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It was a magic intro deck. I've been out of the game since before Ice Age, so I'm
curious what I need to catch up to speed. Also, how is the card distribution?

I'm not overly competitive, but I'd like to focus my decks around Green and maybe
white. I understand there are tricolor things going on in Alara, but I have no clue
what I can expect to see happening when I play.

you will need to read up on a lot of special rules.


Since Ice age, almost every set added a new special ability Flanking, Phasing, Echo, Morph, Shadow, Affinity, etc.


Thankfully the newer sets list on the cards what the new ability does. But not so for cards from Alliance to Urza.


After that I would suggest you go through the cards you have and pick out any Dual Lands you might have lying around. DO NOT TRADE THESE!! honestly it will cost a lot of money and time to get them back.

If you do not own any of these then just forget about playing multi-colored decks competitively.

And finally forget everything you remember about MTG. With the advent of "The Stack" you will need to devote a lot of time learning the newer rules.

malfred wrote:It was a magic intro deck. I've been out of the game since before Ice Age, so I'm
curious what I need to catch up to speed. Also, how is the card distribution?

I'm not overly competitive, but I'd like to focus my decks around Green and maybe
white. I understand there are tricolor things going on in Alara, but I have no clue
what I can expect to see happening when I play.

White and green is a good way to focus your deck. I originally used black decks, and got beat down endlessly. Now I play white and gren, which work well. I would say stick to this. Pick up the Bant Exalted deck, which well boost you with greens and whites. You'll have plenty of life giving spells and the Exalted mechanic. Exalted means one monster attacks alone, but if you have other creatures on the field that have exalted, the one attacking monster is boosted with +1/+1 to become an uber badass.

Also, slithers are bullcrap deacks.

What's a slither?

And what is "The Stack"?

I don't think I ever had dual lands.

I'll be playing at my friend's house mostly, so not competitively at all.

A slither is a creature that was made to allow n00bs to control the game, and only n00bs use it. Use some strategy n00bs!!!

I got no idea what "the stack" is either.

The stack is the main mechanic used in the game, basicly you play a card and before its effect goes off the opponent has an opportunity to play a card/action (provided it is an instant effect).


But because of the way the stack works you can have cards that are removed from play still using there effects.

this web site might help:

http://www.essentialmagic.com/Articles/TheStack.asp

here is my example of what might happen in a game:

Example:

I discard:



I then play:


It enters play so and I choose to target the Dragon.

The dragon comes in and wipes out everything except itself, so naturally the dragon goes bye bye too, returning all of my cards untaped, including the animate dead. So before my animate dead triggers I tap all of my mana, then I target the dragon, etc......


Now heres is were "the stack" is important say you have a:



You need to know when to play it in order to kill me.

The best time to play it is when WGD enters play via animate dead, and after he places its ability on the stack, but before the ability takes place.


If you do this the Plow goes off first removing the dragon . This triggers his ability to bring back cards (which goes off before he gets to remove them). Next triggers the world remove effect. Finally you win because he mana burns for 10 million damage.




As for slivers they are common deck for new players, but are far from good deck.

If you have any questions let me know I was once a major tourney player. (if you couldn't tell )

malfred wrote:What's a slither?

A Slither is a bad movie about alien worm things that turn people into zombies or something.

Or GES just can't spell Sliver correctly.

Platuan4th wrote:

malfred wrote:What's a slither?

A Slither is a bad movie about alien worm things that turn people into zombies or something.

Or GES just can't spell Sliver correctly.

My bad. I just looked at the title real quick and thought it was slither. Well, that clears that up.

GOBLINS.

Tacobake wrote:GOBLINS.

Are useless.

Golden Eyed Scout wrote:

Tacobake wrote:GOBLINS.

Are useless.

Maybe we should play . It is true I could use one or two decent cards but I have a pretty cool deck I use. I have maybe three goblin cards that are fun to use. Supplement with low mana damage and support spells and lots of mana.

But I am not a tournment player. And not to derail malf's thread.

Golden Eyed Scout wrote:

Tacobake wrote:GOBLINS.

Are useless.

Your an idiot....

// Mana
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Chrome Mox
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
2 Ancient Tomb
4 Taiga
4 Wooded Foothills
5 Mountain
// Combo Card
4 Food Chain
// Creatures
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
2 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Goblin Matron
3 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Ringleader
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Recruiter
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Skirk Prospector
4 Goblin Lackey

Turn 2 win...

I have about half of those goblin guys. I have 4 cards Shock? That do two damage for one mana. I also have 4 cards Avalanche? That do one damage for either every goblin or every model in play. Something like that. For one mana. Well I do not have "half" of those goblin guys because I only have one Warchief; one of this or two of that. But it is fun to play.

I think I have the Gemplam Incinerators and the Skirk Prospectors, now that I think of it. I also use a couple other decent red cards, keeping in mind I am a casual player. The guy left them at my house and I bought themed set of 40? 60? cards.

Clthomps wrote:

Golden Eyed Scout wrote:

Tacobake wrote:GOBLINS.

Are useless.

Your an idiot....

DAMN STRAIGHT I AM!!!

Clthomps wrote:
Your an idiot....

I don't normally pick on spelling, but when you call someone else an idiot, you might want to get your words right.

// Mana
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Chrome Mox
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
2 Ancient Tomb
4 Taiga
4 Wooded Foothills
5 Mountain
// Combo Card
4 Food Chain
// Creatures
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
2 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Goblin Matron
3 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Ringleader
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Recruiter
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Skirk Prospector
4 Goblin Lackey

Turn 2 win...

Let's see, you've got a sol ring in there, so you're playing type 1. You have no moxes, and no countermagic. How do you honestly think you're going to win on turn two in a format that runs mana drains and force of will? I'm a few years removed from playing MtG, but even I see this...

Yeah, I'm never going to play competitively.

Let's see, you've got a sol ring in there, so you're playing type 1. You have no moxes, and no countermagic. How do you honestly think you're going to win on turn two in a format that runs mana drains and force of will? I'm a few years removed from playing MtG, but even I see this...

Yes I do, goblins is the most competitive budget deck you can make in T1.

Control is the least of its problems, you can't counter cycling or lacky's ability. And as soon as you drop a recruiter you win.

Clthomps wrote:
Yes I do, goblins is the most competitive budget deck you can make in T1.

Control is the least of its problems, you can't counter cycling or lacky's ability. And as soon as you drop a recruiter you win.

Can you explain a bit more, I'm just not seeing it.

Lackey lets you put a goblin from your hand into play when he deals damage. So, not only do you have to resolve him, but you also have to either resolve a haste spell, or have him stay in play for a turn before you even get the chance to use him. And recruiter lets you put a lot of goblins on the top of your deck.

And, if you're relying on one or two cards (for instance, recruiter), a counter deck doesn't need to counter anything but that one spell. So they're not trying to stop all your stuff, just that key piece. And, yes, they can counter cycling, or lackey's ability, with Stifle.


I'll certainly grant you that goblins can be effective, and that they are not overly pricey, but I don't see the consistency in there to actually consider this competitive in Type 1, not when you're facing Welder decks, Tog decks, and the like, which are relying on their $1000 cards to power their wins.

$1000 dollar cards?

/shudder

"Type 1" makes it sound like a disease.

The basic Idea is this:

Use Recruiter to stack your library full of goblins, putting a Ringleader as the first and fourth card. You then use Food Chain to sacrifice Recruiter and use one other mana to power the first Ringleader into play. Then keep saccing the old Ringleader to Food Chain to play the new one. Then play and sacrifice cheaper goblins to Food Chain to drop various amounts of the guys into play and attack with all of them (Including a few very large Piledriver’s) for the win.

You can also kill your opponent with direct damage between Goblin Sharpshooter and Siege-Gang Commander. This is done by using 13 total goblins with 1 Sharpshooter, SGC and Prospector specifically. You sacrifice two goblins to Prospector, shoot twice with Sharpshooter, then sacrifice a third to Siege-Gang Commander and shoot again with Sharpshooter. This adds up to five damage for every three goblins. Simply make sure you don’t sacrifice Sharpshooter, Siege-Gang Commander or Goblin Warchief till the end and you can deal 20 or more damage like this. Remember sacrificing does not work with Food Chain, because Food Chain will remove the creatures from the game instead of sending them to the graveyard and because Food Chain mana can only be used for casting creatures. You’ll need to use Skirk Prospector to sacrifice creatures and untap the Sharpshooter.



Best Hand Possible:

Lotus Petal
Taiga (or wooded foot hill)
Goblin recuiter
Goblin ringleader
food chain
Mana crypt
Some random goblin (we will say its a ring warchief)

Turn 1:
Drop petal, Crypt, and taiga,

Sac petal for Green, tap Taiga for Red, Tap Crypt for 2 colorless

Cast goblin Recuiter:

Stack your deck:

Ringleader
Goblin Warchief
Siege-Gang Commander
Goblin Piledriver
Ringleader #2
Goblin Piledriver
Goblin Piledriver
Goblin Piledriver
Ringleader #3
Goblin Sharpshooter
Skirk Prospector
Warchief #2
Ringleader #4
Siege-Gang Commander #2
Gempalm Incinerator
Gempalm Incinerator
Gempalm Incinerator


Sacrifice the recruiter to Food chain for 3 mana and cast you cast your other random goblin and sacrifice him. Now you have 4 mana.

Cast the goblin ringleader, Put the four goblins in your hand, sacrifice him for 5 mana, Cast the next ringleader, repeat until you have gone through all 4 ringleaders.


Now you have 13 goblins in your hand and 8 mana. you cast goblin warchief for leaving you with 5 mana, then you cast 4 goblin pile drivers and attack.


You can also use the shapshooter to ping him to death but that is a lot of wrighting.



I will add more example hand later (like ones without food chain), right now I have to go.

This is interesting, I am going home tomorrow I will pull my cards out. Like I said I have a DD spell called Avalanche? that does great damage once you have all the little 1/1 Goblin markers on the table.

Is it safe to assume that Dual Lands are gone forever?

I cannot find the card in the online database ... *grumbles* ....

malfred wrote:$1000 dollar cards?

/shudder

"Type 1" makes it sound like a disease.

I guess it all depends when you started playing. I started MtG in 1993, and have more-or-less kept up to date through the years by buying sets after they cycle out of extended and their cost drops, mostly for collection sake. I've got a full set of cards from beta through Mirroden-block at the moment. If you know what to search for in usenet archives, you can see where, 16 years ago, I bought my moxes for about $15 each.

Clthomps wrote:The basic Idea is this:

Use Recruiter to stack your library full of goblins, putting a Ringleader as the first and fourth card. You then use Food Chain to sacrifice Recruiter and use one other mana to power the first Ringleader into play. Then keep saccing the old Ringleader to Food Chain to play the new one. Then play and sacrifice cheaper goblins to Food Chain to drop various amounts of the guys into play and attack with all of them (Including a few very large Piledriver’s) for the win.

...

Best Hand Possible:

Lotus Petal
Taiga (or wooded foot hill)
Goblin recuiter
Goblin ringleader
food chain
Mana crypt
Some random goblin (we will say its a ring warchief)

Turn 1:
Drop petal, Crypt, and taiga,

Sac petal for Green, tap Taiga for Red, Tap Crypt for 2 colorless

Cast goblin Recuiter:

Stack your deck.....

And, at this point, your opponent counters (with force of will, a pretty mandatory card in competitive type 1 play) your food chain. Leaving you with a deck stacked with overpriced guys that you're going to have trouble getting out, and 30 or so draws before you have any chance at drawing another food chain, and leaving you pretty much dead in the water?

I dunno, I guess it's ok, but it has no resilience to disruption from your opponent, and you have to admit that getting the right draw is extremely important.

malfred wrote:Is it safe to assume that Dual Lands are gone forever?

They continually make revisions on duals, but you will never again see the days of pure dual lands.

And, at this point, your opponent counters (with force of will, a pretty mandatory card in competitive type 1 play) your food chain.

Incorrect with the popularity of Welder Mud / Stacks. And the Lack of blue cards worth ditching to the FoW it has become a lot more rare. The main counter now is Stifle.


Not to mention the side board Runs Pithing needles and Bojistu (SP?). Seriously counters are few and far between. Especially on the first and second turn.



Here is a list of the current Top decks:


Ichorid

Maindeck (60):
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Unmask

4 Golgari Thug
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Golgari Grave-Troll

4 Narcomoeba
4 Ichorid

4 Dread Return
4 Bridge from Below
2 Flame-Kin Zealot
2 Cephalid Sage

4 Serum Powder

4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Dryad Arbor


Sideboard (15):

2 Ancient Grudge
4 Contagion
3 Emerald Charm
4 Reverent Silence
2 Taiga


Mountains Win

Land (17):
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Polluted Delta
2 Badlands
4 Swamp
1 Mountain
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland

Artifacts (7):
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Sol Ring
2 Umezawa’s Jitte

Creatures (17):
4 Dark Confidant
4 Magus Of The Moon
3 Grim Lavamancer
2 Jagged Poppet
4 Simian Spirit Guide

Enchantments (3):
3 Chains Of Mephistopheles

Instants (5):
4 Red Elemental Blast
1 Vampiric Tutor

Sorceries (11):
3 Duress
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Thoughtseize
1 Demonic Tutor

SB
2 Rack And Ruin
4 Extirpate
4 Leyline Of The Void
1 Jagged Poppet
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
2 Pyroblast

Composite Tezzeret Control
Artifacts
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key

Artifact Creatures
1 Darksteel Colossus

Instants
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Echoing Truth
1 Fact Or Fiction
4 Force Of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
4 Mana Drain
1 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
4 Thirst For Knowledge
1 Vampiric Tutor

Planeswalkers
2 Tezzeret The Seeker

Sorceries
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Duress
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Ponder
1 Thoughtseize
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

Basic Lands
2 Island

Basic Snow Lands
1 Snow-covered Island



Oath
Maindeck (60):

Spells (43):
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Duress
3 Thoughtseize
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
3 Cunning Wish
1 Echoing Truth
4 Force of Will
2 Impulse
4 Mana Drain
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Rebuild
1 Time Walk
1 Gaea's Blessing
2 Hellkite Overlord
4 Oath of Druids

Lands (17):
3 Flooded Strand
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island

Sideboard (15):
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Brain Freeze
1 Crop Rotation
1 Darkblast
1 Echoing Truth
3 Extirpate
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Misdirection
1 Pyroblast
1 Rebuild
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Research/Development
1 Trickbind


Painter

2 Flooded Strand
3 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring

3 Painter's Servant
2 Trinket Mage

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Engineered Explosives
4 Force of Will
2 Grindstone
3 Mana Drain
2 Pyroblast
3 Red Elemental Blast
1 Tormod's Crypt

Sideboard:
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Pithing Needle
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Tropical Island


MuD

Lands (17):
4 Ancient Tomb
2 City Of Traitors
2 Mishra’s Factory
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
1 Tolarian Academy

Artifacts (31):
1 Black Lotus
4 Chalice Of The Void
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Memory Jar
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
4 Sphere Of Resistance
4 Sword Of Fire And Ice
4 Tangle Wire
4 Thorn Of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere

Artifact Creatures (12):
4 Juggernaut
4 Metalworker
4 Triskelion

SB
4 Leyline Of The Void
3 Duplicant
3 Spawning Pit
2 Crucible Of Worlds
3 Staff Of Domination


Lands
3 Flooded Strand
1 Library Of Alexandria
3 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island

Legendary Lands
1 Tolarian Academy

Sideboard:
1 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Ingot Chewer
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Extirpate
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Pyroblast
1 Rack And Ruin
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Duress
1 Pyroclasm


Tendrils

2 Flooded Strand
4 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Underground Sea
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

1 Darksteel Colossus

4 Accumulated Knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
2 Intuition
1 Merchant Scroll
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Chain of Vapor
3 Duress
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Rebuild

1 Tendrils of Agony

Sideboard:
1 Darkblast
1 Duress
2 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Smother
3 Spell Snare
1 The Abyss
2 Thoughtseize
3 Tormod's Crypt

Agro-Welder
Land (19):
4 Mishra’s Workshop
3 Mishra’s Factory
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
6 Mountain
1 Tolarian Academy

Artifacts (20):
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Sol Ring
3 Sphere Of Resistance
4 Thorn Of Amethyst
3 Sword Of Fire And Ice
1 Trinisphere

Artifact Creatures (14):
4 Juggernaut
4 Solemn Simulacrum
3 Triskelion
3 Duplicant

Creatures (7):
4 Goblin Welder
3 Magus Of The Moon

SB
4 Tormod’s Crypt
4 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pyroblast
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
2 Rack And Ruin



Only 2 decks run FoW, and if you know you are playing one of them you adjust your play accordingly. For instance with the hand above you would bait him with the warchief on the first turn, no control deck likes a goblin that gives haste and reduces cost of other cards.

4x



If I remember it will get dispelled a couple times but I wait until I have enough mana and spells to attack all at once.

I have this one, too. I use it before I cast an X mana spell I have a couple of those, which includes one of the Goblin Cards. Basically I make up for my lack of 4x all the good Goblin Cards with Brightstone Ritual and a few Red spells that need X magic.



I feel this need to buy stuff ....

I do not have any of the fancy land (mana) cards. I do have Artifiact Lands, that is it. So four artifiact lands because I have one or two cards to go with that and the rest are Mountains.

I'm so glad I never got into Magic: The Gathering...

*shudder*

Anybody gonna be doing to a launch event on the 17th? I look forward to meeting some MTG players near me.

I don't think there are any Magic players in Gilead.

Except, perhaps, the Man in Black.

malfred wrote:I don't think there are any Magic players in Gilead.

Except, perhaps, the Man in Black.

Then you know nothing of Gilead. My trainer, Cort, makes all Gunslinger apprentices practice playing Magic along with using shooting irons.