Shows what I know about gaming - I dont play RPGs and dont even know what a SiM is hahaha.
RE: Casual Players
I completely hear what you're saying. When I was in Dragonquest, a group of us would often unwind from the competetive tournament grind and go to the multi-player room for kicks. We'd play with the regulars in there and have a blast doing it. Those guys would have wild combos, weird decks, but it all seemed to kind of work. I could tell that they put a lot of effort into their decks and some of them played really well too.
Just a little caveat to what you said. Casual does not mean not winning. Some of the sharkiest decks on modo can be found in casual players virtual hands. (You should see some of the wacky combos people come up with when no one is looking.) They consider them casual (what is it? don't worry about it.)
I think a lot of competitive tourney players think of casual as noncompetitive but that is just strictly not true. The stakes are vastly different but the same emotion/mentality and often the same skill goes into the games.
That's an interesting take on MTGO. I find "Leveling Up" to be one of the most banal forms of gaming but that is usually because it is done in a tried (by thousands exponentially) and true manner. I suppose winning a great collection through skillful play and wise investment could be a different way to level up though I'd say it is more akin to a sim than an rpg.
1) Via your references to round 1 losses, I get the impression you are advocating 4-3-2-2 over swiss and 8-4 for MSS queues as well. Could you explain?
2) I think you mentioned this but the SOM pack that several 2-man queues pay out is a great way to compensate for the heavy MBS payouts in the limited queues. Sure, you can use the market but I find that process always takes longer than I want.
3) I would put myself in a profile other than the 2 you have mentioned. I am primarily a drafter. I draft to build a collection but like to keep it and speculate, selling off extras during the following standard season when their prices peak (usually all at once to a bot to save time). Maintaining a full collection allows me to play constructed when I see a good EV opportunity or when drafting gets boring. I mention this because there are others on here and mtgo who I see regularly in draft queues as well as standard and classic queues, both which necessitate a rather full collection. I think there are a fair number of us who are also collectors and who just love the game; we like having a playset of pretty much anything. I don't usually enter a constructed environment until I have drafted the cards I need to build whatever deck I want. However, by that time I can pretty much build whatever I want and don't need to feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight.
So I guess my question is this: what recommendations would you have for someone like me on how to maximize the value of my collection/playing time? As it is, I usually budget $100-$200 at release time and am able to keep playing and building my collection without buying more until the next release.
4) An aside for other collection-builders. The 8-man swiss sealed queues are great. They are nix-tix and you get to open an extra pack of the most recent set, which, if you are like me and have all your SOM cards, gives you double the return on your time for collecting MBS singles.
Anyway, great series and I look forward to what's in store!
Yeah, well after all this game is about fun. I guess where I am concerned I consider fun to be winning because I am so competitive by nature. There's nothing wrong with playing casual decks/formats/queues if that's what floats your boat. Most people that I come across want to do well in competitive environments and they are the predominate target of this series. I'm glad you've been able to enjoy what I've wrote so far.
Generally Speaking, I treat MTGO as your account being a RPG character and you're trying to consistently build your character up (via winning and profits). For me it's not about any one tournament, lucky rare open, or QP standings. It's about building it up in time (and cashing it out when I'm sick of it).
I have yet to use most of the knowledge in these Hotel Infinite articles, but I've read every one. I like hearing the perspective of someone who approaches this game from a completely different angle than me (I'm a fish who swims in the swiss draft queues).
I plan on trying some ZZW queues once MBS drafting bores me. I don't think I'll do Urza's b/c I have no familiarity with the format and I don't have the time to learn it.
The only competitive constructed I've played was the freeroll Momir Basic tournament that was held a couple of years ago. This article isn't going to change that.
But it's nice to see how other people approach this game. Someday (when I have more free time), I may be able to make the effort it'll take to get (and stay) good at competitive constructed. Until then, I'll keep reading these articles and playing swiss draft and janky constructed decks in the casual room.
It's a good article but these decklists aren't up to par 100% - they really make basic errors (Azorious Chancery in Affinity?, 3 Psionic Gift instead of say 2 Gift, 1 Hermetic Study?, Creatures in the red burn deck? - Kiln Fiend NEVER hits, 4 Crop Rotation and 3 Fierce Empath in the Aurochs deck?)
I'd rather see a list of 1-2 decklists that were polished as opposed to a list of 10 of them that are unpolished. I'll give you an A for effort though as its a good article with lots of time invested.
"Here's my advice, k; make the best decks and consistently win much more than you lose. Then you'll be making money on MTGO!!! It worked for me it can work for you!!! Also, test your decks. Also, here's another tip; make better decks than other people."
is what you take from what I've wrote in this series it is safe to say that I'd much rather play against you than write for you.
Big blocks of text yes. Boiled down to what you said? Not so much. If you can actually parse what he is saying, his advice is both sound and detailed. I was quite skeptical regarding this series of articles based on the first which was just a skeleton but this one has plenty of meat if you aren't too picky to read through it.
To the author, I recommend breaking up those blocks of text with some images and perhaps a little bit of formating. Otherwise nice article.
These articles are basically big blocks of text that can be boiled down to this:
"Here's my advice, k; make the best decks and consistently win much more than you lose. Then you'll be making money on MTGO!!! It worked for me it can work for you!!! Also, test your decks. Also, here's another tip; make better decks than other people."
Hi Nia thanks the update. I just started putting together a few SB decks just for the heck of it. But if SB is dominated by MBC and Elves it may be tough for the format to really get off the ground. Of course if those decks are merely the infantile beginnings of a metagame developing into more interesting archetypes as the format grows then "yay". I fear the former and hope for the latter. I look forward to news of better decks in differing archetypes. I am toying with some UG and RG ideas myself.
Yeah, I like to get comments from the players where possible. I think it adds a lot to the article. I should probably try and do more interviews for future articles.
About the single swamp: I really don't know. Maybe it was in to activate a Nihil Spellbomb that was in the sideboard...Or maybe even to bluff some black removal after fetching it with Emissary or Ranger.
P.S. @Everyone:
Sorry for mixed font thing, I'm sure I misclicked something when I submitted the article. I usually work directly in HTML but had to make a few corrections with the rich-text editor at the last moment. :S
Yeah pretty much never going to play while waiting for a draft again as that was brutal. I used to do it all the time and it was never an issue but the one time when it really counts something happens.
About your situation Rerepete, that's too bad but I think I would rather not know I passed a Tezzeret or some sweet card. Although, that must have put you in a pretty bad spot for the draft. Did you manage to rebound from 2 dead picks? Just curious but did mtgo give you any compensation as I would think that pretty much ruined your draft.
This isn’t really penetrating my thick skull but sure does intrigue me and prompt me to be more attentive. All the best with your game play. online pokies
Sorry, I disapeared suddenly after asking you about how player run events work. Format looks awesome and I was looking forward to it but my laptop is old and crotchety and has decided it needs to take a nap some time soon so starting a tournament with it just isn't going to work out right now. Hopefully I'll have better luck next time.
I agree. Great article. It was entertaining to read, and I learned a lot about deck-building. I just wish that I too had the budget and time to experiment with Planeswalkers. I know there are some cheap ones, and I don't want this to turn into a rant against Mythics, but it'd be nice if more players in the Casual rooms could fit them in their decks. I don't think most Planeswalkers are overpowered, but it does ruin the duel in a non-tournament environment when only one side has access to them =/
Shows what I know about gaming - I dont play RPGs and dont even know what a SiM is hahaha.
RE: Casual Players
I completely hear what you're saying. When I was in Dragonquest, a group of us would often unwind from the competetive tournament grind and go to the multi-player room for kicks. We'd play with the regulars in there and have a blast doing it. Those guys would have wild combos, weird decks, but it all seemed to kind of work. I could tell that they put a lot of effort into their decks and some of them played really well too.
Just a little caveat to what you said. Casual does not mean not winning. Some of the sharkiest decks on modo can be found in casual players virtual hands. (You should see some of the wacky combos people come up with when no one is looking.) They consider them casual (what is it? don't worry about it.)
I think a lot of competitive tourney players think of casual as noncompetitive but that is just strictly not true. The stakes are vastly different but the same emotion/mentality and often the same skill goes into the games.
That's an interesting take on MTGO. I find "Leveling Up" to be one of the most banal forms of gaming but that is usually because it is done in a tried (by thousands exponentially) and true manner. I suppose winning a great collection through skillful play and wise investment could be a different way to level up though I'd say it is more akin to a sim than an rpg.
Another good installment in this series.
I have a few comments.
1) Via your references to round 1 losses, I get the impression you are advocating 4-3-2-2 over swiss and 8-4 for MSS queues as well. Could you explain?
2) I think you mentioned this but the SOM pack that several 2-man queues pay out is a great way to compensate for the heavy MBS payouts in the limited queues. Sure, you can use the market but I find that process always takes longer than I want.
3) I would put myself in a profile other than the 2 you have mentioned. I am primarily a drafter. I draft to build a collection but like to keep it and speculate, selling off extras during the following standard season when their prices peak (usually all at once to a bot to save time). Maintaining a full collection allows me to play constructed when I see a good EV opportunity or when drafting gets boring. I mention this because there are others on here and mtgo who I see regularly in draft queues as well as standard and classic queues, both which necessitate a rather full collection. I think there are a fair number of us who are also collectors and who just love the game; we like having a playset of pretty much anything. I don't usually enter a constructed environment until I have drafted the cards I need to build whatever deck I want. However, by that time I can pretty much build whatever I want and don't need to feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight.
So I guess my question is this: what recommendations would you have for someone like me on how to maximize the value of my collection/playing time? As it is, I usually budget $100-$200 at release time and am able to keep playing and building my collection without buying more until the next release.
4) An aside for other collection-builders. The 8-man swiss sealed queues are great. They are nix-tix and you get to open an extra pack of the most recent set, which, if you are like me and have all your SOM cards, gives you double the return on your time for collecting MBS singles.
Anyway, great series and I look forward to what's in store!
djkensai
Hey Silver,
Yeah, well after all this game is about fun. I guess where I am concerned I consider fun to be winning because I am so competitive by nature. There's nothing wrong with playing casual decks/formats/queues if that's what floats your boat. Most people that I come across want to do well in competitive environments and they are the predominate target of this series. I'm glad you've been able to enjoy what I've wrote so far.
Generally Speaking, I treat MTGO as your account being a RPG character and you're trying to consistently build your character up (via winning and profits). For me it's not about any one tournament, lucky rare open, or QP standings. It's about building it up in time (and cashing it out when I'm sick of it).
I have yet to use most of the knowledge in these Hotel Infinite articles, but I've read every one. I like hearing the perspective of someone who approaches this game from a completely different angle than me (I'm a fish who swims in the swiss draft queues).
I plan on trying some ZZW queues once MBS drafting bores me. I don't think I'll do Urza's b/c I have no familiarity with the format and I don't have the time to learn it.
The only competitive constructed I've played was the freeroll Momir Basic tournament that was held a couple of years ago. This article isn't going to change that.
But it's nice to see how other people approach this game. Someday (when I have more free time), I may be able to make the effort it'll take to get (and stay) good at competitive constructed. Until then, I'll keep reading these articles and playing swiss draft and janky constructed decks in the casual room.
It's a good article but these decklists aren't up to par 100% - they really make basic errors (Azorious Chancery in Affinity?, 3 Psionic Gift instead of say 2 Gift, 1 Hermetic Study?, Creatures in the red burn deck? - Kiln Fiend NEVER hits, 4 Crop Rotation and 3 Fierce Empath in the Aurochs deck?)
I'd rather see a list of 1-2 decklists that were polished as opposed to a list of 10 of them that are unpolished. I'll give you an A for effort though as its a good article with lots of time invested.
If this:
"Here's my advice, k; make the best decks and consistently win much more than you lose. Then you'll be making money on MTGO!!! It worked for me it can work for you!!! Also, test your decks. Also, here's another tip; make better decks than other people."
is what you take from what I've wrote in this series it is safe to say that I'd much rather play against you than write for you.
so do i just google camstudio or is there a process i must follow to download it
I would have to say that MBC and Elves are just solid decks in the beginning of a new format. I took the win last night with an aggro Grixis build.
Good article, but what do you mean by the categories and how you rate them?
Camstudio is freeware video recording that has worked for me, thanks!
Big blocks of text yes. Boiled down to what you said? Not so much. If you can actually parse what he is saying, his advice is both sound and detailed. I was quite skeptical regarding this series of articles based on the first which was just a skeleton but this one has plenty of meat if you aren't too picky to read through it.
To the author, I recommend breaking up those blocks of text with some images and perhaps a little bit of formating. Otherwise nice article.
These articles are basically big blocks of text that can be boiled down to this:
"Here's my advice, k; make the best decks and consistently win much more than you lose. Then you'll be making money on MTGO!!! It worked for me it can work for you!!! Also, test your decks. Also, here's another tip; make better decks than other people."
Hi Nia thanks the update. I just started putting together a few SB decks just for the heck of it. But if SB is dominated by MBC and Elves it may be tough for the format to really get off the ground. Of course if those decks are merely the infantile beginnings of a metagame developing into more interesting archetypes as the format grows then "yay". I fear the former and hope for the latter. I look forward to news of better decks in differing archetypes. I am toying with some UG and RG ideas myself.
The key phrase there is "after I Worldslayer..." the rest is fine...people do not like being hit with Worldslayer.
Yep I made a Taniwha deck.
The problem now is that it's doing better than expected. People tended to ban me after I Worldslayer+Taniwha the board.
Thanks Rachel,
Yeah, you definitely had an uphill struggle against Jarunik, he'd won the past two tournaments when you played him.
I saw one game with your Madness Deck, certainly seemed like a cool deck. Look forward to seeing you at future events.
Yeah, I like to get comments from the players where possible. I think it adds a lot to the article. I should probably try and do more interviews for future articles.
Thanks for your feedback! :)
About the single swamp: I really don't know. Maybe it was in to activate a Nihil Spellbomb that was in the sideboard...Or maybe even to bluff some black removal after fetching it with Emissary or Ranger.
P.S. @Everyone:
Sorry for mixed font thing, I'm sure I misclicked something when I submitted the article. I usually work directly in HTML but had to make a few corrections with the rich-text editor at the last moment. :S
even though I'm not able to make it to the tournaments, I enjoy keeping up with the idea of "standard pauper" so thanks for the articles
help a wannabe out - why is there a lone swamp in a deck where I don't see any need for black mana?
Yeah pretty much never going to play while waiting for a draft again as that was brutal. I used to do it all the time and it was never an issue but the one time when it really counts something happens.
About your situation Rerepete, that's too bad but I think I would rather not know I passed a Tezzeret or some sweet card. Although, that must have put you in a pretty bad spot for the draft. Did you manage to rebound from 2 dead picks? Just curious but did mtgo give you any compensation as I would think that pretty much ruined your draft.
Nice cast this week, the flow was much more natural I felt (no puns intended. :p)
This isn’t really penetrating my thick skull but sure does intrigue me and prompt me to be more attentive. All the best with your game play.
online pokies
Sorry, I disapeared suddenly after asking you about how player run events work. Format looks awesome and I was looking forward to it but my laptop is old and crotchety and has decided it needs to take a nap some time soon so starting a tournament with it just isn't going to work out right now. Hopefully I'll have better luck next time.
I agree. Great article. It was entertaining to read, and I learned a lot about deck-building. I just wish that I too had the budget and time to experiment with Planeswalkers. I know there are some cheap ones, and I don't want this to turn into a rant against Mythics, but it'd be nice if more players in the Casual rooms could fit them in their decks. I don't think most Planeswalkers are overpowered, but it does ruin the duel in a non-tournament environment when only one side has access to them =/