Magic the Gathering Arena

[spectre]

I pushed to platinum today, and the ladder was pretty much all about companion decks - the cat/oven one that limits to cmc to under three, the +20 deck size UW blink thingie, the even cost companion and the odd cost companion. There was an off mono red or two (because, obviously) as well as a few flash decks. Also found one white aggro with Ozolith and moth which felt pretty robust once it got a few counters down.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[new fucking guy]

try memory leak for extra spice
though I'd rather just play 4 sailors, they cantrip with the slitherwisp

 

[spectre]

Yeah, slitherwisp, octopus and spectral sailors should cover your card drawing needs. If you still need 1 drops, Pteramander is decent and mutates into octopus rather nicely.
I think you can afford a few non-flash 1cmc things since UB is not running Nightpack which is the main source of conflict.

Flash players routinely seem to underestimate sailors, don't be that guy. I rarely go below three cause this card draw is what wins the mirror match. Vs. aggro, you can still trade with their early shit.
Also, they're godsend when you're mana flooded.

If you just want to drop Lochmeres, maybe pseudo ramping with nightbondage into Thryx could do it?

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[spectre]

Yeah, it looks like a pile of unintuitive rules, as though they wanted to make an enchantment without many typical weaknesses of enchantments. I still don't know half of the interactions and
just let arena handle this shit for me hopeing it's doing a good job. It still produces unexpected results, e.g. when I mutate the octopussy over an animated nissa land and the result is a 3/3 creature which doesn't feel right.

I imagine it's got lots of people yelling "juuuuuudge" when playing paper. Mix mutate with copy effects and nobody's going to know what's what.

Anyways, it's all here:
https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Mutate
One other interesting interaction is that if you blink the mutated thing, it separates into individual pieces.
And if I am reading this one right:

A spell cast with mutate becomes a mutating creature spell. It requires a target creature with the same owner as the mutating creature spell. In the rare case that the player casting the mutating creature spell is not its owner, that player must choose a target creature the spell's owner also owns.

This applies to stealing with Robber with the Reach and Covetous Urge.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[new fucking guy]

lurrus rakdos is possibly the most fun I've had on arena but the mirror melts my brains
god I hate mirrors

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Ranselknulf]

Whats this new "champion" thing.

I haven't had time to read about all the changes in MTGA

Fools casting these champions like its gonna save their failed deck. I'll exile ur champion like the rest of ur deck.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Ranselknulf]

Whats this new "champion" thing.

I haven't had time to read about all the changes in MTGA

Fools casting these champions like its gonna save their failed deck. I'll exile ur champion like the rest of ur deck.

8th card at hand that is always available and cant be discarded. Essentially hidden in your sleeve to be pulled when no one is watching. With restrictions. THey are insanely strong not because they are strong on its own, but because they are unique, engine sort of thing and always there for you. Its like cavalcade deck with ensured cavalcade at hand.

How do you enable it?

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

idk if you can exile companions before they enter the battlefield because I think you technically cast it from "outside your deck" even though it's in your starting hand, so something like unmoored ego shouldn't hit it

when you build a deck in arena there's a companion slot on the left side and you can put the card there to enable it. they're really strong because it's basically a free card, it doesn't count towards the total number of cards in your deck

 

[spectre]

How do you enable it?

Add it to the deck and it'll ask if you want to make it a companion.

The Companion actually sits in the sidebord slot. Doesn't look like it, but if you switch to SB view, you'll see a card is taken. So yeah, no unmoored ego.
It's a bit like a one-shot commander that needs you to follow certain deckbuilding restrictions. Personally, I'm not sure if gimping yourself by going 80 cards is worth it, but it's an interesting mechanic nonetheless.
At first I thought the ones limiting your CMC are bad because that curve is going to be fucked up, but Adventures let you get around this.

 

[lobsterfrogman]

it doesn't count towards the total number of cards in your deck

Actually, it does - it occupies a sideboard slot.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Ranselknulf]

Mutate is confusing to me also, but I cast a lot of exile spells and if you exile a creature after its mutated, both creatures get exiled. You can see both in the exile pile.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[spectre]

I believe this depends on what mutate triggers can potentially be prevented. If it's something like Vulpikeet over Glowstone Recluse (for those not bothering to look it up, it gives a bunch of +1/+1 counters but no card advantage), it's fine to remove after mutation. If it's something like Necropanther over Zagoth Mamba threatening to kill your shit, I'd much rather shoot the mamba from underneath it. Though obviously not if the 4/4 is going to kill me next turn.

I think they worked really hard on this one to get something close to constructed-playable auras by mitigating a lot of their inherent disadvantages.

 

[Ranselknulf]

Etratra the Silencer is the instant-win against mutate faggets.

Exile all mutated creatures with an "exile counter," and if they have 3 creatures mutated on one thingy, you automatically win. Have something to do the haste stuff, but you know what i mean.

 

[anvi]

So is this set fun?

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

Draft is best it's been in a long time.

Idk about standard other than flying sharks and unpredictable cyclone are hilarious