Category Archives: EDH

July 28, 2010

Format Variant – Peasant Dragon Highlander (PDH)

By MTGColorPie

The only 5 color General in the format

It came to my attention (I believe through Trick Jarrett at Mananation.com) about a new EDH variant called Peasant Dragon Highlander (PDH). For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of Peasant, it’s the idea of not using rares to build your deck so it’s much more budget friendly. I know that some people complain about some of the rares such as the Revised Duals being way too expensive for use in EDH (I kinda agree to that). If you’re looking for a more wallet friendly option, but still love the idea of EDH, I might suggest giving this format a chance. This idea is even making me consider building one of my own PDH decks.

Here’s the thread from Reddit explaining how this works:

I would like to introduce to you a format that I’ve been playing with my friends for the last couple of months. It was created by the card dealers at Frank and Sons in SoCal, who had way too much time and commons/uncommons on their hands.

We wanted to create a format that was both afforable and presented a variety of different strategies. I’ve found out that the fact that the format is afforable allowed us to build more decks, contributing to the discovery of new strategies and creating a heathly metagame.

Anyways, here are the rules for Peasant EDH:

  • 99 Card Deck 1 General
  • No rares (promos such as Mana Crypt are considered rare)
  • Your general can be any non-rare non-promo creature.
  • Anything that was ever rare is considered rare regardless of previous or current rarity (Hypnotic specter was uncommon in ealier sets, now it is rare.) Other examples include: Serra Angel, Loxodon Warhammer.
  • Exception: City of Brass (We’ve found that manafixing for 3-4 color decks was sparse)
  • You start with 30 Life/ 21 General Damage = Death
  • Dueling (1v1) Format

Suggested Banlist:

Fast Mana Effects:

  • Sol Ring
  • Mana Vault
  • Ancient Tomb

Powerlevel/Price:

  • Force of Will
  • Library of Alexandria
  • Mana Drain
  • Counterbalance
  • Thopter Foundry

Watchlist:

Keep in mind, these are only suggestions. We’ve banned any card over 30 dollars (FoW, Mana Drain) as a general house rule because those cards tend to be promblematic in powerlevel as well.

Yes, this format is intended not to be multiplayer, but it could be exciting. While Sol Ring is banned (a favorite and rumored to be in the From the Vault: Relics set coming out in August), there are still plenty of good commons and uncommon cards to make a deck. There are still different ideas but same concept decks that you can do since only very few variables changed (Life, rarity, 1v1, banned list). Tinker is still allowed (Most powerful artifacts are rare) and Channel is still okay (very few Eldrazi).

I’ve heard of Jonathan Media of MTGMetaGame.com (Now DoublingSeason.com) building a Rhox War Monx deck. I’m seriously thinking about wanting to build a few of these to let other people that haven’t played EDH before get a chance at the format without letting them play with my expensive cards (I don’t know how people shuffle and I’m sacred sometimes of them ruining my cards). Plus, it’s another chance to play different cards that I wouldn’t because they wouldn’t make the cut in a regular EDH deck.

Let me pose you guys these questions: A) Are you guys interested in this format as a change of pace and B) would you like some coverage here on 99EDH?

Share your thoughts either on twitter (@mtgcolorpie) or down below.

14 Comments | posted in EDH, Magic: the Gathering

July 22, 2010

Competitive Casual – Mama Said Knock You Out

By MTGColorPie

With a face only a mother could love. Wait...

Editor’s Note: It’s the time again. Fan favorite Jake Kessler is back once again with a new EDH post. This was originally seen on the highly recommended Magic Deck Vortex and on Jake’s on blog, Competitive Casual, and is being published here with permission from both of them. I kept wanting to write the title as Mana Said Knock You Out.

I have a few EDH decks together at any given time; I think at present I have about five or six. This time, my general is a real mother.

I’m certainly not the only person ever to make a Wort deck, and there are several clear directions a deck builder might run with her. But let’s do something a little differently for this article. Rather than break down the deck, let’s first break down the general.

So what sort of card, exactly, is Wort the Raidmother?

#1 – She’s a Mirari

Perhaps the flashiest aspect of Wort is her conspire ability. Players have always been excited by opportunities to copy spells, from Fork in Alpha all the way up to Echo Mage in Rise of the Eldrazi. This is especially true in EDH, where longer games and multiple opponents mean really big spells have the potential to be truly powerful.

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2 Comments | posted in Competitive Casual, EDH, Magic: the Gathering

July 15, 2010

The Really Big M11 EDH Review – Artifacts and Lands

By MTGColorPie

Redrum, Redrum!

And here’s the home stretch (White, Blue, Black, Red and Green). There’s not much more I can say but hope you guys have enjoyed the articles. I am curious about how you like this rather then the one really long post. Of course, I’ll spread these out better next time if you do like them since the 1-2-3 posts a day is really throwing me for a loop. Really? 6 posts in 3 days. That’s almost unheard of. I know you would like it a little more like that but there’s only so much time in the day to write.

This last section are for the cards that can go in almost every EDH deck (except some of the lands). These cards tend to be a little more powerful because they can go into any deck. If you’re going to get foils of cards, it’s usually these that fetch the most money.

Cards in italics are reprints. At the very end of THIS REVIEW, you’ll get my Top 10 list of EDH cards for M11. Exciting that it’s almost here, right? Any predictions?

Like any time when I review these cards, most of them can see play in EDH; there’s only one in this set that is absolute trash in EDH (Squadron Hawk). These are just going to be the better cards I would recommend playing.

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7 Comments | posted in EDH, M11, Magic: the Gathering, Really Big EDH Review

July 15, 2010

The Really Bit M11 EDH Review – Green

By MTGColorPie

Primeval Titan will watch you sleep.

And now comes the last of the actual colors (White, Blue, Black, Red are there). With Green comes a whole influx of creatures. That really shouldn’t be all that surprising, should it? White is about gain life and prevent damage and making sure everything is in order. Black kills things, anything to do to win. Blue counters, draws and bounces everything but doesn’t really destroy anything. Red burns and creates havoc while destroying what it can. Green is all about nature and lands and creatures.

My philosophy about Green is it can do anything it wants as long as it’s creature or land related. So while Hornet Sting stands out, it can still, somewhat seem Green related.

To see more of my design philosophies, head over to my Magic design blog: mtgcolorpie.com. I’ve noticed that a number of people come over there to this site, but not the other way around. Thought I’d cross-promote it a little bit.

Cards in italics are reprints. At the very end of all the reviews, you’ll get my Top 10 list of EDH cards for M11.

Like any time when I review these cards, most of them can see play in EDH; there’s only one in this set that is absolute trash in EDH (Squadron Hawk). These are just going to be the better cards I would recommend playing.

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3 Comments | posted in EDH, M11, Magic: the Gathering, Really Big EDH Review

July 15, 2010

The Really Big M11 EDH Review – Red

By MTGColorPie

Do you really need to keep that 1995 SI Swimsuit issue?

Entering part four of this series (White, Blue, Black). Luckily this series isn’t like Lost where you have to have see the previous in the series or it will all not make sense. Because I’m not building on the last post, each one of these can be read separately if you’re curious about one certain card from the set. I guess that’s one benefit of breaking them, up by color.

But what these colors have in common are three cycles of Rare/Mythic cards: The Planeswalkers, the Titans and the Leylines. Not all of them are made equal. The Red one really only works against White (sometimes Green) decks, so I didn’t even mention it down below; the Blue Titan is clearly the worst. In any cycle, there must be a best and and worst; it’s just odd nod seeing Green at the bottom of those cycles.

Cards in italics are reprints. At the very end of all the reviews, you’ll get my Top 10 list of EDH cards for M11.

Like any time when I review these cards, most of them can see play in EDH; there’s only one in this set that is absolute trash in EDH (Squadron Hawk). These are just going to be the better cards I would recommend playing.

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3 Comments | posted in EDH, M11, Magic: the Gathering, Really Big EDH Review

July 14, 2010

The Really Big M11 EDH Review – Black

By MTGColorPie

Well, I guess that's one way of reading a book

Welcome to part three of this huge M11 EDH review (hence the title). If you missed parts one and two they are here (White) and here (Blue). The most interesting thing that has come out of Magic and reviewing sets is something that Pro Player Patrick Chapin wrote (Star City Games Premium article, sorry). Basically what he says is that reading review articles are boring. Most of the time they say the same thing, which is “Oh, this is what the card does, this is the type of decks it can fit into.” I do my best to try and avoid it, but I know I do that from time to time. It’s like reading movie reviews of the same movie: soon you’re going to get the same type of dialogue repeated over and over again if you read enough. There’s only so much ground you can cover with the same material as everyone else.

Now, he suggests adding humor because it does liven up the same old thing. So I’ve decided to follow his wise advice. In the Worldwake and Rise of the Eldrazi review I had Billy Mays review a card in each while Vince pitched a card in RoE. Though my contacts in Hollywood (every MTG blogger has contacts in Hollywood), I was able to get comedian Lewis Black to review every single Black card in M11. Say hi, Lewis.

Oh, is this because my last name is Black?

Now you’re getting it.

Very creative.

Thanks.

That was sarcasm.

I know. Wait, where are you going Mr. Black? (Door Slams). Sigh. I guess I’m going to try to do the comedy. Cards in italics are reprints. At the very end of all the reviews, you’ll get my Top 10 list of EDH cards for M11.

Like any time when I review these cards, most of them can see play in EDH; there’s only one in this set that is absolute trash in EDH (Squadron Hawk). These are just going to be the better cards I would recommend playing.

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8 Comments | posted in EDH, M11, Magic: the Gathering, Really Big EDH Review

July 14, 2010

The Really Big M11 EDH Review – Blue

By MTGColorPie

CANNONBALL!

Part two of this M11 EDH review. If you missed part 1 (White), click here. If you’ve never really written a review before, it’s an interesting experience. Sometimes people check these things to see if other people feel the same way about certain cards that they do. Other times, they’re just curious to see how other cards see play in different formats. I don’t rate these cards as people would use them in Sealed or Standard, so people might look at some of these reviews and go, really? Yes, really.

Another thing about reviews is that people want to take a look at the rares and if they should do pick them up. This is pretty obvious since they cost the most money and are harder to get. On format reviews like this where you don’t touch upon every card, it says a whole lot if I don’t talk about a rare since most everything can be used in this format. Sometimes, they won’t even make a dent in this cardpool.

Cards in italics are reprints. At the very end of all the reviews, you’ll get my Top 10 list of EDH cards for M11.

Like any time when I review these cards, most of them can see play in EDH; there’s only one in this set that is absolute trash in EDH (Squadron Hawk). These are just going to be the better cards I would recommend playing.

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7 Comments | posted in EDH, M11, Magic: the Gathering, Really Big EDH Review

July 13, 2010

The Really Big M11 EDH Review – White

By MTGColorPie

Note: Sun Titan not actually from The Sun

M11 is coming out Friday and as of the Prerelease, all of the new cards are legal for EDH. So what ones do you spend the time to go get and which ones really won’t make a difference in this great format? Are you Confused? How about Bewildered? Or are you here to laugh at my outlandish predictions when I nominate “so and so” as the best EDH card in the set? Are there enough questions in this paragraph for you or should I keep asking them? Why do you think I’m playing the question game?

Since M11 is a Core Set and there are about 50% reprints, I’m going to mainly focus on the new cards. I will touch on some reprints as they are either good or bad for the format, I won’t spend too long on them in general. The cards that are in italics are reprints.

If you notice, today’s it just White. Usually I’d write the whole thing up on one post, but when I reported to twitter (@mtgcolorpie) how much I’ve written just for White, they were like “Break it up, everyone else already does.” Yes, I’ve become a sheep to follow everyone else (Baaa). So, while it’s weird to get this started on a Tuesday instead of the more logical Monday, blame the twitter peeps. That means, yes, there will be a post for each color. At the very end of it all, you’ll get my Top 10 list of EDH cards for M11.

Like any time when I review these cards, most of them can see play in EDH; there’s only one in this set that is absolute trash in EDH (Squadron Hawk). These are just going to be the better cards I would recommend playing.

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5 Comments | posted in EDH, M11, Magic: the Gathering, Really Big EDH Review

July 8, 2010

Hygienic Products, John Locke, and The New Way

By MTGColorPie

Wrong John Lo... Ah, close enough

If you’re on twitter (I’m @mtgcolorpie), you’ve noticed the past several weeks there have been discussions about EDH and the conduct of players and expectations and so forth. This has spilled over into the blogs and forums as well. If you haven’t see some of the posts, here are a few of them:

Each one provides their own valid viewpoint, and now, I’d like to offer my own. I’ve thought about it for a while and it might be a little late to the conversation, I still think it’s worth mentioning. Some of you might be tired of this topic but this is the only time I’m going to mention it.

Hygienic Products are Compliments

There’s a word to describe some of the people and plays that happen in EDH for something that you don’t personally like. I never really have used the word to describe these people and acts. This will be the first and last time you will see it on this site from me personally. It’s because whenever I’ve heard the word, I’ve always thought of this scene from one of my favorite movies, Wet Hot American Summer:

Caped Boy: Excuse me, ladies. You may remember me as the guy who came to dinner a few weeks ago with underwear on my head. My name is Keith Stat from Millburn, New Jersey. State bird, the mosquito. And as you may have heard, I am recently a crowned class B dungeon master. So if any of you would like to play D&D today, please speak now or forever hold your peace.
[he chuckles, and there is an awkward silence at the table]
Caped Boy: Anyone? Alexa!
[Alexa gives him a withering glare]
Caped Boy: Maybe you would like to join in? We do need a druid, and you have definitely cast a level 5 charm spell on me.
Alexa: In your dreams, douche-bag!
Caped Boy: Douche-bags are hygienic products; I take that as a compliment. Thank you.
[Keith walks off]
Alexa: Ewww!

John Locke’s Tabula Rasa

Alexander Shearer of Gift’s Ungiven makes a fair point in his piece about EDH: he wants to know what’s acceptable behavior and what’s not in EDH land. He thinks that by calling someone or an act someone does in EDH a hygienic product, then clearly it’s not the spirit of the format. This is actually a mistake that make tournament minded players make about EDH and sometimes why they’re so hesitant to join this format in the first place.

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7 Comments | posted in EDH, Magic: the Gathering

June 25, 2010

Weekend Commentator Diversion – Do You Play Commander on MTGO?

By MTGColorPie

Click for full size madness

Up until recently, I hadn’t played Magic Online (MTGO). For various reasons I won’t get to now (It’ll go up on my other blog MTGColorPie.com), I kinda stayed away. Finally a couple of weeks ago, I took the plunge. While I don’t play everyday online, it does give me a chance to play when I wouldn’t normally (which is the appeal of it).

Long story short, I’m using it mostly for drafting and playing Commander, which is the MTGO equivalent of EDH. I’m still getting the hang of it, but as you can see from the picture on the right, screen real estate is a very valuable thing here; sometimes I wonder why I play on my laptop if people are playing 500 tokens and whatnot.

At the moment, I bought the UWG Commander decklist and have been drafting and buying cards through the bots online. I think I have an alright decklist thrown together (was lucky to open several Revised Duals in the ME/ME2/ME3 drafts a few weeks back) but it’s still a work in progress.

So, for the topic for this weekend/whenever (because people are still chiming in on the other one, which I think is great, continue to do so): Do you play Commander on MTGO? Yes, no, what’s your favorite part, what do you hate, etc? Do you have any advice for people starting out or thinking about getting online? If you don’t play MTGO, is there anything that would get you convinced to try?

BONUS: I know that this blog has been lagging a little big, a combination of work and, well, look at the topic, has gotten me a little off track. New posts are currently being written, but I also what to hear from you guys what would you like to see on this site? Is it more decklists, is it strategy, is it theory? I mean I’ve got a ton of ideas (Single card strategies, a best of color/card type segment, etc), but this is about you guys. What would you like to see on here?

So comment about one or both. Remember, if you haven’t commented on this site before I need to approve it (it keeps out the spam), and I try to do that as quickly as possible to keep the conversation going.

If you’re curious, my name on MTGO is: mtgcolorpie. Find me, friend me (is that how it works?), and we can play sometime.

12 Comments | posted in Commander, EDH, Magic: the Gathering, MTGO, Weekend Diversion