[Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

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bobthefunny
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Post by bobthefunny » 4 years ago

Got to play a game vs Sheldon, though it was not the best showing for my deck, sadly.

All four players agreed to battlecruiser casual at the beginning, so things were looking fairly forward I felt.

Sheldon was first, playing his Kresh deck. I was next on Aryel, Knight of Windgrace, followed by a Gishath, Sun's Avatar, and finally a Lazav, Dimir Mastermind. I don't have the greatest opening hand, but it's pretty funny, so I keep. Lands all around on turn 1, until we hit the Lazav player who opens with chrome mox into another mana rock, though he says that's the most he's going to do all game. First few turns go around without to much ado, Lazav hits the field first with that start, but Sheldon drops a Pernicious Deed to keep the table in check, I lead in with Aryel and an Acclaimed Contender to have some presence, but the Contender whiffs. I pass with 3 mana open, and on the end step before Sheldon's turn he Deeds for 5 to clear the board, where I forget that I had an Unbreakable Formation in hand, and lose my Knights. oops.

Next turn is a bit of rebuilding with a Thalia's Lancers to get a The Circle of Loyalty (to hand, couldn't cast it yet), but then the dinosaur deck, who's been ramping this whole time, drops an end step Dictate of Karametra to put the game into overdrive. He tries to cast Ghishath on his turn, gets countered by Lazav, tries again, gets countered again. Sheldon plays a Dino of his own, Regal Behemoth for triple mana on his side, as well as Greven, Predator Captain.

Since I find myself with mana, I drop a kicked Josu Vess, Lich Knight, the The Circle of Loyalty (had to cast after, sadly, due to mana), and my Order of Midnight, who had previously been on an adventure. Ghisath goes to cast the Commander again, and this time succeeds, hits the lazav player, and flips 6 dinosaurs onto the board. Some discussion occurs as to how to deal with this problem, and my answer is that the Knight's answer to problems is to hit them. Lazav tutors a Rite of Replication, which he uses on a Ripjaw Raptor, Sheldon sets up some board presence, and plays and sacs a Kokusho, Evening Star, to buffer his life total.

On my turn, I set up with a Knights' Charge, and swing out at the Dinosaurs, and between the Knights' Charge, and the buff from The Circle of Loyalty, and activating my Contested War Zone - brought in a kill.

But in doing so, I broke a cardinal rule of Commander, and revealed myself to being the biggest threat. Lazav hits me for 20 with his raptors, and Sheldon finishes me off between an attack from Greven, followed by saccing his board into a Thrilling Encore to finish me off with Flayer of the Hatebound triggers.

---

It was a nice game, but over far too fast as we skipped the midgame entirely due to that mana flare effect. I should never have been able to play Josu that early, and I was hoping for a more typical 15-20 turn game, rather than the 8 or so that we ended up having. Even so, it was a nice game to play in, and had fun today.
Last edited by bobthefunny 4 years ago, edited 2 times in total.

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Post by WizardMN » 4 years ago

bobthefunny wrote:
4 years ago
It was a nice game, but over far too fast as we skipped the midgame entirely due to that mana flare effect. I should never have been able to play Josu that early, and I was hoping for a more typical 15-20 turn game, rather than the 8 or so that we ended up having. Even so, it was a nice game to play in, and had fun today.
That is nice to be able to play against Sheldon and have a decent game. I did want to comment on this...comment though. It is a bit off topic from your main post, but we are in the Off-Topic thread so here goes:

This is one of the biggest reasons I really hate these types of cards (and "group hug" in general). I know some people enjoy games where they get all the resources they need to do stuff, but I find those games boring as there is very little back and forth. It is usually just one player who goes on a tear because they can use the mana more efficiently than everyone else (and it isn't always the group hug player). I have had games where someone cast a Heartbeat of Spring and then a Hydra player just won in 3 turns because they had a ridiculous amount of mana that no one could reign them in.

/rant

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Post by Ulka » 4 years ago

Yea im in a similar boat of mana flare effects. They always seem too kingmaker for me. Often they allow 1-2 player to go nuts before someone destroys them and the rest of the table then often 5-10 mana behind.

However one of my favorite decks my friend has is a Mina and Denn, Wildborn that does the heartbeat/mana flare effects but the point of the deck is to max out the mana for the turn then destroy the enchantment. Its really kinda stupid but he plays it like a creature storm deck.
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Post by pokken » 4 years ago

WizardMN wrote:
4 years ago

This is one of the biggest reasons I really hate these types of cards (and "group hug" in general). I know some people enjoy games where they get all the resources they need to do stuff, but I find those games boring as there is very little back and forth. It is usually just one player who goes on a tear because they can use the mana more efficiently than everyone else (and it isn't always the group hug player). I have had games where someone cast a Heartbeat of Spring and then a Hydra player just won in 3 turns because they had a ridiculous amount of mana that no one could reign them in.

/rant
Yeah I have been noticing how unfun games are lately when people start slamming temple bell and rites of flourishing and what not. Most of my decks just go on a rampage when given those kind of resources.

The biggest issue is that it just pushes the pace of the game so much.

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Post by Kelzam » 4 years ago

Was anyone there when they did the Commander Roundtable at Commandfest DC? No posts on Reddit, here or anywhere that I can find. Sheldon mentioned that his article this week would include some points from it but I was pretty curious what they discussed or what was said.
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Post by Sanity_Eclipse » 4 years ago

Off-Topic, your Elenda primer inspired me to shift Drana 1.0 into Elenda. Thank you for the work you put into Elenda! :)

Similar note, solidly a third (7 of 22) generals are from Ravnica. Some fresh blood in that regard would be nice.
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Post by DirkGently » 4 years ago

Apologies if this has already been brought up, but does anyone else worry that, with the whole salvation/nexus situation, we've managed to split the community in half? It seems like (could be wrong) that we've got fewer posts than we used to have, when everyone was in one place, and I kinda worry that we've accidentally killed the community because of how things went down. I'm not blaming anyone, but I'm not really sure how we'd fix it either.
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Post by cryogen » 4 years ago

DirkGently wrote:
4 years ago
Apologies if this has already been brought up, but does anyone else worry that, with the whole salvation/nexus situation, we've managed to split the community in half? It seems like (could be wrong) that we've got fewer posts than we used to have, when everyone was in one place, and I kinda worry that we've accidentally killed the community because of how things went down. I'm not blaming anyone, but I'm not really sure how we'd fix it either.
I can't speak for anyone in particular amongst the staff on either site, but yes, that was a fear we had. The issue was ultimately that the was never any sign that the stagnation would have ended, so it was better to move on and accept the risks that came with it. Speaking only for myself, I don't see how Sally will continue to stay relevant without any technical support that is required. At best, it will mostly keep its users who go there out of habit. I liken it to the official site, which has a core set of users but has never experienced any noticeable growth in the nearly 10 years since I've been going there.

As for how to fix it, I think that we are constantly working in that direction by trying to make this site less of a forum and more of a hub with things for users beyond just a message board. Whether we get the attention and ultimately the traffic remains to be seen.
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Post by tstorm823 » 4 years ago

The fear that the community has been split is not unwarranted, but I would not phrase it as "we've split the community in half". Salvation was scheduled to close down (not by the community), in the lead up to that time limit, the website was completely down at some point enough to have me get my things saved off there ASAP, and in my limited remaining usage I still run into new problems there. People commented in my Zedruu thread there and it didn't notify me, I only noticed because I went to the thread manually looking for an old post. It's not the community that split the community in half, it's circumstances beyond our immediate control.

More importantly, the trick isn't just in preserving the community, because I don't think any of us are going to post as frequently anywhere as we did at our peak excitement for Magic. That's just the passage of time, I don't get to play the game the way I did 8 years ago. But there are plenty of people playing Magic the way I used to who aren't on any forum because they don't know the joy of just a long conversation with people about a shared interest, and getting their attention is the trick.

Edit, side note: @bobthefunny isn't named Bob and is honestly more jovial than funny, feel free to riot.
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Post by cryogen » 4 years ago

tstorm823 wrote:
4 years ago
Edit, side note: @bobthefunny isn't named Bob and is honestly more jovial than funny, feel free to riot.
Can confirm.
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Post by bobthefunny » 4 years ago

tstorm823 wrote:
4 years ago
Edit, side note: @bobthefunny isn't named Bob and is honestly more jovial than funny, feel free to riot.
That is in fact true. My name is a complete lie.

Overall it was a good weekend at Command Fest. Got a lot of good games in, and had some amazing highlights like a 2 hour battlecruiser slugfest with my Knights, meeting tstorm and being introduced to Mirror of Fate, and of course my game with Sheldon.

I was super lucky that it was practically in my backyard, which let me attend each day, to a certain degree, as well as just take a relaxed approach to getting there and back. I think the biggest theme of the weekend was learning a bit more of what 'Casual' meant to different people.

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Post by Shabbaman » 4 years ago

cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
As for how to fix it, I think that we are constantly working in that direction by trying to make this site less of a forum and more of a hub with things for users beyond just a message board. Whether we get the attention and ultimately the traffic remains to be seen.
Considering the official site is dead you could just attack HUGE amounts of traffic if you'd copy the Grixmas thread here.
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Post by cryogen » 4 years ago

Shabbaman wrote:
4 years ago
cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
As for how to fix it, I think that we are constantly working in that direction by trying to make this site less of a forum and more of a hub with things for users beyond just a message board. Whether we get the attention and ultimately the traffic remains to be seen.
Considering the official site is dead you could just attack HUGE amounts of traffic if you'd copy the Grixmas thread here.
According to Sheldon it is (or was, I haven't checked today yet) down for maintenance. Hopefully this means that the new site is just around the corner. I didn't even think about that thread, but hopefully it doesn't impact Tim's plans.
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Post by ISBPathfinder » 4 years ago

Well, had a baby and even got out of the hospital. Looking forward, to being able to do hobbies and games again. I don't actually know when that will be offhand lol.
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Post by cryogen » 4 years ago

ISBPathfinder wrote:
4 years ago
Well, had a baby and even got out of the hospital. Looking forward, to being able to do hobbies and games again. I don't actually know when that will be offhand lol.
Congratulations! Got any pics to share? And kiss games and hobbies goodbye :)
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Post by bobthefunny » 4 years ago

Aw, congrats ISB!

my brother was out for several months, as was another regular at my LGS when they had their kids. My brother then cheated by bringing the kid TO the LGS. :)

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Post by Sanity_Eclipse » 4 years ago

Congratulations on the kid!
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Post by toctheyounger » 4 years ago

Congrats ISB! I'll be staring down the same general hiatus from gaming myself, my wife is due early May.
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Post by ISBPathfinder » 4 years ago

Thanks everyone. Man, I am tired lol. I have pictures but getting them from phone to here sounds like work as of right this moment.
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Post by Treamayne » 4 years ago

cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
Shabbaman wrote:
4 years ago
cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
As for how to fix it, I think that we are constantly working in that direction by trying to make this site less of a forum and more of a hub with things for users beyond just a message board. Whether we get the attention and ultimately the traffic remains to be seen.
Considering the official site is dead you could just attack HUGE amounts of traffic if you'd copy the Grixmas thread here.
According to Sheldon it is (or was, I haven't checked today yet) down for maintenance. Hopefully this means that the new site is just around the corner. I didn't even think about that thread, but hopefully it doesn't impact Tim St. Nic Bolas' plans.
Any news on the Official Forums?
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Post by cryogen » 4 years ago

Treamayne wrote:
4 years ago
cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
Shabbaman wrote:
4 years ago


Considering the official site is dead you could just attack HUGE amounts of traffic if you'd copy the Grixmas thread here.
According to Sheldon it is (or was, I haven't checked today yet) down for maintenance. Hopefully this means that the new site is just around the corner. I didn't even think about that thread, but hopefully it doesn't impact Tim St. Nic Bolas' plans.
Any news on the Official Forums?
Nope. Not really my lane so I haven't asked about it since I first asked when it went down.
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Post by cryogen » 4 years ago

cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
Dunharrow wrote:
4 years ago
cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
Well I'm bummed. Right after the Oko ban I ordered a pair on TCG and was able to get them before the prices started creeping back up. Two weeks later and tracking still shows that they haven't been given to the Post Office yet. Seller is claiming ignorance but I suspect that they got cold feel when they saw the prices go back up. Especially since I checked their feedback and in the last month they have a few one star reviews of never getting the cards, and one person even said the order was lost right after their cards were in a winning deck and the price jumped. Gonna give them a chance to make it right beyond a refund, but methinks they're getting another bad review soon.
That's garbage!!!
I have not bought from TCG in a long time, but when I did I only bought from the sellers I knew and trusted. But I have even heard of LGSs doing this kind of thing. They always have the same excuse though: "Someone bought it at the same time from Amazon or TCG and so the stock was shorted. "
It is hard to disprove, so I think you may end up being shafted here.
Oh I'm sure of it. I'll still get my refund, but now I'll have to pay $40 per instead of $30 per... assuming I still decide to get some.
So, update on this:

Went back and forth with the seller, and giving them a chance to rectify this since they said they would try and locate replacements. Took poking on my end with them not following up with a status update, but eventually they said they got one copy and would refund me the other, if that worked. I said sure. A few days went past without a response so I pinged them AGAIN saying just forget it and send me a full refund if they didn't already mail the one card (since I still haven't seen any refund credit to indicate they did anything). Week goes by, no response. So finally Saturday I got fed up, left them a scathing one star review, and emailed customer service. Wouldn't you know, within a few hours they had emailed me saying they got a second copy and did I still want it. So I told them yes and if they sent it I would "adjust my feedback appropriately" (code for "you're still getting a %$#% review but it will still be honest for the updated situation).

I ended up buying one copy at my LGS, so now I guess I'll have an extra one.
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Post by Sanity_Eclipse » 4 years ago

What a garbage customer service experience.

I think I'm actually short on Sol Rings, believe it or not. I need to actually start pulling them out of side project decks for decks I'm going to truly try and test out. Whodathunkit.
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Post by cryogen » 4 years ago

Sanity_Eclipse wrote:
4 years ago
What a garbage customer service experience.

I think I'm actually short on Sol Rings, believe it or not. I need to actually start pulling them out of side project decks for decks I'm going to truly try and test out. Whodathunkit.
Stop using them, problem solved. ¡Viva la Revolución!
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Post by Dunharrow » 4 years ago

cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
cryogen wrote:
4 years ago
Dunharrow wrote:
4 years ago

That's garbage!!!
I have not bought from TCG in a long time, but when I did I only bought from the sellers I knew and trusted. But I have even heard of LGSs doing this kind of thing. They always have the same excuse though: "Someone bought it at the same time from Amazon or TCG and so the stock was shorted. "
It is hard to disprove, so I think you may end up being shafted here.
Oh I'm sure of it. I'll still get my refund, but now I'll have to pay $40 per instead of $30 per... assuming I still decide to get some.
So, update on this:

Went back and forth with the seller, and giving them a chance to rectify this since they said they would try and locate replacements. Took poking on my end with them not following up with a status update, but eventually they said they got one copy and would refund me the other, if that worked. I said sure. A few days went past without a response so I pinged them AGAIN saying just forget it and send me a full refund if they didn't already mail the one card (since I still haven't seen any refund credit to indicate they did anything). Week goes by, no response. So finally Saturday I got fed up, left them a scathing one star review, and emailed customer service. Wouldn't you know, within a few hours they had emailed me saying they got a second copy and did I still want it. So I told them yes and if they sent it I would "adjust my feedback appropriately" (code for "you're still getting a %$#% review but it will still be honest for the updated situation).

I ended up buying one copy at my LGS, so now I guess I'll have an extra one.
Sometimes that's what you need to do to get a response. Not just with MtG, but with just about everything now.


In other news...

I bought a house in the suburbs. Since I am no longer to make it to FNM, most of my magic has been inviting friends over to draft and play commander... but now that may be ending because most of them do not drive.
Makes me sad
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