Richard is a well known Magic player here in the Dallas area. I’m asking him for some information in regards to buying, selling, and trading Magic cards.
Dillon: When you need to obtain a new card, what is usually the first step you take?
Richard: What I usually do first is ask everyone I know. Hopefully, I can make a trade and avoid having to spend any money. Now if I can't find anyone that has a copy, it falls down to searching all over the internet to find the cheapest copy.
Dillon: Where do you usually go first to obtain these cards?
Richard: Most of the time I trade with other people I know, but there have been many times where I purchase cards from online vendors/stores.
Dillon: What are good guidelines if you are going to trade cards with someone?
Richard: Make sure that everyone is happy and that everyone is getting a fair deal. If you do fair trades you have a better chance of getting the cards you want and people will want to trade with you again. Ripping people off will make it so they won't trade with you.
Dillon: How does one go about selling Magic cards?
Richard: With the internet these days this is becoming easier and easier. You can make an account on ebay or amazon and sell spare cards that you don't want, but when you get more interested in selling in general you can try to get an vendor account on tcgplayer.com.
Dillon: What is the best way to start a new collection?
Richard: Get into standard (game format). Due to the large amount of cards cycling the format is very dynamic. Make a deck, play at FNM, and start trading. It might be a bit nerve-wracking at the beginning, but if you have some friends it becomes easy and really fun.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, Texas.
(personal communication) Richard V. April 26, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Interview (Cameron)
Cameron is a seasoned Magic player here in Dallas. As such, I am asking him a few questions in regards to Magic archetypes.
Dillon: What are a few of the main archetypes of Magic?
Cameron: Aggro, Control, Combo are the three main archetypes. In magic reducing your opponent's life total to zero is the main way to win. Aggro decks play the aggressor and rush to kill the opponent with creatures. Control decks aim for the long game by grinding out there opponent by playing more powerful spells and then when the game is under their control they use a some kind of win condition to end the game. Combo decks utilize some combination of cards to just end the game as quickly as possible. But there are also variations and combinations of these three. Midrange is essentially a slower, more powerful aggro deck, combining the aggressiveness of aggro with the power of a control deck. However, Midrange usually does not use the typical type of control cards.
Dillon: What would you say are the main differences between tempo and midrange?
Cameron: Tempo is an aggro deck that uses non-aggressive cards to slow down the opponent and hope that their early aggressive creatures kill the opponent. Tempo is usually classified as an aggro-control deck, because it is the combination of early creatures and control-type disruption spells. However, tempo decks do not have a good late game. They usually aim to kill their opponent before they run out of power or before their opponent stabilizes. There are also more self-explanatory combinations such as Combo-control.
Dillon: What are the best ways to identify the archetype of the deck you are playing against?
Cameron: Depends on which format you are playing. Generally, control decks are slow, but I have seen control decks kill players before turn 6, which is generally considered quick. I would say the best way to judge would be to ask: Who is the aggressor? And which deck has a better long game? Sometimes a deck may be a control deck but have to act like an aggro deck during a certain match.
Dillon: Are archetypes bound to only certain colors?
Cameron: I wouldn't say they are "bound" but they tend to show up more often in certain colors than others. Control is typically blue, but can show up in any color. Yes, I have seen mono-red control; however, it is about half artifacts (colorless).
Dillon: What archetypes are good against others?
Cameron: It depends on the cards used in the deck:
∙ Generally, Combo is good against aggro, because combo is faster and aggro lacks any disruption to stop them.
∙ Midrange is usually good against traditional aggro decks. But midrange usually is a poor choice against control, because both decks are slow, but in the long game, a dedicated control deck is more powerful.
∙ Tempo is normally good against combo, because they have a quick way to kill them and have enough disruption to stop the combo long enough to kill them.
Other than that, I would say it comes down to how the decks are built, because there are many different ways to build each archetype.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, Texas.
(personal communication) Cameron W. April 26, 2013
Dillon: What are a few of the main archetypes of Magic?
Cameron: Aggro, Control, Combo are the three main archetypes. In magic reducing your opponent's life total to zero is the main way to win. Aggro decks play the aggressor and rush to kill the opponent with creatures. Control decks aim for the long game by grinding out there opponent by playing more powerful spells and then when the game is under their control they use a some kind of win condition to end the game. Combo decks utilize some combination of cards to just end the game as quickly as possible. But there are also variations and combinations of these three. Midrange is essentially a slower, more powerful aggro deck, combining the aggressiveness of aggro with the power of a control deck. However, Midrange usually does not use the typical type of control cards.
Dillon: What would you say are the main differences between tempo and midrange?
Cameron: Tempo is an aggro deck that uses non-aggressive cards to slow down the opponent and hope that their early aggressive creatures kill the opponent. Tempo is usually classified as an aggro-control deck, because it is the combination of early creatures and control-type disruption spells. However, tempo decks do not have a good late game. They usually aim to kill their opponent before they run out of power or before their opponent stabilizes. There are also more self-explanatory combinations such as Combo-control.
Dillon: What are the best ways to identify the archetype of the deck you are playing against?
Cameron: Depends on which format you are playing. Generally, control decks are slow, but I have seen control decks kill players before turn 6, which is generally considered quick. I would say the best way to judge would be to ask: Who is the aggressor? And which deck has a better long game? Sometimes a deck may be a control deck but have to act like an aggro deck during a certain match.
Dillon: Are archetypes bound to only certain colors?
Cameron: I wouldn't say they are "bound" but they tend to show up more often in certain colors than others. Control is typically blue, but can show up in any color. Yes, I have seen mono-red control; however, it is about half artifacts (colorless).
Dillon: What archetypes are good against others?
Cameron: It depends on the cards used in the deck:
∙ Generally, Combo is good against aggro, because combo is faster and aggro lacks any disruption to stop them.
∙ Midrange is usually good against traditional aggro decks. But midrange usually is a poor choice against control, because both decks are slow, but in the long game, a dedicated control deck is more powerful.
∙ Tempo is normally good against combo, because they have a quick way to kill them and have enough disruption to stop the combo long enough to kill them.
Other than that, I would say it comes down to how the decks are built, because there are many different ways to build each archetype.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, Texas.
(personal communication) Cameron W. April 26, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
The Top Decks
There currently are three very powerful decks in standard. Other than Junk Rites, there is The Aristocrats and Blitz.
Blitz is a very powerful turn three or four kill deck. It plays very cheap and efficient that cost either one or two, and have powerful abilities like battalion or haste. This deck is typically red and green, then either black or white. Red and green gives the deck access to Searing Spear, Rancor, Burning-Tree Emissary, and Ghor-Clan Rampager. White is used in more human based versions of the deck for Champion of the Parish, Frontline Medic, Boros Charm, or Thalia, guardian of Thraben. Black is sometimes used for more of the larger haste creatures and removal, like Dreg Mangler, Falkenrath Aristocrat, or Abrupt Decay.
The Aristocrats is a very powerful mid range deck that relies on using creatures that can make themselves very difficult to kill by sacrificing other creatures. This deck is black, white, and red, giving it access to a vast array of different token making spells. These tokens provide excellent fodder against aggro or blitz decks, and are later used by the key stone creatures of the deck to make them invincible. The key stone creatures of the deck are Falkenrath Aristocrat and Cartel Aristocrat. These are both multi-colored creatures that allow you to sacrifice another creature to make them nearly invincible. Falkenrath Aristocrat has both flying and haste, making it difficult to prepare for, and can sacrifice another creature to get stronger and become indestructible until end of turn. Cartel Aristocrat isn’t as big, but has a cheaper casting cost. It can sacrifice another creature to gain protection from any color until end of turn, allowing it to evade both blockers and targeted removal.
Although these are both powerful decks, proper sideboard can be just what you need to gain the upper hand against them.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, Texas.
Blitz is a very powerful turn three or four kill deck. It plays very cheap and efficient that cost either one or two, and have powerful abilities like battalion or haste. This deck is typically red and green, then either black or white. Red and green gives the deck access to Searing Spear, Rancor, Burning-Tree Emissary, and Ghor-Clan Rampager. White is used in more human based versions of the deck for Champion of the Parish, Frontline Medic, Boros Charm, or Thalia, guardian of Thraben. Black is sometimes used for more of the larger haste creatures and removal, like Dreg Mangler, Falkenrath Aristocrat, or Abrupt Decay.
The Aristocrats is a very powerful mid range deck that relies on using creatures that can make themselves very difficult to kill by sacrificing other creatures. This deck is black, white, and red, giving it access to a vast array of different token making spells. These tokens provide excellent fodder against aggro or blitz decks, and are later used by the key stone creatures of the deck to make them invincible. The key stone creatures of the deck are Falkenrath Aristocrat and Cartel Aristocrat. These are both multi-colored creatures that allow you to sacrifice another creature to make them nearly invincible. Falkenrath Aristocrat has both flying and haste, making it difficult to prepare for, and can sacrifice another creature to get stronger and become indestructible until end of turn. Cartel Aristocrat isn’t as big, but has a cheaper casting cost. It can sacrifice another creature to gain protection from any color until end of turn, allowing it to evade both blockers and targeted removal.
Although these are both powerful decks, proper sideboard can be just what you need to gain the upper hand against them.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, Texas.
New Cards and Impact on Standard
With the upcoming release of the new set, Dragon’s Maze, the future of the Standard meta is currently being considered. Based on what cards have been spoiled already, it seems that the meta will be shifting more towards a midrange variety of decks. With new creatures all featuring interesting activated abilities and higher mana costs, decks will slow down from the current turn three or four blitz decks. Much slower creatures and effects are being printed, even the burn spells have higher mana costs; there are not more than a handful of creatures that have haste. It is always good to keep up with the new cards, you never want to be caught by surprise after a new release. With the release of Dragon’s Maze, the meta will shift heavily into midrange for at least a short period of time. Once midrange becomes more prevalent, control decks will start cropping up again. The only reason control decks have been missing from the competitive scene for a while is because they cannot keep up with the speed of the blitz and aggro decks. This will again prompt the never ending cycle of aggro to defeat control, mid range to defeat the aggro decks, then control to defeat the mid range decks. These new cards will temporarily increase the strength of mid range, but the meta should continue to change in this cycle.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, Texas.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, Texas.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Why I Don’t Play Magic Competitively
Dillon asked me to talk about my experience with magic and why I do not play it competitively. I first started playing magic when I was a kid. My father collected some cards and would let me and my siblings play with them. We would make awful decks with no mana curve or focus that had over 100 cards in them. However we still had fun playing the game.
One of my biggest problems with competitive play is that it is just that, competitive. Some of the more flavorful and interesting decks and cards are simply unplayable because they do not stand up the power of the stronger decks and cards.
Competitive play has a different mindset than that of the casual game. In casual play people are there to have a good time, not to get upset over how good someone’s deck is against theirs. Winning and losing are more of a side note to the overall fun and company of getting together and playing. In competitive play the game is all about win or lose so you can move on or go home. Not to say that there is not a social aspect to competitive play, simply that it comes second.
Variety is an interesting part of casual magic. Since there is not as much hanging on how well your deck performs people will often create and try new decks rather than playing their tried and true decks. The truth is playing the same deck repeatedly gets old quickly, and casual play allows players to change things up when they feel like it while not excluding the typical decks.
Casual magic allows for variety both of decks and of play style, and is focused on social fun. Competitive magic is more about brutal efficiency. Neither is bad and both have their merits, I simply prefer casual play.
Noah Osborne
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007
One of my biggest problems with competitive play is that it is just that, competitive. Some of the more flavorful and interesting decks and cards are simply unplayable because they do not stand up the power of the stronger decks and cards.
Competitive play has a different mindset than that of the casual game. In casual play people are there to have a good time, not to get upset over how good someone’s deck is against theirs. Winning and losing are more of a side note to the overall fun and company of getting together and playing. In competitive play the game is all about win or lose so you can move on or go home. Not to say that there is not a social aspect to competitive play, simply that it comes second.
Variety is an interesting part of casual magic. Since there is not as much hanging on how well your deck performs people will often create and try new decks rather than playing their tried and true decks. The truth is playing the same deck repeatedly gets old quickly, and casual play allows players to change things up when they feel like it while not excluding the typical decks.
Casual magic allows for variety both of decks and of play style, and is focused on social fun. Competitive magic is more about brutal efficiency. Neither is bad and both have their merits, I simply prefer casual play.
Noah Osborne
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Audio Podcast, Deck Break Down: Junk Rites
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Sideboarding: Know the Meta
For some players, building a sideboard is the last things in their mind when building a deck. Somewhere along the line, you need to stop and think what the weak aspects of your deck are. If your opponent is running flyers, can you stop them? If they are using the graveyard, do you have a way to stop them from reanimating their creatures? When it comes to building a sideboard, you need to keep two things in mind; what cannot my deck do and what decks do I need to beat?
First, you want to see what your deck cannot do, and that comes with practice. If you find your deck losing to specific things, like board wipes, spot removal, or counter spells, find what is best to alleviate that. I usually dedicate six slots of my sideboard to this. Next, you need to ask around or check out for yourself what the meta is like, either locally or on a larger scale if you’re trying to play at the competitive level. If you do not have an idea, the best thing to do is a three way split for each archetype. Three early game cards to stop agro, this can either be in the form of spot removal, cheap board wipes like sweepers, or life gain. Three mid game cards to counteract a midrange deck, this can be in the form of more generic removal or exile. Then three cards to counteract combo or control, mostly through graveyard exile or by using protection spells.
At the current time, main cards you can expect to see in a side board for aggro, dependant on color, are:
-Feeling of Dread
-Centaur Healer
-Blind Obedience
-Fog
-Tragic Slip
-Unsummon
-Pillar of Flame
Cards used against midrange are:
-Zealous Conscripts
-Vampire Nighthawk
-Abrupt Decay
-Sever the Bloodline
-Rhox Faithmender
Cards used against control and combo are:
-Deathrite Shaman
-Grafdigger’s Cage
-Rest in Peace
-Skullcrack
-Ground Seal
-Slaughter Games
-Tormod’s Crypt
("TCGPlayer," 2013)
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007.
First, you want to see what your deck cannot do, and that comes with practice. If you find your deck losing to specific things, like board wipes, spot removal, or counter spells, find what is best to alleviate that. I usually dedicate six slots of my sideboard to this. Next, you need to ask around or check out for yourself what the meta is like, either locally or on a larger scale if you’re trying to play at the competitive level. If you do not have an idea, the best thing to do is a three way split for each archetype. Three early game cards to stop agro, this can either be in the form of spot removal, cheap board wipes like sweepers, or life gain. Three mid game cards to counteract a midrange deck, this can be in the form of more generic removal or exile. Then three cards to counteract combo or control, mostly through graveyard exile or by using protection spells.
At the current time, main cards you can expect to see in a side board for aggro, dependant on color, are:
-Feeling of Dread
-Centaur Healer
-Blind Obedience
-Fog
-Tragic Slip
-Unsummon
-Pillar of Flame
Cards used against midrange are:
-Zealous Conscripts
-Vampire Nighthawk
-Abrupt Decay
-Sever the Bloodline
-Rhox Faithmender
Cards used against control and combo are:
-Deathrite Shaman
-Grafdigger’s Cage
-Rest in Peace
-Skullcrack
-Ground Seal
-Slaughter Games
-Tormod’s Crypt
("TCGPlayer," 2013)
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007.
Citations
SET. (n.d.). Magic The Gathering Strategy, News, Decks, Price Guide and an Online Card Store. TCGPlayer. Retrieved from http://magic.tcgplayer.com/
SET. (n.d.). Magic The Gathering Strategy, News, Decks, Price Guide and an Online Card Store. TCGPlayer. Retrieved from http://magic.tcgplayer.com/
Basic Instructions for starting a deck:
Step 1) Establish a theme for your deck. This can be decided either by what color you want your deck to be, or by a specific card you want the deck to be based on.
Step 2) Make sure to plan your mana curve when choosing cards. Think through how a game will play when considering cards, you do not want too many high cost cards clumping up in your start hand. An average casting cost you want to aim for with a deck, including lands, is 2.667.
Step 3)Start off by picking out your turn one and two drops. These cards usually consist of either an early aggressor for aggro, a ramp spell for midrange, or a form of removal or control spell. If you plan to have high cost cards, you need to find a way to either stall out until you can cast them, or ways to mana ramp up to them.
Step 4) Now decide what your mid game will be, your turn three and four drops. An important thing to keep in mind is to synergize these cards with what would have been cast before them, and what will be cast afterwards. Either these should be hard hitting aggro creatures, utility creatures or efficient creatures for midrange, or more removal, control, or board wipes for control decks.
Step 5) Your end game comes next, you need a card that will heavily sway the game in your favor, and preferably give you the win. Aggro decks rely on large creatures with haste or some other ability that will heavily affect combat. Non-aggro decks tend to use either a large creature, planeswalker, or combo to end the game.
Step 6) The amount of lands a deck needs varies based upon the type of deck you’re running and the average casting cost. Most agro decks can run between 18-21 lands, dependent upon whether the deck is all low cost creatures or if it has a few expensive cards. Midrange needs 22-24 to make sure its start hand always has a few land in it. Control decks run 24 or more, dependent upon what it uses as a win condition. Missing a land drop can be incredibly detrimental to a control deck.
Step 7) As tempting as it is run a large deck, you need to cut a deck down to sixty cards for a more consistent game. Cutting lands is a mistake many players make, do not sacrifice consistency for those few extra cards.
Play and make changes as necessary. You will only know if a deck works by practicing with the deck as often as you can.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007.
Step 2) Make sure to plan your mana curve when choosing cards. Think through how a game will play when considering cards, you do not want too many high cost cards clumping up in your start hand. An average casting cost you want to aim for with a deck, including lands, is 2.667.
Step 3)Start off by picking out your turn one and two drops. These cards usually consist of either an early aggressor for aggro, a ramp spell for midrange, or a form of removal or control spell. If you plan to have high cost cards, you need to find a way to either stall out until you can cast them, or ways to mana ramp up to them.
Step 4) Now decide what your mid game will be, your turn three and four drops. An important thing to keep in mind is to synergize these cards with what would have been cast before them, and what will be cast afterwards. Either these should be hard hitting aggro creatures, utility creatures or efficient creatures for midrange, or more removal, control, or board wipes for control decks.
Step 5) Your end game comes next, you need a card that will heavily sway the game in your favor, and preferably give you the win. Aggro decks rely on large creatures with haste or some other ability that will heavily affect combat. Non-aggro decks tend to use either a large creature, planeswalker, or combo to end the game.
Step 6) The amount of lands a deck needs varies based upon the type of deck you’re running and the average casting cost. Most agro decks can run between 18-21 lands, dependent upon whether the deck is all low cost creatures or if it has a few expensive cards. Midrange needs 22-24 to make sure its start hand always has a few land in it. Control decks run 24 or more, dependent upon what it uses as a win condition. Missing a land drop can be incredibly detrimental to a control deck.
Step 7) As tempting as it is run a large deck, you need to cut a deck down to sixty cards for a more consistent game. Cutting lands is a mistake many players make, do not sacrifice consistency for those few extra cards.
Play and make changes as necessary. You will only know if a deck works by practicing with the deck as often as you can.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007.
The Three Primary Archetypes of Magic
This diagram is to help new players understand the interactions between the three main archetypes of magic. Aggro decks are the fastest decks of the format, attempting to drop an opponents life total down to zero as quickly as possible. Aggro decks normally defeat control decks before they can stabilize or set up a means of defense. However, aggro decks are typically not fast enough to defeat a midrange deck before they play creatures or stabilize. Mid range decks will try to set up a means of defense as quickly as possible, then beat their opponent down with utility or evasive creatures. Control can mostly deal with these decks because by the time the midrange deck starts stabilizing, the control deck has enough set up to start controlling their opponent until they can win.
Dillon Baca
mtgcompetitivemeta@gmail.com
Richardson, TX 75007.
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