Magic the Gathering--Who plays?

[jedimaster91]

I did a quick search for this and couldn't find a thread specifically about Magic. However, it's been a long day at the end of a long week, so if there is a thread and I missed it, I sowwy. *puppy eyes*

Li'l Bro got me into MTG a couple months ago. Today we attended the (pre?)release for the New Phyrexia expansion and I got to play in my first sealed pack tournament. I was just happy to not get completely trounced. Li'l Bro claims I built a "scary" deck, but I'm not sure I believe it, lol (it lost 3 of 4 matches).

So, who plays, what colors do you play, favorite cards, strategies, etc?

Li'l Bro plays a little bit of everything, though he seems to prefer red/white. Me? I'm petty and vindictive, so I play blue/black infect. I might look into throwing some green in as well since there are a number of elves with the infect trait. Especially since I seem to get thrashed by green elf decks quite regularly.

My favorite card had been Bonehoard, which is an artifact creature with X/X where X is the number of creatures in all graveyards. You can imagine how fun that is to throw down late in multiplayer matches. But now I think my prize card is Skithiryx the Blight Dragon (AKA "Skittles"). Flying, infect, can get haste, and can regenerate. Say hello to my li'l friend.

[hinakiba777]

My older brother got my into MTG when I was in middle school, maybe younger. At the time, the only place we could get the cards was at this hobby shop that was a 30 minute drive away from our house. My brother would save up his money to get cards, and play with his friends at school.

He had built two really solid decks, so sometimes at home he would let me play with his Red/Black deck while he took me on with his all Green deck. Now of course, my brother had built both decks so he knew the weaknesses in the Red/Black deck. More importantly, his Green deck was his preferred deck, so it was MUCH stronger.

I never had my own cards, as they were so hard to get, and I didn't really hang out with the people who placed MTG during lunch.

Last year I started hanging out with some guys who played Magic, so I thought I'd get myself some cards. I didn't get around to it. However, by now the Wal-Mart at home was carrying them. So my brother bought me two rebuilt decks. A special edition all Red deck with all foil cards, and 2011 core deck of White/Black. I bought him a green/red core deck.

Now, I still haven't had the spare money to buy myself cards, and my brother won't just give over any of his cards so I'm limited in that manner. I'm actually thinking of getting the Black/Blue core deck and building a Black/White deck of only angels and Vampires.

My favorite card is probably Chain Lightning. Though that could easily change. I used to really love Citadel of Pain, but I found I ended harming myself more often than those I was playing against.

I don't know what my brother's favorite card is, but I can tell you my least favorite card in his deck: Invigorating Falls!!!!

The man has 4 of those bloody cards in his deck. FOUR! We've played four way battles where he's been down to one life point. Then plays all four of those cards and suddenly he has 200 life or more!

[Kittish]

Years back I got into MTG in a big way. I've got literally thousands of cards. 3 banker's boxes worth of them, though to be fair they're mostly in 3 ring binders and card sheets so the boxes aren't packed totally solid.

I think Invasion was the last set I bought any real quantity of, so all of my cards are from that and earlier.

Anyone interested in buying a ton of MTG cards?

[Kogarashi]

We ended up inheriting a ton of Invasion-era and similar cards when a guy at the last singles' complex we lived in was moving and throwing away a huge box of his cards. Hubby went dumpster diving and got as many of his cards as he could find, though most of them are just commons and uncommons (looks like the guy took all his rares and good uncommons with him in a binder). We've got others scattered around from various expansions we've each purchased, though most of my personal cards (from before we got married) were Invasion-era and Starter 1999 (when I got started). Hubby's been playing since at least Ice Age.

I seem to be pretty good at building blue/black control/denial decks, though I don't currently have an official one built. I did pretty well at a Champions of Kamigawa closed pack tournament, back when they still did tournament packs + booster packs. I built a blue/black there that lost to my husband (we were actually paired against each other for the first random match, and he's really good at building decks that beat me), but then I won my next three matches while he lost his next matches, and then I finally lost a final match to a mono-red direct damage deck. I actually won a few booster packs as a prize.

My current favorite deck is a mono-white angel deck that my husband has helped me streamline a bit. It's not perfect, since it lacks a lot in control, but it's got a fun combo that's made worse by anyone else playing white against it. I've got four Flickering Wards, which are decent defense, but are nasty when paired with two Sigils of the Empty Throne. With one out, each time a white spell is successfully cast, I get a 4/4 angel token. My friend and her sister found out the hard way how bad that can be when they both played white decks against me. Each spell they cast beefed up my flying armada.

I've also got a mono-red deck that's just for fun and built entirely around lands and direct damage. None of the cards cost more than three mana to use, so it's essentially a deck for poking the enemy to death before you die. It's got a problem with getting mana out, but it's fun to play with nonetheless.

I still need to build a proper blue/black control deck, mostly to try to counter my husband's nasty green/colorless deck he calls Elven Cult of the Eldrazi. He uses elves for fast mana draw to get his big Eldrazi monsters out, which then end up eating through my defenses before I can do anything. Doesn't help that neither of my current decks have any sort of counterspelling capabilities.

/Geek

[jedimaster91]

Yeah, the green mana acceleration decks were killing me at the tourney. I got lucky in my last match and threw down Blackcleave Goblin to get the initial poison counters and then used my Viral Drake to proliferate. And then my Vapor Snag saved my tail when my opponent got a creature that could have taken me down.

Oh, and something I forgot to mention in my OP, I was the only female in the tourney. It was kind awkward. >.>

[Kogarashi]

Oh, and something I forgot to mention in my OP, I was the only female in the tourney. It was kind awkward. >.>

::chuckle:: I was one of three. The other two were friends who are just as geeky as me. It was definitely weird being the only women at the tournament. Just as it's weird being one of the few female gamers out here (CT). Back in Utah, our gaming group was over 50% female, but out here, I'm one of maybe three or four who show up to regular sessions.

[Mytical]

Well..I played an eon or two ago, back when time began or something...ok ok ..it was the 3rd (the one after alpha and beta) series when I first got involved. I liked Jujitsu and Salad decks.

Jujitsu was blue..you turned your opponits cards/creatures against them, and countered everything you couldn't turn.

Salad or "Thalad (spelling) Salad" was green, fast, and produced 1/1 creatures faster then you could blink. By round 3 or 4, usually had 20 1/1 creatures lol..sadly one pestilence and you could kiss them all good bye. So I did include some protection from black creatures in there.

When not using the above, it was green/white or Blue/Red just for fun..rarely ever used black..but when I did it was for Nightmares and Vampires. A nightmare could become really really strong.

Had a Black Lotus that is supposed to be worth 3k, but it vanished..think it was stolen..or went up with my comics and poems in a fire I had.

[Kogarashi]

Salad or "Thalad (spelling) Salad" was green, fast, and produced 1/1 creatures faster then you could blink. By round 3 or 4, usually had 20 1/1 creatures lol..sadly one pestilence and you could kiss them all good bye. So I did include some protection from black creatures in there.

Ah, Thallids. My college roommate liked to run thallid decks that were designed for spamming the token monsters. I've got some good white cards now that are great at wiping out thallid armies (-0/-1 to enemy creatures, 1 damage to all attacking creatures, etc.).

One I built out of my roommate's cards that was fun but kind of slow against her green/red direct damage deck was a token deck built with limited options. I had one thallid that created the green 1/1 tokens, one black spell that could be bought back that gave me 1/1 rats, and one artifact that gave me 1/1 snakes that did poison counters. I enchanted one of them with Fear so she couldn't block it (didn't have the right colors), and almost poked her to death while she spent her time blocking all the other tokens I was churning out.

[pssorens]

I play and have been playing again for about 7 months. before that I quit after weatherlight and sold my cards( big mistake, I know there were at least a play set of Force of Wills in there.) I've rebuilt my red green aggro deck for legacy and Mono-Red and Kuldotha -red in standard. I love red burn and goblins spells and creatures.

[thansal]

I never actually bought any MTG cards, however I used to always borrow decks from friends. Heck, I still will borrow a deck from friends and play them if they have their cards on them (aka, at a con).

My favorite was always control type decks, focusing on draw and mana control.

I get my fix for deck building and such from Dominion and Thunderstone these days (non-CCGs).

[Mytical]

Yeah Salads are too easily countered now. As I said .. a single pestilence could defeat all of them at one time. Mill decks used to be good/fun. Which is where you stall and whittle down your opponits decks/hand/grave/etc.

A good mill deck includes the following..
Ways to cause your enemy to discard cards from their hand.

Stallers..especially with a lure or such attaches (so all the creatures have to attack them)..preferably ones that can regenerate or are immune to the colors your opponit uses.

Ways to cause your enemy to discard from library.

'World Cleaners' - Something that can eliminate everything on the field. Been awhile but I think they were things like wrath of god or something...just in case your staller somehow gets eliminated.

Ways to cause your enemy to have to send mana to the graveyard.

Ways to bring back anything sent to your own graveyard.

The weaknesses was the best set ups were usually white/blue/artifact.
Anything immune to your world cleaner could ruin your day..
It was SLOW. A quick deck could tear you apart before you got started.

[Iris Kojiro]

I've known how to play since Ice Age, but I didn't seriously get into it until Zendikar.

I currently run Valakut Ramp, which is designed to generate a lot of mana by turn 4 to drop cards like Primeval Titan, which will fetch Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. I then Harrow or Titan into more Mountains to aim a lot of Valakut triggers at my opponent's face.

I've also run blue/white control, but have gotten away from that since Caw-Blade is all but dominating the format right now. (Turn two Stoneforge into *sword*, hook sword onto Squadron Hawk or Stoneforge, swing and win through card advantage and standard U/W bag of tricks)

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I started buying cards back when Beta came out. Played against friends until we got bored of it. Stopped around Ice Age.

Then the gaming club opened up.

There's been a weekly Magic night since it opened. I've been playing ever since I found out. Haven't bought a lot but I will pick up a box if the set gets good reviews from others at the club. Plus, I have bought single cards from people and businesses out of town, just to build a specific deck.

We play for fun. If you ain't havin' fun, it ain't worth it.

I have around two dozen play-decks. I choose what I'm playing by a dice roll, and let the cards fall where they may.

My favorite mill deck is with Dreamborn Muse and ways to make copies of it, coupled with four Gaea's Blessing in the deck and lots of ways to make people draw cards. No matter how many times I get milled, I always get the cards back in my library.

[Kogarashi]

I currently run Valakut Ramp, which is designed to generate a lot of mana by turn 4 to drop cards like Primeval Titan, which will fetch Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. I then Harrow or Titan into more Mountains to aim a lot of Valakut triggers at my opponent's face.

Mmmm...love those "do cool things" lands from Zendikar. I've got two of Emeria, the Sky Ruin in my deck (with enough plains to fuel it) to help bring back my more expensive angels while my tokens hold the front lines.

And I agre, if you're not having fun, why play? That's why Hubby wants to tweak his Elven Eldrazi Cult deck. It's too efficient, and he has no fun playing it right now. I told him to at least wait until I build a control deck so I can see how it stacks against anti-summoning tricks.

[jedimaster91]

And I agre, if you're not having fun, why play?

This was one reason I almost didn't go to the release event. Here I am this chick who's only been playing a few months and still learning the mechanics of the game. I felt a bit tossed to the card sharks since I had to build my own deck there on the spot, which I'd also never done (Li'l Bro helped me tweak a pre-con deck and taught me a few tricks). One of my opponents was the type who took it WAY too seriously. That was my least fun match of the day. The other two guys wiped the floor with me, but at least they didn't act like the fate of the world depended on them winning.


Ooh! And check out the promo from the New Phyrexia set: Shelodred, Whispering One. 'Course the one I got was shinier and had different art, but the abilities are the same. I totally want it in my deck because it's a beast of a card. But that's a card you build a deck around and I don't think I have the right support cards.