Limited Resources - Q&A Episode TONIGHT!

I'm in Nashville too!! I have gotten so much out of LR as well--it's my favorite Magic related content out there!

Elise

2018-03-27 13:59:21 +0000 UTC

After hearing that Luis had a hipster cube (since he was doing it before it was cool), I was wondering what is the best way to go about building your cube, and how do you choose what cards to exchange when a new set comes out. I currently have a 540 card cube with 10 archetypes (one for each 2-color combination). The most difficulty I have had is trying to balance each color combo in a meaningful way. For example, certain archetypes need a lot of support, whereas others work well without dedicated cards (e.g. reanimator needs multiple forms of reanimation spells, whereas Blue-Green decks tend to just have value creatures) - this being the case, I have had to dedicated more cards in the cube to the more demanding archetypes. Is this a smart way of going about solving that problem, or should I try to even out the number of cards that can fit into each archetype. Thanks!

Vinny Cavaliere

2018-03-12 08:37:16 +0000 UTC

Eleven is definitely NOT too young. That's when I learned to play, and although I definitely had some people take advantage of me at that age (letting me miss my triggers, etc.), I would argue that a good majority of modern-day players would have positive interactions with him. Yes there will be the occasional jerk, but I would use that person as an example to teach your son how NOT to act. I hope you both have great experiences moving forward.

Vinny Cavaliere

2018-03-12 08:35:40 +0000 UTC

Greetings from Nashville! I started listening right around the time when LSV joined the show, and the lessons I've learned from the show have made me a much better player, so thank you both! For my last draft, I opened Luminous Bonds, Impale, and Bombard all in the same pack (I know...it was ridiculous). Which would you take? I ended up taking the Luminous Bonds because I really like the UW ascend deck, plus it's a great way to deal with things like Zepalta, and the chicken (Sun-Crested Pterodon). When discussing with my friends post-draft, they said they would have taken Impale. Obviously this is a VERY rare scenario, but I wanted to know if I made the right choice. Side Note: the most ridiculous part of this story is that both the Bombard and the Impale wheeled. Needless to say, I won that draft.

Vinny Cavaliere

2018-03-12 08:31:10 +0000 UTC

Elliott - I think you missed the joke here. There's no such thing as a pile shuffle because it's not random at all, it's not shuffling, and is not considered to be shuffling by the rules. Also, please do not do 5 piles 'shuffling' because doing a 5 pile shuffle followed by a 5 pile shuffle is the primary part of the deck stacking cheat 'double nickel'. It will make you look very shady.

Fukata

2018-03-08 19:00:55 +0000 UTC

It's a way to shuffle your deck. You lay down five cards in five separate piles, then repeat the process to build five piles. Then you combine the piles. People generally do this to avoid bending their cards.

Elliott Jacobson

2018-03-08 18:47:23 +0000 UTC

I have a question about the RG Dinos deck. In your review of the archetypes you both seemed to indicate that this was an agro deck. Yet, whenever I have played it I have run more of a ramp deck. It wasn't about agro. In particular, the key card is Knight of the Stampede - a card you did not even mention in your review. Yet to me it seems like a critical card. What do you think of that card?

John Johanson

2018-03-08 02:07:52 +0000 UTC

I've been playing for three months, and have vastly improved thanks to your show. I most often get 2 wins and a loss at FNM drafts, but there's a boss fight I can never seem to win. My opponent is good, no doubt, but I find myself trying to play faster than him and outrace him when I shouldn't. The reason? He talks a lot! When someone's making a lot of noise -- evil laughs, cartoonish threats of my imminent doom, etc -- I get hecka nervous and start making bad plays. How do you get around someone who's psyching you out? Do pro players ever deal with this, or does everyone play...quietly?

flickerbean

2018-03-07 22:10:52 +0000 UTC

Regarding RIX draft: It seems to me that green and red are always open at the beginning of drafts because everyone first picks Impale or something and tries to force white/black or blue/black for a while. Has this been your experience and should I be valuing green higher because I might just get all of it?

Elliott Jacobson

2018-03-07 19:18:52 +0000 UTC

Huge fan of the show! You and Louis make the best limited content out there love the podcasts and both of your draft videos on CFB! For my question I wanted to know what Marshall's favourite draft sets of all time are. We've heard from LSV in a signoff but unless I'm mistaken we haven't heard from you yet. Last time Louis had his top 5 limited formats of all time. Champions of Kamigawa block (ideally, CHK-CHK-BOK) Mirrodin block (ideally, MRD-MRD-DST) Ravnica: City of Guilds block Rise of the Eldrazi Innistrad. Have any of these changed? And do you have the same opinion?

Carter S.

2018-03-07 05:01:05 +0000 UTC

Hey M&L! big fan of the show. You guys do great work! I had a team level up question. I have a small group of friends that are working on improving our game. (Mainly modern, but some standard and limited.) We’ve had a hard time with one teammate who seems to complain a lot or make excuses when he loses even while playtesting. We’ve tried explaining to him that we just wanna get used to seeing lines in game or getting to know our decks better. And doesn’t seem to be getting to him. Any advice on how to improve as a team and not just worry about winning and losing, while trying learn. Thank you CK

Chilton Kush

2018-03-06 23:38:29 +0000 UTC

Hi guys! Do you have any tips on how to keep track of how a card performs in a limited format you are trying to learn. This can apply to a new regular format or a cube format. Thanks! Love the show!

Kilian Johnson

2018-03-06 21:51:05 +0000 UTC

It's late in the pack and you're trying to decide between two cards that you hope not to play in your main deck, but you that you might sideboard or play as a 23rd card if you're short on playables. What are the factors you think about when making this kind of pick? How do you choose "the best of the worst" here?

Alden G. Harris

2018-03-06 19:20:58 +0000 UTC

Hi M & L - Love the show, great to have you in period where I cannot physically play. Please keep pushing the boundaries: more nonsense, lemmys alpha, guests, crazy conceptual tools! My question is the following: If my goal for this FNM draft is not to win tonight but rather to learn & improve as much as possible, what would be your approach to do so? What should I focus on? Thanks! PS: When will Luis get revenge on Owen and stomp him back?

Guillaume Darmouni

2018-03-06 15:37:35 +0000 UTC

Oops. New subscriber because I just started listening a few months ago and have become a huge fan. I have recently gotten back into Magic after over a decade away from the game because I taught the game to my son who is 11. He has fallen in love with Magic and after taking him as my teammate in a Two-Headed Giant prerelease wants to draft on his own. How young is too young for draft? I’m less worried about his ability to build a competitive deck than I am that because he is an excitable kid (or an average 11 year-old) that someone will be a jerk to him because he is excited. While he was fairly well received at the Two-Headed Giant event we played at there were some people who got very frustrated when they lost to a 4th Grader.

David Searcy

2018-03-06 14:09:52 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall + LSV! A self-check question I've had for a while now: Whenever a new player asks me how to get into the game, I always offer 2 pieces of advice. If you're looking to be competitive, watch a few intro-to-draft videos and jump into a pod at your local gamestore and jam. Then, install MTGO and join a few drafts there to learn the mechanics of the game. In other words, in almost all circumstances, I try and guide new players AWAY from constructed formats as I don't think they adequately teach all the rules necessary to be competitive and impart habits which are really tough to train out. Am I doing the right thing? How do you guys approach this issue? And congrats LSV on the new life upgrade :) + #Elmer4Life

Jarred Juett

2018-03-06 13:53:35 +0000 UTC

As veterans of the game, what are your advises on how to interact efficiently with judges? I'm a judge myself, and I always love to hear about the other side of the story. Does your answer change in a relaxed setting like FNM or Prerelease compared to a competitive setting like a GP or a PPTQ? Thank for the show, as it allows me to keep in touch with limited even when judging events eat up most of my Magic time!

Emilien Wild

2018-03-06 13:21:05 +0000 UTC

Hello guys. New Patreon subscriber but love the show.

David Searcy

2018-03-06 13:19:04 +0000 UTC

Howdy M & L: I'm curious to hear if you have any updated thoughts on the upcoming shift away from block formats to large sets only. Initially you both seemed high on the idea, but since then the last few large sets have been dramatically improved by adding new cards to shake up the format. Does this change your opinion? And I'd love to know, is there some alternative model that you could imagine that would be ideal for the best possible limited play experience? Thanks for everything you guys do, --Ryan

Ryan M.

2018-03-06 12:17:54 +0000 UTC

Hey 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 stream? Should you consider cards you are passing in the first few picks of a pack in how it might affect drafters to your left? As always keep up the great work. Finn

Finn Claxton

2018-03-06 09:47:34 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, short question. what are your thoughts on Mausoleum Harpy? Is it stronger than the charger? I feel I rather have a 4 mana 5/5 than a 5 mana 3/3 in the air most of the time.

Sander Kerstens

2018-03-06 08:36:00 +0000 UTC

Dear Marshall and Luis, as I improve at magic I'm also becoming more frustrated. There appears to be a big gap between the decks I play to go 2-0 versus the one in match 3. I feel hopeless. What signs do you look for to keep motivated? Game length? Correct mulligan decision? Record the match and watch it back with friends? I'm open to all suggestions and appreciate it's not a small jump to make to consistently 3-0 a draft!! Love the show - you make Fridays mornings at work barable.

Dominic Hudson

2018-03-06 08:26:13 +0000 UTC

What have your opinions on the Masters series been from a draft perspective? I liked the reprints but have found the recent draft environments usually dominated by 4 colour nonsense

Daniel St John-Hall

2018-03-06 06:48:58 +0000 UTC

Hey there! I have a question relating to the organization of the show. You do the sealed episode very late in the set life cycle, although the first contact of basically everyone with the set is through sealed in the prerelease. Wouldn't it be a bit more logical to do the commons and uncommons set review through the lense of sealed? Then, after the rares and mythics look at it again through the draft lense. Or at least try to comment a bit more on sealed, in general during the set reviews...

Fernando Meseguer Garrido

2018-03-06 06:31:13 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis! How much of a win percentage advantage do you think a gold/platinum level pro has over the average FNM attendee, and how much do you think is from the draft versus coming from technical play choices? Does this vary a lot from set to set? Thanks!

James Robinson

2018-03-06 04:37:03 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, When drafting with less-experienced drafters, I find myself getting very bizarre signals like a 4th pick Impale followed by next to zero black cards. Do you have any pointers for how to handle a situation like this? P.S. Luis, if you ever want to be L1 again I'll happily throw a test your way! :)

Daniel Lee

2018-03-06 03:54:10 +0000 UTC

In formats like Rivals with large board stalls and big creatures, I find it difficult to know when I should attack and when it is correct to hold back. Are there any basic heuristics I should keep in mind for these situations? Love the show, keep up the great work!

Adam Destremps

2018-03-06 02:44:13 +0000 UTC

Hi guys, must say, I LOVE the show and don't know where I'd be without LSV's insight and Marshall's sweet, smooth, charming voice! (not that you both don't have great insight and nice voices... I'm just going to stop talking now). ANYWAY, my question is for limited and constructed: I find myself often times being able to identify what to sideboard in, but sideboarding stuff OUT is always the more difficult task. I imagine this stands to reason, but I was wondering if you had any pointers or heuristics on sideboarding out?

Chris

2018-03-06 02:33:19 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis, love the show. Almost every time I draft I end up with an under average number of rares and uncommons in my pool (such as 2 rares and 5 uncommons). Is this something I should be concerned about? Perhaps I draft commons over uncommons because I'm more familiar with them and end up losing value because of it. What do you guys think? Thanks!

Glen

2018-03-06 02:31:40 +0000 UTC

Cube question! What do you think about when deciding to take a sideboard card over a card that might make your main deck. I always seem to end up deciding between 4-5 replaceable cards to cut and don't have a great sideboard, but can't figure out where in my drafts I should have been taking the sideboard cards.

Sam Warner

2018-03-06 02:23:47 +0000 UTC

I have a really hard time switching gears between different cubes (legacy cube being on now so soon after vintage cube inspired this) and I was wondering if either of you had some insight on how you get into the right frame of mind for the different cube. It is much easier to adjust between drafting regular sets and a cube.

Sam Warner

2018-03-06 02:20:15 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis - long time listener! I got back into Magic during Triple Khans and have spent my time exclusively playing limited. As someone who's toying with the idea of taking the plunge into constructed, to what format would the skills that I've developed in limited best translate? I know Luis is a Vintage aficionado and Marshall loves Canadian Highlander, but I'm curious if you guys think that there's a constructed format that best aligns with the core fundamentals developed in limited and what advice, if any, you'd give to a limited-only player looking to try out constructed for the first time?

Whalen Rozelle

2018-03-06 02:20:07 +0000 UTC

Hey you two awesome guys, I have a question about drafting. If you have already answered this question comprehensively in a recent episode, please point me to that one. I am having trouble with telling whether a color is open. I draft with my friend on MTGO sometimes, and it is 3rd pick, and he's like "blue doesn't look very open." Can you really tell that quickly? Is there anyway to not get deceived by packs with abnormal amounts of a single color? How early should I be looking for signals? Thanks.

Ted Kye

2018-03-06 02:13:35 +0000 UTC

Hey, two questions: how do you recommend fighting fatigue during tournaments (GPs, midnight releases, long FNM nights)? Also, my FNM does draft once a month and sealed only at prerelease events, suggestions for getting practice for limited GPs?

Trini Santos

2018-03-06 02:00:16 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! I have been listening to the show for a few months now and I absolutely can't get enough. I feel like every week I take away something new that allows me level up my game. At last weeks FNM I played in my first 10 man pod draft. I was wondering if you had any tips or things to keep in mind when playing in a 6 man or 10 man pod draft that might be different from your usual 8. Thanks!

Danny Grunes

2018-03-06 01:55:55 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, I love the show. I am wondering what you think the correct play is when choosing between making a decision that could go very well or very badly, verses making a decision that you know will be somewhere in between? Do you play it safe or try to spike? Or do you choose whichever one has a higher average estimated win percentage. Also, do you take more risks when your opponent is a better player than you (although that happens to you less than most of us (-: ), as well as in an unfavorable match-up (for example in game two or three)? Thanks.

Brian Leaf

2018-03-06 01:52:16 +0000 UTC

I'm an LGS owner here, and I occasionally build my own cubes from time to time. Masters sets have been a great easy way for me to build a more powerful cubes. Can both of you tell me what's your most and least favorite cubes you've played before. Why do you like/hate that cube? Most of my players here started playing not so long ago so i'd like to know what makes the cube great for players who have been in the game for a long time already.

Shanin

2018-03-06 01:43:26 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, love the show. Since legacy cube is currently going on MTGO I was wondering what your favorite archetypes are? I've played a lot more vintage cube than legacy/modern cube and I'm not as knowledgeable so I figure'd I'd ask the best, thanks!

Mitch Thunderhoofs

2018-03-06 01:43:26 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, How much of the enjoyability of Rivals is due to the design of the set being less "on rails" compared to other modern sets? It seems that modern draft sets/blocks over the last 5-10 years have (in general) been designed to consume as little design space as possible compared to the prior decade, with the side effect being that within a draft environment any two decks within an "archetype" sharing an increasingly identical deck list. Somehow, Rivals, although a tribal set, seems to allow a drafter to be as tribal as they want and, even within a tribe, to take it in different directions. Even compared to Ixalan there is a stark difference in how hard you are pushed, not into merely an archetype, but a deck. Btw, Team Rocket, OG all the way. , ," e` ---o (( ( | _, ' \\~--------------------' \;/ ( ROCKET / / ) ._________________. ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ` ` - ' ` ` --'

keith hagan

2018-03-06 01:35:45 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! Love the show! I started my own cube and I love it. I started from last modern list and slowly adding vintage pieces. I was wondering if any one of you owns a cube, if so, what does it look like (and is the list on cubetutor), if not what would it look like ? Modern, Legacy, Vintage, powered or not ? In a way, my question is also what is your favorite cube format and why ? Any pet archetypes ? What are you looking for in a cube experience ? Thanks !

Guillaume P.

2018-03-06 01:33:04 +0000 UTC

Any advice for those of us that play magic as a secondary hobby? I try to bring a spike mentality to everything competitive that I do, but I know some lessons and experiences are unique to Magic. Any advice for getting the most value out of my play when I maybe log on to MTGO twice a month and play 1 FNM per month? Love the show, keep being awesome, and thanks for letting me bug you guys a couple years ago at PT Milwaukee for some autographs!

Andrew Krawczyk

2018-03-06 01:23:39 +0000 UTC

I feel like I’ve regressed with Ixalan and Rivals. My win rate has taken a hit and I don’t feel like I have the same grasp on the format that I did with the last few sets. I’m wondering how much of that is format related vs how my own play may be at fault. Is there any way to figure that out?

Bryan Sandahl

2018-03-06 01:12:49 +0000 UTC

Interesting. This could be a symptom of playing against effectively more "good players." So, in an 8-man, more often when you draft a good deck, that means that you are in a pod against players who are worse relative to your skill level. So, if the average magic online player is better than that pod, your "good" decks will end up playing against relatively more difficult competition in a league. Also, another factor is that the degrees of freedom in card selection is much larger in the league ecosystem compared to a single 8 man pod.

keith hagan

2018-03-06 01:12:27 +0000 UTC

Have you played MtG Arena at all? And if so what are your thoughts/impressions. Do you think it has the potential to replace MoDo as the primary place to play digital sanction events a few years down the line?

William Gross

2018-03-06 01:07:42 +0000 UTC

Level up question here. I feel like one of my biggest weaknesses is that I often am too afraid of a certain board state and will 2 for 1 myself in an attempt to remove my opponent's biggest threat (chump block + removal spell or the like). While this might make the board state more manageable immediately, it often puts me behind later in the game. How can I better manage my threat assessment in limited games so that I am using my cards in a more value oriented way?

Nick Stelzer

2018-03-06 01:00:32 +0000 UTC

For someone who is relatively new to Magic. What is the best format to improve my overall Magic skills. Ben Stark recently noted during the Modern Superleague that he was playing 80% Limited, 15% Standard and 5% Modern. While Limited and the deck building makes most fun to me and is definitely great skill developing, I feel that there is a lot to more to learn about the Magic rules when playing Modern. Many thanks!

Stephan Choe

2018-03-06 00:56:37 +0000 UTC

Hey guys - a thought experiment. We've just come off two blocks where fast formats have been followed by slower formats that initially appeared to be fast before proving otherwise. But how many cards were these formats away from actually being aggressive? Say you wanted to make Rivals a distinctly fast format - what cards from Ixalan would you substitute in to accomplish that, and what would they be replacing? Is this a matter of a handful of commons or one of much broader structural features? Many thanks!

Matthew Taylor

2018-03-06 00:50:54 +0000 UTC

What are the signs that help you know how to change gears between sets? Beyond the natural synergy of the cards how quickly do you look for a "fast or "slow" set or when certain removal is "just too expensive for the format"? I'm having issues adjusting from Ixalan to Rivals and expect that shifting gears between big sets in the future will be a similar adjustment.

Swordsman

2018-03-06 00:47:33 +0000 UTC

Hey guys. my friends and I just decided we're in for the team limited GP in Washington DC, and i'm really stoked. We played 2 years ago and had a grand time, and placed in the money. Can you speak to what the greatest tournament format is, and why it's team sealed? Also related note, do you think that the switch to a single set format with Dominaria will affect team sealed at all?

Ben Frazier

2018-03-06 00:43:31 +0000 UTC

In my LGS, we have a lot of inexperienced players. Many of them are scared of drafting as they don’t know what they should do in terms of card picks, and they find it intimidating. What advice would you offer players like this who are sitting down to draft for the first time?

Shane Garvey

2018-03-06 00:38:56 +0000 UTC

Hey Guys, I dont have a question, I just wanted to give you a big thanks and a funny story. I have drafted triple Ixalan precisely 1 time. At the time, my only knowledge of the set had come from the LR podcast and listening to you two hate on it worse than Amonkhet. It just so happens that 1 draft was for a PPTQ and I won it all. It was only a 30 man PPTQ, but it was the first notch in my potential Pro Tour Belt and I felt you two helped me a great deal. Thanks Again Guys!

Daniel Mimms

2018-03-06 00:35:37 +0000 UTC

One of my favorite podcasts in recent memory was the Alpha deep dive you did with Ben Seck. I also really enjoy the rewind series on MTG Breakdown. Have you ever considered doing a dedicated MTG history podcast? Maybe Ben Seck and Ben Stark could team up for a nostalgia podcast called Ben There, Done That.

Ira Humphrey

2018-03-06 00:30:46 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, love the show! I find when I draft I often start 2-0 (or 4-0 in sealed), but when I reach round 3 (5 or 6 in sealed), I end up losing, but the reasons seem to vary. Sometimes I keep hands that seem keepable but do poorly (2 lands and 4 3-drops, never hit my third land), sometimes I have to mulligan to 4, sometimes my opponent gets exactly the right top-deck, and sometimes I just get outplayed. I can count the number of times I've won a limited event on one hand. Am I just unlucky, or am I getting too excited from doing well and making poor decisions, or am I just not quite there yet to be a 3-0 (5-0 or 6-0 in sealed) player?

Rob Salisbury

2018-03-06 00:26:37 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, do you think having very cheap and powerful removal at common improves or hurts a limited environment?

Kyle S

2018-03-06 00:26:23 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis, where is your favorite place to play magic? Do you have a favorite venue to do coverage or just sit down and play? Or do you just like to recharge in the comfort of your own home, either using Magic Online or at game night with your friends? What types of qualities in your environment make the game more enjoyable? Love the show; keep up the good work!

Matthew Bernstein

2018-03-06 00:25:00 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and Luis, Since this set has both traveller's amulet and evolving wilds, I am wondering how do we evaluate the optimal number of them, and is one better than the other, and in what instances? For example, in very aggressive decks where it's important to hit the ground on turn 2, a hand of Land+amulet+5 spells seems much weaker than land+wilds+5 spells. Also it may be the case that we are looking to play zero amulets/wilds in these decks. However, it seems like that difference becomes more and more negligible as speed of your deck gets slower and we would want to play more of these kinds of cards.. I suspect that in decks with 3+ colors, we'll play realistically every piece of fixing we can, but what about in two color decks? I suspect that there is some floor or ceiling, and it seems like more is better, and maybe even to the point where we will still play every evolving wilds we can get our hands on, as it thins the deck/helps for the double colored spells, etc. I know that it probably becomes kind of nuanced, but what are your thoughts on these? Thanks for everything guys, Evan T

Evan

2018-03-06 00:13:36 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, as usual, love the show, thanks for everything (took me from being the store bye who hated drafting to a guy who runs local tables and has enough courage to stream my drafts - cheeky plug if you're willing twitch.tv/mpnumbers) My question... Is it possible to just not have a good seat at a draft? There have been times where I'll be deep in one colour/archetype and realise I've pulled to far and it's not actually open and my pile isn't that good. But then when I watch back the draft it feels like there weren't really any other colours open for me to have gone with either. Is this bad packs, is it affected by my early picks or am I just complaining and looking for excuses? Thanks, Shaun AKA MPNumbers

MPNumbers

2018-03-06 00:07:40 +0000 UTC

Hey guys. The last two blocks have had moderate to bad draft experiences when only the large set was drafted, yet when the small set showed up they turned around in to some of the best. Are you at all worried about losing that small set come Dominaria? What are we hoping WotC does to shift the large sets towards a better draft experience than the previous ones?

Chris Hantzmon

2018-03-06 00:05:44 +0000 UTC

LoadingReadyRun has their "You're Brainstorming Wrong" shirt, which raises the question, how do you use Brainstorm to its fullest potential?

William McDuff

2018-03-06 00:05:04 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis! Thanks for the podcast; it's really expanded my previously limited skill set! My question is about metagaming in limited. You spent Ep. 426 talking about Luis's preparation for a PT, and a part of that was not only focused on developing pick orders, but also understanding how other people valued cards relative to you. I was wondering how you figured out the "draft metagame". For constructed formats, you can look at a decklist aggregator to figure out what decks are common, but you don't necessarily get an average pick number for cards. Is there a systematic way of doing this or is it simply just an intuition for what cards can wheel? Thanks for the show and keep up the good work!

David Lam

2018-03-06 00:04:44 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall & Luis. When evaluating cards during spoiler season, I tend to focus heavily on the floor of a card. Most of my peers do the opposite and focus on the ceiling & potential of cards. Sometimes I feel that I miss out on some otherwise impressive cards because I focus too much on the bad. Do you have any tips on how to balance your evaluations when considering floors vs ceilings? Thanks guys, love the show :)

Ej Fernandes

2018-03-06 00:02:58 +0000 UTC

When you are traveling with people you know do you find it hard to keep the "momentum". I find I have trouble trying to balance family/friends with magic so I was wondering if you had some strategies I could employ to help myself just balance it all together. As always you guys are great, keep up the amazing work

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

2018-03-06 00:01:22 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis, love you guys and the show. I’ve noticed that whenever I draft lately on mtgo that my opponents have some nasty decks round after round no matter if I’m 2-0 going for 3-0, or 0-2 trying to save face. When I draft in person, or even in the old draft format (before leagues) if I drafted a solid deck I knew I could finish at least 2-1; now it seems like a roll of the dice. Do you guys see any of this? If this situation comes up more than not, is it helping me prepare for my in person drafts more? Thanks!

Joe Capalbo

2018-03-05 23:59:34 +0000 UTC

A magic player I respect once told me I could improve my drafting by “seeing what’s NOT in the pack” - which at the time sounded like a Zen Koan, the kind of coaching advice Phil Jackson would give if he coached Magic instead of basketball. Is there anything to this advice? If so, could you explain or give examples of “seeing what’s not there” in Magic?

Jonathan Montgomery

2018-03-05 23:58:43 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis-- when you guys evaluate "X matters" cards, like the creature type matters Forerunners or spells matter cards like Scribe of the Mindful, you will throw out a minimum threshold number of cards to make those cards work, e.g. "This is playable with four vampires but needs six or seven to be great" or "This really needs 9 or 10 spells in your deck to work well." Other than looking at the floor of a card in general, how do you determine the minimum number of cards needed to make these work?

Logan Anbinder

2018-03-05 23:56:48 +0000 UTC

One of the card types that I don't handle well is wraths. If I have played out my creatures and am winning on board, then the wrath will do more harm to me than my opponent. If I know this card is in my deck but don't know when I might draw it, how do I play in the mean time?

Matthew L Henderson

2018-03-05 23:56:46 +0000 UTC

What skill sets do you think constructed only players miss out on or have a harder time developing by not playing limited?

Michael Bandy

2018-03-05 23:55:44 +0000 UTC

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RK2vVd7Xik" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RK2vVd7Xik</a>

David James

2018-03-05 23:55:37 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! I love the show and I love all the content you guys make. Just today I watched Marshall's video for Canadian Highlander, and it got me thinking: where do you guys draw the line for playing cards you like and playing cards that are "strong?" I think this can apply to both limited and constructed.

Jonah Lipton

2018-03-05 23:55:27 +0000 UTC

What's a pile shuffle? I've heard of a Pile Count before...

Fukata

2018-03-05 23:54:55 +0000 UTC

I have trouble evaluating my limited decks to know how strong they are, often underestimating strong decks or overestimating weak decks, this makes it hard to know if I'm building the best deck in my pool. How can I improve at being able to accurately tell how good a deck is, and whether it is objectively better or worse than another deck?

Fukata

2018-03-05 23:53:37 +0000 UTC

I'd love to know any other podcast recommendations: magic or non magic related?

Jethro

2018-03-05 23:53:08 +0000 UTC

Pile shuffle, yes or no?

David James

2018-03-05 23:52:48 +0000 UTC

For each of you, what is your favorite archetype and why? Is it a usual archetype in many sets, or is it something that you see rarely? If you could pick cards and rarities to put that archetype into an upcoming Masters set, how would you seed it?

JeFF Stumpo

2018-03-05 23:52:03 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and LSV! I was wondering which Cube you think is (a) more skill-testing, and (b) better for one's development as a player: Vintage Cube or Legacy Cube?

Matt Schneeweiss

2018-03-05 23:51:10 +0000 UTC

I don't get the opportunity to draft much, but I have been playing a ton of Magic Arena right now. Since that format is basically ixilan block constructed, have you considered doing an episode on that? It definitely feels like a strange format, so your guys perspective could be very helpful.

This is my Patreon username. Many are like it, but this one is mine.

2018-03-05 23:50:51 +0000 UTC

When should I prioritize card advantage sources over straight removal?

Brian Chuchua

2018-03-05 23:49:54 +0000 UTC

What would you be doing if you weren't into Magic the Gathering?

Andy Cohen

2018-03-05 23:49:50 +0000 UTC

Assume cycling is already evergreen for the sake of this question - what current evergreen mechanic would you replace and with what for one year?

David Lorenz Valdez

2018-03-05 23:49:38 +0000 UTC

I was wanting to start streaming magic arena once I can, do you have any advice for a new streamer, including things like mics or software?

James Moskal

2018-03-05 23:49:12 +0000 UTC

I love rivals of ixilan draft and have drafted some WHACKY decks with terrible win-loss records along the way but had incredible fun, has there been a format that you have just been terrible at(granted terrible is a word that has never applied to LSV) but thoroughly enjoyed?

Rick H

2018-03-05 23:48:46 +0000 UTC

In the most recent 5 years, what has been your favorite limited format, both for sealed and draft?

Patrick Nelson

2018-03-05 23:47:41 +0000 UTC

Since LSV recently faced off against his "evil twin", the user "lsvsucks" I have to ask, has Marshall ever played against the username "Marshall_Buttcliffe"?

Joel Tucci

2018-03-05 23:47:35 +0000 UTC

Q&A Episode TONIGHT!

Comments

I'm in Nashville too!! I have gotten so much out of LR as well--it's my favorite Magic related content out there!

It's a way to shuffle your deck. You lay down five cards in five separate piles, then repeat the process to build five piles. Then you combine the piles. People generally do this to avoid bending their cards.

Hi guys! Do you have any tips on how to keep track of how a card performs in a limited format you are trying to learn. This can apply to a new regular format or a cube format. Thanks! Love the show!

Hello guys. New Patreon subscriber but love the show.

Hi Marshall and Luis, short question. what are your thoughts on Mausoleum Harpy? Is it stronger than the charger? I feel I rather have a 4 mana 5/5 than a 5 mana 3/3 in the air most of the time.

What have your opinions on the Masters series been from a draft perspective? I liked the reprints but have found the recent draft environments usually dominated by 4 colour nonsense

Hi Marshall and Luis! How much of a win percentage advantage do you think a gold/platinum level pro has over the average FNM attendee, and how much do you think is from the draft versus coming from technical play choices? Does this vary a lot from set to set? Thanks!

In formats like Rivals with large board stalls and big creatures, I find it difficult to know when I should attack and when it is correct to hold back. Are there any basic heuristics I should keep in mind for these situations? Love the show, keep up the great work!

Hey, two questions: how do you recommend fighting fatigue during tournaments (GPs, midnight releases, long FNM nights)? Also, my FNM does draft once a month and sealed only at prerelease events, suggestions for getting practice for limited GPs?

Hey guys, love the show. Since legacy cube is currently going on MTGO I was wondering what your favorite archetypes are? I've played a lot more vintage cube than legacy/modern cube and I'm not as knowledgeable so I figure'd I'd ask the best, thanks!

I feel like I’ve regressed with Ixalan and Rivals. My win rate has taken a hit and I don’t feel like I have the same grasp on the format that I did with the last few sets. I’m wondering how much of that is format related vs how my own play may be at fault. Is there any way to figure that out?

Have you played MtG Arena at all? And if so what are your thoughts/impressions. Do you think it has the potential to replace MoDo as the primary place to play digital sanction events a few years down the line?

In my LGS, we have a lot of inexperienced players. Many of them are scared of drafting as they don’t know what they should do in terms of card picks, and they find it intimidating. What advice would you offer players like this who are sitting down to draft for the first time?

Hey guys, do you think having very cheap and powerful removal at common improves or hurts a limited environment?

LoadingReadyRun has their "You're Brainstorming Wrong" shirt, which raises the question, how do you use Brainstorm to its fullest potential?

One of the card types that I don't handle well is wraths. If I have played out my creatures and am winning on board, then the wrath will do more harm to me than my opponent. If I know this card is in my deck but don't know when I might draw it, how do I play in the mean time?

What skill sets do you think constructed only players miss out on or have a harder time developing by not playing limited?

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RK2vVd7Xik" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RK2vVd7Xik</a>

What's a pile shuffle? I've heard of a Pile Count before...

I'd love to know any other podcast recommendations: magic or non magic related?

Pile shuffle, yes or no?

For each of you, what is your favorite archetype and why? Is it a usual archetype in many sets, or is it something that you see rarely? If you could pick cards and rarities to put that archetype into an upcoming Masters set, how would you seed it?

Hey Marshall and LSV! I was wondering which Cube you think is (a) more skill-testing, and (b) better for one's development as a player: Vintage Cube or Legacy Cube?

I don't get the opportunity to draft much, but I have been playing a ton of Magic Arena right now. Since that format is basically ixilan block constructed, have you considered doing an episode on that? It definitely feels like a strange format, so your guys perspective could be very helpful.

When should I prioritize card advantage sources over straight removal?

What would you be doing if you weren't into Magic the Gathering?

Assume cycling is already evergreen for the sake of this question - what current evergreen mechanic would you replace and with what for one year?

I was wanting to start streaming magic arena once I can, do you have any advice for a new streamer, including things like mics or software?

I love rivals of ixilan draft and have drafted some WHACKY decks with terrible win-loss records along the way but had incredible fun, has there been a format that you have just been terrible at(granted terrible is a word that has never applied to LSV) but thoroughly enjoyed?

In the most recent 5 years, what has been your favorite limited format, both for sealed and draft?

Since LSV recently faced off against his "evil twin", the user "lsvsucks" I have to ask, has Marshall ever played against the username "Marshall_Buttcliffe"?

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