As far as the audio issues...I am not entirely sure what happened. When I mixed it down as usual, it had dual audio for me. We will try and double check for that in the future.
Polis Crusher's protection from Enchantment-Creatures is pretty nice. I think this aspect of the card is more relevant (in more matchups) than dodging Chained to the Rocks. It can't be blocked by Eidolon or Nighthowler from the mono-black decks, and it can block an incoming Nighthowler when there's a Whip in play resulting in no life gain for the black player. And of course there's opposing Boon Satyrs in the mirror.
The mono-green deck looks awful. It can't possibly beat mono-black, can it? I guess mono-black going down to 12% of the metagame let that deck have a chance. It shouldn't beat control either, but maybe it benefits from control stumbling over its own awful mana enough times to eek out a win.
Stymied hope is good. I don't think people can differentiate between power and tempo, stymied hope is a great tempo card.
I have played 2+ in UW heroic and it was great. Obviously 1 at the maximum usually - but I heartily disagree with your ranking in comparison to hippocamp - completely different cards....
Well, he's no Nimbus Naiad, but I think this is a very solid card, and certainly way better than Stymied Hopes which will often be a dead card. The Hippocamp is never a dead card. It's a Hill Giant with a point of toughness missing, which is not terrible in limited and will trade with a lot of other creatures in combat. That's enough to make it filler at the least.
But it's got Flash. Flash means it's sometimes removal, when you flash it in and block. Sometimes it's a race-math-swinger, when someone alphas because you don't have lethal on-board, you flash this guy in End Of Turn and now you DO have lethal and just win.
Plus he doesn't JUST have flash, you get a free untap. Which means once in a while you get to ambush TWO attacking creatures with unexpected blocks, or get a second free use out of some activated ability, etc.
Sure, in many games the bonus upsides won't come into play, and then he's "just" a 3/2 creature, which is fine. As oppposed to a card that's sometimes just a scry 1, which is worth like half a card. I also think there's value in having some playable creatures in sideboard, so games 2 and 3 you can say "I need to up my creature count from 15 to 18 against this type of deck" or "I need to raise my curve" or "I need to lower my curve" or even in deck construction you might see "I'm low on 4 drops" or "I'm low on creatures" and he's good to have in there.
If you only pick exciting creatures and not solid ones, you're missing out on value. This guy doesn't fly and gain +1 counters, or bestow, but he's solid as a rock.
I'm my own proofer these days. I decided to forgo using "proper" english and just started typing how I speak, pretty much.
That you think it's gotten better tells me it has. :) Thanks! I still have my moments of self-doubt, and feeling like a poser, tho! But I guess that comes with being an old emo punk.
Well in my humble opine, as your erstwhile and sometime editor, your writing is what draws in the crowds, Sluggypoo. Well that and the loyalty of countless minions, engendered by your years of service to the community. That you no longer need or want my help editing your articles shows growth I think. (Or perhaps you found better proofers?) And that the quality continues to improve speaks for itself. :)
thanks Zach - yes I need to change it up a tad, let's see STAX, Dredge, oath, flaming rectum, sky hussar, lumberjack ramp are the power houses currently.
My thinking on Will was that it would be good even if it was just to recast a destroyed Vault or Key, but I definitely trust your judgement as I'm not an expert on the archetype.
I feel your pain on Trinisphere. I put a couple Canonists in the board of my mono-white deck last league because I thought there would be a bunch of Gush/Pyromancer decks (this was right after M14 released) and only 2 people played it. *cue the sad trombone*
No Yawgmoth's Will, because in testing it feels that I don't have the big mana that Vintage has access to (nor the colored sources). I tried out a few other heavier casting costs (Notion Thief, Tezzeret) as well, and without Mana Drain help it feels like I never really hit a critical mana concentration necessary for casting all my heavier goodies; once Vintage comes out Will'll definitely be in. Trinisphere is for the Young Pyromancer/Gush decks that didn't materialize :(.
I will actually play hippocamp 0 times in the entirety of this format I think. He might be an option for people who don't hate him as much as me though.
I agree with these statements. Except I'll almost always raredraft anything over 2 tix, barring a bomb in the pack or something - playable isn't enough!
That makes sense Zach - but I thought it was a good example of being stuck on that early, then adjusting partway through. Like, there are certainly times I would just try to force an awful UW deck out of this, thinking, "Man, the guy NEXT to me is sure getting the Green!" instead of making the adjustment. If anything, it was an even harder adjustment to make after passing Prophet, but still correct.
I'll try to get a better example of "clear thinking" from pick one for my next one, but I'm also still hunting a good (elusive) GR deck.
Love the content woof, but consider TRYING A NEW DECK <3
It's fun to see people try things outside their comfort zone, and by now affinity is definitely your comfort zone. Try something that you have never played before for a daily? Mix it up a bit!
Imho G1 vs Dredge you keep a clear Mulligan Hand - You cant beat Dreadge with that unless the dredge Player mulls into Oblivion. Its neither fast or disruptive, none of the 7 Cards does anything besides giving Mana or being a random Dork.
G2 you should have used Strip Mine on the Field while it was tapped (not like it would have change much, but still)
I got beaten 2-0 against Gamemaster32 by insane draws. :/ Game 1 he had Academy, a ton of guys, and Tangle Wire, and Game 2 he Turn 1 and Turn 2 Lodestones, which precluded me from casting Seeds.
Thanks Paul!
As far as the audio issues...I am not entirely sure what happened. When I mixed it down as usual, it had dual audio for me. We will try and double check for that in the future.
Polis Crusher's protection from Enchantment-Creatures is pretty nice. I think this aspect of the card is more relevant (in more matchups) than dodging Chained to the Rocks. It can't be blocked by Eidolon or Nighthowler from the mono-black decks, and it can block an incoming Nighthowler when there's a Whip in play resulting in no life gain for the black player. And of course there's opposing Boon Satyrs in the mirror.
The mono-green deck looks awful. It can't possibly beat mono-black, can it? I guess mono-black going down to 12% of the metagame let that deck have a chance. It shouldn't beat control either, but maybe it benefits from control stumbling over its own awful mana enough times to eek out a win.
Stymied hope is good. I don't think people can differentiate between power and tempo, stymied hope is a great tempo card.
I have played 2+ in UW heroic and it was great. Obviously 1 at the maximum usually - but I heartily disagree with your ranking in comparison to hippocamp - completely different cards....
I prefer when people write how they speak. It makes more sense to me and makes the article feel less academic and more fun.
Well, he's no Nimbus Naiad, but I think this is a very solid card, and certainly way better than Stymied Hopes which will often be a dead card. The Hippocamp is never a dead card. It's a Hill Giant with a point of toughness missing, which is not terrible in limited and will trade with a lot of other creatures in combat. That's enough to make it filler at the least.
But it's got Flash. Flash means it's sometimes removal, when you flash it in and block. Sometimes it's a race-math-swinger, when someone alphas because you don't have lethal on-board, you flash this guy in End Of Turn and now you DO have lethal and just win.
Plus he doesn't JUST have flash, you get a free untap. Which means once in a while you get to ambush TWO attacking creatures with unexpected blocks, or get a second free use out of some activated ability, etc.
Sure, in many games the bonus upsides won't come into play, and then he's "just" a 3/2 creature, which is fine. As oppposed to a card that's sometimes just a scry 1, which is worth like half a card. I also think there's value in having some playable creatures in sideboard, so games 2 and 3 you can say "I need to up my creature count from 15 to 18 against this type of deck" or "I need to raise my curve" or "I need to lower my curve" or even in deck construction you might see "I'm low on 4 drops" or "I'm low on creatures" and he's good to have in there.
If you only pick exciting creatures and not solid ones, you're missing out on value. This guy doesn't fly and gain +1 counters, or bestow, but he's solid as a rock.
I'm my own proofer these days. I decided to forgo using "proper" english and just started typing how I speak, pretty much.
That you think it's gotten better tells me it has. :) Thanks! I still have my moments of self-doubt, and feeling like a poser, tho! But I guess that comes with being an old emo punk.
Well in my humble opine, as your erstwhile and sometime editor, your writing is what draws in the crowds, Sluggypoo. Well that and the loyalty of countless minions, engendered by your years of service to the community. That you no longer need or want my help editing your articles shows growth I think. (Or perhaps you found better proofers?) And that the quality continues to improve speaks for itself. :)
Play Survival and win 100 tix!
-Zach
Way to upstage my interview series Keya with a great interview! (Though to be fair I am probably done with that series now anyway.)
yay, i would LOVE to see vids with Lumberjack Ramp into stupid gib things! :D
Thanks and I agree with all points!
thanks Zach - yes I need to change it up a tad, let's see STAX, Dredge, oath, flaming rectum, sky hussar, lumberjack ramp are the power houses currently.
My thinking on Will was that it would be good even if it was just to recast a destroyed Vault or Key, but I definitely trust your judgement as I'm not an expert on the archetype.
I feel your pain on Trinisphere. I put a couple Canonists in the board of my mono-white deck last league because I thought there would be a bunch of Gush/Pyromancer decks (this was right after M14 released) and only 2 people played it. *cue the sad trombone*
Congrats on a cool build and the 2-0 start!
No Yawgmoth's Will, because in testing it feels that I don't have the big mana that Vintage has access to (nor the colored sources). I tried out a few other heavier casting costs (Notion Thief, Tezzeret) as well, and without Mana Drain help it feels like I never really hit a critical mana concentration necessary for casting all my heavier goodies; once Vintage comes out Will'll definitely be in. Trinisphere is for the Young Pyromancer/Gush decks that didn't materialize :(.
Hey Screw you Zach.
I will never bow to your lack of greatness, nor do I think you are great.
Pure mediocrity form you good sir :)
Andy
Screw you Zach!
Andy
Just kidding you are the best and I bow to your greatness.
I will actually play hippocamp 0 times in the entirety of this format I think. He might be an option for people who don't hate him as much as me though.
I agree with these statements. Except I'll almost always raredraft anything over 2 tix, barring a bomb in the pack or something - playable isn't enough!
That makes sense Zach - but I thought it was a good example of being stuck on that early, then adjusting partway through. Like, there are certainly times I would just try to force an awful UW deck out of this, thinking, "Man, the guy NEXT to me is sure getting the Green!" instead of making the adjustment. If anything, it was an even harder adjustment to make after passing Prophet, but still correct.
I'll try to get a better example of "clear thinking" from pick one for my next one, but I'm also still hunting a good (elusive) GR deck.
No offense Tyler but this deck and draft is a trainwreck.
How can you begin with a comment like:
"quit worrying about archetypes as much, and take the best card."
Then proceed, in PACK ONE PICK 2, to completely ignore Prophet of Kruphix? You do see the irony in this while still ending up in Blue Green?
Just not a lot of meat on the bone here dude, feels like you threw up an article and an anecdote just to do so. Give us more MEAT!
Love the content woof, but consider TRYING A NEW DECK <3
It's fun to see people try things outside their comfort zone, and by now affinity is definitely your comfort zone. Try something that you have never played before for a daily? Mix it up a bit!
(I say this each week to Andy, to no avail....)
Best,
Zach
Imho G1 vs Dredge you keep a clear Mulligan Hand - You cant beat Dreadge with that unless the dredge Player mulls into Oblivion. Its neither fast or disruptive, none of the 7 Cards does anything besides giving Mana or being a random Dork.
G2 you should have used Strip Mine on the Field while it was tapped (not like it would have change much, but still)
thx for classic Content!
ps: remove auto yields is on F3 :D
http://www.shebytes.com/
I got beaten 2-0 against Gamemaster32 by insane draws. :/ Game 1 he had Academy, a ton of guys, and Tangle Wire, and Game 2 he Turn 1 and Turn 2 Lodestones, which precluded me from casting Seeds.
I remember staring at 8 or 10 cards in a pack and thinking "I don't want any of these."
Feast or Famine does rule though.