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Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#1651: Aug 27th 2014 at 3:58:42 PM

[up] Depends; how much money is riding on the game? tongue

Yeah, I'm afraid I don't have a serious answer for that note , but I do have another question:

About how many creatures should the average blue-splash-white deck run? I've got the distinct impression that I should be paying just as much attention to how many creatures I've got as to mana curve (the latter of which I hadn't even heard of until earlier this year).

edited 27th Aug '14 4:00:34 PM by Knowlessman

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby
2Zak Claw of the Dragon from the northern frontier Since: Nov, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Claw of the Dragon
#1652: Aug 27th 2014 at 4:22:10 PM

There's a UW control deck on Standard right now that has no creature spells at all. It has three ways of winning: Poking you to death with Mutavault, running over you with Elspeth's soldier tokens or boring you until you concede.

It depends on what you want to do with your deck. Caw-Blade ran only the minimum creatures to make it work and Bant Auras (it had G on top of UW, but AFAIK it was because Rancor was just that good) had a few more because its objective was to turn untargettable unblockable dudes sideways.

edited 27th Aug '14 4:22:43 PM by 2Zak

They call it the Rumour Mill because every time one specific guy posts I definitely feel cards going from my library to my graveyard
Yinyang107 from the True North (Decatroper) Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
#1653: Sep 4th 2014 at 1:12:22 PM

My sister's boyfriend threw together this deck for me. Any good?

Funden u wot m8 from the maintenance tunnels Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: It's complicated
u wot m8
#1654: Sep 4th 2014 at 1:49:12 PM

RAT TRIBAL.

It's not amazing, but it's definitely playable and looks pretty fun.

Rosvo1 Since: Aug, 2009
#1655: Sep 4th 2014 at 2:13:40 PM

What's the optimal amount of creature spells?

CountDorku Behold my legal acumen! from the depths of insanity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Behold my legal acumen!
#1656: Sep 4th 2014 at 2:20:06 PM

Depends on the deck. A deck that wants to win by smashing face, for example, could run about 24 creatures. A spellslinger approach could run half that, and there have been some control decks that don't run any creatures at all.

2Zak Claw of the Dragon from the northern frontier Since: Nov, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Claw of the Dragon
#1657: Sep 4th 2014 at 2:37:34 PM

Twenty is usually a good starting number for creatures when you're starting to build a deck, then you add to or substract from that depending on how much you want to beat your opponent's face.

They call it the Rumour Mill because every time one specific guy posts I definitely feel cards going from my library to my graveyard
2Zak Claw of the Dragon from the northern frontier Since: Nov, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Claw of the Dragon
#1658: Sep 5th 2014 at 4:47:19 AM

Forgive the doublepost, but I have a deck I want you to criticize to shreds.

This is the deck on Deckstats

And this is it on here, I like to call this deck "Look, this is all the artifact jank I own so let me go through it very fast and then sacrifice it for nothing because this deck really lacks a finisher":

  • 19 Lands
    • 3 Terramorphic Expanse
    • 9 Mountain
    • 7 Island

  • 5 Instants/Sorceries
    • 2 Kuldotha Rebirth
    • 2 Act of Treason
    • 1 Artillerize

  • 16 Artifacts
    • 2 Ichor Wellspring
    • 2 Mycosynth Wellspring
    • 2 Crystal Ball
    • 2 Elixir of Immortality
    • 2 Thirst for Knowledge
    • 2 Echoing Truth
    • 2 Flight Spellbomb
    • 2 Æther Spellbomb

  • 1 Enchantment
    • 1 Furnace Celebration

  • 19 Creatures
    • 2 Riddlesmith
    • 1 Qumulox
    • 3 Faerie Mechanist
    • 1 Embersmith
    • 2 Gnathosaur
    • 2 Ferrovore
    • 2 Oxidda Daredevil
    • 2 Ornithopter
    • 2 Runed Servitor
    • 2 Memnite

So I threw this deck together the other day to have a few casual games with a friend. It's garbage, though, because the only thing resembling a finisher in there is Qumulox and I cut lands because I wanted to put some extra sweet things on it.

I'm looking for a few cards that could work here to give the deck something to aim for beyond "go through your library and hope you get something that can kill your opponent". Blue-Red has some artifact thingy going on in M15, so I guess there have to be a few common/uncommon enablers going around (I already have at least one Ensoul Artifact, just not at my parents'), I need Shrapnel Blast ASAP, but I'm not sure if it's cheap right now.

I also recall that Red had a few things about sacrificing artifacts back in Mirrodin and Scars of Mirrodin, but all I could find in my collection is already in there and I can't really think of many more cards that could work.

Basically, I need some suggestions to make a deck focused on playing trinkets that help in digging through the deck and then throwing them at my opponents or feeding them to my creatures (I'm thinking on Atogs and Megatogs, but those are sooooo mainstream). Power level isn't much of an issue, it's meant to be for casual games, so I'd rather focus on cheap singles.

Ideas?

edited 5th Sep '14 5:28:44 AM by 2Zak

They call it the Rumour Mill because every time one specific guy posts I definitely feel cards going from my library to my graveyard
Funden u wot m8 from the maintenance tunnels Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: It's complicated
u wot m8
#1659: Sep 5th 2014 at 10:08:27 PM

Tezzeret if you can do it.

If not, some cheap artifact finishers are:

  • Steel Hellkite
  • Pentavus
  • Triskelion

Shrapnel Blast and Ensoul are both pretty good, as is ramping into Forgemaster.

2Zak Claw of the Dragon from the northern frontier Since: Nov, 2012 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Claw of the Dragon
#1660: Sep 6th 2014 at 3:09:24 AM

Funny, I have everything in that list except for the Forgemaster and the nonrares. So I'll have to consider it when I get my hands on the rest of my cards.

They call it the Rumour Mill because every time one specific guy posts I definitely feel cards going from my library to my graveyard
Funden u wot m8 from the maintenance tunnels Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: It's complicated
u wot m8
#1661: Sep 14th 2014 at 9:08:01 PM

So, this is the deck I'm looking at playing when Khans rotates in. Thoughts?

videogmer314 from that one place Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
#1662: Oct 9th 2014 at 9:07:48 PM

I have a Sidisi commander deck, but it has a problem. Most of the graveyard filling in the deck is done through instants and sorceries such as Mulch or Forbidden Alchemy. Although it's more dredge than zombies, I would like some more creatures instead so that I can more reliably get tokens on the field. Can you guys give me some ideas for creatures to go in the deck with effects like Sultai Soothsayer or Satyr Wayfinder?

CountDorku Behold my legal acumen! from the depths of insanity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Behold my legal acumen!
#1663: Oct 9th 2014 at 9:14:13 PM

Dreamborn Muse, Extractor Demon, Geralf's Mindcrusher, any card with Dredge, Hedron Crab, Mirror-Mad Phantasm, Nyx Weaver, and Sphinx of Uthuun all put cards into the graveyard. The Mimeoplasm works pretty well with this kind of thing.

Edit: Actually, there's a question - when cards are revealed with a Sphinx of Uthuun/Fact or Fiction effect, do they count as still being in the library when they go to the graveyard? The answer to this may affect the recommendations.

edited 9th Oct '14 9:24:16 PM by CountDorku

LeChuck4 Since: Feb, 2010
#1664: Oct 9th 2014 at 11:10:49 PM

Yes, they count as being in your Library unless the card says something like "Exile the top X cards from your library, you may play them as long as blah blah blah".

disruptorfe404 Since: Sep, 2011
#1665: Oct 10th 2014 at 8:08:42 PM

Indeed. Also, I highly recommend Mesmeric Orb in any Sidisi deck. Each untapping permanent puts a trigger on the stack that mills a single card, so Sidisi checks each time, getting you more zombie tokens.

TheSpaceJawa Since: Jun, 2013
#1666: Oct 27th 2014 at 10:53:50 PM

So I've been trying to put together an idea for a Modern deck, ideally one that 1) won't cost me an arm and a leg to assemble, meaning I've been looking towards monocolor so I don't have to deal with the ridiculous price of dual lands 2) Isn't just a straight-up copycat of someone else's popular deck and 3) Is at least half-way decent, not necessarily top-tier or metagame changing, but is at least good enough I could play it at FNM and have hopes of doing half-way decent.

Furry Little Angels
Land

Creatures Planeswalkers Other Cards

Thoughts? Advice?

Am I completely looking in the wrong direction for the kind of deck that might actually be useful?

edited 27th Oct '14 10:54:09 PM by TheSpaceJawa

Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#1667: Oct 28th 2014 at 5:25:57 PM

[up] I am no pro, but that about scares the piss outta me. I think 4 Rebuffs may be 2 too many, though; Healer of the Pride is a thing, though she may be redundant.

Uh, I got a long-winded question: I'm in a 40-card limited pauper (?) Khans tournament; unlike most booster drafts, we were basically each given a big pile of Khans commons and uncommons to draft from. Now, being as I've mained Azorius since forever, I naturally go for Jeskai (White-Blue-Red). Problem is, the pile I got has barely any blue cards at all, and not a single multicolor card I can use with those colors (not counting a Banner); also, the lowest-drop creatures it has are two Jeskai Students and one Leaping Master (plus a Firehoof Cavalry, Valley Dasher, and War-Name Aspirant, all of which I was too picky to use).

Despite all this, I managed to win 2:1 against my first opponent (last week) before getting 2:0'd by my second (last night).
Counting up amounts of useable cards, I think the best deck my pile could make is most likely Mardu (White-Red-Black), but for reasons I can't place, I kinda don't like the feel of it. :/ Not sure why.

Instead, I am for some reason considering doing something really stupid, and going Rakdos (Black-Red). As you might expect, there is little to no synergy here, given that only one clan currently out even uses those colors; needless to say, I have no multicolor cards for this, either. What I do have are two Bloodfell Caves, two Disowned Ancestors, a Ruthless Ripper, two each of red and black two-drops, a few morphers, a Bloodfire Expert (who I think has wonderful potential for synergy with Barrage of Boulders), and two Tormenting Voices, plus other spells (plus 6 x Swamp and 8 x Mountain (Total 16 lands)).

How stupid am I, and should I give up and go Mardu (or Temur (Red-Green-Blue), which I think is the runner up) or go back to Jeskai?

edited 28th Oct '14 6:10:23 PM by Knowlessman

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby
disruptorfe404 Since: Sep, 2011
#1668: Oct 28th 2014 at 5:35:36 PM

[up][up] You've basically built a budget version of Soul Sisters, buddy.

[up] I haven't played much Khans Limited so I have nothing to offer you. sad

Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#1669: Oct 28th 2014 at 6:13:35 PM

Edited Gatherer links into the above post.

[up] Do you have any advice for limited draft in general? :/

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby
mrshine Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Hoping Senpai notices me
#1670: Oct 28th 2014 at 6:29:18 PM

Check out if your pool supports a black-white warriors deck. red/black doesnt have much synergy but the enemy colour pairs of red/white and black/white are both pretty good in khans. Boros and Orzhov are probably the strongest options if you dont want to go a clan. Also if you have enough of the nonbasic lands you can just go five colour, but most of the payoff for being five colours is in the rares, which you wont have.

Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#1671: Oct 28th 2014 at 6:32:53 PM

I don't have any of the Boros or Orzhov lands. :/ I have the Azban Banner, though, for what that's worth (and the Selesnya land, but not the Golgari).

Kinda feels funny throwing all these guild names around and not having any cards associated with an actual guild. [lol] Oh, slang and jargon.

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby
disruptorfe404 Since: Sep, 2011
#1672: Oct 28th 2014 at 8:44:16 PM

War-Name Aspirant and Valley Dasher both seem usable to me...

Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#1673: Oct 28th 2014 at 9:20:53 PM

I may have put the Dasher in it, but not the Aspirant, who is... pretty much better. :/ I think I was trying to avoid using cards from other clans, which was of course both a dumb idea and a lost cause. I did put the Scaldskin Wossname in from Temur, though, and it proved kinda useful.

Actually think the Rakdos looks kind of optimistic, after drawing a few experimental hands. The one killcard I have is a six-drop (Rite of the Serpent; fail-ass card), so that's right the fuck out, but I also have, uh, Bring Low (Four-drop instant, 3 damage target creature; 5 if it has a +1/+1) and Arrow Storm (Five-drop sorcery, 4 damage target whatsit, Raid: 5 and it's unpreventable), so I have something sorta like removal. Also, Dragon Grip (Three-drop enchant, enchanted creature has +2/+0 and first strike, Ferocious: ~ has flash) is awesome.

edited 28th Oct '14 9:23:39 PM by Knowlessman

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby
TheSpaceJawa Since: Jun, 2013
#1674: Oct 28th 2014 at 11:07:09 PM

I am no pro, but that about scares the piss outta me.

In a good way, I'm presuming?

I think 4 Rebuffs may be 2 too many, though; Healer of the Pride is a thing, though she may be redundant.

True, Healer of the Pride is a thing, but it's also a 4-drop. Put's it pretty much at the top of the mana curve (depending on if I use life to get Norn's Annex on the field), so at that point I'd probably be better off putting another Warden and/or Attendant in the deck.

If you think 4 Rebuffs might be too much, though, any thought about other cards that might be better suited?

You've basically built a budget version of Soul Sisters, buddy.

I suppose I can live with that, between coming up with the deck without knowing Soul Sisters was a thing and apparently managing to put my own spin on it. Hoping I'd come up with something all my own really would be too much to hope for, especially if I'd actually come up with something that's worth putting together and playing.

Besides, going with a budget deck of something that's apparently a thing can't be all bad, especially if Knowlessman's reaction is anything to go by. tongue

Kinda feels funny throwing all these guild names around and not having any cards associated with an actual guild. [lol] Oh, slang and jargon.

Eh, I tend not to use things like Guild or Clan names unless the actual guilds or clans are involved somehow.

Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#1675: Oct 29th 2014 at 12:38:16 AM

I just suggested the Healer since she has a little more meat on her; she can deter 2/2 attackers at base, at least.
Also, I was gonna suggest Brave the Elements, but had forgotten the name of it; it's pretty solid in a mono deck, I think, and I'm pretty sure it's nearly strictly better than Rebuff the Wicked in the majority of situations for that deck.

EDIT: Mind you, that was before checking and seeing exactly how many noncreature permanents you had in there. :/

By the way, said reaction is more or less the reaction I had when the Pridemate was first introduced to me in a Spellslingers episode; a bear that, knowing white, can get bigger by leaps and bounds every damn turn at virtually no cost? It's like rediscovering the fact that Ethereal Armor stacks, and is a one-drop common. surprised

EDIT 2: Also, discovering combos that actually work that well kind of always impresses me, I think; best synergy I've ever had in a deck is probably in my black-white enchantment deck; three Ethereal Armors 'cause I don't have a fourth and am too lazy to pick one up, and lots of weenies and buff and shutdown enchants. :/ I particularly like having a Hopeful Eidolon with the Armor on at turn 2 and watching him grow from there.

edited 29th Oct '14 12:46:09 AM by Knowlessman

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby

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