Magic the Gathering Arena

[lukaszek]

not sure how far i want to take beg drafting. Got 10k gold left, gems went up to 18k and amassed 40 kaldheim packs. Out of cards that interest me I got 1 each already(save for valki and eradicator valkyrie).

 

[Ranselknulf]

trickery is better than playing white. Id say to craft 4x (although im not doing that) to have some ulamog fun in historic before ban

Eh no. Trickery reduces the whole game to a coin flip. Its a joke. We're not playing Yu Gi Oh for fuck sake.

I can beat the trickery decks about 60% of the time. It's really just about having the right removals in your opening hand and taking stuff out fast.

If they drop one of those green haste creatures or another huge monster turn one, I think its usually easy to recover if you have a removal early on. There are a lot of 2 cmc exile or destroy cards, so take your whack on turn 1, and recover on turn 2.

If they drop an Ugin or something, I actually think its easier to beat them, because he only thumps you for 3 damage each turn and it gives you more time to drop lands and get access to the more expensive removal cards.

Most of those trickery decks are essentially barren of anything but their one-off cards. Take out their one off card and they usually quit immediately and it makes for a fast game.

The problem is not the winrate. This deck will never see play in any serious tournament. Its just not fun to play against. Wow opponent won the coin flip, now i lose. Wow opponent whiffed, now i win. The ONLY argument you could make for trickery is that it pushes players towards BO3, which is the superior format and which does not see any Trickery shenanigans because it folds to sidedecking.

I dont think it's a coin flip, these people mulligan down to one or two cards, so if anything its multiple coin flips.

My position is the deck isn't that great. Just make sure you have removal spells in your starting hand, if not mulligan.

At least until the card is possibly banned. The only deck type that gets rekt by that card is big creature aggro decks without early removal.

 

[lukaszek]

yeah, while i like new muligan in general, I dont apreciate how it allowed decks built around single card. At this point I would be even fine with them reverting it, at least in bo1.

Thinking about it bo1 starts to have issues with annoying strategies being consistent and enemy not to be expected to maindeck specific hate cards. It warped gameplay so much that people maindecked cage after all. Narrow hate cards in maindeck are quite a sign that something isnt working the way it should.
Reminds me of times when I was playing with group of 4 people. Suddenly one of us paid some money and gotten himself crazy elf deck. As such question came to be: should sorcery 'destroy all green creatures' be allowed?

Spoiler

it wasnt

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

I have no goddamn idea how my Azorius fliers draft with 4 creatures with flying has gone 5-0 so far. Was a big fucking mess of a draft where I was trying to get some snow and/or foretell and only managed to draft some snow lands with no payoffs and some foretell synergy cards with no foretell and then went "Oh Jesus this is awful EMERGENCY FLYING" and it's been squeaking by. Every game I take a beating and get down to single digit life and usually one turn away from lethal and then squeak in. Wh*te should be removed from the game.

 

[Ranselknulf]

God damn, Tibalt planeswalker and that white shield that prevents damage just caused some major butthurt against a black / white weenie deck with 1/1 creatures.


Something I just noticed also, and I'm not sure if its a bug.

I had one of those Crystalline Giants on the field, and it had some random counters on it like first strike and flying. It was a 4/4 creature during this situation that came up.

The opponent was playing a red / white fast aggro deck, you know the type with a ton of 1/1 creature generation and pump artifacts like embercleave and that mana token generating artifact.

Anyways, he attacked with a pumped up 1/1 creature that was a 4/4 creature because of artifacts and I blocked it with my 4/4 Crystalline Golem, he casts embercleave to make it a 5/5 creature, and then both our creatures have first strike.

Damage resolves, it does 4 damage to my creature and the remaining 1 damage to my person, but I had a the Valkierma Protectors Shield out, so it prevented one damage to my creature and 1 damage to my self, thus my creature lived, and I only took 4 damage total from the second round of double strike.

Dude was pissed off and instant quit.

Not that it mattered, i had so much removal shit and I was about to start my lifelink spam against him anyways.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

I have no goddamn idea how my Azorius fliers draft with 4 creatures with flying has gone 5-0 so far.

I'm no draft-scientist but I'm mystified that deck made it to 7-0 and I am taking it as divine proof that limited is RNG bullshit. Admittedly I was also in scrub ranks but still.

 

[Doktor Best]

Of course it is rng fiesta. I dont understand how you guys can suffer through playing draft all week. I max out at 10 drafts which is 30 to 40 games on average and then im done with it.

Its one reason i prefer sealed. Its more cards per time played. Its a shame you cant buy into sealed with gold.

 

[lukaszek]

I'm no draft-scientist but I'm mystified that deck made it to 7-0 and I am taking it as divine proof that limited is RNG bullshit. Admittedly I was also in scrub ranks but still.

congratz and... wtf

not like im scientist myself but it looks like deck that cant close game early, mid, late

Mine biggest surprise was beg drafting with recent player token. Grabbed 10 rares, In between managed to pull many black removals. Opponents arent grabbing black? Awesome! Long story short I went golgari and most cards that were passed my way were elves... went 6-3 in that draft! All the losses were shuffler induced, although 1 of them I rly should have muliganed.

In other news I decided to quit drafting early. Opened all my packs and sadly, got only 1 tegrity. Got to craft full playset I guess. Now its fun part of creating decks with her. Already did one historic brawl. I must say crafting historic brawl mono black got hard as there are simply too many cards that I like. I hope they push it to 100

 

[Scruffy]

Of course it is rng fiesta. I dont understand how you guys can suffer through playing draft all week. I max out at 10 drafts which is 30 to 40 games on average and then im done with it.

Its one reason i prefer sealed. Its more cards per time played. Its a shame you cant buy into sealed with gold.

uhm... what? sealed is obviously MORE rng than draft...

 

[Doktor Best]

Of course it is rng fiesta. I dont understand how you guys can suffer through playing draft all week. I max out at 10 drafts which is 30 to 40 games on average and then im done with it.

Its one reason i prefer sealed. Its more cards per time played. Its a shame you cant buy into sealed with gold.

uhm... what? sealed is obviously MORE rng than draft...

That was not my point. I get more cards out of one round of sealed than out of one round of draft, so i prefer it. I also prefer the way you build your decks with the pile you have laid out in front of you. I think the rng is about on par. Yes it is more bomb focused, but you also get a much bigger cardpool, so synergies also become more important. You may not forget that you are not playing real draft, you are drafting against dumb bots. That means no strategizing your picks around disrupting your opponents deck and no gaining of any information about what your opponent is playing.

 

[lukaszek]

started work on big black thing

Deck
1 Castle Locthwain (ELD) 241
2 Bolas's Citadel (WAR) 79
4 Duress (M19) 94
1 Elspeth's Nightmare (THB) 91
1 Phyrexian Obliterator (NPH) 68
3 Nyx Lotus (THB) 235
1 Phyrexian Tower (JMP) 493
2 Dream Devourer (KHM) 90
21 Swamp (ELD) 261
4 Trial of Ambition (AKR) 130
4 Thoughtseize (AKR) 127
2 Torment of Hailfire (AKR) 128
3 Peer into the Abyss (M21) 117
4 Underworld Dreams (THB) 121
3 Tergrid, God of Fright (KHM) 112
1 Cabal Stronghold (DAR) 238
1 Cruel Reality (AKR) 98
2 Languish (JMP) 246

cant say im happy, its 1st batch. Id love to have more good non critter black pernaments but here it is. Dream devourer is another way of cheating things in early.
Tergrid is here for 2 reasons:
- combo with peer into the abyss in case underworld dreams isnt there
- artifact side to dump extra mana in

Tried to make it work in standard but failed. Historic is better. Devotion isnt that high so i removed merchant... not sure if it was right choice honestly. Now I often end up with citadel giving me peer into abyss and having too little life...
Probably tiny should be somewhere there. I like too many black cards in historic right now...

This deck doesnt rly work that well but it feels like im on right track. Or maybe should just wait for either historic brawl to be a thing or more sets giving me more non critters black permanents in 1-2 mana range

EDIT: biggest dissapointment was tergrid standard mono b enchantments

 

[Jason Liang]

started work on big black thing

Deck
1 Castle Locthwain (ELD) 241
2 Bolas's Citadel (WAR) 79
4 Duress (M19) 94
1 Elspeth's Nightmare (THB) 91
1 Phyrexian Obliterator (NPH) 68
3 Nyx Lotus (THB) 235
1 Phyrexian Tower (JMP) 493
2 Dream Devourer (KHM) 90
21 Swamp (ELD) 261
4 Trial of Ambition (AKR) 130
4 Thoughtseize (AKR) 127
2 Torment of Hailfire (AKR) 128
3 Peer into the Abyss (M21) 117
4 Underworld Dreams (THB) 121
3 Tergrid, God of Fright (KHM) 112
1 Cabal Stronghold (DAR) 238
1 Cruel Reality (AKR) 98
2 Languish (JMP) 246

cant say im happy, its 1st batch. Id love to have more good non critter black pernaments but here it is. Dream devourer is another way of cheating things in early.
Tergrid is here for 2 reasons:
- combo with peer into the abyss in case underworld dreams isnt there
- artifact side to dump extra mana in

Tried to make it work in standard but failed. Historic is better. Devotion isnt that high so i removed merchant... not sure if it was right choice honestly. Now I often end up with citadel giving me peer into abyss and having too little life...
Probably tiny should be somewhere there. I like too many black cards in historic right now...

This deck doesnt rly work that well but it feels like im on right track. Or maybe should just wait for either historic brawl to be a thing or more sets giving me more non critters black permanents in 1-2 mana range

EDIT: biggest dissapointment was tergrid standard mono b enchantments

I am playing mono-black snow pyre zombies in Standard, with two sweepers Crippling Fear and Blood in the Snow. The biggest issue so far is that Crippling Fear doesn't work against Changelings. Tergid has won a few games, both as a creature and as a lantern.

 

[Jason Liang]

Eh no. Trickery reduces the whole game to a coin flip. Its a joke. We're not playing Yu Gi Oh for fuck sake.

Yu-gi-oh (Duel Links) is great right now, with very high level gameplay. Certainly leagues above Standard and Historic mtg. And I can easily stream it from google play!

Ok, ignore this if you know Duel Links and this is a reference to Desperado. But even IF we're talking about Desperado, the point of Desperado is that Master of Destiny bypasses coin flips in the first place, so the only actual "coin flip" is Head Judging.

 

[Jason Liang]

Strixhaven previews!

 

[Ranselknulf]

I'm p. close to mythic rank at this point, about level 30 in the "ranking" for progression. (Ie.. the free cards and shit you get for winning)

Need about 3 more wins without loss to make it to mythic.

If I get there I'll post my deck list.

Still rocking my Magic Mirrors though :D

 

[Gyor]

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articl...rst-lesson-introduction-strixhaven-2021-02-18

Lorehold is Red White History/Archeologist College (Artifacts and Spirits). Loxodons, Aven Owlfolk, Dwarves.

Silverquill is Black White Literature College, very Inkheart vibe, looks like just humans (maybe Vampires too), plus Ink Creatures (not sure what the Creature Type is, Nightmares?)

Witherbloom is Green Black like everyone knew it would be. Elves, Dryads, Orcs/Troll looking creatures, horned person (perhaps Azra?) Draws energy from creatures. Witchy vibe. WotC called them Goth Biologists or something like that.

Prismari is red blue Drama College with pretty feminine purple Orc looking chicks, Elementals, Will/Rowan Kenrith. I'm digging Rowan in Stripper outfit, can you inagine getting a lapdance from the red mana Planeswalker Princess?

Quandrix is the STEMs college, Mathemagics as Cassandra from the Librarians would say. From the art so far Elves and what looks like a Chickenfolk Aven.

Mythic Archieve is 63 favourite Instants and Sorceries from MtG history, but they are part of the setting of Strixhaven in the Bibloplex, but not apart of the Standard Legal Strixhaven set. You get them in Strixhaven products, but they have their own code. They have cool new art AND Japanese Painting alt art styles.

Its set on the Plane Arcavios. They seem more aware of other Planes then most MtG planes, but that could be because each of the 5 Colleges were founded by an Elder Dragon of the same name as the College. I suspect the Founder Elder Dragons will be the Commander 2021 Strixhaven Decks.

 

[lukaszek]

finally force draw & discard on any player... but in wrong colors

 

[lukaszek]

monoblackmagic found nice shell for tegrity - golgari
Since i owned 4x nyx, here is my spin due to wildcards involved and some minor tweaks

Spoiler

Deck
2 Blood on the Snow (KHM) 79
2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon (M21) 1
4 Peer into the Abyss (M21) 117
3 Tergrid, God of Fright (KHM) 112
2 Turntimber Symbiosis (ZNR) 215
4 Nyxbloom Ancient (THB) 190
4 Malakir Rebirth (ZNR) 111
4 Wolfwillow Haven (THB) 205
4 Tangled Florahedron (ZNR) 211
4 Binding the Old Gods (KHM) 206
1 Heroic Intervention (M21) 188
5 Snow-Covered Swamp (KHM) 281
1 Chromatic Orrery (M21) 228
5 Snow-Covered Forest (KHM) 284
4 Cultivate (M21) 177
4 Woodland Chasm (KHM) 274
4 Duress (M20) 97
2 Soul Shatter (ZNR) 127
1 Pharika's Libation (THB) 111

in other news, we are getting draft legal cards that wont be historic legal

 

[Jason Liang]

monoblackmagic found nice shell for tegrity - golgari

Honestly I can't stand watching his channel. He makes so many really bad mistakes when playing, and some of his decks are interesting but bad fundamentals.

 

[lukaszek]

monoblackmagic found nice shell for tegrity - golgari

Honestly I can't stand watching his channel. He makes so many really bad mistakes when playing, and some of his decks are interesting but bad fundamentals.

he is cringy. Uses only play queue and edits heavilly to include only games he wins. But then he does create meme janks and try to hammer them into something. This one he actually played at diamond rank so it cought my eye.

His other recent 'invention' that cought my eye was citadel deck with single land in whole deck

 

[Ranselknulf]

Deck List

Spoiler

Deck
1 Elspeth's Nightmare (THB) 91
3 Tranquil Cove (M20) 259
4 Dismal Backwater (M20) 245
3 Disenchant (M20) 14
3 Stonecoil Serpent (ELD) 235
1 Liliana, Waker of the Dead (M21) 108
2 Field of Ruin (THB) 242
1 Labyrinth of Skophos (THB) 243
1 Didn't Say Please (ELD) 42
2 Lurrus of the Dream-Den (IKO) 226
4 Scoured Barrens (M20) 251
2 Castle Vantress (ELD) 242
1 Frogify (ELD) 47
2 Snow-Covered Plains (KHM) 276
4 Realm-Cloaked Giant (ELD) 26
2 Resolute Rider (ELD) 214
1 Folio of Fancies (ELD) 46
1 Wishclaw Talisman (ELD) 110
1 Revoke Existence (THB) 34
4 Epic Downfall (ELD) 85
2 Midnight Clock (ELD) 54
4 Castle Ardenvale (ELD) 238
2 Snow-Covered Island (KHM) 278
3 Snowfield Sinkhole (KHM) 269
4 Castle Locthwain (ELD) 241
2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
1 Vantress Gargoyle (ELD) 71
1 Lithoform Engine (ZNR) 245
2 Elspeth Conquers Death (THB) 13
1 Piper of the Swarm (ELD) 100
4 Murderous Rider (ELD) 97
2 Kenrith, the Returned King (ELD) 303
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Muse (THB) 208
4 Temple of Deceit (THB) 245
2 The Birth of Meletis (THB) 5
4 Temple of Enlightenment (THB) 246
3 Temple of Silence (M20) 256
1 Basri Ket (M21) 7
4 Merfolk Secretkeeper (ELD) 53
3 Shadowspear (THB) 236
4 Raugrin Triome (IKO) 251
4 Indatha Triome (IKO) 248
4 Savai Triome (IKO) 253
4 Zagoth Triome (IKO) 259
2 The Magic Mirror (ELD) 51
4 Heliod's Intervention (THB) 19
4 Ondu Inversion (ZNR) 30
3 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon (M21) 1
4 Baneslayer Angel (M21) 6
4 Extinction Event (IKO) 88
4 Foulmire Knight (ELD) 90
3 Crystalline Giant (IKO) 234
1 Demonic Embrace (M21) 95
3 Banishing Light (THB) 4
2 Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths (THB) 209
1 Lochmere Serpent (ELD) 195
2 Glacial Floodplain (KHM) 257
4 Clearwater Pathway (ZNR) 260
1 Maddening Cacophony (ZNR) 67
4 Pharika's Libation (THB) 111
2 Leonin Warleader (ANB) 13
4 Ruin Crab (ZNR) 75
2 Emeria's Call (ZNR) 12
1 Hagra Mauling (ZNR) 106
2 Spinning Wheel (ELD) 234
1 Deathless Knight (ELD) 208
1 Cling to Dust (THB) 87
1 Crawling Barrens (ZNR) 262
1 Agadeem's Awakening (ZNR) 90
1 Drana, the Last Bloodchief (ZNR) 98
4 Boot Nipper (IKO) 76
4 Brightclimb Pathway (ZNR) 259
3 Skyclave Relic (ZNR) 252
1 Liliana, Death Mage (M21) 328
3 Nullpriest of Oblivion (ZNR) 118
4 Mythos of Nethroi (IKO) 97
4 Nighthawk Scavenger (ZNR) 115
1 Eat to Extinction (THB) 90
1 Inscription of Ruin (ZNR) 108
4 Shatter the Sky (THB) 37
2 Snow-Covered Swamp (KHM) 280
2 Snow-Covered Swamp (KHM) 281
1 Light of Hope (IKO) 20
2 Soul Shatter (ZNR) 127
4 Cloudkin Seer (ANB) 25
3 Bloodchief's Thirst (ZNR) 94
1 Heliod, Sun-Crowned (THB) 18
2 Luminarch Aspirant (ZNR) 24
1 Liliana's Scorn (M21) 329
1 Rankle, Master of Pranks (ELD) 101
1 Acquisitions Expert (ZNR) 89
1 Kiora Bests the Sea God (THB) 52
2 Valki, God of Lies (KHM) 114
2 Starnheim Unleashed (KHM) 33
1 Tergrid, God of Fright (KHM) 112
1 Shimmerdrift Vale (KHM) 267
4 The World Tree (KHM) 275
4 Doomskar (KHM) 9
3 Poison the Cup (KHM) 103
2 Kaya the Inexorable (KHM) 218
2 Burning-Rune Demon (KHM) 81
2 Reidane, God of the Worthy (KHM) 21
1 Murder (ANB) 53
1 Ruinous Ultimatum (IKO) 204
1 Snow-Covered Plains (KHM) 277
2 Ice Tunnel (KHM) 262

 

[Ranselknulf]

It seems like everybody at mythic is using the red double strike artifact.

Fugg, maybe I should add one to my deck.

 

[anvi]

I love how there is so much variety with this new set! I still get like 90% lame ass rogue mill opponents, but the other 10% is very random. I like it. I can see a few metas forming but I see a lot of experimenting!

 

[lukaszek]

Jason Liang who might not be playing arena but might know answer to my question

whats up with mtg color pairs lately?
When I got introduced to magic I was shown glorious back of a card and told, neighbors are allied, opposites fight

So... whats the deal with lately seeing in standard pairs of opposite colors pushed? XirHeaven appears to be doing that too.


Or is it old news and not to be looked at?

 

[Jason Liang]

Jason Liang who might not be playing arena but might know answer to my question

whats up with mtg color pairs lately?
When I got introduced to magic I was shown glorious back of a card and told, neighbors are allied, opposites fight

So... whats the deal with lately seeing in standard pairs of opposite colors pushed? XirHeaven appears to be doing that too.


Or is it old news and not to be looked at?

That's just the color pie, and also back in the day when they printed enemy color hosers like Dystopia, Chill, Reap, etc...

"... these are some of my favorite things..."

The original multicolor cards were in allied color combinations only (i.e. the original Elder Dragons like Nicol Bolas). The first enemy multicolored spell was Dark Heart of the Wood from The Dark, and some sets like Mirage block also had some experimental enemy color cards, although enemy color pairs did not really get a true set until Apocalypse in Invasion block.

However, in terms of play, enemy color combinations have always been popular since 1994, especially red-white and red-blue.
It's pretty standard now for sets to push either: mono-colored (i.e. Eldraine), artifacts (i.e. Kaladesh), allied color pairs (i.e. the Ikoria companions), enemy color pairs (i.e. the Ikoria humans), allied 3 color "wedges" (i.e. Alara) or enemy 3 color "slices" (i.e. the Ikoria Mythos creatures). It *is* a bit surprising that they decided to do strict enemy color pairs for Strixhaven.
I would classify Kaldheim as actually a mono-color set, not an enemy color pair set. Snow pushes running basic lands, and that works better for mono-colored rather than multi-colored. Most of the Gods are also mono-colored (many of them on both sides). Although I suppose the Saga cycle pushes enemy color pairs.