I've recently made a Junk token deck for standard and one of the cards I run in it is Champion of Lambholt. When I cast the card, very rarely does anyone ask to read it, but then act surprised at what it does. This last FNM, in nearly every round, there was an incident like that. I'd cast Champion and then make tokens and announce that with the trigger, I was putting +1/+1 counters on Champion. Often my opponent would ask how and point out that the creatures aren't human, confusing it with Champion of the Parish. I point out that it's any creature and my opponent sometimes act upset, but usually they're cool.
The other thing with this card is that I'll beef her up to like a 7/7 and then attack. My opponent will start assigning blockers and I point out that only creatures with power equal to the Champion can block creatures I control and they usually say, "It's all your creatures, not just the Champion?!?!?!"
When someone plays a card I'm not familiar with I always ask to read it, and I kind of found it amazing that some of these players, and they're all very good players, just didn't bother with it.
Yes. I always ask to read the card. I need to know what I have to beat. If anyone doesn't ask what a card does when thy're not familiar with is setting themselves up to lose.
The only time I don't bother to ask is during insanely complex EDH games. I might just ask what it does. But that's about it.
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Decks:
Standard: UWB Control
Modern: UWR Midrange/Control UW Control
EDH: BRG Prossh, Skyraider of Kher G Omnath, Locus of Mana BUG The Mimeoplasm
I'd ask the opponent if I can read the card, but I won't aski an opponent as to how the card works unless I know him.
If I'm still not sure how it works, I ask the judge.
This is important particularly since I play eternal -- the card pool size is too big, various languages and errata exist, or I'm just plain unfamiliar with mechanics that are new or rarely appear in eternal.
I am, however, guilty of not reading at times. In one tournament I wasteland-ed a fetchland, thinking it was a shock land. Doh!
What I find odd is when people read the card, the ability is straight forward, then still fail to grasp the meaning.
Me: "My goblin piledriver has protection from blue. It also gains +2 for every goblin attacking"
Him: *picks up card and reads it* "ok"
Me: "I attack, with all my gobs."
Him: "Chain of vapor the piledriver."
Me: "... Protection. From Blue."
Him: "Oh, ok."
Me: "Any blockers?"
Him: "I block this, this, and that."
Me: *scratches head* "You're blocking everyone but the piledriver?"
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "... are you sure?"
Spectator: *kicks me under the table*
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "Ok, you're down to two."
Him: "wait, what?"
After a week or 2, I have a good idea of all the commonly used cards, but I ALWAYS ask to see the card if I'm unfamiliar with it. If I'm still unsure of how it works, I ask the judge.
I usually ask to read cards, but there are a lot of instances where I think a card does one thing but actually does another thing, it's not that I'm unsure, but rather that I'm too sure I know what it does.
After doing some Vintage deck theory crafting I was surprised to see Leonin Relic-Warder hits not only Artifacts but also Enchantments, that's pretty big game against Oath of Druids.
I usually read a card I don't immediately notice or have heard of. Sometimes though I forget what a card does, and then your up a creek without a paddle.
More people should read cards in eternal formats/games, as the card pool is extremely large and older cards have been errata'd (sometimes multiple times). Never expect your opponent to explain what a card does, and never assume an explanation from your opponent is 100% accurate (sometimes an opponent can mis-explain or explain it unclearly). Always ask a judge what a card does if you are unsure.
Every time. I've won games from my opponents being too shy or overconfident not to read mine, and I make a point of not making that mistake myself. I need to know what I'm up against at all times.
I'll read it if I don't recognize it at all. If it looks familiar enough I'll just confirm what I think by asking (ex: opponent plays Griselbrand. "7/7 flying lifelink, Pay 7 draw 7?"). My lgs only plays standard/draft so it's pretty rare for a card I don't know to be played but it never hurts to ask.
Then ask yourself "Why are they playing this?" if you see a card you never thought was playable. Often you can figure out their gameplan from one or two unusual cards.
I had the same problem with champion of lambholt when I played her in G/W Humans. The any creature part never came up since it was a Human tribal deck, but the blocking part was always an issue. Especially when I dropped a couple Rancor on her and suddenly they couldn't block my Silverblade Paladin who was paired with an obscenely large Champion of the Parish.
I have a bad habit of reading over new sets over and over, reading each card just in case there was something I missed. It's how I find inspiration to build new decks. I am always looking for card combinations that work well that have not made it to my meta. So rarely does a card pop up in standard that I am unfamiliar with.
Modern, Legacy and EDH is another story since I took a five year break after Kamigawa.
...if I don't know what a card does I'll read it or ask for the oracle text. I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't read a card they don't know the rules text on.
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"Yawgmoth," Freyalise whispered as she set the bomb, "now you will pay for your treachery."
I play with a lot of foreign and textless cards. It is insane how often people will ask me what a card does, and then just say okay when I tell them. I am honest with them, but I would never want to just trust my opponent.
I played a textless mana tithe at a modern PTQ not too long ago. Every time I mana Tithed something my opponents would ask what that would do. I would tell them, and they would just bin there card and say okay. I mean, if you had never seen Mana Tithe, would you honestly believe that W Force Spike was a card?
What I find odd is when people read the card, the ability is straight forward, then still fail to grasp the meaning.
I had that happen at FNM last week. Opponent reads Fiendslayer Paladin, then a turn later tries to burn it. Then when I swing with it, wonders why I gain life from it.
I've also hardcast Ghor-Clan Rampager and have seen people ask where it's getting trample from when I swing.
To be fair, though, I've also fallen into misremembering card effects. It's even worse in Legacy, where the card text can be wrong or even contradictory with the Oracle text.
That only seems to happen to me at T2 FNM, Legacy and EDH players are humble enough to know they can't memorize every singled damn card ever, but T2 spikes assume if it's not a top netdeck list then the weird creatures you're playing surely suck and dont matter. Then they loose and cry about you playing crap.
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Yes sir, I take fantasy art and character design commissions, PM me for rates.
If I cannot recite from memory the Oracle text of a card, I read it and/or ask to get Oracle text on it if the card is old enough that the Oracle text couldn't be reasonably derived from the text printed on the card. I used to think that I knew what everything did... and then I started reading cards.
In my meta, not only do we usually read just about every card that comes out of every other player's hand, we've usually got a couple people with tablets on hand to look up the latest Oracle text.
There are just way too many cards in a casual environment - there's no way you could know all of them. It's courteous to offer to let other players read what you play, and it's not at all uncommon to see players picking up other peoples' cards and reading them mid-game just to re-check. Seems totally natural and logical to me.
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"The sword blazed bright as he held it high, filling him with righteous might." - Book 4, Tome of Kor-Nevan
...if I don't know what a card does I'll read it or ask for the oracle text. I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't read a card they don't know the rules text on.
My guess is laziness, arrogance, and nervosity are the culprits here.
I have heard from a few friends with weaker nerves that when their blood thunders through their ears during a competitive match, the instinct is to nod and go along with a play, forgetting to ask what the card does.
Arrogance is just that. I have seen people too arrogant to ask what a card does many times.
It's hard for me to believe, but people can be incredibly lazy in their plays. I have actually gotten the "I don't care" or "whatever, that's cool" play from opponents who afterward were surprised at what my cards did.
The other thing with this card is that I'll beef her up to like a 7/7 and then attack. My opponent will start assigning blockers and I point out that only creatures with power equal to the Champion can block creatures I control and they usually say, "It's all your creatures, not just the Champion?!?!?!"
When someone plays a card I'm not familiar with I always ask to read it, and I kind of found it amazing that some of these players, and they're all very good players, just didn't bother with it.
The only time I don't bother to ask is during insanely complex EDH games. I might just ask what it does. But that's about it.
Standard:
UWB Control
Modern:
UWR Midrange/Control
UW Control
EDH:
BRG Prossh, Skyraider of Kher
G Omnath, Locus of Mana
BUG The Mimeoplasm
Sometimes I do ask to read it, and other times, I pick it up and read it without asking. I know it's uncouth, and I'm working on it.
If I'm still not sure how it works, I ask the judge.
This is important particularly since I play eternal -- the card pool size is too big, various languages and errata exist, or I'm just plain unfamiliar with mechanics that are new or rarely appear in eternal.
I am, however, guilty of not reading at times. In one tournament I wasteland-ed a fetchland, thinking it was a shock land. Doh!
What I find odd is when people read the card, the ability is straight forward, then still fail to grasp the meaning.
Me: "My goblin piledriver has protection from blue. It also gains +2 for every goblin attacking"
Him: *picks up card and reads it* "ok"
Me: "I attack, with all my gobs."
Him: "Chain of vapor the piledriver."
Me: "... Protection. From Blue."
Him: "Oh, ok."
Me: "Any blockers?"
Him: "I block this, this, and that."
Me: *scratches head* "You're blocking everyone but the piledriver?"
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "... are you sure?"
Spectator: *kicks me under the table*
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "Ok, you're down to two."
Him: "wait, what?"
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
I've heard of Eidetic memory, but what is epidemic memory?
A memory that everyone catches?
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/developing-competitive-modern/598381-kiki-chord-kiki-company
Bring to Niv
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/814060-bring-to-niv-the-golden-deck
Legacy - Lands
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/legacy-type-1-5/established-legacy/control/535484-primer-lands
After doing some Vintage deck theory crafting I was surprised to see Leonin Relic-Warder hits not only Artifacts but also Enchantments, that's pretty big game against Oath of Druids.
More people should read cards in eternal formats/games, as the card pool is extremely large and older cards have been errata'd (sometimes multiple times). Never expect your opponent to explain what a card does, and never assume an explanation from your opponent is 100% accurate (sometimes an opponent can mis-explain or explain it unclearly). Always ask a judge what a card does if you are unsure.
WBG Karador GBW
R Daretti R
RG Omnath GR
WRG Modern Burn GRW
WB Modern Tokens BW
DCI Rules Advisor as of 5/18/2015
Then ask yourself "Why are they playing this?" if you see a card you never thought was playable. Often you can figure out their gameplan from one or two unusual cards.
I have a bad habit of reading over new sets over and over, reading each card just in case there was something I missed. It's how I find inspiration to build new decks. I am always looking for card combinations that work well that have not made it to my meta. So rarely does a card pop up in standard that I am unfamiliar with.
Modern, Legacy and EDH is another story since I took a five year break after Kamigawa.
Currently Playing:
Retired
I played a textless mana tithe at a modern PTQ not too long ago. Every time I mana Tithed something my opponents would ask what that would do. I would tell them, and they would just bin there card and say okay. I mean, if you had never seen Mana Tithe, would you honestly believe that W Force Spike was a card?
I had that happen at FNM last week. Opponent reads Fiendslayer Paladin, then a turn later tries to burn it. Then when I swing with it, wonders why I gain life from it.
I've also hardcast Ghor-Clan Rampager and have seen people ask where it's getting trample from when I swing.
To be fair, though, I've also fallen into misremembering card effects. It's even worse in Legacy, where the card text can be wrong or even contradictory with the Oracle text.
Sig by Ace of Spades studio at http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=451747
I'm a child playing an adult's card game.
Esper CONTROL: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10441008&postcount=239
I'm a Rules Advisor. Woo-hoo.
Gamer's Armory in Raleigh, NC. Best bad store ever.
There are just way too many cards in a casual environment - there's no way you could know all of them. It's courteous to offer to let other players read what you play, and it's not at all uncommon to see players picking up other peoples' cards and reading them mid-game just to re-check. Seems totally natural and logical to me.
Current EDH decks:
WBG Doran, the Siege Tower (I Like Big Butts)
URG Surrak Dragonclaw (Guttural Response)
UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Phyrexia's Claw)
BR Kaervek the Merciless (Keep Kaervek Alive)
BG Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Descend into Delirium)
W Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (Mark 8.5)
U Thassa, God of the Sea (Here There Be Monsters)
Please don't do this with my Chains of Mephistopheles; even though it has a bunch of text.
My guess is laziness, arrogance, and nervosity are the culprits here.
I have heard from a few friends with weaker nerves that when their blood thunders through their ears during a competitive match, the instinct is to nod and go along with a play, forgetting to ask what the card does.
Arrogance is just that. I have seen people too arrogant to ask what a card does many times.
It's hard for me to believe, but people can be incredibly lazy in their plays. I have actually gotten the "I don't care" or "whatever, that's cool" play from opponents who afterward were surprised at what my cards did.
It's spell check having fun with my words.