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 Welcome to the Fourteenth Edition of the Magic Megathread! A link to the last thread Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game where you play as a planeswalker, a powerful wizard capable of traveling between planes, summoning fantastic creatures, and casting powerful spells. Each game of Magic represents a duel between two or more planeswalkers. Magic in the game is divided into five colors: White, the color of order and balance; blue, the color of knowledge and illusion; black, the color of death and corruption; red, the color of chaos and power; and green, the color of nature and life. Each color is balanced against the others, with their various strengths and weaknesses. First released in 1993, Magic's years of existence as the most popular collectible card game has attracted millions of players worldwide. Tournaments of varying levels are held all around the world, and the game is enjoyed just as much at the kitchen table as it is on the Pro Tour with thousands of dollars at stake. There is an organization called the DCI that sanctions and maintains these events, using tournament officials known as judges to keep the game fair and fun. Like any other collectible game, the components can be quite pricey. Older, out-of-print cards can be hundreds of dollars, but those aren't needed to play in the game's most popular formats. In-print and just-out-of-print cards very rarely break the $50 mark, and as there's a limit of four of any one card per deck, you won't need too many to compete. Booster packs cost roughly $4 US each, but most people will agree that buying the single cards you need is a better bang for your buck... though not as fun as the "lottery" game of opening packs. ============================================ OTHER THREADS The Magic: the Gathering Buying and Selling/Trading Thread Don't deal with eBay or some random third-party insecure site for your Magic card needs. This is a thread to post your haves/wants and see if any other Goon wants your poo poo or has the poo poo you really need for that big tournament coming up, you know the one. Deck Building Brewhaus Post and critique decklists for constructed formats here. The Magic: the Gathering Limited Thread Draft and sealed discussion goes in here. This is a really informative thread if you're looking for tips on draft especially, as it goes into the draft archetypes of the current format as well as a glossary of commonly used draft terms you might hear at the table. MtG Eternal Thread Discussion on Eternal formats Legacy, Vintage, and honorary "Eternal" format Modern. M:tG Cube: The Most Expensive Free Magic Money Can Buy Share your cubes with other people without the risk of strangers stealing your foil Russian Dark Confidant you've blinged out your cube with! Commander Thread Argue about whose fun is most important in this thread about Magic's most popular casual format. MTG Thunderdome Play Magic with Goons online! ============================================ FORMATS Casual: Anything goes. Despite being the least talked-about format, mostly because it's not really a "format", casual play is probably the most popular form of Magic. We're talking kids buying precons and a couple of boosters and sitting around their kitchen tables here. There are other casual formats loved by players more into the game, such as Commander, Cube, Type 4, etc. Standard: One of the easiest formats to get into. Since it consists of nothing but the last two years worth of Standard-legal sets to be published, finding cards is relatively as most cards are still in print. Standard is the most popular sanctioned constructed format. Modern: Magic's newest format bridges the gap between Legacy and Extended. All sets from Eighth Edition on up are legal; the "Modern" name doesn't necessarily mean the modern Magic frame, as old cards reprinted in a special set with the new frame, such as judge promos, are not legal unless they've been reprinted in a set since Eighth Edition. Modern Banned List Legacy: Legacy is an Eternal format like Vintage, only without the Power 9 and many other overpowered cards. For the most part, everything restricted in Vintage is banned in Legacy. Legacy has skyrocketed in popularity lately, and so has the entry fee to play in this format. Legacy staples have doubled or tripled in price on the secondary market, so the barrier of entry is very high. Almost nobody plays this anymore, sorry. Legacy Banned List Vintage: The most powerful decks that can be created reside here in "Type 1". The insanely high expense of cards that are in almost every good deck in the format - cards known as the Power 9 because of their reputation for being the nine most powerful cards ever printed - leads players to shy away from the format. Most Vintage tournaments will be run without DCI sanctioning because they allow ten or fifteen proxies in order to make the tournament more accessable to players not willing to spend $3000 on a Black Lotus. A common misconception is that Vintage is a format of turn one kills - but in a format where turn one kills are possible, decks are fine-tuned not just to win, but to stop their opponents from going off on turn one or two as well. Vintage Banned & Restricted List Limited: There are two popular limited formats: Sealed Deck and Booster Draft. High-level limited tournaments are usually run sealed deck, with booster drafts as their top 8 playoffs. In sealed deck, a player gets six packs. With those cards, and as many extra basic lands as they wish, they have to build a deck that's at least 40 cards. Sealed is part luck (what you open), and part skill (how you build and play with your deck). Booster drafting involves each player getting three booster packs and sitting around a table. At the same time, each player opens up their first pack, takes a card out, and passes the rest of the cards in the pack to their left. This continues until all the cards in each pack are gone, then the second pack is opened and passed to the right. The third and last pack goes left again. Skilled players can sense which colors are "open" and pick cards that are strong in those colors. Then players follow the same deck construction rules as sealed deck - a minimum 40-card deck using as much extra basic land as they want. Some players consider booster drafting to be the best test of a Magic player's skill. Two-Headed Giant: In 2HG, teams of two face off against each other. Each player has their own deck, hand, permanents, etc., but each team takes their turn at the same time. 2HG is usually sealed deck, with each team getting more product than a single person would usually get, but Standard 2HG isn't unheard of. Two-Headed Giant Rules Commander: Commander (previously known as EDH, or Elder Dragon Highlander) is one of the most popular casual formats. In Commander, you pick a legendary creature to serve as your "commander", and build a 100-card deck (99 plus your commander) using only one of each card, excluding basic lands. You can't use any cards which have mana symbols anywhere on them that don't match the ones on your commander's card, and the format uses the Vintage cardpool with some modifications. Your commander starts in the "command zone", and you can cast it any time you normally could cast them - but each time you cast it that way, it costs 2 more to cast. If a commander would be put into a graveyard or into exile, its owner can choose to put it back in the command zone instead, so it's hard to permanently get rid of a commander short of sending it into its owner's library. And lastly, if a player takes 21 or more damage over the course of the game from any one commander, they lose the game. The official rules can be found here. Official Commander Site Cube Drafting: Booster drafting is fun, but it can get expensive, and players lose interest in drafting a set when a new one's about to come out... and this is where cube drafting comes in. A cube contains 350-700 of the best cards in Magic, usually including the Power 9. The cube is shuffled, and random packs are dealt out to each player, which are then drafted like a normal booster draft. Cube draft owners take great pride in their cube, and will often try to foil out every card possible, making their cube cost more than the average Vintage deck. Pauper: While Pauper is most popular on Magic Online, it does see some interest in the real world as well. Using only commons and cards reprinted as commons on Magic Online, it is the cheapest constructed format available. Here's a good FAQ to get started. ============================================ DIGITAL VERSIONS Magic Arena is the main and official online version. As of right now, you can draft with bots (but play those decks against real players) and play Standard, along with rotating wacky online formats. Unlike the paper version, there's no way to buy singles - you'll have to open the cards in packs or trade in wildcards to build your decks. Many times, especially prereleases, Wizards will release codes for the game that allow you to unlock new cards and/or cosmetics. Magic Online is the old way to play the game online. Its upsides include the ability to play or draft twenty-four hours a day and being able to test deck brews against a variety of opponents without finding and sleeving physical cards, but its downsides are almost everything else. It's got a clunky and outdated UI, multiple bugs that persist for years, and a pricing model that isn't at all as generous as its competitors such as Hearthstone. Play on it if you want, but do some research and know what you're getting into. If you want to play for free/cheap, there are ways, though some are more difficult to set up than others. Apprentice is slightly old and outdated, but still very popular. Its features aren't as robust as Magic Workstation, but if you don't care about all the bells and whistles, it gets the job done. NetDraft is a way to draft online for free, but you'll usually only play one match each draft against whoever you're paired against. Good for testing your draft skills. You'll need to use Magic Workstation or another program to play though. ============================================ WHERE TO PLAY Friday Night Magic (FNM): The most accessable tournaments for most players is FNM, which as its name suggests takes place on Friday nights at local hobby stores. FNM tournaments can range anywhere from eight to sixty-plus players, and usually pay out prizes in either packs or store credit. Competition is usually pretty lax at FNMs, with (hopefully) friendly players and a fun atmosphere. There's a special promo given out to some players at every FNM, and you can see the current month's here. Prereleases: The week before a new set comes out, players get to experience it early in a Prerelease Event. Prereleases are always sealed deck events. Prizes are usually small, because the real prize is getting to see and play with the new cards for the first time. Magic Fests: Giant celebrations of Magic that happen in and around large cities. If you feel like travelling or there's one near you, they're insanely large events full of Magic players, side events, and Grand Prix type events. Competitive Level Play: To be honest this is in such a flux right now that I can't keep track of what the hell is going on. If you want to play competitively I'm sure there are many people in this thread that can tell you why it's actually a bad idea. A full list of the official events types is here. ============================================ RESOURCES USEFUL LINKS DailyMTG.com: The official page for Magic is updated every weekday with articles from some of the most well-known people related to the game, from rules managers to Pro players to the people who make the cards you play with. You can also find tournament locations near you and information about upcoming sets. DeckStats.net: Type in your decklist and get details on your curve, draw sample hands, etc. EDHREC: A great tool for Commander/EDH players. Get suggestions based on whatever you want to play in the format! Gatherer: The official online database of every card ever printed, with up to date Oracle text, rulings, etc. If you're playing eternal formats like Vintage, Legacy, or even EDH, this is the best resource to finding out what your old cards actually do. MTGTop8.com: A listing of the top decks from various tournaments, broken down by format. A must-use if you want to follow the shifting metagame. ChannelFireball.com: Luis Scott-Vargas, one of the most celebrated Magic players of all time, writes strategy articles for this blog/online store. Like StarCityGames or any of the other online stores/blogs, it hosts high prices and high-value strategy articles - though unlike SCG.com, the strategy is free. CranialInsertion.com: A weekly rules article with answers to questions submitted by players. This is the rules article that was previously on MTGSalvation. Good Games Live: Live coverage of non-WotC big tournaments. Magic-League.com: If you want to play in online leagues without paying for Magic Online, this is the place to look. Magic-League has thousands of players, so finding a game should never be a problem. MagicCards.info: Faster than Gatherer, with a proxy printing feature, a search for prices on major online card stores, etc. If you're looking for accurate Oracle text and/or rulings, I'd still trust the official Gatherer over this, but many players use this for its other features. MTGSalvation.com: MTGSalvation is widely known as the source for all new-set spoilers, keeping the most up-to-date source of new rumors and spoiled cards in the weeks leading up to a new set's release. MTG The Source: What The Mana Drain is to Vintage, this is to Legacy. StarCityGames.com: SCG is first and foremost a web store, selling not only cards but play knowledge as well. Their webpage hosts articles from the most prolific players involved in the metagame, with some articles being free and others requiring a paid membership to their site. TheManaDrain.com: One of the premier sources for Vintage information on the internet, TMD is a forum to discuss Vintage strategy and find events. Wizards.com Event Coverage Archive: Archived coverage of WotC tournaments. IRC There's also a Goon IRC channel for Magic on SynIRC called #mtgoon where a bunch of us lurk and occasionally bullshit about Magic, draft, play EDH, etc. If you have an urgent rules question you need answered right away, there's the #mtgrules channel on EFNet where a lot of highly qualified judges hang out. LifeLynx fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Apr 18, 2017 20:04
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Now that I've actually read the OP for the first time, you should probably add Cockatrice and xmage over Apprentice(does anyone still use Apprentice?) in the "Digital Versions" subheading
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Apr 18, 2017 20:12
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Besides IRC, goons also have a Discord server and there's an MTG channel. Right now it's mostly just me talking about my inexplicable lust for Basic Lands. I feel lonely. https://discord.gg/Q2b4jJS
Siivola fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Apr 18, 2017 |
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Apr 18, 2017 20:12
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Thread title is the best advice ever given.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:27
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Under standard you should add a link to whatsinstandard.com the same way you link the banlists for the other formats.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:31
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ThePeavstenator posted:Under standard you should add a link to whatsinstandard.com the same way you link the banlists for the other formats. No one reads OPs. No one.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:34
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That description of Frontier is the only appropriate one.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:38
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Elyv posted:Now that I've actually read the OP for the first time, you should probably add Cockatrice and xmage over Apprentice(does anyone still use Apprentice?) in the "Digital Versions" subheading I researched other programs and none of them seemed like they were still being actively worked on, so I didn't include them. The official Cockatrice site said they got a warning letter from WotC and decided it was better to shut it all down. But I guess if people are still using it, it's just the old engine with unofficial patches that's being passed around via torrents?
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Apr 18, 2017 20:39
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Traditional Games › Magic: The Gathering: 2, Description of Any Format: 
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Apr 18, 2017 20:40
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BJPaskoff posted:I researched other programs and none of them seemed like they were still being actively worked on, so I didn't include them. The official Cockatrice site said they got a warning letter from WotC and decided it was better to shut it all down. But I guess if people are still using it, it's just the old engine with unofficial patches that's being passed around via torrents? I have no idea on cockatrice but xmage is definitely being worked on, I DLed a patch last night that probably had to do with Amonkhet and most matches in the occasional goon tournament are played on it. E: The program is actually trash but it's free and has rules enforcement and my understanding is that it's only slightly worse than modo, so 
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Apr 18, 2017 20:42
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Frontier is not a thing. Unless Gideon gets banned and I'm selling mine. Then I assure you sir, it is a thing.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:43
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I'm a fan of xMage and should probably screw around with it more than I do. I like that it has built-in rules enforcement because I am a dumb Magic player who forgets triggers a lot.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:45
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Xmage runs like butt and the UI strongly resembles a garbage can on a warm sunny day in Texas.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:47
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i can't fathom the stupidity of people complaining about Amonkhet not having Bolas in it when he's the headliner of the next set
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Apr 18, 2017 20:50
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Siivola posted:Besides IRC, goons also have a Discord server and there's an MTG channel. Right now it's mostly just me talking about my inexplicable lust for Basic Lands. I feel lonely. https://discord.gg/Q2b4jJS i don't lust for anything basic :smug:
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Apr 18, 2017 20:52
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mandatory lesbian posted:i can't fathom the stupidity of people complaining about Amonkhet not having Bolas in it when he's the headliner of the next set Can't blame people for being dissatisfied with yet another iteration of the same bland heroes, when the last block heavily telegraphed Bolas.
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Apr 18, 2017 20:57
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On the one hand, you're not wrong. On the other,
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Apr 18, 2017 21:00
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This title is bad because I can't imagine a magic player ever getting a clue
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Apr 18, 2017 20:59
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I'm still confused by why Nissa is suddenly blue and not racist. Nissa as an Elf Planeswalker was way more interesting than Nissa as generic naturey Planeswalker.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:00
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Siivola posted:On the one hand, you're not wrong. On the other, You're assuming everyone saw/remembered that?
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Apr 18, 2017 21:01
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Change the thread title, imo.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:02
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TheKingofSprings posted:This title is bad because I can't imagine a magic player ever getting a clue Hahahaha, holy poo poo. 
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Apr 18, 2017 21:02
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Sampatrick posted:I'm still confused by why Nissa is suddenly blue and not racist. Nissa as an Elf Planeswalker was way more interesting than Nissa as generic naturey Planeswalker. They made Garruk evil and needed a new green planeswalker for the hex-men
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Apr 18, 2017 21:03
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TheKingofSprings posted:This title is bad because I can't imagine a magic player ever getting a clue have you considered casting thraben inspector
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Apr 18, 2017 21:03
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Elyv posted:have you considered casting thraben inspector Great job Confirming my Suspicions that Magic players can get clues
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Apr 18, 2017 21:07
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Sampatrick posted:I'm still confused by why Nissa is suddenly blue and not racist. Nissa as an Elf Planeswalker was way more interesting than Nissa as generic naturey Planeswalker. When did they make her specist?
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Apr 18, 2017 21:13
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Rinkles posted:You're assuming everyone saw/remembered that? Admittedly, I too expected Bolas to get a card in this set instead of the next.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:13
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mandatory lesbian posted:i can't fathom the stupidity of people complaining about Amonkhet not having Bolas in it when he's the headliner of the next set Is this a reference to me in the last thread? I was just observing that he wasn't in the set (because I forgot the Hour mock-up packaging), not complaining.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:14
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TheChirurgeon posted:When did they make her specist? In her original Zendikar printing she was elf centric and supposedly in story she thought elves were better than everyone else. Then she vanished from the story for like 6 years before popping up as a hippie.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:16
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Elyv posted:In her original Zendikar printing she was elf centric and supposedly in story she thought elves were better than everyone else. Then she vanished from the story for like 6 years before popping up as a hippie. I remember the card. I'm not 100% but it seems like in the story I think her deal is that she goes to Llorwyn and meets those elves and she's like "hm, maybe this is wrong"?
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Apr 18, 2017 21:18
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TheChirurgeon posted:When did they make her specist?  when she realizes Lorwyn elves are massive dicks.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:18
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TheChirurgeon posted:I remember the card. I'm not 100% but it seems like in the story I think her deal is that she goes to Llorwyn and meets those elves and she's like "hm, maybe this is wrong"? That's Origins retcon, I think.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:20
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They could've had a story arc where she slowly comes to terms and then moves past her racism but instead they just decided she already did that. It was lame and dumb and WotC is lame and dumb for dropping a potentially dope character arc.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:22
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Sampatrick posted:They could've had a story arc where she slowly comes to terms and then moves past her racism but instead they just decided she already did that. It was lame and dumb and WotC is lame and dumb for dropping a potentially dope character arc. It's the appropriate level of respect for the airbrushed cutout action figures they are.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:27
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Sampatrick posted:They could've had a story arc where she slowly comes to terms and then moves past her racism but instead they just decided she already did that. It was lame and dumb and WotC is lame and dumb for dropping a potentially dope character arc. yeah I'm ok with WotC not writing a multi-part story about an elf realizing that racism is bad and putting it on their website
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Apr 18, 2017 21:27
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Very much agreed. Did she get any spotlight after presumably getting dunked in the original Duels of the Planeswalkers? I know she got a card in M15 but, y'know, that's five years after Zendikar.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:30
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Fair notice: I'll actually be doing a new Brewhaus thread for Ahmonket release. I won't be using I CAST MOUTH as the title, though I do hope to yell it at opponents at prerelease.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:32
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Controversial take: they could have printed planeswalkers who are not Bolas, but are also not Standard's third copy of each member of the Jacetice League.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:33
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Lottery of Babylon posted:Controversial take: they could have printed planeswalkers who are not Bolas, but are also not Standard's third copy of each member of the Jacetice League. Yeah, but they've addressed this already. Something we'll see them fix next block. You can only move so fast when you have to do simultaneous worldwide releases of physical product in a dozen languages.
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Apr 18, 2017 21:36
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just a reminder that there is a pauper thread as well, but anyone interested in pauper is welcome to join us cool dudes in the Eternal thread as well, provided you have correct opinions about basic lands and Mishra's factory art (all Winter is correct, for the record)
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Apr 18, 2017 21:35
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