Umoonpuca

Alright, so tell me what you think...I'm questioning Savant here. I keep looking at it & wondering if it's lifespan, as regards it's utility, might not be too short. I get that you want your critters, Zada included, on the board ASAP, but you also want the best critters for Zada's ability, so...where exactly is the tipping point w/ that? Some thoughts I had, in no particular order: drop Savants? -1 Zada? +1 Mentor? BF Forge? Myth Realized? Hooting Mandrills? Fiery Impulse/Wild Slash? - that kinda thing. Zada's potential for abuse w/ prowess is just silly, & your deck will continue to transition smoothly as KTK begins to rotate out, both big +'s. It would be nice (& appreciated!!) if you let us know whether you decide to go w/ it or not, & if so, what the results were. :) In the meantime, +1, over & out.

Which makes the reference to dubya particularly appropriate. ;)

Very humorous SB, Description, & How To Play, if too close to the 'Murican truth for comfort...on that note, all I can add is that in 'Murica, dragon is now spelled d-r-o-n-e. O.O

Yeah, that's why I didn't know if you could really afford to cut any Simian's. Keep us posted!!

Just had a chance to read your comments, came through like a champ. :)

Also, didn't mean to suggest that the joint doesn't jump in 3 turns of competitive play, so hope my comment didn't hit you that way...just the opposite is true. Just that the more turns, therefore, the more that can happen. (I'm not a student of physics, but I'm sure there must be a natural law to that effect...if not, perhaps Dr. Hawking would be good enough to discover one for us. :D) Equal/opposite & an object in motion do both seem relevant, though. ^^

And you, sir, are far too gracious. ;)

(I did try to find a ruling on the situation described, but couldn't find anything specific to it.)

What I actually wondered was, since splice adds it's effect to the spell being spliced to, & the effect is added at the time you cast it, if you copy the latter, would that then also copy the added effect (also, Reverberate copying Rest w/ landfall & Remedy on the BF just plain sounded like fun). :) But if it slows you down too much, then not for competitive play. I'm a KT player, so admittedly, going off by T3 isn't something I shoot for...I actually prefer a game to go on long enough for lots of shenanigans to ensue. :) (NOT to grind on wearily forever, though. -.-) Thanks for your insights!

I've been in & out of Magic for a while, & wasn't actually active w/ it during Kamigawa, either, but there was a point where I had an inkling to do a tribal spirit deck, which is when I discovered it. The spirits in Kamigawa have crazy cool abilities, many of which trigger whenever you play a spirit or arcane card, so w/ splice, it's just silly. To keep the deck interesting, I built it singleton-style...it's a KT deck anyway, & there was enough synergy between the creatures & spells to allow for being able to do a lot w/ it, w/o it always having to be the same, predictable thing. It's been a minute since I've played it (though after this conversation, that may change this W/E :D), but if I recall correctly, the only cards in it that aren't Kamigawa are a copy of Privileged Position & most of the lands. It's the only block-specific deck I've ever built, as I would normally never go that route...but in this case, the potential for fun shenanigans just sucked me right in. :)

I apologize, I didn't communicate the nature of my concern clearly...what I meant by reducing the draw spells, was that you had 6, whereas the decks I've seen generally have about 12. If you want input from someone who plays the traditional version & can contrast yours w/ that, you could try approaching someone on the site who's also posted an Ad Nauseam deck...also, if you google Modern Ad Nauseam, there are decklists w/ tutorials to be found on other sites. Those are also the traditional build, so they might or might not be useful...agree, the most helpful thing would be to have an Ad Nauseam player look at your deck (hear that, Ad Nauseam players?). (Hopefully, the said-to-be-returning forums will be back on this site soon!)

WA also, although not originally. :) Stopped by because mganthemindmage has a Rakdos deck (ur' better off dead) that needs a practiced eye, & given your predilections, your name sprang to mind. He's relatively new to the site, & you know how that is...it takes a while to sort out who's approachable, & will give good counsel. Anyway, if you have time, that would be great. :)

If your opponent isn't in a position to counter (or you have Boseiju on the BF or a Pact in hand), you can also cast Ad Nauseam at the end of their turn, & cast Angel's Grace during your upkeep. I like the idea of this, but trying to do the math is making me crazy. -.- One concern I have in particular is the need to cut the number of draw spells in half, to include other spells...you do have a lot of scry, so that may compensate, but it will also slow you down. I've never played an Ad Nauseam deck, but if I'm not mistaken, you generally want to go off by T4-5. I really would like to see someone test this...I always like seeing new ideas. :) Certainly, +1 for originality.

Could you cut some Simian's to make room for some Reverberate?

I love the splice mechanic...I have a tribal spirit deck based almost entirely in the Kamigawa block that abuses it horribly, & that, my friend, is a real good time. :D You come up w/ some pretty cool concepts, keep up the good work! (Already left a +1 a day or so ago.) :)

As for the filter lands, no one's really paid much attention to the mana-base (I suppose because we've all been so focused on the combo), but now that you mention it, the one given isn't exactly the most practical. It may be that using filter lands & basics was less expensive (although Bluffs isn't exactly cheap), but a more traditional base would probably be more effective.

All I know about Rakdos is that it's 3 things...agro, agro, & agro. :) Would you like me to ask a fellow Rakdos lover to take a look?

The mana generated by Braid of Fire can only be used during your upkeep...since you only have the 4 instants, thought you might not be aware of that. If you want it to stay in your mana pool beyond your upkeep, there's always Upwelling. Your opponent(s) would get the boon as well, but by the look of things, you'd probably have most use for it. :)

(ie, long ago, in the Before Time) :)

I didn't know about the "hovering" bit; that's a very nice function. I actually did know the rest, but I'm so used to using Gatherer, it's an auto-recommend from me...I use that site almost daily, as much for pleasure as function. The comments you read on cards there are not only informative, but often quite humorous, & you can access all the rulings on a given card as well.