Since the last thread was deleted after the crash, I start it again.

I'd like to comment on Slivers. I have never played with or against them, but they seem pretty overpowered in my opinion, because they boost each other. Every one of them confers a bonus or ability to all other Slivers.

For example, the basic Plated Sliver (common White creature) costs only one mana, has 1/1 and gives all other Slivers +0/+1. With a common 2-mana blue Sliver called Winged Sliver (1/1), all Slivers gain Flying. And with the green Muscle Sliver (common, 2 mana, 1/1), all Slivers get +1/+1.

Has anyone used or confronted a deck of Slivers? I'd like to hear your comments.

My brother uses one, sadly it contains the Magma Sliver...

All Slivers gain:
Tap; Target Sliver gets +X/+0 until end of turn where X is the number of slivers in play.

Combined with the all the others and the relatively low costs I only have two decks that can beat it. My pure Blue control deck and my Red firepower, the first makes sure he never gets enough slivers out to hurt me, the second kills him before the slivers get going. Nothing else I have stands a chance.

If we played only tournament legal decks, then the Slivers wouldn't be a problem, but I like being able to combine cards from all over, it makes the decks more interesting to combine the old and new.

I've played a sliver deck (I think just after legions, when they were legal). The magma sliver was the nastiest, but I collected a few other rare slivers which were pretty bad too. IIRC, the green one let you put 1/1 sliver tokens in play.

Plateds are awesome, as are the red +1/0 ones. But the true game winners were the white uncommon whites (warded I think), which gave protection to all slivers from a colour of your choice.

There were prolems though: mainly in mana. A true sliver deck needed at least 3 colours (the Black and Green ones tended to e not as good as blue, red, white), so there can be problems getting enough lands of the right colour out. Also, IIRC, most slivers were 3 to 5 to cast (except plated and some of the crappier commons), so they can struggle early in the game.

But once a couple of warded ones came out, it is just a matter of time. Having all your creatures with protection is extremely tough for an opponent to deal with: they have to try to ping you to death with unblockable creatures, and do it quickly.

I think Slivers are one of the stronger Limited format decks, if you can get enough of them. Playing Slivers in three or more colours is easier now that Gemhide Sliver is about, which essentially turns all your Slivers into Birds of Paradise, which obviously eases your mana and colour concerns somewhat.

As for playing against them, I guess using Hivestone would be pretty good. That'd turn all your creatures into Slivers as well, so you get all the bonuses that he's getting.

Cheers,
DLJ

don't remember the gemhide: Is that a newer sliver?

I pretty much quit after scourge (Slivers may have been my last deck), ut I assumed they'd stop making new slivers afterward.

There's a whole bunch of new Slivers that have been released in the latest block, Time Spiral, which has a nostalgia subtheme. It basically makes Slivers even nastier than they were before....

Cheers,
DLJ

I used to have a bunch of Slivers. I even had the Sliver queen that could get quite nasty if combined with the abilities of other slivers.

That's my story.

Khrangar

I'm starting to consider the potential of a white and blue deck. I'll have many creatures with Flying, as well as some strong defensive cards and healing spells. I also have some good creature-boosting spells and enchantments.

Any comments about this kind of deck?

I personally think it sounds like a bad dream come true. There are some nice flying blue creatures and plenty of cards (wonder-Judgement block) that would make your creatures flying for you. And white could be the whole unifed weenie style of deck (soldier/rebel etc).
So yes it would definately be plausable and a enjoyable deck to play. Consider putting equipment into the equation

Thanks for your input, Tut.


Another question, about this card I just bought: when they say "white creatures" and "non-white creatures", do they mean only creatures I own, or all creatures in play?

all white creatures would get the bonus: so if your opponent had a white deck too, they'd all have +1/+1

But that's a damned nice card. Instant death to non-white weenies. Probably wouldn't be so good in your blue/white flyer deck though (too many good blue birds around).

However i would consider putting in counter spells and "swords to ploughshares" to counter enemy creatures.

I wasn't planning to have a lot of blue creatures. Anyway, the strength of a blue deck lies in spells and enchantments. And all that stuff that allows you to draw cards... I'm sure this card would be awesome when combined with a flying creature. And this enchantment, used on the enemy's best creature.

well if your doing a heavy drawer i would put in a kami of the cresent moon/ spell book/ howling mine.

I need to work on a deck of my own, and I am thinking about using dwarves, but then I do love the control blue has, and there is an amzing dwarf card which is black, so a tri color deck of Red and Blue and Black.

Sound stupid? What have been your guy's experience with tri color decks?

Burro Boskov

Tri colour is nice but sometimes you dont get the colour you want. Thats why you need to have a bit of luck on your side. Ask downloaded he is the king of tri colour decks. Most of his are (tricolour)

Three colour decks have gotten much easier to build since Ravnica, you just need to make sure to have the appropriate signets and bouncelands in your deck. Unfortunately, that means you have less room for actual business cards that will win you the game, but it's a trade-off that can work. I'd never do three colours unless it was to splash a third colour for one or two cards, with most of the deck being made up of two colours. An example for me would be splashing blue for Polymorph and Research // Development in my green/red token deck, which necessitates using Simic and Izzet Signets, and Simic Growth Chamber and Izzet Boilerworks. All common mana fixers, so they're cheap to pick up. Essentially, you'd want a 45/45/10 split of colours, rather than 33/33/33.

Or you could just run green for the manafixing, of course.

Incidentally, for @ztech's blue/white deck, Pride of the Clouds would be a nice fit if you can afford it. And I'm sure I don't need to mention Thieving Magpie, but I will anyway cos it's my favourite card in the game ever. ^_^

For Burro's RUB, Garza Zol, Plague Queen would be a nice finisher.

Cheers,
DLJ

I just bought this baby, as well as many other cards. It begins to scare me: I've become a compulsive collector. I don't even play, but I keep upgrading my deck and buying new cards all the time.

One part of the problem is that I don't even have friends who play Magic. Does anyone know where I can find other players? I've noticed that a lot of people around me have played Magic at some time in the past (and most of them still have their main deck), but not many are regular players.

that card is unbelievable: drop on turn 4, they're dead by turn 8.

a risk if the card does die (as artifact creatures tend to do), but a 9 damage flying trampler is just mad.

That is a crazy card! Minor draw back on the turn things, but unreal!

I have a Flyer trampler, but its only 3/3, and costs 4 at least, 2, green and blue.

Anyway, have recently made a Soldier and Goblins deckS and have been battling them out to see which is better.

Burro Boskov

A white deck with only flying creatures looks interesting. If most of my creatures are birds (except for a few awesome non-bird flyers I must take, like the Eater of Days), I can build a really extraordinary deck with the Soulcatcher, the Soulcatchers' Aerie, Radiant, Archangel and Magus of the Moat.
(Edit: Maybe Storm Herd, too.)

If I add some blue, I can get many more birds as well as Pride of the Clouds.

Sounds pretty good... ;) I'll think about it.

I'll have you know a friend of mine has allready made a deck almost exactly like that. Although he didn't have any angel cards, he had a card to make token angels, and token birds for that matter.

I have to say, it worked very well.

Burro Boskov

Sorry for the double post, well I guess I'm not that sorry. ^_^

Just made an Artifact deck. It features a lot of Iron/Copper/Silver/etc. Myr's to help with mana color's, so that when my Sunburst cards such as Skreach Manta, Lunar Avenger, Sawtooth Thresher, Etched Oracle and Suncrusher. I also have some cards that are free to play in a deck like this, such as Frogmite and Myr Enforcer.

I'm quite happy with it.

Burro Boskov

Why is coloured mana a problem in an artifacts deck? Surely you'd just have about 4 of each basic land in the deck.

Well its just to make sure that I will have all 5 color's represented when the time comes to start dropping those 5+ converted mana cost sunburst cards. Its really just a precaution, but I see your point. I loaded it with 5 signets, and a couple pentad prism's, to mae even douple sure. Perhaps I should drop some of them to make room in the deck. Right now its 75 cards.

Burro Boskov

don't listen to burro. and that flying stomper, you have to think about how even if you get it out on turn 4 (most of the time this will not be the case) you won't be able to use him till turn 7 when you opponent will have been hitting you with good firepower for over 2 turns ans has had 2 turns to think about how he is going to deal with this somewhat unnecessary behemoth coming at him. I was in a tournament the other day with Tut and Burro and this one kid sent heavy hitter, after heavy hitter, after heavy hitter at me and because they all had drawbacks like that of the one above I could anticipate what he would do with them and how to deal with it and I won with 1/3 of his deck in the graveyard at the end... you can ask burro, I was pissed, it was a bad game.

It also helped the kid wasn't that old, and still new to the game.

I beat him in 6 turns.

Burro Boskov

mmhmm, still that proves that his choice of cards might not have been the best.. a more experienced player would probably have totally ignored most of his heavy hitters.

I've been thinking about building what is sometimes called a "pro-life deck", a highly-defensive deck that follows two principles:

1. Defensive creatures are more cost-effective than offensive ones, and
2. Life-giving spells are more cost effective than damage spells.

The victory of this kind of deck is entirely based on Test of Endurance, so there should be 3 or 4 of those in the deck.


This deck must include many cheap regenerative Instants such as Reward the Faithful. Candles' Glow and Awe Strike are needed to, since they have the ability to negate damage and give more life. And imagine the look on your opponent's face when you play Beacon of Immortality when you have already reached 30 life!

The core of the deck lies in its Enchantments. Spirit Link is cheap and useful until we bring the extraordinary Noble Purpose into play. Angelic Chorus is equally awesome, as is Proper Burial. Faith's Fetters can entangle the opponent's most powerful creature while giving you life. Rune-Tail is especially good in a pro-life deck.

As for creatures, we need mainly defensive ones. The Wall of Hope, in particular, is very cost-effective. And how can you say no to the 0-mana Shield Sphere? Of course, creatures that can cause some damage are needed, like the Paladin of Prahv and the Kjeldoran Gargoyle, which are expensive but have the advantage of contributing to the unstoppable augmentation of your life total. As for the rest, I especially like cheap flying weenies like the Suntail Hawk, the Courier Hawk and the Leonin Skyhunter. And there's my darling, the Eater of Days...

Edit: Oooo, don't forget Storm Herd, too... :blink:


Any thoughts or suggestions? :D

Heroes Remembered and Genju of the Fields would make sense as early plays. Chastise as well. Maybe Mourning Thrull and Loxodon Warhammer for some extra life-gaining offence.

Just a couple off the top of my head.

Cheers,
DLJ

The main problem I am seeing with your deck are the large amount of cards that grant your creatures life link when the majority of defensive cards have a low defense, making them...not that great. And are you trying to concentrate on wining via flyer's or your life total? Nothing wrong with a second win condition but I think storm herd fills that position perfectly. How about the Honden of Cleansing Fire and a second colour (green?) to get a second Honden and more life gain. I assume you have not forgotten Kami of Old Stone.

Cheers

Owaria

One thing is sure: I won't take a second color. But maybe I'll get some more powerful creatures. Many white creatures are actually pretty good, especially when you boost them with equipment and enchantments. And some artifact creatures are very strong, too. I just don't want to spend too much mana on critters.

I have a few Kami of Old Stone, and I intended to put at least two in my deck. But they cost more mana than Walls of the same Toughness.

A Wall of Shards would be nice too. The good thing is that I don't even care how much life my opponent gains because of it.

Maybe also the Well of Lost Dreams: I love drawing cards. ;)

don't think about what you really love to do. one of the most crucial parts of building a magic deck is that once you've got a theme for a deck you can't keep anything in the deck that is remotely useless to the central theme, even if a card has some cool features to it, or it "MIGHT" help the deck in some way, unless it doesn't completely contribute to the central focus of the deck. Chuck it, don't let yourself make excuses to keep certain cards in a deck just because you think they're cool (it's one of my worst challenges). A deck full of individually crappy cards that contribute to the over all theme of the deck will still be much better than a deck with too many outliers.