Critical Miss: #24

[Zannah]

Only the annoying red and black decks, those deserve it ;P

To adopt the role of an ex tournament player for a moment:

Neither of the colours in magic: the gathering is more "annoying" or overpowered than the other. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, and it all bottles down to how you choose to play with each colour, and which tournament format you play.

Still playing against your average 'discard x cards' deck is a lot less fun, then playing against my boyfriends Vampire/knight-thingy (incidentally, proof that themed - decks work, what with myself playing a multicolored dragon deck)

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Still playing against your average 'discard x cards' deck is a lot less fun, then playing against my boyfriends Vampire/knight-thingy (incidentally, proof that themed - decks work, what with myself playing a multicolored dragon deck)

That's why it is useful to make sure that your deck has a proper manacurve (you know, where you make sure that you have sufficient amounts of lands in proportions to the cost of your spells).

For instance, if you have difficulties with "discard X cards"-decks, then it probably means that your deck is a little slow. Because even if your opponent can play a "discard-spell" with his or her first Swamp out, such cheap spells usually are unable to exceedingly hurt your hand since you'll usually only have to discard one card from such spells. Which means that when it is your turn, your deck should be constructed as such where you can drop a land of your own and either start playing out really cheap creatures (creatures will pose a threat to your opponent once they are out there, effectively hampering hisor her ability to play spells that force you to discard cards), or have instant spells which can counter your opponents spells.

If you play a multicoloured dragon deck, then I suspect most of your creatures (being dragons) tend to cost a lot of mana to play. That means that your deck is going to be pretty slow unless you've included cratures with lower mana costs. Thus you'll find yourself in trouble against decks that can effectively diminish your hand at very cheap costs in mana.

So either you include cheaper creatures to help you be threatening early on and forcing your opponent to have to either deal with the creatures you've played, or forcing you to discard cards OR, you make sure to include both mana-pumps and card-drawing cards (these often fall into the green or blue category of cards).

Mana-pumps are the typical land-search cards (like "search your deck for a land card and put it into play/put it into your hand") along with certain creatures which can be tapped for mana (Birds of Paradise being a rather infamous example), and decks that are multi-coloured and focus on getting expensive creatures out usually include these types of spells. Card-drawing are your typical blue cards that allow you to pay mana to draw more cards from your deck (thus negating many "discard"-decks' ability to win as fast).

So try to include spells like these in your multicoloured dragon deck. Not only will it make it stronger against monoblack decks that focus on discarding your hand, but it will probably be stronger overall.

Of course, you might have already thought of this and my advice is completely redundant, but if so then these tips might be useful to someone else anyway, so no harm done, right?

 

[Godavari]

Depending on the Goblins you use, it can help the speed problem. Turn one, Goblin Lackey, turn two, Goblin Piledriver, bring in Goblin Warchief from Lackey attack. Turn three, start raising hell. All in all, a very quick deck if you can play it right. Would absolutely demolish the Eldrazi decks. Usually, though, you don't want it to be mono-red for tournament-style play - green or white filler is the most common, if only for the Disenchant/Naturalize artifact destruction.

That can be rather useful, actually. In the deck list I have here for a R/W Goblin deck, the sideboard contains Leave No Trace [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=87954], which screws over those white enchantments you have in your post, and Shattering Spree [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=97233], which means goodbye to high-cost artifact cards. Not that anyone would get the mana to play them when you're steamrolling them with an angry Goblin Piledriver and its mates.

Well in the future I'll have to look in to those cards, but at the moment I'm making a mill deck and that's taking up all my time. Also, about Shattering Spree - The big Eldrazi creatures are colorless, but they aren't artifacts. Rize of the Eldrazi was the first set to introduce non-artifact colorless creatures, as well as colorless instants and sorceries.

 

[RootbeerJello]

I didn't get all the references in that story, so I decided to learn a little bit about M:tG so I would. Now I'm looking for a place that sells starter decks.

 

[The Wooster]

I didn't get all the references in that story, so I decided to learn a little bit about M:tG so I would. Now I'm looking for a place that sells starter decks.

Your local walmart (or Asda) should stock starters but probably only the newer sets. Your local card/nerd store should have a bigger selection. I can't speak for the new M11 starters but the majority of the starters I've bought (and I buy a lot, it's kind of a compulsive thing) were ass-on-toast. The exception to the rule being the new Duels of the planeswalkers theme decks which are only semi-ass.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Y'know, I kind of like how you're happy to make jokes and references to things people might not understand at all.

Oh come on, lots of games have stuff like that. For instance, I was playing League of Legends today, and I was a support character with 4 damage champions by my side. One of them was nearly death, so enemies jumped on him like monkeys on a circus freak looking like a banana. I activated my Ultimate Skill, rendering my ally invulnerable to all damage for 3 seconds. All 5 of us concentrated fire on the enemy team and one-by-one, we wiped them out effectively.

Oh, the incoming flamefest. WTF WTH IS THAT SHIT DUDE YOU ARE OP!!!

In my opinion, Kayle is a VERY underrated champion, I'm glad I'm not the only one who plays her!

We need an escapist League of Legends usergroup omigawd!

 

[Vortigar]

Always cool to see some love for MtG. Players of the game seem to be anywhere you care to mention.

This thread illustrates a tiny problem though, practically nobody from outside the community would be able to read the last three pages and come away with any understanding. Ah well, same goes for sports fans going on tangents and calling people stupid for not knowing which player was on what team five years ago.

You have players fielding decks of whatever they could find beneath their bed or bringing insane themed decks (Actual quote: "Fuck it, I just really like squids"), or using as many shit-stirring, chaos inducing cards as they can cary.

Ah, my kind of people.

I had that sentiment with Trolls. I love the buggers but when you look at the options available in the game only Troll Ascetic stands out and the rest is mildly decent to plain bad. Still, the deck turned out pretty good. Even getting fourth place in a local tournament. With one of the serious tournament players throwing a hissy fit after losing to my "noob tribal deck". 17 years of experience in the game helps I guess. Even if you've never really been concerned with the tournament scene.

My maddest deck was probably "people walking out of the sea" based around the art of every card depicting someone or something rising up from the waters. Once faced off against a guy who had a "pretty girls in trees" deck even.

 

[RootbeerJello]

I didn't get all the references in that story, so I decided to learn a little bit about M:tG so I would. Now I'm looking for a place that sells starter decks.

Your local walmart (or Asda) should stock starters but probably only the newer sets. Your local card/nerd store should have a bigger selection. I can't speak for the new M11 starters but the majority of the starters I've bought (and I buy a lot, it's kind of a compulsive thing) were ass-on-toast. The exception to the rule being the new Duels of the planeswalkers theme decks which are only semi-ass.

Thanks for the advice. If I can find those, I'll probably get them. My local comic store probably has them.

 

[Zannah]

Of course, you might have already thought of this and my advice is completely redundant, but if so then these tips might be useful to someone else anyway, so no harm done, right?

With that deck not containing a single standard land and stuff, I'll put your advice through to someone in need I think you got me wrong, it's not a question of winning, my chances against an average discard deck are far bigger. The difference is, playing vs such a deck is painstakingly boring. Either he drowns my hand, or I get one of the nonterrorable dragons out and pound him into the dirt. Playing against a deck like mine or my boyfriends though, with a nice coherent theme, thought through combos, and all but a few essential cards only appearing once or twice, but in return, every one of those cards in it's own way awesome - that makes playing a hell of a lot more fun than the usual elf vs goblin vs sliver vs loop

 

[RandV80]

I haven't played for over 10 years, but I always liked slipping lots of prodigal sorcere's in my deck (and I think there was a white version too) so I could pew pew pew my opponent to death, 1 life at a time.

 

[crazypsyko666]

Was that supposed to be some unexpected "wimpy" creature that can wipe the floor with everyone... or were you referring to Unglued?
You have no idea how quickly I'd buy a M:tG console game if it included unlockable Unglued-inspired gameplay.

You have activated my Trap! [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgeny]

 

[crazypsyko666]

Best deck ever, by the way, is BWM; AKA: Bird with Machetes.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

I just got into magic (Yeah, I know, I was A yugioh/Duel masters guy) but I know how this feels like just from duel masters.

Somone brings out a pitful marrow ooze, you scoff, then get burned.

I am the guy with Marrow Ooze

 

[jono793]

Completely agree. Kitchen table Magic is where the fun is at, although Sealed Deck and Draft formats are always good fun. Would never play constructed formats; too money intensive.

The abuses of cheap cards is what makes the game so much fun. My personal favourite was a card called Nightsky Mimic (http://magiccards.info/eve/en/91.html) in Eventide. Like the seagull It was a 2/1 for two, but it became a 4/4 flier when you play a black/wite spell. Combined with a nice little one-drop called Edge of the Divinity (http://magiccards.info/eve/en/87.html), You're essentially thwacking for seven flying on turn three. it also combined well with Unmake (http://magiccards.info/eve/en/96.html) as a cheap two-for-one. Good times!

 

[Oskamunda]

Seagullus makes no sense to me.

Loxodon Hammer and Whispersilk Cloak are artifacts, so can be thrown into any deck...But Welkin Tern and Firebreathing are blue and red cards, respectively. So, who plays red and blue in the same deck? I've only seen it once in 15 years of magic playing, and it was basically using blue's card-drawing ability combined with red burn, so the player would need no creatures or artifacts and always have land and fire to deal with anything.

Not to mention, in order for the Seagullus to work as described, Whispersilk Cloak would have to be attached LAST, as attaching it first would render it untargetable for Hammer and Firebreathing. Which means, unless you play Welkin for 1B, Hammer for 3, Firebreathing for R, and Cloak for 3 on the same turn, you have at least one turn to use any means of dispatch on the bird, as it will still have only 1 toughness. So, you would have to 7RB available at once to make it that powerful...if, after nine turns, you don't have something that can deal with a 2/1 flyer before it becomes lethal...well, I don't know what to tell you.

A better combo would be with Suntail Hawk [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=129753], seeing as it is only W to cast, and is white...which pairs up with red much more nicely than blue. Life gain, cheap and flying creatures, land destruction, AND burn damage?

There are numerous ways across all colors to deal with this pest.

Aether Barrier [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=22289]
Consuming Vapors [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=205936]
Gatekeeper of Malakir [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=185698]
Warren Wierding [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=152732]
Diabolic Edict [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=27251]
Twisted Justice [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=89052]
Hit//Run [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107387&part=Hit]
Odds//Ends [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107445&part=Ends]
Wing Shards [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=45835]
Rakdos Riteknife [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=97119]
Dispense Justice [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=209015]

You can even use Acidic Dagger [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=3239] if you ever do get a flyer out that, for some reason, can't kill it. My favorite solution, though, would be Chainer's Edict [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=29603], seeing as it has buyback. If your opponent has more than one perm on the battlefield, you get more than one shot at it, and it requires 6BBB to cast and buyback, meaning you should be able to pay for casting+buyback the same turn that Seagullus comes out.

Plenty of other solutions, anything that targets the player instead of the creature...such as any of the four cards you illustrated with annihilator...those would work quite well. Also, this one would really piss them off, and have the advantage of being arcane: Dwarven Catapult [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=159729]...nothin' like a little Fallen Empires to ruin your day, bitches!

Anyway, not trying to be a dick or anything, just could have gotten way more behind this episode if it were based on something truly horrible and seemingly insignificant...like Lab Rats [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5178].

 

[Kevin Freeman]

heh nice one
reminds me of something someone at my table once said; "Norin the wary is the worst legendary creature ever."
I then proceeded to make a norin deck, I have yet to lose a multiplayer game I took seriously, the best one to date was an 11 player game, 3rd turn I killed 4 people, 4th turn, 6, all in all for an 11 player game it took all of half an hour.

 

[dietpeachsnapple]

*pleasant sigh*

Magic has been a very interesting mental exercise for me. Developing decks, not on conventional combat, but strictly on the basis of, "how can I break the game today?" I, likewise, do not play tournaments. In part because I enjoy the game more than the competition. In part because I don't like being restricted to "tournament legality." That said, I also refuse to play infinite combos/loops. I find them to be disruptive to the 'spirit' of the game.