Tag: kor-skyfisher

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Bruce Gray - November 15, 2016

Two Ways to Spice Up Your Casual Decks

Casual Encounters- Two Ways to Spice Up Your Casual Decks

wispweaver-angel-kaladesh-mtg-art

The Inverted Truth

    Well, the boys and I got together and jammed some very casual games of Magic this past week.  It was glorious!  We just sat around and slung card board around until it was far too late and enjoyed every moment of it. However, one problem with playing casual Magic is that it takes so darn long.  Multiplayer games take ages because everyone is apprehensive about going out and attacking and leaving themselves vulnerable to some sort of counter attack by the rest of the table.  The game turns into plenty of defensive posturing and very little else going on.  In 5 hours of Magic we played 2 complete games.  2 Games!  That just isn’t very much.  There are lots of house rules that one can play, but I think I may have found something even easier to help bust up that board stall and speed up the game.

My solution is a maligned Mythic from Oath of the Gatewatch  that seemed like it could almost make the grade in Constructed, but sadly has fallen by the wayside.  I’m talking about Inverter of Truth  which is a devastating 6/6 flier for 4 mana.  With those sorts of stats you need to respect it, but there is a drawback.  The drawback is that when Inverter of Truth enters the battlefield you must exile your library, and your Graveyard becomes your Library.  In most situations this means that you lose a big portion of your deck, which can hurt.  If this is done too early you can run yourself out of cards in a real hurry and basically forfeit yourself the game because you just don’t have the tools you need to get the win.  However, if you use this judiciously, Inverter of Truth can be cast to great effect.

Imagine a situation where you have already cast a number of really good spells.  Perhaps you cast some removal spells, a couple of really strong creatures, maybe a reanimation spell or two and some other goodness.  What it means is that once you cast Inverter of Truth you get all those spells back and this time you won’t be drawing land in between good spells.  That sounds actually really appealing. Who wouldn’t want to draw only spells that ensure you play action?  

The other side effect that this card does is that it changes the mental position of the player who cast Inverter of Truth.  We played two games and both times that Inverter was cast the player who cast it immediately adopted a more aggressive position because they no longer had the luxury of playing for the attrition based resource battle. The player who just cast Inverter needs to get down to business of using his Library (that yields only gas) and this efficient 6/6 flier to pressure the table and bust up the board stall that is so typical in multiplayer Magic.  It is often this shift in just a single player that can push the whole table away from stalling out and reinforcing their position and then move everyone into a frantic race to not get run over.  This single person shifting into an aggressive posture is all the game needs to pick up speed and to cause itself naturally, without the addition of house rules or other adjustments to the game itself, to come to a very rapid conclusion.  It is a very effective trick to get a game kicked up into high speed.

In addition to the very intriguing and powerful card, Inverter of Truth gives us a very budget friendly creature to add to decks playing Black.  At a mere $0.75 this is a bargain for a card that dramatically changes the face of the game.  Some might argue that it doesn’t feel “Mythic” enough, but the effect on the game is immediate and profound suggesting that naysayers may be mistaken.  The next time you sit down to ponder what changes to make to your deck, do not discount Inverter of Truth because it can provide a much needed infusion of something truly interesting into the game.

*Editor’s note: Prices are subject to change according to the whims of the multiverse. 

 

Kaladesh and Blinking

There is no doubt that Kaladesh is a casual player’s paradise. The set just offers so much in the way of fun mechanics and innovative ways to get more out of your cards. However, to my eye the real element that has been built into Kaladesh that sets it apart from other sets is all the built in ways to “blink” your guys for value. Not since Avacyn Restored have we had so many ways to blink stuff and have draft chaff look so good.

Wispweaver Angel is the perfect example of a ridiculous limited card that has a huge payoff in casual games to allow you to blink all sorts of goofy things. It is a long way from being Restoration Angel, but the fact remains that using Wispweaver Angel is going to have some similar effects around the kitchen table. Pair the angel up with Panharmonicon and you have yourself some extremely powerful synergies to grab the attention of Casual players.

If blinking your stuff is proving an issue, or you’re looking for another way to get some value from your ETB triggers, Kaladesh has another totally innocuous card  in the form of Aviary Mechanic that can now play alongside Kor Skyfisher and  Emancipation Angel as some of the best ways to re-play your value creatures.  Let me assure you, these are the sorts of commons casual players look for and love to abuse.  Whether it is returning a Scry Land for the free Scry, or a Siege Rhino, or something slightly more degenerate, these simple but effective additions to casual decks can really help push them in the right direction. Look for them and see if you can squeeze them in because you might be pleasantly surprised.

Well, that’s what we’ve got for this week.  Thanks for stopping in for a read and be sure to stop by next time for another Casual Encounter.

Bruce Gray

@bgray8791  

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Bruce Gray - September 30, 2015

Casual Encounters – Top 10 Casual Cards from Battle for Zendikar

 

Gideon and Nissa

Top 10 Casual Cards from Battle for Zendikar

by Bruce Gray – Casual Encounters

The anticipation is mounting! In just a few short days we will be getting our first chance to play Battle for Zendikar and I’m pretty excited.  There are some amazing new cards in this set, and some terrific reprints that got some slick new art.  It looks like there are going to be some bonkers new additions to just about every format, including Casual Kitchen Table Magic.  Today I’m going to go through my Top Ten cards to bring to your next Casual Kitchen Table Magic game night and spice things up.  Let’s get down to business.

Sandstone Bridge

10. Common Land Cycle ( Sandstone Bridge, Skyline Cascade, Mortuary Mire, Looming Spires, Fertile Thicket ).  This common land cycle doesn’t look super spicy, but let’s be real, any time you can play a land card and have an effect that is normally created by a spell you have something that is deceptively powerful. There will be loads of decks looking to pick these up to replace just a regular basic land card, and the extra ability is always a solid trick. Now, let’s talk about how to abuse these (i.e. get more than one activation).  In a Kitchen Table world you are constrained only by your card pool and the rules you and your friends have established, so finding fun ways to take advantage of these should be easy.  Let’s start with the “Karoo” lands or “Bounce” lands from Ravnica.  These were reprinted in Modern Masters 2015 making them pretty readily available and an easy way to get more than one activation of these.  Emancipation Angel or Kor Skyfisher, or even Pearl Lake Ancient are also some of my favorites and could easily get you additional activations.  Going a little more in the the history of Magic, Soramaro, First to Dream would be hilarious.

As if just getting the value off these lands wasn’t enough, don’t forget this set is packing Landfall meaning that you are very likely to net all sorts of value off of just playing these lands. That makes these things even more appealing.  The nice part is that you will usually be pleased to see these guys, regardless of what stage of the game you’re in.  Keep your eyes peeled for these small, but significant, additions.

Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper

9. Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper: What isn’t to like about this guy?  He’s a 4/4 for 5 mana which is a pretty reasonable rate to start and you will not feel ashamed to run him out.  His size also makes him surprisingly robust and able to tussle if the need arises.  However, what is truly gross is his ability.  You get free +1/+1 counters on your lands every time you cast an instant or sorcery…and in Blue and White isn’t that what you want to do anyways?  I can well imagine EDH decks premised on this guy or just jammed in there for value.  However, what I think might be truly busted is playing Jeskai and slamming this guy and Zada.  Cast your instant on Zada, copy the spell a bunch of times, make a pile of Elementals, attack for the win…or something like that.  Yes, that is magical Christmas land, but it’s fun to dream.  I’m kind of excited to see this guy and try him out.

Omnath, Locus of Rage

8. Omnath, Locus of Rage:  I don’t know what to do with this guy…but I like the fact that Omnath is getting a reprinting, and this time he’s pissed. I haven’t got a clue how good he will be, or any deck built around him using elementals as a centerpiece, but this guy sure looks unhappy and ready to kick some butt.  All he really asks of you is to play your land and benefit from an army of 5/5 tokens, but that feels a little too simple.  Omnath makes the list because of his unbridled anger…and big scary tokens. For those of you out there with RTR block cards still kicking around, time to dust off those Populate enablers..

Catacomb Sifter

7. Catacomb Sifter:  This guy is among my favorite cards in the set and the art is insane.  That is spectacular art!  The colours and contrast really stand out and makes this thing look super frightening.  But enough about the art.  This 3 mana creature packs 3/4 worth of power and toughness across 2 bodies which is a very good rate.  I know I play casually, but I also really like efficient creatures…they help me get to the much less efficient but fun part of my deck!  This is exactly the sort of thing I want to do. However, there is still more.  This packs the Scry 1 ability that Reaper of the Wilds packs just because…umm…value?  This is a very strong card and I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these guys and ride the Value Train.

Halimar Tidecaller

6. Halimar Tidecaller:  How is this NOT a rare?  Can you just imagine pairing this with Noyan Dar and making FLYING land creatures?  Wow. And you even get to bring another relevant spell out of your graveyard to replay and get yet ANOTHER land creature.  Sure, it is a bit of a build around, but if you can successfully build around it this looks amazing!  For a paltry 3 mana this feels as if it has been pushed to try and push an elemental theme…and I’m taking the bait!  I can almost taste the Elemental Deck…Brews to come!

Defiant Bloodlord

5. Defiant Bloodlord: Ok folks, this makes the list because you now have Sanguine Bond attached to a 4/5  flying body. This gives those janky “life gain” decks you  see around the Kitchen table yet another win condition and NOW it gets to attack too!  I’m just dreaming of casting this and Feed the Clan to maximum effect.  The interaction between this and Gray Merchant of Asphodel seems like it could be potent too. All in all, there will be lots of ways to abuse this around the Kitchen Table so you had better buckle down.

Felidar Sovereign

4. Felidar Sovereign:  Felidar Sovereign is yet another example of the power of alternate win conditions.  This guy is a reprint from the original Zendikar block and became a staple in EDH decks all over the place as an alternative win condition.  The issue WAS that Felidar was a $10-12 card that essentially exclusively saw play in Casual formats.  By getting a reprint players will be getting a shot to grab this guy at a much more affordable $2 price point.  Enjoy the savings Casual players, this one is for you.

Kiora, Master of the Depths

3. Kiora, Master of Depths:  Kiora made this list because her ultimate is nutty. Three 8/8 octopus tokens PLUS they get to fight your opponent’s creatures?  Whatever…you win the game if you get this Emblem online.  If you can look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you aren’t interested in doing that then you’re lying to yourself.

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

2. Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger: If the Eldrazi somehow didn’t make this list then I wouldn’t be doing my job.  What’s NOT to like?  It’s big, splashy, hard to kill, wrecks the game instantly, can be played in virtually every deck and looks to be about the best thing you can do with 10 mana. Also, because this version of Ulamog doesn’t come with the “feel bad” Annihilator mechanic your buddies around the kitchen table are more apt to agree to let you play it.  Yeah, Ulamog is a thing and makes our list.

Zada, Hedron Grinder

1. Zada, Hedron Grinder:  Zada is getting lots of buzz and with good cause because her ability is just outright insane.  Any time you can copy spells you have a strong effect.  Zada will let you copy them multiple times for FREE! Magic players love the word FREE and so Johnnies around the world are setting up to break this.  I’ve heard lots of players talk about casting Titan’s Strength or Become Immense on Zada and then pumping your team to significant effect, but I was going somewhere completely different.  I was going to aim for Feat of Resistance and essentially allow your team to get protection from…oh…everything…and crash in for the win.  But things at the Kitchen table can get better!  Ranger’s Guile protects ALL your stuff.  Rootborn Defenses fights off Board wipes.  Retraction Helix allows you to turn all your creatures into Unsummon spells! Really, the possibilities are endless and this is why so many people are excited about Zada.  There really isn’t much doubt, Zada is the real winner for the Casual Magic crowd.

Well, there we have our top ten cards for Casual Magic.  I’m sure there are a few spicy things that I left off the list, but I have to draw the line somewhere.  If you have something you think should be added to the list, send me a tweet and let me know.  I’d love to hear what has got other people excited!

Thanks for taking the time to stop in and have a visit and have yourself a great MTG day!

 

By Bruce Gray – Casual Encounters

@bgray8791 on Twitter

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Bruce Gray - September 13, 2014

Random beats at Casual MTG decks night

Kor Skyfisher - Casual MTG decks

Random beats at Casual MTG decks night

by Bruce Gray – Casual Encounters

Well, we’re back to school and back to the grind. For some this is the worst time of the year because it signals the start of the boring and mundane for yet another year.  For others it is a time of excitement as things start all over again with fresh beginnings and fresh options.  For those of us who play Magic, the specter of rotation and the imminent arrival of Khans means there is lots of buzz in the air.  The end of September can’t come fast enough!

 

This isn’t an spoiler article because we are hard at work here at Three Kings Loot prepping our review, but we’ve got good stuff on the burner.  However, with Khans being on the horizon and Constructed being in a bit of holding pattern until the rotation, I thought this would be a perfect chance to highlight some casual decks I’ve been rocking, some relatively inexpensive and fun decks to liven up your Casual games.  These are all 60 card decks that are perfectly viable in a duel situation, but are better suited to playing a multiplayer setting.  Let’s see what I’ve been brewing.

 

The first deck is my take on what can only be called a Modern Mono-Green Devotion deck.  A number of months ago I posted a decklist for a budget Mono-Green Devotion deck here on Three Kings Loot.  It has done reasonably well for me since then, but decks are like living organisms that change and evolve and this deck is no different.  With cards like Chord of Calling, Genesis Hydra, Hydra Broodmaster there are yet more powerful options to sink a ton of mana, there is no reason not to change a few cards to do a few more powerful things.  However, the addition of a card from an older set is REALLY what I wanted to add to the deck…and that was Craterhoof Behemoth.  This just smacks of being the best thing you can do to dump a ton of mana either by hard casting it, Chord of Calling for it, or Genesis Hydra for about a billion and grabbing it too.  Here’s the list.

 

Mono-Green Devotion (Budget modern and/or casual MTG decks)

 

I was rocking this is in a 4 person free-for all game and was in the driver seat.  My opponents had allowed me to resolve a number of creatures, a Voyaging Satyr and a Nykthos.  I had all the tools needed to start going off and just needed some huge mana sinks.  Sure enough, up comes a Polukranos and we’re off to the races.  I cast “Big Polly” and get set to Monstrosity him…but sadly have to target the stupid Biovisionary in the stupid combo deck my pal was playing, a Fleetfeather Cockatrice because I had no flying defence, and some other random creature.  Stupid Cockatrice and the Deathough ability.  Oh well.  I get my turn back and top deck… Hydra Broodmaster! OK! So, cast it, and then set up the Monstrosity…and make 10 10/10 Hydra Tokens! OH YEAH! Let the beat down plan begin.  I start smashing stuff around and just making a wreck of the board.  Then, out of nowhere, my buddy slams a second a Biovisionary, casts Polymorphist Jest, and turns his mana dorks into Biovisionaries…and we all lose.  Damn it! Lesson learned…kill the stupid combo deck…no matter how durdly the combo is.

 

Next, I shuffled up my Mono-Red Goblins deck.  I have no real expectation that Mono-Red Goblins will fare well in a multi-player game.  They are far too fragile and just not suited to trying to fight a number of opponents.  However, things are going my way.  I land a Foundry Street Denizen, Legion Loyalist, and then…KRENKO! Oh yeah.  A couple of Krenko activations later and I have a ton of goblins, had just smacked one opponent for 20 points of damage and was in good shape to start taking the game over.  Everything changed with one card…Scouring Sands…and wipes out all the Goblin Token…and I get thumped.  Ok…I know Goblins are fragile, but it is a terrible feeling to have your board wiped out by Scouring Sands because NOBODY plays Scouring Sands.  However, I lost to Scouring Sands and I wanted to cry (well, not really).

 

Mono- Red Goblins (Casual MTG decks)

 

 

The last deck today is one that is clearly a Casual build because it is such a silly concept and packs such a ridiculous mana base there is no way to describe it.  Here’s the list and I’ll talk about it afterwards.

 

UWR Skyfisher (Casual MTG Decks and/or budget Modern)

 

 

This deck plays on the interaction between Kor Skyfisher and Spark Trooper.  Most opponents won’t bother to block what amounts to a Ball Lightning because they know that it will be sacrificed at the end of the turn.  Sure, they eat 6 but they are banking on the creature no longer being a threat. However, during your second main phase if you can cast the Kor Skyfisher you can return the Spark Trooper and re-use it.  Once I established that interaction it became a matter of digging up a host of creatures who a) return stuff to my hand to be re-used or b) have good enter the battlefield triggers.  Now, this is a very mana hungry deck so playing it in a duel is suspect, but in a slower multiplayer game it is just perfect.

 

Well, I shuffled it up and suggested a couple of minor adjustments to our game.  I suggested that we all play at the same time and play with a Howling Mine effect.  The Howling Mine is hardly earth shattering, but the “everyone plays at the same time” is…interesting.  It makes resolving spells really tricky, but boy was it fun! So, we had 1 player eliminated leaving 3 of us still playing. It was a tricky situation but I decided to throw caution to the wind and swing to take out the opponent to my right.  The whole team went and was delivering somewhere up to 35 points of damage…but in the process the opponent to my left hit me.  All the while, the opponent to my right wound up and lashed out with Nefarox with some ridiculous amount of Exalted triggers caving in the guy to my left.  So, all in one turn all three of us just straight up die ending the game in a weird finale. It was a fun variant and something we will do again, but most definitely not the way to play every single time.

 

All three of these decks would fall into a pretty budget friendly category and highlight how you can make some fun decks with just a pile of funny cards and do some damage at your next Casual Night.  The Mono-Green deck is probably the most pricey of the decks on this list, but the cards on it can totally be substituted for and can revert back to the Budget deck list I had previously.  However, the new twists on it could make for a fun deck because of the powerful things you can do with the crazy amount of mana that can be generated. The UWR Skyfisher deck is pretty unreliable because of the wonky mana base and the fact that half the plays in the deck set you back, but when it works…dear LORD…does it work.  And Goblins…well…they’re Goblins and will always be funny. When they work, they work awesome.  When they fall flat on their face, they fall flat on their face hard.

 

There we have it, three fun builds, three fun games, and some random feel bad stories about how to lose a game despite being in a dominant position.  I’m not sure what lesson to draw from the last two apart from perhaps playing the politics game a little more, but regardless of the lessons learned it was fun. It was refreshing to sit down and just sling some card board and relax with some friends with nothing on the line.  I’ll have to make a point of playing this way more often just to keep things fresh.

 

Thanks for reading again this week…and until next time keep it fun, keep it safe…keep it casual.

 

by Bruce Gray – Casual Encounters
@bgray8791 on Twitter