Hey guys, great show as always. Looking forward to having you back Andy.
Zach I have heard you say a couple of times now that you are not sold on Flusterstorm as you havent heard anything big about it. In PRE League 1 I ran 2 copies main and they were good but under whelming at times. In the CQ open i ran 1 in sb as the card definately has it's place in the right situation. It is solely to allow me to win a counter war to resolve an oath and it is very good at it's job. It will also just lay a beating on a storm deck if it goes unanswered. I like the card alot
Content: I have to be honest guys, I love this podcast as it is the only classic podcast going. I don't want to see you start talking about Legacy, and God forbid Modern (no offense Andy) . You are talking about the stuff that i want to hear more or less. I like the event, deck analysis and new card discussion. You always talk about your newest projects and how you came to your builds. The only time I feel unfulfilled when listening is where there is no events to talk about. Other then that I think you are doing Golden.
If you are looking for more content to talk about, what about having a big beat story or gameplay situation like "SoManyInsaneplays"at the end of your podcast. Or could talk about game play bloopers or something.
I know you guys have had some guests in the past, and should continue to do this (bi-weekly). There are lots of personalities I would like to listen too that are prominent in the classic community.
All in all I like the set up of the podcast and really encourage you guys to keep true to a Classic only discussion. Remember it's a Classic MTGO Format Podcast by Magic Eternal, with the motive of pulling in more Classic players.
Keep up the good work.
As a fellow jank-builder who was already testing Dungrove Elder from Day 1, I've something to say here (asides from "good job, man!"). :)
I really think Paul's comment about Mana Leak being bad here is spot-on. But then, if you cut counter magic, I wonder what's blue in there for? Just for Into the Roil and a couple fatties still to be fully decided upon?
I've run a monogreen version of this deck, and while it's far from being a successful deck, I feel like currently green doesn't need any backup. In a monogreen build you've room for everything, including the elephant in the room here, which is Thrun. I concur about Sword of Vengeance, you really want to give trample to those non-evasive hexproof guys, and I learned that by running Thrun essentially in every std deck I built, including Valakut. Control decks just cringe when they see Thrun. When they see the Elder, that's more of an annoyed grunt.
That said, I've also run a RG build. With red, you get actual dual lands (including Raging Ravine, which isn't the worst manland), Lightning Bolt, Pyroclasm/Slagstorm, Inferno Titan and Urabrask.
One thing about the Emissary. I'm not so in love with him. In decks where you don't have consistent ways to get him in the graveyard (like in Birthing Pod builds, for instance, where he's terrific), he often feels like a strictly worse Grizzly Bears which gives you a door prize when he leaves, something which isn't going to make any difference on Turn 10, and doesn't guarantee any ramping on Turn 3, unless you're facing goblins or vampires. I don't know, in the end, even if he really could give you a trade AND a land, he's making me miss Sakura-Tribe Elder, and I had thought otherwise when I had seen it spoiled for the first time.
Well, the idea was to build a deck that focused on a couple of cheap cards that most of the people I talked to were scoffing at (Dungrove Elder mainly, but also Sword of Vengeance), and fine tuning the list to make it into a real contender. I am testing versions without Sword of Vengeance, but even in my testing of cards that are "known" to be better (all three versions of Sword of X and X), I continually find myself wishing I had my janky Sword of Vengeance, which most people find laughable... until they're on the wrong end of that combat step.
What are some of the things we are not doing that you WANT to hear? IMO you can only rehash a fired event (there are MANY Vintage tournies, playtest groups, etc) for so long. I personally love Legacy and would welcome it, but what are you inferring? What are we not doing that you would like to see? We can take an archetype a week and go over it, but what are some of the things YOU want to see?
Ok, real talk, you guys haven't explored how to present Classic fully before considering to move into other formats. How is it that So Many Insane Plays can put out a two-hour podcast that goes over zero tournament results? I think you guys need soul-searching about what you want this podcast to be and if you are really intent on making it as good as possible, you can probably make a lot of improvements within the context of Classic alone.
@ Sebastian- Thanks for the suggestion. I actually think that is a good plan, but i did get pwned in the last round by his shrines and burn. IDK- he took a pretty non conventional approach and it paid off for him. I will keep this in mind. thanks for reading. Ilook forward to your next one too sir.
@ evildoer- I am pretty old skool too. I started playing in Revised and got really competitive around Masques block. I hope that they put Rishadan Port online soon. I wonder if you would feel the same about the music if I had Britney Spears or Justin Bieber scoring my vids. lol. You obviously have good taste in music. thanks for the compliment.
hey bro..i am old skool magic, started playing around 92-93. just wanted to say the music is fine..all night diner, great choice.. i learned in my years that although magic is super cool, not all players are. glad to run into someone who is.. keep up the music
Hiya! Guess the people have voted lol. In regards to playing the mirror, maybe you could sideboard out the shrines and render their artifact removals useless. Maniac Vandal over Shatter. Even if opponent does sideboard out their Shrine at least you have a 2/2 beater. That was how I sideboarded against the mirror when I played it on paper. =)
Congratulations on progress with your work sir. (^^)
Therapy and Innocent (or any sorcery) aren't great way to combat orchard tokens - you can get them at your end step
Maze started sucking as soon as Emrakul appeared... saving yourself from 15 points of damage is only going to happen once after you have to sac 6 perms.
I'm in agreement on Firespout - course that might be because I'm the one who suggested it to you, Whiffy! That being said, Pernicious Deed would do well in Oath against all these fish decks
If you want to get Flash running - Find Javasci - I'm sure he'll sill be looking to find a way to play with it!
I would just like to point out that starting your article titled "Making Jank Work" whith the words "I've dropped some of the janky elements and come up with a version that's much more consistent and competitive..." sounds a bit lame. I really wanted to see that jank working :P
Responding with @s is typical for this site, particular amongst authors because you don't want to artificially inflate your comments. On the other hand doing it the other way is not wrong either. :) I've done both and it really depends on how much time I have to respond and whether or not my response to one comment crystallizes while I am responding to another.
but the truth is that people want to hear what I am thinking. Or anyone who makes a video for that matter. It is a good way to gain perspective on match ups, whether you agree with it or not.
I do like and watch videos from LSV, Brad Nelson, Jeremy Neeman, Matteo Orsini-Jones, PVDDR, Numot the Nummy from MTGO, etc. Guys that I admire that draft well and do consistently well. I have gleaned good knowledge from them.
If people hear you think it out, they have a better sense of what line of plays you made and can give actual constructive feedback and other perspectives. Otherwise, you are just listening to bad music while some dude plays mediocre Magic. So, the point of the article is to get the feedback. I want to get better. I am tired of being a flounder in the pool of sharks :).
I appreciate where you are coming from and have gratitude for your well-wish comments about my current studies. Seriously, thank you. Also, I think the advice given here from the other users to "use my voice" is solid. I would argue that the music is good however :).
I need to lose the fear of sounding awkward. That is my challenge.
You're good, man. Of course, I was at the top of those @s.
Anyway, I think the functional overlap with Distortion strike here would be your Swords of X and X. Just to test. This test will tell you a couple of things: which sword you miss the most and if the strike is worth the slot. Unblockable Hexproof guys seem really dangerous right now.
or he needs trample or flying somehow. Evasion is huge in this format.
Congratulations on the work/promotion/education. It's a great thing when a company offers to support your development with them because they are serious about you and your career.
Of course it's a shame to put off what you love to do, but the beauty about film & multimedia - is that the best of those who do it, rarely became the best because of education. They just did it and had a massive passion to stick with it for a long time. So while your working and studying, if you can manage to find/make the time do any little projects you can and do it - spend time with others who do it and get their tips and ideas, see if you can work with them on any projects etc etc... if you can do this well, by the time you get back to school you won't be learning so much new things but the why's and how's things are done in certain ways.
Music is always such a subjective thing... it might work having something more background/atmospheric mixed low on the video with your talking over the top. Something to possibly experiment with - I'm with you where I find it hard to watch something with just dead air.
And I realize just seconds after I hit "save" that I should have broken all of that up and actually replied to each comment instead of using all of those @'s. My apologies, everyone.
@apaulogy: Distortion Strike is interesting... I might play a few test games with it just for kicks... but what would I take out for it?
@Paul Leicht: In a lot of ways, this deck plays like old Quirion Dryad decks that I played back when Invasion block was legal (never played any vintage builds w/ dryads so I can't make comparisons there). I'm most comfortable when I can drop a bird on the first turn and an elder on the second turn (usually at 2/2), and then just ride that one threat to victory as he grows and I counter/remove anything that would stand in his way. Mana Leak tricks many opponents into playing more conservatively than they need to. That said, it is a recent addition and will probably be the first thing I cut as I make changes. I haven't had any trouble getting blue to play it, though... 5 blue lands, plus 4 Misty Rainforest, plus 4 BoP, plus 4 Viridian Emissary = plenty of blue. I have on occasion had trouble hitting double blue for a sphinx or Into the Roil's kicker, but that's usually because I had to get more forests so that Dungrove Elder wouldn't just die in combat. Misty Rainforest as a combat trick is so amusing to me for some reason...
I'm sure nobody will bother doing this, but I would suggest testing Sword of Vengeance with Dungrove Elder before dismissing it... there are tons of times when I draw a Sword of X and X, and just think, "Well, that's just great... he can still chump block three more turns... wish this was Sword of Vengeance." I'm not a fan of Sword of Body and Mind, though. I've got a few and one keeps moving in and out of this deck, but every time I draw it, it is disappointing, and I have yet to find myself thinking, "If only I could draw a Sword of Body and Mind right now..."
Acidic Slime is amazing, but I rarely want to draw more than one... thus, one copy with lots of GSZ's. Keep in mind that many of the things I would kill with the slime can also be killed with Beast Within, and Beast Within also kills planeswalkers. As for GSZ itself, I'm not going for the "true" toolbox. I just wanted to stop drawing Sylvan Rangers late game, so I replaced them with GSZ... so if I need the lands, I can get a Viridian Emissary or a BoP. If I don't, I can go get a threat. I would gladly play this deck with 8 Viridian Emissaries and 8 Dungrove Elders... but instead, I'm just running 4 GSZ.
Why no Jace? Depends on which one. No little Jace because double blue early game is hard to hit. No big Jace because I prefer a steady stream of mid-range threats than drawing lands and birds... plus, when I do need to draw cards, he's got the "Draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures you control" ability, which has yet to be less than 3 for me.
@apricio: Cawblade is a very winnable matchup for me, and I don't want to warp the maindeck too much to fight a deck that, while popular in major tournaments, I'll only see a few of at FNM. I usually out-tempo Cawblade, so killing more than one sword is rarely an issue. I've tried the cantrips and the card draw, but I'd rather be dropping threats. As a tempo deck, every mana that I spend not dropping a threat or removing one of theirs just feels wasted. I definitely agree with you on the Obstinate Baloth assessment. I've finally cut the fourth copy because the GSZ let's me feel like I'm playing extra copies, and 3 + 4 pseudo-baloths has been sufficient in my testing so far.
@inkedupdude: Phyrexian Metamorph... yes... they look amazing... and not including them is probably my biggest brain fart so far with this deck. I intend to run some as soon as I can get my hands on some.
Whew... this might be the longest comment I've ever written... LOL
Thanks for all of the feedback! Feel free to shoot down my logic... I'm still tweaking this deck on a regular basis, so it's good to get your opinions.
Dude, everything about this new seasons' series is better than the already-stellar stuff you were presenting last time. Everything! In particular, I really like the card-counting at the bottom. It makes perfect sense with such a small card pool to count how many copies of a particular card is being used in the metagame, including cards that are taken for granted like Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds. It proves just how much their absence will be felt next season.
Keep up the good work! I'm off MODO for an indefinite period of time, but will keep coming back to see what I'm missing so I'm still up to date if/when I return.
Heh well Neutral Ground closed so that leaves Jim Hanley's Universe in Manhattan, which as I understand it is always a crowded basement. Not my comfort zone. I do plan to head there for some EDH one of these days. The other option in NYC is my friend Alex's store in Brooklyn: Kings Games but that is a schlep and I am not even certain their FNM is constructed. (NG's was always sealed or draft.)
Too, my collection is long gone with only a few cards remaining that have any value. (8000+ old commons do not count.) So yeah not much into the paper game now. It is fun though to analyze decks once in a while and this style of deck (UG) is particularly fun right now.
Hey guys, great show as always. Looking forward to having you back Andy.
Zach I have heard you say a couple of times now that you are not sold on Flusterstorm as you havent heard anything big about it. In PRE League 1 I ran 2 copies main and they were good but under whelming at times. In the CQ open i ran 1 in sb as the card definately has it's place in the right situation. It is solely to allow me to win a counter war to resolve an oath and it is very good at it's job. It will also just lay a beating on a storm deck if it goes unanswered. I like the card alot
Content: I have to be honest guys, I love this podcast as it is the only classic podcast going. I don't want to see you start talking about Legacy, and God forbid Modern (no offense Andy) . You are talking about the stuff that i want to hear more or less. I like the event, deck analysis and new card discussion. You always talk about your newest projects and how you came to your builds. The only time I feel unfulfilled when listening is where there is no events to talk about. Other then that I think you are doing Golden.
If you are looking for more content to talk about, what about having a big beat story or gameplay situation like "SoManyInsaneplays"at the end of your podcast. Or could talk about game play bloopers or something.
I know you guys have had some guests in the past, and should continue to do this (bi-weekly). There are lots of personalities I would like to listen too that are prominent in the classic community.
All in all I like the set up of the podcast and really encourage you guys to keep true to a Classic only discussion. Remember it's a Classic MTGO Format Podcast by Magic Eternal, with the motive of pulling in more Classic players.
Keep up the good work.
As a fellow jank-builder who was already testing Dungrove Elder from Day 1, I've something to say here (asides from "good job, man!"). :)
I really think Paul's comment about Mana Leak being bad here is spot-on. But then, if you cut counter magic, I wonder what's blue in there for? Just for Into the Roil and a couple fatties still to be fully decided upon?
I've run a monogreen version of this deck, and while it's far from being a successful deck, I feel like currently green doesn't need any backup. In a monogreen build you've room for everything, including the elephant in the room here, which is Thrun. I concur about Sword of Vengeance, you really want to give trample to those non-evasive hexproof guys, and I learned that by running Thrun essentially in every std deck I built, including Valakut. Control decks just cringe when they see Thrun. When they see the Elder, that's more of an annoyed grunt.
That said, I've also run a RG build. With red, you get actual dual lands (including Raging Ravine, which isn't the worst manland), Lightning Bolt, Pyroclasm/Slagstorm, Inferno Titan and Urabrask.
One thing about the Emissary. I'm not so in love with him. In decks where you don't have consistent ways to get him in the graveyard (like in Birthing Pod builds, for instance, where he's terrific), he often feels like a strictly worse Grizzly Bears which gives you a door prize when he leaves, something which isn't going to make any difference on Turn 10, and doesn't guarantee any ramping on Turn 3, unless you're facing goblins or vampires. I don't know, in the end, even if he really could give you a trade AND a land, he's making me miss Sakura-Tribe Elder, and I had thought otherwise when I had seen it spoiled for the first time.
Maybe he thought he could imprint Metamorph? (I know I did before reading Mox carefully).
Ivo.
Grats on the high level win. :) I don't know why I missed this article but grats hope You'll let us in a little bit on how you did it.
Well, the idea was to build a deck that focused on a couple of cheap cards that most of the people I talked to were scoffing at (Dungrove Elder mainly, but also Sword of Vengeance), and fine tuning the list to make it into a real contender. I am testing versions without Sword of Vengeance, but even in my testing of cards that are "known" to be better (all three versions of Sword of X and X), I continually find myself wishing I had my janky Sword of Vengeance, which most people find laughable... until they're on the wrong end of that combat step.
Still, a fair enough assessment.
What are some of the things we are not doing that you WANT to hear? IMO you can only rehash a fired event (there are MANY Vintage tournies, playtest groups, etc) for so long. I personally love Legacy and would welcome it, but what are you inferring? What are we not doing that you would like to see? We can take an archetype a week and go over it, but what are some of the things YOU want to see?
Thanks as always for the comment :D
Ok, real talk, you guys haven't explored how to present Classic fully before considering to move into other formats. How is it that So Many Insane Plays can put out a two-hour podcast that goes over zero tournament results? I think you guys need soul-searching about what you want this podcast to be and if you are really intent on making it as good as possible, you can probably make a lot of improvements within the context of Classic alone.
@ Sebastian- Thanks for the suggestion. I actually think that is a good plan, but i did get pwned in the last round by his shrines and burn. IDK- he took a pretty non conventional approach and it paid off for him. I will keep this in mind. thanks for reading. Ilook forward to your next one too sir.
@ evildoer- I am pretty old skool too. I started playing in Revised and got really competitive around Masques block. I hope that they put Rishadan Port online soon. I wonder if you would feel the same about the music if I had Britney Spears or Justin Bieber scoring my vids. lol. You obviously have good taste in music. thanks for the compliment.
hey bro..i am old skool magic, started playing around 92-93. just wanted to say the music is fine..all night diner, great choice.. i learned in my years that although magic is super cool, not all players are. glad to run into someone who is.. keep up the music
It was funny hearing you guys talk about my deck.
Hiya! Guess the people have voted lol. In regards to playing the mirror, maybe you could sideboard out the shrines and render their artifact removals useless. Maniac Vandal over Shatter. Even if opponent does sideboard out their Shrine at least you have a 2/2 beater. That was how I sideboarded against the mirror when I played it on paper. =)
Congratulations on progress with your work sir. (^^)
Therapy and Innocent (or any sorcery) aren't great way to combat orchard tokens - you can get them at your end step
Maze started sucking as soon as Emrakul appeared... saving yourself from 15 points of damage is only going to happen once after you have to sac 6 perms.
I'm in agreement on Firespout - course that might be because I'm the one who suggested it to you, Whiffy! That being said, Pernicious Deed would do well in Oath against all these fish decks
If you want to get Flash running - Find Javasci - I'm sure he'll sill be looking to find a way to play with it!
Thank you! :)
You just added one more reason for me to keep up with this series. Hope to see you online soon!
I would just like to point out that starting your article titled "Making Jank Work" whith the words "I've dropped some of the janky elements and come up with a version that's much more consistent and competitive..." sounds a bit lame. I really wanted to see that jank working :P
Thank you, sir.
Also, I :heart: NY.
Responding with @s is typical for this site, particular amongst authors because you don't want to artificially inflate your comments. On the other hand doing it the other way is not wrong either. :) I've done both and it really depends on how much time I have to respond and whether or not my response to one comment crystallizes while I am responding to another.
I would add in (for the nonvideo watchers or maybe those who need to be enticed, a teaser and then a more detailed conclusion. Keep the intros short.
but the truth is that people want to hear what I am thinking. Or anyone who makes a video for that matter. It is a good way to gain perspective on match ups, whether you agree with it or not.
I do like and watch videos from LSV, Brad Nelson, Jeremy Neeman, Matteo Orsini-Jones, PVDDR, Numot the Nummy from MTGO, etc. Guys that I admire that draft well and do consistently well. I have gleaned good knowledge from them.
If people hear you think it out, they have a better sense of what line of plays you made and can give actual constructive feedback and other perspectives. Otherwise, you are just listening to bad music while some dude plays mediocre Magic. So, the point of the article is to get the feedback. I want to get better. I am tired of being a flounder in the pool of sharks :).
I appreciate where you are coming from and have gratitude for your well-wish comments about my current studies. Seriously, thank you. Also, I think the advice given here from the other users to "use my voice" is solid. I would argue that the music is good however :).
I need to lose the fear of sounding awkward. That is my challenge.
thank you
You're good, man. Of course, I was at the top of those @s.
Anyway, I think the functional overlap with Distortion strike here would be your Swords of X and X. Just to test. This test will tell you a couple of things: which sword you miss the most and if the strike is worth the slot. Unblockable Hexproof guys seem really dangerous right now.
or he needs trample or flying somehow. Evasion is huge in this format.
Congratulations on the work/promotion/education. It's a great thing when a company offers to support your development with them because they are serious about you and your career.
Of course it's a shame to put off what you love to do, but the beauty about film & multimedia - is that the best of those who do it, rarely became the best because of education. They just did it and had a massive passion to stick with it for a long time. So while your working and studying, if you can manage to find/make the time do any little projects you can and do it - spend time with others who do it and get their tips and ideas, see if you can work with them on any projects etc etc... if you can do this well, by the time you get back to school you won't be learning so much new things but the why's and how's things are done in certain ways.
Music is always such a subjective thing... it might work having something more background/atmospheric mixed low on the video with your talking over the top. Something to possibly experiment with - I'm with you where I find it hard to watch something with just dead air.
And I realize just seconds after I hit "save" that I should have broken all of that up and actually replied to each comment instead of using all of those @'s. My apologies, everyone.
@apaulogy: Distortion Strike is interesting... I might play a few test games with it just for kicks... but what would I take out for it?
@Paul Leicht: In a lot of ways, this deck plays like old Quirion Dryad decks that I played back when Invasion block was legal (never played any vintage builds w/ dryads so I can't make comparisons there). I'm most comfortable when I can drop a bird on the first turn and an elder on the second turn (usually at 2/2), and then just ride that one threat to victory as he grows and I counter/remove anything that would stand in his way. Mana Leak tricks many opponents into playing more conservatively than they need to. That said, it is a recent addition and will probably be the first thing I cut as I make changes. I haven't had any trouble getting blue to play it, though... 5 blue lands, plus 4 Misty Rainforest, plus 4 BoP, plus 4 Viridian Emissary = plenty of blue. I have on occasion had trouble hitting double blue for a sphinx or Into the Roil's kicker, but that's usually because I had to get more forests so that Dungrove Elder wouldn't just die in combat. Misty Rainforest as a combat trick is so amusing to me for some reason...
I'm sure nobody will bother doing this, but I would suggest testing Sword of Vengeance with Dungrove Elder before dismissing it... there are tons of times when I draw a Sword of X and X, and just think, "Well, that's just great... he can still chump block three more turns... wish this was Sword of Vengeance." I'm not a fan of Sword of Body and Mind, though. I've got a few and one keeps moving in and out of this deck, but every time I draw it, it is disappointing, and I have yet to find myself thinking, "If only I could draw a Sword of Body and Mind right now..."
Acidic Slime is amazing, but I rarely want to draw more than one... thus, one copy with lots of GSZ's. Keep in mind that many of the things I would kill with the slime can also be killed with Beast Within, and Beast Within also kills planeswalkers. As for GSZ itself, I'm not going for the "true" toolbox. I just wanted to stop drawing Sylvan Rangers late game, so I replaced them with GSZ... so if I need the lands, I can get a Viridian Emissary or a BoP. If I don't, I can go get a threat. I would gladly play this deck with 8 Viridian Emissaries and 8 Dungrove Elders... but instead, I'm just running 4 GSZ.
Why no Jace? Depends on which one. No little Jace because double blue early game is hard to hit. No big Jace because I prefer a steady stream of mid-range threats than drawing lands and birds... plus, when I do need to draw cards, he's got the "Draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures you control" ability, which has yet to be less than 3 for me.
@apricio: Cawblade is a very winnable matchup for me, and I don't want to warp the maindeck too much to fight a deck that, while popular in major tournaments, I'll only see a few of at FNM. I usually out-tempo Cawblade, so killing more than one sword is rarely an issue. I've tried the cantrips and the card draw, but I'd rather be dropping threats. As a tempo deck, every mana that I spend not dropping a threat or removing one of theirs just feels wasted. I definitely agree with you on the Obstinate Baloth assessment. I've finally cut the fourth copy because the GSZ let's me feel like I'm playing extra copies, and 3 + 4 pseudo-baloths has been sufficient in my testing so far.
@inkedupdude: Phyrexian Metamorph... yes... they look amazing... and not including them is probably my biggest brain fart so far with this deck. I intend to run some as soon as I can get my hands on some.
Whew... this might be the longest comment I've ever written... LOL
Thanks for all of the feedback! Feel free to shoot down my logic... I'm still tweaking this deck on a regular basis, so it's good to get your opinions.
Could you elaborate on what sort of supplemental written content would help?
Like adding more between videos? or longer introductions? more conclusive endings?
Thanks, Paul. Again, I appreciate your comments.
Dude, everything about this new seasons' series is better than the already-stellar stuff you were presenting last time. Everything! In particular, I really like the card-counting at the bottom. It makes perfect sense with such a small card pool to count how many copies of a particular card is being used in the metagame, including cards that are taken for granted like Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds. It proves just how much their absence will be felt next season.
Keep up the good work! I'm off MODO for an indefinite period of time, but will keep coming back to see what I'm missing so I'm still up to date if/when I return.
Heh well Neutral Ground closed so that leaves Jim Hanley's Universe in Manhattan, which as I understand it is always a crowded basement. Not my comfort zone. I do plan to head there for some EDH one of these days. The other option in NYC is my friend Alex's store in Brooklyn: Kings Games but that is a schlep and I am not even certain their FNM is constructed. (NG's was always sealed or draft.)
Too, my collection is long gone with only a few cards remaining that have any value. (8000+ old commons do not count.) So yeah not much into the paper game now. It is fun though to analyze decks once in a while and this style of deck (UG) is particularly fun right now.