Patreon Questions For the Show
Added 2015-05-20 07:57:54 +0000 UTCGo ahead and put any questions you have for the show here!
Comments
These are awesome recommendations! Thanks for taking the time Aaron.
Jason McMullan
2015-06-24 18:17:26 +0000 UTCWhen a color or a draft archetype is considered the weakest in a format, how should someone factor that into reading what signals are open? In Gatecrash for example, because Boros was the "best" guild, it led to multiple drafters fighting over it. Dimir on the other hand, despite being the "weakest" guild in terms of power level, was typically under drafted.
Eric Wong
2015-06-23 00:52:11 +0000 UTCSimilarly, how do you choose to occupy time between rounds at competitive events? Better yet, what would you do in between rounds if you were at home playing Magic Online in a competitive event?
Jaeger
2015-06-20 03:29:47 +0000 UTCAre there any kind of mental or magic specific warm ups, exercises, or routines you go through before competitive play? I would equate this to the Magic version of sports teams doing warm ups like jogging, plyometrics or stretching. Or perhaps also, in baseball terms, it would be like a bull pen or batting cage. For instance, I've tossed around the idea of doing .5 hours of building auto-generated sealed deck pools immediately before the start of an online limited PTQs or online championship event. I'm super curious. Thanks!
Jaeger
2015-06-20 02:36:15 +0000 UTCThrough my work I've been meeting a lot of very new players. I encourage them to Draft at an lgs in the beginning as its a great way to play at an fnm with nothing; turn up, draft, play and also add to your collection. If Marshall and Luis were giving a quick rundown of draft basics to a new player, what would they say? What's a simple quick reference guide for an inexperienced player to help them get SOMETHING out of their first draft or three?
Abe McKinnon
2015-06-17 06:00:04 +0000 UTCI've been watching some of LSV's drafts, and seeing him play has brought to light a number of incorrect behaviors in my own play. Numero Uno among them is playing removal spells too early. Luis seems to be a master of using his life total as a resource, and knowing exactly how low he can get before killing his opponents creatures. I have been trying to emulate this by holding off as long as I can (or at least until it seems like my opponent has run out of steam), and it has definitely been a level-up. I'm curious if Luis has any tips on how to know just when to strike and when it's time to stop taking damage.
Daniel Lichtblau
2015-06-14 07:16:19 +0000 UTCI went to GP Toronto (obviously as step down from Vegas) and only played side events and had a great time. Lots of people recommend going to GPs even if you aren't planning to play in the main event (or don't expect to do well) because there really is a ton of stuff to do from playing in silly side events (eg. mini-masters), to shopping, trading, or just jamming drafts all day.
Aaron Maenpaa
2015-06-12 19:59:33 +0000 UTCI like Winchester draft when you've just got two people and have actual packs (given the small card pool the decks are obviously low power): <a href="http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/143" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/143</a> ... and grid drafting when you've got a cube (Isn't as efficient since not every card gets drafted, but good for cube): <a href="http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/cube-design-grid-drafting-and-more/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/cube-design-grid-drafting-and-more/</a> Sealed is good for arbitrary number of players since the decks are balanced by the card pools... but it is more expensive that uses twice as many packs (but you can keep the decks together and play as more of a league if you want).
Aaron Maenpaa
2015-06-12 19:47:49 +0000 UTCThoughts on the trade-offs of splashing for good removal (Flatten/Ultimate Price), and powerful rares in DTK-FRF draft? I like the idea of figuring out which colors I'm supposed to be in and drafting them, but given the power-level of the rares, the dearth of good removal, and the availability of fixing it feels like there's a lot of upside for taking whatever removal/dragons you see and trying to play them even if it's on the splash.
Aaron Maenpaa
2015-06-12 19:37:13 +0000 UTCI'm pretty new to magic, having only started playing around a 2/3 months ago but I'm really enjoying the game and all the content around it (especially LR of course). I'm posting because GP London is coming up in a couple of months (and we don't get so many this side) and I'm debating as to whether its worth my time going or not. From drafting and a few singles I've cobbled together a sub-par standard deck so I'm not expecting to do well in the main tournament, but after the way you guys went on about Vegas I want to know if it's worth going just for the side events and atmosphere or should I just stick to FNM?
Matt Carr
2015-06-10 09:11:11 +0000 UTCTwo questions: 1. I mostly get the 'vanilla test', but would like to hear more about what things tip a card one way or another, for example, Defender, or Trample, or Lifelink, and how you evaluate those. From the show, I gather that Lifelink isn't your favorite, but how would your rate that against Trample? or other 'frosting' type keywords when choosing between two cards? 2. I'm used to hearing specific numbers for the amount of mana in say a 40 card limited deck, but where does that number come from? Did someone analyze it from a statistical perspective? Or is experience enough to tell? And to complicate things, how to evaluate cards like the pain lands, or any style of tapped dual color land? ...I guess I'm sort of looking for Mana 201, leading into Mana 301, if you get what I mean? :)
Michael Ashe
2015-06-02 04:51:30 +0000 UTCBesides obvious sideboard cards, like naturalize, how do you decide what cards are best left in the sideboard, and when do you bring those in? I have a hard time sideboard a lot of the time and usually just give up and hit submit deck.
Christopher McKnight
2015-06-02 02:38:34 +0000 UTCHi Marshall, six years ago I supported myself playing online poker and the best piece of advice I ever received was: "you make money when you make better hands fold and worse hands call." The statement neatly captured almost everything a poker player is trying to do at the table. Do you think there's a similar mantra for limited Magic? Is it something like, "you win if you spend your mana better than your opponent"? Or "you win if you play more action spells than your opponent"? Thanks for all the great content!
Tao = 2π
2015-05-28 17:57:11 +0000 UTCGreat questions all, I'll be coming to this thread for the near-future shows. Feel free to use the upvoting things too if you see a question that you'd like answered on the show. - Marshall
Limited Resources
2015-05-22 00:54:36 +0000 UTCYou certainly can, but the event organizer may not want you coming back to future events.
Ross Gayler
2015-05-21 16:00:44 +0000 UTCTo follow up on Rik Speed, are you more of a control or aggro drafter? Khans was very friendly to the more durdly style of play, but I think DTK rewards you for going for the kill.
Ross Gayler
2015-05-21 15:58:47 +0000 UTCAt what point during an FNM draft should I just call it quits. Draft average deck but lose every match 0-2. I have been dropping after round 2 because I am not having fun anymore, but feel bad for my last round/s opponent not having anyone to play against. Should I stick it out and not enjoy myself for my opponent or leave because I may potentially ruin my longterm enjoyment of limited by sticking around in a bad mood?
Ardack
2015-05-21 07:58:25 +0000 UTCThe MM15 sealed practice pools I've seen articles on are generally leaning towards a 3/4/5-color good stuff strategy which seems unlike most sealed formats. What advice do you have on how to build this kind of unconventional limited deck?
SligoYanks
2015-05-21 02:10:08 +0000 UTCWhat is the rule if I am in a draft pod and open a goyf and a foil goyf? Can I just scoop?
Scott Oesterling
2015-05-20 20:19:52 +0000 UTCI am in this exact same boat... did terribly in GTC and have been doing equally terribly in DTK. I've been chalking it up to my tendency to shy away from aggro decks in favor of slower, sometimes much slower, things. Both GTC and DTK seem to favor more aggressive strategies.
Rik Speed.
2015-05-20 18:05:25 +0000 UTCWorst-case scenario: you drafted a bad deck or opened a bad sealed pool. What are some build strategies and play strategies you can use to mitigate the damage of things like no on-color bombs, little-to-no removal, and mediocre-to-bad playables? Do you just cram your best cards in and hope for the best, or are there opportunities you can look for when having a trainwreck pool?
Brien Howard
2015-05-20 17:45:48 +0000 UTCDo you feel that Modern Masters 2015 is designed more for the hardcore drafter who may fire 20 or more drafts of the format on Magic Online, or is it more set up for the player who might see one draft of this format ever at their local game store? Which player do you think will get more enjoyment from it?
Mike Anderson
2015-05-20 17:41:12 +0000 UTCIn regards to team grand prixs how would you go about practicing and generally formatting your team. What dynamics do you focus on when practicing, especially when your player pool to pick from isn't "fireball" strong.
Payton
2015-05-20 17:34:22 +0000 UTCI'm relatively new to Magic (been playing almost a year now!), so my question has to do with the bigger formats: how would someone new, like me, start to get into Modern/Vintage/etc. They seem so unattainable for someone who didn't really play the cards and formats when they were released. Where do you even start?? Thanks for taking the time to read this (and do the podcast, of course).
Jacob Shillan
2015-05-20 15:39:26 +0000 UTCHow does the removal suite (and speed) of the MM2015 format compare to Rise of the Eldrazi? I didn't play Rise, but I'm concerned that even a lightweight like Ulamog's Crusher may be unplayable in Modern Masters draft.
Alan E Marling
2015-05-20 14:36:47 +0000 UTCI like this one too. I had the opposite at a side draft at GP Toronto where I got triple flatten and triple epic confrontation, but not so many great creatures.
George Wright
2015-05-20 14:29:52 +0000 UTC+1 to this as well, although this should be addressed regularly and in an even handed manner.
George Wright
2015-05-20 14:28:15 +0000 UTCWhat do you do if you feel like you just can't figure out a format? Dragons of Tarkir is the first format since Gatecrash which I have consistently gone 1-2 or worse in my local drafts, regardless of how good I feel my decks are. I'm not sure whether it's my drafting that's the problem, whether there's something about the play of the format that I haven't figured out, or some combination of the two. Has this happened to you in the past? How did you try to fix that?
Tim Aubel
2015-05-20 14:27:11 +0000 UTCI like that this question is topical +1
George Wright
2015-05-20 14:25:49 +0000 UTCDo you have any suggestions for limited formats that work for smaller numbers of people? I love playing on paper and in person but it's pretty hard to get 8+ people together for a draft on a regular basis outside of FNM. I played 2-headed giant team sealed during the DTK pre-release and had a good time, I think that would work pretty well for four people but I'm looking for more ways to play with whatever number of people can make it out for a magic night. Side note: LSV recently mentioned doing more sealed focused content on LR and I love the idea.
Jason McMullan
2015-05-20 13:17:33 +0000 UTCHow do you feel about the current state of Magic Online? If you could change only one thing about the program, what would it be? Why are so many pros so negative about it? Can we have Ryan back for an episode to discuss the challenges involved with the program?
Kevin Cawley
2015-05-20 13:04:47 +0000 UTCWhen drafting, if you're seeing no removal in your colors, but otherwise your colors seem open, what does that mean? That you read the signals wrong, that it's just a weird fluke of the packs, both, a mix, or neither? Also, is there a way to salvage a deck that is going to be very removal light? (Do you have to go aggro and bank on auras and combat tricks, for example?) Thanks!
Mike Cornnell
2015-05-20 13:01:40 +0000 UTCAs an exclusively standard/limited player, I have a couple Modern Masters draft and sealed tournaments coming up in my nearby game stores. Is it possible for me to be competitive in a crowd of people familiar with the power level of cards in modern? Or do these people have an experience advantage I can't possibly beat?
Joachim Van Renterghem
2015-05-20 12:58:38 +0000 UTCWhat is your opinion on talking to your opponent during the game? I tend to treat games at a FNM almost like my "playtesting" and so I'm very talkative before, during, and after the games about strategy and tactics. At best, my opponent and I both get better and still have fun. I think at worst I give up some percentage of equity by frequently openly voicing my thought process. If my opponent doesn't respond to my game chatter, then I usually also clam up, so I don't feel like I'm "ruining" the game for them. Do you think I'm slowing down my progress by being so informal and approaching most matches this way?
Adam hoffmann
2015-05-20 12:26:54 +0000 UTCHow much marsh could a Marsh Hulk hulk if a Marsh Hulk could hulk marsh? Haha my actual question is: Will evaluating a sealed pool be the same for Modern Masters as other standard formats? What are the main differences or things to look for if you want to have a good deck for Modern Masters sealed?
Troy Navarro
2015-05-20 12:07:29 +0000 UTCDo you have any advice for experienced Constructed players who are new to Limited?
Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley
2015-05-20 11:34:40 +0000 UTCHow does one get better at non-standard limited formats? The rules of modern set design don't apply to things like the Legacy Cube where the power seems to come from card interactions that aren't easy to intuit, at least for me.
Lewis Williams
2015-05-20 09:08:14 +0000 UTC
