Author Archive
This Week in Magic: Game Day results, Conspiracy, and missing cards
Thursday, May 29th, 2014
This one is for Maynard
This past weekend I won one of the Game Day tournaments that Battleground Games had at the Abington store. I also dedicated my win to Aaron Maynard for the heck of it. Considering what happened last time, I definitely learned my lesson from the previous Game Day, and made sure I suggested a split in the Top 4. For those of you who don’t know, during the last Game Day I tried to win it all, and failed miserably.
Even though I struggled with it the last time I played the deck, I felt that Mono Black would give me the best chance to win the tournament, or at least do well. I once again made some changes to the deck the last time I talked about it. For reference, here is what I played.
Main board:
4 Desecration Demon
4 Lifebane Zombie
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Pack Rat
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
4 Underworld Connections
2 Devour Flesh
2 Bile Blight
3 Abrupt Decay
4 Temple of Malady
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Mutavault
2 Mana Confluence
11 Swamp
Side board:
4 Duress
3 Erebos, God of the Undead
2 Dark Betrayal
2 Golgari Charm
3 Doom Blade
1 Devour Flesh
I’m not going to get into a full report here, but I feel like this is the best configuration of the deck. While, originally, this may have been set up to take on the mirror match, having Abrupt Decay in the deck is a nice addition. It’s especially nice in the control match-up where your opponent may Detention Sphere or Banishing Light a permanent that is vital to your success.
Having Lifebane Zombie in my sideboard was a choice I made in order to give myself more options in the side board. I have had quite a few discussions over whether or not Nightveil Specter is better in the main board, and my personal choice is the Lifebane Zombie. This allowed me to fit more removal in the side board for the more random aggro decks that can, sometimes, just blow me out of the water.
I think it really helps that I learned more about the deck, especially how to sideboard. When I went into the Boxborough TCG Player 5K, I was still really new to the deck, and I guess I still am. For this Game Day, though, I took the time to read more into the deck and learn how to sideboard for various decks out there.
I have a feeling this is the deck I’ll be playing if I attend the upcoming Starcitygames.com Open Series in Rhode Island, June 7.
A Conspiracy is coming
Also coming next week are the Conspiracy release tournaments.
These are looking like a lot of fun. Here is a quick breakdown of how the tournaments will run at Battleground Games & Hobbies:
• Players will be sat in 8-man pods as soon as we have 8 people registered. Seating will be determined randomly.
• Each player will receive 3 Conspiracy booster packs to draft. The draft itself and deck building period will not be timed.
• Once all players have finished building their decks, we will seat the first round by breaking the players up into two different 4-player groups. Each group will play one game together.
• Each event will last for 2 rounds, each round will have a 75 minute time limit.
• At the conclusion of the first round we will take the winner and the last player eliminated (the top 2) from each of the 4 player groups and pair them together in round 2. We will also take the first two players eliminated from each group (bottom 2) and pair them together in round 2.
• If time expires in a round and the top two players have not been determined, the two players with the most life will be considered the “winners.”
• In round two, the group made up the the “winners” will receive 3 booster packs for each player they eliminate from the game. Players that are not in the “winners group” will receive 1 booster pack for each player they eliminate.
• The only way to win booster packs is to eliminate players from the game in round 2.
• Players will be expected to provide any additional product their draft may require.
If you plan on participating in these events, there are a few cards to keep your eyes out for. From some of the videos provided by Wizards of the Coast, a couple of the cards players can expect in the set are Brainstorm and Swords to Plowshares. This is very exciting because not only are these great cards to play with, but it gives newer players a chance to get their hands on older, and more powerful, spells that might, otherwise, be out of reach for them. In addition, Wizards reprinted Misdirection and Exploration. This is very exciting for players and collectors. Misdirection and Exploration are key cards in a few Legacy decks. However, they’re not limited to those types of players. If you play EDH, then these are some cards that you may want to add to your decks because they can do some silly things.
Be aware though, Wizards recently put out an article already banning the 13 “Conspiracy” cards from tournament play in the Vintage format. With their bans comes a banning in EDH as well since the lists coincide with one another.
Have you seen my Tarmogoyf?
This past Friday, someone lost a Tarmogoyf during FNM. Derek took the time to address the situation and, politely, ask if anyone had to return it. When he made the announcement, the tone in his voice was that there was slim to none chance that the card would be returned. This was a little disheartening because, for the most part, I knew most of the people in the room and no one spoke up. Now, I don’t know if the card was later found or not, but at that moment, I would have thought someone would have had it.
There were a few people that were not familiar to me that night. It may have been because we were running a Modern tournament as well, and so a few fresh faces come out every now and then. Still, I thought our community was tighter than that.
Obviously I don’t know all of the details surrounding the missing card, but there is something I’d like to say. If it turns out you found the card and you happen to be a regular at the store, then there should be no hesitation in returning the card and giving the owner a hard time about almost losing it. However, if you did keep the card, then that is sad. Why would you do that to one of your peers? Whether you play Magic or not.
I would hope that, in the future, if something like this were to ever happen, the situation be resolved immediately and without any kind of loss. We all come to the store to have a good time and to socialize with our friends. If you don’t know any of us, then say hello. We don’t bite. Some of us may be weird, and others may be weirder, but we’re all friendly in the end.
If that’s not your prerogative and you come just to play the game to win, then that’s fine, but please don’t ruin a game that we all like to have fun with. And yes, I like to have fun with the game, even if you’ve just beaten me and I look like I want to punch you. I’d punch you with all of my love.
Ps. There is only a few days left in May to get me to my goal of $300 for the month. Please click on the Extra Life banner below and donate today! I have other giveaways planned, but I want this to succeed before I can do the others. Thanks!
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: Conspiracy, Game Day, Magic the Gathering, Simeon Cortezano, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 3 Comments »
Revisiting Mono Green Devotion For Friday Night Magic
Thursday, May 22nd, 2014
This past Friday, for FNM, I played a fun Mono Green deck. I guess you could say, it was a strict budget deck. I spent less than $20 on the cards that I needed, and less than $10 on cards I needed for the main board. This was also the first time I played the deck. That tends to be the case with a lot of decks I play. However, it makes things a lot more fun when you learn things on a whim.
I should also mention that this deck was not my creation. This deck was found from the “Decks of the Week” section on DailyMTG.com. This deck was played by “ph_crescens,” and they went 4-0 with the deck.
So, without further ado, here is what I played:
Main board:
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
3 Dryad Militant
4 Brushstrider
4 Burning -Tree Emissary
4 Kalonian Tusker
3 Wild Beastmaster
3 Reverent Hunter
4 Slaughterhorn
4 Aspect of the Hydra
2 Giant Growth
2 Ranger’s Guile
19 Forest
Side board:
3 Unravel the Aether
1 Skylasher
4 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Hunt the Hunter
1 Mending Touch
2 Ranger’s Guile
2 Plummet
This deck was a lot of fun to play. I was able to win many game ones, but I ended up losing all my games after that. I lost my element of surprise and didn’t have enough reach. Still, losing helped me understand the deck more. With that, I now have a better idea as to what the deck needs.
While I really wanted to stay on budget, this deck really needs Mutavaults. There was no worse feeling that right after a Supreme Verdict. Once that was cast, I had lost all advantage. If I were running Mutavaults, not only would I still have a threat on the board, the pump spells that remained in my hand would never have gone to waste.
Wild Beastmaster is a really cool card. Well, it’s cool when you can actually trigger it with a pump spell. Otherwise, it is absolutely terrible and is the first thing I would replace. It was obviously respected by my opponents because every time I played it, it would die right away. So what could replace it?
Boon Satyr would be a really great addition to this deck. It’s a 4/2 for three mana, and it’s cost helps add to the overall devotion because it has two green symbols in its cost. The added bestow ability is great for those times the deck begins to flood out. Not to mention, it helps in those situations where your opponent casts Supreme Verdict. It also helps add to your devotion with the two green mana symbols in its casting cost. This will help boost our Reverent Hunter and some new additions to the sideboard which we’ll get to in a bit.
He wasn’t in our original build, but Polukranos, World Eater would be excellent for this deck. He’s a little more than a budget card, but those rules went out the door when I found the need to add Mutavault. A 5/5 for four mana is hardly something that you can ignore, especially since it has the monstrous ability and helps add to your devotion.
What green deck would be without Nylea , God of the Hunt? Because she is a Legendary Enchantment, and her becoming a creature is dependent on your current board state, she has to be limited to 2-3 copies. However, she should be a power house in this deck. Even if she doesn’t become a creature, she finally give your creatures the reach this deck has been needing which is trample. She can also pump your creatures to an absurd number.
So where does this leave us? As far as the main board is concerned, here is what I think should be run:
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
3 Voyaging Satyr
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Burning -Tree Emissary
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Boon Satyr
3 Reverent Hunter
4 Polukranos, World Eater
2 Nylea, God of the Hunt
4 Aspect of the Hydra
4 Mutavault
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
12 Forest
As you can see, I’ve decided to go all out with the devotion. By adding Voyaging Satyr and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, we’re aiming to get our big guys out there as fast as we can and hit them hard before they know what hit them. However, this deck will definitely have its vulnerabilities. For example, once your opponent has an idea as to what’s going on, then the right removal spell will set you back to the stone age.
If you play this deck, you’re pretty much committed from the very beginning. So lay down the beats as much as you can. Here is an example side board if you still are having trouble coming up with one:
2 Arbor Colossus
4 Mistcutter Hydra
3 Nylea’s Disciple
3 Ranger’s Guile
3 Mending Touch
Mistcutter Hydra and Skylashers should help you against the control matchup or anything that has blue in it. Ranger’s Guile will help you against decks like Mono Black where removal spells are dominant. Mending touch is something to think about and is a neat little trick against board wipes like Supreme Verdict. However, it only helps one creature at a time, so be wary of its limitations.
This should be a fun deck to run at an FNM. I’d be a little cautious before running it at the next major tournament. If you do decide to take it to something major, there are still some tweaks it can afford, but only some major play testing will help you figure that problem out.
If you have any suggestions on what others could play in the deck, then let us know in the comment section below. I would love to hear what other people have to say.
Ps. There is still plenty of time in May for you to help me hit that goal of $300 for my Extra-Life campaign! So donate today! One lucky person might win their own copy of Takenoko from me! Click on the banner below.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: Card Games, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 1 Comment »
This week in ‘Magic: The Gathering’ – Vintage Masters, Boxborough TCG Player 5K, and State Championships
Thursday, May 15th, 2014
This has been a pretty busy week for “Magic: The Gathering.” Today, Wizards of the Coast announced that they were filing a lawsuit against Cryptozoic Entertainment and Hex Entertainment. Wizards is claiming that the game “HEX: Shards of Fate” is a “clone” of “Magic.” The lawsuit goes on to include claims about “copyright, patent and trade dress infringement.”
In case you haven’t check it out, “HEX” looks a lot like “Duels of the Planeswalkers.” Even the mechanics of the game are really similar. If you asked me, “HEX” looks to be a lot of trouble.
Vintage Masters previews
In other news, the previews for Vintage Masters have started on DailyMTG.com. This is really looking like a fun set for Magic Online. I’ll get into the big stuff, but for those of you who enjoy pauper, Circular Logic and Arrogant Wurm are going to be common in Vintage Masters. This means that they’ll be allowed for use in the Pauper Format. It also means that Madness will be a deck that you’ll be able to play now. I’m definitely going to build this. Want an idea of what it’ll look like? Then check this out:
Lands:
2 Terramorphic Expanse
11 Forest
9 Mountain
Creatures:
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Arrogant Wurm
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Gathan Raiders
4 Granger Guildmage
4 Scab-Clan Mauler
2 Werebear
Spells:
4 Fiery Temper
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Firebolt
2 Lightning Axe
This was a deck list that was suggested by Gavin Verhey on DailyMTG. It’s definitely a good start. While it doesn’t play one of my favorite counterspells, this looks to be a very aggressive deck. Arrogant Wurm is a very scary creature. It’s much scarier when you can get him out earlier than his five mana casting cost. As fun as this deck looks, I’m still going to try to find a way to play U/G Madness.
Obviously, the main attraction of the Vintage Masters will be the release of the Power 9. In case you didn’t read the announcement, a new rarity was created just for the Power 9. This new rarity is called “Special.” Ironically, there is nothing special about the name and is rather lack luster.
According to DailyMTG, a piece of power can be opened at a ratio of one out of every 53 packs. They’ll also be twice as rare as a Mythic rare. I asked a really popular Magic finance guru what his thoughts were on the price of these cards online, and he had this to say,
https://twitter.com/MarcelMTG/status/465722453671411712
What’s even cooler is that Force of Will is going to be a rare in the set. I believe Mana Drain will also be in Vintage Masters. This is going to be a really popular set on Magic Online. The best part is that because this is a digital product, we don’t have to think about limited print runs. Granted, they won’t be available forever online, but players won’t have to worry about Wizards running out of cards to sell because they didn’t print enough.
Boxborough TCG Player 5K
The TCG Player 5K was held in Boxborough, Mass. last weekend. I went despite some early morning health issues. However, they subsided by the time I got to the event. I went with a couple of friends and some a few familiar faces from the Abington store.
A big shout goes out to Jesse who I also met at the event. Jesse plays Commander at the Abington store and used to be a more competitive player. Did I mention he told me he read’s my stuff!? (yeah, that’s me bragging) He was in Boxborough to get back in the thick of things. Similar to me. I’ve been trying to get back into the competitive groove, and I think this was a good start.
Granted, my record was horrible at the end of the day, but I felt like I got a lot out of it. If you want, you can read my full report here.
Starcitygames.com State Championships
This weekend will be the Starcitygames.com State Championships. I’m currently thinking about what I want to play. At the Boxborough 5K I played B/G Devotion. It was similar to the list that had won the Starcitygames.com Open Series in Cincinnati, OH a few weekends ago.
Will any you be in attendance this weekend? Still thinking about a deck? Well here’s the deck I suggested to play at the end of my Boxborough TCG Player 5K tournament report:
Main board:
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Brain Maggot
4 Lifebane Zombie
4 Underworld Connection
4 Thoughtseize
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Devour Flesh
2 Bile Blight
1 Ultimate Price
4 Mutavault
4 Temple of Malady
4 Overgrown Tomb
13 Swamp
Side board:
4 Duress
2 Dark Betrayal
2 Doomblade
2 Erebos, God of the Undead
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Ultimate Price
2 Golgari Charm
So you may notice a few things out of place with this deck. First of all, I am terrible Pack Rat player. However, after taking it out, I quickly felt very comfortable with the deck. Sometimes they say play the deck you’re most comfortable with, and this is it. I also took out the green splash in the main board. It was moved to the side board. Also, I settled the debate over Nightveil Specter being in the main board. I decided to remove it all together and replace them with the Lifebane Zombies from the side board.
I felt that having the Zombies in the side board was limiting my side board options and, thus, didn’t give me many removal spells. I moved the Zombies to the main to open up my horizons.
So you may notice a few things out of place with this deck. First of all, I am terrible Pack Rat player. However, after taking it out, I quickly felt very comfortable with the deck. Sometimes they say play the deck you’re most comfortable with, and this is it. I also took out the green splash in the main board. It was moved to the side board. Also, I settled the debate over Nightveil Specter being in the main board. I decided to remove it all together and replace them with the Lifebane Zombies from the side board.
I felt that having the Zombies in the side board was limiting my side board options and, thus, didn’t give me many removal spells. I moved the Zombies to the main to open up my horizons. If you’re unsure about this deck, don’t forget that you still have FNM to test the deck out. So give it a shot this Friday.
Ps. There is still plenty of time in May to help me get to my goal of $300 in my Extra-Life Fundraiser. So if you’d like to donate today, then click on the banner below. The link should take you to my donation page. If I hit my goal, I’ll be giving away a copy of “Takenoko”! Thanks for donating!
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: Friday Night Magic, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | No Comments »
‘Journey Into Nyx’ Fat Pack challenge results, afterthoughts, and more
Thursday, May 8th, 2014
Last weekend, Battleground Games & Hobbies hosted another Fat Pack challenge for “Journey Into Nyx.” This is always a fun event. In regards to a sealed event, this one is different because players get nine packs of “Journey Into Nyx.” At a regular Sealed event, players would have normally gotten two “Theros” packs, two “Born of the Gods” packs, and two “Journey Into Nyx” packs.
In the end, Carl Godon defeated Josh Warren for the special “Journey Into Nyx” plaque that Battleground Games had made just for the event. Here’s a picture of it. Pretty sweet, huh?
How did I do? First, thanks for asking. Secondly, I did very poorly. I ended up with only one win and three losses for the night. It was six rounds that night, so I ended up dropping early to save me the trouble of going one and five.
Unfortunately, I took my decks apart, so I can’t tell you exactly what I played. Yes, you heard me. I said, “decks.” That’s plural for more than one. After initially suffering two losses in the first two rounds, I had decided to change it up. I won the third match I played once I changed my deck. It felt good, but then I lost the following match and was gutted once again. It’s alright though. I took away many things from this Fat Pack challenge that should have me ready for the next one.
To have fun or to crush your opponents?
I wasn’t very impressed with my pool when I first looked at it. I had given up before I had even played one game. This is probably the biggest reason why I did so poorly. Could I have done anything to better my chances? Yes. By looking at things much differently.
I had built a “fun” deck. I basically took the fattest creatures I had and did my best to quickly get them out. I thought this would be fun. I was wrong. You know what’s fun, though? Winning is fun! I guess I’ve been playing this game too long. I’m at the point where I don’t enjoy losing as much. It’s understandable though, I think. I did pay to enter a tournament. If you and I are playing casually though, and I lose, the chances of me flipping the table a really low.
I paid to play, I shouldn’t have gone in with that attitude. I’m the only one to blame. So, what’s the lesson here: There is a time and place to have fun; this isn’t one of them.
‘Sigiled Starfish’ is a really cool card
One of the cards I was really impressed with was “Sigiled Starfish.” This little guy is a blue common from “Journey Into Nyx.” He only cost one and a blue, and has a power and toughness of 0/3. At this point, he’s just a cheap wall. Why is he so special? The reason being is that he can scry for you every turn (as long as you tap him)! Being able to cast him on turn two stopped a lot of early aggro. By turn three, you were fixing the top of your deck and digging for whatever answer you may need at the time.
The Starfish was so impressive I even thought about playing it in Standard. Would it be possible? Maybe. If “Augur of Bolas” was played, so why not the Starfish?
‘King Macar, the Gold-Cursed’ is the worst card ever
To clarify, “King Macar” is the worst card to ever go against. I’m not the only one who thinks so. Here’s a Tweet from another Magic player and host of his own FNM stream on Twitch.tv.
@simeoncortezano One of our guys had that in his prerelease pool. I have no idea how you win a game where you cant immediately kill that guy
— ZachSellsMagic (@ZachSellsMagic) May 7, 2014
He’s right. The King is a beast. At the Fat Pack challenge, I played Sundy who had to mulligan down to five cards. I applied as much pressure as I could and then he cast the King on turn four. I wasn’t playing any kind of removal and the king eventually removed all of my creatures. I couldn’t even play them fast enough for him to remove one and leave me with another.
If you can’t remove the King, then hope you can play something bigger than him to stop him from attacking or tapping.
Now a word about Extra-Life
If any of you follow my Facebook page or are friends with me on Facebook, then you should know that I’ve been advertising my Extra-Life fundraiser campaign. If you’re not part of any of the above, then you’re in luck. Here’s what’s going on.
For the month of May I have set a mini-goal of hitting $300 out of the total $1000 I have set for Extra-Life. If I hit this goal, I’m going to give away a copy of “Takenoko” to someone who donated in the month of May. If you play at Battleground Games & Hobbies then you can pick up the game there. Otherwise, I’ll gladly ship you the game.
I have additional plans to give away more games, but I want to be able to hit this mini-goal first. Technically I shouldn’t say it, but I’m terrible at keeping secrets. If I break this goal I plan on setting another mini-goal. If I hit that other mini-goal, I’ll give away a copy of the “Rampage” board game. Also, I’m still talking to Logitech G about some logistical issues, but I might also be giving away a pair of Logitech G230 Stereo Gaming Headsets.
So, if you want to help me reach that goal then please click on the banner below and donate today.
That’s it for now. Tune in next time for gaming news, previews, and reviews. This weekend is the TCG 5K in Boxborough. Hopefully, I’ll be in attendance. If I make it, I plan on writing a full tournament report as well as my overall experience. It should be a great read especially if you’re wanting to attend your first major tournament.
I still don’t know what I should play, but if you have any suggestions, then let me know in the comment section.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: extra life, Fat Pack Challenge, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Rampage, Takenoko, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 2 Comments »
‘Journey Into Nyx’ Fat Pack Challenge preview
Thursday, May 1st, 2014
The “Journey Into Nyx” prerelease has come and gone. With that we learned about the God Packs that Wizards of the Coast snuck in and, once again, caused a stir all over social media. I even wrote about it. You can check it out here! (Shameless plug)
If you loved playing in the prerelease, then you should come try the Fat Pack Challenge that’s going on this Friday, May 2, at both Battleground Games & Hobbies locations. What’s a Fat Pack Challenge you ask? Well get ready, because that’s what I’ll be covering this week.
The Fat Pack Challenge will be taking the place of other formats at this Friday’s FNM. For an entrance fee of $40.00, players will receive one sealed “Journey Into Nyx” Fat Pack. If you’ve never purchased a Fat Pack before, here is a list of what you’ll get:
- 9 “Journey Into Nyx” booster packs
- 2 Deck-sized card boxes
- 1 pack of 70-“Journey Into Nyx” basic land
- 1 “Journey Into Nyx” life counter
That’s right, you’re getting nine “Journey Into Nyx” boosters! That’s where this fun format separates itself from Sealed Deck events. For some people, this is a lot of fun. The reason being is that in an official Sealed Deck event, you would normally get 2 “Theros” packs, 2 “Born of the Gods” packs, and 2 “Journey Into Nyx” packs. This is also where things can be difficult for some people. Without access to cards from the other two sets, some strategies become disrupted.
So, back to the Fat Pack challenge. The rules state that you’re only allowed to build with the contents of the Fat Pack. With the added God packs and the fact that they are only found in “Journey Into Nyx” packs, the question, now is, how many God packs may be opened at the challenge? Also, would this help you or be detrimental to your deck building? It all depends on what your other packs contain. Remember, “Journey Into Nyx” is a much smaller set than “Theros.” This means that there will be a lot fewer options for cards, but it also means there is a higher chance you’ll see a lot of the same cards.
Let’s talk strategy
As the headline states, let’s talk some strategy. I know when it came to Theros Sealed, I loved to go Green and just build big. I loved to try to ramp up and toss out the biggest and fattest creatures I could. I’m talking about creatures like “Nemesis of Mortals” and “Nessian Asp.” Unfortunately, I won’t have access to those creatures.
I still really like the color green in this set. Creatures like “Hydra Broodmaster,” “”Heroe’s Bane,” and “Humbler of Mortals” are sure to give some grief to your opponent. Green also gives you access to “Ajani, Mentor of Heroes.” While he doesn’t spell the end of the game for your opponent, it will definitely help push things along.
My second favorite color would have to be black. There is a lot of removal in black. Even the creatures have abilities that remove creatures from the game such as “King Macar, the Gold-Cursed.” He may only be a 2/3 for 4 mana, but his inspired ability may make him worth the effort. However, cards like “Brain Maggot,” “Dictate of Erebos,” and “Feat of Dreams” will really help to control the game and allow you to go all the way.
If you can manage to find the right balance between the two colors, you may have a winning combination at your grasp. Don’t forget you’ll have access to the new temple as well as the newest playable God, “Phrika, God of Affliction.”
The weakest color out of the bunch, in my opinion would have to be blue. I’ve always found it really difficult to build a true control deck in a Limited format like Sealed. Add the fact that we’ll be playing with the third set of the “Theros” block, and it gets even harder. Remember, we’re dealing with fewer cards in this set. If this was the “Theros” Fat Pack challenge, it might have been a different story because we’d have more options, more cards to deal with, but we don’t.
This doesn’t mean you should avoid blue all together. If you get the right combination, blue is still a worthy color. Cards like “Sigiled Starfish” and “Dakra Mystic” help to manipulate the game in your favor. Creatures like “Hypnotic Siren” and “Scourge of Fleets” are ones, as an opponent, people will need to watch out for as they can turn the tide of a game in a moment’s notice.
Blue will also give player access to “Keranos, God of Storms” and “Fleetfeather Cockatrice” which will definitely give opposing players a headache.
If you get a God pack
If you’re one of the lucky ones to be blessed by the Gods of Theros, there are a few things you can do. One thing you could do is pick up your things and go home. You’ve already one without playing a single game. I don’t like to talk about prices here because this is a game that should be played because it’s fun and not because you could make money, but some of those Gods carry a hefty price. I don’t think anyone would fault you if you did.
Another piece of advice I have would be to find a way to play all 15 Gods in your sealed deck. I’m not guaranteeing that you’ll win, but I’m fairly certain you’ll have a really good time, if you don’t mind losing some. I mean, can you imagine the face on your opponent if they see you start to play God after God after God!? It might things worth it in the end.
You could be as happy as this guy!
Well that’s it for now. As of right now, I will be at the Fat Pack challenge in Abington. If any of you out there attend AND I’ve never met you, then come say hello. Otherwise, I’ll expect some kind of hug; I’m looking at you Nick Lowe!
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: Card Games, Fat Pack Challenge, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts, Store Related | 3 Comments »
Board game review: ‘Quarriors!’
Thursday, April 24th, 2014
Front cover of the “Quarriors!” box
This past weekend I finally got a chance to play “Quarriors!” The game was originally published in 2011, but I figured it’s never too late to learn how to play.
As a fan of deck building games, the idea of replacing the cards with dice was all too good not to pass up. With dice, there is an added element of chance; something you don’t get with cards. Cards have an exact face value while there are six sides to a die.
For those of you who don’t know, “Quarriors!” is a dice-building game, for 2-4 players, that was designed by Mike Elliot and Eric Lang, and was published by WizKids. They’re the same company that has put out other games such as “Mechwarrior” and “Heroclix.” Since its release, there have been four other expansions. The latest one was “Quarriors! Quartifacts” which was released in 2013.
Today we’re going to review the boxed version of “Quarriors!”
Quick and easy to learn
If you’ve ever played a deck building game, then learning how to play “Quarriors!” should be really easy. The only obvious difference here is that you play with dice.
Never played a deck building game, don’t worry. The rule book reads well and flows well. It also gives great examples of some of the more complicated stuff with player scenarios. The rule book also comes with handy “play mats” if you need help visualizing your playing field and the steps of the game.
Once you and your friends have a feel for the game, things will really begin to pick up. “Quarriors!” is a really fast paced game. So don’t worry if your sessions are only lasting 20 minutes. Depending on the number of people playing, the sessions may last a little bit longer. If you feel the game is going by too fast, though, the rule book contains additional rules to prolong the game for a more lasting experience.
Learning the game with some deck building experience should take about an hour. For learning the game with no deck building experience, give yourself at least a couple of hours.
Dice. Lots of dice!
Obviously, the best feature of the game are all of the dice. As a gamer, dice are my weapon of choice and almost essential in every game a person plays. This game, however, takes that to the extremes.
How the games works is each player starts with a total of 12 dice. Eight of them are “quiddity” and four of them are “assistant” dice. Quiddity is what the currency in the game is called and what you will need to purchase or “capture” other dice in the “wilds.” The “wilds” is just another name for the area where the creatures and spells available for “capture” (or purchase) are.
As the game progresses, you “capture” dice to add to your collection. Along the way you summon monsters and cast spells. The monsters you summon are what gain you glory. In a two-player game, the first person to 20 glory wins; for a three-player game, the first to 15 glory wins, for a four-player game, the first to 12 glory wins.
The dice, in general, look cool. It may not seem like it, but this is important. No one wants to play an ugly game. If you were to walk by this game, there’s a good chance it’ll make you stop and wonder what’s going on at the table people are playing.
Each game is slightly different
Just as the header states, each game is slightly different. The game contains five spells, but four different versions of each one for a total of 20 spells. Likewise, there are ten different creatures, but three versions of each one for a total of 30 creatures. Add the three basic cards and you have a total of 53 cards.
Why does this matter? Well, for each game, aside from the three basic cards, you’re required to play seven creatures and three spells. With all the different versions, this means each game is a little bit different from the other.
Sample of a two-player set up
I’m sure there is a set number of combinations here, but I am terrible at statistics, so you can figure that one yourself.
What else is in the box?
In case you were wondering, there are a total of 130 dice. The game also comes with one glory tracker, a rule book, and four cloth, dice bags.
When I bought the game, my first concern was with the quality of the bags. I was concerned they were going to be made out of a paper material. However, these bags are made of a decent material. I would even consider using them as general dice bags. The only bad thing about them is that my hands are too “meaty” to fit into them. They still do the job, though.
I’m sure a lot of you are also concerned about the storage of the dice. Have no fear because the box makes for a really impressive storage unit. The way the box is configured, you can fit all of the creature and spell dice with extra room to spare on the first level of storage. Then there is a plastic cover that also makes for another level of dice storage. This is really convenient if you want to store all of the expansions and core set together.
The inside of the box doubles as a sweet storage unit for the dice!
Some final thoughts
I really enjoyed this game and can’t wait to play it with other friends. I learned the game with my brother who is another big fan of deck buildings games. When I explained that this was almost the same thing, but with dice, he was immediately interested.
An unfortunate thing is that some of artwork on the dice seem to be faded. It says a lot about the production of the game. It’s a little annoying to have to hold some of the dice close to my face in order to read them, but it’s something that I have no problem overlooking. My overall enjoyment of the game is enough to make me shrug off an issue like that.
Even if you haven’t played a deck building game, this is one I highly recommend, and if you have played a deck building game, then this is one you should definitely own.
“Quarriors!” is available for purchase at Battleground Games & Hobbies for $50. It’s a popular game, so make sure you call ahead to see if it’s in stock. If not, then the store can easily place an order for you.
That’s it for now. If you think I left something out or have a comment, then leave one below. Thanks for reading.
PS. Stay tuned for a special give away I’ll be doing for the Extra-Life fundraiser. For more information or the chance to donate, then click on the link below.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
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: deck building, Deck Building Game, dice, Quarriors!, Review, Simeon Cortezano, WizKids
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Popular Posts, Store Related | 1 Comment »
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