Subtle Work

While I'm still not very enchanted with the D&D skins of Magic cards, I did catch this Twitter thread on some of the art that went into the set.

I like how Magic (and what I've seen of D&D for that matter) have evolved over the decades, moving away from stereo or monotypes in creatures, allowing for more nuances and more interesting stuff! 

The drawback is that I wouldn't have known about what the cards were depicting without that thread. But, that isn't necessarily for me! The people who have been playing D&D a long time will catch these changes and know what they mean.

Even so, some of those engagements are a bit...too quiet. How would anyone know the Ravenloft Adventurer is a transmasc character, without being told? There's no space for flavor text or anything indicating a characteristic at all-in contrast with Alesha, Who Smiles At Death, who has stories written about her by WotC. We know who she is because they took the time to tell us about her. 

On the one hand, trans characters shouldn't be all about being trans. That's terrible characterization. 

On the other hand, I'm not sure how I'd feel if a company trying to show more diversity just told me that a character was diverse but didn't actually show it somehow. 

Similarly, the Green card isn't one I would've pegged as different representation. But the difference here is: I don't know giants in D&D. The D&D folks WILL see that and get it. It's very clear to the audience that they're aiming for.

It's hard work, making things functional and communicate what you want them to. But I'm glad they're doing it.

Sometimes, Just Ask

 

Here I am, standing near the Malenia, God of Rot grace point in Elden Ring.

It took me four days and over 30 hours to do this. I practiced, I watched and read other information about how to beat that boss, I tried bringing Jason in.

Nothing worked. 

At the Elden Ring subreddit, someone was (understandably) talking about the Malenia boss and I admitted that I didn't want to bring other people into my game because I suck. 

Jason already knows I suck, so asking him for help wasn't quite so embarrassing. But to bring other people in, I felt like I'd be wasting their time. 

Someone replied to me, telling me that requests for co-oping Malenia had gone down recently but there were still a lot of people who wanted to help. 

And on the fourth day of my attempts to beat Malenia, I decided, "Hey, the worst that happens is I still suck" I asked the community for help. I learned to bow, so I could communicate to people helping me that I was thankful. 

On the second attempt, with two other players helping, we got it done! My practice helped me stay alive and I even got to contribute in a meaningful way. 

It was a nice reminder that there is a community out there who wants to help, if you're willing to ask them.

Comparison Failures

In a recent Discord chat about Conquest, I noted that a lot of decks, especially at Cardgamedb.com ran multiple copies of the basic resources-Void Pirate and Rogue Trader for cards and money, respectively. I said that these cards being auto-includes for every deck was less awesome for variety.

I got a bit of a mouthful back from my buddy Matt, who got me into Conquest to begin with. There were some interesting points he made, about players always trying to make 'the best' deck instead of keeping a collection, and the impact of netdecking, which bent decks towards winning tournaments. Experimentation was only ok if it won. 

This lead to a homogenization of ideas, where people would merely copy the latest winning deck. He noted that often people wouldn't do well with that deck, because piloting a Conquest deck is not easy! Finally, without the tournament scene to focus on, the folks at Team Apoka were able to expand some of what was possible. 

This led players to pull back and look at what might be best for a deck while keeping a collection of playable decks, and not just min/maxing. 

However, buried in this treatise was this line:

"Unlike in MtG where a good deck should almost pilot itself..."

And I have to say, that stuck in my throat. I understand that Magic is not Matt's thing but the idea that any deck can pilot itself in Magic is a disservice to the skill it takes to play the game at all, much less play at high levels. I promptly thought of a recent Rhystic Studies video, Red Deck Wins, a delightful retrospective on one of the first and most enduring archetypes in Magic's history.

The fact is that both of these games require a lot of thinking and planning. That they work along different lines isn't a bad thing! It means that there's appeal in the gaming arena for many kinds of people.

There is also the little hitch of using Traxis Sector to help build decks and see what people did. Because the fact of the matter is that many decks saved there within the last five months are using Void Pirate and Rogue Trader. The cards are just useful to help support any deck's themes, in the same way that Brainstorm or Rampant Growth help Blue or Green decks play Magic.

That doesn't mean the cards are auto-includes and I think as I become more refined at playing Conquest, arguments for not adding those support cards will become valid for certain decks. But I hope I don't make this mistake while critiquing a game. Magic has flaws and I suuuuuuure do love talking about them. 

However, I don't try want to cut any game out at the knees by suggesting that they play themselves. Ones that actually do, and don't give players the feeling of making meaningful decisions? They don't last. 

Hidden High

I had a one-of Goblin Engineer in here and I just was never quite thrilled with it. 

I kept the card in Hold for a long time because I couldn't figure out if it was good or not. It seems good, right? A way to fetch some crucial equipment like Shadowspear, while also allowing me to bring a Reconfigure creature back for a land, if needed. 

It could help re-trigger Sigarda's Aid, so I could equip a creature immediately too, if the Aid was on the battlefield. 

But, when I would get it active, it just didn't feel like I was doing something. This might be a flaw in goldfishing: as a one of, seeing Engineer was rare in games. 

Still, the tests were good-this is one reason I decided to upgrade this deck. Attacking for 11+ damage out of nowhere was a Good Thing and most of my friends weren't ready for it.

I also had a flash in the pan usage of Magnetic Theft when I cut the Engineer. But I never saw the card in action and honestly just felt silly having it in. Maybe that was hasty and I should've given it more time. Especially since the equip costs in this deck hit five mana and last time I checked, one was much less than five. 

Redic

This is not the best video-as the camera goes out of focus from time to time, but it is SO dang silly, I have to share. 

Maybe Things Are Moving Too Fast

I love getting new Magic stuff as much as most folks, but even my wallet and attention has limits. Pleasant Kenobi's issues with "perpetual hype" have real weight to me. 

But then someone did the math. 

While I understand that Commander is now the most popular way to play Magic, and companies inevitably pivot to things that make them money, maybe they're going a little too hard? 

Just something to think about.

Dolla Dolla Billz Y'all

Magic's latest looming problem is, for once, not about the play environments created by new cards. 

No, it's about greed. To be fair, that is a pretty persistent issue throughout everything. However, we're here to talk games and Magic so let's keep the focus. 

It was this post at Reddit that laid out the issue first. Buying boosters just to open packs has long been problematic with lottery tendencies. That's why veterans of the game always push using boosters to play draft or sealed with, because now you're getting actual playing value out of the cards you purchase.  

Just as they were intended. Otherwise, you're "cracking packs for value" and there are lots and LOTS of videos that will demonstrate how that is a losing proposition. 

After reading that post though, I knew that Magic had a bigger problem than it used to. I've previously applauded reprinting cards with special art or in other special runs like Secret Lairs because it helps bring the cost of the other cards down. I still believe that that is an overall good-however, the targeting of 'whales' for the game is a negative. (I've said that, too).

Then the Professor comes out with a video about us getting charged $50+ for a booster!

Oooooo this is a Very Bad Look. While the Prof wants to find ways to fix this problem-to his credit!-I have no such need. Magic cards shouldn't cost this much and even premium cards like this are being sold in a gambler's market at a rate that I believe is indefensible. Bilking people for money like this is wrong and I hate to see it happening. 

Sword By Side

The first couple games were great: they were a surprise to opponents and there really is something to be said for attacking for 10+ damage. Adding a Shadowspear or being able to pull up a Kaldera Compleat is pretty fun too.

In addition, the card draw effects of Sram, Paladin and Sentinel are cool. Sure, in the more rigorous setting of a Friday Night tournament, up against control decks...maybe not so much. But good in many other ways!

The drawbacks of having Den of the Bugbear and Cave of the White Dragon became clear though, even in goldfishing. I didn't want to remove these lands, because they gave me extra creatures to attach my equipment to.

Except that was why I was running the deck I was: Reconfigure cards are creatures!

It hasn't been perfect-as you might imagine-but it has been fun, and needs a few more tweaks.