#RAPTOR’S NEST「deck」

[coastalareaguide]

Wildlife Watching: Birding Hotspots Along the Carolina Coast

Best Birdwatching Hotspots Along the Carolina Coast

Bird enthusiasts find a distinctive opportunity to observe multiple bird species in their natural habitats throughout the Carolina Coast region. From the Atlantic coastline extends an expansive area that includes salt marshes and barrier islands together with pristine beaches and maritime forests to create an ideal environment for denizens and seasonal birds. Both novice and seasoned birders will find useful information in this guide about prime Carolina Coast bird watching areas as well as vital suggestions for better wildlife observation.

Top Birding Hotspots Along the Carolina Coast

1. Sunset Beach

Birdwatchers find Sunset Beach to be their paradise since they can observe herons along with egrets and ospreys in this peaceful setting. The area welcomes large numbers of shorebirds including sandpipers and plovers when migration occurs. Scan for the painted bunting and other rare species at Bird Island which stands as a protected nature preserve. For more information about this serene locale, visit our Sunset Beach community page.

2. Huntington Beach State Park

Birders should definitely experience this park which is situated in Murrells Inlet. Different habitat types including salt marshes and freshwater lagoons and beaches exist in this location which attracts many bird species. Roseate spoonbills and wood storks and bald eagles are among the bird species you can observe at this location. Observation decks together with trails at the park offer visitors convenient access to its wild animal inhabitants. Interested in the area? Learn more about the community of Murrells Inlet.

3. North Myrtle Beach

The coastal town of North Myrtle Beach offers perfect conditions for enjoying beach views together with wildlife observation. The Cherry Grove Marsh functions as a prime location to watch wading birds, especially great blue herons and snowy egrets. Birdwatchers who paddle kayaks can find excellent birdwatching spots along the peaceful marsh channels. Find more about North Myrtle Beach here.

4. Wrightsville Beach

Birders will have an unforgettable experience at Wrightsville Beach while visiting the Mason Inlet Waterbird Management Area. The protected site supports nesting activities of black skimmers as well as least terns and American oystercatchers. Both red knots and sanderlings use the area as a migratory stopover site during their annual movements. Visit our Wrightsville Beach page to explore more.

5. Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge with over 66,000 acres of unspoiled habitats borders the Charleston area. Birdwatchers visit this area because they want to see the rare red-cockaded woodpecker and marsh sparrows and many other types of shorebirds. The Bulls Island section of the refuge has gained high popularity because it provides guided birdwatching tours and nature walks for visitors. Explore the surrounding Charleston area for even more nature-based adventures.

Why the Carolina Coast is a Birding Paradise

The Carolina Coast serves as part of the Atlantic Flyway which stands as the most essential migration pathway for birds across North America. Several thousand migrating birds utilize this important pathway each migratory season which has turned the area into a highly popular bird watching destination. Multiple ecosystems across the coast serve as both habitats and feeding areas and protective shelters for permanent residents as well as seasonal visitors.

Species you can expect to see include:

Shorebirds: Sandpipers, plovers, and black-bellied plovers.

Wading Birds: Egrets, herons, ibises, and roseate spoonbills.

Raptors: Ospreys, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons.

Songbirds: Painted buntings, warblers, and flycatchers.

Tips for a Successful Birdwatching Adventure

1. Pack the Right Gear

Birding requires an excellent pair of binoculars to succeed in this hobby. Use a field guide for identification or install Merlin Bird ID on your mobile device as a bird identification app. When you need to take amazing pictures the combination of a telephoto lens camera makes for an excellent photography setup.

2. Plan Your Visit Around Migration Seasons

Migratory birds can be best observed during the spring and fall seasons across the Carolina Coast. Most birds become active during the early hours and late afternoon periods.

3. Respect Wildlife and Habitats

You should use only designated trails and keep away from nesting sites. Protected reserves within coastal areas need visitors to follow guidelines that support natural habitat conservation.

4. Consider Guided Tours

Through local guide services you gain exceptional information about birding locations and optimal visiting periods and specific details about the bird species present.

Make the Carolina Coast Your Birding Base

People who embrace birding as their lifestyle will find living near these outstanding natural areas to be an ultimate dream. Explore waterfront homes or golf course communities for the ultimate combination of scenic living and proximity to wildlife. You can also use our personalized home search tool to find properties tailored to your needs.

Other Wildlife to Watch For Along the Carolina Coast

Birding draws people to the Carolina Coast but the region offers multiple opportunities to view different types of wildlife. Observing dolphins, sea turtles and alligators remains possible in the wetlands. Visiting the coast presents fresh opportunities to encounter natural world experiences every time you come.

Discover the Best Birdwatching Spots Along the Carolina Coast

The Carolina Coast is a haven for birding enthusiasts, offering breathtaking natural landscapes and an incredible variety of bird species. From wading birds in salt marshes to raptors soaring over maritime forests, there’s no shortage of spectacular sights for nature lovers to enjoy.

As your trusted guide to coastal wildlife, we’re here to help you explore the top birdwatching destinations, seasonal tips, and must-see species along the coast. Stay connected with us for expert insights, hidden gems, and the latest updates. Your next great birding adventure starts here—happy spotting! 🦩🌿

Start Your Birding Adventure Today

Birding enthusiasts of all levels can discover an exceptional wildlife-watching adventure at the Carolina Coast. The region stands out because of its biodiverse environment together with its beautiful scenery and its commitment to wildlife preservation which makes birding one of the most beloved attractions.

For more resources, tips, and community insights, visit our Coastal Area Guide blog or contact us here. Happy birding!

[kinglanius-a]

.//tag duuuump

[visualreverence]

A World of Dinosauroids

C. M. Kosemen with Simon Roy

My post on Simon Roy’s “Dinosauroids” is one of the most reblogged things on this blog. I love the concept because it rewrites the cosmic tragedy of the K-T Mass Extinction Event, resurrecting dinosaurs and projecting their continued evolution in ancient world that is alien but also eerily resonant. Recently Simon turned me onto The-Master-Post-on-All-Things-Dinosauroid on his long-time collaborator, C. M. Kosemen’s, site. The following post has been transcribed from C. M. Kosemen’s blog and formatted for Tumblr with @simon-roy​‘s blessing.

There are two highly-popular, vexing questions about dinosaurs: What would the world look like if these strange and majestic animals had not gone extinct? And, would they ever evolve into intelligent species comparable to humans? In 1982, palaeontologist Dale Russell, after observing “… a general trend toward larger relative brain size in terrestrial vertebrates through geologic time, and the energetic efficiency of an upright posture in slow-moving, bipedal animals”, postulated the Dinosauroid, a humanoid, erect-gaited sophont which may have evolved from Troodon-like dinosaurs had the end-Cretaceous extinction not occurred.

This question occupied the minds of yours truly (seen here on the right), and world-building comic genius Simon Roy (on the left), as well. We were unconvinced by Russell’s Dinosauroid. We thought  that an erect, humanoid sophont was too prejudiced towards humans to be realistic. We were instead inspired by zoologist Darren Naish’s writings on the evolution of intelligent, bird-like dinosaurs: “No, post-Cretaceous maniraptorans wouldn’t end up looking like scaly tridactyl plantigrade humanoids with erect tailless bodies. They would be decked out with feathers and brightly coloured skin ornaments; have nice normal horizontal bodies and digitigrade feet; long, hard, powerful jaws; stride around on the savannah kicking the shit out of little mammals; and in the evenings they would stand together in the trees, booming out a duet of du du du-du, a deep noise that would reverberate for miles around…”

Towards the end of the ‘00s, Simon Roy and I independently began to develop our concepts for bird-like intelligent dinosaurs. Inspired by the ravens he saw around his Canadian home, Simon drew the corvid-like dinosauroids seen above.

I, in turn, was inspired by ground hornbills, parrots, certain dinosaurs and corvids, and came up with the speculative organism seen above. I named it Avisapiens saurotheos.       Simon and I soon got in touch with each other; and started developing a world and a storyline for our dinosauroids. Our collaborative efforts continued, on-and-off, until the mid-2010s. Our aim was to develop the Dinosauroids story into an illustrated story-book, which we naively hoped to sell to a major sci-fi publisher. But we soon realised that we enjoyed world-building  more than writing a story, or putting  a book together. We kept bouncing concepts back and forth, but never had a chance to publish them, until now. Most of the body of work you see on this page was drawn by Simon, based on ideas we created together. I also contributed some of the “cave drawings” and certain creature illustrations. This is the first time the totality of our Dinosauroids-universe works has been displayed online.

Simon and I refined the design of my original Avisapiens dinosauroid…

And created a few more sentient races to accompany them. There was one more, slightly-crow-like species of Avisapiens (a continuation of Simon’s corvid dinosauroids - Avisapiens tataricus). These two species were joined by a variety of “forest giants” (Gigantosapiens borealis), and a race of pygmies (Avisapiens minimus).

Simon’s refined studies of corvid-like, and pygmy dinosauroids.

We also designed an extensive selection of animals around our dinosauroids. We predicted that even without the K/T mass extinction, dinosaurs and other animals would have kept on evolving, and many “familiar” groups of dinosaurs would have gone extinct. We thus designed a world where the majority of surviving dinosaurs were the descendants of “maniraptoran” groups; birds, deinonychosaur (“raptor”) dinosaurs, troodonts, oviraptors and therizinosaurs. Here, you can see two boreal dinosauroids using mouth-spears to hunt herbivorous troodont quarry.

We also did not want this world to be devoid of mammals. Even during the age of dinosaurs, certain mammals evolved  into large and sophisticated forms. We envisioned a world where parallel groups of mammals, similar to, but phylogenetically distinct from today’s forms, co-evolved alongside the dinosaurs during their continued reign. The scene above shows an Eurasian water-hole crowded with two species of ornithomimid herbivores (Rugocursor, left-centre; and Cyanogularia, far right); alongside robust (Afrotuberculocamelus) and gracile (Odontocervoides) species of herbivorous mammals which, for the lack of a better term, we decided to name “supermaras”.

A series of studies showing the evolution of supermaras from rodent-like multituberculate mammals. The species depicted here is Ceratomegamys.

The full diversity of cursorial “supermaras”, from left to right: The burly, tusked Odontobovis; the superficially-camel-like Tuberculocamelus; the gazelle-like Odontocervoides; the trunked, moose-like Pseudalces; and the two related forms - the big, desert-dwelling Macropseudalces; and one of the many deer-like Cervopseudalces species.

Studies of Megatapirus, large, superficially-elephant-like mammals that live in far-northern climates.

We also derived a variety of mammalian carnivores, mostly from marsupial stock. Through the honing forces of evolution, we imagined some would look very similar to the canid predators we have in the present day - the actual difference would only be in their internal and reproductive anatomies. Above, clockwise: The large, badger-like Mephitursoides; the extremely dog-like Pseudokynos; the hyena-like Krokutadasyurus.

Some marsupial predators diverged  from the mammalian body-plan, and evolved into forms roughly converging with the predatory dinosaurs. The raptorial, meat-eating kangaroo-equivalent Theropodoktonos and kin are potent predators in South America.

Two more divergent marsupials: The leopard/possum Phobodidelphyoides; and the monkey-like Marsupiolemuris, a social, arboreal form with a potential to evolve intelligence.

We also wanted to have flying reptiles - pterosaurs - still alive and kicking in our world. These extraordinary animals were already in decline by the time dinosaurs became extinct. So we relegated them to only a few roles, comparable to storks and other large water-birds alive today. Above is a flock of Diluvipterus; large, filter-feeding pterosaurs. Also note the solitary duck flying on the upper-left corner.

Another, flightless pterosaur, Cygnotherium, from the islands that now make up New Zealand.

A more unusual group are the avisuchians, descendants of maniraptoran dinosaurs that  secondarily converged on the aquatic bodyplans of spinosaurs (which are now extinct in this timeline). Most resembled the short-tailed forms, Pisciraptor and Brachyornithoides seen above. These goose-to-dog-sized animals inhabit rivers and lakes, and occupied a niche comparable to otters today.

There were also long-tailed Avisuchians such as the Natatoraptor seen above. These animals inhabit open waters, and nested in estuaries and beaches.

A contemporary scene from Eurasia shows  commensal life between mammals and dinosaurs. Two Pseudalces browse peacefully alongside two kinds of large ornithominids, Archganseria and Brontonyx. A tiny, heron-like troodont, Anatolocursor, can be seen between them, looking for small animals flushed out by the large herbivores’ movements.

Nevertheless, despite co-existing with large mammals, dinosaurs are more diverse on this world. Herbivorous dinosaurs, such as these derived ornithomimids, constitute a large part of dinosaurian diversity. Above left are studies of Ganseria, a common, medium-sized browser. Above right, clockwise from the top right, are portraits of Ukkuloganser, another medium-sized browser; Nyctodromon, a nocturnal digger; Adzuganser, a small omnivore; and Pyramidoganser, a crested form native to the Nile Delta.

A scaled study of Brontonyx, a heavyweight ornithomimid herbivore.

Portraits of many  cursorial dinosaurs from across Eurasia: 1- Leptoganseria, a mountain-dwelling ornithomimid browser found on the mountains of what is now the Caucaus. 2- Ikiridectes, a troodont that mostly hunts small digging mammals. 3- Aktardektes, a small ornithomimid that has specialised for cracking  hard-shelled nuts. 4- The gracile, juvenile variant of Brontonyx, (6) which occupies a completely-different ecological niche as a generalist omnivore. 5- Rugocursor, a widespread, broad-beaked ornithomimid with many species, common across North Africa and Eurasia. 6- The adult form of Brontonyx, a gigantic ornithomimid that feeds on trees, and defends itself with heavy claws. 7-    A vulture-like Cynornithoides, an extremely bird-like troodont, a frequent commensal of Avisapiens and related intelligent species. 

A variety of Rugocursor, a mostly-herbivorous ornithomimid with adaptations for running.

Various troodonts, small-bodied, sometimes very bird-like omnivorous dinosaurs, distantly related to the Avisapiens lineage. Left, shaded study of Variocursor, a common, heron-sized, striding predator on small animals. Right, from top to bottom; Vuuria, a herbivorous form common across Eurasia; Boreocursor, a cold-climate predator, related to the Variocursor seen on the left; and Paravuuria, an omnivorous form.

The last descendants of hadrosaurs, the famous “duck-billed dinosaurs”, still roam  in South America. The hoofed, sheep-sized Ornimastax seen above left, is a typical example. Australia, as in our world, is home to an unusual radiation of forms whose relations to animals on other continents are not very clear. Brachygullagong, seen above right, is a troodont-like form whose duck-like skull and batteries of grinding cheek teeth have secondarily converged with those of the hadrosaurs.

The largest herbivores on this world are long-necked, scythe-clawed ornithomimid relatives known as avititans. The largest species on Eurasia is Avititan bicolor, seen above in scale with a human figure.

Avititans owe their ecological success to their strong social structures and their care of their young. Here are two Eurasian avititans with their offspring. Yellow-tailed enantiornithine tick-birds, Parasitophagus leucurus, can be seen on their backs.

Oviraptoriformes made up another important clade of dinosaurs in this world.

Descended from bird-like ancestors, various clades of these animals live on as important omnivores, scavengers and even predators in many ecological niches. Above is Eblisornis, a common species found throughout Eurasia.

The bull-bird, Bosornithoides erythrops, is the largest and most prominent oviraptoriform on the Eurasian continent. It subsists mostly on plants and fruit, but will eat carrion if given the chance.

Hunting the wary and dangerous Bosornithoides is an important rite of passage for dinosauroids. The animals require coordination and group-work to bring down, and hunting one is a bonding experience for batches of young-adult nestmates. This ritual not only cements the dinosauroids’ social standing in their tribe, but also bonds the hunters together for the rest of their lives. The four hunters-to-be in this picture are accompanied by a couple of jackal-birds (Cynornithoides), domesticated pets that are almost as smart as the dinosauroids themselves.

Many dinosaurs dabble in carnivory, but the main predatory niches on this version of Earth, are occupied by a diverse radiation of paradromaeosaurs, descendants of the famous “raptor” dinosaurs and kin. Paradromaeosaurs have diverged considerably from their ancestors. One lineage, known as the rhynchovenators, replaced their teeth with sharp, raptorial beaks.

The male and female of the common boreal rhynchovenator, Rhynchovulpes agilis.

A lean-legged Egyptian rhynchovenator, Rhnychovulpes aegypticus, atop a dead multituberculate mammal. The key to rhnychovenators’ success is their added tenacity and stamina. Even a small rhynchovenator can overcome comparatively large prey by continually harassing and chasing it into exhaustion.

The bald-headed Osteophaganax regalis is a common scavenger encountered across the Caucaus Mountains. Its males develop striking, black-and-purple wattles on their faces during spring.

Two more derived troodonts. Left, a tree-dwelling arbosaur, Toucanops dixoni, from one of the diverse and little-understood clades found across the South American continent. Right, the lean, narrow-beaked Halophagus sp. from fossil deposits in what is now China. This group evolved specialisations for marine diving and probably saltwater drinking, before becoming extinct during the Miocene.

The dominant guild of maniraptoran predators, the tyrannoraptors, evolved from “regular” dromaeosaurs with powerful, biting jaws. Some species living today, such as the Savannahdromeus shown above, are still very similar to the earliest forms. Despite its small size, the smart and social Savannahdromeus are apex predators thanks to their pack-hunting behaviour.

Another basal tyrannoraptor, Pantherdromeus - is a solitary hunter that is common across much of Eurasia. It probably represents a diverse and subtly-variable species complex.

Solitary, basal tyrannoraptors eventually gave rise to the terrifying main-line tyrannoraptors in the last twenty-million years. The evolution of these animals was marked by the reduction of their wings and the enlargement of their legs, and jaws. Their tails developed into stiff and rod-like balancing organs. In some respects, they were the evolutionary echoes of the big-jawed, running tyrannosaurs, which had become extinct earlier on, during this world’s version of the Eocene period. Unlike tyrannosaurs, however, tyrannoraptors had well-developed social behaviours and intelligence; which, when coupled with their fast speed and terrific jaws, turned them into formidable apex predators. Above are the adolescent and mature forms of Metadromodaemon phobetor, a mid-sized hunter found in the Middle East and North Africa.

A scaled drawing of Wotandromeus bicolor, the terrifying, large-headed hunter of European forests.

The seven-metre-long Melanorodromeus euceratus - also known by the Dinosauroids as “black thing” - is the largest predator on mainland Eurasia; but even larger forms are reputed to exist in Siberia and North America.

Let us now return to the Dinosauroids, their culture, and art. Above is a brief study illustrating the divergence of the two species of Avisapiens; A. saurotheos and A. tataricus, from ancestral eu-troodontid stock.

Especially A. tataricus shows considerable variation in beak shape, length and colouration. Above, right are the colouration of the Eurasian (top right, bluish-black), and Northeast Siberian (above right, yellowish-brown) races. Above, left shows a spectrum of variation in A. tataricus beaks. The cross-beaked and long, curved beaks occasionally crop up in certain bloodlines, which also have augmented song-memories. These individuals are revered as shamans in certain A. tataricus tribes; or are immediately killed-off as harbingers of doom in others.

Above, the extensive variation in the head shapes, beak lengths and crests of various races in A. saurotheos. The bottom-right sketch depicts a hybrid individual between A. saurotheos and A. tataricus.

A powerful hunter of A. tataricus, from the Carpathian Mountains, showing a stone axe and bent spear that are characteristically used by this particular tribe.

An artist/shaman of one of the settled A. saurotheos tribes living around the Balkans. He paints on animal skins stretched taut across circular frames, and paints using ground-up soil and other pigments, wielding a brush made from a wing-feather. The skin canvas also double as drums.

Art is one sure-fire way of identifying an intelligent species. This skin-painting shows a spear-hunter and prey, a painting by the aforementioned shaman.

Painting of a god or hero-figure with red tail feathers.

Painting of two shamans divining the future from the entrails of a dead flying animal.

Painting of a hatchling being trained by a village elder.

Studies of an A. saurotheos wanderer with a travel harness; and a duo of A. tataricus migrants with a domesticated bull-bird, a relative of the oviraptoriform Bosornithoides mentioned above.

The view from an Avisapiens saurotheos village, showing the species’ characteristic nest-houses, and a pair of semidomesticated Cynornithoides jackal-birds playing in the village square. Note the heads mounted on tall poles, a sign of reverence to the spirits of the departed.

Detail of a brooding nest constructed by Avisapiens tataricus. Most tribes of these species are migrants that range across Eurasia, few build permanent structures.

Sketch of an A. tataricus wearing a travois-like travel harness.

Study of an A. saurotheos wanderer with travel gear.

A detailed study of the burly A. tataricus native to the Caucaus Mountains, complete with weapons, travel gear and ornamental cape.

Sketches of war-like A. tataricus tribes native to the Eastern Mediterranean region. These tribes are known for their ferocious (if impractical) war-masks.

Studies of two different  warriors from two different Avisapiens tataricus societies.

A resplendent A. tataricus warrior from the Levant, wearing an ornate head-dress of feathers, and an obsidian-studded war-mask.

Studies for Avisapiens spear-throwers and wooden-slat armour; from a comparatively advanced period on this species’ societal development.

An A. saurotheos shaman entertains hatchlings with fireside tales of spirits and other worlds.

A band of slave-keeping A. tataricus warriors during a raid to an A. saurotheos village. A young shaman is captured and de-clawed.

Simon Roy and I also  dwelled on the far-future evolution of dinosauroid technology. The sketches above of a “knight”, moon lander and an astronaut were produced, but we did not pursue these scenarios seriously.

Let us conclude our visit to the dinosauroid tangent-universe with one last look at our artist/shaman, his village, and his paintings. Somewhere in deep time, they are still alive, and still waiting to tell us of their adventures.

A painting of an avititan family.

A painting of the dangerous, predatory “black thing”.

A painting showing numerous animals at a watering hole.

A painting showing an A. tataricus warrior.

Stylised paintings of spear-wielding Carpathian warriors.

Painting of a ferocious Aegean headhunter.

A stylised painting showing an immature dinosauroid.

Stylised painting of a warrior confronting a spirit-creature.

Stylised painting of a powerful Caucausian mountain warrior.

Painting showing a ghoul-like oviraptoriform animal.

Painting of one of the sky-gods worshipped by A. saurotheos.

A complex painting showing four A. tataricus warriors hunting a bull Bosornithoides.

Simon Roy and I may return to the dinosauroids universe one day with a real story; but truth be told we enjoyed world-building far more than inventing stories and characters.

- 2008 - 10/2019.

[homebrewdtyrant]

How to Lose Friends Fast: Pariah’s Plate

Tired of dying to combat damage? Does your deck just not have enough “fog” type effects/spells? Well boy do I have a card combination for you! Presenting to the Brewdlings: the Pariah’s Plate!

For those who haven’t gotten the combo, let’s break it down! Equip the Darksteel Plate to a creature to make it indestructible, then equip the Pariah’s Plate to the indestructible creature. Whenever we would take damage, the Pariah’s Shield will divert that damage to the Darksteel equipped indestructible creature.

Now we can equip these two cards to any random creature and just buffer our life with it, but where is the fun in that?? I think we need to add a bit of spice to the mix!

Punish your opponents for attacking you by suiting up a Truefire Captain, Boros Reckoner or Spitemare with the Pariah’s Plate. A real “Why you hittin’ yourself?” moment when the Nekusar deck makes you draw a metric butt-ton of cards and then THEY are the ones taking the damage from the draws. 

Create a small but gradually growing army whenever an opponent tries to beat your face in. In the case of Hornet Nest, you get an actual swarm of flying deathtouchers.

With the introduction of Ixalan, we received a new mechanic in the form of Enrage, which I find works really well with the Pariah’s Plate. Speaking of enrage, let’s use this as a seg-way into the next part of this post, how to abuse the Pariah’s Plate:

Cacopho-Spewer:

Equip the Cacophodon with the Pariah’s Plate, then tap the Spear Spewer to deal 1 damage to each player. Pariah’s Shield will deflect the damage we would take back to the Cacophodon and then trigger its enrage ability, untapping the Spear Spewer. You can also replace the Spear Spewer with a Hidetsugu if you really want to go for the dramatic kill and draw immediate attention to yourself!

The Nekusar Slayer:

Equip the Ripjaw Raptor with the Pariah’s Plate and cast Arcbond on the Raptor. Whenever we would draw a card, if Nekusar is out under an opponent’s control, we take one damage, redirected to the Raptor, dealing one damage to everyone and drawing a card, redirecting the damage back to the Raptor, dealing one damage to everyone and drawing a card, and rinse and repeat. We could essentially draw ourselves out to death since there is no “may” on Ripjaw  but we’re gonna lay on the hurt to that darn Wheel-n-Deal monster while we do it! 

It’s a Trap!:

Nearly impossible to remove once fully equipped with the Pariah’s Shield and Darksteel Plate. Hexproof, indestructible AND it takes all the damage that would ever be dealt to you but doesn’t die. As long as the Pariah’s Plated Angler Turtle is in play, you essentially cannot die and all your opponents will have to tap out each turn to attack you, leaving you wide open for the back swing. My FAVORITE use of this combo by far. Definitely an all star.

HEROES NEVER DIE!!:

Along the lines of Angler Turtle, hexproof and indestructible are nearly impossible to get around outside of sacrifice type effects. Sigarda, Host of Herons just eliminates that factor, adding a whole new level of protection to your impenetrable fortress. 

What Doesn’t Kill Me... Probably Kills You:

Equip the Wall of Hope with the Pariah’s Plate and then enchant it with Spiteful Shadows. Whenever we take any damage, that damage will be redirected to the Wall of Hope, gaining us that much life, and then triggering Spiteful Shadows since the Wall took damage, dealing that much damage back to us again, looping the damage and life gain until we have a large enough pool of life to use an Aetherflux Reservoir to pay 50 life at instant speed to deal 50 damage to any creature or player... preferably an opponent. If the Reservoir is destroyed and we have no way to stop the combo we will end the game in a stalemate as there is no “may” abilities on the cards. We will gain infinite life. 

A parting thought on the Pariah’s Plate. This card combo is incredibly fun to assemble and use but I encourage moderation and protection. While the equipped creature will be indestructible, it can easily be removed with exile and bounce effects. Having a Swiftfoot Boots or Lightning Greaves in play before hand is always encouraged as the hexproof and shroud add another line of defense to the combo.   Some commanders I could really see abusing this strategy besides Sigarda, Host of Herons are Thantis, the War Weaver, Tajic Blade of the Legion, Sapling of Colfenor and any of the Amonkhet Gods. 

With Vigilance, Reach, and Indestructible from the Darksteel Plate, Thantis will be a complete boss unit as it forces your opponents to tap out into it, growing itself for the backswing while you safely take no damage. 

For the last three I mentioned (Sapling, Tajic and the Amonkhet Gods), they don’t really need a Darksteel Plate as they themselves have indestructible. Running a Pariah’s Shield in any of these decks would be a definite improvement to help stall out the game a bit as your opponent tries to figure out a way to deal with the damage lock. 

[kinglanius]

.//tag drop 1

[necromatador]

Couriers Campaign: Forgotten Island

The next day after the huge party of the Kekoa Festival, everyone slowly began waking up.  Kaicis wakes up completely fine because he didn’t drink.  Aeron wakes up still on the beach in the ruins of the party, deeply hungover.  Likewise, Keyleth wakes up in his hammock on the ship, also deeply hungover.  Nimh and Walker come walking back up the beach as the rest of the crew is starting to load the ship to leave and doing last minute checks of the repairs.  Maisy scolds them because “the two big guys are gone while we have to load the ship”.  They chuckle and go to help.  Aeron staggers back to the ship, munching unhappily on bread and bacon he got from the inn.  Keyleth eventually emerges as well, and Jib & Jab offer him some hair of the dog, which he accepts.  He gets beckoned down to the dock by Nahele the archfey who expresses surprise that Keyleth didn’t get a reward for returning Akela to her father the previous day.  Keyleth explains how he didn’t do it for a reward, he did it to return a missing kid to her worried father.  Nahele asks to see Keyleth’s bow, and compliments him for keeping up “the old ways”, before transforming it to a more natural piece of wood with a string made of thorned vine.  Everyone gets to work (Aeron very slowly and reluctantly climbing up to the crow’s nest, Keyleth with his cloak over his head to block the sunlight).  Eventually it’s just up to waiting for the tide to come in, and Keyleth climbs up and gives Aeron his cloak to nap under.  Keyleth then has Kaicis check out the bow and apparently it’s a magic +1 bow that fires thorned arrows of some kind when he pricks his fingers on the thorned bowstring.

We get back to sea and everything settles back into routine.  The treasure we’re searching for is somewhere on an island in the archipelago we’re at, so we spend the day slowly working our way through.  Later that night, everyone gathers around a barrel fire on deck, drinking and sharing stories of what we’ll do with our shares of the treasure.  Kaicis gives the boring answer of “paper, quills, and ink” for scribing spells.  Nimh doesn’t particularly care, and Keyleth has no idea either.  Aeron admits that “putting some of my younger siblings through school” is kinda a boring answer comparatively too, but that’s his plan.  There’s a brief conversation where Aeron reveals he has 14 siblings and is the oldest of them all.  Maisy has 9 siblings, who she claimed during her time at the orphanage she grew up in.  Keyleth and Kaicis revealed they also, at least briefly, raised in orphanage environments.  Walker comes up with a barrel, claiming he found “it” and Vendus asks if he means “IT it”.  Walker grins and announces he found the barrel of “Twitcher’s Brew”, apparently a former crewmember who made a hobby of brewing alcohol.  Everyone took a glass, and, briefly putting their mugs in the middle for a ‘in Twitcher’s memory, and to the promise of treasure’, downed it at the same time.  It was HORRIBLE.  Aeron’s entire throat burned, Maisy briefly lost her sight, Nimh’s entire face scrunched up, Keyleth lost feeling in his tongue, Kaicis had a coughing fit, and everyone else had various bad reactions.  We all head to bed.

The next day, Aeron has Kaicis check out the Kekoa cape he got from the fishing competition, which has some sort of courage effect (vs magical fear) and some kind of invoked evasion effect.  Later, we finally round the last island to find a lagoon and Kelvayla emerges to give a speech.  She tells everyone that we were about to make history, finding a treasure everyone thought was just a myth.  She tells us to bring as many empty containers as possible, and that the party gets first dibs but everyone gets equal split of the treasure, that she didn’t want to share this with anyone else except this crew.

Aeron empties out his bag, and Keyleth empties out the bottomless box (a box-shaped bag of holding) and the old bag we carried Chewy around in.  Bunches of empty barrels, crates, and sacks are piled on the deck.  We make landfall, and we all split up to find the entrance, each team assigned a flare to mark when we find it.  The party, plus Maisy and Candle head in one direction.  Vendus, Sunny, Jib & Jab, and Belmont go in another.  Kelvayla, Walker, Doc, Gilmer, and Xel’Bal go the last direction.

As we head into the jungle, Nimh sends Styrmir up to do some overhead scouting, and finds a thinner area of trees leading in to the center of the island, which we go round to.  Going through the pathway, we find that it used to be a stone road of some kind.  About halfway through, Styrmir starts getting restless, and Candle confirms that something is stalking us.  Partially with Styrmir’s help, and partially because some of us roll stupidly good Perception checks for no reason, we find that 4 large raptors are in the bushes ahead and a fight starts.  Maisy and Candle get to see firsthand how fucking ridiculous our party combat can be, but it’s fine and we defeat the raptors.  Nimh takes the bottom jaw off one as a trophy, and Aeron nabs himself a feather from each of them and a killer claw off one.

Continuing through the jungle, we finally make it to the center where, upon cresting the ridge of a large crater, we find a ziggurat with a volcanic glass door.  Spread in front of it are four pillars, each with a place for a flat disc on top of them.  Around the base of the ziggurat, with more closer to its base, are humanoid skeletons, ancient and worn.  Candle and Keyleth are on absolute edge as their ghost-senses give the place an unsettling aura.  Maisy sends the signal flare up, and we ended the session.

[inaturalist]

A Merlin Fly-by: Observation of the Week, 1/4/19

iNat user nanorca13 took this amazing photo of a merlin harassing a bald eagle in Canada and it’s our Observation of the Week!

Sorry for the holiday-induced delay, folks, but Observation of the Week is back for 2019!

Although he’s always been interested in nature, “from spending summers on the farm in southern Saskatchewan when I was a kid with the pronghorn and coyotes to trips to the beach here on Vancouver Island,” Warren Cronan says “I literally got into my obsession about six years ago when I injured myself running trails up the mountain. So because I couldn't run I grabbed my little camera and started hiking and taking pictures.”

As his interest in photography grew, Warren upgraded his gear and began posting his photos to iNaturalist in 2015.

Birding has become my main focus of interest and the merlin observation and pictures with the eagle happened while I was looking off the back deck of my parents’ house. This was not the first time I've seen a merlin chasing an eagle here in the middle of Nanaimo...I believe the eagle got too close to the the trees where the merlins had a nest and were spending the summer. I kept taking pictures of the eagle until the merlins finally chased him off...I got some great pictures of the eagle and a few with a merlin in the pic with him. I'm glad others have enjoyed it.

A type of falcon, the merlin is a small - wingspan about 50–73 cm (20–29 in) - but quick and aggressive bird that often hunts other birds on the wing and is known for fiercely defending its territory from other raptors. Pete Dunne, in his Hawks in Flight (with David Sibley and Clay Sutton), writes “An observer may use this aggressive tendency for identification purposes and as a means of detection. High-flying merlins often betray themselves and distinguish themselves because they are vigorously harassing another raptor (even ones as large as the Golden Eagle).” Merlins are found throughout both Eurasia and North America.

“I almost always have my camera handy and ready no matter where I am,” says Warren (above, with said camera), “and my ability to track birds in flight has improved considerably over the last few years.” He uses iNaturalist as a place to organize and share his observations, as well as get ID help from other users, but says “as much as I get out of posting my observations and following others, it is being out in nature observing that I live for, and capturing an interesting shot is just icing on the cake.”

- by Tony Iwane. Some quotes were lightly edited for clarity.

- Here’s some great footage of a merlin hunting and feeding its chicks.

- And this osprey nest cam video of an attacking bald eagle shows you exactly why birds don’t want bald eagles around their young.

- Falcons and eagles may look and behave similarly, but they are only distantly related if you delve into their genes. Falcons are in fact much more closely related to parrots.

[esonetwork]

Timestamp #236: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/timestamp-236-dinosaurs-on-a-spaceship/

Timestamp #236: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Doctor Who: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (1 episode, s07e02, 2012)

Sailing the stars Jurassic-style.

The Doctor did a good thing and saved 1334 BC Egypt from a swarm of locusts. On his way back to the TARDIS, he’s intercepted by Queen Nefertiti who wants to thank him properly for his services… if you know what she means.

Her efforts are interrupted by a message on the psychic paper from the Indian Space Agency. He’s forced to take “Nefi” with him because she forces her way onto the TARDIS, and once he arrives in the 24th century, he’s informed of a non-communicative spaceship approaching Earth. If it gets within ten thousand kilometers – the edge of the Earth’s exosphere – the Indian Space Agency will start shooting missiles.

The Doctor decides that he needs some additional help, so he jets off to Africa in 1902 to convince game hunter John Riddell to join the fun. He then travels to 21st century London. There, Rory and his father Brian are changing a lightbulb. Amy finds things amusing until the Doctor arrives, materializing around the three and immediately setting course for the 24th century.

Brian is shell-shocked and the Doctor is confused, but soon enough everything is set in motion as the crew starts exploring amidst the pounding noises around them. When they reach a lift, the doors open to reveal a pair of dinosaurs.

On a spaceship.

*ding* There’s the title!

The group runs for cover from the Ankylosauruses. Riddell claims that he can take one of them alone with his knife, but the Doctor is intrigued by the discovery and wants to preserve them. They find an interactive monitor and the Doctor starts mapping the ship. When he asks for a path to the engines, he, Rory, and Brian are teleported to a foggy beach. Brian loses his mind as he tries to process what’s going on.

The Doctor tastes the air and determines that they are on Earth… sort of. The air is slightly wrong, the ground is humming, and Brian discovers a metal deck under the sand. As Rory calls for the Doctor to show him what they found, a mysterious watcher orders someone to bring the Doctor to him.

Amy, Nefi, and Riddell continue to explore the ship, literally stumbling into a Tyrannosaur nest. Luckily, the tyrant lizard is fast asleep. The trio continues on.

The Doctor finds another monitor and learns that the beach is the engine room. In fact, propulsion and energy are maintained by the waves. The Doctor’s excitement is cut short by the arrival of a flock of pterodactyls. The trio rush for a cave, avoiding the snapping beaks but running right into a pair of stomping robots.

Amy’s team find another monitor and review the ship’s logs. Amy finds out that the ship is Silurian and was a form of ark that was launched when the Silurians feared a cataclysm when the Earth aligned with the Moon. Between the time of launch and now, the population has drastically decreased. Also, the ship has been boarded before.

The Doctor’s team and the accompanying robots run into a triceratops that acts like a puppy, licking Brian’s face and playing fetch with a golf ball. The group is taken to Solomon, a man listening to Fantasia in F minor by Franz Schubert as he tries to recover from a raptor attack. Solomon has mistaken the Time Lord for an actual medical doctor, which isn’t that far from the truth. When the Doctor offers assistance in exchange for information about Solomon’s arrival, the wounded man orders the robots to shoot Brian. The Doctor works on Solomon while Rory tends to his father’s burn, and Brian is surprised that Rory keeps a medical supply pack with him. It’s a family habit to carry tools around, as evidenced by Brian’s convenient trowel.

Amy calls Rory via mobile phone – the TARDIS superphone returns! – to tell him about the Silurians. Meanwhile, the Doctor finds out that Solomon is a trader and is interested in selling the dinosaurs as precious cargo. He is intrigued in how the Doctor doesn’t exist in his database. Solomon explains that the Silurians rescued the trader, and in return he ejected them from their own ship. Unfortunately, Solomon couldn’t control the ship so it automatically set course for Earth.

The Doctor gathers Rory and Brian, set on making sure that Solomon does not control the ark of the Silurians. The trio hops aboard the triceratops – which the Doctor has named Tricey – and they escape from the robots as the dinosaur chases the golf ball down the passageway. When Tricey catches the ball, she bucks her passengers off and sits patiently.

The Indian Space Agency calls the Doctor, warning him that the ship has entered the atmosphere and they have no choice but to open fire. Meanwhile, Amy’s team finds some stun rifles. As Nefi learns that the Doctor is married, Amy watches the Doctor over the security feeds as he tries to figure out how to stop the missiles.

Solomon catches up to the Doctor and makes him an offer: He’ll let everyone go if he surrenders Queen Nefertiti. The Doctor refuses, so Solomon shows that he’s serious by murdering Tricey. Amy’s team uses the teleporter to reach the Doctor, and Nefertiti offers herself willingly. Solomon transports himself, Nefi, and the robots back to his ship.

The Doctor takes everyone else to the control room, explaining that Solomon couldn’t control the ship because the Silurians designed it to require two pilots who share similar DNA. The Doctor magnetically locks Solomon’s ship to the ark as Brian offers to pilot the ship with Rory. The Doctor explains how to control the ship while Riddell stands guard against the roving velociraptors.

The Doctor works on the wiring, chatting with Amy while he works. Amy expresses her fear that his visits are becoming farther and farther apart. One day, he might never show up. The Doctor comforts Amy by explaining that he’ll always come to see them. As the Doctor teleports to Solomon’s ship, Amy joins Riddell on guard duty and fends off the velociraptors.

The Indian Space Agency notes that the ark has changed course, but they still maintain their missile lock.

The Doctor arrives on Solomon’s ship and disables the robots as Nefertiti disables Solomon. The Doctor leaves a green tracking orb on the ship’s bridge and releases the magnetic lock, teleporting back to the ark as the missiles destroy Solomon’s craft.

With the ark back on course for deep space, the Doctor offers to take everyone on an adventure, but Rory suggests that he take everyone home. Before they do, Brian asks for one favor: As the TARDIS orbits the Earth, he sits on the edge of the doorway and sips coffee while staring at his homeworld.

Riddell returns home, though he is now joined by Nefertiti. The Ponds return home as well, but they keep receiving postcards from Brian. It turns out that Rory’s dad – a man who used to be afraid of traveling – has gone traveling with the Doctor, including to Siluria, the new home of the dinosaurs.

David Bradley does his best evil in this story. I mean, it was deliciously evil. He was previously the voice of Shansheeth in Death of the Doctor, and (spoilers) he’ll eventually follow Colin Baker’s and Peter Capaldi’s lead by playing an incarnation of the Doctor after previously holding a role on the show. His demise did strike me as especially brutal: The Doctor literally set him up to die, which differs from the typical tactic of allowing the foe to set themselves up.

Sometimes this particular incarnation scares me.

Brian Williams is so much fun as well, paving a narrative path for Rory to become the only person to travel in the TARDIS with both a parent and a child (though not at the same time). Brian’s excitement nearly leapt off the screen as he tried to figure out what was going on around him and how best to help. His travels at the end of the story made me smile wide.

This story was a great follow-on from Doctor Who and the Silurians, which previously showed us the relationship between the Silurians and dinosaurs. At that time, the Silurians were using a dinosaur to guard their base. It also echoes back to previous stories about arks (The Ark, The Ark in Space), Invasion of the Dinosaurs (wherein the Third Doctor also prioritized preservation of the dinosaurs), and the literal extinction-level event for the dinosaurs (Earthshock).

How many more times can I say dinosaur? I’ll save the most moving instance – the most traumatic, especially as a dog owner – for last. Tricey’s demise was heartbreaking. It serves as a fantastic testament to the writer and production staff since it solidifies Solomon’s despicable nature and makes me stand in awe because I fell in love with a computer-generated dinosaur in a handful of minutes.

That writer, by the way? Chris Chibnall.

Rating: 5/5 – “Fantastic!”

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: A Town Called Mercy

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

[leagueofbantcraft]

Port Bound

The next installment, introducing most of the crew of the Tempest Raptor. Hopefully I did well enough making everyone’s character designed well. Some did not get as much screen time as others, but they will soon. I need to include Lasav and Mortimer and one other. This is also the longest one I have written yet. So it will be below the break.

               By the third week, the ship had an even larger crew. The engineer also informed me that they were in fact an elf. For the first time they answered more questions than prompted. They were too tall to be a human, so before they left me befuddled. They also made Seamus very happy when they finished new crossbows. Ruzena settled into the ship quickly. After her first few nights of beating us at cards, she helped plan and keep track of the rest of us. She also continued to win poker night most regularly.

               I was happy to have another winged compatriot. Her name was Nimbith. Like the rest of the crew she was not from around here. I had seen a lot of female sirens in my day, but none looked like that. She had a sense of royalty. Where she came from she was clearly important at one point in time. Also her wings were not attached to her arms. Sirens did not have loose wings like that. We still had much in common being able to fly however. And when the others got too loud we could head up to the sky.

               Our next destination was a friendly port. We needed to restock on safe water, and more food. Our crew was going larger. The artificer named Lucian was like a living index of our equipment. He remembered everything we have down to the extra grain of rice that someone stole. It was forgiven only because it was a single grain of rice. He said his knowledge was from owning a shop back where they were from. But not every shopkeep was as good a bookkeeper as he was.

“Jericho, you and Nimbith are going to watch the ship. Seamus and I are going to look for the last members of our crew.” Gardonia ordered.

               Nimbith and I were used to watching the ship. We had the best view. I preferred to stay on the ship anyway. I liked the smell of sea air. The port towns began to smell like soot, sweat and oil. Staying on the ship was much more preferable. The only time the sea smelled worse was when we passed the decaying whale carcass. Some of the crew wanted to eat it. But after I pointed out the brine and rot, they were persuaded not to.

It was also awestriking to see Nimbith in combat. I haven’t seen her cleave many humanoid opponents yet, but she has a vendetta against things with tentacles. I pointed out an octopus last time we were at port and she cut it to bits. Since she was the one that killed it, it was safe to eat. A welcome new food compared to the usual fish.

As we were waiting, Lucian, Digitalis, and Ruzena also left the ship. Each in different directions.

“Where are you going?” I called after them.

“I am going to find some space to work on these prototypes.” Digitalis answered, then added more details that went over my head.

“I have my list of things we need.” Lucian responded.

“Do you need help carrying any of it?” I asked.

“No, I can handle it, besides you have your orders.” Lucian dismissed.

“I, have my own things I need to take care of while we are at port, I won’t be gone long.” Ruzena yelled back.

               I would be worried about them. They were all going by themselves. The boys would be fine, none of them were dripping with gold. This port wasn’t known for its kidnappings. But I also knew Ruzena could take care of herself. She was the smallest among us, but her appearance belied her inner strength. If she needed to make a demonstration, she would, and I doubted anyone would cross with her after that.

               Lucian arrived back the quickest. Surprisingly he was carrying nothing. Once on deck, he tossed what looked like a gem onto the floorboards. Several barrels of supplies manifested before us. Then a few more appeared a slight distance away. He was meticulous enough to not want the weight of the supplies to fall down immediately.

“We will need Seamus to help us get all these barrels down to the storerooms.” Lucian said, wiping off his hands.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

“Well, my magic is …complex…and nothing to worry about. We have the supplies we need.” Lucian replied.

               Ruzena arrived at the same time as Captain Gardonia. Behind them Seamus walking with two new individuals. Both of which were intimidating to put it nicely. The first was a gray skinned humanoid that looked rather gruff. He had horns, not much unlike dinosaurs. I wondered if that was a new curse I haven’t seen before. Pirates get cursed treasure regularly. The gray man also had a tail. It was not spiky like some dinosaurs. It was long and lithe.

The second, I had trouble determining what it was. Its…what I could only assume was skin…was black. He was essentially covered in a mass of seaweed and algae that somehow maintained a shape of a robe. His face was pale. His head was draped in brown hair.

               When I saw his face, I recognized it. Well, not it specifically, for I had not met him before in my life. But I have seen something similar along the shore. Occasionally there are cursed treasures. Pirates willingly seek their riches. But wind up with more than they bargained for. They touch the cursed gold and return mindless, once they die. This new addition had the marks of that. He was missing the right side of his face from the nose up to his head. Instead of skin or hair covering that spot it was more plant mass. His skull plants were a rarer vine he must have picked up from the port town. Opposite of his plant face was shaved.

               Nimbith scowled upon the sight of them. I asked her what was wrong. She swallowed hard and said nothing. I would be lying if I wasn’t worried about their appearance as well, especially the, to put it bluntly, decrepit one. But he assured us of his loyalty. And has an eagerness to kill vampires, which is one of the major requirements of this crew.

“Crew, this is Ormos and Brand, they are joining up with us now.” Captain Gardonia said.

“Aye.” We answered.

“Ormos and Seamus can you lend a hand with these barrels.” Lucian pointed. “I got them here, but until I finish a better inventory system, they will need to go to the storerooms below deck.”

               Lucian helped them with the barrels. The Captain showed Brand around the ship. Nimbith had calmed down. The sun was setting. It was my turn to cook. We were all sick of fish. I asked Lucian if we had any meats. There were some salted meats left, I think of whiptail. I stirred it up with some onions and peppers. I was not a seasoned cook, none of us were. But we took turns out of fairness.

               By the time I finished cooking, Ormos and Seamus were done helping Lucian with the barrels. The dinner table was much more crowded than usual. I gave Seamus a larger helping, only as much more as was fair. He is the biggest out of all of us, he can get more food.

After dinner Ruzena spoke up. “Alright who’s up for a round of poker.”

“I’m going to win this time!” Digitalis said.

“I’m going to pass this round.” I said.

               The sun had finally sunk behind the horizon. I flew to the crow’s nest. Stars began popping into view. The waves crashed against the sides of the Tempest Raptor. The sounds of the crew playing cards joined the chorus of the port city. We would likely stay a few more days. Digitalis still needed to finish his construction. We still needed a sawbones too.

               But for now, I had the stars. I had a place I felt welcome with several people I could call my crewmates. Some of us were different. We were a diverse assortment. But what band of pirates didn’t. The Storm Fleet at least had some goblins. One ship was even captained by a bullman. Another captain was rumored to be able to turn people into stone by a glance.

               The Tempest Raptor would soon know that renown. The ship of lightning slinging Legion slayers. The crew that turned a vampire into a tree. The crew that I found a home in.

[mediocremagicman]

Wednesday night draft!

8 Person Ixalan (3xXLN)

This week's draft was the first solid 8 person I've done in awhile and I've got to say the difference it makes to this draft is remarkable. Perhaps a bit of that was luck that everyone found a lane early enough to get out of the other players way. Everyone felt like they had a cohesive deck and there was relatively little fighting for archetypes. I ended up in G/R dinosaurs deck that's more midrange than the aggro I'd like to be playing in the format. When it worked it worked really well but didn't work enough resulting in a 1-2 record for the evening.

This week opened with another hard decision pack one pick one. With my rare being the completely unplayable Old-Growth Dryads I was torn between two cards, Pious Interdiction and Dusk Legion Dreadnought. In previous weeks I have taken Dusk Legion Dreadnought operating under the principle that it's better to take a card that keeps you open over better cards. In order for this to be true though the card that you take must be playable. Dusk Legion Dreadnought is a perfectly fine card in theory, but in practice it has yet to make the cut in my deck. Each and every time I've taken it to stay open I have ended up playing another card that plays into the archetype of the deck better. With this in mind there are three possible options, I take the Dreadnought and have a card I can't play, I take the colored card and don't play that color and end up with a card I can't play, or I take the colored card and do play that color and have a good card. As long as I continue to read the signals and don't overcommit to the color in question the downside is the same but the colored card has the only potential upside. All this thought to take a Pious Interdiction pick one that I didn't play. Pack two was lower quality and a less interesting choice. Unfriendly Fire is a decent removal that works in all red archetypes. Headstrong Brute is a card that performs better outside it's tribal archetype than one might guess. Since in this format there isn't a whole lot of blocking anyway (everyone is attacking!) it needs neither evasion or to block to do what it does. Thrash of Raptors definitely needs to be in a Dino deck, but I'd seen some Raptor Companions go by and thought there was the possibility that R/W dinos could be open. Bonded Horncrest showed that at least the red dinosaurs were open. Again looking back to the swingy nature of the format it's downside isn't likely to be relevant; most of the time you are either swinging with a bunch of creatures or none. Dinosaur Stampede like the Brute works better than one would think outside of dinosaurs. As I've said a bunch there isn't a lot of blocking so if you miss on the trample it matters less and a pump like that can really swing a race. Tilonalli's Knight is a powerhouse in any deck that has red and dinosaurs so I snap it up and firmly commit to the archetype. Although I'm still leaving myself open for my secondary color. When evaluating the cycle of keepers you have to ignore the activated ability and just evaluate it as a creature; under this lense Fire Shrine Keeper is one of the playables. A 1/1 menace isn't spectacular but it can chip away for one or two damage and in a racey format like this one those one or two points can make a big difference. Hijack isn't great but at this point in the pack I'd like to stay red unless I can't or there is really worth playing. Next pick I got such a thing by the way of Grazing Whiptail. It looks mildly unexciting but this particular combination of stats makes this one of the few really good blockers in this set. I took this as a sign green was being underdrafted and snatched it right up. Nothing else of value came by in pack one. I got the sad Rummaging Goblin as a boot, this isn't your format my furry friend.

Pack two my rare was an awful off color card Axis of Mortality but I contained the premium uncommon Lightning Strike. Next pack I was light on red and I had to make the choice between a decent green card, and a decent white card. I had partial commitments to each but opted for green because of the Whiptail late last pack. The second Fire Shrine Keeper was probably a mistake, I don't remember what else was in the pack but the card isn't good enough to play two off so anything close to playable would probably have been a better pick. Next pack was a combat trick debate. It had both Sure Strike and Crash the Ramparts. While I think Crash the Ramparts is better situated for this format I wasn't fully committed to green and took the Sure Strike. Raging Swordtooth fully made that commitment. The next few picks practically made themselves. At this point I'm devoted to G/R and have four dinosaurs which is a place that makes Thrash of Raptors very good. Colossal Dreadmaw is the perfect top end in this format; it eats most things on blocking and trades with one or two creatures when they try to block it. Swashbuckling is better is more in the more aggressive pirate decks but still good with taking. Thrash of Raptors was good a few picks ago, it's even better here. Getting Commune with Dinosaurs this late really felt like a win. At one mana you rarely miss out on other spells to play it and filtering through 5 cards to find the one you need at that particular moment is really powerful. You have to be sure you can find a creature when you need one, but I'm not worried about this the way my deck is at this time.

I forget what the rare was pack three but I was very happy to grab a second Raging Swordtooth. Since I'm reasonably confident it will be online I'm ready to take as many Tilonalli's Knights as I see. Savage Stomp is as devastating at the name would imply even when you cast it for three and almost broken when you can cast it for one. Next pick I thought about for a long time because three Commune with Dinosaurs seemed like too many. The other card in the pack with my attention was a Thundering Spineback which while very powerful in my deck is very expensive. In the end I concluded that three was not too many Commune's and took that. When another Spineback came in the subsequent pack I thought it was worth it to take. Nest Robber isn't the best because it's so fragile, but it can sneak in for two on turn two sometimes and gets my Tilonalli's Knights online before they swing the first time. The rest of the packs were east picks as there wasn't many options in my colors. Getting Ixalli's Diviner was a the best thing that happened; since my deck is more mid-range having a good early blocker can help prevent me from getting run over before I stabilize.

The Final Decklist

Instant/Sorceries: 3x Commune With Dinosaurs 1x Lightning Strike 1x Pounce 1x Crash the Ramparts 1x Savage Stomp 1x Dinosaur Stampede 1x Unfriendly Fire Creatures: 1x Fire Shrine Keeper 1x Ixalli's Diviner 1x Ixalli's Keeper 2x Nest Robber 3x Tilonalli's Knight 1x Grazing Whiptail 1x Bonded Horncrest 3x Thrash of Raptors 2x Raging Swordtooth 1x Colossal Dreadmaw Lands: 7x Mountain 8x Forest

Round 1 (0-2) was a mirror match against a G/R deck that was drafting two seats to the right of me. Both of our decks were built very midrange with their deck being slightly more powerful at the top end. Both games I believed I had stabilized by dealing with their threats only to be confronted with a Sun-Crowned Hunters that I couldn't afford to block, and couldn't afford not to block.

Round 2 (2-0) I got lucky plain and simple against a R/U pirates deck. Game one I mulliganed to five and keeps Ixalli's Keeper, Savage Stomp, Pounce and two forests on the play. On my third turn I Stomped their Fathomfleet Firebrand and got in for three. On my fourth turn they couldn't block with their Headstrong Brute and took three again. Then on their turn four they attempted to play Pirate's Cutlass so I Pounced in response. I followed up with Thrash of Raptors and Bonded Horncrest which ate his Lightning-Rig Crew. Game two they missed their fourth land drop and had no creatures while I curved out. They found the fourth land drop but they were on such a backfoot by this point it didn't matter.

Round 3 (1-2) I played against a U/G merfolk deck. Game one they got sliced on lands and couldn't play anything between turn 3 when they played their only green card and turn 5 when they found their first island. Game two and three they utilized tricks to edge out a small advantage every interaction that accumulated to me losing in a big way. Wildgrowth Walker with three explore triggers is really good and absolutely crushed me. Especially after I double block it and another creature and get confronted with two combat tricks in a two for four.

[coolbabymelonworld-blog]

REVIEW IXALAN. Parte Cinco de Sete.

(por Rodrigo S. Pereira)

(cards animados via @theblogeternities​)

É tiro, porrada e bomba! Sai de baixo que o Vermelho de Ixalan não está para brincadeira. A cor vermelha já passou por maus bocados no formato Padrão quando decks como Devoção ao Preto ou ao Azul estavam em alta, ou na sombria fase de Sentinelas versus Eldrazi, de Batalha por Zendikar até Lua Arcana. Por outro lado, Atarka Red era um deck poderoso no Padrão de Origens/Dragões de Tarkir, que deixou bons cards de herança para o Burn do formato Construído Moderno. Chandra, Chama da Rebeldia (KLD) e Portador da Glória (AKH) estão entre os cards mais poderosos do presente Padrão. Neste formato prestes a rotacionar, Ramunap Red é o Red Deck Wins da vez, Tier 1 incontestável que só tende a ficar mais forte com a entrada de Ixalan.

Golpe Relampejante é um reprint que subiu de raridade para Incomum, o que em si só é relevante para o Limitado. Seu tão solicitado retorno para o Padrão Construído, substituindo a equivalente Fluxo Incendiário (EMN), promete alavancar a versatilidade do Ramunap Red, conferindo mais reatividade instantânea, sem perder a inevitabilidade ao poder causar 3 de dano direto, 15% do total de vida inicial. Golpe Relampejante incomum é por hora o mais próximo que chegaremos de Raio (MM2), mágica mais icônica do Vermelho, reimpressa inúmeras vezes antes de se perceber que era poderosa demais.

A Capitã Lannery Tormenta é uma alternativa ao turno 3 ideal do Ramunap Red, que é atacar com seu drop 1 e seu drop 2 junto a um Demolidor da Safra Ahn (AKH) que, exaurido, impede uma criatura de bloquear, garantindo dano. A simpática pirata lendária visa outro viés: por criar um Tesouro quando ataca, ela confere ao controlador 1 mana aberto imediatamente. Isso recupera parte do próprio custo do card, além de possibilitar o uso de uma instantânea de 1 mana, e gastar mais cards favorece o plano de encerrar a partida com Hazoret, a Fervorosa (AKH). O Tesouro ainda possibilita manter a ativação do Mensageiro de Bomat (KLD) disponível, e caso seja utilizado para este ou outro fim, ainda há o benefício incremental de +1/+0 até o fim do turno para a pirata. Se sua versatilidade é preferível ao poder bruto do minotauro, saberemos em breve!

O Vermelho é a cor que traz o embate mais polêmico de Ixalan: Piratas versus Dinossauros! Estas são as duas tribos mais profundas (com maior disponibilidade de cards) da coleção, por estarem em três cores. Vermelho é onde elas convergem, cor secundária para ambas, lhes oferecendo agressão adaptável a uma ou outra cor de suas três.

O Monstrossauro Atacante acima é o encontro da clássica comum Machado de Lava (M15), que já finalizou muitos jogos de Limitado, com o recente brutamontes raro Arrebentador da Realidade (OGW), uma das melhores justificativas para os Eldrazi precisarem de mana especificamente incolor.

No embate tribal, as sinergias são “sutis”. A WotC intencionalmente está experimentando possibilidades nos temas tribais além do efeito “Lorde/Antífona” (uma permanente fornecer +1/+1 para outras do tipo especificado). Cada card tem um valor razoável no vácuo, comparável a cards e efeitos já consagrados no Magic, mas jogá-lo junto à tribo adequada implica num benefício sensível.

Cavaleiro de Tilonalli é um dos primeiros Value Bears comuns do Vermelho, cor que nessa raridade, até Despojadora Falkenrath (EMN) sequer acessava Grizzly Bears — apelido prototípico de criatura 2/2 por 1M. Value Bears são aqueles com essas características e um benefício adicional. Historicamente o Vermelho e o Preto só recebiam Bears comuns com uma desvantagem, como ser forçada a atacar todo turno ou não bloquear, e essa relação vem mudando de uns anos para cá. Em Ixalan, como ambas as cores têm por tema agressão rápida, nada melhor que o Bear para a curva 2 comum!

Bruto Obstinado é como uma convergência de Ogro Cinzento (4e) e Gigante da Colina (10e), cards que também batizam as próprias categorias de criatura. Entre o Gray Ogre (2/2 por 2M) e o Hill Giant (3/3 por 3M), temos um 3/3 por 3 mana com uma desvantagem fixa e uma vantagem situacional. Receber evasão junto a Piratas deixa claro que Bruto Obstinado não foi feito para bloquear!

A “sutileza” das sinergias tribais precisa de aspas porque esse raramente é o termo certo para o Vermelho. Estouro dos Dinossauros é o tipo de mágica que transforma totalmente um combate com mais de uma atacante, muito querida aos chegados no Alpha Strike (ataque com todas as criaturas ameaçando dano letal, manobra comum em ambientes Limitados), e basta uma delas ser um Dinossauro para haver quase certeza de dano (mas quanto mais, melhor!).

Canhonada Ardente por sua vez é um Piroclasma (MM3) que acrescenta 1 ao custo em troca da instant speed, o que é a metade justa de Retorno de Kozilek (OGW), rara mítica que já jogou bastante no Padrão e continua bem valorizada. Contudo, se jogada por um deck de Piratas, o card de Ixalan não fere suas criaturas! Ser potencialmente one sided (afetando apenas o oponente) é uma tremenda vantagem para uma incomum. Mas tal como na mítica branca Avatar do Sol Nascente, o efeito de cólera excluindo uma tribo é frequentemente frustrante no Limitado, e transita entre maindeck e sideboard em formatos Construídos, a depender da frequência de mirror matches (em que se enfrenta um deck similar ou idêntico, e portanto com a mesma tribo).

Já que mencionamos um Dinossauro Avatar, o Avatar do Sol Abrasador, card cuja animação abriu esse artigo, apresenta uma proposta diferente. Ele é um 6/6 por 6 com um ETB aparentemente bem direto, causando 6 de dano combinados entre um oponente e uma criatura, cada um recebendo 3 de dano. A sutileza dessa habilidade permitir dar alvo em qualquer criatura (ou nenhuma) começa e termina na habilidade exclusiva dos Dinossauros: Enfurecer.

Apesar de soar tão Vermelha, Enfurecer só tem essas duas aparições na cor. Como entre as três cores da tribo esta é a cor capaz de causar dano com mágicas e habilidades com maior facilidade e frequência, o Vermelho ficou responsável por viabilizar um controle maior da fúria dos Dinossauros — quase um flavor issue tão estranho quanto a ausência da mecânica Revolta no Vermelho de Revolta do Éter, já que “controlar a fúria” definitivamente não soa Vermelho (mas também podemos interpretar como “despertar a fúria”, não é?).

O pay off de Enfurecer é consideravelmente maior jogando com Verde, que oferece ramp e card advantage. O único Enfurecer Branco, de Egidossauro Urrante, é muito coerentemente um efeito cooperativo, pedindo uma expansão horizontal para ser mais efetivo. Ainda assim, alvejar Caçadores Coroa-de-sol com seu Avatar do Sol Abrasador parece bom demais para não tentar pelo menos uma vez na vida!

Os Dinossauros são quase tão pushed em Ixalan quanto eram os Veículos em Kaladesh, e lembremos que Cóptero do Contrabandista (KLD) foi banido do Padrão antes mesmo do lançamento de Revolta do Éter! Em contrapartida, outro arquétipo “óbvio” recente permanece um tanto apagado, que reside nos cards dedicados a Reciclar do bloco Amonkhet. Os Dinossauros disponíveis em Ixalan já apontam o deck praticamente pronto, como parecia o Mardu Vehicles.

No Limitado, Vermelho e Verde é o Midrange que todos visarão, onde há maior concentração de ameaças acima da curva e jogadas finalizadoras. A melhor parte das mágicas vermelhas de dano em Ixalan é versátil, podendo alvejar uma criatura ou jogador, o que as torna prioritárias sobre as remoções de outras cores. Somente o Preto acessa algo semelhante com Nutrição Sombria, card incomum que precisa de um contexto muito específico para ser equivalente ou preferível à comum Fogo Inamistoso.

Há poucas remoções raras em Ixalan e Barragem de Repetição a princípio não é a melhor ou mais eficiente entre elas, por sua sorcery speed e dano relativamente baixo. Mas a oportunidade de card advantage no Vermelho é automaticamente tentadora, mesmo que custosa. O card tende a jogar mais Construído que Limitado, mas como Abrir Fogo (HOU) comprovou, 3 de dano direto é uma excelente forma de finalizar um jogo, independente do custo!

Entre os Dinossauros, Bando de Raptores é mais um Hill Giant com benefício tribal, e 5/3 Atropelar por 4 mana não é de se desprezar. Com outros 3 ou 4 dinossauros jogáveis em outras curvas, Bando de Raptores já é ótimo em qualquer deck agressivo. Cristocórneo Selado é muito promissor como 5/5 por 4 mana, mas vai preferir estratégias que apliquem pressão horizontal ao Midrange clássico que joga uma ameaça por turno, sendo assim mais interessante junto ao Branco ou ao Preto. Cuidado ao jogá-lo em situações de atrito, já que criaturas menores não permanecerão no campo de batalha por muito tempo e ele pode facilmente se tornar um desperdício de 4 mana e 1 card.

Disparo de Canhão de Fogo é o encontro ideal de Julgamento da Legião e Destruir os Fracos, remoções de custo 3 no Branco e no Preto respectivamente. A versatilidade do Raide a condenou à sorcery speed, mas há pouquíssimas coisas que ela não é capaz de remover, sendo facilmente comparável a Andar na Prancha ou Aprisionamento de Ixalan como remoção prioritária no Limitado.

Mestre da Caça de Otepec tem um corpo fraco para ser interessante para o plano Aggro, mas oferece um pacote ramp/Tempo absurdo para decks com uma boa população de Dinossauros, efetivamente adiantando em 2 turnos o ataque da fera. No Limitado é inclusão automática nos RW e RG que disponham de 3-5 Dinossauros, mas como Azul e Preto não acessam o tipo de criatura, ele frequentemente será apenas um 1/2 por 2 mana, o que não é lá muito animador, portanto avalie a adição com cuidado.

Ferocidonte Enfurecido é assustador dos pés à cabeça. Um 3/3 por 3 mana que segue a mesma fórmula do Bruto Obstinado, mas evidentemente com efeitos condizentes com sua raridade. A simetria de suas habilidades parece perigosa, mas para decks Aggro, só o que importa é o estrago que ele faz a adversários. Em um Midrange, a tendência de jogar apenas uma ameaça por turno também favorece que o Dinossauro machuque mais oponentes que seu controlador.

Bucaneiros Brônzeos, por sua vez, é um card advantage volátil: o investimento de 4 mana é discutível quando o resultado é um 2/2 que lhe compra um terreno, uma vez que o Ímpeto tem grandes chances de não ser relevante a essa altura. Já como um 3/3 Ímpeto que oferece controle sobre o topo do grimório, o card fica bastante acima da curva para uma comum. Quem não adoraria testemunhar a ambição de jogar uma Barragem de Repetição revelada dessa forma no cemitério? Intimidação nível máximo!

Instigadora da Frota Abissal é a segunda Value Bear comum Vermelha, e esta, apesar de Pirata, não depende de sinergias tribais para seu upside. Em contrapartida, a habilidade classicamente conhecida como Fire Breath (ou “cuspir fogo”, advinda de Dragões que recebiam +1/+0 ao pagar 1 mana vermelho) custa 1 mana a mais. Tá valendo! Ela preenche a curva 2 de qualquer deck Limitado Vermelho com louvor, sendo preferível nos RW e BR, que adorarão a possibilidade da Pirata trocar “para cima” (entrar num combate letal com uma criatura maior/de custo mais alto), isso sem nem gastar cards, e as cores já tendem a incluir combat tricks em seus decks.

O mesmo vale para o Corredor da Cordoalha, o novo “falso drop 1”. O Goblin desestimula ser jogado no primeiro turno, mas conforme os decks mais agressivos começam a atacar e despejar novas criaturas, um 2/2 Iniciativa por 1 mana é um negócio imperdível! Infelizmente, como ele perde a relevância do 3º-4º turno em diante (o que acontece com a maioria dos drop 1 no Limitado), este não é um card a ser priorizado, apenas valorizado se calhar de aparecer.

Goblin Astuto está limitado a Midranges cuja cor principal seja Vermelho, sendo ele mesmo uma mágica ramp tal qual Mestre da Caça de Otepec, e indesejável no plano Aggro pelo mesmo motivo: 2 de mana precisa pagar no mínimo 2 de Poder. Já Tripulação do Aparelho de Raios parece defensiva a princípio, mas pode funcionar como condição de vitória secundária em decks dedicados a Piratas que acessem card advantage suficiente para desvirá-la com frequência, como o UR tende a ser, e o BR pode ser com Marcha dos Afogados.

Existem diversos cards que, como a Tripulação do Aparelho de Raios, parecem precisar de uma construção em torno de si, mas que na realidade geram valor suficiente por conta própria. Goblin Escarafunchador, por exemplo, é um reprint da criatura que batizou essa ação hoje tão característica da cor Vermelha, o rummage. Descartar para comprar um card nem sempre é visto como card advantage, e sim como filtro ou seletividade. Mas mesmo que não haja interação com descarte ou cemitério — Adeus, Temperamento Explosivo! (SOI) —, trocar um terreno sobressalente (ou qualquer outro card indesejável para o momento) de sua mão por um card novo é um lucro! Pode ser uma nova criatura, outro terreno (que do contrário viria na sua próxima compra de card), ou aquela mágica finalizadora, o que não falta no Vermelho.

Golpe Certeiro, por exemplo, é um dos melhores combat trick disponíveis em Ixalan: além do substancial bônus de poder, a Iniciativa ainda favorece que sua criatura sobreviva ao combate. Além disso, se for o que falta para vencer, qualquer custo é válido por 3 de dano extra!

O que nos leva à rara Vândalos de Angrath. O efeito de dano dobrado raramente é one sided, e por vezes vem como desvantagem, como na rara mítica Castigadora da Noite Dourada (SOI). Vândalos de Angrath não apenas dobra o dano só das fontes sob seu controle, como a desvantagem é a mais simples do jogo: um custo alto. 7 mana por um 4/4 soa absurdo, mas tendo atacantes disponíveis, o jogo provavelmente acabará com a entrada dela no campo de batalha; seu corpo “pequeno” sequer terá importância, sendo apenas um bônus caso por um milagre você não tenha vencido neste turno.

Munições Improvisadas traz outro efeito já conhecido de Magic, com a versatilidade de custar mana genérico e lhe permitir sacrificar artefatos — como Tesouros. Seu impacto imediato não é nada comparável a Vândalos de Angrath, em contrapartida ela tem custo baixíssimo. O que o encantamento permite é transformar em 1 de dano todas os bloqueios favoráveis a oponentes e qualquer remoção usada em suas criaturas. Sutil, mas não deve ser subestimado, e com 2-3 ativações em um jogo, já pode virar a maré a seu favor.

Vermelho normalmente não é a cor que mais se preocupa em contextualizar seus cards, sendo frequentemente a cor de menor complexidade. Mas complexidade não implica qualidade. O card só precisa fazer exatamente o que parece fazer, sem maiores implicações. Raptor Frenético e Ladrão de Ninhos não são criaturas muito resistentes, mas eles cumprem uma função: causarão dano a oponentes e/ou serão trocados por um card (uma criatura adversária ou uma remoção) e/ou protegerão seu total de vida num bloqueio.

Essas são as criaturas que frequentemente usamos para preencher nossa curva, quando opções “ideais” não estão disponíveis, mas não as despreze. Dano é dano, 20 de vida não é tanto assim e está ao alcance de qualquer criatura, dado tempo suficiente. O clock (contagem de turnos até o fim do jogo caso o efeito continue se aplicando) individual de Ladrão de Ninhos é 10 turnos, o de Raptor Frenético é 5. Calcule suas jogadas, valorize suas criaturas, e o clock se reduzirá: jogar de Vermelho é aplicar causalidade constantemente.

O próprio Guardião do Santuário do Fogo pode ser pequeno, mas é evasivo: ele pode facilmente causar 2-4 de dano a oponentes antes que não tenha mais ataques favoráveis, e/ou terá forçado as criaturas adversárias a permanecerem disponíveis para bloqueio, tudo isso por 1 mana! Caso tudo dê errado e o jogo se prolongue muito, sua habilidade de custo ridiculamente alto pode remover até duas criaturas adversárias e reverter a balança a seu favor, quebrando a estagnação. Lembre-se que ela não precisa ser ativada no seu turno.

Sequestrar traz um efeito clássico do Vermelho que normalmente confunde jogadores menos experientes, que acham ruim ter que devolver a criatura depois. Não se preocupe, não é preciso ter engines de sacrifício como Munições Improvisadas para fazê-la valer a pena. Por 3 mana esse card remove a melhor criatura adversária, fazendo-a causar dano por você. Quanto de dano será causado com uma bloqueadora a menos e uma atacante a mais?

Gostou de Sequestrar? Que tal Sequestrar todo turno, sem gastar cards? Essa é a safadeza oferecida por Tripulação Cativante, que mesmo sem isso, é 4 de poder por 4 mana, um bom negócio! Esse é o tipo de card que categorizamos como “bomba” no Limitado: se não for respondido com eficácia, quase que inevitavelmente ganhará o jogo. Como são alvos excelentes para remoções adversárias, é preciso muito cuidado antes de jogar suas bombas. Ninguém gosta de trocar um card de 4 mana ou mais por uma remoção de custo 2 ou 3. A saliência desse Pirata certamente é um derradeiro teste para qualquer oponente, e ele punirá com louvor quem não puder lidar consigo!

Falando em punição, há muitas eras que a WotC não produz mais destruição de terreno por um custo menor que 4. O efeito e a estratégia são parte do Magic, mas historicamente dão margem para experiências tão negativas (reduzindo a diversão mútua de forma quase anti jogo) que agora são feitos de modo a dificilmente serem competitivos. É daí que vem Demolir, que é regularmente reimpresso ou tem cards equivalentes disponíveis no Padrão. No Limitado, vale como sideboard contra alguém muito dependente de artefatos, ou contra estratégias que atrasam o jogo deliberadamente, atrasando suas prováveis jogadas escabrosas de custo alto. Destruição de terrenos como estratégia só é funcional se puder ser repetida com regularidade, 2 ou 3 turnos seguidos, e é no mínimo imprudente investir tantos cards do deck nesse efeito que pode facilmente ser irrelevante devido à variância intrínseca ao jogo.

Contudo, se você gosta de ver oponentes sofrendo, Incendiário da Frota da Tormenta punirá severamente aqueles que jogarem com poucas permanentes que não são terrenos, como Controles ou Midranges. É provavelmente o melhor que 5 manas podem pagar após um combate cujas trocas tenham deixado o campo de batalha vazio. 4/4 é bem robusto! Basta uma Ousadia e ele se torna uma verdadeira bomba. Mas Auras normalmente são mal vistas: caso seu alvo seja removido, a troca é desfavorável, de 2 cards seus por 1 adversário. Devem ser empregadas com cuidado para que surtam algum impacto imediato, e Ousadia não é difícil de gerar valor. Um drop 1 ou 2 encantado dessa forma cedo no jogo muito provavelmente causará dano suficiente para valer o investimento de mana e cards, além de forçar reação adversária. Uma remoção aqui é uma remoção a menos que poderia atingir suas verdadeiras bombas.

Pareado com o Branco, o Vermelho tenderá a jogar como quando junto ao Preto: curva baixa, pressão horizontal, jogo encerrado antes das jogadas adversárias mais ambiciosas serem possíveis, e remoções eficientes para garantir esse plano. Mas nem sempre temos uma curva baixa disponível, e por isso é importante saber se adaptar. Branco e Vermelho têm juntos acesso a um bom pacote de remoções e bombas, portanto caso os cards puxem mais para esse lado, não tente jogar como Aggro. A preparação de suas jogadas pode tomar mais de um turno, e o timing será essencial: o Piromante da Frota da Tormenta pode não parecer muito poderoso, mas remover qualquer criatura x/2 adicionando 3 de poder ao campo de batalha não é pouca coisa.

Troca-peles Tilonalli vai precisar que você tenha outra atacante interessante para surtir um efeito no jogo. Muitos enfatizam o que ele não pode fazer, que é capitalizar ETBs ou habilidades que desencadeiam “quando esta criatura ataca”. Sabe o que ele pode fazer? Atacar junto a um Bando de Raptores, transformando uma 3/3 em duas 5/3 Atropelar. Muita gente já concedeu um jogo por menos. É ideal com criaturas evasivas, como Bruto Obstinado, ou talvez uma criatura Branca com Voar. Ele garantirá no mínimo uma gargalhada malévola atacando junto ao alvo de seu Sequestrar. Esse Xamã funciona quase como uma Aura, dependendo de outra permanente para funcionar, mas diferente das Auras, ele dificulta a escolha para seu oponente! “Removo uma criatura mediana que não me incomodava antes, ou esse 0/1?”

Riqueza Tentadora é uma mágica de ramp única. Da forma como é escrita, parece trazer uma desvantagem ou vulnerabilidade, mas não se engane, ela é só upside! Você está efetivamente tirando a escolha da postura defensiva de seus oponentes, que do contrário já estariam atacando de todo modo. Aproveitar-se de uma bloqueadora a menos é especialidade do Vermelho, e receber 1 mana extra todo turno sem mais custos adicionais pode ser decisivo. Interessante para qualquer combinação com Vermelho, seja o Tesouro útil ou não! Pequenas criaturas (como fichas de Vampiro) que bloqueariam seus atacantes serão jogadas contra seus bloqueadores. Aquele 1/7 que ia segurar o jogo do Controle? Vai ficar virado agora, bem ameaçador.

O pareamento com Verde tende a empregar mágicas maiores, custos altos, uma ação por turno. As sinergias tribais podem favorecê-lo caso o deck esteja puxado para o Aggro, com uma boa disponibilidade de Value Bears na combinação. Mas se o plano de jogo for Midrange e suas mágicas forem grandes, Invocação do Pássaro Solar não é de se jogar fora! É card advantage, Tempo, ramp, bomba, do que você quiser chamar! Conjurar um Dinossauro grande e receber qualquer bônus será uma beleza, mesmo que o bônus seja jogar um bocado de terrenos que seriam comprados nos próximos turnos para o fundo do grimório. Para o Construído, há quem esteja se coçando para conjurar uma Aproximação do Segundo Sol (AKH) junto a esse encantamento.

Pela última vez (finalmente!), Vermelho gosta de toda oportunidade de card advantage. Um card advantage que se torna ramp e/ou 3 de dano por 3 mana? Melhor aplicado em decks em que 4 seja o topo da curva, Canhões Explosivos de Vance te dá acesso a um segundo card todo turno! Transformá-lo não parece tão fácil, mas se seu plano de jogo é conjurar o máximo de mágicas, mesmo que esse máximo seja 2 por turno, ele já está ajudando muito. Para o Construído: que tal o desafio de transformar seu Bastião Cospe-Fogo conjurando outra cópia do encantamento? Durma com uma bronca dessas!

Esse poderosíssimo ciclo de encantamentos lendários se conclui amanhã, com o mais polêmico de todos, o Verde!

[cpmservices1]

How Do You Get Rid Of Unwanted Birds In Sydney

While some birds are spectacular to consider as well as get a kick out of, others are downright troublesome as well as additionally hazardous. To take care of a significant bird difficulty, beginning by utilizing scare methods involving loud sounds, glossy items, and also pet decoys. Keep birds from choosing or in structures by safeguarding up any type of kind of openings as well as placing spike strips on any kind of kind of subjected steps. If the birds stubbornly decline to leave, boost up your initiatives by trapping as well as relocating them or calling a Bird Control Sydney specialist.

Set up a scarecrow. Purchase a premade one from your regional craft or garden shop. Or, make your own by constructing a remove of lumber as well as later on covering it with apparel packed with straw. Position your scarecrow at the pesky birds in addition to see them fly away. Move your scarecrow around every couple of days to preserve the birds from obtaining too comfortable with it. Altering the clothing can assist additionally.

Activate water deterrents. This option is not viable in every area, however can be a remarkable device to maintain birds much from decks or pool. Establish a motion-activated sprinkler targeted at the location of problem. Purchase one online or at your regional yard shop. Each and every single time a bird attempts to land, a spray of water will frighten them away.

Do not fret concerning the toughness of the water stream. This is a safe way of preserving a place bird removal from roof.

Use shiny or reflective items. Remove strips of light weight aluminum foil and also hang them from the trees or hedges. Punch holes in slim light weight aluminum non recyclable frying pans and also do the precise very same factor. Hanging shiny CDs or reflective tape is an additional method to prevent birds. Ensure that you leave plenty of space for these difficulty revolve around along with relocation, as this will certainly terrify birds a whole lot extra.

There is similarly a thing called "optical fire gel" that simulates the look of moving fires. This can be related to the sides of buildings to avoid bird proofing roof. [8] Metal spinning props cost the majority of garden centers do an exceptional work of releasing a location of birds.

Make use of a family pet canine. Boundary collies, sheepdogs, and likewise different other breeds value chasing birds in addition to are exceptional at it. Work with a skilled pet dog instructor to patrol your bird-infested area or obtain a buddy's family pet dog as well as do it on your own. Stroll the canine in the morning along with very early night hours when birds are most active.

As an instance, a solitary sheepdog walking up and down a coast line at peak hours can lower gull numbers virtually 99 percent. Maintain the family pet dog from damaging any kind of kind of birds by only walking it with a secured harness and chain.

Produce a raptor. Call your local zoo or wild animals haven as well as ask for the details for a falconer, a physical fitness teacher that works together with falcons in addition to various other predators. The falconer will likely charge a hourly rate in advance out to your internet site. They will certainly enable their falcon or hawk fly around in addition to discourage any type of kind of smaller sized birds. This is a superb alternative for areas where the birds are no more frightened by decoys or much less hostile strategies. However, it can acquire expensive, with a number of therapies balancing around $55 a hr.

There are in addition bird netting sydney provided that appear like birds of prey. Some individuals have actually been successful when installing these over bird ravaged locations.

Integrate and also revolve approaches frequently. Birds can be fairly wise as well as likewise determined when it pertains to discovering a place to socialize as well as also nest. To maintain them away for extended periods, you have to switch over up methods every number of days and also produce various layers of protection. Seek exactly how you can get the element of surprise. Visit this site for details on bird control Sydney, examine our main website right here.

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[greenknightnewsletter]

Cumberland County Eagle Festival, February 2, 2019, Mauricetown, NJ

8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Mauricetown Firehall 9544 Noble Street, Mauricetown, NJ $10.00 Adults, $5.00 Children (12 and under)

Presentations 10 AM Bill Pitts, Senior Zoologist: “N.J. American Kestrel Nest Box Project: Past Lessons, Future Management” 11 AM Brett Ewald, Program Director, N.J. Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory: “The Fall 2018 Cape May Hawkwatch: A Season to Remember!” 1 PM David LaPuma, Ph.D., Director, N.J. Audubon’s Cape May Bird observatory: “Cooler by a Mile and a Million: 22 Years of the Avalon Seawatch!” 2 PM Jim Verhagen, Wildlife Biographer: “The Art & Science of Wildlife Biography: The Flowerpot Brood” 3 PM Pete Dunne, N.J. Audubon Ambassador for Birding: “Birds of Prey: Profiles of This Fascinating Bird Group”

Trail Walks 7 AM Sunrise Walk with Karen Johnson 10 AM Tat Starr Trail Walk with Brian Johnson & Steve Eisenhauer 11 AM Bayshore Wetlands Bird Walk with Tony Klock & Dr. Kathy Michel 12 PM Berrytown Road Trail Walk with Jane Galetto & Christine Brown 1 PM Bald Eagle Trail Walk with Steve Eisenhauer & Brian Johnson 2 PM Bayshore Wetlands Bird Walk with Tony Klock & Dr. Kathy Michel 5 PM The Owl Watch with Karen and Brian Johnson

Food and Exhibits

Over 40 Exhibitors and Merchants

Local-fare refreshments and lunch served by the Mauricetown Volunteer Fire Company

and Oyster Cracker Cafe at Bayshore Center at Bivalve

Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge’s Live Raptors

Art Activities presented by the Cumberland County Cultural & Heritage Commission,

Clay College, and Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts

Historic Sites on Both Sides of the Maurice River Open for Visitors

Six Staffed Viewing Sites: Bayshore Center at Bivalve East Point Lighthouse Maple Avenue Impoundment Ponds Turkey Point Observation Deck Beaver Dam Boat Rentals Newport Landing Road

[daily-mtg-tarot]

Concentrate upon your question, and draw from a deck of 98 red or green Ixalan block Creature cards...

The Present

Colossal Dreadmaw

{4}{G}{G}

Creature — Dinosaur

Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.)

6 / 6

The Challenge

Spike-Tailed Ceratops

{4}{G}

Creature — Dinosaur

Spike-Tailed Ceratops can block an additional creature each combat.

4 / 4

The Past

Otepec Huntmaster

{1}{R}

Creature — Human Shaman

Dinosaur spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.

{T}: Target Dinosaur gains haste until end of turn.

1 / 2

The Future

Dire Fleet Daredevil

{1}{R}

Creature — Human Pirate

First strike

When Dire Fleet Daredevil enters the battlefield, exile target instant or sorcery card from an opponent's graveyard. You may cast that card this turn, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast that spell. If that card would be put into a graveyard this turn, exile it instead.

2 / 1

Above

Swab Goblin

{1}{R}

Creature — Goblin Pirate

(no text)

2 / 2

Below

Tishana's Wayfinder

{2}{G}

Creature — Merfolk Scout

When Tishana's Wayfinder enters the battlefield, it explores. (Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)

2 / 2

Advice

Nest Robber

{1}{R}

Creature — Dinosaur

Haste

2 / 1

External Influences

Needletooth Raptor

{3}{R}

Creature — Dinosaur

Enrage — Whenever Needletooth Raptor is dealt damage, it deals 5 damage to target creature an opponent controls.

2 / 2

Hopes/Fears

World Shaper

{3}{G}

Creature — Merfolk Shaman

Whenever World Shaper attacks, you may put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.

When World Shaper dies, put all land cards from your graveyard onto the battlefield tapped.

3 / 3

Outcome

Swift Warden

{1}{G}{G}

Creature — Merfolk Warrior

Flash

When Swift Warden enters the battlefield, target Merfolk you control gains hexproof until end of turn. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)

3 / 3

[mtg-brokentoken]

Another Deck (Dinosaurs). Apparently that’s a thing we do here now

Another friend took notice of me writing up decks and such and asked for a rundown of my Dinosaur Commander deck and what it would cost to get one. Being that I just recently broke my original Dinosaur deck in two (one for pure dinosaur, and one for Enrage with Stuffy Doll and Pyrohemia and Tamanoa, etc) there are definitely some more edits I would do, such as bringing in Belbe’s Portal, but this is simply a listing of how it is at this time.

Lands: 14 Forest, 7 Plains, 7 Mountains. Notably for my deck I mostly used snow-lands, not for any tactical reason, but the joy of seeing dinosaurs tromping around a snowy landscape makes me smile. There’s a good amount of mana fixing and cost reduction, along with both Mirari’s Wake and Zendikar Resurgent.

Guild Feud allows you to easily get out some more expensive Dinosaurs, as does Oath of Druids. Guild Feud can also help you get Enrage triggers. Mirror Entity helps to pump up your creatures a bit more, and things like Grappling Hook and Fireshrieker work well with Gishath’s ability.

Budget Dino Commander deck: $39.98

Gishath, Sun's Avatar $6.12 Unclaimed Territory $3.99 Orazca Raptor $0.14 Blinding Fog $0.14 Prey Upon $0.15 Obelisk of Naya $0.17 Fungal Reaches $0.26 Naya Panorama $0.23 Gleaming Barrier $0.13 Territorial Hammerskull $0.10 Frilled Deathspitter $0.11 Slash of Talons $0.11 Pillar of Origins $0.21 Stone Quarry $0.21 Swiftfoot Boots $1.00 Luminous Bonds $0.14 Blossom Dryad $0.13 Alpha Authority $0.23 Loomin Altisaur $0.14 Thrashing Brontodon $0.32 Guild Feud $0.28 Mirror Entity $1.01 Knight of the Stampede $0.12 Orazca Frillback $0.14 Majestic Heliopterus $0.15 Etali, Primal Storm $2.45 Frenzied Raptor $0.13 New Horizons $0.14 Colossal Dreadmaw $0.14 Strider Harness $0.15 Grappling Hook $0.45 Belligerent Brontodon $0.20 Sandstone Bridge $0.14 Mirari's Wake $7.25 Atzocan Seer $0.17 Pounce $0.13 Nest Robber $0.13 Ancient Brontodon $0.13 Thunderfoot Baloth $1.10 Terramorphic Expanse $0.20 Sejiri Steppe $0.15 Shifting Shadow $1.25 Imperial Aerosaur $0.20 Fireshrieker $0.25 Shining Aerosaur $0.12 Zendikar Resurgent $0.86 Shield of the Oversoul $1.31 Crested Herdcaller $0.16 Grazing Whiptail $0.13 Stampeding Horncrest $0.14 Siegehorn Ceratops $0.85 Raptor Hatchling $0.24 Raptor Companion $0.14 Boros Garrison $0.53 Tranquil Expanse $0.15 Cherished Hatchling $0.21 Sun-Collared Raptor $0.11 Thundering Spineback $0.20 Charging Monstrosaur $0.21 Quicksand $0.15 Kinjalli's Caller $0.14 Druids' Repository $0.29 Survivors' Encampment $0.15 Raging Regisaur $0.18 Oath of Druids $1.37 Sun-Crested Pterodon $0.13 Dinosaur Stampede $0.19 Bramblecrush $0.21 Otepec Huntmaster $0.63 Priest of the Wakening Sun $0.41 Ravenous Daggertooth $0.14 Spike-Tailed Ceratops $0.14

[hypexion]

Un’Goro: Neutral Common Reveals

This game has a lot of neutral commons. It’s good that they are simple.

Ravasaur Runt Common Minion 2 Mana, 2 Attack, 2 Health Battlecy: If you control at least 2 other minions, Adapt. Beast

A tiny Adapt minion. Ravasaur Runt follows on nicely from the various 'summon two 1/1s' cards that are avalible, and will often end up as a card worth more than two mana.

Ginat Wasp Common Minion 3 Mana, 2 Attack, 2 Health Stealth, Poisonous Beast

A generic keyword mashup. Giant Wasp actually represents a massive rarity collapse, since the last time this combination appeared, it was an Epic. This wasp could be useful to deter big minions.

Stubborn Gastropod Common Minion 2 Mana, 1 Attack, 2 Health Taunt, Poisonous Beast

A reactive approach to big death minions. Stubborn Gastropod isn't too sturdy, but there's a good chance it will kill at least one minion.

Sated Threshadon Common Minion 7 Mana, 5 Attack, 7 Health Deathrattle: Summon three 1/1 Murlocs. Beast

Sated Threshadon is a card you can use if you want more Murlocs. Like, more that is reasonable. Not actually that useful for the Shaman quest compared to other options, given the cost and Murloc delay.

Emerald Reaver Common Minion 1 Mana, 2 Attack, 1 Health Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to each hero. Beast

Emerald Reaver is a scaled down Shadowbomber. Also a beast. There's a tiny chance of it being useful for the Hunter quest, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Giant Mastodon Common Minion 9 Mana, 6 Attack, 10 Health Taunt Beast

This isn't a dinosaur! It's a big statpile. With Taunt. Giant Mastodon: truly a card that is just there.

Nesting Roc Common Minion 5 Mana, 4 Attack, 7 Health Battlecy: If you control at least 2 other minions, gain Taunt Beast

Nesting Roc has conditional Taunt, on a full statted minion. And the condition isn't that hard to meet. This makes it marginally okay against aggro decks that have ignored the board to go face.

Pterrordax Hatchling Common Minion 3 Mana, 2 Attack, 2 Health Battlecry: Adapt. Beast

Choose from three of nine exciting (?) three mana minions with Pterrordax Hatchling! Just don't pick Taunt, since you'll get a two mana minion. Probably a bad card, but not the worst Arena pick.

Sabertooth Stalker Common Minion 6 Mana, 8 Attack, 2 Health Stealth Beast

Dies to cheap AoE. If it doesn't, I guess Sabertooth Stalker might be useful as a bigger Strangletorn Tiger.

Ultrasaur Common Minion 10 Mana, 7 Attack, 14 Health Beast

Ultrasaur is a big dinosaur. Maybe give it Taunt for protection?

Igneous Elemental Common Minion 3 Mana, 2 Attack, 3 Health Deathrattle: Add two 1/2 Elementals to your hand. Elemental

Another Elemental activator. Igneous Elemental could also be used to help along the Rogue quest, as the 1/2 Elementals all have the same name.

Fire Plume Phoenix Common Minion 4 Mana, 3 Attack, 3 Health Battlecry: Deal 2 damage. Elemental

It turns out that when you cut a Keeper of the Grove in half, a Phoenix comes out. Probably not playable, since the body and damage are weak.

Stormwatcher Common Minion 7 Mana, 4 Attack, 8 Health Windfury Elemental

Stormwatcher is this set's terrible filler Windfury card. What am I mean to say!?

Volatile Elemental Common Minion 2 Mana, 1 Attack, 1 Health Deathrattle: Deal 3 damage to a random enemy minion. Elemental

Volatile Elemental packs a nasty reaction in the form of three damage to an enemy minion. This makes it slightly harder to clear while maintaining a board.

Rockpool Hunter Common Minion 2 Mana, 2 Attack, 3 Health Battlecry: Give a friendly Murloc +1/+1. Murloc

Rockpool Hunter makes another Murloc slightly better. Ideally used on buffer Murlocs, to help keep them alive.

Eggnapper Common Minion 3 Mana, 3 Attack, 1 Health Deathrattle: Summon two 1/1 Raptors.

Kind of bad. Eggnapper dies to pings, and two 1/1s won't really make up for that. Haunted Creeper was really good, you know.

So many cards, and many are filler. But some may see play. Outside of Arena, even.