not bad. Would have preferred Classic, but I'll take what I can get.
A few nit-picks, most not worth mentioning, but at about 15 minutes into match 2, your opponent killed a Glinthawk Idol with Crush. Whoops - nevermind - just watched you do it correctly 2 minutes later.
:)
I don't think Sundial of the Infinite will ever be an "answer" card. Most combo decks go off during their controller's turn, not the opponent's. Since Sundial can only cut short your own turn, it's not as useful to protect against combo. Though it is a very cool card with a huge variety of applications, it's not a reactionary card.
Great job, I like the new format. And adding the whopping FOUR podiums to the end was icing on the cake.
There is one small way you could improve it though. It would be nice if you included an image for all the cards on your list especially the new cards. I like reading puremtgo articles during breaks at work on my phone. It's very time intensive to have to switch between pages in order to remind myself what a card does. An image along with the card title solves that problem.
I would be suprise if skinshifter see any serious Legacy play. Zoo currently has better answers than a mana required creature. Pridemage fits better in the two slot than this guy along with Tarmo. If it sees play it will be casual or very inconsistent.
I'm actually surprised you rated Solemn so low. I remember this card being abused the last time it was printed and I'm pretty sure he will be a staple among many different kinds of decks. As a colorless creature with a sick ability I think you highly undervalued him.
Great article as usual, btw when is your next legacy article coming?
Skinshifter is at number 3, because I believe that it will be used in almost all the formats out there (that's my personal belief of course).
Zoo decks in Legacy, Modern, 100 Card Singleton and Extended will try it. Standard surely will find a use for it; even if not now, surely after Valakut rotates out.
It's also great in exotic formats. It will see play in Commander, Core Set Constructed (it still exists!) and even in Tribal Wars (a great Human and a great Shaman).
So that's why he's at number 3. No matter what format you play, it's always a good option if you like creatures (and if you have Forests in your deck).
Glad to see Sundial of the Infinite acknowledged as the best/nearly-broken card of M12. I think it's also a rare case of Timmy/Johnny/Spike card. Timmy: "Wow, now I can have total control over the turn! I'm the master of time!". Johnny: "Wow, now I can combo with that obscure, awesome card nobody ever played just because it was actually making you lose the game!". Spike: "Wow, now I have a cheap, reliable answer to that archetype's combo!".
On unrelated news, Skinshifter is a great card, I would also highlight the fact that he can be different things between your turn and opponent's turn (or before and after the blockers are declared). Still, bronze medalist seems a little too much. It's not that he will make a lot of difference or will define a whole new archetype somewhere. It's just a solid option for a tactical midrange beater.
Also: abusing Force of Nature? As a mainly green player, I can tell you that good ol' Force has sadly become obsolete from a while now. If you really want a green 8/8 trampler for 6cc, you can go with Terra Stomper, getting a sweet "can't be countered" clause and not having to worry about having a combo piece that makes it decent. And even that isn't played that much (or at all).
oh my this deck really brings me back to when i started to have the balls to play in real tournys, i played at a shop in phoenix that had a few pro players and they always played what was the top deck before net decking and i also tried to make this same deck but i think it was way to complex for me to really grasp. Great job showing everyone these decks cause some of them where off the chain.
Prefer eternal format content are preferably classic.
Draft was awkward through no fault of your own. The packs just didn't fall.
Best part was the card art alternate and that enlightened tutor :-)
Good job all round slick and professional but from a selfish casuals prospective I prefer the content to be classic based - but now I'm just being petulant.
- hammer
I remember being amazed by this deck when it was on top. Pros bloom is really the first deck to make me realize there was more to the game, and it will always hold a special place for me. It even ispired me to build my own awful version at the time.
The interaction between natural balance, and squandered resources was way above my head then, so I didn't even run them. Basically it was just a bunch of dig and mana ramp into a bloom, then try and chain a prosperity or two and finish with a Stormseeker or Vise. It was pretty bad, but it was fun, and won a fair few casual games.
The Archivist (not my first choice for dredge, but maybe in modern?) doesn't just discard, it lets you draw (dredge) right away. Also, I think you're missing on Grim... he's an auto-four-of in std RDWs.
I'm not sure how well you know the format, but you do a good job of staying open for Pack 2, and make generally good selections pack 1, so I would say you know it reasonably well. Having passed so much solid blue in pack 1, the Anatomist was a mistake, both because it is worse than Burn the Impure if you are already white, and because blue is going to be drafted to your left.
White is also now, inexplicably, the most drafted color in PMS. If you have the choice between color X and white, take color X, especially since most of whites best spells can be splashed or are Phyrexian Mana. Spire Monitor vs Master Splicer comes down to preference, but I would take the monitor, especially since blue is very consistent in packs 2 and 3, and you are rewarded for cutting it. The lack of white P3 happens too consistently for me to attribute it to bad packs or luck. I have no idea why people continue to move into it late since the best packs are 1 and 3, but it happens quite often.
I'm also a bit confused, was this a Swiss draft? I'm asking because I cannot see how Spread the Sickness, one of the best commons in MBS, could be picked up 5th. Splashable removal should never go that late, and nobody loves Fangren Marauder that much but me (A splashable bomb at common? Yes please!)
I completely agree on Sundial of the Infinite, and am looking forward to doing horrible, horrible things with it to my opponents. I look forward to seeing the shenanigans you come up with.
I liked the standard portion, Tempered Steel is a good deck, despite the showing here, and even the linear aggro decks in standard these days provide important decision trees - which is good.
I also loved the saga draft, tough luck flooding out, you had a pretty good G/B deck. It can be an unforgiving format because a lot of new players draft it and certain cards like combat medic are just broken.
Let me apologize, I was on tilt that game and certainly wasn't playing to best of my abilities. I've always hated the deck Valakut (illogical I know) and I let the whole situation get to me.
In regards to the MOL of the year race huge congratulations on that; but it is by no means a measure of skill on its own. Personally on mtgstats I am one of the top 100 mtgo players in standard, block and overall in regards to win percentage. Not saying this makes me better either, just pointing out stats can be twisted depending how you look at them.
All this is not an excuse; I let my emotions bleed through into my game play which is a huge failure on my part. Next time I want to criticize my opponent's play I intend to look more closely at my own. I hope we can put this behind us, because I always look to better myself and it is always good to have friends on mtgo who are great grinders.
First off, I really like all your videos, you've turned into "must-see" content for me each week. I just wanted to suggest that next time you go through replays (which I actually appreciate since it takes way less time to watch), you go ahead and queue up each round before recording, or pause when switching between games. It takes just a little away from the experience when we find out you won game 1 and then see there are only 2 games in the match. Just a bit anti-climactic. Otherwise, great job and keep up the great work.
There is only so much Classic going on right now (although the league helps that) and different subjects like standard (or block if it wasn't basically WW vs all) help keep things interesting especially when he's still posting Classic drafts.
not bad. Would have preferred Classic, but I'll take what I can get.
A few nit-picks, most not worth mentioning, but at about 15 minutes into match 2, your opponent killed a Glinthawk Idol with Crush. Whoops - nevermind - just watched you do it correctly 2 minutes later.
:)
Videos of the Justice / Long match here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo1pzK19Upc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
The supposed "no Drain Life" moment isn't explicitly on the YouTube videos, but it sounds like Long refers to it sarcastically at one point.
edit: Oops, should have refreshed the comments before I posted. It's 2011, why don't web sites update in real time yet?
m.youtube.com/watch?desktop_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIv9eouZKMOE&v=Iv9eouZKMOE&gl=US
It's just the finals...but much easier to follow than a tournament report
I don't think Sundial of the Infinite will ever be an "answer" card. Most combo decks go off during their controller's turn, not the opponent's. Since Sundial can only cut short your own turn, it's not as useful to protect against combo. Though it is a very cool card with a huge variety of applications, it's not a reactionary card.
Also looks very sweet for Doran decks, fwiw
Great job, I like the new format. And adding the whopping FOUR podiums to the end was icing on the cake.
There is one small way you could improve it though. It would be nice if you included an image for all the cards on your list especially the new cards. I like reading puremtgo articles during breaks at work on my phone. It's very time intensive to have to switch between pages in order to remind myself what a card does. An image along with the card title solves that problem.
I would be suprise if skinshifter see any serious Legacy play. Zoo currently has better answers than a mana required creature. Pridemage fits better in the two slot than this guy along with Tarmo. If it sees play it will be casual or very inconsistent.
I'm actually surprised you rated Solemn so low. I remember this card being abused the last time it was printed and I'm pretty sure he will be a staple among many different kinds of decks. As a colorless creature with a sick ability I think you highly undervalued him.
Great article as usual, btw when is your next legacy article coming?
Skinshifter is at number 3, because I believe that it will be used in almost all the formats out there (that's my personal belief of course).
Zoo decks in Legacy, Modern, 100 Card Singleton and Extended will try it. Standard surely will find a use for it; even if not now, surely after Valakut rotates out.
It's also great in exotic formats. It will see play in Commander, Core Set Constructed (it still exists!) and even in Tribal Wars (a great Human and a great Shaman).
So that's why he's at number 3. No matter what format you play, it's always a good option if you like creatures (and if you have Forests in your deck).
By the way, thanks everybody for the comments.
LE
Glad to see Sundial of the Infinite acknowledged as the best/nearly-broken card of M12. I think it's also a rare case of Timmy/Johnny/Spike card. Timmy: "Wow, now I can have total control over the turn! I'm the master of time!". Johnny: "Wow, now I can combo with that obscure, awesome card nobody ever played just because it was actually making you lose the game!". Spike: "Wow, now I have a cheap, reliable answer to that archetype's combo!".
On unrelated news, Skinshifter is a great card, I would also highlight the fact that he can be different things between your turn and opponent's turn (or before and after the blockers are declared). Still, bronze medalist seems a little too much. It's not that he will make a lot of difference or will define a whole new archetype somewhere. It's just a solid option for a tactical midrange beater.
Also: abusing Force of Nature? As a mainly green player, I can tell you that good ol' Force has sadly become obsolete from a while now. If you really want a green 8/8 trampler for 6cc, you can go with Terra Stomper, getting a sweet "can't be countered" clause and not having to worry about having a combo piece that makes it decent. And even that isn't played that much (or at all).
oh my this deck really brings me back to when i started to have the balls to play in real tournys, i played at a shop in phoenix that had a few pro players and they always played what was the top deck before net decking and i also tried to make this same deck but i think it was way to complex for me to really grasp. Great job showing everyone these decks cause some of them where off the chain.
Prefer eternal format content are preferably classic.
Draft was awkward through no fault of your own. The packs just didn't fall.
Best part was the card art alternate and that enlightened tutor :-)
Good job all round slick and professional but from a selfish casuals prospective I prefer the content to be classic based - but now I'm just being petulant.
- hammer
This one really takes me back.
I remember being amazed by this deck when it was on top. Pros bloom is really the first deck to make me realize there was more to the game, and it will always hold a special place for me. It even ispired me to build my own awful version at the time.
The interaction between natural balance, and squandered resources was way above my head then, so I didn't even run them. Basically it was just a bunch of dig and mana ramp into a bloom, then try and chain a prosperity or two and finish with a Stormseeker or Vise. It was pretty bad, but it was fun, and won a fair few casual games.
Deathmark is clearly the best artwork, it reminds me of something but i don't know what. If you look close the pupil is a skull.
The Archivist (not my first choice for dredge, but maybe in modern?) doesn't just discard, it lets you draw (dredge) right away. Also, I think you're missing on Grim... he's an auto-four-of in std RDWs.
I'm not sure how well you know the format, but you do a good job of staying open for Pack 2, and make generally good selections pack 1, so I would say you know it reasonably well. Having passed so much solid blue in pack 1, the Anatomist was a mistake, both because it is worse than Burn the Impure if you are already white, and because blue is going to be drafted to your left.
White is also now, inexplicably, the most drafted color in PMS. If you have the choice between color X and white, take color X, especially since most of whites best spells can be splashed or are Phyrexian Mana. Spire Monitor vs Master Splicer comes down to preference, but I would take the monitor, especially since blue is very consistent in packs 2 and 3, and you are rewarded for cutting it. The lack of white P3 happens too consistently for me to attribute it to bad packs or luck. I have no idea why people continue to move into it late since the best packs are 1 and 3, but it happens quite often.
I'm also a bit confused, was this a Swiss draft? I'm asking because I cannot see how Spread the Sickness, one of the best commons in MBS, could be picked up 5th. Splashable removal should never go that late, and nobody loves Fangren Marauder that much but me (A splashable bomb at common? Yes please!)
I just checked all those crazy things on the Beta server to see whether they really do work or not, and oh my God! They do work!!
This card is really B-R-O-K-E-N!!
LE
I completely agree on Sundial of the Infinite, and am looking forward to doing horrible, horrible things with it to my opponents. I look forward to seeing the shenanigans you come up with.
I liked the standard portion, Tempered Steel is a good deck, despite the showing here, and even the linear aggro decks in standard these days provide important decision trees - which is good.
I also loved the saga draft, tough luck flooding out, you had a pretty good G/B deck. It can be an unforgiving format because a lot of new players draft it and certain cards like combat medic are just broken.
Std gets covered on every major site and Classic draft isn't really Classic, it's drafting old sets. Classic decks or gtfo!!!
Let me apologize, I was on tilt that game and certainly wasn't playing to best of my abilities. I've always hated the deck Valakut (illogical I know) and I let the whole situation get to me.
In regards to the MOL of the year race huge congratulations on that; but it is by no means a measure of skill on its own. Personally on mtgstats I am one of the top 100 mtgo players in standard, block and overall in regards to win percentage. Not saying this makes me better either, just pointing out stats can be twisted depending how you look at them.
All this is not an excuse; I let my emotions bleed through into my game play which is a huge failure on my part. Next time I want to criticize my opponent's play I intend to look more closely at my own. I hope we can put this behind us, because I always look to better myself and it is always good to have friends on mtgo who are great grinders.
Thank you for thoughts, that sounds like a perfectly reasonable way to make these vids run smoother. I will implement it :D.
Right after you waste your dismember you can arc-trail your perilous myr to kill his hero of bladehold.
First off, I really like all your videos, you've turned into "must-see" content for me each week. I just wanted to suggest that next time you go through replays (which I actually appreciate since it takes way less time to watch), you go ahead and queue up each round before recording, or pause when switching between games. It takes just a little away from the experience when we find out you won game 1 and then see there are only 2 games in the match. Just a bit anti-climactic. Otherwise, great job and keep up the great work.
I think you fail to make the case for Mercadian Masques. Reprints of cards that are sky high in value would please me far more.
There is only so much Classic going on right now (although the league helps that) and different subjects like standard (or block if it wasn't basically WW vs all) help keep things interesting especially when he's still posting Classic drafts.