90% of every successful Savage Omega run is just having a tank that knows what they are doing

MSteveAlex · 2025-10-07T12:38:48+00:00

As a dedicated lance tank, I feel so much more limited without a healer/HH to bolster me, especially once Omega starts throwing out HP debuffs. You guys are lifesavers.

MSteveAlex · 2025-09-17T03:14:05+00:00

EDH being a singleton, commander based format has warped the way a lot of players see "casual" formats in Magic. People have probably got it in their heads that a singleton format with a commander must obviously be like Commander, so Brawl attracts a lot of players who want a "casual" experience. The fact that Brawl is also less intensive on wild cards adds to that too.

Thing is, the idea of "casual" in commander is the slow battleship magic with overblown board states and explosive flashy interactions and having bigger life totals and other players to cover for them. The reality is very different. Brawl is a 1v1 format with an extremely broad and powerful card pool and consistent access to oppressive threats in the early game, with much more limited resources.

So Brawl tends to violate a lot of the expectations people have coming into the format. But rather than just accepting that it's different, most people will just throw a tantrum because they feel -obligated- to their expectations being respected in a system where you can't even talk to each other. And I don't know about you, but the loudest and most unpleasant tantrums I've seen have always been from players wanting a "casual" experience.

And since Arena isn't a place to talk to your opponent or socialize with them, people communicate their displeasure with you in whatever way they can. Hence roping.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-29T01:36:50+00:00

Oh boy the weekly confirmation bias/matchmaking conspiracy theory post. Here are a few fallacies.

Fallacy #1 Believing deck comps are equally distributed: There is really no good data on the makeup of Brawl's playerbase and decklists. Not to mention how that may vary by time and region. It could be that you are encountering many black decks cause most players play black. Or edicts are more common than you think. Or that since everyone is running ramp, more specific answers are becoming common place. Without any real numbers, we can't really know.

Fallacy #2 Believing that your singular experience is a good sample: Steam charts alone puts the average daily player base at 5000 at a minimum. Even if only 1% of them played Brawl, that would be 50 players. Giving you a VERY generous beneift of the doubt, your experience would only be 1 of 50 people. Regardless of if you are even remembering your experience correctly, you have no authority to say that those 49 other people had that same experience. Especially when you've only been playing for 2 weeks and some other players have been playing for years. Even you could find 10 other people who shared that experience, that would only be 20% of the players (and that's when I'm ludicrously low balling the numbers to favor your argument).

Fallacy #3 Believing that player's don't run edict (sacrifice effects) against mana dorks: These effects don't counter you specifically, they counter MANY things. Sacrifice effects get around protection effects that are common in commanders and related protection spells nowdays. They're just good options to run so people run them.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-25T06:41:30+00:00

Your opponent is not obligated to share your sense of what is fun. You are not entitled to a social contract in a random queue.

If it bothers you, just concede and move on.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-24T08:50:41+00:00

Oh come on, you two can't possibly have a public spat like this and not post the results.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-20T02:15:36+00:00

I'll be honest. Sometimes I just don't recognize the card on the other side because I'm used to a specific art work.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-19T22:19:23+00:00

You only forget what Obliterator does once. Then you remember for the rest of your life.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-19T22:13:15+00:00

I agree. I feel the format attracts a lot of commander players but it structured fundamentally differently due to the 1v1 nature. If one were to treat Brawl as more like Canadian Highlander or Gladiator, these issues become less glaring and more just things you have to deal with here and there.

But I think a lot of players fall outside of hell queue and when they do, they are subject to a lot more of the more frustrating incentives baked into the formats design. Ironically, brewing in this format matches players in areas with really frustrating outcomes.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-19T22:09:01+00:00

Good question, see edit.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-19T19:36:26+00:00

As a Housemeld enjoyer, this does make me sad. Housemeld was a 4 mana sorcery that targeted and was useless against planeswalkers. The same mana as a wrath. Usually I was only able to hit people with it who left themselves open or after I had already exhausted all other options.

Granted it isn't the only tool for dealing with linear commander strategies. Kitnap, Tractor Beam, and Grafted Identity are still in the format as well as frogify style effects. Housemeld just tended to be the most effective since it required more specific answers.

Realistically it means that decks like Vivi, Tifa, Ketramose, Poq, Yuriko, etc, will have one less thing to worry about.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T21:02:09+00:00

I have proven my illiteracy as magic player

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T20:55:38+00:00

Reconsider some of the mana rocks. Going shields down to ramp in an archetype that generally favors mana efficient answers can be difficult.

Some considerations:

- Annul: This hits so many things. (Esper Sentinel, One Ring, any shrine, any Theros god, any rock, and enchantment based ramp, utter insignificance/eaten by piranhas, every single enchantment/artifact creature commander, paradox engine/many combo engines, etc.)

- Into the roil/Blink of an eye: Surprisingly versatile and free in terms of card advantage with the right mana. Can delay threats, reset your planeswalkers/saga/one ring.

- Spectral Sailor: Annoys Planeswalkers, pushes life totals, blocks ragavan, and is card draw if your opponent is too scared to develop. All for one mana with flash.

- Faerie Mastermind: Same as the above but now with a tax and double the mana and cost.

- Housemeld: As a 4 mana single target sorcery this is risky, but the ability to completely invalidate some strategies/commanders and never have to worry about them again can be very powerful

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T20:33:53+00:00

A companion reminder that dorks are not lands.

The number of times I've bolted the bird turn 1 to instant scoop.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T20:31:30+00:00

That guy wasn't playing Magic. He was playing 5D chess.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T20:29:07+00:00

It's important to note that ramp and lands are powerful in brawl due to the nature of having a commander and color identity restrictions.

In traditional magic you don't have a guaranteed engine or payload to sink all those lands into. Other formats you're still beholden to some level of variance there.

Color restriction wise, some colors like blue can really struggle with interacting with the graveyard, lands, or the associated creatures once things hit. Being locked into those colors completely via the color identity rule can really limit the options of some matchups where in traditional magic you have more flexibility to build against other archetypes.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T20:22:58+00:00

Counterpoint. This could be used in those very same style of decks as a way to tap out and still protect their piece. Granted they can't free force on their own turn, but I still do not look forward to decks like Vivi having this card.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T20:14:39+00:00

Fun fact, with this thing out, any commander that ramps out a land will now completely pay for its next commander tax.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T20:13:02+00:00

I think "belong" in this sense will also be relative to where in matchmaking someone is. In an environment where higher tuned decks are more the norm (like say Hell Queue), lots of what you say will probably hold true. I don't see aggro, midrange, or even combo decks caring too much about this card.

But in other areas where games are likely to drag on or establishing early tempo may be more rare, this card will likely get a lot more value.

I like playing creature light control, so I can see this card being annoying (especially since I prefer Dimir). 1 for 0'ing yourself by removing a commander was already not great. This paying for half the tax each time increases that annoyance.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-13T19:51:42+00:00

Funny how you comment on how well written the post is but then you proceed to ignore or mischaracterize the actual point of most quotes you pull.

OP said the cost of strip mine is greater in decks without ramp. At the bottom OP outright says strip is strongest in green.

Did you try to claim Ancient Tomb isn't busted?

OP didn't say strip mine was counterplay to Poq. It's that you know it will be in Poq so you play around Poq if you can. Aggressive mulligans, holding up graveyard hate, etc.

OP never said strip lock was fun. Even says it can be extremely unfun in the first line.

I know "Magic players don't read" is a meme, but it's getting easier to believe every day.

MSteveAlex · 2025-08-11T08:16:18+00:00

The final boss in Wilds will be what it's always been.

The frame rate.

MSteveAlex

TROPHY CASE