Magic: The Gathering C/D

there are definitely many more random things that could target it in limited than in standard

yeah but how many of those would kill it anyway?

like, that was my main argument for playing the Phantom dudes in limited, just cuz cards that target creatures but don't kill them generally aren't so good. though I do concede they have a number of random ability dudes these days

it dies to abilities too, so for example, I lost a Frost Walker to a dashed Goblin Heelcutter attack

ah yeah, that's the sort of thing I'm thinking of

bannings really contributed to 'format diversity' huh?

pretty depressing. there already is a format for junk midrange siege rhino battles.

I wonder how much of it is 'top players are really risk-averse'?

im sure thats part of it - probably a reason for the high % of burn decks in the field too tbh

its hard to argue that the bannings dindt just kill two decks w/o adding anything new to the format though

yep. more than that no more t1 delver means no real tempo presence...and control builds, which weren't even prominent before the ban, also lost their only toy they've been given since sphinx's rev. so we're left with midrange vs burn vs combo?

that said I have been testing grixis delver for a bit recently and it actually feels pretty strong. I think it's too soon to totally discount the deck, like delve is a powerful mechanic and ur cantripy decks have the deepest graveyards.

i think 'top players are really risk-averse' is an important point here, i've long been of the opinion that GBx rock decks are bad for most players because they have absolutely no upside, they are always going to be 45-50% vs any field and you need to rely on being a lot better (or luckier) than the field to get your equity up high enough to win an event.

but on the flipside you're never going to lose to a hate card which seems to outweigh any negatives for a large amount of players

i want to get into this again but like w/ cards not on a computer

is there a pt somewhere in this or another thread where re-entry into the game is discussed
btw i havent played since ~1995

idk if we've discussed that in here

best way is obviously if you have a friend who's played more recently and can field yr questions about new cards/sets/rules etc. i started playing again because i had a roommate who played and i started going to the game store with him and got hooked again.

if you want to play in actual events, like at your local game shop or w/e, booster draft is probably the best format for new/re-entering players since you don't need to own any cards beforehand and if you do it regularly you'll build up a collection over time just from the cards you draft. plus its just the most fun way to play the game in general if you can afford to drop the $10-15 entry per draft.

if you just want to play casual w/ friends they make a bunch of prefab products that are good for that, like there's duel decks which are a set of 2 themed preconstructed decks that are designed to play against each other, and there's commander which is a multiplayer format w/ 100-card decks and some special rules, etc etc.

if booster draft interests you, it would be worthwhile getting familiarized with the most recent sets, Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged. The full sets can be pulled up on Wizard's Gatherer tool:

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Default.aspx

If you are looking to brush up on some of basics of the game, Reid Duke has a fantastic set of articles that are worth checking out:

http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/columns/level-one-archive

deej you live in ny right?

you should just come w/ me to some draft

yeah theres kindof a bewildering number of ways to play physical magic cards so everyone is otm you should find someone you know irl to play with to get a sense of what options are like. there are some bars here that do casual magic nights - sealed and draft - and if you can find someone to take you to something like that its a great reintroduction to the game

absolutely - I think the social aspect of the game is the best thing about it, if you're playing with cool people that is

I'm cool

Iatee you have my email right?

Yeah the social part is 100% why I want to do it ... Any excuse to avoid a computer tbh

yeah I'll email you

http://www.idealistrevolution.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/1413.jpg

http://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/267785#online

I've been playing variations of this list post-tc and honestly it feels almost as strong as cruise-delver. got 2nd in a local gpt today (had opp on 1 life both games in the finals :(

really think the deck is secretly t1. you don't have the insane acceleration you got from cruise, but you also get a decent share of t2 tasigurs and actually have an answer for a resolved tarmogoyf. also can play discard spells and other fun stuff in the sb.

that looks pretty sweet, i might try it. haven't really played a delver deck since standard delver but i enjoy them in theory

i guess dragons previews start next week? that is pretty crazy. maybe counter-intuitive but i actually have really enjoyed FKK draft despite not being very good at it. maybe because of, it has been interesting to me to try to figure out what was going on. the weird thing is i have usually felt like i drafted good decks but the results too often haven't backed that up. although i am in a bit of a resurgence right now, which is also one reason i will be a little sad to see it move on, but i had a real gross run in the middle there. and this was after khans went super well for me, i was basically playing for free thru that format.

agreed - Fate Reforged seems to add a lot of real interesting stuff to an already fun draft format, it does way more than Born of the Gods did for Theros

previews started today btw, theyre already up

rebound returns as the UW keyword. good call imo, one of the best ones from recent years
UB keyword is exploit (when this creature enters the battlefield you may sacrifice a creature) + some bonus effect if you do
GR is formidable which is just like ferocious except 8 total power instead of 4 power on one creature. kinda lame

morph variant is just morphs that get a +1/+1 counter when unmorphed, also less exciting than i was hoping for

+1/+1 counters for everyone

xp

yeah as weird as it sounds, the deck kinda plays like jund! you one for one their best things and get incremental value from your power cards (snap, live tasigur, pyro). unlike previous modern delver builds it isn't totally dependent on an aggro start, in fact it keeps up really well in any attrition game cause you're drawing cuts instead of vapor snags and tasigur instead of swiftspear. the bad matchups are basically jund's bad matchups for the same reason (murderous cut is bad against lingering souls) / you do a lot of damage to yourself so you can get burned out.

nu-sidisi seems quite broken

http://media.wizards.com/2015/dftyuvbd564776rvf/en_hbwolfCGV6.png

kinda surprising she's not mythic

right?

idk i feel like its probably a worse card than the one from dark ascension? i guess it beats all the other b/g big stuff creatures.

wonder if we can get to a place were the legends artifact from journey (or born?) is playable...

http://media.wizards.com/2015/dftyuvbd564776rvf/en_Q21slVTGSa.png

seems like a really nice control piece mostly for the first two abilities. then i guess any kind of mirror becomes a race to the ultimate.

This is going to be pretty nuts. Rebounding Treasure Cruise or Dig is basically game over.

so I'm going to the SCG Standard Open in Dallas the weekend after next. This is my first large, competitive event. What should my expectations be? Any particular tips?

scg opens are pretty chill in my experience, just have fun & always call a judge if you're unsure about something since the rules get a bit stricter at competitive REL

i like carrying a small notebook and taking quick notes about my opponents decks, how i won/lost each game, etc so that i have a sort of record of the tournament afterwards & it helps me remember better what i did well and poorly so that i can learn for next time

also always pack in healthy food & water for big events, if you do well you'll be there for 8+ hours and there's generally no breaks unless you finish a round fast

i think at competitive rel you're required to use pen + paper to keep track of your (and your ops) life totals. dont check your phone during matches.

cider v otm about the snacks - at the gps ive been too eating is kind of rushed and options are usually limited and unhealthy. having an apple and some trail mix is really vital.

its kind of corny but i always try to bring some music that i can zone out to btw matches. its nice to talk to friends and check in on them but its also fraught and kind of exhausting? theres a high possibility that i take magic too seriously tho

also i've never had a good experience with trading at big events so between that and the risk of theft being higher i don't bring any cards except for the deck i'm playing in the event

sweet, thanks!

Here's a more technical question - From what I understand, if I'm in my first main phase and I declare "move to combat step", I'm basically signaling to my opponent that I'm ready to pass priority at the end of the Beginning of Combat step before declaring attackers. My deck runs Flamewake Phoenix, whose ability triggers during the beginning of combat. What is the correct competitive language I should use if I want to move into the the beginning of combat step and maintain priority so that I can bring back my phoenix?

i just say 'beginning of combat?' before i move to declare attackers. this is partly because i mostly play limited and thats the step where people most want to play spells like icy blast or w/e. if you're playing standard i can see saying something like 'go to combat?' as way of acknowledging that you are passing priority.

as for being able to play phoenix as the active player you have priority first. just acknowledge somehow that you're in beginning of combat phase, declare the phoenix trigger and you're good. same w/rabblemaster or w/e. just dont declare attacks and you cant miss anything.

I would say "move to beginning of combat?" to make it extra clear we're not in the beginning of combat step already. Kind of a strange phrase to use but the timing on Flamewake Phoenix is unusual, so it makes sense. "Move to combat?" could lead to problems like you think, Moodles.

http://mythicspoiler.com/ori/cards/lilianahereticalhealer.jpg http://mythicspoiler.com/ori/cards/lilianadefiantnecromancer.jpg

origins obv

also next block is Battle For Zendikar

i kinda hate return blocks in general but zendikar is one of the 2 post-timespiral settings i've particularly liked so this is ok

crazy. I guess their trying to push Temur with the new Sarkhan

Thought we'd get the enemy fetches in Dragons, but with a third of the set spoiled and a return to Zendikar, it's looking like we might need to wait a few more months. Also Evolving Wilds would be strange to print with the fetches

I woulda put money on the next block being zendikar

fetches in a small set woulda been bad - fairly few would be opened

Dragons is a big set, but you're right it won't get opened as much as battle for zendikar, since there's no triple drafting and it's only for three months

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/twin-convicted-of-killing-man-over-fantasy-cards-worth-100k/

i watched an investigation discovery murder porn on this, the da called mtg "cardboard crack"

Brother was quoted as saying "I know know just the person for that job"