1910 replies to this topic

[Yror]

I recently started up Magic and I've been playing with the BW Token deck I got from my friend (litterally all I own right now). I've been playing locals but my tournament records with the deck have been kind of lack luster (That may just be me starting out I guess). Now heres my question. I have a SCG Tournament coming up in September and with the set rotation coming soon after should I invest my money into a better deck (I.E. Delver, RUG, Wolf Run) or should I save my money and play the same BW Token deck?

[rap game dennis frogman]

pat chapin wrote about a bant midrange deck that I'm about to start testing. whenever I play delver I never seem to cast or flip delver anyways so I basically always win with splicer/angel anyways so it feels like I'm already basically playing uw midrange lol

[2 Strainz]

I recently started up Magic and I've been playing with the BW Token deck I got from my friend (litterally all I own right now). I've been playing locals but my tournament records with the deck have been kind of lack luster (That may just be me starting out I guess). Now heres my question. I have a SCG Tournament coming up in September and with the set rotation coming soon after should I invest my money into a better deck (I.E. Delver, RUG, Wolf Run) or should I save my money and play the same BW Token deck?

depends on if you wanna spend money or not.Id recommend waiting for rotation

[wocram]

pat chapin wrote about a bant midrange deck that I'm about to start testing. whenever I play delver I never seem to cast or flip delver anyways so I basically always win with splicer/angel anyways so it feels like I'm already basically playing uw midrange lol

Would you mind posting the article or just the decklist? Thanks

[{Yara}]

pat chapin wrote about a bant midrange deck that I'm about to start testing. whenever I play delver I never seem to cast or flip delver anyways so I basically always win with splicer/angel anyways so it feels like I'm already basically playing uw midrange lol

Would you mind posting the article or just the decklist? Thanks

Unsummon[/url]

/

Vapor Snag

split. Seriously. If you play two of the same one, you will have less options some percentage of the time when you drew both and want to

Snapcaster Mage

one back. In situations where we don't know which one is better, it generally worth asking ourselves if splitting the difference is a reasonable hedge. We don't know which is better and have only a 50/50 shot of guessing, but the marginal utility of having one of each is slightly better than the average utility of guessing on one.

Unsummon isn't just a "tempo" play; it has tons of applications both in this deck and the format at large. To begin with, as janky as it sounds, Unsummon plus Mana Leak or Despise is still a combo. Unsummon your Snapcaster Mage or Augur of Bolas lets you convert it into library manipulation or recursion.

[/left]

Unsummon is an excellent answer to Rancor (though I would note that Kalim Oldziey makes an excellent point about Spellskite as an answer to Rancor, as well as Zealous Conscripts in artifact decks...).

[/left]

Most importantly, you can target your Thragtusk (ok, Unsummoning Snapcaster Mage is pretty important). This lets you turn Unsummon into a one-mana 3/3 that lets you pay five mana to gain five life. That is a very exciting interaction, no question!

[/left]

So what does the future hold?

[/left]

Well, for starters, a lot of Thragtusks. He might not be Restoration Angel (the best creature in Standard), but he is so powerful he will warp the format around him a bit. It is possible that he turns out to be so good, he makes people play less of him (because he has already scared so much of his prey away, a common problem for Loxodon Hierarch types).

[/left]

Speaking of Restoration Angel, I would be remiss if I did not include the final U/G/x color combination, blue/green/white, which gains Restoration Angel (which is one of the absolute best ways to abuse Thragtusk in the format).

[/left]
Bant Midrange

Featured by Patrick Chapin on 2012-07-29 (Standard)
As written about in http://www.starcityg...icle/24543.html
Print this deck! Maindeck:

Creatures
2 Augur of Bolas
2 Blade Splicer
2 Phantasmal Image
4 Restoration Angel
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Thragtusk

Instants
2 Crushing Vines
1 Dismember
1 Gut Shot
3 Mana Leak
2 Thought Scour
4 Vapor Snag

Sorceries
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder

Basic Lands
1 Forest
4 Island
1 Plains

Lands
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Hinterland Harbor
2 Moorland Haunt
3 Razorverge Thicket
4 Seachrome Coast Stats:
Average mana: 1.37
Average creature mana cost: 3.12
Average creature power: 2.29
Average creature toughness: 2.18

Deck Composition:
Basic Lands: 10.00%
Creatures: 28.33%
Instants: 21.67%
Lands: 28.33%
Sorceries: 11.67%
Download this deck in

Apprentice format! Download this deck in

Magic Online Text format!
[/left]

Obviously, with this list we are starting to veer into fairly familiar territory, but that doesn't mean it is wrong. The creature removal in Bant is pretty terrible, leaving us with stuff like Gut Shot and Dismember to carry us through. (At least we haveCrushing Vines, which is way, way better than maindecking Divine Offering!)

[/left]

I am a bit concerned about the vulnerability to Talrand. This deck is probably way too tempo based to be excited about Flight Spellbomb. We could try Beast Within (Mondo-Combo with Vapor Snag!), but three-mana answers aren't exactly inspiring. It seems like it should do something, but Beast Within on your own Thragtusk is really not so hot.

[/left]

So what is the best way to use Thragtusk? Maybe it is about making lots of 3/3s and gaining lots of life. Or maybe it is about playing a deck that can backdoor some combos, but mainly is just set up to beat the decks that five life and two medium-sized bodies don't already beat.

[/left]

Or maybe we just Worldfire and be done with it.

[/left]

What are you playing in Standard right now? Is there a deck concept or interaction that has your interest, but you aren't yet sure what to do with it yet? What is the most under-utilized card from M13 at the moment?

[/left]

See you next week!

]

Not actually gonna edit it so its easier to read so here lol

[wocram]

pat chapin wrote about a bant midrange deck that I'm about to start testing. whenever I play delver I never seem to cast or flip delver anyways so I basically always win with splicer/angel anyways so it feels like I'm already basically playing uw midrange lol

Would you mind posting the article or just the decklist? Thanks

Unsummon[/url]

/

Vapor Snag

split. Seriously. If you play two of the same one, you will have less options some percentage of the time when you drew both and want to

Snapcaster Mage

one back. In situations where we don't know which one is better, it generally worth asking ourselves if splitting the difference is a reasonable hedge. We don't know which is better and have only a 50/50 shot of guessing, but the marginal utility of having one of each is slightly better than the average utility of guessing on one.

Unsummon isn't just a "tempo" play; it has tons of applications both in this deck and the format at large. To begin with, as janky as it sounds, Unsummon plus Mana Leak or Despise is still a combo. Unsummon your Snapcaster Mage or Augur of Bolas lets you convert it into library manipulation or recursion.

[/left]

Unsummon is an excellent answer to Rancor (though I would note that Kalim Oldziey makes an excellent point about Spellskite as an answer to Rancor, as well as Zealous Conscripts in artifact decks...).

[/left]

Most importantly, you can target your Thragtusk (ok, Unsummoning Snapcaster Mage is pretty important). This lets you turn Unsummon into a one-mana 3/3 that lets you pay five mana to gain five life. That is a very exciting interaction, no question!

[/left]

So what does the future hold?

[/left]

Well, for starters, a lot of Thragtusks. He might not be Restoration Angel (the best creature in Standard), but he is so powerful he will warp the format around him a bit. It is possible that he turns out to be so good, he makes people play less of him (because he has already scared so much of his prey away, a common problem for Loxodon Hierarch types).

[/left]

Speaking of Restoration Angel, I would be remiss if I did not include the final U/G/x color combination, blue/green/white, which gains Restoration Angel (which is one of the absolute best ways to abuse Thragtusk in the format).

[/left]
Bant Midrange

Featured by Patrick Chapin on 2012-07-29 (Standard)
As written about in http://www.starcityg...icle/24543.html
Print this deck! Maindeck:

Creatures
2 Augur of Bolas
2 Blade Splicer
2 Phantasmal Image
4 Restoration Angel
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Thragtusk

Instants
2 Crushing Vines
1 Dismember
1 Gut Shot
3 Mana Leak
2 Thought Scour
4 Vapor Snag

Sorceries
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder

Basic Lands
1 Forest
4 Island
1 Plains

Lands
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Hinterland Harbor
2 Moorland Haunt
3 Razorverge Thicket
4 Seachrome Coast Stats:
Average mana: 1.37
Average creature mana cost: 3.12
Average creature power: 2.29
Average creature toughness: 2.18

Deck Composition:
Basic Lands: 10.00%
Creatures: 28.33%
Instants: 21.67%
Lands: 28.33%
Sorceries: 11.67%
Download this deck in

Apprentice format! Download this deck in

Magic Online Text format!
[/left]

Obviously, with this list we are starting to veer into fairly familiar territory, but that doesn't mean it is wrong. The creature removal in Bant is pretty terrible, leaving us with stuff like Gut Shot and Dismember to carry us through. (At least we haveCrushing Vines, which is way, way better than maindecking Divine Offering!)

[/left]

I am a bit concerned about the vulnerability to Talrand. This deck is probably way too tempo based to be excited about Flight Spellbomb. We could try Beast Within (Mondo-Combo with Vapor Snag!), but three-mana answers aren't exactly inspiring. It seems like it should do something, but Beast Within on your own Thragtusk is really not so hot.

[/left]

So what is the best way to use Thragtusk? Maybe it is about making lots of 3/3s and gaining lots of life. Or maybe it is about playing a deck that can backdoor some combos, but mainly is just set up to beat the decks that five life and two medium-sized bodies don't already beat.

[/left]

Or maybe we just Worldfire and be done with it.

[/left]

What are you playing in Standard right now? Is there a deck concept or interaction that has your interest, but you aren't yet sure what to do with it yet? What is the most under-utilized card from M13 at the moment?

[/left]

See you next week!

]

Not actually gonna edit it so its easier to read so here lol

Thanks, although that vapor snag/ Unsummon split seems kind of ridiculous..

[~Seal~]

ftr "protection from" is basically hexproof from a specific thing + can't be blocked by those things + can't take damage from those things. and things that are indestructible can die from various things, like getting -1/-1 counters or from something like dismember/curse.

Fixed for clarification

[Sage.]

Protection = DEBT

Can't be Damaged
Can't be Enchanted / Equipped
Can't be Blocked
Can't be Targeted

[Azn_Boy]

Got 3rd again at FNM with UW Delver :/

I almost lost to Mono Green aggro, but lost in the last round to mono black.

Edit: I'll just post my matchups, I went 4-1

RG Werewolfs 2-0
WR Humans 2-0
Mono Green Aggro 2-1
Mono Black Control 2-0
Mono Black Control 1-2

[God of Dark World]

I'm strongly considering starting to play this game, but i have difficulties deciding whether or not it's a good time to start right now with the rotation in October. The deck I consider atm are R/B Zombies , but I have no idea what cards rotate out in October. What cards used in the two decks rotate out? This is the decklist I'm working on:
Creatures: 25
4 Blood Artist
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraph Ghoul
4 Geralf’s Messenger
3 Falkenrath Aristocrat
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Highborn Ghoul
2 Fume Spitter

Instants: 10
3 Brimstone Valley
3 Tragic Slip
2 Gut Shot
2 Doom Blade

Artifacts: 2
2 Mortarpod

Lands: 23
12 Swap
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
3 Cavern of Souls

[wocram]

I'm strongly considering starting to play this game, but i have difficulties deciding whether or not it's a good time to start right now with the rotation in October. The deck I consider atm are R/B Zombies , but I have no idea what cards rotate out in October. What cards used in the two decks rotate out? This is the decklist I'm working on:
Creatures: 25
4 Blood Artist
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraph Ghoul
4 Geralf’s Messenger
3 Falkenrath Aristocrat
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Highborn Ghoul
2 Fume Spitter

Instants: 10
3 Brimstone Valley
3 Tragic Slip
2 Gut Shot
2 Doom Blade

Artifacts: 2
2 Mortarpod

Lands: 23
12 Swap
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
3 Cavern of Souls

Metamorph, gut shot, mortarpod and blackcleave cliffs rotate out, odds are the zombie core will continue to be a strong deck in RtR

[God of Dark World]

Thanks! I know a new set will be released soon, but what currently released cards would be good additions to this type of deck?

Also, after the October rotation, when is the next?

[sartorial dandy grant]

it's every year.

[God of Dark World]

Thanks. BTW, what do you guys think about the deck I posted? Is it decent?

[Azn_Boy]

Do you have Bonfires?

Man that reminds me I need to pick up Falkenrath Aristocrat playset before they spike up. I got rid of mine when they were 3-5 each a few months ago thinking they wouldn't be that great :/

[God of Dark World]

I know Bonfire is great, but it's too expensive. I may be able to borrow one from a friend though, but that's all.

[Turkey]

I wouldn't play Bonfire in Zombies. Bonfire generally needs either A) Mana Acceleration or B) Library Manipulation to be good enough.

[rap game dennis frogman]

hoolly SHIT izzet charm

[Millennium]

hoolly SHIT izzet charm

My thoughts exactly

[Azn_Boy]

UWR Midrange man.

Also that Charm will see play in Modern. UWR Delver would love it for it's utility and for Isochron and Storm/Twin combo will no longer have to maindeck Spell Pierce.

[sartorial dandy grant]

that goblin is pretty great too

[rap game dennis frogman]

american delver will be a thing in standard too all the draw power in the world

[God of Dark World]

I love Guttersnipe. Being able to play a lot of control instants and dealing damage at the same time - oh yeah!

[sartorial dandy grant]

guttersnipe sucks

it's like mass driver, the only way it will ever be good is in some kind of degenerate combo

[{Yara}]

Played in the Classic in Knox went O-2 rage Quit drop with Uw delver. Won the Stnd Challenge with Rug ramp deck is sweet against the format - Infect ill probably ride it for the rest of the format most likely at the invitional in Atl as well.

[Azn_Boy]

Fuck infect that deck can go die in a fire.

It's like playing against a Yugioh deck.

[IamPro]

Zombies just got one of the most powerful 2 drops ever

Lotleth Troll
2/1
Trample
Discard a creature card from your hand: Put a +1/+1 counter on Lotleth Troll.
: Regenerate Lotleth Troll.

[wocram]

Trample and regen is pretty good. Gotta add gravecrawlers and messengers to the to-grab list...

[Vyse the Legend]

So B/G looks really good. Glad I picked up some Woodland Cemetery.



I'm just getting into Magic, but to me this seems like the best planeswalker in a long ass time.

[Captain Sure.]

Yeah that card is literally the coolest thing ever.

[sartorial dandy grant]

the 2 drop is so much better than that.

[rap game dennis frogman]

dryad militant smokes them both

[Azn_Boy]

The card isn't that great.

[rap game dennis frogman]

jund will undoubtedly be one of the best decks post rotation at least at the start

[argh]

That pw isn't very good.

[sartorial dandy grant]

it is decently costed, has an achievable ultimate, and a nice plus. it doesn't do much for the decks in its colors and 5 is still a high price, but it's not terrible at all. much better than tibalt or any of the recent jaces.

[Azn_Boy]

I think it's a decent win condition for a control deck but eh, I can see it being like a $5-7 PW after things settle.

[~Seal~]

I think the 3/3 haste scavage zombie is better for zombie decks. Yall are severely underestimating that planeswalker. The least it will be is a 1 for 1 nonland removal spell, and thats if you -3 it when it hits the board. After it hits the board it's nearly untouchable coming out with 6 loyalty, there are 0 Titans in the format to one shot it now. Also the fact that farseek can ramp for shocklands only makes my claim stronger.

[IamPro]

I think the 3/3 haste scavage zombie is better for zombie decks. Yall are severely underestimating that planeswalker. The least it will be is a 1 for 1 nonland removal spell, and thats if you -3 it when it hits the board. After it hits the board it's nearly untouchable coming out with 6 loyalty, there are 0 Titans in the format to one shot it now. Also the fact that farseek can ramp for shocklands only makes my claim stronger.

The -3 is insane but the rest are pretty bad since the +1 doesn't protect her or you directly (although it might indirectly if it might make u not attack with a guy) and the ultimate doesn't win you the game outright for a walker of her size. I see Thragtusk and Falkenrath Aristocrist along with Geist of Saint Traft and zombies being the bane of her existence. Also if Bonfire continues to see increased play then that could be even worse.

[Turkey]

I'm calling it right now, and you can quote me later, that PW will be straight UNPLAYABLE.