Theros Spoileez Part 2

Welcome back Zoners'. Grandpa Growth here. Spoiler season is in full swing and more than half the set has been spoiled, including most of the mythics and rares! Some exciting stuff has been previewed so far and I want to share some first impressions.

I am going to try and take a look at some of the legendary creatures since I won't get a chance to talk about them in the set review. This guy is obviously very powerful. Extra turns are easily abused and often lead to completely imbalanced game states. Getting them for free sounds like a surefire way to break a game wide open. Not only do you literally generate additional tempo you also get twice as many combat steps and draw twice as many cards. Many commanders are scary with a pair of lightning greaves in play, but this could mean game over if not answered immediately. A few hits from this guy will sew up just about any game. I expect to be seeing plenty of this guy around the Commander tables.


Out of all of the God cards spoiled, I am most excited for this one. This has the perfect price tag to be dangerous. Greed is a underplayed and only slightly underpowered card. Some bonus riders are just what it needs to reach mainstream playability, like say...being an Indestructible 5/7. And your opponents can't gain life? Sure, why not? Drawing extra cards will help you commit more permanents to the board to raise your Devotion, but will also help you avoid getting blown out by mass removal. Black cards should also have easy time building your devotion up to five because of the characteristically heavy color requirements on popular cards such as Necropotence and Phyrexian Arena (can you tell I like drawing cards?). In order to beat these God cards you are basically looking at using tuck effects, of which there are very few. Exiling them once they turn into creatures isn't much of a problem, but they are so cheap that it will be purely academic. Eventually they will run out of exile effects and each of these cards plays very well in attrition situations. The Theros Gods will dramatically alter the Commander landscape, expect to see them just about everywhere.



I have to jump off the train for a second here. This card is a house. I am calling it now: this is the Green Jitte. It just offers so much flexibility. Each of these options has relevance in a typical game situation and even just gaining three life a turn when nothing important is happening should give you a great advantage in the long term. The 'primary' mode gives all of your little duders Deathtouch which is absolutely huge. It lets you trade up for nearly any of your opponents creatures on offense and gives you a nearly impenetrable defense in a board stall. With the abundance of token effects in this color you can start pumping out DIY Deadly Recluses and sending green Doomblades at your opponents grill. Pretty nasty. Of all the cards in the set this is the one I am most excited to get my hands on.


How do you ever kill it? Why?! Why is it so ridiculous? This card has been given the juice...and then was juiced a little more. I have been quoted as saying that a pure beater isn't usually good enough in cut it in EDH. Life totals are so high that small amounts of incremental damage aren't as appealing. This card looks like it could change my mind on a few things. If it goes monstrous its pretty much there for good. It will be the only thing left after every board sweep, giving you the opportunity to get in a bunch of free hits even later in the game. It can block almost anything for the entire game and Hexproof will let you hook up auras and equipment with impunity. This card is kind of out of hand. I have some serious mixed feelings about this guy. This card may not be as scary as I am imagining, but it could very well change the way that Magic in Standard and Legacy...maybe a little bit dramatic, but if Tarmogoyf were a bit smaller in exchange for being completely immune to removal would that cause quite a shake up?


 Okay, back to the fancy new legends! This card looks super sweet. Tough to block, provides steady card advantage, and should give you a healthy boost in life. Even just hitting a couple extra land drops off of this would be plenty of value to satisfy me, but can you imagine flipping cheap removal? It gets even more silly if you snag a high impact cards like Solemn Simulacrum or Jace, TMS. There are sure to be a lot of new potential generals so this may not see as much play as it deserves, but keep an eye on this guy.


This is the last card I'm going to talk about today and it is definitely an interesting one. Getting to repeatedly Oblation your opponent's creatures is a pretty sweet deal, especially when it doesn't cost you a card to do so. It can also provide a steady source of card advantage by re-triggering ETB effects and acting like a walking Skullclamp. Black/White is an interesting color combination and one that could use a few more generals to choose from. This is certainly a welcome addition to the the format, but I am not quite sure where it is going to fit in yet.


Well, that's all for today Zoners! Be sure to check back next week for TGZ's set review of Theros!

The Stack #27- Good Gods, Man!

Well, it's Spoiler Season again at TGZ, and we hope you're excited.

With Theros officially spoiled, we're kicking it all off today rating the big boppers in this "Legendary" set.

This week I had our little gang do something different for this week's Stack. After all, with special cards comes great responsibility special ways to rank them, and that's what special cards need, after all.

So enjoy. THIS IS THE STACK!

GG's Ranks

I had a lot of good ideas of what scale to rank these god cards on. I have long been a student of classic literature and culture so I knew instantly that I wanted to compare these cards on a scale that would have meaning in the context of Greek culture.

Alternate options were:
-Most likely to be used for a Deus Ex Machina.
-Most likely to be sporting a 'prodigious burden' (that's a comically large phallus for those out of the loop).
-Most likely to cross dress.
-Which animal/human forms I think would be coolest for these gods.

Ultimately, I decided that the best way to rank these characters was with the following criteria:

Theros Gods Most Likely to Have Illegitimate Children

5. Erebos, God of the Dead.

Jeez, this guy isn't doing himself any favors with his outfit. He looks super creepy. There is no way he is eating properly; look at how skinny and gaunt he is!

Also, carrying around a whip isn't a way to make friends. This gives a clear S&M signal and that is going to be a turn of to a lot of people.

Being the god of the dead also isn't exactly a dream job. The ladies want like, investment banker or doctor that only does charity work in developing countries. Hades had to resort to kidnapping to get a girlfriend and she couldn't even stand being around him.

My advice? Cut your horns, wear a collared shirt, and start working out.

4. Nylea, God(dess) of the Hunt

Right off the bat, Nylea should be a goddess, not a god. She obviously has female features. If gender isn't a relevant concept for the divine powers of Theros, then R&D is betraying one of the most interesting and important facets of the Greek culture on which this set is based....and also making my choice of ranking topic look a bit silly.

Still, she is pretty attractive for a humanoid, but I am getting a prickly vibe off of her. She probably takes her job too seriously and is worried that she won't be treated fairly  if she can't out-compete the men. Ironically, this just makes her less desirable to the men she was trying to be accepted by. No one likes a try hard.

3. Thassa, God(dess) of the Sea

There are plenty of fish in the sea, right? So her odds of scoring a few notches on her bedpost seem pretty good, but the part of this saying that gets left off makes me hesitate. There are plenty of fish in the sea, but many of them are going to end up in a single net.

However, if Tritons breed anything like real-life Earth fish then we could have a whole different problem on our hands. It could be a free-for-all tidal orgy down there. Who knows what can happen? We will need Maury Povich to sort out who the father is!

2. Purphoros, God of the Forge

Man, this guy looks like he has a huge temper problem, but I knew plenty of guys like that in college and they never had any problems with the ladies.

This is exactly the kind of guy you want to be friends with. He has to throw killer parties. Check it out: he sets off fireworks whenever a new friend shows up and he really knows how to get the whole crew riled up and ready to do something stupid. I am sure this guy is showing his hammer to a new girl every weekend.

1. Heliod, God of the Sun

More like God of the Son, am I right?. Let's be honest here. Every land animal is going to be praying at this guy's altars.

Who wouldn't love a shot at the number one personality on the whole plane? This guy is the closest thing you can get to an MtG celebrity.

Jace might have more power, but nobody knows his name when he jumps to a new plane.

On Theros Heliod is the most eligible bachelor and I bet he can't wait to pump out more little clerics to help spread the word about his spear.

JC's Ranks

The way I will be evaluating the gods is by looking at their abilities in combination with their artifacts.

When Wizards said they'd be releasing a Greek mythology-based set I was skeptical. So far I have been surprised at how they took to the theme and captured the feel with powerful effects and the flavor of devotion.  It's my favorite of all ancient civilizations, and I didn't want them to do it wrong.

The gods were a bittersweet release for me, honestly. They felt strong and the devotion mechanic seemed to really fit in but their equipment feels a bit off. As a planeswalker in this world should you be able to wield the weapons of the gods? I'd say not unless the devotion was high. I foresee these as an strong resource that grant strong effects for just existing and that will make EDH a much more dangerous place.

5. Heliod, God of the Sun / Spear of Heliod.

Counting down, this is the weakest link. Mr. Vigilance and his Devotion Crew that feels simply like Mobilization with a creature. Nothing really Impressive to me about him but I'm sure in the right deck he would shine. Token decks will love having another static token producer.

His Spear is odd. Somehow it strengthens your troops. Although I completely get the Avenging Arrow that is attached to it. Feels right that Heliod/Zeus would be able to strike down with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy his "brothers." The pair of them help but there is not as much synergy between them.

4. Erebos, God of the Dead  / Whip of Erebos.

This was a tough guy to place. Ultimately shutting down your opponent's ability to gain life seems lackluster in the grand sceme of Black. I was anticipating Phyrexian Arena on a stick. Instead, we got a corrected draw ability that isn't abusable like Gristlebrand or Necropotence. Kinda disappointed in the God of the Dead.

His Whip is also disappointing. Lifelink is good so in theory shutting down your opponent's life gain abilities makes for an strong advantage and the activated Unearth-like ability seems like alot of power checking on one card. You can't flicker it, or return it to hand or else it's Exiled anyway. Sundial of the Infinite would be the only way to keep it a little longer, but not much. I suppose Sedris Decks will utilize it more than anyone else.

3. Thassa, god(dess) of the sea / Bident of Thassa

Scry is the name here and all my Melek friends out there love to scry but how strong is scry 1 to each player? When we have cards like Top, Scroll Rack, and Soothsaying, why even think of running her? Her ability is where the power lies if you ask me. It's the lowest cost of the 5 and it makes any creature unblockable.

As for her Fork...now this thing has the real power of blue. Capturing the essence of Curiosity and Alluring Siren in overdrive. Though the Siren ability seems out of the color-pie, I'm fine with it.

2. Purphoros, God of the Forge / Hammer of Purphoros

When I was looking at gods that I would play in this set both (green and Thassa called to me for my RUG Animar commander but then This guy came into the fold and Thassa was kicked out for him. Why? Heavy creature decks tend to fall into the aggro style of play and main win conditions really come down to combat damage both by Generals and creature beatdown. Having Purphoros around helps keep on the pressure and spread out the damage to make getting damage through both easier and faster. While he is on the field, each creature entering makes a reusable Shock that gets better with Flash and Flicker battle-tricks. While I'll rarely use his pump, I can see a scenario where that would be necessary but very infrequent with the triggered shock.

His artifact is more powerful when he's on the field. Granting haste to all newcomers especially if your sacrificing your lands to make more creatures, which reads like "sac a mountain, put a 3/3 creature into play and (red god) deals 2 to each opponent.

1. Nylea, God(dess) of the Hunt / Bow of Nylea

The Queen of green. Strong, beautiful and dare I say Enchanting? A 6/6 for 4 that grants global trample is right up my alley with my more aggresive decks. Not to mention her mana sink ability that feels a little overcosted for what it does but to be fair its not a once per turn limit. Turning her into a creature wont he hard seeing as green is the best color (second to white) that has more mana symbols per spell ratio.

Her bow is a completely different story. All creatures you control have deathtouch? Wizards are you kidding me? Thats a ridiculous ability just to have for three mana, not including the wide range of abilities to choose from for 1G making this bow and arrow something Hawkeye would use.

VJ's Ranks

5. Heliod, God of the Sun
Flavor-wise, I like this card. Pumping out weenies and making them Vigilant is a trademark of white mana.

Unfortunately, He's just not that amazing or innovative. "Let's put Serra's Blessing on a 5/6 that makes overpriced 2/1s" is no way to make a Legendary creature.

4. Erebos, God of the Dead

I see what they did here. Put Greed on a creature. But 2 mana and 2 life is too much for just one more card in your hand.

I'd think the dead of Theros would be a bit more generous.

3. Purphoros, God of the Forge

Although I don't use burn very often, I like the direction this card is taking. It's almost like Warstorm Surge on a creature.

2. Nylea, God(dess) of the Hunt



Trample is good, as is +2/+2 buffs. It's almost a one card combo, but the creature buff ability is way too expensive. Still, she's a 6/6 Primal Rage and that is both a sign of good flavor and good power.

1. Thassa, God(dess) of the Sea

I like to scry, and I'm infinitely pleased to see it making a comeback in Theros. Although Scry 1 isn't much, it's a glimpse into the future or one less card you have to draw to get out your win con. I've always enjoyed deck manipulation. Non-cheating cheating basically. Unblockability is also fun to play with.

UL's Ranks
Much of the appeal of Theros for me so far is the artwork. As I get further into my Magic playing habits, I find that this particular part of the card aesthetic is becoming much more important to me- especially as I get better as a player and cards, like the Gods, creep in power.

My ranks are going to be much more influenced by this, though I do plan on trying to get copies and play all of them.

5. Heliod, God of the Sun

Perhaps Heliod is gonna be the low man on the totem pole for many people, but he's really not functionally as bad to me as Nylea. GG will tell you Vigilance is a last minute throw on ability, and maybe he's right. I'm not sure, but I find that it's relevant in most of the time. I like it when I get to keep up my defenses.

Spitting out babies seems really good here, and even though it's a little costly, people with Serra's Sanctum will be able to add some good value here.

But that sounds like I like this card. Though the sparkly nonsense almost gets there, like the rest of this artwork, it doesn't go the distance for me. I don't like how we can see Nyx in his body. I don't like the way the light reflects in the sky, giving him this hazyness over his face, and the same goes for his trusty spear and his peasant brown-ish robes.

I just do not like them "Sam I Am." I would not like them in Japan. I would not like them with a can of SPAM.

DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT NO GREEN EGGS AND HAM!

Also, is that a halo on his head? Cause it looks like bull horns, like for a bull that has calcium deficiency.

In the words of my life coach and cinematic mentor, The Dude, "This Artwork will not stand, man." It's so unappealing that I might not even play it, if it weren't for his meddling abilities.

4. Thassa, God(dess) of the Sea

Milotic, for you Trainers who hung up
your Poke Balls after Gold and Silver

For a God of the Sea, we really don't see the sea in her art much, do we? I'm not much a fan of that or her coloring in this art, mostly because she looks like the Pokemon Milotic with a face. Still, I liked Milotic, and I do think I can deal with my grievances because her abilities are sweet. There's no law against playing cards with bad art.

3. Erebos, God of the Dead

Erebos gets the nod here because he has the best use of his sparklies. The way the background matches the enchantment border really helps to stretch the perception of what the card looks like. If you've seen some of my proxies, I'm kind of a fan of stretching and re-shaping that aesthetic.

In terms of functionality, GG sort of changed my perspective on this card. I mean, I knew shutting down life gain and drawing cards was good; Being a 5/7 though really helps out his case though. In the color pie, Black gets a lot of B's in its casting cost, which was originally supposed to help balance its power. I can't see that being the case for much longer.


2. Purphoros, God of the Forge

Total surprise that I'm putting this one at Number Two, but it's well deserved. The gold and smoke over top of the mountain give him this really great regal look, and I really dig his abilities. Great design for a red card, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about it. This could make for a few great red token combos with Hostility, specifically.

1. Nylea, God(dess) of the Hunt

Fell in love with the art when they spoiled it at Comic-Con, and it's still my favorite. I also love me a good warrior woman. I find her abilities somewhat redundant, but she's probably going to be the most "active" as a creature. I'm not sure where that leaves her, but I like this card, even if it is a little underpowered comparatively.


Anywho, get excited folks. There's much more Theros to talk about in the next few weeks.

Be sure to check those out. I have a feeling this set is going to change Commander quite a bit.

So pull out your old Led Zeppelin tracks and start driving your ships to new lands and banging your Hammer of the Gods-

The Chamber of Busted-ness has been opened.

Release the Kraken.
-UL and the TGZ Heroes

UL's Card Corner: Teferi's Puzzle Box

Happy Thor's Day Zoners!

Sorry for the late post today. Keepin' pretty busy, so I gotta make this one short.

We're also a little shorthanded at TGZ. JC's off planeswalking in the real for a little while, so I'm gonna go back to my roots and resume Card Corner duties for at least today with a new fave.

Back in the days when I built terrible decks, I hated Teferi's Puzzle Box. The first time I played against it, the thing wrecked the table and extended our game about 5 turns as we had little cards to draw and not a whole lot of answers for it.

Here in 2013 though, life's good with Teferi's ol' Rubik's Cube. It's become a card that's been getting some play in my Lin Sivvi deck and a few other decks in my metagame.

One of the Box's best qualities is the ability to add pressure to decks that have to hold spells. I'm not sure most Control Decks like this card. Mono Blue has a hard time interacting with it once it hits play, and although they get to draw cards, it could also mean tucking relevant spells away to get something less optimal, making this obviously not good.

Decks with Toolbox power like Lin Sivvi, Zur, Niv-Mizzet (either), and Captain Sisay really don't mind tucking irrelevant cards now for extra draw power. Seeing cards is more important for these decks to get online. The Firemind Niv Combo decks get a lot of value out of the draw because it combos with damage, which is great too.

Having more card draw access does make the Box stronger. Land Tax or Endless Horizons with Puzzle Box are pretty gross together. Filtering out land to get more spells really helps too.

Anyway, that's all I got. Be sure to tune into Saturday's episode of The Stack as we begin to dissect Theros.

Until then, eat your Wheaties, play Instants, and don't forget to bring a Towel.

-UL

Theros: Land of Heroes, Artifact Enchantments, and Ponies

Hey Planeswalkers,

I'm sure you guys are excited to see Theros come out later this month. Or maybe not. Either way, we've got some spoilers as they relate to Commander, the only format where you get to cast a cool dude even after he's been killed multiple times.

Today, I'm only going to be focusing on some of the big changes in rules and cards that I find particularly notable (in a good or bad way).

The Heroic Mechanic

So, "Heroic" is another block specific mechanic that is supposed to invoke images of Odysseus or Theseus or that guy who did that impossible feat in that one Greek myth. But how does it relate to EDH?

Well, for starters, the "Heroic" mechanic only triggers when the creature's controller casts a spell that targets it. So it seems like if you really want a "Heroic" deck, you'll have to load up on instant speed creature buffs, protectants, and anything that can target your creature. Which at that point, I'd say lose the Heroic mechanic if you're already giving one creature Giant Growth, Might of Oaks, Hunter's Insight, Run Wild, etc. Could Wizards be getting more convoluted as they try to invent fun new mechanics?

I guess we'll have to look at some "Heroic" creatures before calling judgment. Let's start with this cute Quasi-Greek couple, Anax and Cymede.

Now, their ability is pretty darn good if you ask me. Definitely worth wasting a spell on. It could even be a great general. First Strike and Vigilance seals the deal on these guys. This is both a flavorful card and an effective one.

But you do have to have spells on hand to make the best use of Anax and Cymede, or any other heroic creature. Considering what A & C does in particular though, you'll most likely be using a lot of instant speed buffs/protections like Barreling Attack or Bathe in Light.

I feel this card will play in well with mechanics like Battalion from RTR or Battle Cry from Mirrodin Besieged, simply because all three of these play off having a nice little army of 1/1s or 2/2s.

Weenie/token deck builds will probably also be a feature in decks built around Anax and Cymede. Few things are scarier than twelve 3/3 trample creature tokens charging at you.

In the other couple heroic cards I saw, you can get a 1/1 soldier (good for token decks, but I couldn't find a good quality pic) and this shameful creature they call the Setessan Hero. More like a Setessan Zero.

Why do I say it's a Zero? Start with the creature itself. A 5-drop 4/5: good for most creatures, but I'd expect a bit more generosity from green.

Secondly, you'd have to spend mana on spell triggers for her heroic, which targets mana, which leaves you with less mana to use as attackers or defenders. Seems counter-intuitive to me. You're better off using Animate Land or Vivify, cards that get right to the point rather than having to target a creature in order to target another target. Kamahl is the original land creature-making creature, and he would certainly disapprove of this joke of a warrior.

Maybe if "Heroic" triggered on abilities that target the creature, I'd be a bit more pleased with it from a playability perspective. Otherwise, I just feel that this mechanic beats around the bush.

Until I see more heroes from Theros (slant rhymes, clever Wizards), they'll be an afterthought in my
books.

Except for you Bowie. You will always be in my forethoughts.

Card Type Shakeup

I'm still wondering why it must be both an artifact and an enchantment. Maybe normal enchantments can't be tapped. Maybe it has something to do with an artifact/enchantment-based mechanic that will be utilized in the other two sets of Theros block. Maybe it will make it easier for red decks to destroy or blue decks to take control of.

Regardless, the Bow seems pretty good for a commander like Trostani or Kamahl. It's built for aggression and covers some of what green decks need: flying protection, life gain, and graveyard retrieval. Not to forget Graft/Evolve mechanics working in conjunction with the first option. Put this next to your Fathom Mage and draw like crazy.

A green artifact is a little hard to comprehend though. Isn't green the color to usually destroy artifacts? I mean I've seen plenty of artifacts in green decks, but never an artifact that carries a green identity (the artifact creatures from the Scars of Mirrodin block don't count).

There are also a bunch of enchantment creatures, but we'll get to that with next week's spoilers.

And finally, we have this lovely gem to the right. That's right, it's a Pegasus, not the first of its kind either. But for two mana, you get a better version of that terrible Chasm Drake from M12. This card will make an Mikaeus deck or any white weenie/human token deck many times more awesome (combo with Anax and Cymede???).

Innistrad block was chock full of human creatures that would love to get a ride on this pony (this is not meant to be sexual in any way, stop giggling). This is to human creatures as War Falcon is to Knights/soldiers. As with the heroic Anax and Cymede, I see this card being paired with Battle Cry in a weenie deck. It just makes too much sense.

Plus it's a Pegasus!

Fluttershy approves this card for Commander.

Until next time, stay classy Planeswalkers.

-VJ

Paupularity Contest: Theros Spoileez

We have had some great preview cards streaming in from the Theros.

This is looking to be a power house set chock full of high quality cards for every format. We have a confirmed Thoughtseize reprint, which completely needed to happen, tons of new legendary creatures, and new threat centric mechanics: Heroic, Monstrous, and Bestow.

There is going to be plenty of discussion of the new mythics and potential generals here on The General Zone as well as other places around the MtG blogosphere, plus I will be authoring our regularly scheduled set review as soon as the full spoiler drops so I am going to leave those discussions for other days/commentators.

Today I am going to take a look at the first round of Common spoilers and tell you what I can't wait to jam into my Pauper decks/cube.

To kick things off we have the latest iteration in a long line of Green Impulse effects. Grisly Salvage in RTR block was one of the best versions of this card ever and was almost as good as the original. Being multicolor though, it was a little restrictive so it isn't ever going to see much play in Pauper.

This has more of a chance, but isn't as strong of a card. It is easier to cast, but not being an Instant hurts. Also, picking up a land is much better than an Enchantment in my book, so that is definitely a downgrade.

For limited, this is an appropriate change since the theme of the block is Enchantments. This will find an easy home in my pauper cube where green card draw is difficult to come by. This -> Citanul Woodreaders. Living the dream.


Oh boy...WE HAVE A ONE DROP! This is craziness. They block you go to pump it and get a token even if they have a response. This is just oozing value.

This could very well be the best Red one drop in Pauper. I know, I know, it is too early to start voting for Heisman, but this guy is going to be doing work. Seeing this guy really makes me wish Heroic triggered off of abilities and also your opponents junk as well.

That would be pretty insane, no? Bonesplitter this, get a guy. They kill it, you get another guy. Now they have to deal with two 1/1 instead of just the one and you still have the equipment? How sick would that nonsense have been? Probably too sick. I imagine they changed it for this reason exactly, although I haven't seen any equipment spoiled yet.

You might not have heard this, but I am huge fan of drawing cards. I loved Night's Whisper and I am still waiting for a reprint at common. I love Sign in Blood and the flexibility/reach it gave Pauper Storm decks.

This is probably too expensive for constructed Pauper, but in Pauper Commander and C/Ube it is ridiculous. Don't underestimate how good Scry is.

This is light years ahead of Divination, something that it will take Magic online drafters weeks to figure out. Beat them over the head with it until they figure it out. That's flavor. Educate people about the game with a card that models learning knowledge from the remains of the dead. I should get paid more for this kind of stuff.


In-depth analysis here: Sea Gate Oracle was good. Being cheaper is a plus, but getting to draw a card is a definite down side and kind of a bargain at 1 colorless mana (assuming you get to pick the card in both cases here). In EDH and P. Cube you are probably fine waiting an extra turn for an extra card. You will at most be taking 3 for that privelage.

In constructed Pauper you could be taking as much as 5 or 6, but the mono Blue Pauper decks were already playing Sea Gate Oracle and loving it. Altogether I think that this card is worst, but not by a whole lot. Time will tell if that conclusion is correct because I will be playing a good bit of this card I suspect.

Yes, more things to compete with Squadron Hawk! Just what I needed. This card is good no doubt. Very aggressive, evasive and an excellent topdeck on a stalled board. There are a whole slew of playable humans in Pauper so this guy jumping 3-4 of your dudes per turn isn't much of a stretch.

White Weenie/ Ramosian Rally decks want this I think. Although they are already very clogged at the two spot, like pretty much every good Pauper deck. If it isn't a straight up home run then it definitely has potential looking forward to this one.

Well, that's all I've got for today, but that is just barely scratching the surface of Theros. Five indestructible gods, three different planewalkers, a functional reprint of Searing Spear...jeez. This set was given the juice. No one is going to argue that. I expect this to rival Worldwake and Innistrad as some of the highest selling boosters of all time. Get them while they are hot kids, this set is going to get pricey fast.

The Stack #26- Sometimes There's Flavor

Hey there Zoners!

Not every card in the Multiverse needs to have good flavor, but it's always better when it does.

Today, we're going to salute a little bit of both. The gang and I have quite a few flavor points to talk about as we inch closer to the essence of flavor on this week's Stack.

Here goes nothing.

THIS IS THE STACK!

VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICK

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
While not the best in flavor, this Zenith I think has high marks for summing up the essence of Blue mana. It's an instant for one, which means it can be played in response to something (like foiling somebody's Mirror-Mad/Laboratory Manic combo). I like the words "Target player" because it gives this card more freedom than Mind Spring (a good blue card nonetheless). Drawing cards is always helpful in blue decks, something I know I've mentioned multiple times.

I really feel that this is such a great blue card though. It can be the basis for a combo (imagine a lot of mana and a Psychosis Crawler on your battlefield) or it can break a combo, in my experience, the aforementioned self-mill combo. The card is utilitarian. It is not a win-con by itself, yet can bring you just the right cards you need. Perhaps it is pricey, but Stormtide Leviathan (another well-flavored card) is definitely not cheap either. Blue is about being patient, planning ahead. What better way to plan a takeover than by sticking seven fresh cards in your hand?

Johnny Confidant- THUMBS DOWN
It's Funny, You like a card for what it does then upon review you find that in regards to flavor it's a swinging a huge miss. GG made a solid point about how a blue sun wouldn't rain down the cards, but if cards are to the library and the library is to your mind, then the Blue sun must radiate some kind of brainwave enhancer. As for the White and Green sun, you're on your own for that relation.
 

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
I am going to swing it like this: Good flavor gets the thumbs up. Bad flavor will receive no such honor. This card has no flavor. When the blue sun of Mirrodin reaches its highest point in the sky...you get to draw cards? Oh, but then you forget about it and it gets filed back in your library with the other stuff you don't have time to think about right now. This is THE recipe for bad flavor. Take a flavor concept and force-fit it onto an established mechanical concept. Werewolves transform. Makes sense. Drawing cards was already a concept within the flavor AND mechanics of the game. Now, we are going to overwrite player expectations by dramatically altering what drawing cards means in the 'story' of the game. Unless I am meant to believe that staring at the sun gives me tons of great ideas, then this is a flavor fail. Also: kids, don't stare at the sun. It is really, really bad for your eyes...like, so bad.

Uncle Landdrops- FLAVOR THUMBS DOWN
I really like this card. I play it quite a bit because of the reasons VJ mentions. It works, I just agree with GG- it just doesn't have flavor. It's part of a cycle of cards from the Scars block that are just supposed to function as a representation of the power of each of Mirrodin's Suns. If Mirrodin were real, it's just hard for me to believe that one of its suns would be responsible for a spike in the 2/2 cat population and cards would be "falling from the sky."  Now, Red Sun's Zenith... I could actually believe that a Red Sun would get super-hot at its highest point and kill something. If I knew very little about Magic though, and someone asked me what I thought Blue Sun's did, I'd have no idea.

GG's Unsubstantiated explanation of White Sun's Zenith: The Leonin prides have a communal festival that brings them all to Taj-Nar on the longest (with respect to the white sun) day of the year, giving you a few new litters of cats. Why this is an instant I don't know. It would obviously be on the calendar far in advance.
 
GRANDPA GROWTH'S PICK

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
Not a stellar card. It's actually a sub-marine card if you'll excuse the pun. I could do this all day. I could also talk about flavor and how generally awful it is all day. This is just fine flavor-wise. Wizards has been making progress towards a more top-down approach to card design that has resulted in cards with flavor that is easier to digest (I am a horrible person, I know this). My bone is with Islandwalk. Whales, not even big ones, can cross over islands. What makes this guy unblockable even to other see creatures? What happens when one of these swims by a Tidal Kraken or an Inkwell Leviathan? Does their collective water displacement not interfere at all? Final thought, this creature reminds me of a song...a story really.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS (AND PERISCOPE) UP
This whale is pretty darn good if I do say so (and I do). Islandwalk is a good choice for flavor because, like UL mentioned below, it's more about the water surrounding the island less than the actual island. As far as other sea creatures not being able to block it, you'll have to bring that up with Wizards. Maybe in M15 they'll implement a rule that will make Islandwalk more like blue Fear.

What really matters about the Colossal is that it eats things! Look out Pinocchio and Geppetto!

Johnny Confidant- not available for comment

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I love this card. Everyone knows how much I love it. As far as Islandwalk goes, I tend to think less and less that Wizards uses the word Island as an actual Island. More and more it has become about being the Ocean, and if that's the case, there is no flavor problem. 

JOHNNY CONFIDANT'S PICK

Johnny Confidant-  THUMBS UP
My Pauper Gruul loves this little guy. For two he ramps and pings which is the main theme of my deck. Zur-Taa Druid is an excellent flavor mix of both Red and Green without the Haste I'd like, but then he'd probably be an uncommon.

Flavor aside this guy has very niche placement in deckbuilding. Edh would rather run Birds of paradise than a "poke per mana" dork. Although I'll say that Budget 60, pauper, and Peasant do enjoy this little guy.


Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
This is a cool card, but I don't see how this has flavor. Not every druid is supposed to make mana. Also, Gruul cards are more concerned with combat damage.

Grandpa Growth - THUMBS DOWN
I have a hard time believing that any creature would really be able to damage a planeswalker. I dig the card and the design style of stapling two sweet cards like Fireslinger and Llanowar Elves, but we are talking about immortal, multidimensional, all-powerful wizards here. It would make more sense in a game like Hearthstone, where the heroes are still mortal beings occupying a single world; able to attack and interact with creatures directly. Even when planeswalkers fight each other they don't really die all that often.


Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
So he's a druid that taps for mana. Makes sense. He's also of the Gruul Clan, so he deals damage whenever he taps for mana. Also makes sense. His flavor is mechanically great;
the flavor text, not so much.

UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICK 

Uncle Landdrops-  THUMBS UP
This card really has your simple Giant Spider-level of flavor for a Magic card, of which I'm a big fan. KISS isn't just four Jewish guys from the Bronx who like to put on face paint, play rock music, and sell every kind of product they can with their name on it to make money. Though they've stolen the ultimate business acronym and life credo, "Keep It Simple, Stupid," it fortunately doesn't make the phrase any less true.

Thoughtseize is and has been a pretty big card along competitive decks ever since its first printing in Lorwyn and it's not just because it does exactly what it says it does. It's because what it says it does is GREAT. Thank the sweet gods we got a reprint too- because we're going to need it to combat the amalgam of other strange multi-card-type nonsense in this new set. I can't wait to get myself a copy.


Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP (For Flavor)
Turn one Swamp -> Thoughtseize is a strong strategy to both see what your opponent's got planned and shut down their current game plan. While this is strong in Modern, 40-50 dollars is too much for a Duress or Despise without limitations and for someone who plays Multiplayer Edh, I'd rather buy 40 copies of Syphon Mind or Unnerve, but that's just my preference.

If I pull one from my Theros Fat Pack though, I'll try it out.

Grandpa Growth - THUMBS UP
I am like 70% on board with the flavor of this card. The fey come in the night to steal your dreams. Dreams have been used as a flavor concept for drawing cards on several previous occasions and nightmares have been used to represent discarding them so I am willing to allow the stretching of this definition to Inception/Extraction processes. The only part I don't understand is the life payment. Does the Clique charge a fee of blood for this kind of work? Does Oona have a tax on the dream trade?

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Power at all costs, say the Black-mana players. Fortunately, 2 life isn't too high a price to pay. "It's cheap, but it's not free," Donald Fagen of Steely Dan once said, but I think he was referring to something that wasn't Magic. Anyway, this is a solid flavor card; but, functional as both a turn one slap to the face or a late game win-con remover. Many cards like this exist, but this one stands above Duress or Despise in my books.

Hope you guys are keeping up with the Theros Spoilers. Now that a big amount of the first set has been spoiled, look for us to start sharing our thoughts over the next week or so.

Until then, do all that you can to keep the gods happy. The last thing you'd want is for Liam Neeson to release another Kraken. Or call you on the phone with a death threat.

-UL and the TGZ Staff

(Bringin' It) Back From The Brink #1: Spellshapers

Happy Thor's Day Zoners!

JC's off this week, so I thought I'd kick off a new-but-not segment here on TGZ called Bringin' It Back From The Brink.

Mostly, we're going to be doing reviews on card cycles that are out of Standard and have probably been so for a long time.

The idea is that maybe you'll find some cool new cards to add to pre-existing decks or to build around in new decks. So I won't be doing a whole lot of grading, per se. I will be ranking them though.

Today we've got the Legendary Spellshapers from Prophecy on the docket. So let's get started.

GREEL, MIND RAKER

We'll start off with my favorite.

Greel's ability is probably the strongest in the cycle, even without looking at color identity. Mind Twist is one of Grandpa's favorite cards, and there's a reason it's been banned in French Duel Commander rules. On the play and with even minimal acceleration, Greel creates a legitimate threat that your opponent(s) will have to deal with. It's a lot of pressure, especially because there aren't a lot of aggro decks that can effectively get rid of their hand before he takes it away.

In this way, your own discard is a small price to pay, regardless of what you're throwing away. Having to pitch two cards to force your opponent to pitch 4 isn't great, but it's only one card more than typical Mind Twist.

And this is all without even the simplest design strategy. With access to removal and Reanimate, there's plenty of card advantage to be had by pitching big, over-costed threats and cheating them into play.

Maindeck, I could see this card having value too. There is a strict value assessment we make when we choose a Commander and taking that away makes this card pretty good too.

MAGETA THE LION

Going right down the line, Mageta is the second most powerful, but there's a lot less freedom in design.

Greel has a lot of space for threat choices and decent access to card advantage.

With Mageta, and by extension, the rest of the spellshapers on the list, there's significantly less redundancy, or really even reasonably playable cards.

As a Commander, the deck is doable though it'll probably be fairly expensive. Big playable cards like Endless Horizons and Land Tax provide enough land to ensure that there is a Wrath every turn, while a Crucible and Sun Titan will need to be there to eke out extra card advantage.

Therein lies the problem though. Mageta's ultimate reliance on typical "GoodStuff" does work to balance the power out. Still, it really doesn't do much to win this way. This deck will still need win conditions, and if Mageta is also the win condition, that feels like a little too much responsibility.

JOLRAEL, EMPRESS OF BEASTS

This is probably my favorite artwork of the cycle. Very regal.

Jolrael appeals to me as a Commander because she's an offensive force and a serious rattlesnake card to control players who like to Wrath.

Green supports her effect pretty well with its monopoly on ramp, but it comes at a hefty price. Pitching cards is a lot higher of a risk in these colors because there's essentially zero value to be had.

Still, if you like to be the Overrun guy, this is a cool deck. It's unique among Green decks because most builds, like Azusa, want to ramp and play dudes. In this one, you get to focus on ramp and  noncreature permanents like Akroma's Memorial that help to pump the squad.

Honestly, I like this one a little bit better than Mageta, but all it takes is Oblivion Stones to shut it down.

Alexi, Zephyr Mage

We're now in the realm of the not-quite-useful ones.

There are way better options in blue, and I don't see the appeal.

Alexi's a lot worse than cards that do what she does and so spellshaping with her feels basically useless.

I'm sure that there are good Blue decks that could win without a Commander. That's where I'd play this.

I think you guys know me well enough. I like bouncing stuff. Generally, it's pretty good, but if I have to discard in a blue deck, I'd rather be Looting.

LATULLA, KELDON OVERSEER

I'm not sure Latulla's actually worse than Alexi, mostly because Latulla can actually do some damage. Still, both have a lot of trouble finding value in their own colors.

Latulla's not realistic. The lengths that someone has to go to in order to develop synergies and get combos off look like way too much work when there's better options for Burn-style decks.

I see a lot of wasted turns trying to get combos off. Furthermore, actually netting additional cards in red is so hard I could see Latulla only being activated once or twice before you're forced into top deck mode.

Overall, I just find HH to be better. The lists will be fairly identical- Illusionist's Bracers, Basilisk Collar, and other damage doublers, so why not just play the better card?

Overall, this cycle is pretty neat and relatively underplayed. I'd love to see more Mageta and Jolrael decks. More Spellshaping would be great to see in general.

Till then, Take it Sleazy. And Enjoy Those Theros Spoilers.

-UL

UL's Better Deckbuilding: Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero EDH

Happy Tuesday Zoners. 

I had a completely different mash-up article I was going to post today, but I changed my mind. The Spellshapers can wait another week.

Instead, Better Deckbuilding returns today with my latest and most rebellious work to date- and I hope to impress.

So let's get started.

WHY LIN SIVVI?

Scrolling through Gatherer for a mono-White replacement to my recently retired Darien deck, I settled on Lin Sivvi for a couple reasons.

Toolbox Power/Engine Creator

First, she had appeal to me as an engine creator. I was looking for another deck that could create a strong recursion mechanic similar to the success I have with Glissa T's, and I was looking for a way to re-invent Glissa's great card advantage, flexibility, and high interactivity while also not being redundant. 

Tribal Potential

Second, Lin Sivvi can be a pretty good tribal deck. That's not really a good reason to build a deck, but I can't say that I haven't been looking for an avenue to pursue this archetype, because I have. I've been very interested in trying to make a "pure tribal" deck that isn't Elves or Slivers to add to my deck portfolio. It's one of the few restrictions I hadn't been able to build around successfully, and although this deck didn't meet my own definition of "tribal," it's still pretty decent.

Strategic Rationale and Play Style Reasons

Obviously, Lin Sivvi doesn't do what Glissa does at all, but they share some similar characteristics, and that's where I started to build the framework.

The most visible of these is their CMC. Both of these Commanders have medium-to-high value-adding utility for the deck regardless of matchup, and so mostly I'm not concerned with casting them on Turn 3 as much as being able to re-cast them for less than 6 the second time. 

Although this quality is mostly responsible for taking the sting out of removal, neither Commander is vital to the strategy of winning either. That doesn't mean that Lin Sivvi won't be cast in a majority of games, because she definitely facilitates effective winning habits. It just means if she dies, even gets tucked, it's not impossible to get the "W."

This comes from deck support. Both decks have really nice card advantage systems on the margin, which create a great defensive "control-like" strategy without counter-magic.

I learned pretty quick with Glissa that most of my opponents don't really want to attack into just her, untapped mana, and a handful of cards.

In analyzing Lin Sivvi and some of the tricks in her toolbox, I realized I can do many of the same things, not only once, but over and over thanks to that second ability which many people forget or don't realize.

Together, all these reasons really provide a strong foundation, and the makings of a pretty fun and fairly effective deck.

THE STRATEGY

There are a couple different overall strategies for Lin Sivvi. Some people have created a few combos for life gain that I thought were a little too cheeky. I was also worried that my playgroup and I would get pretty bored with it if I made it a vital part of the deck strategy.

The first and foremost principle of the deck is fortification. Since its strength is being able to create chump blockers and tutor for dudes, we're playing to that. Setting up the "Tower Defense" is the first part of the strategy.

If we can't find a reasonable way to defend with just dudes, we have Wraths and a few other tricks.

Rule #1 of this deck is Admiral Akbar's favorite saying.

From there, the next step is just a threat to end the game- and naturally, we have backups for that too. So let's look at the Rebels.

REBEL TRICKERY

In doing some studying up on various Lin Sivvi lists, I realized most players weren't maxing out on the tribal aspect. Again, this goes back to our Commander's value as a recursive engine. Also, because there are plenty of redundant ways to replicate her role.

So what kinds of stuff can Liv Sivvi go get?

Defiant Vanguard
By far and way one of my favorite little defensive pieces of tech. A tutor or a quick piece of removal.

Bound in Silence
One of the premier pieces of non-creature Lin Sivvi tech. Because Lin Sivvi's ability puts it into play the same way Zur's combat trigger does, we can avoid Voltron generals with Hexproof and Shroud. It's also helped me keep Eldrazi and other Indestructibles away. This is a total All-Star.

Children of Korlis
This was the most relevant card in any of the little combos I found. It's best paired with Phyrexian Processor, but it's also a nice trick if someone is trying to get in a huge increment of damage.

Reveille Squad
This is a card I haven't picked up yet, but I love the idea of being able to get multiple rebels in a turn. There have been a few games where I could've ended it with one extra dude. Also, I can see this as another way to rattlesnake people away from attacking me. Pseudo-Vigilance is cool.

Mirror Entity
Ladies and Gentle-Zoners, this is the main attraction. Along with my Children + Processor combo, getting Entity out with a bunch of mana and 3-4 guys is lethal most of the time.

CONTROL TECH

Now, most of the time I don't expect things to go according to plan, and they really didn't in my two or three games. So I got a crash course with this stuff early on.

Terminus/Hallowed Burial
These are my favorite Wrath effects in this deck because their value is enhanced by the creatures that I play. Most of my dudes, even my Commander, is fairly expendable, and I can usually find ways to get them back. It's a pretty ideal situation.

Retribution of the Meek
This hasn't been as one-sided of a Wrath as I'd hoped, but it's still up there. I don't think I have a creature with 4 power in this at all.

Teferi's Puzzle Box
This can be good or bad, but I'd like to think it's better for me. My list was in heavy need of netting extra cards, and I don't like to rely on my opponents for that. I like that this also helps keep them from planning too many turns ahead, and keeps me from getting upset when I draw a Rebel I'd rather tutor for.

Nevermore
I mentioned I was gonna be testing this card out. It's been pretty effective so far, proactively hosing Commanders and other known combos in the late-late. Bring your metagame knowledge though.

Parallax Wave
This is a recent addition that I've been fairly pleased with. Exiling Commanders makes this pretty useful as well as protecting my own dudes from other Wraths. It's a nice one for sure.

Devout Witness
This is some new Spellshaper tech I saw and liked. Turning rough draws into recurring removal is something I thought I'd need, and so I have it. Haven't drawn into it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Definitely a card that makes policing the board a lot easier.

OTHER TECH 

Kor Haven
Kor Haven has saved me quite a few times already, and I like it a lot better than Maze of Ith. For starters, it taps for mana. Second, people forget about it, and it causes them to overextend. Cause unlike Maze, it doesn't untap the creature. It's also 1/5th of the approximate cost of a Maze. So if you've got white, treat yourself. This shit is bananas.

Gideon, Champion of Justice
I mentioned a few weeks ago I was playing this, and so far it hasn't been terrible. Being able to protect it for a couple turns with dudes or Wraths gives me a chance to get big and battle.

Planeswalkers are part of the threat package for this deck, and even though this is probably the worst one of the P-Dubs I'm currently playing, it's still draws a decent amount of attention. I really like it though, despite it being pretty sketch.

As always, here's my full list:

Lin Sivvi EDH

I'm always open to comments, thoughts, questions, etc. about Lin Sivvi or anything Commander related. So feel free to do that, either here, on TappedOut, or by emailing me at UncleLanddrops@gmail.com.

Until next time, keep up the rebellion, and whatever the cost, don't tell the Empire where my Rebel base is.


-UL

In General: Seven Deadly Sins

I have teetered back and forth for a long time about writing on this topic. It is controversial by nature. I am talking about getting competitive. About taking your show on the road, as it were. So you win casual games.  So you can beat your friends decks. I am going to lay out the seven decks that I consider tier 1. The decks that, built right, will break the format. The decks that I won't even play against unknown opponents. It has been asked for, it shall be given. The tier one decks...and the decks that would be tier one if some additional rules applied. I am currently on a quest to prove my points to my play group; to demonstrate that these decks will, in the absence of dedicated hate, overwhelm the format and create a consistently unfair game.
These decks violate all the social rules of the format. Some of these are banned by the official rules. Knowing that I don't abide by that document you can take my comments with a grain of salt. This, at most, constitutes my personal opinions about the format. Note that, as usual, I am discussing these cards from a 1v1 perspective, but the unique thing about these decks is that they happen to be very strong in multiplayer because they win in broken ways. These decks can certainly be built in such a way that they are fair and engaging and not abusive, but the reverse isn't true of most other decks. I'd love to hear what decks you guys don't want to play against, whether you agree with this list or not.

Since these aren't being presented in any particular order I don't feel bad about starting in a weird spot. Sharuum is probably the most fair and normal of the decks on this list. Most games tend to play out in a pretty normal fashion. The thing that makes this deck so strong is the consistency and resiliency it has. The tutors in this color combination are top notch and you also have access to virtually any kind of disruption you want. Thoughtseize, Mind Twist, Armageddon, Counterspells. These cards make people pretty unhappy. It is pretty miserable to begin a game knowing that you are going to be dead on turn 8 and will never resolve a spell. This is the only three-color general on my list. Consistency is a big part of why these decks are so strong, but Sharuum is different in that it has dozens of possible win conditions that don't overlap and are easy to set up. Isochron locks, Strip Mine + Crucible, Sculpting Steel combos, Mindslaver, pretty basic stuff, but there is much available that I won't bother listing individually. Knowing which win-cons your opponent's deck has can be very tough to figure out pre-match. Unlike the other decks on this list (which experienced players will be familiar with) you can't guess the composition of a Sharuum deck very easily.


This is a little bit more like what I am really talking about. When somebody whips out a Jhoira deck know exactly what they are up to. There really isn't much of a surprise factor here. Mass land destruction -> Resolve Eldrazi. In fact, you can probably guess 94 of the cards in a Jhoira deck right off the bat. Of these seven, this is the only deck that I have actually built and played myself. I can never find opponents that want to battle it...so it doesn't see a whole lot of action.


Another pretty self-explanitory deck. Play braid, preferably early, and proceed to the win phase. You always have access to a Smoke Stack and getting stuck on 3-4 lands means that most Commander decks will never be able to cast even half of their spells. This deck is somewhat less viable in multiplayer, where you will immediately draw tons of hate, but it still is very powerful since the ability affects all players. Keep in mind most of those players are not going to be prepared to play a low-econ game.


A very basic, very consistent combo deck. This deck is actually pretty easy to disrupt, but the fact that this deck is chock full of counterspells means that patient players will be able to force the combo through every time. If don't have counterspells you just can't beat this deck. You try kill the Kiki-jiki, they counter your removal and you lose on the spot. No fun for anyone.



This is the exact same deck as Niv-Mizzet, except the win conditions are slightly different. Note that I am not talking abut the Wizard Tribal version of this deck. I am speaking strictly about the focused combo version, which I think we can all agree is much more competitive and less fun.


Another general that enjoys the dubious distinction of being banned by the 'official' rules. This deck is unique among these seven because it has virtually no disruption and doesn't win with infinite combos. What it does do is make an absurd amount of mana on turn three every single game. Either you mulligan to removal or you get destroyed by a giant monster before you cast anything relevant to the board. Warping the game in this way is exactly what makes these decks so powerful and so unfair.

And here it is, the final card. I am sure that you all guessed this anyway. This is the one true master deck. It was banned the instant the rules committee formed and with good reason. If you have ever tried to build this deck or have played against it you will know why it is so frustrating. Spot removal is rarely effective at preventing the Erayo lock from happening. If they cast Erayo and then you cast a kill spell then they are already halfway to flipping it and trust me, this deck plays plenty of free spells. I don't want to call it unbeatable, because it isn't, but this deck destroys the other 6 on this list and will make a mockery of your typical Commander game, multiplayer or not. The process of actually getting killed will be slow, painful, and embarrassing, but the game is almost always unwinnable by turn three.

Honorable Mentions: Blue Braids, Momir Vig, Arcum Dagsson, Glissa the Traitor. These use the same pieces (infinite combos, overloading on disruption and counterspells, cheating mana requirements), but can't consistently beat all seven of these decks, so I left them off the list, although an explanation of the individual match ups is important in understanding why, I don't have the time or space to do so here. A story for another day I guess. There are a lot of decks that are in my 'tier 2' that are very good, but still play fair and fun so they aren't a problem in the format. Rhys for example.

Bonus section: in competitive 1v1 tournaments the landscape of Commander changes slightly. A more restrictive ban list is implemented, fast mana is restricted, and players are aware of and prepared for the popular decks. In this format there are two other decks that I would consider top tier. I won't spend too much time discussing them,

That's all for today zoners. Leave some comments to let me know what you think about these decks and what role they play in the format. If you think I missed any let me know!