Faeries is extremely powerful; however, I do think that there are other decks to consider besides faeries. For example, the shamans deck you faced in the final round apparently had the ability to beat faeries and beat the rest of the field. Or another example, I played Doran at the Detroit PTQ going 5-2, 3-0 vs faeries. Gutteral Response out of the SB is so much more powerful vs faeries in block. I was able to counter 2 Cryptics and a consign to dream with it throughout the day. Thoughtseize was also very powerful as you mentioned. Taking out their Bitterblossom or a cryptic command was very solid.
Anyway, congrats on the win man.
The thing that it look me too long to realize is that you will face a lot more decks than faeries. Yes, you will have to beat faeries to win the PTQ, but you will have to beat other decks.
Let me put it this way. Three weeks ago I played Merfolk. It was putting up great numbers against a lot of the top deck configurations. The problem is, that's not all people play. People innovate with cards, play things that aren't in the mainstream lists, and even use strategies that you won't test against. 5 color was an amazing matchup for merfolk... untill you start playing against old lists that sideboarded Sowers. Yes, you are going to have to beat faeries to win the PTQ. It's the best deck and you can surmount a huge advantage by having game one cards for it. But you're not going to face faeries every round. Much like how you're going to have to beat faeries to win the PTQ, you're going to have to probably beat at least 4-5 non faeries decks to get to that point. Faeries beats all of the main non-faeries decks people like to play (5 color, kithkin, etc), which is what makes it so potent. Even though Doran might be advantaged against faeries, I know for example that it has a bad matchup against kithkin.
I'm not saying that Doran isn't a good choice, because any deck that can beat faeries is very good in my book, and I'd rather play a deck that beats faeries and loses to kithkin than vice versa, but that faeries takes out a lot of the variance of losing to popular non-faeries decks which is why it's so powerful. You might lose to the two Doran decks in the room, but you're less likely going to hit the 1/2 people playing Doran than the 20 playing 5 color, for example.
I just realized. Mycoloth perfectly demonstrates the devour mechanic.
Mycoloth: NOMNOMNOM on Dragon Fodder.
One turn later, 1/1 turds come out.
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btw i did it because i could. i was bored and decided to let my little med-free spree go ahead. I am bipolar, explaining all the drama that ensued after. I have problems.
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Wow this show was still good but very long. While it's cool that Gavin won a PTQ, it's even cooler that Monday Night Magic got Rick Roll'D. So far out of Eventide I haven't seen anything impressive other than the filter lands. I still don't understand what the big deal with the basic land in every booster pack is. I guess Jack from North Carolina really loves Bog Hoodlums/Apothecary Initiate.
In response to the comment contest, I would define a casual deck as a deck that's sole purpose isn't to win, but to be enjoyable to play, with success as a secondary motive. It's the deck that you would bring to an FNM or the kitchen table, but not to a PTQ. Can't wait for next week's show.
Great job. I actually saw you at the PTQ, but I had no idea that it was you who I listened talk on MTGcast Every week. The full-art Mutavault is just pure wicked.
My definition of a casual deck is a deck that is not quite competetive, but fun to play with. For example, finishing a game on turn four with six zombie tokens (playing Dredge) isn't as fun as finishing a game on turn 40 with over two hundred tokens (playing Doubling season + Rhys the Redeemed + Elf Token Generators.)
Casual decks are not bad. They're just not competetive, but most of the time, that doesn't really matter so much.
personally i have always seen casual as anything i know would never have a chance in any kind of tournament play.
if your not talking decks, casual play is ussally a less formal more laid back verson where you are allowed to have alittle less then exactness with wording and actions as long as everyone knows what your doing
Gratz on the win at the PTQ Gavin, and I laughed so hard when I heard you guys getting Rick Rolled on the voicemail
As far as what I feel casual Magic is is this:
Casual magic to me is when you can call up a group of friends to play your best T2 decks, a game of EDH, draft your favorite set of magic or cube, or even just to hang out and trade, but overall the main point is to HAVE FUN!
Casual Magic can be described as many things, but the overall point of it, and Magic in itself is to have fun. If you lose sight of that, then maybe you need to rethink why you play Magic at all.
lol great podcast guys, the "faeries section" starring gavin was interesting to say the least.;)
My definition of a causal deck would be either "1: A deck that was comprised by the creator for intended play in a non-tournament environment, this also means creation of said deck without regard to metagaming. or 2: Any deck running Norin the Wary, Bartel Runeaxe and Tsabo Tavoc."
First off, congratulations! Secondly, great podcast, as usual.
As the definition of a casual deck, I would have to say that it greatly varies. I consider casual deck to have multiple characteristics. One thing that I think is necessary for the deck to be casual is that it is played for the enjoyment of the game, rather than for tournament standings. Because of this, the decks are much more likely to contain random 5+ card combos and not conform to specific formats. Most of the time, the decks would not be decks found online and copied directly, or if they are, they would not be found by looking up the decklist of the latest Pro Tour winner (mind you, I'm not trying to say netdecking is wrong or anything, but just stating that the decks tend to be lower-key). Overall, the deck is built to have fun with friends, so the atmosphere will be much more relaxed. Common points that tend to take away from the casual (and fun) aspect would include: Heavy counterspells, heavy discard, heavy land destruction, and bringing a deck that is generally non-interactive (heavy combo). I'm sure that there is more that I am missing, but those are the things that come to mind off the top of my head.
In Standard, yes, Krosan Grip is a good answer to Bitterblosson. I don't know if Damnation still sees play in Standard Fearie boards/maindecks or not, but it can be a useful tool. However, this discussion is very much targeted at Block Constructed, considering the PTQ Gavin won was Block Constructed.
Oh, and by the way, congratulations, Gavin. That's awesome to hear. -Jack
You really just need to embrace the rage. I keep a small colony of hamsters next to my computer and every time I lose a match to mana screw I throw one against the wall.
Good stuff winning the PTQ. That's been coming for a while, but there's still no substitute for actually taking the win.
I think I've said most of what I want to say about Casual. The only thing I'd add is that anyone who worries too much about exactly where the boundaries lie isn't doing it right.
Hot Tip: Lesurgo for the PT win!
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First of all, congratulations to Gavin; I hope they let him do some interviews for the podcast. Just a few comments:
-Scarecrows could have been color creatures, remember Sarcomite Myr from FS.
-I don't think I'll ever be a fan of Magic Online. It's great to find someone to play 24/7, but I think that the concept of spending money on virtual cards is too much, specially when there are other programs that let you do that for free. A friend used to play, but decided to quit, and the offer to get some of the cards you own on line sent to you didn't apply to him, because he was supposed to own a complete set for that.
-In my play group, all we play is Casual Magic which we define as anything goes. We've seen banned cards, un cards, tournament-level decks, infinite combos, etc (I almost added my Fruitcake Elemental to one of my decks). It's part of the fun and challenge to fight against any type of decks. The only thing we never accepted was proxies.
-I think you need to be Gavin's friend on Facebook to see the pictures, or am I mistaken?
So in the upcoming Seattle PTQ I expect to see a lot of sweater-tech. Do you have any suggestions for the sweater mirror match? I was thinking wearing the sweater around my waist would be a good strat, or perhaps wearing a red sweater instead of a blue one to adjust for the metagame.
Whatever sweater you've decided on, make sure you have a Cardigan of the Moon in your sideboard, its a great hoser for your opponents' nonbasic sweaters.
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I imagine Maro has a huge ancient book in his office titled "Tempo Defined" and inside it is hollowed out and there is a bottle of whiskey
The concept of casual is very difficult to describe because it is going to have a different meaning to everyone who plays the game. I like the idea of "causal" formats like singleton and elderdragon highlander because they have some amount of structure to them. With some rules and a defined banned list everyone is on the same page and this dispute is never an issue.
On a side note one of the more popular casual formats around Michigan is called "Harem". You basically play with a 60 card singleton deck where the picture in every non-land card with the exception of one has to have a female in it. Can you guess what the non-female card is called?
So in the upcoming Seattle PTQ I expect to see a lot of sweater-tech. Do you have any suggestions for the sweater mirror match? I was thinking wearing the sweater around my waist would be a good strat, or perhaps wearing a red sweater instead of a blue one to adjust for the metagame.
The sweater around the waist might reduce your blood circulation and make you uncomfortable, which is bad. The red sweater might be a good idea because psychologically it makes your opponent think red=aggressive=beatdown. It depends if you want to play faeries as more of a control or an aggro deck. This is for the same reason that you want to use red sleeves on your blue control decks.
Which faeries hoser did you hate seeing most? I'm considering one (possibly two) of the following 3 hosers. I'm pretty sure my deck is going to be some form of g/b beats.
Cloudthresher: I like this one since it also deals a bit of damage to the opponent as well, which help a bit to make Bitterblossom a liability. It's also kinda slow and their countermagic should be online at that point.
Firespout: Loses a lot of it's luster without red, but it can still sweep the board.
Raking canopy: Not really a whole lot to say about this one.
Sorry for my third grade card analysis; I'm just curious to hear the opinion of a successful fae player.
I look at Casual as decks you can play with your friends outside of Tourney's and playtesting that they will want to play against you again.
I play alot of kitchen table Magic and I can play my uber-powerfull decks but if I play them too frequently I pay a price. Our multiplayer group will just beat you by default if you constantly play too many Tourney decks. You can also read it on thier faces when I have played the infinity deck one too many times in the recent past.
Spike: "Casual deck! Did you say casual?! Casual is for wim...."
Johnny: "Shut Up, Spike, that's a load of, well, you know! Magic isn't just for intense competitive types seeking their next Pro Tour slot! It's also about fun, and fun isn't always about winning."
Timmy: "That's right, Johnny! Preach it! Sometimes just getting a really huge creature into play, like my Autochthon Wurm on turn 30, is tons of fun. I mean, who's gonna stand up to that fattie any day?"
Spike: "Terror"
Timmy: "Hey, I traded my foil Mutavault, that stupid confusing land, for my 9/14 Wurm. Let's see, 9/14 gobbles up 2/2. Sounds like a great trade to me. And I've had SOOOOO much more fun since putting that creature into my C-A-S-U-A-L Wurm deck! What do you have to say about that?"
Spike: "Have you won any games with it?"
Johnny: "That's exactly the point, Spike. Sometimes some of us don't always want to win, which we all agree is fun. But sometimes it's more fun to just relax and have a good time doing creative things like putting together really cool seven card combos while your opponents sit there in awe, especially when your opponents are your friends! Anyone can copy a net deck and go win a tournament with a bit of luck. But not just anyone can create original ideas upon seeing the deep interaction of esoteric junk rares that no one would otherwise think twice about."
Timmy: "Huh?"
Spike: "Whatever. Winning's fun. If it don't win, what's the point of the deck?"
Johnny: "Fun! There are other ways to have fun with Magic than just winning. Some players enjoy the challenge of creating a good deck with certain limitations placed upon them. That's what Tribal decks are all about. And Block decks. And Singleton/Highlander decks. And..."
Spike: "Hey, I like winning tournaments in those formats. Are you telling me that those are casual decks too?"
Johnny: "Yes, if your main goal is to have...FUN!
Spike: "OK. So as long as I'm having fun beating you down, then that's a casual deck?"
Johnny: "If you main goal is not winning. Casual decks let winning take a back seat to creativity, whether through cool original combos, or through really cool creatures, or through following a certain deck theme, like only including cards from one artist, or whatever."
Timmy: "Don't forget big creatures, too!"
Johnny: "Ya, that too."
Spike: "Ok, sounds like we've covered casual decks for now. Does anyone want to help me playtest my Faeries deck for tomorrow's tournament?"
Timmy: "Sure! Let me pull out my Wurm Deck! It'll eat those tiny 1/1 Bitterblossom tokens alive!"
Johnny: "And I'll enjoy playing with my new seven card combo deck based around Squire!"
Spike [muttering to himself]: "Heh heh! .....This'll be fun!"
Hope that clarifies the whole Casual Deck discussion! Good bye!
TestDrive
Creator of 300+ original CASUAL decks ready to play at any and all times! And remember, it's all about FUN, whatever your Spike, Johnny, or Timmy leanings. Goodbye!
Which faeries hoser did you hate seeing most? I'm considering one (possibly two) of the following 3 hosers. I'm pretty sure my deck is going to be some form of g/b beats.
Cloudthresher: I like this one since it also deals a bit of damage to the opponent as well, which help a bit to make Bitterblossom a liability. It's also kinda slow and their countermagic should be online at that point.
Firespout: Loses a lot of it's luster without red, but it can still sweep the board.
Raking canopy: Not really a whole lot to say about this one.
Sorry for my third grade card analysis; I'm just curious to hear the opinion of a successful fae player.
being a person who usually plays g/r decks I can tell you this from playtesting and watching other matches at tournaments.
Cloudthresher, is probably your best options against the fae, simply because it has flash, if you can catch your opponent with his pants down then you can often wipe out his board, do not fall into the sower trap though, wiping their board only to have the thresher defect will not win you a game, make sure you have backup. (sucks against kithkin, if you do play it make sure they dont have mirrorweave, or they will kill you with your own creature)
firespout, is second best but ultimatly not as good, as it is easy to counter, if you do land the spell however you will wipe their board, except for those gay cliques (run needle drop HAHAHA). this is however brutal against the kithkin matchup as it will often molest everyone of their creatures. (be sure not to kill all of yours)
Raking Canopy- I had high hopes for this card but it simply is not good enough, it slows down the fae to the point of pure control until they get enough to cryptic bounce it and head shot you or just get the Mistbind/scion out, in which case they win in that fashion, I dont know about others, but I have seen this card simply underperform in tournament play.
I havent had much time to playtest block recently with school, but has anybody tried wild richochet in their sideboards against some decks, seems kinda strong in some matchups and i just have not been able to test its effects against faeries, I think it would be great against 5 color control (double mind spring yea)(double manniquin yea) and b/g (double profane you/primal me yea) not sure how it would interact with counterspells for faeries, guess conventional Eyes of Wisent and vexing shusher will have to do.
Great podcast as always guys and congratz to Gavin on winning the PTQ. Block really hasn't been my favorite format,but maybe that can change a little now that I've found a decent deck that I like(NOT faeries,by the way).
As for casual decks and players,it's all about fun. Sure,a casual player will cross over into competitive with their deck,sometimes losing badly,and sometimes winning big. But it's all about fun,like staying up til 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning,sitting around a kitchen table playing a big multiplayer game or sitting around playing craziness decks(5 color slivers,5 color Bringers deck,the craziest Legends deck I've ever seen,etc. etc.).
Casual players are also a group who just play for fun and will look for cards that they like,for different reasons(decks,the art,or they collect a certain artist). Thay are also the guys that will stay up until 3,4,5 or even 6 o'clock in the morning,playing their favorite games,favorite decks,and mostly just having fun.
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R.I.P. Richie Proffitt R.I.P. Anthony Burkey
2 of the greatest friends I've ever had and in a better place now.
Hello and it's nice to come back from vacation to hear of Gavin's win. The show seemed almost too full of interesting topics, so maybe this should be held in reserve until the release of Eventide.
My definition of casual decks is a line drawn in water. I still have my multiplayer Camel-deck intact, which is definately casual, altought I did once manage to get a 26/27 Camel, after staying alive with all 4 Deserts. (I also remember multiple Temper's and some co-operative opponents.) The deck's only creatures were 4 Camels.
I have also played a casual deck during Invasion PTQ with the white (Dega?) Sanctuary and Reckless Assault along with usual suspects, like Pyre Zombie and Spectral Lynx. It did always win at least one game out of a match, but it was definately more tuned to casual circles. It did beat Zvi's Solution handily though.
Nowadays my line propably gets drawn by the fact if I would play the deck in a REL 3 event. Still I'm taking a nearly casual deck to Finnish nationals two weeks from now, unless I can get some Eventide tech that would allow me the same edge that Dredge did last year.
BTW I got something from Tom that Finnish Post Office did not like. I'll send you an e-mail with more details, but suffice to say that it's summertime and summer trainees at postal offices are notoriously bad here. The address was painted over by me just to avoid more fan mail.
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The thing that it look me too long to realize is that you will face a lot more decks than faeries. Yes, you will have to beat faeries to win the PTQ, but you will have to beat other decks.
Let me put it this way. Three weeks ago I played Merfolk. It was putting up great numbers against a lot of the top deck configurations. The problem is, that's not all people play. People innovate with cards, play things that aren't in the mainstream lists, and even use strategies that you won't test against. 5 color was an amazing matchup for merfolk... untill you start playing against old lists that sideboarded Sowers. Yes, you are going to have to beat faeries to win the PTQ. It's the best deck and you can surmount a huge advantage by having game one cards for it. But you're not going to face faeries every round. Much like how you're going to have to beat faeries to win the PTQ, you're going to have to probably beat at least 4-5 non faeries decks to get to that point. Faeries beats all of the main non-faeries decks people like to play (5 color, kithkin, etc), which is what makes it so potent. Even though Doran might be advantaged against faeries, I know for example that it has a bad matchup against kithkin.
I'm not saying that Doran isn't a good choice, because any deck that can beat faeries is very good in my book, and I'd rather play a deck that beats faeries and loses to kithkin than vice versa, but that faeries takes out a lot of the variance of losing to popular non-faeries decks which is why it's so powerful. You might lose to the two Doran decks in the room, but you're less likely going to hit the 1/2 people playing Doran than the 20 playing 5 color, for example.
Faeries continue to overpower the other decks in their relevant formats.
In response to the comment contest, I would define a casual deck as a deck that's sole purpose isn't to win, but to be enjoyable to play, with success as a secondary motive. It's the deck that you would bring to an FNM or the kitchen table, but not to a PTQ. Can't wait for next week's show.
My definition of a casual deck is a deck that is not quite competetive, but fun to play with. For example, finishing a game on turn four with six zombie tokens (playing Dredge) isn't as fun as finishing a game on turn 40 with over two hundred tokens (playing Doubling season + Rhys the Redeemed + Elf Token Generators.)
Casual decks are not bad. They're just not competetive, but most of the time, that doesn't really matter so much.
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if your not talking decks, casual play is ussally a less formal more laid back verson where you are allowed to have alittle less then exactness with wording and actions as long as everyone knows what your doing
As far as what I feel casual Magic is is this:
Casual magic to me is when you can call up a group of friends to play your best T2 decks, a game of EDH, draft your favorite set of magic or cube, or even just to hang out and trade, but overall the main point is to HAVE FUN!
Casual Magic can be described as many things, but the overall point of it, and Magic in itself is to have fun. If you lose sight of that, then maybe you need to rethink why you play Magic at all.
-Zeke
My definition of a causal deck would be either "1: A deck that was comprised by the creator for intended play in a non-tournament environment, this also means creation of said deck without regard to metagaming. or
2: Any deck running Norin the Wary, Bartel Runeaxe and Tsabo Tavoc."
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As the definition of a casual deck, I would have to say that it greatly varies. I consider casual deck to have multiple characteristics. One thing that I think is necessary for the deck to be casual is that it is played for the enjoyment of the game, rather than for tournament standings. Because of this, the decks are much more likely to contain random 5+ card combos and not conform to specific formats. Most of the time, the decks would not be decks found online and copied directly, or if they are, they would not be found by looking up the decklist of the latest Pro Tour winner (mind you, I'm not trying to say netdecking is wrong or anything, but just stating that the decks tend to be lower-key). Overall, the deck is built to have fun with friends, so the atmosphere will be much more relaxed. Common points that tend to take away from the casual (and fun) aspect would include: Heavy counterspells, heavy discard, heavy land destruction, and bringing a deck that is generally non-interactive (heavy combo). I'm sure that there is more that I am missing, but those are the things that come to mind off the top of my head.
Oh, and by the way, congratulations, Gavin. That's awesome to hear. -Jack In Standard, yes, Krosan Grip is a good answer to Bitterblosson. I don't know if Damnation still sees play in Standard Fearie boards/maindecks or not, but it can be a useful tool. However, this discussion is very much targeted at Block Constructed, considering the PTQ Gavin won was Block Constructed.
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I think I've said most of what I want to say about Casual. The only thing I'd add is that anyone who worries too much about exactly where the boundaries lie isn't doing it right.
Hot Tip: Lesurgo for the PT win!
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
-Scarecrows could have been color creatures, remember Sarcomite Myr from FS.
-I don't think I'll ever be a fan of Magic Online. It's great to find someone to play 24/7, but I think that the concept of spending money on virtual cards is too much, specially when there are other programs that let you do that for free. A friend used to play, but decided to quit, and the offer to get some of the cards you own on line sent to you didn't apply to him, because he was supposed to own a complete set for that.
-In my play group, all we play is Casual Magic which we define as anything goes. We've seen banned cards, un cards, tournament-level decks, infinite combos, etc (I almost added my Fruitcake Elemental to one of my decks). It's part of the fun and challenge to fight against any type of decks. The only thing we never accepted was proxies.
-I think you need to be Gavin's friend on Facebook to see the pictures, or am I mistaken?
Mi blog: http://japoniano.blogspot.com/
On a side note one of the more popular casual formats around Michigan is called "Harem". You basically play with a 60 card singleton deck where the picture in every non-land card with the exception of one has to have a female in it. Can you guess what the non-female card is called?
The sweater around the waist might reduce your blood circulation and make you uncomfortable, which is bad. The red sweater might be a good idea because psychologically it makes your opponent think red=aggressive=beatdown. It depends if you want to play faeries as more of a control or an aggro deck. This is for the same reason that you want to use red sleeves on your blue control decks.
Which faeries hoser did you hate seeing most? I'm considering one (possibly two) of the following 3 hosers. I'm pretty sure my deck is going to be some form of g/b beats.
Cloudthresher: I like this one since it also deals a bit of damage to the opponent as well, which help a bit to make Bitterblossom a liability. It's also kinda slow and their countermagic should be online at that point.
Firespout: Loses a lot of it's luster without red, but it can still sweep the board.
Raking canopy: Not really a whole lot to say about this one.
Sorry for my third grade card analysis; I'm just curious to hear the opinion of a successful fae player.
I look at Casual as decks you can play with your friends outside of Tourney's and playtesting that they will want to play against you again.
I play alot of kitchen table Magic and I can play my uber-powerfull decks but if I play them too frequently I pay a price. Our multiplayer group will just beat you by default if you constantly play too many Tourney decks. You can also read it on thier faces when I have played the infinity deck one too many times in the recent past.
Keep up the good work.
Check out my Pod cast Mr. Suitcase http://mtgcast.com/?cat=16
Johnny: "Shut Up, Spike, that's a load of, well, you know! Magic isn't just for intense competitive types seeking their next Pro Tour slot! It's also about fun, and fun isn't always about winning."
Timmy: "That's right, Johnny! Preach it! Sometimes just getting a really huge creature into play, like my Autochthon Wurm on turn 30, is tons of fun. I mean, who's gonna stand up to that fattie any day?"
Spike: "Terror"
Timmy: "Hey, I traded my foil Mutavault, that stupid confusing land, for my 9/14 Wurm. Let's see, 9/14 gobbles up 2/2. Sounds like a great trade to me. And I've had SOOOOO much more fun since putting that creature into my C-A-S-U-A-L Wurm deck! What do you have to say about that?"
Spike: "Have you won any games with it?"
Johnny: "That's exactly the point, Spike. Sometimes some of us don't always want to win, which we all agree is fun. But sometimes it's more fun to just relax and have a good time doing creative things like putting together really cool seven card combos while your opponents sit there in awe, especially when your opponents are your friends! Anyone can copy a net deck and go win a tournament with a bit of luck. But not just anyone can create original ideas upon seeing the deep interaction of esoteric junk rares that no one would otherwise think twice about."
Timmy: "Huh?"
Spike: "Whatever. Winning's fun. If it don't win, what's the point of the deck?"
Johnny: "Fun! There are other ways to have fun with Magic than just winning. Some players enjoy the challenge of creating a good deck with certain limitations placed upon them. That's what Tribal decks are all about. And Block decks. And Singleton/Highlander decks. And..."
Spike: "Hey, I like winning tournaments in those formats. Are you telling me that those are casual decks too?"
Johnny: "Yes, if your main goal is to have...FUN!
Spike: "OK. So as long as I'm having fun beating you down, then that's a casual deck?"
Johnny: "If you main goal is not winning. Casual decks let winning take a back seat to creativity, whether through cool original combos, or through really cool creatures, or through following a certain deck theme, like only including cards from one artist, or whatever."
Timmy: "Don't forget big creatures, too!"
Johnny: "Ya, that too."
Spike: "Ok, sounds like we've covered casual decks for now. Does anyone want to help me playtest my Faeries deck for tomorrow's tournament?"
Timmy: "Sure! Let me pull out my Wurm Deck! It'll eat those tiny 1/1 Bitterblossom tokens alive!"
Johnny: "And I'll enjoy playing with my new seven card combo deck based around Squire!"
Spike [muttering to himself]: "Heh heh! .....This'll be fun!"
Hope that clarifies the whole Casual Deck discussion! Good bye!
TestDrive
Creator of 300+ original CASUAL decks ready to play at any and all times! And remember, it's all about FUN, whatever your Spike, Johnny, or Timmy leanings. Goodbye!
being a person who usually plays g/r decks I can tell you this from playtesting and watching other matches at tournaments.
Cloudthresher, is probably your best options against the fae, simply because it has flash, if you can catch your opponent with his pants down then you can often wipe out his board, do not fall into the sower trap though, wiping their board only to have the thresher defect will not win you a game, make sure you have backup. (sucks against kithkin, if you do play it make sure they dont have mirrorweave, or they will kill you with your own creature)
firespout, is second best but ultimatly not as good, as it is easy to counter, if you do land the spell however you will wipe their board, except for those gay cliques (run needle drop HAHAHA). this is however brutal against the kithkin matchup as it will often molest everyone of their creatures. (be sure not to kill all of yours)
Raking Canopy- I had high hopes for this card but it simply is not good enough, it slows down the fae to the point of pure control until they get enough to cryptic bounce it and head shot you or just get the Mistbind/scion out, in which case they win in that fashion, I dont know about others, but I have seen this card simply underperform in tournament play.
I havent had much time to playtest block recently with school, but has anybody tried wild richochet in their sideboards against some decks, seems kinda strong in some matchups and i just have not been able to test its effects against faeries, I think it would be great against 5 color control (double mind spring yea)(double manniquin yea) and b/g (double profane you/primal me yea) not sure how it would interact with counterspells for faeries, guess conventional Eyes of Wisent and vexing shusher will have to do.
That is my two cents.
Although he forgot Vorthos!
Anyone wants to play against my BRG madwomen deck? Featuring lunatics as Braids, Lyzolda, and Savra having fun torturing poor souls.
Mi blog: http://japoniano.blogspot.com/
As for casual decks and players,it's all about fun. Sure,a casual player will cross over into competitive with their deck,sometimes losing badly,and sometimes winning big. But it's all about fun,like staying up til 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning,sitting around a kitchen table playing a big multiplayer game or sitting around playing craziness decks(5 color slivers,5 color Bringers deck,the craziest Legends deck I've ever seen,etc. etc.).
Casual players are also a group who just play for fun and will look for cards that they like,for different reasons(decks,the art,or they collect a certain artist). Thay are also the guys that will stay up until 3,4,5 or even 6 o'clock in the morning,playing their favorite games,favorite decks,and mostly just having fun.
R.I.P. Anthony Burkey
2 of the greatest friends I've ever had and in a better place now.
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My definition of casual decks is a line drawn in water. I still have my multiplayer Camel-deck intact, which is definately casual, altought I did once manage to get a 26/27 Camel, after staying alive with all 4 Deserts. (I also remember multiple Temper's and some co-operative opponents.) The deck's only creatures were 4 Camels.
I have also played a casual deck during Invasion PTQ with the white (Dega?) Sanctuary and Reckless Assault along with usual suspects, like Pyre Zombie and Spectral Lynx. It did always win at least one game out of a match, but it was definately more tuned to casual circles. It did beat Zvi's Solution handily though.
Nowadays my line propably gets drawn by the fact if I would play the deck in a REL 3 event. Still I'm taking a nearly casual deck to Finnish nationals two weeks from now, unless I can get some Eventide tech that would allow me the same edge that Dredge did last year.
BTW I got something from Tom that Finnish Post Office did not like. I'll send you an e-mail with more details, but suffice to say that it's summertime and summer trainees at postal offices are notoriously bad here. The address was painted over by me just to avoid more fan mail.
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