Questions for Q&A Episode This Week!
Added 2023-10-06 01:07:49 +0000 UTCHey All,
The guys will be doing a Q&A episode tomorrow on the show and they need your questions! You can ask anything you want from Magic related stuff, to real life, cooking, food, other games, sports, pop culture, movies, music, life, whatever you want :)
Put your questions in the comments here and we'll get to as many as we can tomorrow morning on the show.
Thank you!
Comments
Hey guys, 7 year listener first time caller, cheers to my favorite parasocial relationship! One aspect of MTG that has always fascinated me is how the community often talks about gameplay with the assumption that there is a single objectively correct line of play. In contrast, one of my other favorite hobbies is Fighting Games (ex. Street Fighter), in which relying too heavily on "correct" gameplay patterns can cause you to become too predictable and lose. As a result, while I recognize that both require learning basic skills and heuristics, at a competitive level I end up approaching the two genres very differently when attempting to analyze my gameplay. My question is, does there come a point in learning MTG where the mindset of a singular correct line of play becomes flawed? Big thanks to you both, always appreciate the content!
Ryan Inwards
2023-10-28 21:39:31 +0000 UTCVintage Cube question. Opponent casts Channel at 20 life. Your only relevant card in hand to play is Reprieve and you don’t know what finishers are in their deck. In what cases do you Reprieve Channel vs. waiting to see what they cast?
Nate W
2023-10-17 01:00:31 +0000 UTCThanks for the recommendation! I'll be sure to check it out!
Jeremy Church
2023-10-07 15:22:08 +0000 UTCListening to the podcast now - If you haven’t seen it yet, Enter the Battlefield is a legit documentary on the Pro Tour. Currently on Prime Video. Definitely worth a watch and might be as close as well get to what you (and me, and many others) are looking for.
DJ Hamilton
2023-10-07 14:12:16 +0000 UTCLSV You have spoken about your vintage cube in the past and I was wanting to put one together (with proxies for power of course). I did have a question about how you put the draft packs together when you sit down to draft? Normal sets have 1 R 3U 10C but cube is all super powerful cards. Do you just randomize the cube cards and put 14-15 in each draft pack or is there an algo you use when building the packs (e.g. no more than one OG mox in a pack etc.). Also Marshall the watch channel has made it big I was watching an Adam Savage video where he was sizing an band on his saeco and he said "Im no Marhsall".
Matthew Cline
2023-10-06 17:53:15 +0000 UTCHow big go you think your influence on the limited metagame is? Have you ever notived a draft stategy that was very open suddenly being less easy to get into as soon as you talked about it on the podcast? Do you think it might have value to shy away from stategies you talked about on the show for a while after the episode drops?
David Lehner
2023-10-06 16:26:03 +0000 UTCDo either of you ever play “Enchant Worldle,” the web-based daily Magic card guessing game? I feel like Luis would be very good at it with his encyclopedic knowledge of cards.
Nate W
2023-10-06 15:26:24 +0000 UTCI was wondering this also!
Nate W
2023-10-06 15:22:53 +0000 UTCWhat is your fondest MTG memory?
Daniel
2023-10-06 13:44:12 +0000 UTCDear resources, A question that maybe goes out rather to Marshall for the most part, even though LSV has been in the booth quite a few times as well: I couldn't help but notice, that it must have been hard to comment Nathan Steuer's featured live draft at the start of Worlds. You and Paul were often "surprised" by his picks, where in reality both of you must have deemed it a clear mistake at times, e.g. when he took "The Irencraq" as a relatively early pick above some other good cards. Later one had the impression, he got way too married to his first pick "Up the Beanstalk" without Green being open or any good 5+ drops coming his way while pretty good red cards passed by. I don't wanna make this a blame game on Nathan, it must be so hard to be under that pressure of being the defending champion and being featured live. But from your perspective: How do you balance that out in the booth in general not to call out mistakes of players, while also give your honest opinion on the matter? Thanks so much and keep it going, show 1000 almost on the horizon ;-) Peter
Peter Sievert
2023-10-06 09:42:33 +0000 UTCGenius or grifter- Making multiple arena accounts to grind quests for more gold, while knowing that you will also face lower ranked players in premier draft cues? This practice seems common place among arena players trying to draft on a budget and maximize their gold across multiple accounts, which I totally understand- however this can also be thought of as smurfing since you have multiple accounts your limited rank is lower across accounts than it would be if you had only one account. If you’re playing premier draft primarily, it feels kinda scummy to just smash the novice gold players once your other account is up to a higher rank. What do you guys think?
Tyler Barr
2023-10-06 08:41:32 +0000 UTCHello Marshall and Luis, When I became a patreon, I received a thank you card and a sticker, thank you very much, after a few years I still have them on my display. I was wondering that the picture on the thank you card - a moose being tripped by a wave a crab is happily riding - must carry a meaning or be an inside joke I am not getting. Could you please tell what is the idea behind it? Thank you very much, Aleksander
Aleksander Sułkowski
2023-10-06 07:37:36 +0000 UTCFor what it's worth, here's a list to my Cube. 540 total. https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/islikaplan
Onnik Islikaplan
2023-10-06 06:12:53 +0000 UTCHey LR gang, I'm loving the color-by-color analysis of the Vintage Cube. I actually have a Cube of my own, which has the legality of Arena. In other words, all the cards in my Cube are found on Arena. I chose this path because I figured it could be easier for others to get into it if they are familiar with Arena. My question is, is there a right or wrong way to balance the archetypes? Of course I'm sure actually drafting it is the best way, but there are times where gathering 8 people is a challenge, and the Draft turns into a Sealed. Do you have any suggested methods to balance and tune card choices and archetypes? Thank you! PS: Thank you Luis for giving me a Commander Masters Collector Booster at the Worlds Viewing party at MagicCon. I haven't opened it yet. It could be anything! (My name is pronounced Oh-neek)
Onnik Islikaplan
2023-10-06 06:12:20 +0000 UTCDo you guys have any strong feelings about the arena ranking system? (Specifically the rankings once you're in mythic.) Do you think there's anything WOTC could be doing better both in terms of incentives and how the system works? Thanks!
Brett Shears
2023-10-06 05:47:53 +0000 UTCHi again! Thanks so much for answering my question about fun a few weeks back. I think you both nailed what I was getting at with fun vs satisfying (and it has been very helpful for me, thanks!). One other aspect of fun that you both mention a lot is certain cards / play patterns / designs that are fun or not. You seem to be able to make these judgements about fun often without playing with the cards. (For example. alchemy). Is this intuition about what will be fun something you developed over years of playing, or more as a game designer? Bonus question: Are you good at engineering fun for yourself or friends/family with non-magic activities? P.S. Not Nathan Steuer :)
Nathan S
2023-10-06 04:14:43 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis! Read any good books lately? I hear you guys reference Blink a lot by Malcolm Galdwell, which I also enjoyed. Wondering if you have come across any other good books that have influenced you personally, shaped the way you look at the world, or even how you approach Magic. Love the show and appreciate both of your perspectives on life. Cheers!
Evan Hobson
2023-10-06 03:51:21 +0000 UTCI started playing in 2021. I’m excited for Khans of Tarkir to come to Arena later this year because I know it’s many limited players’ all time favorite set. In playing an old format for the first time, what should I expect in terms of adjusting card evaluations for nine years of power creep? Like power/toughness for mana, quality of removal, etc.?
Gregorado
2023-10-06 03:18:31 +0000 UTCNeither. You called their attention to there being important flashback cards in their graveyard and they neglected to cast them. It’s not genius but it’s definitely not grifter.
Gregorado
2023-10-06 03:14:27 +0000 UTCHypothetically, what would make you quit Magic? Thanks for all the good work.
Atipong Pathanasethpong
2023-10-06 02:46:41 +0000 UTCHey guys! One of the biggest mental level-ups I learned from Marshall was that as long as I knew I put in all the effort to prepare and tried my hardest, the outcome was much less important since I knew I had done everything I could. This has helped me deal with my own losses, but I'm wondering if you have any tips on how to help a friend feel better when they suffer a defeat. Applying the same strategy by saying things like, "you tried your best," or, "there was nothing you could have done," always feel a bit lackluster to me. I know you've both had experience being at tournaments where your friends are doing well and then come up just short (and in Marshall's case you've had experience chatting with LSV after he's had some rough defeats) so I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the topic. Thanks!
NicolaiBolas
2023-10-06 02:45:35 +0000 UTCHi again! Do you guys prefer playing in-person paper Magic or Arena? I much prefer in-person, but I have heard someone say they thing the Arena experience is more “pure.”
Luke Johnson
2023-10-06 02:44:59 +0000 UTCI have really enjoyed Luis’s daily Vintage Cube drafts. One thing I have noticed is that Luis consistently sings the praises of the aggressive decks, but seems to actively avoid going down that path in favor of the combo or midrange cards. Is that more personal preference, more that you feel you have a personal edge with the decks you draft, or other considerations?
Nate W
2023-10-06 02:27:29 +0000 UTCI remember when Brian Wong was on, he occasionally would refer to what he called “best in slot“ in a set review – suggesting that this was the best creature you could have in that color for that mana value. I kind of miss it… Any interest in bringing it back? Or are things too context-dependent now?
Luke Johnson
2023-10-06 02:17:04 +0000 UTCHey guys! I’ve been listening for like 10 years (thanks for the great show), and over the years in the set reviews, I feel like I’ve noticed grades for removal going down and grades for strong creatures going up. True?
Luke Johnson
2023-10-06 02:11:08 +0000 UTCHello Marshall and Luis, Love the show and appreciate all you guys do. I often think back to the times that got me into the game and am curious what was your “ this is the game for me” moment? Reversely, was there a time in magic you are glad we have moved on from?
Blaise Bonomo
2023-10-06 01:59:25 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis! What's the most unexpected or creative play you've ever made in a tournament that led to a victory, and what was the key decision-making process behind it?
Westin Whitlock
2023-10-06 01:54:31 +0000 UTC(by the way, my last name is pronounced suh-paws-nih-koff, and I love the show!)
Mike Sapoznikow
2023-10-06 01:52:29 +0000 UTCI just listened to the great interview of Kai Budde on the Humans of magic podcast. I really enjoyed it, and James Hsu is a great interviewer, but he's so polite that he doesn't always draw out the funniest war stories. So I wanted to ask you both, given your personal history with the titans of Magic, what is a really tough question that you would you like to ask one of the Magic luminaries that would really put them on the spot? And are there any good stories about Kai or anyone else that you haven't told before because it might have been embarrassing at the time, but where maybe the time has come now to let the cat out of the bag?
Mike Sapoznikow
2023-10-06 01:48:01 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis, I remember hearing about data that suggests better Limited players are more likely, on average, to pivot off of their pack 1 pick 1 in a given draft. This is something I want to improve on, but I find myself falling into the same trap of making suboptimal choices to allow me to play my first pick time and time again. What advice can you give to help me be more aware of alternate paths when drafting the rest of pack 1 so I don’t follow my first pick too far off the rails? Thank you very much! I am a huge fan of the show and really look forward to listening each week.
Sigmund Ausfresser
2023-10-06 01:44:36 +0000 UTCHow much better than an on-color playable does a splash card need to be? Any advice on evaluating when splashing is worth the hit to a mana base?
Joe
2023-10-06 01:27:03 +0000 UTCHey guys, I've been wondering when the next one of these would be, these are my favorite episodes! So I know you guys both really like The Wire. I finally broke down and got MAX and have started off with that show and am about halfway through Season 2. I really am enjoying it, but I'm curious why you guys love it so much. Have you guys seen Peaky Blinder yet? It seems to have a lot of similar themes, so you would probably enjoy it! Speaking of shows, my Magic related question is what would you guys think about a docu series style show that covered the history of Organized Play? I have always been interested in the Pro Tour and coverage and how they grew from those roots of the days of Mike Justice, Mike Long to what it is today! I hope that you guys are all doing well! Thank you for all your hard work (shoot out to Producer Jeff as well!) P.S. I love the YouTube channel, LSV. You're my daily lunch break companion!
Jeremy Church
2023-10-06 01:26:09 +0000 UTCDid you like the peanuts?
Shivam Bhatt
2023-10-06 01:23:12 +0000 UTCGenius or Grifter: I'm playing original Innistrad draft and there is an important flashback card in my opponent's graveyard. Their graveyard is spread out so you can see the names of each card. I ask to see the graveyard and my opponent hands it over while thinking about their turn. I look briefly, and hand it back in a single stack. My opponent puts it back on the table without spreading it out, concealing the crucial flashback spell and I go on to win likely due to the missed card. (Can't say I'm proud of this one! Love the show and I accept any judgement you give)
Nathan Fleming (FlavorJudge)
2023-10-06 01:19:35 +0000 UTCI notice that you guys are really consistent with keeping your language and humor clean across all you different projects. I was wondering if this is to make your content more accessible , a desire to keep it classy in general, or something else. Online discourse can get pretty wild, I’m curious why you eschew that trend.
Daniel Rowe
2023-10-06 01:18:08 +0000 UTCFor the Q+A: I’m a pretty strict vegetarian and could use some extra flavor in my life, I’m interested in your thoughts on sauces. What are your go-to sauces, and what makes a good sauce?
Daniel Rowe
2023-10-06 01:11:59 +0000 UTC
