Puschkin

110 Decks, 2,320 Comments, 1,024 Reputation

I don't understand your reasoning. I can play anything I cascaded into even if it is not my turn. Why should I worry about if the spells are instants/sorceries or permanents? They all count towards storm, too. Besides, 18 creatures isn't much.
This is for multiplayer (pentagram) or for 2-on-2 games. In my meta creatures die fast, mass removal is common. That's why I can't go down in creature count and I need those Fires of Yavimaya so I can hit hard with whatever I cascade up before the next Wrath of God like effect sweeps the board again.
Beastmaster's Ascension is also crucial because besides of the Wurm I don't pack alot of punch. However, I may cut it anyway because I made the experience that the other players feel threatened by the Ascension even when I am still missing many counters on it. Basically they try to kill me before it gets active. So, while being great in this deck, I will cut it out of "political reasons".

The Rampagers are there because of the blood rush ability. He is decent on himself and can pump others and give them trample. Plus, using blood rush cannot be countered. I haven't drawn him yet in the few games I played, so I cannot tell if he his worth adding, but the theory is this: I play Bloodbraud Elves whenever possible. But sometimes I don't cascade into anything useful. He has haste but if the opponent has bigger creatures, he has to stay home. With the rampager the Elf can become a threat. But unlike regular pumpers (Giant Growth etc.) adding him doesn't lower the creature count of the deck. Also, once I used him the first time, my opponents well be cautious from there on. So, I might bluff my way to some unblocked damage here and there with small creatures.

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Posted 15 October 2013 at 11:44 in reply to #403798 on Spell Avalanche

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Does that actually work? Whatever it is that destroys your Orb, if it can be played during your turn, it can also be played during that opponent's turn. Since he can see the Sundial, I don't think this will save your Orb. But yes, you can use it to replace the Orb. That's actually a nice trick, I have never seen the Sundial this way :)

Without the X-spells we could customize the mana base now. You said multiplayer, so you might run into situations where your hand is empty and you don't want to draw lands anymore. Maybe replace some of the Swamps with lands that cycle. And Volrath's Stronghold, if your budget allows for one.

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Posted 15 October 2013 at 11:24 in reply to #403438 on Sundial of the Orb

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Phyrexian Dreadnought would be the obvious addition to this deck. And go to 4 Dark Rituals. That way you can have a 12/12 trampler first turn.

I don't like the Drain effects in this deck, they add nothing. The trick is to play your creatures while Torpor Orb is out. The Orb costs 2 and the most expensive creature costs 4. So why bother with x-spells? That only makes the manabase complicated. On the other hand you are fucked if you don't draw your Orb or if your opponnet destroys it. That's why would ditch the drain spells and splash blue for library manipulation. Lim-Dûls Vault being the top choice here.
If you insist on keeping those drain spells, replace 4 of your Swamps with Cabal Coffers.

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Posted 11 October 2013 at 17:15 as a comment on Sundial of the Orb

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Disintegrate prevents regenerations AND exiles. This may have been egliable back then but today this is pretty nifty. Regenerators, phoenixes, scavange, undying, persist, reanimators, unearth, the list of stuff Disintegrate stops from coming back is HUGE. Whereas good old Fireball has become next to useless. It's way too expensive to split. For smaller creatures you would be better off with Fire/Ice in this deck (or pack Pyroclasm). And for true flexibility you would play Comet Storm instead. It may cost one more if you blast single targets but it is WAY better at toasting multiple targets.

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Posted 08 October 2013 at 17:02 in reply to #402113 on Creatureless Control-Burn

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This is what I will be playing tonight. Cards in the sideboard are cards I didn't find and maybe don't own, will have to trade for them (except the Gate to Phyrexia). I am at 61 cards anyway ... will cut whatever turns out to be the least useful. Probably Mortician Beetle and one Necrosavant.

I'd still like to hear some suggestions, there are probably dozens of cards that would fit that I misses out.

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Posted 04 October 2013 at 10:39 as a comment on Squee Tactics

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Hm, where to begin.

First, if this relies on Isochron Scepter, why only add one of them?

Then you have a strange selection of Fogs. Moonmist? Without having any werewolves yourself? Clinging Mist? Druid's Deliverance? Garruk is the only way you will ever have token creatures for populate. Here are some Fog variants that are way better:
Tangle (strictly better than Clinging Mist)
Respite
Lull (if you have too many Fog effects in hand you can cycle it)
Constant Mists (later in the game almost ast good as Isochron)

Also consider Spike Weaver, he is a walking Fog that can be used up to three times.

Next issue, you seem to assume that combat damage through creatures is the only thing that can kill you. Well, there are lots of artifacts and enchantments that can kill you off and many creatures do not need to attack in order to hurt you or trigger effects when attacking that aren't stopped by Fog (like Annihilator). That's why I think you are overdoing it a bit with your Fog effects while totally neglecting everything else. You have zero artifact and enchantment removal and also no way to get rid of problematic creatures you opponent might cast. Top choices include Fracturing Gust, Krosan Grip and Molder. All of them work with Archeomancer and Augur of Bolas. Creature removal, however, is tricky with green and blue. Maybe it would be better to steal problemantic creatures instead of destroying them. Dominate would be a good choice here, since it's also an instant.

Finally, your kill condition. You simply cannot expect to win with just two cards. A simple burn spell can kill them and then what? Helix Pinnacle might be an option for a deck like this.

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Posted 27 September 2013 at 20:23 as a comment on Turbo Fog

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So, that means you need them as early blockers only? Have you considered Shield Sphere then?

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Posted 27 September 2013 at 08:31 in reply to #399356 on A Fools Field Day

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Why did you cut the Myr Retrievers? Do you really need to cast Memnites for zero? Retrievers instead of Memnites would make the deck more consistent, I think.

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Posted 26 September 2013 at 18:55 in reply to #399356 on A Fools Field Day

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Sorry, forget about the Excarvation, conspire only works if the creatures share a colour. Argivian Find is the correct replacement for Ritual of Restoration.

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Posted 25 September 2013 at 16:29 in reply to #399021 on A Fools Field Day

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In your deck, Mine Excarvation is better than Ritual of Restoration.

Ornithopters could be Junk Divers.

Instead of the Shard and black I would splash red for 4 Goblin Welders.

What if your opponent has dangerous artifacts as well? I don't see any artifact removal.

For a deck this cheap you run too many lands, especially considering Metalworker and Golden Myr is there as well.

Does probably need a way to exile opponent's graveyard as well. Tormod's Crypt, Necrogen Spellbomb if you stick to your plan to add black mana, Phyrexian Furnace might work as well.

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Posted 25 September 2013 at 15:34 as a comment on A Fools Field Day

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The power creep is much stronger than you'd expect, sadly. This deck needs a major overhaul.

You should get rid of ALL of your enchantments. They are withouth exception really bad cards and always have been. AEther Storm can easily be removed by paying life whenever it is convinient for the opponent. So, while you tapped out to play the Storm, he pays some life and plays more creatures - you die. Similarily the others will also fail on you. They were barely able to do their trick back then and won't ever be fast enough for modern decks and cards. Ditch all of them and if you insist on this theme, go with 4 Propaganda instead.

While Ensnaring Bridge can be a great card in decks like this, it does not work well with counterspells, obviously. You need to keep them in your hand but Bridge demands a small or zero hand. So, either replace some of your regular counterspells with Null Brooch or ditch the Bridges.

Pulse of the Forge is okay in multiplayer but not in 1-on-1. First, you will rarely get him back. Secondly, if you get him back it means you are behind in life and probably about to die. Thirdly, it cannot kill creatures it thus will not be able from preventing you of dying. I suggest the mighty Prophetic Bolt instead and/or Electrolyze.

Counterspell, Incinerate, Lightning Bolt and Mana Leak are still solid if not very good spells, keep them. Magma Jet is also good. Cancel however can go. Negate depends on your metagame.

Fog Bank is also still great but with just 5 creatures the entire creature removal arsenal of your opponent will rain down on them. Still good as an early distraction, but not reliable later in the game. You could replace them with some of the newer phoenixes, Chandra's Phoenix being top choice here. They can be killed as easily but they will come back. Or play them in addition to the Fog Banks, but we should go down to 60ish cards.

Running out of cards later in the game? Browbeat is the solution for counter-burn.

Meanwhile ALOT of different duallands have been printed, they all have different drawbacks but not as severe as Caldera Lake. Sulfur Falls and Steam Vents are the top choices if you are okay with spending some money, Izzet Guildgate is your budget solution. You might also want to add Izzet Keyrune, Izzet Cluestone and/or Izzet Signet. However, this gives your opponent targets for his artifact removal spells which would be useless otherwise.

Have a look at Guttersnipe.

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Posted 25 September 2013 at 11:39 as a comment on Creatureless Control-Burn

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Too few creatures and too many cards like Insubordination. I am also not sure if the Souls of the Faultless are worth the trouble of splashing white. I would cut the white wall and at least 4 of your creature enchantments and add a mix of Mogg Maniac, Spitemare and Boros Reckoner. This would also give you some more winconditions in the case the opponent refuses to play creatures (Sleeper Agent is cute, but you have only 4 of them). AND you don't have to give up if the opponent plays creatures with shroud, hexproof.

In my Delirium/Backlash deck I made some good experiences with Meekstone. This deck has even more reasons to play them - at least the current version. Meekstone would not go that well with Spitemare and Reckoner of course.

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Posted 25 September 2013 at 10:30 as a comment on Stop Hitting Yourself!

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Warhammer is GREAT, but the casting cost and cost to equip a bit too high. Try two of them.

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Posted 25 September 2013 at 09:09 in reply to #398899 on U/G Unblockable

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Too many pumpers, too few creatures!

Also, wrong selection of equipments - I guess if you had some of the swords you would have added them, but Inquisitor's Flail for example is just bad and you need something with lifelink. See, your dudes might be hard or impossible to block but all you can do is hope to win the damage race - if you are ever forced to block, then that's the point where you will probably lose. But if you can give your guys lifelink, you do not have to care for defense. Umezawa's Jitte would also work of course.

Oh and Coiling Oracle is a great card for this deck.

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Posted 24 September 2013 at 23:47 as a comment on U/G Unblockable

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Remove one of the Demonic Tutors to make this at least Type I legal. Replacement: Demonic Consultation.

I don't think the trick with the Shadowborn Apostles will ever work. You need six out of 10 in play ... so you need to go through half of your deck even if none of them gets killed ... nah, I don't see that happening. I also don't think you want to add more of them because that would mean removing your beloved demons. So, I would kick out all 10 Apostles. Try to see it positive, now we have 10 open slots!

4 of them should be Dark Rituals. They fit the theme and help bringing out your dudes. Use them on Crypt Ghast primarily.

Another addition should definately be Blood Speaker! 2 is probably the right number.

Finally add 4 Cabal Coffers to get the Demons out fast and consistently.

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Posted 24 September 2013 at 23:40 as a comment on Rise of The Demons Realm

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I understand the synergies between cauldrons, accord, Necromancer, Sanguine Bond and your demon. However, many of those cards rely on each other and don't do anything else. Cauldron, Accord and Bond do not affect board position. If you have them all it's pretty nifty but that assumes alot of mana and several turns where the opponent doesn't kill you nor destroy any of them.

Don't get me wrong, the deck is quite good and organized and surprisingly many synergies for a beginners deck, I like it very much, most decks of more experienced players are less imaginative. Playtesting will surely help sort out questions.

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Posted 23 September 2013 at 23:13 in reply to #398683 on Angelic Rebirth

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Inexperienced or not, doesn't look bad to me. I am very experienced, just not with Standard, so I'll keep it to suggestions what to remove in order to go down to 60, ok?

I do not think Bubbling Cauldron is worth adding without Ferstering Newt. I understand the synergy with Angelic Accord, however, without Newts they are inferior to Elixir of Viality. I would go up to 4 Elixirs and drop the Cauldrons altogether. Down to 64.

I do not see any combos with Blind Obedience. It has extort, but I'd rather add another card with extort that does something else. For the same mana you can get Tithe Drinker that fits much better to your deck, so replace the Obediences with them. Okay, so I did make suggestions to add anyway and we are still at 64 ...

Underworld Connections seems a bit weak for my taste since it occupys the land it enchants. I supposed there is no better card with that effect in standard? Is Bloodgift Demon still legal? He would fit perfectly. If so, replace them. If not, cut one of the Connections because they are so slow and once you got one, you will be busy casting stuff and do not need a second. Down to 63.

Next call will be difficult. It will come down to your metagame. Personally I don't like Angelic Accord that much because they do not do anything until you gain more than 4 life in a single turn. But maybe you need additional flyers in standard. but the Accord would be the next card I would drop. However, if you kick out all 3, you do not really need 4 Elixirs anymore. Another candiate would be Banisher Priest because he works against Gideon and because he doesn't solve problems permanently. And with each priest gone, the usefulness of the Necromancer declines. So, for a compromise, I'd remove one of each the Necromancers, Priest and Angelic Accord, but these choices are made without knowing what you are playing against usually.

Watch out for Crypt Ghast. They would be an excellent addition to your deck!

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Posted 23 September 2013 at 19:00 as a comment on Angelic Rebirth

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I am not convinced of the blue part:
What does it do? You have a nifty landfall combo in Roil Elemental but he a) is the reason your mana base is off because of the tripple blue, b) he compeats with both woodcrasher and Rampading Baloth in the 6 mana bracket and c) all the opponent has to do is kill the elemental (which has only a toughness of 2) in order to get his stuff back.
Then you have a bunch of weak counterspells which require you to leave mana open during the turns where you should be busy ramping your mana (and during the crucial turn where you play the six-mana-fatties or Boundless Realm you won't have 3 more mana open). Finally blue grants you Mind Spring, which is a solid card but not enough to justify a splash.

What you are missing, though, are some of the most awesome and yet cheap (money wise) cards you could add to landfall decks: Yavimaya Elder, Coiling Oracle and HARROW! Khalni Heart Expedition is also excellent because you can wait to activate it until one of the fatties is in play.

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Posted 23 September 2013 at 16:13 as a comment on Budget Decks: Landfall Combos

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Since there are so few quality djinns and since you already have red in your deck, I recommend to expand to djinns and efreets. That gives you access to the exellent Frenetic Efreet, Shah of Naar Isle, Wildfire Emissary, Shimmering Efreet and may Serendib Efreet (the last one may not fit the budget).

Your instants are a bit off. Stoic Rebuttal!? With a total of 3 artifacts? Even if you had more, an ordinary counterspell would be better. And if you are worried because of the almost-dollar that a counterspell costs, there are alternatives at 3 or less mana like Dissolve, if you have them mainly to protect your creatures I sugest the exellent Confound. Then Shock? And Volt Charge ... you have only 6 cards that can make use of that proliferate. I'd rather have something solid like Elektrolyze/Prophetic Bolt or good old Incinerate instead. But I agree that Volt Charge has some style because it's used rarely. Then again, if you are speculating on your Djinn Illuminatus, Grapheshot is probably the burner to go! If you replicate him 2 times, you'll have, let's see, 6 damage, if you do that in the opponent's turn and he cat at least one spell, you are already at 10 damage :)

I would prefer Izzet Signet over the Iron Myrs because they don't die that fast.


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Posted 23 September 2013 at 15:50 as a comment on Budget Decks: Djinn (?)

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I also think Nicol Bolas should not be in there 4 times, 2 or 3 is enough.

Grixis Grimblade and the Fire-Field Ogre don't fit your deck. You need defensive cards that buy you time, preferable some that help you ramp mana. The Grimblade could provide this defense if he ever actually gets deathtouch but which other permanent do you plan to have out? The Ogres and Specters are the only possible candidates, that's just 7 cards and both of them happen to be creatures with a toughness of 2. Don't rely on that.

You seriously lack in the mana development department. 24 Lands (where alot of them come into play tapped) without any additional acelerators, fetchers or similar just won't make it. You have currently 10 (!) cards that cost 7 or more mana, most of them coloured! You also pack 7 counterspells where you need to keep your mana open. The deck is already Legacy, so you have access to all kinds of quality mana accelerators.

Do you know Duel of the Planeswalkers? The Nicol Bolas deck in DotP 2013 could give you some nice ideas how to play this, especially the part with the land cycling creatures and the dudes that give you back sorceries and instants.

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Posted 23 September 2013 at 13:29 as a comment on Nicol Bolas R/U/B (Help)

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