Magic: the GAFering |OT2|
- Thread starter The Technomancer
- Start date
I myself have never really gotten into MtG, but I've always been amazed by the community. A friend of mine is quite the MtG enthusiast (and a hobby trader). He's staying at my place at the moment, so I'm having lots of opportunities to peek over his shoulder when he's watching streams and stuff. He showed me videos of championships and funnily enough, even though I don't really get it, I got all excited watching it. Maybe I just have an affinity for card games -- I love Ascension, Dominion and the like (obviously MtG is on another level).
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
That reminds me: I'm a fairly new player starting out, which streams and sites does the Gaf community recommend paying attention to?
Channel Fireball has the best free content, SCG is good too but only if you're paying.
There doesn't seem to be a good forum, mtgsalvation is the biggest but I've found the moderation too harsh with mega threads and such, plus there's a lot of idiots who don't know what they're talking about.
There doesn't seem to be a good forum, mtgsalvation is the biggest but I've found the moderation too harsh with mega threads and such, plus there's a lot of idiots who don't know what they're talking about.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
I still like Frank Lepore on TCGPlayer the best.
Yeah, Salvation is hit or miss. For older formats you've got mtgthesource for Legacy and themanadrain for Vintage, but none of the others are great. For sites with articles, I would also recommend checking DailyMTG's articles. They aren't as competitive-oriented as CFB and SCG articles tend to be, and Maro's articles are always great.
If you do Twitter, you could do worse than to create an mtg-oriented list (such as mine https://twitter.com/Xanctakhe/magic, which also has our very own Kirblar). For streaming, the best in my opinion are Adan Prosak (AProsak), AJ Sacher (AJSacher), Brian Kibler (bmkibler), Cedric Phillips (CeddyP), Chris Anderson (Chranderberries, his thursday lose a game-take a shot challenge nights are great), and Jon Finkel (Jonnymagic00), plus MagicProTour and SCGLive for their Grand Prix, Pro Tour, and SCG Open coverage (practically every weekend, and often at the same time). I follow a lot of mtg twitch.tv channels though, so I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Is he decent? First I ever heard of him was on Thursday when he was streaming opening a box of GTC, and his and Kibler were taking a huge number of watchers from the usual mtg streams.
If you do Twitter, you could do worse than to create an mtg-oriented list (such as mine https://twitter.com/Xanctakhe/magic, which also has our very own Kirblar). For streaming, the best in my opinion are Adan Prosak (AProsak), AJ Sacher (AJSacher), Brian Kibler (bmkibler), Cedric Phillips (CeddyP), Chris Anderson (Chranderberries, his thursday lose a game-take a shot challenge nights are great), and Jon Finkel (Jonnymagic00), plus MagicProTour and SCGLive for their Grand Prix, Pro Tour, and SCG Open coverage (practically every weekend, and often at the same time). I follow a lot of mtg twitch.tv channels though, so I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Is he decent? First I ever heard of him was on Thursday when he was streaming opening a box of GTC, and his and Kibler were taking a huge number of watchers from the usual mtg streams.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Dunno, I really like him. I mostly like his deck teck stuff he does on mondays but he also has lepore report and other stuff he does. He does less popular decks and user submitted decks and tries to improve them. Before I stopped playing I was mostly using weird decks that he showcased, they were a lot more fun to play for me than delver and other stuff.
Yeah, I used to split boxes with whatever packs we assigned each other and keep whatever we get, then trade with each other afterwards. I usually would get the short end of the stick though. Since moving, I don't have a casual group to play with anymore so I'm not getting a box, but I plan on drafting often.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Sigh. No Aurelia's Fury, no Aurelia, 1 Boros Charm, no Breeding Pools, no Glaring Spotlight, none of the guild leaders period. Got the two planeswalkers.
Pretty shit openings. I thought to self "Self, go to SCG and just buy the singles you missed opening. Surely, it will be cheaper."
$612. MtG, pls
Pretty shit openings. I thought to self "Self, go to SCG and just buy the singles you missed opening. Surely, it will be cheaper."
$612. MtG, pls
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
:lol Quit whenever you want eh...?
Well, to be honest, if the prices don't go down on some of those (the lands won't, I don't see either Aurelia's doing anything but going up) I'm probably done with GTC.
I can accept shit openings. It's the risk you take. But when the set is so heavy in utterly crappy rares/mythics, it's a losing proposition to open sealed product and with the good singles being so expensive, I just don't have the interest in spending more on 50 cards than I spent on my first car.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Haha, can't argue with that.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
It feels like buying any GTC at the moment = pissing away money. Heh.
It's good, but the crazy manabases peope are trying are part of the reason I've gone and started playing RDW again. Your manabase stumbles even once and I probably have the game.
On that note, Volcanic Strength makes for a surprisingly decent sideboard card with all the stomping ground and sacred foundry around.
Giant Strength used to show up in RDW mirrors back in the day.
That was what RTR felt like for me every time I bought a pack and ended up with yet another Carnival Hellsteed. I don't think I'll buy too many single packs of GTC
CorruptShadow
Member
I prefer TCG over Channel Fireball, http://magic.tcgplayer.com/?partner=WWWTCG
However, both of them are comparable to SCG, and are free so they get the nod. I concur with the sentiment about mtgsalvation.
I would agree that you usually should put it towards singles, but RTR had a pretty good chance to make you money on its first week or so.
GTC isn't really looking that good right now, I got a fat pack and a couple packs yesterday and really didn't pull crap. Oh well, after we finish moving I'll be drafting a lot anyway.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Domri Rade is pretty awesome for his cost. He's hard to deal with if he lands.
robotzombie
Member
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that one wasted split box of Gatecrash was enough for me. Really soured me on buying boosters. I don't think I'll buy any more cards until I see what Dragon's Maze is like and just have fun building decks from the cards I already have.
Also, I really wish I talked to you guys BEFORE we decided to just randomly split up the boosters and keep whatever we get, it is a much better idea to draft for the rares if you share a box with people...
For the record, our box had: Aurelia, Zegana, Aurelia's Fury, Duskmantle Seer, Fathom Mage, Assemble the Legion, Frontline Medic, a foil Deathpact Angel, Clan Defiance, Spark Trooper, Blind Obedience, Realmwright, Stolen Identity, Biomass Mutation, Boros Reckoner, I think one shockland, and Thespian's Stage among others.
I got none of those, what I got in my nine packs was a Firemane Avenger, Five Alarm Fire, and a bunch of stuff too shitty to even remember...
Also, I really wish I talked to you guys BEFORE we decided to just randomly split up the boosters and keep whatever we get, it is a much better idea to draft for the rares if you share a box with people...
For the record, our box had: Aurelia, Zegana, Aurelia's Fury, Duskmantle Seer, Fathom Mage, Assemble the Legion, Frontline Medic, a foil Deathpact Angel, Clan Defiance, Spark Trooper, Blind Obedience, Realmwright, Stolen Identity, Biomass Mutation, Boros Reckoner, I think one shockland, and Thespian's Stage among others.
I got none of those, what I got in my nine packs was a Firemane Avenger, Five Alarm Fire, and a bunch of stuff too shitty to even remember...
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Yeah, our group redrafts rares at the end of every draft partially to have prizes but mostly to keep people from picking cards based on money.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
So after drafts you pick rares randomly? I don't see what's wrong with going by monetary value.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
No, after drafts the rares are placed on a table and everyone is ranked according to how they placed (we do Swiss rounds). Then we go down the list and everyone takes a rare from the table, and we do that three times. It makes most of us happy since those who place first and second usually get the money cards if there are any and the selection process (and our diverse tastes) means that we can pick out the "wacky" or "strong but not valuable" rares we want for our decks.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
Isn't that standard practise though? It sounded kind of like you were denouncing it before.
Yeah that's how we do teams drafts as well. I dont begrudge money drafting when appropriate (god knows everyone has done it at some point), but auctioning the rares based on record encourages playing better. It's better for smaller stuff like team drafts though. I've been to stores that do it for tournaments and FNM's and it's a pain in the ass.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Me too. I can't imagine pulling a money card out of a pack I paid for and having to hand it over. Nope.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
What's the alternative? My LGS's drafts cost $18 (the price of three boosters), and there's a rare draft at the end. Is it different in the states? There's also an unsanctioned draft that costs $18, there's a rare draft at the end, winner gets 3 boosters, everyone else gets 1. The winner used to get a fat pack, but they were losing too much money. They're probably still losing money.
You keep what you open?
I don't have a problem with it but having to wait around for everyone afterwards on a friday night would just piss people off, especially when most people at FNM aren't that good.
Turn on SCGLive and there's a neckbeard wearing a trilby ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
narcosis219
Member
The alternative is that everyone goes home with what they drafted.
My drafts (in Canada) cost $15 which is 3 boosters plus $5 for the prize pool.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Winner gets some prize, either packs, fat pack, bigger stores have done booster box, other sealed product, etc.
But the people who don't win at least get to go home with what they bought.
Traded Gideon for Aurelia's Fury. 3 more to go.
That seems like a terrible trade for whoever gave you the Fury. Nice work!
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
Unless you consider the purchase to be of a place in the rare pool. I guess rare drafts are more popular in Australia when there's a smaller density of players and it makes more financial sense to not charge extra for a small prize pool.
I'd personally be pissed if I won outright and I went home with a lousy booster and someone else got an Aurelia's, Obdezat, e.c.t.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Lol, I agree. But SCG says they're roughly the same price.
Conversely, it would suck for everybody else who didn't win to give up what they pulled if they didn't win. I think this way leads to more people being happy, not just the winner and the people who aren't happy are just victims of the luck of their own draws/draft skills
I have it on quiet in the background. I don't know what shocked me more- his misplay, or the fact that it was turn 1 billion and he didn't have a mountain?
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
That's the thing though, you don't "pull" anything in a rare draft. The boosters don't belong to you, you're paying for entry into the competition, the prize is your ranking in the pool.
The trick is to not be a victim of how bad you are at drafting/ playing.
What did I miss?
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
But in a normal draft that stuff does belong to you AND you get a prize if you win. It's a literally win-win and nobody goes home empty handed.
And nobody wins all the time
But in a normal draft that stuff does belong to you AND you get a prize if you win. It's a literally win-win and nobody goes home empty handed.
And nobody wins all the time
I'd rather get to pick the best rare from the draft than have more boosters to open though.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
And I'd rather keep what I paid for. But now we're just going around in circles.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
But in a normal draft that stuff does belong to you AND you get a prize if you win. It's a literally win-win and nobody goes home empty handed.
And nobody wins all the time
Opening nothing of value and winning a booster with a dud rare isn't what I'd call winning. No-one goes how empty-handed in a rare draft, but they only get what they've earned.
But you paid to enter the draft, whether or not the boosters you open are yours is completely up in the air
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Eh, we just don't agree. No biggie.
Guy topdecks Conscripts, allowing him to steal his opponents only untapped creature (Olivia), and attack for 13 (opponent is at 11). His opponent abrupt decays the Strangleroot (with a counter on it), meaning the attack is only for 10. If he had a Mountain, his Flinthoof Boar would have been a 3/3, and he tapped all of his red mana playing the conscripts, leaving him with a bunch of untapped lands that couldn't activate Olivia. He died on the crackback.
Sounds like wanting to have your cake and eat it too.
How are drops handled? It seems like redrafting would encourage people to drop immediately after opening their packs if they get something good. It also discourages new players from playing at all.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
If you leave, you leave your rares/ foils behind. Usually if someone drops after a few games, they'll ask someone to choose whatever is decent when their pick is up and give them to them later.