General Decks that have 3-0'd your cube

Grillo_Parlante

Contributor
I don't think I like that argument. Reminds me of a MODO format where you have durdle decks and monored decks.

Beh, it’s not an argument I’m necessarily willing to plant my own flag on, at least not without more data on my end. Nor am I ready to go too deeply into its impact or necessarily saying we should be artificially expanding our 3 drop sections. It's a recurring point from Ars Arcanum format analysis, where he finds that formats where there is a glut of threes for whatever reason (e.g. morph) tends to make formats faster than they otherwise should be, since your decks capitalizing on a lot of one and two drops get more time on average to beat away. I guess more something to be aware of.

I just thought it was kind of funny, because I do have a glut of threes in blue, and that deck certainly seemed to fit to that analysis. Granted I think that deck was a little abnormal, and more a product of a difficult draft and having to diversify into other colors, than anything else.
 
I love three drops but I hate hands that are 3 drop heavy.
I find it takes so so so long to be able to cast more than one spell per turn if you've got a million 3s and 4s and boy do threes feel like they aren't worth a full turn when you're sitting on 4/5 mana.
 

Grillo_Parlante

Contributor
I love three drops but I hate hands that are 3 drop heavy.
I find it takes so so so long to be able to cast more than one spell per turn if you've got a million 3s and 4s and boy do threes feel like they aren't worth a full turn when you're sitting on 4/5 mana.

You know, thats a really good point. If your format has a glut of 3 drops, not only is a 3 drop heavy deck vulnerable in the early game, but it loses tons of tempo due to inefficent mana use. It sounds like it would speed a format up, but in a bad way.
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
I do see the argument to what Grillo is saying however. Swap out the numbers, and a lot of what we complain about (And by we I mostly mean me and CML) is a huge glut at 4, which certainly does make going under durdly decks with poor curves.

Hero of bladehold probably does kick the ass of whatever is in the upper 5% of 3 drops though.
 

CML

Contributor
It makes it easier to race under.


yeah that's kinda dumb. format curves are all very similar for retail limited and format speed is way more a function of power level, NWO vs. old-school, and quality of interaction (i.e. removal) than anything else. my personal experience is that having too many 3's both fucking sucks in Limited (though it's better than too many 4's!) and is a real problem for building Green decks in standard

it makes me think of the time mike flores illustrated "metagame" by saying "if you expect a lot of scissors, bring paper" which i was sure was a joke but now i dunno
 
it makes me think of the time mike flores illustrated "metagame" by saying "if you expect a lot of scissors, bring paper" which i was sure was a joke but now i dunno


The context to that statement was that he was talking about which deck to choose if you want to win the tournament. Scissors is much more likely to make Top 8 in that scenario, but because of that, a Scissors that makes Top 8 is the favorite to win.
 
I actually kinda like that saying, but I'd prefer not to be playing in formats where people are constantly second guessing their place on the rock paper scissors metagame at all.
 

CML

Contributor
The context to that statement was that he was talking about which deck to choose if you want to win the tournament. Scissors is much more likely to make Top 8 in that scenario, but because of that, a Scissors that makes Top 8 is the favorite to win.


still dumb
 

Grillo_Parlante

Contributor

Burning Vengeance Aggro-Control









It’s really gratifying to see these almost creatureless control and aggro-control decks prospering. Much prettier curve this week too ;)

A lot going on here, but besides the obvious burning vengeance and delver plays, he had two infinity loops with runic repetition +memory's journey and runic repetition + mystic retrieval. Young pyromancer was, as a result, insane. The combination of spell loops with a density of flashback spells, really pushed the card over the edge in a way I hadn't expected. I expect guttersnipe, in a deck like this, to be brutal. Suffer the past though was the MVP of the night, including one crazy play where he drew it off of a remand and used it to outright kill a guy swinging in at him for lethal with a phalanx formationed thundermaw.
 

Grillo_Parlante

Contributor
No daze. Gush or frantic search would be other good cards to run in a deck like that, if I wanted to push it more.

He drafted kira, great glass-spinner, but decided not to run her in favor of going all in on the instant/sorcery theme. I would not have been able to do that. i.m.o running insidious dreams and vault in the same deck is redundant, and Kira provides much needed insurance on the delver start.
 

Simic Planeswalker Ramp











I would have liked more T1 action, but was otherwise satisfied. The pair of 2-drop creatures was a surprising highlight of the deck. Lotus Cobra + fetches allowed me some disgusting T3 planeswalker and T4 Titan games. And Scavenging Ooze proved its worth in versatility. I never saw Putrefy, my lone creature removal, but the rest of the control elements were enough to 3-0 the pod.
 

CML

Contributor
Cobra is soooo variant. Sometimes you drop it and then make a fetch and oh shit t3 Wolfir Silverheart AND ATTACK FOR SIX. Other times you play it, untap and whiff on a land and curse your misfortune at missing a nice Llanowar Elves, which is, I think, a stronger card in all formats. When Cobra is good, it's busted, but not so busted the games get ruined. I like that kind of mana dork and I also like its close cousin Gyre Sage, its closer cousin Bloom Tender not so much. In general I'd rather fill my cube with 1-drop dorks than 2-drop dorks, but cobra is an exception.
 
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