Q&A Episode Tomorrow! Questions Go Here!
Added 2024-08-29 00:21:51 +0000 UTCThe Guys are excited to do a Q&A episode since they had to skip it for the last one. Throw any questions you have for them here, any topic is fair game, doesn't have to be Magic related (but totally can if you want!). They will answer as many as they can on tomorrows recording :)
Thanks!
Comments
Hey guys, hope you are all doing well! My question is, should an opponent choosing to mulligan ever affect your own decision of whether to do so? I often find myself re-evaluating this decision in my head once I see an opponent take the mulligan, but then I think to myself... shouldn't their decision not effect my own in this case? Always enjoy the Q and A episodes, thanks for doing them!
Ryan Inwards
2024-08-29 20:53:57 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis, I'm a long time listener and huge fan of your show. I'm writing to address an issue that I see as a blind spot in Wizards card design and in our community's card evaluation skills, the over-valuing of "spells matter" cards. I feel like this is something that has been happening for a while now. Whenever Wizards does a "spells matter" theme, either in their precon decks or draft formats, it's almost always underpowered. It seems to me that we look at these sweet "spells matter" cards and immediately go to the best case scenario, where we're casting 2-3 non-creature spells per turn. In reality though, that's really hard to do. Even the best spell-focused draft decks are going to be about one-third non-creature spells and only a few of those will draw you more non-creature spells, so in the average game of limited you're only going to be able to put together one or two turns where you really go off with 2-3 non-creature spells. Add to that all the times you end up drawing the wrong mix of creatures, spells, and lands or your payoffs get dealt with before you can go off with them in play, or you just get run over because prowess creatures always seem to fail the vanilla test and can't block well. In reality, "spells matter" is difficult to win with, even when the archetype is well-supported. Bloomburrow is a great example of this. It should have been clear from the set review that the otters deck was going to be weak. Stormcatch Mentor is an F, maybe a build-around D. You guys got it right that the cost reduction is mostly flavor text, so ignore that. The card is a 1/1 prowess haste for two mana, how does that end up in the C range? Two-mana 1/1 haste without prowess is an F, how does prowess add two whole grades to a card? I don't think it should. How many prowess triggers are you expecting to get in an average game? Similar case with Otterball Antics, another 1/1 prowess for two mana. I get that it is a non-creature spell that makes a creature and those are highly valuable in the "spells matter" archetype but it's still a two-mana 1/1. The flashback mode is a four-mana 2/2, also an F. Maybe you can put two F's on one card and end up with a D, add the build-around quality and maybe you get this into the D+/C- range but that's the ceiling on this card. In my opinion, you guys putting this thing in the B range, even with the build-around caveat, is giving way too much value to prowess. In the past, these archetypes worked better because we had more breathing room to set up explosive turns and really make these cards work but in today's highly-pushed formats every turn counts and playing two-mana 1/1s is not going to do it. They don't block well and you're going to be dead before you can turn them into real threats. Thanks for reading my rant, would love to hear any reactions you have to it. Cheers and thanks for putting out such great content!
iLOVEthisGuy
2024-08-29 15:35:25 +0000 UTCMark here. Hey Luis and Marshall! Long time Patron, first time questioner. I need you to settle a Genius or Grifter that I've been debating with a friend for a decade now. Genius or Grifter: Competitive REL tournament (SCG Open or similar). Theros limited. Long game, both payers in top deck mode. Player A is at 6 life and has two 2 power creatures and a "live" Erebos, God of the Dead. Important text: "Your opponents can't gain life." Player B is at 2 life has one creature in play (doesn't matter what it is). Player B's turn: draw, cast Gray Merchant of Asphodel. "When Gray Merchant enters , each opponent loses X , where X is your devotion to black. You gain life equal to the life lost this way." X = 4. Clever people might see where this is going. Player B watches Player A write down life totals changing his life total to 2 and Player B's life to 6. Player B doesn't change touch their life pad. B: Pass turn A: draw, plays land for turn. "You're at 7?" B: no response, not even eye contact. A: Pass turn B: draws another Gray Merchant, cast it and wins the game. So... Genius or Grifter? Full disclosure, Player B was my friend and was telling me this story over dinner that night as if it's a tale of accomplishment of how he figured a way to win in a normally-unwinnable scenario. My response: "so you cheated?". In his defense, he was like 15 years old at the time, and he's grown out of that dumb angle-shooting phase and has grown into genuinely one of the best limited players I know. Shout out to Lucas.
Mark Larson
2024-08-29 14:31:07 +0000 UTCHey Marshal, hey Luis, and congratulations on your growing family! I've a question about Mulligans. I see players like LSV and Kenji keeping the 'it's great if I draw a green source' hands, and typically it works out, whereas when I try it it's usually a disaster! How do you know when to risk it on those hands?
Chris Fisher
2024-08-29 05:39:47 +0000 UTCLong time listener, first time caller. We know some of the stories of you two playing together in the community cup and the Magic (if I'm not mistaken). But how often have you played against each other? Either on purpose or by chance? :)
Simon Plum
2024-08-29 05:16:59 +0000 UTCI sent you a question by email to lr@lrcast, thanks!
Mike Sapoznikow
2024-08-29 05:00:47 +0000 UTCYou have talked about removal not being the strongest in Bloomburrow, how many removals do you aim for in the different archetypes?
Joel Hultin
2024-08-29 04:27:29 +0000 UTCHey guys! I have a question about Vintage Cube! I know that Power 9 being in the format is the whole point of "Vintage" Cube, but hypothetically, do you think the gameplay would improve if those cards were gone and the format didn't need to balance itself around them? Basically, if they weren't historical icons and were simply printed in a random commander Precon this year, would you recommend adding them? I feel like winning a game because I got to start with an extra land or had 4 mana on turn 1 isn't particularly satisfying (almost like beating a Standard deck with a Modern deck), and losing those sorts of games feels bad, so I was curious what you think of the topic. Thanks for all you do and for always making my week better with your episodes!
NicolaiBolas
2024-08-29 03:49:43 +0000 UTCI have a bunch of people (3-5 max) i work with interested in playing MTG. We have 1.5-2 hours midday break to play. We’ve tried playing commander precons, but it’s a tough sell (even for me). I no longer have a collection or decks to draw from. Do you have any advice on what we can play that will stoke the flame of MTG and won’t break the bank?
RadioacDev
2024-08-29 03:37:06 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis,
RadioacDev
2024-08-29 03:29:26 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis! Long time listener of the pod - thanks for the many years of awesome content. Luis - I know you’ve mentioned playing in a D&D campaign with friends. Can you share more about your character (class, species, back story, etc.)? And Marshall - with however much you know about D&D, what type of character do you think you’d want to play if you were to join an ongoing campaign?
Alex House
2024-08-29 03:08:24 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis. Like many others I really appreciate your application of game theory to other aspects of your life (heuristic is a great example) I’m wondering if you apply game theory to your financial decisions, eg using EV or quadrant theory to help you make these decisions?
Tim Beckingham
2024-08-29 02:49:30 +0000 UTCHello LR! First time long time, love the show! Playing the Mystery Booster draft the first go around was some of my favorite Magic ever, so the release of Mystery Booster 2 has me stoked! With that in mind, what are your thoughts on chaos draft? It seems like this would play to LSV’s strengths being essentially a pop up format that you can’t prep for. Any chance we could see a Mystery Booster team draft on stream?
Morgan Kopf
2024-08-29 02:40:00 +0000 UTCI feel like I have hit my plateau of skill in MTG, I am frustrated by not seeing improvement despite the time I put in (playing 5 drafts/week on MTGA and watching content creators play). I want to take a step back. How can I improve, or accept where I am, while still loving MTG (or any hobby)?
Alexander Zaitzeff
2024-08-29 02:29:48 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis! I'm a big fan of theory and love your episodes focused on magic heuristics.. Can you think of any magic heuristic/advice you adopted which you found to be wrong, and do you remember how you discovered it was wrong?
John Stensing II
2024-08-29 01:50:12 +0000 UTCI got turned onto the podcast "The Grey NATO" when Marshall was a guest. A thing they do sometimes that I think is surprisingly fun is an episode where the hosts take turns listing ... things ... that they've come across or purchased in the last year or so that are having an out-sized positive impact on their lives. Like a sweet bag or a new hat, or a YouTube channel, or a book. You guys have anything that's making you happy lately to recommend?
Todd Johnson
2024-08-29 01:48:43 +0000 UTCFrom qotw thread: Hi team, I love the show every week, thanks for being so consistent! A question this time for Luis. I was a huge SBB fan and have been loving Once Upon a Galaxy! How are you involved with the game? Can you give us any updates on plans for official release? Will there be any other opportunities to acquire the swag that was part of the cancelled kickstarter?
Nathan S
2024-08-29 01:38:50 +0000 UTCThis one probably belongs in a different thread, as it's pretty Draft-specific, but is there anything to be said for being open to drafting a sub-par archetype once people are more aware of (and therefore more likely to be fighting over) the better archetypes in the Format?
Shadowkat91
2024-08-29 01:19:32 +0000 UTCHi, Marshall and Luis, and thanks for the good work. Have you come up with any specific strategies to tackle of Era of Play Booster? Thanks again.
Atipong Pathanasethpong
2024-08-29 01:18:07 +0000 UTCTo both Marshal and LSV: What is your best comeback win that you can recall? Any format is fine, and the stakes don’t matter! — Two pro tips for cooking courtesy of my wife, if you ever decide to embrace sous vide (and you should give it a try): 1. Shrimp, medium-rare steak, and bernaise all cook at the same temperature. (Steak still needs to be seared, of course.) 2. Turkey confeit is amazing and the best turkey dish that you’ll ever have. Prep takes some time, but a good sous vide bath setup in a cooler works wonders. The first time we tried it was 2020 for our first ever Thanksgiving dinner without extended family… it’s now a staple!
Chris Doersen
2024-08-29 01:18:00 +0000 UTCI first just want to thank Marshall and the latest LR co-host for making the podcast. I started listening in KTK and it has helped make limited magic into a thing I truly love. Is there any chance we will get the LR v LOL showdowns back in the future? I really miss those, it was one of my favorite things about a new format. Maybe a vintage cube version???
Tyler Barr
2024-08-29 01:13:08 +0000 UTC(Copied over from the QOTW thread) Greetings, Resources most Limited! While Bloomburrow is fun, I think a lot of us are focused on the Vintage Cube Live as our upcoming super bowl, as you two put it. During a recent attempt, I ended up in a funny position where I had a pretty solid strategy for one deck, but had the entire LED, brain freeze, underworld breach combo passed to me. I know those three cards or an automatic win combo on their own, but I hadn't built the deck around it by the time I got all the pieces in Pack 3. So my question is how willing should we be to just shove powerful combinations like this into a deck, regardless of synergy? Is there a certain threshold of power where it's totally fine to have an off topic win condition, even if it's otherwise unsupported by the rest of your draft? Thank you both, and especially lsv for giving me videos to watch as homework for this epic event.
Spencer St. James
2024-08-29 01:10:55 +0000 UTCHey guys. Bloomburrow has been fun to draft for the most part. Outside of the color balance, what changes, if any, would you make to the format? Also, with the introduction of play boosters, has the limited format been impacted too much when it comes to power level? This set seems it hasn't but some of our better limited players don't like all the extra rares that are in the pool. For lsv, how has it impacted the limited portion of the pro tour and have many of the pros been upset with the changes? Thanks guys
David Bruno
2024-08-29 00:56:59 +0000 UTCLsv I know you do a lot of DND do you also play bg3 if so who's your favorite either companion or class
Ashley Reed
2024-08-29 00:54:16 +0000 UTCQuestion for Luis: I'm 41 years old and my wife is pregnant with our second child. It was not planned and I'm having a lot of anxiety about balancing the responsibility of another child at my age. As a father who is about to have twins, how are preparing for the additions to your family? Do you have any advice or pro-tips on how to balance fatherhood, your career, and relationship with your wife amidst the chaos? Thanks for the great content and life advice over the years.
Alexander Gougher
2024-08-29 00:52:54 +0000 UTCHi Guys! I find it unfortunate that all limited RCQ's, as far as I know, start with sealed and if you top 8 then you get to draft. I know I'm not the only one who feels at the mercy of the packs and a lack of agency when confronted with a weak pool. I'm just curious how you feel about that structure and if you understand why it's in place? Is it just logistics? Given the terms of engagement with these competitive tournaments, I wondered if you thought it may be worth dedicating more discussion to specific sealed formats, beyond general sealed heuristics, leading up to RCQ's and Arena Opens? Thanks for all you guys do!
Dylan Critchfield-Sales
2024-08-29 00:52:42 +0000 UTCWhat makes a card a 'cube' card? And i mean more than just raw power- you hear folks all the time say that such-and-such a card is a great card for cube, without really explaining how or why they got that conclusion. I'm curious how you guys spot cards that seem tailor made for cube inclusion. Thanks!
Shivam Bhatt
2024-08-29 00:45:01 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis! I started playing Magic in 2009 with original Zendikar, and the art style from that time is my favorite. Do you have a favorite set or period of Magic art?
Judah Devadoss
2024-08-29 00:44:27 +0000 UTCFirst off, love the Podcast--yours is the only one I listen to where I never miss an episode. Secondly, my question: of the various atypical limited styles do you wish were on Arena? EG, Winston, Campfire, sealed/draft (open 3 sealed packs then draft 3 more), etc. And lastly, I want more Stump Vargas sign offs!
James Ammeson
2024-08-29 00:44:04 +0000 UTCHello Marshall and Luis, always a pleasure! How would you characterize the current health of the paper magic community? At least to me, it feels like it is more challenging to get paper events to fire now than it was even just a few years ago. Is the community smaller, or just changing? Could players be shifting towards magic arena? Always great to hear your thoughts.
ScaldingHotSoup
2024-08-29 00:43:21 +0000 UTCHey guys, inquiring minds need to know how much Rate of Return there is on shuffling the pack after picking during a paper draft. Is it worth it or is it just something people do because they saw “Good Magic Players” do it? Thanks, Jordan
Jordan Ewers
2024-08-29 00:42:13 +0000 UTCHey guys, I need to know what y’all’s opinion is on people who wait to do EVERYTHING at their opponent’s end step. Cracking an Evolving Wilds Turn 1 at my end step isn’t really denying me important information as much as it’s slowing down the game. Where is the line between information denial and brisk play? Thanks, Jordan
Jordan Ewers
2024-08-29 00:38:31 +0000 UTCHello Marshall and LSV! I hope you guys are doing well! I have a little brain teaser that I was thinking about earlier today...want to design an escape Titan? We have Kroxa, Uro, and Phlage. Here's mine, the blue white one: when it enters or attacks, exile another creature. If you control it, it reenters tapped with a +1/+1 counter on it. If an opponent controls the creature it reenters tapped with a stun counter on it. Marshall, your favorite colors are Sultia. Since we already have Uro, what would your Black green one look like? And LSV, you're the king of luck and skill, so how would you design a blue red one? Thank you so much for all you do. This show means so much and I appreciate everything you put into it. It's been great hearing from Paul and Sierkovitz. LSV, good luck on qualifying for the cube tournament and good luck at Worlds. I know you've been trying to qualify for Worlds for quite awhile! I want to see your face on a card, maybe even the blue red titan! 😂 Marshall I hope all is well with you and that you're getting settled in well to your new place!
Jeremy Church
2024-08-29 00:37:01 +0000 UTCDo either of you have any experiences or stories drafting the Un-sets over the years? Do you enjoy the silly nature of these sets, or are they mostly a distraction from mainstream magic? Is there an Un-set mechanic you would love to see in a premier set one day? Thank you for keeping my drives to work engaging each week. Sig
Sigmund Ausfresser
2024-08-29 00:33:33 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis, thanks for making an awesome show. I look forward to every episode. I especially enjoy the nice balance of the intuition and experience of great magic players mixed with what we can learn from the data of limited magic. For my question, if hypothetically tomorrow there wasn’t going to be any more limited magic data available going forward, what would be the things you’ve learned from data that changed your perspective of magic? Anything that you didn’t know or anything that was reinforced? Thanks!
John Hitchings
2024-08-29 00:31:25 +0000 UTCWhich famous duo do you think you two most closely resemble? I’m going with Kemp-Payton.
Mac
2024-08-29 00:29:15 +0000 UTCIf you could plan your dream Limited Weekend tournament, what would it be? Which draft formats? Prizes, number of players, etc?
Tabletop Tycoon
2024-08-29 00:26:40 +0000 UTC
