Day[9] vs. Luis Scott-Vargas in Magic: The Gathering: Spellslingers Season 2 Ep 4

[@RhysticStudies]

"sometimes you can expect the worst and still be disappointed."

[@teejaymac7746]

This is such a good show! it makes me laugh every time!

[@arran2264]

Am I the only one who every so often comes back and binges these?

[@brandonzappala8508]

are you talking about how much this video sucks? i agree, it is the *actual* worst.

[@jamesl.456]

i mean, you obviously didn't watch the whole thing... so ..

[@brandonzappala8508]

oh yeah, james l... watching "more" would make it "better"... please suck it. thank you.

[@johnn.7806]

"If you want you can take it back" "Ok ill ta.." "No i was just kidding" savage luis...savage

[@47Mortuus]

Louis is just the most pleasant person to play against... or sit across.

[@ryanrodrigues5355]

LSV can be savage ... but also when he attacked with all the hydras he said "you think that'll be enough" he was clearly trying to give him a hint / guidance. From everything I've seen, he seems like a super cool dude mixed with an evil genius!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Yeah, 4:27 is pretty much me every time I draw a hand.

[@dillonvincent6617]

Tolarian Community College what grade would you give there two decks??

[@nooneknows3520]

Yep. Me too

[@thrillhovanhouten253]

Soooo then you suck at Magic?

[@mtg]

This was truly an epic battle and it was awesome to see each deck in the Clash Pack put up such a good fight. For those wondering about the Two-Player Clash Pack they're using, it's a new product that came out with Magic 2015 Core Set. When you're done dueling a friend, the two decks are designed to be merged together into a hydra masterpiece you can bring to Friday Night Magic!

[@NerdGlassGamingPA]

Hello guys ! :D

[@JohnSmith-ox3gy]

Emrah Ekinci Eyyyy!

[@AkshatRamanathan]

i was gonna ask for decklist but ok got it

[@shadowphoenixxx]

Not only is LSV a great player, he is also an awesome entertainer. Best episode yet and sadly propably the best to come. I can't imagine how you are going to top LSV. Next season try get Richard Garfield i guess.

[@MichaelCoxMTG]

Easily the best episode so far. LSV is lots of fun to watch, and the stronger decks showed off some crazy plays that make Magic awesome. Keep it up!

[@StubbornProgrammer]

It was really nice to see an opponent step the game up to the next level by trying to mind game Sean. GG Luis!

[@travisclark8952]

Loses to random people, beats a pro player.

[@Slashaboyz]

Thanks for the spoiler friend!

[@MrGameArnt]

JTov! Don't read the comments Before watching the video. Best anti-spoiler tip.

[@Slashaboyz]

MrGameArnt You're right, F being social! :D

[@kustomkure]

he was drawing like crazy

[@TaylorjAdams]

JTov! don't read the comments till you're done watching the video silly

[@Kakerate2]

18:37 "when you expect the worst, you can still be dissapointed." LOL

[@TirelessSlacker]

I think this has been the best episode of Spellslingers so far. The decks are quite powerful, which makes the show a lot more entertaining. Plus the level of play was much higher than normal.

[@SpAMrOrange]

It's great how the series' guests ramped up from absolute noob to Magic hall of famer :D

[@adamgoldstein4785]

SON OF A B****! I just went through so many dag gum hoops and BS to create an account just to tell you how great your channel is. Please don't stop doing what you're doing. It's much more entertaining and MUCH more informational than the tournaments I've watched....or any other magic coverage I've seen. I don't jump through hoops just willy-nilly, as far as magic goes, you've got something special and I hope to see ALOT more in the near future....you can tell I'm serious cuz I used caps. Seriously, best magic channel there is

[@Sidorio]

Thank's to Luis's comment about life at the beginning of this video I was able to beat a friend of mine with only 1 life left :') They were trying to goad me into conceding but I remembered the advice in this video and held in there and managed to get the win.

[@PinkFluffyify]

Scry me a river - Luis Scott-Vargas

[@MurphMurphy1]

I love that bait at 17:54: "Is that gonna' be enough, or no?"

[@eamonshea4566]

Man it would be so hype if they brought this show back

[@SuperStarO]

Yesss...I check every night for a new episode of this. These videos are why i subbed

[@MurrayTheMac]

You check every night? You know they release every Thursday, right?

[@ViolosD2I]

MurrayTheMac So... where is yesterday's new episode?

[@andreaverzosa1101]

You have no idea how grateful I am for this show. My husband is getting me into magic. The first day, I wanted to flip the table in anger because I couldnt understand wtf was going on. I watched the Spellslingers episodes with Josh Barnett & Felicia Day, and actually won a game against my husband later that night. I had a much easier time playing a green/red deck. I wanna thank you for designing this show to be easily understood by new players like me. Your show is more encouraging than intimidating. I still have a lot to learn, but thank you, thank you for stopping me from murdering my husband :D

[@Rowen_Valkus]

So glad you got some pro magic player on this season, LSV is awesome!

[@boundtostone]

As a beginner player, what I appreciate most about the show is that it does a generally good job of showing how to use the decks. This episode in particular was excellent. It moved much quicker despite being a longer episode, and it is a great showcase acknowledging that if a player knows the cards and the mechanics, it can be really invigorating to watch. I'm happy for Sean!

[@ConnorLordBassist]

Can we just talk about how satisfying it is to see Luis tap his cards?

[@LordoftheTabletop]

I have just started to learn how to play magic because of this series and I must say this is one of my favourite episodes! Tons of great action and complicated moves. Can't wait for next week!

[@Sparkygravity]

lol 13:20 "I play Prophet of Kruphix."......, "This card is pretty profitable so I'm going feel comfortable passing the turn." Classic LSV pun.

[@hydelun92]

Good to see some down-to-earth, almost tutorial-esque approach to the show. Luis explained things in a thorough manner (albeit it felt a bit rushed), which is definitely nice for beginners. Keep 'em coming

[@CarlosDiamond]

I saw Luis at SLC Grand Prix and he is a genuine guy. Really enjoyed the episode!

[@Silas_MN]

Since the last time I watched this game, I have become infinitely more impressed with LSV's resume, way cool to have him be on the show.

[@Momoryuto]

I kinda dreaded the aetherspout. We all knew it was coming, but it still hurt when it hit. When Day[9] casted Reclamation Sage, Lightning strike, and Nylea Disciple after that, I was jumping around excitedly because man, wasn't that awesome?

[@azraelswrd]

That compensated for his mistake, forgetting the untappers (and killed his mana engine surge). LSV made a small mistake, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome. Too many damn fatties. :)

[@Momoryuto]

azraelswrd gotta love fatties. Wonder if Sean likes fatties. Makes me wonder if he's going to like Temur at all considering it has blue.

[@azraelswrd]

I think it's the permission/control side of blue he hates. And I can't blame him.

[@Momoryuto]

azraelswrd Well, thank goodness for rotation, right? We won't have to see anymore detention spheres, sphinx's revs, supreme verdict, architect of thoughts or even elixirs come Khans.

[@progagguitar1]

Jake Everfree I hope Khans will deliver more toolbox creatures to make the Chord/Yisan deck a tier 1 deck.

[@harveyhale5976]

I love this series. I mean I'm sure some more experienced players wouldn't think it's anything impressive but the simplicity and informative nature of these episodes is what drew me in when I had no idea how to play it. That and the banters that go on made it fun to watch.

[@AnActualDinosaur]

Is the camera crew filming on a boat at 13:40?

[@labrynthgames5986]

I wanted to know the same question I was getting sea sick

[@FiddleMiA]

There’s a lot of wobbles everywhere making it super distracting:c

[@the_split_log]

I’m literally only 1 week into my experience with playing Magic. So glad I found Spellslingers and this episode. Better late than never 💪🏼

[@DarkRulerHaDes666]

"When you expect the worst, you can still be disappointed" -Sean Plott

[@nospoon17]

as a beginner in the game of magic i find these videos very very helpful, especially this one ....so far...! Thanks for these awesome videos!! Much appreciated from many people!

[@bluemoonandrew]

I like this episode substantially more than other episodes. As a very knowledged magic player, the other episodes, while fun, felt babyish. I enjoyed this one because it actually played and spoke at a higher level.

[@logorfintreesong]

This episode was everything I was hoping it was going to be. Thanks LSV for coming on the show and thank you to everyone who makes this show possible.

[@spellartificer]

Wow this is still the best spellslingers I've seen

[@sebastianlovenhjelm3100]

+Juan Aponte thats because luis actually knows whats hes doing, as well as being a seasoned entertainer.

[@Tkn25]

+sebastian lovenhjelm also they're using interesting decks

[@sebastianlovenhjelm3100]

i guess, but thats subjective. i dont consider them very interesting but i am comparing them to the modern and legacy decks i usually play with. a player who just builds his own stuff from boosters might think these are super powerful.

[@LimeyJet]

I love both of these guys, couldn't be better!

[@hammerhiem75]

a 2/2 for 2 is bear-ly acceptable.

[@expertpoods5831]

hammerhiem75 surrak punch all bears

[@DarkLeviathan8]

This serie is just gold. Pure gold.

[@cereal2373]

"If you want you can take it back" "Okay, I take it back" "Nah, I'm just kidding :D"

[@danmcgoogleaccount6954]

I have been waiting, hoping, and praying for this video for so long. it is finally here.

[@gregeamer1479]

Just out of curiosity, why would LSV return the first creature to Sean's hand after he took the damage. Why not do it before and therefore not take damage?

[@trysephiroth007]

By doing it at the end of the turn, Sean isn't able to just recast it.

[@PIZZLEdeTWIZZLE]

so that he can't cast it right away again I imagine, gaining one turn . doesn'T change much in the end

[@gregeamer1479]

Troy Moore I assumed that is why - I guess it's just as he said at the beginning - don't overvalue your life total.

[@FfSsBb]

Since Sean didn't cast anything before attacking he could have re-played the creature in the second main phase and have the mana open on the next turn. By bouncing it in the end phase, he saved one round of damage and made Sean waste mana on the next turn. At least that's what I think.

[@trysephiroth007]

PIZZLEdeTWIZZLE He also may have some sort of pump effect mid combat. Then LSV would of returned it and made him waste a card.

[@0ldar]

I'm so hooked on these spellslingers episodes! great stuff :D

[@tjmerchant9346]

Best Episode so far this season! Love the Fury deck.

[@darkritualpass]

Day[9] and Geek and Sundry-- I'm a huge fan of yours. I love all your dailies (especially Monday) and all your SC2 wisdom. It was your hilarious humor that got me into Starcraft. However, I have always loved Magic and it was the first true game I played. Spellslingers is by far the favorite thing that you do. I have watched and will continue to watch every episode of Spellslingers. A dream of mine is to play on Spellslingers and it's something I have wanted to for a long time. I'm pretty sure you guys film in California and I live there. I am an expert on magic and I like to think of myself as a pretty funny guy, so I think I could make the show more fun. It would be awesome if I could get a chance to play with you on your show. Thanks so much! Keep on slingin' those spells!

[@daimonclarke]

"if you want you can take it back? no, i'm just kidding".

[@Jonh1138]

I just started getting into magic and those 2 decks are exactly what I bought a few days ago, and they're awesome! thanks for showing me how to use them :)

[@xhenri6805]

I'm really glad that they decided to use quality decks instead of the shitty decks they normally use. Really shows you how intense and close most magic games are. However, I think that the decks are not balanced very well - Fury is much more resilient than the Fate deck.

[@chronoflect]

I agree. Hopefully, they will keep upping the quality and maybe even use some top-tier decks in the future.

[@roxannekrogh4228]

chronoflect I'd doubt they want to do that. It seems they want this series to be more for newer players, so using the shitty cards/Pre-cons gives them more access to the game. Rather than having to buy singles and spend tons of money on a Teir 1 deck, they can just go down to their LGS and buy one of these clash packs with a friend, having just as much fun.

[@mycroftism]

chronoflect LSV vs Day[9] next season using LSV's decks would be hilarious, but would immediately lose most of the non-magic players.

[@TheHomemadeStrength]

***** I don't think you'd immediately lose non magic players simply by using competitive decks. The biggest key with this show is the pacing. They go slow and explain everything they are doing. Watching pros happens too fast for normal people and we have no idea what is happening since we don't know what all the cards do. I feel like they could definitely splash in some more top level decks in the coming seasons (since season 2 is already filmed) as long as they keep the same slow pace. Also, games can't be ending in 5 turns so they need decks that will produce a match that they can make last for 20 minutes.

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

***** I don't think so. With a good-enough production, players using really eldritch cards can still be entertaining to newbies/non-magic players. But I also think that this show is sponsored by Wizards of the Coast, and that they'd want him to promote what they can sell to the larger group of customers. They have no direct gain in the second hand market. Thus they'd want him to promote what they do sell directly, i.e. these pre-constructed decks.

[@BugattiFan301]

LSV is my favorite player for sure. Well-rounded, very experienced, and he just seems like a cool guy.

[@eXdXgXe4life]

I'm not usually an LSV van, because I think he comes across a little cocky/arrogant (although I know he can planeswalk the planeswalk), BUT I really liked how 'noob' friendly he was. He was very thorough in his explanations and friendly in his demeanor. My opinion of LSV has been changed. Nice job! Also...Felicia or Owlbear needs to be in every episode.

[@jollyblue]

As someone who has never seen or heard of LSV before watching this video, he seemed super-friendly and welcoming to me. I'm actually surprised he came across as arrogant before.

[@deadnoobie2859]

jollyblue If you watch him on channelfireball video discussions he can come off as cocky and possibly arrogant, but that's because he is dealing with friends and other pros who he has known and worked with for years, and it's all in good fun. With anyone not in that circle he is actually quite personable from what I have seen. That is, of course, if you can handle his puns.

[@KhanGarth]

being one of the best players in the world, he can be a little bit cocky here and there.

[@bab027]

i'm a super magic noob and lsv actually is kind! he even responds to some questions that i have on twitter! :D :D :D

[@murrywitzel6548]

I always thought that it would be such a privilege to be on this show, until Sean just dropped the bomb that they were playing this at 8 am. That is insane.

[@NickKinzel]

6:41 Why didn't LSV bounce the cyclops before damage resolved? At first I thought it was because he already scryed that turn, but he bounces it right after damage resolves.

[@TopdeckNuII]

he did it on end of turn so that Sean could not recast the cyclops that turn

[@NickKinzel]

+Logdude1126 Cool, thanks! (Didn't notice all of Sean's mana was still open) :(

[@taliesinone]

+Logdude1126 oh

[@kit1116]

+NKinzelProductions also to see if sean would play anything worse than cyclops

[@Laurensdaddy1234]

I just taught my wife how to play magic with these decks. This was very enjoyable for us to watch together. Thanks again!

[@brunoqueiroz2759]

just watched the last protour and really wanted LSV to win. such a nice guy!!

[@AngelavengerL]

"Even when you expect the worst, you can still be disappointed" too true Sean. Good game!

[@Demigodish4o3]

What? No comments about Sean dating his opponent this time? -.-

[@GeekandSundry]

[@CCartman69]

Geek & Sundry Demigodish4o3 OTP guys. If he didn't write fanfic before, he'll start now.

[@DmGray]

I think they make a cute couple :D **queue no homo - Lonely Island**

[@wwaxwork]

No sexual tension this time, just mad epic battle tension.

[@Madhattersinjeans]

Well I figure Sean is all tired out from tapping that Shrine to Nyx with his Satyrs for 20 minutes. Give the guy a break.

[@uberdawg]

Great episode, guys! It was truly a pleasure to see Sean and Luis play. Great game. :)

[@VaultBoy-cn8ht]

Sean; loses to casual players but wins to hall of fame Luis Scott-Vargas.

[@brianlynch4016]

I wore out my pause button during this but I liked the learning experience and more advanced play. Great game, great episode.

[@nilesrock024]

That was a hell of a game. Good show.

[@Drecon84]

This was awesome. Between the LSV puns and the friendly banter between these two players I was laughing out loud the entire game. Great video!

[@jdraven0890]

Auto thumbs-up, just because it's LSV :)

[@gadra86]

Came back to watch it again. Best spellslingers so far.

[@GeekandSundry]

The magic battle of the century! Luis Scott-Vargas takes on ***** in this thrilling episode of #Spellslingers! bit.ly/1or7tRk #magicthegathering What is your favorite Magic phrase or slang?

[@Rowen_Valkus]

My favorite magic phrase is "Just Jund 'em out"

[@alwaysfallingshort]

That was by far the best game so far in the series, these clash packs are a good idea. I like deck building, but there's something to be said for a more balanced game with a lot of variability and sweeping moves. I like games where powerful cards are useless early game, even if you could somehow afford them.

[@mrstraiban]

BSG I agree. They could use old or new duel decks as well. Especially now that we are closing in on the duel decks anthology release.

[@DavidBeaumont]

Holy crap that was a ridiculous game :)

[@NebunalWinterstorms]

Still had all deez.

[@2dTones]

"This card's gonna be pretty prophet-able." Never change, Luis.

[@m3ltingp0int85]

Yes! So pumped for this!

[@Shnook817]

Oh man, Luis Scott-Vargas! I watched your Origins Limited Reviews on ChannelFireball. Totally helped me go 4-0 at my pre-release.

[@shreknet]

Best game of the series.

[@firedrake110]

This is 100% what we were all waiting for. I was so pumped I forgot to comment yesterday when I watched it lol

[@MTGThrownDown]

I have a black/white ally deck that focus on gaining life and makes a whole bunch of tokens that I use as chump blockers. its a fun deck to play

[@schlockfather]

Allies seem fun. When I first started playing Magic I misunderstood what an Ally was and I just assumed all my creatures were allies because they're part of my deck, so they're "allied" together lmao. Didn't understand it was a creature type at first.

[@MrZuldan23]

This was a great episode! No idea who was ahead until the very end of the game. Keep up the good work.

[@lovelyrita64]

Oh my god this was such a good game!!!

[@normanofthetempest7347]

If you are a muggle like me listening to this at work.... it seems like they actually are speaking a magic language. I dont understand any of what they are saying! But the tone and enthusiasm is awesome in its own right :)

[@AyrtonotryA]

+Norman Bellamy The first chapters explain some of the rules !

[@excession444]

Just grabbed some kush, sat down and looked for somehting to watch... BEST. RESULT. EVER.

[@excession444]

BEST. SPELLSLINGERS. EVER

[@michaeloswald4849]

Sean trying to pick up the Voyage's End card at 7:09 It shouldn't be so funny to me but I has to replay it a bunch of times.

[@rainmaker6261]

Why did louis voyages end the cyclops after taking three damage. Shouldn't he have bounced it beforehand to save some life? What's the advantage to doing it afterward?

[@AltruisticAlbatross]

I'm sweating and feverish trying to figure that out.

[@GSFLuma]

he was waiting if anything would be played in the second mainphase

[@gamer7916]

if Luis bounced the cyclops before damage resolves, Sean can just play it back again second main phase, whereas if he plays end of turn, Sean has to wait a turn to play the cyclops out again

[@sjdhrjrjejdhdhsh]

rainmaker6261 Options my dear friend.... options.

[@stefanavic6630]

7:08 Why didn't Luis play the Return spell on the creature before the damage resolved? Seems like a Blue fail to me...

[@weirddan455]

He was waiting to see if Day9 would play anything bigger post combat. Since he didn't, he bounced it at the end step. If he bounced it during combat, Day9 would have just replayed it. Bouncing at the end step is a bigger tempo swing because it stops him from using any of his mana and he still prevents damage because the creature won't be in play to attack the next turn.

[@stefanavic6630]

@@weirddan455 Nice reply, thank you. My Blue skills have gone up +1 :)

[@DrDeathnite]

Aw yes! LSV!

[@azraelswrd]

Shit just got real

[@jrod701]

Awesome. That was much more exciting than spinning the lazy Susan of destiny. Keep playing with decks like these!

[@TheTauntGames]

I would like to see more pro players come on the show, they might bring less views than more common household names but I enjoyed and learned more from this episode than any other episode. Also I like the more serious game play, the silly stuff is ok but it becomes too much if that is all the show is I would like to see a mix of pros and youtubers.

[@timattwood9828]

These decks work really well together, really awesome episode!

[@MagicGatheringStrat]

Pretty silly for Sean to attack all in when he expected to get bounced somehow; otherwise a good game and great play on both sides.

[@Xenaisthebusiness]

He left all of his real creatures back.

[@MagicGatheringStrat]

Xenaisthebusiness Even sillier since bounced tokens die, while he can recast "real" creatures. He should have done a little math and planned for the worst. Even having 2 of those 8/8 tokens left for the next round would have been huge, and he still could have attacked with 7 very large creatures.

[@Xenaisthebusiness]

magicgatheringstrat this is all under the assumption he is familiar with aether spouts. anything else like voyages end would punish him for holding back.

[@Village_Bike]

he was being a good sport.......he had obviously won immediately if he played that correctly

[@julianvillaruz]

Xenaisthebusiness Or sea god's revenge, which returns exactly 3.

[@alainbourassa1998]

I think this was the strongest gameplay from Sean that I've seen for a while....he says it was all in fun, but I think in the back of his mind and off camera his joy at beating a hall of famer and personal rival would be pretty palpable. Lol

[@Ranerdar]

I don't play Magic. I used to many many years ago. Long enough ago now, that it's probably not recognizable as Magic. I've watched all the episodes from season 1 and season 2 so far, cause they're entertaining. But this is the first episode that made me think of picking it up again.

[@APKistler]

Most of the pre-constructed decks are really awful. Watching LSV play something like a Splinter Twin deck in the Modern format is such a different experience than these videos, but it takes a long time to understand the cards and how they interact with each other. Standard is a good format to watch so you can get a good idea of what some of the more powerful and interesting things that can happen, while still being the least complex.

[@evilsasha]

Very entertaining and exciting match! So this is how the pros do it :) Well played Sean, very well played indeed.

[@Blooddrunk716]

HE GOT FIRST BLOOD ON LSV!

[@florianw116]

I understand that reference!

[@malidite]

Good episode, glad they're still coming out

[@Lthe1]

prophet of kruphix is 'profetable' I see what you did there.

[@kwhatofit]

Two wins in a row? THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED! Go, Sean, go!

[@BAZ1NG3R]

i paused and walked out the room and i walked in and saw 17:37

[@DeathMcKillenstein]

I lost it at that point. I seriously rewound it like 6 times but then I had to stop or I was going to hurt myself.

[@Argonaut1ka]

Small thing, but worth noting. Sean could use his Nykthos once or twice to cast some green cards before untapping it the 1st or 2nd time, so that he nets more mana on those subsequent activations.

[@Nr4747]

Well, color me suprised. Seeing LSV is quite a bit of a change of pace from the usual "I've never played Magic before but it sounds kind of fun" crowd Sean usually plays against (not always, though, and I have nothing against that, personally).

[@smd242]

Best episode of spellslingers so far!

[@10PKOR24]

idk why but Sean instead of attacking with all the Hydras he could have just attacked with 5, LSV still needed to block everything and still die.

[@imjustsomeguy72]

KRivera I reckon it must just be because attacking with eight 8/8 hydras must feel sick. That, and he may not have been aware of the potential for something like Aetherspouts. I don't think either of them knew what was in the decks.

[@10PKOR24]

I also think that since this is like a "Tutorial match?" they even tell what they have in their hand to the camera while the other guys is literally near him.

[@DavidPeveto]

KRivera FYI, as someone who has helped produce interview videos for stuff like this before, all of the to the camera stuff cut in between the gameplay is entirely done after the fact. You have them look slightly off camera and say "Okay, so talk about when Sean did (insert what Sean did here)." Source: I work in PR video production.

[@jhanks2012]

+imjustsomeguy72 even not knowing what was in the decks, attacking with all hydras was clearly the wrong move. there is no need to do 64 dmg when 32 will still win the game, you are just unnecessarily risking all the hydras to a possible combat trick (you are playing against blue after all)

[@kit1116]

+S. Wunderlin you would still have hydra for next turn.

[@benjaminnoble9565]

So good! Thanks guys! I really love this!

[@EpicSuchti]

Hey Geek and Sundry, invite Mark Rosewater to Spellslingers please, he said on Tumblr he would be interested.

[@Xianit2]

Great game and I am glad to have found this series! Thanks Sean & Luis! One thing I wondered about while watching was: Why did Luis not Block and Tap with one and the same Kiora's Follower instead of the one that wasnt blocking? I think it didnt matter in the end since he didnt need the other one but he could still do it or did they change the MTG rules? I thought it would be more useful to tap a blocking/dying creature and therefore maybe show this to new players? Just asking, I dont want to lecture anyone ;)

[@IanWorris]

Well, that was really an exciting match, but Sean just had the game after that turn. As much as I rooted for fate, he just turned the tide wonderfully. I'm just thinking, if you bounce a creature after the monstrosity cost is paid, wouldn't it be an actual way to counter the ability?

[@CalloftheWarrior1]

Correct, bouncing the creature with monstrosity on the stack will stop the trigger.

[@Galtran]

depends on the monstruosity, on the Hydra not really, you'd just give him a chance to spawn a whole new bunch of hydras...

[@CalloftheWarrior1]

That goes for any monstrosity, though, bouncing it will stop it for a turn at least. =].

[@anatole69]

The ability still triggers if it's able to.

[@TirelessSlacker]

anatole69 The abilities read "When this creature becomes monstrous". So if you respond to the monstrosity activation (i.e. before the creature actually becomes monstrous), then the creature is no longer on the battlefield, does not become monstrous, and the monstrous ability does not trigger.

[@texashatemachine420]

Best episode of spell slingers ever!

[@patrickedwards8518]

Luis lost a lot of weight! Congrats! Glad to see you healthy and fit.

[@DrCornelius]

This match was breathtaking. Amazing!