Dies to Removal

doh

thanks.

I don't know how much this factors into it but deck thinning is a thing after a certain number of fetches also.

And lookout for landfall abilities.

oh and a shuffle effect at the cost of 1 life.

It is so amazing how so many people don't get computers.

I mean, I know how to use one for the most part, but I can't program a damn thing and I sure as hell couldn't tell you how they work.

I seem to remember some comedian joking that no one knew how computers really worked. He was like "Sure you know how to make an Facebook page for your mom, but if I put you on a desert island with no tools, how long before you're posting videos to YouTube?"

Yeah, I'm not exactly talking programing, but you would be amazed at the shit people don't know about computers. I had someone ask me how to change fonts today. FONTS

Also, just FYI for everyone, the 2nd Amendment discussion has now turned totally into a debate about why private citizens should or should not own nuclear weapons and - if they shouldn't - then what makes a private citizen owning one any different from our government owning them.



This has been going on for pages.

Never fucked fat or ugly. Crazy? I made my reputation on crazy

Any opinions on these three Modern decks? My FNM is Modern next week and I hope to participate, but I can't decide what to run. I'm leaning towards the Gruul Zoo deck. I don't know the current local metagame, but I expect tier 1 decks at the top.

Modern Burn

---

[deck]Land (20)
2 Stomping Ground
4 Blood Crypt
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Arid Mesa
2 Blackcleave Cliffs
6 Mountain

Creatures (14)
4 Goblin Guide
4 Keldon Marauders
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Hellspark Elemental

Spells (26)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Shard Volley
4 Rift
Bolt
4 Bump in the Night
3 Volcanic Fallout
3 Searing Blaze

Sideboard
3 Torpor Orb
4 Smash to Smitereens
4 Rakdos Charm
1 Volcanic Fallout
3 Back to Nature
[/deck]

Modern Gruul Zoo

---

[deck]Lands (19)
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Stomping Ground
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Arid Mesa
2 Forest
3 Mountain

Creatures (28)
4 Kird Ape
4 Experiment One
4 Goblin Guide
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Stormblood Berserker
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager

Spells (13)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rancor
2 Dismember
3 Searing Blaze

Sideboard
4 Volcanic Fallout
1 Dismember
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Back to Nature
4 Vines of Vastwood
[/deck]

Modern Goblin

---

[deck]Lands (20)
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Stomping Ground
12 Mountain

Creatures (28)
4 Foundry Street Denizen
4 Goblin Guide
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Legion Loyalist
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin
Wardriver

Spells (12)
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Shared Animosity
2 Dismember
4 Lead the Stampede

Sideboard
4 Volcanic Fallout
1 Dismember
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Back to Nature
4 Vines of Vastwood
[/deck]

I'm limited to these colors due to available shocks/fetches. Would love to include white in the Burn and the Zoo decks, but it isn't possible atm. The Goblin deck is very much an untested homebrew so I don't know what that's capable of. But it probably isn't expected, so it has a surprise bonus.

I like the Gruul Zoo list the most.

Do you have the mana base for this list I brewed up last night? I have a deck brewing problem, and am now brewing decks in formats I don't even play. Someone halp!

[deck]Creatures (31)
4 Experiment One
4 Kird Ape
4 Goblin Guide
3 Rakdos Cackler
4 Spike Jester
4 Jund Hackblade
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Flinthoof Boar

Spells (12)
4 Mutagenic Growth
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike

Lands (17)
4 Arid Mesa
n4 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacomb
4 Blood Crypt
4 Stomping Ground

Sideboard (15)
4 Tin Street Hooligan
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
7 Flex slots[/deck]

I really want to make room for Deathrite Shaman to turn on Jund Hackblade more reliably and provide another green one drop to cast BTE off of. Could also provide some good turn two ramp. Maybe cut one Flinthoof Boar and a Mutagenic Growth for two?

I have the mana base, except for only 6 relevant fetchlands, but I could put in some Copperline Gorges and Blackcleave Cliffs instead. I've been thinking about a similar build myself, mostly because of Spike Jester. Inquisition of Kozilek would be nice as well. Some thoughts:

- 17 lands feels like too few. I'd go with 18-19.
- Lava Spikes feels wrong here. Put in 2-3 Dismember instead.
- Rancor instead of Mutagenic Growth?
- Deathrite Shaman instead of Rakdos Cackler?

So, like, I'm getting married. In three days. I think it's finally sinking in. Nerves. I have nerves. So many nerves.

Start drinking, Kaze.

I don't think.this is the place to come to ease your nerves, between windstrider, photo and myself.

Go enjoy yourself and appreciate every momentkaze, don't waste thoughts on what ifs and maybes

Start drinking, Kaze.

There's an idea.

I don't think.this is the place to come to ease your nerves, between windstrider, photo and myself.

Go enjoy yourself and appreciate every momentkaze, don't waste thoughts on what ifs and maybes

I'll try my best, thanks.

So, like, I'm getting married. In three days. I think it's finally sinking in. Nerves. I have nerves. So many nerves.

Congratulations. Couple of tips: prepare everything you need well before you need it. If you're nervous now, it'll be worse on the actual day. Relax. Everyone's looking at her anyways. Take time to eat something at the reception. Yeah, it's important to thank people, but it's your day too. Again, relax.

I don't think.this is the place to come to ease your nerves, between windstrider,
photo and myself.

Go enjoy yourself and appreciate every momentkaze, don't waste thoughts on what ifs and maybes

Hush, you. Don't scare him too badly. He'll get the hang of it after his second or third one.

oh and a shuffle effect at the cost of 1 life.

This is the biggest reason, especially in any list that runs any number of cantrips.

In lists that don't cantrip? They set up shocks, feed Deathrite Shaman, Grim Lavamancer and Tarmogoyf, and and help you just generally not draw "more" lands when you don't want to. (Less lands in your deck = more business when it's business time.)

Deck thinning is a minimal effect (under 10% if I recall) but it's still an edge over somebody without fetches.

Workdays on sub-3 hours sleep are fucked.

So, like, I'm getting married. In three days. I think it's finally sinking in. Nerves. I have nerves. So many nerves.

Congrats man!

Workdays on sub-3 hours sleep are fucked.

Been there. Done that. Try teaching on almost no hours of sleep. Class gets interesting.

^ I can imagine. It must make you more resourceful though.

Drinking is an excellent idea kaze - you're going to want to do that.

Drinking is always an excellent idea. Whenever you have a problem, drinking is probably the solution.

Especially if you have a drinking problem.

Alcohol: the cause of and solution to most of life's problems.

I don't know many professionals around my age who don't have some measure of drinking problem. I still remember the look of terror on my doctor's face at my last health check; and I am nowhere near the worst in my close circle.

This clan is full of such wise men.

So... are you drunk yet?

Tipsy. Drunk not so much. I am thankful for my phones autocorrect right now though

I think I'll go have an evening whiskey...

Mmmmmmmmmm... Firefly Whiskey.

I finished Firefly last night. I had a sad. Then I drank and felt better.

You'll be chasing that dragon for the rest of your life, ham.

It was worth it though, right?

Yes, Inara was.

I watched three seasons of Arrested Development this week. Good times ^^

i just tried to unlock my refrigerator with my car key

Kaze is in a good place right now.

For you redthirst:

[/deck]
4 Death's Shadow
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Varolz, the Scar-Striped

2 Sylvan Library

4 Brainstorm
3 Daze
2 Dismember
4 Force of Will
4 Gitaxian Probe
1 Snuff Out
4 Stifle
4 Thoughtseize

1 Breeding Pool
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
3 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Wasteland
1 Watery Grave[/deck]

BUG Stiflenought feat. Varolz!

@Kaze: I think the real take away here is not that you tried to use your carkey to unlock the fridge, but that you expected the fridge to be locked.

Congrats and good luck with the marriage thing. That's a big step.

Food is valuable and valuables deserve to be locked. It made a lot more sense at the time.

I think I metabolized a drink or three. Feeling more warm and cozy and less like baking stupid things. Mhmm.

Thank you to all who wished me luck and congratulations. I appreciate it very much.

oh and a shuffle effect at the cost of 1 life.

This is the biggest reason, especially in any list that runs any number of cantrips.

In lists that don't cantrip? They set up shocks, feed Deathrite Shaman, Grim Lavamancer and Tarmogoyf, and and help you just generally not draw "more" lands when you don't want to. (Less lands in your deck = more business when it's business time.)

Deck thinning is a minimal effect (under 10% if I recall) but it's still an edge over somebody without
fetches.

This has been covered ad naseum. Deck thinning is a myth. You need to crack like, 10 to improve a single draw. No good player would pay 10 life for one card.

Fetches should only be played if:

A) you are feeding creatures like DRS, Goyf, Lavamancer, tombstalker.
B) you need to fetch shock / dual lands.
C) you need landfall.
D) you play against a lot of expensive jace and worry about fateseals.
E) you want to add money cards to your deck to not look like a scrub.

^ I can imagine. It must make you more resourceful though.

It certainly makes me want to not talk as much through the class. "Ok class, tonight you'll have an in-class project." Or I'll be sure to pick an extra-long article in the book for them to read and discuss. Most of my class sessions are 4 hours long , so I've adapted by giving the students more of the work.

Speaking of students, I am constantly amazed by what they are willing to share with me either in class discussions or in their writing assignments. I have an excellent little book called The Book of Questions. Each Comp 1 or Comp 2 class starts with a 15-minute
writing assignment based on a question from the book. After the time is up, each person reads their response aloud. It brings the class together to where they feel more comfortable discussing topics in class.

Example: "When has your life dramatically changed because of a seemingly random event? Do you feel in control of your life?" Most of them write about how their lives changed because of their children or how they came to be in school. I had one student write about how her life changed when her father was murdered. I had another share how her life changed when her best friend died in a car accident when she was in the car with him.

I had two students tonight share some truly traumatic life events. They spoke with me personally because they were so shaken that it was affecting their ability to get their work done. The first student's brother died under mysterious circumstances while he was in prison. Over the last few days, the second student had to sign a DNR order for a family member
after she was granted power of attorney, she was sued by another family member, and her teenage daughter told her she is pregnant.

I've known these students for a limited amount of time, so I'm always amazed and a little bit humbled by what they share with me. The pay sucks, and I detest grading, but I feel a little bit better knowing that I've made enough of an impression on the students that they feel comfortable sharing with me like that.