Dies to Removal

Cannot prerelease because teachers don't get to enjoy their fucking weekends. And dat hydra's price omg.

I absolutely know that pain, Sasky. Plans for the weekend? Sure. Grading a metric ass ton of papers and preparing for next week. Bitter? No. I'm not bitter. What I'm feeling goes a mite beyond bitter.

Kalonian Hydra, 28USD? I don't get it.

Thragtusk replacement.

It's not constructed playable, lol.

hmm you called the Savageborn Gruul Hydra possibly playable at one point.

Kalonian comes down cheaper with more counters and evasion with trample, and the doubling thing gets out of hand.

I think someone said it earlier best, the format seems to be going toward one where there are more creatures that have to be untapped with to be good (Ogre battledriver, etc.)

An unanswered Hydra is probably game in creature MUs, and control don't always have answers left come 5 mana right?

Sure its overhyped (aka obv nowhere near thragtusk levels) but I dunno if I'd say its unplayable.

That said, if the format IS moving toward those types of creatures, I think Hellraiser goblin has the potential to be pretty good, like a easily dismissed card that will show up in a decklist sometime in the season and people will bask in its awesomeness. I mean we're losing LM and a bunch of awesome hasted threats... now I think we have to use
synergy to make our threats better and haste is the best keyword in red IMO.

I ahte to say it, but Boros would probably be the best shell for hellraiser, what with firemane avenger at 4 mana and frontline medic T_T

I don't think hydra is good at all in any format with doom blade.

It's all about ETB/LTB in a removal-heavy format. Unless it affects the boardstate the second it drops, it's not worth anyone's time anymore.

Pretty certain I never called the Gruul hydra playable outside of limited.

I don't think hydra is good at all in any format with doom blade.

Or Ultimate Price and Dreadbore.

The hype on the Hydra is just incredible. A fool and his money ....

I don't think hydra is good at all in any format with doom blade.

Or Ultimate Price and Dreadbore.

The hype on the Hydra is just incredible. A fool and his money ....

I don't want to say that a card is bad if it dies to doom blade. Doom Blade kills a lot of cards. But I do agree on creatures needing to affect the board state the turn they come to play to be good.

Decided to go to the prerelease instead of the game. First prerelease, crushed with this:
[deck]Land
11 Island
6 Plains

Creatures
1 Seacost Drake
1 Wall of Frost
1 Warden of Evos Isle
1 Phantom Warrior
1 Griffin Sentinel
1 Nephalia Seakite
2 Charging Griffin
2 Archaeomancer
1 Clone
1 Serra Angel
1 Siege Mastodon
1 Archangel of Thune

Other Stuff
1 Disperse
1 Essence Scatter
2 Frost Breath
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Claustrophobia
1 Cancel
1 Time Ebb
1 Opportunity
[/deck]

The deck worked just like it should have. Frost Breath and Time Ebb did work. One game, I was able to cast Opportunity 3 times (thanks to Archaeomancer) in order to find both of my angels, plus Clone. In fact, probably over half of my games were won with one of the angels plus its clone. Went 3-0-1 to win 5 packs.
After that, one of the other winners wanted me to play 2 headed giant with him, so I did. An it sucked...balls. My
rares? Megafucking Sliver, Nightmare (love the art, hate the price), the OTHER hydra, and Quicken. First game went 60+ minutes (draw), second one we lost because they got fucking lucky pulls. Whatever, I broke about even instead of $20 up.
Now the friend that invited me to go to the game with him wants me to go to another prerelease with him.

Got the error codes:

98 Mitsubushi Eclipse
p0136- O2 Sensor Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 2)
P0304- Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected

then two things about manufacturer controlled transmission with XXs in them
P1750

Pretty certain I never called the Gruul hydra playable outside of limited.

NOW DETERMINED TO FIND IT!

<_<

It may have been limited, but I think you liked the mana sink aspect of it and that it'd be a "relevant threat at all times" or something.

Unless Theros gives us some good 4-drops... the only 4-drop with an immediate effect on the board state right now is.... Chandra herself


But I guess rather than playing shitty 4-drops and a questionable 3 drop (hellraiser) its just gonna be a season of ALL IN RED BABY

And now I'm sick. Fuck. This. Weekend.

The great thing about the Hydra is that many people are going to try to make that dog hunt. The more Ranger's Guile that they play means less threats to deal with on the board. Or they'll try to make it work with Exava or Ogre Battledriver to give it haste. Inevitably, someone will pull that combo off, convincing everyone else that it's good.

I don't thing the hyrda is bad, the power level of the card is up there. The removal issue is a problem atmittedly, but any card that can end the game in two turns by itself for 5 mana is worth a look.

Happy birthday Kait!

Happy birthday Kait!

You're gonna have to travel to Speak Your Mind for that one.

Then again he did read here long enough to bash us for Stonewright, so.

Got the error codes:

98 Mitsubushi Eclipse
p0136- O2 Sensor Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 2)
P0304- Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected

then two things about manufacturer controlled transmission with XXs in them
P1750

Looks like your o2 sensor suddenly went bad causing a misfire and putting the car into limp mode, hence the transmission code for a bad solenoid. You could pull the negative terminals on the battery and let it sit for about 20 mins then hook it back up to clear the codes and see how it does. Ifbitbcomes back try replacing the o2 sensor.

Negative as in plural? Isn't there only one negative terminal and one positive? >__>?

In other news I got the sickest I've ever been in my life last night around midnight. Woke up not feeling good then next thing I know I'm cuddling a toilet and have liquids coming out of all ends of my body. Looks like I'll never get to go out when I plan to. I think it's food poisoning.

Fate - some cars have multiple negative terminals. My '91 Eclipse (actually a Talon but identical cars) is one of them.

That sounds horrible, Val. My wife had much the same thing last week. I sincerely hope you get to feeling better soon.

Happy birthday Kait!

You're gonna have to travel to Speak Your Mind for that one.

no

Working on a Rakdos Cackler alter for Jerry. So far looks real good. Excited to see it finished. He has to post pictures of it when he gets it.

Hey everybody. Hope everybody's weekend is going alright.

Val, Wind, Fate - damn guys, quite some strings of bad luck. Here's hoping you, your families, and your car, Fate, are all feeling better soon.

I went to 2 pre-releases this weekend - Fri/Sat midnight and Sat at 1pm. The only decent card I pulled in my sealed pools was a Scavenging Ooze, but I got a Chandra from prize packs so I'm happy about that.

Anyone interested in a foil Archangel of Thune?

Happy birthday, Kaitscralt!

Anyone interested in a foil Archangel of Thune?

For free? Yes.

Isn't the archangel one of the highest priced cards in the set? I only went to one prerelease as I had to go to the beach on Sunday but I did pull a chandra and a scavenging ooze so I'm happy.

A decent weekend.

3-2 with U/w for 9th place.
3-1 with U/b for 6th place.
3-1 with W/r for 2nd place.

Notable pulls (card pools and prize packs) are:

Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Awaken the Ancient
Banisher Priest (foil)
Bogbrew Witch (foil)
Bonesythe Sliver
2x Burning Earth
Colossal Whale
Dark Prophecy
Dismiss into Dream
2x Fiendslayer Paladin (1x foil)
Galerider Sliver (foil)
Garruuk, Caller of Beasts
2x Goblin Diplomats
Grim Return
2x [card]Haunted Platemail[/card:
nezew78z] (1x foil)
2x Indestructibility
Lifebane Zombie
[card]Liliana's Reaver[/card]
Mindsparker
Primeval Bounty
Ring of Three Wishes
Seraph of the Sword
Stoic Resonator
2x Thorncaster Sliver
Tidebinder Mage
Trading Post
Windreader Sphinx
2x Young Pyromancer

What do you think the impact of Fiendslayer Paladin will be?

Will Mono-Red not be viable? This plus Rancor = GG vs Mono Red. I think we might HAVE to play white.

It isn't pro-red so just block it and move on with your life. It's WAY WAY worse than Kor Firewalker and red survived that.

And it's not close to maindeckable which is important as well.

Also, come on...we have no idea what Theros will bring.

And it's not close to maindeckable which is important as well.

Wrong Aussie is wrong if we're talking about fiendslayer paladin. It's on the short list of cards that make me want try a mostly white aggro deck.

Speaking of aussies, 2 random aussies won our 2-headed giant tourney today. Me and my partner drew with them and they went undefeated in the other 3 rounds. My teams decks where decent. U/G(also what I played to 4th in the pre-release) and B/R aggro lifelink. Turns out enlarge on children of night wins races. So does simply having 6 children of night and 2 mark of the vampires.

So far I have 3 young pyromancers, 2 chandra's phoenix's, 1 scavenging ooze, and 1 Chandra, Pyromaster. Need a couple more of those cards and some
mutavaults and I'll be good. Maybe some brave the elements and white cards.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.

Edit: Kalonian Hydra is basically Wolfir Silverheart with different upside. Both are 8/8s when they attack. One has psuedo haste, the other gets better the longer the game goes and pays you off a lot more if you build with it in mind.

Find me a deck that wants to play it maindeck right now (since we cannot speculate on Theros standard) and don't say GW or we will revisit how terrible that deck is again!

For one, I think G/W humans is actually a thing now. Rancor is very good on FS/DS guys and with the format having filled to the brim with cards now, you have options. Come on, 4/2 double stirike, lifelink pro spot removal wins races against anything. Avacyn's pilgrim and champion are fine one drops that add a lot of explosivness to the deck and sublime archangel is still a superior threat if unanswered. Since you know have the option to slow role it and play Brave the elements as a counterspell/falter affect, the deck have games.

Even without the green, mono-white humans is still solid. You lack the reach of red decks, but you gain utility what with white naturally being the most versatile color and you can just get in there. There's a non zero chance that the 3 color white enchantment that gains life and is sometimes an anthem is really good. At worst, it's reverse hellrider. At best, you go above twenty on the damage
trigger turn 3 and you get 2 free points of hasty damage. Wescoe in a speculative decklist article even had silver inlaid dagger which makes your mutavault a lava axe post wrath.

And fiendslayer is something all these decks want to be doing. Normally the white deck gets in damage, then gets one for oned as the opponent stabilizes in the games that they lose through conventional means. You can't really remove fiendslayer outside of bonfire or edict affects. I wasn't joking when I said white agro decks are starting to appeal to me. The one thing that is pushing red over the top for me is how extremely powerful burning earth is.

If it's a 4/2 first striker, then Ash Zealot or Boros Reckoner can still kill it. Rancor won't be the problem. Unflinching Courage on it, however, presents a challenge.

So, I put up my Archangel of Thune on e-bay last night and when I woke up, somebody had already bought it for $28. Curious, I go on TCGPlayer, and the lowest I could find it for is $35. What. The. Hell. I'm not upset (about the loss of potential money), but still, I'm a little worried about the price. Either there's something really good about this card that I don't see (somewhat unlikely), or the majority of Magic players are pretty bad at finance and card evaluation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this does not look like a Baneslayer Angel.

I won't say its good but i've actually put together a g/w token/life gain decklist whose premise is to use life gain to go midrange and setup the trostani/angelic accord pairing for 2 4/4 angels and 8 life gained each turn and it runs 3 of her for pumps.

No, but the angel provides a substantial upside to any life gain effects: extort, lifelink, Trading Post, Bubbling Cauldron, etc. Anything with first strike + lifelink buffs your entire team before regular combat damage occurs.