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Magic: the Gathering |OT13| Ixalan - Port to Sideboard

Justin

Member
DMlUXfMWAAETPI4.jpg:small
 
Zug had a picture at the show that @OriginalMtgArt labeled as "Rhox promo art":


It's never been used on a card, though, and as far as I can tell wasn't used on packaging or anything either. Anyone seen this one before?
 

Wulfric

Member
Back in the era where they didn't allow sleaves for matches they were filming for ESPN or Home video, they would issue proxys to players if cards were too beat up. you can see some of that in this video of matches from Regionals 98 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8bl8eIlB24&t=6s

What an era - no sleeves, mullets, and cheesy rock music. I swear I see guys at GPs still dressed like people in this video.

Jon's blond hair looks like a block of package ramen.
 
Hapatra deck went 2-1 (one bye). The deck has promise, it works well against aggro and you can do a transforming sideboard against control.
 

DrArchon

Member
Hapatra deck went 2-1 (one bye). The deck has promise, it works well against aggro and you can do a transforming sideboard against control.

Nice work. I wish they let -1/-1 counters rock for more than 1 set at a time, because it never seems like they have enough support to really function all that well in standard. I know why they don't, but still. It's just a shame for them to print something cool like Hapatra or the Scorpion God and basically tell everyone "this is meant for jank decks or EDH, sorry".
 
Nice work. I wish they let -1/-1 counters rock for more than 1 set at a time, because it never seems like they have enough support to really function all that well in standard. I know why they don't, but still. It's just a shame for them to print something cool like Hapatra or the Scorpion God and basically tell everyone "this is meant for jank decks or EDH, sorry".

Thanks! It's really iffy sometimes, only 12 cards to get the engine working. Crocodile of the Crossing and Ammit Eternal are both lifelines because they can go it alone.

There's really nothing except Fatal Push and maybe Vraska outside of Amonkhet block, because those are just crazy good on their own.

Below is what I ran. For the future I'm going to put some deserts in there and a couple of Decimator Beetles because they give multiple triggers easily. Also another Banewhip Punisher for anti dino duty. Exemplar of Strength must go because it's good only when you drop it on turn 2.

4x Hapatra, Vizier of Poison
4x Channeler Initiate
3x Exemplar of Strength
4x Obelisk Spider
4x Ammit Eternal
1x Banewhip Punisher
4x Crocodile of the Crossing

3x Fatal Push
2x Blossoming Defense
2x Supernatural Stamina
4x Nest of Scarabs
2x Hour of Glory (more like Hour of ain't got no Vraska's Contempt)

23x Land
 

DrArchon

Member
Have you considered splashing red for Scorpion God? Seems like the best reason to focus on -1/-1 counters to me. Great late-game mana sink, very resilient, and draws cards. Red also gets you Merciless Javelineer, who's probably too slow, but could work well with Ammit Eternal and Hapatra by getting rid of blockers.

Another option could be to splash white for Grind//Dust. It's just another 4 mana exile spell, but it can hit multiple targets if you throw around enough counters. And Grind is pretty cheap to play.
 

Santiako

Member
Miiight be worried about nothing, but..

I don't know if we already have one, but here's a MagicGAF Discord.

I was about to post something similar. If the site goes down in flames, I'd like to have a place to go to with this community :p

Good to know you have this covered, I'll save the link in case of the worst.
 
Nice work. I wish they let -1/-1 counters rock for more than 1 set at a time, because it never seems like they have enough support to really function all that well in standard. I know why they don't, but still. It's just a shame for them to print something cool like Hapatra or the Scorpion God and basically tell everyone "this is meant for jank decks or EDH, sorry".

I mean, if the -1/-1 cards were pushed enough having it be a single-set mechanic wouldn't matter. For the last year a significant number of Standard tournament decks have just been janky Kalatrash value decks.

(I would prefer they just avoided putting so much value in set mechanics that you can be competitive running what looks like a draft deck, though, personally.)
 

DrArchon

Member
I mean, if the -1/-1 cards were pushed enough having it be a single-set mechanic wouldn't matter. For the last year a significant number of Standard tournament decks have just been janky Kalatrash value decks.

(I would prefer they just avoided putting so much value in set mechanics that you can be competitive running what looks like a draft deck, though, personally.)

Yeah, that's true. Last thing we need is Energy all over again.

I wouldn't have minded having one of them be pushed enough for constructed, like Exert got Glorybringer. I hoped it would be Scorpion God, but alas.
 
Yeah, that's true. Last thing we need is Energy all over again.

I wouldn't have minded having one of them be pushed enough for constructed, like Exert got Glorybringer. I hoped it would be Scorpion God, but alas.

I think Scorpion God is supposed to be Standard pushed and just didn't quite hit the mark. There's always going to be some gulf between where they intend cards to land and where they actually hit. (Unless they use Arena to actually do a massive PTR pre-printing, but that would mean sets would be entirely leaked like four months ahead of release.)

It would have also been interesting to see a world where Liliana, Death's Majesty and Liliana, Death Wielder (the PW deck one with actual -1/-1 synergies) got flipped, with the design of LDW being pushed and LDM getting relegated to overcosted PW deck card. I understand why they didn't, though, since Last Hope was still in Standard and having a Liliana the drops -1/-1 counters on creatures would have been a bit too similar to that.
 
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