Ticket to Ride has always been my first game that I play with players who are unsure about liking board games. It's quick, simple to learn, and has a nice bit of strategic depth.
All of the deck building games are self contained and are full games out of the box. Unless of course they are expansions, then you just add the expansion into the base game. No need to purchase booster packs or anything like that.
That's why when I find myself doing poorly in a PRE (not the same competitive level as an 8-4 draft usually but it can be rough in some of these) I stop playing in it for a while. That need to just play one more to correct the obvious error that fate is making is so strong. But as you point out it is a compulsion that should be ignored.
I think one thing to remember about competition is there is always a bigger knife/gun if you get my meaning. There are times when it seems like you can't lose and then times when winning should be easy and isn't. Part of that might be you, your hand, frame of mind, etc and part of it just might be your opponent.
I love the Cannibals as well, unless you've got a string of Humans yourself I wouldn't maindeck - but your bound to play against someone with lots of Humans!
I still haven't time to watch the vids but will over the weekend.
But I think things like this happen with that slight disconnect between knowing the theory, running with it, but still missing that "something" which doesn't quite gel. And when a game holds a strong element of randomness and luck it can just put you into that infuriating cycle, I think it's a very similar touch point for those with gambling problems.
I experience the same problem in 2 other of my gaming loves, Poker and Blood Bowl (Warhammer style dice + strategy game). Sure sometimes you play bad, and I can accept that - but when your making all the right moves and you still can't catch a break... it's madness.
I'd sunk a few beers in my games last night and that genuinely upped my reaction and frustration. I even went into my 3rd match with the right attitude of being okay with loosing - but then I drafted well, built a solid deck, no obvious play mistakes and still lost... that's what sunk the knife in.
Correct thing to do: walk away. But when you're in that frame of mind it's nigh on impossible - I share your pain buddy :)
Are any of the deckbuilding games you highlight not trading card games but a complete game within the box with all the cards? My brother really enjoys board games and has a lot of them (Ticket to Ride a present from my parents this year) and I'd like to get him a game. We really enjoy playing Race for the Galaxy, a self contained card game and would like a suggestion along the lines of this. I tried to get him into magic and we played for the first time the other night but he said he doesn't enjoy it. Any input from anyone here is appreciated.
What is this whole "lets be nice to everyone while holding hands?".
Why should I say GL to someone? I don't want them to have luck. There is enough of that in MtG. And what really "grinds my gears" is when you say something like "GL bud" and he responds with a right click "Hello and Good Luck". I want to jump through the screen and f**k a n**ga up.
And if you play COD, I wish there was an actual NON-CENSORED chat so I can say the things you know I would say if I was playing a game. It's probably why I can't play paper. I would get arrested for assault and fined for slander after a guy topdecks when I'm about to win and I throw the table to the side and hang him from the ceiling by his underwear.
I think trash talk should be encouraged. Not like "you suck dude" or "lucky topdeck", after the game it's over, but during the game you should say whatever you want to a person. Forget the people saying you should be courteous to everyone. I don't care about anyone but myself when it comes to winning.
And if you want a reason to trash talk, well some people might call it classless, but the CIA classifies it as Psychological Warfare. I think of it as a win condition rather than not being nice.
**And I didn't watch the second ISD draft when I wrote my first post, but you trying to sound upbeat is hilarious. I actually lol'd. I just think that at this point, with everyone knowing the cards and what you are doing, you should spend your time talking as much c**p as you want to the guy, and use his name. He would be honored to be mentioned on TV.
For you forcing to be upbeat, you get a 5 star rating for this.
Oh and the new Smirnoff Marshmallow Flavored Vodka is great. Your kid would also probably love the Whipped Cream flavored one. It's good to get them started early.
2) Which part should I skip? The recorded draft or the viewer? I think the viewer is actually good for some people at work - as they have YouTube firewalled (the horror!)
3) No arguments :/ I swear I am like 2-3 weeks late on what is hot and what is not. Spider Spawning has been wayyyy more popular lately - and I underestimate Maon of the Unhallowed too much :*(
4) I thought I would be way more keen on Masques, it turns out I'm just not, yet. Maybe when ISD gets old I'll play it more (as I am an eternal player at heart)
5) I think it has a lot to do with the fact I usually draft to escape something that is pissing me off - like my Cowboys sucking (at least 2 of the drafts here were from the blown game against the Cardinals when Jason Garret froze his own freaking KICKER!!)
I'm in a GREAT mood at the moment though. Hopefull I can do the first draft while still in this mood!
1) Thank Google for doing their usual BS. They have a button that has snowflakes falling as you watch the video. I accidentally left it on and didn't know the snowflakes accumulate on the bottom.
2) You don't need to put up the draft and then the youtube of the draft. Just the vid at this point.
I mean for ISD especially, we have all played more than enough of ISD, and that means almost everyone, to know what cards are good and why you take them.
3) Spotting the mis-picks in your ISD draft is numerous. I mean there were a massive chunk of them. Moan of the Unhallowed is one of the best black cards in the game, and you passed it over for a Ghoulraiser. There are way too many late ghoulcaller's bells to take that one creature than one card that can make 4 creatures. I mean you need more than 1 win condition.
And the other massive misplay? Well everyone talks about synergy. I call that BS. But you did have a lot of creatures going to the graveyard, yet you passed over spider spawning, a win condition on it's own. I would splash a forest over a plains for Spider Spawning over Slayer of the Wicked, and you are already in black so the flashback also works with your self mill.
4) I consider every Masques draft a failure unless you open a foil Rishidan Port.
Otherwise it's just old cards from my paper playing days with new rules that should be changed based on the set. For example, there is a lot of things in Masques that tap down your opponents mana, or you get things when your mana is tapped, but without mana burn, it becomes purposeless. Also I have learned from Masques is that you want creatures... creatures... and then more creatures. There are a few bombs, but they are here and there especially with these stupid "collated" packs.
5) Are you getting as bored with ISD as I am? I mean you said you are up to post #12. You get paid for this. For free I have posted 15 and I am really bored with the set. Regardless of how great my deck is, and I can have 23 Geist Honored Monks and 17 Mana and still lose all because of mana screw or opponents top decking the exact card they need at the exact right time. Sigh. (Although I would love to see how a deck comprised entirely of Geist Honored Monks would work... hmmm)
But how can you sound so depressed? I mean you live in SoCal. It's warm there unlike here on the better coast, you can learn Spanish for free, and the Mexican food must be amazing. And it's not "racism" because A) Mexican isn't a race B) It's not because it's true. I've been to the left coast.
I'd say there is a very good chance that there is a legendary werewolf in DKA. Seeing as the mythic werewolf was pushed out of Innistrad so Garruk could get added to the set. And of the three named werewolves from the Planswalker's Guide to Innistrad: Kessig article there are two of them that are likely for DKA. Ulrich of the Krallenhorde, and Skaharra of Leeraug pack.
The third one might be a better fit in Avacyn Restored as there are no double faced cards and he is described as: "Their alpha Tovalos is a mute, silver-furred werewolf who leads his pack on revels of carnage and howling songs, and who never seems to revert to human form."
Thanks for the tips DrawingDead. As I said in my previous comment I'll hop in an 8-4 soon (maybe tonight) and I will fight my urge to pick chaff like I OBV did here.
Do you hate the cannibals? I have found I really like the way they gain on the death of ANY human, on either side.
i was unable to watch the matches as i am at work and its blocked but i did read through the picks of the first inn draft and can maybe offer some insight.
P1 pick 4: Ghoulraiser over moan was wrong. Moan is one of the best cards to be in black for and you passed it for a sub par 2/2.
P1 pick 5: anything over village cannibals. it's going to be a vanilla 2/2 too much of the time. The vampire is straight up better as is the goliath and the stitchers app is also a fine pick.
P1 pick 8: Think twice would have been the best pick (and would have paid dividens with all those delvers)
P2 pick 1: Galvanic Juggernaut is a nice colorless option over a card you shouldnt be picking. the bat was also a decent option.
P2 pick 3: i'd have hate drafted over picking a drudge skeletons with haste. but tbh thats personal opinion.
P2 pick 11: hate that vengence. its an archetype on its own great to take out with no cost to you.
P3 pick 2: victim is better with the delvers youd have at this point. murder of crows is borderline bomb as well.
P3 pick 5: dissipate maybe? great in this block and again synergy with the delvers.
P3 pick 8: no moan again? You passed along a great deck.
P3 pick 9: delver would be the easy pick with the changes i suggested.
Again i did not get to watch the matches but i can definatly say you didn't draft the most powerful cards. This isn't to flame you or anything just hoping i can pass along some insight.
Good luck in future drafts.
Edited to add holy crap what a late bonds of faith in that 2nd inn draft. and if you had gone g/w early youd have had a sick deck out of p1 and would have likely seen better cards for it in p2 and 3. And yes red is weak in inn. Unless you open a sick red bomb its a shallow color and everyone will splash your removal so it still dries up early.
First, thanks. I appreciate your well thought out criticism. I agree with *almost all* of it. I always watch my videos and get embarrassed when I act the way you suggest. I do think it has to do with personality, not maturity level, but I digress. I'll join an 8-4 and post it and see how everything goes. The one thing that worries me is not getting enough content, but we shall see.
Again, thanks for the adult perspective, come back next week and see if I can put it into practice!
Brock Samson!?! I like it! My guess would be first strike instead of the reducing ability. He is sort of a mini-Akroma, after all. Add a bodyguard ability and he's perfect! Of course, that's more Venture Brothers flavor than Innistrad. Now I want to see some VB themed cards and decks.
The attitude you speak of is actually just a lack of self control on your part. The average magic player is young and immature, so they may not think anything of it; but you completely lose readers like me when you behave this way. I'm grown with kids of my own too. So please understand that the last thing I want to spend an hour on is watching a grown man act like a spoiled brat every time something doesn't go his way. Not trying to insult you, I'm just taking a moment to return the favor and be honest with you as well. From everything I watched and read of you, you want honest feedback. I genuinely appreciate it when people take the time to record drafts, you included. But the overall draw to these types of videos is entertainment. If you're serious about improving the quality of your draft videos:
A.) Get the kids and dog out of the room when you are recording (I assume it's the dog I can hear mouth-breathing/panting in so many of your prior videos)
B.) Record many, post few. It's ok to cherry pick your drafts. You are putting out a lot of content, but the quality isn't always where it could be. BTW cherry picking doesn't mean just posting drafts you win in. Some of the best drafts online are ones that have epic games where the "hero" loses. That makes us appreciate the times you do win and gets viewers rooting for you.
C.) Get out of the Swiss/4-3-2-2 rooms. You know what you are doing at this point Zach, go compete against better players.
D.) And last, but not least. Have fun doing what you do, or go do something else. I've been top 10 in the state at 2 different hobbies (Magic was one) in my life, but we all reach a point where our expectations are so high that we lose the simple joy of playing. If you honestly believe you can only have fun if you're winning; it isn't because you are a type A personality. It's because your expectations are so high that you feel that anything short of destroying the competition is somehow a failure on your part. You need to have a passion for what you are doing. Love of the game and all that. This is incredibly tough in Magic and Poker because of the variance that comes with a deck of random cards. You can make all the right plays and still get crushed some days.
If you're going to continue to put out content for the rest of us to see(which I hope you do), you really need to find a better way to deal with the disappointment you are 100% guarenteed to experience along the way. Good luck and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Same man. I am so unsure about what is happening. Watch my last ISD draft I posted here - the RW one. I would L O V E for someone to tell me what I did wrong and how I could have built the deck better. I was about as excited to run this one as I had been to run any previous. Is red/white just under powered? I had every good piece of removal (volley - chains - fiend hunter - slayer). Just at a loss...
I'd like to see you be right about Sorin, Grixis has always been one of my favorite decks to play. I'd also kill to see a functional reprint of Chainer's Edict, and when you compare it to other current cards... it really isn't that OP at uncommon, not even close really.
I'm just convinced they're going to complete the set of allied colored legends, and Mikaeus doesn't fit the cycle.
Also I don't think Sorin's in his starting days here, as the events on Innistrad occur AFTER the the whole Liliana vs Garruk and the Cursed Veil fiasco. Of course, I've been wrong before...
I DON'T KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG EITHER! (and I haven't even watched your videos). I've been sticking to playing Swiss, because I suck at any other format - I've attempted 4-3-2-2, 5 times (2 of those SOM Block because they took Swiss away and I still had the boosters, not happy about that I can tell you) and I have only once gotten to the 2nd round. With Swiss I average 2 of 3 matches, and have taken home the "trophy" more times than I've attempted 4-3-2-2.
BUT TONIGHT - we're heading out of town for a week, and I just didn't have the time to play a Swiss game, yet I really wanted to draft. I started with an M12 4-3-2-2 (and you have to wait a good hour for an M12 Swiss to fire at the moment), started well with a Fireball, then Incinerate... eventually had a reasonable Blue/Red deck - several removals, few game finishers but the deck was a tad short on critters and I picked up about 4-5tix of rares. I held my own in the first round reasonably but the better drafter and player won (turned out to be the winner of the entire draft, lucky me with an under 1700 limited rating to go up against that guy).
But that's cool, I knew the risk of playing 4-3-2-2 and it's been a while since I've focused on M12. I squeeze in another hour to try another draft, back into ISD which I've been feeling pretty confident with lately. Starts of with a Reaper from the Abyss mythic, good direction there, I follow the black/morbid/removal trail and it was okay - I filched a Past in Flames mythic and put together a passable deck, certainly nothing brilliant but with a tiny bit of luck and the right cards it had a quite a bit going for it. SLAUGHTERED to bad mana draws and luck.
So I shake that off... but now I'm determined, one more go... it's hitting bedtime but that's why you play 4-3-2-2 right? Because it's a lot faster than Swiss. So I hit ISD again, starts of with a Mentor of the Meek, quickly pick up a Travel Prep and Spider Spawning... I end up with a very strong G/W deck, I haven't got doubles of key cards I like for consistancy, but it has Kessig Cagebreakers, a couple of 3/3 Spirit guys, and lots of fellows happy to die, leave a token and beef up my Wurm and Lumberknot. IT BLOODY DAMN WELL LOOSES in the final round to mana.
End result, a wasted night, egregious frustrations, if I'm generous about 14 tix of mythics/rares (it could have been worse sure, but I'm not going to really get those tix back on the Classifieds), 40ish tix of boosters and entry lost, and not a single win or prize. If I played those same drafts in Swiss I would have walked away with 4-6 boosters returned. I'm far from a great or even good player, but this track record with elimination tournaments is horrifying. 8 elimination drafts with a total prize return of 2 boosters, net result = -22 boosters.
Ticket to Ride has always been my first game that I play with players who are unsure about liking board games. It's quick, simple to learn, and has a nice bit of strategic depth.
All of the deck building games are self contained and are full games out of the box. Unless of course they are expansions, then you just add the expansion into the base game. No need to purchase booster packs or anything like that.
That's why when I find myself doing poorly in a PRE (not the same competitive level as an 8-4 draft usually but it can be rough in some of these) I stop playing in it for a while. That need to just play one more to correct the obvious error that fate is making is so strong. But as you point out it is a compulsion that should be ignored.
I think one thing to remember about competition is there is always a bigger knife/gun if you get my meaning. There are times when it seems like you can't lose and then times when winning should be easy and isn't. Part of that might be you, your hand, frame of mind, etc and part of it just might be your opponent.
I love the Cannibals as well, unless you've got a string of Humans yourself I wouldn't maindeck - but your bound to play against someone with lots of Humans!
I still haven't time to watch the vids but will over the weekend.
But I think things like this happen with that slight disconnect between knowing the theory, running with it, but still missing that "something" which doesn't quite gel. And when a game holds a strong element of randomness and luck it can just put you into that infuriating cycle, I think it's a very similar touch point for those with gambling problems.
I experience the same problem in 2 other of my gaming loves, Poker and Blood Bowl (Warhammer style dice + strategy game). Sure sometimes you play bad, and I can accept that - but when your making all the right moves and you still can't catch a break... it's madness.
I'd sunk a few beers in my games last night and that genuinely upped my reaction and frustration. I even went into my 3rd match with the right attitude of being okay with loosing - but then I drafted well, built a solid deck, no obvious play mistakes and still lost... that's what sunk the knife in.
Correct thing to do: walk away. But when you're in that frame of mind it's nigh on impossible - I share your pain buddy :)
Are any of the deckbuilding games you highlight not trading card games but a complete game within the box with all the cards? My brother really enjoys board games and has a lot of them (Ticket to Ride a present from my parents this year) and I'd like to get him a game. We really enjoy playing Race for the Galaxy, a self contained card game and would like a suggestion along the lines of this. I tried to get him into magic and we played for the first time the other night but he said he doesn't enjoy it. Any input from anyone here is appreciated.
Yea hit me up Tyler
Wow! Nice work!
Alternate is my hero. Hoff want to lend me a deck for the classic event?
Alternate, you are so gangster.
Oh I forgot to mention one thing.
What is this whole "lets be nice to everyone while holding hands?".
Why should I say GL to someone? I don't want them to have luck. There is enough of that in MtG. And what really "grinds my gears" is when you say something like "GL bud" and he responds with a right click "Hello and Good Luck". I want to jump through the screen and f**k a n**ga up.
And if you play COD, I wish there was an actual NON-CENSORED chat so I can say the things you know I would say if I was playing a game. It's probably why I can't play paper. I would get arrested for assault and fined for slander after a guy topdecks when I'm about to win and I throw the table to the side and hang him from the ceiling by his underwear.
I think trash talk should be encouraged. Not like "you suck dude" or "lucky topdeck", after the game it's over, but during the game you should say whatever you want to a person. Forget the people saying you should be courteous to everyone. I don't care about anyone but myself when it comes to winning.
And if you want a reason to trash talk, well some people might call it classless, but the CIA classifies it as Psychological Warfare. I think of it as a win condition rather than not being nice.
**And I didn't watch the second ISD draft when I wrote my first post, but you trying to sound upbeat is hilarious. I actually lol'd. I just think that at this point, with everyone knowing the cards and what you are doing, you should spend your time talking as much c**p as you want to the guy, and use his name. He would be honored to be mentioned on TV.
For you forcing to be upbeat, you get a 5 star rating for this.
Oh and the new Smirnoff Marshmallow Flavored Vodka is great. Your kid would also probably love the Whipped Cream flavored one. It's good to get them started early.
And I only comment because I love you. Muah.
Haha sup Alternate?
1) Touche - suck it google.
2) Which part should I skip? The recorded draft or the viewer? I think the viewer is actually good for some people at work - as they have YouTube firewalled (the horror!)
3) No arguments :/ I swear I am like 2-3 weeks late on what is hot and what is not. Spider Spawning has been wayyyy more popular lately - and I underestimate Maon of the Unhallowed too much :*(
4) I thought I would be way more keen on Masques, it turns out I'm just not, yet. Maybe when ISD gets old I'll play it more (as I am an eternal player at heart)
5) I think it has a lot to do with the fact I usually draft to escape something that is pissing me off - like my Cowboys sucking (at least 2 of the drafts here were from the blown game against the Cardinals when Jason Garret froze his own freaking KICKER!!)
I'm in a GREAT mood at the moment though. Hopefull I can do the first draft while still in this mood!
Always love the comments bro, thanks!
Zach
1) Thank Google for doing their usual BS. They have a button that has snowflakes falling as you watch the video. I accidentally left it on and didn't know the snowflakes accumulate on the bottom.
2) You don't need to put up the draft and then the youtube of the draft. Just the vid at this point.
I mean for ISD especially, we have all played more than enough of ISD, and that means almost everyone, to know what cards are good and why you take them.
3) Spotting the mis-picks in your ISD draft is numerous. I mean there were a massive chunk of them. Moan of the Unhallowed is one of the best black cards in the game, and you passed it over for a Ghoulraiser. There are way too many late ghoulcaller's bells to take that one creature than one card that can make 4 creatures. I mean you need more than 1 win condition.
And the other massive misplay? Well everyone talks about synergy. I call that BS. But you did have a lot of creatures going to the graveyard, yet you passed over spider spawning, a win condition on it's own. I would splash a forest over a plains for Spider Spawning over Slayer of the Wicked, and you are already in black so the flashback also works with your self mill.
4) I consider every Masques draft a failure unless you open a foil Rishidan Port.
Otherwise it's just old cards from my paper playing days with new rules that should be changed based on the set. For example, there is a lot of things in Masques that tap down your opponents mana, or you get things when your mana is tapped, but without mana burn, it becomes purposeless. Also I have learned from Masques is that you want creatures... creatures... and then more creatures. There are a few bombs, but they are here and there especially with these stupid "collated" packs.
5) Are you getting as bored with ISD as I am? I mean you said you are up to post #12. You get paid for this. For free I have posted 15 and I am really bored with the set. Regardless of how great my deck is, and I can have 23 Geist Honored Monks and 17 Mana and still lose all because of mana screw or opponents top decking the exact card they need at the exact right time. Sigh. (Although I would love to see how a deck comprised entirely of Geist Honored Monks would work... hmmm)
But how can you sound so depressed? I mean you live in SoCal. It's warm there unlike here on the better coast, you can learn Spanish for free, and the Mexican food must be amazing. And it's not "racism" because A) Mexican isn't a race B) It's not because it's true. I've been to the left coast.
Since you all asked for the challenge to been over with quickly:
http://www.classicquarter.com/decks/deckview.asp?DecklistId=4876
I'd say there is a very good chance that there is a legendary werewolf in DKA. Seeing as the mythic werewolf was pushed out of Innistrad so Garruk could get added to the set. And of the three named werewolves from the Planswalker's Guide to Innistrad: Kessig article there are two of them that are likely for DKA. Ulrich of the Krallenhorde, and Skaharra of Leeraug pack.
The third one might be a better fit in Avacyn Restored as there are no double faced cards and he is described as: "Their alpha Tovalos is a mute, silver-furred werewolf who leads his pack on revels of carnage and howling songs, and who never seems to revert to human form."
Thanks for the tips DrawingDead. As I said in my previous comment I'll hop in an 8-4 soon (maybe tonight) and I will fight my urge to pick chaff like I OBV did here.
Do you hate the cannibals? I have found I really like the way they gain on the death of ANY human, on either side.
Thanks again for the advice,
Zach
i was unable to watch the matches as i am at work and its blocked but i did read through the picks of the first inn draft and can maybe offer some insight.
P1 pick 4: Ghoulraiser over moan was wrong. Moan is one of the best cards to be in black for and you passed it for a sub par 2/2.
P1 pick 5: anything over village cannibals. it's going to be a vanilla 2/2 too much of the time. The vampire is straight up better as is the goliath and the stitchers app is also a fine pick.
P1 pick 8: Think twice would have been the best pick (and would have paid dividens with all those delvers)
P2 pick 1: Galvanic Juggernaut is a nice colorless option over a card you shouldnt be picking. the bat was also a decent option.
P2 pick 3: i'd have hate drafted over picking a drudge skeletons with haste. but tbh thats personal opinion.
P2 pick 11: hate that vengence. its an archetype on its own great to take out with no cost to you.
P3 pick 2: victim is better with the delvers youd have at this point. murder of crows is borderline bomb as well.
P3 pick 5: dissipate maybe? great in this block and again synergy with the delvers.
P3 pick 8: no moan again? You passed along a great deck.
P3 pick 9: delver would be the easy pick with the changes i suggested.
Again i did not get to watch the matches but i can definatly say you didn't draft the most powerful cards. This isn't to flame you or anything just hoping i can pass along some insight.
Good luck in future drafts.
Edited to add holy crap what a late bonds of faith in that 2nd inn draft. and if you had gone g/w early youd have had a sick deck out of p1 and would have likely seen better cards for it in p2 and 3. And yes red is weak in inn. Unless you open a sick red bomb its a shallow color and everyone will splash your removal so it still dries up early.
Hey SlowRoll,
First, thanks. I appreciate your well thought out criticism. I agree with *almost all* of it. I always watch my videos and get embarrassed when I act the way you suggest. I do think it has to do with personality, not maturity level, but I digress. I'll join an 8-4 and post it and see how everything goes. The one thing that worries me is not getting enough content, but we shall see.
Again, thanks for the adult perspective, come back next week and see if I can put it into practice!
Best,
Z
P.s. written on iPhone so ignore typos!
Brock Samson!?! I like it! My guess would be first strike instead of the reducing ability. He is sort of a mini-Akroma, after all. Add a bodyguard ability and he's perfect! Of course, that's more Venture Brothers flavor than Innistrad. Now I want to see some VB themed cards and decks.
Great stuff. I've always loved wild speculation.
The attitude you speak of is actually just a lack of self control on your part. The average magic player is young and immature, so they may not think anything of it; but you completely lose readers like me when you behave this way. I'm grown with kids of my own too. So please understand that the last thing I want to spend an hour on is watching a grown man act like a spoiled brat every time something doesn't go his way. Not trying to insult you, I'm just taking a moment to return the favor and be honest with you as well. From everything I watched and read of you, you want honest feedback. I genuinely appreciate it when people take the time to record drafts, you included. But the overall draw to these types of videos is entertainment. If you're serious about improving the quality of your draft videos:
A.) Get the kids and dog out of the room when you are recording (I assume it's the dog I can hear mouth-breathing/panting in so many of your prior videos)
B.) Record many, post few. It's ok to cherry pick your drafts. You are putting out a lot of content, but the quality isn't always where it could be. BTW cherry picking doesn't mean just posting drafts you win in. Some of the best drafts online are ones that have epic games where the "hero" loses. That makes us appreciate the times you do win and gets viewers rooting for you.
C.) Get out of the Swiss/4-3-2-2 rooms. You know what you are doing at this point Zach, go compete against better players.
D.) And last, but not least. Have fun doing what you do, or go do something else. I've been top 10 in the state at 2 different hobbies (Magic was one) in my life, but we all reach a point where our expectations are so high that we lose the simple joy of playing. If you honestly believe you can only have fun if you're winning; it isn't because you are a type A personality. It's because your expectations are so high that you feel that anything short of destroying the competition is somehow a failure on your part. You need to have a passion for what you are doing. Love of the game and all that. This is incredibly tough in Magic and Poker because of the variance that comes with a deck of random cards. You can make all the right plays and still get crushed some days.
If you're going to continue to put out content for the rest of us to see(which I hope you do), you really need to find a better way to deal with the disappointment you are 100% guarenteed to experience along the way. Good luck and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Hey Phroggie,
Same man. I am so unsure about what is happening. Watch my last ISD draft I posted here - the RW one. I would L O V E for someone to tell me what I did wrong and how I could have built the deck better. I was about as excited to run this one as I had been to run any previous. Is red/white just under powered? I had every good piece of removal (volley - chains - fiend hunter - slayer). Just at a loss...
Zach
I'd like to see you be right about Sorin, Grixis has always been one of my favorite decks to play. I'd also kill to see a functional reprint of Chainer's Edict, and when you compare it to other current cards... it really isn't that OP at uncommon, not even close really.
I'm just convinced they're going to complete the set of allied colored legends, and Mikaeus doesn't fit the cycle.
Also I don't think Sorin's in his starting days here, as the events on Innistrad occur AFTER the the whole Liliana vs Garruk and the Cursed Veil fiasco. Of course, I've been wrong before...
Vindicate, Deed and Spiritmonger were all jokes of course, but fine, I'll give up on Tarmogoyf... "for now"
I DON'T KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG EITHER! (and I haven't even watched your videos). I've been sticking to playing Swiss, because I suck at any other format - I've attempted 4-3-2-2, 5 times (2 of those SOM Block because they took Swiss away and I still had the boosters, not happy about that I can tell you) and I have only once gotten to the 2nd round. With Swiss I average 2 of 3 matches, and have taken home the "trophy" more times than I've attempted 4-3-2-2.
BUT TONIGHT - we're heading out of town for a week, and I just didn't have the time to play a Swiss game, yet I really wanted to draft. I started with an M12 4-3-2-2 (and you have to wait a good hour for an M12 Swiss to fire at the moment), started well with a Fireball, then Incinerate... eventually had a reasonable Blue/Red deck - several removals, few game finishers but the deck was a tad short on critters and I picked up about 4-5tix of rares. I held my own in the first round reasonably but the better drafter and player won (turned out to be the winner of the entire draft, lucky me with an under 1700 limited rating to go up against that guy).
But that's cool, I knew the risk of playing 4-3-2-2 and it's been a while since I've focused on M12. I squeeze in another hour to try another draft, back into ISD which I've been feeling pretty confident with lately. Starts of with a Reaper from the Abyss mythic, good direction there, I follow the black/morbid/removal trail and it was okay - I filched a Past in Flames mythic and put together a passable deck, certainly nothing brilliant but with a tiny bit of luck and the right cards it had a quite a bit going for it. SLAUGHTERED to bad mana draws and luck.
So I shake that off... but now I'm determined, one more go... it's hitting bedtime but that's why you play 4-3-2-2 right? Because it's a lot faster than Swiss. So I hit ISD again, starts of with a Mentor of the Meek, quickly pick up a Travel Prep and Spider Spawning... I end up with a very strong G/W deck, I haven't got doubles of key cards I like for consistancy, but it has Kessig Cagebreakers, a couple of 3/3 Spirit guys, and lots of fellows happy to die, leave a token and beef up my Wurm and Lumberknot. IT BLOODY DAMN WELL LOOSES in the final round to mana.
End result, a wasted night, egregious frustrations, if I'm generous about 14 tix of mythics/rares (it could have been worse sure, but I'm not going to really get those tix back on the Classifieds), 40ish tix of boosters and entry lost, and not a single win or prize. If I played those same drafts in Swiss I would have walked away with 4-6 boosters returned. I'm far from a great or even good player, but this track record with elimination tournaments is horrifying. 8 elimination drafts with a total prize return of 2 boosters, net result = -22 boosters.
< / rantyfrustration >