BTW- when ever I hear the Star Wars line quoted in the title of this podcast, I think of Breckin Meyer's Boba Fett dropping Han Solo on a bunch of bloodthirsty Tauntauns on Robot Chicken...
AND I THOUGHT THEY SMELLED BAD.....(say it with me)...ON THE OUTSIIIIIDE...
I always love reading your articles because I can see different ideas for the same cards in my favorite format. Whenever a new set comes out, I tend to gamble a bit and grab a bunch of packs to crack - sometimes I'm lucky (Foil Yawgmoth's bargain and regular Yawgmoth's bargain in the first pack of UL i opened, or the back-to-back sets Sword of F&F and Tezz AoB when I cracked their packs), but this time I got nada - but at least with your article, I can see what I can use my nada for in my decks :-D
Yeah the formula has gotten pretty stale. Flying + 4/4 to 7/7 body + some form of pump or way to deal extra damage somewhere + a cmc of 6 to 8 = the next red dragon ( toss in haste if you feel spicy). I wish wotc would mix it up and give us something original more often. Dragons are to cool to be stuck in this cookie cutter. I love it when we get something a little more interesting like hoarding dragon, or knollspine dragon.
So how come they won't make good ones? Even Steel Hellkite which is the most recent "good" one doesn't compare to the giants. Which is imho absurd. I am not strictly a dracophile but I'd sure like a decent flying beater that isn't an angel, sphinx or demon.
Also I'd like to see a couple more green and black ones. Next time you are chatting up Mr Rosewater be sure to let him know for us.
I thought Sudden Disappearance was in there, my bad. It's a fine card I guess, again probably good for Bant "enters the battlefield" theme decks. I think the "clearing out blockers" issue that people bring up may be a little overstated though.
The other card that I didn't put in here was Alpha Brawl. 8 mana is a lot, might as well just go with Plague Wind or Blasphemous Act. I'd rather have Insurrection for this much mana.
I think MaRo has stated that people really, really love dragons. As such, we're going to keep seeing them for the foreseeable future. I wouldn't mind seeing a constructed playable 5 mana dragon through. That would be the bees knees!
And, my streak of writing reviews and making a mistake about a card continues! You get a free internet cookie for finding it, good job sir! Be on the look out during my next review when I hand out a world famous No Prize!
Seriously though I forgot about the non-blocking issue. That doesn't really change my impression of the card though, although it does mean it's just a smidge worse.
Your review pointed out a couple more cards I need to give a whirl. Like Fiend of the Shadows. She fits in perfectly into my Wrexial "saboteur" theme deck, but some how I missed her till now. Over all DA still doesn't have much that really gets me pumped to add to my commander decks. I think some of that may be me though.
I am not sure why Sudden Disappearance didn't get a write up. It certainly appears to be a pretty power and flexible spell. It can do plenty of things, mass reset of ETB effects, clear for an alpha strike, wipe out a token hoard. Seems like fun.
I also kinda like Thraben Heretic. She seems like decent repeatable graveyard hate.
I am very torn on Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, he looks like the next Sharuum to me. I think he has the potential to be a way cool, flavorful and a fun General. Unfortunately he is also comborific and the majority of people will be using him in that fashion. He will soon have a bad reputation and a target on his head. His abusable nature will get him hated of most tables whether deck is designed to abuse him or not.
Also, am I the only one a little upset that this block got stuck with another boring red dragon variant at mythic? Come on Wizards, give is something cool there. Personally, I would love a cool red creature that has a 5 CMC. Red has a million good choices at 6, but so few at 5.
If a creature has both Persist and undying, it should start with no counters when first summoned, when killed, both abilities will check its counters and both trigger. You can then choose the order they stack, and they resolve in reverse order. So you will either get the +1 or the -1 counter, depedning on which ability you let resolve first (the second ability does nothing as the creature is no longer in the GY).
The next time it dies, the ability that wasnt used last time will trigger; so if it had a +1 counter, Persist will trigger and undying wont which will bring it back with a -1 counter, but if it had a -1 counter when it died, undying will trigger and persist wont, so it will come back with a +1 counter.
At no point should the creature come back with both a +1 and -1 counter to cancel each other out, because only one or the other ability will restore the creature to life.
I think of all the miserable cards that "ruin" pauper, Chittering Rats is FAR from the deciding factor.. I find a single Chittering Rats much less oppressive then Storm decks. That being said there are many types of storm of which I think Grapeshot is the real winner since Echoing Decay dominates warrens
Blood fued. I did some PE drafts and this card wheeled in pack 1. I of cousre grabbed it on my 2nd chance. I plan on drafting it more in triple DKA 4-3-2-2. It works so good I've been waiting for this card for a while now. I also like to play in the multi-room for fun, and this card shines there. In my drafts with this card I went 3-0 and 2-1.
I think the section in my article on sideboarding should answer your question: It took me the majority of the test session to realize I didn't want Journey, and moving forward I would cut one from the main for an Unmake, with a third Unmake possibly in the board. That means against post I have the option of going down to one (or even zero) Journeys.
rating.
Dredge is BDeCandio's deck. The other ones with dredge cards are loam decks. Completely different game plans.
BTW- when ever I hear the Star Wars line quoted in the title of this podcast, I think of Breckin Meyer's Boba Fett dropping Han Solo on a bunch of bloodthirsty Tauntauns on Robot Chicken...
AND I THOUGHT THEY SMELLED BAD.....(say it with me)...ON THE OUTSIIIIIDE...
I heard he was named after a sneeze...
I like him though. 2 hit kill.
I always love reading your articles because I can see different ideas for the same cards in my favorite format. Whenever a new set comes out, I tend to gamble a bit and grab a bunch of packs to crack - sometimes I'm lucky (Foil Yawgmoth's bargain and regular Yawgmoth's bargain in the first pack of UL i opened, or the back-to-back sets Sword of F&F and Tezz AoB when I cracked their packs), but this time I got nada - but at least with your article, I can see what I can use my nada for in my decks :-D
Was in no way an exciting addition to the clan of dragons. Imho they stuck dragon on there because they knew people would rebel at "Infector Queen"
Glimmerpost also feels like an incredibly oppressive card to anybody trying to play anything remotely aggressive.
Yeah the formula has gotten pretty stale. Flying + 4/4 to 7/7 body + some form of pump or way to deal extra damage somewhere + a cmc of 6 to 8 = the next red dragon ( toss in haste if you feel spicy). I wish wotc would mix it up and give us something original more often. Dragons are to cool to be stuck in this cookie cutter. I love it when we get something a little more interesting like hoarding dragon, or knollspine dragon.
Skithiryx?
So how come they won't make good ones? Even Steel Hellkite which is the most recent "good" one doesn't compare to the giants. Which is imho absurd. I am not strictly a dracophile but I'd sure like a decent flying beater that isn't an angel, sphinx or demon.
Also I'd like to see a couple more green and black ones. Next time you are chatting up Mr Rosewater be sure to let him know for us.
I thought Sudden Disappearance was in there, my bad. It's a fine card I guess, again probably good for Bant "enters the battlefield" theme decks. I think the "clearing out blockers" issue that people bring up may be a little overstated though.
The other card that I didn't put in here was Alpha Brawl. 8 mana is a lot, might as well just go with Plague Wind or Blasphemous Act. I'd rather have Insurrection for this much mana.
I think MaRo has stated that people really, really love dragons. As such, we're going to keep seeing them for the foreseeable future. I wouldn't mind seeing a constructed playable 5 mana dragon through. That would be the bees knees!
And, my streak of writing reviews and making a mistake about a card continues! You get a free internet cookie for finding it, good job sir! Be on the look out during my next review when I hand out a world famous No Prize!
Seriously though I forgot about the non-blocking issue. That doesn't really change my impression of the card though, although it does mean it's just a smidge worse.
Well, that makes sense actually. Thanks for explaining that!
Your review pointed out a couple more cards I need to give a whirl. Like Fiend of the Shadows. She fits in perfectly into my Wrexial "saboteur" theme deck, but some how I missed her till now. Over all DA still doesn't have much that really gets me pumped to add to my commander decks. I think some of that may be me though.
I am not sure why Sudden Disappearance didn't get a write up. It certainly appears to be a pretty power and flexible spell. It can do plenty of things, mass reset of ETB effects, clear for an alpha strike, wipe out a token hoard. Seems like fun.
I also kinda like Thraben Heretic. She seems like decent repeatable graveyard hate.
I am very torn on Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, he looks like the next Sharuum to me. I think he has the potential to be a way cool, flavorful and a fun General. Unfortunately he is also comborific and the majority of people will be using him in that fashion. He will soon have a bad reputation and a target on his head. His abusable nature will get him hated of most tables whether deck is designed to abuse him or not.
Also, am I the only one a little upset that this block got stuck with another boring red dragon variant at mythic? Come on Wizards, give is something cool there. Personally, I would love a cool red creature that has a 5 CMC. Red has a million good choices at 6, but so few at 5.
Anyway, thanks for the write up, great work.
What were you frustrated about? My gameplay? Commentary? The matchup itself? If you let me know I can do my best to improve.
Honestly I got too frustrated after the second match to keep watching.
The new Mikaeus works with the self withering creatures as well.
Also makes black sun's zenith work better for you.
How is Gravecrawler going to be a free blocker again?
If a creature has both Persist and undying, it should start with no counters when first summoned, when killed, both abilities will check its counters and both trigger. You can then choose the order they stack, and they resolve in reverse order. So you will either get the +1 or the -1 counter, depedning on which ability you let resolve first (the second ability does nothing as the creature is no longer in the GY).
The next time it dies, the ability that wasnt used last time will trigger; so if it had a +1 counter, Persist will trigger and undying wont which will bring it back with a -1 counter, but if it had a -1 counter when it died, undying will trigger and persist wont, so it will come back with a +1 counter.
At no point should the creature come back with both a +1 and -1 counter to cancel each other out, because only one or the other ability will restore the creature to life.
Thats how they work together.
Wish you well in your future drafting.
As long as you aren't my opponent ;)
Yes they do. As State-based effects both cause cancellation.
I think of all the miserable cards that "ruin" pauper, Chittering Rats is FAR from the deciding factor.. I find a single Chittering Rats much less oppressive then Storm decks. That being said there are many types of storm of which I think Grapeshot is the real winner since Echoing Decay dominates warrens
do +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters cancel each other? not sure how persist and undying work together
Learn to love the hate. Baiting out and stopping hate cards is the most fun part about pauper storm for me.
Blood fued. I did some PE drafts and this card wheeled in pack 1. I of cousre grabbed it on my 2nd chance. I plan on drafting it more in triple DKA 4-3-2-2. It works so good I've been waiting for this card for a while now. I also like to play in the multi-room for fun, and this card shines there. In my drafts with this card I went 3-0 and 2-1.
I think the section in my article on sideboarding should answer your question: It took me the majority of the test session to realize I didn't want Journey, and moving forward I would cut one from the main for an Unmake, with a third Unmake possibly in the board. That means against post I have the option of going down to one (or even zero) Journeys.