Brewing. Project: Zer0 Style.

Brewing: Mono-White Prison
Deck is inspired by: http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28052_Prison-Hate-Modern.html

Mono-white Prison. Bye bye Aggro / Combo decks...

If you noticed in one of my earlier post, I did mention about my attempt to embark on a project about a month back. Well, I'm close to finishing it once I have acquired a few more pieces and I'm looking forward to play it in Modern events.

With regards to budget, I have almost close to none. I cannot afford to click away on SCG or TrollandToad and pay up the full sum. It's just too expensive for me to do that. Okay, it's not exactly that expensive... The entire decklist above is about USD$315 to check out at TCGplayer. But, note that the prices are based on the cheapest prices available, aka, TCG Low. If I'm particular about the condition, It's most likely that I'll be following the TCG Mid prices, which is about 25% more expensive. Then, let's say we factor in a generous $10 for the most basic shipping cost. (a lot of cards!)

Plus, since I am in Singapore, the conversion of USD to SGD is x1.33 multiplier at the point of writing this article. Factoring that into the calculation, I'm looking at about $500 as the overall price tag. 

Okay, considering that if I buy all my cards locally, it's still going to be roughly $375. It's still a hefty price tag. But, it's considered mid-range prices for modern. The most expensive ones are going for $1200 - $1500 as a whole deck. That's not considering pimps like alternate language or foils. So to me, that price isn't that bad for a second modern deck to play with. Also, I don't have immediate intentions to foil my decks out. I'm only intending to do that for my EDH.

Well, on the bright side, I own some of the pieces already, so we can factor off those cards. Also, the bulk rares serves their purpose here as alternative currency to discount the prices for some of the cards. Also, since I'm on trading platforms like PucaTrade and Deckbox.org, it's a good way to move cards for the points and cards I require. So, for the past month or so, I'm actively moving my bulk rares, miscellaneous rares, and unused staples for the pieces in the new deck. Below is a breakdown in what I have accomplished so far.

Breakdown of the cards owned, traded for and rough quote prices

As stated, if everything goes accordingly, it's still going to be another ~$190 to spend! Yes, the price has definitely been reduced to almost half, but I believe I can still reduce the required expenditure to even lower! 

If we actually take a look, Leyline of Sanctity will be the most expensive playset of cards which I have to acquire. These cards are nearing $30 each! And, they are not going to go down soon unless the Modern Masters 2015 reprint. 

So what's the next plan? I've bulked most of my bulk rares for other cards as long-term speculation in anticipation of the release of Fate Reforged. If the spec is right, I have some profit to roll into buying the cards. But, that is only if I get the specs right. It's not going to help if I bulk them after buying them in, so that's going to be a long wait out. Speaking of bulk, I am awaiting to receive another stash of bulk rares. That one is long overdue because of the external commitments I have past 2 months. I should be getting about 200 pieces. So I'll restart the project by end of the month to see if I can get more bulk coming in.

Alternative is trading out more staples like Shocklands, and other miscellaneous cards like Snapcaster Mage and Abrupt Decay. I'm not in favor of doing that, though this option will be the fastest way. I'd rather hold out those cards until the right time. The point here is to hold the staples until I see profit or a lucrative trading options to trade up. That means that I either trade them for better staples or Cards that will potentially see good growth over the time. So in short, that's the last resort.

So, it means that the other stuff will voice down to actively trading on PucaTrade and Deckbox.

Cards coming in via PucaTrade 

And next, Trades from Deckbox.org

Lastly, I'm saving up the budget. I'd reckon that ideally, I can shave off another $100 from the list. But, if not, I have to be prepared to buy the cards. Financially, this is really really the last resort. The idea of doing it in line with the Project: Zer0 is to minimize the expenditure needed for the deck. As much as possible, I really want to keep the deck under $100 in expenditure.

But, try as I may, some factors will not be controllable. For instance, the delivery of cards and the earning of required points for the cards is not something I can control. I can do my best to push out the trades out as fast as possible on my side, but it will depend on the receiving end to determine how long the trades will take. Hopefully as the time pass, the cards can make it in time before the due date and I am able to acquire the other cards in time too. 

Cards are coming in... But they will take time. And, I plan to complete these by March so that I will have some time to play around with the deck before GP Singapore. The proxied deck that I had testing this deck without sideboard is showing some good results against aggro decks. In fact, against combo decks is also a pain to deal with. The idea of the deck came from this website, http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28052_Prison-Hate-Modern.html; which I then took the list and modify to suit the meta and my liking. That being said, the above list is my 2nd rendition of it. The updates to the deck later on will not be included to the costing of the deck. Mainly, this will cover the core of the deck, which will not change much. But, the supporting roles of the deck will change over time as I progress in the playing field with it.

So far, I'm rather pleased with the outcome of the project. I'm spending lesser than the said projected cost. Of course, time is quite negligible in terms that I can actually wait out, but giving a self time restriction only to be able to play the deck. If disregarding that, I'm only considering cash terms. Even the shipping for the cards to get the points and cards are much lesser than the said costs. I'm spending about $20-$30 in shipping so far in total to gain about $80 worth of points in PucaTrade. I'm saving directly from the conversion costs on Deckbox. Even with shipping factored, the cards I ship out are priced higher than what I can sell here due to the currency conversion and what I am receiving are often much better deals than what I can ask for here.

I'm almost half-way there once the pending cards arrives. I'm looking forward to start playing more and post the results once I have the deck and free time.

Oh, small update, my 5C Ally Reanimator deck is given a slight tweak to the 75 too!

The bold move...

In the light of the recent banning of certain cards, it enlightened me to see things in a different manner and I wish to share with you guys. First off, I'm quite aware that I didn't explain myself clearly in the last few paragraphs and I wish to elaborate it here. 

In the light of Banning...

All aboard... The leaving cruise.

It's no surprise that Treasure Cruise got the banhammer. As discussed in my updates earlier, it's no surprise for the reason that it is a really strong card.
- Forget the 8-mana cost. It's essentially played as a 1 mana draw 3 cards since it has "Delve".
- It's played as a mid-game booster for aggro decks to fill the hand. Hence, enabling to draw 3 cards for that kind of cost, it's almost an equal power level of one of the banned cards; Ancestral Recall.

Dig Through Time is skeptical. I personally thought that... Honestly I was really surprised... and disappointed. Despite very little play experience with Pod decks, Birthing Pod easily goes into one of my favourite green cards. It's powerful, fair and allows a diverse amount of utility and play strategies.

So to me, it can be said the banning of pod is really uncalled for. It's almost like a meta-staple. A face or poster boy of Modern Format. You have to understand that although Pod decks received a huge buff from the recent Khans of Tarkir expansion (Seige Rhino), along with the other smaller boost like Reclamation Sage and Eidolon of the Rhetoric over the past year. It adapted well to the format
because of the deck's flexibility. Not because Pod itself is overpowered. As I described earlier, the deck itself test the pilot's ability. It doesn't just win games on its own. The strategy and ability of the pilot will make a huge difference.

Bye bye....

So now with Pod decks gone from the meta, along with the weakening of U/R Delver decks and to an extend any other decks that uses Treasure Cruise/Dig Through Time, they basically face the following situations;

1. Delver and pod players have no home now.
2. Have to spend thousands to re-modify their decks or basically change their decks.
3. What is the next best deck to play?

Personally, I would say UR delver decks have a few options if they choose not to continue playing Delver. It's still fringe playable, but don't expect playing as well as it did in the Cruise Era...

• Jeskai Midrange/Control
• Splintered Twin
• Izzet Control (is this even a thing?)
• RDW (yea... just go for that if you care about budget that much...)

Birthing Pod players will face a slightly harder option; Pod deck goes off as a combo deck with an alternative win-con as an aggressive Abzan beat-down. Kiki-Pods on the other hand rely more on the combo. So it's hard for them to shift into a new deck with a similar plan at a minimized cost.

• Jund
• Junk / Abzan Midrange
• Scapeshift (kiki-pod players)
• Zoo (kiki-pod players)
• Golgari Dredge?

So as we we can see, the next closest decks for the 2 groups of players are rather off in the strategy and deck archetypes itself. So honestly, just be prepared to spend if necessary. Magic is an expensive hobby. That is something we can all agree on.

Okay, so what about the recent unbanned Golgari Grave-Troll? To be honest, I'm not really surprised to see this unbanned. But, what does this mean for us modern players? What decks will rise because of this card? Prominently, it would be Golgari Dredge/Delve decks that would see benefit.

However, the big question remains as to potentially how strong these decks are and/or how relevant are they to the refreshed format, it really depends on on the support and response they get post-banning announcement. On the top of my head, Dredgevine may see a return thanks to him. Maybe some sort of Delve decks with the new Soulflayer? What about reanimator decks? There are new possibilities and strategies, but it will depend on the popularity and if anyone willing to play them.

Also, it depends on the hate meta. Thanks to "Delve" by Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time, graveyard hate is prominent in my meta. (checking around mtgtop8, grave-hate isn't that much of a problem..) But, hey, depending on where you play, the local meta will see fit differently. But then again, I'm not surprised that the impact of Golgari Grave-Troll to be insignificant. As we recall last year, when Bitterblossom was unbanned, the hype of it caused it to spike up to around $70. But, what happens next? No tournament results and in the end, it was just that; a hype.

Where this goes financially?

Now, this guy is more important than ever...

Key modern staples are not just about the staples for a specific deck. I personally think it's time to look into staples that are capable to be included into multiples. I think that some of you will be laughing out loud at me for saying this, but yes, it took me this long to get a clear insight to actually think this way.

But, hear me out. With the knowledge of reprints in Modern Masters 2015, It's really best not to go delve into the staples too much. With the recent banning, it really shows that Wizards intend to keep Modern controlled, but volatile at the same time. If we are looking at holding staples, I'd say I really will consider the staples that can be ported easily within decks, like landbase and sideboards.

The core of decks will be hard, especially that the over-performing ones like pods can easily be targeted for the banhammer, the underperforming ones on the other hand, does not have retention value. So, it is suffice to say that if I really plan to hold out staples on this format, I have to look into staples which are flexible enough to go into at least 2 or more decks in the format before considering it to be a worthy investment.

So in the meantime, I stand by my decision to stay clear of buying into too much singular-deck staples until Modern Masters 2015. At least in the meantime I have the time to access the format; letting it grow and adapt from there while new decks emerge from the new meta before deciding what truly sticks around.

Could have been worse...

I have been reading Reddit, and Tappedout and MTGsalvations Forums quite actively in-lieu for the banning. I assured myself that the situation could have gone much worse..

• BloodBraid Elf un-banning

The power level of Bloodbraid Elf cannot be underestimated. Un-banning this will cause more of a trouble than help; sure Zoo and Jund will get a tremendous boost they deserve, but the issue of bloodbraid elf running around is that there are no strong decks to keep them in check otherwise. She is not disruptive the moment you cast her, but it is her cascade ability that gives the most issue as the curving end of a low-cost deck, anything she hits with her ability is another board advantage and usually, it's enough to turn the tide around. With Dark Confidant around looming in the same deck, this gives decks running the Jund core a lot of unfair card advantages. 

I was adamant that Bloodbraid Elf will not see an unban due to the sheer unfairness of card and board advantage it gives Zoo and Jund players. So, prior to the ban list update, I noticed my local stores here have sold out their copies at around $2.5 each on average. I decided to pass the opportunity in buying the last 2 pieces. I was right in doing so. She remained banned. However, as I did not anticipate Golgari Grave-Troll to be unbanned, the overnight spike from $1 to $11 all around the world is, well, a surprise that the prices spike so fast. However, note to self, it would not stay there for long. $11 is the initial hype on what he does. If I were to follow the hype as seen in Bitterblossom, my guess he will settle down after the hype to about $4 or $5 a piece.

As I mentioned about the no strong decks in check, think about it. Combo and control decks are scarcely around to check the other archetypes. A very good example is the recent U/R Delver and Birthing Pod scenario. Scapeshift was also prominent in the scene when UR delver took the house. The two decks, Pod and Scapeshift adapted very quickly and managed to see some Top 8 results. Eventually, Pod still manage to take the top placing in the recent GP.

My point here is that there are decks which adapted with the eventual outburst of Treasure Cruise power level, but yes, banning it is the right thing as if the meta is eventually to wrap around playing it or to counter it, it's not a healthy format. However, the point made is a focus that Pod decks were versatile. That's why they won. Okay I'll stop here about Pod decks or it'll seem this whole article is just talking about defending why Pod shouldn't be banned.

Final Thought
In retrospect, I understand why they chose to ban it. Wizards wanted Modern to be continuously volatile and engaging as such that the meta for the format is very diverse. Hence, removing a top-contender along side with the 2 format-wrapping cards will allow the diversification of the format. However, on that standpoint, I really don't see control decks out and running around in the format. Yes, it's a fast format. But, don't you agree that having some prominent control decks running around will help balance out the power-struggle between combo and aggro archetypes? Right now, the meta is dominated in aggro, followed by combo. With the recent post-banning, it would likely seem that the 2 archetypes will still stay in the power-struggle, but control just seem to lost Dig Through Time. I mentioned previously that this was the defining card that could help Control decks see top tier play.

I know Jeskai control is out and running as the dominant control deck. But, an archetype of decks doesn't just represented by a singleton deck right? What about Cruel Control? Tezzeret Artifact? Esper Gifts? I don't play control, but I would love to see more of these decks up to keep the format diverse. Maybe I am wrong, you know, that post-banning these decks will see better play opportunities for some reason. But, as to what I see so far, the meta has basically just became what was prior Khans of Tarkir release, minus Birthing Pod.

It is definitely a bold move and I understand their decision. But, I cannot help but actually wonder what happens to those players who were playing those decks prior the banning and having to spend thousands again just to keep up to the format. Modern was supposed to be an Eternal format; players are able to buy into the game at a high cost, but able to make full use of their investments to reap the benefits of having a deck which could stick to them for life. I cannot imagine how it feel to just suddenly not play the deck thanks to the banlist. Actually, I stopped playing my favourite bant deck due to cost reasons. I sold it last year before the price spike and eventually made the Ally reanimator deck.

I would reaffirm my statement that this incident is a very good learning point for me that Modern is not a place to invest for long term. Even so, I still choose to, but I will have to stick to a more versatile staple instead of a deck-restricted staple. My guess is that my buy-ins for this year would be relatively lesser as compared to last year. But, who knows what Modern Masters 2015 will bring and I look forward to that. Thankfully with the recent lesson learnt, I've made the right choice to invest in foiling out my EDH decks instead.

2015 Modern Ban-list Update: Thoughts...

Banned List 2015

Yup... Surprised?

Banned!

"Decks playing the powerful card drawers have been winning a lot, and pushing a lot of other decks down in competitive play. Blue-Red Delver decks, playing efficient creatures, card drawers, burn, and some permission spells have been the most successful. Also, decks focused on more burn, or combination decks using Jeskai Ascendancy, have done well. However, as these decks have occupied a large portion of the competitive metagame, the overall variety of successful decks has been suppressed. It is imbalanced enough that Wizards of the Coast has decided to act. In Modern, these cards are easy replacements for one another—while a Delver deck might use Treasure Cruise over Dig Through Time, banning one but not the other would do little to change the deck. Dig Through Time and Treasure Cruise are banned."

I think this one comes to no surprise? This has been in the talks for awhile and honestly, the power level of this card really wraps the format till a lot of decks are attempting splashing blue just for it. Admittedly, I didn't. (Reanimator decks.. dammit!) Treasure Cruise is just downright powerful. Even at the high mana cost, it's irrelevant. It's meant for a steam booster for aggro decks. Delving it into a single blue mana is really easy for most decks. Hence, it can be considered to be an Ancestral Recall for Modern and Legacy. 

Still, it's somewhat unexpected by many. That said, I'm rather disappointed that Dig Through Time got banned. Yes, it's an unexpected move. Is it a good move? Maybe. Depends on which side of the story you are in. Within my short experience in playing UW Midrange/Control deck, Dig Through Time was THE card that control players would need to balance out the meta. In all honestly, that is the card that will push them to be more relevant in the current meta, which is dominated by aggro and combo decks. Yes, it is powerful in the late game, but that's what it is supposed to be! A powerful spell which ends the game. That's what I thought control games will be like. So whether if it was a good move to ban the card, if you are control player, you've lost a another good card in your arsenal. If otherwise, you narrowly missed a nightmare.

Speaking of combo decks...

"Over the past year, Birthing Pod decks have won significantly more Grand Prix than any other Modern decks and compose the largest percentage of the field. Each year, new powerful options are printed, most recently Siege Rhino. Over time, this creates a growing gap between the strength of the Pod deck and other creature decks. Pod won five of the twelve Grand Prix over the past year, including winning the last two. The high percentage of the field playing Pod suppresses decks, especially other creature decks, that have an unfavorable matchup. In the interest of supporting a diverse format, Birthing Pod is banned."

No.. Just no. In the levels of expectation, this was at the high end of most people to not expect. It looms around after the game losses that how unfair the deck is and how we wish it to be banned. But in all honest opinion, is it a fair deck? Some would say yes, others, no. It was a fair deck in a sense that it tests the skill of the pilot rather than relying on just cheap combos to win flat out. It tests their decision skills and the ability to read synergy between cards and when to do what. In the right hands, it's broken, powerful and yes, it can be a little "cheating". The inclusion of Siege Rhino to the deck is quite overpowering as shown in the latest results. Hence, this card got the ban.  

Axing Birthing Pod means there goes a specific deck type. There goes the infamous pod deck. Personally, I almost build the deck. Actually twice! But, it was the mana-base and some of the cards that got too expensive that I decided against it. So yay me? Now that Pod decks are gone, what's the next best in the Meta? Scapeshift? Twin? Affinity?  Jeskai Ascendancy missed the bullet just that little bit thanks to Birthing Pod and UR Delver adapting. So with this deck gone and U/R Delver weakened, what's next?

Unbanned!

Okay boss... you're back, now let's see how dredge will fare in Modern. It all make sense that banning the prior 2, Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time and making way for this card will not upset any form of balance (But heck! It's one hell of a fun deck to play...) So what new decks will see rise in the game? Golgari Delve-Dredge? The return of Dredgevines? We shall see. I'm not really attached to this card in any way cos I don't have any experience playing it. But I'm definitely interested to see the new decks coming up with this! (Bitterblossom was disappointing honestly)

In summary, this banned list was a surprise to many and for me, it's refreshing, but surprising to see something like this happen. It really shows that the Modern meta is still very volatile, but not for the reasons that every card has an equal opportunity. The ban-hammer, which Wizards controls, ultimately will control the meta. It's like this pool of cards that are being restricted from playing too overboard. I would agree that having an active update in the banned list will keep the meta fresh and prevent one archetype or deck from overpowering the format, but it's really surprising to see the changes for this time round. 

For instance, the banning of Treasure Cruise this year was expected as that wrapped the format to most players shifting to blue just for that card. Last year we had Deathrite Shaman Banned due to its overpowered utility ability. But, I'm really surprised that axing out the key card in a top-contender deck like Birthing Pod is a really bold move. Yes, it will rejuvenate the meta; yes, it will bring back some balance in the deck variations. 

But it's a move that will cost players thousands of dollars just to change their decks. What is the next best option for them? Jund or Junk, which requires them to purchase Tarmagoyfs which are incredibly expensive right now. Change the colour pie? Sure. Trade in all the Fetch/shocks and other irrelevant cards for another colour and that will cost just as much. In short, don't expect a tier 1 deck to stay there for too long and get ready for a back-up plan if you see your deck performing too well. It's great in the sense of accomplishment, but if the key component of the deck gets banned, be ready to switch.

Well, that's all I have for now. I'll update later with more content regarding the ban-list later next week or so.

Fate Reforged: I'm not convinced... [First Look!]

Okay, Second block of the Khans of Tarkir Expansion Set. Frankly, when I first got a look at the spoilers, incomplete then, I wasn't feeling the same hype and excitement that I felt around within and the people around me. I honestly have no plans to buy boxes or packs for this expansion in light of a new project I've embarked about a month ago. (More on this in the next post!)

But, something caught my eye...

Wow... just wow...

So Wizards decided to do another print run of Fetchlands in Fate Reforged... So basically whoever is hoarding Fetchlands are surely going to be feeling the burn as their prices are going to dip more... I did mention somewhere that fetches will hold their prices for a very long while. Like Shocklands, it could probably take 2-3 years post-rotation to see any positive trajectory growth.

Is this a move by Wizards to appeal more people to crack the packs? Maybe, but I'm not convinced that it's really the plan. For the idea in making Modern entry cheaper, having the core necessity of any deck to be affordable has to be in place before talking about anything being cheap. Sure, mono-colour decks are the most affordable, but honestly, other than RDW and Soul sisters, there isn't much of a variation in the local metas is there? Even the latter rarely saw play in my meta here... RDW is different story. Moving on...

So, for Fate Reforged, having seen the full spoilers, I'm still avoiding boosters, but I'm really psyched about the new "Manifest" Mechanic! Whether it goes on to be competitive enough really depends on the brew and how the meta changes with the new additions. My guess? It's safe enough to get some strong hype now, with a few really good supporting cards to be in the Simic-colour ranges (Bant, Temur, Sultai, etc... 4/5 colours? ). On paper, it's possible to be an aggro deck with a bit of tempo / trick-style of play. You can fool opponents or basically manifest for late-game steam if needed. 

The main thing here still, voices down to whether the deck or mechanic itself can sustain the meta. If it performs well, it's a new thing to look into. If not, well, let's just see if there are any new decks up and coming. For now, I'm pretty sure that "Manifest" will impact the meta in one way or another!

Alright, now for MY Top 10 picks of Fate Reforged! No particular order as usual!

No. 10: Monastery Siege

When this card was first spoiled, my friend(s) were really excited for this card. One particularly noted that this card will jump to $5 - $10. Well, maybe. But, like as known for all releases, the price WILL drop first before any increase. However, this card really took my notice when I first saw it. I'm personally stating that this is an obvious limited bomb. 

In constructed, the potential to see play in Standard and Modern is there actually. Against burn or any decks that requires targeting me or opponent, slapping this post-game 1 as a sideboard card can do some damage and slow the opponent. Then again... we have Leyline of Expensive to contend with... 

The other option can be thought as basically card advantage. The way I look at it, Delve is in the hype right now with a lot of decks utilizing Delve. So the downside of discarding is not really a downside. Still not convinced? Snapcaster Mage is still a thing in Modern! So we got you covered for that.

No. 9: Soulflayer

Remember when Necrotic Ooze was a pain in the butt to play against? Me neither... Basically if you slap Necrotic Ooze with Concerted Effort... Soulflayer is basically the result. 

The thing is this. This guy ABUSES the Delve! Throw the right bunch into the mixture and you basically get yourself a one-hell of a scary dude to face. It's screaming EDH play to me. Not so much about construc-I don't know.... Standard? Delve control in Modern? Does Legacy actually play any of the new cards? Oh wait... yea.. Cruise and Swiftspear... I'm not convinced that this will hit standard as hyped, but I'm all open for decks with this guy as I really loved the concept of this card. ~ Use the  abilities of the fallen/exiled to become an extremely OP-ed character, hell yes! 

No. 8: Ugin, the Spirt Dragon

Speaking of OP-ed... This Dragon means business! The power level of it matches Karn Liberated in Tron decks. I mean come on.... Do I really need to say why? This dude spits Lightning Bolt (ahem... Ghostfire) and wipes you with an overpowered Pernicious Deed... Don't get me starting with my theory of him causing the Genesis Wave to exist...

No. 7: Monastery Mentor

Remember when I said that Prowess is a thing? I'm totally stumped with this card. Just when his little brother (Apprentice...) is going around in standard, this Mentor is out to push more threat. To me, this is how mythic should be like. Powerful. Not broken, but powerful enough to hold the game on his own and even turn tides. He can still be dealt with, but having him on board is really going to tilt opponents. The card alone is a decent 3mana 2/2 with prowess. With the additional little monks, also with prowess?! The subsequent spells are going to cause more trouble than anticipated. 

Honestly, this is one card not to be underestimated. Young Pyromancer is a threat... 

This, is threat-con level over 9000!

I will definitely see him being played in Constructed.. Both in Standard and in Modern. Jeskai Delver / Jeskai midrange... I'm looking at you...

No. 6: Silumgar, the Drifting Death

Just when you think that Control decks can take a short breather from being annoying, here comes this guy. I have got to admit that this guy will definitely be in control decks as a powerful finisher. Hosing opponent's creatures even just by 1 P/T is enough to cause issues in blocking step to get rid of him. 7 Toughness... that's really a big butt... Hey, does the flavour text and artwork kind of remind you of Smaug and Ultron? No? Ah well...

No. 5: Destructor Dragon

For an uncommon, this, in my opinion, is a really good card. Woodfall Primus? Anyone? It's in my EDH for a reason. This, easily becomes the budget versions for any EDH running green. It scales up from Acidic Slime in the curve and itself is a fearsome 4/4 Flier for 6 mana. Don't think it will be played outside limited and EDH.

No. 4: Ethereal Ambush

What did I say earlier? The release of the spoiler of this card made some people to start speculating the power of "Manifest" and its potential impact in constructed. Honestly I'm not sure how good this will be in standard decks, given its cmc ratio to what it gives. I am however, sure that limited formats will give this guy a run. It's not a bomb in the format, but it does give enough impact to be a mid-turn pick. Well, we'll see. 

No. 3: Brutal Hordechief

You remember how Hellrider gave hell in the decks running them back then during Innistrad Standard? I didn't really play until post-RTR, when Innistrad is about to rotate out, I played Jund Ooze for a few weeks before the rotation occurred. No, it's not exactly like Hellrider; Brutal don't have haste, but makes up for having Blood Artist/ Suture Priest - like ability. The gain 1/lose 1 per attacking creature is enough to drastically change games. 

Heck, his second ability is what makes him a more powerful version of Hellrider! Being able to manipulate blocking, you essentially can easily remove chump blockers and high-level threats that opponents may be forcing themselves with to stall or hold the game. Another powerhouse mythic that I guess it would be very viable in Standard constructed. 

No. 2: Wild Slash

2 words; Bye Shock. 

No. 1: Refocus

Just when I'm convinced Jeskai Ascendancy is not going to be a huge deal as it was initially hyped, we have this... No. Even in U/x Delver decks, it's a pain to see this triggering prowess.. This my friend, is going to cause havoc around in constructed formats thanks to the Furious Five and Swiftspear (prowess). 

It's because of those cards that this card is going to be quite irritating. By itself, it's almost a useless card. You won't play it even in limited. Not really a reason to unless you really need the draw that desperately.... Anycase, keep an eye on this card.

Well, that's my 10 picks for Fate Reforged Expansion. What are your top picks for Fate Reforged? Agree with my comments? Disagree? Would love to hear some feedback and your discussions! For now, let's await for the 2nd Expansion of this epic set. I am convinced that this set will change the game.

Puca ~ Puca ~ Puca

I'm back with a new post to kick off the new year!

To start off, I would like to do a closure that I have failed to do previously for year 2014. 2014 has been a great year for me in MTG, but not so much for my personal life. That's why I decided to hiatus for about 2 months to patch things up in my life and also to take the time off to explore new things for this coming year. Well, problems may be there, but things still have to continue and be done. I cannot give up something that I have started and just leave things hanging. I will want to continue in updating the blog at least for another year or so to journal my journey in both finance and game-play.

• Trading!

The past 2 months have been really fruitful for me. I think we do recall the dry-periods when I mentioned there were no trades going out in either forms of bulk rare or solid cash deals. It was at that point when I am exploring several platforms for trades in both locally and internationally to move my cards. To me, the plan was simple, move the cards or I'm stuck with paper that is essentially useless. I also have to come to terms that while sitting on a few thousand pieces of bulk was quite fun at first, lugging around is definitely not. The pain of having to lug around so much cards everywhere I went eventually got me feeling very stupid about the idea. 

$50 off from my bulked rares (~400 pieces) for my Snapcaster Mages buy-in at ~$105/playset ($160 originally)... While I don't exactly call it a profit, I would find it worth the value in holding the playset than the 400 pieces for the next X months.

I didn't give up on the bulk rare project though. Instead, in the last-minute decision after Modern Masters 2015 was announced, I decided to filter out the not so good rares and bulked them out for a good price discount in my purchases from a friend's game store. That was the first step in changing my trading tactics.. I also decided to shy away from the local community to give myself room to explore other options. While the local community, at best, is very convenient to trade with and easier to access for cards, I have a harder time to move bulk and the lesser-demanded cards, which takes up a majority of the cards I have for trade. I could just bulk everything (which I did as mentioned earlier for most of the less-useful bulk) and restart my trading, but that is just going against what I wanted to do initially; to use bulk as currency. So hence, after above mentioned trades, I did other smaller bulk-out like: 

• 56 bulk pieces for 2x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx ($3.50 ea)
• 44 bulk pieces for 1x Baneslayer Angel (price reduction from $13 to $7.50)

Eventually I came across trading platforms like PucaTrade and Deckbox. It was rather tough to start off the engine in trading there at first. Both platforms require very different things to start off. Deckbox needs reputation points to be trustworthy enough to be considered good trading partner, which ironically comes from completing trades. PucaTrade was simpler in the sense that you need points. However, to get points, you first have to give cards to people in exchange for points before being able to receive anything. I do make a few mistakes that cost me money at first; like sending cards below the value of what I paid for postage and yea, I also did a miscalculation in the prices as on these platforms, the pricing of the cards are rather different than what I see in trading here locally. 

But, I have to commend that the community so far have been mostly great! I really enjoy trading in the two platforms and I realized for the past 2 months or so, I barely touched the local forums for trade. I'm moving more cards within the shorter time frame on these platforms than I do here locally! Yes, I am able to move some of my bulk rares for rather nice items:

One of the first few trades I did on Deckbox.. I was trying to see what I can get out of my bulk rares and honestly, with the right trading partner, it's really a surprise! 

Proof number 2 that I can really get some nice things for my bulk rare. While for this list, some othe stuff isn't bulk, I couldn't move them here locally. Hence, to the other guys on the other side of the planet is a much better choice

  

I also manged to get a few trades which eventually got me the better value:

Top trade is an example of the few mistakes I made in calculating the prices. It was a fair trade still.. The bottom one simply yield me a nice profit as a good reason why I want to move cards overseas

For PucaTrade, this is what my trade list looks like so far. Of course, more trades and cards are going in and out, so I cannot capture all of it. But, basically, you get the picture. I'm hoping to get some interesting cards out from my traded cards. 

• MTG-Reddit Finance

Okay, this section will be a really short one. I'm not specifically just referring to the reddit page which I jumped upon for financial updates, speculations and market watch. I'm also referring in general to websites like MTG-Price, MTG-goldfish and the likes. With so many financial pages easily available, directing my blog at that direction is basically just knocking my head against a brick wall and hope for something to happen. That's insanity. In any case, the point for me to bring this up is that time is not on my side. I have more work piled up on my side and I need to streamline my data collection and analysis in order for me to keep up with the analysis of the card trends. 

I personally have missed the boat for a lot of cards as by the time I hit a sound analysis, I'm too late to board the early ship. So basically, I have to find ways to optimize my market research to have more time to analyze and speculate in possible pick-ups or  trends. No, I do not think I did well in speculation, but I do and will follow most of my own opinion and advices and I do have my own hits and misses. I'll be honest. I don't expect myself to have a 100% hit rate. It's impossible, but knowing how to adapt to the meta changes is more important. Having knowing the changes in the meta, we'll know the possible trends coming and be prepared for it.  Personally, I'm still holding on to cards that I have speculated as shown in the blog post; http://project-zer0.blogspot.sg/2014/10/my-next-move.html. 

But, because of financial restrictions, I won't be holding as much copies as I hoped to hold. I would say that so long as I am able to make a good profit out from the cards, selling it or trading out on Deckbox/PucaTrade will be a good option to acquire other cards.

As mentioned, I'm not as active in local trading in the past 2 months, I'm still in a lookout to by in bulk collections from the local scene. However for singles and more in-demand cards, I'll probably turn my attention to the international market for better opportunities there.

• My Arsenal

I'm sure you all know that I'm piloting a 5-colour reanimator deck for modern. It's a good deck and I enjoy playing it. However, it's not well-positioned in an aggro meta. I'm not going to dismantle the deck still. Actually honestly speaking, I am not positioned as an aggro / control or combo player. I can and I do play or have an experience with playing the different archetypes, but not well; just have some minimal experience. As I type, I'm on a lookout on acquiring pieces for a new deck. This deck will be my second modern deck, which I will make it as a standby in case my reanimator deck is unable to perform in the meta. The new deck

I'm still bent in foiling my EDH deck, but as I'm making some editing and changes to the deck, I'll be foiling out the priority pieces first before going to the edited pieces or the cards that are not confirmed to have a slot in the EDH deck. I made it clear with my play group that I will only have 1 EDH deck and I will be invested in it because eventually, I want to play EDH for the political fun in multiplayer mode rather than winning games. Likewise for Modern, I want to use it it as a platform to make friends and have fun... not to be very competitive and just aim in winning..

I actually have a tiny leaders deck in the making and this will make its appearance one the local scene takes up and recognises more tiny leaders as a new and playable format. I'm rather optimistic for the deck as it is a good excuse for me to use a lot of cards which I failed to use them or have a deck for it. Whole on all, you'd realise that I'm not really a hardcore competitive player. That, I'll admit. I never found the joy in competitive. Partly is because I doubt my ability, but more importantly, I prefer to enjoy the play with the community than winning. I would say that if I were to be competitive, I would have taken a different route altogether.

• Featured Articles / Earnings

To be honest, I'm not earning anything from doing blog entries. This is just solely in promoting my opinions to the community and journal my journey as a trader and player in MTG. I don't see myself as a full-time blogger and I have other commitments to earn money from. However, it would be great to earn some pocket cash from here, but as for the moment, it's relatively hard to do so due to the nature of my blog (MTG or card game related blogs are qute hard to reach out to the mass community. The searches are quite hard to have my blog as a top search.) basically prevents my blog in reaching a high profile view and followers as compared to other bloggers who blog about more common topics like food, make-up, life, etc... 

I want to give the internet community a unique twist in the blog entry about my life, but more about my life as a MTG player and as an up-coming trader who have aspirations to learn more about trading and speculation. I don't seek this to become my main income or of any sort, but if I do make a small income from blogging, it would really make my day. So hence, for 2015, I'm aiming to increase my viewership and reach to have more followers and unique viewers. At the moment, I'm using Nuffnang as my main advertisement sponsor. Adsense rejected me 3 months ago for the reason of lack of content... (ridiculous!) and also for the lack of reach in searchability.. I will look into that as part of fixing my blog in 2015. I'm also applying for gushcloud any other possible services to net me income for my effort in promoting MTG and also just about blogging. Honestly, I actually do believe that I have some unique points about my blog. I have yet seen another that does coverage about his/her personal aspirations. financial spectulation and also personal reviews on upcoming set. Correct me if I am wrong, but I actually believe that I am actually well positioned as a unique blogger that has done that to give the community a unique twist and point of few about MTG itself.

Sure, some content may requrire improvement, but given that this was my first year of blogging such topic, I still need to learn and experiment. For 2015, I'll seek to improve my content to be more engaging and unique for you readers!

To sum up, 2014 has been a year of experimenting and taking steps unknown to most people to be unique and original. I am actually quite well-known for my Project: Zer0 in the local community and I thank for the support given in any way by the people here and in overseas. 

For 2015, I aim to expand my reach internationally and gain more viewers! Side note; if anyone in Germany is viewing this, Guten Tag! I'll be heading there for a 4-month attachment later this year somewhere during Oktoberfest! If anyone is kind enough and willing to be-friend me, let's be pen pals! Like the old days, we send email or letters to each other to communicate and make friends! Of course, my plan is to tour Europe, so guys, if I am reaching out to you people in Europe this far from Singapore to Europe, drop me an email or a reply on this article here below to start chatting! I love making new friends and I really wish to expand my circle of friends to overseas! I also love to know your unique cultures and stuff so I am better prepared when I'm at Europe for my attachment later this year!

To wrap up, let's have a wonderful 2015! Happy New Year!