Announcing: Shelf Builder's Toolkit (21)

Do you have friends? And are you tired of them always complaining because they don't have enough space to store their Magic: the Gathering cards? Alternatively, are you just starting out in Magic? Do you worry that you don't have enough storage space for all of your decks?

Starting May 21, 2010, you can hook up a friend (or yourself!) with the Shelf Builder's Toolkit, which will contain 100 tip and trick cards and 125 semi-random nails/screws, along with four 15-piece-of-wood booster packs for only $19.99. It's the perfect way to start a shelf-building career!

The Shelf Builder's Toolkit will also contain a card storage box to put on your shelf, a guide containing construction tips, and expert advice on how to custom build the deadliest and most effective shelves possible. And since no two Toolkits are the same, each one presents its own unique shelfbuilding challenges!

What does a 3-0 Zendikar draft deck look like? A few examples (20)

I'm sure if you're reading this, you will have read some of the many articles on Magic draft strategy (be it this format, or any other) already. These articles typically focus on "pick orders" for the commons, and while some include a decklist, most have just the one, as they are in a walkthrough article, and so the average player must read many of these in which the author has done well (and this is not always the case) to get a good idea of what a deck that can win a draft looks like, outside of their own experiences.

So, rather than present a story of one draft, here i'm cutting straight to the finish, with a handful of decklists, each of which went 3-0 at a triple-Zendikar draft at The Games Club in London, UK (one of the better clubs in the country for limited, or so our reputation has it). I hope these will be able to give some idea of what to aim for at one of your drafts too - i'm a big fan of "drafting to spec" myself, so have always found it helpful knowing what a 3-0 deck might look like.

Which one is your favourite?


Note - these certainly do not represent all of the strong strategies present in Zendikar draft - amongst other things, there is certainly a criminal absence of Grazing Gladeheart here! (the deck i 3-0'd with it i forgot to note down, opps...)


Ross Miles, R/W:

Steppe Lynx
Kor Skyfisher
Kor Aeronaut
Goblin Shortcutter
2 Plated Geopede
2 Ruinous Minotaur
Gobllin Ruinblaster
Kor Hookmaster
Kor Sanctifiers
Torch Slinger
2 Bladetusk Boar
Shatterskull Giant
Kor Cartographer
World Queller

Burst Lightning
Punishing Fire
Journey to Nowhere
Magma Rift
Inferno trap
Arrow volley trap

9 mountain
8 plains


Glenn Goldsworthy, G/B/r Allies:

3 Oran-Rief Survivalist
2 Stonework Puma
Oran-Rief Recluse
Tajuru Archer
Joraga Bard
Bala Ged Thief
2 Nimana Sell-sword
2 Heartstabber Mosquito
2 Hagra Diabolist
Tuktuk Grunts
Murasa Pyromancer

Soul Stair Expedition
Vines of the Vastwood
Marsh Casualties
Khalni Heart Expedition
Harrow
Gigantiform
Predatory Urge

Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
Piranha Marsh
7 Forest
6 Swamp
2 Mountain


Kieran Symington, B/W:

2 Steppe Lynx
2 Guul Draz Vampire
Vampire Lacerator
Surrakar Marauder
Gatekeeper Of Malakir
Blood Seeker
Cliff Threader
Vampire Nighthawk
Kor Hookmaster
Crypt Ripper
Felidar Sovereign

Quest For The Gravelord
Soul Stair Expedition
Trusty Machete
Journey To Nowhere
Marsh Casualties
2 Hideous End
Bold Defense
Narrow Escape
Mind Sludge

9 Swamp
6 Plains
Kabria Crossroads
Soaring Seacliff


Dan Barrett, R/B:

Goblin Guide
Goblin Bushwhacker
Vampire Lacerator
Warren Instigator
Plated Geopede
2 Surrakar Marauder
2 Goblin Shortcutter
Vampire Nighthawk
2 Torch Slinger
Bladetusk Boar
2 Crypt Ripper
Geyser Glider

Quest for the Gravelord
Explorer's Scope
Adventuring Gear
Punishing Fire
Hideous End
2 Spire Barrage

10 Mountain
7 Swamp

How not behave as a Northerner visiting London, part 2 (19)

It appears my definition of "tomorrow" is pretty damn loose, heh.

Anyway, i promised a part 2, so before i go back to some of "the usual magic yawnathon" (Cheers Fionnbharr! :P), here it is.


After a great not-quite-my-birthday of playing a new set of Magic, i settled down in the patio area of the Royal National Hotel's bar with my friends, flatmates, and Hana for a drink or four before we headed round the corner to Bloomsbury Lanes to neither bowl nor do karaoke as i couldn't afford to book either for us in advance.

It was all very nice and friendly - i had some drinks bought for me (thanks, guys!), and won a fifteen-quid card off compulsive Gambler Gary in a game of heads or tails (yes, we really do make bets/play games that stupid). A lovely evening.

That was, until i decided to sit down and pick up my pint upon returning from the bathroom...

"Get yer hands off that or al break yer arms," came a gruff Northern voice to my right.

I looked round, pint half raised to my lips to take a sip, and saw a man of about 60, plain but neat clothes, with grey hair and a bushy mustache, looking down at me and my friends trying to enjoy our evening.

"Thats MY pint", he declared with eyes full of rage. I was in no doubt at this point that despite being a fair amount smaller than me and outnumbered, this man would definitely try to break my arms if i gave him any further reason to.

I put the glass back down on the table from where i had picked it up, next to 2 identical glasses, the 3 all equally full within a sip or two. "I'm sorry," I explained, i thought that was my one"

However, my simple explanation was not well received. "You will be sorry if you touch ma pint again."

I know was certain this man was a complete dickhead, having apologised to him with a perfectly reasonable explanation, only for his initial unnecessary threat of violence to be repeated. "Look, they're very similar!" I tried to reason, "Is this one mine?" I picked up another of the glasses.

"NO! That's my WIFE'S!" The woman in question, equally aged and with the facial features of a potato and the figure of the sack it came in, now turned to join him and scowled down at me.

"Okay, it's a simple misunderstanding. This one must be mine then," and i traded the wife' pint for what was presumably my own. "Are you going to hurt me for drinking this one?" I couldn't help but add, as he angrily picked up the 2 glasses he claimed were theirs and muttered some curses under his breath. I turned back to my group, who started openly mocking the ridiculous spectacle they had just witnessed. I had to laugh.


Now, i am sure you have been in the same situation before when out drinking. It usually plays out as follows:


*picks up drink*

"Oh, excuse me mate, i think you've got my pint there?"

"Oh, my bad mate, i guess this one is mine"

"No worries fella!"


Notice how different the two encounters are? This is because mine was with a Northerner rather than a local. And looking back on various times i and friends have encountered Northern visitors in London, we saw a number of recurring trends in their behaviour when visiting our city:


- An enormous chip on their shoulder, for no apparent reason, leading to bitterness at all times, even when they are supposed to be enjoying themselves.

- Prone to violence, or threats thereof, at the slightest provocation (notice how ridiculously over the top it is to threaten to break not one, but both of someone's arms just because they touched your drink. It's insane).

- Strong feelings of distrust towards native Southerners, even when they are trying to help you.


I'm not sure why they act like this, but if you are going to come visit your nation's capital, grow up and behave like an (at least semi-intelligent) adult. I don't know if you're just pissed off because you spent 8 hours on a bus to get here because you were too tight to pay a few quid more for a plane, or you hate working in a mine up there, but whatever it is, get over it!

(:P)

How not behave as a Northerner visiting London, part 1 (18)

It was fairly early (for me at least, 9am) on the bright Saturday morning just gone, when i had my first encounter of the day with an uncouth Northern tourist.

Yes, this is going to be one of those blog entries...

So, back to my story - i was heading out from my flat in Chalk Farm, to catch the 168 bus to down near Euston, for one of my quarterly total geek-outs, a Magic pre-release. As such, i was in a good mood, and when accosted by an overweight middle-aged Northern man in a pink polo shirt and the rest of his family as i walked past the station, was willing to attempt to give them directions:

"scuse me, where's the town centre?"
"Umm, do you mean the centre of Camden, or central London?"
"the town centre"
"Okay..." *thinks* "Where is it exactly you wanted to go?"
*sighing, as if i am the idiot here* "i already said, the town centre"

At this point, i wanted to tell him to piss off, and that this is a city of 7.5 million people, and as such is pretty fucking big. There is no such thing as a town centre. Instead, for some unknown an masochistic reason, i stuck at it:

"Where is it you are hoping to go, exactly? Like, shopping, or what?"
"Yea, the shops. And some breakfast first"
"Any shops in particular?" *looking at his family, who are all watching us, engrossed by seeing an actual Londoner give him directions. How proud they must have been!* "Perhaps TopShop or something?"
"Yea, the big one"
"Okay, so you want to go to Oxford Street then"
"So how do i get there"

I looked at the tube map on the wall behind me, and proceeded to give some simple instructions:

"Take the tube from here South, Charing Cross branch. Get off at Tottenham Court Road, and then walk up to Oxford Circus" *traces line from one station t the offer with finger on map*
"But we want to go to Oxford Street. Why are you telling us to get off there and walk?"
"Because it's quicker to walk for 5 minutes than to change onto the Central line for 1 stop"
"But you said walk to Oxford Circus, we want to go to Oxford Street!"
"I know that" *sighing, heavily* "That is where all the shops are, trust me"
"Why can't you tell us how to get to Oxford Street station"
*Temper now rising* "There is no Oxford Street station. Oxford Street runs between Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street, most of the shops are around Oxford Circus station"
"Fine..." *now to his family* "I guess we'll try going down here then..."

They then entered the station, leaving me without even saying thank you, and having been patronising to me, the guy being helpful and giving them accurate directions, which they didn't want to trust. What was wrong with these people?

The answer became clear later, when i had another choice encounter with someone else from the wrong side of the Watford Gap... check back tomorrow for part 2.

5 quick book reviews, 2 cards you may want to invest in (17)

I've been reading a lot lately.

And when i say "a lot", what i really mean is that i'm on my 6th book in just under 2 weeks. However i am cheating slightly, as a couple of the books i didn't have to read cover to cover, but only finish off. Here's what i thought of each of them.


Chuck Palahniuk - "Pygmy"

Written in the broken English of a non-native speaker, "Pygmy" follows a foreign exchange student from an unnamed far-East Communist state as he infiltrates a typical American family, and then attempts with his comrades to bring the country down from the inside with a deadly science-fair project. Tricky to read at first due to the very unusual style (a typical sentence: "Begins here ninth account of operative me, agent number 67, regaining host residence subsequent student mating ritual"), once you get into it, a decent read. Can't help but feel it's not as strong as his earlier books though, while god, it doesn't quite have that "would stay up til 4am to finish reading" spark.

James Palumbo - "Tomas"

I bought this one in spite of, and not because of, the positive quotes about it i'd seen in big poster adverts in the tube. I'm both skeptical of books that are advertised on posters/tv, and also there is something i don't like about people such as Stephen Fry and that dreadful tit Noel Fielding enjoying the same things i do. Onto the book itself, it's an extreme caricature of the excesses of modern Western life, from gang-rapist football teams to enormously fat Russian billionaire oligarchs, and women with such impossibly large fake breasts they have to wheel them around on trolleys. Main character Tomas takes it upon himself to destroy everything this society has become, in an enjoyable read that will doubtless leave you hating anyone who owns an Aston Martin.

Tao Lin - "Eeeee Eee Eeee"

The title is apparently the noise a dolphin makes, when it isn't feeling guilty about not replying to its mentally handicapped penpal, or telling off a bear in a narrow underground cave for forgetting it had the ability to teleport. Such is the world of this delightfully surreal and quick to read book. I couldn't tell you what the plot is, or what it means, but i can say with certainty it will bring a smile to your face. It has a lot of nice sentences in it.

Malcolm Gladwell - "Outliers" , "The Tipping Point"

Two absolutely fascinating books from bestselling psychologisy/sociologist Gladwell, who tackles the two questions of what causes success, and how social epidemics are caused. They're effortlessly engaging, and full of intriguing and unexpected facts, and i happily went and bought his other book, "Blink" (reading now) without even knowing what it was about on the strength of these two. Did you know the main cause of airline crashes is mitigated speech in the cabin? Or that 90% of schizophrenics are heavy smokers? Or that kids tv shows "Sesame Street" and "Blues Clues" are painstakingly constructed for the absolute maximum educational benefit? Neither did i, and there's a world more where these came from. My highest recommendations of the 5 go to these two, everyone should read them.


(Magic) 2 cards you may want to invest in

I'm sure all you Magic players reading this have seen the spoilers so far for Zendikar, and are psyched to be getting enemy-coloured fetchlands, among other goodies. Based purely on the spoiler so far, a couple of predictions for cards that may be worth acquiring.

Vampire Nocturnus - has great synergy with the new vampires that are coming up, some of which (the BB 2/1 that returns to play with landfall) are certainly constructed playable. I bought 4 for 1 Euro each at GP Prague, and since then they've gone up to $3.99 on StarCity, and are currently sold out. If mono-black Vampires becomes a played archetype they'll certainly be worth double that (especially as a mythic rare), and might still go up a decent amount more just because casual players love playing tribal archetypes (so you'll easily trade them on for value)

Knight of the Reliquary - also sold out on StarCity at $9.99 (pretty sure this was half that before spoiler season began), this has the potential to be MASSIVE with fetchlands. EoT crack fetch for forest, sac forest to Knight, get fetch, crack it for +3/+3 (+2/+2 every turn)? Seems strong, and should easily be a 5/5 for 3 that manafixes and thins your deck.

Honourable mention goes to Gemstone Mine, which i think would have been very played in an extended without fetchlands (see Quentin Martin's article a few weeks back, you'll see what i mean), but alas that is not to be. On that front, might be worth picking up Restore Balance + March of the Machines ($0.59 each!) in case its a real deck, as right now it must be the cheapest half-decent deck in 1.x, but only time will tell. Oh, and any Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block cards you may want, now is probably the time to get them, as dedicated standard players will be offloading shortly - Kitchen Finks, Glen Elendra Archmage, Figure of Destiny, etc.