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Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:45 pm
by BeneTleilax
The kind of people who optimize their D&D builds like that are exactly the same people who play Thassa's Oracle combos in casual EDH. I don't love 5e, but I don't think the breakability of its system is a major flaw. It's a beer-and-pretzels game where you all bumble around weird caves and make funny stories.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:48 pm
by TheGildedGoose
pokken wrote:
2 years ago
Most melee classes grossly benefit from 2 levels of rogue after they get 2nd attack and cunning action, massively perverting the action economy.

Paladin is similarly problematically frontloaded with the smite ability (and ability to use other class spells as smites, ugh...I smell hexblade).

Bladesinger's frontloaded int to AC is pretty silly, and you'd be surprised how many builds start with this to cheese out the stat system.

In general I think that they need to just give up multiclassing. It's never balanced, it's never gonna be balanced. It almost single-handedly ruined 3rd edition with the I'm a fighter 2/barb 3/paladin 3/ etc nonsense of fighters (which, BAB was an awesome innovation they just messed up the multiclassing!).

And these are just the things I can personally remember, there's way more nonsense I have dim recollections of reading :P

If you look around at crap people do on the web the optimal builds are basically always multiclassed and they always use some stupid aspect of the rules to generate unfair advantages.
I don't think I've ever seen a martial splash rogue just for CA, probably because most martials don't meet the 13 DEX requirement. I guess DEX melee fighters might do it? But they're hardly overpowered since they can't GWM things to death and they're usually dual wielders from my experience. The one DEX based fighter I played was an EK S&B gnome, so even then I wouldn't take rogue just for CA.

Paladin/Sorc builds were actually a lot of fun. Strong, but considering how long it took to come online I always thought it was relatively balanced.

I did forget Bladesinger (and it got some buff in Tasha's!), I'll give you that one.

Multiclassing is fine. It might be the most optimal thing in certain cases, like the numerous and tiresome hexblade 2/whatever X builds, but by and large I think it's balanced in 5e. If we're sticking with a class system instead of a classless, a la carte system, I think they did an okay job of allowing customization. Really it's just two problematic subclasses that are poorly balanced.

The real problem with 5e and most other medieval fantasy TTRPGs is that you've given the option between swinging a sword and altering reality. Casters are way, way too strong.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 11:59 pm
by pokken
TheGildedGoose wrote:
2 years ago
medieval fantasy TTRPGs is that you've given the option between swinging a sword and altering reality. Casters are way, way too strong.
4e got this right for once and then they threw it back because...reasons.

By far the most depressing thing about 5e for me is how they learned basically nothing from where 4e went right and ended up like a souped up version of 2e :P

It's fine, I'll play it because it's what everyone plays, but let's not kid ourselves that it's really all that well designed.

Gamemastering it is an unutterable nightmare as well as they also chucked 4e's beautifully crafted encounter system and amazingly simple monster statblocks.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:11 am
by DirkGently
Currently trying to decide between making a Visara the Dreadful nostalgia deck with a bunch of haste/untap/voltron stuff, or a Mila, Crafty Companion // Lukka, Wayward Bonder deck around the lukka side, focused on achieving and maximising Warstorm Surge value.

Any opinions?

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:43 am
by JWK
I am of the opinion that Lukka absolutely sucks as a character and nobody should play with his cards so WotC will forget about him.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:21 am
by kraus911
DirkGently wrote:
2 years ago
Currently trying to decide between making a Visara the Dreadful nostalgia deck with a bunch of haste/untap/voltron stuff, or a Mila, Crafty Companion // Lukka, Wayward Bonder deck around the lukka side, focused on achieving and maximising Warstorm Surge value.

Any opinions?
I watch an old school Balthor the Defiled list that goes in this direction. I'm all for getting into the nostalgia stuff, so maybe check it out for ideas.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2021 4:40 am
by DirkGently
kraus911 wrote:
2 years ago
I watch an old school Balthor the Defiled list that goes in this direction. I'm all for getting into the nostalgia stuff, so maybe check it out for ideas.
To clarify, while Visara is a nostalgic card for me, the rest of the deck probably won't have many nostalgia-includes. My nostalgia window is pretty small anyway, basically just the cards that made it into my atrocious 4-color 80-card garbage fire of a first deck.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:45 pm
by toctheyounger
I can't even begin to describe how relieving it is that there's nothing for me this release. At last, a month of rest before the perpetual hype train winds up again.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 10:45 am
by materpillar
toctheyounger wrote:
2 years ago
I can't even begin to describe how relieving it is that there's nothing for me this release. At last, a month of rest before the perpetual hype train winds up again.
All I really want is Temple of the Dragon Queen. I mostly just proxy new stuff until it has really proven itself. That's reduced my burnout quite a lot.

I am really excited to try this limited format though. It looks interesting.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 12:25 pm
by DirkGently
I just thought of the world's stupidest combo: Viscid Lemures + Scurry Oak + Cytoshape.
toctheyounger wrote:
2 years ago
I can't even begin to describe how relieving it is that there's nothing for me this release. At last, a month of rest before the perpetual hype train winds up again.
I hear people say this sort of thing a lot about new releases and I always find it kind of strange.

Every set I try to collect every single commander-playable card, and potentially a few extras if they slot into my perm decks. Playing a lot of limited helps with acquisition, but still, it's a ton of cards to track down and kind of a huge pain, and the fast paced release schedule has exacerbated that significantly. If there actually was a set that had literally no commander-playable cards (and no new legends) then that would be a significant weight off my shoulders (which is kinda true for reprint sets, but then I just feel annoyed that I'm kinda wasting money and draft opportunities on cards I don't need instead of the newest standard set). I'd guess on average I'm usually trying to acquire roundabout half of the cards from any given set, so usually between 100-200 cards every set release.

But for anyone who COULD look at a new set release and find literally ZERO cards of interest to them...how many cards are you looking for from an average set, then? 5? 10? It seems like it can't possibly be all that many. Is it really such a huge burden to find those cards you're looking for in the span of a few months? If I only ever played and maintained my perm decks, as is true for most players (though ofc many people have more perm decks that I do), I think I'd only need a dozen or so cards in the course of a year. To me that seems like an absolutely trivial number of cards to acquire, to the extent that even with the modern release schedule it would get quite boring. It's hard for me to imagine someone feeling like that was such a pain that not needing to do that was an indescribable relief.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:17 pm
by Ulka
DirkGently wrote:
2 years ago
I just thought of the world's stupidest combo: Viscid Lemures + Scurry Oak + Cytoshape.
Don't forget Hyalopterous Lemure!

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:46 pm
by pokken
I'm usually looking to get maybe 5 cards from any new set because all I do is update decks and get cards I am positive I will play.

I'm willing to accept getting great henged on occasion to not have a huge pile of cards to sort every set.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:13 pm
by Lifeless
I'd say the average set has < 10 cards I'm interested in unless a build around mechanic is introduced that catches my eye. I'll usually make a purchase a couple times a year to catch up on these singles. Admittedly I occasionally have to pass on a card that's become popular and costs more than I'm willing to pay, but this is a rare occurrence. Honestly I'm ok missing out on a card here and there because none of my decks need to be completely optimal for me to enjoy them.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:14 pm
by DirkGently
@pokken Sure, that seems about accurate, but does that really leave you relieved when you aren't burdened with the enormous task of finding 5-ish cards in a few months?

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:18 pm
by Ulka
I tend to only get cards currently for my peasant cube near release and then proxy things for a few weeks as my group has been chill about it especially with how card prices have been historically dropping after about 2-3 weeks after release

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:19 pm
by Sanity_Eclipse
I spend too much, because I buy things to fill the gaping black void that is my soul. In a less nihilistic, everything is pointless in my life type of sentiment, it looks like I might be able to save a bit on this release.

So far it's just the red, green, and maybe blue mythic dragons from the main set, the Class cards, a couple Legends, and a couple random commons/uncommons from most colors that I truly want and will prioritize acquiring.

Also, (dental) crowns are expensive AF.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:47 pm
by pokken
DirkGently wrote:
2 years ago
Sure, that seems about accurate, but does that really leave you relieved when you aren't burdened with the enormous task of finding 5-ish cards in a few months?
For me it's more the watching and evaluating every card as it comes out that's a bit stressful and annoying but then yeah deciding when to order the cards is annoying.

Ordering cards has gotten really irritating with the increased shipping costs and reduced inventory at TCGplayer, I have to find $35 to make CK worth ordering from and they're almost always insanely overpriced and missing one or two cards I want anyway.

So yeah it's gotten irritating. I wound up getting 5 separate packages for the 7 cards I ordered from modern horizons.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 8:35 pm
by toctheyounger
DirkGently wrote:
2 years ago
I just thought of the world's stupidest combo: Viscid Lemures + Scurry Oak + Cytoshape.
toctheyounger wrote:
2 years ago
I can't even begin to describe how relieving it is that there's nothing for me this release. At last, a month of rest before the perpetual hype train winds up again.
I hear people say this sort of thing a lot about new releases and I always find it kind of strange.

Every set I try to collect every single commander-playable card, and potentially a few extras if they slot into my perm decks. Playing a lot of limited helps with acquisition, but still, it's a ton of cards to track down and kind of a huge pain, and the fast paced release schedule has exacerbated that significantly. If there actually was a set that had literally no commander-playable cards (and no new legends) then that would be a significant weight off my shoulders (which is kinda true for reprint sets, but then I just feel annoyed that I'm kinda wasting money and draft opportunities on cards I don't need instead of the newest standard set). I'd guess on average I'm usually trying to acquire roundabout half of the cards from any given set, so usually between 100-200 cards every set release.

But for anyone who COULD look at a new set release and find literally ZERO cards of interest to them...how many cards are you looking for from an average set, then? 5? 10? It seems like it can't possibly be all that many. Is it really such a huge burden to find those cards you're looking for in the span of a few months? If I only ever played and maintained my perm decks, as is true for most players (though ofc many people have more perm decks that I do), I think I'd only need a dozen or so cards in the course of a year. To me that seems like an absolutely trivial number of cards to acquire, to the extent that even with the modern release schedule it would get quite boring. It's hard for me to imagine someone feeling like that was such a pain that not needing to do that was an indescribable relief.
Its not the quantity of cards to acquire thats grown tiresome. Or even the cost. There are some pieces that are outside of my range but frankly I've done pretty well with trades and acquisition over the last year, to the point I've barely spent money and still accrued value (and more importantly in game value). The decks in my main lineup are well established enough that the things they need are pretty specific so quantity isn't the issue.

Its mostly the frenetic and unrelenting pace of releases in present day mtg. Kudos to wotc, the last few releases have had some great cards, so there's that. But I just can't keep up. Learning to parse new cards, keeping lists abd primers up to date with fresh assessments every few weeks, and just always being on the look out for fresh kit is kind of mentally tiresome.

So yeah this set having nothing for me is good. I get to switch off of new cards and play some games without having to reconsider what's best in slot with new releases. Its just a mental relief is all.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:42 am
by DirkGently
I just now realized that arena gets the new cards a week early. Not just than the regular release, but than the prerelease.

laaaaaaaame.

(I don't really care for commander purposes, but imo it's pretty BS to go to a prerelease and have to play against people who have already been grinding the set for a week. The whole point is that these are fresh cards and everyone is on an even playing field, and I sure as hell don't want to be forced to play arena just to have a fair shake).

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:57 pm
by pokken
So this is a really dumb story but it might give someone a laugh.

I've been learning to play Pokemon with my 6 year old because she's really into it. She does like magic too just not quite as much for obvious 6y/o reasons.

We've played several games and they always take literally forever to get 6 trophy cards. Like I'd be nodding off from boredom mid-way through the 45 minute game and she'd be ready tog et up and wander off.

So fast forward to yesterday, she dragoons my wife into playing with her and as she's teaching her the rules (very incorrectly) they ask me a bunch of rules questions which somehow lead me to have a tragic epiphany.

The reason our games go forever is that I did not know you could activate abilities of all your pokemon including benched *and* attack. So her pikachus can sit in her bench and draw cards, the Eevee deck can have its lickitungs Lap Up from the bench, etc.

I never could understand why the decks were so awful and slow and unable to do anything. And it made no sense why you would want to slap a bunch of energy on a lickitung if it was just going to die from being whacked since it had to be active.

The mini-rulebooks that came with it were rather unclear on a lot of things and that was one of them - the distinction between attack and ability.

TL;DR - I do not RTFM in Pokemon.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:38 pm
by EonAon
Yeah poke bodies or poke powers/ailities are always either a active ability like on certain planeswalkers or they say once during such and such. Only occasionally will you get one that says end your turn after resolution which means you cannot attack but usually they are overpowered and on very specific Pokémon that do damage from their power or ???.

The other thing is to remember that supporters are once per turn but items and trainers can be played as well alongside a supporter or gym (gym only once a turn as well). The only other thing they have changed recently is the starting player cant play supporters on their first turn, mostly since supporters are usually some sort of draw effect, that isnt to say you cant play warp point or some other trainer, just not supporters.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:50 pm
by Legend
pokken wrote:
2 years ago


The mini-rulebooks that came with it were rather unclear on a lot of things and that was one of them - the distinction between attack and ability.

TL;DR - I do not RTFM in Pokemon.
There's a free online version that's a perfect teacher. The same place you register packs for free digital cards.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 3:48 pm
by Lifeless
A buddy of mine recently go into the digital version and was having some trouble with card acquisition - he did some research and apparently you can buy the pack codes dirt cheap from people who purchase the physical product.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 2:39 am
by Yatsufusa
toctheyounger wrote:
2 years ago
I can't even begin to describe how relieving it is that there's nothing for me this release. At last, a month of rest before the perpetual hype train winds up again.
Even on the surface-level, I could only skim out 11 cards I might want from AFR and if I looked closer at those cards, they're all auxiliary and I could safely skip the set without really missing anything.

The only "actual improvement" card I felt from those 11 cards is probably Teleportation Circle to replace Conjurer's Closet in Yorion (4 mana from 5 is big when the Commander costs 5), but even if I didn't get it my deck won't kneel over. The only Mythic I want is Acererak the Archlich, but that's because I already run Rooftop Storm and he would be an auxiliary infinite combo (and very auxiliary because if you think about it without Storm, Acererak is actually going to be pretty lackluster in the deck alone).

But like you, I'm glad this set is lower on the power-scale (honestly I'd be more terrified if the crossover set that took over the core-set of the year was powered-up). Funny enough though, as much as I dislike the randomness of the dice-rolling cards of the set (even the more powerful ones don't justify their randomness/failures), the 1, 2-10, 11-19, 20 system had me start up a D&D-esque variant of a Pokemon White run, where I used rolls to determined whether I was permitted to catch a species of Pokemon for that run.

Yes I know Nuzlocke runs exists and I tried those before, but I generally didn't like how strict they were and definitely wasn't feeling one until AFR came along and the D&D variant sort of built itself in my head enough for me to actually try it out. Funniest thing is that I don't actually play D&D (hence AFR doesn't appeal to me flavor-wise either), but I guess since the core Pokemon games are RPGs after all it wasn't too difficult to customize a link.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 3:08 am
by RxPhantom
I too am enjoying the freedom of apathy. For me, this set fails on every axis. I can't remember a set that elicited this much indifference from me. I just don't want it, but...I kinda like that.