MTG: Arena

No way in the world dig/cruise survive their first banlist update.

Felidar guardian probably also will go.

I doubt marvel is good enough in the face of 3 mana teferi and thoughtseize being legal? There's just a ton of ways to hate it out and it requires you play a bunch of trash cards to function.

First week is probably a pile of jeskai saheeli decks, with some updated copter aggro floating around, some okay-ish g/b midrange delirium piles. I'm sure there's a baby jace + whip nonsense deck you could make work as well.

My pick for sleeper deck is hardened scales/snake/amass the dreadhorde shitting out 4/4 creatures every turn.

First thing that came to mind for the new format was Jeskai Ascendancy, could possibly combine it with the Cat combo and just have a cluster combo deck with 3 mana teferi to help insulate it.

BigDirty said:

Sat down and decided that it was time to grind , Cant believe i got mythic for the first time ever.


Used this Gruul

4 Pelt Collector (GRN) 141
4 Zhur-Taa Goblin (RNA) 215
4 Gruul Spellbreaker (RNA) 179
3 Bonecrusher Giant (ELD) 115
3 Skarrgan Hellkite (RNA) 114
4 Questing Beast (ELD) 171
3 Paradise Druid (WAR) 171
2 Kraul Harpooner (GRN) 136
4 Once Upon a Time (ELD) 169
3 Collision // Colossus (RNA) 223
2 Embercleave (ELD) 120
10 Forest (XLN) 277
9 Mountain (XLN) 273
4 Stomping Ground (RNA) 259
1 Shock (M20) 160

2 Veil of Summer (M20) 198
1 Shifting Ceratops (M20) 194
2 Thrashing Brontodon (RIX) 148
2 Shock (M19) 156
2 Redcap Melee (ELD) 135
3 Domri's Ambush (WAR) 192
3 Lovestruck Beast (ELD) 165

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Good work dude. Been saying that deck was good when like over half your matches are against field decks.

I have been wanting to try a mill deck but I am average at best for deck building. If you get a chance, I would be curious to see what your build is.

Not sure what I want to play for the Arena MCQ weekend. Food feels obvious, but it's going to be everywhere. I wish I could find a good Fires build or something to go over the top now that there's no Field to do it with.

Also, them adding 25 xp for each daily win is cool. Seems like there aren't nearly as many events this set so maybe that was why they went this route.

How dumb is it that it feels totally reasonable to maindeck 4 noxious grasps in the current standard?

Jackie Treehorn said:

Gotta be honest I really hate this meta. I’m just going to stop playing for a while. I find everything about everything just obnoxious anymore to the point where I just get pissed off even playing.

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They really need to do something about these Oko decks. I get not wanting to ban Oko since it's the big selling point of the current set, but banning Nissa would probably work too. Would still have some bad turn 2 oko games, but you wouldn't see the big run away games that happen with fast nissas.

Maybe they ban goose over Oko. Who knows no matter what Oko was a design mistake, his +1 should have 100% been -1.

They can't ban Oko. Kicking a $50+ walker out of standard, much less the poster child of the entire set, is just not an option. Maybe in 6 months when two more sets are out he'll stop mattering as much and they can potentially think about banning him if it's still a problem, but we're in for a couple months of the Oko show.

Complain about planeswalkers again? Don't mind if I do!

Setting aside Oko himself for a moment the card type "planeswalker" is inherently problematic given the design philosophy surrounding them. Planeswalkers are put above all over types of cards. Interacting with them doesn't often feel great as they usually did something the turn they were played. It comes down, does a thing and now you have to answer it. Punishes/hate cards for walkers aren't really a thing.

Take a look at Ravenous Chupacabra.



or Smash to Smithereens


or Veil



None of these are on the level of older "fuck your whole decK' color hosers like Perish or Chill. They're all contemporary. But they still suck to get hit with. If you know the meta is going to be full up with Okos what's the card you can reach to from the card pool to make someone feel bad when they play a planeswalker. Walker punishes very rarely exist. Clean answers are only so clean because the walker did something when it hit the battlefield.

If right now there was an uncommon creature that was 2BB, 2/2, when this dude enters the battlefield destroy target planeswalker an opponent controls than at least you would feel like you had something to say about cards like Oko. There's something that feels good to play. If your opponent goes, on the play, goose - Oko that game is just a mess from the start and no matter what deck you play and what cards you play that start is always going to be fucking clownshoes.

How about Cancel (1UU counter target spell) but if it hits a walker exile all of them from the opponent's deck. Counter target activated ability if it's a loyalty ability destroy that planeswalker and draw a card. How about a green or red or green/red hatebear that just fucking turns off loyalty abilities. RG 2/2 Ouphe - players can't use loyalty abilities while Ouphe is in play. "Planeswalkers enter the battlefield with half loyalty rounded down" stapled on to a three mana 3/3.

And you don't need a bunch of these cards. Just every standard there's a thing or two available in the card pool that helps tackle that particular card type. Questing Beast is sorta close but it's also a fucking 40 dollar mythic green creature that doesn't even quite get the job done. Veil and Chupacabra are uncommons.

Noxious Grasp is about as close as you're going to get and it'll still leave behind a food or a 3/3. I'm just not sure how Oko got through in his current state. Could have started with less loyalty or the cost of some of his abilities could be changed a bit. If he was +2, 0, -5 and started on 3 loyalty instead of 4 do you really think he'd be unplayable?

Also, ended up 6-2 in the MCQ once again for what feels like the 200th time in a row even if it's really the 3rd time. Played against 7 oko decks and a G/B adventure deck. Nice format. 3 times against straight U/G, 3 times in the BUG mirror, and once against bant.

Deck
4 Breeding Pool (RNA) 246
4 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
5 Forest (ANA) 60
4 Gilded Goose (ELD) 160
4 Hydroid Krasis (RNA) 183
1 Island (ANA) 57
1 Massacre Girl (WAR) 99
4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World (WAR) 169
4 Noxious Grasp (M20) 110
4 Oko, Thief of Crowns (ELD) 197
4 Once Upon a Time (ELD) 169
4 Overgrown Tomb (GRN) 253
4 Paradise Druid (WAR) 171
2 Swamp (ANA) 58
2 Vraska, Golgari Queen (GRN) 213
4 Watery Grave (GRN) 259
4 Wicked Wolf (ELD) 181
1 Garruk, Cursed Huntsman (ELD) 191

Sideboard
2 Casualties of War (WAR) 187
1 Disdainful Stroke (GRN) 37
1 Legion's End (M20) 106
4 Lovestruck Beast (ELD) 165
1 Massacre Girl (WAR) 99
3 Mystical Dispute (ELD) 58
1 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales (WAR) 220
2 Veil of Summer (M20) 198

Is what I played. 4 maindeck Noxious Grasp and it was good in all 8 rounds I played. Nice format.