I agree with most your picks but 2 things bother me with them;
The first being after pack 1, changing the picks he made like zealot/psychic barrier/spire monitor, changes how packs 2 and 3 will play out. Therefore after the first pack changing that many picks make picking what you would have picked irrelevant.
For instance; when you would have taken steel sabatoge, I also would have, but I would also have taken psychic barrier and vaporsnag and possibly the monitor. But he is not blue at this point and splashing for steel sabatohe is meh, not the greatest. He does end up blue, but at this point he does not know, and steel sabatoge is not a true incentive to play blue.
The second being that I don't understand how you can take the psychich barrier but consider not taking the vapor snag? Are you undervaluing the snag? Or would you try to go into white with the shriek?
"There's also some confusion about how suspend actually works: no, you can't resolve a turn 1 Ancestral Vision on turn 4, since you start removing the first counter on turn 2."
I missed that. thanks for catching me.
"Hey, that's an idea to keep Modern always fresh: just ban/unban some cards every month! :) 'We're unbanning Golgari Grave-Troll and Dread Return next month, so get ready for Dredge Month! Only for this month, unleash the true power of the graveyard!'"
While this is a bit reductio ad absurdum (my favorite game to play!), I don't want this either. It is clear that there are adjustments that need to be made and I find it interesting to discuss what people think about it.
I think your comment is funny because I picture some circus announcer shouting "Dredge Mooooooonth! BRING YOUR TROLLS!!" into crowds of MTG players gathered around to watch LSV do the worm.
2nd to Andrew's comment...I wouldn't have thought of splashing him either - but more and more people keep saying how strong he is... definitely goes up my pick list!
Ive been watching some odd shows of late: Misfits, Skins (uk), Regenesis. Thanks to hulu for those. I tend to be fairly mainstream musically (Classic Rock, Blues, Soul, Folk Rock, Punk, Old Metal) because when I was learning to perform that's what I covered and enjoyed. So for me not a lot to discuss in that area. Modern music (2k+) tends to not be very stimulating to me with the exception of some Antifolk stuff (local scene here in NYC with a few breakaways like Regina Spektor and Nellie McKay.)
Been ages since I last drafted and I can't really comment on the current formats because they don't interest me but grats on winning. The article is nicely formatted and shaped. Looks like you are growing into your column here.
I'm not very sure how next level blue fares today. The control decks that pop up every now and then are quite different all the time and they don't seem to return or catch on. From what I've seen extra effort like using a playset of shadow of doubt to deal with the cloudpost decks but the matchup should still be quite rough. Being able to play draw-go will definitely be a plus against all the combo decks going around.
Nearly every instant or sorcery is sick with an active Ascension. Visions is far too slow for the deck; you want your 1 mana cantrips to have an effect _now_.
I remember playing a GPT and the format was Scars block sealed. Managed to t8 and I only did a couple of drafts before so I went the tried and trusted way of picking the best card out of each pack. For Beseiged, I did ponder about the Serpent as I was UB but thought I could not activate it to attack and passed. After the draft a few friends was asking why didn't I pick the Serpent. It blocks and shrink attackers like what a fat momma would do and not easy to kill. Fair enough imo.
Future drafts the Serpent was good but not excellent. If there are better creatures just play those but if not, it would do a good job of blocking.
>> Visions is not good for Storm but good for Pyromancer and Twin
I'm sorry, didn't you just say in your previous comment that it was good for storm count? :) So, what is it, good for storm or not? :)
I believe everyone here agrees that Ancestral Vision is indeed a great card, but nobody seems to know where it would fit in the current Modern meta. There's also some confusion about how suspend actually works: no, you can't resolve a turn 1 Ancestral Vision on turn 4, since you start removing the first counter on turn 2. That means the second counter on turn 3, the third counter on turn 4 and the final counter on turn 5.
So, I'm more with Lee here: I think no current deck would even think to use Ancestral Vision. They all need deck access NOW, not 4 turns later. And if they draw into a copy of Vision on turn 2 or 3 (let alone *multiple copies*), that would be a nightmare for them. By turn 7 they should be already home, not waiting for 3 cards. You need a committed control deck to successfully exploit Vision (or, strangely enough, a zoo-like aggro deck needing late fuel to close the deal, and maybe running Bloodbraid Elf, see Tarmotog's article for that). That's why its banning left many people very perplexed. As Lord Erman said on this very site, Ancestral Vision is far from being an overpowered card, it never was, in any format.
Also, please stop entertaining the idea of restricted cards in Modern. The official position of WoTC on restricted cards is very clear and unquestionable, and it has been said again and again and AGAIN: only Vintage/Classic can have a restricted list (and only because you need to have an all-embracing format with all the cards in it -- except the ante/dexterity ones -- including the irremediably broken ones). Within all other formats a card is either allowed or not allowed, it can't be restricted.
>> I think it should be taken down and given a run and if it is bad for the format, put it back up again.
Hey, that's an idea to keep Modern always fresh: just ban/unban some cards every month! :) "We're unbanning Golgari Grave-Troll and Dread Return next month, so get ready for Dredge Month! Only for this month, unleash the true power of the graveyard!" :)
Start - GSZ RUG deck tech
9:10 - Grim Long deck tech
16:30 - Top ten lists
31:37 - Laboratory Maniac discussion
42:52 - Zach in the Classic League
The above posted because Zach is all about the community and the community asked for it. =p
My Top Ten
1. Mishra's Workshop
2. Bazaar of Baghdad
3. Force of Will
4. Yawgmoth's Will
5. Tinker
6. Mana Crypt
7. Fastbond
8. Oath of Druids
9. Wasteland
10. Demonic Tutor
Ok, so my list is based on the "oh shit" factor and the cards' respective placement in the Classic meta. Shops obviously have had a huge warping effect on Classic in the way that Dredge used to in that you have to be prepared for the matchup or risk getting run over. Bazaar I almost put at #1 because, let's face it, it's the most important card in the most feared deck. I put powerful cards like Yawg Will and Tinker in there because it's "oh shit" time when they're cast. Mana Crypt, I find, is better than Sol Ring at busting out broken plays, like a turn 1 Tinker. Fastbond is the nuts. I put Wasteland over Strip Mine simply because if there were no Wasteland, Strip Mine would be an "oh cool, I drew Strip". What I mean is, Wasteland makes that whole LD package strong. Demonic Tutor, I admit, is powerful, but I usually don't 'oh shit!" over it. I tried to choose cards that show a clear separation of Classic and Legacy. Of Course, not all, but most.
With deck techs of new ideas, it would be nice if you could either post a vid of the deck, or at least some Screenshots of some vital scenes. I know this is a podcast, but you have a valuable tool here in having article space, and I think you could utilize it more.
personal preference: impaler strike, card draw on a stick with evasion. only the second pick but the other card is act of aggression that is best in pack.
grim affliction. doh.
blind zealot. removal and evasion.
spire monitor, real close between artillerize. since act of aggression was passed, it would signal you are not in red and hope your downstream repays in pack 2.
parasitic implant.
pristine talisman.
psychic barrier over phyrexian hulk. we need some protection for rainy days. *nudge*
vapor snag but its close. might have taken shriek raptor.
gitaxian probe. might have taken ichor explosion for sideboard.
toxic nim. it is quite irritating and a good filler as a blocker or finisher.
sb:
war report, land, missed pick that i was unable to see.
pack 2
strandwalker. it is a really good card in the format and good against your deck.
flesh eater imp. win on its own, a mini bomb.
personal: steel sabotage. i think it is the most underrated common in the whole set. if strandwalker was picked, bounce and play again. oh yea, metamorph. ( ' .')~~whistle
virulent wound. another protection against fast decks.
morbid plunder. the time to pick it is just right.
phyrexian rager!!!
scourge servant. simple and good. 2 morbid plunder is one too many.
dross ripper.
spire serpent. i like big butts and i cannot lie.
rare draft lol.
concussive bolt. strongest card with 5 cards left.
sb:
war report, land, missed pick that i was unable to see, distant memories, concussive bolt, phyresis, land, steady progress, vector asp, vault skyward, psychic miasma, land.
i would draft a midrange/control deck if i'm able as i have a higher success rate. the deck would look like this,
by converted mana cost:
1 fume spitter, vapor snag, steel sabotage, virulent wound, nihil spellbomb
2 grasp of darkness
3 blind zealot, phyrexian rager, necrogen scudder, moriok reaver, neurok replica, grim affliction, morbid plunder, mimic vat
4 phyrexian metamorph, impaler strike, flesh eater imp, dross ripper, lumengrid drake, strandwalker, parasitic implant
5 spire monitor, spire serpent
10 swamp 7 island
14 creatures (strandwalker counts as a creature), 9 spells.
sb:
war report, land, missed pick that i was unable to see, distant memories, concussive bolt, phyresis, land, steady progress, vector asp, vault skyward, psychic miasma, land, pristine talisman, neurok invisimancer, corpse cur, tangle hulk, gitaxian probe, razorfield rhino, toxic nim, toxic nim, scourge servant, psychic barrier.
i know you are gonna be so wet from reading this lol.
Nice read,
Whiffy was a blast to hang out with at the CCC as was all who attended.
AJ gets my vote, again, for next years CCC as does Heath.
Keep the articles coming. Back to beta land I fade! - Joe
I 100% agree with you on the chained throatseeker. I play him all the time even if im not infect.
The 3/3 is highly availbe yes, but hes expensive and trades easy. Also, in this specific draft hes not playing infect, automaticaly making him worse. I will say that that this guy was way better when it was 1xmbs and 2x scars, infect decks were faster cuz more scars pack and this guy served an efficient roll as a finisher after your opponent used all their removal.
You dont need artifacts to make fangren work. It bassically says your opponents cannot attack you with artifacts(or if you have artifacts to block), On a 5/5 body. [this is of course assuming you can actually trade with their creatures]
You can absoulty, play him, its not hate drafting I would take him intending to play him. You may be able to pick up a horizon spellbomb( which you could have) or a copper myr later hepling splash him.[and of courser your wellspring]
While I have made some good friends here, you are my favorite PureMTGO buddy (awwwwwwww). Paul Leicht is a close second (didn't forget you, if you read this).
I do not see how t4 Visions is bad for Storm. It is a 1 mana investment on t1 that allows you to sit and sculpt a hand. I would give my left eyeball for this type of card draw/storm enabler (another uniball joke!). It is probably better in swath storm though. I also agree it enables the other decks as well...
I agree with the power of Legacy vs Modern argument for Misstep too. Especially with 1-drops. Ponder/Preordain and Rituals are the playables it hits in Modern right now, and the fringe cards that stand out to me being Spell Snare, Aether Vial, Goblin Guide, a lot of Elves, and 1 mana burn spells. I am probably missing some, but, from the looks of it, Misstep would only really hurt Elves, red rituals and burn spells, and the "too good" card filtering that some people are calling for banning anyway...
Again, I could be way off base here, but I think you have the right attitude. We should be unbanning and adjusting the list, not banning more...
@ Gardevi- you are right. There doesn't seem to be a good way to 1 for 1 with control decks right now, which is how you do it.
Why do people underestimate the 3/3 infect dude? Keep doing it, and I'll pick up 3. Have you tried to deal with 3 of those bad boys? I mean Corpse Cur would wipe out your board. It would take a lot of work to take the both of them out.
I love that guy because he is so available. Very rarely is there a large creature that really hurts your opponent and gets passed around so much, and if you are playing infect, most infect creatures are small. getting a 3/3 or 2/4 can be the game changer if you don't get much in terms of equipment.
The same goes for chained cutthroat. I like him also. I think if I can get 1 he goes right into the main deck unless I play Black Green, which is probably better than Black Blue.
And yeah, you took a pretty early Mycorsynth Wellspring. So Fangreen Marauder would have been the easy pick there. He is a bomb in SOM, especially against non-infect decks.
Still, Boondock Saints trumps any other movie out there.
I want more comments like yours. I agree with most of your picks here as well.
The only one I disagree with is Fangren Marauder. I know how awesome he is. I do not like hate drafting. I didn't feel like I had enough artifacts to make him worth it (my other metalcraft picks weren't because of the metalcraft. that was just a happy by product). I maybe should have though because I was bomb-light and I could have justified the Wellspring I ran MD.
I am not trying to be defensive, rather explaining my position. I do see your point and appreciate your comments.
Idk if I would pass strandwalker p2p1, its really good, and good against you. your not in colors that can deal with it as well.
p2pick4 I would 100% slam fangren maruader its splashable and wins games.
p2 pick 7 I would either take fuel for the cause, or morbid punder. The 3/3 infect dude is underwhelming and slow. A late morbid plunder may intice someone to draft black pack 3, two isnt that bad. Fuel is a great sb card to deal with bombs, maindeckable, but not the best.
p3 pick 4 even if you didnt take the idol, horizon spellbomb is an awesome card even if your not green. especially on modo where the shuffler plays mind games. Whether or not its better than fume spitter or the drake? idk, but it is an option, and a good one.
p3 pick 7 I would have tooken the replica, his bounce abitlity is good, and hes a good defensive creature. you plan on winning via mimic vat/flyers, you need someone to hold the ground. Also, saves your guys, from arest/mindcontrol. Also there is a chance an invismancer will come later.
p9 pick is nihil spellbomb, its ability may be relevant and at worst it cycles and makes your drake/sphinx metalcrafted.
@Andrew: Balls were thrown so hard recently. *wink*
@Lee: Yea its pretty interesting how they are going to fix this without making combos better. Visions is not good for Storm but good for Pyromancer and Twin which is disturbing.
Misstep would have to depend on the format. It is really good in Legacy but ok in Standard. The power level of Modern is not close to Legacy due to the cards available. Misstep does not shine in Standard due to the sets available compared to Legacy and Standard is just smacking with dudes. I think it should be taken down and given a run and if it is bad for the format, put it back up again.
I should have stated more clearly regarding Sam Black drawing first. Drawing first allows him to decide if the opening 7 is a keeper or to go down to 6. If he does mulligan and keep, it would be as if him playing first but with a slight breathing space due to a free mulligan.
I agree with most your picks but 2 things bother me with them;
The first being after pack 1, changing the picks he made like zealot/psychic barrier/spire monitor, changes how packs 2 and 3 will play out. Therefore after the first pack changing that many picks make picking what you would have picked irrelevant.
For instance; when you would have taken steel sabatoge, I also would have, but I would also have taken psychic barrier and vaporsnag and possibly the monitor. But he is not blue at this point and splashing for steel sabatohe is meh, not the greatest. He does end up blue, but at this point he does not know, and steel sabatoge is not a true incentive to play blue.
The second being that I don't understand how you can take the psychich barrier but consider not taking the vapor snag? Are you undervaluing the snag? Or would you try to go into white with the shriek?
"There's also some confusion about how suspend actually works: no, you can't resolve a turn 1 Ancestral Vision on turn 4, since you start removing the first counter on turn 2."
I missed that. thanks for catching me.
"Hey, that's an idea to keep Modern always fresh: just ban/unban some cards every month! :) 'We're unbanning Golgari Grave-Troll and Dread Return next month, so get ready for Dredge Month! Only for this month, unleash the true power of the graveyard!'"
While this is a bit reductio ad absurdum (my favorite game to play!), I don't want this either. It is clear that there are adjustments that need to be made and I find it interesting to discuss what people think about it.
I think your comment is funny because I picture some circus announcer shouting "Dredge Mooooooonth! BRING YOUR TROLLS!!" into crowds of MTG players gathered around to watch LSV do the worm.
2nd to Andrew's comment...I wouldn't have thought of splashing him either - but more and more people keep saying how strong he is... definitely goes up my pick list!
Ive been watching some odd shows of late: Misfits, Skins (uk), Regenesis. Thanks to hulu for those. I tend to be fairly mainstream musically (Classic Rock, Blues, Soul, Folk Rock, Punk, Old Metal) because when I was learning to perform that's what I covered and enjoyed. So for me not a lot to discuss in that area. Modern music (2k+) tends to not be very stimulating to me with the exception of some Antifolk stuff (local scene here in NYC with a few breakaways like Regina Spektor and Nellie McKay.)
Been ages since I last drafted and I can't really comment on the current formats because they don't interest me but grats on winning. The article is nicely formatted and shaped. Looks like you are growing into your column here.
hmm.. guess the only way to abuse it is by Cascade. A fair card. Should be pulled down too.
I'm not very sure how next level blue fares today. The control decks that pop up every now and then are quite different all the time and they don't seem to return or catch on. From what I've seen extra effort like using a playset of shadow of doubt to deal with the cloudpost decks but the matchup should still be quite rough. Being able to play draw-go will definitely be a plus against all the combo decks going around.
Nearly every instant or sorcery is sick with an active Ascension. Visions is far too slow for the deck; you want your 1 mana cantrips to have an effect _now_.
Cause I thought about them being different kind of decks and having an active Pyromancer Ascension when Visions resolve would be sick. Draw draw~~
I remember playing a GPT and the format was Scars block sealed. Managed to t8 and I only did a couple of drafts before so I went the tried and trusted way of picking the best card out of each pack. For Beseiged, I did ponder about the Serpent as I was UB but thought I could not activate it to attack and passed. After the draft a few friends was asking why didn't I pick the Serpent. It blocks and shrink attackers like what a fat momma would do and not easy to kill. Fair enough imo.
Future drafts the Serpent was good but not excellent. If there are better creatures just play those but if not, it would do a good job of blocking.
Visions is pretty poor for Pyromancer Ascension. Which is what I assume you're talking about, because it's even worse for Pyromancer Swath.
Hiya! Visions would be good for Pyromancer Storm and not so good for the Pyro-less Storm as it is slow. =)
I did not know about restricted list was only for Vintage/Classic. Guess it is either ban or live with it.
They could but it depends if they want to or not. They are the mighty WoTC lol.
Thanks for joining in. (^^)
>> Visions is not good for Storm but good for Pyromancer and Twin
I'm sorry, didn't you just say in your previous comment that it was good for storm count? :) So, what is it, good for storm or not? :)
I believe everyone here agrees that Ancestral Vision is indeed a great card, but nobody seems to know where it would fit in the current Modern meta. There's also some confusion about how suspend actually works: no, you can't resolve a turn 1 Ancestral Vision on turn 4, since you start removing the first counter on turn 2. That means the second counter on turn 3, the third counter on turn 4 and the final counter on turn 5.
So, I'm more with Lee here: I think no current deck would even think to use Ancestral Vision. They all need deck access NOW, not 4 turns later. And if they draw into a copy of Vision on turn 2 or 3 (let alone *multiple copies*), that would be a nightmare for them. By turn 7 they should be already home, not waiting for 3 cards. You need a committed control deck to successfully exploit Vision (or, strangely enough, a zoo-like aggro deck needing late fuel to close the deal, and maybe running Bloodbraid Elf, see Tarmotog's article for that). That's why its banning left many people very perplexed. As Lord Erman said on this very site, Ancestral Vision is far from being an overpowered card, it never was, in any format.
Also, please stop entertaining the idea of restricted cards in Modern. The official position of WoTC on restricted cards is very clear and unquestionable, and it has been said again and again and AGAIN: only Vintage/Classic can have a restricted list (and only because you need to have an all-embracing format with all the cards in it -- except the ante/dexterity ones -- including the irremediably broken ones). Within all other formats a card is either allowed or not allowed, it can't be restricted.
>> I think it should be taken down and given a run and if it is bad for the format, put it back up again.
Hey, that's an idea to keep Modern always fresh: just ban/unban some cards every month! :) "We're unbanning Golgari Grave-Troll and Dread Return next month, so get ready for Dredge Month! Only for this month, unleash the true power of the graveyard!" :)
I would have been even stronger had you drafted for me. I did dc in pack 1.
The only thing I wonder is if Spire Serpent is worth it?
Drowned Rusalka? Seems like a more flexible discard outlet and safe from removals. Cast, sac, combo. It is kinda slow but guarantee discard. =)
Start - GSZ RUG deck tech
9:10 - Grim Long deck tech
16:30 - Top ten lists
31:37 - Laboratory Maniac discussion
42:52 - Zach in the Classic League
The above posted because Zach is all about the community and the community asked for it. =p
My Top Ten
1. Mishra's Workshop
2. Bazaar of Baghdad
3. Force of Will
4. Yawgmoth's Will
5. Tinker
6. Mana Crypt
7. Fastbond
8. Oath of Druids
9. Wasteland
10. Demonic Tutor
Ok, so my list is based on the "oh shit" factor and the cards' respective placement in the Classic meta. Shops obviously have had a huge warping effect on Classic in the way that Dredge used to in that you have to be prepared for the matchup or risk getting run over. Bazaar I almost put at #1 because, let's face it, it's the most important card in the most feared deck. I put powerful cards like Yawg Will and Tinker in there because it's "oh shit" time when they're cast. Mana Crypt, I find, is better than Sol Ring at busting out broken plays, like a turn 1 Tinker. Fastbond is the nuts. I put Wasteland over Strip Mine simply because if there were no Wasteland, Strip Mine would be an "oh cool, I drew Strip". What I mean is, Wasteland makes that whole LD package strong. Demonic Tutor, I admit, is powerful, but I usually don't 'oh shit!" over it. I tried to choose cards that show a clear separation of Classic and Legacy. Of Course, not all, but most.
With deck techs of new ideas, it would be nice if you could either post a vid of the deck, or at least some Screenshots of some vital scenes. I know this is a podcast, but you have a valuable tool here in having article space, and I think you could utilize it more.
pack 1
metamorph hands down. notable cards passed: forced worship, parisitic implant, shriek raptor.
personal preference: impaler strike, card draw on a stick with evasion. only the second pick but the other card is act of aggression that is best in pack.
grim affliction. doh.
blind zealot. removal and evasion.
spire monitor, real close between artillerize. since act of aggression was passed, it would signal you are not in red and hope your downstream repays in pack 2.
parasitic implant.
pristine talisman.
psychic barrier over phyrexian hulk. we need some protection for rainy days. *nudge*
vapor snag but its close. might have taken shriek raptor.
gitaxian probe. might have taken ichor explosion for sideboard.
toxic nim. it is quite irritating and a good filler as a blocker or finisher.
think you dc'ed on 12th pick.
toxic nim again.
war report.
land.
by converted mana cost:
1 gitaxian probe, vapor snag
2 psychic barrier
3 grim affliction, blind zealot, pristine talisman
4 phyrexian metamorph, impaler strike, parasitic implant
5 spire monitor
6 toxic nim, toxic nim
sb:
war report, land, missed pick that i was unable to see.
pack 2
strandwalker. it is a really good card in the format and good against your deck.
flesh eater imp. win on its own, a mini bomb.
personal: steel sabotage. i think it is the most underrated common in the whole set. if strandwalker was picked, bounce and play again. oh yea, metamorph. ( ' .')~~whistle
virulent wound. another protection against fast decks.
morbid plunder. the time to pick it is just right.
phyrexian rager!!!
scourge servant. simple and good. 2 morbid plunder is one too many.
dross ripper.
spire serpent. i like big butts and i cannot lie.
rare draft lol.
concussive bolt. strongest card with 5 cards left.
tangle hulk. same reasoning.
rhino.
phyresis.
land.
by converted mana cost:
1 gitaxian probe, vapor snag, steel sabotage, virulent wound
2 psychic barrier
3 grim affliction, blind zealot, pristine talisman, morbid plunder, phyrexian rager
4 phyrexian metamorph, impaler strike, parasitic implant, strandwalker, flesh eater imp, dross ripper
5 spire monitor, scourge servant, spire serpent, tangle hulk
6 toxic nim, toxic nim, razorfield rhino
sb:
war report, land, missed pick that i was unable to see, distant memories, concussive bolt, phyresis, land.
pack 3
mimic vat. you are such a dog.
grasp of darkness. premium removal. if it is not in the pack, definitely argent sphinx.
necrogen scudder.
maybe the thought of your mum staying over haunted you into picking glint hawk idol. fume spitter!! *poke poke*
corpse cur. best card in the pack.
moriok reaver. fill the curve.
neurok replica. having 3 options at 7th pick is so sick!! if mimic vat is in play, this creates a soft lock.
lumengrid drake.
nihil spellbomb. good against mimic vat and replaces itself. passed a morbid plunder before so it might come in handy.
neurok invisimancer. bonds of quicksilver is pretty decent for sideboard. up to a player's liking.
steady progress.
vector asp.
vault skyward.
psychic miasma.
land.
by converted mana cost:
1 gitaxian probe, vapor snag, steel sabotage, virulent wound, fume spitter, nihil spellbomb
2 psychic barrier, grasp of darkness
3 grim affliction, blind zealot, pristine talisman, morbid plunder, phyrexian rager, mimic vat, necrogen scudder, moriok reaver, neurok replica, neurok invisimancer
4 phyrexian metamorph, impaler strike, parasitic implant, strandwalker, flesh eater imp, dross ripper, corpse cur, lumengrid drake
5 spire monitor, scourge servant, spire serpent, tangle hulk
6 toxic nim, toxic nim, razorfield rhino
sb:
war report, land, missed pick that i was unable to see, distant memories, concussive bolt, phyresis, land, steady progress, vector asp, vault skyward, psychic miasma, land.
i would draft a midrange/control deck if i'm able as i have a higher success rate. the deck would look like this,
by converted mana cost:
1 fume spitter, vapor snag, steel sabotage, virulent wound, nihil spellbomb
2 grasp of darkness
3 blind zealot, phyrexian rager, necrogen scudder, moriok reaver, neurok replica, grim affliction, morbid plunder, mimic vat
4 phyrexian metamorph, impaler strike, flesh eater imp, dross ripper, lumengrid drake, strandwalker, parasitic implant
5 spire monitor, spire serpent
10 swamp 7 island
14 creatures (strandwalker counts as a creature), 9 spells.
sb:
war report, land, missed pick that i was unable to see, distant memories, concussive bolt, phyresis, land, steady progress, vector asp, vault skyward, psychic miasma, land, pristine talisman, neurok invisimancer, corpse cur, tangle hulk, gitaxian probe, razorfield rhino, toxic nim, toxic nim, scourge servant, psychic barrier.
i know you are gonna be so wet from reading this lol.
see...this is what I mean by "many eyes glean different results."
You're a rockstar. thank you.
Nice read,
Whiffy was a blast to hang out with at the CCC as was all who attended.
AJ gets my vote, again, for next years CCC as does Heath.
Keep the articles coming. Back to beta land I fade! - Joe
I 100% agree with you on the chained throatseeker. I play him all the time even if im not infect.
The 3/3 is highly availbe yes, but hes expensive and trades easy. Also, in this specific draft hes not playing infect, automaticaly making him worse. I will say that that this guy was way better when it was 1xmbs and 2x scars, infect decks were faster cuz more scars pack and this guy served an efficient roll as a finisher after your opponent used all their removal.
You dont need artifacts to make fangren work. It bassically says your opponents cannot attack you with artifacts(or if you have artifacts to block), On a 5/5 body. [this is of course assuming you can actually trade with their creatures]
You can absoulty, play him, its not hate drafting I would take him intending to play him. You may be able to pick up a horizon spellbomb( which you could have) or a copper myr later hepling splash him.[and of courser your wellspring]
Cuddle cuddle~~ xD
Up the ante, I would give my left ball for Visions.
There are quite alot of targets for Misstep but it seems to further improve Twin. Maybe they should ban or restrict Twin if Misstep comes off.
I might be way off too but men and balls, never apart. (I think I will leave it as it is, we are suppose to be a family orientated website lol).
While I have made some good friends here, you are my favorite PureMTGO buddy (awwwwwwww). Paul Leicht is a close second (didn't forget you, if you read this).
I do not see how t4 Visions is bad for Storm. It is a 1 mana investment on t1 that allows you to sit and sculpt a hand. I would give my left eyeball for this type of card draw/storm enabler (another uniball joke!). It is probably better in swath storm though. I also agree it enables the other decks as well...
I agree with the power of Legacy vs Modern argument for Misstep too. Especially with 1-drops. Ponder/Preordain and Rituals are the playables it hits in Modern right now, and the fringe cards that stand out to me being Spell Snare, Aether Vial, Goblin Guide, a lot of Elves, and 1 mana burn spells. I am probably missing some, but, from the looks of it, Misstep would only really hurt Elves, red rituals and burn spells, and the "too good" card filtering that some people are calling for banning anyway...
Again, I could be way off base here, but I think you have the right attitude. We should be unbanning and adjusting the list, not banning more...
@ Gardevi- you are right. There doesn't seem to be a good way to 1 for 1 with control decks right now, which is how you do it.
I think X-Level Blue does have promise....
Why do people underestimate the 3/3 infect dude? Keep doing it, and I'll pick up 3. Have you tried to deal with 3 of those bad boys? I mean Corpse Cur would wipe out your board. It would take a lot of work to take the both of them out.
I love that guy because he is so available. Very rarely is there a large creature that really hurts your opponent and gets passed around so much, and if you are playing infect, most infect creatures are small. getting a 3/3 or 2/4 can be the game changer if you don't get much in terms of equipment.
The same goes for chained cutthroat. I like him also. I think if I can get 1 he goes right into the main deck unless I play Black Green, which is probably better than Black Blue.
And yeah, you took a pretty early Mycorsynth Wellspring. So Fangreen Marauder would have been the easy pick there. He is a bomb in SOM, especially against non-infect decks.
Still, Boondock Saints trumps any other movie out there.
I want more comments like yours. I agree with most of your picks here as well.
The only one I disagree with is Fangren Marauder. I know how awesome he is. I do not like hate drafting. I didn't feel like I had enough artifacts to make him worth it (my other metalcraft picks weren't because of the metalcraft. that was just a happy by product). I maybe should have though because I was bomb-light and I could have justified the Wellspring I ran MD.
I am not trying to be defensive, rather explaining my position. I do see your point and appreciate your comments.
Idk if I would pass strandwalker p2p1, its really good, and good against you. your not in colors that can deal with it as well.
p2pick4 I would 100% slam fangren maruader its splashable and wins games.
p2 pick 7 I would either take fuel for the cause, or morbid punder. The 3/3 infect dude is underwhelming and slow. A late morbid plunder may intice someone to draft black pack 3, two isnt that bad. Fuel is a great sb card to deal with bombs, maindeckable, but not the best.
p3 pick 4 even if you didnt take the idol, horizon spellbomb is an awesome card even if your not green. especially on modo where the shuffler plays mind games. Whether or not its better than fume spitter or the drake? idk, but it is an option, and a good one.
p3 pick 7 I would have tooken the replica, his bounce abitlity is good, and hes a good defensive creature. you plan on winning via mimic vat/flyers, you need someone to hold the ground. Also, saves your guys, from arest/mindcontrol. Also there is a chance an invismancer will come later.
p9 pick is nihil spellbomb, its ability may be relevant and at worst it cycles and makes your drake/sphinx metalcrafted.
grats on the win
cheers
@Andrew: Balls were thrown so hard recently. *wink*
@Lee: Yea its pretty interesting how they are going to fix this without making combos better. Visions is not good for Storm but good for Pyromancer and Twin which is disturbing.
Misstep would have to depend on the format. It is really good in Legacy but ok in Standard. The power level of Modern is not close to Legacy due to the cards available. Misstep does not shine in Standard due to the sets available compared to Legacy and Standard is just smacking with dudes. I think it should be taken down and given a run and if it is bad for the format, put it back up again.
I should have stated more clearly regarding Sam Black drawing first. Drawing first allows him to decide if the opening 7 is a keeper or to go down to 6. If he does mulligan and keep, it would be as if him playing first but with a slight breathing space due to a free mulligan.
Thanks for ballin' (^^)