The first question I ask back when someone asks me what deck they should play at XXXXX event is simple. What are your goals for playing Magic at this event? This question does throw some people off, but I feel it is the most important thing to consider both when choosing what deck to play, and in some cases what event(s) to play.  This refers more to lower-level events, but asking yourself that question will help guide you in deck decision, even at larger events (I’ll get back to larger events in a few; for now, let’s stick to weekly FNM style events). When attending weekly events at your LGS, you may find that you have many possible and varying goals week to week.

My current goal at FNM is simply to test out more cards, and variations on my Modern UW control deck.  On a week to week basis with that as my goal, I don’t necessarily consider what deck to play. Instead I consider what silly tech will I try out. Getting more practice with a deck is a viable goal for attending a weekly event.

Another scenario that comes up often is using Magic as a tool to just get outta the house.  Some weeks I just want to get out of my house (the one downside of working from home) and see my buds.  This means playing a deck like my current UW list, or a deck like Storm are off the table.  These are the weeks I gravitate towards Burn or a similar deck that will let the outcome of my match be decided in the first 7 minutes of the round. I can spend time between rounds talking to friends and trolling other guys playing grindy matchups.

On some rare occasions, my goal for a weekly event is to just plain have fun, not care about winning, and do things unexpected.  Have fun with my opponents by playing a deck they do not expect, or decks that leverage cards not commonly played.  With limited live MTG time these days, this scenario is few and far between.  A couple gems from this goal are my short love affair with Mono-Blue Turns (Back when Jace, the Mind Sculptor was banned, and Nexus of Fate was just a bad idea and not a card) and my short spell-slinging fling with Troll Worship. Brief Disclaimer: If you are strapped for cash and trying to earn credit or cash from weekly events, this is a terrible idea.  But loads of fun!

My final weekly goal for deck choice is the ‘HOLY COW, I just got this super sweet card, now I need to show it off to my friends’ goal.  It may sound strange that I would actually include this; but let’s face it, they call me Strictly Average for a reason. Recently, I acquired a playset of my most sought-after card.  The one I have always wanted, but never owned.  And that is the WCMQ Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. So, in order to properly show her off to my friends, I am working on shoring up a UW spirits list that will allow me to cast her in all of her foil glory. This deck probably will never see ultra-competitive play for me, as it’s just not my style.  But with a goal of sick brags, this deck choice is perfect.

Take a step back and look at this theory; ask yourself what your goals are for an event at the larger scale?  If you’re heading to a PPTQ, IQ, GP, or an Open, the level 1 answer is to win as many rounds as possible. If you are going to one of these events for the first time, or are generally a novice at higher level play, the answer is to play your most comfortable deck.  This ties into the goal of winning as many games as possible and getting better.

For those who regularly attend these events, the equation gets super complicated.  I mean, Differential Equations complicated. ‘Well, such and such a deck is better than this one.’ ‘So and so won an event last week with this one deck, everyone is gonna try to beat them with this other deck, and I am gonna be Smart and Level 3 them by choosing the deck that beats the deck that beats this other deck.’

This is all enough to make you go mad. Simply put, having clear goals for a larger event will help guide the deck choice. I attended a Standard PPTQ a while back, and it was after the emergence of RB vehicles style decks. My goal for that PPTQ was straightforward.  I didn’t want to lose to RB, so I crafted my deck to hose RB. (Truthfully this was a poor decision because I went 2-3 at the event).  Although I did terribly versus non-RB matches, I didn’t lose a single game to RB. Some may read this and think I failed because I went 2-3.  Nope, I succeeded in my goal.  I was happy with the outcome because it led to adjusting my overall decklist and playstyle for the rest of that standard format.  And Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Search For Azcanta have paid for themselves multiple times over in prizes.

I hope after sitting through this random stream of thought that the next time you ask yourself, or someone else, ‘What Deck should I play?’ you follow up with asking yourself ‘What are my goals at this event?’

Be Kind to eachother!

-Strictly

Jeremy Beardsley

Jeremy aka “Strictly Average” is an ‘average’ guy with ‘average’ plans. He is the creator and overboss of Strictly Average Gaming, which includes the Patreon group and StrictlyAverageMTG.com

https://strictlyaveragemtg.com

“Don’t worry everyone….I’ll be back.”

We have seen several iterations of Oblivion Ring over the years (though I feel a bit bad not giving credit to Faceless Butcher), and each card has seemed less powerful than before. I’m speaking of cards such as Journey to Nowhere, Banishing Light, and even Grasp of Fate and Aligned Hedron Network. The problem I find in these cards is their lack of permanence. Yes, they are permanents, which is part of the issue; they don’t grant a permanent solution to your opponents’ threats. If I’m spending a card to remove one of theirs, why would I give it a chance to come back?

Remember those caveats I mentioned? Let’s look at them. The early versions of this effect are worded so they can exile something for good. Faceless Butcher and Fiend Hunter are solid choices for decks built to sacrifice and recur their creatures when there’s a sac outlet handy that can be utilized at instant speed. If the deck is designed for this then full speed ahead; otherwise I feel they aren’t worth playing. The same holds for Oblivion Ring and Detention Sphere. Considered staples for enchantress decks, without ways to sac enchantments I would not look to them. Sphere gets some bonus points when facing token decks, and both it and Ring are great with Sun Titan, so indeed there are exceptions. The one version I find to be interesting is Palace Jailer. If you have a meta that is low on combat damage, it can be quite strong when coupled with the continued card draw from being the Monarch. I want to play in your meta – Editor

“I REALLY hope this bubble doesn’t burst.”

Since I am arguing against these effects, how about some cards that can (and probably should) replace them? Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile are the obvious choices, but likely those are already used. So let’s dig a little deeper. One of my favorites is Crib Swap. It may only target creatures, but for the same CMC as O-Ring, all they receive is a 1/1. It also will trigger some tribal abilities; it will give you a token if you’re playing Edgar Markov, and Depala, Pilot Exemplar will put it into your hand when revealed. Another fine mention is Ashes to Ashes. At first glance the five damage may be scary, but it is a small price to exile two creatures with a single card. And since those two are for creatures, I’ll end with something for those pesky artifacts and enchantments. Return to Dust is a must play, but even cards like the recent Forsake the Worldly are fine choices. Exile plus the ability to cycle is very handy in EDH.

Again, I know cards like O-Ring have their place. For some strategies they can shine, as long as your deck caters to them. But in too many games I’ve seen them used as general (not commander) removal. Suddenly they are swept away by Austere Command or Acidic Slime, leaving the original culprit back on the battlefield. So please, when you fill out your removal package, choose those cards that will be a more permanent solution to troublesome permanents.

Chris Nicholson

Chris is a Strictly EDH player and thorough Melvin from Columbus, OH. He squeezes in games whenever he isn’t on adventures with his wife and toddler daughter.

No, this time we’re here to talk about the real balance between this silly little game and the dreaded notion of real life. Yes, I know this is not totally Eternal MTG related, but hey, it’s still important to talk about.

It can be very easy to be 100% invested in Magic at all times. There’s so much content out there to devour that it can be very simple to just let yourself be consumed by it all. Working on MTG content ramps this up by a large notch and sometimes it’s easy to let real life pass you by.

One can imagine that this gets even worse once you start mixing immediate family into it. I am married and have a three and a half year old daughter. Keeping up with the ongoings of the MTG world while having to acquiesce to the demands of a fiercely independent toddler is hard, obviously. It makes traveling to events a big ordeal and requires a plan.

The key to it all is compromise, of course. There are numerous approaches to this. My wife and I often establish one night a week for FNM, to go out and play local Magic. Generally this works out in her favor because I frequently stop at a local late-night donut shop on the way home and pick up breakfast goodies for the next morning. I also seasonally participate in a work Magic league, so I generally get an additional day during these times to go play Magic.

For larger events, we talk things out and determine the best course of action. However, again because of real life, not every large event is within reach. I have missed large events before because of other real life things going on. For example, my wife and I own a horse, and the commitment to that is pretty hefty; we compromise on making it work out so that both can coexist. Ultimately,  this ends up being fine. I don’t necessarily need to participate in every large event to still be competitive enough to play to win at the events I do attend. 

Another great approach is the use of Magic Online. I’ve found often that MTGO helps scratch that itch more when real life gets heavily in the way and makes time difficult. Being able to play at your leisure is helpful at times.

A third approach is to try to involve. My wife does not really play the game, but she does understand why I enjoy it. Often times large events can coincide with real life by involving your family in the trip. I know several friends who make big trips out of large Grand Prix’s and take their families with them to enjoy the sights of a new town as well. This is a great way to involve your family while balancing it with Magic. Another is to branch out and try other games that might be fun!

Recently my wife and I made a trip down into Virginia for a horse/tack auction, one that involved driving a little bit further south to spend a night with friend and collaborator Dennis Gabriels and his wife. Dennis is a friend primarily through Magic, but when in company of spouses, we did spend a good amount of time just talking about real life stuff. Even when we did finally get to sit down and play, we ended up playing just one match before getting everyone else together to sit down for a rousing game of Ticket to Ride (which is amazing, highly recommended). Everyone had a great time, and it was enjoyable. Magic might have brought us together, but it was the balance of real life that makes us friends.

It can be very easy to dip off into the deep end; even I am sometimes guilty of this. You can very easily lose yourself in Magic, which is why it is ultimately important to compromise and keep yourself grounded.

Wrapping Up

That’s all the time we have this week folks! Next week, I’m going to be looking at another entry in our Budget Legacy series, a deck that’s stepped up a little bit from Burn and Dredge, but is still reasonably inexpensive. Monoblack Reanimator!

See you next time on Grizzlebees Strikes Back!

Joseph Dyer II

Joseph is an avid player of eternal Magic formats, including Vintage and Legacy.  As a Nic Fit player who will tell anyone who will listen about his deck, Joe spends his time analyzing and playing on Magic Online and various online platforms, while prepping for competitive events.  To follow more Joe, check out his Twitter!

http://www.twitter.com/volrathxp

If you don’t have a GP near you, and traveling would be too far, mailing your cards directly to the artist is a great way to have your cards signed. The first thing to note when getting your cards signed through the mail is that not all artists do it. This is typically the case when artists have several projects they are working on, and cannot devote the time to signing cards. It’s not that they don’t appreciate their fans, it’s just they feasibly can’t sign all of the cards in a timely manner. There are also some artists that flat-out do not respond to signature requests, likely because they are too busy and do not want to say no. It is not personal.

To contact an artist and request them to sign their cards is simple. Look up the artist and find their website. On the artist’s website, there is typically a section entitled “Send Magic Cards.” If an artist does not have this on their page, go to their contact info and find their email. In your email, let them know you’d like cards signed, ask how much they charge, and let them know how many cards you have; some have a limit and some do not. Do not request any special alterations or additions from the artist. It is too difficult for them to manage these through the mail.

A typical signature charge is $1-2 per card. If there is no charge, please always tip. These artists take the time out of their day to sign cards, and a tip shows them that what they do is appreciated. Including a thank-you note adds a personal touch to the envelope; just like the tip, your note will be much appreciated.

The other caveat to sending cards through the mail is not only do you have to pay shipping to the artist, but shipping back as well. Artists will not pay to have your cards shipped back to you, and if you send them cards without a return envelope they will likely remain somewhere within the aether. The complete package I send to artists consists of the following:

• 8.5×11 manilla envelope with tracked shipping to artist
• 10-20 cards in a single, oversized Toploader
• Handwritten thank you note
• Cash tip (if I did not pay or tip through PayPal)
• 4×6 manilla envelope with tracked shipping from artist to me

Tracking is imperative when sending cards, especially if they are expensive. The artist is not responsible for your cards if they never reach them. The only damage the artist is responsible for is damage done to the card during the actual signing process itself. If a pen explodes on your card, the artists will almost always work with you on an amicable solution. Of course, you can always consider it an alter. Tracking for getting your cards back also helps gauge the turnaround time for that specific artist. I’ve had artists send back cards the same day they receive them, and I’ve also had artists send back three months after delivery. If you send your cards out on Monday, do not expect them back by FNM. If you’re hesitant about sending cards because of the turnaround time, ask the artist. They will be upfront if they won’t get to them for a while. Don’t send cards and then email the artist two days after they’ve been delivered. This will only annoy the artist.

The more complicated it is for the artist to unpack your cards, the less likely they are to sign again, for you and perhaps anyone. Use minimal tape when packing. Do not have individual cards in individual sleeves and top loaders. This creates a maddening experience for the artist. A single oversized toploader makes it easy for the artist to open the package and sign the cards. Put 4-6 cards in penny sleeves an into the toploader. Expensive cards can be individually sleeved and put within the toploader.

All of these points are generalities. Each artist is different and has their own set of expectations and guidelines when receiving cards to get signed. My method is a boilerplate structure I use for each artist. Other methods may work for you. But, I have sent out 200+ cards through the mail using this method and have had no issues.

Please comment if you have any tips, tricks, cheat codes, etc about getting cards signed. I’d also love to hear if you have an experience with an artist you’d like to share.

Loren Toporek

While not a mix of sugar, spice, and everything nice, Loren wishes to share his love of Magic with everyone. Loren plays Modern (not well) and EDH (not well). He lives in northern Arizona with his girlfriend and vault of artist-signed cards.