Wait, what? You see Snakeform all the time? I would have assumed UG decks in general were not THAT popular since the color combination lends itself to combo and or control which both are frowned on by many players. (Oh not! Not the mindslaver, (eternal witness for redundancy), academy ruins lock! again?)
And by stupendous artifact or artifact creature you mean stupid right? I've cursed the R&D guys more than once for Emrakul and Annihilator.
I am not sure I completely concur with your assessment of Forgemaster. (Unintentional bashing aside, and you did really tear it a new one.) WotC does print cards that have no apparent purpose other than to confuse and mess with bad players BUT rarely do they do it so blatantly. I expect there WILL be a deck that the forgemaster wants to be the center of and that momentarily rocks the meta (eg: swans assault) and then is obsoleted.
Your point of view is misleading since you completely blank out the interdepencies of a healthy constructed environment. There is already a strong imbalance between limited and constructed leading to absurd low card prices and foils negligible. Only a strong (eternal) constructed may cushion the flood of cards coming from the numerous limited events. Otherwise, the card market is going to collapse in the mid-term, due to WotC's unfriendly reprint/promo/nixtix policy.
"As for the hippo and snakeform obviously I don't always use the optimal choices"
I'm the same with my commander decks I like each one to be as individual as possible so try and keep them different by using cards you don't always see.
I have only played against a Kraj deck once. I have seen momir a bunch though. Strange that our experiences have been so different. I just wanted something different from my usual aggro-control route and this deck did the truck.
Thanks again monkey for the discussion and advice. It was very helpful.
My first article had a deck that was equipment based and had the kaldra set but I never got them all out. We will see how much equipment search is in scars.
As for the hippo and snakeform obviously I don't always use the optimal choices. I definitely appreciate the conversation and suggestions though.
thx for this very good overview of formats! there is always something new to discover! for me it was HEIRLOOM a few weeks ago and i can tell you one thing: ITS AWESOME!!! A really deep and coompetetive Format with an amazing cardpool, where all relevant cards are priced below 0.21 Tix (Without Mythics they are 1 Tix or less...)
Block constructed is an odd one to cover from what I remember (as I'm at work at the moment)is that not all of the blocks are present in the client to pick from in the casual room.
Also for Block Constructed you wrote: "The format consists of the cards only from the current block". Well, my Tempest Block deck which I played in weekend challenges and 2mans sometime ago, would like to have a word with you!
Drake is so much better than Griffin: Drake can attack into Stormfront Pegasus, Liliana's Specter, Wild and, of course, Assault Griffin whitout trading.
Stormfront Pegasus over Assault Griffin : Pegausus comes down early and thus usually deals more damage before answered. Also, it's so hard to get good two drops in this format as most are only bears.
I can't believe you didn't include Snakeform. By the way I am totally with you on Pygmy Hippo. It isn't as bad as 'this isn't the name I chose' states. It's not playable in any tourney setting but EDH isn't a tourney setting and has plenty of wiggle room for casual cards like hippo. Also as you said, being that it is a casual format not everyone who plays it knows all the cards. The tapping out in response thing does not matter as much as the not being able to counter anything afterward (well unless you are holding a Daze, FoW or Fade.)
It was great talking to you as you put your deck together. You're right, there are so many different ways to go with this commander. I know I got a lot of ideas just talking to you, but still our decks play very differently even though they both focus on Kraj picking up abilities and being able to put +1/+1 counters on creatures. Even the price points are very different, with my current build at about $37.
If anyone is interested in seeing my take on the deck and how it changed from talking to Leviatian my decks can be found in the deck section of MTGO Traders.
Before is Exp Kraj Commander
Current is themonkey kraj
My deck does pretty well, it doesn't win a lot, but I usually reach a point that I'm enough of a threat that it takes the combined effort of two players to take me out. Last night I was one turn away from defeating one player (Malfegor) before the other (Darigaaz, the Igniter) destroyed my Ice Floe holding Malfegor's Ink Eyes. After that the Malfegor player had too strong of a board position and won the game.
Again, thanks for your input, it was great talking to you. Maybe sometime we'll meet in the game.
It's funny how often people forget about the lack of mana burn though. On top of that due to the amount of text, people don't read the whole thing and think that it has to deal damage before the ability kicks in. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I have gotten mana off of it, and the few times it has seen play and attacked, no one has been smart enough/even thought about tapping out before it hits. In addition, with a couple of creatures out people spend more time worrying about what Kraj can do than the hippo. I'll admit that it was only about 4 times total, but when it does work it's very nice.
However what you are saying is true. So feel free to change it up for mana reflection or something. Obviously not everyone reads my articles but I'm sure that more people will be aware of what hippo does now.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, it will also tap people down. So they often won't be able to counter stuff or pay for abilities. So not entirely useless.
That definitely would be fun. Unfortunately I generally only play after 9:30 pm here on the westcoast, which I assume is pretty late (or early, depending on just how far east you are) for a bunch of you guys
Old School Constructed sounds like it would bring back a ton of nostalgia. I actually made an old Erhnam & Burn 'em deck with nothing newer than Ice Age a while back and had fun with it playing casual Classic. People running around playing Geddons and Hymns would get annoying to some people, but that's how we used to do it back in the day. Ah, the good old days.
Me too.../ironic.
Wait, what? You see Snakeform all the time? I would have assumed UG decks in general were not THAT popular since the color combination lends itself to combo and or control which both are frowned on by many players. (Oh not! Not the mindslaver, (eternal witness for redundancy), academy ruins lock! again?)
And by stupendous artifact or artifact creature you mean stupid right? I've cursed the R&D guys more than once for Emrakul and Annihilator.
I am not sure I completely concur with your assessment of Forgemaster. (Unintentional bashing aside, and you did really tear it a new one.) WotC does print cards that have no apparent purpose other than to confuse and mess with bad players BUT rarely do they do it so blatantly. I expect there WILL be a deck that the forgemaster wants to be the center of and that momentarily rocks the meta (eg: swans assault) and then is obsoleted.
You forget WotC hates MTGO Eternal formats... /bitter
Your point of view is misleading since you completely blank out the interdepencies of a healthy constructed environment. There is already a strong imbalance between limited and constructed leading to absurd low card prices and foils negligible. Only a strong (eternal) constructed may cushion the flood of cards coming from the numerous limited events. Otherwise, the card market is going to collapse in the mid-term, due to WotC's unfriendly reprint/promo/nixtix policy.
"As for the hippo and snakeform obviously I don't always use the optimal choices"
I'm the same with my commander decks I like each one to be as individual as possible so try and keep them different by using cards you don't always see.
I have only played against a Kraj deck once. I have seen momir a bunch though. Strange that our experiences have been so different. I just wanted something different from my usual aggro-control route and this deck did the truck.
Thanks again monkey for the discussion and advice. It was very helpful.
My first article had a deck that was equipment based and had the kaldra set but I never got them all out. We will see how much equipment search is in scars.
As for the hippo and snakeform obviously I don't always use the optimal choices. I definitely appreciate the conversation and suggestions though.
Um yeah, i didn't want to say that again, but dejavu.
Hi,
thx for this very good overview of formats! there is always something new to discover! for me it was HEIRLOOM a few weeks ago and i can tell you one thing: ITS AWESOME!!! A really deep and coompetetive Format with an amazing cardpool, where all relevant cards are priced below 0.21 Tix (Without Mythics they are 1 Tix or less...)
check the Article by xaoslegend here on puremtgo: http://puremtgo.com/articles/heirloom-constructed
see u for a heirloom match or in the free heirloom event running saturday 11 am
Best wishes
Nagarjuna
Block constructed is an odd one to cover from what I remember (as I'm at work at the moment)is that not all of the blocks are present in the client to pick from in the casual room.
I did forget Core set constructed.
Good article Flippers very useful.
But where is Core Set Constructed?
Also for Block Constructed you wrote: "The format consists of the cards only from the current block". Well, my Tempest Block deck which I played in weekend challenges and 2mans sometime ago, would like to have a word with you!
Apart from those, very nice.
LE
Drake is so much better than Griffin: Drake can attack into Stormfront Pegasus, Liliana's Specter, Wild and, of course, Assault Griffin whitout trading.
Stormfront Pegasus over Assault Griffin : Pegausus comes down early and thus usually deals more damage before answered. Also, it's so hard to get good two drops in this format as most are only bears.
I can't believe you didn't include Snakeform. By the way I am totally with you on Pygmy Hippo. It isn't as bad as 'this isn't the name I chose' states. It's not playable in any tourney setting but EDH isn't a tourney setting and has plenty of wiggle room for casual cards like hippo. Also as you said, being that it is a casual format not everyone who plays it knows all the cards. The tapping out in response thing does not matter as much as the not being able to counter anything afterward (well unless you are holding a Daze, FoW or Fade.)
It was great talking to you as you put your deck together. You're right, there are so many different ways to go with this commander. I know I got a lot of ideas just talking to you, but still our decks play very differently even though they both focus on Kraj picking up abilities and being able to put +1/+1 counters on creatures. Even the price points are very different, with my current build at about $37.
If anyone is interested in seeing my take on the deck and how it changed from talking to Leviatian my decks can be found in the deck section of MTGO Traders.
Before is Exp Kraj Commander
Current is themonkey kraj
My deck does pretty well, it doesn't win a lot, but I usually reach a point that I'm enough of a threat that it takes the combined effort of two players to take me out. Last night I was one turn away from defeating one player (Malfegor) before the other (Darigaaz, the Igniter) destroyed my Ice Floe holding Malfegor's Ink Eyes. After that the Malfegor player had too strong of a board position and won the game.
Again, thanks for your input, it was great talking to you. Maybe sometime we'll meet in the game.
Erhnamgeddon was one of my favorite decks to play as was a 3c variant on the lines of Naya (Bolts, Plows, Elves, Angels, Regrowth, Various Red men.)
And Fireball has more synergy w/ Lightning Bolt, which was the correct pick. Think about that...
Great article. I'd add Nicol Bolas to Conflxu but it is narrow compared to others
Allow me to upset everyone:
Triskellion has more synergy with Infantry Veteran than fireball does. THINK ABOUT IT
Hey Xaos!
Everything conceivably good for you, your woman and baby.
CU later
I hate to say it but I'm disappointed in the choice, I've seen a lot of UG decks and theyre always Kraj
It's funny how often people forget about the lack of mana burn though. On top of that due to the amount of text, people don't read the whole thing and think that it has to deal damage before the ability kicks in. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I have gotten mana off of it, and the few times it has seen play and attacked, no one has been smart enough/even thought about tapping out before it hits. In addition, with a couple of creatures out people spend more time worrying about what Kraj can do than the hippo. I'll admit that it was only about 4 times total, but when it does work it's very nice.
However what you are saying is true. So feel free to change it up for mana reflection or something. Obviously not everyone reads my articles but I'm sure that more people will be aware of what hippo does now.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, it will also tap people down. So they often won't be able to counter stuff or pay for abilities. So not entirely useless.
That definitely would be fun. Unfortunately I generally only play after 9:30 pm here on the westcoast, which I assume is pretty late (or early, depending on just how far east you are) for a bunch of you guys
Nice to see some love for Bartel Runeaxe. He's actually semi-playable in a casual setting.
And a deck built around getting out the Yamazaki Bros? That's good stuff.
Old School Constructed sounds like it would bring back a ton of nostalgia. I actually made an old Erhnam & Burn 'em deck with nothing newer than Ice Age a while back and had fun with it playing casual Classic. People running around playing Geddons and Hymns would get annoying to some people, but that's how we used to do it back in the day. Ah, the good old days.
Also, thanks for the link!
I have a really nice Myr deck currently, they are fun