Why would you want this movie to be good? I want it to be absolutely terrible, the kind of movie you'd watch with your tournament travel buddies the night before a GP to laugh at the game and relieve the pressure and seriousness of competition.
Really? We want it to be good because, if this film is successful, we're talking about a TREMENDOUS surge of people picking up and trying the game. This means good things for the game we love. More people playing, more mainstream familiarity with the game, the better it is for all of us. If Wizards has a massive influx of people, that's a huge jump in revenue, and they'll pump that money (hopefully) into MTGO, R&D, and who knows what else.
More popularity for the game is never a bad thing. I, for one, hope this film is a tremendous hit.
Just picked up this Mindsculptor off ebay, and with all this news of counterfeits in the news, I'm beginning to feel a bit paranoid, with how cheap the price was.
Thoughts? Will you support, or protest the potential film? I recall being a fan of Dragon Ball when that live-action film released, and all of the so-called "fans", protested the living hell out of the film.
My parents and family don't support my hobby what so ever. It's to the point where I am mocked every time I decide to head to my LGS. My friends who don't play, don't know, and I think it's better that way.
Short version: If you want to prevent something like this from happening again, just make sure that their deck is pile shuffled in-between games.
Long version:
Pure statistics don't take shuffling tendencies into account, which is probably the real cause of this problem. You know how some people pick up all their lands and then their permanents after a game before shuffling? Something along those lines probably happened here with BTE's.
I can almost guarantee that your opponent didn't pile shuffle; this would have dissolved the clump of burning trees. I had a fairly similar situation happen a few years ago and I was pretty upset about it too. 3 archive traps were sided in against me alongside poor shuffling. And since it never got broken up in standard shuffling, there was a realistic chance of 3+ copies showing up in his opening hand because they were all contiguous, and it happened. It's a very human occurrence and also a very unintended occurrence.
Mindequalsblown is completely right about the statistics though. As long as the opponents deck is sufficiently randomized, this shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure that these human shuffling tendencies are counteracted. The easiest suggestion I have for you is to pile shuffle your opponent's deck if he doesn't do it on his own.
It was probably due to insufficient shuffling. But, it's not only the BTEs that enable such obscene combos. Nykthos can be abused in a variety of ways. Wizards will have to keep it in check by not printing anything that will let it get even further out of hand.
At a recent FNM, I had the pleasure of playing an individual with one of the "hyper-ramp", 4X Nkythos, GR Monster decks. I was playing Esper. I was on the draw.
Turn 1 (Him): He drops a forest, then an Elvish Mystic.
Turn 2 (Me): Draw, land, go.
Turn 3 (Him): Drops Nythos. Taps the Mystic and the forest for a Burning Tree, which goes into another Burning Tree, which then goes into another burning tree. He then proceeds to use the floating mana from the last Burning Tree to tap Nykthos for 7 green, cast his Sylvan Primordial, and blow up my sole land.
Turn 4 (Me): Scoop, cry.
Nykthos is ridiculous. There was literally nothing I could do in this situation. And this was not the only time this player did such an obscene combo. He proceeded to cast Ruric Thar, Arbor Colossus, and other insanely huge creatures on turn 2-3. Is Nykthos too easily abusable? It seems far too easy sometimes. I know wiping the devotion utters it almost useless, but when it goes off (and it goes off far more than it doesn't), it hurts. Bad.
I made the mistake of buying the KMC Hyper Mat clear sleeves for my Esper control deck. I was told they weren't totally clear, but more white, which was a total lie. Long story short, can I use clear sleeves WITH a pro-fit sleeve underneath? I have some foil Elspeth's in the deck, and I'd like to double sleeve them.
Don't steal. If you create that sort of culture in your LGS, it'll spread like a fire, and the theft will become increasingly prevalent.
Not to mention that losing the most valuable cards in your collection is sometimes enough to make you want to quit the game, which is obviously bad for Magic in general.
Interesting. So, Deathrite is no longer viable. Ooze, though, is just so susceptible to removal. Doom blade, abrupt decay, and tons others take him out fairly quickly. Although, I do agree that he's good at a 2-of, because even if he comes in late, he can grow exponentially in strength. Plus, in a 3 colored deck that runs thoughtseize....isn't Deathrite or Ooze useful even just for the lifegain?
I'm just contemplating whether or not to take out 2X Prognostic Sphinx, for 2X Scavenging Ooze. As of right now, in my BUG deck, my creature base is as follows:
1X Aetherling
4X Sylvan Caryatid
4X Reaper of the Wilds
2X Desecration Demon
2X Prognostic Sphinx
I'm not too sure on the sphinx. He sort of fits in the theme of "hard to remove" creatures I've assembled, but still, at 5cmc...
I realize that they are both immensely powerful cards, and Deathrite is a nightmare for people playing modern. However, with Innistrad having cycled out, and there really being no graveyard interaction in standard (save for Whip of Erebos), are there better options?
I ask because I picked up a full playset of each and each contemplating putting them into my BUG deck, mostly for the lifegain more than anything else. I know they can still be powerful in standard, but, just some food for thought.
It's awkward, because these are people I see on a regular basis. So, when I kindly mention that it's annoying, they'll laugh it off, leave for a little, and maybe do it during another game at a different time.
Well, yeah, I understand that it's against the rules at FNM. This usually happens during casual play, and it's STILL very annoying, even when I'm vaguely familar with the person who's giving the advice.
Really? We want it to be good because, if this film is successful, we're talking about a TREMENDOUS surge of people picking up and trying the game. This means good things for the game we love. More people playing, more mainstream familiarity with the game, the better it is for all of us. If Wizards has a massive influx of people, that's a huge jump in revenue, and they'll pump that money (hopefully) into MTGO, R&D, and who knows what else.
More popularity for the game is never a bad thing. I, for one, hope this film is a tremendous hit.
Emma Stone set to star as Chandra Nalaar.
Michael Bay slotted to direct.
Just picked up this Mindsculptor off ebay, and with all this news of counterfeits in the news, I'm beginning to feel a bit paranoid, with how cheap the price was.
Here's the article that broke the news today: http://www.slashfilm.com/fox-and-simon-kinberg-bringing-magic-the-gathering-to-the-big-screen/
Thoughts? Will you support, or protest the potential film? I recall being a fan of Dragon Ball when that live-action film released, and all of the so-called "fans", protested the living hell out of the film.
It was probably due to insufficient shuffling. But, it's not only the BTEs that enable such obscene combos. Nykthos can be abused in a variety of ways. Wizards will have to keep it in check by not printing anything that will let it get even further out of hand.
So, you take everything you read on the internet literally?
Also, last time I checked, there was no correlation between complaining and skill level. But, you must've read that factoid online.
I'd rather deal with 3 BTEs, than with the notion of him tapping Nykthos for 7+ mana AGAIN next turn, barring no further shenanigans.
Turn 1 (Him): He drops a forest, then an Elvish Mystic.
Turn 2 (Me): Draw, land, go.
Turn 3 (Him): Drops Nythos. Taps the Mystic and the forest for a Burning Tree, which goes into another Burning Tree, which then goes into another burning tree. He then proceeds to use the floating mana from the last Burning Tree to tap Nykthos for 7 green, cast his Sylvan Primordial, and blow up my sole land.
Turn 4 (Me): Scoop, cry.
Nykthos is ridiculous. There was literally nothing I could do in this situation. And this was not the only time this player did such an obscene combo. He proceeded to cast Ruric Thar, Arbor Colossus, and other insanely huge creatures on turn 2-3. Is Nykthos too easily abusable? It seems far too easy sometimes. I know wiping the devotion utters it almost useless, but when it goes off (and it goes off far more than it doesn't), it hurts. Bad.
Will I run into any problems?
Not to mention that losing the most valuable cards in your collection is sometimes enough to make you want to quit the game, which is obviously bad for Magic in general.
If you love Magic, don't steal.
I'm just contemplating whether or not to take out 2X Prognostic Sphinx, for 2X Scavenging Ooze. As of right now, in my BUG deck, my creature base is as follows:
1X Aetherling
4X Sylvan Caryatid
4X Reaper of the Wilds
2X Desecration Demon
2X Prognostic Sphinx
I'm not too sure on the sphinx. He sort of fits in the theme of "hard to remove" creatures I've assembled, but still, at 5cmc...
I ask because I picked up a full playset of each and each contemplating putting them into my BUG deck, mostly for the lifegain more than anything else. I know they can still be powerful in standard, but, just some food for thought.