Dies to Removal

Also just smashed a Modern tournament playing a heroic deck, lol. Fabled Hero is pretty good when you have Phyrexian combat tricks.

Also just smashed a Modern tournament playing a heroic deck, lol. Fabled Hero is pretty good when you have Phyrexian combat tricks.

[card]Apostle's Blessing[/card]?

Alex, what's the level of competition where you're at? Are you just punching babies in the face at these Modern tournaments?

I am infinite on mtgo and close to infinite on paper.

My problem is the fact I like trying out new ideas and decks. While on mtgo it is easy to buy, check out (play ~10-20 games) and decide to stick with it or sell. If deck is bad I loose ~10-30 ticket on whole thing. However in real life when I did the same (pre MTGO era for me) it wasnt as easy as it was really hard to sell some cards and I lost money there.
Now if I want to buy sth on paper I first try it out on MTGO and then buy cards. Now I dont have that problem.

I started with a RtR block constructed, with the Return to Ravnica itself. I think Block Constructed is another good way of starting your quest to infinity.

Wouldn't it be wiser to invest in eternal formats on paper instead?

I'm infinite in paper, but not so much due to playing since I get to much less often than others. I've made top 4 in about 75% of the FNMs I've played in this year, which results in about $25-30 per win, but I only get to play once or twice a month. I tend to decide on what cards I want to be playing early in the Standard season and stay within the range of decks those cards would put me in, requiring much less investment. I also do a good job of identifying underpriced cards, scooping them up soon after release and selling them back for substantial profit later on. I've been doing this ever since I got back into Magic at M13 and I decided to pursue a red deck. I snapped up a playset of Thundermaw Hellkite for $10 each and sold them back at $35 each when they were at their peak. I did the same with Mutavaults this season though I'm still hanging on to a couple for my Monsters deck. When rotation nears I tend to modify my
Standard deck to be close to what I expect to play at rotation and be less reliant on rotating cards with little or no value in eternal formats. I won't have this problem with Monsters because the vast majority of the deck will remain intact after rotation. Domri Rade's have dropped significantly but he does have some Modern applications, plus being a planeswalker gives him a bit higher of a floor.

MTGO is another story. I don't play enough to "go infinite" and it's much harder when you don't hit 15 QPs for the promo and you don't get to play daily events. It's also a lot more difficult for me to make a significant initial investment in MTGO because selling your winnings for money is difficult and the upcoming switch to V4 could have a negative impact on prices. I've been considering speculation with the tickets I already have but again the V4 switch has me a bit concerned.

wow, you guys are like, really good

Wouldn't it be wiser to invest in eternal formats on paper instead?

Investing in Eternal formats has a better long-term payout, but requires years of keeping your money in cardboard. For short-term gains, finding good spec targets for Standard early in the season can result in massive profits if done correctly. This requires a great deal of theorycrafting though and you'll have to live with the times you swing and miss.

Example: Falkenrath Aristocrat was a $3 mythic before RTR hit the scene. Early in the season BR Zombies and Dos Rakis became a big thing and she skyrocketed to $25. The key to speculating on this was understanding early on how the format may develop. Thragtusk decks were EVERYWHERE and aggressive strategies turned to fliers to go
over the top. Aristocrat and Hellkite were the weapon of choice for these decks and saw massive increases because of it.

I'm pretty infinite in paper when it comes to having events paid for and cards. When I actually care enough to play each week (Standard is a little dull for me and I have been preferring time with the lady/gym), if I play in both the Tuesday and Thursday night tourneys. I usually top 8 most of the times or top 4. So that's typically $30-$60 in store credit each week, which then pays for my entry into IQs at my LGS(usually every 3 weeks, but in GA, there is an IQ or higher every weekend within 2 hours). Ironically, I seem to always top8 IQs at other stores, and will usually make my $25 back from prize packs alone or if I go on to top 4/finals/win. A lot of of players around here routinely place well, and are always qued up for Invitationals, so we do what we can to get as many friends qued as possible. I typically don't mind scooping to someone who is not qued if im already in the top 8, with a piece of their prize cut.

nAs for eternal vs standard investing - I prefer standard (not because it's cheaper, I could afford legacy if I wanted to) because I like that it's an ever changing environment. There are also 10x as many standard events at there are eternal formats, so it's easier/faster to try and turn a profit.

I would of killed to have a Standard GP in my area these past two seasons.

I am infinite. I encompass, and I eclipse.

IQs every three weeks? Shit, we barely have one a YEAR here.

IQs at MY LGS are usually once a month. There is one I could go to every weekend if I wanted to. Since I am already qued for the next two Invitationals (which are in SHIT locations that I won't attend) I usually choose other things to do (golf,bars,gym,girlfriend).

There are 9 IQs of various levels within less than a 2 hour drive over the next 31 days.

My BMI is infinite

Christ! I'm liking this:

Scuttling Doom Engine
6
Artifact Creature - Construct
Scuttling Doom Engine can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less.

When Scuttling Doom Engine dies, it deals 6 damage to target opponent.
6/6

Shrapnel Blast + Doom Engine = Wombo Combo

Yup

Wish I could infinite here. One store requires you to use your credit that night and the other keeps a low stock so I've been sitting on store credit for months. I respect that they have to make a living though.

IQs at MY LGS are usually once a month. There is one I could go to every weekend if I wanted to. Since I am already qued for the next two Invitationals (which are in SHIT locations that I won't attend) I usually choose other things to do (golf,bars,gym,girlfriend).

There are 9 IQs of various levels within less than a 2 hour drive over the next 31 days.

We might have one every couple of months within a two hour drive but having a family with three little ones precludes me from attending events that far away. If I'm going to make a 2+ hour drive to play Magic the event better be huge.

From reddit post, fun to think about.

[–]jean_baptiste 37 points 10 hours ago

"Doom Engine + Shrapnel Blast

Darksteel citadel + Ensoul Artifact

Chief Enigneer.

I feel like an izzet artifact deck has some interesting options. "

From reddit post, fun to think about.

[–]jean_baptiste 37 points 10 hours ago

"Doom Engine + Shrapnel Blast

Darksteel citadel + Ensoul Artifact

Chief Enigneer.

I feel like an izzet artifact deck has some interesting options. "

What do think about Trading Post in a deck like that?

Sounds like it would be a necessity. I love me some trading post. Ensoul artifact sounds pretty bad in standard though unless you can slip it on a turn 2 ornithropter or get it on one of the indestructible artifacts. Although it does dodge ultimate price and bile blight so there is that.

However, outside a lucky ensoul and sharpnel blasts, how would such a deck win? To developing?

Wow I'm a terrible deck builder. Numbers look all kinds of shitty.

@MDU - It's not really possible to go infinite here like you can on MTGO. Most events in my area are free with some sort of pay out. At one store, if you don't buy anything but go on a winning spree, he'll accuse you of stealing cards and ban you (happened to a friend).

The tournaments don't work the same either. Take a 4 round tournament for example. Going 3-1 doesn't guarantee a pay out. Prizes typically go to the top 3 and third place is a crap shoot because of swiss rounds math. The pay out is either X booster packs divided between the top 3 where X is the number of players or $30/$20/$10 of store credit with stipulations. For example, you can't use the prize support as entry into another tournament.

Furthermore, stores here do not buy booster packs, ever. There are 5 near my house, not a single one will buy boosters. Honestly, if the owner doesn't know you and you come in with sealed product to sell, he's
more likely to think you stole it. Even if he does know you, he still won't buy them.

So on one hand, you can play as much as you want because there's jack all for entry fees. On the other, it's harder to win your way up.

If the events are free, isn't everyone going infinite?

I don't think I would expect a store to allow me to use store credit for entry fees. They just don't have the same margins MTGO would to afford to do that. And there's no way a store can buy packs from you and resell in a way that's worth it to them I don't think. I could see asking if you can use your packs to cover the cost of packs for draft though (plus entry fee).

The rest of that sounds awful though. Free events especially are a really, really bad idea as it can't result in anything but bad blood. One of the reasons I avoid going to LGS's regularly anyway is so I don't create bad blood by winning too much. There's spikes at both stores I could go to though so maybe that's me being paranoid.

So the Doom Engine is the equivalent of Wurmcoil Engine in the titan cycle? Okay.

If you have multiple byes for a modern event, this is probably the best deck to be playing (if you don't, don't play this. Never before has there has been a deck with such incredible tier 1 matchups but such poor fringe deck matchups):

[deck]Blue Moon Nouveau by James Fazzolari[/deck]
Creatures
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique

Artifacts
1 Batterskull
2 Vedalken Shackles

Enchantments
3 Blood Moon

Spells
2 Burst Lightning
2 Cryptic Command
2 Electrolyzed
1 Izzet Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Leak
4 Remand
4 Serum Visions
3 Spell Snare
1 Thirst for Knowledge

Lands
1 Desolate Lighthouse
8 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
2 Sulfur Falls

Sideboard
1 Combust
1 Counterflux
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Izzet
Staticaster
1 Keranos, God of Storms
3 Magma Spray
2 Negate
1 Spell Snare
3 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Vandalblast
[/deck]

BYES: UWR, Affinity, Twin
Favourable: Pod, Scapeshift, Jund, BW Tokens

Everything else is about even to completely horrid. Tron is likely unwinnable.

So the Doom Engine is the equivalent of Wurmcoil Engine in the titan cycle? Okay.

no, the artifact soul is the equivalent of wurmcoil in the titan cycle

the doom scuttler is just pure unabashed awesomeness

"Turn down for what?" The toad said as he popped another molly.

If you have multiple byes for a modern event, this is probably the best deck to be playing (if you don't, don't play this. Never before has there has been a deck with such incredible tier 1 matchups but such poor fringe deck matchups):

[deck]Blue Moon Nouveau by James Fazzolari[/deck]
Creatures
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique

Artifacts
1 Batterskull
2 Vedalken Shackles

Enchantments
3 Blood Moon

Spells
2 Burst Lightning
2 Cryptic Command
2 Electrolyzed
1 Izzet Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Leak
4 Remand
4 Serum Visions
3 Spell Snare
1 Thirst for Knowledge

Lands
1 Desolate Lighthouse
8 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
n4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
2 Sulfur Falls

Sideboard
1 Combust
1 Counterflux
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Keranos, God of Storms
3 Magma Spray
2 Negate
1 Spell Snare
3 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Vandalblast
[/deck]

BYES: UWR, Affinity, Twin
Favourable: Pod, Scapeshift, Jund, BW Tokens

Everything else is about even to completely horrid. Tron is likely unwinnable.

so it is unbeatable and favored against all the best decks in the format? sounds like every other crappy list you peddle then ditch a week later.

It is outrageously bad vs anything not listed, which is a point of distinction with my normal lists

you listed everything that matters

as per usual i will say LIAR!

I got annihilated by Mono G Infect and RG land destruction, both incredibly irrelevant but they sure beat the fuck out of me.

No use for Delver or YP$?

so it is unbeatable and favored against all the best decks in the format? sounds like every other crappy list you peddle then ditch a week later.

so it is unbeatable and favored against all the best decks in the format? sounds like every other crappy list you peddle then ditch a week later.

I can just see the new front page:

"This week, James Fazzokangaroo reinvents CawBlade. Click through to see how!"

Every. Fucking. Week.

that wasn't a very... decent... thing to say

No use for Delver or YP$?

Let's apply critical analysis before we post!

No.