Question of the Week Thread Refresh!
Added 2020-10-15 19:31:27 +0000 UTCHey All,
Luis and I answer one question per week on the show and this is where you, as a patron of the show, get to ask those questions! Fire them off in the comments below :)
THANK YOU!
Marshall
Comments
Hi Marshall and Luis, two questions for yall. First, do y'all have any tips forZNR sealed; the combination of quarantine and spelltable has helped it to be a good way to play limited with my meatspace friends. Second, with Marshall being the foremost authority on watches in the mtg community, I was wondering if he had thoughts on the new MTG watches that WotC licensed. Thanks for the great podcast, Mike
Mike Hundley
2020-10-24 14:04:05 +0000 UTCHi Marshal and Luis, great fan of your podcast. Everybody is always eagerly waiting for your initial set review and while there are obviously misses, I am honestly astonished how many of the ratings are 100% correct. Beside your huge experience, what models are you using? Quadrant theory is obviously one of the more prominent examples that you are propagating (and I think it might be the time to discuss it again for newer listeners), but are you using also other heuristics like comparing red damage based removal with Toughness of creatures in the format or black conditional removal to Power/CMC? Or removal average CMC vs creature average CMC? Number of spells that synergize within an archetype? Are you at all looking at synergies with rares or are you focusing first on commons and uncommons? I personally take with the latest sets a look at number of enablers/payoffs for a certain archetype like Landfall to understand how well the archetype is supported. Would be very interested in your heuristics and thanks for the answer already in advance!!!! All the best, BlueAndi
Andreas Mueller
2020-10-21 10:37:09 +0000 UTCTLDR: Do you have suggestions for how to improve the ability to keep track of the large number of critical pieces of information in a complex board state to reduce errors resulting from overlooking or forgetting something you should or did know?
Adam Gunn
2020-10-18 22:46:47 +0000 UTCOne of the reasons I love Magic is I find that things I enjoy and things I struggle with in the game have parallels in life. One major challenge for me is keeping several points of critical information present in my mind when solving a problem. In game, when a board state gets even moderately complex, I find I have to check and recheck my hand, the battlefield, the potential plays, what I know about their hand, and so on. I can only hold so much information in my head at the same time and often end up letting a critical point slip. I tend to take very long turns because I'm anxious not to overlook something, but I often do anyway. I know great players are keeping track of things like what their opponent's hand can and can't have based on them having played a tapped land on turn two and whatnot, while, despite years of playing, I'm struggling to keep track of just the abilities and possibilities of the cards right in front of me. Is this a skill you think is heavily innate? Have you worked on this skill and improved it over time? Beyond just playing a whole heck of a lot (I do what I can), do you have suggestions for how to practice and improve this? I like to imagine that working on this skill in game, can be useful outside the game as well. Thank you for all the levelling up you've already done for my game play so far!
Adam Gunn
2020-10-18 22:40:39 +0000 UTCWhat's your power ranking for the best crackers/bread to eat with tuna salad?
Ben Clifford
2020-10-18 18:58:07 +0000 UTCSome more suggested duos: Laurel and Hardy, Bill and Ted, Mario and Luigi, Banjo and Kazooie, Batman and Robin, James Bond and Felix, Superman and Lex Luther, Abbot and Costello, Hall and Oates, The Hardy Boys, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Calvin and Hobbes, Jekyll and Hyde
Ben Clifford
2020-10-18 18:55:45 +0000 UTCWhat Magic world would Luis most want to DnD in?
Anders Sand
2020-10-16 15:37:35 +0000 UTCHow do you disconnect yourself from the emotional side of the game? I get pretty tilted when losing games where I am investing resources like gems or coins. I don't want to NOT enjoy the game, but it is a very hard line for me to walk sometimes.
Andrew Raia
2020-10-16 12:07:40 +0000 UTCIf WOTC came to either of you to create the theme for a new set, what would you choose? The assumption is that Luis would create an Among Us set, but I'm interested in Marshall's choice as well. Once you've chosen your set, what would be your NEW signature mechanic and then your signature card from that set?
Phil Poppe
2020-10-16 11:30:26 +0000 UTCHey Luis, since you've shared your number 1-5 all-time best mtg player rankings not too long ago, do you have a number 6-10 ranking you could share with us too?
James Gardiner
2020-10-15 23:56:05 +0000 UTCWhich iconic duo do the two of you resemble the most? Which one of you is which member of the duo? There are no limitations here. It could be anything from Sonic & Tails to Salt 'n' Pepa. What do you think? Is Marshall Salt?
Hayden Everly
2020-10-15 22:05:59 +0000 UTCP1P1 I had a choice between Zareth San and Roil Eruption. I felt the power level of Zareth and the fact that it’s splashable, was enough that I should take it over Roil Eruption. I’m wondering where the line is, here. I’m still not sure it was the best choice. Should I have taken the best common in the set or the splashy rare that can win a game on its own?
James Shearer
2020-10-15 21:41:44 +0000 UTCIf you think it appropriate for your listenership, I would like to hear your Power Rankings of alcoholic beverages. Be as general or specific as you like!
Luke Johnson
2020-10-15 21:09:55 +0000 UTCMarshall and LSV, thanks for the great content as always and congrats on winning this round of the blood feud between you and the Lords. Where is that trophy pic? I keep hearing that Zendikar Rising may be more a synergy set like the recent Ravnica sets versus a power and value set like Dominaria. Beyond just counting the various cards with key word types (rogue deck vs clerics vs landfall, etc.) what should we be looking for to help determine when we should be prioritizing synergy versus value / power?
Swordsman
2020-10-15 21:07:51 +0000 UTCDo you see any downside to this new era of "overlap" cards like Mind Drain? Is anything lost when cards fit in many decks (draw, mill, drain, etc), or does this increase the number of viable archetypes (blue-green in ZNR can be kicker, wizards, or party-themed)? Proud to support a fellow Seattleite!
Dnd Northwest
2020-10-15 20:58:09 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and LSV: I appreciate that this podcast has become 99% Magic and 1% Burrito. What is the correct amount of burritos to eat per week?
Patrick Scioscia
2020-10-15 20:42:03 +0000 UTCWhat are the best cut of french fries? Shoe string, steak, British Chips, McDonalds?
James Brace
2020-10-15 20:34:07 +0000 UTCanecdotal but I was having the same issue, recently, but was attributing it to inherent variance.
Will Neil
2020-10-15 20:18:47 +0000 UTCI don’t think my question is epic enough for question of the week but here it is: with Roost being so gross, plus all the relics, sea gate colossus actually being played, skyclave sentinal, on top of removal like bubble snare and binding, and as always, flyers gonna fly, I’m considering maindecking Broken Wings when I’m in green for best of ones. I just always feel like I’ll have a target in this format. Am I wrong for this, and if so, how wrong?
Will Neil
2020-10-15 20:15:10 +0000 UTCDo either of you go back and watch your own stream to gain insight on your own play (patterns/mistakes/etc...)? I ask because I was watching a replay of Luis' stream of your Lords of Limited challenge and found it very interesting to watch Luis watch and comment on Marshall's play (for instance casting the black/white cleric on 2 instead of the flying lifelinker). When you play at such a high level, I wonder what it is that you guys do to improve your games?
Phil Poppe
2020-10-15 20:12:56 +0000 UTC@Pete L I hit a rough run too recently.
Will Neil
2020-10-15 20:10:28 +0000 UTCI mainly play on MTG Arena and have noticed compared to paper people very quickly and very aggressively concede. It almost seems like a point of pride to scoop before someone deals lethal damage to you. What's you're opinion on this, and as players, do you do this? I always used to play it out until I lost, even if the game seemed very likely to be a loss.
Justin Jones
2020-10-15 20:06:12 +0000 UTCI have 2 submissions, feel free to use one, both or neither. 1. What's the biggest difference between playing in a competitive format (GP, PT) versus on arena ladder? Are there effects you would prioritize higher or lower based on that? 2. Besides magic, what has been your longest running hobby or interest?
Matt Caixeiro
2020-10-15 20:03:04 +0000 UTCGenius or Grifter: Pretending to be interested in what a telemarketer is selling and pretending to get your credit card in order to keep them on the phone wasting time as long as possible
Josh Valentine
2020-10-15 19:59:16 +0000 UTCSame.
Jeffrey Bennett
2020-10-15 19:58:09 +0000 UTCNon-limited formats have gone through some controversial events recently (Standard bannings, Secret Lair: The Walking Dead) that personally shake my confidence in the future quality of those formats. It seems like things of that caliber never hit limited. What do you think makes Limited resilient to events like these? What mistakes have happened or do you think could happen that might shake your confidence in the future of Limited?
Richard Blocher
2020-10-15 19:54:42 +0000 UTCHow do you approach watching other people play, and how can I get more out of doing so? I watch a lot of Magic because I find it enjoyable, but I often find it much harder to think strategically when watching as opposed to playing. I’m wondering if you have any tips for doing that. Do you imagine playing the game yourself as you watch and compare decisions, or are there other ways to approach watching games?
Niko Reed
2020-10-15 19:53:09 +0000 UTCMarshall and LSV: What is the best strategy to navigate a Chaos Draft?
Celso Távora
2020-10-15 19:52:37 +0000 UTCA second question - A friend and I have had some frustrations with mana in the current Zendikar format on Arena. We both have suffered from mana flood and screw more often than seems typical. This is in a format that includes double faced lands and yet even when playing 18 or 19 lands I seem to get mana screwed and flooded more than I would expect. My friend has a hypothesis - on Arena the program draws 2 hands and then picks the one that most closely matches your actual land count. He thinks that the program doesn't count the double faced lands as lands but as spells. So if you have 14 basic lands and 5 double faced lands the card shuffler draws you hands as if you were running a 14 land deck, not as if you were running a 19 land deck. Of course, having some double faced lands means you are still likely ok, but if true it would change how I count lands. Since considering this I have hesitated to go below 16 and won't go below 15 basics on Arena. I seem to have fewer problems, but the sample size is small. Do you have any thoughts on this hypothesis? Thanks for the great show.
John Johanson
2020-10-15 19:52:07 +0000 UTCI started ZNR with a really strong winrate that utterly collapsed about a week and a half ago. Part of it was bad luck, and part of it was moving up the ladder. But I also think I was making dumb mistakes and taking things for granted. What do you do to reset your mentality when you hit a big slump?
Pete L
2020-10-15 19:49:14 +0000 UTCI'll draft a RB party deck and go 7-0. Then in the next draft RB seems open again and i get a similar deck, but end up going 2-3. Is this just variance? Or is this me thinking that RB is open when its really not. I don't want to get myself locked in to one archetype, but I also SEE the good RB cards that have worked for me in the past a lot.
Tony Levesque
2020-10-15 19:48:58 +0000 UTCQuite a few cards offer a player a chance to look at their opponents hand and then have them discard a certain type of card. For example, Duress. But there are numerous versions of this. One problem with these cards is that they can miss. But they still provide some value - they let you see your opponents hand. This is useful, at least early in the game, but when you evaluate cards you never seem to address the value of that knowledge. How useful is it? Is it worth a 1/4 of a card or something like that? Or, perhaps another way to look at it, would you play a card that was 1 mana, look at your opponents hand, draw a card? What if it was 2,3,4 mana? What is this information worth? The value isn't nothing. John/Blue Nomad
John Johanson
2020-10-15 19:43:35 +0000 UTCDo you think Draft or Sealed is a more skill intensive format? In a tournament with both (like a Limited Grand Prix) how do you balance your practice to feel prepared for both?
NicolaiBolas
2020-10-15 19:38:05 +0000 UTCTo account for small sample sizes you have said to play by “feel” as sample sizes are too small to achieve significant data directly from results. You also commonly remind us that adjusting play based on emotion is a dangerous habit. I agree with both of these ideas but they also seem to be saying the opposite thing. How do you draw the line between playing by feel and playing with emotion?
Sam Baker
2020-10-15 19:37:33 +0000 UTCCan CFB start a series where high level players like yourselves do a limited Draft on MtGA and then play against each other with those decks? I find it helpful to see better players draft decks and their thinking. It would be fun to be able to see all players in the same draft and see what gets passed etc. and strategy. The battle versus LoL was awesome and thinking something like that on a 1 player stage.
John Caulfield
2020-10-15 19:36:51 +0000 UTCI've been trying to understand "drafting the hard way" better by staying open. Does this idea always apply in limited? If I'm drafting cube, should I try to stay open or just jam good cards that come my way? Likewise in current Zendikar draft, I've been finding more success in forcing UG, UR, or BW than necessarily staying open.
Andy Nash
2020-10-15 19:36:16 +0000 UTCWhat tips do both of you have to overcome burnout?
Matthew M.
2020-10-15 19:34:38 +0000 UTCIs there anything that we as drafters should keep in mind when drafting for best of 1 vs when we draft for best of 3 play?
Neely 4x4
2020-10-15 19:34:13 +0000 UTCCan you make good vegan burritos?
Ryan
2020-10-15 19:32:46 +0000 UTC
