Thanks for linking the Wacom Tablet thread. I was one of the posters in that thread. I wish I could say turning off the service solved all my problems, but even with the Wacom Tablet unplugged and the service disabled, Magic Online Beta crashes within minutes after being launched. Originally, I thought it was a conflict with Comodo Internet Security, which I disabled. I have no idea why I still get that error. There was another user in that thread using a Logitech mouse that was getting the "Main Navigation Not Working" crash. I feel like it is a conflict with .Net a driver, but I can't figure out what.
I've played since Beta of the original Magic Online, and I've never had this problem before. If we are going to be forced to play with the Beta client, it would be great if Wizards could track down the cause of the crash for us.
Uh? Why shouldn't Soldiers be allowed to win one event? Nobody's banning them from Underdog, until they will naturally be no Underdog anymore and will join the Major League.
EDIT: Ok, now I see the issue was that Soldier got included in the Major League for whatever reason. It was a mistake. Fixed now (in the Gatherling filter as well, the list was the same.) Please check if everything else is ok, I only reorganized the listing, no additional banning whatsoever was meant to be. Guess the Major League is 36 tribes then, not 37.
I did very well at the prerelease I attended. A lot of people played four-color decks thinking that because it was a sealed event they had plenty of time to durdle. I had three games that started out with me going, "Turn one Rakdos Cackler, unleashed" followed by "Turn two, Spike Jester, swing for five."
I won no less than three games with the red gatekeepers. I had two of them and late in the games, people would play something big to try and stabilize and then I play a Smelt-Ward guy and steal it. This was always followed by the scoop phase prior to combat.
Just like Gatecrash, Bloodrush is the real deal. I don't think I ever cast Ghor-Clan Rampager. It's too good as a combat trick: +4/+4 and trample is huge.
There are aggressive low-cost options out there. Don't make the mistake of thinking everybody is running a slow deck.
I think that just having a good aggressive deck in general is pretty good in the Prerealease, so Rakdos and Boros are pretty good if you have the cards for it. I drafted Dragon's Maze/Gatecrash/Return to Ravnica and managed to draft a pretty nut Boros deck and ran over everyone, so I would imagine the same holds for Sealed. In an environment where people are doing 3-5 color durdle decks, just playing 1 drop/2 drop/3 drop really puts a lot of pressure on them
Moo, I wish you would allow Soldiers to win one event before bannning them from Underdog, but I guess it makes sense from the power level (though on the other hand: if they were so powerful, they would win soon anyway, and if they wouldn't, then it's kind of hard to make a case that they are so much better than the other top underdog tribes)
"Be careful that you don't try to close the new client from the tournament detail screen, as the client interprets that as meaning you want to drop from the tournament. (emphasis added)"
Of all the asinine assumptions to make... Thanks for reporting, Pete.
Good podcast guys. I also listen to So Many Insane Plays and while I love the ridiculously deep discussions those guys get into, sometimes they talk about a card for 10 minutes and then say "oh no this will never see play." I sometimes appreciate that you guys just say that up front.
Gnomes started off as non artifacts with Quarum Trench Gnomes: there was some discussion about bringing them back for Mirrodin (Indeed, Bottle Gnomes actually made it), so an artifact set could potentially see them in that slot.
UPDATE: While putting together a Classic Survival toolbox deck, I realized I forgot to mention a few relevant sideboard options here.
Kataki, War's Wage: The most ruthless way to deal with affinity decks. Of course, it's way more cruel (and satisfying) in a format where affinity players are allowed to use artifact lands, in which case it can be instant game over for them. But even in Modern can prove annoying.
Vampire Hexmage: She's not a dynamic creature per se, but she does her job immediately after hitting the board, with no additional costs. And her job is killing planeswalkers, of course (plus anything nasty with counters on it, even just de-powering a potentially lethal Arcbound Ravager can be important.)
Big Game Hunter: This guy is underrated, but it's unconditional killing for big creatures. Can be the only way for Jund to deal with big black Demons and such.
I'd be shocked if the Theros set didn't have at least one badass Pegasus. Probably not going to be the next big creature type, but a set based on greek mythology is bound to have pegasi.
Oops, I got that one mixed up. I'll make a note of it for next time.
Zippy the Slug made me laugh... but then again Blippytheslug is just as funny a name (just one we're used to!).
Otherwise, great article as usual!
Nice review!
One quick note as I noticed it a couple of times, a 3/3 for 3C is generally referred to as a Hill Giant whereas a 2/2 for 2C is a Grey Ogre.
Thanks I hope to make more people aware of Peasant as it is a fun format for those who love pauper.
I suspect it's "causes of the crashes", I doubt they're down to just one crash bug yet.
I will join the major bot dealers and make a protest against Shiny.
So this year I will not be riding in the Tour de France..... or maybe that is too strong of a protest?
Thanks for linking the Wacom Tablet thread. I was one of the posters in that thread. I wish I could say turning off the service solved all my problems, but even with the Wacom Tablet unplugged and the service disabled, Magic Online Beta crashes within minutes after being launched. Originally, I thought it was a conflict with Comodo Internet Security, which I disabled. I have no idea why I still get that error. There was another user in that thread using a Logitech mouse that was getting the "Main Navigation Not Working" crash. I feel like it is a conflict with .Net a driver, but I can't figure out what.
I've played since Beta of the original Magic Online, and I've never had this problem before. If we are going to be forced to play with the Beta client, it would be great if Wizards could track down the cause of the crash for us.
The talk comment was directed at you, about the pod cast thingee. Scheduling etc.
Uh? Why shouldn't Soldiers be allowed to win one event? Nobody's banning them from Underdog, until they will naturally be no Underdog anymore and will join the Major League.
EDIT: Ok, now I see the issue was that Soldier got included in the Major League for whatever reason. It was a mistake. Fixed now (in the Gatherling filter as well, the list was the same.) Please check if everything else is ok, I only reorganized the listing, no additional banning whatsoever was meant to be. Guess the Major League is 36 tribes then, not 37.
Mmm, are you talking to me or to Rex? Because all your comments were directed to Rex's stuff, but I'm guessing I'm the one who still doesn't talk. :)
Is it clear which part of the article is written by me and which one by Rex? I sometimes wonder if I should find a way to make it more evident.
In other news, the ME boosters available for the Hamtastic Marathoners are 5 now (thanks to Leys7 adding one), so there's that.
Black/white Vampires looks interesting, Vish Kal top of the curve, those two, not sure which would go best with them.
I did very well at the prerelease I attended. A lot of people played four-color decks thinking that because it was a sealed event they had plenty of time to durdle. I had three games that started out with me going, "Turn one Rakdos Cackler, unleashed" followed by "Turn two, Spike Jester, swing for five."
I won no less than three games with the red gatekeepers. I had two of them and late in the games, people would play something big to try and stabilize and then I play a Smelt-Ward guy and steal it. This was always followed by the scoop phase prior to combat.
Just like Gatecrash, Bloodrush is the real deal. I don't think I ever cast Ghor-Clan Rampager. It's too good as a combat trick: +4/+4 and trample is huge.
There are aggressive low-cost options out there. Don't make the mistake of thinking everybody is running a slow deck.
I think that just having a good aggressive deck in general is pretty good in the Prerealease, so Rakdos and Boros are pretty good if you have the cards for it. I drafted Dragon's Maze/Gatecrash/Return to Ravnica and managed to draft a pretty nut Boros deck and ran over everyone, so I would imagine the same holds for Sealed. In an environment where people are doing 3-5 color durdle decks, just playing 1 drop/2 drop/3 drop really puts a lot of pressure on them
I need to buy back my didgeridoos, though the big cost there will be the manabase. And the reckoners. Still worth doing.
Moo, I wish you would allow Soldiers to win one event before bannning them from Underdog, but I guess it makes sense from the power level (though on the other hand: if they were so powerful, they would win soon anyway, and if they wouldn't, then it's kind of hard to make a case that they are so much better than the other top underdog tribes)
Makka = Hill Giant/Brute force. :)
AJ is not the only one who enjoys Minotaurs. I have been known to tinker with didgeridoo to the extent of writing articles about it.
Sadly Nivmagus isn't a weird (why not??) but yeah I agree that fluxcharger is a reasonable member of the weird family. Even if you don't like them.
Is regeneration totally irrelevant with people playing Day of Judgement (and other sweepers without the no regeneration clause) instead of Wraths?
In other news we need to talk sometime :)
"Be careful that you don't try to close the new client from the tournament detail screen, as the client interprets that as meaning you want to drop from the tournament. (emphasis added)"
Of all the asinine assumptions to make... Thanks for reporting, Pete.
Good podcast guys. I also listen to So Many Insane Plays and while I love the ridiculously deep discussions those guys get into, sometimes they talk about a card for 10 minutes and then say "oh no this will never see play." I sometimes appreciate that you guys just say that up front.
Thanks for writing these great reports, only a matter of time before Peasant comes back to the spotlight where it belongs.
I imagine it will get played somewhere at least, which deck in particular is a different question...
Gnomes started off as non artifacts with Quarum Trench Gnomes: there was some discussion about bringing them back for Mirrodin (Indeed, Bottle Gnomes actually made it), so an artifact set could potentially see them in that slot.
The slime........ the slime......
My own slime, for example, is hallucinogenic.
http://imageshack.us/a/img706/3461/hypselodorisbullocki.jpg
And why does everything think of our ugly landborn cousins when they think of slugs?
https://www.google.ca/search?q=sea+slug+photos
UPDATE: While putting together a Classic Survival toolbox deck, I realized I forgot to mention a few relevant sideboard options here.
Kataki, War's Wage: The most ruthless way to deal with affinity decks. Of course, it's way more cruel (and satisfying) in a format where affinity players are allowed to use artifact lands, in which case it can be instant game over for them. But even in Modern can prove annoying.
Vampire Hexmage: She's not a dynamic creature per se, but she does her job immediately after hitting the board, with no additional costs. And her job is killing planeswalkers, of course (plus anything nasty with counters on it, even just de-powering a potentially lethal Arcbound Ravager can be important.)
Big Game Hunter: This guy is underrated, but it's unconditional killing for big creatures. Can be the only way for Jund to deal with big black Demons and such.
people play slaughthorn, they may play the makka, testing will tell if it is good enough right?
I'd be shocked if the Theros set didn't have at least one badass Pegasus. Probably not going to be the next big creature type, but a set based on greek mythology is bound to have pegasi.