Review of Born of the Gods, Part 1: White

This is part 1 of my Born of the Gods set review.  I mainly look at cards from a casual and limited perspective. 

Acolyte’s Reward- I want to like this card.  I really do.  But in draft, it’s really only good when you’re behind and then you’re getting at most 2 damage more often than not.  Sure if you try to take advantage of it in constructed it can be cool and it can blow people out, but I’d avoid it more often than not.  C-

Akroan Phalanx- Pretty cool card.  3/3s for 4 aren’t trash, it’s got vig which is cool, but that ability can be a blowout.  Not exactly a first pick in draft, but a cool card that I’d be happy to have 1 of. C+

Akroan Skyguard: Cool in draft, as flyers are always good.  Would never play elsewhere, but solid enough.  C

Archetype of Courage: Now we’re talking.  First strike is one of my favorite abilities, and I hate when my opponents have it, so this guy wins on every count.  Plus he looks pretty sweet.  B

Brimaz: Well dang.  3 mana 3/4s are nothing to laugh at, especially with vigilance, but this guy’s abilities are nuts.  Limited bomb, standard archetype maker, and casual superstar.  A

Dawn to Dusk- Cool design, nice that it gives you card advantage, I might play this eventually but currently nothing to rave about.  C

Eidolon of Countless Battles- This guy is cool.  As an aura he gives at least +2/+2, and is pretty cheap to do that too.  As a creature he can be sweet in any sort of token deck.  B+

Elite Skirmisher: fine card in draft, little fragile but heroic encourages you to buff him up.  Liking the white cards for BoG draft so far.  C

Ephara’s Radiance: trash, don’t play it, F

Excoriate: Love the name, and the card itself is cool.  Wish it was an instant, but then it’d just be a better Devine Verdict most of the time.  That said, still a fine card, especially with some people definitely going to try some cutesy inspired shenanigans.  C+

Fated Retribution: this is a weird one.  On one hand, I like how it blows up planeswalkers and is instant speed.  On the other, I don’t like that it blows up planeswalkers, as I want this for a control deck with a bunch of walkers to protect.  That said, cool for EDH and a much have for Type 4.  B

Ghostblade Eidolon: Always bestow him unless you can bestow/enchant on him.  Broken in sealed, sick in draft, and I love double strike in casual.  B

Glimpse the Sun God: Very interesting.  I love scry, and a fog/heroic enabler/sleep is a 3 way split card I love in limited.  B

God-Favored General: trash, inspired is bad in general and this guy is terrible.  Only good thing is he can block.  D

Great Hart: Dull card, but fine in limited.  C-

Griffin Dreamfinder: So artifacts get a 3/3 with some life gain but enchantments get a ¼ with nothing?   Laaaame.  That said he’s a cool card, and you can get something to make him a beast in the air, like, I don’t know, ordeals?

Hero of Iroas: Sick card, abilities synergize nicely, and body is fine.  A

Hold at Bay: weirdly, I don’t hate this card.  It’s probably trash but there are situations where it could be really good.  It only costs 2 and can be a combat blowout.  Plus it triggers heroic.  C+

Loyal Pegasus: Nothing great, but definitely playable, especially since it flies.  C-

Mortal’s Ardor: Yet another combat trick.  With this block having so many, you really have to identify the good ones from the chaff.  This should be much better in sealed than draft but is fine in both.  C+

Nyxborn Shieldmate: as a creature he sucks.  As an aura he’s mediocre but playable.  Nothing to be excited about though.  C-

Oreskos Sun Guide: It encourages you to attack with your 2/2s for 2.  C

Ornitarch: Ok, tribute.  First off, tribute is a bad ability.  It gives power to your opponent which is never a good idea.  Yes, a 5/5 flyer for 5 or a bunch of flyers for 5 are both good cards.  However, your opponent will always choose the option that makes the card easy to deal with.  Not a bad card to be sure, but don’t think it’s god.  C+

Plea for Guidance: Would I play this in draft?  Depends.  If I have a god or some massive bestow guy, sure, but other than that it’s a 6 mana do nothing.  In sealed and casual it’s broken and you should play it.  B+

Revoke Existence: New art is sexy, card does what it says, much better in this set than in others, blah blah C+

Silent Sentinel: The white prerelease card.  This guy is probably the second best of the cards after the blue one, but with the excellent aura dudes in white he might be the best.  Bomb and a half in sealed, good control finisher in draft, and can be really cool in casual.  A

Spirit of the Labyrinth: yep, he’s a hoser.  Also does the beats.  Nothing much to say here, just an excellent card. A

Sunbond: Trash, don’t play it D-

Vanguard of Brimaz: WW is iffy, but white is a solid color so he seems fine.  If you’re playing casual or even constructed with spears of heliod and brimaz himself this guy rocks.  B

Zero Variance

A few months ago, I played a game of Zero Variance.  If you’ve never heard of it, which is likely, Zero Variance is a mental magic-ish format where you can play any card.  Stephen Menendian wrote a pretty good article about it at http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/16754_So_Many_Insane_Plays_Zero_Variance_The_Ultimate_Mental_Magic_Format.html  You should check that out for the rules, and it’s a very entertaining read.

            Besides being an enormous amount of fun (and probably the single hardest game of Magic to win ever), I realized a play by play recap of the match could get people interested in the format, and provide a new blog entry, which have been lacking.  So lets get to it!

            Unfortunately, I lost the first 2 turns of plays due to Cockatrice (the place where I was playing) crashing and having the chat be lost, but I can summarize here

            I won the roll and chose to start off with a Leyline of Lightning (which did nothing the entire game), while my opponent got his lucky Gemstone Caverns out by pitching Boseiju (arguable the most powerful card in the format, so it was nice to see we wouldn’t be fighting over it).  I played a utopia land (a 5 color land with no drawback) and a volcanic island my first 2 turns, while he played a tropical island and a ancient tomb.  I cycled a renewed faith to get 2 life (which, once again, turned out to be irrelevant) then began my third turn, where things began to get interesting.

[19:24] Me: my turn, i play wasteland and destroy ancient tomb

[19:27] Opponent: Tap Tropical Island to Stifle Wasteland’s ability.
I now have 4 cards in hand.

[19:28] Me: tap my lands to play remand
4 cards in hand

[19:29] Opponent: Tap Ancient Tomb (Life to 18) and Gemstone Caverns for U.
Cycle Complicate. Point the trigger at Remand.

[19:29] Me: stack resolves
end with me: 22

leyline of lightning

volcanic island (tapped)

utopia (tapped)

in play
4 cards in hand

[19:31] Opponent: I have 18 life, Ancient Tomb, Gemstone Caverns, and Tropical Island in play.
4 cards in hand.

 

            This turn was a comedy of errors on my part.  Not only did I lose a land and a card, but I ended the turn with him having 2 more mana than me, poised to be 3, with both of us still having the same amount of cards.  However, since both of us were pretty new to the format, he was unable to capitalize completely on this surge in resources.  He ended up playing an explore, Crystal Vein, and a utopia.

            Realizing the extent of my mistake, I simply played snow covered island and passed.  I knew I was going to go for scrying sheets at this point, as it seemed to be the only way I could make up card advantage, but I wanted the blue source more than the colorless one.

[20:24] Opponent: Okay. Untap and draw, to 5 cards in hand.
Play Tectonic Edge.
Tap Crystal Vein and Tropical Island, play Sundial of the Infinite.

[20:26] Me: hmm
3 cards correct?

[20:26] Opponent: Yes.

[20:28] Me: it resolves

[20:28] Opponent: Pass the turn.

[20:29] Me: i will cycle esper soujourners, tapping ancient tomb

[20:29] Opponent: In response, I will end the turn, tapping Utopia.
This exiles the card draw effect and the tap effect.

[20:30] Me: yep
him 18

Sundial of the infinite (tapped)

gemstone caverns (pitched boseiju)

ancient tomb

crystal vein (tapped)

trop island (tapped)

utopia (tapped)

tectonic edge

3 cards

His next turn was no better for me.  I once again failed miserably, tapping his ancient tomb when he had the sundial out.  At this point, I knew that I could make no more mistakes at all.  Already he had buried me in every resource imaginable and was well on the way to simply winning by drawing all the free counterspells out of my hand with cheap 2 for 1s and powerful threats that would kill me if I let them resolve.  I did my turn, playing the Scrying sheets and passing with

leyline of lightning

volcanic island

utopia

snow covered island

scrying sheets

3 cards

I saw a few plays that he could try here.  Obviously he wanted to attack my mana base even further, so I figured he would be playing some sort of split second spell and prepared myself for wipe away.  However, his play was slightly different.

[20:32] Opponent: Untap and draw to 4 cards.
Play Ghost Quarter.
Tap Utopia, Gemstone Mine, Ancient Tomb (life to 16), and Tectonic Edge to play Word of Seizing on Scrying Sheets.

[20:35] Me: I wil add 1 snow to my mana pool

[20:35] Opponent: Resolve Word of Seizing?

[20:35] Me: yes

[20:37] Opponent: I have untapped Crystal Vein, Ghost Quarter, Scrying Sheets (until EOT), and Tropical Island.

[20:38] Opponent: Float a Snow mana with Scrying Sheets, then Ghost Quarter it.
2 cards in hand.

[21:12] Me: trickbind the ghost quarter
with floating
and my snow covered island

[21:13] Me: here’s my board
me: 22

leyline of lightning

volcanic island (tapped)

utopia

snow covered island

2 cards

 

This was my first break.  He was planning to annihilate me in mana advantage here, and though he still had a sizeable lead in that department, I had forced him to change his plans a little.  But his turn was still on:

21:22] Opponent: Trickbind Resolves.
Tap Tropical Island to suspend Ancestral Visions

[21:24] Me: ok
so your board is
him 16

Sundial of the infinite

gemstone caverns (pitched boseiju) (tapped)

ancient tomb (tapped)

crystal vein

trop island (tapped)

utopia (tapped)

tectonic edge (tapped)

ghost quarter (tapped, saced)

scrying sheets (tapped)

1 cards

ancestral visions suspended
correct?

[21:26] Opponent: Correct.

[21:26] Me: mine is
me: 22

leyline of lightning

volcanic island (tapped)

utopia

snow covered island (tapped)

2 cards

[21:26] Opponent: And I’ll pass the turn and return the Scrying Sheets to you.

 

Immediately, my brain began working.  Ancestral visions, if Misdirected, could provide me with the card advantage that I needed to keep myself in the game.  As long as I kept my mana up, I could also deny him access to those cards by countering the Visions with one of the 2 remaining non spell counters (ghost lit warder and decree of silence) as long as he didn’t use them earlier.

[21:27] Me: ok
i will draw to 3
i will play cryptic command

[21:29] Opponent: Choose your modes:

[21:29] Me: bouncing ancient tomb and drawing a card

[21:30] Opponent: Command resolves. I have two cards in hand, you have three.

[21:31] Me: i will play a tundra
and end
me: 22

leyline of lightning

volcanic island (tapped)

utopia (tapped)

snow covered island (tapped)

scrying sheets (tapped)

tundra

2 cards

 

Here, he was tapped out, so I decided to void a versatile answer and get rid of some of his mana as well.  I also played my third island here so I could access thwart later in the game (which would be very relevant…)

We sped through a few turns where he played an underground sea and I played a bounceland (Izzet Boilerworks).  He then proceeded to cycle Krosan tuskers (ouch) and play another utopia.  This was a play I had forgotten about, and though it was annoying there was little I could do except play on.

[17:27] Me: play dust bowl
3 cards in hand
me: 22

leyline of lightning

volcanic island

Izzet boilerworks

snow covered island

scrying sheets

tundra

dust bowl

3 cards

then tap tundra and boilerworks to cycle bant sojourners

[17:27] Opponent: Hold on.
I need to recall my board state as well.

[17:28] Me: him 16

Sundial of the infinite

gemstone caverns

crystal vein

trop island

utopia

tectonic edge

utopia

underground sea

4 cards

ancestrl visions suspended (2 ctrs)
thats what i have

[17:29] Opponent: That sounds right to me.
Alright, the cycling resolves.

 

I wanted to get a clock on him here, as his ancient tomb had taken a good chunk out of him, and as long as I didn’t forget to attack (as I had forgotten to activate Leyline a billion times) I could possibly get him within some sort of burn spell.  Feeling pretty good about my chances, this sequence occurred:

[17:30] Opponent: EoT, I’ll tap all of my lands to cast Clockspinning with Buyback, targetting Ancestral Vision

[17:30] Me: hm
channel ghost lit warder
counter that
i am tapped out

 

I didn’t want to have to deal with visions a turn early, as I was just beginning to have some say about the game, so I used one of the non-spells to stop him.  In the context of what was happening, it seemed like a good idea, but was probably yet another misplay by me.  Now, I had no protection for my misdirection play, and had to rely on him not knowing of decree’s existence.  However, the following turn made this completely irrelevant.

[17:31] Opponent: Sounds good.
Untap and draw to 4 cards in hand.
Ancestral Vision has 1 counter on it.
I think it’s time to end this. Sacrifice Crystal Vein and tap down for Obliterate.

[17:44] Me: hm
well then

[17:45] Opponent: If this resolves, there will be an empty board. I will have three cards in hand, you will have 2.

[17:46] Me: return tundra, snow covered island, and volcanic island to hand to play thwart, targeting obliterate. it does nothing.
obliterate is fine
no other responses

[17:48] Opponent: That’s fine. You’ll have 4 cards in hand.

[17:49] Me: yes

[17:50] Opponent: I will play a basic Island and pass the turn.
I will have two cards in hand.

 

I actually attempted to play gush here, before realizing it was banned in legacy (the banned list we were using), though thwart was almost as good.  With this turn, the tide of the game shifted completely.  Now I had far more resources to abuse than he did and he had nothing that could stop my Misdirection next turn.

[17:51] Me: yep
ok i will draw to 5
play utopia and pass
4 cards, 22 life

[17:53] Opponent: I will untap. On my upkeep, Ancestral Vision will resolve, then I will draw to six cards in hand.

[17:53] Me: i will respond to visions
play misdirection, exiling storm crow
target me

[18:01] Opponent: That’s fine. I’ll play an Island and pass with two cards in hand to your 5.

[18:02] Me: i’ll draw to 6

[18:02] Opponent: Scratch that – I’ll play a Utopia instead.

 

This cemented the lead I had gained with the obliterate sequence.  Having 3 more cards than him would make it very easy to win, especially if I didn’t make and substantial errors.  Though he still had the jump on me in terms of mana, I could finally compete on his level.

[18:05] Me: i will play tiaga
and pass
5 cards in hand

[18:06] Opponent: I will untap and draw to three cards in hand.
I will play a Utopia and pass the turn.

[18:08] Me: i will draw to 6
play mishra;s factory
end

 

I have literally no idea why I played taiga here instead of utopia, but mishra’s factory was simply another attempt to get a beater out that would kill him in a few turns, only this one was twice the size and a land.  Had the game gone much longer, that would probably have been what I would have done.  However, this final sequence occurred.

[18:11] Opponent: I will cast Thirst for Knowledge at EOT.

[18:11] Me: hm
i will exile simian spirit guide from hand
tap out to play plagiarize
target you

[18:13] Opponent: I will concede the game.
gg

[18:13] Me: gg

My super-secret trump card of plagiarize would have rocketed me up to 8 cards in hand and sliced him down to 1 had the game progressed, but the writing was on the wall for him here.  I could 2 for 1 myself several times and still end up on top.  Seeing defeat soon in sight, he conceded.

This has been long enough, so I’ll wrap it up fast.  I strongly encourage you to play Zero Variance, as it is one of the most fun formats I have ever played (though my brain almost exploded at a few points).  In addition, you don’t need perfect play to triumph in the end, and even when it looks the worst for you, there is always a chance for you to come out victorious. 

4 color generals in need of review

Got any thoughts on these guys?  Power level too high/low?  Abilites not on color?  Bash as you will, but have some reasons behind your hate.

Edited based on comments and thoughts.  Thanks for the reviews, and keep them coming!

Commander Strategy Part 2

So after hours of teeth gnashing, days of agony and indecision, and a few die rolls, you’ve determined what archetype you’ll be playing.  So now you need to select a general.

You might be thinking now, “Wait, I already chose my general when I chose my archetype.  Why are you saying now is the time to choose?” Well, the problem with many EDH decks is one of two things.  One, their general has nothing to do with their deck, or two, their deck revolves around their general like the moon around the earth, or the universe around *insert person with huge ego name here*.  Both of these strategies are incorrect.  Your deck should be able to use your general in a way that makes him contribute to the plan you have, and should not fall apart if someone plays Hallowed Burial. 

So that’s why I advocate that you should choose your general after your archetype.  And truth be told, this is pretty easy to do for some archetypes.  Playing Mind over Matter combo?  I hear Azami is good for that.  Rock reanimator midrange?  Teneb or Karador seem like good choices.  Choosing a general is easy to do.  Choosing the best general is difficult.

Right now, about a third of you are gasping in shock, as I just used the word best when referring to EDH.  Yes, I am aware that the whole point of EDH is to have fun and that the format allows you to play subpar cards, many of which are not “the best”.  Yet why should you apply this thinking to your general?  Worried about cost?  Many of the good generals don’t even break the $10 mark.  In fact, many cost less than a Sol Ring.  Teferi, Karn, or Omnath? $4.  Zur or Karador? $2.   Isamaru? $3.  These are generals that are regarded as the best at what they do.  And they all cost less than a Splinter Twin (remember when that was bulk?  Good times, good times).  So do yourself a favor and play the best general for your deck.  It’ll be more fun.  Trust me.

So you trust me.  And have picked a general.  For me, that’s Dakkon Backblade, but we’ll get there eventually.  Now you need the core cards of your deck.  These are the spells that your deck wants to be focused upon.  These can be bomb creatures, mass disruption spells, or combo pieces.  The point is, these cards should win you the game when you play them or otherwise use them.  An example from my own Karador deck is my Altar of Dementia and Lord of Extinction.  These two cards kill people like nuts, and when combined with such shenanigans as Karmic Guide, Marshall’s Anthem, or Karador himself, things get absurd.  These cards are what your deck should be looking to abuse horrifically. As mentioned above, don’t be afraid to get the best of these cards.  Heck, awesome draw engines like Necropotence and Arcanis are only $5 and $3 respectively.  It’s really easy to get great EDH staples.  Do so, and enjoy.

From here, your mileage will vary.  Each archetype will want different spells.  So for the next few articles, I’ll be doing archetype rundowns for each, going aggro, combo, midrange, and last but never least control.  Oh, and yeah, I’ll have decklists.

See y’all.

As Requested by MrScottyMac

Here’s my Damia deck, with its beloved “turn 8, i have 22 mana, Damia, and no one is playing red.  Concede?”

1x Acidic Slime
1x Armillary Sphere
1x Artisan of Kozilek
1x Avatar of Woe
1x Baneful Omen
1x Barren Moor
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Butcher of Malakir
1x Command Tower
1x Consuming Vapors
1x Copper Myr
1x Creakwood Liege
1x Cultivate
1x Damia, Sage of Stone
1x Dimir Aqueduct
1x Dimir Signet
1x Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
1x Eternal Witness
1x Everflowing Chalice
1x Experiment Kraj
1x Explosive Vegetation
1x Exsanguinate
1x Fertilid
7x Forest
1x Frontier Guide
1x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Gather Specimens
1x Geth, Lord of the Vault
1x Gleancrawler
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Golgari Signet
1x Greenseeker
1x Greenweaver Druid
1x Halimar Depths
1x Helix Pinnacle
1x Inkwell Leviathan
5x Island
1x Joraga Treespeaker
1x Jwar Isle Refuge
1x Knacksaw Clique
1x Krosan Tusker
1x Leaden Myr
1x Liliana Vess
1x Lonely Sandbar
1x Lorthos, the Tidemaker
1x Lurking Predators
1x Mass Polymorph
1x Nim Deathmantle
1x Oblivion Stone
1x Phyrexian Arena
1x Pili-Pala
1x Praetor’s Counsel
1x Profane Command
1x Recollect
1x Rise from the Grave
1x Rude Awakening
1x Rupture Spire
1x Sadistic Sacrament
1x Scythe Specter
1x Search for Tomorrow
1x Silver Myr
1x Simic Growth Chamber
1x Simic Signet
1x Sol Ring
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Spin into Myth
1x Suffer the Past
6x Swamp
1x Tectonic Edge
1x Temple of the False God
1x Terastodon
1x Terra Stomper
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Tomorrow, Azami’s Familiar
1x Tranquil Thicket
1x Twilight Mire
1x Vivid Creek
1x Vivid Grove
1x Vivid Marsh
1x Volition Reins
1x Vorosh, the Hunter
1x Vulturous Zombie
1x Wickerbough Elder
1x Wrexial, the Risen Deep
1x Yavimaya Elder 

here’s the sequence that got my lucksck brother to 22 mana.

2 armillary sphere

3 cultivate

4 explosive vegetation

5 recollect explosive vegetation

6 demonic tutor  eternal witness explosive vegetation

7 damia

8 sol ring everflowing chalice for everything

plus about 6 land drops.

Commander Strategy (Part 1!)

Apparently, many people like to play Commander.  Like me.  Unfortunately, many of these people have entered battle with little backing in the strategy of the format.  It’s just to have fun! the masses cry, just some pick-up games after an 0-2 drop at a PTQ.  This may be so for some people, this utter disregard for winning, but for me and the majority of people, winning, though not always the primary goal is definitely an aim when we play.  It feels good when I play Living Death, dumping a hoard of dudes along with Urabrask on the table.  It feels good to slam down a Fleshbag Marauder and smash a defenseless opponent with a 21/21 Thraximundar.  It feels good, in short, to win.

So that’s what I’m here to help you do: win.  Not just in game, though all the advice I’m giving will be dedicated to game play, but outside the game too; aka keeping your political standing in good regards.  Along the way I’ll be giving tips on deck construction, along with cards that you may not have seen before but are ridiculously good.  And sure, I’ll give you decklists.

So before I start handing out gems about the format, first we need to start with the basics.  By my reckoning, there are 4 types of decks in commander (and yes, I understand there are more than four, at least in your opinion.  To keep it simple I’m saying 4): aggro, control, combo, and midrange.  Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which I’ll go over.  But in essentials, aggro wants to kill you as fast as it can with damage (or mill.  It’s possible), control wants to keep the game stable and the bombs few while it drops good dudes, combo wants to kill everyone with cards that give it an immediate (and normally lethal) advantage, and midrange wants to do everything.  With those short briefs out of the way, here’s some heartier fare.

Aggro: Generally scoffed upon, ridiculed, or just hated, aggro consists of mainly two varieties: Voltron based and Land Destruction based.  Neither option is politically sound (though Ruhan Voltron comes close), but both can be devastating.  If your playgroup doesn’t frown on mass land destruction, aggro can be a powerful deck type.  However, I’d stay away from it if entering a new metagame, but these can really rule in well-developed circles where no one expects them.  The classic aggro color tends to be red.

Control: Counterspells and wraths ARE control.  A well-built control deck will win every game, and even a good control deck will win if no hate is thrown its way.  They wipe away the aggro decks, disrupt the combo decks, and generally beat the midrange decks at whatever they want to do.  However, these are the easiest decks to play improperly, and need much tuning and piloting to play well.  These tend to be in white, blue, and black, occasionally dipping into 5-color.

Combo: Decks that drop two or three cards and just win on the spot.  These decks use tons of tutors, lots of card draw, and several combos to just win.  These are probably the strongest decks in the format if you’re willing to play them harshly and without mercy.  However, combo decks often have to neuter themselves to keep others happy.  Online, go for it, but in real life it’s very difficult to play these without people hating you.

Midrange: These decks do everything well, but none of it the best (besides maybe ramp).  As such, they suck and cannot possibly wi- wait what’s that?  They not only can win but do on a regular basis?  Well then.  Those of you familiar with the theory of being second best know these are the decks you should play.  Me, I prefer playing the best deck and just fooling everyone into thinking I’m not the best.  Though I will admit, these are probably the most fun decks to play (good stuff decks being included in this ridiculously broad categorization).  Though they appear in all colors, normally green and/or black is involved.

So that’s it for edition one of my Commander strategy.  Next up, I’ll go into card selection, including selecting your General.

Peace out.

What up?

Hey.  I’m lordfrezon, aka Frezon, aka a lot of other things.  This is my blog about the card game Magic: the Gathering.  I’m a pretty casual player, but will be posting stuff on Standard and Legacy occasionally, so look out for that.  I’ll be posting my feelings, thoughts, ideas, and pretty much everything else that goes through my head about the game.  if you have something you want me to discuss, put it in this topic’s comments or contact me on twitter @lordfrezon.