Shards of Alara Premier Events tomorrow in MTGO

We've experienced casual drafting in Alara for a few days now. Folks are playing some interesting combos (much more colorful last few sets). The system seems to be stable and WOTC seems happy with the relative lack of issues.

I am taking a wait and see approach to this new set. We'll see how MPDC and TPDC hit *next* week (the 2nd week of Shards tech available to PDC players).

More updates as we see how Alara pans out in the next few weeks.

Rock on!

-tw

TPDC - Classic Pauper can be rough

Thanks again to Lathspel for hosting TPDC. Was a fun event last night in /tpdc and /tpdc_results. Classic has over 2,000 unique commons to choose from in a cardbase from 7th/ipa to X/Shadowmoor.

First round I faced a very creative black deck. Had tough creatures that had some negative offsets (3/3s that gets -1/-1 for each spell casts til EOT or -1 life for every creature cast after etc). I had a hybrid black deck that had rats maindeck (chittering and relentless). Lost Game 1 but multiple Morning Thrulls for Games 2 and 3. Won 2-1.

2nd round was against my friend GSG. Very good deck - multicolor with Armadillo cloak, phantom tiger and a few nice trick cards. Hard to win game1. Took one of the games to 42 life but GG had enough cantrip/funk to keep my BHR classic deck under control. I had to prepare for work in any event - but it was fun!

Daily PDC free Pauper Events - occuring all over. Check PDCMAGIC.com or MTGO Boards PRE forums (Player Run Events) links on rightside of my blog.

Monday PDC event - MPDC was fun..Tactical Mulligans were missed

Monday's PDC event was a fun one! Thank you to ZeroFusion for hosting it (runs at 12pm Pacific, 7pm GMT in /join mpdc). We had 14 players and I do like the current flavors in standard.

My first round was a smash. I won 2-0 with some quick hitting Mimic flying. Nightsky Mimic with apparition, NG hag, unmake or the 4 cost wither hag makes for a fast hitting rush by Turn 5.

Round 2 - Mimics for my opponent and my mimics don't show. Should have done a tactical mulligan. Bogle the pain in butt is hard to remove. Note that Grave Peril should ONLY be deployed one at a time (if you have two out - BOTH get sac'd when next nonBLK critter comes out).

Round 3 - Mimics again (Red/Blue...RU) and very effective. I don't get my mimics out in a fast order (my deck is best when aiming for T5-T6 kill).

Just note to tactically mulligan - it can be important to get key cards for win condition. Also note to be patient as if you have a nonrush deck - you can survive and come back from the brink of defeat for the win.

Hats off to our PDC folk - glad to see y'all came out. Some upcoming things look good - be WARNED Shards of Alara is scheduled for release NEXT MONDAY on October 20, 2008.

Peace out!
-TW

Pauper 2hg event last night (Friday) - thank you Lathspel!

Lathspel saved the day and became the defacto volunteer host for Pauper 2hg. It was quite fun and even my friend JD joined in. The qualifiers started out as FFA matches. That was fine as I beat down the guy across from me to under 10. Even had a x/x Timberwatch boost from another player (NE of me on the game grid). It was funny until all 3 took swings at me. I died first. Then my target died. Top2 from each FFA table played in the 2hg finale.

Pauper 2hg is just as fun if not more exciting than 2hg regular. I hope to see everyone out in /join pdc, casual room, Anything Goes, Multiplayer and more!

Rock on

MPDC STD Pauper event today - it was great!

First of all big thanks to ZeroFusion for hosting MPDC - it was a BLAST. I recommend new players start out in Standard PDC to get used to things. Futex and Classic can be *quite* rough if your new.

While I did not make it to the top4 - I did place 7th with my 2-1 record. In the first round I lost to a clanmate friend hokusai22! It was close and it went to the 3rd game of that match. RedDeckWins in pauper can be tough!

Down 0-1, I then went on and faced a really cool B/W deck from gershon. He had a suprises. I had to flip and get creative with my Blk/Fly-HybridLife deck. I won 2 games but they were hard fought.

tied 1-1 going into round 3 - I faced off against dyagos. He had a very creative U/R deck. Cinder Pyromancer, Grinning Ignus and the Banneret can make it for a plink war. To add to it he splashed blue and topped off with Grapeshot swarms. It went 3 tough games but I swung with a 10/10 flyer to finish off the last game (B/W Mimic with two hybrid enchants).

I didn't top4 - I placed 7th but I was 1 game away from going 3-0/top4. In any event - hope to see y'all in MTGO and especially in /join pdc!

It gets crazy with these LRW/MOR/SHAD/EVE hybrids and mechanics. I do like it in Pauper Standard.

Check the forums at - http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1097805 for info on this week's MPDC final standings and the top4 decks!

Weekend Pauper Events Fri/Sat FPDC and Classic PDC

I had fun at the FPDC. It starts at 10am Pacific for signups and 1030am Pacific to start the event. See PDCMAGIC for more details (or on the MTGO forums at wizards.com).
Great host and good fun to be had. It's the FUTEX format (Think paper Extended, sans IPA/OTJ).

Classic PDC is a 730am Saturday gaming event. Really cool host and fun stuff to play. The classic format is one of the most diverse metagames you'll see in PDC (or in general MTGO matches for that matter). Lots of fun and Lulthyme keeps everyone smiling.

Every day there's something happening in PDC within MTGO. Free events, great prizes and good folks to play against. They are friendly, intelligent and it will not be boring.

And when's the last time a Magic player couldn't afford commons? Come out and join the fun!

10 days in MTGO v3 ... and overall...

I am truly suprised but I like it. Its lag and crash free for me. The gameplay for 1v1 gaming is smooth and relatively easy to use. While it takes a bit getting used to from 1.x/2.x - its pretty nifty in the smoothness of gameplay. Also if you switch to another window - it will warn you via sound bells when its your turn to play etc.

PROS:
Stable (I haven't seen the system crash at all)
Lagfree (I'd like to see 3000-5000 in casual gaming and see how it holds up)
Generally Clean Look

CONS:
Trading Interface different (has problems if you switch scenes at 2nd confirm)
Card viewing is a pain (the card display is detachable/adjustable - but bad fit
OVERALL UI needs tweaking/improvement - chat UI is decent but could be better.



I am glad to see the /join pdc room doing healthy. It is sad to see the decline of /join bbs but as more folks return and MTGO gameplay increases (*cough* bring Leagues and Multiplayer on by 3.1/end of this year please!) - more folks may return to /join bbs.

I'm really liking Pauper Standard (PDC STD) format right now. KithkinPauperArmy is still my favorite in Standard but GreenFastSwing is now a close second. I have a GreenFastSwing deck that seems to be fun to play. I do need to implement some more control into it. It can kill by T5-T7 if not controlled. Some token generation, slippery creatures with Persist/nontargetting and interesting conspire effects.

Sometime I'll have to test out KPA versus GFS. For now - I'll fine tune them in the Casual gaming room and in some PDC PRE(Player Run Events).

I look forward to some fun PDC events this month!

Rock on!
-tw

Very exciting times upcoming - visit PDCMAGIC.com

Lots of pauper events and great info at pdcmagic.com! They really have some terrific information and the gatherling player ranking tool is very cool. With Shards coming out soon and ME2 just released - more fun to be had with commons in MTGO.

Long live PDC and lets have fun this fall. I hope to see y'all in MTGO V3 as its been live for over 100 days now.

Rock on!
-tw

Paupers/PDC getting an official nod from Wizards of the Coast

On January 3rd, 2009 - PDC will have a Wizards of the Coast sponsored event in MTGO. This is a tremendous boost for the Pauper/PDC community. After 4.5 years of Pauper gaming within MTGO and over 1,000 Player-Run-Event tournaments - Wizards is stepping up to acknowledge PDC in a serious way.

A Wizards.com column "Into the Aether" did an article on PDC back in 2004 (interviewing me about the first 12-14 weeks in PDC season 1) - its nice to see an official tournament event for PDC.

I'm grateful to many folks - all my friends at pdcmagic.com, all the friends in Common Cause and many - MANY more.

Thank you and I hope this continues to grow!

Rest in Peace Version 2.x MTGO 9am Today

The last card played. The last shuffled curse. The last lag time out. The last draft, trade and grumbling about values.

Yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of mtgolagdeath, I shall fear no rare nor evil. For thine is the time of the Great Upgrading. From down upon the Hilltop walketh Optimus Moses Worth to tell the masses of the news:

Thou shalt nog lag.
Thou shalt not covet another man's foils.
Thou shalt not put any other MMOs before MTGO V3.
Thou shalt not playeth Leagues nor Multiplayer til deemed appropriate upon Fixeth.
Thou shalt not steal another players fun and glory.
Thou shalt enjoy the newness of something 4 years old.
Thout shalt not ask why God made the Earth and Universe in 6 days and MTGO V3 took over 4 annums.
Thou shalt enjoy the breads of casual play until we deem the wine of drafting is good.
Thou shalt not complain about narrow chatness - for the the Divine Coder deeems it ok.
Thou shalt enjoy thineself within V3 goodness or pull the pin on the prayer grenade.

Be happy or we smite you dead.

Community and what it means to MTGO

MTGO has been around for 5 years, 9 months in live form 1.x or 2.x. Since 6/2002 it has been a strange phenomenon. Digital Objects for trade and sale. Digital objects in games that people "license to use from WOTC/Hasbro" yet in most folks held views they own them.

Its been a rough time since 2003 and the release of 2.x MTGO. MTGO has struggled due to its success with 1.x and also with 1.x flaws in design: hard coding each card's rules and a centralized master server as a bottleneck restricting growth. MTGO's team (post Leaping Lizards) tried to fix some things with 2.0 in 2003 but the crash was so horrid and nasty that they had to roll back. Ever since then 2.x has had its problems and crash/lag instability (past 3,000 or so users online at once).

Flash forward to April 2008. We're nearing the launch of MTGO V3. Its not the prettiest UI (I hate the vertical chat bar) and will launch without Leagues/Multiplayer (unless they fix that at the last minute).

Lets hope with the new 3.x infrastructure (cluster servers, better uniform coding for card rules/cards and expandibility) - we get growth in MTGO again.

What has held us together for the last 5 years of pain? Community. MTGO users on the forums and in MTGO have helped grow the community and keep it cobbled together. Critics and fans of WOTC both help make the MTGO Forums and MTGO itself a better place. I applaud one thing WOTC DOES right: They let us speak our minds on the wizards.com MTGO Forums (within some reason).

Regarding PDCWAR: Rise of Commonaria - we will be launching the Beta 1 Post V3. V3 is so close, I dont want a hangover between the downing of 2.x live and the launch of V3.

More news to come soon on PDC and MTGO!

The battle for Commonaria begins soon!

The storms of war have been brewing for some time now. The continental shifts because of the Planeswalker Wars have created great turmoil. A decision by five mages (one from each school of magic) ages ago to save part of Dominaria in a protected vale called Commonaria. Shielded by powerful and ancient magic - it was a safe place for common folk, beasts and magics to live in peace. That millenium of peace has come to an end. Cracks in the the protective ward are growing from the ongoing War outside Commonaria. Each village senses the storm ahead and have begun preparations for war.

PDCX, as it has been announced, is Pauper Deck Wars: The Rise of Commonaria (PDCWAR). An upcoming beta launch date for this game will be announced soon.

Happy St Patrick's Day - Go Green PDC :)

Just wanted to wish all my pauper friends, MTGO folks and others that land here a very Happy St Patty's day! Go green and enjoy yourself in a safe and sane way. Build a Green deck today!

We're working more on PDCWARS: Rise of Commonaria (name changed) - building out the map, basic rules and such. Beta to be launched in a few weeks after MOR release is done on MTGO.

I hope to see y'all in the PDC events this week. Lots of good stuff occuring in the PDC PRE scene.

Rock on and may a pot-o-gold land in your lap today.

Peace out
Papa Pauper TW

More work and signups for Pauper Deck War: Rise of Pauperia/Common Nation

PDCX is Pauper Deck War. A multiweek event we will be beta testing in MTGO shortly. Involving 6-12 players in our first PDCWAR gaming event - it should be a lot of fun. Note that yes we will have prizes for the winner and the top3 finishers overall.

I am seeking out some assistance during this. Game rules engineering and graphics design are needed. If you wish to participate send me a note here at my blog or in MTGO/on MTGO forums.

I have modified my standard deck and will release the latest/greatest with KPA namesake. Kithkin Pauper Army :)

St Patricks Day is nearing upon us and I encourage everyone to build and play at least one green deck this weekend!

Erin Go Braugh!

State of the Pauper Nation

Around the world we have many dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, of PDC players in MTGO. With 8 full events or more each week (see http://forums.gleemax.com/forumdisplay.php?f=590 or http://www.pdcmagic.com/events/index.php for current PDC and PRE happenings in MTGO) - we've got a lively community.

PDC is great for new and old Magic (paper or MTGO) players alike. It allows new players to experiment and play/deck build for a low cost per card and per deck.

MTGO has had its ups and downs the last 6 years. Since 2004 - the Pauper movement in MTGO has evolved and grown. With several websites and dozens of dedicated players/tournament hosts/etc around the world - we're a good group to hang out with in /join pdc.

Version 3 of MTGO is around the corner (sometime this year). I hope in this transition that we do not lose folk as PDC will be there for the bumpy rides ahead. Long term I believe MTGO will be stable and grow its userbase. And in that instance - PDC will be healthier and a better gaming format/environment for all.

Fellow Paupers - let us keep up the good fight and work. We can and will continue to evolve this as not only a "Commons only gaming format" but a great place to spend time with other Magic players online from around the world.

Friends, Paupers and MTGO citizens...BPDC is Kamigawa block tonight!

WocoNation is hosting the tournament tonight in /join bpdc. Its a fun and free-to-join PDC weekly event in MTGO. Different blocks on different weeks make for fresh and creative fun. Prizes are donated by veterans and cool folk.

I donated 1 firecat blitz and 2 battlescreech (yes uncommons -- eek lol) as a door prize for nondroppers. I feel that more folks playing and staying in events is a good thing. But I will admit to dropping after 1 or 2 rounds for various reasons. To each his/her own.

UPDC was fun tonight!

Big thanks to 5351N1 for hosting. It was a fun night of pdc at a free tournament. I even had a door prize for "no droppers" to have a chance after regular swiss 4 rounds to win 4 blink lands.

Shard Fenix had a GUR combo deck that had an infinite mana engine to gather steam to kaboom me. Nearly had him dead twice but that IME works wonders - very creative indeed!

Upcoming events in PDC (8 or more each week check pdcmagic.com for these awesome pdc tournaments) occur nearly daily. I encourage everyone to come visit /join pdc and see whats happening in Pauperville.

I'm still working on my 4x commons collection - a big thank you to my friends in /join bbs and /join pdc (and dj and bra amongst others) for helping me rebuild after my layoff concerns forced me to sell my entire collection. Its ok - MTGOTraders.com left me 2xFallen Angel rares from 7th. Poetic Irony indeed.

Upcoming superevent to be announced soon (not a weekly tournament but a one off event) - it will be first announced here!

A Pauper's Perspective

PDC is alive and well. With at least 8 PDC events going on each week (most if not all listed at pdcmagic.com) - we're thriving in the MTGO world.

The simplicity of this format is wonderful. Only a single common in MTGO has been banned in PDC and that was Cranial Plating. Only cards restricted? Artifact lands. Yes - MD5 was a fun janky group that shook things up. Kind of the Ross Perot and Howard Dean of Modern Magic gaming - especially in MTGO.

This will be the 5th year of Pauper Deck Challenge. Many have contributed to its growth. Strong websites like pdcmagic.com and paupermagic.com help contribute to this phenomenon. PDCmagic.com has some really cool stuff - the rewards and work they put into PDC gaming really do wonders (you get customized gfx rewards for winning pdc events). I truly appreciate what folks are doing out there - hosting events, running websites, donating prizes to pdc tournaments etc.

This is a growing movement in MTGO gaming. There are rumors that PDC has crossed over to paper in Europe, Japan and Australia but I don't see any official reports yet confirming that. PDC - Bringing folks together one common at a time. Coming together in Unity, not petty division. Oh wait, I'm reading from Barrack Obama's notes, sorry. :)

Heath and PureMTGO/MTGOtraders

MTGOtraders and PureMTGO have done quite a bit for the MTGO and PDC communities. Very helpful, contributes to the community and sponsors various events.

They have PureMTGO.com out of Beta and it is really nice. This is a wonderful resource for the MTGO community and I suggest everyone take a look at the website, its articles and forums.

Rock on everyone!
-tw

The fun with WW ExtraSlivas

I am having a lot of fun with WW slivers in PDC right now. Its not FutEx - more of a regular extended group of cards. For PDC format it qualifies directly in the Classic PDC set.

I will post later about this deck but fair to say it has a solid win rate against decks of all types. Including decks with, *gasp*, rares!

Thank you to 535n1 for really helping me tune it up last night.

Rock on and Avian Changling ftw.