f13.net

Won the prerelease at the store I went to. Pulled a Mirror-Mad Phantasm and Liliana from the prize packs.

Uhm.

This set is easy to do sealed. See, what you do is count your fliers in Bant. If you have more than 10, you play them and don't look back. Avacyn's Pilgrim helps. The 2/1 first strike, flying ghost is insane. Mask of Avacyn is some bomb equipment. Travel Preparations is no joke. Curiosity is worth running. That's about it. My deck was all Common/Uncommon with 2 rares, which only saw play once apiece (Elder of Laurels, I think it was called - and Cackling Counterpart, which is AMAZING.)

All Sealed is pretty easy, at the local store level, since current Mtg players are terrible at deck building from scratch.  Pick your most consistent colors, with the most support, and ignore the rares/mythics.  Half your matches you'll run over a guy complaining about how, if they just drew a sixth land, they would have wheeled out their bombs and won.  At this point, nod and apologize about them being mana screwed...  and don't even think about telling them about things like building to a curve or how you would play a deck full of consistent commons over a crappy deck with 3 bombs any day of the week.

I think I won something like 5 out of 6 of my last local Release events that way.

Hmmm, so it would appear that MtG is playable from Africa, from what I can tell...

I know leagues are not back in-game yet ( :mob:) but if I were going to go back in to screw with sealed or something, anyone have tips/suggestions/crazy rule changes? Haven't played since early Ravnica block.

The major rule change:

You can no longer react to damage going on the stack in combat.  You used to assign damage, then get a chance to use an instant/ability, then damage resolves.  Now, combat damage is assigned and resolved.

Example:

Your opponent attacks you with a 2/2.  You block with a 2/2.  You have a Giant Growth in hand.  Opponent has Lightning Bolt in hand.

Old system:  You and opponent assign damage.  Now, you you can cast your Giant Growth on your creature.  This is the "smart" play.  Even if your opponent then burns your 2/2 with a lightning bolt before Growth resolves, you have still killed his creature.  Card advantage: even.

New system:  You assign blocker.  Before damage is assigned, if you want to save your creature, you have to cast Giant Growth.  Opponent can cast Bolt and burn out your creature.  Card advantage: -1 you.  If you don't Growth, you trade creatures.  If your opponent tries to burn your creature before damage, you can Giant Growth in response and trade creatures.


This makes creatures with sac effects much less useful.  Mogg Fanatic (1/1, sac to deal 1 damage to target creature or player) no longer trades with x/2s or kills multiple x/1s.

Hmm, that stinks. I use to have a red/green deck built around that to accelerate out mana and swing for the fences with pumped two-headed dragons.  :oh_i_see: Is that an actual Rule/NowWorkingAsIntended change, or more of a mechanics-of-the-UI change?

You can still pump your guys, you just can't do it after damage goes on the stack.  So you just pump your beater in the "respond to attacking" or "respond to declare blockers" phase.

It's a rule to eliminate the stack tricks people used to use.

It's a rule to eliminate weirdness for new players. It was a bizarre rule to begin with, veteran and aggro players just happened to love it. Shit, I miss it.

Anything to worry about other than the stack issue? I miss sealed leagues.  :oh_i_see:

Did you have Planeswalkers last time you played?

They may have (or Avatars or whatever) but I pretty much stuck to Standard Constructed and Sealed.

...They seriously don't have sealed leagues back yet?  After all this time?


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Sealed leagues make nearly no money, there's no reason for them to return. Ever.

The problem of course being they were the only reason to play for many of us.   :oh_i_see:

Given the rumors that they're going to tie your online account to your real DCI number, I don't really think they give a rat's ass about casual players. This isn't even a little shocking though.

Hasn't this rumor kind of always been around though?  Or is it a "they are really going to do it for real this time" thing?  :uhrr:

For that matter whatever happened to rumors of a big MTGO overhaul, I heard rumors of making it just like a web interface even.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/other/12062011d

Supposedly looking for Beta testers now.

So what's the deal with these new Planeswalkers? Do you have to use them, even in Sealed? I don't even understand the cards when I look at them.  :oh_i_see:

They're a card type, they go in your deck. Are you confusing them with the Vanguard avatar things? Those are not used in regular play at all.

I don't know. They don't have power/toughness, no casting cost...they confuse me with their many abilities and not explanation.

They do have a casting cost.

A planeswalker card looks like this:

(http://www.wizards.com/mtg/images/daily/arcana/1700_jace.jpg)

Rules, which are the first Google hit for "planeswalker rules"  :-P : http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=magic/rules/planeswalkers

Oh wow, they're pretty powerful - with Sarkhan Vol, for example, his +loyalty ability is to buff your own creatures. No idea why you would not just play that Every Damn Turn Possible. -loyalty steals a creature, --loyalty spawns dragons.

These guys seem a bit broken.  :oh_i_see:

You can only use one ability a turn, at sorcery speed.  Sarkhan Vol was not really played at all....  he showed up once or twice in mediocre token strategies.  Jace Beleran (which Ing linked) was played off and on in serious Constructed.  Jace, the Mind Sculptor was banned in STD and Modern.  A card like Garruk sees some play.


Basically, they are "fixed" enchantments.  Power is buffed, but with a way for every color to get rid of them (combat damage, burn, "destroy permanent" effects, counter).