[Article] Unlocking Legacy - Built on Squares

[Citrus-God]

http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/15000.html

I really like his articles lately. But imo, here's how I interpret his articles...

1. Don't agree with him. Yes, I mean it. He probably doesn't want you to agree with his decks, but however, he wants you to agree with his philosophy on being creative and playing "not to win" while playtesting. He wants you to explore every possible thing you could do to making unknown cards/decks into viable and competitive decks.

http://www.sirlin.net/archive/playing-to-win-part-3-not-playing-to-win/


2. Be creative. There's only right and wrong while playtesting. It's okay to lose because it's part of the process of trial and error. Obviously, he wants you to make the best deck you can make with much creativity in mind. Look at how Wastedlife's doing; he wanted to build a 1.5 Grim Long, and it worked out great! He uses new cards, playtests a lot, was willing to be creative and go "out there," and was willing to accept what cards work and what cards dont. He even went on his way to admit his wrongs, and those wrongs were cutting Plunge and playing Brainstorm. I consider him a great deckbuilder just because he's willing to admit his mistakes.

[Zilla]

This article was fucking fantastic, Doug. It is exemplary in many ways: it is not only well written, but engaging, entertaining, and friendly. It presents a new decklist (which many people want) and is optimistic in its presentation while maintaining intellectual honesty and objectivity about it. You chose an archetype which has long been underrepresented (and probably underrated) in the format and provided very solid reasons why it might be worth consideration.

You explained the path you took from conception to completion, including the preconceptions you eventually did away with and why. You provided specific examples from testing, which does tons for your credibility in the skeptical reader's eye. You explained what it's good against, what it's bad against, and what it breaks even against with what appears to be real honesty. You've made some questionable card choices without apology or timidity, and have presented compelling reasons why they should be considered, while avoiding an air of condescention.

This kind of article is exactly what I'd like to see more of: engaging, appealing to both newcomers and veterans, thought-provoking, honest, and friendly. Solid work, man.

[Peter_Rotten]

Although the article was a good read, I felt uncomfortable with the racist undertones:


Flametongue Kavu also just invited his black cousin to the party. His name is Shriekmaw.

What is so wrong with FTK having a black cousin?





This post is not to be taken too seriously

[Happy Gilmore]

I liked it quite a bit actually. And I agree completely with your estimation of Furnace. There has to be a way to fit in the 4th shriekmaw in the main. The card is just too good not to be a full set. As you said the top tables are litered with green men. Having fear is just icing, sweet sweet icing.

[Bardo]

Awesome article. Great writing. Engaging. Funny. Really, really good work. :)

This made me laugh:


In spite of Garruk being The Goggles...

Regarding your list, I like it a lot. I'm not sure about the storage lands, Urza's Factory or the TFK's when you're only going to discard 4 cards (the Furnaces), but whatever, I haven't tested it so I can't say for sure.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this. Well done.

[BreathWeapon]

Glad some one else thinks Shriekmaw is the nut high, if a control deck isn't running Dark Confidant, it should be running Shriekmaw, and even then decks with Dark Confidant should at least consider running Shriekmaw. That card does everything you could ask it to do in Landstill, and you can recur him with Volrath's Stronghold, which is a complete ball breaker in the aggro-control match up.

I feel you on Furnace, MD graveyard hate is a beating against so many decks, and Furnace is the most friendly MD graveyard hate next to Trinket Mage for Crypt. Shackles is a card that I can't get to work, on paper, it's awesome, once it resolves and you untap, it's awesome, but like Deed, resolving and untapping it is often too late.

Even tho' I don't agree with the deck list, this article summed up a lot of the things I've been thinking about when it comes to playing control/aggro as opposed to aggro/control. Intuition/Loam vs Thirst is an argument in and of itself, but I think you were a little too harsh on Tog, even in a point removal meta, he's still an Abyss.

About the last odd ball card I can think of that needs investigation is Drift of Phantasms, between Pernicious Deed, Vedalken Shackles, Psychatog, 3cc draw spells and Volrath's Stronghold, that card just seems to be the best blue 3cc Demonic Tutor next to Trinket Mage and Intuition. It doesn't require a 3x commitment, and even on its own it stops a mid-range Tarmogoyf or either a Sea Drake or Serendib Efreet. It's almost like Western Tolaria, but it's a little more efficient at what it does and rounds out the blue count.

Well done.

[matelml]

It costs too much mana in your own turn. Intuition lets you keep your mana open, Trinket mage gives you defense/offense (which isn't as good in a lanstill style deck) and Western tolaria can be land in cases you don't have the mana and time to Transmute him. The Drift is almost totally dead in that case. It might have a place somewhere, maybe in a combo deck but it's not efficient enough for such a dedicated contol deck.

[BreathWeapon]

It doesn't seem that bad, altho' it doesn't seem that good either. Being able to add a singleton Pernicious Deed and then doubling up with a Drift of Phantasms is interesting, and it's also an additional Psychatog. If you don't have the time to Transmute it, then dropping it as a wall buy you time for something else, where dropping Western Tolaria always sucks.

[Lego]

I enjoyed this article a lot. The decklist seems pretty random, but I love innovation. I think we probably need a lot less formulaity (is that even a word?) and a lot more random decklists like this. Not that they need to be random, but there's so much deckbuilding space that is completely untested. There are so many variations that can go into any of hundreds of different Base-Blue or Base-Black or even Base-White Control or Aggro-Control. It's an untouched resource of creativity and deckbuilding, and I always love to see what people come up with. Kudos to you, Doug, and please keep it coming!