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Deck Types January 6, 2009

Posted by James in : all, random, design , 2comments

I have mentioned in a previous article that I don’t like Wizards of the Coast telling me “deck ideas.” I like to be encouraged to think of my own deck ideas. This is one of the whole points to collectible card games. If Wizards of the Coast is going to tell us what decks to play, they might as well just have us all play preconstructed decks.

There is one thing in particular about Magic: the Gathering that tells us that we can make our own deck ideas: There are many ways of winning. There are creature decks, mill decks, stasis decks, illusionary mask decks, burn decks, dredge decks, etc. Not only are there various win conditions, but sometimes we find other ways of winning. Stasis, for example, isn’t technically a win condition, but it provides a unique kind of advantage over the opponent. In contrast, other card games seem to provide pretty much just one kind of deck (creature decks). (more…)

The Meta-Game December 30, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, theory, reviews, design , 11comments

One of the most important issue in Magic the Gathering is what decks are the most powerful. In particular, whether or not one deck is the “best deck.” Some people categorize the “best decks” as “the metagame.” Most people talk about “metagame” when they are interested in netdecking. The design team at Wizards of the Coast works hard day and night to prevent the game from only having one “best deck.” (When there is only one best deck, netdecking becomes too easy!) (more…)

Arbitrary Abilities December 23, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, theory, reviews, design , 4comments

One of the best parts of Magic the Gathering is the feeling of endless possibilities. The feeling that you can be creative an create an entirely new deck idea. One part of the game that is disrespectful to this fact are “arbitrary abilities.” What exactly do I mean by “arbitrary abilities?” I mean abilities or any part of the game that is “meaningless.” Things that do nothing by themselves and only exist to be part of a “combo.” Probably the best example of an arbitrary ability is “Arcane.” I will come back to this soon. (more…)

Is Magic: the Gathering Realistic? December 16, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, game rules, theory, reviews, design , 5comments

Originally the creators of Magic prided themselves on making the game at least somewhat realistic. Here the word “realistic” does not refer to reality as we know it, but any sort of reality. Alternate dimensions where “magic” is real, for example. (more…)

Why Tribal is Terrible December 9, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, game rules, theory, complecated rules, reviews, design , 5comments

When I first saw Tarmogoyf I noticed that some of the card types were from the future. “Tribal” was one of them. For some reason I didn’t make the connection that a tribal card already existed. Eventually I noticed that Bound in Silence was a “tribal” card. At this point I didn’t think much about it. “Tribal” seemed like an eccentric but modest mechanic that couldn’t mean much. (more…)

Strange Rules Part 3 December 2, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, fake cards, game rules, theory, complecated rules, design , 9comments

In an attempt to make fun of Wizards for having Artifact Lands, someone thought that it would be a good idea to have Conglomerous: An everything land. The most shocking part of it was that it was a creature. This idea was posted here on the Unglued 2 forums. (more…)

Unscrewed Part 3: Scimitar of Sharing November 25, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, fake cards, game rules, theory, complecated rules, design , 6comments

After reading the reminder text for equipment, I noticed that it didn’t say anything about equipping several creatures to one equipment. This is what the reminder text for “equip” originally said: (more…)

Strange Rules Part 2 November 18, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, game rules, theory, complecated rules, design , 12comments

Warning: This article is overly-complected. I have been looking for an excuse to overly-rationalize and justify something in an article about Magic. (more…)

No more mana screw September 8, 2008

Posted by James in : all, random, theory, design , 6comments

Mana screw (mah-nah skrew) noun. Being unlucky while playing a game of Magic: the Gathering because of the game’s inherent dependence on land. (more…)