[Fedoras of Salvation] - White Knights ITT

[TubeHunter]

@raspy – Thank you.

@redthirst – And thank you as well. I'll pm Nuwen and ask her if she wants the Dos Rakis thread. Her work there has been impressive and well thought out.

@Fate – Thanks. I'm not going anywhere, per se, but I need a break from more competitive Magic.

I feel like lately I'm in a rut with my professional life and with Magic. It's a depressing fact that English and writing programs aren't valued that highly in academics. Students by and large just don't care, and administrators are largely indifferent to the challenges faced by English instructors. The pay is abysmal for the amount of work required. It makes going in to teach more and more difficult each week.

As for Magic, I feel like something is missing for me: fun. I've become too
focused on winning rather than playing a game and having a fun time with it. I've been looking at different budget brews like shinbatsu's Boros Blitz list or an idea I've had with all unleash creatures called Unleash Hell with Exava and Carnage Gladiators. They're not competitive, but they'd be fun to try. I love wacky interactions. That abomination of a list with Firemane Avengers and Legion's Initiative in a Dos Rakis shell gets crazy with an Avenger attacking with an Aristocrat for 12+ damage. The manabase is awful, but it somehow works. I want to do more nonsense like that, but I feel like I'm taking the competitive edge away from the clan with that stuff.

So, I want to take a step back and just focus again on having more fun. Other aspects of my life can be serious.

Hey man, don't worry about it, magic is meant to have fun with! Besides, not being competitive has not hampered me in the slightest in this clan, so you, being more respected than I, should have zero problems.
Everyone needs to step back once In a while, and me and the rest of the clan will be supportive of your descesion!

[windstrider]

Thanks, everyone. I love this clan. The support here is unreal. I wish we all lived closer together. That'd be a hell of a meetup.

I just handed over Dos Rakis to Nuwen. I feel like I gave away my firstborn or something. I didn't expect that reaction.

[Alex]

Thanks, everyone. I love this clan. The support here is unreal. I wish we all lived closer together. That'd be a hell of a meetup.

I just handed over Dos Rakis to Nuwen. I feel like I gave away my firstborn or something. I didn't expect that reaction.

[Sioux]

Happy to help mate. Any issues or questions about the program?

Nah, I just wanted to stop in and thank you. This weight lifting program has really added to my overall martial arts work out and has given my crosses and hooks quite a bit more power.

As for the on topic discussion, I've been out of Magic for a small handful of months now and I'm left confused by something. Did the release of M14 nullify the importance of Boros Reckoner or something? I am seeing fewer and fewer lists running him and I am left wondering why.

[Alex]

Happy to help mate. Any issues or questions about the program?

Nah, I just wanted to stop in and thank you. This weight lifting program has really added to my overall martial arts work out and has given my crosses and hooks quite a bit more power.

As for the on topic discussion, I've been out of Magic for a small handful of months now and I'm left confused by something. Did the release of M14 nullify the importance of Boros Reckoner or something? I am seeing fewer and fewer lists running him and I am left wondering why.

Had nothing to do with M14, Boros Reckoner is
just a card that can be played around pretty easily and people hated it out of the format by doing just that.

[Sioux]

Dang. Well, I guess I'm behind the times. I'll see about adjusting this Red deck soon. All I really need is the Mutavaults but, I'll worry about that later after the move. I'll finally be around a place with a real FNM soon so I can actually deck test and compete. I can also finally take my level 1 judge test so I am amped.

[windstrider]

Doom Blade, Abrupt Decay, and Putrefy hate on Reckoner pretty harshly. It can be flown over, nullified by falter effects like Firefist Striker, Goblin Shortcutter, and Pyreheart Wolf, or stolen with Act of Treason effects.

It's still a beating if you're not prepared for it, but a lot of people are.

[redthirst]

Originally posted by redthirst on MTGS

I may be new to the thread, but I was aware of a debate over Purge the Profane. I think any intelligent person should listen to everyone in the thread. Different people have different play styles and different strategies that work best for them. I honestly don't believe that, outside of a few exceptions, a 'Bad Card' exists no more then a 'Bad tool'. Situational, maybe. Strictly better? Maybe. Pillar of Flame and Shock are apples and oranges. One is low CMC pinpoint instant removal. The other is an exile effect at sorcery speed for low cmc. Purge the Profane and Rakdos Return again are incomparable. One gains life and forces discard at a set CMC. The other forces Discard while damages with an X effect. If your thing is Lifegain, then Purge the Profane will be better FOR YOU then Rakdos Return will ever be. If you'd rather do damage,
then Rakdos Return will be better for YOU then Purge will ever be.

Furthermore, if anyone should be listend too, it would be Kamhal. I don't see anyone here who's posted the results of their list in a 217 man tournament that they came first in. Not only did he succesfully win with the Dega Midrange deck, but he was gracious enough to explain exactly how he did it and how he shored up against other players. I'm also fairly sure he started the thread.

Personally I find it frustrating when I have a go to thread for ideas about where to take my deck from here and there's 5 pages of damned bickering about why oranges are better then apples and Kamahl is stupid for liking Kiwis. If anything, mimic Kamahl's deck precisely, as far as I can see he is the only one with consistent tournament winning results with Dega Midrange. So Kamahl, as a Dega midrange player, thank you for your contributions and for having the kahoonies to stand by your decisions. You've given me hope as a Dega
player.

That being said, I don't think debating whether one card is more effective or not is a bad thing, it just better hashes out which cards work best in this deck. What I have a problem is people trying to discrediting someone who obviously knows what he's talking about. So I do not mean to slander anyone, to be honest I don't remember the names of anyone who flamed Kamahl, and frankly I don't care. I just recall him letting everyone know how he was getting results and being flamed for it.


Regarding deck build, I'll have to delay my post further. Again I'm at work, and my deck is at home. But honestly, Reveberate helps out immensely against the control match up. Even helps push spells through on occasion or even giving you your own Advent of the Wurm.

A few points:

1. Bad cards do exist and they can be compared to good cards even if the two aren't directly related or one isn't strictly better/worse than the other. Example: it&#
39;s okay to say Thermal Flux is bad and/or worse than Mana Drain.

2a. The tournament report shouldn't fill you with confidence - there are plenty of indicators that Kamahl's meta is not overly competitive, competent, or current:
-very few Aggro MUs when the meta is upwards of 40% Aggro
-the number of play mistakes he notes from his opponents - things you might expect in the first 2-3 rounds, but not at the top tables
-the number of mulligans and kept hands that shouldn't have been kept (like the RG Aggro player that apparently kept a hand with Scavenging Ooze as his only threat)
-opponents that straight didn't know or understand the rules like the Blitz player in Round 5 that didn't understand the new Planeswalker rules - honestly, I've never played in a tournament where my 4-0 opponent didn't understand the basic (even if they were new) rules of the game
2b. Besides all that, it looks like
luck played a pretty big part in that win - read the report: Kamahl never once had to mulligan as far as I can tell but his opponents regularly had sub-par hands (apparent from their play lines) and twice his opponent mulligan down to 4(!). In fact, it seems like the only times Kamahl's opponents had hands worth keeping were when his were even better.

So no, that report doesn't encourage me to disregard my own experiences and card evaluations.

3. It's not "obvious [he] knows what he's talking about" - if it were, multiple people wouldn't constantly be questioning him. To me it is, in fact, obvious that the opposite is true based on my experiences with the cards in question and specifically with Kamahl in the past - the most recent of which was him arguing with me that both Varolz and Blood Baron were unplayable trash (even though both have or do get played successfully in competitive environments) and that Varolz somehow represented card
disadvantage (still don't understand how anyone could think that). There are more examples, but these are the most recent besides Purge and clearly illustrate that Kamahl - while very good at abrasively arguing a point - actually has terrible card evaluation skills, faulty logic, a clear misunderstanding of how cards should be played, and, consequently, his advice should be scrutinized very thoroughly.

There we go. Hopefully that'll make Kamahl's new white knight sit his ass down.

[Alex]

There we go. Hopefully that'll make Kamahl's new white knight sit his ass down.

You used way too many words. Nobody is going to read all of that on MTGS, you should know this.

[redthirst]

There we go. Hopefully that'll make Kamahl's new white knight sit his ass down.

You used way too many words. Nobody is going to read all of that on MTGS, you should know this.

That's how I know I won't catch a card.



You know, unless one of the mods knows what I intended from only reading the first line or two.

[Alex]

PS: This is how to properly tournament report. Kamahl could learn a thing or two.

[windstrider]

Thanks, everyone. I love this clan. The support here is unreal. I wish we all lived closer together. That'd be a hell of a meetup.

I just handed over Dos Rakis to Nuwen. I feel like I gave away my firstborn or something. I didn't expect that reaction.

You don't have to be that happy about it, Alex.

[hamfactorial]

PS: This is how to properly tournament report. Kamahl could learn a thing or two.

I especially enjoyed the part where you literally ejaculated on your opponent's face.

Literally.

[Alex]

PS: This is how to properly tournament report. Kamahl could learn a thing or two.

I especially enjoyed the part where you literally ejaculated on your opponent's face.

Literally.

I did that for you.

[redthirst]

All my tournament reports look the same:

Round 1: Pile shuffled, presented deck to opponent to cut/shuffle, placed dick on table, opponent scoops.
1-0
Round 2: Pile shuffled, presented deck to opponent to cut/shuffle, placed dick on table, opponent scoops.
2-0
Round 3: Pile shuffled, presented deck to opponent to cut/shuffle, placed dick on table, opponent scoops.
3-0
Finals: Pile shuffled, presented deck to opponent to cut/shuffle, placed dick on table, opponent scoops, threw his deck on floor and fucked his gf on top of it.
X-0

[Alex]

Implying that he had a girlfriend.

[redthirst]

Implying that he had a girlfriend.

She ain't always pretty, but the important thing is that he feel even more emasculated than all the rest - it is the Finals, after all.

Not going to lie, though, sometimes I have to fuck their mom or sister, but whacha gonna do?

[redthirst]

I'll be Goddamned... the last post by Kamahl isn't overly abrasive or condescending. It may actually be the only acceptable post I've ever read by him.

Is it possible that we taught him some humility?

[Alex]

I'll be Goddamned... the last post by Kamahl isn't overly abrasive or condescending. It may actually be the only acceptable post I've ever read by him.

Is it possible that we taught him some humility?

I mean I guess it's possible. Probable? I wouldn't put a bet on it.

[zemanjaski]

4 Augur of Bolas
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Snapcaster Mage

2 Chandra, Pyromaster

1 Runechanter's Pike

3 Brimstone Volley
1 Desperate Ravings
4 Divination
1 Izzet Charm
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Mizzium Mortars
4 Pillar of Flame
3 Searing Spear
1 Silent Departure
4 Thought Scour
1 Unsummon

1 Desolate Lighthouse
4 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur Falls
7 Island
5 Mountain

Yep, got there. Chandra, 0: reveal Augur; cast Augur; reveal Divination. Furiously ejaculate everywhere.

[rcwraspy]

that's a thing of beauty. augur and snapcaster with chandra and her phoenix? because why not.

[zemanjaski]

Discard effects (Desperate Ravings, Izzet Charm, Desolate Lighthouse) plus Phoenix is fun. Also Thought Scour.

[hamfactorial]

4 Augur of Bolas
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Snapcaster Mage

2 Chandra, Pyromaster

1 Runechanter's Pike

3 Brimstone Volley
1 Desperate Ravings
4 Divination
1 Izzet Charm
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Mizzium Mortars
4 Pillar of Flame
3 Searing Spear
1 Silent Departure
4 Thought Scour
1 Unsummon

1 Desolate Lighthouse
4 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur Falls
7 Island
5 Mountain

Yep, got there. Chandra, 0: reveal Augur; cast Augur; reveal Divination. Furiously ejaculate everywhere.

literally

---

[hamfactorial]

You could probably troll the guys in the Dega thread into running Chandra's Phoenix as loot bait.

[Alex]

My phone hates you right now, Ham.

Spoiler tag that shit pl0x.

[hamfactorial]

Sure thing cutie

[TubeHunter]

Obligatory yolo post

[theroguewriter]

So just as a general question, when you test a new brew against the best deck in the format (arguably Jund in Standard, for example) what kind of a record are you looking for ... in other words, is just a winning record against the best deck enough to warrant further testing? What do you look for in a brew in terms of testing to convince you to take it to a big tournament?

[zemanjaski]

I want a winning average against an expected field. I'm very happy to have unwinnable matchups against fringe decks.

[Jack]

Feeling happy because I have something to look forward to that many people do not: 10 un-watched episodes of Firefly
Also, I like that deck, Z. It really displays the glory of an 8-set Standard.

[Sioux]

This is what I'm going to try tomorrow (sleeving now) and will try to write a detailed report. Posted in the AIR thread too. Look good Z?

[deck]Creatures (30)
4 Legion Loyalist
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Burning Tree Emmissary
4 Firefist Striker
4 Lightning Mauler
2 Goblin Shortcutter
4 Hellrider

Spells (8)
4 Krenko's Command
4 Dynacharge

Lands (22)
18 Mountain
4 Mutavault

Sideboard (15)
4 Pillar of Flame
2 Mark of Mutiny
2 Electrickery
3 Volcanic Strength
1 Mountain
3 Burning earth[/deck]

Alright, besides the Vaults and Burning Earths I have this deck built and it is doing phenomenal against my friends already(which isn't hard mind you being they still lose to my Vexing Devil/Burn/Volatile Rig
deck but, they're getting better). The attack is either relentless out of the gate and only gets worse before someone is dead or it is slow to build and just destroys once it gets running. The only time I lose is when I keep bad hands, become mana screwed/flooded or if I make some kind of mid-game blunder. I think Red is going to be seeing some interesting attack strategy coming up even with the loss of Reckoner and HellRider.

[Jack]

We won't lose Reckoner, he just died

[zemanjaski]

That deck still has room for significant tuning, but I like how it's coming together so far.

[Kazekirimaru]

So, I threw together Mono-blue Delver in ~10 minutes to intro a friend to magic and I think I may have turned them off to the game forever. Oops.

That said, how do you folks generally introduce friends to MTG?

[Khaospawn]

That said, how do you folks generally introduce friends to MTG?

First, I show them a picture of red's dick...

[Platypus]

Kaze: I don't. The only friends I know who'd be interested in Magic already plays (non-seriously) or have played at some point. I don't like to push my hobbies on people, but if any of them would show genuine interest in the game I'd try some of the duel decks or the deckbuilder's toolkit first and work up from there.

My son is growing up with games around him, and he's quite good at some of them already at 4,5 years, so I won't have any problems introducing Magic to him in a few years time.

[Solemn10]

So, I threw together Mono-blue Delver in ~10 minutes to intro a friend to magic and I think I may have turned them off to the game

That's a deck I would use if an annoying person I don't want to hang out with asked me to teach him to play
I would have them play red, green or Rg. Simple, powerful and can get wins.

[Khaospawn]

@windstrider- I know how you feel right now. Sometimes you have to take a step back and reevaluate things. Sometimes its burnout, and sometimes you just need to take a break to figure out what it is you really want. Nobody just picks up magic with aspirations to go pro or to be the best. You start because you love the game, because its fun. Having fun is what ignites the spark for competitive play. And when it ceases to be fun because of the overcompetitiveness, it really becomes a chore. Or a job. And you already have one of those.

Whatever it is that you feel like doing, I support it.



On another note, I'm seriously considering ending my relationship with my fiance for some of these very reasons. This is something I've been pondering over lately and it makes me sad. I really don't think this is something a break will fix either. We've been having problems over stupid things, arguing more, and I'm starting to
figure out that the future I once wanted isn't what I want anymore.

I guess you know things are coming to a head when you have to delete your own Facebook because even that is a problem.

[rcwraspy]

On another note, I'm seriously considering ending my relationship with my fiance for some of these very reasons. This is something I've been pondering over lately and it makes me sad. I really don't think this is something a break will fix either. We've been having problems over stupid things, arguing more, and I'm starting to figure out that the future I once wanted isn't what I want anymore.

I guess you know things are coming to a head when you have to delete your own Facebook because even that is a problem.

Follow your heart and your instincts, my friend. This is serious stuff, and you want to make sure you're making the right decision FOR YOU. This is your time to think selfishly because marriage is a huge commitment. I don't mean
actually BE selfish, but I mean don't let other people's feelings, or a sense of honor, etc., sway you. It has to be right for both of you.

That said, whenever my wife and I argue I take a step back and try to analyze WHY we're arguing. What's it over, and how much does it really matter? Would things be better overall if I just backed down, and what would that do to what I was trying to get from it?

That's my .02. Best of luck to you, and you know we all support you man.

[Jack]

@Khaos: I think that's the most thoughtful thing I've ever seen you write. As for your relationship, I really have nothing to say except that I hope something works out to make both you and her happy enough.
@Windstrider: What Khaos said. Take a break. Long enough to make you really miss the game, so you'll be very excited about it when you come back.