Great idea, but aside for the already settled time-related issues (this site is visited by people from around the world, so the time the article is released would influence the nationality of the prize-winners), you should find a better way to visualize the puzzles, as the way they are now isn't visually elegant enough, and they deserve better.
It would also be nice to include the opponent board as well (if you go the hard way of still using MTGO, you just have to set a freeform game against a friend/another account, with just the needed cards in the deck).
Like in many other cases, V3 is still better than beta for this. But you might want to use a whole different and more suitable editor. Not an expert myself, but there are a few.
Just wanted to say thanks for the puzzles, I enjoyed them and look forward to the next set. I think they were about the right difficulty for me, personally - not so easy as to be completely obvious, but not impossible and didn't feel like a cheesy cheat when the solution became clear. I'd say classing 1,2,3 and easy, medium, hard is fair.
Thinking about previous promo cards: Pete, when you judge a paper tournament do you give out lint from your dryer as a promo? Probably not because TO's are not in the habit of handing out garbage as an incentive. Maybe Worth is learning this lesson.
The trouble with that puzzle is any 'can't be prevented' burn spell does the trick. Unstable Footing, Skullcrack, Flames of the blood hand or Banefire all work.
I'm too lazy to create them, but I've always imagined a great puzzle to be as follows.
Create a board state, usually you have to give knowledge of opponent's hidden resources. Then ask the following question to the would-be solver: "what card must you topdeck with your next draw step to win?" (if not, you lose to opponent's inevitable threat next turn). The more obscure the saving card, the more delicious the puzzle.
For example, say you have Archaeomancer in hand (2UU: a 1/2 Wizard that recovers an instant or sorcery from your graveyard) and three mountains and three islands in play along with a global haste effect (e.g., Anger or Fervor), and your opponent has 2 life, a Wall of Frost (0/7 wall) equipped with Leonin Bola (tap equipped creature to tap target creature), a tapped Burrenton Forge-Tender (sac to prevent a red damage source) and a Leyline of Sanctity in play. Moreover, you must win this turn since you only have one life and one card left in your library. What card in all of Magic must you topdeck in order to win? Answer: next paragraph - don't read if you want to solve the puzzle.
Answer: a one-mana red instant from Urza's Legacy called About Face that switches the power/and toughness of target creature. You thankfully topdeck the About Face, pump your fist, windmill slam it to destroy the 0/7 Wall of frost, then cast Archaeomancer to return it, and cast it again on the Archaeomancer, making it a 2/1, and it attacks for lethal. Note, this puzzle could be made even harder by throwing red herrings into the graveyard as false Archaeomancer targets, like Shock or Chain of Vapor or Tunnel (1 red mana Instant: Destroy target Wall). This type of puzzle could be made easier by limiting the available card pool, standard-only or pauper-only for instance.
Hope you guys like the puzzle. I just built it after the first card I saw in the deck editor of my MTGO account. Feel free to steal this example for next week and/or create your own.
I remember back in the day my brother subscribed to some Magic magazine where the last page would have one of these, and I always wondered why no one else picked up the reigns. Very awesome :-D
Your Slide list needs Enlightened Tutor plus bullets for more consistency (and maybe the Thopter-Sword kill for better reach (over Acidic Slime lockdown perhaps)). Plus I'd rather play the Rune cycle (pun intended, increasing Plains count) over expensive cyclers like Tusker or little upside cyclers like Renewed Faith. Edit: Also Aura Shards somewhere in the 75.
I realized the first come reward was probably not the right method this morning and for now the plan going foward will be random selection from correct answers.
Impressively fast considering I started reading this 30minutes AFTER you posted this.
The first two were easy I didn't bother with #3 after reading what you actually wrote...
My feedback: It is fine to do puzzles the way you did them. Good brain food but for prizes? The give out can't be first come first serve when people come to this site at different times.
The Wide Beta Spotlight that was on the calendar is off it again. This has happened twice. The twitterverse indicates that it is NOT happening on those dates, and has been pushed back, possibly til after M14?
Re: Opening paragraphs. Check out your local library for great books, and go there on a bicycle!
Great idea, but aside for the already settled time-related issues (this site is visited by people from around the world, so the time the article is released would influence the nationality of the prize-winners), you should find a better way to visualize the puzzles, as the way they are now isn't visually elegant enough, and they deserve better.
It would also be nice to include the opponent board as well (if you go the hard way of still using MTGO, you just have to set a freeform game against a friend/another account, with just the needed cards in the deck).
Like in many other cases, V3 is still better than beta for this. But you might want to use a whole different and more suitable editor. Not an expert myself, but there are a few.
Just wanted to say thanks for the puzzles, I enjoyed them and look forward to the next set. I think they were about the right difficulty for me, personally - not so easy as to be completely obvious, but not impossible and didn't feel like a cheesy cheat when the solution became clear. I'd say classing 1,2,3 and easy, medium, hard is fair.
Thinking about previous promo cards: Pete, when you judge a paper tournament do you give out lint from your dryer as a promo? Probably not because TO's are not in the habit of handing out garbage as an incentive. Maybe Worth is learning this lesson.
...deleted...
The trouble with that puzzle is any 'can't be prevented' burn spell does the trick. Unstable Footing, Skullcrack, Flames of the blood hand or Banefire all work.
I'm too lazy to create them, but I've always imagined a great puzzle to be as follows.
Create a board state, usually you have to give knowledge of opponent's hidden resources. Then ask the following question to the would-be solver: "what card must you topdeck with your next draw step to win?" (if not, you lose to opponent's inevitable threat next turn). The more obscure the saving card, the more delicious the puzzle.
For example, say you have Archaeomancer in hand (2UU: a 1/2 Wizard that recovers an instant or sorcery from your graveyard) and three mountains and three islands in play along with a global haste effect (e.g., Anger or Fervor), and your opponent has 2 life, a Wall of Frost (0/7 wall) equipped with Leonin Bola (tap equipped creature to tap target creature), a tapped Burrenton Forge-Tender (sac to prevent a red damage source) and a Leyline of Sanctity in play. Moreover, you must win this turn since you only have one life and one card left in your library. What card in all of Magic must you topdeck in order to win? Answer: next paragraph - don't read if you want to solve the puzzle.
Answer: a one-mana red instant from Urza's Legacy called About Face that switches the power/and toughness of target creature. You thankfully topdeck the About Face, pump your fist, windmill slam it to destroy the 0/7 Wall of frost, then cast Archaeomancer to return it, and cast it again on the Archaeomancer, making it a 2/1, and it attacks for lethal. Note, this puzzle could be made even harder by throwing red herrings into the graveyard as false Archaeomancer targets, like Shock or Chain of Vapor or Tunnel (1 red mana Instant: Destroy target Wall). This type of puzzle could be made easier by limiting the available card pool, standard-only or pauper-only for instance.
Hope you guys like the puzzle. I just built it after the first card I saw in the deck editor of my MTGO account. Feel free to steal this example for next week and/or create your own.
The Duelist. And the puzzles were done by Mark Rosewater.
I remember back in the day my brother subscribed to some Magic magazine where the last page would have one of these, and I always wondered why no one else picked up the reigns. Very awesome :-D
Good to know the concept of this one. I like the idea on this. Keep it up. - Mallory Fleming
Good job to the team. I think they really deserved a lot. Keep up the good work. - Mallory Fleming
Good wrap up of the event.
Your Slide list needs Enlightened Tutor plus bullets for more consistency (and maybe the Thopter-Sword kill for better reach (over Acidic Slime lockdown perhaps)). Plus I'd rather play the Rune cycle (pun intended, increasing Plains count) over expensive cyclers like Tusker or little upside cyclers like Renewed Faith. Edit: Also Aura Shards somewhere in the 75.
I realized the first come reward was probably not the right method this morning and for now the plan going foward will be random selection from correct answers.
Impressively fast considering I started reading this 30minutes AFTER you posted this.
The first two were easy I didn't bother with #3 after reading what you actually wrote...
My feedback: It is fine to do puzzles the way you did them. Good brain food but for prizes? The give out can't be first come first serve when people come to this site at different times.
Yup, when I said all tapped out I was including the stalker, though I probably should have stated that more clearly.
Is the invisible stalker in puzzle 3 tapped?
For future references submissions will be accepted at xgerpuzzlemaster@gmail.com
I will also likely change the method for prizes to a random drawing from correct answers after this one.
Nevermind, didn't know how to submit my answer lol. Was going to post a comment on here but oh well.
New to this. How do I PM or reply to you?
There have now been 3 winning submissions (correct answers and MTGO username).
Just realized I should clarify for Puzzle 1 that your opponent is tapped out with no creatures and no cards in hand.
Just seeing this now thanks to the spam.
Hey guys my power went out and i am still looking for a cohost game starts in 30 minutes please send me a message if you can
They are just trying to make our lives interesting.
Makes me wonder if they use the calendar for anything else. It still doesn't show the release date for M14, much less Theros.
The Wide Beta Spotlight that was on the calendar is off it again. This has happened twice. The twitterverse indicates that it is NOT happening on those dates, and has been pushed back, possibly til after M14?