Comparing it to its regular artwork, both are actually very good. But I think I am a bit more biased in the foil one because of the mere fact that it is a foil ^_^
April 22, 2013
May 2013 FNM Card - Judge's Familiar with Picture
May 2013's Friday Night Magic Promo card is Judge's Familiar. This is a good promo card at the very least. Although Judge's Familiar hasn't seen much play in competitive Standard, the card itself is an efficient card with a 1/1 body and flying for 1 mana. And it has a "Cursecathcer" ability that enables you to counter an instant or sorcery spell. With this in play and in an aggro deck, it could have been good as it can delay Wrath of God and wipe out effects for a turn. However, I think the printing of Supreme Verdict has removed the potential of this card to be included in Standard deck lists. But overall, this is still a decent promo card and the artwork is great!
Comparing it to its regular artwork, both are actually very good. But I think I am a bit more biased in the foil one because of the mere fact that it is a foil ^_^
Comparing it to its regular artwork, both are actually very good. But I think I am a bit more biased in the foil one because of the mere fact that it is a foil ^_^
April 11, 2013
Magic101 : Illegal Targets and Wrong Targets
Illegal targets and wrong targets are very common in Magic: the Gathering especially in our homes or local stores when we are playing casual Magic, play in our local FNMs or even in Grand Prix levels, that's why we need to call the attention of a Judge when we encounter these situations.
I happen to make a mistake in my last Grand Prix experience in Manila last 2012. It happened during the third game of a round when I was playing Esper Solar Flare (control) and my opponent was playing Red Green Aggro. It was already game 3 and 50 minutes was almost up. I was getting very impatient because I thought my opponent was playing very slow and I thought we could play the game faster because he was the aggro player. It was during his 4th turn when he tapped out with 4 mana and played a Thrun, the Last Troll, it was the first time that the card showed up in our match, and I thought it was a Huntmaster of the Fells and played a Mana Leak but then ooops! We then called a judge. And the ruling was that my Mana Leak went to the graveyard and the Thrun entered the battlefield afterwards.
At that time, I kind of expected that my Mana Leak will be coming back to my hand since the Thrun, the last Troll has a "can't be countered" clause in its text. However, it was actually a correct call by the judge. Just to clarify this to other players who originally thought the same as I did, The Thrun can still be "targeted" by a counterspell while it is on the stack however, the counterspell doesn't do anything since it cannot be countered. It is not the same as the idea of "Protection from counterspells" or anything. This is an example of a valid target and wrong targeting and these should not be made by players at all cost! ^_^
Another mistake that I observed in the past was Illegal Targeting. The first example that I will explain is Illegal targeting when there are really no valid targets. Back in the days during Worldwake, some people make the mistake of casting Searing Blaze to target their opponent even when their opponent has no creatures in play (and they have no creatures in play). This is a classic example of Illegal targets. Searing Blaze should have 2 valid targets, the player and a creature that player controls. Since the opponent didn't have a creature, it didn't satisfy the targets requirement of the spell and therefore, the Searing Blaze couldn't be cast in the first place. For errors like these, the player should just untap his lands and return the Searing Blaze in his or her hand.
I have attached the official rulings for this:
601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Casting a spell follows the steps listed below, in order. If, at any point during the casting of a spell, a player is unable to comply with any of the steps listed below, the casting of the spell is illegal; the game returns to the moment before that spell started to be cast (see rule 717, "Handling Illegal Actions"). Announcements and payments can't be altered after they've been made.
Another Case is targeting an invalid target when there are OTHER valid targets.
Let us consider this scenario. What if the player casts a Doom Blade on an opponent's Thrun, the Last Troll but the player has a Raging Goblin in play?
At FNM, a judge might allow a player to take back the move if the intent was to target the opponent's Thrun. After all, FNM philosophy is to encourage player growth and knowledge about the game, so errors like this wouldn't be heavily penalized. However, in tournaments with higher RELs (Rules Enforcement Level), since Thrun has Hexproof and therefore is an invalid target of Doom Blade, the player would be forced to target his or her own Raging Goblin since there are no other valid targets in the battlefield.
Likewise, in the Searing Blaze example above, if the player had a creature in play, since to target himself is a "valid" player target and his or her own creature is also a valid target, then the player will be forced to target himself/herself and the creature he or she controls.
Even though these are basic rules, people sometimes make errors for these and it might be helpful to understand the details and how to properly address these errors to make our Magic: the Gathering experiences more fun and informative.
I happen to make a mistake in my last Grand Prix experience in Manila last 2012. It happened during the third game of a round when I was playing Esper Solar Flare (control) and my opponent was playing Red Green Aggro. It was already game 3 and 50 minutes was almost up. I was getting very impatient because I thought my opponent was playing very slow and I thought we could play the game faster because he was the aggro player. It was during his 4th turn when he tapped out with 4 mana and played a Thrun, the Last Troll, it was the first time that the card showed up in our match, and I thought it was a Huntmaster of the Fells and played a Mana Leak but then ooops! We then called a judge. And the ruling was that my Mana Leak went to the graveyard and the Thrun entered the battlefield afterwards.
At that time, I kind of expected that my Mana Leak will be coming back to my hand since the Thrun, the last Troll has a "can't be countered" clause in its text. However, it was actually a correct call by the judge. Just to clarify this to other players who originally thought the same as I did, The Thrun can still be "targeted" by a counterspell while it is on the stack however, the counterspell doesn't do anything since it cannot be countered. It is not the same as the idea of "Protection from counterspells" or anything. This is an example of a valid target and wrong targeting and these should not be made by players at all cost! ^_^
Another mistake that I observed in the past was Illegal Targeting. The first example that I will explain is Illegal targeting when there are really no valid targets. Back in the days during Worldwake, some people make the mistake of casting Searing Blaze to target their opponent even when their opponent has no creatures in play (and they have no creatures in play). This is a classic example of Illegal targets. Searing Blaze should have 2 valid targets, the player and a creature that player controls. Since the opponent didn't have a creature, it didn't satisfy the targets requirement of the spell and therefore, the Searing Blaze couldn't be cast in the first place. For errors like these, the player should just untap his lands and return the Searing Blaze in his or her hand.
I have attached the official rulings for this:
601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Casting a spell follows the steps listed below, in order. If, at any point during the casting of a spell, a player is unable to comply with any of the steps listed below, the casting of the spell is illegal; the game returns to the moment before that spell started to be cast (see rule 717, "Handling Illegal Actions"). Announcements and payments can't be altered after they've been made.
Another Case is targeting an invalid target when there are OTHER valid targets.
Let us consider this scenario. What if the player casts a Doom Blade on an opponent's Thrun, the Last Troll but the player has a Raging Goblin in play?
At FNM, a judge might allow a player to take back the move if the intent was to target the opponent's Thrun. After all, FNM philosophy is to encourage player growth and knowledge about the game, so errors like this wouldn't be heavily penalized. However, in tournaments with higher RELs (Rules Enforcement Level), since Thrun has Hexproof and therefore is an invalid target of Doom Blade, the player would be forced to target his or her own Raging Goblin since there are no other valid targets in the battlefield.
Likewise, in the Searing Blaze example above, if the player had a creature in play, since to target himself is a "valid" player target and his or her own creature is also a valid target, then the player will be forced to target himself/herself and the creature he or she controls.
Even though these are basic rules, people sometimes make errors for these and it might be helpful to understand the details and how to properly address these errors to make our Magic: the Gathering experiences more fun and informative.
April 2, 2013
April 2013 FNM Card - Call of the Conclave with Picture
This month's premium Friday Night Magic card, Call of the Conclave. Really awesome FNM card. Looking at this, this really reminded me of Watchwolf. 3 power for 2 mana is never a bad thing - may it be in standard or in modern or maybe in legacy too. Cards like these are the reason why I love splashing green even though it might be the color that I like the least for the 5 colors.
Although unlike the previous promos for this year, I like the original art better. For me, the promo card's artwork is a little bit too cartooney for me. But then again, foils are foils and I will still get myself a set. So I might as well give myself a perfect attendance in this month's FNM tourneys.
Although unlike the previous promos for this year, I like the original art better. For me, the promo card's artwork is a little bit too cartooney for me. But then again, foils are foils and I will still get myself a set. So I might as well give myself a perfect attendance in this month's FNM tourneys.
Duel Decks: Heroes vs. Monsters
I actually like the flavor of this duel deck. Although the deck lists are still not up and I think it won't be listed for quite some time, I am hoping that the contents will be good and that the decks will be very balanced for playing fun magic. What I liked about these duel decks is that people with no decks (say for example old players that stopped playing magic and suddenly becomes interested in playing casual again) can just buy these duel decks and they can play the game again - with decks that are equally strong by concept and very fun to play with. The idea of choosing to side with the monsters or heroes actually gives more flavor and excitement when playing these types of decks. Also, this duel deck will contain six preview cards from this fall's Magic set Theros, making them your very first chance to play with the set's new cards, even before pre-release!
Heroes:
Monsters worthy of legend have always threatened the civilizations of the Multiverse. Heroes of many worlds must prove their worth by confronting these immense creatures. These heroes grow stronger with every encounter as they assail threats beyond their imagination.
Monsters:
Materializing out of the mist, monsters loom large on the horizon. Terrifying and relentless, these mythical creatures ravage the countryside. Enrage your monsters into jaw-dropping monstrosities and send them rampaging toward the enemy.
Choose your allegiance now!
Deck Design and Deck Development: Chris Millar, Kelly Digges and Sam Stoddard
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGHVM
Languages Available: English, Japanese
Release Date: September 6, 2013
MSRP: $19.99
Heroes:
Monsters worthy of legend have always threatened the civilizations of the Multiverse. Heroes of many worlds must prove their worth by confronting these immense creatures. These heroes grow stronger with every encounter as they assail threats beyond their imagination.
Monsters:
Materializing out of the mist, monsters loom large on the horizon. Terrifying and relentless, these mythical creatures ravage the countryside. Enrage your monsters into jaw-dropping monstrosities and send them rampaging toward the enemy.
Choose your allegiance now!
Deck Design and Deck Development: Chris Millar, Kelly Digges and Sam Stoddard
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGHVM
Languages Available: English, Japanese
Release Date: September 6, 2013
MSRP: $19.99
March 18, 2013
To go or not to go? 2013 World Magic Cup Qualifiers
When I checked the Yearly Planeswalker points a few minutes ago, this was what I saw.
I was very happy to know that I definitely qualified for the World Magic Cup Qualifiers this year. Of course, the qualifiers will be the stepping stones for players who want to represent the Philippines in this year's World Magic Cup (airfareincluded) in Amsterdam. Since the Magic Nationals event was abolished a few years ago, the World Magic Cup Qualifiers was the event that replaced the Magic Nationals in choosing each country's representative(s) for the Magic Worlds, well now, the World Magic Cup. The Philippines performed really well last year reaching the Top 8 in the World Magic Cup, so we are hoping that we can do the same if not better this year. I always wanted to play in the Nationals, as my closest chance to play for the Nationals was a few years ago when I reached the top 8 for the Magic Nationals Qualifiers here in Cebu (the dirty South). Unfortunately, I finished 6th on that event, where only the top 4 are given tickets to participate in the Nationals. This year, it's different, being able to participate in the WMCQ is something that is very worthwhile and gratifying for me as an MTG player. But still, I haven't purchased a ticket for Manila - will I go or not?
Just a short background of what WMCQ is.
I was very happy to know that I definitely qualified for the World Magic Cup Qualifiers this year. Of course, the qualifiers will be the stepping stones for players who want to represent the Philippines in this year's World Magic Cup (airfareincluded) in Amsterdam. Since the Magic Nationals event was abolished a few years ago, the World Magic Cup Qualifiers was the event that replaced the Magic Nationals in choosing each country's representative(s) for the Magic Worlds, well now, the World Magic Cup. The Philippines performed really well last year reaching the Top 8 in the World Magic Cup, so we are hoping that we can do the same if not better this year. I always wanted to play in the Nationals, as my closest chance to play for the Nationals was a few years ago when I reached the top 8 for the Magic Nationals Qualifiers here in Cebu (the dirty South). Unfortunately, I finished 6th on that event, where only the top 4 are given tickets to participate in the Nationals. This year, it's different, being able to participate in the WMCQ is something that is very worthwhile and gratifying for me as an MTG player. But still, I haven't purchased a ticket for Manila - will I go or not?
Just a short background of what WMCQ is.
- The 2013 World Magic Cup Qualifiers are invitation-only tournaments. These Premier Events will be held in countries that have been selected to have national teams compete at the 2013 World Magic Cup.
- Each selected country will hold three 2013 World Magic Cup Qualifiers. Qualifiers will take place on April 6-7, April 20-21, and June 1-2, 2013. Each of the three World Magic Cup Qualifiers in each country will be held on separate weekends.
- The winner of each World Magic Cup Qualifier will represent his or her country on the national team at the 2013 World Magic Cup on August 1-3, 2013 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- The winner of each event will receive an invitation and airfare* to compete on their country's national team at the 2013 World Magic Cup.
- Other prizes are determined by the organizer of each event. Contact the organizer for additional details.
- All participants in World Magic Cup Qualifiers earn a foil Vengevine promo card (while supplies last).
- Top 8 playoff participants receive an exclusive World Magic Cup Qualifier Top 8 playmat.
Other Information:
- Standard Format.
- Planeswalker Points multiplier 5x, REL: Competitive.
March 5, 2013
Gatecrashing back to Esper Control
After some weeks of not playing magic - save for 1 week that I forced an Esper Midrange deck just because I played midrange for a long time - I was able to finish 2nd place last FNM and was certainly happy to go home with a Stomping Ground and a booster pack.
However, the winning feeling was first filled with a lot of questions and uncertainty during the tournament, as I was piloting a deck strategy that I thought I wouldn't be playing again - control.
Just a quick flashback, I was indeed a control player for a long time. But all these changed when I joined Grand Prix Manila 2012 last year. In that tournament, I brought with me Esper Control - with Sun Titan and Phantasmal Image + Consecrated Sphinx as my win conditions, that tournament was very hard (and hungry) for me since in the 9 rounds of playing Magic from morning to evening with no lunch breaks, bringing a fast aggro deck can be advantageous for you - you get to finish rounds quickly and you have time to grab a snack, eat lunch, rest, mingle with other people or have your cards singed by the guest Artist in the Grand Prix. But I shared a different fate, with my control deck, I ended up using all 50 minutes in almost all of the 9 rounds with several times reaching into the additional 5 turns to decide the game. After that, I decided not to use control again, tapping into Delver and other midrange strategies until last week.
With the current meta game, Esper midrange is technically not a viable option and my mistake was my fear of not opening the gates again for Control even though the metagame clearly states that I need to shift back to that strategy. With Naya, Red-Green, and UWR as the other midrange decks in the format, Esper midrange is simply outmatched. Mono-red and boros are becoming more popular lately so for me, I need to really control the board first and wait for these decks to lose steam before setting up for a finish.
Esper Control March 2013
This is the decklist that I brought in FNM last week and the results were okay. I eventually lost in the last round against the eventual champion of the tournament but the game was exciting and we needed a 3rd game to decide who wins the tournament - boiling down to him defeating me in a crucial turn, when I will surely defeat him the next turn.
Tournament notes:
- Geist of Saint Traft is really strong against control, but is easily overrun by aggro so it is really better to keep him in the sideboard for now.
- Game 1 against control is all about Nephalia Drownyard. I lost a game against mirror when I was forced to resolve a Sphinx's Revelation to restock my hand with cards - eventually helping my opponent mill me out a turn faster.
- Psychic Spiral and Jace, Memory Adept are nuts against mirror, so those are the cards you need to protect at all costs!
- Never play a hand with 2 lands! Eventhough you have draw engines and a Geist of Saint Traft in your opening hand, don't get tempted. Not missing a land drop is better than taking that gamble.
- FOCUS!
- Lastly, Eat at McDonald's before the tournament. :D just kidding, Eat before a tournament. Magic requires a LOT of thinking so you need to eat for your brain to have more stamina and so that your mind will be clear throughout the tournament.
However, the winning feeling was first filled with a lot of questions and uncertainty during the tournament, as I was piloting a deck strategy that I thought I wouldn't be playing again - control.
Just a quick flashback, I was indeed a control player for a long time. But all these changed when I joined Grand Prix Manila 2012 last year. In that tournament, I brought with me Esper Control - with Sun Titan and Phantasmal Image + Consecrated Sphinx as my win conditions, that tournament was very hard (and hungry) for me since in the 9 rounds of playing Magic from morning to evening with no lunch breaks, bringing a fast aggro deck can be advantageous for you - you get to finish rounds quickly and you have time to grab a snack, eat lunch, rest, mingle with other people or have your cards singed by the guest Artist in the Grand Prix. But I shared a different fate, with my control deck, I ended up using all 50 minutes in almost all of the 9 rounds with several times reaching into the additional 5 turns to decide the game. After that, I decided not to use control again, tapping into Delver and other midrange strategies until last week.
With the current meta game, Esper midrange is technically not a viable option and my mistake was my fear of not opening the gates again for Control even though the metagame clearly states that I need to shift back to that strategy. With Naya, Red-Green, and UWR as the other midrange decks in the format, Esper midrange is simply outmatched. Mono-red and boros are becoming more popular lately so for me, I need to really control the board first and wait for these decks to lose steam before setting up for a finish.
Esper Control March 2013
| Sideboard: 3 Negate 1 Dispel 1 Psychic Spiral 1 Curse of Death's Hold 2 Jace, memory Adept 1 Supreme Verdict 4 Geist of Saint Traft 2 Purify the Grave |
This is the decklist that I brought in FNM last week and the results were okay. I eventually lost in the last round against the eventual champion of the tournament but the game was exciting and we needed a 3rd game to decide who wins the tournament - boiling down to him defeating me in a crucial turn, when I will surely defeat him the next turn.
Tournament notes:
- Geist of Saint Traft is really strong against control, but is easily overrun by aggro so it is really better to keep him in the sideboard for now.
- Game 1 against control is all about Nephalia Drownyard. I lost a game against mirror when I was forced to resolve a Sphinx's Revelation to restock my hand with cards - eventually helping my opponent mill me out a turn faster.
- Psychic Spiral and Jace, Memory Adept are nuts against mirror, so those are the cards you need to protect at all costs!
- Never play a hand with 2 lands! Eventhough you have draw engines and a Geist of Saint Traft in your opening hand, don't get tempted. Not missing a land drop is better than taking that gamble.
- FOCUS!
- Lastly, Eat at McDonald's before the tournament. :D just kidding, Eat before a tournament. Magic requires a LOT of thinking so you need to eat for your brain to have more stamina and so that your mind will be clear throughout the tournament.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
