Q&A for episode 568
🕑 Added 2020-10-29 18:56:07 +0000 UTCHey All,
Luis and I are doing our Q&A episode today so if you want a question answered on it, fire away here and we’ll get to as many as we can.
Mostly anything goes for the questions, so don’t be afraid to ask!
- Marshall
Comments
Jackson Lipfert
I remember an old sign off where LSV talked about his weight loss through the lens of magic (empty soda calories were like sleeving up a 50 card limited deck) and Marshall has mentioned his condo several times as well. What are some other real life ways in which the nuts and bolts spike mentality has benefited you?
Andrew Raia
Thanks so much for answering guys. Really hit the nail on the head with it. Appreciate the in-depth response.
Peter Sievert
How much value is there in seeing the opponents hand on discard spells? Would you agree, that for less skilled players that value is higher?
Matt Jeziorski
Please let there be a power ranking of Halloween candy, Happy Halloween mates!
Jonathan Montgomery
When a color or archetype in a format is deep, especially at common, I struggle to tell if it is open. For example, in a recent draft, I went roil eruption into grotag night-runner into another roil eruption into rockslide sorcerer into spikefield hazard. I thought “cool, red is open and I’m solidified into red now.” Those were the last good red cards I picked and I ended up with a D level Wizards deck. Are these sort of trainwrecks inevitable or do you have any advice?
Jaeger
Hey guys! In terms of constructed power level, vintage>legacy>modern>pioneer>historic>standard. How would the different cube formats slot in? Are vintage cube draft decks more powerful than modern constructed decks? Curious for your opinion! Thanks.
Michael Bennett
Hey Marshall and Luis, I am wondering whether you guys would consider yourselves “readers,” and if so what sort of literary content appeals to you? Fiction? Non-fiction? Narrative non-fiction? Any favorite books or novels? What are the Marshall-iest and LSV-iest books you can think of?
Tommy
In the spirit of Halloween, do either of you guys have a ghost story or something spooky to share? The scariest thing I’ve seem is someone on stream play a Cleric of Life’s Bond on turn 2 instead of the Gloomhunter in hand. Thanks for everything guys!
Ivy Yandell
Hey guys, wondering if you have any tips for introducing new players to drafting? And any recent sets that stick out as being particularly new player friendly?
Ryan Glinski
If you need rules, half court, make it take it, shots are 1, threes are 2 and call your own fouls.
Chris Fisher
Have you guys been to London? Any cool things you did while you were there?
Ryan Glinski
In a round robin of one on one pickup basketball with Marshall, Luis and Cedric Phillips, who beats who any by what margin?
Carter S.
Hello Marshall and Louis, so when can we expect among us resources? Also a more serious question, Why in a time where competitive formats are restricted more then ever (due to only having pro events on arena) has magic pro-play moved away from Limited? It seems like it would make sense to switch things up rather than having the same constructed format again and again form months (especially when it come the return of MPL/Rival League play). I've often heard that the biggest flaw of limited coverage in previous pro-tours is not being able to know what the cards do if you don't know the format and that the draft itself is one of the most interesting parts but is difficult to cover in paper events. It seems with small field MPL/Rival league play as well as digital draft logs and card readers it would be a great opportunity to reinvigorate limited coverage. What do you think could be done to push limited back into the world of competitive play from a coverage/presentation angle?
Dnd Northwest
Recently in an interview, BDM lamented that signpost uncommons have taken some of the mystery out of drafting. Do you think they belong in all sets to help newer drafters, or should Wizards vary from this model? Love the show.
Ryan F Stroud
I often find myself favoring various decks as a draft format evolves (for example rogues in ZNR because the deck tends to be under drafted and is good against some of the the best decks). It is play bias that is making me see that this deck is open or is it a result of reading the format? If I am unintentionally favoring this deck what would be a good way to break this pattern and draft better? Also what is the best among us headwear? Thanks Marshal and LSV keep on burrito mining.
Steve Stormoen
Hi Marshall and Luis! Do you have a heuristic for determining how aggro a format is going to be, especially at the start of the format? I tend not to get the feel for the speed of a format until I lose a few times to much faster or much slower decks, and I'm wondering if you have a way to get a bead on a set — especially a format like M21 or ZNR that seem from the spoilers to lean either way — before getting your teeth punched in.
Lewis Williams
I know there’s a fair bit of crossover between high level magic players and poker players. Am I imagining an unwillingness for magic content creators to talk about their other poker lives or a caginess about discussing earning a living that way? Is it a cultural thing within poker? A hesitance to talk about money? Am I just imagining this? Thanks for all you do.
Niko Reed
I often find it harder to think strategically while watching magic than while playing it. What goes through your mind as you’re watching others play, and do you have any advice for how I can get more out of watching others?
Vargtassaren
Hi Marshall and Luis! Any chance of a set review in any form on the Commander Legends draft format for Commander? It is also limited ... I am especially intrigued by how you would approach the casual mood WOTC seems to be going for in this format.
Andrew Raia
Dude I know, and I resort to blaming the shuffler, opponents perfect draws, etc etc. I sometimes miss old school creature based paper magic with no stakes lol. I just want the draft experience and to collect cards.
McNerdy27
Hey guys! Longtime listener. I'd like to start by briefly saying that what you do makes a huge difference for me. The show has helped me through tough times, and each time I start up an episode, I feel excited to "hang out" with a couple of friends. My question has to do with getting a larger audience for my MTGA streaming and YouTube videos. Right now, it's focused on draft, though I have also started to pepper in some video essays here and there. Obviously both of you guys are way past the early stages of establishing yourselves as content creators, but what would you say to someone who is a little more than a year in and trying to gain greater traction? Thanks a ton for all that you do. Means the world.
Michael Rawdon
Boy, I feel this. Especially when I’m on 2 losses in a premier draft and the mana flood or screw shows up and I’m like, “Not like this!” It can be really hard.
Michael Rawdon
How do you avoid ending up in a bad color pair archetype in draft - should you even try? For example, early in Zendikar Rising I had two black-green decks, which I got into with early black removal, and then green was the only open color. But both decks were ‘meh’ because that color combination isn’t really a thing. Should I have pushed to get into another color than green, maybe whichever was most open in pack 2? Or, when the open colors are a non-archetype do I just have to take my lumps and treat it as practicing my play?
Paul Barrett
I find that there are certain foods that are solid indicators of how good the entire menu of a certain type of restaurant is likely to be. They're typically things I'll order when I'm not feeling adventurous at a new spot, and if they aren't good, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the menu. Some examples are the plain glazed at a donut shop and the General Tso's Chicken for Americanized Chinese. I have a friend who swears by potato salad as a barometer for southern cuisine. What are some of your favorite foods that serve this function? Have you experienced restaurants that have surprised you after a poor showing in one of these dishes?
Parker Rhodes
Hi Marshall and Luis! What's the best concert you've been to (back when those were a thing)?
Spencer Warriner
I see lots of questions about avoiding tilt, which is fine, but what if I'm on a cold streak because I'm simply not drafting or playing my best? Are there clear signs of certain mistakes that can help me troubleshoot and improve?
Patrick Scioscia
Hey Marshall and LSV: first off thanks for answering my last question on the podcast. That was cool. My question for this week is: has an archetype ever burned you so badly that you just refused to draft it? I draft rw warriors in ZDR when it's open, and it burns me everytime. At this point, I think I'd rather just not draft it even if I see the signals.
Ben, Highspeed Hoverbike Pilot
Kaladesh Remastered is almost here! What would y'all most like to see from the new (old) set? What are your fondest memories from classic Kaladesh?
wantondevious
Would you consider giving LR patreon's access to the written set reviews again please. I kind of want to stay and support Marshall, but feeling distinctly unmotivated to continue subscribing without the written version.
Ryan
I’m noticing a pattern in my drafts, where I just never draw a key card (bomb rare or build around uncommon) and so it makes it very obvious that my deck’s plan was “draw that card” because I drafted lots of cards that support that missing card but on their own are just a pile playables lacking much synergy. How can I improve my drafting to ensure I’m not unconsciously drafting around one card?
Glory Ancheta
Pros and cons and living in Denver and Seattle? Thinking of relocating to either and would appreciate y'all duking it out.
Timothy Papich
Hey guys, as an avid cube drafter and designer with multiple cubes, I‘d love to know what you think makes a draft format truly great from a design perspective. Also, do you have any pet archetypes or cards that you especially love seeing in cube draft?
Søren Lahn Sloth
Hey Marshall and Luis! I've been a listener since Luis' first show, and you are doing great every show. Magic has changed a lot since then. The next big move in magic is perhaps when Arena comes out on mobile. Prediction time: How much do you think you'll end up using Arena on your phones? Do you guess you'll stay mostly on your computers? Perhaps you can revisit this question in half a year or a year. Have a nice day! Stay positive and test negative!
Matthew M.
Do formats that encourage monocolor like Throne of Eldraine lead to healthier formats than multicolor sets like Ravnica and khans?
James Gardiner
Hi guys, is there any possibility of getting a previous LR co-host update at some point in the future?
Eric
I reached Mythic last night for the first time (thanks to some extra time at home) and wanted to thank y'all for the insight on this format. My question is that over this month of playing my evaluations of some decks has been significantly different than the outcome. I've had between 0 and 2 wins with some decks that I thought were quite good. On the other hand, I have a few 7 win runs with decks I thought were pretty mediocre. How do you recommend sorting out the noise from the data here? What is the balance for adjusting my perception of the format and understanding that variance is a part of the game? I know that some of my thoughts (especially earlier in the format) were just wrong and I try to use all my experiences to keep getting better. Thanks.
Scott Pease
(this isn't a question, but please do a Team Draft with LoL once a format - that was insanely fun to watch)
Hayden Everly
My question is, which iconic duo do you and Luis most closely resemble, and why? This can be anything: Sonic and Tails, Holmes and Watson, Stockton and Malone, Animal and Hawk, Mario and Luigi. No restrictions for subject, time period, or whether the subjects actually exist. I'd be interested to hear both which duo you think is the best comparison, as well as which member of that duo you see yourself or your co host as. We're all unique, magnificent creatures so there won't be a perfect match here but I'd like to know what you think all the same.
awcheese
I am getting interested in following pro MTG, Could you explain the format/league structure of the standard tournament that took place on Twitch last weekend? I enjoyed watching some of Luis's and Reid's matches. How do you guys think the tournament went?
Brandon Housman
How do you deal with streaks? Sometimes it feels like everything falls into place your way and can’t lose but other times it feels like you can’t catch a break. I know you have to just stay the course and keep making the best percentage plays, but any tips on how to cope with it mentally and emotionally?
Mo
This was my question too! Except more specifically cocktails and craft beer..
NicolaiBolas
Hey Marshall and Luis! I was wondering if you think Draft or Sealed is a more skill intensive format? In a tournament with both (like a Limited Grand Prix) how do you balance your practice to feel prepared for both? Thanks for all that you do.
Scott Pease
How many drafts does it take before you feel like you have a good enough understanding of the format to offer advice on it? How long until you've more or less "solved" it and feel like you can navigate any draft seat properly?
Jonathan Smith
I only recently learned about hand smoothing in BO1 in Arena. Is this something I should be thinking about when building my deck or deciding to keep an opening hand?
Luis Goicouria (manowarelves)
Hello Luis and Marshall, I've been struggling a bit with construction of aggressive decks. Is there such a thing as too many creatures? When should I go to 15 lands? Should I prioritize combat tricks more highly? Thanks again for all of the content.
Andy Nash
I've been waffling on how open I should stay while drafting in formats that have archetypes that are clearly better than others. Is it better to try to stay completely open and draft the hard way or stay open in a way that puts you into better archetypes? I feel like it's hard to pivot if I'm drafting BW clerics or something like that. Thanks as always for the great info!
Luke Johnson
If you think it appropriate for your listenership, I would like to hear power rankings for alcoholic beverages! Be as general or specific as you like.
Cory Enriquez
To LSV, when you see other players in the MPL eating on camera, do you feel like they are basically “net decking” life from you? Follow up: do you feel like a proud papa when it happens to be a burrito?
Jason Dooley
What was your earliest favorite Magic card, and do you think it has influenced what type of player you are today?
Andrew Raia
How do you disconnect yourself from the emotional side of the game? I get pretty tilted when losing games where I am investing resources like gems or coins. I don't want to NOT enjoy the game, but it is a very hard line for me to walk sometimes.
Alexander Ullman
Hey guys, We've seen some recent formats that were tough on Constructed but good for Limited. Is there something about making good draft formats that puts pressure on Constructed or are they unrelated?