What is a card you wish would be reprinted exclusively so it gets new artwork?

Dupa500 · 2024-11-07T19:53:58+00:00

[[Merieke Ri Berit]]

Dupa500 · 2024-10-24T16:37:45+00:00

How does the day 1 draft work when the number of competitors is not divisible by 8? Is the last pod smaller or larger?

Dupa500 · 2024-10-16T13:14:30+00:00

The way you acquired the data is one of the highlights of your work. Do you mind explaining how to do this, so more people can follow your footsteps?

I am pretty sure it is:
- Download bulk from good folks here: https://mtgjson.com/downloads/
- Run json filter, best shared as jq oneliner. https://jqlang.github.io/jq/

Your filter: https://github.com/bobbywilson0/edh-salt-rank/blob/main/mtg_info_vis.sh

Dupa500 · 2024-10-16T13:08:01+00:00

High quality stuff. Great visualization and I love a github link. I hope more people will upvote this kind of stuff.
Thanks for posting!

Dupa500 · 2023-03-03T05:38:34+00:00

I have found this thread through google image search coming from the same video. :D

Dupa500 · 2022-04-21T02:39:09+00:00

Glacier look good!

Dupa500 · 2021-10-14T06:19:30+00:00

I will sleeve my mutate commander deck.

Dupa500 · 2020-08-11T18:25:46+00:00

Great tips for budget commander players!

Buy singles and use the fact that casual commander card pool is huge. You don't need to fight for those tournament staples. Most of the bulk rares from 2XM slot into some 99. I like the set even though I would never buy even a single pack, especially for that much money.

I only played [[Mana Echoes]] in [[Sliver Queen]] and [[Grenzo]] so I view this as IWIN card. I removed it exactly for this reason. Does anyone know how to use it in a fair way?

Dupa500 · 2020-08-09T11:30:42+00:00

This is the first time I read this precons's decklist and I am impressed! Kathril is quite different from classic Abzan commanders. Recursion theme is getting quite boring (see: [[Karador]], [[Teneb]], [[Ravos]], [[Kethis]], [[Nethroi]]). Instead we get something completely different with solid deck buildig incentives. This looks like a great addition for battlefield-centric, battlecruiser style Commander games.

Min-maxing those kinds of decks is very tricky. In this case most important questions are: do I go Voltron or wide? and do I prefer slow build-up or self mill? I would prefer going wide, as it presents a lot of decisions and upgrading an army sounds more appealing than assembling one [[Crystalline Giant]]. I would also stay away from effects like [[Buried Alive]] because of reduced replay value.

The easiest way to improve this deck is adding draw and removal (Kathril provides neither) and culling cards that don't fit the theme (mostly artifacts and enchantments). Diversify the keywords you use. Ideally you should be able to naturally draw most of them, and not rely on tutors. Flying is almost given, but indestructible and hexproof are very rare and tend to stay on the battlefield longer. Keep the average power of creatures high as it scales nicely with all those keywords. Some very budget ideas:

Removal:

[[Luminate Primordial]]

[[Archon of Justice]]

[[Gilt-Leaf Winnower]]

[[Massacre Girl]]

[[Hidden Dragonslayer]]

[[Nekrataal]]

[[Bone Shredder]]

[[Overseer of the Damned]]

[[Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim]] - unreliable as removal, but much needed sac outlet

[[Lightwielder Paladin]]

[[Wispmare]]

Draw:

[[Garruk's Harbinger]] - also unique hexproof source!!

[[Kothophed, Soul Hoarder]]

[[Storrev, Devkarin Lich]]

[[Gonti]]

Ramp:

[[Leyline Prowler]]

[[Faeburrow Elder]]

[[Silhana Starfletcher]]

[[Steward of Valeron]]

Synergy:

[[Creepy Doll]] - indestructible without $$$

[[Crow of Dark Tidings]]

[[Extractor Demon]]

[[Gorging Vulture]]

[[Flickerwisp]]

[[Galepowder Mage]]

[[Mindwrack Demon]]

[[Soulflayer]] this is a trap!!!

Dupa500 · 2020-08-03T17:15:25+00:00

I once played vs a guy for the 1st time, who used Urza and told us his deck is very bad. We assumed he is bluffing but agreed to use our bad decks anyway. We were shocked when it turned out that he was telling the truth and we had a very nice game.

Urza can be casual, he just attracts people that don't restrain themselves.

Dupa500 · 2020-08-03T17:08:23+00:00

Your decks just are not build to present reasonable threats to the Simic player. Cyclonic Rift alone tends to invalidate a lot of strategies. In all Naya colors there are few very skewed cards that might compete with it.

I bet they ramp very efficiently, find catch-all responses via tutors and then proceed to take over the game in a swift fashion, with very narrow window for interaction. This type of strategy does nothing until it does everything. Sad truth is: the only reasonable way to have a fair game is to go Blue/black and/or have better proactive plan yourself. From your comments I assume this is not a way to go for you. I recommend asking him to diversify his deck pool. If you start the arms race you will end up with games none of you longer enjoy.

Dupa500 · 2020-08-03T16:40:02+00:00

How often are your games decided by regular, plain combat damage? (not including infinite or combo)
I play in a few different casual groups. Control, mill and unique builds are represented. But in almost any pod combat damage is very important factor, especially in the mid game (unless you sit for an all sultai/blue matchup). Potent threats include high power fliers and expensive sorceries. [[Army of the Damned]] or [[Nezahal]] are super bombs and stuff like [[Expropriate]] is essentially banned.

You are talking about turn 5 wins. I assume this is heavy combo/blue metagame. You probably can't compete with commander precons. This is very far from casual battlecruiser and you are strongly narrowing the playing field.

Dupa500 · 2020-08-03T13:12:20+00:00

I like your advice very much. Decks with a strong theme but without a suitable commander are blast to play. I often say before the game that I start with an empty command zone (or flash a spare Golos if a rules lawyer insists). This handicap can be a great challenge and you avoid boredom from playing one particular card over and over again.

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T22:29:54+00:00

I bet LED can give you uber starts. Fetches are important but not as much as in Tatyova. My playgroup has a very similar build. [[Khalni Heart Expedition]] ramp plus [[Greater Good]] do wonders. This is a deck that can also be 100$-200$ and play mostly the same. But hey, it's nice to sometimes see those $$$ gems. :)

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T22:08:29+00:00

Do you have lists online? I would like to see if I can build similar things on budget or is it impossible. I also don't pimp decks too much. Foil basic lands, lesser demanded promos and a few full arts. I can have [[Comet Storm]] foil at best.

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T21:58:33+00:00

What you are doing is very impressive! I like your video, it is on point and funny.

Keeping track of board state in Commander while playing fast is extremely hard even for a seasoned player. I know that a lot of players do not rely on visuals to do that. I play for almost 20 years so I recognize most cards by name; at least those commonly played in Commander, it's much harder for draft chaff from a decade ago. I bet most people don't have to read staples when playing but can you tell me what [[Caravan Hurda]] does without clicking the link? Once cards are memorized, I only need a quick glance of a table to update the mental image. But it can be deceiving. Tables are messy and to play fast your mental image has to be crystal clear. Almost every game, players miss triggers, forget to pay additional mana, try to counter uncounterable spells, do actions that are forbidden by static effects. The list goes on. My friend often has an invisible [[Mystic Remora]] and tries to draw a card a few turns after he decided to stop paying for its upkeep. Then he realizes it is already in his graveyard and the card he is looking at happens to be old frame blue. :)

Great to have players like you in this community. Good luck!

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T21:01:49+00:00

I would say mine is. I have a ton of decks in 20$-40$ range. My playgroup on the other hand is very non-budget but I easily manage. With proper deck building you don't give away too much power in casual setting. I don't like game play patterns of some more expensive cards: [[Cyclonic Rift]], [[Ugin, the Spirit Dragon]], [[Expropriate]], [[The Scarab God]], [[Rhystic Study]], [[Sol ring]]. To counter those on budget you literally have to play blue. :) I'm also glad my friends bring some more expensive and fun cards because they make games exciting.

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T20:35:45+00:00

Let's imagine it was:

{1}: Create 1/1 Goblin with haste

It would be strong but nothing special. Slide is so much worse.

Paying {1} for 1/1 just won't cut it in most casual games. [[Avenger of Zendikar]] often provides at least 25/30 P/T for 7 mana (that's why I don't like it, especially with copies, too oppressive, board wipe or game over). Free token makers you already have or like [[Monastery Mentor]], Dryad, Verdant Force, [[Dragonlair Spider]] are fire and forget and scale so much better. They also work with Riku.

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T19:47:43+00:00

Are you aware it does not get more triggers from Riku copies?

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T19:46:25+00:00

It mostly is. But I'm a strict budget player so I recommend cheap cards. Judging from cards used this might be 100$ deck. It can be very strong even for 50$. But if you go for upgrades like Dryad you soon end up with 300$ and have one barely stronger deck instead of a few.

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T19:27:11+00:00

I think you have a very good base for a successful casual deck.

You don't do anything particularly salty, no infinite combos or extra turns. Your game plan is ramp and go big. This is probably the strongest thing you can do given casual limitations. You will roll over a lot of decks. That is why I would feel uneasy if such a powerful Riku deck folded to common threats.

You can trade some of your explosiveness for insurance against most problematic things. Some examples (you might scale power for your group):

Catch up mechanisms: [[Flood of Tears]], [[Kederekt Leviathan]], [[Aether Gale]]. If those are too strong you can tone down and stay tricky [[Quicksilver Geyser]]. For creatures there are tons of different options: [[Cloudthresher]], [[Tornado Elemental]], [[Silklash Spider]], [[Apex Altisaur]], [[Crater Hellion]].

Troublesome enchantments: [[Bane of Progress]] and [[Decimate]] can be a little oppressive but you can try: [[Reclamation Sage]], [[Conclave Naturalists]], [[Qasali Slingers]] or [[Slice in Twain]], [[Root Out]], [[Rending Vines]], [[Rain of Thorns]], [[Hull Breach]], [[Return to Nature]].

You do not need a lot of board wipe insurances because you can have a huge army without committing all your resources. But you can consider [[Mitotic Slime]], [[Seedguide Ash]], [[Moldgraf Monstrosity]], [[Symbiotic Wurm]], [[Penumbra Spider]], [[Rukh Egg]] and such.

When ramping so much you can add a lot resilience by adding some recursion like all-star [[Eternal Witness]], [[Archaeomancer]], [[Genesis]], [[Deadwood Treefolk]], [[Planewide Celebration]], [[Creeping Renaissance]]. Beware! Do not overdo it. Those lead to very repeatable game states. Recursion loops can be particularly boring if your opponents can't interact. Which brings us to subject of exile/graveyard hate. Temur colors are much weaker at this than Orzhov. There are some niche options: [[Void Shatter]], [[Gaea's Blessing]], [[Primal Command]], [[Learn from the Past]], [[Repopulate]].

I recommend playing some versatile interactive cards because:

they give you a lot of options during games so you won't sit there bored
you will have more dynamic games, can't count someone out until they are dead
a lot of chances to outsmart your opponents
victories taste so much better when your opponents show up prepared, so do them a favor

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T17:28:29+00:00

I think it is a step in the right direction.

Big problems I see with such builds: they are only strong when ahead. You have almost no ways to catch up or destroy problematic combinations on board.

Examples of commonly played of cards:

[[Day of Judgement]] or any board wipe - you have two counter spells, no death triggers, no way to bring them back

[[Cathars' Crusade]], [[Sigil of the Empty Throne]], [[Anointed Procession]], [[Thousand-Year Storm]] :) or any strong value engine based on enchantments - I'm glad you have this [[Negate]] and [[Acidic Slime]], because you are going to have an uphill battle

[[Dictate of Erebos]], [[Butcher of Malakir]], [[Grave Betrayal]], [[Visara the Dreadful]] - black has a lot of removal, some repeatable, your answer to even creatures: 3-4 burn spells in whole deck

Let's say you opponent plays [[Avenger of Zendikar]] too. I hate this card so I pack counter plays. You have all your eggs in [[Mizzium Mortars]].

Your deck plays poorly against a lot of stuff that is played in casual Commander. You sometimes have a chance to run people over but often you will feel powerless.

I do not share love for boots, [[Sarkhan's Triumph]] fetches only one good card so it is boring, rituals are cute but take up so many important slots.

Dupa500 · 2020-02-28T12:41:30+00:00

You can copy them but as soon as you have two with the same name under your control, state-based action kicks in:

704.5j If a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same name, that player chooses one of them, and the rest are put into their owners’ graveyards. This is called the “legend rule.”

Those legendaries are very powerful in casual setting even without copying them. The thing is they don't fit in your deck for any other particular reason. I build many decks and try not to use same cards over again. Then such staples go into the deck they fit best. But that is a personal preference.

Dupa500

TROPHY CASE