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T2_Fr33K

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2005 4:43 pm

Joined: 28 Nov 2005 Posts: 32 Location:

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Why to max out your copies of key cards -- even legendary cards.
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I’ve seen many people who run two or three of all their legendary stuff in their deck. And I’m here to tell you why they are wrong.
Remember:
Legendary creatures are typically more powerful than their non-legendary counterparts. This isn’t absolute, but if you run a legendary, it’s usually a pretty important thing to your deck success.

Ex: 1) Umezawa’s Jitte
2) Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
3) Kodama of the North/South Tree
4) Meloku, the Clouded Mirror

First off and most prominently, Jitte needs to have four copies. People run artifact hate because of jitte. Before blowing that off, think about it. Jitte is the most commonly run artifact, and the most powerful card in standard. Because people love blowing up jittes, having two is more useful than having zero. Because you aren’t allowed to have 5, you must therrefore deck 4. Having two jittes even if they don’t blow one up is still worthwhile, because one attack with a jitted creature pays for itself in card advantage, sometimes more. Two attacks means you’ve already paid for both jittes (-4/4 split how you want has a tendancy to kill stuff), and maybe more. Oh yea, instead, you can convert that into free damage or life... not only is it already a good card, but it fits into any situation. It’s worth having the extra card even on the rare chance your opponent doesn’t blow it up!

Ink-eyes is another example. Although not many decks run him, those that do typically ninjitsu him in, leaving him completely vulnerable to any sort of kill/burn spell because you can’t afford to pay the regenration. Same deal if you hard-cast, you just can’t afford to have the mana untapped, so you leave him vulnerable to everything. Ink-eyes is very much a power card, and typically the highest or second highest mana cost in your deck. Like jitte, he’s usually the main or one of two win conditions. As the definition of a win condition, you are supposed to win when one comes out. So, naturally you want to make sure you get one! Who cares about extra cards in hand if you WIN?

Kodama’s fall in the same category as ink-eyes. High end on the mana curve, and a normal win condition. The only exception to this, of course, is a gifts ungiven deck, where you will search for it as intended. Playing a kodama of the South Tree in a spirit deck means from every turn thereout, your creatures should be completely buff. So, your opponent will kill it with any sort of bark banishing, hero’s demise, torrent of stone, char, fiery conclusion, wildfire, flame wave, call for blood, pull under, sickening shoal... I think you get the point. Legendaries, due to their game-changing nature, are always targeted with kill spells. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that they are countered quite frequently. Once again, two is better than one.

Meloku is the typical stall card for blue. Stalling and beating with midget fliers are usually how people are killed by blue. Why is it, then, that you wouldn’t want to maximze your chances of stalling or being able to kill an opponent? Meloku is under both of the above categories- he’s a win condition and a target of kill spells.

When the people that correctly said 3 maximizes the chance of having one, but not two, they completely ignore the fact that with many legendaries, two is better than none. This is because they didn’t factor in an opponent in their formulas. Any control deck with red, black, or blue should have some sort of damage, kill, or counter respectively, and the only viable agro deck I’ve seen is boros. The same boros that can’t touch many of these countrol decks and will have issues making the top 8.

The bottom line is this: you will have an opponent when you play (if you don’t, I can’t help you). You need to count on it and be ready for them. Therefore, if your deck has a legendary creature win condition or major asset, you must run four of them.

La_Sin_Grail

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2005 4:50 pm

Joined: 14 Aug 2005 Posts: 806 Location: Maryland

Some interesting points... I like the part about the jitte, but meloku isn't really necessary to have over three. Blue should have the countering and bouncing power to survive without meloku, and keiga can win as well as anything else.

With ink-eyes, you should ninjitsu in and steal their best card from graveyard anyway.. he will have already done much damage before they have a chance to kill spell him (unless its as an instant)

A little opinionated? Oh well, it makes for interesting reading.

The First

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2005 7:08 pm

Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 195 Location: Anderlecht, Belgium

I agree about the Jitte. 4 copies is best even though it is ennoying to have 1 left in your hand that you can't use.

I do not agree about Meloku or Ink-Eyes though.

I use Ink-Eyes in my SuiBlack and some other Black decks. He is at the top end of the mana curve most of the time. Playing with 4 would destroy my tempo with eg. SuiBlack (if I would have 2 or more in hand). If he gets out once, great. Don't forget that he has that nifty regeneration ability to keep him alive much longer than necessary in most cases. Getting 1 out during the game is enough.

Gifts only uses 1, sometimes 2, Melokus. My MUC uses 3 copies which is plenty. I prefer by far counterspells to a second copy of Meloku in hand. If I need one, I will stall the game untill I get one or a Keiga.

Other Legendary creatures that could, in some decks, deserve 4 card slots are Kokusho and/or Kagemaro.

In most aggro decks, there is nothong worse than drawing a Legendary card that is already on the table and that is not about to be killed or removed from play.

Control decks often don't need second copies. They either stall or counter the removal.

T2_Fr33K

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2005 8:54 pm

Joined: 28 Nov 2005 Posts: 32 Location:

Meloku in gift control is different than normal control. In gifts, it's under the gifts exception in my article. Counterspells may be better than a second copy if they don't have any kill spell or burn spell to kill Meloku. IF they have one, you'll get mighty glad for that second one. Remember having 4 also maximizes your chance of getting one.

physcosick

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:44 pm

Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 229 Location:

Jitte: In most decks 4 is run but in many decks, only three is played. Most of my decks only run 3 for many reasons: they will all be destroyed eventually, its a win more card, I'd rather be playing something else in my aggro decks then a jitte and then have to pay mana to equip when I could be bashing my opponent, screws up your draws, you can have more threats. But 4 is perfectly fine, I'm not going to argue with it but it is also perfectly normal for decks to totally ignore playing jitte because they can be doing better stuff that is harder for your opponent to deal with.

Ink Eyes: His regen costs 2 mana and it is 1 colorless and 1 Black. If a deck plays Ink-eyes, ninjitsu or hard cast, it can afford the regen, thats the whole point.Against decks with chars and other burn, you don't play inky unless you have the resources to be able to regen too.

Kodama otNT: KoTNT PWNS sure he has 4 toughness but who cares. His untargetability is nice most of the time and he has an excellant power/toughness to mana cost ratio. If a deck can't afford the cost then they wouldnt play it. And if they do play it it will certainly help more then it will disappoint.

Meloku: Meloku is a 3 of unless its Critical Mass, in which 4 is often played. But 3 is the magic number cause MUC runs it as the main kill, also Keiga but thats a different story. The reason why is because control decks want to consistantly draw lands and counters so they can deal with threats and continuosly have land drops so they can play counters. So you wont play Meloku until you have like 8-9 mana open so you can play it and have counters.

I really dont see the point in this article. You can't just say these things because in Magic, especially in the new standard,: you don't know what is going to come (standard is very open and anything can happen), all decks are different and thus handles their creature bases differently.

La_Sin_Grail

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:43 pm

Joined: 14 Aug 2005 Posts: 806 Location: Maryland

I liked your rebuttle except the ink-eyes thing. Waiting for eight mana in a black deck is one sure way to lose. The burn deck will use their own eight mana to headshot kill you if you wait.

I think this guy is over the top, but he makes some very nice points.

physcosick

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 7:28 pm

Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 229 Location:

La_Sin_Grail wrote:

You dont have to wait for 8, 7 is fine if you can ninjitsu it, and it depends on a few things: if your oppoent plays red you have to wait or it will die, if you have reanimators you don't have to wait for anything cause you can just get it back.
But agreed...... red would be a bad match up........ if you are lucky and they have no cards in hand then it is fair game though, since red emptys their hand a lot and quickly too for the most part. If the Black deck plays Consume Spirit.... they could stand a chance. I know my State's 4th place MBC ran Consume Spirit.... among other cards.

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