loadingreadyrun.com

My LGS only runs chaos drafts (people can buy any pack from any set to draft with). I really dislike chaos drafts. This store is the only place within an hour's drive I can reliably draft at. The really annoying thing is that 12/16 people will pick the latest set/block. 2/16 will pick 2 of the most recent set and one older set. And there'll always be a couple people who just choose something like Return To Ravnica block or Saviors of Kamigawa (which is what the people who get one older set normally get too). So it always makes those parks just kind of groan-inducing. For one example, someone once used 3 packs of Ice Age "because it'd be funny."

Worst part is, it seems like nobody really likes those packs being used. But nobody at the store wants to make a decision to just do, say, a normal M15 draft. The guys asks the people running it. Most people don't care. I don't care as long as it's a stable draft format. Then there's one person who doesn't care "as long as it's not Theros or M15." So we just end up doing chaos drafts.

I'm just sick of it. I love drafting. It's pretty much the only form of Magic I really play. But I'm feeling like I'm going to have to stop because of the fact that I can't actually draft a stable format. I feel like I'm actually becoming a worse drafter because I'm getting used to having to expect pretty much any set popping up.

A store running only chaos drafts? That's... interesting. Do they at least do FNM drafts with M15?

Their FNM drafts are the chaos drafts. Which I believe is not actually allowed. But... well, I'm not going to tell on them. It's not really that big of a deal. And they're good guys running the shop.

A quick search around Google and Wizards' site is telling me that there actually isn't a direct rule that the draft has to be the current set; they just list "booster draft" as one of the few formats you can use for FNM (http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/event-types/friday-night-magic). Could've sworn there was a rule about it needing to be the current set/black as well, but oh well.

I'd still be slightly annoyed that all the drafts are chaos though.

I don't think that it's a problem if you do chaos drafts in general. I think the issue is (from my understanding) that you're not allowed to have players with different product in a sanctioned FNM draft. As in, it's fine if everyone plays M15/Innistrad/Ice Age. But everyone has to play with those packs.

That's my understanding on the subject that is. And yea. It was fine for a while. But I would like to play a real format. You know, with balancing, and synergies in the set/block, and all that kind of stuff. :/

I punted hard in the last round of the draft today... It's game 2, my opponent has Triplicate Spirits, plus Obelisk of Urd naming Spirit, making them all 3/3s. He attacks for lethal (I'm on 9), I play Chord of Calling for 3, and go get the only creature in my deck that can block fliers - a Netcaster Spider - and block with it, trading for a token and going to 3. Next turn I draw nothing relevant and scoop it up.

After I shuffle up for the game 3, I realise that in my tilted state I didn't bother to sideboard... and start thinking "was there anything I would want to bring in? I guess the second Reclamation Sage for that Obelisk would be useful"... at which point I realise I had a Reclamation Sage in the main, and I could have Chorded for that instead, blown up the Obelisk, and that would have easily given me time to win (I had Pathmage, and needed two turns of attacks to kill him). Realising that threw me off the deep end on tilt and I played really sloppily in the last game. He ran over me pretty hard and I don't think I would have won that game with perfect play, but I'm still annoyed that I did it.

I was just so focused on "I need a creature that can block a flier" that I didn't think of things that would take out the thing that was the real threat, which was that artifact...

There are lists of approved drafts for the DCI I dont remember where it is but the store I went to showed it to us when we asked if we could do a Full block Innistrad draft. Innistrad, Dark Ascension, Avycin restored is not on the list. Its 3X Innistrad, IID, or 3 AVR.

Im not sure if they have a official set up for "chaos"

From Tournament Rules: "Each player must draft their allotted booster packs in the same order as all the other players participating in the draft tournament"
I believe you can sanction non-standard draft formats (eg. M15-RTR-BNG), but each player needs to be using the same three packs.
Can't find the list of recommended draft formats

Also, stores can sanction basically anything as a casual event, I've seen stores casually sanction both a cube draft and a chaos draft where they had 24 random boosters (Including 1 Legends booster and 1 Revised!) before.

Hi my names James and I just got blown the fuck out.

M15 draft. Blue/Red Deck

Opponent down to 4, have Welkin Tern and Krenko's Enforcer plus some random bodies.

Opponent plays Resolute Archangel and goes back up to 20. Groan. But no worries. I can deal with this.

Untap, Stoke the Flames on the angel. Opponent responds (while tapped out) by convoking ephemeral shields. GROAN.

Alright, we can still do do this. I'll just trade off my Welkin Turn and this lightning strike next time he attacks.

Opponent untaps. SPECTRA WARD.

Son of a... okay okay. I can still do this. I have a lot of unblockable power. I can just race him. With the strike in my hand I just need to make these two ground creatures unblockable and strike to finish him off and I have just enough mana, so all that needs to happen is for my krenkos enforcer and welkin tern to be able to get in.

Opponent ends his turn with Triplicate Spirits.

I have never been ruined so hard so many times at such a rapid pace.

Sometimes other FNM players bug me. Two unrelated stories, both happened tonight.

I don't know why people would say "magic doesn't require intelligence, it's all luck" when they're making overt misplays in a game. Not nitpicky things like not playing around combat tricks or playing cards I personally don't like, but really overt things. Like "don't put that creature in the graveyard, it hasn't been dealt lethal damage", several times a game. I know I probably sound like an asshole, but no, it's not all just luck. And probably you'd do better at tournaments if you stopped thinking it was just all luck.

And then going from that to a guy who tells my friend "girls don't play magic". When it was pointed out to him that out of 12 players, 4 were women, he said "<Duckay> is nice, but she doesn't count", and the other women were "just girlfriends" or had been "playing since it was cool". You're an asshole, sir, and I don't feel bad about saying that.

So I've been fairly annoyed with the players at my LGS recently. We very rarely do non-limited events, and so they've asked for some more constructed events, yet the past 2 FNM's I turned up to, which were both Standard, had only one other person show up, and the modern event which was the last event I actually played had 4 players, 2 of which were running top teir decks, the other running Cruel Control, while I planned to durtle around with my Quest for Ula's Temple deck, not expecting there to be much in the way for actually Modern decks. I'm glad I had a U?G Infect deck on me at the time.

Anyway, I'm just annoyed that the players ask for events, then don't bother coming when even the drafts aren't heavily attended.

Now I understand playing against Tier 1 decks can get annoying but don't give me guff and asking to kill myself over a:

1) A game
2) An event when prizes are on the line

You said that you were learning, I get that, we all start from somewhere, but it may not be best to waltz into constructed queues like that and raise hell to those that don't conform to your expectations.

(Yes, I did use the block user but still. Lack of courtesy is a point that grinds my gears, as I like to show proper sportsmanship when playing.)

So it's MTGO Cube time, and I'm digging in since I seem to have collected a number of Phantom Points recently (Not sure how). My tilts are as follows!

1) Weird wording on MTGO prompts that lead me to making terrible decisions. I have now twice casted Isochron Scepter without any spells attached, as well as profane commanding some of my own land thinking I was tapping it. These all stink royally, but at least they're learning experiences.

2) Genesis Wave against blue control. I had danced around counter spells for a good few turned with this card burning in my hand. Finally had an opening and popped it for 8. All I needed was 2 to 3 decent bodies on the board from this. Not much to ask for with an x8 genesis wave(Thanks Thran Dynamo!). I drew the following. 6 lands, Rampant Growth, Setessen Tactics. It was almost worth it just to see that kind of luck. For the record I was playing a 17 land, 14 creatures deck.

I think I might be the only player pissed off about Modern Masters 2. And not even for the reasons you'd think. I don't play a whole lot of modern for 2 Reasons: my LGS doesn't host modern events often and the price to play it. Modern Masters should be a set which gives new players an entry point, yet a single booster is $10? The hell? How am I going to afford an already expensive format if the sets WOTC themselves release also cost a stupid amount. For that price I can get 3 times the amounts of packs in standard at my locals.

How much does your LGS sell typical packs for?

If you're buying packs to get cards to play constructed, I hate to say it, but you're doing it wrong. Singles are always going to be cheaper, and people drafting MM2 is going to drop the price of the rares printed in it, by increasing the supply.

It will never be cheap to get a top tier deck, but this should help, as well as things like the Modern Event Deck.

They sell them for £3.50 or 3 for £10. There was only one box gotten in for draft last time, and that was all the packs they had. I'd love to play Modern more, but it's still to expensive format for someone without much cash or desire to buy singles. I should probably add that my locals redrafts rares as well, so the one time I drafted MM, taking Bob was of no use.

Part of that is the nature of modern. If you're unwilling to buy singles, you'll never be able to get your hands on all the cards you need for a competitive modern deck (because the older cards will simply not be accessible to you). Modern masters is an attempt to improve this by reintroducing some of those cards to the marketplace but that doesn't mean it will even be possible to build a modern deck while at no stage of the process acquiring singles.

Also, is there any confirmation on the price that MMA2 will enter the market in other countries than the US?

There isn't yet, but it'll probably be roughly the same as the US price. the average booster price here is £3.60. The reason I'm not really willing to buy singles is I feel it defeats the purpose of it being a trading card game. The only time I've ever bought singles is for the completion of my Ravnica legends, and I had absolutely no choice in that since most of the people at my LGS started playing after I did.

RadioshackRaider wrote:The reason I'm not really willing to buy singles is I feel it defeats the purpose of it being a trading card game.

Eh, it's still trading... you're just trading a piece of printed cardboard that only has value because people believe it does for a piece of printed paper (or plastic, depending on where you are) that only have value because people believe they do...

More seriously though, when people are saying "buy singles" what they really mean is "do things that get you the specific cards you want"... whether that's buying singles or trading with other players... you'll end up getting the cards you're after much faster and cheaper than just cracking packs and hoping.

Not to mention, you start by giving the shop money for the packs in the first place.

I guess it's just a trade off. If someone values the trading aspect of Magic, and opening packs, etc, that's great. But in terms of building a deck and playing constructed Magic, it's kinda like playing on Hard-mode. They are choosing to make things harder for themselves, because they find it fun.

Duckay wrote:Part of that is the nature of modern. If you're unwilling to buy singles, you'll never be able to get your hands on all the cards you need for a competitive modern deck (because the older cards will simply not be accessible to you). Modern masters is an attempt to improve this by reintroducing some of those cards to the marketplace but that doesn't mean it will even be possible to build a modern deck while at no stage of the process acquiring singles.

Also, is there any confirmation on the price that MMA2 will enter the market in other countries than the US?

MMA also had the issue that they didn't introduce enough supply to deal with the increase in demand it caused. Cause what goes really well with that Goyf you just pulled? Three more! Since you pretty much need a playset to play the decks that need it. That lead to a weird situation where MMA ended up increasing the price of singles rather than decreasing it (as I believe was the goal).

The goal of who? WotC? They don't make any money off singles.
The goal, I believe, was to increase the popularity of Modern, which it's done. As you say, this has increased the demand for cards, and the prices, but that's a side effect.

No, WotC don't make money off singles. they pretty much do't care about the secondary market. There's no reason for MM to be so expensive or so limited in print run, yet it happens because people will buy it.