Subject: Stronghold(comments, thoughts metagame, analisis, everything) Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 13:29:34 +0100 From: Nestor Rodriguez Hi all out there. As some of you may know, I`ve been busy lately, writing exams and stuff, so I could write anything on stronghold when it came out. With very expansion, the metagame changes substantially. The aim of this post is to analyze what are the new things we can expect from stronghold, and a rough prediction (With no intensive playtesting yet) of the metagame changes as stated from a theoretical point of view. Here it come, I hope you enjoy them. First Glance. This expension, at first glance reminds me of visions. Powerfull commons, some new strategies given, some old tempest strategies and cards brought to a futher level (Buyback, slivers), many good rares (there are some really bad rares to, and the new incarnation of the card everybody wants just to trade it to others, sliver queen and mox diamond), and crazy for limited play. In the rath cycle, the most boosted colour (Always IMHO) is green, with some more good cheap fatties, and some really good enchanments, as well as interesting buyback spells, and flavour races (Spikes, elves). For the T2 scene, I don`t think that there are too many impact cards that will change everything, only a deeper insight in the card disadvantage theory (As I predicted, Wotc like promoting new ways of playing) and some nasty discard (more on this later). For extended and T1.X I think red got the big ones, with ruination (making multicolour difficult) and shock (more bolts for our list). All the other colours get nothing really important for this except for sacred ground, which can maybe, finally erease all those nasty land destruction decks in T1/1.5 Card By Card At this point I will not waste more digest analyzing each and every card from the expansion, only point out some of the highlights from each colours. BLACK Generally the discard strategy is really boosted in this colour with some creature removal, but nothing new really. Highlights -Bottomless Pit: No secret here, a deck prepared to gain an advanatge of this card can ruin any deck that cannot deal with heavy discard. A good friend of pox, for the ultimate black theory, destroy yourself, and take him with you. -Megrim: This looks tome like the unrestricted version T2 of underworld dreams. A scary enchanment that can kill you on his own, if combined with the right strategy, has potential to be abused. -Tortured existence:I haven`t tested this card yet, but I see a ot of potential here, a card that allows you to recycle your best dead creatures. Particularly good with 187, and hard to remove creatures (Recycle your Golem, your centaur, or your black knights against a white deck) BLUE Again, nothing especially new, more counterspells, more fliers, more manipullation and card drawing and some interesting flavour cards. Highlights -Mana Leak: Nothing new here. Excelent counter for early in the game, has good splash abilities, an ace. NOTE for blue mages: Don`t forget to use counterspells, do NOT swap this for counterspells in a mono(heavy) blue deck (some are tending to do this...:) ) -Reins of Power:Good card with a good abuse potential. I can see decks developing arround this if the enviroment turns creature heavy... -Silver Wyvern:Big blue flying is IN. -Spindrift Drake: Blue weenie was never so possible, with him and all the other cheap new weenies. -Evacuation: Sort of creature removal for blue, best used during his discard phase. -Volrath`s Shapeshifter: As stated by len, interesting card, and best with tortured existence. GREEN Nice stuff, nice biggies, good new cards, and excellent commons, flavour cards. Highlights -Awakening:Some of my friends are already trying to abuse this. -Burgeoing: interesting fix version of fast bond, for best use, try it with horn of greed. -Carnassid:Excelent fatty, could even find some room for tournament decks. Durable (regenerates) with trample (important for a biggy) and cheap for his CC. -Constant Mist:Amagazing, many ways to abuse this. I can finaly see my turbo fog deck going to a tournaments. Will force creature heavy decks to use discard or counterpower. -Endangered armodon:In the right deck, this is an erhnam. Finally maro got a good frind to fight the evil with geddons. -Mulch: great manipulation, combined with gaea`s blessing and scroll rack, a winner. RED Really nothing new, creatures and burn, burn,...also some flavour creatures (flowstones) Highlights -Mogg Justice:Burnnnnn. Good adition for slighish decks. -Mogg Flunkies:Great, more sligh, will be the succesor of all mighty Ironclaw Orc. -Ruination: the bain of the duals, and mishra`s and stuff, fear this, extended players. -Shock:Bolts are always welcomed. WHITE Interesting new additions, more weenies, more protection, more life gaining, creature removal, and a flavour race (the Kor) with a usefull ability, especially in white`s battle against evil red. Highlights -Pursuit of knowledge:As the times of hand destruction approach, any sort of card drawing is welcomed. This and Sylvan is partytime. -Sacred ground:Land destruc...what? forget it, I can see counterpost comming again, and decks that only kill with mishra`s (they rule under this) -Bandage: This is not baaaarocken, but the surprise effect, and the card replacement can make some amusing situations. If you have some room, go for it! (this is just the appeal of to the typical situational underrated cards that noone mentiones) -Simte:Some removal for white, I don`t really know what to think of it, testing will tell. GOLD Slivers, nothing new to say here. I`m still waiting for a tournament winner sliver deck... Artifacts Most of them expecnsive, and bringing nothing new, don`t let the word Mox lure you! Highlights -Ensnaring Bridge:Yes! card disadvantage, here we go! -Horn of greed: I can see lot`s of people trying to abuse this. It will be cool to play with 35 land decks, and never be screwed again. LANDS Will a usefull land. Good to include in any dek with black and creatures, especially good with the nasty 187s. This are my general comments to the expansion as it is, now come the comments to stategy and metagame. POWERED STRATEGIES OK, if we look at stronghold closely, we can see the lack of permanent removal (Besides creature removal) which will be particularly important for the rath cycle only, were there are a lot of enchanments and artifacts, and not many ways to get rid of them. It is obvious that discard is powered with this expansion, not all of the cards are tournament worth, but at least there is more to choose from. If we consider the cards we already have (Stupor, Lobotomy, Abysal, Disrupting Scepter, Funeral Charm...) and the new ones comming, especially Bottomless pit (In synergy with megrim). The consequences of a new discard era will be pointed out later. Other boosted strategies are Fatties (there are some good ones in Stronghold) which will affect both, normal T2/T1.X and tempest constructed, where the lack of this kind of creatures made the field into a mere weenie rush. I`ve been always a fan of this way of playing, drop a fattie, and let your opponent either deal with it or lose to him. We have good manipulation, especially in green and blue (As usual) and also some more interesting cards for the Destruct your own hand for advantage strategy, which is good, as I can already think of a few consistant decks that can play in this manner. Finally I want to point out the dualism we have in this expansion for land destruction. On the one hand we have ruination (As stated before) that will be like hell for T1.X (maybe the comming back of monocolour decks just with splash of others) and for 5Cdecks and decks using lost of special lands. On the other side we have Sacred Ground, a white enchanment that complitely screws up this kind of strategy, an makes some of the special lands really scary (Mishra, outpost [maybe a comming back?]..) Both cards probably belong to the sideboard, but their mere ecxistence makes it necessary to consider them. METAGAME COMENTS AND PREDICTIONS First of all we have to understand what kind of metagame we have now, to have a better picture of how it is going to change. I have already discussed that on many messages, but I will point out brievly the main characteristics of what we have now just to make the whole posting a unit. 1. Creatures are the most popular ways of dealing damage, and almost everyone uses them. 1.1 Creature destruction is essential to survive and, and Creature Control/Control decks are strong. 1.2 Most of the creature decks are weenie decks, to lower the curve 1.2.1 Winterorb is not that efficient any more. 1.2.2 People don`t take extra messures for orbs in form of alternative mana sources (Diamonds) because of the waisted slot, and the all cards are threats theory of this aggresive decks. 1.2.2.1 With no kind of protection, Armageddon is STRONG (and all kinds of land destruction. 2. Sligh is really popular in the field currently. 2.1 Life, and lifegaining are more important than ever. 3.There are a lot of nasty enchanments and artifacts out there (Propaganda and Cursed Scroll are the biggest) 3.1 Permanent removal is essential. 4.There is no effective way to stop discard, and it is a good answer for both, control decks, and Weenie decks (make them run out of steam even faster) 5. There are a few possibilities of making successfull combo decks 5.1 Counter power is an important aspect, due to it`s flexibility. This are some of the general characteristics we have now. the thing is how is the above stated going to affect them? It is hard to predict, but you can get a rough idea. Discard is strong now (Point 4), and it is even powered more with stronghold, so we are approaching to a new discard era, thus it makes card in hand really important, and all kinds of strategies that fight this are good (examples Card-Disadvanatage Theory, Hyper weenie with scrolls and tongs [Countermessures for discard]). This means that the already almost unexistant control decks will have to change to adapt to this enviroment, if they want to survive. The new (Cheap)Fatties make the fattie soft lock strategy viable again, (Before we just had Good`ol Maro). The library manipulation we have now (Blessings, harrows, Impulse, Scroll rack, Sylvan,...) combined with the new ones can create the appearing of new decks that can control almost every draw they have, making them serious threats. Point two is still really important, as it seems that red burn decks will just grow with shock and the flunkies comming. Life will be one of the most important resources to look for, making the already powerfull creature Bottle Gnome and other life-Gaining devices gain use. Point three is boosted too with stronghold, making it cards like disenchants and aura of silence just to good to be true (I`m currently examining if I will play standart 3 disenchants and 3 Auras in every deck with white, as everybody uses at least scrolls). Tournament decks will have to have an answer to this, if not standart, from the side. Point five will become more and more important too, with the comming of at least 3 different unlimited combo decks powered with stronghold cards. this will make points 3.1 and 5.1 come into consideration when constructing a deck. Here is where cards like mana leak come, that can be easily splashed everywhere and protects you from all kinds of early spell threats. I see a lot of use this card in the future. Finally another word to land destruction, with the permanent threat of ruination around, and all the land destruction spells we have now, the use of alternative sources of mana becomes really important, to lower the power of this kind of cards. DECKS After these pedictions, I will come some decks that I think will come in the tournaments scene. Discard either on his own (Mono black, maybe with necro or pox as good friends), or with the splash of some colours (probaly blue or white). I can see the resurrection of maro/geddon (And friends), as a really strong deck. Good stuff decks that use the best of the best (DD, Disenchants, mana leak..) and a solid creature base from one of too colours have a lot of possibilities too. Classic decks will remain there with with complements of the new decks: Slighish(Flunkie, shock..), WW (En-Kor family, smite),...One of the most interesting things is that maybe Blue sligh will make the cut with it`s new additions. Maybe we will see more fish attack decks in the scene, or at least more blue quick flying beatdown decks. Finally I`d like to mention my personal favourite, the Destruct-Your-Hand-To-Disrupt (DYHTD). I know I`m sounding repetitive about this, but I cannot see a better way to fight discard than having no hand at all and thus makind all the discard cards complitely useless. We this are my initial comments to Stronghold, again without extensive testing yet. In a few months, probably in may we will be able to see thing more clearly, and I hope we can comment more on this interesting topic. As usual all sorts of feedback is welcomed, especially strategic comments and corrections. I hope you enjoyed this post. Best regards to everyone still playing Magic (not easy if they keep rising the prices) END of Part 2. Read'ya! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nestor Rodriguez Vilanova "We all make mistakes...;-)" "Magic is like life, many people play, few get to master it" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------