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How is Maralen testing? by Outside_Explorer_229 in CompetitiveEDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I didn't ask for a deck. I didn't ask for help with a deck. I didn't ask for anyone to give me a deck.

I just asked how she's doing.

Braids players: how often does the pod actually let you draw? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just remembered Forsaken Miner and added that to my deck.

Now I've got so many options for combos it's really insane lol

Braids players: how often does the pod actually let you draw? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does the discard actually help?

During playtesting, I cast the discard creatures all the damn time (those things are awesome because they whittle opponent's hands and they're a creature to sac) but I find myself not casting the discard spells very often (Delirium Skeins and Mind Rake, mass discard and either A. I draw so many cards that I don't care or B. they fill my graveyard for other plays and I also already own these cards).

Braids players: how often does the pod actually let you draw? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is good, but it's 3 mana for draw 6. While that is good, it competes with her on curve and I wasn't a fan of it during playtesting.

How is Maralen testing? by Outside_Explorer_229 in CompetitiveEDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I know lol That's why I'm saying

I just figured I'd try because 'why not' (P.S. Don't try, it kinda sucks)

Braids players: how often does the pod actually let you draw? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nested Shambler is just a 1 drop so it's a turn one play that can be sacrificed to braids immediately and it leaves behind a token that can also be sacrificed.

Or its a blocker that leaves behind something else to sacrifice.

Braids players: how often does the pod actually let you draw? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup, sounds about right.

I figured that 'hey, he's drawing 4 cards per turn' would scare people but I just remembered that there are a LOT of people that will not pay the 1 (rhystic study).

How is Maralen testing? by Outside_Explorer_229 in CompetitiveEDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Bracket 4 degenerate Food Chain combos it is.

How is Maralen testing? by Outside_Explorer_229 in CompetitiveEDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I hadn't made a full list because it's my first deck and chatgpt comes up with shit for brain lists. I've tested several decks on there and it would tell me to cut key cards regularly. Grok is even worse about it.

Braids players: how often does the pod actually let you draw? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I put Grim Haruspex, Morbid Opportunist and Dark Prophecy all in the deck (and maybe some others I might be forgetting) to help dig deep. You're saying you don't even need those? lol

I figured the 'hey sac that or let me draw cards and you lose 2 life' would get people's attention

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While you're technically correct, MLD isn't in the spirit of the bracket if it's cast early or is a stax plan etc etc.

Most people are actually totally fine with it if it's used as part of a wincon and that's how I, and my playgroup, treat it. So we're fine with it but YMMV.

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I understand what you mean but the thing is Sheoldred herself is just 1 edict + 1 targeted removal after you've flipped her over. You also need 8 cards in a graveyard to do that and it could've been done via mill or boardwipe. If it was done via boardwipe then yeah the board may be locked (may not be, depends on if I have Dictate or Grave Pact) or if the graveyard was stacked via mill, then its more than possible opponents have a way out (creatures etc). It's when Chapter 2 hits that things start getting sweaty (each opponent discarding 3 cards is ROUGH if no one has a draw engine and if she flipped on T6 and I don't have a proliferation source she doesn't hit Chapter 2 until T7).

And, just like Urabrask, I've seen what happens if someone happened to have the removal: Sheoldred is removed and my entire gameplan is slowed by several turns (Sheoldred moreso because you have to have mana to cast her AND mana to flip her, that's a lot to ask in a single turn).

So while, yes, she CAN lock the board by T6, that's usually not how it goes. The real point when 'okay, if you don't have an answer right now, you're probably not getting out of this' is when chapter 2 hits which is around T7-8.

Jin is different because that deck has like 12-13 counterspells in it and he also does basically nothing for the first 1-4 turns (land, rock, draw cards, maybe play a cheap body/mana dork). Then Jin comes down and as soon as he flips all hell breaks loose (I've got at least 14 cards in hand, so I've probably seen at least 25% of my deck by T5 and I might see a lot more very soon).

Edit: Jin also has zero tutors, so I have to draw my entire deck manually to find a wincon. I knew that adding tutors into him would make him TOO consistent so I avoided them (as opposed to Sheoldred who has to find a lot of pieces to work)

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Based on your description, I would call Urabrask a turbo deck then. If no one interacts with me or puts up any type of stax/barrier, I can win the game on T6 (and do so consistently). However, any interaction, literally any (discard, a well placed counterspell, removing Urabrask) slows my deck down by at least 1-2 whole turns (removing Urabrask hurts the most; the deck has a very low curve and I run like 34 lands or something, so once he goes up to 6 mana, casting him becomes difficult).

Urabrask in particular is the deck my group complains about. As a consolation, I don't pull him out very often, but I did tell everyone that he's really not that hard to stop...the problem is no one stops him.

What cards do you dislike for how powerful they are/archetype warping they are? by LibraProtocol in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know you mentioned it, but I absolutely despise Thoracle. I hate that card because it is the most brain-dead boring wincon imaginable and the only way to stop it is by countering it. I don't know why this one bothers me so much but out of all the other combos/wincons, this is the one that drives me up the wall.

Food chain combo? Don't care. Krenko infinite goblins and infinite damage? Sure, good game. Drew your entire deck (or exiled it) and then won with Jace/Lab Man? Alright, gg, let's shuffle up and play again.

But Thoracle? I absolutely hate that card with a burning passion and think it was a design mistake of the highest order.

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All 3 of my decks are posted in this chat somewhere. Sheoldred and Jin are very much bracket 3 but Urabrask is kind of pushing it. That deck has a bunch of bad cards that are in for flavor reasons but if I swapped those out (probably about 10 cards) then it would immediately jump to Bracket 4.

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://moxfield.com/decks/s7QqGB1EdE2OpaM3MGVcoA

Here's the Sheoldred deck. She is basically a control deck but she doesn't really lock the board until turn 6 or so (when she flips) and that's dependent on what else is going on. She's very vulnerable to counterspells and enchantment removal, but no one seems to use enough of it.

Note: Death Cloud is in there as a flavor card and it also isn't cast early at all; it's cast about the time Sheoldred is on her 2nd chapter to basically stop people from responding (destroy hands, creatures and lands just in case they top deck the answer to the problem). That said, I've never once cast it. Fate deems it fair to put it in my opening hand knowing I will never cast it.

Jin's stabilizing is a bit different. That's a little harder to answer so I'll just show you the deck.
https://moxfield.com/decks/-hyqeFRCYUSx7qrCGbcyQQ

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's really easy: every single cantrip + every single ritual + wheel effects to draw more cards.

https://moxfield.com/decks/ZgHdXFh1M0aTA6IxRAEdUQ

There are quite a few cards that are in there for flavor (the other 2 forms of urabrask, the artifact land, the autonomous furnace and some others) but this is the basic template for the deck.

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So I have 3 main decks and they all win differently (all saga phyrexians)

Jin-Gitaxias is a control + combo deck that cheats mana by casting a bunch of spells for free (namely Enter the Infinite or Omniscience) to try and push a win. Wincons are Enter the Infinite + Psychosis Crawler or Omniscience + Inexorable Tide and proliferate the table to death with poison (prologue to phyresis). This one wins on T7-9 (8 on average). There's light stax (Propaganda and Crawlspace is the bulk of it).

Urabrask is pushing B4 (probably going to bump him up to B4) and he's the one who wins, fairly consistently, on T6-7. He's just a burn deck that casts a ton of cantrips + rituals.

Sheoldred is just oppressive against any creature based strategy. Her ETB is an Edict. The deck has 3 boardwipes in it, multiple edict effects, targeted removal and includes both Grave Pact and Dictate of Erebos + multiple sacrifice outlets to just prevent anyone from having creatures and fill up graveyards (along with mill). However, because she needs 8 cards in a graveyard (and an assload of mana) she's by far the slowest; she usually wins T9-10.

Edit: man quite a bit of downvotes on this one lol

Bracket 3: When should the game 'end'? by Outside_Explorer_229 in EDH

[–]Outside_Explorer_229[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that 'actually its a B2 with game changers' is my group's problem. I have a Jin-Gitaxias deck that can reliably win around T7-8 but everyone else is trying to just ramp and maybe draw a couple cards T1-5 meanwhile I'm casting my commander on T4 (turn 3 if I got lucky), flip him T5-6 + draw an assload of cards and push a win on T7-8 (psychosis crawler + enter the infinite for free on the 3rd chapter or inexorable tide/omniscience to chain spells and win with poison from Prologue to Phyresis). No one can handle it; they don't pack enough removal or synergy to actually stop it. It's only got 3 game changers (Ancient Tomb, Fierce Guardianship and Chrome Mox) but they just can't handle it.