I figured this is the forum that best fits this question.  I used to play a lot and figured out my collection is actually worth quite a bundle now (glad I kept them).  I don't wish to sell them to anybody just yet, so please don't bother me with prices.  However, I do need to know the difference between unlimited and revised cards.  Is there an easy way to tell the difference between these two sets?  I've heard the print in one set is darker than others, but my cards have been in storage a long time and are slightly faded, so I can't tell for the life of me what the difference is.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I have 2 lackeys, and one card in hand (Goblin Ringleader).  I swing with both lackeys, my opponent does not block.  I lay the ringleader, if I draw into a goblin, can I play it for the effect of the second lackey? 

And, a 2nd question.  Same question, only substitute Goblin Ringleader for Goblin Matron.  Can I search for a goblin, and then play it off the second lackey?

Definately U/G Madness.  FCG is easily housed if the opponent knows how it works.  Any countermagic can shut it down unbelieveably easily.

I dunno, you may want to add this onto the posting rules threads somewhere.  I saw it and though the community may benefit from it.  Worst comes to worst, you can just delete bad threads and replace them with this little gem...

http://www.onzin.net/files/movie/20050103/OnzinCom_postenopeenforum.swf

Aginst FCG it really depends on what they're doing.  If they're going the beatdown route, then goblin piledriver would be my choice...actually either way piledriver is a good call because it's the biggest source of damage.  It would be tough...not impossible, but tough to kill the opponent without them.

Goblin Ringleader would also be a good call, because they can't combo off without it.

Food Chain wouldn't be my first pick.  All food chain does is allow them the mana to combo off.  Without it they can still como off...in a sence just using warchief, and a couple piledrivers and drawing it all with ringleader.

So...Goblin Ringleader, or Goblin Piledriver.

Someone else could probably answer this question better...but PTW's build is the build that Phantom Tape Worm (one of the people who made the deck) played at one of the TMD tournaments and won a lotus with.  I believe it was in the open t1 forum, so try searching there.  Maybe search for his name or something.

The five cards i would proxy would be.  Library of Alexandria, Mox Sapphire, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk then one other card you don't have for the deck.  Or, if you don't have some of the cards, say...duals, proxy them instead.

I think the new set has some cards worth looking at for this deck.  Nights Whisper looks promising, Plunge Into Darkness also looks good, as sort of a controlled spoils.  With a helm in play it costs the same too.  Also, why isn't skeletal scrying used in this deck?  It could draw cards for less mana, and a large graveyard isn't a problem.  The deck could also be made almost mono black, with a little splash here and there.

Since the creature you get is pretty random, i would think you would only have one creature in there (one creature, more than one copy).  I would go with the tog, since you can kill the next turn with it.  Then, go with a SB funeral pyre to wish for, and give them a creature.  Of course, with those changes, what would make it any better than a tog or hulk deck?

Have you considered skeletal scrying as a possible draw card instead of something?  You run black, and with your graveyard full, it could be useful.  All you really need to keep in your graveyard is squee anyways.

Congratz on building a new good deck.

I tried a hand at building a U/W fish deck, but it looks amazingly similar to U/W landstill which would end up being a far superior deck.

what about in fish?  It would fit really well in the land/mana denial theme.  It would also be really good aginst dragon.  Put it on their bazaar and they die....well it really sucks for them at least.

Has anyone tested using off-color moxen in FCG?  Is it even a remotely good idea?  Also, what do sideboards for FCG look like?  I only ask because i have been looking into building a FCG deck and these are some questions i haven't fully answered to myself.

Thank you.  That is the ruling we came to, but the argument came about cause a judge at a sanctioned tournament made the ruling that it was a land ability and therefore could be done.   I believe the ruling that was given is the correct one though i just wanted to make sure.

This question came up in a type 1 tournament awhile ago and we all became very confused.

If a mishra's factory is played, then the turn is passed. An opponents creature attacks, can the mishra's factory be activated to a creature, blocked and then pumped? Also, if a Null Rod is on the table can a Mishra's Factory as a creature be pumped?

Some say the pump ability is the creatures ability others believe it is a land ability. Does anyone know for sure?

Why would you run Mox Monkey in fish?  Null Rod covers all the moxes, lotus, Sol ring and about all other fast mana.  Is it just for more mana disruption?  There would have to be an aweful lot of moxes in my meta to run Null Rods and Mox Monkeys.

I run this exact same creature base with 3 Waterfront Bouncers sideboard to reaplace vandals in some aggro matchups.  I like the Bouncers better than Sigil of Sleep.  To have Sigil of Sleep be even as effective as the Bouncers it needs to be on a pinger, and i only run 4.  Creatures are already vulnerable, i don't like making them targets by having to attack.  My creatures do have evasion, but if my opponent has flyers (Faerie Conclave, Mystic Enforcer, Wonder in the graveyard) i'm screwed.

What are they supposed to do if they only have 1 creature and you have 2 vandals on the board?  Or if they already attacked?  How about if you Ice their blocker?  It's not a matter of their playing skills, it's all about yours.

It really depends on what decks you play against.  Do you see more random moxes, sol rings, mana crypts etc.  Or do you have alot of stax, Mud, Slaver and other mono brown decks.  One thing that is cool about vandal though is it can kill creatures, where mox monkey cannot.

I like vandal much better than Shaman.  Granted...Shaman doesn't need to attack.  It's 6 to 1, half dozen to the other.  Would say...a 2 to 1 ratio be good?  Or have some in the SB?  They both have their merits.

This is a very good point, i never really thought about it like that.  I am so used to the rule of at least 3 or none that i forgot singles can be good in some decks.  Most budget decks need alot of any given card for consistency, gay/r is an exception.

Also, if you didn't, and it's not too much trouble i think it would be helpful to have the matchups SB cards are useful in on that list of SB cards.

I disagree.  Fire/Ice is very good vs most any deck.  At worst it replaces itself and taps down an opponents permanent.  It can do direct damage, ping off problem creatures also.  I actually chose the Fire/Ices in the end because it's never a dead card.  Stifling an opponents fetches or wastes is good, very good but stifle can be a dead card alot of the time.  I'm not saying you're wrong in your choice, it's a good choice but i disagree that fire and ice is only good vs sligh and the like.  Honestly, i think it's another one of those metagame things, Fire/Ice for me can ping welders and Mox monkeys which are in abundance in my area.

k, thanks.  I also came to a small debate while building the deck.  If you (meaning anyone that plays gay/r) had to make a choice between 3 MD stifles or 3 MD fire/ices which one would you choose, or is that more of a metagame type question?

I disagree, Sigil of Sleep is very good aginst aggro still.  Most of your creatures have evasion, so you will be able to deal the damage in order to bounce one of their threats.  I would choose Sigil of Sleep over Sword of Fire and Ice.  Swords don't do so well with MD Null Rods, and they are 5 mana to cast and equip then 2 mana for every equip after the first.

Also, how many creatures should there be?  I run 16 personally, some builds only run 15 or 14 though.  It's that last creature...what used to be the voidmage slot that varies in number.  I only ask, because currently i run 3 island, and 4 goblin vandal.  I'm thinking of cutting 1 vandal and 1 island for 2 stifles.  My only worry is that then my curiousities won't be as potent, and i may not draw enough artifact hate over the course of the game.  With this cut, my creatures would go down to 15 and lands would go to 21 are these still safe numbers?

Also, does anyone know the list PTW used to win that tourney recently?  I would really like to see it.  It could serve as a good solid base to the deck.

How many faerie conclave should be run in gay/r?  I have seen 2 before and also 3 on many occasions.  I only run 2, it's a nonbasic CIPT land that requires a large investment to run so it really only shines under standstill.  Also, how many islands?  I run 3 but i have seen as many as 5 and as little as 1.  I think 1 is dangerous because if they can destroy your only basic source of land they can really mess you up.  Maybe i'm just paranoid though.

But, it would ensure they didn't get it first turn off a ritual.  Dreadnaught can also be tapped down with Ice.  I think ice is very overlooked, i don't see it used nearly as often as it can be.  Usually they just use it to cantrip but it can be good for other things.  You can tap down Trinisphere to shut it off, tap down lands like workshops, creatures in order to get other creatures through.  

I think mask is one of those middle matchups, tough but not un-winnable.  In fact, with Null Rod, and Vandal it should be pretty fair.  What would be boarded in?

You said you wanted to discuss hesitation.  It was tried in landstill at one point i know.  I think the results would apply here as well.  It didn't work, all the opponent has to do is play a cheap non threatening spell like brainstorm or something to trigger hesitation and then play their threat.  I guess it would be ok early game to tie up their mana a little bit but i don't think it's too great.

Fire/Ice is definately better than bolt, loads better, it can do so much that bolt just can't do.  I would imagine gay/r would do well aginst mask because all you really need to counter is their masks.  On another note, can mask be stifled?  If it can what would happen?

Some people have played Black Vise.  Under a standstill it's a no win situation which really sucks for them.  It's also good aginst control decks that like to keep a full hand of counters.

Also, one thing i try to keep myself from doing when playing this deck is getting into a counter war.  How do you avoid this situation?  Especially when they have a scepter or something on the table and i need to lay a null rod but can't afford to fight a counter war.  Any suggestions or ideas?

Ya, i saw that....but wouldn't that just make moxes into really bad Sol Rings?

Building new decks is very difficult, that's true.  It's kinda like...you can't see the forest because all of the trees are in the way.  There are so many good decks that it's mind boggling to try to think of something that can even contend with them.   It takes alot of time, good deck building skills and a ton of knowledge of the game to build a new deck.  Then, you have to be "Approved" by members of a community, and often will get shut down unless your deck is 100% with out a doubt good.   That's alot of work, especially to possibly get shut down in the end and I believe that's why there aren't tons of new decks being made.

If it hasn't already been said, i think the Voidmage slot is the most controversial slot.  

I believe i have sort of a solution based on meta.  In a combo heavier meta, use Rootwater Theif.  You still need to save the mana, but if it's not used after your attack phase you can use it in the second main phase.  In an aggro heavier environment waterfront bouncer would be a good choice.  He also helps fuel Lavamancer.  In a control heavy environment i would keep the voidmage, you need a counter that can be activated under standstill and can't be countered.

I do not agree with the amount of curiosities, you really need 4.  I also prefer 4 spiketails.  But i admit, i have no clue on what to take out to get them in.  

Also, i saw someone do something once, it was a really good idea (i thought).  Rather than making a sideboard, make a list of sideboard cards, that way people can make their own sideboard for their meta using the list.