Dies to Removal

1) would ruin Death and Taxes, 2) would make it ridiculously good.

I think the legendary rule is fine, but I like the approach you took in your argument.

Yeah even Kait was able to build the Thopter deck within 2 cards. Jeez...

Back to Sally!

i meant this site

It can't get much more barren than it already is.

No! I just sent my buylist items to them!

I figured this was the case. I noticed the low stock last night and threw up a PSA on reddit and there were some wondering if it was demand - driven (myself included). Thanks!

jsilv - is CFB really out of stock on Ensoul Artifact or did you guys pull your stock away in anticipation of a price increase?

I'm not asking to demonize, I just want to know if there is a buyout going on. You guys, TCGPlayer, eBay, and SCG are all out.

I've been reliving my childhood as my three year old twin boys are really into old-school TMNT.

Dies to Removal died to removal.

Tested this today at the LGS vs Grixis Twin.

[deck]
Creatures (10)
4 snapcaster mage
1 vendilion clique
2 tasigur, the golden fang
3 gurmag angler

Spells (29)
4 serum visions
4 thought scour
4 lightning bolt
1 dispel
2 spell snare
1 shadow of doubt
4 terminate
2 mana leak
2 remand
2 kolaghan's command
1 electrolyze
2 cryptic command

Lands (21)
4 polluted delta
4 scalding tarn
2 watery grave
2 steam vents
2 sulfur falls
2 creeping tar pit
3 island
1 swamp
1 mountain

Sideboard (15)
2 dispel
1 engineered explosives
2 nihil spellbomb
1 negate
1 flashfreeze
1 spellskite
1 izzet staticaster
2 blood moon
3 anger of the gods
1 keranos, god of storms
[/deck]

I don't know where GerryT gets the idea that Twin is favored in this matchup because I feel like it's VERY hard to lose as the Grixis Control player. I do think the matchup is slightly more difficult if the Twin player is playing three IoK like Gerry is, so I think it's a combination of that and him being better than his opponents that has jaded his opinion.

General thoughts on my decklist:

1) LOVE the singleton Shadow of Doubt. It's a lot like Splinter Twin in that once people know you're running it, they go to ridiculous lengths to play around it, so it's good at times when you don't even have it. And when you get someone with it, you GET EM.

2) Vendilion Clique felt really good here. Hand information is always nice to have and it gives the deck another evasive threat. You can also get it back with Kolaghan's Command, but it's obviously nowhere as good as getting back Snapcaster Mage.

3) Two Cryptic Command felt like plenty. In fact I'd say any more than that vs Twin is a liability, but it's probably really nice to have three vs other fair nonblue decks.

4) I didn't test the sideboard, but I'm not sure of a couple of choices. Should I be running Leyline of the Void over Nihil Spellbomb? Leyline is nowhere near as good when you don't draw it, but it probably makes the mirror unlosable if it's in your opener. Spellbomb seems better vs unfair graveyard-based decks since you can draw into it though. Also, Fulminator Mage or Blood Moon? Obviously looping Fulminator with Kolaghan's Command is nutter butters, but, y'know, Blood Moon...

5) Should I be running three Kolaghan's Command or is that too greedy? If I ran a third I'd take out Electrolyze. I feel like the mirror in game one could come down to who resolves more Kolaghan's Command.

6) Similarly, it feels like Remand is a real mirror-breaker. Remanding a Tasigur is just the best thing ever, as is Remanding your own spell in response to Cryptic Command.

I was all over it at 11 AM Eastern, 10 AM Central.

I don't understand why he thinks Grixis Control is a dog to Grixis Twin. Everyone else feels the opposite, especially Chapin.

There is currently no Grixis Control thread in the Modern section. Shall I make one or post discussion in the Grixis Delver thread? Are the two similar enough to discuss in one thread?

I recall listening to that podcast. I reviewed it and he mentioned a few things:

1) Keranos and Batterskull were unnecessary.
2) He wanted more against CoCo.
3) Spellskite was actually bad vs Burn and Twin.
4) He would have dropped a Cryptic for a 22nd land because he had a lot of Tar Pit + land hands that were slow.

For #4, I think not running Tar Pit and only two Cryptic makes 20 land acceptable. I don't know how much is gained from two Tar Pit vs two fewer lands.

I can see running Anger in the board for sure. Is the 21st land necessary if you're not running 4 Cryptic like he was? Was this the Top Level Podcast or a different podcast?

Here's what I'm thinking for Grixis.

[deck]
Creatures (10)
4 snapcaster mage
1 vendilion clique
2 tasigur, the golden fang
3 gurmag angler

Spells (30)
4 serum visions
4 thought scour
4 lightning bolt
1 dispel
2 spell snare
1 shadow of doubt
4 terminate
2 mana leak
3 remand
2 kolaghan's command
1 electrolyze
2 cryptic command

Lands (20)
4 polluted delta
4 scalding tarn
2 watery grave
2 steam vents
1 blood crypt
1 sulfur falls
1 darkslick shores
3 island
1 swamp
1 mountain

Sideboard (15)
3 dispel
1 engineered explosives
2 nihil spellbomb
1 vandalblast
1 shadow of doubt
1 negate
1 flashfreeze
1 spellskite
1 izzet staticaster
2 blood moon
1 keranos, god of storms
[/deck]

My only reservation is how bad Grixis is against CoCo, and spikes at my LGS have an unhealthy fascination with that card.

Thanks guys. I'm leaning toward Grixis myself, though I do love flashing in Resto Angels and throwing around Lightning Helix.

If I did play control, it would be similar to Chapin's list, but without all 4 Cryptic and one less land. I think something between his list and Delver is what I want. I don't want to be playing Delver in a meta with more Affinity than usual. The local meta is actually fairly aggressive, but the outsiders that will come to this event may normalize it a bit.

I need substantive comments from the peanut gallery.

I have a Modern PPTQ in two weeks. I've narrowed my choices down to Grixis Control or Jeskai Control. I have played a lot of Grixis Delver so I have experience with Grixis in general, but no experience at all attacking with Colonnades. In an open meta with slightly more Affinity than average, what would you choose and why?

Example of Jeskai:

http://vincentadinolfi.com/post/1251830 ... nite-combo

Example of Grixis:

http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/cove ... 2015-06-14

Actually it's a "budget" issue.

Only for this year.

Question for you lot:

During online pre-releases cards are always worth more then they should - how much is too much to pay for Exquisite Firecraft?

P.S. In regards with the market, I actually except all future cards to inflate in price since the supply will be much lower (nothing really changed for inf. grinders, its just slightly more punishing).

Any price is too much to pay right now IMO. Given the popularity of red decks online, I expect it to eventually settle in at 2.5-3 tix.

Your theory on card prices increasing long term is sound. I expect the same assuming they don't change anything between now and the introduction of play points.

MTGO market tanking in response to payout changes. Wonder if I should sell into the downturn and buy back at the low point...

I usually just buy the commons and uncommons that are playable from my LGS and wait on the rares to drop a little before buying unless I think they are appropriately priced. I bought Pia and Kiran Nalaar and Abbot for that reason.

That feeling when you order Hangarback Walkers and then your preorders come in and you realize you'd already preordered them.

At least they went up over the weekend.

The Purifying Fire.

They do sound similar, but it's not like they just recently made up the name given that it was referenced 4-5 years ago.

Is this another one of your troll posts or are you actually being serious?

Chapin seems to think it's the best card in the set, period.

Let's talk Origins RDW:

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=3381

It's definitely a spicy one. The maindeck is a bit soft to Twin but the sideboard makes up for it. I'm always looking for an excuse to jam 4 Figures and 4 Lavaman though.

I'm sure it can win, I just don't think it "breaks" anything in the format.

I don't see anything broken.

The rares in my pool were Goblin Piledriver in my seeded pack, two Shivan Reef, the white 7 cmc spell that makes tokens, Hixus, Herald of the Pantheon, and Honored Heirarch. Unfortunately my white pool was a bit short on playables and had way too high of a curve so I switched between RG and RU throughout the night based on my matchups. I was even playing Herald as a Grizzly Bear. But hey, a 6/10 deck can get you there as long as you play well enough.

Ended up trading off my Piledriver for $30 worth of Modern stuff (blasphemy around here). Got four packs as prizes and cracked them since I never get to draft in paper. Rewarded with Day's Undoing.

Note: said player also had Sentinel of the Eternal Watch and Archangel of Tithes which he of course cast both games.

That moment when you lose to the guy playing Akroan Jailer and two Bonded Constructs in his BW deck.

I've played with Mardu Ascendancy. Hordeling Outburst was much better.

Bad cards.

Whore.

We're only nine posts away from 60k.