Never said anything was rigged. Something was off with our rarities, though. It only matters to me because I'm pretty heartbroken about lack of Jaces. I thought surely someone would get a foil one... by the end of today I was just hoping someone would have one at all. And out of two events today, only one person did (naturally the guy that is a hyper-anxious value hoarder). It's possible other stores got flooded with them I suppose. Wish it had been ours. Sigh.
I mean, the chances of getting a specific foil mythic aren't too good to begin with, even before factoring in the fact that people might not want to trade it away.
Never said anything was rigged. Something was off with our rarities, though. It only matters to me because I'm pretty heartbroken about lack of Jaces. I thought surely someone would get a foil one... by the end of today I was just hoping someone would have one at all. And out of two events today, only one person did (naturally the guy that is a hyper-anxious value hoarder). It's possible other stores got flooded with them I suppose. Wish it had been ours. Sigh.
I mean, the chances of getting a specific foil mythic aren't too good to begin with, even before factoring in the fact that people might not want to trade it away.
Between everyone at all pre-release events, which includes a foil promo per entry? The midnight pre-release had about 70 players. The morning, afternoon and evening Saturday had about 30 each, and about 20 this morning and again this evening for each. Between all those entries, and prize packs, for only 5 specific mythic to be pulled, none being the promo or a foil is indeed absurd. And yeah, the guy didn't want to trade his non-foil one because he's the shop's value hoarder. His choice, but it ruined my experience personally to have no other options.
Never said anything was rigged. Something was off with our rarities, though. It only matters to me because I'm pretty heartbroken about lack of Jaces. I thought surely someone would get a foil one... by the end of today I was just hoping someone would have one at all. And out of two events today, only one person did (naturally the guy that is a hyper-anxious value hoarder). It's possible other stores got flooded with them I suppose. Wish it had been ours. Sigh.
I mean, the chances of getting a specific foil mythic aren't too good to begin with, even before factoring in the fact that people might not want to trade it away.
Between everyone at all pre-release events, which includes a foil promo per entry? The midnight pre-release had about 70 players. The morning, afternoon and evening Saturday had about 30 each, and about 20 this morning and again this evening for each. Between all those entries, and prize packs, for only 5 specific mythic to be pulled, none being the promo or a foil is indeed absurd. And yeah, the guy didn't want to trade his non-foil one because he's the shop's value hoarder. His choice, but it ruined my experience personally to have no other options.
I can see you running around asking hundreds of people, if they got a foil-Jace and they are all there to just play, enjoy the new cards and discuss the new set - i would just say "No" if you ask me, even if i got one, to not waste my time with trading and your blubbering. Maybe there are more people like me in your area, maybe even the mischievous "value hoarder"?
For the sake of Magic in general, I hope there aren't people like you in anyone's area.
Shall we get back to discussing the set in general? That seems like the better idea now instead of diving into a flamefest. Yeah. Let's do that.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
When I played dinosaurs (green/red/x) I won; when I didn't, I lost. Even when I set up a Sealed deck so that the only noncreature spells were removal spells (incidentally, I am now in love with Firecannon Blast--don't tell my wife) their creatures were sufficiently larger than mine so I either chump-blocked and lost my field or I died. It is funny, though, that an Ancient Brontodon is scared of a little Skittering Heartstopper.
When I played dinosaurs (green/red/x) I won; when I didn't, I lost. Even when I set up a Sealed deck so that the only noncreature spells were removal spells (incidentally, I am now in love with Firecannon Blast--don't tell my wife) their creatures were sufficiently larger than mine so I either chump-blocked and lost my field or I died. It is funny, though, that an Ancient Brontodon is scared of a little Skittering Heartstopper.
When I played dinosaurs (green/red/x) I won; when I didn't, I lost. Even when I set up a Sealed deck so that the only noncreature spells were removal spells (incidentally, I am now in love with Firecannon Blast--don't tell my wife) their creatures were sufficiently larger than mine so I either chump-blocked and lost my field or I died. It is funny, though, that an Ancient Brontodon is scared of a little Skittering Heartstopper.
So, basically you will either play Dinosaurs or you will lose to Dinosaurs, that's how sealed will be going for everyone. As for drafts, that stupid equipment that gives creatures flying will be a 1st pick common in this set, no matter what colors you're playing or what archetype, that common is a FIRST pick...mark my words.
So I started as WG dino's but found that there just wasn't enough play to them. If your opponent has any removal then your done. Round 2 I switched to UG Merfolk and liked it much better as they have quite a bit of evasion to pressure the opponent and can grow to decent size to prevent being run over and decent tricks to back them up. I saw some good pirate decks too as the raid train seems to be easier to get rolling than I initially expected. All in all a fun time. While it is a tribal set different tribes play decently together. Evasive merfolk help pirates, life gain helps ramp into dinos, treasure helps splash/ramp for big finishers. I think with all the treasure 3+ color decks are viable and 16 lands are probably all you need since there don't seem to be many mana sinks late in the game plus explore helps you get to your lands faster. This will be a fun set.
As for the equipment I think there are enough destroy artifacts/ kill a flyer that it won't be a big player. Sure you can get gotten by it but it's not unbeatable strategy.
There was certainly something... strange about the rarities in this pre-release. My friend and I played in *ALL* the pre-releases and pulled only 3 (very bad) mythics in all those boxes and all our prize packs. Same with everyone across the board. Very, very few Planeswalkers - and out of all the events this entire weekend, only 5 Jaces, none of which were the foil or the promo? Horrible, horrible. I couldn't believe it. Even the certain uncommons were unseen at all. Ixalan's Binding? Nowhere to be found. Perilous Voyage? I didn't see a single one at all - literally at all.
I don't know if the Buy-a-box packs threw off their metrics or mathematics or what, but pulling Arcane Denials back to back to back across from someone else who did too, the only Axis of Mortality were two pre-release promo ones, everyone getting the same batch of rares... Something in this set is off. This is the first pre-release my friends and I left without even seeing the Planeswalkers we wanted at all. In SOI, I walked out with two Arlinn Kords, in EMN, I had three Tamiyos by the end of the night's trades. Ixalan... No one had Jace at all. 2/5 were a RUMOR that someone pulled them.
Expecting to get a Mythic let alone a specific Mythic is never going to be a guarantied proposition. As for no mythics one of my opponents got 2 Varaska's which is unlikely but possible and I got a regular Axis of Mortality (wish I had basically anything else though).
There are exactly 2 cards in the whole set that destroy artifacts, and one is an uncommon in green so not much chance you will get it and the other one is the common in red.
Two possible cards out of so many cards in a set that can straight up destroy artifacts, that is not enough considering how many playable artifacts there are in this set, you will die to artifacts because you will have nothing to kill them.
In the next set there will be at least 3-4 more cards that will kill artifacts so people can deal with them in limited because right now there are almost no chances you will be able to kill them in sealed or draft.
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"May he who is without mana cast the first spell!"
Check out my Youtube channel where I upload MTG content videos twice a week!
When I played dinosaurs (green/red/x) I won; when I didn't, I lost. Even when I set up a Sealed deck so that the only noncreature spells were removal spells (incidentally, I am now in love with Firecannon Blast--don't tell my wife) their creatures were sufficiently larger than mine so I either chump-blocked and lost my field or I died. It is funny, though, that an Ancient Brontodon is scared of a little Skittering Heartstopper.
When I played dinosaurs (green/red/x) I won; when I didn't, I lost. Even when I set up a Sealed deck so that the only noncreature spells were removal spells (incidentally, I am now in love with Firecannon Blast--don't tell my wife) their creatures were sufficiently larger than mine so I either chump-blocked and lost my field or I died. It is funny, though, that an Ancient Brontodon is scared of a little Skittering Heartstopper.
When I played dinosaurs (green/red/x) I won; when I didn't, I lost. Even when I set up a Sealed deck so that the only noncreature spells were removal spells (incidentally, I am now in love with Firecannon Blast--don't tell my wife) their creatures were sufficiently larger than mine so I either chump-blocked and lost my field or I died. It is funny, though, that an Ancient Brontodon is scared of a little Skittering Heartstopper.
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
I went to a midnight prerelease on Friday, the next thing I know it's Sunday evening!
Of course my pool was ***** other than Jace,
hence the fifteen losses.
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
There was certainly something... strange about the rarities in this pre-release. My friend and I played in *ALL* the pre-releases and pulled only 3 (very bad) mythics in all those boxes and all our prize packs. Same with everyone across the board. Very, very few Planeswalkers - and out of all the events this entire weekend, only 5 Jaces, none of which were the foil or the promo? Horrible, horrible. I couldn't believe it. Even the certain uncommons were unseen at all. Ixalan's Binding? Nowhere to be found. Perilous Voyage? I didn't see a single one at all - literally at all.
I don't know if the Buy-a-box packs threw off their metrics or mathematics or what, but pulling Arcane Denials back to back to back across from someone else who did too, the only Axis of Mortality were two pre-release promo ones, everyone getting the same batch of rares... Something in this set is off. This is the first pre-release my friends and I left without even seeing the Planeswalkers we wanted at all. In SOI, I walked out with two Arlinn Kords, in EMN, I had three Tamiyos by the end of the night's trades. Ixalan... No one had Jace at all. 2/5 were a RUMOR that someone pulled them.
Every set, every single set, someone has a story about how they noticed something weird going on with the mythic/rare/whatever distribution, presenting their anecdotal evidence as though it's significant proof. It's always meaningless, as becomes apparent when more people recount their findings, and we get more and more data points.
What you witnessed is nothing that can't be explained by variance and random chance. When you're dealing with randomization, like the contents of boosters, you're bound to get sample groups that seem odd when observed in a vacuum. You never saw a single Perilous Voyage? Well, I guarantee that some other store somewhere else got flooded with them during the prerelease, while seeing none of some random other card that you saw plenty of. It happens.
If you roll a d20 and get five 1's in a row, that doesn't automatically mean the die is rigged. Weird ***** happens sometimes.
Keep in mind that this doesn't take into account the stamped promos that come in the pre-release packs.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I have to say, Ixalan Merfolk are by far the best looking Merfolk in MtG history. They just pop in a way that previous Merfolk haven't IMO. They stand out in such a visually striking way that they're immediately iconic, like the Elves of Lorwyn and the Vampires of Zendikar.
I have to say, Ixalan Merfolk are by far the best looking Merfolk in MtG history. They just pop in a way that previous Merfolk haven't IMO. They stand out in such a visually striking way that they're immediately iconic, like the Elves of Lorwyn and the Vampires of Zendikar.
\
In stark contrast with the vampires, which on a white card look like they are almost ghost-like. Seriously, Vona, Butcher of Magan is practically glowing like Mr. Burns out of the Simpsons X-Files parody.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I have to say, Ixalan Merfolk are by far the best looking Merfolk in MtG history. They just pop in a way that previous Merfolk haven't IMO. They stand out in such a visually striking way that they're immediately iconic, like the Elves of Lorwyn and the Vampires of Zendikar.
\
In stark contrast with the vampires, which on a white card look like they are almost ghost-like. Seriously, Vona, Butcher of Magan is practically glowing like Mr. Burns out of the Simpsons X-Files parody.
This was an easy meta game to predict. Temur and red are dominant and black has massive gaps in its removal package. Vraska's contempt is pretty good, but only in a control shell. Black needs Doom Blade and Diabolic Edict bad. Also, Kalitas is sorely missed.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
There are exactly 2 cards in the whole set that destroy artifacts, and one is an uncommon in green so not much chance you will get it and the other one is the common in red.
Two possible cards out of so many cards in a set that can straight up destroy artifacts, that is not enough considering how many playable artifacts there are in this set, you will die to artifacts because you will have nothing to kill them.
In the next set there will be at least 3-4 more cards that will kill artifacts so people can deal with them in limited because right now there are almost no chances you will be able to kill them in sealed or draft.
Check out my Youtube channel where I upload MTG content videos twice a week!
Mtg Lifestyle
Size isn't everything, as every deadly virus and bacterium proves.
That said, it's neat that Dinos are doing well somewhere. It'd be a waste if all this pushing amounted to nothing.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
I'm guessing it's Skittering Heartstopper.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
I just made a guess. I don't think anyone in this thread would pay you in Jaces to find out what card helped you go 3-1.
Especially when my own foil Jace is the reason I went 23-15.
Reprint Stasis!
Control needs more love.
EDH:
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm
WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW
WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
I went to a midnight prerelease on Friday, the next thing I know it's Sunday evening!
Of course my pool was ***** other than Jace,
hence the fifteen losses.
Reprint Stasis!
Control needs more love.
EDH:
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm
WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW
WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
There is a 1/141 chance of getting a specific mythic in the set instead of a 1/121 chance, but that is because of the DFC lands being in the rare slot. Source: http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/165339122268/is-the-rare-to-mythic-rare-ratio-still-the-same
Keep in mind that this doesn't take into account the stamped promos that come in the pre-release packs.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
In stark contrast with the vampires, which on a white card look like they are almost ghost-like. Seriously, Vona, Butcher of Magan is practically glowing like Mr. Burns out of the Simpsons X-Files parody.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
This was an easy meta game to predict. Temur and red are dominant and black has massive gaps in its removal package. Vraska's contempt is pretty good, but only in a control shell. Black needs Doom Blade and Diabolic Edict bad. Also, Kalitas is sorely missed.