Magic: The Gathering

[Tricen]

Here's what I've been goofing around with as for as Borborygmos goes. I don't play at competitive events, so I can get away with bad decks.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/borgore-rites/

It needs some work, still kinda slow. I played 4c Frites before the new set, and my deck was really solid. I do like that this is so far, but it needs something.

I have this cool bant idea with the Simic guildmage and strangelroot geists and other stuff. It's actually pretty neat.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/bant-giest/

I also have an esper planeswalker deck that I played before the new set came out, it is really cool, but very gimmicky. I can get away with it since people were playing midrange decks. Temporal mastery is pretty hot.

As for a real deck to play at a competitive event like an SCG, it'd probably be America Geist or that human reanimator deck. That thing looks sweet.

[Chrius]

Ha, just TappedOut playtested a turn 4 Borb, discard 6 lands which would be the kill if they shocked themselves once, due to a sweet Mulch draw

[Xerlic]

I played in a 2 cases tournament over the weekend running Esper control. My public enemy #1 was Skull Crack. 4/5 of my opponents sided it in against me and it completely shits on Sphinx's Revelation. I was planning on running Esper this weekend at SCG Edison, but not sure anymore.

[Myrrh_Quetz]

Can I get your esper control deck list? I want to branch away from Junk tokens but don't want to leave tokens altogether.

[Xerlic]

Esper

Creatures
3 Augur of Bolas
2 Snapcaster Mage
5 Creatures

Spells
3 Dissipate
2 Murder
3 Think Twice
4 Sphinx's Revelation
2 Terminus
2 Detention Sphere
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Azorius Charm
2 Devour Flesh
1 Dramatic Rescue
27 spells

Planeswalkers
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Planeswalkers


Lands
3 Godless Shrine
2 Watery Grave
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Plains
27 lands

Sideboard
1 Oblivion Ring
2 Negate
2 Dispel
1 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Blind Obedience
2 Rest in Peace
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Witchbane Orb
1 Psychic Spiral
1 Obzedat
15


Definitely plan to make a lot of changes before Saturday. I plan to cut Sphinx's down to 2. I'm thinking of cutting Augur entirely and replacing it with Lingering Souls. I originally was afraid to run Souls due to Thundermaw. I want to fit 2 Jace, Architect of Thought in as well. Not sure if I want to run Sorin/Tamiyo.

Probably move Obzedat to the main and possibly bump it up to 2 copies. He did a lot of work against aggro and the control mirror.

[Lurking Badger]

Anyone going to GP London this weekend?

[Tricen]

Obzedat is pretty strong. Played Esper Spirit the other night and it ran very smoothly except a match where I mull to 6 and my opp plays collective blessing into Garruk. I was like, well then. Game 2 mull to 5 and yeah. I pretty much copied the list from SCG that was recent, but -1 bind obedience and +1 Sphinx's Revelation. I wasn't a big fan of orzhov charm, but I could have been playing it wrong maybe, Idk. I cut an orzhov charm and put in the orzhov guildmage since I am thinking about making the sideboard a transformational sideboard into the guildmage + exquisite blood combo for the lulz. The guildmage is actually pretty strong as a 1 of it seems, since the deck plays 4 azorius charms. You can Lifelink your bros and guildmage them for double damage or just kill them in the face. Still needs testing, obviously.

[Tricen]

Also, does anyone actively and competitively play modern?

[zoobernut]

I would like to get into Modern. I don't know how competitive it will be but I plan on building KarnTron or some variation on it.

[Nama]

Modern is still in a weird transition period quite alot of people have interest in it but still being held back by a few factors. That being said it is gaining alot of steam over the last year and Modern really has no place to go but up I think and Wotc will continue to support it. With Shockland reprints alot of people have a good portion of the manabase now baring fetches. The Modern Masters set this year will help but its unlikely it will help the price issue. Sure stuff like Serum Visions won't be a $3 common but stuff like Vendillion Clique and Tarmogoyf won't drop much if at all unless they print way more then they are currently hinting at. In my area Modern is basicly completely dead and its price is almost solely the reason why. Since it can be so expensive and alot of cards overlap into legacy many players just opt to play legacy instead. Its got more of a chance to thrive in areas without a legacy scene but it doesn't have the foothold that legacy does in places and it can't compete with the availability of standard.

[zoobernut]

The irony is in my area most people would rather just play legacy than modern. We have a pretty sizable legacy crowd who have put a lot of time and effort into building their decks with some really good decks out there. Including me. The zendikar fetch lands are a huge barrier of entry into Modern as is some of the format staples like tarmogoyf, dark confidant, thoughtseize, Mutavault, etc.

[Nama]

The "I'd rather play legacy" problem is something that is going to haunt Modern for a long time unless WoTC drives the price of Modern way down.

[zoobernut]

The "I'd rather play legacy" problem is something that is going to haunt Modern for a long time unless WoTC drives the price of Modern way down.

Which will be difficult for them to do because most of the expensive modern cards overlap with legacy. But I agree with you. They need to make the barrier of entry significantly easier to overcome for Modern in order for it to gain popularity over legacy. The other major problem with Modern and a reason why a lot of people in my area don't like it or don't want to play it is because of the overly aggressive ban list and the lack of good counter magic in modern.

[Xerlic]

I just find it funny that they reprinted the shocks to help people get into Modern and then the prices of the fetches skyrocketed. Of course, most modern decks run usually 1-2 of each shockland of the deck's colors but usually close to a playset of each fetchland.

[Nama]

Fetch land spike was kinda unforeseen by Wizards but should of been completely expected. Might be wrong on this I'm not sure when Innistrad surpassed Zendikar but at the time Modern was announced Zendikar was Magic's most printed set so there was a ton of fetches around. However the last 2 years Magic has been more successful then the previous year so 2 years of player base growth added to the demand. Not to mention theres always the card dealer factor which is hard to predict since many treat Magic cards almost like the stock market. One the biggest reasons behind the spike of fetches was Star City Games. Several months before the Modern PTQ season they bought almost every available Misty Rainforest and Scalding Tarn from other card dealers then immediately doubled the price they were selling them for.

[Xerlic]

Starcity definitely had a hand in driving the fetchlands up as well as Innistrad drawing a lot of people in (or back in). I was kind of surprised to see my Mistys and Tarns shoot up in price literally overnight, but the price is sustainable since the demand is present. Fetches are staples in Legacy, Modern and, to a lesser extent, EDH. The fetches aren't like your typical standard bubble cards either like Liliana was last season. Boros Reckoner seems to be going down the same path.

[zoobernut]

It sucks so bad when Starcity does that. I wish there was some way to stop them from artificially inflating the price. I know the cards were probably headed that way if the price sustains after they do that but it is still irritating.

[BaneTheBrawler]

That's why I don't buy singles, except for card where I'd really only want one (and I'd never pay more than about $20) like Planeswalkers and whatnot. Duel (and other prebuilt) Decks are also a good way to get a bunch of interesting/good cards for relatively cheap. Obviously won't work all the time, but still good.

Those deckbuilder kits are also pretty useful. I got most of my terramorphic expanse/evolving wilds from them.

[zoobernut]

Well singles are one of the only ways for me to get cards I need since I only play legacy now and am trying to get into modern. Sometimes I get lucky grabbing collections of cards of craigslist but that can be hit or miss.

[Syntex]

Esper

Creatures
3 Augur of Bolas
2 Snapcaster Mage
5 Creatures

Spells
3 Dissipate
2 Murder
3 Think Twice
4 Sphinx's Revelation
2 Terminus
2 Detention Sphere
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Azorius Charm
2 Devour Flesh
1 Dramatic Rescue
27 spells

Planeswalkers
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Planeswalkers


Lands
3 Godless Shrine
2 Watery Grave
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Plains
27 lands

Sideboard
1 Oblivion Ring
2 Negate
2 Dispel
1 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Blind Obedience
2 Rest in Peace
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Witchbane Orb
1 Psychic Spiral
1 Obzedat
15


Definitely plan to make a lot of changes before Saturday. I plan to cut Sphinx's down to 2. I'm thinking of cutting Augur entirely and replacing it with Lingering Souls. I originally was afraid to run Souls due to Thundermaw. I want to fit 2 Jace, Architect of Thought in as well. Not sure if I want to run Sorin/Tamiyo.

Probably move Obzedat to the main and possibly bump it up to 2 copies. He did a lot of work against aggro and the control mirror.

The 2nd place deck in the StarCtiyGames: Edison Tourney plays 3 blind obedience mainboard and devour flesh. The loss of life with skullcrack on SR is fine since you can extort(or double/triple if you draw the others) every spell which is actually making it VERY hard for my RW deck to win. I am literally 2-3 life away from burning them out but out of reach because of that extort and the removal of my haste.

Link: http://sales.starcitygames.com/deckd...p?DeckID=52968

Just some thoughts from a RW player who is running into esper.

On a side note, anyone come up with some good rock decks? My friend has made a nasty one that is gonna shit over everything in the format(everything we built it smashes effortlessly) and wanted to know if anyone else has stumbled upon it.