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Jabor
Jul 16, 2010

#1 Loser at SpaceChem

reignonyourparade posted:

That sort of discrepancy generally means you either drafted a god-deck or their draft utterly failed to come together in any way.

Yup. It's pretty intimidating to get massively paired down, because you just know your opponent must have drafted like an absolute god to get paired that much higher.

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Boco_T
Mar 12, 2003

la calaca tilica y flaca
I think after x seconds it is simply trying to match you with anyone on the same record and once it goes over like 90 seconds it will take them from any rank. At high Mythic in a not-busy queue I’ve faced Bronze people before. But a “currently 4 wins” Silver deck isn’t going to necessarily be on the same level as a “currently 4 wins” Mythic deck anyway.

I drafted WAR minutes after it started yesterday and in my first run it paired me with the same opponent for my 3rd and 5th games, somehow.

wei
Jul 27, 2006
I think the matchmaking system weighs current record higher than rank once you have enough wins. Mythic v bronze-gold happens a lot more often at 5+ wins

Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream

wei posted:

I think the matchmaking system weighs current record higher than rank once you have enough wins. Mythic v bronze-gold happens a lot more often at 5+ wins

this has been what I have seen as well

thespaceinvader
Mar 30, 2011

The slightest touch from a Gol-Shogeg will result in Instant Death!

Boco_T posted:

I think after x seconds it is simply trying to match you with anyone on the same record and once it goes over like 90 seconds it will take them from any rank. At high Mythic in a not-busy queue I’ve faced Bronze people before. But a “currently 4 wins” Silver deck isn’t going to necessarily be on the same level as a “currently 4 wins” Mythic deck anyway.

I drafted WAR minutes after it started yesterday and in my first run it paired me with the same opponent for my 3rd and 5th games, somehow.

There is almost certainly some element of 'at some point we just chuck whoever at whoever so they don't have to wait any longer' yeah, especially in smaller modes. ANd I think it's accurate to say that it tries to keep you within your win count more than within your rank.

All of which does really emphasise the importance of player numbers in keeping a game like this viable. It's consitently incredible that I manage to get a game in whatever mode I'm in at the time within maybe 20 seconds and I'll requeue if it goes beyond 40.

Eeevil
Oct 28, 2010

Well obviously he didn't see it, or he'd be wearing a hardhat :colbert:

Khanstant posted:

The secret event is pretty fun too, I've only been playing the izzet dragon deck and it's really fun once it pops off or I can double copy a spell from exile.

Thanks for recommending this one, might not have got around to trying it otherwise. Just had a really fun close game against the Gruul commander where I managed to win with Arcane Bombardment + Inscription of Insight after they Crackle with Power'd me down to 1

A Moose
Oct 22, 2009



Sometimes I watch Jim Davis stream Bronze to Mythic, and the sheer dread when he's 5-2 in plat/diamond and gets paired against a gold opponent is palpable. And not without good reason too. Usually it is because that guy has an amazing deck. I'm not sure if they match records exactly, maybe the guy in gold is 5-0, or maybe he's also 5-2 and misplayed a couple games or lost a couple to mana screw or something.

kalel
Jun 19, 2012

WAR is wild from a modern viewpoint, because at the time it was considered so much more dynamic than previous sets (everything between it and DOM sucked). now it feels kind of slow, am I crazy?

remember when not every color had three or more playable one- or two-drops at common? remember passing a full turn cycle without any game actions? remember vanilla creatures?? remember unplayables?????

Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream

kalel posted:

WAR is wild from a modern viewpoint, because at the time it was considered so much more dynamic than previous sets (everything between it and DOM sucked). now it feels kind of slow, am I crazy?

remember when not every color had three or more playable one- or two-drops at common? remember passing a full turn cycle without any game actions? remember vanilla creatures?? remember unplayables?????

I think it only feels that way if you are drafting it like more modern sets. imo you need to be building towards combos and synergies in a way that punishes you in modern sets. there are so many wild ways to win in the format but also you can just curve out and punish people. just imo of course

Boco_T
Mar 12, 2003

la calaca tilica y flaca
Yeah, I got a 7-0 in Mythic this morning with this and 4 of the 7 wins were from two-drop beatdown. I only cast Lilliana in two games and in the last game I held her in hand while I finished off the two-drop beatdown so I didn't even need her. "3 Lazotep Reavers and 4 cheap removal spells" is a deck that can go 7-wins without any bombs in this format, which is why I love it so much and it's such a breath of fresh air compared to MKM.

Starsfan
Sep 29, 2007

This is what happens when you disrespect Cam Neely

A Moose posted:

Sometimes I watch Jim Davis stream Bronze to Mythic, and the sheer dread when he's 5-2 in plat/diamond and gets paired against a gold opponent is palpable. And not without good reason too. Usually it is because that guy has an amazing deck. I'm not sure if they match records exactly, maybe the guy in gold is 5-0, or maybe he's also 5-2 and misplayed a couple games or lost a couple to mana screw or something.

My understanding from watching streamers end up playing other streamers at different points in their runs is that there are kind of bands of wins that start off quite broad and then get more and more narrow.. so like a 3 win deck can conceivably get matched up against a 0-0 deck at the same rank (and Plat+ is apparently one group) but as your deck gets more wins the win matching becomes more strict and it really tries to find you an opponent who is also at 5 or 6 wins if it can, and that's when the rank component of the match making gets more relaxed..

**I do wonder about the theory that if you see a highly ranked Mythic player from your gold draft it's good for you though lol.. I've had that a few times and you always feel the dread of "oh drat I have to play perfect in this game to win" and then you just steam roll them.. like I've always had the thought "that guy had a bad draw" or "that guy is pissed now" after those games lol

Starsfan fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Mar 22, 2024

Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream
when i get paired down it just seems like its another normal 5 or 6 win deck. in that sense those decks are good, but in the same sense im playing a 5 or 6 win deck also that is good

Born in Bexhill
Apr 9, 2007
I had a Brother’s War quick draft that went 6–3. Lost on the final match to a Mythic level player and I was in… Bronze tier 2. I got him to one hit point before he killed me. Really wanted to trophy but oh well. His deck was like constructed quality, it was bonkers. I will try to find the screenshot I took of the deck.

I do have a fire MKM draft deck right now, 3-0 so far. I’ll post that too later on when I get more time.

kalel
Jun 19, 2012

Starsfan posted:

**I do wonder about the theory that if you see a highly ranked Mythic player from your gold draft it's good for you though lol.. I've had that a few times and you always feel the dread of "oh drat I have to play perfect in this game to win" and then you just steam roll them.. like I've always had the thought "that guy had a bad draw" or "that guy is pissed now" after those games lol

today in war draft, I got matched against a diamond while at 6-2 in gold. on the play I dropped a turn 2 lazotep reaver into turn 3 aven eternal. just as I thought to myself "man this feels like an unbeatable start" they conceded lol

Jarvisi
Apr 17, 2001

Green is still best.
I don't understand how they didn't release the fallout cards in arena. It's like leaving money on the table. Are they stupid?

MrL_JaKiri
Sep 23, 2003

A bracing glass of carrot juice!

Jarvisi posted:

I don't understand how they didn't release the fallout cards in arena. It's like leaving money on the table. Are they stupid?

Digital rights are separate from physical rights

newershadow
May 18, 2014
Also Arena doesn't really handle multiplayer mechanics, which rules out most commander products. Fallout seems a little lighter than usual on those but the Arena team also never seems to have the bandwidth to do much more than each year's draftable sets (plus they're dealing with MH3 this year which gets extra time allocated to it).

imweasel09
May 26, 2014


Time posted:

all of those cards are great. no notes and would like to see more of them in constructed

I'd agree with most of that but teferi, time raveler? cmon now that card is some unfun bullshit.

Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream

imweasel09 posted:

I'd agree with most of that but teferi, time raveler? cmon now that card is some unfun bullshit.

Just attack it. Turn a creature sideways. Ez

CharlieFoxtrot
Mar 27, 2007

organize digital employees



teferi, time raveler is one of the most iconic cards, and alchemy nerfing it to not only +1 cmc but changing its ability to allow non-sorcery speed spells on your opponent's turn was lol

Narset, Parter of Veils is probably one of my top 20 favorite cards in terms of design

CharlieFoxtrot fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Mar 22, 2024

Cool Post Beg
Mar 6, 2008

DADDY MAGIC
I've been watching Mono Black Magic on YT build dogshit decks with Juggle the Performance to give to their opponent and it is hilarious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28yUKLD4nhI

Enjoy a hand full of Leylines!

Whooping Crabs
Apr 13, 2010

Sorry for the derail but I fuckin love me some racoons

Cool Post Beg posted:

I've been watching Mono Black Magic on YT build dogshit decks with Juggle the Performance to give to their opponent and it is hilarious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28yUKLD4nhI

Enjoy a hand full of Leylines!

I've been enjoying all of his different Juggle the Performance decks this week as well. The funniest is the one you posted that doesn't have a wincon besides the opponent's deck.

Eeevil
Oct 28, 2010

Well obviously he didn't see it, or he'd be wearing a hardhat :colbert:
I'm messing around with this deck in the Explorer play queue and it seems all right so far

Deck
4 Shambling Ghast (HBG) 167
2 Beseech the Mirror (WOE) 82
4 Greedy Freebooter (LCI) 109
4 Deadly Dispute (HBG) 150
5 Swamp (MKM) 282
4 Big Score (SNC) 102
4 Unexpected Windfall (HBG) 192
4 Crime Novelist (MKM) 121
4 Mountain (MKM) 284
3 Thoughtseize (AKR) 127
2 Callous Sell-Sword (WOE) 221
1 Castle Locthwain (ELD) 241
1 Hive of the Eye Tyrant (AFR) 258
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire (NEO) 278
1 Den of the Bugbear (AFR) 254
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance (NEO) 276
2 Blood Crypt (RNA) 245
1 Dragonskull Summit (XLN) 252
1 Raucous Theater (MKM) 266
1 Haunted Ridge (MID) 263
2 Sulfurous Springs (DMU) 256
4 Fanatical Offering (LCI) 105
4 Pirate's Pillage (RIX) 109

The idea is you build up some treasure early by saccing Freebooters and Ghasts and then you play a Crime Novelist and chain through treasure-and-draw spells until it's big enough to fling at the opponent's face. I assume it's pretty soft to disruption but I haven't run into much yet.

Judgy Fucker
Mar 24, 2006

Have taken a short break from Magic, specifically sitting out Murders at Karlov Manner. Starting to get the itch again; mostly a brawl player, any "staple" (ie, could arguably be useful in any given deck of a given color) cards I should pick up? I know the typed surveil lands are good. Anything else, really?

Eeevil
Oct 28, 2010

Well obviously he didn't see it, or he'd be wearing a hardhat :colbert:

Judgy Fucker posted:

Have taken a short break from Magic, specifically sitting out Murders at Karlov Manner. Starting to get the itch again; mostly a brawl player, any "staple" (ie, could arguably be useful in any given deck of a given color) cards I should pick up? I know the typed surveil lands are good. Anything else, really?

There's some real good uncommons like No More Lies and Lightning Helix, Torch the Witness for any red decks that crave hard removal, and I'm also a big fan of Flourishing Bloom-Kin, that morph that cultivates when it flips up. For rares, you should for sure get Archdruid's Charm if you have any monogreen decks, Dopplegang is a pretty unique ridiculous effect, Outrageous Robbery is fun, and Cryptic Coat is a pretty good tempo threat.

Eeevil fucked around with this message at 16:41 on Mar 22, 2024

imweasel09
May 26, 2014


Time posted:

Just attack it. Turn a creature sideways. Ez

I mean, even putting aside that it makes all the counter magic a control shell can run uncounterable and can bounce a threat and cantrip on ETB to protect itself. If they have a decent blocker on board (like say birth of meletis around that era of standard) it's extremely hard to push through even for creature decks since you can't use any combat tricks unless you try and hard cast them main phase and hope they resolve.

It's by no means the most powerful magic card they've ever printed, or even most powerful 3 mana Planeswalker (hi narset) but is it really a fun play pattern to have "your opponent now has to play hearthstone" as a static ability? I just think it's not a very fun card to have around even when the power level is fine.

Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream

imweasel09 posted:

I mean, even putting aside that it makes all the counter magic a control shell can run uncounterable and can bounce a threat and cantrip on ETB to protect itself. If they have a decent blocker on board (like say birth of meletis around that era of standard) it's extremely hard to push through even for creature decks since you can't use any combat tricks unless you try and hard cast them main phase and hope they resolve.

It's by no means the most powerful magic card they've ever printed, or even most powerful 3 mana Planeswalker (hi narset) but is it really a fun play pattern to have "your opponent now has to play hearthstone" as a static ability? I just think it's not a very fun card to have around even when the power level is fine.

it is a card that is good against decks that dont apply consistent pressure but is terrible against aggro. there were real deckbuilding costs to include it into standard decks and it was often correct to relegate it to a sideboard card only while it was in standard. In older formats it is a fringe card now because it is basically worthless if your opponents deck plays to the board.

it was never oppressive, people just cried a lot about it because they would forget about the static text and get blown out. a 3 mana bounce that cantrips and gets cleared by a 1/1 is only a sometimes food to quote cookie monster

thespaceinvader
Mar 30, 2011

The slightest touch from a Gol-Shogeg will result in Instant Death!

Judgy Fucker posted:

Have taken a short break from Magic, specifically sitting out Murders at Karlov Manner. Starting to get the itch again; mostly a brawl player, any "staple" (ie, could arguably be useful in any given deck of a given color) cards I should pick up? I know the typed surveil lands are good. Anything else, really?

It's a pretty aggressive format, you need to be on the board pretty early to avoid getting run over, and 1-for-1 removal that doesn't dodge Ward is way worse than usual because of all the ward - so Murder is usually a top tier common in black, but less so this time.

Disguise creatures are mostly good but with always* trade with a 2 power creature if they're flipping for less than 5 mana, but can be massive blowouts for more than that.

*there are a couple of cheap ones that slightly change this, one that leave a 2/2 behind, and one that bounces something

Detectives are a very playable tribe, investigate makes lots and lots of card advantage.

RW aggro is very strong, look out for LIghtning Helix and Dog Walker.

CharlieFoxtrot
Mar 27, 2007

organize digital employees



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8yEw2UhfZ0
LLU: War of the Spark Draft Guide
[me: i really enjoyed this draft format and maybe it’s like how everyone loved dominaria and then we got back to it and people were like, why are half the creatures vanilla beaters lol. So i watched the guide on it and will probably jump in this weekend]

Big Picture
This is a planeswalker-focused set; there will be one in every pack and many cards will synergize with some aspect of planeswalkers. Uncommon planeswalkers will be balanced for that rarity power level since they only downtick plus their static ability. Not all planeswalkers are slam picks (Samut is mid, Saheeli needs a synergy draft). Planeswalkers like Tibalt and Vraska which create tokens with their activated abilities are good deals (rectangle theory!). Uncommon planeswalkers are kind of like Sagas: do two things and then have something left over. Rare planeswalkers are more threatening, and all the Mythics are bombs.

This means you need a board presence to protect your planeswalkers and attack theirs. You need a 2-drop on Turn 2. Draft Goblin Assailants (1R for 2/2 vanilla) if you have to. Creatures that pressure planeswalkers (Vraska’s Finisher, 2B for 3/2, ETB destroy target creature or planeswalker that was dealt damage this turn) should also fill in your curve.

In WUG, Proliferate is designed to help eke out extra value from planeswalkers by giving you an extra activation. In BR, sacrifice abilities let you get value from planeswalkers after you’ve done the two activations. This is a removal is strong format, though keep in mind whether it hits planeswalkers (Jaya’s Greeting is creatures only).

Uncommon Planeswalker Tier List
A-Tier:
Kasmina (A+ really, and it’s splashable), Tibalt, Angrath, Vraska. (These four are all rectangle theory planeswalkers)
Kaya (expensive but powerful removal)
Narset (static ability is extremely powerful even in limited)

B-Tier: (Good utility planeswalkers)
Davriel (gets better with proliferate for hand squeezing but needs a good board presence)
Saheeli (for noncreature spells matter decks, you don’t really activate her a lot)
Jaya (burn for red decks)
Ob Nixilis (for sacrifice decks, you can use the downtick on yourself for cards and then blow up their big blocker to win)

C-Tier: (Mid utility planeswalkers)
Ashiok (if you are in UB control mill, then it’s usable but otherwise it’s bad, you need some regrowth/bounce effects given the mill in the set)
Kiora (you need 8-9 big creatures to get full value)
The Wanderer (the removal and static ability are very niche, sometimes this card will be a blank)
Arlinn (this is a rectangle theory planeswalker but it’s very expensive)
Nahiri (C- really, there’s no equipment in this set lmao, the static and activated abilities are at odds with each other)

D-Tier:
Huatli (a build-around that isn’t supported by the set)
Samut (usually worse than a 4-drop creature)
Dovin, Teyo (You have to be extremely defensive/control and these are still 23rd cards)
Jiang Yanggu (This is a trap card; you don’t get a card’s worth of value out of it)

Set Mechanics
Amass in UBR; these are the strongest colors and this is an extremely strong mechanic. Best common is Aven Eternal (this is the Preening Champion of the set). Callous Dismissal is bounce + amass; bounce spells are removal for armies. This will also let you reuse uncommon planeswalkers. Toll of the Invasion is good for taking powerful planeswalkers from your opponent while building the board.

In a sacrifice deck, you can use Amass wide (sac the 1/1s you keep making) as opposed to stacking tall. The four uncommon Amass lords (Zombie tokens…) are great.

Proliferate in WUG; it’s solid but not as generically good, so you need to build around it and have a lot of cards that add value. Pollenbright Druid is a key common for this. Blue spans both mechanics and amass benefits from proliferate; Contentious Plan is a pretty good card. Usually you’re just cherry-picking good proliferate cards to go with your amass deck, or you have a bomb that clearly goes off with proliferate.

Key Commons
Black is the top color: Ob Nixilis’s Cruelty, Spark Harvest, Toll of the Invasion, Lazotep Reaver are all top-tier. Sorin’s Thirst, Spark Reaper (you can do this multiple times per turn and it can sacrifice itself), Vraska’s Finisher are good. Herald of the Dreadhorde and Tithebearer Giant are solid.

Blue: Best is Aven Eternal, then Callous Dismissal. Tamiyo’s Epiphany (very powerful card selection/draw for control decks). No Escape is good counterspell, Totally Lost is the old template where the opponent must put the card back on top, no bottom. Erratic Visionary looter is decent. Contentious Plan proliferates, Spellkeeper Weird and Kiora’s Dambreaker are good filler (the latter is beefy and the best damage removal is for 5 toughness).

Red: Best is Jaya’s Greeting. Spellgorger Weird, Burning Prophet was super underrated back in the day. Honor the God-Pharaoh has “Amass 1” which is always good value in the set. Chandra’s Pyrohelix for pinging. Heartfire removal, Grim Initiate sacrifice fodder. Blindblast is pretty playable as a cantrip.

Green doesn’t have that much depth to it. Best is Bloom Hulk (4 mana 4/4 is “impressive” for this era). Pollenblight Druid for proliferate. Band Together as removal (creature only), Giant Growth. Arlinn’s Wolf is a solid beater and evades a lot of creatures. Green does have the ability to splash and go multicolor: New Horizons and Centaur Nurturer do this.

White is the worst color in the set. You should not draft white unless you have a white bomb. The major problem is that its aggressive cards are very bad. Trusted Pegasus is only “okay” when it would be better in other sets with a solid W aggro plan. UW blink deck is feasible. The best is Law-Rune Enforcer (W for 1/2 tapper, can’t tap armies). Martyr for the Cause and War Screecher are playable 2-drops but not exciting. Wanderer’s Strike and Divine Arrow are okay removal. Enforcer Griffin (4W for 3/4 flying) is a decent creature. Charmed Stray (you need 5 Strays to “go off” and works well with proliferate)

Key Archetypes
UB Amass: Gleaming Overseer (lord) and Tyrant’s Scorn (kill a cheap thing or bounce a big thing)
BR Sacrifice: Mayhem Devil (massive payoffs, will murder the mirror lol), Angrath’s Rampage as a solid edict.
UR Spells: Ral’s Outburst is premium removal. Invade the City is a clunky amass spell, probably don’t play it.
BG Multicolor: Leyline Prowler for mana fixing, Deathsprout (removal + fixing). Play all the best cards, if you get a spread of bomb rares.
UW Blink Time Wipe to board wipe at advantage, Dovin’s Veto will counter planeswalkers, Elite Guardmage is a good creature to slow down the game.

Odds and Ends
Fixing: BG fixers are great. Paradise Druid is premium fixing, then New Horizons and Centaur Nurturer are fine. Guild Globe and Prismite are colorless fixers that you can play to smooth things out. The mana rocks (Mana Geode and Firemind’s Vessel) are not great, you have to have a lot of payoffs before these pull their weight. Gateway Plaza land is very clunky but if you need it, you need it.

Other cards: Ugin’s Conjurant might read like a bad downside, but it’s better than it reads. Eternal Skylord (4U for 3/3, Amass 2 and Zombie tokens have flying) is a Preening Champion + lord. Bolas’s Citadel is great in either a very aggressive deck (put the opponent on the back foot early, use your life total advantage to churn stuff out and lock the win) or a control deck (you have to be conscious of your life total, think about lifegain). Also this with Mayhem Devil lol. Dishonorable Mention to Despark!!!! You cannot kill an Amass token with it. This can get planeswalkers but they will always get at least one activation so you will be down in value.

Don't forget: You need a 2-drop on Turn 2!!!!!!

Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream

CharlieFoxtrot posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8yEw2UhfZ0
LLU: War of the Spark Draft Guide
[me: i really enjoyed this draft format and maybe it’s like how everyone loved dominaria and then we got back to it and people were like, why are half the creatures vanilla beaters lol. So i watched the guide on it and will probably jump in this weekend]

Big Picture
This is a planeswalker-focused set; there will be one in every pack and many cards will synergize with some aspect of planeswalkers. Uncommon planeswalkers will be balanced for that rarity power level since they only downtick plus their static ability. Not all planeswalkers are slam picks (Samut is mid, Saheeli needs a synergy draft). Planeswalkers like Tibalt and Vraska which create tokens with their activated abilities are good deals (rectangle theory!). Uncommon planeswalkers are kind of like Sagas: do two things and then have something left over. Rare planeswalkers are more threatening, and all the Mythics are bombs.

This means you need a board presence to protect your planeswalkers and attack theirs. You need a 2-drop on Turn 2. Draft Goblin Assailants (1R for 2/2 vanilla) if you have to. Creatures that pressure planeswalkers (Vraska’s Finisher, 2B for 3/2, ETB destroy target creature or planeswalker that was dealt damage this turn) should also fill in your curve.

In WUG, Proliferate is designed to help eke out extra value from planeswalkers by giving you an extra activation. In BR, sacrifice abilities let you get value from planeswalkers after you’ve done the two activations. This is a removal is strong format, though keep in mind whether it hits planeswalkers (Jaya’s Greeting is creatures only).

Uncommon Planeswalker Tier List
A-Tier:
Kasmina (A+ really, and it’s splashable), Tibalt, Angrath, Vraska. (These four are all rectangle theory planeswalkers)
Kaya (expensive but powerful removal)
Narset (static ability is extremely powerful even in limited)

B-Tier: (Good utility planeswalkers)
Davriel (gets better with proliferate for hand squeezing but needs a good board presence)
Saheeli (for noncreature spells matter decks, you don’t really activate her a lot)
Jaya (burn for red decks)
Ob Nixilis (for sacrifice decks, you can use the downtick on yourself for cards and then blow up their big blocker to win)

C-Tier: (Mid utility planeswalkers)
Ashiok (if you are in UB control mill, then it’s usable but otherwise it’s bad, you need some regrowth/bounce effects given the mill in the set)
Kiora (you need 8-9 big creatures to get full value)
The Wanderer (the removal and static ability are very niche, sometimes this card will be a blank)
Arlinn (this is a rectangle theory planeswalker but it’s very expensive)
Nahiri (C- really, there’s no equipment in this set lmao, the static and activated abilities are at odds with each other)

D-Tier:
Huatli (a build-around that isn’t supported by the set)
Samut (usually worse than a 4-drop creature)
Dovin, Teyo (You have to be extremely defensive/control and these are still 23rd cards)
Jiang Yanggu (This is a trap card; you don’t get a card’s worth of value out of it)

Set Mechanics
Amass in UBR; these are the strongest colors and this is an extremely strong mechanic. Best common is Aven Eternal (this is the Preening Champion of the set). Callous Dismissal is bounce + amass; bounce spells are removal for armies. This will also let you reuse uncommon planeswalkers. Toll of the Invasion is good for taking powerful planeswalkers from your opponent while building the board.

In a sacrifice deck, you can use Amass wide (sac the 1/1s you keep making) as opposed to stacking tall. The four uncommon Amass lords (Zombie tokens…) are great.

Proliferate in WUG; it’s solid but not as generically good, so you need to build around it and have a lot of cards that add value. Pollenbright Druid is a key common for this. Blue spans both mechanics and amass benefits from proliferate; Contentious Plan is a pretty good card. Usually you’re just cherry-picking good proliferate cards to go with your amass deck, or you have a bomb that clearly goes off with proliferate.

Key Commons
Black is the top color: Ob Nixilis’s Cruelty, Spark Harvest, Toll of the Invasion, Lazotep Reaver are all top-tier. Sorin’s Thirst, Spark Reaper (you can do this multiple times per turn and it can sacrifice itself), Vraska’s Finisher are good. Herald of the Dreadhorde and Tithebearer Giant are solid.

Blue: Best is Aven Eternal, then Callous Dismissal. Tamiyo’s Epiphany (very powerful card selection/draw for control decks). No Escape is good counterspell, Totally Lost is the old template where the opponent must put the card back on top, no bottom. Erratic Visionary looter is decent. Contentious Plan proliferates, Spellkeeper Weird and Kiora’s Dambreaker are good filler (the latter is beefy and the best damage removal is for 5 toughness).

Red: Best is Jaya’s Greeting. Spellgorger Weird, Burning Prophet was super underrated back in the day. Honor the God-Pharaoh has “Amass 1” which is always good value in the set. Chandra’s Pyrohelix for pinging. Heartfire removal, Grim Initiate sacrifice fodder. Blindblast is pretty playable as a cantrip.

Green doesn’t have that much depth to it. Best is Bloom Hulk (4 mana 4/4 is “impressive” for this era). Pollenblight Druid for proliferate. Band Together as removal (creature only), Giant Growth. Arlinn’s Wolf is a solid beater and evades a lot of creatures. Green does have the ability to splash and go multicolor: New Horizons and Centaur Nurturer do this.

White is the worst color in the set. You should not draft white unless you have a white bomb. The major problem is that its aggressive cards are very bad. Trusted Pegasus is only “okay” when it would be better in other sets with a solid W aggro plan. UW blink deck is feasible. The best is Law-Rune Enforcer (W for 1/2 tapper, can’t tap armies). Martyr for the Cause and War Screecher are playable 2-drops but not exciting. Wanderer’s Strike and Divine Arrow are okay removal. Enforcer Griffin (4W for 3/4 flying) is a decent creature. Charmed Stray (you need 5 Strays to “go off” and works well with proliferate)

Key Archetypes
UB Amass: Gleaming Overseer (lord) and Tyrant’s Scorn (kill a cheap thing or bounce a big thing)
BR Sacrifice: Mayhem Devil (massive payoffs, will murder the mirror lol), Angrath’s Rampage as a solid edict.
UR Spells: Ral’s Outburst is premium removal. Invade the City is a clunky amass spell, probably don’t play it.
BG Multicolor: Leyline Prowler for mana fixing, Deathsprout (removal + fixing). Play all the best cards, if you get a spread of bomb rares.
UW Blink Time Wipe to board wipe at advantage, Dovin’s Veto will counter planeswalkers, Elite Guardmage is a good creature to slow down the game.

Odds and Ends
Fixing: BG fixers are great. Paradise Druid is premium fixing, then New Horizons and Centaur Nurturer are fine. Guild Globe and Prismite are colorless fixers that you can play to smooth things out. The mana rocks (Mana Geode and Firemind’s Vessel) are not great, you have to have a lot of payoffs before these pull their weight. Gateway Plaza land is very clunky but if you need it, you need it.

Other cards: Ugin’s Conjurant might read like a bad downside, but it’s better than it reads. Eternal Skylord (4U for 3/3, Amass 2 and Zombie tokens have flying) is a Preening Champion + lord. Bolas’s Citadel is great in either a very aggressive deck (put the opponent on the back foot early, use your life total advantage to churn stuff out and lock the win) or a control deck (you have to be conscious of your life total, think about lifegain). Also this with Mayhem Devil lol. Dishonorable Mention to Despark!!!! You cannot kill an Amass token with it. This can get planeswalkers but they will always get at least one activation so you will be down in value.

Don't forget: You need a 2-drop on Turn 2!!!!!!

Very good post ty :)

kalel
Jun 19, 2012

thespaceinvader posted:

It's a pretty aggressive format, you need to be on the board pretty early to avoid getting run over, and 1-for-1 removal that doesn't dodge Ward is way worse than usual because of all the ward - so Murder is usually a top tier common in black, but less so this time.

Disguise creatures are mostly good but with always* trade with a 2 power creature if they're flipping for less than 5 mana, but can be massive blowouts for more than that.

*there are a couple of cheap ones that slightly change this, one that leave a 2/2 behind, and one that bounces something

Detectives are a very playable tribe, investigate makes lots and lots of card advantage.

RW aggro is very strong, look out for LIghtning Helix and Dog Walker.

good advice but

Judgy Fucker posted:

mostly a brawl player

Dr. Stab
Sep 12, 2010
👨🏻‍⚕️🩺🔪🙀😱🙀
For brawl players they made a better version of evolving wilds.

CharlieFoxtrot
Mar 27, 2007

organize digital employees




https://www.17lands.com/draft/07406336a8cc4206abcbc3c712cc084e

First draft went 5-3; Kasmina and Narset were reasonably powerful and when I could control the board I would just kind of roll over the opponent (usually with like 4 or fewer cards left in my library lol). However, my run got stopped cold by better decks that were better at exerting pressure if I didn't have my counterspell or they couldn't get blasted by Ral's Outburst, and I didn't have much except damage to deal with fliers. First loss had double Arlinn, second loss was Boros Feather synergy deck. and third loss had God-Pharaoh's Statue + Rescuer Sphinx.

Format still seems as good as I remember though lol, better than Dominaria 1

kalel
Jun 19, 2012

in this crazy modern world with novels for cards, it's pretty cozy and zen to cast a vanilla creature in limited and think to myself, "you know what? this is fine. I'm okay with this." looking at you, goblin assailant.

thespaceinvader
Mar 30, 2011

The slightest touch from a Gol-Shogeg will result in Instant Death!

kalel posted:

good advice but

I mean

I thought they meant 'i've mostly been playing brawl but i am interested in trying the draft format' to be fair.

From a Historic Brawl perspective I don't think the set's had a huge amount of impact (though there's Re-Enact the Crime which probably does some combo poo poo, but it's probably not combo poo poo that can't already be done), and the surveil lands which are very good.

reignonyourparade
Nov 15, 2012
Hey, remember that monowhite artifact deck a bunch of us were playing a while back before LegenVD played it on the arena channel and suddenly people actually knew how to play against it?

Well, I saw an extremely similar list running Case of the Gateway Express and Mandible Justicar and decided to try to give it a spin again. IMO: It's Back, Baby, Gateway express DEFINITELY adds something to the list, and also people have forgotten about how to play against it anyway.

(Currently got a lot of 3-ofs while I experiment with what actually performs best in the current meta, which is also why it's 61 cards, but I've decided to drop halo-hopper for now.)

Only registered members can see post attachments!

Simply Simon
Nov 6, 2010

📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔
Did my first ever WAR Premier

https://www.17lands.com/draft/1dc1f1e56aa64c20a0b4f5df9110c9c2

I considered black at first (paired with G for maybe a Gb multicolor thing), but B dried up super quickly. Instead I saw Blue open so I just moved into that. Passed a lot of good R cards, maybe that was a mistake and I should have went into the Spells deck. I did pass Ral because I didn't know if I'd splash, then I ended up splashing for R anyway, whoops. Also splashing for W because I got a bunch of fixing:



Dunno if this is fine or dogshit, I'll just have to see how it plays, I guess!

Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream

Simply Simon posted:

Did my first ever WAR Premier

https://www.17lands.com/draft/1dc1f1e56aa64c20a0b4f5df9110c9c2

I considered black at first (paired with G for maybe a Gb multicolor thing), but B dried up super quickly. Instead I saw Blue open so I just moved into that. Passed a lot of good R cards, maybe that was a mistake and I should have went into the Spells deck. I did pass Ral because I didn't know if I'd splash, then I ended up splashing for R anyway, whoops. Also splashing for W because I got a bunch of fixing:



Dunno if this is fine or dogshit, I'll just have to see how it plays, I guess!

Cruelty is just as splashable as outburst in this deck and is better for what this deck needs to be doing. You aren’t going to fall behind on cards but could get ranched by a fat creature

Simply Simon
Nov 6, 2010

📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔

Time posted:

Cruelty is just as splashable as outburst in this deck and is better for what this deck needs to be doing. You aren’t going to fall behind on cards but could get ranched by a fat creature
That makes a lot of sense! I'm 3-1 already but mostly thanks to screw and flood on their end, and Outburst was either unplayable because Prismite requires one mana extra, or didn't have a target (4 toughness). I'll swap

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Time
Aug 1, 2011

It Was All A Dream

Simply Simon posted:

That makes a lot of sense! I'm 3-1 already but mostly thanks to screw and flood on their end, and Outburst was either unplayable because Prismite requires one mana extra, or didn't have a target (4 toughness). I'll swap

I think, in general, this is my least favorite way to splash a card in any format. You have to run 2 bad prismites to have access to this one piece of removal but there’s nothing in your board that’s on color I want to bring in. Overall I think the deck is fine but I wouldn’t be surprised it you have a game you lose because you draw two prsimites and just get beaten on card quality. Such is life. Good build with what you have though

The wolf guy is worth splashing for sure tho. This is only a comment on the removal being splashed thing

Time fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Mar 23, 2024

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