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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 3:39AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2010
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I remember playing Magic back in the day. Time was, lifegain was considered so overpowered that many of what you now call playgroups would impose a cap. That's right. You couldn't go over twenty-five life. I remember playing 12-card shotgun, no direct damage, final destination.
There was a time when we all giggled at the titty jokes of Inquest, and cheered when Magic beat all the other card games in the crossover battles.
But all that's behind us now, isn't it?
I put forth the proposition that Magic has grown moribund. The paradigm, if you can call it that, of tourney play, was hoisted upon us promotionally by WOTC. Or was it? Time has blurred that line...but formal play made the game into something different. Nowadays, you get sneered at for playing that Pikemen turn one with your Moxen.
We lost something along the way, something good. Where did all the unique metas go? The Internets broke them, methinks. Nowadays, it's seemingly acceptable to print cards that win games on their own, so long as you've stabilized. You get Overwhelming Stampeded, or whatever, and that's game. It's Fireball all over again, except it only requires five lands out.
You've lost your charm, Magic. Netdecking, that rampant ****ry, of which I'm solely culpable in my meta, is here to stay. Alas and alack! Where did all the innovative designs go? Cards are evaluated, nay, torn apart, in the span of instants, when unveiled. I think the internet is the worst thing that ever happened to Magic. And my point got lost somewhere along the way.
Hairy Runeswords. Lhurgoyf. Shelkin Brownie  . That was Magic. I love lamp.
PS: Innistrad  kicks ass.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 4:11AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jan 25, 2008
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Try playing Limited.
I think you might like it.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 4:30AM
#3
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Date Joined:
Jan 17, 2005
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remember playing Magic back in the day. Time was, lifegain was considered so overpowered that many of what you now call playgroups would impose a cap. That's right. You couldn't go over twenty-five life. I remember playing 12-card shotgun, no direct damage, final destination.
Life gain wasn't ever considered overpowered where I played  That said, lifegain is something that new players tend to overvalue. And the internet does make it easier to learn why most pure lifegain cards are not worth playing over other cards. But I've explained that lesson to plenty of people in person as well. Of course, the internet also tends to be a harsh place when it comes to stating things. So people will take the lessons it teaches as ironclad rules, and therefore undervalue certain things.
As for netdecking, yeah, on one level it sucks. I like seeing lots of rogue decks, different strategies played. But most people are not good deck builders. To do it takes time, access to cards, and just a certain innate capacity. If you've got those things, you can rogue deckbuild at most FNM environments and do fine.
Anyway, it mostly has to do with play environment. If you play with more hardcore types, you'll see more hardcore strategies. If you play casual kitchen table magic, you'll see more variety of cards played. And there's always multiplayer, which opens up other options, since the rest of the players can work together to keep the more powerful decks in check. I used to have a minotaur tribal deck for MP play  And even for FNM level play, if you're in a city, you've probably got a variety of places you could play. One will be the hardcore, top tournament deck scene. But some other will most likely be a bit more casual, more rogue deckish.
So, short version, it is just a matter of finding the right people to play with.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 5:52AM
#4
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I have a some empathy for what you're saying Neo. The internet has taken a lot of the mystery and exploration out of the game by giving the player the ability search up cards, combos, entire decks, with the click of a mouse. It's difficult for me to say whether the internet was posting tournament-play decks in response to the high-level play witnessed or if the decks posted caused people to find cards and combos that were then implemented for tournaments, but it caused a brutally efficient way of thinking and playing the game. I personally keep a few decks that come to my defense at FNM or during large multiplayer games because as much fun as all of my decks are, it's far less fun watching my creatures get zapped to ashes one by one before they get to affect the board. Also, I had a few friends with cards like alabaster potion  and reverse damage  as a kid, and we capped lifegain at 60, heheh.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 12:27PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2010
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Try playing Limited.
I think you might like it.
Limited's alright, I guess. I find though that the blue players tend to always win, and that's not something you can just emulate, because the blue players will then have two people drinking from the same pond. So I always end up with black/red Scathe Zombies.dec
There's also the ability to own any card you want with the click of a button nowadays, as Hallow36 says. On the upside you can tailor decks a lot more.
As for lifegain, I remember back in the day, the best that was available was Living Artifact  and Farmstead  ...maybe El Hajjaj. The lucky charms, too. It didn't seem like something that was really meant for MTG in the first place. Guess WotC overvalued it, too :P
One thing that sucks is the whole paradigm of tourney-centric play. Me, I'm happy with Type 1, dead as it is, because it keeps the prices down. It's fun to slaughter first turn with black Tendrils combo that costs under a hundred bucks (too bad the sideboard costs another 100 bucks) Yet you'll always find people who look through this lens of entitlement where apparently everyone should just have the best cards in Magic. Like dual lands. I have a deck that runs two and is three colour and thanks to all the other multicoloured lands never has to suffer for lack of coloured mana. At least price keeps an illusion of collectibility to the game.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 12:44PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2010
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Spoiler:
Show
My Decks
http://community.wizards.com/vennsvaults/go/forum/viewcategory/138835/Venns_Vaults
My Bronation Station
http://community.wizards.com/pony
My 1000th post! On Thursday 03/13/2011! Yay St. Patric's day.
How to play many other Casual Magic Formats
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75842/29198663/?sdb=1&pg=last#521400213
Many of these were on the Magic Resources Site years ago. It was removed around the time 2HG became a sanctioned format.
Purple Work Station
http://community.wizards.com/purpleworkstation/go/forum/viewboard
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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 2:51PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Nov 27, 2005
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Where did all the innovative designs go?
You know caw blade didn't come ready to play out of the booster box, right?
Zammm = Batman. Bronies unite."I'd call you a genius, but I'm in the room." It's my sig in a box
Show
Everything is better when you read it in Bane's voice.
Your human antics and desire to continue living have moved me. Just kidding. You cannot move me physically or emotionally. Wall humor.
Copy effects work like a photocopy machine: you get a copy of the 'naked' card, NOT of what's on it.
Funny story:
InQuest Magazine (I think it was InQuest) had an oversized Chaos Orb which I totally rooked someone into allowing into a (non-sanctioned) game.
I had a proxy card that was a Mountain with "Chaos Orb" written on it. When I played it, my opponent cried foul:
Him: "WTF? a Proxy? no-one said anything about Proxies. Do you even own an actual Chaos Orb?"
Me: "Yes, but I thought it would be better to use a Proxy."
Him: "No way. If you're going to put a Chaos Orb in your deck you have to use your actual Chaos Orb."
Me: "*Sigh*. Okay."
I pulled out this huge Chaos Orb and placed it on the table. He tried to cry foul again but everyone else said he insisted I use my actual Chaos Orb and that was my actual Chaos Orb. I used it, flipped it and wiped most of his board.
Unsurprisingly, that only worked once and only because everyone present thought it was hilarious. 
My DM on Battleminds:
no, see i can kill defenders, but 8 consecutive crits on a battlemind, eh walk it off.
Hi guys! So, I'm a sort of returning player to Magic. I say sort of because as a child I had two main TCG's I liked. Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokemon. Some of my friends branched off in to Magic, and I bought two pre-made decks just to kind of fit in. Like I said, Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon were what I really knew how to play. I have a extensive knowledge of deck building in those two TCG's. However, as far as Magic is concerned, I only ever used those two pre made decks. I know how the game is played, and I know general things, but now I want to get in the game for real. I want to begin playing it as a regular. My question is, are all cards ever released from the time of the inception of this game until present day fair game in a deck? Or are there special rules? Are some cards forbidden or restricted? Thanks guys, and I will gladly accept ANY help lol.
I have the same problem with women.
Is this my new ego sig? Yes it is, other Barry
Show
And that's why you should never, ever call RP Jesus on being a troll, because then everyone else playing along gets outed, too, and the thread goes back to being boring.
See, this is why RPJesus should be in charge of the storyline. The novel line would never have been cancelled if he had been running the show. Specifically the Slobad and Geth's Head talkshow he just described.
Not only was that an obligatory joke, it was an on-topic post that still managed to be off-topic due to thread derailment. RP Jesus does it again folks.
I think I'm gonna' start praying to Jesus... That's right, RPJesus, I'm gonna' be praying to you, right now.
O' Jesus
Please continue to make my time here on the forums fun and cause me to chuckle.
Amen.
It was wonderful. Us Johnnies had a field day. That Timmy with the Grizzly bears  would actually have to think about swinging into your Mogg Fanatic  , giving you time to set up your silly  combo  . Nowadays it's all DERPSWING! with thier blue jeans and their MP3 players and their EM EM OH AR PEE JEES and their "Dewmocracy" and their children's card games and their Jersey Shores and their Tattooed Tenaged Vampire Hunters from Beverly Hills 
Seriously, that was amazing. I laughed my *ss off. Made my day, and I just woke up.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 29, 2011 - 2:55PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2010
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@Artvenn: I'm glad you agree :D It truly was the best of times.
@RPJesus: Well...good thing people were so innovative then, amirite
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you loads