Hello, I thought I'd get this thread going since I have a lot of friends from CA going to this one. I really wanted to go myself, but had to stay here for a job interview instead. (STill, I was 50/50 going to go anyway, lol) I guess if I get the job, I can go to the next XX Grand Prix anyway, so it's cool.
What decks do you think will emerge? I know Zoo, Jund, Burn, and some others are played by my friends. I felt like Titanshift would have been a great meta call and I got Thien Nyugen's newest list from another friend (not one that is going). Kind of sad not to go...
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Legacy - Sneak Show, BR Reanimator, Miracles, UW Stoneblade
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/ Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander - Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build) (dead format for me)
Honestly I have no idea. I hope to see Esper Control near the top, its been a very long time (forever?) since thats happened. I would like to see a RUG Midrange, and a BUG Midrange too, but doubtful. :]
Mostly I am interested in seeing if the pro's get it right and its GDS/Traverse DS vs Lantern vs Jund in the top. Those seem to be the 'consensus' pro picks.
Oh look, there's Alex Bertoncini in the top 10 of the tournament after Day 1. Just a reminder that, while you can get banned for life for things that happened a decade ago that have nothing to do with Magic or for causing dumb online drama, being a serial cheater doesn't permanently get you kicked out.
How is he a cheater? (Note, I have no context on who these guys are, I follow Decks, not players)
Speaking off, I saw some talk of Turns?
If memory serves, Bertoncini was caught multiple times on camera drawing extra cards and sneaking extra lands into play while his opponents are occupied. I want to say he just came off a 4 year ban.
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Top 16 - 2012 Indiana State Championships Currently Playing: GBStandard - Golgari Safari MidrangeBG RBWModern - Mardu PyromancerWBR RLegacy - Good Old Fashioned BurnR
How is he a cheater? (Note, I have no context on who these guys are, I follow Decks, not players)
Just a simple search for "Alex Bertoncini" should be sufficient to answer your question on the specifics. But the point is that he did some cheating, got suspended for a year, came back, did more, got suspended for three years, came back again, and, if this is any indication, is continuing to do so.
By the way, Stephen Speck, a player who constantly stacked his deck to ensure he'd get the nut Amulet Bloom starting hand before getting caught redhanded, will be free to return to the game in just a little over a month. I don't know if he will, but the fact is he can return after repeatedly performing practiced and premeditated cheats.
People who might bring bad PR to Wizards of the Coast if they're allowed to play get lifetime bans, whereas people like Alex Bertoncini or Stephen Speck, who are repeated cheaters, don't. It's nice to know that Wizards of the Coast cares more about their own PR than whether someone cheats against us at an event.
How is he a cheater? (Note, I have no context on who these guys are, I follow Decks, not players)
Just a simple search for "Alex Bertoncini" should be sufficient to answer your question on the specifics. But the point is that he did some cheating, got suspended for a year, came back, did more, got suspended for three years, came back again, and, if this is any indication, is continuing to do so.
By the way, Stephen Speck, a player who constantly stacked his deck to ensure he'd get the nut Amulet Bloom starting hand before getting caught redhanded, will be free to return to the game in just a little over a month. I don't know if he will, but the fact is he can return after repeatedly performing practiced and premeditated cheats.
People who might bring bad PR to Wizards of the Coast if they're allowed to play get lifetime bans, whereas people like Alex Bertoncini or Stephen Speck, who are repeated cheaters, don't. It's nice to know that Wizards of the Coast cares more about their own PR than whether someone cheats against us at an event.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
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"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
Normally, I would agree. But something is wrong about everything in that situation. Him getting three months for rape is a huge travesty. And while he served his time, the "time" he served was a complete slap in the face to every sexual assault survivor on the planet. The whole situation is messed up, and I don't think Hasbro was going to win no matter what they did.
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"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
I still 100% think it's bull***** that Wizards banned him. He served his sentence; hell his state bar let him get his legal license. I'm sure they have a heck of a lot more stringent requirements about something like that than WotC the social justice warrior company. I'd much rather cheaters eat a permanent ban than a person who has atoned for his mistake.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
I still 100% think it's bull***** that Wizards banned him. He served his sentence; hell his state bar let him get his legal license. I'm sure they have a heck of a lot more stringent requirements about something like that than WotC the social justice warrior company. I'd much rather cheaters eat a permanent ban than a person who has atoned for his mistake.
What's your opinion on the Stanford Rapist, Brock Turner? It's virtually the same situation. Guys rapes someone. Uses wealthy connections to get a laughably short sentence. Gets out and claims they "atoned" for the life they destroyed.
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"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Advertisers that keep the company in business don't care about the health of the game or cheaters, but they DO care when their product is placed next to some chode ****-talking other people in an obviously sexist/racist/etc manner. WotC is a business, and has to at least try to respect their advertisers around these kinds of issues.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
I still 100% think it's bull***** that Wizards banned him. He served his sentence; hell his state bar let him get his legal license. I'm sure they have a heck of a lot more stringent requirements about something like that than WotC the social justice warrior company. I'd much rather cheaters eat a permanent ban than a person who has atoned for his mistake.
I'm not sure raping someone is something you atone for.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
It's a reference to him, but not a defense, because whether his banning was correct or not is actually incidental to my point. The problem is that they'll drop a lifelong ban for that, and then not give lifelong bans for repeated cheaters.
Although to be fair, I find the fact Stephen Speck can return more disgusting than Alex Bertoncini, because he was caught redhanded in a premeditated cheat that we can safely assume he had done many times before. At least with Bertoncini you can make the weak case he's just a sloppy player whose constant accidental rules violations just happen to always fall into his favor.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
Normally, I would agree. But something is wrong about everything in that situation. Him getting three months for rape is a huge travesty. And while he served his time, the "time" he served was a complete slap in the face to every sexual assault survivor on the planet. The whole situation is messed up, and I don't think Hasbro was going to win no matter what they did.
I've never found the argument of his banning being justified due to him getting a light sentence (which was done at the request of the victim) to be particularly persuasive, because I don't believe that anyone who uses that argument would actually have a different opinion on the situation had he actually spent the 10 or so intervening years between conviction and playing Magic in prison.
But, again, whether his banning was warranted or not is incidental to my point (and let's face it, the harshness or leniency of his original sentence had nothing to do with his banning). It could be 100% justified and the absurdity of cheaters, and repeated cheaters at that, not getting lifelong bans despite the fact Wizards of the Coast will hand out lifelong bans for other things remains.
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
I still 100% think it's bull***** that Wizards banned him. He served his sentence; hell his state bar let him get his legal license. I'm sure they have a heck of a lot more stringent requirements about something like that than WotC the social justice warrior company. I'd much rather cheaters eat a permanent ban than a person who has atoned for his mistake.
What's your opinion on the Stanford Rapist, Brock Turner? It's virtually the same situation. Guys rapes someone. Uses wealthy connections to get a laughably short sentence. Gets out and claims they "atoned" for the life they destroyed.
This is a problem with our legal system. Also I believe Jesse took a plea deal, which implies the state didn't have enough evidence to convict him of the rape charge (not saying he didn't rape her); I'm unable to find much info about evidence against him since it didn't go to court. Brock Turner was convicted and the judge gave a lenient sentence still within the bounds of the law. First time offenders typically get 2 years. Turner also tried to appeal the charge showing a lack of remorse. It's nowhere near the same thing and you're allowing your social bias to group both cases even though they're different.
I'm not saying that they didn't deserve longer sentences, but you're making the argument that years down the road someone can't have changed and made improvements in their lives in an attempt to better themselves and potentially show remorse for an action of the past is farsical. You also made no acknowledgment about the fact that Zach Jesse was given a legal license by his state bar. I can speak from second hand experience how hard it is to get a legal license from the state bar if you have a record; my brother had a DUI while in college, and had to jump through an absurd amount of hoops to get his.
What decks do you think will emerge? I know Zoo, Jund, Burn, and some others are played by my friends. I felt like Titanshift would have been a great meta call and I got Thien Nyugen's newest list from another friend (not one that is going). Kind of sad not to go...
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/
Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander -
Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build)(dead format for me)Mostly I am interested in seeing if the pro's get it right and its GDS/Traverse DS vs Lantern vs Jund in the top. Those seem to be the 'consensus' pro picks.
Spirits
UB Faeries (15-6-0)
UWR Control (10-5-1)/Kiki Control/Midrange/Harbinger
UBR Cruel Control (6-4-0)/Grixis Control/Delver/Blue Jund
UWB Control/Mentor
UW Miracles/Control (currently active, 14-2-0)
BW Eldrazi & Taxes
RW Burn (9-1-0)
I do (academic) research on video games and archaeology! You can check out my open access book here: https://www.sidestone.com/books/the-interactive-past
Guess ponza is gonna be "that deck". The deck that most people hates but secretly loving it.
Speaking off, I saw some talk of Turns?
Spirits
If memory serves, Bertoncini was caught multiple times on camera drawing extra cards and sneaking extra lands into play while his opponents are occupied. I want to say he just came off a 4 year ban.
Currently Playing:
GBStandard - Golgari Safari MidrangeBG
RBWModern - Mardu PyromancerWBR
RLegacy - Good Old Fashioned BurnR
Clan Contest 3 Mafia - Mafia Co-MVP
By the way, Stephen Speck, a player who constantly stacked his deck to ensure he'd get the nut Amulet Bloom starting hand before getting caught redhanded, will be free to return to the game in just a little over a month. I don't know if he will, but the fact is he can return after repeatedly performing practiced and premeditated cheats.
People who might bring bad PR to Wizards of the Coast if they're allowed to play get lifetime bans, whereas people like Alex Bertoncini or Stephen Speck, who are repeated cheaters, don't. It's nice to know that Wizards of the Coast cares more about their own PR than whether someone cheats against us at an event.
Spirits
The two Explore guy?
Are you actually defending Zachary Jesse with the "happened a decade ago and nothing to do with Magic" comment, or is that someone else?
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
This is way off topic, but Zach Jesse is the epitome of a social justice case gone wrong. He did his sentence, and the community further punished him. Whether you believe that is right or wrong should not allow you to scorn other people for their perspectives.
Normally, I would agree. But something is wrong about everything in that situation. Him getting three months for rape is a huge travesty. And while he served his time, the "time" he served was a complete slap in the face to every sexual assault survivor on the planet. The whole situation is messed up, and I don't think Hasbro was going to win no matter what they did.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
I still 100% think it's bull***** that Wizards banned him. He served his sentence; hell his state bar let him get his legal license. I'm sure they have a heck of a lot more stringent requirements about something like that than WotC the social justice warrior company. I'd much rather cheaters eat a permanent ban than a person who has atoned for his mistake.
What's your opinion on the Stanford Rapist, Brock Turner? It's virtually the same situation. Guys rapes someone. Uses wealthy connections to get a laughably short sentence. Gets out and claims they "atoned" for the life they destroyed.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
Repeated cheaters are really awful, though.
I'm not sure raping someone is something you atone for.
Spirits
Modern Tallowisp Spirits - A Modern Tallowisp Deck UW
Eldrazi Ninjas - Summoning Octopus Jutsu YYYYAAAHHHH!
STANDARD
Naban Wizards
Although to be fair, I find the fact Stephen Speck can return more disgusting than Alex Bertoncini, because he was caught redhanded in a premeditated cheat that we can safely assume he had done many times before. At least with Bertoncini you can make the weak case he's just a sloppy player whose constant accidental rules violations just happen to always fall into his favor.
Though I will note one thing:
I've never found the argument of his banning being justified due to him getting a light sentence (which was done at the request of the victim) to be particularly persuasive, because I don't believe that anyone who uses that argument would actually have a different opinion on the situation had he actually spent the 10 or so intervening years between conviction and playing Magic in prison.
But, again, whether his banning was warranted or not is incidental to my point (and let's face it, the harshness or leniency of his original sentence had nothing to do with his banning). It could be 100% justified and the absurdity of cheaters, and repeated cheaters at that, not getting lifelong bans despite the fact Wizards of the Coast will hand out lifelong bans for other things remains.
This is a problem with our legal system. Also I believe Jesse took a plea deal, which implies the state didn't have enough evidence to convict him of the rape charge (not saying he didn't rape her); I'm unable to find much info about evidence against him since it didn't go to court. Brock Turner was convicted and the judge gave a lenient sentence still within the bounds of the law. First time offenders typically get 2 years. Turner also tried to appeal the charge showing a lack of remorse. It's nowhere near the same thing and you're allowing your social bias to group both cases even though they're different.
I'm not saying that they didn't deserve longer sentences, but you're making the argument that years down the road someone can't have changed and made improvements in their lives in an attempt to better themselves and potentially show remorse for an action of the past is farsical. You also made no acknowledgment about the fact that Zach Jesse was given a legal license by his state bar. I can speak from second hand experience how hard it is to get a legal license from the state bar if you have a record; my brother had a DUI while in college, and had to jump through an absurd amount of hoops to get his.
seems pretty tame so far. looking forward to the day 2 breakdown.
hope ponza crashes and burns. yeah...i hate that deck.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)I hope this top 8 isn't an ugly big mana tournament, because even though the opens have diverse results the gps have looked ugly