Thanks Seb - was wondering when the cavelry was coming! My thoughts exactly about all the text above. My fav colors are blue/black too, just not in pauper ;)
Hi, I'm from England. I hope you didn't think I was bashing you before. And you're right, it pays to think twice before posting something, you always want to give the impression you know who your audience are and talk at their level. Looking forward to your next article already.
This page stood idle over night.. I noticed after (!) commenting that this kind of got sorted out. I also noticed my post could be provoking as well... but hey, going back on my words now would be hypocricy or ruin the point.
:)
Being provoked by the content of some people's comments here, I named my subject counterwise.
Get a grip. He's not bragging, if you think so, you're lucky to not have met a real bragger. What I percept though, is jaleousy. Why even care to comment how he portrays himself?
Having read through this, it gave me a lot of useful information, and it went straight to bookmarks.
That was the intention upon making it, and it delivered.
I fail to see anything negative about this, other than a commenter's own problems.
Read: It's easy to apply traits to others that matches your own.
(I shouldn't really care, but for the record, I play all colours, but like blue/black the most.)
You comments actually don't make any sense because over the last year inflation rates have gone down (there was acutally an extended period of deflation for most of 2009). Not to say that its a great thing or anything - for instance some pay increases (for instance some government jobs) are linked to inflation. So a lot of people aren't getting the pay increase they are used to, but in theory the same amount of money should buy about the same amount of stuff. Of course people spend most of their money on already fixed costs (ie mortgages, car, and other debt payment) so that's not really the case.
I agree with the above reasons for tix price increases - VAT and Sales Taxes and increased demand.
Oh, and anyone interested in buying packs or tix for resale here are some tricks.
1) You aren't going to make a lot of money, and it will take time. I did this a few years back when I was unemployeed for an extended period. I made enough to help sustain me and I had a lot of time on my hands. You are almost always better off just getting a real job, so don't count on it to be a efficent use of your time.
2) Get an interest free credit card (if you can, they might not even have these any more...) and get its mailing address in a state without sales tax (I used PayTrust and their delecious South Dakota mail center).
3) Take as little risk and exposure as possible. You margins are narrow, as are everyone's. I used PayPal, but had some problems with chargebacks and the like eating away at my margins. If I was to do it again I would use something like PokerStars to transfer money, and always insist on cash up front. Don't buy a huge amount of product at a time either - you don't get bulk discounts and shifts in the environment can have a major effect on prices leaving you upside down on your inventory.
4) Don't speculate unless you are absolutly sure. Speculation can be a great way to turn a profit, but be careful. See Eye of Ugin.
Well said. Indeed the ratio is lower without the anonymous hate. I respect any writer in this format - it's a great opportunity, but it's quite hard to make a visually friendly article given the tools. I hope to keep upgrading this with each of mine, in order to break up the written word a bit more...(which I'm sure will get lots of #6's about my choices ;)
I wouldn't say that the ratio of hate to positive feedback is 9:1. However I might have a slightly different definition of positive feedback than you do.
From my experience, feedback generally comes in these forms.
1) Someone complimenting your article
2) Someone asking a question about your article
3) Someone furthering a discussion that was brought up in your article.
4) Someone expressing a difference of opinion from something you wrote
5) Someone suggesting a way to improve your article or writing
6) hateful and/or not constructive criticism ie.. "you suck" type of comments
While number 1 might be rare. I consider 1-5 to be positive feedback and number 6 to be the only bad feedback or hate you can get. From my perspective, most feedback given on this website is positive.
Well said JMason - I appologize for my cultural ignorance. Just a competitive guy ranting a bit too quickly at the keyboard over what sissies we (The USA) have become. Where are you from?
I think using the words "Crushed & Smashed" got you guys all riled up. Last I looked, 8-0 is a smashing, skunking etc.., I wouldn't have writen it had it been 7-1 etc.., If any of you good players beat me that bad, have at it...I'll smile and confirm what a smashing/bashing it was, because IT WAS! Perhaps my feelings are harder to hurt or something.
The first two sentences of the article make fun of my feeble attempt last week. Additionally the MAJORITY of the actual tourney report is about the deck that beat me and how deluxe it was.
I was hoping this would balance my confidence a bit, or what you call arrogance - either of which I admit I have plenty of...so for future sake, and to save time...let's stop implying the onus is on me to prove otherwise ;)
Thanks JustSin - I really fought on centering the whole article, but the Wheaties box didn't look good to the left, and alot of the decklists can't be centered (lack of layout knowledge on my part) so I thought this a happy medium and also a good place to break it up - I'll dare attempt a 5 star out of you next time :)
I think the message is a bit too simple to have an entire article around. I simply add colorful commentary, however controversial, to lighten up the slow-paced-droolings that are all too often a copy/paste effort by lots of writers to mimic what's been done.
I honestly appreciate, (even yours mr. Anonymous :) all these insights. Please understand, had I done the above, I'd still be getting hate...if you need proof, just click on any article by anyone..there's a damn good chance of hate even in card choices, layout...anything! Very little in the way of positive feedback etc.., it's about a 9:1 ratio.
BTW: it's alarming how if someone mentions "thanking god" or praying, it's a given -
"Thank God I won that one!" - then typing things like you did; (wow, I'm much better off knowing that) is quite hypocritical...and even more so, just bad, as you can say that about any colorful writing style! Are writers to be purely vulcan/logic only in your world?!?? That'd make for an awfully boring read,...this..then...that...this -the -that...SNOOZE. As said above, a lot of this style is to get some dialogue going, good or bad.
Exactly. Don't change it. Just be aware of it when responding to comments. Be who you are, and accept the consequences. Watering it down or being a phony would be much much worse.
Throw Voltaic Key in with Mana Vault and Time Vault and you have shenanigans up the wazoo. Your articles so far in this series have all had a fine sense of humor. Keep them coming. I still feel in my gut (can't explain it logically) that we will NOT see moxen online. I could be wrong and a lot of people disagree obviously but I can't ignore my intuition no matter how lame it gets at times.
It's my understanding relics doesn't come out until August. Since Legacy is going to be official 3-31-10 the card might not take a dive just for the simple fact that people will want to play decks using it for the next several months.
I sold the one I had just to be on the safe side, but I didn't see myself buying 3 more for a playset. Had I owned 4x, I might of held them for awhile.
First of all, let me say I am not an authority figure on storm based decks. They rank just below Dredge on decks I have distain for.
That being said, I don't see why one would run this version over the far superior ADN lists other than budget restraints.
If budget restraints are the main issue than this format or game for that matter isn't for you. Aside from pauper this game is expensive, as I'm sure you know.
Right now Mindbreak Trap is a nice answer to storm, this deck has no answer to it. No discard in sb or md. It's only answer is Pact of Negation which doesn't get there vs. a good player. The other problem is Helm seems to be one of the key cards for the deck and it falls victim to spell snare.
It looks like it might be a fun casual deck, probably won't get to many concedes since most ppl won't have a clue what you're playing until you go off.
Good idea, just not good enough imo. Then again these are Rogue lists, given the right meta, who knows.
deluxeicoff...you're missing the point. It's not about the tone of your article. It's about the fact that there are unnecessary additions to the article that substantially distract the reader from its message.
Pare it down to the facts, avoid the embellishments (e.g. "crush", "smashed", "fishing in a VERY lush stream when you like sushi"), and get rid of extraneous information (e.g. I'm an athiest...wow, I'm much better off knowing that), and people will actually pay more attention to the meat of your article. Those additions basically give the reader that the deck isn't as strong as you claim it is and that they are being fed a sales pitch.
Screw Jimmy, I agree totally with what you are saying. Let's not dilute the integrity of competition by doing crap like that.
Continue writing the way you do, just remember there is a hint of truth in sarcasm. It's like saying, hey your an (insert cuss word here) lol, just kidding. You are being sarcastic when in fact you might actually think that about the person.
There is always a hint of truth to sarcasm, when writing you need to remember that.
One thing is for sure, your writing style has envoked tons of comments either good or bad, at least you know people are reading. Being edgy as a writer isn't always a bad thing.
This happens in radio, Look at Rush Limbaugh, he probably has just as many Democrats listen to his show as Republicans.
You also have to remember that just because your writing with a sarcastic tone, doesn't mean people read that same way.
If we don't see jewelry, I doubt we see workshop (especially unrestricted). It just would make workshop decks so much faster than everything else in the format. The only archetype that could possibly compete is dredge, and there is much more cheap dredge hate than cheap workshop hate.
I'm not sure if Tarmotog has changed his mind since this article. But this is the last article he wrote specifically dealing with what should come off the banned list.
Tbh I find this a much better explanation then inflation, sure its there, but for the average american player you'd be insane to pay more then a dollar for tickets off ebay
I think it might be time to do a more exhaustive line search on Legacy staples and compare prices across several MTGO dealers and eBay prices for paper singles.
I don't think the gap is nearly as big as it was even a month ago when I wrote that article.
Then again, it might also be just as instructive to wait until April and see just how much of the current pricing is speculation
Thanks Seb - was wondering when the cavelry was coming! My thoughts exactly about all the text above. My fav colors are blue/black too, just not in pauper ;)
Hi, I'm from England. I hope you didn't think I was bashing you before. And you're right, it pays to think twice before posting something, you always want to give the impression you know who your audience are and talk at their level. Looking forward to your next article already.
This page stood idle over night.. I noticed after (!) commenting that this kind of got sorted out. I also noticed my post could be provoking as well... but hey, going back on my words now would be hypocricy or ruin the point.
:)
Being provoked by the content of some people's comments here, I named my subject counterwise.
Get a grip. He's not bragging, if you think so, you're lucky to not have met a real bragger. What I percept though, is jaleousy. Why even care to comment how he portrays himself?
Having read through this, it gave me a lot of useful information, and it went straight to bookmarks.
That was the intention upon making it, and it delivered.
I fail to see anything negative about this, other than a commenter's own problems.
Read: It's easy to apply traits to others that matches your own.
(I shouldn't really care, but for the record, I play all colours, but like blue/black the most.)
You comments actually don't make any sense because over the last year inflation rates have gone down (there was acutally an extended period of deflation for most of 2009). Not to say that its a great thing or anything - for instance some pay increases (for instance some government jobs) are linked to inflation. So a lot of people aren't getting the pay increase they are used to, but in theory the same amount of money should buy about the same amount of stuff. Of course people spend most of their money on already fixed costs (ie mortgages, car, and other debt payment) so that's not really the case.
I agree with the above reasons for tix price increases - VAT and Sales Taxes and increased demand.
Oh, and anyone interested in buying packs or tix for resale here are some tricks.
1) You aren't going to make a lot of money, and it will take time. I did this a few years back when I was unemployeed for an extended period. I made enough to help sustain me and I had a lot of time on my hands. You are almost always better off just getting a real job, so don't count on it to be a efficent use of your time.
2) Get an interest free credit card (if you can, they might not even have these any more...) and get its mailing address in a state without sales tax (I used PayTrust and their delecious South Dakota mail center).
3) Take as little risk and exposure as possible. You margins are narrow, as are everyone's. I used PayPal, but had some problems with chargebacks and the like eating away at my margins. If I was to do it again I would use something like PokerStars to transfer money, and always insist on cash up front. Don't buy a huge amount of product at a time either - you don't get bulk discounts and shifts in the environment can have a major effect on prices leaving you upside down on your inventory.
4) Don't speculate unless you are absolutly sure. Speculation can be a great way to turn a profit, but be careful. See Eye of Ugin.
Well said. Indeed the ratio is lower without the anonymous hate. I respect any writer in this format - it's a great opportunity, but it's quite hard to make a visually friendly article given the tools. I hope to keep upgrading this with each of mine, in order to break up the written word a bit more...(which I'm sure will get lots of #6's about my choices ;)
I wouldn't say that the ratio of hate to positive feedback is 9:1. However I might have a slightly different definition of positive feedback than you do.
From my experience, feedback generally comes in these forms.
1) Someone complimenting your article
2) Someone asking a question about your article
3) Someone furthering a discussion that was brought up in your article.
4) Someone expressing a difference of opinion from something you wrote
5) Someone suggesting a way to improve your article or writing
6) hateful and/or not constructive criticism ie.. "you suck" type of comments
While number 1 might be rare. I consider 1-5 to be positive feedback and number 6 to be the only bad feedback or hate you can get. From my perspective, most feedback given on this website is positive.
Well said JMason - I appologize for my cultural ignorance. Just a competitive guy ranting a bit too quickly at the keyboard over what sissies we (The USA) have become. Where are you from?
I think using the words "Crushed & Smashed" got you guys all riled up. Last I looked, 8-0 is a smashing, skunking etc.., I wouldn't have writen it had it been 7-1 etc.., If any of you good players beat me that bad, have at it...I'll smile and confirm what a smashing/bashing it was, because IT WAS! Perhaps my feelings are harder to hurt or something.
The first two sentences of the article make fun of my feeble attempt last week. Additionally the MAJORITY of the actual tourney report is about the deck that beat me and how deluxe it was.
I was hoping this would balance my confidence a bit, or what you call arrogance - either of which I admit I have plenty of...so for future sake, and to save time...let's stop implying the onus is on me to prove otherwise ;)
Wikipedia claims otherwise for the Library, though I'm not saying it's a reliable source...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#Destruction_of_the_Li...
Thanks JustSin - I really fought on centering the whole article, but the Wheaties box didn't look good to the left, and alot of the decklists can't be centered (lack of layout knowledge on my part) so I thought this a happy medium and also a good place to break it up - I'll dare attempt a 5 star out of you next time :)
I think the message is a bit too simple to have an entire article around. I simply add colorful commentary, however controversial, to lighten up the slow-paced-droolings that are all too often a copy/paste effort by lots of writers to mimic what's been done.
I honestly appreciate, (even yours mr. Anonymous :) all these insights. Please understand, had I done the above, I'd still be getting hate...if you need proof, just click on any article by anyone..there's a damn good chance of hate even in card choices, layout...anything! Very little in the way of positive feedback etc.., it's about a 9:1 ratio.
BTW: it's alarming how if someone mentions "thanking god" or praying, it's a given -
"Thank God I won that one!" - then typing things like you did; (wow, I'm much better off knowing that) is quite hypocritical...and even more so, just bad, as you can say that about any colorful writing style! Are writers to be purely vulcan/logic only in your world?!?? That'd make for an awfully boring read,...this..then...that...this -the -that...SNOOZE. As said above, a lot of this style is to get some dialogue going, good or bad.
Alexandria was destroyed by a tsunami
Exactly. Don't change it. Just be aware of it when responding to comments. Be who you are, and accept the consequences. Watering it down or being a phony would be much much worse.
Throw Voltaic Key in with Mana Vault and Time Vault and you have shenanigans up the wazoo. Your articles so far in this series have all had a fine sense of humor. Keep them coming. I still feel in my gut (can't explain it logically) that we will NOT see moxen online. I could be wrong and a lot of people disagree obviously but I can't ignore my intuition no matter how lame it gets at times.
It's my understanding relics doesn't come out until August. Since Legacy is going to be official 3-31-10 the card might not take a dive just for the simple fact that people will want to play decks using it for the next several months.
I sold the one I had just to be on the safe side, but I didn't see myself buying 3 more for a playset. Had I owned 4x, I might of held them for awhile.
First of all, let me say I am not an authority figure on storm based decks. They rank just below Dredge on decks I have distain for.
That being said, I don't see why one would run this version over the far superior ADN lists other than budget restraints.
If budget restraints are the main issue than this format or game for that matter isn't for you. Aside from pauper this game is expensive, as I'm sure you know.
Right now Mindbreak Trap is a nice answer to storm, this deck has no answer to it. No discard in sb or md. It's only answer is Pact of Negation which doesn't get there vs. a good player. The other problem is Helm seems to be one of the key cards for the deck and it falls victim to spell snare.
It looks like it might be a fun casual deck, probably won't get to many concedes since most ppl won't have a clue what you're playing until you go off.
Good idea, just not good enough imo. Then again these are Rogue lists, given the right meta, who knows.
deluxeicoff...you're missing the point. It's not about the tone of your article. It's about the fact that there are unnecessary additions to the article that substantially distract the reader from its message.
Pare it down to the facts, avoid the embellishments (e.g. "crush", "smashed", "fishing in a VERY lush stream when you like sushi"), and get rid of extraneous information (e.g. I'm an athiest...wow, I'm much better off knowing that), and people will actually pay more attention to the meat of your article. Those additions basically give the reader that the deck isn't as strong as you claim it is and that they are being fed a sales pitch.
Screw Jimmy, I agree totally with what you are saying. Let's not dilute the integrity of competition by doing crap like that.
Continue writing the way you do, just remember there is a hint of truth in sarcasm. It's like saying, hey your an (insert cuss word here) lol, just kidding. You are being sarcastic when in fact you might actually think that about the person.
There is always a hint of truth to sarcasm, when writing you need to remember that.
One thing is for sure, your writing style has envoked tons of comments either good or bad, at least you know people are reading. Being edgy as a writer isn't always a bad thing.
This happens in radio, Look at Rush Limbaugh, he probably has just as many Democrats listen to his show as Republicans.
You also have to remember that just because your writing with a sarcastic tone, doesn't mean people read that same way.
I'm suprised Mox Diamond isn't crashing already? Maybe next week since its still kind of fresh news.
If we don't see jewelry, I doubt we see workshop (especially unrestricted). It just would make workshop decks so much faster than everything else in the format. The only archetype that could possibly compete is dredge, and there is much more cheap dredge hate than cheap workshop hate.
I'm not sure if Tarmotog has changed his mind since this article. But this is the last article he wrote specifically dealing with what should come off the banned list.
http://puremtgo.com/articles/one-double-o-27-exodus-and-no-bans
Can we get back the classic/std/extended overall price charts (now with legacy)?
Tbh I find this a much better explanation then inflation, sure its there, but for the average american player you'd be insane to pay more then a dollar for tickets off ebay
I think it might be time to do a more exhaustive line search on Legacy staples and compare prices across several MTGO dealers and eBay prices for paper singles.
I don't think the gap is nearly as big as it was even a month ago when I wrote that article.
Then again, it might also be just as instructive to wait until April and see just how much of the current pricing is speculation