=== New Hydra Rules
Before we dig into interesting rules we could add, I want to take a moment and look very closely at the Hydra's turn. What the Hydra does in it's turn ties very closely to the alternate rules that it uses.
On a basic level the challenge deck does only 2 things during its turn. (1) cast a card, and (2) deal damage based on the number of Head cards on the battlefield.
The first item involves revealing a card from the library and provides the same basic function as drawing a card in normal magic.
The second involves dealing damage to each opponent, and serves the same basic function as attacking with creatures in normal magic. In the challenge deck's case, this damage occurs outside of combat near the end of the turn however - and the following turn sequence reflects that:
Beginning Phase
Untap: The Hydra untaps any tapped permanents.
Upkeep: The Hydra has no Upkeep.
Draw: Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card without paying its mana cost.
Main Phase: The Hydra has a main phase, but performs no actions in it.
Combat Phase: The Hydra has no Combat Phase.
Main Phase 2: The Hydra has no second main phase.
End Phase
The Hydra deals 1 damage to you for each untapped card named hydra head it controls, and 2 damage to you for each untapped elite head it controls.
Any "At the beginning of the Hydra's End step" triggers are put onto the stack, and are resolved.
You may be wondering why I gave the Challenge deck a Main phase if it performs no actions in it.
Without this main phase, the Hydra only has turn based actions and triggers to resolve - as a result the allied team only has limited chances to play instants on the Hydra's turn. Namely, during it's main phase (which we added), or at the end of the turn with triggers waiting on the stack. Without allowing the players to cast instants on that main phase, a large number of instants and flash spells become about as useful as a sorcery. I felt it was important to maintain tactical differences between the two spell types. Also it will become handy later when we consider how to ramp up the Challenge deck.
Also note my interpretation of the draw step and hydra damage is that these are turn-based actions. Turn based actions occur automatically during certain phases of the turn, and cannot be responded to as they do not use the stack. Fair warning: others may choose to interpret them as regular triggers which DO go on the stack and can be responded to.
= Drawing Cards
One of the simplest things you can do to make a challenge deck more difficult is to give it multiple cards a turn. Think about this: in a 3 player game (3 heros against the Hydra), on each hero turn the heros draw 3 cards (1 per player), while the Hydra reveals and casts 1 card. Card advantage is of course a resource that is integral to the game as land or life.
So how many cards should the Challenge deck get for its draw step? The obvious minimum is one. I have had successful tests adding an extra card draw at 4 players, and a third at 6 - so that's what I'm going to recommend. Whatever number you choose for your group, insert it into the following rule as N.
* Replace Draw step: Reveal the top N cards of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts those cards without paying their mana cost [Cast the spells in the order they are revealed].
The other thing you might be interested in including is the following rule which allows the challenge deck to take advantage of cards such as Howling mine or Font of Mythos. Thus far my testing is inconclusive on this. Currently we think the rule might be too strong for the challenge deck.
Optional* If the Hydra would draw a card, instead reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card without paying its mana cost.
== Creatures
As we mentioned before the addition of creatures to the Challenge deck has somewhat limited utility. The challenge deck never gets an attack step, thus creatures that are good to include in the challenge deck are effective blockers, or creatures that we can use for their triggered or activated abilities.
If you put non-head creatures in a Challenge deck, you'll need some rules to determine when the Challenge deck uses their abilities or uses them to block.
Activated Abilities
* The Challenge deck can activate any activated abilities only once per turn.
* The Challenge deck will activate relevant activated abilities: Hero's beginning of combat step, Hero's End of Combat step, Hero's End step, and the Challenge deck's main phase - and at no other time.
Playtest note: I personally feel that these guidelines for activated abilities need improvement. The trouble is that activated abilities are so diverse, it's hard to come up with rules that will cover most of them.
Declaring Blockers
* The Challenge deck will declare blockers to protect elite heads only.
* The Challenge deck will block creatures with the most power to least power.
* The Challenge deck will not assign multiple blockers to a single attacker, unless it has to (menace).
* If the Challenge deck can declare blockers in such a way as to deal lethal damage to one or more attacking creatures, it will do so for as many creatures as possible.
= Non - heads as Heads
Let's face it, it would be pretty awesome if you could run whatever creatures you wanted in a challenge deck and they simply counted as heads. There is however one chief concern if you want to go this route. The 'Heros reward' that is printed on the default heads is actually a vital piece of the challenge deck experience. It serves 2 important functions.
First, it provides the heros with some life points as they kill heads. Without some incremental life gain in the early to mid game the challenge deck would actually eliminate the poor heroes a lot easier. Second, they provide some back-and-forth swings that provide for interesting gameplay. As a result this is a feature that we wish to preserve when we start turning non-heads into heads.
Let me point out that it is entirely possible to use any combination of Challenge deck heads, creatures that count as heads, and creatures that don't count as heads (discussed above). However, whatever rules you implement for your custom challenge deck determines how you build it. That is - you should determine what counts as what before building the deck.
If you choose to use this option, then these creatures (who do not have head printed on them), gain errata to have the creature type 'Head' and gain Heroes Rewards abilities as follows:
This is my current, largely experimental configuration.
All Commons => Standard Hydra Head. When this leaves the battlefield, each opponent gains 2 life.
All Uncommons => Standard Hydra Head. When this leaves the battlefield, each opponent gains 2 life.
All Rares (including Mythics) => Based on Converted Mana Cost (CMC).
CMC <=3: Standard Hydra Head. When this leaves the battlefield, each opponent gains 2 life.
CMC 4-5: Elite Head. When this leaves the battlefield, each opponent gains 2 life, and draws a card.
CMC >=6: Elite Head. When this leaves the battlefield, each opponent gains 4 life and draws a card.
If you have only creatures counting as heads in your custom Challenge deck then do the following to set up your game:
*Shuffle the Challenge deck. Starting on the Bottom, remove the first N creatures that count as a standard head. N = the number of heads you wish to start with for this game. Put those heads onto the battlefield, and shuffle the remaining cards. Those cards become the Challenge deck's library.
Also keep in mind when building your Challenge deck using this option, at least half the creatures in the deck should count as standard heads, and you should remain around 35% heads (or 22 cards in a 60 card deck).
= Instants
The hydra Challenge Deck does not include any instants. Because the challenge deck only casts spells during its main phase, the additional utility of an instant (the ability to play it at any time), is lost. However, I see no reason why to exclude instants from your custom challenge deck.
If you do include any instants in your custom challenge deck, they essentially will take the place of, and function identically to a sorcery.
= Land
The hydra Challenge Deck does not include any land. Because the challenge deck casts it's spells for free, the addition of any land to the deck only serves if the deck can spend that mana (say on activated or triggered abilities), or the land provides some utility function beyond simply tapping for mana.
There is another issue I would like to address here however, and that is abilities that "reveal cards from the top of their library until they reveal a land card" that appears on Mind Funeral, Undercity Informer, and Consuming Aberration. These abilities create awkward moments when they are played against the default challenge deck.
Because no lands are in the deck, the entire library is revealed, and put into the graveyard. This does not win the game on the spot (The heroes only win if the challenge deck has no heads at the end of any turn) - but it does make the game a lot shorter.
So, no. You are not allowed to put land into any challenge deck. To put it another way, Land are illegal cards for challenge decks.
Although the rules implications of this are far from clear, it is my personal opinion that if lands are illegal, the action of "revealing a land" from the library becomes an impossible action. If you recall, the challenge deck simply ignores illegal or impossible actions or effects.
= Mana
If we prohibit land from being in the Challenge deck, we still have to answer a question about mana. Players new to the game often mistake land for mana. These two are actually different things. Land are the physical cards (plains, island, swamp, etc). Mana is the mystical magical energy that players use to cast spells and pay for costs. Land usually makes mana, but there are lands that do not generate mana, and non-lands (such as llanowar elf) that can generate mana.
* The challenge deck never pays 'X' costs in any spell or ability. X is always 0.
* The challenge deck automatically pays any imposed costs. Examples: Rystic Study, Mana Leak, Propaganda, Leonin Arbiter.
* If a card has an additional finite cost- the challenge deck pays that cost. Examples: Kicker
* If a triggered ability asks for a mana payment, the challenge deck may pay that cost. Examples: Echo
* The challenge deck can pay for any activated ability that requires mana that also uses the tap or untap symbol.
The following rule is entirely optional, but allows the challenge deck to pay for 'X' costs, or activate abilities that don't have the tap/untap symbol.
Option * Setup - put a die (such as roll-down d20) on '1' next to the challenge deck.
* At the beginning of each challenge deck turn, increment this die by 1, and the challenge deck has that much mana to spend. This mana does not drain out of the mana pool as phases or steps end. It does go away when the Challenge deck untaps the following turn. This mana is any color, and can only be spent on the following items:
- Pay 'X' costs.
- Activate abilities
- Pay additional costs on spells it casts.
- Pay for any triggered abilities.
- Pay for any schemes, planes, or hero cards that the challenge deck may have access to.
= Life Gain
By default the Challenge deck does not have a life total, and therefore cannot gain life, lose life, or pay life for various costs. Personally I feel as if attempting to give the challenge deck a life total causes the entire experience to loose focus. The challenge deck is a unique scenario that is quite a bit different than normal magic. Attempting to give the challenge deck a life total for any reason makes the experience a bit too much like regular magic - which isn't the direction we should move in.
For those fellow customizers who want to play in this realm, I think the following rule is necessary:
* A challenge deck never gains any benefit from any 'heroes reward' ability.
I want to note something that my playgroup tried - and it didn't work. I toyed with the idea of turning any lifegain the challenge deck would receive into activations of Reito Lantern or Soldevi Digger. Both of these artifacts basically take cards in the graveyard, and put them onto the bottom of the deck.
So as I mentioned, It didn't work. After we changed the deck to be 35% heads, the challenge deck does a good job of maintaining pressure throughout it's whole library. If the deck can also reliably send cards from its graveyard back to the deck, then players may get a sense in the middle to late game that the scenario can actually last indefinitely. While I never tested it, I'm pretty sure that with enough constant life-gain or reshuffle effects, It may be possible to create a scenario that is in fact unbeatable.
This is obviously not the end goal, and is not a lot of fun. So I give this word for the wise for others who want to experiment with their own challenge decks.
=== More Challenge decks to come.
Hopefully I've provided enough tools and options for people to continue to have fun with their challenge decks for quite some time. I'm quite a fan of this alternative way to play the game. I also would like to encourage others out there to share their own experiences with the challenge deck (modified or not). Playtesting custom builds can only improve the knowledge base.
I also fully expect that as future challenge decks come out (we're expecting the next one in February) we may gain more tools to customize our individual challenge deck experiences. Until then, make sure you are having fun!
Showing posts with label multiplayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multiplayer. Show all posts
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Magic: The Gathering - The Hydra (pt1)
Magic: The Gathering - The Hydra (pt1)
In the following paragraphs I hope to (1) Introduce the Hydra to people who perhaps know something about Magic, but not about this particular product. (2) Identify the various dials and variables in this particular game mode. (3) Give readers a toolbox of options for modifying their own challenge deck experience.
About the Author: Dan Regewitz is a certified level 1 magic judge, and tournament organizer. For 5 years he has been keeping things fair and fun in his local community. He is a firm supporter of casual play, commander, and variants.
=== What is the Hydra?
The Hydra is the first challenge deck issued by Wizards of the Coast. By far the most interesting part of this product is that it supports solo or cooperative play for 1-4 players. The hydra deck not only uses a specialized deck of 60 cards (MSRP 11.99), but also a set of scenario-based rules that only apply when playing against it.
Hero cards are special promotional cards, released earlier this year, specifically designed to be used against the Hydra. They are totally optional, but if you use them, you may bring up to two into a game with you. The effects of these cards vary, but they essentially sit in the command zone and give you the option for some small advantage each turn.
Currently, there are 7 of these promos. 5 different ones attached to the five different colors for the Theros prerelease. One promo for solving a visual puzzle on launch weekend, and a second for defeating the hydra on Game Day. According to our best information, an equal number in a similar distribution will be available through Born of the Gods events early 2014.
== The Hydra Rules
The hydra uses special scenario rules that changes setup and play. These rules only apply when facing the hydra.
Setup
* You may start with up to two hero cards on the battlefield.
* Choose a starting number of heads, take that many cards named "Hydra Head" From the challenge deck and put them on the battlefield. Shuffle the remaining cards to form the Hydra's library.
Gameplay (players)
* You go first.
* You follow all regular Magic rules with the following exceptions:
* You can attack heads directly with your creatures. Any number of creatures can attack a single head.
Gameplay (hydra)
* Whenever a head leaves the battlefield, reveal the top two cards of the Hydra's Library. Put any heads onto the battlefield, and any sorcery cards into the Hydra's graveyard.
* At the start of the Hydra's turn, untap any tapped heads.
* Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card. When that spell resolves, if a head - put it onto the battlefield. If a sorcery, follow its instructions and then put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
* At the end of the turn, the Hydra deals 1 damage to you for each untapped card named hydra head it controls, and 2 damage to you for each untapped elite head it controls.
* If the Hyrdra would be dealt damage or lose life, instead deal that much damage to a head of your choice.
* Ignore effects that would cause the hydra to draw or discard cards, or any impossible actions.
* If a head would move to exile, instead put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
* You make any choices for the Hydra.
Winning
* At the end of any turn, if there are no heads on the battlefield, you win!
I will also take a moment to point out the Official Hero's Path FAQ by Dave Guskin.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/HerosPathFAQ#challenge
== The Hydra Deck
As previously mentioned, the Hydra is a specialized Challenge deck filled with 60 cards that are unique to it alone. I have compiled a deck list, complete with notes on card text for future reference and consideration.
= 18 Heads
11 Hydra Head - 0/3 when this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life.
4 Ravenous Brute Head - 0/6 when this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life, and draws a card.
1 Savage Vigor Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's End step, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library and the Hydra casts that card. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
1 Shrieking Titan Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's End step, each player discards a card. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
1 Snapping Fang Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's end step, this deals 1 damage to each player. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
= 42 Sorcery
6 Unified Lunge - This deals X damage to each player, where X is the number of heads on the battlefield.
5 Distract the Hydra - Each player may sacrifice a creature. Each player who sacrifices a creature this way chooses a head and taps it. Each player who didn't sacrifice a creature loses 3 life.
5 Disorienting Glower - Players can't cast spells until the Hydra's next turn.
5 Swallow the Hero whole - Each player exiles a creature they control. Until the Hydra's next turn, when a head leaves the battlefield, return the exiled cards to the battlefield under their owner's control.
4 Hydra's Impenetrable Hide - Each head gains indestructible until the end of the Hydra's next turn.
4 Noxious Hydra Breath - Choose one - This deals 5 damage to each player, or destroy each tapped non-head creature.
4 Torn Between Heads - Tap up to two heads. They don't untap during the Hydra's next untap step. This deals 5 damage to each player.
4 Grown from the Stump - Put exactly two cards named hydra head from the graveyard onto the battlefield. If you can't, reveal cards from the top of the Hydra's library until you reveal a head card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest into the Hydra's graveyard.
3 Neck Tangle - if there are 5 or more heads on the battlefield, tap 2 of them - they don't untap during the hydra's next untap step. Otherwise, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library, and cast that card.
2 Strike Weak Spot - destroy target head, if that head was elite, the hydra takes an extra turn.
=== Digging deeper
The pre-constructed experience of the Hydra challenge deck is a unique one, and I feel the base experience actually does a decent job of accomplishing what it set out to do - namely make a solo (or cooperative) magic experience that provides some game tension, back and forth play, yet remains simple enough to run itself.
However in my play tests with and against the Hydra this gameplay experience starts to break down when you push it's limits. With 1-3 players, I think the base deck delivers what it promises. However starting at 4+ players, the Hydra as a much lower chance to reveal (and cast) heads, or regrow lost heads, resulting in it not applying enough pressure in the mid to late game.
The other arena where it breaks down is adjusting to opposition of the decks brought to bear against it. Anyone who is familiar with competitive magic knows that there is a world of difference between something you might pull out for casual play, and a deck you would play in a tournament.
There can be just as big a difference between that deck you bring to your weekly Friday Night Magic, and that deck you bring to a Grand Prix (large events with thousands of players and cash prizes).
So if you intend to use the Hydra for 1-3 players against decks that are roughly as strong as an "Event Deck" product - congratulations because I feel like that is the exact sweet spot for creating really good interesting games with the Hydra. If not, we are about to dive into the rabbit hole together and see where it leads.
Before we go tearing apart the base hydra deck, I feel it is important to know what we can about how it was built and published. Fortunately, there is an article about just that "Building a Hydra" by Sam Stoddard. I encourage anyone who wants to modify their hydra experience to review this.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/270
Fundamentally, we can tweak our challenge deck by doing one of two things to it.
(1) Build our own Hydra Deck.
(2) Change or introduce rules that create a different 'scenario' for facing the hydra.
Our goals in this article are thus two-fold
(1) Suggest modifications that will allow the challenge deck to support higher player counts. The challenge deck should provide a functional experience for 1-6 players.
(2) Suggest modifications that will allow the challenge deck to support stronger or more competitive decks, or decks from alternate formats (such as commander).
Consider anything I may present to you my humble suggestions. Try it out for yourself, and if it makes your challenge deck experience more fun - great. If it does not - don't use it! Also, if you do choose to use any of the tools and options I present in this article for your challenge deck, make sure that any players playing against it are aware of the variations from normal magic.
=== Building a Challenge Deck
As I mentioned previously, one of the issues the Hydra deck has is that it does not provide sufficient challenge when pitted against decks that are significantly stronger than an event deck. This is largely a design decision to make the Hydra difficult, but not impossible to beat in casual play. That's a great choice by the way, as the Hydra is targeted to that audience.
This doesn't help us if we want to fight the hydra with our modern, legacy, limited (draft or sealed deck) or commander decks. I think the best way we can create a fun experience in these situations is to build our own challenge deck.
= Card Pool
The first question we've got to ask ourselves is what cards can the challenge deck include. The most basic answer is that when we build a challenge deck, it can include any cards that the decks it might face could include. Thus, if we construct a challenge deck for the modern format, the Hydra deck must run modern legal cards (8th edition or Mirrodin or more current, excluding any currently banned cards). This limitation can be based on any current format sanctioned or casual.
Wizards resources on formats.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/tcg/resources.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/resources/formats
However, the cards from the actual hydra deck are not part of any format. With their non-standard backs, they are not - strictly speaking- legal cards. The intent of the challenge deck is that these cards can and indeed must (in the case of heads) be included.
* A custom challenge deck may always include cards that were printed in an official Wizards challenge deck, such as the Hydra.
The other thing that is strange about making your own Hydra deck is that the default deck includes more than 4 copies of certain cards, thus breaking a rule that has been around since the early days of tournament magic. For "Hydra heads" I believe this is necessary, less so for other cards.
* A custom challenge deck may include any number of cards of the same name that were printed in an official Wizards challenge deck, such as the Hydra. [A custom challenge deck may include up to 4 of any other card.]
Because our custom Hydra deck will potentially include standard magic cards, we need the following rules:
* A custom challenge deck must be prepared in opaque sleeves with identical card-backs.
* Draw Step: Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card without paying its mana cost.
Any other considerations for deck building that I have not mentioned are normal.
= Card choices.
It should go without saying, but the rules I've outlined for building your own challenge deck certainly allow you to consider more cards, but some (cards with X in the cost, cards with activated abilities requiring mana) are virtually useless for the Hydra.
The best cards for the Hydra are ones that effect each opponent, all players (the Hydra is one player facing 1-6 players so most of these are good), all creatures / enchantments / lands / artifacts.
Also the addition of non-head creatures is somewhat dubious as there is nothing in the base rules that allows those creatures to attack. However, since the player's turn is 'normal' you could interpret that the Hydra can declare blockers. This is a stretch however, and opens up additional complications as what the Hydra blocks (and with what).
To make use of a large swath of magic cards, you will have to create rules that will allow them to work.
= Add Heads!
If there is one recommendation I will make to others attempting to make their own Challenge deck, it is to include more heads (cutting spells in the process).
At 18 Heads in a 60 card card deck, the Hydra is exactly 30% heads, 70% spells. The more heads in the deck the larger the threat from the Hydra becomes, as it can regrow heads easier, cast more heads during the game, and apply pressure to the heroes who face it for longer stretches.
You can start with 2-4 heads on the field. The thing about this is that the more heads start on the field the chances of getting a head as the top card actually reduces. Starting at 2 heads, heads now make up 27% of the 58 remaining cards. Starting at 4 heads? We're down to 25%. While this does make the Hydra a LOT more dangerous in the early game, it makes it easier in the mid-to-long game, and makes for a weaker challenge (assuming you survive).
So how many heads do you want in a challenge deck? The answer is likely to vary based on exactly what environment you plan on playing your challenge deck in. However heads are pretty important for the challenge deck as they represent both the victory condition of the scenario and the primary way the challenge deck can actually win. My testing indicates that the challenge deck should be somewhere around 35% heads - or 22 cards in a 60 card deck.
Playtest note: My playgroup did try a higher 'saturation' of heads. At 40% heads the challenge deck was still beatable, but the scenario was less forgiving and higher pressure. At 45% heads the challenge deck beat us soundly to the point where it seemed unlikely we could ever muster enough board presence to stabilize - let alone win.
Another relevant question is how many heads you want to start with. The default setup of between 2 and 4 actually has worked in most of my games. However I would recommend adding an extra head at higher player counts. Thus for 4 or more players play with 3-5 starting heads.
In the following paragraphs I hope to (1) Introduce the Hydra to people who perhaps know something about Magic, but not about this particular product. (2) Identify the various dials and variables in this particular game mode. (3) Give readers a toolbox of options for modifying their own challenge deck experience.
About the Author: Dan Regewitz is a certified level 1 magic judge, and tournament organizer. For 5 years he has been keeping things fair and fun in his local community. He is a firm supporter of casual play, commander, and variants.
=== What is the Hydra?
The Hydra is the first challenge deck issued by Wizards of the Coast. By far the most interesting part of this product is that it supports solo or cooperative play for 1-4 players. The hydra deck not only uses a specialized deck of 60 cards (MSRP 11.99), but also a set of scenario-based rules that only apply when playing against it.
Hero cards are special promotional cards, released earlier this year, specifically designed to be used against the Hydra. They are totally optional, but if you use them, you may bring up to two into a game with you. The effects of these cards vary, but they essentially sit in the command zone and give you the option for some small advantage each turn.
Currently, there are 7 of these promos. 5 different ones attached to the five different colors for the Theros prerelease. One promo for solving a visual puzzle on launch weekend, and a second for defeating the hydra on Game Day. According to our best information, an equal number in a similar distribution will be available through Born of the Gods events early 2014.
== The Hydra Rules
The hydra uses special scenario rules that changes setup and play. These rules only apply when facing the hydra.
Setup
* You may start with up to two hero cards on the battlefield.
* Choose a starting number of heads, take that many cards named "Hydra Head" From the challenge deck and put them on the battlefield. Shuffle the remaining cards to form the Hydra's library.
Gameplay (players)
* You go first.
* You follow all regular Magic rules with the following exceptions:
* You can attack heads directly with your creatures. Any number of creatures can attack a single head.
Gameplay (hydra)
* Whenever a head leaves the battlefield, reveal the top two cards of the Hydra's Library. Put any heads onto the battlefield, and any sorcery cards into the Hydra's graveyard.
* At the start of the Hydra's turn, untap any tapped heads.
* Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card. When that spell resolves, if a head - put it onto the battlefield. If a sorcery, follow its instructions and then put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
* At the end of the turn, the Hydra deals 1 damage to you for each untapped card named hydra head it controls, and 2 damage to you for each untapped elite head it controls.
* If the Hyrdra would be dealt damage or lose life, instead deal that much damage to a head of your choice.
* Ignore effects that would cause the hydra to draw or discard cards, or any impossible actions.
* If a head would move to exile, instead put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
* You make any choices for the Hydra.
Winning
* At the end of any turn, if there are no heads on the battlefield, you win!
I will also take a moment to point out the Official Hero's Path FAQ by Dave Guskin.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/HerosPathFAQ#challenge
== The Hydra Deck
As previously mentioned, the Hydra is a specialized Challenge deck filled with 60 cards that are unique to it alone. I have compiled a deck list, complete with notes on card text for future reference and consideration.
= 18 Heads
11 Hydra Head - 0/3 when this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life.
4 Ravenous Brute Head - 0/6 when this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life, and draws a card.
1 Savage Vigor Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's End step, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library and the Hydra casts that card. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
1 Shrieking Titan Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's End step, each player discards a card. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
1 Snapping Fang Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's end step, this deals 1 damage to each player. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
= 42 Sorcery
6 Unified Lunge - This deals X damage to each player, where X is the number of heads on the battlefield.
5 Distract the Hydra - Each player may sacrifice a creature. Each player who sacrifices a creature this way chooses a head and taps it. Each player who didn't sacrifice a creature loses 3 life.
5 Disorienting Glower - Players can't cast spells until the Hydra's next turn.
5 Swallow the Hero whole - Each player exiles a creature they control. Until the Hydra's next turn, when a head leaves the battlefield, return the exiled cards to the battlefield under their owner's control.
4 Hydra's Impenetrable Hide - Each head gains indestructible until the end of the Hydra's next turn.
4 Noxious Hydra Breath - Choose one - This deals 5 damage to each player, or destroy each tapped non-head creature.
4 Torn Between Heads - Tap up to two heads. They don't untap during the Hydra's next untap step. This deals 5 damage to each player.
4 Grown from the Stump - Put exactly two cards named hydra head from the graveyard onto the battlefield. If you can't, reveal cards from the top of the Hydra's library until you reveal a head card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest into the Hydra's graveyard.
3 Neck Tangle - if there are 5 or more heads on the battlefield, tap 2 of them - they don't untap during the hydra's next untap step. Otherwise, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library, and cast that card.
2 Strike Weak Spot - destroy target head, if that head was elite, the hydra takes an extra turn.
=== Digging deeper
The pre-constructed experience of the Hydra challenge deck is a unique one, and I feel the base experience actually does a decent job of accomplishing what it set out to do - namely make a solo (or cooperative) magic experience that provides some game tension, back and forth play, yet remains simple enough to run itself.
However in my play tests with and against the Hydra this gameplay experience starts to break down when you push it's limits. With 1-3 players, I think the base deck delivers what it promises. However starting at 4+ players, the Hydra as a much lower chance to reveal (and cast) heads, or regrow lost heads, resulting in it not applying enough pressure in the mid to late game.
The other arena where it breaks down is adjusting to opposition of the decks brought to bear against it. Anyone who is familiar with competitive magic knows that there is a world of difference between something you might pull out for casual play, and a deck you would play in a tournament.
There can be just as big a difference between that deck you bring to your weekly Friday Night Magic, and that deck you bring to a Grand Prix (large events with thousands of players and cash prizes).
So if you intend to use the Hydra for 1-3 players against decks that are roughly as strong as an "Event Deck" product - congratulations because I feel like that is the exact sweet spot for creating really good interesting games with the Hydra. If not, we are about to dive into the rabbit hole together and see where it leads.
Before we go tearing apart the base hydra deck, I feel it is important to know what we can about how it was built and published. Fortunately, there is an article about just that "Building a Hydra" by Sam Stoddard. I encourage anyone who wants to modify their hydra experience to review this.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/270
Fundamentally, we can tweak our challenge deck by doing one of two things to it.
(1) Build our own Hydra Deck.
(2) Change or introduce rules that create a different 'scenario' for facing the hydra.
Our goals in this article are thus two-fold
(1) Suggest modifications that will allow the challenge deck to support higher player counts. The challenge deck should provide a functional experience for 1-6 players.
(2) Suggest modifications that will allow the challenge deck to support stronger or more competitive decks, or decks from alternate formats (such as commander).
Consider anything I may present to you my humble suggestions. Try it out for yourself, and if it makes your challenge deck experience more fun - great. If it does not - don't use it! Also, if you do choose to use any of the tools and options I present in this article for your challenge deck, make sure that any players playing against it are aware of the variations from normal magic.
=== Building a Challenge Deck
As I mentioned previously, one of the issues the Hydra deck has is that it does not provide sufficient challenge when pitted against decks that are significantly stronger than an event deck. This is largely a design decision to make the Hydra difficult, but not impossible to beat in casual play. That's a great choice by the way, as the Hydra is targeted to that audience.
This doesn't help us if we want to fight the hydra with our modern, legacy, limited (draft or sealed deck) or commander decks. I think the best way we can create a fun experience in these situations is to build our own challenge deck.
= Card Pool
The first question we've got to ask ourselves is what cards can the challenge deck include. The most basic answer is that when we build a challenge deck, it can include any cards that the decks it might face could include. Thus, if we construct a challenge deck for the modern format, the Hydra deck must run modern legal cards (8th edition or Mirrodin or more current, excluding any currently banned cards). This limitation can be based on any current format sanctioned or casual.
Wizards resources on formats.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/tcg/resources.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/resources/formats
However, the cards from the actual hydra deck are not part of any format. With their non-standard backs, they are not - strictly speaking- legal cards. The intent of the challenge deck is that these cards can and indeed must (in the case of heads) be included.
* A custom challenge deck may always include cards that were printed in an official Wizards challenge deck, such as the Hydra.
The other thing that is strange about making your own Hydra deck is that the default deck includes more than 4 copies of certain cards, thus breaking a rule that has been around since the early days of tournament magic. For "Hydra heads" I believe this is necessary, less so for other cards.
* A custom challenge deck may include any number of cards of the same name that were printed in an official Wizards challenge deck, such as the Hydra. [A custom challenge deck may include up to 4 of any other card.]
Because our custom Hydra deck will potentially include standard magic cards, we need the following rules:
* A custom challenge deck must be prepared in opaque sleeves with identical card-backs.
* Draw Step: Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card without paying its mana cost.
Any other considerations for deck building that I have not mentioned are normal.
= Card choices.
It should go without saying, but the rules I've outlined for building your own challenge deck certainly allow you to consider more cards, but some (cards with X in the cost, cards with activated abilities requiring mana) are virtually useless for the Hydra.
The best cards for the Hydra are ones that effect each opponent, all players (the Hydra is one player facing 1-6 players so most of these are good), all creatures / enchantments / lands / artifacts.
Also the addition of non-head creatures is somewhat dubious as there is nothing in the base rules that allows those creatures to attack. However, since the player's turn is 'normal' you could interpret that the Hydra can declare blockers. This is a stretch however, and opens up additional complications as what the Hydra blocks (and with what).
To make use of a large swath of magic cards, you will have to create rules that will allow them to work.
= Add Heads!
If there is one recommendation I will make to others attempting to make their own Challenge deck, it is to include more heads (cutting spells in the process).
At 18 Heads in a 60 card card deck, the Hydra is exactly 30% heads, 70% spells. The more heads in the deck the larger the threat from the Hydra becomes, as it can regrow heads easier, cast more heads during the game, and apply pressure to the heroes who face it for longer stretches.
You can start with 2-4 heads on the field. The thing about this is that the more heads start on the field the chances of getting a head as the top card actually reduces. Starting at 2 heads, heads now make up 27% of the 58 remaining cards. Starting at 4 heads? We're down to 25%. While this does make the Hydra a LOT more dangerous in the early game, it makes it easier in the mid-to-long game, and makes for a weaker challenge (assuming you survive).
So how many heads do you want in a challenge deck? The answer is likely to vary based on exactly what environment you plan on playing your challenge deck in. However heads are pretty important for the challenge deck as they represent both the victory condition of the scenario and the primary way the challenge deck can actually win. My testing indicates that the challenge deck should be somewhere around 35% heads - or 22 cards in a 60 card deck.
Playtest note: My playgroup did try a higher 'saturation' of heads. At 40% heads the challenge deck was still beatable, but the scenario was less forgiving and higher pressure. At 45% heads the challenge deck beat us soundly to the point where it seemed unlikely we could ever muster enough board presence to stabilize - let alone win.
Another relevant question is how many heads you want to start with. The default setup of between 2 and 4 actually has worked in most of my games. However I would recommend adding an extra head at higher player counts. Thus for 4 or more players play with 3-5 starting heads.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
12 tips for the aspiring Commander
= 12 tips for the aspiring Commander
In my continuing quest to educate the masses about the Highlander/Commander format and the many joys of playing, I have devised a short 12 item list. This list is not intended to be complete or definitive. It's simply 12 strategies that work well in almost any Commander deck. I highly recommend considering including these strategies when building a deck or otherwise making card choices. They are in no particular order save the order I wish to discuss them in.
- Push creatures through (evasion)
The board can get fairly clogged in a commander game. By that I mean that it can be littered with creatures. In such a situation no player wants to attack because they risk loosing creatures and/or making themselves a target of retaliation. A creature that can both attack and block is therefore valuable (creatures with vigilance don't tap to attack, and are therefore available to block). Likewise a creature who cannot be blocked by an opponent is also a suitable attacker. Abilities that make creatures harder to block are loosely called "evasion" abilities, and include such things as flying, intimidate, landwalk, etc.
Flying and Trample are both evasion Abilities
- Deal with creatures (single target removal, board wipes).
A board wipe is any spell or ability that effectively gets rid of all creatures. Because creatures pose a threat in the form of attacking damage (not to mention useful abilities). Thus, it is very useful to have a 'release valve' that can reset the board. Remember, the probability of board wipe is 1. Some creatures can be very potent threats, and therefore it's also a good idea to have a few effects that can take out a single creature with pinpoint accuracy - for those situations where you need to deal with a threat right now.
The most traditional Board Wipe.
- Build for trouble (artifacts, enchantments)
Just as creatures can pose a significant threat, so can artifacts and enchantments. You can almost certainly find a few artifacts and enchantments to help your deck along it's path to victory. If you happen to be running some sort of combo deck, chances are one of your key combo pieces is an artifact or enchantment. If you can find some useful tools for your deck, then so can your opponent. Come prepared to remove a few of each type.
Hates Artifacts or Enchantments.
- Scale it up (play some higher cost spells)
Commander games take longer than normal games of magic. Partly because players start with 40 life, partly because decks are 99 cards deep, but also partly because players opt to play cards that (on average) have higher costs than decks in other formats. When building a deck it's a good idea to keep in mind that in most commander games your going to have a little extra time to get some mana, and cast spells that are 5-7 mana range (or higher). Cards like Darksteel Colossus are generally considered unplayable in standard, but are quite playable in Commander.
Really large spells can be worth it.
- Permanents are King (repeatable effects rule)
To illustrate a point I want you to look at two cards. Boomerang, and Temporal Adept.
Boomerang
Temporal Adept
Both of these cards perform the same function. Namely, to return permanents from the field to owner's hand (or 'bounce'). Boomerang as an instant has a certain surprise factor because your opponent doesn't know you have it until it comes out of your hand. Temporal Adept on the other hand can Boomerang every single turn for only one more blue mana, and tapping it, for as long as you can keep it on the field. Partly due to the fact that Commander games are longer, many players will prefer Temporal Adept. The Adept provides an advantage that can be maintained over several turns.
This is not to say that you shouldn't play instant and sorcery spells, just that a permanent is often better than a spell that performs the same function.
- Friend or Foe: Planeswalkers
Planeswalkers can be very useful cards because they are permanents that provide once-a-turn effects (see above). There are also limited options for dealing with them, mostly attacking and redirecting burn spells. Because of this, they are often attractive cards to include in a deck. However, fielding a planeswalker without adequate defense typically means that it will simply die after one effect. Also they tend to "draw hate" from the rest of the table - by which I mean that other players really don't want you to activate the last, often called the "ultimate" ability of any planeswalker, and will take active steps to fight it.
Be mindful if someone resolves a planeswalker. Who is it and what are they doing with it? If it's a Garruk and they spend two or three turns untapping land to play some more spells - well let's just say you better be prepared for an overrun.
Planeswalkers are a double-edged sword, sometimes.
- Use the graveyard (bring stuff back)
Any deck is filled with resources. When these resources are spent (by casting or in combat), they are sent to the graveyard. Which is why it's often a good idea to bring them back and use them again. Because you can only play one copy of any given card in a Commander deck, it's a very good idea to be able to dig through your graveyard and bring cards that are useful in the current situation back. This includes mass effects like Elixir of immortality, but also targeted effects like Regrowth or Raise dead.
Reuse the graveyard, somehow.
- Land ho (non-basic lands)
Most lands generate mana, but some lands don't have to. There are lands that can bring back creatures, prevent or deal damage, become creatures for a turn, give a creature a temporary boost or ability, or give you no maximum hand size (one of my favorites). Lands are just another resource for your deck, and while they are there to provide mana for spells - there is nothing wrong with some of them also doing something else, or a few of them doing something instead of that whole mana thing!
Which is why it's a good idea to include a card or two that can destroy a land (or two). Just as artifacts or enchantments can create enough trouble to be worth getting rid of, so can land.
The most classic of the hated non-basics.
- Gain some life
You might think that 40 life is a lot. The thing is with life, is that it can't hurt to have a little more. Including some way to gain life (or prevent damage) can keep you in the game and playing for longer. This should enable you to see more cards of your deck, and interact more in the game.
Conversely, keep in mind the rules about commander damage (which say that if you take 21 points of accumulated damage from a single commander you loose the game). These rules exist to keep the game interesting and preventing players from being able to play with a deck that gains so much life it can't loose.
Life is the stuff of life.
- Draw some Cards.
Just as gaining a bit of extra life will help you in a long game, so to will drawing a few extra cards. This goes back to the whole concept of each card in your deck being a resource. If you are drawing multiple cards in a turn, you acquire multiple resources a turn. This gives you a wider or better selection of possible plays on the subsequent turn. Also it allows you to see more cards in your deck over a set number of turns, which means you will simply see more cards that you want or need.
Be generous (or greedy) with cards.
- Dueling Grounds
No, not the card. I'm actually referring to land. Land is the primary resource. Without it, all of your other resource spells go to waste. Thus, it is important to get land, get land in the right color(s), and get enough land to fuel all the fun things you want to do in a game. Thus it is often a good idea to find spells or abilities that allow you to search land out of your deck and put them someplace useful (like your hand or the battlefield). Artifacts can also serve the same purpose as land. There are many "Mana Rocks" in the game - artifacts with abilities that can add mana to one's mana pool. Mana filtering (changing one color of mana into another) is also relevant in 3-5 color decks.
Explore new Lands!
- Have Fun!
Repeat after me: If you aren't having fun, your doing it wrong!
In my continuing quest to educate the masses about the Highlander/Commander format and the many joys of playing, I have devised a short 12 item list. This list is not intended to be complete or definitive. It's simply 12 strategies that work well in almost any Commander deck. I highly recommend considering including these strategies when building a deck or otherwise making card choices. They are in no particular order save the order I wish to discuss them in.
- Push creatures through (evasion)
The board can get fairly clogged in a commander game. By that I mean that it can be littered with creatures. In such a situation no player wants to attack because they risk loosing creatures and/or making themselves a target of retaliation. A creature that can both attack and block is therefore valuable (creatures with vigilance don't tap to attack, and are therefore available to block). Likewise a creature who cannot be blocked by an opponent is also a suitable attacker. Abilities that make creatures harder to block are loosely called "evasion" abilities, and include such things as flying, intimidate, landwalk, etc.
Flying and Trample are both evasion Abilities
- Deal with creatures (single target removal, board wipes).
A board wipe is any spell or ability that effectively gets rid of all creatures. Because creatures pose a threat in the form of attacking damage (not to mention useful abilities). Thus, it is very useful to have a 'release valve' that can reset the board. Remember, the probability of board wipe is 1. Some creatures can be very potent threats, and therefore it's also a good idea to have a few effects that can take out a single creature with pinpoint accuracy - for those situations where you need to deal with a threat right now.
The most traditional Board Wipe.
- Build for trouble (artifacts, enchantments)
Just as creatures can pose a significant threat, so can artifacts and enchantments. You can almost certainly find a few artifacts and enchantments to help your deck along it's path to victory. If you happen to be running some sort of combo deck, chances are one of your key combo pieces is an artifact or enchantment. If you can find some useful tools for your deck, then so can your opponent. Come prepared to remove a few of each type.
Hates Artifacts or Enchantments.
- Scale it up (play some higher cost spells)
Commander games take longer than normal games of magic. Partly because players start with 40 life, partly because decks are 99 cards deep, but also partly because players opt to play cards that (on average) have higher costs than decks in other formats. When building a deck it's a good idea to keep in mind that in most commander games your going to have a little extra time to get some mana, and cast spells that are 5-7 mana range (or higher). Cards like Darksteel Colossus are generally considered unplayable in standard, but are quite playable in Commander.
Really large spells can be worth it.
- Permanents are King (repeatable effects rule)
To illustrate a point I want you to look at two cards. Boomerang, and Temporal Adept.
Boomerang
Temporal Adept
Both of these cards perform the same function. Namely, to return permanents from the field to owner's hand (or 'bounce'). Boomerang as an instant has a certain surprise factor because your opponent doesn't know you have it until it comes out of your hand. Temporal Adept on the other hand can Boomerang every single turn for only one more blue mana, and tapping it, for as long as you can keep it on the field. Partly due to the fact that Commander games are longer, many players will prefer Temporal Adept. The Adept provides an advantage that can be maintained over several turns.
This is not to say that you shouldn't play instant and sorcery spells, just that a permanent is often better than a spell that performs the same function.
- Friend or Foe: Planeswalkers
Planeswalkers can be very useful cards because they are permanents that provide once-a-turn effects (see above). There are also limited options for dealing with them, mostly attacking and redirecting burn spells. Because of this, they are often attractive cards to include in a deck. However, fielding a planeswalker without adequate defense typically means that it will simply die after one effect. Also they tend to "draw hate" from the rest of the table - by which I mean that other players really don't want you to activate the last, often called the "ultimate" ability of any planeswalker, and will take active steps to fight it.
Be mindful if someone resolves a planeswalker. Who is it and what are they doing with it? If it's a Garruk and they spend two or three turns untapping land to play some more spells - well let's just say you better be prepared for an overrun.
Planeswalkers are a double-edged sword, sometimes.
- Use the graveyard (bring stuff back)
Any deck is filled with resources. When these resources are spent (by casting or in combat), they are sent to the graveyard. Which is why it's often a good idea to bring them back and use them again. Because you can only play one copy of any given card in a Commander deck, it's a very good idea to be able to dig through your graveyard and bring cards that are useful in the current situation back. This includes mass effects like Elixir of immortality, but also targeted effects like Regrowth or Raise dead.
Reuse the graveyard, somehow.
- Land ho (non-basic lands)
Most lands generate mana, but some lands don't have to. There are lands that can bring back creatures, prevent or deal damage, become creatures for a turn, give a creature a temporary boost or ability, or give you no maximum hand size (one of my favorites). Lands are just another resource for your deck, and while they are there to provide mana for spells - there is nothing wrong with some of them also doing something else, or a few of them doing something instead of that whole mana thing!
Which is why it's a good idea to include a card or two that can destroy a land (or two). Just as artifacts or enchantments can create enough trouble to be worth getting rid of, so can land.
The most classic of the hated non-basics.
- Gain some life
You might think that 40 life is a lot. The thing is with life, is that it can't hurt to have a little more. Including some way to gain life (or prevent damage) can keep you in the game and playing for longer. This should enable you to see more cards of your deck, and interact more in the game.
Conversely, keep in mind the rules about commander damage (which say that if you take 21 points of accumulated damage from a single commander you loose the game). These rules exist to keep the game interesting and preventing players from being able to play with a deck that gains so much life it can't loose.
Life is the stuff of life.
- Draw some Cards.
Just as gaining a bit of extra life will help you in a long game, so to will drawing a few extra cards. This goes back to the whole concept of each card in your deck being a resource. If you are drawing multiple cards in a turn, you acquire multiple resources a turn. This gives you a wider or better selection of possible plays on the subsequent turn. Also it allows you to see more cards in your deck over a set number of turns, which means you will simply see more cards that you want or need.
Be generous (or greedy) with cards.
- Dueling Grounds
No, not the card. I'm actually referring to land. Land is the primary resource. Without it, all of your other resource spells go to waste. Thus, it is important to get land, get land in the right color(s), and get enough land to fuel all the fun things you want to do in a game. Thus it is often a good idea to find spells or abilities that allow you to search land out of your deck and put them someplace useful (like your hand or the battlefield). Artifacts can also serve the same purpose as land. There are many "Mana Rocks" in the game - artifacts with abilities that can add mana to one's mana pool. Mana filtering (changing one color of mana into another) is also relevant in 3-5 color decks.
Explore new Lands!
- Have Fun!
Repeat after me: If you aren't having fun, your doing it wrong!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Commander: Testing
= Commander: Testing
I did mention testing, so I'm going to talk just a bit about how to do that. First of all, you can start testing in your own home.
- Test hands
The first method of testing the deck you just put together is to look at an opening hand. If you don't like the look of the first one you see, feel free to shuffle and take seven more. For each hand that you look at consider the following: Do you have enough land? Do you have the right colors? What's the earliest you could play a spell using just those 7 cards? Would you keep this if you were sitting down to a game with a real, live opponent?
Commander decks are naturally slower than other smaller constructed decks, so take this into consideration. I frequently look at sets of 10 cards (representing my first three draws) to determine if the deck has draws that I'd like to see and can play with.
This looks like a good hand to me personally. No spells to cast, but I have a first-turn reliquary tower, which is always a good sign, and plenty of land and all three colors.
- Goldfish
A "goldfish" is basically a solitare game that you play against no opponent. You simply draw cards, play land, cast spells, and repeat this process. The goal is to see if the cards you picked are doing what you expected them to do. Is your deck following your strategy? Are the expected synergies there? In the right quantities? At any point do you want some effect that simply isn't in your deck?
After a particularly extended Goldfish, I decide to debate prior card choices. I wanted more Auras during the game, so here I consider two I previously cut (left) for some less synergistic enchantments from my deck (right)
- Live test
Of course some of the best feedback you can get for any deck is to take it to a game table near you and play it against another player playing one of their own decks. It forces you to deal with threats, interact with what your opponent has on the field, plus get another player's opinion on how, how well, and why your deck works (or doesn't).
- So is it done?
Of course not! Yes you have a playable deck, and it might even be reasonably good. But you can learn more about magic, you can become a better player, and you can become a better deck builder. As you grow, so can your deck. You can revise it to make it better. Or you can revise it to make it more fun. Or you can revise it so that it focuses on a different theme or sub-theme. Or you can build a new deck (one of my favorites).
Whatever it is you do, have fun slinging some spells!
I did mention testing, so I'm going to talk just a bit about how to do that. First of all, you can start testing in your own home.
- Test hands
The first method of testing the deck you just put together is to look at an opening hand. If you don't like the look of the first one you see, feel free to shuffle and take seven more. For each hand that you look at consider the following: Do you have enough land? Do you have the right colors? What's the earliest you could play a spell using just those 7 cards? Would you keep this if you were sitting down to a game with a real, live opponent?
Commander decks are naturally slower than other smaller constructed decks, so take this into consideration. I frequently look at sets of 10 cards (representing my first three draws) to determine if the deck has draws that I'd like to see and can play with.
This looks like a good hand to me personally. No spells to cast, but I have a first-turn reliquary tower, which is always a good sign, and plenty of land and all three colors.
- Goldfish
A "goldfish" is basically a solitare game that you play against no opponent. You simply draw cards, play land, cast spells, and repeat this process. The goal is to see if the cards you picked are doing what you expected them to do. Is your deck following your strategy? Are the expected synergies there? In the right quantities? At any point do you want some effect that simply isn't in your deck?
After a particularly extended Goldfish, I decide to debate prior card choices. I wanted more Auras during the game, so here I consider two I previously cut (left) for some less synergistic enchantments from my deck (right)
- Live test
Of course some of the best feedback you can get for any deck is to take it to a game table near you and play it against another player playing one of their own decks. It forces you to deal with threats, interact with what your opponent has on the field, plus get another player's opinion on how, how well, and why your deck works (or doesn't).
- So is it done?
Of course not! Yes you have a playable deck, and it might even be reasonably good. But you can learn more about magic, you can become a better player, and you can become a better deck builder. As you grow, so can your deck. You can revise it to make it better. Or you can revise it to make it more fun. Or you can revise it so that it focuses on a different theme or sub-theme. Or you can build a new deck (one of my favorites).
Whatever it is you do, have fun slinging some spells!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Commander: It's all in the cards.
= It's all in the cards.
If you've never built a Commander deck before, it kinda goes without saying that your going to need cards to build with. Even someone like myself who's a big fan of the format with multiple decks under my belt, goes out of their way to acquire cards when attempting to build a new Commander deck.
You're going to need a lot of cards.
Ok, maybe not that many. Although you can build with every card ever printed, remember the limitations of the Commander format. You have to stay in-color with your chosen Commander, you can only run one copy of any given card. You can also start picking your effects now. Running black, but creatures not a big part of your game plan? Don't grab Raise Dead or similar effects. Also low cost creatures (without abilities) are dead draws in Commander as a format
Ah, that's more like it. This is where my last 2 Commander decks started. As approximately 400 loose cards. It took me roughly 4 months to accumulate the selection you see before you by trading with other players, as well as with my FLGS (friendly local gaming store). I spend a good deal of store credit and some cash both locally and online to get this selection of cards to build from.
I want to say that it's OK to have a list of specific Cards that you want to see in your deck. I strongly urge beginners to not build complete deck lists that they see online. Often these lists include expensive singles and aren't going to fit your play style. If you are picking the cards, then there's a good chance the deck is going to be fun for you!
- The Building Process
Why start with so many cards? Because it's relatively easy to cut cards you don't like or don't want. Also starting with 400 cards and cutting down to 60 (not including land), ensures that you get everything you need (but maybe not everything you want) into the deck. Also I find it preferable to finding yourself a few cards short, and attempting to fill those slots with miscellaneous commons you have lying around that quite possibly aren't going to work for your game plan or be syngeristic with the rest of your deck. Worst case scenario they might even work against you. Whereas if you find such cards in your stack of 400, you can simply cut them from consideration, or swap them out for cards you've already cut - but are better than junk.
- Sort your cards
You need to know what you have, before you can get building. I highly suggest sorting all your cards by color and card type. This gives you an idea of what resources your dealing with. It allows you to review your card choices, revise your overall game plan, find patterns, recognize cards that are going to make just about any cut, etc.
The only cards you should cut at this point are those that you have more than one copy of (a no-no for Commander).
Here I have my collection of cards for Zur spread out in front of me. The first row is Non-basic land, then Enchantments by color. The second row is the Commander (Zur), then auras by color. The third row is non-aura, non-creatures by color. The last row is creatures by color.
Slightly more dramatically the stacks are photographed here (left to right) as: Non-basic lands, Enchantments, Auras, Artifacts, Other spells (instants, sorceries, planeswalkers), and creatures.
- The First Cut
Well, the deck cannot come together unless we start to cut cards. I take time to look at each pile that I've made. Within each card type I sort the cards further. Cards that seem really good or fun go into one pile. Cards that seem strong or interesting go into another. Marginal cards go into a third, and cards that I just plain don't like go in a fourth.
Let's not mince words. Your goal here is to cut cards. You should be as brutal as you dare. I typically scoop up the weaker two piles and return them to the box. Culling close to half of my selection in the first or second go-arround.
First cut complete. Looking at the box of 'cut' cards it looks like I managed somewhere below half, but not by much. Not a bad thing.
- Creatures
Creatures are very important to any Commander deck, as they represent the Aggro part of any deck's strategy. Creatures can slowly and incrementally win you just about any game by attacking. Thus any deck should have a few big fat creatures that can win the game conventionally. It's also a good idea to invest some card slots in creatures that have utility functions like fetching land, killing other creatures, destroying pesky permanents (like artifacts or enchantments), and so forth. This is true even if your game plan is to control & combo.
I mentioned "Card slots" there. Let me explain a bit. A commander deck has to be exactly 100 cards. No more, and no less. So when you commit yourself to running a specific card, you've locked that in. By deciding that Zur wants about 20 creatures, and cutting my pile of creatures down to 20 cards, I've not only consumed 20 of my 100 cards total, but I've consumed 20 of my 20 creature cards total.
My 20 creatures, sorted by casting cost ... for now.
- Cut and Cut some more!
This is a process you repeat and repeat again for each stack. Each time you pick up a stack, you try to cut more cards. You distill the piles of junk into stacks of cards that (1) work with your strategy, (2) work synergistically with your other cards, and (3) you really _really_ like!
This picture I snapped somewhere around my 5th or 6th attempt to cut cards. At this point in time I still had 70-some odd cards on the table, and had to cut another 10-15 to pair it down to my final 60. Why 60? Because you need to run Land, and 40 percent is about right for a Commander deck whose spells typically peak in the 3-5 range, and go up to 10. Also keep in mind that I have limited mana-ramping in my chosen colors.
It goes without saying that each time you go back to cut cards, it's going to be more difficult. You may end up revising exactly how many cards your setting aside for creatures, for example. To make more space for say ... enchantments. Which is something I did for Zur.
It might also help to sort your cards using different Criteria. Sorting them by mana cost is something I like to do when I only have a few cards left to cut. I look for mana costs that have a lot of cards at that cost. I then look at all the cards that cost the same, and try to cut a card or two that aren't worth the mana investment compared to other cards of the same cost. I'm particularly critical of spells costing six or more. With that kind of mana investment I should get something that's going to significantly impact the game.
Some more Zur cards, sorted by cost.
You may also want to sort by color. In a multi-color deck like the one I'm building this helps identify if your relying on one color too heavily, or ignoring another.
Looks like it could be a case of too much white, not enough black?
After agonizing over card choices for a while, you eventually settle on a stack that you feel is playable. I ended up with ... 19 Creatures, 11 Other spells, 15 Auras, and 15 Enchantments. Yeah that's 30 total enchantments, but you have to remember that I am building around Zur. Incedentally 20 of those enchantments are casting cost 3 or less, and thus suitable fetches for Zur's ability.
- Mana Balance.
Land is vital to the performance of the deck. The key to figuring out what kind of land you want to run is figuring out what colors your deck is. I know you know what colors your deck is, but the trick is to run land in the right proportion. This is of course a moot point if you happen to be running a mono-colored deck. It's less of a concern for two-color decks, but I would still recommend this process for them. I find it absolutely necessary to do this for 3-5 color decks of any style.
I've worked out an algorithm that works for me and I use for nearly all my magic decks.
(1) Count the number of mana symbols on each card.
I do this step with pen and paper. Using tally marks to mark how many mana symbols of each color appears on each card. I include mana symbols that appear in rules text also. Hybrid symbols count as both colors. Thus Debtors' Knell adds both 3 white and 3 black tallies to my sheet.
Debtors' Knell
(2) Total the number of symbols in each color, and Total mana symbols overall.
For Zur I had 55 white symbols, 30 blue, and 29 black, the deck has a total of 114 mana symbols.
(3) Find the percent of each color in your deck.
This is the number of symbols in a specific color divided by the total symbols in the deck.
(decimals used for accuracy)
White = 55 / 114 = 48.24%
Blue = 30 / 114 = 26.31%
Black = 29 / 114 = 25.43%
(4) Figure out how many land slots your running.
Zur was going to be running 40 land, but I had 20 non-basics to deal with first. Looking at my non-basics I found 14 that I could effectively ignore because they were colorless, any color, or completed sets of multicolor lands (Ravnica bounce and Lorwyn filters). This leaves me with 26 land slots to fill. Note that 6 of these slots will be filled by my remaining 6 non-basics.
(5) Find the number of mana sources you need of each color.
(Land slots multiplied by the percent of the deck in the color your working with above).
White = 26 x .4824 = 12.54 White sources
Blue = 26 x .2631 = 6.84 Blue sources
Black = 26 x .25.43 = 6.61 Black Sources
(6) Get your Basics.
I substituted 2 plains for a Serra's Sanctum and a Celestial Colonnade from my remaining stack of non-basics, and added 10 Plains. (12 Sources).
I substituted 2 Islands for a Faerie Conclave, and Creeping Tar Pit, and grabbed 5 Islands (7 Sources).
I substituted 2 Swamps for a Bojuka Bog and Dreadship Reef, and grabbed 5 Swamps (7 Sources).
Congratulations, you are now ready to sleeve up your deck and give it a test or two.
Um, please use sleeves. You spent all that time and money making this deck, give it some respect. Plus I cringe when I see people shuffle up without them.
If you've never built a Commander deck before, it kinda goes without saying that your going to need cards to build with. Even someone like myself who's a big fan of the format with multiple decks under my belt, goes out of their way to acquire cards when attempting to build a new Commander deck.
You're going to need a lot of cards.
Ok, maybe not that many. Although you can build with every card ever printed, remember the limitations of the Commander format. You have to stay in-color with your chosen Commander, you can only run one copy of any given card. You can also start picking your effects now. Running black, but creatures not a big part of your game plan? Don't grab Raise Dead or similar effects. Also low cost creatures (without abilities) are dead draws in Commander as a format
Ah, that's more like it. This is where my last 2 Commander decks started. As approximately 400 loose cards. It took me roughly 4 months to accumulate the selection you see before you by trading with other players, as well as with my FLGS (friendly local gaming store). I spend a good deal of store credit and some cash both locally and online to get this selection of cards to build from.
I want to say that it's OK to have a list of specific Cards that you want to see in your deck. I strongly urge beginners to not build complete deck lists that they see online. Often these lists include expensive singles and aren't going to fit your play style. If you are picking the cards, then there's a good chance the deck is going to be fun for you!
- The Building Process
Why start with so many cards? Because it's relatively easy to cut cards you don't like or don't want. Also starting with 400 cards and cutting down to 60 (not including land), ensures that you get everything you need (but maybe not everything you want) into the deck. Also I find it preferable to finding yourself a few cards short, and attempting to fill those slots with miscellaneous commons you have lying around that quite possibly aren't going to work for your game plan or be syngeristic with the rest of your deck. Worst case scenario they might even work against you. Whereas if you find such cards in your stack of 400, you can simply cut them from consideration, or swap them out for cards you've already cut - but are better than junk.
- Sort your cards
You need to know what you have, before you can get building. I highly suggest sorting all your cards by color and card type. This gives you an idea of what resources your dealing with. It allows you to review your card choices, revise your overall game plan, find patterns, recognize cards that are going to make just about any cut, etc.
The only cards you should cut at this point are those that you have more than one copy of (a no-no for Commander).
Here I have my collection of cards for Zur spread out in front of me. The first row is Non-basic land, then Enchantments by color. The second row is the Commander (Zur), then auras by color. The third row is non-aura, non-creatures by color. The last row is creatures by color.
Slightly more dramatically the stacks are photographed here (left to right) as: Non-basic lands, Enchantments, Auras, Artifacts, Other spells (instants, sorceries, planeswalkers), and creatures.
- The First Cut
Well, the deck cannot come together unless we start to cut cards. I take time to look at each pile that I've made. Within each card type I sort the cards further. Cards that seem really good or fun go into one pile. Cards that seem strong or interesting go into another. Marginal cards go into a third, and cards that I just plain don't like go in a fourth.
Let's not mince words. Your goal here is to cut cards. You should be as brutal as you dare. I typically scoop up the weaker two piles and return them to the box. Culling close to half of my selection in the first or second go-arround.
First cut complete. Looking at the box of 'cut' cards it looks like I managed somewhere below half, but not by much. Not a bad thing.
- Creatures
Creatures are very important to any Commander deck, as they represent the Aggro part of any deck's strategy. Creatures can slowly and incrementally win you just about any game by attacking. Thus any deck should have a few big fat creatures that can win the game conventionally. It's also a good idea to invest some card slots in creatures that have utility functions like fetching land, killing other creatures, destroying pesky permanents (like artifacts or enchantments), and so forth. This is true even if your game plan is to control & combo.
I mentioned "Card slots" there. Let me explain a bit. A commander deck has to be exactly 100 cards. No more, and no less. So when you commit yourself to running a specific card, you've locked that in. By deciding that Zur wants about 20 creatures, and cutting my pile of creatures down to 20 cards, I've not only consumed 20 of my 100 cards total, but I've consumed 20 of my 20 creature cards total.
My 20 creatures, sorted by casting cost ... for now.
- Cut and Cut some more!
This is a process you repeat and repeat again for each stack. Each time you pick up a stack, you try to cut more cards. You distill the piles of junk into stacks of cards that (1) work with your strategy, (2) work synergistically with your other cards, and (3) you really _really_ like!
This picture I snapped somewhere around my 5th or 6th attempt to cut cards. At this point in time I still had 70-some odd cards on the table, and had to cut another 10-15 to pair it down to my final 60. Why 60? Because you need to run Land, and 40 percent is about right for a Commander deck whose spells typically peak in the 3-5 range, and go up to 10. Also keep in mind that I have limited mana-ramping in my chosen colors.
It goes without saying that each time you go back to cut cards, it's going to be more difficult. You may end up revising exactly how many cards your setting aside for creatures, for example. To make more space for say ... enchantments. Which is something I did for Zur.
It might also help to sort your cards using different Criteria. Sorting them by mana cost is something I like to do when I only have a few cards left to cut. I look for mana costs that have a lot of cards at that cost. I then look at all the cards that cost the same, and try to cut a card or two that aren't worth the mana investment compared to other cards of the same cost. I'm particularly critical of spells costing six or more. With that kind of mana investment I should get something that's going to significantly impact the game.
Some more Zur cards, sorted by cost.
You may also want to sort by color. In a multi-color deck like the one I'm building this helps identify if your relying on one color too heavily, or ignoring another.
Looks like it could be a case of too much white, not enough black?
After agonizing over card choices for a while, you eventually settle on a stack that you feel is playable. I ended up with ... 19 Creatures, 11 Other spells, 15 Auras, and 15 Enchantments. Yeah that's 30 total enchantments, but you have to remember that I am building around Zur. Incedentally 20 of those enchantments are casting cost 3 or less, and thus suitable fetches for Zur's ability.
- Mana Balance.
Land is vital to the performance of the deck. The key to figuring out what kind of land you want to run is figuring out what colors your deck is. I know you know what colors your deck is, but the trick is to run land in the right proportion. This is of course a moot point if you happen to be running a mono-colored deck. It's less of a concern for two-color decks, but I would still recommend this process for them. I find it absolutely necessary to do this for 3-5 color decks of any style.
I've worked out an algorithm that works for me and I use for nearly all my magic decks.
(1) Count the number of mana symbols on each card.
I do this step with pen and paper. Using tally marks to mark how many mana symbols of each color appears on each card. I include mana symbols that appear in rules text also. Hybrid symbols count as both colors. Thus Debtors' Knell adds both 3 white and 3 black tallies to my sheet.
Debtors' Knell
(2) Total the number of symbols in each color, and Total mana symbols overall.
For Zur I had 55 white symbols, 30 blue, and 29 black, the deck has a total of 114 mana symbols.
(3) Find the percent of each color in your deck.
This is the number of symbols in a specific color divided by the total symbols in the deck.
(decimals used for accuracy)
White = 55 / 114 = 48.24%
Blue = 30 / 114 = 26.31%
Black = 29 / 114 = 25.43%
(4) Figure out how many land slots your running.
Zur was going to be running 40 land, but I had 20 non-basics to deal with first. Looking at my non-basics I found 14 that I could effectively ignore because they were colorless, any color, or completed sets of multicolor lands (Ravnica bounce and Lorwyn filters). This leaves me with 26 land slots to fill. Note that 6 of these slots will be filled by my remaining 6 non-basics.
(5) Find the number of mana sources you need of each color.
(Land slots multiplied by the percent of the deck in the color your working with above).
White = 26 x .4824 = 12.54 White sources
Blue = 26 x .2631 = 6.84 Blue sources
Black = 26 x .25.43 = 6.61 Black Sources
(6) Get your Basics.
I substituted 2 plains for a Serra's Sanctum and a Celestial Colonnade from my remaining stack of non-basics, and added 10 Plains. (12 Sources).
I substituted 2 Islands for a Faerie Conclave, and Creeping Tar Pit, and grabbed 5 Islands (7 Sources).
I substituted 2 Swamps for a Bojuka Bog and Dreadship Reef, and grabbed 5 Swamps (7 Sources).
Congratulations, you are now ready to sleeve up your deck and give it a test or two.
Um, please use sleeves. You spent all that time and money making this deck, give it some respect. Plus I cringe when I see people shuffle up without them.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Magic Events for March, April
Magic: The Gathering
Events
WPN March Events
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays, March 1,8,15,22,29th 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays, March 4,11,25th 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic-Draft: Here, you rule. Join us for our monthly Draft. We will be drafting the newest set, Mirrodin Besieged. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, March 18th. 5:30-9:00pm
Mirrodin Besieged Game Day: Experience the power of play. Standard constructed. Exclusive promos to be handed out to all participants and additional promos to be handed out to the top 8 finishers. Here you Rule! $10.00 entry. Prizes based on attendance. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Sat March 5th 12:00 noon-9:00pm
Commander Event: Participate in the most awesome format ever. Elder Dragon Highlander AKA Commander. 100card singleton commander format. Multi-player with victory points. $10.00 entry. Prizes to be distributed as store credit.
Tues, March 8th 4:00pm-9:00pm
COSCON; Magic Super Standard: Here, you rule. Magic the Gathering returns to COSCON with a massive standard constructed tournament. To occur at Butler Days Inn at 139 Pittsburgh Road. DCI sanctioned. $15.00 entry fee. Massive 5 packs of prize to be distributed per entry makes this a high-prize event. Also sanctioned 8-man drafts to occur alongside this main event. Sponsored by New Dimension Comics of Butler. Hosted by Dan Regewitz. 11:00am registration begins.
Sunday 20th: 11:00am -5:00pm
WPN April Events
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays: 5,12,19,26; 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 8,22,29; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
FNM; Two-Headed Giant: Totally not a joke. Enjoy a change of pace with a Two-Headed Sealed event. Each team of 2 will receive 8 packs of Scars/Besieged product. Entry $16.00 per player or $32.00 per team. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! FNM and other promos offered as random door prizes. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, April 1st, 5:00-9:00pm.
Commander Event: Participate in the most awesome format ever. Elder Dragon Highlander AKA Commander. 100card singleton commander format. Multi-player with victory points. $10.00 entry. Prizes to be distributed as store credit.
Tues, April 5th 4:00pm-9:00pm
Future Events
2011-05-07 -Action Prerelease (sealed)
2011-05-07 -Action Prerelease Side (draft)
2011-05-13 -Action Launch (draft)
2011-06-11 -Action Game Gay (standard)
Events
WPN March Events
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays, March 1,8,15,22,29th 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays, March 4,11,25th 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic-Draft: Here, you rule. Join us for our monthly Draft. We will be drafting the newest set, Mirrodin Besieged. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, March 18th. 5:30-9:00pm
Mirrodin Besieged Game Day: Experience the power of play. Standard constructed. Exclusive promos to be handed out to all participants and additional promos to be handed out to the top 8 finishers. Here you Rule! $10.00 entry. Prizes based on attendance. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Sat March 5th 12:00 noon-9:00pm
Commander Event: Participate in the most awesome format ever. Elder Dragon Highlander AKA Commander. 100card singleton commander format. Multi-player with victory points. $10.00 entry. Prizes to be distributed as store credit.
Tues, March 8th 4:00pm-9:00pm
COSCON; Magic Super Standard: Here, you rule. Magic the Gathering returns to COSCON with a massive standard constructed tournament. To occur at Butler Days Inn at 139 Pittsburgh Road. DCI sanctioned. $15.00 entry fee. Massive 5 packs of prize to be distributed per entry makes this a high-prize event. Also sanctioned 8-man drafts to occur alongside this main event. Sponsored by New Dimension Comics of Butler. Hosted by Dan Regewitz. 11:00am registration begins.
Sunday 20th: 11:00am -5:00pm
WPN April Events
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays: 5,12,19,26; 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 8,22,29; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
FNM; Two-Headed Giant: Totally not a joke. Enjoy a change of pace with a Two-Headed Sealed event. Each team of 2 will receive 8 packs of Scars/Besieged product. Entry $16.00 per player or $32.00 per team. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! FNM and other promos offered as random door prizes. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, April 1st, 5:00-9:00pm.
Commander Event: Participate in the most awesome format ever. Elder Dragon Highlander AKA Commander. 100card singleton commander format. Multi-player with victory points. $10.00 entry. Prizes to be distributed as store credit.
Tues, April 5th 4:00pm-9:00pm
Future Events
2011-05-07 -Action Prerelease (sealed)
2011-05-07 -Action Prerelease Side (draft)
2011-05-13 -Action Launch (draft)
2011-06-11 -Action Game Gay (standard)
Monday, January 31, 2011
WPN events Feb and March!
= WPN Events Feb and March
= Monday, January 31st, 2011
We are coming out of hibernation with a packed schedule for the next two months. Highlights include not one but two high-prize events, a commander event, and would you believe two-headed giant sealed deck?
Magic: The Gathering
Events
WPN Feb Events
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 1,8,15,22; 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 11,25; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Friday Night Magic-Draft: Here, you rule. Join us for our monthly Draft. We will be drafting the newest set, Mirrodin Besieged. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 18; 5:30-9:00pm
Mirrodin Besieged Launch!: Celebrate the official launch of the Magic set Mirrodin Besieged in this Draft event. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 4th; 5:30-9:00pm.
High Prize Event: As part of the festivities of our newly re-instated Butler-Con, NDC Butler will be hosting a High Prize Event. Standard Constructed. $15 entry. 5 packs of distributed prize per entry! DCI sanctioned, Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Sun: 13th 12:00noon-5:00pm.
WPN March Events
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays, March 1,8,15,22,29th 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays, March 4,11,25th 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic-Draft: Here, you rule. Join us for our monthly Draft. We will be drafting the newest set, Mirrodin Besieged. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, March 18th. 5:30-9:00pm
Mirrodin Besieged Game Day: Experience the power of play. Standard constructed. Exclusive promos to be handed out to all participants and additional promos to be handed out to the top 8 finishers. Here you Rule! $10.00 entry. Prizes based on attendance. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Sat March 5th 12:00 noon-9:00pm
Commander Event: Participate in the most awesome format ever. Elder Dragon Highlander AKA Commander. 100card singleton commander format. Multi-player with victory points. $10.00 entry. Prizes to be distributed as store credit.
Tues, March 8th 4:00pm-9:00pm
COSCON; Magic Super Standard: Here, you rule. Magic the Gathering returns to COSCON with a massive standard constructed tournament. To occur at Butler Days Inn at 139 Pittsburgh Road. DCI sanctioned. $15.00 entry fee. Massive 5 packs of prize to be distributed per entry makes this a high-prize event. Also sanctioned 8-man drafts to occur alongside this main event. Sponsored by New Dimension Comics of Butler. Hosted by Dan Regewitz. 11:00am registration begins.
Sunday 20th: 11:00am -5:00pm
Future Events
Friday, April 1st - Friday Night Magic; two-headed giant sealed deck!?
= Monday, January 31st, 2011
We are coming out of hibernation with a packed schedule for the next two months. Highlights include not one but two high-prize events, a commander event, and would you believe two-headed giant sealed deck?
Magic: The Gathering
Events
WPN Feb Events
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 1,8,15,22; 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 11,25; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Friday Night Magic-Draft: Here, you rule. Join us for our monthly Draft. We will be drafting the newest set, Mirrodin Besieged. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 18; 5:30-9:00pm
Mirrodin Besieged Launch!: Celebrate the official launch of the Magic set Mirrodin Besieged in this Draft event. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 4th; 5:30-9:00pm.
High Prize Event: As part of the festivities of our newly re-instated Butler-Con, NDC Butler will be hosting a High Prize Event. Standard Constructed. $15 entry. 5 packs of distributed prize per entry! DCI sanctioned, Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Sun: 13th 12:00noon-5:00pm.
WPN March Events
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays, March 1,8,15,22,29th 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays, March 4,11,25th 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic-Draft: Here, you rule. Join us for our monthly Draft. We will be drafting the newest set, Mirrodin Besieged. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, March 18th. 5:30-9:00pm
Mirrodin Besieged Game Day: Experience the power of play. Standard constructed. Exclusive promos to be handed out to all participants and additional promos to be handed out to the top 8 finishers. Here you Rule! $10.00 entry. Prizes based on attendance. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Sat March 5th 12:00 noon-9:00pm
Commander Event: Participate in the most awesome format ever. Elder Dragon Highlander AKA Commander. 100card singleton commander format. Multi-player with victory points. $10.00 entry. Prizes to be distributed as store credit.
Tues, March 8th 4:00pm-9:00pm
COSCON; Magic Super Standard: Here, you rule. Magic the Gathering returns to COSCON with a massive standard constructed tournament. To occur at Butler Days Inn at 139 Pittsburgh Road. DCI sanctioned. $15.00 entry fee. Massive 5 packs of prize to be distributed per entry makes this a high-prize event. Also sanctioned 8-man drafts to occur alongside this main event. Sponsored by New Dimension Comics of Butler. Hosted by Dan Regewitz. 11:00am registration begins.
Sunday 20th: 11:00am -5:00pm
Future Events
Friday, April 1st - Friday Night Magic; two-headed giant sealed deck!?
Monday, October 11, 2010
WPN November Events
= WPN November Events
= October 11th, 2010
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 2,9,16,23,30. 6:00pm.
Two Headed Giant! - 16th
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 5,12,26. 5:30pm.
Friday Night Magic - Draft: Join us for our monthly draft. We expect to draft Scars of Mirrodin. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 19th. 5:30pm.
Magic: Elder Dragon Highlander Tournament. 100 card singleton multiplayer madness. Using diplomacy option. List of banned cards to be posted in shop (closely represents legacy). Be present before the start time to allow for two rounds. $7.00 entry. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Tuesday: 30th. 4:00pm.
= October 11th, 2010
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 2,9,16,23,30. 6:00pm.
Two Headed Giant! - 16th
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 5,12,26. 5:30pm.
Friday Night Magic - Draft: Join us for our monthly draft. We expect to draft Scars of Mirrodin. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 19th. 5:30pm.
Magic: Elder Dragon Highlander Tournament. 100 card singleton multiplayer madness. Using diplomacy option. List of banned cards to be posted in shop (closely represents legacy). Be present before the start time to allow for two rounds. $7.00 entry. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Tuesday: 30th. 4:00pm.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Announcing September Events
= Announcing September Events
= Sun, Aug 1st, 2010
This summer continues to be awesome in terms of Magic events both large and small. Personally I've been keeping an eye on the live coverage of Grand Prix Colombus!
Here at NDC Butler I still have to look forward to our Magic Game day, and the Butler Gathering tournament.
Not to overshadow the events that are still to occur in August, but I've worked out my schedule of events for September - just because I like being that organized. And I must say that we continue to deliver the awesome not only with strong regular events like casual plays and FNMs, but with the pre-release of Scars of Mirrodin rolling out at the end of the month. Check out the descriptions below, and I hope to see you all around!
WPN September Events
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 7,14,21,28 ; 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 3,10,24. 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic - Draft: Join us for our monthly draft. We expect to draft M11 core set. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 17 5:30-9:00pm
Scars of Mirrodin - Prerelease!: Return to the plane of artifacts with newest set of Magic. $30.00 entry to participate in this DCI sanctioned sealed deck pre-release. Open dueling available. Draft to follow main event ($16.00 entry).
Saturday, 25th 10:30am registration. Tournament begins at 1:00. Draft 6:00-9:00
Scars of Mirrodin - Launch!: Come celebrate the official release of Scars of Mirrodin with a DCI sanctioned Draft. $16.00 entry. Prizes based on attendance. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, October 1st - 5:30-9:00pm.
===
Star Wars Minis
Star Wars Minis - 150pt Constructed Tournament. Pick your best faction and come ready to play. $6.50 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Monday: 16; 5:30-9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis: Free Play. Players of all levels welcome. Come experiment with Star Wars Minis. Build squads, battle, trade, and talk Star Wars.
Monday: 9,23,30; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
=== New Event for NDC butler!
Board Game Night
Are you a fan of board games or non-collectable card games? Do you have games sitting in your house that you enjoy but rarely get to play? If so then you are welcome to come down to NDC butler and share some of your favorite games with other like-minded gamers.
Mondays: 2,23,30th 5:00-9:00pm.
= Sun, Aug 1st, 2010
This summer continues to be awesome in terms of Magic events both large and small. Personally I've been keeping an eye on the live coverage of Grand Prix Colombus!
Here at NDC Butler I still have to look forward to our Magic Game day, and the Butler Gathering tournament.
Not to overshadow the events that are still to occur in August, but I've worked out my schedule of events for September - just because I like being that organized. And I must say that we continue to deliver the awesome not only with strong regular events like casual plays and FNMs, but with the pre-release of Scars of Mirrodin rolling out at the end of the month. Check out the descriptions below, and I hope to see you all around!
WPN September Events
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 7,14,21,28 ; 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 3,10,24. 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic - Draft: Join us for our monthly draft. We expect to draft M11 core set. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 17 5:30-9:00pm
Scars of Mirrodin - Prerelease!: Return to the plane of artifacts with newest set of Magic. $30.00 entry to participate in this DCI sanctioned sealed deck pre-release. Open dueling available. Draft to follow main event ($16.00 entry).
Saturday, 25th 10:30am registration. Tournament begins at 1:00. Draft 6:00-9:00
Scars of Mirrodin - Launch!: Come celebrate the official release of Scars of Mirrodin with a DCI sanctioned Draft. $16.00 entry. Prizes based on attendance. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, October 1st - 5:30-9:00pm.
===
Star Wars Minis
Star Wars Minis - 150pt Constructed Tournament. Pick your best faction and come ready to play. $6.50 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Monday: 16; 5:30-9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis: Free Play. Players of all levels welcome. Come experiment with Star Wars Minis. Build squads, battle, trade, and talk Star Wars.
Monday: 9,23,30; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
=== New Event for NDC butler!
Board Game Night
Are you a fan of board games or non-collectable card games? Do you have games sitting in your house that you enjoy but rarely get to play? If so then you are welcome to come down to NDC butler and share some of your favorite games with other like-minded gamers.
Mondays: 2,23,30th 5:00-9:00pm.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Butler Gathering Magic Tournament
= Butler Gathering Magic Tournament
= 7/5/2010
When: Sunday, August 22nd, 10:00am
Where: Ghost Riders II, Butler PA
Format: Two events, singles and blind partners
Legality: Vintage
Prizes: A booster box of cards for each event, plus gift cards for 2nd and 3rd place in each event.
Entrance Fee: $25 (includes entry into both events, plus 2 drinks and 1 snack from on-site snack bar).
Please contact: facebook.com/ButlerGathering for additonal information.
Please note: My workplace (New Dimension Comics: Butler) is acting as a sponsor for this event, so I'm posting it here. I'll be there, but probably as a vendor.
= 7/5/2010
When: Sunday, August 22nd, 10:00am
Where: Ghost Riders II, Butler PA
Format: Two events, singles and blind partners
Legality: Vintage
Prizes: A booster box of cards for each event, plus gift cards for 2nd and 3rd place in each event.
Entrance Fee: $25 (includes entry into both events, plus 2 drinks and 1 snack from on-site snack bar).
Please contact: facebook.com/ButlerGathering for additonal information.
Please note: My workplace (New Dimension Comics: Butler) is acting as a sponsor for this event, so I'm posting it here. I'll be there, but probably as a vendor.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
WPN August Events
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 3,9,16,23,30; 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 6,13,27. 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic - Draft: Join us for our monthly draft. We expect to draft M11 core set. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 20th 5:30-9:00pm
===
Star Wars Minis
Star Wars Minis - 150pt Constructed Tournament. Pick your best faction and come ready to play. $6.50 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Monday: 16; 5:30-9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis: Free Play. Players of all levels welcome. Come experiment with Star Wars Minis. Build squads, battle, trade, and talk Star Wars.
Monday: 9,23,30; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
=== New Event for NDC butler!
Board Game Night
Are you a fan of board games or non-collectable card games? Do you have games sitting in your house that you enjoy but rarely get to play? If so then you are welcome to come down to NDC butler and share some of your favorite games with other like-minded gamers.
Mondays: 2,23,30th 5:00-9:00pm.
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome. Also frequently run odd formats such as planechase, archenemy, EDH, emperor, multiplayer, etc.
Tuesdays: 3,9,16,23,30; 6:00-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 6,13,27. 5:30-9:00pm
Friday Night Magic - Draft: Join us for our monthly draft. We expect to draft M11 core set. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday: 20th 5:30-9:00pm
===
Star Wars Minis
Star Wars Minis - 150pt Constructed Tournament. Pick your best faction and come ready to play. $6.50 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Monday: 16; 5:30-9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis: Free Play. Players of all levels welcome. Come experiment with Star Wars Minis. Build squads, battle, trade, and talk Star Wars.
Monday: 9,23,30; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
=== New Event for NDC butler!
Board Game Night
Are you a fan of board games or non-collectable card games? Do you have games sitting in your house that you enjoy but rarely get to play? If so then you are welcome to come down to NDC butler and share some of your favorite games with other like-minded gamers.
Mondays: 2,23,30th 5:00-9:00pm.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
WPN event schedule - June
= WPN event schedule - June
= Sun, May 2nd 2010
WPN June Events
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays: 1,8,15,22,29
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 4,11,25; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Rise of Eldrazi Draft event. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 18; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Magic Tournament: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed. $5.00 entry. Note that this event will take place at NDC in cranberry. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Mondays: 21 6:00-9:00pm
Archenemy Release Event: This new multiplayer format is focused on an "all vs one" setup. Come to experiment and enjoy this new exciting casual format. Free to participate. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, Jun 18th
===
Star Wars Minis
Star Wars Minis - 150pt Constructed Tournament. Pick your best faction and come ready to play. $6.50 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Monday: 28; 5:30-9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis - Option Play. Details TBA
Monday: 14; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis: Free Play. Players of all levels welcome. Come experiment with Star Wars Minis. Build squads, battle, trade, and talk Star Wars.
Monday: 7,21; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
= Sun, May 2nd 2010
WPN June Events
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering: Casual Play: Here, you rule. Come to play, trade, or build decks for Magic: the Gathering. Decks available for use. New Players Welcome.
Tuesdays: 1,8,15,22,29
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed event. $7.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 4,11,25; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Friday Night Magic: Here, you rule. Rise of Eldrazi Draft event. $16.00 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Fridays: 18; 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Magic Tournament: Here, you rule. Standard type 2 constructed. $5.00 entry. Note that this event will take place at NDC in cranberry. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Mondays: 21 6:00-9:00pm
Archenemy Release Event: This new multiplayer format is focused on an "all vs one" setup. Come to experiment and enjoy this new exciting casual format. Free to participate. Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Friday, Jun 18th
===
Star Wars Minis
Star Wars Minis - 150pt Constructed Tournament. Pick your best faction and come ready to play. $6.50 entry. DCI sanctioned w/ prize support! Hosted by Dan Regewitz.
Monday: 28; 5:30-9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis - Option Play. Details TBA
Monday: 14; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
Star Wars Minis: Free Play. Players of all levels welcome. Come experiment with Star Wars Minis. Build squads, battle, trade, and talk Star Wars.
Monday: 7,21; 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
Friday, April 30, 2010
= Myojin of Life's Web and Sudden Spoiling
= Myojin of Life's Web and Sudden Spoiling
= Friday, April 30th 2010
The following occurred in a casual Elder Dragon Highlander game with 4 players. At that time I made a rules call concerning this interaction that was incorrect. Here is the correct call.
Situation:
Player A has a Myojin of Life's Web in play with a divinity counter on it. They choose to attack Player B. Player B casts Sudden Spoiling.
Question:
Does Myojin manage to keep indestructable?
Answer:
No.
Reasoning:
The text "Myojin of Life's Web is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it." is an ability, and thus Myojin does not have it when Sudden Spoiling resovles. Although the divinity counter does remain on the creature - it has no function.
Reference:
CR 112.11. An effect that sets an object’s characteristic, or simply states a quality of that object, is different from an ability granted by an effect. When an object “gains” or “has” an ability, that ability can be removed by another effect. If an effect defines a characteristic of the object (“[permanent] is [characteristic value]”), it’s not granting an ability. (See rule 604.3.) Similarly, if an effect states a quality of that object (“[permanent]” is indestructible” or “[creature] is unblockable,” for example), it’s neither granting an ability nor setting a characteristic. (See rules 700.4 and 700.5.)
700.4a Although the text “[This permanent] is indestructible” is an ability, actually being indestructible is neither an ability nor a characteristic. It’s just something that’s true about a permanent.
Myojin of Life's Web
6GGG
Legendary Creature — Spirit
Card Text:
Myojin of Life's Web enters the battlefield with a divinity counter on it if you cast it from your hand.
Myojin of Life's Web is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
Remove a divinity counter from Myojin of Life's Web: Put any number of creature cards from your hand onto the battlefield.
Sudden Spoiling
1BB
Instant
Card Text:
Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.)
Creatures target player controls become 0/2 and lose all abilities until end of turn.
-Dan R.
= Friday, April 30th 2010
The following occurred in a casual Elder Dragon Highlander game with 4 players. At that time I made a rules call concerning this interaction that was incorrect. Here is the correct call.
Situation:
Player A has a Myojin of Life's Web in play with a divinity counter on it. They choose to attack Player B. Player B casts Sudden Spoiling.
Question:
Does Myojin manage to keep indestructable?
Answer:
No.
Reasoning:
The text "Myojin of Life's Web is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it." is an ability, and thus Myojin does not have it when Sudden Spoiling resovles. Although the divinity counter does remain on the creature - it has no function.
Reference:
CR 112.11. An effect that sets an object’s characteristic, or simply states a quality of that object, is different from an ability granted by an effect. When an object “gains” or “has” an ability, that ability can be removed by another effect. If an effect defines a characteristic of the object (“[permanent] is [characteristic value]”), it’s not granting an ability. (See rule 604.3.) Similarly, if an effect states a quality of that object (“[permanent]” is indestructible” or “[creature] is unblockable,” for example), it’s neither granting an ability nor setting a characteristic. (See rules 700.4 and 700.5.)
700.4a Although the text “[This permanent] is indestructible” is an ability, actually being indestructible is neither an ability nor a characteristic. It’s just something that’s true about a permanent.
Myojin of Life's Web
6GGG
Legendary Creature — Spirit
Card Text:
Myojin of Life's Web enters the battlefield with a divinity counter on it if you cast it from your hand.
Myojin of Life's Web is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
Remove a divinity counter from Myojin of Life's Web: Put any number of creature cards from your hand onto the battlefield.
Sudden Spoiling
1BB
Instant
Card Text:
Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.)
Creatures target player controls become 0/2 and lose all abilities until end of turn.
-Dan R.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
MtG: Magic Free Play
= MtG: Magic Free Play
= Tuesday, September 8th.
I know I haven't written about our weekly Magic free play in a while, but that doesn't mean it's not happening. This week, for example we had a total of 10-11 people show up to simply play and enjoy the game. The other item of note is that a few people were playing plane chase, which is understandable given it's recent release. There was also some general discussion on what Zendikar holds for the future.
= Tuesday, September 8th.
I know I haven't written about our weekly Magic free play in a while, but that doesn't mean it's not happening. This week, for example we had a total of 10-11 people show up to simply play and enjoy the game. The other item of note is that a few people were playing plane chase, which is understandable given it's recent release. There was also some general discussion on what Zendikar holds for the future.
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