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Nice analysis. I agree SoLaS is a mediocre card in a vacuum but after the Miracles ban, it matches against an increasing number of decks better than SoWaP or SoFaI.Quote:
Originally Posted by Medea_
On a side note, I realized Fiendslayer Paladin is quite a good card against 4c control. Their only out is a well timed Liliana and Toxic Deluge. Something to consider if the meta is 4c control heavy.
I have also been recently testing SoLaS (Not previously a huge supporter of the card) and have found the card to be pretty playable in UBXx decks be it Grixis, Esper, or 4c, but by no means have I found it to be a better equipment then SoFaI. SoFaI much more consistently provides card advantage, and also helps to deal with a lot of what those style of decks are trying to accomplish giving another way to remove DRS, Pyro, and any other random dudes. I have been keeping SoFaI in against all the decks I bring SoLaS in for, because the card is still great.Quote:
Originally Posted by grayryker
Keeping on the topic of card advantage; Commander spoilers just began. There are actually a few cards from it that seem like they could be playable. But to start out what do you all think of this?
http://www.magicspoiler.com/wp-conte...-Collector.png
**edit: the image did not work.. so here are its stats;
Alms Collector. 3W
Flash
If an opponent would draw two or more cards, instead you and that player each draw a card.
3/4
It seems like it would've been better against a miracles meta. However with sol lands it could be a viable option for card advantage, while also shutting down opponent's brainstorms and similar cards.
Alms Collector fills a similar role as Palace Jailer, and is possibly not as good in a vaccume. But having flash and a 3/4 body (it's bolt resistant) does seem like it could be useful.
I must be old and jaded, 'cause I don't see it. Let's apply my sig:Quote:
Originally Posted by zebotc
Alms Collector: I don't run Spirit, but I'd run Spirit before this guy. Collector does nothing against an opponent casting multiple Ponders and Preordains in a single turn. Also, he's simultaneously not tutorable and not something I'd want to run a ton of to actually draw it. Lastly, if I were to go with mana acceleration and more expensive cards I'd take a closer look at THC, Resto, and Palace Jailer first.
Balan: 3 toughness is the worst toughness for D&T: it's neither recruitable nor boltproof. He's got no evasion and needs two Equipment to provide more damage than Crusader. The ability is a cute way to reset/equip 2-color swords and Batterskull, but we have Flickerwisp for Batterskull already.
Stalking Leonin: See 3 toughness above. Doesn't hit TNN. Lets Emmy wipe our board. Fairly certain I'd rather run Banisher Priest or Fiend Hunter in the 3 CMC slot despite the lower power.
Mirri: Takes at least four turns to protect us. Doesn't help against single big attackers or TNN decks. I don't think this is enough to make people splash :g: over :br:.
Despite not being tutorable, Stalking Leonin seems pretty strong. It's a big dude, so it's not totally useless in creature-light matchups. It exiles the thing forever, so even if it gets bolted you're up a card. The biggest drawback mostly just seems to be 'It's not as strong as Palace Jailer'.
I don't know that the card will be amazing, but it's def in the broad category of 'playable flex creatures'.
Alms Collector is pretty clearly garbage though.
On the plus for stalking leonin he's a 3/3 for a single W and 2 colorless which is strong. Also we can reset him with flickerwisp and it's permanent exile. Also has not 4 mana which is my main objection to palace jailer. I hate ticking vial up to 4.
I have a question about Stalking Leonin. It says activate this ability only once, but it says so during the resolution part of the ability. Can I do it again in response to a Stifle, since the ability hasn't resolved yet? Or like, in response to a Mother of Runes activation?
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I'd guess no, cause then why not activate multiple additional times in response to itself?
Right, but it's ambiguous in it's wording, just looking for clarification.
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It works exactly like every other card that says "activate only once". They usually add "per turn" but that's how they all work.Quote:
Originally Posted by Secretly.A.Bee
Is the Czech Pile matchup as bad as I think it is, or have I just been having bad luck? I'm finding that they always have enough lands to ignore wasteland and are able to get 2 for 1s until I'm top decking, then they have more live cards so they win.
Yeah I think the source of contention/confusion is that, "Activate this ability only once," appears at the end of the rules text. Despite that placement, it's not part of the resolution of the activated ability.
Treat the match up like how you would play vs Shardless BUG and just try and leverage your own mana advantage. Its close and grindy, and Wastelanding them will hurt you more than it will hurt them. Just hang tough and play for two-for-ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by WashableWater1
And I'm sure that if I played other cards that had this particular clause, I'd know the rulings, but I don't, so I don't, and then I asked, and then it was now and then I don't know what happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by WashableWater1
I guess I'll just go with "doesn't work" and get my relevant information elsewhere...
Wire wood Symbiote and Quirion Ranger and Scryb Ranger are the big onesQuote:
Originally Posted by Secretly.A.Bee
I put a Czech Pile primer up today. I think it's pretty even. I'm winning it most of the time online, for what that's worth.
I've only faced it twice now with mono white DnT and I would also say it feels near 50/50.
Ironically, it's a 4 color deck that's actually decent against the Wasteland + Port strategy. This is also true for Delver because cantrips + deathrite shaman makes it difficult for the mana denial strategy to work. Don't forget you need a lot of mana in these match-up to put up pressure. Not every match will start with a turn 1 Aether Vial. Their weakness is a slow clock. Getting equipment on a creature will nullify their card advantage altogether.
Basically Kolaghan's Command is the worst card for us. The fact that they can gum up the board and have a lot of removal is rough. Luckily they don't run wasteland and for that reason I love Mangara in this match up. Once they have exhausted many of their resources that card gets pretty nutty. Gideon is insane post board against them as a way to beat dread of night and ensure we match up better against leovold without the worry of giving them even more card advantage. Because they run Deathrite, snapcaster mage and kolaghan's command Rest in Peace is pretty good here. Play at instant speed as much as you can with Vials when applicable and if you can swords an early deathrite port and wasteland are decent. Sword of Fire and Ice is greatQuote:
Originally Posted by WashableWater1
Hey Phil,Quote:
Originally Posted by Medea_
My local meta is infested with Grixis variants (Control, Delver, Czech pile) and I am sick of playing Grixis mirrors so I thought I might break the D&T loose again. Given the meta, I think Magus of the Moon should be pretty good here, you mentioned on Thraben University that you still play Magus on paper and wanted to know your current paper list. At the moment I am considering using one of your 3 color lists but wanted to know your thoughts.
EDIT:there is also a significant number of Stoneblade decks, hence why I want Black for Pontiff. There is very little combo ATM, only reanimator has a decent representation share.
Mangara seems like he gets hit by removal a lot of the time in this MU. I feel like one of the strongest cards that D&T has in this MU is palace jailer, you can usually end up drawing 3-4 extra cards off him since 4c Control is pretty light on threats to take away monarch from you.Quote:
Originally Posted by mykatdied
I'm more interested in Teferi's Protection than most of the cats, honestly. The card is so weird and flexible that it might find a home somewhere, even if that isn't D&T.
I'd try something along the lines of this if you want to pump up those numbers against Grixis and Stoneblade:Quote:
Originally Posted by IRS
Lands (24)
4 Wasteland
2 Rishadan Port
1 Scrubland
1 Arid Mesa
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
4 Plains
3 Plateau
2 Karakas
Creatures (25)
4 Mother of Runes
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Recruiter of the Guard
2 Magus of the Moon
3 Flickerwisp
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Orzhov Pontiff
2 Mirran Crusader
1 Flex creature slot based on personal preference (Palace Jailer, P&K, Resto, Aven Mindcensor, another copy of one of the creatures, etc)
Other Spells (11)
4 Aether Vial
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Batterskull
Sideboard: (15)
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Containment Priest
2 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Cunning Sparkmage
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Manic Vandal
1 Manriki-Gusari
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Council’s Judgment
2 Rest in Peace
The pingers and Pontiffs should let you push damage through pretty much anything Czech Pile puts out there. I like having Gideon in the matchup, but that's ambitious with the manabase as is.
The rest of the sideboard is there to muck with opposing equipment so you don't lose on that front, while not sacrificing too much else in other matchups.