The Stack #25- Good Game Hunting

Happy first day of Labor Day weekend, Zoners.

In honor of the holiday (and continuing our year anniversary reflection period), we're going to take a look at the Commanders of decks we had fun battles against in the last year.

So join as we spend Labor Day weekend not working.

THIS IS THE STACK!
 
VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICK

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS DOWN
This card alone gives me no worries, no heartache, and I actually think this could be a cool commander-booster card.

However, I've encountered this guy more than a few times in the past year and there are some things about him that really grind my gears... namely him grinding gears.

The first time I saw the opponent had Karn as his commander, I wondered how he could pull off an all-colorless deck. After a 2-hour game (a total of 4 players), I was bored, beaten, and burned-out from artifact combos and Eldrazi. No player should have to endure this. Not to mention Karn was not even used most of the game. It wasn't until some kind of weird Teferi's Puzzle-box/Divining Dreidel/Darksteel Forge Combo that the person actually played Karn (I ran out of counterspells at this point).

Also, drawing cards is fun, but Howling Mine AND Font of Mythos AND Teferi's Puzzlebox seems like a bit of a stretch.

Johnny Confidant- THUMBS DOWN
I've only come across one true Colorless EDH deck that was built around Ulamog, The Infinite Gyre. While that deck was as insane to play against as was its price tag (deck cost over $900), I see Karn decks as a kind of challenge to deckbuilders. The legend has some interesting abilities and restrictions that would draw a "Johnny" like me to make it work.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
I've played against a pretty mean little non-Karn-centric Combo deck too. Overall, I wasn't particularly impressed. The deck plays a lot of nonsense and cards that I think take away from what's exciting to me about the format, but I guess that's what happens when you can't play any colors in the deck. A real "one-and-done-er" kinda deck for me.

Grandpa Growth - THUMBS UP
Allow me to put on my hipster glasses for a moment. This used to be cooler back when the gimmick was hard to pull off. Now there are so many colorless lands that it is not a challenge. VJ referenced the "Puzzle Lock" build of this deck, which I actually like quite a bit. I love griefer strategies and this is right up my alley. Granted it is no fun for people who like fun, but I tend to frown on fun anyway. Unfortunately, I have only ever had the opportunity to play against this deck online, where the constant flow of triggers make it labor-intensive. In paper, where you can shortcut past these things without clicking 400 times I am sure it isn't so bad.

GRANDPA GROWTH'S PICK

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP (grudgingly)
Much has been made about Hexproof. Whether you like it or not the mounting evidence has created a strong case that the ability is pretty overpowered. R&D has been struggling for years trying to figure out a way to make Aura cards playable in Limited and Constructed. Well this is it: Take away all the costs and risks associated with doing it and print three creatures that have Hexproof and reasonably aggressive stats. Voila!

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP!
GoST is a haunting general to go up against and the combos I've seen people pull with him are absolutely chilling (done with ghost puns for now). Usually I see an aura/token approach with him, but people who play The Geist have a number of tricks up their sleeves. By looking at the card itself, one really cannot guess what type of deck to expect. I'm sure you could build a mill deck with Geist.

That's what I like best about this card as a general: he's kind of a wild card. A hexproof angel engine alone is intimidating. But he could be combined with the Populate mechanic from RTR to make long lasting angel tokens. Or he could be Voltron-ed to epic proportions. Or he could only be a card that helps a more subtle win con. Remember Planeswalkers, people aren't afraid of the dark; it is the unknown that terrifies us.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I like Geist. If you recall several months back I rated it among the top dual-colored Commanders. It's a nice little aggro-control deck that has the opportunity to adapt to a bunch of different styles of games, and leverage card advantage. Hexproof is huge, and there's plenty of great modern tricks like Eiganjo Castle that can be used to protect it.  

JOHNNY CONFIDANT'S PICK

Johnny Confidant-  THUMBS UP
My fiancee commands this deck and its always a blast to play against her favorite Guild.

The games end a lot with Lord of Extinction making an appearance and then being flung for 30+ Damage at everyone's face. Other strong appearances are Vorinclex, Mikaeus (non-Infinite), and Massacre Wurm.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
This is a card I'll try to be objective about. I like it a lot more than I did when I first came out, but it's still fairly love-hate. I had a bad experience one time with this kind of know-it-all kid who wanted to play a serious game of Commander against decks like my old Chisei shenanigans deck, and a Niv-Mizzet Dracogenius Coin Flip deck. He was annoying, and it was annoying. However, one of the guys in my group used Jarad as his Commander for Relentless Rats, which I really liked. I hope to see some similar-but-different tricks like that in the future. Shadowborn Apostles would be cool too, as it pumps big J in the late-late. Hopefully WotC will add more cool designs to supplement him.

Grandpa Growth - THUMBS UP
I like this card a fair bit and it is easily underestimated. I often scoff at people who immediately build decks around the new potential Commanders as soon as they get spoiled. Mostly because they are almost always nonsense. This guy isn't so bad and I expect him to stick around for a while after RtR ceases to be cool. He is a strong card and this is the format where he shines. He is excellent in junk decks and those with dedicated themes.

Here are my top 5 ways to make your card playable in Commander:
5. Make use of the well stocked graveyards/libraries that tend to build up in Commander.
4. Recursion. People can't get enough of this.
3. Be Green. People can't get enough of this either.
2. Scale properly to multiplayer games.
1. Be a gigantic, multi-angle threat for little-to-no cost/work.


Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
I've never encountered anyone using Jarad as a general (surprisingly), so my rating is really only based on a hunch that he would be fun to play against. I'm not a huge fan of B/G land-ramp and sacrifice, but Jarad seems like a functional dude. I think he wouldn't be a deck's only win con and all his abilities seem relevant to the type of  strategy a deck like this would have.

What I speculate is that this deck would have plenty of kill spells as a form of control as well as lots of big, nasty creatures. I could be wrong, but isn't that the essence of Golgari? Death and swarms of zombie plants? Anyway, I'm sure the Lich Lord makes for an exciting game.


UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICK 

Uncle Landdrops-  THUMBS UP
Earlier this week I wrote about the game I played against Zur. It's a good deck, even when it's not optimized. I'm playing a "Big Pauper" version of it currently, and it's still moderately good.


Johnny Confidant- THUMBS NEUTRAL
I'd like to give a solid judgement on this one but I can't say i've played against this guy at all. My best assumption would be to give it a THUMBS DOWN because Zur is just so disliked that he's the second card I usually hear listed next to Kiki-jiki. While I may seem more on the DOWN than UP if I were to play consistently against a Zur player, I could also see myself having fun playing this guy. Until I have faced this deck i'll have to remain open on the general.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
Love it. Love everything about it. I remember Landdrops telling me about the aforementioned game. Multiplayer gets pretty crazy sometimes, but back to Zur. This is a pillar of the format. It defines the boundaries of power in Tier 2 Commander. If you can beat a tight Zur list, your deck is good. Not: your mom thinks it is good, or it used to be good, or it would have been good if you got your combo. No. This deck is good. It is resilient, disruptive, kills quickly, generates tons of incremental advantage in multiple resources, has themes in both flavor and mechanics, gives you access to 90% of the coolest and most powerful cards in the format, and can win easily without the use of infinite combos or mass land destruction. To me, this is embodies the soul of Commander. Is it overplayed? NO! PIPE DOWN SCRUBS. It is played the correct amount because it is awesome.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Although I've never gotten the chance to encounter someone running this as his/her commander, it definitely looks like a fun card to go up against. I've always been a fan of enchantments, and I currently run a couple decks revolving around auras (all pretty cheap).

Zur seems to be a pretty fast deck to play, since the limit on the enchantment cost would make most people turn away from putting in crazy 6 and 7-drop enchantments that need long buildups. Plus the fact that his ability triggers on the attack makes him even more of a challenge and usually makes for a faster-paced, aggressive play. Like a cheaper, flying, non-exalted Sovereigns of Lost Alara.

Enjoy your weekend! Take it sleazy!

-UL, GG, VJ, JC

Card Corner : Prepping For Theros

Welcome back Zoners!

While you may have been expecting the Mana base article I have set that aside for a later date.

Instead today we're going to look at cards that came out in Ravnica and M14 that enjoy the Enchantment heavy theme expected to come out in Theros.

Ajani's Chosen: With the new "Living Enchantments" mechanics coming out this guy will make more profitable your choice to commit to those kind of creatures.

Think About This: Every Enchantment brings in tokens, and it's not just Auras. Awesome. Pair these guys with Sigil of the Empty Throne and you'll also add into your token generation.

How You Would Optimize: Ajani's Chosen? A strong token General like Rhys, the Redeemed or Ghave, Guru of Spores can make the most of your new token creatures while energizing with the enchantment theme. Green and Black are good colors to pair with an enchantment heavy deck. You have access to some of the most powerful enchantments while also having access to removal of enemy enchantments.

Blightcaster: Black does amazing things with creature removal, Its part of the pie has exiled, sacrificed, destroyed and discarded its way across the planes of magic since Alpha. Although I wish it was -1/-1 counters, not just a Disfigure, this guy still has some serious potential.

Think About This: With a heavy enchantment commitment, this guy can eat utility creatures your opponents plan on using to chump, especially if you're trying to get Commander damage through.

How You Would Optimize: As with Ajani's Chosen, pairing this guy with strong enchantment colors like White and Blue can bring an Esper control player into the win by adding elimination to the picture as each enchantment resolves. Run this guy with Merieke Ri Beret or Dromar, the Banisher and keep the game in your favor.

Wild Beastmaster: We all know how deadly Overrun and Kamahl, Fist of Krosa are in Edh and to a tribal extent Ezuri, Renagade Leader. So when I see the "Bestow" mechanic I think Green and Wild Beastmaster. Bestow asks that you pay a higher cost to get the Aura first and creature later so it would make sense to choose the fastest color for mana.

How You Would Optimize: Aggro colors usually mean a combination of White, Green, Red or Red, Green, Black. Either way you cant go wrong, both sets have amazing combat enhancing Auras and static world enchants that will aid in getting you through the field. I'd run Fervor and Primal Rage for Haste and Trample.

That's all for today Zoners. Stick with us for the rest of the week when we bring you our next installment of The Stack! As always, Pray to the gods and may they bless you in the Nyx.

- Johnny C.

The Year of the Ogre: Stories from the Battlefield

In passing this first-year mark for TGZ, I've been doing a fairly extensive reflection of the last year.

Normally, I do a lot of self-assessment and reflection, not only on in my own life, but I've found it to be pretty useful in Commander too.

I've hopefully said it before, but the things that I do as a deckbuilder and player are all goals I set to create memorable games. Not every night can be Legendary, but sometimes there's a game you'll have that really impacts you in one way or another.

The biggest change I've made in the past year is becoming better acquainted with Red as a color, and also kinda loving it. If you've been reading this for any length of time you'll know how I much I've been playing my Heartless Hidetsugu deck. It's also where the name of this article comes from.

 All that said, I don't talk much about my battles, but every so often I think there's enough content to share some of my favorite "war stories," and so we're going to talk about some of the more memorable moments I've had in games over the last year or so.

5. HH vs. Thada Adel vs. Nin vs. Jhoira

This first match isn't a game I won, but I was close. This little inter-Izzet League matchup were some early tests for Thada Adel and Jhoira players, who had maybe 2-3 games experience while HH and Nin had been seeing play for several months.

The Thada Adel deck got out and started attacking the two players with islands, searching and retrieving a few less-than-optimal choices. The Jhoira player, by that time, had already found Sphinx-Bone Wand and unleashed his Rogue burn strategy on Thada, and was able to dedicate his resources easily after the first Shiva-Blast to eliminate the Thada Adel player.

The Jhoira deck was eliminated pretty handily with a hasty Inferno Titan pumped. After that, I promptly played Glacial Chasm and Shiva-Blasted the Nin player.

With Basilisk Collars out, Nin and HH turned the game into a pretty decent stalemate. I was taking damage from Chasm steadily, and not drawing into any burn. Conversely, the Nin player had gained some serious card advantage blasting his own dudes and full abuse of Tomorrow, Azami's Familiar.

With Nin at 2 and HH at 8, the game ended when I drew into a Lightning Bolt, and Nin was able to draw into a Counterlash thanks to Tomorrow.

4. Animar vs. Wanderer

This matchup against GG's Wanderer deck is probably the toughest 1v1 matchup Animar has faced to date. With similar colors and the strategy of trying to create free spells, it's basically a mirror match, except for one important distinction: Converted Mana Cost.

It takes a lot of land to get Wanderer running. Keeps with Joraga Treespeaker or Thran Dynamo were the better ones, because Turn 5 Wanderer could beat whatever Animar was doing on Turn 5.

Ultimately, the match was dictated by the faster deck. Whoever got out ahead owned the game.

The two big MVPs were Progenitor Mimic and Birds of Paradise. Mimic was able to copy some ridiculous targets like Acidic Slime and Avenger of Zendikar, while a Birds in my opening hand ensured at least a turn 2 Animar and 1-turn swing if I was on the play.

Animar ultimately took the series, going 2-1, 0-2, and 2-0. It was a pretty sweet victory for me. I've lost a lot of games and matches to GG, mostly because I thought I had to compensate in my own designs for the style of game he wanted to play. Thanks to Animar, I got to prove this wasn't the case, no matter how small on the scale it compares to our overall matchup records.

3.Kami of the Crescent Moon vs. Chorus of the Conclave

In this particular game I had one of the best topdeck moments of my life.

VJ had me backed up staring down Blightsteel Colossus. Even with Chorus out and a few dudes with kicked counters, I needed a huge draw.
And I got it.

Gideon Jura gave me an extreme tempo swing right when I needed it. I was able to stay alive another turn and follow it up with a whopping attack step on the following to mount the comeback and get the win.

2. HH vs. Lu Bu

My actual Grandfather has repeated this saying his own father used to say many times.

"I'd rather be lucky than good."

I do battle a lot with Lu Bu. It's a very competitive all-in type deck which has the unique ability to win games out of nowhere.

In this particular game, I'd have to say I was the luckiest.

Lu Bu had me at 20 general damage and I was once again in a corner with little to do.

Then I topdecked Glacial Chasm, and gave the game a good Shiva Blast.

Then a Miracle-casted Reforge the Soul got me on the wrong end of a Chaos Warp.

Well, almost.

You see, sometimes, skill has nothing to do it. I shuffled Chasm into my library, and gave it to my opponent to cut.

And then I flipped back into Glacial Chasm.

By that stroke of luck, I was able to win the game. It'll probably never happen again, but it was awesome, and one of those games where you look back and you just think, "Whew! I'll never be that lucky again."

And I really haven't.

1. Zur vs. Kiyomaro vs. Chisei vs. Bruna vs. Grand Arbiter Agustin IV vs. Horde of Notions

This is perhaps one of the biggest games I've ever been in. By far, it is the most memorable, not only because of the nonsense that occurred, but also because I look at this game as a way to define the kind of player I always aspire to be at the table. And I hope that sharing this story helps you to work out what kind of player you'd like to be.

I ended up winning this 3-hour bloodbath of a game in perhaps the most poetic way I could. With a Solemn Simulacrum attached with a Nim Deathmantle and a Batterskull- but I'm getting ahead of myself.

A six-man pod is the biggest game I've been a part of, and ever will be.

The game didn't get interesting until the Horde of Notions player cast a Havoc Festival that stayed out for two turns around the board. This crippled the guy borrowing my Chisei deck after playing a Paradox Haze, and didn't do Bruna any favors either because I'd coaxed most of the table into attacking Bruna because of the volatility of her combos. Also, the kid had been pretty off-putting. I continued to build my board state with Weathered Wayfarer and Endless Horizons while dissuading Zur from attacking with a Change of Heart.

Zur and Arbiter both had planeswalkers in play, and without a whole lot of attacking, they went off pretty shortly after. Arbiter ultimated a Jace, Architect of Thought, taking a Greaves, an Oblivion Stone, a Furnace of Rath, and an Omniscience to cast all of it, which basically wiped out Chisei and Bruna when all of us were at around 5-17 life.

Arbiter's threatening state was short lived, thanks to a quick visit from Timbermare, which dealt the player an exact 10 damage thanks to the Furnace of Rath and gave him a pretty good shock.

Zur and I weren't necessarily on the list of threats, mostly because he'd used Liliana of the Veil's ultimate on me, leaving me with Endless Horizons and a Sun Titan. Politics was pretty key here. No one wanted him to do it, and by offering to let him ultimate her on me, he took it fairly easy. I was able to stay under the radar this way too.

The game continued with half the table eliminated, and that made it a whole lot easier for me. Though it really wasn't a more favorable matchup, I chose to work on the Horde of Notions player. He was playing basically Elemental tribal, but I'd severely underestimated him, and I wasn't going to let him surprise the table again.

By this point, I'd drawn into some of my decent tricks, like Stonecloaker, Dust Elemental, and Silverblade Paladin, so I was just beating down with Kiyomaro and flipping cards around to avoid any tricks the Horde player had left in the graveyard. Sun Titan and Endless Horizons were also helping me get back in the game quicker, and with adequate defense, the Zur player helped me get rid of the Horde of Notions player.

Of the 3-hour match, dispatching the first four players only took around an hour, maybe an hour and a half.

A whole new game basically started at this point, and it got ugly. Around 3-4 Wraths, including a triggered Planar Collapse were among the answers. One of the biggest struggles I had was getting access to his removal. Zur had used his attacks to play a Greater Auramancy and a copy enchantment to protect what he had, which was a Story Circle protecting him against white and a Phyrexian Unlife, making it very difficult for me to win.

Drawing into Batterskull was one of the big ways I had to skirt damage and get out of serious trouble with our life totals dwindling. It put Zur on the defense, and forced him to have to hold up white sources as I kept casting creatures, leaving mana open to protect them with Dust Elemental.

My late-late draws had become significantly better, with most of the Plains now out of my deck. This looked to be a considerable advantage, as Stonecloaker was able to take out Avacyn, and some of the other big threats in his graveyard, like Sun Titan and Animate Dead.

But with an Emeria activated and all kinds of Reveillark/Karmic guide nonsense, I was able to get Solemn Simulacrum out and attacking for lethal infect damage.

 Winning that game was super sweet, not only because I had to outplay Zur, but also because the adversity was massive. There were Wraths, there were P-Dub Ultimates, and there were insurmountable threats for 3-hours. I did well to create my path to victory with a deck that wasn't on anyone's radar, and I played it even better.

This particular game produces the kinds of results that a deckbuilder likes to see. Succeeding in a challenging environment with a deck of your own design really helps you to develop confidence and carve out identity as a sharper, better player.

We should always be looking for these kinds of games and challenges, and I encourage you to share some of those with me in the comments if you've got em.

Till next time, this is ya boi Landdrops telling you to be the very best, like no one ever was.

-UL

Super Secret Sunday: The removal I haven't been playing

Welcome back Zoners! It has been quite a while...many weeks have passed since I last posted a Super Secret Sunday. I don't like to reveal too much about myself, but I happen to live in a college town. At this time of year students, new and old alike, are returning to town to renew their scholariships and fill up my bars. In honor of their return I am dedicating this S^3 to cards that I used to believe in, but have since turned my back on...specifically removal spells; good ones at that.

I can still recall the old days. Tournament grinders who had lost their chance at glory would gather at the bottom tables and play decks too large to be competitive. We hadn't started calling it EDH; we hadn't started calling it anything, it was just what we did for fun. Same decks, same format, except this card had just been printed and I was still unsure about how good Sensei's Divining Top was. Trust me, I don't make the same mistakes I did back then. I'd never do it again. I like my keys black in case that was ever in question.

Entwine isn't the most broken mechanic. Develepment actually did a
great job of making these cards cost effective. Many are good, but none are truly insane. Tooth and Nail often stretches my definition of good into the realm of 'unfun', but oh well, sometimes you just want people to grieve. Kill the creatures, reanimate the threats; don't apologize.

So, from here on out we are under the banner of sketchy tech. This is stuff I have yet to cast in a 'real' match of Commander. Red is sorely lacking in quality removal. If you want to take out something besides a small creature you are basically up the creek. Recent years have been kind however, bringing you answers, albeit unorthodox ones, at higher rarities. I am down with this kind of card. It has variance, but the variance isn't that high. If you only have one thing you want to get rid of you are living the dream. Competitive games will require you to deal with multiple threats before you can secure a win; making this a perfectly acceptable removal spell to play when you are behind. It just so happens that is the best time to have a removal spell...

I often tend to cut situational removal spells from my decks. In fact, I cut them before I look anywhere else. Most of the time they are weak when they work and useless when they don't, so I don't have any hard feelings leaving them on the sidelines. However, like I said before, Red has trouble with plus size creatures, and this is an excellent way to capitalize on having a more aggressive start that your opponent. You can easily kill small utility guys and if you happen to land a fatty this just becomes a Red Terror.

Innistrad block brought a strict update to this card in Wrack with Madness, but what the hey, this column is about underplayed cards right? It wouldn't be any fun if the cards weren't a bit sketchy...

That's all for today Zoners! I hope you are enjoying the new set and the new content. Be sure to let us know how we are doing through likes or through the comments, we would love to hear your feedback. Until next time, enjoy the new Theros spoilers, I know I am.

The Stack #24- C-C-C-C-Combo!

Well hello there Zoners!

It's another Saturday here at TGZ as we wrap up the first week of our second year with some of our favorite combos and synergies.

Let's Get To It! THIS IS THE STACK!


UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICK 

Uncle Landdrops-  THUMBS UP
I've been having fun and wrecking face with HH for the better part of this year, which I now refer to as the "Year of the Ogre."

There are a bunch of synergies I've talked about here on the blog, but once haste is on the table, here are a quick run-down of his greatest hits:

-Glacial Chasm
-Basilisk Collar/Loxodon Warhammer
-Thousand-Year Elixir

Overall, comboing with HH is sweet. The deck itself has inspired not only heavy changes in decision-making within my playgroup, but also card-choices. Folks are packing more Tec Edge and playing at a faster tempo than ever these days, and it's all because of one silly little Glacial Chasm and a couple of Shiva-Blasts (What I call tapping him). At the same time, he's welcomed because he also speeds up games. Overall, I have a lot of fun with this deck, which is something I never thought I'd say this time last year about rocking mono-Red.


Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
I have him listed in my Mono Red for massive life loss and gain (with equipments). I was thinking about also putting him into my Nicol Bolas deck for a solid Nuke. I wish there were more Legendary Red creatures like this that could make playing mono red more possible.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
I like the card. I like the deck. It fits some peoples definition of fun. It fits some people definition of douchebaggery. That sounds like a good card to me. Powerful, polarizing, and it happens to be in one of my favorite sets of all time. Competitve in Commander? Perhaps not, but as previously noted, it speeds up games.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP (YOU HEARTLESS @*&#$!%)
The Hidetsugu is truly a combo to reckon with, especially if you can put haste on this guy. My combo with him would probably involve Swiftfoot boots and an Icy Manipulator, just so that the Red Sun's Zenith can win the game for only a few mana. He's a tough card to deal with and even if he isn't hasted in some way or the combo isn't pulled off completely, he's a huge threat that will obliterate you in no time.

VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICK

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
My 3rd favorite artifact, the Closet really goes well with any creature with an ETB effect. Up to now, I've enjoyed using this with:

-Sunblast Angel
-Stonehorn Dignitary
-Vendilion Clique
-Wall of Omens
-Solemn Simulacrum

I know I am not alone in my love for this card, and the Closet has proven, at times, to be a better ally than even Sojourner Truth himself (I'm not talking about the famous abolitionist) since artifacts cannot be attacked (except by the occasional Naturalize). Who doesn't like free Cloudshifts in Magic, since it leaves my mana open and more often than not takes care of things I would have had to spend mana on t'were not for this fanciful little artifact.

Johnny Confidant- THUMBS DOWN
When I first started playing EDH I tried to get this card in every deck I could. It worked great in my Merieke Esper and my first deck with Riku, but for Vela, Animar and Sigarda not so much. This was a good learning experience for me as I honed in on the right cards for the right deck.

While I enjoyed the Closet (?) at first it turned out to be slower than other similar effects so it slowly got weeded out of my decks. This card was useful to me in the past, but I rarely use it now.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
This is a great engine style card. I did a Card Corner on this a while ago, so I won't talk it up a lot more, but it's good. Ideally, the Closet really wants most of your deck to be fortified with ETB dudes to create a solid engine.

One of the cool tricks I like with the closet is resetting creatures with +1/+1 counters. Among these, Spike Weaver is the most annoying. Worst case, it provides you with some pseudo-Vigilance. 


Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
I just cast this card for the first time a few days ago. In my friend's "cube", I had put together quite a brew including GrizzlyBizzly, Yosei, Quicksilver Amulet, Solemn, Keiga, and several other random synergies. It is very close to being the jankiest deck I have ever put together in any format. I was embarrassed. The designer of the cube should be embarrassed, the designer of this card should be embarrased; more importantly: don't play this.

GRANDPA GROWTH'S PICK

Grandpa Growth-THUMBS UP
It may end in Mindslaver or a Disk/Lattice/Forge Lock, but it really starts with Glissa and Executioner's Capsule. Controlling the board with capsule and their hand with Necrogen Spellbomb. Punishing Fire taught us an important lesson about mana sinks. They can be very bad and still be ridiculously good. Thankfully, this rinse and repeat combo is not bad.

Of all of my decks, Glissa is my favorite and the one that has lasted the longest. I hardly change the list at all because is just so tight and so challenging to play. The mental struggle of getting max value and keeping track of all the little interactions every turn keeps me in top mental shape. If you aren't into hyper-competitive tier one combat like I am, complicated decks like this are a cool way to step up your technical game without amping up the power level.

Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
My Fiance has a glissa deck that turned into a Jarad deck, but during the Glissa days she ran this little combo. Its especially funny when your watching a semi-new magic player realize that the kill spell is reusable the entire time her general was out.

My favorite part of this combo is that if you can cast Glissa, you can repeat this little combo (assuming one of your three lands is a two,three, or five color land). Between Glissa herself and this capsule you've got an uphill battle if your facing her,.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Glissa is one bad Zombie Elf (the only one that matters, if you ask me) and the number of tricks you can pull with her is out the roof. I think she makes little eggs like Horizon Spellbomb and the aforementioned Executioner's Capsule that much more insane. From personal experience, she's hard to deal with once the baubles start popping off, but she's not OP to the point of unfairness; Arrest will do her in, as will any type of graveyard purge (which slows her down more than anything, but is better than your opponent getting back his/her artifacts). This is one combo that gets the VJ stamp of Classy...



Tell them, Bruce...

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I've talked about my Dollar General version of this deck a lot, and I love it too. It's a strong archetype focused heavily on what wins EDH games- card advantage.

GG and I have both called this an "Engine" style deck, but that's because basically everything is a combo in here. Whether it's a silly version of Glissa with all the cheap Eggs I can cram, or GG's Disk Fest, there's a lot that can be done, and it makes for a real tough matchup most of the time.


JOHNNY CONFIDANT'S PICK

Johnny Confidant-  THUMBS DOWN
I'm sure at one point you have encountered this guy with some infinite Persist creature or Triskellion. Needless to say this guy is just nuts 90% of the time.

I rarely see this guy included in a deck for use for anything other than Persist abuse or the infinite combo because the temptation is too powerful to resist. Look at him. Intimidate, human protection and a field of Undying creatures?

I am not personally fond of infinite combos due to the feeling that they cheat a win and this guy was my first experience.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
In my mind, Black Mike is merely an unfortunate victim of people and their inability to play him without Triskelion.

When you get past that, there's a lot to like about this card. For starters, I'm a huge fan of the art. The fact that he's got a before and after makes it feel like a Time Spiral card, except we get the raw beauty of the Zombie Apocalypse. I like his design too. The contrasting flavor of his two iterations is appealing to me.

As far as playability is concerned, I'd rather save my energy on more pressing cards like Avacyn, which is just too dumb with the Legend rule not being the Legend rule anymore. Black Mike's broken-ness and busted-ness is only going to happen when we aren't vigilant with graveyard hate or removal. To pull his combos off takes multiple turns usually. I'm just not ready to let his infinite combo define him. He creates a lot of other great interactions, and he can go on the damage plan. It's just a cool card.

Grandpa Growth - THUMBS UP
Strangely enough, this is the only real combo card on the stack. I like how no matter how many times you read this card, it always seems like there is a new line of text you forgot about. It just does so much stuff. It is powerful, versatile, cost effective, and can play as a game-ender threat, an anthem, or a combo piece. It wasn't a big surprise to see this card skyrocket to popularity in the format. I am pretty confident in saying that this is the premier Mono Black general in circles where Braids isn't accepted. It has even made brief appearances in my Glissa deck along side Tooth and Nail and Defense of the Heart.


Venser's Journalist- THUMBS DOWN
I personally find this card appalling out of the sheer fact that I prefer Mikaeus, the Lunarch. Infinite tap, creature buff combos. The Unhallowed is the zombie excuse for a combo card. Plus, undying is unnecessary if you're playing your cards right.

-UL and TGZ Gang.

Spin It Into Myth: New Year, New Decks, New Cards To Test

Welcome to another Spin It Into Myth!

Since we don't have any cards out there on the Spin front, I thought it'd be the right time to do that.

For those that don't keep track, this past Sunday marked TGZ's first whole year on the blog-o-sphere. And, since I'm not one to talk about nostalgia or the first post I wrote, we're gonna move forward.

It's a new year for TGZ, so it's time to get some old cards out there and spin a new story.

GIDEON, CHAMPION OF JUSTICE

We're starting out "strong" with a P-Dubs.

Before Gatecrash spoils, I was moderately stoked to see Gideon down in Ravnica going to battle with a Boros Signet on him.

After he was spoiled I have to admit his lack of redness was disappointing. And that was before I even got to what he's supposed to be doing. Also fairly lackluster.

However, I've let my emotions go now, so it's go time with Gideon. I want to see what he's really gonna do.

I've got a new mono-White deck that's rocking quite a few planeswalkers, so it's put up or shut up time for the so-called Champion of Justice.

SKYSHIP WEATHERLIGHT

One of the guys in my group plays this in Captain Sisay, and it's awesome. Often, it leaves me pretty jealous.

This is one of the funnest and coolest ways to create value. It's got a lot of serious nostalgia and potential to create card advantage in many different decks.


So naturally, I bought a copy. Unfortunately, I haven't found any place where it could be half as sweet than in Sisay, so I've stayed away from it. Until now.

I've got a deck where I think it's going to work. I know, you're probably finding my ominous-ness and generalizing about future decks annoying, but surprise is an angle I'm going to work now.

All I have to say is, I won't be making this card half as thematically cool as having Sisay go get it, but I'm gonna get close. Real close.

SHINEN OF LIFE'S ROAR

If there's one thing I've gotten better at in getting older, it's paying attention sometimes to the weird ways that words and people and things work their way into your life.

Many wise philosophers have said coincidence isn't a thing, and so I'm listening.

The past couple weeks SoLR has appeared in my life twice. The first time, I used it to win a game of Wizard's Tower.

If you don't know what this is, here's the education. Wizard's Tower: A Magic Format.

After the game, I didn't think much about it. Then the other day I was browsing lists on TappedOut, looking for new tech to re-tool Yeva, and there it was. So that's where it's going to be very soon, along with a Wasteland Viper and possibly a Rofellos.

NEVERMORE

There's always time for cheekiness. This is also going in my new mono-White deck with Gideon.

I've been looking for cool, proactive ways to stop people from playing a card if I know they have something in their hand, or if I know what they're going to go get with a tutor for a situation.

We're taking this for a test spin. I've heard this is a pretty good toolbox card in Zur decks, and against people who like to play Relentless Rats or Shadowborn Apostle.

I don't think it's that narrow of a metagame choice. It feels like a slightly more solid Meddling Mage, and it can hose Commander dependent decks pretty hard.

TAWNOS'S COFFIN

The Coffin got cut pretty quickly from my Yeva deck, but I'm not down on it.

It's a pretty heavy card if you're looking to play it and activate in the same turn, which is why I didn't like it in Yeva. Too much investment.

However, this something I see that could be pretty great in a blink deck.

Wink. Wink.

MASTER WARCRAFT
This shouldn't leave too much to the imagination, so I won't.

I am working on a Boros deck. It'll be my first one since Razia, which was my second actual EDH deck.

It's still in the preliminary stages, but I know we will need to be Masters of Warcraft once the Legion is fully assembled, so this card got an early invite to whatever it is I'll be doing with Boros.

Hopefully the Weatherlight will bring friends to make this interesting.

I'd like to thank my Zoners and my TGZ staff for helping me stay motivated with TGZ through the last year. It's been a blast.

Let's keep the party going. Or start a new one.

Sure. But I'm not inviting Tracy. I want you guys to show up.


As always with Spin, I'd love to know what you know about these cards in EDH, whether you've played them, want to play them, have ideas for them. We still have a Comments section. So don't be scared.

Happy New TGZ Year To Everyone. Keep doing what you do best- not playing Mimeoplasms, making Land Drops, and beating the tar out of your friends at the kitchen table.

Cause we've got another year of that, and I'm ready to go.
-UL

Super Saver Sunday: Where is my stapler?

Now that the buzz from the initial Commander sets have worn off, it is a good time to pick up some of the marquis cards of the format. With a new Commander product scheduled for release later this year you can expect another Commander boom like we saw in 2011-2012. I would suggest picking up copies of these cards now before prices rise again. All of the price data in this post was snagged from Blacklotusproject.com an excellent MtG financial resource. Here are some cards that are going through a bit of a price slump; making it the perfect time to pick up a copy or two for your decks:

Solemn Simulacrum (Mirrodin)
2011: High: $9 Low: $3
2013: High: $5.50 Low: $1

High quality colorless values cards are a must in Commander. Their playability and price are elevated because they can fit nicely in every deck and maintain a competitive power level. The M12 printing initially hurt the price of Solemn, but its' Standard playability kept prices up for long time. It now looks like prices are stabilizing again, but I wouldn't expect that to last if another large influx of Commander players occurs within the next year. 



Consecrated Sphinx
2011: High: $12 Low: $3
2013: High: $7 Low: $3

To understand my recommendations about this card it will just be easier to show you the graph.  http://blacklotusproject.com/cards/Mirrodin+Besieged/Consecrated+Sphinx/
At the height of this cards popularity and playability in Blue/Black Control decks at Worlds 2011, this card was pretty expensive for what I would consider a casual only card. Standard will do that to you. This card saw a precipitous drop off even pre-rotation, but continued through a steady decline. Prices have begun to pick up slightly and more movement can be seen in the price point. There are currently copies readily available in the 5-6 dollar range. This is a very reasonable price in my opinion and I would recommend buying in before prices rise any further.


Grave Titan (M11)
2011: High: $18 Low: $8
2013: High: $6 Low: $2

Without any playability to speak of in the last year this card has dropped hard and fast. If you were waiting for a good time to buy in, there hasn't been a better one yet. Grave Titan is a solid playable in Commander. It doesn't always make it in to my Black decks, but it always up for consideration. The popularity of this cycle should help them keep value for a while into the future.




Koth of the Hammer (Scars of Mirrodin)
2011: High: $30 Low: $11
2013: High: $5 Low: $4

This was never all that popular and its price has sunk steadily ever since it was printed. The Venser v. Koth duel deck didn't help much either. The card isn't that great, but it something that should be seeing play in the general mono red deck. If they come out with a few more threatening 3-5cmc Red threats then we may never hear from Koth again, until then though I think it will continue to see moderate play. This isn't what I would call a staple or really even a strong playable, but there are very few Red cards that fit those criteria in my opinion and I struggled hard to find a card that had seen any relevant financial decline in the period I was looking at, oh well.


Green Sun's Zenith
2011: High: $9 Low: $4.50
2013: High: $5.50 Low: $3

Regardless of your thoughts on Modern as a competitive format it has had dramatic and consistent effects on the price of cards post-rotation. As a general rule, if it is at all playable in Modern it is going to hold tremendous value, but if it isn't seeing play in the format you can pretty much guarantee an immediate price drop. This card is very playable in Commander and should really be getting used more than it is. It gets a wrap as a mono green card, but that is just absurd. I think 4 or 5 good targets is enough to run such a powerful tutor effect. As long as Chord of Calling is in the Modern Melira decks GSZ can serve as a reasonable and reasonably cheap substitute.





Stoneforge Mystic
2011: High: $18 Low: $7
2013: High: $8 Low: $7

Everything I said above about Modern playability and price retention is true in triplicate for Stoneforge.  At the height of its popularity this card commanded an impressive price tag. It tore up Standard for more than a year and continues to be a strong control threat in Legacy, but all of the cash has been sucked out of this card. I feel for the people who shelled out 20's on this card just to play it in CawBlade. Receiving a pre-ban in the initial announcements for Modern was a death sentence for this cards value. If you were one of the lucky ones like me and just had fat stacks of copies lying around from Worldwake then good for you. If you are silly like me and didn't sell them when you had the chance that kind of sucks, but I absolutely guarantee that every time I sleeve up a Plains I will be including one of these. I'd stake my rep on it. 

That's all for today Zoner's. This is a little outside the realm of my usual diatribes, but this is the time of year when I typically make purchases on rotating cards or cards that have rotated in the past couple years; a solid strategy if you are trying to save money on top quality cards. Let me know what you think in the comments. I'll be back next week with a real S^3 with some stuff even I haven't heard of yet...the future is exciting!

GG

The Stack #23- Turn 1

Sorry I've been a little late with the posts this week, Zoners.

I've had some non-TGZ issues that required my attention, and hopefully I'll be able to get back to better routines soon.

As EDH players, most of us look at Turn 1 as a "Sol Ring or Bust" mantra, opting mostly for a "Land, Go" game to speed up the process.

This week, the crew and I shared our favorite plays in the early-early, and here in the late evening/afternoon, it's time to share.

THIS IS THE STACK!
VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICK

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
 My style of EDH doesn't usually involve laying something awesome down turn one (although if that were the case, my other choices were Soul Warden or Llanowar Elves). And this particular card is not something you necessarily want to play on turn 1, mainly because it's an instant.

I do, however, value cheap responses and responses to turn 1 threats and the Misstep will certainly stop others from putting down their Rhys the Redeemed.

Also, Sol Ring is overplayed in my opinion, so I usually reserve this card for those who like putting out Sol Rings on turn 1 (which in my play group is frequently; stacking the deck I say). I'll not have any opponent of mine get the upper-hand that early in the game!

Johnny Confidant- THUMBS DOWN
I can see the appeal of this, especially if your more 1v1 than multiplayer. For me this was a tough choice, I love the alternate cost via the Phyrexian mana, but unfortunately this card holds no value to me. Only because 90% of my games are multiplayer of 3+ players and most games don't see anything until turn 2 or 3.

I see the advantage of the card though, pay 2 life to stop Sol Ring or Exploration or Wayfarer? It would surprise your opponent definitely.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I've gotten away from playing this card, mostly because I don't play 1v1 or GG on a regular basis anymore.
It's a really nice versatile Turn 1 play, but it can also be good in the later game. I remember a couple of serious counterspell wars I had with GG where this and Flusterstorm were huge hits for me against Dispel and Spell Pierce. It also is pretty nice against TurboFog, Path and Swords, and Skullclamp. Also, anything else we're going to pick here today. The meta pick of the day.
 
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
Powerful, but too narrow. I wholeheartedly support playing Daze, but I can't recommend playing this card. You really need it in your opening hand. It's not something you will tutor for and drawing it can feel awkward. It shouldn't ever be completely dead (unless your opponents are playing some super-slow nonsense decks), but there are better ways to protect yourself from cheap spells. Particularly since this almost always gets used against removal later in the game. I have to say though, it is satisfying to get somebody with this.

GRANDPA GROWTH'S PICK

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
The O.G. of the point discard crime family. It's insane early, it's good late, it efficiently deals with the scariest and most unfair cards in the format, protects your threats from removal and counters, and it occasionally forces concessions out greedy players. Cards like this are very deceptive. They only trade 1 for 1 at best, but they are tremendously unfair. It pains me to see how much of a joke Duress has become in recent years. They have printed several vastly superior versions and now it gums up the tail-end of your booster draft packs. Heavy nerfing on counterspells and removal have rendered this card unnecessary in modern Standard play. Luckily, EDH is something of a haven for sweet cards of the past. Here, Duress finds its' hunting grounds, helping heavy hands shed the weight of time-honored cards-gone-by.

Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
Iv'e played this card, and its a mixed feeling of delight and remorse because if you know your playgroup well enough you can read them when they got a good card in their opening hand. Sure, it feels good to know exactly what one player has got (only player 1v1) and personally slighty bad when you know it's their closer (void if it's a stranger).

Bottom line though, its great. I love to have the advantage in both hand and knowledge.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
I call this one the "Black Cursecatcher" because if you think about it, this is designed to stop instants and sorceries. The main difference is the proactive nature versus Cursecatcher's reactive nature, and I like proactivity.

The card is ideal against control decks or planeswalker heavy decks. I'd much rather use this turn one than have to deal with Karn in 7 or 8 turns. I see this card mostly as a means to screw up the opponent's late game early on, although dropping it turn 1 may give him/her plenty time to go to a backup plan. Either way, it's a good card and I approve.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
This is a very situational card, but it still provides excellent function. We're talking about this card as it relates to Turn 1, and having this in your opening hand is pretty sweet.

Few things to note about Duress. The first is that sometimes this card is better on Turn 2. Seeing an extra card is nice, and keeps mystery versus the consistent expectation that an opponent might have if you always play Duress Turn 1. Also, the free information cannot be undervalued so early in a game where a lot of players will keep jank and durdle.

I also like drawing this card later in the game (Turns 5-7) as a way to see if an opponent has answers to my threats.

I wouldn't recommend this card for multiplayer games unless you always have someone consistently playing control/annoying non-creature combo decks. There are better ways to clean up shop if you have these problems.

JOHNNY CONFIDANT'S PICK

 Johnny Confidant-  THUMBS UP
In my Karador Deck I focus on the ability to revive my creatures more so than my spells, however when it comes to some of my meta's decks they enjoy flashback and spell recursion. My friend here is always great to see turn 1 and here's why:

The earlier she is out the more spells she see's to be removed, all those mana ramps, cantrips and early game removal/burn that are played to get the game going sometimes are nice to recur if you need a final push. Not to mention a handful of new creatures and spells adding to casting other peoples instant and sorcery in graveyards make her even more useful.

The final utility of this girl is her usefulness to the deck, I run a fair amount of creature interactions. Sun titan, Birthing Pod; so on turn one I can get some early damage and then recur her whenever I need to Birthing Pod her out for a 2-cost creature (preferably Fauna Shaman)

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I was playing this last fall in my old Chorus of the Conclave EDH, and I liked it. This card needed some serious build-me-around to thrive, but one-drops are nice in Chorus because it gets them pumped pretty quick.

I also like the art. A little more fantasy, but I kinda melt when it comes to hybrid cards. It's my favorite.

Grandpa Growth - THUMBS DOWN
Soap box: I am both amused and disappointed by R&D's method of reshaping the power landscape in recent sets. Print a ton of broken cards that interact with some previously underutilized resource then print equally broken hosers to make sure your marquis cards don't ruin the format. This is what power creep looks like. Savannah Lions (Rare)-> Elite Vanguard (Uncommon) -> Print a new version that is easier to cast and has added value against the Snapcaster Aggro-Control decks that dominated last years Standard. Snapmaster and Lingering Souls were sweet, but the lengths Wizards has gone to in order to keep them in check is just too much. The expansionary power of graveyard hate in the last three blocks is something to be feared. This trend does not bode well when you think of how it will translate to planeswaler/removal and creature/sweeper interactions.

What was that? We are supposed to be talking about Commander? Sure. Totally unplayable.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS DOWN
I like this card... in Standard. The Militant has her place in EDH no doubt; but if you want to play her turn 1, you better have a way to keep her out long enough to make her instant/sorcery exiling worthwhile. Otherwise, she's an elf version of the Elite Vanguard, and he's definitely not on my weenie EDH decklist.

UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICK 

Uncle Landdrops-  THUMBS UP
I didn't have a whole lot of thinking to do for this one. For those that have no experience playing against me, I lose an inordinate amount of dice rolls. I don't keep track of this number, but I think it'd be fair to say in 1v1 it's over 60%, my own biases aside. I'm just particularly unlucky.

Which is why I love Weathered Wayfarer. On the play he's nuts, "punishing" opponents for playing land whilst netting you straight card advantage. GG plays this card particularly nasty, going to get Strip Mine and Tec Edge in the early game, which is gross, but not my style.

Still, this is a card people lose to a lot and they don't even realize it.

Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
Ah man, completely forgot this guy, I wish I bought him when I had the chance when I first started playing EDH. Mana is a great thing and thig guy even sees play with green decks, WHY? Look at that ability and you'll get it. Turn one its {w} -> Wayfarer, Turn two is {w}{t}-> Land (yes any land) rinse repeat until your mana base is sweet or your opponent blows him up. Nothing could be more nasty than your ideal mana spread.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
This card is an excellent way to play catch-up and most certainly a tempo-based card. Against land-ramp decks, the Wayfarer is brutal and can keep up with things as silly as Harrow or back in the day, Primeval Titan. If you have ways of untapping the Wayfarer (i.e. Unbender Tine) then you can really pull some shenanigans. Definitely better than Sol Ring, I think.

 Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
I guess I will just run down my responses to the above comments in order:

1. Yes, I play the snot out of this card every chance I get. Yes, it's filthy. Yes, I am griefer and no, I am not sorry.

2. JC understated this idea and it doesn't get much attention. Having an ideal mana base is an almost insurmountable advantage. If you are playing with Wastelands, and manlands, and fetchs lands, and Academy Ruins/Urborg/Coffers/Cradle....well let's just say you are going to smash the guy who is playing 30 basics. Don't lose to mana screw/flood as long as you have this AND it gives you a legitemate incentive to be on the draw. Play this card. There really isn't any excuse.

3. VJ makes a good point about capitalizing on being behind in tempo here. This card, just like other 'tax' effects, punishes your opponent brutally for trying to get ahead on mana. Final thought: this card is in no way better than Sol Ring, but that is fine, things that are as good as Sol Ring are bad for the format and probably shouldn't have been printed.

Do you guys play something other than land Turn 1 consistently? If you do, we'd love to hear about your deck or your favorite non-Ring 1-drop.

That's all I got for today.

Passin' the Turnski
-UL

Card Corner: Rings, Resonators, and Bracers

It's another Thursday, so why not finish the day off with some Artifact love?

Today I have a main course full of ideas and synergy with a side of obvious dream Scenarios for our two most recent additions to the combo game- Strionic Resonator and Illusionist's Bracers.

Strionic Resonator 
Right away I saw potential in this card and like a true "Johnny" (heh heh) I started brainstorming all the triggers I'd want to copy. Reminder text also helps.

For Generals
Kaalia of the Vast could use this card to maximize value on her creature cheat.

Kresh The Bloodbraided would love to double his counters. I mean, who wouldn't want 24 counters off of one Phyrexian Dreadnought?

A Tool for the Trade; Looking at the rest of the potential targets we move away from the Leaders and look at the 'followers'.

Every deck makes use of these triggered effects from common to Mythic rare and the resonator only makes them better, but what are some that can really stand out? In my opinion cards like these...

1. Plus/Sylvan Primordial - This powerhouse is already appearing in every green deck that he can, and the thought of him doubled? So nasty. 
2. Plus/Grave pact - Lost an important creature to a kill spell? or perhaps you have an attacker you want to get through with? SR and Grave pact will make blocking or destroying that much more of an issue.
3. Plus/"Cascade" - Maelstrom Wanderer and Co. are already favorable spells. Two or Three for one is great. Getting a copy of Cascade is sure to make a devastating impact

Triggered abilities are so common we don't really think about it and since this card has just been released its potential is only just beginning. I can't tell you specifically the deck that would make the best out of this but i know that for awhile it will be tried everywhere. My only wish was that it didn't tap but I think Wizards learned from our next Artifact.

Rings of Brighthearth
Whether you're thinking of going Infinite with Basalt Monolith or playing Planeswalker abilities twice, these rings will get you there.

As with triggered abilities, Activated abilities are equally favored among EDH players for their creature and General choices.

Proven to be ultimate in ability copy flexebility these are here as a reference for our newest revision of them, The Illusionist's Bracers.

Illusionist's Bracers
This is in the same boat as the Rings in that it copies abilities.

The major difference now that these bracers are out is that these help prioritize the choices for what is needed to multiply your effect best. They do this by being exclusive to Creatures they are equipped to. I agree that most people like the flexibility to copy whatever ability they see fit with the rings, But I submit that what you can copy for free is better.

"Don't fix it if it isn't broken" comes to mind here. from one perspective the rings were broken (infinite colorless mana w/Basalt Monolith) and to others they were great as is. When you compare how some activated abilites cost more than just a tap these can save you mana.

Memnarch, Kiki-Jiki, Mayael, and Krenko, Mob Boss already like rings, but equip this bad boy to them and you wouldn't need to worry about an extra two mana. Not to mention Aphetto Alchemist in an Artifact deck for the big Untap-A-Thon.

For those looking to make Pentavus Infinite... This gift is for you.

Illusionist's Bracers + Pentavus + Ashnod's Altar

Lots of +1/+1 counters and creatures entering and leaving the battlefield is sure to make lot's of use to you.

Getting more out of our spells is one of many elements that EDH players like us look for. Taking that extra time to find functional reprints of creatures and spells so that we have greater probability to draw into what we accomplish to do with our decks. When those don't exist yet it's up to us to copy our triggers, activated abilities, and more with artifacts like these.

Till next time Zoners, {T}: Enjoy, Enjoy

- Johnny C

UL's Buy or Sell: Do I Want My FTV: Twenty?

In about 10 long days, From the Vault: Twenty will be released.

Honestly, I'm on the fence about this one. Although it is ALMOST as good as Realms last year (I'm the TINIEST bit biased towards lands), let's do a quick little breakdown of my personal buyer behavior.

Reasons I'd Buy

1. New Art For Cards I'll Play

The new art on Hymn specifically is a selling point for me. I've started to collect copies of alternate art versions of cards I play, like Cultivate, Sakura-Tribe Elder, and Mulldrifter, not only because I like the card, but also because it helps me feel like I'm not always playing the same card over and over.

If I'm going to be redundant, I'm gonna try not to be that redundant. When Wizards wants to be redundant, they'll just make another alternate art for Dark Ritual. Love the card, guys. We just don't need another.

The other art I really like is the new Cruel Ultimatum. Click to see it, if you're not a complete Magic junkie and haven't seen it quite yet. Akroma's Vengeance looks good too.

2. Card Strength

Overall, I felt that the strength of the cards was worthy of being in an FTV set.

Though Jace really does bowl over any chance of this being reasonably priced, and I'm admittedly upset about that, but cards like Swords to Plowshares, Thran Dynamo, and Fact or Fiction are pretty good picks too. They're strong cards that players will now have more access to, if they want it.

Again, I wish we didn't have to be talking about Jace TMS all the time. Still, this is one of those cards that everyone kind of wants, including me. So I get it.

Reasons I'd Sell

1. Cards I Already Have

Many of the cards I've been able to collect over my short time playing Magic.

In fact, most of the people I know that play Commander or value these cards probably wouldn't want another version of Chameleon Colossus, even though it's good and cool and all that.

Would've loved to have seen this and Green Sun's Zenith, maybe even Kessig Wolf Run get a new art. Again, I'm disappointed Dark Ritual has yet ANOTHER art, even if it is ballin'.

2. Char. I'll Be Buying A Char.

Seriously though- I'm not going to hate on this card. It's not terrible.

There are a few cards though that I really just don't want. This is one of them. Even at MSRP, which may be a little more than the previous $34.99 because it's got five more cards, it's hard for me to justify purchasing cards I don't want.

That will obviously sound weird considering that I play a Trading/Collectible Card Game, but I've been doing my best over the past year to alleviate purchasing nonsense.
I mostly buy singles now. Might be more expensive, but I'm not a lucky person. You might say I live life "on the draw."

Purchasing singles has just worked out for me. I don't have any extraneous things I don't want, and I can trade what I end up not using, which is mostly useable cards.

THE VERDICT

So, Mad Money's Jim Kramer, what am I gonna do about FTV:Twenty?

Personally, I'm probably not going to buy the whole thing, even I could get it at MSRP. If you can though, I'd sell it ASAP. The value on this thing is gonna be similar to Commander's Arsenal, and that Jace practically sells itself and nets profit.

From a player perspective, there just isn't enough in this that I want to immediately play. That's ultimately why we buy packs and play Magic. A lot of this stuff feels like "mantlepiece" collector's stuff, where they're more concerned with set and condition and how it looks.

That's cool if it's what you're looking for- but unless you're new to Magic and don't have a lot of these more readily accessible cards like Swords and Chameleon Colossus, I don't think it's that "big of a game," if ya know what I mean.

As always, feel free to comment if you think otherwise.

Till then, I'll be waiting for Theros Spoilers.

OH WAIT. WILD POLUKRANOS APPEARED!

My Abilities Have Been Spoiled! Click The Link Below!

THEROS SPOILER

Do most people read my signoffs?
-UL