I need to stop over analyzing my picks and...just, like, grab some cards and go.

[3drinks]

Just something I'm realizing with this deck for tonight's FNM. I'm looking at a spread of ~300+ cards that honestly are marginally better or worse than another when I really should just....pick some stuff and run, then think about how the deck performed later this evening after, y'know, actually playing some games.

As much as this is just a note to myself, I suspect this may be something at least one other user needs to see today. If so, you, yes you, just grab some cards and go already. Got it? Good.

[pokken]

I've been playing without my collection for months now and not being able to make significant edits has been kinda liberating. Few new cards here and there but not much.

[TheGildedGoose]

I hem and haw a lot, but only because the refining process is something I enjoy greatly. That said, the inertia it breeds is often counterproductive and I'll often forego playing just because the deck isn't "ready" to be played yet.

[Crazy Monkey]

I tend to just toss in the last 10 cards on a deckbuild and tune from there, but the other 50% of the time, I have 150 cards to cut down to 60 slots.

I tend to bring my recent cuts, sleeved, with my decks so I can make quick swaps between games. Alternatively, a guy that I play with has 3 or 4 decks that he has 20 to 40 flex slots in, and shuffles in a random grab from 100+ cards. It's how he powers down his decks, and it keeps the decks fresh. He uses different color inner sleeves or stickers for quick sorting after a game.

[3drinks]

I tend to just toss in the last 10 cards on a deckbuild and tune from there, but the other 50% of the time, I have 150 cards to cut down to 60 slots.

I tend to bring my recent cuts, sleeved, with my decks so I can make quick swaps between games. Alternatively, a guy that I play with has 3 or 4 decks that he has 20 to 40 flex slots in, and shuffles in a random grab from 100+ cards. It's how he powers down his decks, and it keeps the decks fresh. He uses different color inner sleeves or stickers for quick sorting after a game.

I did this with Alesha, Who Smiles at Death on the meme of "everything is good in Alesha* and I can confirm this is a really fun and attractive method. Even if sometimes that meant getting academy rector and zero enchantments!

[RowanKeltizar]

I tend to bring my recent cuts, sleeved, with my decks so I can make quick swaps between games. Alternatively, a guy that I play with has 3 or 4 decks that he has 20 to 40 flex slots in, and shuffles in a random grab from 100+ cards. It's how he powers down his decks, and it keeps the decks fresh. He uses different color inner sleeves or stickers for quick sorting after a game.

I've basically been doing this with my Primer deck. If I'm interested in testing new cards I swap in a bunch of cards with similar effects to see how they play for me.

For example, I'm testing out "counter or redirect abilites" spells. Trickbind Disallow Stifle Bolt Bend and a Deflecting Swat proxy because... yeah we should have had a reprint by now. I swapped these cards in place of my other counterspells and removal slots.

I'm also testing all the new treasure stuff. Seize the Spotlight Spiteful Repossession etc

But in general I don't think i suffer from deck paralasys. I'm bringing a deck to play tonight that is literally just hand-me downs from my other decks. Koma, Cosmos Serpent as the commander. I'd rather get some games in and see what cards need to come out or what might be useful to try.

[kirkusjones]

The random pile is how I play Yurlok. Just a big stack of fatties and 20 or so randos get shuffled in.

[3drinks]

You ever play with that one player? You know the one, they insist on playing 5c with mono basics and miraculously fix all their colours by t5 with no ramp or fixing every game? Then they have ghf nerve to act all smug like they're on some next level bullcrap? Man that pisses me off.

Semi related to that, how do you attack a metagame that is light on nonbasics, doesn't accelerate with dorks, or use only light treasure support? Moons and null rods aren't good enough, and cursed totem isn't pulling it's weight. Yet they're always able to go over the top of me. Is staxing this out just not a viable strategy?

I hem and haw a lot, but only because the refining process is something I enjoy greatly. That said, the inertia it breeds is often counterproductive and I'll often forego playing just because the deck isn't "ready" to be played yet.

I feel this so much. I like to brew and maybe am a stronger builder than player and the re-edit process is one I look forward to. Like tonight I learned that the stock 36 lands is too much for Gut of the Iron Throne, even without ramp cards, apparently. So now I have something to go back to the drawing board with.

[TheGildedGoose]

Semi related to that, how do you attack a metagame that is light on nonbasics, doesn't accelerate with dorks, or use only light treasure support? Moons and null rods aren't good enough, and cursed totem isn't pulling it's weight. Yet they're always able to go over the top of me. Is staxing this out just not a viable strategy?

What, specifically, do you think they're doing that causes them to go over the top of you? If I had to guess they ultimately out-value you via card advantage and land ramp, right? Mardu and Rakdos have some okay card advantage options, mostly in the form of black's small time draw like Night's Whisper or Painful Truths, but you might also consider tailoring your stax/disruption packages for your meta. If you find them with lots of cards in hand, fix that. If they're ramping with lands, punish them. Sadistic Hypnotist seems like a good option for Iron Gut, as does Shivan Harvest (I know you said light on non-basics, but I assume there are some). I'd have to look at your lists but as I'm sure you're aware Rakdos and Mardu aren't the most resilient and long-term colors, so if they're grinding you out, punish them with cards that do work over time.

I feel this so much. I like to brew and maybe am a stronger builder than player and the re-edit process is one I look forward to. Like tonight I learned that the stock 36 lands is too much for Gut of the Iron Throne, even without ramp cards, apparently. So now I have something to go back to the drawing board with.

Well, what's your curve, and how many games did you play? If it was only a couple of games, that's an extremely small sample size, so you might want to hold fast at 36 (which sounds reasonable without ramp, assuming an aggressive curve).

[Igzex]

I feel like this terrible builder's block I'm having with updating my The Ur-Dragon would be so much easier to get over if I could just run wishes. But I guess the only thing I can do is stop over-analyzing these flying idiots and grab like 20 of them and get over it.

[3drinks]

Semi related to that, how do you attack a metagame that is light on nonbasics, doesn't accelerate with dorks, or use only light treasure support? Moons and null rods aren't good enough, and cursed totem isn't pulling it's weight. Yet they're always able to go over the top of me. Is staxing this out just not a viable strategy?

What, specifically, do you think they're doing that causes them to go over the top of you? If I had to guess they ultimately out-value you via card advantage and land ramp, right? Mardu and Rakdos have some okay card advantage options, mostly in the form of black's small time draw like Night's Whisper or Painful Truths, but you might also consider tailoring your stax/disruption packages for your meta. If you find them with lots of cards in hand, fix that. If they're ramping with lands, punish them. Sadistic Hypnotist seems like a good option for Iron Gut, as does Shivan Harvest (I know you said light on non-basics, but I assume there are some). I'd have to look at your lists but as I'm sure you're aware Rakdos and Mardu aren't the most resilient and long-term colors, so if they're grinding you out, punish them with cards that do work over time.

Well, there was some Naya thing from capenna that was making tokens and not really doing anything, a Yuriko player that no one identified as a problem because "it's just drawing cards", then ur-dragon and later that Rakdos devil noble guy that dropped an early sire of insanity because "that looked like a fun play". That player would keep insisting I was the threat despite having just the background and no hand, with lots of land flood even after a veteran explorer ended up on a mimic vat.

Realizing Gut is very commander centric, but seeing anything other than the mass land glut would have turned it around.

Fwiw, I just got ~90 or so cards specifically for this deck, including the big score/unexpected windfall type cards which arrived after I left for the LGS, which surely would have made the deck more smooth. I'm not "giving up" on it, just trying to find it's niche.

[illakunsaa]

Semi related to that, how do you attack a metagame that is light on nonbasics, doesn't accelerate with dorks, or use only light treasure support? Moons and null rods aren't good enough, and cursed totem isn't pulling it's weight. Yet they're always able to go over the top of me. Is staxing this out just not a viable strategy?

Ooga Booga generally beasts stax. You can try bait out the colossal dreadmaws and then follow up with sword and winter orb.

[pokken]

The best stax for ramp decks is rule of law archon of emeria etc.

They usually stall out if they can't multi spell.

Search hate also usually pays dividends. Since so many of the land ramp spells tutor and those types of groups tend to like farseek.

Hushbringer also typically shuts off several of their angles of attack

Yuriko you should just not play against. I refuse to play against it anymore. It's too resistant to any sort of interaction except getting oublietted and I don't want to play like that.

[3drinks]

The best stax for ramp decks is rule of law archon of emeria etc.

They usually stall out if they can't multi spell.

Search hate also usually pays dividends. Since so many of the land ramp spells tutor and those types of groups tend to like farseek.

Hushbringer also typically shuts off several of their angles of attack

What I'm reading here is I picked wrong with Agent of the Iron Throne and should be on Inspiring Leader? Which opens up more support like the zoologist but I give up the blood artist effect in the zone. I think I agree that the boros support would have gone more favorably, at least swingy as Gut is suddenly making 6/3 skelies. Losing grim hireling and revel in riches will suck though.

Yuriko you should just not play against. I refuse to play against it anymore. It's too resistant to any sort of interaction except getting oublietted and I don't want to play like that.

Yeah, that was the concensus I came to and tried to warn the others of. The player is a known cDHer but of course, don't listen to ol 3drinks™ nope, let's play and see what happens. 🙄 Reminded me of back in the day playing against Derevi.

[pokken]

Yep yuriko is the full derevi never ending whackamole experience.

In black your options to combat ramp decks are pretty minimal. Kill their stuff and reanimate it mainly. Kalitas puts in a lot of work against most critter decks since it turns your kill spells into dudes.

Not sure what deck you're working with but damping sphere can be okay too depending.

[3drinks]

Yep yuriko is the full derevi never ending whackamole experience.

In black your options to combat ramp decks are pretty minimal. Kill their stuff and reanimate it mainly. Kalitas puts in a lot of work against most critter decks since it turns your kill spells into dudes.

Not sure what deck you're working with but damping sphere can be okay too depending.

Gut, True Soul Zealot is the one. Cracking open the wellsprings of the world for trinkets and skelies.

[pokken]

Hmm yeah that's a rough one. I think you could probably make up for blood artist effects with more purphoros effects and run white? The white token anthems and open the vaults effects are real strong.

[brainface]

Black might not have many anti-ramp options, but red certainly does. What about ankh of mishra and ankh of mishra goblin? Opposition Agent is a black option too I guess. There's a decent amount of cards like Elturel Survivors that might also work out?

a Yuriko player that no one identified as a problem because "it's just drawing cards"

I'm breaking out in hives here.

[3drinks]

a Yuriko player that no one identified as a problem because "it's just drawing cards"

I'm breaking out in hives here.

I know, right? The table legitimately seemed to completely ignore them because they're not deploying big monsters.