Magicked Out

I've got absolutely nothing Magic related to impart here, and anyone looking for Magic related content need not read further. I've been out of the state the last few weeks, and have only recently returned. So I missed the prerelease and release, have not Cubed and only just today opened my first pack of Shards (my rare was the goblin making thingy that makes all your goblins attack). I just have a feeling that my Magic involvement is going to be less for the next few months than it has been in the past. It's not a huge deal, just don't how (if at all) it affects this here old blog.
Well, I might as well get to the shameless promotion part. I squeezed a few hours in today and did a hurried job finishing up a mix that I've been sitting on for a month or two. CBG has been kind enough to host this mix and he only needed to prompt me once to spell his website correctly when I was uploading to the FTP. It's all new to me. But this will likely be way more stable than the old host. Here's a tracklisting and obligatory blurb re: the mix. I'll post the link on Facebook tomorrow but you guys are cooler (Tabasco and The Captain were at the Crystal Method show that inspired the mix), so you can download it tonight.

All the Kids Are Doing It - TooSarcastic
(This is a direct link- right click to download).

Wrap It Up - Whitey
Mein Neues Fahrrad - Siriusmo
Pins - Alex Metric
Ross Ross Ross - SebastiAn
Dangerseekers (Shinichi Osawa Edit) - Kurt Uenala
Dial 1 - CLASSIXX
Gimme What You Got (Alex Metric Mix) - Black Daniel
Escape - The Toxic Avenger
Lime - EnMasse
Blipvertz - Rektchordz, Sam Hell
Stress - Justice
Time - Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Don't Believe The Hype (Proxy Remix) - Boys Noize
Papillon (Yuksek & Brodinski Remix) - The Subs
Free Things For Poor People (Alex Metric Remix) - Infadels
Blackout (Shinichi Osawa Remix) - The Whip
Floating - Jape

So this summer I heard the Crystal Method do a live electro house DJ set that really made me re-evaluate my opinion of electro house music. I had previously avoided such tracks because many seemed to drip with shallow, synthy 1980's nostalgia. But the Crystal Method managed to find tracks that both kicked ass and weren't scared to have a melody. I decided it was time to see why all the kids were so excited about this electro house stuff. Man, was I missing out! SebastiAn and Justice are heirs apparent to Daft Punk's French house crown, and Alex Metric is simply an astounding producer. I love Shinichi Osawa despite wanting to hate all his poppy synths. Hell, even the lyrics to half these tracks aren't too bad! When's the last time you heard that about dance music? I hope you enjoy listening to the mix as much as I did making it!

T

Do I Have Fans?

Oh, yes I do!

So how was yr Regionals? Harry Potter didn't get there. Oh well. At least we all have a chance to win the car this year as Sam Black made top 4. Dude ripped it up in the sides last year. Actually, if I were him, I'd go do that again. He won like $30,000 worth of stuff last year. He's unlikely to do that well in the main event, given the dismal prize structure for Nationals. Unless they have improved the prizes this year?

I had fun. People were very confused by the whole "not playing" thing. I would have played either Reveillark or Merfolk. There was a ton of Merfolk and only one made it into the top 4. I was half right in my prediction as it was 2 Elves (GB midrange), 1 Faeries and 1 Merfolk getting the slots.

I finally got to vindicate something and woo lemme tell ya. That's some fun shit. Reaper King is pretty awesome in duel, I say . Not good, per se, but awesomely fun to play. In multiplayer, my prediction also proved true. He gets killed a lot. Hey, you know something else? Clockspinning doesn't remove RFG counters from yr general, because RFG counters aren't part of the game! Ass.

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So that pathetic excuse for an explanation of the Vintage bannings from last week did not stand. Turian and Lauer took a stab at it this week and I have to say, that's quite a bit better. Not only did they go into more detail on the Flash (uncontroversial), Merchant Scroll (uncontroversial), Gush (uncontroversial) and Brainstorm (mildly controversial) restrictions, but they dropped quite a few pixels on exploring the Ponder (what the fuck? Ponder? was the dominant BB theme over the last two weeks) execution. The relevant line is right at the end.

Having the most efficient unrestricted deck manipulation card left in the format be a sorcery would inherently power up combo decks (which don't mind tapping mana on their own turn) while hurting the control decks (which really don't want to tap mana on their own turn) that are important for keeping the overall health of the format in balance.

This is a line of argument I understand and can believe. Four Force of Will is supposedly the glue that holds the format together, which is a fancy way of saying control should have a seat at the table. Leaving Ponder out there (a less powerful spell due to it's timing) actually preferentially helps combo, an effect they are trying to avoid. Fine. So why did that take two weeks?

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Anybody got a Workshop list I can borrow?

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My most recent convo with DJTS:

TooSarcastic: Hey man. Do you like to party?

Captain Bondage Goth: It's Milwaukee in the summertime, man! Of course I like to party!

TS: We should party this weekend.

CBG: I am getting a cold.

TS: You fucking loser.

CBG: I know.

At least, that's all I remember through my sinus pressure induced haze.

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Happy Father's Day. I hope you all have fun out there. I was gonna have a draft at my house, but given my relationship with the weather right now (as in, I am feeling under it), I think I am gonna pass. You should build a new EDH in the meantime. And figure out a Grinders deck, will ya?

A Miss Mosh of Topics

Lots of diverse topics to write about tonight; I'll get right going.

Cube Draft!
To expand or not to expand? That is the question. I have had a few votes in favor and one "meh" (who stated that he actually enjoyed culling the weakest Cube cards from the cardboard herd). I am sorta kinda against it, but not in any real substantive way. My only arguments are that 1) The completist in me loves to know that we will have a full pool of awesome cards when we have an 8 man Cube draft, and 2) The elitist in me likes knowing that only the very most powerful 360 cards are deemed worthy of such an honor. Changing the number upward is fine, most notably if it gets people engaged in the Cube process again, which has been lacking since the increase in the number of expert level expansion releases this year. Also, I need to actually bring it along to Magic nights. And then there's EDH to blame too. God damnnit is EDH fun. It just wrecks other formats. But I digress! Here are questions that need answering if we want to expand ze Kube.
1) How do we decide the number of cards to add to the Cube?
We can do arbitrary, i.e. 100, or another 360 (not recommended, super duper power level drop off alert), or 140 (because that's the number that after much deliberation we estimate will provide the most delicious add-ins without a significant power drop off); OR we can just start tossing in good cards until we have a consensus moment when we say "stop." This would be something like, "Well, Armored Ascension is good enough but we need to draw the line at Silkbind Faerie." Or something like that. I would argue for some iteration of the former, not the latter, lest mass chaos erupt.
2) How do we decide which CARDS to add to the Cube?
Sounds kind of "obv" worthy, right? But the biggest argument for increasing Cube size has come because of the large amount of rad ass uncommons of Shadowmoor. True, there are many awesome potential includes in Shadowmoor, but we have also cut dozens of cards prior to this. Are those rejects now getting a new lease on Cube life? What about cards that were in other Cube lists that we rejected during building? Are they now too in the running? I guess my point is that thousands of cards may be competing for a scant 100 or so slots. Are we up to the challenge? Or will we provide some guidelines going in, like new cards have priority, or that we are only adding Shadowmoor cards? I really do come down egalitarian side of every card having an equal chance here. If we are expanding the Cube then all those mint Shadowmoor cards should have to compete with the dusty also-rans of yore. The Cube is about distilled power level, whatever else it is about. Adding cards is one thing, but not allowing all cards consideration for entry is ageist. Yeah I went there.

Regionals!
I will apparently be there! I have not tested at all, but might try to do so Wednesday eve. I am running the consensus "best deck" (duhr Faeries, duhr) because let's face it; me+ type 2 + no testing = Hope to be Lucksack McGee or 0-2 drop and EDH. I am leaning to the latter more than the former, but at least Faeries can just win sometimes. Here is a list of cards I need, should you be so kind to loan them.

1x Faerie Conclave
1x Underground River
1x Mutavault
2x Pendelhaven
3x Razormane Masticore
3x Thoughtseize
3x Ancestral Vision

And any sideboard/maindeck tech against Chameleon Colossus/Squall Line/Cloudthresher, and/or Kitchen Finks, because they all scare the hell out of me. Makes me want to play more counterspells out of the board or something. Lookit me, all pretending to know about Standard and shit!

Big Changes with Shards of Alara!
I am still processing this, but off the cuff it seems like having what amounts to super-duper rares is not an idea I can really support. I already spend way more money on this stupid hobby than I should. The realization that no one really learns the game through the Core Set seems like an open secret finally being publicly acknowledged. How many people watching a Magic game for the first time see people playing Xth edition cards? And we know that's how newbs learn, from watching non-newbs play. I personally am happy to see the number of cards printed per year go down. Learning Limited formats takes time, and I feel like I never really got enough play out of Lor/Lor/Mor draft before the switch. I KNOW I won't have drafted trips Shadowmoor more than 15 times before the new rotation, mostly because of new time constraints on my part. I guess the real problem here is the Wizards needs to give us more time between set releases, not fewer cards per release. Yes Rav/Guild/Diss was boring by the end, but at least we had time to "figure out" the format. And that was a format that turned out to really give players a lot of enjoyment for doing so. Now only the super die-hard drafters are going to "get" the current format before it rotates. You hear that? I'm not enough of a Limited player to keep up anymore! What the hell is this world coming to?


Geekerus Miscellaneous!
Fans of Wizards of the Coast and their business interests should note that Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition will be in stores this weekend. Wizards is a crafty company, and have recruited several behemoths of webcomicry to inaugurate this occasion. Penny-Arcade's Gabe and Tycho (or Jerry and Mike) and PVP's Scott Kurtz have agreed to do an adventure DMed by a Wizards employee familiar with the new 4E rules. The result a series of podcasts and comic panels, drawn by Mike and Scott. Because all of these men are hilarious the experience is worth a listen even for those hypocrites who decry paper and pencil Geekery. D&D players will glean some knowledge of the new system and have an opportunity to hear how the system works in real time.

DJ TooSarcastic!
New mix is up. Tracklist here. It is dark. Not much melody up in here. I was inspired by the kind of music that I most enjoy dancing to; rhythm-heavy techno. I ended leaning toward progressive house vibe as well. I thought I gave that sound up in college, but apparently I was not well-informed. It was a really easy mix to make, two takes, a few edits and that was that. I am much more used to mixing music like this, since this was what I enjoyed playing when I used to have proper gigs. I put this into my Itunes and it appears to have compressed the volume or something such that one or two tracks sound pretty fucking awful. I promise that if you listen to the MP3 file on its own it won't sound as terrible.
T

Elder Dragon Highlander: Hating the Players, Not the Game

Inspiration often comes at strange moments. I was in the shower fiddling with the hot and cold dials when I stumbled upon what I later learned to be one of the most basic rules of live DJing: The best way to boost the bass of a song is NOT to turn up the bass- it’s to turn DOWN the mid and treble levels. This is because you have twice as much control over the bass level- you’re turning two dials instead of one. Counterintuitive, but true.

It’s fitting that my Magic epiphany occurred while doing DJ stuff- scrounging the digital record crates online. I was looking for some tracks to fill in a new mix I’m working on. One largely inspired by Jacob London DJ Dave Pezzner’s recent mix, which features a very Black (not just the more politically correct African American; I believe some of these tracks were produced in Africa) vibe with forward sounding, futuristic synths. It has really blown my mind. I couldn’t find tracks to match that feel that I was looking for- they were all either too loungy or not sleek and futuristic enough.

I still haven’t solved that DJing problem, but at that moment I did solve another one running through my mind- why Fugie’s new Intet Elder Dragon Highlander deck has been kicking the snot out of people lately. Like Pezzner’s mix, he’s got these seemingly incongruous pieces; taxing effects like Propaganda, Ghostly Prison, Rhystic Study, Crystal Shard, etc, and then a combo win with three TimeWarp effects, and E-Witness (or Izzet Chronarch) with Erratic Portal and Crystal Shard for the bouncy recursion of said dudes. Fugie can then take as many turns as necessary to kill everyone else dead. So what, it’s a combo deck? But with a twist! Just like Pezzner’s track list, it’s the little things that make the difference. Know how Mind’s Eye is teh nutzzz in EDH? Because it draws you cards when you can pay for it? Well Rhystic Study is similar- but the opponent has to pay for you to NOT draw. A big difference. Many of Fugie’s support cards are similar. If he has Propaganda, Rhystic Study and Crystal Shard out, it’s quite likely you’ll have to pay mana to do ANYTHING. Or let the good Ol Fugie McWizard get a benefit from you. Most of the time, it’s worth it to pay- but that’s the trap. Once Fugie starts to combo out you have even less mana available to disrupt him.

This all relates to the upcoming EDH open (this Sunday!). Normally in multiplayer combo decks are kept in check by the societal forces- no one wants to play with a player who always wins on turn zero. But at the upcoming EDH tourney combo is perfect- a player can take the metagame by storm for two rounds (no sideboards even!) and then have a decent shot at comboing out before the other four (combo) players at the top table do so in the finals. Playing combo seems like so strong an option that the only reason not to play without a combo would be to avoid a gang-up in the second round once everyone knows what you’re up to. But that strategy is basically asking to get beat in round one, so it hardly seems like a good idea.

The rest of this article is devoted to hating out the known combo decks in the metagame. Don’t fret combo players; you will want to be running many of the hate cards I discuss too, for your own combo-slinging competitors!

Let’s start at the top of the food chain.

FUGIE: Playing Intet.
We’ve gone over the combo above- as many Time Walks as it takes to win by cycling either Time Warp, Time Stretch, or Capture of Jingzhou using Eternal Witness or Izzet Chronarch (there may be a third Regrowth on legs in here, I don’t know) via Crystal Shard or Erratic Portal.
How to Beat It:
JESTER’S CAP, with the ideal targets being Crystal Shard, Erratic Portal, and Research and Development. Fugie was planning the R&D as tech, to make sure none of his combo pieces are removed from the game permanently, but if you can take either his bouncies OR his Regrowths on legs IN ADDITION TO his way to get the removed from game cards back into his library, I think he’s neutered. Obviously your Cap targets will vary based on what’s already been drawn. If he already has Research in hand then you still force him to burn it by taking all of one part of the combo. It should slow him down at least two turns, during which time someone should have…
OTHER REMOVAL CARDS: We’re looking ideally at instant speed artifact or creature removal. Many of these cards are excellent against all decks and will not be a wasted slot by any means. Return to Dust, Altar's Light, Duplicant, Carbonize or Yamabushi’s Flame, Last Breath (surprisingly good), and the always awesome Swords to Plowshares. Note that the otherwise stellar Krosan Grip will likely only buy a turn against Fugie, because of the recursion. Other solid non-instant answers would be Shatterstorm effects (Dust to Dust will always have targets) and Wrath effects, like Final Judgment and Decree of Annihilation, that RFTG. A timely Tormod’s Crypt (ideally with all copies of one part of the combo, like his bounce effects, butt he’ll try to get you to use it prematurely) can screw Fugie, but even getting one of his Time Walks will buy probably two turns.
COUNTERSPELLS: Like all good combo decks, Fugie has outs against counterspelling. Counterspell both the E-witness and the Chronarch, if possible, since he will have to dig up a Regrowth or something before recommencing his combo. Unfortunately his recursion piece of the combo makes it difficult to keep something in the graveyard for long. So remove things from the game instead! Faerie Trickery, Dissipate and Spelljack are quality disruption against Fugie (again, getting a Research with these spells would make him cry). Time Stop on one of his Time Walks is a beating, because it also will remove any card that is still on the stack from the game. Fugie will have to dig up another Time Walk to lock everyone else out. Trickbind or Stifle only delays going off for a turn, not useful. Commandeer on a Time Walk may not be a total backbreaker but is certainly enjoyable and is wholeheartedly recommended.
RESOURCE DENIAL: At the least Fugie needs 9 mana available to go off (5 for the Time Warp, 3 for the E-Wit, 1 for the bounce activation). Armageddon and other land-D will slow the man down.
Key Hate Cards: JESTER’S CAP! Swords to Plowshares, Return to Dust, Time Stop and other RFTG counters, Tormod’s Crypt.

CAPTAIN BONDAGE GOTH: Playing something U/B/R.

I have never faced CBG’s fabled multi combo concoction, but helped him develop a few of them, so I have a little insight. One combo uses a Brighthearth Banneret and some other cost reducers to make Grinning Ignus’s mana production ability go infinite. The kill is either Empty the Warrens with Fervor in play, or Grapeshot for whatever, or Tendrils of Agony for whatever, or just Fireball everyone for 40. He may have Brain Freeze as well. There’s another infi man combo with the Monoliths (Grim and Basalt) but I can’t for the life of me remember how it works. I think there was an Intruder Alarm in there somewhere. Then there’s rumor of a Djinn Illuninatus and Pact of the Titan to make a million 4/4s, all with Fervor for the haste part. I had no hand in creating that, but it seems awesome. Note that the hasty creatures and the Fireball will kill all other player AT ONCE. That means CBG gets the only points in the pod, and all the tie break points and everyone else ties for fourth in the pod. Seems like a scenario worth avoiding.
How to Beat It:
JESTER’S CAP, naming either all the mana producers the (Monoliths and Ignus) or Grapeshot, Tendrils of Agony and Fervor. The first plan hoses all his early kills- now the table just needs to kill CBG before he resolves an Illuminatus. The second plan leaves his only insta-kill option as Brain Freeze (which he may or may not even run). He will either have to Fireball (which is vulnerable to counterspells in ways that Storm spells are not) or wait a turn to attack honestly with his 500,000 goblin tokens. Hopefully someone will cast a Wrath effect in the intervening turn. Without haste his Pact tokens are useless.
OTHER REMOVAL CARDS: CBG has both artifact and enchantments that are key to some of his combos. Mass artifact and enchantment removal will likely screw him. Krosan Grip on a Monolith will not stop CBG from adding mana to his pool with an activated ability, but it will stop an untap ability from being put on the stack, so that seems golden. Without green his recursion options are limited to black’s reanimation strategies, so those pesky Monoliths and Fervor will probably stay dead. No need to remove them from the game. The creatures may be another story. Kill Banneret type effects on sight, as CBG does not need to pass turn once an Ignus resolves. Any creature kill will do, preferably at instant speed. You know the usual suspects, Eyeblight’s Ending, Terror, a million other black targeted removal spells, Swords to Plowshares, Pongify, Lightning Bolt, Sulfurous Blast and/or Rout (bye-bye tokens!) etc., etc. Every color except green should have a way to deal with CBG’s creatures at instant speed. Tormod’s Crypt is probably moot against him, unless you can Crypt away an Illuminatus or some such thing that he might try to reanimate.
COUNTERSPELLS: Storm laughs at counterspells, so don’t bother. Except for Time Stop, of course, which laughs at Storm. Trickbinding the appropriate Storm copy- yadda yadda, you all know how to do that. Note that Djinn Illuminatis’ replicate copies are put onto the stack, not played, so they will not help CBG resolve his Storm cards, only his Pact of the Titan. PLEASE counterspell his Fireball for a million (he may be smart enough to not even run it, lest it backfire). That would be enjoyable. Again, Commandeer would be so delicious.
RESOURCE DENIAL: CBG and I made sure that at least the first of his combos could work with only four mana, so unless Myojin of Night’s Reach can rip apart his hand, there’s not a lot else to stop him. Land-D won’t be useful.
Key Hate Cards: JESTER’S CAP! Any instant speed creature removal, Any instant speed Disenchant cards, Sulfurous Blast, Trickbind, Time Stop.

THE CAPTAIN: Playing Five color Flash Hulk Combo

The Captain may not be playing this deck, but if there was ever a time to be competitive playing EDH, this is it. Even if the Captain decides to run his Jhoira of the Ghitu deck instead (another combo deck!), there will probably be some Spike who turns up with a five color General and tries to run this, so it’s worth discussing. I’m not quite sure what the perfect combo would look like, but there’s no reason why The Captain couldn’t run the Karmic Guide/Carrion Feeder/Kiki-Jiki kill. Flash out Protean Hulk, when it goes to the graveyard get Karmic Guide/Carrion Feeder. Bring back the Hulk, sac to the Feeder, this time tutoring up Kiki Jiki, Mirror Breaker, which copies the Guide, then gets sacrificed with the copy effect on the stack. The effect resolves, The Captain gets a Guide token, which brings back Kiki Jiki. Now you can loop the Goblin and the Spirit until you have an arbitrary large number of hasty Spirit tokens. Let me know if this is not correct. Is there another option with Reveillark/Body Double/Mogg Fanatic? I am not up on my Standard tournament deck lists. If The Captain wins through combat damage, he would take all the points in the round. Pinging players to death would technically allow for a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. Keep in mind this thing probably consistently goldfishes around turn four-ish, with a turn one kill possible.
How to Beat It:
JESTER’S CAP, naming either Kiki Jiki, Karmic Guide and Carrion Feeder, or Reveillark, Body Double, and whatever kill condition he has. I think. I am not 100% on what to name here, but I think looking through the deck would provide the answer. Jester’s Cap seems to wreck Hulk Flash. Assuming the game gets to turn 5, a big assumption.
OTHER REMOVAL CARDS: We are dealing with a creature only combo that can go off in one turn, so instant-speed creature removal is key. But any targeted removal can be countered simply be sacrificing to Carrion Feeder. Once Carrion Feeder is on board Sudden Death on the Feeder is one of only a few outs. I also like Sulfurous Blast or Squall Line for 2 during the combat step, if someone can get to four mana in time. Turn two signet never seemed so key, so you can hit that fourth mana on turn three. Rout on his turn is WAAAY too pricey, unfortunately. Tormod’s Crypt is probably the best out combo as it gets in every deck and is cheapest card that can hate. Tormod’s Crypt with Hulk in the bin for the first time and his put into the graveyard trigger on the stack pretty much screws The Captain as well, because I don’t think he can go off without returning the Hulk to play at least once. Anyone ballsy enough to run a singleton Leyline of the Void in EDH just to hose Flash Hulk should be rewarded by getting it into play turn zero at least once, right? Actually, I hear Fugie dislikes that Leyline as well. It may well be playable…
COUNTERSPELLS: These work against Flash- and nothing else. No other card in the combo is actually cast. So get your Force of Wills out, boys. Turn one Pact of Negation is not recommended. But Trickbind/Stifle on the first Hulk trigger makes The Captain a sad panda.
RESOURCE DENIAL: Umm, Extract for whatever part of the combo isn’t in his hand turn one? That’s all I got.
Key Hate Cards: JESTER’S CAP! (I can dream, okay?), Sudden Death, Sulfurous Blast, Squall Line, Tormod’s Crypt, Leyline of the Void, Force of Will, Trickbind, and Stifle.

Swizz Dizzle: Playing Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind

The deck revolves around an obscene amount of mana ramping into the Firemind himself, along with Curiosity or some way of untapping Niv-Mizzet infinitely. Again, help with alternate combos would be much obliged. If I am correct about this, I think that Swizz can only deal about 80 points of damage before decking himself. So this might not clear an entire table of players on its own. Swizz might need to slowroll this, to make sure that he can wipe everyone after some infighting has already occurred. He runs Propaganda-style effects to discourage too much attention fall on himself as well. Keep in mind this can be as simple as a two card combo, and Swizz has access to one of those cards at all times. Be careful.
How to Beat It:
JESTER’S CAP, naming Curiosity and whatever other kill conditions he has in there. Jester’s Cap alone could do Swizz in, I am not sure how many win conditions he has in his deck.
OTHER REMOVAL CARDS: Instant speed creature removal. His General will come back anyway, but his creature enchantments may not. Swords to Plowshares, Pongify, Terror, Terminate, even Turn to Mist effects will wreck him. Just beware possible counterspell backup, and know that Niv will hit play again.
COUNTERSPELLS: Don’t waste them on Niv-Mizzet, holding them for the kill condition. Any counterspell will work, as long as he doesn’t counter your counter. I think once something is in his graveyard it will stay there (he’s R/U after all), so no need to worry about removing things from the game. Swizz’s deck would really hate to see Pact of Negation or Force of Will because then he has to rethink when it is safe to go off. Trickbind on the Niv-Mizzet trigger that deals one damage is tech as well, but only for the turn, so someone better find some removal before the dragon genius untaps again.
RESOURCE DENIAL: Swizz has so much acceleration that really only Jokulhaups style board sweepers give any relief. I once witnessed Swizz cast Niv-Mizzet on turn 2! Shatterstorm would at least give him a run for his money, though, as most of his mana sources are artifacts.
Key Hate Cards: JESTER’S CAP! Pact of Negation, Force of Will, Trickbind, Shatterstorm, any instant speed creature removal.

Don’t get into a Prisoner’s Dilemma mindset where you think that everyone else will play with combo hate and you won’t have to. I guarantee that running anti-combo cards will make your deck stronger. Here is the start of a short list of cards that are useful in numerous situations. There are cards in all the colors and most are good in plenty of other situations.

JESTER’S CAP! Run this card! At the very worst, it takes out three potential answers for your threats.
Tormod’s Crypt. It’s already in your deck, right?
Swords to Plowshares
Return to Dust
Krosan Grip
Squall Line
Sudden Death
Shatterstorm
Rout
Sulfurous Blast
Trickbind
Time Stop
Leyline of the Void
Faerie Trickery
Dissipate
Spelljack

More than other posts, please correct any errors in my reasoning or obvious things that I am missing. It is late. And feel free to dissect my Numot build (christened Hammer Time by CBG), if you want, too, for fairness! Oh, and one last thing: I do have super secret tech against much of the combo field. But you’ll have to wait until Sunday to see that in action!

T

Pezzner's Spring Opening at the Polyclinic 2008 Mix

What do we know about Shadowmoor Draft?

A scant three days prior to the Release of Shadowmoor, I am trying to put together some general principles that are universal to all Shadowmoor drafts. I have only drafted the set three times, but hope to do so again tonight. I am trying not to overstate things, but still come to some useful conclusions. Here is what I can come up with thus far:


Green is good.

G/(R or W) seem to be the de facto strongest color combinations, given the aggressive curve and incredibly efficient creature drops at uncommon and to a more limited extent, common. Having enchantments at uncommon that nerf -1/-1 counters and fliers doesn't hurt. And hey, if you think there is a better color out there, let us know why in the comments.


White removal is probably better than any other color.

It is certainly better removal than white usually gets. I have discussed it before, but I will do so again; Last Breath, Inquisitor's Snare, Prison Term, Curse of Chains, Mercy Killing, and Æthertow. These are all at uncommon or common. Pairing white with blue gives control decks a chance to beat aggro.


The mill deck appears to be unviable. Or at least more difficult to build than expected.

Our Pseudonymous Drama Student attempted to draft this last Friday, at a ten man table. If ever there was a time to try out this sort of a deck, triple base-set draft with ten people early in the set's life would be the time. But it did not pan out. (I did see at least one game that the PSD took by milling, but as CBG reported, I think the total record was something like 0-4 in matches, 2-8 in games.)


R/B aggro can work. But it appears to have less staying power than Green aggro decks.

The Captain drafted one hell of an aggro deck last week, with multiple Ashenmoor Gougers and Sootstoke Kindlers. He curved out in game one and ran my B/U deck over like nothing. Only hitting my Din of the Fireherd game two (I think it was on turn 8) allowed my to get there and game three was very tight as well. I think with some direct damage to seal the deal, this could be a real contender.


Mono colored decks don't just draft themselves.

But Mark Rosewater keeps telling me to draft them. It may be possible to go mono, but thus far it appears that conventional two or three color decks are proving more successful- and ubiquitous. Drafting mono may require a surfeit of underdafted cards in a single color, or perhaps just a totally new perspective on drafting. Or maybe I should just try it some time.


Counter manipulation is very good against non-aggro decks.

Leech Bonder is sick against any deck that doesn't try to kill by turn eight. Actually, it's still not terrible against aggro decks either. On the first swing it will trade with a 3/3, assuming you have the one blue mana to untap it. Paired with Persist creatures (on either side of the board), the Leech becomes downright unfair. And that's only one card. There are a few -1/-1 counters flying around Shadowmoor, I hear. When in doubt, draft the Fate Transfer.


Any disagreement is welcome in the comments, in addition to other principles you have found to be true. I want people going into the release weekend with a solid base to work from.

T

ps- Shameless plug: NEW MIX! You can Download here.

This is one of several spontaneous, one-take mixes I did to prep for an upcoming show- The Marquette University COEP Diversity Gala. Because the focus is diversity I used some housey tracks with a diverse feel. I tried to mix in some "authentic" world music artists (Issa Bagayogo, Anslem Douglas, Despina Vandi, etc.) with more mainstream names as well (M.I.A., Groove Armada, Boozoo Bajou). I tried for a more "live" feel, no editing, more effects processing on the fly.

TooSarcastic's Cube Draft List v2.0 (includes Morningtide ideas)

It's finally here! The new, updated Cube List. We've done a lot of work on it since last entry, even if there has been a long hiatus in Cube Draft play since Morningtide came out. The card list is long enough without me gabbing, so here it is.

WHITE
Adarkar Valkyrie
Ajani Goldmane
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Armageddon
Arrest
Austere Command
Aven Mindcensor
Aven Riftwatcher
Blade of the Sixth Pride
Calciderm
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
Cloudchaser Kestrel
Condemn
Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Crusade
Descendant of Kiyomaro
Devouring Light
Disenchant
Empyrial Armor
Enduring Renewal
Enlightened Tutor
Eternal Dragon
Faith's Fetters
Genju of the Fields
Ghostly Prison
Glorious Anthem
Goldmeadow Harrier
Griffin Guide
Honorable Passage
Icatian Javelineers
Jötun Grunt
Kami of Ancient Law
Kataki, War's Wage
Knight of Meadowgrain
Longbow Archer
Mirror Entity
Momentary Blink
Mother of Runes
Oblivion Ring
Order of the White Shield
Pacifism
Paladin en-Vec
Pariah
Radiant's Dragoons
Radiant's Judgment
Reya Dawnbringer
Sacred Mesa
Samurai of the Pale Curtain
Savannah Lions
Soltari Priest
Swords to Plowshares
Temporal Isolation
White Knight
White Shield Crusader
Wing Shards
Wrath of God
Yosei, the Morning Star

BLUE
Aeon Chronicler
Aquamoeba
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Body Double
Boomerang
Braingeyser
Brainstorm
Brine Elemental
Capsize
Compulsive Research
Confiscate
Control Magic
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Deep Analysis
Desertion
Dissipate
Drift of Phantasms
Evacuation
Forbid
Force of Will
Force Spike
Frantic Search
Gifts Ungiven
Hydroblast
Impulse
Jace Beleren
Keiga, the Tide Star
Looter il-Kor
Mana Leak
Man-o'-War
Memory Lapse
Merchant Scroll
Merfolk Looter
Mystical Teachings
Mystical Tutor
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Ophidian
Pact of Negation
Propaganda
Ray of Command
Remand
Repeal
Repulse
Riftwing Cloudskate
Rushing River
Spell Snare
Stroke of Genius
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Thieving Magpie
Tidings
Unstable Mutation
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vesuvan Shapeshifter
Vexing Sphinx
Voidmage Prodigy
Waterfront Bouncer
Willbender

BLACK
Animate Dead
Bad Moon
Black Knight
Bone Shredder
Carnophage
Consume Spirit
Contamination
Corpse Dance
Corrupt
Crypt Rats
Damnation
Dark Confidant
Dark Ritual
Darkblast
Dauthi Horror
Dauthi Slayer
Death Denied
Diabolic Edict
Diabolic Servitude
Dread Return
Exhume
Flesh Reaver
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
Hatred
Hymn to Tourach
Hypnotic Specter
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Knight of Stromgald
Liliana Vess
Living Death
Nameless Inversion
Nantuko Husk
Necropotence
Nezumi Graverobber
Okiba-Gang Shinobi
Oona's Prowler
Paralyze
Persecute
Pestilence
Phyrexian Arena
Plague Sliver
Priest of Gix
Profane Command
Sarcomancy
Shriekmaw
Skeletal Vampire
Skittering Skirge
Smallpox
Smother
Stinkweed Imp
Stromgald Crusader
Sudden Death
Tendrils of Corruption
Terror
Thoughtseize

RED
Akroma, Angel of Fury
Avalanche Riders
Bogardan Hellkite
Boom // Bust
Chandra Nalaar
Demonfire
Earthquake
Empty the Warrens
Fiery Temper
Fireball
Fireblast
Fireslinger
Flame Fusillade
Fork
Frenzied Goblin
Gathan Raiders
Goblin Bombardment
Goblin Matron
Goblin Patrol
Goblin Recruiter
Gorilla Shaman
Grapeshot
Grinning Ignus
Hearth Kami
Hostility
Incinerate
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Jokulhaups
Kamahl, Pit Fighter
Keldon Marauders
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Kird Ape
Lava Hounds
Lightning Bolt
Magus of the Scroll
Mana Flare
Mogg Fanatic
Mogg Flunkies
Mogg War Marshal
Orcish Lumberjack
Pyroblast
Pyroclasm
Reckless Wurm
Red Elemental Blast
Seal of Fire
Shard Phoenix
Shock
Siege-Gang Commander
Sudden Shock
Sulfur Elemental
Tarfire
Tin Street Hooligan
Tribal Flames
Wheel of Fortune
Wildfire
Word of Seizing

GREEN
Arrogant Wurm
Basking Rootwalla
Birds of Paradise
Blanchwood Armor
Briarhorn
Caller of the Claw
Carven Caryatid
Channel
Crop Rotation
Desert Twister
Elves of Deep Shadow
Essence Warden
Fertile Ground
Fyndhorn Elves
Gaea’s Anthem
Garruk Wildspeaker
Giant Growth
Golgari Grave-Troll
Harmonize
Harrow
Hurricane
Hystrodon
Indrik Stomphowler
Kodama of the North Tree
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Grip
Life from the Loam
Llanowar Elves
Might of Oaks
Moldervine Cloak
Mtenda Lion
Natural Order
Naturalize
Overrun
Phantom Centaur
Protean Hulk
Quirion Ranger
Rancor
Regrowth
River Boa
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scryb Ranger
Simian Grunts
Spectral Force
Tarmogoyf
Thelonite Hermit
Timbermare
Troll Ascetic
Uktabi Orangutan
Verdant Force
Vinelasher Kudzu
Wall of Blossoms
Wall of Roots
Werebear
Wild Mongrel
Wing Snare
Wood Elves

MULTICOLORED
Angel of Despair
Armadillo Cloak
Azorius Guildmage
Burning-Tree Shaman
Dimir Cutpurse
Electrolyze
Ghost Council of Orzhova
Grave-Shell Scarab
Lightning Angel
Lightning Helix
Loxodon Hierarch
Mortify
Mystic Enforcer
Mystic Snake
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Putrefy
Rakdos Guildmage
Recoil
Savage Twister
Selesnya Guildmage
Stormbind
Void
Watchwolf
Who/What/When/Where/Why

ARTIFACTS
Azorius Signet
Bottle Gnomes
Coalition Relic
Cursed Scroll
Dimir Signet
Fellwar Stone
Gruul Signet
Icy Manipulator
Ivory Tower
Juggernaut
Lotus Bloom
Lotus Petal
Loxodon Warhammer
Memory Jar
Mirari
Mox Diamond
Nevinyrral's Disk
Pithing Needle
Platinum Angel
Rakdos Signet
Razormane Masticore
Scroll Rack
Selesnya Signet
Sensei's Divining Top
Serrated Arrows
Sol Ring
Tormod's Crypt

LANDS
Academy Ruins
Azorius Chancery
Blood Crypt
Boros Garrison
Breeding Pool
Dimir Aqueduct
Godless Shrine
Golgari Rot Farm
Gruul Turf
Hallowed Fountain
Izzet Boilerworks
Mutavault
Orzhov Basilica
Overgrown Tomb
Rakdos Carnarium
Sacred Foundry
Selesnya Sanctuary
Simic Growth Chamber
Steam Vents
Stomping Ground
Temple Garden
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolarian Academy
Volrath's Stronghold
Watery Grave

COMMENTS
Okay, I could write an entire post just on this section, but I've already spent hours going through the old list and adding the new entries. First off, the color balance got off somehow. Not as bad as I actually expected (by my count all the colors have 57 cards except for blue, which has 58 for a total of 361) but a little off. I would recommend cutting either Evacuation, Ray of Command, or Vexing Sphinx. What say you? I took out five artifacts that everyone kept complaining about to add the on-color signets. Sorry Winter Orb, but nobody cared about you. Most of the cards that were cut were clearly inferior to other cards that were added. Some cards were just unpopular to play with. Man, I have never seen hatred like that levied against Pox. My playgroup really hates Pox! Many unfun cards like that were removed and replaced as we played. There's still room for improvement. I don't know about you guys, but I would guess that Fire//Ice would be more powerful than Niv Mizzet as a U/R multi spell. Objections? Uh, anybody actually have a Fire//Ice that we could put in the Cube? I proxied a Ghostly Prison because apparently I have only one copy and it went into my EDH deck. So if anyone would borrow one of those to the Cube, I'd be obliged as well. Also, this is more subjective, but what would you guys think of Finkel over Dimir Cutpurse? In honor of his Kuala Lumpur win? Well, anybody have one?

MORNINGTIDE!
There are a few Morningtide cards already in the cube (no arguments about Mutavault going in, right?) but we have been delinquent in adding most of these. These are the adds I'm proposing:

Mutavault (in there)
Bitterblossom
Chameleon Colossus
Countryside Crusher
Reveillark
Vendilion Clique
Maybe Kinsbaile Cavalier? (We have gobs of knights in the cube)

What great cards am I missing? Are the above good? I have copies of all them that can go in, so no one would need to worry about finding extras.

SHAMELESS PLUG
Believe it or not, I don't just rip on people for what they create. I actually make something that might (charitably) be construed as art myself. I recently DJed a few mixes on some new CD/MP3 players that I bought to replace the old turntables. I was so taken with the little bit of theory I wrote about on this here blog that I decided to name the mixes after the respective concepts. So if you are interested in electronic music you might want to check out this page where you can find descriptions, links to, and tracklistings of these mixes. I will hopefully be putting more mixes there in the future. If you want to take the leap and downlaod one or both mixes they are here: Scalpel. Hammer. They are about 100 megs each. Play them while you are drafting on MODO, or hosting a house party, or beating face at a PTQ or Vintage tourney. I will leave you with a short description of the mixes and then (finally!) shut up.

Happy St. Patricks Day!
T

Scalpel: A smooth mix shifting from the beauty of sunset, to the eerie shadows of twilight, to the darkness of midnight.

Hammer: A crunchy, stomping mix of diverse styles with the singular focus of making bodies move. Turn it up, tap the keg, call up some freaky people, shake something.

(For any real headz the first mix is mostly techy house, the second is funky house and breaks, leaning toward a hip hop tip.)