The Magic Show #138 - The Skills That Play the Bills

[SuperTeddyNinja]

Dang, you can talk fast!!!

[IrishSpyral]

Really like it even though I'm a casual player :-)

[xMrDonutx]

just a general magic question. do you think that early on in the game you should be trying to prevent any sort of damage that would be dealt to you or do you think that its ok to take a few points early on and not loose a smaller creature or prevent damage card. or do you think it depends on what sort of deck your using.

[thepassis123]

its only the last life point that counts if you win or loose the game, so dont waste Damage prevention on early life loss.

[magicroxs]

The only point that matters is the last. Use your life as a resource.

If your afraid that every point matters then you can prevent early damage. Most control decks take damage early on to set up a late game win. Take me to 1, then prevent the rest, control the game so you dont die.

If your playing an agro deck, just trade damage till you know when you need to, as said in this video. Path to victory.

[TubeYouUser123ABC]

It depends on how your deck works, what cards you have in your hand and what kind of deck you are up against.

[ragnor110]

5 and 7 Mersenne primes? lol

school ftw

[xfollowtehreaperx]

I'm not a fan of losing too, like losing my virginity. I'd never.

[iParkourr]

THIS was the show I have been waiting for for a lawng time! I cant tell you how many times ive googled "how to play better magic" and this episode is God's way of giving me a thumbs up. thank you evan

[Goonkiller]

LOL, god...

[iParkourr]

? what are you saying sir

[tylermauthe]

Great episode!

[ManicRaider]

I'd probably play more if Mono Red didn't suck so much :(

[CephalidLife]

Mono-red Burn is a Tier 1 in Extended it seems, maybe tier 2. It's showing up in the top 8 of PTQs & tournies left and right. I plan on grabbing my old fanatics, rift bolts, lava spikes and marauders to make myself a RDW Deck.

[ManicRaider]

I meant in Standard. If there's a good mono-red deck in Standard I'd give it a try.

[CephalidLife]

RDW in Standard isn't impossible, just use all the classics. one mana 2/1, 2 mana 3/1, 3 mana 4/4, with some burn and there's your deck. RDW is great in that it's simpleminded, but the sideboard can deal with a lot.

[DredgeTog]

That's blatantly false. It takes someone simpleminded to call RDW a simple deck. Historically, RDW has been one of the most skill intensive decks to play. We see that a skilled RDW player such as Nakamura can navigate through a field of bad matchups and still outplay his opponents. Too many times do bad players assume aggro decks are simple decks to play. That is both an idiotic and completely untrue assumption.

[CephalidLife]

Fuck yourself hater.

[theoweb20]

@DredgeTog Does your opponent have a creature? Yes? Burn it. No? Play a haste creature and attack. If you honestly think that RDW can be compared on the same level as any control or midrange deck you are simpleminded yourself. Obviously I simplified the deck but you if you play a control deck you will make easily 5 times as many crucial choices as a RDW player who simply has to choose what to target with a lightning bolt.

[PROxFESSxIONAL]

@DredgeTog I understand what you are saying. But when you compare an aggro deck and a control deck. The control deck will take more skill in most cases.

[TheOffspringFan12]

thanks evan i did great at FNM thanks to your tips

[mstainz]

sad

[bobudess]

good call

[smartassmarie9014]

The most important part is deckbuilding and knowing your deck, the first one is important because you cant win in a tournament with a starter deck lol and the second because knowing all your possibilities allows you to make less stupid mistakes while you play. Personnally I think deckbuilding is the funniest part of all it takes times but youre so proud when it beats the deck of someone who made the pro tour lol

[JoelForbes]

thanks for the tips, makes me want to tweak my Grixis deck to more control based.. boy do i love cruel ultimatum.

[wwwTFwww]

amen to that ... that why i got my self a play set

[Queijin84]

best episode in a long time. really helpful. thanks a lot erwin.

[jonathanmarkte]

Two thumbs up.

Eagerly waiting for the next because I'm sure it'll have more Alara Reborn stuff. :)

[Ego071188]

I opened 2x Minion Reflector and a Mindlock Orb at a draft one time...

[fromtimetotime702]

wow bad beats

[b0lkan]

Great show Evan!

[MasterOGA]

I won at least 100 constructed Premier Events when MTGO first came out, and I would get drunker than hell! The only rule I would say that matter for MTGO is knowing your deck.

Even though I was drunk, I knew my deck and match ups so well that I wouldn't make crippling mistakes.

[maxiewawa]

I have no idea what Evan is talking about but he sure is funny.

Timmy For Life!

[ManicRaider]

Know the mechanics, know your deck, build a good deck, use a mental trickery and learn from your mistakes.

[videoxatcher5000]

that was great this is the 3rd time i've watched but the 6th pillar that you forgot was $cash$ because at my local tourney this week i got 2nd place while playing R/W kithkin and i only lost the last game because i cant buy R/W pain lands or R/W siphon because i would have won with a double kithkin pumper, stalwart, and kinght of meadowgrain but i was stuck with a mountain instead of a battlefield forge

[j12601]

Were you using different versions of mountains so that the Time Spiral ones with the pillars on them stood in for the battlefield forges, while the cutesy Lorwyn ones were pretending they were the hybrids? Because if they were all just the same ol' mountains, how do you know what that mountain "would have been"?

And I'd say that's not a new pillar, but rather your failure to build a better deck. You opted for stronger spells without a mana base to support it. Could have build mono colored

[jonoisgood]

To be fair, even if you had the right land in your deck, you'd still have to draw them...Besides, you don't have to buy/open all the cards you need for your deck...consider trading

[secretspy1]

i am pretty good at mental, i need more practice on learning about my mistakes. i do O.K in tournys, but i almost never come out in like top 8. i am only 14, though, and at the conflux pre, i got 7th. i got 2 packs. yay me.

[secretspy1]

i havnt been to any pro tours or grand prixs, but i want to when i get older.

[kikojudu]

very cool !!

[darthfrogg]

Dude, I just started watching your show, and while it's good and informative, get off the speed before you record the show. Christ, I can barely keep up with what you're saying. It's okay if the show is 1 minute longer.

[bobmuffins]

Always liked the fatties...

That's, what, the 30th episode or more in a row we've heard that at the end? :P

But yeah, great episode <3

[12Infinity]

oh man this was a great episode, we should have more like this.

[DrunkKnight]

First magic booster i opened had a figure of destiny hehe.

[thefallenangelsora]

ROFL.

[SwordOfBones]

More episodes like this one :-) Great stuff

[taro589]

cool show!!

one thing shouldn't the ability to know when you should muligan be added somewhere as a skill?

[zeerus7]

you forgot the addition of money used to buy cards in order to do any of that

[fehlzuendung]

ahhhh again another week to wait for the next show... but nice show n1 gj mrorangeguy ftw

[hoborobo]

5 is not a Mersenne prime.

[Rickits24]

Correct. 3 and 7 are the 2 smallest Mersenne primes. The next two are 31 and 127. So 3 or 7 is reccomend.

[jvdthwip]

Just curious, Evan, why the reupload?

[mrorangeguy]

The commercial was incorrect...

[Rickits24]

Indeed it was wrong. It had the SCG box price $10 higher than it is. Wich for those not aware or observant meant you were paying more per box buying by the case. But of course! Mrorangeguy noticed and fixed it!

Great show Evan. I've already watch it 3 times, this makes 4! Woo-hoo! Hopefully some of the other writers pick this up and do a "good player/bad player" style weekly on SCG.

[PankeymanProductions]

Thanks for the tips!

[ShadowWaker101]

Luv it!

Keep the episodes coming (:

[darkelf02]

Great video. I have to agree that the number of mistakes you make and if you see them or not separates the good players from the pros. Too bad there weren't any Alara Reborn spoilers this week, I always like your comments on new cards. Hope you get a good spoiler card.

[OnceAsNiper]

yeah i agree with the bluffing. I play high level poker online and there USED to be a thought that bluffing didn't happen online.... and... uhh yes, yes it does. Same goes for mtgo

[cxeazn]

7 is better than 5 for shuffling because then you don't end up in even piles of 12 (or 8)

[nekoraynos]

Hmm, good insight on mechanics and magic smarts rather than just some "You're a 6 on this scale cuz [yadda yadda]" or something like that.

[TheOffspringFan12]

sweet first comment