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5 months ago ::
Jan 21, 2013 - 3:26PM
#281
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I like Mage Slayer  . A re-usable Berserk  -like effect is nice in a deck where you have to be so wary of a single instant removal ruining your plans, since you only generally only get one chance at the big 14+ point swing. Against instant removal decks, there's those turns where open mana means you don't yet want to start dumping your spells on your creature, so you have dead mana anyway, and this fits perfectly to drop there. And it draws out that removal before you have to commit one-time-use spells, because the effect is pretty nice.
Even in scenarios where you're not facing instant removal, I've found that this gets out on the field more naturally than I had initially thought with its 3+3 mana cost. With the deck being split between creatures and spells fairly evenly, I'm generally not dropping a creature every turn, and I don't always want to cast my pumps as soon as I can. Between this and the above scenario, there's rarely a time where I just can't find a space to drop this. And if that happens, things are going swimmingly enough as it is 
Finally, a brother in Mage-Slaying arms! The card's good people; really good!
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 6:47PM
#282
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Out of curiosity, is Mage Slayer  + Deus of Calamity  double land destruction? (assuming unblocked....or hell, even triple with his runes  along for the ride)
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 6:51PM
#283
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Date Joined:
Jan 29, 2012
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Out of curiosity, is Mage Slayer + Deus of Calamity double land destruction? (assuming unblocked....or hell, even triple with his runes along for the ride)
If he deals 6 or more damage each time, yes.
WotC doesn't care about flavor. Their forum is the only place where an ORC can kill a troll...
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5 months ago ::
Jan 27, 2013 - 2:06AM
#284
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After playing this deck alot the last few days in 2hg I gotta ask where is the ramp???
How cool would it be to be able to reliably get to 8 lands and plays deus with fires out and be able to equip the 'mage masher' the same turn? Or just be able to play any dude with fire out and have ability to play an instant on it while hes a swingin? Or have enough land to fling it the same turn you cast it? Or be able to even get to play those cool looking 7costs or the hydra that basically just sit in your hand till you decide to take them out of the deck completly...
Also with no ramp who in there right mind would actually use the guildmages first ability?
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5 months ago ::
Jan 27, 2013 - 5:49AM
#285
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Date Joined:
Oct 13, 2010
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Also with no ramp who in there right mind would actually use the guildmages first ability?
I always use it. It's a useful ability to help get in those last few points. Who cares if you lose lands if it's winning you the game, right?
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5 months ago ::
Jan 27, 2013 - 8:25AM
#286
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Date Joined:
Jan 28, 2006
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Also with no ramp who in there right mind would actually use the guildmages first ability?
I always use it. It's a useful ability to help get in those last few points. Who cares if you lose lands if it's winning you the game, right?
Indeed, it's there for when you need it, not to spam starting on turn 4...
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5 months ago ::
Jan 27, 2013 - 9:25PM
#287
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haha true but you gotta agree would make more sense with some ramp? throw me a few of golgaris or yevas elves or some natures lore maybe idk? Then it might make sense to use for removing annoying little dudes a little earlier... Every other green deck has a bit of land help.
Whether simics worms are actually lucky enough to get it or not is another question..
With a little bit of ramp i could see playing the dude and the abilty the same turn more often!!
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5 months ago ::
Jan 28, 2013 - 12:40AM
#288
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Date Joined:
Oct 13, 2010
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No, I don't really agree. At least not to using ramp specifically as a means to fuel Guildmage's first ability. The ability isn't something I want to accelerate into, just something to utilize when I exceed my expected curve (5+ lands for this general pool). Now, some ramp could be beneficial for the pool as a whole where you can potentially ramp into larger targets (more mana into Apoc. Hydra or easier time casting Borborygmos for example), but I would view the bonus with Guildmage as incidental. The Guildmage is better off sliding into lower curve, beatdown lists in my opinion. Acts as a solid beater with on curve stats, and provides two useful mana dumps for this kind of deck. Mode two lets you start trumping blockers in combat or dumping excess mana to push more damage through while at the same time helping avoid any overextending that might occur if you were to cast more creatures instead. Once this option starts to fail and your hand begins to deplete from general play, the time comes to fall back on the first mode to help close the game out before the opponent takes complete control and shuts you down. By this point in the game, through the general construction and expected outcome for a beatdown list, you're only looking to activate this ability maybe once or twice before winning since the opponent should have been put to dangerously low life totals from inital assaults. Becomes the perfect dump for the times beatdown starts to stall out or experiencing some lategame flood. I personally wanted Stormbind  for a similar effect, but this is what we got. Wanting to use ramp to fuel Guildmage will likely lead to wasted slots depending on how you're utilizing the ramp in the first place. It's low impact as a ramp target by itself, and the land sac cost potentially negates any mana advantage you're trying to achieve. If using ramp spells (non-creature versions especially), you're probably not applying the same early pressure either such that the ability becomes less substantial as well. Why ramp to retrace some Shocks at four mana + land sac a piece, when you could/should just be dropping insane fat instead? See decks like Mana Mastery or Ancient Depths for stronger applicatons of ramp spells. A Llanowar Elves  would have been sweet for the 1-to-3 acceleration though... An occasional Turn 2 Fires would be sweet, and even just landing Centaurs earlier would've been nice. Hopefully, we'll finally get to use awesome, little manadorks at some point soon in the Duels franchise.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 28, 2013 - 1:53AM
#289
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As usual i agree with everything you say man!! In a much better way then I seem to be able to spell out what im thinkin!! My main thought of ramp was being able to play dudes and still have land to cast the pumps or fling or equip the mage masher and probably put that thing about the guildmage in at the end without really thinkin it through!! I should note that everything i say comes from 2hg point of view where the games generally take longer and its hard to really keep any little dudes alive with all the murders and burn the other teams usually run. I would like to be able to get some bigger dudes out faster with a pump and hopefully fire already out. How cool would it be to have rumbling slum and fire out with 8 land and skybreaker in hand O.o Still I find this deck works great with rakdos and golgari. When golgari gets his trolls rolling theres 4? potential rancors to hang on em. Or when he gets that hexproof enchantment the other team can't really stop us from swinging a berserk Lord of extinction or berzerk on his regeneraters is pretty sweet as well. Runes is pretty darn tricky on spirtmonger as he can just trample as green or if not blocked flip to red for double strike. Not to mention can sometimes win just swinging everything into a suicidal wall of first strikers if theres a blood artist hanging around for the finish. And with rakdos's generally fast style really seems to work well as he can haste the deus and gruul can generally get counters on his black enchantments and trigger the discard one or a pump on a single demigod can often be fatal and that llanowar elves looks like the perfect type of ramp card to add next year in a deck like this, seeing as they added those dualcost cards this year seems that seems like the next logical step.
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3 months ago ::
Mar 19, 2013 - 7:07AM
#290
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Date Joined:
Feb 27, 2011
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I just got deck pack 2, and I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised by this deck. It's fun to use, and it packs a punch to boot. I'm still undefeated online with this deck (only about 5 games though), using a build that I settled on after unlocking. I definitely wasn't expecting this after some of the stuff I'd read about the deck's performance. Glad I finally got around to getting the deck pack.
| "Please Sir, I Want Some More" |
60 Cards. 24 Lands (11 10 ; 3 other). |
| A library for Berserker Rage (Gruul) |
| Library code: ((((((((~~=6qeZp~~Starter~~1?3RDJs~~2BVJabe~~2?mNrP0~~3?NHqCj~~4=lwzSe~~2=OP1bK~~2=QLARz~~1A8XIuv~~2=31C86~~2=kcw2U~~2AVQ32L~~3?2vriJ~~1BcvCSW~~1?p=fct~~1?k67e5~~2?3WTkV~~2BVKkhC~~1B3wUwD~~1BDl2o=~~1AZQlWQ~~1?e5qgG~~1ANLrmV~~1ACAq0s~~)))))))) |
| Get the deck planner used to make this table.>>> |
I saw people talking about the mage slayer  , and wouldn't mind testing it (as I haven't yet), but I haven't yet because it just seems like it will be too disruptive to the flow that I have going. Also, I don't know what I'd swap it for in the build I have now.
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