Started playing magic online, a few thoughts.

[Teleku]

Yeah, so I finally broke down and spent some money on magic online.  I use to play magic a long time ago, but stopped around Weatherlight/Tempest (I still think the Ice Age block, particularly Alliances, was the greatest expansion set ever).  I got the itch again though, and finnally bought some CoK and 8th edition packs to mess around with, as well as entering a sealed deck leauge to practice and see how my skills are doing.  Some random thoughts:

-So far, in my first 6 games in my leauge, I have lost every singe game.  All matchs were 0-2, except for 1, in which I won the first game, and was looking good at the begining of the second game, then the server crashed.  I couldn't log back on for awhile, then had to go out to dinner.  I came back, and it had given me the loss 1-2.  God hates me. (By the way, how does the system work that?)

-While I know I am rusty, there is only so much I can do with my cards, which don't seem to be the greatest when compared to others.  Case in point, the last game I played that counted in my leauge was against a guy who, not only having several of the good commons, also had both a Kiki-Jikki  and a Red Dragon.  Which he managed to get out in both games.  Again, god hates me.

-Played in casual standard games a bit.  Did as well as can be expected from my limited card base.  But really, WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THAT MIRRODIN BLOCK, or what ever it is.  Is every fucking card an artifact?  I played so many people using decks made of nothing but artifact cards from that expansion, all of which were incredibly overpowerd.  What the fuck is up with that, it defeats the point of the game, having different colors.  Theres no balance, you don't have to worry about balancing the weakness's of colors against each other! ARG!  The artifact equipment is a cool idea and all, but why doesn't it go to the grave yard when I kill the creature wearing?  Why must, on top of all the other unbalancing, they let the player just keep reequiping that damn hat that gives their creature +10 attack over and over again?  Fucking Christ that makes me hate magic.

-I now need to build an Artifact Armageddon deck to destroy all those assholes with....

So, despite all my troubles, I'm actually having fun again, even if I seem to have the absolute worst luck in the world.  I actually like this new champions expansion, as the cards and the artwork are cool.  Anybody have any tips or suggestions that might help me along?  Fairly new at this online leauge play, or playing the new sets in general (if only I had a way to use all my revised/ice age cards online...).  So any tips would be nice.  Overall, despite how I thought it would turn out when I heard the pricing plan, it is alot of fun.

[Raging Turtle]

Leagues are great when starting out and for building a collection, but sometimes your cardpool just sucks and there's not much you can do about it - except wait another week to open another booster, but who has the patience for that?

Mirrodin can be annoying - but other than affinity, there aren't too many overpowered casual decks.  I personally found Onslaughts tribes a lot more annoying.  Throw in some shatters, tel-jihad justice, wear aways if you only have Kamigawa, and those decks will seem normal

If you're interested, I've got about 5 billion extra commons from drafting in Onslaught-Legions-Scourge and to a lesser degree, Mirrodin-Darksteel-5th Dawn I'm willing to give away (and any land you might need).  Find me online as Raging Turtle.  "/addbuddy Raging Turtle" and the game will tell you when I sign on... which might be for odd hours given my location.

[Margalis]

Mirrodin was a weak set from a design standpoint. You are right, it does defeat a lot of the point of magic.

However equipment is pretty well done IMO. It costs more than a similar enchantment, but lives longer. Enchantments were pretty weak in that destroying the creature that had an enchantment gave you a nice 2-1 card destroyed/used ratio.

They could have just made enchantments better, but then you get into a problem where if you don't have creature destruction they are tood good, but if you do they aren't good enough. You see that in a lot of games, where some mechanic is either too good or too bad depending on the counters the opponent happens to have.

[Ironwood]

Having dicked about considerably with Kamigawa now, I don't like it.

I'm in a league right now and just don't even have the enthusiasm to play.  It's shocking.

I find the further complication of this set to be as baffling as it is pointless.

Shame really.


Back to 8ed leagues for me, I think.

[Teleku]

Sorry I haven't responded, got busy and forgot about this thread.

I still like Kamigawa, and I finally seemed to have gotten myself to a point where I can actually win with the cards in my sealed deck leauge.  To late to save my score, but I think I managed to put together a winnable series of medocrie cards (I just made a deck with lots of big creatures.  Ogres to help my two painwreacker oni, and a bunch of big random spirits.  And cage of hands.  Dear god I live and die by cage of hands).  I still haven't pulled any of the big rares though.

Back to 8ed leagues for me, I think.

I think I will try an 8th edition leauge after this as well, I miss that old timey magic feeling.

However equipment is pretty well done IMO. It costs more than a similar enchantment, but lives longer. Enchantments were pretty weak in that destroying the creature that had an enchantment gave you a nice 2-1 card destroyed/used ratio.

I can see what you mean, but I still feel they are a bit overpowered (especially since I haven't pulled any equipment myself in my sealed deck leauge. blah).  I think the fact that you could just pay the equip cost to move it off a creature before it goes to the graveyard would be a big enouph advantage function over enchantments.  If you could only save it that way, then it would require a little more strategy and player skill to make sure you leave enouph mana and extra creatures just in case.  But hey, they are still pretty cool, so it doesn't bug me that much.

If you're interested, I've got about 5 billion extra commons from drafting in Onslaught-Legions-Scourge and to a lesser degree, Mirrodin-Darksteel-5th Dawn I'm willing to give away (and any land you might need). Find me online as Raging Turtle. "/addbuddy Raging Turtle" and the game will tell you when I sign on... which might be for odd hours given my location.

Thanks for all the advice and the offer.  I tried to add you, but I guess you can't have spaces in your name because it just added "raging" to my buddies list.  I tried an underscore and some other combos, but it couldn't seem to find them.  What exactly is your user name online (and all the rest of you for that matter.  Be fun to play some of you)?  Anyways though, thanks again.  I am slowly but surely restarting my magic addiction.  Its so nice to be able to get a game with new people when ever I want, and in the privacy of my own home, so I am not seen in public actually playing.......

[Raging Turtle]

I'm having the same problem with adding spaced names to my buddy list.  Not sure how to fix it. It should just be "/addbuddy Raging Turtle" I've got your name on mine, though, I'll message if we ever are on at the same time.

If you want, you can post your cards from your leagues and we'll help you build a decent deck.  Actually, please do - this is a very slow week at work for me :)