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Magic: The Gathering |OT|

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From Zac Hill's column where he spoiled Liliana:

Oh, and savvy readers will note that she doesn't just get basic Swamps.

Though I'm not sure how that could ever matter, really. There aren't any other kinds of Swamp legal in Standard, and I can't see Snow coming back any time soon (it's currently pretty warm up here in lovely Renton, WA, and we're not exactly hankering to give ourselves the chills).
Click to expand...

This is pretty much all but confirming shocklands returning.

My guess? Allied color shocklands in m13. Possible enemy colored shocklands in RTR.
 
An-Det said:
We've been getting a decent number of leaks now, and M13 releases July 13. When are official previews starting, next week or the week afterward?
Click to expand...
There's a promotion where you can get a free M13 Promo Booster if you buy Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013. It comes with 4 random M13 cards (4 commons and 1 uncommon) and a guaranteed mythic based on the platform you buy the game on. We just got them in at my job today, but I wouldn't be surprised if places further west had gotten them a week or so ago. Technically speaking, they shouldn't be available to customers until Wednesday when the game releases, but I'm sure plenty of places must have broken the street date.

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/994
 
Yeef said:
There's a promotion where you can get a free M13 Promo Booster if you buy Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013. It comes with 4 random M13 cards (4 commons and 1 uncommon) and a guaranteed mythic based on the platform you buy the game on. We just got them in at my job today, but I wouldn't be surprised if places further west had gotten them a week or so ago. Technically speaking, they shouldn't be available to customers until Wednesday when the game releases, but I'm sure plenty of places must have broken the street date.

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/994
Click to expand...

YOUGETNOCTURNUSFORPS3VERSIONGODDAMN

I might double dip (already got steam version) JUST to get a nocturnus.
 
I played my first few hands of Magic with a friend yesterday. He lent me use of a deck or two he had constructed, and I enjoyed the game enough that I want to start building my own deck.

How would I go about doing so?

[Of course, if I can do so without breaking the bank, that would be preferable.]
 
jdogmoney said:
I played my first few hands of Magic with a friend yesterday. He lent me use of a deck or two he had constructed, and I enjoyed the game enough that I want to start building my own deck.

How would I go about doing so?

[Of course, if I can do so without breaking the bank, that would be preferable.]
Click to expand...

You can buy an Event Deck (not an Intro Deck). Those decks are playable in a tournament out of the box, so you're getting great value for $20. From there, you can improve the deck by adding in cards either through buying booster packs ($$$$$$$$$$$) or by buying individual cards, which is the cheaper method.

Do a bit of research on all of the pre-made decks to see which one appeals to you the most.
 
Start slow...it is easy to ramp up fast! Since you already know how to play, I would just get any of the intro packs from INN block (innistrad/dark ascension/avacyn restored), whichever appeals to you, and learn to play it. Then crack a few boosters - you'll get your first with the intro deck - incorporate them, start experimenting to expand the deck you already have, maybe pick up a second intro pack for variety. Ask for any commons your friends can spare, most people have loads lying around gathering dust, and this will greatly expand your customization options without any financial investment. Honestly, you can do quite a lot with one intro deck, a few boosters and a big stack of commons, and I'd just swim in that pool until you feel like you have a good handle on deckbuilding. If your friends are particularly generous (and want you to stick with the game), they might even throw a few spare uncommons or rares your way.

Once you have a pretty good feel for the game, consider participating in a draft or limited event, even if it's something casual with a few friends (or even one friend, I've been playing a lot of Winchester lately, great fun). You will lose a lot, but it's a great way to learn the cards in a set, imho. Some newbies don't like draft so much, though, because winning requires a decent grasp of the color pie. If you do it a couple of times and don't like it, there's no reason to continue, but consider returning to it once you have a cycle or two under your belt (assuming you stick with the game for awhile).

I strongly recommend developing your own decks, but it never hurts to see what's winning, especially if you want to extend your competition pool and start attending FNM somewhere. The official site and mtg salvation are both great resources for that. Try building strictly from your available card pool for a little while, but eventually you'll want to peruse all the available cards in your format (again, likely standard), or at least in the block you're learning, to determine which cards you really need to make your deck sing. Buying singles is often much more cost effective than cracking boosters, but determining what to buy can be intimidating before you are familiar with a block. It's easy to plunk down money on an expensive card that doesn't actually work as well as you thought it would, so I'd urge you to post your early deck lists here for people to critique and help you prune.

I'd probably stay away from 2012 intro decks since 2013 is right around the corner, and some of those 2012 cards will be leaving standard in a couple months. That might not seem like a big deal right now, but you will probably end up caring about winning within the boundaries of standard formats before too long. I'd avoid the Scars block (Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia) for the most part, too...Innistrad block has plenty of great cards and decks for you to experiment with while you wait on Return to Ravnica, when Scars block cards and 2012 cards not reprinted in 2013 will leave the standard format.

narcosis219 said:
You can buy an Event Deck (not an Intro Deck). Those decks are playable in a tournament out of the box, so you're getting great value for $20. From there, you can improve the deck by adding in cards either through buying booster packs ($$$$$$$$$$$) or by buying individual cards, which is the cheaper method.

Do a bit of research on all of the pre-made decks to see which one appeals to you the most.
Click to expand...

I always forget about the event decks...those are great too, but mostly you're just going to want to pick a deck that looks like a lot of fun to play....event or intro, your call!
 
echoshifting said:
Start slow...it is easy to ramp up fast! Since you already know how to play, I would just get any of the intro packs from INN block (innistrad/dark ascension/avacyn restored), whichever appeals to you, and learn to play it. Then crack a few boosters - you'll get your first with the intro deck - incorporate them, start experimenting to expand the deck you already have, maybe pick up a second intro pack for variety. Ask for any commons your friends can spare, most people have loads lying around gathering dust, and this will greatly expand your customization options without any financial investment. Honestly, you can do quite a lot with one intro deck, a few boosters and a big stack of commons, and I'd just swim in that pool until you feel like you have a good handle on deckbuilding. If your friends are particularly generous (and want you to stick with the game), they might even throw a few spare uncommons or rares your way.

Once you have a pretty good feel for the game, consider participating in a draft or limited event, even if it's something casual with a few friends (or even one friend, I've been playing a lot of Winchester lately, great fun). You will lose a lot, but it's a great way to learn the cards in a set, imho. Some newbies don't like draft so much, though, because winning requires a decent grasp of the color pie. If you do it a couple of times and don't like it, there's no reason to continue, but consider returning to it once you have a cycle or two under your belt (assuming you stick with the game for awhile).

I strongly recommend developing your own decks, but it never hurts to see what's winning, especially if you want to extend your competition pool and start attending FNM somewhere. The official site and mtg salvation are both great resources for that. Try building strictly from your available card pool for a little while, but eventually you'll want to peruse all the available cards in your format (again, likely standard), or at least in the block you're learning, to determine which cards you really need to make your deck sing. Buying singles is often much more cost effective than cracking boosters, but determining what to buy can be intimidating before you are familiar with a block. It's easy to plunk down money on an expensive card that doesn't actually work as well as you thought it would, so I'd urge you to post your early deck lists here for people to critique and help you prune.

I'd probably stay away from 2012 intro decks since 2013 is right around the corner, and some of those 2012 cards will be leaving standard in a couple months. That might not seem like a big deal right now, but you will probably end up caring about winning within the boundaries of standard formats before too long. I'd avoid the Scars block (Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia) for the most part, too...Innistrad block has plenty of great cards and decks for you to experiment with while you wait on Return to Ravnica, when Scars block cards and 2012 cards not reprinted in 2013 will leave the standard format.



I always forget about the event decks...those are great too, but mostly you're just going to want to pick a deck that looks like a lot of fun to play....event or intro, your call!
Click to expand...

Intros are nice too, but I believe those are geared towards friends who are jumping into magic together.

If you have buddies who play, you should definitely get an event deck. Playing with your buddies that have half-decent decks means you won't be having any interesting games because your deck will be very slow and inefficient. If you plan to play at a game store, event deck is a no brainer over an intro deck.

Not to mention that event decks contain cards that are actually worth money! Intro packs contain a lot of throwaways.
 
Also, I'd like to add that if you want a cheap way to get some experience under your belt, you could try buying one of the Duels of the Planeswalkers games on PSN/XBLA/Steam. They're a great way to learn the game without having to spend much money. I believe the new one comes out next week.
 
Hero said:
My guess? Allied color shocklands in m13. Possible enemy colored shocklands in RTR.
Click to expand...

People NEED to stop saying this without thinking it all the way through. Splitting the lands across two blocks is a BAD IDEA. 1/2 lands in M13 and 1/2 lands in RtR means that the M13 lands rotate a year BEFORE the RtR lands and that they won't be available for RtR block format which is relevant on MTGO and for the Pro-Tour. Bad idea is bad and I'll be mad at WotC if they do that.

Anyway, Rancor is OFFICIALLY confirmed! One of the best creature auras of all time is coming back in time for RtR. The original Ravnica had a pretty heavy Aura sub-theme. Coincidence or perhaps a seed for some cross-block synergy?
 
I love reading the posts here.
I love MTG, even though i'm not the best at it (I'm really not that good making decks).
A lot of useful info here thanks guys!
 
jdogmoney said:
I played my first few hands of Magic with a friend yesterday. He lent me use of a deck or two he had constructed, and I enjoyed the game enough that I want to start building my own deck.

How would I go about doing so?

[Of course, if I can do so without breaking the bank, that would be preferable.]
Click to expand...

Oh hey. If you send me your address I'll send you some cards to get started.
 
New Liliana seems cool but niche. My lack of affinity for mono-black will probably keep me away. The ultimate could be a little more game-winny.

The white Planeswalker for 2013 has to be Ajani, right? I wonder if we'll get a new version.

narcosis219 said:
YOUGETNOCTURNUSFORPS3VERSIONGODDAMN

I might double dip (already got steam version) JUST to get a nocturnus.
Click to expand...

But the promo art. Eeeeew.

znW1v.jpg


*shamelessly promotes DOTP 2013 OT*
 
Hero said:
My guess? Allied color shocklands in m13. Possible enemy colored shocklands in RTR.
Click to expand...

Nah. Allied taplands in M13 to complement the enemy taplands from Innistrad, then shocklands spread across Ravnica block in a 3/3/4 split. The taplands have pretty good synergy with the shocklands, so it'll make sense to have a standard season with both. Then M14 will probably introduce something new as the enemy taplands rotate out from Innistrad.


narcosis219 said:
Liliana.jpg
Click to expand...

...

That's a lot of black mana, and not a whole lot to do with it right now. It'll be interesting to see what comes up in the next few sets.
 
ultron87 said:
New Liliana seems cool but niche. My lack of affinity for mono-black will probably keep me away. The ultimate could be a little more game-winny.

The white Planeswalker for 2013 has to be Ajani, right? I wonder if we'll get a new version.



But the promo art. Eeeeew.

znW1v.jpg


*shamelessly promotes DOTP 2013 OT*
Click to expand...

The M10 version is really the best.
 
WanderingWind said:
Got to say, I'm getting severe Liliana, Garruk, Chandra and Jace fatigue. MTG offers unlimited possibilities. They need to spread out their imaginations a bit more. People wanted T-Bone to be good so very badly because he was new.
Click to expand...
They don't want to introduce new Walkers in core sets.
 
kirblar said:
They don't want to introduce new Walkers in core sets.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and I get that. But they're going to reintroduce Bolas at least, and Ajani if pics are to be trusted. They have others they can use. I mean, this what Liliana 4? It's not that big a deal and people seem to like the main 3.
 
kirblar said:
They don't want to introduce new Walkers in core sets.
Click to expand...

Then give us new ones that are important in expansions. Tibalt looks cool but he did nothing to become 'important' in the lore, while Liliana and Garruk beat each other senseless. Point being, noncore walkers are basically window dressing at this point
 
Nah. Allied taplands in M13 to complement the enemy taplands from Innistrad, then shocklands spread across Ravnica block in a 3/3/4 split. The taplands have pretty good synergy with the shocklands, so it'll make sense to have a standard season with both. Then M14 will probably introduce something new as the enemy taplands rotate out from Innistrad.
Click to expand...
They'll likely print all 10 "taplands" in M14 to maintain the manabases, then print something entirely different in M15 to give them a rest.
 
divisionbyzorro said:
Nah. Allied taplands in M13 to complement the enemy taplands from Innistrad, then shocklands spread across Ravnica block in a 3/3/4 split. The taplands have pretty good synergy with the shocklands, so it'll make sense to have a standard season with both. Then M14 will probably introduce something new as the enemy taplands rotate out from Innistrad.




...

That's a lot of black mana, and not a whole lot to do with it right now. It'll be interesting to see what comes up in the next few sets.
Click to expand...

It is alot of black mana that can be used for any X spell.
2 Black makes her not very hard to splash.
She can set up a brutal Bonfire of the Damned or Entreat of the Angels, or a black/blue control/mill scenario.
 
WanderingWind said:
Yeah, and I get that. But they're going to reintroduce Bolas at least, and Ajani if pics are to be trusted. They have others they can use. I mean, this what Liliana 4? It's not that big a deal and people seem to like the main 3.
Click to expand...

This is Lili 3.
Yeah the cord Walkers will pretty much always be the same pool, that is what expansions are for.
 
divisionbyzorro said:
So was the 2cc planeswalker experiment a complete failure? Or do you think they can make a balanced 2cc planeswalker that sees play in the future?
Click to expand...

I would say one is not enough to really tell by.
Again, you will not see something like that in a main set either way but as you hit on the balance vs playability will be the hardest to fine tune.
 
5AuI8.jpg


Lol. The card name is just so direct and to the point. I'm glad it isn't just a strictly worse Doom Blade (though obviously way harder to splash black for).
 
Not feeling the new Liliana. I guess it could go well with Lashwrithe while it's still in rotation? If they don't have an answer for Highborn Ghoul, I suppose it can get outta hand. I dunno. Art is hella nice though!

WanderingWind said:
...christ, I'm sitting on a goldmine. Bonfire still at 12 bucks? Cause I got 7 of those fuckers and not a single Entreat...
Click to expand...

I've pulled 2 Bonfires, 2 Entreat the Angel, 2 Cavern of Souls, and none of the card I really wanted - Restoration Angel. ;[

jdogmoney said:
I played my first few hands of Magic with a friend yesterday. He lent me use of a deck or two he had constructed, and I enjoyed the game enough that I want to start building my own deck.

How would I go about doing so?

[Of course, if I can do so without breaking the bank, that would be preferable.]
Click to expand...

Event decks for the best value. I'd say mimic some top tier decks. It feels good to get some wins under your belt and help motivate to keep playing. From there, you can start experimenting decks for yourself because winning with your own ideas is always more satisfying. My buddy has been reading articles on starcitygames.com and such and his game has vastly improved now. Look out at your local game stores for special events, especially now that the M13 release is around the corner. You usually get a bunch of free packs or good value just for participating.
 
zerokoolpsx said:
Saw this earlier. That is so much black mana ramp. Great with Consume Spirit or Killing Wave.
Click to expand...

Important to note that killing wave for anything more than 4 is redundant. No one is gonna pay more life than that for a creature. I don't see it as amazing for killing wave, but for stuff like consume spirit it's instant win
 
dat murder art! I love it. You know, I'm not really bothered by the "downgrade" on this one. It should be a little harder to splash for black's staple removal spell, this accomplishes that goal without mucking things up.

divisionbyzorro said:
Nah. Allied taplands in M13 to complement the enemy taplands from Innistrad, then shocklands spread across Ravnica block in a 3/3/4 split. The taplands have pretty good synergy with the shocklands, so it'll make sense to have a standard season with both. Then M14 will probably introduce something new as the enemy taplands rotate out from Innistrad.
Click to expand...

People NEED to stop saying this without thinking it all the way through. Splitting the lands across two blocks is a BAD IDEA. 1/2 lands in M13 and 1/2 lands in RtR means that the M13 lands rotate a year BEFORE the RtR lands and that they won't be available for RtR block format which is relevant on MTGO and for the Pro-Tour. Bad idea is bad and I'll be mad at WotC if they do that.
Click to expand...

These issues are only a problem if they don't print at least the allied shocklands in M14, right? They're so popular and well designed, it would be nice if they stuck around for a spell.

I suspect we will see the allied shocklands in M13, enemy colors in RtR, and the entire set brought together in M14...especially after that tease with the Liliana reveal. Seems mean if those are still several months off! ;p (Not to mention a big RtR spoiler before M13 hype has even ramped up) "Yup, you guys are getting shocklands in the NEXT set...but hey taplands! Buy this one too!"
 
Yes! I love me some Stuffy Doll!

I have a red deck that uses that, Spitemare and Mogg Maniac to great effect. I wonder if I can build a standard legal version...

Probably not. lol
 
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