Agent is basically non-existent for me as well, hundreds of games of supposedly agent-heavy meta. The meta being so weird in ranked is one of the reasons I think Arena's matchmaking still has deck strength pairing.
Magic: The Gathering |OT| Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths - Teenage Mutant Dinosaur Turtles (w/ special guest Godzilla!)
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Yeah if I were to guess the meta based on my own matches I would say the meta is either Companions or Mutate. I come across a decent amount of cycling decks though as well, but nowhere near as many as the other two.
It's worth saying there is a difference between BO1 and BO3, and they probably aren't going to ban anything based on BO1.
If you want to play the game well play BO3. You'll have better opponents and more opportunities to improve as you have to think about your matchups more in game.
If you want to play the game well play BO3. You'll have better opponents and more opportunities to improve as you have to think about your matchups more in game.
I've heard people saying agent of treachery or fires. But they've been around long enough I don't see that happening. I'd be happy if either of them got the boot, agent stealing lands is just too powerful in standard when it can come out turn 4 and be blinked immediately. There's nothing in standard that really deals with that effectively. Fires has been a main offender for warping the game into just being tossing uninteractive haymakers to out value your opponents ability to keep up if they're not doing the same and a huge reason why the game is in such a bad spot right now.
Companions are laughably bad design, but I also don't see them being banned because $$$
At best I see maybe lutrus banned and leaving it in standard.
Money or not I don't see how they could justify leaving Lurrus in Standard. It's so unbelievably broken. There is just no argument for it to stay anymore.
Not seeing a lot of Agent personally, but I play against Lurrus decks more often than I don't.
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I've been running Mardu Knights in BO1 (I'm a monster, I know) and it's been interesting. Lurrus doesn't come into play all that much in my wins. Like, this morning I went 5-1 and I don't think I used it once. Most of the time I'm just overwhelming the opponent with knights. However, I think what makes it OP is knowing that I always have that option and that the other player needs to account for the ever-present threat. Essentially, it's an extra out that I can keep there very visibly in the opponent's face, which I think forces them to hold off on spending counters, or at least forces them to make some difficult decisions on when to use their counters.
Granted, I'm just fumbling around in Gold, so take that for what it's worth.
Granted, I'm just fumbling around in Gold, so take that for what it's worth.
I really want to get a Ghidorah foil but the prices seem to be around $75-80 on eBay. Should I grab one now or is there a chance the price will drop a bit?
The same thing happens with the cycling deck. I got to Diamond 3 with it before getting bored, and I almost never actually cast Lurrus, but it didn't cost anything to run it so you may as well. It is absolutely busted when you do cast it, if you don't have anything to cycle playing it and getting a Drannith Stinger back is a pretty huge play, if your opponent doesn't have an answer for Lurrus you can just start casting creatures you cycled. But 9 games out of 10 there's no reason to cast it at all.
Like you said though, that's the problem, you get this card that occasionally does a ton of work for free. You basically get guaranteed access to a sideboard card that's extremely powerful under very specific situations, even if those situations don't occur very often it's ridiculous that you don't have to make any concessions to capitalize on them.
B&R announcement - Brawl, Vintage, and Legacy bans
May 18, 2020, Banned and Restricted Announcement | MAGIC: THE GATHERING
Announcing changes to Vintage, Legacy, and Brawl formats.
As far as I can tell, this is the first time that a card has been banned in Vintage since Vintage/Type 1 became a thing with a restricted and a banned list that a card has been banned that wasn't either an ante, manual dexterity, or compromising to tournament structure (Shaharazad) card.
Also, they are doing some stuff for LGS, including sending a stack of Godzilla Hangarback Walkers out as a buy a box promos, good for a box of anything, and not limit one per customer
Well you can't really restrict it since it could still be a companion.
And they don't like to do things like ban pieces of text printed on cards, and I agree with erring on the side of simplicity for the banned list honestly.
Lurrus was just a big problem.
I wish they'd ban it in Modern, too. But that'll likely happen at some point. Just gotta stay patient.
And they don't like to do things like ban pieces of text printed on cards, and I agree with erring on the side of simplicity for the banned list honestly.
Lurrus was just a big problem.
I wish they'd ban it in Modern, too. But that'll likely happen at some point. Just gotta stay patient.
really? All my ikoria and C20 foils are flat as can be, I've seen others claiming the same - feels llike the first good foils in ages.
Jealous of that Gyruda topper.
Saw an interesting discussion on the reddit thread for the vintage bans: How would you rank the most broken mechanics?
Thinks like Affinity, Dredge, Delve, Companion, Phyrexian mana are all busted, but I have a hard time decided what's the most busted.
Thinks like Affinity, Dredge, Delve, Companion, Phyrexian mana are all busted, but I have a hard time decided what's the most busted.
Hmm. I think in a vacuum affinity and phyrexian mana are, but the issue is that they're both a lot less busted if you don't design cards that let you play them for free as a result. IE: Affinity with cards that aren't ONLY colorless mana isn't nearly as big of a problem, though still stupid. Phyrexian Mana is MOSTLY a problem when you get to put literally free counterspells and shit into colors that don't need them. I'm inclined to say P mana tho.
Can extrapolate that to all of the listed, even companion. It's not hard to envision companions that are worth playing sometimes but not so dominant that they basically have to be played. Lurrus and Yorion ain't it tho. I think Gyruda represents an OK spot - yeah week one was hilarious, but the truth is Gyruda combos are REALLY vulnerable if disrupted, which at least guarantees it has counterplay (even if not as much as maybe it should). But like, Yorion? Ok you countered my yorion, cool, I won't steal literally all of your lands instantly with my agents, but I still have a board of lukka, agent, etc. all just waiting to go off.
It's companion and I don't think it's remotely close. I'd also add the unnamed free spell mechanic from Urza's Saga as another contender to the pile. Affinity has ample room to tweak, and was just an execution fail. A card with 'affinity for green creatures' might not be busted at all. Dredge and delve are mostly just a matter of developmental dial tuning, though they both play with a resource that is trivial in eternal formats and can easily break. Phyrexian mana would be closer to fine if cards it was on still required colored mana to cast. Like if Mutagenic Growth gave +4/+4 for a {G/P}G it would be fine.
OP
OP
18 May 2020 Update | Official Commander Website
mtgcommander.net
Commander's ban list has been de-linked from the Vintage ban list. Shahrazad is still banned, but Lurrus isn't.
You can say this of companion as well, though. If the restriction is an actual restriction and the effect isn't amazing, then they're fine. Everything is a developmental dial tuning away from not being broken.
Being an on-demand 8th card to play is the biggest problem, and an inherent part of the mechanic. You can give them companion restrictions that are so onerous any deck that meets them would be terrible, and you can make the body so inefficient as to be otherwise unplayable, but what would the point of the mechanic be then? Even the most broken mechanic can be put on a card that is not terrible but not completely broken. I'm not so sure about companion.
Keruga has a legit restriction that I could see decks meeting without being ridiculous.
Made it to Diamond!!!!
Though I did it with a Lurrus Cavalcade deck so it does feel a bit shallow seeing as I was basically using an exploit, but it was getting to the point where my usual decks were getting trashed and I had nothing left to try. I don't think I will try going for Mythic though. I don't need that stress in my life.
Though I did it with a Lurrus Cavalcade deck so it does feel a bit shallow seeing as I was basically using an exploit, but it was getting to the point where my usual decks were getting trashed and I had nothing left to try. I don't think I will try going for Mythic though. I don't need that stress in my life.
listened to an interview with the game's creator
kind of interesting how he wanted some cards to be rare so that they were hard-to-find "treasures", but also wanted to reprint everything so that it was cheap. not really sure how compatible those concepts are
the idea of games involving new cards you've never even seen is cool too, but i think it would need a different type of game / platform. maybe a MMO card game that's less about tournament play would be able to provide those experiences of discovery/adventure/rarity
Gathering Stories: The History of Magic: Episode 2: Richard Garfield, the Inventor on Apple Podcasts
Show Gathering Stories: The History of Magic, Ep Episode 2: Richard Garfield, the Inventor - May 18, 2020
podcasts.apple.com
kind of interesting how he wanted some cards to be rare so that they were hard-to-find "treasures", but also wanted to reprint everything so that it was cheap. not really sure how compatible those concepts are
the idea of games involving new cards you've never even seen is cool too, but i think it would need a different type of game / platform. maybe a MMO card game that's less about tournament play would be able to provide those experiences of discovery/adventure/rarity
listened to an interview with the game's creator
Gathering Stories: The History of Magic: Episode 2: Richard Garfield, the Inventor on Apple Podcasts
Show Gathering Stories: The History of Magic, Ep Episode 2: Richard Garfield, the Inventor - May 18, 2020podcasts.apple.com
kind of interesting how he wanted some cards to be rare so that they were hard-to-find "treasures", but also wanted to reprint everything so that it was cheap. not really sure how compatible those concepts are
the idea of games involving new cards you've never even seen is cool too, but i think it would need a different type of game / platform. maybe a MMO card game that's less about tournament play would be able to provide those experiences of discovery/adventure/rarity
I haven't listened to this specific interview, but IIRC from previous interviews and articles the initial idea was that a majority of players would just buy a starter deck and maybe a handful of packs to augment those starting cards. When the game came out they weren't anticipating people "solving" it and creating very specific decks with a strategically chosen group of synergistic cards.
The idea above may seem contradictory, but it's really not since there are groups of people who play the game differently. If you play casually rare cards can be surprising, novel experiences when your friends whips something out that you've never heard of. But if you are a more hardcore player who wants to play competitively, you shouldn't have to pay outrageously inflated prices to do so. Garfield originally balanced the rarity and power levels of cards with mostly casual players in mind, and realized the potential for exclusionary prices only after it blew up.
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Iirc their estimate was that nobody would've spent more than 50$ on the game so nobody would've had 4 copies of the most powerful rares.
I guess Dredge could be the most busted because it was so powerful it didn't really matter what the card actually did, just having Dredge was enough. Phyrexian mana or Delve are great if you put them on a card that's somehow useful, Dredge is great by itself.
I guess Dredge could be the most busted because it was so powerful it didn't really matter what the card actually did, just having Dredge was enough. Phyrexian mana or Delve are great if you put them on a card that's somehow useful, Dredge is great by itself.
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I am a new player and most people I have played against so far play the lamest decks ever. One guy constantly made me throw cards from my deck to the graveyard. Another guy had a card that holds one of my monsters hostage untill I destroy his enchantment. He played the card three times in row... Also most players don't greet back when I say hello. It is very satisfying to win against pay to win players with the free decks you receive from the tutorial though.
Mill decks [the first one] are frustrating but honestly very weak. As long as you don't let them psych you out by how fast your cards are spilling, they fold as soon as you manage to keep something on the field.
That said, decks like these -are- Magic. Best not be surprised when you run into them; Magic's kind of built around having flexible deck plans like milling, or control, or so on.
Magic players, with the sometimes exception of EDH players, don't show up to have fun. They hate each other, the game, and themselves, and express that through their deck-building and the demands they place on R&D for a constant stream of more absurd counterspells and solitaire wincons.
The ultimate goal of the vast majority of Magic players is not to do fun things, it is to ensure that nothing fun (or really, anything at all if they can manage it) ever happens.
From the sound of it you're playing on the Arena client? I wish I could offer you any sort of encouraging platitudes, but the last I checked they haven't even put Brawl into it as normal queue mode, so it really is just a total dumpster fire for finding any matches against people who want to actually have fun.
Don't listen to them. The fun of Magic imo is homebrewing and seeing how your silly bullshit does. I got to Mythic with an Enrage deck in m19 I pulled straight out of my ass based off Marauding Raptor and people were barely using dinos. Currently in Diamond with a crazy Hydra deck.
You can experiment and have tons of fun if you are aware of the guiding principles of the game.
It's worth mentioning that this isn't necessarily down to rudeness, just that a lot of players have emotes switched off.
I think it's more likely to match you up based on current winrate moreso than rank. To be honest I've found rank in limited far less meaningful than in constructed.
This is why I stopped playing for fifteen years.
WotC better thank their lucky fucking stars that EDH came along or the game would be dead/dying right now. Just look at what dumpster fires competitive constructive formats are right now. That line of design/play is a zero sum game where only hyper competitive assholes participate and ruin it for everyone else.
...Have you ever actually been to a paper Magic tournament?
My experience with other people has been overwhelmingly positive.
I think Lurrus should absolutely be banned. It's dominance is pretty apparent and I don't think there is a single person who would argue that it's balanced. The problem is that companions in general are insanely powerful. Several need to be banned in my opinion and idk if WOTC are going to be willing to admit they were that wrong.
Also I don't think they have announced when the next bans will be.
I enjoy watching draft streams and that was my main reasom for starting the game. I lost all three matches in my first quick draft but thats probably due to my inexperience. I should't face too many unfun decks in quickdraft. Sucks that you have to grind gold to be able to draft though.
I am using the tutorial decks as a base and modify them with cards I think are good. I also had a couple of close matches where I didn't get stomped and had a lot of fun. I don't take the game too serious as of now.
Yeah, I read about that on reddit after posting in this thread. People don't want to face spammers as far as I can tell.
I'm hoping they ban it myself, it's keeping me from buying into the format on MTGO. However, I brewed a weird Lurrus list last night because I'm a huge hypocrite haha and if it isn't going to get banned I might try that instead, so it's a waiting game either way.
Yeah it being overpowered hasn't kept me from at least trying it out and using it in ranked. I have an Orzhov Sac deck with it and a Rakdos Cavalcade deck. The Cavalcade deck actually got me all the way to Diamond and I didn't even need to use a single wildcard.
The ease at which you can just make Lurrus unkillable or damn near unkillable is just absurd. Especially since Lurrus allows you to keep recasting things like Kaya's ghostform. It's ridiculous.
I feel like the ban is inevitable so I'll post my weird brew here. I am def considering a transformational sideboard with Karn/Lattice and other normal Tron threats for post-board non-companion style games. But I have a normal sideboard here for now.
See this post reminded me how much of a noob I am. I only recognize like 3 of those cards lolI feel like the ban is inevitable so I'll post my weird brew here. I am def considering a transformational sideboard with Karn/Lattice and other normal Tron threats for post-board non-companion style games. But I have a normal sideboard here for now.
Draft is your best bet (though I'm not sold on the Ikoria draft experience), but... yeah, it's still going to be a real crapshoot, and they're going to try and strongarm you into playing Constructed to "earn" your way back into more drafts. And unfortunately all the Constructed formats on Arena are... well, going to be full of people playing whatever deck they perceive to offer the best gold/minute ratio so they, themselves, can rapidly harvest currency to get back into drafts. That usually means either a "high roll" deck that blows you out on a good opening hand (because you can just insta-forfeit to avoid wasting time if you don't get the nut draw) or just a consistent-performing deck that works against virtually anything (ie, full-on denial control).
It's a clumsy, awkward overlap of competitive metagame and casual free-to-play monetization circles on the Venn Diagram that's frankly just miserable. Basically the F2P currency is ransom used to force casual players to feed the extreme minority of players that actually enjoy playing Lurrus Sacrifice vs. Yorion Control matches.
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