This is so true. It makes people feel like they're a pro player. They also tend to do it when they have no answers. It's a really obvious tell. I did it when I first started playing b/c I thought it made me look cool. You really just end up look like a jerk. You ever see LSV do that?
I don't know about this, but have you guys seen Brian Kibler play? Sometimes it's hard just figuring out what he's holding in his hand.
I have to have my say in this because I actually played Kurt in GP:KL, being one of the two people who beat him in Day 1.
We met in Round 4 and already I was trying not to get too stressed over tales of his insane luck that had been spreading throughout the tournament centre. Anyway, I was playing GerryT's Koros, and here's how our games went:
Game 1:
He won the die roll, then I mulliganned to 5 on the draw. Kurt got a turn 3 Blightning, followed by a turn 4 Bloodbraid into Blightning (no lie), and all I had in play were 3 lands and a landfall guy.
Game 2:
Kurt mulled to 5 this time. I played a 1st turn Steppe Lynx, he followed with a Crumbling Necropolis. On his 2nd turn, he drew his card and said go.
Me: You kept a one-lander?
Him (nonchalantly): Yeah.
On his turn 3, he proceeded to draw his second land, played it, then cast Explore... into his third land! Way to pull himself back into the game after a dubious keep! Of course, the next card he drew was also a land, enabling him to cast a Garruk on turn 4. I already had lethal on the board, but instead of making a Beast, he untapped lands, clearly representing a removal spell.
My next turn was when he made a mistake that betrayed his age; he tried to Deathmark a creature during my combat step. After I pointed out his mistake, he scooped.
Game 3:
I can't remember the full details of Game 3, but eventually we both had one card in hand each, and all I had in play were 2 Adventuring Gears and a couple of lands (he had removal for all my other creatures), while he had a Thrinax beating me down to single digits.
Soon, he made the second crucial mistake of the match; wasting his Maelstrom Pulse on my Adventuring Gears. Sure enough, two turns later I drew the Baneslayer Angel that I needed, but he was already in topdeck mode with no cards in hand. I swung for the next three turns and won the match.
Despite all this, he still showed gaming prowess way beyond the level you'd expect from an 8 year old. And, like someone said, he has no ego; throughout the rest of the GP I'd chat him up to listen to his stories (e.g. at one point he forgot to de-sideboard, resulting in a game loss in Day 2).
I expect him to be taking down GPs in a couple of years' time.
The Pridemage is more than a decent two drop. Probably one of the best cards you can have in that slot, even moreso now that you mentioned your local meta.
Bleh, I hate it when I miss the signups because I couldn't find the signup thread. And this round's requirements sound pretty awesome, too! That'll teach me to use Ctrl+F next time around.
Monocoloured card that involves ally colours.
Same shard as Round 1 card (Bant)
Not an instant or sorcery
Bant DragonslayerWW
Creature - Human Knight (Rare)
First strike GWU: Bant Dragonslayer gets +2/+2 and gains flying and vigilance until end of turn. Use this ability only once each turn. GWU, Sacrifice Bant Dragonslayer: Remove target attacking creature from the game. “I would gladly forsake ever being in my own bed again for Bantian children to sleep soundly in theirs tonight without thought of these horrors.”
2/2
Artist: Vegasmike on deviantART
Rallying Valeron1GW
Sorcery (Common)
Search your library for a basic land card and put it into play with a militia counter on it. Then shuffle your library. As long as that land has a militia counter on it, it gains exalted. The Valeron militia, drawn from the boldest of the country’s Mortar caste, find no honor greater than aiding its Sigiled brethren on the field of battle. Artist: GENZOMAN on deviantART
Make a card that is any combination of red, white, and blue. (That means, monocolored, hybrid, or multicolored. It can have any number of those three colors, but it should not have any other color.)
Bonus:
1. Is an enchantment or instant card only. (i.e., no "Enchantment Creature")
2. Has converted mana cost of 3 or less.
Note that I haven't figured out how to carry over MSE's triple hybrid symbol into BBC mana codes... or normal hybrid symbols, for that matter.
Æther FlexionR//,R//,R//
Instant (Uncommon)
Æther Flexion deals 3 damage to target creature or player if R was spent to play Æther Flexion.
Gain 3 life if W was spent to play Æther Flexion.
Draw two cards, then discard a card if U was spent to play Æther Flexion. There are two kinds of mages; those who seek to master a school of magic to perfection, and those who dabble in a little bit of everything.
Artist: Jason Engle
Alright, got eliminated in the first round two months in a row, but third time's the charm, they say!
Make a Bat, Devil, Gargoyle, Hag, or Nightstalker creature or tribal card.(YUP)
Bonus:
1. Is black. (Yes, multicolor counts)(YUP)
2. Has an activated ability that costs "Sacrifice [Cardname]" (The ability may have costs beyond that, but it must specifically sacrifice itself. "Sacrifice a creature" does not count.)(YUP)
Spiteful Nightstalker BBB
Creature - Nightstalker (Rare)
You can’t play non-Nightstalker creature spells. 1R, Pay X life, Sacrifice Spiteful Nightstalker: Search your library for a Nightstalker creature card with converted mana cost X or less and put it into play. That creature deals damage equal to its power to each non-Nightstalker creature and each player. It harbors burning hatred for all but its own ilk. Artist: Aleksi Briclot
Make a card that involves shuffling your own library.
Bonuses:
Not a sorcery – 1 point
No in text – 1 point
The King of Mists UUUBBB
Legendary Creature - Zombie Wizard (Mythic)
You may have an opponent search your library for up to ten nonland cards and remove them from the game rather than pay The King of Shadows’ mana cost. If you do, shuffle your library. 2UB, Remove the top ten cards of your library from the game: Shuffle target nonland permanent into its owner’s library. “And what have you to offer?” he asks, knowing full well the answer.
4/3
I would like to thank everyone who made suggestions about the judgings. One of them is already in consideration for Round Two, which is up right now.
A hint about this round: Even the judges will be surprised...
Dang! The round's getting more and more interesting... I really like all the restrictions being put in place. Forces you to be more creative. Too bad I already got eliminated.
I don't know about this, but have you guys seen Brian Kibler play? Sometimes it's hard just figuring out what he's holding in his hand.
We met in Round 4 and already I was trying not to get too stressed over tales of his insane luck that had been spreading throughout the tournament centre. Anyway, I was playing GerryT's Koros, and here's how our games went:
Game 1:
He won the die roll, then I mulliganned to 5 on the draw. Kurt got a turn 3 Blightning, followed by a turn 4 Bloodbraid into Blightning (no lie), and all I had in play were 3 lands and a landfall guy.
Game 2:
Kurt mulled to 5 this time. I played a 1st turn Steppe Lynx, he followed with a Crumbling Necropolis. On his 2nd turn, he drew his card and said go.
Me: You kept a one-lander?
Him (nonchalantly): Yeah.
On his turn 3, he proceeded to draw his second land, played it, then cast Explore... into his third land! Way to pull himself back into the game after a dubious keep! Of course, the next card he drew was also a land, enabling him to cast a Garruk on turn 4. I already had lethal on the board, but instead of making a Beast, he untapped lands, clearly representing a removal spell.
My next turn was when he made a mistake that betrayed his age; he tried to Deathmark a creature during my combat step. After I pointed out his mistake, he scooped.
Game 3:
I can't remember the full details of Game 3, but eventually we both had one card in hand each, and all I had in play were 2 Adventuring Gears and a couple of lands (he had removal for all my other creatures), while he had a Thrinax beating me down to single digits.
Soon, he made the second crucial mistake of the match; wasting his Maelstrom Pulse on my Adventuring Gears. Sure enough, two turns later I drew the Baneslayer Angel that I needed, but he was already in topdeck mode with no cards in hand. I swung for the next three turns and won the match.
Despite all this, he still showed gaming prowess way beyond the level you'd expect from an 8 year old. And, like someone said, he has no ego; throughout the rest of the GP I'd chat him up to listen to his stories (e.g. at one point he forgot to de-sideboard, resulting in a game loss in Day 2).
I expect him to be taking down GPs in a couple of years' time.
Ctrl+F: 2
Alakazen: 0
Shard: Bant, again
Alright, my second time in Round 2! Hope I don't blow it this time.
Here's my Round 1 card: Rallying Valeron
Same shard as Round 1 card (Bant)
Not an instant or sorcery
Creature - Human Knight (Rare)
First strike
GWU: Bant Dragonslayer gets +2/+2 and gains flying and vigilance until end of turn. Use this ability only once each turn.
GWU, Sacrifice Bant Dragonslayer: Remove target attacking creature from the game.
“I would gladly forsake ever being in my own bed again for Bantian children to sleep soundly in theirs tonight without thought of these horrors.”
2/2
Artist: Vegasmike on deviantART
Shard: Bant
Sorcery (Common)
Search your library for a basic land card and put it into play with a militia counter on it. Then shuffle your library. As long as that land has a militia counter on it, it gains exalted.
The Valeron militia, drawn from the boldest of the country’s Mortar caste, find no honor greater than aiding its Sigiled brethren on the field of battle.
Artist: GENZOMAN on deviantART
Opponents in Bracket:
10. muchsarcasm
11. desieslonewolf
12. .handslikeguns
Bonus:
1. Is an enchantment or instant card only. (i.e., no "Enchantment Creature")
2. Has converted mana cost of 3 or less.
Instant (Uncommon)
Æther Flexion deals 3 damage to target creature or player if R was spent to play Æther Flexion.
Gain 3 life if W was spent to play Æther Flexion.
Draw two cards, then discard a card if U was spent to play Æther Flexion.
There are two kinds of mages; those who seek to master a school of magic to perfection, and those who dabble in a little bit of everything.
Artist: Jason Engle
Bonus:
1. Is black. (Yes, multicolor counts) (YUP)
2. Has an activated ability that costs "Sacrifice [Cardname]" (The ability may have costs beyond that, but it must specifically sacrifice itself. "Sacrifice a creature" does not count.) (YUP)
Creature - Nightstalker (Rare)
You can’t play non-Nightstalker creature spells.
1R, Pay X life, Sacrifice Spiteful Nightstalker: Search your library for a Nightstalker creature card with converted mana cost X or less and put it into play. That creature deals damage equal to its power to each non-Nightstalker creature and each player.
It harbors burning hatred for all but its own ilk.
Artist: Aleksi Briclot
Judge: andreoti16
Legendary Creature - Zombie Wizard (Mythic)
You may have an opponent search your library for up to ten nonland cards and remove them from the game rather than pay The King of Shadows’ mana cost. If you do, shuffle your library.
2UB, Remove the top ten cards of your library from the game: Shuffle target nonland permanent into its owner’s library.
“And what have you to offer?” he asks, knowing full well the answer.
4/3
Dang! The round's getting more and more interesting... I really like all the restrictions being put in place. Forces you to be more creative. Too bad I already got eliminated.