Permanents or Non-Permanents? That is the Question.
JackysGuy
Tis nobler in the mind... all that hamlet crap... now on to magic! :)
I have a couple of questions for you guys and would really like some input
on the subject. Do you feel that permanents or non-permanents that do like
things are better. A couple I have in mind are Whispers of the Muse vs.
Jaymdae Tome, and Lobotomy vs. Jester's Cap (okay, not exactly the same, but
don't bag this question on technicalities, both are very good in their own
respects), maybe even Capsize vs. Tradewind Rider. I would really appreciate
your advice as I am stumped on what to use in my decks.
Chris
Jack...@aol.com
sagrillo
jack...@aol.com (JackysGuy) wrote:
> Chris
> Jack...@aol.com
It depend on your deck and the environment you play in. With
Cursed Scrolls in abundance at tourneys, everyone is likely to be
packing artifact killers. So if your only artifacts are a Tome or a
Cap, they may not work very well. If everyone is playing heavy
counters (counter horde decks), then a Whispers that you have to
repeatedly cast may not be reliable. The current trend seems to favor
non permanents. They are new and exciting. And the toy that is
moving is always the toy that the other children in the room want to
play with.
---
Your garden variety mage,
DeAnn Iwan
DuelMage
I agree with DeAnn. You have to judge by who and where you are playing.
Personally, anything that I can play and get back in my hand is great. Then I
only run the risk of hitting a counter spell. With the others, you run the
risk of counter and destroy.
DM
Louie Hannen
JackysGuy wrote:
> Tis nobler in the mind... all that hamlet crap... now on to magic! :)
>
> I have a couple of questions for you guys and would really like some input
> on the subject. Do you feel that permanents or non-permanents that do like
> things are better. A couple I have in mind are Whispers of the Muse vs.
> Jaymdae Tome, and Lobotomy vs. Jester's Cap (okay, not exactly the same, but
> don't bag this question on technicalities, both are very good in their own
> respects), maybe even Capsize vs. Tradewind Rider. I would really appreciate
> your advice as I am stumped on what to use in my decks.
>
> Chris
> Jack...@aol.com
Great question... one which I've asked many times myself when building decks.
There are MANY things I consider when this issue comes up. Here are a few (in no
particular order).
One involves cost. The ability of a permanent /usually/ costs as much, or a little
more than the casting cost of the non-permanent version. Figure out if you can save
the amount of mana needed to use this ability when needed. The additional cost of
the permanent itself is something to consider as well. You may not be able to use
the ability right away if that cost is high enough.
That brings me to another consideration... timing. Will your deck need to be fast
and unpredictable? If so... permanents may not be the way to go. If the permanent
is a creature... your opponent has ALMOST a guaranteed chance of getting rid of it
before it is available to be used. If your permanent is an artifact or enchantment,
you may not have the mana to use its ability after casting it, which affects your
timing as well.
Yet another consideration... strategy. Non-permanents are much harder to respond to
in an effective way... and can be used as a feint which hides your true intentions
to come. No matter what your permanent is... it clues your opponent in on what you
may be doing next, which can allow them to prepare to disrupt your strategy. You
may also have to respond to their attacks on your permanent in order to protect
it... which means you'll need to include space in your deck for cards that will do
that.
The best thing about permanents is... they're permanent! :) If you have the mana
to get them out, protect them, and use them effectively then they can work quite
well. However, if they are central to your deck strategy, you may also want to
include non-permanents that do the same things. A mix of the two will often be
harder to protect against than either on its own.
All of this really only scratches the surface of your question. I have no idea what
type of deck(s) you are building or the strategies behind them. But I hope it gives
you some insights on what to consider when making these types of choices.
Louie