A Magic: The Gathering Quest

[Abe Sargent]

Hello folks!

I'm trying a new experiment. Next week, an article of mine goes live, and when it does, I will be documenting the first ten games of a quest in quest mode with MTG Forge. Then I will link here, and continue the quest here for those interested.

Thus, I am making this post now, but will really start hitting it later.

[Abe Sargent]

You can find my article here:


http://www.mananation.com/casualnati...ure-ten-games/


You can find MTG Forge here, and it;s a free download. if you like Magic, then welcome to your new program of love.

Computer Programming and Magic: The Gathering

[law90026]

Will be following, the program looks cool

[Izulde]

I played a random pair of 2 color decks against the computer. I was getting my ass kicked until I got a Zodiac Ox with Swampwalk against the computer's black/green deck. Thanks to Mr. Ox and getting enough mana out for a defensive Jaconis Fish, I was able to steal the win.

Oh and a Bestial Menace for a snake, wolf?, elephant combo.

Fun program, although it's a little difficult staring at black cards with no images.

[Abe Sargent]

You can d/l images.

Open up Forge, and go to menu at the top. In the drop down, you can d/l big or small images. Then you'll wait while the program grabs images from online for every single card in it.

[Abe Sargent]

I am starting my next part in here early, so that there will be stuff in here when my article goes live next week. I played a little today

[Abe Sargent]

Having completed my tenth game, I’m actually considering cutting Blue. I began with Blue, and I’ve kept it the entire time. My deck began as a UBR montage, and then removed the Black and was just UR. I eventually switched from R to W, and I’ve been UW for a few games.

Here’s what my current Blue side of the deck looks like:

1 Air Servant
1 Cephalid Retainer
2 Cloudheath Drake
1 Deep Analysis
1 Ephemeron
1 Hunting Drake
1 Inspired Sprite
1 Mulldrifter
1 Qumulox
1 Recall
1 Repulse
1 Rootwater Hunter
1 Sea Scryer
1 Spire Owl
1 Stormcloud Djinn
1 Thornwind Faeries
1 Turtleshell Changeling
1 Umara Raptor
1 Vigilant Drake
1 Zephid’s Embrace

That is a very solid set of cards, no question. What strikes me about that set is how it lacks true power. Normally, in an environment like this, there are some bombs in your color. What are my bombs? A 5 mana four power flyer (Air Servant), a 6 mana Air Elemental (Ephemeron), a small amount of card drawing (Mulldrifter, Deep Analysis). What’s left? I have a Wind Drake, a four mana 1/4, a ton of 5 mana 3/3 flyers, and two tims. I have no counters, no major card advantage, no real tempo beyond a single Repulse – nothing that screams power.

Here’s my White, on the other hand:

1 Afterlife
1 Ekundu Griffin
1 Holy Light
1 Master Decoy
1 Raise the Alarm
1 Second Thoughts
1 Serra Avatar
1 Serra’s Embrace
1 Shepherd of the Lost
1 Sunblast Angel
1 Terashi’s Verdict
1 Wild Aesthir

Which is better? The Blue is deeper. I’ve played most of the other colors, but there is one I haven’t played yet. What would I get if I slid into Green/White?

1 Mystic Enforcer
1 Qasali Pridemage (if I went and bought it right now)
1 Beast Attack
1 Windstorm
1 Hornet Sting
1 Exploration
1 Predator’s Strike
1 Genesis
1 Fyndhorn Elves

Windstorm and Genesis are serious card advantage. See also Earthquake, Chain Reaction, Sunblast Angel, and Consume the Meek. My best card in Blue for more cards is Deep Analysis. It’s six mana at sorcery speed and three life for four cards. I’d much rather pay that sort of mana to destroy four permanents, because that has an immediate impact on the board, I don’t still have to tap mana for that card advantage to matter.

After reflection, I just don’t have the depth in Green. A few times I’ve passed on buying solid creatures for the color. Perhaps I need to.

I sell Zodiac Tiger for a nice amount, and then purchase Balshan Collaborator, Qasali Pridemage, and Man-o’-War.

I add the jellyfish for the Hunting Drake.

[Abe Sargent]

Abe vs Seabiscuit I

I mulligan once and keep a two land hand – ick. My foe plays a Razorfin Hunter and then a Sedge Troll. I miss a land drop on turn three and then draw a land and play my jellyfish, bouncing his Troll. I just got it out! I skipped a Spire Owl, knowing it would be immediately killed by the Tim. My foe bounced the jellyfish back to my hand with Echoing Truth, so I play it again and bounce its Tim. He bounces it again. He’s stuck on 3 lands, I draw my fourth, drop it, and play Spire Owl. I set lands on top. Knowing what’s coming, I Zephid’s Embrace the Spire Owl and swing after he dropped Sedge troll. He attacks me for three and adds Lowland Giant to his forces. Man-o’-War bounces the Giant and I swing for three in the air. I chump block the Troll with my wall. This time he tries to stick a Giant Octopus. I play Deep Analysis and swing for three in the air. My foe bounces the Embrace to my hand, and swings. I Terashi’s Verdict the Octopus, and Raise the Alarm. One token jumps in front of the Troll. I drop Cephalid Retainer and swing for three. Then I tap his Troll. He decides to counter with Air Elemental. Here’s my response – and it’s pretty cool. I play Serra’s Embrace on the Cephalid Retainer. Then I play Zephid’s Embrace on it. I now have a 6/7 vigilance, flying, shroud beater of doom. I swing. My foe chumps with the Elemental. He replays the Giant, not that it matters. I add 6 in the air. Then I tap both of his creatures. He plays a few chump blocking Wasp Lancers, but I finally defeat him. Awesome!

I roll with a three land hand with both colors and a Mulldrifter I can evoke if needed. My foe bounces my wall. My draw is Boreal Shelf, Plains, and Mishra’s Factory in that order, so I play them in that order. I have plenty of lands this game. He bounced my 4th turn Inspired Sprite and dropped a Shivan Zombie. I play Mulldrifter – please start bouncing that. He does and swings for 2 and plays another Zombie. I play Mulldrifter again, and discard. He bounces it again and nails me for 4. He then plays Standstill (clever). I play Spire Owl and Cloudheath Drake. I suspected more bounce, but he plays Air Elemental and passes the turn. I play Barl’s Cage. He swings, and I have two options – double block and trade, or take 4 and use the Cage. I double block. My foe drops Hooded Kavu and Sedge Troll, and I flash out an Inspired Sprite. I play Cephalid Retainer and pass the turn. I tap the Sedge Troll. My foe drops Standstill and passes. I tap and then lock down the Troll with my Cage. It won’t untap next turn. I begin to tap my sprite and lock down creatures. Having established control, I swing for two with the Sprite since I’ve locked down all of my foes’ creatures. He is forced to break his own Standstill, and plays Lowland Giant. I tap and lockdown both his Giant and Troll and tap a Zombie too. I play a Vigilant Drake and swing for 2 in the air. He plays another Sedge Troll. I play Zephid’s Embrace on the Drake and swing with it for 5. By untapping the Drake, I keep them from attacking, and I keep locking down what I can. I win after swinging a third time with the pumped Drake and Sprite.

Those were good games!

[Abe Sargent]

New cards, 22 credits, and I got a random rare – Greed. Here are the new cards I like:


Notice the blank list above? They aren’t that hot. There’s a bunch of cards in my color, and none make the cut. Crap like Gossamer Phantasm and Jwari Scuttler and Votary of the Conclave. The only card I consider playable is Innocent Blood. What about in the card shop?

Selesnya Signet
Barbarian Lunatic
Magma Rift
Gemstone array

It’s pretty much all crap. The Signet is good if I play those colors, so I pick it up. I also spend just 6 credits for a Spiritual Guardian.

I sell some cards – Subversion, Wu Warship, Insurrection, Peach Garden Oath, Levitation, Yellow Scarves General and Oona’s Gatewarden. I now have a little more than 250 credits. I head to the bazaar.

I could add another life, but instead, I purchase the 1/1 wolf token, which will now begin in play

[Abe Sargent]

Abe vs Fat Albert I

I keep a four land hand. Where’s my wolf? I paid for it, why is it not in play? I play Sea Scryer and accelerate into a turn three Deep Analysis. My foe drops Spidersilk Armor and Elvish Harbinger. I play Ephemeron on the 5th turn. Fat Albert drops Samurai Enforcers. As a 4/5 with Bushido 2 and reach they will crush my Ephemeron. I play Sejiri Steppe, give my Ephemeron pro White, slap a Zephid’s Embrace on it, and swing for 6 in the air. I expect my opponent to swing back and me to chump block. That happens, I take 1, and my foe plays Territorial Baloth and Enlightened Tutor for a Fecundity. I flashback Deep Analysis. My 6/6 shroud flyer swings through their defenses and I play Shepherd of the Lost that I just drew off the Deep. He attacks for four with the Enforcers and I let it through. He follows with Dosan’s Oldest Chant and passes the turn. After consideration, I come up with a plan. I play both of my tims – the Thornwind Faeries and Rootwater Hunter . I keep my guy back this turn. I take another 4 from the Enforcers. He plays Keldon Warlord and Urborg Elf. I play Vigilant Drake and Stormcloud Djinn. I pass the turn. He plays a land, pumps the Baloth and swings. Ick. He top decked that. I tapped my Sea Scryer to play both 3/3 flyers, and I needed him to not draw the land this turn. I have to chum with a Rootwater Hunter. I tim kill the Urborg Elf with both tims. Fecundity is played. I force him to block the Ephemeron with his Enforcers and tim them to kill them off . He played Fecundity, so we both draw a card. I pass the turn. He plays a land and swings with a 3/4 Warlord and a 6/7 Baloth. I drew Terashi’s Verdict, so I use it on the Warlord. I chump the Baloth with a Sea Scryer – and we both draw off the Fecundity again. He drew and plays Dosan’s Oldest Chant again, and that’s probably game. I was trying to race, but it looks like the gig is up. I swing with a lot of flyers. I then use Recall and discard two lands to bring back a Tim and a Sea Scryer. I drop both. He plays a land, and pumps the Baloth yet again. He does not swing. I tim him with the Faeries. He plays a Keldon Warlord and another Harbinger. My plan is about to be seen. I swing with just the Shepherd of the Lost. He blocks with his 4/5 Baloth. I double tim it and it dies, he draws a card. I play Umara Raptor and pass the turn. He drops Druid of the Anima and Gemhide Sliver. I believe I’ve reached the point where I can alpha strike him. I attack with my flying horde, and keep back my two tims and the Sea Scryer. He loses everything but a Gemhide, and I lost an Umara Raptor. I draw one, and him four. I play Spire Owl and put Afterlife on top of my library. My foe played Harmonize, Ancestral Recall, and two mana elves. I tim him for two. I swing with my three 3/3s in the air. He blocks two, take 3, and draws two. He plays a harmonize and three mana elves. I tim him for 2. I untap, tim him for two, and win. Whew!

I keep a triple Plains hand. I again don’t have a wolf token in play. He manages two mana elves, but I’ve drawn nothing land wise and can play nothing. For the next few turns, I discard cards, and he plays more and more mana elves and keeps attacking me. I literally die to 6 mana elves. Well that was anticlimactic.

I keep a two land hand with Raise the Alarm. I play it, then I swing into an Urborg Elf and he trades with one – excellent. I evoke a Mulldrifter and draw no lands, but it gets me closer. My foe lays down a Fecundity. I swing for one and play Umara Raptor. He follows with a Winter Orb and Druid of the Anima. I swing and my foe does not trade – sad. I draw a Factory, play it, and play Holy Light, intending to kill my foes two mana elves. It kills my Alarm token too – wtf? Obviously an error there. I swing for one with my Raptor. Several cards drawn due to Fecundity. Fat Albert lays down Gemhide Sliver, and then Elvish Harbinger, and begins to swing. I’m laying some Umara Raptor beats. I’m at 5 mana, but I don’t play Cloudheath Drake, instead preferring Stormcloud Djinn. I saw my foe Naturalize a card earlier, and I don’t want a creature I’m relying on to push me over the edge to get killed, even if it can’t block mana elves. I win two turns later.

[Abe Sargent]

I get 12 credits, new cards, and a random rare – Seahunter.

Here’s what I got of interest:

Catalog
Roterothopter
Mistral Charger
That Which Was Taken

The Card Shop has Black Knight, Night’s Whisper, Simic Growth Chamber, Totem-Guide Hartebeest and Accumulated Knowledge. With my two Embraces, the Hartebeest is interesting. I buy it for 10 credits.

Did you know I have 6 merfolk, plus Turtleshell Changeling?

2 Galina’s Knight
1 Sea Scryer
1 Rootwater Hunter
1 Coral Merfolk
1 Inkfathom Infiltrator

That’s not a bad slate of Merfolk. I could add back Inkfathom Infiltrator, toss in a Galina’s Knight, and then I could tutor into play mana, a tim, an unblockable 2//1, and a pro red creature, plus a ¼ blocker that can switch to a 4/1 beater. That’s not too bad.

I skip the rest of the cards in the Card Shop. What happened to my wolf?

+1 Seahunter, Galina’s Knight, Inkfathom Infiltrator. -1 Stormcloud Djinn, Prophetic Prism, and Holy Light (now that I know there is an error with the card).

[Abe Sargent]

Abe vs Doc Holliday II

My first of the next round of enemies has arrived. I go to play, and this time my wolfie shows up! Yay! I keep a three land hand. My foe leads with Savannah Lions, and I keep my wolf back. He attacks and I throw them in front. He follows with an Enlightened Tutor for Defense of the Heart. I drop the Knight I just added and swing for 2 on turn 3. I add Wild Aesthir to the board, and he plays Mobilization. I swing for 5. He does not draw the 4th land he needs for Defense so he just makes a 1/1 through Mobilization. I swing for three and play Shepherd of the Lost. He mobilizes another soldier. I draw and play Serra’s Embrace on the Aesthir and swing for 6 in the air and he double blocks the Knight and kills it. I kill him in the air next turn.

I keep another three land hand and he rocks another first turn Savannah Lions, this time he played a Savannah to play them – classy. Just like before, he swings into my wolf. I play Raise the Alarm, he plays Hedge Troll. I manage to play a jellyfish and bounce his Troll and swing for two. With another turn of mana, he chooses to play Ancient Spider. Ick. I was going to Serra’s Embrace my jellyfish but not its useless with the 2/5 reach spider, plus I don’t manage to draw the 4th land anyway. Instead I Repulse the Spider and get in a hit of 4 damage. The spider comes back down, and without the 4th land, I hit a roadblock. He attacks, and I chump with my wall. He plays a morph. I draw that land. Out comes Inkfathom Infiltrator. Man-o’-War attacks and trades with a morph, which was a Daru Lancer. I take two from the spider attacking and he casts a Branchsnap Lorian. I play the Embrace on my Infiltrator and swing for 5 with it and one of my tokens. I can block and kill the Lorian with the other token (and take 3 trample). He does precisely that, and I drop to 11. He plays a morph and a Watchwolf. Nice. An Infiltrator clips him for 4 more, and he is at 5. I play Shepherd of the Lost. His morph is a Daru Lancer, he flips and attacks. I take the 3 and drop to 8. I attack him to one. He plays Mobilization and vigilance’s me for 3 with his Lancer. I swing and kill him.

[Abe Sargent]

I won, yay! I got 23 credits and cards, but no random rare. I am now 10-3. Cards of value:

Bone Shredder
Exhume
Dimir Guildmage
Vulshok Sorcerer
Fireball
Martial Coup

That’s a freakin’ good pack! (They don’t actually give you a full 15. One rare, 3 uncommons, 7 commons for 11 cards total).

The card shop rocks Tendrils of Corruption, Granite Shard, Stupor and then some good stuff like Biomantic Mastery and Ingot Chewer. I immediately grab Tendrils. That leaves me 16 credits. I want the Granite Shard. It’s basically a Rod of Ruin for one less mana to play in my deck, and with my tims, I think it has value. However, it costs 96, so I need to make 80 in sales. I need to sell 400 credit worth of cards. I have some I am totally okay with selling, let me see if I can get to it before I start:

Time of Heroes - 50
Crosswinds – 35
Votary of the Conclave - 30
Ethereal Whiskergill – 69
Greed – 54
Explosive Revelation – 50
Amnesia – 49
Dwarven Pony – 47
Faerie Swarm – 39

That’s 423. I could sell all of this and make enough to get a Granite Shard. Is this card worth blowing a major wad for? If I decide to switch back to Red I should. Here’s my quality Red now:

Koth of the Hammer
Chandra Nalaar
Fireball
Firebolt
Chain Reaction
Fiery Fall
Spitting Earth
Earthquake

Creatures of value include Ashen Monstrosity, Mountain Yeti, Vulshok Sorcerer, Firefly, Goblin Mutant, Goblin Arsonist, and Flamewave Invoker. If only Red had a heavy hitter like a Shivan Dragon style finisher, then this would be a little easier.

High Quality Black:

Tendrils of Corruption
Pestilence
Devour in Shadow
Innocent Blood
Consume the Meek



Creatures include Chilling Shade, Ebon Dragon, Bone Shredder, Nirkana Cutthroat, and Sootfeather Flock.


Green just got outshadowed by Fireball and Bone Shredder.

If I side into Red, what gets dropped? Blue is deep, but without a lot of true power. White has Martial Coup now, and that’s a strong argument for staying White. Plus, I can add stuff from White like Elite Vanguard and friends that would fit here like Expendable Troops and Mistral Charger. The Granite Shard would increase massively in value in this deck. It could be a sort of R/W Planeswalker aggro-control.

I also have gold cards from a switch in colors. Consider the value of cards like Bituminous Blast, Dimir Guildmage, Dimir Infiltrator, Sewn-Eye Drake, Tidehollow Strix and Shambling Remains.

[Abe Sargent]

Let me build the R/W deck really quick.

Koth of the Hammer
Chandra Nalaar
Fireball
Firebolt
Chain Reaction
Fiery Fall
Spitting Earth
Earthquake
Ashen Monstrosity
Mountain Yeti
Vulshok Sorcerer
Firefly
Goblin Mutant
Goblin Arsonist
Goblin Roughrider
Flamewave Invoker
Blade Sliver
Macetail Hystrodon
Ogre Berserker
Bonesplitter
Martial Coup
Sunblast Angel
Expendable Troops
Mistral Charger
Wild Aesthir
Second Thoughts
Serra’s Embrace
Afterlife
Terashi’s Verdict
Stand Firm
Shepherd of the Lost
Raise the Alarm
Master Decoy
Hand of Honor
Ekundu Griffin
Mishra’s Factory
Sejiri Steppe
13 Mountain
11 Plains

If I were to buy Granite Shard, I’d pull Macetail Hystrodon.

Is this good enough to switch too?

[sterlingice]

I seem to remember playing a MTG game like this a while back. I was thinking about it while we were talking in the Game Discounts thread yesterday.

SI

[QuikSand]

I thought reading this might spark some renewed interest in me -- it's been a long time since I played MtG.

And so I read a bit...

Now I apparently need to amend that to read "long, long, long time." Ugh. I can't even follow anything you're talking about, since it clearly requires at least a working knowledge of the cards to do so, and my departure was apparently so far back in the rear view as to make my (still pretty good) recollection of the cards I used to play with completely useless.

Best of luck to you. Beyond me, though. (This was the essential reason for my departure from the MtG scene, too, like with so many others... just required way too much commitment to keep up)