It helps smooth out the variance of the mana system. Bo3 + mulligan means the chances of losing the match due to mana screw/flood are much less.
EDIT: also, of course, sideboarding means you can bring in answers to your opponent’s deck.
sideboarding helps midrange decks a lot- the more linear aggro and control decks are fine in bo1
That’s true, I guess with BO1 if you get screwed you just move on to the next match, but I can see how it would be nice to have a true contest between two decks that smooths out the mana randomness. I didn’t realise you could sideboard in standard BO3 either, that’s cool.
I really wish they would give one free mulligan in Magic, it would go a long way to help feeling unfairly screwed in the game. Sometimes when I am playing I think of the RNG draw gods as more of an impediment to victory than my actual opponent.
Someone did the math on the changes.
Conclusion, assuming a 50% winrate:
Given that a pack costs 1000 gold it’s a very significant change. This is probably slightly better for people who have filled out a collection and want to spend gold on events but way, way worse for anyone looking to add cards.
e:
At least they’re listening. That’s a pretty good sign. I’m sure it didn’t help that the reaction from most of the Youtubers and Twitch streamers was negative. Nox’s reaction seems to be the most quoted.
So they’ve rolled back that change to constructed events, you’ll still get cards from them.
So how are people enjoying ranked so far? It’s been a lot of fun for me, but my experience so far backs up my concerns that the best of one format will hurt deck diversity.
I have zero idea if this is useful to anyone, but here’s my breakdown of the meta-game I saw going from Silver rank 4 to Gold.
| Deck | Number |
|---|---|
| Mono Red Aggro | 6 |
| Mono White Aggro | 2 |
| Mono Blue Tempo | 1 |
| Boros Aggro | 1 |
| Golgori Midrange | 1 |
| Jeskai Control | 1 |
| Grixis Control | 1 |
| Other | 5 |
My take away, play control but build to handle fast aggro decks in about 50% of games.
Have you got any ideas for how to build a control deck that does that? Something Grixis with Ritual of Soot and Nicol Bolas?
I’ve stalled out at Gold 3. My barely 50% winrate with my variety of decks isn’t cutting it anymore).
I love my Boros Angels deck the most, and it’s been great for farming Constructed Event for ICRs, but it’s getting me trounced regularly on the ladder.
Izzet Drakes seems to do pretty well so far. I haven’t been playing a ton, but I’m hanging in at Gold 3. I’ll make a push for Platinum this weekend.
Izzet Drakes seems okay. I’m playing Jeskai control. Both should be playing four copies of Deafening Clarion, it can really make aggro decks miserable.
Cast Out, Justice Strike and Cleansing Nova will also help you deal with the creature based decks.
That Nexus deck? God, I hate that deck.
No, not the Nexus deck. That’s almost a combo deck. It’s quite fragile. I mean a straight up control deck. Here’s the 60 I’m currently running, but I’m going to make a couple of tweaks based on what I’ve seen in Arena ranked:
3 Crackling Drake (GRN) 163
2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun (GRN) 192
3 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (DAR) GR6
4 Opt (DAR) 60
1 Spell Pierce (XLN) 81
3 Syncopate (DAR) 67
1 Justice Strike (GRN) 182
1 Negate (RIX) 44
4 Deafening Clarion (GRN) 165
4 Sinister Sabotage (GRN) 54
4 Chemister’s Insight (GRN) 32
1 Expansion // Explosion (GRN) 224
2 Seal Away (DAR) 31
1 Cleansing Nova (M19) 9
6 Island (RIX) 193
1 Mountain (RIX) 195
3 Clifftop Retreat (DAR) 239
4 Glacial Fortress (XLN) 255
4 Steam Vents (GRN) 257
4 Sacred Foundry (GRN) 254
4 Sulfur Falls (DAR) 247
That’s not a million miles from my Iz Drakes, really…which here is my current pile, for the record:
4 Opt (DAR) 60
2 Siren Stormtamer (XLN) 79
1 Protean Raider (RIX) 167
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy (GRN) 195
4 Crackling Drake (GRN) 163
1 Murmuring Mystic (GRN) 45
4 Enigma Drake (M19) 216
2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun (GRN) 192
1 Beacon Bolt (GRN) 154
3 Chart a Course (XLN) 48
3 Lava Coil (GRN) 108
4 Discovery // Dispersal (GRN) 223
3 Dive Down (XLN) 53
4 Shock (M19) 156
2 Search for Azcanta (XLN) 74
7 Island (XLN) 265
2 Izzet Guildgate (GRN) 251
5 Mountain (XLN) 273
4 Steam Vents (GRN) 257
3 Sulfur Falls (DAR) 247
Not sure I’ve ever lost once I get Azcanta transformed and rolling and a Niv down.
I don’t mind the typical control deck, and sometimes I even take gleeful pleasure in playing my Mono Blue Tempo deck with its myriad of counters. But the various Nexus decks, Turbo Fog in particular, are heinous and the sign of a player who deserves to be shunned. For they hath committed the cardinal MTG sin: sucking all of the fun out of the game.
I’m desperately short of wildcards so I’d be hamstrung trying to put together a good control deck at this point. I have only 2 Azcantas, 1 Teferi (fancy beta test one), 2 Clarions and 2 Glacial Fortresses. And only 1 rare and 1 mythic wildcard left. But my Angels deck is a work of art. I can hear Golgari players groan (virtually speaking) when I hit my Tocatli, Resplendent, Aurelia, and Lyra on curve.
I enjoy control…even more I’m really taking a lot of sadistic pleasure in the Dimir Discard archetype. I love Thought Erasuring and Disinfo Campaigning away my opponent’s hand and then stealing their deck with Thief of Sanity. So fun!
And of course you can’t leave out the playset of Eldest Reborns. Nothing like having to sacrifice or discard your Lyra Dawnbringer only to see it return next turn or two on the opponent’s side. That’s a tough deck, indeed!
Since aggro is, understandable, so prevalent on ranked; I’ve reworked my deck significantly. Still needs tuning, but I’ve gone 5-1 since changing it.
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun (GRN) 192
1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (DAR) GR6
1 Syncopate (DAR) 67
1 Negate (RIX) 44
4 Deafening Clarion (GRN) 165
4 Chemister’s Insight (GRN) 32
2 Expansion // Explosion (GRN) 224
4 Seal Away (DAR) 31
1 Cleansing Nova (M19) 9
3 Revitalize (M19) 35
4 Ionize (GRN) 179
1 Settle the Wreckage (XLN) 34
2 Ixalan’s Binding (XLN) 17
1 Lava Coil (GRN) 108
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy (GRN) GR5
1 Blink of an Eye (DAR) 46
1 Fight with Fire (DAR) 119
1 The Mirari Conjecture (DAR) 57
3 Plains (RIX) 192
4 Sacred Foundry (GRN) 254
3 Island (RIX) 193
1 Mountain (RIX) 195
3 Clifftop Retreat (DAR) 239
4 Glacial Fortress (XLN) 255
4 Steam Vents (GRN) 257
4 Sulfur Falls (DAR) 247
I’ve been playing this alot lately, and like others here stuck on Gold on the ladder.
I have put $25 into the game and have three decks that are molded around top-tier netdecks but each missing some mythics: boros aggro, selesnya tokens, and a red deck based around 2 arclight phoenixes. I am happy with all of them and they do pretty well, I just can’t get consistently above 50% win rate against other gold-tier players. I am pretty happy with what I have given what I spent, and feel I can keep playing and through in-game awards gradually complete each one. For instance, in a pack I opened this morning from free gold I got a mythic rare wildcard (not for opening X packs, as an actual card in the pack), which will help alot in improving one of the three.
When I was starting out I read that draft is better value for a new player (relative to buying packs with currency), but after playing awhile I must disagree. Draft might be better if you want to quickly grab more commons/uncommons and putter around in the lower tiers experimenting and making new decks, which is an entirely reasonable way to play and I can see the appeal. But if you want to compete and rely on the existing meta, wildcards are critical and you can’t get those in draft packs. It would be different if I could consistently get 3-5 wins in each draft.
Last observation is that I really hate going up against control. Whenever I see a blue land come out turn 1 I groan. I understand it’s an important part of the game for balance, I just have little respect for strategies that focus on thwarting the opponent’s plan and winning through attrition rather than executing plans of your own. Yet, of course I would say that as I play creature-based decks!
That’s a narrow view in my opinion. If your aim is to win, then you’re aim is to stop the other player executing their plan. 1v1 Magic is zero sum.
If you’re playing aggro, you’re trying to stop their plan by killing them before they can execute it. If your playing control you’re trying to stop their plan by having answers to everything they do. If your playing midrange, you’re adapting to the plan of your opponent and executing one of the above strategies. Only if your playing a combo deck do you not care about the opponent’s plan, and that’s because you’re playing a solo minigame.
I see your point, there is a degree of reaction in most decks (except combo as you noted). Perhaps I should have worded it better as that I prefer decks that are predominantly proactive instead of reactive.
I’m quite new to Magic so I am sure there are intricacies I am not appreciating, but what I know is that as someone who mostly plays creature decks I find it alot more fun to play against other creature decks than control decks. If for no other reason, when you’re versing control games go longer and you spend a significantly higher percentage of the game watching someone else play.