CCG Tradepost

Mirrodin Besieged available soon!

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 11:15:44 GMT

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I will be getting Mirrodin Besieged in the database VERY soon! Sorry for the delay!!!

Mox Pearl Extended Tournament

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:02:38 GMT

Hey everybody! Do you live in or around Minnesota? Or maybe want to take a road trip? Then here's your chance to win a booster box as well as a Mox Pearl! My buddy's store is giving you the opportunity to win both at their Extended Mox Tournament!

Tons of prizes including a signed Mox Pearl and a box of boosters to the Winner!

Every player gets a random Foil Promo!

When: October 30th 10:00am

Entry Fee: $25

Format: Extended

Where:

Fan Zone - Kandi Mall

1605 1st Street South

Willmar, MN

As a reminder, here is what's currently Extended legal:

- M10 / M11

- Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide

- Shards of Alara, Conflux, Alara Reborn

- Zendikar, Worldwake, Rise of the Eldrazi, and Scars of Mirrodin

For more information, check out the Facebook Event or call Fan Zone at (320) 222-ZONE

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161130513911967

Win a free Sword of Body and Mind!

For the sake of getting some word out, we would like to give one lucky person a free [card]Sword of Body and Mind[/card] for helping us out! all you have to do is rewteet the following on twitter:

"Come to the Mox Pearl Tournament in Willmar, Minnesota! http://bit.ly/a4tchD RT to win a #FreeSwordofBodyAndMind! "

Twitter Contest will end at 12:00pm 10/28/2010! Winner will be contacted on twitter and will requested to send a DM to @CCGTradepost.

See you there!

Tournament Play on a Budget

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:43:05 GMT

I created an article that was featured on 60cards.com about some more budget talk. If you don't already, I highly suggest keeping up with @Smi77y on 60cards. It's a great resource if you care about becoming a better and more competitive player.

A lot of Magic players are busy. “Real Life” comes along and ruins your Magic career. Personally, my week generally consists of work, teaching Tae Kwon Do, fixing my house, keeping my wife happy, and hanging out with friends that don’t play mtg. Being brutally honest, I probably only play 1-2 hours of MTG a week. Did you know there are 168 hours in a week? Naturally, I need to allocate my resources (aka money) in a similar fashion. I am not going to go out and purchase a playset of Jace because I simply do not think Iwould receive a worthy amount of play value out of them. Other things take priority.

Magic can get expensive fast. So with this setback, naturally, people will try and create a budget of some sort. Budgets are different for everyone. A budget can consist of everything from the traditional X amount of dollars per paycheck to keeping FNM winnings as store credit (if your store allows this) to plain ol’ living with what you got for cards. All of these are very honest approaches towards a healthy budget.

So if you are like me, you love playing at the kitchen table, but you also love playing tournaments such as FNM, PTQs, or whatever. They are exciting and excellent way to become a more advanced player. However, the price tag that comes with most “netdecks” is atrocious. This could be discouraging if you can’t*buy the cards. You need to get resourceful. I am going to analyze a few different opportunities that may help you discover a few options to work within a budget and keep up with the big dogs at the same time. This is not an article about how to win without netdecking and it’s not an article about making decks for under $50 and what-have-you. Read this article with the intention of playing top tier decks and having a hot tournament arsenal. All while keeping your wallet nice and fat.

* When I say “can’t”, I mean, you have more important priorities than purchasing a net deck. This could be taken a few ways, but it isn’t supposed to be a “screw you” to budget players or net deckers alike.

Trade Cards

Short of buying the cards; trading is possibly the most universally understood method of getting the cards you want. This method also gives you the means to actually make a profit with your collection (if you haven’t already, check out @mtgmetagame’s “Pack to Power” column on mananation.com). This could also prove to be useful on the day of the tournament if you still need to pick up a couple cards before the event starts. I would not suggest going to a tournament with an incomplete deck, however. We all have cards lying around that we don’t use. As for my personal collection, if it’s not in a deck, it’s up for trade. This keeps my binder forever current with T2 and gives me an influx of fresh cards to play with.

Define Your Color Spectrum

I have a modest collection, of which more than half of my tournament-playable cards are White and Green. I only have a few notable red or black cards. It’s my play style for the most part, but it also allows me to beef up the power in a smaller, more focused space. An example would be this: you have $50 to spend on any cards you want. Split between every color, you would have $10 a piece. You will probably end up with a few “fun cards” with little tournament application. If you focus on two colors, you just upped that dollar amount to $25 a color. $50 is a small number for that application but if you were to apply that mentality to your collection in general it could be profitable in value at future tournaments.

Define Personal Staples

I’m almost wrapped up with my fetchland collection. A good mana base is super important to me so a lot of my budget goes towards lands (and my friends know this. I’m the go-to guy for the lands). I also have my Birds, Knight of the Reliquary, Day of Judgment and a few other staples that I enjoy playing with regularly in a tournament setting. Most decks I have built have used one or all of these at any given moment. It makes me a little predictable at my local FNM, but they still get me good results.

Borrow

Yes, borrow. I feel the art of borrowing can get overlooked a great deal. It feels great owning cards but sometimes borrowing is a much more practical way of obtaining cards for the upcoming tournament. My playgroup is awesome at lending out cards to fellow players. During the last extended season I borrowed easily $500 worth from my group. It felt like an incredible responsibility to be taking care of such an investment. However, the responsibility was worth it since it allowed me to keep a good chunk of my pay check in my wallet. I love lending cards too. It feels great supporting friends (and living vicariously through their tournament play).

I would classify borrowing as a form of trading. Essentially, if you want to borrow cards you must also be open to lending your own. That or buy your buddy a meal, a couple boosters…do SOMETHING that will make them feel like it was worth entrusting you with their investment. They likely just saved you hundreds!

Substitute

I’m throwing it out on the table right now I do not like substituting win-cons in decks. First-this applies strictly to netdecking. Second-netdecks are good because scientists made them and every card has a reason. I frequent MTG related message boards quite a bit and my least favorite topic is, for example only, “I want to run Naya Shaman but I don’t own Vengevine, what’s the best substitute for it?!”. You could get into the specifics of maybe running Bloodghast or some other grave critter but as far as I am concerned, scrap the deck! Get ready to slam some dollars on the table because the deck is not playable withoutVengevine. (This is all speculative, but not far from a few discussions I’ve had about other notable decks and cards).

If you substitute a top dollar card for anything else make sure you understand why you are selecting the “other card” and have a good reason for substitution that is not for purposes of budget. You are playing in a tournament after all.

Proxy

No, don’t proxy cards for tournaments. However, it is a great idea to proxy what you don’t have before purchasing the card for tournament use. Sometimes a deck sounds good on paper, but in real life… not so much. I truly believe that’s why Wizards printed cards like Razor Boomerang; so that you can take a sharpie to the back of it. Proxy and playtest, then determine if it’s worth picking up the real McCoy.

Home Brew!

Home Brewing, I believe, is definitely worth trying if you are trying to stay within a budget. If you believe you have a firm grasp on the meta game, you can build around the top tier decks that are currently available. There are over two thousand cards in Standard alone. There is a TON of potential in unexplored opportunities. And a decent amount of them are capable of becoming competitive.

I’ve talked up my Kor Spiritdancer deck a good amount and I still feel it is up to snuff with a lot of top tier decks. It plays a lot of niche cards that I feel are really really good together. The great thing about niche cards is that they are usually in the $1-3 range. No budget busters there! Niche cards are also the ones with the greatest opportunity to gain value in tournament applications.

——————————————————————————

Ultimately, if you have some investment in Magic: The Gathering, I don’t think a budget should shape your play style, nor should it interfere with tournament results. Instead, you should be able to use your budget as a tool to maximize your collection’s playability. What you can’t buy, there’s plenty of opportunity in trades and borrowing, etc.

My Advice for My Noob Cousin

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:37:28 GMT

I found this in my inbox this morning from my cousin who just started college last week:

Subject: Magic Help

Hey Dan, so I'm at college and I began to realize that a ton of people play Magic the Gathering in Wyoming. I was wondering if you could help design a deck for me that i could kick ass with. I don't really know what I should look for in cards or card combos. Hope you can help because I'm tired of getting my ass kicked...

My response to him:

Alrighty. I'm going to provide you some links. If you really wanna get in, the links that I am about to provide will suck you in and get you more addicted to the game. To be able to really jump in you may be spending a few bucks. Get yourself a binder with some pages and be prepared to learn the art of hardcore trading. Drafting with your buddies might be a more affordable way to enjoy the game, though. If you wanna drop me a line sometime, I'll walk you through how you could probably get a regular draft situation going and even make a few bucks doing it. If you want to talk over the phone, let me know what time/day would work best for you and I'll get you up to speed.

I go to a site that we call "The Mothership" every single weekday. Read the Arcana and the Deck of the Day. That's where I get my favorite online decks. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Default.aspx The articles sometimes provide some good insight into the game, design, art, story, flavor, etc.

Check this one out: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/433

Oh, and this one was pretty cool, too: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptsj10/videomymagic

I have actually written some small articles on a new, up and coming site called ccgtradepost.com Explore the site! The concept is really cool and more people should be using it. mananation.com is operated by my buddy, Trick. He's a good guy with good people posting stuff to his awesome site. He's the reason I have my From the Vault: Relics set that I was VERY, VERY lucky to get. Scans of my cards hit the net long before the set's release. You can see those nice high-res scans at gatheringmagic.com Of course you can't forget all the latest and greatest spoilers coming out of mtgsalvation.com. Rumors galore, idle chit-chat, deck-banter, etc. can also be found there.

I often visit tcgplayer.com, however, be prepared to search their site endlessly. Without a link, their stuff is hard to find. I use Twitter and follow lots and lots of important people in the Magic community. They often provide some good links. Twitter is good for news and stuff, too, anyway. I recommend it. One other thing that I'm very dedicated to, though, is the Monday Night Magic podcast on mtgcast.com. I subscribed in iTunes so that it hits my iPod automatically every week. Not only are they the best Magic podcast on the net, they're also big supporters of my group and the charity projects I coordinate. You may hear them mention me now and then along with their witty banter about upcoming tournaments, spoiler cards, rumors, etc. I highly recommend listening to episode 220. It's a good one. If you like what you hear, be sure to drop Tom a note and let him know who sent you. If you want the leading authority on the price of nearly any single card, I use starcitygames.com. They also have some noteworthy articles written by the best people in the game.

But if I want to purchase singles, I check out, first and foremost cardshark.com. You have to watch out, though, because if you buy from multiple sellers, your shipping charges really add up. Purchasing more from one seller can pay off in shipping. If I plan on ordering a good number of cards, I'll check out lotusvault.com. They'll give you free shipping with a $40 order. What I'll do is take an order from my buddies and get it up beyond the $40 mark.

That should be what you need to get stared. Of course, feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions. dan@ccgamers.org I'd be glad to get you into the "I don't get my ass beat every game" stage. Lata, man! Good luck and more importantly, have fun. oh, yeah...and don't forget classes and homework.

Tags: Central Corridor Gamers, Dan Alpers, The Mothership

Sneak Attack on Standard

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:31:33 GMT

Sneak Attack on Standard

Over the course of the last few weeks since M11 has been standard legal, the metagame has taken some interesting turns. G/* Ramp looks to be one of the favorites; whether it be the Valakut version or just plain UG stomp, this deck is definitely recognized as a powerhouse in the current meta.

Titan Ramp

1^st Place @ Australia Nationals 7/25/10

Adam Witton

Maindeck:

Sorceries

4 Cultivate

4 Explore

4 Rampant Growth

Lands

6 Forest

12 Mountain

3 Evolving Wilds

3 Terramorphic Expanse

4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle

Sideboard:

Creatures

3 Avenger of Zendikar

4 Primeval Titan

4 Siege-Gang Commander

Enchantments

4 Khalni Heart Expedition

Instants

1 Comet Storm

4 Harrow

1 Elixir of Immortality

Another powerful contender of the current meta represents the control aspect of things. UW Control definitely has proven time and time again that it’s certainly got the stuff to be a champ. There are several variations on this deck but the shell remains the same. Regardless of the build, Jace, the Mind Sculptor throws this deck into tier one for sure.

UW Control

1^st Place @ Canada Nationals 7/25/10

Jay Elarar

Maindeck:

Planeswalkers

2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

2 Jace Beleren

2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Sorceries

3 Day of Judgment

Lands

4 Island

4 Plains

1 Arid Mesa

4 Celestial Colonnade

Sideboard:

Creatures

4 Baneslayer Angel

4 Wall of Omens

Enchantments

2 Oblivion Ring

4 Spreading Seas

Instants

3 Essence Scatter

4 Mana Leak

1 Negate

3 Path to Exile

1 Sphinx of Jwar Isle

3 Leyline of Sanctity

3 Negate

One of the only downsides about these decks is that everyone is completely expecting them. Most players will playtest against the standard gambit of decks to prepare and setup their sideboard strategies days or weeks before a tournament. Sometimes the best strategy a person can have when going to a major tournament is to fling something at your opponent that they aren’t expecting. Rogue decks fit the bill for this quite well. Most players won’t test much against a deck that is on the bubble of making top 8’s, or haven’t had repeated success being at the top. It doesn’t mean that these decks are necessarily bad; it just means that things have to be right that day for decks like these to make their presence known.

Pyromancer’s Ascension

2^nd Place @ France Nationals 7/25/10

Guillaume Matignon

Maindeck:

Sorceries

4 Ponder

Lands

8 Island

7 Mountain

3 Halimar Depths

4 Scalding Tarn

Sideboard:

Enchantments

4 Pyromancer Ascension

Instants

3 Negate

Pyromancer’s Ascension is probably the most talked about rogue deck out there right now. This deck started to gain momentum thanks to some early top finishes right after M11 was released, but got the most publicity thanks to Guillaume Matignon who piloted it to 2^nd place in the French Nationals. It has since gained some, in my opinion, well deserved hype from Mike Flores, Patrick Chapin, and even WoTC in their Building on a Budget section. This deck revolves around being able to quickly gaining advantage by the numerous cantrips in the early game, all the while setting up with Pyromancer Ascension and Call to Mind to start taking extra turns via Time Warp. While some believe this deck to be easily disrupted, i.e. by taking out their opponent’s Ascension, others feel this deck may just be the real deal.

Patrick Chapin actually made reference to it in his recent article on Star City Games. He had some words of wisdom passed down from Mike Flores on how to improve the overall deck that seemed pretty much right on target. Due to the issues with Halimar Depths being a great target for Ruinblaster and Tectonic Edge, switching these out for basic lands does seem like a good idea. With the early cantrips available via Ponder and Preordain, I too doubt you’d feel much pain from cutting the 3 Halimars. The other tech he mentioned in the article was to swap out Kiln Fiend for Echo Mage. As more and more decks adjust their sideboard to combat this type of deck, so too will you see an increase in hate for enchantment/artifacts in the sideboard. Echo Mage does give you a few options post sideboard and will act as Pyromancer Ascensions 5-8. Additional changes to the deck have also been discussed in forum entries on MTG Salvation by cutting Treasure Hunt for Foresee. The argument was that sometimes added land isn’t always the best way to burn through your deck, and Foresee gives you the extra reach by hard card advantage late game during the control match-up.

This deck is fairly fast, and has a decent matchup against most of the field. Another thing going for it, like all rogue decks, is the current meta has yet to adjust to it fully. With the building cost being so low on this deck and the draw to run a combo style deck in an unrefined meta, expect to see this deck at a tournament or national near you.

A deck very similar to Pyromancer’s Ascension is Turbo Trap. Like the previous deck, Turbo Trap is very cheap to build. It runs due to numerous draw effects from Howling Mine, Font of Mythos, and the new hotness Temple Bell. Once the opponent has drawn three cards that turn, Runeflare Trap is active and death can be close at hand. This deck does seem to run a little slower than Pyromancer Ascension builds due to having to wait a turn before the effects of Mine and the lot, but is still a strong deck that can win out of now where. Previous builds of this deck were able to do 30-120 points of damage in a single turn given enough time, and with the inclusion of Temple Bell that clock just got faster.

Turbo Trap

2^nd Place @ Spain Nationals 8/8/10

Alexis Martinez

Maindeck:

Sorceries

4 Time Warp

Planeswalkers

1 Jace Beleren

Lands

12 Island

8 Mountain

4 Scalding Tarn

Sideboard:

Artifacts

Instants

2 Unsummon

Also out of the French Nationals, Polymorph made a showing in the top 8. This deck got a lot of publicity following the release of Rise of Eldrazi; however, recently it has gone under the radar.

Polymorph

3^rd Place @ France National 7/25/10

Antoine Ruel

Maindeck:

Artifacts

2 Everflowing Chalice

Sorceries

4 Polymorph

4 Ponder

4 Preordain

Lands

3 Forest

11 Island

4 Khalni Garden

4 Misty Rainforest

1 Scalding Tarn

Sideboard:

Creatures

2 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Enchantments

2 Awakening Zone

Instants

2 Deprive

2 Dispel

1 Negate

Planeswalkers

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

1 Dispel

1 Negate

1 Iona, Shield of Emeria

2 Mass Polymorph

The biggest weakness to this deck is the way Polymorph targets. If the creature it’s targeting gets burned/destroyed prior to resolution you are forced to set back up again with a new target. The inclusion of more counter magic helps with this to protect the combo to ensure you resolve your spell and protect your morphed creature afterwards. More counter magic is available via the sideboard, but this particular build also includes Mass Polymorph. One thing to note however, make sure if you do sub in Mass Polymorph that you side out one of your Emrakuls for an Iona to avoid the Legend Rule coming into play.

With green being the color to play, a deck that has been around in some fashion before has started to shift colors with some great results online. Summoning Trap has picked up a lot of speed with some surprising results. Originally this deck used white as its main color, but the release of Primeval Titan has made more sense for this deck to go green. This deck runs much like a midrange deck at first by building up and stalling with Overgrown Battlement and Obstinate Baloth buying time. With the mana from Overgrown Battlement, Rampant Growth, and Everflowing Chalice when added with the power of Summoning Trap allows for a very sharp increase in power the longer the game goes. With the inclusion of Destructive Force decks in the wild, Primeval Titan allows you to recuperate as well as providing you with a body that can withstand the force.

Eldrazi Green

2^nd Place @ Magic-League Standard Trial 8/10/10

Legacydude34

Maindeck:

Sorceries

Lands

13 Forest

Sideboard:

Creatures

1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

2 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

3 Obstinate Baloth

4 Overgrown Battlement

4 Primeval Titan

2 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

Artifact

4 Everflowing Chalice

Instants

3 Fog

Sometimes, the most fun decks can be those that just hit to the face of your opponent. The UG Overrun deck does very well at that. The basis of this deck is to flood the field with little guys and maintain your board presence. Once you have enough committed to the field, you can run over your opponent and their defenses with an Eldrazi Monument or Overrun.

UG Overrun

4^th Place @ PTQ Online Tournament 7/18/10

Karloj

Maindeck:

Sorceries

1 Bestial Menace

4 Overrun

4 Shared Discovery

Lands

6 Forest

2 Island

Sideboard:

Creatures

Artifact

Instants

3 Negate

These decks aren’t exactly considered top tier by any means, which is actually one of their strengths. Now is a great time to go against the grain, as few know how to deal with the unexpected variables. Take advantage of the unknown and enjoy yourself while the meta defines itself.

Mirrodin Besieged

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:30:50 GMT

Set Name	Mirrodin Besieged
Block	Set 2 of 3 in the Scars of Mirrodin block
Three-Letter Abbreviation	MBS
Number of Cards	155
Release Date	February 4, 2011
Prerelease Events	January 29-30, 2011
Launch Parties	February 4-7, 2011
Design Team	Mark Gottlieb (lead) Gregory Marques Ken Nagle Mark Rosewater Mike Turian
Development Team	Erik Lauer (lead) Ryan Dhuse Tom LaPille Mike Turian

Protection From Noob - Impacts Of M11

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:44:04 GMT

The tide is finally in on the ocean that is M11 and the ProNoob cast have been wading through the proverbial waters up to their tech. After the first dip into limited with sealed and some draft pods, they dive right in to the flood of decklists from Canadian, Australian, and French Nationals top8s. Finally, they look at some of the more interesting new creations that have surfaced over the weekend.

Lennox (@mtg_lennox) at www.twitter.com/mtg_lennox

Chad (@psientologist) at www.twitter.com/psientologist

Greg (@bigtimemadman49) at www.twitter.com/bigtimemadman49

Email Lennox/The Show at: mtg_lennox@hotmail.com

Show Hosts:

Lennox

Chad

Greg

Tags: Protection From Noob, podcast, m11, Lennox, draft, prerelease, nationals

Life Counter Raffle for a Cause

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:17:42 GMT

Chances are, you've never seen one of these special Magic the Gathering 15th anniversary life counters before. Perhaps that's why Troll and Toad wants $149.99 for the ones they have in their inventory. These things really are pretty darn cool. What's better is that, for one dollar, you can be entered into a drawing for a white version of this very cool life counter. Every last dollar going toward this raffle will be donated to the family of a little girl named Dakota. Here's the text straight from the flyer advertising the fundraiser, Dance 4 Dakota (www.dance4dakota.com):

Dakota was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma when she was just four months old. She relapsed from her disease at 9 months of age, and successfully battled 6 months of chemotherapy into NED (No Evidence of Disease) status once again. Unfortunately, after 2 years cancer free, she relapsed again. She is Stage IV High-Risk at this time, and she continues her battle since beginning treatment again in February, 2009. She is a fighter!

Every dollar donated gets you an entry into the drawing. I know that it's not much but along with the event, I'm sure that each drop in the bucket can help. Paypal your donation to dalpers@hotmail.com. The drawing will be held no later than Wednesday, August 11. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions you may have. I look forward to seeing what we, the Magic player community, can do to help make a difference in this little girl's life. Thank you for your consideration.

Artist Etiquette and a few Anecdotes

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:04:08 GMT

On the eve of San Diego Comic Con, geeks all over the world are salivating for the news that will emerge from the panels and booths. For Magic players, there will be much to behold. Many of us will read about the Scars of Mirrodin spoilers presented at the Magic panel. For those that are lucky enough to step inside that glorious Geek Mecca, the opportunity to meet Magic illustrators will present itself. Tom Baxa will be available to pitch his new book, Blood Rituals, The Art of Tom Baxa. Other artists slated to appear at SDCC include: Donato Giancola, Ciruelo, Todd Lockwood, Monte Moore, and Justin Sweet. For those of you who have been to a major convention or premiere Magic event, you may have enjoyed the opportunity to meet any one or more of the wonderful men and women who make the game as attractive as it is.

Over my 15 years playing this game, I have had the opportunity to shake the hands of many a Magic Illustrator. So before you go out to SDCC, Wizard World, GenCon, or Grand Prix Portland and make a fool of yourself, be sure to exercise a bit of what I call "Artist Etiquette". But before you jelly-leggedly wander toward your favorite Magic Illustrator, here are some tips to make the experience more pleasurable for you and the artist. And hopefully it will prevent a little douche-baggery. I'm looking at you, Shenaniganizer!

One of the first things that you will find is that if you are a dealer and you think that an artist's signature on a card is going to increase its value, please think twice about taking your store's stock and dropping it in front of Melissa Benson or any other artist, for that matter. I say this because one of my favorite artists of all-time is Melissa Benson. Long ago, I met her at GenCon in Milwaukee, only to find that she doesn't sign cards at conventions! When she told me this, I nearly dropped to my knees. I had been warned about her before, though. When she tells people this, most people automatically put her in their mean people list and refuse to give them a second thought. After politely introducing myself and explaining to her that I had been collecting her cards for years, she kindly offered to sign my entire collection if I purchased an original piece of art. As I was now known to her as one of her biggest fans, I was quick to oblige. I found a very piece of affordable art that she did for a game called Galactic Empires. So $50 bucks and a reasonably-priced, but classy frame later, I found "Cyborg Death" proudly hanging in my room. It isn't Magic but it's Benson. Not to mention that I have nearly 100 signed Melissa Benson cards in my collection and a heck of a story. The moral of this story: ARTISTS WILL BE QUICK TO HOOK YOU UP IF YOU PURCHASE THEIR WARES!

Like any con-goer, avoid being one that I refer to as "Con-Folk". Con-Folk are the people that are unkempt, un-showered, and un-deodorized. Make a good first impression when you approach an artist. They are human, after-all. But even before the approach, I have my cards in-hand and ready to go. My metal Deck-Master box goes with me to every convention. Inside you'll find that it perfectly holds around 18 cardboard tournament pack boxes...you know...the ones that used to hold the Pre-Cons that we had before M10. These will hold cards neatly and loosely so as to prevent silver and gold ink signatures from rubbing against the back of the card on top of it. On top of this box, I place a label with the artist's name so that when I spot the next artist down the line, I pause, open my tin, grab Tom Baxa's box, put the tin back in my backpack, extend my hand, and clearly say, Hi, Tom! Now, I'm able to do that because Tom and I have met on several occasions. He's one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet. If you are approaching an artist for the first time, perhaps a "Hi Mr. Reynolds, or Hello Ms. Guay (pronounced gay, not gway). You'll know when you can drop the formalities. I knew that I could stroll up to Mr. Reynolds and say Hi, Wayne, when he started giving me a "ribbing" after asking him questions about the Lorwyn style guide. Apparently, there's a clause in every artist's contract that says if anyone other than the artist himself sees the style guide while in his possession, men in shades and black coats magically appear at the door. Nothing is ever heard of the artist ever again. No, seriously. NEVER ask an artist about the style guide. That's a no-no.

But before you just hand over a stack of cards, be sure to politely ask in a pleasant tone, "would you mind signing some cards for me?" Many artists may ask you to cut down your pile. Don't get mad. These guys sign literally hundreds upon hundreds of cards over the course of a 4-day convention. Give them some slack. I know that many of these guys will do a convention for 8 hours in a day and then have to race back to their hotel room for a few hours' worth of work because they have deadlines to meet for either their freelance jobs or, like Arnie Swekel, for his job at a video game production company. Many of them are just regular guys like you and me with regular jobs from 8-5. And from my experience, deadlines don't often care if you're on vacation, at a con, or playing a game of Magic. Respect their time, folks. In the event that an artist may have a limit on the number of cards they will sign for you, when sorting your cards by artist, be sure to place the cards you want signed the MOST right on top of the pile. Often, you'll find that 10 is the magic number so take the most important 10 and put them on the top. You may ask, which cards do I consider a priority? I myself like to put priority on the cards that are part of complete set. Or if a card has special meaning to me like the one that appeared with me on that magazine cover. Or if I owned the original, I may have a foil and non-foil copy signed to add to the framed piece. Friend and runner-up in the My Magic Story contest, Travis Hall would have The Infernal Spawn of the Infernal Spawn of Satan card signed if he ever had the opportunity to meet Ron Spencer, twin brother to Terese Nielsen.

As I said before, Magic artists are there to sell their wares. Most pieces are available from the artists in the form of prints. These can be made available in many sizes and look great when framed and hung in one's office or Magic room. Artist proofs are often available. These are those weird cards with completely blank, white backs. These are provided to the artists by Wizards of the Coast. They are meant to be presentable portfolio pieces that the artist can use to show potential employers samples of their work in context. It's one thing to see a given illustration. It's another to actually see it on a card. These are very limited and most artists are only given 50 of each card. They're extremely rare and make a wonderful addition to any collection. They are often prices very affordably and are almost always signed by the artist. While Aleksi Briclot is signing your playset of Gideon, feel free to peruse his assortment of prints and proofs. When I purchased my proof of the Tenth Edition Story Circle for $3, he was kind enough to grab a brush-tipped pen and quickly blast out a wonderful little sketch for me on the back. Like Mark Poole told me in his charming southern accent, "Drawin's cool."

One thing that we like to do is have a playmat full of sketches created while at a con that features a number of artists. A polite ask can often get you a signature and a small sketch. A purchase of a print may get you something a little bigger. A purchase of an original work of art may ensure that your entire playmat is decorated with a Rishadan Port. And many artists will, if you give them a day or two, crank out a full playmat sketch for a fairly reasonable fee. All you have to do is ask. But if you are denied due to lack of time or some other reason, don't be discouraged. Many artists are available for commission. If you are interested, ask them for their business card, thank them for their time, shake their hand, and bid them adieu.

Not only do artists deserve consideration during a signing occasion. Keep in mind that there may be others in line behind you. Nothing gets as annoying as the guy in front of you who is having John Avon sign 24 copies of the same forest while you stand there with your 4 foil Lightning Elementals. argh. Respect thy fellow gamer. I remember a time when I had Wayne Reynolds sign quite a sizable handful since I was making a purchase, anyway. I looked to my right and noticed the kind young lady was waiting to have her 8 Eventide cards signed. I kindly asked her if that was all she had. A smile and a nod later, I asked Wayne to help out the lady before he signed one more from my pile. A side note related to this story: As you're putting your cards away one by one, making sure to blow lightly on each one to dry the Sharpie, make absolutely certain that you're putting only YOUR cards back in the box. Don't pick up someone else's by mistake. I absently-mindedly grabbed one of this lady's cards and inadvertently put it in my box. Of course this gave Wayne yet another opportunity to give me a "right good ribbing".

Now that you've read a bit about "Artist Etiquette", you can go on about your con knowing that you now have some great additions to your collection, pimped out your deck, and have a print that will look great above your desk at the office. And if you're interested in a few tidbits about the artists that I've met in my 15 years of playing and conventions, please feel free to read on.

First of all, Wayne Reynolds. You know his work from Lorwyn very well. What he'll tell you is that much of the landscape in his art from Lorwyn is based on his hometown of Leeds, England. He seriously gives me a ribbing every time I see him. And if you're in the mood for a dirty joke, he's your man. I befriended him by asking him, not about his paint brushes, but about the kind of beer he likes to drink.

Ralph Horsley. He and Wayne are both from Leeds and they didn't even know it for many years. What makes this funny is that they knew each other from working on Warhammer the entire time.

Christopher Moeller. Has a friend that collects foil elf cards. Bring him a few and offer to trade.

Tom Baxa. A very giving individual. 2 years ago, he was kind enough to donate some material to a post-flood fundraiser we had at Central Corridor Gamers. Check out his new book! The dude's so cool he even has a pug named Zombie.

Scott Fisher. If you ever meet this very artistic gentleman, ask him about his Coat of Arms "illustration". Then ask him about Elvish Piper. His wife won't let him sell that original so you'll have to settle for a print, which doesn't even display the entire piece. And what a signature. It's a fish...no seriously...it's a fish!

Arnie Swekel. The man is a Photoshop genius and isn't stingy with his tips and tricks. Generous and talkative, Arnie is a great guy.

Mark Poole. His wife is a very kind lady and will make sure that Mark takes good care of your cards. When I asked him to simply sign my playmat he asked if I would like a sketch. I replied with, "Dude, you're busy. You don't have to do that." His reply, "It's no problem, man! Drawin's cool!"

Kaja and Phil Foglio (aka Claymoor J. Flapdoodle). If you thought their work was a little on the crazy side, just wait til you meet them. They're the married couple we all should be.

Lars Grant-West. If you're trying to get into the business, this guy will tell you everything he's learned over the years. He's also got some pretty cool stories about some of the easter eggs in his Magic illustrations. A guy that I have the honor of calling a friend.

Tony D'Terlizzi. He and his wife Angi are amazing. You may know his work from The Spiderwick Chronicles. I remember when they announced the movie. I quickly jumped to my e-mail to congratulate him on this amazing accomplishment. How did I befriend a guy that found his way into Hollywood? His wife wouldn't stop shooting rubber bands at Arnie when I was walking by. After getting hit by a stray shot, conversation began and they were instant friends. It's a neat feeling when you can say that you have friends that have walked a red carpet. Congrats, Tony! Keep up the good work on the books!

Rebecca Guay. Ask her about the time when fans gathered together to get WotC to think again after telling her that her artwork was too feminine. An inspiring story.

Ed Beard. This guy is about as extrovert as they get. If you ask him about his opinion on digital art, watch out. He'll tell you all about it. I agree! There's nothing like holding a Magic original in your hands. It's a thrill. It's also something you can't do with a digital work of art. You can't hold ones and zeros.

Last, but not least, this guy just oozes charisma. He's the one and only Jeremy Jarvis. You may not know his work very well these days. He's just too busy acting as Art Director for Magic at WotC. Whenever I hear someone say that Magic art is so much better today than it was even one year, JJ is the man you have to thank for that. Watercolor fans prepare for a man that will speak out about his medium of choice. He's very outspoken. So if you're an illustrator who happens to use watercolor and you need tips and tricks, this is your guy. The dude has done work for Lucasfilm and of course, Magic. He's the best of the best, although he's modest about it. But if you're sitting across the table from him with your portfolio on display, prepare for the honest truth. If you're good, he'll let you know it. If you're not there yet, he'll give it to you honestly. ARTISTS: this is NOT a bad thing. Take his advice, make the suggested improvements, and you'll get there. I've been in front of him twice and have been rejected twice. But that makes me feel good knowing that the art in Magic will be the best FROM the best as long as he's in the captain's chair. If you're even remotely interested in trying out to be a Magic illustrator, he's your man. Visit the Mothership to find out where you can show him your portfolio. And if you're lucky, he just might have a few sketches of his own that you can purchase and hang on your bedroom wall.

I will close out this part of my article by dedicating this entire piece to the memory of Glen Angus. I met Glen a number of years ago at GenCon and we hit it off on the very first meeting. He and Arnie Swekel were inseparable. Their work was as different from each other's as it was similar. They both painted in Photoshop and even worked at the same video game publisher together. In July of 2007, I sat down at my desk at work (ironicially on my birthday), checked out that day's Magic Arcana, only to find that Glen had passed away that week from an aneurism. Magic lost one of the greats that day. So this piece is dedicated to Glen, his family and students, and of course, his work. You may find that he's done a lot more than just the Longhorn Firebeast that I'm still trying to find a home for in my living room. I proudly own the original and will always remember the inspiration that he provided to not only myself but to anyone who was privileged enough to be his student. I only wish that I could say that I was. Perhaps Mr. Jarvis would have hired me the first time I tried out!

Tags: Central Corridor Gamers

Why to FNM

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:41:49 GMT

Players are drawn to FNM for various reasons. For some, this is an opportunity for new players to break free of their own kitchen table and set their goals a little higher. To earn bragging rights among their friends, or to show those that taught them how much better they have become since they were first taught. For these players tension is high at times, and moving from the casual format to their first taste of competitive play can be nerve racking. They quickly learn there are differences in the way of play that were commonly accepted at the kitchen table. These players are also introduced to other types of players that may or may not be represented in their own playgroup. For these players, FNM is more than just a way to spend a Friday evening. It's a way for them to better themselves and their game. They come to learn from other players, or to test out their deck and wits among others who show up that night.

Players who are used to showing up week after week may come for other reasons. They may have quit the game all together and came back, or have just had no desire to move into the more competitive aspects of the tournament scene. This type of player would mostly be described as casual; however, can be quite competitive at the local level. There may be various reasons why they never went to a higher competitive level such as money restrictions, lack of a serious playgroups, or just plain not interested. Whatever the reason they enjoy the game, and FNM has become a great way to keep versed in it and maintain a steady stream of opponents.

Those players who have moved on to a higher competitive level such as PTQs, Grand Prix, or the random Game Day aren't afraid of a little travel. These lightly competitive players usually do quite well at the local FNM tournaments, but may not place so well in the higher events. To them, FNM is usually a place to work on their game along with seeing how well their deck of choice stacks up to the others that night. They will often use the FNM meta as a testing group or stepping stone into higher level events. The more casual player knows when this type of player shows up at FNM as they are one of their biggest competitors for the tournament. Usually, if you're going to try to win it all, this is not the person you want to face first round. These players know the rules of the game, and how to use them to their advantages in most cases. They are typically well versed in the meta of their format, and know what to look out for throughout the night. They may still enjoy the casualness of FNM, but for them; their sights are set on a higher playing level.

The last of the most common players are those that have performed well at the higher levels. These pro-players are quite good at what they do, and are expected to win most tournaments they show up to play. For them FNM can be a plethora of opportunities ranging from a casual break to the competitive grind, or just a way to stock up on the cards they need for new decks by collecting prize support at the end of the night. For the professional player, FNM can be a way to get back in touch with their MTG roots, and remember where they got their start. It may also be the place for them to brew new deck ideas, or try ideas that otherwise wouldn't stand much of a chance at a higher level just for fun.

Each store will be different, but players will usually fit into one of these categories. It's this coming together that keeps the game alive. Wizards of the Coast have recognized this, and has continued to provide incentive for playing FNM by providing foil cards with alternate art. In the end though, it's up to the players to show up those nights. Some players may choose not to participate in hopes of protecting their DCI ranking, or because real life gets in the way. Others may feel it's a waste of time, and is pointless. The truth is this game means different things to different people. Whether or not you participate in FNM keep in mind that there are advantages to playing. It keeps the game youthful and fresh, and continues to push it forward into new generations and players.

At the end of the night as you're packing up your stuff preparing to leave remember this one thing... It's a game, so have fun with it!

Magic 2011 Draft Impressions

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:52:37 GMT

Hello, young planeswalker's!!! Magic 2011 is in full-swing at every card shop everywhere. I was fortunate enough to attend last week's FNM despite the fect I had to be up uber early to win a Minivan (aka party-bus) at a State Auction since my car went ca-put last Thursday. Good news! I was able to get a satisfactory third place at FNM and TOTALLY CRUSHED the State Auction the following morning, winning the party-bus I needed. Who needs sleep, eh?!

Anyway, the draft went very well. The well-learned and dashing @JayBoosh had suggested to go with either Mono G or WU flyers for the mighty win in a draft setting. At the M11 Pre-Release, I was able to create a Wr flyer deck that had marginal results, so I decided to give the big Mono G a go. I typically don't force *a* particular color at drafts off the first pack. I'll slightly base off my first bomb, but will usually switch to another color that seems to carry some power.

First pick, [card]Fauna Shaman[/card]. Well, MaRo has opened the skies and shined down his power on me. This honestly made the Mono G idea a lot easier for me. [card]Condemn[/card]s were my second and third picks (They aren't green, I'm not colorblind!!). Beyond a single [card]Blinding Mage[/card] and [card]War Priest of Thune[/card], these were the only cards I splashed white for. Glad I did, too. Other goodness I picked up was double [card]Yamivaya Wurm[/card], 3x [card]Llanowar Elves[/card], 2x [card]Garruk's Companion[/card] and 3x [card]Plummet[/card]. Sweet!

Here's the list!

Creatures

2x [card]Yavimaya Wurm[/card]
1x [card]Greater Basilisk[/card]
1x [card]Spined Wurm[/card]
1x [card]Giant Spider[/card]
1x [card]Awakener Druid[/card]
2x [card]Sacred Wolf[/card]
2x [card]Garruk's Companion[/card]
1x [card]Sylvan Ranger[/card]
1x [card]Blinding Mage[/card]
1x [card]War Priest of Thune[/card]
1x [card]Fauna Shaman[/card]
3x [card]Llanowar Elves[/card]

Instants
3x [card]Plummet[/card]
1x [card]Giant Growth[/card]
2x [card]Condemn[/card]

Land

1x [card]Mystifying Maze[/card]

10x Forest

6x Plains

Match One - Mono White

Round 1 - This game made me seriously wonder if what I drafted was even worth-while. My opponent had a turn 5 win, ending the deal with a [card]Stormfront Pegasus[/card] enchanted with an [card]Armored Ascension[/card]. I didn't see any Plummets. Actually, I had two in my sideboard. At this point I hadn't realised exactly how key it was to be running as many of these as possible. In the rest of my games, they were never a dead card.

Round 2 - After main-decking all of my Plummets, this game went a lot better. Fauna Shaman was smirking at me in my opening hand, along with a Llanowar Elf and Garruk's Companion. The opponent opened with a [card]Goldenglow Moth[/card] and [card]Ajani's Pridemate[/card]. If you don't get it, this is nuts. I was able to hold off and condemn the Pridemate. This made things a lot easier. ~~I didn't want a 6/6 dork running around if I had attacked.~~ Sorry, I was incorrect, Pridemate only receives a +1/+1 for any lifegain effect, not for each point of life gained! [card]Tireless Missionaries[/card] waltzed in the turn after. I eventually was able to tutor a Wurm and ended the game with this.

Round 3 - Total blowout in my favor. Got a couple Companions out and stomped the yard.

Match Results: 2-1

Match 2: BUw Mind Control

Round 1 - I rode on the back of [card]Fauna Shaman[/card] on this one. My opponent wasn't too amazed by the Shaman initially. This was probably the game she shined brightest in the whole night. Some highlights were tutoring for [card]War Priest of Thune[/card] to destroy his [card]Mind Control[/card]. I condemned my own Yamivaya Wurm in order to gain the much-needed six life, then tutored and played the Wurm in the same turn. I tutored for a [card]Giant Spider[/card] to keep the air under control. As long as she was on the board, I was in total control. I won this round.

Round 2 - I don't remember much from this one except that it felt my whole team was assasinated. This one was presidentially lost.

Round 3 - Too many round threes! They cost me my second place! I stalled this one for quite a while with [card]Mystifying Maze[/card]. Can I talk about Maze for a second? This card is really hot in limited. I had a strong defense of critters holding my opponent back for a while. The flyers I was able to "a-Maze" until I found some plummets. Killed his Jace and he was left with a mit-full of land. I got my wurm out and swung for lethal.

Match Results: 2-1

Match 3: UB Grave Titan

Round 1 - It's down to me and my pal that gave me a ride to FNM after my Neon crapped out earlier that day. Game one was pretty fun. He got his [card]Grave Titan[/card] out turn six, on the clock. I was able to Condemn the undead, leaving me to deal with four 2/2 zombie dorks and a few merfolk. I kept killing his air support all the while swinging through his team with a deathtouching 3/5 Basilisk. I managed to kill off most of his team and swung for lethal. This is the only round I would win against him.

Round 2 - Drug out forever, but I don't remember any specifics except for that he was able to pull THREE (maybe four!?) Doomblades. THE HECK! WHO DOES THAT?! I was able to keep the ground controlled. I used my Mystifying Maze to keep his flyer in control. Unfortunately, the flyer was Lilliana's Spectre, resulting in me discarding a card every time. He proceeded to kill me with an Air Servant.

I should go into more detail of bouncing the spectre after @JayBoosh was like, "lol dude ur a noob u should just be taking the 2 pts of dmg so ur cards stay in ur hand". OKAY, JAY?!

When I would discard, it'd generally be land. Most times my hand would be empty so that it really didn't cost me anything I wouldn't get rid of. Once Air Servant was in the 'field, I started to bounce that. However, since he had the two flyers and I had jack, it was a slow, painful death.

Round 3 - Ridiculous. The game stalled again until he was able to get Grave Titan out. I killed the Titan with a well-played Giant Growth on a [card]Sacred Wolf[/card] (eat that, Doomblade!). He uses Grave Digger to tutor his titan once again. ugh. I manage to kill the Titan again, but it is not enough. Too much undead to handle. Turns out he had another recursion to get the Titan out again. gughghgg.

Match Results: 1-2

Overall it was a lot of fun. All-star cards were Fauna Shaman, Plummet and Garruk's Companion. War Priest of Thune was also never a dead card. I would probably try this strategy again!

Why I think Autumn's Veil is Uh-mazing.

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:14:01 GMT

Well, we are done with M11 spoiler season and got the Pre-Release out of the way. There are a lot of excellent new cards. We have a few mythics in the spotlight such as [card]Primeval Titan[/card], [card]Grave Titan[/card], [card]Time Reversal[/card] and a bunch of fancy new rares such as [card]Fauna Shaman[/card], [card]Obstinate Baloth[/card] and [card]Dark Tutelage[/card]. While I'm excited to get my [card]Sun Titan[/card] on in a game, I think I am most excited about a few of the new Commons and Uncommons that have been graciously included in M11 boosters. Particularily this new arsenal for green sideboards everywhere:

[card]Autumn's Veil[/card], as of right now, is a card that most reviews will say, "meh, looks okay, but won't have any practical application". I'm no pro or anything, but I feel like it is going to be more than "okay" in a constructed application. Once M11 pops into the standard rotation, blue is going to have a strong presence, I believe. [card]Jace, the Mindsculptor[/card] and [card]Mana Leak[/card] alone are enough to make any green mage cringe. This is a heavy-control hoser. Remember how people were maindecking [card]Flashfreeze[/card] last year? I feel like this card should get similar treatment.

I like to think this card is situationally the love-child of [card]Vines of Vastwood[/card] and [card]Silence[/card] (with [card]Guttural Response[/card] as it's grandfather). It has benefits of each, while a few color-specific drawbacks. Similar to vines in the fact that you can psuedo-shroud your creature against removal. It is similar to Silence in the fact that if your opponent IS playing a heavy control deck, you can throw this down and shut them up for your turn. Guttural Response in the fact that it is a solid answer for counterspells.

Autumn's Veil VS. Counterspells

This applies to really any counterspell. Plain and simple, they counter, you play Autumn's Veil in response, they can't counter your spell anymore. This includes creatures hitting the battlefield as well as any non-creature spells. It's always a bummer when [card]Harrow[/card] is countered... We've all been there once or twice.

Autumn's Veil VS. Removal

This also applies to any sort of removal. [card]Into the Roil[/card], [card]Mind Control[/card], [card]Doom Blade[/card], the silly tribal vampire removal, you name it. It is very similar to [card]Vines of Vastwood[/card] in this regard and if Autumn's veil wasn't able to prevent your stuff from getting countered, it would be strictly worse.

In a standard environment, it's looking pretty solid to me. Extended is a little tough, however, as Blue-Black will likely be Faeries, which is a lot of ETB effects tacked on creatures, which is really no good since they are no longer spells when their abilities kick in. Guttural Response would probably be the SB spell of choice in that instance.

I'm totally putting 4 of these puppies in my $2 Enchantress deck. What do you think? Is Autumn's Veil a solid sideboard option, or is it trash?

1-Year Wonders and Other Core Set Cards

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:07:02 GMT

Whew! Like Eric said on Monday Night Magic 214, "I'm so glad that M11 is here so that I don't have to draft Rise of the Eldrazi EVER again. And yeah, it was RoE that was the problem. Placing last in RoE to first in a ZWW revival draft proves that the set was the problem. The next set that I will have a problem playing will NOT be M11. Have you SEEN Sun Titan? Every time the dude attacks you get his bonus. Not to mention his 6/6 for six status! And since we're on the heels of a powerful Zendikar block full of blood-sucking, fang-b*&^ing goodness, no card has me singing 'Oh, Sookie' like Vampire Nocturnus. Wait...now you're saying, 'Dude, you're stupid. There's no Nocturnus in M11'."

You would be exactly correct which brings me to the subject of my article—"1-year wonders" and other cards removed from the M10 Core Set. Now, as many of you may or may not know, the subjects of my blog posts are not typically about card strategies or deck archetypes but I will keep this one short-ish and merely point out some specific cards and throw out a point to ponder about each one.

[card]Captain of the Watch[/card] - I have the wallpaper from the Mothership and, man, did she have to have that breast-plate custom-designed. With the inclusion of a knight-based theme in M11, I guess it should be no surprise that our DD hottie in armor didn't make a second appearance on the headline stage.

[card]Indestructibility[/card] - This should have been cool but I guess it wasn't. Oh yeah, unless you're playing with RoE, aura have never really been cool, have they?

[card]Mesa Enchantress[/card] - Based upon what we see above, is this really a surprise? Open the Vaults - How many times were YOU able to take a nap while your opponent was dinking around with this one?

[card]Djinn of Wishes[/card] - Don't you hate it when you find out that the automatic foil rare in the Pre-Cons is something as underwhelming as this? I think this is more punishment to our Robin Williams wannabe than anything.

[card]Polymorph[/card] - We have the next-best thing, now! Polymorph can now be performed en masse. Any true Red Dwarf fan had 4 of these back during the days of Mirage, anyway. No need for a further saturation of the market, I guess. Oh yeah, there was that deck that involved Eldrazi, Iona, and in my brew, the one creature that escaped Thomas Jayne in the Mist, Progenitus.

[card]Ponder[/card] - argh. How did we wrong you, Wizards? Ah well. I guess the return of Scry will have to suffice.

[card]Sphinx Ambassador[/card] - At Central Corridor Gamers, we keep the price of our draft down by drafting the rares at the end of the event. In other words, instead of prizes, we allow first place to have first pick of the evening's rares and so on. I tell this story because many M10 drafts saw this guy remain on the table until last place took their last pick. Hence it's lack of inclusion.

[card]Cemetery Reaper[/card] - Why reprint him when you have Psychadelic Lich, I mean, Picadilly Lich...um wait...that's not right...whatever. You know what I mean.

[card]Hypnotic Specter[/card] - I guess with the new Megrim thing, 4th turn 4 damage AND discard was too good. Gotta let those Titans hit play eventually, right?

[card]Megrim[/card] - We have something cheaper and better! The blue-light special is on in the black aisle! Get your Liliana's Caress now before they decide that the price is too low!

[card]Nightmare[/card] - I guess it was about time that this art got the can. It shoulda got canned when the art department decided to replace Melissa Benson's classic with this ink-washed hunk 'o junk. Sorry, Carl.

[card]Underworld Dreams[/card] - This never should have been reprinted in any form. I had my Legends set of four forever. And they were valuable! Now there's one in our group's common box that sits there as a joke. And if someone pulls it out and asks us about it, we just laugh our asses off!

[card]Vampire Nocturnus[/card] - The Pre-Release foil of a card was NEVER intended to become a $30 card! So to the bin you go crummy promo art!

[card]Wall of Bone[/card] - Sometimes cards get removed from print simply because young men snicker at certain things. We can't help it! Males are immature. We always have been and we always will be.

[card]Bogarden Hellkite[/card] - Another one of those cards I had in rare form before it became that all-hated Mythic rarity. At least I had my four before WotC attempted to make it more difficult to achieve a set. Damn you, Jace 2.0!

[card]Capricious Efreet[/card] - A flip-a-coin card. No wonder it got flushed. Oh wait...

[card]Jackal Familiar[/card] - LOVED this card. LOVED getting this card in play and then waiting for a friend to come to the party. I guess I forgot to send invitations out because this guy just kept sitting there twiddling his thumbs while he watched my opponents' creatures kick my ass.

[card]Manabarbs[/card] - Damn you, Ben Jackson! That's all I have to say about that. . Wait, you don't know who Lily Tomlin is? I guess I'm showing my age.

[card]Inferno Elemental[/card] - This was in M10?

[card]Raging Goblin[/card] - Now how do I break Quest for the Goblin Lord?

[card]Shivan Dragon[/card] - She's iconic! She's gorgeous! I have about 20 of them! Why? Oh...I guess I just answered my own question. Granted, I collect Melissa Benson's artwork. Oh...I guess I just explained myself in regards to Nightmare.

[card]Siege-Gang Commander[/card] - Now how do I break Quest for the Goblin Lord? Wait...I just said that. Man, they really don't want me using that card anymore, do they?

[card]Warp World[/card] - YAY! No more Ob Nixilis shenanigans!

[card]Elvish Piper[/card] - One word...ELDRAZI.

[card]Master of the Wild Hunt[/card] - I would guess that Gerry T. is a little relieved.

[card]Overrun[/card] - How soon before kids grow up thinking that Garruk's uber-ability is just called "Garruk's Uber-Ability"?

[card]Coat of Arms[/card] - Dammit...they REALLY, REALLY don't want me abusing Quest for the Goblin Lord, do they?

[card]Darksteel Collossus[/card] - Why trample over them with something Indestructible when you can Annihilate them with a protection-from-colored-spells-Emrakul?

[card]Howling Mine[/card] - That Ralph Horsely art was just too cool to be reprinted over and over.

[card]Mirror of Fate[/card] -

[card]Pithing Needle[/card] - to quote Scuttlebutt's Patrick Duffy leg, "WHY GOD, WHY?"

And last, but not least, [card]Great Stable-Stag[/card] - You did you job and you did it well...a little too late, but you did it, nonetheless. Congratulations, sir. You repaired a broken format...sorta. Guess you shoulda been around a year earlier, kind sir. I'm sure we'll see you again in Legacy and Extended! That's it. I hope I didn't piss you off. I hope you got a little chuckle now and then...if you read all of that.

There's nothing else I can say today to close this article other than, "Welcome M11! We're glad you're here!"

Tags: Central Corridor Gamers

M11 in CCGTradepost!

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:18:38 GMT

Got a head start this time around, kiddos. M11 is officially available for trade on CCGTradepost! Make sure to put your prerelease cards up from over the weekend!

Protection From Noob - CCG Tradepost Premiere

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:24:35 GMT

Protection From Noob is now available on CCGTradepost.com!

The chances are you're already aware of this as you are on CCG Tradepost right now. What you're probably less aware of is what exactly a protection from noob actually is. 'Protection From Noob is a podcast created and presented by Brits Lennox, Chad and Greg (with occasional special guest hosts) and focuses on Magic now (or at least over the last couple of weeks). Protection from Noob looks at the latest Magic news as well as deck-tech and strategy from the global competitive magic scene. It offers our own unique take on the world of Magic and also an insight to how Magic is done in the UK, something we hope our overseas listeners will find interesting. Protection From Noob aims to provided interesting, relevant content to a worldwide audience, all from Lennox's bedroom.'

Or at least that's how the show's mission statement describes it.

This episode of Protection From Noob is somewhat special as it is the very first edition to be available on CCG Tradepost (did I mention that yet?) and so to celebrate, we've gone and made it a double feature. Two for the price of one. And the one was even free to start with! Bargain!

In part one, we wade into the Magic 2011 spoilers and make our way as far as the black cards. In part two we get our second wind and push through the red cards all the way to the artifacts and lands at the end.

Well that's Protection From Noob, hopefully you'll like what you hear and if so, feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment and the chances are we'll discuss it on the next episode of the podcast.

Lennox

----------------------------------------

Lennox (@mtg_lennox) at www.twitter.com/mtg_lennox

Chad (@psientologist) at www.twitter.com/psientologist

Greg (@bigtimemadman49) at www.twitter.com/bigtimemadman49

Email Lennox/The Show at: mtg_lennox@hotmail.com

Show Hosts:
Lennox
Chad
Greg

Tags: Protection From Noob, podcast, m11, spoilers, Lennox

Artifacts in M11 - Scars of Mirrodin Much?

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:55:41 GMT

It appears we are getting a few interesting cards in M11 that may help light a path to what is in store for Scars of Mirrodin. I want to take a look at a few of these and possibly explore some oppourtunity we could see with them.

Crystal Ball
Artifact
, : Scry 2.

I'm not really sure this could prelude to anything in Scars of Mirrodin, except for maybe Scry. As we remember, Scry was introduced in Fifth Dawn, a part of Mirrodin block. With the ressurection of Mirrodin, there could be a sliver of possibility it'd return? It's not like WOTC to reprint a mechanic in the next set, but hey. Otherwise the card is fairly lackluster in my book and has no real practicle application with a some exception in limited (which I'd still rather run [card]Foresee[/card]).

Steel Overseer
Artifact Creature - Construct
: Put a +1/+1 counter on each artifact creature you control.
Illus. Chris Rahn #214/249	1/1

I'll probably swoop in and order some once M11 is released. I'm hoping for them to go down to a buck, but with Scars being released this fall, I'm not quite sure this is going to happen. The main problem with the Overseer is that we currently don't know his application yet. By his lonsome, he's a boring, more labor intensive version of [card]Bloodhall Ooze[/card] or even [card]Cosi's Trickster[/card]. Obviously his power lies with other artifact creatures on the battlefield. Today, there could be some Esper strategies with [card]Thopter Foundry[/card] or [card]Sharding Sphinx[/card]. This card is either going to be mediocre or skyrocket once Scars comes out. If there is a lot of token strategies in that block, watch out. If he happens to hit a dollar or two, I'll get a playset just in case.

Temple Bell
Artifact
T: Each player draws a card.

Say bye-bye to [card]Howling Mine[/card]. Temple Bell is the new card-draw engine in town. This is going to be soooo abused, even before scars comes out. I'd say that it is likely more nuts than the Mine was. It's nice that you can control the draw easier and it's reusable in one turn.

Reusable? How are we going to reuse it? Super easy. Thanks, Wizards.

Voltaic Key
Artifact
1, T: Untap target artifact.

It's almost always a guaruntee. You get halfway through spoiler season,you see one card and you say, "Seriously, Wizards?". This is the one for me. This little gem makes [card]Temple Bell[/card] and [card]Steel Overseer[/card] that much better. For one mana, you get to draw an extra card or beef up your team. heck, you can even keep trying to pick open your Sorcerer's Strongbox if you suck at flipping coins (You shouldn't be playing that card anyway). It's going to be crazy with [card]Everflowing Chalice[/card]. It's also uncommon. yay! I can't wait to see how it applies to Scars. I'm sure there will be plenty of application for it.

Phylactery Lich
Creature - Zombie
As Phylactery Lich enters the battlefield, put a Phylactery counter on an artifact you control. Phylactery Lich is indestructible. When you control no permanents with phylactery counters on them, sacrifice Phylactery Lich.
	5/5

Time will tell if this dude's any good. I'm a bit on the fence, yet. It's gonna be a bugger to kill but not overwhelming. A: kill the artifact or B: [card]Condemn[/card] or something similar or C: [card]Consume the Meek[/card]. You are still not attacking until turn four with him. I'm sure plenty of artifact hate will be available. Also, you are gonna be 2-for-1'd a lot with this dude in play since there will probably be an abundance of artifact hate in Scars.

Hoarding Dragon
Creature - Dragon
Flying When Hoarding Dragon enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card, exile it, then shuffle your library. When Hoarding Dragon is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put the exiled card into its owner's hand.
Illus. Matt Cavotta	4/4

Huh? I didn't even realise this card existed until I was scanning through MTGSalvation.com's spoilers this morning. Anyway. I'm sure the Dragon fan boys are all in a tizzy about him. the 4/4 body and flying is pretty nice. Actually, he's a pretty managable cost and size which I like. He replaces himself with a card when he dies, which is also cool. Well, it's cool if your dragon actually goes to the graveyard. Otherwise you are S.O.L and wishing you searched for one of your [card]Sorcerer's Strongbox[/card] instead of something worth while.

Building for FNM: Spirit Dance Revolution

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:18:54 GMT

Hi all, yesterday, in my rant, I said I was going to show off my "$2 Enchantress.dec". Essentially, the deck revolves around a plethora of white $2 rares. To back up a bit, I was sort of in a rut, where I would add [card]Noble Hierarch[/card] and [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card] to every doggone GW deck I would make. Some builds were great, some not so much, but it always felt like the same deck. So I decided I would sell my playsets of both cards in an attempt to "think outside the box" for the first time in a while in those colors. If you haven't done this before, selling vice cards. I strongly reccomend it. What I mean by "Vice cards", is cards that otherwise inhibit you from getting a little creative and a little wacky with deck building. It's a great excersize and totally pulls you out of your comfort zone.

To my girls, the Hierarch and the Knight, it's been fun. I have enjoyed all the long nights we've had together, pwning noobs and winning packs. Nothing personal, I just need some space. I'm not sure how you put this, but you are getting a little spendy for my tastes. You could buy dinner once and a while, too you know. Or we could do something a little less expensive... We can still be friends at least, right? How do I approach this... I found a new pair of girls to take out on the town. I knew them before, one has been a good friend for a while now. Meet, [card]Mesa Enchantress[/card] and [card]Kor Spiritdancer[/card]. I'm sure you have seen them around.

I am going to debate that they are the most potent underdog Standard cards today. Both are sitting at $2, so anyone with a ten dollar bill can easily obtain playsets of these darlings. The format is going to change a ton again, and I'm not entirely sure Mesa Enchantress is going to be sticking around for much longer, but she's sort of a free spirit, anyway. Mesa Enchantress has always been a solid card in any heavy-enchantment build. The card draw can get nutty. [card]Kor Spiritdancer[/card], though slightly more limiting than her older sister, sits at a light mana cost and has a hefty beat-stick ability tacked on as well.

Let's take a look at Rise of the Eldrazi's Kor Spiritdancer in depth:

There is a lot of tech to take advantage of in Kor Spiritdancer. Probably the most noted is the beat-stick ability. Pretend your opening hand is her and two [card]Hyena Umbra[/card]. By turn three, you are attacking with a 6/8 first striker with psuedo-indestructability. Oh yeah, you also drew two cards. Short of a [card]Path to Exile[/card] or [card]Gatekeeper of Malakir[/card], she's going to be a bugger to play against. Throw [card]Canopy Cover[/card] on top and you are cooking with gas. I have seen a lot of decks that revolve around the beat-stick advantage and are quite efficient with doing so. However, I'm more excited about the draw.

While the draw ability is slightly less broad compared to Mesa Enchantress, I believe the cmc on Spiritdancer makes up for it. She makes for a faster, more flexible drop compared to her older sister. There are also a ton of excellent control-esque auras available, which incidentally, also trip Enchantress. If you double up on any of the card-draw bombshells, you are going to get some serious card advantage.

The Tech

So, we have a handle on the girls' abilites, now what? I decided to go a control route, so the Spiritdancers beat-stick ability is not going to be as important as her card draw, therefore she isn't necessarily my bomb 95% of the time; we'll get to that in a bit. Obviously we are going to want a ton of auras to make the deck sing. As of right now, we have a few good auras in T2 that make for some great creature control. [card]Pacifism[/card], [card]Guard Duty[/card] and [card]Crystallization[/card] are the obvious hitters in my book. There are also a few others, such as [card]Narcolepsy[/card] and [card]Entagling Vines[/card] for the case you are playing against the likes of [card]Iona, Shield of Emeria[/card] or [card]Malikir Bloodwitch[/card]. I have even tried out [card]Sangrite Backlash[/card] as a sorcery speed removal against little critters in a Naya build. I decided, that I am sticking with ally colors and more particularily Green-White.

With Green-White, you are also opening yourself up to [card]Trace of Abundance[/card]. Why is this important? It hoses [card]Spreading Seas[/card] in more ways that one, it shrouds manlands, it trips the Enchantresses, it ramps your mana. These are the utility knives of the deck, so to speak. They do just about everything you could want in GW. At worst, you are ramping. I'm also going to play [card]Stirring Wildwood[/card] so that I can play with a shrouded critter that can't be killed by Day of Judgement. Practically unkillable. I say that because I'm playing with four [card]Day of Judgment[/card]. Isn't that counter-productive? Not too worried because my bomb is [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card]

Yep, the Conflux $2 rare, Sigil of the Empty Throne is a house and a nuisance to play against. I have always loved this card. It turns even the most mediocre of enchantment into something special. 4/4 flier special. Between the throne and the enchantresses, the deck can basically combo off with the draw, enchant, draw, enchant, draw, enchant that it can provide. Also, Trace of Abundance has another utility. Boom.

Anyway, I've talked enough. Here's the list!

Creatures

4x [card]Kor Spiritdancer[/card]

2x [card]Mesa Enchantress[/card]

4x [card]Wall of Omens[/card]

Enchantments

4x [card]Crystallization[/card]

4x [card]Hyena Umbra[/card]

4x [card]Oblivion Ring[/card]

4x [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card]

2x [card]Snake Umbra[/card]

4x [card]Trace of Abundance[/card]

Other Goodies

4x [card]Day of Judgment[/card]

1x [card]Martial Coup[/card]

Land

2x [card]Arid Mesa[/card]

5x [card]Forest[/card]

2x [card]Misty Rainforest[/card]

5x [card]Plains[/card]

4x [card]Stirring Wildwood[/card]

4x [card]Sunpetal Grove[/card]

1x [card]Techtonic Edge[/card]

I've played it a few times against friends and it operates really well and it's a piece of cake to pilot. I'm still working on the sideboard, but it will probably consist of goodies that deals with the control paradigm of the game. If we are so lucky as to play constructed at FNM this week, I will report back with my results. Unitl then, let me know what you think about my build!

UPDATE!

I've made the following changes to the deck:

+4 [card]Guard Duty[/card]

-4 [card]Hyena Umbra[/card]

Creatures

4x [card]Kor Spiritdancer[/card]

2x [card]Mesa Enchantress[/card]

4x [card]Wall of Omens[/card]

Enchantments

4x [card]Crystallization[/card]

4x [card]Guard Duty[/card]

4x [card]Oblivion Ring[/card]

4x [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card]

2x [card]Snake Umbra[/card]

4x [card]Trace of Abundance[/card]

Other Goodies

4x [card]Day of Judgment[/card]

1x [card]Martial Coup[/card]

Land

2x [card]Arid Mesa[/card]

5x [card]Forest[/card]

2x [card]Misty Rainforest[/card]

5x [card]Plains[/card]

4x [card]Stirring Wildwood[/card]

4x [card]Sunpetal Grove[/card]

1x [card]Tectonic Edge[/card]

My reason is beacuse Hyena Umbra is really sort of janky outside of enchanting the Kor Spiritdancer. The first strike isn't really worth the one-drop slot in a control-based enchantress deck. I was also running into issue where I would play Day of Judgment while Sigil of the Empty Throne was on the board. My next turn I would be holding an Umbra with no immediate target of my own to play it on. pwn. I'd rather Guard Duty the opponent's critter than give them first strike and still get my angel out of the deal.

Show the non-players some love.

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:15:56 GMT

Before I dive deep into the meat this post, I need to say to the reader, welcome! This is my first-ever "scheduled" blog post about our favorite TCG, Magic. We all know it so well, I won't even refer to it as MtG or Magic: The Gathering, etc. From this point on, if you don't know what I'm talking about when I refer to Magic, then you must not be a player. In that case, I'll you see is a transcription of Charlie Brown's conversation with his teacher. Whaw whaw whaw.

Now that you and I know that you're a Magic player, I will proceed with a tad of background. My name is Dan Alpers. I'm a veteran who has enjoyed casual Magic since the summer of 1995. My first purchase was a Revised starter which contained a Vinny (Royal Assassin). Since then, I became employed by the shop where I bought that starter. A requirement of the job was to promote the heck out of Magic and so I did. I did so by running monthly tournaments, which at the time, was dealing with a meta-game that was broken by the infamous Channel-Fireball combo. After discovering a weekly meeting of Magic players at the nearby Barnes & Noble cafe, I have fostered an ever-evolving group of gamers into a now non-profit youth outreach group called Central Corridor Gamers. We are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, home to Cap'n Crunch and birthplace of our favorite Hobbit-playing actor, Elijah Wood.

In 2008, CR made national news by experiencing the 4th largest natural disaster on American soil. The flood that wiped out our entire downtown district also made a swamp out of our twice-weekly meeting place. Since the flood, members of our group demolished, painted, installed, and refurbished our "home." In the nearly 10 years that Central Corridor Gamers has existed in that location, we have grown, shrunk, and evolved as a group. One constant, however, is the fact that we have organized events. Many have been sanctioned since sanctioning was made available by the DCI. I remember the day clearly when I checked my mail and discovered my binder, software, and pad of DCI cards. I will pause for just a quick moment and remind you of the fact that this group is NOT a brick and mortar store. Arena league and the upcoming Friday Night Magic programs would not become available to groups like ours for years to come. What was available to us, however, was the sanctioning of Type 1 tournaments and the occasional Type 2 or even Type 1.5 event!

The organizing of such events as a non-store entity presented its difficult moments. Advertising such events was difficult at times, due to the fact that there was a period of time when the closest Magic retailer was 30 minutes south of town. The DCI site was in its infancy, and signs on light poles just wouldn't do the trick. Needless to say, between marketing, organizing, judging, reporting, providing options for lunch, etc. etc., there was no time to breathe, let alone get paid! At the time, help was hard to find. I did all these tasks all on my own. Luckily, as a talented graphic designer (if I do say so myself), I was able to produce eye-catching flyers and posters advertising our events. Every other task was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants endeavor.

I had heard about the judge certification process and unfortunately, there was just no way to make it happen in our neck of the woods. I was on my own and judge-free (for a time). Before I go any further, you are shouting at your screen, "Why the hell would you do all that work, unpaid?" My answer, "hell if I know." The thought of a paycheck never entered my mind. Some people watch or play sports. Some build cars. Some hunt or fish. And there comes a time when any hobbyist thinks about taking their game to the next level—purchasing the better set of wrenches, the nicer reel on that old hand-me-down fishing pole, etc. For me, taking my love of the game, Magic to the next level (no reference to Mr. Chapin) was to provide something to our community, which at the time was lacking.

I wanted to provide organized events. Organized events are what make the world of Magic go 'round, as Arron Goolsbey, head of the WPN will tell you. For many of us Magic hobbyists, there came a time when our kitchen table was no longer good enough. We wanted something more. And so we sought out our first organized tournament event. Think about the first one you participated in? Is that where your DCI number was assigned to you? Then think about how many events that number has signed you up for. Now that I have you reminiscing, remember that first time you raised your hand and called out "JUDGE!" Remember the first time you saw your name listed under that Top 8 list? Not only did all of this happen because YOU wanted to take your game to the next level, the judges and organizers in those events are people who not only wanted to take THEIR game to the next level, they wanted to help you take yours up a notch as well. Many of these people give of themselves without ever seeing a dime for the time that they spend. Many do, however, I know people personally that will spend an entire four days at GenCon running events for guys like us to participate in. Many of these guys may get an hour or two off to roam the exhibition hall or shake the hand of illustrator, Wayne Reynolds. I know that for myself, I require just over two days to get the full GenCon experience. I commend the tournament organizers and their assistants for spending the entire 'con answering ruling questions and taking in match slips. From the stories I have heard, many don't even receive a paycheck. A couple boxes of product and some nights in a nice room are all they receive. If that's payment enough for you, I give you a generous pat on the back. Afterall, without these people, we wouldn't have PTQs, Nationals, Grand Prix events, etc. They simply WOULD. NOT. HAPPEN.

So the next time you berate a judge for making a call that wasn't exactly in your favor, think about the time that this person is giving to your event. Before you boycott a certain group's activities because the organizer won't allow you to trade a Battlegrace Angel for that little kid's Baneslayer Angel, think about the implications of your words and actions. And if I'm talking about you, think deeply about what said organizer is trying to do for his community. At the end of the day, these people do their best to make decisions that can make playing, trading, etc. fair and fun for all involved and it only takes one rotten apple to spoil the bunch. For those of us that do the work to weed out the bad apples, life can prove difficult at times. We deal with the best of players and we deal with the worst. We find ourselves dealing with all kinds—rising stars, thieves, cheaters, good sports, bad sports, and everyone else that you can think of. And because one judge or organizer made a choice that not everyone agrees with, please know that it's for the betterment of the group as a whole, in turn making our experiences with the game more positive.

You're about to ask me in the comments section, "So what did you do to piss off player(s) in your days spent as organizer?" Here are a few examples: I've been that judge making the call that was "Humility-difficult", only to find out down the road that I was wrong. I've been that guy who caught the thief trying to steal that little kid's entire Pokémon collection. I've been the guy that told Mr. H not to play ante with that 8-year-old. I've been the guy that didn't agree with the concept of an intentional draw. I was that guy at the Magic 10th Anniversary tournament that had to disqualify and remove players for arriving to the event under the influence of alcohol, at 10:00 in the morning, only to find out that they wanted to "kick my ass" that evening. I was that guy that encouraged Yu-Gi-Oh players (who were dismayed at Konami's takeover of their beloved game) to pick up a Learn-to-Play deck and discover the game, Magic.

When the oil spill became a national disaster, not only did the people blame BP, they blamed President Obama. When the FEMA response to the flood of 2008 was beginning to mirror their response to Hurricane Katrina, the President Bush was to blame. In every time of conflict or disagreement, we as a people, naturally respond by finding a target for our blame. In most cases, it's the man (or woman) at the top. Keep in mind, though, that as much as we've accepted the responsibilities of our positions, many of us don't have to be there. We may not be receiving much in the way of monetary compensation. We may be looking for something a bit more intangible.

For me, when Magic player and good friend, Mattie B. called me up on Sunday June 20th to wish me a happy Father's Day, I was taken aback. I'm not his relation, of course, however, he felt compelled to call me that day because, according to him, I'm like a second father. It is, literally, one of the proudest moments of my tenure as Founder and President of our little non-profit. When I think back at my proudest moments as a Magic player, I don't think about my double Needle-Bite Trap that defeated Damon and ended that Sunday's draft. I don't think about the 18-person M10 draft that happened on my birthday last year. I think about the times that parents thank me for the work I do. I think about my buddy Moose crossing that stage to receive his high-school diploma. I think about my buddy Alex taking time off from Magic to be a good dad to his newborn son. I think about the phone call with Mattie B. on Father's Day. These are all things that have happened because Magic bought us together.

So the next time you're about to berate a person or boycott a play group for one reason or another, think about the good that is done for those that participate in said events. Not only are we Magic players, but we're human beings as well. And once in awhile, shake their hand, look them in the eye, and say Thank You. "Thank you for the work you do for the game of Magic and for the work you do in my life."

Tags: Central Corridor Gamers

Do You Have a Pro Budget? I Don't.

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:02:29 GMT

Is it just me, or is Magic super expensive, lately? The past couple years have been ridiculous as far as tournament staples costing upwards of around $60-80 in Standard format alone. I could heat my house for a month with that dollar tag. Or eat for a couple weeks, for that matter. The subject matter of this blog is going to be sacrilege to most spikes out there, or for those who have it in their heads that [card]Jace, The Mindsculptor[/card] or [card]Baneslayer[/card] is the only way you are gonna win at a tournament. I am going to try and break that mentality down, use a little creativity and save a lot of money.

Secondary Market Value of Cards and Decks

As of today, here's a little sample of what the big dogs will cost you for some of the top 8 decks.

Jund: We have 4x Bloodbraid sitting at $16. A playset of Maelstrom Pulse for $60.Some lands which I will price between $80-90 and a handful of commons and uncommons. We are talking around $200-$250 for a classic Jund setup.

Red Deck Wins: ~$200 (note that I have often seen this referred to as the "inexpensive" pro option.)

Mythic Conscription: 4x Knight of the Reliquary ~$50, 4x [card]Lotus Cobra[/card] ~$50, 4x Noble Hierarch ~$70, 4x Sovereigns of Lost Alara ~$20, 4x Jace, The Mind Sculptor ~$320, 2x Elspeth, Knight-Errant ~$50... you get the idea. This decks prices out at around ~$600 and that's probably a modest eyeball of the price. Dude! You could buy an OK LCD TV for that! That or pay bills for a month. Or put a down payment on a car... etc.

Turboland: ~Firstborn

See what I'm getting at? The obvious culprits, lately, is [card]Jace, the Mind Sculptor[/card] sitting at $80 on starcitygames.com along with his goons, Elspeth and Gideon. We also have a handful of mythics and sturdy rares that are driving these prices up-up-up. [card]Baneslayer Angel[/card], the first $50+ dollar-creep Mythic has apparently fell off the planet as of late. I think the underlying question is, how are these cards getting so financially out of hand?

Factors for Nutty Prices

Mythics
Is it the Mythic status? Maybe. I mean, we have our share of dollar Mythics (poor ol' [card]Lorthos, the Tidemaker[/card]), of course. I am not sure if the "Mythic" rarity is the sole reason that these cards are friggen expensive, but I think it may be a contributing factor.

Collectors

It's not the collector market, either. Man, they are getting screwed. I met an old man at my local card shop that doesn't even play magic, but he has every single card since Urza block, "Because he was getting tired of baseball cards". that was cool, but I feel like he's paying more than necessary when a new block comes out, because of cards like Vengevine and Jace.

Pro Tours

I think I can safely say that a lot of it is the Pro Tours. I think these are more or less poison to any sort of healthy deck building and local competition. Face it, 97% of MTG players out there are FNM quality players and below. I'm not saying there aren't good competitors, I'm just saying that every Johnny, Timmy and Spike thinks they are a pro and need pro cards. Pro cards don't make pro players. Pro Tour Qualifiers are quite possibly the bane of casual tournaments. I love PTQ's, but in a way that I can bring a deck that is off-beat and my own. I'm probably not going to finish top 8 with it, but even if I was playing a pro deck, I still probably wouldn't. I don't have the practice needed and I also have other priorities in my life. What's the difference between a pro playing Mythic Conscription and a Non-pro? The fact that the pro is probably going to walk out with some sort of return / profit. These guys train day-in and day-out. It's almost a job for them.

The Pro Tour Wanna-be Thought Process

No-Jace Pity Party

Am I saying the the "Casual Tournament" player should not own or play with $600+ worth of cards at a time? I don't really care, man, it's your budget. What is unhealthy, however is that I've seen kids that get into the "I want to build WU control but it's no use because I don't own Jace, bloobloobloo." pity party. Who cares? First of all, for my local meta, it really wouldn't have made a flippin' difference. Secondly, "White" and "Blue" are colors and control is a style of play, not a deck. Both colors have hundreds of available cards in standard alone.

The "I don't own X" attitude is enough to single-handedly [card]negate[/card] any deck building ingenuity you could ever conjure. You also overlook some serious opportunity in other cards. This mentality quickly becomes, "I don't own X, therefore, I will never win". I know the average player would never go as far as to admit that, but it's true. Fake walls are built and inhibits the player from ever adapting in the game (and possibly reality).

Think about this: I put a (working) refrigerator on the side of the road with a free sign: people automatically asked, "What's wrong with it?". No takers. The next day I put $50 on it and all of a sudden there is a line of people interested. It was the same fridge with the same function, the difference is that I created a perceived value. How am I going to parallel this with MTG? Let's take a look at [card]Sovereigns of Lost Alara[/card]. It was a beat-stick when Lorwyn was in Standard and it is a beat-stick today. When Lorwyn was in, it was seriously a $.50 rare. Nowadays, it's TEN TIMES that value at $5 a pop. Lorwyn had Shield of the Oversoul, which I built a deck around and won a lot of local tournaments with. Today we have Eldrazi Conscription. The function is exactly what it was in the Lorwyn build as it is in Mythic Conscription. The difference is that Mythic Conscription is now a Top Tier deck. Sovereigns of Lost Alara's sign changed from a proverbial "Free" to "$50" and all of a sudden it isn't a "jank rare" anymore.

It's like kids are afraid their deck is going to be laughed at if they have the "wrong" cards in it. Aka, not Jaceless WU, GW without [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card] or [card]Noble Hierarch[/card], etc. Maybe even try something wild, make your own deck! *gasp*

Gone Too Far?

I had a quick discussion on Twitter with @uselessend about how ridiculous it is that cards like Time Reversal and Primeval Titan selling for near $25 a piece. What warrants these prices? Primarily speculation that they will be crazy good in the ol' tournament scene. This is NOT healthy (especially since I'd easily play Jace's Ingenuity over Time Reversal any day). People buying these two cards at that value in particular are losing money. Everyone has their own budget and some are more willing to drop some serious cash on MTG than others, but sometimes buying the money tournament card (or speculated tournament card) is plain ol' overkill. Especially if you are only attending your local FNM.

This blows my mind.

I'd bet 90% of the rares out there are under $2. A lot of these have incredible potential for solid decks. Recently, I created a deck that revolves around [card]Kor Spiritdancer[/card]. She's one of those "You don't know until you play" cards, meaning, it's an absolutely wild powerhouse card that you would never understand by just reading the text. For two dollars, She draws cards, beats face and is a total babe doing it. Jace isn't even guy-cute. She is only one example of a highly underestimated card at an incredible price. I will share my "$2 Enchantress.dec" with you in the near future. These are the cards you need to look out for not only for overall effectiveness in your local meta, but also if you actually want to make a profit on your collection. Buying Jace at $80 now doesn't have as much oppourtunity for profit as a $2 rare might. Knight of the Reliquary ring a bell? she went from $2 to up around $20 when fetchlands were spoiled. Gotta play the system!

How to Refocus

The sooner people face the facts and realize they are probably not wired to become a pro player (at least overnight), the sooner they will save some serious cash, learn how to build good decks and learn how to play better in the process. While dreams of becoming a pro player are charming, most of us normal players are meant to have fun at FNM and other similar tournament settings. Learn that meta instead of the pro circuit and build decks to accommodate local setting. You have a lot more flexibility in that setting to be courageous and try out cards that might not be famous (yet) and that will plain-and-simple work better in that scenario.

Again, I don't have anything against the actual cards that happen to be $30+, I just think it's silly and somewhat overkill for the average Joe to be laying serious cash on them when Wizards clearly has printed a ton of notable alternatives.

M11 Preview: Mitotic Slime

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:32:30 GMT

This is probably my new favorite creature in green right now:

Mix with [card]Day of Judgment[/card], [card]Soul's Attendant[/card], Devour, Blocking, Attacking, [card]Clone[/card], [card]Rite of Replication[/card].... you name it!

CCG Tradepost

Mirrodin Besieged available soon!

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Win a free Sword of Body and Mind!

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My Advice for My Noob Cousin

Sneak Attack on Standard

Mirrodin Besieged

Protection From Noob - Impacts Of M11

Life Counter Raffle for a Cause

Artist Etiquette and a few Anecdotes

Why to FNM

Magic 2011 Draft Impressions

Match One - Mono White

Match Results: 2-1

Match 2: BUw Mind Control

Match Results: 2-1

Match 3: UB Grave Titan

Match Results: 1-2

Why I think Autumn's Veil is Uh-mazing.

Autumn's Veil VS. Counterspells

Autumn's Veil VS. Removal

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M11 in CCGTradepost!

Protection From Noob - CCG Tradepost Premiere

Artifacts in M11 - Scars of Mirrodin Much?

Crystal Ball

Voltaic Key

Building for FNM: Spirit Dance Revolution

Show the non-players some love.

Do You Have a Pro Budget? I Don't.

M11 Preview: Mitotic Slime