All B/R update speculation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fox

Really depends on your playstyle. You could Blood Sun to stop them, or you could use their strategy against them. It's not like a Golos deck can play around a 3/3 menace clock and any removal. On standard itself, it's boring...it just is. The interactions are rudimentary, the deck construction is poor. I get that the card pool is smaller, but if you're doing something like getting reps in with a deck with Wilderness Reclamation, for example, I question what is going on here. So uh, that 4-drop do nothing...gonna play 4 copies are you...gonna find card A first then cast B (Wilderness in this example) so that we can play C...that's the combo is it...seems suspect.

When it's not something like this, it's just PWs and board wipes, a "Burn" deck, and someone playing mono-Baleful Strix.

---

It's not as interesting as Legacy or EDH but having played it a lot recently thanks to Arena I feel like Standard is a lot more enjoyable than I previously though. I find it better than Modern which is just a super linear race to some game-winning state by turn 4 and probably the most boring way to play Magic I've yet experienced.

Even the Field of the dead thing I believe people are over-egging how good it is. I'm playing golgari and it has some answers like Assassin's Trophy and Casualties of War and there are others around too but as usual people are waiting for the pro scene to tell them what to play instead of actually researching answers themselves. I think WotC will ban it anyway or some piece of it (like Golos) and probably print a couple of answers in Theros and unban it again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smuggo

It's not as interesting as Legacy or EDH but having played it a lot recently thanks to Arena I feel like Standard is a lot more enjoyable than I previously though. I find it better than Modern which is just a super linear race to some game-winning state by turn 4 and probably the most boring way to play Magic I've yet experienced.

Even the Field of the dead thing I believe people are over-egging how good it is. I'm playing golgari and it has some answers like Assassin's Trophy and Casualties of War and there are others around too but as usual people are waiting for the pro scene to tell them what to play instead of actually researching answers themselves. I think WotC will ban it anyway or some piece of it (like Golos) and probably print a couple of answers in Theros and unban it again.

---

I've also been playing Arena lately and its enjoyable. Eldraine introduced some cool cards - I've been messing with a fun U/B Vantress Gargoyle list, though it makes me miss Spell Pierce...
Golos would be a hilariously incompetent ban though. The card isn't problematic, Field of the Dead can do its thing just fine without it. I'm not even sure why the deck is named after Golos instead of Field. Field is much more of its centerpiece than Golos is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smuggo

Even the Field of the dead thing I believe people are over-egging how good it is. I'm playing golgari and it has some answers like Assassin's Trophy and Casualties of War and there are others around too but as usual people are waiting for the pro scene to tell them what to play instead of actually researching answers themselves. I think WotC will ban it anyway or some piece of it (like Golos) and probably print a couple of answers in Theros and unban it again.

---

It should be noted that when the average player goes to a university/job from 9 to 5 the platinum pros are mashing games during that time and going through all the Standars piles that build themselves before the next MC/MF whatever, so the general audience is not really in a position to argue against when the pro scene says that it's a one deck format. Thinking otherwise is what gives us climate deniers and anti-vaxxers. "Researching yourself" is 99.99% of the time doing something 50 other people have already done more effectively unless you happen to be the next Jon Finkel. Things are different with Legacy since there's no career in playing the format and WOTC doesn't release matchup stats from mtgo as soon as it's clear that Brainstorm mush #26383 dominates the rest of the format, even if not obvious to the player base (my jank has a really good matchup vs Top Miracles, trust me!!)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jolssoni

It should be noted that when the average player goes to a university/job from 9 to 5 the platinum pros are mashing games during that time and going through all the Standars piles that build themselves before the next MC/MF whatever, so the general audience is not really in a position to argue against when the pro scene says that it's a one deck format. Thinking otherwise is what gives us climate deniers and anti-vaxxers. "Researching yourself" is 99.99% of the time doing something 50 other people have already done more effectively unless you happen to be the next Jon Finkel. Things are different with Legacy since there's no career in playing the format and WOTC doesn't release matchup stats from mtgo as soon as it's clear that Brainstorm mush #26383 dominates the rest of the format, even if not obvious to the player base (my jank has a really good matchup vs Top Miracles, trust me!!)

---

Are pros saying it is a one-deck format? I don't follow any pros on twitter or elsehwere so I don't know, but it feels like it's perfectly possible to deal with it, at least in Golgari colours. It's only been out a couple weeks so seems pretty early to say this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fox

Really depends on your playstyle. You could Blood Sun to stop them, or you could use their strategy against them. It's not like a Golos deck can play around a 3/3 menace clock and any removal. On standard itself, it's boring...it just is. The interactions are rudimentary, the deck construction is poor. I get that the card pool is smaller, but if you're doing something like getting reps in with a deck with Wilderness Reclamation, for example, I question what is going on here. So uh, that 4-drop do nothing...gonna play 4 copies are you...gonna find card A first then cast B (Wilderness in this example) so that we can play C...that's the combo is it...seems suspect.

When it's not something like this, it's just PWs and board wipes, a "Burn" deck, and someone playing mono-Baleful Strix.

---

I actually like that decks like that can exist somewhere. Those decks are actually interesting and produce some fun games. It's a lot more interesting than, Delver, flip attack for 3, waste you daze your next spell, ride the turn 1 delver to victory.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Megadeus

I actually like that decks like that can exist somewhere. Those decks are actually interesting and produce some fun games. It's a lot more interesting than, Delver, flip attack for 3, waste you daze your next spell, ride the turn 1 delver to victory.

---

The idea is interesting, sure; but whole standard decks are reduced to drawing one of their four copies of something that fits into a very specific sequence, and has no text outside that sequence. You can speed up that gold-fishy deck theory with better cards [modern], but a combo deck should be built to interact. Most of these types of decks have lower skill thresholds than legacy Burn, which at least gives you tools whose use and sequence will change based on the opponent. Your combo-slanted standard [and modern] decks tend to only attempt to do one thing every time regardless of what the opponent is doing.

I think you get a better magic player and better deckbuilding through limited/cube [in the sense that on the fly construction with imperfect tools will lead to more interesting decision forks while your deck pursues a concept].

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fox

I think you get a better magic player and better deckbuilding through limited/cube [in the sense that on the fly construction with imperfect tools will lead to more interesting decision forks while your deck pursues a concept].

---

This is exactly why I play Limited and Cube but not Standard.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FTW

This is exactly why I play Limited and Cube but not Standard.

---

Cube is best Magic. It is basically all I play anymore. Have debated building my own common/uncommon one but gathering enough folks to fire is a slog. I should probably just build one to have it around though. Since at this point I don't own anything else.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass House

While "Landfall - create a 2/2" on a land is clearly powerful, I disagree on it being the card's main issue. The main issue is the current lack of efficient land hate in Standard. The best card against it would have been another Ixalan card: Blood Sun.

---

I agree that lack of answers is a problem, and Blood Sun would be good, but it would be limited to only Red decks... who are already one of the better decks to go up against Field of the Dead anyway. You need something that can be played in a large variety of decks.

Indeed, there is a card from Ixalan that any deck can play, answers Field of the Dead, and also any other nonbasic lands that might be an issue, creating a useful safety valve. That card, of course, is Field of Ruin. Before Throne of Eldraine was fully spoiled, I just assumed that, with Field of Ruin rotating out, they would've either reprinted it in Throne of Eldraine or included a similar card in the set. But... they didn't include any. Given how badly they got stung a few years ago for not including answer cards, it's baffling to me that with such an obvious answer card rotating out, they didn't bring in a similar card. Tectonic Edge would have been another fine card to reprint. Even Ghost Quarter or Encroaching Wastes would have been helpful. It just seems like such a massive thing to overlook.

Oh yes, it is baffling. Initially I didn't realize that Alpine Moon was rotating so I thought that we would at least have that in case Field, or any other problem land, got out of hand. Later I realized my mistake...

I can only assume the failure to replace Field of Ruin was an oversight as it seems obvious it should have been in there. Hopefully they will add a similar card to Theros.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smuggo

I can only assume the failure to replace Field of Ruin was an oversight as it seems obvious it should have been in there. Hopefully they will add a similar card to Theros.

---

I almost wouldn't blame them, considering how confusing it is when things rotate now, considering how they switched it, switched it back, changed it again, then changed it back, or whatever the hell they did, I don't even know anymore. Maybe they don't either?

Cards that beat down Field of the Dead before Throne of Eldraine rotation happened:

Alpine Moon, Blood Sun, Field of Ruin, Rampaging Ferocidon

Commonly played cards that hurt the Golos/Field strategy before Throne of Eldraine rotation:

Narset, Parter of Veils, Absorb, Negate, Thought Erasure

Stuff Field of the Dead lost in rotation:

Scapeshift


So, yeah, Field decks were pretty much poised for a massive breakout, and once that happened, it turned out there was zero effective hate for them. Now the best Field decks also run Fires and are basically unbeatable if you're not teched against them, or if they're not heavily teched against the mirror.

Format sucks right now. I know on Arena I just built something fun and play that, and then concede whenever I face Golos/Field decks just to save time. Cannot WAIT for the banning. Honestly Oko needs to get hit too, but I don't think they're willing to nail him given he's the $$ card selling Throne packs. So I'm guessing it'll be some other nonsense like Wicked Wolf or Arboreal Grazer or some other U/G card from Ravnica.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by morgan_coke

I know on Arena I just built something fun and play that, and then concede whenever I face Golos/Field decks just to save time.

---

Well, I only mess around on Arena once every few weeks. I don't even play against other people, I just beat up the bot with the crappy free Boros deck I got off a free Twitch Prime code. I've spent zero dollars and plan to keep it that way and I just use as many free codes as I can when I find them. Originally, I had no actual plans with any of it, I was just messing with it to see what Arena was like. Now, my plan is to just use my wildcards (of which I have never used one) to maybe make a Historic deck, then play that once in a while (if it doesn't totally suck).

I think I am just categorically not interested in Standard, even if they finally did "get it right." I just don't play often enough any more to want to care about a format that "short lived." I honestly don't even know if that stupid Boros deck is Standard legal anymore, the rotation scheme is just so arcane to me. Maybe it's because I don't really care to know either.

Maybe they'll really lose it and "unban" Field of Ruin in Standard.

Like when Stoneforge Mystic was banned in Standard, with exceptions. Maybe the time is right for Ixalan to rotate out, with exceptions.
Make standard the confusing hot mess we always knew it could be :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by H

Well, I only mess around on Arena once every few weeks. I don't even play against other people, I just beat up the bot with the crappy free Boros deck I got off a free Twitch Prime code. I've spent zero dollars and plan to keep it that way and I just use as many free codes as I can when I find them. Originally, I had no actual plans with any of it, I was just messing with it to see what Arena was like. Now, my plan is to just use my wildcards (of which I have never used one) to maybe make a Historic deck, then play that once in a while (if it doesn't totally suck).

I think I am just categorically not interested in Standard, even if they finally did "get it right." I just don't play often enough any more to want to care about a format that "short lived." I honestly don't even know if that stupid Boros deck is Standard legal anymore, the rotation scheme is just so arcane to me. Maybe it's because I don't really care to know either.

---

Do you still earn Coins by beating up those poor bots??
If yes, Why not drafting?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tylert

Do you still earn Coins by beating up those poor bots??
If yes, Why not drafting?

---

You don't earn them for beating them, but you do earn a tiny amount from your "quests" (or whatever they are called).

It's actually a massive waste of time, it's super inefficient, I only do it because sometimes I might only have 10 minutes to play, sometimes more. Is Drafting free? I honestly have no idea how almost anything actually works on Arena. Maybe I should post here about how to best play free?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by H

You don't earn them for beating them, but you do earn a tiny amount from your "quests" (or whatever they are called).

It's actually a massive waste of time, it's super inefficient, I only do it because sometimes I might only have 10 minutes to play, sometimes more. Is Drafting free? I honestly have no idea how almost anything actually works on Arena. Maybe I should post here about how to best play free?

---

I play for free and have got tier decks out of it (both in the previous standard and in the current) and still have about one deck of wildcards. Each person has its method. Mine, fundamentally, you need to do all of the quests, need to play about an hour per day, need to maximize your wins, need to play a fast and efficient deck. For example, I play mono-r in best-of-1 because most people play decks that depend on sideboard to survive against mono-r and there's no sideboard. Any game that goes long and you think you may lose abort immediately and start a new one. It's a question of volume of games to obtain wins in the most time-efficient way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ThomasDowd

Cube is best Magic. It is basically all I play anymore. Have debated building my own common/uncommon one but gathering enough folks to fire is a slog. I should probably just build one to have it around though. Since at this point I don't own anything else.

---

If you have trouble gathering enough players for cube you should check the link in my signature for a different format with commons and uncommons. It is optimized for 3-4-5 players.
It isn't based on draft but there is no reason you couldn't draft your pile if you want to. You will just skip tribal stuff.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by H

You don't earn them for beating them, but you do earn a tiny amount from your "quests" (or whatever they are called).

It's actually a massive waste of time, it's super inefficient, I only do it because sometimes I might only have 10 minutes to play, sometimes more. Is Drafting free? I honestly have no idea how almost anything actually works on Arena. Maybe I should post here about how to best play free?

---

yes Drafting is free. I mean with 5000 golds, you can do one draft :)
And golds are free. With drafts you can get gems, and do ranked drafts or buy more packs...