Magic the Gathering question.

[Unicron]

I suppose when I used DRs in black, I usually try to save them for high level cards that need the extra mana. It depends on the strategy. Blue is my weakest color, so I guess I should improve sometime. It can be very powerful with enough skill, but it requires more micromanagement than the other colors - at least if you tend to stick to one or two color decks as I often make.

 

[Sephiroth]

i'm undecided with the Eldrazi set as to weather i like it or not, the Eldrazi themselves seem a little broken (and that 20 mana cost, "you may play any number of Eldrazi cards you own that is not in your deck" card has allready been banned in my local game shop for horrorific abuse) but I do like alot of the non-eldrazi elements like the level-up creatures, what is everybodys opinion of the new set

 

[sojourner]

^LOL, exactly which card is that?

 

[Unicron]

Looking at the Eldrazi set, I'm kind of mixed on the mechanics. I like the idea of the Eldrazi being able to spawn a sort of "drone" effect that exists in the colors although they themselves are colorless, but if these drones are just meant to be cheap mana sacrifices (to play the huge Eldrazi creatures), I don't see the point. I'm undecided about having colorless spells and creatures that are not artifact creatures.

Rebound also seems pointless, if I'm reading the rules text for it correctly: you play a card which is then removed from the game after its effect(s) resolve, and if it has Rebound you can recycle its effects on your next upkeep for free, even though it would apparently still be out of game effectively. All of the new abilities seem counterintuitive to me, and seem like they would break the game's balance.

These abilities are Annihilator X (whenever the creature attacks, the defender has to sacrifice X permanents); Totem Armor (when a creature would die from damage, instead remove all the damage from it and destroy the TA effect) and Level Up (as a sorcery, pay mana to add a level counter to the creature; when you have enough counters, its stats increase and it may receive special abilities at a high level).

I liked Zendikar, but I didn't buy Worldwake because it seemed too gimmicky to me. Being able to "kick" the kicker effect while you're playing the card seemed a little redundant. I don't want to condemn Eldrazi just yet, without learning more, but it still seems way too gimmicky. I also am not a fan of the planeswalkers cards.

 

[Sephiroth]

i like totem armor the whole point of the umbra cards is that it engulfs your creature and gives it new charateristics, and i think the levelers add a new element of strategy to gameplay, and planeswalkers do suck...and hard

 

[Unicron]

TA is the most practical of the new effects, but it doesn't necessarily seem like something that doesn't already exist under older names. My concern with it as a regeneration type effect is whether it could be abused to keep creatures alive. But in fairness, it's hard to judge without playing.

The levelers I'm less sold on, for the same reason. Lighthouse Chronologist seems a tad unbalanced if you were to get it to L7 quickly, since it would be a medium strength creature that lets you get extra turns.

* shrugs * I dunno. I just think WoTC should be careful not to keep adding new mechanics to the decks till they become both top heavy and non-strategic. Part of the fun of the game is learning how to use the existing mechanics you have in place, and combine those with the card abilities. Maybe they should make some expansions that are more "classic" in that way.

 

[Capt. Vulcan]

I just started playing Magic recently because someone made an excellent homebrew version of magic for the psp called "Wagic the Homebrew." (There's also a version for the pc as well.) It's only single player, but the AI is better than some retail CCG's I've played. Also since it's a homebrew it doesn't contain card art for legal reasons, but you can find the card art packages online pretty easily if you want them. People have also made custom card packages based on other

http://wololo.net/wagic/licences.

Overall I really enjoy the game. I'd almost get in to the actual card game if there didnt' require such a large financial investment. For me card games like dominion or thunderstone work better since you only need to buy expansions every once in awhile and people can't buy themselves advantages.

 

[Unicron]

For what it's worth, I think it helps if you have a way to find some of the older cards. I will admit, as a veteran casual player, that I am concerned about some of WotC's recent changes. Some feel they're essentially dumbing down the game to appeal to younger kids, and trying to make more money that way. I do think there's some credence to that view. But the strategy element is what makes the game fun.

I've always been modest in buying decks. I first started playing when Mirage and Tempest and such were newer decks, and after that they started doing multiple decks as part of the block structure. I've always rather liked that approach. I usually buy one of each main deck and several boosters, and get several hundred cards from the expansion. Otherwise I don't buy much, and I don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get newer stuff.

 

[donners22]

There's a new Magic game for PC up on Steam for $US10.

It's not nearly as comprehensive as the 90s Shandalar game, but is certainly interesting enough - and a fair bit cheaper than the real thing!

 

[Unicron]

I hope no one minds the bump, but I saw the 2011 core sets today and actually think they don't look too bad in terms of composition. There's a fair amount of older stuff there it looks like, but it's nice to see that the mechanics are built around those old cards rather than trying to be overly gimmicky. Anyone planning to pick them up?

 

[Lindley]

My cousin recently re-introduced me to Magic after I'd been ignoring it for 10+ years. It can be quite fun actually. I think I need some new cards though....

 

[Goliath]

Wow, Magic.

A friend of mine bought me an Unlimited starter deck, but I didn't really start collecting and playing until around the time the Fallen Empires expansion was available. That was--what? 1994?

I played seriously for a couple of years. Then I quit my job and went to graduate school, and no longer had any money for cards.

I kept playing with the cards I had for another couple of years. Then I moved to a completely different city in 1998, and eventually I wound up selling my collection on eBay.

I always preferred Black. IIRC, my last deck was some kind of Red/Black Necropotence/direct-damage monstrosity. Probably hopelessly out of date twelve years later.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

If any of you guys lived near me I might be tempted to start playing some MTG again!

 

[Goliath]

The friend who bought me the Unlimited deck had some pretty valuable cards for a while, including a Black Lotus. People would gather around the table and "ooh" and "aah" whenever he played it.

He eventually sold all his heavyweight cards as well, to get himself out of some financial trouble. So I guess they turned out to be a good investment.

The most valuable cards I ever owned were a Mox Emerald and a Time Vault. I actually won the Time Vault in a tournament--a tournament from which I should have been quickly eliminated.

I think a group of MTG players will appreciate this story. I showed up at this tournament with a Red/Black land destruction deck--only to discover that we wouldn't be playing one-on-one. We would be playing in groups instead.

Oh shit, I thought. Land Destruction is just about the most worthless type of deck imaginable for group play. Yet somehow, I managed to scrape through into the prize round. Then the fun began.

I had come to the tournament as part of a group from a small city on the outskirts of Edmonton. Three of us made it into the final round--and made an alliance against the rest. My allies essentially used me as the tip of their spear: I ran wild, attacking everyone, while they defended me with every spell at their disposal. No one had expected to have to face a land destruction deck--after all, what kind of idiot would bring one to a group tournament? My own stupidity worked in my favour.

Finally, when we had eliminated everyone else, my two allies quickly disposed of me, and fought it out for first and second prize.

I won a Time Vault. Second prize was a Timetwister. First prize was a Time Walk. I think we earned the undying hatred of the whole Edmonton MTG community that day.

 

[DonIago]

(smirk) Pretty off-topic, but your story reminds me of when I was playing "Are you a werewolf?" with a large group of people last Halloween. A number of us who'd brought candy to share with friends formed the "Candy Alliance". The real fun began when the Candy Alliance gained majority control. It was never entirely clear whether we were amusing or alienating other people, but we did get a number of people to join us.

 

[Sephiroth]

they re-printed lava axe for the 2011 core set and they changed the flavor text

 

[Lindley]

A friend of mine bought me an Unlimited starter deck, but I didn't really start collecting and playing until around the time the Fallen Empires expansion was available. That was--what? 1994?

The majority of my cards are Fallen Empires as well. Not all that great, even at the time, though.

 

[Goliath]

A friend of mine bought me an Unlimited starter deck, but I didn't really start collecting and playing until around the time the Fallen Empires expansion was available. That was--what? 1994?

The majority of my cards are Fallen Empires as well. Not all that great, even at the time, though.

Yeah, Fallen Empires was a pretty crappy expansion.

It did have a couple of good Black cards, though. Hymn to Tourach worked great in hand-destruction decks, with Hypnotic Specters and Mind Twist. And the Order of the Ebon Hand was a useful little creature that worked very well in a Necrodeck.

And I always liked the Goblin Grenade. Not the greatest card, maybe--but a cool card. Goblin suicide bombers ftw.

 

[Davros]

It has been so long since I have played this game. I had some great fun but the investment in keeping up with new cards became too much. My favorite deck worked on forcing people to draw extra cards stop them from playing them by blocking their untap then put the hurt on with vices. It didn't win a lot but it was a fun evil deck to play.

 

[LitmusDragon]

The thing you old-timers will notice if you ever start to play again is that the spells have gotten weaker, but the creatures have gotten much stronger.

Example- there has never been a discard spell printed again that was as mana efficient as Hymn to Tourach.

On the other hand, you would have never seen a creature like Baneslayer Angel back then either.