Current scuttlebutt around the watercooler is that Wizards, with its first deployment of “official” rules, is attempting a foray into multiplayer tournaments. Will this destroy the sanctity of the casual player’s realm by throwing a few sharks into the fish pond? Or will it become a paradise for those estranged individuals who long for more social interaction in Magic?
Chris: “Pay two life, discard that. I’ll gain two life with my Fountains.”
Anthony: “Whoa, whoa, whoa Huang! Give me a second to think here.”
Chris: “There’s nothing to think about. You can’t have the card.”
Anthony: “Let me think about it.”
Chris: (Getting more annoyed). “I deny!”
Anthony: “What?”
Chris: (Grabs the card out of Anthony’s hand, and throws it in Anthony’s graveyard) “I deny!”
Cog Elemental has added some key rares since its initial Nuts and Bolts decklist, but the heart of the deck is still a pile of commons and uncommons. Heck, most of the variations I discussed last Friday are also fairly rare-light. One of the comments I’ve heard from several people online and in the Forums is that the deck can be built for far less than $50 total. Even still, on this penultimate day of my experiment, I want to retrace my steps and look at how to make a version of the deck that is truly”lite” (a phrase I coined on magicthegathering.com meaning”without rares”).
Okay folks, we have to be honest here. Romeo’s out of ideas. No really, there are only so many times you can write about Centaur Glade, Johnny Damon’s hair, the model for Eternal Witness, Lindsay Lohan, and playing Magic with your brother who lives in Iceland. Therefore, your job is to read Chris’s latest ramblings and then chime in with ideas for Chris’s next article. In the meantime, enjoy a variety of budget decklists Chris has been working with on Magic Online.
All Suns’ Dawn is up for Banning
Bringer of the Black Dawn is up for Banning
Eternal Witness is up for Restriction
Change the minimum color requirement to twenty cards of each color.
In his latest article on mtg.com, Paul Barclay introduced draft multiplayer rules and asked for feedback. Since I play a lot of multiplayer, I have some feedback. I’ll go through the rules as released, with the rule sections in Italics, and spout off about them. Then I’ll talk about the things these rules don’t cover, and other problems (and I’ll throw in some MD5 stats at the end).
Kirk (sarcastically):”Well now, isn’t it convenient that you drew four Swords to Plowshares by turn 4?”
Me (surveying the game):”Just about as convenient as you drawing four Hypnotic Specters by turn 4, wouldn’t you say?”
Kirk (averting my gaze):”Um oh, um, well, I guess we’re both lucky.”
Me (driving the point home):”Yeah, right Kirk. (Derisive) Lucky.”
Green is one of the more powerful colors in Fifth Dawn. Its commons may not be that exciting, but its rares and uncommons are quite powerful. The artifacts, on the other hand, are much tougher to rate, since many of them use sunburst, which is alternately amazing and awful.
We set up camp that night at the home of Josh Reynolds, a Short Bus member, but an obvious Meandeck sympathizer. Much like the people of Cold Mountain, Josh knew that he needed to be in the good graces of the team if he were to survive the ensuing chaos.
I open some random stuff and Detonate, Solemn Simulacrum, Blinding Beam. Which bomb do you draft?
Anthony:”You’re not playing that Millstone deck, are you?
Me:”Mayyybe. Mayyybe not.”
Anthony:”I’m not playing.”
Me:”I’m not playing it, this is a new deck.”
Anthony:”Okay, fine, I’ll play.”
Me:”Turn one, Mountain, Orcish Spy.”
Anthony:”What the hell? You said you weren’t playing that deck!”
Me:”I changed a card since yesterday.”
