Magic: the Gathering: the Thread

[Rollo]

Gyre Sage and Experiment One have shown to be pretty good cards with evolve.

I've been playing around with fathom mage and zameck guildmage a bit and I'm loving that combo, but you can easily lose yourself in using mana for the wrong things in the wrong situation. I read somewhere that you can play the card draw ability from the guildmage by removing counters and paying the mana on your opponents turn, as a way to spend the remainder of your mana before you untap at the start of your next turn. I would think that the ability counts as a sorcery and can only be used on your turn, but idk. Thoughts?

[Dontrike]

I've been playing around with fathom mage and zameck guildmage a bit and I'm loving that combo, but you can easily lose yourself in using mana for the wrong things in the wrong situation. I read somewhere that you can play the card draw ability from the guildmage by removing counters and paying the mana on your opponents turn, as a way to spend the remainder of your mana before you untap at the start of your next turn. I would think that the ability counts as a sorcery and can only be used on your turn, but idk. Thoughts?

Unless otherwise stated any ability can be used at any time. So unless the card says "only use during your upkeep", "only use any time you could cast a sorcery", or any other variation you can use abilities at almost any time.

[Pendulous]

To add to what Don said, activated abilities can even be used while the creature is suffering from Summoning Sickness, as long as the ability doesn't require that your creature taps. So the guildmages can be used immediately once they are played.

[Rollo]

I knew that about whn a creature comes into play, but that's some good news on the other end. That might give some land enchantments room in my deck then (enchanted land untaps during all untap steps; or something like that).

[Pendulous]

I knew that about whn a creature comes into play, but that's some good news on the other end. That might give some land enchantments room in my deck then (enchanted land untaps during all untap steps; or something like that).

Depends on which one you're using. Tin Street Market is terrible. Skygames isn't much better (it would be nice if it could be used as an instant). I'm not a fan of Debtor's Pulpit either, because of its initial cost. They're all just too expensive for what they do. Verdant Haven isn't that great either. 2 life isn't worth an extra two mana cost, or one mana I guess. I'd rather have a Wild Growth reprint.

[Rollo]

It's something from this block as I don't have any other cards. Trying to find it in my database, but I may have the card incorrectly.

---------- Post added 2013-02-26 at 03:01 PM ----------

Found it. From RtR -> Urban Burgeoning

[Skarsguard]

So I have played about 25 gatecrash booster drafts and I really hate opening a R/W bomb or something that is a must have because everybody seems to want to play W/R and by pack 4-5 W/R is so watered down. I played last night and first pack opened was an Angel followed by a foil Spark Trooper I was like guess I'm playing W/R but had to shift colors to Bu/G/R just because nothing else was coming my way by pack 5

[Dontrike]

So I have played about 25 gatecrash booster drafts and I really hate opening a R/W bomb or something that is a must have because everybody seems to want to play W/R and by pack 4-5 W/R is so watered down. I played last night and first pack opened was an Angel followed by a foil Spark Trooper I was like guess I'm playing W/R but had to shift colors to Bu/G/R just because nothing else was coming my way by pack 5

That's drafting for you. I haven't drafted since Onslaught. I only did 3 of them, but was coming in 2nd by always going B/G. Those Symbiotic creatures always made people hesitate for some reason.

Knowing how to draft is a good one. Seeing those two rares I would not have gone R/W. It is usually best to pick strong common/uncommons that don't commit you to one color. The angel would be a smart choice, but usually it is best to grab removal to make sure those same bombs don't give you trouble.





I am looking towards this tournament at a new card shop is having. 100 players and $3000 in prizes for top 64. I am either going with Jund Zombies or Naya Humans. I just got to get me a couple Sacred Foundry, 4 Falkenrath Aristocrat, 4 Frontline Medic, and 4 Mayor of Avabruck and can play either deck.

[Skarsguard]

Zombies is still good but people seem to board for them a lot from what I have seen.

[Eroginous]

For all the people thinking gatecrash was overall weak, when was the last time you saw new archetypes being spawned in all constructed formats just because of cards from a new expansion?

GTC is combo heaven, synergies left and right, and has already had an significant impact.

Every set has synergy and combos, and for the most part they have a significant impact on the metagame upon release. I haven't kept up with T2 for a few years now, but I would venture to say that every set adds new deck types. I wouldn't go so far as to call them an archetype, though. The question is whether or not those decks can compete in the top tiers of events.

[Snorkle]

Every set has synergy and combos, and for the most part they have a significant impact on the metagame upon release. I haven't kept up with T2 for a few years now, but I would venture to say that every set adds new deck types. I wouldn't go so far as to call them an archetype, though. The question is whether or not those decks can compete in the top tiers of events.

I have to strengthen what I said. ALL constructed formats. ALL. This means standard, modern, legacy and vintage. All of them.

[Dontrike]

Zombies is still good but people seem to board for them a lot from what I have seen.

I have been goldfishing both decks and right now I am liking Humans more. In my couple dozen of zombies so far I have had more mana screw/flood than decent hands. Plus zombies can be brought down a little by Rest in Peace while humans just have the normal problems like any aggro deck.

Plus I am liking Humans getting a consistent turn 4 win over zombies turn 5. Sure zombies have a better mid game, but I am not liking the mana of the zombies. 10 turn one plays and yet I am having trouble even doing that. 23 lands, 15 come into play untapped. I am even having trouble playing even Geralf's Messenger or Dreg Mangler on time.

[Dontrike]

Looks like Sorin vs. Tibalt won't be a huge waste. Tibalt's deck having Hellrider and there being Sorin 2 makes the deck $30 automatically. I look forward to picking up two of them.

[Pendulous]

Is there any reason MTGSalvation is listing the guildgates as Dragon's Maze cards in their spoiler?

[Dontrike]

Is there any reason MTGSalvation is listing the guildgates as Dragon's Maze cards in their spoiler?

Because they are in Dragon's Maze. They are taking up the basic land slot of each booster and the mythic land will only appear in the land slot as well.

[Pendulous]

Because they are in Dragon's Maze. They are taking up the basic land slot of each booster and the mythic land will only appear in the land slot as well.

So that means the next set is 145 cards. Sounds really low.

[Dontrike]

So that means the next set is 145 cards. Sounds really low.

Not that far off really, 145 is the minimum for small sets.

[Rollo]

Ran into a question why napkin testing. I have Master Biomancer on the board, so he is a 10/12. I have an Ivy Lane Denizen out (add +1/+1 to target creature when a green creature enters battlefield). I have a Zameck Guildmage and use his #1 ability twice (each creature entering battlefield gets an additional +1/+1 x2). Now I cast Horncallers Chant to put out a Rhino Token out.

MBM will turn the 4/4 rhino into 14/14, zameck makes him 16/16. Do I put the +1/+1 onto target creature prior to populating? Lastly, is the populate going to be just a copy of the rhino, or a copy, with additional power from MBM and Zameck added again?

[Snorkle]

Nothing can go on the stack during the resolution of the horncaller's chant.

You put 4/4 rhino into play, then populate, and only AFTER that can all the triggered abilities go on the stack.

You'll end up with two 4/4 tokens (assuming you want to copy your first rhino with the populate ability) and then you can choose to place the triggered abilities on the stack in any order. In either case, you'll end up with two 16/16 rhinos.

[Rollo]

I figured that would happen prior to anything else resolving as it is one card, but that would suggest you cannot populate the token you just created with the card (even though the card is worded otherwise).

Put a 4/4 green Rhino creature token with trample onto the battlefield, then populate.

The wording to me suggests that the rhino would go down, become a 16/16, it would be populated as a 16/16 creature, and as that second token hits the battlefield it would be a 28/28. Do the passive abilities (and activated from the zameck) hit the stack, or are they auto resolved?

(Edit: In other words, I would assume the wording of "and populate" instead if "then populate" would mean both actions on the card happen simultaneously instead of one after the other.)

Lastly, if I had a 16/16 token previously created and on the battlefield when I played horncallers and targeted THAT token for populate, would the new token be 28/28?