I agree, any aggro deck player that does not pay heed to the concept of controlled aggression will inevitably leave themselves open to horrible game ending plays. On the other hand such decks may not have enough reach if they wait too long to deal 20 to the dome.
Brought back some memories and led me to remember the gaps in my own play history as other events happened in my life instead. I would like to note that any endeavor to record accurate historical data involving such a massive allotment of time and people is never going to be totally complete. I liked the personal side of the article which told of YOUR story within the larger scope of the game. Nice Job! :)
And yes I realize the spammer above necroed this but I had never read it before (so many missed articles so little time). It was worth reading and commenting on. :D
another answer to crypt rats is just for aggro decks to play smarter. If youre playing against black then quite simply dont overextend to the point where rats is good game. Its like playing against wrath...do you play out each and every creature you get so wrrath wrecks your day? no you save some so you can have a board position after it goes off. same with crypt rats.
>>I think i'm correct in saying that if you toothed for iona + paintmeister, your opponent would still have an opportunity to putrefy/terminate/path iona while the two citp abilities were on the stack.
Iona and Painter's Servant are "AS this comes into play" abilities, not "WHEN". Much like Meddling Mage or Pithing Needle, the choice is made before the card is in play and you can't respond to it.
*Crypt rats are overpowered because they are the truest board wipe in the format -- if every wrath of god is uncommon, rats are a common only by historical accident.
Counterpoint: simply because a card is the best at what it does, does not mean it should be banned. There are numerous cards that behave similarly to rats, though admittedly they are less effective. Rats does have drawbacks as well to offset it being the best at its roll. It is a creature card, cannot hit prot black creatures, damages its controller, is very swamp intensive, etc.
*Crypt rats warp the metagame by devastating aggro decks.
Counterpoint: It would be an interesting world if crypt rats were banned, but honestly the decks that would proliferate would probably be horrible to play/play against (elves, tokens, etc.) and control might wither altogether. Further, aggro still top 8s consistently, showing that to some extent the card can be played around, even as aggro. Decks like GW cloak show that the metagame can deal with rats, at least to a degree so we don't have the Cranial Plating problem.
*Crypt rats warp the metagame by making MBC crowd out other control decks.
Counterpoint: As it is, plenty of top control decks (e.g., teachings, parlor tricks) do not rely on rats. It is far from obvious that the card warps the format any more than does mulldrifter, a card that very nearly single-handedly blows out board control decks, and probably is played more widely than rats. Also, see above: most other control decks would not be functional in a world where black control didn't weed out a good deal of creature aggro decks.
I also think that Crypt Rats should be banned. Like another poster in here said, its time to shake up the meta game and take out the Crypt Rats. I really think aggro needs a good chance in the format and would stand a better chance with Crypt Rats out of the picture.
most builds are running some combination of duress and thoughtseize possibly up to the full 8 copies. They had a deck tech list, and they run chalices set to one and two to avoid repeals, and other tactics. The run some counters themselves as well i believe. The most talked about version is u/b
Couldn't the player run Lightning Greaves and Duress to ensure a more stable version? Yes it opens it up a bit but it seems like the deck already wants to be some kind of heavy black base and as you mention there is the dual use retrieval in Zen, plus a myriad of other methods. I guess the real question is: Would it be worth it? And could it be done quickly enough to merit (no pun intended) attention?
Imagine the following sequence for the win: Duress out creature removal, Damnation or Explosives for sweeping aside potential blockers, get Lightning Greaves out, play the hexmage or recur it somehow then equip the token and win?
==Edit==
Thats B + BB2 (or some amount higher for explosives) + 2 + BB ...is that even doable in any tourney setting? with triple dark ritual maybe. (thats 10 cards by my count. Its probably not even doable with the nuts draw. Of course if the op has no way to stop it then you don't need the damnation or explosives. Which takes out a card and 4 mana+.
Technically, Dark Depths is very resistant to counterspells. But I agree with you that the combo doesn't seem very resilient or tournament worthy. Marit Lage needs one of the following: shroud, haste, or trample.
However, Zendikar does have a spell which says "Raise Dead a creature and/or a land." Which is perfect for this deck. With that spell to answer your opponent's answer it could be a very strong casual deck. Maybe.
Oddly enough, I think this might be more viable for Classic. The random little flying chump blockers are less of a problem, you've got Dark Ritual, and you can protect Marit Lage with Force of Will. And access to awesome black tutors. I don't know if more viable is viable enough, I don't think so (what combo doesn't become more powerful with a tutor package?) but we'll see.
I wish there was a way to comment on the whole event instead of just individial posts. I'm really loving this feed hammy and of course I was tickled silly to see the puremtgo shirt.
Good luck boys....
No fear
I agree, any aggro deck player that does not pay heed to the concept of controlled aggression will inevitably leave themselves open to horrible game ending plays. On the other hand such decks may not have enough reach if they wait too long to deal 20 to the dome.
Brought back some memories and led me to remember the gaps in my own play history as other events happened in my life instead. I would like to note that any endeavor to record accurate historical data involving such a massive allotment of time and people is never going to be totally complete. I liked the personal side of the article which told of YOUR story within the larger scope of the game. Nice Job! :)
And yes I realize the spammer above necroed this but I had never read it before (so many missed articles so little time). It was worth reading and commenting on. :D
another answer to crypt rats is just for aggro decks to play smarter. If youre playing against black then quite simply dont overextend to the point where rats is good game. Its like playing against wrath...do you play out each and every creature you get so wrrath wrecks your day? no you save some so you can have a board position after it goes off. same with crypt rats.
>>I think i'm correct in saying that if you toothed for iona + paintmeister, your opponent would still have an opportunity to putrefy/terminate/path iona while the two citp abilities were on the stack.
Iona and Painter's Servant are "AS this comes into play" abilities, not "WHEN". Much like Meddling Mage or Pithing Needle, the choice is made before the card is in play and you can't respond to it.
you can't be acute
To sum up the age-old crypt rats debate:
*Crypt rats are overpowered because they are the truest board wipe in the format -- if every wrath of god is uncommon, rats are a common only by historical accident.
Counterpoint: simply because a card is the best at what it does, does not mean it should be banned. There are numerous cards that behave similarly to rats, though admittedly they are less effective. Rats does have drawbacks as well to offset it being the best at its roll. It is a creature card, cannot hit prot black creatures, damages its controller, is very swamp intensive, etc.
*Crypt rats warp the metagame by devastating aggro decks.
Counterpoint: It would be an interesting world if crypt rats were banned, but honestly the decks that would proliferate would probably be horrible to play/play against (elves, tokens, etc.) and control might wither altogether. Further, aggro still top 8s consistently, showing that to some extent the card can be played around, even as aggro. Decks like GW cloak show that the metagame can deal with rats, at least to a degree so we don't have the Cranial Plating problem.
*Crypt rats warp the metagame by making MBC crowd out other control decks.
Counterpoint: As it is, plenty of top control decks (e.g., teachings, parlor tricks) do not rely on rats. It is far from obvious that the card warps the format any more than does mulldrifter, a card that very nearly single-handedly blows out board control decks, and probably is played more widely than rats. Also, see above: most other control decks would not be functional in a world where black control didn't weed out a good deal of creature aggro decks.
I also think that Crypt Rats should be banned. Like another poster in here said, its time to shake up the meta game and take out the Crypt Rats. I really think aggro needs a good chance in the format and would stand a better chance with Crypt Rats out of the picture.
great article man, thx
Blimey, this was a long while ago.
how does the haunt ability work in the code of the orzhov work i dont quite understand it
Excellent article. I love your breakdowns of all the decks in Pauper and how their different match-ups are like :)
Keep 'em comin' !
most builds are running some combination of duress and thoughtseize possibly up to the full 8 copies. They had a deck tech list, and they run chalices set to one and two to avoid repeals, and other tactics. The run some counters themselves as well i believe. The most talked about version is u/b
Sounds pretty proriffic.
Couldn't the player run Lightning Greaves and Duress to ensure a more stable version? Yes it opens it up a bit but it seems like the deck already wants to be some kind of heavy black base and as you mention there is the dual use retrieval in Zen, plus a myriad of other methods. I guess the real question is: Would it be worth it? And could it be done quickly enough to merit (no pun intended) attention?
Imagine the following sequence for the win: Duress out creature removal, Damnation or Explosives for sweeping aside potential blockers, get Lightning Greaves out, play the hexmage or recur it somehow then equip the token and win?
==Edit==
Thats B + BB2 (or some amount higher for explosives) + 2 + BB ...is that even doable in any tourney setting? with triple dark ritual maybe. (thats 10 cards by my count. Its probably not even doable with the nuts draw. Of course if the op has no way to stop it then you don't need the damnation or explosives. Which takes out a card and 4 mana+.
korhedron took out both LSV AND Olivier Ruel. Keep an eye out for him online!
Korhedron has got to feel great about beating out LSV.
there actually is no break down to tell the fact
That's a fine looking team!
"I bet even their janitorial staff can clean house."
Yeah. Yeah actually I bet they could.
Technically, Dark Depths is very resistant to counterspells. But I agree with you that the combo doesn't seem very resilient or tournament worthy. Marit Lage needs one of the following: shroud, haste, or trample.
However, Zendikar does have a spell which says "Raise Dead a creature and/or a land." Which is perfect for this deck. With that spell to answer your opponent's answer it could be a very strong casual deck. Maybe.
Oddly enough, I think this might be more viable for Classic. The random little flying chump blockers are less of a problem, you've got Dark Ritual, and you can protect Marit Lage with Force of Will. And access to awesome black tutors. I don't know if more viable is viable enough, I don't think so (what combo doesn't become more powerful with a tutor package?) but we'll see.
Ye ye, what can I noise abroad this appears to comprise worked definitely source
When I do my event wrap up you'll see it on me, hanging out with MaRo after the MTG Meet and Greet. :D
4 fireballs because some pictures would have been better
good article man !
Fine idea, great participants ... so good luck & have fun !