|
3 years ago ::
Feb 02, 2010 - 12:03PM
#331
|
Date Joined:
Aug 28, 2009
|
Of the aggro decks I've played, I actually find Allies to be the hardest to play well... not over-extending is rather difficult,
Sadly, though, the way Allies are designed, one has to inherently overextend to get them to work to their full effectiveness.
While you are "playing them well" and not overextending, one of the following are true:
1.) You are not using the deck to its full effectiveness, since Allies need more Allies
2.) Getting further behind and maybe on the verge of beginning to lose as you wait on the "right string" of Allies to come together, resolve, wait around a turn, and then do something (which almost always includes "get counters, turn sideways").
I'm not saying Allies is a terrible idea (it was dropped in our hands, directly from WotC, it can't be bad), it's just their full effectiveness isn't possible beyond a casual setting, where everyone accumulating armies is the norm, and all in good fun.
And if your opponent hits the "reset" button (Wrath, or something eerily similar), you have to overextend to catch back up. So you end up overextending anyway, or overextending into another "OH NOES, WRATH  " sort of situation.
This is why you run allies in either blue/white or white/green.
Blue/White nets you Negate to keep your allies safe from mass removal
White/Green nets you Dauntless Escort as a safeguard as well.
Additionally, blue/white allies gets an out for having an alternate win condition in Halimar Excavator that can mill cause serious damage while they are dealing with the Kazandu Blademasters, etc.
old quotes from the Worldwake talk: Mike Turian: While Mark Rosewater made Tarmogoyf, I made Tarmogoyf what he is today Mark Rosewater: Would we ever reprint Tarmogoyf? Maybe. 
174 How many of your friendships have lasted more than ten years? Which of your current friendships do you still feel will be important to you ten years from now?
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 02, 2010 - 1:04PM
#332
|
Date Joined:
Dec 16, 2008
|
Blue/White nets you Negate to keep your allies safe from mass removal
White/Green nets you Dauntless Escort as a safeguard as well.
While they are both definitely worth having, these cards won't save you.
Orzhova Witness Restarting Quotes Block
Show
Disregard women acquire chase rares.
There are a lot of dudes for whom this is not optional.
How;s a 2 drop 1/2, Flying broken? What am I missing?
You're missing it because *turns Storm Crows sideways* all your base are belong to Chuck Norris and every other overused meme ever.
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 02, 2010 - 2:00PM
#333
|
Date Joined:
Aug 28, 2009
|
Blue/White nets you Negate to keep your allies safe from mass removal
White/Green nets you Dauntless Escort as a safeguard as well.
While they are both definitely worth having, these cards won't save you.
Day Of Judgment can be counterspelled, Dauntless Escort makes them all indestructible in responce. How does that not save them?
old quotes from the Worldwake talk: Mike Turian: While Mark Rosewater made Tarmogoyf, I made Tarmogoyf what he is today Mark Rosewater: Would we ever reprint Tarmogoyf? Maybe.
174 How many of your friendships have lasted more than ten years? Which of your current friendships do you still feel will be important to you ten years from now?
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 03, 2010 - 12:48AM
#334
|
Date Joined:
Sep 30, 2009
|
Funny thing - Out of the bajillion allies decks I've faced online in the last couple of weeks, the most challenging are the ones that run red/black or green/black. Join the Ranks is highly over-rated in constructed.
Getting your opponent into topdeck mode is the only realistic chance allys have of getting a kill. Being able to throw blightnings and mind rots at an opponent while forcing them to blow removal on 2cmc and 3cmc creatures is pretty solid. Pair it with sign in blood and some basilisk collars, and you have a decent midrange deck with tempo and disruption.
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 03, 2010 - 6:04AM
#335
|
|
|
so would it be good to do like u/w/b, w/b/g or something for allies? mind rot and bala whatever theif. sounds good. and i do agree that join the ranks is very overrated. it gives you 2 1/1s for 4 mana.
Blue is the best color ever. How do you deal? Team GFG - "gulf, foxtrot, gulf" Twitter: Burning_Forest ------------------------------------------------------ I started making some Dubstep and Electronica. Check me out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLxlHeE1rg My Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/whitefender69?feature=mhee It is a little bit chill. Let me know what you think. 
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 03, 2010 - 6:37AM
#336
|
Date Joined:
Aug 28, 2009
|
so would it be good to do like u/w/b, w/b/g or something for allies? mind rot and bala whatever theif. sounds good. and i do agree that join the ranks is very overrated. it gives you 2 1/1s for 4 mana.
In a vaccum, yes it just gives you two 1/1 allies for four mana.
HOWEVER....
WHen you have any other allies on the board it triggers them twice and for the new amount of allies total (meaning if you have two Ondu Cleric and then join the ranks the abilities trigger and allow you to gain16 life when you get those two 1/1 allies). That's obviously not the best example (like a Marusa Pyromancer, Bala Ged Thief, or Turntimber Ranger)
old quotes from the Worldwake talk: Mike Turian: While Mark Rosewater made Tarmogoyf, I made Tarmogoyf what he is today Mark Rosewater: Would we ever reprint Tarmogoyf? Maybe.
174 How many of your friendships have lasted more than ten years? Which of your current friendships do you still feel will be important to you ten years from now?
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 03, 2010 - 7:13AM
#337
|
|
|
its still no raise the alara or spectral procession. its just too overcosted for what it does.
Blue is the best color ever. How do you deal? Team GFG - "gulf, foxtrot, gulf" Twitter: Burning_Forest ------------------------------------------------------ I started making some Dubstep and Electronica. Check me out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLxlHeE1rg My Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/whitefender69?feature=mhee It is a little bit chill. Let me know what you think.
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 03, 2010 - 8:08AM
#338
|
Date Joined:
Aug 28, 2009
|
its still no raise the alara or spectral procession. its just too overcosted for what it does.
Say that after you get raped by a Marusa Pyromancer or Bala Ged Thief. I watched 4 FIVE+ TOUGHNESS creatures disappear over two turns due to two Join the Ranks. It ended a single game that devolved into a one hour standstill and ended just before extra turns were finished after a 5 minute extension.
old quotes from the Worldwake talk: Mike Turian: While Mark Rosewater made Tarmogoyf, I made Tarmogoyf what he is today Mark Rosewater: Would we ever reprint Tarmogoyf? Maybe.
174 How many of your friendships have lasted more than ten years? Which of your current friendships do you still feel will be important to you ten years from now?
|
|
|
|
3 years ago ::
Feb 03, 2010 - 10:13AM
#339
|
Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
|
@JTI: You're right, that is the inherent weakness in Allies. That's also the reason that I run an exceedingly low curve on most of my aggro decks these days. I've posted my current Allies list in various places, but it basically has like 8 creatures with a CMC above 2 (out of ~24). With the right curve, and there are several ways to hit it, I can hit 20 damage by turn 4. I also run Negate  and Call to Heel  in order to prevent sweepers and generate CA (CtH is awesome like that). So yeah, there are problems with Allies. The good thing, though, is that you don't have to maximize their potential to make them exceedingly strong.
My blog (everyone else is doing it...): http://ideas-abounding.blogspot.com/ "Opinions are immunity to being told you're wrong. Paper, rock, and scissors, they all have their pros and cons." - Relient K DISCLAIMER: I'm not a nice person. MOTL Sale List: http://www.magictraders.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/087367.html#0  Sig by the modest, yet talented, zpikduM.
|
|
|
