So I think the real reason they released this deck so close to rotation is:
3. They wanted to show off M12's vampire "tribal" only to realize they screwed up and didn't have any playable vampires in Scars block, thus having to go all the way back to the almost-gone Zendikar block to fill out the deck.
True, but understandable. I mean why would they make a strong vampire tribal theme when Innistrad is just around the corner?
On the whole event deck thing... I'm not sure who they're targeting with these. People who started playing seriously are most likely to build there own decks (or something they copyed from the pros) and for beginners there are the intropacks.
and while on the subject i'd like to ask do the dice packed with the decks match the deck collor, or are they random? (no one i know bought one so i dunno:D)
I just realised that Gravitational Shift would combo really well with Levitation . You could even build a blue-green deck full of big green creatures that fly!
Actually this was a standard deck at the time, just from a long time ago.
I remember playing a mirror match with this deck, where my opponent and myself both got Verdants into play. A couple of turns later, I tapped two Undiscovered Paradise's for mana to bounce them to my hand, untapped for my turn and Firestormed discarding 7 cards to kill his Verdant, his 4 tokens, his Hidden Horror, and nug him for 7. 49 damage for one red mana was nice.
Interesting to see them use a sketch instead of a final. I can't how many times they've shown us an art Arcana where the sketch was way better than the final.
Proud member of C.A.R.D. - Campaign Against Rare Duals
"...but the time has come when lands just need to be better. Creatures have gotten stronger, spells have always been insane, and lands just sat in this awkward place of necessity." Jacob Van Lunen on the refuge duals, 16 Sep 2009.
in regards to the event decks: i had totally planned on buying at least the vampires deck and possibly the blue as well. after seeing the lists, i can say for certain i will not be buying either for the numerous reasons already mentioned.
dear wizards: i am your target customer for this kind of deck. i'm not trying to put together cheap playsets of big cards. i'm not trying to make a buck on buying the decks cheap and selling the good cards. i want to get into playing standard whether it be at fnm or whatever. i can assure you there are tons of people like me (remember your target customer) and when you put together a sham product like this, it is insulting.
i really want the vampire deck. honestly i do. but what good will it do me when 80% of it is no good a mere few weeks after i buy it? i know companies like this really want to keep things under wraps as far as future cards and what not, but would it be possible to just get some tiny assurance from wizards or monty or whoever that the vampire deck won't be totally useless? just a little bit? i've shown loyalty to this game. how about getting a little back.
Theoretically, only "Future Shifted" cards from Future Sight have a chance of being "reprinted" in sets (reprinted in the strict sense, because the real first version would be from the set it belongs to instead of future sight, because future sight "shifted" it), and they have a different border because of this very same reason.
Of course, every card not in the reserved list has a chance of being reprinted, but the way it's worder makes it look like bogardan lancer is future shifted, when it's actually not.
For linking a card to Gatherer without writting the name of said card for readers, use the autocard brackets together with and equal sign and right the name of the real card. Then put the message you want inside the tags, like you would do with autocarding. Like this:
I like storm crow because I really like crows in real life, as an animal, and the card isn't terribly stupid, but packs a good deal of nostalgia and also a chunck of the game's history. So it's perhaps one of the cards I have most affection to, but not because "lol storm crow is bad hurr hurr durr".
Although I do assume you deliberately refer to them (DCI) as The Grand Imperial Convocation of Evil just for the purposes of making them sound like an ancient and terrible conspiracy.
Now, now. 1994 doesn't quite qualify as "ancient".
Oh, it's a brilliant plan. You see, Bolas was travelling through shadowmoor, causing trouble, when he saw a Wickerbough Elder with its stylin' dead scarecrow hat. Now, Bolas being Bolas took the awesome hat and he put it on his head, but even with all his titanic powers of magic he couldn't make it fit. He grabbed some more scarecrows, but then a little kithkin girl asked if he was trying to build a toupee. "BY ALL THE POWERS IN THE MULTIVERSE!" he roared, "I WILL HAVE A HAT WORTHY OF MY GLORY." and so he went through his Dark Lore of Doom (tm) looking for something he could make into a hat that would look as stylish on him as a scarecrow does on a treefolk. He thought about the Phyrexians, but they were covered in goopy oil that would make his nonexistant hair greasy. He Tried out angels for a while but they didn't sit quite right. Then, he looked under "e" (because in the Elder Draconic alphabet, "e" for Eldrazi is right next to "h" for Hat) in his Dark Lore of Doom and saw depictions of the Eldrazi, and all their forms. "THIS SHALL BE MY HAT!" he declared, poking a picture of Emrakul, "AND WITH IT I WILL USHER IN A NEW AGE OF DARKNESS -- ER, I MEAN A NEW AGE OF FASHION!"
And so Nicol Bolas masterminded the release of the Eldrazi.
The last couple days have been roughly every perverse fetish imaginable, but it only got "creepy" when speculation on Mother of Runes's mob affiliation came up?
I like to think up what I consider clever names for my decks, only later to be laughed at by my wife. It kills me a little on the inside, but thats what marriage is about.
Of course, the best use [of tolaria west ] is transmuting for the real Tolaria.
Absolutely. I used to loose to my buddy's Banding deck for ages, it was then that I found out about Tolaria , and I was finally able win my first game.
Browbeat is a card that is an appropriate deck choice when there's no better idea available. "No better idea available" was pretty much the running theme of Odyssey era.
Modern is like playing a new tournament every time : you build a deck, you win with it, don't bother keeping it. Just build another, its key pieces will get banned.
I always find it helpful when im angry to dress up in an owl costume and rub pennies all over my body in front of a full body mirror next to the window.
Dymecoar:
Playing Magic without Blue is like sleeping without any sheets or blankets. You can do it...but why?
Omega137:
Me: "I love the moment when a control deck stabilizes. It feels so... right." Omega137: "I like the life drop part until you get there, it's the MtG variant of bungee jumping"
Zigeif777:
Just do it like Yu-Gi-Oh or monkeys: throw all the crap you got at them and hope it works or else the by-standers (or opponents) just get dirty and pissed.
Normally it's difficult to pick up on your jokes/sarcasm. But this one's pretty much out there. Good progress. You have moved up to Humanoid. You'll be Human in no time.
These decks are BS. Vamps is gone in two months and that Unreal deck is unreal. It'd get you laughed out of your local store.
I play a psuedo modern/standard with my friends. I would love to play standard, but just about everyone at local FNMs take Magic far more seriously than I do and by proxy have far better collections. So you know what? I don't play at local FNMs.
It's just way to cost intensive to drop $30+ on a single card. Let alone get four of them. I draw the line at $12 for one of's, $6 for two of's, and less for everything else. That's my card purchasing rules.
However, I like having premade decks that show all of Magic's history and flavor, so I buy the Duel Decks and the Premiums. Not because they're great, but because they're interesting and my friends can play without having to carry their cards over. I even buy the promo stuff like the Commander decks and From the Vaults.
Thing is, I invest. Not like a pro player, but as someone who likes to collect a little and values fun investments. (Standard, btw, is currently NOT a fun investment for me)
I spend my money in collectable sets and stand alone decks. I'm never going to compete in Legacy, or even modern. And as it stands, standard is a rich man's game. I have no want a perfect Standard deck. I have no want of CawBlades and Valakut Ramps. However, I'd like to play against them so long as it's fun.
So~ I'd have no problem dropping $30 on a good deck that I can play outta the box competitively. Frequently even. But if I am going to invest in a rotating format, I'd like to spend my money wisely.
Banned Stoneforges and rotating Vampires are NOT wise investments. Everything else is practically a joke. I've almost bought several. Luckily I weighed the decision, and low and behold it was a smart move.
You guys at WotC have access to all the current and future cards. Spend a little effort in making decks that can hold up in a local FNM, and still have value after 6 months. ZEN block rotates out very shortly. Who in their right mind is going to want to jump into some local Standard play with a deck they can't use in 8 FNM's. That's your selling point for the decks.
Plan them out a little better and everyone will be happier (and you'll be richer ).
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