M:tG Strategy, Reports and Shenanigans
Archive for December, 2009
A quick word of thanks
Dec 30th
Thanks to Neale Talbot of WRONGWAYGOBACK.COM for using my writeup of the Charles Gindy disqualification in his Hits and Misses article. Hopefully he’s not referring to my writing as a miss.
Pacific Northwest Magic Players – Wanna Have All These?
Dec 30th
Still Had All These is still in its infancy, and much like any child, it takes a village to raise it. That’s where you, the Northwest Magic community come into play. Playtesting, graphic development, articles, deck ideas, we’re looking for your input and content.
Unfortunately, one of the grim realities of the interwebs is that you, much like me, won’t get paid for this content. What I can offer is this:
- Your email address at stillhadallthese.com;
- Access to playtesting results and discussion through a private mailing list;
- The right privilege to call yourself a member of Team Still Had All These!
If you’d like to be a part of the team, please send an email and I’ll take a look!
Still Had All These Goes PTQing – Seattle (Cardpool)
Dec 24th
Another PTQ, another cardpool. What would you have done with this 84?
More >
The Cleanup Step
Dec 12th
Yeah, it’s been a long time since I posted, and I bet you’re wondering how I did in the Portland PTQ. The fact that I posted my cardpool as the event was still going on should be a hint. But after the Thanksgiving holiday and my birthday (what did you jerks get for me anyways?), let’s go back and revisit that brief weekend.
A Morality Play – Pt. 2
Dec 12th
I had some interesting responses to the scenarios I posted earlier, both on here and in person. Some people would go with the flow. Some people would call a judge on themselves. I’ve had all four of these situation happen to me in sanctioned events of PTQ scale or bigger and I can’t say I’ve acted within the rules of the game in every situation. It’s easier for me to understand the motivations of people who, in their quest to gain competitive advantage over their opponents in any game or sport, cross the line between crafty and cheating. Most PTQ circuit players I talked to regarding this said they would, at least for some of the situations, shut up and keep playing. Some, like Daniel Duterte, would self-report on all the situations. I like to think I’d do the same now, but when the situation arises where my silence could potentially lead to a blue envelope, I can’t say with certainty that I’d speak up.
So when you read about a player getting disqualified in a tournament for trying to get an additional competitive edge during a match (and I think peeking at someone’s draft during said draft is a lot different then the scenarios I laid out earlier), or a professional athlete getting busted for performance enhancing drugs, it’s not just disappointment we should feel – it’s a product of the hyper-competitive environments these individuals are trying to succeed in as well. And like any mistake in life, it’s the actions of the person after they make that mistake that determines their true character.
