Oh God, A Post that uses Mathematics (Aka Synergies)

[JamesPr]

I didn’t know where to post this, so I posted it here.  

This is a system of laws based on card synergies.

Key

“–“ Denotes two cards that work well together, where either one card fetches the other or the cards are related or correlated (In the same bracket, one card fetching a culmination or grouping or choice out of two different cards )

“>>>” Indicates two cards where one basically brings upon the other through an alternative casting cost, or contingency.  

“+” Indicates a synergy between two cards that aren’t related (In the same bracket), but work well together.

”%” This denotes a specific % based on how much or how little of something an opposing deck is playing.  In other words metagame dependant.

“lowercase e” Usually residing after a number = Infinity of zeros after a decimal

Definitions

Bracket – A card that is in the same group as another card e.g. two goblins would be in the same group

What are some strong card synergies that haven’t found their place into competitive decks yet?  Some I’ve been stockpiling are)

Goblin Lackey  >>>Siege Gang Commander
+
Standstill
+
Gempalm Incinerator


Mana Drain
+
Nevinyrral’s Disk
+
Threshold Creatures (Werebear, Nimble Mongoose, Krosan Beast)
+
Manlands (Mishra’s Factory, Treetop Village, Faerie Conclave ect.)


Weathered Wayfarer – Wasteland, Strip Mine
+
Crucible of Worlds

Using this system we can see how the inherent synergy operates in already constructed decklists.

FCG

4 Wooded Foothills >>> 4 Taiga - 6 Mountain
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine

1 Chrome Mox
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald

4 Food Chain
+
 4 Goblin Lackey >>> 2 Siege Gang Commander >>> 4 Goblin Piledriver >>> 4 Goblin Ringleader >>> 2 Goblin Matron >>>  4 Goblin Ringleader >>> 4 Goblin Recruiter
2 Goblin Matron >>>  Every Toolbox Goblin - Goblin Recruiter - Goblin Ringleader
4 Goblin Ringleader >>> 4 Goblin Recruiter
Every Goblin - 4 Gempalm Incinerator
2 Skirk Prospector >>> Every “Potential Goblin” (Only Six real targets and one combo however with Sharpshooter e.g. 4 Goblin Warchiefs 2 Siege Gang Commanders)

As you can see this deck is very synergistic with itself, it uses a culmination of many synergies all woven together and interlaid throughout the deck itself.  

Count
15 Total Synergies

UW Fish
4 Spiketail Hatchling – 4 Cloud of Faeries – 3 Meddling Mage – 2 Voidmage Prodigy  >>> 4 Curiosity
+
4 Standstill

1 Crucible of Worlds
+
5 Wasteland – Strip Mine – Fetchland – Manlands ( Mishra’s Factory, Faerie Concalve [Reusable Creatures])

3 Null Rod
+
% Varies, Opposing Artifacts (Stops a certain percentage of their deck, which makes this a metagame dependant card)

4 Force of Will
+
% Varies, Opposing Spells

2 Swords to Plowshares
+
% Varies, Opposing Creatures

1 Ancestral Recall
+
Blue Mana ( 14 Lands, counted Fetchlands Approximately .233e of deck)

1 Time Walk
+
Creatures (14 of them, approximately .233e of deck)

2 Stifle
+
% Metagame Dependant (On how many useful abilities you can stifle in your metagame, I’m sure any meta can find a lot)

Count
11 Synergies Calculated, .23e twice, and a 4 synergies that are metagame dependant.
15.46e Total Synergies

This uses slightly more synergies than FCG, but four are metagame dependant.

(Using Vegeta’s Five Proxy Decklists)


Some closing remarks
A deck isn’t totally dependant on synergies, there are many different elements involved; synergies do however play a vital role in the building of a deck.  I didn’t include moxes or fast mana into this equilibrium, it generally distorts and confuses things.  I mean should I add six synergies for seven fast mana applicants and more?

An example would be FCG’s mana base

Mana
+
1 Chrome Mox - 1 Mana Crypt - 1 Lotus Petal - 1 Black Lotus - 1 Mox Ruby  -1 Mox Emerald
+
Non Mana Enhancing Spells

Should I add synergies for this?  Fast mana is vital in combo, and the synergies it provides are also important.  

*If my logic is bad be nice, I’m just a sick kid with an 11th grade math level.  Only a blank or someone with more time than me could get this list 100% accurate, I alas am not one of the two former therefore I’m posting this on a forum for critique and help.  Also my English wording may be high, but I probably made a few grammatical errors in this post.  (Probably some in that very sentence)

(Using Vegeta’s Five Proxy Decklists, I wanted to post this here so I’m sure he won’t mind me using a couple decklists in my synergy theorem.)

[Magi]

Only a superhuman or someone with more time than me could get this list 100% accurate

or a SUPERCOMPUTER perhaps?!?!!1

I would expect this from the good Doctor, but from you?!!




just kidding


It's quite clever, although I don't know if it would actually serve any meaningful purpose. I'm also trying to think of cards off the top of my head which will cause you problems with your "system" but alas I can think of none.

regardless, this was cool.  

[Aaron]

It's an interesting system for visualizing how well your cards work together, the problem being that it only complicates the situation, and does not simplify it.

I see this as a small scale example of trying to write an equation for nature - Maybe it can be done, but the end result doesn't actually help you break it down to analyze it. This technique may be useful to evaluate already existing decks, but I think it would be a terrible idea to try to build a deck from scratch based on it.

You get my drift?

[JamesPr]

I see your response Aaron, and what I'm thinking about is a giant food chain.  The pieces all fit together, but it doesn't explain how it happens in nature or why which complicates things.  It just says this works well with this ect, some cards even have better synergy than others which this list doesn't connote.

Thanks for the positive feedback, A deck wouldn't just be a couple synergies thrown together though it would be a giant span of synergies.  10+ and you have a decent deck, I think.  Still there's some stuff like the manabase I'm neglecting.

Magi changed that word to blank, it did sound a little arrogant.