Posts Tagged ‘Simeon Cortezano’
This week in Magic: Standard Jeskai Tokens
Thursday, December 18th, 2014
Welcome to another edition of This week in Magic. For this week, we’re going to take a beak from Modern UR Delver and take a look at a deck I’ve been playing in Standard, Jeskai Tokens. As for my experience, I’ve played the Jeskai Ascendancy combo deck as well as the Jeskai Control deck. Both were fun to play, but I actually had more success with the combo deck. I’ve always felt that the control (or “Midrange”) deck was lacking something. Thanks goodness for the Japanese and Yuuya Watanabe.
At the World Magic Championship we got our first look at the new Jeskai Tokens deck. As I watched it in action, it occurred to me, “Why didn’t anyone else think of this sooner.” It’s almost as if this is how all of the cards were designed to work together. Here is the list that Yuuya played for reference:
Main deck:
3 Battlefield Forge
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
3 Flooded Strand
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Hordeling Outburst
1 Island
4 Jeskai Ascendancy
2 Jeskai Charm
4 Lightning Strike
2 Mountain
4 Mystic Monastery
2 Plains
4 Raise the Alarm
4 Seeker of the Way
3 Shivan Reef
4 Stoke the Flames
2 Temple of Epiphany
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Treasure Cruise
Side board:
1 Anger of the Gods
4 Disdainful Stroke
1 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
3 End Hostilities
2 Erase
2 Glare of Heresy
2 Magma Spray
Some strengths of the decks
This deck has a really great flow, and feels like it curves out better than the midrange version. The midrange version had some awkward moments. There were times when you just couldn’t get a 2cc body onto the battlefield. This left you open for numerous attacks. With the addition of Raise the Alarm you can freely run you Seeker of the Way onto the battlefield. Even if it gets removed via a Lightning Strike or other removal spell, you can rest assured because you can count on Raise the Alarm as a confident back up plan.
The token generators plus Jeskai Ascendancy combine for some silly plays. You literally get the best of both the combo deck and the midrange deck. In one playtest sessions, I came across the scenario of drawing into three copies of Stoke the Flames. Of course, on the battlefield, I had both White Soldier tokens and Red Goblin Tokens. So, convoking Stoke the Flames was certainly an option. In fact, I needed to stop the game and get help to assess the situation in order to clearly see what my best plan of action was at this point.
Needless to say, while the deck does have it’s amazing offensive moments, the deck still has it’s weakness like any other.
Some weaknesses of the deck
Something you need to remember is that the effects of Jeskai Ascendancy only last until the end of the turn. When the effects end, your tokens go back to being 1/1’s. With 1/1’s, there is not much you can do against Sylvan Caryatids, Coursers, and Sige Rhinos. Did I mention that 2/2 Zombies can be a problem as well?
I think at this point, we all get how ridiculously powerful Stoke the Flames is. However, something that I think people forget is how expensive that spell is to cast. Sure, it has convoke, but you sometimes need creatures on the battlefield for this to work. It’s not the downfall, but it doesn’t help that it costs four mana to cast. I wonder if it’s at all possible to cut the number of Stoke the Flames down to two or three copies. What would this do for the us in the long run? Well, it could alleviate some mana issues I’ve seen the deck have.
That leads me to this next point. Jeskai Tokens is very greedy when it comes to mana. I want to do so much, especially on turn three. I think by cutting down on the number of hard casting cost spells, we might be able to combo off earlier. I know I said this deck was the best of both worlds, but let’s face it, we want to be able to utilize the Ascendancy as much as possible. Could it be possible to cut down on the Lightning Strikes as well? I’m not saying to cut them entirely, but down to a number like two.
So far, I’ve cut two copies of Stoke the Flames and two copies of Lightning Strike. Now let’s introduce some new additions to the deck. Here’s a small list of cards that may be viable:
- Crowd’s Favor
- Devouring Light
- Triplicate Spirits
Okay, I admit that Triplicate Spirits will probably not make the cut. However the first two cards are realistic possibilities. Another card I’ve had suggested to me was Defiant Strike. The first thing you’ll notice is that the card doesn’t have Convoke. However, it does draw us a card which might be huge. One mana cantrips are always very enticing.
Some final thoughts
I was watching Paul Cheon streaming the deck last night and he brought up a very interesting thing about the deck. He felt that this was a deck that didn’t need to run four copies of Treasure Cruise. Some people may call him crazy for thinking this, but what if he’s right? I guess the only real way to find out is to actually do it. However, let’s take a minute to reflect on this.
If you think about it, the only real time you maximize the power of Treasure Cruise in this deck is when you’re able to delve for the full amount. You’d also need to have Jeskai Ascendancy in play to sweeten the deal. This is not always the case though. I mean, you don’t always get the chance to delve for the full amount. In some situations, I’ve had to wait a turn or two in order to fill my graveyard to the delve depth.
With this in mind, let’s put back some of the Lightning Strikes. This way we can still burn our opponent out if needed. After all of the changes we’ve talked about, the deck would look something like this:
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Jeskai Ascendancy
2 Jeskai Charm
4 Lightning Strike
4 Raise the Alarm
4 Seeker of the Way
3 Stoke the Flames
2 Treasure Cruise
2 Defiant Strike
1 Crowd’s Favor
Well, that’s it for this week. Go out and try some of the changes we’ve talked about and let me know what your results were. See you next time!
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!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: jeskai tokens, Simeon Cortezano, Standard
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 2 Comments »
This week in Magic: Modern UR Delver pt. 2
Thursday, December 11th, 2014
Welcome back to another segment of “This week in Magic.” The last time we were here, I discussed some main board options for UR Delver for Modern. This week, I’m going to go over some side board options. If there is time, I’ll try to go over a local Modern tournament I 4-0’d with UR Delver. So, as a quick reminder, here is the full list that I ran:
Main board
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
3 Thought Scour
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
2 Vapor Snag
2 Spell Snare
2 Mana Leak
2 Spell Pierce
1 Electrolyze
4 Treasure Cruise
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Steam Vents
2 Island
3 Mountain
Side board
2 Blood Moon
2 Electrickery
1 Negate
1 Dispel
2 Dragon Claw
1 Pithing Needle
1 Counterflux
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Combust
2 Smash to Smithereens
I’ve been playing the deck for a couple of weeks now, and I can say with much certainty that Electrickery is now open. I initially had it in the side board for the mirror match. However, I realized the main focus in the mirror tends to be taking care of your opponent’s Young Pyromancer. A really interesting option I came across was running Izzet Staticaster. As an 0/3, the only way to kill it is with a Lightning Bolt, and it can survive most attacks.
I’ve been very happy with the many one of’s in the side board like Negate and Dispel. Some of the problem cards I’ve been running into have been other counterspells and Lightning Bolts. In those situations, Dispel really shows its strength. Negate has been great in countering some of those random spells that you were expecting or even forget exist in the format. Mana Leak and Spell Pierce are great early counters, but later on, their power takes a big dip. Having a hard counter like Negate is great during those times.
As for the rest of the side board, I think I need more time with it. Up to now, I’ve had no problem, but there haven’t been many opportunities to test it. For example, I have yet to try the deck against Affinity or Tron. What have I played against? Good question. To answer that, I’ll go over a local tournament I attended and won.
In the first round, I played against Merfolk. As someone who has played Mono Red Burn, and played against this match up a lot, I was not a fan. However, I have to find a way to remind myself, that I’m not playing burn anymore. My opponent had an okay start. They opened with a Cursecatcher and then followed that up with one of their lords. I was on the draw and I opener was a Swiftspear. I followed that up with a Lightning Bolt, then another Swiftspear. Now, I know I could have done it the other way around, but with Cursecatcher on the board, I needed to be sure I could pay for the one mana in case they sacrificed it to counter the Bolt. My opponent didn’t and let their lord die. When I followed the Bolt up with another Swiftspear they were a little confused.
Now with two Swiftspears on the board, things began to get out of hand. I played spells without hesitation to help grow my monks and eventually take game one.
Unfortunately, for my opponent, the only creatures he saw were two Spellskites. I would land a turn two Young Pyromancer and it would stick. Numerous spells later, I had acquired a fleet of elementals and the game was over.
For the sake of time, I’m going to skip ahead to the fourth and final round. This was a match against Splinter Twin that had no Tarmogoyfs. Game one did not go well for me. However, it went as well as it could for the Twin player. How perfectly well did it go? At the end of my third turn, they played Deceiver. It resolved and tapped my only other blue source. Of course they could just be leading me on, but my opponent untapped, drew their card, and then played their Twin. On to game two!
In game two, I brought in a Dispel, a Negate, and two Combusts. I took out an Electrolyze, both Forked Bolts, and a Gitaxian Probe. Something tells me that a probe is the wrong thing to take out here, but I am still unsure what is better. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
Game three, I realized I needed to get an aggressive start. So I mulled with the intent to get turn one creature down. I know Lightning Bolt is a serious issue here, but if I can get it to stick, I’ll feel a lot better about the match. If I remember correctly, I mulled to five cards before I was satisfied. I landed a first turn Delver, but it didn’t last long as it was bolted the next turn. I got very lucky and drew into a Young Pyromancer. I was lucky enough to have the Pyromancer stick around for quite a few turns. My opponent even had landed a Ratchet Bomb at one point, but hesitated in blowing it up. Later in the game, I played a Delver with the Bomb still in play. My opponent had made a big play mistake when they ticked the Bomb up to one counter. When my Delver finished resolving it’s flip, they had decided to blow up the Bomb forgetting that it’s converted mana cost was now zero.
The third and final game was still a little exciting even though my opponent didn’t do much but draw cards. Once again, a Young Pyromancer had made an early appearance only to be followed up by a handful of spells to create an army of Elementals. The thing about Twin is that sometimes it can win without any kind of warning. I guess that’s why the game was a little exciting for myself. It may have been a bit boring for my opponent, but how was I supposed to know they were drawing blanks most of the game.
Well it seems I’ve gone of my time for this week. Tune in next week as I wrap things up and give some final thoughts on the deck for now. Thanks for reading!
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!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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, Modern, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, ur delver
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 1 Comment »
This week in Magic: Modern UR Delver
Thursday, December 4th, 2014
For this week in Magic, we’re going to take a visit down memory lane and talk about Modern! I’ve been playing Modern again lately, and I’ve got a bit of a bug. Thanks to the introduction of Khans, though, the format has changed, and for the better. Cards like Dig Through Time and Treasure Cruise add a dynamic that not many people expected. Some people were even speculating that Treasure Cruise would be banned. However it hasn’t, and decks like Mono Red Burn have welcomed it with arms wide open.
I am not running Mono Red Burn, though. I’ve decided to go the UR Delver route. This deck is a lot of fun and can almost second for another burn deck. Okay, that’s enough talk. Let’s take a look at what I was playing.
Main board
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
3 Thought Scour
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Forked Bolt
2 Vapor Snag
2 Spell Snare
2 Mana Leak
2 Spell Pierce
1 Electrolyze
4 Treasure Cruise
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Steam Vents
2 Island
3 Mountain
Side board
2 Blood Moon
2 Electrickery
1 Negate
1 Dispel
2 Dragon Claw
1 Pithing Needle
1 Counterflux
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Combust
2 Smash to Smithereens
This list is far from perfect, but I felt good playing it this past weekend. For this week, we’re just going to focus on the main board, and if there is time, we’ll touch upon the side board. Right after playing, I knew the one thing I wanted to add was Snapcaster Mage. As to why it wasn’t there to begin with, I think it just escaped my mind. Now the question is how many do I run? I’ve seen many lists go back and forth between one and two Snapcaster Mages.
To begin with, I may want to start with two Mages. However, I can see the argument to only play one. First of all, you’ll notice that Delver, Young Pyromancer, and the Swiftspear all have something in common – they are all dependant on non-creature spells. By running more creatures than I have to, it can almost hinder me in a small way. Can you imagine needed to rip just any spell to either trigger the Pyromancer or trigger the Prowess on Swiftspear, but instead you draw your Mage?
I can see what you’re saying, big deal, right? So what if you draw your Snapcaster Mage? Just cast that guy and flashback a Lightning Bolt! Well, you need to remember that this is a deck that runs only 18 lands. Resources are very limited and when you do draw your Mage, you may find that you don’t have the mana to do everything you want. Of course, this is the worst case scenario, so don’t let this deter you. However, it is very much a possibility.
The next debate is over certain counterspells. I feel there is a good question over whether to run Remand or Mana Leak. What that answer is, I’m not quite sure. Remember, I’m no expert here, I’m just a guy putting his thoughts down on electronic paper. Is it better to run Mana Leak or Remand?
A great argument for Remand can be made for it’s cantrip ability. In this deck, I can totally see drawing more cards. More fuel for the fire. However, an important thing to keep in mind is what the format currently looks like. If you feel like decks such as Jund, Pod, Tron, and such are going to be dominant, then running Remand is an excellent choice. In the later game, Mana Leak just is not good enough.
In a metagame where decks like UR Delver and Mono Red Burn (splashing Blue for Treasure Cruise) are running rampant, then Mana Leak is at it’s best. As someone who played Mono Red Burn, Remand was the best counter I could see if I saw any. Most of the time, it meant I was paying two mana for my Lightning Bolt instead of one. In some cases, that can be game changing, but most of the time it’s not. Remember I mentioned that resources can be limited, Mana Leak can hurt a lot especially when you average about three to four lands a game.
This leads me to seeing people making a compromise. This is where you see lists running one Remand or one Mana Leak. While this may seem like a solution, I don’t think it is. You want your counterspells to matter in the game. Running one of’s does not help solve the problem. In the end, you’re better off running two of a less efficient counterspell than none at all.
Time to wrap things up. There are some obvious staples of the deck that should never be messed with. I feel that these staples are Serum Visions, Lightning Bolt, Gitaxian Probe, and Treasure Cruise. Otherwise, feel free to play around with numbers until you feel comfortable. That’s it for now. Tune in next week where I’ll try to tackle the side board and hopefully recount some playtesting. Until then, take care.
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!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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, Modern, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, treasure cruise, ur delver
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | No Comments »
This week in gaming: Revisiting GP New Jersey and more
Thursday, November 20th, 2014
Welcome back to “This week in gaming!” I’m sure many of you were saddened when you came to the site and didn’t see a new issue of “This week in gaming” or “This week in Magic.” The big reason for that was because I was busy getting ready for GP New Jersey which happened last weekend. Unfortunately, I did not have the same result as I did at GP Boston-Worcester, but I did have a blast.
Many members of the Battleground Games & Hobbies family made an appearance. Some were there to get things signed, and others were there to take on the gauntlet. My final record for the day was 2-3. It just seemed everyone was very prepared for anything with red in it thanks to the growing popularity of UR Delver. I played Mono Red Burn and was punished for another deck’s success.
Still, I had a lot of fun. Due to the fact that this was a Legacy event, there were more vendors than ever, and they had all decided to show off some of their most valuable items. One of the items up for grabs was a foil, Russian Emrakul that was retailing for $3500. Right next to it was an Unlimited Black Lotus which retailed $500 less. Let that sink in for a bit.
If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend trying to make it out to a high level “Magic: The Gathering” event. Even if you don’t plan on playing in the main event, many of the venues have side events and other activities for you to take part in. Some come just for trading and others come to visit the artists that have come to sign cards.
Sadly, the season is near the end. That means the next major event isn’t until February. However, that is Pro Tour Washington, DC, and you have to have qualified for that tournament. Otherwise, if you’d like to take a road trip, there is GP Atlantic City in May. That is a Limited format tournament. If you don’t want to go there, you’ll have to wait until June for GP Providence, and that will be a Standard format tournament. This is the one I will most likely go to, if I can go.
Marvel Dice Masters
In other news, Marvel Dice Masters is a game that I have been playing. Thanks to it’s great affordability, I have bought a lot of it. Starters are going for $15 and boosters will only set you back $1.25. While I sometimes cringe at the thought of buying 10 boosters of Magic, it’s almost too easy to buy 10 boosters of Marvel Dice Masters.
If you like deck building games and rolling dice, then this is the game for you. Not to mention you get to play as some of your favorite comic book characters. Some of you who have played the game Quarriors will find the game to be very familiar. The big reason is because it’s made by the same guys and put out by the same company, WizKids.
Both, Abington and Plainville, have begun to host league nights. The first night was this past Tuesday. Starting with this week, the league began with draft and rotates formats every week. So if you can make it out next week (and you should), both locations will be hosting a free tournament. However, make sure you check out the WizKids website for the official tournament rules.
Speaking from experience, you may also want to check out the official Dice Masters forums via the WizKids website for extra rulings on some of the cards. This past Tuesday we ran into a few issues regarding the text on some of the cards and how they’re played. Also, while we didn’t have many sign up for the draft, we had plenty of people show up and play for fun. Some people were curious enough that they bought their collection right on the spot.
Some upcoming events
Are you bored at home, and have nothing to do? Well have no fear! My advice to you is to keep checking out the Battleground Games & Hobbies event page on Facebook. Mostly due to the fact I’m a Magic player, an even that stands out to me is the Pauper Commander 1v1 French Tournament.
This is actually new to me, but it sound like a lot of fun. First of all, I am already a fan of Pauper. However, I’ve never played a Pauper commander deck before. According to some of the rules posted on the Facebook event page, you are not limited to a Legendary creature as your general. In fact, you can use any common or uncommon creature. as you general. That means some of the most competitive generals include, Rakdos Cackler, Shardless Agent, and Young Pyromancer. More information can be found here.
Amateur writers gather ‘round! Nanowrimo is a month long campaign where writers try to write a complete novel in one month. Our very own, Sam, will be hosting an event to celebrate the “home stretch.” On Saturday, November 29, come hang out at the Plainville store and hang out with many writers like you who are pushing to finish that novel. The doors open at 10 AM and people are invited to show up and write all day long. For more info on the event, check out this link.
Well that’s it for now. The holiday shopping season is pretty much here. What games and other things are you hoping to receive this holiday? Leave a comment down below. Maybe someone you know will be reading and get you that sweet present this year! Thanks for reading.
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!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: gp new jersey, Marvel Dice Masters, nanowrimo, Simeon Cortezano
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | No Comments »
This week in gaming: My board game wishlist
Thursday, November 6th, 2014
Yeah, this is going up late. It’s been a little bit of a hectic week for myself. A big hectic to the point that I forgot that today was Wednesday (well, now it’s Thursday). I’m in the very slow process of moving my family and I into a new house. Let me tell you, moving is not very fun. However, there is a small exception here. Since I’ve been in between moves since the beginning of the summer, most of my belongings have been in storage. I had to pack up most of my Magic cards and, worst of all, most of my board games went into storage.
Now that my family and I are at our new house, I’ve been able to get most of my belongings out of storage. Tonight, I was able to grab my board games. It’s funny. I really didn’t know how much I missed them until I opened the box that contained them. It’s not much, but what I do have means a lot. So, I bet you’re wondering what games I have. In no particular order:
Netrunner LCG
Marvel Legendary
Quarriors
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Dixit
Elder Signs
Takenoko (Sealed)
Rampage (Sealed)
Ascension (Base Set)
The reason Takenoko and Rampage are sealed is because they were originally for the Extra Life fundraiser that was held a couple of weeks ago, but due to the fact that they were in storage, I was never able to give them away. Now the question is, “What do I do with them?” Obviously these games would make great additions to my collection. Of course, there is also a part of me that wants to stick to the original plan and give them away for a good cause. I’m not sure. Although, I am open to suggestions.
Lords of Waterdeep
There are some games I have been wanting to get my hands on for some time now. One game I definitely want for my collection is Lords of Waterdeep. I’ve played this game a few times, and, while I have yet to win a game, each time has been a blast. You don’t even need to be that knowledgable in the Dungeons and Dragons lore, but it does make the game that much more fun if you know the whole story, or at least parts of it.
7 Wonders
Another game I’d like to add to the list is 7 Wonders. I remember when Andrew Pegg-Wheat was demoing the game for the store. I took every chance I could to sit in on a game. It is extremely fun and I highly recommend it. How does it play? For Magic players, I like to describe it as Drafting, but it’s just the best part – the drafting. Everyone gets three “packs” or pile of cards; a pile of cards from each of the three ages. They choose a card from their pile and then pass the cards on to the next person. You continue to pick cards from the “packs” until there is one left, and that card goes back into the box. The object of the game is to score the most points.
The neat part of the game is that you need to build up your resources in order to draft certain cards. For example, you may need brick, wood, gold, or all three in order to draft a library. That library then scores you points in one of numerous categories. It may sound a little complicated, but once you play it, the game is very easy to follow.
Marvel Dice Masters
This game had been out of stock for a long time. Also, if you’ve ever played Quarriors, this should be no surprise that this is on my list of board game wants. So not only does the game play exactly like Quarriors, but it features some of my favorite characters from comics – the X-Men. What sets the game apart from Quarriors, though, is the fact that it’s a collectible dice game. What do I mean by this? When you buy the game Quarriors, you get everything you will need for the base set inside the box. When you purchase Marvel Dice Masters, you start by buying the 2-player starter set. From there you buy booster packs that contain two dice and their corresponding cards.
This allows for the possibility of tournaments with the game. I’m hoping that game catches on enough that there will be plenty of people willing to play. As a gamer, I enjoy anything that involves rolling dice. That’s probably why this is at the top of the “list.” Anyone up for a game?
Star Trek Attack Wing
I get there isn’t a board involved, but I am a big Star Trek fan. Am I a Trekkie? I don’t know, but I enjoy it nonetheless. I’ve played Star Wars Attack Wing and that was a lot of fun. In the end though, I guess you either like Star Wars or Star Trek (or, at least, one more than the other). Of course, one of the reasons I’d like to own the game is because of the look of the figures. I’ve watched enough episode that the idea of controlling one of these ships (albeit in a game) excites me.
Tabletop miniatures adds a lot to gaming that you can’t get with normal board games. I like to think of board games like 2-D side scroller video games. So, I guess that makes tabletop miniature gaming like wearing an Oculus Rift.
Well that’s it for now. You know that the holiday season is closing upon us. If you’d like to get me a gift, make sure you bookmark this page so you can refer to it in the future.
As always, thanks for reading.
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!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: Board Games, Christmas, Simeon Cortezano, wishlist
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Popular Posts | 1 Comment »
This week in gaming: A special thank you
Thursday, October 30th, 2014
Our massive game of “Werewolf” hosted by Derek
I’ve gone through a lot, personally, this year. I lost my uncle to a heart attack, my aunt lost her battle with cancer, I’ve been “in between moves” for most of the summer, and looking for a job is a never-ending story with me. However, the one thing that has been the biggest help to keeping my sanity have been all you – my friends, my family, and the entire gaming community at Battleground Games & Hobbies.
The night before the 24-hour marathon, I got very little sleep. If I remember correctly, I went to bed around 4 AM. That’s been the norm for me for quite some time, but I still wish I had gone to bed a little bit earlier. The day started like every other day. I got out of bed, checked my e-mail, and then made my postings for the store on all of the social medias. That’s when it hit me. The culmination of almost eight months of work was almost here.
I admit I was a little nervous, but more anxious than anything. Who was going to be there? Was anyone going to show up? Would I hit goal? As you could tell, there was a lot on my mind. In the end, though, it was an amazing day with amazing people. Even if you were there just to poke your head in, I appreciated it.
There are a few people I’d like to single-out though. They are in no particular order.
Wyrmwood Gaming
When I got to the store the first thing I wanted to do was check on the package that Wyrmwood Gaming had sent me to help support the fundraiser that weekend. There is no doubt they had a big part in us hitting our goal.
I remember when I first met Ed and Doug at PAX East 2014. I had been introduced to them by my friend Eric who wanted to know if I’d be interested in covering their product. When I first laid eyes on what they had to offer, I knew I was looking at something special.
In early September, I ran into Ed and Doug again at the Boston Festival of Indie Games. They were posted in the table top gaming area. It made sense, especially considering the product they offered. That’s when I first pitched to Ed the idea of being a part of the Extra Life marathon. I thought their product would be a great way to entice people to donate to the cause. It would also help get their name out to their primary audience.
Ed was extremely gracious and had told me that they had recently donated to another cause and would be happy to help me out. I was blown away at what they had to offer. One of the items they were showing off at the festival was their new Dice Tower. In fact, it was making it’s first public appearance. I was a little scared at first, but I eventually gathered the guts to ask if they’d be willing to have a Dice Tower ready for the fundraiser. This was a bold move in my part because they had just that prototype from what I understood. Luckily Ed said yes and more.
I’m happy to say that the Dice Tower package went to a very deserving couple at the end of the night.
Alley, Amanda, and Ken
Wyrmwood wasn’t the only ones to personally help out that night. Those of you who were there may have seen a couple of the other items we had up for grabs that night. One of them was an awesome painting done by Alley Livingston. She had messaged me, one day, on Facebook and told me she was going to do some art that I could raffle off at the marathon. Up to that point, I only had the Wyrmwood gaming items and, possibly, box of Magic cards that I was going to donate myself to the raffle. So, for someone to come out of nowhere and say they want to donate something that takes time, creativity, and more to make means a lot to me.
Amanda was another person who took the time to make something for the raffle. That crazy-looking purple thing you may have seen is called a Hanar. It’s actually an alien character from the game Mass Effect. If you don’t know what that is, then I recommend you look it up after reading this week’s article.
Over time, Ken has amassed an incredible amount of packs for winning numerous drafts and other events at the store. In fact, he may even have a vault similar to the one Scrooge McDuck has. However, instead of gold coins, it’s full of booster packs from Magic. Unlike Scrooge McDuck, though, Ken was gracious enough to donate a box worth of boosters to the event that night. These are packs that he earned from playing and with money he spent. He may not want others to know, but I want people to know, he had already made a generous donation prior to donating the box. So give it up for “Good Guy Ken.”
Derek and Chase
Of course, there would be no event without Derek and Chase. When Derek gave the approval to host the 24-hour gaming marathon at the store, that’s when I said to myself, “ Alright. We’re really doing this.” To be given a space to hold the event with such ease, I have to consider myself extremely lucky and am happy to have friends in such high places.
The months leading up to the event, my mind had been set only on the Abington location. I think it was only a couple of months prior to the event that Chase said he wanted to host an event at the Plainville location. I have to say I was caught off-guard. I thought it was great enough that an event was going to happen at one location, but who can say that they had the ability to host the event at multiple locations? Not a lot.
As I look back on things, I can’t think of any problems that were had. We may have blown a fuse or two due to the number of Xboxes we had, but that’s a first-world problem some wish they had. If I needed anything, I could have it.
Do me favor, and I’m sure you do this enough yourself, the next time you see Derek or Chase, shake their hand and say thanks. What they do is tough, and there are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that can make their jobs difficult, but, in the end, they manage to put on a different face when they’re around you.
The overnight crew and everyone else
Before I say anything else, I want to thank everyone who showed up, donated, and even helped spread the word. There are a lot of you. You all know who you are. The last spotlight I want to shine is on the overnight crew. Who is the overnight crew? This is the late night crew. Some of them I have already thanked, but this is for those who I haven’t. Check out the picture below.
Note: there may be some who aren’t in the photo and that might be due to the fact that they were passed out upstairs in the loft, or were in the back room playing Dungeons and Dragons.
These people were there either all 24-hours or for most of it. These people are like my brothers/sisters-in-arms. It’s one thing to try to take on a beast that is 24-hour of gaming by yourself, but to be in the company of others makes it a little less painful.
Some other quick thank you’s go to Josh for driving me to the event and then leaving me there, Scott for lunch, Dan for bringing extra donuts after Josh brought some, everyone who participated at the Plainville store, Chad for setting up the Xbox corner, and to Pete who shared his personal connection to the event (that was the best feeling ever).
I’m really hoping I didn’t leave anyone out, but I’m sure I did – everyone does when they’re thanking people. If I did, I’m sorry. Don’t hate me. Thank you!
One last thing…
In case you missed it, I announced a couple of nights ago how much was made. Both stores, combined, raised almost $2000 for a grand total of $2538! For our first year, I think we did a pretty good job.
That’s it for now. If you’d like, the 2014 Extra Life donation page will be active for the rest of the year. Who knows, maybe we’ll break $3000. A couple of quick thoughts: we’re doing this again next year, I’m going to organize a team, we’re going to change the times of the event to what everyone else does: Noon – Noon.
As always, if there is something you need to say, ask, anything, sound off below in the comment section, and until next time.
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: extra life, fundraiser, Simeon Cortezano, Thank You
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Miniature Games, Popular Posts, Role-Playing Games, Store Related | 2 Comments »
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