Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[Debonair Danny DiPietro]

That bites. This format is super weird.

It feels like there's not a lot of play to the sealed format because of how synergy driven the set is and the strata on the rare quality. You can draw the pool with insane synergy and rares and you basically can't lose, or you can open trash with no synergy and basically not have a chance to win; very different (and worse) than say Origins or Khans which had flatter rare levels and less must have synergy and thus it felt like build skill actually mattered. I'll post my 5-0 deck when I get back home; it was so busted, sometimes I didn't even have to attack, I just played Kalestria Healer(s) and then just played more allies.

[bv310]

That feels accurate to my experience. Done a handful of Phantoms on MTGO and had pools where I opened Ob Nixilis and Hero's Downfall 2.0, or pools where I cracked that rare RW Angel and Painful Truths. I played a shitload of Khans drafts, and have zero desire to draft this set.

[Debonair Danny DiPietro]

Bit hard to see but good enough.

[Thestatusquo]

Have you guys seen this?


https://www.reddit.com/r/spikes/comment ... _to_pilot/

[bv310]

Now I wish I was qualified for the PT. $38k for an event that tops out at $40K seems like a no-brainer.

[DeathNote]

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/vacation-tokens/

My current attempt at a standard deck. I tried hard to come up with something new and wanted to play something fun. It really can ramp up hangarbacks which is cool but not really meant to be the win con. Tokens spam with emeria and landfall is what does it with maybe the help of the dragons.

[Klazam]

drafted 2 nettle drone, 2 complete disregard, 2 grip of void, and a bunch of low curve red/black stuff, went 2-1

no bombs tho.

[Klazam]

if someone wants i can post the decklist

[DeathNote]

After playing a couple games with the deck, it obviously suffers from not having any removal so that should be in the sideboard or even mainboard and take out counters to put in side board. I did manage to play a dragonlord D and have a blue left over to counter any removal they would put out on their turn. It worked out pretty well.

Hangarback was wonderful as per normal forcing my opponent to side in lots of enchantment removal to deal with him the other games. I have to keep that in mind when placing counters from kazandu that they are better off on herald or tokens because the hangarback could be exiled at any moment.

I think I will only run three of for the heralds and put in a Q-field to help remove anything that is hard to deal with such as planeswalkers and enchantments. The dragons are definitely amazing and having denials with them is great. Board wipes are also something I should consider but I don't know which to run. Maybe outburst for the awaken as I will be land heavy?

The goal though is to win with felidor sovereign at some point

[InflatablePie]

oh vintage cube

so I drafted a mostly-mono-U-artifact deck (first few picks were something like Tinker, Top, Mind Twist, Blightsteel, ConsSphinx, Metamorph, Polluted Delta... Daze/Cryptic/Trinket Mage were pack 1 too I think).

went afk and got completely distracted, came back with ~5 seconds on my clock before I got kicked for inactive, kept a hand of 3 lands/Mox Diamond/Tinker on the draw, so t2 Blightsteel woo. Opponent showed me an Ancestral Recall on his turn then scooped. won on turn ~5 next game, and Mental Misstepped the Ancestral Recall. felt so good.

lost to mono-Red 1-2 - T2 Tinker game 1, got run over game 2, game 3 I had sided out Inkwell and other slow cards for early interaction, figuring if I just Tinker Blightsteel it's game. I managed to do that on turn 3, but my opponent played Goblin Welder, chumped Blightsteel with two dudes and went to 9 Infect, and then I got owned. whoooops.

still, out of 5 games I got a turn 2 or 3 Blightsteel four times. tinker is a fair and balanced card you guys

[Natirasha]

So, it took introducing a completely new color of Magic to get Wizards to actually push some cards.

I love it.

[bv310]

So I bought Modern Storm. I figured that if I was going to make a cheap-ish combo deck to learn, I may as well learn a classic. It's far too much fun to combo out on Turn 3, or get my hand stripped by Jund and just win via Past in Flames.

[Natirasha]

So, I have a question for everyone here.

My EDH partner and I've had a bit of a falling-out lately due to the fact I win upwards of 90% of our matches(this extends to non-edh formats, too). Her because losing sucks, me because I don't like playing things with a near-fixed outcome and I don't like hurting my friend's feelings. We are also both each other's only Magic partner, so we effectively don't play Magic anymore due to it.

But, I'm having trouble diagnosing the cause of

why

or figuring out how to fix the apparently win rate disparity. She has nearly three times the collection I do and she plays semi-competitively in other formats so it's not a card-evaluation issue nor an availability issue. We can swap and play each other's decks, and I'll still maintain my win rate, so its not really a deckbuilding issue.

Which really only leaves a skill discrepancy, which is weird considering we've also both played for similar amounts of time. I guess it's a mindset issue(I'm very Spike-y and she's very Johnny), but I don't know how to fix this in a way that doesn't involve me just throwing matches(which feels so gross and I directly hinders my enjoyment of the game)...

[Klazam]

Handicap yourself by dropping the deck's strength. I find that building decks around themes helps a lot with this. In game you can be as spikey as you want, but if the deck is intentionally depowered, the game becomes much more challenging for you.

Alternatively, start (quietly) figuring out the play errors your buddy is making, then identifying the major ones, and try to uh,, politely and nicely point out the better plays availble.

"Whew i thought you'd do this instead" is one way, i think

[chamber]

When playing cube with my friends(well we don't so much anymore, but when we did) it wouldn't be uncommon at all for us to put a game on pause and start discussing a way a certain play was made and how or why we think it was subpar or interesting. Trying to do that could help improve both of your play.

[Sudo_Nym]

I agree with Klazam. Things with my EDH circle, back when I had one, could be a bit rough at the start, since we basically just built powerful decks and whoever got the best draw won quickly. Building more funhaver decks and then playing them seriously proved to be a lot more enjoyable for everyone. Basically, build like a Johnny, play like a Spike.

[bv310]

Pauper EDH is a great way to level the playing field if you both don't want to spend a lot, plus playing brand-new decks will help you find the discrepancy a little better. If you're both using decks on the same power level, you can look for differences in how you'd play.

Alternatively, try going to an LGS and playing some 2-Headed Giant with her. Then you can see exactly what she's doing.

[Thestatusquo]

So, I have a question for everyone here.

My EDH partner and I've had a bit of a falling-out lately due to the fact I win upwards of 90% of our matches(this extends to non-edh formats, too). Her because losing sucks, me because I don't like playing things with a near-fixed outcome and I don't like hurting my friend's feelings. We are also both each other's only Magic partner, so we effectively don't play Magic anymore due to it.

But, I'm having trouble diagnosing the cause of

why

or figuring out how to fix the apparently win rate disparity. She has nearly three times the collection I do and she plays semi-competitively in other formats so it's not a card-evaluation issue nor an availability issue. We can swap and play each other's decks, and I'll still maintain my win rate, so its not really a deckbuilding issue.

Which really only leaves a skill discrepancy, which is weird considering we've also both played for similar amounts of time. I guess it's a mindset issue(I'm very Spike-y and she's very Johnny), but I don't know how to fix this in a way that doesn't involve me just throwing matches(which feels so gross and I directly hinders my enjoyment of the game)...

"u guise halp me solve dis problem it is that i am 2 gud at magic omg halp."

[Natirasha]

I mean, yes, if you reduce the statement to it's basic root, yeah, I guess.

That's still rude, though. Contrary to what some people on this site say, I'm not actually a narcissistic sociopath.

Pauper EDH is a great way to level the playing field if you both don't want to spend a lot, plus playing brand-new decks will help you find the discrepancy a little better. If you're both using decks on the same power level, you can look for differences in how you'd play.

Alternatively, try going to an LGS and playing some 2-Headed Giant with her. Then you can see exactly what she's doing.

We tried this and actually were having fun, but it was partially because I don't have most good commons and we both just stopped playing it because the commanders were a lot less interesting in general(although I really loved Horizon Chimera!).

Thanks for the advice, everyone, though.

[bv310]

Maybe pick up some of the Commander precons? Meren and Mizzix are pretty unique, and similar on power level (Just don't buy Kalemne, the deck is weakest)

[hasdgfas]

Maybe pick up some of the Commander precons? Meren and Mizzix are pretty unique, and similar on power level (Just don't buy Kalemne, the deck is weakest)

I actually really like doing precon v precon matches as a neat little pickup way to play Commander. (I disagree about not buying Kalemne, I think that deck is still very good).

[hasdgfas]

Also the Kalemne deck is the only one with Blade of Selves

[Thestatusquo]

Roommates play lot of commander.
Shea hates commander.
Shea wants to play magic with roommates despite this fact.
Shea throws every black green or blue rare he owns into a deck
Commander Sidisi.
Shea can play commander with roommates.
Shea sometimes wins games which seems absurd to him.

[Natirasha]

Also the Kalemne deck is the only one with Blade of Selves

We found the precon tier list went GB>UG>WB>RW>UR. It was pretty fun, though.

[bv310]

Roommates play lot of commander.
Shea hates commander.
Shea wants to play magic with roommates despite this fact.
Shea throws every black green or blue rare he owns into a deck
Commander Sidisi.
Shea can play commander with roommates.
Shea sometimes wins games which seems absurd to him.

BV approves of this post