For the record, I originally searched threads to post this in, only to find they were all in the unused forums, so I reposted it here. Feel free to move it if you think it doesn't belong. I got into Magic again a couple months ago. It's funny how I got back into it actually: I work at an afterschool program and some kids were bringing in Pokemon cards. While watching them I mentioned that I used to play a game that was similar but more complicated and with a far greater amount of cards printed called Magic. Next thing you know I got one of em bringing them in to show me a week later. I tried to explain it to him and have him play a few games with his friend, but he was around 8 so he really couldnt grasp it enough, obviously. Anywho, after that it got me thinking that I should pick it up again myself, since when I originally got into it I was about 12, and didn't really have that many friends to play with and so never really got into it enough to figure it out. Since I got back into it a couple months ago I've been to about 7 booster drafts and have started a decent sized collection, mostly of Innistrad but also of some Core 2012, Mirrodin/New Phyrexia. Dark Ascension releases tomorrow at midnight, coincidentally. I know there are some XoO that play by my searching of older threads. I don't play online though, mostly because it seems silly to me to have to pay for the use of digital card copies in MTGO. And Duels of the Planeswalkers is suckage. My biggest hurdle right now is in-game strategy. I've gotten decent at making picks and deckbuilding, even though I have a ways to go before I can start thinking about constructed play, but where I lack edge is my ability to know what to play, and when to play it. For example, last week I drafted this deck: Creatures - 13 Total 2x Vampire Interloper 2x Crossway Vampire 1x Riot Devils 1x Markov Patrician 1x Kessig Wolf 1x Screeching Bat/Stalking Vampire 2x Skirsdag Cultist 1x Rotting Fensnake 1x Olivia Voldaren 1x Night Revelers Spells 1x Dead Weight 1x Victim of Night 1x Nightbird's Clutches 1x Brimstone Volley 1x Traitorous Blood 1x Corpse Lunge 1x Unburial Rights 2x Into the Maw of Hell Lands 1x Stensia Bloodhall 1x Shimmering Grotto (to Flashback the Unburial Rights) 10x Mountain 6x Swamp I lost a couple times that night. And again the issure was strategy: One of my problems specifically was that I wasn't aggressive enough with the deck, I think. I also made stupid mistakes that night, as anyone new does: I kept the interlopers from attacking a couple times because for the moment I forgot they could block - even though RB decks are not supposed to be on the defensive anyway. I drafted a Curse of the Nightly Hunt around the 10th pick thinking it was Curse of Stalked Prey, and played it my second round of games. There were other, unavoidable issues too: One game I only drew one Mountain in like 6 turns, and like 5 Swamps (did I mention I need to learn other shuffling methods?). I also didn't draw into Olivia at all that night. I First picked her from the first pack during the draft, and since I had never tried RB before I figured I would try to force it to some extent. And my deck turned out pretty solid as far as RB decks go, but I still lost a decent amount of times. But I digress... I also am having trouble grasping the proper times to take advantage of certain game mechanics. For instance, does the Morbid ability only trigger in the parts of a turn that occur after combat damage resolves? Can it be triggered at the end of the Combat Phase, then? Knowing things like this help me to learn when to cast Brimstone Volley or Festerhide Boar, for example. Also, what are the advantages of casting instants before your first Main Phase? I sometimes see players doing this and I can't understand exactly why. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Morbid triggers anytime during your turn after a creature has been sent from the battlefield to the graveyard, including dying in combat, sacrificing it, etc. What to play and when to play it really does depend on what cards you have and what your opponent is playing. Since you are playing draft mostly, removal is a little light as well as counters atm so it really depends on what your and your opponent's board state looks like. I know, not much help. Games 2 and 3 are a little different since you have a better idea of what they are trying to do so you can anticipate them a little more. Constructed is a little easier since most of the time you will be facing known decks and after some research can know what their gameplan is and how your deck is best capable of disrupting that while working towards your goal. It really comes down to practice and knowning what your deck's goal is and plan B and C of the deck.
I play a lot with a bunch of friends of mine. Mostly just for fun though we're planning a booster draft tourny this weekend. I play with a White Flying deck but I just recently merged some blue into it mostly with counters. I rely heavily on the fact my opponents can't block me, and if they can, I boost my flyers through Armoured Ascension or equipment; or just by hitting him with more creatures he/she can block.
I felt ok with the removal when I was deckbuilding because I essentially had two pieces of pseudo-removal: a Fensnake for my Corpse Lunge, which is a removal by trading it and then removal after the fact, from the lunge; and the Traitorous Blood, since I had two sac-outlets on my cultists. The Nightbird's Clutches I only got because I thought Curse of the Nightly Hunt was Curse of Stalked Prey, but I heard it's decent enough in attrition wars. When you say counters what do you mean exactly? Like instants that counter spells ("tricks")? Or cards that create counters (like Travel Preparations)?
This was the deck I drafted tonight. I thought it was going to be Dark Ascension, but that actually didn't release till midnight, so they couldn't include it in the draft: Creatures - 12 Total 1x Olivia Voldaren (yes, again) 1x Stitcher's Apprentice 1x Lantern Spirit 1x Crossway Vampire 1x Feral Ridgewolf 1x Rakish Heir 1x Riot Devils 1x Moon Heron 1x Tormented Pariah/Rampaging Werewolf 1x Pitchburn Devils 1x Battleground Geist 1x Falkenrath Marauders Spells - 8 Total 2x Geistflame 1x Silent Departure 1x Desperate Ravings 1x Spectral Flight 1x Dissipate 1x Claustrophobia 1x Brimstone Volley Artifacts 1x Blazing Torch 1x Travelers Amulet 1x Grimoire of the Dead Land 9x Mountain 6x Island 2x Swamp
sniff sniff... do I smell a nerd? lol this post took me back to my old school days- chucking milk cartons at the geeks with the cards!!! good stuff! thanks for the nostalgia trip.
Anyone who over the age of 20 and belongs to an online gaming group is a nerd. (Myself highly included)
Man, MTG was the GAME back in the day. For about 4-5 years as a teen that's all we did; hung out on porches and threw down. Those were the good ole' days. I'd get back into it, but the few times we've played (on the games online, or with pre-built) I find there's a huge delta in knowledge. Part of what made us good back then was understand all the deck construction, having a better constructed deck, and knowing based on the cards you saw what your opponent was trying to do, theory wise. Would take years of playing again to get to that......and with MMO's and life and wife, no chance I could devote to it. Man, that game was a hella good time though. Good post.