New Patron Only Question of the Week Thread
Added 2016-10-04 01:27:34 +0000 UTCHey All!
I'm starting a new thread for the Patreon Question of the Week on the show. Just as a refresher thread so that everyone can see it. If you have a question that never got answered from the previous thread, feel free to re-post it here.
Also: If you want to hear your own real voice on the show, record yourself asking the question you want on your phone, and send it to lr@lrcast.com with the subject "Question of the Week Question" and we'll put those under consideration as well. Think of it like a call-in talk show question :) Please say who was your co-host when you started listening to LR and how long you've been a patron as well :)
Fire away!
- Marshall
Comments
A simple question, which I have been having a bit of a debate over with my buddies. I drafted a deck with 4 Self-Assemblers. They say it is too many, I say they are great and four is fine. Of course a bit deck dependent, but how many self-assemblers would you play?
Jurre Koning
2016-11-09 13:27:43 +0000 UTCI'm setting up an Extended (Theros-Kaladesh) Rotisserie Draft at my local store. What deck would you be looking to build and what's your first pick?
William McDuff
2016-11-08 16:42:05 +0000 UTCI've been drafting a lot of BW-value in Kaladesh and am a little worried I'm subconsciously forcing it. Any Kaladesh specific tips for making sure you're actually drafting the right deck for your seat?
Aaron Maenpaa
2016-11-08 16:36:20 +0000 UTCI've been drafting a lot of BW-value in Kaladesh and am a little worried I'm subconsciously forcing it. Any Kaladesh specific tips for making sure you're actually drafting the right deck for your seat?
Aaron Maenpaa
2016-11-08 16:36:20 +0000 UTCHey Marshall & Luis, thanks for all the shows and all your work on coverage. Listening to you guys in all forums is great. I'm having trouble putting together a coherent deck in this draft format that isnt just a pile of decent cards. I feel like I'm doing a decent job finding the open colors but I tend to wind up with a deck that is just basically midrange stuff all the time, and given your comments last week about the polarization of KLD limited between aggro & control, is not a good place to be. How do you best determine when there is a more focused deck there to be drafted in your seat and/or how do you know when to prioritize cards that may fit the focus better over objectively more powerful cards? Thanks again for everything you guys do.
SligoYanks
2016-10-24 05:49:08 +0000 UTCApparently I can't hit return or it posts.... bombardment because I only ever got one in sealed. When I drafted and I prioritized it I got 3 one time and it was crazy. This makes me realize that I need to reevaluate cards as I practice draft more. One thing that I need to work on is keeping flexible in a draft because I tend to go all in on the first two colors I picked. I see now that there are 15-16 picks that I will not play with even if they are in my color. I would like to hear a whole show that goes through every pick for a draft like you do with the crack a pack. I am also very interested to learn more about how card evaluations change as you get farther into the draft and you are trying to fill in gaps in the deck you are building.
Brian Todd
2016-10-15 17:45:46 +0000 UTCI have only begun to realize the real differences between sealed and draft. In the past I have thought they were very similar. Now that I get to play drafts because of the new leagues I am finding that there are cards and strategies that I valued differently because I only played sealed. As an example I undervalued galvanic
Brian Todd
2016-10-15 17:31:09 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and Luis. I'm moving to Seattle, and I was wondering if either of you (but more likely Marshall) had any recommendations for some sweet food joints to hit up or any other hidden gems. Also, what are some good shops to play Magic?
Matthew Hall
2016-10-15 00:42:13 +0000 UTCHi gents! I'm a more recent Patreon supporter and LSV is the only co-host I've ever known. My question is I often want to draft, but my playgroup is quite small. It can be difficult to get even six of us on the same schedule to run a draft. What are some of your favorite small-group draft formats and why? Love the show -- keep it up!
Winner Winner
2016-10-14 23:36:23 +0000 UTCHey Mashall and LSV! Want to start by saying I'm watching the PT right now and the thread is BLOWING UP with positive feedback about LSV as a commentator! My question is actually more general, and regards this most recent change. You two both make money using your knowledge of magic, which is inspiring to hardcore players, but lets be honest, many of the best players in the world have regular day jobs as well. Do you think it is reasonable for players to dream of making magic their livelihood, or is there just no real way to monetize this skill unless you have the sweet sultry announcing voices of the LR team?
Collin Blue
2016-10-14 19:58:10 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis, I've been a listener of the podcast since the 1st episode. Love the content. My question is for Luis: I was your round 2 opponent in a Kaladesh draft video that you recently posted on ChannelFireball (your white/green, angel/+1+1 counter deck). I think i learned more from watching that match back from your perspective than i did in my last 20 drafts. Were you able to recreate this type of experience during testing? And for the more important question, should i have called your chump attack with the Fairgrounds Warden that led to me losing by exactcies in the second game?
Logan Herlinger
2016-10-12 21:08:26 +0000 UTCHowdy, Marshal and LSV! I've been listening to the podcast since around M15, so near the end of the BWong era, although I've listened to a lot of old episodes so I've caught bits of Jon and Ryan as well. Here's my question: there are always cards in every set that really make it or break it depending on the context of the format, where the card might read well but play poorly or vice versa based on the other things in the format. (For example, the Primordials from Gatecrash which sound awesome but were just too slow, or more recently the build-around cards from Magic Origins.) What can I do to get a better idea of the context of a format before actually playing with the cards? Obviously playing the games or watching other people play the games is the best option, but I'm wondering what I can do based just on the spoiler to get an idea for pre-releases and early drafts. Any thoughts?
Allen Smith
2016-10-12 21:05:42 +0000 UTCI've been playing magic for a while, but only recently have gotten into the competitive limited environment. I have two questions: What can I do as a player to keep the competitive environment fun? It seems to be a random chance where I have fun or not depending on my opponent's attitude. What's the best way to know that a color's "open" I normally just try to pick the best cards that float my way, and then notice what I'm collecting. It tends to work out, but I can't help but feel there's a better way to determine what's available.
David Baggett
2016-10-12 17:24:41 +0000 UTCDoes staying open by picking a colorless card early in Kaladesh hurt you? For example, P1P1 I've got a fairly mediocre pack and the three cards that are rising to the top are Metalwork Colossus, Renegade Freighter and Unlicensed Disintegration. Disintegration seems to be the more powerful card, but it forces me into two colors.
Swordsman
2016-10-11 13:13:32 +0000 UTCHi guys! How do you plan for your plan not working? I sometimes find myself building around a specific idea of how I want my deck to work (e.g. a particular synergy, or these nice blockers plus those control cards), only to find that after a stumble or an unexpected choice from an opponent my deck just feels completely dead. Is that just variance? A sign my plan wasn't good enough? Or should I be thinking more about contingencies?
Finn Ellis
2016-10-11 07:45:23 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and Luis, With the pro tour on the horizon, I was wondering if you can share how much of the testing the teams do has to do with the outside world? How much do teams read articles and watch videos/streams to get a sense of the new format? Thanks for all the work you do, Nitzan.
Seraphim_MTG
2016-10-09 12:09:40 +0000 UTCHi guys, With so many artifacts on Kaladesh, it seems like there are fewer cards in each color in general, and people are also less likely to spend their first few picks cutting a particular color. This has made it very hard for me to discern what colors are open at my table until much later in the draft. Has this problem come up in previous artifact sets, and what is the best way to combat this? Thanks for being awesome, Andy, Dallas, TX
Andy Brookshire
2016-10-06 03:54:33 +0000 UTCHey guys! My name is Rob and I have been listening since RtR came out, so Jon Loucks was my first co-host. I've been a Patron since it started. I have a question regarding the Vanilla Test. During the Kaladesh set review, you mentioned that a 3/3 for 3 was above the curve, but a 3/2 or 2/3 for 3 was a little below. Obviously, there is nuance here, as there isn't anything between these two stats. Could you give us the base-line Pass ratings for the Vanilla Test? I really enjoy the show and I have learned a lot about Limited from it. I appreciate all the hard work that LR does for our community.
Rob Bovill
2016-10-05 16:48:05 +0000 UTCHello gentlemen. My name is James. I've been listening to LR since Khans block, and have since listened to every past episode. LSV is my favorite magic player of all time. I hope to go to GP Minneapolis in 2017, and have him sign my Elesh V. Marshall is my pick for best commentator in the magic community. Thank you both for your contributions to the greatest game ever. My question is really a favor... I only play magic with 1 person nowadays. I consume magic content; articles, podcasts, and videos, on a daily basis. However, I only get to play with him, and only about 3 times each year. I was hoping you could give him a shout out for me, for turning me on to LR, and the world of value. His name is Trevor Tungseth. He got me back in to magic after a long hiatus. From Ravnica until Dragon's Maze. I've been deep into theory crafting ever since. I love him for it, and it would mean a lot for you guys to convey that message to him, for me. Thanks again for every thing. James Shearer.
James Shearer
2016-10-05 11:57:19 +0000 UTCHi Marshall and LSV! LSV is the only co-host I've known as I've only been playing magic since BfZ. My Question is perhaps a little subjective... Me and a friend have been building 'block' cubes so we can go back and play old sets (and get more value of the cards we open). What is the best way to go about the common/rare ratio and how will that effect how the cube plays? We currently have 450 cards and only a few multiples of some commons, should we increase the un/commons to be more like a real draft and if so how do we choose which ones? Perhaps more of a game design question but hey ho. Also I just want to say that you guys are awesome and the interesting discussions and passion you show got me deeper into the game that I probably should have! Keep it up :)
Jamie Sajdak
2016-10-04 20:21:09 +0000 UTCHey Marshall and LSV. I have been a patron for a few months now and LSV is entirely the reason I joined (sorry Marshall). His humour, play style and card evaluations match mine quite well. My question is in regard to a friend of mine. He has been playing magic for just under a year and his skill within the game has been amazing considering. He says that he would like to continue to improve and be better and I do my best to help him but I find he has some misconceptions about limited that he can't shake, the main one being his value of life gain. We have had lengthy discussions on the topic and he considers dealing 3 damage the same as gaining 3 life. As such he considers Alms of the veins as a deal 6 and has stated that Lifelink is better than first strike. How can I get him to change his viewpoint on this or is this something that he can only come to understand through play and experience? Thanks for the advice and love the podcast. Keep up the great work.
Michael Logan
2016-10-04 15:44:43 +0000 UTCHey guys! Absolutely love the show, I've only known LSV as my co-limited resource and I became a patron a few weeks ago. My question for you guys is to what degree do you think the average player should attempt to evaluate cards for themselves? I find myself often taking your podcasts as scripture and rarely deviating from the card evaluations you give. I figure because you two are much more invested in the game and have been playing it longer than I have you will know better most of the time. However you are human and make mistakes so do you feel it is important for less experienced players to try out cards they think might be good and "figure" them out? Thanks a lot, Cheers!
Kilian Johnson
2016-10-04 14:59:57 +0000 UTCI'm a recent patreon sub, I supported the kickstarter a few years ago, and started listening with the Louks-asaurus was in full force. My question: what do you do when the open deck is a deck you don't want to draft or is actively bad in the format (like RW in Eldritch Moon). Do you just take the deck you're passed and try to do your best with it, or do you take one of the open colors (like red) and then try to force a secondary color that isn't really open?
Ben Noble
2016-10-04 14:30:16 +0000 UTCI've been listening to Limited Resources since B-Wong Day 1 and love where the show is headed. I started as a Cube enthusiast and gradually moved my way to regular limited (My best Limited format to date was Born of the Gods). Sometimes I have a tough time finding my second "Open" color in a draft. I have resorted to a style of cutting two colors from my draft. For example, if I can tell White is open but can't pin down which color is more open, let's say, between Green and Black, I will often times ignore Red and Blue completely, going for Heavy White with a light splash of the second color. Have you guys ever used this strategy and how do you feel about it? I understand that Feeling out an open color isn't an exact science, but what do you do when two colors seem equally open enough to be your second color? Kindest Regards, Mark.
Mark Churchwell
2016-10-04 14:28:14 +0000 UTCHey guys; I'm a recent patron and have been a regular listener since SOU. Since we're now through prerelease and about to start drafts online, I was wondering if your opinion on vehicles has changed so far from the set reviews? In my prereleases I stuck with renegade freighters and an ovalchase dragster and while several times they got a bunch of damage in or traded up, I had as many games where they felt dead in my hand or on the board. Do you think they should be prioritized at all in draft, or maybe only for build-around decks (e.g. artifacts or boros vehicles)? Love what you do, keep at it!
Simon T Uhlig
2016-10-04 13:30:42 +0000 UTCIs it time to recalibrate the vanilla test? In Kaladesh, we now have common 3/3 for 3 (Glintsleeve Artisan), common 4/4 trample for 4 (Peema Outrider), and a couple of common 4/5's or 5/4's for 5 with minor upsides. Gray Ogres and Hill Giants and Durkwood Boars just don't seem good enough any longer. And if this true, how does this change the importance of 2-drops?
Mark Romanowsky
2016-10-04 11:27:18 +0000 UTCIn terms of grading, what is the biggest gap in terms of grading: from D+ to C-, C+ to B- or B+ to A-? Thanks for everything.
Celso Távora
2016-10-04 10:29:57 +0000 UTCHey guys! Been listening since I started playing during Oath, and a patron for 3-4 months now. I'm curious what your guys take on the effect all the artifacts in this new set has on your ability to branch into more of a 3 color deck. Seems like there are a lot of playable colorless cards, and if you have 4-8 colorless spells in your 23 you can get away with running an extra color for that gearhulk in pack 3. Thanks for everything guys!
Michael Dolato
2016-10-04 04:17:13 +0000 UTCLongtime listener, recent supporter, thanks for all the great content! When drafting, I tend to place a high priority on card redundancy in an attempt to keep my deck more consistent. However, I find myself in situations where I lose to certain cards that I just have no answer for, usually because I prioritized another flashy 3-drop creature instead of a more versatile 5-drop spell. When does it make sense to deviate from the draft "plan" in order to grab a solid sideboard card? How much redundancy is too much?
Jason Nicol
2016-10-04 03:41:16 +0000 UTCHi guys! In lieu of the recent Kaladesh set review, I was wondering about different grading scales and the best way to talk about power level. Why A-F for LR, 0-5 for Luis's online reviews, and then an alternate 0-10 scale that Luis alludes to occasionally in conversation. Wouldn't it be clearer if there was just one system that everyone used? Thanks.
Jaeger
2016-10-04 02:37:15 +0000 UTCHi Marshall. I've been listening since LSV started and finally became a patron recently. When learning a new format, how do you trace your losses all the way back to bad picks in a draft versus gameplay decisions or luck? Put another way, if you played perfectly (we can all dream) and still lose, how do you focus those losses towards a better understanding of the format instead of chalking it up to luck?
Ian Keyworth
2016-10-04 02:13:54 +0000 UTCI have a question about Magic endurance. I'm a definitely not a pro-level player, but I'm always a threat to 3-0 a draft when I walk into my LGS. However, at larger tournaments, the wheels usually start to come off somewhere around the 4th or 5th round. My decision making gets increasingly questionable and it's difficult to recall games from my later rounds. It's not nutrition, hydration, or being well-rested. I just run out of juice in longer tournaments. Is magical endurance something that can be regained through training? Or is this simply the new normal for a 45-year-old spellslinger? Thanks, and always a fan! -Andy
Andy Rogers
2016-10-04 02:08:40 +0000 UTCBased on your current impressions of KLD Limited, do you think cards with multiple colored mana symbols like Vampire Whitehawk [Aerial Responder] should be valued less highly than normal?
Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley
2016-10-04 02:07:55 +0000 UTCThe set reviews are a wonderful jumping-off point for quickly wrapping your head around a new batch of cards and seeing what strategies are initially viable. But sometimes your opponent just trounces you playing a combination of low-rated cards you would have never even considered putting in your deck. When this happens, do you just take this data point as a weird one-of event, ignore it, and continue the pursuit of drafting solid decks? Or do you try to replicate the opponent's oddball deck next time, as they may have some insight on a hidden strategy that proves very powerful in the format?
Ira Humphrey
2016-10-04 02:04:25 +0000 UTCWhat is the number one sign your opponent is in trouble and you can start putting your foot on the gas? Is there a different sign for the early and late game, and how should you react?
Harrison Little
2016-10-04 01:53:45 +0000 UTCIn chess there are objective techniques for determining who currently has a better board. Things like space, tempo, pawn structure, etc. I find myself struggling to figure out if I have a more favorable board than my opponent. Are there objective techniques for doing this in Magic?
Terry Rice
2016-10-04 01:43:26 +0000 UTCHere's my question - How do you practice playing better? How do you decide whether a play is "optimal" or not? I feel like sometimes I waver between lines and I don't really know where to go to get to that next step.
Ryan Clark
2016-10-04 01:31:46 +0000 UTC
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