Question of the Week Refresh
Added 2018-03-13 22:41:57 +0000 UTCHey All!
Refreshing the patreon question of the week thread refresh here, so feel free to add them in the comments below. And if your question got missed from a prior thread, feel free to repost it here as well :)
Thanks as always, we love you all,
Marshall
Comments
Hey Marshall & Luis - great show. I have struggled to win with build-around or “A+B” style decks in Dominaria draft. The draft seems to go well, but I never seem to get the right mix in game - whether it’s ramp and big spells in the Ramp decks; auras and aura payoffs in the aura decks; or token-makers and sacrifice or go-wide rewards in the token decks. Instead, I seem to get eviserated - literally - before I can set up my synergies. I feel like the Clippers of Magic Online - the roster always looks great at the start of the league, but I never seem to make it to a trophy. Is this just a “run bad, play bad” situation, or are build-arounds just too inconsistent in Dominaria? Thanks!
Jonathan Montgomery
2018-05-10 19:22:32 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis I'm a long time listener from the UK (Ryan and Rocket were my first co hosts). I'm very much enjoying Dominaria at the moment and have recently drafted a red white mid range deck with Jaya's Immolating Inferno. It is a total bomb and pretty much guarantees a win if I cast it but I only have 3 legendary cards in the deck. My question is "How many legends do you need in your deck to play a card that gives ,say a 90% win percentage if cast?" What if the win chance was 80%? (by the way I'm playing it anyway)
Peter Carss
2018-05-07 19:14:13 +0000 UTCG'day Marshall and Luis, I play MTGO almost exclusively and have a question regarding the limited leagues. I usually play in the Friendly Sealed and the Intermediate Draft leagues as I feel like these offer the best value for money, but I have heard people say that if you are good enough you should play in the Competitive leagues. I usually go 6-3 or 7-2 in the friendly sealed league and average 2-1 results in the draft league. Am I good enough to be playing in the competitive leagues or would I possibly be wasting my money as a poor performance would mean I might not get any return?
Shane Garvey
2018-05-07 06:15:32 +0000 UTCHey Team! I’m headed to GP Vegas. Probably will be out of my league generally, but I don’t care too much as I’m mostly looking to have some fun. I saw the History of Draft event and all of the side limited events of different formats. How can one possibly hope to remotely prepare for such a diverse quantity of formats? Not looking to be a spike, but getting crushed 0-3 draft after draft isn’t too fun either. I’d rather at least be slightly competitive.” Are these more for people that drafted these formats when they were released? I feel like I can already hear your answers of “remember limited basics,” “just do your best,” and “have fun.” Haha, but I was hoping maybe for a little more guidance. Thanks! LR makes every week just that much better! Two casts a week?
Q Dig
2018-05-01 14:45:33 +0000 UTCDo you think it is incorrect to not play (or wait to play) an effect like that of the green memorial when you have bombs that it does not hit? For example in my last sealed league I had Karn, and on two occasions I activated the green land, watched Karn get put on the bottom of the library while I picked up some average creature. Thanks for the input, you guys are a pleasure to listen to on my drive to work.
Johnny Rojas
2018-04-30 03:23:25 +0000 UTCHey guys, When you open up a sealed pool that has several good cards that each pull you in a different direction, how do you choose which colors to run? Also, how many bomb and/or playable cards do you look for when deciding weather or not to splash? Thank you for giving my wife and I hours of entertainment, and teaching us some important lessons along the way!
Kyle T Buck
2018-04-30 00:22:16 +0000 UTCHowdy Marshal and Luis, With the release of Dominaria, I've found myself wondering about when to splash for cards in limited. In particular, I went a little deep with Sailor of Means decks in Rivals, and I think that's instilled some bad habits in me, as in that format I found myself splashing cards I never would have considered before, like Dusk Charger or Contract Killing. I think this could be especially relevant in Dominaria, as there are a lot of powerful uncommons (especially gold uncommons like Tatyova) but the fixing is, to be frank, awful. How good of a card do you have to have to want to splash (and therefore prioritize fixing more highly), and how good does your fixing need to be?
Allen Smith
2018-04-24 21:15:18 +0000 UTCHi there! First of all, great show! Second thing: I was wondering if it would be possible for you guys to focus a bit more on sealed when doing the set review. After all, everyone's first experience of the set is through sealed (prerelease), and most of the important matches played on the format are sealed (GPs). Your focus is always draft, and you leave the sealed episode for way too late in the set lifecycle. Please consider looking at the cards through the lense of sealed in the set reviews. ;)
Fernando Meseguer Garrido
2018-04-15 10:47:01 +0000 UTCLouis, You troll Marshal hard about this pick between a Moment of Craving or A Lurking Chupacabra. Here's a pick one, pack one for you: Lurking Chupacabra or Pirate's Hook. The chupacabra is guaranteed value and is really good; while, the hook is colorless and can accrue value over time by forcing two-for-ones or other bad blocks. Which should I value more in cases like this: raw power or flexibility. I picked the hook. Thanks for the show. Alex
Alex Gaudet
2018-04-15 01:44:57 +0000 UTCRegarding card valuations at set review time, I've heard you mention several times that with some cards, you just have to play with them to know. But the reasons are often related to looking at the set as a whole, things like the fact that a card survives the set's removal, or the speed of the format. In 2018, well after Moneyball, I feel like we can do better... do you think quantitative analysis of a set can help us with these sorts of things? Is there a fundamental problem with this approach, or is it just that people haven't done it yet?
P
2018-04-14 02:40:42 +0000 UTCHello Marshall and Luis! I wanted to preface this question with a quick thank you--you guys have substantially improved my game since I began listening (right at the beginning of Luis's tenure on the show). In the spirit of the Modern Cube currently up, I wanted to ask a quick question about drafting cube (I loved episode 313 on the subject). I always struggle with the first 5 picks or so, given that when there's no clear cut best card, I'm always split between what I think are critical cards for different archetypes (do I pick up this llanowar elves or that young pyromancer?). How do you pick a lane early in the draft when there are no clear cut best cards? Thanks a bunch for all of the content, and keep up the good work!
Luis Goicouria (manowarelves)
2018-04-11 03:40:53 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis. I just got back home from GP Seattle after finishing in the top 16 in Legacy, by far my best GP finish. While I'm thrilled about how the weekend went, there is a part of me that sort of feels it was a missed opportunity in my goal to eventually qualify for a PT, finishing just a couple spots outside of the Top 8. I was wondering if you had any advice for me having just had a breakthrough, modest though it may be, in performance, to help make sure it doesnt end up being a fluke so I can continue trying to reach my goal. Also, any advice on handling the pressure that comes with higher stakes matches as a tournament progresses when you're not used to playing at that level, I definitely felt like I didn't play as well on Day 2 as I did on Day 1 when I was more relaxed. Thanks for everything you guys do for the game, your efforts make it a better community for everyone.
SligoYanks
2018-04-10 05:06:36 +0000 UTCHowdy M & L. Sideboard etiquette question for you today. Last week the player drafting next to me opened a Profane Procession pack 1, and I felt confident that he continued to draft Black/White Vampires from there (who wouldn't in his shoes?). I ended up with a fair amount of enchantment removal for my Blue/White deck (including a few copies of Cleansing Ray). So here's my question: when I saw that this Profane Procession drafter was to be my Round 2 opponent, should I have preemptively loaded up on Cleansing Rays, etc. in anticipation of his deck? AND IF SO, doesn't that mean I should try to get as much info as possible about all of my opponents at the table before playing them? That feels ethically dubious to me. But also, losing to Profane Procession sucks... Anyway, thanks for such a quality show! --Ryan M.
Ryan M.
2018-04-09 12:34:19 +0000 UTCHey guys, brand new patron here! I currently have a mac, which unfortunately means MTGO is out of the question for me. (I know there are ways to get around that on a mac, but for me it's just not practical) What this means is that if I want to draft, I have to go to my local shop to do it. They only do drafts on Fridays and a lot of times I have gone to draft, they have not had enough people to fire one up. Do you think MTG Arena will help my problems, and if not, how can I spread the gospel of draft to people who play nothing but standard or commander?
Hans Gougar
2018-04-05 21:54:09 +0000 UTCHi guys I have been drafting cube a lot lately, and I find myself with very deep card pools and having sometimes a hard time choosing the right 40. I also been playing a lot of Eternal and in this draft format you have to build 45 card decks. I decided to try and build 26-19 cube decks and I actually feel I sometimes have more plays to my decks and the ratio card/lands also feels pretty good. Is it even possible that a 45 cards deck could be more balanced and tooled in cube then a 40 cards deck. Am I falling in a trap ?
Guillaume P.
2018-04-02 01:40:44 +0000 UTCHey guys, Hypothetical for you; if they changed the rules so that you could draft any card face up if you wanted to, would players at high level drafts choose to do this? If they did when would they still draft face down? What draft meta do you think would develop? Great show keep up the good work :)
Jethro
2018-04-01 09:50:15 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis - Situation question. You open up your first pack and in it you have a first pickable black rare, a black removal spell, another black card that's pretty decent, and a black junk card. Would you first pick a black card here knowing that your sending some decent black cards up stream? I find myself Worrying that by sending good cards in my color upstream will create more people drafting my color which could decrease my card quality by the end of the draft. Thanks for all you do guys, your great mentors in this fine magic community
Harrison Jensen
2018-03-29 17:31:49 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis! Through a series of trial and error I have come to the conclusion that I don't enjoy playing constructed Magic, not sure why but I just don't have as much fun in general. I'm curious though, how far can I go in terms of professional play by just playing limited? I know that really limits me in terms of what GPs I would attend but I just wanted to get your opinion on the situation. Thanks and keep up the great work
Harrison Jensen
2018-03-26 22:00:48 +0000 UTCI have a bit more of a specific question. If I have a repeatable loot effect, like Merfolk Looter, and an instant speed end-of-turn card draw spell I want to cast, is there an order to doing these effects which is inherently better than the other?
Drew Acquaviva
2018-03-25 23:30:48 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis, thanks for all the great content you guys put out on this podcast. I recently downloaded Windows onto my Macbook so I can play Magic Online. This is awesome, but now I'm faced with a budgeting issue. I imagine you are both at a point where you pay little to nothing to draft online, but do you have any strategies for maximizing value (and not spending way too much money) on MTGO? How did you manage spending back when you had to pay for every draft? Thanks!
Alex House
2018-03-25 00:24:17 +0000 UTCHey folks. Love the show, thank you. I have a question following the quadrant theory (which was great by the way). Would it make sense, to apply it to a format? For instance, after let’s say one or 2 weeks in a format, can we adjust the weights on each quadrant depending on how aggressive a format is? I’m pretty sure it does make sense, i guess what I’m asking is: could you include this notion as you help us understand a format?
Paul Vidal
2018-03-23 16:41:36 +0000 UTCHey guys, with Rivals being the last small set for the foreseeable future, can you do a quick retrospective of the best small sets in magic history? What are the best non-triple-big-set draft formats and which small sets improved their previous format the most?
Victor Costa
2018-03-23 02:36:15 +0000 UTCHello Magic podcast humans. I'm enjoying Masters25 maybe because after 7 drafts it seems pretty wide open. I enjoy the formats that have more variation to the successful decks, 2 card combos, and build arounds. I know I have a small sample size so I could be way off, but have you had a similar experience now that you've played some drafts? Masters25: thumbs up or thumbs down? -Dana
Dana Billings
2018-03-20 19:41:13 +0000 UTCHi guys, on a recent episode LSV mentioned that there is more edge to be gained through increased player skill in Limited than in Constructed, at least in the Pro Tour. Just want to clarify, is LSV saying that constructed games are decided more by variance (luck of the draw) and rote play than by skill? Just asking because the average player seems to think the opposite, that Limited is a format about variance and Constructed is about consistency and skill. BTW I'm a player that only plays Limited when I'm not playing casual EDH, so I have no dog in this fight, just wanting to clarify LSV's point. BTW I would be EDH only if your show wasn't so good at pulling me back into drafting.
IACommand
2018-03-15 22:18:43 +0000 UTCHey Guys, I would like to know if you ever prioritise cutting a colour from a pack when picks are close. I used to do this a lot and would sometimes take the only card in a colour that was slightly weaker passing on better cards to avoid players downstream moving into the same colour as me. I moved away from this but players at my local store have recently started bringing this up again and I am wondering if this could have a tiny percentage win I am now missing out on. On your crack a pack sections I don't think I have ever heard about you cutting out a colour and always go for the best card in isolation. Is this something you ever consider but just don't vocalise on the show? Should you consider cards you are passing in the first few picks of a pack in how it might affect drafters to your left or just focus on signals being received from the drafter on your right? As always keep up the great work. Finn
Finn Claxton
2018-03-15 11:03:39 +0000 UTCHi Guys, this question isn't strictly MTG related, but it is Marshall related. I recently went back and watched some PT coverage from some years ago, specifically for the drafts, and I was struck by how much coverage has improved since the days when I got back into the game around PT RTR. In particular I found myself really impressed by how much improvement Marshall has made. 5 years ago you were a really good play-by-play guy, definitely one of the better ones on the coverage team, but 2018 Marshall is noticeably better than 2013 Marshall. First of all, kudos on continuing to improve in what is (I'm sure) such a difficult job. Secondly, I'm curious how you approach getting better at coverage. Do you listen to tape of yourself? Are there non-MTG announcers you like or listen to? Thanks for everything you both do in the MTG world.
Josh
2018-03-15 07:35:15 +0000 UTCAt the store I play at there are a lot of new or young players. Some of these people I know basically never win. What is the best way to foster community and not just crush them.
Adam Zuravleff
2018-03-14 23:35:00 +0000 UTCHi Guys, thanks for all the wonderful advice! How do you balance taking a solid playable vs a strong sideboard card? Say for example, you're solidly in R/G dinos going into pack two and you see Plummet vs Orazca Frillback. The Frillback has a lot more synergy with cards like Knight of the Stampede, Forerunner, or Thrash of Raptors, but Plummet gives flying interaction that R/G typically has trouble with.
Parker
2018-03-14 17:19:23 +0000 UTCThis may be the most important question answered in show history. And the dumbest. It also may not be for the main segments. GP Seattle will be my first visit to the city and will be taking up Marshall on the Wild Ginger recommendation. However, food prowess must be tested. Swiftly; like the throw of a spear, I ask you both to rank the following taco types: Carnitas, Veggie, Fish, Beef, Chicken, Chorizo. Assume the place you are at has a good reputation and will produce at least a B version of each type. Go.
Richard Gapinski
2018-03-14 16:13:54 +0000 UTCIn Magic, as with all things in life, healthy mind, healthy body. As someone who continues to strive to maintain and build a healthy mind and healthy body, do you guys have any tips for life (as with Magic) regarding a healthy mind, healthy body?
Taylor Courser
2018-03-14 15:14:54 +0000 UTCLuis, You were on one of the most insane hot streaks in the history of magic leading up to your year of not playing PTs so you could do coverage. You're a great player, near consensus top 5 all time I would say, but rust is real and you took a year off from competing against the best players on the biggest stage. How did you prepare for your return to the PT? Also, unfortunate results aside, how would you rate your preparation and your play?
Jason McMullan
2018-03-14 15:13:55 +0000 UTCI've been talking to friends about learning how to pilot different styles of decks and what format is the most challenging. Although not every color pair is amazing in any given Limited set, they are usually all at least playable if open. But in something like Standard we could see only a handful of decks dominant for extended periods of time, depending on bannings and rotation. Confirm for me and tell my friends that Limited is the most challenging and diverse format.
Logan Ferree
2018-03-14 14:13:29 +0000 UTCHi guys, as always thank you for all the work you put into making a great show. I've played in a few PPTQs near where I live in Charlotte, NC and am itching to get more into tournament level magic. Unfortunately according to the Magic website, there don't seem to be any limited PPTQs (or Grand Prixs) scheduled anywhere nearby. Are there other resources I should be looking at? Also, how far can you go through the PPTQ track while still playing only Limited?
james anderson
2018-03-14 14:04:07 +0000 UTCHi, Marshall and Luis - I'm curious to know if you have ever played different limited formats against one another? For example, if you put together a large event with a pod for every limited format in MTG history, and then had those pods compete against one another (I guess post-draft the pods would be teams?), which pod would win? I guess the sub-text to this questions is just, "Are some limited formats more "powerful" than others?" Would new formats beat older formats? Would the faster format always beat the slower format? Are there one or two formats that would just be totally busted? I'd love to get your thoughts on this! Thanks - love the show.
Eric Lynch
2018-03-14 13:28:59 +0000 UTCThe second question is that I've noticed in magic online especially (but sometimes in paper) I act too fast and miss an important line or detail such as a land that can be activated or an aftermath spell in a graveyard. Are there any tricks you can suggest for keeping track of less obvious resources than hand size and creatures...
Tim Boura
2018-03-14 11:34:40 +0000 UTCHi guys. Really liking the show! I have two questions. The first is how do you identify your own weaknesses in order to work on improving them. In a game with such high variance it can be hard to tell the difference between mistakes and bad luck. How do you identify patterns and work on improving them?
Tim Boura
2018-03-14 11:31:57 +0000 UTCHow do you evaluate new cards that are added to cube drafts? Ravenous Chupacabra is obviously an amazing card in a Standard Rivals of Ixalan draft, but how do you decide how to value it (or other new cards) in Cube?
Daniel Schneider
2018-03-14 05:33:00 +0000 UTCHey guys, love the show! In my limited games, I seem to have a hard time identifying cards that I can build around as a win condition (or at least a part of one). What do you look for in a card that can win you a game? And how do you build a deck that can get you there?
Dan Roach
2018-03-14 02:23:21 +0000 UTCHey guys! I have a question concerning results oriented thinking. My buddy and I draft at our LGS about every other week so not too often. He has consistently done well drafting "greedy" three color mana bases and I can feel he is starting to get convinced that it is just correct. Perhaps I am misevaluating the level of greed here but if I'm not and this is just a small sample size where he is getting lucky, how do I show him that playing it safe is better in the long term? Thanks a ton, love the show!!
Kilian Johnson
2018-03-14 01:07:52 +0000 UTCHi guys, huge fan of the podcast, it has helped me loads. One thing i still struggle with is determining how open a colour or archetype is. I often find myself in a colour and getting good number of playable to good cards but not quite enough for a great deck, then after the draft I find out that one or two others were drafting the same colour or archetype. Is there anything I can do to figure out if I need to change what I'm drafting earlier in the draft ?
Conor O'Brien
2018-03-13 23:46:08 +0000 UTCHello! Thanks for all the content! As a new player it's great to be able to soak up this wealth of information from y'all. I'm curious how to evaluate whether you should offer a trade with creatures. Should you possibly call somebody on their bluff if they have mana up for a trick or is it better to attempt to kill a creature off if the dude you're offering up is expendable?
Glory Ancheta
2018-03-13 23:31:19 +0000 UTCHello M&L, just wondering, how much, in paper and online, do you read into pauses/thinking/consideration during pre-combat main phase and during the various combat steps? I sometimes feel I give away that I have a complex plan (a blow out/241/other dastardly deed) by mulling it over, usually before attacking or before my opponent attacks. Should I tank at times that won’t give away so much of my thinking? (Set steps in end or upkeep?)
Chris Blackwood
2018-03-13 23:09:44 +0000 UTCHello gentlemen! What are your thoughts on MTG puzzles as a way to improve limited skills? A friend and I run a weekly "win this turn" puzzle project (at PossibilityStorm.com, if shout-outs are allowed) and one of our goals is to help players improve at finding outside-of-the-box plays. The situations are typically way more outlandish than your average limited game, but having now made a bunch of these, I find myself sometimes spotting creative plays in limited that actually produce a big advantage or win the game on the spot. It's definitely more fun than strategy, but I feel like there's at least some amount of edge to be gained with these puzzles. Do you guys ever try them? What are your thoughts? P.S. If you ever have interest in making an LR puzzle, words can't describe how thrilled we'd be to help out, so just say the word! Thanks and keep up the stellar content.
Alex Wolf
2018-03-13 23:08:29 +0000 UTCHi Marshal and Luis, love the show! I have been finding in my most recent drafts that I can clearly identify my primary color but I've been struggling reading the table and identifying my second color. What tips and trick can you give when evaluating the packs and determining what my second color should be?
Timothy Bethune
2018-03-13 23:04:51 +0000 UTCNew listener and player here! With your help, I've gotten Pretty Good at Limited in a few months -- but I'm struggling with more complex formats like Cube and Commander. Modern and Legacy just seem so complex that I can barely imagine playing them with confidence. Assuming that my current level of obsession continues, how long do you think it might take for a total n00b to get to the point where she can understand the overall sweep of Magic's history, and become decently competitive in these realms? And what exactly does one do when one loves playing blue but doesn't quite know how to durdle into the win?
flickerbean
2018-03-13 23:04:19 +0000 UTCHi Luis and Marshall, love the show! Your recent episode on Alpha was amazing, I absolutely love the Old Scool stuff. Being a Cube manager, my favourite episodes are when you discuss format agnostic strategies or discuss Cube. Now for my question: I have a 93/94 Cube, want to draft with me? Keep up the great work!
Stéphane Fournier
2018-03-13 23:00:26 +0000 UTCGreetings from Nashville! I've been an avid listener since LSV's first episode, and the advice y'all have given has made me a much better player, so thank you both! In my last draft, I opened an impale, a luminous bonds, and a bombard all in the same pack. How do you evaluate such great cards against one another, and which would you pick? How would this change if one of these was a premium creature (like Sun-Crested Pterodon)? I ended up taking the Luminous Bonds because I think the UW ascend deck is just insane, but most of my friends agreed that they would have taken impale. Side Note: Both the impale and bombard wheeled. Needless to say, I didn't drop a game while piloting this sweet WR Control deck (with Binding Bishop and Zetalpa) lol.
Vinny Cavaliere
2018-03-13 22:52:31 +0000 UTCHi Marshal and Luis, love the show! It's very important to me that the Magic community continues to grow towards being a more accepting and inclusive place. I'm wondering if either of you have any recommendations or suggestions as to how your average player can help this. I do my best to be welcoming and kind at FNM. Even making a point to call out shitty behavior when it arises up but I feel like I could be doing more -- thoughts?
Gregorian Hawke
2018-03-13 22:52:25 +0000 UTCLegacy cube Pack 1 Pick 1: Liliana of the Veil, or Liliana, the Last hope? (love the show keep up the great work)
Jethro
2018-03-13 22:46:53 +0000 UTC
