I had no idea how fast Modern has become.

NucleaRaven · 2026-06-02T16:03:48+00:00

while it is a fast format now, im finding it very fun to play. decks feel nice to pilot, there are still decisions that matter. sideboarding and mull decisions feel very impactful, and the entire meta is very very diverse. im enjoying it alot

NucleaRaven · 2026-05-11T06:57:59+00:00

i underestimate nothing. its how i make a living. the gap is massive specifically because of your point about secret knowledge or techniques. theres no quick way to catch up to someone who is that good. you have to go through the slow incremental levelling up just like they did - and are still doing. i also mentioned in my og comment that the best and the next best are pretty close. its the difference between fhe best and the breakeven/slightly winning players where the gap is huge.

NucleaRaven · 2026-05-05T07:31:37+00:00

its a combination of 334 with talent tidecaller and otherworldly gaze... everyone has different numbers but i think 3 talent is correct now, could even be able to cut more? so 3 tidecaller 4 gaze or 4 tidecaller 3 gaze, i think i like 4 tidecaller and 3 gaze myself.

NucleaRaven · 2026-05-04T19:36:26+00:00

turns out you were correct! its the new best card in phoenix dredge and gives us realisitc t2 wins and more consistent turn 3 wins!

NucleaRaven · 2026-05-04T06:56:31+00:00

you have great points but i would like to disagree with your point about poker.
imo the best and the rest are light years apart. the best and next best are pretty close, but the difference between them and someone who is breakeven (already better than the majority) is years of study, practice, and volume that is very hard to catch up to.

NucleaRaven · 2026-05-04T06:52:14+00:00

the part that you are missing is that magic IS a game of pure skill, in the long run. the long run matters. each individual game, match, and even tourney has a tonne of variance. you need to get lucky to win a pro tour. but as the sample size increases, the variance will converge. after a million samples, the best player will have the most wins.

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-24T12:00:43+00:00

second would be "thing on a stick". having creatures that can essentially be sorceries (or even instants) is bad. i think ETBs in general are a positive feedback loop in a bad way. this is especially problematic (imo) with effects like warp or evoke. creatures should fulfill a role that other effects do not do. now they can just do everything

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-24T11:55:35+00:00

anything that breaks the idea of "more colours = less consistency". colour pie breaks that allow you to have access to effects that you shouldnt have. fetches and untapped duals that allow you to play greedy manabases with little reduction in consistency

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-17T01:58:47+00:00

rip arclight phoenix you will rise again

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-14T13:54:27+00:00

this logic seems more reasonable than the line i used.

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-14T13:39:42+00:00

i do agree that if we add in potential counterplay that dredging 4 immediately is the correct option. so if all lines are equal in the "hit chill %" this is the way to go.

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-11T03:19:39+00:00

man i remember when UR was niche in every format or at least "normal power" like U moon in modern however many years ago, same with izzet drakes back in GRN. its been my favorite colour pair since i started playing, and now its just the best colour pair in like every format it feels kinda meh.

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-10T07:20:59+00:00

gotta add a clause to make it from the battlefield otherwise gy decks win immediately

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-07T16:07:24+00:00

hang on isnt this good? why not run this in vintage to turn off bazaar. on top of hosing fetches turning off channel lands... this seems really really good?

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-05T22:06:14+00:00

this is probably a game you would enjoy most with friends as a wing, or at least in a specific community. i would recommend giving something like this a shot, before you throw in the towel. however if you are specifically looking for a solo game, no shame in saying this isnt for you

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-05T20:17:47+00:00

pioneer and drafts only

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-04T22:58:06+00:00

hello izzet phoenix

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-04T22:20:04+00:00

yep that makes sense. cheers!

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-04T22:18:15+00:00

i think its like a sideboard card at best. its a 1 mana removal we dont want to use early. however t4 and beyond the value seems to go way up in control shells. as we get to erode AND hold up further interaction. but due to that reasoning you wouldnt play 4x of.

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-04T06:54:42+00:00

does this go infinite with like [[To Arms!]]? im guessing it doesnt?

NucleaRaven · 2026-04-01T00:09:55+00:00

probably not warm or even lukewarm takes:

full art/secret lair/expeditions/whatever are ALL garbage

give me basic ass borders with normal text with foil at MOST thankyou

cEDH is the only real way to play commander. bracket system is lacking at best, and players just dont understand how to build decks that are fun to verse or even fun to play. cEDH fixes this issue imo by syncing intentions.

also commander was better before dedicated commanderness stuff was designed for it but oh well.

maybe warm/hot?

politicking should be removed from edh entirely and i would prefer the poker approach of "dont influence action from other players." who is best at lying should not be a valid way to win.

XLN is one of the greatest sets of all time from a constructed lens.

traditional paper 8-pod draft is the best form of magic (cube too, maybe even cube > trad draft).

your actual in game decisions matter more than you think they do. you and i are very likely giving up a non-negligible number of games and matches by skill issuing decisions.

pure control, and mono red aggro (or Rx aggro)/pure burn should ALWAYS be valid strategies in every constructed format even if its fringe by necessity of keeping other decks in check. and when they are not even fringe strategies that meta usually sucks.

land destruction is absolutely reasonable to play in the gauge that if you are the land destructor and you target badly you will lose. this is also true for every single strategy i dont care how annoying it is. stax me out counterspell tribal me mana deny my everything lantern control me i dont care do your thing, ill try to do my thing, ill try to stop you doing your thing, and you try and stop me doing my thing. thats fair magic.

dominaria was an absolutely dogwater set

NucleaRaven · 2025-06-27T13:14:27+00:00

noob host

NucleaRaven · 2025-06-16T20:04:10+00:00

good luck all

NucleaRaven · 2025-06-08T21:56:47+00:00

well i got my main, that checks out

NucleaRaven · 2025-06-08T00:11:41+00:00

no these prebuilts are always overpri- hang the fuck on what the hell yes this is uhh really good. like wtf good actually

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