iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire

Ms. Eldritch @mseldritch.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

My partner Chris’s mom passed away after a battle with ovarian cancer. Chris and his siblings are trying to cover the funeral costs so their dad can stay in his home while waiting on insurance to come through. Any donations or signal boosting would mean so much. ❤️‍🩹🥺 www.gofundme.com/f/help-chris...

gofundme.com

Donate to Help Chris's Family with Memorial Expenses, organized by Chris Lemise

After a long, hard battle with ovarian cancer, my mom finally found peace Tues… Chris Lemise needs your support for Help Chris's Family with Memorial Expenses

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Reposted by cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire

Andrew Magrini @andrewmagrini.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

In today's episode of "totally regular conversations between Andrew and @nerdtothecore.com," we have a banger exchange

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

This was awhile ago, but still memorable. After finishing the series on Hashaton, I'll probably dive into some of the new things Animar is up to now. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwuh...

youtube.com

This stack was a nightmare! #cedh #mtg #magicthegathering

YouTube video by Playing With Power MTG

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Lol. This is exactly the behavior I'm talking about. 😆 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functio...

en.wikipedia.org

Functional fixedness - Wikipedia

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

fwiw, your podmates would be primates in the majority of cases I'd suspect.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

There's one in particular that I didn't touch on. That's because it'll get plenty of coverage in the next writeup.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Good question. I know there have been lots of hallway conversations in other discords, but I'm not sure how to go about looking for a devoted group.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

As of this writing, I have three more lists entertaining progressively more and more outlandish possibilities for where we can this commander. Will we arrive at something viable in the end? Stay tuned! moxfield.com/decks/mi8mKR... 15/15

moxfield.com

Dis Card Right Here - Commander (Hashaton, Scarab's Fist)

A deck created using Moxfield.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Just to recap, this is only the FIRST list in our study of Hashaton. The point here is to explore ideas without imposing arbitrary requirements up front. Once we identify the concepts that work, we can set about the task of optimizing toward a legitimate 99. 14/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Clever Impersonator also gets some special recognition because it doesn't need to be a creature when it hits the battlefield. E.g., we can discard it, resolve a Hashaton trigger, and produce a Rhystic Study or Smothering Tithe instantly without a cast. Impressive. 13/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

No really. The double triggers are a BIG deal. 12/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

More importantly, the tokens generated by Hashaton are Zombies. It can't be overstated how quickly things get out of hand when essentially all of your value engines and control pieces are double triggering. 11/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

One nuance I've found particularly impactful is Roaming Throne naming 'Zombie'. Hashaton is himself a Zombie, so getting two triggers for each discard leads to some interesting situations, provided we've got access to lots of mana (We're in Esper right?). 10/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Narrowing in, we're on a number of focused denial pieces that have wide application but also completely hose specific strategies for as long as they remain in play. Making these things cheap, instantaneous, and nearly uncounterable is REALLY busted. 9/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Rule of Law effects are notoriously hard to play through and happen to be something we naturally break priority with. Few popular wincons can be executed in full while one of these is online. Couple that with disparity in material development and we've got a very potent angle for disruption. 8/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Creature-oriented denial allows us to attack lines of play at a variety of scopes. Starting wide, we can disrupt the basic functionality that essentially all decks presume as a given. I.e., searching and casting spells. 7/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Ok, we've covered various ways to get Hashaton triggering. What do we want to be cheating into play? This first list is exploring denial of opposing gameplans. Reducing mana requirements and skirting timing constraints can do some scary things in this vein. Let's take a look. 6/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Necropotence trades volume for broadcasted inflexibility. When this comes down, everyone knows you're getting a ton of cards. Everyone ALSO knows exactly when it will happen and how to disrupt it. 5/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Ledger Shredder trades determinism for selection. With this guy on the field, we typically get to see lots of cards, but we're at the mercy of the table for WHEN we get to discard important pieces. He's also got some internal conflict with Rule of Law effects, which we'll see about later. 4/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

For instance, Putrid Imp et all trade card advantage for precision. We can discard exactly what we want WHEN we want, but they generally don't provide much help in seeing more cards in the first place. 3/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

First off, getting value and flexibility from Hashaton requires the use of reliable discard engines. These take many forms and each flavor carries benefits and drawbacks. 2/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Time to get started exploring Hashaton according to the process described in my previous post. This one is just a baseline study looking at creature-oriented denial within a midrange shell. (Decklist at the end of the thread) Lets dig into the core concepts and some general observations. 1/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Sometime soon, I'll do a little write up of how the above brewing process has applied to Hashaton and we can explore the four lists I'm experimenting with as a frame of reference. Until then, happy brewing! 9/9

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

But every so often, we'll land on something that works AND can translate into a list that has what it takes to compete. 8/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Once we've identified the strategies and interactions that have merit, we can put on our grinder hats and begin refining. Sometimes we'll find that, even though our discoveries showed promise, we can't sculpt them into a shell that's fast / consistent / resilient enough to pass muster. 7/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

The exploration I'm describing generally doesn't lead us to a functional list. (At least not directly) It DOES reveal which interactions work and which don't. The more open-minded we are with what we're willing to experiment with, the greater the chances of landing on something novel. 6/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

In case it isn't obvious, I should be clear that this strategy has risk. There's high likelihood that we don't arrive at anything 'viable' and we spent time and effort with nothing to show for it. 5/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

In effect, this removes much of our own bias from the early stages of deck design. By relaxing our preconception of what the deck *should* do, we make room for possible discoveries of what the deck *could* do that wouldn't have otherwise occurred to us. 4/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Instead of deciding *ahead of time* how we want the list to behave, we can experiment with possible avenues that don't restrict us to cards or strategies that are proven to work well context free. 3/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Most of the time, the above process yields reasonable results on account of restricting the card pool to well established good stuff. However, this process rarely produces any kind of innovation. It just perpetuates the tropes of sameness that have haunted the format for ages. 2/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

My brewing process is a little unconventional compared to most other cedh players. For reference, most people see a new commander and: * Pick a couple novel interactions to try out * Fill a stock list with staples * Make substitutions to incorporate the commander and selected interactions. 1/x

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

My wife still has to leave the room for that scene.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Q: What's the preferred firearm of ochre jellies and green slimes? A: Uzi

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

I have a viscerally negative reaction to dust jackets. Get those things outta here.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Why is this ability so PROFOUNDLY busted? 1. No cast - countermagic will not avail you. 2. Triggered - Cursed Totem is no help. Stifle or bust. 3. Breaks timing - Any creature, ANY time. 4. Token - RIP, Cage, Containment Priest do nothing. 5. 2U - Good rate for Elesh Norn.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Notes I've made thus far: * Roaming Throne naming 'Zombie' is beyond busted. * Many decks have zero recourse for og Elesh Norn. * Focusing on breaking timing rules is more impactful than cheating on mana. * Creatures that care about their own power and toughness love the Zombie lifestyle.

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Still trying to make up my mind whether to take this turbo, control, or stax. All three avenues have real merit. How are you brewing him?

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cobblepott, Dad Joke Extraordinaire @cobblepott.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

I appreciate the context. Your comment has prompted some cursory investigation into challenges against the New Testament depiction of Pharisees. This had never been on my radar, so thank you!

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