MTG Strategist

This week has been very trying.  I feel despondent and lost.  A deep depression has set in.  I had a momentary boost with the pre-release, but now I'm back in that pre-rotation holding pattern.  I'm building decks that I can't playtest.  I'm suffering.  Here's my Memoriam for standard rotation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7H2DjAy8rE

I think Ixalan just added a card that will push my Pussy Galore deck over the top.  If you're wondering what Pussy Galore is...It's infinite cats.  The name is too good and the odds of hitting this combo right is stupid low, but let's not worry about the details right now.  Let's have some fun. Here's what you need to do.  First of all, get Gift of Paradise and New Horizons onto two different lands.  Or you can have two of each enchantment on two different lands.   Next, tap those two lands for 4 mana.  Then, pay 1 mana and exert Hope Tender to untap them both. Pay 2 of those 4 mana to untap Hope Tender.  Tap your two lands and then, untap your Hope Tender with Companion of the Trials.   This is the mana engine.  Make 1 million mana.  Bwaa Haa Haa! Oh..you'll need a Gideon planeswalker out.  Next, pay 1 mana and exert Pride Sovereign.  Make 2 cats.  Untap Pride Sovereign with Companion of the Trials.  Pay 1 mana and exert-make 2 c

I have no interest in following the pack on this one.  I won't be rushing to kick out a dinosaur or pirate deck.  But what I will be doing is looking for ways to use a few cards that have really inspired my imagination.  The first one I'm going to tackle is this one: I figure I can make me some Vampire Pirates or maybe even some Pirate Dinosaurs.  That's just for starters.  I intend on abusing this card fully before I switch to something as mundane as a Pirate tribal.  YAAAAWWWWWNNNNN.

There's a lot of talk regarding tribal decks in the upcoming release.  I'm leaning a little more toward the control side of magic.  There are some cards that have been introduced that will augment an already powerful control deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/standard-u-b-control-39692#paper 4 Censor 3 Choked Estuary 3 Disallow 3 Essence Scatter 4 Fatal Push 4 Fetid Pools 2 Flaying Tendrils 4 Glimmer of Genius 4 Grasp of Darkness 6 Island 1 Negate 4 Sunken Hollow 3 Supreme Will 9 Swamp 3 The Scarab God 3 Torrential Gearhulk 1 Dispel 3 Gifted Aetherborn 3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet 2 Liliana, the Last Hope 1 Negate 1 Never // Return 2 Summary Dismissal 2 To the Slaughter A few of these pieces will go away, but not many.  The following Ixalan cards will fit in perfectly: These cards, with the Scarab god, of course, will propel the control deck into the number 1 spot...I think.

Safron Olive talked me into buying Thrumming Stone: He also suggested that I use Relentless Rats with it: The article is here: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/brewer-s-minute-hidden-treasures-coldsnap I played a guy/gal twice.  Upon playing the second time, he/she started some serious trash talk.  Below is the screen capture of the final board state.  I blanked out the person's name-didn't want to be mean.  But I hold by the credo-when you think you are invulnerable to an opponent, that is when you are at your most vulnerable. Be sure to read the chat.  I didn't get a gg.  

I must qualify my remarks a bit.  I am in the military and work on a computer that blocks things like Reddit.  So, I am forced to get creative with my lunchtime and break time MTG work.  Here are the Youtube channels that I frequent the most: Heroes and Legends ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXHeKSasBxxFIDTFSnvPWyw ) MTG Goldfish ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZAZTSd0xnor7hJFmINIBIw ) Strictly Better MTG ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpZCNYMXJI_ptSBD3t47NOQ ) Tolarian Community College ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-hR5EfgpM6oHfiGDkxfMA ) The Mana Source ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2yRbSAO8xrlpTpvnaS2zRg ) TotalMTG ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTDUGsZDe7_UuLdyxQI_E0w ) Aether Hub ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHgB_8rMUcVNv_VtDkdmWag ) Magic the Amateuring ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xWgtukXNLwPDdJvR_YcEg ) The Lodfelt Brothers ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB4o0SqVky6twJpp8K_Eb-g ) currently on some extended vacation

 Today, I am intrigued by the idea of unblockable giant creatures.  Here's the group I'm most anxious to build with:  I think this is the start of a really powerful deck that can be fairly relentless.  Herald of the Secret Streams is gangster.  After you've build up your board presence, when your opponent has a gazillion chump blockers out, you can drop Herald and swing in for the win.  Can't wait to make this a real deck.

First I'd like to throw out some new mechanics: Raid- (if you attacked trigger)-multiple different scenarios such as draw a card/discard a card or opponent discards a card, or draw a card and lose life equal to its CMC. Enrage- (whenever this creature is dealt damage trigger)-multiple outcomes such as opponent loses 3 life or put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature you control. Explore-(different triggers)-reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard. These triggers, it appears, are designed for moderate interaction, but you can see that there is little consistency in triggers.  I guess this is to prevent a "system wide" catastrophe.  For example, if a mechanic is found to have an interaction that dominates the format, then it is a small thing to ban a single card, but if the mechanic is the same for all cards in the