▲ 19 r/TimelessMagic
Library of Alexandria in Mardu Energy
Hey all, I'm fairly new to the format but played a lot of Boros Energy in Historic before Ajani got banned so I'm pretty familiar with the archetype. I recently picked up Mardu in Timeless, and am always confused when I see Library being played by other Mardu decks. Obviously I know it isn't meant for the mirror, but I still don't understand why it sees so much play in this archetype.
I get that it improves the matchup against grindy midrange/control decks, but those seem favorable enough as it is. And it doesn't help in the mirror or against combo, which is what I've been struggling the most against. And besides that, it seems counter-productive to the deck's main strategy of flooding the board and emptying your hand pretty quickly. The deck is pretty colored mana-hungry and I've already had to mulligan several hands with only Strip Mines as lands, and Library would just add to that problem.
What am I missing? Is it a sideboard thing for when you're on the draw specifically? Or am I just not giving it enough credit in certain matchups?
u/tandemtactics — 4 days ago
▲ 15 r/oscarrace
Best Picture Power Rankings: Pre-Festival Edition
With the fall festivals about to begin, this is our last chance to update our predictions before the major fall contenders officially debut. So with only Cannes screenings, early-in-the-year releases, and vibes to guide us so far, what do the standings look like today?
My previous rankings from way back in March can be found here for comparison.
The Odyssey (=)
La Bola Negra (NR)
Wild Horse Nine (-1)
Digger (-1)
Project Hail Mary (-1)
Fjord (-1)
Dune: Part Three (+3)
The Invite (NR)
Obsession (NR)
The Debut (+4)
Behemoth! (-4)
The Social Reckoning (+1)
All of a Sudden (+3)
Elsinore (NR)
Michael (-9)
Club Kid (NR)
Ink (NR)
Primetime (+11)
Being Heumann (-4)
Fatherland (NR)
Artificial (NR)
The Adventures of Cliff Booth (-5)
Werwulf (+1)
Possible Love (+2)
Sense and Sensibility (NR)
Prima Facie (-8)
Disclosure Day (-15)
I Play Rocky (NR)
Josephine (-10)
The Uprising (-7)
Delayed to 2027: Cry to Heaven, Jack of Spades, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, Saturn Return, A Place in Hell
Full thoughts on each film can be found at this blog post, but here are some brief thoughts on the state of the race this early:
The Odyssey remains at the top of the heap until further notice thanks to its tremendous critical and box office reception. Can anything topple it from the perch, or will this be another Oppenheimer-esque sweep?
Several other pre-festival releases have generated buzz and are vying for a slot this year (Project Hail Mary, Obsession, The Invite, Michael)...how many will join The Odyssey in the lineup?
Warner Bros. is coming hot off of their Oscar dominance with One Battle and Sinners...can they repeat their awards success with Digger and Dune: Part Three?
La Bola Negra and Fjord are the big international breakouts of the year, and both are in prime position to make the lineup. Other Cannes hopefuls include All of a Sudden and Fatherland, which also have aspirations for International Feature and possible more above the line.
Searchlight has two big contenders this year (Wild Horse Nine and Behemoth!) to hopefully rebound from their disastrous outing last awards season.
A24 has multiple indie titles competing for one of the final slots (The Invite, The Debut, Primetime, Club Kid), all of which could make noise in the acting and screenplay categories at least.
This is apparently the year of evil billionaire biopics, as we’ll be seeing Rupert Murdoch (Ink), Mark Zuckerberg (The Social Reckoning), and Sam Altman (Artificial) square off this fall. We’ll see if they can co-exist peacefully this awards season, or if they’ll cannibalize one another for voters’ attention.
u/tandemtactics — 5 days ago