Dies to Removal

And I never actually contributed very much at all - so that's why I haven't been doing much lately

Day 28.

Work work work. Train Train Train. Sleep Sleep Sleep.

Repeat.

Brag brag brag?

Day 28.

Work work work. Train Train Train. Sleep Sleep Sleep.

Repeat.

Excuse me, Zeman...you left out "Brew Brew Brew". Don't sell yourself short!

@Kaze - Man, do not come down on yourself. Everybody has a different skill set and experience base; I feel comfortable commenting on analysis of business, philosophy, life and a huge smattering of hobby-related things, but I am a total brickhead with regards to Magic theory and strategy. Like Dane commented, I'll happily step right into every trap card they choose to print, chanting "Pretty, pretty, shiny, shiny...". I'm quite sure that I've made Z, LK and ham's heads turn
around backwards with some of the utterly goofball/naive ideas I've promulgated relative to deck building...but they (and everyone else here...I'm just pointing at the people that I dedicate special time to driving nuts) are great guys and take it in stride. But at the same time, I know that my understanding of the game has grown exponentially since I wandered into the Rx Forum last year. I owe a lot to a lot of people around here...

The thing is, FoS transcends the game. We're brothers who found each other through a common interest, but that interest doesn't define this clan even though we share it. And like any brotherhood, we often have fun but aren't afraid to slap each other in the head when it's warranted. We all get tunnel vision at times, and we all have "pet" ideas that we cling to even when they don't make sense. That doesn't make us inept...it makes us human. The thing is, for me anyway, I know that I can be an idiot about Magic without that changing the fact that I
have friends here. I may turn their brains inside-out sometimes and they may tweak me and set me straight, but brothers we be.

So...Daft Punk are starting their world album launch in rural Australia...

would you like to guess who spent all morning organizing a road trip instead of working?

BR Control might be real. It seems to have a pretty good matchup against UWx Control and Aggro. Not sure at all about the Reanimator matchup however. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to soft-lock them, so you have to grind them out and your creature removal is SO bad against them. I'll think about it; but you really need an alternate win-con I think.

[quote="[url=viewtopic.php?p=51314#p51314:2s6u3l8m]Kazekirimaru » Tue Apr 09, 2013 5:47 pm[/url:2s6u3l8m]":2s6u3l8m]

Of course, I am quite aware that I've been playing for not quite as long as most of you and am probably an overall bad player, it just frustrates me that I can't ever seem to contribute anything and everything I say just sounds so stupid. I love being around here for the people and the discussion, but when it comes to actual MTG I basically just sit here watching everybody else be awesome. Meh. I suck at this game.[/quote:2s6u3l8m]

Kaze,

If it helps put this in perspective, I've been playing for [i:2s6u3l8m]years[/i:2s6u3l8m], almost since the game first appeared ('93? '94?). Played it through college and casually with my friends afterwards. I took a multi-year break from it until [i:2s6u3l8m]Innistrad[/i:2s6u3l8m] came out, and a friend showed me the
horror theme to the set. We rekindled a small casual group again, and I was the terror of the group.

But I never played at a competitive level of any kind until two years ago. I thought I knew what I was doing, so I threw together a U/B Control deck and walked into my first ever FNM, confident that I would do well. I ended up at 1-4 for the night, crushed by defeat. But I went back again, determined to do better. I slowly got to the point where I was winning more than I was losing, and that felt like an amazing accomplishment.

This is an easy game to learn, sure, but it is not an easy game to understand. It's not the years of playing that matters. It's the depth. I still have a lot to learn. At times, I'm grateful that the group puts up with my inane blatherings about the game.

So ask questions. You'll get answers. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Be yourself.

Ah, pardon me. That really wasn't meant to come off so "woe is me" self-loathing sadness everywhere as it did. I'm just envious. I swear, at least twice a day - between all the dick-worshiping and name-comparing - somebody just fires off a bunch of stuff I either only half-understand or seems totally brilliant and I know I never would have thought of. There's facets of this game I haven't even broken into yet. I see you guys talking about algorithms and speculating about how a card can change mid-game boardstates and I'm still in the camp of "I'm just going to stick this in here, and play it until it seems too stupid not to take it out." It's like I'm blind to a color everyone else can see or something. Although the more I think about it, I guess the issue is less that I'm horrible and you guys just get it than I'm average and you're all way above average.(People in my LGS still use
Vexing Devil and Slumbering Dragon, and South Bend is no backwater FNM.) But, I digress.

I suppose the best I can do is keep watching, and ask questions more. Like school. Magic school. Or something.

So ask questions. You'll get answers. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Be yourself.

That. I'll do that.

@Kaze: I feel ya. That's ok though: if getting better at M:tG is what you want to do, this is the place to do it. Despite not playing Standard in competitively, pretty much ever, the advice of these guys (and a special shoutout to James) is what helped me win my first FNM. That's the best I've ever done, EVER. (If you don't count winning/top 4-ing prereleases). I, too, feel like I contribute very little magic-related content because at this point I mostly play casual EDH, and even then only once every two weeks. And yet, everyone here has made me feel at home and part of a fun group of bros.

If it helps, if I had to name the first handful of FoS bros I could think of, you'd definitely be on there. So would AF, and he hasn't even been playing Magic for very long (no offense). Both your presence and contributions, Magic & otherwise, are greatly appreciated; and whether you think so or not, you're a part of this
Clan.

Feel good, redbro. Feel good.

So...Daft Punk are starting their world album launch in rural Australia...

would you like to guess who spent all morning organizing a road trip instead of working?

Probably you. Also, that seems totally awesome. Do you want a list for a fairly successful R/B control deck? (I think they have green for Abrupt Decay) It wrecks pretty much everything, buddy has gone deep in tournaments, won a win-a-box, etc. Only reason he hasn't been more successful is that he doesn't have time to play.

We've also decided that the deck just loathes him (you should NEVER get stuck on 4 lands in a 26 land deck, that has card draw, especially not 5 games in a row).

You might be right!

@Z: Do you want a list for a fairly successful R/B control deck? (I think they have green for Abrupt Decay) It wrecks pretty much everything, buddy has gone deep in tournaments, won a win-a-box, etc. Only reason he hasn't been more successful is that he doesn't have time to play.

We've also decided that the deck just loathes him (you should NEVER get stuck on 4 lands in a 26 land deck, that has card draw, especially not 5 games in a row).

I realize this is a repost, but I doubt you're going to go reread my old post.

NVM, he said he wants to keep the list to himself, but he'd happily answer questions about how individual cards perform.

One thing you have to remember about me is that this game is my actual job, so I put a lot into it.

@Z: Do you want a list for a fairly successful R/B control deck? (I think they have green for Abrupt Decay) It wrecks pretty much everything, buddy has gone deep in tournaments, won a win-a-box, etc. Only reason he hasn't been more successful is that he doesn't have time to play.

We've also decided that the deck just loathes him (you should NEVER get stuck on 4 lands in a 26 land deck, that has card draw, especially not 5 games in a row).

I realize this is a repost, but I doubt you're going to go reread my old post.

Helios, quit goofing around with post order and put up the deck already--Enquiring minds want to know!

Don't worry about it Kaze. I don't know shit either. But I'm still here learning. I'm amazed at the quality of posters we got here though, and I'm learning a lot. So while I also feel bad I don't have much to contribute, hopefully I'll get there soon. Hopefully I won't be considered the clan n00b forever either

Also I dream about redthirsts massive cock. Am I doing that right?

See edited post Sorry. I know he's playing Crypt Ghast, Griselbrand, Mutilate, Farseek, Rakdos's Return, Sign In Blood, shits of removal. Nighthawks main. The main win-con is Wolf-run damage; you just kill everything until you can keep a threat in play and kill them with it.

Also I dream about redthirsts massive cock. Am I doing that right?

Way too direct, bro.

Also I dream about redthirsts massive cock. Am I doing that right?

Way too direct, bro.

I think red will still appreciate it. His cock demands worship in such high quantities to slake its lust, I doubt it's too picky.

Also I dream about redthirsts massive cock. Am I doing that right?

Way too direct, bro.

I'm still learning

Master of cruelties to replace Olivia when she rotates?

MTGS's servers keep hitting capacity because of spoilers. Lololol.

I can't get MTGS at work anymore, if anyone can repost i would appreciate it.

Nothing exciting for the most part...the gatekeeper cycle is strictly for Limited. Teysa is cool, but an expensive Timmy (gee...another Junk Reanimator target...).

Man i was hoping Teysa was going to be good...W/B is my favorite two color combination without red and her original card was so cool. Played a W/B aggro control deck back in the day with her and original Ghost Dad.

NOPE

I do like Renounce the Guilds...between it and the Orzhov hand disruption dude spoiled yesterday it looks like Orzhov Control has a chance to be a thing.

Meh advent the wurm, Beck/call and the other split cards are the only ones spoiled so far from this set I care about

The Rakdos Guild champ just got spoiled. 2BR gets a 3/3 first strike, hasty unleash human that grants haste to other creatures you control with +1 counters.

BR Control might be real. It seems to have a pretty good matchup against UWx Control and Aggro. Not sure at all about the Reanimator matchup however. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to soft-lock them, so you have to grind them out and your creature removal is SO bad against them. I'll think about it; but you really need an alternate win-con I think.

Speaking of win-cons, I figured out that that is exactly what Blood Artist is meant to be in the list. The original list was structured to deal with creature decks G1; the strategy is to drop Artist into a field full of weenies then Mutilate for a big life swing. That's why, I assume, that there's no apparent concern for creature buildup in the early turns.
Alternately, if you have him and a handful of removal, you drop him then play sniper with everything they drop to rack up life swings.

It was an excellent strategy for crashing an event...an aggro player G1 would have thought he was just getting ready to rolfstomp a zombie deck that was getting off to a slow start by dropping nothing but Artist; the aggro player runs out a BTE chain, gets ready to swing for the fence, then Mutilate comes down as a 10-point or so life swing.

Regrettably, the deck is getting way too much press now; some dude on Gathering Magic grabbed it up and posted a deck tech and a whole series of video matchups. I imagine that will hurt the deck on MTGO as anyone with any sense is going to shoot Artist on site if there are creatures on the field.

As far as alternate wincons, Exquisite Blood is a possibility, though passive (needs other things to happen to be good) and definitely not as threatening without [card]Vizkopa Guildmage[/card:
2cnw9gv1]. Regrettably we've nothing on par with [card]Sorin's Vengeance[/card]...

I like the Orhzov runner. Or at least I want to. It's just too damn expensive.

Dat Rakdos runner, though. Good stuff.

A brief aside, though. Flavor-wise, I'm so lost. I'm huge on cards making sense. So how does the skinny, female Orhzov runner have 4/4 when the beastly-looking Izzet runner only has 2/4? I'd understand it if she were some sort of ghost, but she's only a human. With no weapon. I don't get it.

The Rakdos Guild champ just got spoiled. 2BR gets a 3/3 first strike, hasty unleash human that grants haste to other creatures you control with +1 counters.

Me likey!! New Dega Aggro with her, flailer and TKA...total haste list (at least after she drops; she makes late 1-3 drops a hell of a lot better)! BTW I say Dega because we have to have a way to blow up BlOb...

Damn...she even makes Chaos Imps into a scary damned monster. Hmmm...Rakdos Control....

Blood Artist isn't a win condition sir, it cannot even attack!

Blood Artist isn't a win condition sir, it cannot even attack!

Poor word choice...sorry. He's in the deck as designed as an early setup for a big lifeswing. I don't know of a proper term for that. Again, I thinnk it was a great idea for crashing the party, but as you found in playing, BA is all but useless when people are watching for the trick.

Blood Artist isn't a win condition sir, it cannot even attack!

Neither can Fireball, Biorhythm, or Storke of Genius, but that didn't stop them:P

(This is not me making an argument for using Blood Artist, just me being a sarcastic asshat)

In more specific terms, Blood Artist in the deck turns Mutilate into a direct damage spell against creature decks; early game, drop him and wipe an aggro swarm for a lifeswing; late game, on a board clogged with creatures and vamp tokens, drop him and Mutilate, ostensibly FTW.

The Rakdos legendary certainly is an interesting build around.

What is BlOb? I love the new Rakdos leader. I think she takes over for Aristocrat and makes your unleashed creatures useful topdecks. Me likey.

The Rakdos legendary certainly is an interesting build around.

Exactly...I just can't decide which direction to go with her. My first thought was that she takes Dos Rakis/Dega and makes the late drops better, but then looking at things like Bloodfray Giant and maybe Chaos Imps from the perspective of having haste in a control build...big hasty tramplers seem not a bad plan.

One thing is for sure...red is going to have to make some serious use of Mortars post-DGM. Toughness=4 seems to be the special of the week.

What is BlOb? I love the new Rakdos leader. I think she takes over for Aristocrat and makes your unleashed creatures useful topdecks. Me likey.

Grrr...Blind Obedience; totally negates haste.

oh yeah fuck that card trying to hate on us.

Another though on Exava...Undying Evil is a card, and Undying is a mechanic. Regrettably there aren't many small Undying creatures to pull from...it would be fun to get undying dudes on the board, drop Exava, next turn mutilate for 2 or 3 and have all your creatures come back big and hasty on an empty board. Damn the fact that Messenger CIPT...