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Magic: The Gathering |OT|
- Thread starter The Technomancer
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siddx said:
Play it on hardest? 2009 had an issue where it pulled counter spell after counter spell + the 4 life gain cards as Jace Mono-blue on the hardest AI setting. So infuriating.
Also does no one play Archenemy online in 2012 anymore? I sat around for 10 minutes with someone in the lobby and no one else joined. :/
Enordash
Member
TheSeks said:
I play on the hardest and have seen some truly hilarious decisions. We were playing 2HG. We had a Claws of Valakut on Vampire Nighthawk. The computer stacked four or five blockers (all 3/3 or over) on it and they all died with first strike damage. This was probably the worst I've seen.
Other small examples: Again in 2HG. The computer used Yavimaya's Embrace to take his partner's creature when there was a Lorthos and Kozilek across the board. I've seen them repulse an opponent's creature that would have died because of blocks (and not killed anything).
On the other hand. I've seen the computer make some decent decisions as well. Sometimes it even seems like they are cheating against you with what they pull (especially in Revenge). All in all, I think they did a very good job.
GregLombardi
Member
WOW. Crazy M12 draft last night, ended up winning the whole thing of 30 people. To be fair, a judge who I played against made an error that cost him the match (he should have won otherwise -- he had 12 of 17 of his creatures flying in his deck).
I played a blue red deck, got some crazy picks (first pick Chandra), that consisted of the following:
Blue
1x Ponder
2x Unsummon
1x Azure Mage
1x Merfolk Looter
1x Turn to Frog
1x Aether Adept
1x Skywind Drake
1x Divination
1x Chasm drake
1x Belltower Sphinx
1x Mind Control
Red
1x Goblin Arsonist
1x Goblin Fireslinger
1x Crimson Mage
1x Goblin Piker
1x Incinerate
1x Blood Ogre
1x Slaughter Cry
1x Manic Vandal
1x Chandra the Firebrand
1x Volcanic Dragon
1x Fireball
I went 2-0 the first match, 2-1 the second match, 2-1 the third, and 2-0 the fourth [there weren't five matches due to time constraints]. Had the best record at the end of the night. No idea how I got such good pulls -- I don't think anyone else was playing my colors at my table of 8. Either way, I love this set and it is a lot of fun to draft, so go do it!
I played a blue red deck, got some crazy picks (first pick Chandra), that consisted of the following:
Blue
1x Ponder
2x Unsummon
1x Azure Mage
1x Merfolk Looter
1x Turn to Frog
1x Aether Adept
1x Skywind Drake
1x Divination
1x Chasm drake
1x Belltower Sphinx
1x Mind Control
Red
1x Goblin Arsonist
1x Goblin Fireslinger
1x Crimson Mage
1x Goblin Piker
1x Incinerate
1x Blood Ogre
1x Slaughter Cry
1x Manic Vandal
1x Chandra the Firebrand
1x Volcanic Dragon
1x Fireball
I went 2-0 the first match, 2-1 the second match, 2-1 the third, and 2-0 the fourth [there weren't five matches due to time constraints]. Had the best record at the end of the night. No idea how I got such good pulls -- I don't think anyone else was playing my colors at my table of 8. Either way, I love this set and it is a lot of fun to draft, so go do it!
Enordash
Member
What kind of decks do you guys like playing against the least? I have a friend that uses a ton of hate (currently: Oblivion Ring, Journey to Nowhere, Arrest, etc.) and a couple of bombs to hopefully accomplish something in the late game. I'm not saying that this is a good strategy in the least. A lot of times, those kinds of decks run out of steam and eventually take a loss anyway. It sort of reminds me of life gain in a way. It doesn't really have a solid win strategy; it just stalls the loss as long as possible. In terms of playing a deck like this: even if you go into a match knowing you are going to win, playing that match is just a huge annoyance.
I assume a lot of answers will be control, discard, land destruction, etc. but be specific. I hope there are even people still in this thread to discuss with, lol.
I assume a lot of answers will be control, discard, land destruction, etc. but be specific. I hope there are even people still in this thread to discuss with, lol.
I have two friends I used to play with that played heavy permission decks in multiplayer. I tried convincing them that it was the most annoying type of deck to play with, but they always just said "well if it wins, it wins." Problem is, they ran like 4-8 creatures in a deck, and usually didn't win.Enordash said:
One of the two aforementioned friends also had a deck where he would play Black Lotus, Time Walk, and Penoptic Mirror, in order to try to get infinite turns as soon as possible. One time he got the combo off after like turn 5 or 6, and he had only a Somnophore left in play against my rather imposing board presence. He went infinite and said, "well, do you want to pick up now?" I said, "No, I'm going to sit here and watch you play the rest of your deck to see if you can win." It got to the point where he was drawing and playing Beacon of Immortality every turn with nothing left in his deck, and unable to damage me. What an annoying deck that was.
Enordash
Member
TheSeks said:
I don't disagree with this conclusion. Planeswalker definitely seems to cheat, especially in Revenge. I've seen Archenemy games go both ways enough that I'm fine with the occasional unlucky streak of schemes.
Also, while we are on the subject of annoying decks. The same friend I mentioned above built a deck where every creature had shroud. He wanted me to play test with him, so he gave me the deck mentioned above to use. At one point, I had 8 cards in my hand that I could not even play because none of them had legal targets. Playing with a useless deck is probably worse than playing against an annoying one. I think I'm done complaining for the day, lol.
So I'm going to GenCon in a couple weeks, I think I might play in a sealed Commander thing they have going. Mostly because I don't really have any decks at the moment and Commander sounds like a fun time that is less serious than the standard game.
I haven't played in a public setting against strangers in a really long time, is there some standard practice for looking at and reading the cards your opponents play if you don't know what it is? Is it pretty much just asking "can I see that?" or what? Or is it more standard for the card's owner to read off the text?
I'm probably making way too big a deal out of this in my head.
I haven't played in a public setting against strangers in a really long time, is there some standard practice for looking at and reading the cards your opponents play if you don't know what it is? Is it pretty much just asking "can I see that?" or what? Or is it more standard for the card's owner to read off the text?
I'm probably making way too big a deal out of this in my head.
You are making a big deal out of it.
Some people will read the cards out loud. If they don't, simply ask. If they don't do that, then ask to see the card. If they don't do that, get a judge or someone else to get around the person's doucheness to tell you the cards ability and rules behind it.
Some people will read the cards out loud. If they don't, simply ask. If they don't do that, then ask to see the card. If they don't do that, get a judge or someone else to get around the person's doucheness to tell you the cards ability and rules behind it.
Lately been playing more Commander. Really liking that format, just allows so much stupidness you don't get to see anywhere else. I was only playing the pre-cons (Political Puppets and Counterpunch, both pretty fun decks to play) but decided on making a Sharuum The Hegemon deck.
I guess I'm the annoying guy now
I really don't ever play to "win," I try to keep the game going as long as possible to see what kind of stupid stuff people do. What combos are they running or how are they playing there deck. Last game I ended up getting Venser the Sojourner, and Mindslaver out and the one player left got all poopy, didn't want to keep playing.
Game before that me, my wife and another friend were playing and I got really close to giving my wife the win (she is the newest player, only played a couple months now to our years) Got a Mirran Crusader with a Sword of Fire and Ice and dealt the extra damage to myself. Fun times.
I guess I'm the annoying guy now
I really don't ever play to "win," I try to keep the game going as long as possible to see what kind of stupid stuff people do. What combos are they running or how are they playing there deck. Last game I ended up getting Venser the Sojourner, and Mindslaver out and the one player left got all poopy, didn't want to keep playing.Game before that me, my wife and another friend were playing and I got really close to giving my wife the win (she is the newest player, only played a couple months now to our years) Got a Mirran Crusader with a Sword of Fire and Ice and dealt the extra damage to myself. Fun times.
Enordash
Member
Has anyone tried cube drafting? It seems like a pretty good way to use the massive amount of old cards my group of friends have. It would be pretty interesting to have an all rare cube. I've personally never played it or seen it played though. If anyone has experience: Is it fun? Is it worth taking the time to construct/deconstruct the cube?
Cubes are tricky, but they can be pretty darn cool if pulled off well. My friends and I found ourselves a little short on rares, so we built a cube for Group Game Draft that mimicked the rarity distribution of a normal set. Apart from our rares being a little overcentralizing because of how good they were, it worked just fine. The only potential downfall I can see if the, "Oh, it's THIS card again." factor if you don't go for a consistent, high power level for the whole thing.Enordash said:
Enordash
Member
Orayn said:
Thanks for the info, man. I have a big binder full of old rares that no one even looks at any more. I'm thinking that this would be a great way to get some use out of them. I'm going to try and convince my friends that it's a good idea. It will also shake things up a bit so maybe we won't quit after a block or two this time, lol.
Would anyone be willing to help me out and let me bounce a couple deck ideas off of them? I find that having someone to discuss things with usually works wonders. Honestly, saying something out loud can sometimes reveal whether or not an idea is stupid, lol. I would usually do this with the group I play with, but we are trying to compete against each other when we get back together next weekend. Let me know.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Sealed went great today. I went heavily tricolor G/W/U which had me nervous at the beginning, but I was right about it working with my pool and ended up going 2-1 (and I might have gone 3-0 if I hadn't had a ridiculous brain spasm for almost twenty minutes in which I thought Mana Leak was "unless your opponent pays 1" which allowed him to get a lot of stuff through)
On top of that, I pulled a Garruk, so I'm really happy there!
On top of that, I pulled a Garruk, so I'm really happy there!
Went to pick up the Steam 2012 promo card. They said they were out, got an Inferno Titan (360?) promo instead. Not sure how good I did in that trade-off, but I wanted the promo card and I wasn't going to travel back there later just to make sure I got it.
Would've liked the PS3 promo/black one, but I guess they didn't have that. :/
Also outside the store found two cards in French(?): Accord d Attenuation/Palliation Accord
And Navigateur Thermique/Thermal Navigator
Not too sure how useful these are?
Would've liked the PS3 promo/black one, but I guess they didn't have that. :/
Also outside the store found two cards in French(?): Accord d Attenuation/Palliation Accord
And Navigateur Thermique/Thermal Navigator
Not too sure how useful these are?
Silphonica
Banned
Okay picked up my first M12 core set with about 200 cards, no amazing cards but the XBL game and table top are different and i'm going to my first draft thingy tomorrow so a few questions.
The planeswalker cards (I got sorin Markov) how do they work once cast? Like it has +2, -3 and -7 with effects. I don't get how that is supposed to work?
Also I got a few cards with the tap effect "Add 1 to mana pool" or "Add 1 of any colour to mana pool". Does that mean after I tap and add 1 to mana pool, when my turn ends, does that mana stay there? or does it disappear?
Thanks.
The planeswalker cards (I got sorin Markov) how do they work once cast? Like it has +2, -3 and -7 with effects. I don't get how that is supposed to work?
Also I got a few cards with the tap effect "Add 1 to mana pool" or "Add 1 of any colour to mana pool". Does that mean after I tap and add 1 to mana pool, when my turn ends, does that mana stay there? or does it disappear?
Thanks.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Planeswalkers:Soru said:
You get to use one of their abilities each turn, any time you could play a sorcery. This includes the turn it comes into play. When you do, you increase or decrease the number in the lower left corner by that amount.
You cannot activate an ability that costs more then you have.
Your opponents can choose to attack your planeswalker instead of you. If they do, you can block with your creatures.
Your opponents can also use direct damage cards like Shock to damage your planeswalkers.
Mana effects:
The cards you describe act exactly the same as lands do. Technically there is rules text on a Forest, it reads "T: Add G to your mana pool"
Soru said:
No, they aren't. You just think so because:
This isn't in DotP 2012 and I feel really strongly I should've been for beginners sakes.
See that number at the bottom right? That's a "loyalty" counter and HP counter in one. IIRC players can attack the planeswalkers and it drops the loyalty counter by that damage. Someone more knowledgeable will answer better.
Planeswalkers abilities (+/-) add or subtract (or don't add anything if 0) to the loyalty counter for the ability activation cost respectively. If the counter hits 0, the planeswalker is gone, so it's a balancing act of making sure you have enough loyalty before casting the bigger -'s (there's a -12 on Jace the Mind Sculpter IIRC) to make sure they stick around.
It, along with other mana DOES NOT STAY at the end of turn. Whatever is tapped is TAPPED. AKA: If it's been used it's been used.
Tap to add 1 to mana pool is pretty straightforward IIRC. It adds whatever color is on the card like the perma lands (Mountains/Plains...)
Add 1 of any color to mana pool is the same way, but you can designate WHATEVER color you need as required. These cards (and the Invasion "dual lands") are INSANELY useful in rainbow decks if you're finding a shortage in your mana "tempo"/gains for multicolored cards that need the cost NOW. (Like a 1GR and you have no R. Tap the 1 of any color, declare it R and you can then cast the 1GR)
Silphonica
Banned
The_Technomancer said:
Thanks man. As for the mana pool one I still don't get it.
Like I have an elf that can tap to add one to mana pool. So does that elf act as 1 mana for that turn only or add 1 to mana pool which can collectively be built up as the 1 you add doesn't disappear at the end of the turn?
Same question goes to artifacts that do the same thing.
Silphonica
Banned
TheSeks said:
Thanks man I think I get the mana now.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
I cannot open a pack without getting a Jace. They made him more common than lands this time around.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Yeah, the ability on Llanowar Elves doesn't give you an extra Forest each turn. The elf itself acts like a single forest on its own.Soru said:
The_Technomancer said:
To clarify: If you're tapping a card, it is turned and TAPPED. You can not use it for anything else. If that card is a creature and it's giving you mana, tough. It can't attack, it's being a land/mana cost.
This is why tapping non-lands as a lands shouldn't be done in general unless you need the mana now. Because at the end of the turn anything tapped that is in the mana pool is gone.
Say you casted RRGGBBUU and used RGBBU. If you don't have a RGU card use that at the end of the turn and that RGU is a counter spell and the next turn your enemy casts a spell: Tough. You can't use that mana.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
TheSeks said:
No, mana is out sooner than end of turn. It empties as steps and phases end. You have to use it in that step/phase or it's emptied.
Gvaz said:
Only time I've done it is for creature producing mana. Joraga at lvl 1 produces 2 mana but I only need one.
Silphonica
Banned
The_Technomancer said:
So can I use some cards from each set to build one deck?
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Depends on what you want to play. If you want to play standard it's Zendikar, Worldwake, Rise of Eldrazi, M11, Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Beseiged, New Phrexia, M12. Once the first set of Innistrad comes out the older sets drop. So it then becomes Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Beseiged, New Phrexia, M12, Innistrad. Again that's for standard that most people play but if you just want casual with friends it doesn't really matter. First set of Innistrad comes out september/October IIRC.Soru said:
Silphonica
Banned
Yah I got that part. What I mean is, say from september can I make a standard deck that say takes cards from M12, New Phrexia and say scars of mirrodin?Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Yes, that's what I said in my post... For standard once Innistrad comes out the legal sets are Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Beseiged, New Phrexia, M12, Innistrad.Soru said:
Silphonica
Banned
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
Right thanks man, got it.
sankt-Antonio
Banned
two questions: i bought two commander decks, one for me and one for my gf (we plan to play with another couple).
Now amazon send me the wrong one (political puppets) so i told them i want to send it back - went to a magic shop and bought the one i wanted. Now i have "devour for power" and "mirrow mastery", But after taking a closer look at the political puppets cards online i kind of like the idea. so should i send it back or keep it? is it fun, could i enpower the other two decks with it?
thx in advance.
Now amazon send me the wrong one (political puppets) so i told them i want to send it back - went to a magic shop and bought the one i wanted. Now i have "devour for power" and "mirrow mastery", But after taking a closer look at the political puppets cards online i kind of like the idea. so should i send it back or keep it? is it fun, could i enpower the other two decks with it?
thx in advance.
Silphonica
Banned
Another noob question. Can a creature with indestructible as an in-card ability be killed if it's toughness is 0 or less?
On Magic 2012 the only creature with that is that eldrazi giant and if its toughness becomes 0 or less it doesnt die, however, on the written cards it says it does.
On Magic 2012 the only creature with that is that eldrazi giant and if its toughness becomes 0 or less it doesnt die, however, on the written cards it says it does.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Yeah, it dies. The important part is these two rules:Soru said:
Indestructible only protects from lethal damage, but it doesn't say it protects against the 0 toughness check.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Depends on how it gets to 0 toughness. If you're assuming zero toughness from lethal damage then it won't reach 0. But if you say put -1/-1 counters on it to make it's toughness reach zero it will die.Soru said:
Keru_Shiri
Member
Yeah, the game graphically represents damage by showing a reduction in toughness on the card, but that's actually different from having its toughness lowered. An indestructible creature only dies by having it's toughness reduced by an effect, i.e. Target creature gets -12/-12 until end of turn, or something like that.Soru said:
Pulled a card from a pack at the local flea market today and thought of a pretty decent combo using a card I never saw a use for before in my life.
Combined with
Edit
Also, is anyone familiar with the Spirit Monger? How does his add +1/+1 counters work when dealing damage? Is it immediate, or following combat?
Combined with
Edit
Also, is anyone familiar with the Spirit Monger? How does his add +1/+1 counters work when dealing damage? Is it immediate, or following combat?
Keru_Shiri
Member
Tough to say, since I don't know your play style. All of the decks can be pretty enjoyable, I have Mirror Mastery which I settled on when my buddy grabbed the last Heavenly Inferno, but I wound up enjoying it quite a bit, and you can do a lot of stupid things with Devour for Power.sankt-Antonio said:
As far as actually beefing up the decks, that gets tricky. Since you're restricted to one copy of a card, a lot of the power cards in PP are already available in your current decks (Command Tower, Sol Ring) or are off-colors. That said, it's not necessarily a bad investment since a lot of those cards have excellent trading value for other singles you may want to pick up for your decks. I'd definitely play a few games first to get a feel for these decks before making any big changes (I'm not sure how much Magic experience you have, so I apologize if any of this is "DUH" information)
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
OnPoint said:
After damage is dealt. So if he's dealt damage he has to be able survive it before any +1/+1 counters are placed on him.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Sorin is part of Innistrad!
Second set is called Dark Ascension: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/761
Very interesting. Two black planeswalkers in the same block?
Second set is called Dark Ascension: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/761
Very interesting. Two black planeswalkers in the same block?
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
It always feels like black is overpowered.
Is Liliana associated with any creature type like Sorin is with vampires?
Is Liliana associated with any creature type like Sorin is with vampires?
Enordash
Member
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:It always feels like black is overpowered.
Is Liliana associated with any creature type like Sorin is with vampires?
I've always felt that blue is a little overpowered. I mainly play blue so I have no complaints, lol. They just can't seem to get blue right a lot of the time. There are three blue cards in the P9 (the rest are artifacts). The blue "boon" was obviously the most ridiculous of the 5 (I realize this is a little redundant since that boon is also in the P9). And now just recently we have JTMS. I think black has recently fallen away from being "suicide black". I loved playing a first turn Phyrexian Negator (via Dark Ritual) and just praying the other person wasn't playing burn, lol. Too bad they decided that Dark Ritual type effects belong to red rather than black.
While on the subject of power: I can't help but feel that M12 green is super underwhelming. I mean, Garruk is good, sure, but what else in the set really stands out? I'm not the most experienced with green, but even a lot of the higher costing creatures don't seem to be very worth it.
If anyone here plays 2HG on Duels, Multani is just ridiculous. My partner used Prosperity and Multani jumped up to a 27/27 or some such thing, I gave him trample with Overrun, the opposing team blocked with a 2/2 protection from green (apparently not understanding how trample works) and immediately lost (they were at 24). For someone who plays blue constantly, a little mindless green beatdown is a pretty welcome change for a while.
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