To get Mana Drains for instance, you have to wade through the bum crevace that is Legends :-P
Woohoo, They let me take my vacation early. I dont have to work Friday or Saturday this week, and lead right into a week off.
I love how supportive my bosses are being. I told them the issues I am having at work and they understood.
Hooray for understanding bosses! Boo for Legends!
Seriously, it is very supportive of them to let you take the extra two days. I'm glad that your transition is going smoothly love.
Yeah, boo for legends...Stupid Tor Wauki telling me to suck it up and grow a beard!!! He said he was uncomfortable enough with Gabriel Angelfire.
Yay for supportive working conditions
And for supportive coffee-friends.
SUDDEN BRAINSTORM : Instead of a Special Pack, why not randomly give us a pack of any set available save for Un sets. That way the Vintage cards are available, but very rare. Make a chart of every set available and give everyone a random pack every month. Remove the unplayable Ante Cards and such though.
Good idea, Saki-babe. I could go one more and offer a smaller, less powerful Special Pack (to say, get a few more of those commons you need), plus 2 packs from any Vintage-legal set. If you crack a banned card, you get 1 FREE Squire!
If I did that, the Special pack would be:
1 Rare
2 Uncommons
4 Commons
I still say make the Vintage pack random...to save spikish rare hunting. Makes the good cards more special too. Lotus will have the same value as in RL likely this way. Who wants to pay me two grand for my PLC Lotus??? :-P
Serious though. Two Vintage packs sounds fair since the packs are randomly chosen and less chance of hitting uber bombs than you would by hunting.
People should not get vintage cards in the special packs you build though.
Actually... And keep in mind, I'm just throwing this idea out there... I don't want to make it seem like there's a rush of people telling you how to build your deck...
4 X Pentad Prism could help your deck. It enables 3rd turn Bringers.
My friend (may he rest in peace) had a deck that was an uber-timmy deck. It was all 5 colors, and he decided to put in all the cards from several cycles just for the heck of it. It had:
5 x Kamigawa Dragon Cycle (Kokusho, etc)
5 x Kamigawa Myojin Cycle (Myojin of Cleansing Fire, etc)
5 x Fifth Dawn Bringer Cycle (Bringer of Green Dawn, etc)
5 x Fifth Dawn Beacon Cycle (Beacon of Destruction, etc)
5 x Kamigawa Honden Cycle (Honden of Cleansing Fire, etc)
More fun stuff:
Genju of the Realms
Global Ruin
Door to Nothingness
That Which Was Taken
Clearwater Goblet
Fist of Suns
It had 4 pentad prism, and about every third game, it would get out a third turn bringer. It had Journey of Discovery, Pentad Prism, Darksteel Ingot, and Dawn's Reflection for mana fixing.
However... What I think your deck needs most, Alacar, is mass removal. Rout, Wrath, Cataclysm, even Savage Twister. Once you build up all your mana, you need to be able to get rid of your opponent's fast start.
Chances are before I return I'll change decks. Joyd, Mr. Stuff, and Sakura-chan have the best records in the House. Joyd's winning with a whopping 16-4 record. I'm 12-18. I've played more matches, yes, but evened out, I've got a badly scoring record. The most recent loss vs Sakura was the hardest blow to my deck. She didn't just beat me, she literally mopped the floor with me. As it stands, everyone that's playing is starting to outrace me.
I see that. The moment that FS hits, I'm grabbing the rumored rebels deck (probably).
Quote from Mr. Stuff »
Yeah... I don't know why, but for some reason, the PCL brought out the Spike in me.
I see that, too. I'm pretty much a hard-core cute combo player, but the difficulty of getting any specific card, particularly a rare (like the backbones of most cute combos) is very high, so my deck is more or less just focused on kind of winning. It's a little spastic because it's not very tight, but there's a number of ways it can pull through. I'm suprised at how much it has changed - only 16 of the nonland cards were there in the original.
I have a suggestion for making the league more fun, if anyone is interested. Start it over as a sealed league, with no special packs. That way, you can't hand pick a precon that has, say, jitte or putrefy or whatever. I think, in a way, the special packs might have contributed to making things a little bit less fun, though I know that wasn't their intention. The whole fun of the league is trying to piece together the exact deck you want through trades and getting lucky with packs.
I generally kind of agree with this. The big plus to starting with a precon is that there's a little bit more of a feeling of My-Deck-Reflects-Me in some way and the decks feel a little more personalized. I agree that the special packs probably accelerated things a little much, despite intentions; I'm only running 7 cards from special packs, but they're some of my most brutal stuff. (2 Ghostly Prison, two of my Mortifies, one of my Angels of Despair, and a Death Grasp. And a Well of Lost Dreams.)
Quote from Ether »
Well, unless there have been jitte and such handed out in them.
Jitte's in Rat's Nest. I dunno that things that swingy in a creature-based format would go out in packs.
Quote from Ether »
Dave is running a high-quality Orzhov deck full of consolidated power.
Power, yes. Consolidated? Not hardly. My deck is made up almost entirely of one-ofs and two-ofs, with my only 4-ofs being Basilica, Blind Hunter, and Mortify.
Quote from Ether »
As much as I'd like to avoid it, maybe a banned/restricted list might help.
The only problem I see with this is the difficulty of constructing a list with anything resembling fairness. In real formats cards are banned and restricted because they cause the format to degenerate; practically every deck runs them because there's no reasonable alternative to running them. When the DCI bans a card, they hose hundreds of guys while liberating hundreds more. In the PCL, very few non-land cards are in more than one or two decks; banning a card feels more like attacking a specific person's deck than handling a problem with the format.
Say I'm playing U/R and I open up a Skeletal Vampire. Murray is an amazing card, but I can't use it. I can get almost anything I want for it, though, so I trade it for Niv-Mizzet. Niv smashes everyone, so we decide to ban it. I don't have Niv any more, and I also don't have the trading power that the vampire would bring. If I knew that Niv was going to be banned, I wouldn't have given up the Vampire for him. Even if I am offered a substitute card for Niv, it's likely to be something considerably worse, something I wouldn't have given up the vampire for. (If it was something better, than the problem will just repeat itself.)
Quote from Alacar »
AEther Vial, Disciple of the Vault, and Skullclamp are banned; that should be enough.
I know that these come from the real extended banned list, but we could probably afford to unban at least Disciple. He's really only dangerous in complex decks that would be extraordinarily difficult to assemble in the league. Of course, sticking with the real banned list is probably best, since it's impartial.
@Fifteen card sideboards - I don't maintain a sideboard because I don't sideboard things in, and it's not worth the bother to maintain one I'm not using. I doubt that most people ever side in more than 15 different cards, so I don't think anyone would have the slightest problem with limiting sideboards.
@Vintage PCL - I don't think the dynamics would change much. Older sets were not built for drafting as much, and so the commons are much, much more uneven. The best cards are better, but there's a whole lot of worse. Legends, for instance, has one common red creature that doesn't have defender and does have power greater than 0.
All that said, the format of the league does discourage combo decks or offbeat decks, because those decks tend to require more specific cards. (Something I'm extremely sensitive to as a diehard cute-combo player.) A W/G midrange deck can use any efficient white, green, or white/green card that anybody opens. A deck built around narrower card interactions probably -can- use many of the same cards, but it more likely to want a very small set of cards that may be hard to get. (For example, I plan to switch to rebels when FS hits. While the color combination is the same, trading for things for the deck will be very different, because instead of 'anything black or white or both', I'll be looking for 'rebels', which is a dramatically smaller set.)
The time: Japan's Taisho era, the 1920's. Sakura Shinguji, daughter of a former military officer, has been selected to join the Imperial Flower Combat Troupe in Tokyo. There, she meets Sumire, Iris, Maria, Kohran, Kanna, and the others who make up the group. They function, to the outside world, as one of the premier opera and performance troupes in Tokyo. Sakura is unprepared for becoming an actor - wasn't she assigned to a combat post? As soon as the Wakiji (giant monster-like creatures) appear, though, their true function becomes apparent. Armed with their mechanical steam-powered suits called Koubu, the members of Teikoku Kagekidan (the imperial opera troupe) fight back the Wakiji and defend Tokyo against all who would destroy it. Later on, a villain known as the Blue Satan shows up, apparently determined to either conquer Tokyo, or destroy it. Can the Flower Combat Troupe put an end to his evil designs?
Sakura Wars is a historical fiction - and personally I find things that play with history a little bit to be very enjoyable. Normally I don't go for giant robot anime - but these "robots" are so unique that I found myself intrigued by them. They are steam powered, for one thing, and they aren't so giant, for another. The series focuses a lot on character development - you get to see all the characters learn to deal with each other and suceed - or fail - as a team. The only thing I wish was improved is that the end seemed somewhat rushed. It felt like they tried to put into two episodes what should have been done in four or five. The psychic energy combat abilities of the members also could have been more fully developed. Regardless of how you feel about the genre though, Sakura Wars is fun, and a great watch. Hashire Kousoku no Teikoku Kagekidan!
Woo, AotW! Every time you post one, I get all excited to try and see it. (Though I don't have enough time to see very much.) I'm in the middle of Full Metal Panic! Second Raid now. I assume you've seen the series? It's my new favorite.
I think cutting down the special packs to 1 rare, a couple of uncommons and a handful of commons is a good idea. That way everyone's getting the same thing, really, so there's no lop-sidedness.
I'm against stretching things into vintage, because if we did that and there was no restriction on what kind of cards could be used...it would only get worse for the people consistently losing. Could you imagine my mono-green going up against a power 9 deck? HELL no, it would only make things messier. It would only punish people further for building non-Spike decks.
One of the things to consider here is that the league was thought up as something fun and casual, and now it seems to be taking a pretty competitive turn. That's...turning me off in a big way. I dunno.
Woo, AotW! Every time you post one, I get all excited to try and see it. (Though I don't have enough time to see very much.) I'm in the middle of Full Metal Panic! Second Raid now. I assume you've seen the series? It's my new favorite.
Yep. Although, I shake my fist at Second Raid for reasons I won't spoil to you, it is IMO the second best season of FMP, the first being Fumoffu. Odd that I like the first one the least (that's not to say I don't love it; I just love the others more), but there it is.
Sakura Wars is probably around #20 or #21 in my all time anime list. It's really pretty good, with very unique and memorable characters. That, and I CANNOT get the opening song out of my head. I've been humming it for the last week.
Here's a compromise--we'll allow Legacy packs to be handed out. Every month, I'll pass out 3 random Legacy-legal packs from sets of my choice (probably randomly, unless I wanna see if your deck could use an Ice Age pack). In addition, you'll recieve 1 rare, 2 uncommons, and 4 commons from a list of your wants (or based solely on my opinion if you don't tell me what you want.)
We'll be following Legacy banned/restricted rules. If you get a banned card, let me know.
If you guys are starting another precon league thingy, I guess I could join in. I, like Ether, am against Vintage. Not for the brokenness of cards, but rather that I'm unfamiliar with plenty of the older cards. Also, if it helps any, I'm probably rusty playing Magic since I haven't played in a while and don't even really know what Planar Chaos looks like.
The appeal for me dropped off after realizing that I'm not going to buy anymore cards because I have no one to play with. MWS, while being free and a different story, may rekindle my love of the game even if just to play online over MWS.
Here's a compromise--we'll allow Legacy packs to be handed out. Every month, I'll pass out 3 random Legacy-legal packs from sets of my choice (probably randomly, unless I wanna see if your deck could use an Ice Age pack). In addition, you'll recieve 1 rare, 2 uncommons, and 4 commons from a list of your wants (or based solely on my opinion if you don't tell me what you want.)
We'll be following Legacy banned/restricted rules. If you get a banned card, let me know.
Works for me.
I'm wondering if Josh is back at work yet. He had to go through a LOT of trouble to get his clients to some kind of play or something tonight, and he said he'd be back late, but it's already an hour and a half past his normal calling time and I'm getting antsy.
You might like Planar Chaos, Buzz. It's like having all those older cards without the excessive cheese ^__^;;
Very easy way to solve the "vintage" problem - don't hand out packs from further back than 4th edition. Problem solved. Most of the sets I miss and want to play with again are stuff from Mirage, Tempest, Stronghold, etc. I don't think anyone will care if we don't get packs from Beta or Revised.
Good afternoon, Coffeehouse. Hopefully everyone had a good day. Mine was fine. Unfortunately, I have a fair amount of homework tonight and I am very tired and I need to get a lot of sleep for my track meet tomorrow, so tonight is going to be a little tough.
@Gender dysphoria discussion: Yeah, I probably won't take the test, unless I'm really bored. I'm very certain that I am a male and that I will not change that, and to me, I don't really feel like I need a test to tell me what I am. To me, those tests just tell you that you are something, and could even influence you to be something that you are not. Even if you know it is wrong, you could always have in the back of your mind, "What if it was right about me?" And I don't really want to change my gender, although I am perfectly fine with others changing theirs.
@PCL: Lol, I still think it is funny that I have not played any games. I am just way to busy with homework and track and other stuff, and plus, I am rarely on the computer for long enough at one time to play a match (darn brothers :-/). But I agree that the special packs kind of defeat the purpose of the league. I love the idea of everyone starting from the same point and making their deck their own, rather then being handed the cards. But I shouldn't really have much of a say in the matter considering I don't even play :p.
@FCC: Meh, I'm not doing so well. It seems one half of my card is overpowered and one half is underpowered. Plus, some judges don't seem to see the connection between the two halves and they are not looking at it as one card, but as two separate cards. Eh, that's okay, there's always next month, although it will be much more difficult.
Oh, and no offense to Kraj, but I think it would be hilarious if none of the judges made it past the first round. Oh man, that would make me laugh. But it will never happen. They are all very good card creators; next month I will have to work hard to make it to the finals again.
Strongbad: I like how you didn't include me (albiet I was a god-awful judge) in the fcc judges, or even odder alacar :o. But I know you're refering to the guys who do it month after month ;).
To anyone considering taking the test: realize that about five questions assume you enjoy cross-dressing. Its definitely meant to be taken by someone at least questioning his/her gender.
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I'll bet you wish you had a non-unglued/unhinged card that shared your first name.
Oh, and no offense to Kraj, but I think it would be hilarious if none of the judges made it past the first round. Oh man, that would make me laugh. But it will never happen. They are all very good card creators; next month I will have to work hard to make it to the finals again.
I think that would be pretty funny. And it's not all that uncommon for me to get booted first round. It's happened to me twice in 6 or seven attempts. (Once was because I made an offbeat and quicky rare rather thamn something safe, and the other was because I forgot a little detail that caused me to not meet the roundrequirements. :mad:)
A couple alternate suggestions for the PCL:
1.) Set up some kind of reward system. (Just an example:) Say a match win awards you a win point and a loss awards you a loss point. A certain number of win points can be redeemed for an extra booster, while a certain number of loss points can be redeemed for a specific card. That way, people who keep losing can help beef up their decks while winning has a benefit too.
2.) Have some kind of swap system set up so you can turn in cards you can't use and can't trade to get random new cards. Say, two cards of a certain rarity for one random card of the same rarity, or maybe three cards of a certain rarity for one random card of the same rarity from a set of your choice.
Just some thoughts.
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The Golden Rule of forums: If you're going to be rude, be right. If you might be wrong, be polite.
I'm wondering if Josh is back at work yet. He had to go through a LOT of trouble to get his clients to some kind of play or something tonight, and he said he'd be back late, but it's already an hour and a half past his normal calling time and I'm getting antsy.
You might like Planar Chaos, Buzz. It's like having all those older cards without the excessive cheese ^__^;;
Awww...well, I hope he calls soon, if not already. I know that it can make you feel uneasy and worried when someone is supposed to call and for any reason, doesn't manage to do so.
As for Planar Chaos, I haven't really looked at it much yet, but since I'm pretty bored, I may give it a look over and make a deck using only cards from Planar Chaos. I'd be up for a game afterwards. But, for now, I'm going to go shower.
Mr. Stuff, Sakura Wars is one of those anime that I definitely plan to see. I've always thought it looked very neat. And I love the opening theme. I heard it years ago, and am just remembering it now. I think I have a thing for anime music. Anything with chanting.
Incidentally, I really like the name Sumire. It means "violet" in - is it Japanese? It sounded Korean. Anyway, it means violet. It's the name of one of the main characters of Tramps Like Us, one of my favorite manga.
Seems like they're all named after flowers . . .
Quote from strongbad »
@Gender dysphoria discussion: Yeah, I probably won't take the test, unless I'm really bored. I'm very certain that I am a male and that I will not change that, and to me, I don't really feel like I need a test to tell me what I am. To me, those tests just tell you that you are something, and could even influence you to be something that you are not. Even if you know it is wrong, you could always have in the back of your mind, "What if it was right about me?" And I don't really want to change my gender, although I am perfectly fine with others changing theirs.
Conclusions drawn because of a suggestible nature are a concern, but it doesn't stretch very far in some cases. It does happen that people think they are transsexual when they are not, or try to assume a certain role in society when they don't really want it. However, most often, these people find out quickly that a gender reassignment isn't right for them once they start the process. This is why it's advised to take it slowly, instead of rushing into anything major, such as surgery. You need to experience it to be sure it's right for you.
Anyway. Today at work I had what I call a "very depressing moment." It was already kind of a crappy day to begin with, and I felt a mess. At some point in the afternoon these two young ladies came in to the store and ordered, and I recognized them as two girls I went to high school with. They could have been aptly described as "pretty girls" or "popular girls." They were reasonably friendly with me, and my brother, so I was very familiar with them. I could tell they recognized me, too, even though I wish they hadn't. They both looked like they'd done very well, and looked quite good and grown up. I think part of it may have been the shock of meeting someone you never expected to meet again, but I was very embarrassed. There I stood in my less-than-flattering fast food uniform, flush-faced and breathless because I nearly sprinted up to the counter, avoiding eye contact and hoping they wouldn't recognize me. But then I remembered that I had on that stupid name tag! Agh, I wanted to tear it off. After taking the order, I hid in back until they left.
I'm not sure why it was such a big deal. I guess I just felt bad because it seemed like they'd really grown into being adults, and I still feel like I'm hanging back somewhere in my past, stunted, malformed. Failed. Immature. I think I always believed that after high school, most people would overcome some of their problems from adolescence and become closer to who they wanted to be, and I feel like I've made next to no progress in that regard. I feel like I've just wasted so much time. It's similar to the sensation I experience when I hear people younger than me talking about college (which I never went to), or when I think of how much farther I still have to go.
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All that I yearn for, for richer or poorer, is to be the light that you see. All that I yearn for, for richer or poorer, is to be the peace that you feel. All that I yearn for, for richer or poorer, is to fill your heart on my own.
But the rainbow is an image of hope for many reasons, as it is a brilliant sight coming out of oftimes dismal weather.
I think cutting down the special packs to 1 rare, a couple of uncommons and a handful of commons is a good idea. That way everyone's getting the same thing, really, so there's no lop-sidedness.
I'm against stretching things into vintage, because if we did that and there was no restriction on what kind of cards could be used...it would only get worse for the people consistently losing. Could you imagine my mono-green going up against a power 9 deck? HELL no, it would only make things messier. It would only punish people further for building non-Spike decks.
One of the things to consider here is that the league was thought up as something fun and casual, and now it seems to be taking a pretty competitive turn. That's...turning me off in a big way. I dunno.
There was a reason I suggested the packs be chosen randomly. Enforcing the Legacy Ban/restriction list makes no noticeable difference 90% of the time.
To get an uber broken card, you must 1) randomly get a set with a broken card 2) randomly get the card 3) actually have a use for it. Alot of the most broken cards in vintage would be useless in PCL unless a player adjusted his strategy to it. True someone might get a Mox, but everyone has the same random chance and one Mox rarely makes a difference. Someone could get Yawgmoths Will or Accademy. Accademy needs specific cards to build around it, and Will is definately strong but not as game ending without the other power around it.
For the trade in option.
Trading in 50 points in cards gets you an extra pack of your choice, 100 points for a Vintage pack. Commons = 1 point, Uncommons = 2 points, Rares = 5 points. Doesn't matter what the card is. Banned cards = Quintuple (5x, so 5,10,25 pts) value on trade in, so they have a use...they become basically like Jokers.
Strongbad: I like how you didn't include me (albiet I was a god-awful judge) in the fcc judges, or even odder alacar :o. But I know you're refering to the guys who do it month after month ;).
To anyone considering taking the test: realize that about five questions assume you enjoy cross-dressing. Its definitely meant to be taken by someone at least questioning his/her gender.
Sorry about that. Kraj is just the only one that was mentioned. And I don't think I have ever played when Alacar was a judge, so I usually think of him as a player. Yeah, this month is going to be insane, and I love it.
Oh, and one of my best friends (Al_Falfa) signed up to judge, which will be interesting if he judges me. I hope he will not be biased towards or against me if he does. It is funny how many new judges there are for April. Hopefully they will all do okay.
Oh, and you don't need to read the following. Just more girl stuff that I need to get down.
Man, I just can't stop thinking about the girl. She just makes me feel so good whenever I am near her. I mean, even when I tired and depressed and in a bad mood, like today, right when she starts running with me and we are talking, I suddenly feel so bright and happy, and I forget about whatever was bringing me down. Even when I write about her now, my heart is pounding and I feel good inside. Maybe that is what happens with any high school crush, but this just feels so real, and I really feel connected to her. I just wish she felt the same about me. Or maybe just does, but just not romantically or something. I mean, she keeps saying over and over how good of a friend I am and how much she likes hanging out with me, but her heart is obviously with her boyfriend, which hurts me so much every time I think about them together.
And I don't even know if it would ever work between us. I think she might think of me as too good of a friend to have a relationship with, but I value our friendship just as much, and I know it could, no it would, work out between us. I'm afraid that she thinks I'm too shy and not "romantic" enough for her, if you know what I mean. I mean, her boyfriend right now just seems like the perfect boyfriend. He always knows what to say and do, and he buys her jewelry and presents all the time. I have never been in a relationship before, so I don't think I would know what to do as much, and I'm afraid that she would always be comparing me to her current boyfriend. But of course, all of this won't even happen until they break up, and I can't think of anything that could do that at the moment, except possibly me. Of course, he is a senior and we are juniors, so maybe when he graduates, they will decide to break up. But I am dreading the possibility that they will stay together when he goes to college, and I will never even get a second chance for her.
I guess I will just try to do the best I can to be a really good friend to her, and somehow show her how much I care for her and that a relationship between us would work out, no matter what has happened in our past. And to anyone who read this whole thing, I congratulate you. I hope I don't sound like I total loser.
strongbad: I read it, so thanks for the congratulations :p. But I disobeyed you cuz I wasn't really bored :p.
I have to say, that what you're describing yourself as feeling sounds just like what I've felt about, probably, two crushes I've had in the past. Whatever happens, try to keep yourself from getting badly hurt. No I don't think I read that carefully enough. I agree with alacar.
Hooray for understanding bosses! Boo for Legends!
Seriously, it is very supportive of them to let you take the extra two days. I'm glad that your transition is going smoothly love.
Yay for supportive working conditions
And for supportive coffee-friends.
SUDDEN BRAINSTORM : Instead of a Special Pack, why not randomly give us a pack of any set available save for Un sets. That way the Vintage cards are available, but very rare. Make a chart of every set available and give everyone a random pack every month. Remove the unplayable Ante Cards and such though.
If I did that, the Special pack would be:
1 Rare
2 Uncommons
4 Commons
No more than 2 of the same card.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Serious though. Two Vintage packs sounds fair since the packs are randomly chosen and less chance of hitting uber bombs than you would by hunting.
People should not get vintage cards in the special packs you build though.
4 X Pentad Prism could help your deck. It enables 3rd turn Bringers.
My friend (may he rest in peace) had a deck that was an uber-timmy deck. It was all 5 colors, and he decided to put in all the cards from several cycles just for the heck of it. It had:
5 x Kamigawa Dragon Cycle (Kokusho, etc)
5 x Kamigawa Myojin Cycle (Myojin of Cleansing Fire, etc)
5 x Fifth Dawn Bringer Cycle (Bringer of Green Dawn, etc)
5 x Fifth Dawn Beacon Cycle (Beacon of Destruction, etc)
5 x Kamigawa Honden Cycle (Honden of Cleansing Fire, etc)
More fun stuff:
Genju of the Realms
Global Ruin
Door to Nothingness
That Which Was Taken
Clearwater Goblet
Fist of Suns
It had 4 pentad prism, and about every third game, it would get out a third turn bringer. It had Journey of Discovery, Pentad Prism, Darksteel Ingot, and Dawn's Reflection for mana fixing.
However... What I think your deck needs most, Alacar, is mass removal. Rout, Wrath, Cataclysm, even Savage Twister. Once you build up all your mana, you need to be able to get rid of your opponent's fast start.
Mass removal was my second route after I get my land fixing, well, fixed. I just want 1 more Terramorphic and 2 more STEs.
As for pentads.. meh, if anyone wants to trade them.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
I see that, too. I'm pretty much a hard-core cute combo player, but the difficulty of getting any specific card, particularly a rare (like the backbones of most cute combos) is very high, so my deck is more or less just focused on kind of winning. It's a little spastic because it's not very tight, but there's a number of ways it can pull through. I'm suprised at how much it has changed - only 16 of the nonland cards were there in the original.
I generally kind of agree with this. The big plus to starting with a precon is that there's a little bit more of a feeling of My-Deck-Reflects-Me in some way and the decks feel a little more personalized. I agree that the special packs probably accelerated things a little much, despite intentions; I'm only running 7 cards from special packs, but they're some of my most brutal stuff. (2 Ghostly Prison, two of my Mortifies, one of my Angels of Despair, and a Death Grasp. And a Well of Lost Dreams.)
Jitte's in Rat's Nest. I dunno that things that swingy in a creature-based format would go out in packs.
Power, yes. Consolidated? Not hardly. My deck is made up almost entirely of one-ofs and two-ofs, with my only 4-ofs being Basilica, Blind Hunter, and Mortify.
The only problem I see with this is the difficulty of constructing a list with anything resembling fairness. In real formats cards are banned and restricted because they cause the format to degenerate; practically every deck runs them because there's no reasonable alternative to running them. When the DCI bans a card, they hose hundreds of guys while liberating hundreds more. In the PCL, very few non-land cards are in more than one or two decks; banning a card feels more like attacking a specific person's deck than handling a problem with the format.
Say I'm playing U/R and I open up a Skeletal Vampire. Murray is an amazing card, but I can't use it. I can get almost anything I want for it, though, so I trade it for Niv-Mizzet. Niv smashes everyone, so we decide to ban it. I don't have Niv any more, and I also don't have the trading power that the vampire would bring. If I knew that Niv was going to be banned, I wouldn't have given up the Vampire for him. Even if I am offered a substitute card for Niv, it's likely to be something considerably worse, something I wouldn't have given up the vampire for. (If it was something better, than the problem will just repeat itself.)
I know that these come from the real extended banned list, but we could probably afford to unban at least Disciple. He's really only dangerous in complex decks that would be extraordinarily difficult to assemble in the league. Of course, sticking with the real banned list is probably best, since it's impartial.
@Fifteen card sideboards - I don't maintain a sideboard because I don't sideboard things in, and it's not worth the bother to maintain one I'm not using. I doubt that most people ever side in more than 15 different cards, so I don't think anyone would have the slightest problem with limiting sideboards.
@Vintage PCL - I don't think the dynamics would change much. Older sets were not built for drafting as much, and so the commons are much, much more uneven. The best cards are better, but there's a whole lot of worse. Legends, for instance, has one common red creature that doesn't have defender and does have power greater than 0.
All that said, the format of the league does discourage combo decks or offbeat decks, because those decks tend to require more specific cards. (Something I'm extremely sensitive to as a diehard cute-combo player.) A W/G midrange deck can use any efficient white, green, or white/green card that anybody opens. A deck built around narrower card interactions probably -can- use many of the same cards, but it more likely to want a very small set of cards that may be hard to get. (For example, I plan to switch to rebels when FS hits. While the color combination is the same, trading for things for the deck will be very different, because instead of 'anything black or white or both', I'll be looking for 'rebels', which is a dramatically smaller set.)
It's time...
ANIME OF THE WEEK
Series: Sakura Wars TV
Episodes: 25
Genre: Historical Fantasy - Robo
Click here for the most addictive intro EV3R.
The time: Japan's Taisho era, the 1920's. Sakura Shinguji, daughter of a former military officer, has been selected to join the Imperial Flower Combat Troupe in Tokyo. There, she meets Sumire, Iris, Maria, Kohran, Kanna, and the others who make up the group. They function, to the outside world, as one of the premier opera and performance troupes in Tokyo. Sakura is unprepared for becoming an actor - wasn't she assigned to a combat post? As soon as the Wakiji (giant monster-like creatures) appear, though, their true function becomes apparent. Armed with their mechanical steam-powered suits called Koubu, the members of Teikoku Kagekidan (the imperial opera troupe) fight back the Wakiji and defend Tokyo against all who would destroy it. Later on, a villain known as the Blue Satan shows up, apparently determined to either conquer Tokyo, or destroy it. Can the Flower Combat Troupe put an end to his evil designs?
Sakura Wars is a historical fiction - and personally I find things that play with history a little bit to be very enjoyable. Normally I don't go for giant robot anime - but these "robots" are so unique that I found myself intrigued by them. They are steam powered, for one thing, and they aren't so giant, for another. The series focuses a lot on character development - you get to see all the characters learn to deal with each other and suceed - or fail - as a team. The only thing I wish was improved is that the end seemed somewhat rushed. It felt like they tried to put into two episodes what should have been done in four or five. The psychic energy combat abilities of the members also could have been more fully developed. Regardless of how you feel about the genre though, Sakura Wars is fun, and a great watch. Hashire Kousoku no Teikoku Kagekidan!
I'm against stretching things into vintage, because if we did that and there was no restriction on what kind of cards could be used...it would only get worse for the people consistently losing. Could you imagine my mono-green going up against a power 9 deck? HELL no, it would only make things messier. It would only punish people further for building non-Spike decks.
One of the things to consider here is that the league was thought up as something fun and casual, and now it seems to be taking a pretty competitive turn. That's...turning me off in a big way. I dunno.
Yep. Although, I shake my fist at Second Raid for reasons I won't spoil to you, it is IMO the second best season of FMP, the first being Fumoffu. Odd that I like the first one the least (that's not to say I don't love it; I just love the others more), but there it is.
Sakura Wars is probably around #20 or #21 in my all time anime list. It's really pretty good, with very unique and memorable characters. That, and I CANNOT get the opening song out of my head. I've been humming it for the last week.
We'll be following Legacy banned/restricted rules. If you get a banned card, let me know.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
The appeal for me dropped off after realizing that I'm not going to buy anymore cards because I have no one to play with. MWS, while being free and a different story, may rekindle my love of the game even if just to play online over MWS.
Windmills do not work that way!
Works for me.
I'm wondering if Josh is back at work yet. He had to go through a LOT of trouble to get his clients to some kind of play or something tonight, and he said he'd be back late, but it's already an hour and a half past his normal calling time and I'm getting antsy.
You might like Planar Chaos, Buzz. It's like having all those older cards without the excessive cheese ^__^;;
@Gender dysphoria discussion: Yeah, I probably won't take the test, unless I'm really bored. I'm very certain that I am a male and that I will not change that, and to me, I don't really feel like I need a test to tell me what I am. To me, those tests just tell you that you are something, and could even influence you to be something that you are not. Even if you know it is wrong, you could always have in the back of your mind, "What if it was right about me?" And I don't really want to change my gender, although I am perfectly fine with others changing theirs.
@PCL: Lol, I still think it is funny that I have not played any games. I am just way to busy with homework and track and other stuff, and plus, I am rarely on the computer for long enough at one time to play a match (darn brothers :-/). But I agree that the special packs kind of defeat the purpose of the league. I love the idea of everyone starting from the same point and making their deck their own, rather then being handed the cards. But I shouldn't really have much of a say in the matter considering I don't even play :p.
@FCC: Meh, I'm not doing so well. It seems one half of my card is overpowered and one half is underpowered. Plus, some judges don't seem to see the connection between the two halves and they are not looking at it as one card, but as two separate cards. Eh, that's okay, there's always next month, although it will be much more difficult.
Oh, and no offense to Kraj, but I think it would be hilarious if none of the judges made it past the first round. Oh man, that would make me laugh. But it will never happen. They are all very good card creators; next month I will have to work hard to make it to the finals again.
Magic Coffeehouse pwns.
CENT SPORTS!!
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If you like sports or sports betting and you want a chance to win free money, you will love it.
If anyone's got a problem with the rules, or suggestions, lemme know.
I can't wait for the FCC! My birthday is in April and I wanna win it!
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
To anyone considering taking the test: realize that about five questions assume you enjoy cross-dressing. Its definitely meant to be taken by someone at least questioning his/her gender.
Indeed.
We'll see. With so many of the regular judges playing, AoK might simply need me to judge.
Yay! Cookie!
Lol! I freakin' love Iron Chef. Especially when they made fun of it on Futurama
I think that would be pretty funny. And it's not all that uncommon for me to get booted first round. It's happened to me twice in 6 or seven attempts. (Once was because I made an offbeat and quicky rare rather thamn something safe, and the other was because I forgot a little detail that caused me to not meet the roundrequirements. :mad:)
A couple alternate suggestions for the PCL:
1.) Set up some kind of reward system. (Just an example:) Say a match win awards you a win point and a loss awards you a loss point. A certain number of win points can be redeemed for an extra booster, while a certain number of loss points can be redeemed for a specific card. That way, people who keep losing can help beef up their decks while winning has a benefit too.
2.) Have some kind of swap system set up so you can turn in cards you can't use and can't trade to get random new cards. Say, two cards of a certain rarity for one random card of the same rarity, or maybe three cards of a certain rarity for one random card of the same rarity from a set of your choice.
Just some thoughts.
Current New Favorite Person™: Mallory Archer
She knows why.
Awww...well, I hope he calls soon, if not already. I know that it can make you feel uneasy and worried when someone is supposed to call and for any reason, doesn't manage to do so.
As for Planar Chaos, I haven't really looked at it much yet, but since I'm pretty bored, I may give it a look over and make a deck using only cards from Planar Chaos. I'd be up for a game afterwards. But, for now, I'm going to go shower.
Windmills do not work that way!
Incidentally, I really like the name Sumire. It means "violet" in - is it Japanese? It sounded Korean. Anyway, it means violet. It's the name of one of the main characters of Tramps Like Us, one of my favorite manga.
Seems like they're all named after flowers . . .
Conclusions drawn because of a suggestible nature are a concern, but it doesn't stretch very far in some cases. It does happen that people think they are transsexual when they are not, or try to assume a certain role in society when they don't really want it. However, most often, these people find out quickly that a gender reassignment isn't right for them once they start the process. This is why it's advised to take it slowly, instead of rushing into anything major, such as surgery. You need to experience it to be sure it's right for you.
Anyway. Today at work I had what I call a "very depressing moment." It was already kind of a crappy day to begin with, and I felt a mess. At some point in the afternoon these two young ladies came in to the store and ordered, and I recognized them as two girls I went to high school with. They could have been aptly described as "pretty girls" or "popular girls." They were reasonably friendly with me, and my brother, so I was very familiar with them. I could tell they recognized me, too, even though I wish they hadn't. They both looked like they'd done very well, and looked quite good and grown up. I think part of it may have been the shock of meeting someone you never expected to meet again, but I was very embarrassed. There I stood in my less-than-flattering fast food uniform, flush-faced and breathless because I nearly sprinted up to the counter, avoiding eye contact and hoping they wouldn't recognize me. But then I remembered that I had on that stupid name tag! Agh, I wanted to tear it off. After taking the order, I hid in back until they left.
I'm not sure why it was such a big deal. I guess I just felt bad because it seemed like they'd really grown into being adults, and I still feel like I'm hanging back somewhere in my past, stunted, malformed. Failed. Immature. I think I always believed that after high school, most people would overcome some of their problems from adolescence and become closer to who they wanted to be, and I feel like I've made next to no progress in that regard. I feel like I've just wasted so much time. It's similar to the sensation I experience when I hear people younger than me talking about college (which I never went to), or when I think of how much farther I still have to go.
All that I yearn for, for richer or poorer, is to be the peace that you feel.
All that I yearn for, for richer or poorer, is to fill your heart on my own.
Gaymers | Magic Coffeehouse | Little Jar of Mamelon | Natural 20
There was a reason I suggested the packs be chosen randomly. Enforcing the Legacy Ban/restriction list makes no noticeable difference 90% of the time.
To get an uber broken card, you must 1) randomly get a set with a broken card 2) randomly get the card 3) actually have a use for it. Alot of the most broken cards in vintage would be useless in PCL unless a player adjusted his strategy to it. True someone might get a Mox, but everyone has the same random chance and one Mox rarely makes a difference. Someone could get Yawgmoths Will or Accademy. Accademy needs specific cards to build around it, and Will is definately strong but not as game ending without the other power around it.
For the trade in option.
Trading in 50 points in cards gets you an extra pack of your choice, 100 points for a Vintage pack. Commons = 1 point, Uncommons = 2 points, Rares = 5 points. Doesn't matter what the card is. Banned cards = Quintuple (5x, so 5,10,25 pts) value on trade in, so they have a use...they become basically like Jokers.
Sorry about that. Kraj is just the only one that was mentioned. And I don't think I have ever played when Alacar was a judge, so I usually think of him as a player. Yeah, this month is going to be insane, and I love it.
Oh, and one of my best friends (Al_Falfa) signed up to judge, which will be interesting if he judges me. I hope he will not be biased towards or against me if he does. It is funny how many new judges there are for April. Hopefully they will all do okay.
Oh, and you don't need to read the following. Just more girl stuff that I need to get down.
And I don't even know if it would ever work between us. I think she might think of me as too good of a friend to have a relationship with, but I value our friendship just as much, and I know it could, no it would, work out between us. I'm afraid that she thinks I'm too shy and not "romantic" enough for her, if you know what I mean. I mean, her boyfriend right now just seems like the perfect boyfriend. He always knows what to say and do, and he buys her jewelry and presents all the time. I have never been in a relationship before, so I don't think I would know what to do as much, and I'm afraid that she would always be comparing me to her current boyfriend. But of course, all of this won't even happen until they break up, and I can't think of anything that could do that at the moment, except possibly me. Of course, he is a senior and we are juniors, so maybe when he graduates, they will decide to break up. But I am dreading the possibility that they will stay together when he goes to college, and I will never even get a second chance for her.
I guess I will just try to do the best I can to be a really good friend to her, and somehow show her how much I care for her and that a relationship between us would work out, no matter what has happened in our past. And to anyone who read this whole thing, I congratulate you. I hope I don't sound like I total loser.
Magic Coffeehouse pwns.
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I have to say, that what you're describing yourself as feeling sounds just like what I've felt about, probably, two crushes I've had in the past. Whatever happens, try to keep yourself from getting badly hurt.No I don't think I read that carefully enough. I agree with alacar.