Comments for Still Had All These! http://stillhadallthese.com M:tG Strategy, Reports and Shenanigans Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:43:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Planeswalker Points – Is the Grind Worth It? by silverbrood http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/09/06/planeswalker-points-is-the-grind-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-6390 silverbrood Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:43:55 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=790#comment-6390 A few of the FLGS groups will be destroyed by the 3-6 high skill/cash players who use the store to pad their PWP, which WILL drive attendance down at some stores. A few of the FLGS groups will be destroyed by the 3-6 high skill/cash players who use the store to pad their PWP, which WILL drive attendance down at some stores.

]]> Comment on Breaking Mirrors – Kessig Wolf Run by silverbrood http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/10/18/breaking-mirrors-kessig-wolf-run/comment-page-1/#comment-6389 silverbrood Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:37:02 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=820#comment-6389 Remember BW tokens? I ran a lattice of rouge/prowl effects in mine in order enable earwig squadron. A resolution of arwigs would auto win the game for me in the Mirror... because I had 4 instead of 3 ajani goldmanes and th eopponent never had more than 3 total including his side. YOU HAVE TO HAVE ACCESS AND PROTECTION on your key-cards. Remember BW tokens? I ran a lattice of rouge/prowl effects in mine in order enable earwig squadron. A resolution of arwigs would auto win the game for me in the Mirror… because I had 4 instead of 3 ajani goldmanes and th eopponent never had more than 3 total including his side. YOU HAVE TO HAVE ACCESS AND PROTECTION on your key-cards.

]]> Comment on 8-4s, 4-3-2-2s, and Swiss (Part 3) by CricketHunter http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/07/06/8-4s-4-3-2-2s-and-swiss-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-5963 CricketHunter Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:49:25 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=756#comment-5963 This is a phenomenal article. Thank you so much for taking the time to do the math. I would love to see the fourth article in this series. This is a phenomenal article. Thank you so much for taking the time to do the math.

I would love to see the fourth article in this series.

]]> Comment on Planeswalker Points – Is the Grind Worth It? by MTGBattlefield http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/09/06/planeswalker-points-is-the-grind-worth-it/comment-page-1/#comment-4962 MTGBattlefield Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:08:21 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=790#comment-4962 <strong>Planeswalker Points – Is the Grind Worth It?...</strong> Your story has been summoned to the battlefield - Trackback from MTGBattlefield... Planeswalker Points – Is the Grind Worth It?…

Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…

]]> Comment on Disaster in Kansas City by Jon Loucks http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/06/23/disaster-in-kansas-city/comment-page-1/#comment-4030 Jon Loucks Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:24:13 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=705#comment-4030 Oops! That second instance of Tresspassing Souleater was supposed to be deleted :) Oops! That second instance of Tresspassing Souleater was supposed to be deleted :)

]]> Comment on Disaster in Kansas City by Jon Loucks http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/06/23/disaster-in-kansas-city/comment-page-1/#comment-4029 Jon Loucks Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:21:46 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=705#comment-4029 Without being able to lay it out I'm not sure I'm making the final cut right, but this is what I came up with: Act of Aggression Artillerize Blisterstick Shaman Burn the Impure Galvanic Blast Hellkite Igniter Into the Core Kuldotha Phoenix Tormentor Exarch Volt Charge Ichor Wellspring Immolating Souleater Leaden Myr Neurok Replica Perilous Myr Piston Sledge Rusted Slasher Shrien of Piercing Vision Spin Engine / Tresspassing Souleater Tresspassing Souleater Trigon of Corruption Deceiver Exarch Phyrexian Metamorph Serum Raker Volition Reins I think the deck can get away with 16 land with a Myr, Wellspring, and Shrine. On the other hand, you've got 6 mana bombs, so...uhg. I can't tell how good the creature base is without curving it, but the deck may want to put in Trinket Mage and Flayer Husk, or run both Spin engine and Tresspassing Souleater. Cutting Souleater from this deck might just be insanely wrong. If your removal and your threats weren't so good, I would put in the Soliton/Arbalest combo. I don't think you need to lean on something so clunky, though. I love the blue shrine, especially in a deck with such spicy targets to find that will certainly gain back tempo losses (Into the Core, Volition Reins). Yeah...the other way this could go is Trinket Mage and a flayer husk or two with Vivisection. Vivisection is awesome in a deck with so much removal (and so cheap!) but there just wasn't room for awkward cards like that when these are so awesome. Maybe I'm overrating Immolating Souleater, but he has been good for me - especially in a deck with so much burn! It's weird that you've only got 3 true blue cards, one of which is UUU...that might be greedy. But you have no white, black, or green I want to play! This is a hard call to make until I can lay it out and mess with the numbers. I would be very happy opening this. Without being able to lay it out I’m not sure I’m making the final cut right, but this is what I came up with:

Act of Aggression
Artillerize
Blisterstick Shaman
Burn the Impure
Galvanic Blast
Hellkite Igniter
Into the Core
Kuldotha Phoenix
Tormentor Exarch
Volt Charge
Ichor Wellspring
Immolating Souleater
Leaden Myr
Neurok Replica
Perilous Myr
Piston Sledge
Rusted Slasher
Shrien of Piercing Vision
Spin Engine / Tresspassing Souleater
Tresspassing Souleater
Trigon of Corruption
Deceiver Exarch
Phyrexian Metamorph
Serum Raker
Volition Reins

I think the deck can get away with 16 land with a Myr, Wellspring, and Shrine. On the other hand, you’ve got 6 mana bombs, so…uhg. I can’t tell how good the creature base is without curving it, but the deck may want to put in Trinket Mage and Flayer Husk, or run both Spin engine and Tresspassing Souleater. Cutting Souleater from this deck might just be insanely wrong.

If your removal and your threats weren’t so good, I would put in the Soliton/Arbalest combo. I don’t think you need to lean on something so clunky, though.

I love the blue shrine, especially in a deck with such spicy targets to find that will certainly gain back tempo losses (Into the Core, Volition Reins).

Yeah…the other way this could go is Trinket Mage and a flayer husk or two with Vivisection. Vivisection is awesome in a deck with so much removal (and so cheap!) but there just wasn’t room for awkward cards like that when these are so awesome.

Maybe I’m overrating Immolating Souleater, but he has been good for me – especially in a deck with so much burn!

It’s weird that you’ve only got 3 true blue cards, one of which is UUU…that might be greedy. But you have no white, black, or green I want to play! This is a hard call to make until I can lay it out and mess with the numbers.

I would be very happy opening this.

]]> Comment on 8-4′s, 4-3-2-2′s, and Swiss (Part 1) by James F'n X http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/07/03/8-4s-4-3-2-2s-and-swiss-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-3977 James F'n X Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:08:57 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=716#comment-3977 We're gonna get there. We’re gonna get there.

]]> Comment on 8-4′s, 4-3-2-2′s, and Swiss (Part 1) by Daniel http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/07/03/8-4s-4-3-2-2s-and-swiss-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-3975 Daniel Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:11:19 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=716#comment-3975 The part that I was most interested in is the difference in win-rate between the two drafts. 8-4's are most definitely tougher than 4-3-2-2's. The part that I was most interested in is the difference in win-rate between the two drafts. 8-4′s are most definitely tougher than 4-3-2-2′s.

]]> Comment on 8-4′s, 4-3-2-2′s, and Swiss (Part 1) by James F'n X http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/07/03/8-4s-4-3-2-2s-and-swiss-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-3965 James F'n X Mon, 04 Jul 2011 06:36:28 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=716#comment-3965 Can you put this in spoiler tags? :) Wait for part 3. Can you put this in spoiler tags? :) Wait for part 3.

]]> Comment on 8-4′s, 4-3-2-2′s, and Swiss (Part 1) by Jonathan Woodward http://stillhadallthese.com/2011/07/03/8-4s-4-3-2-2s-and-swiss-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-3959 Jonathan Woodward Sun, 03 Jul 2011 21:56:28 +0000 http://stillhadallthese.com/?p=716#comment-3959 As someone who doesn't play online, here's something that's always bugged me. Why does anyone play 4-3-2-2s when only 11 packs are given out in that format, while 12 packs are given out in 8-4s? Why does Wizards skew it like that at all (instead of making them 5-3-2-2)? I guess the answer has to be player sorting. If everyone who is 46% or better moves to the 8-4s, now the 8-4s will be significantly harder, while the 4-3-2-2s will be significantly easier. That gives players the ability not only to control their expected prize payout, but also the level of challenge. Of course, in practice, once players sort, the people who were 46% against the entire field will be way worse against the higher skill 8-4 field; they'll want to move back (especially since the 4-3-2-2 group just got a lot softer). For your another analysis, you could assume a distribution of player skills, and figure out the equilibrium choices for players of each tier (although you might have to do the computation numerically with a computer). As someone who doesn’t play online, here’s something that’s always bugged me. Why does anyone play 4-3-2-2s when only 11 packs are given out in that format, while 12 packs are given out in 8-4s? Why does Wizards skew it like that at all (instead of making them 5-3-2-2)?

I guess the answer has to be player sorting. If everyone who is 46% or better moves to the 8-4s, now the 8-4s will be significantly harder, while the 4-3-2-2s will be significantly easier. That gives players the ability not only to control their expected prize payout, but also the level of challenge.

Of course, in practice, once players sort, the people who were 46% against the entire field will be way worse against the higher skill 8-4 field; they’ll want to move back (especially since the 4-3-2-2 group just got a lot softer). For your another analysis, you could assume a distribution of player skills, and figure out the equilibrium choices for players of each tier (although you might have to do the computation numerically with a computer).

]]>