Limited Resources - Questions for Ask Marshall and Luis Show This Week

Hello Marshall and Luis! Marshall (and I guess Luis), what's your go-to move in basketball? Bonus question: in light of your recent talk about "money drafting," have you ever balled for money? Thanks!

Kevin D Robinson

2019-05-30 15:32:05 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, you really helped me a lot getting better at drafting. I learned a lot from you guys, but when it comes to figure out my own mistakes, i feel really lost. I might be better then 6 months ago in terms of avoiding mistakes, but what i really would like to know is: How do you get better at finding/analyzing your own mistakes? I know a part of it is getting more information (like your Podcast or other sources) or talking with other players but are there any effective ways of getting better at spotting your own mistakes? I feel really lost on this part when i rewatch my matches / drafts. Thanks in advance and thank you for all the hard work and passion you put into this podcast.

René Schnelle

2019-05-29 21:52:41 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! Thanks for the thank-you note, loved the drawing of Elmer and Shelly! Did you participate in last weekend's special draft where all planeswalkers could be cast with any colour of mana? Did you enjoy it? What do you think of these sorts of specialty weekends (play all your planeswalkers, draft with 4 packs, etc)?

Rob Salisbury

2019-05-29 17:06:24 +0000 UTC

Hi guys! I’ve been listening for about 6 months. The show has done a great job of helping me. I LOVED episodes 492 and 493 - they really helped me grasp Spark. Please do more like these. My question is related to the decision to go to three colors or splashing. Do you have any rules of thumb about when it is a good idea? It seems like one of the hardest questions to answer when I am in the middle of my draft. Thanks

David Ewing

2019-05-29 11:48:16 +0000 UTC

LSV Has frequently discussed mechanics that keep Magic from being "Solved" like chess and games similar to it. My question is: Isn't Magic constantly in a state of being solved? Every format has Certain decks are considered objectively better than others, so how is that different? Isn't your show dedicated to "solving" each Limited format? (Sorry if this sounds confrontational, I'm fascinated to hear the difference as a game designer)

Spencer St. James

2019-05-29 07:02:22 +0000 UTC

Hey guys really love the content! I’ve gotten into debates lately about why magic is the best game ever made and I run into the argument that it has too much variance relative to pure strategy games like chess and go. As the strategists that y’all are, why do you prefer a game with randomness? Hasn’t the initial appeal of beating a better player that games with variance offer worn off? Thanks and keep up the great work.

Jordan Selesnick

2019-05-29 03:45:50 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! I really loved the technical play episodes LR has done. I realize they're also the most difficult to put together, but any chance of getting some more? Thanks!

james anderson

2019-05-29 02:36:06 +0000 UTC

What do you do when you have drafted a control deck that can stall early, but you run into a deck that just has a better late game than you? I've drafted decks that I think is pretty strong, but I lose because I run into a deck that has better bombs.

Ben Hawks

2019-05-29 01:26:00 +0000 UTC

Hi gents! My question’s a simple one, but from having listened to the show for a long time, i’m sure there will be a number of answers! Do you have a favourite deck you’ve built from a sealed event you’ve played in? ...i do seem to remember Luis on a rather spicy Mirari Conjecture/rescue team sealed deck... (unsurprisingly i’m snuffling about for stories that include high levels of shenanigans.)Thanks for all the awesome content, it makes my drive to work a lot more fun! Pete

Peter Grosvenor-Attridge

2019-05-29 00:01:15 +0000 UTC

Do you guys think cube should return as a pro tour format? Personally I would love to see it, but I can how it might be hard for for newer or MTGA only players to engage.

Matt Carr

2019-05-28 22:23:04 +0000 UTC

Hi fellas. I have a game design thought on Magic's now defunct smaller sets. I know that they led to all kinds of issues, as there was never enough room to really let the cards featuring new mechanics hit critical mass. But it always seemed to me that the natural solution to this problem would be to have the small sets add new cards, but not new mechanics. I would have thought this would help with the critical mass issue. I'm picturing something like Hour of Devastation introducing new toys to work with embalm and -1/-1 counters, rather than focusing on eternalize and afflict, leaving the payoffs you see in pack 3 having no real punch. Do you think that this would make sense as a game design space for Wizards R&D to try some time? I would think that one set introducing new mechanics, but then another one focusing on expanding the card pool and use of those mechanics would be fun for draft, as well as giving deck builders more synergy options to play with. Thanks for all the great teaching you do!

Cullam

2019-05-28 20:01:14 +0000 UTC

What would you recommend for GP grinders who don't have access to a pro testing team to improve their game? Thanks to the show and the discord, I usually feel like I have a good handle on the cards in each set and how to evaluate them, but I'd love some more ideas on how to be better prepared for draft or sealed tournaments when I'm not having that deep dive into archetypes and pick orders with lots of other knowledgeable people in the room.

Ben Horkley

2019-05-28 18:59:37 +0000 UTC

What format would you use to teach someone Magic for the first time? I've had most success with an M19 sealed league as a simple microcosm of magic as a whole, while precons don't get the whole deck building side of things. My first game was a DOM draft, which was a rollercoaster so maybe some people just so maybe some people will like the game and you shouldn't worry too much what you try. Thanks! Oli

Oli Withers

2019-05-28 18:23:21 +0000 UTC

Hey guys. Long time listener, first time asker: Do you guys play any instruments? And if not: Which one would you feel gravitated to to pick up?Music is such a big part of my life so I guess I was wondering. Cheers!

Anthony Morgan

2019-05-28 18:18:23 +0000 UTC

In a similar vein as Christopher Marshall's comment: taking your lessons on the drafing process to heart, listening to all your set reviews and so on, I feel like I've become a fairly competent (not good or great, but … competent) drafter. To the point where I challenged myself to each pick in your last episode and was off of your picks only twice I believe (eg. would have picked the Toll of the Invasion when it first came around). HOWEVER, I still find myself putting up mediocre results on Arena Competitive Draft, even though my decks tend to be more than solid. This leads me to conclude my leaks are in the playing process. Question: what are the 101 play patterns every good limited player should be looking out for? What kinds of plays seem obvious but are not really? Thanks for everything - keep up the stellar work!

Simon Huhn

2019-05-28 18:17:14 +0000 UTC

There is a great beginner to intermediate chess book that starts out with a look at fundamental questions for evaluating each move and exchange. (Is this tradeoff worth it, do I gain board presence, should I attack, should I defend etc. ) It encourages the new player to ask these basic evaluative questions for every move as a way of making the first steps in a complex game, before developing a more rounded strategy and long term game plan. Would it be practical to develop a list of similar considerations for new to intermediate players, obviously as a starting point rather than a definitive attempt to ‘solve’ Magic? If you could equip new players with, say, 5 key questions each turn would that be a good approach, and what might those 5 questions be? Thanks for educating and entertaining my son and I every week. Cheers. Chris (and Evan). Nottingham, England. P.s. more soundboard please!!!

Christopher Marshall

2019-05-28 17:13:24 +0000 UTC

After drafting a format for a while, do you ever force "sub-optimal" strategies just to spice things up? Although winning is fun, for me slamming the same deck or archetype over and over again can get a bit dull. This is especially true on Arena, where you can often draft the same strong deck every time due to bot preferences. Thanks!

Brian Furciniti

2019-05-28 17:12:17 +0000 UTC

Same question as last year: For each NBA team left in the playoffs (I guess there are only two now), match that team to a War of the Spark deck you've drafted, or an archetype, more broadly.

Steve Stormoen

2019-05-28 16:43:30 +0000 UTC

In finance, there is the concept of the time value of money. Typically, a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow. Are there corollary concepts to life totals over the course of a match? Is life "worth more" at the beginning of a match than at the end, when it may be more scarce (or vice versa)?

Zachary Coffin

2019-05-28 16:32:30 +0000 UTC

Luis, when are you going to be doing your Arabian Nights set review with TBS? Thanks!

Taylor Courser

2019-05-28 16:19:31 +0000 UTC

Hey Fellas, some friends and I are going on a week long canoe trip would like to get some matches in while under the stars. We don't have much space to bring a bunch of cards, but are willing to do some weird stuff to make it work. Do you have any suggestions on what to bring and play? Thanks!

Taylor Courser

2019-05-28 16:18:47 +0000 UTC

I just finished a Conspiracy TTC draft with my playgroup and I drafted a deck with the Sovereign's Realm conspiracy card, which says "Your deck can't have basic land cards." You have to exile cards from your hand to play land cards and those lands tap for any color. I played a five-color deck that used every card I drafted, even if it was just fodder to exile for lands. It was the jankiest deck I've ever played. What was the jankiest limited deck you remember playing?

Jason Dooley

2019-05-28 15:52:24 +0000 UTC

Hello! I wanted to ask about when to play into a suspected counter, or how to maybe play around them. In situations where I have a 5 drop creature, a 3 drop creaure, and a 2 drop creature on turn 5, and my opponent has 2U up in game 1, I can understand why you would drop your 2 drop first and then your 3 to play around no escape. But say you only have a 5 drop and a 4 drop. Do you play the 4 drop to soften the blow of a possible no escape? Do you play no creatures? Do you play the 5 and bet that they more likely than not don't have it? Thanks again for all the great content, I couldn't have done as well as I did in GP Providence without it.

Luis Goicouria (manowarelves)

2019-05-28 15:49:52 +0000 UTC

I am an Arboreal Grazer apologist/contrarian. Whenever you guys talk about Arboreal Grazer and how bad it is, you always talk about the sketchy mana ramp ability, but leave out a pretty salient fact, which is that as an 0/3 with reach it blocks Sky Theatre Strixes, War Screechers, Grateful Apparitions, and even Shriekdivers that would otherwise eat your planeswalkers. Does that make it any more playable?

Jonah Comstock

2019-05-28 15:23:27 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, long time listener. Random question, what’s your perfect salad? (i.e. dressing, type of green, toppings). Not as sexy as stuff like favorite pizza or burritos, but it probably has the best EV.

AJ Seidorf

2019-05-28 15:18:04 +0000 UTC

Thanks for the great podcast, my son and I have been playing for a year now, and listening to your podcast since we discovered Drafting last summer. However we've both noticed a distinct lack of joy over drafting War -- is this because of it's King format, or is it simply natural fatigue from having to learn three formats (GRN, RNA and WAR) in 9 months. I know this is part of Magic schedule, and how it stays fresh, but it's really exhausting, especially for an older brain like mine (at 55). Any suggestions?

wantondevious

2019-05-28 15:02:54 +0000 UTC

When splashing with Guild Globe, should the fact that it isn’t reusable make yoI consider adding an extra off-colour basic? Or is it worth the risk of your splash card being bounced and stranded. P.S. What are the chances that you return to streaming? I found watching your drafts to be my biggest help with the RNA format.

Bohdan Smith

2019-05-28 14:56:23 +0000 UTC

Thoughts on pineapple on pizza? Delicious or cardinal sin? Thanks for all you do <3

Jennifer Ngo

2019-05-28 14:41:27 +0000 UTC

What are some of the worst limited formats you ever played and why were they so bad??

Thomas Bang

2019-05-28 14:35:46 +0000 UTC

Hi y'all. I've been enjoying War of the Spark draft quite a bit. I usually play and have had the most success with decks in the Grixis colors (UBR). I have not had any success playing the other colors. I was hoping you could talk about what a good White or Green deck looks like, and also what are the draws and/or signals that pull you into a Green or White deck? Thanks, love the show.

Ryan Glinski

2019-05-28 14:20:17 +0000 UTC

Thanks for great podcast! Long question, hope you can use it. I started competitive magic a few years ago. In kaladesh block I was at a GP and made day two. My first match that day I had a game where I played malfunction (one of the blue tap down a creature enchantments). I said “I am gonna malfunction your guy, then will pass turn”. My opponent started his turn and hadn’t tapped the creature. He said “you missed your trigger”. I did understand that technically malfunction’s triggered ability is what causes the tap, but I thought I had used appropriate shortcut. Judge was called and said it was a trigger that could be missed. This situation led to him being able to kill my Chandra and I lost the game, and was tilting so much I lost several more and dropped out of event. For competitive play, is my opponents behavior genius or grifter? I felt it was grifter, if so how do you handle when this happens? It made me think of quitting magic, thankfully I did not and have gone to other GPs since and had fun. How do you manage that level of tilt? Thanks for all you guys do for Magic community.

Josh Woolley

2019-05-28 14:19:30 +0000 UTC

Marshall, Imagine that Louis has an evil twin. The twin has usurped him and taken over his role as content creator and co-host. He is trying to sabotage the show, channel fireball, and the magic community at large. He calls you to meet up with him for something inportant and you see two LSV's when you arrive. How would you determine which LSV is the real one? LSV, how would you convince him that you're the real deal?

Emmet Chamberlin

2019-05-28 14:12:42 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, coming back from a GP Providence day 2 finish and first shared cash prize out! Although my team and I now have a decent grasp on team events, we’ve only played a few of them together. When forming our team, it seemed to happen naturally because we clicked as friends first at our LGS. We are all similar skill levels, but how important do you think it was for our success that we were having fun as a team VS having the highest shared skill level. Is there any tips and tricks you can give us for future events? Thanks! (P.S. Is it genius or grifter to ask for the free cup of water at Chipotle, and then get soda?)

Blane Malcomson

2019-05-28 14:09:39 +0000 UTC

Question for Marshall: What’s your favorite card that does NOT bounce permanents?

Star Bright

2019-05-28 13:45:27 +0000 UTC

Hey y’all! I have a question about Channel Fireball. When you return cards for store credit, do they give you 30% of the card’s total value, or 100% of the card’s total value PLUS 30% EXTRA of trade in value? Also, if one wants to get a booster box, do they select store credit or cash? I’m game-stores, you’d have to select cash for any sealed product, but I’m thinking that since it’s online, it’s a little different. Thanks for the clarification and the great show.

The Pabster

2019-05-28 13:41:28 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! With modern horizons just around the corner I imagine there will be a big influx of people joining the format. What advice can you give to people approaching modern, especially concerning deck selection? The advice can be general or deck-specific. Thanks as always!

Hunter Hiestand

2019-05-28 13:39:14 +0000 UTC

Hey there. With various things going on in the community, I'm finding it hard to maintain a positive attitude towards magic as a whole right now. Are either of you experiencing similar feelings? Or is vintage cube enough to keep you positive? Thanks!

Ian Salewski

2019-05-28 13:36:08 +0000 UTC

i meant replayability, sorry for the autocorrector. I hope we can get some tacos together in Mexico sometime!

Antonio Valdez

2019-05-28 13:26:32 +0000 UTC

Hello, Marshall and Luis! Thank you very much for the podcast every week. It has helped me go some very tough times these past weeks. My dad had an accident and there were a couple of nights where I had to look over him at the hospital, and listening to your War of the Spark set review during those nights helped me remain some sort of sanity. Fortunately he is recovering at home now. Now, about magic, do you still think this is a King's formar? There's been a couple of drafts where I've gone 5-1 in mtga with zero rares: gw proliferate and rb sacrifice, and I've no felt that opressed by the rares. So, what do you feel about the health and responsibility of the format overall?

Antonio Valdez

2019-05-28 13:25:10 +0000 UTC

Hi friends, do you have any advice on explaining why Magic means so much to me to non-Magic players? I like the challenge, self-improvement, etc., and the Internet community is awesome. But a lot of people have trouble understanding that. What do you say to your non-Magic people?

Nicholas Frega

2019-05-28 13:10:58 +0000 UTC

Hi boys. How do you appraise the value of information-gathering abilities on a card? That is, looking at a player's hand or deck. For example, Saheeli's Silverwing lets you look at the top card of a player's library. Would that info ever be the reason you cast Silverwing over another card? What if you could look at the top 5 cards of a library, or look at the opponent's hand? Curious how you two value access to secret information. Love the show.

Grayson

2019-05-28 12:37:50 +0000 UTC

Hi! Do you have any tips for getting out of losing streaks?

Brian Leaf

2019-05-28 11:37:45 +0000 UTC

Say you walk into a cube or Chaos Draft blind. Is there anything you always take or any archetype you feel shows up all the time where you think you can get into it most of the time? If not, do you have any general tips for blind drafting?

crushcastles23

2019-05-28 11:17:12 +0000 UTC

Hi guys! A conversation came up on your oft-forgot Discord we'd like you weighing in on: Would every major set be made better in Limited with a "gate" in every pack? Would that empower too much nonsense, or is that kept in check by the strength of aggro? Cube is fun in part because everyone has enough fixing to play their spells consistently, so how come normal sets don't have more? If not one in every pack, would a solution like M19's work (lower probability, so can't consistently abuse it)?

Ian Keyworth

2019-05-28 10:42:54 +0000 UTC

Greetings from the trenches, boys! Not so much a question as a request: I hear you begin and/or end each episode with a reminder to sell rares to CFB (#sponsored), but we're hoping you could add a BobBarker-ish PSA to also donate the bulk. I hear horror stories of Spikes literally throwing 84 cards in the trash and keeping only rares at prereleases in a neighboring city (no doubt some of your listeners do, too). In addition to the free club support from WotC, we are able to host one or two free sealed events for kids grades 6-12 every year using reconstructed "packs" entirely from donated bulk each year. I build Pauper decks to give to new players and have a "Chaff Challenge" tournament. Experienced players often forget the giddy excitement of when they first got hooked on magic, but I get to infect a dozen or more every year and it wouldn't be possible without the jank leftovers. Could you please encourage your listeners to drop their bulk off with schools, hospitals, group homes and rec centers? It makes such a world of difference! PS: Luis, some of the comments on your Modern Horizons set review are downright repulsive. Bullies come in all forms, and more so when shielded by the anonymity of the internet. You're awesome and we appreciate what you do for the gaming community! -Sullivan, Legendary Creature +1/+1 to all nerdlings

Halvar's Bridge

2019-05-28 10:35:18 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, brand new patron here. I have been really enjoying watching modern recently and I really want to get into it. I have played a few times with a friends Mono-green tron deck so I am in the process of acquiring the cards to build my own. However I am really struggling with the sideboard. I am guessing off multiple lists but I was wondering what process you go through when building a sideboard for a constructed deck and any tips you might have for me specifically. Thanks for everything you do, keep up the good work

Josh McFarlane

2019-05-28 10:25:09 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall, Hi Luis. Long time listener, first time caller, love the show! I have recently taught a new friend the game and he is really enjoying it, however he is struggling with card evaluation. For example recently he wanted to splash ill gotten inheritence in his Azorius control deck as he had heard the card was good and argued that it would win him the game eventually (which is true I guess). He was already splashing black for Ethereal absolution and had a gate colossus so win conditions were not an issue. I struggle explaining to him without sounding condescending or just telling him what to do. Any advice?

Chris Fisher

2019-05-28 09:55:46 +0000 UTC

Hi guys, I really enjoyed the live draft you did last episode as I've been finding War of the Spark pretty tricky to draft, particularly balancing my creature count with planeswalkers, card draw and other powerful cards that don't necessarily impact the board state much, and I did find the discussions of which cards to take mid-pack really helpful. Marshall, I was wondering how the deck you drafted ended up playing out, and whether with the benefit of hindsight there are any picks you wish you'd gone a different way on?

Robert Hanton

2019-05-28 09:41:14 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis. This one is for Luis. Do you wish to be in the MPL? Why or why not? And if yes, how do you foresee getting yourself there? Thanks for the great content.

Atipong Pathanasethpong

2019-05-28 09:39:58 +0000 UTC

If you ever walked away from magic content, not that I think you would, what would you be doing instead? where do you think you would be if magic didn't exist?

Andy Shadow Patron of the Arts and Lover of all things depressing Bentley

2019-05-28 09:36:02 +0000 UTC

Hey guys. I'm one of the guys who makes the Possibility Storm puzzles on Channel Fireball. Do either of you have a story you'd want to share about stealing victory from the clutches of defeat with an oddball puzzle-style move? Or alternatively, any favourite unintuitive limited interactions you'd like to see in a puzzle? Keep up the amazing work, friends!

Alex Wolf

2019-05-28 09:20:16 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, I'm an exclusively limited player and Arena has been great since the local scene is not great where I am. Unfortunately, I continually find myself frustrated by Arena's play till you lose system (rather than play X games). When I am able to play IRL, I can play as many games with my deck as I want (typically 10 or more), and it's one of the ways I feel I learn the most. On Arena, variance can toss away my deck (and my $$) in a matter of minutes. Any advice on how I can get the same deep-dive experience I get IRL on Arena without just mindlessly spamming my credit card? I would try direct challenge, but there's no option for using 40-card draft decks (or maybe I'm just missing it?).

Brett

2019-05-28 09:10:03 +0000 UTC

A couple of episodes ago, LSV mentioned that people should do what they love; referring to how people spend their time. He used Frank Karsten as an example (Magic math vs. renewable energy math). As someone who always wonders if I could be spending my time better (read: to better my health/fitness/relationships/the world), can you able to elaborate on this further?

BennyR

2019-05-28 09:00:34 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! What is the sweetest play you have made on War of the Spark Limited? Mine was using Role reversal to exchange my 1 loyalty Saheeli for an Ugin and next turn Spark Double that Ugin (opponent only endured for a couple of turns).

Ferran Fons Titos

2019-05-28 08:48:46 +0000 UTC

If a Skype meeting is longer than 1h I tend to start doing mails, drift away, play with pens, draw etc. Podcasts tend to be long and Marshal sometimes has this mesmerising voice - what do you do to keep your thoughts together and stay focused? ;)

Janusz Okoń

2019-05-28 08:36:24 +0000 UTC

Have you guys ever played in an LGS Game Day/Planeswalker weekend? If so how'd you like it? and If not the one for this set was limited WAR but with the special rule that planeswalkers can be cast with mana of any color what do you think of this I enjoyed it a lot but I also opened a Ugin, Liliana, and Nissa in my sealed poll and ended up winning so I'm a bit biased. Love the Show guys keep up the great work.

Zackery Trapp

2019-05-28 08:36:05 +0000 UTC

Cube is a major thing for your duo. Why not include a side-note while doing set reviews like: "oh and btw - I could see this card being a good addition to any legacy/vintage cubes etc". Limited is also cube so...;) cheers my friends!