EDIT NOTE ON SIDEBOARD: Those extra Martyr's are supposed to be Rain of Embers. This is what happens when I rush out an article to be 'on time' before next tourney, sorry all.
Pretty funny article. I like having the mini text in between larger text, it makes it more enjoyable. Almost like we're playing a little game. Anyways...
Life gain might be a decent style of deck seeing as Goblin Ruinblasters are starting to become less popular. With M11 coming into play, there may be something viable here. I was thinking more of something like this:
*CREATURES*
4 Ajani's Pridemate
3 Felidar Sovereign
4 Battlegrace Angel
2 Pilgrim's Eye
3 Wall of Reverence
4 Lone Missionary
*SPELLS*
2 Day of Judgement
2 Martial Coup
4 Everflowing Chalice
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Survival Cache
*LANDS*
22 Plains
3 Emeria, The sky Ruin
you can solve it, just takes time.. find a deck you really want to play and buy it as you can even if that means a card a week, thats what I did.. takes awhile, but I'm glad to have my full tarmo set and can play any number of Eva lists, which I love
fantastic stuff I always look forward to reading your articles when a new set is coming out because they tend to give me insight to casual decks beyond 100cs
Ratings online mirror your ratings in paper (though they are separate things.) Unfortunately the powers that be decided that ratings amount to bupkis online and decided to never use them again (until further notice.) Now the only one who can see your rating is you. The point gains are based on the K value of tourneys. The higher the K value (8, 16, 32) the more points you and your opponent have at risk. The way ratings increase and decrease is based on expected results for one rating facing another. If you are low enough rated and you face someone with tons more than you, you can actually gain points for drawing with them. Hence the above conversation. Unfortunately this only means anything in real life.
During the initial MODO beta my limited rating hit the high 1800s and stayed there but the things that were notable were that there a) lots of bad players drafting since it cost nothing. And b) Since the drafts were free if you were ok at them you could keep your ratings up just by playing enough. Very few points did I gain for beating anyone over 1900 (I lost to them I mean.) I miss the over 1700 and over 1800 table avatars. Sad that they trashed them along with the tables (which I don't miss.)
lol, well that may explain why it looks like it has died down in recent years for sure. I know the SCG events get a lot of attendance but then you also have people travelling from all over to be there.
Heh, nope, once you've tasted that level of play cutting back is hard to do. However, with the mysterious price plummet of Natural Order I'll start playing NO Elves in Legacy, and I've finally stated playing *cough* *vomit* Jund *hack* *spit* in Standard just for the sake of funding my ambitions.
Also you're right, we have 4 cats and if we do it right they should keep us fed for a couple weeks. Also it rains a lot here, so I could probably shut off water...
Oh man, I so wanted a shot at ya! Oh well :)
I knew I'd see some affinity, as Doctor Anime has quite a following which he humblily won't admit. The gorillas are actually there for many matchups, but they sure don't hurt vs affinity, I'm 6-0 against it currently. Finally lost one to pestilence, but I drew only 2 lands, so theres that.
I'd be playing this exact same list if I were playing, but I'll be out of town probably. Affinity has great odds, unless hate shows up. I saw a really nasty build with the 0/1 black flyer that gets bonus for each one played out...seemed quicker than current trends, but not having played it much, I'm not the best person to ask.
A lot of decks are using trinkets to fetch alt color lands via artifact lands...also, they're great against any of the artifacts that cost 1, which are numerous in pauper. The smash to smithereens are usually for big blue, but I'll bring them in against affinity obviously, usually siding out thunderbolt.
Strange fact too, "Reload" has never lost to goblins yet, lots of 2-1 narrow victories, but so far 9-0, that and the storm matchup numbers makes me really like this deck. It's about 51% over big blue, but like I wrote, one of the only losses it had were in top 8..boo hoo.
Congrats on your win btw, winning a primiere event is MUCH harder than the PRE (Player Run Events) - as you can usually tell in the decklists provided.
Don't think mulliganing to hydroblast/island is that great an answer, I'm sure you were kidding :)
The last PTQ I went to in NC was also the TSP block PTQ which took the attendance record for largest PTQ in NC at the time. I believe this tournament was an anomaly and isn't indicative of competitive magic in NC.
Hey Adrian,
Very interestin artilce, pics just amazing.
Theres only one thing that makes me scary to pilotin affinity - 4 gorillaz in side) So i have to mull, until my starter include Island/hydroblast
Did you expect so much of artifact lands ? And what do you think about Affinity odds on next weekly event ?
well people in greensboro arent really playing. I live on campus at UNCG and I have met maybe 8 people who play after a year. So I mostly play online as well. I know the area used to be vibrant when DJ's was around in High Point. But I have not heard much about Lucky's Card Shop which is the current local magic shop.
Would it make you feel better if I wrote about a cheaper deck? I could bust out some play analogy about Red Deck Wins. Better yet, how about I branch into Boros Deck Wins?
With your play ability, soon enough you will take the profits from winnings and writing articles and have those Duals and FOW's in no time.
Rent isn't overrated, eating is. You could just starve yourself for a few weeks lol.
I swear this is the last article of yours I read. Much more and I'm sure to break the bank on Legacy XD. Oh the memories of playing with duals and FoW's and Wastelands and, well, for me, Strip Mine, Mishra's Workshop, Moxen and Memory Jar... BAH! Rent's overrated >.<
Having grown up in Durham and living in Burlington currently (but only playing online - oops), I don't understand what could be the problem with this part of the state. There are probably 1.5 million people within ~30-45 minutes drive and another couple million if you're willing to drive further (charlotte and richmond aren't THAT far).
Are you saying people around here just aren't playing magic? Maybe the problem is that all the college kids are home for the summer?
I put this together in paper last night. What a blast to play! I love it. After playing it a bit, I had a few more ideas...
I think the deck needs a second Emrakul, to increase the chances of drawing it, and so that you can Mind Spring for a million and have an extra one to discard and shuffle everything back into your library.
Wall of Omens seems a lot better than Sea Gate Oracle, especially now that you've added white. It comes down a turn earlier and has synergy with Overgrown Battlement.
Perimeter Captain seems better than Wall of Reverence. Against aggro decks, you're probably already in trouble by the time Wall of Reverence comes down, and you don't have many good targets for it. If the Pelakka Wurm or Emrakul is on the table to target with Wall of Reverence, you're probably already in decent shape.
Windstorm seems like a great sideboard option against fliers (as I mentioned before). You've got lots of mana and it can easily kill anything that you're walls can't block (it even hits Sphinx of Jwar Isle).
Every time I had Mnemonic Wall in hand, I didn't have any good targets to return from my graveyard. Once I played a Mind Spring, I had lots of other action that was better than Mnemonic Wall.
I'm actually unfamiliar with the nuances of ratings. Does this mean that when we play MTGO limited tournaments, our rating will spike higher if we beat someone else who happens to have a high rating as opposed to a low one? Or is this only PTQ-level etc.
I am aware of the meaning and calculation of ratings and k values thanks. I was simply thinking that there was something about IDing into a top 8 that meant no game was actually recorded as played. I'd forgotten (its been a decade or so) that IDs while having controversy for screwing with tie breakers are not the same thing as what I was thinking of that came up recently when someone was banned online for it. Pete covered that. I too could fill a book with my opinions on the fairness of IDing but since it is the accepted norm now there is no point. It is not going to change.
I live about 30 minutes from Burlington...the last area PTQ i went to was tsp-block. The crowd there was about 200. Im starting to wonder what's going on with NC magic or if it is just this part of the state.
As Pete said, it really depends on the rating of the players. If the ratings were equal, no points would be exchanged. The further the two players are apart, the higher the percentage of the K value will be exchanged to bring their ratings closer to the result, which is even.
An ID counts as a draw - both players get 1 point. A win is worth three points, a loss nothing.
You are thinking about the "draw" procedure for splitting the finals of a single elimination 8 player event, like a draft. In the paper world, you can split the finals, and most tourament organizers create a prize payout that supports this. (Like 8-4 - or 6 each if you split.) However, ending the match in a draw causes two problems. First, the tournament software does not always like splits - sometimes it insists on having a winner. Second, if a high rated player draws with a lower rated player, the high-rated player loses some points. To avoid both problems, most scorekeepers simply drop one of the two players in the finals, and the other player wins with a bye. The final results still show the dropping player finishing second, and no one loses points to a match that was not played.
Note that I'm not saying anything, here, abotu whether IDs are good or bad. I've written 10k+ words on that elsewhere. (Check my archives.) I'm just explaining how it works, in paper, at the moment.
EDIT NOTE ON SIDEBOARD: Those extra Martyr's are supposed to be Rain of Embers. This is what happens when I rush out an article to be 'on time' before next tourney, sorry all.
Pretty funny article. I like having the mini text in between larger text, it makes it more enjoyable. Almost like we're playing a little game. Anyways...
Life gain might be a decent style of deck seeing as Goblin Ruinblasters are starting to become less popular. With M11 coming into play, there may be something viable here. I was thinking more of something like this:
*CREATURES*
4 Ajani's Pridemate
3 Felidar Sovereign
4 Battlegrace Angel
2 Pilgrim's Eye
3 Wall of Reverence
4 Lone Missionary
*SPELLS*
2 Day of Judgement
2 Martial Coup
4 Everflowing Chalice
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Survival Cache
*LANDS*
22 Plains
3 Emeria, The sky Ruin
you can solve it, just takes time.. find a deck you really want to play and buy it as you can even if that means a card a week, thats what I did.. takes awhile, but I'm glad to have my full tarmo set and can play any number of Eva lists, which I love
I traveled 9+ hours down to NC to go to Cape Fear Games... though it was just to sell off my remaining paper and not to play lol
fantastic stuff I always look forward to reading your articles when a new set is coming out because they tend to give me insight to casual decks beyond 100cs
Ratings online mirror your ratings in paper (though they are separate things.) Unfortunately the powers that be decided that ratings amount to bupkis online and decided to never use them again (until further notice.) Now the only one who can see your rating is you. The point gains are based on the K value of tourneys. The higher the K value (8, 16, 32) the more points you and your opponent have at risk. The way ratings increase and decrease is based on expected results for one rating facing another. If you are low enough rated and you face someone with tons more than you, you can actually gain points for drawing with them. Hence the above conversation. Unfortunately this only means anything in real life.
During the initial MODO beta my limited rating hit the high 1800s and stayed there but the things that were notable were that there a) lots of bad players drafting since it cost nothing. And b) Since the drafts were free if you were ok at them you could keep your ratings up just by playing enough. Very few points did I gain for beating anyone over 1900 (I lost to them I mean.) I miss the over 1700 and over 1800 table avatars. Sad that they trashed them along with the tables (which I don't miss.)
Now that you've identified the problem (ie cats) you can solve it. You see, think of all that money you'd save not feeding them lol, just kidding.
Just get yourself some rain barrels, boil the water and then reuse it lol.
lol, well that may explain why it looks like it has died down in recent years for sure. I know the SCG events get a lot of attendance but then you also have people travelling from all over to be there.
Also, forgot to rate it! ^-^
Heh, nope, once you've tasted that level of play cutting back is hard to do. However, with the mysterious price plummet of Natural Order I'll start playing NO Elves in Legacy, and I've finally stated playing *cough* *vomit* Jund *hack* *spit* in Standard just for the sake of funding my ambitions.
Also you're right, we have 4 cats and if we do it right they should keep us fed for a couple weeks. Also it rains a lot here, so I could probably shut off water...
Oh man, I so wanted a shot at ya! Oh well :)
I knew I'd see some affinity, as Doctor Anime has quite a following which he humblily won't admit. The gorillas are actually there for many matchups, but they sure don't hurt vs affinity, I'm 6-0 against it currently. Finally lost one to pestilence, but I drew only 2 lands, so theres that.
I'd be playing this exact same list if I were playing, but I'll be out of town probably. Affinity has great odds, unless hate shows up. I saw a really nasty build with the 0/1 black flyer that gets bonus for each one played out...seemed quicker than current trends, but not having played it much, I'm not the best person to ask.
A lot of decks are using trinkets to fetch alt color lands via artifact lands...also, they're great against any of the artifacts that cost 1, which are numerous in pauper. The smash to smithereens are usually for big blue, but I'll bring them in against affinity obviously, usually siding out thunderbolt.
Strange fact too, "Reload" has never lost to goblins yet, lots of 2-1 narrow victories, but so far 9-0, that and the storm matchup numbers makes me really like this deck. It's about 51% over big blue, but like I wrote, one of the only losses it had were in top 8..boo hoo.
Congrats on your win btw, winning a primiere event is MUCH harder than the PRE (Player Run Events) - as you can usually tell in the decklists provided.
Don't think mulliganing to hydroblast/island is that great an answer, I'm sure you were kidding :)
The last PTQ I went to in NC was also the TSP block PTQ which took the attendance record for largest PTQ in NC at the time. I believe this tournament was an anomaly and isn't indicative of competitive magic in NC.
Hey Adrian,
Very interestin artilce, pics just amazing.
Theres only one thing that makes me scary to pilotin affinity - 4 gorillaz in side) So i have to mull, until my starter include Island/hydroblast
Did you expect so much of artifact lands ? And what do you think about Affinity odds on next weekly event ?
Regards
well people in greensboro arent really playing. I live on campus at UNCG and I have met maybe 8 people who play after a year. So I mostly play online as well. I know the area used to be vibrant when DJ's was around in High Point. But I have not heard much about Lucky's Card Shop which is the current local magic shop.
Would it make you feel better if I wrote about a cheaper deck? I could bust out some play analogy about Red Deck Wins. Better yet, how about I branch into Boros Deck Wins?
With your play ability, soon enough you will take the profits from winnings and writing articles and have those Duals and FOW's in no time.
Rent isn't overrated, eating is. You could just starve yourself for a few weeks lol.
I swear this is the last article of yours I read. Much more and I'm sure to break the bank on Legacy XD. Oh the memories of playing with duals and FoW's and Wastelands and, well, for me, Strip Mine, Mishra's Workshop, Moxen and Memory Jar... BAH! Rent's overrated >.<
Also great read, always like Bant in Legacy.
I didn't mean "couple million" just million (Charlotte ~700,000 - Richmond ~200,000). I don't think my first estimate was too far off though.
Having grown up in Durham and living in Burlington currently (but only playing online - oops), I don't understand what could be the problem with this part of the state. There are probably 1.5 million people within ~30-45 minutes drive and another couple million if you're willing to drive further (charlotte and richmond aren't THAT far).
Are you saying people around here just aren't playing magic? Maybe the problem is that all the college kids are home for the summer?
I put this together in paper last night. What a blast to play! I love it. After playing it a bit, I had a few more ideas...
I think the deck needs a second Emrakul, to increase the chances of drawing it, and so that you can Mind Spring for a million and have an extra one to discard and shuffle everything back into your library.
Wall of Omens seems a lot better than Sea Gate Oracle, especially now that you've added white. It comes down a turn earlier and has synergy with Overgrown Battlement.
Perimeter Captain seems better than Wall of Reverence. Against aggro decks, you're probably already in trouble by the time Wall of Reverence comes down, and you don't have many good targets for it. If the Pelakka Wurm or Emrakul is on the table to target with Wall of Reverence, you're probably already in decent shape.
Windstorm seems like a great sideboard option against fliers (as I mentioned before). You've got lots of mana and it can easily kill anything that you're walls can't block (it even hits Sphinx of Jwar Isle).
Every time I had Mnemonic Wall in hand, I didn't have any good targets to return from my graveyard. Once I played a Mind Spring, I had lots of other action that was better than Mnemonic Wall.
Here's the list I ended up with:
Main
2 Emrakul
2 Pelakka Wurm
2 Acidic Slime
4 Ondu Giant
4 Overgrown Battlement
4 Wall of Omens
4 Joraga Treespeaker
4 Rite of Replication
2 Ponder
4 Mind Spring
4 Explore
4 Seaside Citadel
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Plains
4 Island
8 Forest
Sideboard
4 Perimiter Captain
4 Windstorm
2 Pelakka Wurm
2 Acidic Slime
1 ???
It happens online in all the various tournament formats it just doesnt really count for anything.
I'm actually unfamiliar with the nuances of ratings. Does this mean that when we play MTGO limited tournaments, our rating will spike higher if we beat someone else who happens to have a high rating as opposed to a low one? Or is this only PTQ-level etc.
I am aware of the meaning and calculation of ratings and k values thanks. I was simply thinking that there was something about IDing into a top 8 that meant no game was actually recorded as played. I'd forgotten (its been a decade or so) that IDs while having controversy for screwing with tie breakers are not the same thing as what I was thinking of that came up recently when someone was banned online for it. Pete covered that. I too could fill a book with my opinions on the fairness of IDing but since it is the accepted norm now there is no point. It is not going to change.
I live about 30 minutes from Burlington...the last area PTQ i went to was tsp-block. The crowd there was about 200. Im starting to wonder what's going on with NC magic or if it is just this part of the state.
As Pete said, it really depends on the rating of the players. If the ratings were equal, no points would be exchanged. The further the two players are apart, the higher the percentage of the K value will be exchanged to bring their ratings closer to the result, which is even.
An ID counts as a draw - both players get 1 point. A win is worth three points, a loss nothing.
You are thinking about the "draw" procedure for splitting the finals of a single elimination 8 player event, like a draft. In the paper world, you can split the finals, and most tourament organizers create a prize payout that supports this. (Like 8-4 - or 6 each if you split.) However, ending the match in a draw causes two problems. First, the tournament software does not always like splits - sometimes it insists on having a winner. Second, if a high rated player draws with a lower rated player, the high-rated player loses some points. To avoid both problems, most scorekeepers simply drop one of the two players in the finals, and the other player wins with a bye. The final results still show the dropping player finishing second, and no one loses points to a match that was not played.
Note that I'm not saying anything, here, abotu whether IDs are good or bad. I've written 10k+ words on that elsewhere. (Check my archives.) I'm just explaining how it works, in paper, at the moment.