[Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

[duducrash]

Preach! I've been playing Caw Gates lately and it's probably one of my favorite decks of all time. Love Pauper!

I play the RW deck and Gates. Really cool experiences, the entire format is pretty cool. I feel like MTG is at a pretty sweet spot nowadays. i feel like the only format I've played I have little interest anymore is modern. Not a experience I love nowadays. Maybe with some unbannings? but I doubt. I have a close friend who talks about unbanning twin every single week, and while I don't know if they would change the deck the idea of splinter twining a Grief is enough to make me nope out of the format real fast

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Preach! I've been playing Caw Gates lately and it's probably one of my favorite decks of all time. Love Pauper!

I play the RW deck and Gates. Really cool experiences, the entire format is pretty cool. I feel like MTG is at a pretty sweet spot nowadays. i feel like the only format I've played I have little interest anymore is modern. Not a experience I love nowadays. Maybe with some unbannings? but I doubt. I have a close friend who talks about unbanning twin every single week, and while I don't know if they would change the deck the idea of splinter twining a Grief is enough to make me nope out of the format real fast

Modern is definitely in a tough spot. I'm hoping they ban Grief on Monday to bring Rakdos Scam down a notch, but even playing Affinity (a solidly tier 2 strategy) is still a pretty good time. As for unbans, the og artifact lands would be great but I'm not counting on it. I'm not even sure Twin would even be good enough in the current meta, the removal is just so strong these days.

[materpillar]

On a wildly different topic. I'm in the hunt for some good audiobooks. Anyone here have any recommendations?

[pokken]

On a wildly different topic. I'm in the hunt for some good audiobooks. Anyone here have any recommendations?

I've heard the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks are amazingly good. I love the series but I'm not a big audiobook guy.

[ISBPathfinder]

On a wildly different topic. I'm in the hunt for some good audiobooks. Anyone here have any recommendations?

Can you give some examples of what you have enjoyed?

[ISBPathfinder]

Some random suggestions from someone who primarily listens to LitRPG (I know thats a somewhat narrow subset of books). If you do enjoy that type of book though I have listened to a LOT of the genre and can list off some of the better highlights.

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He Who Fights with Monsters - The author is REALLY funny if you can deal with some 80s action TV puns. The MC is a random Australian low end office worker ported off to a very rich world that is really fun to explore. It does get a little heavy on the woe is me kind of vibe at times but the MC is really funny and good at livening up crappy situations. Fun books with lots of action on someone who is forced to continuously do things he shouldn't be in the right weight category to perform.
Ready Player One - Pretend the movie and sequel doesn't exist because they were both bad. This book though, man I must have listened to it at least 10 times now. The most accurate I can describe this is just like an 80s is great nerd trivia extravaganza. Seriously though, if you were born in the 90s or later you probably won't get the same vibe from this. I was born late 80s and I barely caught most of this but I still think it was great. The actual video game and leveling concepts of this book are weak as %$#% but its all fine because its the absolute best scavenger hunt based book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. For the record, I freaking hate national treasure but this book is great.
Defiance of the Fall - Its a solid apocolypse sort of story. I don't really know why I love this one so much but I suspect its just that the author did a good job of emersion and everything seems somewhat believable as far as why things are happening and the rate and amount of attention the MC gets. Sometimes I struggle with books because it feels like there is a magnet focus to them but also plot armour keeping them alive. The author does a good job of it seeming like it could work and doesn't break me out of the emersion of the story.
The Wandering Inn - Its more slice of life but it has good character story and there is a lot of conflict. The downside of this book being that well, they are long and multiple POV to the point that it gets a little annoying as less than 1/4th of most books cover the MC as time goes on. Its a fun whimsical kind of book though as the MC is an innkeeper and she mostly is just looking to chill and do her thing so its definitely kind of slice of life fantasy vibe.
The Completionist Chronicles - Krout has been hailed as a very good author in litRPG for some time. Completionist Chronicles is definitely my favorite of his works but I know others who prefer his work on Divine Dungeon Series
Reborn: Apocalypse - I have an apocolypse LitRPG problem ok yes I get it. I really like this series as it does the rebirth with knowledge thing which I always sort of like. I think its different enough that I really like its setup but sadly the author slowed wayyyy down and has mostly stopped doing updates for it last I checked. It still has three books and I love this series but I wish it would make a comeback.
Iron Prince - There is only one book for now but I think the second book comes out end of October if I recall correctly. This one is a bit different from my usual suggestions as its sort of like, space mecha based almost but not quite. They have these living exoskeleton kind of things that level up and advance in interesting ways. The first books start out in an academy setting but it looks like it could be set up to have Arena combat or full blown warfare later with it. The characters are really good and its got somewhat of a unique slant from my usual.
Azarinth Healer - MC is a combat junkie through and through but it has some fun pacing. What I like about it is that there is a bunch of things that the MC is forced to just run away from because they are too spooky. It does a good job of pushing a defensive litRPG build. Overall the MC is somewhat likeable and its just sort of fun to see her figure things out.
The Ten Realms - I liked the characters and setup. I actually stopped listening something like 6/7 books in though as they changed the reader on me and I REALLY liked the old one. It might be less of an issue if you read from the new narrator as it looks like he is the only option for narration now. It also bugged me that his last three books in the series all came in under 10 hours and it felt a little let down and just didn't finish.

[materpillar]

On a wildly different topic. I'm in the hunt for some good audiobooks. Anyone here have any recommendations?

Can you give some examples of what you have enjoyed?

I'm a pretty big fan of sci-fi/fantasy but I'm pretty open to listening to a wide variety of stuff. I've recently listened to Dune, Dracula, and I'm Glad My Mother Died. I'm currently reading CS Lewis, The Dresden Files and The Malazan Book of the Fallen.

I've read Ready Player One but none of the others. I'll give them a look see.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

On a wildly different topic. I'm in the hunt for some good audiobooks. Anyone here have any recommendations?

Tai-Pan by James Clavell has a great audiobook if you're into historical fiction. Kinda long but worth every minute.

[kirkusjones]

Oh man, I remember doing a book report on Taipan in middle school. My classmates were not impressed.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Oh man, I remember doing a book report on Taipan in middle school. My classmates were not impressed.

Screw 'em. Troglodytes rarely appreciate great literature.

[RxPhantom]

Oh man, I remember doing a book report on Taipan in middle school. My classmates were not impressed.

Screw 'em. Troglodytes rarely appreciate great literature.

Kinda harsh on the kiddos there.

[duducrash]

" " %$#% them kids" Michael Jordan"
@TheAmericanSpirit

[kirkusjones]

" " %$#% them kids" Michael Jordan"
@TheAmericanSpirit

This was one of my 5th grade teammates most frequent quotes during my last run in the public education system. He'd also tell the kids goodbye forever on Mondays and Wednesdays in case he hit the powerball. I always respected his optimism.

[DirkGently]

My GBU article is up for the new CMM commanders on the homepage if anyone is curious. Thankfully it's a LOT shorter than LTR.

[duducrash]

I see a lot of people unhappy with the state of UB

But the state of t2 sets seem really fun. Every idea seems fun, vibes are pretty great. I hope they make MTG in universe super cool and players who arent into UB can have their fun too

[RxPhantom]

I just don't like UB. It feels a little hollow and there's just something that feels innately off about it. It's not like other franchises are falling all over themselves to incorporate Magic's IP. It's unidirectional. Magic's lore has so much potential, especially the worlds/planes; the just constantly fail to tell a compelling story all the way through, normally botching the third act.

These other sets seem okay to awesome. I'm especially curious about Tarkir since they said it would merge the sensibilities of both the Khans and Dragons sets/timelines. I suspect that the story will involve some kind of Narset-led rebellion against the dragons by way of a Hydra-style mass activation of multiple sleeper cells. This is just a hunch based on the flavor text of Tapestry of the Ages and Learn from the Past though, so it's not much.

[pokken]

I really was primed to hate ub. But I have absolutely loved every single one except walking dead which was garbage. The dr who stuff may finally get my wife of 18 years into magic.

They just have done such an amazing job of making the cards feel like both uniquely magic and uniquely the IP.

The transformers are my absolute favorite. I haven't made a deck other than slicer yet but it's only a matter of time.

[toctheyounger]

I wanted to hate UB too. Honestly I think they did a marvellous job with Lotr, and I've heard they were pretty true to form with WH40k too. And much like pokken, Dr Who might well revive my wife's interest in the game.

I think bare minimum they've shown they can be pretty delicate and true to theme. More so than the hamfisted attempt with TWD anyway.

[pokken]

I wanted to hate UB too. Honestly I think they did a marvellous job with Lotr, and I've heard they were pretty true to form with WH40k too. And much like pokken, Dr Who might well revive my wife's interest in the game.

I think bare minimum they've shown they can be pretty delicate and true to theme. More so than the hamfisted attempt with TWD anyway.

It's really funny that the TWD stuff sticks out as crappily executed for both of us, lol

[Dunadain]

UB got off to a really bad start, the walking dead was awful, the cards weren't mechanically interesting, the tone clashed with mtg's high fantasy, and The Walking Dead had already long outlived its relevance. Street fighter was also really bad, the transformers were really bad (the fact that they couldn't use the word transform on TRANSFORMERS bothers me so much for some reason) and I'm not too impressed with the way Dr. Who is shaping up (I say that as a doctor who fan).

However, The warhammer decks, Lotr, and both DnD sets are actually pretty great. The warhammer one was the big surprise to me, You'd think it would tonally clash with mtg, but I suppose the warhammer tone isn't too far away from the phyrexians. Idk how they did it, but it works.

It's funny, I didn't consider myself much of a vorthos, until mtg started making these UB products, then I realized I actually do care.

Having said all that, if I somehow was in a position to pull the plug on UB products, I'd probably do it, while there has been some quality UB products, they've been very hit or miss. I also have concerns about reprintings for these cards. Finally, I feel mtg's own lore is being neglected because of them.

[Dunadain]

Also, I hate that we get multiple versions of individuals each set now, I understand you've got to offer sacrifices to the EDH community, but they all just start to run together. I got really excited reading Ringwraiths, thinking to myself that I could put 9 of them in a deck. Nope, that's Nazgûl. The lotr set has 5 Gandalf's, FIVE! I'm going to be reading those cards every time someone plays them for years. Heck, if it was just one regular gandalf, and one Gandalf the white, I could understand that. Nope, there's literally a Gandalf the White and a Gandalf, White Rider... How tf am I suppose to keep those two cards straight!

Y'all remember Omnath, Odric, Tibalt, Thalia, etc.? I don't follow mtg lore, but mtg was able to tell a story about these characters just by making cards, very distinct from each other, and spaced out over time.

Rant over.

[folding_music]

^yeah they don't gel and they never get a story, it's always a "greatest hits of" and never anything compelling. it is very much the creative area that custom card designers should maintain a grip on and not have to be worried by official versions =P i can design a Freya Crescent m:tg card but it's weird when the boss does

[yeti1069]

While I'm not deeply enmeshed in Magic's lore, I do pay attention to it, and read up on some. Much of the UB releases have rubbed me the wrong way, largely for being out of sync with Magic's flavor, but also, because I don't feel like Magic needed to dilute its storied releases with other IP material. I was surprised that it had taken so long for the D&D cross-over, and felt like that could have been done in a way that folded it into Magic's multiverse, rather than being a separate thing.

The Walking Dead and Street Fighter I greatly disliked, in part for being unique cards in a limited release format. I don't like WotC doing that at all. I felt the same way about Stranger Things. That they've since reprinted 2 of these in other products is good, I guess, but it makes the lack of TWD versions that much more apparent. Rick, Steadfast Leader could easily be a normal Magic card, and doesn't need to cost $50+.

The Godzilla alt-art cards for Ikoira seemed like a great fit. They were in flavor with the set, without being out of flavor with Magic in general, and were accessible without being overwhelming.

Transformers was a favorite of mine growing up, but it felt so out of place to me within a normal Magic set, that I've largely ignored them. I think that may also be on account of getting burned out on the insane release schedule of new products. The Brothers War is a super cool concept, but I didn't get a box, and didn't get that into it, thanks to the bombardment of other stuff we'd already received this year (that year?).

Warhammer 40K I've never had any interest in, whether the tabletop game or the MTG adaptation. I've bought a few singles, and while some of the cards feel a little over the line, flavor-wise, it's not much when you look at some of the more extreme technological Magic stuff, like Phyrexians.

Tales of Middle Earth, was mostly a homerun for me. It's my favorite IP (I shudder typing that in reference to Tolkien's work, but such is our world) in general, and the flavor was pretty spot on (outside of a small number of BIG misses). I really think Gandalf the White should have been a transforming double-faced card of Gandalf the Grey. The Ring Tempts You mechanic should have had SOME negative aspect). I also don't feel like the main characters needed 4 and 5 versions each. As it is, I have a hard time recalling every iteration of the characters printed, and some feel pretty bland/bleh.

I really don't like the idea of multiple UB sets coming out each year. I feel like Magic is on the road to becoming Monopoly, with different versions for every IP you could possibly want, except unlike with Monopoly, Magic necessarily pushes you to pay attention the cards from IPs you don't care about. I think that may be my biggest gripe, actually: I don't feel like I can just ignore the UB stuff I don't like, because it's going to come up in games, and there will be cards that will be too good a fit for my decks to wholly ignore.

[Dunadain]

Tales of Middle Earth, was mostly a homerun for me. It's my favorite IP (I shudder typing that in reference to Tolkien's work, but such is our world)

What is this sentence trying to say? You like lotr, but wish you didn't because you have some reservations about Tolkien as a person? Or am I just dense?

[Guardman]

The UB stuff has mostly been a meh for me, but a lot of that is they haven't done a UB on a property I like or know well yet. Though I am mildly interested in the Final Fantasy one since I've played all of the first twelve (excluding XI) in some form. But once they went away from turn-based combat, I really feel the games lost what made them special.

Despite that, I will say that the products themselves are for the most part interesting and high quality. For example, the WH40K Necron deck is probably the best and most fun sealed product they have ever made.