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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 11:15AM
#31
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@Black_Acre: Disagreeing is a thing, yes, but I'd like to hear your views on why Taunting Elf  's exclusion is flatly wrong. Specifically, why do you think it's so essential to the deck? I already gave my reasons. I never actually said I was dependant on Overrun  to win me games, I simply stated one topdeck is better than the other.
As far as White Sun's Zenith  goes, I don't see how instant speed dudes are useless. Sure, casting it for 4 mana is not impressive. At 5 you get 4 power, pretty on curve except for the fact that this is at INSTANT SPEED. 6 get 6. 7 get 8. This isn't like Goblin Offensive  or something...instant speed makes all the difference. There are even techy plays to make every now and again when you have a combination of Soul Warden  + Ajani's Pridemate  / Serra Ascendant  out. It also let's you recover from sweepers pretty effectively, shuffles back in your deck, makes seemingly hopeless No Mercy  / Dread  situations winnable, etc.
The majority of games don't actually end when 6 mana is availiable. Especially with this deck if you don't aggro out with an early Pridemate or Ascendant. These tend to be long, dragged out, slugfests. And how much better is a Purity  or Felidar Sovereign  than 6 power over 3 bodies at instant speed? The difference isn't that extreme.
Taunting elf costs 1 mana and it WINS GAMES. There are very few cards in this format which can claim that. The combos in Ancient Wilds result in creature advantage, but it isn't laden with trample like Pack Instinct. You need to connect with those creatures and taunting elf is an invaluable solution. Passing it up is simply mind bogling to me.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 11:28AM
#32
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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Passing it up for a Ring that grants Trample when I actually need to push through a clogged board is mind-boggling? Much like the ring, Taunting Elf does NOTHING without other creatures, but I feel the ring does more over a period of time. If they're killing all your creatures you're ringing up, guess what, they're also killing all your creatures you're trying to push through with Elf. Okay sure, it's one more thing to sac to Natural Order  . It's one mana and WINS GAMES SITUATIONALLY, sure. You might as well say the same thing about a Cathedral Sanctifier  when at 27 life and Serra Ascendant s on the board. I'm not telling people necessarily not to run it. I just won't. In my personal experience I run just fine, and I have lost to a Taunting Elf exactly ONCE (because some dude put a Wurmweaver Coil  on it). I recogize all the applications: pump, bounce after blockers, make my creatures unblockable, et al...I just think it requires too much support to be good. I fail to see how that is on the level of mind-boggling. You make it sound like it's equatable to cutting Goblin Guide  s for Lowland Oaf  s.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 12:11PM
#33
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Passing it up for a Ring that grants Trample when I actually need to push through a clogged board is mind-boggling? Much like the ring, Taunting Elf does NOTHING without other creatures, but I feel the ring does more over a period of time. If they're killing all your creatures you're ringing up, guess what, they're also killing all your creatures you're trying to push through with Elf. Okay sure, it's one more thing to sac to Natural Order . It's one mana and WINS GAMES SITUATIONALLY, sure. You might as well say the same thing about a Cathedral Sanctifier when at 27 life and Serra Ascendant s on the board.
I'm not telling people necessarily not to run it. I just won't. In my personal experience I run just fine, and I have lost to a Taunting Elf exactly ONCE (because some dude put a Wurmweaver Coil on it). I recogize all the applications: pump, bounce after blockers, make my creatures unblockable, et al...I just think it requires too much support to be good. I fail to see how that is on the level of mind-boggling. You make it sound like it's equatable to cutting Goblin Guide s for Lowland Oaf s.
If you honestly put Cathedral Sanctifier on the same level as Taunting Elf you are insane. You make it seem like you have to choose between Taunting Elf and Ring of Kalonia  . How about instead you keep both and drop something crappy like Momentous Fall  or even Gaea's Revenge  .
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 12:49PM
#34
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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Oh, I don't know, maybe because I like drawing cards with Momentous Fall in response to a removal spell or when my hand is barren, and gaining life? What happens when you're only hitting your x/1s and lands? Surely you want to draw extra cards, right? I want effect: "push through damage on board stalls when needed with a card that needs a lot of support". I don't feel this effect is absolutely essential so I make room in my deck for only 1 card like this. I choose Ring. And Gaea's Revenge ? Sometimes you Order up some Revenge on turn 4 against decks that can barely do anything about him. Exalted is a good one (barring No Mercy ...even Silent Arbiter  is pretty poor against him). Jace? Chandra if they don't double Flamebreak  you? (though I'd probably just get a Pelakka Wurm  if I wasn't stuck with one in hand in that case). Am I to believe you've won every game where you've resolved a Taunting Elf ? That sounds like insanity to me.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 12:53PM
#35
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Your candor leads me to believe that you want to go as fast as possible (which is correct), but then you champion the rummagers. They can't swing and loot at the same time you know. And if you're running rummagers then why not Squee with them??
I run rummagers because there are not enough good quality cards to end every game in fifth turn (or even earlier). And then when opponent has good defence, you can't attack plus your hand is empty. So you just sit and wait for one game ending card (dragon, commander, grenade, krenko). Whenever you draw a land or even other not much helping card you do nothing whole turn. In those not very rare moments rummaging gives you speed to draw 2 cards a turn, so it doubles your chance to draw something that matters and kill your opponent before he kills you. With rummagers i think the whole deck runs faster. As i said any land above 5 is a blank card, so you can also build a card advantage.
Squee is not bad, but you need at least one other card to get value from him, and only with arms dealer that value would be constant, not one-off trick. Also you don't get any speedboost from him.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 1:18PM
#36
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Ok, let's talk about chandra.
Dragon Hatchling - i hate those guys because they drain all mana and suddenly die, so you waste your time and resources with this.
Searing Blaze - it's too situational card for me. In practice you have to play this as sorcery on first arrived creature (even when it's not worth to do it) because you never know when you draw next land.
Flames of the Blood Hand - what's the point to play this card unless you are going to win this turn? (I know there is spitfire or phenixes but there are also much better cards to cooperate with them and those cards are good on their own)
I think medallions really help to this deck (probably best second turn drop)
I would play 2 magma phoenixes because having as much sweepers as possible is important to this deck (and they deal with flyers as well)
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 1:31PM
#37
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Date Joined:
Nov 26, 2011
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Have to admit, I hated Gaea's Revenge in 2012, but in Ancient Wilds, being able to Natural Order him out can put some serious pressure on your opponent fast. He's solid as a one-of, especially if you're also packing Taunting Elf . I do plan on running Soul of the Harvest  once it hits, and the synergy with Erratic Portal  and cards like the elves is really nice. Protagenius, though your candor is a bit barbed, I do agree with what you've said about both of the red decks. I'll be running Chandra's as a big red deck once it gets an additional copy of Inferno Titan  and Hostility  , as well as the great board-sweeper Chain Reaction  . Love the Ruby Medallion  s in the deck. And yeah, Magma Phoenix  absolutely hoses many of the decks you'll face.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 1:36PM
#38
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Date Joined:
Apr 10, 2012
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Glad to see I'm not the only one running Blanchwood Armor. Whenever I mention it people just start screaming "2 for 1!" like they have tourettes or something. That card on a Garruks Companion has saved me from GG every time I've had the chance to play them on turn 3
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 1:49PM
#39
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Date Joined:
Nov 26, 2011
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What are you running against, mostly? Blanchwood Armor is definitely a powerful card, but yeah, after I got two-for-oned with it a bit too often, I pulled mine. Early against red, either green, or unlucky blue, it's definitely a house, though, so yeah. Will you still run them when Dungrove Elder  is released?
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11 months ago ::
Jul 07, 2012 - 2:22PM
#40
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I ve switched to running one taunting elf to give a shot to the spawnrithe. Since she is so situational, having one in the deck isn't too unreliable: there are effectively multiple chances to get her out of th deck, even discarding her or chumping if needed will still give you a chance to get her back on the field when you can use her.
I can't wait for the second vengevine, there will be quite some aggro coming out of this deck if built for it in the future.
In the mean time it is getting very very hard to make the cuts. Even gigantomancer has his place, not on turn four, but on landdrop five or six, he can make for a huge surprise. People are getting wise to elderscale anyway ^^.
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