No thanks.
But you can't just pick ANY lands, you need something that says something about you. For me I need to convey class, a modicum of decorum, and that I take decades off between building decks. We're going to go chronological. One set of lands from each set of Magic I played: Unlimited, Ice Age, Mirage, Tempest, and Urza's Saga. Also, elimination rules apply. If I use the Mountains from Mirage, then I can't use Mirage for anything else.
First stop: unlimited. Easy call. Plains.
Classy (spells out "tap" like a kindly but demanding uncle). uses the original and best white mana symbol (most inexplicable change ever) and brings back fond memories of casting Benalish Heroes and Crusades. The white border is a bit of a bummer but it's a small price to pay.
Next step: picking from Ice Age. At first this seems a no brainer: there's an ISLAND with a DRAGON in the BACKGROUND. 100% OP.
However I don't think I can blow islands too soon. There's a lot of pretty decent island art coming up and Forest is a friggin' nightmare. Don't believe me? Feast your eyes on this murderer's row:
kkthxbai. We're going to club down for an easy approach. Don't try and be a hero; take what's offered.
Note, I haven't decided between all snow-covered forests (for lols) or rotating the set.
Onto Mirage. Again, solid Islands. This was always one of my favorites
But we have a better opportunity here. Swamps! Ugh, swamps. How much monochrome can a palette take? Fortunately this was before WotC decided that it was a good idea to be able to quickly identify what colors a land can produce.
I'm pretty sure that's two islands and two plains. Perfect. Fuck black anyway. I've never forgiven you for the Royal Assassin.
On to Tempest. Choices are getting a little forced here, it's between mountain and islands. So let's lay out the choices and maximize utility.
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Tempest mountain. I just think it's cool looking. Also, I *just* noticed that the island art appears to be the same island from different angles/weathers. Mind. Blown. Also the Saga's mountains are a little bland, though I did just spend 10 minutes to see if they tried to same trick with the same mountain range from different angles. Inconclusive.
how can you bag on the shuler forests from tempest. easily the best forests available in your spread and top 5 all time.
ReplyDeleteyou probably dont want to take snow-covered anything to battle outside of an eternal format. some pedant might get you for playing illegal cards and unfortunately they would be technically right.
the penalty for snow-covereds would probably be severe: you'd have to use regular basics out of the store's box
DeleteI'm trying to picture my rage if someone in a pre-release tournament was that much of a jackass. I'm pretty sure I'd give them an atomic wedgie.
DeleteRe: urza's islands
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to act like I've noticed that before, but since you mention it. Seasons!
Seasons? Looks more like weather to me. I think they overdid the storm a bit. One lightning bolt is fine; two is a little Michael Bay-esque.
Delete