Mtg arena open beta

[me_in_japan]

aye - people are going to find ways to abuse that emblem, and get it out quickly, I'm pretty sure. That said, it'd be most at home in mono-red burn, and it they havent killed ya by turn 6, they're doing it wrong. I'm sure there's a way to take advantage of it, though, no doubt.

Apparently it's only Chandra who's getting 3 versions in the new set - it's themed around her, I believe (although there's at least a mythic Ajani, too, which spawns Ajani's Pridemates as its -2 ability. Cos we needed more pridemates in our life, obviously

How goes the card collecting? Any nice rares/mythics come your way recently? Bunch of tat at my end, unfortunately

[Primarch]

How goes the card collecting? Any nice rares/mythics come your way recently? Bunch of tat at my end, unfortunately

I picked up the mythic Liliana, Dreadhorde General from a draft last week, but off the top of my head thats the only one I remember.

[me_in_japan]

Ooft! That’s a doozy. Most expensive card in the set, in paper magic. You can totally build around that.

[Primarch]

This game keeps sucking up so much of my time. I've barely touched a paintbrush since I did a couple of bases last weekend.

On the other hand, I've been completing a fair number of daily quests and I have been able to enter a draft every week, so that's nice. Last night I managed to win 3 draft games for 2 losses before I had to log off and sleep. One of the games went down to my opponent drawing their final card before conceding . (I had 2 cards left in my deck). Fingers crossed I can get another win or two under my belt before notching up that inevitable third loss tonight. I now have enough gems to enter a Sealed event, but I think I'll hold off until M20 is available as my War of the Spark set is fairly well stocked currently.

How about you M_i_J, what decks/formats are you playing?

@All - Is anyone else interested in Magic the Gathering? I can put up a beginners guide if anyone is wondering what the heck M_i_J and I are talking about.

[me_in_japan]

I've been playing the weekly events (the War in Ravnica, or whatever they're called), and mostly enjoying them. I'm trying to cobble together a deck for the next one (Only ravnican cards) that is basically kinda 4c dreadhorde but without all the (frankly, necessary) explore creatures from Ixalan. I'm fiddling around with lifegain dudes instead, but so far it aint really doing it for me. I also made a Tolsimer, Friend to Wolves deck, because for some reason I have 4 of him.

It's rubbish.


but hey ho Maybe M20 will be full of wolves and werewolves? Who knows? Or the Autumn block could be in Innistrad? That'd help. But right now, there are, like, 5 wolf cards in the whole of Standard, and theyre all a bit crap. I live in hope, though

I want to try to get another 4 wins in ranked, as I'll go from gold to plat if I do. I find my luck to be very swingy with the 4c dreadhorde deck (which probly means it aint that good, or I'm not), but hopefully I'll manage a wee winning streak before the end of the season.

Incidentally, I'm also stockpiling for the release of M20 - I have enough for a few drafts, and a stash of gems (4k) that I've been diligently hoarding for months. Hopefully between them I should be able to get a decent bit of the set. I always get frustrated that they dont do draft for the first week or so of the set release (presumably so the big whales can feel special), but it's a pain in the ass playing for a week against cards I have no idea about and don't have myself. Kinda crushing, both in terms of gameplay and also morale. But then again, if I'm going to play for free, shouldn't really complain, should I

And yes, it is rather the time-sink, isnt it? Still, keeps the mind busy, and all that. I've actually been kinda busy this week with work/kids stuff anyway, but I did manage a few plaguebearers for my fledgling AoS army (yes, I have one of those. At least I will, once I get a few more dudes painted.)

[Primarch]

4C Dreadhorde means 4 colours of those Amass zombies, yes? Playing four colours seems like kind of an effort without a good way to get extra mana from your deck.

I had a question about the ranking system (I'm at Silver 4 in both). One win gives you +2 to your rank total and a loss is -1, is that right? Does that depend on your level, as I never seemed to lower my rank progress during Bronze, but I'm getting nowhere fast in Silver?

I have a couple if those Tolsimir cards as well. I think there are some new wolves coming in M20, so maybe they can make a good combo.

[me_in_japan]

aaaaw, lookit the puppy...

Ranking works as follows:

Bronze
1 win = 2 blips up
1 loss = no effect
Total blips per "level" : 4

Silver
1 win = 2 blips up
1 loss = 1 blip down
Total blips per "level": 5

Gold
1 win - 1 blip up
1 loss = 1 blip down
Total blips per "level" : 6

However, after gold it remains the same : 1 win/loss = 1 up/down, 6 blips per level.

4C dreadhorde is a specific deck built around the card "Command the Dreadhorde".



The deck itself has 4 copies of the above, and a bunch of planeswalkers and Explore creatures. This is my own very sketchy version. It technically needs 4 jadelight rangers and no seeker's squires, but I dont want to spend the rare wildcards on cards that'll rotate out in a few months.

Explore package (for life gain and chump blocking)
1 Jadelight Ranger (RIX) 136
4 Merfolk Branchwalker (XLN) 197
3 Seekers' Squire (XLN) 121
4 Wildgrowth Walker (XLN) 216

cards I'm not sure should be here but are anyway
2 Paradise Druid (WAR) 171
1 Oath of Teferi (DAR) 200
2 Bond of Flourishing (WAR) 155

Main win condition
4 Command the Dreadhorde (WAR) 82

Board wipes/planeswalker answers
1 Kaya's Wrath (RNA) 187
1 Massacre Girl (WAR) 99
1 The Elderspell (WAR) 89

planeswalkers
2 Vraska, Golgari Queen (GRN) 213
1 Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord (WAR) 217
2 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales (WAR) 220
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (DAR) 207
3 Teferi, Time Raveler (WAR) 221

mana base
1 Swamp (RIX) 194
1 Forest (RIX) 196
4 Overgrown Tomb (GRN) 253
1 Breeding Pool (RNA) 246
2 Sunpetal Grove (XLN) 257
1 Isolated Chapel (DAR) 241
4 Temple Garden (GRN) 258
1 Godless Shrine (RNA) 248
4 Watery Grave (GRN) 259
2 Drowned Catacomb (XLN) 253
1 Woodland Cemetery (DAR) 248
4 Interplanar Beacon (WAR) 247


The way it works is: For the first few turns, play Wildgrowth Walkers (if ya got em) and Squires, Jadelights or Branchwalkers if ya don't (and if you have none of the above, mulligan until you do). After a few turns you hopefully have a walker or two, and are probably getting thumped a bit by the opponent. Move on to playing planeswalkers at this point, using big and little teferi to bounce your opponent's more troublesome stuff away, Vraska to kill annoyances (and other small planeswalkers). Sorin gives your guys lifelink to build up your health, and can also dig a dude out of your graveyard if you need to. Tamiyo can pull cards out of the yard as you need them, and also shovel them in there if you cant find what you need. By turn 6 or so you should have a Command the dreadhorde in hand, and a bunch of dead Wildgrowth Walkers and explore dudes (and maybe some walkers) in your graveyard. And so will your opponent.

Now you cast Command the dreadhorde, pay a butt tonne of life, and watch as your 2 or 3 wildgrowth walkers enter the board, followed by them being triggered by the 3 or 4 explore creatures, which grows them to huge size, pumps up your life massively, and also 2 or 3 walkers come in under your control.

usually the opponents scoops at this point.


The tricky thing with the deck is maintaining a decent life total long enough to make use of it with a Dreadhorde, and also making sure your dudes are on the table when they need to be (to block, for example) and in the yard when they need to be (ie shortly before you Dreadhorde). If you can swing both these things, it's an awesome deck, which excels at pulling a win from the jaws of defeat. Very heavy on the rare lands, though (4 colours, y'see...)

[Primarch]

Ah, I see.
Seems pretty card/combo intensive, but no doubt impressive if you can pull it off.

I was trying to figure out how Massacre Girl was a board-wipe, but then I realized I've only seen it played when I had big 3/3+ beasties on the table. Re-reading the card's abilities, it seems like an absolute monster.
Last night I played Time Wipe, just after my opponent played a bunch of big gribblies.


Another question about the ranking system if I may. Once you have levelled up, can you lose enough blips to level down? e.g Silver 4 to Bronze 1, or Silver 2 to Silver 3?

[me_in_japan]

Jesse got me with a Time Wipe once when we were playing with actual cards. I subsequently lost...

Ranking-wise, you can't drop from silver->bronze, or gold->silver (or whatever). However, within a rank, you can drop levels. You have a grace period, though, where a loss won't drop you (I thiiiink it's one game? Maybe two?). So, when you level up from Silver 1 to Gold 4, you're safe. When you level up from Gold 4 to Gold 3, you can lose a game or two without dropping, but after that you will (but only as far as the bottom of Gold 4, you can't go below that.) Gold is an absolute grind - I'm constantly winning 2 or 3 games, then losing 2 or 3 games, and just getting fricking nowhere. From what I've read online, most folks get stuck in gold, but once you're out things actually stabilize (ie you dont get caught out by weirdy random decks because everyone in Plat or higher is using netdecks.)

Massacre Girl, by the way, is an absolute horror, in the right (wrong) situation. I've been caught out with it stuck in my hand, though, cos there were no 1/1s in play at the time.

[me_in_japan]

Out of interest, did you know there's a big competition just now in Vegas? The Mythic Invitational. I've been kinda watching bits of it on Twitch while I paint this weekend. Decent background TV, and occasionally you'll see a player do something and go "oooooh, that's clever". Worth a watch, if you're in the mood.

https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Ma ... videos/all