Filling the Gaps

[Encaen]

Filling the Gaps

Keeping your head in the game, even when your opponents take a break.

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[Jatyu]

Answer: The Etherium Abomination is exiled until end of turn, it is then returned to play.
It is not exiled eot, and if it would leave the battlefield again, it does so normally, without being exiled by unearth.

 

[deth2munkies]

^ Beat me to it, here's the ruling for confirmation:

* If a creature returned to play with unearth would leave play for any reason, it's removed from the game instead -- unless the spell or ability that's causing the creature to leave play is actually trying to remove it from the game! In that case, it succeeds at removing it from the game. If it later returns the creature card to play (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to play as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it.

Anyway, decent article, although you could mention that MTGO is going to be a large moneysink because the product costs just as much as the tangible version, though the price for singles is much lower.

 

[Encaen]

^ Beat me to it, here's the ruling for confirmation:

* If a creature returned to play with unearth would leave play for any reason, it's removed from the game instead -- unless the spell or ability that's causing the creature to leave play is actually trying to remove it from the game! In that case, it succeeds at removing it from the game. If it later returns the creature card to play (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to play as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it.

Anyway, decent article, although you could mention that MTGO is going to be a large moneysink because the product costs just as much as the tangible version, though the price for singles is much lower.

Awesome stuff! I was rather expecting a bevy of only-partially-correct answers, to be honest. I'm glad to see you both immediately got it!

As to MTGO, yeah, that's primarily why I've stuck to playing the Planeswalker format, you get a decent selection of cards, still have some fun building decks, and doesn't have nearly the buy-in that Standard does. Though I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much cheaper the singles are on MTGO.

 

[Draconalis]

Similarly, if you cast Redirect on a Go for the Throat controlled by your opponent, you can target a Hexproof creature they control, since they are still the controller of Go for the Throat thus making their Hexproof creature a legal target.

Oooooo... I did not know that. Good to know... Very good to know...

I still want to make time to play my Empires deck against you.

 

[CounterAttack]

Hmm... on the subject of Duels 2012, I've kinda grown bored of constantly beating the AI opponents, and I never like going online since it doesn't give you any time to play instants in your opponents' turns. My decks of choice are Machinations (Tezzeret) and Beknighted (one of the Deck Packs). Upgraded, of course, since why wouldn't you?

 

[Draconalis]

Hmm... on the subject of Duels 2012, I've kinda grown bored of constantly beating the AI opponents, and I never like going online since it doesn't give you any time to play instants in your opponents' turns.

A buddy and I were playing on-line once against computer opponents, and we were a "Correct assigning of blockers" away from winning. But there was so much on the field that it was hard to correctly assign blockers and the like, and there's apparently a hidden timer... we lost because of that BS.

I'm not a fan.

 

[CounterAttack]

-snip-

I know, right? I much prefer playing against human opponents face-to-face rather than online. Duels 2012 can give you some challenging options, especially when you play as the Archenemy, but online play is just mediocre.

 

[Frylock72]

I prefer paper Magic. Singles prices can get high, but I'm getting actual cards for my trouble and I don't need anything but my deck to play someone. Plus, at least for MTGO, if anything happens to your computer (you crash, you accidentally close out the program, the electricity goes out, etc.), you're out of luck if you were in a Limited format.

 

[Fleetfiend]

I definitely prefer paper magic, but I use a program called Cockatrice when I want to test out decks prior to investing in them, or when I just don't have anyone to play with.

I also know some people who test decks by taking cards that they would otherwise not use, and tape or sharpie the name of another card on the front, so they effectively become those card for the sake of playing. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me. xD

 

[Encaen]

Hmm... on the subject of Duels 2012, I've kinda grown bored of constantly beating the AI opponents, and I never like going online since it doesn't give you any time to play instants in your opponents' turns. My decks of choice are Machinations (Tezzeret) and Beknighted (one of the Deck Packs). Upgraded, of course, since why wouldn't you?

Ancient Depths, totally. I can't even imagine how many games I've played with that deck at this point, but there's nothing quite like hard casting a Legendary Eldrazi!

A buddy and I were playing on-line once against computer opponents, and we were a "Correct assigning of blockers" away from winning. But there was so much on the field that it was hard to correctly assign blockers and the like, and there's apparently a hidden timer... we lost because of that BS.

I'm not a fan.

Yeah, I've run into quite a few problems over the life of the game, but in general it's done better than expected at handling the various situations I've seen thrown at it. Blocking with a field full of creatures is definitely something that I hope they address if they decide to come out with another version, though.

I definitely prefer paper magic, but I use a program called Cockatrice when I want to test out decks prior to investing in them, or when I just don't have anyone to play with.

I also know some people who test decks by taking cards that they would otherwise not use, and tape or sharpie the name of another card on the front, so they effectively become those card for the sake of playing. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me. xD

I've heard of Cockatrice, but never actually used it myself. I tend to just use Tappedout.net for deck building and playtesting, since they've got a pretty robust playtest feature on site, and it's hassle free to use between different computers.

Also, I'm quite guilty of that myself. Mostly for testing against other decks that I'm not inclined to try to build out, but I want to see how my current pet deck will perform. In fact, at home right now I've got a Haunted Humans deck comprised almost entirely of Sharpie'd DKA commons.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

The Q&A in this week's article indirectly answered a question I've had on my mind for a while; namely the difference between Hexproof and Shroud.

I'm a huge fan of the 2012 version of Planeswalkers, even more so if it continues to be supported with deck packs. I've been playing Magic for a grand total of 5 years (3 years, then about a 7 year hiatus, and just getting back into it over the last 2 years) and I'm terrible at deck building. I've found Planeswalkers to not only be a great way to learn the nuances of game rules, but also different deck dynamics that have really helped me when experimenting with builds.

Ancient Depths, totally. I can't even imagine how many games I've played with that deck at this point, but there's nothing quite like hard casting a Legendary Eldrazi!

Not to mention a kicked Rite of Replication (or whatever it's called) pretty much ruins anyone's day.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I definitely prefer paper magic, but I use a program called Cockatrice when I want to test out decks prior to investing in them, or when I just don't have anyone to play with.

I also know some people who test decks by taking cards that they would otherwise not use, and tape or sharpie the name of another card on the front, so they effectively become those card for the sake of playing. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me. xD

The sharpie idea can save you a lot of headaches, especially if you're trying to build a rather expensive deck and you want to see how cards actually interact, especially if you're going to try to play a deck outside your norm.

 

[Fleetfiend]

The sharpie idea can save you a lot of headaches, especially if you're trying to build a rather expensive deck and you want to see how cards actually interact, especially if you're going to try to play a deck outside your norm.

Yeah, and I definitely see why people do it, but like I said I'll probably stick with Cockatrice for testing. It is also partially because I hate to see cards desecrated like that, even crappy ones. xD

 

[s0osleepie]

I definitely prefer paper magic, but I use a program called Cockatrice when I want to test out decks prior to investing in them, or when I just don't have anyone to play with.

I also know some people who test decks by taking cards that they would otherwise not use, and tape or sharpie the name of another card on the front, so they effectively become those card for the sake of playing. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me. xD

The sharpie idea can save you a lot of headaches, especially if you're trying to build a rather expensive deck and you want to see how cards actually interact, especially if you're going to try to play a deck outside your norm.

I love the "sharpie method"!! It has been an invaluable way to get ready for upcoming tournaments and play test my deck against current top decks in the format that do not exists in my playgroup's meta. It really helps me refine my sideboard

 

[Frylock72]

On the 'sharpie method', I've been curious how hard it would be to get white front cardboard cards, like what the devs use to test ideas, so that you can just write on it what card you want in order to test them before you buy them.

 

[CounterAttack]

Ancient Depths, totally. I can't even imagine how many games I've played with that deck at this point, but there's nothing quite like hard casting a Legendary Eldrazi!

I'm not a fan of Ancient Depths myself, especially since things like Aether Mutation can be immensely irritating. I've played against that deck too often to like it. Gimme artifact creatures or indestructible double-striking Knights any day.

 

[A. Smith]

The "sharpie method" is also known as proxying. You can't take deck with proxies to tournaments, but in casual settings everyone I've seen is just fine with them, especially for the more expensive cards.

You can also print the images of the cards your proxying and then glue them to random cards you have laying around from drafts.

It's really a nice way to test out ideas before you go out and buy the cards... I mean, you probably won't regret your decision too much if you're just buying a few commons, but if you want to try out the DelverBlade deck popular in standard at the moment, you're looking at hundreds of dollars worth of dual lands, Snapcaster Mage, Geist of Saint Traft and Sword of War and Peace.

Frylock: AFAIK those just aren't available, but I've heard you can use acetone or pure ethanol to unstick the foil plastic part of foil cards, leaving only the standard magic back on one side and a white cardboard face where the front used to be.

I mean, that means buying or getting some foils, but foils of bad cards are essentially worthless, so you can probably get them for very cheap.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

^ Beat me to it, here's the ruling for confirmation:

* If a creature returned to play with unearth would leave play for any reason, it's removed from the game instead -- unless the spell or ability that's causing the creature to leave play is actually trying to remove it from the game! In that case, it succeeds at removing it from the game. If it later returns the creature card to play (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to play as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it.

Anyway, decent article, although you could mention that MTGO is going to be a large moneysink because the product costs just as much as the tangible version, though the price for singles is much lower.

Awesome stuff! I was rather expecting a bevy of only-partially-correct answers, to be honest. I'm glad to see you both immediately got it!

As to MTGO, yeah, that's primarily why I've stuck to playing the Planeswalker format, you get a decent selection of cards, still have some fun building decks, and doesn't have nearly the buy-in that Standard does. Though I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much cheaper the singles are on MTGO.

I'm a bit late with this, but I feel I should put this up for people anyway.

Instead of playing on MTGO, both LackeyCCG [http://www.lackeyccg.com/] and Cockatrice [http://cockatrice.de/index.php?a=project] are great options which don't require you to pay a cent, and both have fairly active communities.

 

[magesvault]

I started to lose interest in mtg after the release of the scars of mirrodin block but was really excited with both the innistrad and return to ravnica blocks. I'm really looking forward to the release of theros and will probably consider picking up a couple theros booster boxes and start playing in some local tournaments.