I finished in 19th when all is said and done. Not perfect, but I am very pleased with it. I'd of been more pleased if it was 16th, but i'll take it. An hour and 20 minute nap, and i'm back to trying to earn points for season 5. If you were keeping track 5 of the top 8 had a bye. Whoever gets 3 byes this coming tourny is going to have a real good shot at that 4 grand.
I had been playing MTGO since when Conflux came out, since I missed the game after not playing IRL. then, recently, A month ago, I discovered someone at work was playing Magic, so I whipped up a casual deck in under 45 minutes (10 mins to build and the rest of the time to actually find the cards from a shop's singles binders) so that we could play casually at work during breaks.
since then, I've bought around 20 booster packs, half from ALA block and half from M10 (Yes, M10, which I can't play yet online). I've never had luck in over 20 drafts in MTGO, with the only notable good cards I've had being 1 noble heirarch, 2 nicol bolas planeswalker, 1 underground sea, 1 tezzeret the seeker. just today, I bought 3 M10 packs for what would be the equivalent of 8.33 tix, and got 1 honor of the pure, 1 darksteel colossus, and 1 sphinx ambassador. yesterday, i opened 3 reborn packs and got 2 bloodbraid elf and a karrthus, tyrant of jund. and I love seeing the cards in my 4-pocket.
and yeah, it helps meeting new people and sharing interests with them. + the savings.
although, I do miss the convenience of MTGO, what with the anytime, anywhere thing where I can just hop into an event when I want. basically, I agree with the poster above that MTGO just doesn't cut it for me. Still, I have cards online, so it'd be a waste to just not use them anymore.
Top 10 Resons why Paper Magic is better than MTGO.
10 ) You get to meet people, in real life.
9 ) You own the cards in real life
8 ) At any time MTG paper can be canceled but I still own the cards, MTGO can be canceled at any time, i just lost all of the cards.
7) It's cheaper, Yeah sure MTGO i can find that card that i want at any time. But in real life i have to think about the cards i buy, becaue i have to order them for my decks. I can't think about how often I just decided to whip out the CC to purchase 4$ packs, or just purchase some card because i think it might be good, if i want to test out a card I can just use a proxy.
6) I get to leave my computer, yes sure i save money on gas but at the same time i'm atleast moving. Sitting infront of a PC for countless hours at a time can just turn into the episode of southpark "World of Warcraft"
5) FNM - Nothing is better than store credit or bragging rights to the locals about winning first. Friday nights at the shop with 60+ people all trying to win the foil, it's just fun!
4) Disconnects/Lags/Misclicks/ - Don't really need to say much more
3) Did i just get ripped off? MTGO is full of everyone trying to turn a cent into a dollar. At the shop this can happen but not as offent as mtgo. Yes MTGOTRADERS.COM does have the prices but when you do a trade and for some reason you didn't get your tix (it's happened) then you have to report it and only really hope that the person will give you the tix.
3) 24/7 is nice don't get me wrong, but spend time with the loved ones..MTGO is very addicting.
2) Wednesdays. If you look @ The main MTG website they say 24/7 but every Wednesday it's down she goes. There is an update to download only to have that update mess something up, did they fix the issue where you hit the up button and MTGO crashes?
1) I OWN THE CARDS. I said this before but nothings better than opening up the binder and just looking at the foils i own.
I started Magic last October right as ALA came out. I stoped MTGO and redeemed my sets in April right after conflux. The fact that i can sit back and chill with friends and play a game or two has proven to me that getting out and atleast putting effort into playing the real thing has surpassed everything MTGO has to offer.
with all of that being said...I'm about to jump on MTGO @ 5:19am and play in a draft....i mean yeah hipocritical, but hey it's still fun...just don't think it's better
I'm way late in reading this - but awesome analysis! One of your best articles, and hopefully in a new version somewhere you can incorporate some of the suggestions here in the forums.
Great article that needs to go on a nonMTGO site also. MTGO has made it easy for me to play Magic and have a family life. I can jump on and play a game here or there and still spend time with my wife and daughter. Now if only leagues would come back I could get my limited MTGO action going :)
-mullaccm
Since you seem to be the price guru, I was wondering if you (or someone else trustworthy - like Heath) knows where I can buy playsets of commons (for the Alara reborn set specifically, and likely m10 down the road) for mtgo. I like mtgo traders, but they don't offer them. The only place I've seen common sets is a Korean run site called something like 'aeeas' and ... well, I'm not sure about them.
I would prefer to buy with tix online, but (if it is a prominent store) would possibly consider using a cc.
Though I guess I understand the not wanting to be touched thing. If I had to break someone's hand/arm just to get some space it would get tiresome eventually. Point being personal touching is off-limits and people who don't get that are not just "Freaks". They are asking for "it".
Anyway I think the instance of finding someone physically abhorrent is a low percentage chance. Most of the time people will have minor habits that annoy but are otherwise OK to deal with. I am surprised "Jeffrey" was allowed to be so loathsome by his peers. :p
Completely agree - the other difference, you didn't note, and possibly neither should I.... Is that a room full of Paper Magic players has a, certain, special, smell...
Why may still be the casein MTGO, but at least I don't have to suffer it, as pixels don't transport scent.
Good article, but points 1, 2 & 3 should have been that MTGO is better, because there are too many freaks in paper. Honestly, back in the old days, when i played paper, there as one guy in our group, spookiest guy ever, one eye bigger than the other, haired almost thinned to nothing with just odd strands emerging from his bald scalp, and hanging over his face. His name was Jeffrey, why are they always called Jeffrey. Well that charming fellow was always watching me, and once reached out and touched my face while we were playing, very disturbing
Awesome article that seems to have spawned a nice discussion as well. For me, I'm getting more and more involved with MTGO for every month. I started just to have a place to draft (friends were interested in a draft every 8 weeks or so), but now I'm seriously looking into playing more seriously both in limited and constructed and cutting down on paper. EDH and drafting is still fun in paper though, and the friends I've made due to magic is another bonus, so I don't see myself stop playing paper. I do feel that the two work in unison to create an awesome (albeit expensive) hobby :)
feel blessed that you have that kind of social aspect, I live in a smaller area that used to have a store and that went away probably 3 years ago now, its hard to keep going when you don't have an active place to purchase cards at and you can't really sustain growth.
The cheating on MTGO really isn't that bad. I mean really you have a fair shot still yeah you might be playing against a collective but there is still a chance for you to outwit that and come out on top. I mean there is no way every draft on MTGO is corrupted like that. (or I'd never win any) :P
So i followed what you talked about regarding packs... they also did away with the 33-64 consolation pack... nice 120 in wotc's pocket, PLUS the increase of 2 tickets on the swiss sealed 16 mans and the doing away of the sealed championship...
Actually- I like paper a little more cuz of the peeps i am able to meet. A lot of them are lamers or nerdy dorks which is cool. I also like to physically own the cards. Cards are a pain to get but it is cheap also if you buy on ebay or something. At my local store- 2 min away- the peeps are much more skilled than the ones I play online in terms of casual play but in drafts Online provides much harder players to draft with. My 1st Paper draft was ACR a month ago and ive saw Farie Mechanists passed 10 and 12th picks... I snagged both cuz of fags not grabbing them. I was draftig naya with Rebirth as my bomb... haha. won 2 lost 2.
Now that ive draftd M10 4x- I think some of the less skilld players have an easier time picking the 'correct' card. I really dont like drafting M10. Its so boring and losing to such lame cards.
Very nice article, I wouldn't expect less from someone who's a professional writer.
And hey, do you really think the books are dead? The owner of the bookstore I visit EACH Saturday wants to have a word with you! And don't forget that without the books, there won't be that many movies.
Completely agree on the cheating thing. With MTGO, I don't have to worry about someone stacking or weaving their deck, or drawing extra cards when I'm not looking, or lands becoming mysteriously untapped, or people inserting bombs into their limited pool. "Whoa guys, 3rd sealed event in a row I got Baneslayer!" Right...
I can just focus on the game. Very relaxing and nice.
I finished in 19th when all is said and done. Not perfect, but I am very pleased with it. I'd of been more pleased if it was 16th, but i'll take it. An hour and 20 minute nap, and i'm back to trying to earn points for season 5. If you were keeping track 5 of the top 8 had a bye. Whoever gets 3 byes this coming tourny is going to have a real good shot at that 4 grand.
I had been playing MTGO since when Conflux came out, since I missed the game after not playing IRL. then, recently, A month ago, I discovered someone at work was playing Magic, so I whipped up a casual deck in under 45 minutes (10 mins to build and the rest of the time to actually find the cards from a shop's singles binders) so that we could play casually at work during breaks.
since then, I've bought around 20 booster packs, half from ALA block and half from M10 (Yes, M10, which I can't play yet online). I've never had luck in over 20 drafts in MTGO, with the only notable good cards I've had being 1 noble heirarch, 2 nicol bolas planeswalker, 1 underground sea, 1 tezzeret the seeker. just today, I bought 3 M10 packs for what would be the equivalent of 8.33 tix, and got 1 honor of the pure, 1 darksteel colossus, and 1 sphinx ambassador. yesterday, i opened 3 reborn packs and got 2 bloodbraid elf and a karrthus, tyrant of jund. and I love seeing the cards in my 4-pocket.
and yeah, it helps meeting new people and sharing interests with them. + the savings.
although, I do miss the convenience of MTGO, what with the anytime, anywhere thing where I can just hop into an event when I want. basically, I agree with the poster above that MTGO just doesn't cut it for me. Still, I have cards online, so it'd be a waste to just not use them anymore.
Top 10 Resons why Paper Magic is better than MTGO.
10 ) You get to meet people, in real life.
9 ) You own the cards in real life
8 ) At any time MTG paper can be canceled but I still own the cards, MTGO can be canceled at any time, i just lost all of the cards.
7) It's cheaper, Yeah sure MTGO i can find that card that i want at any time. But in real life i have to think about the cards i buy, becaue i have to order them for my decks. I can't think about how often I just decided to whip out the CC to purchase 4$ packs, or just purchase some card because i think it might be good, if i want to test out a card I can just use a proxy.
6) I get to leave my computer, yes sure i save money on gas but at the same time i'm atleast moving. Sitting infront of a PC for countless hours at a time can just turn into the episode of southpark "World of Warcraft"
5) FNM - Nothing is better than store credit or bragging rights to the locals about winning first. Friday nights at the shop with 60+ people all trying to win the foil, it's just fun!
4) Disconnects/Lags/Misclicks/ - Don't really need to say much more
3) Did i just get ripped off? MTGO is full of everyone trying to turn a cent into a dollar. At the shop this can happen but not as offent as mtgo. Yes MTGOTRADERS.COM does have the prices but when you do a trade and for some reason you didn't get your tix (it's happened) then you have to report it and only really hope that the person will give you the tix.
3) 24/7 is nice don't get me wrong, but spend time with the loved ones..MTGO is very addicting.
2) Wednesdays. If you look @ The main MTG website they say 24/7 but every Wednesday it's down she goes. There is an update to download only to have that update mess something up, did they fix the issue where you hit the up button and MTGO crashes?
1) I OWN THE CARDS. I said this before but nothings better than opening up the binder and just looking at the foils i own.
I started Magic last October right as ALA came out. I stoped MTGO and redeemed my sets in April right after conflux. The fact that i can sit back and chill with friends and play a game or two has proven to me that getting out and atleast putting effort into playing the real thing has surpassed everything MTGO has to offer.
with all of that being said...I'm about to jump on MTGO @ 5:19am and play in a draft....i mean yeah hipocritical, but hey it's still fun...just don't think it's better
I'm just not going there. :)
I'm way late in reading this - but awesome analysis! One of your best articles, and hopefully in a new version somewhere you can incorporate some of the suggestions here in the forums.
If you message heath online i'm sure he can work something out with you.
Great article that needs to go on a nonMTGO site also. MTGO has made it easy for me to play Magic and have a family life. I can jump on and play a game here or there and still spend time with my wife and daughter. Now if only leagues would come back I could get my limited MTGO action going :)
-mullaccm
Since you seem to be the price guru, I was wondering if you (or someone else trustworthy - like Heath) knows where I can buy playsets of commons (for the Alara reborn set specifically, and likely m10 down the road) for mtgo. I like mtgo traders, but they don't offer them. The only place I've seen common sets is a Korean run site called something like 'aeeas' and ... well, I'm not sure about them.
I would prefer to buy with tix online, but (if it is a prominent store) would possibly consider using a cc.
Thank you for any replies.
You played against Sloth? Was he wearing his superman t-shirt and screaming "Hey You Guys!!!!"?
for our personal hygiene...
If anyone has any evidence of me claiming not to be shallow i'd like to see it
Jeffrey is that you?
My Smellovision program transmits all the olfactory scents that a room full of magic players would create. :D
We aren't shallow at all are we? :D
Though I guess I understand the not wanting to be touched thing. If I had to break someone's hand/arm just to get some space it would get tiresome eventually. Point being personal touching is off-limits and people who don't get that are not just "Freaks". They are asking for "it".
Anyway I think the instance of finding someone physically abhorrent is a low percentage chance. Most of the time people will have minor habits that annoy but are otherwise OK to deal with. I am surprised "Jeffrey" was allowed to be so loathsome by his peers. :p
Completely agree - the other difference, you didn't note, and possibly neither should I.... Is that a room full of Paper Magic players has a, certain, special, smell...
Why may still be the casein MTGO, but at least I don't have to suffer it, as pixels don't transport scent.
Alright. Finally got to register an account. Hi everybody!
Good article, but points 1, 2 & 3 should have been that MTGO is better, because there are too many freaks in paper. Honestly, back in the old days, when i played paper, there as one guy in our group, spookiest guy ever, one eye bigger than the other, haired almost thinned to nothing with just odd strands emerging from his bald scalp, and hanging over his face. His name was Jeffrey, why are they always called Jeffrey. Well that charming fellow was always watching me, and once reached out and touched my face while we were playing, very disturbing
and that is why mtgo is better than paper
Awesome article that seems to have spawned a nice discussion as well. For me, I'm getting more and more involved with MTGO for every month. I started just to have a place to draft (friends were interested in a draft every 8 weeks or so), but now I'm seriously looking into playing more seriously both in limited and constructed and cutting down on paper. EDH and drafting is still fun in paper though, and the friends I've made due to magic is another bonus, so I don't see myself stop playing paper. I do feel that the two work in unison to create an awesome (albeit expensive) hobby :)
feel blessed that you have that kind of social aspect, I live in a smaller area that used to have a store and that went away probably 3 years ago now, its hard to keep going when you don't have an active place to purchase cards at and you can't really sustain growth.
The cheating on MTGO really isn't that bad. I mean really you have a fair shot still yeah you might be playing against a collective but there is still a chance for you to outwit that and come out on top. I mean there is no way every draft on MTGO is corrupted like that. (or I'd never win any) :P
Man GJ. I have not had that much fun reading an article in a long time. I wish I could give you 10 stars. I would love to read more stuff like this.
btw best arnie quote of all time
"It's not a toomor!"
So i followed what you talked about regarding packs... they also did away with the 33-64 consolation pack... nice 120 in wotc's pocket, PLUS the increase of 2 tickets on the swiss sealed 16 mans and the doing away of the sealed championship...
www.ne2s.us
ne3s
Actually- I like paper a little more cuz of the peeps i am able to meet. A lot of them are lamers or nerdy dorks which is cool. I also like to physically own the cards. Cards are a pain to get but it is cheap also if you buy on ebay or something. At my local store- 2 min away- the peeps are much more skilled than the ones I play online in terms of casual play but in drafts Online provides much harder players to draft with. My 1st Paper draft was ACR a month ago and ive saw Farie Mechanists passed 10 and 12th picks... I snagged both cuz of fags not grabbing them. I was draftig naya with Rebirth as my bomb... haha. won 2 lost 2.
Now that ive draftd M10 4x- I think some of the less skilld players have an easier time picking the 'correct' card. I really dont like drafting M10. Its so boring and losing to such lame cards.
ne2s
www.ne3s.us
Very nice article, I wouldn't expect less from someone who's a professional writer.
And hey, do you really think the books are dead? The owner of the bookstore I visit EACH Saturday wants to have a word with you! And don't forget that without the books, there won't be that many movies.
Other than that, it was very nice.
LE
Completely agree on the cheating thing. With MTGO, I don't have to worry about someone stacking or weaving their deck, or drawing extra cards when I'm not looking, or lands becoming mysteriously untapped, or people inserting bombs into their limited pool. "Whoa guys, 3rd sealed event in a row I got Baneslayer!" Right...
I can just focus on the game. Very relaxing and nice.