Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[Shadow1psc]

I could be wrong, but I feel like you are gonna get murdered before you can do anything...

I feel like Phantasm is just too strong. It's fairly easy to get it into buffed status. Erasure is not in 2013.

[Thestatusquo]

Opinions on mono-blue mill post-SoM?

Running stuff like Jace's Phantasmal, Jace (Adept), Mind Sculpt, Dream Twist, Bloody Tome, and shriekgeist. Elixir for obvious utility, I figure Dissipate isn't too slow for this deck so missing mana leak doesn't hurt as much. There's that bounce spell for 1 in the ISD block, name escapes me. It's not exactly vapor snag, but it'll do. Thoughts?

Mill is literally never viable. Like..They print cards for it fairly regularly, and its never really high tier. I don't think these cards are any better than, say, brainfreeze et al, or the merfolk milling option that was in lorwyn, and those decks weren't good.

Furthermore, I don't think the meta is conducive to this sort of strategy. While you're durdling about Delver is just going to be killing you. Wolf Run is just going to be killing you. Zombies is just going to be killing you. In order to beat these matches you need to be playing all sorts of tempo cards yourself, and in which case why aren't you just playing that deck in the first place.

there's not even what I would call a pure control deck that's popular right now which would be your good matchup. The closest is Delverless Delver, and they run the tempo cards that are going to kill you anyway.

Shrug. I think you can build it. I dont think it'll be any good.

[Shadow1psc]

Yeah, I realize the current meta is aggro, tempo, and more aggro. I just wanted something fun and cheap to do in FNM, I can run boros or tokens in any standard competitive scenario.

[Thestatusquo]

Well, sure. If you just want a crazy deck to run in standard thats fine. Don't expect it to be particularly good. If you're looking for something fairly cheap to throw together, rogue, and also not that far from being completely competitively viable, check this deck out:

http://www.channelfireball.com/articles ... en-summer/

I'm considering throwing this together myself. It just looks so fun to play. Who doesn't want to drop Craterhoof and pwn??

[Shadow1psc]

Lol... that's awesome. I may build that on MTGO for the price.

[Sudo_Nym]

Mill is generally never viable. Either you have to play Combo with a mill finish, or TurboFog. UG Self-Mill, however, could be quite interesting as a rogue deck. But I think we discussed that already.

[Thestatusquo]

I just dont think this format is slow enough for anything other than dedicated aggro or tempo to survive.

[Sudo_Nym]

I've tested TurboFog a bit, and it's actually a reasonable tier 2 deck, but it won't be when it loses Rites of Flourishing. There's enough Fog effects in the current standard to support it. UG Self-Mill is reasonable, too, but it's basically an aggro deck when built right- Splinterfright, Boneyard Wurm, Ghoultree, and Kessig Cagebreakers are a real beating if they're set up.

I have seen some control decks do alright, with Lingering Souls, Timely Reinforcements, and Pristine Talisman, but none good enough to be tier one.

[bv310]

Yeah, Erasure is great with think twice/amass/jace's abilities in general. Does losing it hurt

that

much?

This is where I'm currently at. I'll have to play test this when I get home, but I'd like to order my Jace's now so they're here for FNM/Saturday standard. Is there a hard-fast rule about # of planeswalkers in a deck? In a deck like this is Jace a 4-of? I figured 3 was good due to his cost.

Spoiler: Deck

No Mindshrieker?

[bv310]

U/G Self-mill is actually pretty fun. My version has Postmortem Lunge for surprise-Cagebreakers

[Shadow1psc]

Yeah, Erasure is great with think twice/amass/jace's abilities in general. Does losing it hurt

that

much?

This is where I'm currently at. I'll have to play test this when I get home, but I'd like to order my Jace's now so they're here for FNM/Saturday standard. Is there a hard-fast rule about # of planeswalkers in a deck? In a deck like this is Jace a 4-of? I figured 3 was good due to his cost.

Spoiler: Deck

No Mindshrieker?

Hmm. I'm not sure if I like that better than having Jace's Phantasm. Paying 2 to mill one card seems counterproductive, my goal is not to aggro them to death, but it could be an alternate win condition. Flyers are always nice.

[bv310]

Have them both.

[Shadow1psc]

I'd probably sideboard it in if I wanted more bodies and the utility, I don't know what I'd replace in my list currently. Suggestions?

[Thestatusquo]

Silent departure. That card is just not good.

[Shadow1psc]

Yeah, it's certainly no vapor snag. I never intended it for flashing back, that's for sure.

[dramonic]

Out of curiosity, why no Archive Trap?

[Shadow1psc]

It's not standard legal?

[dramonic]

...
So what IS legal then?
I'm really confused <.<

[Shadow1psc]

SOM block, ISD block, m12, m13 currently make up Standard.

In October, RTR block will replace SOM, so standard legal sets will include ISD block, m13, RTR block.

Extended (someone correct me if I'm wrong, it's changed since I last played) is now the last 4 blocks? Zendikar, Alara, SOM, and ISD + 2010-2013? Something like that.

Then there's modern, which (again, I don't remember exactly) is anything post 8th(9th?) edition I think. I should probably just look these up...

Oh hey, I was right. One tiny addendum, Modern is any core set after 8th + any block starting from Mirrodin and forward. Modern (currently) does not change, and I would think is named such because Mirrodin was about the time magic became more fast paced. Odyssey and Onslaught were still kinda slow, maybe not as slow as Invasion, but Mirrodin was a definite shift.

[AGar]

Modern is named Modern because it's all the cards that use the new card frames (the redesign occurred with 8th Edition).

[Shadow1psc]

That also makes sense I guess.

[AGar]

Also, since Modern became a thing, I don't think anyone really plays Extended anymore.

[Shadow1psc]

Also, since Modern became a thing, I don't think anyone really plays Extended anymore.

Yeah, I miss the days of just type 1, 1.5 and 2.

[Shadow1psc]

So I made that green deck in MtGO, but substituted some things for what's not out from m13 yet. I put in champion of lambholdt and Garruk's horde... makes for hilarious plays. I am now also considering running two Primal Surge. JUST THINK ABOUT IT.

[Thestatusquo]

Primal surge seems like such a win more card. I would rather just drop a beater.