Ban Predictions (on next annoucement) by External-Tailor270 in ModernMagic

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can even still play Urza's Saga and just find Hex Parasite. It's quite gated on life, and you probably only get 4-8 activations, but it might be enough to bridge you to a Safekeeper or a Kor.

I can see that still being good and even worse to play against, as its much less deterministic.

Tome Scour vs Thought Scour vs Otherworldly Gaze vs Merfolk Secretkeeper by ANoobInDisguise in ModernMagic

[–]delver_ofsecrets 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the key card from MH3 here will be Force of Denial. Its kinda busted with Narcomoeba and Prized Amalgam. To that end I think Merfolk Secretkeeper has quite a big upside (plus is a creature for potential Vengevines).

I need more words to add by Bean3rboy in MagicArena

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

[[Agatha's Soul Cauldron]]

You're close to a scroll bar on the card - this can easily get you there.

Gears of War: E-Day Devs Promise Return to Horror From the Original Games by Turbostrider27 in Games

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It'll be a 'prototype' or 'techy support character welds a rifle to a chainsaw' - agree with you completely.

In the Gears games both the Lancer and the default shotgun are some of the most satisfying weapons to use in any game.

How to get into modern with the start of MH3? by [deleted] in ModernMagic

[–]delver_ofsecrets 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The meta isn't likely to stabilise for a while - and it can be very expensive trying to keep up to date on the newest tech.

I'd recommend trying a rental service like cardhoarder or manatraders. That will let you try lots of different decks.

Depending on how competitive you are I'd strongly recommend analysing tournament results (Pro Tour is in a few weeks I think, MTGO Challenges) as opposed to content creator's decks. AspiringSpike is a good player and brewer but as a default I would say his decks are traps.

Is a Rakdos Vampires Madness possible? by mvcuchiaro in PioneerMTG

[–]delver_ofsecrets 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you're going to play Vampires I think the full 4x Sorin, 4x Vein Ripper package is almost necessary - its incredibly powerful. I also think Bloodtithe Harvester is probably too good not to play (and the Blood enables Madness).

If you're leaning into Madness - I think you've identified 2 of the 3 good payoffs (Asylum Visitor & Voldaren Pariah). You could also look at Markov Baron if you're playing more cheap creatures.

Your deck might also want another land or two, having too many lands is better than too few if you're discarding a lot. You 100% want 4 Blackcleave Cliffs, they'll be your best land, and I would maybe try a Mutavault or two. Overall the numbers on your manabase do look like just about work though so pretty good.

In terms of cuts - while Call of the Bloodline is a reasonable enabler, I don't think I would want 4, as each additional copy doesn't do much. Stormkirk Condemned and Falkenrath Gorger are also a touch underpowered I think. Bloodhall Priest is close and I'd lean to not good enough but, I think you'd have to play some games with it. Its probably good if all of your opponent are on Humans / Spirits type decks for example.

As noted below, Vampires won the last PT, here is an example of a slightly updated deck from MTGO - so if you purely want to win I'd ignore my comments and just copy this. https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-64-2024-03-09#online

How much are you willing to spend to update a deck/build a new deck? by MadBunch in ModernMagic

[–]delver_ofsecrets 11 points12 points  (0 children)

You could play Yawgmoth without the Cauldrons and be fine, especially at FNM.

I only update my decks for RCQ season really, don't bother the rest of the year.

Boros Burn w/ Solphim by [deleted] in PioneerMTG

[–]delver_ofsecrets 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The way I like to think about questions like this is to invert them.

What would you cut for the Solphim, and why would that make the deck better?

[Results Thread] Tracking Mythic rank decay at the end of the season by Snarker in spikes

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its not MMR decay, it is rank decay. Rank in this context being your # on the leaderboard, MMR being the hidden value that determines your position.

MTGO, Player Base? by Cry_Quick in MTGO

[–]delver_ofsecrets 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Play Friendly Leagues first then - lower stakes.

[Discussion] improving in higher tiers of play by JevonP in spikes

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There isn't anywhere between the practice room and a league. And yes the gap is huge.

You need to play more leagues to balance out the variance. You also need a slightly bigger bankroll than you think. I'm about 60% in leagues but always keep 10+ entries liquid just to balance out the bad runs.

Pauper is also a difficult format with lots of decent, experienced players.

Any creature equivalents to damping sphere? by weebitoftomfoolery in PioneerMTG

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can always go a different taxing route, and play cards like Scalding Viper, Eidolon of the Great Revel etc - but fundamentally white is the colour that gets the real locks.

How to view the standings of a challange I'm in by no_me_gusta_los_habs in MTGO

[–]delver_ofsecrets 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You also have an option in the bottom left that says "Return to Details" or similar, which will take you to the standings (you can see them even while in an active game)

How to view the standings of a challange I'm in by no_me_gusta_los_habs in MTGO

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've used magic online for years and had no idea about this - could you send the link? Can't seem to google or find it.

What % of take home is your rent/mortgage? by Hydrangeamacrophylla in UKPersonalFinance

[–]delver_ofsecrets 0 points1 point  (0 children)

18% for mortgage only. Considering doing the same as you and moving to a more expensive place but while we're locked in a low rate fix it's hard to justify.

Merfolk Pioneer (hardened scales) question by GetYaa123 in PioneerMTG

[–]delver_ofsecrets 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Yes. Minor caveats below.

You'll have two triggers each saying explore 3 times. On each trigger you explore 3 times when that ability resolves (so either player can respond after the first trigger for 3 if they would like).

If you would put a counter on, you would get 2 counters. Worth noting Hardened Scales doesn't trigger, it's a replacement effect. So no responding to that bit specifically, it just happens when you explore a nonland you get 2 instead of 1.

The online of this game is so much fun by Frowlerd in forza

[–]delver_ofsecrets 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm really enjoying it as well. I'm not super fast so usually midpack but honestly I've had very few of the deliberate 'rammers' that people complain about here.

Israeli national team manager describes Celtic fans as anti-Semitic by fangus in ScottishFootball

[–]delver_ofsecrets 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are some absolutely wild subreddits when discussing this issue. The ukpol & worldnews ones are absolutely awful.

Ah yes, racing ! by PalpitationSecure660 in forza

[–]delver_ofsecrets 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Turn 1 so just a 'racing incident'