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If EVER you were curious about "Magic: the Gathering"

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AdamRobinGames-ARG
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It really hasn't been bad

Honestly, I've had colds that were worse than this. Mild headache, cough and sore throat. I'm over the headache and cough already. Heck, the test for Covid was worse than the symptoms. Felt like a lobotomy, scraping the back of my sinuses. I now know how a mummy feels. In any case, Thanks for the well wishes.

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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@Quest

Have the decks come in yet?

questccg
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Yes they have!

AdamRobinGames-ARG wrote:
Have the decks come in yet?

Yes they have! I didn't have too much time to look them over yet. But I can formally list all cards in the Deck to see what you think?! My guess this is the reason you are asking. I wasn't sure if you were still interested in them (because many people don't follow-through).

Let me know and I can probably find some time Tonight or Tomorrow to list out the contents of BOTH decks (I bought two). It definitely would help to know how to PLAY ... Because they're just cards to me ATM.

Please let me know if I should list the cards.

Or how better to discuss them...! Cheers.

questccg
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The FIRST deck is "splice of life"

Here is the URL/Link to the Deck:

https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/27-07-20-splice-of-life/

There may be some "incorrect" versions (not all the images/illustrations are identical) ... But the Card Names are CORRECT.

You're the PRO ... So how do we being to DISCUSS a Deck??? I'm keen on hearing your input!

questccg
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The SECOND deck is "Pristine Control"

Here is the URL/Link to the Deck:

https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/28-07-20-pristine-control/

This will give you the chance to explore BOTH decks before we discuss them.

Like you said, most cards are worth $0.25 each. There aren't any real valuable cards to these decks. But it would help to better understand what these deck "mean" (how to play, what's the overall strategy with the Deck, etc.)

Please feel free to respond after you've take a look at the cards. Cheers!

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Do you need to learn how to play...

Do you need to learn how to play the game, or just these decks? I ask, so I know where to start.

As for the decks, I'll start with briefly describing each. "Splice of Life". It's a twist on a burn deck. Burn decks do direct damage to target creature, player or plainswalker (any target). The two twists to this deck are the scrying (to get to your engine pieces and additional mana) and the splice card used in conjunction with flashback. This seems to start as a reactionary deck until you get your engine set up and some hefty mana to boot. This looks to be a mid-range deck (enough to counter some early aggro, but not overly powered in late game). I like the feel of the deck, but off hand, I can think of a few inexpensive ways to improve it. But I don't want to get into edits until you understand how to play.

As the name suggest, "Pristine Control" is a control deck. Basic counter and bounce until you can cast the big flyers. A little underwhelming in my opinion. Probably not the best to learn the game on, as control decks generally require an understanding of deck types and how to respond to each type. While this is a more straight forward control deck, this will likely be a challenge for new players to start with because of the needed knowledge of other decks.

I realize I may be speaking over your head a bit with key words. Don't worry if you don't get the lingo yet. I'll clarify as we go. I hope you enjoy the decks.

questccg
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Here's what I know ... and what I need to learn

AdamRobinGames-ARG wrote:
Do you need to learn how to play the game, or just these decks? I ask, so I know where to start.

Well I've played other CCGs. And I know the basics of Magic (Hand, Graveyard, Exile, Library, Mana, etc.), the types of cards (Creature, Instant, Sorcery, Land, Artifact and Enchantment) and the overall GOAL of winning the game (Deck runs out of cards first or kill your opponent -- 20 health points), I understand the turn-order too (Draw 1 card, play cards into play -- Can I play more than one card per turn???, Untap creatures and lands, declare attackers, tap cards, etc.)

I Googled and you can ONLY play 1 Land card per turn... Good to know. Are there other exceptions to this rule? Like 2 Creatures enter the battlefield (on the SAME turn) but are not exhausted because they have yet to be "tapped"?! Maybe speak about this to help reinforce my knowledge.

What I was not aware was HOW to "build a deck". This is solved with my 2 decks. One Burn and one Control (I wanted something like this... From what I read from Googling about Magic). No need to cover this ATM.

As far as the decks are concerned... Let start with "Splice of Life". It's a bit late 12:10 AM... Let me look through the Deck tomorrow and we can discuss further.

Basically I think I need to understand how to PLAY the deck. But I have not had the chance to delve deeper into the deck. Will do so tomorrow... And then we can discuss further.

questccg
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After a quick review ... here are some questions

Creatures:

  • Guttersnipe: deal 2 damage when you cast an instant or sorcery spell. That makes sense and is a true "burn" card. There are 4 of them. Can I have all 4 in my area of play? Can I deal 8 damage per turn??

  • Master Splicer: create a 3/3 Golem. How do I create this golem, with what? Some kind of token??? Secondly Golems you control get +1/+1. This is for all Golems??? If this card is killed or removed, do the golems die too? It's only a 1/1 creature... So easy to kill. Can I play multiples of this card in my area of play? So does playing this card mean a 4/4 Golem (3/3 +1/+1)??? I just bought 8 Tokens for Colorless Artifact Golems from Card Kingdom... (Hehehe... I figured that much out). But what I am wondering is the +1/+1 only good as long as the "Master Splicer" is in play (not killed or discarded) or is it a permanent bonus +1/+1 to EACH golem (and until killed meaning a 4/4 or higher)...?


Instants:

  • Shock: deal 2 damage. I can deal 8 Direct Damage to anything (including the opponent). No problemo.

  • Lightning: deal 3 damage. I can deal 12 Direct Damage to anything (including the opponent). No problemo.

  • Lava Dart: deal 1 damage + flashback = sacrifice a mountain. This seems like a USELESS card. Maybe it could be replaced with a BETTER card. Maybe for scrying purposes ... Just a thought. Maybe this card: Fires of Undeath. I'm open to other suggestions. Maybe another "Fateful Showdown" (See below...) Since there is only one (1) of these and you may want some "desperate" or forceful tactics?! OR maybe: Barren Glory... This could be an interesting card if you re being wiped out by an Aggro opponent. What does "no permanents" mean??? You obviously NEED Land/Mana cards to play this card... So I'm not 100% sure...

  • Jaya's Greeting: deal 3 damage to a creature. Avoids getting too many opponents against an aggro deck. There are 2, so 6 damage. What does "Scry 1" mean???

  • Fateful Showdown: damage equal to the size of your hand. This seems like yet another "Burn" card. It is used to probably TRY to win a game (later in a game). Am I correct???

  • Diabolic Edict: opponent sacrifices a creature. Again to control Aggro decks with a lot of creature. Got it. There are 3 of these. So discard 3 creatures (opponent). BTW does the OPPONENT choose or do I???


Sorcery:

  • Splicer's Skill: create a 3/3 Golem. This I understand. But I don't get "Splice onto instant or sorcery". What does this mean???

  • Smiting Helix: deal 3 damage and gain 3 life. I get this card. It also has a Flashback effect which allows me to use it AGAIN in the Graveyard (and then get exiled). No problemo. To control Aggro decks and boost your own life in the process. There are 4 of these cards so 12 damage +12 life.

  • Read the Bones: Scry 2, the draw 2 card, lose 2 life. Not sure what Scry 2 does... I need explanation. From a general perspective these 2 cards could be replaced with OTHER "Scrying" cards... Better ones, no??? Maybe: Rubble Reading or Harsh Scrutiny. OR another tactic would be to GET the right card into my hand: Dark Petition...

  • Firebolt: deal 2 damage. Plus Flashback. Means deal 4 damage. No problemo. Another Burn card too. 4 of those so 16 damage potentially.


Lands:

  • Swamp: 3 of these. No problemo.

  • Rakdos Guildgate: enters tapped. Does that mean I need to WAIT a turn before being able to use it??? (I think so...) 2 of these. Red or Black Mana.

  • Plains: 3 of these. No problemo.

  • Orzhov Guildgate: enters tapped. 4 of these. White or Black. No problemo.

  • Mountain: 10 of these. No problemo.

  • Boros Guildgate: enters tapped. 2 of these. White or Red. No problemo.


That covers the ENTIRE deck. I understand most things. And see where there could be some "improvement" too. And not too expensive of a price. I will continue to research an IMPROVEMENT for "Lava Dart" which is pure GARBAGE (IMHO). Can't wait for your response... Because honestly there are a few questions that I have (to better understand the deck).

Regards.

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Okay, let's get rolling

First a few definitions to help clarify.
Spell - Any non land card.
Stack - The order in which spells are cast and abilities are activated or triggered. Since you maintain this site, I think you'll understand MtG is a first in last out in how you execute the stack.
Cast - When a spell goes on the stack.
Resolve - When a spell or ability comes off the stack.
Permanent - Any card that remains on the battlefield. Lands, Enchantments, Creatures, Artifacts and Plainswalkers.
Activated Ability - An ability of a permanent that requires a cost (tapping, mana, life, etc.). Anything before the colon ":" in the text box is the cost.
Triggered Ability - Abilities that are down when a specific condition is met.
Instant Speed - A spell or ability that you can cast or activate any time you have priority.
Sorcery Speed - A spell or ability that you can cast or activate only during a main phase and while nothing is on the stack.
Priority - Who has the option to add to the stack at any point in the game. The person who's turn it is generally holds priority, but must pass it when anything goes to resolve on the stack or when you end each phase (excluding Untap and Draw phases as there is no priority unless a triggered ability starts the stack). Priority must additionally pass between each step in the combat phase. Priority goes in turn order when passed.
Mana Pool - The available resource to pay costs. Land is tapped to add mana to your mana pool then spent. The mana pool is emptied at the end of each phase and step.
Tap - Turn a card sideways to indicate an action. For land, add mana to your mana pool. For creatures, to attack or activate an ability where tapping is part of the cost. Other permanents also have tapping costs to activate an ability.
Summoning Sick(ness) - A creature cannot attack or use any ability requiring Tap in its activation cost while summoning sick. A creature is summoning sick until it starts a turn under it's controller's control.
Owner - Any card in that player's deck, the player is owner of. For tokens or emblems, whoever had control of it when it entered the battlefield owns it.
Controller - For spells while on the stack, whoever cast it is the spell's controller. For permanents, whoever has control of the card is the controller.
Target - A spell or ability may identify a specific thing it can be used against (i.e. Target player, target enchantment, target creature, target permanent, etc.). There may be one or multiple targets. Targets must be declared upon casting. In order to cast a spell or activate an ability that targets, all targets must be legal when it goes on the stack. When the spell or ability resolves at least one target must be valid. If there are no valid targets upon resolution, then the spell is countered or the ability fizzles and none of the effects occur.
Countered - A spell is removed from the stack without resolving.
Zones - Any location a card can exist. Deck, hand, stack, battlefield, graveyard and exile.

So each players turn consist of phases. Some phases are further divided into steps. You are limited to what you can and can't do in each phase/step. (As an aside, their is likely a card out there that can alter nearly any rule, but it will explain it on the card. For brevity, assume that everything I say also has unless a card says otherwise). Also, there are probably a hundred "key" words that I won't go into defining unless you have a card that has the keyword without explanation text.

Phases:
Beginning Phase - Consists of three steps:
1. Untap - Untap all tapped permanents you control. No one has priority and nothing can be activated or cast unless it's in response to a triggered ability that starts a stack during this step.
2. Upkeep - Pay upkeep costs as required.
3. Draw - Draw a card. No one has priority and nothing can be activated or cast unless it's in response to a triggered ability that starts a stack during this step.
Precombat (or 1st) Main Phase - Can play a land (limit 1 per turn) and cast or activate sorcery speed spells and abilities. You may cast any number of spells.
Combat - Is broken into steps. Priority must pass with each step.
1. Beginning of combat - Declare the start of your combat phase.
2. Declare attackers - The active player taps each untapped creature (that is not summoning sick) he or she wishes to attack with and assigns the creature to a player or plainswalker. If no attackers are declared, then skip to End Combat.
3. Declare blockers - Each player who is attacked or who controls a plainswalker being attacked then assign blockers. The defending player may use any number of creatures to block an attacking creature. Blocking creatures must be untapped in order to block.
4. Combat damage - Any unblocked attacking creature will assign it's damage to the defending player or plainswalker. Any attacking creature that is blocked must assign its damage to the blocker and the blocking creature must assign it's damage to the attacking creature. If there are multiple blockers, then the attacking creature's controller chooses the order in which his or her creature assigns it's damage to the blockers and must assign at least enough damage to be "lethal" before it can assign any damage to the next creature. You can assign more than lethal damage to a single creature before assigning damage to the next blocker. Once all the damage is assigned it resolves simultaneously. (This resolution does not use the stack.) Any creature assigned lethal damage is sent to the graveyard.
5. End combat
Postcombat (or 2nd) Main Phase - Can play a land (Remember if you played a land during your first main phase, then you've played your limit per turn and can't play an additional land this turn) and cast or activate sorcery speed spells and abilities. You may cast any number of spells.
End Phase

In a two player game, the first player skips their draw.

Now, to address your deck specific questions. Your burn deck really has two ways to play and it mostly depends on your opponents deck type. If your opponent is playing an aggro deck, then use your damage spells early to eliminate their offensive and then build up a golem army to attack with in the later game. If your opponent is playing nearly any other deck type, then you'll be better off limiting your burn to critical creatures of your opponents and getting your creatures in play earlier. With each Guttersnipe in play, your increasing your direct damage to that player with each instant or sorcery spell later in the game.

questccg wrote:
Guttersnipe: deal 2 damage when you cast an instant or sorcery spell. That makes sense and is a true "burn" card. There are 4 of them. Can I have all 4 in my area of play? Can I deal 8 damage per turn??

Yes, you may have a maximum of 4 of any creature in a deck and if you have a means of getting all of them onto the battlefield, then yes, each instant or sorcery would trigger all 4 guttersnipes doing 8 damage to each opponent. The only time you are limited on having a single copy of a permanent is if it is legendary (the word Legend or Legendary appears in the card Type.
To help explain the rules a bit I'll elabrate here. Say you have two Guttersnipes in play with Read the Bones and Splicer's Skill in hand and a Lava Dart in your graveyard (as well as enough land to afford the mana to cast all this). You cast Read the Bones which allows you to splice Splicer's Skill onto Read the Bones and both Guttersnipes' abilities trigger. Read the Bones with the spliced ability goes on the stack, then since the Guttersnipes triggered at the same time, you choose the order in which their abilities go on the stack. Next you may choose to hold priority to cast a Lava Dart from your graveyard by sacking a mountain (it's flashback cost; note, you can use a tapped mountain that you used for mana already) or you can pass priority to allow other players respond before the stack starts resolving. You choose to pass and so do(es) the other player(s). The Guttersnipe on top of the stack resolves, then you have priority again. Everyone passes again, and the next Guttersnipe resolves and you once again have priority. Then rather than pass priority, you decide to cast Lava Dart from your graveyard targeting a creature and splice the same Splicer's Skill to this Spell. This triggers both Guttersnipes again. So now there are 4 things on the stack. You pass priority and the controller of the creature you target decides to counterspell your Lava Dart when he or she has priority to save their creature. So there is 5 things on the stack. Everyone passes priority, so the Counterspell resolves removing the Lava Dart with one instance of the splice effect from the stack without resolving. Everyone passes again, resolve Guttersnipe (Note, even though the spell that triggered the Guttersnipes ability has been countered, the triggered abilities still resolve because the card triggers on the cast. Some older cards say successfully cast which now means resolved.), all pass, resolve second Guttersnipe, all pass and resolve Read the Bones with the splice effect in the order they appear on the card (Scry 2, draw 2 cards, lose 2 life and create a 3/3 Golem Artifact Creature Token). This is a long winded way of explaining all the rules that apply to a series of actions that will actually take about 15 to 20 seconds of game play.

questccg wrote:
Master Splicer: create a 3/3 Golem. How do I create this golem, with what? Some kind of token??? Secondly Golems you control get +1/+1. This is for all Golems??? If this card is killed or removed, do the golems die too? It's only a 1/1 creature... So easy to kill. Can I play multiples of this card in my area of play? So does playing this card mean a 4/4 Golem (3/3 +1/+1)???

Any card that creates a token, WotC has actually printed a token on a card to represent whatever the token is. However, you can use about anything to represent the token so long as you have something that looks different for each token type you have so you can keep track of everything (I have a deck that uses about 6 different token types and 3 counter types, so it can get confusing). Dice are probably the best (Use the polyhedral set that you bought that you didn't care to use in your Wizard Game). But scrap paper or other cards (not MTG) are just as effective. Yes, each Golem you control will get the +1/+1 effect because it is a Global Effect. If you have multiples of this effect, they all apply (this is not true for every ability or effect, such as flying, trample, lifelink, etc. You'll have to look some up as you come across them, or ask me). If the Master Splicer dies, the Golems remain but lose the +1/+1 effect that the Master was providing. So if you have one Master in play, then yes your golems are effectively 4/4s and if you have 2 Masters on the battlefield, then your golems are effectively 5/5s.

questccg wrote:

Shock: deal 2 damage. I can deal 8 Direct Damage to anything (including the opponent). No problemo.

Lightning: deal 3 damage. I can deal 12 Direct Damage to anything (including the opponent). No problemo.

Lava Dart: deal 1 damage + flashback = sacrifice a mountain. This seems like a USELESS card. Maybe it could be replaced with a BETTER card. Maybe for scrying purposes ... Just a thought. Maybe this card: Fires of Undeath. I'm open to other suggestions. Maybe another "Fateful Showdown" (See below...) Since there is only one (1) of these and you may want some "desperate" or forceful tactics?!

Jaya's Greeting: deal 3 damage to a creature. Avoids getting to many opponents against an aggro deck. There are 2, so 6 damage. What does "Scry 1" mean???

Fateful Showdown: damage equal to the size of your hand. This seems like yet another "Burn" card. It is used to probably TRY to win a game (later in a game). Am I correct???

Diabolic Edict: opponent sacrifices a creature. Again to control Aggro decks with a lot of creature. Got it. There are 3 of these. So discard 3 creatures (opponent). BTW does the OPPONENT choose or do I???

Yes, Lightning Strike and Shock are straight forward. Lava Dart is generally a weaker card (as most cards with flashback generally are because you can cast it twice), but it does serve a purpose with the splice effect. It's a cheap card to defend against aggro that can be cast again late game to be used with the splice card (or multiple splices if you have more than one copy of Splicer's Skill in hand). You could probably find a better card, but this is not actually the worst for this deck.

Scry X - Look at the top X cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.

Scry is a mechanic to help you filter through your deck. In this particular deck, I feel like it's designed to help you get to Guttersnipes (i.e. bottom any cards that aren't immediately needed in an attempt to get to your Guttersnipes more quickly).

In this deck, Fateful Showdown is probably more of a mid game play. Against an aggro deck this card will be worthless as you'll have played your hand early to keep pace. Same problem if you get into late game, your hand will likely be small (and probably have the splice card you want to keep in your hand). Against most other decks, you can hold off playing your small burn and have a worthwhile burn with this card mid game. Overall though I don't care for this card in this deck. There's not quite enough draw or flashback to make it significantly effective throughout the course of play. It's a decent card, but really needs a complimentary deck built around it (stuff with graveyard shenanigans and a lot of draw).

For Diabolic Edict, the player you target chooses a creature he or she controls to sacrifice (not discard). There are a LOT better creature kill cards in black than this card. It really won't be effective against any aggro or weenie deck as your opponent will have lots of choices. It'll be super effective against the other deck you bought because of the sheer lack of creatures in Pristine Control. For this deck, use the burn on weenies, then hopefully they won't have an easy choice of sacrificing their remaining larger creatures.

questccg wrote:

Splicer's Skill: create a 3/3 Golem. This I understand. But I don't get "Splice onto instant or sorcery". What does this mean???

Smiting Helix: deal 3 damage and gain 3 life. I get this card. It also has a Flashback effect which allows me to use it AGAIN in the Graveyard (and then get exiled). No problemo. To control Aggro decks and boost your own life in the process. There are 4 of these cards so 12 damage +12 life.

Read the Bones: Scry 2, the draw 2 card, lose 2 life. Not sure what Scry 2 does... I need explanation. From a general perspective these 2 cards could be replaced with OTHER "Scrying" cards... Better ones, no??? Maybe: Rubble Reading or Harsh Scrutiny

Firebolt: deal 2 damage. Plus Flashback. Means deal 4 damage. No problemo. Another Burn card too. 4 of those so 16 damage potentially.

Splice is a weird one. Basically when you cast another instant or sorcery you can pay the splice cost of this card and add the effects of the splice card to the cast instant or sorcery and the splice card remains in your hand. As described above in my two Guttersnipe example, you can splice Splicer's Skill onto Lava Dart and Splicer's Skill goes into your hand and Lava Dart will read "Lava Dart deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Create a colorless 3/3 Golem artifact creature token." when it resolves. (By the way, the card loses the spliced language after it resolves. So no, your flashback of the spell will not come with previously spliced on language. But you can splice new language to casting via flashback.)
A single splice card can be added onto multiple instant or sorcery spells (even on the same turn). If you have multiple splice cards in hand, you can splice each one once onto every instant or sorcery you cast (provided you can pay the hefty mana costs). If you don't have any instants or sorceries to splice it onto, then you can straight cast it for the cheaper casting cost.

Sounds like you get Smiting Helix. See above for Scry on Read the Bones. I actually use Read the Bones in a couple decks as the combination of scry 2 and draw 2 allows for filtering through up to the top 4 cards in your deck. It's reasonably mana costed and the 2 life isn't a major drawback (especially with other life gain to offset). It wouldn't hurt to have a Rubble Reading or 2 in your deck, as a splash of land destruction can be useful. Because you don't have much in the way of discarding, I don't think I would fool with Harsh Scrutiny.

questccg wrote:
Rakdos Guildgate: enters tapped. Does that mean I need to WAIT a turn before being able to use it??? (I think so...) 2 of these. Red or Black Mana.

Yes, if it enters the battlefield tapped, then you'll have to wait until it becomes untapped to tap it for mana (usually at the untap step of your next turn).

Hope you find this helpful and informative. Let me know if you have more questions.

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Some suggestions

For your slicer deck, here are a few thoughts I had.

Cards to ditch - 3x Diabolic Edict, 1x Fateful Showdown and 1x Lava Dart.

Add
1x Soulfire Grand Master (Creature - about $1.50 ea) would add some really nice synergy to this deck. It not only gives you life gain from your burn spell heavy deck, late game it allows you to "buyback" those spells to rinse and repeat.

1x or 2x Disenchant (Instant - or find an equivalent; pennies) this is an old classic that has been reprinted dozens of times. One or two copies should be in every white deck (and Naturalize, which is the exact same card in green, should be in every green deck).

2x or 3x of a creature kill of some sort. To name a few that are generally better than Diabolic Edict:
Tragic Slip (~0.15) My top pick. Because you have burn for other creatures, you are likely to get the morbid effect and can still take out most indestructible or regenerate creatures.
Assassinate (~$0.05)
Terror (~$0.15)
Doom Blade (~$0.20)
Go for the Throat (~$0.75)
Do or Die (~1.85)
There are several other good ones out there, but many require double black to cast. And since this deck is light in this color, I would avoid them. (This is getting into deck building strategy a bit. But I would recommend playing a few games before delving into this topic to deep.

You may have to adjust your mana if you go heavier on the white.

Swap some of your Guildgates for any of the following:
Nomad Outpost (~0.50)
Scoured Barrens (~0.05)
Wind-Scarred Crag(~0.05)
Bloodfell Caves (~0.05)

If you want to spend a little more $, swap your Shocks for Lightning Bolts (~$1.75 ea)

Enjoy!

questccg
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I will review the DETAILs soon... But...

I found this and was wondering why it SEEMS so simple:

Maybe I need to re-read your comment. Because it seems like the Turn-Structure is more complex than this...

From looking at this reference card, it seems much more SIMPLY TBH!

questccg
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Just before bed ... Now I'm really tired!

I took a look at your earlier comment and read through it. I understand A LOT... But I'm not very comfortable with the Splicing/Stack and how all of that works. Give me Sunday to review a 3rd time... It's all very TECHNICAL so that's why it's taking me time. I need to figure out what I UNDERSTAND and what I now UNDERSTOOD having read your reply.

I think the major blocker is the Stack and how those 15/20 seconds get resolved that need some better explanation. Maybe you could use another set of cards to explain it (Because I think the SPLICE bit may make it more complicated ... And once I understand the STANDARD stack and how it works, then we can talk splicing and such)...

Just some thoughts. Will respond on Sunday once I get a chance to review again. Cheers @Adam!

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Yes and No

questccg wrote:
Because it seems like the Turn-Structure is more complex than this...

From looking at this reference card, it seems much more SIMPLY TBH!

Yes, 95% of the time it is as straight forward as that card suggests. Another 4.99% of the time, you'll want to understand the intricacies and complexities to really take advantage of cards. Even my friend and I will create a situation the remaining 0.01% of the time that we need to reference the rules or look up rulings.

Here is the current 243 pages of Comprehensive Rules: https://media.wizards.com/2020/downloads/MagicCompRules%2020200807.pdf

And that doesn't even cover the official rulings for cards that have weird interactions with other cards (which you can look up the card on WotC website to see clarifications).

Don't worry too much about the example. If you get LIFO or FILO or whatever it is in computer lingo, then you understand the stack (I'm a Civil Engineer, so I'm better with Excel and CAD). And basically when something is on the stack, you can only add to the stack with instant speed spells or abilities. The other thing to remember is the Active Player (the player whose turn it is) gets priority every time something goes on the stack and must pass priority (in turn order) to allow each item to resolve. Hopefully that makes more sense.

questccg
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Let's wait until I get my NEW cards to improve the Splicer Deck

Let's wait for the improvements to the Splicer Deck to arrive... And then we can continue to discuss the "improved" deck. It's hard right now because I don't have the proper cards in my deck ... So it's hard to discuss (for me...) I understood that "Flashback" cards are usually "weaker" because you can PAY (in some form or fashion) to play the card from the Graveyard and then the card gets exiled, right?

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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I'll wait for your questions

To answer your question, yes. Because you can cast the spell twice, cards with Flashback are generally over costed (mana wise) for what they do. They do have clear uses in certain deck builds. But I won't go into detail (until you ask and because I can go overboard in discussing deck building).

questccg
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Hello Adam ... Another question about "combat"!?

Okay I understand that the current player declares that he will attack his opponent. In doing so, he taps his cards. Control turns to the opponent who declares BLOCKERS. Here is my question.

Let's say I have a 3/3 Elemental and 1 Master Splicer. Let's say the opponent had a 3/1 Vampire (IDK -- something fictitious). If I use BOTH cards, the Vampire's Attack is BLOCKED?!?!

So the only way to kill my Master Splicer is to kill my Elemental FIRST?! I'm not sure because in TradeWorlds, the opponent declares his ATTACK (what starships will be attacking which opponent's starships) and then you ROLL for initiative to determine what happens.

I'm not really 100% certain. It sounds logical ... But as long as I have my Elemental and Master Splicer, there is no way that Vampire can beat me. Right?!?!

I think the opponent would need to ADD another creature or cast a sorcery and/or instant to change the outcome (so-to-speak)...

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Combat

1. Declare Attack Phase. Allow others to respond by passing priority.
2. Declare Attackers and target player(s) and/or Plainswalker(s). Allow others to respond by passing priority.
3. Defending player declares Blockers. After all are declared, priority starts with you, then passes.
4. Assign how damage is resolved and resolve it.
5. End combat

In your example, the attacking player is sending a 3/1 at you. As the defending player, you choose to use both your creatures (the 3/3 and 1/1) to block. So during step 4, you assign 4 damage to his/her creature and your opponent chooses the the order in which to apply damage to your creatures and has 3 damage to assign.

If your opponent chooses to assign it to the elemental first, he/she must assign all 3 damage to that creature, because of the 3 defense of the elemental. In this case, both the elemental and vampire die upon damage resolution, the Master Splicer lives with no damage on it and you receive no damage.

If your opponent chooses to assign the damage to the Master Splicer first, he/she can assign 1, 2 or 3 damage to the Splicer (as it's toughness is 1), then any remaining damage goes to the elemental. In this case, both the Splicer and vampire die upon damage resolution, the elemental lives but may have damage on it and you receive no damage.

Does this help?

questccg
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Funny, eh?

AdamRobinGames-ARG wrote:
Does this help?

This is the short answer: Yes it does immensely!

The long answer is TL;DR ... But if you want me to explain my thoughts and the reason I asked this question... Here's the answer:

questccg wrote:
In TradeWorlds there is no initial concept of Damage. It is all or nothing. Why? Because the Attacker chooses the Attacking Units AND the Defending Units. So the whole point of combat is "Do I have sufficient Firepower to defeat 'x' Defensive Units?" There is no partial success ... Either the attack works (dice rolling) or it fails.

The ONLY time there is Damage is on the Counter-Attack (rolling a pair). Then the opponent (Defender) gets to do the most possible damage to the Attacking Player.

IDK if you understand... But the difference is very SUBTLE however very significant. During the declaration phase, the attack is All or Nothing. And the dice rolls determines who has the upper-hand. This is a very important distinction because it implies that STARSHIPS SURVIVE LONGER in play ... than Creatures do in Magic.

And WHY is this important??? It demonstrates how two (2) very different games RESOLVE combat differently even with similar stats.

I am happy that COMBAT works in TradeWorlds. But it is VERY different than Magic (in a subtle way). To summarize in TW: the Defending Starships don't do DAMAGE (with the exception of a counter). This ADDs a bit of importance to each Starship on the Attacker's side of the table. While there is RISK of DAMAGE, most of the time the risk is low (1/6th).

Thank you for your explanation. It was VERY HELPFUL. I'm just LEARNING how to play Magic. And combat seems like something you should understand WELL because how you PLAY will affect what cards get played.

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Do you Skype or Zoom

Our internet is very slow, so it's not the best method. But if you want to try, I could do a walk through of some of the MtG gameplay with you. And it'll be easier to relay ideas, talk deck strategy for your decks and we can be more thorough with Q&A. Would you want to try?

questccg
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Are there Creatures that "block" target attacks???

What I mean is there any Creatures you can play that FORCE you to FIRST defeat/destroy those Creatures BEFORE attacking the opposing PLAYER? I searched the 16 Magic Keywords and it doesn't seem like this exists.

I believe that it EXISTS in "HearthStone" but NOT Magic.

Anyways if you could please confirm this fact... That would be an important strategy to NOT bypass my Lightning Instants.

Cheers!

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Not quite sure I follow your question

I know of, but never played HearthStone, so I can't compare to that. But if you are asking if you can cast instants during combat, yes, you can kill creatures during combat with burn spells and they are removed from combat if they die. The combat tricks are a big advantage of your Splicer Deck.

So if you are the defending player, you can wait till after they declare which attacking creatures they are sending your way. And before you even declare blockers, you can cast a burn spell, splicing on the Splicer's Skill, to damage or kill their creature. Because the splice effect creates a 3/3 Golem, you'll also have an additional blocker during the declare blockers step. Any creature that receives lethal damage prior to the resolution of combat damage dies and is removed from combat.

questccg
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One thing about HearthStone

Well just to clarify... In "HearthStone" (HS) there are certain Creature cards that have an Ability called "Taunt". Taunt simply means that no other Creature or Opposing Player may be targeted for Attack ... until ALL "Taunt" Creatures are defeated from the opposing player's Area of Play.

So, IF you have Instants like "Lightning Bolt" in "HearthStone" you would FIRST need to rid yourself of the "Taunt" Creature before being able to Attack the Opposing Player (for Life Points) or any other Creature for that matter.

P.S.: About Skype or Zoom... We can use DISCORD! You can log in to the DISCORD Server by going to: https://www.discord.com And when you login for the first time, in the Top-Right Corner there is a Person with a PLUS "+". Add the friend LINK I sent you in the PM.

Then we can chat together. It doesn't require you to DOWNLOAD an App or anything like that. Just from within the browser it saves the contact information somewhere in your computer and you can add servers (like Gabe's BGDL podcast or The Game Crafter's CHAT, etc.) I know that I've used Voice Chats before ... It is possible. I have no Video Camera ... So no Video for me. But chatting is cool ... And better than messaging something on BGDF.com!

Take a look and tell me what you think?!

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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There are similar mechanics

In Magic, there is no attacking another creature. You can only attack a player or plainswalker. And there is no targeting with an attack (target has a very specific meaning in game). There are several cards however that can prevent you from attacking or force you to attack or any number of combat shenanigans.

Here are a few Cards which impact combat.
Defensive Formation (Card)
Fight or Flight (Card)
Hand to Hand (Card)
High Alert (Card)
Reconnaissance (Card)
Propaganda (Card)
Fog (Card)

I created an account on discord. If memory serves, you said you are from Toronto, Cananda. If that is Eastern timezone, we are in the same timezone (except for maybe during daylight savings). I can talk a lot faster than I can type, so that'll be helpful in explaining.

questccg
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Another question??!!

For example a card like "Scoured Barrens" allows a player to CHOOSE either a White (Plains) or Black (Swamp) to a player's mana pool. But IN REALITY, you only choose when you TAP the cards, right?

It's not like when you PLAY them down, you MUST choose ONE OR THE OTHER.

Right??? Like I play the card (tapped) and then I can during one turn use that card like White and on another turn like Black, right?!

I'm not being force to choose one color over the other...! Am I correct?

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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Correct

You make any choices upon casting a spell or activating an ability unless the card specifically states otherwise. So for the dual lands, the color is chosen when tapped for mana. Same goes for the tri land I recommended you swap in.

Keep 'em coming.

AdamRobinGames-ARG
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@questccg

How are you coming on your decks? Try playing them yet?

questccg
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We have been on 28 day lockdown since October 1, 2020.

For the first time TODAY, I went to the Post Office to send some mail. But otherwise we are being asked to be vigilant and stay safe (meaning stay at home -- if at all possible), many restaurants are closed because of this... I know doctors and hospitals are open and from what I have heard other businesses are operating under the New Normal.

Everyone I see seems to be PROFITING from the Pandemic: shorter supplies, higher costs and all passed down to the consumer.

This has been BAD for businesses but even worst for the common Joe.

Last time I went shopping they were NEARLY out of Paper Towels (4 packs left)... And times before, there was nearly any Toilet Paper.

Anyhow... No I've been playing "Total Battle" (TB: https://totalbattle.com ) and working on Monster Keep (MK) in parallel. It takes like 3 hour to extract resources from a mine, quarry or forest. So I've almost got all the cards cut and sleeved. From my initial estimates the "FULLY" customizable DECK of 15 cards is now 31 (just to prototype different decks and values).

I may even get some PROTOTYPING tomorrow... Cheers!

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