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The effect is definitely something that is good, though I don't know how much it would do. Against grindy control decks that seems fine though tezzeret and etched champion are probably just always better in that matchup. It could be a reasonable card against something like miracles. Like t1 a couple dorks and cast that t2 against miracles could be good. Though it seems too narrow to me, though just my opinion.
I'd rather just run Thoughtcast.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cire
@Shawon: I know you were testing Inkmoth Nexus, and I wanted to ask how it's been doing for you? I think I might want to try it out, as it looks like a good (and fast) wincon. I can see it useful versus some variants of combo (Perhaps ANT/TES), where you want to kill then as fast as possible. I'll be testing it, but I'd like your opinion on how it's worked out so far.
It's really good. Elves has no answer against it. It's power in the deck increases the better you are with Ravager.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aesir
What does your meta look like? Mine is full of wastelands so I couldn't pull the trigger on playing with manlands.
People play tempo in CT, but combo is prevalent so I need to find ways to win if getting my opponent to 0 isn't likely before they go off.Quote:
Originally Posted by Souleater734
Military intelligence. LOL. Gotta love a good oxymoron.
Military Intelligence for 1U looks like a GREAT casual card.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aesir
In legacy, we will no doubt see it in action somewhere, but in affinity I think this card is an option at least worth looking at.
We can repeat it's effect turn after turn, even if all we have is a couple of Ornithopter's. The bit that grabs my attention is that it says nothing about dealing damage, so even attacking into a Glacial Chasm, Maze of Ith etc. will net us draw.
IME with Affinity;
Our topdecks are FUCKING TERRIBLE. The longer a game goes on, the more we generally stuggle to close out a game. Any card that can turn an otherwise terrible topdeck, like Ornithopter, into draw looks to be something we should consider.
Military Intelligence is nothing worth considering in this deck. It requires two attacking creatures, and you net only one card per trigger, and only one trigger. That is incredibly subpar in a deck that has access to an equivalent of Gush for :u: and a 4-mana card draw that can also win the game.
The match ups where we need the card draw tezzeret is already the best option available and it will just lead to an enchantment that is just a "win more" card in most match ups.
Hey Affinity lovers. It has been a damn long time and just want to say I miss you guys (especially Shawon.) I came back on the thread to see how Affinity has progressed and lo-and-behold it is still brimming with card choices and knowledge of experienced magic players. I wanted to show you a deck that I created which is slow to mid to late-game, but causes so much pain to the opposing player (psychologically.) My deck is somewhat similar to before when I had it but sadly, NO MEMNITES! Why Geeksire? Why you do that to infamous Affinity deck?! Let me show you my deck and explain.
Creatures [23]
4x Vault Skirge
4x Ornithopter
3x Stoneforge Mystic
3x Etched Champion
2x Arcbound Ravager
2x Master of Etherium
2x Tidehollow Sculler
2x Phyrexian Revoker
2x Frogmites
Artifact Spells??? [22]
4x Cranial Platings
4x Mox Opals
4x Chalice of the Void (I have thought about this for quite some time and am thinking of replacing CotV with Tanglewire. I have playtested it and it can prove to be a nuisance once the player cannot do anything.)
4x Thoughtcast
3x Springleaf Drums
2x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Land [15]
4x Ancient Dens
4x Seat of Synods
4x Vault of Whispers
3x Ancient Tombs
-----------------------------------
Sideboard [12] (Oblivious to what I need to put but might get "Whipflare".)
4x Spell Pierce
3x Ethersworn Canonist
2x Rest in Peace
1x Phyrexian Revoker
1x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Manriki-Gusari
Now into the explanation, this deck can wreck Storm, ANTS, and decks that use 1 mana spells (if you can mulli to the CotV.) This deck is not fast at all, if you are lucky you can do a turn 3-5 win but that is a small chance! That is what I found most annoying when using Affinity: 1.) Either we are board-wiped when we have our creatures out by turn 2-3 (no hand mind you since we emptied it) 2.) Or countered with spells especially removal cards. In retrospect, I figured why not make a deck that can at least slow a deck a teeny-bit.
The reason why I removed Memnites and Signal Pests is because they are weak mid to late game. I find them to be useless because the importance they have are from Cranial Plate or Signal Pests when they attack. So in the end, they need to cooperate with each other which makes it very difficult. I can tell you right now that I have been board-wiped SOOOOO many times that I gave up on these two creatures. It is terrible! I want to cry when the opposing player plays Terminus or Plague. If you remember the awesomness Arcbound Ravager, it can only do so much. I play only one on the field and use him for removal spells and attack (at times,) but the really annoying part is when Path of Exile is used on him specifically. I cry so much I can produce a damn flood for all I care. That is why I have been thinking of removing Arcbound since I do not have weeny-artifacts attacking with him.
If you want more explanation on this deck and scenarios, I got a lot!
It's nice to have you back, Geeksire.
I have to agree that Terminus sucks to play against. I've recently been running Envelop as answer to it, I love it because it also answers Entreat the Angels. Envelop also counters Show & Tell, as well as Glimpse of Nature and Natural Order.
Anyone playing Affinity in the SCG Legacy Open tomorrow?
I'm close to settling on a Grixis build for tomorrow. Basically, I shaved 1 Memnite, and swapped the MD Tezzs for 4 MD Revoker. I've seen a number of people MD Revokers before, and I'm finally coming around it.
Actually, my main reason for doing this is because I feel I need more practice naming cards with Revoker after punting games with the card as of late. I also feel having it Game 1 forces me to be better at naming cards in order to successfully disrupt my opponent.
With that in mind, I'm also thinking of swapping the 4 MD spot removal (Galvanic Blast, Dispatch, depending on what splash is run) for 4 Thoughtseize. Having discard better informs my naming with Revoker, I feel. Furthermore, having both cards now Game 1 makes my combo matchups a little bit better and I gain more information to prepare my boarding games 2 and 3. I think this strategy is going to be very beneficial for me.
Good to be back Shawon. I have experimented and tried to find the right cards for Affinity when I am at my house reading. I found two decks which I believe are pretty interesting to use: the one I posted previously and the current one that I will post!
Creatures [22]
4x Vault Skirge
4x Ornithopter
4x Signal Pests
3x Stoneforge Mystic
3x Etched Champion
2x Arcbound Ravager
2x Phyrexian Revoker
Artifact Spells??? [21]
4x Cranial Plating
4x Mox Opal
4x Tangle Wire
4x Thoughtcast
3x Springleaf Drums
2x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Land [17]
4x Ancient Dens
4x Seat of Synods
4x Vault of Whispers
3x Ancient Tombs
2x Inkmoth Nexus
I might spruce it up a bit and include two more Inkmoth Nexus's and Arcbound Ravager's, but what really bothers me is how Cranial and Arcbound do not synergize. (I usually have Cranial and Arcbound when attacking so if I was to sac artifacts as I attack, nothing would change.) I am pretty sure I am being a complete noob and not realizing the magnanimous potential this card can bring to this board but if anybody can explain this please feel free. (I know for a fact Shawon will tell me to what is needed because I have asked this same-exact question before. : D
By the way, I cannot visit the SCG legacy tournament this Summer. Doing my Master's degree as we speak. Otherwise, it would be great if somebody can give their full details on what they were up against!
A friend of mine is building Affinity slowly on MTGO, I was hoping maybe you guys can help with the current decklist.
4 Ancient Den
4 Cranial Plating
4 Ornithopter
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Vault of Whispers
4 Memnite
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Seat of the Synod
3 Etched Champion
3 Master of Etherium
4 Vault Skirge
3 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
3 Glimmervoid
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Academy Ruins
1 Mox Opal
4 Thoughtcast
4 Signal Pest
1 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Elixir of Immortality
3 Ethersworn Canonist
4 Dispatch
2 Rest in Peace
Budget is a concern, is going 4x Mox Opals really necessary or is a 3x still good enough for the legacy daily? My buddy's sideboard is still being retooled, he really wants to have counterspells in his deck. Is getting Inkmouth Nexus and Arcbound Ravager worth it?
3 is ok, but you really want 4 especially with the "new" legend rule.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuke is Good
Went 6-3 yesterday at SCG Providence. After my second loss, I started gaining my confidence back and I ended up feeling more composed each round than I did my first two rounds.
List:
Mana
12 Artifact Lands (:u::b::r:)
4 Inkmoth
4 Opal
4 Drum
Guys
4 thopter
3 Memnite
4 Ravager
4 Pest
4 Skirge
4 Revoker
2 Master
2 Champ
Business
4 Plating
4 Thoughtseize
SB
4 Tezz
3 Blood Moon
3 Envelop
2 Cage
2 Whipflare
1 Karakas
Results:
R1: Bug Delver 2-0 (Owned with Ravager game 1, and game 2 he confidently smacks down double Goyf and double DRS. Luckily, going for an Plating + Infect kill makes me not care about life totals. I don't think he expected me to win like that.)
R2: Bug Delver 1-2 (punted game 3 because I was too chicken to go for a two-turn Infect kill. Tilted after that, not at my opponent who was real cool, but at myself because I hate punting.)
R3: Sneak-Show 0-2 (I will say that I only get mad in Magic when I lose games to myself, not when I lose to opponent's nut draws or bad matchups. However, facing this matchup which has always been one of my difficult matchups right after I punted a game was not the best transition for me, so I was a little annoyed after the match, but I acted professional nonetheless. I had Revoker for game 2, but he had Pyroclasm obviously.)
R4: Sneak-Show 2-0 (Everyone at this table was a little down, because we were all 1-2. My opponent mulligans game 1 to 3 cards, and scoops when I show him an aggro start. I found he was on Sneak-Show game 2, but I ended up taking it by forcing him to chump block with Emrakul. Double Plating can cause them to do that, I hear.
R5: Affinity 2-0 (Affinity mirror! Never expected this pairing lol. I took Game 1 by naming Cranial Plating with my Revoker. I can't remember how I won that game but I ended up chump blocking with my Revoker to enable my Cranial Plating at some point. Game 2 was even more hilarious with Revoker because I had both Ravager and 2x Platings in my hand. And I ended up naming Ravager, which at the time felt like a mistake because he dropped a Plating, and if I had named Plating despite holding 2 in my hand, I could've handled with Ravager with my own. Fortunately, I played my creatures and ended up dropping Tezz. I used the Tezz to animate my opponent's Plating so he couldn't equip his fliers, the only real threats that game. This allowed me to set up defense with Ravagers and allowed me to drop my Platings and swing every turn into his 0/2 Thopters, all the while using Tezz to my advantage. I believe my opponent had one window to go for a strike to force me to chump block after I animated his Plating, but he passed back every turn, and so it was inevitable that I won the game with Tezz ultimate.)
R6: Shardless BUG or BUG Control 2-0 (I win game 1 off of Ravager beats. Game 2, he made a desperate play with Toxic Deluge for 8 while I have Ravager and 7 other artifacts, 2 of them creatures, while he lost a True-Name and Deathrite. I can understand why he made that play, but it brought his life total down so much that I was just able to take the game and match through simple aggro. Barring my misplay against game 3 against BUG Delver, I'm pretty sure confident that my matchup against most BUG decks not running Pernicious Deed is incredibly positive.)
R7: Food Chain 2-0 (This was against Eric English and Sourcer "ChineseGirl", the man who won the KDM tournament for Duals in NY a month back. I actually didn't know this was the same person until I mentioned the KDM tournament to him after I saw he was on Food Chain. I won game 1 off of Etched Champion + Plating, and in the final game, I beat him because he had a slow hand.
R8: Elves 0-2 (Sigh, I tried so hard earlier in the week to prepare for this match and still lost horribly. I mulled to five one of those games, and in game 2, I dropped a Revoker naming Heritage Druid, and he still had Birchlore Ranger to go off. After losing this match, I started thinking that I might need to run 3 Whipflares instead of 2 from now on.)
R9: UR delver 2-1 (For the money, as we both were fighting for top 64. Game 1 I mulligan to five and one of those cards is Thoughtseize... against a burn deck basically. Not great. I lost that game handily. Game 2 I somehow win through despite another aggressive start from him. This match in general was intense for both of us. Game 3, we were literally both shaking, and I'll tell you why. The gist of our game 3 is him attacking me with Guide and Delver for several turns and me taking it. I kept revealing no lands off the Guide, and I'm holding Etched Champion in hand unable to cast it. I tried my best not to be tempted to chump block his Delver with Vault skirge because I had to play to win, not play to not lose. Eventually he got me down to 4 life, or 1 life, and I had to chump block his Delver with my Skirge and his Guide with my Pest. But what did I reveal off the Guide? FUCKING WHIPFLARE. I casted it next turn, and was down to 1-2 life. At that time, I felt like I was still going to lose, and I had no idea that I was going to end up winning that match. I mean, he just needs to draw ANY burn spell and he wins, right? But, I still played like I needed to win, and kept attacking with Champion to reduce his life total. After bricking, he finally drops a Delver, and he's at 7 life. It's the moment of truth. What did I draw? Ravager, and I went for the kill. I immediately shook my opponent's hand, as that was by far the most intense match I had in that tournament.)
Props:
- Getting to talk with my friends and see how they were doing at the tournament
- Meeting new friends and fellow Sourcers, especially Rood (formerly Roodmistah, HammafistRoob, and ChineseGirl)!
- Gaining my confidence back after my second loss. I need to stop second guessing myself and go for the win if I see it as a line of play, such as the Infect kill against BUG Delver in round 2.
- SCG for hosting a fun tournament and supporting Legacy!
Slops:
- Need to stop second-guessing my plays
- Need to play less slowly in general. I got judge-called twice for that. Obviously, I wasn't intentionally slow-playing, but I sometimes have a bad habit of playing to a leisurely pace, or playing too slowly because I'm nervous. Either I just need to practice playing at a more optimal speed, or play in more REL Competitive events. Not a bad thing.
- Still need to work on my Elves & Sneak-Show matchups
Overall, I loved the list I played. I definitely got a bit better playing with Revoker, which was the point of MD Revoker as a self-training exercise, and I'm still going with this approach, especially with Thoughtseize in the main. I can't wait for the Die Hard Games Legacy tournament two weeks now. I left SCG Providence with more hunger for glory and my fire is still hot. But damn those Modern PTQs I need to prepare for also...
The affinity crush. LOL, nice work man. Is Tezz unplayable here? I always liked him with affinity.
Thanks. I have Tezz in the SB instead of the main because I want to use Revoker main. Tezz is always a necessity somewhere in the 75 because of grindy or slow matches like Miracles or Shardless. It's also my way to win against Glacial Clasm since Tezz's ultimate gets around damage-prevention clauses.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rood
Congratz on playing your game Shawon. I have been looking in to your Infect way of winning and I see the potential it can make on the opposing player: slowly dwindle their regular life then unbeknownst to them, attack with an Inkmoth to deal the winning blow. It is a spectacle to see. Now to show what I mean by "looking in to Infect" I made a deck similar to your own deck a while back Shawon. Let me show you:
Creatures [25]
4x Ornithopter
4x Memnites
4x Signal Pests
3x Vault Skirge
3x Etched Champion
3x Arcbound Ravager
2x Stoneforge Mystic
2x Phyrexian Revoker
Artifact Spells??? [19]
4x Cranial Plating
4x Mox Opal
4x Tangle Wire
4x Thoughtcast
3x Springleaf Drums
Land [16]
4x Ancient Dens
4x Seat of Synods
4x Vault of Whispers
4x Inkmoth Nexus
I found this deck to be sneaky and fun when it came to play-testing this deck many times. "Sneak and Affinity" can be a fitting name but I will let you guys decide on the name : D
Man, that Affinity player sure got trounced on camera by UWr Delver. Oh wait that was me. #scgwor
5-1. I still got the fire.
Ended up 69th yesterday at #SCGWOR. Should've ID'd the last round, but totally forgot or didn't care or whatever after losing three straight rounds after going 5-0. The losing streak was more frustrating than being featured on camera twice and having the worst of draws. Fun fact: I casted ZERO Arcbound Ravagers in 5 games of my two feature matches.
Record:
Bug Delver: 2-0
Dark Maverick: 2-1
Manaless Dredge: 2-1
Esper Deathblade: 2-1
BUG Delver: 2-0
UWR Delver: 0-2
Elves: 1-2
Elves: 1-2
Belcher: 1-2
Things I learned, pertaining to deck changes (I learned other things related to tournament etiquette):
- Deck needs 4 Whipflare. Possibly Whipflare in MD.
- Welding Jar needs to be cut. It wasn't absolutely terrible since it protected my Cage from Elves' Abrupt Decay (but not the second one :(),
- More Masters. Had I drawn a Master instead of Etched Champ against UWR Delver game 1, I would've easily gone to game 3 because I would've won.
- It's either Thoughtseize or Envelop that needs to go. I have no need for both in the SB. Not sure yet.
Actual positive stuff from the deck:
- I still like running 17 lands.
- Grafdigger's Cage was excellent against Dredge and Elves. 3 in the SB is perfect.
- I didn't face Sneak-Show, but I brought in 2 Karakas against Dark Maverick running Marit Lage, and my opponent walked right into my Karakas despite me clearly playing the card as my land for turn. In game 3 of turns, I killed him with Tezz the turn before he would've gone for Stage Depths, but I never showed him the Karakas I still had in my hand. I'm lucky to have borrowed the 2nd Karakas. It may be unrealistic to need 2 just for Affinity, but they will make your postboard games easier.