A New Philosophy: "Full Art, Whenever Possible"

In my MtG hits & missing of '09 post there was one hit I failed to talk about: Zendikar full-art lands.

Lets take a look at some of these:



They are fantastic additions to the Magic toolkit, a real upgrade on the normal Magic lands. They compare only to the full art un-lands.



There have been few full-art cards printed to date, which I believe is a massively missed opportunity on behalf of WotC.However, there are hints they are looking aheaed in this regard. For instance, here are some full-art creatures from the Future Sight set:



Now, I'm not sure if the template is the best it can be - I am sure WotC probably thrashed around a dozen or so versions before chosing this one - but the artwork really drives home a point. For instance, take a look at the two functionally equivalent cards:



Now while I'm sure Ramal, sage of Westgate is an intelligent guy, and his words should be closely listened to, the face here is that a picture really does speak a thousand words. Which Courser (a fantastically well chosen title, by the way) is the more bad-ass Centaur Warrior; the Nessian or the, er, other Centaur? Ramal's opinions aside, it has to be the Nessian version.

Magic art has come a long way since Alpha - the art director's budget must have grown considerably. Just compare these two angels:



The transition from a 80's 'fantasy' art to neo-classical/realist style is really paying dividends for Magic. The sets have never look better - or more flavourful. I would argue that the current successes on flavour are less due to the flavour text and more due to the amazing artwork that WotC currently produces.

So here's a proposal: let's push WotC to a philosophy of 'Full Art Whenever Possible'. This means any card that doesn't require explanatory text (eg. Mechanic, Keyword, Ability) should always be present as full art. There are two types of cards that would be immediately impacted by this; basic lands and 'vanilla' creatures. I believe all basic lands and vanilla creatures should be printed full-art, regardless of the set. I recognise that WotC have pulled out something special for Zendikar with the 'Lands Matter' theme, but there is simply no reason to continue the practice of non-full art lands.

WotC seem to have put some planning into a major artwork change in the future. The Zendikar full-art land template looks great and has clearly been designed with the Future Sight full-art template in mind. The Future Sight full-art template has clearely been designed with Magic Online in mind - for example, the icons in the upper-left corner of the Future Sight cards are the same as the in-game icons of Magic Online.

I believe the use of icons can be pushed further. A good graphic design team could probably design icons for most of the Keywords within magic - just off the top of my head, a wing-icon for flying, a sword-icon for first strike, a crossed sword-icon for double strike - which would allows a far greater amount of flexibility for the use of larger artworks on cards.

WotC have led the way in the CCG market for a long time. They must recognise the power of artwork to produce an emotional response that a short piece of flavour text cannot (there seem to be no Ernest Hemingway's writing at the moment, though I admire the 'continues to burn' line from Obsidian Fireheart). Here's hoping the WotC continue to maximise the use of an capitalise on the brilliant art they're producing at the moment, and that a philosophy of "Full Art, Whenever Possible" becomes established.

Labels: artwork, magic, speculation

Possible Mirrodin Cards in M11 and Zendikar Block

M10 will be rolling out soon enough and M11 rolling in. By including Fetchlands in Zendikar, WotC seems to be signalling they want a consistent cardpool in Extended. However, a large chunk of highly playable cards in Extended will disappear as Mirrodin block rotates out of extended.

As such here's an analysis of played cards and what we may be likely to see in M11 or Worldwake/Rise of the Eldrazi.

Definite NOs

• Banned/Restricted Cards (Skullclamp, Disciple of the Vault, Cranial Plating, Aether Vial): Three of these cards are already banned in Extended, and Cranial Plating has been banned in other formats. These are all far too overpowered to be allowed in the current Standard environment.
  
• Affinity Cards (primarly Thoughtcast, Myr Enforcer, Frogmite, Spire Golem): WotC made the mistake of affinity once, and aren't likely to do so again. Affinity, we will miss you.
  

Likely NOs

• Pulse Cycle (Pulse of the Fields, Pulse of the Grid, Pulse of the Dross, Pulse of the Forge, Pulse of the Tangle): These cheap, repeatable cards are so incredibly broken with the Cascade mechanic that I can't see them getting into the Standard environment at the moment.


• Beacon Cycle (Beaon of Immortality, Beacon of Tomorrows, Beacon of Unrest, Beacon of Destruction, Beacon of Creation): The only card in the set that sees regular play is Beacon of Immortality. Beacon of Tomorrows has been somewhat overtaken by Time Warp being reprinted in M10, and the rest are merely mediocre cards. Unlikely to see reprinting any time soon.


• Scry Cards (Serum Visions, Magma Jet, Condescend): Although Scry is an interesting mechanic, I'm not sure WotC believe it should be in the core set. It's a difficult mechanic to explain to a layperson, so I think it's unlikely that these cards will be reprinted.


• Imprint Cards (primarily Chrome Mox, Duplicant, Isochron Scepter): I can't see these getting up at the moment, largely due to the keyword. But in regards to Chrome Mox, here's quick test - can you think of a single mana accelerant artifact costing 2 mana or less in Standard at the moment? That should say everything you need to know about Chrome Mox.


• Sword of Fire and Ice/Sword of Light and Shadow: Great cards, probably too powerful to see play in Standard. WotC seem to have been nerfing equipment of late (see Grappling Hook and Bone Saw for some real do-nothing cards), and I see no reason why that trend won't continue.


• Tooth and Nail: If it weren't for the Entwine mechanic, I think it might stand a chance. But it's unlikely that WotC will reprint Entwine, and therefore Tooth and Nail is likely to be out of Extended for a while.


• Rude Awakening: Again, if it weren't for the Entwine keyword, I would think Rude Awakening would be perfrect for Zendikar block. However I believe it's probably more likely out than in.


• Engineered Explosives: Although it's a great card, and not overpowered, it has one little feature that will see it not reprinted - the keyword Sunburst. Again, another complicated mechanic that's unlikely to be reprinted.


• Thirst for Knowledge: Currently restricted in some formats, WotC have really beaten down on the card drawing of late. I doubt this one will see another reprint.


• Seething Song: Reprinting this in M11 wouldn't cause any problems, but wouldn't it be just the perfect flavour for Worldwake? Fire! Lava! Eruptions! However, as it was just reprinted in 9ED, it's unlikely to reprinted again, as it's safely in the Exteded pool regardless.


• Darksteel Colossus & Platinum Angel: They've just been reprinted, so I think they'll fall out of M11.


• Troll Ascetic: I think that Cudgel Troll being printed for the first time in M10 put the nail in Troll Ascetic's coffin for a while. Turns out that Troll Ascetic doesn't have shroud for other trolls.


• Serum Powder: A janky kinda card that sees play in particular combo decks, I simply see no reason to bring it back.


• Vedalken Shackles: Although I'd love to see it back, it's all wrong in the flavour of the moment. I don't think we'll see it again for a while.


• Lightning Greaves: Although it's not overpowered, and could happily see play, I just don't think it will be reprinted this soon. Matches the 'adventuring' flavour of Zendikar block though, so if it does appear, it will be in block, rather than core.


• Memnarch: Memnarch loses for one reason - he was integral to the flavour of Mirrodin at the time. As such I don't think we'll see him making a return.


• Trinisphere: WotC have publically state they want players to 'have fun', and that 'having fun' is not equal to 'sitting around not doing anything because of cards like Trinisphere'. Apparently, dying in the first six turns of the game to a bums rush of geopedes is fun. As such, no Trinisphere for you.


• March of the Machines: In Core set it would be a janky card like Hive Mind. In Block it would probably be amazingly overpowered. With no balance, no reprinting.


• Crucible of Worlds: A land set with land recursion would be awesome. But it would be massively overpowered in block with Fetchlands, and as it saw reprinting in 10E, it's unlikely to find it's way into Standard any time soon.

Possible M11

• Echoing Cycle (Echoing Calm, Echoing Truth, Echoing Decay, Echoing Ruin, Echoing Courage): The cycle isn't overpowered, and introducing the concept of cylces into the Core set would be great of newcomers. It also means Extended keeps some answers for some really obvious problems around.


• Death Cloud: Death Cloud would be a great Mythic for M11. It's a huge effect that keeps an entire archtype alive in Extended. I think we'll see it stick around.


• Icy Manipulator: It's been a staple of the core set for years, and the current rampant run of creatures and Jund means control options like this a desperately needed. I think we'll see it again in M11.


• Eternal Witness: It's a great card. I'm not sure how broken it would be with Cascade in Standard, but I think it could happily be reprinted in M11 to give Green a way to race against Gravedigger.


• Chalice of the Void: I think this would be great to see reprinted as a Mythic Rare in M11. It's the type of tool control badly needs to retain in Extended, and could also provide a thorn in the side of Jund. There's really no reason not to reprint it either, so here's hoping WotC get it into M11.


• Loxodon Warhammer: With Behemoth Sledge in Standard, and Warhammer reprinted in 10E already, I can't see a reason to reprint this anytime soon.


• Staff of Domination: Another Mythic Rare candidate for M11, the printing of Obelix of Alara shows WotC aren't afraid to stick multiple effects on a splashy artifact like this one. I wouldn't be surprised to see it reprinted in M11.


• Mindslaver: Probably the most controvertial pick of this list, but I think Mindslaver would also make a fantastic Mythic Rare in M11. My fingers are crossed, but I'm not holding my breath.


• Viridian Shaman: It's a good card for Limited, and really deserves to see play again. The only thing holding it back is probably Kor Sanctifiers.

Possible Zendikar Block

• The Artifact Lands: I think the current "land cycle" would be a great time to bring these cards back, although I do think it's rather unlikely. If the Eldrazi prove to be artifact creatures, perhaps we'll see them in Rise.


• Modular Cards (Arcbound Ravager. Arcbound Worker): Again, if Eldrazi is a artifact themed set (and that's a BIG 'if'), I don't think these cards are too broken to see play again. +1/+1 counters are pretty popular at the moment, and without damage on the stack, Ravager's effects aren't too overpowered to see play in Standard. After all, no-one plays Scarland Thrinax, and he's very similar in the current environment.


• Molten Rain: I think this is a very hot card for reprinting. Zendikar is a land-themed set, and one thing a set like that needs is specific, on-theme removal. That would be Molten Rain. I'd be very surprised not to see it reprinted, and if it isn't, WotC will have clearly signalled their intention to not make land descruction viable again in Standard for a very long time to come.


• Blinkmoth Nexus: It's a great little card, hardly overpowered, and the only thing that will keep it out of Zendikar is flavour.


• Stalking Stones: Another excellent card, especially for Worldwake. It may have been overtaken by the new dual-colour man-lands, however, and will likely not see reprinting for that reason.


• Goblin Charblecher: There are two things about this card that make me think it would be great to see in Zendikar block - the Goblin theme, and the land theme. This card is perfect for reprinting in the set, and I think will add an archtype back into standard that's sorely missing - Combo.


• Shrapnel Blast + Atog: These two go hand in hand, really, again proving viable only if Rise is an artifact based set. However, at the moment there are few artifacts worth saccing for effect, so I'd think currently more likely to be out than in.


• Trinket Mage: I'd love to see it reprinted, especially if Rise proves to be an artifact-based set. However, there is so little worth fetching with the mage in Standard at the moment that there would have to be a number of decent cards printed before he'd become playable in Standard.


• Sundering Titan: What does a 'land matters' block need but a land descruction finisher? Sundering Titan fits this bill perfectly. I think an almost shoe-in if Rise proves to be an artifact based set, because it's the perfect overlap of 'Land Matters' and 'Artifacts Matter'.


• Grinding Station: WotC have been pushing the mill deck heavily lately, so I think there's a fair chance that Grinding Station may see play. Would be very interesting in a Time-Sieve/Turbo Fog variation.


• Solemn Simulacrum: Although I actually doubt it'll see play in Standard again, it's the perfect landfall enabler. Perhaps a surprise inclusion?

So there you have it. Mirrodin block rotating certainly puts a lot of archtypes in danger - Deathcloud, Affinity, Mindslaver Tron, Charbelcher Combo. It'll be interesting to see if they go the way of the dodo, or if WotC makes an effort to protect some of them through M11 and Zendikar block.

Labels: analysis, m11, magic, mirrodin, zendikar

The Top Hits and Misses of Magic the Gathering for 2009

With only a couple of weeks until the end of the year, here's a quick recap of the Year in Magic's top hits and misses.

Misses:

4. I'll be the judge of that

I can remember few years that have had as many judging controversies as 2009. The one that immediately springs to mind was the Gindy DQ at Worlds. Fresh on the heels of the Brian Kibler missed trigger screwup that resulted in a ruling that overly rewarded the player, the Gindy missed action screwup resulting in a ruling that overly punished the player. Although there are various points of view on what should of happened, what the gamestates were, and who was really in the right, one thing is clear - a better system of rules around opponents that make mistakes, that doesn't punish the person who's playing against them, needs to be instituted. WotC must be aware of this, but has made no noise on the subject to date.

3. Can I buy something, anything?

Probably not. M10, sold out. Zendikar, sold out. Any while it's a wonderful reflection on the health of the game, the inability to get access to packs undermined confidence of players in the fairness of distribution and the ability for the secondary pricing market to keep within the realms of relative cheapness. Stories of people pre-ordering boxes, only to have the pre-orders revoked and relisted at higher prices abounded. Although WotC could probably be excused for misjudging the reaction to M10 - no core set has ever sold so well - they have no excuse for distribution problems with Zendikar, especially considering they knew full well that the particular promotional strategy for Zendikar would drive the sales through the roof. Here's hoping WotC get it right for Worldwake and everyone will be able to buy packs when they want to.

2. The rise and rise of Jund

If you thought faeries were bad in the previous standard - and they were a tough ask, certainly - then you haven't taken a good look at what Cascade has done to the format. The analysis is in, and it's not good. While the Fae has 20% of the field locked up in the US States in 2008, over 36% played Jund in the US States in 2009, a truly shocking showing. Made possible by the innumerable 2-for-1 cards in RGB (Bloodbraid Elf, Blightning, Bituminous Blast, Maelstrom Pulse, Broodmate Dragon) the sheer card advantage gives even the most hopeless of players hope. I built a fully fledged Jund deck for my 12-year-old son, fired him at an under 16s event, and the kid came out equal 2nd (on points). At least the fae required a fairly competent pilot to manage the constant lifeloss to Bitterblossom and the knowledge of when to pull the trigger on counterspells. Jund is simply "play a cascade card, see what I get, win the game". Although some tools are around to fight Jund, no killer deck has been developed as Rock to Jund's scissors, and until that happens Jund will be around to give even the weakest player hope.

1. A girl Called Baneslayer

Ironically, the one thing keeping Jund in check is a mythic rare with a startling pricetag. For 3WW and $50 you too can be the proud owner of a Baneslayer Angel. I'm not sure what Wotc were thinking when they printed this (perhaps 'Screw you Serra Angel') but five relevant abilities on a 5 mana creature with 5 power and 5 toughness seems a little extreme. But two factors compounded the issue. Firstly, the fact that Baneslayer is a Mythic Rare made availability a huge problems. Secondly, Baneslayer helped Brian Kibler André Coimbra win Worlds. Suddenly the big Angel wasn't just relevant in Standard, but in Extended too. A whole new player base was opened up just before Extended season. Prices went through the roof. Until Baneslayer, Mythic Rares seemed to be about the flavour, rather than the power. Big, chunky, impressive spells are often not synonymous with tournament play. But then you get a card that's simply too good not to run, and that card becomes the first chase Mythic Rare. Luckily Zendikar has avoided this over-exposure, with Lotus Cobra massively hyped and then proving to be too much of a glass cannon. However a repeat performance is inevitable at some stage. The only question is when - and what are WotC doing to prevent it?


Hits

4. A new Core

When WotC declared that they would take a fresh look at the core set it sent a new energy through the magic community. All of sudden the stale, boring core set was going to provide what every Magic player secretly covets - new cards. Although some criticised WotC for skewing the "50% new" target through the counting process (excluding basic lands, including functional reprints), the new Core set was a mammoth hit, with core set being actively, widely and enthusiastically drafted.

3. Magic is Dead! Long live Magic!

As usual, as soon as the M10 rules changes were announced, the usual crowd of naysayers and cynics declared that Magic would die, that they would sell off their collection, that they would never play in another tournament again, that M10 was becoming Yu-Gi-Oh. And as usual they were wrong. The M10 rules changes have come and gone, have improved the quality of some cards (eg. Mana Drain) and nerfed others (eg. Pyroclasm). And sure, you'll never be able to ping a player with your Spectral Searchlight, but at the same time you're having to make more choices than less - do I want to do damage with my saccable creature, or do I want the effect instead? The M10 rules changes proved the effectiveness of a continually evolving game that allows itself to be renewed, rather than become stale and by rote (block, damage on stack, sac for effect, etc). Next time the cynics declare the game dead and that they're selling their collection, don't forget to make an offer.

2. Let my magic probe you digitally

Less buggy. Less crashes. More events. New PTQs. A revival of the MTGO Championships. And more players than ever. MtGO is going strong in 2009 and looks set to power through 2010 as well. Although complains will always occur when there's money on the line over the 'net, WotC's obvious effort in improving the interface, backend and user experience for MtGO 4.0 can only mean great things. But MtGO is only one success story for 2009. The real story is the remarkable achievement that is Duels of the Planeswalkers for the X-Box 360. Climbing into the top 10 digital download list and stubbornly remaining their since it's listing, Duels has sold over 200,000 copies. What's even better, there's evidence that Duels is pulling people back into paper magic, which is a great success for everyone - WotC, competitive players, and casual fans. Here's hoping WotC can sprinkle some of what made Duels so successful into MtGO.

1. Priceless. Treasures.

The first real sign something big was about to happen was a simple tweet by Pat Chapin - "It's true." Shorly after that the rumours came flooding in - Alpha and Beta cards in Zendikar Booster packs! I admit I remained in denial for a long, long time, but eventually I came around to the realisation that it was all, actually, for reals. I dragged my buddy out of his home and we drove up the coast to Gosford to participate in the midnight pre-release event. Even though we didn't crack any treasure, the adrenaline buzz from cracking the packs was extra juiced that night. Of course, one is left to wonder how WotC are going to top this for Worldwake.


So there's my recap of the best and worst of Magic the Gathering for 2009. Merry Christmas, and may Mark Rosewater sneaks into your house on Christmas and stuff your stockings full of Moxes.

Labels: magic, recap

Jace 'the Mindsculptor' Mana Cost Spoiler

On my flickr feed:

Labels: jace, spoilers, worldwake

Team Grixis & Pro-active vs Reactive Control

I've been playing a Standard UBR deck on MtGO lately I've tentatively titled 'Team Grixis'. Here's the list, based on the good work at Affinity for Islands:

4 x Lighting Bolt
3 x Negate
2 x Essence Scatter
3 x Double Negative
2 x Grixis Charm
4 x Terminate

4 x Couriers Capsule

3 x Cruel Ultimatum
2 x Earthquake

1 x Sphinx of Jwar Isle
1 x Sphinx of Lost Truths

1 x Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
1 x Chandra Nalaar
1 x Sorin Markov
1 x Liliana Vess
1 x Jace Beleren

4 x Scalding Tarn
4 x Verdant Catacombs
4 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Crumbling Necropolis
3 x Mountain
4 x Island
5 x Swamp

It's a fun, fun deck to play, especially if you love games that go on for at minimum of ten turns. A recent concession on MtGO where someone quit because 'it was turn 13' got my head really spinning. Really? Turn 13 got you down? Have I got a Pickles lock to show you!

For a while I was convinced I needed to play Red Deck Wins as my old age and energy levels couldn't keep up over the course of an event. Then I realised, hey, you know what I do have? Infinite patience. Which is exactly what you need when playing control.

I remember I took the Fae and 5CC to a couple of FNMs in the last Standard season, and I would always win the mirror. Why? Because the young buck opposite me was determine to make something - anything - happen. Even if that meant losing. I have learnt that I don't feel that need. I can hold on forever, refusing to yield. So what if we're both playing draw-go? I dare you to tap out. I dare you.

Meanwhile, playing the deck has got me thinking, though, about the difference between pro-active and reactive control.

Pro-active vs reactive control

Blue is the colour synonymous with control for one simple reason - it engages in pro-active control. The ability to prevent a threat from ever reaching the battlefield through counter-magic has, historically, allowed blue to control the flow of the game, shaping it and moulding it in the right direction for victory. However, blue is at it's weakest at the moment. It's strongest counter (cancel) has a casting cost of 1UU, and beyond that it's left with a bunch of situational spells, most of which cannot cope against the inherent power of the Cascade mechanic.

As a result, control has moved into a far more reactive position. We have red options (Lightning Bolt, Terminate, Earthquake) or white options (Day of Judgment, Path to Exile, Oblivion Ring) and black options (Doom Blade, Infest, Gatekeeper of Malikir). These colours are stepping up their control game in response to the speed of play and card advantage that decks like Boros Bushwacker and Jund Cascade provide, and the gap in speed that blue has left behind.

Is prevention better than cure?

Any doctor will tell you prevention is better than cure. However, in Magic, the gamestate isn't that simple. The game allows one person to go first, and that person will have an inherent tempo advantage. A three-mana prevention spell such as Cancel is not much use when your opponent has dumped their biggest threats onto the battlefield before you have a chance to cast it.

At the same time, the diversification of threats at the moment means a situational counter such as Negate may sit in a hand unused as Goblin Guide after Goblin Guide hits play, or visa versa with a Luminarc Ascension with an Essence Scatter in hand. Again, blue's problem is that there is no 'soft' counter that can hit anything for a 2 mana casting cost in Standard at the moment.

As counters have progressively been neutered, answers have been getting better. Three good examples are Maelstrom Pulse, that can kill anything and it's brothers for a mere 1GB, Oblivion Ring, which can do the same for 2W, and Bituminous Blast, that is a two-for-one whenever it goes off.

This means that, as a whole, cards that are reactive answers to generic problems are currently stronger than cards that are narrow, active preventions for specific threats. Why risk running Essence Scatter when you know you'll hit a two-for-one at least with Day of Judgment?

Counter on the play, removal on the draw?

So, knowing the limitations of our active counters and our reactive answers, perhaps there is a new philosophy to enact - Active counters on the play, reactive answers on the draw.

For instance, ignoring the conditional Flash Freeze, the deck might have choose to play the following on the play:

4 x Lighting Bolt
4 x Essence Scatter
4 x Negate
4 x Double Negative
4 x Cancel
2 x Terminate

And this on the draw:

4 x Lighting Bolt
4 x Terminate
4 x Grixis Charm
4 x Earthquake
4 x Spell Pierce
2 x Negate

The first set acknowledges starting mana boost and the philosophy of prevention over cure. The second set acknowledges the need to play catchup, reducing casting costs, looking for the sweep, and planning to remove whatever his the ground.

The conundrum, then, is what to have in the maindeck, where you can never be sure whether you'll play or draw. At this point, I'd be inclined to use the 'Draw' list and always elect to draw in Game 1. Your opponent will rarely elect to draw, so you can be sure you'll have your optimum decklist. Then, if you lose Game 2 (which you should be relatively set up for), you can sideboard into Game 3 the 'on the play' card list, using the tempo boost to maximum advantage.

I'm going to tinker around with this strategy a bit. I'm sure I'll find a steady balance of proactivity and reaction. After all, I have infinite patience.

Labels: deckbuilding, magic, theory

Goblins, Goblins, Goblins

Today I'm going to talk a little about three goblin decks kicking around at the moment.

Here's the first, which went 4-0 in a recent MtGO daily event.

dbuchan's Goblins (4-0)
Constructed Standard Event #749420 on 12/06/2009 in Daily Events

4 Ball Lightning
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Guide
4 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Warren Instigator

4 Burst Lightning
4 Elemental Appeal
4 Lightning Bolt

3 Arid Mesa
12 Mountain
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Teetering Peaks
3 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle

Sideboard

4 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Goblin Shortcutter
3 Inferno Trap
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
3 Volcanic Fallout

Points of interest:
* No less than 8 "elementals" in the mainboard. Although this minimised the impact of the Warren Instigator, it gives the deck some reach that other goblin decks don't have.
* Shortcutters in the sidebard. Personally, I really like Shortcutters, as a Shortcutter plus a Lightning Bolt almost guarantees a Warren Instigator hit. However, with 8 less goblin cards, Instigator is a little less important in this deck.
* 3 Valakut mainboard and one in the sideboard. I've been playing Goblins for a while with two Valakut mainboard, but have never dealt anyone damage with them - the game simply has never gone on long enough.
* 3 Volcanic Fallout sideboard. These are very punishing vs. Boros and help one of your worst matchups - but holding back your dudes is important.
* 3 Inferno Traps for those playing Turbo Fog.

I wonder if a Lavaball trap might not also get the job done against Jund. Regardless, a great deck and one to watch.

Here's a second Standard deck:

Tim's Green Goblins
4th Place - Magic Game Day (Standard) - Georgia - Carrollton

4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Razerunners
4 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Warren Instigator
2 Intimidation Bolt
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
2 Sarkhan Vol
2 Volcanic Fallout

4 Arid Mesa
9 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Rootbound Crag
3 Scalding Tarn

Sideboard

2 Day of Judgment
3 Goblin Ruinblaster
3 Pithing Needle
2 Qasali Pridemage
3 Vines of Vastwood
2 Volcanic Fallout

Tim takes the approach of splashing for Green and White, making it really Naya Goblins. Points of interest:
* 2 Sarkhan Vol maindeck. People hate on Sarkhan, but he really shines in this deck, able to pump tokens, remove a blocker for Instigator, or just win games long term.
* Goblin Razerunners. Very difficult to play around, but not a lot of synergy with Siege-Gang Commander
* 4 Path to Exile. This is the type of deck that doesn't care how many lands your opponent has, because they're already dead. Path seems like another good way of pushing an Instigator through.
* 3 Vines of Vastwood. Vines is an excellent "counterspell" vs. removal to protect your Siege Gang Commanders and Warren Instigators.
* 2 Qasali Pridemage. Very interesting choice, but I would of guessed difficult to play.
* 3 Pithing Needle. Needle deals with so much, but shutting down Planeswalkers would be my best guess at to it's main calling.

I think either splashing Red, White or Black are all doable with Goblins at the moment, but splashing two colours seems a little dangerous. Maybe a Boros Goblins deck is the way to go

And finally, here's a MtGO Classic goblins deck:

Chaos Goblins
MtGO Classic Deck

4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Matron
1 Tin Street Hooligan
1 Goblin Chieftain
4 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Ringleader
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Æther Vial
2 Pithing Needle

4 Wasteland
5 Mountain
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Stomping Ground
1 Strip Mine
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
4 Bloodstained Mire

Sideboard

1 Krosan Grip
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Seal of Primordium
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Pyrokinesis

Chaos has done a fair bit of testing with this build. He tried Instigator, but found it simply wasn't fast enough! Some notes:
* Goblin Guide is a tentative card. Mogg Fanatic may actually be better in the slot, as it can also shut down Bridge From Below maindeck.
* Pithing Needles maindeck are superstars and are a must keep.
* Tin Street Hooligan is tutorable via Matron and is a silver bullet vs. certain decks.
* The same goes for Sharpshooter vs. decks like Elves!
* The sideboard has some heavy play against Engineered Plague with 3 Seal of Primordium and a Krosan Grip.
* Chalice is a brilliant choice with Æther Vial and can shut your opponent down beautifully.

Goblins are alive and well in both Standard and Classic. Although many will always see them as a Teir 1.5 deck, the moment you forget about the Red Menace, is the moment they secretly have you by the short and curlies.

Labels: analysis, classic, deckbuilding, goblins, magic, mtgo, standard

Loaming Cobra [An Extended Deck]

Here's a deck I'm dying to try out, tentatively nicknames Loaming Cobra. It's a GBW Rock deck that takes advantage of the synergies between Lotus Cobra, Knight of the Reliquary and Life of the Loam.

With the cycling lands cycling out of extended, it doesn't have the card drawing power it used to. Which is why I've gone an bumped up some of the threats (adding Baneslayer and Ob Nixilis), and an couple of extra extra recursion engines (Goglari Thug + Eternal Witness, Makeshift Mannequin + Eternal Witness, Miren + Gogari Thug, Life from the Loam + Gargoyle Castle]

The deck has a lot of disruption, through Raven's Crime, Ghost Quarter and Maelstrom Pulse - Ghost Quarter being particularly brutal in this deck.

The one ofs represent a toolbox of solutions you can grab from the graveyard.

The longer the deck stays alive, the more likely you are to win, though the endless land destruction and hand destruction, and the endlessly recurring threats.

Here's the deck:

[19 Creatures]

4x Lotus Cobra
4x Tarmogoyf
3x Kitchen Finks
4x Knight of the Reliquary
1x Eternal Witness
1x Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1x Baneslayer Angel
1x Golgari Thug

[7 Instants]

3x Path to Exile
2x Doom Blade
1x Harrow
1x Makeshift Mannequin

[8 Sorcery]

3x Raven's Crime
3x Life from the Loam
1x Maelstrom Pulse
1x Worm Harvest

[1 Artifacts]

1x Umezawa's Jitte

[25 Lands]

4x Marsh Flats
4x Verdant Catacombs
3x Overgrown Tomb
3x Temple Garden
1x Godless Shrine
2x Ghost Quarter
1x Treetop Village
1x Gargoyle Castle
1x Mutavault
2x Forest
1x Swamp
1x Plains
1x Miren, the Moaning Well

Labels: deckbuilding, Extended, lotus cobra, magic

I'm playing in a kitchen table, multiplayer-zombie, vintage magic night tonight. Here's the Esper Control deck I plan on bringing, nicknamed "Threat Diversity".

1 Engineered Explosives
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Glimmervoid
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Polluted Delta
1 Mystic Gate
1 Flooded Strand
1 Tolaria West
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Academy Ruins
1 Thopter Foundry
1 Counterspell
1 Rhystic Study
1 Mutavault
1 Wrath of God
1 Tinker
1 Flash
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Sphinx Summoner
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Ancient Den
1 Mind's Eye
1 Spitting Image
1 Urza's Power Plant
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Damnation
1 Godless Shrine
1 Memnarch
1 Nimbus Maze
1 Plains
1 Watery Grave
1 Urza's Mine
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Path to Exile
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Jace Beleren
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Ethersworn Adjudicator
1 Spell Snare
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Dark Depths
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Dimir Signet
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Swamp
1 Howling Mine
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Scarecrone
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Mind Stone
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Sharuum the Hegemon
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Azorius Signet
1 Fetid Heath
1 Archmage Ascension
1 Bloodchief Ascension
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Day of Judgment
1 Island
1 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Fabricate
1 Mortify
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Gargoyle Castle
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Marsh Flats
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Pithing Needle
1 Condemn
1 Pact of Negation
1 Urza's Tower
1 Mystic Remora
1 Trinket Mage
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Balance
1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Enigma Sphinx
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Dimir Cutpurse
1 Duplicant