PDA

View Full Version : M:TG at StratLAN


Ryvita
28th November 2007, 13:31
There will be the usual spread of draft action provided by Afty at StratLAN of the new block Lorwyn. For those that haven't come across it yet it is a very good draft environment that highlights the ever popular tribal theme. Yes, I may well be drafting elves... I believe Russ now has authority to sanction Drafts too, which means extra prize support and stat-trackable bragging rights. :)

I meanwhile would like to try and make some constructed magic happen. It's been a while since there was a really large constructed multiplayer game at a LAN so take this as a reminder to dig out your favorite deck, dust it off, remind yourself how it works and bring it along.

I would encourage anyone with a deck of any sort to come along. Yes, your next door neighbour may have some ridiculous pimped out, power nine toting monstrosity (Pumpkin, I'm looking at you), but i think I have an answer to that. I'll also try and make sure that there are some decent decks available to be borrowed if needed.

Anyway, the format I would like to suggest is Zombie Free-For-All. We tried a version of this at FBL a while ago and it's rather fun.

"Zombie format. When a player dies, that player re-enters the game at the beginning of the next turn. They may search their deck for any five basic land and put them into play, and then may draw up to seven cards. They now serve the player that dealt the final blow (the victor); while they may make independent choices and do not reveal their hand, they must treat the victor and any other players controlled by that victor as a teammate. Their life total, the life total of the player that dealt the fatal blow (the victor), and the life total of all other players controlled by the victor becomes X, where X = the victor's current life total minus five. X cannot be less than five, when that amount is set.

Our group has tried this once or twice, mainly as a device to give early exiters something to do besides sit around, shuffle their deck, and whine about slow turns. Once a player is a zombie, they cannot win the game, and work only for the glory of their (most recent) victor. Sure, it's a lousy existence – but it's better than sitting and waiting for the game to end so you can play again.

Two particularly strong players may find themselves battling over the zombies they create across the rest of the game. An alternative to the zombie format gives a victor's team a shared life total (something like 15 times the number of players on the team), and lets the entire team rise and fall together – if you pick up a zombie and they end up taking enough damage to destroy the entire team, you're now a zombie as well for the new victor. Play around with it and see what you like."

What do people think? As an additional twist, it might be appropriate for all players to drink a finger each turn, for each zombie under their control... leading to a final few turns between two completely hammered generals, standing on their chairs and screaming "Onward my zombie minions, to glory!"

Ryv

Aardvark
28th November 2007, 13:40
I think I'm playing Battle of Wits :D:

Quietus
28th November 2007, 13:44
I'm not sure about weakening the master zombie. I like the sound of the format, but since taking the master zombie out gains you all their minions, it seems to make little sense to weaken the master. The minions should be heavily weakened though, to make them strategically important. However, this will depend on how the master is allowed to defend his minions... can he march creatures to his minions to defend them (a la emperor) or block anything attacking them anyway (like 2HG) if either of these is true, the minion should come back with a fixed, very low health total.

Oh, and given people effectively leave then rejoin the game, what effect does this have on "stolen" cards? Are they reshuffled into the zombie's deck or left in play?

Inferno
28th November 2007, 13:51
im up for a draft and if someone can lend me a deck as i have nothing but a broken slither deck as i did find it fun when i did zombies at fbl

Ryvita
28th November 2007, 13:52
I think I'm playing Battle of Wits :D:

I was kind of relying on those with large collections to not just treat this as a "how do I break the format" exercise... :p

I forgot to mention it above, but I'm thinking of playing with a referee deck. no win conditions at all. :)

Holy Day
Wrath
Rout
Akroma's Vengeance
Reverse the Sands
Duress
Words of Waste
Cranial Extraction
Evacuation
Counterspell
Thoughtbind
Boomerang
Exhaustion ("One turn penalty for unfair play!" :))
Vindicate
Lobotomy
Jester's Cap
Pithing Needle

Aardvark
28th November 2007, 13:56
I hope you're good at drawing enough counterspells :p

Also Sway of the Stars is a nice resetbutton. Wait... oh I've had some evil plans...

Ryvita
28th November 2007, 14:08
Fine, be evil. But do you really want to reset everyone's life to 7? You will get mauled by all the other player's horde of weenies while waiting for you combo finisher to go off. :)

Ryvita
28th November 2007, 14:10
Oh I'm so loving the fact I made this a public poll. We get to find out who the haters are! :p

Ryv

Afty
28th November 2007, 14:35
Sounds like fun - worth thinking heavily about the life totals bit though. And it doesn't address who can attack who.

Aardvark
28th November 2007, 14:54
Fine, be evil. But do you really want to reset everyone's life to 7? You will get mauled by all the other player's horde of weenies while waiting for you combo finisher to go off. :)

Yep. But then I get to come back as a zombie and do it some more :D:

her0n
28th November 2007, 14:56
leave enough people for dota and it's all good ;-)

Dam0cles
28th November 2007, 15:37
Im up for both, what format are you going to do the constructed in or will it be "Casual construction rules"?

Ryvita
28th November 2007, 15:54
I'm thinking anything within reason goes as far as deck building is concerned. Proxies fine, unless it's being used to build something OMGHAX. :)

Also Russ, on life totals:

At FBL we had people coming back as increasingly weak versions each time they were knocked off. 10/5/2/1 life I believe. I ended up as a 1 lifer. :) Not sure how well that works. Possibly the idea of a zombie coming back with X-5 life where X is their master's life? X-10 with minimum 5? the other adjustment is the number of cards and lands they come back in with. I think 5 lands and 7 cards as suggested above is too strong. Possibly 7 cards, can lay any number of lands turn 1 might be better? this should keep down the weenie and burn decks from silly first turns back while still allowing the slower decks to accelerate back into the game

Ryv

Crea
29th November 2007, 02:09
While I do feel naked without twenty counterspells I'm up for it.

This doesn't mean you get to play stick the counterspell on the Crea. Especially if your name is Bonkers. :p

Quietus
29th November 2007, 02:33
You disappoint me. I was just about to create a new game there. Some counterspells, double sided tape... I can see it now :D

Cabe
29th November 2007, 02:43
http://resources.wizards.com/Magic/Cards/UG/en-us/Card9744.jpg

Crea
29th November 2007, 03:01
Yes, you have to start worrying when the card says 'destroy target clothing that does not share a colour with a card played by it's controller.'

And Q - it depends how much I've had to drink and how quickly I run away. :D

Cabe
29th November 2007, 03:33
/innocent whistle....

Killy
29th November 2007, 13:54
I don't play Magic but I'm up for the stick counterspell cards on Crea game. :p:

Cabe
29th November 2007, 14:10
I prefer my way round of playing.....

Aardvark
29th November 2007, 15:01
Ah but you see you did something wrong in the procedure whereby you announced the spell to be cast thus rendering it uncastable and you burn for twenty.

Furthermore,

Ryvita
29th November 2007, 15:11
stick counterspell cards on Crea game

http://resources.wizards.com/Magic/Cards/UG/en-us/Card9762.jpg

Killy
29th November 2007, 16:32
Oh sweet jesus...
Ok fine we'll turn her into a cardboard tank

Crea
29th November 2007, 16:44
I'm not an enchant-able creature.
Nor is that a counterspell.

Bonkers
29th November 2007, 17:12
While I do feel naked without twenty counterspells I'm up for it.

This doesn't mean you get to play stick the counterspell on the Crea. Especially if your name is Bonkers. :p

pfft - i wont be playing any magic! counterspell that bitch

Cen0bitE
29th November 2007, 18:53
i dont know what you are talking about but it gave me wood.

Afty
29th November 2007, 19:18
I'm not an enchant-able creature.Crea is an Azorius First-Wing!

Dentist
29th November 2007, 19:40
Crea is an Azorius First-Wing!

She eats lawbreakers?

Ryvita
29th November 2007, 20:28
Either that or she is particularly good at avoiding fate.

Crea
29th November 2007, 21:12
That or she needs to be more careful with her wording.

I am not a creature.
Therefore your target creature spells will have no effect on me.

Better?

ez64
29th November 2007, 21:17
Your bizarre cardboard based amusements had better not get in the way of my fun. 10 55.56%
lol, although I do love card games like this and find them more fun than quite a few pc games.

Afty
30th November 2007, 10:30
Crea - you're a Planeswalker?

Aardvark
30th November 2007, 10:59
Crea - you're a Planeswalker?

Technically, everyone that plays is :eng101:

Ryvita
30th November 2007, 11:16
Technically, I'm a pedant :eng101:

Fixed that for you. :p

Aardvark
30th November 2007, 11:27
As you well know, I'm a pedant :eng101:

Fixed that for you. :p

Fixed that for you ;)

Aardvark
30th November 2007, 11:28
(also :eng101: is the best thing ever for conveying my pedantry its awesome)

Crea
30th November 2007, 13:30
Yeah but, can't you just see a Planeswalker called Zara? We're had a Aisling and a Doran, spread the love. :D

Aardvark
30th November 2007, 13:43
I'm afraid the card says Ashling :eng101:

Also:

http://cabe.fatboylan.net/albums/imgdump_rndimg/Aardvark.jpg

Ironically there are so many things wrong with that card that I go into pedant meltdown :gonk:

Baroness
30th November 2007, 14:04
That is how your hair should look at all times plsvkthnxbye

Aardvark
30th November 2007, 14:33
Oh dear, there could be war over this...

Killy
30th November 2007, 16:05
It won't be a very long war, you'll lose :dance:

Afty
30th November 2007, 16:25
Baroness is correct. Your hair needs to be more like that.

Bonkers
30th November 2007, 16:27
Lets just pin him down and shave him - im sure we can find 6 volunteers

Killy
30th November 2007, 17:13
I'm having flashbacks....

Crea
30th November 2007, 18:06
Hmmmm, actually while I do like his hair long (but it's so silky and soft, it's like fluff! Angel's fluff!) having seen several photos of him with short hair recently I could get behind that...

He's going to shoot me now. :(

Aardvark
30th November 2007, 18:21
I'm just worried about the 'several photos' now...

Crea
30th November 2007, 18:31
Now that would be telling...

Toptotty
30th November 2007, 19:46
Back to M:TG for a sec, will it be Friday night?

Dentist
30th November 2007, 20:52
It might be, but we don't often play on friday night

Baroness
2nd December 2007, 17:02
Join in with the singing, yeehaa and other festive fun on Friday. Gwon.

Dentist
2nd December 2007, 17:41
To be fair, I don't think i've ever played magic on a friday at a stratlan, let alone a christmas stratlan!