Search options (Page 32 of 54)

Okay, so there's admittedly a LOT for someone to comment on - probably part of why you haven't received any comments (that and the fact that you're not really explaining your local meta, how you expect the decks to play out, the concerns you have, etc).  Remember, if you give us more information, it improves our ability to offer useful feedback.

So, I'll run through each deck pretty quickly and just raise a bunch of questions to think about.  I'll toss in suggestions where I can - but as a bigger over-arching question, simply having a small meta pool doesn't say much about its quality.  Are you looking to try and beat people playing pro-tour net-decks?  home brews?  newer players?  older players?  people with unlimited budgets or just your friendly person who is happy to play what cards he/she has?  To the extent you can define any of this more clearly for us, it will help the feedback.

Jund Control:
- My first inclination is that this is NOT a control deck.  That could just be labeling on my part, but you really aren't going to control the board state that effectively with 10 removal spells (none of them being mass removal).  I have a vampire build with 15 removal spells (and even more in the SB) and I wouldn't call it control.
- I'm guessing the strategy here is just to try and stall until you land a Tusk or Olivia?  A Vampire Nighthawk with Rancor certainly is nothing to snuff your nose at.  Running each of those at 4x would probably help.
- Arbor Elf - I know this is one of the best ramping options available for the time being, but really, it's only going to hit half your lands.  Farseek has been consistently a better option when it comes to mana fixing (and they can't kill it).  If you're set on using a creature, why not give Gyre Sage a go here?  You would trigger its evolve with any of the creatures you have higher up in the curve - and it could become a threat of its own.
- Creature-wise, I get you're going more for board control, but I can see where you could easily be stopped by another control deck.  Someone running counters and/or board wipes is going to give you fits here.  I'd suggest some Ghor-Clan Rampagers as added strength (at least in the SB).  Worst case scenario, you end up bloodrushing with them for added damage.
-  I'm seeing both a second Garruk and Liliana of the Veil in the board.  Why not mainboard?  Both would offer some added power while not really detracting from your plans.
- Havoc Festival?  It's a fun card, don't get me wrong, but not exactly one that you're going to benefit from very much here - and potentially one that could backfire and end up killing you.  Remember that you LIKE gaining life, hence why you have Thragtusk in here.  If you're wanting to use Havoc Festival as an alternate win-con, you should run Rix Maadi Guildmage.  Each turn you can cause them to lose even more life - if you have 3B and 3R, the festival becomes a two turn clock.
- Slaughter Games is a GREAT card, but not really one that makes a lot of sense mainboard to start off with.  Unless you know what the opponent is doing before hand, you can easily whiff on it.  As someone who has done just that, I would sideboard them.  Same can be said for Witchbane Orb.
- Your SB here is all over the map.  Remember that sideboard cards should be added for a specific purpose.  If you cannot imagine exactly what you would pull to then slide those in, you're probably not sitting on the right cards.  For instance, when would you want to side in Madcap Skills?  If you're lighting into them with flyers and keeping the board clear with removal, do you really have a problem with blockers?  Further, doesn't Pyreheart Wolf accomplish the same goal?  So why have both?  I would gut this SB and start from scratch based on what you expect to see in your local meta.

Re-animator:
- This is the one I voted for because it seems to have a bit clearer goals in mind.
- I would note, however, that several pieces here seem out of place.  Centaur Healer is a widely used SB card, but one that seldom sees the mainboard outside of trying to counter aggro matchups.  Why not Loxodon Smiter in this slot?
- Acidic Slime, again, a great card, for the SB.
- THIS is the sort of deck that loves some mana rampers... no Avacyn's Pilgrims or Arbor Elf?  Sure, they're easy targets, but they help you hard cast creatures... which you likely will end up having to do here or there.
- Craterhoof Behemoth is an excellent reanimator target, but one that also illustrates the need for the mana dorks.  If you drop it and only have one other creature in play, well, you're sorta up a creek there, right?  If you don't have the creature numbers, then you won't end up getting the payoff.
- Personally I'm a bigger fan of Abrupt Decay here than Dreadbore but that's entirely situational.  Simple burn like Pillar of Flame or Searing Spear could just as easily work too.
- I would slide Farseek into this build.  It might seem off given that you're already burning through the deck to hit lands, but the key is to hit the RIGHT lands.  Ensuring you have that W or B to be able to cast Unburial Rites easily justifies the cost.  Also, even more ramping is a plus for what you're doing here too.  Caravan Vigil could be a useful alternative if need be as well.
- I would say Deathrite Shaman should be mainboarded - as it helps you access the graveyard you will be filling up.
- I don't know that you need 4x Angel of Serenity.  Remember, they put things back in your hand... which means you would need to hard cast them again.
- I'm actually a fan of Jarad's Orders in reanimator strategies as it can let you tutor up a mana-dork/deathrite while also dropping your favorite reanimator target into the yard.  REALLY want to unburial Griselbrand?  You can run 1x of him and still hit him consistently.
- The SB here has some more guidance, but still could use a little work.
- Akroma's Memorial COULD be useful, but you'd have to draw it AND get two seven to hard cast it.  Odds are you would end up pitching it to Faithless Looting or losing it in Grisly Salvage/Mulch far more often than you'll ever end up seeing it in play.

Favorable Winds:
- As a side note, this is certainly the budget option here.
- I'm not entirely sure I'm following your creature logic here given the number of 1-offs.  Jace's Phantasm?  Do you really expect them to lose that many cards for it to be meaningful?  I'd put another Judge's Familiar into that spot.  Potentially Cloudfin Raptor could work as well.
- Mindshrieker is amusing, but unlikely to really end up doing that much.  Most turns he'll cost your extra mana (that you want to be casting things with) only to end up doing 2-4 damage.  He's also an easy target to pick off, being a 1/1 and all.  If you're looking for the single card mill/removal like that, Nightveil Specter could prove more useful.  He's at the 3 drop and wouldn't help trigger the phantasm; however, he can help you guarantee you hit your land drops (you can play their lands that you exile too) or even let you drop one of their bombs on them. Exile their GoST... then cast it to hit them?  Yes please.  Being a 2/3 flyer also isn't anything to forget about.
- Serra Avenger - good card, but only 1 of them?  Why not more?  A two-cost 3/3 flyer, restrictions aside, is great value, even on the 4th and later turns.
- I like the skyknights and Angel of Jubilation but perhaps it would be worthwhile to increase their numbers.
- I'm not entirely sure Angel of Serenity belongs in here.  With one keyrune being your only ramp, you cannot hope to cast it  before turn 6 and that would require a perfect draw.  Sure, it's a beast, but I'm just not feeling it.  I'd toss in another Angel of Jubilation into this spot.
- I like the spells, but perhaps you'll want 2x Syncopate/Dissipate/Essence Scatter just to cover your arse.  Also, Talrand's Invocation?  Typically it's not bad value, but you toss in the virtues and favorable winds and you're actually dropping some pretty nasty flyers.
- On a side note, I've seen a build of this where the person focused a LOT more heavily on spirits and had 4x Drogskol Captain.  It further pumps the spirits you're getting from Midnight Haunting and Lingering Souls, gives them hexproof, AND makes GoST harder to kill.  To that end, you could rework the deck to be even MORE spirit oriented with Doomed Travelers, Elgaud Inquisitor, Beckon Apparition and a variety of other spells.  Just as a thought.
- Just one keyrune?  You either need it or you don't.  Odds are you won't draw it as a 1x.  If you want the ramp, add more.  If not, no biggie.  Rootborn Defenses covers you against board wipes anyway.
- Speaking of board wipes, no Verdicts or Planar Cleansing?  Your token spells are easy enough to flashback or cast on their turn AFTER a wipe.  This could help significantly against larger creatures (i.e. Thundermaw Hellkite, Resto, etc.)
- I might would slide in one Oblivion Ring, just in case you need to tag the opponent's Detention Sphere.
- The SB here is really just more of what's already in the deck.  The only situational card is Rest in Peace.  Again, this needs reworking with removal, enchantment hate, protection against board wipes, etc.

Anyway, I hope those comments help.  I know there's a LOT to dig through, but those are the initial thoughts I had when looking at each list.  But, as a future suggestion, I'd say three separate threads are appropriate for feedback on three decks.

So a few questions for you:

1) I'm guessing this is for casual play?  The sorts of suggestions we can provide will be tempered by the level of competition you're running with.  For example, Serra Angel is the sort of card you would want to run casually, but would never see competitive constructed play (at least not past the year 2000).

2) Are you primarily playing 1-on-1 or multiplayer?  Normally you don't have to worry about simultaneously building offense/defense like you're doing here in 1-on-1 play.  You would be inclined then to remove the Kraken Hatchlings and Hover Barriers for some added offensive weapons.

3) To clarify, as long as you have 1x of a card in your inventory, you're in the clear to pick up more?

One you can answer these questions, with any luck we can offer some better input.

The key is that they're not using the mean for the average; rather, opting to use the median for price calculations (as it's much less susceptible to skew on either end).

Now what that means for the site, Sebi/Catinca will have to answer that, but I'm personally glad to hear that we don't have to worry about the prices at TCG going crazy because someone sold a basic land for $3,000... Nevermind the fact that the prices didn't account for it being signed by every magic developer ever or whatever other BS.

I had thought the Blademasters would under-perform as a 3-drop 1/1 is easy enough to get rid of (lord knows the Captains get taken out fast enough when you put them down), but I like the power it gives when paired with Rogue's Passage or Volcanic Strength.  I'll pick a few up and toss them into my build to see how they do.

Good ideas!

On average Descendants' Path is going to under perform and will, in most cases, end up putting something you might've needed (land, removal, etc) on the bottom of your library.  From experience trying to use it competitively, it's just not worth it.

I see the combo.  You tap Devoted Druid for a green, then put a -1/-1 counter to untap it and then use that green mana to activate Quillspike to give it +3/+3... setting up an infinite pump combo.

The question is, what good would it do without trample?  Rancor much?

If the druid is easy pickings, you can use a variety of options from the Swiftfoot Boots you have listed to Asceticism or even more spot protection like Ranger's Guile.

Okay...

Going standard legal is good.  But that means the only legal Sorin you could use is Sorin, Lord of Innistrad, which would require you to splash white to even play him.  There are numerous options to run with though outside of him.  If you're wanting Planeswalker power, sadly R/B isn't sitting on anything THAT substantial (outside of Liliana of the Veil).

If you're trying to compete in FNMs, you'll definitely need to refine the list to drop a LOT of the 1-offs. 

Ideally your one-drops should include Stromkirk Noble and Pillar of Flame.  If you're wanting to go more aggro, then you can add Vexing Devil or, the more likely to have 4x of would be, Rakdos Cackler or Reckless Waif.  None of the other three options at the one drop help with the flavor or really fit the overall scheme, but if you're trying to aggro it out, they work.  Alternately, Legion Loyalist could prove useful in later game scenarios.

At the two drop, I've found the most useful vampire is Blood Artist.  It makes opponents hesitant to engage in combat or otherwise use removal until it's off the board.  This can be REALLY useful if you focus a lot on removal, as every creature to hit the yard is essentially an extort trigger.  When paired with Stromkirk Captain, the artist can at least be a little blocker and, in some circumstances, can actually be pretty good in combat (typically if you drop Vampiric Fury) - there isn't much out there as satisfying as blocking a Geist of Saint Traft with a Blood Artist and killing the GoST.  Other items at the two drop should be more removal based - Searing Spear, Ultimate Price, Mizzium Mortars, Dreadbore, Devour Flesh, etc.  Vampiric Fury is another trick to have at the two-spot that most people wouldn't expect.

At the three drop, the only two vampires worth anything are Vampire Nighthawk and Stromkirk Captain.  Ideally you can be playing multiples of both as a pumped Nighthawk with first strike will likely win ANY combat (hooray first strike and deathtouch).  Other than that, you could splash the odd removal like Murder, but odds are you have their creatures pretty well covered with your two drop removal spells.  However, I would advise Rolling Temblor in the sideboard to deal with hexproof stuff - that or Glaring Spotlight.

At the four drop is where your wallet is likely to take a hit, as both Olivia Voldaren and Falkenrath Aristocrat are quite expensive to pick up.  You'll see in my build that I use one Olivia and a few Bloodline Keepers.  I can see the inclination toward Vampire Nocturnus, but I would argue he actually ends up telegraphing your plays to the opponent.  They get to see your top card, so in the event you're top-decked, they can play around whatever you end up drawing.

Realistically, I wouldn't aim for anything higher than a four drop.  One of the strengths/weaknesses of vampires is that there really isn't anything at more than the 4-drop that you'll want to be hitting.  It's better to drop a Nighthawk/Captain and a Blood Artist/removal than anything you would for five.

For the sorceries/instants, see the ones I listed above.  You'll want removal and Sign in Blood - as getting those added few cards can be huge.  In the sideboard Act of Treason and Bloodthrone Vampire make a convenient to take the opponent's creature, hit them with it, and then sack it before it returns to their control.  But this is hardly something you want in the mainboard to use every game.

I'd actually suggest dropping almost all the enchantments.  Seldom will you really want to use one as they create easy opportunities for the opponent to hit you 2-for-1 style.  Perhaps some Stab Wounds or Dead Weights to give some removal options, or perhaps an added few damage.

For the lands, you're spot on that Dragonskull Summit and Blood Crypt are pretty much a necessity.  I'd also suggest trying to pick up 2-3x Cavern of Souls.  You can name 'vampire' and it does the mana fixing AND prevents counters against your creatures.  Lastly, I've had some success with Rogue's Passage paired with Stromkirk Noble in late game situations to ensure it can get a few hits in and grow.

Anyway, obviously this isn't the only way to build it, but I've had some pretty good results with my build.  It's not prohibitively expensive and will lose to the upper echelon decks, but I've enjoyed the flavor of it.

Good luck building and playing it.

Bump.  I'd also be interested in working out something for Garruk Relentless or Angel of Serenity too.

So that's two Reckoners down... but Domri isn't on the wislist anymore... Thanks people!

I've just been informed that he's also interested in picking up 2x Domri Rade... any takers?

nsongster:  I was informed he's interested in your swords.  I'll setup a trade.