Kozilek is going to appear in Oath of the Gatewatch, of course. And then Emrakul, who is the titan of Corruption, has gone over to Innistrad to corrupt Avacyn. We'll end up with an HP Lovecraft block where the Eldrazi are essentially Cthulu (as referenced by the similarity between the HP Lovecraft book 'The Shadow over Innsmouth', which is the basis for Innistrad, and the title Shadows over Innistrad). It's actually a pretty exciting way to tie in the Innistrad return - the right timing, since it will involve Eldrazi and link the 2 blocks well.
in EDH, about 60% of the time, it's not the general you choose, it's the cards in your deck. I think building around Mayael gives you the most fun options for your pool. We've got a deck builiding sub-theme around here called "BSN" - big sh**ty Naya - and it's really great. The rule is - 1 removal spell (usually swords to plowshares) - no mass removal, and all big fat threats and enablers. Sneak Attack, Through the Breach, Dramatic Entrance, Quicksilver, Dragon Arch, Tooth and Nail- that helps your fatties cheat into play when Mayael is out for the count - and then some utility creatures that help you fetch lands, etc. The deck usually wins - due to sheer number of threats. You never ever need to Wrath because your threats, pound for pound, are always better than an opponents - and when they do wrath, you still have juice left in your hand, or the ability to rebuild.
I like to run Divining Top/Mirri's Guile/Sylvan Library combined with Killer Instinct, Lurking Predators and Impromptu Raid. It's chaotic but fun to put a Symbiotic Wurm or some big dumb creature into play for free.
Good conversation here! I'm not a fan of Scrambleverse, and I actually hate Thieves Auction in EDH, because of the time it takes to resolve, and the chance for cards getting lost/mixed up. But I do run Scrambleverse anyway in my big red deck I tend to be a huge fan of most of the cards that Ken comes up with, even though I'm less of a Timmy.
We did a top 20 most Annoying EDH cards list on my blog about a year ago and Thieves Auction was #2 (behind Sharuum).
Let me know if you guys have any other questions! I ran into Ken at Gencon again this weekend and had some time to chat.
Hey guys,
I did a Q&A recently with Ken Nagle, who was one of the folks in charge of the recent Commander expansion/decks. I've got it up on my blog for anyone who wants to read it. There are some cool insights into the design and choice of some of the key cards in the set:
I just heard from a friend at a midnight release event that some of these packs will have zero rares (he opened 4 uncs instead) and some of the faction packs have as many as 3 rares.
I don't know why, but this seems a bit insane for limited...
even better: one kid in his event opened 9 rares, including a foil tezzeret... I am trying to find out what faction he chose...
I played through the demo with a SOE rep when I was at E3 over the summer.. the graphics are actually very smooth and sharp, but the animations are equally "smooth" and thus a little stale and slow. The game play is mostly mouse/click based, and since everything is rather large, it just felt slightly clunky to me. I think if you're used to slower battle tactics games, this will be decent. A friend of mine pointed out that this game is essentially an updated remake of PoxNora, also made by SOE... maybe it was an inspiration or at least part of the reason they got the project?
I got to play the game for a while at E3 last week. The art is decent, the game actually plays quite smoothly and it is a solid interface (MTGO couldn't say the same for a long time) - but the action is a bit slow, as with many tactics-style games. The Reya model they were using in the demo is the final one. There was also an unnamed Planeswalker in the game, but the devs assured me it was just a "generic character" and not based on anything magic..
Yeah, I mean, in the Magic community there are always going to be thieves or people who aren't above stealing a deck, etc, but this was a case of 4 people driving in and renting a hotel with a planned operation of targeting and stealing from players. In 1 day, they stole from 15 people before returning the 2nd day to be caught?! This is ridiculous... I hope that we can publicize this so that would-be thieves think a bit more carefully the next time they try to get away with 15 cases of grand theft.. These guys are going to be prosecuted and tried with criminal charges that will probably amount to jail time.
Even while I was playing an EDH event with my backpack between my legs, players would crowd around, ask questions, bump into you - it's really hard to always be 100% vigilant about your belongings as well as be into the game and still have fun!
Overall the Grand Prix was a lot of fun - and with 2200+ people there, it was pretty insane.
My buddy got his backpack stolen already at GP DC - IT was a silvery-colored Argus backpack from Table 189 stolen at 4:30pm. It had his 32gb Ipod touch in a blue case, a Asus netbook laptop EE PC (slightly damaged in the top left corner), a red binder for trades, and a Worldwake fatpack box that says "EDH" with two EDH decks in green sleeves (Elves and Grixis), as well as a vampire mono black Standard deck in a green metal tin. There was also a law school book, called something like "School of Academe" in it.
If anyone sees any of this or hears anything, please let me know! Be careful at this GP please!!
I'd like to see a 3 month gap between the 1st and 2nd set in a block, followed by a 3 month gap between the 2nd and 3rd, but then a bit of a break so that people can enjoy the format as it evolves and the meta-game develops in Standard (4.5 months maybe?).
I know Wizards just wants to break it down to a yearly thing because it's more of a numbers game for them where profit simply has to win out... but still, I remember certain block formats (Mirrodin for example) where (because of various bannings) the block was still evolving, interesting and developing even as the next block came out! The format was still active and interesting and then we had that dreadful next block shoved down our throats... ugh.
I suppose a 3 month rotation helps in that it gets rid of bad sets faster, but if the designers are doing their jobs right and building sets intelligently and with good balance and depth, the challenges that players are set with should last at least 4 months or so.
I've found out that 1 guy IS using his real DCI (which is why he gets so mad when he loses). His friend isn't, but his limited rating irl is terrible anyway, and the third guy also used a DCI account with a fake name for 1 or 2 events. I think just talking to the TO and getting him to use their real names and DCI's is the best way to go here. It's not like they're PT money winners or people on the international scene (they're between top 50 and top 10 in the state), so I don't see getting the DCI involved as being very productive. The really important thing is to keep the environment fun, and the players happy, so that things don't just die off and dissolve because of bad blood. Thanks again.
Ripping off n00bs isn't really the issue, it happens all the time, par for the course, even though we try to make sure trades we see are pretty fair. The real thing is that they waltz in with this "We're too good for this store" air about them, use fake DCI's, beat people, and leave. Or when they do lose a match, they stomp around angrily as if there's no way they should ever lose to such scrubs. It's just ruining the good environment we had. And it's being done unethically.
The problem is I know the Tournament Organizer is a really nice guy, and he has let people make new DCI cards in the past if the people forgot their number and he was unable to look it up. I think he was being trusting of these guys even though he was warned that they can be a bit shady. The players with pro points did give their real name, but it surprises me that he wasn't able to look up their official DCI numbers and use those? I mean, there's a way to do that right, even at a local hobby shop?
Before anyone rats anyone out, or takes any extreme action, I want to know if there's a simple peaceful solution, since we have a pretty friendly community, and all magic players see each other around town - there's no reason to stir up more bad blood (even though these guys seem like they don't care who they piss off).
At our local store, we've been running small tournaments (10-20 player drafts, type 2) smoothly and everyone has a good time. There are a handful of players with ratings 1800+.
Recently, 2-3 players with pro-points have shown up to play sanctioned events and instead of using their real DCI numbers, they've told our tournament organizer that they "don't have a DCI number" and have gotten new numbers. They regularly finish top 4, walk out with prizes, hustle the n00bs in trades, and in the meantime, everyone who loses to them takes 15 point ratings hits every time they lose to their 1600-1660 ratings. I know for a fact their "real" ratings are 1850+ and that they are just using "fake" DCI numbers to prevent their ratings from taking a hit in case they lose. I think this seems unethical, but is it against DCI policy? Is there something in the DCI policy that states this is an offense they can be punished for? I am assuming that in the least, our TO has the power to exclude them from events, but he doesn't like to cause conflict. Basically, I don't mind if they play but I want them to use their real numbers.
in playing red/white control, i've found multiple instances where they've played a land for the turn, I've Path'd one of their creatures, and then lavaball trapped for 5 to sweep the rest of their board and destroy two lands.
it also easily triggers off of land drops on turn 5 when they use a fetch - but it's not always reliable, and can be played around if the opponent suspects it. (he will just fetch on your turn). That's what makes it weakest.
The only thing that makes Rite of Rep weak is that it has to target, unlike clone -and the targeted creature can always be removed in response, causing it to fizzle.
beastmaster ascension can be strong with conqueror's pledge (not to be confused with Decree of Justice) or even goblin assault if you have the right backup.. but i think the card has the same flaws that the Monument does - it hinges upon Volcanic Fallout or other sweepers not being in the environment (hint: they will be).
I think Chandra Ablaze is a "sleeper" as she's relatively cheap right now and SO much better than the original chandra.... along with the rare land cycle that comes into play tapped, and the white ascension, which is quite nutty.
I like Qft Gravelord a lot, along with needle trap as sideboard cards for mono black.. Along with that mini cranial extraction card for BBB with kicker 7. It seems really strong vs control decks that run few win conditions.
I like to run Divining Top/Mirri's Guile/Sylvan Library combined with Killer Instinct, Lurking Predators and Impromptu Raid. It's chaotic but fun to put a Symbiotic Wurm or some big dumb creature into play for free.
Good luck, whatever you build.
We did a top 20 most Annoying EDH cards list on my blog about a year ago and Thieves Auction was #2 (behind Sharuum).
Let me know if you guys have any other questions! I ran into Ken at Gencon again this weekend and had some time to chat.
I did a Q&A recently with Ken Nagle, who was one of the folks in charge of the recent Commander expansion/decks. I've got it up on my blog for anyone who wants to read it. There are some cool insights into the design and choice of some of the key cards in the set:
http://ssmb.chadium.com/
I share Ken's love of red EDH decks, and was happy to see a bit of a push for that color in his set.
Enjoy!
I don't know why, but this seems a bit insane for limited...
even better: one kid in his event opened 9 rares, including a foil tezzeret... I am trying to find out what faction he chose...
I did a writeup a while back of my experiences with it, as well:
http://reddening.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/e3-wrap-on-magic-the-gathering-tactics-demo/
Even while I was playing an EDH event with my backpack between my legs, players would crowd around, ask questions, bump into you - it's really hard to always be 100% vigilant about your belongings as well as be into the game and still have fun!
Overall the Grand Prix was a lot of fun - and with 2200+ people there, it was pretty insane.
My buddy got his backpack stolen already at GP DC - IT was a silvery-colored Argus backpack from Table 189 stolen at 4:30pm. It had his 32gb Ipod touch in a blue case, a Asus netbook laptop EE PC (slightly damaged in the top left corner), a red binder for trades, and a Worldwake fatpack box that says "EDH" with two EDH decks in green sleeves (Elves and Grixis), as well as a vampire mono black Standard deck in a green metal tin. There was also a law school book, called something like "School of Academe" in it.
If anyone sees any of this or hears anything, please let me know! Be careful at this GP please!!
I know Wizards just wants to break it down to a yearly thing because it's more of a numbers game for them where profit simply has to win out... but still, I remember certain block formats (Mirrodin for example) where (because of various bannings) the block was still evolving, interesting and developing even as the next block came out! The format was still active and interesting and then we had that dreadful next block shoved down our throats... ugh.
I suppose a 3 month rotation helps in that it gets rid of bad sets faster, but if the designers are doing their jobs right and building sets intelligently and with good balance and depth, the challenges that players are set with should last at least 4 months or so.
I've found out that 1 guy IS using his real DCI (which is why he gets so mad when he loses). His friend isn't, but his limited rating irl is terrible anyway, and the third guy also used a DCI account with a fake name for 1 or 2 events. I think just talking to the TO and getting him to use their real names and DCI's is the best way to go here. It's not like they're PT money winners or people on the international scene (they're between top 50 and top 10 in the state), so I don't see getting the DCI involved as being very productive. The really important thing is to keep the environment fun, and the players happy, so that things don't just die off and dissolve because of bad blood. Thanks again.
The problem is I know the Tournament Organizer is a really nice guy, and he has let people make new DCI cards in the past if the people forgot their number and he was unable to look it up. I think he was being trusting of these guys even though he was warned that they can be a bit shady. The players with pro points did give their real name, but it surprises me that he wasn't able to look up their official DCI numbers and use those? I mean, there's a way to do that right, even at a local hobby shop?
Before anyone rats anyone out, or takes any extreme action, I want to know if there's a simple peaceful solution, since we have a pretty friendly community, and all magic players see each other around town - there's no reason to stir up more bad blood (even though these guys seem like they don't care who they piss off).
At our local store, we've been running small tournaments (10-20 player drafts, type 2) smoothly and everyone has a good time. There are a handful of players with ratings 1800+.
Recently, 2-3 players with pro-points have shown up to play sanctioned events and instead of using their real DCI numbers, they've told our tournament organizer that they "don't have a DCI number" and have gotten new numbers. They regularly finish top 4, walk out with prizes, hustle the n00bs in trades, and in the meantime, everyone who loses to them takes 15 point ratings hits every time they lose to their 1600-1660 ratings. I know for a fact their "real" ratings are 1850+ and that they are just using "fake" DCI numbers to prevent their ratings from taking a hit in case they lose. I think this seems unethical, but is it against DCI policy? Is there something in the DCI policy that states this is an offense they can be punished for? I am assuming that in the least, our TO has the power to exclude them from events, but he doesn't like to cause conflict. Basically, I don't mind if they play but I want them to use their real numbers.
Thanks in advance.
it also easily triggers off of land drops on turn 5 when they use a fetch - but it's not always reliable, and can be played around if the opponent suspects it. (he will just fetch on your turn). That's what makes it weakest.
beastmaster ascension can be strong with conqueror's pledge (not to be confused with Decree of Justice) or even goblin assault if you have the right backup.. but i think the card has the same flaws that the Monument does - it hinges upon Volcanic Fallout or other sweepers not being in the environment (hint: they will be).
I think Chandra Ablaze is a "sleeper" as she's relatively cheap right now and SO much better than the original chandra.... along with the rare land cycle that comes into play tapped, and the white ascension, which is quite nutty.
I like Qft Gravelord a lot, along with needle trap as sideboard cards for mono black.. Along with that mini cranial extraction card for BBB with kicker 7. It seems really strong vs control decks that run few win conditions.