So basically we're playing an inferior card (Portent) to support an average card (Predict)?!?! I was a big fan of Mental Note, but I understand more card draw is needed.
How bout Careful Study? Still puts 3 cards into the yard, but you draw 2. For 1 Blue. And all in one card. So you get the yard refilling of Mental Note, the card draw of Predict, and the casting cost and card selection (well nearly) of Portent, without having to waste any slots on support cards.
When I've been balancing Careful Study vs Mental Note (as I play Bardo's older list), the only disadvantage I see to Careful Study is that it's sorcery speed. But that doesnt seem to be an issue in this flood of Portent we've been seeing. So, anyone else for Careful Study?
Originally Posted by Tacosnape
Referring to the art on Stasis:
Careful Study brings cardDISadvantage. You loose 3 cards and get 2. When you're in topdeckmode you can't play it. And on top of that it's a sorcery.
I like the Predict, it brings you closer to ********, it can give cardadvantage, and do silly things when your opponent cast a Mystical/Enlightened Tutor, or is using top.
I don't play this deck really, but can't you just play Mental Note AND Predict. Isn't 8 library manipulationcards enough? So that you play 4 Brainstorm, 4 Serum Visions, 3 Predict and 3 Mental Note?
Now that you've gotten all that punctuation out of your system, no. Portent is not an inferior card. It serves a very similar puropse to Serum Visions, which is smoothing out your draws. You seem to be making a common mistake in thinking that your cantrips are there to build threshold first, and provide card selection second. This couldn't be further from the truth. Gaining turn 3 Threshold isn't really as important as ensuring you hit your first few land drops. This is why Portent is good. It checks out the top 3, and if what you want isn't there, you get a fresh look. This is also why Mental Note forces you into a more aggressive role, and limits your ability to succesfully scrye/Bstorm into the right cards at the right time. If getting Threshold fast were the primary goal, we'd be running Golgari Grave-Troll and Wild Mongrel.
I basically have to agree with him. Building Threshold isnt 1st priority, it's 2nd. 1st Priority happens to be your card quality.
At the same time, I think Mental Note is good, but forces you to make too many aggressive mulligans. I mean, you need at least 2 guys in your opening hand to make Mental Note a cantrip worth using, and since you run 8 Library Manipulation Cantrips, you have the 18th land to help adjust your opening hand.
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Are we really going to go back through the mental note and predict discussion again. Let's not. There are pages and pages written about it.
Can't we just say that Predict is good but should have another card like portant to make it better. You get cards advantage and better choices of cards. (Seems like CA is better in the red splash(but that's a different thread))
Mental note is good too, but seems to work better in creature heavy builds. Less card quality but faster thresh in a cantrip.
With that being said, can we talk about what thresh will do against B/W if they start to run Jotun Grunt. (Please play some games first if you comment on this) Or talk about the other matchups that Thresh has problems with? More pages of mental note vs. predict isn't helping the deck evolve.
I agree with this. What DO we do about that pesky grunt? I have been playing him in my sideboard for the mirror match, but it still hasn't happened. I am scared of that card though. The only thing I can think of is side in Crypts so he can't pay the upkeep and has to sac him. It still sucks though. Anyone else have ideas?
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Removing your own graveyard to prevent him from removing your graveyard?!
How about you just side in more creature removal if you are that scared of him. Or maybe ground seal.
I actually meant remove his graveyard, if I don't have removal in my hand, or cards in graveyard, I can make him sac him before I get more cards in. It was just a worst case scenario type thing..
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I've been playing without predict lately and I haven't missed it at all. It requires a lot of setup, to simply gain +1 CA. The only matchup where I miss it is the GRO mirror, but even then I don't miss it that much.
I think I'll test this deck with 2-3 sylvan libraries, what do you guys think?
I think that you would be paying 2 mana for an enchantment you don't need. What are you thinking about cutting? Cantrips? Predict? The problem with Sylvan is that it doesn't do anything NOW and it doesn't help to find land by the second turn, it only helps on the third turn and by then you've already lost a turn to cast a brainstorm.
Against some decks like Solidarity it says, draw two extra cards a turn. However it is rather slow and I doubt it belongs in here.
I'm inclined to agree with this, except Bob is essentially the same thing, but one fewer card (but maybe for more turns), and some people are splashing for him. I, for one, am currently trying out Bob. Perhaps Sylvans would merit trying.
Confidant at least swings for 2 and can chump if need be. Sylvan just gives you a meager improvement in the matchups where you're already favored, but is generally a bad card in Legacy's creature/aggro-heavy format. At best, there are just better options.
Last edited by Bardo; 08-25-2006 at 03:28 PM.
Yeah seriously. If I was going to pay 2 mana for an enchantment I don't need, I would be running Counterbalance. Do you guys have any opinions on Counterbalance by the way. It's been great against some matchups for me, bad against others. But there's a lot of matchups I rarely face.
Last edited by SuckerPunch; 08-25-2006 at 05:03 PM.
I have been pondering about the addition of Counterbalance to this deck. I don't play Thresh, but the idea always seemed interesting to me once some people began to suggest it. However, I'm not sure how usueful the card is and what exactly would be cut for the card?
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I dont think Counterbalance is all that in a deck like this. It should be a fine SB card if you run 4 BS, 4 SV, and 4 Portents. I this that's when you should be running Counterbalance.
I see Counterbalance good versus Combo, and some Control... And that's about it..
ICBE - We're totally the coolest Anti-Thesis ever.
"The Citrus-God just had a Citrus-Supernova... in your mouth."
It seems pretty hot in the mirror match too.
Oh, silly me. I forgot about Thresh's mana curve. Yeah, I guess that too.
ICBE - We're totally the coolest Anti-Thesis ever.
"The Citrus-God just had a Citrus-Supernova... in your mouth."
I've never been a huge fan of Predict. Especially since it doens't let you run Mental Note, which really speeds up your clock a good bit. Thus this is the cantrip base that I'm using now.
4 Brainstorm
4 Serum Visions (I so wish this was an instant)
4 Mental Note
4 Remand
Remand is basically a timewalk. It provides a huge tempo boost esp when it eats up all of your opponents mana for a turn.
There's plenty of times when I leave two mana open for counterspell eventhough the only other cantrips in my hand are sorceries, and I'm disappointed because the spell they cast isn't something worth using my countermagic on. Remand gets around that.
And those rare few situations where it's not a time walk, it often has great synergy with Daze. For example, say they play Withered Wretch with 2 lands untapped. You Remand it and if they recast it, you can Daze it.
It also has great synergy with your other countermagic because it buys you a turn against a bomb to let you know to search like crazy for a hardcounter next turn rather than playing a Mystic Enforcer or something.
I recommend that more people give that card a try.
Atleast post what you think about it.
Last edited by SuckerPunch; 08-29-2006 at 10:34 AM.
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