Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[InflatablePie]

If it's not reprinted in Jace Vs Vraska, I'm going deep on Abrupt Decay.

[hasdgfas]

Abrupt Decay is about the only good answer the format has picked up since the ban, really. And that seems like a real odd choice, since Bitterblossom is a 2 mana card that provides a lot of inevitability. But I suppose we'll see what happens.

Blasphemous Act-ish? Lots of other Pyroclasm-type effects? I don't think it'll be as big a problem as you do. It's a format with a ton of cards, I think there will be plenty of answers for Bitterblossom, and I think it opens up some interesting new decks.

[Sudo_Nym]

Pyroclasm was around the last time Bitterblossom was, and that didn't seem to trouble it very much- the Blossom just keeps spitting out faeries.

It's entirely possible that I'm overreacting, but I remember Bitterblossom being a big problem card the last time it was around, and I'm not seeing many more answers to it. The format has shifted, though, so maybe it's not a problem now. We'll see how it plays out.

[Natirasha]

I think Bitterblossom will be fine enough in modern. It will be deserving of it's eventual settling at around $50, but not broken--the sheer fact Abrupt Decay(and Verdict to a much lesser extent) exists will help keep it in check.

DRS was a good ban. I always thought it was super skeevy of Wizards to ban BBE when it was insanely obvious DRS was the problem(I actually hope they take BBE off the banlist again!). I'm hoping the ban helps make hardcore Gifts control/Eternal Command/Dredgevine decks again.

Nacatl is obviously a good unban. Card was banned for shit reasons anyway. As a sidenote, why the fuck is Golgari Grave Troll still banned?

In other news, I'm already liking this standard a lot more. Black's still the top dog, but my group's been testing a few new lists(Wu Devotion, BUG walkers, BG Nighthowler) and they're all doing, well, okay. Wu devotion is gonna be one of the top decks in the format(pick up your Epharas now), I'm fairly certain. BUG walkers got a lot better with Drown In Sorrow(I'm running a 4-2 split of Jace/Kiora), but has slight trouble getting outgrinded by Pack Rat and stuff.

BG Nighthowler is hilarious and what I'm probably playing come Friday. I know this deck was sorta existing before(and very bad), but Satyr Wayfinder fixed the deck quite a bit by giving it a lot more consistency(in Bestow targets & self mill). I've actually been surprised by how successful it's been. I don't think it's Tier 1, but it can definitely win now.

Spoiler: BG Nighthowler list

4x Deathrite Shaman
4x Dreg Mangler
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Nighthowler
4x Nemesis of Mortals
4x Satyr Wayfinder
3x Scavenging Ooze
3x Sylvan Caryatid
2x Nylea, God of the Hunt
4x Grisly Salvage
4x Commune with the Gods
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Golgari Guildgate
5x Swamp
7x Forest
--Sideboard---
2x Whip of Erebos
2x Pithing Needle
1x Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
3x Lifebane Zombie
2x Mistcutter Hydra
1x Shadowborn Demon
4x Drown in Sorrow

[Sudo_Nym]

Nacatl's banning was sketchy; as far as I know, it was just to slow down Naya Zoo, which I don't remember being dominant to the point of requiring banning.

Blood-Braid Elf is probably skirting the line; it's a built in 2-for-1 for a deck that thrives off them anyway, but I'm not sure that BBE's power is the problem.

I'm still not convinced that the Verdicts are the answer to Bitterblossom, though. Pyroclasm and Wrath of God are cards that existed before, and they weren't particularly good against Bitterblossom then. Why would they be good now? The only really good answer to Bitterblossom we have that's new is Abrupt Decay, which is good, but it usually sees play in Jund, which is, ironically, the deck that benefits most from Bitterblossom. The meta will settle it, obviously, but I'm still seeing a potential problem.

Golgari Grave Troll remains banned to try and stop the power of Dredge Combo; Dredge being one of those decks that's always prepared to dominate any format that doesn't come prepared to handle it. Of course, now we've got Grafdigger's Cage and Rest in Peace, so maybe it's blunted enough? It's hard to figure what Dredge's power would actually be short of actually playing it, though.

[Natirasha]

Jund won't play Bitterblossom, full-stop. They already start the game at ~16 life and are losing a lifegain outlet.

I expect that Jund will go back to either the old Messenger/Finks builds.

[Sudo_Nym]

Jund loved Bitterblossom last time, because it was another way to grind out CA, and they didn't have DRS back then. I don't see why they would turn their noses up at it this time. The whole point of Jund is to grind games into victory before your opponent can take advantage anyway, and pinging yourself for 1 a turn isn't going to work out fast enough. We'll see what happens, but I'm expecting that a lot of the early Jund alterations will be -DRS, +Bitterblossom, so it shouldn't take long for the meta to decide.

[Natirasha]

Are you talking extended Jund or Lorwyn/Shards Jund or what Jund?

[Sudo_Nym]

Modern Jund. There's probably a lot of time overlap which makes comparing metas difficult. I'm just saying, Bitterblossom is a card that grinds out advantage, and that's the sort of thing that Jund loves anyway. So why wouldn't they love this one?

[Natirasha]

Has Bitterblossom ever been unbanned in modern?

[Sudo_Nym]

No idea. I don't remember when all of the bannings and unbannings and format changes overlap.

[inHimshallibe]

4x Bitterblossom
4x Spellstutter Sprite

Is just too good to ignore.

What about WUB running:

BB, SS, Snap, Resto. That sounds sickening.

[bv310]

Has Bitterblossom ever been unbanned in modern?

Nupe. It was on the banlist from the format's birth.

[inHimshallibe]

4x Bitterblossom
4x Spellstutter Sprite

Is just too good to ignore.

What about WUB running:

BB, SS, Snap, Resto. That sounds sickening.

Eh, just UB Fae with Snap. That sounds gross too.

[Sudo_Nym]

And Bitterblossom makes Mistbind clique reasonable, too.

[xRECKONERx]

mtg included a gay couple in the lore for theros

that story man... :')

[bv310]

I think (and subsequently confirmed on facebook) that it's based off an ancient Roman myth by Ovid. Pretty fucking cool, and it's also nice to see Erebos being not-disney-evil.

[xRECKONERx]

prophet of kruphix
kiora's follower
bow of nylea

fapfapfapfapfapfap

[xRECKONERx]

Just had a 10/12 Sphinx swinging in every turn no big deal

[PeregrineV]

Friday night Pre-release

Choose White, ended up going white with a green splash for Fleecemane Lion and 2 Reap What is Sown. Went 2-1-1, with the tie being a 45 minute game against a green/white deck. On the plus, I did get a Xenagos.

Saturday I choose Red, and went Red/green and ended up going 3-2. Lost to a black/blue deck and another Red/green deck.

Kind of want the Green boss from the pre-release, but didn't want to play another 6 hours on Sunday. Maybe at the release I'll try again.

[Natirasha]

Just had a 10/12 Sphinx swinging in every turn no big deal

I actually went deep and acquired like 8 foil prognostic sphinxes last week on the cheap. Perhaps not while Aetherling exists, but I expect that card to be a major player come Huey-standard and spike like DDemon did. Other good candidates, I think: Reaper of the Wilds, Herald of Torment, Courser of Kruphix, Agent of Fates, maaaaaaybe Polis Crusher(actually pick up your Coursers now--my testing has been showing this card is actually insane).

I had to hang up the Nighthowler list again--in addition to just straight-up losing to Scavenging Ooze, it also has huge problems with UW control. Mono Black & aggro matchup was sick, though!

Thinking of trying a mix of Hoogland's BUG list from pre-BotG, maybe a straight UG control shell too.

[xRECKONERx]

Courser of Kruphix is going to be a major player in BNG standard Imo

[Natirasha]

I got two at the prerelease(one foil) and traded them for three Polukranos, then as the week's gone on, my testing has been revealing the card is actually insane and I wish I hadn't.

Oh well, what can you do? Hopefully I'll find some at FNM tomorrow to pick up. It's the type of card that'll go way down before going way up-it's not gonna have Reckoner levels of hype, but certainly it'll spike come a few weeks. I expect it to be $15 at some point, at the very least.

[kdowns]

I am on the Pain Seer Wagon.

Also DRS Banning is going to lead up to a Snapcaster Ban next banning

[InflatablePie]

GR Tron runs Relic of Progenitus, some decks will run Scooze, and there's tons of other stuff like Rest in Peace/Tormod's Crypt/Nihil Spellbomb to stop graveyard shenanigans.

GY Strategies in general will be a bit more popular for a bit, I bet.

Also I should play Modern. Still dunno what deck I want to run; GR Tron looks fun but is pricey, MonoU Tron seems okay, Ninja Bear Delver looks fun and gives me some blue staples if I move out of the deck, Birthing Pod is my favorite card but fetches are expensive... I saw an Esper Gifts list on CFB that looks kinda fun, and then there's this deck... *shrug*