Archive for the ‘Featured Post’ Category
Gearing up for the Extra Life marathon
Saturday, October 17th, 2015
I can’t believe we’re only three weeks away from the big 24-hour marathon. I have to admit, I’m really nervous about it. I’m more nervous about this year’s event than last year. Last year was the first year, so I had nothing to compare it to. Admittedly, I set my expectations low because I didn’t want to disappoint myself. Fortunately, it went well – really well last year. It went so well, that I’m afraid I didn’t do enough this year.
Every time I walk into the store, though, the folks behind the counter keep telling me that they think it’s going to be big. I guess people have been asking when the event is. Maybe it’s a sign that people are excited, or it could be that I haven’t done enough advertising for it. So, in case you didn’t know, the big event is going to be on November 7 from 10 AM to November 8 at 10 AM. That’s 24 hours of gaming! Word on the street is that a Rock Band set up might make an appearance.
Something new this year is that we’re aiming to live stream the event on Twitch. I’m still working out the details as to what channel it will be on, but as soon as I figure that out, we’ll make an announcement. So make sure that you’re following the store or myself on the social medias. By live streaming the event, I’m hoping that we’ll reach a wider audience such as those who couldn’t make it to the event all together or those who couldn’t be at the event all 24 hours. I know the stream will be at the Abington store, but I’m not sure about the Plainville store. I would love to make it out to the Plainville location this year if it all possible. I’m hoping they get just as good as a turn out this year.
Donations have been a little slower this year compared to last year. A big shout out goes to Serena who’s been the only donor thus far. I understand that a lot of you have a tight budget and I completely understand. I’ve always said that if you can’t donate any money to at least share what’s going on with your family and friends. Other than that, it’s not like you have to donate a lot of money. Every dollar counts. So small donations of $5 are just as important as the donation of $100.
Last year, we smashed our goal of $1000. When I set that goal, I thought I was crazy. I should have known that the gaming community would not let me down though. Not only did we break $1000 easily, but we made it all the way to $2500. If I hadn’t been so sleep deprived, I probably would have cried. I was extremely proud of everyone. First of all, who would have believed that Derek made it all 24 hours. I have all of you to thank for that. A big reason he was able to make it was because he was motivated by everyone else who was pulling all-nighters.
A really special moment happened in the very early hours of the morning. I can’t recall what time it was. I just know that I was leaning how to play L5R. Kudos to Steve Riley and company for having so much energy at that time. In fact, we all took a photo of the “morning crew.” It’s probably one of the best looking selfies because of the meaning behind it. Now that I think of it, we should get it framed and put it up in the store. Maybe we should even start an Extra Life section with photos and other info. Hmm…
As far as this year’s event goes, some people have been asking for an event schedule. We’re still finalizing it, but I know that Werewolf will definitely be making a return. During the afternoon, the store will be hosting a previously scheduled Weiss Schwartz WGP event. If you’ve ever been curious about the game, this is an excellent chance to see how it works. I’m even going to be playing in it. At least, that’s still the plan. I’ve got to finish learning some Japanese by then. Someone get me Carl Godon!
I’m also working on acquiring items that we can giveaway throughout the event to help raise money. Wyrmwood has said that would like to work with us again. My hope is that we’ll be able to work something out in time. I’ve been slacking a bit, but I’m hoping to be able to get some local Magic: The Gathering alterists to come to the store and offer some alterations for your Magic cards. If any of you would like to donate something to the cause then let me know. You can leave a message for me on the Battleground Facebook page. That’s one of the best ways to contact me. Or you can hit me up on the Twitterverse at my personal handle or the Battleground handle.
Remember, the big event is happening November 7th as soon as the store opens (at 10 AM) and we’ll be going all the way to 10 AM Sunday. If you’re brave enough, then I invite you to stay the whole time. If you don’t think you can stay awake the whole time, don’t worry, it’s not a contest to see who can stay awake the longest, but funny things do happen when you’re lacking sleep. Or you could do what Joe Palmer did and bring your sleeping bag. Just pick a spot in the store and take a quick nap. We promise not to disturb you.
Last year was a ton of fun, and on a closing note, I just want to share what was the highlight of the event for me. We had already gone bast the 12 hour mark. I was behind the counter handing out tickets when a man approached me and ask if I was the one in charge of the event. It turns out that he had heard that we were holding the event and came down just to make a donation in person. He had a personal connection to what we were doing. So, for someone to let me know that what we were doing was connecting with people…it really makes you feel something beyond words.
If you’d like to donate to the Extra Life cause right now, then click on the banner below. Play Games. Heal Kids.
Tags: extra life 2015
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This week in Magic: Looking at the new Standard
Friday, October 9th, 2015
It’s that time again. Time for another edition of This week in Magic. As you could tell, we took a little break last week because things were getting a little stale, but now that Standard tournaments have been reporting in with the latest rotation, we’ve finally got something to talk about. Last week, the SCG Open was in Indianapolis. If you were one of the many viewers tuning in, then you got to see some of the great new decks to hit the tournament scene. A quick look at the Top 8 shows that Abzan is still alive and kicking. At the same time, Jeskai and Esper managed to make the trip as well.
There were two decks, though, that really stood out among the crowd. Those two decks were a 5-color Bring to Light deck and an Atarka Red Aggro deck. Now the Atarka Red Aggro deck is something that many players saw coming. A Red based aggro deck is usually expected at the beginning of every new Standard rotation. Bring to Light was a card many were excited about, but it was unclear as to how this card would get played. Well, it seems that we finally have an answer. Let’s take a look at the list that made the Top 8.
5C Bring to Light
by Gerry Thompson – 5th place
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Siege Rhino
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
1 Gilt-Leaf Winnower
1 Clever Impersonator
4 Bring to Light
4 Abzan Charm
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Murderous Cut
2 Reave Soul
1 Crux of Fate
1 Ugin’s Insight
1 Languish
1 Ruinous Path
1 Utter End
1 Sultai Charm
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Lumbering Falls
2 Windswept Heath
2 Forest
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Shambling Vent
1 Plain
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Canopy Vista
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Cinder Glade
1 Prairie Stream
1 Smoldering Marsh
For now, we’re going to concentrate on just the core aspect of the deck. We’ll look at the sideboard another time. If you couldn’t tell by now, the key to the deck is Bring to Light. Don’t let the look of this sorcery fool you. It’s proven to be quite a powerful tutor. In a lot of the games captured on camera during the tournament, the best thing it could tutor for was Siege Rhino. It’s one thing for deck to naturally draw multiple Rhinos in a row, but playing Bring to Light essentially gives you Siege Rhinos number 5-8.
In addition to being able to stomp all over your opponent with Rhinos it has incredible reach. The deck has an unusual number of 1’s and 2’s in the deck list, but as long as you have the mana, Bring to Light can grab anyone of the limited spells in your deck. Also, thanks to Jace, you can use these spells more than once if needed.
So how do you play against a deck like this? Well, one thing is for sure, I don’t think this is an easy deck to play. This looks like one of those situations where if the person piloting the deck doesn’t know how to play it well, it could potentially implode on itself, but don’t always count on that. Bring to Light is one of the keys to the deck. If you take it out of the equation, you chances of winning increase. So, spells like Duress or anything that will disrupt your opponent’s hand may do the trick. There is also a lack of counters in the deck which means it could run into some serious trouble against heavy control decks.
Atarka Red is a deck that will probably stick around for a while. Mono Red was really hurt with the rotation of Theros and M15. So like any good deck, it adapted to the changes and has transformed itself from a burn deck to one of the most aggressive decks in the format. Let’s take a look at the list.
Atarka Deck Wins
by Brian Demars – 1st place
4 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Monestary Swiftspear
2 Lightning Berserker
2 Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
1 Makindi Sliderunner
4 Wild Slash
4 Atarka’s Command
4 Titan’s Strength
4 Dragon Fodder
3 Become Immense
3 Temur Battle Rage
8 Mountain
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Cinder Glade
2 Windswept Heath
1 Forest
As you can see, there is nothing special about this deck. It’s very straight forward – play a bunch of creatures and smash your opponent as fast as you can. Like a lot of aggro decks, there isn’t much of a late game. So, if your opponent begins to stabilize with fatter creatures, you could find yourself in some trouble. This shouldn’t be the case, though. You should be playing spells without much hesitation because you want to be able to fill your graveyard in order to make things easier when casting Become Immense. The green pump spell plus Temur Battle Rage should be more than enough to finish your opponent even if they have a blocker.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. 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!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, Standard
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This week in Magic: Prepping for the prerelease
Friday, September 25th, 2015
It’s that time again. Time for another edition of This week in Magic. Well, if you couldn’t tell by all the hype in the air, the Battle For Zendikar prerelease is finally upon us. This is typically the time when players who have been away from the game or who are new come out and play with everyone else. So, if you’re one of those people then you’re in luck. This week’s article is dedicated to you. We’re going to go over things you should bring with you, items you may want to purchase when you get to the event, and the new mulligan rule that will go into affect this weekend for all formats.
What should you bring?
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you played a slightly competitive game of Magic: The Gathering? If you can’t remember or you’ve never played a competitive game, then this is the best section for you to start with. Otherwise, feel free to jump around.
One of the first things you may need is a bag. This seems obvious, but sometimes people don’t think of it because of how trivial it can be. However, you never really know what kinds of goodies you may pick up while you’re there. It’ll be nice to have everything all compartmentalized in one bag. Just remember to keep that bag close to you at all times. It’s an unfortunate piece of advice I have to give out, but one that seems to be necessary today.
Pen and paper is another great item to bring with you. Whether it be for notes, keeping your life score, or writing down someone’s phone number, having pen and paper has become essential. What about dice, you ask? Well, keeping your life total on dice is fine, but dice can be knocked over and easily turned. You’ll want to keep track of your life and your opponent’s. If you plan on becoming a more competitive player, then this will be excellent practice for future events. Get in the habit of writing things down. Even keeping notes of how damage was dealt can prove to be important.
Speaking of dice, bring some! There is nothing worse than someone going to a gaming store and not bringing dice. C’mon man! There is no excuse for this. Well, maybe, if you’re coming from somewhere and you didn’t have any on you to begin with. However, I carry dice on myself at all times just because. Also, you’re at a gaming store. If you don’t have any, then you could always buy some. That’s for another section, though. If you have dice, bring them.
Well, that’s it for this section. If you’ve been away from the game long enough, then you may not have the dice anymore, but pen, paper, and a bag you should have already.
Items you may want to buy
Here’s a small list of items you may want to get while you’re at the store. The first thing on this list has to be sleeves. Now, some people don’t like playing with sleeves and some people play with “penny” sleeves. Thanks to the “expeditions” that have been randomly inserted into packs, there is the potential to open a very pricey card. Even if you don’t open one of these cards, you still may want to consider protecting you cards. Think of it more like an investment. You’re paying good money for these pieces of cardboard and the last thing you want is to ruin them because you didn’t want to spend the few extra dollars to protect them.
Another item you may want to get is a small box to keep your cards in. I would recommend an 800-count box. These are very cheap to buy and completely worth it. You’ll thank me especially if you play in more than one prerelease event in a day. Plus it makes for a great storage unit to keep everything separated from your different events.
Speaking of a small box, how about a deck box? I know the items are adding up, but these are only suggestions thus far. A deck box will run you about $4-$5. So that’s not bad. This way you can keep your deck apart from other cards you may have collected that day from either trading or playing in other prerelease events.
Other items to consider, but are not prioritized as high as the other items I previously mentioned are a playmat and some dice (if you don’t have any).
The new mulligan rule
So, you may have been hearing about this new mulligan rule, but what exactly is it? Well here it is, straight from DailyMTG’s website.
“103.4. Each player draws a number of cards equal to his or her starting hand size, which is normally seven. (Some effects can modify a player’s starting hand size.) A player who is dissatisfied with his or her initial hand may take a mulligan. First, the starting player declares whether or not he or she will take a mulligan. Then each other player in turn order does the same. Once each player has made a declaration, all players who decided to take mulligans do so at the same time. To take a mulligan, a player shuffles his or her hand back into his or her library, then draws a new hand of one fewer cards than he or she had before. If a player kept his or her hand of cards, those cards become the player’s opening hand, and that player may not take any further mulligans. This process is then repeated until no player takes a mulligan. (Note that if a player’s hand size reaches zero cards, that player must keep that hand.) Then, beginning with the starting player and proceeding in turn order, any player whose opening hand has fewer cards than his or her starting hand size may scry 1.”
Did you get all that? So once both you and your opponent have finished taking your mulligans, starting with the first player, you can scry one card. If you have any questions regarding the new rule, there should be someone on hand to answer any concerns you may have.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed this week’s article. If you think I missed something or have something to say, then sound off in the comment section below.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. 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!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Battle for Zendikar, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Prerelease
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This week in Magic: Top 5 Battle for Zendikar spoilers
Friday, September 18th, 2015
It’s that time again. Time for another edition of “This week in Magic.” If you hadn’t seen it already, the mother ship has spoiled the rest of the Battle for Zendikar set, and let’s just say that the future looks rather underwhelming. However, let’s not dwell on that. Instead, let’s try to make the best of things with another top 5 list. This week, we’re going to cover five cards with the most potential in Standard.
5. Spell Shrivel
If you follow us on Facebook then you may have noticed that I shared an image of this card. Spells like Dissipate, Dissolve, and Cancel have showed us that three is the magic number for Standard counters. Now Spell Shrivel can join that club. However, there is something that I really like about this card. I think the fact that the cost for this spell is 2 colorless mana and one blue rather than the two blue mana and one colorless mana required for the others. While it may not be a hard counter, it’s a decent compromise for the easier casting cost.
One of the best parts of the spell is that fact that it exiles the spell rather than having it end up in the graveyard. Thanks to other spells like Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy and Deathmist Raptor, even the graveyard isn’t a safe place. Still, thanks to the new mechanics of BFZ, the exile area might not be a safe zone either.
4. The Man-Lands
The return of man-lands is finally upon us. The last time we saw them was in original Zendikar block. That’s when we had lands like Stirring Wildwood and Celestial Colonnade. Now we have Lumbering Falls and Shambling Vent. Out of the two, I think Shambling Vent may be the better. Although, it may still be too early to tell. Shambling Vent enters as the favorite mostly due to it’s color scheme.
Thanks to Shambling Vent, something like Esper Control can go completely creatureless and just rely on the vent to do the dirty work. Of course, that may have to wait until post rotation because how can you ignore the fact that you still have powerful dragons like Ojutai roaming the format.
3. Omnath, Locus of Rage
This version of Omnath was one of the first cards spoiled in Battle for Zendikar. I was sitting in the Twitch chatroom when the announcement and I remember a lot of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” scrolling on the screen. One of the first things that came to mind was that the big Red/Green machine isn’t dead yet. Thanks to this Omnath it will still be something to reckon with.
Sitting at 5/5 for six mana doesn’t look impressive, but the fact that this thing makes babies due to it’s landfall ability in a format where bringing land into play is easy as pie scares me a lot. Imagine this very real scenario, with an Omnath in play, you opponent plays one fetch lands and triggers Omnath’s landfall ability. Then they sac the land and bring another land into play. That triggers the landfall ability again. That’s two 5/5’s with one land. Eesh.
2. Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
What list would be complete without an Ulamog? At some point or another, there will definitely be a debate or which version of Ulamog is better. For now, I like this one. You can probably call me a little bit biased, but this is another one of those cards that I can see fitting well in a control deck like Blue/Black. Remember how I said something like Esper Control can go creatureless? Well, maybe we can make an exception for this one creature.
Ulamog’s new ability to mill your opponent makes this creature a serious threat. There have even been talks about it being one of the best creatures in Limited. Keep in mind, though, we’re here to talk about Standard. One of the biggest strengths of this new Ulamog has to be that it only needs to attack to mill your opponent. That means they can chump block it all day long; the attack will still trigger Ulamog’s ability.
1. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Coming in at number one is the newest version of Gideon. When Gideon first made his way into Magic, he was quite the planeswalker. This version may be his best face to date. In this game, one can usually expect some of these cards to have some kind of downside to them. However, with Gideon, there doesn’t seem to be one. As soon as he hits the battlefield, he has the ability to make a sudden impact by being able to make an emblem that will make all your creature stronger and tougher.
If need be, he can even create a defense by making a 2/2 ally. Even more so, because the the token is an ally, it can trigger the ability of all other allies you control on the battlefield. Finally, his final form as a 5/5 indestructible creature makes him, possibly, the best card in Battle for Zendikar.
Well, that’s it for this week. I know I’m not perfect, and this list isn’t perfect. If you think I’ve left something off of the list or have something in the wrong spot, let me know. I’d love to hear what you have to say. Sound off in the comment section below!
See you all next week.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. 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!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Battle for Zendikar, BFZ, Magic the Gathering, MTG
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This week in Magic: Getting ready for another tournament weekend
Friday, September 11th, 2015
Welcome to another edition of “This week in Magic.” This weekend, the SCG Open will be taking place in Worcester. The question is how many of you have prepared thus far? I know I have, but I won’t be making an appearance this weekend, unfortunately. If I did though, there are a couple of decks I’d consider playing. For this week’s topic, we’ll cover those decks and why I think they give you the best shot of doing well this weekend.
Abzan Aggro
The first deck of choice has to be Abzan Aggro. I’ve been playing this deck for such a long time. I’ve also gone through quite a number of versions that I’ve lost count. However, this latest version may be the best one yet. It seems to find a nice balance between aggro and control. I guess that would make it somewhat midrange. Here’s a quick look at what my list looks like:
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
4 Den Protector
4 Fleecemane Lion
3 Abzan Charm
3 Dromoka’s Command
2 Wingmate Roc
2 Hero’s Downfall
2 Ultimate Price
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
3 Temple of Malady
3 Temple of Silence
4 Windswept Heath
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Llanowar Wastes
2 Forest
2 Plains
1 Temple of Plenty
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Side Board
1 Ultimate Price
3 Tragic Arrogance
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
3 Thoughtseize
2 Herald of Torment
2 Duress
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
This will most likely be one of the most popular decks at the tournament this weekend. The older versions of this deck used to pack four copies of Ultimate Price due to the overabundance of GR Dragons, GW, and Mono Green. However, if GP Prague was any indication, Ultimate Price is a bad choice right now. That’s why you’re seeing it cut down to two and the re-introduction of Hero’s Downfall.
While playtesting, I found Den Protector to be a great addition to the deck, but there where times where I found myself having to dedicate a lot of mana to this card. Still, it’s ability to bring back a spell like Dromoka’s Command or Heroic Downfall or even Thoughtseize from the sideboard can be critical and really hurt your opponent. If you’re not in the mood to face potential mirror matches all day, you may want to consider playing the next deck.
Jesakai Control
The next deck we’re going to go over is Jeskai Control. Here is the list that Mike Sigrist played at the World Championships this year:
4 Lightning Strike
4 Mantis Rider
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Dig Through Time
3 Valorous Stance
2 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Stoke the Flames
2 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Ojutai’s Command
2 Wild Slash
1 Roast
1 Jeskai Charm
1 Magma Spray
4 Mystic Monastery
4 Flooded Strand
3 Temple of Triumph
3 Temple of Epiphany
3 Shivan Reef
3 Battlefield Forge
2 Island
2 Plains
1 Mountain
Side Board
1 Valorous Stance
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
3 Arashin Cleric
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Tragic Arrogance
1 Negate
2 Mastery of the Unseen
1 Glare of Heresy
1 End Hostilities
I played tested against this deck with UR Thopters and Abzan Aggro. I had a hard time with both decks. However, I’m sure my opponent was cheating in some way (I’m kidding of course). Needless to say, it just seemed like he had an answer for everything I played.
The keys to this deck are Jace and Mantis Rider. Jace is something that you must remove as soon as it hits the battlefield. Why is it so good? Well, it can easily dig for an answer if needed. It’s a cheap and efficient blocker. If timed well, it can block and then flip into a planeswalker. Once it’s turned into it’s better half, the game can really take a turn for the worse if you’re on the wrong side of things. It’s +1 ability to give a creature -2/-0 doesn’t look that great on paper, but put to the test, and it’s really annoying for someone trying to kill it or it’s controller.
Snapcaster Mage is an amazing card, so you can only guess how good that ability on Jace makes it. I died numerous times to being hit with a lightning strike twice in one turn, and, even worse, dying by Stoke the Flames twice in one turn. To add insult to injury, a Soulfire Grand Master gains them not just three life, but six and not just four life, but eight.
Well, that’s it for this week. Remember to take time tonight to prepare for tomorrow. Make sure to get plenty of rest. Don’t forget to bring a pen and some paper. If you need any cards, make sure you get there early. Things tend to sell out quickly especially if they’re in popular decks. My guess is that Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy and Hangerback Walkers may be on low supply.
Whatever deck you choose, good luck!
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. 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!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | No Comments »
This week in Magic: Pro Tour vs. other events
Friday, September 4th, 2015
Welcome back to another “This week in Magic.” A couple of weeks ago we sparked some controversy with our Jace vs. Jace list. I’m not saying you have to agree with me. In fact, I’m glad those of you who didn’t agree told me. More than anything, I want people to engage in conversation here. With that being said, I’m not writing things for the sake of arguing. The Jace vs. Jace list was something that I truly believe in.
For this week’s topic we’re going to go over Pro Tour tournament results vs. SCG Open Series results.
As someone who plays Magic at a competitive level, I like to see what other people are playing nowadays. Some of the best resources around the net to find this kind of information are MTGTop8.com, TCGPlayer, StarCityGames, or directly from DailyMTG.com. Usually a couple of days after the tournament, these sites will post the Top 8 results. On StarCity’s site, they typically have it the same day since they’re the one’s hosting some of the events.
Personally, I like to look at the results of events like the StarCity Open Series more than the Pro Tour. Sometimes I like looking up the results of local tournaments such as 1Ks or 5Ks. These events tend to draw up to several hundred people, and, in some occasions, high level players and even pros show up if it’s close enough to them.
Playing the numbers game
So I’m sure you’re wondering right now why I prefer these “local” tournaments over the Pro Tour. The biggest reason why is that the Pro Tour is sometimes made up of different formats. For example, Pro Tour Origins was both Standard and Origins Limited. So while someone like Shahar Shenhar may win the Pro Tour, he may have done so by having an amazing Limited record while limping with a sub-par Standard record.
At an event like a TCG5K, players have to go through upwards of nine rounds of Standard Swiss (or whatever format is defined for the tournament) and then a Top 8. That’s clearly more than the three or four rounds that pro players endure at a Pro Tour. So what an event like a TCG5K shows is how much a deck can endure.
A pro is still a pro
Admittedly, a pro player is still a pro player. They are a pro for a reason, and that reason is because they’re good, they know how to win, and did I mention that they’re good? At an SCG event, any Joe Schmoe can win that event. No offense to anyone named Joe or with the last name Schmoe, but I’m mainly referring to someone like me; of my caliber. Keep in mind, you have to earn your way onto a Pro Tour. You can’t just show up, pay the $50 at the door (ugh) and play. Players on the Pro Tour have earned their way by either having been there already, or qualifying.
To qualify for a Pro Tour today seems a lot more tedious than it has in the past. With PPTQs, local stores can rejoice and be happy that they get to host such prestigious events, but it just means more work for the local player. In the past, you would show up to a single qualifier. At that point, you either win it or you don’t. Those events could, sometimes, yield upwards to a hundred players. A local PPTQ can actually come close, but averages somewhere between 30-50 players.
Experience is still better than showing up
If there were ever an argument to change my mind it would have to be that a pro player is playing a certain deck at the pro tour because of reasons that I am not experienced enough to initially see. I guess you could say that this all goes back to how “a pro is still a pro.”
I think it’s safe to say that all Magic players want to win. They don’t want to just scrape by enough to make it, they want it all. So, to say that a pro player would ever be satisfied with “just making it” at a pro tour with a sub-par performance is like an insult to them. If they could, they’d like to replicated something similar to Seth Mansfield’s run at World’s last week. He would end up being crowned champion with an amazing 13-1 record overall.
To do this at the game’s highest stage is one of the best things you could do in this game. For Seth, it was clear how much it meant to win. I was telling others that if I had won, I would have had the worst case of “ugly face” due to all the crying I would have done.
I’d really like to know your thoughts on this matter. This is especially for those of you who have taken up the oath to never “netdeck” a list. How do you, as a player, conduct your research to prepare for the current meta, whether it’s an FNM or a major local event? Let us know in the comment section below.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. 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!
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Tags: Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano
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