A simple combo if you're down to 5 life or less is using Second Chance but that's hard to use since they got rid of mana burn. I rebuilt my Hanna deck so she uses cards like Mana Vortex,Rising Waters and Land Equilibrium. As well as other taxing effects such as Pendrell Mists and Overburden. Originally I built her as a fun enchantment deck similar to the old Replenish lists, but that wasn't so great. There really aren't too many combos to use in white and blue for enchantments. Since you already have RIP + Helm and the Tide/Wave + opalescence combo. Another way to go is use token creating enchantments such as Sacred Mesa and Sanctum to overload people with tokens. You could throw in Cowardice and Rhystic Deluge for fun as well.
Trading is too much of a hassle now. People always want to 'win' in value. Also people rarely have what I'm looking for, or they just have crap and want staples.
Magic community is pretty bad when you get to the competitive junkies/grinders. The problem is, even though it may be a small percent of players,those moments will stick with players and be completely turned off by it. Video gaming communities are probably worse, but then again it's only online so you kind of expect people to say more things when they're on their computer compared to in person.
If they start a new format, it'll fail. All the design for the past several years feels the same, so why would people bother playing it ? Standard has been on a decline for a while now, why would playing the same style of format be enticing to anyone?
1. Rishadan Port - I think it's quite likely given how iconic it was back when it was in standard as well as them reprinting basically every D&T staple lately.
2. Rings of Brighthearth
3. Demonic Tutor
4. Crucible of Worlds
5. Ensnaring Bridge
6. Runed Halo
7. Idyllic Tutor
8. Phyrexian Altar
9. Chalice of the Void
10. Zodiac Dragon - I think it's the highest value card in P3K that has yet to be reprinted in judge foil.
My issue with trading is there's a very select few cards I really want or need for decks, and if they're cheap enough I'll just buy them instead of going through the hassle of trading. Plus most players now mainly have standard and modern stuff, whereas I am usually looking for legacy staples.
The whole idea of FNM is to play the game with others who showed up with a friendly competitive mindset to hone your skills for a GP or a more serious tourney event. You play for the experience and to have fun, getting a promo card should not be the sole reason you are going out to your local game store. Unfortunately many of you are spoiled rotten and think you should be given something no matter what just because you play the game. It is honestly really sad, you think you are automatically "owed" a reward from WotC for attending an FNM rather than just playing for fun or practice. Hate to sound like a grandpa here, but back in the late 90's you would play for simply the thrill of winning, seeing the regulars of the local game store, trading to get some new cool cards, and then maybe walking away with $20 store credit, and the prize wasn't the main motivation. That was it, no shiny promo card, just hanging out with groups of gamers all showing up to play the friggin game. The "OMG WOTC IS THE WORST COMPANY EVUR WORST STUPIDEST IDEA THEYVE EVER DONE NEVER PLAYING MTG AGAIN" typical hyperbole comments here only reflect the state of selfishness and self-entitlement with this generation of MtG players. Sucks.
Back in the late nineties/early naughties this is what happened here.
We got.....ranking points. Look after your ranking and it lead to.....free nationals. Yep, two day events with two draft pods. For free. Keep all the cards. For free. Oh and the prizes, besides the free T shirts and glass trophies? Free flights and hotel. Don't mind if I do. And I did. For free. And what did I do in the big events- drafted and played constructed for two odd days. For free. Spot the pattern.
We also had championships like States, which the rest of the world does not now have. Prizes- full art Mutavaults, anyone? And bags. And hats. And glass trophies. And playmats. Kind of like a big Game day. With full art Mutavaults and bags.
Prereleases had 9 foot posters like you see in game stores, t shirts etc. Plus huge prizes- half a box, maybe a box.
periodically the WOTC folk sent us......full art promos, Cryptic Commands, Damnations, etc. Just for playing.
FNM foils were actually pretty damn good too- Remand, Finks, Brainstorm etc.
In short I have a trophy/swag room and binders that are full of memories reminding me of how much the game used to pay out.
So I would say that we did pretty well.......
Also had the Guru program and Foil Wastelands being sent out. Wizards/Hasbro is in such a cost cutting mode it's really ridiculous considering how much more the game has grown.
Um, you actually can't hone your skills on a kitchen table, or online, or any other way. Nothing can replace the mental pressure of having to perform well in a competitive environment with you know, actual groups of people in person. Also as I stated before, the incentive shouldn't be a friggin shiny promo card, the incentive should be to play the game and have fun doing that, regardless of the value of the reward. I truly wonder if some of you play this game at all, no trolling. When I go to a GP or low end tourney event, I expect nothing but a good time for playing. Much like gambling, I don't go play poker and expect someone to give me $20 just for showing up. The reward incentive in such a low level event such as FNM should be if you got better at your game, and then if you won a cool shiny card in the meantime then that is great as well.
What mental pressure? There's 0 pressure in an FNM or really most tournaments. You can easily hone your skills on a table or online if your play group is decent. Why spend money and time at a gaming store when I can spend that time with friends/other players outside the store in a more comfortable setting at 0 cost unless hosting? 3-5 hours spent at a buddy's house or apartment playing is much more enticing than being at a gaming store for that same time frame.
Seems like quite a disparity in cost and quality of decks. You could put in Surgical Extraction since that'll get rid of Tabernacle after you Wasteland it or get rid of Punishing Fire.
The whole idea of FNM is to play the game with others who showed up with a friendly competitive mindset to hone your skills for a GP or a more serious tourney event. You play for the experience and to have fun, getting a promo card should not be the sole reason you are going out to your local game store. Unfortunately many of you are spoiled rotten and think you should be given something no matter what just because you play the game. It is honestly really sad, you think you are automatically "owed" a reward from WotC for attending an FNM rather than just playing for fun or practice. Hate to sound like a grandpa here, but back in the late 90's you would play for simply the thrill of winning, seeing the regulars of the local game store, trading to get some new cool cards, and then maybe walking away with $20 store credit, and the prize wasn't the main motivation. That was it, no shiny promo card, just hanging out with groups of gamers all showing up to play the friggin game. The "OMG WOTC IS THE WORST COMPANY EVUR WORST STUPIDEST IDEA THEYVE EVER DONE NEVER PLAYING MTG AGAIN" typical hyperbole comments here only reflect the state of selfishness and self-entitlement with this generation of MtG players. Sucks.
Back in the early 2000s the FNM promos weren't complete junk and there were WotC stores. Why bother attending a tournament if the payout is crap? Or rather why support a company who keeps screwing up constantly and citing 'data' that has been detrimental to the game for the past several years ? I bet most people can practice or playtest for a tournament for free with friends. So there has to be an incentive to spend a Friday night at a gaming store.
They really need to clean house. Everyone needs to be fired and a new person needs to be in charge of Magic for Wizards/Hasbro. This has to be one of the dumbest changes they've ever done. They keep citing data and surveys for their crap decisions the past several years, really seems like they have no idea how to interpret any of those in a positive manner. Looks like still no reason to attend FNMs for the future.
Otherwise I'd look into their coverage archive
2. Rings of Brighthearth
3. Demonic Tutor
4. Crucible of Worlds
5. Ensnaring Bridge
6. Runed Halo
7. Idyllic Tutor
8. Phyrexian Altar
9. Chalice of the Void
10. Zodiac Dragon - I think it's the highest value card in P3K that has yet to be reprinted in judge foil.
Also had the Guru program and Foil Wastelands being sent out. Wizards/Hasbro is in such a cost cutting mode it's really ridiculous considering how much more the game has grown.
What mental pressure? There's 0 pressure in an FNM or really most tournaments. You can easily hone your skills on a table or online if your play group is decent. Why spend money and time at a gaming store when I can spend that time with friends/other players outside the store in a more comfortable setting at 0 cost unless hosting? 3-5 hours spent at a buddy's house or apartment playing is much more enticing than being at a gaming store for that same time frame.
Back in the early 2000s the FNM promos weren't complete junk and there were WotC stores. Why bother attending a tournament if the payout is crap? Or rather why support a company who keeps screwing up constantly and citing 'data' that has been detrimental to the game for the past several years ? I bet most people can practice or playtest for a tournament for free with friends. So there has to be an incentive to spend a Friday night at a gaming store.