Tag Archives: Magic the Gathering

Quick Hits: Magic Origins Duels

(Editor’s Note: Please report any one you see playing only basic mountains in their deck. If you see something, say something. Together, we can defeat this red menace.)

I have not been a fan of Magic Origins so far. Initially, I wanted the set to be good. I got back to a point where I enjoyed the game again and I hoped that Origins might keep the momentum going. Then, the spoilers started. Nothing caught my interest as particularly interesting and my interest waned again.

Mono red became stronger in standard with the set. The ridiculous decks proliferated both in the events I watched and also the games I played against people online. I just started autoconceding every time I saw a mountain played by the opponent. I went from indifferent to actively hating the game and my red opponents.

Red Magic players are evil. Commies are evil. It isn't a coincidence.
Red Magic players are evil. Commies are evil. It isn’t a coincidence.

Thankfully, two things happened that puled me back from the brink of pulling the plug on Magic altogether. Chris and I expanded the play group with decidedly mixed results. The latest (and by all accounts last) version of the Duels series finally released at the end of last month. This has actually led to an unquestionable increase in my Magic habit without any of the previous negative side effects.

I might have already mentioned that I was so excited for the new game and promised return of features taken from the previous version that I downloaded and installed it on the day that it released. My favorite part of these games has always been the story. Wizards recently announced that Origins represented a new era in storytelling for them. If this game is any indication, then they have succeeded. The story has always been secondary in Magic, but as I played through, I saw the story come into sharp focus through the writing and card art. Five separate characters brought together by similar destinies to create a cohesive tale that will only become bigger with the coming sets.

No snarky comment this time. 4/5 of my favorites. Instead of Nissa, I'd prefer Garruk.
No snarky comment this time. 4/5 of my favorites. Instead of Nissa, I’d prefer Garruk.

I also said in that same article that the inclusion of daily quests did not entice me to log in to the game. That has actually turned out to be false. I log in daily, build a deck to match the quest, and play a few games. The games are actually quick enough that I don’t feel locked into them as I sometimes do when playing a actual game of Magic.

They also borrowed from the Hearthstone model and allow you to buy “packs” (only 6 cards in each pack) with gold earned from quests and victories. Opening these packs has exposed me to cards that I thought were interesting before and might make for cool combos, but never actually got to play them. An example is the new Jace and Sphinx’s Tutelage or the new Liliana in a sacrifice deck. That led me to try to come up with some new and different deck ideas to try.

I only have one complaint about the game, but it is a big one. Past versions of the series, but not last years, have included puzzles based on board states similar to the ones that Gathering Magic(click the link for an example) does weekly. I actually just learned about the Gathering Magic ones a couple of weeks ago and spent thewhole weekend trying to figure out the Elemental one. I did, by the way, and the one for last week, too. I will take a look at this week’s in the next day or two.

Took me a while only because I didn't read Stratus Walk very well.  Hey, I'm a math guy, not a reading guy.
Took me a while only because I didn’t read Stratus Walk very well. Hey, I’m a math guy, not a reading guy.

So, it’s a bit of a bummer that they got rid of that feature. I would replay the game several times over in an attempt to complete the puzzle. At least in the last version, they also had achievements to chase, too. All of that kept me plenty busy once I finished the story. The potentially good news is that Wizards has said that they will keep the game updated via patches when each new set releases. The possibility exists that they could patch the puzzles back in, too. Here’s to hoping.

My thoughts:

  • Decent story. Well worth playing the game once just for the story.
  • Almost Magic gameplay. You get the cards, but it is for a casual/new experience, so some of the more intricate rules are diminished or eliminated altogether.
  • Free to play with a gold/daily quest system very much like Hearthstone. I haven’t spent a dime in the game and already have a sizable and eclectic collection.
  • Replayability, if you aren’t interested in the “competitive” games is severely limited.
  • No puzzles again. Holding out hope that they patch them in at some point.
  • Can’t import your collection from previous versions.

Overall, it is a fun game, completely free, and as close to actual Magic as such a casual game allows. Download it, play through the story, and have fun for a few days. There are far worse ways to spend your time.

Making Friends

(Editor’s Note: Two straight articles about Origins sealed, new deck ideas, plus a possible new play group. Not bad for a set that neither one of us really likes all that much. The MtG universe is indeed a strange one.)

Neither Chris nor I are remotely sociable creatures. We’re both content with a small circle of friends, so two Mondays ago was a bit uncomfortable for the both of us. We both expressed our discomfort in the days and hours leading up to the get together, discussed a plan B just in case the other guys were douche bags, and marveled at the complex where the host lived. Perhaps an explanation is in order.

We both agreed that if you are going to play cards by yourself, this is probably the way to go.
We both agreed that if you are going to play cards by yourself, this is probably the way to go.

Chris and I have both written about our recent waning interest in the game. We have branched out into other tabletop games and I have discussed liquidating my collection. Chris went one step further and listed his cards on craigslist. He found someone local to buy the cards. They texted back and forth a few times about possible games. Initially, I worried about expanding the group for obvious reasons. When nothing materialized, I relaxed that things would just blow over.

There was a distinct possibility that we'd end up across the table from this guy.
There was a distinct possibility that we’d end up across the table from this guy.

Then, Chris texted me asking if I wanted to play some Magic the following Monday. The guy had a box of Origins and wanted to do a sealed Swiss tournament. As I do, I replied, “Yes” and then went back to worrying about meeting new people. Thankfully, we took a day trip to Cape Cod, so I was able to keep busy and forget about it over the weekend. Monday, as it tends to do every week or so, came and I started to hope that things might come through. If not, I frantically tried to come up with any excuse to get out. This impulse fought against not wanting to leave Chris hanging. Ultimately, loyalty won and we found ourselves driving to a super secret gated community in the middle of nowhere. I joked that if I heard banjos, I was out of there. I suppose that I could have made the Jim Jones/David Koresh (are those really the most recent suicide cult references? Wow) joke, too, but those are more difficult to pull off tactfully.

Much funnier than suicide cults. I'm a bad person.
Much funnier than suicide cults. I’m a bad person.

We sat for a while at a house across the street and joked some more about hidden snipers and cannibalism until the guy pulled up in his Nissan Z something or another. A quick anecdote about the car. This passenger apparently asked if it was some kind of sports car or something. we all got a considerable chuckle out of the poor kid’s ignorance and humiliation. Ah, male bonding, you never change.

Nissan something or another. I know next to nothing about cars.
Nissan something or another. I know next to nothing about cars.

Chris and I played a few games against our host while the other two guys played some Tiny Leaders until the other two showed up for the sealed tournament. At first it appeared that our worst fears might be realized because the guy played mostly infinite combo decks built with some of the best cards in Magic history against our cards we own decks, but things eventually settled down. We both dropped not so subtle hints as he stormed out on me turn 2 that we weren’t exactly having fun. I have no problem with those decks in a competitive setting, but casual? Please, keep it in your pants.

His deck revolved around this. I could have removed it, but didn't. He proceeded to storm out. I watched the other two guys play their game while he metaphorically rubbed one out.
His deck revolved around this. I could have removed it, but didn’t. He proceeded to storm out. I watched the other two guys play their game while he metaphorically rubbed one out.

We eventually got our six, worked out the details of payment, grabbed our packs, and went to deck building. I didn’t get much of note, but I opened a Nalaar parents card and Thopter Spy Network that pushed me in that direction when building my deck. We paired off. I went 1-2, dropping two games after winning the first. All three games were competitive, so I am definitely getting better at judging sealed pools and playing the game. I misplayed once or twice, so that’s still something that needs to be fixed because I’m tired of scrubbing out of these events.

My deck. In keeping with my Johnny nature, I might have tried to do too much.

Overall, though, the positives of the evening outweighed the negatives and I’m glad that we went. I got to play against live competition and didn’t get completely blown out. Chris brought a really cool Naya deck that I had a blast playing. Chris and I actually started to talk about Magic again. We even workshopped the Naya deck during the games and on the ride back to his apartment. I learned about Pucatrade and might make an account. I’m absolutely open to making this a regular thing. Maybe not every month, but every other month would be cool.

The experience has made me less apprehensive about going to one of the local FNM draft events. I should be able to put up a respectable showing and might even meet one or two cool people there. Either way, it got me back into paper Magic. The computer versions are fun, but no substitute for playing across from another person. For all of those reason, I’m grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the next time.

Quick Hit (MtG: Origins)

(Editor’s Note: We promised two new articles and Episode 7 of the podcast a week or so ago. This article was supposed to be 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, but it never happened. If that didn’t implant an earworm firmly into that part of your brain, enjoy the following video.)

I finally broke down and joined a an Origins simulated sealed pool. I know, I know. I have said a few times (once on the upcoming podcast) that I’m just not that into the set. However, unable to afford the prerelease events this weekend because I didn’t get paid until the week after, and having scrubbed out of my last two three Cube events, I decided to give Origins a try. Maybe I’ve misjudged it and it really can be fun. My first impression is an emphatic repeat of my initial thoughts through spoiler season.

nope
Grumpy cat always knows exactly how you feel.

This is not bitterness. If I’m writing an article about how the new Holiday cube is not as good as last year’s–and I could–you would have a case. I’ve had an insanely bad experience with the 2015 cube events. Not with the Origins sealed. I won my first match in pretty convincing fashion and had to drop from the rest of the event to bring the boys for lunch. It’s not sour grapes. I simply did not have that much fun.

Nevertheless, I am a professional (not a journalist, but still), so I will give my thoughts on the set. Remember that this is only after one sealed match, so have that grain of salt at the ready. I may put together some standard decks and join a few drafts to see if they offer a more fun experience. Hell, at the least, it will be a way to cheat two more articles.

Now, finally, for my thoughts:

  • They are selling the core set as mono. I don’t have a problem with that. They seem to oscillate between mono and multicolored. However, I had to build my deck with three colors to get enough playable cards. Look, I understand that you won’t usually get a sealed pool that allows for a mono deck. Ideally, you want to stick to 2 colors since mana and mana fixing (especially in a mono set) can be tough to accomplish with more colors. The lack of playables was a bit of a turn off. Maybe it was just a weak pool. No matter what they say, it is a core set after all and the power level of core sets is usually lower.
I mean, who's not excited for this reprint, amirite?
I mean, who’s not excited for this reprint, amirite?
  • Elves are going to be a thing in standard. I’m not sure how much or what kind of thing, but they are definitely pushing elves in this set. I only had a limited amount of the little tree huggers, but the synergy was amazing. Building a deck to exploit that specifically will be easy. If it will be good remains to be seen.
They make damn good cookies, too.
They make damn good cookies, too.
  • White aura enchantments are very strong. I know that auras are a part of white’s repertoire, but there are some really good ones in this set. Along with elves, I thought that white weenies could make a come back. The auras don’t necessarily that confirm that. They do give me some ideas for a deck or two.
I might even get to play this guy in a deck.
I might even get to play this guy in a deck.
  • Nissa’s Revelation is expensive, but it is a powerful spell. I only got to see and cast it once. When I did, I was able to set up my deck and hand to close out the game very quickly. With mana ramp and fixing, the card can absolutely affect games in a big way.
  • I never thought much of renown, but it is a cool mechanic. +1/+1 counters are always fun. I didn’t like the condition of having to damage the opponent. Honestly, I never had any problems satisfying the condition and getting the counter.
Granted, this card helped quite a bit in pushing through damage.
Granted, this card helped quite a bit in pushing through damage.
  • I hoped that the focus on mono might break some of the Abzan this and Sultai that decks, but they’re still around for the foreseeable future. I wend Abzan colors for playables and the deck was stronger than it probably should have been.
This guy was there in spirit.
This guy was there in spirit.

Well, I suppose that the experience wasn’t all bad. As I’ve said, I’m not a huge fan of sealed. Maybe that’s why I didn’t have fun. That, along with my unfavorable initial impressions of the set, wasn’t exactly a great start.

I did a draft while writing this. That went much worse than the sealed. The deck was blue/red and heavy on counterspells and removal as blue/red should. Even so, I can’t yet judge the format as a draft format. I got mana screwed in the first game and misplayed the second game horribly.

PS – I got blown out by WG renown, so that strengthens my earlier argument. I will draft more and probably write that article in a couple of weeks. Chris and I recently did a live sealed and that article is coming later this week. I’ve got some standard ideas. If I get a chance to test them, I will write about that next week. There may be hope for this set after all.

Ralphie Wiggum’s Guide to Magic: the Gathering

(Editor’s Note: This might become part one of a series of articles over the next few months. A bit ambitious, perhaps, but I am the king of biting off more than I can chew.)

I recently stumbled upon a program that allows me to play Magic: the Gathering for free. I won’t mention the name because I’m pretty sure that Wizards and Hasbro already know about it and have attempted to shut it down. Why give them more ammunition? Simply do what I did and type in “free mtg draft program” and follow the link that takes you to the program. There is plenty of documentation and also a sub reddit dedicated to the program. You’ll have no trouble getting up and running in no time. I think it took me about 15 minutes. It only took that long because I had to download java.

No thanks, Harry.  I've bought plenty.  I'm good.
No thanks, Harry. I’ve bought plenty. I’m good.

I went searching for the program for two reasons that are closely related. First, I have not been able to make it to the local gaming store that offers a draft on FNM yet. I had been drafting on MTGO to fill in the void. I’m now unemployed for the month of June and I can’t afford to do either right now. I love drafting in all games and especially Magic, so that led me to search for another program.

I could have just visited any one of the several web pages that let you practice draft. In fact, I have. Some of them will even simulate the draft with bots. I also already have another program that serves a similar purpose. However, that program has two strikes against it. It doesn’t draft MM15 and it doesn’t let you really test the deck. You can goldfish, but what fun is that? Actually none of the pages really let you test the decks, either, but the lack of MM15 is a huge let down. It has become my favorite format to draft. It is really expensive on MTGO and on paper. To be able to do it for free is my dream.

Goldfish on the left:  Do you think we're ever getting out of here?  Goldfish on the right:  Nope.  Goldfish on the left:  Well, see you tomorrow.
Goldfish on the left: Do you think we’re ever getting out of here? Goldfish on the right: Nope. Goldfish on the left: Well, see you tomorrow. This is an actual scene from a cartoon that I wrote for my cartooning class in high school. You can see why I am a math teacher and not a cartoonist.

Before I live that dream, allow me a paragraph or two to work out my other issue with MTGO. Let me get comfortable on the couch here, Doc. I only recently became aware of this issue. Had I thought about it for more than a few seconds, it would have been obvious. Hey, I’m on vacation. Thinking is not a high priority for me right now.

In addition to being expensive (and it can be almost prohibitively expensive for a below average to average player like me), MTGO is mostly populated by professional or just below pro level players. At the very least, many of the players are above average. Certainly, they are above my level of play. The reason that this should have been obvious is that I watch many Magic streams now. They are all professional level and they all play MTGO. A relative beginner and lifelong filthy casual like me has no chance in such a Baloth eat bunny environment. And so, I ended up at Google searching for a way to live the dream of free Magic.

You could end up sitting across from the virtual table from this guy.  He looks friendly enough, but he will eat your face with a B/U control deck forged in the fires of hell.
You could end up sitting across the virtual table from this guy. He looks friendly enough, but he will eat your face with a B/U control deck forged in the fires of hell. He’s not the only one, either.

As I said, that dream of free Magic has finally come true. However, this post is not completely about that aspect of the game. Granted, being able to play for free helps (a lot), but I probably would have written this article eventually even with out it. It just might have taken longer and cost much more. The main point of the article is that I’m learning more about the game and improving my play as a result.

Let me explain a bit. I always try to learn from my mistakes. I was playing chess with a friend a few months ago. We also played Othello and I brought my Magic decks but we never got into that. In one of the games, I made a misplay that he found so personally offensive that he stopped the game and gave me a chance to take the move back. I declined. He insisted. I explained to him that I like to learn from my mistakes and that he should tell me why the move was such a huge mistake. He did, we discussed alternatives to the play, and he explained that he is a much more linear player and just about winning as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once he locks into a line of play, he rarely deviates or considers alternatives.

I’m a Johnny player all the way to my core. Games, especially logic based games, are meant to be fun. I’m a mathematician. Logic is my life. Magic and other games are like a puzzle and work best when all the pieces fit together. Against my puzzle metaphor, or maybe completely in line with it, sometimes the puzzle looks better when you recut the pieces or force them in a different configuration. That’s where my often less than optimal decks and plays originate.

It would appear that Chris’s “Spike” tendencies are warping my sensibilities because I’m becoming much more competitive in my deck building and game play. This has manifested in my recent love of draft. I can satisfy Johnny by building sometimes crazy decks and I can keep Spike happy by using those decks to attempt to crush the competition. Now that I can draft without any money investment and with absolutely no pressure, I can accelerate the process of learning and improving my game.

I'm the one in the middle.  Chris is the one on the right.
I’m more Johnny than Timmy. Chris is slightly more Spike than Timmy. We’re both rubbing off on each other (have at it perverts!) and becoming more well rounded players.

I used to curse my losses to bad deck building ( likely scenario) or bad draws (less likely, but still possible). It always came down to luck. I was a “that damn top deck” player and tilted easily. I still am when it comes to Hearthstone, but that game exists much more in the realm of variance and top decking. I started watching streams, as I mentioned. First, I watched Hearthstone, mostly because I did not know that Magic streams existed. Once I found them, saw the quality of conversation when compared to HS, and got overwhelmingly sick and tired of Hearthstone, I now watch them exclusively. Most of the streamers are very knowledgeable and helpful. Because the streams don’t often get to the ridiculous levels of viewers as HS streams, you can actually have a conversation. The viewers are also often helpful and understand the game as well as the caster in some cases.

Sometimes you can watch this guy eat some other poor saps face with his hellish U/B control deck.
Sometimes you can watch this guy eat some other poor sap’s face with his hellish U/B control deck. Viewers do not know as much about the game as he does. I’d bet that less than a handful of people on this planet do.

Both my tendency to learn from my mistakes and hanging out with better players have resulted in better play. The process has been slow and I still misplay quite often, but I am able to identify them as misplays now and within a turn of making the play. If I could just get to the point that I recognize them before they happen more than I don’t, I would be an average or even above average player.

First two games are my last MTGO draft. I signed up for a DTK-FRF pack per win event. In case that is too vague, you win a pack for every match win. Pros scoff at the event because if you’re really good, you can win 5 or 8 packs from other events. If you’re good enough to get only one win in the tournament, pack per win is the way to go. My first pack has a Deathbringer Regent and he can be an absolute bomb in a draft deck. I take him.

DeathbringerRegent
Rawr.

I’m still only at the level that I lock into a certain color combination int he beginning and then force them for the rest of the draft. The black more or less locked me into black/blue, which is okay. I like those colors and drafted a decent deck. I’m glad that I picked the Regent. He showed up in my hand in almost every game and had an impact each time. I lost game one, then won game two by wiping the board with him. I also got a board wipe in game 3. Worried about my life total and wanting to accelerate the race, I used Butcher’s Glee on him. I should have saved it.

My opponent was in top deck mode and bricking into lands hard. All I needed to do was get a couple of more hits in while avoiding top deck removal. And, enter Enduring Victory. Son of a something top deck. That’s what I would have said as a Magic noob. Actually, I did text that to Chris. Once I had some time to think about it, I noticed my mistake. Butcher’s Glee lets you regenerate a creature. Damn.

Exhibit B: This one has happened a couple of times. Perhaps I don’t learn from my mistakes after all. Faced with a variety of mana, rather than leave the correct amount of blue mana for a counter spell, I foolishly tapped that mana and watched a counter spell that would have opened the game for me simply sit in my hand as the opponent resolved a spell that more or less won the game. Once, this was preceded by a terrible misclick on my part. Other times, my opponent showed me how counter magic worked when I got overly greedy about casting my bombs before having open mana just in case. Once, I was mana leaked with only 2 mana after casting Massacre Wurm. Then, a Silumgar Sorcerer ate my Regent because I couldn’t pay the mana for a counter of my own. Obviously, that’s part of my game that I still have to improve.

sorc
Your “Rawr” means nothing here. Move along, little lizard.

None of this might sound impressive to some of you. None of this might even be impressive. I’m not sure. However, it represents a step forward for me. I’ve gone from having no chance in any of the MTGO events to losing marginally on the new program against more even competition to coming in second in one of the DTK tournaments that I played today. Magic has become fun again and I can’t wait to test out my new and improved noobness at the local FNM draft. I don’t know if any of this will translate and I might still get absolutely stomped because I make one of my world famous misplays and you’ll get to read about it here. Either way, it should be interesting and maybe even fun.

Episode 6 – Do You Want to Build Some Standard?

First, apologies for the sound quality.  We got a new set up and I didn’t test it.  I thought that I had it figured out before recording, but I didn’t.  The sound quality will be much better next month.

On the Tabletop – We give a review of Dragons of Tarkir finally and talk a bit about our first experiences with Standard legal decks.

The Digital Playground – We talk about bizarre 2D fighters, take a look back on our introduction to the genre and set the stage for our Marvel vs. Capcom discussion on the next episode.

No bonus segment this month.  I’ll record something with the Gamer Bros. and start their new feed soon.

2 Guys Gaming
2 Guys Gaming
Episode 6 - Do You Want to Build Some Standard?
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My Case for Proxies

(Editor’s Note: TLDR: Don’t counterfeit Magic cards, but proxies definitely have a place in the community.)

We went to our “usual” place on Saturday for Free Comic Book Day. I put usual in quotes because this has only be a tradition for two years running but we have gone to the same place both times. After getting our comics last time (we were the dorks in line before the place opened), we watched some of the parade. If you know Northampton, then you know what kind of parade. If you don’t know Northampton, then I will just say that there were many rainbows and the mood was quite festive.

Happy people parading!
Happy people parading!

An article about Free Comic Book Day is coming tomorrow. I justwanted to set the stage. Bear with me just a little longer. You have to admit that this exposition makes for a better story. Now, back to that story.

I noticed during one of my morning commutes that the sign on the highway warned of potential traffic because of a parade scheduled again on the same Saturday as Free Comic Book Day. I filed the notice away, mentioned it to Christine because she’s usually better at remembering these things than me, and proceeded to hype myself up for a weekend of not seeing the Avengers, but making up for it with free comic books and Lego sets for the boys. Perfect nerdy guy weekend on the week before Mother’s Day. I also suggested the idea to ride bikes, and we had a party to attend, so Christine would not feel left out completely.

It’s a good thing that bike riding came up as Plan B. Not that I forgot about the parade, but I tried to circumvent the warning and the traffic. I failed spectacularly on both fronts and we ended up on quite the detour through downtown Northampton in search of a parking spot during one of the busiest days of the year. We never found that spot and decided to ride bikes instead. As we pulled into the parking lot for one of our new favorite trails, someone pulled out of their spot. I glibly remarked that it was meant to be. While the rest of the family went to the bathroom and otherwise got ready, I used the time to see if another, more accessible, store was offering the free books. Nothing materialized from the Google search, but I did find a link for Worlds Apart, a gaming store in Amherst.

I’d seen the store but never went in. Intrigued as to why Gogole wanted to send me to a store without comics (as far as I know) for Free Comic Book Day, I clicked the link. No comics as I suspected, but several other ideas grabbed my attention. After the bike ride and finally getting to the store for our comics, we came back home. I did more research into the store. What I found blew me away.

Drafts on Monday and Saturday, Modern on Thursday, EDH on Wednesday, Standard on the other days. What caught my attention the most and convinced me that this might be my new favorite store was their Tuesday event. They offer unlimited proxy Legacy. Chris and I play Legacy. Well, I think that it is technically more Modern, though we place no actual restrictions on card use other than trying to limit the damage on our bank accounts. Legacy or Modern, proxies open a whole new realm of possibilities at a reduced cost.

I got so excited by the news that I wrote to Chris first and then posted to the Magic group on Facebook. I got several responses. As I hoped, many of them expressed support and I got more excited by the prospects. Chris inquired more into the nature of proxies. He found a page that lets you print proxies. It is the same page that I’ve used in the past.

Perhaps it is time for disclosure. I have used proxies for Magic. I have not bought nor sold them under any pretense, but I have created my own. I made proxies for Liam’s and Aiden’s commanders because I didn’t want to pay the prices that people wanted for those cards. I’ve been trying to convince Chris to use them over the last few months, but he has resisted. After our conversation in which we agreed that it might be worth the investment to get a printer, he realized the potential savings. We excitedly discussed creating no limit Legacy Decks and I suggested Vintage because why not? He sent me a picture of his first creation, a Black Lotus and I almost fainted from the image. He then printed a Mox Sapphire and finally a full Vintage deck. I’m still in the process of narrowing down 20 years of Magic into a workable 60 card deck plus 15 card sideboard.

This also gives me and Chris the chance to try out of the ordinary (or completely net decked) standard decks without having to pay a penny. Our group nearly expanded to feature more players but it is still just the two of us. Spare me the Will Smith, please. Oh, all right, but I insist on the Austin Powers version.

I will still buy my usual box and fat pack for each set to support the game. I have also been thinking about dipping my toe into the competitive scene (which often frown upon proxies for obvious reasons), so I will need to fill in cards for those decks. Those purchases will be a drop in the bucket, though, and proxies will result in massive savings.

Additionally, the no limit on proxies in the Legacy weekly at the store is a good starting point to see if I have the chops to compete with other players besides just Chris. I am also planning to join some drafts at another store now that school is out, so that will be another relatively cheap way to test my skills against other people. However, the most tempting is definitely Legacy with no limit on proxies. You can make a deck for free. There’s no initial investment other than the entry fee and that is minimal when compared with the price of the cards required to build some of these decks.

I am, by no means suggesting that you buy or sell counterfeit Magic cards. However, some formats of Magic shut out a large percentage of the player base due to the sheer cost of entry. This might seem like a good thing and it might even be a good thing, but I argue that it is not. Sure, you want to have gated content in your games, but they should be skill gates. I might not be the best Vintage player in the world (in fact, I’d argue that I’m not even close), but I won’t even get a chance to prove that I’m not because I refuse to spend upwards of $10,000+ on pieces of cardboard. It feels like the worst case of pay to win I’ve ever seen in any game. Sure, some tournaments offer 10 or 15 proxies, but why not have more unlimited proxy events at local stores? It would pull more players into the game, give new players who weren’t lucky (because, really, that’s all it is) enough to have played when these powerful cards were released a chance to play the cards, and improve the experience overall. All a pipe dream, I’m sure, but one worth dreaming.

Dudes Playing Magic

(Editor’s Note: Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, as they say.)

I have expressed my admiration for the Star City Games stream on the page more than once. Some of the play leaves a bit to be desired and can be painful to watch, especially in the early rounds. To be honest, all around the play is pretty loose and might frustrate you for one reason or another. Notice that I said that I admire the coverage. When I want to watch great gameplay, I watch the official Magic channel. Though it’s getting better, their PT and GP still lags behind SCG. Therefore, when I am in the mood to just watch Magic and be entertained, as I usually am, I tune into the SCG broadcast.

During the many streams I watched, I saw several advertisements for shows that were going to happen locally. There was one in Worcester and one in Providence. I eventually succumbed to the pressure of advertising. Okay, okay, as soon as I learned of them, I put the events on the calendar. Since our family has the habit of committing to things and then deciding last minute that we’d rather sit around our house in PJs, I needed something to solidify the commitment and force me to follow through.

Luckily, the Providence event was scheduled for only a few weeks after the release of Dragons of Tarkir. For the last three sets, I wanted to order an intro set from SCG. I think that’s what they call it. It is a booster box, a fat pack, and one each of the intro decks. I always buy a booster box and fat pack for each set, so it is a good deal for me. But, I’ve never had the money to get one before they sold out. This time, I finally did. I took all of this as a sign that it was meant to be. I put in the order, chose pick up in Providence, and jumped on the hype train.

Choo, choo!

The Dragons of Tarkir release was still two weeks away and the event about a month after that. It gave me plenty of time to psych myself up. Being the good marketers that they are, the fine people of SCG helped. They kept advertising the events. During one of these ads, the commentators went on about how Magic events were becoming more like conventions.

Chugga, chugga!

The weeks passed. Chris ordered and received the singles for his decks. I started to regret my decision to pick up the cards instead of delivery. Christine reminded me that the scout camping trip was that same weekend. The regret deepened because now there was real possibility that I would not even be able to go. Life and literature are nothing without conflict, and we have a doozy one on our hands, dear readers.

*sounds of the hype train derailing*

Those of you who follow us on Twitter already know the outcome, but don’t spoil it for the rest of us. Up until now, the story has lacked something. Now, though, it’s riveting and I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next and how (er, if) I make it to Rhode Island. Okay, let’s get this train rolling again.

*chuff, chuff*

*whoo, whoo*

I came up with the plan to only stay one night at camping and come home late on Saturday. That left Sunday free to go to Providence. It meant a ton of driving on top of the usual insane amount of driving I do during the week, but I’m a survivor. I will persevere. Even so, true to our reputation, I started to waffle before the weekend in question. Luckily, the boys kept me honest on camping and the cards did the same for my plans on Sunday.

I’m glad that we went camping. I was able to get some articles written, go on a hike, fish with both Liam and Aiden, play some cut throat Uno, watch an epic game of capture the flag, and just relax in general. The trip helped to put me in the right frame of mind for the drive to Rhode Island.

I woke up Sunday morning early and ready to go. I loaded some of my favorite podcasts on to my tablet, made a breakfast of champions, took a shower (this is an important step from what I’ve heard), hopped into the van, fired up the GPS, and drove. As an aside, can I just say how much I like GPS. I would have loved to have been a part of the programming teams. Well, I’d have rather been exploring all of the places to help build the maps and take pictures. Either way, it speaks very loudly to my explorer spirit and they did a great job. It has gotten to the point that it is almost foolproof.

Okay, here it is. The moment that I’ve been anticipating for over a month. I’m pulling into the garage. Oh, crap, there’s a parking fee. Not entirely unexpected (it was an expense that I hadn’t considered), but a bit of a disappointment. Part of the reason for travelling was to save on shipping. With this expense plus gas, I’m pretty sure that plan has gone out the window. Oh well. There’s one reason that I am a mathematician and not an economist.

I’m in the garage, parked, and on my way to the event. This is a big place. How will I find it? Oh, good, there’s an information desk. I’ll ask him. No, never mind, I found it. I’ll just follow all the guys wearing hoodies and back packs. Up the escalator, take a right, stop to read the rules and guidelines, and finally, I am here.

And…it’s just a bunch of dudes playing Magic. Well, that’s also disappointing. I’m not sure what I expected. No, that’s not true. I know exactly what I expected. The comments from the SCG crew stuck with me that these things are becoming more and more like conventions. I’ve been to several conventions, both big and small. All of them have been much more than just dudes playing Magic. Damn. Oh well, I’m here. Might as well make the best of it.

I check out the feature table. Hey, that’s Jim Davis! (Not the Garfield guy, that would be too cool for words.) Let’s see what he’s playing. Oh, Andrew Boswell is here, too. He went undefeated yesterday. Okay, so it’s dudes playing Magic, but these are dudes that are pretty damn good at playing Magic. That makes it less disappointing. I can come back to this. I have a bunch of cards to pick up. Also, where are Patrick and Cedric?

I got to the place that looks like a place to pick up cards. No, those guys are buying. No, these guys are selling. Oh, customer service. I travel back over there. They point me to the guys buying, who point me to the guys selling. I finally grab my product and go back to the feature tables. Jim Davis is till there. Boswell is still there. Some guy with what looks like Jeskai aggro sleeved in pink is destroying his opponent. No sign of Fabiano. (I later learn that he was playing in the Modern side tournament.)

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Well, let’s see some of what is in this box. I I find an empty seat at a table and crack open the box. So…many…cards. Oh, hey, look over there. That’s Patrick and Cedric! I open the intro packs and the boosters inside. Nothing too noteworthy in the packs, but I did get a Dragonlord Dromoka and Dromoka’s Command. I resist opening the booster box and fat pack because I’m saving them for a video.

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To bolster my restraint, I go back to watch more of the feature matches, but I’m more or less done. Damn. 3 hours driving for about 2 hours of watching dudes playing Magic. Yep, definitely not an economist. Oh well, lesson learned. If I do go to Worcester, go as a competitor. The only problem is that the main event in Worcester is Legacy. While Chris and I are Legacy players (technically, I’m mostly Modern), I don’t have a single competitive Legacy deck. There is a standard side event, though, and I have a couple of standard decks that could to some damage with a tweak here or there. Oh, what’s that I hear? Is that the hype train warming up again?

All aboard!

Abzan Cards I Own (Standard, Take 2)

(Editor’s Note: As with many of my decks, you will notice an underlying theme.)

This deck is inspired by Gerrard Fabiano and his “Sultai Cards I Own Deck” from the first SCG.com Modern open that I watched. ‘Not being on his level as a player, I don’t have nearly the cards, so it is considerably more on the pauper end, but still strong. I went 1-1 in games against two different decks with it last night against Chris.

Main Deck ‘(60 Cards)

Creatures (23)

Abzan Battle Priest (2): Outlast and gives all other creatures with +1 counters lifelink. A bit of overkill depending on the board, but still helpful.
Abzan Falconer (2): Outlast and gives all other creatures with +1 counters flight. Good for all of the potential dragons if you don’t get the Longshot Squad.
Abzan Guide (3): Expensive, but the lifelink is nice and it can be a cool morph trick.
Abzan Skycaptain (2): I only have purchased one fat pack of Fate so far and got 2 of these guys. Bolster is stronger than Outlast and plays well with the other guys who buff +1 counters.
Ainok Bond Kin (3): First strike to dudes with +1 counters. If you can combo with one of the other guys, you can really trade well.
Disowned ancestor (3): Nice, cheap chump blocker that can become more with Outlast and combo players.
Longshot Squad (2): These guys might be the first to go because of the Falconers, but good right now just in case.
Voyaging Satyr (4): Underrated mana dorks, in my opinion.
Wardscale Dragon (2): Dragons finally made it into one of my decks. They are pretty powerful. Who knew?

Spells (10)

Dragonscale Boon (3): +1 counters and untap for unexpected up trade on your opponents turn.
Feat of Resistance (3): I can see why this card is so popular on the open and pro circuits. It also fits well with the theme.
Pacifism (2): My favorite Magic Card.
Murderous Cut (2): Strong Removal fed by the other spells and Evolving Wilds with Delve.

Artifacts (2)

Abzan Banner (2): Mana plus potential card draw. Sounds good to me.

Legendary Enchantment Artifact (1)

Bow of Nylea (1): I had one of these lying around and it seemed to fit pretty well.

Land (24)

Blossoming Sands (2)
Evolving Wilds (4)
Forest (4)
Jungle Hollow (2)
Plains (8)
Scoured Barrens (2)
Swamp (2)

Sideboard (8)

Drown in Sorrow – 3
Bile Blight – 3
Grim Contest – 2

I’m still working on the deck and the side board. ‘I might work in some End Hostilities, but I don’t know what else right now. ‘Picking up my Dragons of Tarkir cards next week, so the deck will most likely look very different. ‘Isn’t that what Standard is all about, though? ‘Finding the cards that work for you and your deck playing them. ‘Stay tuned as this one evolves. ‘Click the Outlast tag below to see former iterations and that evolution.

Monored Blitz

fsatyr

In order to counter Shawn’s RDW, which can be seen here, I thought it would be in my best interest to create my own version of RDW (fight fire with fire you might say…get it? Because it’s red deck vs re…<clears throat>…). Having played against another one of Shawn’s aggro decks in the past, I know better than to try to play a midrange or control deck as it usually ends up…not good..for me. Unfortunately, this deck that I’m about to share with all of you didn’t end up being Standard-legal. The bad news is that probably means an ass-kicking on Saturday night if I don’t come up with something else between now and then. The good news is that I created something really, really decent (in Legacy). There are no massive creatures in this deck, just a horde of 1 to 3 drop creatures powered by pump and burn spells.

Strengths:

Insanely fast with tons of combos. I’ve been able to consistently pull off having a Guttersnipe, Young Pyromancer and a Kiln Fiend or two on the board, then playing an instant, sorcery, or both. Good times.

Weaknesses:

Mass removal spells. Any opponent that isn’t dead within the first 5 or 6 turns. Midrange this deck ain’t.

The Deck (60 cards):

Creatures (28)

4x Kiln Fiend

2x Firedrinker Satyr

1x Vexing Devil

2x Zurgo Bellstriker

3x Guttersnipe

2x Minotaur Skullcleaver

1x Firefist Striker

1x Valley Dasher

1x Prophetic Flamespeaker

2x Young Pyromancer

1x Monastery Swiftspear

1x Hellrider

1x War-Name Aspirant

2x Screamreach Brawler

1x Ire Shaman

1x Hardened Berserker

2x Satyr Hoplite

Spells (14)

1x Rouse the Mob

2x Flame Slash

3x Magma Spray

2x Dynacharge

1x Roast

3x Titan’s Strength

1x Shock

1x Trumpet Blast

Lands (18):

18x Mountains

Do You Want to Build Some Standard?

(Editor’s Note: Chris asked this question a couple of weeks ago. Before you ask, yes he sang it just like the girl from Frozen. He has a beautiful singing voice.)

I was never interested in the various formats of Magic or what they meant until about a month ago. One of my favorite Magic streamers pointed me to the Vintage Super League on the Magic Twitch page as his stream ended. Left without any options, I followed the link. Boy, am I glad that I did. I have watched every episode, learned Magic from some of the best players, and even developed a rooting interest. I’m bummed that one of my new favorite players and commentators got bumped for being in last place. This is not about Vintage, though. My article on VSL is here and I might revisit it at the end of the season.

My voyage through the history of Magic continued with the StarCityGames.com Modern event (I know Chris said that we shouldn’t advertise them until they pay us, but click the link and tell ’em 2 Guys Gaming sent ya. Maybe that will lead to something.) in Baltimore. By this time, I knew more bout the archetypes and strategies of Vintage, but knew nothing about Modern. Once again, that was about to change. One player in the event captured my attention, admiration, and imagination with his deck. That story is told here.

Of these two formats, I liked Modern the most. While it can be fun to watch the turn one and two kills in Vintage and watch how some of the most powerful cards in the history of the game interact in the hands of the best players, at times it can be anticlimactic. Because those enablers aren’t available in Modern, the games are generally more interactive. Unfortunately, there aren’t many Modern events shown, so I just watched the Vintage Super League every week and hoped to find a random streamer playing Modern.

I avoided Standard for one main reason. I heard that Standard consisted of mainly the same decks with little to no variation. Having only watched Hearthstone in a competitive setting, this worried me. Because Hearthstone has such a limited pool of cards, the competitive scene is literally the same few decks played all the time. Because Hearthstone is free to play and online, I then see those decks from many of the players that I meet in game. It’s boring and tedious. Competitive Magic doesn’t suffer that problem. Since there are so many more cards, the same archetype will look diverse from player to player. Larger decks also increase variance and the same deck plays differently in each game.

I finally tuned in for Standard one weekend during a Star City Games broadcast. They advertised the event during the Modern one. I noticed that it was in Miami, winter still raged here in Massachusetts, and I wanted to live vicariously through all the lucky warm people in Florida. I never expected that I would experience the insanity depicted in the picture below.

GWGW3

I absolutely loved it. Sometimes it is fun to try to break this game that we love. It’s what I’m attempting to do with every deck that I build. I’m never this successful but that is why I’m where I am and they were all in Miami on that cold weekend.

Clearly, Standard is more than just a gimmicky life gain deck. It’s about the skill and the intrigue, the perceived heroes and villains, the wonder and promise of a new set. Dan Lebatard is fond of saying that sports are soap operas for men. I no longer care about sports the way that I once did, but video and card games have taken their place. Hell, watching streams are much more fun than watching sports because even if the game or match isn’t interesting, you can bet that chat will be.

From pointing out incorrect missed lethal to upholding the virtues of proper land placement and pace of play, Twitch chat rarely fails to entertain. The only thing that I don’t like and can’t understand is the persistent spam for no reason. I know that I sound like an old man. In this instance, I’m proud of my old man-ness and defend it against the unwashed spamming masses. I go to Twitch to learn (no kap) and the spam makes learning and conversation impossible. Wow, that digression…but watch me bring it all back. That’s one of the reason I only watch Magic streams now. The spam does not exist, questions can be answered, and intelligent discussions are the rule rather than the exception. The chat for Star City Games hovers just on the edge between spam and productive, but their coverage is top notch. Their announcers know a lot about Magic, are passionate about the game, and are entertaining. Since discovering their stream, I have not missed and event and I am even planning to go to Rhode Island to see one live.

So, when Chris suggested that we build a couple of decks that will conform to the standard rules, I agreed to the idea without hesitation. We normally play Legacy (a format that I mistakenly thought was just a different name for Vintage) and have all of the cards from the history of Magic at our disposal. We are obviously limited by cost and availability, but not much else. We have built some fun, and even powerful, decks that you can find by following the “decks lists” link in the menu on the left.

My most recent entry into that category is my first attempt at a standard deck. I am also working on a 4-color deck as my other deck. I doubt that I will be able to afford all the cards, but I have been playtesting it and it is fun, so I might proxy the cards to see how it plays in live competition. As we all know, that can often turn out counter to expectations.

Since I can’t build that deck now (or maybe ever) unless I use proxies, I tweaked my Abzan list to make it standard legal. In keeping with my love of sometimes overlooked mechanics and +1/+1 counters, I tried to make a deck with Outlast and a little bit of Bolster strategy. Chris went Jeskai Heroic, so I answered with Abzan Outlast. I can’t wait to see the match with all the counters flying around. Stay tuned to the page for the aftermath.

Well, that’s the story of how I’ve gone from resurrected Magic neophyte to building and practicing in all formats, even if only virtually in the case of modern and vintage…so far. I bet that many of you have a similar story to tell. Maybe you have the money to actually play in Modern. Who knows? Maybe if I get another summer class, then I will look into getting some cards to put together a starter Modern deck and join an event or two. Hope to see you. If not, tell me about your favorite format or deck in the comments.