I'm going to run some tests and see what I can cook up; hopefully I can deal with my relatively low creature pool. I actually mislisted the Zephyr Sprite, as I have 2. (The Card Collector is annoying to read.)
EDIT: In the midst of this long post, I forgot the reason I was posting it! I need suggestions! In particular, can anyone think of good replacements for:
* Electrolyze
* Viridescent Wisps
In this deck? I'd need at least a couple cards that target and draw as a side effect, but I'd say I have a full 4 slot open if I got rid of the above that could go to something entirely unrelated to targeted effect + card drawing.
***
So, Inky didn't do too well tonight. I think I went 2-4, and all 4 of my losses I was totally dominated... except for one where I JUST pulled the card I needed to get my one turn instant victory and we ran out of time. =( (He won on life count) That one hurt most of all.
(EDIT: I just remembered, only two were outright trounces. The third one was actually one where I was going to win, but I mis-fired my Coalition Victory (I played a Wisp just before it, because I'm an idiot). Had I not played that for-fun Wisp, I'd have won. So 2 of my losses were pretty close. The other two were utter decimations of my deck )
I faced two decks that were (surprisingly) based on card drawing like me. They went a less esoteric route, using creatures and artifacts that make everyone draw +1 card per turn. Though mine is far less efficient, I enjoy it more when I pull it off.
I've also found in using it for the past few days that if it lives to ~ turn 7, the draw engine becomes limitless... even if the Nephilim is killed. At that point, it's not a matter of "will I be able to draw" as much as "how much life do I have left to survive until I can play the game winners" and "will I accidentally deck myself" (Hasn't happened yet, but one of my wins came as close as it can get: I had 1 card left in my library when I won).
In the end, I'm still of the opinion that Ink-Treader decks are still the most fun one can have in the game.
Here's my deck if anyone's interested in trying its janky badness (the latest version... I have probably 6 different Ink-Treader themed decks, each exploiting it in an entirely different way for fun and inefficiency ):
Children of the Watchers (Card Drawing/Coalition Victory edition)
(IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have expensive dual lands that count as basic lands for Coalition victory, by all means replace the normal lands with them. I don't have the kind of money to own such lands, but they would help this deck immensely)
LANDS (23):
2x Forest
2x Island
2x Mountain
2x Plains
2x Swamp
3x Jungle Shrine
4x Pillar of the Paruns
3x Reliquary Tower (I'm considering bumping it up to 4, its effect is very helpful)
3x Seaside Citadel
CREATURES (10):
3x Selesnya Evangel (Mostly to generate creatures and provide early blocking)
3x Witch-Maw Nephilim (Black creature, plus is a more dangerous looking target than Inky)
4x Ink-Treader Nephilim (Win Condition creature)
SPELLS - LAND ACQUISITION (8)
4x Summer Bloom (Play for card draw, play summer bloom, get more lands, play more card draw etc...)
4x Armillary Sphere (To get the basic lands out for Coalition Victory)
SPELLS - MULTIFUNCTIONAL (13):
4x Supply/Demand (Tutor for Ink-Treader/Spawn Creatures)
4x Niveous Wisps (Card Draw/Defensive Tapping)
3x Electrolyze (Considering possibly lightning helix instead) (Card Draw/Critter Kill)
2x Quickchange (Considering bumping it up to 3 or 4x) (Card Draw/Win Condition)
SPELLS - CARD DRAWING (4):
4x Viridescent Wisps (Considering removing these for something more directly useful)
SPELLS - WIN CONDITION (2)
2x Coalition Victory (Win Condition, considering 3 but I've never needed it)
Strategy, if you could call it that:
-- Playing Lands --
Your first objective is to get out whatever mana and creatures you can. Trust me from experience, in the beginning value placing land in the following order (i.e. if you have one of each, play them in descending order):
* 3 color "tapped when entering" lands
* All basics except swamps (Unless you already have one of that type in play)
* Pillar of the Paruns
* Reliquary Tower
* Swamp
* Basic lands where you already have one of that type in play
In the event of a tie, play whichever one will let you get your most important in-hand card out quicker.
Also, save your Summer Blooms unless:
A) You have >= 2 lands waiting in hand for it to be used (if you do, play it immediately) You're going to be forced to discard if you don't play something
If you have >= 2 lands, you're at least breaking even on mana with Summer Bloom, so go to town. Just remember that when the card drawing starts, it is perpetuated by the Summer Blooms so don't waste them unless it's worth it to get mana out.
-- Early Strategy --
Your early strategy must be survival. Put out any Selesnya Evangels you can. If you have an Inky in hand, don't be afraid to "waste" a Supply/Demand to get even one or two chump blockers. The goal is to live for the first few turns. Play entirely defensively. Use the Wisps to tap or Electrolyze to kill or delay creatures with enough power to kill you early, but try to keep at least one Wisp in hand for when you play Inky. One will be all you'll need to start the chain reaction when the time comes. Prefer tapping over killing if possible, so the number of creatures on the board remains high when you can put out Inky.
-- Mid-Game Strategy --
When you have the mana to do so, tutor for and/or play Ink-Treader Nephilim. If you feel you have time, spend a turn beforehand to either generate creature tokens or play any other creatures in-hand. They'll distract the other player, and build up your per-card draw count.
Don't bother playing Inky if he's going to be on the board alone. Try to build up at least 3 other creatures on the board (theirs or yours) before playing him for maximum effect.
-- Post Inky-Drop --
After the drop, don't immediately play your drawing cards. They're all instants: wait until his turn so you can use his effect defensively if needed, or in reaction to everyone's death. (Remember, if he casts a card on Inky that'll kill everything on the board, you can react by casting a Wisp or Electrolyze on Inky and still get all your card draws once before everything dies... and depending on the mana you have free, you can do it a couple of times).
The other advantage in doing it on his turn is that if you don't have Reliquary Tower yet (don't worry, you will soon), you'll have a whole turn of full mana to use before you have to discard if you don't get it in the draws.
The rule of thumb therefore is: don't play card drawing on your turn unless you feel you have to.
Soon, you'll be drawing an aweful lot of cards. Prioritize as such:
1) Reliquary Tower. Play it if you don't have it as the first mana card you drop, on almost any situation.
2) Summer Bloom. If you have >= 2 lands in hand, Summer Bloom is being played at at least break even (if not a mana profit), so drop the blooms.
3) Armillary Sphere, but only if you don't have all your basic mana yet. Don't waste it if you already have one of each basic mana out.
4) Coalition Victory. Only play this if you have all 5 basic lands out, AND either (A) both Inky + Nephilim are on the table (together they represent all creatures), or (B) you have 10 mana on the table and Quickchange in hand. If you do, quickchange some creature (Inky, if you can tolerate the mass amount of clicking that ensues as you choose 5 colors for each creature), and throw down the Coalition. Congratulations, you've impressed someone.
-- Deck Strategies to be particularly careful of --
Inky isn't efficient, and nor is this deck. Be careful of every other kind of deck... but in particular, look out for these and take steps as needed:
* Extirpate and/or Void. These spells can remove your entire combo in a single shot. Usually they're only used by specialized decks, but be warned that if you face a deck with them your chances of winning are slim unless you can cast both Inky and Coalition Victory in total surprise.
* Counterspells. These are the bane of any combo deck, and pretty much any deck with a theme. Try to time placement of Inky and Coalition Victory when your opponent is out of mana, or when you can follow it up with a second attempt. If in a tournament, feel free to sideboard your own counterspells or anti-counterspell cards.
* Weeny Beatdown decks. Once you notice a deck is a beatdown deck, do anything you can to put out tokens and delay. Don't sacrifice your Selesnya Evangels, but do sacrifice their spawns and Supply/Demand as needed. The good news is that if your card drawing starts, he'll be utterly defenseless against it. You just need to survive until then.
* Card Drawing decks. Be careful not to draw so many cards that you deck yourself. Let them coast you to the cards you need instead of relying on heavy card drawing yourself so they don't surprise you. Remember that they'll probably be just as surprised as you are that the other person is playing a card drawing deck.
* Large Creature beatdown decks. Again, chump blockers are your friends here, they work surprisingly well unless their beatdown deck involves a lot of Trample. If it does... well, it may not go well for you.
* Combo decks. Other combo decks are usually faster than this one, but this one has a certain... pizaazz that they lack. Though you will probably lose against their more efficient combo, you can tell them what your combo WAS going to be afterwords and they can nod their head in appreciation.
-- Stupid things to avoid doing (that I've done) --
* Accidentally killing all your important creatures with a poorly-placed Electrolyze (use Electrolyze on Inky only if everyone else is going to die anyways, or after you've drawn the majority of the cards you need and you need to get just one... more... draw...)
* Casting a Wisp before playing Coalition Victory on the same turn, resulting in the Coalition Victory failing (again, another reason to avoid casting draw cards on *your* turn.... stupid stupid stupid)
* Being afraid to use tapping wisps and Electrolyze early on (remember, Electrolyze is almost entirely for spot kills, use it at will. The white wisps are nice to have, but there's enough card draw in here that you don't need to worry... and if you can tap that 7/7 coming at you to get one more turn whereby you'll be safe, freaking DO IT)
* Getting greedy with the card draw (I haven't decked myself yet, but I've come very close. You almost never need to come close to decking yourself to get the cards you need)
* Being afraid to sacrifice an Inky once the other combo cards are already in hand... remember that if you have 10 mana on the table, and Quickchange/Coalition Victory in hand, you DON'T NEED Inky anymore. Use him as a chump blocker if you must, and then cast Quickchange on a saproling next turn.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed this little Ink-Treader love aside.
EDIT 2: Replacing the 3x Electrolyze and 4x V.Wisps with 4x Wild Cantor, 2x more Quickchange and 1x more Selsnya Evangel seems to have done the deck a bit of good. It's easier to fill the game with creatures, a bit easier to get mana, and I've got some early chump blockers. Just went 2/3, and only one of the losses was a blowout (it was a discard/large black creature deck that discarded all my win conditions and beat me with large creatures ). I feel like it's getting somewhere though.
AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
edited August 2009
I'm liking Pauper more and more, probably because it's a) constructed to be good other than sealed where, while fun, you can get shafted in pools; and b) free! I'm still not sure what do about your relics Nisi. If you weren't landscrewed, those exiling relics seriously stop my graveyard cycling in its tracks.
My only issue with pauper is there are some decks that are just out right broken(some sort of monored token based storm deck has turn 3 killed me like 10 times). But the chance to play some old faves like wild mongrel and basking rootwalla is cool.
TheUnsane1 on
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ChaosHatHop, hop, hop, HA!Trick of the lightRegistered Userregular
edited August 2009
Why isn't it tomorrow so I can do some release events?
@ Nisi's Block Question: I didn't plan on making people stick to the same gun week after week, so you can swap however you please, unless a bunch of people have problems with that.
My only issue with pauper is there are some decks that are just out right broken(some sort of monored token based storm deck has turn 3 killed me like 10 times). But the chance to play some old faves like wild mongrel and basking rootwalla is cool.
Yeah, Storm either works really quickly, or dies horribly. I had a guy try to grapeshot me and he miscalculated his spells that he played and only hit me for 18 on turn 3. He proceeded to die on turn 4. Was quite funny because once he started to go off I thought for sure I was dead.
Are we any closer to narrowing down a format for pauper yet?
My only issue with pauper is there are some decks that are just out right broken(some sort of monored token based storm deck has turn 3 killed me like 10 times). But the chance to play some old faves like wild mongrel and basking rootwalla is cool.
Yeah, Storm either works really quickly, or dies horribly. I had a guy try to grapeshot me and he miscalculated his spells that he played and only hit me for 18 on turn 3. He proceeded to die on turn 4. Was quite funny because once he started to go off I thought for sure I was dead.
Are we any closer to narrowing down a format for pauper yet?
Crap the format isn't done, I thought it was just normal pauper. So I made a deck yesterday and used some old cards, that many or many not be legal, basically Holy Light.
So I'll be playing M10 for the first time once release events start this week (probably crack my six league packs for a 4 round sealed Thursday or Friday.)
What're the high value cards out of the gate? Like, valuable enough to raredraft (5+ tix maybe? Your threshold may vary.)
So I'll be playing M10 for the first time once release events start this week (probably crack my six league packs for a 4 round sealed Thursday or Friday.)
What're the high value cards out of the gate? Like, valuable enough to raredraft (5+ tix maybe? Your threshold may vary.)
So for the 2010 sealed tourny are we going with a standard 15 card sideboard or do we just throw our ~70 surplus cards in there?
Also does anyone want to play a few test games?
Sideboard works like it always does in Sealed: it's the remainder of your pool.
Edit: @ Iolo - The money rares are, in descending order: Baneslayer Angel (~13), Great Sable Stag (~8), Ajani + Garruk (~7), Dual Lands (~6), Honor of the Pure (~5)
I when with W/B Deck just to see how Xathrid Demon would work and I when 4-6 and lost the last game to win a pack.
Now I am going for a G/R deck to see how that would work.
What do you guys think would be a good deck?
I definitely would have gone G/R or W/R. Red has to be maindeck because of the sweepers (Earthquake and Pyroclasm), finisher (Shivan Dragon), and targeted removal (Sparkmages and Seismic Strike). I like Green because it has a bit of fixing and acceleration (Borderland Ranger, Rampant Growth, Elvish Visionary) along with some fine mid-range critters like the Courser and Rhino, with a big finisher in Overrun. White is fine but it doesn't have many critters.
With R/W You could go create light and aim for card advantage with your sweepers and Harm's Way and then finish up with Serra/Shivan Dragon. I feel R/G has a better mid-game due to its creature depth but the argument can be made either way.
So for the 2010 sealed tourny are we going with a standard 15 card sideboard or do we just throw our ~70 surplus cards in there?
Also does anyone want to play a few test games?
Sideboard works like it always does in Sealed: it's the remainder of your pool.
Edit: @ Iolo - The money rares are, in descending order: Baneslayer Angel (~13), Great Sable Stag (~8), Ajani + Garruk (~7), Dual Lands (~6), Honor of the Pure (~5)
So for the 2010 sealed tourny are we going with a standard 15 card sideboard or do we just throw our ~70 surplus cards in there?
Also does anyone want to play a few test games?
Sideboard works like it always does in Sealed: it's the remainder of your pool.
Edit: @ Iolo - The money rares are, in descending order: Baneslayer Angel (~13), Great Sable Stag (~8), Ajani + Garruk (~7), Dual Lands (~6), Honor of the Pure (~5)
Thanks, meta. Wow, that drops pretty fast. Are the non-Baneslayer, non-Planeswalker mythics really so uninspired? Sad.
So for the 2010 sealed tourny are we going with a standard 15 card sideboard or do we just throw our ~70 surplus cards in there?
Also does anyone want to play a few test games?
Sideboard works like it always does in Sealed: it's the remainder of your pool.
Edit: @ Iolo - The money rares are, in descending order: Baneslayer Angel (~13), Great Sable Stag (~8), Ajani + Garruk (~7), Dual Lands (~6), Honor of the Pure (~5)
Thanks, meta. Wow, that drops pretty fast. Are the non-Baneslayer, non-Planeswalker mythics really so uninspired? Sad.
Well some of the mythics (I'm looking at you Sphinx Ambassador) are just sad, but it's more that Baneslayer is ridiculously good, while the rest are just good.
Edit: @ Iolo - The money rares are, in descending order: Baneslayer Angel (~13), Great Sable Stag (~8), Ajani + Garruk (~7), Dual Lands (~6), Honor of the Pure (~5)
Thanks, meta. Wow, that drops pretty fast. Are the non-Baneslayer, non-Planeswalker mythics really so uninspired? Sad.
Well, there's some pretty good explanation in a thread at MTG Salvation that a good number of the formerly money rares have no been "printed" so much that their rarity is negligible at the moment, a consideration exacerbated by the nature of MTGO players only ever needing 4 of a given card. Other considerations are just that we're in a serious transition period where most individuals are preparing for Zendikar to completely fuck with our perceptions of what's strong and what isn't.
The above cards are pretty much guaranteed dopeness, with the exception being the Stag, who may lost favor with the rotation of Faeries. I think adhuin said he was able to get ~5 tix for Time Warp, but I haven't really seen much of a clamoring for it. Hopefully Ball Lightning will go up with the release of Zendikar, considering I think this is its first appearance on MODO.
I would also expect most of the Lords to get continued support, so I would recommend grabbing Goblin Chieftain, Elvish Archdruid, and Cemetary Reaper when you can.
ChaosHatHop, hop, hop, HA!Trick of the lightRegistered Userregular
edited August 2009
Silence is pretty pricey too. Like 8 bucks.
ChaosHat on
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AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
edited August 2009
Are there any current indications of the cards we're likely to see with Zendikar? I mean, Alara is currently tri-colour, so similar format or are they going with something different?
Hey Chaos, since you seem to be poking around the boards right now is there any chance we can get a ruling on the pauper format? It looks as though a few people have already started creating decks and testing some stuff, but it's all going to be for nothing if whatever format they've built decks for is invalid.
...most individuals are preparing for Zendikar to completely fuck with our perceptions of what's strong and what isn't.
I don't know anything about Zendikar, but I'm curious. Where can I read about it?
They will start previews on the official WotC pages (click on "Daily MTG" for the good stuff) eventually.
Otherwise, MTG Salvation is always the best source of pre-release info. Looks like Zendikar is in the forums know. Eventually they'll set up their 'formal' Rumor Mill for the set.
Hey Chaos, since you seem to be poking around the boards right now is there any chance we can get a ruling on the pauper format? It looks as though a few people have already started creating decks and testing some stuff, but it's all going to be for nothing if whatever format they've built decks for is invalid.
So I've been working towards making my M10 deck. I'm leaning toward doing Black/Blue or Black/White, but I literally always play these two color combinations so maybe I'm somewhat biased. Any suggestions from you guys would be more than welcome.
My card pool:
Black:
Cemetery Reaper 1
Dread Warlock 1
Gravedigger 1
Kelinore Bat 1
Looming Shade 2
Wall of Bone 1
Assassinate 1
Deathmark 1
Diabolic Tutor 1
Disentomb 1
Duress 1
Haunting Echoes 1
Mind Rot 3
Unholy Strength 1
So I've been working towards making my M10 deck. I'm leaning toward doing Black/Blue or Black/White, but I literally always play these two color combinations so maybe I'm somewhat biased. Any suggestions from you guys would be more than welcome.
My card pool:
Black:
Cemetery Reaper 1
Dread Warlock 1
Gravedigger 1
Kelinore Bat 1
Looming Shade 2
Wall of Bone 1
Assassinate 1
Deathmark 1
Diabolic Tutor 1
Disentomb 1
Duress 1
Haunting Echoes 1
Mind Rot 3
Unholy Strength 1
I'd probably play W/U with the tiniest splash of red for the lightning bolts and maybe act of treason.. You have solid creatures in white with a touch of removal/pseudo removal (Blinding Mage, Pacifism, Safe Passage). The Looter, terramorphic expanse, and divination should help you get the a mountain somewhere.
You would have nice finishers in Serra Angel and Air Elemental, along with the ridiculous Armored Ascension. I could see the argument for W/R but I like the overall quality of W/U/r better even if it's a bit less consistent.
What's Armored Ascension going for anyway? I would figure, given its sheer power, that it'd be pretty valuable for an uncommon.
I see about 0.25 listed somewhere, seems about right. Sure it can be a bomb in a limited sealed format but it won't see play anywhere else. Creature enchantments are usually a bad investment because of the numerable 2-for-1 options it gives your opponent. With the card as a 4-drop and a requirement for plains (usually less basic land in a Standard deck because of multi-colour) it won't see play anywhere outside of a sealed format.
So for the 2010 sealed tourny are we going with a standard 15 card sideboard or do we just throw our ~70 surplus cards in there?
Also does anyone want to play a few test games?
Sideboard works like it always does in Sealed: it's the remainder of your pool.
Edit: @ Iolo - The money rares are, in descending order: Baneslayer Angel (~13), Great Sable Stag (~8), Ajani + Garruk (~7), Dual Lands (~6), Honor of the Pure (~5)
Thanks, meta. Wow, that drops pretty fast. Are the non-Baneslayer, non-Planeswalker mythics really so uninspired? Sad.
Well some of the mythics (I'm looking at you Sphinx Ambassador) are just sad, but it's more that Baneslayer is ridiculously good, while the rest are just good.
Ball Lightning is probably around 5-6 too.
I got a Protean Hydra (mythic), and I'm loving it. If it survives damage, it grows. If you give it any kind of permanent toughness buff, it becomes essentially indestructible.
Posts
I'm going to run some tests and see what I can cook up; hopefully I can deal with my relatively low creature pool. I actually mislisted the Zephyr Sprite, as I have 2. (The Card Collector is annoying to read.)
* Electrolyze
* Viridescent Wisps
In this deck? I'd need at least a couple cards that target and draw as a side effect, but I'd say I have a full 4 slot open if I got rid of the above that could go to something entirely unrelated to targeted effect + card drawing.
***
So, Inky didn't do too well tonight. I think I went 2-4, and all 4 of my losses I was totally dominated... except for one where I JUST pulled the card I needed to get my one turn instant victory and we ran out of time. =( (He won on life count) That one hurt most of all.
(EDIT: I just remembered, only two were outright trounces. The third one was actually one where I was going to win, but I mis-fired my Coalition Victory (I played a Wisp just before it, because I'm an idiot). Had I not played that for-fun Wisp, I'd have won. So 2 of my losses were pretty close. The other two were utter decimations of my deck
I faced two decks that were (surprisingly) based on card drawing like me. They went a less esoteric route, using creatures and artifacts that make everyone draw +1 card per turn. Though mine is far less efficient, I enjoy it more when I pull it off.
I've also found in using it for the past few days that if it lives to ~ turn 7, the draw engine becomes limitless... even if the Nephilim is killed. At that point, it's not a matter of "will I be able to draw" as much as "how much life do I have left to survive until I can play the game winners" and "will I accidentally deck myself" (Hasn't happened yet, but one of my wins came as close as it can get: I had 1 card left in my library when I won).
In the end, I'm still of the opinion that Ink-Treader decks are still the most fun one can have in the game.
Here's my deck if anyone's interested in trying its janky badness (the latest version... I have probably 6 different Ink-Treader themed decks, each exploiting it in an entirely different way for fun and inefficiency
Children of the Watchers (Card Drawing/Coalition Victory edition)
LANDS (23):
2x Forest
2x Island
2x Mountain
2x Plains
2x Swamp
3x Jungle Shrine
4x Pillar of the Paruns
3x Reliquary Tower (I'm considering bumping it up to 4, its effect is very helpful)
3x Seaside Citadel
CREATURES (10):
3x Selesnya Evangel (Mostly to generate creatures and provide early blocking)
3x Witch-Maw Nephilim (Black creature, plus is a more dangerous looking target than Inky)
4x Ink-Treader Nephilim (Win Condition creature)
SPELLS - LAND ACQUISITION (8)
4x Summer Bloom (Play for card draw, play summer bloom, get more lands, play more card draw etc...)
4x Armillary Sphere (To get the basic lands out for Coalition Victory)
SPELLS - MULTIFUNCTIONAL (13):
4x Supply/Demand (Tutor for Ink-Treader/Spawn Creatures)
4x Niveous Wisps (Card Draw/Defensive Tapping)
3x Electrolyze (Considering possibly lightning helix instead) (Card Draw/Critter Kill)
2x Quickchange (Considering bumping it up to 3 or 4x) (Card Draw/Win Condition)
SPELLS - CARD DRAWING (4):
4x Viridescent Wisps (Considering removing these for something more directly useful)
SPELLS - WIN CONDITION (2)
2x Coalition Victory (Win Condition, considering 3 but I've never needed it)
Strategy, if you could call it that:
Your first objective is to get out whatever mana and creatures you can. Trust me from experience, in the beginning value placing land in the following order (i.e. if you have one of each, play them in descending order):
* 3 color "tapped when entering" lands
* All basics except swamps (Unless you already have one of that type in play)
* Pillar of the Paruns
* Reliquary Tower
* Swamp
* Basic lands where you already have one of that type in play
In the event of a tie, play whichever one will let you get your most important in-hand card out quicker.
Also, save your Summer Blooms unless:
A) You have >= 2 lands waiting in hand for it to be used (if you do, play it immediately)
If you have >= 2 lands, you're at least breaking even on mana with Summer Bloom, so go to town. Just remember that when the card drawing starts, it is perpetuated by the Summer Blooms so don't waste them unless it's worth it to get mana out.
-- Early Strategy --
Your early strategy must be survival. Put out any Selesnya Evangels you can. If you have an Inky in hand, don't be afraid to "waste" a Supply/Demand to get even one or two chump blockers. The goal is to live for the first few turns. Play entirely defensively. Use the Wisps to tap or Electrolyze to kill or delay creatures with enough power to kill you early, but try to keep at least one Wisp in hand for when you play Inky. One will be all you'll need to start the chain reaction when the time comes. Prefer tapping over killing if possible, so the number of creatures on the board remains high when you can put out Inky.
-- Mid-Game Strategy --
When you have the mana to do so, tutor for and/or play Ink-Treader Nephilim. If you feel you have time, spend a turn beforehand to either generate creature tokens or play any other creatures in-hand. They'll distract the other player, and build up your per-card draw count.
Don't bother playing Inky if he's going to be on the board alone. Try to build up at least 3 other creatures on the board (theirs or yours) before playing him for maximum effect.
-- Post Inky-Drop --
After the drop, don't immediately play your drawing cards. They're all instants: wait until his turn so you can use his effect defensively if needed, or in reaction to everyone's death. (Remember, if he casts a card on Inky that'll kill everything on the board, you can react by casting a Wisp or Electrolyze on Inky and still get all your card draws once before everything dies... and depending on the mana you have free, you can do it a couple of times).
The other advantage in doing it on his turn is that if you don't have Reliquary Tower yet (don't worry, you will soon), you'll have a whole turn of full mana to use before you have to discard if you don't get it in the draws.
The rule of thumb therefore is: don't play card drawing on your turn unless you feel you have to.
Soon, you'll be drawing an aweful lot of cards. Prioritize as such:
1) Reliquary Tower. Play it if you don't have it as the first mana card you drop, on almost any situation.
2) Summer Bloom. If you have >= 2 lands in hand, Summer Bloom is being played at at least break even (if not a mana profit), so drop the blooms.
3) Armillary Sphere, but only if you don't have all your basic mana yet. Don't waste it if you already have one of each basic mana out.
4) Coalition Victory. Only play this if you have all 5 basic lands out, AND either (A) both Inky + Nephilim are on the table (together they represent all creatures), or (B) you have 10 mana on the table and Quickchange in hand. If you do, quickchange some creature (Inky, if you can tolerate the mass amount of clicking that ensues as you choose 5 colors for each creature), and throw down the Coalition. Congratulations, you've impressed someone.
-- Deck Strategies to be particularly careful of --
Inky isn't efficient, and nor is this deck. Be careful of every other kind of deck... but in particular, look out for these and take steps as needed:
* Extirpate and/or Void. These spells can remove your entire combo in a single shot. Usually they're only used by specialized decks, but be warned that if you face a deck with them your chances of winning are slim unless you can cast both Inky and Coalition Victory in total surprise.
* Counterspells. These are the bane of any combo deck, and pretty much any deck with a theme. Try to time placement of Inky and Coalition Victory when your opponent is out of mana, or when you can follow it up with a second attempt. If in a tournament, feel free to sideboard your own counterspells or anti-counterspell cards.
* Weeny Beatdown decks. Once you notice a deck is a beatdown deck, do anything you can to put out tokens and delay. Don't sacrifice your Selesnya Evangels, but do sacrifice their spawns and Supply/Demand as needed. The good news is that if your card drawing starts, he'll be utterly defenseless against it. You just need to survive until then.
* Card Drawing decks. Be careful not to draw so many cards that you deck yourself. Let them coast you to the cards you need instead of relying on heavy card drawing yourself so they don't surprise you. Remember that they'll probably be just as surprised as you are that the other person is playing a card drawing deck.
* Large Creature beatdown decks. Again, chump blockers are your friends here, they work surprisingly well unless their beatdown deck involves a lot of Trample. If it does... well, it may not go well for you.
* Combo decks. Other combo decks are usually faster than this one, but this one has a certain... pizaazz that they lack. Though you will probably lose against their more efficient combo, you can tell them what your combo WAS going to be afterwords and they can nod their head in appreciation.
-- Stupid things to avoid doing (that I've done) --
* Accidentally killing all your important creatures with a poorly-placed Electrolyze (use Electrolyze on Inky only if everyone else is going to die anyways, or after you've drawn the majority of the cards you need and you need to get just one... more... draw...)
* Casting a Wisp before playing Coalition Victory on the same turn, resulting in the Coalition Victory failing (again, another reason to avoid casting draw cards on *your* turn.... stupid stupid stupid)
* Being afraid to use tapping wisps and Electrolyze early on (remember, Electrolyze is almost entirely for spot kills, use it at will. The white wisps are nice to have, but there's enough card draw in here that you don't need to worry... and if you can tap that 7/7 coming at you to get one more turn whereby you'll be safe, freaking DO IT)
* Getting greedy with the card draw (I haven't decked myself yet, but I've come very close. You almost never need to come close to decking yourself to get the cards you need)
* Being afraid to sacrifice an Inky once the other combo cards are already in hand... remember that if you have 10 mana on the table, and Quickchange/Coalition Victory in hand, you DON'T NEED Inky anymore. Use him as a chump blocker if you must, and then cast Quickchange on a saproling next turn.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed this little Ink-Treader love aside.
EDIT 2: Replacing the 3x Electrolyze and 4x V.Wisps with 4x Wild Cantor, 2x more Quickchange and 1x more Selsnya Evangel seems to have done the deck a bit of good. It's easier to fill the game with creatures, a bit easier to get mana, and I've got some early chump blockers. Just went 2/3, and only one of the losses was a blowout (it was a discard/large black creature deck that discarded all my win conditions and beat me with large creatures
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Blinding Mage
2 Centaur Courser
1 Cudgel Troll
1 Dragon Whelp
1 Earthquake
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Fog
8 Forest
2 Giant Growth
2 Mountain
2 Pacifism
6 Plains
1 Rampant Growth
2 Razorfoot Griffin
1 Runeclaw Bear
1 Serra Angel
1 Siege Mastodon
2 Stormfront Pegasus
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Windstorm
40
1 Air Elemental
1 Angel's Mercy
1 Assassinate
1 Berserkers of Blood Ridge
1 Cancel
1 Canyon Minotaur
1 Consume Spirit
2 Coral Merfolk
2 Craw Wurm
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Divination
1 Doom Blade
1 Dread Warlock
1 Drudge Skeletons
1 Fabricate
1 Fiery Hellhound
1 Forest
1 Goblin Chieftain
1 Goblin Piker
1 Ice Cage
1 Ignite Disorder
1 Illusionary Servant
1 Island
1 Jackal Familiar
2 Kelinore Bat
1 Kindled Fury
1 Merfolk Looter
2 Mountain
1 Open the Vaults
1 Phantom Warrior
2 Plains
1 Regenerate
1 Relentless Rats
1 Seismic Strike
1 Shatter
1 Siege Mastodon
2 Sign in Blood
1 Solemn Offering
1 Soul Bleed
1 Sparkmage Apprentice
1 Telepathy
1 Tempest of Light
1 Time Warp
2 Tome Scour
1 Twincast
1 Undead Slayer
2 Unsummon
1 Vampire Aristocrat
1 Veteran Armorsmith
1 Viashino Spearhunter
1 Wall of Frost
1 Weakness
1 Wind Drake
1 Wurm's Tooth
1 Yawning Fissure
1 Zephyr Sprite
2 Zombie Goliath
Meta's decks are still a pain in the ass :P
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
@ Nisi's Block Question: I didn't plan on making people stick to the same gun week after week, so you can swap however you please, unless a bunch of people have problems with that.
Child of Night 1
Dread Warlock 1
Gravedigger 1
Looming Shade 1
Vampire Aristocrat 1
Wall of Bone 1
Warpath Ghoul 2
Xathrid Demon 1
Zombie Goliath 1
Diabolic Tutor 1
Duress 1
Doom Blade 1
Megrim 1
Underworld Dreams 1
Weakness 1
Air Elemental 1
Illusionary Servant 1
Serpent of the Endless Sea 1
Wind Drake 1
Fabricate 1
Tome Scour 2
Essence Scatter 2
Negate 1
Unsummon 1
Levitation 1
Borderland Ranger 1
Bramble Creeper 1
Centaur Courser 1
Deadly Recluse 2
Elvish Visionary 1
Mist Leopard 1
Mold Adder 1
Stampeding Rhino 1
Overrun 1
Rampant Growth 1
Giant Growth 1
Regenerate 1
Canyon Minotaur 2
Dragon Whelp 1
Jackal Familiar 1
Lightning Elemental 1
Raging Goblin 1
Shivan Dragon 1
Sparkmage Apprentice 1
Sparkmage Apprentice 1
Earthquake 1
Panic Attack 2
Pyroclasm 1
Yawning Fissure 1
Ignite Disorder 1
Kindled Fury 2
Seismic Strike 1
Blinding Mage 2
Griffin Sentinel 2
Serra Angel 1
Soul Warden 1
Stormfront Pegasus 1
Undead Slayer 2
Veteran Armorsmith 1
Excommunicate 2
Open the Vaults 1
Angel's Mercy 1
Divine Verdict 1
Glorious Charge 1
Harm's Way 1
Holy Strength 1
Lifelink 1
Forest 1
Island 1
Plains 1
Swamp 1
Swamp 1
Swamp 1
Dragon's Claw 1
Magebane Armor 1
Spellbook 1
Whispersilk Cloak 1
Ornithopter 1
I when with W/B Deck just to see how Xathrid Demon would work and I when 4-6 and lost the last game to win a pack.
Now I am going for a G/R deck to see how that would work.
What do you guys think would be a good deck?
Yeah, Storm either works really quickly, or dies horribly. I had a guy try to grapeshot me and he miscalculated his spells that he played and only hit me for 18 on turn 3. He proceeded to die on turn 4. Was quite funny because once he started to go off I thought for sure I was dead.
Are we any closer to narrowing down a format for pauper yet?
Crap the format isn't done, I thought it was just normal pauper. So I made a deck yesterday and used some old cards, that many or many not be legal, basically Holy Light.
What're the high value cards out of the gate? Like, valuable enough to raredraft (5+ tix maybe? Your threshold may vary.)
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Also does anyone want to play a few test games?
You mean the M10 Sealed League games?
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
Baneslayer's pretty valuable right now.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
Sideboard works like it always does in Sealed: it's the remainder of your pool.
Edit: @ Iolo - The money rares are, in descending order: Baneslayer Angel (~13), Great Sable Stag (~8), Ajani + Garruk (~7), Dual Lands (~6), Honor of the Pure (~5)
I definitely would have gone G/R or W/R. Red has to be maindeck because of the sweepers (Earthquake and Pyroclasm), finisher (Shivan Dragon), and targeted removal (Sparkmages and Seismic Strike). I like Green because it has a bit of fixing and acceleration (Borderland Ranger, Rampant Growth, Elvish Visionary) along with some fine mid-range critters like the Courser and Rhino, with a big finisher in Overrun. White is fine but it doesn't have many critters.
With R/W You could go create light and aim for card advantage with your sweepers and Harm's Way and then finish up with Serra/Shivan Dragon. I feel R/G has a better mid-game due to its creature depth but the argument can be made either way.
Diablo 3 - ArtfulDodger#1572
Minecraft - ArtfulDodger42
Ajani is mine!
Diablo 3 - ArtfulDodger#1572
Minecraft - ArtfulDodger42
Yea
Thanks, meta. Wow, that drops pretty fast. Are the non-Baneslayer, non-Planeswalker mythics really so uninspired? Sad.
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Well some of the mythics (I'm looking at you Sphinx Ambassador) are just sad, but it's more that Baneslayer is ridiculously good, while the rest are just good.
Ball Lightning is probably around 5-6 too.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
Well, there's some pretty good explanation in a thread at MTG Salvation that a good number of the formerly money rares have no been "printed" so much that their rarity is negligible at the moment, a consideration exacerbated by the nature of MTGO players only ever needing 4 of a given card. Other considerations are just that we're in a serious transition period where most individuals are preparing for Zendikar to completely fuck with our perceptions of what's strong and what isn't.
The above cards are pretty much guaranteed dopeness, with the exception being the Stag, who may lost favor with the rotation of Faeries. I think adhuin said he was able to get ~5 tix for Time Warp, but I haven't really seen much of a clamoring for it. Hopefully Ball Lightning will go up with the release of Zendikar, considering I think this is its first appearance on MODO.
I would also expect most of the Lords to get continued support, so I would recommend grabbing Goblin Chieftain, Elvish Archdruid, and Cemetary Reaper when you can.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
I don't know anything about Zendikar, but I'm curious. Where can I read about it?
They will start previews on the official WotC pages (click on "Daily MTG" for the good stuff) eventually.
Otherwise, MTG Salvation is always the best source of pre-release info. Looks like Zendikar is in the forums know. Eventually they'll set up their 'formal' Rumor Mill for the set.
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
I dunno. Just make it classic pauper.
My card pool:
Black:
Cemetery Reaper 1
Dread Warlock 1
Gravedigger 1
Kelinore Bat 1
Looming Shade 2
Wall of Bone 1
Assassinate 1
Deathmark 1
Diabolic Tutor 1
Disentomb 1
Duress 1
Haunting Echoes 1
Mind Rot 3
Unholy Strength 1
Blue:
Air Elemental 1
Clone 1
Coral Merfolk 1
Horned Turtle 1
Merfolk Looter 1
Phantom Warrior 1
Sage Owl 1
Zephyr Sprite 1
Divination 1
Disorient 1
Essence Scatter 1
Flashfreeze 1
Jump 1
Unsummon 1
Convincing Mirage 1
Ice Cage 1
Levitation 1
Green:
Bramble Creeper 1
Centaur Courser 1
Craw Wurm 1
Crudgel Troll 1
Stampeding Rhino 2
Bountiful Harvest 1
Ramant Growth 1
Fog 2
Naturalize 1
Regenerate 1
Entangling Vines 1
Red:
Fiery Hellhound 1
Goblin Piker 2
Raging Goblin 1
Wall of Fire 1
Act of Treason 1
Burning Inquiry 1
Burst of Speed 1
Lightning Bolt 2
Trumpet Blast 1
Firebreathing 1
White:
Blinding Mage 1
Razorfoot Griffin 1
Serra Angel 1
Siege Mastodon 1
Silvercoat Lion 2
Soul Warden 1
Undead Slayer 1
Veteran Swordsmith 1
Wall of Faith 2
Angel's Mercy 1
Safe Passage 1
Silence 1
Tempest of Light 1
Armored Ascension 1
Pacifism 1
Artifact:
Coat of Arms 2
Demon's Horn 1
Dragon's Claw 1
Ornithopter 1
Spellbook 1
Nonbasic Land:
Terramorphic Expanse 1
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
I'd probably play W/U with the tiniest splash of red for the lightning bolts and maybe act of treason.. You have solid creatures in white with a touch of removal/pseudo removal (Blinding Mage, Pacifism, Safe Passage). The Looter, terramorphic expanse, and divination should help you get the a mountain somewhere.
You would have nice finishers in Serra Angel and Air Elemental, along with the ridiculous Armored Ascension. I could see the argument for W/R but I like the overall quality of W/U/r better even if it's a bit less consistent.
@RainbowDespair: Great minds think alike
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
I see about 0.25 listed somewhere, seems about right. Sure it can be a bomb in a limited sealed format but it won't see play anywhere else. Creature enchantments are usually a bad investment because of the numerable 2-for-1 options it gives your opponent. With the card as a 4-drop and a requirement for plains (usually less basic land in a Standard deck because of multi-colour) it won't see play anywhere outside of a sealed format.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
I got a Protean Hydra (mythic), and I'm loving it. If it survives damage, it grows. If you give it any kind of permanent toughness buff, it becomes essentially indestructible.
Diablo 3 - ArtfulDodger#1572
Minecraft - ArtfulDodger42
Ya that would help. There's still the problem of people removing the creature in response to the enchantment so you still get 2-for-1.