On The Bubble - Relevance

[raybomb]

This thread is for the discussion of the article "On The Bubble - Relevance" by David Whitelaw. You can find it here - http://Magic.TCGplayer.com/db/article.asp?id=7991

Discuss!

[Rakavolver]

"My name is David Whitelaw and I'm almost 27. I used to be pretty comfortable with my age but let's not kid ourselves here, Magic is a young lads game. I have no idea what the average age of the competitors were at KL, but I'd bet my mortgage it was well under 27. So I'm not going to lie, being the ‘wrong' side of 25 is still something I am coming to terms with."

Hold on a second, I have to get my violin. I know I have it around here somewhere .....

<pause> <minutes for me, mere instants for you.....oh, they're cumulative, those instants ... you can even add them to the stack as the stack unfolds post-double-passed priority resolution (don't I sound smart?) ... but I digress.....>

Uhoh, sorry. Couldn't find the Stadivarius. Then I realized I didn't have one, so it was a foregone conclusion. My Custom 24 Paul Reed Smith will have to do.

<Straps on axe ... considers appropriate theme music ... ah, I have it.>

0 3 5 , 0 3 6 5 , 0 3 5 , 3 0
0 3 5 , 0 3 6 5 , 0 3 5 , 3 0

Them's played on the middle two strings on a normally tuned guitar, laddie, and if you get the rhythm part right, it should sound like "Smoke on the Water."

Now, wtf were we. Oh, aging. Right.

Lad, I would give my right arm, possibly a right leg and anything but my babymaker ("Little Rak") to be 28 again, let alone 26 or 277.

Let me be clear: At 27 you will peak intellectually, so a 2nd "Top 8 at Worlds" is possible for ye. You won't fall off the cliff at 28, I assure you, it won't even be noticeable. And when it does become noticeable in say 8 years, it won't be by much and the common wisdom of years will more than make up for it.

If yer gonna be sorry for yerself, be sorry you live in a European country that's farthest from all the other European countries except for the southeasternest corner of Constantinople. Oops, sorry, Istanbul. Temporarily forgot the occupiers' name for it. See? Memory loss. Like me fadder says, it's the second thing to go ...

P.S. .... I don't consider Iceland or Greenland to be part of Europe. Never take a Dane seriously unless they're puttin' down "The Lesser Norse" (their opinion).

P.P.S. It's only a young man's game for deck designers, not players, because you have to have the free time a 14 or 15-year-old has to design properly, with confidence. I guess "jobless bum" would also qualify, and that can happen at any age.

Have fun running through the thistle down by the moors in your plaid skirt chasing a rugby ball, and don't ever change. Now try not to.

[seeker00]

Speaking as a professional writer and editor (yes that's my full-time gig), I say...

Try again, and omit all the extraneous stuff... and there's quite a lot of it.

Voice of the everyday MtGplayer, fine. Good hook in fact. But just say what you have to say; I suspect most readers don't care about YOU; only about your subject matter and (a) how relevant it is to them, and/or (b) how entertaining it is to read.

After a quick cut-and-paste, I see that you have put together over 3200 words. I suspect that your actual message (just what is it exactly, anyway?) merits MAYBE 800-1000 words.

Sorry if I sound like a hardcase here, but these are my reactions to this writeup. By all means stay with it, but stay focused and on target.

And the age thing... look at Bennie Smith, The Ferret and other well-known MtG writers (and I beat them all, BTW)... Age is IRrelevant. The quality of the writing is the thing.

[Rakavolver]

The quality of the writing is the thing.

How would you rate John Friggin' Rizzo and Will.I.Am.'Nt "Wet Willy" Spaniel in that department then?

You beat the Ferrett? Who hasn't !? The Ferret himself will tell you it's not that hard. Be truthful now ... was it in Multiplayer?

To: Little Ricky Powergamer. Whitelaw gets the "laydeez" because he's an ex-Rugby player, though I fancy not much of one because the lack of permanent "rugged man" scars is noticeable. That, and the skirt. Make's em wonder. These tips may not work outside of Scotland. Wa-a-ait a minute. NOW I know why you stay there, Whitelaw. You rapscallion.

Have fun with the puberty thing, Little Riki. We all did.

EDIT: I'd also like to comment on beating Bennie outside of Virginia States, where he's just a machine. But I like Bennie.

[seeker00]

You beat the Ferrett? Who hasn't !? The Ferret himself will tell you it's not that hard. Be truthful now ... was it in Multiplayer?

LOL! Just goes to show that everyone (including editors) needs editors.

I was hoping that the "I beat them all" remark would be clear in its "age" context, and apparently it was not. It simply was meant to indicate that I beat them all IN AGE.

:)

[ThePope]

What a confusing article and thread!
I am going to go eat some waffles at the bistro.
Ptq tomorrow.
Was the dragon a real previewed card or am I falling for someone's joke?

[Rakavolver]

Was the dragon a real previewed card or am I falling for someone's joke?

It's real. I don't know why either.


"Right, so let's get the obvious out of the way straight off the bat - a 5/4 flying hasty dude for 5 mana is some good. In limited this dude is a bomb, first pick, windmill slam, le sigh… That the obvious stuff clear now?

There is a constructed deck somewhere out there too if you manipulate three of these bad boys from your library into your bin, cast this dude and swing for twenty. That said, if Dragonstorm isn't good enough to see play at the moment, I'm not sure this will prove to be format breaking. "

It will break the format. Formats. It's too good not to. It might even have been broken if it said "comes into play" not "played." So you may not be able to swing for twenty with it if it's countered.

Only 15. :eek:

In a black/red deck. Or just black.

Wizards hates Blue.

:u:?:X::b:

[RoninX]

Wizards hates Blue.

Its taken me eight minutes to type this reply, why? Because its almost impossible to type while rolling on the floor laughing out loud.

PS - Welcome aboard Dave!

[Rakavolver]

Also I should point out RoninX's article, not this one, was where I got the played vs comes into played thing. Nice Robin, thanks. It was bad enough as is.

And they do TOO hate Blue! It's like they tease the frigging color by giving it Cryptic Command then give all the other colors ways to destroy decks built around the color!

[Bobocop]

Good job with the article, I'm very much looking forward to the one's that will be coming down the line. I liked that you gave us a bit of an autobiography at the beginning, it lets us know where you're coming from and lets us get to know you a little.
As far as content goes, I disagree with your assessment of the demigod, he's going to be a powerhouse.
Good luck in Birmingham, hope you get one of those sweet Mutavaults!

[biofeedback1]

Have fun running through the thistle down by the moors in your plaid skirt chasing a rugby ball, and don't ever change. Now try not to.


I heard that they don't wear undies. If it's true, those must be very large and very hairy rugby balls to keep them warm.

[snowden]

Yeah, they obviously hate blue. I mean, it's not like the last standard GP was dominated by blue decks (Faeries and Reveillark decks).

[biofeedback1]

They have always hated blue. I mean, from the start they gave us dinky creatures with high mana coasts, spells to draw lots of cards (what a waste of a turn!), the ability to stop the opponent from playing his spells (cuz they dont have any good ones of there own), playing extra turns (could be good if you had something to play). It was so bad that they had to help it along by giving blue interaction rights with artifacts (another terrible part of magic). Lately they have tried to whoo us with all these stupid and innane abilities, by putting them on creatures with evasion. If they think i'm going to fall for this, they are bonkers!

[RoninX]

Flash blows! If a creatures not good enough to cast on my own turn, why would I want to cast it on my opponent's turn.

[biofeedback1]

Word up Ronin, word up.

[JeremyFuentes_FTW]

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy... What's wrong with my hat???

Welcome aboard David. I knew it was only a matter of time :cool:

[LibraPoet]

Nice job, and an enjoyable read. Love the sense of humor, the voice of an "everyday" Magic player on this site, no to mention someone on "our" side of 25, is a nice addition, as well.

Keep up the good work, and don't worry over the occasional, slightly off topic humor. Strategy articles are nice now and then, but then too, a break from them, sort of like this, is also nice.

Hope to see you again next week, here on the, um, better side, of 25...

[Rakavolver]

Yeah, they obviously hate blue. I mean, it's not like the last standard GP was dominated by blue decks (Faeries and Reveillark decks).

What did they know? Good metagaming call on one weekend. Now where are those decks?:p

I heard that they don't wear undies. If it's true, those must be very large and very hairy rugby balls to keep them warm.

That's a myth actually. Without undies the taller thistle would tickle one's .... OK, maybe not a myth.

I forgot to mention bagpipes. Too much to love, I can't remember everything.

[Falkor]

Solid work Dave, with Spaniel gone, the op-ed of the week article is rapidly going to become your stock in trade.

I'm sure you had headings in here somewhere to delineate all of the information you provide, right? I hate formatting everything properly, it takes forever.

[biofeedback1]

I'm sure you had headings in here somewhere to delineate all of the information you provide, right? I hate formatting everything properly, it takes forever.


Whaaaaaat...

All you penmen are giving me a sugar rush...don't understand the lingo...feeling uneducated...got to get my cream soda...

[Falkor]

@bio
Il y a des lignes qui montre la difference entre tes pensees, mais non?

[sin_plague]

Il y a des lignes qui montre la difference entre tes pensees, mais non?

we now return you to your regularly scheduled english forum already in progress

[Rakavolver]

@bio
Il y a des lignes qui montre la difference entre tes pensees, mais non?

This is America. So why do I have to press "1" for English?

[biofeedback1]

@bio
Il y a des lignes qui montre la difference entre tes pensees, mais non?

Oui, tout a fait.

"Press 1": absolutely.

[Falkor]

Arrete, bio m'a demande une question, mais il a quelques problemes avec les mots que j'ai utilise.

Merde.

*presses 1*

Hey, bio has problems with English at times, so I was trying to help a brother out.

We are a full service translation site as well as Magic content and strategy. It's just another perk for the masses.

[Gruulbeat]

If you guys haven't noticed Demigod is le Retardo it is.
Entomb + Demigod=20 damage almost always because he says when you play him return all copies in grave to play so if your opponent just says counter it you say ok its countered and the trigger still goes off and u get all 4, if they say the trigger resolves you get 3 and then counter then you have 3 and can do 15 damage so it's all good in the hood.

[Bklyndirk]

like it its cool

[biofeedback1]

Hey, bio has problems with English at times, so I was trying to help a brother out.

Thanks Falkor for the clarification, i was running out of sweet soda.

As Raka has mentioned, blue does get th shaft again! the Demigod is quite a beating. How will the weakest slice of the color pie deal with such blatent disreaspect? I have not a clue....

But seriously, i feel that Wizards is pushing the power creep quite a bit. The creep is masked by hybrid mana coasts, but lets face it, a creature in those colors, with those abilities and stats, would have been unthinkable 6 years ago.

[travisclarker]

"I know every man and his dog has chipped into this debate but I'm a better writer than most of them and my opinion is more important."

I wasn't sure how I felt about this article until I read that line. For some reason, I found it hilarious. I guess I'll read next weeks article too. :P

[Rakavolver]

As Raka has mentioned, blue does get th shaft again!

They'll always try to shaft blue, 'cept sometimes they speed up the game (always dangerous) and make Rune Snag and its ilk good again. The good showing of blue in the form of Revelliark and Faeries in Japan (where non-Blue Elves did well as well) is offset by the fact that now that their goodness is known they have a big bullseye on them so good luck island-dudes. In Extended where blue is much better they're maindecking Gaddock Teeg , for example.

[Rakavolver]

As Raka has mentioned, blue does get th shaft again!

They'll always try to shaft blue, 'cept sometimes they speed up the game (always dangerous) and make Rune Snag and its ilk good again. The good showing of blue in the form of Revelliark and Faeries in Japan (where non-Blue Elves did well as well) is offset by the fact that now that their goodness is known they have a big bullseye on them so good luck island-dudes. In Extended where blue is much better they're maindecking Gaddock Teeg, for example.

[biofeedback1]

But somehow blue always fiends a way. It's blues basic design that makes it so resilient. And the fact they keep printing crazy cards! The creatures have beengetting better and better (the blue Kami dragon, the 2/4 flying token machine, etc.). But then they tone down the counters, so, poor blue,for the next block, lets give all there best creatures flash!

They'll always try to shaft blue, 'cept sometimes they speed up the game (always dangerous) and make Rune Snag and its ilk good again.

And now we come to the root of it all! As i stated, its in its basic, its core design. Its built in. There is nothing at the present time that can be done. Blue will always be powerful cuz, it plays at both ends of the spectrum. It's got start game in cheap counters, then it draws tons of cards for the late game, with a healthy dose of stalling inbetween.

[Rakavolver]

And the lord said ... let there be Thoughtseize/Extirpate, and lo there was Thoughtseize/Extirpate, and it became fruitful and multiplied all thoughout the land, with Stupor and Damnation and tons more black cards waiting in the wings.

For these and other reasons I still think Black is best. Blue's being on top is but a temporary condition ... 'cept in Mirrodin Standard season, ouch.

[biofeedback1]

You are right Raka when you say that black has become a power player again (about time). But i still hold the idea that blue is a much deeper and resiliant color. Most of blacks disruption is in the 2 or 3 first turns, then it becomes less then optimal. A counter is a counter. Periode. Creature kill does not affect blue as much as the others (cuz there creatures are dinkie and rare in a deck). in the long game with allthe draw, i still think blue has the advantage.

[midi2304]

Hey guys,

Firstly thanks for all the feedback. Sorry it's taken this long for me to comeback to you all but I've been away visiting family this weekend meaning this is the first chance I've had to sit down and reply to you all.

Here goes...

Have fun running through the thistle down by the moors in your plaid skirt chasing a rugby ball, and don't ever change. Now try not to.


I'll try not to ;)

But hey Rak, you never said if you liked the article or not? I need the affirmation!!!

Speaking as a professional writer and editor (yes that's my full-time gig), I say...

Try again, and omit all the extraneous stuff... and there's quite a lot of it.

Voice of the everyday MtGplayer, fine. Good hook in fact. But just say what you have to say; I suspect most readers don't care about YOU; only about your subject matter and (a) how relevant it is to them, and/or (b) how entertaining it is to read.

After a quick cut-and-paste, I see that you have put together over 3200 words. I suspect that your actual message (just what is it exactly, anyway?) merits MAYBE 800-1000 words.

Sorry if I sound like a hardcase here, but these are my reactions to this writeup. By all means stay with it, but stay focused and on target.

And the age thing... look at Bennie Smith, The Ferret and other well-known MtG writers (and I beat them all, BTW)... Age is IRrelevant. The quality of the writing is the thing.

Sorry that you felt there was a bit too much extraneous stuff in there. It was important for me for my first proper feature article to properly setup who I am and what the column will be about. I felt there was a fair bit of 'setup' to do which I guess though a certain lens could appear as a wee bit too much waffle.

So accept my apologies and thanks for the feedback. I hope you stick in because now that the introductions are out of the way, things will be a lot tighter as of next week ;)

What a confusing article and thread!
I am going to go eat some waffles at the bistro.
Ptq tomorrow.
Was the dragon a real previewed card or am I falling for someone's joke?

Can you please clarify why the article was confusing?

The card is real though.

On that note, Rak, I think the inevitable 'Demigod.dec' (there will be one, I have no doubt of that) will be a metagame call. I really don't think this is a deck that wants to exist in an environment with a lot of hand and graveyard hate. I guess we'll have to wait and see...

PS - Welcome aboard Dave!

Thanks Robin :)

Good job with the article, I'm very much looking forward to the one's that will be coming down the line. I liked that you gave us a bit of an autobiography at the beginning, it lets us know where you're coming from and lets us get to know you a little.
As far as content goes, I disagree with your assessment of the demigod, he's going to be a powerhouse.
Good luck in Birmingham, hope you get one of those sweet Mutavaults!

Glad you liked the article and the setup. Don't get me wrong - I'm not suggesting the Demigod is bad. Nothing of the sort. It's just a very specific deck however and I don't imagine it being too difficult to hate.

You have no idea how much I want one of those Mutavaults :D

I heard that they don't wear undies. If it's true, those must be very large and very hairy rugby balls to keep them warm.

Correct and correct ;)

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy... What's wrong with my hat???

Welcome aboard David. I knew it was only a matter of time :cool:

Hey dude, at the end of the day, you have to have some serious cahoonas to pull off that cap ;)

And if you knew it was only a matter of time, why didn't you let me know?

Nice job, and an enjoyable read. Love the sense of humor, the voice of an "everyday" Magic player on this site, no to mention someone on "our" side of 25, is a nice addition, as well.

Keep up the good work, and don't worry over the occasional, slightly off topic humor. Strategy articles are nice now and then, but then too, a break from them, sort of like this, is also nice.

Hope to see you again next week, here on the, um, better side, of 25...

Hey Libra, thanks for the nice words. Yeah there's a few of us older guys keeping the spirit alive. I've had a few emails in the last couple of days from guys as old as 46!

Solid work Dave, with Spaniel gone, the op-ed of the week article is rapidly going to become your stock in trade.

I'm sure you had headings in here somewhere to delineate all of the information you provide, right? I hate formatting everything properly, it takes forever.

Formatting articles is definitely the weakest part of my writing and something I'm going to be putting a lot more time into. I'm not so proud as to admit that Spaniel has left a hole in the site that needs filling and I'm happy to do it. Thanks for the feedback dude.

"I know every man and his dog has chipped into this debate but I'm a better writer than most of them and my opinion is more important."

I wasn't sure how I felt about this article until I read that line. For some reason, I found it hilarious. I guess I'll read next weeks article too. :P

Mission accomplished ;)

There's a wee mission when you read each of my articles where you try to decide when I'm being serious and when I'm extracting the urine. Obviously that quote you used was me being deadly serious.

Obviously.

:cool:

Phew - think that's everyone got some kind of response...

[Mr. President]

But the bulls-eye doesn't matter as long as blue can just pay two mana and stop you from doing whatever you've planned to take them down. Rune Snag may not be Mana Drain or even Counterspell, but it often wrecks you just as hard.

[Rakavolver]

But hey Rak, you never said if you liked the article or not? I need the affirmation!!!

I liked it fine. I've only begun commenting on it, especially the bit with England once "ruling" the world. Tsk, tsk, DENMARK rules the world, and always has! Canna ye no read between the lines, Laddie! The Danes just get the UK and USA to do their dirty work is all, which leaves them more time to draw cartoons that offend. :eek:

How to Play the broken Demigod.

First up, don't be foolish and throw 3 of you 4 Demigods in the boneyard. I'm sure a combo deck, more likely a ComboControl/ControlCombo thingy will rise to abuse it, possibly UB or BU. It's a bit early anyway, as all we know is the one Shadowmoor card as of this writing.

But the bulls-eye doesn't matter as long as blue can just pay two mana and stop you from doing whatever you've planned to take them down. Rune Snag may not be Mana Drain or even Counterspell, but it often wrecks you just as hard.

Good points. I will always respect Blue. Rune Snag is certainly no Mana Drain as you said, but it can be worked around by keeping mana open, and not playing Blue yourself to make it stronger. Thoughtseize/Extirpating Rune Snag or any countering spell is always the sweetest. Often game-wrecking.

[biofeedback1]

How to Play the broken Demigod.

First up, don't be foolish and throw 3 of you 4 Demigods in the boneyard. I'm sure a combo deck, more likely a ComboControl/ControlCombo thingy will rise to abuse it, possibly UB or BU. It's a bit early anyway, as all we know is the one Shadowmoor card as of this writing.


In fact unless you win on the combo, it,s not how it should be played. You have to approach it as a reaccuring burn spell. its more powerful that way.

Ex: play said demi-god, 5 points of burn. If countered, it,s still 5 in bank.
Play said second demi-god, another 5 plus the 5 in the bin. If countered, in it goes to the bank....etc.

You get the picture. It becomes a vicious top of the curve for red or black, just vicious...

[Necro-M]

It's not just the top of the curve. With this, Profane Command, Damnation, Tendrils, black has the tools to beat any non-combo/control deck. My mistake, black has Thoughtseize and Extirpate for those. Welcome back MBC, I missed you. Sorry Phyrexian Arena couldn't join our reunion.