[Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

[duducrash]

I think Brought Back is the most underplayed card in the format*

*If you only consider 1 and 2 color decks.

[RxPhantom]

The most under played card in the format is Silent Artisan. Nobody ever plays it.

[toctheyounger]

The most under played card in the format is Silent Artisan. Nobody ever plays it.

Yoked Ox would like a word.

[RxPhantom]

The most under played card in the format is Silent Artisan. Nobody ever plays it.

Yoked Ox would like a word.

That's a 4/4 for one mana in Doran, the Siege Tower. Try again.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

The most underplayed card in format is definitely actually Mind Harness. This card is my pet card and I jam it into nearly every blue deck. The damage it does relative to its overall cost is pretty nuts.

[ISBPathfinder]

The most under played card in the format is Silent Artisan. Nobody ever plays it.

Yoked Ox would like a word.

That's a 4/4 for one mana in Doran, the Siege Tower. Try again.

In a format that Serra Ascendant exists....

Brought Back is a good card its just tough as white tends to lack the sac outlets to really allow the card to shine. I personally have also been experiencing a much higher rate of bounce, exile, or counterspell lately in removal so its also not great as a solution against those.

[Dunadain]

Mana Crypt is the most underplayed card in the format. It's a better Sol Ring, but it sees less play than Sol Ring.

Actually, now that I think about it, ABU duals are probably the most underplayed.

Edit: Honorary mention goes to snow-covered basics, most decks should technically be splitting their basics 50/50.

[Hermes_]

*Apocalypse Chime has entered the chat*

[RxPhantom]

Everyone sleeps on Bottle of Suleiman.

[Janeer]

Mana Crypt as the most underplayed card? Now that's an interesting take! It's true; some powerhouses often get overshadowed. And mentioning ABU duals is spot-on. Snow-covered basics deserve more love too. How do you decide which decks get the honor of running those ABU duals? found useful project

[ISBPathfinder]

Mana Crypt is the most underplayed card in the format. It's a better Sol Ring, but it sees less play than Sol Ring.

Actually, now that I think about it, ABU duals are probably the most underplayed.

Edit: Honorary mention goes to snow-covered basics, most decks should technically be splitting their basics 50/50.

I own 3 mana crypts and 1-2 of all the ABU duels. Just saying before my response to state that I do own them.

Mana Crypt and ABU duels are great if your goal is fast ending games. The longer the games go the less relevant the cards are. If you sit down to a bunch of games that on average end by or before turn 7 then yea you want to be jamming all of that because it all equates to efficiency and faster starts. The slower your games are though the less return you will see from adding those cards to your decks. I actually don't care for Mana Crypt in a lot of control style of decks where I might not be slamming fast wincons because the damage adds up a lot.

For anyone who doesn't own ABU duels my advice as someone who has owned them for over 10 years is to not bother. They keep making new dual lands all the time and landbases keep getting better. Its true that there is some efficiency behind getting your hands on them but as landbases continue to get better they become less and less neccessary. Its odd to say but every time they make a new cycle of dual lands that always or almost always come in untapped they diminish the need for fetchable dual lands. When I started playing commander back in 2010 you needed to run all the fetchlands and duals because outside of those there was like....... 3 other cycles of dual lands that would come in untapped that were playable. Hell when I started playing commander, Command Tower wasn't a card yet.

Snow / Basic split - Being purely optimal yea I guess but if I am not running Field of the Dead I never do it. Its purely optimal to do a split in case someone is running Wake of Destruction but like..... I guess I will cross that bridge when I have to.

[Dunadain]

Mana Crypt is the most underplayed card in the format. It's a better Sol Ring, but it sees less play than Sol Ring.

Actually, now that I think about it, ABU duals are probably the most underplayed.

Edit: Honorary mention goes to snow-covered basics, most decks should technically be splitting their basics 50/50.

I own 3 mana crypts and 1-2 of all the ABU duels. Just saying before my response to state that I do own them.

Mana Crypt and ABU duels are great if your goal is fast ending games. The longer the games go the less relevant the cards are. If you sit down to a bunch of games that on average end by or before turn 7 then yea you want to be jamming all of that because it all equates to efficiency and faster starts. The slower your games are though the less return you will see from adding those cards to your decks. I actually don't care for Mana Crypt in a lot of control style of decks where I might not be slamming fast wincons because the damage adds up a lot.

For anyone who doesn't own ABU duels my advice as someone who has owned them for over 10 years is to not bother. They keep making new dual lands all the time and landbases keep getting better. Its true that there is some efficiency behind getting your hands on them but as landbases continue to get better they become less and less neccessary. Its odd to say but every time they make a new cycle of dual lands that always or almost always come in untapped they diminish the need for fetchable dual lands. When I started playing commander back in 2010 you needed to run all the fetchlands and duals because outside of those there was like....... 3 other cycles of dual lands that would come in untapped that were playable. Hell when I started playing commander, Command Tower wasn't a card yet.

Snow / Basic split - Being purely optimal yea I guess but if I am not running Field of the Dead I never do it. Its purely optimal to do a split in case someone is running Wake of Destruction but like..... I guess I will cross that bridge when I have to.

I totally agree, that's the joke.

If you define "underplayed" as whichever card has the most decks out their that probably SHOULD be running the card, but aren't, then the most underplayed is going to be a card that many decks should technically play, but don't (largely for budget reasons, or aeshetic reasons in the case of snow-covered basics).

IDK, everybody was giving smart-Alec responses so I jumped in XD.

[ISBPathfinder]

If you look at strict play rates and EDH rec numbers though those cards do have low numbers but that is likely mostly due to costs. I have encountered a lot of players who can't afford them though that think they should be auto staples assuming they had copies which is why I felt the need to comment (not saying you don't own or are new here so much as I have seen this sentiment before in non sarcastic ways). Some of the guys I play with picked up magic in the last few years and I see them open a ton of new product and put a lot of money into the game but I still try talking them out of buying ABU duels because I really don't think they are worth buying at today's prices even though I haven't sold mine. I own what I do to play with not as investments but buying new copies I do have to justify the prices.

Split snow / non snow is kind of technically optimal too but its like running fetchlands in a mono colored deck without some sort of land recursion or means to double up their effect. I have seen people do it but I kind of just cringe a little when I see it without a reason.

[Hermes_]

*Apocalypse Chime has entered the chat*

while looking at this card's oracle text I noticed the change : "with a name originally printed in the Homelands expansion. " then i looked up City in a Bottle oracle text which states : "Whenever one or more other nontoken permanents with a name originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion are on the battlefield, their controllers sacrifice them. Players can't cast spells or play lands with a name originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion"

then I checked the errata

Any time a player receives priority to cast spells or activate abilities, check to see whether any permanents on the battlefield were originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion (even if the physical card representing that permanent is a reprint with a different expansion symbol). If there are any such permanents, the ability will trigger and those permanents will be sacrificed.

and it's the same with Golgothian Sylex

then I realized if i tried to play them, i'd get punched

EDIT: I should add that the hit list for Sylex includes

• Ashnod's Altar
• Mishra's Factory
• Mishra's Workshop
• Strip Mine
• Urza's Mine,
• Urza's Power Plant,
• Urza's Tower

and there was one from In the MagicCon Unknown Event test cards:

Crux of Mirrodin hosed cards from either Mirrodin, Darksteel, Fifth Dawn, and Scars of Mirrodin or from Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia, and Phyrexia: All Will Be One depending on the player's choice.

[TheGildedGoose]

Seriously, it's only in 7,546 decks, one third of which are mine. Criminal. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.

[DirkGently]

Well that was the hardest wordling thus far

Can't believe I got igpay tbh.

[RxPhantom]

I bought my first three packs of LCI today, and I have a few thoughts.

- These cards feel like sandpaper and in a way they make me nostalgic for Mirage and Visions, because it's exactly how those cards felt.
- I got a Hurl into History and the art is really cool. But name of the card makes me picture someone vomiting into a portal.
- I kinda wanna try these discover lands (i.e. Hidden Nursery) in my mono-colored decks. Could be fun.
- Does Hammond look like an Asian man on Dino DNA or do I just suck?

[Lifeless]

Hammond looks like someone drew Pat Morita from memory.

[benjameenbear]

So I watched Doctor Sleep and The Descent recently (continuing the random horror movie discussion).

Doctor Sleep was pretty decent and a great homage to The Shining itself. I liked that the protagonists were smart and the antagonists were shown to be fallible. Cool concept and the horror served as an accent to the overall plot, rather than the focus of the movie. Very enjoyable, even if I won't add it to my personal collection.

The Descent was absolutely great. The buildup to the monster reveal was excellent and the first monster jumpscare was awesome. This movie was more horror-focused and it was QUITE good. I'll probably add it to my collection because it was super enjoyable. The claustrophobia of being in a cave system combined with the monster horror really put it over the edge. Ironically, the part that made my stomach churn a bit was when one of the protagonists had a natural accident and broke her leg and they showed the actual damage of that. Not sure why that made me squeamish when the movie later shows the monsters literally tearing into someone who was actually alive (way worse).

I've decided that I'm going to stay away from possession-based horror movies and focus on slashers and monsters. The personal experiences I've had make it a bit too much for me to handle mentally. I think I'm going to try The Ritual next (if I can find it) and maybe start the Netflix Midnight Mass. I've heard great things about it and I'm down for expanding my horror repertoire.

[Ruiner]

The Descent was absolutely great. The buildup to the monster reveal was excellent and the first monster jumpscare was awesome. This movie was more horror-focused and it was QUITE good. I'll probably add it to my collection because it was super enjoyable. The claustrophobia of being in a cave system combined with the monster horror really put it over the edge. Ironically, the part that made my stomach churn a bit was when one of the protagonists had a natural accident and broke her leg and they showed the actual damage of that. Not sure why that made me squeamish when the movie later shows the monsters literally tearing into someone who was actually alive (way worse).

The Descent is excellent. Did you watch the unrated version or the US cut? The uncut/international version actually has a different (better in my opinion) ending.

SPOILER

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At the end, after the main character escapes and drives off, she sees the vision of her dead friend as a jump scare. In the US version, the movie ends there, a (relatively) happy ending. In the uncut/international version, then the main character wakes up, realizing she never escaped as a pack of the creatures descend upon her, and then the movie ends.

Have you seen Annihilation? I'd recommend adding that to your list at some point if you haven't.

[cheonice]

Have you seen Annihilation? I'd recommend adding that to your list at some point if you haven't.

Annihilation was great.
I'll add The Platform. More social commentary than explicit horror, but nontheless a movie that left a lasting impression.

[kirkusjones]

Annihilation was okay. I think trying to capture the cosmic horror of Area X in one live action movie is tough. I really want the people who made Scavenger's Reign to do the Southern Reach Trilogy as an animated series.

[Lifeless]

The Descent is one of my favorite movies. I think the director's cut with the original ending is a nearly perfect horror experience that really has everything you could ask for. Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers is also a very good movie as long as we're talking about his contributions to the genera. Doomsday also had some interesting stuff going on, although I'm not sure if I can really recommend it or not.

I found Annihilation to be a bit pretentious. I liked what I saw but by the end I was tired of everything that was going on and ready for the movie to be over.

[TheGildedGoose]

Got the portrait card for Kykar, Wind's Fury and it's legitimately gorgeous and I don't know what to do with it. I love the card but it's apparently the most played Jeskai commander (to be overtaken by Hinata, Dawn-Crowned soon, I suppose) and I'm not sure how to make the deck fun for me. There's the two obvious routes (control, spellslinger tokens), the meme route (vehicles), and the Danger Zone: Polymorph.

It's me, so the answer is likely going to be control. I do like that Kykar provides significant defensive board presence, which is unique for the control decks I tend to play, but all of my blue decks become control decks over time. Vehicles are ... dumb, and polymorph is linear. I feel like the line between spellslinger, tokens, and control can be pretty porous here, really just varying by degrees of density, but the deck kind of builds itself which is a little disappointing.

Still, this card, y'all. I must build this deck.

[Dunadain]

If I had to be kykar, I'd probably go token spam. It would be an excuse to run Battle Screech, lol.