Graham cracks the foil on a Battlebond pack, a low bass beat rumbles in the distance, and raises into the full swing of a rock song. Fireworks explode. Pyrotechnics. The announcer exclaims, “Bah Gawd, that’s Adam Savidan’s music!” Adam and Tag Team partner Gavin Verhey appear from the smoke to challenge all passers-by to a No-Holds-Barred Battlebond cage match…
Surprisingly reprint-dense pack of Battlebond. I was worried the whole thing wouldn't have any cards set on Kylem. But hey, that certainly helped build up tension.
To assure Graham, I am playing Victory Chimes in 2 of my Decks. One is in my Yasova Deck which is themed around politics, and the other is in my Thantis Deck which has a Yurlok/Manaburn Subtheme.
I played Victory Chimes and Spectral Searchlight in my Nekusar group hug/hate deck. It hugged people until it was time to hug no more. Or I died...that was usually what happened. People got spooked just by me having Nekusar in the command zone.
Does Graham just do a Scryfall search for Set, Creature, "ing" to find out something to call the viewers or does he just say one he remembers was in the set?
I imagine he just scans through the set in Gatherer looking for cards with an adjective followed by a common noun that will sound playfully and affectionately disdainful. Greetings, you somber hoverguards. That was fun, and I appreciate that he resists the urge to subvert the expectation and call us miserable bastards just one time.
I whole heartedly agree with Graham on pack order. When I've opened packs that have rare or UC first, the commons & often UC's become a pile I ignore, instead of reading them, possibly liking one, and moving up through rarity to get to the bomb or dud at the end. edit: I also read the card & said "that... only half of bushido" >_>
3:37 Me: "Hmm, the art does look like it's a reprint of an old card..." *goes back to check if the artist was a young Raymond Swanland* "Huh, nope. I guess I'm as stumped as you are Gra'am."
Creatures in Magic are scary! My experiences have shown me that I don't want to encounter a charging badger, wetland sambar, or even a highland game. Unless I'm equipped with something that gives me first strike my (at best) 1/1 self ain't coming out of that fight in good shape
at 3 mana, your mana rock has to be adding 2 colorless or fixing your mana or be accruing you a ton of extra value. I can think of only one or two deck archetypes that would REALLY want a rock that untaps every untap step. one of them is a deck that gets value from casting spells on opponent's turns that isn't in colors where they can easily untap their mana with other cards, and some sort of choice group hug deck. (Yurlock of Scorch Thrash comes to mind.)
Battlebond was one of those sets that went completely by me as I could never make it out to a game shop to find any. Also, I can't recall the last time I even played two-headed giant (not to be confused with the card named Two-Headed Giant).
I am incredibly confused by the art for Royal Trooper. It looks like they specifically asked for a gap in their already miniscule waist armor so that they could let their... loincloth?... flow in the breeze.
I missed BattleBond unfortunately. But got into it about a year or so afterward. The draft experience was incredible. Lotta good staples for commander as well
victory chimes is was a great addition to my Yurlok white elephant gift deck. It's just full of nonefficient bullshit that rotates around the table and never goes away; like Kudzu, jinxed choker, and humble defector. it's a fun deck.
Victory Chimes works great in my friend's Rashmi deck. Since it's your first spell each turn. Basically giving you 4 mana each wheel if you can use it all. And you want to cast spells on your opponents turns to proc the ability and want them to cost something so it activates. Mana on every turn is just excellent and I think of it as a baby seedbornmuse That most people won't spend removal on.
Fallout reference - I think you mean "Bloat Flys", although they are more like a bumble bee. The mosquito looking things are Cazadores. Those suckers are NASTY.
How does Victory Chimes get opened and not one comment mentions Grenzo? Anything with a repeatable ability like Grenzo, Thrasios or even GE Kefnet can get serious value out of that thing.
This was a pretty lackluster pack, unfortunately. 2HG is one of my favorite ways to play Magic, and I played quite a bit of Battlebond when it was out, both Sealed and several Drafts. For whatever reason, my win rate in Battlebond games seemed to be a fair bit higher than usual. Partners, except for the few bad ones, are totally broken. For every Partner in your team's decks, your chance of victory goes up considerably. Will and Rowan Kenrith are basically unbeatable. Also I've never lost a game where my team was able to cast Play of the Game. Never pass that card. It lives up to its name.
Is the channel no longer sponsored by Card Kingdom? Noticed that the Command Zone has apparently recently gone over to Channel Fireball. Did I miss something?
To answer your question, yes and no; Yes, he did finally finish Fallout 4 (you can find the playlist here ua-cam.com/video/92di-LH6peQ/v-deo.html ), but there weren't a whole lot of specifically mtg based references in it
@@2HighNoon Except that's not at all how it works: there being 2 players on your team who both have untap steps is actually not relevant, because nobody has priority to do literally anything at all during the untap step, except to untap tapped permanents. The first point in the turn where you would be allowed to tap the Chimes for mana is your upkeep, and if you tap them there, they wouldn't untap until your opponents turn starts. Also, even if you "could" tap the Chimes twice during your teams turns (which again, you can't (at least not via its own ability), because you don't have priority to do stuff until the step where they'd untap to allow you to do that has already passed), that wouldn't be "ramp" because mana only stays in your pool until the current step or phase ends - if you could generate mana during the untap step (which again, you can't) then it would only be available DURING the untap step, it would be gone when the upkeep step starts.
As someone who survived the Great Vuvuzela Invasion of 2010, I can say definitively that goblins with Victory Chimes cannot be any worse.
When Lightwalker gets a +1 +1 counter, it gains flying and is renamed Skywalker
I really hope we get another set like Battlebond. I liked the theming a lot.
You’ve got to appreciate the gentle crescendo from the commons, to the uncommons and up to the rare. Thank you for shepherding us through this pack
Graham cracks the foil on a Battlebond pack, a low bass beat rumbles in the distance, and raises into the full swing of a rock song. Fireworks explode. Pyrotechnics. The announcer exclaims, “Bah Gawd, that’s Adam Savidan’s music!” Adam and Tag Team partner Gavin Verhey appear from the smoke to challenge all passers-by to a No-Holds-Barred Battlebond cage match…
Surprisingly reprint-dense pack of Battlebond. I was worried the whole thing wouldn't have any cards set on Kylem. But hey, that certainly helped build up tension.
I love when G explains magic stuff and I'm like "ok", then immediately forget everything I know about magic.
The editing on these elevates the videos from a 9/10 to a 11/10, thank you for being amazing
To assure Graham, I am playing Victory Chimes in 2 of my Decks.
One is in my Yasova Deck which is themed around politics, and the other is in my Thantis Deck which has a Yurlok/Manaburn Subtheme.
I played Victory Chimes and Spectral Searchlight in my Nekusar group hug/hate deck. It hugged people until it was time to hug no more. Or I died...that was usually what happened. People got spooked just by me having Nekusar in the command zone.
Watercourser looks like the floaty things that drift over your eyes when you unfocus them
The editing is stellar again here! The combo of Graham being Graham and Matt editing like Matt is an amazing combo and I adore it!
Does Graham just do a Scryfall search for Set, Creature, "ing" to find out something to call the viewers or does he just say one he remembers was in the set?
Probably both
I imagine he just scans through the set in Gatherer looking for cards with an adjective followed by a common noun that will sound playfully and affectionately disdainful. Greetings, you somber hoverguards. That was fun, and I appreciate that he resists the urge to subvert the expectation and call us miserable bastards just one time.
I assume the chimes' downside is that it produces colorless. Still, group hug decks want it, so they will use it but not drive up any price.
I whole heartedly agree with Graham on pack order. When I've opened packs that have rare or UC first, the commons & often UC's become a pile I ignore, instead of reading them, possibly liking one, and moving up through rarity to get to the bomb or dud at the end.
edit: I also read the card & said "that... only half of bushido" >_>
This episode deserves a victory chime.
shame there wasn't a partner set in this pack, that's the most exciting part of cracking battlebond imo
3:37 Me: "Hmm, the art does look like it's a reprint of an old card..." *goes back to check if the artist was a young Raymond Swanland*
"Huh, nope. I guess I'm as stumped as you are Gra'am."
Creatures in Magic are scary! My experiences have shown me that I don't want to encounter a charging badger, wetland sambar, or even a highland game. Unless I'm equipped with something that gives me first strike my (at best) 1/1 self ain't coming out of that fight in good shape
Pretty sure I'm an 0/1 serf. But hey, better than being a thrull.
I ain't surviving without a Godsend.
That giant, shaking "NO LOITERING" got me tho 😂
victory chimes is very group hug playable!
Victory chimes is really strong in limited, giving your team mate extra mana is crazy good.
Victory Chimes honestly seems better in Alternating Teams or Emperor than in 2HG, since you'd get to use it for *both* yourself and each teammate.
Victory Chimes would be great in a deck for the Commander that brought back Mana Burn.
I use victory chimes in my political commander deck. "If you don't harm me this turn you get a free mana"
at 3 mana, your mana rock has to be adding 2 colorless or fixing your mana or be accruing you a ton of extra value. I can think of only one or two deck archetypes that would REALLY want a rock that untaps every untap step. one of them is a deck that gets value from casting spells on opponent's turns that isn't in colors where they can easily untap their mana with other cards, and some sort of choice group hug deck. (Yurlock of Scorch Thrash comes to mind.)
it untaps every upkeep It makes 4 mana in the time most mana rocks make 1
Battlebond was one of those sets that went completely by me as I could never make it out to a game shop to find any. Also, I can't recall the last time I even played two-headed giant (not to be confused with the card named Two-Headed Giant).
Still loving these! It’s wonderful to watch Graham muse and reminisce about these cards
I always underestimate the episode lengths. They feel like they are 5 minutes at most, not 10-12.
Engagement!
Algorithms!
Excitement!
Thrusters Engage!
Victory Chimes works well in blue control decks
Ah, some more delicious Pack Cracklins. Thanks for the snack!
8:18
Aaah the Bushido that's only on blocks.
Blockshido
Thanks for spending more time on the card images while reading them! It's great for legibility!
Also: *Matt!*
The sound is WAY better with the lavalier mic. Also, thankyou again for this.
I am incredibly confused by the art for Royal Trooper. It looks like they specifically asked for a gap in their already miniscule waist armor so that they could let their... loincloth?... flow in the breeze.
Absolutely windmill slamming Swarm of Bloodflies. Limited all-star.
Excellent, as always.
Personally, I'd first pick the Victory Chimes.
"Bleed By Example" nickname is great.
Graham how have you never heard of victory chimes? It's commander jank city and I jam it in all my decks
I’m with you Graham, building up to the rare is much more fun.
Audio definitely feels better with the lav mic. Thanks :D!.
I loved the editing in this one. Matt, 10/10 job.
I missed BattleBond unfortunately. But got into it about a year or so afterward. The draft experience was incredible. Lotta good staples for commander as well
3:38 words of truth
victory chimes is was a great addition to my Yurlok white elephant gift deck. It's just full of nonefficient bullshit that rotates around the table and never goes away; like Kudzu, jinxed choker, and humble defector. it's a fun deck.
Oh how I love these
Watercourser, so that's the name of the thing from The Abyss
Victory Chimes works great in my friend's Rashmi deck. Since it's your first spell each turn. Basically giving you 4 mana each wheel if you can use it all. And you want to cast spells on your opponents turns to proc the ability and want them to cost something so it activates. Mana on every turn is just excellent and I think of it as a baby seedbornmuse That most people won't spend removal on.
Do you pay the 1? Victory Chimes: Lemme handle that
"I don't like that card at all... 'cause it's GOOD."
Watercourser is clearly the CGI tentacle from "The Abyss"
Victory chimes is super sweet with Kruphix.
Eyyy, Victory Chimes! I run one in almost all my Commander decks!
Watercourser is the original Wiggly Water Boy
Fallout reference - I think you mean "Bloat Flys", although they are more like a bumble bee. The mosquito looking things are Cazadores. Those suckers are NASTY.
The editor comments are fantastic
just realised that the watercourser art its massive and in a river by the field i thought it was birdeye view human height in an alley until today
Victory chimes in kruphix
Victory Chimes + Mind's Eye!
Mmmmm, bloodflies. How lovely.
Engagement for the engagement god!
Good old Bottleband
Getting some serious “if Elsa and Wanda Maximoff teamed up” vibes from that artwork of the Kenrith twins… 🤔
I see Matt Griffiths had a lot of fun with this episode.
Request for more variety of photos of Graham for the Thumbnails
Wait I thought every pack of Battlebond had a partner pair?
There’s a relatively small number of them. What you were guaranteed was getting both pairs together in one pack of you would get one.
@@Mordalon OK thanks, I only played it once at the prerelease.
6:35 close, Graham, bloodflies are enemies in a semirecent Bethesda published game, it's just that it's dishonored 2, not fallout 4
Victory Chimes is a pet card of mine in commander
Battle Mastery is 3,400 Gems, or 29,480 Krone
*Screeches like a buzzard*
The blocking keyword, if it doesn't exist, should be called something easier to pronounce than Riposte but more interesting than Defend
How does Victory Chimes get opened and not one comment mentions Grenzo? Anything with a repeatable ability like Grenzo, Thrasios or even GE Kefnet can get serious value out of that thing.
ALL MY HOMIES LOVE FBLTHP!
Al Go Rhythm.
Did you wear the DB '18 shirt on purpose for this, or was that just a happy accident?
Is LRR doing desert bus this year?
Crack! A! Pack!
This was a pretty lackluster pack, unfortunately.
2HG is one of my favorite ways to play Magic, and I played quite a bit of Battlebond when it was out, both Sealed and several Drafts. For whatever reason, my win rate in Battlebond games seemed to be a fair bit higher than usual. Partners, except for the few bad ones, are totally broken. For every Partner in your team's decks, your chance of victory goes up considerably. Will and Rowan Kenrith are basically unbeatable. Also I've never lost a game where my team was able to cast Play of the Game. Never pass that card. It lives up to its name.
Is there a way to win that kaldhiem collector booster?! Lol
agreed, bloodflies are awful. but I think id probably hate stingwings more if they were around as frequently as bloodflies
Is the channel no longer sponsored by Card Kingdom? Noticed that the Command Zone has apparently recently gone over to Channel Fireball. Did I miss something?
More like Bore Ragnarok amiright
Victoria Chimes is a underated manna rock great in commander idc what anyone says.
Engagement ring ==> 💍
Gram (I think is your name), do you have Fallout gameplays uploaded and if you do do they have mtg references?
To answer your question, yes and no; Yes, he did finally finish Fallout 4 (you can find the playlist here ua-cam.com/video/92di-LH6peQ/v-deo.html ), but there weren't a whole lot of specifically mtg based references in it
Graham did an all-punching Fallout 4 run but I don't remember any particular MtG jokes: ua-cam.com/play/PLV_qemO0oathPW5Zqkei5m-RcFdQDqrRm.html
But would you want to encounter a Flumph in real life?
It farts knowledge.
Bloop
Two untap steps in 2HG so you can produce 2 mana
The chimes would be my first pick. 2 mana both on our turn and your turns is super mana ramp
@@2HighNoon Except that's not at all how it works: there being 2 players on your team who both have untap steps is actually not relevant, because nobody has priority to do literally anything at all during the untap step, except to untap tapped permanents. The first point in the turn where you would be allowed to tap the Chimes for mana is your upkeep, and if you tap them there, they wouldn't untap until your opponents turn starts.
Also, even if you "could" tap the Chimes twice during your teams turns (which again, you can't (at least not via its own ability), because you don't have priority to do stuff until the step where they'd untap to allow you to do that has already passed), that wouldn't be "ramp" because mana only stays in your pool until the current step or phase ends - if you could generate mana during the untap step (which again, you can't) then it would only be available DURING the untap step, it would be gone when the upkeep step starts.
8:30 Disappointing.
That set was a 2HG set. Wish we would see more of the 2 headed giant format play. It’s way better of a multiplayer format than commander.