#krenko's guide

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Creature Types: Ooze

Art by Simon Dominic

What is an Ooze (flavorfully)?

Oozes are semi-fluid, animate blobs made of countless single-celled organisms fused together to work as one. Oozes have no distinct body parts on anything larger than the cellular level, an amalgamation of amoeba-like creatures acting in unison, like a group of robot lions combined into a single, larger robot.

Oozes are free to grow to any size, can split apart, and exist solely to find food.

Though real-world oozes are rarely larger than a square inch or so, many in Magic’s multiverse are large enough to easily devour a human whole. Though oozes appear on most planes, they’re thankfully quite rare everywhere outside of a Simic lab.

What is an Ooze (mechanically)?

Oozes are primarily green creatures and tend to have mechanics based on growth, multiplication, or both. Though this is usually in the form of +1/+1 counters or making Ooze tokens, it’s far more likely to get weird than a Hydra is, such as having power based on the number of something you control or in your graveyard or somehow absorbing other creatures.  Starting size for an ooze varies wildly, but even the small ones tend to have a lot of potential for growth.

Can I make an Ooze deck?

Ooze Tribal is absolutely possible. It’s not the fastest midrange option, but there are enough strong Oozes that can be hard to deal with and ways to flood the board that Ooze tribal’s got some answers for most problems. The biggest issue is going to be dealing with aggressive fliers while you build up, so you may want to devote a bit of extra removal for that. Fortunately, Green gets access to both fight and flying hate. For 60 card, mono-Green should work fine.  If you’re a very casual playgroup, try finding a playset of S.N.O.T for the one-drop creature this deck could really use.

For Commander, you’re going to need to expand into other colors to get enough Oozes. Black and Blue are both options, neither really having quite enough Oozes to be happy with but both providing a lot of options in their other spells. I’ll always lean Black in tribal decks for Patriarch’s Bidding and Haunting Voyage as board wipe protection that a lot of tribes really need. Despite the existence of Red oozes, they’re just not good options. Two of them have cumulative upkeep costs and one is basically useless. Bloodhall Ooze can be amazing, but not worth running the color for.

The Mimeoplasm makes for a reasonable commander, providing all three colors, but its abilities don’t really leverage an Ooze tribal strategy. Aeve, Progenitor Ooze, absolutely leans Ooze tribal, but comes with the drawback of locking you into mono-green.

Umori makes for an interesting commander option as a Green/Black option. Ignoring the companion ability, it’s still a 4/5 for 4 that makes your creatures cost 1 less. You don’t need to limit your deckbuilding if it’s your commander.

Sluurk, All-Ingesting, is not inherently the strongest, but its ability is clearly built for +1/+1 counters that Oozes often have and that keyword of “Partner” opens up many, many options. Most notably, Reyhan, Last of the Abzan works very well with many Oozes. Unfortunately, the only Blue-Black partner is basically useless for our purposes.

If you don’t feel the need for your commander to be an Ooze, Muldrotha is in the right colors and is honestly just a complete monster. Cazur and Ukkima can work quite well, too, as Cazur’s ability to put +1/+1 counters on your creatures naturally combines with the primary Ooze plan. You could also pair Reyhan with any Blue partner to get all three colors.

Is Ooze a good creature type?

Ooze is a great creature type. Ooze stands alongside Hydra as a clear example of Green’s idea of unmitigated growth but does it in a very different way. While Hydras often have X in the cost and can come in at any size based on the mana spent on them, Oozes tend to start small and grow over time. Some of them get big, some of them multiply, but it usually succeeds at that sense of the slow consumption of everything around them.  Oozes have a bit of tribal support, but it’s all weird and unique tribal support. Even the traditional “Lord” for Oozes, Biowaste Blob, reproduces to give increasingly larger boosts. 

It’s no secret that Ooze is one of Mark Rosewater’s favorite creature types, and the careful love we see for Ooze and the unique Ooze designs aren’t a coincidence. Ooze is a well designed type with a lot of great stuff going for it, and even if it’s not going to become the big sensation in any set it’s still going strong.

[supereffectivemoonblast]

Ravnica

Chapter 23: 10'000 Prunes, When all you need is a life

This week in our D&D Ravnica adventures, we had a very long, eventful session. We've overcome a number of trials and been troubled by many more, but we inch ever close to solving the main conflicts of the city, and finding a conclusion to this tale.

Last time, the party was investigating the second occurrence of an event called The Big Stink. Gankey was the first of the party to find the source of the second Stink. Soon after, the rest of his party caught up, and followed him into the building's basement.

First thing that happens is the party find a fish-like mutant, a Krasis, trying to scramble into a gap in the floor. The party quickly slay the monster, which had already been in a scrap. Gankey, the only party member to comfortably fit in this gap, explores to find a Golgari Dark Elf trying to catch his breath. Although we previously found that Golgari was responsible for these Stink events, this one expresses that not all members are a fan of living with unbreathable air all the time. He tells the party how to follow these tunnels to the place where the Stink cannisters are made.

Gankey, after his solo adventure last time

Fish/Salander Krasis like we fought, (Magic the Gathering)

Gankey collects his party and we delve deeper into the caverns. Soon into our journey, we are ambushed by a group of Undead Dark Elfs, who are not up for negotiations. We fight, and fairly easily win. This victory encourages a group of rough looking Goblins out of the shadows, who tell us they'd been trying to retrieve their leader, a mob boss named Krenko, who is somewhere in this Golgari hideout. Lavinia had previously encountered Krenko, and Solomon's law background means he is all too aware of Krenko's reputation. They promise to free Krenko if they find him, provided they get compensation.

As the path shifts from rugged cave to well formed tunnel, they come across a sleeping Golgari sentry, another Dark Elf, apparently guarding the way to the Stink Factory. While Gankey and Lavinia argue over the best way to 'whack' him, Mira thinks he'd been more useful alive. She wakes the Elf and casts Charm Person. This charmed Elf, now all to willing to cooperate, guides us to where we need to go. We don't ask his name, so we just call him Elfo.

Elfo, a Golgari Thug, (Magic the Gathering)

Otyugh, (D&D 5e)

Elfo warns us about something crawling around in the sewerage, and very soon we come across a bizarre aberration called an Otyugh. Elfo bravely rushes in (down bad from the Charm) and strikes the monster, but he was not built strong enough, and is quickly killed. The party fight back, and Mira, upset that she caused the death of an innocent, strikes down the Otyugh.

Nearby screams of terror quickly grab the party's attention, leading them to a locked door, which Lavinia quickly unlocks. Inside, the party find a group of Zombie Dark Elfs, and a Zombie Ogre led by a Spore Weilding Shaman. They are gathered around the Mob Boss Krenko, strapped to a porcelain throne. He is force-fed prunes, which they seem to have many crates of.

Krenko's poop is the source of the Big Stinks?!

Golgari Shaman, and the Z'Ogre, (Magic the Gathering)

The party quickly leap into action, and the small room quickly fills with powerful magic attacks. Solomon casts an eldritch shadow over half the room, Hunger of Hadar, and most of the minor grunts are consumed by the cold. The Shaman blasts a choking cloud of spores over the other half of the room, poisoning the party. This has the fortunate effect of finishing off any of the grunt Dark Elves who survived the Hunger of Hadar.

The party look hopeful at the numbers advantage they now have, but the Shaman is powerful and quickly barrages the party with fungal tendrils, swarms of centipedes, and more spore clouds. Mira uses her Channel Divinity Balm of Peace to restore her party's health and spirits, but she is suddenly struck by some of these fungal tendrils and squeezed until she loses conciousness. Solomon releases his magical tomes upon the Shaman and the Zombie Ogre until the spores faint him too. Lavinia tries her best to rescue her party-mates while Gankey fights to the bitter end... and succeeds.

Krenko, Mob Boss, (Magic the Gathering)

The dust settles, with Gankey victorious. Lavinia managed to stabilise Solomon, but Mira was lost. While Lavinia looks sadly upon their fallen friend, Gankey releases the goblin mob boss Krenko, who is very grateful for the freedom of his weaponised digestive system. Gankey asks what their reward will be, and Krenko cleverly offers up the half a dozen crates of prunes still left in the room. Gankey happily accepts.

Lavinia takes the party, with Mira's body, to a Selesnya Chapel, paying their respects. Gankey returns to his Gruul Home with several boxes of prunes. Solomon reports back to Azorius about the events of the day, and how the Big Stink Saga is hopefully finished. This recent set of experiences helps Lavinia make the decision to take a break from the investigator lifestyle, and she quits Izzet. She hopes to get the qualifications to join Azorius as an office worker, and straighten herself out.

Next time, Solomon and Gankey will meet new prospective investigators, and work on another of Ravnica's mysteries.

[ravnica-rpg-resource]

GGtR NEW! Table of Contents!

Alright here's is my hot take on each chapter based only on the table of contents!

Intro

Seems to be a chapter on introductory lore! Honestly as a vorthos(lore and flavor based fan of MTG) this chapter really excites me, it also includes a sidebar that talks about the calendar of Ravnica something I don't think we've ever seen before!

Chapter 1

Another character options not a big surprise, we were already told we are only getting two subclasses the law domain for clerics and circle of spores for Druids. The thing that seems most unfortunate about this section is that we are not getting Viashino I remember a lot of people thought the unearthed Arcana was OP, but it looked fine to me. Centaurs, minotaurs, Loxodons, vedalken and simic-hybrids all confirmed! They are reprinting humans, elves and goblins, it is possible that goblins and elves might get new sub-races.

Chapter 2

66 pages devoted to the guilds of Ravnica thats a large portion of the book and this is a good thing! The guilds affect everyday life on Ravnica even if you are not a member of them, they are the government of the city and the factions that the PCs can join you want as much lore for them as you can get. The first part seems to be an overall introduction to the system they are using to determine ranking in the guilds and how to gain renown. Then each Guild seems to be broken down into 3 subsections an introduction to that guild, a background, and spells that fit that guilds theme. Two guilds seem to be getting at least one "new" spell each, the Izzet are getting chaos Bolt(reprinted from XGtE) and the dimir are getting a new spell called encode thoughts.

Chapter 3

This chapter talks about the 10th District what is essentially the main hub of the city of Ravnica. Most of the books and card sets are set in this portion of the city.

Chapter 4

This section is all about the adventures that can take place in Ravnica, each Guild has its own section which I imagine can be used to paint them as either a hero or villain of Any Given campaign. The last chapter Krenko's Way interests me as it is supposed to be a suggested Adventure that you can run. How detailed this is I do not know but hopefully it can be run like a one shot :)

Chapter 5

Me oh my magic items Now isn't this a surprise! I had no doubt that it would talk about magic items, but I didn't think it would be a list of this long! Many of the magic items are recognizable names from the card game too! The items that intrigue me the most are the charms, in the card game they were depicted as items but the cards were all instances with multiple options, it'll be interesting to see what that translates to in item form. Also I wonder what affects the key runes will have!

Chapter 6

A bestiary filled with monsters original to Magic the Gathering now translated to Dungeons & Dragons! This is very exciting, I imagine only monsters that would be hard to translate from the card game will be included otherwise they would just use step blocks from the monster manual like I've been doing. More than half of this section is devoted to NPC stats for the guilds which is a nice inclusion as even if you are not playing a Ravnica game these stats can be used for npc in other settings!

My Conclusion

A lot of people have been comparing this book to "sword Coast adventurer's guide" in terms of content, although this is not as large and expansion as xanathar's Guide to Everything I believe that this is a nice addition to Dungeons & Dragons. I don't think it's necessary to buy, but it could be helpful to DMs and those who want to play in this setting. When the book does come out my Thursday posts will be a review of each of the chapters for the 6 weeks after the book's release, followed by a Tuesday post giving my overall review of the book. I myself and extremely excited for this product and I hope you are too. Thank you for reading and may your guild prosper!

[internationalspacehobo]

more mtg storyyyyy under the cut

bc if wizards aren’t gonna give a shit someone has to

==ALARA==

Encounter at the Necropolis (2008)

The Soul of the World (2009)

An Etherium Tale (2009)

Circumnavigation (2009)

The Face of War (2009)

The Day a Vedalken Exploded (2009)

Gold Records (2009)

A Different Kind of Origin (2009)

The Stonekiller; parts 1 & 2 (2012)

All the Cairns of Jund (2015)

==DOMINARIA: Ice Age==

Keeping the Cold; a short story released with the fat packs (2006)

The Horror at Ronom Glacier; a short story released on the old mtg website. A link to an archived version [here] and a link to the transcript on mtg salvation [here].

The Battle of Kjeldor; a short story released on the old mtg website. A link to the transcript on gamelore wiki [here].

Vannemir’s Choice; a short story released on the old mtg website. A link to the transcript on mtg salvation [here].

==DOMINARIA: Time Spiral==

Time Twists and Destinies Interchange (2007)

Destiny; a short story released during Planar Chaos on the old mtg website. An archived version can be found [here], and I’ve also copied onto tumblr over [here].

Preparation (2013)

==FIORA==

The Perfect Gift (2013)

Betrayal (2014)

The Black Rose (2014)

Like Cogwork (2014)

Blood Will Have Blood (2014)

Laid to Rest (2016) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Kaya’s backstory)

Tyrants (2016) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Kaya’s backstory)

Proclamation by Queen Marchesa  (2016)

Proclamation by Adriana, Captain of the Guard  (2016)

Bloody Instructions  (2016)

Leovold’s Dossiers  (2016)

==INNISTRAD==

Liliana’s Mission (2011)

The Saint, the Geist, and the Angel (2011)

The Cursed Blade (2011)

Deathtrap (2011)   

Sorin’s Homecoming (2012)

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed (”card preview article")   (2012)

Odric, Master Tactician (”card preview article") (2012) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Garruk’s backstory) 

The Prison of Silver (2012)

The State of the Faith (2012)

The Guardian, the Witch, and the Angel (2012)

Angel’s Rise and Demon’s Release (2012)

The Lunarch’s Journal (2014)

==KAMIGAWA==

For the Kamigawa block, they released a bunch of short vignettes for all the legends of that set. However, they’re mostly lost to history.

There’s a list with links to the wayback machine. It’s down sometimes, but at least this site has the titles, [here].

==LORWYN==

Lorwyn Survival Guide (2007)

The Sapling of Colfenor (2008)

The Seer's Parables (2008)

Spark (2008)

Following a Dream (2008)

==MIRRODIN==

Phyrexia and the Vaultlord (2010)

A Tale of Two Clone Shells (2010)

Corrupted Conscience (2011)

Phyrexia: The Strong and the Scattered (2011)

==RAVNICA==

Krenko, Mob Boss (2012)  (”card preview article")

The Shadows of Prahv; Part 1 & 2 (2012) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Jace & Vraska’s backstory)

Epic Experiment (2012)

In Praise of the Worldsoul; Part 1, 2, & 3 (2012)

Slaughter Games (2012)

The Great Concourse (2012)

The Azorious Ten most Wanted (2012)

The Seven Bells; Part 1 & 2 (2012)

Rogue's Passage (2012)

Gruul Ingenuity (2013)

The Fathom Edict (2013)

The Absolution of the Guildpact (2013)

Persistence of Memory (2013)

The Burying; Part 1 (2013) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Domri’s backstory)

The Greater Good (2013) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Gideon’s backstory)

The Guild of Deals (2013)

Experiment One (2013)

Fblthp (2013)

The Burying; Part 2 (2013) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Domri’s backstory)

Bilagru Will Come For YOu (2013)

The Hard Sell (2013)

Behind the Black Sun (2013)

Ruric Thar (2013)

Teysa Karlov (2013) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Jace & Vraska’s backstory)

Barrin's Tall Tale (2013)

Expectations (2013)

The Pursuit; Part 1 (2013)

Life in the Ring (2013)

The Pursuit; Part 2 (2013)

The One Hundred Steps (2013)

Last Day (2013)

Paper Trail (2013)

Battle for the Ninth (2013) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Gideon’s backstory)

Ravnica High (2013)

Under the Cover of Fog (2018)

Testing the Dark Waters (2018)

Clans & Legions (2018)

Death’s Precious Moments (2018)

Bound and Bonded (2018)

The Illusions of Child’s Play (2019)

Rage of the Unsung (2019)

The Principles of Unnatural Selection (2019)

The Ledger of Hidden Fortunes (2019)

The Ascension of Reza (2019)

==SHANDALAR==

Xathrid Gorgon (2012)  (”card preview article")

Talrand, Sky Summoner (2012)  (”card preview article")

Prisoner of the Skep; or, How I Encountered the Slivers—and Lived to Tell the Tale! (2013)

The Path of Barvery (2013)

Zurbit’s Day (2013)

The Bard and the Biologist (2014)

==THEROS==

The Lost Confession  (2013) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Ajani & Elspeth’s backstory)

Prince Anax; Part 1 & 2 (2013)

Nymphs of Theros (2013)

The Consequences of Attraction (2013)

Tragedy (2013)

I Iroan (2013)

The Sea God's Labyrinth; Part 1 & 2 (2013)

Building Toward a Dream; Part 1 & 2 (2013)

Asphodel (2013)

The Nature of Identity (2014)

Cowardice of the Hero (2014)

Emonberry Red (2014)

Kiora's Followers (2014)  (You’ve read this if you’ve read Kiora’s backstory)

Dance of the Flitterstep (2014)

The Walls of Akros (2014)

The Hero of Iroas (2014)

The Oracle of Ephara (2014)

Seasons in Setessa (2014)

Ajani, Mentor of Heroes (2014) (You’ve read this if you’ve read Ajani & Elspeth’s backstory)

Desperate Stand (2014)

Dreams of the City (2014)

Thank the Gods (2014)

The Path or the Horizon (2014)

Kruphix's Insight (2014)

==ZENDIKAR==

Monument to a Lost Age (2009)

The Journal of Javad Nasrin (2010)

Consortium Report: "The Incident at the Eye" (2010)

The Look of an Awakening World (2010)

The Battle of Fort Keff (2010)

The Tale of Tuktuk (2010)

==UNKOWN PLANES & RANDOM STORIES==

Thick-Headed Mage (2007)

How Many Eyes? (2007)

Gentlemen's Duel (2007)

The Mana Bond (2008)

Roreca's Tale (2008)

Chronomaton (2012)  (”card preview article")

Threadbare (2012)

The Armor of the Crypt (2013)

Pride Cometh (2013)

A Blessed Life (2013)

Comin’ Through! (2014)

[twincitiesgeek]

Role-Players Can Wander the Streets of Ravnica with the “Krenko’s Way” D&D Adventure

Put some MTG in your D&D with the Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica.

With 2018 being Magic: The Gathering’s 25th anniversary, fans of the long-running game have been treated to a lot of new formats, products, and events. Some have been well received, such as the Dominaria expansion. Others have been more limited in their reach, like the Battlebond draft set.

One of the major changes that Wizards of the Coast made to their product release and Wizards Play Networkin…

[roll20]

D&D: Get the Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica on Roll20!

There’s Magic in the air! Wizards of the Coast’s Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica brings all the hustle and bustle of the scheme-filled city into the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset, opening the door to campaigns and characters from this popular Magic: The Gathering plane. First released to Roll20 on November 9, this new setting has now entered full release worldwide!

Ten new backgrounds allow you to build characters from the conniving and power-hungry guilds that have shaped the city of Ravnica’s past and present, and each background (along with 8 races, 6 of them brand new) has been integrated into the Roll20 Charactermancer. You can use Compendium Sharing to make all these options available to your (virtual) table, along with the new rules, monsters, and lore of Ravnica. Write your own tale in this land rife with political intrigue!

Getting started is easy: Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica comes with the level 1 adventure “Krenko’s Way” already converted to our virtual tabletop, complete with interactive click-to-roll NPC sheets and maps enhanced with dynamic lighting.

This official Roll20 conversion includes:

The Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica compendium, allowing you to search every rule, character option, spell, item, monster and piece of lore, both in-app and out.

Utilize Compendium Sharing to share the book around the table.

New background options for each of the 10 guilds, integrated into the Roll20 Charactermancer.

8 races integrated into the Roll20 Charactermancer.

2 new subclasses.

Over 40 new monsters ready to drag and drop into your games with 1-click actions.

New magic items ready to be dragged and dropped directly onto your character sheet.

Game Setting & Map addon. Add the precinct, overland city, guild maps and related information into any of your games.

The 1st level adventure, “Krenko’s Way”, fully converted for instant play, with dynamic lighting and support for advanced fog of war.

Bonus character art pack featuring tokens and art from the book to use with any of your characters.

Lay your cards on the table and pick up Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica today for $49.95!

[mtgbracket]

Round of 512 - Batch 12 results

1,683 Bracketeers voted in Batch 12, and 15.53m votes have now been cast.

Extinct creature types today: Ape, Wall, Wolf

Visual results are here and today’s results are:

Knight of the Reliquary defeats Troll Ascetic with 85.56% of the vote Hymn to Tourach defeats Deathbringer Liege with 81.28% of the vote Yawgmoth's Will defeats Jokulhaups with 81.09% of the vote Stifle defeats Watchwolf with 72.22% of the vote

Trinisphere defeats Korlash, Heir to Blackblade with 68.29% of the vote Liliana, Heretical Healer defeats Rescue from the Underworld with 68.20% of the vote Mana Vault defeats Secure the Wastes with 65.64% of the vote Umezawa's Jitte defeats Vampire Nighthawk with 64.64% of the vote

Mox Ruby defeats Wall of Roots with 64.48% of the vote Swamp defeats Maelstrom Nexus with 63.68% of the vote Progenitus defeats Mishra's Factory with 59.63% of the vote Explore defeats Reflecting Pool with 58.67% of the vote

Isochron Scepter defeats Gitaxian Probe with 56.54% of the vote Stasis defeats Simian Spirit Guide with 56.34% of the vote Krenko, Mob Boss defeats Waste Not with 54.16% of the vote Oblivion Ring defeats Volcanic Island with 52.17% of the vote

Full results to date can be seen here.

[mtg-brokentoken]

So You’re Making A [Auroch/Trilobite/Whatever] Deck?

Especially with @askkrenko‘s Guide to Creature Type articles, some of the lesser-loved creature types are getting some attention. Maybe one will catch your eye, or maybe you’ve just always had a soft spot for Ooze or something (Isn’t it all soft spots for Ooze?). The point is, some creatures just don’t have good tribal support on their own. And in those cases, there are ways you can make due. There are 38 cards (currently, as of 2/28/18) that don’t care what creature type you have, they’ll support it (39 if you include Coat of Arms, but that supports all creature types, which may be better for your opponent than you. Shared Animosity is similar but one-sided for 40th card, and Mana Echoes supports red Tribal for number 41. 42 is the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything). And even if you do have a tribe that’s supportive, these cards might just take it to the next level. Like Belbe’s Portal and Werewolves.

1. Becomes the creature type, though it doesn’t count as it when not on the battlefield. Gives +1/+1, which is good for combat-style tribes or tribes that are frail and susceptible to ping/fight mechanics.

2. For 3 mana you can get a creature out from your hand. Helpful if you want to “Flash” in a creature, for getting out Werewolves out without casting spells, or for having really cheap Eldrazi. Or w/e.

3. Bloodline Shaman is nice in that you choose the creature type as part of the ability, so you can choose a different type each time. Why you would do that? Maybe you want a certain creature in the graveyard, but you have the top card of your library revealed. Otherwise just choose a creature type you don’t have in your deck if you want to move stuff into your graveyard. Mutant/Ninja/Turtle? Maybe something else. But it’s definitely best in a dedicated Tribal deck so if the card is a creature card you’ll be able to put it into your hand.

4. Like Adaptive Automaton, the Brass Herald gives +1/+1 to the type you choose, but Brass Herald does not become one. Unlike Adaptive Automaton, it can replace itself in your hand (up to 4 cards).

5. Caller of the Hunt has a little bit of an update, it’s a Human. That said, make sure when you play it that you choose a creature type you have out, or it will die to state-based actions (having 0 toughness). This one doesn’t actually support the other creatures, but has those creatures support it.

6. Cavern of Souls makes your chosen creature type uncounterable if you pay for it using the second ability. Pretty handy ability.

7. Coordinated Barrage has you choose a creature type and deal damage to an attack or blocking creature. A very white ability, but the choosing a creature type makes this very supportive of tribal decks. From a cycle with Luminescent Rain, Pack’s Disdain, and Distant Melody.

8. Cover of Darkness gives a creature type you choose Fear. Helpful if the deck you’re playing against isn’t black, especially, though still watch out for Artifact Creatures.

9. Distant Melody is from the same cycle as Coordinated Barrage, Luminescent Rain, and Pack’s Disdain, having you draw a card for each of that creature type you have. Works fairly well with The Locust God and Insects.

10. Doom Cannon turns your creatures into 3 damage for 3 mana.

11. Door of Destinies is great for any deck that does use creature cards. It won’t help a deck that’s entirely tokens or something (Like Saprolings, for instance) unless you find ways to trick the door, such as with Changelings or Arcane Adaptation/Conspiracy, or Energy Chamber. After you get the first counter, you can also use Proliferate, or in getting counters you could use Doubling Season. Doesn’t work as well with Belbe’s Portal or Quicksilver Amulet because you aren’t casting those creatures, so you don’t get a charge counter on Door of Destinies.

12. Elvish Soultiller will refill a library in a tribal deck. Helpful if you’re going against mill, or if there’s a certain card in your graveyard you want to draw, w/e.

13. Grave Sifter is pretty similar to Elvish Soultiller but is for all players and “any number” of those cards. Helps if there’s just one specific creature you want by not surrounding it by mediocre cards.

14. Harsh Mercy protects a tribal deck, but if you’re playing against other tribal decks it doesn’t do much. Can help make one player make a tough choice about keeping their tribe or something that supports/is supported by it. Like Caller of the Hunt, from earlier.

15. Making creatures cheaper is almost always a good thing, and getting a potential extra “draw” is good for most Tribal decks that are about creatures and tend to have a harder time with draw engines.

16. Kindred Boon: It’s hard to go wrong with Indestructible. Works well with cards that actually use divinity counters, and also Shifting Shadow, which came out in the same set. Odric, Lunarch Marshal can spread this from one creature to other creatures even if they don’t have the right type. (Odric doesn’t care who his “type” is.)

17. Kindred Charge makes copies of your creatures of a certain type. Maybe use it after you already tapped Krenko to double your creatures, then tap him to do it again. Works with other creature types as well, of course, but hard to find other options that work quite as well. Nacatl War-Pride is an option, but unless you have Sundial of the Infinite it probably won’t be doing much.

18. Kindred Discovery for card draw. Definitely helpful, potentially killer (especially with The Locust God or Zombies). Keep in mind it’s when it enters the battlefield or attacks. This also isn’t a “may” ability, so careful how you attack when your library gets low.

19. One-sided Wraths are almost never a bad thing. When you’re playing tribal and name your tribe, it means few things should remain for your opponents. Amoeboid Changeling can also do some spot removal of creature types. If you happen to be truly evil, though, you remove all creature types from your opponents creatures before casting this, (perhaps even naming the tribe they were using). Ego Erasure is best for this combo.

20. Kindred Summons works pretty well if you have a combination of Tokens on the field and Creature cards in your library. Maybe you have Eldrazi Spawn so you’ll get some high mana cost Eldrazi, or perhaps you just want to get out every Elf that was in your library. Because you reveal cards until you reveal one of the chosen type, this could also be used with something like Pawn of Ulamog to get Eldrazi Spawn tokens that reveal Emrakul/Ulamog/Kozilek. Just make sure you don’t have other Eldrazi in the deck and you can reliably get them every time. The best part is you can use the Spawns to get some extra mana to help you cast this.

21. Luminescent Rain. If I’m playing any tribe that includes green, this card is almost always included. Emphasis added if there are tokens. From the cycle with Coordinated Barrage, Pack’s Disdain, and Distant Melody.

22. Like Brass Herald or Adaptive Automaton, this helps a bit, but only when the creature enters the battlefield, not any creatures already on the battlefield. Like the Automaton but not the Herald, this becomes that creature type. Like Bramblewood Paragon, but doesn’t give Trample. Like Oona’s Blackguard but doesn’t make your opponent discard. Like Sage of Fables, but doesn’t let you draw. And yet it can work with each of them by starting to get counters sooner or putting counters on other creatures.

23. Mirror of the Forebears lets you copy whichever creature of yours is the best at that time until the end of turn. You probably don’t want to copy a legendary, but sometimes it’s worth it to use the tap ability again or something, or “replace” it when your opponent is about to Doom Blade it. Or maybe you just want the additional mana or +1/+1 from something like Elvish Archdruid. Whatever the case, this is a good way to “fill out” a Tribal deck.

24. Obelisk of Urd loves a good tribal deck. If you have enough creatures, it doesn’t cost any mana, and it gives your creatures +2/+2. Unlike Coat of Arms or Door of Destinies, it tops out at +2/+2, but it’s still hard to beat free (and unlike Door of Destinies, you’ll have an easier time with things like Saprolings).

25. Pack’s Disdain is part of the Coordinated Barrage, Distant Melody, and Luminescent Rain cycle. This one can kill a creature pretty reliably if you have enough creatures out.

26. Patriarch’s Bidding is in many ways the opposite of Harsh Mercy, yet they work so very well together. Harsh Mercy removes non-tribal creatures from the battlefield to clear the board, and Patriarch’s Bidding returns any of the creatures of a tribe each player chooses to the board.

27. Almost like a Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund but with a bit more work and in blue. Works fairly well with Amoeboid Changeling to take one creature, but if you use something like Shields of Velis Vel you could potentially take all of someone’s creatures if you outnumber them enough.

28. Another newer card, Pillar of Origins is a mana rock not limited by color, but by creature type. Especially helpful in spread-out, multicolor tribes, such as Slivers.

29. Radiant Blessing gives +1/+1 and, if you have City’s Blessing, Vigilance. Not bad for 3 mana.

30. Riptide Replicator may be just what you need, or a crazy addition for your deck. Because it uses charge counters, there’s a lot of ways to pump up the creature you’ll be getting. The art shows it making a Sliver, but as with the other cards in this article, it can be whatever you want it to be.

31. Riptide Shapeshifter. Sort of like a one-time use of Kindred Summoning, but does put a creature directly into the battlefield from your library. In some ways it leans away from Tribal (so you can know what you’re getting), but it can also be used in a Tribal deck.

32. The last of the Morningtide cycle, Roar of the Crowd deals damage to a creature or player based on how many creatures you have of a chosen type. Unlike Coordinated Barrage, they don’t need to be attacking or blocking.

33. Shared Triumph. +1/+1, but not with a creature. Maybe that makes it a little harder to get rid of though, right?

34. Steely Resolve grants one creature type Shroud, but that protects them from your spells/auras as well.

35. Like Pillar of Origins, Unclaimed Territory is able to tap for any color mana for creatures of one type. Unlike the Pillar, this is a land and can tap for mana for other things.

36. Urza’s Incubator is another card that only supports casting tribal cards, so no love for Saprolings or tokens, and doesn’t affect Belbe’s Portal or Quicksilver Amulet. But it does make your spells cheaper, which is rarely a bad thing.

37. Vanquisher’s Banner is yet another “Anthem” effect, like Brass Herald, Metallic Mimic, or Shared Triumph. Vanquisher’s banner also has you draw a card when you cast a creature of the chosen type, though.

38. Volrath’s Laboratory is a bit similar to Riptide Replicator, but is always a 2/2 that costs 5 mana. Typically that’s a steep price, but sometimes it’s worth it in a pinch. If you’re using this, you may want to look into token-doubling options so you get more for your mana. Helps in situations like Sacred Mesa.

And honorees that don’t quite make the list:

[ebbiemunson]

It was absolutely unfair how unaware Jason was about being so incredibly gorgeous. Eddie watched the way he took in Hellfire like it was some forbidden land he'd never thought he would travel to, and Eddie ate it up. He watched the way the red black lights glinted off of Jason's beautiful blue eyes, and how he looked... free. He'd never realized in the past how much Jason had always reminded him of a caged bird with clipped wings.

"Uh well. This is from the ravnica release," Eddie explained. "It's a city planet from Magic the Gathering. Both of the games are made by wizards of the coast, and they decided to do this cross over. So here," he pointed to the mini figure up on what looked like a podium, "This is a goblin named Krenko, and the party left off sneaking into his under ground mob operation. These guys," he gestures to where some of the minis are clustered, "are the party." He rounded the table to where his screen and notes were set.

"This is where I lay out the story for my players. I sit at the head of the table here, and I set the scene. We're about to roll initiative on this encounter, which determines the order that things start to happen in. My party is going to decide if they're going to listen for information or face a hoarde of goblins in their own lair." He placed his hands on the table and flopped back onto his throne. He kicked one leg up to cross over his knee, and smirked at Jason. He did feel his most comfortable here, his most confidence save for when he was behind the mic at the Hideout, blasting his songs.

"If you want to play with us Jason... I can open up a spot for you. I know it's confusing, and it sounds like a hell of a lot but... it's basically just playing pretend with the added function of dice. I'll teach you, and I'll be your guide every step of the way. I'll even let you sit in my lap," Eddie leaned back as if to make a point of opening up a space for him.

@jesusfreakcarver​

Jason gave a nod of his head, still trying to catch his breath. He’d never experienced such a high like that just from a kiss. If Eddie wasn’t holding onto him he’s sure he would have fallen.

“Yeah,” he said breathlessly, licking his lips which were still tingling from the kiss. He wanted more, wanted to wrap his arms around Eddie’s neck and kiss him like that again, to feel the heat that had radiated through him and sent butterflies aflutter in the pit of his stomach.

He looked around, the hall was completely empty, then turned back to face Eddie who was looking back at him. “Maybe you’re right. Was there anywhere specific you had in mind?”

     Eddie made sure that Jason was stable before he dared step away; he slipped his hand into Jay’s and tugged him along down the hall quietly. He knew exactly where to go, since the room would be empty until Friday, and he, the janitor, and Gareth were the only ones with a key right now. The old music room that the Hellfire club had converted into their D&D room would be private enough to slip into. 

     “I think I know just the place,” he murmured to Jason. He didn’t want to catch any attention from any of the quiet class rooms, since technically Jason was probably meant to be in class. He didn’t want to get him caught skipping either. Eddie had free reign this hour but the thrill of sneaking around sent little electric shocks up his spine. It mingled well with the charge of exploring this new, budding indulgence. 

     The feeling like they weren’t supposed to be doing any of it was just as exciting as the thought of having Carver all to himself. Kissing him, running his hands over that pretty body of his; maybe he was the devil, corrupting such a buttoned up, well behaved church boy. Fuck it, he was just fine with that. Eddie slid his key into the clubroom door and pushed it open quietly, pulling Jason into the dim with him. 

      “Welcome to Hellfire.”

[ion0ra]

Going infinite with Krenko: a guide

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Creature Types: Orgg

Art by Kev Walker

What is an Orgg (flavorfully)?

It’s a huge, green murderous being with massive bat-like ears and two extra arms. They live on Dominaria among the Orcs and Goblins. The MtG Wiki claims they’re Orc/Ogre hybrids but doesn’t have a source for this. Whatever they are, they’re incredibly powerful and clearly mutated.

What is an Orgg (mechanically)?

The four Orggs are 6/6 monored creatures. Two of them- which is a full half- have trample and drawbacks.

Can I make an Orgg deck?

Four Orggs with costs 5 and 7 is not enough to do anything.

Is Orgg a good creature type?

If Orggs are really Orc/Ogre hybrids, they should be creature type Orc/Ogre. If they’re not… then Orgg is still an awful creature type. Creature types have a few jobs, and Orgg fails at all of them. One job is to tell us what the thing we’re looking at is, but as all four have Orgg in the name and nobody actually knows what an Orgg is, the added typeline of “Orgg” is basically a shrug. Another is to remind us of a shared mechanical identity like Praetor, but the Orgg don’t have the same mechanics, just the same Power and Toughness. Another, of course, is for the creature type to have a mechanical impact on the game, but not even the four Orggs care what an Orgg is. 

Orgg is a complete failure of a creature type and the annoying part here is that Wizards knew it, printing Trained Orgg as a Beast three times before Judgement and Onslaught brought back Orgg before they were completely discarded again.

Orggs should be Ogres.

[tukumoteiog]

D&D×MTGミニコンベンションレポートとGW中イベントの告知

　マジックの新セット「灯争大戦」の発表で賑々しい今日この頃、皆さまいかがお過ごしでしょうか。大いなる悪である龍王ニコル・ボーラスとの戦いも決着ということで、プレインズウォーカーたちが集合するアベンジャーズ的な展開も話題になっていますね。

　さて、去る4/21の日曜日、池袋mistel様にてD&D×MTGのミニコンベンションを開催しました！

「ラヴニカ」「ドミナリア」の2セッションが並行して行われ、D&D5eが初めてという方にもご参加いただけた充実した会となりました。ご参加いただいた皆様、ご協力いただいたDM、ありがとうございました！

「ラヴニカ」は「Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica」掲載の公式シナリオ「Krenko’s Way（クレンコ様のやり方）」をプレイ。

「ドミナリア」（DM僕）は、ドミナリア世界のある有名人から依頼されて海洋へ繰り出すオリジナルシナリオをプレイしました。

　そして、大型連休中にもMTG世界でのD&Dセッションが開催されます！

場所は水道橋にあるMTG専門店「東京MTG」様！

　下���の2セッションを開催予定です！

・4月30日（火）19:00～：ラヴニカが舞台となります

・5月4日（土）18:00～：ドミナリアが舞台となります

　・店舗イベントとしての開催となりますので参加費1,000円がかかります。

　・いずれも、1Lvの作成済みキャラクターを使用します。

　・ルールブックやサイコロは持っていなくても参加できます。

　・ルール、世界観についての説明有り。「やったことがないけど興味がある」方のご参加歓迎！

　・参加定員がございますので、参加ご希望の方は東京MTG様にてご予約ください。

・セッションに関するご質問やご相談につきましては、私のTwitterまでご連絡ください。

皆様のご参加をお待ちしております！

[askkrenko]

So Turtles and Crocodiles should count as Birds? I may have to update Krenko’s Guide to Creature Types: Crocodiles. 

CLADISTICS ruined my life

[kayawagner]

Krenko's Way (5e)

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

A Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica Adventure

The Notorious Goblin crime boss Krenko has escaped confinment in the Udzeo prison under suspicious circumstances. Now he plots to reestablish control over his criminal enterprise, raising the spector of a goblin gang war that could jeapordize the tenuous peace among the guilds.

You must find Krenko and secure him before all out war ensues!

An introductory adventure for 1st level characters

Best of all, all monies that Wizards of the Coast receives from sales of this PDF are donated to Extra Life. Your purchase of this adventure goes to a truly great cause!

About Extra Life:

Extra Life unites thousands of gamers around the world to play games in support of their local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Since its inception in 2008, Extra Life has raised more than $30 million for sick and injured kids. Sign up today and dedicate a day of play for kids in your community!

Want to create and publish your own Ravnica PDFs?

Krenko's Way is an adventure companion for Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica and can serve as your jumping off point to create your own monsters, adventure modules, and other tabletop content set within Ravnica and put it up for sale on the Dungeon Masters Guild.

Need more information? Check out the Content Guidelines and FAQ for DMsGuild creators! Plus you can find free Art Packs, Templates and more in the Resources for DMsGuild Creators area!

Note: No artwork from Magic: the Gathering or Kreko's Way may be used in your DMsGuild publications. For more information please review the Logo and Artwork section of the FAQ.

Price: $4.99 Krenko's Way (5e) published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

[blogging-phelddagrif]

Modern Deck Tech: Goblins

[you can see every deck tech here]

Hello & welcome to this weekly deck tech! I’m a little late this week because of work, but the time is always right for a good ol’ modern deck tech! This week we’re looking into an archetype that has been around for a very long time: Goblins. I don’t know if you guys remember when Magic Origins came out and they reprinted Goblin Piledriver? People were going nuts at first, seeing that as the second coming of Christ or something. The speculations were that Goblins would become one of the dominant decks. It didn’t. Is the deck good though? Yes it is. There’s a few interesting things about the Goblin deck; it’s VERY aggressive & can close the game fairly quickly, it’s very consistant, it’s very cheap (especially now that Goblin Guide got reprinted) and for some minor tweaks can be turned into a Legacy deck (sort of like the Merfolk deck we’ve talked about a few weeks later; I’ll try to explore different archetypes like those in the future). Let’s jump into it ad see what the deck is all about.

Big Chief

Let’s start off with the pay-off card. This is at the top of your curve, being at a huge 3 mana (the land can play between 18 to 20 lands). Pumping up your goblins is huge and turns your army of 1/1s into a threat that can finish the game in 1 turn. Plus, haste is awesome.

Master Chief

Your other high-end card is Rabblemaster. This consistently creates tokens to apply pressure and is pretty much a threat that needs to be answered right away to not get out of control.

Finisher

While your lords help you close-off  the game, Bushwhacker gives you a surprise attack that can very easily win you the game on the spot. Just give all your team a boost and crash through with all your haste creatures for the win!

Finisher 2.0

Same as the other Bushwhacker. Having a total of 8 of those effects is huge because it gives you so much consistency. For only 2cmc you can pump your team and steal the win; if you can cast 2 in the same turn you are ASSURED to win on the spot, seriously.

Guidance

Obviously a goblin deck would not be the same without our friend Goblin Guide! This hasty creature is just too good; applying early pressure and just being a pain in the ass for your opponent. Good thing it saw a reprint and it caused it’s price to go down a bit!

Wrestling Champ

This card caused an uproar in the modern meta when it saw print in Origins, even though it didn’t live up to it’s expectations, it still takes the goblin deck up a notch. This card becomes HUGE, like, CRAZY HUGE. It’s not AS good in modern than in Legacy because the amount of blue decks is not the same, but the card is still VERY good and becomes a very big threat that needs to be dealt with or it’s going to win you the game.

Loyalty

Just a great little goblin that gives you some extra protection. It makes so that your creatures can’t really be chumped, it gets around Bitterblossom/Lingering Souls strategies and gives you beneficial trades when your opponent wants to block. This card offers some well needed utility to your attacks and helps you plow through the defense line.

War Buddies

Even though this card doesn’t seem like much, it’s really good in the deck. It gives you some little goblins along the way to go just a big wider. It’s not insane or anything, but it’s a nice card that goes well with the deck.

Just an Average Denizen

This little fella doesn’t seem like much, but he gets really annoying for your opponent. It’s consistently getting pumped up and just beats down your opponent’s face. For only 1 mana! This card is surprisingly good, like seriously.

Mandatory Bolt

You’re playing a cheap red deck, there is no way you’re not going to play this.

Goblins Go “Boom”

This card is probably the mvp of the deck. Just sacrifice one of your 1/1s to deal 5 damage to your opponent. FIVE DAMAGE FOR ONE MANA!! Often, games will end up with you bringing your opponent down to 10 life with a mix of small attacks & their fetches and then BOOM double Goblin Grenade. I’ve even played a game where the guy play Krenko’s Command (the card is not in the deck tech but is seen in some builds, same goes for Dragon Fodder; you can play those cards over Goblin Chieftain & Rabblemaster tbh) following by FOUR GODDAMN GOBLIN GRENADES. I was just sitting there like...okay...I guess that happened...

Legacy

So that was it for the deck tech! Like I said earlier, the deck can easily be tweaked to turn into a Legacy deck, so you can have a 2-for-1. The eternal version is less aggressive and tends to have more expensive (CMC-wise) cards; stuff like Warren Instigator, Mogg Fanatic, Goblin Incinerator, Goblin Lackey, Goblin Matron & Goblin Ringleader. The deck relies more on cheating into play some goblins and out-value your opponent that way. They don’t really rely on Bushwhackers & such, but more on Piledriver, Rabblemaster & Chieftain. The deck does well in both formats and is really fun & simple to play, as well as being fairly cheap.

Wrap-Up

That’s it for this week! I hope you guys enjoyed the deck tech as much as I did. If I forgot anything let me know & I’ll see you guys next week for a Legacy deck tech!

[mtg-brokentoken]

Commander Elves

As an adult, taking stock of my decks is probably a good idea for insurance purposes. Never really thought I’d think something like that when I started collecting cards.

Oh well. My Rhys, The Redeemed Commander deck is all about filling the board with elves and getting plenty of mana. It no longer has Coat of Arms because I’ve come across a few too many Krenkos, but there are a few cards to untap Rhys so he can tap again. Both Elvish Archdruid and Priest of Titania can make tons of mana, and in a pinch you can run all of it through Elder of Laurels to make whatever creature isn’t blocked into a game-ending threat.

At current it comes to $191.12 not including basic lands, but I would like to swap Huatli, Radiant Champion in, for instance.

Rhys, the Redeemed $21.35 Mistveil Plains $4.97 Joraga Warcaller $3.44 Doubling Season $57.25 Wellwisher $1.18 Luminescent Rain $0.20 Swiftfoot Boots $0.98 Dawnglow Infusion $0.27 Strionic Resonator $5.18 Ezuri, Renegade Leader $5.18 Elvish Hexhunter $0.15 Magewright's Stone $1.96 Imperious Perfect $2.01 Righteous Cause $0.32 Might of the Masses $0.15 Tranquil Thicket $0.22 Griffin Protector $0.14 Lys Alana Huntmaster $0.56 Leaf Gilder $0.15 Heritage Druid $4.35 Elfhame Palace $0.28 Seedcradle Witch $0.20 Selesnya Cluestone $0.15 Elvish Promenade $2.71 Kazandu Tuskcaller $0.49 Oak Street Innkeeper $0.19 Rune-Cervin Rider $0.15 Drove of Elves $0.71 Gravity Well $0.34 Soul Warden $0.97 Greenweaver Druid $0.22 Elvish Guidance $0.21 Suture Priest $0.30 Timberwatch Elf $0.85 Lightning Greaves $3.80 Fog $0.17 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree $0.22 Wirewood Symbiote $1.49 Cathar's Crusade $3.15 Ivy Lane Denizen $0.15 Essence Warden $1.34 Primal Vigor $15.43 Sunpetal Grove $2.67 Quirion Elves $0.23 Arbor Elf $0.31 Jagged-Scar Archers $1.61 Turntimber Grove $0.15 Nullmage Shelpherd $0.40 Saltcrusted Steppe $0.24 Elder of Laurels $0.30 Parallel Lives $9.92 Joraga Treespeaker $1.77 Selesnya Sanctuary $0.25 Quest for Renewal $0.57 Slippery Karst $0.18 Curse of Bounty $0.24 Pendelhaven $8.09 Frontier Guide $0.20 Healer of the Pride $0.23 Selesnya Guildgate $0.15 Priest of Titania $2.95 Emmara Tandris $0.39 Khalni Garden $0.16 Genesis Wave $4.91 Immaculate Magistrate $2.27 Elvish Archdruid $2.44 Stasis Snare $0.44 Wirewood Lodge $3.07 Llanowar Elves $0.19 Terramorphic Expanse $0.25 Druids' Repository $0.30 Twilight Drover $1.12 Intangible Virtue $0.24 Ahn-Crop Champion $0.20 Cultivator of Blades $0.25 Farhaven Elf $0.75 Sejiri Steppe $0.15