stories and selected specific cards you like in the new set. I don't know if you hit the mark...particularly the art comment on the Lightwielder Paladin. It is most definitely a paladin even if he isn't in action in that picture wielding the light we expect. I think it likely that the name is what was tacked on after the fact not the art. The art does seem like a 4/4 first striker to me.
As far as the Magebane Armor I think that was a last minute balance issue. If you put it on a flyer and make it tougher AND have absorption why not just give it indestructibility? In other words I think they wanted the player to work to make it useful. Of course the answer is to put it on an nonflying evasive creature instead.
As many have said I think Sigiled Behemoth is overrated -- his problem is that he's in exactly the wrong colors. The good Bant decks don't really want 6-drops that don't win the game on the spot, so Exalted is fairly moot; and the Naya decks have so many choices for 5-power guys at 5 mana that having to pay 6 for your 5/4 is just a serious overcosting. The W in the casting cost hurts more than is immediately obvious, too, because a lot of the big Naya decks actually end up more GRb or GRwb than GRW, so being in a splash color makes him a lot less enticing compared to something like Cavern Thoctar (the other 5-power 6-drop likely to come up).
Meanwhile, I actually think you have Behemoth Sledge underrated (!) -- I've seen Esper decks comfortably splash for it and I wouldn't hesitate to do that. It's pushing Tier I.
And while Sigil of the Nayan Gods is certainly not a *great card, I'm surprised you didn't mention the Naya Hushblade trick; I've watched more than one blowout start with something like turn-1 Akrasan Squire, turn-2 Naya Hushblade and swing for 2, turn 3 Sigil and swing for 6...
Why not take the best of both? Linked pictures :P
Oh, and the grammar nut in me forces me to note that it's Bazaar, not bazzar.