Yeah I think this finally going to push Stax over the edge. Get your Voltaic Keys, Metalworkers and, of course, Grim Monoliths now. You can even run Illusionary Mask/Nought as a sweet win con!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozymandias
Edit- And by sweet, I mean, of course, ridiculous. Cool nonetheless though.
On the other hand, they give no rationale for their decisions, so that information vacuum allows us to fill it with speculation as to their motives.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bardo
I really can't believe they banned Mystical. =(
To play devil's advocate here, I aaactually think this is an incredibly good thing for the format. Combo is in a lot of trouble, yes, but its underperformance is (from what I gather) is usually blamed on pilots and not the deck. Popular wisdom, right or wrong, says ANT is the most degenerate deck in the format but is also so difficult to play that only a handful of people win with it (like Ichorid). Why do I think this is good for the format? Because...
Now that ANT and Reanimator are considerably slower I think we will see a new dawn for the entire control archetype. As of tonight, control decks are pitifully, woefully underpowered. They can't compete with the blinding speed of both aggro and combo decks because the control cards required are functionally opposite. If you run all creature control, you bite it hard to combo (ex: Lands, Enchantress, Quinn, etc.). If you run combo hate, you lose to aggro (MUC). You can't simultaneously play a control deck that can handle Zoo and ANT at their current speeds. With combo slowed down, control can use fewer anti-combo cards and more anti-creature cards. If Tutor slows combo down enough, control will flourish. If control flourishes, aggro will slow down to deal with it. If aggro slows down, Tutor-less combo becomes viable. Thus, we have a truly healthy environment. For me, the format is polarizing itself too much right now between fast aggro and fast combo. Maybe this is the adjustment we need to repair the triangular aggro-control-combo power structure?
Pfft. About as ill-informed as the B&R list? fukin ghay!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bardo
Edit: Mask is still unplayable, allows nought to get countered.
I just bought 2 NM Monolith's at $8. Should I keep them, expecting them to become a format staple, or sell them, expecting them to drop?
I'm just stunned Wizards flat out admitted they wanted to limit the growth of Legacy and were upset that players were going straight from std to leg. I understand the issues with this in paper, where they can't reprint stuff because of horrible decision making, but online is a whole different animal, not sure why they included hatred for mtgo legacy. Its more popular than ext because ext has been a crap format since the last rotation.
A bunch of combo stuff still works.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aggro_zombies
I think they really didn't like people busing LEDs to cast topdeck tutored cards.
That's pretty retarded that they banned a card for no reason. I like the fact that they took 2 cards off of the banned list, but the fact that they added one that was entirely unecessary pisses me off. I like having more cards to play with, and there was nothing degenerate about Mystical Tutor.
ANT was not demolishing the format, and that is apparent by Zoo consistently making Top 8's. So now, we're going to see Zoo just completely dominate the format until an entirely anti-Zoo deck emerges?
Maybe the sky isn't falling. ANT is significantly weakened, as is Reanimator, but this doesn't touch Belcher. This could cause Belcher to make a comeback, keeping decks like Zoo in check. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Not to honk my own horn or anything but... I top 8'd the large event over this past weekend in Syracuse. If you read my report, I sided out Mystical almost every match-up. This banning is not going to stop combo.
Also, remember that Tendrils decks worked in extended with Shocklands and no tutor power.
Also also, I'm looking at short-term price spikes of Stompybase cards, almost all of MUD will go up in price. I'd suggest buying the fringe cards while they're $.50 apiece to make a profit. Things like Razormane Masticore, Staff of Domination, and Powder Keg should probably not be overlooked.
Also also also, thoughts on the price of Power Artifact? Seems like it'll have Eureka syndrome where nobody plays it but it still goes up in price.
Thats it. Fuck it. Im selling everything AND switching to vintage. I just spent the last 3 months putting ANT and reanimator together. I havent played either, because Im exactly ONE underground sea short. Several hundred dollars spent on decks that I'll never even get to play. I dont care if everyone says vintage is dead and it only has like five valid archetypes. I wont have to deal with some asshole showing up with an eventide block quillspike combo deck, a standard vampires + dark ritual deck, or some shitty EDH deck at the tournaments. Every deck, proxy or not, will be for the most part legitimate.
Also, thats what got me into legacy, you were supposed to be able to play the same deck for years, with minimal changes. But over the last year or two, the current DTBs seem to cycle with each new block. I stopped playing standard cause it was too expensive, and now legacy is getting too expensive to even keep up with. So not only do I expect the overall value of all the cards I just bought for those decks to drop somewhat, but never getting to even play them is just the cherry on top.
It prob will go up because its so old. Its still a 2 card combo like grindstone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pastorofmuppets
The anti-Zoo deck already exists. It's called Lands, and one of its worst matchups just got seriously nerfed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanni
Combo isn't dead because they banned Mystical Tutor. However, the speed and consistency that it enabled for ANT decks to be able to beat both aggro decks (like Zoo) and control decks (like CounterTop) was what made it the powerhouse that it was.
I see decks like TES and Belcher coming back to life.
If ANT is to survive, it's going to need to find an effective replacement. As it stands, dropping the maindeck Ad Nauseam(s) for Cunning Wish is all that's coming to mind.
I hope this is a joke.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanni
3-card combo, you need something to do with the mana.Quote:
Originally Posted by bondfan
Although it's hard to compare the two, at least this one doesn't lose a critical turn to stifle or lose outright to bolt. They both cost 6 mana, however.
Also, Artifact Lands+that card from Mirrodin that lets you tap 2 artifacts to untap an artifact+Metalworker+Monolith FTW
Belcher loses to itself way too often, so I doubt that's coming back. Just ask Cedric Philips.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanni
Cunning Wish is awful. Really? That's too slow. Even if ANT only gets one turn slower, that is basically all Zoo needs to race and have you in burn range. Do you really want to play a combo deck that loses to an aggro deck?
I just had hot flashes of Mike Long running around throwing LED's and Burning Wishes in the air.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryant Cook
Sadly, he was not. M. Tutor getting banned effectively bones ANT and Animator, really hard w/o lube.
I might have to sig that if it becomes true.Quote:
Originally Posted by menace13