Archive for the ‘Card Games’ Category

This week in Magic: Pick a deck, and stick with it

Thassa god of the sea
 

This past weekend, I tried my luck at the SCG Open Series in Providence. The format: Standard. How did I do? I did terrible. However, like all my failures, I learned a lot, and maybe you can learn from them as well.

 

Lesson one: Pick a deck

 

Pick a deck and learn it. Days leading up to the event, I had decided to play Mono-Black with a splash of Green for SCG Providence. However, also, leading up to the day of the tournament, I couldn’t make up my mind and stick with a deck. I was able to play test a few decks to “run the gauntlet.” While playing those decks, they seemed more and more appealing to play. Sadly, I didn’t realize I was headed for a rabbit hole I would never find myself climbing out of in time.

 

Some of the other decks I played around with included RW Burn, and a form of GB Constellation. I would eventually end up on Esper Control. It’s a deck I, technically, have been playing since the beginning of the Theros block. The early incarnations of the deck even helped me get second place at the Massachusetts TCG States tournament last fall. So, by default it was a deck I had the most experience with.

 

Unfortunately this decision had come a little too late, as it was made the night before the event. This was the one thing that I wanted to avoid the most, and it still happened. I guess I was doomed all the way through.

 

Lesson two: Play something you’re most comfortable with

 

I’ve had equal success with all the decks I previously mentioned. I’ve also had equal amounts of failure with them as well. However, I don’t think playing Esper Control was a terrible decision. Out of all the decks, it may have been the one I was most comfortable with. Well, it was probably a toss-up between that deck and RW Burn.

 

I’m not a very strong Pack Rat player, and thus why Mono-Black would have been a bad choice for me. I know I put on the early work, but I’m sure I would have been worse off with that deck. In retrospect, I think I should have gone with RW Burn. I know I talked about having the most experience with Esper, though. So, which is more important? Comfort level or experience level. I think they go hand-in-hand. Given the situation though, Esper is a much more complicated deck. At least, it’s more complicated than RW Burn.

 

Final verdict: it should have been RW Burn from the very beginning. I’ve always had a knack for that deck ever since I started playing it. However, I got discouraged after one poor FNM performance. I gave up too easily, and that’s my fault. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it in the blogs, but I know I’ve probably said it to other people. I wanted to play it at the Boxborough 5K a couple of months ago, and I joked about making an audible to it the night before SCG Providence. Next time I have a gut feeling, maybe I should go with it, especially if it comes to playing RW Burn.

 

I’ve been having the same inclination in modern as well. I’ve been wanting to play Mono Red Burn. However, I’m worried about how it will do in the later rounds. I guess I’ll never know until I take it to a tournament and run with it.

 

Looking back at SCG Providence

 

If the results of last week could speak, they would say that the state of the Standard format is very alive and healthy. Remember the days of Caw Blade?  Out of the Top 8 decks, only two were the same. In the end, Ross Merriam and his Mono-Blue Devotion deck took the top prize.

 

Some people say that Mono-Blue was well positioned to win, but who even remembered that this was a deck? I didn’t. In fact, it wasn’t even part of the “gauntlet” I had put together in my failed play testing sessions.

 

For those of you who are interested, Ross has written a wonderful primer on the deck based on his run at this past SCG Open. In the article he wonderfully states, “Sometimes, you just have to accept your limitations and play to your strengths.” Here he’s referring to the fact that a lot of his success has come from only playing “cheap blue creatures and mana elves.”

 

I remember looking at the results and thinking to myself how great of an example Ross is to the lessons I wrote about above. Now, I don’t know what his play testing was like or his preparations were heading in the SCG Open in Providence. Just from the first two paragraphs he wrote in his article, it’s obvious he went with a deck he knows best and not a deck he thought would be the best out there. “I tried playing Sphinx’s Revelation once in Theros Standard and turned a 4-0 performance in Legacy into a 4-4 day 1 at the Indianapolis Invitational and a pile of frustration.”

 

A small announcement

 

If you know me personally, you’d know that I’m pretty much glued to Twitter and Facebook, and all other sorts of social media. Well, since I’m always online, I figured I’d do Battleground Games a solid and offer some of my social media services. For whatever reason, they were crazy enough to accept my offer. So, I guess this is my little formal announcement letting you all know that I’ll be taking on the role of “Community Manager.”

 

What does this mean? Aside from “word-of-mouth,” social media is a huge means of communication. So, if you’re not on Facebook or Twitter, or anything else, you may want to consider getting on board. One of the things I’m hoping to improve upon is getting the word out about in-store events. For example, did you know that this Saturday, June 14th, there is a Grand Prix Trial for GP Worcester/Boston? It’ll be held at the Plainville location. It’ll be a Modern format event, and the top prize will be a two-round bye at GP Worcester/Boston in July. Other prizes will include store credit based on attendance. For more information make sure to click here.

 

See? That wasn’t too bad right? I’m going to try my best to make sure that people know what’s going on at both stores. I’m not talking just about “Magic: The Gathering” either (although, forgive me if you see a focus there). I’m going to do my best to get the word out about Warhammer 40K, Warmachine, DnD, Weiss Schwarz, Board Game Night, etc.

 

Hopefully I’ll eventually become a centralized point where you can ask me something and I can get you an answer. That way you’re not chasing numerous people down to get a single question answered. So, if you haven’t already, make sure you follow Battleground Games & Hobbies on Twitter (@Battleground_GH) and on Facebook (click here for a link to their page).

 

That’s it for now. Let me know what you think of this post, of my new role, or what’s on your mind. If you want, you can also follow me on Twitter @SimeonCortezano. Make sure you say hello!

 

About the author

 

Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!

 

Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!

 

1170
 

 

Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!

Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!

 

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New ‘Duels of the Planeswalkers’ Trailer Released Today!

Wizards of the Coast, publishers of both Magic the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons (among other hit games) released today a brand new trailer to their upcoming ‘Duels of the Planeswalkers’ video game release. First announced at PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts earlier this year (see “Wizards of the Coast Announces ‘Duels of the Planeswalker 2015’ @ PAX East“). Check it out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Battleground Games & Hobbies

Battleground is one of New England’s premier game stores with two convenient locations. We are fully stocked in all the major product lines for the serious gamer and we specialize in card games, board games, miniature games and role-playing games. Our deep stock, great events and friendly, knowledgeable staff make Battleground the top choice for your one-stop, friendly local game store!
ABINGTON LOCATION
Battleground Games & Hobbies

1423 Bedford Street
Abington MA, 02351
781.261.9669
PLAINVILLE LOCATION
Battleground Games & Hobbies

25 Taunton Street
Plainville MA, 02762
508.316.1195
Join Our Mailing List!

Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our videos on YouTube

 

 

 

 

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Grand Prix Trial for Grand Prix Worcester – Just One Week Away @ Plainville, MA

battleground_blktext_clearbkgrd

 

 Join us one week from today in Plainville for your chance to earn a two-round bye to upcoming Grand Prix Worcester!

 

Format: Modern
Date: June 14th, 2014 a Saturday
Time: Doors at 10:00am, Registration at 11:00am, Round 1 pairings at 12:00pm
Entrance Fee: $25.00 per person



Address:
25 Taunton Street
Plainville MA 02762
508.316.1195



Parking on site

• Google Maps
• Battleground’s Facebook Page

This event is being run as a Grand Prix Trial for Boston / Worcester:
• Decklists required
• Cut to top 8


Prizes:
Prizes will be paid to the top finishers in Store Credit usable in store or online!

 

 

 

About Battleground Games & Hobbies

Battleground is one of New England’s premier game stores with two convenient locations. We are fully stocked in all the major product lines for the serious gamer and we specialize in card games, board games, miniature games and role-playing games. Our deep stock, great events and friendly, knowledgeable staff make Battleground the top choice for your one-stop, friendly local game store!
ABINGTON LOCATION
Battleground Games & Hobbies

1423 Bedford Street
Abington MA, 02351
781.261.9669
PLAINVILLE LOCATION
Battleground Games & Hobbies

25 Taunton Street
Plainville MA, 02762
508.316.1195
Join Our Mailing List!

Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our videos on YouTube 

 

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MTG Conspiracy Release Day Events – TODAY!

battleground_blktext_clearbkgrd

 




TODAY, Battleground will be celebrating Magic’s awesome new release, the multi-player draft set, Conspiracy!  Starting at 6:30pm we will begin seating 8-man pods of Conspiracy Draft, which looks to be the most fun casual format since Commander!  We plan to continue seating drafts until the early hours of the morning so come down and help us make the Conspiracy launch an all-night event people won’t forget.


A limited amount of older booster packs will be available for those that might like to “spice up” their draft when opportunities arise.  Sets will include Modern Masters, Mirrodin, Darksteel, Onslaught, and several more!


Friday, June 6th – TODAY!
Format: Draft (8-man Fill + Fire)*
Date: June 6th, 2014
Time: 6:30pm – LATE
Entrance Fee: $15.00 per person



Address:
1423 Bedford Street
Abington MA 02351
781.261.1195


Address:
25 Taunton Street
Plainville MA 02762
508.316.1195

Google Maps
Battleground’s Facebook Page


How Conspiracy Drafts Will Work:

• Players will be sat in 8-man pods as soon as we have 8 people registered.  Seating will be determined randomly.

• Each player will receive 3 Conspiracy booster packs to draft.  The draft itself and deck building period will not be timed.

• Once all players have finished building their decks, we will seat the first round by breaking the players up into two different 4-player groups.  Each group will play one game together.

• Each event will last for 2 rounds, each round will have a 75 minute time limit.

• At the conclusion of the first round we will take the winner and the last player eliminated (the top 2) from each of the 4 player groups and pair them together in round 2.  We will also take the first two players eliminated from each group (bottom 2) and pair them together in round 2.

• If time expires in a round and the top two players have not been determined, the two players with the most life will be considered the “winners.”

• In round two, the group made up the the “winners” will receive 3 booster packs for each player they eliminate from the game.  Players that are not in the “winners group” will receive 1 booster pack for each player they eliminate.

• The only way to win booster packs is to eliminate players from the game in round 2.

• Players will be expected to provide any additional product their draft may require.


To see Conspiracy in action, visit this link.
Secret: I highly recommend it.




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About Battleground Games & Hobbies

Battleground is one of New England’s premier game stores with two convenient locations. We are fully stocked in all the major product lines for the serious gamer and we specialize in card games, board games, miniature games and role-playing games. Our deep stock, great events and friendly, knowledgeable staff make Battleground the top choice for your one-stop, friendly local game store!
ABINGTON LOCATION
Battleground Games & Hobbies

1423 Bedford Street
Abington MA, 02351
781.261.9669
PLAINVILLE LOCATION
Battleground Games & Hobbies

25 Taunton Street
Plainville MA, 02762
508.316.1195
Join Our Mailing List!

Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our videos on YouTube

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Winner’s Circle – Weekend of May 30

fnm_winners_circle

Congratulations to this week’s Friday Night Magic winners at both Battleground Games & Hobbies locations in Abington, MA and Plainville, MA. This week, FNM featured the Standard format with top finishers not only receiving store credit prizes, but likewise an exclusive promo foil card Tormented Soul!

 

For the month of June, the Friday Night Magic promo will be a foil Dissolve!

Don’t forget to join us this Friday, June 6th for the Conspiracy Release Event!

 

 

Battleground Games & Hobbies – Abington, MA

Standard FNM – Start time: 7:30 PM

 2014.05.30_zahnzinger

Battleground Games & Hobbies – Abington, MA

Theros/Born of the Gods/Journey into Nyx Booster Draft – Start time: 7:30 PM

2014.05.30_hodge

Battleground Games & Hobbies – Abington, MA

Theros/Born of the Gods/Journey into Nyx Booster Draft – Start time: 7:30 PM

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Battleground Games & Hobbies – Plainville, MA

Modern – Start time: Saturday 7:15 PM

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Battleground Games & Hobbies – Plainville, MA

Standard – Start time: Saturday 7:15 PM

 

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Congratulations to the top finishers of each event. In addition, on behalf of the staff here at Battleground Games & Hobbies, we would like to thank everyone that attended our  events. We greatly appreciate you choosing to hang out with us and look forward to seeing you again in the future! Remember, next week Winner’s Circle will be published each and every Tuesday, from now on.

 

To learn more about our events at either of our conveniently located brick-and-mortar stores and see why Magic, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh players alike enjoy our weekly event offerings at Battleground Games & Hobbies, please click here. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact us or leave us a comment below- we’re happy to help!

 

 

 

Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community  forums!

Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!

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This week in magic: Brace Yourself, Modern is coming!

Welcome to another “This Week in Magic.” What do you folks think of that title? I have to admit, I borrowed it from one of my favorite shows growing up, “This Week in Baseball” or “TWIB” as some people know it. Not a baseball fan? Okay, moving on.

 

This week I present a fun little deck you and your buddies can try out at this Friday’s FNM. Now, those of you at Battleground Games & Hobbies may have seen it played already, but in case you weren’t there, here’s the decklist:

 

Main board:

4 Elvish Mystic

4 Sylvan Caryatid

4 Courser of Kruphix

4 Jace, Architect of Thought

4 Peregrination

4 Riddle of Lightning

4 Blast of Genius

4 Worldspine Wurm

4 Enter the Infinite

4 Temple of Epiphany

2 Temple of Abandon

4 Temple of Mystery

4 Breeding Pool

2 Stomping Sround

4 Forest

2 Mountain

2 Island

 

Side board:

4 Mizzium Mortars

2 Prognostic Sphinx

1 Opportunity

2 Negate

2 Gainsay

2 Unravel the Aether

2 Agoraphobia

 

This is a list that Tomoharu Saito posted on his Twitter page when Journey Into Nyx came out. This is a really fun deck to play and the look on your opponent will not disappoint you. The trick is knowing when to pull the trigger for Riddle of Lightning. There are definitely going to be a few occasions when you swing and miss with that card. However, when you hit, you hit hard. The best card in the deck is Blast of Genius. What you really want to do is draw into another Blast of Genius. There is going to be a great chance that you’ll already have one of your big spells in your hand to discard. So drawing into multiple Blasts is the best thing that could happen to you.

 

blast of genius
 

One suggestion I have for this list is to try Dictate of Karametra in place of Peregrination. Dictate costs one extra, but you should be okay considering you’re running a little bit of ramp in the Caryatids. Speaking of which, the Caryatids and Course will be your best friends because they’ll be your only line of defense from the onslaught of early and aggressive decks. Luckily they have big butts and this should carry you until you can go off.

 

It should be important to note that this deck plays more like a combo deck than anything. Try to hold out as long as you can in casting your burn spells until you know you can kill your opponent in one swing. The side board is just a suggestion. So change it up however you feel. Otherwise, good luck and have fun!

 

Modern is coming!

 

modern is coming
 

Actually, it’s been here for a while already. However, now that June is here we can really talk about Modern. Speaking of which, did you know that Battleground Games & Hobbies in Abington and Plainville are hosting GPTs for GP Worcester? The first one will be held on Saturday, June 14, in Plainville. The second one will be held Sunday, June 29, in Abington. Of course the format for both events will be Modern, and entrance into both will be $25 for each event.

 

The trial in Abington will also feature a box of Modern Masters to first place in addition to the byes for GP Worcester. The times of the event are different though. For more information click here.

 

Are you still wondering what to play for Modern? It can be a little expensive to get into Modern. Currently you can try your hands on the new Event Deck that was recently released. Battleground Games does have them in stock. The new event deck features a decent introduction to B/W Tokens. The thing to remember about this deck is that it’s a stepping stone into Modern. So, please, don’t expect to win a major tournament with it. However, with the right tweaks and tools, you could be well on your way.

 

If that’s not your cup of tea, though, you can always try your hand at a more “budget” oriented deck. Something you could try is good ol’ mono red burn. Here’s the list:

 

Main board:

20 Mountain

4 Goblin Guide

4 Hellspark Elemental

4 Spark Elemental

4 Flames of the Blood Hand

4 Lava Spike

4 Lightning Bolt

4 Rift Bolt

4 Searing Blaze

4 Shard Volley

4 Skullcrack

 

Side board:

3 Combust

2 Molten Rain

2 Relic of Progenitus

2 Satyr Firedancer

3 Searing Blood

3 Smash to Smithereens

 

It’s simple and straight to the point. In Modern, thanks to fetch lands and shock lands, sometimes you’ll find your opponent starting at 17 or even 14 life. That means with a few well placed burn spells, you could be on your way winning game after game, and so on.

 

Modern can be a very skill intensive format, so don’t go in thinking all you have to do is tap your lands and play stuff to win. Look both ways before you cross the street. Practice and get to know your deck. Those are the keys to success.

 

Besides the Goblin Guides, this is a very affordable deck. The Guides can go anywhere between $10-$12. You just have to keep your eye out for the right deal. I know for a fact the online store (at the time of this writing) has some in stock. However, don’t wait too long to pull the trigger, because they’ll go fast now that the season is underway.

 

If you really want to try your luck, you can always play the Standard R/W Boros Burn deck and play that in Modern. It might be a little bit slower, but it could be just as effective. Give it a shot!

 

For more information on GP Worcester, then click here.  GP Worcester will be held from July 25-27 at the DCU Convention Center in Worcester, Mass.

 

Extra Life

 

Hey everyone! Just letting you know that May was a pretty successful month in getting closer to my goal of $1000 for Extra Life. June is here and it’s time to step up even more. I fell a little short of my month goal, but no worries. It’s time to hit it out of the ballpark for this month. For June, I’ve set a target of $400! That means I’m looking to raise just $200. You can donate anywhere from $5 to $500. If I hit that goal of $400, I’m going to pick two random people who donated. One lucky winner will get a copy of “Takenoko” and the other will get a copy of “Rampage!” How cool is that? And all this goes towards a great charity and cause, the Children’s Miracle Network and, in particular, the Boston Children’s Hospital.

 

Game photos cropped resize
 

So what are you waiting for? Click on the Extra Life banner below and donate today, please. Thanks! (Oh, and tell all your friends and family members about it)

 

About the author

 

Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!

 

Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!

 

1170
 

 

Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!

Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!

 

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