Paper AND Digital

Wizards, as any other money-making enterprise, needs paper to flourish AND digital to flourish. But for each 'channel' they need a different strategy.

1. Paper Vintage and Legacy, as far as the vast majority of MTG players is concerned, is as good as dead. It makes sense that VMA is where Wizards wants Vintage and Legacy to live. This move makes the majority of players happy, such as noobs like me who would have never bought into paper Vintage or Legacy. Hobby money is not tuition money or car money or rent money: paper Vintage and Legacy don't stand a chance as viable formats while the restricted list applies. At the current prices I am willing to blow a little money and play against Vintage decks online, even if I mostly get blown out. We already got True-Name Nemesis for Vintage and Legacy. I expect Wizards will continue to add cards via specialty products that are specifically aimed at online Vintage and Legacy.

For the long term, Vintage and Legacy are digital only.

2. Modern already got Modern Masters and the Modern Even Deck. Eventually the Fetchlands will likely be reprinted, and eventually there will likely be a Modern Masters 2, and that will be a great opportunity to reprint Liliana of the Veil. Standard is also a format in which key Modern staples are being reprinted (Thoughtseize, Mutavault, Chord of Calling).

Modern is paper and digital.

3. Standard is there to attract new players and will likely continue to be the cash cow. Not much else to add there.

Standard is paper and digital.

With this framework there is plenty of room for cross over cards: print a Standard card that is also a Modern staple; print a Modern staple that is also a Legacy staple, print a specialty product card that is also a Legacy and Vintage staple.

Vintage Masters Buys and Pulls Part 3

[link to the previous post for this subject] 

Time for my weekly lottery ticket (my third one). I have pulled a lot of packs on paper and online and am used to pulling crap most of the time. VMA is a little different, even at $7 a pop: there is always some historical fun card you can pull, even at common. Here I pulled a Dark Ritual.

Here are the commons. There are mistakes in the filtering of the online client and the filter keeps a bunch of cards at the wrong rarity in VMA. Gush, for example, is a VMA uncommon.

July 1 update. First the Mythic Rares.

And then the rares below Force of Will and the Dual Lands.

July 3: Here is my fourth lottery ticket.

July 4 update:
Prices have gone down a little.

July 9 update: lottery ticket No. 5

July 13 update: lottery ticket No. 6 (Hymn to Tourarch)

July 15, lottery ticket No.7

July 22 update: three Plateaus. I will pick from the cheaper ones over the course of the summer and use them in Legacy decks.

July 24 update: lottery pack No.8

August 5, 2014 update: lottery tickets 9 and 10 (very nice pulls!)

[link to the next post for this subject]

[Modern] Liliana Vess + Grave Titan

This deck needs some more optimization. Right now it is just a pre-M15 preparation deck.

Here is a game that I lost. I need to optimize the deck a little more.

This is not the best deck to build around Liliana Vess. The tutor ability needs to be used for something big, really big.

[Modern] Optimized Grave Titan

Grave Titan is every Johnny's dream.

Here is the Titan doing his thing.

Epic game against a Power Nine deck Part 4

[Here is a link to part 3]

And here is the grand finale! Here I lose all but one of my permanents to Emrakul the Eons Torn.

I get another hand (again!)

Another extra turn.

More card draw.

And here Tabasco is just showing off his sweet new cards, which I sure did not mind. Here is Gifts Ungiven.

 

I picked Lich's Mirror and Black Lotus for the graveyard.

Here begins a sequence to tutor a card from the graveyard.

And here is that card being played.

Epic game against a Power Nine deck Part 3

[Here is a link to Part 2]

I am almost milled out and my opponent is filling the battlefield with all of those sweet cards available in Vintage. Now follow extra turns and building up mana.

Here is a much needed life gain using Tendrils of Agony.

More storm shenanigans.

This could be a fatty being tutored.

More hand disruption.....ouch.

Voltaic Cell is used to activate Mana Vault.

[Here is a link to Part 4]