Articles

Betrayer's PR.
By Andrew Lawrence.

I was expecting Betrayers to overcome the second set blues and be more powerful than Champions as Wizards try to have the Kamigawa block make more of an impact on standard and give Affinity and Tooth and Nail some competition (Sligh and RDW get a bit of help). With the pre release coming up I pre register hoping for good times and to win some packs. I have already given up the chance of winning a box by choosing social and open events over hard core. I don't qualify for hard core, as I have not named a kid of mine Raging Goblin . . . . . yet. The main reason I have chosen the wimp option is that I have come to grips with the fact I am a hopeless player whose role in magic is to fill out the bottom of the pyramid, but that doesn't mean I don't feel compelled to waste your time with this article for the sole purpose of inflating my ego.

I am not falling for the BS line banded about that Pre releases are supposed to be fun and casual. While I am not expecting it to be cutthroat kick the opponent's shins when they're concentrating violent, with prizes on the line don't expect any favours or soft play. No one is going to play the new Horizon Seed just because the art is cool.

Losing each match 0-2 with 1/2 an hour on the clock is not fun (unless you want to chew your food at lunch rather than consume it intravenously) so I am doing a little bit of prep before hand. Don't get the wrong impression, I don't quit my job to begin constant study . . . well actually I did hand in my notice but that was to take a new job where I don't have to work for Satan. I check out the spoiler, sure it wrecks the suspense of opening and seeing cards for the first time, but I can't afford to waste precious deck building time figuring out and evaluating what some of the weird rares actually do (like Reverse The Sands from ChK). I need that time to build a wonky mana base and make sure that there isn't any synergy between the cards I register (Well that's what I usually spend my time on).

This time I plan to follow the basic laws of sealed deck construction keep to 40 or just over cards, play between 16 -18 lands, use two colours or only splash for removal or bombs. And especially important keep to a curve. With a tight deck I am hoping for some close games allowing my poor play to decide the games rather than my poor deck building. Sure it would be fun to cast a new fangled Patron of the high costing blue spells but hey, sacrifices have to be made.

To keep the atmosphere casual at pre release I make a couple of behavioural changes. If I have to call a judge I will ask the question in a non confrontational way such as "Can you use the ninja ability twice in one turn?" making the question about the rules not the player as I usually do "this mofo is using the ninja ability twice per turn can HE do that?" Sure you miss out on the advantage of scaring your ten-year-old opponent at their first tournament but hey what can I say,, I'm a nice guy.

If I do get enough to play blue and black and play ninjas like all the other casual players I will value combat tricks a bit higher to make those ninjas more of a threat, give me more options and make my bluffs more threatening. Removal as long as it isn't situational is also gold actually the word also doesn't fit there. Removal is always gold, ninjas and combat tricks aren't (more silvery).

Despite what I read on the Magic.com message board I still think most players are pretty good when evaluating new creatures and cards so you can never count on easy wins. And while hopeful of winning a few packs I am hoping to at least learn some stuff and, when I lose to the obviously better players, get some advice on my mistakes. Most magic players are males and so ego maniacs who are likely happy to not only tell you about the card but will then go through your whole deck and sideboard telling you how many mistakes you made. While the horse has bolted in regards to deck registration, use this advice, if you don't agree don't follow it but it will at least give you ideas in regards to sideboarding. And while I am handing out sage advice like a drunken Yoda, not side boarding is lazy and bad play (and not taking out your sideboard between rounds is a game loss).

Hopefully when making my deck I get a colour that stands out and can then pick stuff that compliments what I already have, do a bit of fine tuning and maybe even time to goldfish a game or too. But if worse comes to worse just picking 23 spells in three colours 10-10-3 and then going from there is a good way of breaking any deadlock. Now you can then add the land and compare all your cards with an objective in mind giving focus to your deck building. You are no longer looking at that Cursed Ronin and evaluating that card in a vacuum, rather than asking yourself is this card playable, very good, strong or unplayable you are thinking will this card make this deck better, do I have enough black and what's my Samurai count, all of which are better things to spend your time on. I like to work under pressure and this is a good incentive too "far out, I need to decide between Cruel Deceiver or Ragged Veins".

Well that's the game plan, I also plan on using my girlfriend's weekly train ticket to get there too, so it all may be in vain as I get caught by QLD Rail and end up doing twenty to thirty years (tough laws like this often catch out interstate visitors). If I go 4-0 in all three flights (and I like you) I will send in a report with all the gory details. Otherwise you never read this article and I will take up something more suitable to my level of play, Snakes and Ladders anyone?

All praise and gratitude can be sent to bad_little_monkey@hotmail.com, criticism and abuse to don't_care@hotmail.com