Touch The Sky

(Apologies, I thought I hit publish on this on Thursday!)

I got a game against Matt where I was able to cast both Doomskar and Armageddon with Heroic Intervention backup and I still lost.

That...is demoralizing.

Now, I lost because Matt's deck was utilizing a an axis of intervention that Xnoybis isn't: artifacts. The fix to a matchup like that would be in the sideboard, of course. Which means that once I take this into consideration, I have a deck that was able to wipe the board of what are relevant permanents in 80+% of matches, while keeping mine on the board!

That feels pretty good.

Nevertheless, further testing just did not go well. As much fun as Xnoybis can be it is just too slow and doesn't have enough going for it yet. That's a hard pill to swallow, given the work I put into the deck. 

However, the picture of my last game against Noah helps sum things up. I had Doran out, with the ability to cast Heroic Intervention and completely blank the Phyrexian Dreadnought. I just had nothing for Eater of Days.

Noah's very reasonable question: "Don't any of your treefolk have reach?"

No. No they do not. These are the treefolk with reach, and they all suck.

There's definitely a neat deck here. It's probably a lot of fun to play, but I haven't been introduced to the circumstances where that's the case. My meta just isn't having it-but I'm still keeping the deck. I clearly can do fun stuff with: the ability to triple block a Dreadnought and kill it seems pretty cool! I've pulled off remarkable plays with Xnoybis...but they haven't lead me to closing out games. 

However, I'm taking that information as "this deck is on the cusp of being good" not "this is a wild dragon chase". 

So here's the final list, for now.

4 Timber Protector
4 Treefolk Harbinger
3 Leaf-Crowned Elder
4 Bosk Banneret
3 Unstoppable Ash
2 Doran, the Siege Tower
2 Dauntless Dourbark\

3 Heroic Intervention
1 Swords to Plowshares

5 Plains
4 Murmuring Bosk
1 Temple Garden
1 Savannah
11 Forest
1 Swamp

1 Basri Ket

4 Armageddon
3 Doomskar
3 Dig Up

Sideboard

4 Seeds of Innocence

Press Switch To Solo

Recently in a session of Elden Ring (a game I have no idea how to get to the 'end' of, at this point), my internet went down. It's a thing that happens semi-frequently, because the telecommunications industry in this country has a stranglehold over any kind of government regulation that might-and should-break them up in order to provide more competition and, presumably, better services to me. 

Obligatory 'Fuck Comcast' here. 

Now that that is out of the way, let me get to the point.

Elden Ring changes pretty dramatically if you aren't online. All of the ghosts of other players travelling through the Lands Between are gone, both the successful and unsuccessful, and their messages-often just noise but there are a lot of helpful players out there, offering advice- no longer on the ground. Or walls. Or wherever someone crazy enough to jump to was able to get.

And it makes the game eerie in a way that it wasn't before. I understand that people don't want to play with others, and Elden Ring allows for that experience but it also takes on a more foreboding tone when you aren't online, either. The lights in that dungeon in the image are little items for me to pick up and when they go, they're gone-the whole space is just darkness and monsters. 

I won't lie to you: that becomes unnerving in a way that the game might intend. 

The effect isn't as noticeable when you're in the open world areas of the game, mostly because there's any number of things to pay attention to. Plus, frequently it's light out. But as soon as you come to an area where you need to pay attention, or it's night, it becomes interesting how much more alone I felt under those circumstances. 

What's particularly unusual about all of this is that none of From Software's games, and Elden Ring in particular, could exist without the internet. 

Not just because of the ghosts of other players, or the messages that people leave behind, or even because of the lore industry that has popped up around the Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro Elden Ring titles. 

Because the game leans into telling you something and then not letting you easily access that information anywhere else that you play. I can't tell you how many times I've had to utilize the internet to figure out what to do next, but I can tell you how long I would've kept playing if I hadn't had that access to that information: about four hours. 

I'm currently pushing 200. 

Streets of New Capenna Overview (Pt 2)

Let's not dally, shall we? Link to the list, for refreshment purposes

White
Why is Buy Your Silence so expensive? It costs five mana, as compared to Oblivion Ring or Banishing Light and it puts my opponent ahead on mana! Yike. I guess I've got a card for my Garbage Cube. 

After that though, I'm not seeing anything particularly positive or negative. Sure, Extraction Specialist is odd but the flavor is good, and the rest of the cards seem fine. 

I have a feeling this will repeat itself until I get to the Multicolored cards, given the design of New Capenna. Three color sets want to get flashy where the multicolor cards are. 

Blue
Even the Score is 100% the Glory of Cool Things and I love it. It won't ever trigger, except for the one time when it does and then suckers like me will never be able to stop playing the card. 

The Blue cards seem to be costed just a little more aggressively than White-some fantastic utility spells like Slip Out The Back, or Witness Protection, along with creatures that feel more appropriate for the mana value. Or maybe it just seems like the cheap Blue cards can really leverage someone into a mid-late game state, where I don't see that in White as much.

Black
It is almost certainly just me but I do want to try Cemetery Tampering in a Dredge deck. 

This is the color where things start to get my interest for the first time-Angel of Suffering is a new effect for Black, Dusk Mangler is expensive but seems like an effect that can swing a game. It wants to rely on some awkward game states, in my opinion-the '5 or more mana values in graveyard' language is confusing to me-do they mean five different mana values or combined mana values of five or more or any five cards with mana values? I asked a judge for clarification, and was told that it's the first one. So at least I know, but I don't think that's a very useful thing.

There's not much in the early game again but for a multi color set, they want games to really start around turn three or four, when the mana can be fixed. 

Oooooo. THAT is why Buy Your Silence is so expensive. 

Red
I am looking forward to Devilish Valet combo kills appearing soon. For the record, this is the kind of storm deck shenannigans I can get behind.

Sizzling Soloist reads as though there is an odd stacking ability. If you trigger the 'can't block' ability a second time, you don't have to target the same creature, so if I do this to two different creatures, do they both have to attack next turn? What happens on the third trigger? 

The rest of the cards seem fine, again. The glue that holds a limited environment together seems to be there. 

Green
Getting an exile effect in Bouncer's Beatdown is rare for Green! I'm a bit shocked by it. 

It is possible that Jewel Thief is the best 3 mana common we've seen in years. That suite of abilities and a Treasure token is Outstanding. But with it comes the knowledge that again: WotC has skewed this environment to start at turn 3 or 4, when the mana can be set up. Which means the rest of the color-while fine-isn't doing much. 

Multicolor
OK, so here's where all the glamour ought to be.

The cards that exile themselves from hand in order to colorfix mana-Glamourous Outlaw, Masked Bandit, etc. are a really neat way to address the troubles players might have getting the colors they need for three color decks. That they can come back and be a reasonable body later is also cool. Is it good to go down a card to get the colors you need? I don't know, but the ability seems helpful and paced for both Commander and Limited formats. 

The payoff cards for going into a color family are there, oddly nothing seems exciting for me. These cards aren't bad: instead I think of them as good role players, especially for Commander decks. I am hard pressed to object to this, especially when it looks like the Limited environment seems good. While not a Limited person, I'm pleased for those who are and acknowledge that WotC has been making some great environments for Draft over the past few years. 

Artifacts and Lands
Can I just start off with what a mismatch Cement Shoes is? People with cement shoes are dead. This is not what that card does. C'mon.

But of these, it's Unlicensed Herse that really stands out. Cheap to play and activate, with late game utility, this card could be extremely useful! I think it might be my favorite of the artifacts. 

The lands are an unusual lot: all of those lands can go to the graveyard, one way or another. The rares can be cycled, the dual lands can be sacrificed in the late game for cards, and then there's those strange lands that sacrifice when you play them to fetch out a basic. It's the sort of thing that makes me wonder if there is a graveyard-oriented set in our near future, as these cards could help fuel that. 

They're all fine; nothing outstanding but welcome enough.

Final thoughts
Well...reviewing some of my thoughts on Ikoria, the last three color set, (and wooo did I sorta kinda miss how powerful Companions were) I'd have to say that it feels like there's a lot in common. It's good. It looks fun! It doesn't seem to be taking many risks, though. I hope this set isn't forgettable; I dig the art and style here, but I wonder if it will be splashy enough.

Overview: Streets of New Capenna (Pt 1)

 The new set has been spoiled! And this one is one that from a setting and visual perspective, I'm excited about. I've always dug the magic + technology settings so I'm hopeful that this will be something that builds off what Neon Dynasty did. 

Let's start with the mechanics. 

Connive is probably the strongest one: anything that gives you the chance to filter cards is always going to have an edge. The discard aspect means that it can help fuel graveyard strategies and even madness decks. That you can boost the creature you're Conniving with makes this a winner. 

Casualty is only as strong as the spell it's copying. This means we're talking corner cases, because under the best circumstances a good Casualty spell will be a) useful in and of itself, b) inexpensive with it's additional cost and c) an instant, so you can use a creature to copy a spell that might otherwise be meeting an untimely demise. 

That is a lot to ask, which means this one is likely a Limited performer only. However, there are decks that want to utilize sacrifice triggers which brings us back to whether or not the spell is useful to begin with! I'm a bit dubious on that.  

Blitz has a bit of a history doesn't it? The grandchild of mechanics like Dash and Unearth, Blitz does one thing that the others don't: it replaces itself. So looking at the creatures with Blitz as one-time spells that cantrip which could also just be permanents, means that there's a lot of versatility. Sure, the power level is set for Limited, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some neat niche cases where this gets cool.

We'll see. 

Alliance is probably the most straightforward and usable mechanic. Since you want to cast creatures, getting benefits from doing what you want is probably the best thing ever. Plus, this triggers on "enters the battlefield" not "cast" which means that it can slot into plenty of strategies. Good support mechanic. 

Shield Counters look to be thematically cool but probably the most boring otherwise. I know, they're going to have other cards 'do things' with counters and that makes those cards interesting (see Sanctuary Warden) but it doesn't magically delicious Shield Counters into awesome. 

Hideaway is the only returning mechanic-and while it's just a cycle, I really like what they've done with it. Sure, it's going to be a Commander star more than anything else but that's fine. It's cool.

To wrap this part up, I want to highlight the king of fun that they're clearly having with the presentation of Streets of New Capenna. 

I noticed it first in the names and language-as is my nature. Extraction Specialist, Hold for Ransom, Cut of the Profits, Bootlegger's Stash, A Little Chat-it goes on and on. My favorite so far comes from Witness Protection, where the enchanted creature becomes Legitimate Businessperson.

The art didn't get left out, though: the homage on Riveteers Ascendency, the double meaning in Masked Bandits or Witty Roastmaster, or just the leaning into the world of New Capenna at large. It's so clearly not like anything we've really seen before in the game. In some ways, between this and Neon Dynasty, it feels like WotC is having more fun making this game than they have in years. 

The different beats may not be for everyone. I certainly understand the objection to cards like Sizzling Soloist. But I think that Magic is big enough for these kinds of risks, and I'm glad they're taking them. Next up, let's talk about some specifics!

Feels Like No One

Once I decided to address where Xnoybis was falling short, looking for mass removal that would be appropriate was my first step. I went with White, because the mana demands for trying to utilize Black mass removal would mean either a poorly done or expensive investment in the mana base. A little search later: Doomskar became my removal of choice. I can foretell it on turn two, and have mass removal as soon as turn three. Turn three board wipes should offer me plenty of time to get this deck going. 

With mass removal added, though, that means Swords to Plowshares becomes less useful. What does become important is that I have WW by turn three and that means trying to get lands out of my deck. 

Enter Dig Up. A card mostly ignored from Crimson Vow, utilizing a mechanic that I felt was clunky in execution. Yet, as I noted in a previous post, I don't think I can ignore the addition of Black to the deck-but as I pointed out above, I don't want to make many demands on the color. Dig Up is perfect for this: early game it is a card that keeps the lands coming. In the late game, it can find me the Armageddon that I need. 

Testing and goldfishing has also lead me to decide to cut one Unstoppable Ash as well. As much as I love the effect for the deck, the cost of championing a creature is a real thing. It's definitely the sort of high impact card for Xnoybis that I want to play, but the drawback keeps it from meeting Hexdrinker rule status. 

Feel So Much

The losses stacked up enough that for a few days, I had no idea what to do. When I don't know what to do, I research.

Looking for decks that go with Timber Protector, I really didn't find much. Commander is still the most popular format and the demands of that format are different than for sixty card decks. Still, stumbling on at a deck made with Doran reminded me that I am running Black in Xnoybis, and that color has plenty of removal options for the early game.

Cards like Abrupt Decay and Assassin's Trophy aren't ones I can easily dismiss. Then I decided to dig even further: Basri Ket as a three mana Planeswalker that can immediately start to take my early creatures and make them more formidable walls. Again, not something to wave away. 

After some lengthy thought on the matter though, I wondered if I was coming at this from the wrong angle. If I'm getting overwhelmed by creatures because I only have spot removal, why am I running spot removal? 

I have Timber Protector and Heroic Intervention: maybe mass removal is the solution?

This, of course, opens up a whole new direction for the deck and I'm not sure that is a good thing. There are mana questions that come up, because any Black mass removal requires BB: similarly most White mass removal is WW-much easier to come up with in this deck, of course, but there are color demands just the same.

Looks like there's going to be an overhaul. 

Lift Your Arms Up

Serendipity is a thing.

Whenever I'm looking for a card to fill a slot, I usually start with a search for a card at a certain mana value with the word 'draw' in it. After searching each card type at three mana in White for the word 'draw', I decided to look for a planeswalker in Green and White-but I neglected to remove the mana value of three. 

Which is when Huatli, the Sun's Heart came up. Considering how well this fits into Xnoybis' themes, that's a welcome thing to stumble on. Gaining 3 to 10 life can represent anywhere from one to three cards, while also giving me some Doran redudancy. What I'm uncertain about is how many copies I should run. Huatli might be annoying on turn three, but it doesn't win, and while it changes combat math, it doesn't actively change the board. 

I'm not even sure if Huatli is good but it's at least an idea. 

In addition, things have not been going well in testing. I've been playing against aggressive decks, mill decks, and in between stuff, yet nothing has been breaking my way. It's becoming clear that having a 0/3 and a 1/3 on turns one and two aren't great plays unless I can back it up quickly with a Doran effect. Even with Swords to Plowshares to help me remove early threats, things haven't gone well.

I did try swapping out Tamiyo's Safekeeping for Heroic Intervention-the coverage Heroic Intervention provides is clearly a good thing. But the situations when it has felt useful have been limited. 

Truthfully, I'm a little shocked by this. Armageddon is such a blowout card, yet it doesn't seem to matter and that's leaving me a little confused as to what to do next.