I ended up doing 8 shadowmoor drafts from midnight to the time I passed out at my computer chair. I if I did not have so many things going on today, I would still be doing them.
Delver Fiend is much better when it can dig deep and get multiple cards rather than take the top one or two blind; that's one of the big reasons I dislike Gush, but being able to cast it for zero mana makes up for that. I think I would be more likely to play Faithless Looting instead of it, and I think that puts too much weight on the Red mana side.
Regarding Prodigal Sorcerer's art: it's an example of a style that I've noticed in Magic lately, and that I really don't like - more and more they picture humans (and human-looking creatures) with these precise, very characteristic faces. (The faces also seem very "contemporary", like they are of some supermodels or pop singers.)
1. Make it so that losing connection for half a second doesn't require the entire client to reset. Seriously, this behaviour is insane, especially in a game with strict time requirements and especially especially when it can take several minutes to load back into the game.
2. Give me some way to sort my buddies. It would be really nice if that buddy list you see when you first open the program was actually useful, but 90% of my "buddies" are bots, and it's very difficult to pick out whether the people I actually care about are online amongst all the clutter.
3. Rehaul the way solitaire games work. They're a good idea and a useful tool to quickly test the basics of how a deck functions, but the current implementation is nonsensical. I tried to test a Bogles deck with it, but it wouldn't let me target my hexproof creatures with auras because I was my own opponent. If I'm going to be playing both me and my opponent, then actually let me play two of my decks against each other.
4. Bring back the Tribal Wars filter.
5. Bring back the Tribal Wars filter a second time so we'll have a spare for when you try to delete it again.
Presumably you would let anyone do it, but the numbers he is talking about means only dealers are likely to have enough cards to really make much use of it.
From ML_Berlin who requested this comment to be left:
"In fact, WURM is the German word for WORM. The two different spellings may have the same word as origin ( Saxons went to England, and took their language with them :-) . So many words in agriculture have German or Saxon origin, like Ox( male cow in German). The kind of English used in the Bible, sounds very German, too, not only from Grammar, but also in the meaning of the words like 'be still' which means be silent(=still in German)."
As Worth's replacement, how would you distinguish who is and is not a dealer? Seems like that could be a sticky wicket since currently there is no discernment between player and dealer in wotc's eyes.
Thanks, Planswalker83, for your kind reply and encouragement. Let's get through our hurdles at our own pace, but the first guy across the finish line is buying at the pub! :)
Thanks, too, Paul Leicht, for your constant stream of ideas. When you write, it seems like a labor of love. I don't know if you subscribe to a word count in your articles, but they always seem well constructed to address a lot of angles. In some ways, it's like watching your mind unfold on the screen in real time. You appear humble, despite your experiences in many different formats, and are a recognizable force for good on this site.
Thanks, gentlemen. I really appreciated your replies. Have a nice day!
P.S. If either of you have ideas on solving the Standard Pauper metagame, I'm all ears :)
That is why I write! If one person gets something out of it that is awesome. Struggles are tough but pushing through them is so rewarding. I hope you continue to push through and succeed in your goals!
Thanks for your personal confessions and humility to see where you are, and where you may want to be with MTG.
I've experienced personal setbacks, too, and needed a break. I couldn't balance care for my aging father, my own kidney disease, and solving the Standard Pauper metagame. This stress ate into my own creative writing, and based on my username, this became a big problem.
I felt salty, and began to blame everyone BUT myself for silly things. For example, Borderland Marauder is now Standard-legal because of its inclusion in Welcome Decks. I punished myself for not knowing Welcome Decks existed, and helped nobody in the process.
A friend has helped me a lot. Since he is newer to MTGO (we play FNM together), I appreciate his fresh eyes. He reads a lot about how to avoid simple mistakes that erode wins. He better classified me as a "Johnny," not a "Spike." We forged a compromise: I copy winning (Standard Pauper) decks to playtest against him. I learn how/why those decks can win. He gets experience. I feel okay to criticize his deck out of competitive spirit than enraged loss hate.
Going forward, I want to be more compassionate to other players. I want to be able to say "welcome" to new players, and not be seen as the curmudgeon with losing, rogue builds. If my MTGO legacy means anything, I hope it will be this:
1) Make other players feel safe in playing me. I may win or lose, but I won't say anything mean or distinctly rude. I want to tell players, "good luck" and actually mean it.
2) Feel wanted within the community. I need to participate in more events once health issues get back on track, and be respectful in my questions to avoid seeming rude or contrarily trollish.
3) I want to feel 'successful,' and need to define it. Sometimes, this means playing a match 100%, not quitting because of mana issues out of my control. I want to build experience with just one deck that showcases a cool effect or combo that I will enjoy playing...and accept that I may only win 10% of those matches. Sucessful may mean playtesting a deck x# times to build familiarity with it. Success may mean reading a lot of other content about game play, timing, etc. Right now, success means enjoying the time with Scott as he joins MTGO and still plays in our FNM FLGS.
Again, thanks for being so raw about your struggles, and conclusions. It helps me feel less alone.
Dang it, forgot to paste the mythic and rare charts from my spreadsheet (and amateurishly left the placeholders in my article--the charts don't look right if I paste them in my word processor, so I need to do it in the article writeup itself, so sometimes I forget that step during my proofreading). All of those numbers are in my spreadsheet, but here are the important ones (remember these are using the numbers from ~2 months ago):
The mythic value is 58% of the value of the pack in paper, 12% of the value of the pack on MTGO
The rare value is 61% of the value of the pack in paper, 46% of the value of the pack on MTGO
I love Infect decks, but I'd say what the Prague Storm player did for a finish against a near certain lockout was even more amazing.
Hybrid mana, nostalgia and a well balanced draft set? (Or well imbalanced?)
Yet, I can't pinpoint what makes this so much fun for me. I really can't.
I ended up doing 8 shadowmoor drafts from midnight to the time I passed out at my computer chair. I if I did not have so many things going on today, I would still be doing them.
Ha, glad you enjoyed it! And you even managed to be on my favorite archetype, monowhite, without me even saying anything! :D
I can see myself splitting all of my gaming time this weekend between Shadowmoor and Eternal Masters. Should be fun!
Careful Study then, mayhap, if Looting being red is your only concern.
Delver Fiend is much better when it can dig deep and get multiple cards rather than take the top one or two blind; that's one of the big reasons I dislike Gush, but being able to cast it for zero mana makes up for that. I think I would be more likely to play Faithless Looting instead of it, and I think that puts too much weight on the Red mana side.
What about Tormenting Voice? It will draw 2 and let you ditch a land after you Gush.
Stingscourger has a scourge in his hand, the head of which is a jellyfish, hence the name. The Jellyfish is a man o'war, hence the effect.
Regarding Prodigal Sorcerer's art: it's an example of a style that I've noticed in Magic lately, and that I really don't like - more and more they picture humans (and human-looking creatures) with these precise, very characteristic faces. (The faces also seem very "contemporary", like they are of some supermodels or pop singers.)
#5 - Lol, yes
1. Make it so that losing connection for half a second doesn't require the entire client to reset. Seriously, this behaviour is insane, especially in a game with strict time requirements and especially especially when it can take several minutes to load back into the game.
2. Give me some way to sort my buddies. It would be really nice if that buddy list you see when you first open the program was actually useful, but 90% of my "buddies" are bots, and it's very difficult to pick out whether the people I actually care about are online amongst all the clutter.
3. Rehaul the way solitaire games work. They're a good idea and a useful tool to quickly test the basics of how a deck functions, but the current implementation is nonsensical. I tried to test a Bogles deck with it, but it wouldn't let me target my hexproof creatures with auras because I was my own opponent. If I'm going to be playing both me and my opponent, then actually let me play two of my decks against each other.
4. Bring back the Tribal Wars filter.
5. Bring back the Tribal Wars filter a second time so we'll have a spare for when you try to delete it again.
I know people with large enough collections that this would impact them.
Presumably you would let anyone do it, but the numbers he is talking about means only dealers are likely to have enough cards to really make much use of it.
From ML_Berlin who requested this comment to be left:
"In fact, WURM is the German word for WORM. The two different spellings may have the same word as origin ( Saxons went to England, and took their language with them :-) . So many words in agriculture have German or Saxon origin, like Ox( male cow in German). The kind of English used in the Bible, sounds very German, too, not only from Grammar, but also in the meaning of the words like 'be still' which means be silent(=still in German)."
As Worth's replacement, how would you distinguish who is and is not a dealer? Seems like that could be a sticky wicket since currently there is no discernment between player and dealer in wotc's eyes.
I think it's a little misleading to say "Eternal Masters is now out" and then list of MTGO prices. "EM is out Thu June 16" or else post paper prices.
Outside of the core sets (which I do not think I would have included had I made this event) all the drafts have been mostly fun.
"Next time is Shadowmoor, which for sure is a format I did not draft"
If your drafting preferences are anything like mine, oh man, you're in for a treat. :)
Thanks, Planswalker83, for your kind reply and encouragement. Let's get through our hurdles at our own pace, but the first guy across the finish line is buying at the pub! :)
Thanks, too, Paul Leicht, for your constant stream of ideas. When you write, it seems like a labor of love. I don't know if you subscribe to a word count in your articles, but they always seem well constructed to address a lot of angles. In some ways, it's like watching your mind unfold on the screen in real time. You appear humble, despite your experiences in many different formats, and are a recognizable force for good on this site.
Thanks, gentlemen. I really appreciated your replies. Have a nice day!
P.S. If either of you have ideas on solving the Standard Pauper metagame, I'm all ears :)
I feel a lot of that. If you've read any of my articles you might have picked up on it. Especially the curmudgeon with the rogue decks part :p
That is why I write! If one person gets something out of it that is awesome. Struggles are tough but pushing through them is so rewarding. I hope you continue to push through and succeed in your goals!
Thanks for your personal confessions and humility to see where you are, and where you may want to be with MTG.
I've experienced personal setbacks, too, and needed a break. I couldn't balance care for my aging father, my own kidney disease, and solving the Standard Pauper metagame. This stress ate into my own creative writing, and based on my username, this became a big problem.
I felt salty, and began to blame everyone BUT myself for silly things. For example, Borderland Marauder is now Standard-legal because of its inclusion in Welcome Decks. I punished myself for not knowing Welcome Decks existed, and helped nobody in the process.
A friend has helped me a lot. Since he is newer to MTGO (we play FNM together), I appreciate his fresh eyes. He reads a lot about how to avoid simple mistakes that erode wins. He better classified me as a "Johnny," not a "Spike." We forged a compromise: I copy winning (Standard Pauper) decks to playtest against him. I learn how/why those decks can win. He gets experience. I feel okay to criticize his deck out of competitive spirit than enraged loss hate.
Going forward, I want to be more compassionate to other players. I want to be able to say "welcome" to new players, and not be seen as the curmudgeon with losing, rogue builds. If my MTGO legacy means anything, I hope it will be this:
1) Make other players feel safe in playing me. I may win or lose, but I won't say anything mean or distinctly rude. I want to tell players, "good luck" and actually mean it.
2) Feel wanted within the community. I need to participate in more events once health issues get back on track, and be respectful in my questions to avoid seeming rude or contrarily trollish.
3) I want to feel 'successful,' and need to define it. Sometimes, this means playing a match 100%, not quitting because of mana issues out of my control. I want to build experience with just one deck that showcases a cool effect or combo that I will enjoy playing...and accept that I may only win 10% of those matches. Sucessful may mean playtesting a deck x# times to build familiarity with it. Success may mean reading a lot of other content about game play, timing, etc. Right now, success means enjoying the time with Scott as he joins MTGO and still plays in our FNM FLGS.
Again, thanks for being so raw about your struggles, and conclusions. It helps me feel less alone.
Dang it, forgot to paste the mythic and rare charts from my spreadsheet (and amateurishly left the placeholders in my article--the charts don't look right if I paste them in my word processor, so I need to do it in the article writeup itself, so sometimes I forget that step during my proofreading). All of those numbers are in my spreadsheet, but here are the important ones (remember these are using the numbers from ~2 months ago):
The mythic value is 58% of the value of the pack in paper, 12% of the value of the pack on MTGO
The rare value is 61% of the value of the pack in paper, 46% of the value of the pack on MTGO
It's possible to build a deck of creatures which only have the human type.