Magic the Gathering Thread XXIV: *Slaps Roof* This Thread Can Hold So Many Chandras!

[Eurus]

Spoiler: Another attempt at my ludicrously-expensive demon idea

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EDIT: I appear to have forgotten the phrase "that you own" needing to be part of the additional cost.

Do you know how many nightmarish rules headaches Panglacial Wurm is responsible for? Why would you subject the poor judges to this?!

[enderlord99]

Do you know how many nightmarish rules headaches Panglacial Wurm is responsible for? Why would you subject the poor judges to this?!

I thought it would be cool.

[Emmerlaus]

Merry Christmas and might the new Legendary squirrel bring you chestnuts to roast on an open fire lol

[Mystic Muse]

I won a foil uncut sheet of War of the Spark today!

[enderlord99]

Rule 111.4 causes Runed Halo to be useful (EDIT: "useful" is a strong word, actually) against Ashiok, Nightmare Muse. I find that hilarious, for some reason.

Before anyone asks: Yes, I did make use of that technicality immediately before posting about it.

[Laughing Dog]

I won a foil uncut sheet of War of the Spark today!

Congratulations. Anything you wish you could have cut out from it?

[Mystic Muse]

Congratulations. Anything you wish you could have cut out from it?

Not especially. I just like the idea of having a framed uncut sheet. It being foil, and the rares/mythics is just a bonus.

[Techwarrior]

Rule 111.4 causes Runed Halo to be useful (EDIT: "useful" is a strong word, actually) against Ashiok, Nightmare Muse. I find that hilarious, for some reason.

Before anyone asks: Yes, I did make use of that technicality immediately before posting about it.

It protects you from the nightmares, but then your opponent just bounces Runed Halo with Ashiok.

[enderlord99]

It protects you from the nightmares, but then your opponent just bounces Runed Halo with Ashiok.

They could have, yes.

[Emmerlaus]

I being looking into having a deck for the Pauper format. With a bit of research, I found the Nightsky Mimic and I made a decklist for it in black/white and a bit of blue. Second focus is enchantement/aura. Afterwards, I found out competively, Nightsky Mimic is not used. Is there a reason for it?

[enderlord99]

Unpopular opinion: Yore-tiller Nephilim has great flavor.

The other four nephilim do not have good flavor; in this, I agree with most people who have any opinion on the matter.

[LansXero]

I being looking into having a deck for the Pauper format. With a bit of research, I found the Nightsky Mimic and I made a decklist for it in black/white and a bit of blue. Second focus is enchantement/aura. Afterwards, I found out competively, Nightsky Mimic is not used. Is there a reason for it?

Pauper is legacy. Legacy is a broken format, where only the best cards in Magic's history will ever make the cut. It doesnt matter if you make it 'common only', same principle applies: only the absolute most broken commons will ever matter.

[Tvtyrant]

I being looking into having a deck for the Pauper format. With a bit of research, I found the Nightsky Mimic and I made a decklist for it in black/white and a bit of blue. Second focus is enchantement/aura. Afterwards, I found out competively, Nightsky Mimic is not used. Is there a reason for it?

2 mana 4/4s used to be the standard for pauper, I stopped playing when Tron became about flicker loops to skip opponents attack steps but but then 4/4s weren't good enough.

Basically for a deck to work in pauper it has to win consistently by turn 4, or offer massive disruption starting t2. It is too slow to do the former and doesn't help you do the latter.

[Emmerlaus]

2 mana 4/4s used to be the standard for pauper, I stopped playing when Tron became about flicker loops to skip opponents attack steps but but then 4/4s weren't good enough.

Basically for a deck to work in pauper it has to win consistently by turn 4, or offer massive disruption starting t2. It is too slow to do the former and doesn't help you do the latter.

Oooh interesting... I might go black/white/green for land enchantement and a lot of Final Payment then. Thank you for your advice!

[Personification]

So, Kaldheim previews have begun, and I'll be the first to say it:

More of that strange oil... It's probably nothing.

[Amechra]

So, Kaldheim previews have begun, and I'll be the first to say it:

More of that strange oil... It's probably nothing.

I mean, they explicitly revealed that

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Vorinclex is on Kaldheim.

So...

[LaZodiac]

I mean, they explicitly revealed that

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Vorinclex is on Kaldheim.

So...

They're referencing that one Mirrodin card with the Vedalken poking at the goo.

Speaking of which, in the first chapter of the story, Kaya almost pokes the goo! And then fights Vorinclex! It's a testament to how ****ing badass Kaya is that she manages to take the guys arm off, at least temporarily.

[Emmerlaus]

Im not a big fans of Giants except maybe as opponents, no matter if it’s in D&D or MTG. And I prefer indestructible gods... but that God of Battle and bloodsky demon rogue with a giant battleaxe are too awesome to not put in my Alela deck, those dual sided land are awesome and I love a lot of cards in this set. Giant Amulet is perfect in my monoblue artifact deck, I’m exited about it. In short, I prefer this set to Zendikar Rising.

[Grytorm]

I've always wanted giants to become primarily green because of a random blogpost I read about the big fancy creature types for each color.

Also the reason I am posting. For reasons unknown to me I think I might dislike Kaya. And it has nothing to do with her characterization or anything because I don't read much is any MtG fiction so it is not based on her actual character. It might be a reaction to people thinking she is cool combined with seeing someone online randomly ranting about her killing the ghost council and liberating the spirits.

[LaZodiac]

That's... kind of weird a reason to dislike Kaya, but I sorta get it. Kaya is pretty cool though.

Incidentally the web fiction for Kaldheim has been pretty great so far. Two chapters, both of which are excellent.

[Emmerlaus]

I thought Kaya freed the spirits from the Orzov but without giving a solution as a backup plan for their organization, ruining Orzov I believe... but she meant well. I like her powers at least.

[LaZodiac]

I thought Kaya freed the spirits from the Orzov but without giving a solution as a backup plan for their organization, ruining Orzov I believe... but she meant well. I like her powers at least.

As someone who has read the book.

Kaya killed the Ghost Council, taking on all the debt of the Orzhov (not willingly). She spent some time releasing SOME debts here and there, freeing some spirits (not all). This annoyed Teysa, and they did some work to find a way to transfer the debt of the Orzhov from Kaya to Ral Zarek's boyfriend, Tomik, who is now the Guildmaster (with Teysa serving as advisor).

the Orzhov are still doing okay, they just lost some money. Not a big deal for anyone other than them, since they're mostly greedy, evil monsters.

[Emmerlaus]

As someone who has read the book.

Kaya killed the Ghost Council, taking on all the debt of the Orzhov (not willingly). She spent some time releasing SOME debts here and there, freeing some spirits (not all). This annoyed Teysa, and they did some work to find a way to transfer the debt of the Orzhov from Kaya to Ral Zarek's boyfriend, Tomik, who is now the Guildmaster (with Teysa serving as advisor).

the Orzhov are still doing okay, they just lost some money. Not a big deal for anyone other than them, since they're mostly greedy, evil monsters.

Ah thanks! I was partially right on the fact she is trying to be better then those greedy , evil monsters though... I think. Still, I really appreciate the heads up.

[gooddragon1]

I've looked in the past and I can't find it. The Johnny code.

The spike code:

Spoiler: Spoilered because mean, in my opinion

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Spike Code
I will play what wins, not what is convenient. Personal preference is nothing. The win is all that matters. I will netdeck at every opportunity, but I will not let that stifle my creativity. Style points do not appear on tournament reports. A good deck with an incompetent pilot is nothing more than a dressed up match win. I will crush my opponent mercilessly, and expect no less from him. As ruthless as I am to get my win, I will never cheat. Not because it is wrong, but because the risk outweighs the reward. Victory is its own reward. The prize is just a bonus.

I'm a Johnny.

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No not him

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https://www.soundslikenashville.com/...7-1280x904.jpg

No not him either

This one, but I don't look like that:

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But I can't find the Johnny code online anymore. I can't remember much of the wording other than something about being creative is more important than the win. Does anyone know where it is or what it is?

Also: Secondary Note...
Deck Idea based on Training Grounds + Manamorphose + Izzet Guildmage

Sideboard:
Research//Development x1 (1 in deck also)
Approach of the Second Sun x2
Quicken x2

Optimal Play
You go first
T1: Island, Training Grounds
T2: Mountain, Izzet Guildmage
T3: A Land (Wastes, Island, w/e), Manamorphose, copy manamorphose, copy manamorphose... x30 or something
T3p2: Research, copy Research, get 2 Approach of the Second Sun, 1 research, 2 quicken
T3p3: Manamorphose till you get 1 quicken and 1 approach, cast quicken*, cast approach
T3p4: Manamorphose till you get the other quicken and approach, cast quicken*, cast approach, win
*If necessary cast research to avoid possibility of decking self when casting quicken

Can win on End Step of opponent turn as well potentially.

Could go green blue, but that would make the combo a little less likely maybe
So, maybe bolts, grapeshot as another possibility, some counterspells?

[enderlord99]

Whenever I say that "there might, occasionally, situations in which some amount of life is more valuable than some other amount of mana" people hear "life is generally at least as value as an equal amount of mana" and then come to the conclusion that I'm an absolute noob who's always wrong. How does the former statement imply the latter, much more specific statement, in so many people's minds?

[Personification]

As someone who has read the book.

Oh no! Are you OK?

Honestly, those books infuriated me (on top of what they were), because, normally, the vorthos in me and the completionist in my are working together, because I need to read ALL the lore, but, there, what I heard about them was so bad that I decided that reading them would actually hurt me as a vorthos, but I still feel the need to know what happened. Honestly, I just can't stand the fact that, if my secondary sources are correct, they broke up Chandra and Nissa (in an apparently biphobic way) AND Jace and Vraska. And yes, I know that this rant is over a year old, but I was reminded and now I am angry again.

Also, I don't think Kaya fought Vorinclex, just a random phyrexian he left along his path.

[Dienekes]

Oh no! Are you OK?

Honestly, I just can't stand the fact that, if my secondary sources are correct, they broke up Chandra and Nissa (in an apparently biphobic way) AND Jace and Vraska. And yes, I know that this rant is over a year old, but I was reminded and now I am angry again.

Also, I don't think Kaya fought Vorinclex, just a random phyrexian he left along his path.

From someone who is just getting in to reading these things but has read the WotS novels for some reason I can say this.

The writing is not good. Except for a handful of scenes.

Chandra tanking the Chandra/Nissa relationship read -to me- like a girl who is confused about her sexuality trying to come to terms with her own decisions. The pattern was she tried to say she was totally straight, then immediately started viewing Nissa in emotionally charged language. Literally a lightning bolt gets brought into the comparison. Followed by her saying, but I am totally straight though. To me that read like pure inability to self reflect. But that nuance seems hampered by the aforementioned poor writing.

However, I will say my opinion is limited by a few things.

1) I am not LGBTQ so what I read into the work is unlikely to be what someone who is read into the work.

2) I have not read up on everything leading to this point. Just bits here and there I could find on the cheap. As far as I have been able to tell, on the cheap is all the stories seem to be really worth. But I'm still reading them, so make of that what you will.

3) Romance is as a rule the worst, most boring part of any story. I really was not paying much attention to the romantic thread anyway. And romance in these stories seemed more boring than most.

4) Nissa is the worst. I could very well be rationalizing a way to read the events in a more favorable light since it lead the story in a way I approve of: Nissa being alone and not interacting with Chandra who is a more fun character to read about at least.

[LaZodiac]

Oh no! Are you OK?

Honestly, those books infuriated me (on top of what they were), because, normally, the vorthos in me and the completionist in my are working together, because I need to read ALL the lore, but, there, what I heard about them was so bad that I decided that reading them would actually hurt me as a vorthos, but I still feel the need to know what happened. Honestly, I just can't stand the fact that, if my secondary sources are correct, they broke up Chandra and Nissa (in an apparently biphobic way) AND Jace and Vraska. And yes, I know that this rant is over a year old, but I was reminded and now I am angry again.

Also, I don't think Kaya fought Vorinclex, just a random phyrexian he left along his path.

They did break up Chandra x Nissa, but did NOT break up Jace x Vraska. That relationship is still doing decently well, though with some underpining fear on Jace's part that he might be being used again. The book is... a mess, in a lot of ways, but there are good moments.

And yeah, the Chandra x Nissa stuff, how it ended, was pretty bad. Wouldn't go as far as to say biphobic, but definitely... blindly written. "Decidedly male" is a meme phrase for a reason. But it is, according to Maro, meant to be the first real step on Chandra's journey to realizing she's Pansexual, so there is that. And we know from Kaldheim that they're dedicating themselves to representation.

Kaya definitely fought Vorinclex.

[Personification]

They did break up Chandra x Nissa, but did NOT break up Jace x Vraska. That relationship is still doing decently well, though with some underpining fear on Jace's part that he might be being used again. The book is... a mess, in a lot of ways, but there are good moments.

And yeah, the Chandra x Nissa stuff, how it ended, was pretty bad. Wouldn't go as far as to say biphobic, but definitely... blindly written. "Decidedly male" is a meme phrase for a reason. But it is, according to Maro, meant to be the first real step on Chandra's journey to realizing she's Pansexual, so there is that. And we know from Kaldheim that they're dedicating themselves to representation.

Kaya definitely fought Vorinclex.

Well, that's good to hear. I do contend that the scene in the linked card happens later in the story, though.

[LaZodiac]

Well, that's good to hear. I do contend that the scene in the linked card happens later in the story, though.

We have been told she gets her axes later in the story, and we know in the story that she fights Vorinclex with her knives, and this art shows her fighting him off with her knives. Also, the way they describe the Phyrexian in that first story, it is very clearly Vorinclex's new design.