Topic: Magic the gathering...gathering thread

[patsy02]

I tried Magic for the first time in my life a few days ago. It was difficult and scary. My opponents used some sort fucked up tree elf combo shit that took 26 hp in one go.

[towishimp]

I tried Magic for the first time in my life a few days ago. It was difficult and scary. My opponents used some sort fucked up of tree elf combo shit that took 26 hp in one go.

See, that's why I hate combo decks...they're very un-interactive and to me aren't really what the game is about -- turning doods sideways. 

[Aldaris]

I tried Magic for the first time in my life a few days ago. It was difficult and scary. My opponents used some sort fucked up of tree elf combo shit that took 26 hp in one go.

Magic is an excellent, excellent game. As long as you play in the right environment.

For example, buying cards directly was frowned upon in my circle of friends when we played. We didn't have a house rule or anything, it was just considered lame. So no one ever had a netlist deck, because no one ever had 4 copies of some ultrarare. We bought, we played, we traded among each other. That was great fun. Propably wouldn't have been if one or two guys had always bought the components of this months hot deck he read about in InQuest.

[oak_prince]

Inquest was a dreadful magazine. I was a Shadis man back in the day. 

[patsy02]

I tried Magic for the first time in my life a few days ago. It was difficult and scary. My opponents used some sort fucked up of tree elf combo shit that took 26 hp in one go.

See, that's why I hate combo decks...they're very un-interactive and to me aren't really what the game is about -- turning doods sideways.

What do you play with if not a combo deck?

[rufus sparkfire]

All magic decks use combinations. But it isn't necessary to use a deck that wins in one turn by some sort of tedious recursion technique while the other player sits there doing nothing.

Magic is more fun if both players get to do stuff.

[Aldaris]

Ah, easy to get terms confused. Every deck worth its salt has what you might call combos, but usually that means just interacting cards with some kind of synergy. That's a basic tenet of the game. A combo deck however takes this a step further. It relies on several, usually complex and not immediately obvious interactions to shut down the opponent and win the game, ideally all in one go so the opponent has little chance to react. Those combos usually involve several cards to work, but when you do get it to work it often means game over straight up.

[rufus sparkfire]

Those sort of decks are why force of will costs a fortune to buy:

[Finlay]

All magic decks use combinations. But it isn't necessary to use a deck that wins in one turn by some sort of tedious recursion technique while the other player sits there doing nothing.

Magic is more fun if both players get to do stuff.

Says Mr 'redirect all damage to a card I can't hurt'

[rufus sparkfire]

Shove it, bird-man. 

[Fandir Nightshade]

Isn´t there a blue or green spell that deals X damage to all fliers?

[rufus sparkfire]

Hurricane!

I even had it in my green/white wombat deck, but failed to draw it vs the birds of doom.

[noibn]

[Finlay]

W hat type of deck is mine, does it have a special name?

[rufus sparkfire]

Bird deck!

Other than that, not really I think. It's a creature deck.

[patsy02]

A combo deck however takes this a step further. It relies on several, usually complex and not immediately obvious interactions to shut down the opponent and win the game, ideally all in one go so the opponent has little chance to react. Those combos usually involve several cards to work, but when you do get it to work it often means game over straight up.

That sounds like what good players do. Or am I wrong?

[Fandir Nightshade]

Define good players.

[patsy02]

Players who know the game well and beat their opponents.

[rufus sparkfire]

It's a complicated game with a lot of different cards. There are many ways to win.

So no, you don't have to win by using a single-turn combination. It might not even be a good plan. It depends!

[Stolzeuhu]

When I was still playing I read a series of articles written by some world top player, and it wasn't about deck construction as many other tutorials on the web, but about using best whatever cards You get - he explained tactics using mostly common cards and concentrated on topics like when it's worth to attack or sacrifice a creature etc. Sounds like tutorials for starting people, but it was really good and full of insight. Can't remember the name but it was in Kamigawa's days, probably on Wizards of the Coast site.

So good player is the one that can utilise his cards to the max, even if they're crap. That's why I think Sealed deck format shows real skill (apart from that big portion of luck).

[patsy02]

So combo decks are more like double steam tank four cannon cheese?

[Stolzeuhu]

I don't think there is any cheese in MtG - there is no fluff play in card games, You just play to win. Combo decks also needs skill to work, You need to invent the combo, build the deck, etc. I have never seen anyone playing those decks that can win on turn 1 or 2, that kind of power decks were usually unimaginably expensive.

[rufus sparkfire]

So combo decks are more like double steam tank four cannon cheese?

No, because you can still get smacked down by a creature rush deck before you get the right cards together.

there is no fluff play in card games

I don't agree with that: theme decks! You might intentionally use weaker cards because they fit your theme better.

[Stolzeuhu]

Never met anyone playing with that. Even guy using Dragon deck build it more around some kind of synergy (I don't remember how exactly it worked), but I never played against anyone choosing a worse card just because some meta play reasons.

And that actually explains a lot about wfb style of play in my area, when some of the magic guys started playing warhammer...

[Fandir Nightshade]

I played a sky knight deck with all sky knight cards I could get my hands on......and some white knight deck even with the bad knights.