Magic the Gathering!

[Sicarius]

I wanted to get back in, but with one of the commanders decks.

then I found out the Angels one is $30 and said fuck that noise.

How's the red/Black pre-built?

 

[Xaios]

I wanted to get back in, but with one of the commanders decks.

then I found out the Angels one is $30 and said fuck that noise.

How's the red/Black pre-built?

Hate to break it to you, but $30 for a functioning EDH deck these days is peanuts. The mono-green deck I described on the last page would cost at very least $300 to put together from scratch if you had to buy all the cards as singles, and it's actually a relatively cheap deck because it has no expensive mana base. Plus, that's without ANY foils.

All that to say that the commander preconstructed decks are actually a tremendously good value. However, if you wanted to get one, I would suggest getting Devour for Power (the one with The Mimeoplasm and Damia, Sage of Stone as generals, Green/Blue/Black). It not only comes with the most value worth of cards from a dollar perspective, but it comes with the most format staples as well, so many of the cards in that deck will be transferable to other decks. Also, The Mimeoplasm has really made a big splash as a general. By most accounts, it's one of the top 4 most popular generals, along with Rafiq of the Many, Sharuum the Hegemon and Uril the Miststalker. It's really powerful, especially after you start tweaking the deck. Heck, the cards you get with the deck are worth more than $100 as singles.

Also, there's no red/black pre-built EDH deck. They are as follows:

Heavenly Inferno - White/Black/Red
Mirror Mastery - Blue/Red/Green
Counterpunch - Black/Green/White
Political Puppets - Red/White/Blue
Devour For Power - Green/Blue/Black

The basic idea was to give people powerful tri-colour generals in colour pairings that hadn't been used before in the history of the game so that they would appeal to existing players as well. Aside from the Planar Chaos dragons (which are also included in each of the precon decks), only Black/Green/White has another possible general in those colours (Doran, the Siege Tower). Otherwise, you'd have to build a 5 colour deck to get those colours together.

The only downside to the precons is that to really make full use of tri-colour generals, you really do need to get hold of better lands. The best ones (Alpha/Beta/Unlimited/Revised dual lands) unfortunately cost an arm and a leg. The next best ones (Shock Lands from Ravnica) are starting to go up in price as well, as are Onslaught/Zendikar fetch lands. Pain Lands and M10/M11/M12 style dual lands can be had though for reasonable prices. Utility lands can be a pain in the ass to acquire as well, stuff like Boseiju, Who Shelters All and Volrath's Stronghold and Stripmine and Winding Canyons.

 

[Sicarius]

I hate to break it to you, but I was actually talking about the red/black precon for standard. I'm a player who's interest in the game fades after a couple of sets and then comes back.
now as such I'm not about to plop down $30 on a deck. especially since I'm not familiar with "edh" play.
just saying.

 

[Xaios]

I hate to break it to you, but I was actually talking about the red/black precon for standard.

Gotcha. To be fair, you weren't particularly clear that your train of thought was veering into Standard, as you had been talking about EDH in the rest of your post and then kind of took a left turn.

I'm a player who's interest in the game fades after a couple of sets and then comes back.
now as such I'm not about to plop down $30 on a deck. especially since I'm not familiar with "edh" play.
just saying.

I can certainly understand that. My interest in Magic is directly proportional to the relative strength and influence of the latest set to the meta-game. Scars of Mirrodin didn't really have much effect at all on the meta when it came out, so it didn't really interest me. Mirrodin Besieged had a bit more impact, even if it was just for chase-mythics like Sword of Feast and Famine, Batterskull and Tezzeret 2.0. Then New Phyrexia had a huge impact on multiple formats because of Batterskull, Dismember and Mental Misstep. During that time, my interest in Standard was almost as high as it had been after M11 was released. M12 on the other hand has only had middling influence on standard, so my interest in standard has waned a bit.

I guess it all boils down to how exciting a set is.

I would encourage you to give EDH a try though, it's a super fun format that rewards creativity more than any other format.

 

[Sicarius]

I played Ext'd in MtGO a lot. And I don't do FNM, the only place out here is ran by a creeper. So I'd be playing with friends when we're really bored. so Std is the way to go.

 

[Slayer89]

Well, if we're talking Standard, here's my latest list that I plan on running at the upcoming GameDay.

Standard Rock

x3 Viridian Emissary
x2 Phyrexian Revoker
x3 Phyrexian Rager
x3 Solemn Simulacrum
x3 Acidic Slime
x2 Grave Titan
x1 Wurmcoil Engine
x1 Rune Scarred Demon
x3 Inquisition of Kozilek
x2 Duress
x2 Doom Blade
x3 Go For The Throat
x2 Dismember
x2 Beast Within
x4 Rampant Growth
x4 Verdant Catacombs
x4 Tectonic Edge
xX Forest and Swamp

x1 Wurmcoil Engine
x1 Ratchet Bomb
x2 Beast Within
x4 Nature's Claim
x3 Creeping Corrosion
x2 Disfigure
x2 Consume the Meek

The Sideboard will probably change a bit, nothing is set in stone there. The only changes I'm looking to make maindeck is probably cutting Rampant Growth, but not sure what for, yet.

 

[Xaios]

Well, if we're talking Standard, here's my latest list that I plan on running at the upcoming GameDay.

Standard Rock

x3 Viridian Emissary
x2 Phyrexian Revoker
x3 Phyrexian Rager
x3 Solemn Simulacrum
x3 Acidic Slime
x2 Grave Titan
x1 Wurmcoil Engine
x1 Rune Scarred Demon
x3 Inquisition of Kozilek
x2 Duress
x2 Doom Blade
x3 Go For The Throat
x2 Dismember
x2 Beast Within
x4 Rampant Growth
x4 Verdant Catacombs
x4 Tectonic Edge
xX Forest and Swamp

x1 Wurmcoil Engine
x1 Ratchet Bomb
x2 Beast Within
x4 Nature's Claim
x3 Creeping Corrosion
x2 Disfigure
x2 Consume the Meek

The Sideboard will probably change a bit, nothing is set in stone there. The only changes I'm looking to make maindeck is probably cutting Rampant Growth, but not sure what for, yet.

Just out of curiosity, have you thought about running Ob Nixilis? Him and Primeval Titan + fetchlands make for a pretty powerful beater.

 

[Slayer89]

I've played around with Ob Nixilis before, but to be really effective you have to build around it too much for my liking. With my list I'm just going for straight up hand/land disruption, advantage generators, followed by beaters. Just a classic rock list. I do like Ob Nixilis, though.

 

[Xaios]

So, I recently went to Vancouver for a buddy's wedding. While I was there, I stopped in a bunch of places that sell M:TG singles and I purchased, among many other cards, the cards necessary to turn my Omnath EDH deck into a VICIOUS KILLING MACHINE HELLBENT ON SUPERDEATH.

So, without further ado...

The decklist!

General (1):
- Omnath, Locus of Mana

Planeswalkers (3):
- Garruk, Primal Hunter
- Garruk Wildspeaker
- Karn Liberated

Creatures (24):
- Acidic Slime (Foil)
- Ant Queen
- Avenger of Zendikar (Foil)
- Brawn
- Deadwood Treefolk
- Dungrove Elder
- Eternal Witness
- Fauna Shaman
- Fierce Empath
- Genesis
- Hornet Queen
- Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
- Lotus Cobra (Foil)
- Magus of the Library
- Primeval Titan
- Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
- Sakura-Tribe Elder (Foil)
- Seedborn Muse
- Terastodon
- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
- Viridian Zealot
- Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
- Wolfbriar Elemental
- Yavimaya Elder

Artifacts (11):
- Caged Sun
- Doubling Cube
- Eldrazi Monument (Foil)
- Extraplanar Lens
- Lightning Greaves (Foil)
- Mind's Eye
- Planar Portal
- Quicksilver Amulet
- Sensei's Divining Top (Foil)
- Sol Ring (Foil)
- Sword of Feast and Famine

Enchantments (13)
- Aluren
- Asceticism
- Beastmaster Ascension
- Burgeoning
- Defense of the Heart
- Exploration
- Gaea's Touch
- Greater Good
- Mana Reflection
- Nature's Will
- Survival of the Fittest
- Sylvan Library
- Vernal Equinox

Instants (4):
- Beast Within
- Chord of Calling
- Krosan Grip (Foil)
- Worldly Tutor

Sorceries (8):
- All Is Dust
- Cultivate
- Genesis Wave
- Harmonize
- Natural Order
- Overwhelming Stampede
- Skyshroud Claim
- Tooth and Nail

Non-Basic Land (8):
- Gaea's Cradle
- Maze of Ith
- Mosswort Bridge
- Mystifying Maze
- Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
- Tranquil Thicket
- Winding Canyons
- Yavimaya Hollow

Basic Land (28):
- Forest x 28

These are definitely some huge upgrades, and this deck is now absolutely vicious. Of course, the downside is that it's also really expensive. By my reckoning, to put this deck together from the same sets and same foils that I used would cost about $640, plus the cost of my foil and extended art basic lands. I could put together a viable Legacy Merfolk deck for that much. But man, is it ever fun.

Also, side note. I said I wasn't holding my breath for enemy dual lands in Innistrad on the last page. I'm quite pleased to be wrong in that regard.

 

[ittoa666]

I made a not bad blue black control mill. Pretty schweet. It's based around diabolic tutor, consecrated sphinx, and jace's erasure.

 

[ShadowFactoryX]

i got into magic right before mirrodin came out, and played hard throughout ravnica

i was actually in the process of going to take my DCI judge test, and I just got burned out of it, and started focusing hard on instruments.

every few months, i get into it, and look over the current stuff

but druing the ravnica block i made by far the most efficient 5 color beatdown deck, with control options available, i still have it, and its the pwn for sure

 

[Xaios]

Last weekend, I decided to try making a deck using Karador, Ghost Chieftain as a general. I finally got to play it last night. Alas, I found it to be quite underwhelming, as it was just too damn slow. So, I dismantled it, and from the ashes, I reassembled my Ghave, Guru of Spores deck with some alterations. To put it mildly, it's AWESOME.

Here's the decklist:

General (1):
- Ghave, Guru of Spores

Creatures (17):
- Academy Rector
- Avenger of Zendikar
- Dauntless Escort
- Eternal Witness
- Genesis
- Juniper Order Ranger
- Knight of the Reliquary
- Mentor of the Meek
- Primeval Titan
- Psychotrope Thallid
- Qasali Pridemage
- Rhys the Redeemed
- Sakura-Tribe Elder
- Seedborn Muse
- Sigil Captain
- Skullmulcher
- Woodfall Primus

Artifacts (10):
- Akroma's Memorial
- Ashnod's Altar
- Coalition Relic
- Eldrazi Monument
- Expedition Map
- Lightning Greaves
- Sensei's Divining Top
- Skull of Orm
- Skullclamp
- Sword of Feast and Famine

Enchantments (17)
- Asceticism
- Attrition
- Aura Shards
- Debtors' Knell
- Doubling Season
- Earthcraft
- Glare of Subdual
- Gravepact
- Greater Auramancy
- Mana Reflection
- Marshal's Anthem
- Martyr's Bond
- Mirari's Wake
- Parallel Lives
- Priviliged Position
- Sterling Grove
- Sylvan Library

Instants (10):
- Beast Within
- Crop Rotation
- Eladamri's Call
- Enlightened Tutor
- Krosan Grip
- Mortify
- Path to Exile
- Putrefy
- Swords to Plowshares
- Vampiric Tutor

Sorceries (10):
- Austere Command
- Bitter Ordeal
- Demonic Tutor
- Harmonize
- Idyllic Tutor
- Maelstrom Pulse
- Martial Coup
- Replenish
- Tooth and Nail
- Vindicate

Non-Basic Lands (30):
- Arid Mesa
- Brushland
- Caves of Koilos
- City of Brass
- Command Tower
- Gaea's Cradle
- Gavony Township
- Godless Shrine
- Grand Coliseum
- Homeward Path
- Isolated Chapel
- Llanowar Wastes
- Marsh Flats
- Misty Rainforest
- Murmuring Bosk
- Overgrown Tomb
- Razorverge Thicket
- Reflecting Pool
- Reliquary Tower
- Rupture Spire
- Savannah
- Stirring Wildwood
- Strip Mine
- Sunpetal Grove
- Tectonic Edge
- Temple Garden
- Verdant Catacombs
- Vesuva
- Volrath's Stronghold
- Woodland Cemetery

Basic Lands (5):
- Forest x 2
- Plains x 2
- Swamp x 1

On the surface he definitely looks like a token-centric general. However, through much testing, I've come to understand that he's definitely more of a combo/control type general.

One thing I need to do is figure out how to squeeze Tooth and Nail into this deck. The reason is because Juniper Order Ranger + Woodfall Primus + Sacrifice Outlet (either Ghave or Ashnod's Altar) = Win, because it lets you blow up all their non-creature permanents, meaning you can annihilate their mana base. Ghave also interacts incredibly with with Grave Pact and Martyr's Bond. The deck has an incredible amount of built-in protection, and can also recover if that gets broken through.

EDIT: Tooth and Nail has been inserted.

 

[ittoa666]

Finally got a hold of two Jace, memory adept's and I couldn't be happier.

 

[ShadowFactoryX]

wish i was up to date on this so i could actually comprehend that decklist

 

[Slayer89]

Be jumping back and forth between standard decklists. First was running Solar Flare, then UR Counterburn, considered UW Tokens, and now have settled back to my tried and true UB Control.

I love Snapcaster.

 

[ghostred7]

I haven't seen the Planeswalker stuff yet....weird to me with the lack of atk/def and the +1, -6, etc stuff (used to do tourneys back in '97-'98) but haven't done anything but the video game in quite some time.

Outside of those...seems pretty nasty tho....nice deck.

 

[Slayer89]

I cant believe how much Consecrated Sphinx has gone up. I must have pulled a whole playset and traded them all off at around $3 each.

 

[Xaios]

I was pretty shocked that they were going for such a low price in the first place. As soon as I saw that card spoiled before Mirrodin Beseiged, I knew it was ridiculous. Alas, it had no place in the meta with JaceTMS, Stoneforge Mystic and Squadron Hawk ruling the roost. With the banning and rotation of those cards, Consecrated Sphinx was finally allowed to shine.

 

[Xaios]

So, does anyone else still play? I've got a pretty sweet Standard W/G humans decklist I put together that has been kicking ass and taking names at FNM, if anyone wants to try it.

Creatures (31):
4x Champion of the Parish
4x Avacyn's Pilgrim
3x Mikaeus, the Lunarch
4x Mayor of Avabruck
3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4x Mentor of the Meek
3x Mirran Crusader
4x Hero of Bladehold
2x Angelic Overseer

Sorceries (3):
3x Gather the Townsfolk

Enchantments (4):
4x Oblivion Ring

Land (22):
4x Razorverge Thicket
4x Sunpetal Grove
2x Gavony Township
8x Plains
4x Forest

Sideboard (15):
3x Beast Within
3x Dismember
3x Ratchet Bomb
2x Naturalize
2x Celestial Purge
2x Geist-Honored Monk (I'll probably be dropping these in favor of Corrosive Gale, with W/B and Esper tokens being a thing right now.)

I have to say, Thalia is freaking legit. I thought that she would suffer because she was Legendary and so you could only have one on the field, but it turns out she's good enough that it doesn't even matter. She went from my sideboard to my maindeck, and I haven't looked back since.

 

[ittoa666]

Sounds like a good deck. I'm not really a fan of the aggro decks everyone uses, so I built a RG wolf run. Just built a new brew, too. Check it.

4 Color Experiment (Standard* MTG Deck)