A U/B winning list without Time Walk, Demonic Tutor, or blue Delve draw engine? How exotic is that? Murderous Cut over Dismember makes sense to me if you're not running the other Delve spells. I still feel I'm missing something, but maybe I'm not seeing outside the box.
If I were to build budget Eldrazi or Hatebears, a strong disruption package would be the obvious starting point. Leading that effort would have been 4 Thorns, if permissible. Since those decks don't have many good turn-1 plays, they might be forced to accelerate with full Moxen, likely precluding optimal Null Rod usage. At that point, I would abandon Thorn only if I just didn't believe in the power of the incremental value of the disruption (Thorn, Thalia, Wasteland/Strip, Big Thalia, Thought-Knot Seer). If that deck could have survived with 4 Thorns, it seems a shame to have lost it. Global-effect builds also exist (Kataki, Spirit of the Labyrinth), but they have their own problems too.
@desolutionist said in Vintage Challenge - 9/2/2017:
So I have played limited leagues before on MTGO and have experienced getting paired with the same opponent multiple times. This suggests that each opponent in a league is not incrementally more difficult; you're round 5 opponent could theoretically be 0-3 even if you are undefeated. Combined with the fact that Wizards will cherry pick the results and post in a way that presents the format as more diverse than it really is, how legitimate are 5-0 League results?
In comparison, however, it must be asked how legitimate is anecdotal evidence? Both are subject to user error, but I, for one, prefer the WotC data. Granted, if it doesn't match weekend event results, it's good to probe further. Some skepticism is healthy, but ignoring soft, smelly, quacking ducks risks losing valuable info. By default, I will assume the 5-0 lists offer good value, subject only to my personal observations or theoretical understanding to the contrary.
If this cost 2, it would be worth discussion. See e.g., Baral. At 4, this card is terrible.
You can't run these cards for the Magical Christmas Land scenario. Real life intrudes. There are many better ways to double up on Ancestral.
@walking-dude said in Vintage Leagues come to MTGO!:
Second day's results are out
1 outcome mentor (no storm or bot)
1 solo mentor (with more blue dudes like snap and clique)
1 oath
1 eldrazi shop
1 ravanger shop
Love these posts, thanks! I feel we should have a separate thread for them, though, with just links and stats. Or some other method for keeping the results all together without 15 posts of commentary in between each. Is there a way to do this with tagging?
@brass-man Good summary. Legacy's access to 4 Brainstorm's for digging and recycling useless cards cannot be understated either.
@p3temangus said in No more planeswalker uniqueness rule as of Ixalan:
Not vintage relevant, but I saw a tweet from Sheldon Menery that as of now, there are no plans to allow all plainswalkers to be your EDH general :( I was very much hoping to build a Nicol Bolas God Pharaoh EDH deck.
Dang, I wanted Graceful Antelope to be my general so bad. :)
@walking-dude Man, I would love that (no Ballista out for Shops!). But it's not just a power-level errata anymore since the latest printing in 5th edition mentions attacks not damage.
Big winner: Hurkyl's Recall and Moat, the one-card answers to Shops that previously were more likely to be stranded in hand based on so many Thorn copies. Combo is much more likely to achieve it's big turn, and Control is much more likely to play and cast the ultimate ground-control defense.