I second that! 

Ponder is usually my victim of cut decisions. Personally, I hate MisD, but I see the need for it. Other than that the only thing you could stand to lose for the 4th preordain is the 3rd cabal Therapy, which ups the blue count. 3 seize, 2 therapy and 5 pitch spells should be good enough, right?

By the same token, their value is also more likely to drop. At a blind guess, I'd assume now is a bad time to buy Shops, thanks to MUD probably driving up demand.

Seal can be cast proactively, which is significant. Artifact Mutuation will never hit a Sphere/Golem without making you pay extra for it. I agree that Mutation was the nuts against Stax back in the day, and might still be. Just pointing out a key reason why Seal is desirable.

If people wanted spell based removal, I also think Naturalize would be run before Mutation, since it hits Oath.

I think that would be a wrong more.  Goyf is the only real beater in Christmas Beatings.  He needs to be as big as possible.  You can cast Pyroblast on a land to grow Goyf.  This is important, especially in attacking a blocking scenarios and against Dredge where Pyroblast has no real use Game 1.  I'm not that worried about Meddling Mage, which is the only reason to play a mix of Red Blasts.  Having Pyroblasts in the main gives you a lot more flexibility.  Red Blasts are more likely to be dead cards.

For anyone who is interested, here is a list I'm running right now:

4 Tarmogoyf
4 Null Rod
4 Pyroblast
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Seal of Primordium
4 Nature's Claim
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Burning-Tree Shaman
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Taiga
4 Forest
4 Mountain
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Black Lotus

Sideboard:
1 Blood Moon
3 Red Elemental Blast
3 Ancient Grudge
4 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Ravenous Trap

I'm open to suggestions, questions, and feedback. I don't think Autumn's Veil has a place in the deck right now, unless your local metagame has a big blue/black bias. And for the sake of this deck I hope they print some broken red or green spell(s) in Scars of Mirrodin, or at least in the Scars block.

-Ryan

Heya,


Manic Vandal is probably worse in this deck than Tin Street Hooligan.  The Hooligan costs one less, can be cast so it doesn't have to destroy an artifact if you're the only one with something in play at the time, and has the same amount of power (toughness almost never matters).  I wouldn't play him.

Autumn's Vale is interesting.  Red Blasts can blow up blue permanents like Jace and Tez which is important, so I'd give them the nod at first glance.  The thing that Autumn's Veil can do is protect your spells for an entire turn for just one green mana.  It's a decent surprise card that can let you trap your opponent if he over extends with bounce and/or counterspells.  I've played with Vexing Shusher in the deck and liked his ability a lot.  If I had to choose between Veil and Shusher, I'd probably stick with Shusher.  This deck can have trouble dealing 20 damage during the course of the game.  Shusher can help out in that regard while Veil cannot.  Veil is a one time use.  Shusher can be used every turn and changes the dynamic of the game.

All in all, I don't think M11 had much for this deck.  Until they print red or green cards that make players sacrifice artifacts and enchantments, Christmas Beatings is still in limbo.  Thanks for the input, though.  I'm always on the lookout for new cards for this deck.

Peace,

-Troy

Student of Warfare
This card is going to cost some money. This creature is really good. A great 1 mana drop, but its also a great 2 mana drop, or 3 mana drop, basically this card allows you to tap out whenever you want to cast it, so there is not a 'right' moment to play this card. 3/3 first strike is good, 4/4 double strike wins games. I expect to see this at least in standard / extended. In hindsight, Figure of Destiny seems like a future sighted version of this card and I actually like this card better because this has some built in protection in the form of first strike. Figure of Destiny doesn't get protection up until 'level 4', where you invested  11 mana in him. This one gets protection starting from 2 mana. Also, Figure of Destiny costs 2 mana for 2/2, and 5 mana for 4/4. Student is 3/3 first strike for 2 and 4/4 doublestrike for 8. For that reason ,equipment is better on Student then it is on Figure. The only thing to say for figure is that its 4/4 comes quicker putting it out of bolt range.

The Meandeck Open has allowed this for some time, and Menendian has spoken in favor of it. We allow CE at our local store to count as non-proxy. Never had an issue with it whatsoever. Just don't run white sleaves

Even if the price does drop, the drop would be so small for Alpha and Beta power that only those holding Unlimited power would be greatly influenced (because the new substitute would only substitute for the reprint...not the collectors item-the black border).  A new template copy of Power that is unplayable in all formats except the most niche format in existence would not change the value of the original.  It would not create more copies of the original.  The value added for playability is low.  Beta Power is iconic.  Power is a collector's item.  Alpha power may as well be a comic book in terms of its game-play abilities and the value is still greater than gold per oz.   That is why the price is inelastic.  The people who want a collector's piece of power will still pay high dollar for the limited copies regardless of the fact that a new $10 copy (that I just created for argument) exists.

You can find a beat version of sol ring, or a washing machine lotus for a fraction of the value of the nicer ones.  The fact that it still taps for mana does not matter to the majority of collectors (who are the people shelling out the cash).

The reason why your statement was a gross misinterpretation of supply and demand is because it is an oversimplification.

I personally believe that the curve on lowering the price of the originals by printing additional copies is drastically tapering off.  If anything, copies would raise the interest in the format, which would cause the play value to rise (possibly offsetting any loss incurred).  Also, if the cards were printed in a way that effected standard or extended, the market for the originals would grow...demand would shift, and the older copies would rise in value.

Finally:  How much would the Alpha & Beta copies be worth if no Unlimited & Revised copies existed?  More.  Obviously.  But since these reprints already exist, and because of the other factors I have discussed, a new printing of less desirable copies would not have the dramatic effect on Alpha and Beta copies that many would have us believe.

Oddly enough, during the Mirrodin period (when we saw some of the highest inflation in high-dollar card prices since the game's inception)- proxies were rampant in most Vintage tournaments...these are also substitutes.

This is a gross misinterpretation of the law of supply and demand: a reprint is not an equivalent of the original.  They are on a completely different demand curve.  Sure, it is a substitute, which would tend to bring down the price of the original- but only to the extent that the play function drives the price.  Does a PSA grade 9 lotus cost the same as an unlimited one?  Does the fact that an unlimited copy exists lower the value of that beta copy?   No.   For collectibles, the subsitutes makes less of a difference because the beta power curve is very inelastic (it's like crack rocks-it could be a million dollars and junkies would still purchase it) becuase an adequate substitute does not exist.

The really expensive ones are sets of
Goblin Welder
Metalworker
Tangle Wire
Smokestack
which runs around 30-40 per set.

I don't understand the concept of "more cards=lower values" beta is worth more than alpha, theres twice as much beta as alpha. New power will probably be worth more and drive prices of the old stuff up. Great read, I should follow your blog more closely.

I'd like to also point out that Tezz + moxen are a win condition also

So... uif Duress is THE weapon against Flash and most of the other Upper Tier decs, then why don't try the (Mana drain)/ Mind Twist way. The whole bunch of artifact mana + a few Mana Drains and the raw power of Mind Twist can Randomly win games. But if a Flash player is forced to discard Tutors/Combo or Protection your own win is not far away. Even if it is only 2-3 cards.

The best way to beat Ichorid is run two different forms of hate, so they have to board in two different kinds of removal. For example, playing Yixlid Jailer (a creature) and Leyline of the Void (an enchantment) will force your opponent to board in both Emerald Charms, and Contagion. This will cause them to board out a large quantity of their deck, furthermore causing them to essentially cripple their own deck.

I have brought in Leyline game two, when my opponent has been in the position where they simply want to see what I bring in, and then game three, when they bring in full forces of enchantment removal (Emerald Charm, Reverent Silence), I have then brought in Yixlid Jailer to their surprise, which they have not at all prepared for.

This however forces you to dedicate more slots to this matchup, but will of course improve the probability of you winning. I have faced the technique before, and I myself can easily say that it was the overall most-effective.

The entire question of this thread does not seem necessary to me, because using Extirpate to fight Ichorid will rarely work in your favor, because you are much better off playing one of the many other forms of hate mentioned before.