u/HTPark

Makoto Date looks to be partly inspired by Columbo, and it's not only because they're both trenchcoat-wearing detectives.

Columbo was a HUGE icon in Japan ever since the 70s, and it even got to the point where Emperor Hirohito himself wanted to meet Columbo's actor, Peter Falk (the meeting didn't fall through 'cause Peter was filming). Numerous characters in manga, anime, TV series, and games were all inspired or are direct expys of Columbo!

Date's original look in the original game is quite similar to Columbo's signature appearance, down to the messy hair and shabby-looking coat and tie.

It's not impossible that Date himself set out to be a Columbo-inspired character, until Kiwami came along and cleaned him up.

Reposting this here 'cause my other post in /r/EDH is getting downvoted to oblivion for some reason. I'm hoping people are more helpful in this sub.

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I have a deck led by Spongebob Squarepants (aka Jodah the Unifier). The deck's entire theme is... well, IP: the Gathering.

https://moxfield.com/decks/N58vfIhmIk6kdx97qgMi1g

I need help deciding cards to cut and/or change while sticking with the theme. As of the time of posting this, there are 103 cards on the list.

Meta Power Level: Bracket 3. Players are casual to competitive-casual (some of the people in the playgroup deny that they're competitive LMAO, but most of us are just cool with playing any deck as long as they're not the sweaty Bracket 4-5 ones).

Meta Example: Chatterfang, Sidar Jabari, Ms. Bumbleflower, Inalla, Glarb. Most of everyone's strategies involve comboing off or relying on everyone not touching them until they pop off.

Budget: No restrictions

Deck Objectives: Apply pressure early game and rush Spongebob, then make him stick for a while until victory.

Deck Wincons: Win through attacking with an all-star cast from different IPs. Probably through Triumph of the Hordes or just sheer beatdown.

I'm willing to fix my card choices, so long as they mostly stick with the Universes Beyond theme. I made exceptions with the mana dorks and some enchantments, for example. I also don't want to optimize the deck too much and making it too "unfriendly," hence the self-imposed "nerf" of sticking with the UB cards.