Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[Natirasha]

Only reason ascendency isn't seeing play is due to burn+delver being the two decks to beat. I've decided I don't think the deck is OP though. It hinges way too hard on Caryatid most of the time.

I've been playing with Tezzerator and it's been going decently. Destroys burn(seriously I don't know how they win), favored vs Twin, is slightly unfavored vs Delver.

[bv310]

New Card from PAX Australia, along with the next duel deck being Elspeth v Kiora

Hybrid Mana is back!

[Thestatusquo]

Serious question:
Who the fuck is brian David marshall, and why does he get to do coverage? He's worthless at high level analysis, he's boring and the kicker is he has an obnoxiously annoying voice. He's like the actual opposite of who I would pick as a commentator.

[bv310]

One more spoiler. Mono-Black boardwipe

[Klazam]

YESSS

Im so glad i failed to trade for elspeths.

[Thestatusquo]

Its really sad that we're now supposed to be excited about 5 mana conditional regeneratable board sweeps.

Fuck that.

[Thestatusquo]

Brian David Marshall
"So its like damnation and for only one more mana you get to keep your dragons!"

I hate everything.

[chamber]

Shrug, that wrath could easily be worth 5 mana if you are running dragons and they aren't.

I'm also happy we are experiencing a 5 mana wrath format. Wrath in standard has cost 4 for too long. It's possible the lack of a good 4 mana wrath will make things terrible, but I don't think this format has suggest that yet.

[Thestatusquo]

It makes control basically unplayable?

[hasdgfas]

Serious question:
Who the fuck is brian David marshall, and why does he get to do coverage? He's worthless at high level analysis, he's boring and the kicker is he has an obnoxiously annoying voice. He's like the actual opposite of who I would pick as a commentator.

He's the Pro Tour historian. I don't mind his commentary, but I still prefer most of the other commentators. Not Rashad Miller though.

[bv310]

This Jeskai combo deck that's 8-0 at SCG Oakland is making me really happy.

[Natirasha]

I mean, at least Black is in the color to actually take care of SBD and Sarkhan. I am very disappointed the wrath is that bad, although I will play it.

In MaRo's card post-mortem, he mentioned that they were going to reprint Logic Knot, but they cut it because they just made a 'normal' counterspell with Delve and put it in the file during development.

I suspect it's in Fate Reforged(or they cut it for Disdainful Stroke, I guess).

[Thestatusquo]

Uh oh. A combo deck did well. EVERYONE CALL FOR BANNINGS.

I hate everyone.

[Sudo_Nym]

If a card sees play in more than 10% of decks, ban it. I want to see every single legal card in a given set find play.

[PeregrineV]

We have a Grand Prix coming to town, and I'm thinking of entering it, but haven't been keeping up with standard lately.

Anyone going to it, or have any ideas for standard decks I should play? Not a big blue fan, but can do it if needed.

Already plan on looking at recent events, but it seems this group has some above average players, so would like to hear opinions.

If you're new to the format, I think your best bet is to either try to just have a deck with a solid matchup against everything (Abzan midrange) or a deck that if you win the no hate in sideboards lottery will just take it down (Jeskai combo)

I think jeskai burn is a bad deck for someone who is not very well versed in the format, since its a deck that is very much tuned for specific metagames.

I think you'd be giving up a lot of percentage points if you played it without knowing the expected field beforehand.

Prefer the first, will look into that first.

Is this the one to start with?

2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

Creature (16)
2 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
2 Wingmate Roc
4 Siege Rhino

4 Thoughtseize

Instant (9)
4 Abzan Charm
3 Hero's Downfall
2 Utter End

Land (24)
3 Forest
2 Plains
4 Windswept Heath
4 Temple of Malady
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Caves of Koilos
1 Mana Confluence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Temple of Silence


Sideboard (15)
1 End Hostilities
1 Duneblast
1 Mass Calcify
3 Drown in Sorrow
3 Bile Blight
2 Murderous Cut
1 Unravel the Æther
1 Liliana Vess
2 Nissa, Worldwaker

[Klazam]

aye

[Shanba]

I tried really hard to make u/w control work.

The issue was only partially the wrath being garbage. It was also the spot removal being garbage. The only spot removal spell I wanted to play was devouring light and even that is super clunky. If you can't keep up with spot removal and can't catch up with boardwipes and then there's a whole slew of random hard to deal with threats like planeswalkers and protection from your deck and uncounterable haste hydras and whatever.

I also tried u/b a bunch and that's also garbage.

The only fun thing for blue is that 2 of the most busted draw spells ever printed are legal, and also disdainful stroke is superb. But your counters cost too much, no colour gives you good removal and no colour gives you a good boardwipe.

FWIW, I think this spoiled wipe is better than perilous vault as even though perilous vault nukes everything it also takes 2 turns to play and then you die. It's so much better to find this off dig through time than it is to find vault when you need a boardwipe.

[chamber]

It makes control basically unplayable?

I'm really not sure that's true at all. It means control has to be more spot removal heavy, but they have very powerful card draw options to make up for the lack of CA from wraths. Wraths being massive tempo and CA was always a little bullshit (mitigated by the fact that your opponent can play around it a bit, but bullshit none the less).

[Natirasha]

UB is not a good deck, but it is a good deck too because Perilous Vault is actually really good and it's the only shell that can play it(I've actually wondered if a tuned Abzan list could play vault as well).

I suspect post-FRG the lists will play some Crux of Fate and some Vaults.

Also, although I am sad 4-mana wraths have disappeared, I also haven't personally felt the pain of a five-mana wrath. The times I've cast End Hostilities, it's functioned pretty much just as well as when I cast Wrath of God.

[Knight of Cydonia]

Must resist urge to take Jeskai Fireworks manabase and build Heroic Combo.

[Shanba]

that deck was sooo coool

[Sudo_Nym]

I don't think five mana for a wrath is unreasonable, but I wish the would include a no-regeneration clause. How else am I supposed to kill Rakshasha?

[Klazam]

I don't think five mana for a wrath is unreasonable, but I wish the would include a no-regeneration clause. How else am I supposed to kill Rakshasha?

wait until they spend 8 mana on it all at once to pump it, then point a magma jet at it. True story, happened last friday. won the game off that

[Natirasha]

They're stupid for holding priority between each activation.

[hasdgfas]

Yeah. There's a reason that I tend to pump once, let them confirm it to show they're passing priority to let it resolve, and then pump again. If you pump all at once you just get blown out.