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[noquarter]

Anyone going to GP Richmond Friday? Will probably only be down there Friday, unless I get 4-0 in any events. With 2 byes will probably sign up for the sealed ($85 is too much).

That reminds me on my prerelease I went 2-2 with a UB Drake Haven deck that splashed red for the BR Minotaur that discards cards for -1/-1 counters and splashed white for approach the sun, deck was actually quite good when it got going and I won at least 3 games with approach. One of those games was even against a gideon emblem.
Unless you have an insane control deck that never forces you to tap out on your turn I'd say so.

that's true. I run tangolands in replacement of ABUR duals in 3 colour decks as I repeatedly run out of fetchable lands otherwise.

Playing sealed the other day I last a match to Approach. She had Gideon and Nissan, was able to get them both out games 2 and 3 and nulled my biggest creature while sorting for Approach. Then scryed to it again.

Doesn't help i was forcing RG for Hazoret, Sweltering Suns x2 and Vizier of Menagerie having only two creatures that cost less than 4CMC.

 

[The Technomancer]

If it wasn't for this card you wood have been right.

There are circumstances in which this card does not put you behind in the game

There is never a time where playing Wood Elemental is a good idea ever

 

[Tunoku]

This is very similar to what I was playing on the beta, except I played Nissa instead of Bounty and didn't go quite so big (green Gearhulks instead of Eldrazi). This does look pretty cool.

The benefit of Bounty over let's say Aetherworks Marvel is that it actually lets you cast Ulamog from your hand and doesn't require as many copies of it and no bad cards like Woodweaver's Puzzleknot. Obviously the card is extremely slow and durdely, but quite powerful. This list is kinda tempting me to go to FNM this Friday and try it out.

 

[Imperfected]

There are circumstances in which this card does not put you behind in the game

There is never a time where playing Wood Elemental is a good idea ever

I don't think he's trying to say Splendid Reclamation is worse than Wood Elemental. He's trying to say Splendid Reclamation "combos" with Wood Elemental.

Which is true in the same way that a band-aid "combos" with an amputated arm.

 

[The Technomancer]

I don't think he's trying to say Splendid Reclamation is worse than Wood Elemental. He's trying to say Splendid Reclamation "combos" with Wood Elemental.

Which is true in the same way that a band-aid "combos" with an amputated arm.

oh

lol

 

[red13th]

I think Wood Elemental could cost 0 and still suck. It's such a weird card.

 

[Yeef]

I could see Wood Elemental for 0 being a wonky combo piece. You could use it with Balance or something (in all those formats that Balance is legal).

If it wasn't for this card you wood have been right.

Second Sunrise and Faith's Reward both already existed, but I suppose there's an argument about not being forced into a second color.

Anyway, I feel like if I Emrakul'd/Mindslavered someone and they had a Wood Elemental in hand when I was controlling them, I wouldn't even play it.

 

[Imperfected]

I mean, I guess it's nice that Wood Elemental exists just as like the ultimate Johnny build-around card. Making a card like that "work" has to be pretty much the holy grail for special snowflake combo players.

Not really my jam, though, so the best I could offer would be running it with Gitrog Monster and a bunch of Landfall shenanigans. Even then, there must be a more profitable way to throw away a bunch of lands.

 

[red13th]

Speaking of Wood Elemental, 5/3 Elemental tokens from Titania are SO hard to find. Sold out in the three stores I normally buy from (coolstuffinc, SCG and ABU).

 

[Imperfected]

Speaking of Wood Elemental, 5/3 Elemental tokens from Titania are SO hard to find. Sold out in the three stores I normally buy from (coolstuffinc, SCG and ABU).

Honestly tokens/emblems in general are obnoxious to find. I collect planeswalkers and have had more trouble finding emblems for a lot of them than I had finding the walkers themselves.

Thankfully there's just one Emblem for Amonkhet, because god knows it's going to be hard to find it with all the Embalm tokens they have to print.

 

[Wulfric]

Just a heads up, the Amonkhet HD card images from the survey are now available on imgur.

I actually hadn't seen this card until now: an amazing 16x20 inch oil piece by Ryan Pancoast.

 

[y2dvd]

You're just going to piss yourself and everyone else off when you run that at a draft with no chance of doing better than drawing out every game.

Also, I'mma go ahead and say that weaksauce mill in a Graveyard Matters format probably means that predicting you draw games is being pretty generous. No one at an Amonkhet draft is likely to be too broken up that you've put 20 off their top into the yard.

Better off making a self-mill deck to try and do some Dusk // Dawn shenanigans or something.

Let a man dream. =(

I opened some great blue in my office's sealed pool, including 4 Cancel. I feel like I should play all four. Is that greedy?

I drafted a strictly UB control deck this weekend and drafted 2 Cancels. I usually ended up only leaving one in the deck. I think it's fine bringing in more when they got a lot of heavy drops, but start with 1 in game one. Remove vs aggro, bring more in vs slower decks.

 

[Imperfected]

Let a man dream. =(

I mean, I'm all for mill decks, I killed a couple of people with Party Jace a few nights back of all things, but there's a time and a place. Amonkhet Drafts already tend to run like molasses, you're just begging to not even finish a second game with that combo.

 

[y2dvd]

Ok this Approach Fog deck looks really sweet.

https://youtu.be/MK5k59a9hYk?list=PLtLlcD-b2JRGx7sQ1VAMojhiCmZ83SaZn

Millions of fogs and cycles. Fevered Visions and small Gideon. Dude actually went negative to Plague Belcher, but that Gideon emblem lol.

 

[Takuhi]

Just a heads up, the Amonkhet HD card images from the survey are now available on imgur.

I actually hadn't seen this card until now: an amazing 16x20 inch oil piece by Ryan Pancoast.

Thanks for that link.
Wow, Protection of the Hekma tells like, a whole story I was never able to see before.

 

[Remembrance]

I mean, I guess it's nice that Wood Elemental exists just as like the ultimate Johnny build-around card. Making a card like that "work" has to be pretty much the holy grail for special snowflake combo players.

Not really my jam, though, so the best I could offer would be running it with Gitrog Monster and a bunch of Landfall shenanigans. Even then, there must be a more profitable way to throw away a bunch of lands.

Well, throwing away a bunch of lands has been profitable since ProsBloom back in Mirage.

But they printed a set with a whole subtheme that is basically "combos with Wood Elemental" (Prophecy). And there are still no good Wood Elemental combos.

 

[Violet_0]

yeah, that city is going to get overrun in the second act. Must be hard to design a set that doesn't feature a big cataclysmic event or war

 

[DrArchon]

yeah, that city is going to get overrun in the second act. Must be hard to design a set that doesn't feature a big cataclysmic event or war

I mean, the prophecy goes that the God-Pharaoh is supposed to return and blow up the barrier because they don't need it anymore. Even if the Jacetice League didn't show up, Bolas nuking the city was always in the cards.

Not sure why he'd do that though. You'd think he'd want his super soldier zombie factory running for as long as possible.

But yes, it'd be nice to have an ending set that wasn't "Oh fuck, everything's gone to shit!" Seems like all of them end up like that. That's why we need to return to Shadowmoor so the ending set is it turning back into Lorwyn and getting better.

 

[OnPoint]

I mean, the prophecy goes that the God-Pharaoh is supposed to return and blow up the barrier because they don't need it anymore. Even if the Jacetice League didn't show up, Bolas nuking the city was always in the cards.

Not sure why he'd do that though. You'd think he'd want his super soldier zombie factory running for as long as possible.

But yes, it'd be nice to have an ending set that wasn't "Oh fuck, everything's gone to shit!" Seems like all of them end up like that. That's why we need to return to Shadowmoor so the ending set is it turning back into Lorwyn and getting better.

Why? Making this up off the top of my head but possibly:

- breed society of super soldiers that are devoted to Bolas as a god
- destroy city
- event possibly triggers spark in one of the super soldiers
- train this planeswalking super soldier as a loyal disciple

 

[DrArchon]

Why? Making this up off the top of my head but possibly:

- breed society of super soldiers that are devoted to Bolas as a god
- destroy city
- event possibly triggers spark in one of the super soldiers
- train this planeswalking super soldier as a loyal disciple

Could be, but we still don't know what Bolas' end game is. Does he want another planeswalker loyal to him, or was he planning on using Tezz's planear bridge that he was supposed to get from Kaladesh to invade somewhere with an army of unstoppable super mummies? We just don't know.

 

[Ozigizo]

Thanks for that link.
Wow, Protection of the Hekma tells like, a whole story I was never able to see before.

Oh, shit. That's actually awesome.

I never noticed the zombie hordes.

 

[OnPoint]

Could be, but we still don't know what Bolas' end game is. Does he want another planeswalker loyal to him, or was he planning on using Tezz's planear bridge that he was supposed to get from Kaladesh to invade somewhere with an army of unstoppable super mummies? We just don't know.

I mean I was just making shit up. The point is they have the freedom to do whatever at this point. Hopefully whatever they choose is exciting.

What his plans may be though...I guess it depends on how the prophecy reads. Does anyone have that on hand?

 

[SigmasonicX]

I mean I was just making shit up. The point is they have the freedom to do whatever at this point. Hopefully whatever they choose is exciting.

What his plans may be though...I guess it depends on how the prophecy reads. Does anyone have that on hand?

It's on this card.

 

[OnPoint]

It's on this card.

Doesn't strike me as a "we're gonna go on an invasion-vacation" type of prophecy. Strikes me as a "let's see how these super soldiers do against the hordes" experiment. I'm sticking by my 'breeding a loyal planeswalker soldier' theory. Ironically it'll be Samut that sparks.

That said, there's no way Bolas could have planned for a planar bridge to be created, by chance, decades before Rashmi was even born unless they pull some future-telling clairvoyance shit (which I guess is in blue's slice of the pie, so...). I'd be intensely disappointed if that was the line here as Bolas' whole thing is that he has schemes upon schemes upon schemes... for it to be so plainly and directly related to the block before would be... shit, exactly something they would do.

 

[DrArchon]

Speaking of Bolas, what are we expecting out of his new card? This will only be the second Bolas planeswalker card, and it's been a pretty long time since Conflux. A lot has changed in terms of how powerful walkers are on average and what Wizards is willing to do with them. Will he really be another three color 8 mana walker, or will they change him up? 8 mana and three colors that don't include green is really tough to play.

I kinda want his ultimate ability to be the same as his original one to be honest. I love how the "Deal 7 damage, make opponent discard 7 cards" references his original card in Legends and from a flavor perspective it makes it seem like it isn't just some powerful spell or something, Bolas is literally flying over to your opponent and attacking them.

 

[Yeef]

I think he'll be 7 mana, to mirror Ugin. No double symbols either, so 4UBR.

 

[OnPoint]

I think he'll be 7 mana, to mirror Ugin. No double symbols either, so 4UBR.

Ugin was 8 mana. But I could see 5UBR though.

All I know is he has to be powerful to matter. But not format ending if he's hit off an Aetherworks Marvel.

 

[DrArchon]

I think he'll be 7 mana, to mirror Ugin. No double symbols either, so 4UBR.

But Ugin already mirrored Bolas 1. He costs 8 just like Bolas and his ult is basically the inverse of Bolas'.

I'd love for Bolas to be no more 6 or 7 mana personally, but he'll probably be around 8 if I had to guess. Hopefully 5UBR with an ability that can kill multiple creatures like how Ugin had his -X one. Gonna be tough for a big fat planeswalker though with so many creatures that can't be killed by sorcery speed removal (Gideon, Heart) + Glorybringer.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

I would be much more curious how they'd design a 5 mana Bolas or some such.

Expensive card does big splashy thing just has been done a couple times.

Most powerful being in the multiverse in a 5 mana card though would be intriguing.

Pretty sure Ugin is 8 mana in part to mirror Bolas in the first place.

 

[Yeef]

Looks like I misremembered; Ugin starts at 7 loyalty, he doens't cost 7 mana.

 

[OnPoint]

I would be much more curious how they'd design a 5 mana Bolas or some such.

Felt like they missed their chance for this in Fate Reforged. Though to be fair, him being 5 mana and Ugin being 8 would have meant him winning looked suspicious haha

 

[SigmasonicX]

My guess: Bolas will have cycling. This is a good way to make it unique and potentially playable, they've mentioned how cycling reflects his intelligence, and there aren't many opportunities to do this.

 

[DrArchon]

Maybe they'll do another 4-ability walker. I mean, if this is Bolas' world and presumably his set, it'd only make sense. And it'd certainly give them a lot of leeway to make him powerful enough to warrant spending so much mana on him.

 

[Adaren]

My guess: Bolas will have cycling. This is a good way to make it unique and potentially playable, they've mentioned how cycling reflects his intelligence, and there aren't many opportunities to do this.

Cycling Bolas combos with Dark Intimations beautifully. That would be a great way to make him both expensive and playable.

 

[ultron87]

My guess: Bolas will have cycling. This is a good way to make it unique and potentially playable, they've mentioned how cycling reflects his intelligence, and there aren't many opportunities to do this.

That'd be neat. Could even have "when you cycle" text that lets you use a lessened form of one of his abilities.

 

[Imperfected]

I think since it's only the second Bolas PW the odds of him having the same ultimate are pretty low. They would also probably feel free to do him at a different mana cost since they've already appropriate paid homage.

 

[charlequin]

On the latest Commanderin' with Ethan Fleischer they revealed a couple interesting things. First, Amonkhet, like Shadows Over Innistrad, was pitched by an R&D member (in this case Shawn Main) at one of their offsites, which means that in general an increasing number of blocks are being driven by other R&D members instead of Rosewater's top-down planning.

Second, there was a significant faction pushing very strongly for Embalm and Aftermath to be done with DFCs, but Ethan ultimately decided not to push it as he felt with SOI so recently and the costs (monetary and in player satisfaction) being what they are this wasn't a cool enough spot to justify using them.

Felt like they missed their chance for this in Fate Reforged.

Bolas would have been way more powerful in the FRF era though?

 

[OnPoint]

Bolas would have been way more powerful in the FRF era though?

Yeah, actually, probably.

My logic was that he was younger and less experienced, but he's a multiple millenia old dragon with lots of experience, so that doesn't check out at all haha

I'd be shocked if he was less than 6 mana here, though.

 

[Imperfected]

I don't know, I think they have some design legroom to stretch out in.

They focused so hard on making Nicolas Bolas, Planeswalker "true" to the original Elder Dragon card that this iteration really only needs to be thematically consistent. Like, if people complain that his mana cost is "wrong" or his abilities have changed, you just point them at the other card and say, "Reprint coming in Iconic Masters, STFU."

 

[kirblar]

Embalm and Aftermath both would have been worse w DFCs.

 

[Jhriad]

Embalm and Aftermath both would have been worse w DFCs.

Aftermath wouldn't have.

 

[OnPoint]

I don't know, I think they have some design legroom to stretch out in.

They focused so hard on making Nicolas Bolas, Planeswalker "true" to the original Elder Dragon card that this iteration really only needs to be thematically consistent. Like, if people complain that his mana cost is "wrong" or his abilities have changed, you just point them at the other card and say, "Reprint coming in Iconic Masters, STFU."

I don't know exactly what you mean, but I will say that I would be floored if he were anything other than base UBR in identity.

 

[Tunoku]

I unsleeved that horrendously sweet UR Emerge deck and sleeved up that Temur Flood deck instead. I'm definitely gonna try it out this Friday, and it's probably gonna be bad, but I managed to goldfish into a hardcast Ulamog on turn 5 once, sooooo

 

[Imperfected]

I don't know exactly what you mean, but I will say that I would be floored if he were anything other than base UBR in identity.

I mean, is it more weird to have a Bolas that just uses 2 of his 3 colors, or a Nissa that's suddenly blue for no reason?

 

[OnPoint]

I mean, is it more weird to have a Bolas that just uses 2 of his 3 colors, or a Nissa that's suddenly blue for no reason?

Yes.

And Nissa using blue should not be used as a justification for making other things weird.

 

[Imperfected]

Yes.

And Nissa using blue should not be used as a justification for making other things weird.

It is, I'm just saying a Nicolas Bolas that's Red/Black would not be significantly weirder than a Blue/Green Nissa, and you know what? We could sort of use a decent Red/Black walker.

 

[Yeef]

Aftermath would have been a lot worse with DFC's. They're already hard to track for a lot of novice players; having to use checklist cards (or take them out of sleeves) to see the other spell would be much worse.

Embalm would be be better in limited with DFCs and have a lot more design space since both sides wouldn't need to match. In constructed, you'd have to worry about having too many ways to activate Prized Amalgam.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Kamigawa flip cards or Split cards would have been best for aftermath cards.

 

[OnPoint]

It is, I'm just saying a Nicolas Bolas that's Red/Black would not be significantly weirder than a Blue/Green Nissa, and you know what? We could sort of use a decent Red/Black walker.

Maybe in a vacuum. But we're not in a vacuum.

It WOULD be weird when you take Amonkhet and how he has it set up to basically be a breeding ground for super soldiers. That's pretty NOT Red/Black.

 

[Yeef]

Kamigawa flip cards are the worst.