This thread is for the discussion of my latest article, Thirst for Knowledge: Another Side, Another Story. We would be grateful if you would let us know what you think, but please keep your comments on topic.
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You learn to appreciate Canadian weather once you've lived in the country for twenty years. Or rather, you learn to cope. The trade off is the ridiculously nice people.
Some BKs do have Burger Shots. It just so happens that Kitchener's doesn't. It's a pretty small city too so they might be behind the times. And what's missing from the McDonald's menus?
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I don't know why you hate Canadian McDonald's--Americans are supposed to be the fat ones, but the only place I've ever been able to order a Double Big Mac was in Toronto.
I have to stop listening to you Shin! You're sucking lately =(
PS: The same thing happened to me at Regionals, gotta love playing against 2 Rafiqs and 3 BR Aggros while all the tables around you are BW and GW Tokens (which are your best matchups).
Luckily I pulled through at the PTQ in Seattle. 5cBlood FTW.
Thank Ari Lax for me, and tell him to write more articles, he got me a plane ticket to austin in that 350 person PTQ.
As for the article, I like it. I don't like the Canadian bashing, since, well, I'm a Canadian... but i see where you are coming from. How far of a drive was the PTQ from where you live? Doesn't seem like it was worth it at all.
Don't sweat the "apparent" Canada-bashing too much, guys and gals. The irony of it is that Shin, himself, is Canadian, as least in part. Somewhere on his father's side, I do believe.
It really is funny hearing you go on and on regarding Canada, Chris. I've only had good experiences when visiting the Great White North. Oh, well. Better luck next time, if here is a next time. Nice read, though, as always.
Nice article. Sucks when you run straight into two bad MUs right off the bat.
Just curious, Shin: have you ever before been as much in love with a deck as you are with Fae? Because obviously it's a good and time tested strategy and all; but it always comes across as if Faeries are to you what the Packers are to a Green Bay native.
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I'd like to mention that kitchener should never be used as a valid sample of what canada is like.
I managed to miss the ptq because of the earlier registration time though on the way in I saw GW tokens everywhere. The only 2 decks I saw were GW tokens and Swans.
I was also at the Kitchener PTQ and we had about 12 players from the Rochester/Buffalo NY area up there. There was an absurd amount of Revillark there for what should have been a B/W and Swans Metagame. I ended up going 4-2 with the BWg Sigil Captain Tokens deck, but only one of our ranks made the top 8. There was also a boatload of players playing Elf-Ball and nobody playing Turbo-Fog... Its like they got the memo but because it was canada it got faxed to them and the fax was cut off just before the swans deck.
Also, Why does Canada never have Wi-Fi, its not like they are a country in poverty!?!
Otherwise, Kitchener was really good, it was sunny most of the day (although a bit cold waiting outside in the morning) and they had a bar called 'The Whale and Ale Pub'.... how can you go wrong with that.
PS- I'm the guy that killed a dude Turn 6 after he went T2 Bitter T3 Spectral T4 Ajani T5 Cloudgoat... REDCAP COMBO FTW!!!!
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Canada bashing FTL. How the hell can you not like Tim Horton's? It's like a strictly better version of Dunkin' Donuts. And have you TRIED Canadian beer? It's about 4 times better than what we have here.
I was at this PTQ and I seen an absurd amount of faeries being played (On top of me playing 3 of them in rounds 2-4). Turbo fog I ebat thanks to overrun round 1, and the rest were bw tokens, which I believe is in my favor.
But anyway, how has Tim Hortan's warranted your hatred? It's one of the few things us Canadians have to be proud of.
Nicely done article as usual. It sucks that you met your worse matchups right away, but at least you handled it, and wrote about it very well. Nice Kingdom Hearts reference in the title, by the way.
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I edit my posts a lot after submitting them. Deal with it.
Ok so Canada wasn't the greatest idea, and i can attest to some pretty ****** metagaming going on up there, but i think we all played the correct decks, even if they contained a lava axe for good measure (gotta love jason).
On another note, our stop at tim hortons was easily the highlight of the trip, i dont care what you say! anywho, great article chris, hopefully next time we can get a real meta so you dont have to drop and lose to an armadillo cloak in a side event.
Hey Shin, it’s the annoying RB aggro guy again! First and foremost, know that this was again an enjoyable read for me, and that I still appreciate your column.
However, I think you know what I came here to say.
At this point, I was both shocked and a little upset. The biggest question was why this guy had chosen to play a deck that could not beat Swans just a week after the deck had won a Grand Prix. I also had to wonder how unlucky I was to have to play against RB Aggro in the first round of the tournament. The match-up is far from unwinnable, but it is very challenging and most times comes down to the quality of draws from the two players.
You are very well aware that a RB aggro deck adapted to beat Swans put Charles Gerndon Dupont into the Top 4 in Seattle, and you again chose very consciously to not say a single damn word about it, in my opinion because you don’t want to admit you might be wrong, and because you hate the deck.
For me, the thing that clearly demonstrates your bias on this matter is what I bolded. Without statistics, I won’t be able to state this as a fact, but I am pretty sure that a RB deck tweaked to beat Swans has a better win percentage against Swans than a Faerie deck against RB, no matter how much its pilot tries to prepare for it. I might be wrong on the scale : it may be around equal instead of better. But still, saying that RB simply can’t beat Swans, something Dupont clearly proved isn’t true, and then saying that Faerie’s matchup with RB is far from unwinnable doesn’t make any sense to me.
I think the Doran deck might make a comeback due to its win at the Grand Prix, but I can't say for how long. I didn't think much of the deck even though it won the event, as I hate decks like that. It was mostly an aggro deck that had a midrange game plan, and that just doesn't do much for me. It's obviously a pretty solid archetype considering that it won a large pro-level tournament, but I definitely think that Grand Prix should have been Fae's, without a doubt.
That one really made me smile. Re-read this paragraph, and then try again to tell me that you are not biased.
Here’s my own biased opinion : considering the number of Fae’s in the Top 8, I think that Grand Prix should have been BR’s, without a doubt. With a little more luck, Dupont could very well have beaten Massicard 2-1 on the back of its Terminates and Deathmarks, and he then would have proceeded to burn Lundquist to ashes in the finals.
I want to insist again on the fact that I don’t hate you at all for your bias, that I like your articles and that I’ll keep reading them. I’m just gonna take them for what they are, aka personal thoughts from a very good but imperfect, biased player, as every other Magic player is to some degree. I expect you to take any comments I post the same way.
I'm a former judge (lapsed), who keeps up to date on rules and policy. Keep in mind that judges' answers aren't necessarily more valid than those of people who aren't judges; what matters is we can quote the rules to back up our answers. When in doubt, ask for such quotes.
Good article. What I'm surprised about, though, is how nobody is mentioning anything about GB Pulse Elves with Leech or Cryptic-less Blood (Jund Cascade Aggro). I've been seeing both quite a bit at least around Ann Arbor.
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I love how some people discount winning decks and winning plays despite the fact that they, you know, win.
Reminds me of the B/W mirror I played in round 2 of MI regionals. After crushing the guy round 1 (he made literally no plays) I sided out 4 Tidehollow Sculler for 4 Wrath, 3 Path to Exile for 2 Puppeteer Clique and an Elspeth. We got into an attrition war, and his bitterblossom got him to 3 life. I played Murderous Redcap, knocked him to 1 and passed the turn. He proceeded to ***** "You keep that jank MD against the mirrror!?" "Yeah, for exactly this reason," I replied. "Seems narrow and a bad reason to me," he said. Yeah, not that I won or anything (and no, bitterblossom isn't the only reason to keep redcap maindeck, but that is beside the point!).
So, nice hate on Canada and the Doran deck. Apparently anything that challenges Shin's perception of reality must be bad. Take off the blinders, and maybe you'll get to see round 3 next time.
So, nice hate on Canada and the Doran deck. Apparently anything that challenge's Shin's perception of reality must be bad. Take off the blinders, and maybe you'll get to see round 3 next time.
Harsh but true, I think Chris will discount things if they aren't from someone "proven" and just because something did well doesn't nessesarily mean a deck is good. The swans deck for instance is one of the most easily disrupted combos we have seen in a long time. Its speed and consistancy make it "better" than say elf ball but....then again is that deck even real? Its got a great surprise factor and was a perfect metagame call. But it has no resiliency.
You learn to appreciate Canadian weather once you've lived in the country for twenty years. Or rather, you learn to cope. The trade off is the ridiculously nice people.
I'm sure the sun shines there once in a while (I'll admit it was sunny the day we left, as if the country itself was celebrating my departure). The people are certainly very nice, which I'm sure is something that I'm creeped out by simply because I'm used to everyone being an ******* here in America.
Some BKs do have Burger Shots. It just so happens that Kitchener's doesn't. It's a pretty small city too so they might be behind the times. And what's missing from the McDonald's menus?
Yeah, I've heard that it was just a single-chain-only thing, which seems acceptable. I love me some Burger Shots, you see. As far as McD's is concerned, it wasn't that anything was missing, but rather that I was jealous that they had things I didn't have. They have an Angus Burger and whatnot, and I had this delicious Southern chicken or something with a hot sauce or some crap on it all on a huge bun. It was good, and I demand it Stateside. Of course, I'm sure it's just that we don't have it here in Michigan is all...
Quote from Namida »
I don't know why you hate Canadian McDonald's--Americans are supposed to be the fat ones, but the only place I've ever been able to order a Double Big Mac was in Toronto.
THERE'S A DOUBLE BIG MAC!!!??
Quote from Sulendil »
Wow, I never realise there's people who dislike nice people.
Like I said, just not used to it.
BTW, I think your case is more of a bad luck, Chris. Faeries, despite my hatred towards it, is a very solid choice for PTQ.
While I honestly don't believe in luck all that much, it was rather unfortunate that I didn't play against any of my solid match-ups that day instead of my dreadful ones.
Quote from Vinceisg0d »
I have to stop listening to you Shin! You're sucking lately =(
Gosh, thanks.
Luckily I pulled through at the PTQ in Seattle. 5cBlood FTW.
Thank Ari Lax for me, and tell him to write more articles, he got me a plane ticket to austin in that 350 person PTQ.
I'm sure he'll read this.
As for the article, I like it. I don't like the Canadian bashing, since, well, I'm a Canadian... but i see where you are coming from.
Think of it more as flattery. You have to be doing something right in order to earn my hatred.
How far of a drive was the PTQ from where you live? Doesn't seem like it was worth it at all.
It was a good five hours, and it was definitely not worth it. Or, well, of course it was. Each failed trip gets me closer to one that isn't, and you don't get better by winning all the time - you have to get blown out by bad match-ups in the first two rounds, and you have to make tons of play mistakes in crucial games in order to learn what it is that separates the champs from the chumps.
Quote from PandasRpeople2 »
Just curious, Shin: have you ever before been as much in love with a deck as you are with Fae? Because obviously it's a good and time tested strategy and all; but it always comes across as if Faeries are to you what the Packers are to a Green Bay native.
I love Faeries more than air.
Quote from Dyne »
There was actually a Fae deck that made it to top 4 in that PTQ. He lost to BW in 3.
Yeah, I had heard something about that but had no confirmation. I saw a Faerie mirror at the first table in round four or something. Match-ups, match-ups, match-ups. I don't feel like, at least against the BR player, that I made any mistakes that cost me the match. He just had a good match-up and decent draws. Oh well.
It's funny, I met all the americans there, just didn't realize you were one of them, lol.
I might have met you. Anything you did that might have made you stand out?
Quote from Fons »
No mention of the great side events? Pack warring with foreign invasion was hilarious. To bad the Homelands draft didn't happen.
The best part? Read Urborg Phantom. I was running sick cheats, and none of it was on purpose.
Quote from DemonicVenoM »
I was also at the Kitchener PTQ and we had about 12 players from the Rochester/Buffalo NY area up there. There was an absurd amount of Revillark there for what should have been a B/W and Swans Metagame. I ended up going 4-2 with the BWg Sigil Captain Tokens deck, but only one of our ranks made the top 8. There was also a boatload of players playing Elf-Ball and nobody playing Turbo-Fog... Its like they got the memo but because it was canada it got faxed to them and the fax was cut off just before the swans deck.
That was exactly how I felt.
Also, Why does Canada never have Wi-Fi, its not like they are a country in poverty!?!
All I wanted to do after I dropped was play MODO. But nooooooooo.
Otherwise, Kitchener was really good, it was sunny most of the day (although a bit cold waiting outside in the morning) and they had a bar called 'The Whale and Ale Pub'.... how can you go wrong with that.
I saw that!
PS- I'm the guy that killed a dude Turn 6 after he went T2 Bitter T3 Spectral T4 Ajani T5 Cloudgoat... REDCAP COMBO FTW!!!!
Epic win?
Quote from Tyler Durden »
Canada bashing FTL. How the hell can you not like Tim Horton's? It's like a strictly better version of Dunkin' Donuts. And have you TRIED Canadian beer? It's about 4 times better than what we have here.
I used to like Tim Horton's. But that was before it was on every corner. I understand that Seattle is the same with Starbucks, but I live in MICHIGAN. However, I did pick up a IceCapp on the way home. It's like Jesus, but in your mouth.
Quote from Shadowmancer711 »
Nicely done article as usual. It sucks that you met your worse matchups right away, but at least you handled it, and wrote about it very well.
I take losing hard, but I reflect on it very well. I'm glad you see that in my writing.
Nice Kingdom Hearts reference in the title, by the way.
You get a gold star, sir. I applaud you for being totally awesome.
Quote from MadMageQc »
You are very well aware that a RB aggro deck adapted to beat Swans put Charles Gerndon Dupont into the Top 4 in Seattle, and you again chose very consciously to not say a single damn word about it, in my opinion because you don’t want to admit you might be wrong, and because you hate the deck.
When you compare RB to any other deck in the meta, the only decks that fail more vs Swans are the token decks. That was my point. I mean, if I was expecting a sea of Swans decks, there's no way that I'd even consider that deck.
As far as your accusation is concerned, I assure you this has nothing to do with me...uhm, "not admitting when I'm wrong." You realize that this is a matter of opinion, right? And that, in my opinion, RB aggro does nothing to break the "red decks that play nothing but burn and dudes are bad" tradition? Like, it's certainly a better deck that a lot of red decks of the past, but it's still not tier one and still not a deck I'd ever feel confident playing (and that has everything to do with the deck, and not the pilot in this case). You were right about one thing, though: I do certainly hate the deck. And NO, not because it beats Faeries. But because it just doesn't beat much of anything else. Epic fails vs decks with white mana, and can never actually beat a Loxodon Warhammer. I think the deck is awful, and there is absolutely no rule that says I need to think otherwise, author or not. I never said it "wasn't a deck," and I'd never say not to be prepared for it going into an event. However, you'll never hear me recommend the deck to anyone for a tournament because I can't fathom a metagame where that would ever be a good idea.. I don't like the deck, and whether or not you're convinced that it's a genuine dislike or a biased Faerie player getting pissy is not for me to worry myself over.
For me, the thing that clearly demonstrates your bias on this matter is what I bolded. Without statistics, I won’t be able to state this as a fact, but I am pretty sure that a RB deck tweaked to beat Swans has a better win percentage against Swans than a Faerie deck against RB, no matter how much its pilot tries to prepare for it. I might be wrong on the scale : it may be around equal instead of better. But still, saying that RB simply can’t beat Swans, something Dupont clearly proved isn’t true, and then saying that Faerie’s matchup with RB is far from unwinnable doesn’t make any sense to me.
You took the first part too seriously. Saying "RB can't beat Swans" is the same as saying "Faeries can't beat RB." Both are true to some degree, but both are also obvious overgeneralizations. Of course RB can beat Swans - it's just not likely. And as far as Dupont is concerned, do you really know how many Swans decks he played against? Besides, how many of RB's wins vs that deck are all about burning them out before the combo goes off? RB can easily win in turn four when completely unhindered.
That one really made me smile. Re-read this paragraph, and then try again to tell me that you are not biased.
Does it matter if I am or not? If I think Faeries is the best deck in the format and I recommend it to you to play in my article, how is that bad information if it's what I believe? How do you not become biased? I know the match-ups for all the format's decks inside and out, and I still love Fae. I'm "biased" for a reason, you know - the deck is simply that good, and especially now. Besides, give me credit where its due: two weeks ago I said Fae was dead, despite my love for it. And weeks before that, I wrote an entire article about RB aggro. Like, I can't please you all the time.
Here’s my own biased opinion : considering the number of Fae’s in the Top 8, I think that Grand Prix should have been BR’s, without a doubt. With a little more luck, Dupont could very well have beaten Massicard 2-1 on the back of its Terminates and Deathmarks, and he then would have proceeded to burn Lundquist to ashes in the finals.
I think the deck that has 5/8 of the Top 8 slots is the obvious winner, as far as this sort of thing is concerned.
I want to insist again on the fact that I don’t hate you at all for your bias, that I like your articles and that I’ll keep reading them. I’m just gonna take them for what they are, aka personal thoughts from a very good but imperfect, biased player, as every other Magic player is to some degree. I expect you to take any comments I post the same way.
I like criticism - it makes you better at whatever it is you're trying to do. I do, however, think you're overthinking a lot of the things I say. For example, I do no hate Canada, but many of the Canadian posters probably have that impression. I suppose it's just how I act, and I can't help that. Make no mistake, though - I do hate RB. I think it's a terrible deck. However, I realize that it IS a deck and I would never discount it just because I hate it. However, I will not yield in any attempt to explain why I find it bad as a deck choice, and that is what you might be mistaking for a bias.
Quote from Sulendil »
BTW, Shin, I just wonder, why you keep posting new threads for your article, even you have posted one? Is it a bug or something?
I'm so awesome, my articles need SIX comment threads.
But in all seriousness, it's a bug. I don't actually post this topic - it's done automatically.
Quote from CaptShetz »
So, nice hate on Canada and the Doran deck. Apparently anything that challenge's Shin's perception of reality must be bad. Take off the blinders, and maybe you'll get to see round 3 next time.
There were about a zillion ways to say this without sounding like a jerk, but I suppose you got your point across. I think the problem is that, as far as Canada goes, you don't get my humor. Which is fine. As far as the Doran deck goes, I think it was by FAR the worst deck in the Top 8 (well, aside from the RB deck). This is actually not a bias at all, but rather just how I feel about the Doran deck (ask anyone who personally knows me). This isn't about me "ragging on the deck that won," dude. This is me thinking little of the deck that did happen to win. Had Michael Jacob won, I'd have had no complaints (after Ari lost, I was definitely rooting for MJ). Had a UW Lark deck Top 8'd, and then won, I'd have been fine with it. Had a token deck done it, I'd have been fine. I just don't think much of Doran as a deck, and I think RB is trash. I have logical reasonings behind it, and thus I'm not sure why I'm getting the shaft for having an opinion.
And about your last comment - what I want to say, I can't here. But just know that me not making it to round three had NOTHING to do with ANYTHING you just ragged on me for. But for your amusement, the next time I 0-2 I'll be sure to not drop so I can make it to round three and prove you wrong.
Quote from cjames123 »
Harsh but true, I think Chris will discount things if they aren't from someone "proven"
That's the funny thing about respect, right?
and just because something did well doesn't nessesarily mean a deck is good.
Dude, I think it's time you accept that Faeries is no longer king of the meta-game and either play Bloodbraid.dec or Tokens. I haven't seen Faeries do anything noteable since Conflux and after all these bogus Tournament Reports I think you need to move on. Seriously your starting to remind me of the Teachings players who held on with the deck after Rav rotated and Lorwyn took the stage. I don't mean this in a demeaning manner either, because I consider you one of the better players on this board with a great deal of knowledge and since your a person with common sense I think if you look at your recent record with Faeries, you'll see what I talking about.
Anyway, to actually post something worthwhile on this thread, Ima have to side with TalonX and some other guys on this thread so far, Shin. While Faeries is obviously not dead, I don't believe it's the deck of choice anymore. No matter how comfortable you are with a deck, if you're not having success with it, I would switch it for another deck, like 5Color Blood or even 5Color Control. I dunno, it just seems like you've been having poor luck with Fae, so maybe you should try to switch it up.
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Some BKs do have Burger Shots. It just so happens that Kitchener's doesn't. It's a pretty small city too so they might be behind the times. And what's missing from the McDonald's menus?
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BTW, I think your case is more of a bad luck, Chris. Faeries, despite my hatred towards it, is a very solid choice for PTQ.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
PS: The same thing happened to me at Regionals, gotta love playing against 2 Rafiqs and 3 BR Aggros while all the tables around you are BW and GW Tokens (which are your best matchups).
Luckily I pulled through at the PTQ in Seattle. 5cBlood FTW.
Thank Ari Lax for me, and tell him to write more articles, he got me a plane ticket to austin in that 350 person PTQ.
As for the article, I like it. I don't like the Canadian bashing, since, well, I'm a Canadian... but i see where you are coming from. How far of a drive was the PTQ from where you live? Doesn't seem like it was worth it at all.
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It really is funny hearing you go on and on regarding Canada, Chris. I've only had good experiences when visiting the Great White North. Oh, well. Better luck next time, if here is a next time. Nice read, though, as always.
Courtesy is contagious. Go out and catch some.
<Sigh> My quest for intelligent life on the internet continues.
Just curious, Shin: have you ever before been as much in love with a deck as you are with Fae? Because obviously it's a good and time tested strategy and all; but it always comes across as if Faeries are to you what the Packers are to a Green Bay native.
It's funny, I met all the americans there, just didn't realize you were one of them, lol.
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I managed to miss the ptq because of the earlier registration time though on the way in I saw GW tokens everywhere. The only 2 decks I saw were GW tokens and Swans.
PS 2 Faerie decks t8ed.
Also, Why does Canada never have Wi-Fi, its not like they are a country in poverty!?!
Otherwise, Kitchener was really good, it was sunny most of the day (although a bit cold waiting outside in the morning) and they had a bar called 'The Whale and Ale Pub'.... how can you go wrong with that.
PS- I'm the guy that killed a dude Turn 6 after he went T2 Bitter T3 Spectral T4 Ajani T5 Cloudgoat... REDCAP COMBO FTW!!!!
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'Nuff Said
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But anyway, how has Tim Hortan's warranted your hatred? It's one of the few things us Canadians have to be proud of.
On another note, our stop at tim hortons was easily the highlight of the trip, i dont care what you say! anywho, great article chris, hopefully next time we can get a real meta so you dont have to drop and lose to an armadillo cloak in a side event.
However, I think you know what I came here to say.
You are very well aware that a RB aggro deck adapted to beat Swans put Charles Gerndon Dupont into the Top 4 in Seattle, and you again chose very consciously to not say a single damn word about it, in my opinion because you don’t want to admit you might be wrong, and because you hate the deck.
For me, the thing that clearly demonstrates your bias on this matter is what I bolded. Without statistics, I won’t be able to state this as a fact, but I am pretty sure that a RB deck tweaked to beat Swans has a better win percentage against Swans than a Faerie deck against RB, no matter how much its pilot tries to prepare for it. I might be wrong on the scale : it may be around equal instead of better. But still, saying that RB simply can’t beat Swans, something Dupont clearly proved isn’t true, and then saying that Faerie’s matchup with RB is far from unwinnable doesn’t make any sense to me.
That one really made me smile. Re-read this paragraph, and then try again to tell me that you are not biased.
Here’s my own biased opinion : considering the number of Fae’s in the Top 8, I think that Grand Prix should have been BR’s, without a doubt. With a little more luck, Dupont could very well have beaten Massicard 2-1 on the back of its Terminates and Deathmarks, and he then would have proceeded to burn Lundquist to ashes in the finals.
I want to insist again on the fact that I don’t hate you at all for your bias, that I like your articles and that I’ll keep reading them. I’m just gonna take them for what they are, aka personal thoughts from a very good but imperfect, biased player, as every other Magic player is to some degree. I expect you to take any comments I post the same way.
Good article. What I'm surprised about, though, is how nobody is mentioning anything about GB Pulse Elves with Leech or Cryptic-less Blood (Jund Cascade Aggro). I've been seeing both quite a bit at least around Ann Arbor.
^^Thanks dantcg!
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
Reminds me of the B/W mirror I played in round 2 of MI regionals. After crushing the guy round 1 (he made literally no plays) I sided out 4 Tidehollow Sculler for 4 Wrath, 3 Path to Exile for 2 Puppeteer Clique and an Elspeth. We got into an attrition war, and his bitterblossom got him to 3 life. I played Murderous Redcap, knocked him to 1 and passed the turn. He proceeded to ***** "You keep that jank MD against the mirrror!?" "Yeah, for exactly this reason," I replied. "Seems narrow and a bad reason to me," he said. Yeah, not that I won or anything (and no, bitterblossom isn't the only reason to keep redcap maindeck, but that is beside the point!).
So, nice hate on Canada and the Doran deck. Apparently anything that challenges Shin's perception of reality must be bad. Take off the blinders, and maybe you'll get to see round 3 next time.
Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc
Harsh but true, I think Chris will discount things if they aren't from someone "proven" and just because something did well doesn't nessesarily mean a deck is good. The swans deck for instance is one of the most easily disrupted combos we have seen in a long time. Its speed and consistancy make it "better" than say elf ball but....then again is that deck even real? Its got a great surprise factor and was a perfect metagame call. But it has no resiliency.
I'm sure the sun shines there once in a while (I'll admit it was sunny the day we left, as if the country itself was celebrating my departure). The people are certainly very nice, which I'm sure is something that I'm creeped out by simply because I'm used to everyone being an ******* here in America.
Yeah, I've heard that it was just a single-chain-only thing, which seems acceptable. I love me some Burger Shots, you see. As far as McD's is concerned, it wasn't that anything was missing, but rather that I was jealous that they had things I didn't have. They have an Angus Burger and whatnot, and I had this delicious Southern chicken or something with a hot sauce or some crap on it all on a huge bun. It was good, and I demand it Stateside. Of course, I'm sure it's just that we don't have it here in Michigan is all...
THERE'S A DOUBLE BIG MAC!!!??
Like I said, just not used to it.
While I honestly don't believe in luck all that much, it was rather unfortunate that I didn't play against any of my solid match-ups that day instead of my dreadful ones.
Gosh, thanks.
I'm sure he'll read this.
Think of it more as flattery. You have to be doing something right in order to earn my hatred.
It was a good five hours, and it was definitely not worth it. Or, well, of course it was. Each failed trip gets me closer to one that isn't, and you don't get better by winning all the time - you have to get blown out by bad match-ups in the first two rounds, and you have to make tons of play mistakes in crucial games in order to learn what it is that separates the champs from the chumps.
I love Faeries more than air.
Yeah, I had heard something about that but had no confirmation. I saw a Faerie mirror at the first table in round four or something. Match-ups, match-ups, match-ups. I don't feel like, at least against the BR player, that I made any mistakes that cost me the match. He just had a good match-up and decent draws. Oh well.
I might have met you. Anything you did that might have made you stand out?
The best part? Read Urborg Phantom. I was running sick cheats, and none of it was on purpose.
That was exactly how I felt.
All I wanted to do after I dropped was play MODO. But nooooooooo.
I saw that!
Epic win?
I used to like Tim Horton's. But that was before it was on every corner. I understand that Seattle is the same with Starbucks, but I live in MICHIGAN. However, I did pick up a IceCapp on the way home. It's like Jesus, but in your mouth.
I take losing hard, but I reflect on it very well. I'm glad you see that in my writing.
You get a gold star, sir. I applaud you for being totally awesome.
When you compare RB to any other deck in the meta, the only decks that fail more vs Swans are the token decks. That was my point. I mean, if I was expecting a sea of Swans decks, there's no way that I'd even consider that deck.
As far as your accusation is concerned, I assure you this has nothing to do with me...uhm, "not admitting when I'm wrong." You realize that this is a matter of opinion, right? And that, in my opinion, RB aggro does nothing to break the "red decks that play nothing but burn and dudes are bad" tradition? Like, it's certainly a better deck that a lot of red decks of the past, but it's still not tier one and still not a deck I'd ever feel confident playing (and that has everything to do with the deck, and not the pilot in this case). You were right about one thing, though: I do certainly hate the deck. And NO, not because it beats Faeries. But because it just doesn't beat much of anything else. Epic fails vs decks with white mana, and can never actually beat a Loxodon Warhammer. I think the deck is awful, and there is absolutely no rule that says I need to think otherwise, author or not. I never said it "wasn't a deck," and I'd never say not to be prepared for it going into an event. However, you'll never hear me recommend the deck to anyone for a tournament because I can't fathom a metagame where that would ever be a good idea.. I don't like the deck, and whether or not you're convinced that it's a genuine dislike or a biased Faerie player getting pissy is not for me to worry myself over.
You took the first part too seriously. Saying "RB can't beat Swans" is the same as saying "Faeries can't beat RB." Both are true to some degree, but both are also obvious overgeneralizations. Of course RB can beat Swans - it's just not likely. And as far as Dupont is concerned, do you really know how many Swans decks he played against? Besides, how many of RB's wins vs that deck are all about burning them out before the combo goes off? RB can easily win in turn four when completely unhindered.
Does it matter if I am or not? If I think Faeries is the best deck in the format and I recommend it to you to play in my article, how is that bad information if it's what I believe? How do you not become biased? I know the match-ups for all the format's decks inside and out, and I still love Fae. I'm "biased" for a reason, you know - the deck is simply that good, and especially now. Besides, give me credit where its due: two weeks ago I said Fae was dead, despite my love for it. And weeks before that, I wrote an entire article about RB aggro. Like, I can't please you all the time.
I think the deck that has 5/8 of the Top 8 slots is the obvious winner, as far as this sort of thing is concerned.
I like criticism - it makes you better at whatever it is you're trying to do. I do, however, think you're overthinking a lot of the things I say. For example, I do no hate Canada, but many of the Canadian posters probably have that impression. I suppose it's just how I act, and I can't help that. Make no mistake, though - I do hate RB. I think it's a terrible deck. However, I realize that it IS a deck and I would never discount it just because I hate it. However, I will not yield in any attempt to explain why I find it bad as a deck choice, and that is what you might be mistaking for a bias.
I'm so awesome, my articles need SIX comment threads.
But in all seriousness, it's a bug. I don't actually post this topic - it's done automatically.
There were about a zillion ways to say this without sounding like a jerk, but I suppose you got your point across. I think the problem is that, as far as Canada goes, you don't get my humor. Which is fine. As far as the Doran deck goes, I think it was by FAR the worst deck in the Top 8 (well, aside from the RB deck). This is actually not a bias at all, but rather just how I feel about the Doran deck (ask anyone who personally knows me). This isn't about me "ragging on the deck that won," dude. This is me thinking little of the deck that did happen to win. Had Michael Jacob won, I'd have had no complaints (after Ari lost, I was definitely rooting for MJ). Had a UW Lark deck Top 8'd, and then won, I'd have been fine with it. Had a token deck done it, I'd have been fine. I just don't think much of Doran as a deck, and I think RB is trash. I have logical reasonings behind it, and thus I'm not sure why I'm getting the shaft for having an opinion.
And about your last comment - what I want to say, I can't here. But just know that me not making it to round three had NOTHING to do with ANYTHING you just ragged on me for. But for your amusement, the next time I 0-2 I'll be sure to not drop so I can make it to round three and prove you wrong.
That's the funny thing about respect, right?
Exactly.
Read my Constructed column on Star City, Thirst for Knowledge!
View my MTGS-era TFK articles here!
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=5401186#post5401186
*likes this*
Wait, this isn't facebook?
Anyway, to actually post something worthwhile on this thread, Ima have to side with TalonX and some other guys on this thread so far, Shin. While Faeries is obviously not dead, I don't believe it's the deck of choice anymore. No matter how comfortable you are with a deck, if you're not having success with it, I would switch it for another deck, like 5Color Blood or even 5Color Control. I dunno, it just seems like you've been having poor luck with Fae, so maybe you should try to switch it up.
Akuma will wreck you.