I didn't mean splashing in that sense so much. I'd be running the 8 duel lands and at least 3 aether hubs to get red. It would just be predominantly green creature wise with steel leafs, ghalta, Carnage, etc
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Magic: the Gathering |OT| Core Set 2019 - In the midnight hour, she yelled "Core! Core! Core!"
- Thread starter SigmasonicX
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I didn't mean splashing in that sense so much. I'd be running the 8 duel lands and at least 3 aether hubs to get red. It would just be predominantly green creature wise with steel leafs, ghalta, Carnage, etc
I would still consider that something of a splash. You aren't going to consistently have two red sources on Turn 4. That's a very similar Mana base to R/B and you rarely see cards with double black in their cost in that deck.
True. Maybe it's just a pipedream. I just love the color combo
Yeah, Singleton is fun. The game desperately needs an unranked practice queue so I can jam bad brews without running into T1 decks nonstop. Singleton is the closest we've got right now.
So after not playing for a loooong time I've been picking up some random cards here and there. I just play for fun since I like making themed or flavor decks, so obviously not decks that are min/maxed trying to win or anything (especially since I hate when metas influence playstyles and make you feel forced to change your deck to accommodate them). But looking at tons of cards recently, am I missing some new rule or something, because I keep seeing things like these plainswalker cards half of which sound insane like playing one will change the whole course of a match within a couple turns. I thought you were supposed to be a plainswalker, summoning things etc, not playing leaders or "hero cards" or what not. And there's legendary creatures and indestructible ones, and of course if a card is seriously good half the time it's $50+ just for one, like ... what a way to get crushed just as I'm coming back to it. I know there's always been those old dual lands for 200 bucks a piece and thats hot garbage but still. What do you guys think of how the game's additions over the past X number of years have gone down ?
Singleton let me fuck around with a ridiculous 5 color superfriends deck and not get blown out in 5 turns so I can appreciate it. Ladder constructed has trapped me into playing only gb mid range unless I want to lose gold tier through repeated loses. Its also flooded with tiresome control decks that drag every match on forevvvvvvvver.
They definitely need unranked matches where you can test fuck around decks.
They definitely need unranked matches where you can test fuck around decks.
Personally, I love planeswalkers. I probably wouldn't be playing without them. I played a little bit of Portal as a kid and some of the Duels of the Planeswalkers games, but didn't really get into Magic until Duels came out alongside Origins, and the transforming planeswalkers in it were my favorite things the game has ever done. I've been playing a bunch of Arena lately, and I'm still mostly only interested in playing decks that leverage planeswalkers. I love that singleton lets me just jam 5 colors and 9 or 10 different walkers into a deck and still do well. I'm very much looking forward to flip Bolas.
But I don't feel like they have a tendency to dominate the game, aside from a few cases. In Standard right now, Teferi's the only one who by himself makes strategies viable, and as long as he's in the format there's going to be a reasonably good deck which is just a ton of counterspells, removal, and him. Red decks play a couple Chandras. None of the others are nearly as common though you run into most of them occasionally.
They're definitely strong cards when played on an empty or near-empty board, generally. They can often do something comparable to an only slightly cheaper sorcery on the turn they come down, and then they're going to keep having an impact in future turns or else they'll eat valuable removal. But you can only take advantage of this if you don't have to worry about your opponent's creatures killing the planeswalker immediately. If you're way behind on board, then a planeswalker is often just an overcosted sorcery that also heals you for 3.
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The flavor of the planeswalker cards is that they are other characters who are joining you for the battle. Their loyality represents their willingness to continue helping you.
Justin
Yeah I see that. I guess I felt like the player as a plainswalker was more low key and unknown, so super famous ones available to hop in seemed odd to me since you'd think they would have much bigger things going on than teaming up with some random lol. It feels like a couple people are playing ball one on one at a local court and then one of them just casually calls up michael jordan and he just shows up lol.
Yeah I see that. I guess I felt like the player as a plainswalker was more low key and unknown, so super famous ones available to hop in seemed odd to me since you'd think they would have much bigger things going on than teaming up with some random lol. It feels like a couple people are playing ball one on one at a local court and then one of them just casually calls up michael jordan and he just shows up lol.
The weird part about loyalty is that planeswalkers still die unlike any other noncreature permanent type.
I think flavorfully speaking when they "die" it's that they've left. That was always how I saw it
The flavor on that kind of bounces back and forth. Like Gideon obviously isn't martyring himself to give your creatures +1/+1, but cards like Garruk, Apex Predator or To the Slaughter are obviously trying to imply the PW is getting got.
OP
OP
chaosaeon , planeswalkers were introduced in Lorwyn back in 2007. This coincided with an in-universe drop in power level for them; they're more like X-Men style mid-level mutants, rather than all being reality warpers. About their card strengths, a fair amount are released every year, but only a few get much attention, like any other card type. There were always rares that were much more expensive than other rares, and the math works out so that a particular mythic rare isn't that much rarer than a particular old rare. The size of the Magic audience has grown a lot, though, which accounts for the more wild prices.
Since you haven't played since before then, that means you probably also missed these rule changes.
* Mana burn doesn't exist anymore. Unspent mana just disappears, instead of dealing you damage.
* The term "mana pool" isn't used anymore. You just "add G" with Llanowar Elves.
* Combat damage doesn't go on the stack, instead all happening at once in the combat damage step. This means you can't have a creature enter combat with another that would kill it, sacrifice it, and have it still deal damage.
* Terminology changes, like the "in play zone" being the battlefield and the "removed from the game zone" being the exile zone. Creatures die when they're put into the graveyard from the battlefield.
* The legend rule only applies to your side of the board. Both you and your opponent can control the same legendary creature.
Since you haven't played since before then, that means you probably also missed these rule changes.
* Mana burn doesn't exist anymore. Unspent mana just disappears, instead of dealing you damage.
* The term "mana pool" isn't used anymore. You just "add G" with Llanowar Elves.
* Combat damage doesn't go on the stack, instead all happening at once in the combat damage step. This means you can't have a creature enter combat with another that would kill it, sacrifice it, and have it still deal damage.
* Terminology changes, like the "in play zone" being the battlefield and the "removed from the game zone" being the exile zone. Creatures die when they're put into the graveyard from the battlefield.
* The legend rule only applies to your side of the board. Both you and your opponent can control the same legendary creature.
"Mana Pool" still shows up in terminology when talking about mana not disappearing during phase changes. (ie, Kruphix)
yeah that's how I saw it but the game literally only says creatures and PWs die, everything else goes to the graveyard. If PWs just left wouldn't the card go to the GY instead of dying?
OP
OP
Actually,
Indestructible
As long as your devotion to green and blue is less than seven, Kruphix isn't a creature.
You have no maximum hand size.
If you would lose unspent mana, that mana becomes colorless instead.
Eh, I guess it makes sense as a brevity change, but everyone's still going to call it "floating" mana, ie, mana that's in the pool.
OP
OP
Huh, never actually realized that's the etymology of "floating mana".
Magic slang's usually really, really simple as long as you don't count Legacy/Modern deck archetype names.
SigmasonicX
That certainly is quite a few things. Maybe I'm overthinking it on the planeswalkers ? I'm rustier than an actual flake of rust. Coming back to the game now, it looked like for some of them, they may as well come into play with a countdown timer for the other player to lose. Stuff like summoning every creature from all graveyards at once, or exiling every card in the other players library after X turns for only US$99.99 a piece just seems preposterous having not played this game in like a decade lol.
That certainly is quite a few things. Maybe I'm overthinking it on the planeswalkers ? I'm rustier than an actual flake of rust. Coming back to the game now, it looked like for some of them, they may as well come into play with a countdown timer for the other player to lose. Stuff like summoning every creature from all graveyards at once, or exiling every card in the other players library after X turns for only US$99.99 a piece just seems preposterous having not played this game in like a decade lol.
OP
OP
One thing you may have missed is that you can attack your opponent's planeswalkers to lower their loyalty counters. It's pretty rare for planeswalkers to actually reach their "ultimate" ability.
Most planeswalker ultimate abilities are effects you can honestly get more affordably in sorcery or enchantment cards, though a lot of those aren't really playable outside of goofy "big spell" formats like EDH.
Like, I don't think most people even consider Rise of the Dark Realms to be an EDH staple.
SigmasonicX
You can direct an attack toward a planeswalker ? I thought the defender had to choose what the target(s) would be. Different rules for planeswalkers then ?
You can direct an attack toward a planeswalker ? I thought the defender had to choose what the target(s) would be. Different rules for planeswalkers then ?
When you attack, you can attack an enemy player or a Planeswalker they control. But in either case the defending player can block with their creatures.
So if you want your Walker to stick around, you'll want creatures to protect them.
Played some Arena again. Man this conceding. I admit I do it a lot too, not much point in struggling in a bad matchup or bad draw. But one of my opponents conceded at me going first and Mountain Fanatical Firebrand. The catch? I was playing super janky RW Traxos and the only reason I was running that card was because I kept losing to mana dorks ramping out big creatures.
Usually a planeswalker's + ability doesn't protect it but does get it closer to its ultimate ability while its - ability protects it but takes it further from being able to ult. They've been around long enough that there are designs that break from that but generally no walker can take over the game and kill you any faster than a strong creature of the same cost could. Their strength is really just that they exist outside the previous permanent typing, you can't answer a Karn with a doom blade or a naturalize, you need to be able to damage him or have a planeswalker kill spell specifically.
It's generally an accepted part of the game that if a planeswalker sits on the board for three turns without suffering damage, whatever happens next you've probably got coming to you.
If you're running a creature heavy deck, you should have been able to punch through damage in three turns. If you're running a control deck, you should have been able to hit the planeswalker with removal or direct damage. If you're running a combo deck, you had three extra turns to get your combo online, etc.
Planeswalkers using their ultimate abilities tend to be real edge case scenarios that only happen when control decks get ahead.
One caveat, is limited. It's must easier for a planeswalker to stick in limited. They just kind of end the game on their own there.
Just got back from my first open house since i started playing Magic again this past year and it was a blast. A lot of people learning and helping other people to learn got a nice promo, all the planeswalker decks and some boxes of M19. Not the smartest move financially but who doesn't love to crack some packs? This guy does.
I was pleasently surprised at how nice everyone was compared to how shops were when i played in the 90s. I'm glad i came across this store it took me a couple to find the right fit.
I was pleasently surprised at how nice everyone was compared to how shops were when i played in the 90s. I'm glad i came across this store it took me a couple to find the right fit.
Yeah, in general a (playable) Mythic Rare in Limited tends to be back-breaking. I guess we should thank them for stuffing packs with so many trash Mythics.
This is also one of the rare times in the last several years you can actually see a PW ultimate as a possible control finisher in Standard, which is kind of neat, but obviously more an exception than the rule.
I can reveal that I've been working closely with Cedric Phillips of SCG tour fame on helping his podcast rebrand, which has lead to many more opportunities in the future.
GP Vegas been good to me.
GP Vegas been good to me.
This is a really helpful post for any returning player. I wasn't aware of the mana burn rule.
So all these formats and different ways to even play sound bonkers. Half of them sound fun but also like the most brilliant scam marketing ever lol. Buy a bunch of boosters, then open them and make a deck out of whatever you get ? Lol, I mean yeah you get to keep what you bought, but that doesn't seem like an "every day" way to play unless you're just looking for ways to spend money lol. I'm not sure what format would be best for me. I have some older cards for sure, and I like being able to just use whatever you like, but I'm not looking to drop 2-300 dollars for a deck either. I guess that's why I just make flavor decks for fun :/
Oh, and a random additional comment, I miss when lands had that stone tablet background look. Looked so earthy and well, magical lol. A lot of the styles of these newer cards look really basic and sterile imo.
Oh, and a random additional comment, I miss when lands had that stone tablet background look. Looked so earthy and well, magical lol. A lot of the styles of these newer cards look really basic and sterile imo.
What you're describing is "Limited," and is actually one of the more cost effective, skill testing, and equalizing ways to play.
It's a set cost every time, with no large outlays to "buy in." It rewards practice and study much more so than initially appears. And everybody has the same starting point; ie, it's not pay to win.
It's a set cost every time, with no large outlays to "buy in." It rewards practice and study much more so than initially appears. And everybody has the same starting point; ie, it's not pay to win.
OP
OP
Limited formats allow you to get more use out of booster packs than straight up buying them, since you can actually make use of cards that you'd otherwise ignore for Constructed decks. In the case of Draft, you can get a higher quality card pool than if you just kept what you opened. Plus the prizes can make up for the extra money you spent.
The reason why newer cards look more plain in the frame is to improve readability, particularly from the other side of the table, but I do agree it's lacking a bit in magicalness.
I can see the appeal of limited for the creativity aspect, I think I might feel like I could have just bought cards for a deck I wanted to make instead though lol. Those of you in the US are real fortunate when it comes to buying cards online. You can win a 20 dollar card for 5 or 6 bucks. In Canada, almost every listing on ebay is like this :
Shipping for a single card in an envelope from New York all the way to Florida : free.
Shipping from New York 1/8th the distance but north instead : $15
Like what ... I'm trying to remember the last time I had a stamp and envelope cost me 15 dollars but sure. I used to sell cards on ebay and when people bought from the US, I used an envelope and american stamps for a grand total of about $1. There are some canadian sites you can order from but the prices are still higher than they should be and the shipping costs can still end up being more than the cards themselves.
Shipping for a single card in an envelope from New York all the way to Florida : free.
Shipping from New York 1/8th the distance but north instead : $15
Like what ... I'm trying to remember the last time I had a stamp and envelope cost me 15 dollars but sure. I used to sell cards on ebay and when people bought from the US, I used an envelope and american stamps for a grand total of about $1. There are some canadian sites you can order from but the prices are still higher than they should be and the shipping costs can still end up being more than the cards themselves.
I mean, it's international shipping. You have to pay money to have stuff cross borders.
I did mention that. It has to cross borders when I ship from here to the US ....it costs one envelope, 1 american stamp. $1.00, lol.
Dang, how remote in Canada do you live? I feel like you're more likely to just drive to a local game store and see if they have what you need instead. There are a few Canadian MTG/Board game shops that sell MTG or sell singles and ship to Canada too.
I'm literally about 45 minutes to an hour from Toronto which is part of why it's so stupid. From New York to Florida is like 10x the distance than from New York to me. Shipping from NY to Cali is somehow cheaper. Local game stores you probably won't be getting a $20 card for 6 bucks like you can on ebay though. And the online ones, you could order a playset of commons or uncommons from a canadian site and after the shipping you'll end up paying like 8 bucks for a set of 4 25 cent cards :/.
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Well, it's international mail- it's going to cost extra even if it's a shorter distance. Mailing a PWE letter takes 3 stamps compared to 1 for domestic mail. And when it comes to anything with any sort of tracking/insurance (which most people use for any single sales that are above a few dollars), it gets a LOT more expensive to ship to Canada
Check out FacetoFace Games/Mana Deprived, which is a pretty big Canadian online store for Singles
Yeah I've looked at facetoface and a few others, haven't heard of mana deprived though so I'll have to give that a look. I wish there was an option when buying on ebay to just tell the seller to use a stamp and envelope lol. When the cards are like 1 dollar I'll take my chances that they won't get lost in the mail rather than pay over 10 times the item value for shipping lol.
on Ebay, the service is REALLY skewed to favor the buyers over the sellers. If a US shipper mails something to Canada without tracking and you just lie and say you never got it, Ebay is going to favor you 100% of the time and will give you a refund.
You can also send a tweet to @MTGCritic on Twitter- that's James Chillcot, who is one the guys behind MTGPrice.com and a big buyer/seller of cards, does a MTG Finance Podcast, and is Canadian. Ask him if he knows of any smaller stores/people who will sell in Canada- he specifically only sells higher-end stuff, but he gives a lot of information out on Twitter and is really tapped in to the Canadian MTG scene
Banned and Restricted Update:
Legacy: Gitaxian Probe and Deathrite Shamen are Banned
No Other Changes
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/july-2-2018-banned-restricted-update-2018-07-02
Legacy: Gitaxian Probe and Deathrite Shamen are Banned
No Other Changes
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/july-2-2018-banned-restricted-update-2018-07-02
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