Limited Resources - Q&A Show This Week

Hey Marshall. Might not be the best place to ask, but I've been a patron for quite a while now (since January I think) and I never received the letter or sticker. Did it get lost one the mail perhaps? Thanks for the great show. I look forward to it every week.

Kevin Weis

2017-09-01 01:12:26 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, thanks for everything you guys do for the Magic community! In your opinion, is there any merit to approaching the build of a sealed deck differently for different events? For example, when building for a MTGO league, you can edit your deck every round, potentially allowing for more experimental builds; however, at a GP, you are locked in for 9 rounds. Based on this, would you have any recommendations for things like high-risk/high-reward cards, aggressive mana-bases, splashing, etc?

Tyler Spiering

2017-08-30 16:30:33 +0000 UTC

League drafts are awesome and have allowed me to play way more mtg but they are a bit of a fallacy in that you are playing outside of your draft pool. How would you feel if intermediate drafts were league but competitive drafts were true drafts?

Aaron Prychitka

2017-08-30 14:39:30 +0000 UTC

Hello Luis and Marshall, how did you both choose the Ominous Sphinx as the best Uncommon over the Sifter Wurm?. Please explain this to me in a critique. 👍

Michael Hamilton

2017-08-30 12:51:24 +0000 UTC

Hooray! A Q&A show! I was wondering what deck you're running in Canadian Highlander, Marshall. I saw your point cards, but would love to hear about the deck's objective. LSV, for you, I'd love to hear your excuse for why you're not playing Canadian Highlander yet :P

John de Jong

2017-08-30 11:26:30 +0000 UTC

Dealing with bad sealed pools. Varience is certainly part of the game but what do you suggest doing to be the most effective when you truly end up with a bad sealed pool. At GP Indianapolis last weekend, in a set 'full of fixing' where you should go 3-4-5 colors, I ended up with a single Manalith and absolutely no other fixing options. On top of it only 2 of my rares were of quality. In those situations where you know it's bad, how should you optimize for maximum wins anyway? Go 3-4 color anyway with a bad manabase just to have the best of each color you need? Go with a less powerful deck but sticking with two better colors for consistancy? (I did the latter and got mostly run over)

Eli White

2017-08-30 09:17:51 +0000 UTC

I'd love to hear some more advice on mulligans in limited. I always feel like I'm making the wrong choice. Trying not to be results oriented but feel like I'm often sitting on sketchy hands and needing to make painful decisions (that I then regret as I get 6 that are worse, and go to 5 that are worse, etc)

Eli White

2017-08-30 09:12:20 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis I was wondering about using countermagic. Mostly in the early to mid game. How far ahead would you need to be to take a turn off to hold up countermagic vs. building your board? When if ever is it smart to stop casting your action spells? Are there any behaviors an opponent could make that would lead you to think that you should hold up countermagic?

Ryan Charlton

2017-08-30 05:30:26 +0000 UTC

Is there a reasonable method that you use to make sure your draft decks don't have any glaringly bad matchups? Often I'll look at a Limited deck and think things like "this just folds to any deck with a good late game" or "if they have a decent early curveout I can't really do much about it". Is it just a matter of paying more attention to my mana curve, or should I be dialing in hard on a single plan (aggro/midrange/control) and hoping to dodge the situations where that plan struggles? Thanks for taking time to help us amateurs.

Victor Munson

2017-08-30 04:28:03 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and Luis, I was wondering how highly you value the uniqueness of an effect? One example would be to take the first Pathmaker Initiate over the third Nef-Crop Entangler in Triple AMK. A slightly different example from Triple AMK would be to value the first cancel fairly high in blue decks, to be able to deal with non creature bombs, such as Approach of the Second Sunrise or Sandwurm Convergence that would otherwise beat a slower deck. Are these useful tactics, or am I better of just trying to get the most powerful cards? Thanks for the show, and GL in the next pro season.

James Lloyd

2017-08-30 03:10:41 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! I draft a lot at my local LGS during FNM, and quite often, the number of people there to draft doesn't divide evenly into pods of eight. When this happens, we typically end up with one or more pods that have six or ten people in them. Since I sometimes end up in these weird pods, I've wondered, is there something I should be doing differently based on the size of the pod? Is there any need to adjust the strategies I would use to draft in a normal pod of eight? Thanks for all your great content guys, I'm really happy to be a patron!

Burt Hagman

2017-08-29 22:49:40 +0000 UTC

Thanks for all you do, Marshall and Luis! I play in an in-store league that always kicks off with a sealed pool deck the week after the set releases. This means that the only real play experience we may have with the new set is at pre-release. Besides the usual suspects of mana curve and removal, are there any good rules of thumb for sealed deck construction when you aren't yet familiar with the mechanics and good archetypes in the set?

Steve Klien

2017-08-29 22:17:29 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis, thanks for all the great advice! Top 8'd my last two PPTQs and hope to grab that W soon. I've found the Hour of Devastation Sealed format to be significantly slower than Amonkhet, and as a result matches frequently come down to the wire on time. My own play could certainly be faster, but do you have any tips about how to tactfully get your opponent to pick up their pace? Also, what's a reasonable amount of time to be allowed for sideboarding? Thanks again!

Parker

2017-08-29 21:44:30 +0000 UTC

What is your favorite PT/GP drafts that were covered? I personnally loved LSV "fevered visionS" and Huey PTM15 day 2 draft, as they helped me understand how to make the most of a bad seat/deck and I like to rewatch them from time to time.

Guillaume Darmouni

2017-08-29 21:01:05 +0000 UTC

What's more important, drafting well or playing well?

Guillaume Darmouni

2017-08-29 20:55:29 +0000 UTC

Maybe a question for the signoff... Luis, how has your perspective on life and Magic changed now that you're about a year in to being a father?

Ken Barker

2017-08-29 20:24:08 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! If we could go back in time and recreate Magic with the knowledge we have now, what would you do differently to the design? Add more colors perhaps? Thanks so much for the great content every week!

Westin Whitlock

2017-08-29 18:49:53 +0000 UTC

Hey all! You've both spoken before about ways Magic has helped improve your non-Magic lives, or lessons/heuristics that carry over. What about the reverse? Have you had any life experiences or situations that had NOTHING to do with Magic that you managed to apply to the game? Bonus points if the experience doesn't have to do with games or gaming in general!

Adam Eichholz

2017-08-29 18:45:24 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshal and Luis. What are your favorite limited mechanics of all time? What kind of mechanics do you think make the best kind of limited play? Thanks!

Jakob Stricker

2017-08-29 18:45:01 +0000 UTC

Since MTGO drafting is digital, it's easy to jot down notes about packs as you pass them. This can help with keeping track of signals sent and what might table. Do you have any advice on managing/using this information? Also, is it ethical?

Jaeger

2017-08-29 18:41:58 +0000 UTC

Future sign off request for LSV: Pick order list for Sushi Go Party, the expansion.

Jaeger

2017-08-29 18:34:43 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! Here's a batch of generalized mulligan check-in questions for you - On a mull to six, is it usually correct to keep one-land hands (assuming you've drawn a decent curve? What about five or six land hands? Once you've mulled to five, is there any combination of cards you would ditch (ex five lands or no lands)? If so, what are you considering when deciding whether to keep or mull a five card hand. Thanks a bunch!

Jaeger

2017-08-29 18:29:53 +0000 UTC

I don't have much trouble choosing how many lands to play, just what number of different colored lands to play for different combinations of colors.

James Young

2017-08-29 18:06:32 +0000 UTC

Unrelated with LSV past 3 PTT8s (or future 4/4) but, can we get an update on the vanilla test? Or any traditonnal LR tool that would benefit from being updated with power creep in mind?

Guillaume Darmouni

2017-08-29 18:05:40 +0000 UTC

This is a great question. I didn't fully grasp this concept for a long time. But after playing Khans of Tarkir I always play 18 lands in my 3 color decks. Don't know if that's right for everyone but it's worked great for me.

Dummy TCG

2017-08-29 17:57:31 +0000 UTC

Howdy homies. I LOVE Avacyn Restored draft and that's not a popular opinion. Have you ever found yourself really enjoying a draft format that most people didn't like?. If not, was there a format everyone seemed to like that you couldn't really get into?

Dummy TCG

2017-08-29 17:54:36 +0000 UTC

Howdy homies. I LOVE Avacyn Restored draft and that's not a popular opinion. Have you ever found yourself really enjoying a draft format that most people didn't like?. If not, was there a format everyone seemed to like that you couldn't really get into?

Dummy TCG

2017-08-29 17:54:23 +0000 UTC

Hey guys. Thanks for the show :) My question is about your stance when playing in high level tournaments. I just played in GPs Denver and Indianapolis. I noticed a difference between playing against pros and more regular players. The better players (better as in they beat me and/or had high rankings on mtgeloproject.com) seemed to hold themselves differently. Specifically, while everyone was totally polite, the pros were way less likely to joke and be friendly. Instead they were all business. And this was a little intimidating and would even subtly tilt me. I didn't play at my own pace, and made more mistakes playing them. When I play I put energy in to making my opponent comfortable by being actively friendly, and I wonder if I'm giving up value by doing this. Is this something you think about consciously, and how much of an affect do you think it has on results?

Robbie Carlton

2017-08-29 17:35:51 +0000 UTC

Hi folks! My friends and I are relatively new to Magic (just under a year of play) and very new to the limited format, and between us we all came to the conclusion that out off all the ways to play Magic we enjoy limited the most. However, a lack of LGS's that hold drafts that fit our schedules and the lack of decent computers on which to play MTGO combine to have us only able to play maybe one draft a week. Any non LGS and non MTGO ways of putting in the reps to improve our limited game? Would something like buying a box of Ixalan (or any set, for that matter) and just drafting without prize support between friends be a smart investment in our quest to level up? Or are there cheaper or easier ways to improve our limited skills as efficiently as possible? Thanks you guys!

Kalae Furtado

2017-08-29 17:08:26 +0000 UTC

In a sealed pool ( assuming you are super unlucky and don't have any fixing) , how highly does having deserts in a color convince you to play a color? Let's say for example you are picking your second color for your deck. You have a color with just okay creatures and removal with 3 cycling deserts. You have slightly better removal and creatures in a second color with no deserts. In what situations do you play color 1 over color 2 and vice versa?

Alissa McGill

2017-08-29 16:46:21 +0000 UTC

Hi LR... congratulations on your superb podcasts! It really helps me improving in MTG. I only play at FNM (one draft a week) and I like to practice on MTGO, about 3 to 5 drafts a week. I only play the intermediate leagues, to be honest: because I don't like spending money for maybe only one round. But does league play change your picks over an 8-man draft? Is a league the right preparation for a draft at FNM? For example: In a HOU intermediate draft league, drafting a B+ ramp deck and then facing UR aggro three times... that just doesn't come up in an 8-man draft. Any thoughts on what to keep in mind whilst picking in a league or in an 8-man draft? Cheers from Belgium and thanks again for all the content!

Johan De Ryck

2017-08-29 16:22:53 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Paul's friend. A scenario I've had difficulty navigating in limited is, when on the beatdown, finding my opponent about to stabilize and facing a combat where I can relinquish some amount of board presence in exchange for reducing their life total to a few points short of lethal. Placing them low enough that they can't really go full on offense is clearly powerful, since it provides more time to draw a burn spell or other way to push through the last points of damage, but the loss of resources can place you in a position that's difficult to defend long enough to find a win condition. Any advice on when to commit and when to play more conservatively? Many thanks, Matthew.

Matthew Taylor

2017-08-29 16:17:43 +0000 UTC

Hey Fellas! Thanks for all the sweet content, LR is truly amazing and I appreciate the work you put into it. I play a lot of limited online, and have improved quite a bit over the past couple years (with your help!). However, I don't feel that I play as sharp when playing paper magic at prereleases and the occasional FNM. I find myself missing triggers, not paying enough attention to my opponents board (such as keeping them honest when it comes to available mana) and also sometimes allow faster opponents to influence my decision making when they rattle off multiple things in a row. Do you have any advice on how to improve my game when modo isn't handling all of the minutiae? Thanks!

Brandon Mordue

2017-08-29 16:13:38 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, could you talk a bit about the process of sending and reading signals? We've spent a lot of time talking about making good picks, curve consideration, etc. however I'm still struggling with the signals I send, primarily in pack one. For example, if you're looking at your options for your sixth pick, you've taken 5 good green cards and you're in between relatively equal red and white cards. Do you summarize what other things you sent in packs 1 through 5? How do you organize that? And, what makes you confident that one or two people to your left are a certain color, based on what you've shipped them? Thanks!

Danny Simard

2017-08-29 16:11:33 +0000 UTC

I really think this is a super interesting topic. I'd love to hear more discussion on it.

Jakob Stricker

2017-08-29 16:05:00 +0000 UTC

Marshall and Luis, what are the core components you look for when deciding to splash? I liked Ben Stark's commentary on splashing for the Scarab God in Hour of Devastation based on the power level of the card and Green's access to fixing in this format, but that's just one card in one specific set. What are you looking for in a set in terms of the lands, mana dorks, ramp spells, etc. when deciding if the format makes splashing accessible or not? How many of each card do you want in a deck when splashing?

Logan Ferree

2017-08-29 15:45:43 +0000 UTC

How do you recommend cue-ing oneself to think next-level? - i.e. 'What does the opponent have in hand?' 'What does the opponent think I have?' etc. I find that when watching a friend play, I can see the overall strategy. But, when I'm playing I'm distracted by remembering triggers, optimizing mana, calculating combat math. I am looking for coaching tips on how to integrate deeper strategic analysis into my play.

Andrew Garvin

2017-08-29 15:37:09 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and Luis, I’m relatively new to the game. My first event was an Amonkhet prerelease, and I have drafted many times throughout Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation. I feel like I’ve really begun to level up, and I’m taking Top 4 at my LGS consistently. I’ve really enjoyed your podcast and appreciate all the hard work you both put into the show. One thing I’m still feeling stuck on is the mana base for a draft deck. It seems fairly simple when I’m running just two colors, but once I begin to splash in the third, I start to feel less certain. Is there a formulaic way to design your mana base? For example, If I’m in blue and green, but I want to splash a card that costs 5 and a Red, I have one oasis ritualist and one Survivor’s encampment for fixing, how many mountains should I add? Is it more important to have a mana dork like ritualist, or a tutor like Traveler’s Amulet and Evolving Wilds? Thanks again for the show. You guys are doing great things. -James Young

James Young

2017-08-29 15:35:57 +0000 UTC

One of my favorite times during a format is towards the end where you begin to draft weird, off-beat decks just to shake up the experience. What have been some of your favorite draft brews (Magic, not beer), and what formats were they in?

Ira Humphrey

2017-08-29 15:11:00 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, thanks for all your hard work. Do you have any plans to do another Cube Show? Cube is a form of limited play, though not a sanctioned tournament style. Do either of you have your own cubes or play a cube regularly? Do you prefer Power Cube, low power cube or some specific theme? Please talk more about cube :)

D P

2017-08-29 15:07:20 +0000 UTC

I totally do that. To piggy back on this question, I have noticed as I've leveled up that I'm more capable of 'seeing' situations like this. And while making semi-intentional errors will in the short term lead to a lower win percentage, my hope is that my long term win percentage will increase by testing myself. I'd love to hear what you guys think about this.

D P

2017-08-29 15:03:39 +0000 UTC

I remember I heard Marshall say a LONG time ago (back with Ryan) that one of the most interesting limited challenges/skill testers was the ability to set yourself up for pack 3 in a 3-block format. We haven't had a real 3 block format since theros, and I was wondering if anything since then has felt like a good replacement to you?

Isaac Rosenblum-Sellers

2017-08-29 14:54:36 +0000 UTC

One of my most frustrating hurdles at the moment is deck evaluation, it's important to be able to evaluate a deck relative to other decks in the format so you can judge which of several possible decks you should run with. Could you explain the indicators you would use to rate a given deck in Hour, and then provide more general advice that could be applied to other sets? PS: I think you've had this question before and said it didn't matter much, but I disagree - I feel like you need to be able to self-evaluate well to avoid being ROTTy about your tournament results.

Fukata

2017-08-29 14:54:16 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! I'm really excited for the change to single setting large sets only. It's a little funny that one of the last small sets was one of the best "upgrades" to a format in memory. shrug What are your thoughts on the change?

Philip Brissette

2017-08-29 13:46:47 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis! I really like how you guys are always framing things in terms of what questions I should be asking myself instead of making absolute rules about how to play limited. I'm wondering about mulligans. I know I should have a mix of lands and spells, but what questions do I need to be asking myself when considering whether or not to mulligan in games of limited? Love the show!

Colin Tribble

2017-08-29 13:40:03 +0000 UTC

Wanted to pile on here, love the Blogcliffe!!

Daniel Gilford

2017-08-29 13:38:29 +0000 UTC

Question here for LSV: can you weigh in with your thoughts on the BenS format (eg every card has cycling 2)? Which formats in magics history would benefit from this, and would it be detrimental to others? Would such a change overall be good for the game?

Daniel Gilford

2017-08-29 13:37:41 +0000 UTC

A question for Luis: how can a bad drafter but good constructed player turn into a LR co-host? Also, please do the grand slam next year with four Top8s on the back of four 6-0 in limited.

Guillaume Darmouni

2017-08-29 13:35:47 +0000 UTC

Love the Q&A shows! Hi Marshall and LSV, I wanted to ask about 6-man paper drafts. I play in a small group that often can't get 8 together on a weekend to draft the set, we typically only find ourselves with 6 players. I've found in these drafts the signals aren't easy to read (I'm also not great at this in the first place) and I'm not sure how to adjust my drafting strategy for a smaller pod. Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to best navigate pods that have less than 8 players? Also, should we just be team drafting? Thanks, Dan

Daniel Gilford

2017-08-29 13:32:37 +0000 UTC

Hi M and L, love the show, in particular the continuous improvements, it really tells you care! My question is wide and tricky: how late can you switch colors?

Guillaume Darmouni

2017-08-29 13:31:20 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis. Over the last two years, Magic has become my primary hobby. It's easily the thing I spend the most time thinking about and doing when I'm able. As much as I love the game, though, there are times when I start to feel burnt out and lose interest. Do you two ever feel like that, and if you do, what do you do to get past it?

Jonah Lipton

2017-08-29 13:13:26 +0000 UTC

It's spoiler season! I know you'll do in depth looks at Ixalan soon, but from what you've seen so far, what are you most looking forward to with the new set? Any specific card, mechanic, or theme that's got you excited?

Matt Biddulph

2017-08-29 13:07:04 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshal and Luis. With a new set on the horizon, this is one I really want to know your thoughts on: Do you ever misplay FOR SCIENCE? I find myself deliberately walking into things early in the format just to see if my spidey sense is calibrated. E.g. I have a bomb flyer and a weak flyer that can both attack freely, and my opponent weirdly leaves 2W up rather than continue to develop their board. I smell a Sandblast and might normally play around it by keeping my bomb back if I'm ahead enough that I don't need the damage from it, but swing in with it YOLO anyways just to see if I was right. I'll similarly walk into combat tricks and even wraths, despite suspecting them. I find I walk away with a stronger sense of what's up in weeks 3+. Do either of you do this, and/or do you think it's a good idea, or am I just giving up value for no good reason? Thanks, Alex

Alex Wolf

2017-08-29 12:39:45 +0000 UTC

Love these episodes. Here are my questions: 1) Sometimes Luis mentions that teams track results during testing before the PT. How do they track them? Which data or stats do they track? What things are important to note? 2) Also, I feel that my technical play is improving lately but I still struggle with the strategic planning. Sometimes I find difficult to understand why I lost. I often feel my opponent was one step in front of me all the time and is difficult for me to understand what could I have done differently. Is there any tips you guys can give me to try to identify the key plays of a game or when I should have taken a different strategy decision. Thanks a lot!

Karel

2017-08-29 12:22:44 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis. From a game-design perspective, do you think there's an advantage to no longer printing limited-F cards that are good for constructed? Cards like Dispossess come to mind. By freeing up those card slots, often at rare, the limited format could become more powerful if those five or so cards in every set become limited-playable. Thoughts?

Drew Acquaviva

2017-08-29 12:22:11 +0000 UTC

If you get a weak sealed pool, is there a point where you stop trying to build the "best" deck possible and just use it as an excuse to try out different strategies? A friend of mine got a really weak pool and we're thinking it's a good excuse to try out a 5 color deck he wouldn't normally try. Any advice on when stop going explicitly for the win and focus on trying out different strategies?

Matt Biddulph

2017-08-29 12:18:21 +0000 UTC

Another random question -- do you guys have a casual draft format to recommend for fewer than 6-8 people? Most frequently I just play with my wife, and we're always looking for ways to apply these limited skills to play between the two of us (other than a sealed game). We can occasionally rope in one or two other friends, but rarely get a group large enough to support a full draft pod. We've tried the "Winston Draft" but that's it! Let us know your thoughts -- thanks again for everything. --Ryan M.

Ryan M.

2017-08-29 12:17:17 +0000 UTC

Not directly related, apologies for off topic post. Any chance that LR could highlight Brian DeMars' recent CFB article on problematic gamer language? I found the comment section troubling and I think it's worth emphasizing on different platforms.

Adam

2017-08-29 11:37:41 +0000 UTC

I would like you guys to talk about the difference between the competitive and intermediate draft leagues. I recently decided to try out the competitive league and was pleased with the prize I got for winning the first two rounds(lost in the final, but it was very close). I feel like the value/cost may be better than intermediate but also did not have the draft lose round one experience yet which has kept me away before. Thanks and keep up the great work on the show. - Jon

Jonathon Alward

2017-08-29 11:27:33 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, what are some games other than Magic that you enjoy. I guess Luis is contractually obligated to mention all Direwolf games, but other than that is there anything you'd like to give a shoutout?

David Lehner

2017-08-29 11:11:10 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall, hey Luis, thank you for giving us this opportunity. So I'll fire away: 1) For me as foreign speaker, English MTG card names on MTGO sound rather cool, whereas the German ones I get in touch with at FNM are most of the time really clunky and near to ridiculous as they are too near to the original in my mind (one says lyrical art needs to rewritten in another language and not translated and I think that holds here). How do you feel about your native card names in general, maybe the grass is just greener on the other side? 2) Jacob Wilson recently twittered is impressive stats in MTGO sealed. Would you agree, that his overall win percentage is something like an upper limit, for what one can achieve in MTGO comp leagues? 3) at Luis: I sometimes feel, that Marshall makes better picks, builds decks and plays better (talking nuances here like sequencing of spells etc) than other pros on ChannelFireball in Limited (let's omit the first pick Traveller's Amulet here ;-) ). Is that true, because they have more focus on constructed or am I wrong and biased, because of the style of play that LR propagates and am I overestimating Marshall here? (Ben would not answer a similar question, so the hope's on you now, Luis) Thank you, guys. Peter from Rostock, Germany

Peter Sievert

2017-08-29 10:48:54 +0000 UTC

Hi guys. I have a question about the real relevance or even possible hindrance of "figuring out what's open" in draft. For this example, let's say we are living the dream through the first 4 picks with red good stuff but we are noticing that we've passed and been passed decent green which signifies it's likely "open". However, it is also very likely we are now passing to a green player so pack 2 figures to be light on green. Do we go green for the pack 3 payoff or let our left be green and go elsewhere? Is this something you think about or reconcile while drafting? Love the show! Thanks!

Jared Mazzant

2017-08-29 10:47:26 +0000 UTC

Should medium-skill players going to the occasional GP try to make decks with high variance to try to make a significant finish?

Andrew Keeton

2017-08-29 10:35:28 +0000 UTC

Playmats are especially helpful when there are thin tablecloths that bunch up and get caught on the corners of sleeves. Also, very smooth and hard surfaces make it difficult to pick up cards.

Andrew Keeton

2017-08-29 10:29:54 +0000 UTC

What strategies do you suggest if you have a really weak pool in a sealed event? How would you get by without quality removal, or lack of long game?

Greg Holmes

2017-08-29 10:27:44 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, I more have some comments than questions, Firstly I was glad to hear Luis doesn't bother with play mats, because I was feeling a bit amateur because I don't get the play mat thing. Because you put sleeves on your cards and so why do you need a play mat to keep cards good? Also I choose to play in places where tables are clean. Second one is I have noticed of set that the showcase new mechanic like for example Deserts and before that Exert and Energy were pretty powerful, so biases the pre-set card evaluation a bit. Do you think that is a fair assumption or 'not enough data points'. Cheers. Geoff.

Geoff Tindall

2017-08-29 09:37:36 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, In the last year I've started going to GPs and have had several good day 1 results (a couple of X-1s and X-2s) but have struggled in day 2 (only one winning record from 5 attempts). I think that I might be psyching myself out on the Sunday, as I often lose 2 of the first 3 matches and then once I'm dead for a meaningful prize start winning again. Do you have any advice or do you think this just an issue of small sample size? Cheers, Alex PS Keep up the good work, especially the Blogcliffe

Alex Riley

2017-08-29 08:50:23 +0000 UTC

Q&A Show This Week

Comments

Hey Marshall. Might not be the best place to ask, but I've been a patron for quite a while now (since January I think) and I never received the letter or sticker. Did it get lost one the mail perhaps? Thanks for the great show. I look forward to it every week.

League drafts are awesome and have allowed me to play way more mtg but they are a bit of a fallacy in that you are playing outside of your draft pool. How would you feel if intermediate drafts were league but competitive drafts were true drafts?

Hello Luis and Marshall, how did you both choose the Ominous Sphinx as the best Uncommon over the Sifter Wurm?. Please explain this to me in a critique. 👍

Hooray! A Q&A show! I was wondering what deck you're running in Canadian Highlander, Marshall. I saw your point cards, but would love to hear about the deck's objective. LSV, for you, I'd love to hear your excuse for why you're not playing Canadian Highlander yet :P

What is your favorite PT/GP drafts that were covered? I personnally loved LSV "fevered visionS" and Huey PTM15 day 2 draft, as they helped me understand how to make the most of a bad seat/deck and I like to rewatch them from time to time.

What's more important, drafting well or playing well?

Maybe a question for the signoff... Luis, how has your perspective on life and Magic changed now that you're about a year in to being a father?

Hey guys! If we could go back in time and recreate Magic with the knowledge we have now, what would you do differently to the design? Add more colors perhaps? Thanks so much for the great content every week!

Hey Marshal and Luis. What are your favorite limited mechanics of all time? What kind of mechanics do you think make the best kind of limited play? Thanks!

Since MTGO drafting is digital, it's easy to jot down notes about packs as you pass them. This can help with keeping track of signals sent and what might table. Do you have any advice on managing/using this information? Also, is it ethical?

Future sign off request for LSV: Pick order list for Sushi Go Party, the expansion.

I don't have much trouble choosing how many lands to play, just what number of different colored lands to play for different combinations of colors.

Unrelated with LSV past 3 PTT8s (or future 4/4) but, can we get an update on the vanilla test? Or any traditonnal LR tool that would benefit from being updated with power creep in mind?

This is a great question. I didn't fully grasp this concept for a long time. But after playing Khans of Tarkir I always play 18 lands in my 3 color decks. Don't know if that's right for everyone but it's worked great for me.

Howdy homies. I LOVE Avacyn Restored draft and that's not a popular opinion. Have you ever found yourself really enjoying a draft format that most people didn't like?. If not, was there a format everyone seemed to like that you couldn't really get into?

Howdy homies. I LOVE Avacyn Restored draft and that's not a popular opinion. Have you ever found yourself really enjoying a draft format that most people didn't like?. If not, was there a format everyone seemed to like that you couldn't really get into?

I really think this is a super interesting topic. I'd love to hear more discussion on it.

One of my favorite times during a format is towards the end where you begin to draft weird, off-beat decks just to shake up the experience. What have been some of your favorite draft brews (Magic, not beer), and what formats were they in?

Hey guys! I'm really excited for the change to single setting large sets only. It's a little funny that one of the last small sets was one of the best "upgrades" to a format in memory. shrug What are your thoughts on the change?

Wanted to pile on here, love the Blogcliffe!!

Question here for LSV: can you weigh in with your thoughts on the BenS format (eg every card has cycling 2)? Which formats in magics history would benefit from this, and would it be detrimental to others? Would such a change overall be good for the game?

A question for Luis: how can a bad drafter but good constructed player turn into a LR co-host? Also, please do the grand slam next year with four Top8s on the back of four 6-0 in limited.

Hi M and L, love the show, in particular the continuous improvements, it really tells you care! My question is wide and tricky: how late can you switch colors?

It's spoiler season! I know you'll do in depth looks at Ixalan soon, but from what you've seen so far, what are you most looking forward to with the new set? Any specific card, mechanic, or theme that's got you excited?

Not directly related, apologies for off topic post. Any chance that LR could highlight Brian DeMars' recent CFB article on problematic gamer language? I found the comment section troubling and I think it's worth emphasizing on different platforms.

Hi Marshall and Luis, what are some games other than Magic that you enjoy. I guess Luis is contractually obligated to mention all Direwolf games, but other than that is there anything you'd like to give a shoutout?

Should medium-skill players going to the occasional GP try to make decks with high variance to try to make a significant finish?

Playmats are especially helpful when there are thin tablecloths that bunch up and get caught on the corners of sleeves. Also, very smooth and hard surfaces make it difficult to pick up cards.

What strategies do you suggest if you have a really weak pool in a sealed event? How would you get by without quality removal, or lack of long game?

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Q&A Show This Week

Comments

Hey Marshall. Might not be the best place to ask, but I've been a patron for quite a while now (since January I think) and I never received the letter or sticker. Did it get lost one the mail perhaps? Thanks for the great show. I look forward to it every week.

League drafts are awesome and have allowed me to play way more mtg but they are a bit of a fallacy in that you are playing outside of your draft pool. How would you feel if intermediate drafts were league but competitive drafts were true drafts?

Hello Luis and Marshall, how did you both choose the Ominous Sphinx as the best Uncommon over the Sifter Wurm?. Please explain this to me in a critique. 👍

Hooray! A Q&A show! I was wondering what deck you're running in Canadian Highlander, Marshall. I saw your point cards, but would love to hear about the deck's objective. LSV, for you, I'd love to hear your excuse for why you're not playing Canadian Highlander yet :P

What is your favorite PT/GP drafts that were covered? I personnally loved LSV "fevered visionS" and Huey PTM15 day 2 draft, as they helped me understand how to make the most of a bad seat/deck and I like to rewatch them from time to time.

What's more important, drafting well or playing well?

Maybe a question for the signoff... Luis, how has your perspective on life and Magic changed now that you're about a year in to being a father?

Hey guys! If we could go back in time and recreate Magic with the knowledge we have now, what would you do differently to the design? Add more colors perhaps? Thanks so much for the great content every week!

Hey Marshal and Luis. What are your favorite limited mechanics of all time? What kind of mechanics do you think make the best kind of limited play? Thanks!

Since MTGO drafting is digital, it's easy to jot down notes about packs as you pass them. This can help with keeping track of signals sent and what might table. Do you have any advice on managing/using this information? Also, is it ethical?

Future sign off request for LSV: Pick order list for Sushi Go Party, the expansion.

I don't have much trouble choosing how many lands to play, just what number of different colored lands to play for different combinations of colors.

Unrelated with LSV past 3 PTT8s (or future 4/4) but, can we get an update on the vanilla test? Or any traditonnal LR tool that would benefit from being updated with power creep in mind?

This is a great question. I didn't fully grasp this concept for a long time. But after playing Khans of Tarkir I always play 18 lands in my 3 color decks. Don't know if that's right for everyone but it's worked great for me.

Howdy homies. I LOVE Avacyn Restored draft and that's not a popular opinion. Have you ever found yourself really enjoying a draft format that most people didn't like?. If not, was there a format everyone seemed to like that you couldn't really get into?

Howdy homies. I LOVE Avacyn Restored draft and that's not a popular opinion. Have you ever found yourself really enjoying a draft format that most people didn't like?. If not, was there a format everyone seemed to like that you couldn't really get into?

I really think this is a super interesting topic. I'd love to hear more discussion on it.

One of my favorite times during a format is towards the end where you begin to draft weird, off-beat decks just to shake up the experience. What have been some of your favorite draft brews (Magic, not beer), and what formats were they in?

Hey guys! I'm really excited for the change to single setting large sets only. It's a little funny that one of the last small sets was one of the best "upgrades" to a format in memory. *shrug* What are your thoughts on the change?

Wanted to pile on here, love the Blogcliffe!!

Question here for LSV: can you weigh in with your thoughts on the BenS format (eg every card has cycling 2)? Which formats in magics history would benefit from this, and would it be detrimental to others? Would such a change overall be good for the game?

A question for Luis: how can a bad drafter but good constructed player turn into a LR co-host? Also, please do the grand slam next year with four Top8s on the back of four 6-0 in limited.

Hi M and L, love the show, in particular the continuous improvements, it really tells you care! My question is wide and tricky: how late can you switch colors?

It's spoiler season! I know you'll do in depth looks at Ixalan soon, but from what you've seen so far, what are you most looking forward to with the new set? Any specific card, mechanic, or theme that's got you excited?

Not directly related, apologies for off topic post. Any chance that LR could highlight Brian DeMars' recent CFB article on problematic gamer language? I found the comment section troubling and I think it's worth emphasizing on different platforms.

Hi Marshall and Luis, what are some games other than Magic that you enjoy. I guess Luis is contractually obligated to mention all Direwolf games, but other than that is there anything you'd like to give a shoutout?

Should medium-skill players going to the occasional GP try to make decks with high variance to try to make a significant finish?

Playmats are especially helpful when there are thin tablecloths that bunch up and get caught on the corners of sleeves. Also, very smooth and hard surfaces make it difficult to pick up cards.

What strategies do you suggest if you have a really weak pool in a sealed event? How would you get by without quality removal, or lack of long game?

More Creators

Hey guys! I'm really excited for the change to single setting large sets only. It's a little funny that one of the last small sets was one of the best "upgrades" to a format in memory. shrug What are your thoughts on the change?