So the companion mechanic seems OP. You start with 8 cards. And the extra one is assured to be one of your best cards. And it can't be thoughtseize'd or whatever. But you have a deckbuilding restriction.

5 Foot Step wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2020 at 10:46am:


I'm thinking I can make this into an Obosh deck. That requires only odd CMC spells. In return, with Obosh on the board, all damage from odd CMC sources I control is doubled.

4x Cauldron Familiar
4x Witch's Oven
3x Bedevil
4x Judith, the Scourge Diva
4x Mayhem Devil
4x Plaguecrafter
4x Risk Factor
4x Syr Konrad, the Grim
3x Obosh Preypiercer
4x Castle Lochthwain
4x Fabled Passage
4x Evolving Wilds
4x Blood Crypt
5x Swamp
5x Mountain

SB:
1x Obosh Preypiercer
14x whatever

No work atm so I've been enjoying human drafts a ton. Best update to arena in a while IMO. You get a ton more rares/mythics in the drafts as well.

I don't know how I feel about the companions but hushbringer is now in every deck with white unless I'm also going for ETB triggers. Gyruda is a monster. It's like a turn 4 or 5 combo win. I suppose the meta will develop around it, since the deck is so consistent. I think that's what makes me pause about the companions. They feel so consistent.

Syr Konrad looks like a fun way to dumpster Gyruda though.

I've tried some of the mythic mutating beasts and they all don't feel that great. Do you guys think mutate will suffer the same fate as amass? I'm gonna keep trying to make the abzan and mardu mythic beasts work but its tough.

5 Foot Step wrote on Apr 21^st, 2020 at 10:44am:


yeah, I almost ran out of cards in my library one time... I had like 3 cards left and wasn't close to winning really, but other guy conceded... 1 or 2 more turns and I would have decked myself.

found my deck that makes people concede on turn 2... jeskai cycling. 
4 Drannith Stinger (IKO) 113
4 Flourishing Fox (IKO) 13
4 Valiant Rescuer (IKO) 36
4 Drannith Healer (IKO) 10
2 Coordinated Charge (IKO) 6
4 Zenith Flare (IKO) 217
4 Frostveil Ambush (IKO) 52
4 Startling Development (IKO) 68
4 Boon of the Wish-Giver (IKO) 43
4 Go for Blood (IKO) 122
2 Improbable Alliance (ELD) 193
2 Footfall Crater (IKO) 118
1 Steam Vents (GRN) 257
4 Sacred Foundry (GRN) 254
4 Mountain (GRN) 263
4 Hallowed Fountain (RNA) 251
5 Plains (GRN) 260

So bans weren't enough, companion mechanic got nerfed pretty hard. (this is old news by now)

I didn't bother building a new standard deck now that they let you do ladder matches in historic. I was playing a defensive gate deck with barely any historic cards (just Settle the Wreckage and Maze's End) which would stall with life gain and board wipes while going for the alternate win con

4x Arboreal Grazer
2x Assassin's Trophy
4x Growth Spiral
4x Gaea's Blessing
4x Guild Summit
4x Gates Ablaze
4x Circuitous Route
4x Settle the Wreckage
4x Archway Angel
22x (Gates)
4x Maze's End

But now with M21 out, I saw that we got new shrines to go with the old hondens in the anthology. SO I present historic artisan legal (no rares):

Shrinegate
4x Arboreal Grazer
2x Sanctum of Tranquil Light
4x Sanctum of Stone Fangs
2x Sanctum of Shattered Heights
3x Sanctum of Fruitful Harvest
4x Gates Ablaze
4x Guild Summit
3x Honden of Infinite Rage
4x Sanctum of Calm Waters
2x Honden of Cleansing Fire
2x Honden of Night's Reach
1x Honden of Seeing Winds
3x Honden of Life's Web
22x (Gates)

It does pretty well, even against full-powered historic decks.

Figured I'd give this a shot if I didn't have to drop a lot of cash.  Surprisingly by the third day I already have a good amount of cards for free.  Between MTO and this one the only thing I don't like is trying to drop a land from the far left on the first turn, and some more filter options in deck builder would be nice.

/sigh

WonderfulFoppyBint wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2020 at 2:55pm:


I have never played against it. I just play historic ladder for constructed since the companion nerf...and then drafts and special events sometimes.

I think I've paid a total of $10 so far.

Tried your shrinegate deck 5foot.  I like it, but its iffy on agro decks that get a great hand and you get land screwed on your end.  I ended up adding some gateway plazas and harmonies, subbed in 2 idyllic tutors, and 4 sanctum of all's with 2 shatter the sky.  Need to tweak it a bit on my end I think, but its pretty good.  Also had to drop 20 bucks to get some more ravnica packs and a couple more uncommon wild cards to finish it out.

This thread is winning the Magic back to The Gathering here.

yeah, I've almost decked myself a couple of times with it.  I don't lay it unless I don't have a choice.  I tossed the shattered's and put in some more deck reach for land/creature for 1 green...can't remember the name.  I'm tier 4 platinum on constructed at the moment with it.