I have to say that I agree with coyote about blue not being over powered (pause for shock & awe). It is definitely all about how we build our decks. Since our group started playing EDH earlier this year, I've been playing the same general the entire time (Dromar, the Banisher). My choice to play blue was not about abusing blue, but being able to play with Invasion dragons again (for those that don't know, I started playing around the time that Invasion came out and the set holds a special place in my heart).
As my deck has progressed, I have been the target of more hate for blue because I am playing islands. From the very beginning, I have been a target because I played with mostly basic lands, due to a lack of non-basics that make blue, black, or white in my collection (most notably I remember in four of the first five games that I played I lost no fewer than 6 or 7 lands to Sundering Titan). None the lest I pressed on.
Not long after that land destruction fell out of popularity, send in the take a million turns decks. Then it was, hey he's playing blue so he must be able to take a million turns and kill us all at his leggier. Get him (thanks Fugie). Again I persevere.
Send in the combo decks. Here comes Fugie's illustrious Red-white-green Sneak Attack, Sylvan Library, Abundance generate ridiculous card advantage I'm not the threat, go after the guy playing islands. Again I continue to take a beatings with my non-combo, can't take a million turns, can't generate huge card advantage deck, that is playing blue because my general happens to be white, blue, & black. I continue to persevere.
Now the most recent iteration is back to blue decks with combos that can kill everyone on the same turn. Now I continue to get beat on for playing blue. There seems to be no reason to continue to play a generalist deck that happens to include blue. It seems that I am left with with two choices.
1. Continue to play blue and be perceived as the threat. I am not really thrilled to continue to get my head kicked in with my current build. So, I would need to make some rather significant changes to make my deck into the threat that everyone seems to think it is or at least more resilient to unmitigated onslaught I will continue to see.
2. Abandon blue entirely. In order to due this I would likely end up building a deck that is unfun for everyone to play with. More than likely something that punishes everyone for sitting down at the table an makes me the target. Not for being the threat (i.e. the one who will likely win), but for being the obstacle to anyone winning. Not a very attractive option either.
I honestly don't know which road I will go down.
Showing posts with label Elder Dragon Highlander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elder Dragon Highlander. Show all posts
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Shadowmoor Prerelease and Elder Dragon Highlander, Sek'Kuar.
Ahh, the spring Prerelease is almost here! Time to put away the shovel, shave off the beard, and rejoin the 40-odd contiguous states that are not bound in ice for 8 months a year. It is also time to witness the completion of a draft archetype with the third set of the bl… what? You mean there is no third set this time around? You mean there’s a second large set this year? What’s that you say? Reading sentences only ending in questions marks isn’t entertaining you? Well shit. That was supposed to be the schtick for another four paragraphs.
Seriously, there are some positives and negatives to doing this whole large set-small set thing twice in one year. I am a fan of drafting three different packs in a draft. I really think that there’s kind of a purity to that old three block system which the Lor-Lor-Mor thing really can’t approximate. (Then again, I am a fan of Carroll draft, with 24 unique packs, so what do you expect?) Does that make me a Melvin? I’ll be honest, I can’t tell, because I read that article more than once and still have no god damned idea what a Melvin is. So, that’s one negative. Another bad thing about this whole second big set of the year is that we have to buy more cards. (See how I did that? As if we have no choice in the matter at all! Wizards of the Coast releases product, and we MUST buy three boxes of it! Actually, I can’t even tell if that last sentence was sarcastic or not. Because that is exactly what happens. Maybe people like us don’t have a choice in the matter…) I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there is not quite really, but pretty much unofficially, actually, IS this whole United States recession going on right now. For a variety of reasons which I don’t understand, food costs like one and half times as much as it did a year ago and gasoline costs as much a gallon as pack of Morningtide at Games by James. (I just found out Games by James is not a national chain. Sorry, guys.) And no, you can’t borrow against the equity in your house ‘cause there isn’t any left and the value of the dollar is worthless and all our kids are going to have to work in Chinese strip clubs just rent a shitty flat in West Allis ‘cause they’re gonna own us and the world is going to HELL! Jesus I am getting old, all ranty and shit. All right. Back under control. The point is I am guessing that most of you have less disposable income right about now to throw at cardboard crack. So that’s a problem with releasing this whole second big set too.
Now to the positives. Well, one actually. The large set prerelease is my favorite prerelease of the year!!!! No one knows what the hell they are doing and it is super fun to look at your sealed pool or draft deck about six months later and just laugh at how terribly you misbuilt your starting forty. It is super enjoyable to just throw stuff together on a hunch to see what works. It is also the best time of year to be ahead of the learning curve.
I was going to do a quick run down on combat tricks and instant-speed removal from MTG Salvation, but I know some of you guys don’t want to have cards spoiled and there are also surprisingly few commons that have been spoiled thus far, making it a useless exercise.
I will, however, hopefully provide a recap of the action next week, along with soon-to-be hilarious decklists after everyone figures out the format. On to EDH!
Tuning Sek’Kuar
I officially debuted my Sek’kuar EDH deck during our last multiplayer night. It went alright. I took one game. But there are a lot of things it needs to do better.
Color-fixing: I got mana screwed in numerous games, and kept some hands which I shouldn’t have (although that can be tech against reactive opponents), but the biggest issue was not having enough mana in the colors I needed. I have been running a basic land-heavy theme since green is so great at getting basic out of the deck. But I need to skew more toward duals, because that shit just wasn’t getting there. I’d love to drop $60-$75 on singleton copies of the relevant original duals, but that ain’t happening right now (see the above recession rant). So I will have to up the non-basic count to compensate. It really should not impinge too much on the mana search capabilities of the deck, since I can still run 5-6 copies of each of the basics.
Mana Ramping: I need more of it! I’m green and went with more flexible tutoring instead of “put in to play” type cards. (Think Evolution Charm instead of Kodama’s Reach for an example. The Charm works great with my recursion theme, but if I can’t CAST my dude that I return, who cares!)
Draw-replacing Tutor abilites: I had Elemental Harbinger in the deck because of all the kick-ass Evoke guys in my deck, but man, I really can’t afford to wait a whole turn in multiplayer to get my Shriekmaw or Ingot Chewer. Shit needs to die NOW. And I lose my next draw step. And I really thought Volrath’s Stronghold was busted! It’s not! It is SO not worth the mana and losing your draw step to get back some shitty utility creature. Volrath’s Stronghold should have a sign that says “Bomb Ass Creatures Only Please” because spending seven mana and losing your draw step to replay your Indrik Stomphowler will NOT win you the game. It will piss off your opponents one by one and they will kill you with their Dragons and Angels, which is what you should have been bringing back with the Stronghold in the first place.
More Hammer! Less Scalpel! Maybe I just can’t build a utility deck, man. Know how many times I recurred Ingot Chewer against Tabasco? Three! Know how many artifacts he had in play after this? Four! I need a fucking Shatterstorm. Targeted removal sux in EDH. In another game I cast Krosan Grip and needed to ask myself whether to cack The Door of Destinies, the Mirari’s Wake, the SoFI, or the Skullclamp. When you are asking yourself that question, you already have lost. What can a guy do? I can’t use my awesome creature-based graveyard recursion to get back a Tranquility or Shatterstorm. I guess I just need to run more old-fashioned card advantage generators.
Using Overrun effects to win was a pipe dream. Garruk is awesome, and still has a place in the deck, but he and his ilk will not be winning me the game with numerous hasty 6/4 trampling Graveborn tokens, as I had hoped. I cannot seem to keep more than one creature on the board at once, let alone get my General out as well. Netting a single token after a Wrath effect is pretty weak. I need to find another way to Just Win.
The good news: Sek’Kuar isn’t a bad General. He usually stuck around and when he was out I felt a lot safer against board sweepers. The deck idea is salvageable, I think.
More good news: Reanimation effects are teh nutz. I HATE casting my guys multiple times from hand, but I LOVE ripping them out of the graveyard for 2 to 4 mana. I need to pack more of these, and then find ways to draw them, cause they win me games.
The final good news: My colors have good threats to add. I was basically trying to go as “pure” a recursion deck as possible, with only comes in to play effect dudes included, so that my guys all did something right away, before they inevitably got killed. But now I know I also need some Big Scary Dudes in the mix too. They jump out of the grave just as quickly, if beckoned, and they help win games better than 2/1 echo guys that cantrip when they CIP.
T
Seriously, there are some positives and negatives to doing this whole large set-small set thing twice in one year. I am a fan of drafting three different packs in a draft. I really think that there’s kind of a purity to that old three block system which the Lor-Lor-Mor thing really can’t approximate. (Then again, I am a fan of Carroll draft, with 24 unique packs, so what do you expect?) Does that make me a Melvin? I’ll be honest, I can’t tell, because I read that article more than once and still have no god damned idea what a Melvin is. So, that’s one negative. Another bad thing about this whole second big set of the year is that we have to buy more cards. (See how I did that? As if we have no choice in the matter at all! Wizards of the Coast releases product, and we MUST buy three boxes of it! Actually, I can’t even tell if that last sentence was sarcastic or not. Because that is exactly what happens. Maybe people like us don’t have a choice in the matter…) I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there is not quite really, but pretty much unofficially, actually, IS this whole United States recession going on right now. For a variety of reasons which I don’t understand, food costs like one and half times as much as it did a year ago and gasoline costs as much a gallon as pack of Morningtide at Games by James. (I just found out Games by James is not a national chain. Sorry, guys.) And no, you can’t borrow against the equity in your house ‘cause there isn’t any left and the value of the dollar is worthless and all our kids are going to have to work in Chinese strip clubs just rent a shitty flat in West Allis ‘cause they’re gonna own us and the world is going to HELL! Jesus I am getting old, all ranty and shit. All right. Back under control. The point is I am guessing that most of you have less disposable income right about now to throw at cardboard crack. So that’s a problem with releasing this whole second big set too.
Now to the positives. Well, one actually. The large set prerelease is my favorite prerelease of the year!!!! No one knows what the hell they are doing and it is super fun to look at your sealed pool or draft deck about six months later and just laugh at how terribly you misbuilt your starting forty. It is super enjoyable to just throw stuff together on a hunch to see what works. It is also the best time of year to be ahead of the learning curve.
I was going to do a quick run down on combat tricks and instant-speed removal from MTG Salvation, but I know some of you guys don’t want to have cards spoiled and there are also surprisingly few commons that have been spoiled thus far, making it a useless exercise.
I will, however, hopefully provide a recap of the action next week, along with soon-to-be hilarious decklists after everyone figures out the format. On to EDH!
Tuning Sek’Kuar
I officially debuted my Sek’kuar EDH deck during our last multiplayer night. It went alright. I took one game. But there are a lot of things it needs to do better.
Color-fixing: I got mana screwed in numerous games, and kept some hands which I shouldn’t have (although that can be tech against reactive opponents), but the biggest issue was not having enough mana in the colors I needed. I have been running a basic land-heavy theme since green is so great at getting basic out of the deck. But I need to skew more toward duals, because that shit just wasn’t getting there. I’d love to drop $60-$75 on singleton copies of the relevant original duals, but that ain’t happening right now (see the above recession rant). So I will have to up the non-basic count to compensate. It really should not impinge too much on the mana search capabilities of the deck, since I can still run 5-6 copies of each of the basics.
Mana Ramping: I need more of it! I’m green and went with more flexible tutoring instead of “put in to play” type cards. (Think Evolution Charm instead of Kodama’s Reach for an example. The Charm works great with my recursion theme, but if I can’t CAST my dude that I return, who cares!)
Draw-replacing Tutor abilites: I had Elemental Harbinger in the deck because of all the kick-ass Evoke guys in my deck, but man, I really can’t afford to wait a whole turn in multiplayer to get my Shriekmaw or Ingot Chewer. Shit needs to die NOW. And I lose my next draw step. And I really thought Volrath’s Stronghold was busted! It’s not! It is SO not worth the mana and losing your draw step to get back some shitty utility creature. Volrath’s Stronghold should have a sign that says “Bomb Ass Creatures Only Please” because spending seven mana and losing your draw step to replay your Indrik Stomphowler will NOT win you the game. It will piss off your opponents one by one and they will kill you with their Dragons and Angels, which is what you should have been bringing back with the Stronghold in the first place.
More Hammer! Less Scalpel! Maybe I just can’t build a utility deck, man. Know how many times I recurred Ingot Chewer against Tabasco? Three! Know how many artifacts he had in play after this? Four! I need a fucking Shatterstorm. Targeted removal sux in EDH. In another game I cast Krosan Grip and needed to ask myself whether to cack The Door of Destinies, the Mirari’s Wake, the SoFI, or the Skullclamp. When you are asking yourself that question, you already have lost. What can a guy do? I can’t use my awesome creature-based graveyard recursion to get back a Tranquility or Shatterstorm. I guess I just need to run more old-fashioned card advantage generators.
Using Overrun effects to win was a pipe dream. Garruk is awesome, and still has a place in the deck, but he and his ilk will not be winning me the game with numerous hasty 6/4 trampling Graveborn tokens, as I had hoped. I cannot seem to keep more than one creature on the board at once, let alone get my General out as well. Netting a single token after a Wrath effect is pretty weak. I need to find another way to Just Win.
The good news: Sek’Kuar isn’t a bad General. He usually stuck around and when he was out I felt a lot safer against board sweepers. The deck idea is salvageable, I think.
More good news: Reanimation effects are teh nutz. I HATE casting my guys multiple times from hand, but I LOVE ripping them out of the graveyard for 2 to 4 mana. I need to pack more of these, and then find ways to draw them, cause they win me games.
The final good news: My colors have good threats to add. I was basically trying to go as “pure” a recursion deck as possible, with only comes in to play effect dudes included, so that my guys all did something right away, before they inevitably got killed. But now I know I also need some Big Scary Dudes in the mix too. They jump out of the grave just as quickly, if beckoned, and they help win games better than 2/1 echo guys that cantrip when they CIP.
T
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Sek'Kuar Testing- Absurd!
Really Jonesing to goldfish the new Sek'Kuar EDH with my old Numot EDH. Realize I don't have 99 sleeves of the same color. Shuffle 'em up bareback anyway. Sek'Kuar killed Numot five times. Like the general Numot. As in, "I am casting Numot again... for 14 mana." Sek'Kuar: "Nekraatal it on my turn."
Key turn: Sek'Kuar is at four life and seven mana, with a lonely Wood Elves in play, facing down Numot and Greater Gargadon. Cast E-Wit targeting Hammerheim Deadeye. Cast Deadeye, targeting Numot. Sacrifice Wood Elves, E-Wit, Deadeye: Flashback Dread Return targeting Nekraatal, who targets Gargadon. Siiiick.
T
Key turn: Sek'Kuar is at four life and seven mana, with a lonely Wood Elves in play, facing down Numot and Greater Gargadon. Cast E-Wit targeting Hammerheim Deadeye. Cast Deadeye, targeting Numot. Sacrifice Wood Elves, E-Wit, Deadeye: Flashback Dread Return targeting Nekraatal, who targets Gargadon. Siiiick.
T
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Month in review
Well what a crazy month it's been. Between being deathly ill for three days (thanks again Fugie), the Easter Holiday, going to the new shop up in Whitefish Bay, and reworking my EDH, its been a pretty interesting March. However as crazy as it was, it was a fun ride.
I wouldn't recommend getting that awful virus that's going around, but have recommended checking out Calvary Games up in Whitefish Bay. Regardless of how close to a frozen turkey shoot it may be, the staff and local players are quite friendly and appear to be playing for the right reasons (I enjoy winning as much as the next guy, but play for the social interaction more than anything).
As far as EDH, I am starting to enjoy it a little more. Over the last couple of weeks, I managed to tune my Dromar deck a little more to include more reliable card draw and more clone effects. As last week Friday's marathon games proved, the only thing better than an Angel of Despair, are half a dozen Angels of Despair without the original actually entering play.
Last night TS, CGB, & I played a couple of three man EDH games to blow off a little steam and test out the latest iterations. Last night proved a couple of key things about all of our respective decks.
1. CBG's UG deck works significantly better in a three man than a four man.
This really comes down to counter spells being more effective with fewer people at the table. Also, with a high average number of board sweepers per deck in our play group, his deck can really shine in a three man game.
2. TS's WUR deck has a much tougher time in a three man than a four man.
His deck sees pretty much the opposite effect as CBG's. With fewer people at the table his hammers do less overall and his card advantage engine is not quite as efficient.
3. My BUW deck does about the same, but given the chance can do some really amazing things in a three man game.
My deck really does benefit most from only having two other people go before my next turn. I am also able to make better utilization of my more narrow answers (Swords to plowshares & Sudden Death, for example).
As far as future changes, TS really made a positive impression, on me, of the power of Momentary Blink and I'll need to seriously consider fitting it in some where. Also CBG's as well as Fugie's use of Academy Ruins makes me want to include one as well. However in my deck it would serve more as a way to recur Tormad's Crypt or to recover some key artifacts such as Journey's Kite or Citanel Flute post Disk.
Well starting next week I'll resume my coverage of Old Fart Magic night. April will be the last month of Lowryn Morningtide. Starting in May we'll be cracking Shadowmoor. Until then, may the Mana gods not hate you.
I wouldn't recommend getting that awful virus that's going around, but have recommended checking out Calvary Games up in Whitefish Bay. Regardless of how close to a frozen turkey shoot it may be, the staff and local players are quite friendly and appear to be playing for the right reasons (I enjoy winning as much as the next guy, but play for the social interaction more than anything).
As far as EDH, I am starting to enjoy it a little more. Over the last couple of weeks, I managed to tune my Dromar deck a little more to include more reliable card draw and more clone effects. As last week Friday's marathon games proved, the only thing better than an Angel of Despair, are half a dozen Angels of Despair without the original actually entering play.
Last night TS, CGB, & I played a couple of three man EDH games to blow off a little steam and test out the latest iterations. Last night proved a couple of key things about all of our respective decks.
1. CBG's UG deck works significantly better in a three man than a four man.
This really comes down to counter spells being more effective with fewer people at the table. Also, with a high average number of board sweepers per deck in our play group, his deck can really shine in a three man game.
2. TS's WUR deck has a much tougher time in a three man than a four man.
His deck sees pretty much the opposite effect as CBG's. With fewer people at the table his hammers do less overall and his card advantage engine is not quite as efficient.
3. My BUW deck does about the same, but given the chance can do some really amazing things in a three man game.
My deck really does benefit most from only having two other people go before my next turn. I am also able to make better utilization of my more narrow answers (Swords to plowshares & Sudden Death, for example).
As far as future changes, TS really made a positive impression, on me, of the power of Momentary Blink and I'll need to seriously consider fitting it in some where. Also CBG's as well as Fugie's use of Academy Ruins makes me want to include one as well. However in my deck it would serve more as a way to recur Tormad's Crypt or to recover some key artifacts such as Journey's Kite or Citanel Flute post Disk.
Well starting next week I'll resume my coverage of Old Fart Magic night. April will be the last month of Lowryn Morningtide. Starting in May we'll be cracking Shadowmoor. Until then, may the Mana gods not hate you.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Elder Dragon Highlander: Learning from Mistakes
TooSarcastic Wednesdays? It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it does it? I woke up on Tuesday and wondered, “Hmm, who’s posting today on the blog? Oh shit. That would be me.” So Fugie grabbed the opportunity to throw in another post and kindly let me post a day late.
Today we’re discussing a little more multiplayer wisdom, mostly things that I am picking up as I go along. The format is Elder Dragon Highlander, but the lessons should be broadly applicable elsewhere in multiplayer settings. Because the last few months have been the first time I’ve played multiplayer in years, I was forced to start with a top-down strategy- all theory, no practice. Hence my theory-driven bias toward power over utility. So now that I’ve been playing for little while I’ve done a lot of learning, made some stupid mistakes, and seen some cards that I thought would be great turn out to be mediocre. So let’s talk about some things that didn’t quite pan out. Let’s talk about some failures.
Failure #1: Manlands.
Early on I actually had some success with Faerie Conclave and Forbidden Watchtower. They killed Fugie in a game after a board sweeper removed his blockers. And that was the point of including them, after all. They do great impressions of lands while Wrath of God does its thing. They also are assets that don’t clog up your hand waiting to be played. Those are all positives. The downside? I would rather be doing just about anything else with my mana than pumping up a manland. They are the absolute last resort, either on offense or defense. Hardly appealing. But what got them removed from my deck was the fact that the Xth edition manlands come into play tapped. I really underestimated how important it would be to have that mana available the turn it comes down. I figured this format more than any other, wouldn’t care about fast mana. Multiplayer is slow as hell right? Yes and no. Games go longer, but (and this will be an important theme throughout this topic) with so many other players, more happens that affects your board with less opportunity for you to react. It’s really painful to have no plays for a turn in a five person game, because there’s a very good chance another player has some plays in store for you, if catch my meaning. Four other people get an opportunity to harass you before you get to draw a card or lay another land, or whatever it is that you hope will get you back in the game. So CIP tapped lands are no fun to rip off the top when you really, really need to play your Platinum Angel to have a shot to stay in it.
Failure #2: Expensive reusable effects
In my “Scalpel vs. Hammer” post I asked the question “Why play a tutor spell when you could be casting Whispers of the Muse with buyback every turn?” Now I know why. Because if I play Whispers with buyback, that is all I will be doing. Maybe our playgroup plays with more land destruction than normal, or maybe I need to work on my manabase, but I have never been able to cast Whispers and play another spell the same turn. Land just doesn’t stay in play that long. The best thing about Whispers of the Muse is that I can burn it turn one as a cantrip. It has never gained me the overwhelming card advantage I had sought. There just aren’t enough turns in a multiplayer game for that kind of return. This is same problem with Urza’s Factory (if I have eight mana on board, I guarantee there will be stronger plays than making a 2/2), Spell Burst (I never got to cast it- even without buyback), and to a lesser extent Sacred Mesa. The Mesa is the closest to being playable, but my deck is full of better stuff to do than spend four mana a turn to get a 1/1 flyer. Sacred Mesa could win a group game, given enough time, but come on, nobody has a way to deal with a bunch of Pegasi? They’re Pegasi!! If three or four other players combined can’t kill me and my army of weenies then I guess they deserve to lose. One more example. In the last EDH game I played, I had a Shattering Pulse in hand. I was killing an artifact every turn I didn’t have a more relevant play (let’s say once every three turns or so). Swizz Dizzle was dropping artifact mana accelerants like there's no tomorrow. I had an Armageddon in hand and knew that I would end up coming out worse off if I played it, despite having the so called “answer” to his artifacts. Again, multiplayer games just don’t last long enough. Never before have a wished more for a Shatterstorm. It would have netted me just as much card advantage, but for about 16 less mana. That’s the better hammer card.
Failure #3: Cards with a heavy color commitment
Okay, so I don’t have to play a three color deck. I just really like the flexibility. And I have enough duals that I can make the mana work, amiright? No, TooSarcastic, you are wrong. I don’t know how many games I have needed a board sweeper AND had my budget Wrath of God (aka “Hour of Reckoning”) sitting in my hand, just thinking, “You know, I wish I could get a third white source. Or a white creature to help with the convoke.” Similarly I have stopped seeing Shard Phoenix as reusable because I know that if I have three red mana available during my upkeep, there will inevitably be a more important play that I must use that mana for during my main phase. Let’s not even talk about Pyrohemia. I love you, red Pestilence, but in my three color deck you just aren’t going to be taking down the 5/5 dragons that I need to you to destroy. We’re just better as friends, Pyrohemia. Sorry.
So if these cards are the mistakes, what are the correct answers? I’m still trying to find that out, but I have some ideas. Or, more accurately other people in my playgroup have had some ideas that I have seen and will be copying. Shatterstorm is in for Shattering Pulse since CBG continually complains that he should be playing it (but doesn’t). Deep Analysis is in for Whispers of the Muse because seeing Fugie and the Dizzle draw four cards in one turn for six mana beats my one card for six mana. Momentary Blink gets in there, not because it is super abusable in my deck (like it is in Fugie’s- Duplicant and/or Sundering Titan FTWs) but because it beats trying to actually counter targeted removal spells. Swords to Plowshares is a one for one trade, but (just like Major_Luck) at one mana it’s a trade I’m willing to make.
There are also a few experiments I’m trying out myself. Quicksilver Amulet is an Elvish Piper that gets in any deck. I like the idea of flashing out Duplicant, or Ixidron. During an attack step perhaps? It also inadvertently mana fixes and accelerates. Maybe that Blazing Archon will finally hit the table, at instant speed no less. And Mizzium Transreliquat will copy the best artifact on the table, even if it’s just a signet. (My newest “cute idea” involves the Transreliquat and a Darksteel Ingot on the table, with Jokulhaups in hand). Finally, I have some super secret mana-fixing tech. Can you think of a three mana enchantment in White Blue or Red that will make mana of any color? With any six land a guy could play Desolation Giant and still play Guile the next turn. I’m pumped by this possibility. But who knows? Maybe it will be awful. I’m still learning.
T
Today we’re discussing a little more multiplayer wisdom, mostly things that I am picking up as I go along. The format is Elder Dragon Highlander, but the lessons should be broadly applicable elsewhere in multiplayer settings. Because the last few months have been the first time I’ve played multiplayer in years, I was forced to start with a top-down strategy- all theory, no practice. Hence my theory-driven bias toward power over utility. So now that I’ve been playing for little while I’ve done a lot of learning, made some stupid mistakes, and seen some cards that I thought would be great turn out to be mediocre. So let’s talk about some things that didn’t quite pan out. Let’s talk about some failures.
Failure #1: Manlands.
Early on I actually had some success with Faerie Conclave and Forbidden Watchtower. They killed Fugie in a game after a board sweeper removed his blockers. And that was the point of including them, after all. They do great impressions of lands while Wrath of God does its thing. They also are assets that don’t clog up your hand waiting to be played. Those are all positives. The downside? I would rather be doing just about anything else with my mana than pumping up a manland. They are the absolute last resort, either on offense or defense. Hardly appealing. But what got them removed from my deck was the fact that the Xth edition manlands come into play tapped. I really underestimated how important it would be to have that mana available the turn it comes down. I figured this format more than any other, wouldn’t care about fast mana. Multiplayer is slow as hell right? Yes and no. Games go longer, but (and this will be an important theme throughout this topic) with so many other players, more happens that affects your board with less opportunity for you to react. It’s really painful to have no plays for a turn in a five person game, because there’s a very good chance another player has some plays in store for you, if catch my meaning. Four other people get an opportunity to harass you before you get to draw a card or lay another land, or whatever it is that you hope will get you back in the game. So CIP tapped lands are no fun to rip off the top when you really, really need to play your Platinum Angel to have a shot to stay in it.
Failure #2: Expensive reusable effects
In my “Scalpel vs. Hammer” post I asked the question “Why play a tutor spell when you could be casting Whispers of the Muse with buyback every turn?” Now I know why. Because if I play Whispers with buyback, that is all I will be doing. Maybe our playgroup plays with more land destruction than normal, or maybe I need to work on my manabase, but I have never been able to cast Whispers and play another spell the same turn. Land just doesn’t stay in play that long. The best thing about Whispers of the Muse is that I can burn it turn one as a cantrip. It has never gained me the overwhelming card advantage I had sought. There just aren’t enough turns in a multiplayer game for that kind of return. This is same problem with Urza’s Factory (if I have eight mana on board, I guarantee there will be stronger plays than making a 2/2), Spell Burst (I never got to cast it- even without buyback), and to a lesser extent Sacred Mesa. The Mesa is the closest to being playable, but my deck is full of better stuff to do than spend four mana a turn to get a 1/1 flyer. Sacred Mesa could win a group game, given enough time, but come on, nobody has a way to deal with a bunch of Pegasi? They’re Pegasi!! If three or four other players combined can’t kill me and my army of weenies then I guess they deserve to lose. One more example. In the last EDH game I played, I had a Shattering Pulse in hand. I was killing an artifact every turn I didn’t have a more relevant play (let’s say once every three turns or so). Swizz Dizzle was dropping artifact mana accelerants like there's no tomorrow. I had an Armageddon in hand and knew that I would end up coming out worse off if I played it, despite having the so called “answer” to his artifacts. Again, multiplayer games just don’t last long enough. Never before have a wished more for a Shatterstorm. It would have netted me just as much card advantage, but for about 16 less mana. That’s the better hammer card.
Failure #3: Cards with a heavy color commitment
Okay, so I don’t have to play a three color deck. I just really like the flexibility. And I have enough duals that I can make the mana work, amiright? No, TooSarcastic, you are wrong. I don’t know how many games I have needed a board sweeper AND had my budget Wrath of God (aka “Hour of Reckoning”) sitting in my hand, just thinking, “You know, I wish I could get a third white source. Or a white creature to help with the convoke.” Similarly I have stopped seeing Shard Phoenix as reusable because I know that if I have three red mana available during my upkeep, there will inevitably be a more important play that I must use that mana for during my main phase. Let’s not even talk about Pyrohemia. I love you, red Pestilence, but in my three color deck you just aren’t going to be taking down the 5/5 dragons that I need to you to destroy. We’re just better as friends, Pyrohemia. Sorry.
So if these cards are the mistakes, what are the correct answers? I’m still trying to find that out, but I have some ideas. Or, more accurately other people in my playgroup have had some ideas that I have seen and will be copying. Shatterstorm is in for Shattering Pulse since CBG continually complains that he should be playing it (but doesn’t). Deep Analysis is in for Whispers of the Muse because seeing Fugie and the Dizzle draw four cards in one turn for six mana beats my one card for six mana. Momentary Blink gets in there, not because it is super abusable in my deck (like it is in Fugie’s- Duplicant and/or Sundering Titan FTWs) but because it beats trying to actually counter targeted removal spells. Swords to Plowshares is a one for one trade, but (just like Major_Luck) at one mana it’s a trade I’m willing to make.
There are also a few experiments I’m trying out myself. Quicksilver Amulet is an Elvish Piper that gets in any deck. I like the idea of flashing out Duplicant, or Ixidron. During an attack step perhaps? It also inadvertently mana fixes and accelerates. Maybe that Blazing Archon will finally hit the table, at instant speed no less. And Mizzium Transreliquat will copy the best artifact on the table, even if it’s just a signet. (My newest “cute idea” involves the Transreliquat and a Darksteel Ingot on the table, with Jokulhaups in hand). Finally, I have some super secret mana-fixing tech. Can you think of a three mana enchantment in White Blue or Red that will make mana of any color? With any six land a guy could play Desolation Giant and still play Guile the next turn. I’m pumped by this possibility. But who knows? Maybe it will be awful. I’m still learning.
T
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Scalpel vs. Hammer: A Word on Multiplayer Strategies
After playing two whole Elder Dragon Highlander games I feel qualified to deliver a theoretical discourse on deck building. That’s sarcasm people, look at my screen name. However, you might want to read further since my lifetime record in EDH games is 2-0. I’m undefeated! Actually I just noticed a difference in strategy that might be worth noting. There are, I’m sure, many different philosophies that can undergird any multiplayer deck choice. I’ll talk about two general ones today; the first being a “Toolbox” approach, the second being “Generalist” approach.
I’m not saying that either way of building is superior (actually, I have a definite slant, as you’ll see later, but I really do believe that both views are potentially successful ways to build a multiplayer deck), and yep, there’s plenty of other ways of conceptualizing deck building too (anybody ever heard of “Recursion,” for example?). I’m just giving a bipolar framework for looking at EDH or any other multiplayer deck building. Maybe it will be useful the next time you sit down to build. Let’s start with the Toolbox approach. This term is ubiquitous enough within Magic writing that most of you already know what I mean. In EDH, you have 100 card choices which must be unique (yeah, yeah, except for basic lands, Whiny McWhinerson). Given that the number of different threats others will be playing will be quite diverse, why not include pinpoint answers to many different types of threats along with several redundant ways of searching out theses answers? We could be using Idyllic Tutor to fetch Oblivion Ring to get rid of an opposing Garruk, or Cream of the Crop in an otherwise creature-laden deck to put the Shriekmaw on top. Maybe it means transmuting Dimir Houseguard for Damnation, or Mystical Tutoring for Disenchant. You get the idea. Card advantage comes from dealing with threats (or, I suppose, making the most abusable threats) so efficiently that other players can’t execute their plans effectively.
On to the “Generalist” approach. This is not simply the converse of a Toolbox strategy. The two philosophies share similar core ideas about how games are won. Generalists also believe that the way to win in multiplayer is to deal efficiently with threats and provide the best threats of one’s own at the right time. The difference is in the execution. Oblivion Ring is a great card- the perfect card to get rid of a single planeswalker. But Apocalypse gets rid of every planeswalker, every scary enchantment and artifact, and every dude in play (and your hand, but hey, you can always suspend guys prior, right?). We know there will be many times when O-ring will be better, but Apocalypse is a more consistently useful way of removing things from the game, and that is more valuable to the Generalist. That is the essence of this strategy- no scalpels, only hammers. If any of you have read Anthony Alongi’s multiplayer stuff, this would be sort of a cross between Cockroach and Gorilla strategies. Keep your things around, affect as many permanents as possible, and hopefully the quality of your threats and answers will net you card advantage (and the win) long term. The Generalist wants every card to be as useful as possible in as many situations as possible. Konda, Lord of Eiganjo is a 3/3 for seven mana. That’s pretty much the antithesis of efficiency. But he also lives through 75% of your opponent’s removal (and your own board sweepers) so Konda is a lot better than his stats belie. Speaking of board sweepers, they all get in the Generalist’s deck, not because sometimes they would be the perfect answer to have when you’re behind on the board (that’s a Toolbox ideology) but because most of the time they’ll deal with most of the threats that most of your opponents throw at you.
To whit: You know what two card combo is really amazing? Triskelavus and Acadmey Ruins. Make the Trike, make dudes, kill stuff, rinse repeat. Some good. And they’re even okay cards on their own. That’s the scalpel approach. Here’s the hammer. Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Yes, Trike/Ruins combo will remove opposing creatures, chump block, and given enough turns and mana, win the game all on their own. And yep, Akroma will never kill that annoying Royal Assassin. But she will beat face. Most of the time, against most opponents, the better threat is Akroma. Hey, it’s good to be one of the best creatures in the game. Let’s try some more examples. Scalpel: Mystical Teachings. Hammer: Whispers of the Muse. Teachings is objectively better on the first (and even second, flashbacked!) use. But with the buyback Whispers only gets better the longer the game goes. Scalpel: Sundering Titan. Hammer: Armageddon. I know everybody really wants a 7/10 after binning all your opponent’s land and none of your own non-basics, but Armageddon does the job, every time, against all opponents. Suck it up and sandbag some lands prior to blowing up the world. One more. Scalpel: Cryptic Command. Hammer: Time Stop. “But wait, TooSarcastic! Cryptic Command gives a player all sorts of flexibility- it should be the epitome of a Generalist card!” Au contraire, voice in my head. You can counter exactly one spell. You may also bounce a guy (useful in multiplayer, but not usually backbreaking) or tap an opponent’s team (again, less useful since tempo is glacial in multiplayer games) and or draw a card (cantrips are only exciting if the original effect is good as well). Now look at the hammer. Time Stop ends the turn. It ends the freakin’ turn! No more Storm count. No more attack step. No nothing. See how the Cryptic Command is really a scalpel masquerading as a hammer? It deals with very specific needs, not general ones. It’s still a good card for multiplayer, but only if you buy into the Toolbox strategy to begin with. If you want to be a Generalist, just end the turn already.
And yes, in case you can’t tell, I am a Generalist. So come to Captain Bondage Goth’s place on Friday nights to beat me with your Toolbox EDH decks. I’ll have a hammer waiting for you!
I’m not saying that either way of building is superior (actually, I have a definite slant, as you’ll see later, but I really do believe that both views are potentially successful ways to build a multiplayer deck), and yep, there’s plenty of other ways of conceptualizing deck building too (anybody ever heard of “Recursion,” for example?). I’m just giving a bipolar framework for looking at EDH or any other multiplayer deck building. Maybe it will be useful the next time you sit down to build. Let’s start with the Toolbox approach. This term is ubiquitous enough within Magic writing that most of you already know what I mean. In EDH, you have 100 card choices which must be unique (yeah, yeah, except for basic lands, Whiny McWhinerson). Given that the number of different threats others will be playing will be quite diverse, why not include pinpoint answers to many different types of threats along with several redundant ways of searching out theses answers? We could be using Idyllic Tutor to fetch Oblivion Ring to get rid of an opposing Garruk, or Cream of the Crop in an otherwise creature-laden deck to put the Shriekmaw on top. Maybe it means transmuting Dimir Houseguard for Damnation, or Mystical Tutoring for Disenchant. You get the idea. Card advantage comes from dealing with threats (or, I suppose, making the most abusable threats) so efficiently that other players can’t execute their plans effectively.
On to the “Generalist” approach. This is not simply the converse of a Toolbox strategy. The two philosophies share similar core ideas about how games are won. Generalists also believe that the way to win in multiplayer is to deal efficiently with threats and provide the best threats of one’s own at the right time. The difference is in the execution. Oblivion Ring is a great card- the perfect card to get rid of a single planeswalker. But Apocalypse gets rid of every planeswalker, every scary enchantment and artifact, and every dude in play (and your hand, but hey, you can always suspend guys prior, right?). We know there will be many times when O-ring will be better, but Apocalypse is a more consistently useful way of removing things from the game, and that is more valuable to the Generalist. That is the essence of this strategy- no scalpels, only hammers. If any of you have read Anthony Alongi’s multiplayer stuff, this would be sort of a cross between Cockroach and Gorilla strategies. Keep your things around, affect as many permanents as possible, and hopefully the quality of your threats and answers will net you card advantage (and the win) long term. The Generalist wants every card to be as useful as possible in as many situations as possible. Konda, Lord of Eiganjo is a 3/3 for seven mana. That’s pretty much the antithesis of efficiency. But he also lives through 75% of your opponent’s removal (and your own board sweepers) so Konda is a lot better than his stats belie. Speaking of board sweepers, they all get in the Generalist’s deck, not because sometimes they would be the perfect answer to have when you’re behind on the board (that’s a Toolbox ideology) but because most of the time they’ll deal with most of the threats that most of your opponents throw at you.
To whit: You know what two card combo is really amazing? Triskelavus and Acadmey Ruins. Make the Trike, make dudes, kill stuff, rinse repeat. Some good. And they’re even okay cards on their own. That’s the scalpel approach. Here’s the hammer. Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Yes, Trike/Ruins combo will remove opposing creatures, chump block, and given enough turns and mana, win the game all on their own. And yep, Akroma will never kill that annoying Royal Assassin. But she will beat face. Most of the time, against most opponents, the better threat is Akroma. Hey, it’s good to be one of the best creatures in the game. Let’s try some more examples. Scalpel: Mystical Teachings. Hammer: Whispers of the Muse. Teachings is objectively better on the first (and even second, flashbacked!) use. But with the buyback Whispers only gets better the longer the game goes. Scalpel: Sundering Titan. Hammer: Armageddon. I know everybody really wants a 7/10 after binning all your opponent’s land and none of your own non-basics, but Armageddon does the job, every time, against all opponents. Suck it up and sandbag some lands prior to blowing up the world. One more. Scalpel: Cryptic Command. Hammer: Time Stop. “But wait, TooSarcastic! Cryptic Command gives a player all sorts of flexibility- it should be the epitome of a Generalist card!” Au contraire, voice in my head. You can counter exactly one spell. You may also bounce a guy (useful in multiplayer, but not usually backbreaking) or tap an opponent’s team (again, less useful since tempo is glacial in multiplayer games) and or draw a card (cantrips are only exciting if the original effect is good as well). Now look at the hammer. Time Stop ends the turn. It ends the freakin’ turn! No more Storm count. No more attack step. No nothing. See how the Cryptic Command is really a scalpel masquerading as a hammer? It deals with very specific needs, not general ones. It’s still a good card for multiplayer, but only if you buy into the Toolbox strategy to begin with. If you want to be a Generalist, just end the turn already.
And yes, in case you can’t tell, I am a Generalist. So come to Captain Bondage Goth’s place on Friday nights to beat me with your Toolbox EDH decks. I’ll have a hammer waiting for you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)