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Question of the Week Thread

🕑 Added 2016-03-25 06:12:13 +0000 UTC

Comments

Michael Rawdon

Recently on the Magic The PROthering podcast, Gerry Thompson says that he thinks limited formats of Magic are in decline. Do you agree, and if so, what do you think could be done to stop it?

Timothy Rice

Hi guys, Could you give a short speech (or entire episode!) on the application of the Fundamental Theory of Poker to Magic?

Jon

I recently read an article written by Reid Duke from the beginning of 2015 that talked about line-up theory. It seems like a really sound approach. What are your thoughts on it?

Jon

Thanks for the answer guys. LSV totally nailed where I was going with it. Really appreciate it.

Austin Cook (patriotfan09)

Hey Marshal and Luis, big fan. My next Regional PTQ is Limited (SOI sealed), which had me wondering: how you prepare for a bigger competitive sealed tournament? I'd also love some tips to keep in mind during deckbuilding or the swiss rounds. Also, how do you handle getting as unlucky as Luis does?

George Wright

Hi Marshall and Luis, Do you keep track of your mistakes in limited matches? If so, what is the best way to do that, in order to maximize the amount one learns from mistakes and minimize the number of times that they are repeated?

Absence of Gravitas

Multiple times in the Top 8s of events like GPTs I've heard people asking their opponent "Are you going to the GP?", with the implication being "You should concede to me if you're not, since I actually need the buys and you don't". It's not rude to insist on playing it out even if you have no plans on actually attending the event you're qualifying for, right? I've heard the argument that the community only gets a certain number of GPTs so the buys from them should go to people who need them, but my position is that buys are for people who prove they can win a GPT and no one "deserves" a concession in this situation. Am I being rude by refusing? (Let's not even get into the implied "you get the packs if you concede" which is obviously a no-no.)

Ruthi

Hey guys, My question is about memory and drafting in-person. Drafting online is great because you get to see the cards you've drafted and, more importantly, gaps you need to fill. I enjoy drafting in person much more, but I find I don't draft as well because there is so much more to remember. Do I have enough three-drops? What about removal? Etc. I find it really hard to come up with a plan while also keeping track of my picks. Indeed, this has been trickier with Innistrad where I'm trying to draft specific decks. So to my question- do you have any tricks for keeping track of cards as you draft?

Alexander

My name is Alexander and I've been an LR supporter for almost a year and a half. How do you stay motivated when things don't work out for you in Limited? I don't mind learning from my mistakes to become a better player, but sometimes a string of 1-2s and 0-3s can be hard to swallow.

Dean DiPietro

Looks like SOI came with some changes to sealed leagues in MTGO -- can you guys comment on EV for the new split between friendly and competitive and also the multi-stage card pool? Thanks!

Richard Scott

Hi Marshall and Luis,

Jon

Can you give some good examples to help me learn making some good moves for card advantage vs having a good tempo play in SOI? I am really struggling with figuring this out.

Kanishka

Hi guys, this is a less limited related question and more general one. I've played a few larger tournaments and something I'm finding is that my back can really get wrecked! What sorts of things do you guys do to make sure you're looking after your bodies given that playing Magic, especially competitively, requires you to sit around for hours? Thanks!

Andrew Bittles

I've been listening for about two years, and was finally able to budget to allow myself to become a donor this month. My question is - if I have a favorite archetype, that I know I play well, is it okay to show that archetype preference even if it is slightly sub-optimal?

Jon

So it's been a while since the discussion has talked about results oriented thinking... I've found myself in this trap a lot lately. Is there a time when thinking like that is ok?

Petey VanSchaik

Hi guys, been listening for about a year, and had a question for you about sealed deck (and draft to an extent). What advice do you have when the best deck in your sealed pool, or the open color in your draft, is a color that you simply are not very good at/ don't like? For instance, I am horrible at playing blue decks, especially control decks. However my recent sealed pool in the MTGO league was clearly pushing me towards a blue/black control deck. Would you guys advise building the stronger deck and relying on its power to see me through, or building a weaker deck that I may be more comfortable with? Thanks for any advice.

Ted Meyer

Hey! How do you change your drafting to a table with less than 8 drafters? What do you change when drafting with 6, 5 or even just 4 players in the draft?

Phil Giampietro

Hi! Whether it's a draft or a sealed pool, if your selection of cards is VERY light on removal and similar effects (like bouncing creatures, pacifism type effects, etc.), how do you craft a "Plan B"? I've encountered situations where I've drafted OGW/BFZ or opened a sealed deck and found virtually no playable removal in any color. What are some other strategies for deck building or even just for gameplay when you just do not have the right removal options?

Traitor Trilobite

Hey guys! Being a bit new to Magic and with the prerelease coming up, I was wondering if you had any advice on deciding how to make a deck at prerelease and how to decide which cards would probably be better for you to use.

Adam the Mad Scientist

Do either of you ever get Magic fatigue? I find that once in a while, usually around the middle to 3/4 mark of a draft format, I become overloaded with Magic and step away for a while. The downside of this is that when I eventually do come back at the end of one format and the prerelease of another, I'm way out of practice. Does this happen to you? What do you do to recharge and preserve your edge when you've had too much Magic?

Mike Scott

Do you think Shadows over Innistrad will be a synergy based (such as Battle for Zendikar) or more straight-forward (such as Magic Origins)? I think Innistrad might be synergy based and following a traditional draft strategy could lead to poor results. Roughly how many drafts does it take to have some confidence that a format is synergy based or traditional?

Trevor Andersen

What exactly does a "good curve" for a deck mean to you guys? Also, where do you draw the line between taking a powerful card and taking a card that makes your curve better?