Also, peter, I think you had a decent shot at an aggressive Red/Black deck with a blue splash for the quicksilver and FOF.
On the other hand,I also think you could have played the signet just as mana ramping- it would always produce mana you could use, unlike the sylvok explorer which most times wouldnt have.
I surely hope they launch more. I couldnt get into the 11am one and they didnt make another queue until later on, when I couldnt make the event. We used to play drafts and sealed events like this all the time whenever the local shop would run out of the current set packs.
We used to buy the "low foil" (AKA Weighed) packs of masques and nemesis for $2.50 each, along with other random packs and draft. Nothing like opening 2 fallen empires packs to make my 2nd pack and seeing 3 hymn to tourach between them.
one of the best decks we ever saw was when someone drafted 4th edition, urzas saga and ice age. He opened pestilence in 4th (and a white knight which tabled), pestilence in saga (and urzas armor which tabled) and order of white shield (order of leitbur clone).
He also had the white/black dual from tempest and a gemstone mine. the deck demolished everyone except the whirling dervish I had.
Remember rancor tricks vs. Ulmog Crusher - if you put both on the Ulmog (or a creature you have) you can sac them to pay the ULMOG price, and simply recast it. This has won me COUNTLESS GAMES.
I recognize that the game costs money to play, but when you buy expensive cards, you are buying a real thing that is expensive due to scarcity. You can, as a general rule, turn around and resell those cards if you no longer need them, often with little or no loss in value, especially with older cards.
Paying for free wins in an event is something very different. You aren't buying the cards you need to play the best deck you can, as everyone must, you are just directly paying for a competitive advantage.
To put it another context, look at something like a car race.
There is a very real difference between one team having more money for testing and development and ending up with a better car, versus one team paying a fee to have their car start 500 yards ahead of the rest.
Am I alone in feeling that this is an important distinction?
That is so easily prevented it isn't even funny. Though I don't know whether TGCPlayer will take the steps to do so. The fact is, they are interested in promoting their tourneys so they might let people slide in which case you might have a point.
But then again, I feel like sometimes the game itself requires a large buy-in to begin with. There are plenty alternatives of course but when a Vintage deck begins with the power and ends with other expensive rares it might be difficult for anyone not willing to pay, to win.
I am not making a judgment as to whether that is OK, or good or what but just noting it isn't a new issue.
Yes, but those cards can be traded and sold, and they will be if history is anything to go by.
What you end up with is the ability to buy in to an event with free wins if you are willing to pay the money.
Yes, this money would be going to people who had to win events to get the points cards rather than TCGPlayer directly. Still, being able to purchase wins for an event just sits badly with me, even if it's not done directly.
@Gatherling: will help a lot, Looks good right now with the new tribal parts.
@Singlton: not very interested in singlton, will always bring the one deck i have (Vampires)
@Kamigawa Challange: I made a bad bad zubera deck with nice (The Art...) duals and stuff, but lost against every deck while testing...
I agree (and have highlighted myself, more than once) that attendance numbers confirm the variety of formats has been good on the whole. But I would have been pretty happy with a second regular tribal week. It is a bit frustrating to me, as somebody that builds a lot of tribal decks, to build a bunch of decks and realize there's really only one week per month I could run many of those decks, especially since my ability to attend on any given week varies a lot. I have, for example, an Angel flicker deck that was tons of fun to play, but uses offtribe creatures, so there's only one week each month I could bring that deck, and if I bring it to the ONE regular event I'm giving up too much of a chance at HoF points since it isn't hyper-competitive.
When I was a newer player, I liked endangered way more than regular, because the power level was a touch lower and I personally had a lot of deck design space left to explore with minor tribes. Now it's just the opposite. I think I've just reached the point where I feel like I don't have any new competitive ideas left with the underdog tribes. When I sit down to brew one lately, it always just feels like a lamer version of some other deck I've already played.
Pure Tribal does still feel like it has some potential to me, since it opens up space for decks that are powerful but wouldn't do as well in a field full of "4Swords4Path.dek". So perhaps I will just be happy with an increased chance to see what the Pure Tribal variation can bring to the table :) BTW, rules question, is Pure Tribal going to ban all creatures with Big Shot subtypes (like Small Time was doing), or just prohibit the Big Shots from being your tribal identity?
It's not specifically Singleton that took place of Small Time - it's 50% Singleton, 50% Pure, since they were sharing a week, now they both have their own week. By the way, the decision stemmed not only from the fact that Small Time had to go, but from the choice of not just going back to the second regular event, which was what I was going to do, honestly. But everyone was fine with only one regular event per month (and the attendance numbers seem to confirm it), so I chose to use current, established formats.
Good job as always . having events for std pauper would be just awesome! Lets hope Wotc continues to listen to us.
Also, peter, I think you had a decent shot at an aggressive Red/Black deck with a blue splash for the quicksilver and FOF.
On the other hand,I also think you could have played the signet just as mana ramping- it would always produce mana you could use, unlike the sylvok explorer which most times wouldnt have.
I surely hope they launch more. I couldnt get into the 11am one and they didnt make another queue until later on, when I couldnt make the event. We used to play drafts and sealed events like this all the time whenever the local shop would run out of the current set packs.
We used to buy the "low foil" (AKA Weighed) packs of masques and nemesis for $2.50 each, along with other random packs and draft. Nothing like opening 2 fallen empires packs to make my 2nd pack and seeing 3 hymn to tourach between them.
one of the best decks we ever saw was when someone drafted 4th edition, urzas saga and ice age. He opened pestilence in 4th (and a white knight which tabled), pestilence in saga (and urzas armor which tabled) and order of white shield (order of leitbur clone).
He also had the white/black dual from tempest and a gemstone mine. the deck demolished everyone except the whirling dervish I had.
Remember rancor tricks vs. Ulmog Crusher - if you put both on the Ulmog (or a creature you have) you can sac them to pay the ULMOG price, and simply recast it. This has won me COUNTLESS GAMES.
It really exceeds what was set to them. That is how popular this game is. - Kale Flagg
This game is really confusing. I find it difficult to do this kind of game. - Kale Flagg
He won all the rounds? What is his secret he won the game? - Kale Flagg
Hmm...Interesting. The death approach really fancy me. - Kale Flagg
No, I'm with you on this setting a bad precedent and being a terrible idea
They will show up GB it's just been a busy two weeks.
Are the missing round 3 feature matches going to show up, or has the moment passed? I want to hear your commentary on my match against the RIP deck.
I recognize that the game costs money to play, but when you buy expensive cards, you are buying a real thing that is expensive due to scarcity. You can, as a general rule, turn around and resell those cards if you no longer need them, often with little or no loss in value, especially with older cards.
Paying for free wins in an event is something very different. You aren't buying the cards you need to play the best deck you can, as everyone must, you are just directly paying for a competitive advantage.
To put it another context, look at something like a car race.
There is a very real difference between one team having more money for testing and development and ending up with a better car, versus one team paying a fee to have their car start 500 yards ahead of the rest.
Am I alone in feeling that this is an important distinction?
You confirmed two extremes. "Not me" points to "NO" and "I made dead dog" points to "YES" - confused...
Not me, Deep Dog was around long before I started playing. I made Dead Dog though.
That is so easily prevented it isn't even funny. Though I don't know whether TGCPlayer will take the steps to do so. The fact is, they are interested in promoting their tourneys so they might let people slide in which case you might have a point.
But then again, I feel like sometimes the game itself requires a large buy-in to begin with. There are plenty alternatives of course but when a Vintage deck begins with the power and ends with other expensive rares it might be difficult for anyone not willing to pay, to win.
I am not making a judgment as to whether that is OK, or good or what but just noting it isn't a new issue.
Yes, but those cards can be traded and sold, and they will be if history is anything to go by.
What you end up with is the ability to buy in to an event with free wins if you are willing to pay the money.
Yes, this money would be going to people who had to win events to get the points cards rather than TCGPlayer directly. Still, being able to purchase wins for an event just sits badly with me, even if it's not done directly.
Big Shot TRIBES banned. Not types. Let's keep it simple.
correct. You don't buy the points cards, you earn them. You can win them in the main events, or even in side events at TCGPlayer events.
add moments peace and unearth as cards that have moved recently as well and sounds about right
Any deck can have a good day right? Even stompy from what I hear :p
You have to win the cards that allow you to buy byes as I read it.
@Gatherling: will help a lot, Looks good right now with the new tribal parts.
@Singlton: not very interested in singlton, will always bring the one deck i have (Vampires)
@Kamigawa Challange: I made a bad bad zubera deck with nice (The Art...) duals and stuff, but lost against every deck while testing...
"Byes are a huge advantage in making Top 8, and buying byes is just cool."
Is it just the way I'm reading it, or is that a flat out endorsement of pay-to-win style gaming?
These are made up numbers of course, but how is it a good thing to have a tournament that costs $50 to enter, or $150 to enter with 3 free wins?
I'm honestly very curious what the thinking here is, as that just runs completely counter to my own reaction.
I agree (and have highlighted myself, more than once) that attendance numbers confirm the variety of formats has been good on the whole. But I would have been pretty happy with a second regular tribal week. It is a bit frustrating to me, as somebody that builds a lot of tribal decks, to build a bunch of decks and realize there's really only one week per month I could run many of those decks, especially since my ability to attend on any given week varies a lot. I have, for example, an Angel flicker deck that was tons of fun to play, but uses offtribe creatures, so there's only one week each month I could bring that deck, and if I bring it to the ONE regular event I'm giving up too much of a chance at HoF points since it isn't hyper-competitive.
When I was a newer player, I liked endangered way more than regular, because the power level was a touch lower and I personally had a lot of deck design space left to explore with minor tribes. Now it's just the opposite. I think I've just reached the point where I feel like I don't have any new competitive ideas left with the underdog tribes. When I sit down to brew one lately, it always just feels like a lamer version of some other deck I've already played.
Pure Tribal does still feel like it has some potential to me, since it opens up space for decks that are powerful but wouldn't do as well in a field full of "4Swords4Path.dek". So perhaps I will just be happy with an increased chance to see what the Pure Tribal variation can bring to the table :) BTW, rules question, is Pure Tribal going to ban all creatures with Big Shot subtypes (like Small Time was doing), or just prohibit the Big Shots from being your tribal identity?
It's not specifically Singleton that took place of Small Time - it's 50% Singleton, 50% Pure, since they were sharing a week, now they both have their own week. By the way, the decision stemmed not only from the fact that Small Time had to go, but from the choice of not just going back to the second regular event, which was what I was going to do, honestly. But everyone was fine with only one regular event per month (and the attendance numbers seem to confirm it), so I chose to use current, established formats.
I agree 100% with your description of Singleton.