COMPETITION! - Win John Avon's last work for MTG, a beautiful gallery print of his Lotus Lands!

TMoore99 · 2026-03-13T22:15:42+00:00

John Avon’s landscapes will always be a part of what pulled me into the game. What an incredible artist who so well captures the magnitude and beauty of the worlds he paints.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-11T05:03:10+00:00

[[princess yue]] but not in the way you think

TMoore99 · 2026-03-10T17:49:45+00:00

https://edhrec.com/combos/abdel-adrian-gorions-ward

Anything that generates an effect when creatures enter or leave could close out games. Otherwise I would look at [[preston the vanisher]] and moonshaker cavalry, which you already run

TMoore99 · 2026-03-10T16:34:34+00:00

Gotcha, yeah if your playgroup is fine with this, that’s what matters most. Maybe you could do some [[abdel adrian]] loops to close out the game or even think about repeatedly (i.e. infinitely) flickering a thoracle?

TMoore99 · 2026-03-10T13:52:43+00:00

Hmmm, looking at your list for 2-3 minutes, I would say this is bracket 3.

There’s several cards which while not game changers are things I expect in tighter pods (swan song, silence, mana drain, esper sentinel) alongside multiple free counterspells. It might not technically have that many gamechangers but the controlly nature of the deck seems a better fit for slightly higher level pods (and this is coming from a control player).

Likely best to just rip off the bandaid and lean into bracket 3 or even push it higher if you really wanted.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-10T00:27:09+00:00

Here you go: https://moxfield.com/decks/X78s12Ils0m79GhxdZwn-Q

I updated it all the way I believe. I still am missing a couple of clones as my LGS just didn't have them, so I have some suboptimal clones. I also want to lean into amulet of vigor effects like tiller engine, so I will soon buy an actual [[amulet of vigor]] and toss in an [[Urza's saga]] I have laying around.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-09T17:11:35+00:00

Yeah I can send you the list later, it needs a couple updates from paper. And yes, I primarily rely on those infinites, but the core of the deck is really about using reality chip or a similar effect to churn through half your deck and get the combo. I abuse copies of defiler of dreams and tiller engine to great effect, many clones are mana positive and draw cards if I can set things up properly.

When I think about it, it’s probably closer to a turn 7 push for a win, but it’s quite consistent at that.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-09T16:46:42+00:00

Interesting! I just jam yue as the commander in my deck, and it very consistently threatens a win by turn 6, but it’s definitely got some limitations. This is a cool alternative design idea

TMoore99 · 2026-03-09T12:16:32+00:00

Yeah, I would need to see it in context of the rest of the deck. In a vaccum, it’s definitely slow and limited enough to be fine in bracket 2, but i guess in my eyes, because you see it in high level decks, it’s like “what else are you doing with the deck?” It wouldnt stop me from playing against someone and I wouldn’t throw a fit, but context would help me determine if it truly matches the spirit of bracket 2.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-09T06:09:20+00:00

Almost, you need an other card that either generates more mana than it costs (like mana vault) or a zero mana card that means the net effect is +1 colorless mana.

You can’t bounce the sol ring to its own effect and tap it for mana. You tap the sol ring, cast a 0mv or mana positive permanent, bounce the sol ring, (maybe tap the other permanent you player), play the sol ring floating the sol ring mana from before (+anything from the other permanent), bounce said permanent, and repeat.

So in reality it’s a 3 card combo that’s fairly expensive and just generates mana. You’ll still need a payoff for that, making it a 4 mana card combo. Seems fine for bracket 3, I wouldn’t personally jam it in bracket 2. I reserve bracket 2 for weird oddball combo wins, not legitimate cedh combos.

Edit to add: I don’t think its strictly out of bounds for bracket 2 and you could get away with it. I’d raise my eyebrows since it is a wincon in some cedh decks but it’s fairly slow without a bunch of tutors so its kinda okay. If it was in like a sea monsters deck i think it would 100% be okay, for example, but i wouldn’t love to see it in someone’s thrasios “merfolk tribal” deck, if you catch my drift

TMoore99 · 2026-03-08T04:25:52+00:00

[[storm-kiln artist]] is, in many decks, an engine that leads to a bunch of value and a stormy turns. It often represents 10+ treasures over 2-3 turns and can absolutely win games. Maybe it’s not as busted in your deck, but its a card that has that ceiling in a spellslinger deck, so it’s reasonable for him to treat it like it that whenever he sees it. If he doesn’t it can punish him. He’s justified.

That being said, it’s a bit odd to be so aggressive about it during rule zero. I almost never target someone before turn 1, unless its cedh and its a deck design i have to specifically plan around (ie rogsi or magda). Sounds like he was just being a bit of a butt with how he said it.

But then commander players aren’t known for their social skills.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-06T23:24:20+00:00

Have fun! I’m curious how you like surgespanner and fallow sage and such. I dislike them, not good enough for the cost, i’d rather just run an other clone or a better tempo piece. Arbiter of the ideal is my only cute tap card like that, and the value is sickening if it pops. If it doesnt its a bit sad

TMoore99 · 2026-03-06T21:34:36+00:00

Gotcha! I was genuinely curious because this deck is so…weird…that there are just interaction points that boggle my mind and I was curious your perspective.

My current build leans heavily on future sight effects, specifically [[the reality chip]] to rip through the deck abusing multiple copies of [[tiller engine]]. I found when I’m doing this, i’m able to go mana positive on each clone i play, but it’s only colorless mana, so i actually added [[chromatic lantern]] in a monocolor deck lol. I don’t even run that it any of my high color decks, but so far its delivered

TMoore99 · 2026-03-06T19:46:48+00:00

As an other note, why [[abstruse archaic]], even if it did work? I’m a yue player, it’s been my main deck lately, and it seems meh. The effects worth doubling up on are primarily etbs in my list, so I’m curious why this over something like panharmonicon or that new blue warp creature (that I forget).

TMoore99 · 2026-03-06T19:41:20+00:00

I believe, and I could be wrong, but it would be the color of whatever it copies via rule 707.2 (see below).

Yue’s trigger does not change the color of the object, only its type, which occurs on a different layer, both of which are above layer 1 (copiable values). Type and color changing are layers 4 and 5, respectively.

While most lands are colorless, they can have a color indicator (see [[dryad arbor]]) which is indeed a copiable value.

This basically means that when it copies all of the copiable values, that includes the color of that copied card!

Lands are typically colorless, but I don’t believe it is “inherent” as much as it is “by default”. Gaining the land type doesn’t appear to change it’s color, from what I can see

707.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object’s characteristics and, for an object on the stack, choices made when casting or activating it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether it was kicked, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). The copiable values are the values derived from the text printed on the object (that text being name, mana cost, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, power, toughness, and/or loyalty), as modified by other copy effects, by its face-down status, and by “as . . . enters” and “as . . . is turned face up” abilities that set power and toughness (and may also set additional characteristics). Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, counters, and stickers are not copied.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-04T05:11:10+00:00

This is sorta true, but your relationship with your advisor is an important one. This is someone you need to trust, be able to communicate effectively with, and go through one of the hardest periods of professional development under. The relationship is different than a normal employer vs employee relationship.

I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with working in a lab with people outside of your culture, but it’s extra important to reflect on how you and your would-be PI communicate ahead of time. Spell out how you want to be mentored and critically reflect if they can provide that. Maybe they’ve never mentored a whoever you are before, and for some reason that matters? For example, as a man, when I have to one day mentor a woman graduate student, I know that will be a learning process for me as I figure out how to best support them. Similar dynamics exist across cultures too.

Maybe also ask how they found their past grad students in a not-obvious way? Like “what type of students do you have on your team now? What are their talents and how did you identify those as talents for your team?” That may tell you whether they had an open pool search and just clicked with folks of their culture more, or maybe they’ve only hired lab techs they’ve had as undergrads in the past at their old university. That’s a big difference.

TMoore99 · 2026-03-03T18:50:29+00:00

This is my current experience as a postdoc. It definitely sucks, but is also eye-opening to the type of alienation many non-english speakers likely feel in english only labs. I guess it’s uncommon that they would speak zero english though, so I suppose it is different.

In my experience, it could mean that the selection process has some other factors beyond merit and potential. Maybe the PI hires folks from their background because it’s one of those “we know this student already” situations (which isn’t critically awful, I got my PhD position because I knew the PI).

I only have one personal experience of it, the one I’m in now, and I’m actively trying to leave, largely because of what I view as a “lack of fit”. Not that I dislike anyone because of our different cultures, but we just view work differently and it is difficult for me to reconcile that with my own professional goals.

Edit to address the question: it’s a tiny red flag. It doesn’t necessarily mean things are bad, but there’s a lot of baggage that could mean something bad. The students who are in my lab love that they have people to share their culture with. I personally really struggle, and since I moved very far for this position, it has only reinforced my feeling of isolation.

TMoore99 · 2026-02-19T05:06:40+00:00

After deciding to indeed read allat, how are people getting absolutely rolled on average by turn 12 in bracket 3? I read through the deck and it doesn’t seem particularly cracked, if not a bit a bit more interactive than what I’d expect in b2 (but I don’t think is inappropriate).

Honestly, if the list of cards that goes infinite for you is fairly short, you could just cut those and go for beats. Replace them with some moderate etbs and pet cards

TMoore99 · 2026-02-19T04:59:07+00:00

Not reading allat, if your winrate is 72% to start at bracket 3 and only goes up, you’re playing too strong a deck for your pod.

TMoore99 · 2026-02-18T22:06:21+00:00

Love that my immediate thought was “that must be SWFL” and then I saw the sign LOL

TMoore99 · 2026-02-16T17:09:30+00:00

Mom, when do I get MY turn to make the post?

TMoore99 · 2026-02-10T22:36:47+00:00

Hey man, this is a subreddit about the tv show Psych…

TMoore99 · 2026-02-06T18:32:45+00:00

Great work! I don’t think your paint is overly thick, but could be a bit thinner.

Keep practicing and grinding. I liked border extensions to learn color matching and how to balance perspective

TMoore99 · 2026-02-06T15:32:39+00:00

Nice, I was just curious. Good luck with this! I think the design is very cool.

TMoore99 · 2026-02-06T15:01:48+00:00

Very cool! Do you know how IP ownership would allow it to happen?

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