6/30/2023 0 Comments Enchantment shroud mtg![]() ![]() I was playing a control deck, loaded up with removal spells. I was navigating the tables pretty well, and had notched a few wins under my belt. Many years ago, I was playing in this Time Spiral block PTQ. To do that, I want to go somewhere you may have not expected: Time Spiral Block Constructed. You need to be proactively thinking of the best time to cast a spell, not just reactively going by some general rule in your head.Īnd here is where we get into the heart of Jonathan's question. And with shocking regularity, casting an instant on your opponent's turn is actually the wrong time to do it. Like any play in Magic, your goal is to cast something when it gives you the best chance of winning the game. Learning to just cast instants on your opponent's turn will go a long way toward improving your game if you aren't doing it already.īut for everybody who already is doing it: forget those rules of thumb entirely.īecause here's the deal. If you aren't used to casting instants on your opponent's turn or using the end step, then these general rules are going to be great habits to get into. Because now I'm going to ask you to . . . ![]() The two rules of thumb to base your instant decisions around are giving your opponent as little information as possible and playing instants in your opponent's end step. But with effects like card draw, it makes a lot of sense to wait until the end of turn. For example, maybe you want to, as per the previous example, cast Final Reward inside the combat step. Now, there are reasons not to wait all the way until end of turn. Not to mention, if you actually did have another two-mana instant, you could wait and see if you needed to cast your other card instead. That's three (okay, two) excellent reasons for waiting just a little bit longer. There need to be three bullet points, because Anticipate sees three cards.You were able to pick a card off of Anticipate knowing what your opponent did on turn two.You left two mana untapped, so your opponent had to play around countermagic or removal.I mean, just look at the Anticipate scenario: So, if you do something in your opponent's end step, it's kind of "free" since you untap right away afterward.Īnd think of all the information you've gained. And, furthermore, it's right before you untap. This little oasis is where either player can still cast instants, but your opponent is past the point of casting more creatures or sorceries. . But instead you pass, and plan to cast it in your opponent's end step.Īs you may or may not know, at the end of each turn is the end step. You could just cast it during your turn . . . You know you're going to cast it this turn. The longer you can wait to tell your opponent something, the more opportunity there is for them to make a play they wouldn't have made if you had played that card earlier.įor example, let's say you have Final Reward in your hand. Magic is a game with many facets-but above most of them, it is a game of information. ![]() In general, there's one big general rule of thumb which governs all instants. This brings your chances to play them from basically two windows a turn to over ten-at minimum-on each of your turns and each of your opponent's turns.Īnd knowing when to cast your instant? Well, that can be the difference between winning and losing the game. In Magic, instants have one big advantage over sorceries: you can play them any time you want. And to properly answer, let's first step back a bit and set the stage. However, I've seen players play instants on upkeep. . . . I'd be interested to see your take on when it is right to play on the end step, upkeep, main phase, or anything in between."Īn excellent question, Jonathan. "I tend to play a lot of spells on the end step. Near the end of every article, I list how you can reach me to suggest ideas (as a reminder, it's Twitter, Tumblr, or every now and then players out there take to doing just that! Today, I want to cover a great topic that was sent in via email by Jonathan Whitefield. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |