MTG Salvation

Quote from bocephus

He explained that packs/boxes are inventoried so they have to pay taxes on these sales. Tournament attendance is kept track of so they have to declare this income. Singles is the only thing they can sell free of taxes. (Its a loophole in the way sales tax works, at least in my area.)

Just my guess here, but it sounds like the only "loophole" is that he doesn't report it, and won't get caught.

Quote from BatDwarf

Details on the first tournament are up:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/other/03222012d

7 tix entry fee.
4-3-2-2, 8-4 and swiss are available.
Payout is Innistrad Block.

7 tix is too rich for my blood. You have to win 3 boosters to finish up on the deal. I think most of the cube fun is lost in translation to this modo setup, so I look at it as economically as I do any other format. I'll try it once or twice, but I'm far less excited now. (Maybe it has to be this way or booster value would plummet to naught.)

In my opinion, the reason that Hero isn't just the absolute nuts is that very few of our other creatures are good targets for doom blade.

Our three-drops, Geist and Crusadar, cannot be hit by doom blade. Our two-drops are basically notoriously weak, and the one drops don't usually warrant a doom blade unless you curve out nicely on a Champion. (Which is one of the main reasons I think you must run 4 Champions, so you have something your opponent wants to doom blade before your Hero.)

The high land count in the WW deck is quite simple: These decks are one's introduction to serious constructed Magic. You do not take the business chance that these new players lose to mana screw, and are forever turned away from the game.

Additionally, I think people who play extremely low land counts usually wouldn't do so if they were forced to randomize their deck. Mana weaving is what really allows you to do this. (As anyone with extensive MTGO experience can attest to. People regularly play more lands online because their decks are randomized.)

These decks are just fine.

I'd run Sam Black's infect+shoal combo combo.

I've played it a good deal in the practice room and in some 8-mans. First 8-man I went 6-0. Second I went 0-2.

Hate is actually not what you need to worry about, cuz there's not really much of it. What you need to worry about is the fact that other combo decks actually go off faster than you, and you have almost no way to inhibit them beforehand due to your mana restraints. The combo itself has a defense built-in against aggro, but does nothing similar against combo.

There could be a home depending on what the rest of the set looks like.

But here is what it hinges on: will there be something in INN that makes the upkeep discard into a beneficial ability?

If there is, then you are looking at a 4 mana 4/4 with two extremely powerful abilities and regenerate.

That is quite a big IF though.

Quote from Omnei

I like the toning back of the powerlevel. I feel that it allows more room for creativity and shenanigans and less herp derp I win. Also, have you seen the lands? Those are some GOOD LANDS.

This exactly. If this game wasn't fun and satisfying, none of us would play it. I'm as excited to see "powerlevel rolling back" as anything else. Anyone play any Modern? Personally, I find it a horribly unfun format to play. And the catalog of power level there is insane.

And before we declare the power level of this set, let's see it's run in Standard. There are a lot of very interesting cards here that have very powerful effects, for little mana. Blue alone has a card that costs three mana that says "you win the game", a creature that can mill half your deck for 1U, and Snapcaster Mage. Mindshrieker can end the game on, what, turn 4? All extremely "powerful". The only question is, will we be able to capitalize on those effects? It depends what else is available in the format.

Quote from BCGamer

A question on place holders for transform cards. Instead of using the checklist thingie could I just take a basic land and sharpie on the name?

Definitely not. That would lead to people attempting to play their checklist cards as basic land. A basic land with sharpie writing on it, is a basic land. With sharpie writing on it.

I've been thinking about this too. Interested to hear other thoughts.

And thank you for posting that list, it's a really cool feature for [SCD]

(Just as a side as well, I don't really care to run Fauna Shaman in my list. I don't see any creatures that are worth tutoring for really. I could be wrong about that.)

Just wanted to add, for any who may not know, but the idea of a book calling to it's owner in his dreams is extremely Lovecraftian horror, which is of course the theme of this set. Cool idea on wotc's part to include that description.

if you relentlessly explore rumor mill forums on the internet about rumored upcoming cards, you probably aren't in the target market for Booster Battles

I'm aware we are in "Extended Season," but I do not know much more than that. I looked at the 2011 Pro Tour schedule, and it seemed formats varied. For instance, this month we have an Ext GP, next month is a Standard PT, and then March has an Ext GP.

So when folks say we are in a certain season, what exactly are they referring to?

Thanks in advance

(oops. Meant to put this in Magic General, not Magic Online General. Apologies.)

As a strictly mtgo player, super glad to see:

-All the duals again (yay, cheaper)
-Demonic Tutor (yay, cheaper)
-huge number of cards that were not available online previously

Pretty much everything but Power is now online. Seems pretty likely that Power is coming before too long...

Quote from St@rWizard

stuff

My thoughts exactly. It's not overall power creep, it's just creature creep and thus possible some removal creep. Wizards rebalanced/emphasized aspects of the game. Is there card drawing power creep? Tutor power creep? Counterspell creep? Discard? Combo?

The game is alive and well.