MtG

[Bison]

Ravnica is a good block. They may also have the core 2019 or Ixalan deck builders.

[bob48]

I'll let you know what I come back with :-)

[Bison]

I'm excited for you and Mrs. Bob. Ignore the naysayers and sling some new spells brother!

[bob48]

So, we visited the three shops that sell Mtg and they had all sold out of the set I had decided on; M19 Deck Builder Toolkit. It seems that there has been a run on a lot of sets before 'Spark' arrives. Nice to know that the MtG gaming scene is so healthy.

Therefore, I ordered it on amazon (at a slightly cheaper price, I may add) and it arrives on Friday. 

[Bison]

I like the choice. Core sets are a great way to get back into the game. You should easily be able to build two decks to play against each other with the deck builders box. Good mix of colors and spells plus a 100 land pack.

[Bison]

How are the new cards Bob?

I’ve build a few different decks this week.

A green white knight deck. Basically spam board with 2/2 knights play some enchantments or combat tricks to add a +2/+2 or +3/+3 with trample. Have some Pegasus to give the knights flying and a hand full of control cards to manage the board state.

The other deck is a blue black. Basic concept is to take life from the opponent when I gain life or cause my opponent to discard a card. Through in some remove for good measure and it’s an annoying control deck. In concept it works but it’s been pretty inconsistent in its first few plays.

[Metaldog]

I don't think I've bought any cards since Ice Ages.  Since my daughter moved in with her bf and my son moved away, i don't have anyone to play with.  It's a great game.  Amazing to think the 30th anniversary isn't but a few years away.  As soon as I read Rick Swan's review in Dragon Magazine in '93, I knew I had to play this game.  And I was right.

[Bison]

I don't think I've bought any cards since Ice Ages.  Since my daughter moved in with her bf and my son moved away, i don't have anyone to play with.  It's a great game.  Amazing to think the 30th anniversary isn't but a few years away.  As soon as I read Rick Swan's review in Dragon Magazine in '93, I knew I had to play this game.  And I was right.

The best low cost way to play is Commander (don't get me wrong people buy and play expensive cards). However, a pre-constructed deck with $20 in upgrades can make it reasonably competitive and fun. Most game stores have people casually playing commander nightly. The players are also usually accommodating to new/returning players. MtG really can be a low cost hobby. A $40 pre-con deck plus low cost upgrades when you can afford to or want to make them is literally 100s of hours of game play at the table.

A few years ago I bought a bundle deal with five pre-con commander decks for Christmas and sleeved them up. The family and I have played those decks unmodified at the table for about 4 or 5 years now. There are very few hobbies that a single purchase produces years of enjoyment. The only other non-RPG game to produce the same replayability at my table has been Dominion with a couple of expansions.

[Bison]

A couple of really good online resources for MtG.

https://scryfall.com/ - A great site to follow set releases or look up cards. The best part is every card has a rulings section.
https://edhrec.com/ - THE site for all things commander, aka elder dragon highlander (EDH) the original name.
https://www.mtgassist.com/index.php - Do not have the funds or desire to spend $$$$ on a card. This site helps you find cheap alternatives or similar cards in other colors.

[bob48]

How are the new cards Bob?

I’ve build a few different decks this week.

A green white knight deck. Basically spam board with 2/2 knights play some enchantments or combat tricks to add a +2/+2 or +3/+3 with trample. Have some Pegasus to give the knights flying and a hand full of control cards to manage the board state.

The other deck is a blue black. Basic concept is to take life from the opponent when I gain life or cause my opponent to discard a card. Through in some remove for good measure and it’s an annoying control deck. In concept it works but it’s been pretty inconsistent in its first few plays.

Some good cards in the M19 core set, Bison. I'm experimenting with 'weenie' decks right now.

[Bison]

Very cool. I just realized they do not randomize the deck builders toolkits anymore beyond the four sealed packs. I guess I understand the logic. It lets them give a better "how to build" template if everyone has the same card pool. The only downside is not too many multiples so lots of variance in the decks. They really could have provided two or three copies of a few more cards. Personally I like singleton formats which is how I built my cube and of course commander is a singleton format too. There is only one solution Bob. BUILD A CUBE! 

[bob48]

A CUBE, you say?...........................mwhahahaha.............

I also tend to build singleton decks, but my current weenie (white + blue) deck does include a few copies of recruitment cards. One of the downsides I find with weenie decks is that you can quickly deplete your hand, so recruitment cards are a must.

[Bison]

Absolutely build a cube and play Winston draft. It’s great way expand the life of a collection with many single cards. Just make sure your colors are generally balanced by having the same number of cards. There’s more tricks to balancing but just doing that makes any cube playable.

Lots of time building a cube so if your interested I can give you some tips. Also https://www.cubetutor.com is a great site to see how others build cubes. I look at not the specific cards (because I don’t have them or want to spend $$$$ on power cards) but how people typically balance creatures and non-creature spells between the colors.

[bob48]

Good stuff! Thank's Bison.

MtG activity temporarily suspended, as GBACW 'Twin Peaks - The Battles of Cedar Mountain and South Mountain'' arrived today :-)

[mirth]

GBACW 'Twin Peaks - The Battles of Cedar Mountain and South Mountain'' arrived today :-)

A proper game.