Board 8 > Magic the Gathering Topic: Pirates, Dinosaurs, and Vampire Conquistadors

(+) Yeah! (+)

This set is fucking gorgeous, and the flavor is delicious. I haven't been this hyped in a long time.

Also apparently Vraska is also tsundere for Jace.

Also also those Unstable lands tho
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Is Jace a Link stand in
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Jace is an everything stand-in.
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Jace is MTG's poster boy... for whatever reason.
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Ixalan basics are fantastic
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Ixalan cube update

Compulsive Research -> Chart a Course
Stratus Dancer -> Search for Azcanta
Kalonian Hydra -> Carnage Tyrant
Ankh of Mishra -> Sorcerous Spyglass
Isochron Scepter -> Treasure Map

Pretty small, and I'm pretty sure Treasure Map isn't going to be good enough, but I'd like to try it. Thought about Hostage Taker as well, but I don't want to cut anything from the Dimir section yet. I don't think it's better than Baleful Strix/Tezzeret/Psychatog and Scarab God has been pretty strong for us so far.

Considered Thalia's Lancers too now that the Planeswalker rule is different, but white 5s are already stacked, I don't think Lancers holds up.
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I'm thinking of cutting Tezzeret because nobody ever drafts him. I mean, ever.

With the new Walker rule, how about Captain Sisay?
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I don't think a 4 mana 2/2 that doesn't do anything the turn it comes into play cuts it in the Selesnya section. It's cute, but the G/W deck tends to be more aggro, so I don't think that's the kind of card it wants.

Tezzeret could be a fine cut if no one really plays the artifact deck. It's one of my favorites though, so I don't think I'd cut him, personally.
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Well, the artifact deck does sometimes come together, but it's usually U/R for Goblin Welder, Daretti, etc.
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Yeah that's fair.
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Vampires is pretty fun, though I think it's a few pieces away from really being a good standard deck. The lack of enemy duals really hurts it as well, since I'm running evolving wilds as my second dual.

Creatures 28x:

One Drops
4 Vicious Conquistador
4 Legion's Landing

Two Drops
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Gifted Aetherborn
2 Bishop's Soldier
2 Bloodcrazed Paladin

Three Drop
2 Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle

Four+ Drops
4 Sanctum Seeker
2 Bishop of Rebirth

Lands 23x:
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Evolving Wilds
3 Ifnir Deadlands
3 Plains
2 Scavenger Grounds
2 Shefet Dunes
5 Swamp

Removal 9x
4 Fatal Push
1 Vraska's Contempt
2 Walk the Plank
2 Never // Return

SB:
2 Arguel's Blood Fast (vs. Control)
4 Authority of the Consuls (Vs. Ramunap Red and other Aggro decks)
3 Duress (vs. Control)
2 Cast Out (Problem Permanents)
1 Sorcerous Spyglass (Catch all answer for problem permanents)
1 Lost Legacy (Approach decks, New Perspectives, some other fringe decks potentially)
1 Scavenger Grounds (Extra land, extra graveyard hate or desert activation if need be)
1 Dispossess (Conditional on artifact decks existing)

Other cards I'm considering are Kambal, Consul of Allocation, a third Mavren, Bishop of Rebirth, and maybe dropping the Paladins altogether for more bishop's soldiers or something else entirely.
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i'm going to play sealed at an ixalan 'prerelease'.

you guys have any feelings as far as what cards & archetypes will be solid? obviously it depends on your pool, but still. i'm guessing dinos are supposed to be strong?

and yeah, i know, i should do draft. i just like the lower pressure of sealed, and the deckbuilding aspects of standard/modern. i would suck at draft
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I mean, you're at the mercy of your pool. Sealed doesn't change that much. Find the intersection of colors that maximizes bombs played and depth of acceptable cards. Don't play bad cards in the hopes of creating a synergy deck. Don't skew too much towards cheap creatures in the hopes of creating an aggressive deck. Do splash off-color bombs, as long as they only have one off-color mana symbol and you have fixing beyond just playing off-color basics. Do have a plan for a game that goes long, like a powerful top-end, good evasive threats, or ways to win a card advantage battle.

The only really significant advice for Ixalan sealed that builds on what I said there is not to think you're going to build a tribal deck. Unless you have extremely strong synergy cards for a tribe, do not skew your card choices towards any given tribe. If you're playing WB, for instance, even though that combination is vampires, feel free to include cards like the 3/4 flying dinosaur or some of the black pirates. Don't assume you're in a vampire deck just because you're playing WB. The vampire payoffs in the set are also pretty weak, so you would really need some of the rares for it to skew your deckbuilding in any way.
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Bombs, Removal, Evasion, Aggro, Dregs. In that order.
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Like in particular, keep an eye on your rares and mythics, but good commons and uncommons at a first glance are cards like:

Steadfast Armasaur
Ixalan's Binding
Slash of Talons
Deeproot Waters (Only if you can muster a critical mass of merfolks, one of the rare cards to build around, but better for draft probably)
Siren Lookout (I have a feeling Explore is gonna be good for Sealed especially)
Tempest Caller
Air Elemental
Walk the Plank
Contract Killing
Fathom Fleet Cutthroat
Skymarch Bloodletter
Fiery Cannonade
Firecannon Blast
Charging Monstrosaur
Lightning Strike
Savage Stomp
Merfolk Branchwalker
Drover of the Mighty
Pounce
Commune with Dinosaurs (Looks innocuous, but I have a feeling about this one)

And keep an eye out for any of the multicolour uncommons as well. They typically give you an idea of what that colour pair wants to do. The Fixing doesn't seem great in this set, so I feel like sticking to two colours is the way to go.
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I'm making second sun treasures and it'll be great
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thank you for the advice, this is what i was looking for. i am VERY rusty

i guess in modern design they try to balance the colors for limited as much as they can

i've been to a few prereleases in the past. the only time i won was through incredibly lucky bomb pulls. glare of the subdual carried me to a 4-0 at my first and that was it
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Glare of Subdual is a brutal card and I love it dearly.
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Logicblade posted...

Vampires is pretty fun, though I think it's a few pieces away from really being a good standard deck. The lack of enemy duals really hurts it as well, since I'm running evolving wilds as my second dual.

Unclaimed Territory is a card and you should be playing it.
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