Odyssey: Liftoff Review (Part 2 of 2)
For our next exploration into Otaria- the world of Odyssey- I’ll be piloting the conditional ‘skies’ deck Liftoff. Beginning as a White weenie deck that powers into flying through threshold, I’ll be up against Sam. For her part, she’s opted for the flashback-filled One-Two Punch. Here are the notes from our engagement.
Odyssey: Liftoff Review (Part 1 of 2)
Just as Innistrad had its own Blue/White ‘skies’ deck, perhaps it is only appropriate that Innistrad’s predecessor, Odyssey, have the same. Of course, just like Spectral Legions, little about this deck conforms to the norm of the typical aerial deck. For one thing, Liftoff has a grand total of five fliers, which lends itself to a natural skepticism of how it can even lay claim to being a skies deck in the first place. The answer lies within the second of Odyssey’s two major mechanics. The first, flashback, was a heavy focus of the previous deck, One-Two Punch. And while it makes a cameo appearance here (a single copy of Embolden), Liftoff centers around the other, more creature-centric mechanic, threshold.
Threshold is a mechanic which has an effect contingent upon the size of your graveyard. This is actually the poster-child for a general class of mechanics, as Mark Rosewater wrote on his piece on Scars of Mirrodin’s metalcraft. In general, these types of mechanics follow a fairly predictable standard in that they present you with a creature or spell that’s slightly inefficient for its cost. Then, if a certain condition is met, they actually become more efficient than normal. Rosewater uses the card Springing Tiger as an example of threshold, and it is the perfect example to illustrate this principle. On its own it is a four-mana 3/3, which is rather poor (particularly in Green). However, under a certain condition it becomes a 5/5, which for four mana is now a good deal! The objective with decks based around these mechanics, then, is to ensure that the condition that triggers the ‘upgrade’ is on as much as possible. The longer it remains on, naturally, the greater your advantage.
It is that philosophy, then, that guides the very heart of Liftoff.
Odyssey: One-Two Punch Review (Part 2 of 2)
With as much fun as Jimi and I had for Innistrad, Sam is eager to get back into the mix and ready to experience Odyssey. For her deck she’s selected the Blue/Green Trounce-O-Matic, while I’ll be taking the flashback-filled One-Two Punch into battle. Here are the notes from our match.
Odyssey: One-Two Punch Review (Part 1 of 2)
All good stories- like all good things- must come to an end. It is trite but true, and this was the situation facing Wizards for their 2001 release. Weatherlight, which came out in June of 1997, had ushered in the first long-standing story arc in the history of the game. “The Weatherlight Saga,” as it would be known, continued in one way or another for the next four expansions. The real story kicked off in 1997’s Tempest block, continued in 1999’s Mercadian Masques block, then wound its way through the following year’s Invasion block. The small break in the middle- 1998’s Urza’s Saga- was set as a sort of prequel or backstory to the whole affair. All told, the Saga spanned thirteen different releases of the game.
It was time, concluded Wizards, for something new.
Ravnica: Selesnya United Review (Part 2 of 2)
For our final match before leaving the plane of Ravnica, I’ll be taking the reins of the Selesnya Conclave. A Green/White swarming strategy that looks to make full use of the conclave mechanic, I’ll be up against the slower Dimir Intrigues piloted by Jimi. The Dimir deck demans a bit of time to fully develop its milling strategy. Will it be able to withstand the Saproling hordes and let it dominate the endgame, or will the Selesnyan beaters storm the gates of the ‘secret guild?’
Here are the notes from our match.
Ravnica: Selesnya United Review (Part 1 of 2)
In the Conclave, individuality is an anathema.
That’s not to say that you, as an individual, don’t matter. It’s better to say that while you, the individual, are critical to the aims of the Selesnya, you as an individual must by necessity be sublimated to the needs of the whole. Look at the selfish- their lives are zero-sum. They advance themselves at the expense of others, getting ahead by leaving someone else behind. Such waste! Is it not better to group together, so that all may benefit as one? This is the way of the Selesnya Conclave, the way of fulfillment of the one through the fulfillment of the all.
Ravnica: Golgari Deathcreep Review (Part 2 of 2)
Approaching the end of our reviews of Ravnica and readying for Duel Decks: Ajani vs Nicol Bolas, we’re still finding the Ravnica set full of surprises. The designers did a very impressive job giving each guild its own unique feel, and translating the theme decks into showpieces for each guild is a perfect match. Not for nothing this is one of the most fondly-remembered sets. For today I’ve secured Sam as my sparring partner, and she’s chosen Selesnya United to serve in opposition.
Here are our notes from the customary three games.
Ravnica: Golgari Deathcreep Review (Part 1 of 2)
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
This is not only a slogan for today’s eco-conscious times, but could just as easily apply to the Golgari guild on Ravnica. To the Golgari, no living creature is ever truly dead, but rather lives on through the eternal cycle of life. A person is born, he lives his life, and then, inevitably, he dies… and then his body is fed to the Rot Farms’ crops of shambling plant-zombies. Simple. Elegant. Beautiful.
Of course, every guild in Ravnica must serve a civic function (discounting, of course, the guild that doesn’t exist- Dimir). The Boros, for instance, form its military and police force. The Selesyna provide organised spirituality as well as patrolling roads and byways and other routes of travel. To the Golgari fall the critical tasks of food production for the city’s poor (for those familiar, think ‘Flea Bottom’ and ‘bowls of brown’) and waste management.
Ravnica: Dimir Intrigues Review (Part 2 of 2)
Nobody likes taking a beating, even in the name of science. We might be taking liberties in calling what we do here ‘science,’ but in essence the idea is not dissimilar. We take precon decks, put them under the microscope, then introduce them into field conditions to see how they perform. In our last field test, Jimi took a savage hiding at the hands of her favourite deck archetype, the Red/White Boros. The speed of Charge of the Boros was such that her Golgari Deathcreep could scarcely begin to churn out its dredge engine, and so when asked which deck she’d like to pilot against the more contemplative Dimir Intrigues, it didn’t take her but a moment to decide. The Boros are back, and Jimi is ready for revenge. Here are the notes from our three matches.
Ravnica: Dimir Intrigues Review (Part 1 of 2)
In 1748 in Bavaria, a man by the name of Johann Adam Weishaupt was born. Although his own father died when he was five years old, he was raised by his godfather and given a very solid education, including enrollment at the University of Ingolstadt with a degree in law. He went on to become a law professor, and soon after a specialist in canon (church) law. In 1776, when Weishaupt was 28, he founded a secret society called the Illuminati, made up of freethinkers and dedicated to the overthrow of the established social order in Europe- an end to monarchy and state religion. Beginning with five members, the Illumanti had swelled to around 2,000 within the decade.
Ertai's Lament 