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Marvel Comics May 2023: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

The first week of June closes with Marvel Comics 2023. Having already reviewed TMNT and Spawn and then DC Comics in the previous articles this week, I looked forward to finally getting a chance to sit down with my favorite publisher. You know me. I’m an unabashed Marvel zombie to the end. MCU included.

As the banner up above reads, school is out in a couple of weeks for all of us. Granted, Christine, Liam, and I are going to Germany for three weeks. But, I hope to keep content consistent until then and maybe run some classic articles while we are gone. When I went through the archives to remove the malicious code, I read through the articles. As I said to Chris, “We have a unique voice. Wish more people heard it.” Well, on with the reviews.

Incomplete

X-Men #22 Jerry Duggan – Writer, Joshua Cassara – Artist. Chris kept telling me how good the Hickman run of X-Men was. I should have listened at the time. A couple of weeks ago, I spent an ungodly amount to get all of the paperbacks to get caught up on the MCU level of homework needed to read these books. I still haven’t had a chance to do so. Until I do, I can’t properly rate X-Men in Marvel Comics May 2023.

WTF Did I Just Read (Or: Can You Don’t?)

Amazing Spider-Man 25: Zeb Wells – “Writer”, JRJR – Artist. I felt compelled to add a new category after reading this train wreck of an issue. I mean, what the hell is this story? It reads like the bastard child of a terrible Moon Knight issue with the worst of one more day. I saw several people online griping about this one, but you know me. I don’t trust randos on the internet. Also, I try to give all creative pursuits a chance. Well, I gave this one a chance. Bury it in the desert with E.T.

Decent

Thor #34: Torunn Gronbekk – Writer, Juan Gedeonwith Sergio Davila – Pencilers. In Avengers, Carol says, “Thor used to be more fun. He’s been through a lot.” I liked the beginning of Aaron’s run of Thor. Then, he got weird on the same level as Snyder and his Dark Metal nonsense. Now, Thor just reminds me of the fun character he used to be and that makes me sad.

Good

Avengers #1: Jed Mackay – Writer, C.F. Villa – Artist. Another day, another Avengers #1. This one sees Captain Marvel as the new chairperson. She recruits Stark, Thor, Panther, Captain Samerica, Vision and Wanda. As introduction issues go, this one is fine. I like Aaron’s Avengers (for the most part), so we’ll see how Mackay puts his stamp on the team.

Venom #19 Al Ewing – Writer, Roge Antonio – Artist. After last month’s Marvel article, I texted Chris to tell him how much I enjoyed Venom. I compared it to Ewing’s Hulk run. This issue read more like a traditional beat em up, but the last page seems to be setting up for some more of Ewing’s classic horror story that he showed in Immortal. Come back next month to see if he delivers.

Great

Fantastic Four #700: Ryan North – Writer, Iban Coello – Artist. In the DC article, I wrote about how underwhelming a couple of the landmark issues were. No such let down here with the Fantastic Four. Marvel’s first family is in good hands. This story comes with the fun and frenetic pace that the FF is good for. Plus, they commissioned a sweet wrap around cover again and got me to buy three copies of this book. Shrewd.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2: Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing – Writers, Kev Walker – Artist. I come into this knowing nothing about Grootfall other than Groot is now some sort of cosmic being on a similar level as Galactus. The Guardians, as they often are at the beginning of stories, scattered to the winds and need to come together to face this galaxy spanning threat. You all know I love my Guardians from their awkward beginnings (even before James Gunn became the “defining” voice) and they seem to be in good hands right now.

She-Hulk #13: Rainbow Rowell – Writer, Andres Genolet and Joe Quinones – Artist. People, predictably, backlashed online against the She-Hulk series. I watched just enough to know that it contained the fun and funny voice of the comics. I want to finish it to see how it ended, but who has the time to keep up with all of this. On the topic of this run of Shulkie, I absolutely adore it.

The Verdict

Overall, Marvel Comics May 2023 comes with some strong issues. Granted, ASM leaves such a bad taste in my mouth that I won’t soon forive Marvel for assassinating my boy so badly, but the rest of the issues read like the characters from my youth. For someone recently discovering how cool nostalgia is, that feels great.

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DC Comics May 2023: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

After half assing my way through last month’s return to comic book reviews, I performed my due diligence this time around. In between school ending and decorating and watching my son in his seniorparade I read the DC Comics May 2023 and made my great, good, and decent list. We returned from the parade. While they clean off my father in law’s truck, I sat down to write the article.

The list may surprise you. I know it surprised me. But, I come by it honestly. The surprises start early and continue through to the end. This article with shock you. You won’t believe your eyes. In case you can’t tell, I’m trying to trick the algorithm into boosting this articleinthe search results. Controversy sells, right?

Decent

Batman #135 (Legacy 900): Writer – Chip Zdarsky, Artist – Mike Janin. Okay, this one will cause some waves, if anyone reads it. Hey, I told you. I don’t know what it was about this story. It just didn’t hit with me. Maybe I have to go back and read the first couple of issues. I don’t know. The one thing I found cool about it was all of the universe hopping and different styles of Batman we got. Other than that, pretty forgettable as far as a “landmark issue”.

Catwoman 55: Writer – Tini Howard, Artist – Nico Leon. Again, a bit of a surprise. I loved when Joelle Jones rebooted the series. Then, it fell off a bit. But, it ramped back up with Ram V. I might just be missing major plot points because I jumped back in towards the end of stories. I just prefer the cat burgler or tenuous alliance with Batman Catwoman stories. Ones like this just don’t keep me interested or entertainted.

Good

Flash 798/799: Writer – Jeremy Adams, Artist – Tom Derenick. Unlike the multiverse and time hopping in Batman, I welcomed it in The Flash for these two issues. I can’t explain why. I only started picking up Flash comics for Aiden, who was a huge fan of the hero. Then, I read and enjoyed it during Williamson’s run. Since then, it just keeps showing up in my pull list. But, I pulled the trigger this time and I’m glad I did. Fun story. Can’t wait for 800.

Wonder Woman #799: Writer – Becky Cloonan and Mike Conrad, Artist – Alitha Martinez. I picked this one up after just reading another social media post about someone intentionally trying to pick fights with neckbeards about equal rights for all. I admit to being a sucker lately for that kind of thing, especially in light of my soul searching as a result of reading Ready Player One. Yeah, seriously. Anyway, the book (even with such a bold cover) downplays the relationships. But, I liked the seamless travel between dream worlds as the set up for something really cool, I hope. Next month looks big with a couple of 800s.

Great

Action Comics 1055: Writer – Philip Kennedy Johnson, Artist – Rafa Sandoval. Yes, dear readers, we truly live in the upside down. Both Bats and Cats reside in the dumpster this month and Action Comics (plus, I imagine you can deduce, Supes) in the great. What can I say. I enjoyed the heck out of this story. I didn’t know what to think going in, but they made everyone, including cyborg Superman, into a compelling character with a great narrative.

Superman 4: Writer – Joshua Williamson, Artist – Nick Dragotta. What can I say? All it took for me to finally get on board with the Man of Steel was a little bit of Joshua Williamson. Granted, it means that I don’t have to put Superman and Brian Michael Bendis into the same sentence, so that helps. But, it’s Lex and Supes teaming up. What more can you ask for? As far as I’m concerned, no more.

The Verdict

I told you. DC Comics May 2023 turned our whole world upside down here at 2 Generations Gaming. I imagine things returning to normal next month, but who knows. If Williamson keeps writing Superman, I don’t see that one budging. Maybe we just get the elusive month of only great books. Come back at the end of June to see.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

I wrote in my previous article, a review of the Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves move, that young me crelebrated the release of the movie and current me enjoyed the viewing immensely. It bears repeating. We grew up in a time when nerd culture got no respect from television and movie producers. They thought, just as with cartoons, that stuff is for kids and we should gear it towards kids. Granted, the animated entertainment provided us with something at least. Nothing at the time, though, came close to the production value of Honor Among Thieves or The Super Mario Bros Movie (click the “?” box).

It’s a me, a sexy smolder.

I know that other web sites surely have gone into the how and why this happened now. I’m not all that interested in any of that. I just enjoy the fact that they gave us good, quality entertainment that we can share with our kids. Ah, there it is. That just triggered something cynical in me. But, you know what? I’m going to ignore it and bring the usual (possibly toxic) positivity that we’re know for here at 2 Generations Gaming.

Decent

Training Montage: When Mario agrees to embark on the journey with Peach, she trains him in the ways of the Mushroom Kingdom. I appreciated the nod to other action movies and the tongue in cheek treatment. Even though it made little sense in the context of lore, I hope I proved in the D&D movie article that matters little to me.

Peaches, Peaches: All most people talked about (at least according to the article that stated, “After the Mario movie, this is all anyone is talking about!”) after the movie is the Jack Black song peaches. I heard about it before the movie because of just such an article. However, I saved the song until I actually saw the movie. It didn’t disappoint. After the movie, I made my family laugh by mentioning that it hit the top 100 and, therefore, qualified for Grammy status.

Good

Lumalee: This movie introduced us to nihilist Lumalee, the star companion from the Super Mario Galaxy series. I laughed and laughed with every line that came out of the adorable Nietzsche wannabe. Granted, I have a dark sense of humor as a optimistic pessimist. But, I think everyone can find something lovable in the darkness that is Lumalee’s attitude towards it all.

I know that! I also wrote about this phenomenon in the Honor Among Thieves article. However, being able to catch even a fraction of the easter eggs in the movie made me very happy. What brought me more joy was that my kids were all there to point them out either during the movie or after we left the theater.

Great

Donkey Kong: All of the characters lived up to expectations. I know some (probably literally nobody other than douche bags trying to make money with “content”) derided the movie as “woke” because they portrayed peach as a “strong independent woman who don’t need no man”. Other than that, every time a character appeared on screen, it put a smile on my face. In my opinion, one voice actor went above and beyond to bring his character to life. And, he basically just played himself like he does in nearly every movie. Like Robert Downey Jr. before as Iron Man before him, Seth Rogan was born to play DK.

Kids/Nostalgia: More and more I admit to being bit by the nostalgia bug. More and more I realize that it bites me because of my kids. We went to see this one while on vacation in the Berkshires for Quinn’s birthday. Unlike many family outings lately, every single one of our boys chose to join us without a fight. During the movie, Liam wore a smile on his face that indicated that some of his greatest memories came to life on that screen. I think I wrote in an earlier article that sometimes brings me pause that fictional characters mean so much to us. But, then I shut up that part of my brain and enjoy what I enjoy. Helping to bring that same joy to our kids makes everything else feel small by comparison.

The Verdict

Great super hero movies? For the most part, check. I give DC a pass and often turn off my brain enough to enjoy them even if I know they’re not very good. Plus, James Gunn? We’ll see. Live action (and CGI, of course) Dungeons and Dragons that delivers? Check. Amazing video game movies? Well, it remains to be seen if Nintendo can do it with other franchises, but they delivered with The Super Mario Bros movie.

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Honor Among Thieves: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

I said it before. If you told 11 year old me that within my lifetime, they’d make comic book, video game, and Dungeons and Dragons movies respectable and profitable, I’d never have believed you. Sure, I’d want to time travel into this magical future. But, I’d also scoff in my usual teenage way. We grew up in a time where super hero movies got barely B-level treatment and the best cinematic version of Dungeons and Dragons was animated. Certainly nothing on par with the movie, Honor Among Thieves.

And don’t even get me started on Mario and Luigi at the theater. Mama Mia!

I started watching the movie a week or so ago while visiting a small Twitch streamer. For some reason, I switched to Ready Player One in the middle of the movie. I remember Aiden saying that he enjoyed Ready Player One and my ADHD pushed me in that direction. Then I got the idea to make this month’s theme (with no banner again!) Spring into Gaming and Pop Culture. My trademark honesty incoming. I played so little games recently, that I made up for it with pop culture to keep the page running. Comic books took a week. Hearthstone filled in nicely with the new BG update and a post about buying a new Switch. I think that last one maybe gave away that I ran out of ideas this month. But, Ready Player One lifted me out of the funk with a discussion of Tomb of Horrors. Then two of my kids saw GotG 3 without me and I remembered Mario and Dungeons and Dragons. May wheezes to the finish line with some pop culture reviews.

The Decent

Owlbear – Relax, I haven’t gone full purist on you here. I refuse to complain about anything when it comes to this movie. Are there things I enjoyed more than others? Sure. But, I already spoke of the horrors of nerd pop culture from my youth. The fact that they made this movie and brought Dungeons and Dragons to life for me is enough. And, yes, technically, even though it technically goes against the rules of the game, it fits with the spirit of the story. The first rule I learned about D&D is have fun. Well, a druid that can wild shape into an Owlbear is hella fun.

Roll for initiative.

Fat Dragon: I love that in a movie called Dungeons and Dragons, we get both a dungeon and a couple of dragons. But, more on that in the “Great” section. With most of the stuff I didn’t understand because of my unfamiliarity with the source material, I Googled and one of the first results answered my question, “Why is that dragon so fat?” I wanted a murderous hell machine bent on death and destruction of entire villages. Not some chonk too fat to leave his own lair. But, I searched and got some satisfaction from the back story I found.

Forgotten Realms: Look, I get that the Realms are D&D and that most people get their introduction to the game through them. But, I’m not about that life. Dragonlance introduced me to the game and that still resides at the top of my list of what I consider pure and true D&D. So, feel a little let down by the choice of setting. Nevertheless, I also understand that Forgotten Realms lends itself better to generic protagonists, too.

Good

Backstory: I put this one first because I went back and forth between putting this one here or in “Decent”. I ultimately decided that I liked having the stories repeatedly told in Honor Among Thieves so that I didn’t need to Google more than I already did.

I Googled Honor Among Thieves so hard, it took me back in time.

Forge: Look, I understand that some DMs enjoy the double cross and big twist reveal towards the end of the adventure to blow everyone’s mind. Honestly, some like it so much that they always go that route when designing and telling an adventure. I also respect that choice. However, I also rolled my eyes pretty hard when it became apparent that Forge double crossed everyone (spoiler alert) and I thought they set him up as the “boss” of the encounter. They redeemed themselves somewhat by making the evil red mage (spoiler alert) the actual final encounter.

Humor: Some fans, especially MCU fans recently despair at the amount of humor in the movies. I rarely understand these criticisms by purists, but I especially find this one confusing. First, an aside. Chris went to play Old School Magic the Gathering with a friend. He told me a story about a guy he played against that got so offended by seeing “new” lands that he gave him a set of old Swamps to play with. I replied, “You’re a more patient person than me. I’d have told him to shut up and play.” Now, aside from showing what a rotten person I am, this illustrates that I just believe that life is too short to waste it worrying about such nonsense. I like to laugh. The humor in these movies never feels “forced” as the nerds like to say. It just makes me laugh and enjoy the movie more.

Great

I Know That! To be expected in such a movie, but they put all sorts of Easter Eggs in Honor Among Thieves for those of us who play the game. You know I like a good lore rabbit hole and this one had me in one of those the entire time. In addition, I found myself smiling when the red mage case meteor swarm or I realized that Simon has a bag of holding. I love when the creators love the thing that they’re creating.

Arena Battle: Along those same lines, I thought I might not enjoy the arena battle towards the end of the movie. As a DM, I dread running large scale battles like that. However, since playing Warhammer and getting a better sense for how they handle large armies, I think that will be less of an issue going forward. In any event, I liked the battle because they made it more of a corridor crawl and because of what I just said. Oh, that’ s a displacer beast. Hey! A gelatinous cube!

Dungeons and Dragons: I already mentioned this, but it bears repeating. In a movie named Dungeons and Dragons, I appreciate that they kept true to the title and gave us both a dungeon and some dragons. I see another dimension where they tried to make the movie more appealing to wider audiences and I’m glad they kept the movie for the fans.

The Verdict

Honor Among Thieves met my expectations. I won’t say it exceeded them. Because I heard good things going in, I expected good things. And, they gave me good things. Hell, I liked it so much, I’m not even going to give you the old, “Sure, it had flaws…” speech. I just want to finish this article by telling you again how much I enjoyed it. If you haven’t already, watch it. You will have fun.

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DC Comics April 2023: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

With some of the kid activities calming down over the next few weeks, I decided to try to get back to updating the page on a regular basis. This week, I eased into it with some comic reviews. Instead of just Spawn, I reviewed two other independent comics on Monday. Today, I return with DC Comics April 2023.

Before we continue, I need to come clean. I skimmed most of the books this month. Almost all of them are in the middle or close to the end of an arc. Therefore, I need to go back and do a little research before reading next month to get a better idea of the quality of the books. Therefore, and I know you all probably do anyway, take this month’s reviews with a grain of salt.

Decent

Wonder Woman 798

Image 1 of 3

I came clean a few years ago as not a fan of Superman. I know that probably pains my brother Tim, but the character just never interested me all that much. I like my heroes with flaws and Superman traditionally has none. Let me tell you something else, though. I absolutely hate Superman when they try to humanize him. But, if anyone can make me care about ole Supes, it’s Williamson. Watch these reviews to see if it comes true.

As far as Wonder Woman and Flash this month. Overall, I enjoyed reading through them. As mentioned above, I only flipped through Wonder Woman because I need context before passing final judgement. The only reason I started collecting Flash was for Aiden, but he seems to be out of his comics phase, so at this point I’m just collecting for collection’s sake. I will say, though, that the concept of the “One Minute War” looked interesting and I want to read that story.

Good

Action Comics 1054

Image 1 of 4

Well, apparently I lied when I said that only Williamson can make me care about Superman. Because, I thoroughly enjoyed the story presented in Action Comics this month. It revolves around Metallo and offered one heck of a cliffhanger at the end of 1054. Can’t wait until next month.

I flipped through both Bats and Cats this month. Both wrap up their current stories soon and I actually wrote under Batman in my notes that I needed more context because maybe it will be great. Zdarsky is writing it and Chris said he liked the story. I promise to update you next month. Plus, I pine for older writers on these books, so I need to get over that first.

Great

Remember those old writers I pined for earlier? Ram V is absolutely one of them. I love everything he does. He just writes such amazing stories and it doesn’t matter what character he writes for. Similar to James Gunn and super hero movies, every book that Ram V touches is gold.

The Verdict

For me, DC Comics April 2023 was a mixed bag. Part of that, admittedly, is my fault. I need to go back and read the previous books for some context in the stories. Who knew that coming back to review comics would give me homework? Oh well, I promise to be more well versed in the stories by next month. Until then….

On the Tabletop

MTGMOM Esper Edition: Cards I Love

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Introduction

Mario in March went less spectacularly that I anticipated this year. I suppose that’s par for the course for us here at 2 Generations Gaming. We get a decent idea, some time to implement that idea, and then life gets busy again. I mean, I never intended for this page to be income, but I see other people doing it and sometimes wonder why it was never us. But, no time to feel sorry for ourselves. I keep this page alive for me and me alone. If someone else finds something they enjoy, great. Besides, a new Magic the Gathering set released. So, time to review MTGMOM Esper cards.

Those who follow the page know that white, blue, and black represent the part of the MTG color wheel where I almost exclusively reside. In all honesty (and why lie?), I prefer blue, play blue and black for utility and for fun (*cough* police *cough), and splash white for maximum fun (*cough* again police *cough*). So, every set, I start truly with cards I love.

White Honorable Mention (Eggs, Like Actual Eggs Not the Deck, Planeswalker Hate and a Wrath)

Attentive Skywarden

Image 1 of 3

This set introduces some cool new mechanics. Battles (more on those later in the week), backup (might make an appearance tomorrow), and incubate. Incubate mimics the Phyrexian invasion by putting tokens on the field that transform into Phyrexians on certain conditions. Playing MTGA gave me an irrational fear and hatred of Planeswalkers. Cut short helps me deal with that. And, you all know my love for a good wrath.

White Card I Love (Elesh Norn)

The Praetors get one last stand (spoiler alert) in this set and WotC took care of their Phyrexian momma. I texted Chris when I saw the card, “You think they’ll ever make an Elesh Norn that isn’t overpowered?” He replied, simply, “Nope.” It might take a while to get back into the part of the story where they can make another Norn card (again, spoiler alert), but I remain convinced that he’s right.

MTGMOM Blue Honorable Mention (Blue Doing Blue Things and a Knight?)

Transcendent Message

Image 1 of 3

I mentioned earlier that I mainly enjoy playing blue. I just get an unnatural enjoyment out of frustrating my opponents. I try to curb that impulse when playing against friends. But, on MTGA, all bets are off. So, I’m bringing a card that lets me counter spells and draw cards. Plus, a card that lets me draw my whole deck. Oh, and a knight for some reason. I can’t explain it. I just like the card. Maybe if I ever find myself drafting the set, I will try to bully everyone off knights.

MTGMOM Blue Card I Love (Going to Segovia)

I just learned of Segovia with this set. I needed to go back to the card to check the spelling. Naturally, when I learn something new in one of the games I enjoy, I end up doing some research on that subject. I learned that Segovia is a plane where everything is super small. That made sense, then, why the tyrant is the size of a grizzly bear. Also, you get to see Siege Battle cards in action. Very cool and fun.

MTGMOM Black Cards Honorable Mention (Card Draw, Mr. Take Yo Planeswalker, and Bring Me the Head of Elesh Norn!)

Breach the Multiverse

Image 1 of 3

Honestly, I just chose Mirrodin Avenged because (a) I liked that plane and hate the Phyrexians. Seeing Karn finally avenge his loss after all this time is awesome. Breach the Multiverse feels like a fun (police) card to play in a 4 player commander game. And, I don’t have enough creatures in my UB MTGA deck to take advantage of that card draw, but I’ve been meaning to put together a token sac deck.

MTGMOM Card I Hate (Glistening Deluge)

I went with a different strategy when picking this card. Hey, when they expect you to zig, you gotta zag! Anyway, when reading the text on these cards (and I think I talked about card text creep last time), I saw this card and it made me pause as a mathematician and minor league logic troll. The phrase “…green and/or white…” includes one too many words. Logically, if a card is green and white, then it is green or white. I remember reading once that Magic the Gathering partially works because the cards logically make sense. This card does, but that extra word just bothers me.

The Verdict

MTGMOM Esper cards in this article feel a little underwhelming when compared with the last set. That’s not to say there aren’t good or powerful cards. I just chose to eschew them in favor of my pet projects and trolling. Hey, when you start your own web page, you can do the same. Heck, you can share the MTGMOM Esper cards you love in the comments.

Card images taken from Mythic Spoiler. Go there for all your spoiler needs. I’m not looking for a deal with them or anything, I just like their set up the best of all the pages.

Digital Playground

Hearthstone Festival Part 3: Great, Good Decent

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Introduction

I admit that the last article wrote much easier than the previous article. Hopefully, this one follows suit. Next week, I scheduled the new MTG set review, so more easy pickings to keep ramping into our summer schedule. Though, admittedly, the end of June and beginning of July bring the Germany trip, so not much in the way of updates for about a month there. But, that’s a couple of months off. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to schedule updates for that time. Right now, I need to discuss Hearthstone Festival part 3; priest, rogue, and shaman.

I play a lot of priest and shaman in wild. Usually, I play Galakrond priest (yes, still) and Highlander Shaman. For a while there, rogue was public enemy number one again. I saw some of those decks, but mostly I just autoconcede when faced with something like that. I have no interest in climbing the ranks. I simply want to finish quests and get as many collectibles as possible in the game.

Priest

love
syncronize

Decent: The legendary spell might just be great and find its way into numerous standard and wild decks. Saving two mana is a big deal. However, as I’ve hopefully expressed over the years, I am not about great decks. I’m about jank and just plain bad decks. So, you want to min/max? There are plenty of other web pages for that. Here, I’m all about “Love Everlasting” into Power Chord: Synchronize.

pop
distort
fight

Good: Definite removal vibe in these cards. When I play priest, usually I play for removal. So, more likely than not, all of these cards will be included into my next priest Wild deck. I especially like the idea of the fight card. Not only is it removal, but it gives card advantage, too. The budget dismember seems fun, too.

Heartbreaker Hedanis

Image 1 of 5

Great: These cards pushed for heal and overheal, which makes sense. They introduced the mechanic in this set and added it to some of the cards from the new “core set” available to Standard players. Overall, these cards underwhelm me more than any of the other cards in the set. I often say that I don’t care about good decks, just fun decks. But, this one feels like neither. Who knows? Maybe it will surprise me.

Rogue

Mixtape
hip-hop

Decent: Remember, just a paragraph ago, when I said how underwhelmed I was by those priest cards and deck? Well, apparently, that’s going to be a theme in this article. Because these cards stink on ice. Sure, deal damage and buff your weapon has utility. But, how many times do I have to say it? We aren’t looking for utility here. We want jank!

mc
bounce
return

Good: Rogue bounce card annoy the hell out of me. These ones seem less annoying, other than maybe the one that makes them all cost 1. I’m sure somebody somewhere already came up with a way to exploit that card along with all of the other mana reducers available to rogue. But, I have no interest in that, so into the good bucket it goes.

Beatboxer

Image 1 of 5

Great: Ever since the beginning of Hearthstone, Combo defined rogue cards. Hell, one of those cards launched the career of one of the most famous streamers of all time. At the very least, it gave him a clever name to call himself. So, why not try to piggy back off that success and jam all of the new combo cards into a deck?

Shaman

chill
chord

Decent: As with most of the cards in this set, these are decent but not great. Both are costed okay with upside depending on the finale or overloaded clause. But, they just don’t “WOW” me, you know what I mean? And, so, I deem them decent.

brass
house
melo

Good; This is the part in the review where I start to feel like I repeat myself. Because after just repeating myself above, I’m going to repeat myself about repeating myself. Or, I can just wrap this thing up, walk away for a little bit, and come back to it tomorrow.

Flowrider

Image 1 of 5

Great: Like rogue, Blizzard focused on an oldie but a goodie…hey, wait a minute. Was this music themed expansion just a long con by Blizzard to get people to say that phrase? If so, well played. In any case, they focused on an oldie but goodie Shaman keyword. Quite possibly the most maligned and misunderstood evergreen of the entire game; overload.

The Verdict

Hearthstone Festival Part 3 contains possibly the most underwhelming collection of cards so far. None of these cards made me interested in playing the game other than maybe “Jive, Insect.” And I just like that one for the stupid fun potentially involved. Other than that, I’d rather just forget that Hearthstone Festival Part 3 never happened.

Decks created with Hearthstone Top Decks. I know it isn’t the best builder, but it works and I like the screen shots for aesthetic reasons.

Digital Playground

Hearthstone Festival Part 1: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

We last wrote about Hearthstone in the traditional sense of the game during the Barrens expansion. Since then, I meant to write reviews of the Sunken City expansion, but things got busy. And, so, we join Hearthstone nearly a year later with the release of Festival of Legends. Hearthstone Festival Part 1 brings cards from 3 classes; Death Knight, Demon Hunter, and Druid.

Speaking of things getting busy, I’m sure that I will repeat this several times this week during the various projects I need to update. I already discussed it in the finale episode of the podcast. Now, I write about it here. My days over the last few weeks go like this; I wake up, I go to work, I pick up Quinn, take him to play, watch play, come home, maybe work out, cook dinner, take Aiden to soccer, come back home, play around on the computer or watch TV for a half hour or so, rinse and repeat. So, things have been busy.

A Note Before The Review

Having last reviewed Hearthstone cards about a year ago, I went to look at that article. It surprised me how in depth I made the review. I split the cards into the decent, good, and great categories. Then, I built a deck around the great cards. Quite the undertaking, to be sure. But, a good idea is a good idea. Plus, I’m on vacation now, so I have a bit of time over the rest of the week to make it happen.

Death Knight

pit
gorwl

Decent: Both of these cards are pretty good, but situational. Immediately, I think of something like Sylvanas for either or both of them as an absolute eff you to opponents playing big minions. As I look now, I think we can have fun with Saurfang or Cage Head (more on him in a bit) shenanigans.

cage
cultist
metal

Good: Hardcore Cultist is a fun little card. If you pull off the finale (spend your last mana on the card), you get consecration on a stick for one less mana. Harmonic Metal becomes Dissonant Metal every other turn where the numbers swap, which is a cool little effect. Cage Head works very well with the other cards mentioned in the decent category, so maybe I’ll make an extra deck with some deathrattle effects.

Great: As I look at these cards, I think I might have tried to combine two strategies. One involves manipulating health to advance cards and the other uses corpses in a similar manner. In my limited experience playing Death Knight, corpses are plentiful and can be worked into any strategy as a secondary win condition. We all know that whatever I build won’t win you any tournaments. But, hopefully it plays fun and brings joy.

Health/Corpse Manipulation Death Knight

Demon Hunter

security
chaos

Decent: As expected, the finale cards have decent upside. Taste of Chaos is no different. You know I like a discover card, too. Unfortunately, I don’t play enough Demon Hunter to even consider any kind of control strategy, which is where that fits. 2 mana for 2 1/1 dudes and the opportunity for a third with outcast just doesn’t do it for me.

rush
darkraven
snakebite

Good: These cards push you in a definite rush direction. Even while writing this, I considered that direction. After all, I more or less admitted in the last section that I have no idea how to build control Demon Hunter. I know it’s possible. I played a minionless control Demon Hunter through last expansion. I just can’t build it myself. So, why not the rush minions? I don’t know. Too obvious, I guess.

Glaivetar

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Great: After all that crap I talked about not being able to build a control Demon Hunter deck, it sure looks like I picked cards that lend themselves to control. I think my thought process for this article is trying to build around the legendary spell for each class. In this one, I saw a weapon control deck with some lifesteal thrown in. That’s the one thing i always wished for as a rogue when I started playing Hearthstone.

Demon Hunter Weapon Control?

Druid

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Decent: Well, the druid cards broke the streak of building around the legendary spell. I tried, but there’s just no synergy between the card and anything else that I might want to do with my deck. It’s a fun card with some utility, but just not what I want. Same with Peaceful Piper. A decent card with pretty good utility. So, they both fit in this section.

drum
flower
tambourine

Good: These three cards work very well together. They do what big druid wants to do and make big dumb creatures to wallop your opponent. I think they might find a place in a Prince Highlander Druid deck if that’s even a thing. If not, I might just make it a thing. I know I say these things and then I never follow through. But, let me make a note of it now. Big dumb druid deck and whatever I said for Death Knight earlier. Ha!

Zok Fogsnout

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Great: All of these cards either improve attack or armor or take advantage of that improved attack and armor. That led to an obvious deck idea similar to the Demon Hunter above. You can either use your attack and armor as removal and play more control or just try to race the opponent. Not knowing what the current meta is, I’m not sure which is more likely.

Druid Attack/Armor Manipulation Deck

The Verdict

Hearthstone Festival Part 1 gives us Death Knight (first time we reviewed the class), Demon Hunter, and Druid cards. Overall, the decks seem fun and decent. The druid deck is a bit of a mess, so I definitely want to revisit the class with another deck, probably in wild. After I finish the series, I will consider coming back to any other ideas that I have. Well, i’ts late, but I powered through to finish the Hearthstone Festival Part 1. Here’s hoping the rest of the series goes quicker and more smoothy.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

The Last of Us Part 1: Shows I Love

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Introduction

Let me be honest here. I usually use the word “love” because my headline analyzer tells me that strong positive sentiment words drive more traffic. If true, those Russian bots indeed enjoy my positive headlines. However, at the risk of spoiling this article, in this case I mean it. The show, so far, tells a wonderful story in just the manner I enjoy. The Last of Us Part 1 covers episodes 1 through 3 of the show since I just finished episode 3 last night.

I intend to finish the remaining episodes by the end of the week, so maybe part 2 comes before Friday. Being vacation week, I planned the schedule pretty tightly and now we just saw the new Ant Man movie last night. So, of course, I need to add my two bits about that one. Also, I got the idea for another web page a couple of days ago. So, maybe I save part 2 for a less busy week.

Episode 1 – When You’re Lost in the Darkness

I informed social media that I started watching the show in spite of having never played the game. Several people warned me about a particular scene and the potential emotional damage caused. So, I already went in expecting something good. I got something…decent. When talking with some friends about the show, I felt like this episode went about 20-30 minutes too long.

I liked the episode. All of the characters made an impression on me. The scene in question moved me (more the second time I saw it in the recap for some reason) and I ended the episode wanting to see more. But, television and movies are different. I understand that Hollywood is trying new things because it feels like cinema is stagnating right now. But, making TV shows longer just for the sake of it ultimately blurs that line even more.

Sometimes less really is more. I would have to watch the episode again to see just where to trim, but I know there’s fat in there somewhere. In spite of that one sort of nebulous complaint, The Last of Us hooked me. It even made me want to play through the game. I’m sure I own it from some Humble Bundle sale. Score: 7.5/10 on this one.

Episode 2 – Infected

Talk about spoilers! This episode title gives away the big reveal. I’m sure anyone who played the game understood the reference right away. Those of us in the dark maybe continued to stumble in the dark as the fungi infected humans do while hunting our little party before realizing (like The Walking Dead before it) that titles often contain dual meanings.

This episode shows that not everything needs to be dark and gritty to be absolutely terrifying. The fungus that grows over the eyes of the infected in this episode displays as colorful, mimicking the actual spores found in nature. But, those clickers scared the shit out of me and I’m not one to spook easily anymore.

Hell, this episode made me pick up my phone and do a little research. You all know how much I love a show that makes me do my homework. Plus, I found this cool little Google trick that infects your phone with the fungus. And, at the end, they rip our hearts right out of our chests once again. Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Episode 3 – Long Long Time

This episode blew up my social media. After watching it, I see why. Exhausted, but wanting to experience it for myself, I stayed up way too late to finish it. My God. I can’t remember the last time I saw a television episode written, directed, and performed as well as this one. Breaking Bad? But, even that pales in comparison to the tragic beauty of this hour and fifteen minutes of television.

Bear in mind that once I realized that it was this episode, I went in with high expectations. The blueprint for disappointment, right? Wrong. It tells a love story with such tenderness and grace that I wonder how anyone anywhere sees anything more than that love. The story made me cry. The reaction that some have to homosexuality makes me sad.

In addition, the story helps to fill in some of the gaps from the first episodes and moves the story forward. Honestly, if they ended it here, I’d be a happy man. The fact that I still need to watch 3 more episodes both excites and terrifies me. But, I’m ready. Score: Honestly, on the scale, I give it a 10. But that feels both offensive and reductive. Just a masterful display of what a careful and creative team can do.

The Verdict

I hope the show hasn’t peaked too early. I know better than to compare different style episodes by the same standards. Also, thankfully, this isn’t The Walking Dead, so I don’t expect to be shocked into submission simply for the sake of that shock value. Again I hope to have part 2 done by the end of this week, but I hope you enjoyed The Last of Us Part 1.

On the Tabletop

MTGONE Miscellany Edition Cards I Love

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Introduction

Friday during the week of our Magic the Gathering previews means that we pick up all of the miscellany; multicolored, colorless, and lands. Can I admit that, secretly, I enjoy this article the most out of the three that I write? When I open packs, I still act like a preteen when I see that golden border. Like Pavlov’s dog, I salivate regardless of how terrible the card. And, artifacts, even though they changed from the iconic brown to silver, it still offers just enough of a difference that I double take to see the card. With all of that being said, join us for MTGONE Miscellany Edition. But, first a story.

It also means that we probably played some of the cards in the set on MTGA. As it happens, I played Mondrak and it feels just as oppressive as I thought it might. My mono red opponent launched two lightning strikes at it, ignoring my face. That’s when I knew I picked a winner. However, I misplayed because the card plays more like a 5 mana drop because of the ability. In that case, one of those bolts most definitely would have found my face instead. So, who knows how the game ultimately played out in that alternate universe.

MTGONE Lands I Love

Phyrexian Swamp

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I usually only pick lands because of their jankiness. I know spikes like their fetches and enemy duals or whatever, but I have little use for them. Once in a while, like now, I choose lands with art that simply inspires me. These qualify in a big way. I love every single one of these. Maybe even more than the constellation art from Theros.

Infected Swamp

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Once upon a time, I wrote the Phyrexian language off as a gimmick. More recently, I softened my stance. Ever since I saw my beloved Jace compleated, I went so far as to search if you can cure the infect. It turns out that you can, but things end up grim if you do. Then, I saw these lands. I know they might fetch a hefty price tag, but I want them for my Mondrak deck.

MTGONE Colorless Cards Honorable Mention (Monument to Standard Lands, A Stupid Sword, and Skullbomb)

Monument to Perfection

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Monument to Perfection made me search whether Golos, Tireless Pilgrim got the banhammer. He did. Otherwise, that card, along with the new crucible, are just straight busted. Texting Chris and that one just might be anyway. Maro teased a new sword a couple of days before the reveal and, of course, the MTG community absolutely lost their shit. Other than a stupid name, the card seems pretty good. Not as good as some of the other swords, but every cycle needs the underpowered version. Speaking of cycles, they gave us a skullbomb cycle. I like this one enough to include one or two in the control deck I mentioned in the previous article.

MTGONE Colorless Card I Love (The Filigree Sylex)

Yes, I understand that artifact and enchantment hate abound in every format of Magic the Gathering. With that being said, if I can resolve both the wrath and the “ultimate” of this card just once, I can die a happy man.

The Verdict

Overall, the MTGONE miscellany edition disappoints. But, as I mentioned, with every pack I open that contains a golden or silver card, it takes me back to being 12 years old and thinking that those colors meant something special. Also, those lands are just absolutely gorgeous. Plus, that Sylex gives me something to attempt every time I play my control deck in Arena.

Card Images taken from Mythic Spoiler. Banner image from Hipsters of the Coast.