Dies to Removal

He's playing blue? Get him!

Guess I better be hiding that Esper Zombies list...the hammer of ham is gonna come down!

As soon as your coffee supplies arrive, I'll be amped up and acting all kinds of strange.

Guess I better be hiding that Esper Zombies list...the hammer of ham is gonna come down!

Bro, that doesn't even have red in it.

But, as we seem to be on confessions, I play green infect in modern...but don't worry guys, I'm building burn. Or thinking about it at least. That doesn't make me too bad, right?...Right...?

I have a shitty RDW deck I use for modern that might become burn in legaycy since I still have my chain lightnings I should ask for advice on sometime soon.

I have a shitty RDW deck I use for modern that might become burn in legaycy since I still have my chain lightnings I should ask for advice on sometime soon.

Hit me up if you do. I've got 2 years experience with it.

@Kaze - congrats, man

@red - Any chance you want to wind your way down to the Largo Thunderdome this weekend?

@everybody else - keep staying awesome!

All right. I finished the card evaluations part of Dos Rakis. I'd appreciate it if you'd all take a look and make suggestions for changes, especially in the "Know Thy Enemy" section where I added Recommended Actions for dealing with specific cards.

To all my clanmates, I could tell you what standard looks like, But Sliver Kid does it better http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/A ... ily/pr/241

That's pretty much everything you need to know about the standard format as a whole over the past week or so.

No R/g aggro???

Boo.

I saw some site where R/g was listed as #2 of meta composition behind junk rites, but he doesn't think its a viable archetype?

Man Aggro gets no frickin love.

I'm an argument on another forum right now with this guy about Aggro too:

It really is that mindless.

The issue with aggro from the standpoint of "is it strategically interesting" is that there is really only one decision tree: How do I maximize damage. You are never really pulled into other strategically intense areas of the game (like how do I block so that X good thing happens or how do I respond to my opponents game plan so that his cards interact with my game plan in less strategic ways.) This isn't to say that damage maximization is always easy. It's not, and there are plenty of tough choices aggro players have to make in this area, but to claim that piloting a straight up aggro deck is as
strategically interesting or requires as much (or even close to the amount of) thinking that is required to play a control deck or a combo deck is just absurd.

At the point where you're making decisions on other levels of the game besides damage maximization, it means that your opponent has stabilized and you've already lost. Or, you're in an aggro-aggro mirror and you're playing the part of the control deck.

My response:

Well I disagree that it is that simple. Overextending your hand is definitely a thing. There are decks that are "all-in" where yeah, you maximize damage and if they stabilize you scoop, but there also aggro decks that require more thought and a lot of reading. Does he have enough removal to deal with my threats? Can I hold back this threat so I don't extend into a boardwipe while also putting him on a fast enough clock? Is he bluffing removal so I should play X threat or does he have it and I need a weaker threat or to wait for him
to tap out?

There's definitely strategy involved.

To say it is "that mindless" is hilariously dumb. And its especially hypocritical after fighting for me with all your heart about "MAGIC ISNT A GAME WITH RNG ITS ALL SKLLLZ YO" but now you're saying there's a viable dech archetype in standard that literally involves no other skill besides playing dudes and turning them sideways in the most efficient manner possible which is unbeatable with the nuts hand? Bullshit.

Are the less decisions trees? Yeah I said that. But that doesn't make it "mindless" or less "strategically involved."

So, Teavana, the tea shop I work at, got bought out by Starbucks a few weeks ago. In addition to all the stupid new rules in place due to their huge legal department, we are getting our employee discount cut down from 40% to 30%.

But, in addition, we shall now be getting a 30% discount at any Starbucks. So, there's that.

But to go one step further, each employee will now be getting one pound of Starbucks coffee per week as a bonus. I've never been much of a coffee drinker, but, I'll not look a gift horse in the mouth, you know? It must be pretty good stuff to be as expensive as it is...

If I ever
sign up for the pay-it-forward deal, I know what I'm giving.

He actually did say He thinks R/G aggro is one of the tier 1 decks in the opening paragraphs, he just neglected to mention it afterward for whatever reason. Probably because that deck own's the aristocrats.

In my opinion, there are six tier-one decks in Standard right now: Aristocrats, Junk Rites, Red-White-Blue, Esper, Naya Blitz, and Red-Green.

@Fate
He mentions that R/g Aggro is a tier 1 deck in his opinion, but he doesn't include a deck list. Why that is I don't know.

Tomorrow is the first WMCQ. As much as I want to get some playtesting to be done everyone's out when I'm not in the office, so I'd just ask for opinions.

oh, well I'm bad at reading. But he's bad at writing, he didn't even mention Jund in the list of six but includes it when he reviews decks...

Yeah from the match-up advice given he seems to be not-so-unsubtly-pushing the Aristocrats as a GOOD DECK TO ANSWER THE META YO SAM BLACK FOREVA

List looks solid Christen, but I'd honestly cut a Hellrider for another Domri. Or cut something, because UWr is really really really frickin hard match-up. I grinded that match-up with 18 land (well 19, because I found it to have mroe playable hands) for a few days and won barely a handful. Maybe I'm really bad it, but there deck feels like nothing but a stream of answers for R/g sligh, augurs are Bs.

I'd play another GCR main over a loyalist too, but that's just because there were more creatures that GCR were relevant against than their were tokens and such

So, Teavana, the tea shop I work at, got bought out by Starbucks a few weeks ago. In addition to all the stupid new rules in place due to their huge legal department, we are getting our employee discount cut down from 40% to 30%.

But, in addition, we shall now be getting a 30% discount at any Starbucks. So, there's that.

But to go one step further, each employee will now be getting one pound of Starbucks coffee per week as a bonus. I've never been much of a coffee drinker, but, I'll not look a gift horse in the mouth, you know? It must be pretty good stuff to be as expensive as it is...

If I ever sign up for the pay-it-forward deal, I know what I'm giving.

Kaze, if it ever circles back around, you can send it at me...I'm a big "grind your own beans" coffee person.

BTW, I keep meaning to ask you from your Rogue post--what flavor of musician? My son has been playing piano for many years and has expanded to mallet percussion, timpani and snare. My daughter has a piano background as well, but her current music love is choir. We are very heavy into the music appreciation...

oh, well I'm bad at reading. But he's bad at writing, he didn't even mention Jund in the list of six but includes it when he reviews decks...

Yeah from the match-up advice given he seems to be not-so-unsubtly-pushing the Aristocrats as a GOOD DECK TO ANSWER THE META YO SAM BLACK FOREVA

Which I am now taking to mean that if you want to pick up Aristocrats, be prepared to play the mirror.

List looks solid Christen, but I'd honestly cut a Hellrider for another Domri. Or cut something, because UWr is really really really frickin hard match-up. I grinded that match-up with 18 land (well 19, because I found it to have mroe playable hands) for a few days and won barely a handful. Maybe I'm really bad it, but there deck feels like nothing but a stream of answers for R/g sligh, augurs are Bs.

I'd play another GCR main over a loyalist too, but that's just because there were more creatures that GCR were relevant against than their were tokens and such

I sided in Hellrider for matchups where I need to be really agressive and won me one game, though I would have won that game without it anyway, so he might make the cut.

Another
thing I've been thinking about is if I should MB Domri Rade over the Pillars. I decided on Pillar of Flame since there were more aggro in my meta, and you can delay any midrange a turn or more by killing their turn 1 dork.

Domri is too slow in the MB in my testings, you never want to be casting him in sligh until he's your last option game 1. By then he doesn't do much.

But if UWR flash is all you're worried about it might be worth it? If there's aggro in your meta I definitely wouldn't reccomend it, especially since reckoners are in your side

So, Teavana, the tea shop I work at, got bought out by Starbucks a few weeks ago. In addition to all the stupid new rules in place due to their huge legal department, we are getting our employee discount cut down from 40% to 30%.

But, in addition, we shall now be getting a 30% discount at any Starbucks. So, there's that.

But to go one step further, each employee
will now be getting one pound of Starbucks coffee per week as a bonus. I've never been much of a coffee drinker, but, I'll not look a gift horse in the mouth, you know? It must be pretty good stuff to be as expensive as it is...

If I ever sign up for the pay-it-forward deal, I know what I'm giving.

Kaze, if it ever circles back around, you can send it at me...I'm a big "grind your own beans" coffee person.

BTW, I keep meaning to ask you from your Rogue post--what flavor of musician? My son has been playing piano for many years and has expanded to mallet percussion, timpani and snare. My daughter has a piano background as well, but her current music love is choir. We are very heavy into the music appreciation...

I'll keep you in mind, friend.

Oh goodness. Well, I picked up my first acoustic guitar at age five, so, that's my main instrument. I
can also play bass, upright bass, traditional drum sets, piano, the xylophone(particularly the Glockenspiel), trumpet, and I'm currently working on the eleven-hole ocarina. Next on my list is the violin, for sure.

As for what I'd consider myself musician-wise. I can't really give you a straight answer. I'm strongly rooted in blues, which I guess kind of encompasses all rock music to an extent. So, I'm a rock musician? I also play a lot of modern metal, progressive rock a la Rush, folk rock, and I dabble in electronic/house music. I love almost everything to do with music. It's difficult for me to stick to one thing.

@Kaze: I swear, we're soulmates. I too play blues guitar and love tea. Will you have my children? I'm sure your fiancee would be ok with it. She can have your babies, you can have mine, and everybody's smiling.

@Christen: Play 19 lands, it'll make your life happier Other than that, looks good, based on my very limited experience. Very similar to where my take on AIR (Yeah, it has a bitchin acronym) is at the moment.

Check out my post in the AIR thread for lots of playtesting results. G'night gents!

So I feel like I really want to be playing a deck that can play mainboarded Dryad Militant right now, but I can't think of one that can do it. It's a really good card, I'm shocked that it doesn't see more play, especially with reanimator being so popular. I'm going to try it in my Boros list probably just to see how good it is against reanimator, and to have another 1drop, but there's got to be some merit to it in another deck that I'm not thinking of.

Or you could use it in a green-based shell. You could run it along Experiment One.

I might try mono green humans or something, there's some cards that I like from Innistrad block that could make for a pretty fun weenie deck, and I really like Mayor of Avabruck. Experiment One fits right in, especially with stuff like Deranged Outcast.

PS: Putting black cherry Mio Energy into a 12 oz. Mountain Dew with 2 shots of vodka = all nighter.

Doesn't even have to be hunans
Rancor...Primordial Hydra...Mana dorks...could be fun

I played a bant aggro with all the good cost-to-power creatures like dryad and smiter and gost at the start of rtr.

<queue music>

With the coming of the dawn...

<pause>

Dammit.

REDTHIRST!! KHAOS!! QUIT SCREWING AROUND!! YOU MISSED YOUR ENTRANCE!!!

Huh? Wuzzat? Redthirst is WHAT? He's on vacation?!?!

**Sigh**

<sadface>

<turn off sunrise>

Did I miss my cue? I was busy fending off redthirst's penis. He must've been having a sex dream about me cuz the damn thing snakes its way into Florida and tried to strangle me.

Khaos...I'm starting to worry about this obsession with redthirst's member. You cannot be a slave to these passions if you're going to be your own man. It's Friday, and there are unworthy, Farseek-playing heathens to be driven into the dirt. Now man up, grab that big damned flaming sword (no metaphors to redthirst, dammit--focus!) and go to war, clansman.

Or, if you'd rather, chuck all that destruction and devastation and party it up with your girl. A perfectly acceptable plan in my mind.

I countered an opponent's Farseek with Dimir Charm on turn two yesterday just because I could. FEELSGOODMAN.

On another note, there are two LGSs in my area. Both are hosting Modern tonight. This is the one night I'm actually able to attend FNM and I can't even play because I don't have a Modern deck. I am not happy.

'morning, gents.

Gloom Surgeon? Yay? Nay? Eh?

I can't brain today. I have the dumb.

I countered an opponent's Farseek with Dimir Charm on turn two yesterday just because I could. FEELSGOODMAN.

On another note, there are two LGSs in my area. Both are hosting Modern tonight. This is the one night I'm actually able to attend FNM and I can't even play because I don't have a Modern deck. I am not happy.

Reverse problem here. I have a modern deck but no modern fnm to play in. Everyone here's like "hurr durr fetchlands costs monies" but have no qualms buying playsets of reckoners and revelations.

'morning, gents.

Gloom Surgeon? Yay? Nay? Eh?

I can't brain today. I have the dumb.

Seeing some play in Rakdos Aggro (read Zombies). The exile bit depends on how tolerant a deck is to losing cards. It would work similarly in Dos Rakis against Naya Blitz and GoST decks like Bant Delver because we have playsets of aggro cards and no real combo dependence.

The regrettable reality right now is that Dos Rakis is really poorly positioned in the meta, period. It can take down Rites if it can hit the right removal and get in past Smiter and LS tokens to take them down before they stabilize, but once they start hitting big stuff we're done. Same with the midrange decks--if they hit a board wipe, we're
sitting at lower mana than them with a deck full of relatively little creatures while they are dropping bombs. UWR has our number if they are running BlOb for sure, and even without it they have a good chance because they have enough burn to keep us from mounting a comeback from boardwipe. We can side in SG to take out their Revs and kill card advantage, but if they can stick Aurelia we're kinda done. The BTE-based decks are all the same issue--if they are on the play, we're dead unless we're running Bonfire and it hits after a BTE chain but before they send in the swarm. If they hit a BTE chain on their opener otherwise, we are just too slow. After board, they are running VS, so again we get stuck trying to balance having removal to keep from getting dead with applying enough pressure to get them dead.

Bottom line, as much as I love the deck, Dos Rakis is just flat sucking wind in this meta...it's too slow for the uber-aggro mirrors, and can't scale enough to take on
the big midrange strategies.

Welp. Got to work this morning expecting to have some breakfast, only to find out that a pipe burst in the cafeteria freezer and they lost about 95% of their inventory. No food = a grumpy me.

So if Rakdos isn't positioned well, can we say that RDW is? I am thinking about taking my newly revised RDW list to FNM, but if I'm going to get shut down it's not really worth my time.

I may or may not do FNM tonight. I'm super freaking tired. I know it sounds like bitch talk but it's been a helluva week for me physically. But then again, that's probably the sand in my vagina talking.

If I go, it's definitely going to be Mono Red for me. Dos Rakis may be poorly positioned, but Red has always been faster and the Super Sligh / Midrange transformation still works. Pyreheart Wolf still does work and Hellrider is still a bomb.

Back to the aggro has no strategy discussion, I've never thought so much as when I play aggro. Sure if you boil it down to two words ("damage maximazation") it sounds easy. But it's a lot of work to get there. Playing control on the other hand, I mean it gets felated as being the thinking mans deck but what do you really do with a control deck? Draw go, draw mana leak go. Draw removal spell go. Throw in a draw spell somewhere in there. Draw, snapcaster targeting mana leak or removal. Board wipe. Lay down fatty, beat face and win. Wow I just did so much thinking. I r genius you aggro playing moronic peasant.

Or mid range where it's almost solitaire the first few turns. Play mana dork go. Play farseek, go. Drop creature go, drop big creature, beat face until I hopefully win.

to be fair, midrange mirrors get some pretty horrificly complex board states. I was watching one the other night, there was an angel loop going on, a Prime speaker being cast for drawing 5, some behemoths and ***

I was like "glad I don't have to deal with all that ever"

@Kaze: I swear, we're soulmates. I too play blues guitar and love tea. Will you have my children? I'm sure your fiancee would be ok with it. She can have your babies, you can have mine, and everybody's smiling.

Somehow I think physiology won't allow this plan to work. But, we can always try, yes?

So I feel like I really want to be playing a deck that can play mainboarded Dryad Militant right now, but I can't think of one that can do it. It's a really good
card, I'm shocked that it doesn't see more play, especially with reanimator being so popular. I'm going to try it in my Boros list probably just to see how good it is against reanimator, and to have another 1drop, but there's got to be some merit to it in another deck that I'm not thinking of.

I run 4 Dryad Militant in my white-splash-red aggro deck to great effect. It is, for the most part, White Weenie with Boros Charm. It's pretty awesome, honestly. So consistent.

Speaking of that deck, I'll be running it again this Friday. The only difference between that week and this is that I finally stopped digging in my heels and picked up a fourth copy of Silverblade Paladin. I did well last week, I'm hoping for at least a 4-1 this week.

Good afternoon, everyone. Hope you're all doing well.

My Tom Petty station on Pandora has seriously been making my morning. I'll give you an example of what I've listened to in the past hour or so:

Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner
George Harrison - Here Comes the Sun (Live)
The Who - Baba O'Riley
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
Pure Prairie League - Aime
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
Led Zepppelin - Whole Lotta Love
Tom Petty - Don't Do Me Like That

Also, Kaze, I'm just getting into drinking tea. Part of my plan to change my eating habits, plus the added health benefits. What is a good tea you would suggest for a tea virgin? I've already tried plain black and green tea. Liked them a little better with some honey added. I usually go for something sweet, nothing floral, but I don't want to be adding extra carbs and calories.

oh, well I'm bad at reading. But he's bad at writing, he didn't even mention Jund in the list of six but includes it when he reviews decks...

I noticed that too...I was all "Oh, hey...Jund isn't in T1 for once."

Then I got reading...