have YOU ever seen the unwritten and found ashen rider? because i'd like to
i keep seeing people say "ASHEN RIDER IS TOO GOOD WITH ALL THE REANIMATION AND SEARCH EFFECTS TO ONLY BE $2!!!" and it's like well let's see those things happen consistently
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
So how is it that problem players who have been repeatedly busted for cheating are still allowed to play? I know mistakes get made sometimes and people deserve second chances, but this clearly isn't a case of that. Like, why not just perma-ban them and be done with it? It's not like the MTG scene is really hurting for talent or anything.
While the four-year ban does feel like it leaves the door for a return to the game, my impression is that it's very rare for a player to return who was punished this harshly and for these kinds of reasons; they do apparently have a lifetime bans, but I guess that's reserved for actual criminal acts or something.
Guillaume Matignon just came back from his relatively lengthy ban, but A) he wasn't punished for cheating and he had the support of Channel Fireball. Tomuharo Saito (aka SaitoWayfinder) survived his cheating ban, but A) there is some contention in the community as to the extent one should consider deliberate slow play "cheating" and he's much less of a player these days and more of a community asset, as a store owner and deck designer.
As an aside, it seems like there's now some evidence that Jared Boettcher has been using similar deck-stacking shuffling methods as Trevor Humphries. Pretty sad state of affairs for organized play.
Not sure what to think of the Boettcher thing, apparently the DCI reviewed it and it came back clean, so I dunno.
My impression is that more members of the professional community are getting wind of his presumed array of cheats and submitting additional evidence as such.
Well, on one hand, TO's simply don't want to deal with the hassle of handling their own ban lists, in addition to the DCI one. I get that.
On the other, I see Trevor's temper tantrum and Alex's obvious sociopathy:
And, you know what? They should. I don't get how Alex got to play on the SCG circuit for almost a year after he came back when nobody wanted him there (the coverage is strong evidence of it).
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
It's like he thinks he's a professional wrestling heel* and not an actual cheater.
Two of our mistakes in Theros block were Thoughtseize and Courser of Kruphix, and not just because of the cards' power level. Both cards are very powerful, but also reveal a ton of information. It wasn't uncommon for both players to know every card in his or her opponent's hand by the end of turn three and for the game to then play out face up.
Two of our mistakes in Theros block were Thoughtseize and Courser of Kruphix, and not just because of the cards' power level. Both cards are very powerful, but also reveal a ton of information. It wasn't uncommon for both players to know every card in his or her opponent's hand by the end of turn three and for the game to then play out face up.
So would it be likely Wizards is going to ban or alter those cards?
Nah. First, WOTC doesn't alter cards and this is more "Thragtusk" level mistake aka "Standard can take it because is a rotating format". And the format is still (sort of) diverse.
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PiptheFairFrequently not in boats.Registered Userregular
So I went 1-3 in FNM with by Tower Archer infused Space Jam. Pretty terrible but it went down to two things, First I played boss sligh two out of my four rounds. That it just filthy. I feel some recent sideboard choices and tips from a friend have improved the match-up but its still really hard. The second reason was that I am extremely bad. Against my other loss I easily took game one and then misplayed the crap out of games two and three. First I tapped out to play a third creature that I didn't really need and thus was unable to swansong the spirit of the labyrinth my opponent brought in against me. That didn't completely hose me but three turns and no helix to kill the spirit later I was dead. Then in game 3 I made the amazingly bad play of blocking with my last caryatid when he had a bow of Nylea out. He was not doing even close enough to kill me and I had a swan song so I have no idea what I was thinking but there you go.
Bassara Tower Archer was great. I never wished he had a mana ability and his very "trades with aggro" states mixed with the inability for monored to burn him or make him unable to block really improved the matchup. His success has me looking at other creatures. The games I win vs Monored go long and end with the question "Do I draw dig through time first or does he draw Stoke the Flames" so I think Nyx Fleecerams might have a place in the side.
Bow of Nylea as a sideboard card was great against the UB control deck I played in the tournament and the Sultai Walkers deck I play tested with before we started. Shuffling cards to the bottom to redraw over and over again means you are never actually run out of Ascendancy(unless Ashiok gets all of them) and I've found an early turn Archer or two followed up by bow to make them giant isn't something any deck can really fight. So while I'm sculpting the perfect combo hand my opponent is forced to deal with my hexproof tempo.
What wasn't good was divination. I brought it in against BU but it just always felt awkward. My standard draw configuration is just better.
I think in two weeks when I get to be in FNM again my sideboard will look something like this.
I know that my sideboard is almost entirely for Sligh and Jeskai Wins but those are honestly the only decks that I feel I lose to outside of my own incompetence.
I haven't said this recently but that article echoes my feelings on the matter; I hate courser of kruphix. Hate it more than probably any other card in standard right now. Not because it's too powerful, not because it's good or prolific or I just hate green (though that last one is true, it's my least favorite magic color), it's because it gives your opponent 100% perfect information. And that's not how I play magic. I play control decks. I play weird combo decks. I played maze's end, ffs. Thoughtseize is not a huge deal to me. It's really good and powerful and super annoying when your opponent goes turn one swamp-thoughtseize in every game you play them. But courser changes the game so fundamentally that unless you're playing a dumb, meathead, turn-everything-sideways-and-attack deck that doesn't care about what you or your opponent is doing, I think that yeah okay it gets you value or whatever but the tradeoff is too much for me. If I can't surprise my opponent then the game becomes less a test of skill and more will your expensive rock deck beat my budget scissors.
The real reason Courser is bad for Standard is that its butt is so huge.
If it were a 2/2 like Oracle of Mul Daya, no problemo. In fact, Magma Jet probably would have seen play pre-rotation had that been the case. But no, they had to give it a giant ass and make it gain you life.
The problem is not the individual cards, the problem is having both cards together on the same Standard. I mean, the Sultai Control vs. Mardu Planeswalkers match that I linked earlier shows it, between both cards, you can pretty much know the entire hand of the other guy easily, which IMO makes the game a matter of "who drew more bombs+removal" and that's very much not fun.
If it is one thing I learned is that every standard season is the worst and we all cannot wait to play the new standard season until it releases and 17 minutes later we all want a new standard season because this is the worst and we all cannot wait to play the new standard season.
I really have no complaints about the current Standard. While Abzan and Jeskai are certainly heavily represented, I imagine that's not unusual. There will always be top decks that are heavily played. But even within those two there is a LOT of variety in the builds and there are a TON of other decks floating about. There's even a playable Combo deck, even if it's fringey!
Maybe this is still "stale" compared to Standards before my time but it seems amazing to me coming off RTR/THS where it was nearly all Black Devotion all the time.
I don't think standard is bad right now! We've had, what, basically two real weekends of events? I just in particular dislike courser of kruphix. I didn't like it last standard and I don't like it now. I won't like it in modern or legacy. For all the reasons I mentioned above.
I think the format is really good right now. We'll probably get tired of it in eight months like we always do but for now it's new and fresh.
Nobody is saying that this is a bad Standard season, only that it has some defects, which is perfectly natural.
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KnobTURN THE BEAT BACKInternetModeratorMod Emeritus
Fuck fuck fuck
I'm coming to the ironclad conclusion that my space jam list is slow not because of my land choice, its lack of caryatid. I'm going to try voyaging satyrs for a little bit and if that doesn't help then welp. Gotta bite the bullet
Caryatid is pretty much the only reason I have won with space jam
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KnobTURN THE BEAT BACKInternetModeratorMod Emeritus
edited October 2014
Also a friend of mine has built this mad pile of garbage revolving around market festival, whatever the smaller market festival is I forget, thassas ire, voyaging satyrs, kioras followers, and such. There's a lot of redundancy and card draw leading to either infinite or stupidly obscene amounts of mana, then he kills you with villainous wealth or if his deck isn't drawing well, just steals half of your cards
Its pretty fucking great.
Knob on
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
Caryatid seems like a necessity for Space Jam, given that it's a mana creature that you can suit up with Retraction Helix and/or Dragon Mantle worry-free. Pretty much any other creature and you're asking for a Murderous Cut/Downfall to screw up your plans.
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ineedmayo.com Eidolon Journal Updated
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i keep seeing people say "ASHEN RIDER IS TOO GOOD WITH ALL THE REANIMATION AND SEARCH EFFECTS TO ONLY BE $2!!!" and it's like well let's see those things happen consistently
wait, no, I actually want to watch some matches
Tell me when they're showing one non-Abzan deck.
Abzan Aggro! Featuring such aggro cards as End Hostilities! Read the Bones and Sylvan Carytid!
I'd still rather watch Abzan than last Standard's MonoBlack Devotion. Any day any time.
At least doing crazy stuff like See the Unwritten into Ashen Rider is far far cooler than "make a god damn Rat"
Actually starting with a kinda fast curve with lots of 2-3 drops and boarding into "bigger than you" when you're in the mirror is pretty cool tech.
MonoBlack was, to me, the absolute pits. I hated watching that deck. Loathed it.
They're replaying Mardu v GR monsters right now.
ineedmayo.com Eidolon Journal Updated
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While the four-year ban does feel like it leaves the door for a return to the game, my impression is that it's very rare for a player to return who was punished this harshly and for these kinds of reasons; they do apparently have a lifetime bans, but I guess that's reserved for actual criminal acts or something.
Guillaume Matignon just came back from his relatively lengthy ban, but A) he wasn't punished for cheating and
As an aside, it seems like there's now some evidence that Jared Boettcher has been using similar deck-stacking shuffling methods as Trevor Humphries. Pretty sad state of affairs for organized play.
My impression is that more members of the professional community are getting wind of his presumed array of cheats and submitting additional evidence as such.
Well, on one hand, TO's simply don't want to deal with the hassle of handling their own ban lists, in addition to the DCI one. I get that.
On the other, I see Trevor's temper tantrum and Alex's obvious sociopathy:
And, you know what? They should. I don't get how Alex got to play on the SCG circuit for almost a year after he came back when nobody wanted him there (the coverage is strong evidence of it).
*villain
Hell, I thought for a while that the extra Twitch views for the spectacle were the reasons why SCG let him on.
I am the legendary combo player
So would it be likely Wizards is going to ban or alter those cards?
they dont like what they do when they exist at the same time =/= op ban now
it's too much of a staple to have not seen one
Bassara Tower Archer was great. I never wished he had a mana ability and his very "trades with aggro" states mixed with the inability for monored to burn him or make him unable to block really improved the matchup. His success has me looking at other creatures. The games I win vs Monored go long and end with the question "Do I draw dig through time first or does he draw Stoke the Flames" so I think Nyx Fleecerams might have a place in the side.
Bow of Nylea as a sideboard card was great against the UB control deck I played in the tournament and the Sultai Walkers deck I play tested with before we started. Shuffling cards to the bottom to redraw over and over again means you are never actually run out of Ascendancy(unless Ashiok gets all of them) and I've found an early turn Archer or two followed up by bow to make them giant isn't something any deck can really fight. So while I'm sculpting the perfect combo hand my opponent is forced to deal with my hexproof tempo.
What wasn't good was divination. I brought it in against BU but it just always felt awkward. My standard draw configuration is just better.
I think in two weeks when I get to be in FNM again my sideboard will look something like this.
3 Arc Lightning
3 Lightning Strike
2 bow of Nylea
3 Swan Song
2 Nyx Fleece Ram
2 Stubborn Denial/Magma Spray
I know that my sideboard is almost entirely for Sligh and Jeskai Wins but those are honestly the only decks that I feel I lose to outside of my own incompetence.
If it were a 2/2 like Oracle of Mul Daya, no problemo. In fact, Magma Jet probably would have seen play pre-rotation had that been the case. But no, they had to give it a giant ass and make it gain you life.
Maybe this is still "stale" compared to Standards before my time but it seems amazing to me coming off RTR/THS where it was nearly all Black Devotion all the time.
I think the format is really good right now. We'll probably get tired of it in eight months like we always do but for now it's new and fresh.
I'm coming to the ironclad conclusion that my space jam list is slow not because of my land choice, its lack of caryatid. I'm going to try voyaging satyrs for a little bit and if that doesn't help then welp. Gotta bite the bullet
Its pretty fucking great.