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Negotiating in Magic Finance

August 18, 2014 Anthony Capece

Improving your negotiation skills is a great way to level up at Magic finance. The ability to make better deals, even just slightly better, will pay huge dividends over time because you can use it again and again. Today I’m going to talk about keys to successful negotiation at the dealer booths and trade tables.

A Common Mistake

The most common negotiating mistake that I see is confusing the type of negotiation one is involved in. For our purposes, there are two types. The first is a forced-action negotiation. This is where a deal must be reached by some deadline. It’s the “ticking time bomb” or “gun to the head” scenario. These types of negotiations lend themselves to hard-line tactics, eleventh-hour deals, and so on. Every negotiation you see on TV or in the movies is this kind.

Forced-action negotiations are often win-lose by nature (meaning one party gets what they want and one doesn’t). Since a deal must be met, the negotiating parties jockey until one is able to force the other to take less.

You are never in a forced-action negotiation when dealing Magic cards. This is super important.

A lot of people think that all negotiations are forced-action and act accordingly. That’s just wrong. All Magic negotiations are voluntary-deal negotiations, the second type. Either party can get up and walk away at any point for any reason or no reason at all. Don’t forget it.

If you try to use forced-action techniques in a voluntary-deal negotiation, the other guy will get up and walk away more often than not. A hard-line approach usually just signals to the other party to move along.

Think about it: if you go into a negotiation thinking you are going to “win,” that means the other guy is losing. Why would the other guy make a losing deal with you?

In order to be a good negotiator in the realm of Magic finance, you have to master the win-win negotiation.

Let’s Make A Deal

The truth is that working with a good negotiator is easy, not hard. You walk away happy and generally feel that the deal was fair, not like he forced you into a bad trade. The reason for this is simple: a good negotiator will give you what you want. He does this because giving you what you want is the easiest way for him to get what he wants. That’s the essence of a win-win negotiation.

It isn’t about forcing the counterparty to take less. It’s about finding an arrangement that makes both parties happy. At its core, it’s problem solving—maximizing value under the constraints presented by you and your trading partner. How can you make a deal that works for both of you?

Approaching negotiation like this will lead to more efficient transactions and a higher volume of completed deals. Below, I’m going to cover what I think are the most important elements of win-win negotiating.

Discrepancies in Valuation

You need to find something he wants more than you and exchange it for something you want more than him. Ultimately, all deals are born of this.

If you played Magic as a kid and think back to that time, it’s clear—you traded the dragons to the guy who loved dragons, the angels to the guy who loved angels, etc. Everyone decided how they valued these things based on their personal preferences. The fact that everyone was different led to discrepancies in valuations and lots of trades. Generally, people went home happy.

It’s a bit more complex in the Magic finance world, but you still want to have this mindset. You have to understand how you value things and then you have to find out how he values things. I don’t have enough space in this article to talk about how to properly value your own cards (beyond a price guide), but you need to have a handle on it. If someone asks you what you want for any card in your trade binder, you ought to have an answer.

Valuing your own cards is the easy half of that equation, anyway. The challenge in negotiating is figuring out how a stranger values his cards in the span of a few minutes. If you can do that, the rest is just connecting the dots.

Learning About the Counterparty

Stop and think for a minute about trading with the guy who doesn’t bother to understand how you value cards. This is the guy who keeps trying to trade you the [card]Jace, Living Guildpact[/card] he just cracked even though you told him you only play Modern. This is the guy who keeps asking for cards out of your current PTQ deck, or who keeps trying to trade his Standard cards into your dual lands despite the fact that you told him you only trade Legacy for Legacy.

Trading with this guy is painful at best and impossible at worst. He definitely knows what he wants, but he doesn’t seem to care what you want or how you value cards.

This is the exact opposite of a good negotiator. A good negotiator finds out what the other person wants and finds a way to make that happen while capturing value for himself. But it’s not as simple as sitting down and saying, “Tell me all the things you overvalue so I can trade them to you.”

Good negotiation starts with understanding your partner. What do you know about him, if anything, prior to coming to the table? Is he a casual player, a grinder, a speculator, a dealer? What formats does he play? Why is he here today? What is he trying to accomplish at the table?

Ask. The goal is to give him what he wants, so you should find out what that is. Don’t interrogate the guy, just start up a casual conversation. Flipping through binders in silence is a very inefficient way to find out. As you collect information, start connecting it to the cards in your binder.

Knowing the basics about the other person is a good start, but you’re not there yet. “I play EDH,” doesn’t immediately tell you what you should offer. You need to dig deeper.

Understand Cost Structure

This is where you will make your money as a negotiator. You already understand who you are dealing with and why he is here. If you can figure out his financial motivation, you can make an offer that will be hard to refuse.

Let me start with an example. A few months ago, Travis Allen wrote a great article about the costs associated with speculating. In summary: Travis bought 37 copies of [card]Ghave, Guru of Spores[/card] at $3.35 cash and while the TCG-mid price went to $10, the buylist was still only $5 which didn’t net him much money after shipping.

Ghave has dipped a little since then but I want to use these numbers, so just imagine you bumped into Travis the day after he wrote that article. You want a few copies of Ghave for yourself and for trade fodder and know the price is now $10 TCG-mid. One way to approach it is to hand him your binder and ask him to take a look, but you can do better.

If you had read Travis’s article, you would have known that Ghave was a spec that didn’t quite pan out for him. You would also know that he isn’t really trying to trade his Ghaves, he would much prefer to sell to a buylist and get his cash out. You also know what he paid and what buylists are offering.

You now have enough information at your disposal to make an offer that gives both you and Travis what you want.

You can offer Travis, say, $6.50 cash each on eight copies, and reasonably expect him to take it. Why? Because he approximately doubles up in cash on those copies while avoiding shipping charges, and substantially reduces the money he has tied up in Ghaves. That’s what he wants.

For your work, you get your Ghaves for $6.50 instead of whatever the dealers are charging now (say, $9) and can go trade them out to your friends at $10 TCG-mid. That is value for both of you.

Deals like this are there all the time and people constantly miss them because they aren’t digging deep enough. This deal happened because you knew more than what Travis had in his binder, but how it got there, why it was there, how much he paid, etc.

It’s an easy one because the article told us everything. Your ability to make these deals in real life depends on how good you are at extracting those details. If you ask the right questions, you can get there.

One more example and then I’ll wrap up. You are at a tournament and you have two [card]Nissa, Worldwaker[/card]s that you are particularly eager to unload, so you go over to the dealer table to see what he is offering. He makes a very strong offer, much better than you were expecting. You can happily accept and walk away, but why not take a minute to talk to the dealer?

There could be lots of reasons for offering a great buy price on Nissa, and some of them are opportunities for you. Maybe it turns out that business was super slow for the dealer today. He was looking to scoop up a lot of inventory but it didn’t happen. He’s offering good prices as the event winds down to get whatever is left for sale in the room.

What does this dealer want and how can you do business with him? He wants inventory, he wants to put his money to work, and he wants to do that today so the money he spent on his booth isn’t wasted. Can you help him out? If you can get him the stock he wants, he’ll pay you well for your effort.

Maybe you pull out your Legacy collection. You didn’t come to the table to sell that, but now you have a chance to negotiate a sale at a premium over normal buylist prices. If it’s not your collection, maybe you call a friend who has a lot to sell (you can negotiate a finder’s fee later). Maybe you can’t help him at all, but at least you know for sure.

Negotiation is about finding the deal, and that is much easier when you understand the costs on the other side of the table. I promise you will make deals this way that you would never find through the iterative process of, “How about if I throw X in instead?”

Rethink Your Strategy

If you still have the “how can I win this deal?” mindset, I strongly recommend giving this approach a try. Mastering the win-win negotiation style will bring easier deals, more deals, and much better value in the long run.

That’s all I have for today. If you have any questions, find me on Twitter at @acmtg or here in the comment section. Thanks for reading.

Grinder Finance 102

August 15, 2014 Jim Casale

So now that we know when to buy new cards, there are still some topics to discuss when it comes to grinder finance. I’d like to point out that this is not the only way that it can be done, but merely a recommendation of one way.

Protecting Your Investment

A lot of players don’t invest in proper sleeves or change them often enough. Unfortunately, the life of a grinder involves tournament entry fees plus around $10 for a new package of good sleeves. For any competitive REL tournament, it is strongly recommended that you use new sleeves to avoid any unnecessary judge scrutiny due to dings, dents, or scuffs that may imply cheating. A good way to invest in the future is buying in bulk! I order my sleeves from Potomac Distribution and the savings can add up quickly. The cost of a pack of KMC Hyper Matte sleeves (my sleeve of choice) is about $9. If you order a case from a distributor, you can get them for as low as $4.50 plus tax and shipping.

Many people use just basic sleeves to protect their cards, but I would highly recommend also double sleeving your deck. A lot of players are turned off by the idea because it seems excessive and causes your deck to bulge, but it’s really something I cannot recommend enough. Double sleeving your deck makes the outer sleeves fit better and ensures the cards move around less. The extra sleeve can be the difference between a played card and a near-mint card after a few weeks of play. Since the inner sleeves never get dirty, you almost never have to replace them, and if they keep even one chase mythic from becoming played, the sleeves have basically paid for themselves. Other benefits from double sleeving include an easier deck to side shuffle, an extra layer of protection if an outer sleeve splits, and increased protection for foil cards against bending or curling.

Investing Your Winnings Properly

Most local game stores offer prize support (and hopefully yours does) and what you do with that can make a big impact on your bottom line. My store offers booster packs as prize or store credit equal to $2.50 for each booster pack you would have won. My suggestion to everyone is to get store credit when you can. If your store doesn’t offer it as an option, ask if they can have it for future events.

Store credit options allows you to focus your reinvestments where they count the most. I personally am not in the market for enough Standard cards that any booster pack is really much of a gain for me. Even if the expected value of the booster is higher than its value in store credit, you are not guaranteed to open anything worthwhile. If I save up $200 in store credit, I could have opened 80 booster packs instead. Those 80 boosters may include $200 or more worth of cards, but if they’re filled with cards you don’t need or you can’t trade, is it really a gain? If I buy one [card]Tarmogoyf[/card] that I need to finish my deck, isn’t that a better investment? If you were to open 2.2 boxes of M15 right now with that store credit, you may open enough Nissas or Garruks to make it up in retail pricing. The problem is that in the long run, those cards may not hold their value as much as a Modern staple or even a pack of sleeves will.

The other thing that store credit is very useful for is entering events. A lot of stores allow you to use your credit for entry fees. If yours doesn’t, hopefully you can ask them to change it. If you make a habit out of winning, you can reinvest your winnings in more entry fees and save money for those new staples in the coming fall set, or just have a nice savings account for emergencies. Not letting Magic take over your personal finances is a big deal and being able to play a hobby essentially for free is not something a lot of people can do.

Be Outgoing and Cheerful at All Times

Your attitude says a lot about you as a person. If you are always negative and complaining about stuff, then people don’t want to be your friend or be around you. Make sure you are presentable (shower, comb your hair, shave or comb your beard, use deodorant, brush your teeth, etc.) and don’t drive people to dislike you. A big thing that a lot of Magic players don’t realize is that if you do these things, it gives you access to making much better friends.

Similarly, people who make an effort are more likely to be outgoing and help you when you need it. A solid group of friends that you can trust and enjoy spending time with make Magic that much better. Having a solid core of grinding friends also allows you to borrow cards you might be missing for an event or bounce sideboard ideas off of. In the end, this will make you a better player and a happier person. A word from the wise: sometimes it doesn’t matter who’s right. A lot of arguments I hear between players with negative attitudes involve subjective topics that there is no clear right or wrong to. It just ends up making them both sound like idiots because they’re arguing over an irrelevant topic. Good friends are an invaluable asset that everyone needs.

I hope I have brought to light some money saving tips and you all enjoy playing Magic without breaking the bank! If you have questions or comments, you know what to do.

Conjured Currency #26: RAMPANT SPECULATION (and Organized Play Changes)

August 14, 2014 Douglas Johnson

Welcome back, recently christened experts of personal budgeting and finance! Well, experts probably isn’t the word I should use. All I did was recommend three possible methods of categorizing your personal spending and income, but I’m curious to hear if any of those worked for you. Have you started jotting down your transactions into Google Drive? Or did you start doing your own research, and find something that works for you? I was hoping to receive a bit of feedback (positive or negative) on the second part of last week’s article, so hopefully someone somewhere learned something.

Changes in Organized Play

Even though I’ve decided to drop off the competitive scene, I begrudgingly still try to keep up to date on the updates to the Organized Play (OP) system to discern possible financial information heading forward. Even though I only play lower-level paper Magic, keeping up with the changes in things that don’t concern me personally (MTGO and OP) are still relevant to the part of the finance game that I consider myself strong at. If you’re in the same situation as I am, remember to keep up to date with MTGGoldfish.com for updates on Magic Online, and wait for the links on Twitter for information about Organized Play (unless you want to try and navigate the labyrinth of the Wizards home page).

On August 2nd, Wizards of the Coast announced the upcoming schedule for grands prix and pro tours of 2015. One of the biggest glaring omissions in the schedule was a Modern pro tour—every pro tour heading forward for the entire year would be Standard. Seeing as how Standard is the best way to advertise the newest set, and the pro tour is one of the best ways to advertise Standard, it’s understandable as a company that they wanted to make the most of their advertising budget and highlight the newest set as often as possible. Even though it’s a beloved format, Modern doesn’t exactly allow a ton of newcomers from Journey into Nyx or M15 into its clique. However, thanks to the fact that WOTC is slightly better than Hitler and anthrax combined, they decided to make their customers hate them less and change Pro Tour D.C. to Modern.

What Does It Mean?

Well, for starters, it means that WOTC doesn’t hate you. As Helene said, they value your opinion and have proven that they are willing to change their program (and potentially lose a bit on advertising via Standard pro tours) to convince you to lower your pitchforks. It’s also another sign that reinforces a fact that should be obvious: Wizards is not giving up on Modern. It is their lovechild, it is their golden goose, it’s the single largest force to create demand in eternal cards in years. Your Modern collections are safe as a whole, and there’s no reason to fire-sell Modern decks.There are even more Modern grands prix next year than last, and LGS owners have the ability to decide the format of their own PTQ qualifiers.

Yep, that’s right. Pro tour qualifier qualifiers are a thing now. Instead of PTQ invites being a highlander contest, there will be a locally run event where the winner qualifies for a regional PTQ, of which the top X players will score a plane ticket to the big leagues. Due to the fact that store owners get to cherrypick the format for their own PTQQs, the whole concept of “Modern season” or “Standard season” gets thrown out the window. Instead of jumping from Kiki-Pod to RG Aggro because of a season change, a grinder has to lock in those decks for the long haul if he or she plans on attending a large number of PTQQs, since each could be Modern, Standard, or Sealed.

Blocked Out

If you didn’t realize, three Standard PTs and one Modern PT leaves one little format leaving lost and alone on the street like an abandoned puppy. There will be no Block pro tour in 2015. However, unlike the Modern incident, where players showed their addiction to casting [card]Dark Confidant[/card], no one cared enough about Block to see a complete backpedal to the old schedule.

And personally, I’m okay with that. Instead of a crystal ball that shows us which cards will be powerful when their predecessors leave, we have a whole new world to play with, and it will be a lot harder to predict what cards will leave a lasting impact in their second year of play. I think it’ll be more interesting for the average FNM-goer to watch the pro tour if it’s a format they actually know and enjoy, rather then something that will most likely never be relevant to them.

Mystery Prix

If you skimmed down over the list of grand prix locations because you didn’t care and weren’t going to 90 percent of them anyway, then you did what I did. Check out Season 3, on the weekend of May 30-31. Three simultaneous grands prix occurring across multiple continents, almost exactly two years after the release of Modern Masters?

I think assuming that Modern Masters 2: Electric Boogaloo will exist is safe now. Wizards saw the results of its experiment with the first set, and deemed that the waters were safe to go full force on a sequel after what happened in 2013. What happened in Vegas will not stay in Vegas.. Unless Wizards decides that they’re allergic to money, proceed from this point forward with the assumption that Modern Masters 2 will exist, and will be in players’ hands earlier than May 30, 2015.

What’s In It?

The first Modern Masters contained cards spanning from Eighth Edition (2003) to Alara Reborn (2009). For those of us who have been playing a while, it’s kind of shocking to realize that almost the same amount of time from Zendikar to Khans of Tarkir will have passed that did between Eighth and Alara. As such, the Zendikar fetches are looking like prime reprint candidates for the set, most likely as rares. After printing the enemy cycle of pain lands in M15, it seems unlikely that an immediate followup of enemy fetchlands in Khans will happen. If we get fetches in Khans, they’ll be Onslaught allied ones, which leaves Zendikar reprints in MMA2.

I’m starting to go down the rabbit hole a bit here, but could Zendikar fetches aid in a landfall-themed environment for Modern Masters 2? Landfall was widely received as a great Limited mechanic, much like suspend helped hold together the first Modern Masters. If we have a landfall-themed Modern Masters 2, what are some of the reprints that we could expect from between Zendikar and current day?

[card]Scapeshift[/card]

Cornerstone of a competitive Modern deck? Check. Price has been steadily increasing over the past year? Check. No prior reprints? Check. Land-themed to potentially help with landfall? Check. If you’re holding onto any [card]Scapeshift[/card]s and don’t plan on jamming them into a deck, I recommend starting to look into selling/trading them off in the near future in search of greener pastures.

[card]Birthing Pod[/card]

This is the card in Magic that has given me the most euphoria and the most stress. Every banned and restricted announcement is a heart attack waiting to happen to hear if my cardboard lover has received the cold text of the executioner. All drama aside, you should probably trade/sell these off before the card gets banned/reprinted. Yes, it’s weird and hard to reprint Phyrexian mana, but stranger things have happened.

[card]Celestial Colonnade[/card] and friends

Would it be weird and awkward for Limited purposes to have both Zendikar fetches and Worldwake manlands in the same set together? Yeah, probably. However, if MM2 doesn’t have fetches for whatever reason, these are the most likely runner-up.

[card]Goblin Guide[/card]

See [card]Scapeshift[/card] reasons. Literally, all of them.

[card]Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite[/card] and friends

If we’re going by the assumption that we’ll get a cycle of legendary mythics (SO MANY ASSUMPTIONS), I don’t think the praetors are a bad place to start. Norn has seen quite a bit of love from EDH/eternal players alike, and most of her friends are casual all-stars as well. Then again, Norn did just get that absolutely gorgeous judge foil…

[card]Spellskite[/card]

Same as [card]Birthing Pod[/card]. Phyrexian mana is hard to reprint, but if the mechanic gets the green light, I can see them throwing as many reprints as possible that don’t destroy the Limited format with free spells. This might be their only chance for a long while to prevent the 0/4 lifesaver to stop growing into [card]Fulminator Mage[/card] territory down the road.

[card]Liliana of the Veil[/card]

With Vess hanging around in Standard for the next year, it’s safe to say that’s not where this $60 damsel will be making her reprint appearance. She’s definitely had enough time in the spotlight with a single printing to the point where another wave of copies would be expected, and I don’t think something like a Commander product would be appropriate for the multi-format winner.

[card]Mox Opal[/card]

[card]Progenitus[/card] wasn’t exactly reprinted for the sake of its Limited format, and I don’t think this would be either. This is more of a safety valve reprint instead of a casual “WOW” reprint, but there feels like a ton of risk in holding onto something like this, even if it would be a dud in Limited.

Just to Be Clear

Just as a reminder, my recommendation is not to immediately fire-sell all of your Modern cards that could potentially be reprinted. The entire point of Modern is to be able to reprint these cards, get them into the hands of players, and jam games in a fun, diverse environment. I’m just trying to pick some of the tallest growing money trees that Wizards could have their eyes on trimming. I don’t expect a situation like [card]Cryptic Command[/card] or [card]Dark Confidant[/card], where the low print run is overrun by the hunger and demand for the cards. If Modern Masters 2 comes true, the printing presses will be on full blast, and the value of the reprinted cards will drop as a whole. If you currently run your [card]Goblin Guide[/card]s or [card]Liliana of the Veil[/card]s in your only Modern deck, don’t just dump the deck because of a potential reprint. I just think holding onto extra copies is a risky decision financially.

Even if every single assumption here is wildly incorrect, I think it will be fun to look back at this article around May of next year to see where things went wrong and why. If I’m hitting the nail on the head with my predictions, then I get to yell and scream, “I TOLD YOU SO!!!” to everyone (not really). It seems that rampant speculation articles get the most controversial discussions rolling, so let’s see if this one is any different. Let me know in the comments section or via social media whether you hate me for being bored by Block, or if I’m insane for thinking Modern Masters 2 is now all but a guaranteed event in our future. Thanks for reading!

Rollin’ with my Clique

August 13, 2014 Will Archer

Modern is an eternal format. Legacy-light to some, perhaps, but regardless a format with a high skill cap that rewards knowing the cards, the format, and how interactions work. This will be my first entry in a series where I cover some of the more widely played cards that I see both new and old players incorrectly use—which seriously undermines the virtues of running them in the first place.

Faerie Posse

[card]Vendilion Clique[/card] is a staple of the Modern format. It’s arguably blue’s best three-drop, as it does so much for so little. Some cards prices are artificially inflated due to a plethora of reasons: casual use, limited supply, competitive play in multiple decks, etc. Clique’s value is where it is for the sole reason that it’s one of the format-defining cards of Modern. So why do people spend $70 dollars on a card only to play it as a $1 dollar bulk rare?

Clique doesn’t lend itself to self-explanatory play, I will admit. The card has a large body of text that a lot of players tend to glaze over in a way that seriously undermines the extreme and borderline-overpowered ability this seemingly innocuous 3/1 provides. The chance to look at an opposing player’s hand is one of the most under-appreciated abilities amongst casual and pro-aspiring players. Information in Magic can put you far ahead, even when you may be down in card advantage. Being able to shape your game plan according to known information can induce blowouts that can put you back in the driver’s seat of a game almost out of nowhere. Always write down your opponent’s hand, always update yourself on the X unknown cards, and think of every possible card those unknowns could be. Modern rewards tight play and knowledge of the format—[card]Vendilion Clique[/card] takes you one step closer to that before you even resolve the ability!

A Little Strategy Goes a Long Way

Before we cover the best times to cast Clique, let’s discuss the initial stumble I see a plethora of players make with regards to the “bottom a card” choice. I see them agonize over what to take, wasting time and possibly tilting themselves when the choice isn’t obvious. One of the best things you can do is tell your opponent, “You can keep them.” The cards I look to take upon Clique-ing are ones that I have absolutely zero ways to answer or interact with, completely ruin my game plan, or swing the game in their favor. Apart from that? “Keep em, bro.” Tilt is a good way to induce mistakes, as is frustration. Being told by your opponent, in not so many words, “Your hand sucks, keep it,” is a great way to have your opponent overthink the rest of the entire game. If these cards don’t beat him, what does? Don’t be afraid to ship his hand back with a smile on your face over taking a mediocre card and catching a grin when he draws a more relevant card.

Timing is everything in Magic. Sometimes the difference between a winning and losing game can be as seemingly minor as casting a spell on their end step as opposed to their upkeep. Clique may not be a card that can provide us with such a drastic ultimatum, but correct timing is how you get the full value out of this faerie.

The first mistake is the old, “Draw step, Clique you.” The instances you want to be doing this are so few that I could probably count the amount of times I have on two hands. Draw step Clique-ing (outside of obvious instances that explaining on here would sound like a bad beat story mixed with the best play you ever made story) should be reserved for select times that come up in a few different scenarios.

If your opponent is down to the point she needs to topdeck, you want to be casting Clique on the turn that you deem she needs to find it. If your opponent has three draws to hit an out before you win, you want to be Clique-ing her draw step in order to hopefully catch the needed card and ship it to the bottom. An unknown card has better odds to not be it. Clique-ing on a draw step when she is on five or more cards in hand will usually leave you with an agonizing decision and an open window (depending on the turn) to resolve spells or win the counter magic war. Don’t Clique draws unless you absolutely need to dodge a card that will beat you.

Apart from an in-combat Clique to surprise a blocker (which is a case-by-case decision, so you are on your own for that one!), the end step is the perfect time to resolve this card. Coming from the perspective of a UR [card]Splinter Twin[/card] player, opponents are usually hesitant to fight on their end step over it—and if they do, you usually get to resolve a spell uncontested. You’d be surprised by the amount of players who, afraid of you getting information or having a flying 3/1, immediately kill or counter it, leaving you open to slam a [card]Blood Moon[/card] or another relevant card that they now face palm over getting tricked into. And don’t rush to announce the target! It can be beneficial to target yourself, bottoming a dead card. If you wait for a response before targeting yourself, they may play as if you were targeting them, possibly inducing various misplays!

It’s a One-Card Gang

[card]Vendilion Clique[/card] is a very non-linear card that provides an answer that is unique to itself—and arguably better than straight discarding or similar effects. The card gives you so many choices and options that knowing exactly the best times to play it make it even more valuable than it lets on. It is a Swiss Army knife in a format that requires answers to so many different cards and game plans. Knowing the ins and outs of the format is crucial to correct usage of the 3/1 powerhouse. You wouldn’t walk down a seedy, dark alley without your clique, would you? So don’t play a game of Magic without them at their best, either!

Pitt Imps Podcast #81 PT M15

August 12, 2014 Pitt Imps 02:22:48

Welcome to our PT M15 coverage show. The format we use changes for PT episodes, so if this is the first one you’ve listened to, it might shock you. We go very in depth on what happened in Portland as well as all the news that came out during the tournament. PT shows are also longer than our normal episodes. The fact is that you don’t need to watch coverage or read anything to know exactly what happened at the PT.

Host Angelo Twitter @ganksuou

CO-Host Ryan Twitter @brotheryan

show email [email protected]

The Spike Feed B-Side: Waxing Poetic Over Robocop

August 12, 2014 The Spike Feed 00:55:57

We pride ourselves on releasing tight, concise shows…just not this week. We knew we’d be on vacation, so we recorded an “off the cuff” episode for your listening pleasure. We cover Inquest magazine, our favorite films, retro video games, and Kansas City BBQ. We’ll be back to our normal shenanigans next week. Thank you for your honor.

Music by Micah Jones

Philly Zoo 2 – Electric Zoogaloo

August 11, 2014 Guest Author

Our r/Spikes series is still going strong. Max is back with a second effort. He’s still plugging away with his deck he’s dubbed “Philadelphia Zoo” and a Primer on the deck may be coming soon. Enjoy! – J

Hey, everybody, I’m back with another entry and updated version of the Philadelphia Zoo!

I headed into GP Worcester a couple weeks ago, itching for a large Magic tournament after doing pretty well in local tournaments this summer. I felt like I could make a good run and possibly make a day two push. Unfortunately, all I have to report there is that the Mexican food across from the DCU Center is phenomenal, Iron Man Drafting (where you rip up your cards) with friends is exciting, and random Magic players are really fun to play The Resistance with. I made a push to win a grinder running the list featured here, except with the [card]Spellskite[/card]s swapped out for [card]Eidolon of Rhetoric[/card]. Unfortunately, I got Boggled to death after beating a field of UWR and Twin to get to the finals. I went 2-3 on day one of the GP, beating Jund and Merfolk in rounds one and four while losing to Melira Pod, Jund, and Boggles in rounds two, three, and five.

TCGPlayer Modern State Championships aka “The Most Underwhelming Tournament”

The deck I played:

[deck title= Philadelphia Zoo]
[Creatures]
*4 Knight of the Reliquary
*4 Noble Hierarch
*4 Qasali Pridemage
*4 Scavenging Ooze
*4 Tarmogoyf
*1 Thrun, the Last Troll
*1 Thundermaw Hellkite
*4 Wild Nacatl
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*2 Chandra, Pyromaster
*4 Lightning Bolt
*2 Lightning Helix
*4 Path to Exile
[/Spells]
[Land]
*4 Arid Mesa
*2 Forest
*1 Horizon Canopy
*1 Kessig Wolf Run
*1 Marsh Flats
*4 Misty Rainforest
*2 Plains
*1 Sacred Foundry
*2 Stomping Ground
*1 Temple Garden
*3 Verdant Catacombs
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
*2 Batterskull
*2 Blood Moon
*2 Choke
*2 Eidolon of Rhetoric
*2 Engineered Explosives
*2 Grafdigger’s Cage
*3 Stony Silence
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I made the trip to States the weekend after GP Worcester at Top Deck Games in Westmont, New Jersey, with my constant travel companion, Barrett Goss. He was fresh off on an 11-3-1 showing at GP Worcester and really should write a report. Going in, I expected a large turnout and was surprised to see 19 people. I cringed at the thought that I might actually end up state champion of New Jersey; a truly horrific honor for anyone born and raised in Philadelphia.

I started off 3-0 before double drawing into Top 8 as the second seed. I played against Living End, UW Fish, and Melira Pod in the Swiss. In round one of the Top 8, I encountered my Living End opponent and basically played a repeat 2-0 of our round one match. In the semifinals, I played against fellow Pennsylvanian Greg Chen, who was on Blue Tron and clobbered me on his way to eventually taking down the whole thing, claiming the state championship of New Jersey for Pennsylvania.

By the way, the Sideboard I played was because I saw the small meta I was in and wanted to make sure I could blow out every opponent in the field. I do not recommend that sideboard plan. At all.

A Tournament That People Actually Attended

Now, on to the main event: the SCG 5k Premier IQ at Tales of Adventure Comics and Games located in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. I had made some changes to my deck and I was really excited to test them out.

[deck title= Philadelphia Zoo Two]
[Creatures]
*4 Knight of the Reliquary
*4 Noble Hierarch
*4 Qasali Pridemage
*4 Scavenging Ooze
*4 Tarmogoyf
*1 Thrun, the Last Troll
*1 Thundermaw Hellkite
*4 Wild Nacatl
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*2 Chandra, Pyromaster
*4 Lightning Bolt
*2 Lightning Helix
*4 Path to Exile
[/Spells]
[Land]
*3 Verdant Catacombs
*4 Arid Mesa
*2 Forest
*1 Horizon Canopy
*1 Kessig Wolf Run
*1 Marsh Flats
*4 Misty Rainforest
*2 Plains
*1 Sacred Foundry
*2 Stomping Ground
*1 Temple Garden
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
*2 Batterskull
*2 Blood Moon
*3 Choke
*2 Engineered Explosives
*2 Grafdigger’s Cage
*2 Stony Silence
*1 Creeping Corrosion
*1 Bow of Nylea
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I felt really solid with my removal and I decided one less kill spell main deck in exchange for the most resilient threat in the modern format was a good exchange. This was emphasized when another local player in round four exclaimed, “Really? Main deck Thrun?” when I dropped him on turn three against Jund in game one.

My sideboard changes were the addition of [card]Engineered Explosives[/card], [card]Creeping Corrosion[/card], and [card]Bow of Nylea[/card], which are all rock star cards in their own right and could help me shore up some of my weaker matchups. [card]Ancient Grudge[/card] is still the strongest card against Affinity in the format, save for turn-two Stony Silence. I felt that I would be fine without it, though, by adding a copy of Creeping Corrosion and playing my Engineered Explosives wisely.

Round 1: Matthew Bunko, UWR Kiki Control

Game 1: I got blown away by the combo even after I answered his turn five [card]Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker[/card] with a [card]Lightning Bolt[/card]. He was just able to play another one on turn six and jam the combo for the win.

Game 2: I was greeted by my favorite sideboard card and played the turn-two [card]Choke[/card]. After it resolved, I was able to kill him when he didn’t realize he had me dead with a [card]Celestial Colonnade[/card] swing and instead left his mana up to block, allowing [card]Path to Exile[/card] and [card]Kessig Wolf Run[/card] to wombo-combo him to death game two.

Game 3: I slow-rolled a [card]Blood Moon[/card] from my opener and waited until the coast was clear and jammed it. A player in the match next to us quipped, “What if he has Choke the next turn?” Guess what I top decked? A [card]Choke[/card]-[card]Blood Moon[/card] lock and a [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card] ended the game soundly and I was proudly off to a 1-0 start.

Round 2: Adam Bruce, Affinity

Adam began our match by lamenting that he was only 1-0 because his round one opponent had shown up late and gotten a game loss. I tried to assure him that probably wasn’t the case as we shuffled up and presented our decks.

Game 1: I was able to see an absurd amount of removal and blank every threat he could commit before I rode a [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card] to victory.

Game 2: I think I made my favorite play of the tournament this game. At the end of his turn, he had a tapped [card]Ornithopter[/card] and an untapped [card]Spellskite[/card], [card]Arcbound Ravager[/card], and [card]Vault Skirge[/card] with his lands and [card]Springleaf Drum[/card] tapped. I cracked a fetch and made red to bolt his Ornithopter, which he sacrificed to Ravager. I untapped, dropped a land, and played [card]Engineered Explosives[/card] on two. I cracked it and went to town with my two [card]Wild Nacatl[/card]s. Game over. 2-0.

Round 3: Zach Dobbin, BG Rock

Collision course/grudge match time!

I had been looking at my Planeswalker Points a few days prior and realized Zach had beaten me in a Limited PTQ before we had gotten to know each other. I was livid that my all-time record against him was 1-2 instead of 1-1. I knew I needed to even the score.

After a few collision course jokes, we shuffled up and began our match.

Game 1: I don’t remember much except being amused when he led off with a [card]Treetop Village[/card] when I was expecting the BW Midrange deck he was on the last time we played. I was able to pull away from him with more creatures and live draws to take game one.

Game 2: Zach was able to put me on my back foot and soundly defeat me.

Game 3: I dropped a [card]Batterskull[/card] and was able to quickly pull away from him and take the match. 3-0.

Round 4: Kyle Brock, Jund

Kyle is a player I have known for a good while and is a far better player than I am, as well as an incredibly nice person.

Game 1: I resolved [card]Thrun, the Last Troll[/card] on turn three and was able to bash in a few times to steal game one.

Game 2: Kyle was able to land [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card] and keep my Goyfs in check to even the score.

Game 3: I started with a large flurry of creatures and removal, but when the dust cleared, I had the last [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card] in play. What I have found with most BGx matchups is that the last Scooze standing wins. 4-0.

At this point I ran into my favorite judge in the area, Erik Mulvaney, who greeted me by asking me how I was at the top tables. I responded by telling him I had no clue, but I semi-jokingly promised I would make the Top 8.

Round 5: Eddie Slimak, Junk

Game 1: I was able to play [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card]s and Knights with little opposition, allowing me to beat down to take the game.

Game 2: I was greeted with turn-four [card]Garruk Wildspeaker[/card] into [card]Abrupt Decay[/card], followed by [card]Liliana of the Veil[/card] the following turn. I scooped at 19 life after he resolved [card]Lingering Souls[/card].

Game 3: I was able to commit an early Knight plus [card]Batterskull[/card] and used them in tandem with [card]Kessig Wolf Run[/card] to Wolf-Run away with the match. 5-0.

Round 6: Ben Green, Junk

Game 1: The board was flooded with [card]Lingering Souls[/card] and I limped off into sideboards.

Game 2: I was able to combine [card]Batterskull[/card] and [card]Kessig Wolf Run[/card] to blast through the wall of spirit tokens he had built for himself, soundly taking this game.

Game 3: This was more of the same from game two. I wished him luck in the rest of the tournament, but I got the vibe that he didn’t want to hear any words coming from the mouth of the kid playing Zoo that just demolished him. 6-0

After the match I went and joked around with all of my friends, who are far better players than I am, noting that whenever I run well they do horribly. Erik Mulvaney told me I better be playing at table one in round seven. I told him I truly hoped not and wanted to just draw into Top 8.

Round 7: Connor Rice, Kiki Pod

Going into round seven, I was the second seed and Connor was the third. I asked Connor if he would like to draw in and he told me he was confident in his ability and wanted to play it out.

Game 1: Connor was able to run out the combo after depleting my removal and quickly took a firm grasp of the match.

Game 2: I mulliganed low and just didn’t have the resources to play the value game with him. I took my first match loss of the tournament.

I was a little bummed that my undefeated run had ended, but I knew a draw or a win would lock me for Top 8 of my first large event. 6-1.

Round 8: Mario Diliberto, Boggles

I encountered Mario at the pairings board and offered him the draw, noting that he would be a higher seed than I was going in. Mario declined the draw and said he wanted to play it out, but would revisit this decision it if I beat him in game one.

Game 1: I went turn-one [card]Noble Hierarch[/card] into turn-two [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card], followed by a second Knight and a [card]Qasali Pridemage[/card]. I started trampling with [card]Kessig Wolf Run[/card] and beat him game one. He seemed to be visibly shaken and when I offered him the draw for the match he took it and ran.

6-1-1. Locked for Top 8.

I was elated to have made Top 8, but a few seats down, my friend Ryan was battling for his tournament life. I was intrigued because the winner of that match would claim the third seed and be paired against me for the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Ryan’s TarmoTwin fell short and, even worse, his breakers landed him in the godforsaken 17th place.

Top 8, Quarterfinals: Joshua Taylor, Merfolk

Game 1: I knew he was on Merfolk going in, so I kept a hand full of removal with [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card] to clean up the mess my [card]Lightning Bolt[/card]s left. I stole game one and felt confident after sideboarding—[card]Choke is pretty good against all those [card]Island[/card]s.

Game 2: Josh got a [card]Spreading Seas[/card] on my [card]Stomping Ground[/card] before I played [card]Choke[/card] on turn two. He was able to follow it with [card]Cavern of Souls[/card] and [card]Mutavault[/card] after I mana screwed myself and didn’t draw out of it.

Game 3: Josh again is able to [card]Spreading Seas[/card] a turn before I [card]Choke[/card]d, but I am able to deploy more lands and threats and march off into the semifinals. 7-1-1.

Top 8, Semifinals: Connor Rice, Kiki Pod

Game 1: I misplayed against his [card]Zealous Conscripts[/card] and didn’t eat his [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card] from the graveyard with [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card]. He stole my Ooze, podded it for [card]Eternal Witness[/card], and broke me on his immense pile of value.

Game 2: He kept a risky one-land, three-[card]Birds of Paradise[/card] hand and I started slowly with just a turn-three [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card]. He cast [card]Path to Exile[/card] on my Knight, letting me play my turn-four [card]Thundermaw Hellkite[/card] and stranding him with only a land and [card]Spellskite[/card] in play.

Game 3: I kept a risky six cards with five lands and a [card]Grafdigger’s Cage[/card] and unfortunately didn’t draw the gas I needed to battle back. 7-2-1

Not a Bad Day

I feel pretty good about how I played, losing to just one player the entire day, and he just so happened to take down the whole tournament. I got to walk away with $400 (which I owed to my dad for helping me with car troubles), so it was a great takeaway for the weekend. I really like this new build of the sideboard and the main deck change. I want to find room for a second Thrun in the 75, and I want to see [card]Bow of Nylea[/card] in action, but overall it felt like a very solid list and a strong metagame call for the day.

Thank you all for reading, and thanks to Brainstorm Brewery for giving me a venue to share my experiences and love for the game. See you next time!

-Max Perlmutter

Brainstorm Brewery #109 – PTQQ More

August 8, 2014 Brainstorm Brewery 01:21:58

The way players qualify for the Pro Tour is about to change radically. Who better to join the discussion than Brainstorm Brewery’s #1 Super Fan? You’ve heard him called Zander Bandersbee, Bander Sandersbee and every possible variation by Ryan and Marcel, but there can be only 1- the man, the myth, the legend; Brainstorm Brewery.com finance writer, Dutch idiom expert and now…PTQ winner? That’s right Sander Van Der Zee (really guys, how hard is that?) joins the cast to discuss the changes to the PTQ structure, Khans of Tarkir, Finance 101 – Sander’s even got a pick of the week locked and loaded. That’s more than we can say for the rest of the cast for the past few weeks, isn’t it? Strap yourself in and hook up your value pipe because this episode is going to be all up in your grill with so much information you’re going to need to call in sick to work on Monday because you spent the whole weekend recovering from having your mind blown. Who snags Ryan’s pick of the week? What does Sander do when he’s not winning PTQs? What are the Khans of Travis? Find out the answer to all these questions and more in an episode that goes a little long but you won’t even mind that will have you saying “I get the feeling we’re getting an After Hours pretty soon”. Join us for Brainstorm Brewery.

The gang is joined by Sander Van Der Zee (@themeddlingmage)
Finance 101 is here with GP finance tips
How was GP Boston? Was it even in Boston?
Mailbag time!
How will Khans shake things up?
What are the impending changes to the PTQ system?
Pick of the Week is BAAAAACK
Are judges about to get shafted?
New prerelease foils. How does THAT work?
Remember to check out the articles on BrainstormBrewery.com
E-mail Sander at [email protected]
Questions? Concerns? The address is [email protected]

Cabe Riseau produced the intro and outro music for Brainstorm Brewery.

Contact Us

Brainstorm Brewery – website – email – twitter – facebook

Ryan Bushard – email – twitter – facebook – gatheringmagic.com

Corbin Hosler – email – twitter – facebook – quitespeculation.com

Jason E Alt – email – twitter – facebook – gatheringmagic.com – quitespeculation.com

Marcel – email – twitter – facebook

Brainstorm Brewery #110 – Finance 110

August 8, 2014 Brainstorm Brewery 01:00:18

It was a somewhat light week for news, but the gang goes deep on some Finance 101 to compensate. Even finance veterans will benefit from the veritable knowledge-bombing campaign as the gang talks about the condition of cards as well as whether to have cards professionally graded. Sit yourself down, and strap in for another face-melting episode of your favorite podcast that will have you saying, “I didn’t know they had a website.” Join us for Brainstorm Brewery.

Finance 101 goes very long, but there is a lot to cover.
Mailbag time!
What are the impending changes to the Pro Tour system?
Pick of the Week is baaaaack!
Remember to check out the articles on BrainstormBrewery.com.
Questions? Concerns? The address is brainstormbrew at gmail dot com.

Cabe Riseau produced the intro and outro music for Brainstorm Brewery.

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – QuietSpeculation

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – QuietSpeculation

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Conjured Currency #25: Less Magic, More Finance

August 7, 2014 Douglas Johnson

Welcome back, conjurers of currency! Pro Tour M15 was several days ago, but I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon, so any financial information that arises between now and Tuesday night is something that won’t be discussed until next week. Anyway, let’s do a quick rundown of some of this week’s winners. We haven’t seen spikes like these in months.

Winners of This Week

[card]Goblin Rabblemaster[/card]

“I keep getting excited about this guy, then realize that he just sends the hasted token he made to its death. Kind of sad. Anyway, that’s one of the more prevalent reasons that he’ll be sitting in my $.25 box in September if I can’t dump off the one I own now. Predicted price: Bulk rare.” –Douglas Johnson, two weeks ago.

Oops. Well, then. I’m glad I didn’t find a way to get rid of the one I ripped open at my prerelease, I guess. If you didn’t check your MTGstocks recently, this guy jumped to $4 on the back of several brutally fast and efficient red decks that reared their heads last weekend in Portland. I think my biggest mistake in failing to predict this card’s price was not taking into account the Standard playability, only associating tribal mechanics with eternal and casual playability. [card]Mental note[/card]: Consider all tribal possibilities in Standard when new lords are printed

If you still have them, or managed to buy out a chunk of the internet or your LGS at a dollar or less, I recommend dumping them now. [card]Legion Loyalist[/card] also saw a a bit of a bump this weekend, and these two cards happen to work extremely well together. Loyalist jumps the Standard boat in a few months, and I’m not expecting Khans of Tarkir to be loaded with the tools for goblin tribal to be a thing in Standard. There’s more risk than reward here involved with holding onto Rabblemaster for a long period of time.

[card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card]

Doubling to be one of those $5 [card]Serum Visions[/card] or [card]Path to Exile[/card] non-rares, it looks like the supply was just incredibly low and not enough people noticed until there were almost none left. I’m sure that a bunch of people were scrambling around at Modern PTQs looking for the card and none of the dealers had any. The only printings were Betrayers of Kamigawa and the PDS Fire & Lightning deck, so I think the price is here to stay. What other Modern commons and uncommons of this power level do you think could see a price increase?

[card]Xenagos, the Reveler[/card]

Looks like Xenagos wins the award of “most number of copies of a Planeswalker in the top eight of Pro Tour M15.” He hasn’t spiked yet, and he’s only $8. Something doesn’t seem right about that, and it kind of reminds me of the situation where [card]Jace, Architect of Thought[/card] was sub-$10 until his second year of Standard, when he reached $20 to $30. Yes, Xenagos is multicolored, but he wins the game on his own if left unanswered, and I think there’s room for growth by picking these up now.

Here ends the Magic, and begins the Finance

Anyway, let’s get to the real point of this week’s article. I’m sure you’ve already heard this at least once in a college economics class, but allow me to repeat it for the sake of the article and financial stability in general: keeping a viewable record of where your money goes in and out of your life is extremely useful. It lets you plan ahead, know your limits, and budget such that you’re not stressing out over money issues. The meat of this week’s Conjured Currency will be used to show you my own personal method of keeping track of my finances (Magic and non-Magic alike), and put the spotlight on a couple of alternate methods.

Google Drive

As a college student, Google Drive is one of the best things to ever happen to me. I can write papers without having to worry about losing my work, because everything is saved automatically. It’s simple, easy to navigate, and can be synched with your laptop and phone. I’m writing my article on Google Docs right now, and I’m going to paste it into WordPress for Danny to hack away at. Similarly, I use Google Spreadsheets to keep track of every single financial transaction I make. I have one sheet for all income in a single month, and another for all spending in a single month. Here’s a look at my August sheet:

I have a row for each transaction, and a column for descriptive factors about the purchase or instance of income. Every purchase is marked with a reason, so I know to think twice next time when purchasing the same item if I wrote down a stupid reason like “candy” or “impulse purchase.” It took a little while to get in the habit of doing all this, but it’s well worth it in the long run. At the end of each month, I go back and read through each transaction in the spending spreadsheet, and mark whether or not it was worth spending money on. In July, I spent a bit too much money on unnecessary snacks or junk food, so I’m making an active attempt in August to prepare lunch ahead of time if I’m going out, or bring a water bottle instead of buying one.

This method has also saved me a lot of money when I make a trip to a grand prix or other large-scale Magic event. After recording each individual expense from the entire trip to Grand Prix Richmond, I now have an approximate budget for future, similar trips. I know exactly how much of my monthly income is available to spend on singles at the dealer booths, how much is allocated for food and drink while I’m there, and I noted the names of all of the restaurants we ate at so I can compare prices next time.

If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to get a general visual indicator of where you put your money and why, this is what I recommend. You don’t have to spend hours on the computer setting it up, looking at graphs, or syncing various bank accounts up to your applications. I always keep a pen and paper on hand, so I just scribble down “+” or “-” a number, a date, and an item, or if I have time I can input it to my phone immediately. It’s just a quick way to realize that you spent $50 more than you needed to on food last July, and recognize to tone that down in August.

Mint.com

Although I’ve never used this one personally, I asked around on Twitter and the review was universally positive. Unlike my Drive spreadsheets, it allows you to look at each individual category that you create, and gives you neat little pie charts and percentages of where your money is going. Apparently it also has the ability to synchronize with several larger credit unions. You can set timers to trigger on your phone or computer when you need to pay bills, notify you of fees, and warn you when an account is getting low. It lets you keep track of your investments (but probably just stocks, not Magic cards), budget your funds, and so much more. The best part about it is that it’s free! Based on a quick look over the website and reviews I got from users, I might have to start using this myself.

Based on my quick run through of the website, Mint.com is for those who want absolute control over every single part of their financial lives. Don’t take that the wrong way, it’s a great thing. I might start using this considering how obsessive I can be about saving and making sure I know exactly where every penny goes.

You Need a Budget

Well you do, but the program is actually just called “You Need a Budget.” While Mint is free, YNAB costs $60. Yeah, yeah, it’s spending money on a program that’s supposed to help you keep track of your finances and save you money, but I still figured I should mention the fact that it exists. As a matter of fact, if you’re a college student (and can prove it), the program is free, which is why I’m currently trying it out. You start out by inputting the amount in each of your various accounts (cash on hand, checking account, savings account, etc), and then just record each transaction like the other programs, from X account into Y payee.

You can also create a payment calendar for scheduled bills and future payments, which is easier to manipulate and keep track of than what I do now (Google Calendar). Although I’ve never used them, the program also comes with online classes to teach you how to use and make the most out of YNAB, handling credit cards, and working with variable incomes. Some of the classes are free without having to buy the product, and there’s also a trial version if you just feel like testing the waters. Overall though, I wouldn’t just drop $60 on the program without a pre-existing routine of keeping track of your money. The last thing you want to do is purchase it and realize it’s not for you.

That’s All, Folks

There’s only so much I can go over in one article, but the fun doesn’t have to stop here. Are there any popular budgeting applications that you use that the world should know about? Are there any features in the ones I did spotlight that everyone should be aware of? Leave a comment or hit me up on the social media, and let’s have a talk this week about personal finance and budgeting control.

Pitt Imps Podcast #80 — So Much News

August 5, 2014 Pitt Imps 2:00:33

Where do I begin? I swear, for weeks we struggle to fill time, then Wizards dumps everything on us all at once. In this episode, we go over all of it. We also manage to cover the two GPs plus the SCG event, and even read and respond to three different emails. Sheesh! Buckle up—this show has a bunch of stuff in it.

Host Angelo Twitter @ganksuou

Co-Host Ryan Twitter @brotheryan

Show Email [email protected]

Grinder Finance 101

August 1, 2014 Jim Casale

So maybe you dabble in MTG finance. You buy a few cards here and there and turn them in for some store credit when you’re short on cash. Maybe you’re just a player who wants to balance between buying a playset of every set that comes out and not being able to play the deck you want for two months. The grinder’s outlook on finance is different that people looking to speculate and turn a profit.

The grinder is a fickle person because his needs conflict. Grinders naturally want access to every card so they can play any deck, but also don’t want to be burned or overpay for cards that may go down or be less useful. This leads to a different mentality when it comes to buying cards—one that deserves some talk. I have a few rules I usually follow when new sets come out, allowing me to be competitive in Standard while still maintaining a savings account.

Stay away!

Don’t buy any planeswalkers. This rule may change in a few years, but generally speaking, most planeswalkers will go down from their release price and usually very quickly. Some go up or stay the same, but the chances of that being the case are far less likely than a planeswalker’s price tanking on release day. Generally these cards are busts and will be easy and cheap to pick up when the next set nears release.
Don’t buy mythics over $15. It’s really hard for any mythic rare to sustain that kind of price for any amount of time. It needs to be a four-of in many top-tier decks to see that kind of price tag (unless it is a planeswalker or a casual card). Ignore this rule if the card fits into one of our “buy” categories.
Be careful when buying “similar” cards to older cards. [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card] is a recent example of a card that is similar to [card]Oracle of Mul Daya[/card] but could have ended up being very bad. In this case, the stars aligned and made it a $20-retail card for some time, but this is an extreme case. I would wait until after the first two weekends of SCG Opens before purchasing these kinds of cards. People will test them and if there is not a significant number in top eights, then they’re probably not good enough.

Invest!

Consider buying sub-$5 mythic rares. Most bulk mythics will stay about $3 or $4, but if you think one is better than its price tag suggests, pick it up. It likely won’t get much cheaper.
Buy powerful, proven reprints. These cards are usually Modern all-stars or cards that carry a heavier price tag due to availability issues. Most of these cards fall dramatically from their previous price points but keep price tags close to that of their release day, at least throughout their set’s life cycle. These cards are impactful and powerful—multi-format players allowing you to unlock the maximum number of deck choices for the minimum amount of investment. Recent cards that fit into this category are [card]Thoughtseize[/card], [card]Mutavault[/card], [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card], etc. Avoid immediately picking up competitive cards that are buoyed too much by availability and casual demand, like [card]Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth[/card].
Buy the dual lands. No seriously, just get it over with. Over the course of the lifetime of a block, the dual lands will only increase in price as the set in which they’re printed is drafted less and less. You need lands to play decks and everyone needs dual lands to be competitive. If you don’t own a reprinted land, buy those too. First printings of lands usually go up more, but even if reprints see a small dip, it won’t be enough that you should care. You should even buy the ones you don’t think you’ll use. At the end of the day, buying a full set of duals keeps the price at a minimum even if some go up and down.
Buy cards with unique, powerful, and cost-effective abilities. Cards with effects that have never been done before, are not done often, or have not been done at that mana cost are worth investing in. These cards are most likely to be early spikers (assuming they are not already an exorbitant amount of money). Examples of this are [card]Boros Reckoner[/card] and [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card].
Buy the powerful uncommon. They’re not likely to get cheaper than their preorder prices. Would you rather spend $1 on a card you may be able to buy for $0.50 later or $1 on a card that might cost you $3 or $4 later? Chase uncommon are becoming more expensive as they become harder to open in quantity. Starting with Magic 2015, Wizards of the Coast has increased the number of uncommons in large sets to help the draft environment. Sometimes these are similar to older cards but with different names, which drives demand up. An example of this is [card]Banishing Light[/card] (which is functionally an [card]Oblivion Ring[/card]).

Try following these tips during the release of Khans of Tarkir and compare how much you spent to how much everything is worth with the release of the second set in the block. You will be surprised at how close these two numbers will end up being.

Brainstorm Brewery #108 – Ray’s the Alarm

August 1, 2014 Brainstorm Brewery 01:01:48

Trailing in the Rookie of the Year hunt but not out entirely, Ray “Future Pro” Perez Jr. takes time out of his busy schedule of practicing for the Pro Tour and preparing for Grand Prix Boston (it’s Worcester; don’t let them lie) to drop in on the gang for a jam-packed episode. Wizards announces they’re clamping down on Chinese counterfeit cards, Magic Online is still having issues, a Pro Tour is coming up, and Standard is full to bursting with legal sets; it’s a big week for finance. How do you deal with a trade situation you’re not comfortable with, and should you be as worried as you are? What cards does Ray see being important going forward? Has Wizards won the gang over with their announcement about counterfeiting? Find out the answers to all of these questions and more on an episode of your favorite cast that will have you asking, “Is it libel or slander if it’s on a podcast?” Join us for Brainstorm Brewery.

Finance 101 is back with trading tips.
How is Wizards dealing with counterfeits?
Mailbag time!
What are Ray’s favorite cards, and why is it Chord of Calling?
Can Ray still make Rookie of the Year?
Have you seen the new Zombie tokens on the website?
Remember to check out the articles on BrainstormBrewery.com.
Questions? Concerns? The address is brainstormbrew at gmail dot com.

Cabe Riseau produced the intro and outro music for Brainstorm Brewery.

Contact Us

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Jason E Alt – email – twitter – facebook – gatheringmagic.com – quitespeculation.com

Marcel – email – twitter – facebook

Conjured Currency #24: The Art of Negotiation

July 31, 2014 Douglas Johnson

Welcome back, everyone! As we close the book on M15’s set review, I’d like to address a couple pieces of feedback that I received on these last two articles, and how my opinions might have been influenced since then. I’m certainly not perfect in my card evaluation skills, and that’s one of the reasons I kept away from doing a set review for so long. Let’s take a quick peek at a few potential nitpicks and adjust our strategies from there.

[card]Liliana Vess[/card]: Turns out this card is actually playable in Standard this time around! Granted it’s only as a 1-2 of in the sideboard of mono-black devotion, but that happens to be one of the most powerful decks in the format right now, from what I hear. I predicted that she’d only be $5 come September, but her average on TCGplayer right now is closer to $7. Don’t expect that to drop before rotation, but start grabbing as many as possible in trades if she goes back to $5.

[card]Genesis Hydra[/card]: When writing my review last week, I tried to check that this card had seen no competitive play in week one before writing it off as a casual-only hydra. Somehow I missed that it had been a four-of in the ninth place list at that week’s SCG Open. While a single ninth place finish isn’t a prophecy of being the next [card]Nightveil Spectre[/card], it shows that the card probably isn’t something to write off completely. I’m joining the hype train with the BSB cast’s Ryan Bushard and giving thumbs up if you trade for these at $3 expecting $5 in the future.

Back to Square 1.5

Alright, back to the topic at hand. While I was scrolling through my Google Drive folder of my past articles, I came to a certain realization. While many of my past publications have been along the general line of “Here’s what to do with these cards that you own”, I’ve written very little on the subject of “Here’s how to get a good price on all of these cards that will fill up your entire living room and take control of your life”. Conjured Currency #12 went over how to get singles for inventory at buylist prices, but not entire collections. About a month ago, I discussed where to find piles of bulk treasure troves that you can spend a weekend digging through for picks.

Somewhere in between getting the phone call saying, “I have a collection to sell, are you interested?” and sitting down in front of the TV with 100,000 Magic cards are the processes of negotiation and bartering—ancient arts honed by used-car salesmen around the world. It’s in your best interest to talk the owner of your targeted collection down to a reasonable price that both allows for your profit margins, and for him to not be horribly ripped off. Let’s go over some tips and tricks to ensure both of those things happen, and that your customer recommends you to his friends when they need to cash out of the game.

Transparency

This is a big issue that I think is appropriate to be addressed first. Before going forward, you need to be comfortable with revealing your entire process to the individual you’re buying from. A common response I often receive when talking about a price is. “Well I could get a lot more if I went and sold this on eBay!” Yes, you could. I’ll tell you that right now. If you took this entire collection and pieced it out, and sold the singles on something like eBay or TCGplayer, you would make a lot more than what I am offering you. However, you still have to wait up to weeks before you receive your money, you have to package and ship each card or playset individually, and still take into account the fees that these websites will take.

“This card is worth $10 on SCG, you’re doubling your money if you pay me $5. Can’t you give me $7?” Break down your outs to that person, and explain that ordinary people can’t charge full retail and make a living. “Sorry man, I don’t have the ability to sell for SCG’s retail prices. If someone wanted those prices, they’d go to SCG. The cards I’m buying from you will likely be buylisted to other websites like SCG, and I’lll probably only make $7 myself from selling that card. I usually sell for around TCG low, and have fees even after that.”

“Why do you want to buy all of these bulk commons and uncommons?” There’s no need to lie to him, tell him you’re Santa Claus and give them away for free, or anything like that. Explain plain and simple: “I’m going to dig through this box while watching Netflix for cards that are worth a dime or quarter each, sell the rest off for a dollar more per thousand than what I paid, and eventually take an entire day to buylist all of the nickels and dimes for a good price all at once.” Trust me, they’re not going think, “Oh, that’s a great idea and amazing use of my time. I should do that myself”. Explaining your process will only make you appear more reputable and knowledgeable, and your customer will feel safer that they’re discussing this matter with someone who knows what they’re doing.

Your Time Isn’t Free

Here’s another common tactic I’ve heard: “I played a lot during Ravnica block. I’m pretty sure you’ll find at least a half dozen [card]Remand[/card]s in there, so I think you could do better than $5 per thousand. There are definitely some gems in there.” My response? “Great, pull them out. If you can show me that there are [card]Remand[/card]s, [card]Sensei’s Divining Top[/card]s, or [card]Lightning Helix[/card]es in those boxes, pull them and I’ll pay you the appropriate prices for the singles. However, I’m not going to do that for you right here. My time is worth money to me, and it’s going to take me a while to sort through this entire collection. I can’t just search through all of this bulk and pull out the good cards for you, only for you to tell me you decided not to sell it.” Keep your flat rate for unseen cards. Treat everything as a [card]Sanctuary Cat[/card] until you have physical proof otherwise.

One of the best ways to avoid this situation beforehand, is to tell that person in advance to pull out anything that they want to sell separately as a single card. Don’t worry, they’ll have missed some Guildgates and [card]Exsanguinate[/card]s, and probably a bunch of [card]Electrolyze[/card]s.

As a matter of fact, there are quite a few questions you want to ask the seller beforehand, if at all possible.

“Did you separate the rares?”

“I pay a flat rate of $4.00 per thousand on unseen bulk commons and uncommons, and $.10 on bulk rares. Are you willing to accept that rate?”

“Where did you come up with the number for your total price?”

Just in Case

Most of the time, a seller will be vastly overpricing his collection. However, there are those glimmers of hope when you finish up a nice buy, and you hear these magic words: “Hey, something something more cards, something something nearby, something something if you’re interested.” Why, yes, you are interested. You’re very interested and you brought some extra money in your sock (or someplace else safe, because it’s Craigslist. Probably wise to bring a buddy—so you can get murdered together instead of alone).

Sometimes, a seller knows what he has is valuable but doesn’t have an exact number on individual cards. He’s completely willing to let you take the wheel on all of his binders and accept your fair offer because he trusts you. You might be sitting on a couch going through binders and doing quick math in your head for at least an hour. A huge lesson I’ve learned after hours of awkward silences is to not be a robot. Strike up a conversation about how long they’ve been playing, what some of their favorite formats were, or maybe the story behind the deck that you’re currently dismantling. Fewer awkward silences turns the encounter into a more casual conversation, making both parties less on edge.

Be Okay With Walking Away

Unfortunately, some people can’t be reasoned with. They think that if they leave the ad up on Craigslist long enough, a bright-eyed puppy of a new player will show up on their doorstep with $700 in cash to buy their Standard RG Monsters deck and binder of bulk rares that they priced up to be exactly TCGplayer mid (not including sleeves, though). No matter how much you explain the concept of buying a collection, or how thin your profit margins are, they won’t budge. Someone will buy it, they’re sure.

And that’s okay. It sucks to get hyped up thinking you can pull some strings and talk them down only to have the door metaphorically slammed in your face, but it’s much better to tell them, “Good luck, let me know if you decide to lower your price. I’m always available,” than to strong arm yourself into believing you can pull a miracle and flip the collection for that last five-percent profit.

That’s Probably not Everything, but Oh Well

This is the kind of topic that I feel like I could write another 1500 words on, but I’m out of space for today. There are a ton of other nuances to the subject, and I’d be glad to listen to any questions, comments, or additions to the discussion. If you have any stories about your own collection buying adventures, share those too! There’s always something to be learned from each experience.

Getting LUCKy: Mulligans

July 29, 2014 Caleb Gothberg

If I had to guess why most games are won and lost in Magic, the first stop on the blame train would be mulligans. A good number of players have a hard time knowing what is keepable and what would be better as a random six. An even larger number of players don’t know when to go down to five. While a chunk of this is based on metagame, matchup, format, decks being played, and other variables that I can’t address without 8,000 different 10-page articles, there are some common rules to live by. Mulliganing shouldn’t be based on feelings and intuition—instead, a purely information-based outlook should be used to make decisions. If what you “feel” always works out, then you don’t have to change a thing. But if seven-land starting hands just repetitively do poorly for you, let’s bring in my favorite guest star: math.

Mulligans the Right Way

For today’s exercise, we are going to use Limited, the most “LUCK”-based format that exists. Take a normal 40-card deck with 17 lands, 16 creatures, and 7 spells. The CMC breakdown looks like this:

1CMC = 1

2CMC= 4

3CMC = 7

4CMC= 6

5+CMC= 4

Lets draw a few hands with this deck. First on the list is the five-land hand. It contains a three-drop and a five-drop. The three-drop is a creature and the five-drop is a kill spell (welcome to Theros block Limited). The question is: do I mulligan to six? Our first thought might be, “There are only 12 lands left, so odds are that I don’t flood here.”

Let’s let our friend math take over from here. You are on the draw. On turn one, you have a 36.4-percent chance of drawing a first land and a 12.5-percent chance of drawing a second land. That means that more than 10 percent of games you start with five lands, you will get flooded out. Yes, 63.6 percent of the time, we will draw either a land or something costing four or more. For your second draw, you are looking at 39.75 percent of the time where you will not have drawn anything relevant to play in your first three turns.

If our opponent is playing a two-drop on turn two, a three-drop on turn three, a four-drop on turn four, and either a five or a combination of two- and three-drops on turn five, it will feel as though we got flooded. If that turn two is [card]Vanguard of Brimaz[/card] and they bestow onto it turn three or four, or if their turn three is a [card]Wingsteed Rider[/card] into a turn-four strive card, you can’t play around it almost 40 percent of the time.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to keep a hand that only has a 60-percent chance at having a shot at winning. If I mulligan to a six-card hand with three lands and three spells, my chances of flooding go down drastically. I only have a 42.4-percent chance of drawing a land turn one and a 17-percent chance of getting two land draws in a row. This means on turn two I will have five lands and three spells, which is still better than the over-60-percent chance that I will draw into six lands plus three spells or seven lands plus two spells by keeping a hand of five lands. I like 73 percent way better than 40 percent for my ability to play a game of Magic. I’m not saying that there are not exceptions to the rule, but in general, five land are too many for me.

How about the one land hand? Your odds of not drawing a land in your first two turns are 25 percent. That means that by the time you draw a land, 25 percent of the time it will be too late. At this point, it is not appropriate for you to tell me that you got mana screwed.

I think that it is safe to say that any one-land hands or five-or-more-land hands are almost an automatic mulligan in a Limited environment. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get there with them, but the odds of getting there are against you. At that point, Magic is only based on skill in 75 percent of games. If you are equally matched to the field, that means that you will win fewer than 40 percent of your games. I’m not a Magic pro, but I would much rather play a game based on skill than luck. The rest of the time is a bit less clear.

Some Questions to Ask Yourself

When deciding whether to mulligan or not, there are a few questions that we need to ask ourselves.

Can this hand get me through the first five turns of the game? If the answer to that is no, then we really need to look at taking a mulligan. In most formats, I need to be present in a game within the first five turns. If we are playing Legacy, we need to determine if we can survive if our opponent is running a combo deck. Do I have a way to deal with a turn-three [card]Batterskull[/card]?A turn-two [card]Heritage Druid[/card]? A turn-two [card]Show and Tell[/card]? Do I stand a chance against most of the field with this hand? If the answer is no, then you are probably ready for a mulligan. By the way, if you can combo off before they get a Batterskull, that is most likely an okay hand.

Can I survive a mana flood or mana screw? In Magic the true test of a player isn’t if she can play her deck when it’s working optimally. The true test is whether she can power through the bad hands as well. That’s the difference between the folks that get a top eight once at an SCG Open and Raymond Perez, Jr. I would bet if you asked any pro, they could tell you a story about how they were getting mana flooded or mana screwed and still won that game.

We should also define what a mana flood or a mana screw is. There have been plenty of situations where I have had an opponent complain about mana flooding with eight lands and twelve non-land cards. Just because you didn’t draw all spells doesn’t mean you’re getting flooded. Similarly, I’ve seen someone start with one land in their opening hand and get stuck on three until turn seven or eight. Statistically, this is supposed to happen in both cases. Neither are what I would call a severe mana flood or a severe mana screw. Just because your plays weren’t as good as your opponent’s, or the last thing you drew before you died was a land, doesn’t mean that you got screwed or flooded.

It all begins with your starting hand. If my current hand cannot survive a few lands or a few non-land cards off the top, is it really worth keeping? Take into account the cards in your hand. If you have four lands, a six-drop creature, [card]Divination[card], and [card]Wrath of God[/card], you are going to be fine most of the time. If you draw five lands off the top, you will live. If you draw five non-land cards off the top, you’ll be good. If you have four lands and three one-drops, it’s time to Mulligan.

Would an random hand of six (or five) look better than this? If the average six-card hand is better than your current hand, consider taking a mulligan. If the average five is better than your current seven, ship that hand as fast as you can. If your current hand of seven isn’t great, but it’s better than any five card hand you could get, it might not be worth the risk. But think intellectually about it—don’t make decisions based on that one time when you kept a one-land hand and ripped everything you needed off the top of your deck.

The only way to know what the average hand of five or six looks like is to look at them. It is much easier to make the decision to mulligan if you know what you are getting into. The scariest part of mulliganing is not knowing what you are going to get. The fear of the mulligan goes away once you know that you can take a hand of six cards and still win.

There’s an app for that! With technology where it is, we now have apps for our phones that can figure out odds and statistics. They make these for Magic: The Gathering if you look hard enough, or you can download a statistics app on your phone and start plugging in numbers yourself. When I’m playtesting, I love being able to see what my odds of drawing lands, creatures, spells, etc. are. Once you play with it enough, you start to intuitively know what the probability of any given play is at any given moment. It probably won’t be as accurate as a calculator, but if your brain says 40 percent and it’s actually 41, it shouldn’t change your decision.

Take the blame. I don’t discount games where I got flooded or screwed like some do. It may or may not be my fault, but if I don’t take responsibility for it, I can’t fix it. Get some practice taking mulligans and you will get better. There are times when you should be playtesting hands of six against someone with seven. If you know what to expect out of a six or five card hand, mulligans aren’t nearly as scary. Put the labor in to get the correct knowledge so that you can start getting LUCKy.

The Spike Feed Episode 48 – Professionally Intense

July 29, 2014 The Spike Feed 00:41:10

It’s the week of SCG KC, and we take the opportunity to record a show while being in the same room. Cameron tries a brew at the Standard Open, Curtis shares his thoughts on [card]Frost Lynx[/card], and Dustin reacts to some of the information that came out of San Diego Comic-Con. Thank you for your honor.

Your hosts:

Dustin Gore

Cameron McCoy – @Cameron_McCoy

Curtis Nower – @CurtisNow

Our show – @SpikefeedMTG

Music by Micah Jones

Pitt Imps Podcast #79 — Good Podcasts

July 28, 2014 Pitt Imps 01:49:24

This week on the Imps, we get our first look at Standard with M15. We also get the first bit of Modern at an SCG event. Then we take the time to fill you guys in on what podcasts we listen to in our free time. We also spend more time than we honestly should have trying to figure out what exactly a rules lawyer is.

Host Angelo Twitter @ganksuou

Co-Host Ryan Twitter @brotheryan

Show email [email protected]

Magic and Personal Finance

July 25, 2014 Anthony Capece

How do Magic finance and personal finance fit together? I haven’t seen too much written on the subject, but I think it’s worth discussion. Personal finance is incredibly important to success in life, so the degree to which Magic finance can aid or derail you along the way is very relevant.

I’ve seen people engage with Magic finance different ways. Some in the Magic finance community come from finance backgrounds, or at least have a strong interest in it. These people usually take a sophisticated approach and use their general finance knowledge to educate Magic decisions.

I’ve also seen people with no apparent knowledge of finance or economics dive into Magic finance. If they are disciplined enough to keep their monetary commitment small, Magic is as good a place as any to learn the basics. If they lack that discipline, Magic can very easily get tangled with personal finance and lead to major problems. This may be a kid’s game, but we are often talking about adult money.

Magic demographics don’t help—the majority of Magic players I encounter are in their twenties or thirties. This is exactly the time to be developing your personal finance goals and executing on your plans, and Magic can be a distraction. I feel it would be less of an issue if most Magic players were, say, in their fifties and much further along in their personal finance journey.

Indeed, my biggest worry is that some people are unwittingly overexposed to Magic under the guise of “investing” at a time in their lives when this can really compromise personal finance goals. I realize that there is a lot to talk about relating to Magic and personal finance, but today I’m going to talk specifically about this aspect of it.

The Holy Grail Test

Let’s start with a hypothetical situation to get us thinking. Imagine you have a near-mint Alpha set. This set is your golden ticket—you are planning to hold it until the time is right, then sell it for something important like a house or to pay for your kid’s college or your retirement.

It’s a great investment, right?

Here’s the catch. The set is locked up in a vault and you can’t get it out. You can’t see it, can’t touch it, can’t display the cards, can’t take pictures to show off to your friends, can’t put any of the cards in your cube or build a Vintage deck, nothing. The set condition has been verified, but essentially all you have is a certificate of ownership similar to a stock certificate. The Alpha set is completely intangible to you.

How much less interested are you in owning this Alpha set now that you can’t enjoy it?

You might be thinking, “If I can’t even look at it, what’s the point? I’d rather dump it and buy/invest in something else with that money.”

Or you might be thinking, “I’m retiring early off that set whether or not I ever lay eyes on it. I’ll frame the certificate in the meantime.”

There is no right answer, of course. The purpose of the exercise is to get you to think honestly about how you view the set as a real investment, detached from the personal value you place on owning Magic’s holy grail.

Would your opinion of owning an Alpha set as an investment change substantially if you didn’t have physical possession of it? Would you keep it if you had possession, but be willing to let it go if your only connection was the deed? If all you had was a piece of paper, would you rather just own some Apple stock?

Remember, you don’t play with an investment. Your investments don’t provide entertainment. You don’t show your investments off at the card shop, and you certainly don’t develop a deep personal attachment to an investment (if you are smart).

As Magic players and financiers, we often want to have it both ways. We want to believe that an Alpha set (or whatever item in question) is a great investment and that we can display it and enjoy it every day. We want it to be something we love and a smart decision.

If having possession of the set would influence your decision to any degree, you are thinking at least partially with your heart. That’s a bad thing when it comes to investing.

It is very, very hard to look at something like this objectively. A near-mint Alpha set might be literally the coolest thing on the planet to own for many people reading this article, and for me too. We would all value it very highly from a personal perspective. It would bring us great happiness and pride. Very few of us can afford an item like this, but all of us would love to own it.

In truth, very few of us can afford something like that as part of our hobby. Many more of us can afford something like that as an investment. Funds are much more likely to be available for investments than they are for hobbies—you didn’t save all that money for nothing. Thus, for many, the obstacle to owning something awesome is not coming up with the money, but justifying it as an investment. I can certainly come up with $5,000 for a [card]Black Lotus[/card] if it’s an investment.

Now take a look at your collection. You probably don’t own a near-mint Alpha set, but many people own some number of “high end” Magic cards. Did you, at any point, justify the purchase of some of your cards by saying that they would be good investments? Maybe this is what convinced you to jump into Legacy, or to plow a bunch of money into Reserved List cards. You’ll get to play Legacy and by the time you are done, you’ll make some money too, right? This logic conveniently gave you access to your savings and not just the hobby money you set aside this month.

Ask yourself: Would I be willing to lock my Legacy deck away in the same way as the Alpha set? If it really was an investment, you should be able to do that. Again, we don’t play with investments. Heck, if it was really an investment, you should want to lock away your Legacy deck to protect it. The last thing you want is to damage it.

The truth is that virtually no one buys Magic cards purely for investment reasons without placing at least some personal value on them. We love this game and can’t deny it.

Where is the line?

The Magic Finance Trap

What does it matter if your cards are investments or not? So you sprung for a Beta [card]Black Lotus[/card]. You wanted it, saved for it, and bought it. It’s your money, and it is a good investment, in your opinion.

Let’s back up for a minute. To start, you should have a personal finance plan. If you don’t, go see a financial planner and figure that out immediately. It’s very important to your success and happiness in life.

Next, check to see if the Beta Lotus is in your personal finance plan. Oh, it’s not?

Things that derail you from your personal finance plan are very dangerous. Seemingly small lapses now can have large cumulative effects over time and can prevent you from achieving your long-term goals.

The path to retirement that you laid out, with or without a financial planner, almost certainly does not include high-end collectibles. Most likely, your financial plan requires you to save money at a certain rate and then invest that money into an age-appropriate mix of stocks and bonds while keeping enough cash on hand for things that might come up.

You fall into the Magic finance trap when you stop executing on your personal finance plan so that you can participate in Magic finance (or even just Magic the game). There is nothing wrong with owning a Black Lotus by itself. The issue is that if you are in your twenties or thirties, spending $5,000 of savings on a Magic card (or on a bunch of specs) might hurt your long-term financial goals more than you realize. If you are in your fifties and financially secure, buy your Lotus, buy your Jaguar convertible, buy whatever you want.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Magic finance isn’t profitable. I’m not saying the Lotus or other specs won’t appreciate in value. I’m not arguing that stocks and bonds will give you better returns. And I’m not saying you don’t know what you are doing.

I’m saying it’s not part of the typical plan. A financial plan is created to get you where you want to go in life with as much certainty as possible. It is designed to get you an average annual return that will allow you to retire on time. The investment mix is chosen to give you the mix of growth and stability that you need.

How does a Lotus change the retirement equation? What is the expected average annual return on Beta power over the next 30 years? I have no earthly idea and honestly, neither do you. By diverting any significant amount of savings toward Magic, you are factoring a big fat question mark into your retirement equation. I’m guessing that’s not something you want to do.

Your Magic Number

How much of your personal wealth do you have committed to Magic or Magic finance? I’m talking about anything you put significant monetary resources into. That might include your cube, your Legacy deck, your Modern collection, your specs, etc.

Do this calculation: Total up all your savings and investments (forget debt for now) and divide it by the total cash value of your entire Magic portfolio (as described in the last paragraph). It can be a rough estimate—no need to go checking buylists on every card. This ratio is going to tell you how many dollars you have saved for each dollar of Magic cards you own. Please don’t post your number or share it with anyone.

I bet if we plotted the results, one data point for every reader of this article, they would be all over the chart.

For some, the number would be huge. These people have big savings and modest Magic collections. Their magic numbers would be 25, 50, maybe 100+. To clarify, a ratio of 25 might mean that I have $25,000 in savings compared to a $1,000 collection.

For some, the number would be lower, maybe even close to one. Their collections rival their entire non-Magic savings. This could be a young person with $10,000 saved up and $10,000 in Magic stock, or it could be an older, high-end collector with $100,000 in investments and $100,000 in Beta power.

For the grinder in his early twenties who scraped together everything he had to buy a Legacy deck to play the SCG circuit, his number might be approaching zero. He has a $4,000 Legacy deck but his biggest problem is finding gas money to get to the next event because his checking account is empty.

There is no right answer—but I think there are some wrong ones. If your ratio is very low, say if you are the grinder in the above example, you really can’t afford to be doing what you are doing. The higher the ratio, the less money you have tied up in Magic and the easier it will be for you to succeed in personal finance using conventional means. Wherever you stand, increasing this ratio is a good goal to have. That means you are increasing savings faster than your Magic collection.

It’s valuable just to know where you stand. Consider it a victory if you had a pretty good idea what your ratio would be prior to doing the math. Worst case is you had no idea how deep you were into Magic and just got blindsided.

There is going to be a group of people reading this article who feel like it doesn’t apply to them because they know better. Some of them are wrong, some of them are right. “It’s okay that I have most of my money tied up in Magic because…” seems like a risky line to take, but maybe you know what you are doing.

There is plenty more to be said about Magic and personal finance. This article attempted to help you answer only one high-level question: “Am I in over my head?” If there is interest, I will write more on the subject.

Find me on Twitter at @acmtg or leave a comment here at BSB.

Thanks for reading.

Old-Man Magic: SCG Standard Open, Pretty Awesome for Old Guys by Quillian Rutherford

July 25, 2014 Guest Author

It’s been a long time,
Since I’ve seen a su-u-u-u-u-u-unny day.
– Cake, Long Time

I’ve been playing Magic a long time: since Fifth Edition/Weatherlight. For a while, I was grinding PTQs, but there was no MTGO, no local Magic scene in my college town, and basically nothing but rolling up to the tournament after a cross-Texas drive with an untested deck and sleep deprivation. It was great. The good thing is that if you show up to PTQ-type events most weekends, you will get better over time. It’s slow-going, but taking a beating week after week from people that regularly qualify for the PT will rub off on you. I was actually at a point where I was getting into top eight contention in later rounds and even made a couple top eights. That was over a decade ago as chronicled by yours truly here, back when the editor was a lovable rodent. This is semi-important, because many of you are probably in the same or a similar boat. Kids, job, school: it all eats into Magic time, and at some point you wake up and realize you haven’t played sanctioned Magic in months, then years. One day, though, one of your friends says they are drafting online, or you read the latest spoiler—something. The fire is only banked, it just needs a little kindling and it’ll burn again. For me, since about 2003 (my last memorable Magic tournament from that era I can recall), it’s play a bit, drift away, play a bit, drift away. A year or so ago, my son came home from school and asked if we could go draft. I figured sure, one hit won’t hurt…

It turns out that after un-rusting and devouring all the internet magic news fit to read over the course of a few months, I felt pretty good about going to FNM, at least. I even flew out to GP Dallas back in December to try and see some friends, and played UW. Sadly it was an icy mess; most of my old friends from Texas didn’t want to risk the ice storm and I managed a miserable 0-3 record (0-4 according to Wizards—I couldn’t even check the drop box right that weekend). To rub salt in these wounds, I booked a hotel room once in town and it was obvious I wouldn’t be staying with said friends, only to meet a fellow wizard about five minutes later who had a spare bed. To top it all off, the room I ended up with at the hotel looked out on part of the roof, which contained a giant evaporator or something that kept firing up and thrumming like a jet engine every few minutes. So, now I have what I refer to as an “$800 play mat.” I’ve never used one before, but this one’s special, always there, reminding me of that traumatic weekend.

I made it to a PTQ in Portland after staying out too late, played UW again, started off in the draw bracket and conceded to my friend Wade when it became obvious I was in no shape to battle and just needed to find some lunch. I played a Sealed Win-a-Box tournament, lost in the first round, and headed home. A week later, I grabbed my backpack and sifted through it to look at my deck for something, only to find out I had managed to lose it at the PTQ. This was the turning point. Lacking the will to replace the cards I needed for UW, I gave in to the darkness, borrowed what I needed to complete Black Devotion from my buddy Wade, and finished ninth in a TCG Platinum event. I played it a couple more times in small tournaments and settled in with it for Standard. I managed a couple more efforts at PTQ’ing, going to a Modern and a Sealed event with no results to show. Finally, I saw in my inbox an email from Star City Games reminding me there was an Open here in Portland. I’ve never managed to attend any of the SCG events before and felt it might be a good experience. Maybe I’d even make some new Magic friends.

Preparing for the Open

I began preparing for the Open in earnest…by playing Skyrim every night instead of MTGO. For some reason, I haven’t beaten Skyrim yet and I have an urge to finish it. I did manage to go to an FNM and went 3-0-1, splitting the finals with a nice kid named Ben, who wasn’t even aware of the Open until I asked him if he was going. After actually looking over things, I saw Yutu Takahashi’s deck from GP Chicago and instantly re-kindled my love affair with main-deck [card]Duress[/card]. Upping the number of ways to protect your [card]Pack Rat[/card]s just seemed pretty solid. The version of Black Devotion I had been playing was one that had made the top eight of a South American GP a few months ago. It splashed blue for a copy of [card]Notion Thief[/card], which is a really great card if you get it off at the right time even once in the matchups where [card]Sphinx’s Revelation[/card] makes an appearance. I decided to copy Yutu’s main deck with two differences: I kept six blue sources (four Temples and two [card]Watery Grave[/card]s) and I didn’t manage to find a fourth [card]Devour Flesh[/card], so I ended up with a copy of [card]Ultimate Price[/card] instead. I also don’t happen to have any [card]Drown In Sorrow[/card], but I’m not sure that’s necessary unless lots of white starts showing up.

I managed to play and win a match on MTGO in a two-man queue and decided I was ready to battle. I see a lot of complaints about Standard being stale, which may be true, but for me it’s been nice to be able to get comfortable with a list and not have to scramble at the last minute to play a deck I’m not familiar with. Friday night came and I managed to not stay out too late or drink too many cocktails. I was in bed and trying to sleep by 11:30 p.m. after making sure my deck was re-sleeved. I didn’t have a complete sideboard, but figured I’d have time on the train to figure it out. I had printed out a deck registration sheet, at least. Saturday morning I woke up right on time, about 7:40 AM, remembered to actually eat some breakfast, made myself some coffee, and managed to find a mug to take it with me on the train. My lovely wife was nice enough to drop me off at the train station and I started scribbling down my deck list as the train rolled across downtown. I was particularly worried about red, so I made sure I had [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card] in the sideboard and then randomly decided [card]Master of Waves[/card] could have slot 15. I only played one red deck and didn’t cast Master, but I’m pretty sure it would have been better as something else, for the curious. [card]Notion Thief[/card], while awesome when it works, is probably overkill. [card]Cyclonic Rift[/card], on the other hand, is great. I sideboard it in very often. It didn’t get cast too much, but it got me a match win when I needed it.

The Tournament Site

The tournament site was the Oregon Convention Center, which is pretty nice. From the train, it’s only about a five-minute walk with only a few hobos to navigate around. I had a very short line to stand in to hand over my $40, and then I was ready. I made a seriously next-level move by filling my coffee mug with water, a winning move I proceeded to make every single round. I’d say continuously hydrating was my strongest play all day. My weakest play was concentrating so hard on the number column on my deck list I was already starting the day with a game loss, but didn’t know it. In the end, my luck was running too high and it didn’t end up mattering, but giving away games before you start the tourney is not normally a winning move; embarrassing. I have not played regularly enough to really develop the requisite magic friendships, so I said hello to a few of the locals I do know a little and just milled around until the player meeting.

Despite my having scheduled this day for Magic a couple of weeks ago, my wife had scheduled us to go to a dinner party at a friend’s house. I sized up my odds and said, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll probably be done by round three or four anyway, I should be ready to go on time. No problem.” In reality, I wasn’t looking forward to having to go through 10 rounds of Magic, but I had packed a couple granola bars and knew there was food on site. I’ve noticed I tend to do the best when I don’t care about winning too much. I mean, I like to win, but if I just concentrate on playing and enjoying the game, I tend to do much better. Rather than stress out about how hard it would be to get to the end, I made the decision to just try and enjoy myself and play friendly Magic. For the most part, I succeeded.

The Deck

[deck title= B/u Devotion. Mostly Black—SCG Open Portland] [Creatures] *4 Desecration Demon *4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel *4 Nightveil Specter *4 Pack Rat [/Creatures] [Spells] *4 Underworld Connections *2 Bile Blight *3 Devour Flesh *3 Hero’s Downfall *1 Ultimate Price *2 Duress *4 Thoughtseize [/Spells] [Land] *15 Swamp *4 Mutavault *4 Temple of Deceit *2 Watery Grave [/Land] [Sideboard] *3 Lifebane Zombie *1 Master of Waves *1 Notion Thief *1 Cyclonic Rift *1 Dark Betrayal *2 Doom Blade *2 Pharika’s Cure *2 Erebos, God of the Dead *2 Duress [/Sideboard] [/deck]

The Tournament

There are a bunch of primers for this archetype out there, so I’ll just hit the highlights of the rounds.

Round 1 – Matt Griffen with Monoblue

Matt was a younger kid, maybe my son’s age or a little older. I bantered a bit about where he lives (my part of PDX metro it turns out) and he was surprised he hasn’t seen me at the local shop, but since they don’t do store credit for prizes, I don’t play there too often. He started off well and took game one and I figured this is it, but I pulled out game two. Game three, Nightveil Specter stole a [card]Hall of Triumph[/card], which made all my creatures too large for him to handle. I got in lethal despite a Jace activation. I realized later I had sideboarded wrong, as [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card] is a lot worse against [card]Temple of Triumph[/card]. Matt played his deck well and I wished him luck (when I saw him later he was 5-2).

Round 2 – Peter Sundholm with Blue Devotion splashing White

Peter was a nice older guy not unlike myself. I [card]Thoughtseize[/card]d turn two into his double [card]Judge’s Familar[/card]; he tanked for a moment and then sacrificed both Familiars. Next turn he played out the Thassa he was protecting, which I’m not sure was the right play. Losing Thassa hurts, but I feel the explosive attack from blue is the biggest threat, so I’m not sure I would have done the same. Game two was interesting, as I had a Nightveil with his Nightveil under it. I opted to Thoughtseize him and saw double Thassa, [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Rapid Hybridization[/card], and [card]Detention Sphere[/card]. I pondered for a moment and took Detention Sphere, since it dealt with my rats. I’m not sure that was the right play, as he only had two land in play and none in hand, but I thought I’d rather have the 3/3 than risk a Sphere blowout later. Peter forgot to play [card]Rapid Hybridization[/card] during my upkeep, so I played the Nightveil I stole from him with my own. I ended up using his own [card]Domestication[/card] against him to take a [card]Frostburn Weird[/card], which sealed the deal. He felt he had a good matchup against Black Devotion, so maybe my luck was with me. Regardless, it’s nice to start out 2-0 instead of 0-2-drop.

Round 3 – Daniel Waldholz with Esper

I won game one with an assortment of creatures and [card]Mutavault[/card]s and sideboarded in [card]Notion Thief[/card] and [card]Cyclonic Rift[/card] for game two. He never really got going and couldn’t keep his planeswalkers on the table.

Round 4 – Daniel Joyax with Boss Sligh

This round I was maybe a little too competitive. Game one I managed to snag his only enchantment in his opening hand with [card]Duress[/card], but he just made an army and commenced beats. It turns out that [card]Pack Rat[/card] tokens don’t help much versus [card]Legion Loyalist[/card]. When I killed his [card]Akroan Crusader[/card] in response to him using a [card]Rubblebelt Maaka[/card] bloodrush, he tried to put a token into play. A judge was called and we resolved he gets no token—not a big deal. However, the next attack, he came in with [card]Rakdos Cackler[/card], which had no counter on it. I moved to take damage as if Cackler was a 1/1, but he said it had +1/+1—he just didn’t have a counter but did announce it. I was pondering my hand or something, so hadn’t really been paying attention to it when he cast it, assuming he was casting it with the counter. But since he didn’t place one on it, I wasn’t sure how it went down, so I called the judge again. It didn’t make sense that he wouldn’t have put the counter, so it wasn’t a big deal, but I wanted clarification that if you announced something like this, but failed to actually keep track of the game state with a counter, if that was fine. It turns out it was.

It’s stuff like this I’m a little hazy on—drawing cards is no longer a game loss, and Magic is just a lot nicer in general these days. So he took game one, I sideboarded in my removal and [card]Master of Waves[/card], but it was Desecration Demon that did the trick. Although many players suggest it’s correct, I almost never sideboard out [card]Desecration Demon[/card] or [card]Pack Rat[/card].

I think it was at this point I managed to go grab food. Two well-dressed ladies in front of me were contemplating what to get—one really wanted the hamburger, but resolved to get the chicken wrap as all that bread on the burger made her sleepy. I decided that was great advice and opted for the chicken wrap myself, plus a banana. Between walking around in between rounds and this move, I was a veritable health nut all day. I even ate only half the wrap!

Round 5 – Greg Galloway with Jund Reanimator

I’m not sure if Reanimator is the right deck name, but he had [card]Underworld Cerberus[/card]. Game one he ran me over with creatures and I thought, “Well, at least I started 4-0.” [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card] tagged in from the board, but really I didn’t have a big game plan versus this deck. However, his Domri whiffed and he never drew much after that, so I managed to get there. I have no idea how good this deck is against Black Devotion, but I didn’t think it was something I wanted to play every round.

Round 6 – Justin Miller with Bant Walkers

So far, getting to 5-0, I felt pretty lucky. However, it was pretty obvious I had hit the stage of the day where you start encountering Mini Bosses. Justin seemed to have a pretty good handle on how this goes down and absolutely destroyed me game one with a triple planeswalker board state that resembled the army of a small country. In from the board came the extra [card]Duress[/card]es, Rift, and Thief.

In game two, he kept answering my cast threats, but couldn’t overcome triple [card]Mutavault[/card]. In game three, he kept and I looked down at a hand containing Swamp, Thoughtseize, two Pack Rats, and three business spells. Normally I don’t keep one-land hands, and I don’t recommend it most of the time. This game, I was on the play, and I just needed a second land to get my engine started. If I was going to win, I probably needed to get a little lucky anyways, so I kept. It was greedy, but a Swamp came right off the top. I [card]Thoughtseize[/card]d and Justin had kept a six-lander himself, hating to mulligan against my discard. On turn two, I resolved [card]Pack Rat[/card] and almost licked my lips in anticipation of the savage rat tokens I was imagining, only to have Justin draw [card]Pithing Needle[/card] off the top and play it naming Pack Rat. Luckily, my hand was still full of business and I managed to snag something with a Lifebane, drop an Erebos (and draw twice off it before it was exiled), play out Desecration Demon, and replace my Lifebane after the first went into exile with Erebos. Justin manage to [card]Detention Sphere[/card] the Demon, but I was getting in for four a turn with the Lifebane and the 1/1 rat, while he was tapping out for Jace and using the -2 to pick up a [card]Sphinx’s Revelation[/card]. With no other business in his hand, the coast was clear, and on his end step I Rifted his Detention Sphere off Desecration Demon, allowing me to attack for lethal the next turn before he could recover. I’d done it: somehow I defeated a Mini Boss to get to the next level.

Round 7 – Gabe Carleton-Barnes with Black Aggro

We shook hands and introduced ourselves. I noted to Gabe that he’s a bit of a local Magic celebrity; he chuckled and took it in stride. This is another Mini Boss level. I’m pretty sure I’m 0-X lifetime versus several of the PT regulars from back in Texas, so winning here would be a new thing for me: two Mini Bosses defeated? Gabe won the flip, but mulled to five with a wince. I had an okay hand, so I thought this was going to work out. Then I died to his triple [card]Tormented Hero[/card] draw in short order. It wasn’t even close.

In game two, I [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card]d something and hung on until I took over the game, trying to play around taking any extra damage, just in case. I wasn’t sure if there was a haymaker I’d forgotten in the format, muttering, “There isn’t a Hatred in this set, is there?” at some point. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be. Game three, Gabe drew no removal and Specter held off his troops long enough for [card]Desecration Demon[/card] to make short work of his life total. I was actually stunned to have won. By this point, I had long missed my dinner party, and my wife was texting me about it. I told her about the lack of losses and that I would likely make top eight if I win either of my next two rounds. When I tell her about the prize support numbers, she just says, “That better not be store credit!” Sigh.

Round 8 – Michael Felps with Black Devotion

As we shuffled up, we heard a Conspiracy draft announcement and Michael asked me if I had ever drafted it. I hadn’t, and he told me he’d like to, but it would end up everyone versus him at his local shop. I mentally noted I was pretty much in continuous Mini-Boss land at that point.

Game one came down to a turn where Michael had down two [card]Gray Merchant of Asphodel[/card]s, two [card]Underworld Connections[/card]es, and most likely a Gray Merchant in hand, to my three [card]Pack Rat[/card]s, my own Gray Merchant, and [card]Underworld Connections[/card]. I had another Connections, Gray Merchant, and [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card] in hand and was at six life, while Michael was at 13 or 14. I noted out loud that if he had a Merchant, I would die the next turn, then tanked for a moment. I could have played a Connections and a Merchant with Downfall backup. I decided for some reason that trying to live another turn by draining wasn’t the right way out and attacked with the Rats, killing one Merchant in combat and Downfalling the other. I passed and, of course, he had another Merchant. In retrospect, I should have probably just played out Connections and Merchant, putting me barely out of Merchant range for another turn.

Game two was interesting, as I managed to misplay into the win. After a [card]Thoughtseize[/card], I drew [card]Mutavault[/card] and a Gray Merchant. Michael started getting in with a Nightveil, so I shrugged and dropped my Merchant. He had flipped [card]Bile Blight[/card] with the Nightveil and I couldn’t attack with the [card]Mutavault[/card]s. Next, he flipped an Erebos off my deck and put it into play. I commenced Gray Merchant beats and sent for eight. The next turn, he tapped four again for the [card]Desecration Demon[/card] I’d seen in his hand, but I was ready with [card]Ultimate Price[/card] in hand, Michael ended up at three life. He held up mana the next turn and passed. I couldn”t attack with Mutavault, but I drew another Gray Merchant. I pondered. I decided if he had removal I was just going to have to walk into it and cast the Merchant. He scooped up his cards. Wow. After that game, I realized I had held back my own Nightveil for a couple of turns thinking it would get [card]Bile Blight[/card]ed, forgetting it would kill both of our Specters. Better lucky than good, sometimes.

Our last game was uneventful, as he mulliganed into a one-lander and didn’t draw mana before I had an army going. That was it. 8-0! I was starting to get a little bit giddy, as I’ve never been 8-0 before that I can recall. Maybe 6-0, but not 8-0. I tried to remain calm, telling myself I might get paired down, be forced to play, and not make top eight.

Round 9 – Ben Warschauer with Black Devotion

Here is where my focus on just playing one round at a time and not thinking about the bigger picture wasn’t optimal. My last name starts with R, and the board with my pairings was in the farthest corner of the room from table one. I wear glasses and I followed the judge who was posting the pairings, but had to wait a few seconds behind others until I could get close enough to read the sheet. There were also standings, but I was just focused on the pairings and didn’t look at the standings. At that point, having read other SCG event coverage, I was thinking I should be able to draw twice into the top eight, but I wasn’t sure. I should have checked the standings then, but I didn’t.

I walked up to table one and my opponent was none other than Ben “That Nice Kid from the Store, Who I Drew with Last Week” Warschauer. I knew his record was 7-1 and I thought I must have been paired down, but I wasn’t sure. There was a judge standing at table one watching as I sat down. I think you only have three minutes after pairings were posted or something. I inquired with the judge if we could see a standings sheet, but he said he thought we should begin playing. However, I was confused as to why I was playing someone with a loss and realized the pairings board for the low alphabet was a few feet away. I walked over, found Ben in 12th and me in first, and walked back, realizing there were no other undefeated people. I got a warning for slow play, which wasn’t too big of a deal, but it irked me a little that I had followed the person posting the papers and I didn’t have enough time to read all the information.

Secure in the knowledge Ben could not draw into the top eight, we started playing and I won game one. Before game two, they stopped us and we were deck checked. Despite staring at my deck registration sheet for a fair amount of time before handing it in, I had managed to leave a line blank, although it had the number two next to it. Turns out I had not written down the [card]Watery Grave[/card]s, only their quantity. While it’s never fun to get a game loss, it was a lot better to get a game loss here, in a round that didn’t matter that much, than later on in the top eight. Ben and I shuffled up and went to game three, where he managed to [card]Pack Rat[/card] me out. I might have just scooped to him if I’d understood exactly how the standings were, but in the end it worked out fine anyways.

Round 10 – Mitchell Gross with Mono-Blue

I was still in first place and actually checked the standings this time, and determined I was able to intentionally draw the last round.

People had already been congratulating me for a couple rounds, but I had kept my focus on just playing games of Magic, trying not to drift off with dreams of taking it all down. It was getting late by that time, so my mind wasn’t nearly as sharp anymore. I talked a bit with Justin out in the hall about how my luck had been pretty strong this day, and we both agreed we probably should have mulliganed in our match.I found the banana I bought earlier and ate it, hoping to get a little extra energy. Ben had to play again and won, making him the first seed going into the top eight, meaning I was going to be matched up against the Junk deck in the quarterfinals. People were saying it seemed like a bad matchup for Black Devotion, and I certainly wasn’t prepared for it, but after having time to think about it, I don’t think it was as bad as it seemed at the time. We all had our pictures taken and milled around waiting for the quarters to start.

The Top Eight

Quarterfinals – Jesse Harper with Junk Midrange

I had a sinking feeling as I sat down, with the comments about the matchup and [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card] echoing around my brain. Game one started fine. I got out a Demon and handled his Voice tokens, but he found a [card]Blood Baron of Vizkopa[/card] and [card]Obzedat, Ghost Council[/card], which won before I could find an answer. In game two, Erebos shut down his Blood Baron lifelink shenanigans and he succumbed to an army of rats despite his two Blood Barons as blockers.

In game three, my opening hand consisted of a [card]Thoughtseize[/card], five lands, and a [card]Gray Merchant of Asphodel[/card]. Two of the lands were Temples, so I ended up keeping, which was a mistake in retrospect. I cast the [card]Thoughtseize[/card] on turn one, revealing Jesse’s hand of four lands, [card]Sylvan Caryatid[/card], [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card], and [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card]. I opted to take the Voice, although now I believe I should have taken the Courser. I proceeded to draw lands and put non-business cards on bottom (although I missed one scry from a Temple), but I couldn’t find an answer for the turn-four Obzedat Jesse drew. If we played again, I think I would mulligan for a more aggressive draw, as my removal wasn’t going to match up correctly every time, and he had only a few answers to [card]Pack Rat[/card].

After packing up, I confirmed my prize would be mailed to me. Riki Hayashi shook my hand and congratulated me on making top eight and getting to go to an invitational. That’s when it hit me: I now have to play Legacy. The last time I played, it was still Type 1.5 and the competition level was…lower. Perhaps I can borrow a deck.

The Takeaway

I think the deck choice I made was pretty good, mono-black or black with a splash has a small amount of variance, and if you are better than me, you’ve probably already decided whether you want a splash or not. The amount of variance from scry lands and a splash is low enough that I don’t think most people will notice, especially if you are FNM’ing or the like. I think [card]Duress[/card] in the main deck is the way to go, especially if you want to go down to 25 lands. I would probably run another [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card] or [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card] in the sideboard over [card]Master of Waves[/card], but the rest I’d probably let ride. A lot of people are playing more [card]Bile Blight[/card] or [card]Ultimate Price[/card] over some number of [card]Devour Flesh[/card], so I don’t think I’d actually change the main deck at all if you want the blue splash.

The two “unusual” decks that made top eight are going to be fun to play, but they look to me like they have a lot more variance. The next couple of weeks of Standard might be stale, but the silky-smooth reliability of the black deck is a lot more to my taste. M15 might shake things up a little, but so far, I still predict a lot of [card]Pack Rat[/card]s and [card]Desecration Demon[/card]s until September. I do want to play some M15 Limited, though. However, I might just be grinding online with Legacy. I only have about five months to prepare…

I’d like to thank all my opponents for being outstandingly nice the whole day, and SCG for running a really smooth tournament.

–Quillian Rutherford

P.S. Also, I’m fairly certain half the top eight was over 30 (*cough* 29? *cough*): take that, youngsters!

Brainstorm Brewery #107 – Sexability

July 25, 2014 Brainstorm Brewery 00:57:28

It always feels like it’s a slow news week at first, but once the floodgates open, an hour just flies by. With new sealed product, new Magic Online clients, new e-mail questions, and a new core set, there’s no shortage of topics to discuss. How will the change to the new client, the new Magic Online promo, the extension of Vintage Masters Drafts, and a general ennui about Magic Online affect the market? Will the clash packs be big sellers? In Finance 101, how do we handle the prerelease? Find out the answer to all these questions and more on a jam-packed episode of your favorite podcast that will have you saying, “Marcel sure tried his damnedest to have this end up named “Ranting and Raving,” didn’t he?

Finance 101 is back with prerelease postgame tips.
How did everyone enjoy the prerelease?
The gang goes deep into the mailbag to make up for the past few weeks.
What do the clash packs mean?
What is the future of Magic Online finance?
Remember to check out the articles on BrainstormBrewery.com.
Questions? Concerns? The address is brainstormbrew at gmail dot com.

Cabe Riseau produced the intro and outro music for Brainstorm Brewery.

Contact Us

Brainstorm Brewery – website – email – twitter – facebook

Ryan Bushard – email – twitter – facebook – gatheringmagic.com

Corbin Hosler – email – twitter – facebook – quitespeculation.com

Jason E Alt – email – twitter – facebook – gatheringmagic.com – quitespeculation.com

Marcel – email – twitter – facebook

Conjured Currency #23: Reviewing M15, Part 2

July 24, 2014 Douglas Johnson

Welcome back to part two of my M15 set review! If you weren’t here last week, we went over my predictions of what some of the more expensive cards Magic 2015 would look like price-wise two months from now (in September). This gives everyone enough time to play around with their synergy with all of our current toys, without me having to do any wild guesswork on what Khans of Tarkir will look like to affect the prices of this most recent set. Today, I’ll be checking in on the rest of the rares and mythics of M15, and using the same timestamp for measurement.

Regarding Last Week

If you’re just here for the rest of the review, feel free to skip the next paragraph. I’m going to quickly cover a few things about the social media responses to part one before continuing with part two. Any card that is not mentioned is one that I believe will be a bulk rare throughout its life.

The two cards that people most disagreed with my take in my set review last week were [card]Sliver Hivelord[/card] and [card]Waste Not[/card]. The opposing concensus was that I underestimated the possibility for strong casual attraction to these two cards, and that their prices would continue to stay afloat at their current levels. While I don’t disagree that these are casual home-runs, I think that these will slowly decline, then creep back up over time—after about a year. If we look at [card]Consuming Aberration[/card], it managed to drop to near bulk rare status before making its slow climb up to $4. I think it was fairly obvious that the card was a winner for all of the homebrew mill players, but there’s not enough up-front demand right now to keep the price high on Hivelord and Waste Not, in my opinion. We’ll see them drop lower, and you’ll have your chance to pick them up then.

Back to the Set Review

Stupid Oversized Garruk

Current TCG average: $4

I’m scrolling down TCGplayer’s list of M15 cards, and this thing actuallly popped up. You know, the thing you get in your prerelease box that you can “fight against”, like the hydra from Theros and the bunch of minotaurs from Born of the Gods? I have no idea why this is worth anything, but if you can find an out for yours, do it. I checked the completed listings on eBay, and it looks like human beings have actually purchased these for at least $3 each. Check all of the good buylists (ABU/Card Kingdom/Adventures On, if you don’t remember), ask the casuals who didn’t go to the prerelease, ask your mom, ask everyone. If you can get value out of this thing, I applaud you. It was free, so you could even throw it on eBay/TCGplayer yourself and buy a drink with the money to celebrate your accomplishment of selling it. Predicted price: $1, I guess?

[card]Soul of Theros[/card]

Current TCG average: $3

I really like this card, but I don’t know where it goes in a competitive deck. If Mono-White Devotion exists (and I want it to), its six-drop is obviously [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card], not this. Its ability is certainly powerful and auto-wins you the game if you grant your entire team that buff against a mono red deck, but you’re spending 12 mana overall. If it sees overwhelming levels of constructed play, then feel free to rub it in my face, but I’m not holding my breath. You certainly don’t want it over [card]Sun Titan[/card] in 99 percent of EDH decks, anyway. Predicted price: $2

[card]Hushwing Gryff[/card]

Current TCG average: $3

As a known fan of [card]Birthing Pod[/card], I really cringe when I see this thing hit the board. I can’t [card]Qasali Pridemage[/card] it and I can’t [card]Murderous Redcap[/card] it, so my only outs in the entire 75 are [card]Izzet Staticaster[/card], [card]Path to Exile[/card] (from the board), or hoping they’re dumb enough to swing into a [card]Restoration Angel[/card]. That being said, it’s not the end of the world for any other deck out there. Twin wields an arsenal of burn and bounce spells to take care of it, and it can’t fit into any maindeck. We know that some sideboard cards have a history of skyrocketing ([card]Spellskite[/card] and [card]Fulminator Mage[/card]) in price, but those are also older cards with much higher utility. If anything, you’ll be able to find this for a dollar, maybe $2, in September. However, foils of this will be extremely hot. Those will be safe even at $10 or higher, because, well, foil Modern-playable cards do that nowadays.

[card]Genesis Hydra[/card]

Current TCG average: $3

I think our own Jason Alt said it perfectly when discussing the value of a casual hydra: you have to be one of the top 10 hydras ever printed to be of any significant value. This is not one. Yes, you basically get to cascade for X, but your creature will be significantly underpowered in exchange, and you can’t get three-drops if you cast it for four mana. It will still be a casual hit because slapping a mini-[card]Genesis Wave[/card] onto a big green thing is fun and exciting and omgwowfreespells, but its price won’t go crazy. In September, I’ll be buying these for a quarter and throwing them in my dollar box, then immediately selling out. Rinse and repeat. Predicted price: $1, maybe $2.

[card]Soul of Shandalar[/card]

Current TCG average: $3

I honestly really like this card, but I’m not confident in its price. It fights and wins against four of the other Souls (five if [card]Soul of Phyrexia[/card] can’t pony up the mana), and its ability is always relevant. Even if the board is locked up tight, you can always dome them for three. In a different format, I’d like this guy. In fact, I’m more confident about him post-rotation than the other Souls. However, he’ll drop to being a bulk mythic before then, and that’s where I’m scooping them up. Predicted Price: $1-2

[card]Chief Engineer[/card]

Current TCG average: $2

This will be a bulk rare eventually. It might not get there by September, but it’s certainly not planting a seed for the next block like [card]Steel Overseerr[/card] did. It’s just a flavorful, top-down designed card that they were able to fit into the set. It will probably be thrown into [card]Sharuum the Hegemon[/card] and [card]Memnarch[/card] EDH decks around the world, but that won’t change its dollar-rare status. The fact that it’s not an artifact itself puts a huge damper on its potential. Maybe it will creep up to $3 or $4 eventually, but we’re talking multiple years in the future now. This is yet another “foils will be better than double” card though, so keep that in mind. Predicted price: $1.

[card]Terra Stomper[/card]

Current TCG average: $3

If you weren’t aware, there are five rares in M15 (in addition to a few other commons and uncommons that aren’t really relevant) that cannot be obtained through booster packs, but will be included in those free little starter decks that stores and conventions give out for free to introduce new players to the game. [card]Terra Stomper[/card] is the rare of the green deck, and for some reason the lowest available copy on TCGplayer is $3, even when the Zendikar one is about a dollar. This will meet up with that one at $1 before long. Even though there are probably fewer in circulation, the kind of player that enjoys a [card]Terra Stomper[/card] usually doesn’t care about the edition of his or her [card]Terra Stomper[/card]. These are awesome sells out of a dollar box to casuals, because 8/8 tramples that laugh at counterspells are their kind of card. Predicted price: $1

[card]Soul of Zendikar[/card]

Current TCG average: $2

I really don’t like this card. I think I’d honestly rather have [card]Hydra Broodmother[/card] or [card]Hornet Queen[/card] most of the time. While its ability is always relevant like Shandalar, it’s certainly much less powerful. Bulk mythic, since green obviously has many things more powerful than this in 99-card land. Predicted price: bulk mythic.

[card]Chasm Skulker[/card]

Current TCG average: $1.50

On the other hand, I love this little guy. I’m on the hunt for a foil copy to include in my [card]Marchesa, the Black Rose[/card] EDH deck. Blue loves drawing cards, and your investment isn’t totally wasted when they end up murdering your 11/11. I’d almost always rather have a bunch of islandwalkers than a fatty without evasion, so they almost have to avoid killing it. It obviously doesn’t have applications in Constructed being a three-mana 1/1 that has to wait a turn before becoming a [card]Grey Ogre[/card], so it should drop to bulk rare status before slowly creeping up as the years go by. Predicted price: bulk rare, but start grabbing them for a quarter when it does, at least if you’re into long-term investments.

[card]Soul of Innistrad[/card]
Current TCG average: $2

Does anyone else get irritated at how they keep putting deathtouch on things such as [card]Grave Titan[/card] and this guy? It’s almost never relevant. Anyway, my thoughts on this card are very similar to the other Souls. They probably won’t see high-level Constructed play, because Wizards remembered what happened with the Titans. EDH/Commander also already has a ton of stuff better on the curve, so their place is kind of awkward. I predict bulk mythic, maybe continuing to stay at his current $2. Nothing exciting here, folks. Move along.

[card]Ob Nixilis, Unshackled[/card]

Current TCG average: $1.50

Another card that I need a foil of for Marchesa, so hit me up in the comments if you happen to own one. I’d be happy to trade for it. I’ll warn you first though, that the foil price of this card won’t be going down anytime soon. People like me hunger for this guy in EDH, because it makes casting [card]Path to Exile[/card] that much funnier. Cracking that [card]Verdant Catacombs[/card] stings a bit, and the guy with the judge foil [card]Demonic Tutor[/card] is less happy overall. I fully expect this to stay at its “not bulk rare, but not going up anytime soon” status, much like a lot of these cards coming up. Prediction: $1-2

[card]Preeminent Captain[/card]

Current TCG Average: $1-2

This Lorwyn block guy managed to sneak up to almost $5 before getting hit with the reprint hammer. Is this a foreshadowing of soldier tribal in Khans? Putting [card]Captain of the Watch[/card] into play with this card on turn four is pretty fun for casuals, so grab copies of this card at $1 or under to trade off at $2. It will be a while before this creeps back up to its previous price. Prediction: $1-2.

[card]Hornet Nest[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Bulk rare. Awesome, flavorful bulk rare with amazing design, but bulk rare nonetheless. Maybe it would’ve been a $10 chase rare if they had gone full flavor and added reach, but I guess we’ll never know.

[card]Soul of Ravnica[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Bleh. I remember when people used to play [card]Azure Mage[/card] because it was a cheap body that could draw cards with extra mana, but this is taking it a bit too far. Mayyyybe it sees play as a finisher in a control deck at some point this year as a one-of? There’s not really financial relevance in that though. Bulk mythic.

[card]Spiritbonds[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Maybe there’s a hidden combo where this is amazingly broken, but I doubt it. If neither the trigger or the activation cost additional mana, then I could get behind this being extremely powerful. Unfortunately, I don’t think a [card]Suntail Hawk[/card] machine gets there. Like Hornet Nest, it’s a very flavorful card that just doesn’t get there power-wise. Bulk rare.

[card]Yisan, the Wandering Bard[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

If this guy retains his dollar status, it’s because he’s legendary and nothing else. Wizards felt bad about printing [card]Birthing Pod[/card], so this is its replacement. I am not amused. Bulk rare, but might somehow retain a a TCG average of $.89, which would technically land it in my dollar box forever.

[card]Life’s Legacy[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

If this were an instant, it might be extremely powerful and I might put it in my Savra deck. It’s not. I won’t. It’s a bulk rare.

[card]Polymorphist’s Jest[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Back when [card]Curse of the Swine[/card] was printed, some people suggested that it could have financial legs because of how humorous the concept was. The bacon wave is now a bulk rare, and this will be too.

[card]Indulgent Tormenter[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Bulk. Rare.

[card]Aetherspouts[/card]

Current TCG average: $1
This could see a decent amount of play in EDH, which could hover its price above that of the lowly bulk we just got done blitzing through. If it does, expect $1, maybe $2. It’s not [card]Cyclonic Rift[/card], but it gives them the opportunity to make a lot of mistakes, lose a lot of draw steps, and kill a lot of tokens, at instant speed. Prediction: $1-2

[card]Hornet Queen[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Interestingly enough, the cheapest available Insect token for Hornet Queen is more expensive than the Hornet Queen itself. I find that funny. If you can grab these at $1, I think that’s a fine idea. The card didn’t climb to $5 for no reason—people wanted it for casual decks and 99-card lists. Being in Standard probably won’t do much for its price either way, but trade your [card]Indulgent Tormentor[/card]s and [card]Polymorphist’s Jest[/card]s for these and the card below. Also of note is that this is the only foil printing of the card (hint, hint). Predicted price: $1, but slowly creeping up after a year.

[card]Avacyn, Guardian Angel[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Well, this is certainly a weaker version of the $30 8/8 casual all-star we know and love. However, I don’t think that will stop people from jamming both her and her alternate self in Kaalia decks, and the triple-white mana cost might be relevant to devotion in Standard during the next year (fingers crossed). Avacyn will never be a bulk rare though, due to the fact that legendary angels refuse to be pure bulk. Trade for them at a dollar, there’s no downside. But don’t buy in looking to quadruple your investment in a year. Prediction: $1

[card]Goblin Rabblemaster[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

I keep getting excited about this guy, then realize he just sends the hasted tokens he makes to their deaths. Kind of sad. Anyway, that’s one of the more prevalent reasons that this will be sitting in my $.25 box in September if I can’t dump off the one I own now. Predicted price: Bulk rare.

[card]Return to the Ranks[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

I, much like many of you probably did, immediately thought of [card]Immortal Servitude[/card] at first glance. The difference is that Servitude turns nothing into an army, while this requires an army, to bring back an army? Seems like way too much work. Bulk rare.

[card]Aggressive Mining[/card]

Current TCG average: Bulk rare

This might stay a bulk rare, but hear me out. I think that if the format is right, this could potentially see play in Standard, in the sideboard of a mono-red or other hyper-aggressive deck. If you burn them down to five or six life and have no cards in your hand, this is an amazing topdeck that can dig you to the final points of burn to finish them off. Obviously it’s a bit of a niche scenario, but if I can grab these for bulk rare prices, I’ll toss a couple of playsets in a box, wait to buylist them for $.50 each, and do a mental fist pump. Prediction: Probably still bulk, but here’s hoping!

[card]Stain the Mind[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

Bulk rare. [card]Slaughter Games[/card] is the best we’re going to get, and that’s a bulk rare. These aren’t worth money, unless you own a time machine and go back to when [card]Cranial Extraction[/card] was first printed.

[card]Necromancer’s Stockpile[/card]

Current TCG average: $1

No matter how badly you want this to work with [card]Gravecrawler[/card], it’s not worth it. [card]Faithless Looting[/card] and other cards exist. Bulk rare.

[card]Obelisk of Urd[/card]
Current TCG average: $1

I’m pretty sure you just want [card]Eldrazi Monument[/card] or [card]Coat of Arms[/card] over this, because both of those just let you kill your opponent during the turn you cast them, or the very next one. Tapping your creatures to cast this so you can’t attack with them is counterproductive, and that hurts its price. Bulk rare.

[card]Jalira, Master Polymorphist[/card[

Current TCG average: Bulk rare

Grab these as throw-ins, because people love legendary creatures. I’ll happily put these in my dollar box. She might still be bulk in two months, but if you can get copies for dirt cheap, go for it. Prediction: Still bulk!

[card]Kurkesh, Onnakke Ancient[/card]

Current TCG average: Bulk rare

For whatever reason, this guy is also a bulk rare. He seems very strong in the red-based artifact EDH decks (obviously), so I don’t think he deserves pure bulk rare status. Stash this guy away in your specs box and wait. Just wait. Than wait some more. Prediction: Still bulk, but great target for throw-ins.

[card]Crucible of Fire[/card]

Current TCG average: Bulk rare

Wait, isn’t the Shards version of this almost $4? Yes, it is. The reprint will satisfy all of the casual players who are looking for copies for their dragon decks, but look to trade other bulk rares into stuff like this, because it’ll creep up over time. Not soon, but over time. Predicted price: Bulk rare, but long-term spec

[card]In Garruk’s Wake[/card[

Current TCG average: Bulk rare

I actually doubt that this will go above bulk rare status, because there’s a promo out there. While it’s a strict upgrade to [card]Plague Wind[/card], most players who want this for EDH will want foil copies, and the promo provides an additional foil outlet. There are enough of these in the market for everyone and then some. Prediction: Bulk rare, maybe going above that in 2018.

A Whole Lot of Bulk

Well, that’s it from me.

Every other rare in the set doesn’t look like it’s going to rise up above bulk status at all, in my opinion. I’ve gone far beyond my expected word count, so I’ll wrap this up quick. Thanks to everyone who read the entire set review. Feel free to comment with constructive criticism or add more to the discussion below! You can also leave a comment on the Reddit thread for the article, or hit me up on Facebook/Twitter to talk about M15! There seems to be something for everyone in this set, casual and competitive alike. Until next time!

Unified Theory of Commander: Card Advantage

July 23, 2014 Jason Rice

We’ve already spilled quite a bit of digital ink discussing the first two elements of the Unified Theory of Commander: mana and draw. Over the last four articles in this series, we learned why to make mana production a priority during deck construction and how to utilize card draw to create options that help our decks succeed. Yet all these topics can get boiled down to one simple goal: acquire resources.

I should probably add a little something to that generalized goal for decks that actually want to win games of EDH. The goal is not just to acquire resources. The goal is to acquire them faster and better than your opponents. That’s why this article marks an excellent midpoint in our discussion in the Unified Theory. The concept of card advantage bridges the gap between acquiring resources and then actually putting those cards to use to execute a game plan.

Defining Card Advantage

Grasping the basic idea of card advantage is pretty easy. Simply put, it’s the action of gaining and using more cards than your opponents. If you cast an [card]Ancestral Recall[/card] and get three cards into your hand at the expense of just one card, that’s card advantage. If you force an opponent to discard two cards from their hand using [card]Mind Rot[/card], that’s card advantage too. In two-player Magic, its relatively easy to count cards and get a general idea of whether you are ahead or behind.

Card advantage, pure and simple.

Card advantage becomes quite a bit more treacherous to define when we start taking permanents on the board and life totals into account. In fact, it’s so treacherous that a number of competing theories have sprung up that attempt to mathematically “solve” card advantage for any situation. While these theories all have their merits, I’d argue that they are almost impossible to apply to a game of EDH without a degree in statistics. Trying to count fractional card advantage as multiple players take turns around the table will drive you insane long before it helps you understand how your deck is performing.

So the simple solution here is to throw away all the complicated theories. Frankly, you don’t need them. At no point during an EDH game are you going to score bonus points for being able to explain which player is one-third of a card ahead of the rest of the table. And even if you could, it doesn’t mean that player is actually “winning.” So don’t bother. We’re going to find a better, more simple solution to this problem for Commander.

Breaking the Rules…

For just a moment, let’s ignore specific cards, deck archetypes, themes, and flavor and just consider how Magic: The Gathering actually functions as a game. Magic is a game of rules. At the start of my turn, I get to untap my permanents once and draw one card. Next I get to play some spells, and after that, I get a single attack phase. We follow the rules for attacking and blocking. Then I get to play some more spells before passing the turn to my opponent. I’m grossly oversimplifying here, but I want you to look all the way down to the bones of the game.

Vanilla test? Pssshhh… Shriekmaw is too cool for school.

Just about every card that we play in this “game of rules” actually modifies those rules somehow. Casting [card]Divination[/card] modifies the “draw one card per turn” rule. I spend some resources and get to break that particular rule in exchange. Normally when I play a creature, the rules say I get a certain power and toughness for the mana I’ve spent and I can use that card to attack or defend. If I cast a [card]Shriekmaw[/card], I modify those basic rules. I not only get a body from my creature spell, but I also get an effect that kills a creature my opponent controls as well.

…And Getting Value

In addition to the basic rules that govern Magic, there are also basic values for cards and effects that have been defined over time through the design of the cards. For instance, we tend to get one power and one toughness for each point of mana invested into a creature. Creatures that either exceed or fail this “vanilla test” tend to do so because they are either breaking another rule or because they are saddled with some other drawback that changes their effectiveness.

Hungry? Have two slices of the color pie!

Because of Magic’s “color pie” of game mechanics, some of these base values are tied to specific colors as well. So drawing a single card may generally cost just one blue mana, but could cost more mana in any other color. Cards that violate these color-specific restrictions tend to get played a lot because they cover weaknesses or gaps usually found in that color. Board wipes are supposed to be in white’s slice of the color pie, but [card]Damnation[/card] is a four-mana version in black that sees play in every format it’s legal. So the value of a card can be inflated if it’s doing something its color isn’t usually supposed to be doing well.

Redefining Card Advantage

So now that we’ve looked at the bones, let’s try to piece together this card advantage animal for the purpose of building a deck for Commander. Since we can’t consider every possible table scenario while building our decks, we have to look at each card choice based on how well it helps us break the rules and create value.

A simple way to start evaluating a card is to ask yourself, “What value do I get for playing this?” EDH is a game of big spells, big creatures, and big plays, so a vanilla 2/2 probably isn’t going to get very far into your deck construction process if you start with this question. Compare that to something like [card]Serra Ascendant[/card], which enters the battlefield as a 6/6 creature with lifelink for just one white mana, and its easy to see why that card is a format staple. It gives you six times the normal value in power and toughness for the cost and it has an upside!

Sometimes simple math is all it takes to evaluate staple cards and see why they are so strong. [card]Sol Ring[/card] lets you spend one mana to get two on the same turn. [card]Wheel of Fortune[/card] draws seven cards for just three mana and possibly has the upside of disrupting an opponent’s game plan too. [card]Tooth and Nail[/card] costs a whopping nine mana, but it searches for any two creatures and puts them directly into play, bypassing the usual rules for tutoring and the casting costs for associated with massive creatures. A Tooth and Nail that grabs [card]Avacyn, Angel of Hope[/card], and [card]Archetype of Endurance[/card] creates an obscene advantage… and that’s one of the more “fair” uses for the card.

Don’t be sad, robot. You’re a staple!

Perhaps the best illustration of a value-producing card is [card]Solemn Simulacrum[/card]. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard a new player ask why this sad robot is so good in EDH. Just do the math, friends. It’s four colorless mana. It produces a 2/2 body, which accounts for two mana from its casting cost. Then it grabs a basic land from the deck and puts that card into play tapped. That action generally costs another two mana at least, but with the restriction of being in green. So four colorless mana for a 2/2 and a land is already ahead of the value curve by dodging a color restriction, and then it has the possibility of doing some damage, preventing some damage, and drawing another card when it dies. In just one card, we have mana, draw, a threat, and an answer. It’s almost all of the Unified Theory by itself. Now that’s value!

Card Advantage in Action

Picking a card based on its value above the standard is only the first half of card advantage. While building decks and theorizing about their power is fantastic, we actually have to play the game to prove that the cards actually behave as we expect. We also have to make good choices about how and when we play our cards to get maximum value.

So another good question to ask yourself is, “What value am I getting for this card if I cast it right now?” If you have a [card]Wrath of God[/card] in hand and there is only one creature card on the table at the moment, you better have a really good reason to want that one creature dead. Otherwise the inherent value of casting a card that destroys all creatures is going to be wasted. You would usually prefer to cast that later in the game and hit an entire table’s worth of creatures, trading your one card for a dozen from your opponents. That’s a much better value proposition for your deck.

I bring this up because it’s quite easy to get too focused on your own deck’s strategy and put your blinders on, plowing ahead with each turn irrespective of your opponents. This drastically reduces the value of the cards in your deck and can result in some lousy games. You might even start blaming your opponents for disrupting your deck instead of accepting your own mistakes. So make sure to pause a moment before each play and make sure you are getting the best value possible from each spell.

Multiplayer-Enhanced Card Advantage

Most games of Commander are played with more than two players and with double the starting life of vanilla Magic, which causes certain types of card advantage to become more valuable than others. These format-specific adjustments are vitally important to remember when making value judgments for your cards.

Let’s use spot removal as an example to demonstrate how multiplayer adjusts our card valuations. Assume for a moment that your opponent played one of those pesky [card]Serra Ascendant[/card]s on the second turn of the game. You are holding a [card]Go For the Throat[/card] in hand and have mana up to instantly kill it before it attacks someone. Should you?

A good rule to follow in both life and EDH: only murder things when you absolutely have to.

Well, let’s do some basic math here. Your opponent spent one mana and one card to get the [card]Serra Ascendant[/card] online. If you spend two mana and a card to kill it, you are only down one mana. In a normal game of Magic, this kind of one-for-one trade seems fine, but in this case, there are two other players at the table who spend zero cards on this exchange. So two of you are now down one card each and the other two have developed a little card advantage. Unless you have some political reason to spend your card this way, you should probably hold your removal until the Serra Ascendant is pointed toward you. Someone else might spend the card instead and leave you ahead in card advantage.

Another card advantage adjustment to make for Commander is to remember that recurring card advantage is significantly more potent than one-time effects. We touched on this a bit in the article on draw. [card]Divination[/card] is a fine card in a draft but it doesn’t do much work in EDH. [card]Rhystic Study[/card] has a recurring card draw effect that has the added bonus of potentially slowing down your opponents or at least eating some enchantment removal. Doing something multiple times is a lot better than just doing it once.

“Your turn? I think you mean OUR turn…”

Also make sure to consider when the recurring effect happens to help measure how strong the card might be. [card]Consecrated Sphinx[/card] is one of the most potent cards in the format specifically because it’s a multiplayer game. If no one is holding an answer in a four-player pod, its controller can gain six cards just off the draw phases of her opponents. [card]Prophet of Kruphix[/card] untaps lands and creatures at the start of every upkeep, effectively giving a player multiple extra turns. These effects are significantly more potent because they occur during each other player’s turn, producing card advantage at hyperspeed.

Finally, remember that symmetric effects are significantly more powerful than single target effects. Not only do they get around defensive cards such as [card]Witchbane Orb[/card], but they also set all opponents behind instead of just one at a time. Compare [card]Bloodchief Ascension[/card] to [card]Purphoros, God of the Forge[/card] for a solid example here. Purphoros hits everyone at the table for two life at a time, whereas Bloodchief Ascension is only hitting one. The extra lifegain just doesn’t make up for the lack of symmetry.

Synergy-Enhanced Card Advantage

Remember, the Unified Theory of Commander ends with the element synergy, so it’s something we also have to take into consideration as we build card advantage into our lists. One of the great joys of playing this format is finding otherwise unplayable cards and turning them into valuable parts of our decks. Even the most oddball cards can find a home and produce some card advantage in a deck built to abuse them.

The King of Janky Synergy

[card]Norin the Wary[/card] is a really fun example of this kind of synergy in action. He’s not really much of a threat on his own. Neither is [card]Confusion in the Ranks[/card]. Put them together, though, and you have a potent combo that steals everyone’s creatures and keeps sending Norin back to his controller for maximum annoyance. Throw a potent card like [card]Purphoros, God of the Forge[/card], into the mix and suddenly Norin becomes a clock for the entire table.

We’ll deal more with these kinds of synergies as we move into the second half of our discussions on the Unified Theory of Commander, but for now it’s sufficient to remember that the more pieces of your deck that interact with a card favorably, the more card advantage it’s likely to produce. Remember that the most important elements of any EDH deck are the things that produce resources (mana) and open up options (draw), so if a synergistic piece doesn’t satisfy those elements, spend a little extra time asking yourself why it’s going into the deck.

Conclusion

Don’t get bogged down by complicated definitions of card advantage. A few simple rules built on top of a simple definition can help any Commander deck achieve its goals for resources and keep up with the table. Use cards that help you break the rules and generate as much value as possible. Play cards when they best benefit you and produce the biggest losses for your opponents. Use recurring and symmetric effects whenever possible. Understanding card advantage in EDH doesn’t require a calculator or an advanced degree in mathematics—just keep these rules in mind.

UB Faeries Tournament Report – Barrett Goss

July 22, 2014 Guest Author

Welcome to another installment in the r/spikes tournament report series. Barrett Goss comes at you with a two-fer; a report about how his deck of choice fared at a GPT in Philadelphia and then at a PTQ in Delaware the next day. Hang on a second—didn’t Max Perlmutter play those same two events? Wonder if they know each other… it’s a small world in r/spikes! Enjoy the report!

Hi, all. My name’s Barrett Goss and I’ve played various competitive card games for the past decade. I got back into Magic with Zendikar and have played Modern since its inception. However, for a long while, this great format had a distinct lack of my favorite deck, thanks to the banning of one particular card: [card]Bitterblossom[/card]. The DCI Banned & Restricted List announcement in February 2014 solidified the Modern format as my favorite, allowing me to quit playing with the pretenders and play the best deck in the metagame (no bias).

I spent this weekend doing what any self-respecting Modern player with a three-day holiday weekend would do: I grinded 18+ hours of Magic between two events and 16 rounds! As a Philadelphia resident, I’m lucky enough to be within driving distance of a good amount of events, so between myself and the rest of the Modern crowd in the area, we decided to make both the hour-long drive to Six Feet Under Games in New Holland on Saturday for a GPT/IQ event, then turn around and do a PTQ in Wilmington, Delaware, the next day. For this article, I’ll do a general overview of my matches on Saturday, and a more detailed breakdown for the PTQ.

While I have the option of what are considered tier one decks in the format, I’m a firm believer that you’ll do better with a deck you know inside and out. For the GPT, I knew exactly what I wanted to sleeve up in a field that I expected to be primarily mid-range and control strategies:

[deck title= Faeries – Barrett Goss]
[Creatures]
*4 Spellstutter Sprite
*2 Snapcaster Mage
*2 Vendilion Clique
*3 Mistbind Clique
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*2 Liliana of the Veil
*4 Bitterblossom
*2 Swords of Feast and Famine
*3 Inquisition of Kozilek
*3 Dismember
*1 Doom Blade
*1 Tragic Slip
*2 Spell Snare
*3 Mana Leak
*3 Cryptic Command
[/Spells]
[Land]
*4 Darkslick Shores
*4 Secluded Glen
*4 River of Tears
*4 Mutavault
*3 Creeping Tar Pit
*1 Tectonic Edge
*5 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
*2 Spreading Seas
*2 Hurkyl’s Recall
*2 Sower of Temptation
*2 Negate
*1 Spell Snare
*2 Grafdigger’s Cage
*2 Ratchet Bomb
*2 Deathmark
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

As an archetype, Faeries rides a fine line between aggro, tempo, and control, and one of the things that I enjoy the most about it is that a skilled pilot can both tune and play it to suit any metagame. With an inherently unfair matchup for the control decks in the format, you can tune the deck against what you need help with. This GPT marked a change from my normal routine of “rip all the things from your hand on turn one.” At both GP Richmond and GP Minneapolis, I was an advocate of five main-decked one-mana discard spells split between [card]Thoughtseize[/card] and [/card]Inquisition of Kozilek[/card], but I’ve been wanting to test [card]Liliana of the Veil[/card]. As a powerhouse in Modern with both Jund and Rock decks, she theoretically has always seemed to answer the problems that Faeries struggled with. Given the local meta, it seemed like a perfect time to test her out!

A pairing in round one against a local Tron player went south immediately with a quick 0-2 loss, and while mana problems were the name of the game, I immediately saw a different problem. Both games I saw Inquisitions, and while they were able to pull a card, without Thoughtseize I was unable to rip any of his action and died under a pile of wurms and flying spaghetti monsters.

Over the next three rounds, I saw a U/G Infect deck, a Martyr Proc deck, and a copy of Craig Wescoe’s recent W/B Midrange deck. All three of these matches highlighted the power of Faeries in the format. The tools the deck works with attack your opponents from multiple angles. While many decks in the format are fine working around counterspells or discard or tempo, very few are equipped with the tools to deal with all three at once. A large reason why Faeries can do this is due to both [card]Spellstutter Sprite[/card] and [card]Mistbind Clique[/card], both of which are borderline unplayable without Bitterblossom, but become two of the best tempo spells in the format with it.

Unlike with Tron, these three matches didn’t mind not having Thoughtseize, as these decks have much lower curves and Inquisition can hit whatever I want. Traditionally, I’ve always felt that Faeries doesn’t like decks that can profitably run [card]Lingering Souls[/card]; it’s not fun to counter since it is negative card advantage, and it costs you four creatures and four life to deal with. However, the addition of [card]Liliana of the Veil[/card] was actually a huge boon in all three of these matches, and is the reason why I won all three. In the Infect matchup, she forced a sac on the last infect creature my opponent had. Against Martyr Proc, she whittled down their hand while Mistbinds and Creeping Tar Pits swung through his defenses. And against B/W midrange, she lets you have a consistent way to keep them on no resources—something Thoughtseize can never do.

Entering the top eight, I got paired against a local UW Control player who had ended my run at a GPT the week before in the top four. I was still a bit mad about that, as UWx Control variants are widely considered a bye for Faeries. You do everything they want to do, but do it better. You run more counters than they do, play the end step better than they do, and if you get to resolve a turn-two Bitterblossom, they may as well concede. The prior week I had been lax and had kept soft hands, not having the lands or counters I needed to beat the deck. This week, I played it correctly and cruised to an easy 2-0.

The semifinals saw a rematch with the B/W midrange player, and the same story played out as in our Swiss matchup: Liliana of the Veil backed up by Bitterblossom is just something the grindy decks of the format don’t like. A quick 2-0 there sent me to the finals.

The finals match was against the same Tron player I had met for my round one loss. While I was on the draw, I managed to get down excellent early game pressure off the back of multiple counterspells, and a combination of [card]Cryptic Command[/card] and [card]Mistbind Clique[/card] ended the game. Game two saw him mulligan to five and I led off with a turn-one Inquisition into a turn-two Bitterblossom into a turn-three Liliana. Not something a five-card hand from Tron can deal with well.

Emerging Victorious

The day ended well, and I felt that the addition of Liliana was important: she filled a space I had been missing in the deck and did it all in one convenient package. I felt comfortable with sleeving the deck up again for the PTQ the next day, but overall, there were four changes among the 75. The first, and most important in my mind, was the swap of [card]Thoughtseize[/card] back into the deck over the [card]Inquisition of Kozilek[/card]s. While not losing life from my discard spells is nice, Thoughtseize is a much better card against Tron, Pod, and Control matchups. It would mean I would be slightly softer to Affinity and Zoo, but I felt that it was worth it.

The second change came as we sat into the event room at the PTQ, when a friend who had been roaming the venue remarked on how many Pod players he had seen around the hall. In response, I dropped one [card]Negate[/card] from the board and added in a third [card]Sower of Temptation[/card]. It’s just a very strong card in the matchup, only being removed by [card]Slaughter Pact[/card], [card]Path to Exile[/card], and [card]Murderous Redcap[/card]. When you can force your opponent’s resources to work for you, the fight becomes much easier. With those changes, I felt confident going into the tournament.

[deck title= Faeries 2.0 – Barrett Goss]
[Creatures]
*4 Spellstutter Sprite
*2 Snapcaster Mage
*2 Vendilion Clique
*3 Mistbind Clique
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*2 Liliana of the Veil
*4 Bitterblossom
*2 Swords of Feast and Famine
*3 Thoughtseize
*3 Dismember
*1 Doom Blade
*1 Tragic Slip
*2 Spell Snare
*3 Mana Leak
*3 Cryptic Command
[/Spells]
[Land]
*4 Darkslick Shores
*4 Secluded Glen
*4 River of Tears
*4 Mutavault
*3 Creeping Tar Pit
*1 Tectonic Edge
*5 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
*2 Spreading Seas
*2 Hurkyl’s Recall
*3 Sower of Temptation
*1 Negate
*1 Spell Snare
*2 Grafdigger’s Cage
*2 Ratchet Bomb
*2 Deathmark
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Now for the Play-by-Play

Round 1 – Jund

I consider Rock and Jund variants to be a very good measuring stick for Modern: they’re both incredibly consistent decks that require you to have multiple angles of attack and to be able to win through both hand disruption and efficient removal—things all the best decks can either ignore or fight through. I lead off the game with an early Thoughtseize, staring down a pair of Bobs ([card]Dark Confidant[/card]), [card]Tarmogoyf[/card], an [card]Abrupt Decay[/card], and a [card]Maelstrom Pulse[/card]. I pulled a Bob, then followed up his turn-two Goyf with an immediate [card]Doom Blade[/card]. His Bob the following turn resolved, but I managed to get out a [card]Mistbind Clique[/card] and start beating. He chose to develop his board with a [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card] instead of fight over the Mistbind, and then added a [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card] to his field presence. Over the next few turns, he added two more Tarmogoyfs while Mistbind and [card]Creeping Tar Pit[/card] pinged at him and [card]Cryptic Command[/card] kept his removal in check. Finally, he tried to slam down the [card]Maelstrom Pulse[/card], and a prompt Cryptic to tap his team and counter it allowed me to attack for exactly lethal.

Game two was much less eventful, seeing a turn-two Bitterblossom meet no resistance. While he eventually cleared it with an [card]Engineered Explosives[/card], he was unable to deal with the tokens already on the field coupled with not being able to kill Creeping Tar Pit.

1-0

Round 2 – UWR Control

I sat down to this match not knowing what my opponent was on, and keeping a hand with lands, [card]Bitterblossom[/card], [card]Vendilion Clique[/card], and [card]Spellstutter Sprite[/card]. I led with an Island and when he led with a tapped [card]Celestial Colonnade[/card], the game was basically over. Unfortunately for UWR Control, in game one, they really have no way to deal with either Bitterblossom or the tokens efficiently outside of [card]Electrolyze[/card], and landing it turn two is almost assuredly a victory.

Post board, I was able to add in both a pair of counterspells as well as [card]Spreading Seas[/card], which is a very useful catch-all in the matchup. It can keep a control player off of white or red mana in a pinch, but more often than not it is a two-mana cantrip that will negate a Colonnade, which can’t be overestimated. Swords in general are bad in the matchup, as are Mistbind Cliques due to UWR’s wealth of removal.

Game two saw my opponent mulligan to six, and a turn-one Thoughtseize revealed a hand of three lands, [card]Dispel[/card], and [card]Celestial Purge[/card]. I looked at the Bitterblossom in my hand and felt momentarily guilty, but pulled the Purge anyway. He really had no way back into the game and was resigned to firing off [card]Path to Exile[/card]s on my tokens.

2-0

Round 3 – RG Tron

Game one saw my opponent do what makes every Modern player rage on the inside: assembled Tron by turn 4, with plenty of gas in hand. Unfortunately, a hand full of [card]Spellstutter Sprite[/card]s and [card]Dismember[/card]s doesn’t do much against a [card]Karn Liberated[/card] or a [card]Wurmcoil Engine[/card]. Whoops. Into the board we go, adding in a pair of [card]Spreading Sea[/card]s, three [card]Sower of Temptation[/card]s, and [card]Negate[/card]. Sower is a really nice piece of tech in this matchup, letting you take not only Wurmcoil Engines, but also [card]Emrakul, the Aeons Torn[/card]!

A mulligan to five by my opponent didn’t help him, and it was met by a turn-three sword into a turn-four swing on a Mutavault. I showed him the pair of hard counters in hand and he quickly conceded, knowing that he wouldn’t get to play anything else before the manland got there.

Game three saw a mull to six on my side, but this match was (once again) ruled by [card]Liliana of the Veil[/card]. An early [card]Spell Snare[/card] on his [card]Sylvan Scrying[/card] allowed enough time for Liliana to come down and wreck his hand. I actually made a misplay at one point, ultimating Liliana with four lands and a Sower in hand with my opponent having a field of three non-assembled Tron lands, two [card]Grove of the Burnwillows[/card], a [card]Cavern of Souls[/card], and a Wurmcoil out. Greedily, I thought I could split the piles for my opponent so that he would keep the two Urza lands and the Wurmcoil, hoping to topdeck the third piece. Instead ,he sacked that pile, getting two Wurm tokens. Luckily, Sower took the lifelink token and proceeded to start swinging, while Tectonic Edge took out the Cavern. My opponent lost with a grip full of Wurms and Karns, unable to get enough mana out thanks to the half-[card]Armageddon[/card].

3-0

Round 4 – Scapeshift

Game one started off well with a hand of three lands, two removal spells, [card]Bitterblossom[/card], and [card]Mistbind Clique[/card]. Unfortunately, my opponent went turn-one [card]Stomping Ground[/card] into [card]Search for Tomorrow[/card]. In game one, there is next to nothing my removal spells hit against Scapeshift, so I essentially had a mulligan to five. Oops. The board state quickly moved in my favor, thanks to Bitterblossom and a decent run of manlands. [card]Spellstutter Sprite[/card] was the only counter I drew in the entire game, and it was used to stop the first [card]Scapeshift[/card]. A [card]Vendilion Clique[/card] got rid of a second one, but we both knew I was dead if he saw a third one, so I poured on the gas. Unfortunately, we got into a board state where he made a very nice play with a [card]Lightning Bolt[/card] and a pair of [card]Remand[/card]s in hand to keep from dying to my manlands, and at two life, he pulled a Scapeshift off the top to win the game.

Game two saw a mulligan to six where I again got to keep a hand with lands, [card]Bitterblossom[/card], and a [card]Mistbind Clique[/card]. You really can’t get much better on a mulligan, and my opponent was also on six (that he seemed a bit begrudging in keeping), so I slammed the turn-two Bitterblossom. Unfortunately, it turned out my opponent kept a hand of four lands and double [card]Obstinate Baloth[/card], then drew into another Baloth. Meanwhile, I became stuck on three lands with a hand that became double [card]Mistbind Clique[/card] and triple [card]Cryptic Command[/card]. I eventually drew the fourth lands, but by that point my opponent had around 10 lands out and a hand full of spells, and it was too late to come back.

3-1

Round 5 – RG Tron

After winning game one, in game two we both saw good openers, with him assembling turn-four Tron and myself getting to drop a [card]Bitterblossom[/card] early. While I countered his early Karn and Wurmcoil Engine, I didn’t get much pressure throughout the game and my opponent played exceedingly well with the order he sequenced his plays. He wound up getting an [card]Oblivion Stone[/card] to wipe my board, then several turns later had [card]Eye of Ugin[/card] with 13 mana, so I scooped ’em up and went to game three. This loss kind of stung since I had a [card]Sower of Temptation[/card] in hand, but unfortunately, I was one permanent short of being able to survive the Emrakul and steal it the following turn. The next card also happened to be a Cryptic, which would have won me the game.

In game three, both my seven- and six-card hands had only one land, so the game started with five cards for me. I had a [card]Bitterblossom[/card] and a Liliana, but no black mana. I threw out a [card]Sword of Feast and Famine[/card] since my opponent had an exceedingly slow start (double [card]Grove of the Burnwillows[/card]) with the backup plan of [card]Mutavault[/card] beatdowns. I drew a [card]River of Tears[/card] and played [card]Bitterblossom[/card], which he promptly [card]Nature’s Claim[/card]ed. Next turn, I drew, ran out the Mutavault, and in response to the sword equip he showed the one-of [card]Dismember[/card] from the board. At this point he had six lands out, and when he played the Wurmcoil next turn I just conceded, as I can’t fight back through that.

3-2

Round 6 – UR Vial Faeries

Game one, I led off with a [card]Thoughtseize[/card] and saw a hand of three lands, an [card]Aether Vial[/card], a [card]Spellstutter Sprite[/card], and a [card]Mistbind Clique[/card]. I took the Vial immediately. While I had never played the matchup before this, I knew that his deck was basically just a mashup of UR Faeries and Splinter Twin, removing [card]Delver of Secrets[/card] and tempo cards from traditional UR Faerie lists to add in [card]Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker[/card], Vial, and [card]Pestermite[/card]. Unfortunately for him, Bitterblossom is a much better card than most of his deck, and he didn’t have a way to deal with the flood of faerie tokens. He had to be proactive with his mana while I could play draw-go and counter or kill everything he played. He eventually conceded when he was topdecking and I showed two Cryptics in hand.

Game two, he got the early Vial out, but unfortunately for him, he had a slow hand. He attempted to drop a [card]Pestermite[/card] early, which was promptly killed. Mistbind Clique got flashed in on both sides, but I knew his last remaining card in hand was a Kiki-Jiki, so I promptly killed his Mistbind and controled the board state for the rest of the game, using Spellstutters and Dismembers.

This matchup isn’t one I would expect to see often, but I can see it getting a lot of free wins from decks that aren’t equipped to deal with the angles it plays from. At heart it’s another Twin deck, but it has some pretty neat synergies once you add more Faeries to it.

4-2

Round 7 – UWR Control

Game one wasn’t much of a game for my opponent, unfortunately. I had the dream opener of [card]Thoughtseize[/card] into [card]Bitterblossom[/card] into [card]Liliana[/card]. He recognized on turn one what my deck was and immediately started to throw burn at my face, but he could never drop me below eight life. Eventually Liliana ultimated and we moved on.

Game two was nearly an exact reversal of game one in terms of pressure. I stumbled early on lands and he ramped up, and after I tapped out to [card]Mana Leak[/card] a [card]Restoration Angel[/card], he slammed a Keranos. At this point I knew I couldn’t win, as I had no real outs to him and was too far behind to race it.

Game three played out slower than the previous two, but I eventually landed a Liliana and started ticking up. I kept a [card]Dismember[/card] in hand for the [card]Celestial Colonnade[/card] he had, and killed the manland in response to activation, protecting Liliana. From there on out, Liliana and [card]Creeping Tar Pit[/card] kept his options limited, and it was a slow but sure grind to a win.

5-2

Round 8 – Melira Pod

If I remember correctly, my opponent and I each knew what the other was on, as we had a mutual friend who we had both spoken to throughout the day. We knew top eight was basically locked out barring some absurd draws, but we played it out for prizes and standing.

Game one was a decent keep, but I didn’t have a discard spell or a [card]Bitterblossom[/card]. He got an early start with turn-one Birds (that I Dismembered), followed by turn-two Wall of Roots into turn-three [card]Kitchen Finks[/card]. I went on the backup plan of [card]Vendilion Clique[/card] plus Sword, and we each started grinding one another out. Eventually I got him down to three life with a live Pod, but he had no creatures and [card]Creeping Tar Pit[/card] sealed the deal.

Game two was, unfortunately for him, a slaughter. I ripped his hand early and saw double [card]Kitchen Finks[/card] as the only threats, in addition to a [card]Scavenging Ooze[/card] on the board. He dropped both Finks and I dropped a [card]Vendilion Clique[/card] and a [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card]. After eating some damage from the Ooze, I was at 10 life against his board of persisted Finks and an Ooze. Luckily, [card]Sower of Temptation[/card] is a house in this matchup. I proceeded to draw back-to-back [card]Mistbind Clique[/card]s with the Sower still out, and the free advantage quickly sealed the deal.

6-2

At the End of the Day

The end of the day saw me finish eleventh, about a half-percentage point out of top eight on breakers. Overall, the day felt like it went well. [card]Scapeshift[/card] is a matchup that Faeries should generally beat, but variance happens and the odds of drawing five of your six four-mana spells when you are stuck on three lands is exceedingly low. Tron once again felt like an annoying matchup that is heavily draw-dependent for each side. Otherwise, every matchup for the day was one where I felt firmly in control.

The addition of Liliana gave me much longer reach than I traditionally would’ve had, and I can safely say I wouldn’t have done nearly as well on the weekend if I didn’t have copies in the deck. As of now, I don’t think it is correct to increase the number of Lilianas, but it is a possibility moving forward. The sideboard performed well throughout the weekend, with the only card not seeing play being the pair of [card]Hurkyl’s Recall[/card]. It would have been nice to have known I wouldn’t need them, but it’s a card that pads the Affinity matchup so hard that I wouldn’t enter a major tournament without it. If you pick up the deck in your local meta, be sure to tune for what is around you. Anything from a fourth Spell Snare to [card]Hibernation[/card]s to [card]Wurmcoil Engine[/card] can be viable, depending on the field.

Moving forward, I’m going to look into more ways to put the Tron matchup away earlier, since it is growing in popularity again. Other than that, I feel confident against every deck in the meta, and if you have the time to put in with this deck, you can expect great results with it. The maindeck is incredibly strong against the field right now, and while you are missing tools to deal with enchantments or artifacts easily, your board can give you a good matchup against any deck if you are properly prepared. GP Boston is only two weeks away, and I look forward to showing what Faeries can do in Modern there.

Have comments? Please share below!

Brewing with M15

July 21, 2014 Josh Milliken

Welcome back! Today we’re talking about brewing with M15. I’ll cover just some of the possibilities that the cards from Magic 2015 create, and fair warning, this will include four [card]Chord of Calling[/card] builds—sorry, I get excited when I can play with a toolbox deck. We have nine Standard and two Modern lists today, which surely won’t cover everything possible in the format (sorry about that), but it’s a good start! Once again, I can’t predict what the metagame is going to look like to be able to tune the Standard decks and sideboards, so I will suggest four sideboard cards for each build that should cover some of the weaknesses of each deck. I will, however, take a stab at the sideboards for the Modern decks as it is a pretty well defined format.

Standard

[deck title= Jund Walkers]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Caryatid
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Dreadbore
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Anger of the Gods
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
2 Liliana Vess
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Vraska the Unseen
1 Garruk, Apex Predator
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Blood Crypt
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Stomping Ground
2 Temple of Abandon
2 Temple of Malice
4 Temple of Malady
3 Forest
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Jund Walkers is a deck that should be able to grind out its opponent with the card advantage provided by its endless parade of planeswalkers. It sports fourteen planeswalkers and zero targetable creatures, making decks that run removal really struggle to do anything since they have so many dead cards. It should give Mono-Black Devotion fits, as they just won’t be able to kill your planeswalkers since they can only run four [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card] to deal with them.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Destructive Revelry[/card], [card]Duress[/card], [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card], and [card]Slaughter Games[/card].

[deck title= Slivers]
[Creatures]
4 Galerider Sliver
4 Manaweft Sliver
4 Predatory Sliver
4 Leeching Sliver
4 Syphon Sliver
4 Blur Sliver
4 Thorncaster Sliver
3 Sliver Hivelord
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Hive Stirrings
3 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Mana Confluence
4 Sliver Hive
2 Blood Crypt
2 Breeding Pool
3 Overgrown Tomb
3 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
3 Mutavault
[/Land]
[/deck]

Slivers may actually be competitive for the first time in many many years now that the tribe has hit a critical mass of playable cards in the same Standard. This angry hive should be able to race most of the other aggro decks since it can easily find whatever sliver it currently needs with [card]Chord of Calling[/card] while also putting pressure on. It has a ton of options for the sideboard that can tailor the hive to fight any threat.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Belligerent Sliver[/card], [card]Constricting Sliver[/card], [card]Diffusion Sliver[/card], and [card]Sentinel Sliver[/card].

[deck title= Junk Chord]
[Creatures]
1 Brain Maggot
2 Cartel Aristocrat
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
1 Banisher Priest
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Sin Collector
1 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
1 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Hero’s Downfall
2 Whip of Erebos
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
4 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Godless Shrine
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Malady
4 Temple of Plenty
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

The Junk Chord deck is all about value. It can tutor for a variety of threats to complicate its opponent’s plan. This deck should remind players of the [card]Birthing Pod[/card] decks that currently dominate Modern, but without ways to actually combo. If you can get this deck into the late game, it should be able to just grind its opponent out with cards like [card]Whip of Erebos[/card] and [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card].

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], [card]Sin Collector[/card], and [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

[deck title= White Weenie]
[Creatures]
4 Dryad Militant
4 Judge’s Familiar
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Imposing Sovereign
4 Precinct Captain
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Brave the Elements
2 Launch the Fleet
4 Spirit Bonds
2 Spear of Heliod
3 Ajani Steadfast
[/Spells]
[Land]
18 Plains
4 Mutavault
[/Land]
[/deck]

White Weenie got a couple interesting toys in M15 that may push it over the top. First, [card]Ajani Steadfast[/card] will play a lot like [card]Ajani Goldmane[/card] did when Kithkin was a deck in Standard, pumping all your creatures over your opponents, but with a better plus-one ability. Second, [card]Spirit Bonds[/card] can generate you a fairly sizable spirit army that can also help protect your better threats. And finally, [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card] can help to shut down those pesky comes-into-play abilities your opponents might want to use.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Banisher Priest[/card], [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card], and [card]Rootborn Defenses[/card].

[deck title= Big White]
[Creatures]
4 Judge’s Familiar
4 Precinct Captain
4 Boros Reckoner
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Heliod, God of the Sun
3 Avacyn, Guardian Angel
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Celestial Flare
4 Banishing Light
2 Spear of Heliod
4 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Mass Calcify
[/Spells]
[Land]
14 Plains
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Temple of Enlightenment
2 Temple of Silence
[/Land]
[/deck]

There seem to be a lot of one-sided [card]Wrath of God[/card] effects showing up in Standard, but [card]Mass Calcify[/card] can actually be abused in this Big White build. If the deck curves out with creatures, it can cast [card]Mass Calcify[/card] or an [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card], on turn four off of [card]Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx[/card], a card that just keeps getting stronger with every set printed. If the game doesn’t go big, it will play out like a grindy midrange contest, which could allow the deck to generate incremental advantages with [card]Heliod, God of the Sun[/card], and [card]Spear of Heliod[/card].

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Blind Obedience[/card], [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card], [card]Planar Cleansing[/card], and [card]Wall of Essence[/card].

[deck title= G/W Chord]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
1 Aegis of the Gods
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
1 Wall of Essence
1 Banisher Priest
1 Boros Reckoner
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Yisan, the Waderer Bard
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
1 Angel of Serenity
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
4 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Plenty
2 Mana Confluence
10 Forest
3 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

This is essentially the Junk Chord deck, but without the hand disruption. It has a lot more options for main deck sideboard cards that it can grab with [card]Chord of Calling[/card] though, which makes up for the lack of black cards. This deck also has a few additional ways to dig for the creatures it wants with [card]Yisan, the Wanderer Bard[/card], and [card]Garruk, Caller of Beasts[/card].

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Centaur Healer[/card], [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card], and [card]Ready/Willing[/card].

[deck title= Archangel Combo]
[Creatures]
4 Kiora’s Follower
1 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
2 Fathom Mage
2 Horizon Chimera
4 Archangel of Thune
1 Prime Speaker Zegana
2 Prophet of Kruphix
1 Progenitor Mimic
1 Soul of Ravnica
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Detention Sphere
4 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Breeding Pool
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Mystery
4 Temple of Plenty
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

This is a deck that hasn’t had any success yet, but with [card]Chord of Calling[/card] and [card]Yisan, Wanderer Bard[/card], it may have finally hit a critical mass of good threats. When this deck finds a matchup it doesn’t like, it can sideboard into an aggro deck or a control build, which makes it able to fight against most archetypes. For those that still don’t know the combo, it is [card]Archangel of Thune[/card], [card]Horizon Chimers[/card], and [card]Fathom Mage[/card]. When you draw a card, you gain a life, putting a counter on all your creatures. Repeat until you have enough power on the board to kill your opponent.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card], [card]Negate[/card], and [card]Wall of Essence[/card].

[deck title= B/G Rock]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Reaper of the Wilds
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Abrupt Decay
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Underworld Connections
2 Liliana Vess
4 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Vraska the Unseen
2 Garruk, Apex Predator
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple of Malady
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Mutavault
5 Forest
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

It may be news to some of you, but I love Rock decks and usually try to build them every time a new set comes out. This time is no exception, and I feel very optimistic about this version of B/G Rock. While it only really gained three cards, those three cards are no slouches. These planeswalkers allow you to run fewer actual creatures, but the creatures you do run are all quite good themselves. Of all the lists in this article, this one is second on my list to try out—right behind the last Standard one I’ll cover in just a moment.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card], [card]Duress[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], and [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card].

[deck title= Chain Veil Combo]
[Creatures]
4 Kiora’s Follower
4 Sylvan Caryatid
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Mizzium Mortars
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
3 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
4 Ral Zarek
3 The Chain Veil
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Breeding Pool
4 Steam Vents
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Temple of Mystery
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Who doesn’t want to just jam a bunch of planewalkers into a deck and still be playing combo? With [card]Nissa, Worldwaker[/card], or [card]Xenagos, the Reveler[/card], paired with [card]Ral Zarek[/card] and [card]The Chain Veil[/card], you can generate infinite planeswalker activations to essentially win on the spot. This deck also gets to run seven sweepers in the main with the potential of more in the sideboard, making life for aggro decks quite miserable. It should also be able to sideboard into a planeswalker control deck if it wants to fight other control decks.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Back to Nature[/card], [card]Cyclonic Rift[/card], [card]Dissolve[/card], and [card]Negate[/card].

Modern

[deck title= 8 Rack]
[Creatures]
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Raven’s Crime
4 Shrieking Affliction
4 The Rack
4 Thoughtseize
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Scepter of Fuge
4 Smallpox
4 Waste Not
4 Wrench Mind
2 Dismember
4 Liliana of the Veil
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple of Malady
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Forest
7 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
1 Darkblast
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Life from the Loam
1 Scepter of Fugue
3 Drown in Sorrow
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Leyline of Sanctity
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The Magic community pretty much tailored [card]Waste Not[/card] for this deck, which was already having minor success even before getting such a powerful card. This deck’s biggest issue was running out of gas while its opponent made topdeck after topdeck, so drawing extra cards and making extra creatures is a great bonus for doing what you were already doing.

[deck title= Affinity]
[Creatures]
4 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Chief Engineer
2 Steel Overseer
4 Vault Skirge
2 Etched Champion
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Mox Opal
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Cranial Plating
4 Thoughtcast
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
4 Inkmoth Nexus
3 Glimmervoid
1 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Spell Pierce
2 Thoughtseize
2 Spellskite
2 Torpor Orb
2 Whipflare
2 Blood Moon
1 Etched Champion
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

[card]Chief Engineer[/card] seems like a pretty weak card at first, until you realize that it can make Affinity kill a turn quicker than it already does—with the proper draw. The only downside is that it’s not an artifact itself, but neither was [card]Atog[/card] and Affinity ran that guy for a very long time.

That’s all I have for M15. In a couple months, I’ll be back to brew with Khans of Tarkir. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

Thanks for Reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Pitt Imps Podcast #78 Three Garruks in 12 Hours

July 21, 2014 Pitt Imps 01:25:48

In what can only be called a slow week, we go over “all” the banned cards from the new B&R announcement. Then we explain a few rules changes at the competitive REL. We give our pre-release stories from the weekend and then Martin comes on for Ban or Unban again.

Host Angelo Twitter @ganksuou

Co-Host Ryan Twitter @brotheryan

Guest Martin Twitter @Martin_Brunet

Show email [email protected]

Episode Archives

A Common Mistake

Let’s Make A Deal

Discrepancies in Valuation

Learning About the Counterparty

Understand Cost Structure

Rethink Your Strategy

Protecting Your Investment

Investing Your Winnings Properly

Be Outgoing and Cheerful at All Times

Changes in Organized Play

What Does It Mean?

Blocked Out

Mystery Prix

What’s In It?

[card]Scapeshift[/card]

[card]Birthing Pod[/card]

[card]Celestial Colonnade[/card] and friends

[card]Goblin Guide[/card]

[card]Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite[/card] and friends

[card]Spellskite[/card]

[card]Liliana of the Veil[/card]

[card]Mox Opal[/card]

Just to Be Clear

Faerie Posse

A Little Strategy Goes a Long Way

It’s a One-Card Gang

TCGPlayer Modern State Championships aka “The Most Underwhelming Tournament”

A Tournament That People Actually Attended

Round 1: Matthew Bunko, UWR Kiki Control

Round 2: Adam Bruce, Affinity

Round 3: Zach Dobbin, BG Rock

Round 4: Kyle Brock, Jund

Round 5: Eddie Slimak, Junk

Round 6: Ben Green, Junk

Round 7: Connor Rice, Kiki Pod

Round 8: Mario Diliberto, Boggles

Top 8, Quarterfinals: Joshua Taylor, Merfolk

Top 8, Semifinals: Connor Rice, Kiki Pod

Not a Bad Day

Contact Us!

Winners of This Week

Here ends the Magic, and begins the Finance

Google Drive

Mint.com

You Need a Budget

That’s All, Folks

Stay away!

Invest!

Back to Square 1.5

Transparency

Your Time Isn’t Free

Just in Case

Be Okay With Walking Away

That’s Probably not Everything, but Oh Well

Mulligans the Right Way

Some Questions to Ask Yourself

The Holy Grail Test

The Magic Finance Trap

Your Magic Number

Preparing for the Open

The Tournament Site

The Deck

The Tournament

Round 1 – Matt Griffen with Monoblue

Round 2 – Peter Sundholm with Blue Devotion splashing White

Round 3 – Daniel Waldholz with Esper

Round 4 – Daniel Joyax with Boss Sligh

Round 5 – Greg Galloway with Jund Reanimator

Round 6 – Justin Miller with Bant Walkers

Round 7 – Gabe Carleton-Barnes with Black Aggro

Round 8 – Michael Felps with Black Devotion

Round 9 – Ben Warschauer with Black Devotion

Round 10 – Mitchell Gross with Mono-Blue

The Top Eight

Quarterfinals – Jesse Harper with Junk Midrange

The Takeaway

Regarding Last Week

Back to the Set Review

A Whole Lot of Bulk