The Cube: Project 3.0
...and discuss!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Draftsravaganza(s)!
DRAFTS!
I still can't pronounce the word correctly, but Draftstraganza 2: The Revenge was very fun. Personally I got pounded in the Shadowmoor draft, despite what I thought was a solid G/R affair with Flame Javelin, Boggart Ram-Gang, and double Tower Above. Oh yeah, Pili-Pala and double Power of Fire. Then I played Julio in the last round, whose G/R deck featured double Deus of Calamity. He showed me how it was done. I was only able to defeat Tabasco in the first round and lost out from there, probably due to my many play mistakes. I feel like if I don't draft at least once a week I just make stupid errors all over.
Ravnica/Guildpact/Dissension draft was way more fun, partly because I knew what I was doing. My plan was to go Red/White/Blue, starting with first pick Hunted Dragon. I also grabbed an early Snapping Drake and a Peel from Reality. I got what I thought was the Izzet hook up in pack two, with dubs Train of Thought, dubs Torch Drake, a Repeal, Gigadrowse, Electrolyze, Pyromatics, and Izzet Chronarch. However, CBG, who was sitting to my left, apparently cut me some Steamcore Weird and Ogre Savant action in the middle pack. Man, Izzet was open!Dissension pushed me into Black instead of White with a very late Wrecking Ball, a Demon's Jester and two Rakdos Signets for the splash. I also grabbed a few decent Graft guys including Helium Squirter and Cytoplast Manipulator. I know the consensus was that if you weren't running four colors, you were doing something wrong, but I really prefer my Rav block draft decks to be three colors if possible (with maybe a fourth color splash for an off color guild land, like one black source for Church of Deals, or the "kicker" on Induce Paranoia). I think there is usually less of a chance of properly drafting mana fixers to actually make a four color deck that doesn't screw you at random than there is of winning based on three color consistency. But hey, I'm the guy who kept playing against opponents who seemed to keep beating themselves with their manabases, so I might be biased. It was actually a challenging deck to build, because I had so many options. More than one opponent did not approve of my Torpid Moloch turn one, but the plan was to be a midrange deck that could basically steal a win with bounce and pumpable and/or hasty flyers. I just needed to stay alive long enough to flip the game around. More than one game I used Hunted Dragon as a five mana burn spell. I ended up losing the finals to Jonathan. That guy had my number all night! I just felt like he not only outplayed me, but knew what I was trying to do and knew exactly how to stop it. To be fair, the final game of the draft he drops a turn two Azorious Guildmage and I draw absolutely zero removal or bounce all game. Nothing. So my options were fairly limited. He roundly outplayed me though, and deserved the win more than me, no doubt.
CUBE!
Well, CBG and I finally came around to Tabasco and The Captain's point of view- we need to expand the Cube. After having nine on Sunday it really seems like the thing to do. The Cube is fun, and even though the usual number is around 4-6, we should be able to support more, just in case. As Tabasco reminded us, this will also make the Cube drafting experience more dynamic since there will be a larger potential card pool. I invited Tabasco and The Captain to make a card list that will take us to 540 cards. I think they are keen to include Eventide goodies too. For ease of reference here is the latest Cube Draft List (v2.0) with only a few changes. We replaced Dimir Cutpurse with Shadowmage Infiltrator and Frenzied Goblin with Taurean Mauler (the joke being that the Shapeshifter was a better Goblin than the, you know, actual Goblin). I would love to put this together within the next few weeks, if possible. The reason being...
Draftstravaganza III: Legend of the Cube
We're trying to keep the Limited flame alive! This is tentative, but I am aiming for July 19th, Casa de TooSarcastic. Free brunch starts at 11, drafts commence at noon. I would like to get three drafts in. Possible formats include: Cube Draft (obv), RGD Rotisserie (eh, CBG?), Reject Rare, Shadowmoor/Shadowmoor/Eventide (it's the weekend after the prerelease) and/or other unusual stuff. If we do the Cube and then the Rotisserie we are looking at a very cheap day of drafting for everyone. Free and brunch and cheap Magic! What else could you want? Maybe we'll start the day out with some bizarre Sealed format, just because. Let me know what you would like to play.
T
I still can't pronounce the word correctly, but Draftstraganza 2: The Revenge was very fun. Personally I got pounded in the Shadowmoor draft, despite what I thought was a solid G/R affair with Flame Javelin, Boggart Ram-Gang, and double Tower Above. Oh yeah, Pili-Pala and double Power of Fire. Then I played Julio in the last round, whose G/R deck featured double Deus of Calamity. He showed me how it was done. I was only able to defeat Tabasco in the first round and lost out from there, probably due to my many play mistakes. I feel like if I don't draft at least once a week I just make stupid errors all over.
Ravnica/Guildpact/Dissension draft was way more fun, partly because I knew what I was doing. My plan was to go Red/White/Blue, starting with first pick Hunted Dragon. I also grabbed an early Snapping Drake and a Peel from Reality. I got what I thought was the Izzet hook up in pack two, with dubs Train of Thought, dubs Torch Drake, a Repeal, Gigadrowse, Electrolyze, Pyromatics, and Izzet Chronarch. However, CBG, who was sitting to my left, apparently cut me some Steamcore Weird and Ogre Savant action in the middle pack. Man, Izzet was open!Dissension pushed me into Black instead of White with a very late Wrecking Ball, a Demon's Jester and two Rakdos Signets for the splash. I also grabbed a few decent Graft guys including Helium Squirter and Cytoplast Manipulator. I know the consensus was that if you weren't running four colors, you were doing something wrong, but I really prefer my Rav block draft decks to be three colors if possible (with maybe a fourth color splash for an off color guild land, like one black source for Church of Deals, or the "kicker" on Induce Paranoia). I think there is usually less of a chance of properly drafting mana fixers to actually make a four color deck that doesn't screw you at random than there is of winning based on three color consistency. But hey, I'm the guy who kept playing against opponents who seemed to keep beating themselves with their manabases, so I might be biased. It was actually a challenging deck to build, because I had so many options. More than one opponent did not approve of my Torpid Moloch turn one, but the plan was to be a midrange deck that could basically steal a win with bounce and pumpable and/or hasty flyers. I just needed to stay alive long enough to flip the game around. More than one game I used Hunted Dragon as a five mana burn spell. I ended up losing the finals to Jonathan. That guy had my number all night! I just felt like he not only outplayed me, but knew what I was trying to do and knew exactly how to stop it. To be fair, the final game of the draft he drops a turn two Azorious Guildmage and I draw absolutely zero removal or bounce all game. Nothing. So my options were fairly limited. He roundly outplayed me though, and deserved the win more than me, no doubt.
CUBE!
Well, CBG and I finally came around to Tabasco and The Captain's point of view- we need to expand the Cube. After having nine on Sunday it really seems like the thing to do. The Cube is fun, and even though the usual number is around 4-6, we should be able to support more, just in case. As Tabasco reminded us, this will also make the Cube drafting experience more dynamic since there will be a larger potential card pool. I invited Tabasco and The Captain to make a card list that will take us to 540 cards. I think they are keen to include Eventide goodies too. For ease of reference here is the latest Cube Draft List (v2.0) with only a few changes. We replaced Dimir Cutpurse with Shadowmage Infiltrator and Frenzied Goblin with Taurean Mauler (the joke being that the Shapeshifter was a better Goblin than the, you know, actual Goblin). I would love to put this together within the next few weeks, if possible. The reason being...
Draftstravaganza III: Legend of the Cube
We're trying to keep the Limited flame alive! This is tentative, but I am aiming for July 19th, Casa de TooSarcastic. Free brunch starts at 11, drafts commence at noon. I would like to get three drafts in. Possible formats include: Cube Draft (obv), RGD Rotisserie (eh, CBG?), Reject Rare, Shadowmoor/Shadowmoor/Eventide (it's the weekend after the prerelease) and/or other unusual stuff. If we do the Cube and then the Rotisserie we are looking at a very cheap day of drafting for everyone. Free and brunch and cheap Magic! What else could you want? Maybe we'll start the day out with some bizarre Sealed format, just because. Let me know what you would like to play.
T
Expanding the Cube: Project 3.0
Here is our Current Cube...or at least close, I removed the following:
Deleted
Desert Twister (for six mana this effect is not strong enough)
Death Denied (again costs too much)
Pact of Negation (this card is absolute trash unless you are at five mana)
Mogg Flunkies (How is this better than Keldon Marauders)
Stinkweed Imp (he really sucks, at least Grave-Troll works towards something, getting bigger.)
With that I give you the current list:
WHITE
Adarkar ValkyrieAjani Goldmane
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Armageddon
Arrest
Austere Command
Aven Mindcensor
Aven Riftwatcher
Blade of the Sixth Pride
Calciderm
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
Cloudchaser Kestrel
Condemn
Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Crusade
Descendant of Kiyomaro
Devouring Light
Disenchant
Empyrial Armor
Enduring Renewal
Enlightened Tutor
Eternal Dragon
Faith's Fetters
Genju of the Fields
Ghostly Prison
Glorious Anthem
Goldmeadow Harrier
Griffin Guide
Icatian Javelineers
Jötun Grunt
Kami of Ancient Law
Kataki, War's Wage
Knight of Meadowgrain
Longbow Archer
Mirror Entity
Momentary Blink
Mother of Runes
Oblivion Ring
Order of the White Shield
Pacifism
Paladin en-Vec
Pariah
Radiant's Dragoons
Radiant's Judgment
Reveillark
Reya Dawnbringer
Sacred Mesa
Samurai of the Pale Curtain
Savannah Lions
Soltari Priest
Swords to Plowshares
Temporal Isolation
White Knight
White Shield Crusader
Wing Shards
Wrath of God
Yosei, the Morning Star
BLUE
Aeon Chronicler
Aquamoeba
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Body Double
Boomerang
Braingeyser
Brainstorm
Brine Elemental
Capsize
Compulsive Research
Confiscate
Control Magic
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Deep Analysis
Desertion
Dissipate
Drift of Phantasms
Evacuation
Force of Will
Force Spike
Frantic Search
Gifts Ungiven
Hydroblast
Impulse
Jace Beleren
Keiga, the Tide Star
Looter il-Kor
Mana Leak
Man-o'-War
Memory Lapse
Merchant Scroll
Merfolk Looter
Mystical Teachings
Mystical Tutor
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Ophidian
Propaganda
Ray of Command
Remand
Repeal
Repulse
Riftwing Cloudskate
Rushing River
Spell Snare
Stroke of Genius
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Thieving Magpie
Tidings
Unstable Mutation
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vesuvan Shapeshifter
Vendillion Clique
Vexing Sphinx
Voidmage Prodigy
Waterfront Bouncer
Willbender
BLACK
Animate Dead
Bad Moon
Black Knight
Bitterblossom
Bone Shredder
Carnophage
Consume Spirit
Contamination
Corpse Dance
Corrupt
Crypt Rats
Damnation
Dark Confidant
Dark Ritual
Darkblast
Dauthi Horror
Dauthi Slayer
Diabolic Edict
Diabolic Servitude
Dread Return
Exhume
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
Hatred
Hymn to Tourach
Hypnotic Specter
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Knight of Stromgald
Liliana Vess
Living Death
Nameless Inversion
Nantuko Husk
Necropotence
Nezumi Graverobber
Okiba-Gang Shinobi
Oona's Prowler
Paralyze
Persecute
Pestilence
Phyrexian Arena
Plague Sliver
Priest of Gix
Profane Command
Sarcomancy
Shriekmaw
Skeletal Vampire
Skittering Skirge
Smallpox
Smother
Stromgald Crusader
Sudden Death
Tendrils of Corruption
Terror
Thoughtseize
RED
Akroma, Angel of Fury
Avalanche Riders
Bogardan Hellkite
Boom // Bust
Chandra Nalaar
Countryside Crusher
Demonfire
Earthquake
Empty the Warrens
Fiery Temper
Fireball
Fireblast
Flame Fusillade
Fork
Tauren Mauler
Gathan Raiders
Goblin Bombardment
Goblin Matron
Goblin Patrol
Goblin Recruiter
Gorilla Shaman
Grapeshot
Grinning Ignus
Hearth Kami
Hostility
Incinerate
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Jokulhaups
Kamahl, Pit Fighter
Keldon Marauders
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Kird Ape
Lava Hounds
Lightning Bolt
Magus of the Scroll
Mana Flare
Mogg Fanatic
Mogg War Marshal
Orcish Lumberjack
Pyroblast
Pyroclasm
Reckless Wurm
Red Elemental Blast
Seal of Fire
Shard Phoenix
Shock
Siege-Gang Commander
Sudden Shock
Sulfur Elemental
Tarfire
Tin Street Hooligan
Tribal Flames
Wheel of Fortune
Wildfire
Word of Seizing
GREEN
Arrogant Wurm
Basking Rootwalla
Birds of Paradise
Blanchwood Armor
Briarhorn
Caller of the Claw
Carven Caryatid
Channel
Chameleon Colossus
Cream of The Crop
Crop Rotation
Essence Warden
Fertile Ground
Fyndhorn Elves
Gaea’s Anthem
Garruk Wildspeaker
Giant Growth
Golgari Grave-Troll
Harmonize
Harrow
Hurricane
Hystrodon
Indrik Stomphowler
Kodama of the North Tree
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Grip
Life from the Loam
Llanowar Elves
Might of Oaks
Moldervine Cloak
Natural Order
Naturalize
Overrun
Phantom Centaur
Protean Hulk
Quirion Ranger
Rancor
Regrowth
River Boa
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scryb Ranger
Simian Grunts
Spectral Force
Tarmogoyf
Thelonite Hermit
Timbermare
Troll Ascetic
Uktabi Orangutan
Verdant Force
Vinelasher Kudzu
Wall of Blossoms
Wall of Roots
Werebear
Wild Mongrel
Wing Snare
Wood Elves
MULTICOLORED
Angel of Despair
Armadillo Cloak
Azorius Guildmage
Burning-Tree Shaman
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Electrolyze
Ghost Council of Orzhova
Grave-Shell Scarab
Lightning Angel
Lightning Helix
Loxodon Hierarch
Mortify
Mystic Enforcer
Mystic Snake
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Putrefy
Rakdos Guildmage
Recoil
Savage Twister
Selesnya Guildmage
Stormbind
Void
Watchwolf
Who/What/When/Where/Why
ARTIFACTS
Azorius Signet
Bottle Gnomes
Coalition Relic
Cursed Scroll
Dimir Signet
Fellwar Stone
Gruul Signet
Icy Manipulator
Ivory Tower
Juggernaut
Lotus Bloom
Lotus Petal
Loxodon Warhammer
Memory Jar
Mirari
Mox Diamond
Nevinyrral's Disk
Pithing Needle
Platinum Angel
Rakdos Signet
Razormane Masticore
Scroll Rack
Selesnya Signet
Sensei's Divining Top
Serrated Arrows
Sol Ring
Tormod's Crypt
LANDS
Academy Ruins
Azorius Chancery
Blood Crypt
Boros Garrison
Breeding Pool
Dimir Aqueduct
Godless Shrine
Golgari Rot Farm
Gruul Turf
Hallowed Fountain
Izzet Boilerworks
Mutavault
Orzhov Basilica
Overgrown Tomb
Rakdos Carnarium
Sacred Foundry
Selesnya Sanctuary
Simic Growth Chamber
Steam Vents
Stomping Ground
Temple Garden
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolarian Academy
Volrath's Stronghold
Watery Grave
I think the following should be in here for starters:
Adds
Badlands
Bayou
Plateau
Savannah
Scrubland
Taiga
Tropical Island
Tundra
Underground Sea
Volcanic Island
5 Enemy Color Signets (Simic, Orzhov, Izzet, Boros, and Golgari)
Gilded Lotus
Cloudthresher (he wasn’t invited, and is kinda pissed about it)
Vindicate
Pernicious Deed
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of Fire and Ice
Solemn Simulacrum
Imperious Perfect (he makes tokens and is fine in any green deck not just one infested with elves)
Kinsbaile Cavlier (there are many knights, Shadowmoor is only going to add more)
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
Jeska, Warrior Adept
Visara the Dreadful
Jareth, Leonine Titan
Maybe some Judgement wishes (you will always have a sideboard)
Shadowmoor cards that merit inclusion:
AEthertowArmored Ascension
Augury Adept
Bogart Ram-Gang
Consign to Dream
Demigod of Revenge
Devoted Druid
Dusk Urchins
Everlasting Torment
Firespout
Flame Javelin
Grim Poppet
Incrimental Blight
Seedcradle Witch
Inkfathom Witch
Mistmeadow Witch
Tattermunge Witch
Jaws of Stone
Kitchen Finks
Knollspine Invocation
Memory Plunder
Midnight Banshee
Murderous Redcap
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Order of Whiteclay
Oversoul of Dusk
Prismatic Omen
Prison Term
Puppeteer Clique
Reflecting Pool
Silkbind Faerie
Spawnwrithe
Spectral Procession
Swans of Bryn Argoll
Torrent of Souls
My Personal Shadowmoor picks
Twilight Shepard
Deus of Calamity
Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers
Possible Eventide Inclusions. Spoiler can be found here
Archon of Justice
Light from Within
Recumbant Bliss
Inundate
Wakethrasher
Ashling the Extinguisher
Necroskitter
Needle Spector
Raven's Crime
Fiery Bombardment
Flame Jab
Hateflayer
Puncture Blast
Stigma Lasher
Thunderblust
Unwilling Recruit
Bloom Tender
Talara's Batallion
Wicker-Bough Elder
Creakwood Liege
Galefire Liege
Deathbringer Liege (B/W)
Murkfiend Liege (G/U)
Divinity of Pride
Dominus of Fealty
Overbeing of Myth
Nobilis of War
Evershrike
Unmake
Crackleburr
Cankerous Thirst
Gift of the Deity
Fire at Will
Fable of Wolf and Owl
Glen Elendra Archmage
Idle Thoughts
Flickerwisp
Hearthfire Hobgoblin
and Lastly and I know this has been long, some of you may be asleep after reading all of that, but here is the big issue at hand. The addition of 6 power cards. The five Moxen and Time Walk
Yes I know we discussed adding the 3 blue pieces but let me explain. Timetwister is useless, and Ancestral Recall is too good, it reads U: Win the game. Time walk is fair enough I think we can all agree, so thats brings us to the moxen. The cube is riddled with cheap artifact removal. Mox monkey is getting kinda hungry, starving in fact he has nothing to eat. and Tin Street Hooligan wants to be more useful that just a 2/1 for 2. A Mox only adds one mana, Black Lotus is way to powerful as well in fact it is not allowed for the same reason as Ancestral Recall, it just wins the game. Not to mention if someone first picks a mox, they didn't pick a good card, and if the mox isn't in your colors it is only as broken as Sol Ring (it nets you a colorless mana), which everyone is fine having in the cube. I realize that we would have to get some very good proxy versions to include them, but please give it some thought.
Please leave feedback and your thoughts on cube inclusions in comments
Thanks for bearing with me,
Hot Sauce
Monday, July 7, 2008
Draftstravaganza 2: The Revenge
Nine planeswalkers step into a bar...
We were just about to Cube when...
-----
We didn't do any particularly wacky formats yesterday. We were going to Cube but then a 9th person showed up. That was not technology because I have resisted expanding the Cube. No longer. I guess the Cube is going up to a 12 player. I think Tabasco is going to post his suggestions for additional inclusions later this week. Feel free to chime in on that thread once it is created. So people were up for a Shadowmoor draft and I have had a box for drafting sitting around my house for the last two months. Off we went.
I drafted like complete trash, first picking a Thistledown Liege over Flame Javelin, even though I knew UW was never in a million years going to be open at this table. It was precisely the train wreck I deserved though I did manage to coerce the captain into scooping round 4 by having Tabasco play my deck. Jonathan Brostoff brought 3 of his friends and they went first through fourth place in the draft. Awkward. Actually, they were all awesome and it was a pleasure drafting with them.
The second draft was an 8 person RGD draft. This was a blast (best. format. ever.) and Brostoff won again, despite claiming that he was choosing by art (not a half bad idea in RGD). I managed second on the power of trips Rakdos Ickspitter and 3 Karoos. four color manabases for the win. I originally intended to be GBr, but I ended up splashing U as well for the goodness that is Steamcore Weird + Ogre Savant.
Thanks again for coming everyone. It was tons o fun.
-----
Who's up for a free Ravnica rotisserie? Actually, maybe we will ante packs since we always say fuck the third round when there's nothing on the line. I will provide the set.
We were just about to Cube when...
-----
We didn't do any particularly wacky formats yesterday. We were going to Cube but then a 9th person showed up. That was not technology because I have resisted expanding the Cube. No longer. I guess the Cube is going up to a 12 player. I think Tabasco is going to post his suggestions for additional inclusions later this week. Feel free to chime in on that thread once it is created. So people were up for a Shadowmoor draft and I have had a box for drafting sitting around my house for the last two months. Off we went.
I drafted like complete trash, first picking a Thistledown Liege over Flame Javelin, even though I knew UW was never in a million years going to be open at this table. It was precisely the train wreck I deserved though I did manage to coerce the captain into scooping round 4 by having Tabasco play my deck. Jonathan Brostoff brought 3 of his friends and they went first through fourth place in the draft. Awkward. Actually, they were all awesome and it was a pleasure drafting with them.
The second draft was an 8 person RGD draft. This was a blast (best. format. ever.) and Brostoff won again, despite claiming that he was choosing by art (not a half bad idea in RGD). I managed second on the power of trips Rakdos Ickspitter and 3 Karoos. four color manabases for the win. I originally intended to be GBr, but I ended up splashing U as well for the goodness that is Steamcore Weird + Ogre Savant.
Thanks again for coming everyone. It was tons o fun.
-----
Who's up for a free Ravnica rotisserie? Actually, maybe we will ante packs since we always say fuck the third round when there's nothing on the line. I will provide the set.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Victory is MINE!
I decided to wait until after Saturday Night Magic to post since I'd actually have something other than grab bag to post about. I finally cracked my losing streak in constructed, going 2-2. I decided to play Fugie's UW control list. I highly recommend having Ancestral Visions in your opening hand. I don't recommend getting stuck on 2 land vs. faeries.
I lost round 1 vs Harry Potter, playing Block Faeries. By the time my Visions was resolving, he had a spellstutter sprite and mana to play it through my Rune Snag. All else is irrelevant. Game 2, he did the tempo thing, though I had one turn to topdeck either Wrath or a Cryptic Command to win. I did stick Oona against him, but just couldn't untap, because he ripped a Scion to do like 18 in one turn. Man faeries is good. Not that I can win with it, but still. I'll be curious if this briefly drops me below 1500. I don't think so because Harry's Constructed rating is through the roof, what with Regionals Top 8 and all.
Round 2, I won vs someone playing Blink with a lot of four drops. Most of his deck was completely useless against me, and he got stuck on 3 land in game 1. Not that Redcaps are the least bit relevant. I definitely resolved turn 4 and 5 Ancestral Visions and damn does that card feel like cheating. I wish I could borrow a Vintage deck for Chicago.
Round 3, I won vs another someone playing GW Oversoul. You know what else is good? Cryptic Command. Note to random dude. Pro:Blue does not mean cannot be countered. Because it can, sorry. Also does not mean "Cannot be tapped by Cryptic Command". Because it can, sorry. He got me game 2 after I stabilized at 4 and couldn't find a wrath, nor hit enough cards off Oona. Play mistake: You actually name White vs. Oversoul. They play some monowhite cards, but no monogreen. Weird.
Round 4, I lost vs coyoeuglly playing block Kithkin. I almost conceded to him, because honestly? Foregone conclusion. There was a point where I could have made it, having stuck Oona, but Kithkin plays 26 land or some such thing. What a weird aggro deck.
So there you go, absolute proof that even bad players can win at Constructed. I love the silence that greeted my admission that my Constructed win percentage is well below 40%. Shocking, I know. I guess this tourney will bring that up.
I lost round 1 vs Harry Potter, playing Block Faeries. By the time my Visions was resolving, he had a spellstutter sprite and mana to play it through my Rune Snag. All else is irrelevant. Game 2, he did the tempo thing, though I had one turn to topdeck either Wrath or a Cryptic Command to win. I did stick Oona against him, but just couldn't untap, because he ripped a Scion to do like 18 in one turn. Man faeries is good. Not that I can win with it, but still. I'll be curious if this briefly drops me below 1500. I don't think so because Harry's Constructed rating is through the roof, what with Regionals Top 8 and all.
Round 2, I won vs someone playing Blink with a lot of four drops. Most of his deck was completely useless against me, and he got stuck on 3 land in game 1. Not that Redcaps are the least bit relevant. I definitely resolved turn 4 and 5 Ancestral Visions and damn does that card feel like cheating. I wish I could borrow a Vintage deck for Chicago.
Round 3, I won vs another someone playing GW Oversoul. You know what else is good? Cryptic Command. Note to random dude. Pro:Blue does not mean cannot be countered. Because it can, sorry. Also does not mean "Cannot be tapped by Cryptic Command". Because it can, sorry. He got me game 2 after I stabilized at 4 and couldn't find a wrath, nor hit enough cards off Oona. Play mistake: You actually name White vs. Oversoul. They play some monowhite cards, but no monogreen. Weird.
Round 4, I lost vs coyoeuglly playing block Kithkin. I almost conceded to him, because honestly? Foregone conclusion. There was a point where I could have made it, having stuck Oona, but Kithkin plays 26 land or some such thing. What a weird aggro deck.
So there you go, absolute proof that even bad players can win at Constructed. I love the silence that greeted my admission that my Constructed win percentage is well below 40%. Shocking, I know. I guess this tourney will bring that up.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Excuse Me
I have to send Wife of Captain Bondage Goth to Singapore. I'll post later today. Sorry for the delay.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
EDH Holiday
Only have a few minutes for a short post.
This week's been especially bad. I didn't manage to make it down for Old Farte like I had wanted to but won't be able to go next week either (my grandmother passed away yesterday, so I'll be up in the Twin Cities for the funeral on Monday). The rest of my plans for this weekend kind of got kebashed as well. My folks had planned on coming up this weekend, but now I'll be heading up their way instead.
Well enough about me. I do agree that our group has gotten away from our roots in casual limited play and moved whole heartedly into EDH or bust. I admit that I am just as guilty of favoring EDH over draft. I also am more excited to see us moving back to more limited play. With that said, I am proposing that we go on an EDH holiday for the month of August. Please discuss this further @ CBGs on Sunday or in the comments, but I think that we need to take a break and give up the format for the month of August.
Until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.
This week's been especially bad. I didn't manage to make it down for Old Farte like I had wanted to but won't be able to go next week either (my grandmother passed away yesterday, so I'll be up in the Twin Cities for the funeral on Monday). The rest of my plans for this weekend kind of got kebashed as well. My folks had planned on coming up this weekend, but now I'll be heading up their way instead.
Well enough about me. I do agree that our group has gotten away from our roots in casual limited play and moved whole heartedly into EDH or bust. I admit that I am just as guilty of favoring EDH over draft. I also am more excited to see us moving back to more limited play. With that said, I am proposing that we go on an EDH holiday for the month of August. Please discuss this further @ CBGs on Sunday or in the comments, but I think that we need to take a break and give up the format for the month of August.
Until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Chroma
I don't wanna bump TS's post, but I just want to say that hybrid symbols count for Chroma (X is equal to the number of green (or whatever) mana symbols in the mana costs of permanents you control). I have a feeling Eventide is going to change Standard before Nats. Now go read TS's awesome post
--CBG
--CBG
Why Elder Dragon Highlander is bad for our playgroup
"When you've lived in complete isolation, how can you understand what it means to lose a culture? It's not until it is almost gone and when people become educated that they realize what's being lost. By then the attractions of the new way are overpowering, and the only people who want the old ways are the ones who never lived it." - Wade Davis, One River
"The people for whom the term cultural relativism was invented have rejected it." - Claude Lévi-Strauss
In 1835, in the hinterlands of Europe (Finland, of all places), Elias Lönnrot published the first version of Kalevala, the epic poem compiled from Finnish and Karelian folklore. Lönnrot found that with the spreading modernism his own people no longer cared about their own myths and language. No one of any standing within Finland actually spoke Finnish anymore- anybody who was anybody spoke Swedish or Russian, the languages of the ruling class. And all the folk stories and songs associated with the Finnish language were being forgotten. It was a pivotal moment. If Lönnrot had not traveled across the countryside, interviewing the older generations of poor, uneducated Finns, most of the oral culture of the society would have vanished, never to be remembered. As it turned out, Lönnrot's work, which he spent around 20 years of his life compiling, editing and reworking, helped spark a national awakening that eventually led to Finland gaining its independence. So what does this have to do with Magic?
Friends, Elder Dragon Highlander currently occupies more of our casual Magic time than every other format combined. I have no way to measure this data, so that last sentence could be total bullshit. You decide. A year ago, on FNM nights, a guy could walk into Game Universe and reliably get together one, and maybe even two afterdrafts. This was following the, you know, official draft. Now, there is only one format being played after a draft or after standard FNM, and let me give you a hint, it ain't Limited. (Although to be fair, some non-casual players may also be testing for whatever PTQ season is looming). Less than a year ago, a guy could drive to CBG's house, play a Cube draft for the entry fee of one booster, then do a Winston afterward with any stragglers. Now, on the rare occasions that we are in Captain Bondage Goth's musty dungeon our format is EDH- all night. Remember the free Ice Age, Alliances, Coldsnap draft that Major_Luck and I brought to you? How about Reject Rare Draft? Carroll Draft? Hell, even Five Color, online or IRL! Now, ask yourself, when is the last time you have played any of these formats? Probably at CBG's Draftstravaganza- THREE MONTHS AGO! The culprit for our lack of casual Magic diversity? EDH. Don't get me wrong. I love EDH. I love it so much, I'm beginning to suspect there might be a problem.
EDH IS TOO MUCH FUN
Let's start with the assumption that EDH is like crack cocaine. Okay, back up. That might be too inflammatory. Elder Dragon Highlander is an amazing casual Constructed format. It may very well be the best casual Constructed format ever. We know this because we have all experienced that sweet spot of competitiveness and wackiness that goes along with playing EDH. When I crawl into bed after playing EDH late into the night, I DREAM about the games. And I love it. It's like my brain is putting all that Magical knowledge into my long term memory by rehearsing those board positions, those plays, again and again. For those who don't know, long term crack addicts often struggle with similar dreams of hitting a pipe, usually after they've stopped using and are struggling to remain sober. So my crack analogy maybe isn't as far off as it first sounds.
We'll return to Lönnrot and his Kalevala. Lönnrot knew his culture was on the cusp of losing something, something great. This sort of thing happens all the time when modernity collides with tradition. The amazing thing about the story is that Lönnrot actually saved a part of his culture. Even more astounding is that the people who were now removed from the fading traditions by a generation (at least) actually began to care about their heritage again. This almost never happens until it's far too late.
In Wade Davis' book One River, he encounters a native Amazonian tribe (the Waorani) that had only recently come into contact with the outside world. He describes one native who was ahead of the curve in terms of acculturation to the West. The Waorani man, named Nenkiwi, was dressed in Western clothing, had a "huge silver watch without hands and an instamatic camera that didn't work... He couldn't read and so had no way of knowing that scrawled across his chest was the lettering AMOR-ECUADOR MILITARY POST #5." Nenkiwi had come to sell a ancient stone ax he had found in the jungle. It was at least 800 years old. Davis bought it from him for a few dollars, because if he didn't, someone else would. Nenkiwi, we are told, "was delighted." Here we see a person literally selling away his cultural history for the worst parts of our Western way of life. Davis, despite his complicity, obviously does not approve.
Is Davis right to judge Nenkiwi? Am I right to equate EDH with a broken watch and camera? Probably not. But seriously. We are choosing uniformity over diversity every time we sit down to play yet another game of EDH. Are we better off just because we WANT to play the format more than others? So maybe EDH is not crack cocaine, but it might be the chocolate cheesecake to every other casual format's vegetables. I feel like we eat a lot of desert (which tastes great) but we miss out on the different kind of pleasure that comes from having a full, balanced meal. And come to think of it, our culture certainly does blame people who eat too much desert (or too much McDonald's) for the consequences of their actions. Maybe I have a right to attack our playgroup (which includes myself, I know) for the unhealthy consequences of gorging ourselves on EDH alone.
Enough metaphors! Actually, one more, then I'll shut up. I can only speak for myself, but I would prefer to be Lönnrot rather Nenkiwi, given a choice. Keep your ears pricked for more non-EDH format plans in the near future. And tell me how wrong I am in the comments.
T
"The people for whom the term cultural relativism was invented have rejected it." - Claude Lévi-Strauss
* * * * *
In 1835, in the hinterlands of Europe (Finland, of all places), Elias Lönnrot published the first version of Kalevala, the epic poem compiled from Finnish and Karelian folklore. Lönnrot found that with the spreading modernism his own people no longer cared about their own myths and language. No one of any standing within Finland actually spoke Finnish anymore- anybody who was anybody spoke Swedish or Russian, the languages of the ruling class. And all the folk stories and songs associated with the Finnish language were being forgotten. It was a pivotal moment. If Lönnrot had not traveled across the countryside, interviewing the older generations of poor, uneducated Finns, most of the oral culture of the society would have vanished, never to be remembered. As it turned out, Lönnrot's work, which he spent around 20 years of his life compiling, editing and reworking, helped spark a national awakening that eventually led to Finland gaining its independence. So what does this have to do with Magic?
Friends, Elder Dragon Highlander currently occupies more of our casual Magic time than every other format combined. I have no way to measure this data, so that last sentence could be total bullshit. You decide. A year ago, on FNM nights, a guy could walk into Game Universe and reliably get together one, and maybe even two afterdrafts. This was following the, you know, official draft. Now, there is only one format being played after a draft or after standard FNM, and let me give you a hint, it ain't Limited. (Although to be fair, some non-casual players may also be testing for whatever PTQ season is looming). Less than a year ago, a guy could drive to CBG's house, play a Cube draft for the entry fee of one booster, then do a Winston afterward with any stragglers. Now, on the rare occasions that we are in Captain Bondage Goth's musty dungeon our format is EDH- all night. Remember the free Ice Age, Alliances, Coldsnap draft that Major_Luck and I brought to you? How about Reject Rare Draft? Carroll Draft? Hell, even Five Color, online or IRL! Now, ask yourself, when is the last time you have played any of these formats? Probably at CBG's Draftstravaganza- THREE MONTHS AGO! The culprit for our lack of casual Magic diversity? EDH. Don't get me wrong. I love EDH. I love it so much, I'm beginning to suspect there might be a problem.
EDH IS TOO MUCH FUN
Let's start with the assumption that EDH is like crack cocaine. Okay, back up. That might be too inflammatory. Elder Dragon Highlander is an amazing casual Constructed format. It may very well be the best casual Constructed format ever. We know this because we have all experienced that sweet spot of competitiveness and wackiness that goes along with playing EDH. When I crawl into bed after playing EDH late into the night, I DREAM about the games. And I love it. It's like my brain is putting all that Magical knowledge into my long term memory by rehearsing those board positions, those plays, again and again. For those who don't know, long term crack addicts often struggle with similar dreams of hitting a pipe, usually after they've stopped using and are struggling to remain sober. So my crack analogy maybe isn't as far off as it first sounds.
We'll return to Lönnrot and his Kalevala. Lönnrot knew his culture was on the cusp of losing something, something great. This sort of thing happens all the time when modernity collides with tradition. The amazing thing about the story is that Lönnrot actually saved a part of his culture. Even more astounding is that the people who were now removed from the fading traditions by a generation (at least) actually began to care about their heritage again. This almost never happens until it's far too late.
In Wade Davis' book One River, he encounters a native Amazonian tribe (the Waorani) that had only recently come into contact with the outside world. He describes one native who was ahead of the curve in terms of acculturation to the West. The Waorani man, named Nenkiwi, was dressed in Western clothing, had a "huge silver watch without hands and an instamatic camera that didn't work... He couldn't read and so had no way of knowing that scrawled across his chest was the lettering AMOR-ECUADOR MILITARY POST #5." Nenkiwi had come to sell a ancient stone ax he had found in the jungle. It was at least 800 years old. Davis bought it from him for a few dollars, because if he didn't, someone else would. Nenkiwi, we are told, "was delighted." Here we see a person literally selling away his cultural history for the worst parts of our Western way of life. Davis, despite his complicity, obviously does not approve.
Is Davis right to judge Nenkiwi? Am I right to equate EDH with a broken watch and camera? Probably not. But seriously. We are choosing uniformity over diversity every time we sit down to play yet another game of EDH. Are we better off just because we WANT to play the format more than others? So maybe EDH is not crack cocaine, but it might be the chocolate cheesecake to every other casual format's vegetables. I feel like we eat a lot of desert (which tastes great) but we miss out on the different kind of pleasure that comes from having a full, balanced meal. And come to think of it, our culture certainly does blame people who eat too much desert (or too much McDonald's) for the consequences of their actions. Maybe I have a right to attack our playgroup (which includes myself, I know) for the unhealthy consequences of gorging ourselves on EDH alone.
Enough metaphors! Actually, one more, then I'll shut up. I can only speak for myself, but I would prefer to be Lönnrot rather Nenkiwi, given a choice. Keep your ears pricked for more non-EDH format plans in the near future. And tell me how wrong I am in the comments.
T
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Eventide is upon us
Yes, that's right kids in 2 weeks' short time we will have our first opportunity to crack open some Eventide for the first time.
I have to say that I am impressed so far with the cards I have seen. I think the 2 new mechanics are going to be exciting as well. Well at least the one we haven't seen before is. Yes that's right another reprint from Future Sight is supposed to make an appearance in this set-Phosphorescent Feast with the mechanic named Chroma, an ability which counts the number of mana symbols in a certain zone. The other ability is Retrace, a variation on flashback that requires the mana cost to be paid along with a land to be discarded to cast the spell. Unlike flashback however, the card does not remove from game after you have retraced it. There are 2-1cc Retrace commons so far and I think they will have an impact.
Raven's Crime B
Sorcery
Target player discards a card
Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Flame Jab R
Sorcery
Flame Jab deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
They are also continuing the Liege cycle
The R/W was the first spolied so far:
Balefire Liege (2)( r/w)( r/w)( r/w)
2/4
Wow, thats all I can say
They will fill out the rest of the Cairn lands as well to complete the set of 10
Until next time, I am excited to play some SHM-SHM-EVE drafts!
Hot Sauce
I have to say that I am impressed so far with the cards I have seen. I think the 2 new mechanics are going to be exciting as well. Well at least the one we haven't seen before is. Yes that's right another reprint from Future Sight is supposed to make an appearance in this set-Phosphorescent Feast with the mechanic named Chroma, an ability which counts the number of mana symbols in a certain zone. The other ability is Retrace, a variation on flashback that requires the mana cost to be paid along with a land to be discarded to cast the spell. Unlike flashback however, the card does not remove from game after you have retraced it. There are 2-1cc Retrace commons so far and I think they will have an impact.
Raven's Crime B
Sorcery
Target player discards a card
Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Flame Jab R
Sorcery
Flame Jab deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
They are also continuing the Liege cycle
The R/W was the first spolied so far:
Balefire Liege (2)( r/w)( r/w)( r/w)
| Creature - Spirit Horror | ||
| Other red creatures you control get +1/+1. Other white creatures you control get +1/+1. Whenever you play a red spell, Balefire Liege deals 3 damage to target player. Whenever you play a white spell, you gain 3 life. | ||
Wow, thats all I can say
They will fill out the rest of the Cairn lands as well to complete the set of 10
Until next time, I am excited to play some SHM-SHM-EVE drafts!
Hot Sauce
Friday, June 27, 2008
My SCG Premium is expiring
So, as I alluded to earlier, my SCG account is about to expire. I am pretty sure I am not going to renew it right now. You know why not? It's summertime, and I am not playing Magic at all. TS called me last night and he's all,
"You never play Magic anymore. I never play Magic anymore. The world is grey and lonely. I read Sylvia Plath poems all day long and search for houses in a down market!"
"Shadowmoor is some impressively cool shit. Call me in the fall when I will feel like drafting it. Also, new homes sales* fell again last month, by 16% if you look at year over year data. As much as I understand your desire to live in your own place, you are gonna kneecap yourselves if you don't wait for some miniscule sign of a recovery."
----
Fugie has some impressive technology for Nationals. I am going to start playtesting it soon. Man if I can only get one match win, I can totally sandbag some poor innocent soul's rating.
----
If you haven't responded to coyoe's thread on Wednesday, I highly recommend you do so. My numbers are the lowest, and it's not even close. I am the only one who has responded so far who admits to less than 50% match win percentage. As a matter of fact, my Constructed match win percentage is hovering around 1 in 3. That's technology. Strangely, my Vintage match win percentage is also 1 in 3, proving that you can't prop a shitty magic player up with proxies. I actually kind of want to play Goblins at Vintage Worlds, but the 3 pieces of power are pretty necessary, even if it's only three. The ability to occasionally mise a turn 1 Warchief is like, necessary.
----
Gaudenis "I lost to CBG in the first round of a limited ptq" Vidugiris got second at the recent GP:Indianapolis. Congrats! Sorry about sandbagging your rating last year.
----
I am thinking about playing some of the more situational haste cards in my Rakdos EDH. It seems like fun to play Accelerate in this format. Hitting someone with Rakdos is teh awesome. I love it when everyone lives in fear. Especially those fucking blue players.
*Actually, this might be existing home sales. I can't remember.
"You never play Magic anymore. I never play Magic anymore. The world is grey and lonely. I read Sylvia Plath poems all day long and search for houses in a down market!"
"Shadowmoor is some impressively cool shit. Call me in the fall when I will feel like drafting it. Also, new homes sales* fell again last month, by 16% if you look at year over year data. As much as I understand your desire to live in your own place, you are gonna kneecap yourselves if you don't wait for some miniscule sign of a recovery."
----
Fugie has some impressive technology for Nationals. I am going to start playtesting it soon. Man if I can only get one match win, I can totally sandbag some poor innocent soul's rating.
----
If you haven't responded to coyoe's thread on Wednesday, I highly recommend you do so. My numbers are the lowest, and it's not even close. I am the only one who has responded so far who admits to less than 50% match win percentage. As a matter of fact, my Constructed match win percentage is hovering around 1 in 3. That's technology. Strangely, my Vintage match win percentage is also 1 in 3, proving that you can't prop a shitty magic player up with proxies. I actually kind of want to play Goblins at Vintage Worlds, but the 3 pieces of power are pretty necessary, even if it's only three. The ability to occasionally mise a turn 1 Warchief is like, necessary.
----
Gaudenis "I lost to CBG in the first round of a limited ptq" Vidugiris got second at the recent GP:Indianapolis. Congrats! Sorry about sandbagging your rating last year.
----
I am thinking about playing some of the more situational haste cards in my Rakdos EDH. It seems like fun to play Accelerate in this format. Hitting someone with Rakdos is teh awesome. I love it when everyone lives in fear. Especially those fucking blue players.
*Actually, this might be existing home sales. I can't remember.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Looking back, looking forward
Well what a rousing success Shadowmoor was, or was it? Big sets in the spring are kind of a waste. I seem to find myself in a similar situation as CBG. Late April thru mid July is the busiest time of year for me at work & with all of the festivals in the early part of summer something has to give. The last few years it has been drafting. I don't remember the last time I went down to GU to draft or to CBGs for that matter either. I like to think that Shadowmoor was pretty decent for limited, but have missed several weeks of league play and have only drafted it once since the pre-release (little tear). I was initially using the excuse that I had D&D on Fridays, but we've been on hiatus for the last several weeks (that's what you get when half of your play group are Renaissance fair people). But mostly it is just laziness & a general disinterest to be inside playing Magic. I hope that I feel differently after the Eventide Pre-release, but I am not so certain this will be true, but I think I need to still hold out hope.
As far as looking forward, I am definitely looking forward to my first vacation since the infamous death of the fandango last October (sorry fugie, but I haven't had off a Saturday & Sunday since that weekend). I am also looking forward to heading to Memphis in December. I have become even more disillusioned with work over the past few months and will take the time off regardless of the results (I still don't have anyone trained to fill in for me, but alas NOT MY PROBLEM).
Well until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.
As far as looking forward, I am definitely looking forward to my first vacation since the infamous death of the fandango last October (sorry fugie, but I haven't had off a Saturday & Sunday since that weekend). I am also looking forward to heading to Memphis in December. I have become even more disillusioned with work over the past few months and will take the time off regardless of the results (I still don't have anyone trained to fill in for me, but alas NOT MY PROBLEM).
Well until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Forgot
Also forgot to ask, does anyone have a good list of Mirror Master (Kithkin with Mirrorweave) for block?
An Exercise Of Curiosity
So as I sit about my house at noon on Wednesday, I checked my rating (more on this later) after the failure that was GP: Indy. Of course it was a Pastimes event. Which obv means it was the worst run event I have ever attended.
First, they ran out of starters and had to turn an estimated 100 people away.
Second, after the player meeting, deck registration, and deck construction they had about 15 minutes of announcements that probably should have gone out to all players, not just those of use unfortunate enough to have zero byes.
Third, the sound system sucked which caused a lot of people to be unable to hear announcements. There were a lot of people that didn't hear the one where you were supposed to call a judge and have them confirm match results after completing a match but before turning in the slip. There was also a lot of confusion about getting the promo Call of the Herds.
Fourth, it took forever to turn around the rounds. The first four rounds took about two hours each.
Fifth, the only consolation was frequent trips across the street to see the hotel bar, and the sharing of things that make people not care how much the event sucks.
I ended up with an absolutely miserable deck. From the majority of the people I showed it to it was the concensus worst deck. There were rumblings of Paprocki possibly having a worse deck due to playing Zealous Guardian. I didn't actually see Paprocki's deck so I can't confirm this. My deck consisted of 19 dudes, of which only 2 had evasion. And five spells of which the best was Thoughtweft Gambit. I also had zero bombs.
Overall, I felt I played well. I punted one game because I just forgot the four drop in my hand on turn four. None of the games I played were particularly interesting. Due to the miserableness of playing the GP I dropped at 2-2 and went and saw a movie with Paprocki and Asshole Jason. Which was good times. Asshole Jason and I savaged the theater into only charging us Student Tickets. I found out the Asshole Jason refuses to sit throw previews. The first half of the Incredible Hulk was the suck and a nap though the rest of the movie quickly followed. Paprocki napped on and off throughout the movie and the parts he was awake for were also the suck. Asshole Jason managed the superhuman feat of staying awake throughout and said the entire movie was the suck. At this point, I realize I am sober for the first time since Wednesday and go to quickly rectify the problem.
Time for back story on the GP. Two friends and I got ditched at Longshots on Loomis Wednesday night and walked back to Eric's which is approximately a block from Rhyno's rents house (about a 10 minute walk from 76th and Rawson). Thursday, there was some drugs involved (yes they were legal... just more than the quantity recommend). There is a story here, but much more entertaining if told in person. Friday, the pills were still well in effect. Eventually we got to Indy after stopping to have a cig and reprogram Bagha's GPS after finding out I-65 was closed in Gary, IN.
Now that we are in Indy the story begins. Bagha and I arrive at the much fabled Kurt Hahn's house. While Kurt catches a quick nap. Bagha, Kur'ts roommate and Bagha watch the savage cheating of Mike Long in the 98 Nats video. And then we're off to the bar. Drinking ensues while we catch up with Kurt. Later, back at Kurt's, I lay on the floor to pass out and the world is spinning. So I sit up against the wall with my knees to my chest and pass out with my head on top of said knees. At some unknown point during the night I wake up and have to poop. Off to the bathroom and the taking care of the pooping. I feel like absolute shit. Sure enough, here comes the vomiting, followed by a quick nap on the bathroom floor. Then off to the recliner to sleep the rest of the night away. I manage to finish the night's sleep without futher incident.
At the point the story stays much cleaner. I commend you for continuing to read.
Kurt decides to show off his hookah before we leave to go to the convention center and we're off. Look above for coverage on what happened at the GP.
After the movie I run into some people that I know from Magic events. I don't really remember a ton of what happened from that point to the point Bagha, Kurt, two Chicago guys and I end up back at the bar. After two bar hops, Kurt gets an invite to go to a third bar to meet up with four very attractive female friends of Kurt's. Operation Get There is officially go. After some good times and a couple of drinks, Operation Get There has a very high probability of success given the invite back to their apartment for more herbs. There was apparently miscommunication at this point between Kurt and said Attractive Females on destination. We ended up at an after gathering behind the bar Kurt works at while they vanished into What Coulda Been Land.
It was a sizable gathering with approximately 15-20 people there in a parking lot surrounded by a chain link fence. There were a couple houses and a post office loading dock surrounding said fence and significantly, only one entrance/exit. After about 20 minutes I see a bike cop shining his flashlight over the fence. He yells out "Take one more hit then everyone clear out." Back at Kurt's there is some Tetris and then sleeping.
Sunday, there is some SSS drafting. Team Bagha, Pliska, me ends up winning a draft with dog shit for rares. After much effort and a pit stop to not sober land, we assemble -1 Morningtide pack for a LMS draft. We end up saying screw finding the last Morningtide pack, pick new teams and draft with one person using LLS. Four people stayed on the same teams. Another guy (I believe Pliska) and me essentially got traded. Obv my team won again. This time getting me a Mirrorweave and crap. Which I quickly trade my pile of crap to another guy on my team for a Rustic Clachan.
Kurt, a Chicago guy and me stepped outside for more not soberness. It started out just the three of us on the top of the convention center steps and quickly turned into 20 people standing around with the three of huddled in a corner minding our own business.
Bagha and I left quickly after.
The ride back was largely uneventful. Arby's was delicious and we didn't have money to pay for the toll to get into WI.
----
So back to the Exercise Of Curiosity. I checked my rating today and saw there are quite a few people from the store with ratings in either Constructed or Limited that are in the ~1900+ range. A few months ago I was chatting with Edd and we were comparing our overall match win percentage from every sanctioned match we have ever played. At the time I believe mine was something like 47%. I figured what the hell. I went and figured it out again (Go to Ratings History and count every match that has a WIN. Ties don't count. Then go to Play Statistics and it will tell you how many total matches you have played then divide those two numbers.) I figure there should be some kind of competition for this (read: motivation for actually doing this) so aside from bragging rights, I will buy the winner of each (Limited and Constructed) into the respective event at a future GU tournament.
The mark to beat is:
Constructed: 50.444%
Limited: 50.769%
First, they ran out of starters and had to turn an estimated 100 people away.
Second, after the player meeting, deck registration, and deck construction they had about 15 minutes of announcements that probably should have gone out to all players, not just those of use unfortunate enough to have zero byes.
Third, the sound system sucked which caused a lot of people to be unable to hear announcements. There were a lot of people that didn't hear the one where you were supposed to call a judge and have them confirm match results after completing a match but before turning in the slip. There was also a lot of confusion about getting the promo Call of the Herds.
Fourth, it took forever to turn around the rounds. The first four rounds took about two hours each.
Fifth, the only consolation was frequent trips across the street to see the hotel bar, and the sharing of things that make people not care how much the event sucks.
I ended up with an absolutely miserable deck. From the majority of the people I showed it to it was the concensus worst deck. There were rumblings of Paprocki possibly having a worse deck due to playing Zealous Guardian. I didn't actually see Paprocki's deck so I can't confirm this. My deck consisted of 19 dudes, of which only 2 had evasion. And five spells of which the best was Thoughtweft Gambit. I also had zero bombs.
Overall, I felt I played well. I punted one game because I just forgot the four drop in my hand on turn four. None of the games I played were particularly interesting. Due to the miserableness of playing the GP I dropped at 2-2 and went and saw a movie with Paprocki and Asshole Jason. Which was good times. Asshole Jason and I savaged the theater into only charging us Student Tickets. I found out the Asshole Jason refuses to sit throw previews. The first half of the Incredible Hulk was the suck and a nap though the rest of the movie quickly followed. Paprocki napped on and off throughout the movie and the parts he was awake for were also the suck. Asshole Jason managed the superhuman feat of staying awake throughout and said the entire movie was the suck. At this point, I realize I am sober for the first time since Wednesday and go to quickly rectify the problem.
Time for back story on the GP. Two friends and I got ditched at Longshots on Loomis Wednesday night and walked back to Eric's which is approximately a block from Rhyno's rents house (about a 10 minute walk from 76th and Rawson). Thursday, there was some drugs involved (yes they were legal... just more than the quantity recommend). There is a story here, but much more entertaining if told in person. Friday, the pills were still well in effect. Eventually we got to Indy after stopping to have a cig and reprogram Bagha's GPS after finding out I-65 was closed in Gary, IN.
Now that we are in Indy the story begins. Bagha and I arrive at the much fabled Kurt Hahn's house. While Kurt catches a quick nap. Bagha, Kur'ts roommate and Bagha watch the savage cheating of Mike Long in the 98 Nats video. And then we're off to the bar. Drinking ensues while we catch up with Kurt. Later, back at Kurt's, I lay on the floor to pass out and the world is spinning. So I sit up against the wall with my knees to my chest and pass out with my head on top of said knees. At some unknown point during the night I wake up and have to poop. Off to the bathroom and the taking care of the pooping. I feel like absolute shit. Sure enough, here comes the vomiting, followed by a quick nap on the bathroom floor. Then off to the recliner to sleep the rest of the night away. I manage to finish the night's sleep without futher incident.
At the point the story stays much cleaner. I commend you for continuing to read.
Kurt decides to show off his hookah before we leave to go to the convention center and we're off. Look above for coverage on what happened at the GP.
After the movie I run into some people that I know from Magic events. I don't really remember a ton of what happened from that point to the point Bagha, Kurt, two Chicago guys and I end up back at the bar. After two bar hops, Kurt gets an invite to go to a third bar to meet up with four very attractive female friends of Kurt's. Operation Get There is officially go. After some good times and a couple of drinks, Operation Get There has a very high probability of success given the invite back to their apartment for more herbs. There was apparently miscommunication at this point between Kurt and said Attractive Females on destination. We ended up at an after gathering behind the bar Kurt works at while they vanished into What Coulda Been Land.
It was a sizable gathering with approximately 15-20 people there in a parking lot surrounded by a chain link fence. There were a couple houses and a post office loading dock surrounding said fence and significantly, only one entrance/exit. After about 20 minutes I see a bike cop shining his flashlight over the fence. He yells out "Take one more hit then everyone clear out." Back at Kurt's there is some Tetris and then sleeping.
Sunday, there is some SSS drafting. Team Bagha, Pliska, me ends up winning a draft with dog shit for rares. After much effort and a pit stop to not sober land, we assemble -1 Morningtide pack for a LMS draft. We end up saying screw finding the last Morningtide pack, pick new teams and draft with one person using LLS. Four people stayed on the same teams. Another guy (I believe Pliska) and me essentially got traded. Obv my team won again. This time getting me a Mirrorweave and crap. Which I quickly trade my pile of crap to another guy on my team for a Rustic Clachan.
Kurt, a Chicago guy and me stepped outside for more not soberness. It started out just the three of us on the top of the convention center steps and quickly turned into 20 people standing around with the three of huddled in a corner minding our own business.
Bagha and I left quickly after.
The ride back was largely uneventful. Arby's was delicious and we didn't have money to pay for the toll to get into WI.
----
So back to the Exercise Of Curiosity. I checked my rating today and saw there are quite a few people from the store with ratings in either Constructed or Limited that are in the ~1900+ range. A few months ago I was chatting with Edd and we were comparing our overall match win percentage from every sanctioned match we have ever played. At the time I believe mine was something like 47%. I figured what the hell. I went and figured it out again (Go to Ratings History and count every match that has a WIN. Ties don't count. Then go to Play Statistics and it will tell you how many total matches you have played then divide those two numbers.) I figure there should be some kind of competition for this (read: motivation for actually doing this) so aside from bragging rights, I will buy the winner of each (Limited and Constructed) into the respective event at a future GU tournament.
The mark to beat is:
Constructed: 50.444%
Limited: 50.769%
Monday, June 23, 2008
Could Game Universe Be Hosting a Prerelease This Fall?
Gentlemen. I have just returned from the Kalahari. It may not be Kgalagadi Africa, but what's left of Lake Delton sure looks lifeless enough.
You saw it here- swim at your own risk!
I wanted to give Fugie McWizard the first opportunity to speak on the topic (since he is way more in the know on this subject), but I have heard a few people talking about the idea that our local gaming store, Game Universe, might be able to host a Prerelease. The idea originated with this announcement by Wizards that it would be "recruiting locations" to bring "launch parties" (the new corporate tag for Release Tournaments) and (more to the point) Prerelease Tournaments "right to your door." Oh, also the Prerelease is being moved up to six days prior to the release. The announcement links to a page describing the criteria for running a Prerelease. Let's take a look at what it would take for GU to run one.
First, Wizards divides the opportunities for running sanctioned events into three tiers, Gateway, Core and Advanced. There are requirements that need to be met for each level. For the Gateway level, the only obstacle worth any mention is having access to a public venue. Prereleases require Core level support however, so the bar is higher. Here are the requirements and my analysis of Game Universe's capability of delivering on them.
1. "Must meet all Gateway level requirements." Like I stated earlier, the only real difficulty here would be access to a public venue, (and I guess maybe needing to "schedule at least one instance of play so that it can be displayed on our locator.") Since GU is public game store and already runs three weekly Magic nights, it has these issues covered, no problem.
2. "Must have scheduled, run, and reported a minimum of 4 tournaments in the preceding 12 months." See above. Man, GU runs four sanctioned tournaments in two weeks. Even if Wizards means Release level events when it says "tournaments," GU still has the requirement covered.
3. "Must have a delinquency rate in the last 12 months no greater than 20%." Okay, here's where it gets interesting. Uh, Fugie, what the hell does this mean? Does it mean delinquency of the TO reporting results to Wizards? I don't think this really makes sense, since most tournaments results aren't required to be reported, and DCI Reporter won't even pair the next round if you don't enter the match results for the last round. Does this mean players who have been playing at the store and have stopped coming? I don't know, and can't tell what GU's ability to meet this criteria.
4. "Must have issued 6 new DCI numbers in the last 12 months. " You can tell the new focus is on "acquisition," as the Suits say. I see at least one guy getting signed up at any given Release Tournament, so I would have to guess that this would be a slam dunk. At any rate, it wouldn't be hard to find half a dozen new folks if that was all that was standing between us and Milwaukee Prerelease, right guys?
5. "Both tournament organizer and location must not be currently suspended by the DCI ." Heh. I didn't even know the DCI could suspend an entire location.
6. "Must complete a Prerelease application and demonstrate sufficient play space." This criterion is interesting. I assume the application isn't Azorious-level bureaucratic red tape and can be completed. The play space is less certain. Last year (or was it two years ago now?) when GU was renting that space next door this would have been easy, but now- I don't know. Our only real hope is that Wizards expects venues to be smaller than past Prereleases, since there will inevitably be more of them in any given geographic area. Still, I know a Prerelease would be far more popular at the store than a Release, and GU can barely accommodate those. This is likely to be sticking point unless Game Universe takes steps to address the issue.
7. "Must have a permanent structure with bathroom facilities." I think we've got that covered, although I bet there'd be a line after lunch on a Prerelease.
8. "In addition, we recommend that your location have access to food within 1 mile (2 km)." Ding. Frogger anyone?
So there you have it. According to Wizards' new requirements, it looks like there might be two possible sticking points- whatever the hell the 20% delinquency rate is, and available space. Before we even saw these criteria common sense would have dictated that GU's lack of space was their big problem. This bodes well for Wizards (and their list of criteria), since the practical problems of running such an event need to be addressed prior to getting permission to run them. Any more enlightenment on this subject would be greatly appreciated, if people have it. Maybe we'll be busting Shards of Alara packs in Milwaukee on September 27th.
T
Friday, June 20, 2008
Ech
Not like you guys didn't know this already, but I played no Magic at all this week. I hardly read any of the articles. Something was announced but I can barely remember what it was.
I've decided I hate having a large set in the spring time. I haven't even drafted Shadowmoor enough to know if I like it or not. It seems like a pretty fun set, but my exploration of it has been less than minimal. Summer is here now, and the last thing I want to be doing is sitting around inside. I have been trimming hedges, going to baseball games, discovering rabbit nests in my backyard, playing softball and just generally enjoying summer. Magic is awesome, but it and the sun don't go together very well.
So who's up for Nationals? Woo! Fugie has sent me some cool lists. Maybe I should put those together and go play some Standard. I kind of have a inking to go play sanctioned and take my chances. I honestly stopped playing because my constructed rating was 1504 but now, I don't give a hoot. That's right, I said it. A hoot.
I've decided I hate having a large set in the spring time. I haven't even drafted Shadowmoor enough to know if I like it or not. It seems like a pretty fun set, but my exploration of it has been less than minimal. Summer is here now, and the last thing I want to be doing is sitting around inside. I have been trimming hedges, going to baseball games, discovering rabbit nests in my backyard, playing softball and just generally enjoying summer. Magic is awesome, but it and the sun don't go together very well.
So who's up for Nationals? Woo! Fugie has sent me some cool lists. Maybe I should put those together and go play some Standard. I kind of have a inking to go play sanctioned and take my chances. I honestly stopped playing because my constructed rating was 1504 but now, I don't give a hoot. That's right, I said it. A hoot.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
"Kill the guy with Islands"
I have to say that I agree with coyote about blue not being over powered (pause for shock & awe). It is definitely all about how we build our decks. Since our group started playing EDH earlier this year, I've been playing the same general the entire time (Dromar, the Banisher). My choice to play blue was not about abusing blue, but being able to play with Invasion dragons again (for those that don't know, I started playing around the time that Invasion came out and the set holds a special place in my heart).
As my deck has progressed, I have been the target of more hate for blue because I am playing islands. From the very beginning, I have been a target because I played with mostly basic lands, due to a lack of non-basics that make blue, black, or white in my collection (most notably I remember in four of the first five games that I played I lost no fewer than 6 or 7 lands to Sundering Titan). None the lest I pressed on.
Not long after that land destruction fell out of popularity, send in the take a million turns decks. Then it was, hey he's playing blue so he must be able to take a million turns and kill us all at his leggier. Get him (thanks Fugie). Again I persevere.
Send in the combo decks. Here comes Fugie's illustrious Red-white-green Sneak Attack, Sylvan Library, Abundance generate ridiculous card advantage I'm not the threat, go after the guy playing islands. Again I continue to take a beatings with my non-combo, can't take a million turns, can't generate huge card advantage deck, that is playing blue because my general happens to be white, blue, & black. I continue to persevere.
Now the most recent iteration is back to blue decks with combos that can kill everyone on the same turn. Now I continue to get beat on for playing blue. There seems to be no reason to continue to play a generalist deck that happens to include blue. It seems that I am left with with two choices.
1. Continue to play blue and be perceived as the threat. I am not really thrilled to continue to get my head kicked in with my current build. So, I would need to make some rather significant changes to make my deck into the threat that everyone seems to think it is or at least more resilient to unmitigated onslaught I will continue to see.
2. Abandon blue entirely. In order to due this I would likely end up building a deck that is unfun for everyone to play with. More than likely something that punishes everyone for sitting down at the table an makes me the target. Not for being the threat (i.e. the one who will likely win), but for being the obstacle to anyone winning. Not a very attractive option either.
I honestly don't know which road I will go down.
As my deck has progressed, I have been the target of more hate for blue because I am playing islands. From the very beginning, I have been a target because I played with mostly basic lands, due to a lack of non-basics that make blue, black, or white in my collection (most notably I remember in four of the first five games that I played I lost no fewer than 6 or 7 lands to Sundering Titan). None the lest I pressed on.
Not long after that land destruction fell out of popularity, send in the take a million turns decks. Then it was, hey he's playing blue so he must be able to take a million turns and kill us all at his leggier. Get him (thanks Fugie). Again I persevere.
Send in the combo decks. Here comes Fugie's illustrious Red-white-green Sneak Attack, Sylvan Library, Abundance generate ridiculous card advantage I'm not the threat, go after the guy playing islands. Again I continue to take a beatings with my non-combo, can't take a million turns, can't generate huge card advantage deck, that is playing blue because my general happens to be white, blue, & black. I continue to persevere.
Now the most recent iteration is back to blue decks with combos that can kill everyone on the same turn. Now I continue to get beat on for playing blue. There seems to be no reason to continue to play a generalist deck that happens to include blue. It seems that I am left with with two choices.
1. Continue to play blue and be perceived as the threat. I am not really thrilled to continue to get my head kicked in with my current build. So, I would need to make some rather significant changes to make my deck into the threat that everyone seems to think it is or at least more resilient to unmitigated onslaught I will continue to see.
2. Abandon blue entirely. In order to due this I would likely end up building a deck that is unfun for everyone to play with. More than likely something that punishes everyone for sitting down at the table an makes me the target. Not for being the threat (i.e. the one who will likely win), but for being the obstacle to anyone winning. Not a very attractive option either.
I honestly don't know which road I will go down.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
This Was Going to be Long
This was going to be a very long post today about a statement Fugie made. But due to lack of a computer for the next 2/3 weeks. I'm going to make it pretty short.
Fugie recently stated:
I completely disagree. The major reason we don't send people to Nats/PTs are completely unrelated to Magic in general. It has to do with choices people make outside of Magic. Out of all the "regulars" on this blog. I am the only one that regularly play tests "relevant" formats and attends events outside of GU. I am not saying this is a bad thing by any stretch. Simply that other people have different priorities. I have made a conscious decision to make Magic a major priority to me, TS to his wife, CBG to his family, SCG Winner Jamison Bryant to weddings and Type One, Fugie to work and EDH.
The other major reason is that the people on this blog are largely casual players. This point is pretty much pronounced by the fact that after FNM's people break up into EDH games. If people were serious about making it to Nats and the PT people would be play testing and working on current formats. Just go back and look though the history of this blog, it has gone from being mostly draft and sealed deck, to almost exclusively EDH content.
There are also a million other reasons that Fugies statement is wrong. I will be more than willing to go into them further if people would like me to.
Also if people are interested, I will make a longer post once I get my computer back.
Fugie recently stated:
We have a psychological block against blue being bad because it's not aggressive. I play W/R/G and everyone goes panic button on me. I play U/R/b and I am mind twisting like a fiend.
This is why we don't send people to nats or the PT.
I completely disagree. The major reason we don't send people to Nats/PTs are completely unrelated to Magic in general. It has to do with choices people make outside of Magic. Out of all the "regulars" on this blog. I am the only one that regularly play tests "relevant" formats and attends events outside of GU. I am not saying this is a bad thing by any stretch. Simply that other people have different priorities. I have made a conscious decision to make Magic a major priority to me, TS to his wife, CBG to his family, SCG Winner Jamison Bryant to weddings and Type One, Fugie to work and EDH.
The other major reason is that the people on this blog are largely casual players. This point is pretty much pronounced by the fact that after FNM's people break up into EDH games. If people were serious about making it to Nats and the PT people would be play testing and working on current formats. Just go back and look though the history of this blog, it has gone from being mostly draft and sealed deck, to almost exclusively EDH content.
There are also a million other reasons that Fugies statement is wrong. I will be more than willing to go into them further if people would like me to.
Also if people are interested, I will make a longer post once I get my computer back.
EDH Announcements
Hey! Bennie Smith updates us all on a couple EDH changes. First, the EDH rules gurus have decided "no half off color hybrid." I agree this is good. The card pool is plenty big enough. You wanna play all kinds of crazy crap? Grab yrself a 5c general. There are a ton of good uns. The second point: Limited Resources is banned. Hey Limited Resources! Go fuck yourself!
--CBG
--CBG
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Eventide Previews? Not really.
In Monday's article Maro says:
"Shadowmoor's existence set up the expectation that Eventide would have enemy-color hybrids. We did that precisely so we could meet those expectations (as well as accomplish several other goals, such as giving each set its own feel). Delivering the expected can be very comforting. This isn't to say that we won't ever throw you all some curveballs, because we have done so and will continue to do so. Rather I'm saying that block evolution isn't relegated solely to curveballs. Sometimes the straight and narrow is just what the players expect and want."
Thank God for that! I know that some people like the mind bending experience of seeing cards they never expected could (or should) be printed, that kind of "Whaa-a-a?" experience when you see Mindslaver, or Time Stop, or even Char (for a different reason, obv) for the very first time. But for me, I actually prefer the expected. Let me explain. A major reason, perhaps THE major reason I have continued to play Magic is the structure, the order, inherent to the game's flavor. I LOVE the color pie. Shit, I make 20 page personality quizzes about it! There's something so appealing about being able to distill down into five discrete essences the whole of a universe. It's just so... orderly. Certainly nothing like our own, very unpredictable, and hopelessly complicated universe.
I loved Rav block for the same reason. Here the ten two-color combinations were all represented with different flavors. I loved the expectation before each set was released. What would a U/R guild feel like? What about a W/U? What role within society would each play? I don't even need to see specific cards to be excited. Just imagining the big picture philosophies of those guilds fired me up.
So now we are in the heart of Shadowmoor's dominance. We are experiencing allied color fun the likes of which haven't been seen since Invasion block. Shadowmoor lacks the rigidity of a guild based model, and as result is less exciting to me. But still, as Maro notes, I am someone who is excited by the expectation of Eventide. It will be, from a flavor perspective, like the perfect coda to Shadowmoor's chorus. The fact that this second mini-block mirrors the Lorwyn/Morningtide mini-block (check the yin/yang feel of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and Morngintide/Eventide expansion symbols for more evidence) is only gravy. I am ready for some enemy color love. There had better be enemy color Graven Cairn lands, enemy color Lieges, and enemy color Avatars (what up, Overbeing of Myth?). Putting a cycle of enemy color Shield of the Oversoul-style enchantments at common would make my day. I know this might sound strange, since pretty much half the set is already filled in once you complete all those tedious five card cycles, but I actually prefer daydreaming about HOW those cycles might be fulfilled to simply imagining random enemy color hybrid cards. Look at the as of yet unknown card Drain the Well, which was revealed in the Eventide booster pack. This is obviously a mirror to Poison the Well. But what would the ability be? Destroy target land, you gain two life? Destroy target artifact, Poison the Well deals 2 damage to that artifact's controller? Either could be viable. Or maybe it's something else entirely. The point is, I find it MORE enjoyable to think about Eventide because I know what to expect going in. We've seen the U/G Avatar, Overbeing of Myth. But what will the W/B Avatar looks like? And what will the name be? How many more ways can one connote the Divine? Actually, that might make a good name. Arch Divinatrix. Or something like that. What ability would such a creature have?
W/B W/B W/B W/B W/B, 5/5. Flying, First Strike, Deathtouch.
Or what about-
W/B W/B W/B W/B W/B W/B, 5/5. Flying , At the beginning of your upkeep, put target creature card in a graveyard into play under your control.
Debtors' Knell on a dude! How sweet would that be? Probably too sweet to print. But the idea is enjoyable. Here's hoping that you will look forward to the expected.
T
Aside to The Captain: See how I avoided mentioning anything scandalous about the party Saturday? I'm quiet as the grave over here. Heh.
"Shadowmoor's existence set up the expectation that Eventide would have enemy-color hybrids. We did that precisely so we could meet those expectations (as well as accomplish several other goals, such as giving each set its own feel). Delivering the expected can be very comforting. This isn't to say that we won't ever throw you all some curveballs, because we have done so and will continue to do so. Rather I'm saying that block evolution isn't relegated solely to curveballs. Sometimes the straight and narrow is just what the players expect and want."
Thank God for that! I know that some people like the mind bending experience of seeing cards they never expected could (or should) be printed, that kind of "Whaa-a-a?" experience when you see Mindslaver, or Time Stop, or even Char (for a different reason, obv) for the very first time. But for me, I actually prefer the expected. Let me explain. A major reason, perhaps THE major reason I have continued to play Magic is the structure, the order, inherent to the game's flavor. I LOVE the color pie. Shit, I make 20 page personality quizzes about it! There's something so appealing about being able to distill down into five discrete essences the whole of a universe. It's just so... orderly. Certainly nothing like our own, very unpredictable, and hopelessly complicated universe.
I loved Rav block for the same reason. Here the ten two-color combinations were all represented with different flavors. I loved the expectation before each set was released. What would a U/R guild feel like? What about a W/U? What role within society would each play? I don't even need to see specific cards to be excited. Just imagining the big picture philosophies of those guilds fired me up.
So now we are in the heart of Shadowmoor's dominance. We are experiencing allied color fun the likes of which haven't been seen since Invasion block. Shadowmoor lacks the rigidity of a guild based model, and as result is less exciting to me. But still, as Maro notes, I am someone who is excited by the expectation of Eventide. It will be, from a flavor perspective, like the perfect coda to Shadowmoor's chorus. The fact that this second mini-block mirrors the Lorwyn/Morningtide mini-block (check the yin/yang feel of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and Morngintide/Eventide expansion symbols for more evidence) is only gravy. I am ready for some enemy color love. There had better be enemy color Graven Cairn lands, enemy color Lieges, and enemy color Avatars (what up, Overbeing of Myth?). Putting a cycle of enemy color Shield of the Oversoul-style enchantments at common would make my day. I know this might sound strange, since pretty much half the set is already filled in once you complete all those tedious five card cycles, but I actually prefer daydreaming about HOW those cycles might be fulfilled to simply imagining random enemy color hybrid cards. Look at the as of yet unknown card Drain the Well, which was revealed in the Eventide booster pack. This is obviously a mirror to Poison the Well. But what would the ability be? Destroy target land, you gain two life? Destroy target artifact, Poison the Well deals 2 damage to that artifact's controller? Either could be viable. Or maybe it's something else entirely. The point is, I find it MORE enjoyable to think about Eventide because I know what to expect going in. We've seen the U/G Avatar, Overbeing of Myth. But what will the W/B Avatar looks like? And what will the name be? How many more ways can one connote the Divine? Actually, that might make a good name. Arch Divinatrix. Or something like that. What ability would such a creature have?
W/B W/B W/B W/B W/B, 5/5. Flying, First Strike, Deathtouch.
Or what about-
W/B W/B W/B W/B W/B W/B, 5/5. Flying , At the beginning of your upkeep, put target creature card in a graveyard into play under your control.
Debtors' Knell on a dude! How sweet would that be? Probably too sweet to print. But the idea is enjoyable. Here's hoping that you will look forward to the expected.
T
Aside to The Captain: See how I avoided mentioning anything scandalous about the party Saturday? I'm quiet as the grave over here. Heh.
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