How does this play with spheres?

When I had a windows machine, I used MTGO. I wish they made an open version of the software, because I won't install windows on hardware I own, and the company laptop is required to exclusively run Linux.

As it just so happens, after reading this thread I happened upon the Shadowmage Infiltrator's twitch feed. I asked him two questions and got responses:

1) Do you watch the Vintage Super League?

2) What are your thoughts on Vintage, currently?

His response answered both questions in one masterful sentence:


I don't think Finkel pays attention to vintage, and am unsure if he would be a good competitor to watch.

FYI, old man is an awful "answer" to Mentor. I'll let the oracle tell you why.

orgcandman

relevant:


Read:

If your opponent lets you do this, they're probably not very smart. 2-for-1'ing yourself is a play I'll let you make all day long. That play isn't just risky, it hedges on your opponent forgetting to tap sensei's divining top, which is the larger section of text on the card. I don't think this anecdote is the one you need, because it signals that you played worse because of Git. Probe.

No need, we already know the winner is named Aaron.

Vintage - the only format where the cards don't matter as much as the people.

Also, classic. All day long.

Rule 706.2 wants to talk with you, I think.

Just wanted to point out that if you stick a chalice @ 2, you can no longer stick a chalice @ 1 (normally).

ZOMG - I need to make this. Clearing with the wife, asap.

I hear magus of the tabernacle is pretty hawt.

True story - I drained a pentavus at 5 life with no hand (and no answers). I ripped land.

I approve. Well played, MeddlingMike. Well played indeed.

I have had Bruce Campbell for a decade - lets see what MM has in store for me.

BAM! Still Bruce, but now with a more positive message.

Sedge Troll block 'goyf all day long. Just saying, that card should be part of anyone's meeeaaaan deck. Just ask JP.

You would attend PAX vs Vintage? Et tu?

The mods on this forum are clearly out to get us with their giant anti-sox conspiracy. Notice it's the same new york crew that always gets preferential treatment.

That's why I'm starting my own new forums site http://www.theredsoxarewaybetterandprosperoandtmdmodscansuckmyballs.com where we'll have real innovation in baseball.

People here clearly don't have any baseball statistics knowledge or really have any interest in baseball other than talking about it incessantly and giving each other hand-jo^H^H^H^H^H^High fives over how awesome they are.

IT'S ON

This card is not comparable to confidant. Also, I'm not sure that Aura is the right way to go with it either. For 2UUB you draw a card and lose a life. For 3BB you can do the same (and keep going: ad nauseam - get it?).

This card is clearly good; it might just be waiting for a good home around it. It's probably meant as a way to get a cheaper confidant into Modern without being a functional replacement (and in that respect, it will succeed). I know there must be something waiting to abuse this - but I have to believe there's a better mechanism waiting for it than just sleeving up auras.

I want to give some anecdote on this from today. I work with a guy who casually plays Magic. He indicated before that Type^H^H^H^HVintage was not a format for which he would ever dream of buying cards. For almost two years now.

Today I showed him that merfolk is actually a pretty strong deck. Within 30 minutes he placed an order on TCG Player for the dec sans power. I think Merfolk winning will do more to help the format's image than anyone has anticipated.

So, Joel - simply thank you.

Indeed. Merfolks taking home the win brings a smile to my face.

Why do these always get scheduled when I have stuff going on. I'll be missing this.

I just finished recovering from Bill Copes' drinking to say happy birthday. Bill Copes - when he drinks, YOU get drunk.

NOOO!!!!! That payout looks awesome. Unfortunately, I've got a wedding (and not the kind that I can back away from). WHY CRAIG, WHY?!?!

My responses will hopefully become clear below.


I think we're probably saying the same thing here. I'm assuming you're discussing games 2 and 3, since welder and chewer are sb cards. Those cards alone are not trumps. They are strong answers, but I view CA in this matchup to be different than classic control vs. control card advantage. I guess Card Advantage is a misnomer from my viewpoint and what I meant. Resource Advantage would probably be a better description.

Shops function because of a single card in the deck. Mishra's Workshop. The fact is there is a high correlation between winning the game and having a turn one workshop in the shops matchup. I view a workshop as 3 cards, not one. Therefore, I view wasteland, in the Landstill vs. Shops matchup, as card advantage. My wastelands are usually reserved for workshops.

A stable manabase is important, and I view an island as +1/2 card, where I view a dual as 1/2 a card. The reason is simple - wastelands in Workshop only exist as a way of disrupting mana. They get little mileage out of committing their land drop for the turn - it just works out to being worse for you. Therefore I, also, view islands as card advantage. I actually dislike Library in the workshop mirror in my opening grip - except to bait wastes away from colored sources. Typically, I never stay on a full grip long enough to make it worthwhile.

I would say that the matchup, at least in my experience, comes down to a few key fights - and the scariest card that shops has in my opinion is Crucible of Worlds. That card is of utmost importance for either deck to deploy - while keeping the other off it. I have had games that looked unwinnable from both sides of the table, where a top decked crucible - in the mid-late game - has turned it completely around.

As for the 8-man lands plan in shops decks, while that CAN make for a smoother matchup, well timed wastelands can absolutely destroy the opposition. I've had opponents playing terra nova walk away perplexed when their 8-man lands don't win - and typically that's followed by "you just got lucky, my deck didn't do what I wanted." Remember, those lands require non-workshop mana to turn on - meaning the shop deck has either already developed (lock pieces, and anscillary threats deployed) OR they don't have anything else in their grip (read: you can probably become aggressive).

The resource fight is what this matchup is about, and my poor classification of it as card advantage aside, I think we both are saying the same thing.

Crucible leads to big frowns. Otherwise there's no single card I fear.

Explosive diarrhea starts are bad (both in the literal sense, and the empty hand of lock pieces plus golem on turn 1 sense).

Basically, the landstill player should be aggressively mulling to strong CA oriented hand and a single f.o.w to stop brokenness, while the shops player needs to mull to a fast start. That's my experience, anyway.

Yeah, Memorial day weekend is probably not the greatest weekend to schedule events. That's why myself and two others couldn't go.

I'd say go ahead and test it, but I don't think it will resolve any of the problems that plague landstill. It doesn't recover the early game where landstill starts to get behind. Consider that if you have any threat on board, standstill is great. Notion Theif makes standstill an interesting dynamic, that's for sure, but I don't think it helps enough where landstill needs it.

Also consider that the black splash is historically not as strong as either red  or white splashes, and isn't as good a tertiary color as green, for folks that run it. I'm not sure that a new archetype wouldn't just be a better approach.

Ashes to Ashes does not answer Blightsteel, even a little.

This card is really good. I think it will be played to much joy and success.