I've run into a mono green token archetype twice in WWK triple draft. A couple Bestial menace, Avenger of Zendikar, Wolfbriar Elemental and khalni garden. Both times I was stomped badly.
Barren Glory is a hard card to use, mostly because of it's nasty condition of only triggering on your upkeep. I use the Natural Affinity/ Kindle the Carnage approach in casual play, although it is tricky being three colors. I moved Barren Glory to Vanguard where it has a MUCH better rate of success. Pair it up with the Loxodon Heirarch avatar (which allows you to sac permanents) and getting this to go off is a snap. I run my deck white/green. White for life gain (as your beast deck kinda does) so you can stall the game while you build your combo. White also has Enlightened Tutor which makes this go faster. The green is for simple mana accel. I run creature based land fetch so that I have chump blockers, tribe elder, civic wayfider, etc. With Heirarch's ability I can always sac one creature to regen another. Toss in Peace of Mind to dicard cards out of your hand and this because an easy win.
Best of luck in your commercial venture. I suspect that you will have less time for your electronic addictions?
I looked around, including the MTGO Traders but was not able to find very many of the cards that you quote price differences on. Granted, I was not looking 24x7 mind you, but I certainly had earmarked some of the cards that have subsequently shot up in price. My question is where do you get your pricing info, and what sort of volumes are you talking about, especially with so little time to get high volumes? You probably have answered this elsewhere, but I was not able to find it in my quick search.
Thanks for your articles (and community efforts), always a staple in my Friday schedule.
The rules you laid out for card inclusion are pretty good, although I think they should include some silver-bordered cards (as long as they function within normal MTG rules). Because I think the last MED set could be artifact-heavy, the cards I have in mind are Paper Tiger, Scissors Lizard, and Rock Lobster.
Blue in triple Worldwake is much much better than it has been in a limited environment in a long time. It has one of the best common creatures Calcite Snapper, best uncommon removal spells Vapor Snare, and it is one of the deepest colors in Worldwake. Therefore I'm not surprised that you had a killer deck by sticking to blue.
As far as insanity goes, Triple Worldwake is not nearly as crazy as some of the previous small set drafts such as Morningtide, Eveningtide, or Alara Reborn.
I really like the idea of this series, and I get the impression that you're the right person to be handling it. I hope the ensuing articles are as good as my expectations!
The graphs for Stoneforge Mystic and Basilisk Collar look like that because they have data points taken only on Fridays. So essentially we're looking at the price of both cards before the went on sale, and after all the prerelease/release craziness settled down a bit.
Thanks for the props, I will have to sink my teeth into this article a little bit later when I am trying to avoid work :) The last article you mentioned that I am writing has been submitted, so look for it soon.
Yeah, the graphs for Stoneforge Mystic and Basilisk Collar do not look right at all. For a couple of days both cards had spiked really high (9-11 range) due to the shortage of supply and demand created by the results from PT San Diego. Prices have now settled down a bit since enough cards have been put into the pool via draft and the initial rush to acquire chase rares is over. Probably a good time to buy actually. I think both cards will trend upwards in the long run.
Good article, good coverage of the environment. However, I think that WWKx3 is just even more insane than ZENx3. I won my only WWKx3 draft with mono blue drawing 13 cards in a game. My shround and non-shroud walls and flying creatures were hard to beat.
I don't know about you, but if I was CAUGHT looking at an opponent's hand through a reflection of his watch or a mirror around him that he's not aware of or whatever else is convenient, I'd feel embarrassed. That's my indicator that something shouldn't be done. But every conscious is different I suppose.
EDIT: Your analogy of the money is more akin to seeing the old lady drop money, waiting until she leaves, and then taking it for yourself. Yes, I think that's wrong.
I wouldn't feel the same way if my opponent accidentally drops a card and knows we both saw it. He knows I know, and his play can change accordingly. Not so when you're peeking at his hand through other methods.
The list I might be running this weekend has 4 Imps and 3 Butchers MD, 4 Brownscales and 3 Crypt Rats SB along with the 8 discard spells. Okiba-Gang Shinobi isn't needed here as it only really improves the control matchup which is ridiculously good anyway. I might swap the Butchers for Rancor, i'll have to test that.
Heya Eric Good luck with your j1. I never did go for mine. Seems like your prices are a bit off unless they were delayed a week but as per usual with new sets stuff goes up and down like a yoyo. I did not notice the "Tradable" items "feature." I am certain I would have had a small fit if I did. This is upsetting indeed.
Similarly to how people are fully in control of their destinies yet make horrible life changing mistakes all the time. If you were to see someone make such a mistake it would be only be right to correct them. This is the microcosm of that.
Obviously there is a huge difference between crossing an unethical line and actually breaking the law (or bylaws in the case of magic.) There is no law that says you can't pocket money you found on the ground even if you know who dropped it and when. (Though some local areas may leave this up to dispute with their own statutes about good Samaritans etc.)
It is unscrupulous to keep such money and in same sense it is unscrupulous to take advantage of your opponent accidentally revealing cards unwittingly. Legally wrong? no. But definitely a matter of personal morals. Me? I'd find it repugnant to not at least tell the person what they were doing.
Paul, how is the advantage you gain "unfair"? The opponent has complete control over their wardrobe. Is it unfair to profit when your opponent makes repeated play mistakes? Is it unfair to take a win when your opponent draws two cards due to carelessness? No and no in my book.
Now if there is a rule against showing one's hand, then it is probably cheating to knowingly let someone violate a rule, where you gain a benefit from that violation. I am not aware of such a rule existing, possibly because I am a predominantly modo player.
Cool article, thank you very much sir. Highlighting the flavor text on Cabal Surgeon is reason enough to recommend this article!
Some might argue that by not letting the person know they are giving away their hand you are taking unfair advantage. Similar to watching someone drop a $50 and walk off, then seeing no one else grab for it you take it and pocket it. Grey area? yes. An ethics test? For sure. They might also argue that if you had a strongly developed sense of ethics you'd find this sort of thing abhorrent. Just saying.
Totally disagree with ya on the cheating. As I admitted up front, it's a grey area...
like what do you do when someone drops a card on the table, and quickly puts it back in their hand? Do you go get a doctor to do selective amnesia on you? Or do you just keep going...silly scenario..but an advantage is an advantage...this would just be a 'continue play' call on the judge, your opp. did the error...cheating would be setting up props to do said tricks, but when they happen naturally - you'd be a fool to not use them.
BTW -
I also keep money I find on the ground. Are you advocating I'm a thief for this? ;) Should I get on a ladder and scream: "...DID ANYONE LOSE THIS 50 DOLLAR BILL?!?!" of course if I saw some old lady drop it, I'd do the right thing...all relative.
Good guidelines are good. The person who told you about Agony Warps must be very smart, handsome, and funny. Yes, quite the man he must be! :P
I have to disagree with the paper advice though. Concealing how many lands you have in play or cards in hand may be legit but is shady nonetheless, and annoys your opponent when he has to keep asking your card count. Using reflections to look at the opponent's hand is straight up cheating. Really, this isn't stuff you should be doing, let alone advocating. Beat your opponent with your skills at Magic (and shuffler luck!), not through underhanded tactics.
Generally speaking rules of thumb are merely guidelines...getting caught up in habits of Attacking always before doing things results sometimes in bad tactics anyway and nets you perhaps a less desirable board position. I am not a fan of that mentality. I try and keep awake during my matches and make conscious decisions about each main phase, even if it is only: do nothing.
I've run into a mono green token archetype twice in WWK triple draft. A couple Bestial menace, Avenger of Zendikar, Wolfbriar Elemental and khalni garden. Both times I was stomped badly.
ah you're right, big error on my part, I had figured that Split Second doesn't allow for triggers, but I was mistaking thank you for pointing that out
Barren Glory is a hard card to use, mostly because of it's nasty condition of only triggering on your upkeep. I use the Natural Affinity/ Kindle the Carnage approach in casual play, although it is tricky being three colors. I moved Barren Glory to Vanguard where it has a MUCH better rate of success. Pair it up with the Loxodon Heirarch avatar (which allows you to sac permanents) and getting this to go off is a snap. I run my deck white/green. White for life gain (as your beast deck kinda does) so you can stall the game while you build your combo. White also has Enlightened Tutor which makes this go faster. The green is for simple mana accel. I run creature based land fetch so that I have chump blockers, tribe elder, civic wayfider, etc. With Heirarch's ability I can always sac one creature to regen another. Toss in Peace of Mind to dicard cards out of your hand and this because an easy win.
Love the column.
Best of luck in your commercial venture. I suspect that you will have less time for your electronic addictions?
I looked around, including the MTGO Traders but was not able to find very many of the cards that you quote price differences on. Granted, I was not looking 24x7 mind you, but I certainly had earmarked some of the cards that have subsequently shot up in price. My question is where do you get your pricing info, and what sort of volumes are you talking about, especially with so little time to get high volumes? You probably have answered this elsewhere, but I was not able to find it in my quick search.
Thanks for your articles (and community efforts), always a staple in my Friday schedule.
The rules you laid out for card inclusion are pretty good, although I think they should include some silver-bordered cards (as long as they function within normal MTG rules). Because I think the last MED set could be artifact-heavy, the cards I have in mind are Paper Tiger, Scissors Lizard, and Rock Lobster.
Blue in triple Worldwake is much much better than it has been in a limited environment in a long time. It has one of the best common creatures Calcite Snapper, best uncommon removal spells Vapor Snare, and it is one of the deepest colors in Worldwake. Therefore I'm not surprised that you had a killer deck by sticking to blue.
As far as insanity goes, Triple Worldwake is not nearly as crazy as some of the previous small set drafts such as Morningtide, Eveningtide, or Alara Reborn.
I really like the idea of this series, and I get the impression that you're the right person to be handling it. I hope the ensuing articles are as good as my expectations!
i thought a shiner would be a dq, guess not, grey shady for sure.
people that try that tap then untap stuff are rookies, no offence erm, i know you are a tip top player and all but come on....
oh and i have been burned by f6 waaaayyy too many times. thinking is important.
is it possible for you to bring back the MTGO Daily Events calendar? i liked seeing the times for the weekend events on Friday. Thanks!
The graphs for Stoneforge Mystic and Basilisk Collar look like that because they have data points taken only on Fridays. So essentially we're looking at the price of both cards before the went on sale, and after all the prerelease/release craziness settled down a bit.
Thanks for the props, I will have to sink my teeth into this article a little bit later when I am trying to avoid work :) The last article you mentioned that I am writing has been submitted, so look for it soon.
Yeah, the graphs for Stoneforge Mystic and Basilisk Collar do not look right at all. For a couple of days both cards had spiked really high (9-11 range) due to the shortage of supply and demand created by the results from PT San Diego. Prices have now settled down a bit since enough cards have been put into the pool via draft and the initial rush to acquire chase rares is over. Probably a good time to buy actually. I think both cards will trend upwards in the long run.
Good article, good coverage of the environment. However, I think that WWKx3 is just even more insane than ZENx3. I won my only WWKx3 draft with mono blue drawing 13 cards in a game. My shround and non-shroud walls and flying creatures were hard to beat.
I don't know about you, but if I was CAUGHT looking at an opponent's hand through a reflection of his watch or a mirror around him that he's not aware of or whatever else is convenient, I'd feel embarrassed. That's my indicator that something shouldn't be done. But every conscious is different I suppose.
EDIT: Your analogy of the money is more akin to seeing the old lady drop money, waiting until she leaves, and then taking it for yourself. Yes, I think that's wrong.
I wouldn't feel the same way if my opponent accidentally drops a card and knows we both saw it. He knows I know, and his play can change accordingly. Not so when you're peeking at his hand through other methods.
you can not kgrip standstill..it will trigger
The list I might be running this weekend has 4 Imps and 3 Butchers MD, 4 Brownscales and 3 Crypt Rats SB along with the 8 discard spells. Okiba-Gang Shinobi isn't needed here as it only really improves the control matchup which is ridiculously good anyway. I might swap the Butchers for Rancor, i'll have to test that.
Heya Eric Good luck with your j1. I never did go for mine. Seems like your prices are a bit off unless they were delayed a week but as per usual with new sets stuff goes up and down like a yoyo. I did not notice the "Tradable" items "feature." I am certain I would have had a small fit if I did. This is upsetting indeed.
Similarly to how people are fully in control of their destinies yet make horrible life changing mistakes all the time. If you were to see someone make such a mistake it would be only be right to correct them. This is the microcosm of that.
Obviously there is a huge difference between crossing an unethical line and actually breaking the law (or bylaws in the case of magic.) There is no law that says you can't pocket money you found on the ground even if you know who dropped it and when. (Though some local areas may leave this up to dispute with their own statutes about good Samaritans etc.)
It is unscrupulous to keep such money and in same sense it is unscrupulous to take advantage of your opponent accidentally revealing cards unwittingly. Legally wrong? no. But definitely a matter of personal morals. Me? I'd find it repugnant to not at least tell the person what they were doing.
Paul, how is the advantage you gain "unfair"? The opponent has complete control over their wardrobe. Is it unfair to profit when your opponent makes repeated play mistakes? Is it unfair to take a win when your opponent draws two cards due to carelessness? No and no in my book.
Now if there is a rule against showing one's hand, then it is probably cheating to knowingly let someone violate a rule, where you gain a benefit from that violation. I am not aware of such a rule existing, possibly because I am a predominantly modo player.
Cool article, thank you very much sir. Highlighting the flavor text on Cabal Surgeon is reason enough to recommend this article!
Some might argue that by not letting the person know they are giving away their hand you are taking unfair advantage. Similar to watching someone drop a $50 and walk off, then seeing no one else grab for it you take it and pocket it. Grey area? yes. An ethics test? For sure. They might also argue that if you had a strongly developed sense of ethics you'd find this sort of thing abhorrent. Just saying.
http://www.classicquarter.com/tournaments/card_usage.asp
top 10 cards in classic, Crypt is there
Totally disagree with ya on the cheating. As I admitted up front, it's a grey area...
like what do you do when someone drops a card on the table, and quickly puts it back in their hand? Do you go get a doctor to do selective amnesia on you? Or do you just keep going...silly scenario..but an advantage is an advantage...this would just be a 'continue play' call on the judge, your opp. did the error...cheating would be setting up props to do said tricks, but when they happen naturally - you'd be a fool to not use them.
BTW -
I also keep money I find on the ground. Are you advocating I'm a thief for this? ;) Should I get on a ladder and scream: "...DID ANYONE LOSE THIS 50 DOLLAR BILL?!?!" of course if I saw some old lady drop it, I'd do the right thing...all relative.
Good guidelines are good. The person who told you about Agony Warps must be very smart, handsome, and funny. Yes, quite the man he must be! :P
I have to disagree with the paper advice though. Concealing how many lands you have in play or cards in hand may be legit but is shady nonetheless, and annoys your opponent when he has to keep asking your card count. Using reflections to look at the opponent's hand is straight up cheating. Really, this isn't stuff you should be doing, let alone advocating. Beat your opponent with your skills at Magic (and shuffler luck!), not through underhanded tactics.
Strange...3 of the pictures that were there most of the day have gone missing...bummer
Generally speaking rules of thumb are merely guidelines...getting caught up in habits of Attacking always before doing things results sometimes in bad tactics anyway and nets you perhaps a less desirable board position. I am not a fan of that mentality. I try and keep awake during my matches and make conscious decisions about each main phase, even if it is only: do nothing.