Limited Resources - Patreon Question of the Week Thread Refresh

Hello M & L -- first, thanks for always trying to keep newer and less experienced players in mind when you discuss new sets and topics. I've been playing Magic for a few years now, but I feel like I identify with almost every new player mistake and pattern that you bring up. Along those lines, I recently listened to older episodes about playing control and aggro, but it left me with one question that Marshall and Brian did not address: how do you get INTO those decks during the draft? How do you make a conscious choice at some point to dive into aggro, for example, and what's your cue to stop drafting more expensive cards for a more balanced midrange? Thanks so much for everything, guys! --Ryan M.

Ryan M.

2017-06-06 17:33:01 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis. I have been listening since the days of the venerable Loucksasaurus. My question is how do you value uniqueness of effect in limited? I often say that I would take the first copy of a weaker card over the second or third copy of a slightly stronger card. Amonkhet examples would be taking the first Pathfinder Initiate over the third Nef-crop Entangler or making sure to put high priority on the first Cancel in my UB control decks, but virtually ignoring the second cancel. My logic is that the cards are close in power level but solve different scenarios (ex. Ancient Crab/Dune Beetle for the red 2 drops, Sandwurm Convergence/other bombs for the Cancel), so I would prefer to have access to both effects rather than just the strictly stronger one. How much merit do you think there is to this thought process, and how do I make sure I am not just trying to be too clever? Thanks again for all your content, and best of luck in dominating the coverage bracket this year.

James Lloyd

2017-05-20 18:16:34 +0000 UTC

Hey y'all! Firstly, thanks for doing the podcast. I've been listening weekly for years now, and it's been a hoot the whole way through. Now, my question. I play Magic on a significant budget, as I am still in high school, and only able to work part-time. Because of this, when I draft on Magic Online, I sometimes have to balance my picks between a card that would be the best for my deck, and a card worth a decent amount of tickets, as I often need those tickets in order to start another draft. Do you have any tips as to how to manage this?

Lily Wilkie-Rogers

2017-05-17 23:23:30 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis! Sealed is my favorite format to play in limited. Thanks to the podcast I was actually able to Day 2 my first GP in Salt Lake City for M15 Sealed! I have been playing A LOT of Amonkhet sealed on MTGO and I have been having trouble getting a good grip on the format. Usually after playing 10 sealed pools I can start to feel confident in the decks I build for the format, but I have been on a losing streak so far. You have mentioned on the show that the format is pretty bomb-driven. I can definitely agree with that statement when I feel like I am in a good position in a game to win until they play a Glorybringer and just steal the game after that. My question is this: What can I do in order to build decks that can more consistently win in this format? Is there a different way to build my sealed decks for this format compared to others that will give me a better win %? I will be playing in the sealed event at GP Vegas so I would like to get as much valuable practice in before I go. I think it was BDM that said you're not prepared to play a sealed GP until you have played 100 sealed pools right? Thanks!

Troy Navarro

2017-05-17 19:49:29 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, I'm wondering what are some draft / sealed keys that almost always apply. This would be useful to know when any set comes out. For examlple archetypes - usually blue/white is a flyers deck, but does it still apply in the next set? Also for sealed picking power over synergy. things like that. Thanks

Jon

2017-05-15 19:38:48 +0000 UTC

What skills are most important in which formats? Card evaluation skills seem more important in limited than constructed, and the psychology of draft seems super important to team draft. Are there particular skills that relate strongly with particular formats?

William McDuff

2017-05-14 02:43:02 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis. Limited reasoruces has become a massive part of limited magic especially the set reviews preparing so many players for their pre-release. I was wondering how much you think you affect the limited environment as a podcast? Do you think the format changes based on your observations?

Matt Carr

2017-05-11 07:20:35 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall & Luis, after playing with Amonkhet for a few weeks, what's your opinion on the Monuments? They seem bad to me, but I have certainly lost to them, especially Rhonas's. Thanks!

Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley

2017-05-09 02:27:52 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, love the show and am amazed by LSV's ability to know what a card does just by the name. The competition between him and Owen was fun to listen to. So I seem to really struggle during the first few weeks of a new set. I'm really having a difficult time with Amonkhet with both sealed and draft. What should I be focused on for each format? Should I focus on synergy for draft and power for sealed?

Jon

2017-05-08 05:44:03 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis, Since Amonkhet came out online, I've done more drafts than ever before. I've even been keeping track of my winrate and watching my price per draft closely. As of now, my draft match win rate is about 60% which I would consider pretty good for myself. However, I've done absolutely terrible in sealed (less than 30% match win rate). Have you noticed any major differences in the two formats that may account for my huge win rate difference? Thanks, love the content, Cass R

Cass Roberts

2017-05-04 21:02:37 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, wanted your opinion on the cycling dual lands. Would you play one in your deck, even if it only had one of your two colors? My thinking is that there isn't much I want to do on turn one most of the time, and so a tapped land doesn't hurt then, and if I draw it after turn five or six it just cycles away and digs me to better spells. Case in point, a friend opened three duals in his prerelease pool, and didn't play any of them, even though two were half on-color. I thought he should have included the two on-color ones. Thoughts?

Petey VanSchaik

2017-05-04 19:42:20 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshulk and LSV I went my first 3-0 at my LGS yesterday, after having played Limited for almost a year (not constantly, LSV), but didn't feel good about my victory. My opponents got either manascrewed, or I just curved out very well, as opposed to them not playing anything for the first 2-3 rounds. I felt like me reaching my first milestone in limited, was unwarranted and could have happened to anyone. I constantly try to develop my drafting- and playskills, but how can I tell if I win because I've evolved as a player, and not because my opponent's where unlucky? What about the other way around? Is this something you guys value highly when you're, in your head, replaying the games you won/lost, to spot the mistakes you made? Thank you for making limited Magic accessible to the newcomers like myself, you guys make amazing content. Sigurd from Norway

Sigurd

2017-05-03 10:47:58 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall, Hey Luis, First of all, I love the show. Second, since I started playing a few years ago, I have wanted to go competitive with magic. I'm currently a senior in high school going to college next year. Any advice on what I could do to realistically play professionally?

James Moskal

2017-04-23 13:35:31 +0000 UTC

Hey Luis, Marshal. I consider myself a pretty strong mid level player, but one problem I run into is information overload during the drafting portion. Trying to make picks while also reading signals while also trying to remember the contents of packs I've passed is often overwhelming. I feel like I lose out on the ability to exercise my decision making skills because I am gated by my ability to quickly commit large amounts of info to memory. Are there any tips of suggestions to get past this barrier? Thanks for the show and the bad jokes, Dan.

Daniel Brenner

2017-04-19 20:12:06 +0000 UTC

There seems to have been a shift on the show with regards to what is most important in sealed, the bread and butter or the bomb rares, with Luis and Owen arguing that the 10s are more important to your sealed pool than the 5s-7s. With that in mind, since you only get one half of the set review in before the prerelease, does it make sense for the rare/mythic one to be first?

Evan

2017-04-18 21:05:26 +0000 UTC

Cycling is obviously a very powerful mechanic, how does your card evaluation change for cards with low cycling costs. Would you play pretty much any 1 mana on color cycling card? Do you expect it to be correct in Amonkhet limited (sealed & draft) to play off color or 1/2 color cycling lands in most decks?

Jasper Burch

2017-04-17 21:54:16 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, I have a question that's a bit tough to phrase. Sometimes when I'm playing Magic and I'm on the wrong side of variance, I spend time and energy figuring out my odds. I'll count lands to nonlands, or I'll draw cards after the game is over, and get fixated on how unlucky I got. I know this makes me tilt, and i know I don't do this when variance favors me. Do you guys find yourselves doing this? Any tips on how to avoid it? Thanks for great content as always. A.J.

A.J. Frank

2017-04-15 00:11:06 +0000 UTC

Hey Guys. In getting ready for amonket, I have some questions about -1/-1 counters. Could you speak about how they play out in general, and also how they interact with +1/+1 counters. What happens if you have one of each type of counter on a creature? And then if you have an effect that says "add one counter of any type that's already on target permenant." Thanks! -Dana

Dana Billings

2017-04-14 20:25:47 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshal and Luis, How often do you play your first picks? I know, in theory, you shouldn't get married to them and try to draft what's open, but that it's also wrong to completely disregard your card pool when making decisions. But I was curious - how often do expert drafters walk away from an exciting and powerful P1P1 and make the jump into other colors, and how often do they put in especial effort to try to construct a deck that can feature it. Also, is this a factor that varies wildly between formats? Thanks!

Matthew Taylor

2017-04-14 14:50:35 +0000 UTC

Listener Question from Will in Portland OR: Can you guys briefly touch on the difference between a "replacement effect" like Winding Constrictor and other effects that might go on the stack. Great show! Thanks for all you do for us Magic players

Will Henson

2017-04-13 05:10:36 +0000 UTC

Hi M & L, I have a question on uneven board stalls and how correct it is to commit resources to extending your lead. I had a situation where I had a board of 2 Aether Swoopers and 3 servos facing down an opposing board of 1 Aether Chaser and a servo. The swoopers were able to do 2 damage a turn, but the Aether Chaser and servos were holding each other off. My opponent seemed very happy to be trading 2 life for extra draw steps because they were flooding. My hand consisted of my deck's only Daring Demolition and lands. My question is when is it correct to let the opponent draw and use the removal on any threat they might draw into, and when is it correct to Daringly Demolish the aether chaser and double the speed of my clock?

Ian Firth

2017-04-12 11:53:35 +0000 UTC

Sorry didn't mean to make this in two posts. Anyhow I have recently started listening and love the show and content. That being said I also listened to the Kitchen table magic with Marshall and found out more about the shows origin. This made me like it even more I say this because you said it was basically modeled on Teacher to student. That fascinated me and I can't wait to go back through old episodes to hear that dynamic. Bringing me to my question I think since both of you are similarly leveled now do you think it might serve the show to sometimes maybe once a month or so return to this form. Having someone step in to be the student and either one of you or both teaching them. Of course I would love to be the student but would equally enjoy hearing someone else in that row. Either way the show is great keep it up this was just a thought/dream! Thanks for all you both put into it.

Garett Cody

2017-04-11 13:35:39 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and Luis,

Garett Cody

2017-04-11 13:26:26 +0000 UTC

I'm competitive by nature, but I'm unable due to time constraints to play in many tournaments. I'll do a few IRL drafts after a couple of prereleases. My question is about round one. I tend to make poor decisions and be generally a bit nervous during round one no matter the opponent. Poor mulligan decisions and poor in-game decisions seem to be the big symptoms. After round one, I settle down and play better. Any thoughts on how to address this? I know the best answer is play in more events.

Ken Barker

2017-04-11 00:01:10 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis!!! Love the show. I have learned a ton over the years and it sure does make my commute much more fun!!! My question for you guys is about wacky/chaos drafts. With Amonket around the corner and Aether Revold getting stale my LGS has decided to do wacky drafts for the next few weeks. Obviously I have no idea what packs from what sets they are going to be throwing in but I am super excited to try it for the first time!!! Any advise about what to look for and what to avoid? Is there anything I should specifically keep an eye out for and is there realistically any way to "prep" for this kind of drafting??? Thanks as always for the great content!!! P.S. The thank you card I received from the Patreon looks great on my desk at work!!!

Daniel Bjork

2017-04-10 06:12:14 +0000 UTC

Just listened to your podcast on Team Draft. Great episode but I have a question about how Team Draft has changed over the years. With the increased number of playable cards in each pack, has the strategy for team draft adapted to this shift?

pharmacistjudge

2017-04-10 02:31:40 +0000 UTC

I was thinking about the Stump the Vargas game a bit. Since Luis and Owen are so good at remembering cards and great players it would be excellent to see them pitted against one another at a game of Mental Magic sometime. This is the game were you play with two decks but instead of casting whatever spell is in your hand, you can cast any spell with the same CMC provided said spell has not already been cast. No idea how that could work on a podcast, but it would be quite a spectacle.

Christopher Evenstar

2017-04-08 22:17:52 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis. I recently listened to the Kitchen Table Magic episode, and I must say it was very enjoyable. I can't wait to see what your Youtube channel brings! One part of the episode, Constructed Resources came up, and you made the comment that you felt both Efro and LSV could likely do either show, so my question is this. Have you considered doing an episode of LR with Efro as the co host and then conversely an episode of CR with LSV? I know CR has been on hiatus for quite some time, but what better way to bring it back to life than with a little Luck, Skill, and Victory!

Tyler Spiering

2017-04-07 15:00:31 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and Luis. Big fan, sure you haven't heard that before. I am wondering where is my signed note in the mail? I have been a patron of yours for about a month or so. I was looking forward to it...

Michael Farivar

2017-04-06 18:33:20 +0000 UTC

When is Marshall going to have his chance at let's stump Vargas? Easily the best sign off.

Matt Jeziorski

2017-04-06 17:14:49 +0000 UTC

I have heard of really serious sideboarders who add the cards they want to their deck and then pick the cards you're cutting out of the combined pile. This method completely disguises how much sideboarding you are doing so you could conceivably do it and not sideboard at all, or make it look like you're doing a big sideboard change and only chance one card or something like that.

Paul Talpos

2017-04-06 15:26:06 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall & Luis! With the imminent release of Amonkhet (and the return of cycling), I've been wondering: do you have any tips, tools, or techniques for deciding how many lands to run when you have a large number of cantrips, cheap cyclers, elvish visionaries, prophetic prisms, etc - or, similarly, when do you have to start cutting these spells? Cheap cantrips are one of my favorite types of cards, but I want to make sure I'm not ruining my mana base in the pursuit of value. Thanks! - Will (they / them)

Vanda Tessellata

2017-04-06 15:04:11 +0000 UTC

I was literally about to ask this question (or a variation of it). For me it was SOI/EMN.

Brian Nesbitt

2017-04-06 14:34:20 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis! First of all, I want to apologize if I mispell something wrong, since I am from Spain and still learning English. I always face the same problem when I go to a Limited GP: I build diferents decks from my sealed pool but I can't decide which is the best and most of the time feel like I made a mistake after I registered my deck. What factors do you prioritize when you have to make this decision? Do you take the more balanced deck or the one that has more power? Thanks and keep up with the show!

Ferran Fons Titos

2017-04-06 14:32:16 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, thanks for all the hard work and great content you create! I am having a tough time translating the process of drafting between MTGO and paper. Because I can't see my previous picks as I draft, I find myself always ending up light on playable creatures, and scrambling in pack 3 to shore up my deck. In MTGO, being able to see my previous picks helps mid-pack decisions, which usually helps me make the more "adult" picks (like a vanilla 3/2 for curve considerations over something more flashy). In a paper draft, what sort of mental notes, tricks, etc do you use when looking through cards in between packs to help you know what to look for in the next pack? Thanks!

Kyle Hunt

2017-04-06 14:15:57 +0000 UTC

Hi guys, thanks for doing awesome stuff and doing so damned much of it! I have read a lot about mana bases over the years, the one I go back to is Reid Duke's "Building A Mana Base". I still struggle when I'm in a new limited format with questions like: Is it correct to pick this off color bomb and try to splash it? How good or bad is a tapped dual land in this format? Is there so much fixing (MM3 I'm looking at you) that I don't have to prioritize it highly? I guess what I'm trying to ask is if there are some specific tools or shortcuts that you use to evaluate the mana part of a new limited environment?

Jason McMullan

2017-04-06 13:45:26 +0000 UTC

What are some of the must-read articles that have developed over the years on limited theory? Obviously a lot of limited articles are format dependent, but are there any articles that discuss limited gameplay and deckbuilding more broadly? In other words, if you were teaching a class on limited, what would be the required reading?

DG

2017-04-06 10:47:27 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall, Hi Luis. Recently i've become aware that my play-style in Limited tends to be fairly conservative. By this I mean, I seem to have a hard time sensing the moment within a game of magic to press an advantage, to effectively trade my 'precious' resources, or god forbid, take a higher variance line to victory. It's the chip damage, the little percentages that are starting to add up, and I am beginning to wonder if this road block stems from my time playing constructed magic, where the value of a card feels contextually different. And while this awareness has brought about some reflection over the WHY, HOW to find my way through this apprehension and advance my limited prowess still eludes me. Do you have any advice to provide, a mental framework perhaps, that could aid in my next level up? Thank you both for all you do for the game. Best/Derek

derek gallen

2017-04-06 10:25:34 +0000 UTC

Do you have any advice for stealthily and efficiently sideboarding out an entire color in sealed, in-person? The logistics are daunting. Thanks!

Jaeger

2017-04-06 07:51:56 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall and Luis, This question is definitely out of the ordinary, but I've been meaning to ask for a while. Patreon is a great platform for supporting content creators, and I'm happy to support LR. What I'd love to know more about is the finance stuff behind the scenes. I'm a business major, a big fan of podcasts and also a big proponent of transparency, so this type of stuff is super stimulating to me. Here are some questions I have for you on this topic: 1) Do you pay Luis to be a host of the show? 2) Do you pay guests to come on the show? 3) Roughly what are your fixed monthly costs? 4) How does Channel Fireball support LR? Again, I realize this question post is out of left field, but I'm curious and I'm sure others are, too. Also, maybe you could respond to Patreon patrons only, if you feel more comfortable. Cheers!

Danny Simard

2017-04-06 07:46:47 +0000 UTC

Hello Marshall and Luis! The podcast has helped a lot with my Limited play. It's tighten up a lot. I find that I do not absorb drafting a new Limited format as fast as I would like. While I understand that repetition would resolve this issue, I live outside of the United States. One aspect that is glazed over on the podcast is that Magic Online uses USD for tickets. The exchange rate is close to 150% when factoring in credit card exchange fees. So, the Meddling Mage's approach of 80+ online drafts is about $1200 Canadian. It's not financially feasible. (It would be a dream come true if it was.) So, I have attempted to focus on finding help improving my drafting by finding people to help. However, the thing is... I am female. This is a factor that should not hinder me living in a major city. Unfortunately, this is not the reality of the Magic environment. In some ways, it's starting to sour my experience. This is a team cSport in which I have been forced to earn my PPTQ top cuts on my own two feet. How does one keep the fun in the game when dreams of the Pro Tour are in the mind? (Side note: hopefully see you BOTH at GP Vegas! LSV your signature keeps evading my playmat!)

Alice Bailey

2017-04-06 06:11:21 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall - sent you a message via the private message system in the partreon.

Travis Somerville

2017-04-06 06:08:22 +0000 UTC

Hey guys! Relatively recently joined in on the whole "podcast" trend, but I have loved the work you guys always put into the show. Do you think standard will slow down at all? With the new Gideon basically being a new-and-improved Angel's Grace/Phyrexian Unlife, it really paints a picture of long-grindy matches. DO you think this will actually become a thing again?

Kyle Morton

2017-04-06 06:02:42 +0000 UTC

Hi Marshall and Luis and possible guest if we're lucky. What do you do when you find yourself disliking a format, but still wanting to improve your overall play? I find it really difficult to drag myself to go draft when I dislike a format. I've done the fewest drafts in triple Kaladesh and Kaladesh/Aether Revolt of any format since I've started. We don't have to get into the reasons why I dislike them, but every time I've played these formats, I find myself tilting far more often than normal because all those reasons show up so often in matches. I really want to continue improving my play, but is it worth playing it when I don't like the format? If so, what should I keep in mind while drafting/playing? If not, what should I be doing to keep my skills up while I'm skipping the rest of the format? Of note: I don't currently play Magic Online, but I know many listeners do, so would your answers be different whether someone does or doesn't?

Tim Aubel

2017-04-06 06:01:17 +0000 UTC

Hey guys: What happens when you have out all 3 kaladesh modules, a winding constrictor and a Pan Harmonicon and a creature enters the battlefield with fabricate....what happens in what order? I know this might not happen often but I think it would be interesting to hear how to dissect a complex trigger sequence like this, what goes on the stack vs. what is a replacement effect and how to figure out the order of resolution. Thanks for all you guys do for us Magic players.

Will Henson

2017-04-06 05:48:49 +0000 UTC

Hey, y'all. Draft formats come and go, but the process of drafting hasn't changed in a very long time. Are there any changes you would like to see to the process of drafting? Are there any draft variants you are particularly fond of?

Joseph Burris

2017-04-06 05:30:19 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, big fan. Assuming one wants to compete at the highest level(I do) are there any signposts for when to go 'all in?' For example, I live in Australia and while I'm not the best in the world, I feel like I've got to a good enough place, skill-wise, where I'd be reasonably confident in myself to eventually spike something if I keep playing, learning and doing something I love 'full time.' In my case, I want to move to the states or Europe for a year and play GP/scg tour level events weekly-ish, instead of waiting for the two a year we get in Australia. Tl;dr, any tips for how and when you should take your time and financial commitment to the next level?

Rei Barker

2017-04-06 05:26:07 +0000 UTC

Hey Marshall, hey Luis. I mostly play constructed but I also like to play a lot of limited. However, I often run into a problem: in Modern or Legacy I can play the same deck a ton and get really good at it, but that's not something that you can really do in limited. I like being familiar with my deck and sometimes I find myself unconsciously forcing a deck that I've drafted before because I'll know how to play it. Is there anything you can recommend to help me get around this?

Alexander Jensen

2017-04-06 05:16:23 +0000 UTC

I recently ordered some stuff from CFB and got with it an LSV token in the style of Ancestral Recall. When will Marshall get a CFB token and which card would it be in the style of?