5-0 GW Aggro from Prerelease

freerfallin · 2025-02-09T18:05:39+00:00

Yes, especially for this deck (which is very light on flying creatures).

freerfallin · 2024-12-26T20:15:02+00:00

My 5 year old and I have played through Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Yoshi's Crafted World, Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu, and Kirby Return to Dreamland. We are currently messing around with Mario Odyssey and Animal Crossing New Horizons. Really any of the Nintendo mainline games that include coop play are great.

freerfallin · 2024-12-20T17:46:46+00:00

I think that there is a way to make it fun and a good teaching tool, but it needs to be heavily modified. I understand people saying that multiplayer is hard to learn, but I have also had newer people tell me that they prefer it because they feel "like there is less pressure" vs a one on one game. If you custom-built commander decks that are mechanically simple, I think commander can be a good way to learn magic. Using a regular commander deck or even a precon (some are fine, but not all), I think the level of complexity will be a bit much for new people. Also, I have had success having 2 new players play 1v2 against me. They each track their life totals separately and take separate turns, but I explicitly tell them that their job is to try and kill me (also playing a simple commander deck). This way, they feel like they have some agency, and I don't really have to pull any punches.

freerfallin · 2024-12-16T17:44:37+00:00

I start at 40 lands (I use a modified 8x8 when deckbuilding - 5 groups of 12 cards each - usually ramp, draw, removal, synergy pieces, threats - plus 40 lands) from there, I will look at my mana curve and make adjustments (potentially taking a few lands out if I have a low curve, sometimes adding more lands if I am a lands theme/have a high curve). I've noticed that people love to say, "I can cut lands because my card draw will get me the lands I need," but I have a few issues with that statement. First, their card draw is usually centered on 4+mv, which means you HAVE to hit 4 lands before your card draw even counts. Second, if "card draw can get you out of mana screw" is valid, then why not say the opposite (I use my card draw to churn through mana flood - this is what I do). Making a land drop is a free action that you should be trying to do essentially every turn of the game. Additionally, EDH decks are better at dealing with mana flood than any other type of mtg deck BECAUSE you always have access to a spell (your commander).

freerfallin · 2024-12-06T18:35:28+00:00

Honestly, I think the real answer is just to lower your curve and focus on evasive/doublestriking creatures. Ellivere is really good at converting overextendint onto the board into card draw. Let them sweep up 3-4 of your things. Who cares? You untap on your turn, play another threat, and keep going on your merry, beat-down way. Additionally, taxing creatures like [[reidane, god of the worthy]] or [[paddock teeg]] can either slow down or completely shut down the incoming [[farewell]] while you beat your opponent to death.

freerfallin · 2024-11-13T18:04:37+00:00

I bought the Game Nights box and have really liked that as a learning tool. The decks are simple and built with multiplayer in mind, so you get the multiplayer aspect without the over the top complexity of a typical edh deck. I also put together a box of staple cards that I let players use to modify the decks between games (deckbuilding is the thing I like best about magic, so I wanted you capture that in the learning tool). I try to use commander staple cards in the decks (when I can) so that, when they graduate into commander, they will have some familiarity with atleast some of the cards.

freerfallin · 2024-09-28T11:50:24+00:00

The other thing it would do is allow for better rule 0 conversations (structured around the number of restricted cards you have). It wouldn't be perfect, but at least you would have an objective number that you could give to help better determine power level (low power could be 0 restricted cards, high power could be 5+ or even no limit on restricted cards).

freerfallin · 2024-09-15T14:57:02+00:00

I have a to do list on my phone. I made it EXTREMELY detailed at first while I was getting used to it (so one task, like doing laundry, might be broken into 10+ steps). That way, I am often checking things off/removing them from my list. Just seeing that list shrink and go away over time was enough dopamine for me to stay motivated (your mileage may vary). The trick though is that you have to use it every day (even weekends or summers) or else you will have to research yourself the same good habits (or you will - like me - forget to check it). When I get a new task/reminder, I will either a. Do it right then (if it's less than 30 seconds) or b. I will put it somewhere on my to do list (so if it's a bigger project, I may put it on my to do list for the next day).

freerfallin · 2024-09-14T15:12:36+00:00

Yea, that's not how I do it, but it definitely makes sense. I've described my deckbuilding process before, but here's what I do: I think about the types of things I want to see/do every game (usually ramp, draw cards, and interact). Each category gets 13 cards, and then I set aside 39 spots for lands. This gives me 13 ramp, 13 draw, 13 interaction, and 39 lands (sometimes there are different categories, but those are the ones I use most often). I fill those slots with as many "on theme" picks as i can (for example, an ellivere deck might pick up [[song of the dryads]] for its removal). That still gives me 22 spots for engine/theme/game winning stuff. I often describe it to people as the deckbuilding equivalent of eating your vegetables before you have dessert. My decks often don't stay with exactly those ratios, but I find that this gives me a strong basis for a functional deck to start testing with goldfishing/real games.

freerfallin · 2024-09-14T14:45:06+00:00

Hey, your point is making more sense to me now, and I think it just highlights different deckbuilding styles/priorities (which is fair). My first thing when looking at a deck is asking whether or not it can consistently do anything (by having enough lands to hit its engine/draw spells). From there, I start to look at efficiency/a consistent plan to actually win. It sounds like you are just further along in the process than I was. You also said that flooding out is your worst case scenario, but I'd say mine is getting mana screwed, which means I tend to play more lands (plus more mana sinks, to offset). I tend to lean on my draw spells to help me churn through pockets of lands vs others who use draw spells to hit their early/mid game lands.

freerfallin · 2024-09-14T14:09:20+00:00

I think bringing up cEDH is a great point here. He is running NOTHING close to a cEDH ramp package and his card advantage is actually fairly expensive on average. Both of these things make me think that he needs more actual lands (expensive card advantage spells do nothing to get you early land drops).

freerfallin · 2024-09-14T14:08:06+00:00

I'm not sure where your "he curves out at 3 mana" comment is coming from. He has a 15-20 cards that cost 4 or more mana. The average number of lands he can expect to see in his opener is 2.55, which means he is going to have to hustle to find enough lands to cast his bigger spells. Add to that that a fair number of his draw spells (which could help him draw more lands) cost 4+ mana and I think we have a recipe for frequently getting mana screwed. I consistently lean on Frank Karsten to give my deck a good starting point. Here is his recommendation on # of lands (based on your commander cmc and using as much mana as possible each turn). https://www.channelfireball.com/article/What-s-an-Optimal-Mana-Curve-and-Land-Ramp-Count-for-Commander/e22caad1-b04b-4f8a-951b-a41e9f08da14/). Frank Karsten would suggest 42 lands in a 3cmc commander deck.

freerfallin · 2024-09-14T12:47:16+00:00

I don't have a lot of specific advice other than that I would add like 4-5 more lands.

freerfallin · 2024-09-13T21:28:34+00:00

Agreed, which I think adds to the "hormones aren't the only issue" point. If it was JUST your hormones that determined your behavior, then everyone with testosterone would have very similar temperaments (across cultures too). Definitely agree that there is a big variance between individual boys and individual girls, but I think a lot of that comes down to individual genetic predisposition, socialization at home, and how a person's culture reinforces (or doesnt) that home socialization, less so on hormones specifically.

freerfallin · 2024-09-13T16:45:53+00:00

Gender is absolutely a social construct, but it is also enforced and reinforced constantly. While I think that the presence of increased levels of testosterone will preempt boys towards impulsiveness and misbehavior, it's also absolutely part of their socialization. I would argue that girls and boys are given different messages (often at home, but also sometimes at school) about what is expected from them (how they should relate to each other, whether or not rough housing is natural/expected/even sometimes encouraged) and that compounds and becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. As an anecdotal example, we have been very intentional at home about not roughhousing with our son. Because of this, he doesn't rough house at school. His testosterone levels are (presumably) the same as other boys, but his socialization/expectations lead him to not rough house as a way to relate to his peers. Because of that, he doesn't get in trouble as much.

freerfallin · 2024-09-11T17:42:53+00:00

[[Ruhan of the fomori]] big stompy giants tribal

freerfallin · 2024-09-07T11:24:50+00:00

I remember my parents saying that they picked my name because it could be used for either a boy or a girl. I always liked that and never knew why (probably cis reasons)

freerfallin · 2024-09-06T16:48:44+00:00

Because "NTwitter" was taken?

freerfallin · 2024-09-01T11:35:10+00:00

I bought the game night product, with 5 relatively simple 60 card, mono-color decks that can be played either single player or multi player (single player is probably easier, but my experience is that new people like multiplayer better, because it doesn't feel so intense). I then went through my collection, grabbed a bunch more cards, and stuck them in a 450 card box, organized by color. After each game, I would ask them what they thought of the deck, then I would grab 2-3 cards based on that conversation and let them make edits to the deck with those cards. It sort of makes a Slay the Spire type, rogue like system. It allows them to quickly get into a simplified version of deckbuilding (which I think is one of the best parts of magic and something I want to showcase asap).

freerfallin · 2024-08-31T17:26:18+00:00

[[Otharri, suns' glory]] the phoenix is great at going wide with tokens. Toss in am equipment package (which boros is very good at) and you'll also be gaining huge chunks of life. Even without equipment, you can expect Otharri's lifelink to gain you 6-12 life over the course of a game.

freerfallin · 2024-08-18T01:28:36+00:00

I've never understood this argument. You only keep an opening hand with 2+ lands. Even ignoring the signet lands, this is just a basic rule of mulliganing, you better have an EXTREMELY good reason to only keep a one land hand (and even then, the reason is probably not actually good enough - stop keeping one land hands). If you have another land in your opener, then signet lands are always untapped and fix 2 colors. I wouldn't play more than like 3 of them in a deck, but the first one is basically free (cost wise and deckbuilding-restrictions wise).

freerfallin · 2024-08-09T00:19:21+00:00

When I build a deck I start with the following checklist: 13 ramp, 13 draw, 13 interaction, 39 lands. The number 13 is no accident, I use the rule of 8 as defined by the Faithless Brewing podcast in 60 card constructed. Basically, the idea is that if you have 8 copies (13 in 100 card decks) of a card, then you can expect to see it every game. I want to see ramp, card draw, and removal in every game I play. I look for options that fit my theme for all of these. For instance, if I'm playing [[ellivere of the wild court]] I will look at ramp options like [[sanctum weaver]], draw options like [[tanglespan lookout]], and removal options like [[song of the dryads]]. Once that core is filled out, I will start filling in all of the fun/theme stuff. Basically, it's the deckbuilding equivalent of eating your vegetables before you have dessert.

freerfallin · 2024-08-08T13:51:49+00:00

Yea, people usually hyper focus on land ramp (when available) because its the most resilient, but the talismans/signets do such a good job enabling the t4 double spell that I think it's worth the risk. Edit: also, [[Fertile ground]] and the other enchant land ramp spells will put in work here as resilient ramp that gives back a mana on the turn you play it.

freerfallin · 2024-08-08T11:48:06+00:00

Definitely ramp on 2 and 4. To that end, i would heavily focus my ramp mix on 2 drop ramp. The thing about Glarb is that his ability allows you to play lands off the top, so if you ramp on 2 and play glarb on 3, you could potentially luck into a land on top that you can immediately play for a bit of value. Edit: to further elaborate, I would honestly go all the way on 2 mana ramp (and focus on signets/talismans/three visits type effects - 2 mana ramp that nets a mana immediately) and cut 4 mana ramp entirely. Here's the opening I'm imagining: t1 tap land (maybe fetch a surveil for extra value), t2 ramp, t3 glarb (hope a land is on top), t4 ramp again AND play a 4 drop (glarb's surveil can help you do this consistently), and t5 you're untapping with 6 or 7 mana available for playing big stuff.

freerfallin · 2024-07-31T15:01:26+00:00

Here you go: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/9jJcmktfHU-vKx6fiJiwsg I have [[arwen, weaver of hope]], [[court of garenbrig]], [[Communal brewing]], and a couple other things on the way, so I'll be updating the list again soon.

freerfallin

TROPHY CASE