Commander 2014 thread

[Ace/Homebrew]

Can I take ambiguously ironic?

I'll allow it.

No, it means that your huge time investment has a good chance of doing jackshit.

You still have 4 1/1's with whatever equipment you cast attached to them for free.

Indestructible limits the type of removal you can use.
Equipment limits the colors which can meaningfully interact with it.

Sure Blue can bounce it, but why wouldn't they bounce the planeswalker when it reached 9 loyalty instead?
Commander Eesha gets to be a 7/9 Flying, Doublestriker with Protection from Creatures. "Seems solid."

But it doesn't say "-10: You win the game last turn." so yeah... I guess they could have made it better.


Edit - Ahh Shit! Commander Eesha dies to removal... Forget everything I said!

[Vicar in a tutu]

Well I love coming up with decklists out of the blue. . . . how would this look like?

4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
8 Fetch Land
4 Volcanic Island
2 Mountain
2 Island

4 Mox Diamond
4 Treasure Cruise

4 Goblin Welder
4 Daretti
4 Dack fayden

2 Wurmcoil Engine
3 Liquid Metal Coating
3 Sundering Titan
4 Trinisphere
4 Chalice of the Void

Would TC even be good in this? Probably not now that I think about it. . . .

This deck folds to Rest in Peace.

[AngryTroll]

I'd love to brew a deck with Goblin Welder, Dack Fayden, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas, and Daretti. Baleful Strix and Thopter Foundry would even be on color.

[The Big Ragu]

I think Freyalise will make an excellent addition to Ezuri decks, even though she isn't nearly as good a general as he is. But I like the idea of periodically switching him out to use her once in awhile. Think I might experiment with an Ezuri/Freyalise tribal deck.

[apple713]

I'd love to brew a deck with Goblin Welder, Dack Fayden, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas, and Daretti. Baleful Strix and Thopter Foundry would even be on color.

I have started a discussion for the deck and conceptual ideas here

[TsumiBand]

So the game plan is primarily just run the +2 to find another threat, and ignore the other two abilities. Seems solid.

OBVIOUSLY.

4x Daretti, Handi-capable
4x Trinisphere
4x Tangle Wire

48x Mountain

I mean I didn't want to pollute the thread with more decklists, but this shit is fucking gyroscopic, it writes itself.

[Star|Scream]

OBVIOUSLY.

4x Daretti, Handi-capable
4x Trinisphere
4x Tangle Wire

48x Mountain

I mean I didn't want to pollute the thread with more decklists, but this shit is fucking gyroscopic, it writes itself.

Perhaps 4 brainstorm to make the deck more consistent?

[Barook]

Edit: Why Nahiri looks like SFM explained

I'll allow it.


You still have 4 1/1's with whatever equipment you cast attached to them for free.

Indestructible limits the type of removal you can use.
Equipment limits the colors which can meaningfully interact with it.

Sure Blue can bounce it, but why wouldn't they bounce the planeswalker when it reached 9 loyalty instead?
Commander Eesha gets to be a 7/9 Flying, Doublestriker with Protection from Creatures. "Seems solid."

But it doesn't say "-10: You win the game last turn." so yeah... I guess they could have made it better.


Edit - Ahh Shit! Commander Eesha dies to removal... Forget everything I said!

I speak from a Legacy perspective because I give two shits about EDH.

[Ace/Homebrew]

Why Nahiri looks like SFM explained

Thanks for sharing! Interesting how they ret-con'd SFM.

I speak from a Legacy perspective because I give two shits about EDH.

I was very clearly analyzing her based on the format she was designed for. You probably should have ignored the comments I made about the format you give shits about rather than argue with me and dismiss everything because 'whatever, I don't care'.

[TsumiBand]

I don't know if it's a retcon so much as a "look, *this* stoneforge mystic had a spark"

Like I've typically understood non-legendary permanents to be "un-unique" in that they are just sort of everywhere. It isn't like it's the same Grizzly Bear every time, right -- there's bunches of them across so many planes. So SFMs are roughly like "overworked taxi driver"; most of them don't really matter and are likely highly interchangeable, but once in a while you get a Korben Dallas.

[Ace/Homebrew]

I don't know if it's a retcon so much as a "look, *this* stoneforge mystic had a spark".

Worldwake is known for 2 cards: Stoneforge Mystic and Jace, the Mind Sculptor.
My understanding was Wizards knew they could be pushing the envelope with Jace, but SFM being a powerhouse was a surprise. I am not quoting anything because I can't. If I'm wrong, I'm happy for someone to show me the light!

Worldwake came out in February of 2010... About 4 and a half years ago. It is extremely possible that Nahiri had a name and a look at that point and they were slow rolling the whole thing. To me it makes more sense that 'the Lithomancer' was all they had truly decided on because that character hasn't been relevant until they started building the story towards a return to Zendikar.

Once they started building the story for 'the return', they took a look back at what defined Zendikar/Worldwake the first time around. SFM was something they could work with. They designed Nahiri to look like SFM and now they are saying SFM was always an homage to Nahiri. Hence retcon.

Nahiri was part of a tradition of kor stoneforgers — powerful mages who forge weapons from stone — and that tradition still exists on Zendikar today (which we know as the card Stoneforge Mystic). Nahiri’s (awesome) art by Eric Deschamps was definitely modeled on the art of Worldwake’s Stoneforge Mystic.

Now the community can go "ZOMG! They planned that all along!!1!!1"
It's the same thing they did with Ugin and Nicol Bolas. They write the future with the past in mind so it looks like they had planned the future the whole time.

There are various motivations for retconning. The changes may occur to accommodate sequels or derivative works, allowing newer authors or creators to revise the diegetic (in-story) history to include a course of events that would not have been possible in the story's original continuity. Retcons allow for authors to reintroduce popular characters and resolve errors in chronology.

That sounds like what they did here.

[joven]

Worldwake is known for 2 cards: Stoneforge Mystic and Jace, the Mind Sculptor.
My understanding was Wizards knew they could be pushing the envelope with Jace, but SFM being a powerhouse was a surprise. [...]

Well, SFM would be much less of a powerhouse without Batterskull. I still find those living weapons stupid flavorwise.

[LIKEABOSS]

This deck folds to Rest in Peace.

So does dredge and reanimator.
I feel like Nahiri could see play in soldier stompy, but that deck isn't that great anyway.

[Lord Seth]

Worldwake is known for 2 cards: Stoneforge Mystic and Jace, the Mind Sculptor.
My understanding was Wizards knew they could be pushing the envelope with Jace, but SFM being a powerhouse was a surprise. I am not quoting anything because I can't. If I'm wrong, I'm happy for someone to show me the light!

Some information about what went into their development can be found here in the article explaining the rationale for their bannings in Standard. If you want to just get to the part about their development process, skip down to the "How Did These Cards Get Through Development?" part.

[apple713]

Some information about what went into their development can be found here in the article explaining the rationale for their bannings in Standard. If you want to just get to the part about their development process, skip down to the "How Did These Cards Get Through Development?" part.

"Game play like that is a far cry from past Standard environments containing ban-worthy cards, wherein you might get decked by a Tolarian Academy–fueled Stroke of Genius on turn three, or die from 20 on turn four to a combination of Arcbound Ravager, Disciple of the Vault, and Cranial Plating, both frequently at the hands of less proficient players. Those games felt more random and less satisfying, and the outcry to do something about it was loud and clear."

so as long as bad players don't win frequently with good cards, the cards shouldn't be banned...

[(nameless one)]

Will this set be legal by GP Brainstorm?

[thecrav]

Will this set be legal by GP Brainstorm?

Yes. It's a good thing most of this stuff doesn't look too good!

[(nameless one)]

Yes. It's a good thing most of this stuff doesn't look too good!

I feel like the Red planeswalker could make a splash.

[Barook]

Hard to say which deck wants to run multiplie copies of the same equip, Batterskull notwithstanding.

[bruizar]

Hard to say which deck wants to run multiplie copies of the same equip, Batterskull notwithstanding.

That one will probably end up in the white commander deck. Too bad it's not legal in the format where equipment storm is played. Also, pretty much a flavor fail imo. Since when is copying regarded as ingenuity? Tim Cook & Jony Ive would be displeased.