mr_bigmouth_502
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28 Jul 2014, 2:56 am
28 Jul 2014, 5:07 am
MakaylaTheAspie
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28 Jul 2014, 6:10 am
I've been playing it for a while, and I have three decks. I was pretty slow in the beginning too, mostly because I was half-familiar with the game and I didn't know my deck very well.
I agree that it just takes getting familiar with your decks and having a variety of people to play with. I think the best way is to go to a tournament on a smaller scale and enter just to see the different types of players. There's actually a lot of them where I live, and I have a ton of family members who I recently found out love the game too (like my younger guy cousin and my uncle that I saw for the first time in six years last month).
Just explore a little more into the community and into your own decks. 
28 Jul 2014, 10:31 am
28 Jul 2014, 6:24 pm
mr_bigmouth_502
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29 Jul 2014, 1:37 am
Cvulgaris wrote:
My husband and I used to play before we moved to a more rural area. I mostly played to spend time with him, but he was really good at it. I was always a slow player--couldn't keep up with the flow of the game, no sense for strategy, and mostly had to trust that my opponent wasn't cheating, because I couldn't remember which cards did what and what the rules were. My husband helped a lot with learning cards. He would tell me what to draft when we did drafts, and explain the more common cards to me. Drafts were always the worst, because I have a hard time processing information with background noise going on (which you will always find in a card shop). So I would unintentionally hold up the draft, and because I knew I was holding up the draft, I would get more stressed out that the whole thing was waiting on me.
So I guess my advice would be to avoid drafts if possible. You are lucky in that your dad is so adept at the game. See if he will tutor you the way my husband tutored me, by telling you which cards are good and explaining the more common cards to you. Also, play with people who you trust to not cheat you, if you have trouble remembering all the rules (which it sounds like you do).
So I guess my advice would be to avoid drafts if possible. You are lucky in that your dad is so adept at the game. See if he will tutor you the way my husband tutored me, by telling you which cards are good and explaining the more common cards to you. Also, play with people who you trust to not cheat you, if you have trouble remembering all the rules (which it sounds like you do).
I'm exactly the same way. A lot of why I play slowly is just because it takes me a long time to process things, and I'm honestly not very good at strategizing. When I was younger and more confident, it didn't seem like as much of a problem for me, but in the last place I lived, I was an hour away from a fairly major center where they actually had a card shop, and as a result I'd go and play drafts there every once in a while. I did terribly at them, as the players there played so fast and so effectively, and made me feel like a complete idiot.
My dad taught me how to play a long time ago, and I've tried coming to him for help a few times, but it just never seems to catch on for me. I kind of wish I could forget everything I know about Magic so that I could start over again and learn more effectively. As well, I no longer live with him, and he's living in a town a few hours away from me, so going to him for help with it may be a challenge.
I wouldn't have so much of an issue with my slow playing, if it weren't for the fact that everyone I've played against complains about it, and if it weren't for the fact that games tend to get so long and drawn out for me that I just zone out and get bored. I wouldn't be surprised if I've developed some form of ADD, as I've noticed lately that most of the games I enjoy playing involve fast reflex-based action and very little strategy, such as Call of Duty.
Misery wrote:
I've always loved the game myself. I havent played in awhile, but that's not for a lack of interest. As it is, it has occurred to me that I now have the money that I used to lack, so probably within a few days I'm gonna jump back into it.
It'll be the online version though (there's NOWHERE to play the physical version in my area, and friends of mine dont care at all). Provided I can get past their batshit insane account-recovery methods. Not the one found on Steam and whatnot, I mean MTG:Online (which is completely different; it's basically the "direct" version of the physical game, exact same cards, exact same prices, and a bloody enormous amount of available card sets, stretching waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy back. New card sets are released at pretty much the same time they are with the physical version). People seem to like 2014 and it's predecessors, but from my view they've always been very limited; you dont get even CLOSE to the selection of cards that is offered by the real game (either physical or online) with that. Heck, with earlier versions of the 2014 (EDIT: Apparently the current one is 2015.... because.... logic?) one, you couldnt even actually build decks. That's M:TG, without deck building. Which is only a totally major part of the game. As such, I've always avoided that series like the plague; I prefer the extreme freedom of the other version. It might be decent for beginners, I have no idea, but that's my own thoughts on it. Others will disagree, and that's fine.
Buuuuuut of course that bit's up to you.
As for your other questions, getting faster at the game can only be done by practice, and it's going to best happen when you have, well, variety. Different opponents rather than the same ones over and over, different decks and card sets, as this prevents you from getting only fast with ONE set or deck (and frankly is just more fun, as it prevents it from getting stale). And just practice, practice, practice. But also know that speed in a game like this ISNT super important (unless you're playing Hearthstone, where it's strictly enforced). Particularly if you're doing practice matches against a friend or something. On top of that, taking your time can allow you to do better. I always take my time, and can spot even very warped combinations of cards that I can use. At a tournament once, waaaaaayyyyyyyyy back when, there was this one set of cards that focused alot on multicolor cards, and color shifting and stuff like that. This is where the "30-minute turn" happened, as I call it. Or was it a bit longer than that? Basically the board was filled with STUFF from both sides, my turn came up, and I saw a very screwball combo that I could do, with color shifting and bouncing (playing something, causing something else to return to hand), and did this very complicated move that basically used every card in my hand at once (multiple times, with the bouncing) and blew the entire board into a totally new arrangement. It took like 25 minutes to explain the exact mechanics of how I was doing this to the tournament judge. I didnt win that tournament, but I sure as bloody hell won that match.
That is an extreme example, but it's still a good one, as the game is just FILLED with awesome and fun combos to find and create. But you'll never find these if you're worrying too much about going fast. "speed" does not = "skill" in this game. Take your time, and think at your own pace. And dont FOCUS on "gotta find combos". Just look at what plays are possible, and go for it. You may happen to see a small combo you can do... analyze how it works, and do it, and you can also ponder "I wonder if there are other similar combos I might be able to think up later that work like this one?". Instead of worrying about combo making though, concern yourself simply with efficiency. "What is the cheapest, easiest way to stop/destroy/lock that creature? What's the easiest way to pierce my opponent's line of blockers? How can I keep this card out as long as possible so it's effect can help me the most?" stuff like that. But take your time, and even if the method you spot only involves a single, simple card, do it. Keep going with this, and eventually you'll start to spot some small tricks you might be able to do. And so on. But taking your time is the important part. If you're seeing someone play really fast, it's almost always because they've played their deck about a bazillion times, and arent looking for new combos... they're already locked into certain patterns that they've been using over and over with that deck.
Also.... honestly, if you THINK you're "slow processing", you'll BE slow-processing. Try not to think that way.... it's more important than you might believe. Dont look at long turns as "Im thinking so slowly". Look at them as "I'm analyzing every conceivable angle", as once you get used to it, that's exactly what they'll be.
Oh, and as deck-building goes, one method I always liked was to take a pre-con deck, and start with that, and slowly start changing and altering it over time, until you've come up with something totally different and entirely your own. It's a good way to get started with that.
Okay, hopefully that post wasnt too badly phrased and/or confusing. I'd happily play against you myself as well for fun and practice, but it sounds like we'll be using totally different versions.
Good luck though, either way. And if you have any really specific questions about it all, I'm happy to help if able. Been playing this since Ice Age, which is a really dang old set from about a billion years ago, and as it's one of my favorite games and such, discussing (and playing) it is alot of fun.
It'll be the online version though (there's NOWHERE to play the physical version in my area, and friends of mine dont care at all). Provided I can get past their batshit insane account-recovery methods. Not the one found on Steam and whatnot, I mean MTG:Online (which is completely different; it's basically the "direct" version of the physical game, exact same cards, exact same prices, and a bloody enormous amount of available card sets, stretching waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy back. New card sets are released at pretty much the same time they are with the physical version). People seem to like 2014 and it's predecessors, but from my view they've always been very limited; you dont get even CLOSE to the selection of cards that is offered by the real game (either physical or online) with that. Heck, with earlier versions of the 2014 (EDIT: Apparently the current one is 2015.... because.... logic?) one, you couldnt even actually build decks. That's M:TG, without deck building. Which is only a totally major part of the game. As such, I've always avoided that series like the plague; I prefer the extreme freedom of the other version. It might be decent for beginners, I have no idea, but that's my own thoughts on it. Others will disagree, and that's fine.
Buuuuuut of course that bit's up to you.
As for your other questions, getting faster at the game can only be done by practice, and it's going to best happen when you have, well, variety. Different opponents rather than the same ones over and over, different decks and card sets, as this prevents you from getting only fast with ONE set or deck (and frankly is just more fun, as it prevents it from getting stale). And just practice, practice, practice. But also know that speed in a game like this ISNT super important (unless you're playing Hearthstone, where it's strictly enforced). Particularly if you're doing practice matches against a friend or something. On top of that, taking your time can allow you to do better. I always take my time, and can spot even very warped combinations of cards that I can use. At a tournament once, waaaaaayyyyyyyyy back when, there was this one set of cards that focused alot on multicolor cards, and color shifting and stuff like that. This is where the "30-minute turn" happened, as I call it. Or was it a bit longer than that? Basically the board was filled with STUFF from both sides, my turn came up, and I saw a very screwball combo that I could do, with color shifting and bouncing (playing something, causing something else to return to hand), and did this very complicated move that basically used every card in my hand at once (multiple times, with the bouncing) and blew the entire board into a totally new arrangement. It took like 25 minutes to explain the exact mechanics of how I was doing this to the tournament judge. I didnt win that tournament, but I sure as bloody hell won that match.
That is an extreme example, but it's still a good one, as the game is just FILLED with awesome and fun combos to find and create. But you'll never find these if you're worrying too much about going fast. "speed" does not = "skill" in this game. Take your time, and think at your own pace. And dont FOCUS on "gotta find combos". Just look at what plays are possible, and go for it. You may happen to see a small combo you can do... analyze how it works, and do it, and you can also ponder "I wonder if there are other similar combos I might be able to think up later that work like this one?". Instead of worrying about combo making though, concern yourself simply with efficiency. "What is the cheapest, easiest way to stop/destroy/lock that creature? What's the easiest way to pierce my opponent's line of blockers? How can I keep this card out as long as possible so it's effect can help me the most?" stuff like that. But take your time, and even if the method you spot only involves a single, simple card, do it. Keep going with this, and eventually you'll start to spot some small tricks you might be able to do. And so on. But taking your time is the important part. If you're seeing someone play really fast, it's almost always because they've played their deck about a bazillion times, and arent looking for new combos... they're already locked into certain patterns that they've been using over and over with that deck.
Also.... honestly, if you THINK you're "slow processing", you'll BE slow-processing. Try not to think that way.... it's more important than you might believe. Dont look at long turns as "Im thinking so slowly". Look at them as "I'm analyzing every conceivable angle", as once you get used to it, that's exactly what they'll be.
Oh, and as deck-building goes, one method I always liked was to take a pre-con deck, and start with that, and slowly start changing and altering it over time, until you've come up with something totally different and entirely your own. It's a good way to get started with that.
Okay, hopefully that post wasnt too badly phrased and/or confusing. I'd happily play against you myself as well for fun and practice, but it sounds like we'll be using totally different versions.
Good luck though, either way. And if you have any really specific questions about it all, I'm happy to help if able. Been playing this since Ice Age, which is a really dang old set from about a billion years ago, and as it's one of my favorite games and such, discussing (and playing) it is alot of fun.
Taking precon decks and customizing them is actually not a bad idea. Back when I was at my "peak" and I mainly just played casually with my friends, I'd typically use decks built by my dad, with a few of my own customizations. One of my favorite decks, which I ended up customizing the ever-loving crap out of, was a deck based around the card "Doomgape" http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=146010 I don't remember if it was my dad who built it originally, or if I actually built it, but I ended up putting a good amount of work into it anyway, and it was a really fun deck. Sadly, I discovered that the reason why I was winning most of my matches with it was because I accidentally ignored the fact that Tarox Bladewing http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... +bladewing was a legendary creature, and that I couldn't have more than one out on the field at a time. I would always cast two and use them to pummel people, but you're not supposed to do that.
Anyway, I went on a bit of a tangent there. I had some other good decks that my dad helped me build, at least when I started playing. One was a simple Red/White deck that ended up becoming massively bloated,
and the other was a gigantic blue artifact deck. I played these before I started doing more "competitive" play, so I had no idea that going over 60 cards was a bad idea.
I'm thinking that the next time I play, I'll set a timer on my phone so that I can train myself to play faster turns, and get into a "groove". I'll probably make poor moves at first, but I think I'll eventually learn how to make effective moves in a shorter amount of time.
Also, would taking GABA help? It's been discussed in other threads, and I wonder if it would help me process things faster, or at least not get overwhelmed as easily.
Last edited by mr_bigmouth_502 on 30 Jul 2014, 4:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
29 Jul 2014, 7:37 am
mr_bigmouth_502
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29 Jul 2014, 7:42 am
OK, so I played some Magic 2014 earlier on just for practice, and while it is helping me get a better grip of the gameplay mechanics and certain strategies, here are a few things I've noticed that make playing it much different than real life:
- The computer opponents are EXTREMELY predictable, after you play against them enough times
- The interface of the game itself is much easier to use than the physical card game, and I can quickly play cards just by clicking on them instead of awkwardly arranging my lands to tap them, and stumbling over the names of the spells I want to cast. Also, I don't have to think about the number of lands I need to tap to play the cards I want to play.
- The game itself enforces the rules, and provides a structure that makes it easier to play overall. In the "real" game, you have to keep track of rules and effects, and it can be quite frustrating having to remember it all.
- If I'm struggling against an opponent, I can concede and play against them again as many times as I want, until I figure out their strategy or just get sick of them.
Basically, I'd like IRL MtG a lot better if I could just input my decks into a program like Magic 2014 and play through that program, rather than awkwardly dealing with the physical game. Of course, Magic Online sort of exists for this purpose, but then I'd have to re-purchase digital copies of all the cards I'd want to use, and I wouldn't be able to play with a lot of the really old or obscure cards I have either. As well, I think it's just kind of silly investing real money in virtual cards. Dammit, if I'm going to collect cards, I'm going to collect the real deal! At least with those, I can easily trade and resell them, and get free ones from my dad whenever he decides to clean out his collection. 
Misery wrote:
Yeah, the precon idea has worked for me pretty well in the past.
My big problem with coming up with new decks is one very specific aspect: Coming up with a theme to base it on. All good decks are based around some central idea, after all, so I figured, okay, I'll take this precon deck, which already has a distinct theme/methodology to it, and I'll keep that aspect front and center, yet change the cards around as I see fit. It can end up making some very strong decks that way.
And what is a "GABA"? I've not heard that term before.
My big problem with coming up with new decks is one very specific aspect: Coming up with a theme to base it on. All good decks are based around some central idea, after all, so I figured, okay, I'll take this precon deck, which already has a distinct theme/methodology to it, and I'll keep that aspect front and center, yet change the cards around as I see fit. It can end up making some very strong decks that way.
And what is a "GABA"? I've not heard that term before.
Coming up with deck themes can be a difficult thing, though I find that a deck with a well-defined theme will often work much better than one that's simply based around a color or set of colors.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that can be taken as a dietary supplement. Supposedly, it can improve symptoms of Aspergers and its various comorbids. Here's some info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABA#GABA_as_a_supplement
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt258410.html
Last edited by mr_bigmouth_502 on 30 Jul 2014, 4:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
29 Jul 2014, 8:47 am
mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
OK, so I played some Magic 2014 earlier on just for practice, and while it is helping me get a better grip of the gameplay mechanics and certain strategies, here are a few things I've noticed that make playing it much different than real life:
- The computer opponents are EXTREMELY predictable, after you play against them enough times
- The interface of the game itself is much easier to use than the physical card game, and I can quickly play cards just by clicking on them instead of awkwardly arranging my lands to tap them, and stumbling over the names of the spells I want to cast. Also, I don't have to think about the number of lands I need to tap to play the cards I want to play.
- The game itself enforces the rules, and provides a structure that makes it easier to play overall. In the "real" game, you have to keep track of rules and effects, and it can be quite frustrating having to remember it all.
- If I'm struggling against an opponent, I can concede and play against them again as many times as I want, until I figure out their strategy or just get sick of them.
Basically, I'd like IRL MtG a lot better if I could just input my decks into a program like Magic 2014 and play through that program, rather than awkwardly dealing with the physical game. Of course, Magic Online sort of exists for this purpose, but then I'd have to re-purchase digital copies of all the cards I'd want to use, and I wouldn't be able to play with a lot of the really old or obscure cards I have either. As well, I think it's just kind of silly investing real money in virtual cards. Dammit, if I'm going to collect cards, I'm going to collect the real deal! At least with those, I can easily trade and resell them, and get free ones from my dad whenever he decides to clean out his collection.
Coming up with deck themes can be a difficult theme, though it is true that you can typically build a more solid deck by going with a specific theme rather than just a set of colors.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that can be taken as a dietary supplement. Supposedly, it can improve symptoms of Aspergers and its various comorbids. Here's some info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABA#GABA_as_a_supplement
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt258410.html
- The computer opponents are EXTREMELY predictable, after you play against them enough times
- The interface of the game itself is much easier to use than the physical card game, and I can quickly play cards just by clicking on them instead of awkwardly arranging my lands to tap them, and stumbling over the names of the spells I want to cast. Also, I don't have to think about the number of lands I need to tap to play the cards I want to play.
- The game itself enforces the rules, and provides a structure that makes it easier to play overall. In the "real" game, you have to keep track of rules and effects, and it can be quite frustrating having to remember it all.
- If I'm struggling against an opponent, I can concede and play against them again as many times as I want, until I figure out their strategy or just get sick of them.
Basically, I'd like IRL MtG a lot better if I could just input my decks into a program like Magic 2014 and play through that program, rather than awkwardly dealing with the physical game. Of course, Magic Online sort of exists for this purpose, but then I'd have to re-purchase digital copies of all the cards I'd want to use, and I wouldn't be able to play with a lot of the really old or obscure cards I have either. As well, I think it's just kind of silly investing real money in virtual cards. Dammit, if I'm going to collect cards, I'm going to collect the real deal! At least with those, I can easily trade and resell them, and get free ones from my dad whenever he decides to clean out his collection.
Misery wrote:
Yeah, the precon idea has worked for me pretty well in the past.
My big problem with coming up with new decks is one very specific aspect: Coming up with a theme to base it on. All good decks are based around some central idea, after all, so I figured, okay, I'll take this precon deck, which already has a distinct theme/methodology to it, and I'll keep that aspect front and center, yet change the cards around as I see fit. It can end up making some very strong decks that way.
And what is a "GABA"? I've not heard that term before.
My big problem with coming up with new decks is one very specific aspect: Coming up with a theme to base it on. All good decks are based around some central idea, after all, so I figured, okay, I'll take this precon deck, which already has a distinct theme/methodology to it, and I'll keep that aspect front and center, yet change the cards around as I see fit. It can end up making some very strong decks that way.
And what is a "GABA"? I've not heard that term before.
Coming up with deck themes can be a difficult theme, though it is true that you can typically build a more solid deck by going with a specific theme rather than just a set of colors.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that can be taken as a dietary supplement. Supposedly, it can improve symptoms of Aspergers and its various comorbids. Here's some info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABA#GABA_as_a_supplement
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt258410.html
Hm, as the bit about Magic Online goes, yeah, I can understand the bit about the physical cards. I normally have that idea myself.
But there's a few reasons why I ended up finding that deal to be too good to pass up. I know that playing with friends is always the most fun, and even if I DID have friends that were actually into it (as opposed to just playing FPS games on 360/Xbone or RPGs all day long), as a fan of the game I'd still want more than that. Different opponents, different challenges..... but that's nigh-impossible to come by around here. Even if it was though, it'd still be super-limited. I wouldnt always be able to play it when *I* want to.... it'd have to work out with the schedules of others, or of whatever place I'd go to to do it.
In addition, alot of the irritating headaches that normally accompany these vanish with that version. Trading, for instance. Finding cards that I want is VERY easy. There are "shops", automatic things run by players, that exist for trading, as well as direct buying/selling. Their prices on each card are generally accurate as to the cards rarity and all that stuff, yet they're easier to deal with than normal trading. If I want a rare card that's worth, say, $8, I dont HAVE to come up with some other rare card to trade for it; I could give a blob of commons that I dont need, so long as it adds up to 8, or a bit over. The thing doesnt care, the players running them dont care. Whatever makes sure the things have the selection they need to be successful works. In addition, "event passes" (three guesses what those do) are used as currency there, not just with the shops, but with direct trades too. Each ticket is worth $1; I could grab that rare card by simply paying the $8 that it costs, with those, using tickets that I likely got by selling things I didnt need, and stuff like that. These things are all accessed in-game, mind you, not on some goofy side site or some crap like that. They've been a constant presence since the game came out a billion years ago.
In other words.... it's very easy, as opposed to very irritating. Also means that I dont have to buy 10 zillionty boosters in an attempt to get something that nobody will trade to me.
And of course, as with Magic 2014, the game then handles ALL of the techy bits in-game... there's no need to follow things super specifically to make sure there's no rule mistakes. It wont let you. And it doesnt make mistakes. And it works with pretty much every conceivable card that has come out since it's release, which was.... early 2000s, I think. I remember being in college during the beta. Wheras Magic 2014 is EXTREMELY limited. Not to mention the bit that I always certainly need, which is the part where it keeps track of my collection for me, and makes deck construction (and simple browsing) very, very easy. As opposed to my way of dealing with physical cards, with is "everything is in this box, spend the next 2 hours trying to find a few specific ones".
And yeah, while I'd prefer to have physical cards..... ehhhh. I'd moreso prefer to be able to actually play the game, really. I *have* boxes of the damn things. ....and they're useless. Totally useless. Starting a new collection wasnt as irritating as I'd thought it'd be, particularly with the easy trading aspect (less crap in the collection that I'll never use, PARTICULARLY less multiples). Also.... the cards can be traded in for physical ones, if an entire set is collected (be it a particular expansion set, or whatever). That option has been there since the start, though I've never bothered with it.
....and besides, playing the physical game, ehhhhh.... as much as I always liked it, the damn autistic stuff would often get in the way. Too much physical proximity to others, too much.... "social". Too much everything, really. I'm alot more comfortable with machines.
One thing I can say though: I wouldnt count on AI of any sort to give you much practice. As a rule, even at it's highest levels, it's dumber than a sack of hammers. Hearthstone has the exact same problem; the AI is utterly useless. Good for learning the rules.... and that's about it. Magic 2014 and it's brethren do indeed seem to be about teaching beginners how to play the game, and giving them a chance to see if they like it or not. But it's not very good beyond that. If you really wanna jump into it, if you want to get better, find others to play with who are willing to teach you and help you during games with them. Definitely the best way.
There IS one other thing you could do, even if it is a little.... totally damn stupid. I used to do this thing, where I'd get two decks together... and then play both sides myself. Sort of a solitaire duel, you could say. The point being to try to spot both combos, as well as holes in the decks, at MY pace, while looking at a variety of logical situations that could arise VS certain types of cards. I always felt like a damn idiot doing it, but it had it's uses.
mr_bigmouth_502
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29 Jul 2014, 9:51 am
29 Jul 2014, 11:57 am
29 Jul 2014, 2:46 pm
29 Jul 2014, 3:48 pm
mr_bigmouth_502
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30 Jul 2014, 2:03 am
seaturtleisland wrote:
In a live tournament you can actually be penalized for slow play. That's another reason you should just play electronically for now.
I used to go to actual booster drafts and I don't remember being penalized for my slow play, though to be fair it was a fairly small venue with a tight-knit community.
Bataar wrote:
I hate to sound cliché, but it's one of those things that will happen the more you play. I don't know if you're just playing casual with friends or trying to play at the Friday Night Magic level or anything, but the more you play, the more familiar you'll be with the cards and their interactions. I play a lot of standard/constructed at the FNM level and am so familiar with a deck that a lot of times, I can predict my opponent's first several turns based on the first land he plays (assuming he drew the cards of course). If you're just playing casual, it can be hard since the card pool is so large, but in a standard environment, the pool is much smaller which makes it easier to learn the cards and their various interactions with the other cards in the format.
When I was living in my last town, there was a card shop only an hour away in a nearby city, and I would go there every so often for FNM booster drafts. Unfortunately, in my current town there aren't any card shops, nor is there a decent card shop in any nearby city, so I'm pretty much restricted to casual play. I own a fairly large collection of cards, and I have a number of friends with cards as well. I used to play with them all the time when I was younger, but life circumstances changed, and I lost my planeswalker's "spark", so to speak.
Misery wrote:
mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
OK, so I played some Magic 2014 earlier on just for practice, and while it is helping me get a better grip of the gameplay mechanics and certain strategies, here are a few things I've noticed that make playing it much different than real life:
- The computer opponents are EXTREMELY predictable, after you play against them enough times
- The interface of the game itself is much easier to use than the physical card game, and I can quickly play cards just by clicking on them instead of awkwardly arranging my lands to tap them, and stumbling over the names of the spells I want to cast. Also, I don't have to think about the number of lands I need to tap to play the cards I want to play.
- The game itself enforces the rules, and provides a structure that makes it easier to play overall. In the "real" game, you have to keep track of rules and effects, and it can be quite frustrating having to remember it all.
- If I'm struggling against an opponent, I can concede and play against them again as many times as I want, until I figure out their strategy or just get sick of them.
Basically, I'd like IRL MtG a lot better if I could just input my decks into a program like Magic 2014 and play through that program, rather than awkwardly dealing with the physical game. Of course, Magic Online sort of exists for this purpose, but then I'd have to re-purchase digital copies of all the cards I'd want to use, and I wouldn't be able to play with a lot of the really old or obscure cards I have either. As well, I think it's just kind of silly investing real money in virtual cards. Dammit, if I'm going to collect cards, I'm going to collect the real deal! At least with those, I can easily trade and resell them, and get free ones from my dad whenever he decides to clean out his collection.
Coming up with deck themes can be a difficult theme, though it is true that you can typically build a more solid deck by going with a specific theme rather than just a set of colors.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that can be taken as a dietary supplement. Supposedly, it can improve symptoms of Aspergers and its various comorbids. Here's some info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABA#GABA_as_a_supplement
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt258410.html
- The computer opponents are EXTREMELY predictable, after you play against them enough times
- The interface of the game itself is much easier to use than the physical card game, and I can quickly play cards just by clicking on them instead of awkwardly arranging my lands to tap them, and stumbling over the names of the spells I want to cast. Also, I don't have to think about the number of lands I need to tap to play the cards I want to play.
- The game itself enforces the rules, and provides a structure that makes it easier to play overall. In the "real" game, you have to keep track of rules and effects, and it can be quite frustrating having to remember it all.
- If I'm struggling against an opponent, I can concede and play against them again as many times as I want, until I figure out their strategy or just get sick of them.
Basically, I'd like IRL MtG a lot better if I could just input my decks into a program like Magic 2014 and play through that program, rather than awkwardly dealing with the physical game. Of course, Magic Online sort of exists for this purpose, but then I'd have to re-purchase digital copies of all the cards I'd want to use, and I wouldn't be able to play with a lot of the really old or obscure cards I have either. As well, I think it's just kind of silly investing real money in virtual cards. Dammit, if I'm going to collect cards, I'm going to collect the real deal! At least with those, I can easily trade and resell them, and get free ones from my dad whenever he decides to clean out his collection.
Misery wrote:
Yeah, the precon idea has worked for me pretty well in the past.
My big problem with coming up with new decks is one very specific aspect: Coming up with a theme to base it on. All good decks are based around some central idea, after all, so I figured, okay, I'll take this precon deck, which already has a distinct theme/methodology to it, and I'll keep that aspect front and center, yet change the cards around as I see fit. It can end up making some very strong decks that way.
And what is a "GABA"? I've not heard that term before.
My big problem with coming up with new decks is one very specific aspect: Coming up with a theme to base it on. All good decks are based around some central idea, after all, so I figured, okay, I'll take this precon deck, which already has a distinct theme/methodology to it, and I'll keep that aspect front and center, yet change the cards around as I see fit. It can end up making some very strong decks that way.
And what is a "GABA"? I've not heard that term before.
Coming up with deck themes can be a difficult theme, though it is true that you can typically build a more solid deck by going with a specific theme rather than just a set of colors.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that can be taken as a dietary supplement. Supposedly, it can improve symptoms of Aspergers and its various comorbids. Here's some info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABA#GABA_as_a_supplement
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt258410.html
Hm, as the bit about Magic Online goes, yeah, I can understand the bit about the physical cards. I normally have that idea myself.
But there's a few reasons why I ended up finding that deal to be too good to pass up. I know that playing with friends is always the most fun, and even if I DID have friends that were actually into it (as opposed to just playing FPS games on 360/Xbone or RPGs all day long), as a fan of the game I'd still want more than that. Different opponents, different challenges..... but that's nigh-impossible to come by around here. Even if it was though, it'd still be super-limited. I wouldnt always be able to play it when *I* want to.... it'd have to work out with the schedules of others, or of whatever place I'd go to to do it.
In addition, alot of the irritating headaches that normally accompany these vanish with that version. Trading, for instance. Finding cards that I want is VERY easy. There are "shops", automatic things run by players, that exist for trading, as well as direct buying/selling. Their prices on each card are generally accurate as to the cards rarity and all that stuff, yet they're easier to deal with than normal trading. If I want a rare card that's worth, say, $8, I dont HAVE to come up with some other rare card to trade for it; I could give a blob of commons that I dont need, so long as it adds up to 8, or a bit over. The thing doesnt care, the players running them dont care. Whatever makes sure the things have the selection they need to be successful works. In addition, "event passes" (three guesses what those do) are used as currency there, not just with the shops, but with direct trades too. Each ticket is worth $1; I could grab that rare card by simply paying the $8 that it costs, with those, using tickets that I likely got by selling things I didnt need, and stuff like that. These things are all accessed in-game, mind you, not on some goofy side site or some crap like that. They've been a constant presence since the game came out a billion years ago.
In other words.... it's very easy, as opposed to very irritating. Also means that I dont have to buy 10 zillionty boosters in an attempt to get something that nobody will trade to me.
And of course, as with Magic 2014, the game then handles ALL of the techy bits in-game... there's no need to follow things super specifically to make sure there's no rule mistakes. It wont let you. And it doesnt make mistakes. And it works with pretty much every conceivable card that has come out since it's release, which was.... early 2000s, I think. I remember being in college during the beta. Wheras Magic 2014 is EXTREMELY limited. Not to mention the bit that I always certainly need, which is the part where it keeps track of my collection for me, and makes deck construction (and simple browsing) very, very easy. As opposed to my way of dealing with physical cards, with is "everything is in this box, spend the next 2 hours trying to find a few specific ones".
And yeah, while I'd prefer to have physical cards..... ehhhh. I'd moreso prefer to be able to actually play the game, really. I *have* boxes of the damn things. ....and they're useless. Totally useless. Starting a new collection wasnt as irritating as I'd thought it'd be, particularly with the easy trading aspect (less crap in the collection that I'll never use, PARTICULARLY less multiples). Also.... the cards can be traded in for physical ones, if an entire set is collected (be it a particular expansion set, or whatever). That option has been there since the start, though I've never bothered with it.
....and besides, playing the physical game, ehhhhh.... as much as I always liked it, the damn autistic stuff would often get in the way. Too much physical proximity to others, too much.... "social". Too much everything, really. I'm alot more comfortable with machines.
One thing I can say though: I wouldnt count on AI of any sort to give you much practice. As a rule, even at it's highest levels, it's dumber than a sack of hammers. Hearthstone has the exact same problem; the AI is utterly useless. Good for learning the rules.... and that's about it. Magic 2014 and it's brethren do indeed seem to be about teaching beginners how to play the game, and giving them a chance to see if they like it or not. But it's not very good beyond that. If you really wanna jump into it, if you want to get better, find others to play with who are willing to teach you and help you during games with them. Definitely the best way.
There IS one other thing you could do, even if it is a little.... totally damn stupid. I used to do this thing, where I'd get two decks together... and then play both sides myself. Sort of a solitaire duel, you could say. The point being to try to spot both combos, as well as holes in the decks, at MY pace, while looking at a variety of logical situations that could arise VS certain types of cards. I always felt like a damn idiot doing it, but it had it's uses.
I finally read your whole post, and Magic Online actually sounds fairly compelling. It is a little disappointing that they don't cover any of the 90s-era cards, but overall I think it would be a great alternative for me, if I could convince my friends to join me. I wonder though, does it have any sort of equivalent to casual play, where you can open like a private server and just play cards from whatever set rather than sticking with the tournament formats?
I will admit, I think the AI opponents on Magic 2014 are still pretty tough despite their predictability.
I guess that goes to show that I'm not very good at the game, though sometimes I do surprise myself. Of course, being that it is a computerized version, I can swear that the AI sometimes "cheats" and sets things up to go in its favor.
30 Jul 2014, 4:54 pm
30 Jul 2014, 6:01 pm
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