Magic: The Gathering

[Linsivi]

Glad we will have Ponder and Preordain for a few months again.

[miokomioko]

http://castlesandcooks.com/wp-conten...-jade-mage.jpg

http://castlesandcooks.com/wp-conten...ster-thief.jpg

http://castlesandcooks.com/wp-conten...-dignitary.jpg

[miokomioko]

*oops*

[Linsivi]

Hmm Stonehorn Dignitary + Venser is no combat step for a long time.

[miokomioko]

I was gonna' say, begging for some blinkage... and he's lightningbolt-proof.

[Weltall]

Bolt won't be in T2 for long! lol. So Master Thief is pretty good in limited...if there are artifacts worth playing..

[miokomioko]

Well, there's formats besides T2!

Is Limited falling back down to Shock in September?

[Cantih]

Yeah, no Bolt this time.
Has Goblin Grenade though.

[Diamicles]

Yeah, no Bolt this time.
Has Goblin Grenade though.

and incinerate, which is better in slower formats

[Marcicus]

Since this is my first draft for Magic I'll be doing with M12, anything I should look out for/know in advance?

[Weltall]

Removal spells (creature destruction) is #1 in draft. This can include "tappers". The new Gideon 1/1 is really good in M12; the one that costs 1 white to tap a creature.

Flying creatures are good.

Blue/white in general is good. Black/Blue is good. Red/Green is sometimes good.

You want to play 2 colors, and in RARE occassions 3 to splash 1-2 RED cards.

Remember, the colors you are getting passed in pack 1 is likely the colors you will see in pack 3. The colors you pass in pack 1 are the ones you shouldn't see much of in pack 2. Plan accordingly.

[Olo401]

I thought Prerelease format was Sealed Deck (random card deck box + 3 boosters)?

BTW I'll be playing in the Providence event (Link for info) if anyone in the area wants to meet up.

[Weltall]

I thought Prerelease format was Sealed Deck (random card deck box + 3 boosters)?

BTW I'll be playing in the Providence event (Link for info) if anyone in the area wants to meet up.

Prerelease format is dependent on the store

[Cantih]

There's still seven cards extant, a land (granted, it's important whether or not it's Terramorphic) and three each of blue and red, but the whole of M12 is essentially spoiled now.
So stare at Scars block constructed, consider M12, and ponder upon Innistrad, because, a new Standard is a comin'!

Edit: Oh shit, right, only a handful of cards, but enough to get the feel of the block, have leaked from Innistrad. After a bit of thought, my first prediction.
Get your ass a playset of Surgical Extraction ASAP

[miokomioko]

http://media.wizards.com/images/magi...dshfsdffsd.jpg
A 2/2 anything-lord for 3. I like this a lot.

[Nama]

Swissarmy lord is pretty nice can fit this is in a ton of decks. Shame core set isn't more tribe focused but defiantly one the more exciting cards out of M12 if only 95% of the rest of the set was as exciting. Oh well always M13 right~

[Dominico]

What exactly is a Draft? Some shop near me is holding the event for this year, but I have no idea what it consists of. Is it just a tournament or are you just buying the new cards?

[Nama]

Booster draft is a format of play where you pick one card from a pack and then pass it to your side to the next player. Draft is always done with 3 packs.
Players are seated randomly at the table. Once everyone has found their seats, each player opens his or her first booster pack, chooses one card from the pack, and puts it face-down on the table. Once you’ve done this, pass the rest of the pack to the player on your left. Once everyone has passed their packs, pick up the next pack (located on your right), pick the best card for your deck from that pack and put it in your pile, and again pass it to the neighbor on your left. This process continues until all the cards from the pack have been picked. You then get a review period to look at the cards you have picked and figure out what direction your deck is going (typically this lasts 60 seconds). Once that ends, each player opens his or her next pack, picks a card, and passes the pack to the right (Packs go left, right, left.). This continues as before until all cards from a pack have been chosen, and then you get another review period before opening the final pack, taking a card, and passing to your left again.
Any drafted or opened cards not used in a player’s Limited deck function as his or her sideboard. Once you have 45 cards in your pile, it is time to build your deck. Booster Draft rules allow you to add as much basic land as you want to your deck, and require that the deck be at least 40 cards.

These the basic rules copypasta. Additional rules may vary from store to store but for the most part any cards you draft for you deck are yours to keep and typically consist of 3-4 rounds of swiss. Depending how well you do and win you can be rewarded with prize packs and if you store does draft as its Friday Night Magic event you can get a FNM promo. Drafting is an interesting way to play and a excellent way to play if you don't own many cards yourself.

[Dominico]

Would a draft like this be something you'd recommend to a beginner? I haven't played that much, but I'm trying to get into the game and figured this would be a good way of learning. Most of what I've learned was from the PSN game and I think I've learned a good amount, although some concepts just escape me (Counters and planewalker cards are 2 things I just don't understand, for example). I'm just scared of showing up and getting demolished by a bunch of kids.

[Weltall]

1. You will have a better chance at winning a game in a draft format. Most people are awful at drafting.

2. You won't be any good at drafting unless you understand constructed, in my opinion.

Best way to learn is to throw yourself into it and just get beat up a lot at first.