How do I stop splinter twin?

Modern forum

Posted on June 7, 2014, 12:38 p.m. by MTGJustice

Splinter twins is dominating the local meta-game and I want to stop it. It is standard splinter twin infinite combo, izzet with Splinter Twin , Pestermite , and Deceiver Exarch . He also runs delay cards like Remand and draw like Think Twice . I am continuously stuck in 2nd place with green white auras. Anybody know of any cards or strategies I could use to dethrone the king? Lately I have just been trying to out race him but I cant do it consistently enough to beat him in these tournaments so I think a new approach is in order.

xlaleclx says... #1

We're talking about GW auras though. Krosan grip definitely isn't in a ton of sideboard, it sees basically no play at all. Nature's Claim is just better in the vast majority of decks. The decks you listed definitely don't want Krosan Grip , neither does GW tokens.way too slow and clunky

June 13, 2014 3:28 a.m.

xlaleclx says... #2

Auras not tokens in the last sentence there

June 13, 2014 3:28 a.m.

Dallie says... #3

@MTGJustice: Holy crap. I bought a playset a three years back for, as far as I recall around 2 bucks a pop.

June 13, 2014 9:06 a.m.

zandl says... #4

I had a foil playset of Splinter Twin right after Rise came out. I sold it on eBay for $18 when Deceiver Exarch came out.

Foil playset now equals $160.

y u do dis magic

June 13, 2014 12:57 p.m.

they lose the tokens at the end step so the tokens never untap. Imposing Sovereign and Blind Obedience work indefinitely.

June 15, 2014 12:29 p.m.

zandl says... #6

NO THEY DON'T.

June 15, 2014 12:44 p.m.

GoldGhost012 says... #7

WHY IS THIS STILL BEING ARGUED ABOUT?!?!

June 15, 2014 12:45 p.m.

Epochalyptik says... #8

@selesvyaloverer8: The DTA that causes the tokens to be sacrificed triggers at the beginning of the end step. If you create the tokens at any time during your opponent's end step, then they come in tapped and untap on your turn.

June 15, 2014 12:48 p.m.

forestlore44 says... #9

Homing Lightning might do the trick in any running red

June 15, 2014 1:29 p.m.

Homing Lightning is way too expensive to see Modern play.

June 15, 2014 1:34 p.m.

forestlore44 says... #11

Never mind, well for GW auras I'd use :

Torpor Orb - stops the twin activation dead in its tracks

Pithing Needle - named card being splinter twin

Nature's Claim - destroy the enchantment

Path to Exile - targeting pester mite or exarch ASAP

Choke - useful only if they don't already have exarch or pester mite out I found

June 15, 2014 1:38 p.m.

GoldGhost012 says... #12

Pithing Needle doesn't stop Splinter Twin . Splinter Twin gives the ability to the creature; it's not the ability of the enchantment itself. You'd have to name either Pestermite or Deceiver Exarch .

June 15, 2014 1:40 p.m.

zandl says... #13

The problem with Choke is that the U/R decks are running Sulfur Falls and Cascade Bluffs .

Torpor Orb , Spellskite , and Suppression Field are probably the best answers to the combo. Cheap removal works, too, but Twin decks will be running Dispel , Spell Pierce , and Pact of Negation . Your answers essentially needs to be out prior to the turn they want to go off on.

June 15, 2014 2:03 p.m.

plebeianglenn says... #14

vampirelazarus: Note the text on Splinter Twin . It says: "Put a creature ... onto the battlefield... Exile it at the beginning of the next end step."

With Imposing Sovereign or Blind Obedience in play, that means that all the one million copies of the creature enchanted with Splinter Twin will come into battle tapped and unable to attack you. Then they go away at the end of the turn.

The primary reason not to run Imposing Sovereign is that Twin Exarch decks run burn spells like Lightning Bolt . Better to run something like Torpor Orb , which also hits Birthing Pod decks.

June 16, 2014 12:03 a.m.

zandl says... #15

noooooooooo

Read posts.

Your opponent can just make tokens at the end of the end step (after the trigger), untap, and kill you.

June 16, 2014 12:16 a.m.

Zandl is right. The card say to sacrifice at the beginning of the next end step, so Blind Obedience and its ilk do nothing to stop it.

Splinter Twin .

I'm sick of this thread saying I'm wrong.

June 16, 2014 4:21 a.m.

zandl says... #17

Welcome to TappedOut, where the rules are made up and the sources don't matter.

June 16, 2014 4:24 a.m.

plebeianglenn says... #18

Yup, you guys are right. My apologies.

No need to be smug though.

June 16, 2014 9:35 a.m.

zandl says... #19

I can be smug when this ruling has come up three times already IN THIS THREAD.

June 16, 2014 1:24 p.m.

Twanicus says... #20

Not true; the tokens all exile at end step. :)

June 16, 2014 11:40 p.m.

Slycne says... #21

513 End Step

513.1. First, all abilities that trigger "at the beginning of the end step" or "at the beginning of the next end step" go on the stack. (See rule 603, "Handling Triggered Abilities.")

513.1a Previously, abilities that trigger at the beginning of the end step were printed with the trigger condition "at end of turn." Cards that were printed with that text have received errata in the Oracle card reference to say "at the beginning of the end step" or "at the beginning of the next end step."

513.2. Second, the active player gets priority. Players may cast spells and activate abilities.

513.3. If a permanent with an ability that triggers "at the beginning of the end step" enters the battlefield during this step, that ability won't trigger until the next turn's end step. Likewise, if a delayed triggered ability that triggers "at the beginning of the next end step" is created during this step, that ability won't trigger until the next turn's end step. In other words, the step doesn't "back up" so those abilities can go on the stack. This rule applies only to triggered abilities; it doesn't apply to continuous effects whose durations say "until end of turn" or "this turn." (See rule 514, "Cleanup Step.")

Bolded for emphasis.

June 16, 2014 11:53 p.m.

Twanicus says... #22

So, to begin my humbled retraction, I didn't realize this thread was four pages long when I posted. Also, forgot to take into account the instant nature of Splinter Twin . To conclude with the epic apology Immortalized by B.P. after the biggest oil spill in history... My bad.

June 17, 2014 12:33 a.m.

zandl says... #23

All hail Slycne, the Bringer of Rules!

Can we close this damned topic before someone else comes in and inadvertently broadcasts how little they know about Magic?

June 17, 2014 12:43 a.m.

zandl:No.

Two months from now I'll have to say "necrobumping is bad, and Im right, and your wrong" and then the whole topic will open up again.

June 17, 2014 12:45 a.m.

ChiefBell says... #25

If you run soul sisters-esque cards you gain life for each token which negates any damage from Deceiver Exarch , however, you'd need 2 to stop Pestermite . I've had that before and it's quite funny.

June 18, 2014 4:33 a.m.

zandl says... #26

If you want to be funny, Blood Seeker ?

I stopped a guy from going infinite with Sharuum in EDH once with it.

June 18, 2014 11:56 a.m.

MindAblaze says... #27

In the same vein I was thinking Suture Priest .

June 18, 2014 12:02 p.m.

plebeianglenn says... #28

"Can we close this damned topic before someone else comes in and inadvertently broadcasts how little they know about Magic?"

I'm sure you're a big hit with new players. /sarcasm

Yes - me, and probably a dozen others in this thread, have made mistakes in rules. And yes, I skipped over 2 pages where my mistake had already been covered.

But for someone who puts him/herself out there as an outgoing member of the community, you sure know how to rub it in a little thick for those who are still learning the game (ie. me).

Prime judge material.

June 18, 2014 4:31 p.m.

Chill out man. He's just frustrated because its four pages of people debating this. It wasn't an attack on anyone personally.

June 18, 2014 4:37 p.m.

zandl says... #30

Relax, bruh. I just think it's funny that the rules have been stated 7 times but people still come into this very thread and ask the same question or just assume they know it (and are wrong).

Your generalizations and assumptions of me are hilarious, too.

/topic

June 18, 2014 4:49 p.m.

When I'm bored at work, I scroll through the forums. I have yet to be disappointed.; )

June 18, 2014 8:37 p.m.

Pithing Needle , SB of course. I run it maindeck in my MWC deck, but most decks can use it in the sideboard. Just name Splinter Twin and you're golden.

June 20, 2014 12:17 p.m.

GoldGhost012 says... #33

Once again, Pithing Needle doesn't stop Splinter Twin . Splinter Twin gives the ability to the creature; it's not the ability of the enchantment itself. You'd have to name either Pestermite or Deceiver Exarch .

June 20, 2014 12:29 p.m.

zandl says... #34

This thread is a testament to just how difficult of a game Magic is to grasp.

June 20, 2014 7:24 p.m.

bellboa45 says... #35

I believe that Pithing Needle will work. You just have to name Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite and not Splinter Twin

January 19, 2015 3:03 p.m.
  1. Needle stupid activated abilities. Pestermite and exarch don't have activated abilities.

  2. The last post on this thread was in June last year. If you're going to necro a irrelevant thread, at least get your information right.

January 19, 2015 3:06 p.m.

That first one should read "needle stops activated abilities"

January 19, 2015 3:07 p.m.

This discussion has been closed