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YorexTheMad posted:Slightly awkward question but bear with me. Whether FNM is casual or serious is really area dependant. Mine is a fairly casual place. Mix of highschoolers and adults playing card games for fun. Standard is currently RTR, M14, Theros, and M15. RTR and M14 cycle out of Standard when Khans comes out at the end of September.
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Aug 21, 2014 23:17
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Boco_T posted:Today's Jacob Wilson Alexander Hayne Team-Up Video is the best one since last time they did one: Oh hell, they did it again. I love it so much.
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Aug 21, 2014 23:22
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In vaguely related related WotC news, Kaijudo (AKA baby's first Magic) is shutting down. I'll always have fond memories of learning how to play Kaijudo while waiting for the Modern Masters draft to get started at my old LGS with the sample decks the owner showered upon us as he was saddled with a shitload of Kaijudo product by his distributor in exchange for a few more boxes of that sweet MMA. For those of you who never had a chance to play, imagine a world where Magic has 40 card decks with 3-of playsets, you can play any card as a land of that card's color (and there are no actual lands), only the precombat main phase, no instants, and you die once you've been hit by five creatures regardless of their power. I'm sure there's more to it, but it basically boiled down to "I'd rather be playing Magic" for adults and "I'd rather play Magic like the grownups" for kids. The game didn't fail for lack of WotC trying to keep it afloat though, the store was heavily incentivized to try to run Kaijudo events and get kids hooked, usually in the form of tons of distributor credit towards other Wizards product and promises of extra high demand MtG stuff. The store was also given tons of promo cards and materials for  (Note the sweet "Attack Raptor" creature type and edge to edge foiling) Alas, Kaijudo you were too beautiful for this world, perhaps you can rise from the ashes anew in a few years when WotC tries to get kids hooked on Magic at an early age again. If nothing else, I'll always have the memories of watching this eBay seller descend into madness trying to recoup his investment on having a full expansion BGS graded before giving up and selling for a huge loss.
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Aug 21, 2014 23:37
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Yeah our LGS owner in Vienna, VA was super into Kaijudo and the last few months he'd been offering completely free drafts on Sundays and only 1-3 people would show up.
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Aug 21, 2014 23:42
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Duel masters was a fun game, it's unfortunate that I was never able to find folks to play with back then. The mechanics were pretty darn cool.
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Aug 21, 2014 23:45
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.png)  That of course came from Duel Masters, Yugioh and Magic's illicit child. There's a really long story to be told here, but long story short, it also failed in the US. Duel Masters does seem to be doing quite well in Japan though... just not as well as Yugioh and Magic.
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Aug 21, 2014 23:45
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Death Bot posted:The point isn't that it's scaring away people who are already playing, it's the people who might play occasionally ignoring it because it's impenetrable. Yeah, seconding this. I was getting back into Magic over this last year and was very much considering starting up MTGO for occasional drafts and gradually more, maybe streaming myself... and then the V4 switch happened, and my interest in buying in completely died. Even giving the benefit of the doubt and hoping that the performance and stability and minor issues will improve over time, the new UI is utterly unsuitable for videos, streaming, or anything other than a desktop monitor. In V3 I could watch a twitch stream on medium quality and distinguish everything easily. Text on cards might be blurry but the pictures and things like life totals and hand sizes were crisp and distinguishable. Try and watch a stream or video of V4 and... nope. I often can't tell cards apart, and there's absolutely no hope of seeing, say, the opponent's hand size. So, as a direct result of the switchover, the amount of MTG content I watch dropped by like 90%. There was a while when Magic would regularly be in the top 10 popular games on twitch, but now it's hovering down around #30. I know people are posting that CoD screenshot and stuff, and yeah people who are already into it will probably stay in, but trying to buy in now without a previous investment seems kind of absurd and masochistic. (And for that matter, I'm not even all that sure about people staying in, a lot of the streamers I used to watch have effectively quit doing so, or switched to Hearthstone either partially or completely. And they certainly were heavily enfranchised players.)
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Aug 21, 2014 23:51
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 Can someone explain this art to me?
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Aug 22, 2014 00:03
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Rinkles posted:
Her memory is going on a journey down her spine in an elevator.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:05
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Rinkles posted:
Not without a smirk on my face I couldn't
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Aug 22, 2014 00:05
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Rinkles posted:
I love how surreal and abstract Magic art can get.  
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Aug 22, 2014 00:10
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It's pretty. Which is a nice change for Magic art.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:23
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If you're having issues with V4, you should check out XMage. It's a fairly recent addition to the Magic program field, but this one has rules enforcement, with 8500+ cards implemented and new cards being added constantly. You can see what cards are/aren't implemented here. I'm one of the people contributing card implementations to the project (it's fairly simple to stitch together parts of other cards into something working if you have a bit of programming knowledge), so if there are any specific cards you think should be jumped front of the line, just post them.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:28
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Ooh, are we posting our favorite weird Blue card art?
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Aug 22, 2014 00:31
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Rinkles posted:Can someone explain this art to me? How Maniak came up with it, I don't know, but he's one of the artists they're happy to give minimal art descriptions to and then let him loose, and I'd bet this is one of those cases. I have no idea how you'd even do an art description for that. Incidentally, it's one of a number of counterpoints to crusty old grognards whining about how Magic art is never stylised or abstract any more and always sticks to the style guide and is overly directed.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:31
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Orange Fluffy Sheep posted:I love how surreal and abstract Magic art can get. Yep, Terese Nielsen is the best at abstract blue cards 
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Aug 22, 2014 00:43
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I actually wish they'd let Terese do more non blue cards. Magic could use more genuinely scary, disarming demons, and crazy looking red monstrosities.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:49
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ThirdEmperor posted:I actually wish they'd let Terese do more non blue cards. Magic could use more genuinely scary, disarming demons, and crazy looking red monstrosities. They let her make lands! I really want those judge foils. E: Dictate if Heliod was amazing too and even a white card atelier morgan fucked around with this message at 01:02 on Aug 22, 2014 |
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Aug 22, 2014 00:50
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Sleep of Bronze posted:Incidentally, it's one of a number of counterpoints to crusty old grognards whining about how Magic art is never stylised or abstract any more and always sticks to the style guide and is overly directed. Even in its abstraction it fits squarely into the pseudo-photographic mold of recent sets.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:50
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UberJew posted:Yep, Terese Nielsen is the best at abstract blue cards drat straight.  Sealed Fate
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Aug 22, 2014 00:51
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Bugsy posted:drat straight. I am angry that such great art is on a card that isn't that good.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:54
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Rinkles posted:Even in its abstraction it fits squarely into the pseudo-photographic mold of recent sets. I will still never understand why "uniform art direction" is a bad thing for a brand that's attempting to make "distinct visual style" one of its major points.
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Aug 22, 2014 00:55
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We need more stasis art hth.Heavy Lobster posted:I will still never understand why "uniform art direction" is a bad thing for a brand that's attempting to make "distinct visual style" one of its major points. This could be done with sweet folio or stasis or blue mana battery art and not the CGI crap they have going on now that looks like Warcraft or any other fantasy brand. Like seriously they can stick liliana on a pathfinder book. Chill la Chill fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Aug 22, 2014 |
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Aug 22, 2014 00:56
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Heavy Lobster posted:I will still never understand why "uniform art direction" is a bad thing for a brand that's attempting to make "distinct visual style" one of its major points. Yeah man, I look at Ice Age cards and I'm like, man, what is this poo poo? Pokemon??  But in all seriousness, if "distinct visual style" means canning (explictly or otherwise) DiTerlizzi, old-style Quinton Hoover, etc., I'm comfortable saying that that's a bad thing. Uniform art direction might not be a bad thing from the point of view of "MUST HAVE DISTINCT VISUAL STYLE" but that's just passing the buck as to why it's ultimately bad.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:00
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Chill la Chill posted:We need more stasis art hth. 
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Aug 22, 2014 01:00
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Heavy Lobster posted:Ooh, are we posting our favorite weird Blue card art? This has my favorite flavor text.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:02
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Heavy Lobster posted:I will still never understand why "uniform art direction" is a bad thing for a brand that's attempting to make "distinct visual style" one of its major points. because cg art is lifeless and boring
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Aug 22, 2014 01:05
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Chill la Chill posted:We need more stasis art hth. It's funny you mention this because Wayne Reynolds is actually a major artist for Pathfinder. UberJew posted:Yep, Terese Nielsen is the best at abstract blue cards Literally my favorite card art of all time is Terese's Swords to Plowshares. do u believe in marigolds fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Aug 22, 2014 |
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Aug 22, 2014 01:09
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JerryLee posted:Yeah man, I look at Ice Age cards and I'm like, man, what is this poo poo? Pokemon?? DiTerlizzi and Hoover being absent is absolutely a problem because they're fantastic artists, but I just think that a lot of older Magic card art is praised entirely out of nostalgia for a different era of fantasy art. Just a bit upthread people were discussing Phil Foglio's art, and while it's certainly novel, it's also the posterchild for "slightly goofy, not-quite-Steve-Jackson early '90s TTRPG supplement" art. The fact that Wayne Reynolds is as prolific as he is on Magic art is pretty much the number one way Wizards has of communicating that they're interested in the "dungeonpunk" look more than the "FLGS bookshelf" look. I guess what I'm trying to say is that both old Magic art and new Magic art are entirely gunning for one style or another, and to say that anything other than old Alpha/Beta stuff was wildly creative/evocative is missing the point that almost all art produced for Magic has been made specifically to fit preexisting fantasy archetypes.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:09
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Shaman Ooglaboogla posted:I feel elves is always safer because it's so easy to have a good amount of gy hate just naturally. I went with Elves. It was slightly pricier, but also easier to flip the pieces again if I change decks. Also, I don't feel like games where a turn 2 Rest in Peace means I scoop sound very fun....both decks scoop to an Elesh Norn, but it feels harder to hate on Elves and at least I'll have things to do.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:10
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This owns is there a large enough image for a battle blanket? I'm on my phone so can't tell how big it is Oraculum Animi posted:It's funny you mention this because Wayne Reynolds is actually a major artist for Pathfinder. Ugh drat no wonder. Tell that guy the sorceress art sucks. Is she on a model runway with that gait?
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Aug 22, 2014 01:12
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Boco_T posted:Yeah our LGS owner in Vienna, VA was super into Kaijudo and the last few months he'd been offering completely free drafts on Sundays and only 1-3 people would show up. I would have drafted free Kaijudo all day every day for kicks, it was interesting enough to play in a "what the hell is going on" context but not enough to pay for it. A couple of guys in my playgroup offered to buy all of the store's product about a year ago at cost so we could do that, but the owner shot it down because he wanted to hit at least a 30% margin on it or something even though he sold exactly one starter set (to a Magic Player who wanted the sweet deck boxes it came with) and a handful of boosters. I should check in and see if that deal is still on the table. YorexTheMad posted:Slightly awkward question but bear with me. As Cernunnos said and you surmised, it does vary from place to place. If you have the luxury of having multiple stores in your area shop around and try out a few places, you can try hitting weekend/weekday tournaments or casual nights if they offer them as those tend to mirror what the FNM scene looks like (in my experience anyways). If you only have cards from Innistrad through RTR hold off on buying cards until September 26, when Khans of Tarkir becomes legal and all your RTR cards aren't standard legal anymore. If you've got the budget for it take a look at decks that will spring up immediately once the set is fully spoiled and see what looks fun to you and buy all the singles you need from the internet, your store, or our very own buying/selling/trading thread. If you're a little more limited, give FNM drafts a try, it can be intimidating at first but once you get the hang of it it's objectively the best way to play magical cards and you can start building up a collection of standard cards/trade fodder if that's what you really want to be doing.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:14
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Sliver hive into hive lord? Endless hornets? Idgi.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:26
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Heavy Lobster posted:DiTerlizzi and Hoover being absent is absolutely a problem because they're fantastic artists, but I just think that a lot of older Magic card art is praised entirely out of nostalgia for a different era of fantasy art. Just a bit upthread people were discussing Phil Foglio's art, and while it's certainly novel, it's also the posterchild for "slightly goofy, not-quite-Steve-Jackson early '90s TTRPG supplement" art. The fact that Wayne Reynolds is as prolific as he is on Magic art is pretty much the number one way Wizards has of communicating that they're interested in the "dungeonpunk" look more than the "FLGS bookshelf" look.  Sucks, he was pretty good too.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:27
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BaronVonVaderham posted:Well poo poo. Apparently the format for MOCS this season is Legacy. That's great....except I don't yet have a Legacy deck online. A grand? On MTGO? I'm not even sure what in that deck would cost a grand online. I mean, you can get away with not having Flooded Strand. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Aug 22, 2014 |
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Aug 22, 2014 01:33
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HMS Boromir posted:Is there anyone that streams MTGO that doesn't do it alone, playing music, with a facecam? Is this something to aim for? most mtgo streams dont get enough viewers chatting, so music keeps the stream from being quiet for like 90% of the time. I stream commander sometimes but if I dont have anyone to talk to i'll have music on. No face cam yet though.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:37
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One of my favorite MTGO price quirks is that 4 JTMS cost less than 4 Force of Wills (which, in turn, cost slightly less than a single Liliana of the Veil). Lili's secondary market value is insane.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:39
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Niton posted:One of my favorite MTGO price quirks is that 4 JTMS cost less than 4 Force of Wills (which, in turn, cost slightly less than a single Liliana of the Veil). Lili's secondary market value is insane. The fact that Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Force of Will are both contained in currently in-print set probably helps.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:43
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Chill la Chill posted:Ugh drat no wonder. Tell that guy the sorceress art sucks. Is she on a model runway with that gait? Wayne Reynolds never drew Liliana, though? 
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Aug 22, 2014 01:46
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Heavy Lobster posted:Wayne Reynolds never drew Liliana, though? If he did, her arms would be all flung out to each side at bonebreaking angles and she'd be bristling with spikes.
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Aug 22, 2014 01:52
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