So, I'm just curious what you guys think of this scenario.

I did a small trade with somebody, ~$3.  Finally get the cards in the mail, but they sent them in a bubble mailer with only a single stamp, which wasn't enough to cover the shipping.  For some reason, the package made it all the way to me, but now I have to pay an extra $1.50 for the shipping costs.  Obviously, I really didn't want to pay another $1.50 for such a small trade (or any trade for that matter), and I informed the other person of the situation, but haven't received any response despite seeing them online numerous times.

Do I demand action, or let it go, or ..... ?

377

(2 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Do you mean a Soldier Token?  Like this?
If so, then tokens aren't supported on here at the moment, because Wizard's Gatherer site doesn't display them.

If that's not what you're talking about, then I am confused.

378

(6 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Well, I actually got a chance to play this last night, and it did some good work and actually turned a few heads.
Most people were hardly aware of Silver-Inlaid Dagger, or that Blighted Agent and Invisible Stalker were humans to boot.

Ended up getting to the Top 8, but then got crushed by some very terrible draws and some crazy black control + Sword of War and Peace.  But that match ended up with both of us going through half of our decks because I was able to drag it out long enough, mainly through the use of a few Pristine Talismans (such a beast card).

What started out as an idea of a way to actually use Elbrus, the Binding Blade, has turned into a pretty substantial and relatively powerful deck, and I'll be making a fair amount of changes based on feedback here and from those at my LGS (we have a few competitive players that thought it was a really unique and awesome build).

Main changes will be to drop Elbrus, the Binding Blade, Solemn Simulacrum and Neurok Invisimancer, at a minimum, and including a whole lot more control, because that is what the deck was really missing when it counted.  When a Bonfire of the Damned or a Black Sun's Zenith comes out, I really need to be able to respond in some way.  I'll probably also look for some other humans to include in the mix, and then maybe make use of Mass Appeal, because I can go through a hand very quickly if I have lots of artifacts to play out with the Grand Architect's ability.

I'll definitely be working on this some more to be used for next week. big_smile

Oh yeah, and I won a couple of packs, out of which I pulled a Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. cool

379

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

I think we need some removal and sacrifice all in one.  3x Barter in Blood

380

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

HikingStick wrote:

Are the named dual lands open for consideration? They are great if looking for a splash of color.

I think we were going to leave the land for the end, and determine then what we needed.

381

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

TyWooOneTime wrote:

All the current turns have been input.

So we can add something like Mikaeus, the Unhallowed (when it gets back to my turn) for the undying for all the creatures, but I can see where Gutter Grime getting picked off would be a big problem.  How could we protect it?

I think that protecting the Gutter Grime is going to be difficult if we don't expand into white, and I'm not entirely sure that is a great idea to spread things that thin.  But adding white would give us other such options as Faith's Shield to protect it, as well as Gavony Township to pump our creatures to keep them around even if the enchantment gets destroyed, as well as opening up the avenue for more ramp with Avacyn's Pilgrim.

And we do have to remember that undying doesn't work for the token creatures, even with Mikaeus, because the creatures have to go to the graveyard, and the instant that a token goes to a graveyard it ceases to exist.

382

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

MMJuno wrote:

Another issue to bring up with the enchantment... if it gets destroyed/exiled... say goodbye to all your Ooze tokens. Maybe that's better for a sideboard answer of some sort though..?

Yep, that is a definite concern, especially against any Naya deck that'll probably be running Acidic Slime and Oblivion Ring.  I'd suggest something that can give +1/+1 counters to all of your creatures, so that you can at least keep the tokens around even if the enchantment goes away.  But, like you said, I think that is probably mostly something for the sideboard.

383

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

TyWooOneTime wrote:

Nobody has made that move yet.  He said 4x Arbor Elf.  Note the rules of the game at the top of the post.

AKA Feel free to suggest it if you think it is a good idea wink

384

(5 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

Bringing the discussion over from the other thread, since you decided to post a second one for some reason.....

pipdickenz wrote:

I see that some people's profiles have warnings that they're untrustworthy and you should always make them send first, this seems very much like something an admin or mod could do.I just haven't seen anyway to contact one.

In my case the guy never even marked his cards as shipped so I don't have the option to leave him negative feedback. Since at the time I had no feedback and he had ~13 I had to send first.

Pretty sure that has to do with the number of negative ratings that they have received, and not something that is manually done.

Just asking questions to get to the bottom of things.

  • It looks like he has done several successful trades since your trade started, have you tried contacting him about it?  Did you get a response?

  • If you sent first, then is he just waiting until he receives the cards before he sends?  If your cards got lost in the mail (I've seen it happen, several times), then obviously he would never receive them and would you really expect him to send his then?

  • Do you have proof that your cards were sent and delivered?


Regardless of those answers, I do agree that there should be a way to report a trader who did rip you off without the need to "complete" the trade.

385

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Adding a couple of Killing Waves to my wishlist so that I can run this deck whenever we finish it up. big_smile

Quick question: Will we also be developing a sideboard?

386

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

We can't really go BG with a sacrifice theme without having Blood Artist x4

387

(4 replies, posted in General Discussion)

There isn't anything an admin or mod can do.  If you got ripped off then give them a negative rating, but that's about all you can do, here anyway.

If you have proof of you shipping your cards (i.e. tracking number), then you can also file for mail fraud against the other individual, but I don't know all of the details about doing that.  I think there was a thread about it a while back that you might be able to find by searching around.

I have a Ethersworn Canonist that I'd probably be willing to trade, but I don't really have anything that large that I need at the moment.
I always like grabbing a bunch of bulk/junk cards and such for my EDH decks; are you okay with trading a fair number of lower value cards for the Canonist?

If you don't have any problem with that then I can set something up.

389

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

I think that a lot of decisions can/should be based upon whether we want the deck to work post-rotation or not.  i.e. Can we include M12 and Scars cards, or should we focus on something that we can play for more than a week or two?

I like the idea of making it work post-rotation, personally.  But that is probably because I have a line of decks waiting to try at future FNMs, most of which need to happen before rotation.

390

(73 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

I can't get over the synergy between Gutter Grime and Feed the Pack and have been wanting to build a deck around it, so I'm going to suggest 2x Feed the Pack.

391

(32 replies, posted in Reddit MTG Trades)

Arioch wrote:

I use Paypal multi-order shipping option and send as media mail. Comes to 2.66 with a bubble mailer and confirmation is included.

I use the Paypal shipping as well, but I choose First Class Mail and Package/Thick Envelope (2-3oz generally covers the weight and they both cost the same amount), and it only costs me $1.65 total, with delivery confirmation.  And yes, that includes using a bubble mailer and everything else to keep the cards safe, like a few top loaders..

392

(11 replies, posted in Reddit MTG Trades)

VideSupra wrote:

What's shipping like to Canada in terms of cost? I have several of the sphinxes you want but don't know if the shipping will be worth it - anyone have  experience?

I've been wondering much the same thing.

393

(5 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Stuffy Doll is awesome, and while it is indestructible, it isn't really uneasy to "destroy".

Black Sun's Zenith, Curse of Death's Hold, Fume Spitter, Ghoulflesh, Mutilate, Necropede, Tragic Slip, etc.
All things I've seen in decks that will instantly take out two of your creatures for a measly -1/-1.

I think Stuffy Doll opens up your strategy to a lot more removal than just using a non-creature artifact would.
For example, pairing it with something like Darksteel Axe essentially makes it impossible to get rid of.  Or at least a Manor Gargoyle would make them work to get the removal since they need at least -4/-4 to make it happen, at which point they'd probably be able to get the -5/-5 for the lich anyway, so it wouldn't really matter.

394

(6 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

TyWooOneTime wrote:

Mass Appeal could actually prove useful in there too.  Especially if you drop the artifact diggers.

Yep, I already had it in the sideboard as a "maybe" card.  Definitely a possibility, depending upon how things shift in the deck.

395

(6 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

imsully2 wrote:

It all looks good to me accept I feel like there's not much point in having  the Treasure mages and Wurmcoil in there, you'll either have an unblockable swinging for game and if not a Wurmcoil probably won't help you out, I'd say you're better off with Mana Leaks and IDK if the mages are even worth it to bring out elbrus...

Yeah, I might drop the big artifact idea once I get to test it out a bit.  Maybe move it even more towards the Human side with some more cheap/effective equipment and run more control, possibly making Elbrus a one-of.

Thanks for the comment.

396

(9 replies, posted in General Discussion)

yuki_insanity13 wrote:

and the 75$ wouldnt even cover the 3 niv-mizzet's and glimpes of nature, and the goddless shrines XD thats just insulting

Value really is in the eye of the beholder, I was making an offer from the perspective that I was mainly just going to resell.  In order to make any profit, I'd really only be able to sell the bigger cards, and to actually make that profit I'd have to purchase them for less than they are worth.

If I were looking to buy it for the cards for myself, then I'd obviously be willing to offer much more.

397

(9 replies, posted in General Discussion)

yuki_insanity13 wrote:

nope sorry, and it actually just got sold

If you don't mind me asking, just curious how much it actually went for.

398

(9 replies, posted in General Discussion)

yuki_insanity13 wrote:

selling as one whole lot, i dont want them anymore,  and look at the value, im willing to do a lil less than wat tcg is saying, just click show value

I could be wrong, but I have a feeling you'll have a hard time getting anywhere near that value for it, mainly because only a few handfuls of your cards are worth over $1. 

I can probably offer you like $75 for the lot, which, I know, isn't even close to what you probably want for it.

399

(9 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Are you looking to sell the whole thing as one lot, or are you willing to sell smaller pieces?  What type of value are you trying to get out of it?

400

(6 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

So, I've made a habit of creating a new deck for FNM every time that I've gone, partially because I like playing different things and partially because I don't want to be somebody who just net-decks.  But, if this deck plays like I hope it does, then that might change, because I like the way it feels.  That fact is very odd, because I generally don't play any form of control, or blue in general for that matter.

Here's the deck: http://deckbox.org/sets/210931

The general idea of the deck is a combination of artifacts and being entirely unblockable. 
There's a trio of blue humans that get the job done: Blighted Agent, Invisible Stalker and Neurok Invisimancer
All of them are pretty cheap, and all of them are unblockable.  Additionally, each one brings something unique to the table, but all serve the same end goal: Suit up and do some major damage.

The major damage comes from a series of equipment that makes use of these creatures in one way or another.
Silver-Inlaid Dagger will pump all of my unblockable humans by 3 power to deal quite a bit of damage.
Elbrus, the Binding Blade paired with unblockability is just a nightmare for any opponent, because that's an instant 13/13 coming at them the next turn if they don't have any removal.

Also, throwing in a set of Grand Architects really steps up the pressure in a couple ways.

  1. They pump my already unblockable humans

  2. They enable very quick and numerous equips

And he also allows a lot of other big artifacts to come out quickly, like Wurmcoil Engine.

As far as I can tell, the best series of plays would go something like this:
T1: Island, Silver-Inlaid Dagger
T2: Island, Blighted Agent
T3: Island, Grand Architect, Tap Architect to equip dagger on agent, Attack for 5 poison
T4: Attack, GG

Obviously that assumes no interruption, which isn't going to happen in most games, which is why I also include a bunch of other things to keep things under control, like Vapor Snag and Mana Leak.  But, at this point, I haven't really played the deck, so I'm not entirely sure how it is going to work out.  A very obvious addition to the deck is to add in Delver of Secrets, seeing that he is indeed a human, but I don't think I employ enough control to allow for that, and I'm not sure that I want to mix things up to make that a viable option.

Part me also wants to shift things even more to the artifact side and include some Trading Posts, but I don't think I'm going to go down that road quite yet.  Maybe a different deck.  Another artifact that I thought about including was Butcher's Cleaver, but it was pretty spendy and I wasn't sure that it was worth it or not.  Plus, I don't actually own any, somehow. smile


I don't know what else to say about it.  Does anybody have any thoughts for improvements before I take it out on Friday?