Category Archives: EDH

January 11, 2010

Guest Post: Competitive Casual – Harvest Time!

By MTGColorPie

Celing Dragon is watching you...

I’ve been dabbling in EDH for awhile now; my friend Shawn got me into it towards the end of the summer as a less costly way than Standard to approach Magic players in a new city where I had few friends and needed a way to meet people. Although I’ve built a few decks in that time, my favorite general to work around has definitely been Teneb, the Harvester from Planar Chaos‘s cycle of alternate wedge-colored “younger dragon legends”. Teneb hits a lot of my favorites as a deckbuilder: he’s a strong enough beatstick for multiplayer, he puts me in colors I enjoy playing, he’s reanimation… and he’s three colors. You may not know this about me, but my favorite color of Magic is gold. (The last sixteen months playing with Alara block have been a lot of fun for me.)

I’m going to break my deck down into sections so I can talk about different aspects of it and how I went about designing them. Hopefully, that will be more effective than just dumping the whole list on you and rambling about a handful of random cards.

Flying
Whenever Teneb, the harvester deals combat damage to a player, you may pay 2B. If you do, put target creature card in a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.

Let’s have a look, shall we?

Continue reading

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

January 8, 2010

Derfington’s Corner: Exalting the Hippo

By Derfington

Did you get that thing I sent you?

[Editor’s Note: While some of you get excited that when you see this purple hippo, you may think this is a “Group Hug” deck. It’s not. – MtGCP]

I think people are sleeping on Phelddagrif. Don’t get me wrong, it’s priceless to see people’s reactions when I plop my happy purple general on the table. Phelddagrif’s hilarious artwork and “OMG-why-would-I-ever-play-this” abilities generate a good amount of laughter for everyone. Maybe the occasional EDH vet will nod in appreciation of Phelddagrif’s well-documented political potential. But beneath that creature’s timid exterior, behind its big, blue doe’s eyes and its clumsy purple hooves, there’s something I don’t think people really know.

Phelddagrif can wreck faces.
Phelddagrif is potential for a beatdown. If you let it go, it will chew you up and swallow you like so much hippo feed. You will never touch it: not with sacrifice effects, not with targeted removal, not with stealing abilities. You’ll be happy to draw cards, gain life and get 1/1 tokens, until you realize that he’s eaten everyone else at the table, that everything you played was already wiped off the board, and that he’s still a hungry hungry hippo.
Believe me when I say this: Do not sleep on Phelddagrif.
G: Phelddagrif gains trample until end of turn. Target opponent puts a 1/1 green Hippo creature token onto the battlefield.
W: Phelddagrif gains flying until end of turn. Target opponent gains 2 life.
U: Return Phelddagrif to its owner’s hand. Target opponent may draw a card.

3 Comments | posted in Derfington's Corner, EDH

January 1, 2010

99EDH Video – Partial Paris Mulligan

By MTGColorPie

Happy New Year!

Oh, you want content? Fine. For a new year comes a new way to mulligan in EDH.

Yep, it’s the “Partial” Paris Mulligan I was talking about earlier. You know what, I’ve warmed up to this way of mulliganing a little bit.

Here’s the thing, it’s a very skill insensitive mulligan and if you’ve hardly played your EDH deck, it’s pretty wise to just do the regular Paris Mulligan instead. I was playing with a friend and he borrowed one of my decks and mulled away his only colored mana producing land; if he knew the deck, he wouldn’t have done that.

If you were following me on twitter (@mtgcolorpie), you would’ve seen this last week. What does this mean? Follow me on twitter. So, here’s the new video.

Questions, comments? Let’s hear ’em down below.

1 Comment | posted in 99EDH Video, EDH

December 25, 2009

The Dragon’s Library – Brion Stoutarm and Magic Online

By dalkoncledwin

Something, something, something, lifelink...

Okay, so as of recently I have been spending a considerable amount of time playing EDH on MTGO. However MTGO’s form of EDH is not called Elder Dragon Highlander, it is instead called “Commander.” There are some significant differences between Commander and EDH that one needs to be aware of when designing a deck around the format.

First off, in Commander games are played between three to four players. The Client is unable to properly understand commander rules unless you play a three or four player game by choosing the Constructed || Commander Game Type and the Commander Play Structure. Unfortunately this means that you have to play in the Casual — Multiplayer Room and can’t play the game anywhere else in the client.

In EDH you cannot play a card unless it matches your Generals casting cost 100%. This means that it cannot have any mana symbols rules text or casting cost section that do not match what is in your Generals casting cost. This means that cards such as Thelon of Havenwood are illegal as Generals. However, in Commander, you are allowed to run a card that has mana symbols in their rules text that do not match your Generals casting cost, so long as their casting cost matches the Generals casting cost. This means that you can run any of the 5 of the Bringer’s in an appropriately colored mono, dual, or triple color deck, where as in EDH you would only be able to play them in a 5 color deck. Continue reading

8 Comments   |  tags: | posted in Dragon's Library, EDH, Magic: the Gathering

December 18, 2009

It’s Hard Out There for a Pimp EDH Deck

By MTGColorPie

From cardkitty.com

Editor’s Note: this is an image heavy post. If you have a slow connection or trying to see this page on the 3G network, wait to see it. Sorry.

If you’ve been playing EDH for a while, you’ve seen people’s prize EDH decks. Type 1 players have the same need as EDHers: to “Pimp” their deck.

No, that doesn’t mean to sell your deck to someone for a tournament so they can play it. “Pimping” your deck comes from the same vein as “Pimp My Ride” the much loved MTV show that spawned a meme. To pimp something is to make it flashy, showy, the “I’m better than you” attitude. Alot of people pimp things out: computers, cars, themselves. In the Magic world, people do it to their decks. Some players love to show off their awesome cards they’ve collected.

The foils, and the foreign, and the signed, and the altered, and the rare hardly ever printed version of the card. These are the pimps of EDH.

Because most EDH decks don’t change very often, there’s incentive to pimp out your deck. Over time, you’re less likely to change out a card for something else. While you see this in other formats as well, it’s more prevalent in older formats because of the same philosophy as well. In Standard, you could change your deck once a week, hardly worth the time and effort to make it all foil or foreign (unless you really want to or have access to cards like that).

Now, if you like a deck you’re playing and you want to star to “pimp” it out, where do you start? Easy, wherever you want to. If you see a foil in a trade binder, trade for it. Is an artist coming to a pre-release in your area? Take some cards to get them signed. Know someone who likes to doodle on cards? Pay ’em to draw/paint on your card. There is no right or wrong way to pimp your EDH deck. I’ve seen cards that have funny art on them, art that continued out of the frame, foils, foreign, you name it. It’s your deck, make it how you want.

Of course, there’s no pressure as well either. This is just a mentality thing and if you don’t have the funds or interest to do anything to your EDH deck, there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it’s nice to look at someone else’s pretty cards.

Which is what exactly what we’ll do now. Continue reading

3 Comments | posted in EDH, Magic: the Gathering, Pimp EDH

December 8, 2009

99EDH Video – The Command Zone

By MTGColorPie

One of the hardest concepts to get in EDH is the Command Zone as it’s not really played in “normal” Magic. So, what I’ve done, is made a video about the Command Zone. Yes, that’s right, we’re doing videos now.

No, this does not mean we’ll do videos all the time, but for certain things we will. After this video, I’m working on the Partial Paris Mulligan as well. If we get a big game going or want to show something that would be better on video then to write it, we’ll go that route.

So, without further ado, here’s the first of a series of videos: The Command Zone.

Continue reading

1 Comment | posted in 99EDH Video, EDH, Magic: the Gathering

December 6, 2009

This Week in EDH – 11/29-12/5

By MTGColorPie

Let's do the Time Warp again!

The week back after Thanksgiving was a little slow for EDH given States was this past weekend (even I was busy with that). That is, expect for the bannings. You do know about the bannings, right? Remember that this doesn’t take place until the 20th of this month, so abuse it while you still can. Anyone want a foil Painter’s Servant that’s no longer usable?

Week #2

Official EDH Site

  • December Bannings – Painter’s Servant is banned, while Grindstone comes back. Their reasoning is sound, but it’s not a favorite among the players.

I Got 99 Problems But a General Ain’t One

  • EDHing Your PDS: Slivers Deck – MtGColorPie – Did you buy your Premium Deck Series: Slivers? Did you want to turn it into an EDH deck? Great idea. While, I’m not a fan of Slivers, but hopefully I was able to do my take on if I did build this deck. If I would change anything, I would add Dormant Sliver into the deck. Continue reading

Leave a comment | posted in EDH, Magic: the Gathering, This Week in EDH

December 3, 2009

December 2009 EDH Bannings

By MTGColorPie

My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble...

There was two changes made to the EDH banned list on December 4th:

Painter’s Servant – BANNED

Grindstone – UNBANNED

From the official EDH Website:

Painter’s Servant has been the fuel for unpleasant combos, most notably with Grindstone and Iona, Shield of Emeria. The latter two cards occupy some interesting design/deckbuilding space, so we’d like to see them in the format. Swapping Grindstone/Painter’s Servant seemed like a natural fit to bring back a decent card and get rid of the true offender.

My thoughts:

Truthfully, this was only a matter of time. Painter’s Servant is a broken card when it’s mixed with a few certain cards (Grindstone, Iona, Chaotic Backlash, Jaya), and there are still plenty of ways to effect the color of cards that are on the battlefield. That’s the reason Painter’s Servant was so good, it hit everything else that wasn’t in play. I had dabbled in a Iona/Servant deck and had seen people run it in combination with Tooth and Nail, which ended multiplayer games right there.

Grindstone can come back to help hose mono-color decks, though less effectively.

These bannings take effect December 20th. Changes to the Banned List have been made.

4 Comments | posted in EDH, Magic: the Gathering

December 1, 2009

EDHing Your PDS: Slivers Deck

By MTGColorPie

Shiny. Magic players like shiny objects.

Released last weekend was Premium Deck Series: Slivers. While it’s a 60 card deck, it’s a great place to start if you love Slivers and have wanted to stat out in EDH (Rules here). Due to the request of my twitter audience (@mtgcolorpie), I’ve been asked to finish off the deck and make it into a Full EDH deck. But there’s a problem.

I hate Slivers.

It’s an unhealthy hate that I’m sure the next time I’m play Legacy, someone will beat me with a Slivers deck and it will be poetic justice. I am biting the bullet to make you, my audience, happy. Don’t say I never did anything for you (you know, besides writing). This will also be the first deck that I haven’t played so there might need to be some tweaking.

For the time being, this will also be the only Sliver EDH article on this site. If you build one, you’ve built them all (thanks to the wonderful linear design concept). I do, however, like the idea of the PDS and love the packaging; if there was another one, I might purchase it. (For those of you wondering where my journalistic “keep emotions and feelings out of your articles” integrity is, I don’t report the news). Let’s get started.

Sliver Queen vs. Sliver Overlord

Since the Overload comes with this deck, we’re going to be using that one. Actually, it’s a better General than the Queen because it has two neat functions:

3: Search your library for a Sliver card, reveal that card, and put it in your hand. Then shuffle your library.
3: Gain control of target Sliver.

With these two powers combined, it is a very interesting General and you can still play the Queen and Legion in your deck, and to tutor them out. If you’re playing a Sliver EDH deck, at least use the Overloard as a General; it’s the most logical choice. Continue reading

6 Comments   |  tags: | posted in EDH, Magic: the Gathering

November 28, 2009

This Week in EDH – 11/22-28

By MTGColorPie

He also sees the winning lotto numbers

In order to get more EDH out to the public, I’ve decided that here on 99EDH, we’re going to link to the articles and points of interest that this week had for our favorite format. While searching for the usual suspects, I’ll need some help from my readers.

If any of you like any other EDH articles or posts from this week (Sunday to Saturday) that didn’t make it, mention it in the comments below.

While you read the internets during the week and you notice something awesome about EDH about the past week, e-mail (99ehdproblems AT gmail.com) or twitter (@mtgcolorpie) me the link. If you submit it and it makes it, guess what, you get a mention and a hearty thumbs up for spreading the word.

Week #1

I Got 99 Problems But a General Ain’t One

Leave a comment | posted in EDH, Magic: the Gathering, This Week in EDH