Dies to Removal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9D2mvoMKLE

^Give it a minute its great

If you can't acknowledge that luck is a factor in a card game, you're delusional. Yes, you can try to play the odds, but you still get bitten once in a while. That's why over 70% win ratios are unheard of. If luck weren't a factor, guys like LSV, Ben Stark, Jon Finkel etc. Would be closer to 100%.

While I agree that sealed is won with commons and uncommons, not bombs, it's just as delusional to pretend that some pools aren't better than others.

Even if there is a playable deck in every pool (and I'd argue sometimes there isn't) it won't always be one that plays to your strengths / is good in your hands. I had a ptq where I was too spread across my colours and had to play three colours with no fixing. Afterward I gave my pool to my friend who Top 4'd GP Toronto (same format) and the deck he built was within three cards. That was an 0-4 drop deck. It was an 0-4 drop pool.

On the other hand, I've had
amazing pools, had a bad beat and never recovered. I can admit that is bad luck into tilt, which is my own personal shortcoming. The example that comes to mind is tge 4-0 bracket of a Theros Block Limited PTQ where my opponent is playing Naya and I'm playing WU. I attact with my soldier of the pantheon + spirit of the labarinth with the flying strive card and put my opponent to one life on turn 4 with ornitharch in hand and one plains in play. My opponent had no fliers in game one or two, so I thought this was a winning line. My opponent cast two removal spells the next turn, then threw down a foil ajani, and made it to ultimate before I found one of the remaining 10 plains in my deck. I drew every island in my deck. That was probably the worst beat of my magic career. I tilted hard enough that I never recovered. I've gone over the availible lines, and I still think that line was the one that gave me the best chance to win.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it certainly doesn't hurt to open a
pool with 4x raise the alarm, 3x triplicate spirits, cord of calling soul of theros and ajani (our two headed giant prerelease deck). Even then we didn't win because we got paired against a deck that Congregated for 76 on a stalled board and drew. It happens.

Luck is a factor in these games whether you acknowledge it or not.

^ luck blamer

Person who lives in reality.

When do Khans spoilers start?

When do Khans spoilers start?

I imagine it will begin within the next two weeks (pure speculation on my end).

In regards with luck, I think everyone knows that variance is part of the game its just frustrating when you read pages of pages of comments about people blaming purely the shuffler, draws or pools for the loss rather then some self-reflection.

I believe people who have (1800-1900) 70%-90% win ratios, have those ratios for a reason - its a shame paper and now online did away with the old rating system since nowadays its hard to see the difference between a grinder or a solid player.

More than half my loses are due to mana screw/flood, and I would attribute that to luck. Sometimes you keep a good starting hand and you don't draw into anything else. It happens. Then there's topdeck mode where you're relying more on the Magic gods than your skill to top deck a card to win or pull you out of a jam.

However, if I lost because my opponent outplayed me in a good neck to neck match, I won't make excuses on that.

Clearly your definition of reality isn't from a dictionary, lol.

If you're a luck sack, play affinity. Played terribly all day and was 6-1 before losing my win and in to twin at the ptq today.

If I actually new what I was doing and how to sideboard properly, I feel I would've crushed when combined with how v well I was drawing in lots if my games.

I won a game with zero ornaments in play other then mox opal and no cards b in hand. I beat four ancient grudge activations. And more shit. Modern is awesome. And power the usual, we played on three hours if sleep while hungover.

Affinity is a joke of a deck, it doesn't lose to its "hate" nearly as bad as people claim it does.

Did you play the Blood Moon version? Because if you didn't, you should. It's free wins vs. everything but fish.

When do Khans spoilers start?

September 1st, from here: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/ar ... d-gamescom

So next Monday.

SCG Atlanta is in a couple of weeks, however I am choosing to go to the GA Southern vs GA Tech game on the Saturday, and attending the Tour Championship on Sunday instead... Magic just is not interesting me much lately. I really have no time to practice, which in turn leads me to not wanting to play events. I just notice how much better I was a couple months when I was playing 3-5 nights a week compared to now, where I may play once every 2 weeks.

Standard is so boring right now

Clearly your definition of reality isn't from a dictionary, lol.

Clearly if you think luck plays no role in card games you're a little detached from it.

Standard is so boring right now

Yeah it is. That is why I am working on experimental decks that might survive rotation like the RUG Chord deck. You know Standard is boring when I am working on a RWU burn deck for Modern just to pass the time.

What cards do you guys think are going to be good post rotation?

I have picked up Underworld Cerberus, Mana Confluence, and pain lands as my speculation cards.

Curious what others think?

My money is on the underplayed walkers going up, as well as Chord and Courser/Caryatid. Thoughsieze is still a card so nothing too fancy is going to be able to survive.

Edit - Khaos is right. Rabblemaster is criminally inexpensive right now.

'I'd start with Goblin Rabblemaster and go from there

Standard is so boring right now

Yeah it is. That is why I am working on experimental decks that might survive rotation like the RUG Chord deck. You know Standard is boring when I am working on a RWU burn deck for Modern just to pass the time.

Jeez we think alike, I'm also keep an eye on RUG Chord because I think it looks like the mini-burn combo deck of the future

My plan for the future : tap Mountains and do stuff

Jeez we think alike, I'm also keep an eye on RUG Chord because I think it looks like the mini-burn combo deck of the future

Yeah, we really do. I have a thread up in Developing if you want to put our heads together.

What cards do you guys think are going to be good post rotation?

I have no idea. But I know that I'll start with a Rabble Red version, and go from there.

More than half my loses are due to mana screw/flood, and I would attribute that to luck.

you remind me of a guy who would play mono red goblins at my FNM. he'd play with 18 lands then complain about mana screw when he couldn't curve into a turn 5 siege-gang commander.

variance exists obviously but if you find yourself consistently blaming losses on bad luck, you're either playing a bad deck or are a bad player or are some combination of the two and also part of the Entitlement Generation.

variance exists obviously but if you find yourself consistently blaming losses on bad luck, you're either playing a bad deck or are a bad player or are some combination of the two and also part of the Entitlement Generation.

^the sad thing is this isn't even one of my troll posts.

I have my eye on RUG Walkers post-rotation. As long as Mizzium Mortars-type card is printed in Khans (even as just a two-mana Flame Slash the card would be alright) I think the deck has some potential. The mana is already there (Shivan Reef and Yavimaya Coast) and a package including Chandra, Kiora, Xenagos, Nissa, and possibly a miser's Jace seems quite powerful. Add to that the fact that RUG will be one of the clans and it's sure to get some love in the next set.

you remind me of a guy who would play mono red goblins at my FNM. he'd play with 18 lands then complain about mana screw when he couldn't curve into a turn 5 siege-gang commander.

You must've played him in the x-2 bracket

you remind me of a guy who would play mono red goblins at my FNM. he'd play with 18 lands then complain about mana screw when he couldn't curve into a turn 5 siege-gang commander.

You must've played him in the x-2 bracket

Shots fired.

variance exists obviously but if you find yourself consistently blaming losses on bad luck, you're either playing a bad deck or are a bad player or are some combination of the two and also part of the Entitlement Generation.

I think the key is to have the integrity to differentiate between bad luck and player error.

I read that Reid Duke coming back from the pro tour with a list of the misplays he made and used that to help himself improve / motivate himself and his improvement in the following year was astounding.

Since then, I've been keeping track of what went wrong in games I lose. My score sheets say things like: Bad sequencing, punt, mana screw, mana flood, out played, misread opponent, god hand, played to outs, bad keep, loose keep,
mulliganed too aggressively etc. I try my best to be honest with myself because I think it's the only way to improve.

My friend took it one further. He has a spread sheet where he records how many lands he had on curve, how many his opponent had etc. as well. Guy is hardcore with crunching statistics, but also serious about improving and accountability.

There are a lot of things we, as players can do, but luck is still a factor. You aren't being honest with yourself (and likely too hard on yourself) if you don't acknowledge it.

As long as Mizzium Mortars-type card is printed in Khans (even as just a two-mana Flame Slash the card would be alright)

I wouldn't be surprised if we already have it in Stoke the Flames.

As long as Mizzium Mortars-type card is printed in Khans (even as just a two-mana Flame Slash the card would be alright)

I wouldn't be surprised if we already have it in Stoke the Flames.

Damnation inc.

As long as Mizzium Mortars-type card is printed in Khans (even as just a two-mana Flame Slash the card would be alright)

I wouldn't be surprised if we already have it in Stoke the Flames.

Not very good in a Walkers deck unfortunately.

Quick tournament report from my top 8 finish at the IQ (Jund Walkers):

viewtopic.php?p=251080#p251080

I've been on a big midrange kick the past year. I think I got to the point where I just wanted to play powerful Magic cards.

Hard to argue with playing individually powerful cards when there is so much discard running around.

Holy shit. Huge changes coming to standard / Magic in general.

Most of these things seem positive to me...

I doubt anyone will miss the core set