Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[Natirasha]

Um, did you even see Horribly Awry's dude's eyes? That's case in point right there.

[sthar8]

Horribly Awry might get cast in a game someday

[Espeonage]

Anyone got a sultai fatties list?

[bv310]

Second perk is that LRR's preview vid for that card was amazing.

Yup. Love LRR's stuff.

[chamber]

Scars of Mirrodin was far more interesting than Mirrodin was.

I completely disagree.

As someone who played competitively during Mirrodin and judged GPs during Scars, you are objectively wrong.

I'm mostly a limited player(I was also a filthy affinity player). I think scars limited is one of the worst limited experiences I've had in years. Theros is also pretty bad so I'm reluctant to call it -the- worse but~.

Have you drafted mirrodin recently? I found a box in my closet and we drafted it two years ago. It's painful.

Mirrodin release weekend I bought an affinity precon and won FNM with it.


Generally when I hear someone shitting on the new sets, there are a few options going on:
1. They've never played in a format with a 90% incidence of a single deck and therefore do not understand how miserable that is.
2. They've dumped a bunch of money into one of the masturbating-with-sandpaper formats and are desperate for other players/ to not feel like they've wasted their money
3. They're teenagers who dumped a ton of money into a standard deck to buy wins and are now feeling the effects of a rotation for the first time, but don't have the experience to understand WHY rotations exist.

I've been playing for 18 years and judging for 14 and magic pays my bills. I promise you that the golden age for MTG started in Ravnica block and has continued since.

I've also played a lot of magic for a long time. I have played mirrodin limited recently, the power level is way lower than modern limited formats but I don't think that makes it bad. I think magic peaked with timespiral. After that they decided to streamline things, which was probably better for the health and longevity of the game, but has been strictly negative on my enjoyment.

[Natirasha]

>Cancel with upside is rare lol

[Debonair Danny DiPietro]

I actually liked Mirrodin limited when I did it in flashback drafts. I didn't really care for full block NPH/Besieged/Scars limited in flashback.

[Siveure DtTrikyp]

I think the awaken cancel is rare because of the whole complicated "the creature is instant... but I can't just fire the spell off whenever" interaction.

[bv310]

I also appreciate that the 7-mana "exile target permanent" is Common.

[Natirasha]

Actually, I thought about it and it's fine. Hard Counterspell with a creature attached has traditionally been a rare effect(Draining Whelk, Mystic Snake), but Scatter to the Winds in particular feels weird because the Cancel is the main mode. If it was a 4/4 4UU evoke 1UU it'd look better as a rare.

EDIT: This set is looking real good for EDH, yeah. 7 mana vindicate, GOD TIER UB MYTHIC, Hedron Archive, all the spell lands(Blighted Cataract is a card of my dreams).

[Natirasha]

This set's limited makes my head ache.

[bv310]

I think Prerelease is going to be a good time. Draft seems questionable, but could be really fun.

[Natirasha]

This format is...deep? At first glance. I've been jamming a lot of it since the spoiler came out. It's really weird and you kind of have to throw out all your normal expectations. Roil Spout is the best non-rare in the set, I'm pretty sure, as is WU control the best type overall, but oh my god there is so much going on.

[bv310]

Okay, so I cashed out my MTGO account for store credit (EDH Staples, ho!), and now I want to buy into one Modern deck to learn backwards and forwards. I had that with Pod about a year ago, but nothing's really held my attention for quite as long.

My personal preferences:

1) It has a wincon. Something like the combo in Abzan Company or Kiki-Chord, or the beatdown plan of Elves.
2) It can actually win. I love the idea of running mono-Green Nykthos, but I don't feel like piling money into a deck, only to find out six months in that I can't go better than 2-2 in a Daily.
3) It can interact with an opponent. If I'm going to put the time in to learn a deck inside and out, I want it to have some versatility and knowledge involved
4) It gets better or more consistent the more you play it. Something like Scapeshift appeals to me for this.
5) It isn't Jund. Nothing against the deck, I'm just not comfortable paying the price for Liliana and Tarmogoyf.

Overall, I've been kicking around a couple ideas:

1) Scapeshift. I love the deck concept as a ramp/control/combo deck, and getting to play a bit of permission would be nice for a change. It also seems to be a really rewarding deck to play, which appeals to me. My big concern is that it is kind of one-dimensional. It seems like if it doesn't win off Scapeshift, it doesn't win.

2) Kiki-Chord. Tons of lines of play, neat interactions, fun cards, and a combo for inevitability. Basically everything I want, but it seems a lot less consistent than I might like.

3) Tron. I like the way the deck plays, and it gets to do a lot of powerful things. Seems really poorly positioned in the meta right now, though.

4) Elves. Tribal synergies make me happy, it has a combo-esque feel to it, and it's fast. Not sure how I feel about relying on Collected Company as much as it does, though.

Thoughts?

[Espeonage]

Gobrins

[theelkspeaks]

I've heard good things about Merfolk in modern, especially in a post-Harbinger world - I know it got played at WC, and I saw you mention you love tribal decks.

Not really a modern player myself though.

[Natirasha]

Merfolk is fun, it's my modern deck. I have a love-hate relationship with it, though.

Pros of the deck
+It has a strong proactive gameplan
+half of your deck draws cards
+Immune to land hate strategies, all your lands come into play untapped for no life loss
+Lots of moving parts to metagame with
+Can easily splash if wanted
+Lots of nuance to the deck, once you know the deck inside out you start to see how versatile it is and how complex the decision tree is(Merfolk ends up playing more like the old style of Delver decks, except you play 2/2s for 2 instead on 3/2 flyers for 1)

Cons
-The deck is overall very straightforward. You will be executing the same maneuvers every game, even if those maneuvers themselves have a lot of complexity. It gets boring.
-You sometimes have to keep some jank-ass hands.(Mutavault/Vial/lords is common and a tentative keep in most situations)
-Combo matchups are horrendous. Affinity is either impossible or easy depending on your variant, Kolaghan's Command decks are technically in your favor but you also have to play incredibly tightly to make it happen.
-If you want to try a different deck, none of the Merfolk cards can move decks.
-Your plays in general just feel weaker than what opponents are doing due to card quality(see back to the Delver analogy)

There are three major archtypes I've found that work.
Mono U: This is the "traditional" list. Go look on MTGGoldfish or something.
WU: The one I use. The white splash is more or less completely free, but most pros and other players espouse this weird view where the white splash isn't worth it except for Choke protection. I don't get it. Wanderwine Hub+Seachrome Coast takes care of all your color issues, I throw in a single Hallowed Fountain to smooth things out(giving you 9 out of 20 land for the splash). Stony Silence completely wrecks Affinity+Tron(I once outgrinded a t3 Karn with the deck), RIP is great and lets you laugh at Anglers and Tasigur all day, Judge of Currents gives you a strong edge in aggro. There are lots of other cards too for those so inclined.
CoCoFolk: Kind of stupid. It's a lot grindier than the other versions, but you also get to be all toolboxy and play sick cards like Skaab Ruinator or Thassa! I actually had a lot of success with this version, but my WU list is just so tuned that I went back to it.

My list something like this at the moment--this is off the top of my head mind you so if numbers are off sorry

Spoiler: WU Merfolk circa Origins

4x Wanderwine Hub
4x Seachrome Coast
1x Hallowed Fountain
4x Mutavault
1x Cavern of Souls
6x Island
--
4x Cursecatcher
4x Silvergill Adept
4x Lord of Atlantis
4x Master of the Pearl Trident
2x Harbinger of the Tides
2x Phatasmal Image
4x Merrow Reejerey
1x Kira, Great Glass Spinner
2x Master of Waves
--
3x AEther Vial
4x Spreading Seas
1x Mana Leak
1x Spell Snare
1x Silumgar's Scorn
1x Echoing Truth
1x Path to Exile
1x Valorous Stance

SB
2x Stony Silence
2x Rest in Peace
2x Judge of Currents
1x Spellskite
1x Tidebinder Mage
1x Monastery Siege
1x Swan Song
1x Disenchant
1x Dispel
1x Valorous Stance
1x Jace, Architect of Thought

As usual, I'll take questions on specific cards.

[bv310]

I actually have a similar Fish list together in paper, but I excluded it out of a hope of playing something a bit different. Right now Twin is kicking around in my mind a bit, just to fill that Combo/control itch.

Spoiler: My UW Fish list

4 Cursecatcher
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Harbinger of the Tides
3 Master of Waves
1 Sygg, River Guide

4 AEther Vial
4 Spreading Seas
2 Vapor Snag (should be Paths, but I couldn't find my set before the last tournament I played)

4 Flooded Strand
4 Wanderwine Hub
4 Mutavault
1 Hallowed Fountain
9 Island

SB:
2 Stony Silence
1 Rest in Peace
3 Swan Song
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Torpor Orb
2 Spellskite
2 Tidebinder Mage
2 Hurkyl's Recall

[hasdgfas]

I'm currently running Raphael Levy's Loam Pox in Modern. It's incredibly difficult to play, but I always feel like it's my mistakes when I lose. The deck has a lot of play, and a lot of decisions to make every turn. It's great, it's probably the most fun deck I've ever played.
Here's a link:
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/loam-pox-v2-1/

[Ythan]

Demonic Pact + Daring Thief/Shifting Loyalties

am I garbage at magic

[Ythan]

This is gonna get a lot less playable in a few days with the rotating out of enchantment creatures, and Pharika specifically, unless the new one has something fun.

[Natirasha]

I played vs an starfield of nyx control deck last night and it was cool.

In standard I'm between Grixis+Ojutai dragons and Mono Green Landfall/Eldrazi.

[InflatablePie]

5-1'd the prerelease I went to with UB Midrange/Control-stuff. Had the uncommon UB dude (flash/flying/process->counterspell), Cancel-Awaken, solid removal suite with a Clutch of Currents, Bone Splinters, Demon's Grasp, Complete Disregard and Grip of Desolation, and just a generally not terrible pool.

Oh, and I also opened a promo-foil Drana and a regular Drana so.

My one loss was in round 3. Opponent had a Felidar Sovreign, the big landfall dragon, and the white board wipe as his bombs. Saw all three game 1, but overextended into the wrath game 2 since I had completely forgotten about it by that point, then topdecked lands. I was kicking myself all day for that (and that guy came in 1st)

I technically came in 5th, but that's because the TOs reversed the input of my last match by accident - I received 6 packs and the guy I beat in the last match got 2nd and 12 packs. I should have taken 2nd (maybe 3rd depending on tiebreakers), but at least the other guy gave me 6 of his packs and let the TOs know instead of just bailing or something, so yay.

Pulled an Omnath in my pool and nothing else too valuable... prizes had a GW tangoland, UW tangoland, Part the Waterveil, Akoum Firebird, the 2B rare Processor that gives -3/-3, faux-Baleful-Strix, and the rare white boardwipe. Lots of neat casual cards or constructed pushed rares (although I did get a Prism Array too so bleh) and a solid chunk of value.

The format seems very fun, although when most of your games go t2 Mist Intruder t3 Drana you develop kind of a bias.

[bv310]

4-2'd my prerelease. Opened an Omnath, which I promptly sent out to become my next altered Commander (Charred Maokai with a Sapling, to play off my original Maokai mono-G Omnath) Nothing else valuable there, but I did crack a Prairie Stream, Kiora, and a Greenwarden of Murasa, so I'm fairly happy.

Big fan of Landfall as a Sealed deck. Was way too fun to win off of either Akoum Hellkite or Omnath.

[Natirasha]

I opened, cumulatively amongst all pre-release winnings, an entire box.

I got 1 Ulamog, 2 Oblivion Sowers, 1 Greenwarden of Murasa, 1 Sanctum of Ugin, 1 Smoldering Marsh, 2 Fathom Feeders(1 foil), 3 Felidar Sovereigns and 4 Prism Arrays. I was very annoyed.