Has Jaya Ballard, Task Mage been considered? Her third ability mostly won't matter but her first two abilities are relevant to answering plenty of threats. For  and a card she can kill any thing blue (delver, tapped Ojutai, Consecrated Sphinx, Jaces, Tezzeret, Narset etc.) while for  and a card she can burn out Mentor, Pyromancer, Lodestone, anything else with toughness 3 or less). On top of all that flexibility she's a human for caverns and has a CMC of 3. I'm planning on testing her out in a similar w/r list once I get my PC fixed and can start playing MTGO. I think she's underrated.

This might be a bad idea but has anyone thought of combining either Land Tax, Tithe or Gift of Estates (alongside Abolish, crucible, and Devout Witness? Or in mono white maybe Land Tax alone combined with Abolish in the SB to help with shops? It seems like having consistent access to free artifact destruction in mono white could be a solid plan against golems/spheres. It's also cheap to set up unlike a hypothetical Gift of Estates which I would only test in a multicolored deck because it can grab duals. Helping to ensure land drops against shops mana denial plan could be good too especially if you can land crucible. I'd eventually like to test some of tithe/gift of estates along with main deck Abolish, crucible waste/strip lock, and copies of the more useful spellshapers MD in Devout Witness and Jaya Ballard (obviously this deck will have white and red but no blue limiting access to the drawing/filtering available there).
I tend to think Abolish is underrated as a MD card in heavily white decks due to it being a pitch card that can be easily set up and most of the top decks have viable targets. I also want to restate that I think Gift of Estates is only worth testing in a multicolored deck for grabbing duals in addition to fueling cards like Jaya as well as Abolish so it isn't really something for White Trash.

I've never actually played D&D before and would love to learn. I have a few friends that play but scheduling is too much of an issue. I would really like to DM because I love world building but I think I should get a feel for the game first. Playing a game seems to be the best way to learn it.

Yeah a double thorn for 4 would be too good/annoying. I could see the mini-ban getting played as well while not being overly oppressive in vintage. It's another example of a card that might see 1 or 2 MD/SB slots.

I was thinking maybe as a 1-of but probably not more than that MD. It's not something you really want to draw more than 1 of against most decks but it's really effective when it lands against any deck hoping to cast creatures and it doesn't force you to pay every upkeep or waste a land a drop like Tabernacle does.

Feroz's Ban is a card that has always frustrated me because it's an interesting sphere effect that would be perfectly at home in shops if it weren't so overcosted. It's also hard to fix this by just reducing the CMC because it quickly becomes OP so I was thinking about what it would take to make this vintage playable without being overly oppressive. This is what I came up with:
Mishra's Ban 
Legendary Artifact
Creature spells cost  more to cast.

I think making it legendary balances it by not allowing multiples to stack and it also makes a lot of sense with the flavor of the original card. I think reducing the cost to by two makes it playable without being undercosted. So would this be playable and balanced?

No love for Nightcrawler? I thought that was a fantastic film and Jake Gyllenhall was amazing in it. It's one of the better directorial debuts I've ever seen too.

EDIT: This was an especially great year for film and maybe the first time that there's going to be 10 best picture nominations with no paint-by-numbers filler like The Blind Side.

I thought it was one of the stronger episodes of the season. I was also super excited to see MtG get some coverage without any easy jokes directed at the game or players. A little more research into game mechanics would've added some inside humor potential and would've been nice but whatever. I thought if, for instance, the Panda Express was running vintage tournaments that would've been funny.

Why? What's the issue with that? It's not for profit and would be necessary for including cards like Gleemox and 1996 World Champion and the dreamcast and Astral cards. I should add I have no real knowledge of how these legal issues work.

Hey all,
I've always wanted to take part in a reject rare draft and wanted to host one on cockatrice. I didn't want to use a cube format because I wanted multiple copies and Sub-rarities for the rares. That type of regular draft format for Reject Rare just seems more fun to me and allows me to put in more bad combo cards than a cube would. So ideally it would draft like any other set. I can't use Magic Set Editor because I have a mac. Does anyone have any ideas on how to do this? Would I have to make an .XML or is there another way?  Thanks in advance for any input and advice.

We just want to build a website to promote and discuss the format. You would have to play it on cockatrice and a custom .XML would be available for download on the site that would include all the legal cards, even Gleemox, 1996 World Champion, Schijifukujin Dragon and Robot Chicken which are all official WOTC cards but for obvious reasons are not included in the main cards.XML file, along with some of the minor erratas we're making like giving Timmy, Power Gamer a creature type to match Johnny, Combo Player. We're hoping to translate the Dreamcast and Astral cards as accurately as possible but it most certainly would involve errata.
Also thanks for the advice KrauserKrauser.

AddendumJust out of curiosity what do you readers feel about this format? Does it look fun? Does it need improvement?

Hi,
for the past few years a player I met on Cockcatrice and I have been putting together a new online only format using standalone sets that aren't reprint only (so no Battle Royale or Modern Masters). These sets never really had much of a format on their own and most were only legal in eternal. The sets include Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Fallen Empires, Homelands, Planechase, Planechase 2012, Conspiracy, Commander, Commander 2013, and Commander 2014, Portal, Portal Second Age, Portal 3 kingdoms, Starter/Starter99 as well as any future stand alone sets like this. We also include all official unique promo cards released by WOTC so Mana Crypt, Windseeker Centaur, Arena, Sewers of Estark, Giant Badger, Nalathani Dragon, 1996 World Champion, Szhefukujin Dragon and Gleemox will be legal in varying degrees. We also took a look at a few of the Un cards and silverbordred promos and we will allow a few them to be played legally as well. Any UN card that have effects that are impossible to emulate online, which is most of them, will be banned. Other Un-cards have special rulings made to make them work. There will be both a banned and restriced list and no rotation (currently in progress). So far games we've played against each other have been a blast. So i have faith in the format and all the unique archetypes available.
       The problem so far has been setting up a decent website on the cheap that could host a forum and have article write ups on decks, cards, and reviews of new releases. Basically I'm asking for advise on where I can host a cheap website for the format. I nor my partner have much experience in this field and I have very little money. It would also help if a judge would be willing to pitch in on some of the rulings and erratas necessary for some of the silver bordered cards as well as help with the B&R list. Any help with a good cheap website developer of quality and any input on B&R and errata would be much appreciated.

Edit: If we can get Astral and the Japanese Dreamcast Set to work those will also be included in the format.

Have you thought about Spoils of the Vault or Lim-Dul's Vault? I have a Legacy Death's Shadow deck with Spoils and I really like it.

I actually really like Eon Hub. The manacost hasn't been much of an issue and there are lots of synergies. Not only does it help upkeep costs but it also shuts off Oath and Dark Confidant. It has some nice applications with fading cards. It also prevents Mana Crypt damage which is pretty small but sometimes relevant. It works well with Pact of Negation too but I doubt that's reliable enough. I've been testing out multiple builds with Eon Hub and Stasis will post the best one once I get more testing done. I think the final build will probably include Remora as well.

I've been testing it in a deck revolving around Stasis and Eon Hub. Since Eon Hub makes you skip your upkeep it's easier to keep remora in play for longer and even have multiples out at once. Here's my list so far (still pretty rough):

4 Eon Hub
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Opal
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring

4 Mystic Remora
3 Stasis
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tinker
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
3 Mana Drain
3 Force of Will
2 Daze
1 Mystical Tutor

1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Brago, King Eternal
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Batterskull
2 Stoneforge Mystic

4 Tundra
2 Plains
3 Flooded Strand
1 Strip Mine
2 Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 City of Traitors
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Ghost Quarter

Hi! So i've been working on this format in it's different incarnations for awhile now and the basic premise is that only cards that don't come from blocks or core sets are legal. Most of these cards have never been played in an environment without power. In order for a set to qualify it has to include unique cards or be part of an ongoing product that contains unique cards. For example Planechase is an all reprint set but Planechase 2012 contains many new printings so both are legal in this format. Also any promo cards legal in vintage are legal in Standalone. I've also decided to include 2 Unglued/Unhinged cards per color but nothing too weird. I think the cards I've included will add value to the game play experience. This format has a restricted list and banned list as well as a watchlist for cards that may be too good for the format but haven't proven to be yet. You may still play with 4 copies of any card on the watchlist. Any future standalone sets should be expected to be added to the format as well.

Legal Sets: Arabian Knights, Legends, Antiquities, The Dark, Fallen Empires, Homelands, Portal, Portal 3 Kingdoms, Portal Second Age, Starter/Starter99, Commander, Commander 2013, Planechase, Planechase 2012, Archenemy and Conspiracy

Legal Promos Arena, Mana Crypt, Nalathini Dragon, Giant Badger, Sewers of Estark, and Windseeker Centaur

Legal Un-Cards:
Artifacts: Jack-in-the-Mox, & World-Bottling Kit
Red:Blast from the Past & Strategy Schmategy
Blue Mise & Magical Hacker*
White Once More With Feeling & Look at me! I'm the DCI
Green Uktabi Kong & Timmy, Power Gamer (Legendary Creature- Human Gamer)
Back Organ Harvest & Jumbo Imp
MultiWho/What/When/Where/Why?

The Following Cards are Banned
All Planes
All Conspiracies
All Schemes
Aether Searcher
Agent of Aquisitions
Amulet of Quoz
Bronze Tablet
Canal Dredger
Cogwork Grinder
Cogwork Librarian
Cogwork Spy
Cogwork Tracker
Command Tower
Deal Broker
Falling Star
Jeweled Bird
Lore Seeker
Lurking Automaton
Paliano, the High City
Rebirth
Tempest Efreet
Timmerian Fiends
Whispergear Sneak

The following cards are restricted:
Brainstorm
Imperial Seal
Library of Alexandria
Magical Hacker
Mana Crypt
Mana Drain
Mishra's Workshop
Shahrazad
Sol Ring
Strip Mine
True-Name Nemesis

Temporary Watchlist
Bloodbraid elf
Dack Fayden
Dark Ritual
Fact or Fiction
Grim Tutor
Lodestone Golem
Mana Drain
Magical Hacker
Mise
Once More With Feeling
Power Artifact
Shardless Agent
Skullclamp
Windfall

This format was modeled after old invitational formats as well as extended and modern. It's a lot of fun to play so far. Does anyone have feedback or want to post a deck idea? If you're interested in playing this format shoot me a PM. I'd like to get it off the ground if possible.

Hi!
I've been working on this format for awhile. It's called Standalone and it's Cockatrice only. Here's the website: http://mtgstandalone.webs.com
Would anyone be interested in playing an online tournament for this format?
Does anyone have feedback?
I realize the website isn't great but I have very little experience with web design and I really want to get people playing.

That would truly be living the dream.

Hi All,
Just wondering if there were certain ridiculous plays/cards/things you'd like to see happen in a serious Vintage game?
Here are a few I'd like mainly because they'd be funny but awesome at the same time. I'd like to see a Stax player drop Feroz's Ban on an aggro opponent., I'd also like to see a waste/strip activation countered by Teferi's Response, and lastly I'd like to see someone play a deck with both Mana Drain and Scattering Stroke. Sometimes on Cockatrice I'll throw Feroz's Ban into a Metalworker or Stax type deck for fun but I've never been able to cast it. Teferi's Response is actually pretty powerful and might be worthy of MD in a meta flooded with land distruction.
I'd also like to see someone cast Seedtime and I run1-2 in SB quite frequently if playing green but I've never had it come up.

So this is a deck I've been developing and testing for a little while. It's been doing ok. Most of my opponents have also been playing shop decks and this doesn't have the best mirror match-up but does well against other things. It uses Eon Hub and Stasis together for a hard lock with Blind Obedience and Tangle Wire for support. Eon Hub prevents Tangle Wire depleting but it also voids the card advantage Dark Confidant provides and keeps Oath from going off. Here's the list followed by some more explanation:

Meat Freezer
Mana:27
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Opal
2 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 City of Brass
2 Gemstone Mine
2 Rishadan Port
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Strip Mine
2 Wasteland
1 Ghost Quarter

Lock Pieces:17
2 Crucible of Worlds
3 Eon Hub
2 Blind Obedience (used to be Root Maze)
3 Stasis
1 In the Eye of Chaos
1 Trinisphere
4 Sphere of Resistance

Aggro/Draw:13
2 Sword of Feast and Famine (Untaps your lands!)
2 Batterskull (Vigilant and can be equipped to Lodestones)
4 Darksteel Sentinel (Vigilant and indestructible. The flash has been relevant too)
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Staff of Nin (underrated card I cut it but added it back for the card advantage and the fact that it kills some very important creatures)

Current Sideboard:15
2 Mindlock Orb (Big Blue and Combo it has a side bonus of messing with fetchlands)
2 Cursed Totem (comes in against Tribal/Hatebear type decks)
2 Nihil Spellbomb (Comes in against Dredge and combo)
1 Scourglass (I think this is an underrated SB card for shops in general. Here it's not as good because of the enchantments but it blows up everything but artifacts/lands so if you're playing MUD you don't lose anything to it. All you need are a couple rainbow lands. If I was playing Metalworker I might try out All is Dust as well. I use this if I'm afraid of falling behind against decks heavy on non-artifact creatures. It also comes in against Dredge and Oath.)
2 Ingot Chewer (Mostly for rods but comes in against shops too)
2 Wispmare (Mostly for Stony)
2 Choke (Comes in against anything that relies on Islands and it is beautiful)
1 In the Eye of Chaos (One maindeck to make hurkyl's and counters a bit harder for game one but one copy is not consistent enough)
1 Sword of Fire and Ice (In case I feel like I need an extra boost toward a deck that's more than Staffs can handle
So thoughts?

I like to see Chris Cunningham take a stab at A.I. He was originally going to be involved when Kubrick was set to direct it but when Spielberg took over he got pushed out and he still hasn't done a movie. A.I. had a lot of potential but Spielberg just didn't handle it well. If you're unfamiliar with Cunningham he did a bunch of music videos in the 90's and early 2000's as well as the Rubber Johnny short film. Amazing visuals but also really creepy and unsettling.
All is Full of Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjAoBKagWQA
Come to Daddy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-9UvrLyj3k
Dude really needs to make a full length movie.
Someone else mentioned Metropolis and I think he could do that film justice as well.

Grafdigger's Cage would help with the Dredge and Oath matchups. It's also good against tinker and snapcaster. I know you run two snapcaster but it would hurt you a lot less than it hurts them.

Not enough. I think I'll cut him for Inkwell and I will add Goblin Welder for sure. I was hesitant to add a third color but it actually shouldn't be much of a stretch and the synergy is great. I already cut the Drains in order to go 4/4 on Force and MM. I'll post an updated list after more testing.

I'm going to cut vault key for some more mana sources since that has been a problem. I plan on making a few other changes too. I'll post an updated list soon. Thanks for the input!

Alright so I've been messing around with Hatching Plans/Ichor Wellspring for awhile and I've found that Read the Runes works really really well with these cards. Some guys I was talking to on Cockatrice recommended Smokestack so I added that as well as Despotic Scepter. This is my current list. The deck uses Summoner's Eggs which have great synergy with Smoketstack, Scepter, Read the Runes, Tinker, and Transmute Artifact. There are lines of play like having an Emrakul imprinted on an Egg and tinkering the egg for Blightsteel or using Transmute on Ichor Wellspring to imprint a creature in your hand. I originally had two Transmutes and I'm not sure if just 1 is the right number. I'm working on a UB version too so when I get a decent list for that I'll post it too.

Blue Staxx

Lands/Mana:19
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
3 Island
3 Swamp
4 Underground Sea
2 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy

Engine:14
2 Ichor Wellspring
4 Hatching Plans
4 Read the Runes
1 Despotic Scepter
3 Summoner's Eggs

Creatures:8
3 Solemn Simulacrum
2 Myr Welder
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Emrakul the Aeons Torn
1 Myr Battlesphere


Other Artifacts:4
2 Smokestack
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key

Other Instants or Sorceries:
3 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Transmute Artifact

I don't have a sideboard yet but I'll post it when I have a better idea of one.

This the list I've been messing around with so far:

Mono B Devotion

Artifacts:
1 Black Lotus
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mox Jet
1 lotus petal
1 sol ring

Creatures/Walkers:
2 Braids
3 Dark Confidant
2 Deathrite Shaman
4 Gravecrawler
3 Phylactry Lich (I've always wanted this guy to work out somewhere he's a favorite of mine)
2 Pyrexian Obliterator
4 Liliana of the Veil

Enchantments:
3 Gate to Phyrexia (You feed them with Gravecralwers or bitterblossom tokens and Bloodghasts depending on preference)

Insant/Sorceries:
2 Imp's Michief (with a lot of Abrupt Decay around these can get very useful. I've stolen Ancestrals with them too.The life loss is usually miniscule)
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Duress
2 Mind Twists

Lands:
2 Lake of the Dead (Another card I've wanted to see work for a long time and Two Lakes might be too many)
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nix
1 Strip Mine
5 Swamp
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of Whispers or Darksteel Citadel (for Phylactery Lich)
1 Volrath's Stronghold
3 Wasteland

I haven't tested it much but I think theres an alright deck in there somewhere.
Another that might do good in a Mono B Devotion list is Vampire Nighthawk

I agree that White is probably the best color for this but I think blue and black could work too. I threw together a blue list and a black list but haven't tested them yet and probably won't for awhile. If they're worthwhile I'll post them. I like this list a lot too. I'm a big Aura of Silence fan.

Thanks! I'll have to fix that decklist. I haven't tried Magus of the Future but that card is surprisingly good so it'd be worth a shot. I kind of got frustrated and gave up on the list after awhile. It's been fun to play but in practice it's kind of clunky. Salvagers could really work too. I'll have to try them out when I get back to playing. I think I stuck a couple Read the Runes in the last list I used and I wouldn't go more than 2 since they're not always that great but when you can set up Read the Runes right it can be a blowout.

Thanks! I look forward to reading it.

Will this be readable on a nook? I plan on buying one and I can use my phone to read it but I know someone else who wants to read it and I plan on buying a copy for them as a small gift but they only have a nook for ebook reading.