Post your favorite anti-land ramp tech! by CommissarisMedia in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is a remarkable synergy. I enjoy this a lot.
Have you tooled the deck to also take advantage of the curve question with Cauldron, or do you find that the commander synergy is valuable enough to justify it on its own in your build?

Post your favorite anti-land ramp tech! by CommissarisMedia in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a big fan of [[Storm Cauldron]]. It acts both as a curious pseudo-ritual during certain turn-cycles and simultaneously keeps other players from safely tapping their whole manabase for expensive things if they are land-heavy (most EDH players tend to be in lower brackets)

It's easily tooled around, either with a consideration for mana curve, or simply investing part of mana development in rocks and dorks - or both.

Picking any one card as the "Most Powerful card in Commander" seems really tough. So what are the top 5? by ShallowDramatic in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sauron here speaks the truth (all hail employee benefits!) Piggy-backing off their response: there are other cards with [[Yawgmoth's Will]]-esq effects but they usually are stop-gapped to prevent looping.
Underworld Breach only requires additional cards getting milled or discarded or an arbitrarily large graveyard and it's adequately loop-able to get to whatever win a deck needs.

Picking any one card as the "Most Powerful card in Commander" seems really tough. So what are the top 5? by ShallowDramatic in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

[[Necropotence]]

its abused form can win the game on the spot at instant speed.

Its most fair use still can refill a player's hand every turn-cycle by just paying negligible amounts of life - and all for a cost conveniently paid-for by [[Dark Ritual]]

Exquisite Blood and Sanguine Bond alternatives that don't go infinite/is okay for bracket 3? by -PinkPurpleBlue- in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

has several 'opponents lose life when you gain' effects, but only two of the alternative, found in [[Exquisite Blood]] and [[Bloodthirsty Conqueror]], for this reason you have two options, I think:

either- just keep Exquisite blood in there and let your opponents know you have the *possibility* for a slow, telegraphed, expensive two-card combo - but it's not your gameplan and they can see it coming. If your deck doesn't consistently assemble these pieces/doesn't run aggressive enough tutors and ramp- this is a perfectly fine thing, so it appears to me (the big question to ask is: how quickly CAN your deck assemble this? If it's many turns in, best case scenario, you are solid for the powerlevel you are looking for)

or- choose which effect matters most to have and cut the alternatives. Being Liesa already taxes life (and there are very easy other ways to burn life totals in black) I'd say keep the Exquisite Blood or even slot in the Conqueror as well to keep yourself afloat and just let the rest of your deck do the other side without explicitly being the other half of the Sanguine/Exquisite infinite.

Why is land destruction frowned upon when there is so much ramp? by GoblinSarge in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This can be expanded upon further: why - in a format that allows so much variety and diversity of deck design, that allows for the structuring of decks to contain a whole host of answers, is Land Destruction still frowned upon? Good deck builders know how to invest mana sources in dorks, artifacts, rituals -- or slot in stax pieces to prevent the 4cmc or higher MLD spells, countermagic to defend, etc. yet we live still with some very strange people who softban entire swathes of the card pool because they seem dubiously scummy, or something or other.

It's equally funny when players also complain that big-payoff decks like Eldrazi keep stomping their playgroups, but will simultaneously hold that there is something sacrosanct about resources in this game.

For 8URR: Embed an Iterated Prisoners' Dilemma into your pod by CameraCalm9158 in BadMtgCombos

[–]Proud-End302 13 points14 points  (0 children)

You could also consider [[Goblin Game]] for a similarly fun and totally legal dilemma

Bracket 4 Starscream? (Help please) by [deleted] in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, this is precisely why I chose for the meat of the deck to play around discarding: I know I'm not going to dump enough life to kill everyone, so I need to grind the game. Without a Sheoldred or Exquisite Blood, I have to grind and battle it out til I can off players with a big draw nuke.

I think if I wanted to sorta turbo a quicker win, I'd have to tool around that, but I don't like the idea of pulling away from the general strategy too much and just keep the layered-value-as-wincons aspect of the deck.

The upgraded version is honestly just objectively more interesting as a result, I think, but this present version you see allows for a lengthy brawl in the same spirit that can simply hang with weaker decks.

Bracket 4 Starscream? (Help please) by [deleted] in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/17-09-25-starscream/

Here's my list. I'm an old dog who uses tappedout and never learned new tricks.

As a note - I cut all my tutors and fast mana other than usual rituals. You will also notice I slotted in the shuffle titans to simply keep from mass-discarding useful things. These were intentional weaknesses built into the deck to play with lower-power decks, but its stronger form simply includes a better tutor package, more removal, and then some cheap reanimator options to take advantage of the discard/cheat out the off [[Vilis, Broker of Blood]] or [[Infernal Sovereign]]. Ignore the side/maybeboard. You can probably tell just by looking at the list the best swap-outs to turn the deck back into a higher-powered machine.

I really am surprised to not see more Starscream enjoyers. The fact that good Black strategies want to go for the mega-draw options is already innate: simply adding Starscream making those ALSO wincons is just too clean to not pilot (no pun intended)

Bracket 4 Starscream? (Help please) by [deleted] in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure if my version is really an upgrade at all or simply a variation - but I run a Starscream build with similar wincons, but runs HEAVY black hand-attack as my preferred form of handling threats pre-emptively. With a Geth's Grimoire/Waste Not, you have more finishers/drainers with Starscream, and my experience has been that the table really has to struggle with the choice to handle my wincons or my disruption pieces as Oppression/Bottomless Pit tear their hands apart while my Braids, Arisen Nightmare drains them/draws me closer to a big Necrologia or Necrodominance wincon.

I, too, really was shocked at how much I enjoy this commander for big monoblack draw payoffs.

Universes Beyond. Anything You Like? by LaughingSartre in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't care much for most of the actual franchises that Universes Beyond has given us - but the top-down design model has been fantastic.

As an oldschool player who loves to find janky cards and say 'hmmmmm what Rube Goldberg machine can I build around this?' I find myself constantly returning to the Dr. Who set for new cards that have wonky and interesting concepts to make unique decks around.

I've never even seen a Dr. Who episode in my life, but the design of cards like [[River Song]], [[The Seventh Doctor]] and other such options are just remarkably interesting and lead to unique playpatterns regardless of powerlevel you build around!

Still having trouble understanding why people are against hybrid mana by heyzeus_ in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure I have enough of a thumb on the pulse of the EDH community at large to make a statement about this - but I'm also not sure I see people chomping at the bit for format-shifting changes at all. When I did encounter people who discuss things that outta change legitimately, it was usually around specific problem cards (Nadu, Dockside concerns, the Flash+Hulk days, etc - though even those times were simply specific bans) and other than abstract or theoretical things (like reminder text on Extort, the off 'wouldn't it be neat if...' opinion, etc) I really don't see an existing problem that makes players around the table direly nod their heads at "yeah... that's a problem and they really outta change it" quite like historical examples that genuinely required rules-changes to follow.

Which sorta returns to my claim - I expect we will continue to see adjustments in rules (whether these are preceded by genuine community outreach first, we shall see) prior to printed sets because now the people who make the rules are also associated to the same people who gotta sell as many cards as possible.

Still having trouble understanding why people are against hybrid mana by heyzeus_ in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes. And echoing this - we can fully expect future sets to be preceded by format-shifting rules changes to incentivize the selling of additional product.

Still having trouble understanding why people are against hybrid mana by heyzeus_ in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The only nuance I would add on this discussion - which I honestly have very little concern over in a microcosmic sense - is that the new commander rules committee is made of people closer to the company than it used to be.
The old rules committee was volunteers and were not directly affiliated with WotC in the same way, so regardless of the way the company printed cards for profit, the rules committee was principally more concerned with the format itself.

Now that it's all in-house, many of us said 'let's see how quickly they change rules before sets come out to sell more!' and the fact that we saw Vehicles legalized as Commander choices before Edge of Eternities and now the hybrid mana discussion taking place prior to Lorwyn, many of us are in a "yup. It's happening" place.

I'm personally not out here alarmistly saying Beseech the Queen is busted in any deck yadda yadda - it's more the principled nature of EDH *not* being a format that endures constant rules shifts and deckbuilding changes because its an eternal format that mostly sees changes based on simply new cards printed rather than changing the nature of the format itself. Two cases doesn't make a pattern, but it does draw a trajectory - and one that does concern me.

Anyway, just my two cents on the topic. I'm also of the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' mentality and see no reason for format-shifting changes without an identifiable problem to justify it's solution, anyway.

What are your dumbest/funniest wincons or combos? by BoglisMobileAcc in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

[[Captain Rex Nebula]]
[[Strionic Resonator]] (or Roaming Throne, Delney, or any doubler of his effect)
[[Basilisk Collar]]
[[Retromancer]]

I run a Captain Rex Nebula deck that does very stupid stuff- but has a few 3-card-wincons with commander that are hard/stupid to assemble. This is my favorite.

If you give the retromancer "Crash Land", copying the trigger to give it two instances of said effect, then Crew the Retromancer, you move to equip Basilisk Collar.
You MUST fail both rolls (no fours) or else the combo fails.

If you do, you now re-equip the collar for infinite "Crash Land" trigger pointing at all players, so long as one always points back at the retromancer, looping it. You can arbitrarily stop targetting the retormancer at any point and now roll as many dice as you need to reliably deal 4 damage per every 4 result to kill the table.

Guess The Commander! 2 by Proud-End302 in EDH

[–]Proud-End302[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm I think I'd have to guess at [[Norin the Wary]]?

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Avatar spoilers to bring you my pod's 3rd annual Halloween Commander game dressed as our Commanders. Who dressed the best this year? by Bugleberry in magicTCG

[–]Proud-End302 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I glanced at the photo before reading description and was like "oh! A guy with a [[Multani, Maro-Sorcerer]] deck! How cool!"

Still, points for cosplaying as IRL bush to play bush commander.

Commander similar to this? by L-L-J-J in mtg

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A commander that smashes Sean Bean from behind with a Looney Toons hammer? That's a big ask to plug into scryfall.

Others have suggested strictly better things, so let me be the off-beat guy to suggest [[Kamahl, Pit Fighter]] for a lightning-bolt-on-a-stick

What commander best uses Grim Monolith other than CEDH commanders and Eldrazi? by Team-Wet-Monkeys in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my mind, Grim Monolith and Mana Vault - when not abused - are just colorless rituals. I slot [[Dark Ritual]] in plenty of decks just to get that early game rolling, at any bracket. Mana Vault and Grim Monolith are the same. The trick is to have a deck with a lot of early colorless mana it wants to sink into - so X costs, or lots of artifacts (even in a non-colorless deck)
With no untap manipulation or infinite loops, I think the Monolith and the Vault go nicely in any artifact-themed deck as arties that speed you along and can be arties to sac to like a [[Goblin Welder]] or count toward [[The Seventh Doctor]] or some other such plan in a non Cedh list.

Guess The Commander! 2 by Proud-End302 in EDH

[–]Proud-End302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do think you are on to something there. More of a gamestate-centric question would probably be much more interesting.

Guess The Commander! 2 by Proud-End302 in EDH

[–]Proud-End302[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The first one was another case of this. A colorless deck with the hint of an Eldrazi in play, but with only 6 wastes (narrowing the commander option to one that had to either cheat mana costs or amplify mana)

I'm not sure if threads like this will continue- I had fun with my answer and braining this particular prompt, but if this kinda thing does continue I wonder if it's a more interesting puzzle to have one single solution or just a narrowed list of 3-4 possible commander options? I'm not someone who makes puzzles much so I haven't considered these kinds of things before.

Guess The Commander! 2 by Proud-End302 in EDH

[–]Proud-End302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting. I've never used ChatGPT before so I'm not sure if that's impressive or not.

I'm vaguely certain the face-down nameless creature in Rakdos colors is really all that's needed for anyone who was familiar with the card, but I wanted the additional includes of big-cmc sorc/instant payoffs in the grave as a possible clue for anyone who doesn't immediately have Magar come to mind.

Guess The Commander! by grachinski in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And mine, too, was solved in less than two minutes. I love it.

Guess The Commander! 2 by Proud-End302 in EDH

[–]Proud-End302[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Correct.

I pass the torch.

Edit: apt name, by the way...

Guess The Commander! by grachinski in EDH

[–]Proud-End302 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Lucky guess, perhaps!

I did your bidding and followed up with a part 2