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Posted: Mar 23 2011 10:19 am

Well, they posted the decklist for the upcoming Knights vs. Dragons Duel Deck and it kinda sucks:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/673

Much as Divine vs. Demonic was more "Monks vs. Imps" this is more "A bunch of cool knights vs. a handful of dragons." Knights gets Kinsbaile Cavalier, Knight Exemplar, Knight of the Reliquary, Knight of the White Orchid, Knotvine Paladin and fucking Loxodon Warhammer! Dragons on the other hand has Kilnmouth (which I already own two of and has been available in two sets), Shivan Hellkite (also available in two sets), Mordant Dragon (which I didn't care about when it was new), Bogardan Hellkite (cool, but readily available and I already have a bunch), Voracious Dragon (which really belongs in a deck with more goblins for it to eat), and Thunder Dragon, the only rare in there really worth tracking down. If I didn't already have the From the Vault one. The rest of the deck is boring; Dragon Speaker Shaman, don't have a million of those already. Henge Guardian, seriously? Dragon Whelp doesn't count as a dragon, dammit! (I know it actually does, I'm saying it's a crappy inclusion in a dragon deck.)

I know the duel decks are meant to be played out of the box and blah blah blah but I never use them like that and thus tend to judge them on their flavor more. I'll probably still get it because I've been thinking of building a knight deck, another Thunder Dragon never hurts and I always need Seething Songs, but I just think it's kind of lame to put out a dragon deck that's mono-red and uses dragons that are not really hard to find (excepting the Thunder), including some that they JUST put out a set or two ago and one that was just in Arch Enemy a few months ago.

Posted: Mar 23 2011 10:49 am

Wow, that's pretty terrible. Bogardan Rager? No place in this deck.

Posted: Mar 23 2011 10:53 am

Right? What the fuck is that doing in there? And I know Henge Guardian is a dragon now, but it's a fucking stupid card for a dragon themed deck. And Cinder Wall? Why?

Posted: Mar 23 2011 01:28 pm

I might buy it for the Knight of the Reliquary. Otherwise, it's crap.

Posted: Mar 23 2011 01:50 pm

Yeah, I was excited when they first announced this one because there could have been a lot of cool stuff in them but no dice. Also, if you're making a Dragons vs. Knights set, why the fuck wouldn't you put Hunted Dragon in it? A dragon that gives the enemy knights? Why!?

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Mar 23 2011 02:14 pm

Since I started sorta playing again, I've honestly got more use out of my "out-of-the-box" Phyrexia vs Coalition decks than I ever thought I would. It was a decent way to kill time during tournament rounds, and those two decks are actually pretty well balanced against each other.

These decks not only seem poorly designed (the dragon one, anyways), but just a bad idea in general. Knights are little 2-2 first strikers. Dragons are HUGE FUCKING BEASTS that just fly right over the silly knights. I can see all the game breaking down to "Did my knights weenie you to death before you played one of your dragons? No? GG."

Posted: Mar 23 2011 02:26 pm

Yeah, that's pretty much the breakdown; either the white player swarms early or the red player manages to get a couple fatties out with nothing to stop them.

Posted: Mar 24 2011 11:17 am

And why Cinder Wall? Yeah, it drops on Turn 1, but it's also terrible.

I would have gone with Wall of Earth, and maybe an Aetherflame Wall or Wall of Heat.

I don't know what the rules are about mythics in this deck, but the Kargan Dragonlord would have been helpful.

Also, Turn 2 Silver Knight is pretty much Game Over. Dragons have one way to deal with it: Ghostfire, and the Knights have multiple ways of making it useless. Most of Red's removal is pretty terrible.

Also, whoever wrote the copy for these decks is a terrible human being.

#EDIT: Oh, Henge Guardian is an artifact creature. Okay, so there are two ways to deal with Silver Knight. That's slightly better.

Posted: Mar 24 2011 11:38 am

Yeah, barely though. I would have put more emphasis on getting non-flying knights in the air with support spells and less on jamming crappy knights who happen to have flying in there. For dragons, I would have added at least one color, probably make it Jund actually, then you could use Broodmate Dragon, Hellkite hatchling, Vampiric Dragon, Bladewing the Risen, Darigaaz, Jugan and Viashivan Dragon (which really is due for a reprint.) And if there was a mythic in it, Hellkite Overlord, Dragon Broodmother, Karrthus and Malfegor. Not to mention Dragon Fangs, Breath and Shadow which were fucking made for dragons.

And how bout instead of henge Guardian, Lotus Guardian? Since it's a dragon now apparently...

Posted: Mar 24 2011 01:59 pm

I think there's a new blanket rule that any rare, no matter how bad, that was printed up to and including Masques block that has not been reprinted already is now reserved and can never be reprinted ever.

This is due to the fact that people are whiny little pricks and complained about From The Vault, the premium decks, and judge foils and shit. Which is fucking retarded. Wizards should be catering to ME, the person who is actually going to buy their shit, and not some worthless neckbeard asshole who buys all their stuff on the secondary market.

Posted: Mar 24 2011 04:27 pm

Yeah seriously. That's fucking stupid, I really like the From the Vault, Duel Decks and Premium Decks. None of that shit that isn't currently legal anyways doesn't become legal in those sets so I don't know what the fuck everybody's whining about.

Also, I've noticed a trend that really annoys me about this game: No one plays for fun anymore. Everyone is obsessed with Type II and copying whatever is the current winning deck on the pro circuit, no one makes their own decks anymore and NO ONE plays a non-Type II legal deck anymore. I stopped going to draft at the store near me because no one ever fucking wants to draft anymore, they all just pile into the Type II game. And as I play strictly for fun, I don't give two flying fucks about Type II.

Posted: Mar 24 2011 04:29 pm

I don't think I have ever had a legal type 2 deck in my life. (EDIT: No wait, I take that back. I think my exalted deck was current when I constructed it.)

I play causal and that's the way I like it.

Though, the addiction to type 2 is EXACTLY what Wizardbro wants. As long as players want to stay current the HAVE TO buy the new sets upon launch.

Posted: Mar 24 2011 05:37 pm

I play EDH mostly. I also have a complete set of Vanguard and Planechase.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Mar 24 2011 07:07 pm

I have owned one Type 2 deck ever. I could never find anyone to play against me with it.

Standard dominates the tournament scene, but among casual players, nobody really cares.

Posted: Mar 24 2011 11:39 pm

That's my problem, when I lived near Syd, I could count on him, Jeebus and at least one more of our friends and do a casual night at one guy's house, it was pretty awesome. But since I moved, there doesn't seem to be many people who just play casually, at either shop near me. Though I did spend a few hours today teaching a cute girl to play, so there's that Razz

Posted: Mar 25 2011 05:59 am

I haven't played cards in over a month. They always play when I'm at work. Sad

That, and one of our friends just rage quit over an EDH loss and started selling off all his stuff.

Posted: Mar 25 2011 09:12 am

Hahahahaha, anyone I know or one of your "new" buddies?

Posted: Mar 25 2011 09:19 am

I don't know, maybe? I think you have some mutual FB friends.

Posted: Mar 25 2011 09:26 am

Ah so it's not Plethora or anyone I know well, just somebody friends of friends know.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Mar 25 2011 09:53 am

I need to get back up there sometimes. I have lots of free time now. :/

Posted: Mar 25 2011 12:37 pm

BZ, the new people we're playing with know you. Or at least a couple of them do.

Posted: Mar 25 2011 04:31 pm

Well, I know you were playing with Ruz, but I don't know who else among them would know me. Except his little brother.

Posted: Mar 25 2011 08:00 pm

It's one of his friends. Dunno if they actually know you.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Mar 28 2011 07:14 am

They explain the lack of a Hunted Dragon here. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/136

Apparently, the card just plain sucked in the Dragon deck.

Posted: Mar 28 2011 10:33 am

Yeah, I read that and you know what my response is? If three 2/2 first strikes are killing the dragon player at that point in the game, there's something wrong with the dragon deck and I would work on fixing it, not throw out the one thematic card in existence that should be in the above all others.