Question of the Week Thread Refresh!
Added 2017-09-28 16:23:04 +0000 UTCHey All,
With a new set out, it seemed like a good time to refresh the question of the week thread. Have a question you’d like answered on the show? This is the place for it!
Thanks,
Marshall
Comments
Had a draft recently where I got passed/opened 7 territorial hammerskulls. I ended up with 5, and I was wondering: how many is too many? More practically, is there a point where I should take a filler 2-drop over a premier 3-drop? Thanks!
Mike Hundley
2017-11-07 19:16:57 +0000 UTCHad a draft recently where I got passed/opened 7 territorial hammerskulls. I ended up with 5, and I was wondering: how many is too many? More practically, is there a point where I should take a filler 2-drop over a premier 3-drop?
Mike Hundley
2017-11-07 19:16:44 +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 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
2017-11-03 12:55:37 +0000 UTCHi Marshall, would you mind checking the message? Nothing that special, but since the question in there is about to expire soon, perhaps getting the answer b4 the real event arrives would be more helpful.
Shanin
2017-10-24 14:33:24 +0000 UTCHowdy, Marshall and Luis! I've been listening to the show for a while now (since roughly M15), but as I learn more and more about drafting, sometimes I feel like I do worse by applying certain lessons than I would have otherwise. This comes up the most during the draft portion of my draft. To explain: I play at an LGS that is fairly casual and is known for getting newer players - I probably have the skill to go play at a more competitive LGS, but my friends play there, and it's very conveniently located, so I don't really want to move. During drafts there, I sometimes find myself tripped up by "signals", where I feel that a color is open, but it turns out that the player to my left is in the same color. As an example, during Hour of Devastation, I'd occasionally get passed late Struggle//Survive from a red player who saw Survive and thought "oh, this is a red/green card". Sometimes this works out great for me, as I just get a bunch of fantastic cards. Sometimes, it ends up working out very poorly, as the players next to me end up doing an unintentional pass-cut. I don't really want to make this about differing skill levels, and I think there's a more general lesson to be learned here, so I'll phrase my question this way: what can you do when the drafters around you have vastly different opinions on the relative strengths of cards?
Allen Smith
2017-10-19 16:44:55 +0000 UTCHey guys, my local game store is hosting a Back Draft for Halloween. While I know it's not a typical Limited environment and maybe even one you all might not find enjoyable, do you have any advice on how to approach drafting the worst possible deck, and then trying to create a deck out of the bad cards someone else has drafted?
Logan Ferree
2017-10-19 00:37:00 +0000 UTCI'd love to hear more about the revel in riches deck that 3-0'd day one of us nationals!
Bobby Peron
2017-10-15 06:16:18 +0000 UTCCan you explain what "spiking" means? You used the term a lot last week but didn't explain what you meant by it
Joel Tucci
2017-10-11 05:53:57 +0000 UTCI'd also be interested in hearing whether there's enough data right now to talk about the in-store Leagues that Wizards is running now. I love the format, but I'm not sure if the reduced deck size (30-card minimum) and shifting number of boosters (3 to start, 1 more per week for the next 3 weeks, 1 more per 3 losses) means that I should prioritize low-to-the-ground aggro decks, or midrange beaters, or what.
John de Jong
2017-10-04 12:19:06 +0000 UTCHi guys! Long-time listener, but this is my first time submitting a question. How early is too early to start prioritising sideboard cards? Oftentimes in drafts I've not gone out of my way to pick up sideboard cards as I'm trying to focus on a good enough maindeck, and thus have only had a few true sideboard options available to me which are in my colours and good enough to justify bringing in for games two and three. Listening to the show and especially the set review episodes, it seems as though Marshall and LSV are actively hunting down sideboard cards much sooner than I'd be considering them. At what point in a pack or the overall draft would you expect to be deliberately choosing sideboard cards over C or D+ maindeck candidates? Many thanks, Sophie.
Sophie Matthews
2017-10-02 23:32:53 +0000 UTCNewer fan of the show as I just returned to Magic roughly two moths ago after having stopped playing shortly after the release of Betrayers of Kamigawa. You guys have helped me and my wife get back into the swing of things quickly, so thank you for all the advise and coaching you guys provide. So far with Ixalan, I am coming to the impression that prioritizing fliers seems to be a recipe for success. What are your thoughts on this? Am I just getting unlucky in getting beat down by fliers without having any responses (or doing the same to my opponent the time I focused on building an air force)? Also, as a side note, did you happen to see my previous comment about giving Gregory a sword and flying? :)
William Ruby
2017-10-02 14:15:41 +0000 UTCHey guys! Love the show! I have been getting a lot more into MTGO since I started listening to the show and I just recently did very well in a sealed event and got a non seasonal MOCS qualifier ticket but have no idea what that means or what I do with it. I'm trying to get more into the competitive magic scene and think it would be awesome if you all could go over how you would get into the competitive side of things either in real life or in MTGO. Thanks!
Dandilyin
2017-10-02 01:34:59 +0000 UTCMarshall and Luis, big fan of the show. Listening to the podcast always makes me feel like I'm improving at Magic even though I don't get to draft as often as I'd like. Can you guys talk more in depth about Adanto Vanguard? I feel like I must be missing something, because the card just doesn't seem that good to me. Obviously, being able to attack into your opponents 2-3 drops without fear is nice, but 4 life seems like a steep cost, especially if it gets brick-walled a couple turns later. More specifically, how should you play against it? Do you block with your 2-drops for the 7 life swing? Or is the board position that much more important. Among my friends, this card is easily the most divisive in the set. Thanks for all you two do for the Magic community! Hunter
Hunter McCullough
2017-09-30 14:33:23 +0000 UTCMy question is about Magic Online as I play there almost exclusively. I love the drafts leagues and as a new player I am mostly doing the "friendly" and couple of the intermediate leagues. Is there a certain win percentage that tells me it's time to move up to the next level? I am a competitive person and want to play the better players to improve, but without crushing my spirit with constant losses. It seems like the pros have records in the 60s% when playing other top pros - is this about what I should expect when in my own peer group?
Mary C
2017-09-29 17:37:19 +0000 UTCHi guys. I had a question for you about playing from behind. Obviously in limited we all find ourselves playing from behind at some point or another (and unlucky people like Luis more often than that.) We're color-screwed or mana screwed and your opponent has 2-3 creatures and things aren't looking great. When you finally are able to play cards from your hand, do you prioritize playing a creature or removal and why?
pghprogrammer4
2017-09-29 16:57:01 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Louis, I actually met Marshall at GP Denver. I was the first timer that got my LR postcard right as I left Home for the GP and considered it my good luck charm, so thanks for that guys. My question relates to mana rocks. I’m relatively new to magic I played in elementary/middle school during the alpha days then took a long break and got back into it around eldritch moon. It seems like some of the best cards in modern/vintage cube are mana rocks but in general they don’t get great reviews in limited sets. What sets a good mana rock apart from an average or bad one?
Andrew J Dufour
2017-09-29 13:27:17 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis! When I think of the best build-around cards that have been printed in a Limited format, my mind automatically goes to Spider Spawning. (Maybe Thermo-Alchemist should be there, too. I don't know.) What have been your other favourite single-card build-arounds?
John de Jong
2017-09-29 10:33:03 +0000 UTCHello Marshal and Luis, I'm a huge fan of your content, thank you very much. As a judge, I'm interested about a judge centric question, as getting your perspective as seasoned players would be interesting both for me and the listeners: which advices would you give to players regarding to judges? Do you have personal habits or tips in how to use judges as an efficient ressource? Do you change your behaviour based on if it's a FNM, Grand Prix or Pro Tour? Thanks!
Emilien Wild
2017-09-29 06:58:08 +0000 UTCHey, guys! Thanks for all the content and for answering our questions. I am having some trouble getting a bead on Ixalan. From reading opinions from pros, anecdotes from friends, and threads on Reddit, I have heard everything from the format is unusually slow, to the format is unusually fast. Depending on who you listen to, each tribe has been called the best, and each tribe has been called the worst. I’ve heard that tribes don’t even matter much and to stay open, to tribes are everything and should be forced. I realize that it’s still super early in the format, but usually the data points are a little closer together for a new set. Do you foresee Ixalan being one of those sets where anything is open and viable, or do you suspect that an eventual consensus will be reached?
Ira Humphrey
2017-09-29 01:58:06 +0000 UTCWhy does red get a Reality Smasher at uncommon in XLN?
Ben Frazier
2017-09-29 00:59:49 +0000 UTCMarshall and LSV - thanks for the great show every week! You guys are almost always talking to me on my way to and from work! QUESTION: I tend to draft the same stuff all the time and I stay away from both counter-spells and card draws and discards in favor of creatures and removal - maybe to a fault. In what situations do you prioritize card advantage/counter spells ?
Will Henson
2017-09-28 23:39:35 +0000 UTCHey guys, I was wondering how much flavor impacts your enjoyment of a set as a whole and/or a specific card. Amonkhet block helped get me back into magic since I found the setting to be really intriguing, and one of the contributing factors in what I built for drafts; likewise, when a friend showed me cards from the spoilers I was drawn cards less so by the mechanics and more by how the card's mechanics were related to the card's name and art. Thanks for the set rundowns, they've been a huge help when doing pre-releases and drafts!
Olivier Levy
2017-09-28 22:38:49 +0000 UTCWhen you first wade into a new set, such as with prereleases, what are the first characteristics of the set you make a point to scrutinize and evaluate? i.e., What are the most important things you want to learn about the format between your first deck and your second deck?
Brien Howard
2017-09-28 20:18:48 +0000 UTCHello Marshall, LSV and/or possible guest! I was wondering if you could shed some light on sideboarding. If my opponent and I are both playing classic Limited Midrange decks, when do I know when to side in slower, late-game finishers versus a faster game plan to "get under" my opponent. Thanks!
Simon Payne
2017-09-28 20:05:03 +0000 UTCI find myself poorly sequencing my plays. I've gotten better at not making further mistakes to cover an earlier strategic mistake. I tend to play rather intuitively, but I don't have the time to keep this intuition sharp, so I'm mis-sequencing obvious plays several times a game, and I know its affect my game win percentage. What are some practices I can do to improve my sequencing.
Alex Gaudet
2017-09-28 19:56:23 +0000 UTCI was wondering if you could go more into the topic of "forcing them to have it" when it comes to making decisions that can determining the out come of a game. For example, swinging all out into a potential removal or bounce spell when you will win if they don't have it but will lose if they do. How do you decide when to "force them to have it" vs being more cautious?
William Gross
2017-09-28 19:31:47 +0000 UTCMy play group, myself included, if I am being honest, is a bit more casual than much of your audience. A format we have been enjoying lately is chaos drafting. I was wondering what you two would pick as some of the more fun sets to include, as well as any tips on what to look for when dealing with so many sets not necessarily meant to be played together in a limited format.
Sasha Anne
2017-09-28 19:23:31 +0000 UTCHow willing are you to block with valuable creatures? For context, when I cast Thundering Spineback (5GG uncommon dino lord that creates 3/3 tokens) I didn't want to use it as a blocker while I was tapped out, and potentially lose it to a combat trick. Only when I had the mana available to make a token, did I feel ok trading it off in combat.
Kelvin Chen
2017-09-28 19:10:48 +0000 UTCWhenever a new set is out, as someone with a full time job and limited time to practice, I sometimes still want to go to a limited GP. After learning all the cards, if I only have about 10-20 hours total to practice with the new limited format, what should I focus on first, and why? Sealed or draft? Anything else that I might be missing?
Robin Svenhard
2017-09-28 18:43:02 +0000 UTCOddball question: LR devotes a small amount of time to Masters sets, reasoning that few people will draft them much. What are your plans for Unstable coverage? It's even more niche than a Masters release, but it is certainly draft-centric and potentially very popular, at least in the short term.
JeFF Stumpo
2017-09-28 18:25:53 +0000 UTCIf you two were magic cards, what would your color identity, creature type, and cmc be? More detail appreciated but not necessary. P.S. what's the latest musical group you've fallen in love with?
Paul Myers
2017-09-28 17:53:56 +0000 UTCHey guys, when you've been playing so long(yes that means you're old) how do you keep it fresh? Do you ever skip a set to recharge?
Jonathan Westhoff
2017-09-28 17:40:42 +0000 UTCHi guys, thanks for the content. I've been playing about a year and a half, and have gone from 0-3 drafts and 1-8 in sealed to something approaching mediocrity, mostly thanks to this show. My question is: How would you feel about sitting down at a PT or GP across from a guy with a laptop, and he says, "Hi, I'm Mike, but you'll be playing against the A.I. Magic engine that I wrote."? In reality it wouldn't be a total surprise, as presumably it would have been announced beforehand that engines were allowed, like in some chess tournaments, but how do you feel about the concept in general? How far away do you think we are from engines being better than people?
Michael Hill
2017-09-28 17:35:24 +0000 UTCHi Marshall! Do overseas patreons receive a custome made thank you note in the mail as well? I've only been a patreon for a few months but haven't seen a thing (besides access to the great patreon feed and the great feeling to give something back to your awesome work even if it's just a tiny bit).
Johan De Ryck
2017-09-28 17:32:14 +0000 UTCYou've mentioned before prince and pauper formats. How do you tell when you're in a prince or a pauper format, and how do you adjust your drafting strategies? Also how do you gauge the overall power level of a set, and change your style accordingly?
David Baggett
2017-09-28 17:28:20 +0000 UTCJust wondering about signalling in this format. Done 4 drafts of MTGO so far with pretty good records but noticed that quite often getting packs on pick 4 still having the rare and most of the uncommons in them. So my question is what are the top common picks in this set that might be causing this? Are people just undervaluing rares and uncommon? I have been taking them pretty early and been having good success but it is making reading the table harder.
Jason Power
2017-09-28 17:24:57 +0000 UTCGood day Marshall and Wraptor's Companion! My question involves the level 3 thinking approach to the game. You should actively be thinking about your opponent's "plan" and possible lines of play. My question is this: do you ever state what you think your opponent is going to do out loud during the game? I am a very conversational and engaged player when I sit down for a game of Magic. A few GP's ago, I found myself in round 3 verbally calling what lands my opponent was going to get with his fetchlands and what creatures he was going to play from his hand on turns 2 and 3 of the game. My opponent looked shocked when I called his line of play for the 2nd turn in a row, and I could see the gears turning in his head on whether or not this was the optimal line since I saw it coming. Do you think this is rude or is there an edge to be gained by letting them know you have their game plan in mind? Love the content, keep up the good work!
Micah Kilmer
2017-09-28 17:08:45 +0000 UTCI have heard and seen that this new format is suppose to be much slower. I recently started drafting with Amonkhet which was a very fast set. Blocking was nonexistent and I was able to pick up the basics of playing against aggro, and figuring out how to stabilize, when to use removal and things of that nature. Now in Ixalan I find that games go much later and that I find myself in a stalemate much more often. In slower sets what cards become more valuable, and what is the strategy when you both have big creatures out and are sitting around 2 cards.
ThatGuy
2017-09-28 17:06:49 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis ! Do you think that there is enough fixing in ixalan draft to support 3+ colors strategies ? , i love what you do !
Victor
2017-09-28 16:54:26 +0000 UTCMarshall and Luis, first, thanks for all you do especially during new releases. I've read Luis's limited and constructed set reviews, listed to the LR set reviews, watched streams and drafts vids. To be frank, I'm exhausted just consuming the content so I can only imagine the mental toughness required to create it. My question revolves around Ixalan archetypes. It's pretty obvious that we have four tribal archetypes, do you see any less obvious archetypes starting to form? Jade Golem Voltron seems pretty viable. Thanks again for all you do! - Jared
Jared Mazzant
2017-09-28 16:42:20 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis. A question about land count. How do you evaluate the importance of hitting land drops for a particular deck? Obviously a higher curve is going to demand more lands while a lower curve demands fewer, but are there factors that help you decide when to deviate from the traditional 17 aside from curve consid r rations? Also, what are your thoughts on boarding out a land on the draw? Thanks.
Matthew Taylor
2017-09-28 16:41:02 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis. Obviously, the best way to learn is first hand experience, but if I'm watching other people play Magic, what things could I be looking for to improve my own playing?
Bitera
2017-09-28 16:37:49 +0000 UTCHi guys, do you have any tips for drafting a more consistent deck beyond taking multiple copies of the same good card? I found when i have multiples of good cards i do better because i can execute my plan more often, but when i cant get the multiples my decks are a lot less consistent.
Conor O'Brien
2017-09-28 16:34:18 +0000 UTCMarshall and Luis - Thank you for the awesome content. What is a good heuristic for the ideal number of cards to have at each converted mana cost? I know that this is contextual to draft formats and deck archetypes, but I sometimes find myself wondering what number of 5 drops, 6 drops, and 7 drops I should have in an average mid-range deck.
Brian Chuchua
2017-09-28 16:33:17 +0000 UTCAgro Pirates in standard.....Will it be UB or RB?
Nicky rautenbach
2017-09-28 16:31:10 +0000 UTCHey guys, what are your thoughts of drafting Black-Green in Ixalan or White-Blue? Did you try it and how did it work out? Thanks for the great work!
Martin Fischer
2017-09-28 16:28:51 +0000 UTC
