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I thought today I would jump around and talk about a couple of different topics,  ‘cause it’s fun to be random.

First off, when you look at invasion, planeshift, and apocalypse in a limited environment, some of the results are very interesting.  If you draft in/pl/ap, you might notice (at least this is what I noticed :P ) that the planeshift packs are amazing.  This is kind of how they break down to me (on average):

Pick#          Invasion          Planeshift          Apocalypse

1                  solid card        bomb                 bomb

2                  solid card        bomb                 bomb

3                  solid card        bomb                 solid card

4                  solid card        bomb                 solid card

5                  solid card        solid card           playable card

6                  playable card  solid card           playable card

7                  playable card  solid card           playable card

8                  playable card  solid card           flak

9                  playable card  playable card     flak

10                flak                 playable card     flak

11                flak                 flak                    flak

12-15          flak                  flak                    flak

of course every pack is different, as is every draft, and what different players consider bombs or solid cards other players might look differently on, but for some reason, planeshift seems to be a really strong set in drafting.  Thus when you are drafting (or doing normal sealed decks)  the more solid builds tend to stem from a solid 2 friendly color combination with apocalypse deciding the third.  This is not an ‘always’ thing by any means, and to some this may seem obvious, but keep in mind this is my random stuff article.

Next,  I would like to complain briefly about sportsmanship. (and use a specific example)  I was playing teamed sealed, and we were doing well.  We get paired up against one team, and my opponent gets absurdly bad mana 2 games in a row, nothing he could help, no fault in deck design,  just bad mana.  We finish the match and boom! He’s being a jerk to me, as if I did something to him.  Short and sharp little comments, making snide remarks about my teammates playing (he was talking to his teammates, but I was sitting right there and he knew I could hear) styles and whatnot, etc.  and at the end of a match I almost always show what I sideboarded in and out, ‘cause that is something I am always interested in;  what my opponent brought in against my deck.  Sometimes it is thoroughly informative, especially in sealed.  So I pulled out the couple of cards I sided in, layed them face up on the table while searching out what I had sided out and said something like ‘that’s what I sided in because’  - at this point he interrupts and is very loud in saying ‘it doesn’t matter does it? The point is moot isn’t it?’  and I say very quietly ‘I suppose that depends on how you look at it’ and turn to watch my teammates finish their matches, while he does the same (and starts in on the lowered voice remarks).  Now I can understand anyone being unhappy when they lose, and I can understand being even more unhappy when a stable deck gives unstable results, but I had done nothing to him.  I didn’t point and laugh at his mana problems, I didn’t cheat, I didn’t stack his deck (I don’t think I even cut his deck the second game), I didn’t try to rules lawyer, I wasn’t trying to be rude in any way,  and yet he decided to be a jerk to me and my teammates.  It served no purpose, perhaps he is over it, perhaps he will be angry at me for bringing it up in an article.  I don’t know. All I do know is that he was taking out something that wasn’t my fault on me and my teammates, and that is unsportsmanlike conduct.  I get mana-hosed all the time, and I take the loss when it happens (I almost always play 16 land in limited).  I may not like it, but it isn’t my opponents fault; and I also realize that sometimes I win ‘cause my opponent got land hosed, sometimes I lose ‘cause I do.  It happens, I’ll take my loss when it happens to me, I’ll beat my opponent when it happens to them.  It’s not a question of skill, it is the luck factor of the game shining through, and it usually balances out in the end. End rant.

And lastly,  I thought I’d touch a bit on dromar’s charm:

How Good is This Card?!  Seriously, it is obviously one of the most versatile of the charms, and if people for some reason think that go-mar decks are based on the dragon, I’d like to point out that dromar is far from being the best dragon (some would even say he’s the worst).  Go-mar exists because not only is the charm sooooo good, it also rounds out the counter base in the control aspect of the deck, giving it one of the most solid sets of counterspells in IBC.  It’s funny watching people burn the charm instead of the absorb because they think the triple colors makes it less stable and that they should use it while they can.  Untrue, as the card is so so so versatile, I would rather hold onto it than almost any other card in go-mar.  go-mar isn’t called go-mar ‘cause of the dragon, it’s because of the charm.  Changing the dragon into anything… voice of all, desolation angel, whatever, still keeps the deck the same, it’s still called go-mar even without the dragon.  I dunno. Just thought I’d share.    J

That’s enough randomness for now I think. Until next time:  have fun!