Limited Resources - Q&A Episode For Today!

Hi Marshall and Luis, I have a small question for ya. Which creature tribe would you like to see be evergreen going forward? My pick would be zombies, since I feel like creature/graveyard synergies tend to be healthy in limited. Thanks for everything! Peace

Tommy

2019-02-28 00:26:51 +0000 UTC

Hi LR friends! I started getting really into limited in Shadows over Innistrad, and it seemed like for a few years after that, (through XLN), every limited environment forced you to get on the board quickly — for both offensive and defensive speed. Since then, the last few sets have been much slower, and I've had a hard time adjusting. I've learned to play Limited with a heuristic of looking to play about six 2-drops and three 5-drops, or fewer, and I haven't learned how to break out of that mindset from my own play — instead, I get pulled in that direction by listening to you guys or watching vods/streams. As much as I appreciate learning from you guys, I'd like to learn how to make that kind of evaluation on my own. Any advice on how to evaluate and adjust your deckbuilding heuristics in real-time as you learn a format? What are the kinds of game states that make you feel comfortable shaving two-drops and playing six Grasping Thrulls?

Steve Stormoen

2019-02-28 00:23:04 +0000 UTC

You guys have said that Magic needs variance--specifically, the variance that comes from the risk of getting Mana flooded/screwed--to prevent the game from being "Solved" like Chess, or other skill-centric games. But isn't Magic constantly in a state of being solved with well-established top-tier decks in every format and a clear power structure based off what cards are legal in which formats? How is something like Modern not "solved" in the same way when only a handful of decks are truly viable?

Spencer St. James

2019-02-28 00:02:48 +0000 UTC

Hey guys great job and congrats to LSV for the run at the Mythic Championship. I’d love to know about the inner workings on Team CFB when it came to deciding on LSV drawing to get into the Top 8, they mentioned on stream about the numbers game and was curious about the conversations and gameplay that goes into the strategy of securing a spot. Also, what is the pep talk from the other pros when you’re heading into the semi finals, or does a piece of advice from any one person stick out as memorable? Appreciate the insight, thanks for all the great advice and entertainment.

Gary Trock

2019-02-27 23:52:11 +0000 UTC

Hi M & L, thanks for all the work you do to make the beautiful game even more enjoyable. Recently me and my friends have been playing older sets like Theros, Khans of Tharkir and Hour of Devastation because we like the challenge of having to figure out a set that, despite being a bit older, to us is totally new. We have a lot of fun with surprise drafting, so without prior knowledge of the set archetypes and mechanics. We also see it requires other skills of players (for example, one of my friends lóves to 'play around' cards he knows, but that is a lot harder for him with all these unknown cards). Do you have any strategies that would work particularly well when drafting/playing a set without prior knowledge of the archetypes, synergies, mechanics, combat tricks, etc? I feel like our card evaluation skills are okay, but apart from good card evaluation what can I do to quickly figure out a new set and maximize succes/avoid mistakes? Thanks in advance, love the show, and greetings from Utrecht (The Netherlands)

Thomas Boeschoten

2019-02-27 23:27:39 +0000 UTC

Man, it was great seeing you both on the stream again!. Two things for you, Luis. First off, how tasty was the snack that Ikawa offered in the semi-finals? Also, despite the stellar Top 4 appearance, I was hoping for some LSV/Marshall/Cheon action in the finals.

David

2019-02-27 23:04:18 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis. Thank you for doing the show each week, it's really helped me improve from consistently going 0-3 when I started six months ago to occasionally winning the draft now. I find that when I try to draft control decks I often overvalue 'defensive speed' options and wind up with ways to answer my opponents' early threats, but not able to close out the game before they draw into larger threats (or in Simic, make their early threats larger). Do you have any heuristics for how many game-enders to run vs how many low drop blockers?

Morgan Carlton

2019-02-27 22:54:43 +0000 UTC

Hey to both of you! I have been listening to the show for more than 6 years now and it was always something that I enjoyed especially during tough times. As a high level sports competitor the things you talk about has not only helped me a ton with magic where my results recently were absolutely fantastic but has also made me a better competitor in my sport e.g. don't focus on the stuff you can control but give 100% wherever you can! Thank you so much for this awesome podcast and all the hard work you put in!

Julian Kohler

2019-02-27 22:47:44 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! Any tribes or themes from past sets you feel have a lot of unexplored potential, particularly for limited? That, or an old tribe or theme that you feel would be great to see updated in a new set.

Parker

2019-02-27 22:38:27 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis. Let's say for some reason that wotc released the next un-set and CFB did a streamed tournament for it. You are commentating and are told you must absolutely come in costume. What costume would you choose?

Søren Lahn Sloth

2019-02-27 22:37:42 +0000 UTC

Most collectible card games offer some types of limited play. What are the common characteristics among those games that create a good limited format? And what features make MTG limited stand out from the rest?

Atipong Pathanasethpong

2019-02-27 22:19:29 +0000 UTC

Hi, Guys. First of all, the last time I asked you a question, I asked what games other than Magic you are playing. That was a while ago, so are there any updates on that? I for example played Keyforge with Ryan on his stream about a week ago (and destroyed him), have any of you tried it? Also whats your favourite country you have travelled to because of Magic? Greetings from Vienna, Austria (a beautiful country without big magic tournaments XD )

David Lehner

2019-02-27 22:01:00 +0000 UTC

Fellas, Would you describe a person who has made back to back Top 8s at the last two PT/MCs as have "the fire"?

Taylor Courser

2019-02-27 21:59:09 +0000 UTC

Also, would you ever counter a draw spell? For example, if you're playing a tempo deck and you're the beatdown, would you quench a sphinx's insight, knowing your opponent is likely to find answers sooner if it resolves?

Fingal Plumpton

2019-02-27 21:58:46 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis. First, thank you for putting out the show week after week. It means a lot to us. I've been thinking about what makes for a good draft format lately, and it got me wondering: do you think there are any qualities that the best draft formats necessarily have in order to be good formats? If so, what are those qualities? Or maybe there isn't any one thing or set of things they all have in common. What do you think?

Greg Green

2019-02-27 21:57:13 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis, how do you read the signals from the first pack or two you wheel? Do you memorise every card in the first pack, or remember a number per guild, or just look to see if there are any cards you wouldn't expect normally to wheel? Would you ever change colours at that point?

Fingal Plumpton

2019-02-27 21:55:01 +0000 UTC

If you could choose the format(s) and structure for the new MTGA Mythic Championships, what would it be?

Mark Conkle

2019-02-27 21:51:13 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and LSV! One of the guys in our local play group has a Cube. We've "edited" it a few times, mostly based on what's been enjoyable on the MTGO Cubes. Do you have any tips, guidelines, or perspectives for how to go about editing our Cube?

Matt Schneeweiss

2019-02-27 21:50:02 +0000 UTC

Hey guys. I'm still fairly new to the game, and I love the content you put out, but I still find myself struggling with some of the more theoretical aspects of the game, most notably tempo and card advantage. I recently found a series of articles by Patrick Chapin on these subjects, but they're super dense and still fly over my head. So my question is, can you point me to any episodes of your podcast or any other resources that would help me understand the basic theory of Magic?

Aleksander Bartnik

2019-02-27 21:48:07 +0000 UTC

What is the LR take on chili toppings? P1P1 sour cream?

Parker Rhodes

2019-02-27 21:44:32 +0000 UTC

Ps. Luis, have you been given your cellphone privileges back?

Joe Capalbo

2019-02-27 21:44:25 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! First off, congrats to Luis on his MC top 4! I was wondering what the most epic limited plays were from the MC is your respective views. Example; mine was watching Siggy screaming shield his opponent to death in round 2 of the day 1 draft. Thanks for all you both do for the magic community.

Joe Capalbo

2019-02-27 21:43:50 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and Luis, often when drafting at my LGS we often end up in pods of not 8 people. Both 6 and 10 are quite common. How much do you think this impacts how to draft? E.g. when you are 6 people, some archetypes may be less open and you are forced to draft a more good stuff deck. However when you are 10 people you may be well rewarded sticking to a fringe archetype, like Goblin Gathering in RNA, as so many more cards are opened.

Martin Böninen

2019-02-27 21:43:31 +0000 UTC

Since my question got cut off last week, I’ll try again (maybe punishment for posting on my phone from work?)! Rakdos is criminally underdrafted at my LGS, which I got to capitalize on in a 4-pack draft after getting Judith P1P1 and metaphorically taking her to Vegas to elope. I got a pick 8 Firewheeler and all the Skewers and Jugglers I could ever want (along with the Domri playmat). Sick brags aside, I’m wondering to what extent I can take advantage of a general unwillingness to play a specific archetype and when I should try to “force” it. What cards should stand out (barring something clear like the CCDD uncommons) as a clear sign that I should abandon some medium early picks and just try to gain value from other drafters just not being interested in a particular archetype (Rakdos in RNA, or even a more general case)? Or, I guess, in what situations is it correct to just value a good archetype’s cards slightly higher based on your local meta (like picking a C+ as a B-)? Thanks for reading my comment last week despite my question getting cut off!

Keith Wynn

2019-02-27 21:37:49 +0000 UTC

Do you have any suggestions for how to manage a collection of packs on MTGA? Should you open them as they come, or sit on them for any particular reason?

Jaeger

2019-02-27 21:36:25 +0000 UTC

Thank you guys so much for your awesome content. I always look forward to Thursdays to listen to your new episodes. With the release of Magic Arena, I've been able to get my Limited fill of a set in a pretty short amount of time. When do you guys usually feel "done" with a set? What do you like to do when you feel "done" with a set until the next set comes out?

Samuel Park

2019-02-27 21:35:53 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis. I'm really enjoying RNA so far, with a good performance at GP strasbourg and a healthy mix of MTGO, arena and FNM... It's deep, diverse and fun with interesting build arounds and a lot of possibilities thanks to the infinite amount of fixing. Which makes me think I will probably miss this format once it's gone, like others before it. I wish it were easier to re-experience good formats of the past such as Rise of the Eldrazi. It's not convenient to organize IRL because of people + cost of old boxes and MTGO flashback weeks are few and far between. I wish there were a rotating "flashback" format all the time on arena, for example. What do you think about that?

loopfz

2019-02-27 21:35:15 +0000 UTC

Starting March 1, ranked draft on MTGA will switch to Ixalan block. Any advice for those who will be playing some of it? Thanks!

Jaeger

2019-02-27 21:34:52 +0000 UTC

Hey y’all! I don’t have a lot of time for limited play and play standard way more. Usually the only limited play I ever do is on the prerelease. So I was wondering if you could do a line of some more unlimited resources shows, maybe on a set review so we could hear your take on all the cards, but in a constructed format. Thanks for the great show!

The Pabster

2019-02-27 21:33:31 +0000 UTC

(Last name pronounced Free, but Marshall's knowledge of German would have called that.) Early adopter here -- started with Ryan, was a Kickstarter, now a happy Patron. Edit the question as needed. I run a summer strategy gaming day camp for kids ages 8-18, in which Magic is by far the most popular game. In addition to standard, Modern and EDH, we cube draft all summer and monthly the rest of the year. It's close to the MTGO Vintage cube without Lotus and moxen (no proxies). Kids age out, so we're constantly bringing new ones into the cube fold. What are the top 3 suggestions for people who are decent players in other formats, but who are just diving in to cube?

Curt Frueh

2019-02-27 21:31:50 +0000 UTC

At the feature table draft on Day 2, a Light Up the Stage wheeled in Pack 1. How highly do you believe it should go in general?

Brent Houlding

2019-02-27 21:29:43 +0000 UTC

Marshall and Luis, When will you be doing an Arabian Nights and/or Antiquities set review with TBS? The Alpha set review was great, and I hope there will be more like it in the future. Thanks for all that you do for the Magic community, fellas. -Taylor

Taylor Courser

2019-02-27 21:25:26 +0000 UTC

Off the wall question: What is the most Luis thing Marshal has ever done and vice-verse? Question #2: What are your top BDM memories?

Kari Malsom

2019-02-27 21:24:50 +0000 UTC

Love the show! When doing flashback drafts on mtgo or even slightly older drafts on arena (like guilds is the ranked option right now) is there a way to remember good strategies? Or a simple way to look them up? It takes me multiple drafts before I figure it out even a little bit, and I’d like to not lose so often to people that know the format inside and out. Keep up the good work!

Tony Levesque

2019-02-27 21:24:08 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis. Love the show I always look forward to it every week. I have always been curious but haven't taken the time to figure out if there is an algorithm or something to figure out the number of each land used in a mana base. I have always just used an online app or arenas suggestion for my colors. So if there is I'd like to hear how you all do it or what you do for mana base calculation. Thanks!

Jonathan urquhart

2019-02-27 21:22:37 +0000 UTC

Hey guys. Been listening for about a year now and love the content. Didn’t know how to draft when I started and I’ve had some solid runs on arena thanks to the cast. Some things that I still stumble on are things like times for activation of abilities or when to cast tricks and when to double block effectively. I watched Luis draft an orzhov deck and found some of his choices hadn’t even occurred to me (obviously he’s a much better player). Are these things that just come with time? One example was waiting to cast summary judgement as a response to gravel hide goblins pump ability rather than casting it before and allowing the opponent to respond. Really using the stack to its greatest efficiency. Thanks for the content. Congrats on another top8 LSV.

William Hopkins

2019-02-27 21:21:12 +0000 UTC

What color or colors would you guys say best describes you? And, completely ignoring the difficulty and feasibility of actually doing this, if you guys could add a sixth color to Magic which would it be, and what would it represent?

Star Bright

2019-02-27 21:20:58 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and "Poor Man's Marshall" (That's what Luis called himself once, to me, at a GP) Chaos draft is probably my favorite format. What are your feelings towards it, and do you have any great stories? If you had your choice, what packs would you choose(be reasonable)? My favorite stories involved grinding Vampiric Rites and Mortus Strider, and ramping into big stuff by slapping Ordeal of Nylea onto a Fertilid. Thanks

Jordan Ewers

2019-02-27 21:19:31 +0000 UTC

In my specific local limited meta, I wind up figuring out that some archetypes are going to consistently be under-drafted (example: Dimir in the last set, Gruul in RNA) so find myself biased towards those archetypes. It helps me at my local store, but I feel like it skews my overall perception of a format. How do I balance this sort of thinking?

Joey Hall

2019-02-27 21:15:15 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshal and Luis At the end of March I will be going to Magicfest Calgary and I’m currently in a testing group with other friends that plan on going however I find our “testing” to not be as constructive, as it feels like we just play games what are somethings you guys do in testing that you find to be effective. And for Luis for the GP I’m thinking about running Baby Spirits which is not great in the current meta. What do you think about not playing in the main event and just going down to hang out with friends and doing side events.

Zackery Trapp

2019-02-27 21:14:36 +0000 UTC

Luis, congrats on the top 8!

Antonio Valdez

2019-02-27 21:07:46 +0000 UTC

Hello, Marshall and Luis. Thank you for the show every week. This past two weeks I had a lot of free time at home because I had a minor surgery, and I played lots of RNA drafts on Arena. And then I found myself just kind of only going through the motions and not playing that tightly and seeing my gems decrease little by little. For you that I believe go through a lots of drafts in paper, Arena and MTGO, how do you avoid falling in that kind of state? Do you tackle each draft with the same level of focus?

Antonio Valdez

2019-02-27 21:06:25 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis! I’m a long-time listener (since Jon Loucks) and I love listening to your show. I recently started getting back in to Magic after a short hiatus and have been playing Arena. Yesterday I was playing a Simic mirror in draft, and the board got so congested that I completely missed a block that caused me to lose the game. While I take full responsibility for what happened, I can’t help but think that it wouldn’t have happened in paper Magic. What can I do to be more focused on what is actually happening in a game (especially with complicated board states) so that I don’t miss something like this again, instead of counting on the interface to do a lot of the mental work for me? Thanks again, and keep up the good work.

Stefan Spruill

2019-02-27 20:57:06 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, thanks as always for the show. We really appreciate the content and learn a lot from it. Sorry to harp ... asked you guys about enchantments and how you feel about drafting them/building around them last week. Again, the enchantments in this set seem better than usual. And we are hearing a range of opinions from the people we play with. So, to be more specific, where do you come out on Angelic Exaltation (in particular), but also Rhythm of the Wild and Captive Audience? Also, where do you come down on the shield now? We have our own opinions at this point, but are interested to hear yours. Thanks as always! Gar and Gwendolyn

Gar Culbert

2019-02-27 20:56:30 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis - for Luis - In the photo of your limited deck from the pro tour/MC1 Cleveland, it seemed that you'd doodled little marks on all the cards - what are they about ? Do you have to sign cards to show they are yours? I have no idea. For both - My son and I love your podcasts - and WOTC and LGSs owe you big time - as soon as we start listening to LR he'll subtely ask, "can we do a draft this weekend".

wantondevious

2019-02-27 20:55:36 +0000 UTC

Hi guys, participated in my first GP main event this weekend and with the knowledge I got from you guys, and admittedly some help from Hydroid Krasis, I was able to make it to day 2. My question for you guys is how do you evaluate when to take conditional on color removal like a grotesque demise in orzhov against a splash unconditional removal like deputy of detention or lawmage's binding.

Matthew M.

2019-02-27 20:55:05 +0000 UTC

First, thank you to both Marshall and LSV for all you do for Magic. Second, the set-up for the MPL kind of bothers me. The team essentially belongs to Wizards, and yet competes as if they weren’t essentially WoTC employees. This raises all sorts of conflict of interest and fairness issues. How would it work if, for example, LSV, who works on a rival on-line card game, were on the team? Would WoTC be happy with the employee of a rival firm at their “social media boot camp?” Did any of these considerations play into the decision to ignore the results if the last PT? And if so, maybe WoTC should just ‘fess up that they have a Company Team and game results aren’t the only thing they take into account. You probably can’t answer these questions - but they just keep buzzing around in my head.

Rebecca Menes

2019-02-27 20:54:15 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis! It feels like Magic at the highest levels has been taking inclusivity and representation more seriously for a while now. The consistent use of pronouns during the broadcasts from Cleveland last weekend is one recent example, as is the story behind the development of Alesha, Who Smiles at Death. I think the two of you have been consistent advocates too—Luis, I still remember an episode a year or two ago where a high-level guest (and friend of yours!) kept referring to the "other guy" and you lightly corrected him to say "opponent." (People notice these things, and thank you.) I wonder if you can talk about the journey that Magic has taken toward being a more inclusive game in the time that the two of you have been playing. Has it come as far as it seems? Who's driving that work? What have YOU learned, and how have you changed? Where does the community still have work do to do? Thanks!

Ryan Pitts

2019-02-27 20:52:05 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis, just wanted to say thank you for all you do and the content you guys create. This is a question for both of you guys. With all this content such as articles, books in Magic. I have never happened to come across a book on Limited only. My question would be is would any of you two ever be interested in writing a book or create a online program that solely focus and tutor players on both drafting and sealed deck. Once again thank you for all you do.

Gibran Alberto Mora

2019-02-27 20:50:31 +0000 UTC

HI guys! People often refer to Ben S and Martin Juza as Limited experts. I wondered what skills as a player specifically set them apart from other pros. Is it about card evaluation and ability to read a draft pod? Or are there in-game differences between limited and constructed Magic that Ben and Martin particularly excel at? Thanks for all the great content! Super pumped for LA!

TISH

2019-02-27 20:50:26 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! There's clearly a lot of overlap between Magic players and poker players. There's also quite a bit of overlap between poker players and golfers. So, do you know of any Magic players who golf? I feel like the mindsets between all 3 are similar - avoiding ROTTY thinking, deali with randomness, etc. Thanks, love the show.

Michael Torres

2019-02-27 20:49:54 +0000 UTC

What non-high power cubes have you played. Which ones do you like? If you want a cube, should you just build your own or is it better to look at established lists?

William McDuff

2019-02-27 20:49:53 +0000 UTC

LSV, any chance there's some madrinas coupons coming soon? Im fresh out and need some of that #sponsored support to restock!

Tyler Spiering

2019-02-27 20:49:47 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and LSV! First thank you for the advice last week - while I lost all three matches I actually played on Saturday, I did manage to pick up a pair of byes on Friday utilizing your advice. Which brings me to my question - participating in a tournament of that scale has really lit the Magic bug in me, and I'm trying to figure out how I can get more involved in competitive Magic in the future. That said, given the changing state of competitive play these days, it's not super clear to me what route to focus on - Paper, MTGO, and Arena all offer paths to higher level play, but which one is the best use of time and resources if I don't otherwise have a clear preference?

Matthew Taylor

2019-02-27 20:48:00 +0000 UTC

Question for Luis! Which set came out before your tenure on LR do you most wish you had been a host for to do a set review of?

Drew Acquaviva

2019-02-27 20:46:50 +0000 UTC

Hello. With Reid Duke posting an impressive record with it. Could you go into more detail what makes a good "clear the mind" - deck. What are the key cards to look out for? Any "traps" Thanks for the show. I appreciate it.

Olle Öman

2019-02-27 20:46:50 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! Love the show, and congratulations on the top 8! Which set has had the most polarizing limited environment? Ie super slow sealed but very fast draft, or vice versa? I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!

Patrick Nelson

2019-02-27 20:46:05 +0000 UTC

Kia ora from New Zealand guys! long time listener, first time caller. I'm a creative professional (videographer) and often find myself listening to your podcast and trying take learnings from your show and relate them to other aspects of my life. Do you have any tips on how I can take lessons learned from limited/Magic and apply them to optimising other creative fields? Thanks, Ben :)

Ben Journée

2019-02-27 20:43:37 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! You guys have talked before about playing around instants, but I find myself in the position of playing around too much. Do you only play around cards once you’ve seen them played? How do you improve your understanding of whether or not they have a trick? I can’t thank you guys enough for the content, between the podcast and streams, I feel like I’ve become a much better player. PS, what are your favorite combat tricks? I know how much you love them Marshall, so I know it’ll be tough for you to choose

Luis Goicouria (manowarelves)

2019-02-27 20:43:23 +0000 UTC

Greetings from Poland my friends. Recently I moved most of my wonderful playgroup from drafting ongoing sets to own-built cube environment. I built/developed my own cube for over a year with 400 cards and I’m stuck what next. I use fantastic cubetutor.com or other resources but I don’t want /can afford to copy paste vintage or legacy cube but at the same time I’m missing the KNOWLEDGE/framework of building a whole set with multiple working color pairs hidden combos etc. I do want to be better at this so I’m listening closely to set reviews and any remark comment or observations about how a perfect draft experience should look like but it’s not enough. Care to steer me/ help? please! I know I’m not the only one building cubes looking for frameworks not ready lists. excel? mind map? I don't know where to start... THANK you guys for such a wonderful time spent together since khans (every episode memorized and cherished!:) ). Dziękuję! (djacooie ;)

Janusz Okoń

2019-02-27 20:42:07 +0000 UTC

First of all, I want to congratulate Luis on his top four finish at the Mythic Championship. As for questions, what theories do you guys have in regards to what we might see in War of the Spark? Or things you would like to see in the set?

William Ruby

2019-02-27 20:36:19 +0000 UTC

Marshall and Luis - Love the content. Thank you. Two questions : (1) What is the best approach to learning how to game plan with your deck (instead of merely just playing the best cards in your hand)? (2) How does one to learn how to evaluate the same card but in the context of Drafting and in the context of Sealed (for example the same card may have a different grade when in Sealed)? Thanks as always! - Tyson

Tyson Benson

2019-02-27 20:33:12 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and lsv! Now that lsv is in the league of as a GOAT, with fenkell, is it time to see him for storm in a modern mythic championship? Thanks again for your time and work

Ben Gray

2019-02-27 20:32:04 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, Luis mentioned on the last show that their listing of the rares wrt how they rate to the best uncommons and commons would be posted somewhere. Is it available at this time? It would be great to have a look! Thanks so much for all you do! Marty

Martin MacKenzie

2019-02-27 20:31:05 +0000 UTC

Hi guys, thanks for all you do! I find that it often takes me a game or two to really understand a deck I've drafted, and therefore my play patterns and even card choices can be pretty suboptimal in the first match. Do you have any advice on how to get a handle on a deck just by looking at the list, without having to play with it first?

Peter Borah

2019-02-27 20:28:45 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! I'd love to hear more about what goes in to preparing for a PT/MC, both on an individual basis and as a team. From Luis's perspective we've heard about the team Channel Fireball limited meeting some and I'd love to hear about any other prep the team does that won't give away any trade secrets. From Marshall's perspective, if I'm remembering right you got to sit in on the PGO's prep before Worlds last year and I'd love to hear anything about what they do that you feel comfortable sharing. I have to imagine the approaches are different as I saw Owen tweet a photo of Reid playing with the team from the hotel room last Saturday night and Luis responded that he was getting dinner and then going to bed. Finally, if you'll permit me a brief dip into the Constructed realm, how does Luis decide what deck he is going to play. Notably, it seemed like all of team CFB was playing white weenie at PT GRN, but that at the MC they were playing different decks. Thanks a bunch, keep up the good work!

Matt Cromartie

2019-02-27 20:28:12 +0000 UTC

Thanks for the content, you guys have got me from a noob to winning fnm draft pretty consistently. Can you give a quick overview of current bot drafts in arena? I was pretty good at drafting the current set but when I go back to the previous set to draft on arena I do pretty terrible.

Ben Gray

2019-02-27 20:26:48 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, this question is more for Luis as it relates to Pro Tour/MC team testing. With a lot of the pro community really good friends, how come certain groups don’t test together more than it seem they should? For example, Huey has known Mike Sigrist for decades, and Luis is good friends with both Huey and Owen, but the Ultimate Guard Team doesn’t test with Team CFB. Why is that? Is it because the best like to beat each other, rather than play together like LeBron and Durant? Some relationships are stronger than others? Maybe not all the members of one team get along with certain members of other teams? Just curious. Marshall, if you’re coming to DC in June, I have another German box for you. Thanks, guys!

Mark Arucan

2019-02-27 20:25:05 +0000 UTC

(Pressed Enter too soon, sorry) Love the show, thanks for everything - bee listening since Brian Wong's first episode. My question is about Basic Land Power Rankings. I can't justify the expense of Beta basics, but I recently got a colleagues old collection that includes a ton of Ice Age basics that I find quite beautiful. Good enough? Or do i still bring shame to my family? I formerly used Original ZEN full-arts.

Atticus D Graven

2019-02-27 20:24:24 +0000 UTC

Instant Design Challenge: Build us your invitational card, but with a couple of constraints --- (1) It's a 2/2 creature (2) It's at least "good" in limited. Love the show and gratz to LSV on his one and only MC Top 8. I guess you have to start somewhere, right?

Matt Kinard

2019-02-27 20:24:00 +0000 UTC

Congrats on the MC Top 8, Luis, and great job (as usual) on commentating Marshall! You've talked about your favorite set to draft, but what's your favorite set for sealed?

Jason Dooley

2019-02-27 20:23:58 +0000 UTC

Long time listener and love the show guys. Was wondering, as I think everyone has one, what is your favorite build around cards you have ever played with in limited? Cards like Secret Plans and Laboratory Maniac have always been personal favorites. Keep up the good work.

Mark Churchwell

2019-02-27 20:23:58 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! Love the show, you guys are great, thanks for helping me improve my game, blah blah blah, etc... Now let’s get to the important things. Do you like Sour Cream & Onion chips? Also, what is your top 5 power ranking of chip flavors?

Steve Jula

2019-02-27 20:23:32 +0000 UTC

I started playing MTG just over a year ago and mainly play with my kids or on MTGO or Arena. I want to play more at my LGS but I get nervous because I’m 30 years old and just getting into it when everyone else has so much more experience. How do I get over the anxiety I have about playing with people I don’t know and that are more experienced?

Chris Norton

2019-02-27 20:22:48 +0000 UTC

Marshall, is it difficult for you to remain unbiased when you cover LSV on the Pro Tour/MC?

Chase Renner

2019-02-27 20:22:01 +0000 UTC

Hello!