MTGO as a beginner?

A place to talk about standard, casual, limited and everything in between.
hacofo
Posts: 109
Joined: 11 Sep 2014, 02:26
First Video: DB5 Stream
Location: Austria

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby hacofo » 02 Nov 2015, 11:37

After 2 Drafts and a few free plays, the one thing where I still really struggle is when there are multiple abilitys on the stack and some of those require interaction.
The client doesn't really do that good of a job aside from the game clock to show that it's my turn to do something.

Oh and I still don't have a clue what I have to do to join a clan.(especially the LRR one)
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 02 Nov 2015, 12:18

It highlights your side of the board when you have priority.

To join a clan, you have to speak to the Clan Leader and they can add you. In this case, talk to Lord Hosk.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
hacofo
Posts: 109
Joined: 11 Sep 2014, 02:26
First Video: DB5 Stream
Location: Austria

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby hacofo » 02 Nov 2015, 12:42

Thanks. :)

Ok, I should have checked the LRR Clan post for that. I'm Sorry.
Thanks for answering.
SixFootTurkey
Posts: 361
Joined: 18 Nov 2012, 03:54
First Video: PAX Prime '12 panel (recorded)

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby SixFootTurkey » 03 Nov 2015, 16:35

As for bots, I used mtgotrader for picking up the random commons I needed for my modern deck; the cards weren't high visibility, so I didn't want to be picking up a few cards from a bunch of different bots, and mtgotrader had everything I needed.

Another thing to look out for, is the white box on the middle of the left side of the screen. It will say 'waiting for [opponent]' if they have priority, otherwise it will tell you what your current priority/choice is (including if you're in the middle of casting a spell).

The one thing to be careful of, is if you have spells that have different effects on different targets (target creature gets +1/+1, another target creature gets -1/-1; the targets are selected in order of appearance on the card, and sometimes it isn't the clearest what is being targeted. Also be careful when casting something like bone splinters (as an additional cost to cast it, you sacrifice a creature; then you get to destroy target creature) - the target is chosen first, and then you pay additional costs (sacrificing a creature). Be careful you don't click on the creature you wanted to sacrifice first.
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 03 Nov 2015, 19:02

I use these bots in this order:

GoatBots
MTGO Academy Bots
Eternal Booster Bot

And yes, what SixFootTurkey says is very true. MtGO actually shows you exactly how priority, spell targeting, and spell resolution work. You target, then pay, then it goes on the stack, then it resolves. Paper Magic takes a bunch of shortcuts that the program won't. It'll actually help you out if you want to know the nitty-gritty of MtG.

For example, just today I learned that if you make a token copy of a werewolf and no spells are cast, the trigger to transform happens, but it doesn't actually transform. (This is due to the fact that the copy only copies the face-up side of the card, not the whole card, so there is nothing for the token to transform into.)
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
hacofo
Posts: 109
Joined: 11 Sep 2014, 02:26
First Video: DB5 Stream
Location: Austria

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby hacofo » 03 Nov 2015, 23:02

Thanks again for the Help, and the thing SixFootTurkey mentioned, might have happened once or twice, so I'm extra cautious now.
I'm starting to admire the ability to stream this game and be entertaining at the same time more and more.
Because at the moment it requires way more of my attention then most other games, Chess excluded.

But, apart from the occasional miss-clicks I'm getting more comfortable with the interface.
And the under 5$ "Fearsome Puppys" Deck (G/W Wolves with lots of Pump) I use to play open constructed, makes way more fun than expected.

BTW:
yesterdays lesson was, an opponent with Mindslave can really ruin your day. :(
SixFootTurkey
Posts: 361
Joined: 18 Nov 2012, 03:54
First Video: PAX Prime '12 panel (recorded)

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby SixFootTurkey » 04 Nov 2015, 10:05

Technically Memo, the spell is placed on the stack as the first part of casting it, then choices are made (modal), followed by targeting... >.>

Oh, one other thing to look into is keyboard shortcuts. F6 will pass all priority for the turn (zip to the end). F3 is the 'oh crap I hit F6' button (it removes all auto-yields, including F6). F2 will pass the current priority. Be careful using these, but if you wish to you can. (F3 and F6 can be used even when you don't have priority.)

One thing that kind of annoys me, is I'm pretty sure they changed it so F3 now turns off things you set to always yield... It makes sense, but it's quite irritating when this was the interaction I was initially expecting, then became accustomed to the way it used to be...
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 04 Nov 2015, 11:15

Also, I use F4 frequently: pass until opponent does something.
That's helpful for when all you want to do at a certain point is counterspells or defensive combat tricks.

And I mapped F9 and F10 to "Always Yield" and "Always Yes"
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
User avatar
Randus2003
Posts: 192
Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 20:40
First Video: the couch

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby Randus2003 » 04 Nov 2015, 12:08

Lets not forget my favorite F8, auto yield when I'm tapped out and have no 0 mana cost spells in hand (hit it once and it applies for the entire game). The other plus to this over F6 is you can't accidentally pass you turn (most commonly done when opponents put you on the play).
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 04 Nov 2015, 15:11

Yes, F8 is useful. (It's also in the right-click menu, along with F6.)

So essentially, the even-numbered F-keys are useful. :-D
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
hacofo
Posts: 109
Joined: 11 Sep 2014, 02:26
First Video: DB5 Stream
Location: Austria

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby hacofo » 04 Nov 2015, 21:24

Ok, that subfunction of F3 explains why my set up auto yields went away.
SixFootTurkey
Posts: 361
Joined: 18 Nov 2012, 03:54
First Video: PAX Prime '12 panel (recorded)

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby SixFootTurkey » 06 Nov 2015, 06:29

I really dislike F8, but then again, I play with all stops on for both players (other than draw step). I prefer to have more control over it, and not give free information to my opponent.
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 06 Nov 2015, 10:28

That's a fair way to go about. However, with my slow computer, if I were to do something like that, a single game might take almost an hour. As it stands, even with shortcuts, I am very nearly always in danger of running out of time in Game 3 of drafts.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
SixFootTurkey
Posts: 361
Joined: 18 Nov 2012, 03:54
First Video: PAX Prime '12 panel (recorded)

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby SixFootTurkey » 06 Nov 2015, 10:49

Fair enough, I'm just paranoid/anxious about a lot of things; giving free information in MtGO is just the tip of the iceberg... >.>
User avatar
Sharingandud
Posts: 7
Joined: 09 Nov 2015, 17:01
First Video: Unskippable
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby Sharingandud » 09 Nov 2015, 17:09

Hello, I am a long time LRR fan, newb to Magic in both paper and online form. Recently after playing Duels Origins (After watching the LRR vids on youtube) and watching a bunch of MTGO vods I drafted for the first time at my local store and had great fun. Now i've heard about the upcoming legendary cube on MTGO and have been wondering if it would be worth it to buy an account?
SixFootTurkey
Posts: 361
Joined: 18 Nov 2012, 03:54
First Video: PAX Prime '12 panel (recorded)

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby SixFootTurkey » 09 Nov 2015, 21:13

Whether or not it's worth it is up to each individual. Note that beyond the $10 account, the MtGO economy uses real money (it's not free like duels is). Note that cube drafts have a very different feel to them from 'normal' drafts; some people I know only draft cube, some never do. I would check out a few streams of some of the other cubes that have been on MtGO to see if they peak your interest, but the complexity level in a cube does tend to be much higher. (Worth keeping in mind if you were at all concerned with complexity in the paper draft.)

I personally really enjoy drafting, and consider investments worthwhile. There are definitely points where I end up having to take a break before putting any more money into it though. (If you do decently and use your winnings to fuel more drafts, you can get quite a bit of mileage. Unless you do _very_ well though, it will take some amount of money to keep fueling it.)
hacofo
Posts: 109
Joined: 11 Sep 2014, 02:26
First Video: DB5 Stream
Location: Austria

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby hacofo » 10 Nov 2015, 02:11

The cube drafts look like a lot of fun, but since they are almost always high level synergy decks, I know i'll be giving them a pass this year. (also Phantom events are kind of frustrating, that I've realized from the "New to Magic" drafts)

As far as I can tell from the last two weeks, it was totally worth the initial investment. (Game plus a 5$ Budget Theme Deck)

I'm still a little gun shy about getting a bunch of "Event Tickets" so I can do a real draft.
I'm hoping that with an 50 $ investment I'll get 7 or 8 drafts out of it, with reselling the cards. Someone warn me if that is an overestimate.

I'm guessing that outside of the New to Magic Drafts I wont be able to keep my 1-1 Streak (So far 2 x 0-2 and 2x 1-1 ) alive in the beginning.
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 10 Nov 2015, 09:37

$50 is about 3.5 drafts if you win nothing. Selling your cards might get you 1 ticket back per draft. Depending on which types of drafts you do (PPW, 6222, or 8-4) what you win from prizes can vary. (If you're new, please do PPW). So for $50 to stretch into 7 drafts... your winnings would need to be roughly 12 packs over those 21 rounds. So, can you win about half your rounds or more, on average? If not, then $50 won't last that long. (I mean, if you can 3-0 either 2 8-4s or 2 6222s, then you've made back your investment right there.)

However, one thing to note: as an expansion season goes on for longer, packs drop in price on the bots, so you can end up saving money. For example, towards the end of DDF, Fate packs were typically sold by bots at half a ticket. (Dragons were hovering around 3). I expect that just before Order releases, Battle packs will probably be sold by bots for around 2.75, and towards the end of OOB, they might be sold for 1 ticket or less. However, when sets rotate completely out, they typically slowly go back up in price, as WotC is no longer selling them or giving them away as prizes. I expect Khans and Fate packs to start rising in value when the next rotation begins.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
User avatar
Sharingandud
Posts: 7
Joined: 09 Nov 2015, 17:01
First Video: Unskippable
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby Sharingandud » 10 Nov 2015, 09:45

I have joined MTGO as Sharingandude, I would love to friend and play anyone willing.
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 10 Nov 2015, 10:29

You can find me as AdmiralMemo, and I'm willing to play just about any Constructed format you want, if I'm available.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
hacofo
Posts: 109
Joined: 11 Sep 2014, 02:26
First Video: DB5 Stream
Location: Austria

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby hacofo » 10 Nov 2015, 12:07

@Memo, thanks, yea i shoudnt try to math at work.
Somehow I was operating under the assumption that it was 10 instead of 14 Tickets for a draft.

So the hope was wit some Packs won via PPW (not crazy enough to try the other types) and maybe a few tix for cards i don't want to keep.
So i was hoping for two free drafts.
Might still have been a bit optimistic.
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 10 Nov 2015, 13:25

Well, look at it like this: Every 3 rounds you win is roughly a free draft. Over the course of drafting several times, it'll add up. :-) So if you go 1-2 and 2-1, you've got a free draft. Or 3 drafts going 1-2.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image
User avatar
Randus2003
Posts: 192
Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 20:40
First Video: the couch

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby Randus2003 » 10 Nov 2015, 14:34

Also it's good to keep in mind that with the exception of "must have" cards (walkers, standard staples, mana bases and foil mythics), you are not likely to get much from selling your draft chafed (would recommend the LR episode on "going infinite" for some solid trick on staying afloat in mtgo).
User avatar
AdmiralMemo
Posts: 7358
Joined: 27 Nov 2011, 18:29
First Video: Unskippable: Eternal Sonata
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Contact:

Re: MTGO as a beginner?

Postby AdmiralMemo » 11 Nov 2015, 11:49

Yeah, that's why I was spitballing 1 ticket MAX on what you get from selling back cards in a typical draft. If you get some Constructed rares and a few chase uncommons, you're looking at about 1 ticket total. Maybe you get a foil or a Mythic to pull that up a little. If you get junk rares, you might not even get half a ticket. Your typical draft won't net you very much in reselling. Commons typically go for less than a cent, if at all.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

Image

Return to “Magic: The Gathering”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests