The Official Magic the Gathering card game Rules, Questions, and General Discussion Thread

[Selaya]

Theres like 3 cards at best in current Type 2 that can deal with lands, and idt any of them are really playable.

 

[dragontamer5788]

I mean, this is but the symptom of multiple things that's going wrong with the game, chief amongst them
(a) The Grand Advent Of Threats - Threats get more and more efficient while answers are stagnating at best; mostly getting worse (when your best answers like bolt, stop counterspell and force are from 1993-1995, something's fucking wrong)
(b) Magic: The Creaturing, and to lesser extents Magic: The Planeswalkering/Permanenting

First time in a power-creep environment?

"Fierce energy he'd never thought to see again".

Back in M10, it was clear that threats got too powerful, so they reprinted Bolt to counteract threats. Once those threats were dealt with, Bolt went back into the vault.

As for (b), Mirrodin (2003) was definitely one of the biggest buffs to Artifacts / non-creature permanents. And today's planeswalkers still don't seem as strong as say, Jace the Mindsculptor.

 

[Selaya]

Oh, I remember all of them starting back to when they first had to emergency ban Memory Jar.
In any case, the current fuckup that is Type 2 is unprecedented; even when they basically banned the entirety of Darksteel that was like what, two B&Rs and then a done deal?
We're now at consecutive Type 2 bans for like half a decade straight and counting ...

EDIT: I'm well aware that they've reprinted Bolt in 2009. My point is that its (amongst some of the other premier answers) original printings are from the game's inception.

 

[Vayra86]

broken meta's are mainly why I do sealed or draft only 90% of the time. it's a shame.

Broken meta indeed... They will just ban this into the ground for Standard.. Online its just not fun this way. You should see Modern right now.... some monkey doing the rounds...

https://static.cardmarket.com/img/4fe2c8caae579e27b8d7e49a091b8b36/items/1/MH2/566480.jpg

Wizards money printing press at work..

This is why I play mostly EDH now. So much more fun and inherently guarded against power creep simply because of table poliitics. But lets face it... this was always a thing. And the sets lackong it were frowned upon too, such as Mercadian Masques (hardly gets more shite than that after Urza's... )

yeah, need to change out my sorcery destroy creatures for the Instant variant.

Land removal!! Red has some in Zendikar. Because once the counter is placed, the land just wont transform anymore...

And you can even use this bad boy on yourself. (Gimme sec, finding card)

Ah. Cleansing Wildfire, for example.

https://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=491777&type=card

 

[dragontamer5788]

I pretty much only play drafts and sealed, lol.

Constructed formats were just something else: there always is a group of players who playtest the heck out of one strategy and optimize it. Its really hard to compete with that group and come up with your own strategy.

Its one of those things: its always easy to take a constructed deck / general strategy and build a "counter deck" against it. But then... that's not really what you want. You want a deck that can beat many different flavors of constructed decks.

 

[Vayra86]

I pretty much only play drafts and sealed, lol.

Constructed formats were just something else: there always is a group of players who playtest the heck out of one strategy and optimize it. Its really hard to compete with that group and come up with your own strategy.

Its true, but its still (also) possible to sneak between the meta with your own contraptions.

I still run a mill deck (not Dimir Rogues, it barely has creatures) that just wants to draw cards to trigger opponent mill, and counter threats, and if something fat does land, I drop an

And twice if needed, recurring it with a Mystic Sanctuary.
Pretty neat winrate up unto Platinum last few seasons
I actually lose most to Dimir Rogues with it.
Here's the decklist, though its been different. Trying things for balance. The core is super simple. Drop Windrobber or Crab, hopefully, to secure fuel for Drown in the Loch and other counters. Wait for your mill to happen, run into Teferi's Tutelage and drop Into the Story to mill 8 and have sick advantage. If you can get Into the Story, its generally a win.

Either way, if you're brewing for Standard, game plan must either be 'wait em out and have answers' or 'win on turn 3-4'.

 

[moproblems99]

I wish I had all my cards from the 90s. I would play in a heartbeat.

 

[dragontamer5788]

I wish I had all my cards from the 90s. I would play in a heartbeat.

Everyone imagines that their old shoebox of cards is filled with Lightning Bolts, Dark Rituals, and Moxes.

When in actuality, its filled with Healing Slaves, that weird 1/1 trample elf... and in the corner is a well kept, well conditioned Serra Angel (valuable in the 90s, but has not lived very well due to power creep of creatures)

 

[moproblems99]

No, not it, just nostalgia.

I also don't want to learn the 'new' stuff. It doesn't really matter as I don't remember much of the 'old' stuff. I just can't think of many things that have been made better by modernists. First example: Star Wars.

 

[dragontamer5788]

No, not it, just nostalgia.

I also don't want to learn the 'new' stuff. It doesn't really matter as I don't remember much of the 'old' stuff. I just can't think of many things that have been made better by modernists. First example: Star Wars.

MtG sets come and go, some are great. Some are ridiculous (Shards of Alara), some have power creep. Innistrad (both the original and remakes) is probably one of the best sets ever printed. For people who do like the old stuff, New Pharexia vs Mirrodin was a good set, but so was Time Spiral.

I don't really know what makes a set good or bad... unfortunately. I've liked powerful sets, I've liked underpowered sets. I liked silly sets, and sometimes I even like "core" sets.

What I can say, is that a lot of the 90s stuff is pretty awful when you think about it. Ancestral Recall + Time Walk is so utterly bonkers that its no wonder that its never been printed again. The rules from back then are also borked: anyone remember "damage on the stack" and how that interacted with bounce spells?? And that's not even getting to the stupid "ante" system that no one actually used more than once.

 

[moproblems99]

MtG sets come and go, some are great. Some are ridiculous (Shards of Alara), some have power creep. Innistrad (both the original and remakes) is probably one of the best sets ever printed. For people who do like the old stuff, New Pharexia vs Mirrodin was a good set, but so was Time Spiral.

I don't really know what makes a set good or bad... unfortunately. I've liked powerful sets, I've liked underpowered sets. I liked silly sets, and sometimes I even like "core" sets.

What I can say, is that a lot of the 90s stuff is pretty awful when you think about it. Ancestral Recall + Time Walk is so utterly bonkers that its no wonder that its never been printed again. The rules from back then are also borked: anyone remember "damage on the stack" and how that interacted with bounce spells?? And that's not even getting to the stupid "ante" system that no one actually us

Fair enough. Like I said, I am more nostalgic that knowledgeable. I can't even say I could sit through a whole game anymore before...squirrel.

 

[Vayra86]

Fair enough. Like I said, I am more nostalgic that knowledgeable. I can't even say I could sit through a whole game anymore before...squirrel.

Squirrels are a thing now in fact.

Against the Odds: Chatterfang Squirrels (Modern)

What are the odds of winning with a scurry of Squirrels lead by Chatterfang, Squirrel General in Modern? Let's find out!

www.mtggoldfish.com

No, not it, just nostalgia.

I also don't want to learn the 'new' stuff. It doesn't really matter as I don't remember much of the 'old' stuff. I just can't think of many things that have been made better by modernists. First example: Star Wars.

I would argue current MTG is much better than the old Legacy and Vintage stuff. That format is so warped right now... if you're talking powercrept meta, there it is. And its stable like that. If you're not bringing 2-3K worth of deck, you might as well go home. Whereas in current Standard, or even Commander (100 cards, all different), you can easily play along with 50-100 eur worth of cards.

 

[moproblems99]

Squirrels are a thing now in fact.

Against the Odds: Chatterfang Squirrels (Modern)

What are the odds of winning with a scurry of Squirrels lead by Chatterfang, Squirrel General in Modern? Let's find out!

www.mtggoldfish.com

I would argue current MTG is much better than the old Legacy and Vintage stuff. That format is so warped right now... if you're talking powercrept meta, there it is. And its stable like that. If you're not bringing 2-3K worth of deck, you might as well go home. Whereas in current Standard, or even Commander (100 cards, all different), you can easily play along with 50-100 eur worth of cards.

Are you saying I can build a squirrel powered deck?

 

[Vayra86]

Yep, enough options and they're pretty strong, too.

 

[moproblems99]

Well maybe I need give mrg a ..... Squirrel

 

[Vayra86]

Well maybe I need give mrg a ..... Squirrel

If you're looking for a less competitive (meta) environment and want to play on paper, I'd strongly recommend the EDH (Commander) format.

100 cards, approx 34-38 land, Singleton rule (no more than one copy of each card) and you pick one Legendary Creature as your commander. This guy is always ready to be cast from a 'Command Zone'. This means you can really go wild on very specific builds. Its a multiplayer format, 40 life instead of 20, so games are longer and open to any strategy. Often really focused around having that guaranteed combo piece available at any time. If a Commander dies, it goes back to a command zone and you can cast it again, but for 2 colorless mana more, every time it dies.

A quick search...

MTG Deck: Squirrel Storm (EDH)

Just rebuilt this deck and did a major overhaul. This version is a little more a...

tappedout.net

MTG Deck: Squirrel EDH

This deck includes every squirrel-related card in the game - even Might of Oaks ...

tappedout.net

MTG Deck: Squirrel Tribal

From early game small cute and cuddly, bushy tail critters.... to late game endl...

tappedout.net

 

[Space Lynx]

If you're looking for a less competitive (meta) environment and want to play on paper, I'd strongly recommend the EDH (Commander) format.

100 cards, approx 34-38 land, Singleton rule (no more than one copy of each card) and you pick one Legendary Creature as your commander. This guy is always ready to be cast from a 'Command Zone'. This means you can really go wild on very specific builds. Its a multiplayer format, 40 life instead of 20, so games are longer and open to any strategy. Often really focused around having that guaranteed combo piece available at any time. If a Commander dies, it goes back to a command zone and you can cast it again, but for 2 colorless mana more, every time it dies.

A quick search...

MTG Deck: Squirrel Storm (EDH)

Just rebuilt this deck and did a major overhaul. This version is a little more a...

tappedout.net

MTG Deck: Squirrel EDH

This deck includes every squirrel-related card in the game - even Might of Oaks ...

tappedout.net

MTG Deck: Squirrel Tribal

From early game small cute and cuddly, bushy tail critters.... to late game endl...

tappedout.net

I had a squirrel deck in 2005 or 2006, can't remember. Good times. lol

Squirrel Nest, enchant land was awesome haha

 

[Space Lynx]

fyi, they nerfed/banned that combo I was complaining about earlier in this thread. its no longer allowed in Standard 2022. LOL

 

[Space Lynx]

I really wish instead of a new expansion, they would just do like an old block remembrance cycle... so like Odyssey Block would come back exactly the same it was back in the day... and last for 3 months as a temporary play mode... and same for Onslaught block... man... those were the days.

 

[Selaya]

fyi, they nerfed/banned that combo I was complaining about earlier in this thread. its no longer allowed in Standard 2022. LOL

It's just for the Standard 2022 event that is currently running, it will not be banned come rotation.

I really wish instead of a new expansion, they would just do like an old block remembrance cycle... so like Odyssey Block would come back exactly the same it was back in the day... and last for 3 months as a temporary play mode... and same for Onslaught block... man... those were the days.

Won't be anything like it without the 6th's ruleset.

 

[Space Lynx]

It's just for the Standard 2022 event that is currently running, it will not be banned come rotation.
Won't be anything like it without the 6th's ruleset.

well I meant only Odyssey block allowed to face other Odyssey block decks. the rules can't be broken regardless in that scenario? unless I am mistaken

 

[Vayra86]

Right, I found my mojo for the current rotation. Had a bright moment yesterday, somehow putting this together took all of 15 minutes. And its ridiculous, even blue can't touch this much card advantage right now. Its easy to burn through 30 cards of the library and see the opponent still picking up number 15.

What you're not seeing here is 4x Fabled Passage, but you can make do with 4x Evolving Wilds. Or some duals.

The idea:
- "Gain 3 life" : triggers 'Griffin Aerie' for a 2/2 flyer which is our offensive bread & butter. Revitalize, Sanguine Indulgence can be fired for a total of three mana to draw us a card, gain 3 life and get 2 creatures back from the grave. 'Charming Prince' can also ETB for a 3 life gain trigger and since he's a creature, he can keep coming back for more. 'Mire Triton' and the Alseid of Life's Bounty can combine for another 3 life if the latter can attack, while doubling to put stuff in our graveyard faster and/or protect Lurrus. Mire Triton also has Deathtouch making for great deterrence, that is until we gain so much life we don't care anymore.

- Lurrus Companion: no permanents bigger than a 2-drop, and there are a lot of potential options on the table I'm considering here, white and black have them in spades. Once our graveyard is well stocked, Lurrus pops in (Hey, Lifelink and 3 power!) and brings the good stuff back, ad infinitum.

- Enchantments matter: 'Mire's Grasp' and 'Dead Weight' are ultra cheap and superb creature removal. When you can recurse those, they can single handedly turn the game into a win. 'All that Glitters' is the powerhouse to turn a Griffin into something that kills.

- Draw: 'Hateful Eidolon', engine. Nuff said. 'Infernal Scarring' is an optional I am yet trying out. Its not bad. Its not great. 'Eternal Thirst' is another such aura that might be replaced, but the extra lifelink and counters are even more pressure and flesh out the rest quite well.

Agadeem's Awakening while optional has already saved my game twice, and a total of 5 recursions for creatures is quite welcome, could probably do with 3-4 but I need more testing The main reason is keeping some reaction in hand to recurse Lurrus if he gets the axe.

So far... 100% win rate (still moving up in silver) which I've not seen alot with any archetype/deck I've played in Arena. Its absolute cancer and the majority is commons and uncommons, too

 

[Space Lynx]

I might give this a go. Thanks @Vayra86

 

[Vayra86]

Suggestions welcome! Give it a shot I'm having a blast with this, lots of fun, always multiple options in hand.

 

[Space Lynx]

yeah my blue black deck made it to middle of silver tier, and it just hit a wall after that... loss after loss. Mind Flayer is good on paper, but higher end decks are too good at removal for it to be of any use really. and Mind Flayer is really what that deck was about.