Archive for May, 2010

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Fun with Pelakka Wurm.

Huzzah! An article about News posted on May 24th, 2010 by

There are a number of cool new cards in Rise of the Eldrazi, and I have been concentrating on cards that have an effect and draw you a card. The next one I’d like to point out is Pelakka Wurm. Its a 7/7 trample for four colorless and 3 green. When it comes into play it gains you seven life and when it hits the graveyard, draws you a card.

These days a 7/7 for seven with some abilities is a bit normal, but this guy really changes the game. If this guy hits the board (which shouldn’t be too hard if your running heavy green these days) either in draft or casual, he can change a game around.

I am not interested in competitive formats, I actually wanted to check this guy out in Elder Dragon Highlander. My general is Teneb, The Harvester, so naturally, this is a reanimator. I found myself needing more than sixteen targets or so, so because my deck is Black, Green, White, I added Novablast Wurm, Pelakka Wurm, and the new Pestilence Demon. Pelakka Wurm is, reallly good. Because I reanimate, I get targeted as early as possible, because I can just win a game in a moment. So the 7 life helps.

Using all kinds of fun tech, I can put him in the graveyard, if I need a card, and because I use things like Living Death, swapping graveyards for in play creatures, I can get more life out of him. I have run cards like Kitchen Finks, and Loxodon Heirarch, but the four life gain wasn’t enough, and the creatures weren’t enough of a threat. I like that Pelakka Wurm is a threat (though not the biggest in the deck) and when he is killed, he will likely draw me a card.

There are a few other cards in an Elder Dragon Highlander that might be fun with Pelakka Wurm. Astral Slide comes to mind as does the ever standard Eternal Witness to return cards from your graveyard to play. I play with Genesis to return creatures should they be dealt with, and the two work great together. say… play Pelakka Wurm, gain seven life, and he dies to Doom Blade, draw a card. Genesis brings Pelakka Wurm back, gain 7.

If you would like to try Elder Dragon Highlander, check out the rules on the official magic website. Good luck and perfect play.

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Duels of The Planeswalkers Expansion Brings Some Shortcuts

Huzzah! An article about Magic: The Gathering posted on May 24th, 2010 by

One of the reasons for the popularity of the electronic version of Magic: The Gathering for the X-box live arcade is that most of the players are on even footing, generally speaking. One player can’t go out of this way to purchase an advantage by picking all of the “ultrarare” cards often used to dramatically swing a game in his or her favor, which as a longtime casual player of the online version of MTG I can attest to the frustration of.

Building up a deck of common cards works pretty well until you go up against “Random Beasty card X, destroyer of all hope.” (Name is fictional but you get the idea) which completely wipes you out with no hope of retaliation. This is the nature of most trading card games and it’s something most casual players get used to, but being able to circumvent that advantage by playing an online version like Duels of the Planeswalkers where players all use the same cards is a welcome alternative on occasion.

Still the latest expansion does give players the option not to purchase an advantage but simply skip over a grind to earn some of the cards. There are 11 deck upgrades that were previously unlocked by beating the computer or other players, but now you can purchase them for the low price of $1.00 each. Hardly a tidy sum, to be sure, and most players prefer the experience of earning their cards, but if you’re feeling a little lazy and want to bring your deck up to full strength right away, you have the option.

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The Power of the Third Hokage (N-044)

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on May 24th, 2010 by

Previously I had mentioned that the came with the Revenge and Rebirth expansion, but so did the Third Hokage (N-044). Its price, which often approaches $40 these days, keeps it out of the hands of most players. It’s also difficult to find a fair trade for it. However, anyone who actually can get a hold of one possesses one of the single best weapons in the game.

The Third Hokage requires a great deal of set up, since it not only removes your opponents Genin and no ranked ninja; it also removes your own. However, if you have a number of ‘sacrifices’ that have already been planned out before hand, it’s a great way to completely decimate your opponent’s line of Shinobi.

Even most rank beginners know just how important the control of Chakra is. This card will certainly create massive wholes in any Chakra formation that your opposition was considering building, though it isn’t by any means a beginner card. Not only is it difficult to acquire; it’s difficult to plan out each of those sacrifices. You don’t want to simply throw away your Genin ninja cards, and wrongful application of the Third Hokage can certainly do that.

On the other hand, if you have a strong base to attack from that doesn’t rely on Genin, you can certainly start off with a use of this card. Since you are allowed three of a ninja, multiple applications would be the best. In fact, so powerful was this effect, that one of Bandai’s errata lists actually weakened the ‘Addressing Past Wrongs’ form of this card. However, few people have the financial resources to simply throw at multiple copies of what is already considered to be one of the most expensive Naruto cards. Therefore, that issue seldom comes up.

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Instant KO

Huzzah! An article about Magic: The Gathering posted on May 24th, 2010 by

I recently got a Celestial Mantle in a Zendikar Booster pack, and I thought of a fun combo.

The cards

Way back, in Ravnica, I got a Rain of Gore. Those of you who are too lazy to click, it says that if a spell or ability would cause a player to gain life, that player loses that much life instead.

Another card, similar to Celestial Mantle, came out in Fifth Dawn and was reprinted in Tenth Edition. That card is Beacon of Immortality.

Both of those life doubling cards have a specific rule text that is important to our combo. Celestial Mantle’s Oracle text says the following : ‘If a player’s life total is doubled, that player actually gains or loses the necessary amount of life.’ Thus, if you have 20 life and your creature deals damage to the opponent, you will gain 20 life.

The combo

Most of you probably figured it out, but I’ll show you anyway.

One : Play Rain of Gore.

Two : Play Beacon of Immortality, targeting the enemy.

Three : You win.

How does Celestial Mantle fit in, you ask? Well, check the colours our deck has at the moment. White, (for Beacon and Mantle) Red and Black (for Rain of Gore).

Thus, add some force attacking, like Rage Nimbus, and enchant the enemy with Celestial Mantle. You take the damage, and bam, you win.

Other cards

There are a few flaws in this plan. Such as a nicely timed Naturalize.

However, there are some counter measures. Like the Shadowmoor Greater Auramancy. This protects your Rain of Gores. (Or is that Rains of Gore?)

Throw in 4 copies of Wall of Omens for early defence and card drawing, a few Khalni Gems for your mana fixing, and you’re good to go.

Remember to add more force attacking cards. Into the Fray or Nettling Curse are good choices.

—-

This combo is sure to put a look of surprise on your opponent’s face.

That’s all for today. Hm.

(Edit : As Olin mentioned, Rain of Gore isn’t going to work here.  Luckily, swapping it for False Cure fixes the problem.  Thanks Olin!)

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Rise of the Eldrazi, and fun effects to draw a card or two.

Huzzah! An article about News posted on May 21st, 2010 by

A few fun cards for any format, are ones that draw you a card, and have an interesting effect. Here are a few of them in Rise of the Eldrazi. I have a few that I’ve found both fun and interesting. First is Wall of Omens. Its just a white and a colorless for a 0/4 wall. It also lets you draw a card. Not bad right? Actually, its awesome. It keeps a creature off your back for a turn or two, or it takes a removal spell for you. They loose a card, you are at 0, neither loosing a card, or gaining a card.
Next interesting card is Repel the Darkness. It taps up to two creatures, and draws a card at instant speed. Somone coming in to finish you off? Repel the Darkness, draw a card, and live a little longer. Or use it for your own game ending, or near game ending strike. I used this in draft last week, it helped more than once to finish a game, or keep me alive long enough to win.
Survival Cache, is the next cantrip card. It doesn’t always draw you a card but here is what it does. For 2 colorless and a white, it gains you two life, if you have more life than an opponent, draw a card. Rebound. If you are only 1 life down on an opponent, draw a card, then next turn gain 2 more life, draw another card. I used this in draf with Lone Missionary, and it was amazing. Turn 3 and 4 drawing an extra card helped a lot. Lone missionary is great with Survival Cache, he is a 2/1 for a colorless and a white who gains you 4 life when he comes into play. In fact he might be good in constructed play if you are running a white weenie, maybe as a two of, or good for a Kor deck.

Here is the cutting point. Does the card work in your deck? Adding Wall of Omens might sound good in an aggro deck, but it doesn’t help you kill any faster, it just helps you get through your deck. A good rule of thum is an instant or sorcery should have two purposes in a deck. The less specific situations you have a card for, the more productive it can be so to speak.
For instance, adding survival cache to draw cards may not be the best idea, considering it doesn’t guarentee drawing two extra cards. Do you need to slow your opponent down early? If not, don’t use Wall of Omens for card draw. Repel the Darkness is just generally good because it taps up to two creatures and draws a card.
Just a few things to think about when building a deck with Rise of the Eldrazi, these happen to be white, but that is where the best “cantrip” effects are right now in my opinion. Good luck, and good hunting

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Extended on a Budget 2

Huzzah! An article about News posted on May 21st, 2010 by

A few days ago I posted a few ideas about Sunforger and Stoneforge Mystic. Here are the important ideas I came up with. I used the Alara Charms, because I can use anyone of them, also they each have 3 good effects. This is one of the coolest Tool Box plans I could come up with. I used a Ghostway and as far as creatures go, Reveillark and Seigegang Commander.

So I used Reveillark and Seigegang, with a few other token producers, like Spectral Procession. I used Basilisk Collar in addition to Sunforger, with 3 Stoneforge Mystics. I liked the token idea because spot removal wouldn’t deal with each creature.

Mass removal was a bit of a worry, thats why I had Reveillark and Seigegang with Ghostway. I also really liked Lightning Helix, it can give a huge temp swing, and finish someone off. I also included Spectral procession for the same reason. I thought about Ajani Goldmane, but went the more mid-range route with Ajani Vengeant. I liked having a few extra Lightning Helix’s and the choice to blow up a few lands.

A few more good choices I found were Knight of the White Orchid, Kitchen Finks, Murderous Redcap or even Captain of the Watch.

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Utility Cards and Genjutsu

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on May 20th, 2010 by

If you have some empty space in a deck that needs to be filled to reach the minimum requirement, you’re probably already familiar with having some sort of utility card take the place. That’s a card that may not be the best fit, but has a long list of compatible cards to play it with. If you’ve explored this concept at all, you’re probably familiar with Genjutsu cards.

Admittedly, some fans have razzed the Illusion by Genjutsu card by saying that it’s similar to a host of other cards. However, because of that fact the card is a useful model to work with for demonstrating why these cards are so useful. Since there are many different ninja cards with a Genjutsu attribute, they often allow someone to work up a flexible style of play. This same flexibility lends them to working well as utility cards.

Say you had a space in a deck that you didn’t have a card that fit perfectly. With an Illusion by Genjutsu card placed in that deck, there’s a good chance that it can fit with at least one Shinobi in that deck. Unless it’s a single element deck for an element besides fire, it probably does contain at least one Kotetsu, Izumo, Kakashi, Sasuke, or Kurenai card that it’s going to be compatible with.

That’s usually not a player’s first resort, nor should it be. However, it can be a path to a very different kind of deck building. Actually, a lot of players have written off Genjutsu cards as relatively weak. While this may be the case, and while they may be more useful as utility cards than used as a mainstream jutsu, there is still the possibility that there are unexplored paths to take with them. One of the biggest possibilities would lie in trying to match up each card with its component element. However, that sort of play is probably not advisable for beginners, who usually have to rely on more powerful jutsu.

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Pokemon HS-Unleashed Hits the Shelves

Huzzah! An article about Pokémon posted on May 20th, 2010 by

The Pokemon Company recently announced the release of their expansion to TCG: Heartgold & Soulsilver, adding an additional 95 cards to the set.

New features include six Pokemon prime cards like Tyranitar and Steelix, LEGEND cards featuring the likes of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune in pairs and will also introduce new theme decks, named Chaos Control and Steel Sentinel (I prefer Steel Sentinel, the wife is leaning toward the former).

The new set, according to the official Pokeon site, will add “great tactical value” to any deck by utilizing cards like Kingdra Prime, which can damage your opponent on every turn without ever having to leave the bench. Other cards like Steelix Prime, which has a “Gaia Crush” 100 damage attack that also allows you to discard any stadium card in play are in place to seriously increase your offensive power. I’ll have to play around with these and give a more thorough review of the individual cards as I see them.

Support cards aren’t going to be left out in the cold, either. The Judge Supporter card will force each player to shuffle his or her hand into their deck and draw 4 new cards. Engineer’s Adjustments will allow you to discard an energy card to draw 4 new cards from your deck.  Just upon my initial impression the newest expansion certainly does look interesting, we’ll have to see how it plays out in actual gameplay scenarios.

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Magic The Gathering: Affordable Extended

Huzzah! An article about News posted on May 18th, 2010 by

Stoneforge Mystic has been seeing a lot of competitive play this Standard season. If your not familiar with this card, it’s basically a 1/2 for a colorless and a white. When it comes into play, you search your library for an equipment card and put it in your hand. Pretty interesting stuff.
The best part about this, is you can have a few different kinds of equipment in the deck for a few situations, just run one of each equipment, and run 3 Stoneforge Mystics, and you have a tutor package. What I mean by this, is you have a consistant way to be able to play these one of cards in your deck, without dedicating the deck space to them or getting undesired multiples.
The other great part about Stoneforge Mystic, is you can drop equipment into play for a colorless and a white. This is un-counterable, much like Aether Vile back in Mirrodin block. For Extended play this could be great, with amazing equipment like Jitte, and Sunforger, this package has more potential than just the current standard season.
Sunforger control was a staple in Extended several seasons back. Sunforger costs 3 to play 3 to equip, pay a red and a white un-equip Sunforger and search your library for a white or red instant or sorcery spell with converted mana cost 4 or less and play it without paying its mana cost. Ok, you can play sorceries at instant speed, that’s cool, you can search your library for the specific card, amazing. Now consider this card with Stoneforge mystic.
Stoneforge mystic, tutor Sunforger. Put it into play, and you have a creature to equip it to. I’m no pro, but that sounds like it’s really worth exploring. Instant speed wrath alone is kind of neat. Need a Mortify? Done. Want to throw out a 7/1 elemental? Sure, Elemental Appeal is a sorcery. Not to mention an instant speed Resurrection (it takes a creature from the graveyard and puts it strait into play) which was reprinted in Time Spiral.
Those are a few quick ideas for the Sunforger/Stoneforge Mystic tool box Idea. But I think it should be said anytime you can use tool box effects, it can be hard for opponents to work around you.
I’ll be building a deck and we will see what’s in it, how it did against what decks, and what colors it ends up being.

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Revenge and Rebirth: A Gift Years Later?

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on May 18th, 2010 by

Though it was relatively expensive when it first came out, the Revenge and Rebirth expansion pack was quite an essential. While many of the cards that can be seen in trades today from this pack are popular Hyuga cards like the 8 Trigram series, the kit can really help out with deck building for those who like to play the water element. With many of the cards becoming somewhat rare two to three years ago, this may be the perfect opportunity to

No one can be reminded enough that standard rules dictate a deck minimum of 40 cards with no more than 25 shinobi. However, I’ve already discussed why it’s not necessarily a bad idea to stick towards the lower end of the card count, to increase the chances of playing a higher-level card. This especially becomes the case if a deck has been stacked with three copies of a ninja, jutsu or mission card that is deemed important. I had mentioned this in a previous post.

However, besides a basic knowledge of which cards are compatible with each other, there often isn’t a great deal of thought as to which cards are best for this kind of arrangement. That’s why the Revenge and Rebirth expansion for the Naruto trading card game has become so important to many players. Hizashi Hyuga can double up, and with the right combination of other Hyuga shinobi and well as the 8 Trigrams 64 Palms Rotation card, you’ll have quite an army out of the pack.

However, the abovementioned affect on water decks can be even more profound if played right. The First and Second Hokage cards are probably some of the best to work with when having multiples, and matched with some of the better water jutsu cards, these can pave the way to a more solid water deck.

The next time some of the Revenge and Rebirth expansion pack cards come up in a trade, you might want to take a look. Of course, each expansion pack does contain a few more mundane cards, but the kit as a whole is worth the effort.

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