Post #4: The Magic of Friendship

Yes, that's me (left) holding Force of Will and Sean, fellow admin of MTG Casual Net (right), holding a Jace, the Mind Sculptor. What's with the goofy faces and gleeful smiles? That's me, breaking my playset of Jace tms. I spent about a year trying to find good deals and good trades to build that playset. Those 4 copies of Jace were like a trophy to hard work and the mindset of completing a challenge I had set for myself. I've been very reluctant to trade a Jace away, event though I know I could get good value out of it. What happened?

At fnm today, after playing some games and slow trading, I was about to get up and look for trades and head out. Sean and his roommate were about to join me when someone approached us asking for trades. I agreed and searched through his binder to find a Force of Will. I asked if the FoW was for trade and suprisingly, he said it was. In 4 years of playing magic, I don't think I've ever seen anyone have a FoW for trade. Plus, the card is so old, there aren't many copies of it in circulation. I immediately jumped on it and offered to work something out if he found something in my trades. He looked and to my dismay, saw nothing. I asked what he was looking for and he responded with Avenger of Zendikar. I knew my good friend, Sean, had one for trade and just looked in his direction. He took a second, and pulled out his binder without a word. I asked this guy how much he valued FoW, he responded with $50. Fifty.. dollars. Normally, I would be like 'heck no!, 50 bucks for a card?!' But, FoW is one of the biggest cards in Legacy and has been on the rise for many years. I've wanted one for almost two years and have talked about it for a while. I asked what else he was looking for. He responded with Sword of Fire and Ice. Damn. 

I didn't have one on me, but to get FoW, that would have been a good trade. I looked blankly at the ceiling and thought, wow, this might be the only chance to get this card. Sean paused for a minute and sent me a text saying 'how badly do you want this card.' I responded with 'pretty badly.' He did something crazy. He took the Sword of Fire and Ice out of his deck that he had been working on for 3 months, and put it on the table towards the trade. I was almost speechless. What is he doing? We looked up the value of Sword and settled on $40. After some discussion, the FoW owner agreed to the trade of Sword + Avenger for FoW. The moment just moved so quickly. I blinked, then there was a FoW in my hands. After the transaction, Sean said 'this is your graduation gift.' I said 'no way, ask the store owner (of Mega Gaming and Comics) if he has a sword and I'll buy it for you right now.' He retorted with 'how about put it towards the Jace we had been discussing?' I happily agreed.

Sean has wanted Jace, the Mind Sculptor for a long time. I've been discussing with him about a trade and unfortunately, I just couldn't part with the trophies I worked so hard to get. I don't think it was getting the FoW that made me part with it, but the fact that my friend was willing to put a very important piece of his deck towards a trade, for me. I don't know many people that would do something like that and I was honored. I'm glad that I could help a friend get his first Jace and at the cost of breaking a playset, that seems ok to me. I'm glad that Jace went into good hands; and Sean, you earned it. 

Magic is not just a game about cards and values. Having friends to support you, magic related or not. I think a big lesson behind today, is that we should all care for each other. Regardless of a trade being bad or good. Or keeping a card or not. A game is no fun unless we enjoy it with people we care about. 

Here was the final trade:

Post #3: New Phyrexia Spoiler

So, the entire New Phyrexia spoiler was leaked a few days ago. Unfortunately, I had finals and other commitments, so I couldn't make a comment sooner. I'd just like to say, that this leak was horrible. I'm completely devastated that someone in the magic community would do something like this. Leaks like this, about a month before the set is released, is horrible for sales and for the set as a whole. When everyone on the internet can view the spoiler early, they have a full month to figure out what decks they want to build for standard/- format or casual. The prices of cards will become more defined, so getting copies of cards before they jump in price will become more difficult. Most importantly, the spoiler will cause the set to lose hype. In defense of popular opinion, I think New Phyrexia is a great set and shows us that WotC (Wizards of the Coast) is willing to take risks with some cards. I feel that all of their efforts in showing off their design and creativity has been ruined.

I think Evan Erwin from Starcitygames does a great job of explaining how this spoiler hurts the game. If you want to see more, check out 'The Magic Show: ep #230'

I'll try not to give too much away from the spoiler, but I'd like to put in my vote for the best card in New Phyrexia, Beast Within. The most straightforward card towards destroying planeswalkers (Jace the Mind Sculptor for standard), and in green. Giving green access to vindicate and at instant speed (and 3 mana!) this card is a house. In casual and singleton, this card has the versatility to take care of almost anything. The downside to giving your opponent a 3/3 does not even compare to the ability to take down a player's win condition, every time. Also the fact that it's an uncommon makes it easily accessible to players looking for 'cheap' options to take care of some $50-100 cards in the standard format. I can see foils of this card reaching near $10+. I'm really excited for this card and can't wait to start running it in singleton and casual decks.

Philosophy Behind the Game

Hey, this is Michael Hood-Julien and today I want to bring up the discussion of the the philosophy behind Mtg. I've been playing Magic for a little over two years, (when my college roommate re-discovered some decks he made back from the time of Invasion and Onslaught Block). Like most people, I was a bit reluctant to try out the game because of the nerdy reputation associated with it, but after giving the game a try a few times, found interest in the complexity of the game.

Certain Cards affecting the Game State

First, I found the cards interesting as I never played an interactive game where a good amount of cards actively altered the rules. It’s great to have cards that change the game state. Not only do those types of cards tend to be the most powerful cards in the game, but they change the way one approaches the game.  My first experience with this playing with an elf deck and being mana flooded. I thought the game was over for me because I really needed creatures and I needed many. However, a fortunate Ambush Commander changed my whole board, and it made it so I had a ton of elves to attack with to win the game in an “alpha strike”. However in another game, Ambush Commander ended up being a detriment when I considered payment to Magus of the Tabernacle’s ability. An effect, like Ambush Commanders, can be risky as (though it offers a huge advantage in creatures), it leaves you crippled to effects, like Wrath of God. 

Philosophy behind the Colors

I find the colors the most integral part of the game. Blocks have had all sorts of themes and yet the five colors have always found a way to attach different approaches.  Blue is usually associated with Control, while green is usually associated with Aggro. However, both Control and Aggro tend to be viable decks to play. Even when it comes to things like Tempo, both colors go about it in different ways. Blue tend to make things cost cheaper. Green tends to be the best at adding lands and mana to your mana pool. They are two solutions to the same problem.

In the most recent set released (MirrodinBesieged), I remember hearing a big debate on which one of the Crusaders were better. Although you can make several arguments for each one on what kind of threats they have invasion from, which is easier to build with, and whether double-strike matches the power level of infect + first strike, most regard them as similar in power level despite the fact that they approach the game from two different angles; they are the “poster child” for two different decks. Mirran Crusader takes full advantage of the plethora of mono-white knights, like Knight Exemplar and Student of Warfare. White also works strong with the great equipment in Standard. On the other hand, Phyrexian Crusader takes advantage of the strong infect creatures, like Plague Stinger and Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon. Black also utilizes strong disruption cards, like Inquisition of Kozilek or Go for the Throat. So how do you judge two knights that fall into two different archeytpes?

Philosophy behind the Game Play

In a game I witnessed in draft, I watched as my friend has a 3/3 artifact creature. He plays an artifact and attacks for 3. The opponent, with one card in hand, responds with Into the Core. Essentially, he would have been better off if he hadn’t played the second artifact. I’ve seen people do similar moves when countering an Oracle of Mul Daya (triggering a Summoning Trap, choosing Emrakul, the Aeons Torn). The player does a move that actually does worse in his/her favor. 

Another occasion, I’m playing a game between matches (and since time is up), I leave to go to my next match. My opponent boasts on how he would have won next turn with White Sun’s Zenith (with X being 4-5), until I reveal the Massacre Wurm in my hand. Uh, Yeah….

For my final example, I was once playing draft, where essentially I had a 2/2 creature and my opponent had a 3/3. I attacked with the 2/2 and I had about 3 cards in my hand and my mana untapped. My opponent had a peculiar look on his face and found it strange that I would attack with a 2/2 and must have figured that I had some sort of combat trick in my hand. He decided to take the damage. The next two turns I did the same. Eventually, he did cast a card to win the game (though it was a close match), but after the game, someone who was watching the game was discussing with me how he felt I shouldn’t have attacked. I argued that I didn’t have anything better in my hand. Although it would have been a blow-out if he would have blocked, is it really a bad move that made? I was able to read that he felt his creature was valuable to him and also anticipated that he didn’t want to block. I mean, I did an extra 6 damage that normally wouldn’t have gone through. Did I make a bad choice?

Essentially, I’ve played many games where if I just did 2 more damage, if I had just attacked on turn 2 or 3, I would have been the victor. However, with the knowledge, presented in from of me, I took the conservative route.  Often people get into long debates on which kinds of cards are better, but to be honest, it depends on what a player wants to do. In most cases, there isn’t a card that is “better”, but just does something that works more cohesively with what an individual is trying to do with the deck. In a blue-black infect deck; is 4x Inquisition of Koziliek better than 4x Signal Pest? Depends if you want to approach the game in a more aggressive or disruptive angle.  Where in some cases, there is an obvious better or worse choice, sometimes in Magic, there is only what approach or strategy that a player chooses to commit to.

Post #2: Mechanics of MTG

Today, I wanted to talk about some basic magic theory that helps me do well when I’m playing in an unknown magic environment, or I’m just starting to build a new deck. Hopefully this helps people who are unfamiliar with some common magic jargon they may hear around the casual table.

Card Advantage: this term refers to a card or ability that helps its player draw more cards or place land cards on the battlefield. If you think of lands and ‘cards in hand’ as a resource, card advantage simply means being able to obtain more resources.

For example, I’ll use one of my favorite cards in magic, Consecrated Sphinx. This guy allows you to draw 2 cards every time an opponent draws 1 card. In large free for all or multiplayer games, Consecrated sphinx is a great way to refill your hand with cards and ‘feed’ the engine of your deck and get you that much closer to winning the game. Another good example is Orcle of Mul Daya. This popular elf (seen in standard RUG decks) lets you play an additional land every turn and allows you to play the top card of your library if it’s a land. The ability to place more lands on the board without using cards from your hand serves as a great reservoir of resources that may just tip the scales of the game in your favor.

In decks that focus on forcing your opponent to discard their hand, using cards that force your opponent to discard multiple cards, including Mind Shatter, Mind Sludge, or Liliana's Specter, also produce card advantage in a counteractive way by limiting your opponents options.

Tempo: this term focuses more on the battlefield and the ability to keep pressure on your opponent. Tempo usually refers to creatures or abilities that help you get closer to winning on board with successive turns. Some cards can also hurt your tempo by forcing you to pay a certain cost during your upkeep or cause you to sacrifice creatures during your upkeep (Eldrazi Monument)

One of the strongest examples for tempo can be seen in Grave Titan (a major win condition in standard B/U decks and a huge force in casual Zombie tribal or black-oriented token decks). Grave titan produces 2 2/2 zombies when he enters the battlefield and whenever he attacks. As the game progresses, the longer Grave Titan is on the board, the more tempo he will generate in your favor and help you win the game very quickly.

Board State: board state is more of a neutral term to describe someone’s board position and how well they are doing in the game. Cards that generally make your board more threatening or more defensive increase your board state.

A good example of board state is seen in Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite from the New Phyrexia spoilers. Elesh Norn gives your dudes a +2/+2 buff and hurts your opponents’ creatures with -2/-2 across the board. Elesh Norn significantly impacts the board as a single card. However, cards like Elesh Norn draw a lot of attention and may bring attention to you, so be prepared for your opponents trying to kill you or destroy your creature.Cards that affect the board state can do things that are beneficial for you, detrimental for your opponents, or can have an effect that affects all players equally.

Opportunity: more of a new concept, opportunity refers to the ability to play spells or abilities at advantageous times.  This could include casting a crucial spell while your counterspell happy opponent is tapped out, so they are unable to respond or using your leftover mana in the turn to better your board state.

When playing Kargan Dragonlord (a crucial piece to mono red), using his level up ability when you have ‘free’ mana available may help you play around your opponents removal spells. If you level up Kargan 4 times in the same turn, before combat, you risk your creature being destroyed by a well timed Doom Blade and losing the tempo of 4 mana for that turn. This tempo loss could be devastating, especially in the early part of the game. But, if you level up Kargan when mana is available rather than invest a turn into him, it makes it more difficult for your opponent to hurt your tempo, and you get a nice 4/4 flyer.

Win Condition/Bomb: This term refers to cards that help you win the game. Cards in this category could be a large trampling creature or a spell that makes you difficult to kill.

Resiliency: Simply put, it’s the ability for your cards or deck to withstand common board states in large multiplayer games. This could include cards that destroy all creatures or the presence of flying/evasive creatures.

Darksteel Juggernaut is a good example of a creature that withstands most board wipe type cards (like Day of Judgement) and helps you have a good ‘post-wrath’ board position. Other creatures that have abilities when they hit the graveyard can also be very helpful in increasing the resiliency of your deck.

Hope this post helps you in building your deck and dominating multiplayer magic games. What do you think of this magic theory? Was there any theory that you’ve heard that wasn’t posted here?

Post #1: First Post! It's Raining Stoneforge Mystic!

So an interesting scenario that happened to me today, that kind of sparks some inquiry. What would you do? 

I went to trade with someone today at FNM and they seemed pretty cool. I was eyeing their trade binder from afar and saw some goodies I was interested in. I pulled a few cards and started talking to him about magic and what format he played in. He said he was starting to play legacy and was looking for miscellaneous things. I pulled a couple cards and a noteworthy stoneforge mystic. He pulled some cards out of my binder, not really around the value of what I was asking for. I asked him if wanted to find more because I knew he hadn't taken enough to equal what I had picked out. I was wondering why he didn't pick much and I asked him what he valued stoneforge at, because some people value him differently based on preference; he replied with about $2-3. 

For everyone that doesn't know, stoneforge mystic is around $20 and is one of the highest chase cards in standard and legacy right now. (http://sales.starcitygames.com/carddisplay.php?product=171669). 

I kind of held my breath for a second and was really surprised by this. He probably wasn't keeping track of it's value, but the lowest value I ever remember him at was around 8. I had two opposing sides, let him know what the value of the card was and risk losing the opportunity to get it, or make a heavily skewed trade in my favor. 

As a veteran player, I know that sometimes trades are heavily skewed. When playing with people who are new to the game or don't follow values of cards, there's a grey area between helping others and helping yourself. It's hard to put in tons of money into a card game, so you can play the cards you want, of which those cards may be heavily beyond your price range. It's also hard to watch new players spend money on cards when you may not be able to. Hounding new players when they open cards may be someone's only way to get new product through trading with those players. It's also very difficult to stay competitive in a format (or casual group) where the prices of cards are quickly increasing, way past anyone's budget. 

Here's what happened. 

I told the guy that his card was around $20. To my surprise, he didn't care. He told me almost verbatim "I have like 5 of these, so no worries." I tried to add more cards to his pile so the trade would be more fair and he said he found what he wanted. The final trade was about $20 on my end to his $30 in cards. I left content that he knew the values of the cards he was trading and we were both happy with the outcome. 

I try to trade heavily in favor of newbies and go $5 or even $20 over the value of what they're giving me so they feel welcomed and that we aren't trying to rip them off, but help them become part of our community. In the end, we're all people and trading is just a way to help us get cards we want to play or get rid of cards we don't want to play. Be respectful to who you're trading with and don't be afraid of 'losing value' on whatever trade you're making. The worst thing that could happen is you'll make a new friend.