As other have said, counterspells and playing "control" stops becoming about a one-man game against 20 life, you are actually playing a game against another person with their own gameplan. Playing counterspells is about your plan vs their plan. It's about trying to figure out, based upon the color they are and knowledge of the meta, what are they trying to do and how it effects your goal of winning the game. This is a large switch of thought process for many but a very important lesson. Making a decision to become more competitive is a big step and just takes a lot of magic against different decks and people.
After playing one deck archetype for a while, I find that I get into a mindset and that carries over for a bit when I switch.
If I've been playing control for a while, I become much more analytical when playing my next deck.
I've been trying to play around with a Worldslayer deck. I first ran with mono-W, then B, then U... then I found a version of that deck.
One of the things I was working towards was a deck safe from this fall's rotation, so I removed from Zendikar block stuff for Scars block stuff, fiddled with the numbers of things a bit and fit in 2 Worldslayer and 2 Darksteel Plate. (And, of course, Preordain replaced with Ponder.) I like the result in testing, but it's not what I envisioned originally for my Worldslayer deck. Still, whether I smack someone with Sword of Body and Mind or with Worldslayer, I like it.
Your store owner can still run tournaments on Saturday, he just can't call it FNM. I believe it's a no-no to give out FNM promos outside of FNM tournaments, too, but I've seen many times where the owner has more than 16 copies of the promo (4 promos each Friday of the month), and so gives the spares out at some other time.
IIRC, DCI scores are less volatile for FNM tournaments (your score doesn't raise or lower as much for FNM as for any other tournament), but I don't think most people care, except for those who already have a strong rating, who are also going to be the favorites to win, anyway.
(I've also had the tournament report program **** up, so the TO just wrote the results down on paper to be reported the next Friday. Also a no-no, but that was because Wizards' program failed.)
'Fun' when talking about a game of Magic is quite subjective. If you were to take everyone's definition of 'Fun' and cram it all together and then make an EDH deck where you wouldn't be hindering anyones 'Fun' you'd soon have a deck filled with Craw Wurms and every game would end in a draw. Because losing isn't fun.
Draws aren't fun. Only wins are fun. Let's all go goldfish!
I'm not sure how people who smell like sweat and dirt can live with themselves, to be honest. Are they just unaware of how much they smell, and how it ruins the entire room? Or do they know, but do not care? If so, why?
I figure it's kinda like when I was younger, attending an equestrian camp during the summer. Day 1 the stables smelled terrible. Day 7 I didn't care any more. Day 14 I was like, "what smell?". Repeat each summer.
The idea that Players who are Planeswalkers controlling Planeswalkers just seems like a very bad idealogical gimmick that WoTC is doing nowadays, but most players don't really care that much about that aspect so yeah.
you're not supposed to be a planeswalker controlling another planeswalker, you're a planeswalker who ally'd themself with another. hence the loyalty counters. yes. you control their abilities, but the cards can't really choose to use themselves now can they?
In addition to the loyalty counters, see Perhaps You've Met My Cohort. The flavor text on the scheme is perfect: "I'm calling in a favor from an old friend. Once you're all dead, I'll consider the matter settled."
And if only rares and below were tournament viable, then wizards would never make any money because there'd be an abundance of $5 staples everywhere and every deck would cost $40. It's bad when competitive magic is too expensive because nobody can play it, but it's bad when it's too cheap because Wizards doesn't make money off it.
Wizards makes no money off the secondary market, which is where the singles are sold. Wizards makes money off packs/boxes, precon decks, and peripherals. So, cheap singles means little to Wizards. (Considering it's already cheaper to buy a chase rare as a single than to buy the number of packs required for a 50% chance at opening that same card.)
Also, if mythics weren't tournament playable, it would be the non-mythic chase rares shooting up to silly prices on the secondary market. Just like before mythics existed. Prices on cards are determined by availability and desirability. Mythics are less common than rares, true, adding to price due to availability, but if no mythics were tournament playable, their desirability would drop dramatically, reducing their price. Assuming that rares in the same set were tournament playable, the mythics would fall below the rares in price.
Try this search. None of the results can be played at instant speed (except Vine Dryad, which also has Flash), however. (And a few results provide alternate costs for other cards, rather than themselves.)
The Jace you're talking about is the original Beleren. Right? Otherwise, I'm speechless. In order to be not speechless, I'll just assume it's the Jace1.
Really? You're surprised at a ~$100 gift? A couple years ago for my father's birthday he got a 30" monitor, a new GPU to support the monitor, and a new motherboard to support the GPU. Some people get cars as gifts. Kitchenware can cost a lot, too, and my mother gets boxes of the stuff nearly every Christmas.
When you and your SO have a stable income, "expensive" takes on a different meaning. Hell, my first internship was paid and earned me $4k/mo, plus sign-on bonus. I'd treat my girl to a $100 gift once or twice a year, but it seems lately all she wants is recordings of me singing. Not that I'm complaining!
I could start a thread on what is the most annoying / best card to put on a stick and the responses would be overwhelming.
Orim's Chant. ":2mana::symw:, :symtap:: Target player does nothing this turn." The only thing more annoying than that is twiddling it so that you can do it every turn, rather than (presumably) during their upkeep.
Invest in an automatic card shuffler, and lug it around to tournaments?
(While I wouldn't actually advise doing so, a fully-functioning automatic card shuffler essentially performs a perfect riffle shuffle. Then again, card shuffling machines usually only fit standard playing cards, not trading cards and especially not sleeved cards.)
the chances of someone drawing card X in an opening hand is ~.07 (1/99).
I wouldn't get too suspicious unless it's happening every game. Of course, human memory is biased, so even if you think you remember them pulling Sol Ring each game, you may be wrong. You remember the exception, rather than the mundane. Even so, those are better odds than rolling a natural 20, and my gf does that all the freaking time.
i am also frustrated by people who don't allow for cutting or shuffling of each others' decks, and when a god hand follows it only makes it more obvious that something fishy is going on.
Yeah, not allowing others to even cut the deck may be suspicious. I can understand not wanting others to shuffle, especially if you've got some expensive cards in the deck. But cutting?
One of my play groups does not cut, "because this is casual". Which actually kinda bothers me. Not so much because I think people are cheating, but because when I have a god hand or when I top deck a big answer, I like there to be no doubt.
I always offer my deck up to be cut. My friends simply sometimes choose not to cut it. I've even had my opponent choose not to cut at FNM before.
I always cut my opponent's deck unless it's late at night and I'm being lazy with my buddies.
If I've been playing control for a while, I become much more analytical when playing my next deck.
One of the things I was working towards was a deck safe from this fall's rotation, so I removed from Zendikar block stuff for Scars block stuff, fiddled with the numbers of things a bit and fit in 2 Worldslayer and 2 Darksteel Plate. (And, of course, Preordain replaced with Ponder.) I like the result in testing, but it's not what I envisioned originally for my Worldslayer deck. Still, whether I smack someone with Sword of Body and Mind or with Worldslayer, I like it.
IIRC, DCI scores are less volatile for FNM tournaments (your score doesn't raise or lower as much for FNM as for any other tournament), but I don't think most people care, except for those who already have a strong rating, who are also going to be the favorites to win, anyway.
(I've also had the tournament report program **** up, so the TO just wrote the results down on paper to be reported the next Friday. Also a no-no, but that was because Wizards' program failed.)
I figure it's kinda like when I was younger, attending an equestrian camp during the summer. Day 1 the stables smelled terrible. Day 7 I didn't care any more. Day 14 I was like, "what smell?". Repeat each summer.
In addition to the loyalty counters, see Perhaps You've Met My Cohort. The flavor text on the scheme is perfect: "I'm calling in a favor from an old friend. Once you're all dead, I'll consider the matter settled."
Wizards makes no money off the secondary market, which is where the singles are sold. Wizards makes money off packs/boxes, precon decks, and peripherals. So, cheap singles means little to Wizards. (Considering it's already cheaper to buy a chase rare as a single than to buy the number of packs required for a 50% chance at opening that same card.)
Also, if mythics weren't tournament playable, it would be the non-mythic chase rares shooting up to silly prices on the secondary market. Just like before mythics existed. Prices on cards are determined by availability and desirability. Mythics are less common than rares, true, adding to price due to availability, but if no mythics were tournament playable, their desirability would drop dramatically, reducing their price. Assuming that rares in the same set were tournament playable, the mythics would fall below the rares in price.
Try this search. None of the results can be played at instant speed (except Vine Dryad, which also has Flash), however. (And a few results provide alternate costs for other cards, rather than themselves.)
If you want to 'flash' in creatures for an alternate cost, you can also look at Quicksilver Amulet, Elvish Piper, and Myojin of Life's Web.
When you and your SO have a stable income, "expensive" takes on a different meaning. Hell, my first internship was paid and earned me $4k/mo, plus sign-on bonus. I'd treat my girl to a $100 gift once or twice a year, but it seems lately all she wants is recordings of me singing. Not that I'm complaining!
This is amazing and I love it forever.
I suppose it depends a little bit on the format in question... Here's my take:
White: Orim's Chant, Disenchant, Swords to Plowshares
Blue: Counterspell, Into the Roil, Ancestral Recall
Black: Diabolic Edict, Vampiric Tutor, Extirpate
Red: Falter, Shatter, Incinerate
Green: Vines of Vastwood, Respite, Naturalize
Multicolor: Hindering Light, Research // Development, Hide // Seek
(While I wouldn't actually advise doing so, a fully-functioning automatic card shuffler essentially performs a perfect riffle shuffle. Then again, card shuffling machines usually only fit standard playing cards, not trading cards and especially not sleeved cards.)
Yeah, not allowing others to even cut the deck may be suspicious. I can understand not wanting others to shuffle, especially if you've got some expensive cards in the deck. But cutting?
I always offer my deck up to be cut. My friends simply sometimes choose not to cut it. I've even had my opponent choose not to cut at FNM before.
I always cut my opponent's deck unless it's late at night and I'm being lazy with my buddies.