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[blindrocket]

If you have never drafted before, you should probably change that stat. This probably isn't a very good first experience because of how extra complicated the draft will be

I'm familiar with my store and the other regulars, and with magic in general. June 6th also happens to be the LGS owners birthday so it will be a fun event. I don't think they'll mind me being a newb at the format.
I do understand your concern though. It would be different if it were something more serious I think. I know the concept of drafting anyway.

 

[ultron87]

I hope Josh wins mostly because he isn't wearing just an undershirt.

 

[divisionbyzorro]

I hope Josh wins mostly because he isn't wearing just an undershirt.

The fates seem to be paying Josh back by making Cifka flood out. Actually, Cifka has flooded pretty hard in all three games.

 

[Firemind]

RIP Cifka

Guess I have to root for the last remaining yuropean.

Not gonna root for a BUG or Junk win that's for sure.

 

[blindrocket]

http://polishtamales.tumblr.com/image/86081888059

Do I get to say I called it? (Elspeth dying)

 

[divisionbyzorro]

This match is showing just how thin the line between "control" and "midrange" can be in smaller environments.

 

[bigkrev]

Watching Utter-Leyton lose game one like that was brutal.

EDIT: Wizards really needs to embrace spectacle. Two guys sitting at a table surrounded by acres of empty space is so...anti-climatic. Have an audience watching the feed that you can cut to cheering and/or pouting, get live reactions, etc.

You don't want players getting information from crowd reactions

BTW this is like turn 11, and he has scryed a ton, and has yet to see a land outside of his opener. Brutal for Jamie

 

[Haly]

You don't want players getting information from crowd reactions

This gets brought up in DOTA2/League a lot. It's never fully provable just how much information the players get from the crowd, because despite their noise cancelling headphones they're usually in view of the audience for understandable reasons (why would you pay money to watch the back of pro players?).

 

[bigkrev]

This gets brought up in DOTA2/League a lot. It's never fully provable just how much information the players get from the crowd, because despite their noise cancelling headphones they're usually in view of the audience for understandable reasons (why would you pay money to watch the back of pro players?).

A lot different in a game like Magic where you have a lot more time to process the reaction and don't have to immediately act.

 

[ultron87]

They do have a viewing area that they showed a bit earlier, presumably on the other side of the venue. It just looked like there weren't many people there yet.

 

[Haly]

It's quite difficult to make Magic a fun spectator event because there's no automated feedback from player actions on the big screen. Spectators rely on the judges/casters being able to suss the game state and manually updating hands, life totals, etc. That kind of "lag" leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the audience. And there are sometimes mistakes!

 

[The Technomancer]

It's quite difficult to make Magic a fun spectator event because there's no automated feedback from player actions on the big screen. Spectators rely on the judges/casters being able to suss the game state and manually updating hands, life totals, etc. That kind of "lag" leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the audience. And there are sometimes mistakes!

Clearly the answer is to give Magic DIGITAL CARDS

 

[Angry Grimace]

It's quite difficult to make Magic a fun spectator event because there's no automated feedback from player actions on the big screen. Spectators rely on the judges/casters being able to suss the game state and manually updating hands, life totals, etc. That kind of "lag" leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the audience. And there are sometimes mistakes!

Basically. The players themselves are mostly inaudible and there's little surprise to what they're doing.

 

[Angry Grimace]

http://polishtamales.tumblr.com/image/86081888059

Do I get to say I called it? (Elspeth dying)

I think the author of the story already said she's probably just comic book dead since Theros is a place where you can just escape from the Underworld. From what I gather from people who read the story, the ending was super cliffhanger-y.

Apparently her dead was pretty Monkey Paw like - Erebos offers to resurrect her dead lover (Daxos, the shirtless guy in Theros) in exchange for herself so she does it, but then he comes back as a mindless zombie and she dies and he apparently (?) has plans to turn her into some kind of God also. There's a big scene where they make ado about Erebos coming to collect her and Ajani being all sad about it.

 

[Haly]

Or some kind of image recognition technology.

 

[blindrocket]

I think the author of the story already said she's probably just comic book dead since Theros is a place where you can just escape from the Underworld. From what I gather from people who read the story, the ending was super cliffhanger-y.

Ah... Well...
Still, I saw her death coming... How well it sticks may be something else.

 

[kirblar]

I think the author of the story already said she's probably just comic book dead since Theros is a place where you can just escape from the Underworld. From what I gather from people who read the story, the ending was super cliffhanger-y.

Apparently her dead was pretty Monkey Paw like - Erebos offers to resurrect her dead lover (Daxos, the shirtless guy in Theros) in exchange for herself so she does it, but then he comes back as a mindless zombie and she dies and he apparently (?) has plans to turn her into some kind of God also. There's a big scene where they make ado about Erebos coming to collect her and Ajani being all sad about it.

Persephone.

 

[blindrocket]

Watching Utter-Leyton lose game one like that was brutal.

EDIT: Wizards really needs to embrace spectacle. Two guys sitting at a table surrounded by acres of empty space is so...anti-climatic. Have an audience watching the feed that you can cut to cheering and/or pouting, get live reactions, etc.

Watch some old recorded matches.
They are great fun. The commentators are hilarious with commentary almost playing to the audience, but the crowd is close enough to react and the players can hear them.

 

[Haly]

Persephone.

This just means there's an excuse to revisit Theros and that's bad news for everyone.

 

[blindrocket]

This just means there's an excuse to revisit Theros and that's bad news for everyone.

lol

So true.

 

[WanderingWind]

This just means there's an excuse to revisit Theros and that's bad news for everyone.

Oh good, it's not just me. RtR and INN were amazing for me...Theros has mostly gotten a huge meh. I really hate the flavor and I think they just sort of half-assed what little remained. BNG sucking really didn't help any.

I do like the devotion mechanic though.

 

[blindrocket]

I only care about the constructed format so cards good for limited don't work well for me.
Its not a secret they toned the power level down after a long run of sets with good playable power.

 

[WanderingWind]

I only care about the constructed format so cards good for limited don't work well for me.
Its not a secret they toned the power level down after a long run of sets with good playable power.

I'm right there with you. And as a side note, even though I play commander now, I love commander, the next time some scrub tries to justify some bullshit 9cmc mythic because "that'll fit into my Skullrbriar deck!!!!" Imma punch somebody

 

[kirblar]

Oh good, it's not just me. RtR and INN were amazing for me...Theros has mostly gotten a huge meh. I really hate the flavor and I think they just sort of half-assed what little remained. BNG sucking really didn't help any.

I do like the devotion mechanic though.

Block is terrible.

They've recycled Splinter Twin in both small sets. This block was near-devoid of original exciting ideas.

 

[Haly]

THS/THS/THS was fun but that's about it.

 

[WanderingWind]

Block is terrible.

They've recycled Splinter Twin in both small sets. This block was near-devoid of original exciting ideas.

Right? Half of that is because they just stapled scry to old cards and called them new.

 

[blindrocket]

But they couldn't be bothered with reprinting Serum Visions. The bastages...

 

[kirblar]

I hate V-necks (outside of undershirt usage) so much.

 

[ultron87]

Do no decks run Fated Retribution? It's obviously expensive but it seems like it'd be good in this format where Prognostic Sphinx is the Aetherling and there's a ton of planeswalkers. I guess there isn't exactly a fully white control deck.

 

[kirblar]

Do no decks run Fated Retribution? It's obviously expensive but it seems like it'd be good in this format where Prognostic Sphinx is the Aetherling and there's a ton of planeswalkers. I guess there isn't exactly a fully white control deck.

I'm betting Shaheen did.

 

[WanderingWind]

Goddamn it Reid, I wanted to see Ajani ultimate

 

[Wichu]

That was some glorious topdecking. I feel sorry for Reid.

 

[kirblar]

That matchup feels really bad for Duke's deck precisely because of Ajani/Xenagos being able to overload removal alongside Elspeth.

 

[Hero]

That matchup feels really bad for Duke's deck precisely because of Ajani/Xenagos being able to overload removal alongside Elspeth.

Yeah it felt like Reid had no chance after sideboard. Apparently he even admitted as such beforehand.

 

[Haly]

Mongolions huh.

 

[Hero]

Something old that they're bringing back?

Would they do the original fetchlands this year? Not sure what else it could be, unless it's a mechanic.

 

[WanderingWind]

Full art lands are back. Told you kirbs

Something old that they're bringing back?

Would they do the original fetchlands this year? Not sure what else it could be, unless it's a mechanic.

Nope. They already said not happening in this set.

 

[kirblar]

Something old that they're bringing back?

Would they do the original fetchlands this year? Not sure what else it could be, unless it's a mechanic.

You could easily split them 5/5 between the fall and spring sets.

.Nope. They already said not happening in this set.

Aaron did not. People read too much into his words. He said they have to work "in advance" ( and the demand for Fetch reprints is over 2+ years old now.)

They are not putting out Judge Basics the same year they show up in a fall set.

 

[ultron87]

I sure do hope that its fetches.

 

[Haly]

Huge monsters, what? After Theroes? What is this?

 

[kirblar]

Huge monsters, what? After Theroes? What is this?

(spoiler: ITS A DRAGON SET.) One of them, at least, based on Rosewater's tea leaves.

 

[Hero]

You could easily split them 5/5 between the fall and spring sets.

Aaron did not. People read too much into his words. He said they have to work "in advance" ( and the demand for Fetch reprints is over 2+ years old now.)

They are not putting out Judge Basics the same year they show up in a fall set.

Yeah, two large sets definitely leads me to believe they could do 5/5. Would kind of go along with Judge Foil Full Art basics too.

Hmmm.

 

[ultron87]

The dragons are probably in the third set, since the world needs to start in no dragon mode and then have a 3rd act big plot twist.

 

[WanderingWind]

I'll bet you a Ruric Thar it's not fetches.

 

[Kurtofan]

The dragons are probably in the third set, since the world needs to start in no dragon mode and then have a 3rd act big plot twist.

2nd set dragons appear and then dragoncalypse in the 3rd set.

 

[kirblar]

The dragons are probably in the third set, since the world needs to start in no dragon mode and then have a 3rd act big plot twist.

 

[Lazy vs Crazy]

Two larges and a small but with a twist makes me think it'll be Large Large Small. I don't think they've ever done that before.

Edit: except the time that they did it last year that I forgot about.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Having never seen Mark Rosewater on camera, I take back what I said about him knowing what he was doing with that protection from black joke.

 

[kirblar]

Two larges and a small but with a twist makes me think it'll be Large Large Small. I don't think they've ever done that before.

RTR block.

 

[Crocodile]

That Reid Duke quarterfinal match game 3 was hard to watch

Maro is a master of saying nothing :/ "ZOMG this set will have things and you will like the things, YEAH!"

2nd set dragons appear and then dragoncalypse in the 3rd set.

But there was already one in the storyline. Seem weird to say "DRAGONS ARE BACK!" and follow it up with "Woops they are all dead". Bringing the dragons back in a third, large set matches up with how Rise of the Eldrazi and Avacyn Restored played out.