• A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    @leviathan: I could, but since most people don't have that extra it didn't seem fair

    @LE: agreed I've always loved PREs and where I can find time I'm there, trick is building up the collection towards constructed play, as you'll see over the next two weeks I'm building up to pauper since for whatever reason I can't seem to get into heirloom, I almost wish I could fast forward a little because I'll be taking a look at price of pauper and then some of the cheaper std decks in future weeks

    thx for the comments

  • Lessons In Draft: First MTGO SoM Draft. Can't Resist Skittles.   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Towards the end of the draft (I think it was about P3P9), you raredrafted (presumably) a copperline gorge over a carrion call. It seems like with your deck being very high on equipment, but low on infect creatures the carrion call might have been pretty useful for you, simply because it provides two infectious bodies to equip up.

    In my experience (which is solely offline) of drafting infect, the 2-drops and cystbearers are the absolute core of the deck, and it didn't quite seem like you saw enough of those in the draft. It's worth noting that a cystbearer equipped with bladed pinions actually wins in combat against anything smaller than a 5/3.

  • Rogue Play - Adventures on a Metal World   14 years 33 weeks ago

    That is a seriously sweet deck.

    Just one thing though;
    Is the trigon really better than just running a 4th carnifex demon? both recharge any carnifex demons you have in play, and having 2 carnifex demons in play obviously just gives you infinite wraths whenever you want(!).

    If your opponent has a way of killing carnifex demon, then it seems like playing a second carnifex demon is better, and if your opponent doesn't have a way to kill carnifex demon, then it also seems like playing a second carnifex demon is better. I don't really see any situation where the trigon is better than the 4th demon.

    Also, the trigon just gives the opponent something to point that artifact removal spell they're holding at.

  • Tribal Apocalypse - The Horror of it all   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Oh no Paul they do have a place in the tourney if and i mean if all the other players join in the fun of theme week. I did have a horror deck built for last week but due to other commitments was unable to play. In fact atm it tends to be 1 in every 4 i can.

    But we do see the problem with this type of theme week, it is very easy to bring an anti deck to the theme decks which i am glad to see by the looks of the 3 decks above they didn't do that.

    The problem you did have is that theme week decks are harder to tune or just not as competitive as the more used tribes that get played each week.

    Well i am sure people will disagree on the above but as always it's just my 2pence worth and how i see it.

    I applaud Flippers though for bringing in ideas like this and hope as has been so far the event grows and grows as it has been.

  • Tribal Apocalypse - The Horror of it all   14 years 33 weeks ago

    I was pretty bitter as the 4th halloween themed player running BR Horrors with an antidraw theme in the form of Underworld Dreams, Burning Inquiry, Kederekt Parasite, Molten Psyche, etc...you would have thought maybe Id get the kill more often than once in 7 games. But no...it failed miserably vs Goblins by Blippy and to a random commons aggro deck. Really really reinforced the idea that theme decks and fun decks have NO place in this tourney.

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Someone is rising from his ashes I suppose :).

    Very good start and I'm looking forward to your future adventures. I would suggest using PREs as your prime way to win prizes. Heirloom really does have a good payout but those Standard and Extended Pauper PREs could also be interesting (Classic Pauper may need some $$$ cards such as Rats). I've also seen people do very well in BYOS tournaments with $10 worth decks, so don't forget to try it too.

    Very good job overall.

    LE

  • Rogue Play - Adventures on a Metal World   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Hi guys and thanks for the comments.

    Coating is an interesting card and I've seen decks built around it. Green/Red is the way to go with tons of artifact hate for that deck. The only problem is that you may never draw that card in time. Besides, there are some decks out there, such as mono Black poison (or the one deck I play), that don't use that many artifacts. If you don't draw Coating in time, you may end up with tons of dead cards against those decks. So while the idea is (very) nice, I wouldn't build my whole deck around one single card; especially without a way to fetch it out of your library.

    Koth in the Rakdos deck serves his purpose well. I've played over 30 games so far and only twice I managed to make him reach to his ultimate; and so far I never seen someone doing it against me (and I faced lots of Koth as well). No one allows that. So his main purpose is to "produce" as many 4/4's as possible. And together with my other creatures, those 4/4's become quite useful.

    Oh and an extra Trigon would be really too much.

    Thanks again for the comments.

    LE

  • Rogue Play - Adventures on a Metal World   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Gotta say the last few articles you've written on this topic have been great. You've given us plenty of decklists, opinions, testing reports, and everything a serious player could ask for. Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to running out the Rakdos deck.

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Good stuff. I like how structured you appear to be with the focus of the column. Too bad you can't include the credits you get for writing in your budget. Should be interesting for sure.

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Hey JustSin,

    I think it depends on what you need to do to enjoy the game, if you need to play a draft every once and awhile you are certianly going to need the 15 a week, if you can live without drafting very often I think there is plenty to do in the game to take up all the time you could want to spend magicking it up heh (pauper, peasant and Heirloom + casual, and Im probably forgetting plenty).

    But I too love draft so I understand the idea could seem extreme.

    X-

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    thx for the comment, $15 a month is way way budget and there would be no point in playing on that kind of limitation in my opinion

  • Rogue Play - Adventures on a Metal World   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Our-Lord-Erman,

    I was wondering when someone would see that combo and exploit it. 6 mama for a 13/13 annihilator 2 is pretty efficient lol.

    I remember back in mirrodin draft I would try to either play tons of artifacts or none at all a lot of the time. in artifacts matter sets that's the way to go imo, glad you agree heh.

    X-

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Nice article,

    I suppose a "Poor Man" here is a relative concept since the person playing probably has a reasonable computer to play (something that itself cost $200 or so at least and a reasonable internet connection at whatever monthly cost that is. Then there's living details, food housing ect.

    I like the financial limitation you set for yourself though I think you could have gone even further with $15 a month instead of per week, a lot of players play like that.

    Heirloom isn't very complicated, basically there is a list that only changes occasionally and if a card is on that list it's legal in Heirloom Classic, the version of Heirloom all the events are atm.

    Be great to see you at the next event, it's a pretty easy way to earn some tix without much risk. (just the risk of the investment into your deck of 1-5 tix)

    seems like a great series, good luck.

    X-

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    I'm not a great limited player and that's my point. While I understand what you're saying here's my comparison... you say that the choices are draft or play constructed. To jump into constructed you need to buy in for $100 in many cases at least. After talking to several people it seems that a lot of people find themselves limited to this $15 budget weekly. I had talked with blau and he had an idea for seeing about a new player taking it from that direction, jumping in constructed, but with a budget of $15 a week that'll be two months before you've saved enough to play constructed. Not to mention that constructed play has set time frames whereas limited play can be done at any time a queue fills. It is true there is a learning curve and drafting isn't a garuntee, I tried to make that known and when you see my draft for next week you'll def see it lol part of the point of this article is to show people it's not as easy as just drafting your way into constructed play. A lot of people have said that it is easy for new players to just join the game, but there really is a barrier to entry and I'm hoping to help define just how bad it is.

    edit: perhaps I'll add this topic to my schedule, do a special addition camparing the two ways of starting in more detail

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    I agree with most things said here: drafting as a bridge to constructed is hard. Like Oraymw said below, he has played a lot of drafts, but has to sell money rares to keep drafting. That's part of the cycle in some ways. If you just build a deck and enter constructed events, however, your winnings can go back into constructed, and entry costs are so much lower.

    For someone like me, who's mediocre, I drafted for the first time in about ten years... managed to win two packs, so I entered another draft, buying the third pack... got my ass handed to me. =( So, should I buy 3 more packs or move on to constructed? I chose the latter option. All draft formats have a learning curve, and when you join a queue for your first SOM draft, there's every possibility your sitting with people playing their 20th. Maybe, Sin, you are a pretty good player, but for some schmuck like me reading this, they should be aware that drafting is Magic's equivalent to UFC.

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    this is why I started off as a gfx major

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Math...not your strong suit. Noted. 4x 15 a week is 60 per MONTH. :D

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    well 15 a week x4 weeks = 60 per week, not unreasonable I think

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    good point, it is EST, I'll have it updated in the next article

  • 1020 in 2010, part 9 (#134-159): GRA! goes the Hose Beast!   14 years 33 weeks ago

    As always, a great read; my kids and wife keep on asking why I'm laughing so hard.

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    As a poor magic player myself, I have found several ways to manage the costs of magic online. Here are my own tips:

    1. Drafting. I only do swiss drafts, and I do it for several reasons. First is because I am paying in order to play magic. Drafting swiss means that I am going to get three rounds in, which means I'm going to get more play time for my money, and more play time in the set. I have found that I have mitigated my costs to where I can draft about 20 times a month for between 25 and 40 dollars. However, this also requires me to sell money rares, so my collection is pretty sparse as far as rares go.

    2. Casual Limited Matches. Because I am a member of the Limited Resources clan, I have a way to consistently find casual limited matches. I ask people who are my friends if they would like to join a Freeform match using SoM Draft decks, for example. This allows me to get more mileage out of my drafts. I try to do 2 or 3 extra matches with every draft deck. Because I do this, I'm getting about 2x the play value out of my drafts. I also improve my playing and drafting abilities dramatically. This is one of the best things to do if you want to draft on a budget.

    3. Pauper. I play pauper competitively. You can get a competitive pauper deck for less than 5 tix. Also, if you are drafting consistently, then you are going to pick up 4 of every common in a set pretty easily. I have dozens of pauper decks, and they are incredibly fun to play. I'm good enough at the format to win prizes, which allows me to make back tix to do more drafting.

    4. Standard. I don't play standard, simply because I can't hold onto money rares. But occasionally I can find a competitive budget deck that allows me to win more than 50% of my matches. In these cases, I will play a limited amount of Standard Constructed.

    5. Momir Basic. The ultimate budget format, but also the one that relies on luck the most. This just requires getting a Momir Vig avatar, and then you can play an unlimited number of Momir Vig matches. They are incredibly varied, and always fun, though luck is a big factor.

    6. Feedback. I participate actively in the community, which allows me to get feedback on my drafts, and constructed decks. This allows me to be much more competitive.

  • Your MTGO Standard Metagame 10/21-10/28   14 years 33 weeks ago

    A good article. I will give the GW tokens deck a ride.

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    Very Nice start, I'm looking forward to what you do with this adventure. I used to spend a lot of money on this game, but then I got married and had a child and my spare cash flittered away.

    Now I haven't had to liquidate my collection, but I still sometimes feel the pinch of my budget calling. Sometimes the economics game within Magic Online is more interesting than playing the game itself.

  • Releasing Scars, a 6 booster release sealed (Part 1)   14 years 33 weeks ago

    First of all thank you for your comment, it's my first one and I'm pleased it's constructive critique.

    You know, I had a hard time building this deck, even if I knew the colors I wanted to be in in the first place and submitted a couple of times in the last minute available.
    It also was my second SOM pool ever and I still wasn't sure about card evaluation. Most of the things you said came to my mind sooner or later though.

    Abuot the Battlesphere you're absolutely right, I also mentioned that in the article, now that I know the card a little better I know to include it in almost any deck.

    About the Artisan I'm still not sure (in that pool I mean). I already had a heavy 5cmc spot and I didn't want to have too many of them nor I wanted to cut any of those 5 cmc cards already there so I decided to leave it in the sideboard but it was a painful decision. I guess I could have thought about swapping golems (with the Saberclaw, a card I liked before and now a little less) but I unfortunately didn't.

    I liked the Chrome Steed but I didn't regard my metalcraft very highly in this pool, partly because I only had 12 artifacts and 2 of them I probably wanted to sac sooner or later so I decided to play the Glider instead. As for taking out the Propagator, now I think it may have been a good idea but at the time I didn't want to throw away the little synergies I had (with the Barrage Ogre), plus it was a portable metalcraft enabler for the relic and the glider.

    I think (I still do) that flying is very important in this format (less than in M11 but still important), this is why the Skyguard, the Hawk and the Glider were in. I felt not that bad about the hawk due to the three 1cmc and the two 2cmc artifacts I had; I thought there were good possibilities I was able to cast it soon enough.

    Lastly as for the manabase, I was still struggling with SoM mana curve and wondered what I wanted to do. MODO suggested 8/8 but I didn't like it because my double red were things I wanted to play a little later than the white ones (with the exception of the Turn to Slag) and none of my red were less than turn 4 anyway so I decided for 9/7. But then I looked at my Turn to Slag and decided for 8/8 again.
    You're totally right about the Myr though, I didn't think it through enough, also, back then I considered mana myrs little more than sitting ducks waiting to be removed, or early chump material as soon as I had enough basic lands out and/or ways to have access to colors you wanted to splash for but didn't want to play that many lands for.
    I was obviously wrong, now I have adjusted my view on them.

  • A Poor Man's Guide to Magic - An Introduction   14 years 33 weeks ago

    I like the idea of coming up with a poor man's guide to playing this game. Yours is about the best way to go about it.

    It's the nature of the game though that even with only one draft per week, you're still spending $64 per month, which is more than any bill I pay at my apartment. That's like a brand-new console game per month, except this game has garbage graphics, no sound, and you can't pick it up and put it down at will (dropping drafts sucks). And then you're left not with "money" or prizes, but a bunch of cards that are probably 0.20c rares, even if you can liquidate them. MTGO is like playing online poker except instead of winning money you have a 1 in 8 shot of only winning a free play.