The requirement of a certified judge and/or the level of that judge is in the DCI Tourney Organizer Handbook, Section D (pages 18-19). Relevant bits below:
It depends on the "K" level of the tourney:
8K (FNM): No cert req'd.
16K (most other non-premiere events): No cert req'd.
24K: At least level 1 Judge, 16 players, deck checks, etc.
32K: At least level 2 Judge, 32 players, deck checks, etc.
Beyond this, there is no official description for 40K or 48K events like Nats, GP, PT, etc. However, a recent Ask Wizards or other article on the mothership also covered this, though I'm at a loss to find it. The gist of it was that there's really no requirement, though the system is constructed so you don't just have Joe Noob running a PT.
I've been struggling with the same problem. I think the real problem is Zur. He's both Legendary and critical. Running 4 seems like too many, but if you don't find him in the first 4-5 turns, it's GG. I know this would mess with your thread title and all, but have you considered dropping him?
Otherwise, since you asked for land assistance and not "rebuild everything" assistance, it looks decent out the gate. Given your numbers of Plains and Swamps, I'd consider just 1 Flagstones of Trokair and 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, and maybe 2 of each WW producing filter in the matching colors. These changes would considerably alter your budget, as you're essentially trading the $0.05 Expanses for $10 fancy-pants lands, but at least they're not Mutavaults.
So, my suggested manabase after reconfiguration:
2xFetid Heath
2xMystic Gate
1xUrborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1xFlagstones of Trokair
4xVivid Meadow <--You don't have any turn-1 permanents, so its drawback is minor
3xSwamp (only really needed for Terror and Zur)
3xIsland (again, only Zur and Rune Snag)
7?xPlains (a few of these could be optimized to painlands, but it doesn't feel too critical)
And that's 23. I think your curve allows for that. Maybe throw in another critter or two somehow...Divinity of Pride? Bonus: combo with Martyr.
So, is this why I haven't been able to log on to the forums or even see them? It's been weeks, and I'm logged in, but it's not letting me do anything, and it's not showing an interface that I'm familiar with. It's as though the forums don't exist to begin with.
While the idea of Gleemax was always too nebulous for my tastes and I didn't see it serve any function that the forums didn't already do, it would be a shame for the forums to go down completely. A lot of people put some real work into those in spite of a very confusing and tumultuous admin culture. I hope all that wasn't for naught, at least.
The store I run FNM for is indeed FREE half the time. Alternating FNMs are Standard, which we don't charge for at all. We charge $8 for drafts and $12 for sealed, $15 if it's a release tourney.
I, for one, am excited to see them venture into lands with FNMs now, (IIRC, I think Pendelhaven was the first). What's up for September, WOTC? FNM Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth? That would be awesome.
On the SoA prerelease changes, I have really mixed feelings. From what I've seen so far, the organizer for the "big" prereleases is now just cut right out of the equation. He's got other tourneys he can run, I'm sure, but it looks as though they've just decided to ignore his experience running tourneys and acquiring new players (we'd easily go through 2 pads of new DCI cards at any given prerelease).
Going to a large prerelease really made me feel like a part of a much larger community. Seeing 500+ players all learning the new mechanics, and helping them learn and play better was always a ton of fun. The low synchronous rumble of hundreds of dice rolled at the words "you may begin" has long been one of my favorite sounds in a Magic tournament.
I guess the upside is that I'll avoid the 5 hours of round-trip driving, but it's turned into a tradition that we print out the spoiler Friday night, stay up playing until 3 am anyway, get up at 7 am and drive down with a carload of gamers, passing around the spoiler, making up stupid combos with cards we've never seen, and catching up on sleep.
Now, though, the scale will be smaller, and I'm not sure how it will affect our turnout for the release weekend. We've been hitting close to 50 players for the launch parties thus far, and I'd expect this to drop off somewhat. The prerelease dates will, of course, be significantly larger for our store, maybe as many as 100 players? We'll need some more people to manage a tourney that size. I hear there's an organizer that might need some work...
But enough of that...
While you didn't specify a tournament format for Blowfly Infestation decks, I'll assume it's Standard:
So, that's a beginning, at least...or you could go with a somewhat different route:
Blowfly Infestation
Zur the Enchanter
Torture
Sinking Feeling
Leech Bonder
Grim Poppet
etc.
etc.
Well, it's been a while since I've listened to the cast, been recovering from the beating Gavin gave me in round two of the Berlin PTQ in Hollywood.
Now that I've begun listening again, the phone calls are a nice touch, providing some nice variety.
The BG combination is by far my favorite. Because green-black is already established in the current Standard meta, though, I think Eventide won't hold as much good stuff for it as with other less developed combinations like UR.
Though I was in Hollywood and am a judge myself, I didn't work the event so I didn't receive these personally. However, a level 2 that works for a competing store did show me the promos he received, indicating that the Orim's Chants were new for Hollywood. I'd put up a pic, but I don't have the wherewithal, so I'd refer you to eBay. There are a couple up as of this posting.
I have no Online experiences to relate, as I've never played with MWS, Magic Online, or any other program like it. Magic for me has always been about face-to-face interaction and cardboard, and it's likely to stay that way. If I invest my time (and money) in a video game, it has to be more interesting than digital cardboard.
Otherwise, though, good show. Glad to hear y'all in the same cast again.
For next episode, I want free Tarmogoyfs, show me how...
Thanks for another solid show, guys. Sound was a bit off, but I appreciate your efforts to bring us something special for #100.
I listen because it's good to hear new perspectives on cards and strategies. Gavin's tourney insights are especially interesting, even if I don't always agree.
I'd tell you why I play, but it's been so long since I've actually played that I don't really know. Judging means that you don't really play that often. It really showed in the last draft I was in. I drafted main colors that exactly matched the guy on my right. Yeah, I couldn't read a signal if my life depended on it anymore. I judge because this is a game with almost 10,000 interlocking pieces and the rules governing them are understood differently by nearly every player. Reconciling those differences and resolving conflicts amicably is truly rewarding. The tangible benefits (product, store credit, promos, etc) are nice, too, but I usually wish I played more than I judge.
Cheers, and best of luck with the next 100 episodes!
Great show, guys. I'll try to listen live to the next one!
Favorite MTGcast moment: Gavin + math. 'nuff said.....well, maybe Gavin+math-(math>Gavin<math)*math^math is a more appropriate depiction.
I was happy to hear Zaiem's name mentioned as a writer to look for. I completely agree. Among the crowd of aspiring, new, and up-and-coming writers, Zaiem is certainly near the top of my list. Good to see him get some recognition. I actually got paired against him at GP SF, and he was definitely a fun opponent.
At the risk of sounding totally naive when evaluating a new card's power, has it been overlooked that Beseech can be run in a totally non-black deck? Are there any instances where Gifts-Tron would prefer to drop this instead of Gifts? Is there a chance that a mana-ramping deck could use this to tutor in a color that doesn't traditionally (red, for instance)?
Great show, guys. I was a little wg'ed out when I first heard that Tom wasn't on it, but wu definitely made the show worthwhile. I've got to agree that the previews so far have me interested in the new set, and I'm going to be pushing for our store to open more than usual for singles.
On PTQ attendance, we had a similar problem here in northern California. Three PTQs this season, and average attendance at each was about 200. In spite of all my investments of time (and money) in the format and playtesting, I did not play in a single one. I attended one as a judge (passing my L1 exam there), and attended another with the intention of playing, but was pressed into service as a judge when we hit 200 players (the TO made it worthwhile, but, still, I regret not having played).
On the value of foreign cards, I trade much higher (~25%-50%) for anything foreign, especially non-Roman character sets like Japanese or Russian. Once I drafted all foreign TSP block at a store (Spanish TSP, Russian PLC, Spanish FUT). It took about an hour longer than normal just to draft because people had to keep passing around the player guides to get specific wordings.
On the Rubik's cube, I am lucky enough to have one, but I don't have the attachment to it that some might. That said, I don't know what to value it at in trade, etc. I haven't seen them on eBay either. Any ideas?
So, I have one of these. I've had it for about a month now, and I haven't cracked its cellophane wrapper. I don't think I'll use it, but I am a collector of Magic oddities when I can find them.
If I were to trade this, what should I look for value-wise? What if I put it on eBay? What do you think it would fetch?
The story behind it is on the site, copied and pasted for your convenience: On the 16th of May 1997, Wizards of the Coast opened an online store which allowed to buy their products directly over the internet. In order to promote sales and to win customers for the online store, a temporary reward program was initialized in 1999. For each purchased Mercadian Masques booster box, the buyer was presented a Serra Angel foil card while supply lasted.
It depends on the "K" level of the tourney:
8K (FNM): No cert req'd.
16K (most other non-premiere events): No cert req'd.
24K: At least level 1 Judge, 16 players, deck checks, etc.
32K: At least level 2 Judge, 32 players, deck checks, etc.
Beyond this, there is no official description for 40K or 48K events like Nats, GP, PT, etc. However, a recent Ask Wizards or other article on the mothership also covered this, though I'm at a loss to find it. The gist of it was that there's really no requirement, though the system is constructed so you don't just have Joe Noob running a PT.
I'd suggest going mono-W or maybe B/W. If you do go mono-W, consider Mesa Enchantress/Auratog engine w/Spirit Loop. Maybe Temporal Isolation?
Otherwise, since you asked for land assistance and not "rebuild everything" assistance, it looks decent out the gate. Given your numbers of Plains and Swamps, I'd consider just 1 Flagstones of Trokair and 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, and maybe 2 of each WW producing filter in the matching colors. These changes would considerably alter your budget, as you're essentially trading the $0.05 Expanses for $10 fancy-pants lands, but at least they're not Mutavaults.
So, my suggested manabase after reconfiguration:
2xFetid Heath
2xMystic Gate
1xUrborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1xFlagstones of Trokair
4xVivid Meadow <--You don't have any turn-1 permanents, so its drawback is minor
3xSwamp (only really needed for Terror and Zur)
3xIsland (again, only Zur and Rune Snag)
7?xPlains (a few of these could be optimized to painlands, but it doesn't feel too critical)
And that's 23. I think your curve allows for that. Maybe throw in another critter or two somehow...Divinity of Pride? Bonus: combo with Martyr.
While the idea of Gleemax was always too nebulous for my tastes and I didn't see it serve any function that the forums didn't already do, it would be a shame for the forums to go down completely. A lot of people put some real work into those in spite of a very confusing and tumultuous admin culture. I hope all that wasn't for naught, at least.
I, for one, am excited to see them venture into lands with FNMs now, (IIRC, I think Pendelhaven was the first). What's up for September, WOTC? FNM Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth? That would be awesome.
Going to a large prerelease really made me feel like a part of a much larger community. Seeing 500+ players all learning the new mechanics, and helping them learn and play better was always a ton of fun. The low synchronous rumble of hundreds of dice rolled at the words "you may begin" has long been one of my favorite sounds in a Magic tournament.
I guess the upside is that I'll avoid the 5 hours of round-trip driving, but it's turned into a tradition that we print out the spoiler Friday night, stay up playing until 3 am anyway, get up at 7 am and drive down with a carload of gamers, passing around the spoiler, making up stupid combos with cards we've never seen, and catching up on sleep.
Now, though, the scale will be smaller, and I'm not sure how it will affect our turnout for the release weekend. We've been hitting close to 50 players for the launch parties thus far, and I'd expect this to drop off somewhat. The prerelease dates will, of course, be significantly larger for our store, maybe as many as 100 players? We'll need some more people to manage a tourney that size. I hear there's an organizer that might need some work...
But enough of that...
While you didn't specify a tournament format for Blowfly Infestation decks, I'll assume it's Standard:
Half-baked combo:
4x Blowfly Infestation (combo)
4x Flourishing Defenses (combo)
3x Bitter Ordeal (win con)
4x Wall of Roots
4x Devoted Druid (suicides to set off Infestation if needed)
4x Llanowar Elves
3x Grim Poppet
2x Grave Pact
4x Scarscale Ritual
So, that's a beginning, at least...or you could go with a somewhat different route:
Blowfly Infestation
Zur the Enchanter
Torture
Sinking Feeling
Leech Bonder
Grim Poppet
etc.
etc.
Now that I've begun listening again, the phone calls are a nice touch, providing some nice variety.
The BG combination is by far my favorite. Because green-black is already established in the current Standard meta, though, I think Eventide won't hold as much good stuff for it as with other less developed combinations like UR.
Cheers.
Otherwise, though, good show. Glad to hear y'all in the same cast again.
For next episode, I want free Tarmogoyfs, show me how...
I listen because it's good to hear new perspectives on cards and strategies. Gavin's tourney insights are especially interesting, even if I don't always agree.
I'd tell you why I play, but it's been so long since I've actually played that I don't really know. Judging means that you don't really play that often. It really showed in the last draft I was in. I drafted main colors that exactly matched the guy on my right. Yeah, I couldn't read a signal if my life depended on it anymore. I judge because this is a game with almost 10,000 interlocking pieces and the rules governing them are understood differently by nearly every player. Reconciling those differences and resolving conflicts amicably is truly rewarding. The tangible benefits (product, store credit, promos, etc) are nice, too, but I usually wish I played more than I judge.
Cheers, and best of luck with the next 100 episodes!
Favorite MTGcast moment: Gavin + math. 'nuff said.....well, maybe Gavin+math-(math>Gavin<math)*math^math is a more appropriate depiction.
I was happy to hear Zaiem's name mentioned as a writer to look for. I completely agree. Among the crowd of aspiring, new, and up-and-coming writers, Zaiem is certainly near the top of my list. Good to see him get some recognition. I actually got paired against him at GP SF, and he was definitely a fun opponent.
...but seriously, I'm very satisfied with the set as spoiled thus far. The Kithkin will be a chase card early on. I'm preordering a set.
On PTQ attendance, we had a similar problem here in northern California. Three PTQs this season, and average attendance at each was about 200. In spite of all my investments of time (and money) in the format and playtesting, I did not play in a single one. I attended one as a judge (passing my L1 exam there), and attended another with the intention of playing, but was pressed into service as a judge when we hit 200 players (the TO made it worthwhile, but, still, I regret not having played).
On the value of foreign cards, I trade much higher (~25%-50%) for anything foreign, especially non-Roman character sets like Japanese or Russian. Once I drafted all foreign TSP block at a store (Spanish TSP, Russian PLC, Spanish FUT). It took about an hour longer than normal just to draft because people had to keep passing around the player guides to get specific wordings.
On the Rubik's cube, I am lucky enough to have one, but I don't have the attachment to it that some might. That said, I don't know what to value it at in trade, etc. I haven't seen them on eBay either. Any ideas?
If I were to trade this, what should I look for value-wise? What if I put it on eBay? What do you think it would fetch?
Is this the promo Serra Angel art to which you refer?
http://www.magiclibrarities.net/51-rarities-wizards-of-the-coast-online-store-cards-english-cards-1999.html#card001
The story behind it is on the site, copied and pasted for your convenience:
On the 16th of May 1997, Wizards of the Coast opened an online store which allowed to buy their products directly over the internet. In order to promote sales and to win customers for the online store, a temporary reward program was initialized in 1999. For each purchased Mercadian Masques booster box, the buyer was presented a Serra Angel foil card while supply lasted.