highlander...what's going on?

[effang]

how come there is so little highlander news or posts...
it's becoming hot stuff in my area, and i would really like a chance to learn how people are building/playing their decks.  i know SCG had a few tournaments, how come those deck lists still aren't available?

thanks

[leviat]

Contact kl0wn or Kowal, I think they've been working on some sort of "underground highlander movement".

[VinceHerman]

Which is viewable here:
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20302
And the actual forum is here:
http://bkowal.proboards33.com/index.cgi

I posted my Rebel Highlander deck there.

[dandan]

I tried those boards but blue text on blue background is hard on the eyes!!

As I have about 15 highlander decks together at any given time (most not good - you should see the state of Highlander Type 2 MonoBlue) I think I should try to contribute.

IMHO Highlander GB is soooooo easy, so many bombs (Recurring Survival) and so many choices. You get great search, fast mana, utility, creature kill, enchantment kill, artifact kill, graveyard control, theft (that's a nice Darksteel Colossus, I think I want a shapeshifter like that) and plenty of solid P/T dudes if all else goes wrong.

[Kasuras]

how come there is so little highlander news or posts...

Although the format is rather old, it's in its infancy. Kowal's site is probably the first big step towards the growth of the format. Props to Kowal for this.

it's becoming hot stuff in my area,

Check Kowal's site for that.

and i would really like a chance to learn how people are building/playing their decks.

Playing the decks is rather hard, because you have to calculate every single thing. Although aggro isn't that hard, control and combo certainly are. Learning how to play the decks can only be done by being awake while playing and knowing every thing your cards do. Its all about being a good player really.

i know SCG had a few tournaments, how come those deck lists still aren't available?

I believe those were a different highlander format where you must play 5 colors.

I tried those boards but blue text on blue background is hard on the eyes!!

I agree. I linked Kowal to another magic forum using the same board, but he said he wants more complaints before changing it. I hope he does now.

Highlander is a very fun format, and I hope everyone joins Kowal's boards! More information from me on highlander can be found on Kowal's site.

[dandan]

I couldn't understand why there is a thread there about Colossus being broken and needing banning (it is already restricted :D ).

There are a large number of cards that can deal with it and each deck runs a large number of cards anyway. I think decks that can't deal with it or can't find their cards to deal with it are probably weak decks anyway.

IMHO Colossus isn't really the problem as you are unlikely to cast him, very unlikely to reanimate him and so you have to rely on a limited number of cards that can put him into play for you. Tinker is the strong card in the combo as a tutor and accelerant.

[Kasuras]

There are a large number of cards that can deal with it and each deck runs a large number of cards anyway.

-There is the possibility of removing it. STP and Reprociate are probably the only playable ones. That artifact remover is 4 mana and not playable in most of the decks.
-Bouncing. Only blue has bounce, and bounce is not the best way to get rid of any other creatures since you'd rather have it removed right away.
-Countering it. Again, only blue has this possibility with the exception of red having access to 2 blasts. These are probably dead versus any deck not being blue, so these should be sideboard in my opinion since a format should not be based upon a color. Creatures and artifacts are fine by me, but color is just.. discrimination.
-Stuff like Pacifism. Only white has access and these aren't the best ways to "remove" it either.

In short summary: only control has full access to get rid of a Tinkered Colosuss. Do we want a format where control is running rampant, because control is also the best deck to abuse Tinker? I certainly don't. Perhaps your opinion is different from mine, I'd love to know why.

I think decks that can't deal with it or can't find their cards to deal with it are probably weak decks anyway.

All the mono aggro and control decks don't have access to get rid of a Colossus with the exception of mono blue and perhaps parfait. All the mono decks with a splash certainly have a bigger chance of getting rid of it, but should probably run blue in such a way that it is not a splash towards blue but blue splashed with something else. That means every deck should have a blue base with splashed colors and white is definitely a color that should be added too.

Finding a Tinker is less hard than getting rid of a DSC.


Tinker is probably a good tutor without DSC, but not as good as it is now and not ban worthy.

But please, lets move this discussion to Kowal's boards.

[dandan]

I would if I could read blue on blue and if I hadn't got an error when I tried to register.

Duplicant and Faceless Butcher take Colossus out pretty well, colours like Red have stuff like Threaten if they suspect fat (fast beatdown + Threaten = GG), there is oddball stuff like Relic Barrier, Helm of Obedience/Possession, good old fashioned Pacifism/Spirit Link/Moatt/Humility for White, Maze of Ith for anyone.

I agree that only Control will generally be able to remove it. Of course Combo might just go off with Colossus and the tapped Islands looking on whilst Aggro might deliver an alpha strike around (or including) the big lump. As far as I know, having a Colossus doesn't actually stop your opponent winning (the are other artifact creatures for such things).

Colossus - strong YES, wrong NO

[Kowal]

Okay, coming in loud and clear, I'll tweak the colors sometime this weekend.

[Kasuras]

Duplicant and Faceless Butcher take Colossus out pretty well, colours like Red have stuff like Threaten if they suspect fat (fast beatdown + Threaten = GG), there is oddball stuff like Relic Barrier, Helm of Obedience/Possession, good old fashioned Pacifism/Spirit Link/Moatt/Humility for White, Maze of Ith for anyone.

All cards you name can only be played as one ofs as where control has access to enough tutors to get a turn 3 DSC out. Consistent and that is good game in more than 75% of the games.

I agree that only Control will generally be able to remove it. Of course Combo might just go off with Colossus and the tapped Islands looking on whilst Aggro might deliver an alpha strike around (or including) the big lump. As far as I know, having a Colossus doesn't actually stop your opponent winning (the are other artifact creatures for such things).

As where combo can indeed win that turn, seeing Tendrils banned won't make it easier for combo since you only have 1 turn to go off. The next two turns will have counters online. Alpha strikes in turn 3? I don't think this is a thing that will happen much as where Tinkering into DSC will happen a lot.

I think it is safe to ban DSC since no archetype is killed, and it doesn't remove any of the fun from highlander. Because that is what highlander is mostly about.

And, its not a DCI list so you can take it off whenever you want and the banned list that I have in mind does not have to be taken by the letter since like.. who am I to make others heed my call?


I'm just saying DSC makes the format one where it is more about Tinkering into it than doing anything else.


I know this reasoning doesn't sound all too good, but my experience with the format and seeing that you can only run removal as a one of is enough for me to see it as a threat.

[Jacob Orlove]

Tendrils *probably* needs to be banned, though.

[dandan]

I remember my old Academy deck looked pretty much like a Highlander deck anyway. I guess Combo gains a lot from only facing 1 FoW!

[Jacob Orlove]

I remember my old Academy deck looked pretty much like a Highlander deck anyway. I guess Combo gains a lot from only facing 1 FoW!

Basically, any spell you cast resolves. We had two combo decks at the endicott highlander tournament, and they faced each other in the finals. Even CrazyCarl with a control deck couldn't stop them.

[Philatio]

I remember my old Academy deck looked pretty much like a Highlander deck anyway. I guess Combo gains a lot from only facing 1 FoW!

Basically, any spell you cast resolves. We had two combo decks at the endicott highlander tournament, and they faced each other in the finals. Even CrazyCarl with a control deck couldn't stop them.

I think in about 5 rounds, Simon and I both had about 3-4 first turn kills, not counting two tinker->colossus a piece on turn 1.  Tons of other times we resolved key spells before there were two blue on the other side of the board.  No FoW really kicks the format in the nuts hard.  Maybe you need Daze, Foil, etc. in your lists with that FoW, too.  And Duress.  Duress was good vs the combo deck every time it got cast.  Disrupt might have promise, too.  Basically, I think all of the control decks played way too few counters.  

And yes, Tendils should be banned.  Every game we won was either that or Colossus, and we also had a berserked Dryad and Wish for Brain Freeze as other options, though they were never used.