Let’s look at last weekend’s Star City Games 5k Standard Open. The top 16 had 5 Jund decks, this number is actually LOWER than previous big events in standard, where fields were 50%+ Jund Juggernaut. You also see a deuce showing of Red Deck Wins, this was a deck type that was supposed to be new and improved and really is just the same as it was prior to Rise. It’s fast, it does lots of damage and STILL beats Jund as much as it did before. Now, the big surprise to many is the UWR Planeswalker deck that was piloted by Lewis Laskin and Ben Stark. Here’s the list

4 Wall of Omens 3 Oblivion Ring 4 Spreading Seas 4 Path to Exile 3 Ajani Vengeant 3 Elspeth, Knight-errant 3 Gideon Jura 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2 Day of Judgment 3 Divination 2 Martial Coup 4 Island 1 Mountain 5 Plains 3 Arid Mesa 4 Celstial Colonnade 4 Glacial Fortress 3 Scalding Tarn 2 Tectonic Edge Sideboard 1 Kor Firewalker 2 Meddling Mage 3 Wall of Denial 1 Celestial Purge 3 Flashfreeze 4 Negate 1 Day of Judgment

Many times, when new decks come into a format, they win because most people don’t know how to play against them. In my humble opinion, this deck is one of those decks. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good deck! It’s got most of the things Jund hates the most…

Starting with:
Spreading Seas – If played right, turning a Mountain (or any one available land type) into an island can lead to certain doom for the Jund player. It buys the Spreader of seas the time it takes to create a strong foundation or defense to what leads to inevitability for the Jund player.

Planeswalkers – Jund has little to worry about when it comes to creature decks. Normally, the package looks like 4x Bolts, 3x Maelstrom Pulse and a random Terminate. With 12 varying Planeswalkers, what will the Jund player do? Attack the Planeswalker at hand or it’s controller? I just want to mention how powerful Gideon Jura is. He kills creatures, he makes your opponent tap his creatures by attacking the mighty planeswalker and he beats down opponents with his 6/6 body. He seems well worth the $35+ you’re going to pay to get him ;)

Wall of Omens – Who would have thought a measly little 0/4 Wall might just single-handedly stop the Jund beast? There’s maybe 2 creatures in Jund with a 4 power, Putrid Leech and Broodmate Dragon. On top of the blocking body, you get a card with it too!!!

These are just a few of the ways the deck slowly overcomes the deck that was once at the top of the standard heap. What can the Jund deck do to beat it? I thought you’d never ask :)

Putrid Leech – As with many of the recent matchups for Jund, one MUST mulligan aggressively. A turn 2 Putrid Leech requires careful play for both the Jund or Planeswalker mages. If unchecked, the Leech can quickly turn a game into a rout within 5 turns, he can also run over the deck’s savior Wall of Omens.

Maelstrom Pulse – gets rid of virtually all threats the deck has. Martial Coup tokens fear the Pulse, Oblvion Ring rendered useless by the Pulse, even the mighty Gideon Jura fears the targetting of the Pulse. Save them!

Blightning – I don’t have to tell you how this card single-handedly determines the outcome of the game. Discard 2 cards and kill a planeswalker with 3 damage! That is the Jund player’s dream.

Now, the sideboard for this deck seems a bit shaky to me. It really doesn’t have a lot of drawing ability, and with the one ofs it really makes getting a much needed sideboard card difficult.

One of the thing’s I’ve noticed with Jund lately is that it’s very dependent on Master of the Wild Hunt or Siege-Gang Commander. This was a very good strategy when it came to creature based decks. However, might be quite useless vs the new oppressors. Instant speek removal might become more the necessity to lead the Jund mage to victory.

The other surprise of the tourney, for many, is the Mythic Conscription build. The “Mythic” deck was already an up and coming concoction in the “old” standard. With Eldrazi Conscription, this might be what pushes the deck over the top and into the winner’s circle. It’s hard enough for Jund to beat Baneslayers, Knights and (once again) Planeswalkers. The early and midgame parts of the deck can be the time when the deck is at it’s weakest. Kill the mana producers and manipulators and you’ll buy the time you need to get at the driver of this vehicle. What Jund lacks here is instant speed removal. The deck depends on it’s wide array of amazing creatures with little to no real removal or defense. Cards like Doomblade, Terminate or even Nemesis Trap could be HUGE here. Consuming Vapors is a card that my test group has been discussing for Jund. An amazing 2 card removal spell WITH the ability to gain life.

Jund is still a very good option for your upcoming events. Clearly, it has it’s competitors, yet it still claimed a pretty big chunk of the top 16. I saw a couple of Vengevine in one of the T16 builds but I didn’t see much else as far as innovation. Vampire Hexmage is obviously HUGE vs the Planeswalker deck. He could be useful vs the RDW build as well, providing early defense or even some late game blocking. I saw a sideboarded Emrakul, The Aeons Torn which this guy is a house VS Turbo Fog or something. With decks like Conscription or Mythics basically putting out permanent over permanent vs Jund, why not play with 1 or 2 All is Dust? Imagine playing vs Planeswalkers and your board has been cleared. You have a Thrinax trapped inside an Oblivion Ring and your opponent has Jace and Ajani setting up shop on you. A successful Dust, turns the game around and hopefully puts your opponent on tilt. Conscription will certainly have 2 to 4 permanents in play while your guys are enjoying things flying over them or perhaps being helped by the Eldrazi. All is Dust could certainly be the key.

The tournament had a couple of Polymorph decks and, to my surprise, I saw no Summoning Trap in the field of 16. I was equally shocked that very few piloted Vampires for this tourney. Who knows, I’m sure lots of folks were hesitant to field some of their tech in an unknown format. When are we going to see more deck flinging Eldrazi lords from it’s top? Ulamog is my favorite and in my opinion the best of the Eldrazi guys. You’ll be seeing him more very, very, soon I’m sure. Make sure you stop by and get the cards you need from CoolstuffInc.com, they’ve got everything you need! Until next time, I hope to see you at this weekends PTQ for Amsterdam. Perhaps even see you arrive late ;)

Discuss this Episode

Finally the finale is upon us, this is the final installment in our three part series. Sit back and watch as Lee takes this draft to the bank and fights for his life. Weighing in as our longest episode ever at 55 minutes, this one is guaranteed to show you how to better play your draft decks.

This is part 2 in a series. View last week’s episode about Shadowmoor Draft. Watch Lee take last week’s draft and build a deck out of it, then as he takes it to the opponent in round 1 of the draft.

My message today is about losing. What it takes to lose and how it happens to even the best of us. As anyone who plays in a competitive forum knows (or should know,) everyone loses at one time or another. It’s just a fact of playing.

Grand Prix Indianapolis

Going into Round 4 of the tournament, I’m 3-0 and I’m feeling the momentum build for me. Game 1 of the match, I have a question for the judge. Calling out for judge, then telling him the question, then confirming the answer, had to take 3 minutes? 5 minutes?

Mistake #1 – When time in this round is called and at the end of the 5 turn extension, my opponent is at 12 life. I have 5 creatures on the table for a total of 14 power. He has 1 2/2 creature. Even though you may have a watch, the judges call time, AND you have 5 turns to finish, you still need to monitor ANY interruptions you have. That instance of me calling the judge could have definitely been the difference between a win and a draw for that round.

After a 5-0-1 start with a decent sealed deck with 4 rounds to go (10 total), I get paired feeling that I’m in need of a couple more victories to guarantee day 2.

Mistake #2 – I tend to believe that you cannot worry about day 2 merely halfway through a tournament. My recommendation is know the cut off in the beginning of the tournament and then don’t think about it again until the next to the last round or even the last round. The only thing you should be thinking about during your match is YOUR MATCH

In game one, my opponent steamrolls me. So, what I usually do is think about what caused the loss, while I’m sideboarding. Other than the fact that he came out quickly, and had Spectral Procession on turn three, there really wasn’t much to consider.

Game two is different, while pondering my 5th turn (after he played Spectral Procession AGAIN) I asked him how many cards he had in hand. He said “4,” so I counted his permanents and his graveyard to find 13 total cards outside of his library. I counted mine, and found a total of 11. I was on the play so the difference should only have been one, not two. I told him that he had drawn an extra card and he responded with what I felt was denial.

I quickly called a judge over and the judge asked him what happened. He said, “apparently, I drew an extra card.” Now, because I am familiar with the floor rules for events such as this, I assumed a game loss was inevitable. I was right, the judge provided a quick solution to the issue. However…

Mistake #3 – When in doubt, CALL THE HEAD JUDGE. I asked this judge if he was sure this situation didn’t merit a match loss. I recall asking my opponent about the extra card and he was shady about it. When the judge asked him he was quick to give an answer. I spoke to the Head Judge later, he explained that a match loss could have been issued dependent upon the facts that were gathered. Did the first judge do his job? Absolutely. Should I have called the Head Judge to escalate the call here? YEAH.

On to game 3 of the round.

This game rolled out relatively slow, we’re both a bit mana screwed early but we both get a spurt of lands (I’m still thinking about the extra card he had drawn.) The field looks even with creatures, with me putting a Prison Term on his early Scuttlemutt (while thinking about that extra card). Then, I play Seedcradle Witch and Umbral Mantle to take over momentum in the game (while thinking about the extra card). He plays Godhead of Awe. Not only do I get upset that he draws another bomb, I think about that stupid EXTRA CARD!!!

Mistake #4 – You GOTTA let things go. Such as our sometimes torturous lives take us down the most regrettable experiences, we still need to let them go. Worrying about what happened last turn or last match will often prevent us from making the right steps in the future. Don’t make the same mistakes again, but don’t ponder them too much.

This lead to me just untapping and drawing… That Prison Term I told you about? It’s still on the ScuttleMutt…

Mistake #5 – Anticipating you and your opponent’s turns is what EVERY good Magic player does. So many things were going through my mind, one of which was the fact that I had several flyers in my deck and I merely needed to draw one. However, those other great Magic players know when to deal with something immediately.

Well, 4 turns later, I don’t have a creature that flies and I’m virtually dead. I guess this one’s a win for the bad guys.

Now that the round is over, I try to be optimistic with my 5-1-1 record. It doesn’t work, I spend round 8 still pondering over my issues in round 7 and am barely able to concentrate. With my mind in disarray, I over commit and lose to Incremental Blight (even after seeing it in game 2). In round 9, I get mana flooded and am unable to make this a good match.

Playing 9 rounds of top tier Magic is hard to do. It doesn’t get much easier when you’re worrying about issues not having anything to do with your current round. After any one of the mistakes listed above, I could have picked myself up and put myself on the right track. Instead, I didn’t and perpetuated my own doom.

I hear lots of people talk about not getting good cards, or being mana screwed or flooded. I believe that land issues are inevitable. What you don’t hear are people who admit to losing or “punting.” I love the term punting (it’s a football term.) Here, I’m using it to mean when you do something, or allow something that gives your opponent a chance to win. In Football, when you punt you give the ball back to your opponent and let them go for a touchdown again.

Some people believe their lives are guided by fate or inevitability, any of my mistakes above could have been avoided and placed me with perhaps a different fate, which wouldn’t be fate at all, as I chose an alternative.

Tiger was down, but he wasn’t out. Even with his knee causing him pains on every swing he came back to win the tournament. He didn’t let this missteps knock him out, and we shouldn’t either.

Nuff Said!

–Lee

Yesterday was another awesome day for Magic, I watched Zvi Mowshowitz go from being out of contention (0-3 to open the tournament) all the way to 20th place. A big example as to why he earned a spot in the Pro Tour Hall of Fame.

On Monday if you had asked me who I expected to see in the Top 8, I would have said Guaillame Wafo-Tapa without hesitation but he fell short while Shuuhei Nakamura, Makahito Mihara (2006 World Champ), and Paulo Vitor Doma da Rosa all rose to the top.

I’m looking forward to getting down there and seeing just what is going to happen today. We won’t be able to get footage on the floor, but we’ll be talking to other Pros and regular folks here at the event.

One thing that is fascinating to me is the rise of the Swiss team. Manuel Bucher designed the powerful deck that Wafo-Tapa, the Ruels and others were wielding. And in the top 8 we have Nico Bohny, another member of the 2007 Team Champions from Worlds.

Today’s the last day of the event, and what an event it has been. Look forward to the coming episodes, interviews and games you’ll see only here on ManaNation

Do you want to hear the signal or the noise?

Well you have to follow the news, you have to see what is mainstream and you can do so with only half your attention. But you’re constantly looking for the noise. It takes more focus, more digging, more work. Or perhaps as a deck builder you’re trying to create the noise in the signal, you’re looking for the rogue deck to pilot.

My friend, Karl, went to GP Salt Lake City back in Kamigawa block and brought a little known deck. The dominant deck was of course Gifts Ungiven, and one day he had stumbled across a deck from a tournament that apparently everyone else overlooked. It was a Mono-Black Control deck and I mean it when I say that it had been completely overlooked. It completely wrecked Gifts Ungiven and so he easily made it to the finals where he faced down Antonino DeRosa. Antonino had brought another rogue deck, Mono-Blue Control. And in a top 8 facing six other players, all wielding Gifts Ungiven, it was Antonino and Karl who made it to the finals. Karl ended up losing the match, but his performance was still good enough to earn him an invite to the next Pro Tour stop. This is the perfect example of listening for and finding the noise.

As competitive players, if you can’t find the noise, you go with the signal. Meaning, if you don’t have a good rogue deck, then the correct choice is to take one of the dominant decks and tweak it for the metagame as best you can. Don’t go rogue just for the sake of going rogue. This is always wrong. Always.

Why? Because we’ve all seen people bring the wrong rogue deck. They listened to the wrong “noise” and didn’t properly test it to identify it as bad noise. They find this rogue deck, playtest it a few times and maybe win against their friend, but they don’t test it enough and so it ends up that the deck they bring sucks. Hey, major kudos for going rogue, but don’t do it stupidly. Playtest the deck endlessly, as a rogue deck you don’t have the data from other people and so it falls to you to play it out and collect that data. And sometimes the deck is just wrong.

So how do you separate the “good noise” from the “bad noise?” The same way we always hammer home: playtesting.

With the “bad noise,” the goal is to playtest, discover the flaws, then you either fix the flaws or discard the deck and move on to the next one.

Thomas Edison didn’t do it wrong 999 times before getting the light bulb right to start with, he did it 999 ways that weren’t right, and he learned from each of them. It’s the same process for you. You’re going to get frustrated as random deck after random deck fails. It simply is going to happen.

But like a young hunter or fisherman, if this is the play you are destined for, then you will come to relish every discovery. Truthfully this is not the path laid out for many Magic players, most will not have the patience, the methodical nature, or the skill to endlessly toil at it. No indeed some are only fit to carry the deck given to them.

However, if it is your goal to be recognized as a deck builder. If you want to be a player who builds more than just one successful deck during their competitive career, then this is the path you are destined to walk.

Safe travels and may your successes be far more numerous your failures.

– Trick

You hear them all the time crying out “anyone wanna draft?” They look at you with that cockiness and say “grab a partner, let’s draft.” In your stomach, a fire begins to burn. Your mind is telling you, “you love to draft. They don’t seem that good.” Then, you hear the word “money” and your body is hit by a chill that could make the devil himself shudder. Money drafting, is for a select few.

For those who have been around Magic for a while, you should be able to recall that Magic was actually a game played for “Ante”, and many people used to really get angry when the ante pitted their crappy mana producing Mox up against your “world beater” Serra Angel. It was in the rules! Which, for some, made this game lots of fun. I remember my first time playing the game in a multiplayer format. We would all shuffle, cut, and then flip the top card until it was a Non-land. That card would be put into the Ante pool, where the person who had the most kills would select his loot first, and the second most would choose next, etc. I would often times be the owner of a crappy Time Walk or Mana Drain and be so upset because I didn’t win the Sea Serpent or Shivan Dragon.

Shortly after that, before there was MTGO or Friday Night Magic, I would be testing for an upcoming event and would challenge anyone in the room to play for a “friendly” wager. Not from our decks, but perhaps some hot rare or random card from the old trade binder, this is how I could test with some pressure to win and hopefully getting the best my opponent could throw at me. It got to a point where I had to offer 5x the amount the poor “fish” would put up just to make the pot “right”. This is how I did my “playtesting”. I’ve never really enjoyed playing Magic for “fun”. It just never seemed like a “fun game” could keep me interested enough to put forth my best game.

Times have changed, and the game is a lot more “friendly” than it used to be. You can always find a game online in the “tournament practice” room or perhaps at FNM at your local store. Our sponsor at Cool Stuff Inc has a FNM scene that has a regular attendance of 30 – 40 people! That’s more than some GP Trials I’ve attended! Anyway, back to my point, most competitive people find a way to make “casual” play or practice more exciting by adding elements that are “normally” not found in tournament play, specifically money.

As you can tell, I tend to bounce around a lot, so try to keep up with me. Let’s start with, I believe in a few facts (or facts to me):

1. The element of money in Magic has nothing to do with Magic at all.
2. That the element of randomization (luck) in ANY game that is dependent on a “skill” or talent, is not a game of “Luck”.
3. Any outcome that was effected or influenced by human intervention has nothing to do with “Luck” at all.

Whether that be Football, the Foosball, or Magic the Gathering, I believe that the element of “luck” is minimal. Therefore, wagering your money on these games (when you’re playing or participating) is NOT gambling.

Now let’s talk about Money Drafting.

Most people who play Magic enjoy drafting. It’s a great way to get some cards and perhaps let your money work for you by obtaining more than what you started with (packs). I’m sure there are hundreds of reasons why a person does or doesn’t draft for money. I draft because I’m very serious about drafting and tend to find that 8 man store drafts have people who take bad picks. You might say “well that’s better for you to build your deck and win the draft.” However, anyone who knows what drafting is like at a Pro event knows that people tend to NOT make bad picks in draft. Majority of the time, you can ask 25 of the world’s top players and they’ll agree on most of the picks in any given pack. So, you really do have to ask yourself, whether or not, you want to take your gaming seriously. I’m not saying that putting up money against “good” players will make you better. What I am saying is that those who play for money tend to have the confidence it takes to play at that “next” level.

When you’re playing in a PTQ or a local gaming store, you’re usually playing for some sort of prize and let’s say you’re in the finals of that event. Are you feeling any pressure? Does the price of victory make your stomach turn? Perhaps you’re in the last round of Swiss and you’re looking for one more victory to make the cut to top 8. How you’ve practiced up to that point is what will define your very next win or loss. Drafting for money is the only format left where “casual” people will readily play for an ante and give you the next best thing to playing in “real” playoff pressure.

In closing, I wanted to warn you of a few things before you step into the ring:

1. Don’t play with borrowed money. The fact is, sometimes you lose, no matter how good your skills are or how good your deck is, and I would feel guilty if I took your gas money for your 7 hour return home. However, I will still take your money, if I win. Make sure it’s something you can lose. Sometimes, members of your draft won’t mind that you just play for a share of the cards.
2. Make sure you match up. What I mean by this, is that normally one of the players drafting against you feels that their partners or their skill exceeds that of you or your partners. If you don’t know your opponents, then just hope your skills are solid enough to compete.
3. Keep in mind, that sometimes you have to lose before you can win. Regardless of your wager, there will be pressure to win. THAT’s why I play for something as much or as often as I can. Some people are just born chokers and others are graceful under pressure. Do you know how you’ll perform? I’d say find out. Majority of the time, people lose their first few drafts. Look at it as you paying for some lessons :)
4. If you are good, and your reputation grows, sometimes it’s necessary to provide some sort of advantage to your opponents to even get a game. There are times where I’ll ask a random guy I’ve never seen play before or even play with my 11 year old son (not discounting 11 year olds) just to get a 2 vs 2 draft. When people perceive you as being good at the game, sometimes you have to lessen your chances to get a game.

I’m sure there are philosophies to why or why shouldn’t one play for money. I truly believe it makes a serious player, play better. I hope this convinces you to consider the benefits of money drafting. Then, when you’re convinced, give me a call!

– Lee

So on to today’s article: How do you play Magic?

I don’t mean do you play in MODO, in person, in Magic Workstation or some other way. I mean how do you play Magic as a player? Mentally. In your head.

When I play Magic, I have a hard time looking outwards into the aether and seeing the realm of possibilities. It’s something I actively work on, but it was the same with Chess, I just have a crappy focus and I often end up playing based on the board in front of me.

This is a MAJOR problem for a competitive player. The foresight is a necessary and core function for any good player. If you can’t predict what is around the corner, then you’ll never slow down and eventually you’ll slam into another person who isn’t paying the attention. Meaning that if you are a good enough player you can go on with this hindrance and still win, but eventually it will bite you in the ass and that is usually when you’re up against an equal or better player.

With such a creature heavy format, you also have to be able to survey the battlefield and look for the opportunities. Some complain that this makes Magic more like Chess, having to negotiate the field and find the most opportune attack. I personally enjoy it this way, this puts a lot more in the immediate realm of my mind and thus is something I can grab a hold of. Others though find this a weakness and frustration. Even though I feel these opportunities end up being for the best for me, I do make mistakes and unfortunately they’re usually bad enough to cause a swing in momentum. So I then end up behind the eight ball.

The other thing I do is I try not to immediately make the “good play” that I come up with. Meaning I try not to be impulsive. As Jon Finkel said in the audio episode of ManaNationRadio a few weeks ago, “if you have a good play and a better play, then the good play is actually a bad play.” So if I immediately make the play I feel is good, I stop and evaluate trying to find a better play, thus seeking out the right play.

Players get so into the game they are nervous and have their tics, they shuffle their hands, drum their fingers etc and they are prone to act impulsively because that is how their mind is wired seeking to act fast without necessarily fully processing the situation. An obvious rookie mistake.

How about when you’re losing, how do you play the game? I get antsy, my blood pressure and heart rate rise, I can feel the adrenaline hit my system as my brain kicks into overdrive looking for a solution. And the absolute truth is that some of my favorite moments of the game are when I begin to lose a game and then somehow manage to collect a W from the round.

Other players though, and I still do sometimes, get caught in the quicksand. It’s when something goes wrong and affects your mental state such that you begin making more mistakes thus turning a good tournament into a crappy performance. The only real solution to this is to play more, get the confidence to get past it, and stay calm.

Playing the game is, and I don’t know if you know this or not, a very important part of playing Magic. The mental aspects abound and every player plays differently. Sol Malka, the creator of the original Rock deck is an unusual player, he is very detail oriented and he touches every card on the board to arrange them into his mental grid, making sure they all line up and such. Where as other Pro players are much more sloppy and they let their cards lay about, overlapping and angled this and that way.

There is no one way to play the game, however it is clear that to be a competitive player you MUST be aware of what your game playing process is.

I never really quite get it either. Majority of the time, I settle for a deck that has a decent mana curve and contains quite a few “outs” or ways to achieve victory. I know, I know, some of you might say “at least you have fun”. However, I don’t think anyone has as much “fun” losing as they do when they’re winning. I once won a tournament that lasted all day. My record at the end was 16-0-1, and I was so exhausted I couldn’t even eat. Had I made it to the finals, only to lose I probably would have driven my car into a ditch. The deck I had played in that tournament had almost no flaws, it was nearly perfect. It was a complete deck with answers to everything but it was exhausting to play.

Now we move to today, and we’re on the brink of another year’s Regionals tournaments as well as a the constructed Lorwyn/Shadowmoor Block season for PTQs. I’m not sure if someone out there has all the answers, but I can assure you that I don’t. What I do know is that I’ve already begun my gauntlet of testing and I’m finding more and more answers to my questions. What I wanted to do today was explore the questions YOU should be asking yourself.

Let’s begin:

#1 Do you really want to win?

I’m torn when it comes to the answer to this question. I love to win, but it appears as if I may NOT be able to go to Berlin, even if I qualify. So, do I plan on dropping to a buddy or doing something else? I believe that 99% of you out there play this game to win. If you really want to win, then you need to pay the price. THIS question will be the sole source for inspiration and dedication towards the pursuit of happiness — If you really want to win, then there should be no price you wouldn’t pay or no extent or limit to your testing. (Obviously within reason.)

#2 Inform yourself

Do you KNOW what decks are the “best” decks in the format? Do you know their percentage of victories? Where are these decks winning? Is it in Kalamazoo Michigan at some Friday Night Magic or a Grand Prix where there was a record set for attendance? All of this information matters. Whether you’re playing it or playing against it, the information regarding top tier decks is valuable and within your best interests. Usually you’re either playing the most popular deck or playing something that beats it.
 
#3 What is YOUR card pool?

Let’s face it, Tarmagoyf is a pretty hard to find. It might not be that beneficial to pay $200 for 4x of them for one tournament. However, the fact is, Tarmagoyf is THE best creature in constructed standard right now. This goes back to dedication and what you’re willing to do to increase your chances to win. Notice I said “increase your chances to win” I did NOT say this will make you WIN. This is about your budget, this IS about the chances you may (or may NOT) have to obtain the cards you choose to get you to win. This game is expensive and often times people sell cards after they feel they aren’t usable. Then, they buy them again because they’ve been reprinted or the choice to play a format with that card is available. Ideally, you have 4 of every card, which would make things much easier. No one will say that you cannot win with a Looter Il-Kor, but are your chances better when you play a Tarmagoyf? 4x Tarmagoyf $160, 4x Bitterblossom $60, Victory… Priceless.

#4 What’s your story morning glory?

Some people just cannot play control decks. My good friend, Daniel Mondragon, doesn’t always play his best when there are islands in his deck. Those who know him, always tease him about having mountains ONLY in his decks as he’s usually running a more aggressive deck. This is just the way some people are and you have to determine if YOU even have the “skill set” to play said “best deck”. Now some people will say “I’m so good, I can play anything” and I will tell you right now, that some of those people are lying to themselves. Not everyone can pick up a random deck and win. Most people have a certain “taste” for control or aggro. Thankfully, WOTC and the DCI have made the competitive format one that is not dominated by any one card or a particular deck type (although we don’t see as many mono-blue decks as we used to). The constructed gauntlet seems to be rather equal amongst it’s top tier decks. So you’re free to choose your poison. Just try to understand where your strengths and weaknesses are.

Some rogue decks win and some don’t. It’s very possible that someone out there has put together the newest “best deck” in the format. As Shadowmoor comes over the horizon, some people are speculating that little to no impact will be made by the inclusion of this new set. All of the questions above will, hopefully, answer your concerns over whether or not you’re ready for your next tournament. Personally, REGIONALS is the first step in representing your respective area of your country to get into the hardest tournament in the world, Nationals. I wish you all luck, except against me!

– Lee

Let’s begin by defining the ideal situation and then I will work backwards and analyze where players fall short.

In an ideal world, you would play against a variety of opponents with no foreknowledge of their decks and under time constraints which mirror tournament play. Your decks would be properly shuffled and prepared, presented to an opponent for the best out of three. You would play it just as seriously as you would against a tournament opponent and keep notes on issues with the deck while doing so.

Where reality breaks in:
These days, a fair amount of play testing takes place on MODO. These games may be competitive in the 8 man tournaments but you still aren’t guaranteed the proper playtesting. As a non-Pro player, you MUST playtest the deck more and more. Once you’ve settled on a deck to play it now becomes an issue of finding as many matchups as possible and hammering them to look for weaknesses.

It’s like buying a car. Sure you can go to the lot, you’ve got an idea of what you’re looking for, and after a test drive for a while you decide you were right: this is the car for you. But then you might buy it, get home and the transmission falls out after you hit 70 miles an hour. Oops. Guess you should have taken it on the interstate to try that out before buying it.

Theory is a great tool and much of today’s competitive Magic is built on it, but as a non Pro player, it becomes extremely important that you also seek real experience with these decks. Good players can play good decks, but what happens when one good player meets another one of equal skill, the one with more experience wins.

“If you’re not practicing every day, somewhere someone is, and when they meet you they will beat you.”

A great teacher I had was also the basketball coach and he had gone on to build a very impressive winning record before retiring. During our class though he would constantly drill this phrase into us: “If you’re not practicing every day, somewhere someone is, and when they meet you they will beat you.”

I know Lee and I hammer playtesting a lot, but for casual players to make it to be competitive players or even pro players, this is by far the biggest step up and will really help you reach your next level. It is also something you can directly affect. The theory sometimes hard to grasp and playtesting is a direct action which you can do to get better. There is no if ands or buts, with enough playing and testing decks, you WILL GET BETTER.

Let me shift gears and explain that in my mind there are five levels of “Spike.”

First there is “Noob” for obvious reasons this is the person who just began competitive play, brought their casual deck to a tournament and lost horribly. The step to reach the next tier is to get past losing and actively researching better decks to play, perhaps through their own design or online.

The second level is for the people who have gotten their decks online, bought or borrowed the cards to build their deck. They’ve learned to proxy cards and use them to test decks so that they have a better idea of what they want to play, but they only play so far as to decide if they like the deck or not. Maybe they play a few more games to test it for draws. TGhen they build their sideboard based on theory largely or on the other similar decklists rather than for their specific deck.

The third tier is much more competitive, they travel longer distances to play in tournaments, they play on MODO, they play in the store. They’ve got the fire in their heart that they’re going to get on the Pro Tour. They playtest a lot, they’re usually part of a team or group trying to break through and win a PTQ. If they do win it though they make it to the Pro Tour and then scrub out.

The fourth level is where I see the vast majority of Pro Players. These are the people who are either active on the Pro Tour or have been and retain the habits and connections. They’ve now reached the level where they need to finish in the top X to get money, they have their teams and groups that build and playtest. They’re always looking for the next thing. A lot of them write articles for other sites (writing articles doesn’t automatically qualify you for this level.)

The fifth group is composed of the players like Pat Chapin, Kenji Tsumura, Raphael Levy, etc… who continue to make money finishes. They may be true professional magic players who live off of the Magic income they make. While Magic is still fun, it is a job and one where if they don’t use the right deck they might have a lean month or two before they can make more tournament money.

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely in the first, second or third tier. And of those it’s most likely you’re in the first or second tier. These are the people ManaNation is really aimed at. We’re trying to help you guys move up in levels. But we can’t do it for you. We put out the episodes, the articles and the forum as tools to help you grow in your abilities. Tell us how you’re doing. Where do you fall on the chart?

So how much playtesting do you do? How much should you do? I would say that if you’re level one or two, you should playtest as much as possible. Fifty, a hundred games, those are the players who go on to win tournaments and progress to the next level. If you’re three, you most likely already do. Four and five, it’s a moot point, you do.

See you next week,
–Trick

In this episode we discuss sideboarding by looking at three decks from the past Extended PTQ season, looking at how they were built and how their sideboard was built. We discuss the pros, the cons and our thoughts on the decks.

Decklistings and discussion are here: Extended Decklists

iTunes issues: There were some issues with iTunes but they seem to be fixed. IF YOU HAVE ISSUES, please contact us!