Blog

  • New M10 Combat System Exceptions

    It is a well-known adage that the exceptions prove the rule. Magic 2010 will be making several new rules, so let us observe the practical effects of the new combat system. Combat will still work much like it used to:

    • – Except if you have a combat trick
    • – Except if its damage prevention
    • – Except if their creature has deathtouch
    • – Except if you have an Unsummon
    • – Except if their creature has shroud
    • – Except if you’re not double-blocking
    • – Except if you’re blocking with Marsh Flitter
    • – Except that card is rotating out
    • – Except if you play Extended
    • – Except Marsh Flitter is bad there
    • – Except there might be a good combo deck in the offing
    • – Except you probably won’t make it
    • – Except you’ll pilot it and win the Pro Tour
    • – Except… except it was all a dream
    • – Except there’s still a Wizard of Oz
    • – Except he was just a con man
    • – Except he was never convicted due to police misconduct
    • – Except that’s not how the law works here in Ravnica
    • – Except you live in the Azorius section where it does work that way
    • – Except for members of the Dimir guild
    • – Except there are no members of the Dimir guild
    • – Except everyone knows they’re everywhere
    • – Except they all just pretend to not notice
    • – Except for Wall of Denial
  • Magic Community Reactions: M10 Rules Changes

    With the recent announcement by Rules Manager Mark Gottlieb of the streamlining of various Magic: The Gathering, including the removal of mana burn, stacking combat damage, and wishing for cards in the removed-from-game zone, the local card-slinging community has been set abuzz with a veritable firestorm of controversy. We interviewed a cross-section of local players about their feelings with respect to the changes, with reactions ranging from melancholy to sadistic glee.

    Rules maven Melvin Brazinsky, certified Magic Rules Advisor and Level 1 Judge applicant, was in a state of panic not seen since he lost his inhaler.

    “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” was the most intelligible comment to come from Brazinsky.

    Johnny Gordano, on the other hand, had a complaint about the changes expressible in words, as opposed to heartrending cries of rage and grief. Carefully storing two Burning Wishes, a Mirari, a Leyline of the Void, and a Walk the Aeons in his binder, he railed against what he called a “pointless dumbing-down.”

    “Look at all of the functionality they’re removing! All the design space they’re closing up! Why, it’s an outrage! I shall have no part in this abomination!”

    Reports that Gordano had traded for four Braid of Fire this very morning remain unconfirmed.

    Some remained close-lipped about the entire situation.

    “My mommy says I’m not supposed to talk to strangers” announced Timmy Jorgensen.

    Spike Ferguson, notable local “pro” (9th place at Manitoba Regionals), was more noticeably sanguine about the changes.

    “I guess as long as my opponents are denied the same tactical opportunities as I am, everything will be okay. Upkeep, Clique you?” Spike offered.

    There were even some mildly enthusiastic responses to the changes.

    “I DRINK THY MILKSHAKE, MELVIN!” exulted Vorthos Smith. Between sips of Melvin’s milkshake, he explained the reasons for his excitement.

    “Forsooth and anon, these changes come as glad tidings,” babbled Vorthos.

    “The sweet harmony of rules and flavor is a consummation I have devoutly wished!” he continued, badly mangling Shakespeare in the process.

    “At last, the Wizard of the Coast doth listen to me, and he doth say ‘I hearest thou, Vorthos! Go forth and reign!’” he concluded. Our reporter at this point could not help but notice that he smelled of rotting bananas and self-abuse. He prayed these two smells were not linked.

    “Perchance, hast thou seen mine robe and wizardly hat?”

    Below: Melvin’s reaction to the rules change.

  • Pro MTG Online #223

    Pro MTG Online #223

  • Correcting “Two Headed Wizards”

    Kelly Diggeses’ses latest article for MagicTheGathering.com was entitled “Two Headed Wizards.” It was a report on Developer 2HG, an event at GP Seattle/Tacoma wherein WOTC developers teamed up with random duders.

    Unfortunately, Kelly made a glaring omission: he failed to namedrop Good Gamery regular Brian Cohn.

    The offending paragraph:

    I also noticed that most teams were much better-equipped than we were in the bomb department. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund made an appearance, as did Thraximundar, but the best table I saw was that of developer (and Latest Developments author) Tom LaPille and his partner, who had Lord of Extinction, foil Dauntless Escort, and foil Rafiq of the Many, with Mosstodon to help Lord of Extinction punch through. Nice pool, guys!

    “His partner?” Who’s that? This mystery would have been left buried for all time, robbing humanity of knowledge essential to maximal social utility. But that’s why God created Good Gamery.

    We took the liberty — nay, the obligation — of rewriting the paragraph to include the omitted information.

    I also noticed that most teams were much better-equipped than we were in the bomb department. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund made an appearance, as did Thraximundar, but the best table I saw was that of developer (and Latest Developments author) Tom LaPille and


    and skilled, up-and-coming Magic player Brian Cohn (or “ewie” on Good Gamery).

    Right from the beginning, Tom and Brian shared a special connection because both have ties to the MiseTings and Good Gamery communities. The partner assignments were supposedly random, of course, but as soon as they were paired up we knew that Tom had pulled a few strings to make it happen.

    Things were a little bit awkward at first. Brian was a bit starstruck because Tom is a hot-shot rockstar at Wizards. Tom was a bit starstruck because Brian has masterpiece Good Gamery threads under his belt.

    But all of that disappeared when they cracked open their pool. Suddenly restraint melted away, and the two embraced with tears in their eyes as they opened

    Mycoloth and Obelisk of Alara, as well as Lord of Extinction, foil Dauntless Escort, and foil Rafiq of the Many, with Mosstodon to help Lord of Extinction punch through. Nice pool, guys!

  • Heart to Heart Chat with Mike Long

    Sunday evening, JoINrbs was playing on Skeletor’s (Reuben’s) MODO account when his opponent became curt. A verbal battle ensued, which slowly morphed into a heartfelt discussion about love, life, success, and the measure of a man.

    Then, it turned out his opponent was none other than Mike Long, former professional Magic player with no shortage of wacky money-making schemes.

    Enjoy!

    – Good Gamery Administration



    10:47 PM Wildeyed: can you play a bit faster please?


    10:48 PM Reubs: can you conceed please?


    10:48 PM Wildeyed: why are you acting lame


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: are you a 14 year old?


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: well?[


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: what’s your deal?


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: what did i do?


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: i politely asked you to play faster


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: is this the way you act in person?


    10:49 PM Reubs: play faster please


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: why don’t you respond to what i said?


    10:49 PM Wildeyed: are you proud of the way you’re acting?


    10:50 PM Wildeyed: are you not going to answer?


    10:50 PM Wildeyed: do you have any class at all?


    10:50 PM Wildeyed: hello?


    10:51 PM Wildeyed: answer me or have fun waiting 14 minutes


    10:51 PM Reubs: fyi


    10:51 PM Wildeyed: actually forgetabout it


    10:51 PM Reubs: well, first i am fine with waiting


    10:51 PM Reubs: go for it, your clock


    10:51 PM Wildeyed: just enjoy wayiting


    10:51 PM Wildeyed: great


    10:51 PM Reubs: when i have a decision


    10:51 PM Wildeyed: enjoy


    10:52 PM Reubs: and have 1.5 minutes less than you on my clock


    10:52 PM Reubs: it’s sort of rude to ask me to play faster


    10:56 PM Wildeyed: ps i built that deck, so like um, smart networking too


    10:57 PM Reubs: cool


    10:57 PM Reubs: i built it too


    10:57 PM Reubs: smart networking


    10:57 PM Wildeyed: uh huh


    10:57 PM Wildeyed: sure you did


    10:58 PM Wildeyed: pat? didn’t think so


    10:58 PM Reubs: not networking with you seems +ev


    10:59 PM Wildeyed: smart thinnking – because i haven’t um helped several people win pro championships or anything


    10:59 PM Wildeyed: oh no wait, i have


    10:59 PM Wildeyed: it’s really great when the new generation brings a real sense of courtesy and fun to the game, thanks for that


    11:00 PM Reubs: i’ve been playing a long time


    11:00 PM Reubs: i switched to poker


    11:00 PM Reubs: i make a lot of money


    11:00 PM Reubs: you have reminded me why i stopped magic


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: i bet you aren’t happy


    11:00 PM Reubs: thank you


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: ;)


    11:00 PM Reubs: right


    11:00 PM Reubs: that’s why i play poker


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: have are things with girls


    11:00 PM Reubs: and you don’t


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: ;)


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: um hum


    11:00 PM Reubs: girls are pretty good


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: you have no idea who you’re talking to dip-sh*t


    11:00 PM Reubs: big date with stephanie in a couple of days


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: i’m a millionaire, i could give a sh*t


    11:00 PM Reubs: lol


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: big date?


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: lol


    11:00 PM Wildeyed: nice


    11:00 PM Reubs: you are a millionaire


    11:01 PM Wildeyed: have fun


    11:01 PM Reubs: and you are timing out on me


    11:01 PM Reubs: in a two ticket HU queue


    11:01 PM Reubs: you are awesome dude


    11:01 PM Wildeyed: funny how the human system works


    11:01 PM Reubs: thanks for the games


    11:01 PM Reubs: g1 was close


    11:01 PM Wildeyed: you treat me with contempt – click, whir, i do the same


    11:01 PM Reubs: not sure about my play in g2


    11:01 PM Reubs: holding anathemancer, fallout, bit blast, leech, finks right now


    11:01 PM Reubs: had a lot to think about


    11:02 PM Wildeyed: you should look at the way you treat people before you see steph – or you’ll be scratching your head as to why she left you


    11:02 PM Reubs: gave you credit for not attacking and pumping leech if i telegraphed pyroclasm though


    11:02 PM Reubs: ggs


    11:02 PM Reubs: enjoy your thrilling mtg career


    11:03 PM Wildeyed: yeah that’s where i derive all of my pleasure – no i have a great life. usually i come to the magic world to help pople


    11:03 PM Wildeyed: people


    11:03 PM Wildeyed: but sometimes


    11:03 PM Reubs: that’s awesome dude


    11:03 PM Wildeyed: if you work at it a bit


    11:03 PM Wildeyed: while i’m mana screwed


    11:03 PM Wildeyed: you can bring the animal back out ;)


    11:04 PM Reubs: well you get mana screwed some % of the time


    11:04 PM Wildeyed: ggs gl with poker, i apologize for timing out


    11:04 PM Reubs: what point is there getting upset


    11:04 PM Wildeyed: also


    11:04 PM Wildeyed: read blink by malcolm gladwell if you want to know why i got upset


    11:04 PM Reubs: read it already


    11:04 PM Wildeyed: the respect study


    11:04 PM Wildeyed: uw


    11:04 PM Reubs: also i went to uw


    11:04 PM Wildeyed: they have all the couples have phoney fights


    11:05 PM Wildeyed: eventually they can tell by watching a 5-minute clip whether they will be together in 15 years


    11:05 PM Wildeyed: 95% of the time


    11:05 PM Wildeyed: with the sound turned off


    11:05 PM Reubs: they aren’t phony fights


    11:05 PM Wildeyed: they are


    11:05 PM Reubs: they are everyday discussions


    11:05 PM Reubs: no, you listen for contempt


    11:05 PM Wildeyed: look how argumentative you are


    11:05 PM Reubs: you are trying to tell me something that is incorrect, so i am correcting you


    11:05 PM Wildeyed: ha, you put it a poor way


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: that’s the point


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: you think you can interact with people


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: and treat them that way]


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: fine


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: but


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: you’ll some people off


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: even good people


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: let that be a lesson


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: i’ve away a lot of opportunities


    11:06 PM Reubs: thank you for opening my eyes to the world


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: i’ve had big ceos eating out of my hands


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: then whoosh


    11:06 PM Wildeyed: nothing


    (those poor hungry ceos ;___; – GGA)


    11:07 PM Wildeyed: i used to be that way


    11:07 PM Wildeyed: i’m just saying


    11:07 PM Wildeyed: you want to act like you know everything – great


    11:07 PM Reubs: well let me develop through my grouchy early 20s


    11:07 PM Wildeyed: i’ve got my lesson and my reward for my own bad behavior


    11:07 PM Wildeyed: you’re probably way to bright to be grouchy


    11:07 PM Reubs: then i will calm down and get chained down and learn to be nice to people


    11:07 PM Wildeyed: you read bink


    11:07 PM Wildeyed: you can correct me


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: but do you understand the point ?


    11:08 PM Reubs: yeah, it’s something i’m aware of


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: you can dig yourself in such a hole the way you’re going


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: make people hate you


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: they will hurt you


    11:08 PM Reubs: i don’t really care to make time for other people i’m not close to


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: they won’t see you as a person


    11:08 PM Reubs: i have a lot of excellent close friends


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: they’ll steal from you


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: sure


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: so did i


    11:08 PM Reubs: and all the connections i need right now


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: and so many of them stabbed me in the back when i made it


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: you have?


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: what?


    11:08 PM Wildeyed: do you think i’m lobbying you?


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: bah


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: you’re right


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: you know it all


    11:09 PM Reubs: i do not have aspirations of being president or a millionaire or anything


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: and you know everyone you need to know


    11:09 PM Reubs: i make plenty of good money


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: and they will never screw you


    11:09 PM Reubs: at the moment i am focusing on slacklining a lot


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: good luck wiht that system kiddo


    11:09 PM Reubs: and rock climbing


    11:09 PM Reubs: and poker


    11:09 PM Reubs: it’s working pretty well


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: great


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: well


    11:09 PM Wildeyed: good luck with taht


    11:10 PM Reubs: you should not pm people who are marginally behind you on time to ask them to play faster


    11:10 PM Reubs: it is irritating


    11:10 PM Reubs: and comes off as very rude


    11:10 PM Wildeyed: you were taking forever


    11:10 PM Reubs: and you should not time out on people, that’s just absurd


    11:10 PM Reubs: i play poker with two cards


    11:10 PM Reubs: magic has 60 cards in each deck


    11:10 PM Reubs: and 7 cards in each hand


    11:10 PM Reubs: and an infinitely more complex board state


    11:10 PM Reubs: and i don’t know every card in your deck


    11:11 PM Reubs: there is a huge huge amount to think about


    11:11 PM Reubs: to maximize ev


    11:11 PM Wildeyed: anyways


    11:11 PM Wildeyed: i’m not defending my actions


    11:11 PM Wildeyed: i don’t agree with my actions


    11:11 PM Wildeyed: that’s why i apologized


    11:11 PM Reubs: cool, i’m sorry i was short with you then


    11:11 PM Reubs: i have no way of knowing you aren’t a random mtgo


    11:11 PM Reubs: d1ckhead


    11:11 PM Wildeyed: i mean


    11:11 PM Wildeyed: if you treat people


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: as if


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: there are


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: random dickheads


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: i mean


    11:12 PM Reubs: that is what you did to me right?


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: you’ll bring out the dickheads even in cool people


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: no what i did was gay


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: i don’t like feeling bad around magic


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: that’s why i’m sticking around to resolve this


    11:12 PM Wildeyed: i don’t like feeling bad surrounding anything


    11:13 PM Reubs: magic constantly makes me feel bad


    11:13 PM Reubs: i played at gp: seattle


    11:13 PM Reubs: worst feeling of my life


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: i used to be such an animal


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: at live tournaments i’d lose my mind


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: regularly


    11:13 PM Reubs: poker is so much better


    11:13 PM Reubs: i 24-table


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: that’s how i got a reputation, not cheating, just being a


    11:13 PM Reubs: play with the same guys every day and they are all nice and well-mannered


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: 24-table?


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: ah yeah


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: sure


    11:13 PM Reubs: general understanding that you’re there to take money off bad players


    11:13 PM Wildeyed: poker should be better


    11:14 PM Reubs: and that you should be nice to the bad players so they keep coming back


    11:14 PM Reubs: it’s gentlemanly


    11:14 PM Reubs: magic is like


    11:14 PM Reubs: lots of people with emotional issues trying to be superior to each other


    11:14 PM Reubs: over a card game


    11:14 PM Wildeyed: yeah


    11:14 PM Wildeyed: i was typing that


    11:14 PM Wildeyed: it makes you feel morally superior


    11:14 PM Wildeyed: because you feel so freaking smart when you win


    11:15 PM Wildeyed: but it’s so often a lie what you’re feeling


    11:15 PM Reubs: i generally feel like an idiot when i win


    11:15 PM Reubs: because i didn’t play perfectly


    11:15 PM Reubs: that’s all magic has going for it in my eyes, infinitely complex


    11:15 PM Wildeyed: yeah


    11:15 PM Wildeyed: my friend david is a 2 time pt runner up


    11:15 PM Wildeyed: still can’t play


    11:15 PM Wildeyed: his mind is so jacked from the competitive days


    11:15 PM Reubs: david who?


    11:15 PM Wildeyed: he gets so angry when he loses]


    11:15 PM Wildeyed: mills


    11:16 PM Wildeyed: he’s still a brilliant deck builder


    11:16 PM Wildeyed: but he can hardly play without suffering


    11:16 PM Reubs: poker completely removes tilt from games of magic


    11:16 PM Reubs: like, you realize how absurdly high variance is


    11:16 PM Wildeyed: heh


    11:16 PM Reubs: and how little in the game is actually up to you


    11:17 PM Reubs: i just feel awful because i am spending hours playing magic instead of making tons of money playing poker or exercising and being social and stuff


    11:17 PM Wildeyed: my friend david williams suffers over mtg all the time lol


    11:17 PM Wildeyed: well


    11:17 PM Reubs: he also does foot pornos and buys diamond studded toothpicks


    11:17 PM Wildeyed: you’re falling pray to the fallacy of the inverse


    11:17 PM Wildeyed: do you know what that is?


    11:17 PM Reubs: i do not


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: if it rains the sidewalk gets wet


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: if p then q


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: our minds are really screwed up when it comes to that idea


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: we always think q = p


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: there’s zillions of studies about it


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: so


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: if it’s good to make a million dollars playing poker


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: then…


    11:18 PM Wildeyed: we feel like it’s bad not to


    11:19 PM Reubs: yeah


    11:19 PM Wildeyed: thus chasing opportunity in this manic state


    11:19 PM Reubs: i don’t know


    11:19 PM Reubs: i am not like, phil galfond obsessive over this


    11:19 PM Wildeyed: it’s very powerful to have no negative expectations


    11:19 PM Wildeyed: i don’t know phil


    11:19 PM Reubs: he’s a high stakes cash guy who doesn’t really enjoy life despite making millions


    11:19 PM Wildeyed: exactly


    11:20 PM Reubs: he’s basically the perfect example


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: i know so many miserable millionaires


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: soooo manuy


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: many


    11:20 PM Reubs: i like having an idea of what my time is worth


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: i was miserable


    11:20 PM Reubs: i’m still able to take time off poker no problem


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: i remember the day


    11:20 PM Reubs: but i value my time more


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: a half mil cleared into my account


    11:20 PM Reubs: and make sure i’m doing stuff that i like in my time off


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: and i was like: i am not a happy person


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: yeah


    11:20 PM Wildeyed: i work around 4 really hard hours a day


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: which takes usually 8 hours


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: then that’s it


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: dnd


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: magic


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: girls


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: around


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: f*cking around


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: that 8 hours is my contribution to the world


    11:21 PM Reubs: i do 1-3 hours a day and spend the rest of the time outside usually


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: yeah


    11:21 PM Reubs: i make a lot less money than you, fine by me though


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: anyways like i said, sorry for timing u out


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: bah


    11:21 PM Wildeyed: the money isn’t really that important


    11:22 PM Wildeyed: it’s true that i’m a millionaire but it’s false that it matters, which i certainly implied


    11:22 PM Reubs: i dropped out a year ago for poker


    11:22 PM Wildeyed: it just means that if i want to i can lock my door and turn off my phone and probably nobody will bug me


    11:22 PM Reubs: was making 10k a month


    11:22 PM Reubs: thinking this is awesome


    11:22 PM Reubs: then i realized i needed like 1.5k a month to do everything i wanted to do


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: dude


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: that’s a really key realization


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: i didn’t realize it until i was


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: um


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: jeez


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: 32


    11:23 PM Reubs: glad i got it out of the way early


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: anyways, it was good to met you, sorry i was lame


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: yeah


    11:23 PM Wildeyed: for sure


    11:24 PM Reubs: what’s your name
    ?

    11:24 PM Wildeyed: good to meet you man, take care


    11:24 PM Wildeyed: mike long


    11:24 PM Reubs: lol


    11:24 PM Reubs: k


    11:24 PM Reubs: do you remember


    11:24 PM Reubs: whatever t2 had owl


    11:24 PM Wildeyed: sure


    11:24 PM Reubs: you were playing RG aggro


    11:24 PM Wildeyed: we had a fun owl deck


    11:24 PM Wildeyed: yeah


    11:24 PM Reubs: JoINrbs


    11:24 PM Wildeyed: i had a great rg deck


    11:24 PM Reubs: is opponent name


    11:24 PM Wildeyed: what happened? did you beat me?


    11:24 PM Reubs: pitches autochthon wurm to nourishing shoal


    11:24 PM Wildeyed: owl could beat anybody


    11:24 PM Reubs: twincasts twice


    11:25 PM Reubs: you disconnect game one and don’t come back


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: oh yeah


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: really?


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: that’s weird


    11:25 PM Reubs: yeah


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: that’s not like me


    11:25 PM Reubs: one of my favorite moments from magic


    11:25 PM Reubs: ever


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: it must have been an internet proble


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: problem


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: or a girl


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: or…


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: i dunno


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: something else


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: or maybe i just lost it lol


    11:25 PM Wildeyed: that is funny though from your perspective


    11:25 PM Reubs: i will always believe you were like ‘ did that guy just do’


    11:25 PM Reubs: and disc’d


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: hahaha


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: sure, enjoy the thought


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: honestly


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: it’s entirely possible


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: it’s just not like me


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: that rg deck was really good


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: won a lot


    11:26 PM Reubs: owl was okay, i got a bit pet decky with it


    11:26 PM Reubs: wurm + shoal gave you over 50% in some aggro matchups


    11:26 PM Reubs: and control was always a walk


    11:26 PM Reubs: so yeah, that was fun


    11:26 PM Wildeyed: i once won 5 straight 8-mans with it right after the PT


    11:27 PM Wildeyed: anyways, that’s a cool story


    11:27 PM Wildeyed: that’s what i love about magic


    11:27 PM Wildeyed: almost everyone is connected by like 1-2 degrees


    11:28 PM Reubs: i will come make fun of you for cheating or something if i ever see you at a gp or pt


    11:28 PM Wildeyed: ok i’m gonna dash


    11:28 PM Wildeyed: sure do that


    11:28 PM Reubs: gluck


    11:28 PM Wildeyed: lol


    11:28 PM Wildeyed: that would be awesome


    11:29 PM Wildeyed: u2


    Wildeyed has left the conversation.
  • Dominion Comix #12

    If you haven’t played Dominion before, then you may want to read about the game and then glance at this spoiler before reading these comix. You can also read a text spoiler here.

    Mouse over the image to view it in full!

    Here’s the original Envoy we all love:

  • Biggest (Statistical) Beating Ever

    Earlier this year I decided I would take an interest in Shards of Alara block constructed, in part because I was getting back into Standard, and couldn’t be bothered spending up on Lorwyn and Shadowmoor block cards that were going to rotate like, any month now, and also because I was anticipating getting the Shoulder Tap to do Event Coverage for this years Block Constructed Premier Event, Pro Tour Honolulu.

    Apparently I was getting ahead of myself, and every man, woman and intern in the Wizards of the Coast offices was all “omg me, me!” and my shoulder went untapped.

    Heh, untapped.

    So anyway, in an unusual move, the Magic Online Championship Series (Season Two) was scheduled a week before this Pro Tour, and used the exact same format. Well, other than it being online instead of real life, of course, so the shuffler being broken will be a non-issue this weekend.

    (Except for Weasel, whose irl shuffler is broken.)

    Before Alara Reborn came along to shake things up, the format was undeniably ruled by Naya decks. When I say “ruled”, I probably should say “Dominated” in as much as the mere appearance of a non-Naya deck in any of the Decks of the Week top 8 lists often lead people to proclaim The End is Nigh, The Sky is Falling and other such apocalypsisms.

    Now that Alara Reborn has shaken things up, the format is undeniably ruled by Jund decks, and when I say “ruled”, I most definitely should be saying “Dominated”. The culprit, if one had to be named, would almost certainly be Bloodbraid Elf, or BBE. Technically, it’s more that the Cascade mechanic is potentially problematic, and the fact that Maelstrom Pulse and Putrit Leech are exceptionally good cards, but it’s Bloodbraid Elf that means nobody is playing X-Spells like Banefire, Martial Coup or the new and delicious Lavalanche anymore.

    Considering there were 32 Bloodbraid Elves in the top 8 of the MTGO Champs, you’d think that the metagame for this weekend was well and truly sorted out, but I was curious. You may not have noticed, but they’ve added links to the rest of the decklists from the page of top 8 lists. For science, I tentatively clicked on the link to 9th-100th.

    The top 16 showed some variance to the “BBE or Die” approach, with both 14th and 15th place playing none.

    Hydroponix – 14th Place

    Hydroponix had chosen to both go the hate ’em out with Valeron Outrider route, and to have an awesome Asterisk-esque user name. However, I’m pretty sure you could fit some Bloodbraids in there somewhere without crippling your manabase in the slightest, so I’m not sure what the point of that is, other than maybe trying to prove that you can Get There without the Elf. Considering the cash prize in that event goes to 1st place, and
    the rest just get a bunch of packs, he didn’t exactly Get There, either.

    Freyja – 15th Place

    Freyja presented a more conventional Exalted Bant build, and avoided running any Outriders. I assume because they aren’t particularly good against non-Jund decks. Not exactly an obvious move, considering they only take up what, 75% of the metagame?

    Top 8 – 32/32

    Top 16 – 24/32

    Total – 56/64

    Moving on the the top 32.

    The next 16 decks matched the top 16 in that everyone bar two were packing a playset of Bloodbraids. This time, strandba in 18th place was playing what amounted to an Old-School Naya deck. The only Alara Reborn cards he had were 3 Vithian Renegades in the sideboard. I think strandba could have fitted some Bloodbraids without even trying. I suspect, the answer here is that he did not even try. Murkkis in 20th place was the highest finisher playing an Esper Control build, which let’s face it, probably shouldn’t try to squeeze in the Elf, even though I’m assuming it probably could.

    Top 8 – 32/32

    Top 16 – 24/32

    Top 32 – 56/64

    Total – 112/128

    An Esper deck built to include Bloodbraid is probably just a 5Color Control deck, of which there are none inside the top 32. In 33rd place, Orgg Ascetic played a 5CC deck, whose only creatures were 4 Wall of Denial and wait for it, 4 Bloodbraid Elf. In 34th, ChicoMartini had Exalted Bant, and so did thekid in 37th. KT0, in 42nd place, had an interesting take on Esper Control, including a bunch of Glassdust Hulks and Architect of Wills to cycle, powering up 4 Soul Manipulation. FilippoK in 44th place had 5CC as well, but lacked the Bloodbraids to go with his Walls, instead playing a single Sphinx of the Steel Wind.

    In 50th place, Judah threw the numbers out by playing only 3 Bloodbraid Elves in his unusual 5CC build. Unusual in that the only cards he ran 4 of were Crumbling Necropolis, Savage Lands and Exotic Orchard. Everything else was quite frankly, a mess. JHawkins, 52nd, and Inuyasha, 53rd, both played 5CC, monkeywrenched85 in 55th place had a deck very similar to Orgg Ascetic, in that he actually did have the Elves, but only the Wall of Denials to keep them company. I can’t think a Wall of Denial would be particularly good company either, to be honest.

    Drake in 58th place played 5CC, and finally Your Best Friend in 62nd place, played a deck whose only creatures were 4 Wall of Denial. No doubt the Walls would tell you otherwise, regardless of what you asked them, but here is his list.

    Your Best Friend – 62th Place

    What’s he expecting to do, Martial Coup away one of his Walls before casting Cruel Ultimatum? Perhaps he’s expecting to discard one to a Blightning or something, because there’s not much else can kill ’em. I do like that he’s playing 8 Regrowths though, that’s pretty cool. Everyone else in the top 64 was playing 4 Bloodbraid Elves. Maindeck too, none in their sideboards.

    Top 8 – 32/32

    Top 16 – 24/32

    Top 32 – 56/64

    Top 64 – 95/128

    Total – 207/256

    So what will the weekend bring? Will anyone channel Zvi Mowshowitz and Bring The New Solution? Is there something amazing that everyone on Magic Online has missed? Can I possibly end this without a question mark? Seems unlikely. No wait, success!

  • Alara Reborn Contest: Voting

    ( Contest anouncementAll contest entries )

    The Alara Reborn contest is now over! Take a look over the submissions to remember the good times, and then head into the discussion thread to vote for your favorites. If you were a participant, remember to contact me so that you may claim your participation packs.

    And now, on with the contestants (in alphabetic order):

    Basilisk:

    Wizard Energy Beverages by Basilisk

    Ein:

    Oil // Emulsion // Water by Ein

    Encrypted Command by Ein

    Metrognomes by Ein

    Gasface:

    Breaking Triple ARB Draft: Aggro Jund Cascade by Gasface

    GyantSpyder:

    Lord of Jund to Nationalize Dragons by GyantSpyder

    JSexton:

    Unbelievable News by JSexton with images by Basilisk

    NicotineJones:

    NJ’s Alara Reborn Capsule Review by NicotineJones

    Ozymandias:

    Uril, the Miststalker: A Creepy Thing Not from Grixis by ozymandias

    Paz:

    What Magic Color are You, You Moron? by Paz

    Regionals Turbo Fog Players Regret Decision by Paz

    Choose Your Own Alara by Paz

    Prolepsis:

    Hypergenesis Combo in Classic by Prolepsis

    Sam111111:

    Dr. Hisoka: “Magic Players are Losers” by Sam111111

    Slearch:

    Magical Cards Facebook Feed by slearch with contributions from Basilisk and Skeletor

    Skeletor:

    GoodGamery News – May 2009 by Skeletor

    GoodGamery News – The Unexpected Malfegor Paradox by Skeletor

    Click on the link below to go vote for your favorites.

  • Unbelievable News

    Author Image

    Making Magic Archive
    Mark Rosewater Archive

    Mark Rosewater
    Monday, June 1, 2009


    The letter F! olks, I have a special treat to announce today. But first, a little background. Those of you that play Magic Online know two things: Magic Online is a terrific product; and it doesn’t always work as well as we’d like. We believe that, like the economy, Magic Online is fundamentally strong. Sure, it’s had hiccups. Sure, it’s had ups and downs. But at the core is an incredible play experience that brings together players from all over the world from a variety of backgrounds, and lets them duel as though they are sitting in the same room. We decided we wanted to thank the players that have stuck with us through the tough times, and now have a front row seat for V3, the most stable Magic Online platform ever. Now that we’ve worked out the kinks, I think we can all look back with a sense of humor and have a laugh.

    I’m proud to announce the third Un-expansion: Unavailable.

    Unavailable is the first product exclusive to Magic Online. That’s right: it will not be sold in stores, and will not be redeemable. Unhinged, after all, was only available in cardboard, and this is the same principle. Much like the Astral set from Microprose, we will take advantage of the unique features of online play and translate them to Magic in ways that simply can’t be duplicated in cardboard.

    Team Rocket

    The design began nearly two years ago. Justin Ziran (Gamer Zer0), was at the time the Brand Manager, and he approached me with the idea of putting together a set to try and lighten the mood online, since he felt like the feedback he was getting from the community was somewhat negative. We went with an approach that felt like a winner, a one-two punch of top Magic designers, and experts in Magic Online.

    Here’s the team:

    MaRO Mark Rosewater – I was Lead Designer for the set.

    This shouldn’t come as a great surprise. I was also Lead Designer of Unglued and Unhinged. Having written for Roseanne, I know funny. And any time someone has a good idea, I’m pretty quick to take credit. I may not have ever played Magic Online, but I’m pretty sure the skills translate.

    Gamerzer0 Justin Ziran – Justin was the Brand Manager and Community Liaison, and as such, knew the feelings of the Magic Online community better than anyone. I have always been impressed with Justin’s ability to create just the right tone with players, and to strike a balance between the needs of the community and the needs of the company. I really don’t know what we would do without him.

    SloggerSucks Devin Low – An all-star Magic Designer. Devin is the kind of guy who instinctively knows what players want, even if they don’t quite realize it themselves. With his finger on the pulse of the Magic community, he is utterly irreplaceable.

    GTFO Jenna Helland – Jenna is a flavor guru, but more importantly, Jenna was the lead designer for the User Interface for Magic Online V3. As such, she was uniquely qualified to recreate the classic look and feel of the Magic Online experience. We wanted the cards themselves to reflect the intuitive familiarity of online play.

    On With The Show

    Unavailable features several new mechanics that reflect the nature of online play. One of the most fun is Ban. Any time a card is Banned, it will be, well, banned. That means it will instantly disappear from play, your hand, your library, your graveyard, in fact from all zones. This will affect every player in the game, and will last for the rest of the match. That’s right, it will carry over into the next game.

    (Amusing aside: during the beta testing, Banning was coded to prevent wishing for the card later in the game, which required removing the Banned card from your collection temporarily. The code to replace it didn’t quite work, however. Randy Buehler cast Radiate in a FFA game and eradicated every card on the test server. Permanently. That pushed us back a few days of testing. Don’t worry, though, we’re pretty sure that’s fixed.)

    buffer-overrun

    Another powerful new addition to your arsenal is Edit. Mages have long been able to change certain words on card, typically related to color or land type. Now, Edit allows you to change the text of a given card is all-new ways, such as swapping abilities, doubling, them or removing them outright.

    strconst-dat-out-of-date

    Not all new cards focus on a new mechanic. Some harken back to the old days and poke a little fun at some problems that you may have forgotten ever happened.

    wrath-of-marit-lag
          
    temporary-isolation

    Finally, there is a subtheme that players have been clamoring for ever since we hinted at it in Future Sight. Many people had guesses about what it would mean, but now you know for sure: The Magic Online game servers have been nicknamed Contraptions for years now!

    server-machinations

    You’re Such A Tease

    You’ve gotten a taste of what’s to come, but I’d like to leave you with some hints. You won’t believe what we’ve held back.

    • A 13/13 creature for 2 mana. Hint: its creature type is “Crasher”.
    • A way to make your opponent’s cards non foil – permanently!
    • The first ever “rating matters” card.

    I think all of you are going to get a real kick out of this set. I know it’s been a long road, but we’re finally a place of stability and consistency, and all of you are a big part of why that came to be. Without your positive feedback and steadfast loyalty, I don’t even want to think about where we’d be. Hopefully, giving you this set will let you know just how much we listen to you.

    Until then, may your client be stable, your packs be winners, and your rares be cool.

  • Pro MTG Online #222

    Pro MTG Online #222