============= PARADISE POST ============= Issue 7. December 2003. This newsletter is sent to all MTGParadise.com Forum Members. To unsubscribe email contact@mtgparadise.com with your forum username and your account will be deleted. FEATURE SPONSORS – Advertisers email contact@mtgparadise.com ---------------- CARDSHARK - www.cardshark.com Cardshark is the ultimate marketplace for BUYING and SELLING collectable games. We currently support Magic, MAGIC ONLINE, and Lord of the Rings. There are NO LISTING FEES to start selling and all payments are made via PayPal. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to buy and sell cards with CardShark.com. Click this link and make a $10 purchase today and get a FREE BOOSTER PACK! http://www.cardshark.com/default.asp?referral=cardshark&source=mtgpnews2 --------------- GAMES PARADISE - www.gamesparadise.com.au Order Online or 1300 139 202 For great MTG box prices including 4th Edition, please visit our website. --------------- Hello readers and welcome to the Christmas edition of the Paradise Post. While the Australian summer is generally one of the slower periods for Magic with the Extended season the only big drawcard, there have been some massive changes that have ensured that this summer will be one that players remember for years to come. Obviously the biggest event in the past few weeks has been the massive changes to the extended format with the DCI's latest round of bannings. We'll be taking a look at these changes and the winners and losers in terms of decks. Other major news that we will be taking a look at includes Grand Prix results and the LOOOOONG awaited Magic Online Mirrodin release (and of course a few hiccups as well). As a special bonus I'll also give you a bit of a guide to giving the gift of Magic this Christmas. There's plenty to talk about so rather than dithering around we might as well get into it. BANNINGS On December 1 the DCI handed down its latest update to the banned and restricted lists. Predictably, Standard remained untouched, but hot on the heels of one of the most degenerate Pro Tours since Tolarian Academies fuelled Time Spirals and massive Strokes of Genius, the Extended format was subjected to a slew of bannings intended to bring the pace of the format back from the brink of almost Type 1 speed. The casualties were as follows- · Ancient Tomb is banned · Goblin Recruiter is banned · Grim Monolith is banned · Hermit Druid is banned · Oath of Druids is banned · Tinker is banned Clearly these bannings have been aimed at reducing the availability of fast Mana Acceleration and large deck manipulation effects in an attempt to stamp out the existence of consistent turn 2 and 3 kills. Ancient Tomb and Grim Monolith are very simple as they simply provide too much mana too fast. Goblin recruiter has existed in the format for a long time but it is the printing of the powerful goblins from Onslaught Block, especially Goblin Warchief and Goblin Piledriver and the instant kill that the recruiter provides with Goblin Charbelcher that has made it a key facilitator of fast and consistent combo-kills. Hermit druid has been used not as it was intended as a mana smoother, but rather as a self-imposed decking to allow a hasty Sutured Ghoul to munch opponents as quickly as turn 2. Clearly the banning of Entomb didn't do enough to stop this deck but the banning of the hermit will spell its demise. With the new range of super powerful artifacts provided by Mirrodin, Tinker had been branded a potential troublemaker for the environment even before the full Mirrodin spoiler was available, PT New Orleans removed all doubt about potential damage as the full effects became apparent with Mindslavers and Myr Incubators ending games far earlier than probably anyone had ever imagined. Perhaps the biggest banning however was the removal of Oath of Druids, ever since the deck stormed the Standard grinders for US Nationals so many years ago, Oath of Druids has been the card of choice for creature-hating control players in Extended worldwide. It has been responsible for no less than 2 PT victories as it was piloted by both Justin Gary and Bob Maher to victory in Extended Pro Tours and has very legitimate claims to being the defining card of the entire environment since it was first played. The speed of this card has served to shut down all but the fastest aggressive creature strategies and its removal is one step that is sure to break the number of viable decks wide open. All in all, the changes made appear to be the tonic necessary for a drastically different extended environment, however, this was also the case when the last round of bannings were announced yet the Magic scene then saw one of the fastest Pro Tours in history. Have they got it right? The remainder of the Extended season will surely clarify this, as qualifier tournaments will be run in the New Year with the bannings in effect. The other major action by the DCI was the restriction of Burning Wish, Chrome Mox and Lion's Eye Diamond. Despite being a relatively new card, time and time again Type 1 scientists have shown what can be done with too much fast mana and the pre-emptive strike upon Chrome Mox was nothing if not unexpected. The other cards under examination both formed lynchpins of the Burning Desire deck that has been showing to be a savagely fast and hard to disrupt kill in Type 1. While the effects of both cards are clearly powerful probably the major catalyst for these restrictions was the card that allows for the biggest swings and massive card advantage in all of Magic- Yawgmoth's Will. Without the Will, it is hard to imagine that Lions Eye Diamond would be anything more than a reasonably costed though powerful effect when it's drawback is considered. But when the player is no longer playing from their hand it is a four of a kind Black Lotus festival. The wish on the other hand has many restricted targets that make it a good candidate for restriction, but it would seem that the black sorcery was the target of choice that meant Burning Wish got the chop. From all signs it seems that the Type 1 community is satisfied with this round of changes though the jury is still out on whether Chalice of the Void will be the menace that many are toting it to be. Randy Buhler has looked into all of these issues in a great article on type 1 that is a good read even if you aren't an avid player of the format. It can be found here http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/rb102 The DCI's explanation for the changes to these formats can be found at http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/189. GRAND PRIX ANAHEIM AND THE NEW EXTENDED Grand Prix Anaheim was run in the pre-banning extended format and as such Tinker based decks were expected to dominate proceedings and other decks were packing the main deck hate to answer the threat. As it turned out, Tinker did have a massive showing but it was Ben Rubin running his BUW "Dump Truck" deck that took the final honours. Despite running more artifact removal than will be warranted in the new format Rubin's deck survives the bannings fully intact and has proved that a workable mana-base for this collection of powerful cards can still be achieved in a post dual land world. Other decks that had impressive performances and will still be fully functional come January are the Rock, Red Deck Wins and Psychatog- be it the traditional Black Blue counters and card draw model or the Scepter control with some Tog's thrown in for attacking punch. Though all of the decks will obviously change significantly with the bannings (especially the Rock). This tournament has provided players with some groundwork to begin their adventure into the new format. If you are planning to play in the upcoming PTQs here are a few forgotten gems that you might want to give a try alongside your u/g, rock and Tog, even if they don't pan out as Tier One decks I guarantee you'll have a lot of fun playing around with them · Reanimator- no matter what people take from this deck, there's not much more tempting to players than Turn 1 Verdant Forces, Akromas or Nishobas. · Trinity Green- although Tinker is gone, Tangle Wire still exists and it is the most potent mana-denial card in the format, mix in some acceleration, Rishidan Ports, Plow Unders and green finishers of choice and you have yourself a potent deck. · Rebels- without Oath of Druids around, the Ramosian Sergeant will once again strike terror into the hearts of control players anywhere. With the deck thinning Rebellion on your side a splash for some powerful cards from other colours will not be too much of a stretch. · Charbelcher- Sure you lost the explosive mana, but the severance engine is still there is it not? · Aluren- speaking of engines……. · Enchantress- you lose frantic search but the deck is still a blast to play and a math lesson to boot, it makes learning fun! · Pattern ghoul- if you like your enchantments with a bit more meat on them. · 5-Colour Flagpole- whether or not this deck is viable, there's something to be said for using a bunch of guys to infinitely bounce this, that and the other · Suicide Black- destroy your opponents hand, ask a question and pray they don't draw an answer, you'd be surprised how often it works · Stompy- Bonesplitter and Rancor, coming to a wild dog near you. · Mono Blue Control- does anybody remember a little guy called Morphling? · Fluctuator- you lost your kill card many moons ago but Force of Will went with it, maybe it's time to get back on the horse…..maybe. I've barely even scratched the surface here and with the size of the format, there are countless possibilities. If you find yourself with a bit of time this festive season have a bit of a look around the net for some old decks that may once again be primed for the big-time. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a rogue builder this is a rare opportunity, a format with basically no tournament metagame established, a place where it's not always the internet's "best deck" or "Tier One" that wins but the best tuned and played deck. What a time to be alive! Good luck to all those participating in Extended PTQs. WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART It's finally happened! Magic Online has Mirrodin. With the aftermath of Chuck's Virtual Party Magic Online had lost Premier Events with no prospect of them returning in the near future, Mirrodin was waaay behind schedule and the doomsayers were once again circling telling us "the end is near". There was a light at the end of the tunnel, a silver light previewing a myriad of Artifacts. Silver digital objects that would allow the masses to draft Mirrodin in the comfort of there own computer chairs. We even had prerelease leagues with double prizes, we were promised Bosh Avatars, we were even promised ultra rare Platinum Angel Avatars if we were good or lucky enough to go 5-0 in our league! Exciting claims, but could Magic Online deliver? Well, although the results are not totally in, the majority of people who went 5-0 are yet to receive their Platinum Angel Avatars (although they are apparently in the pipeline), all but the most pessimistic would have to say that when it finally occurred the Mirrodin release was a resounding success. Not everyone's Mirrodin release went without a hitch (mine was a bit of a train wreck but it has a happy ending as you will soon learn) but on the whole people are just happy to finally be slinging artifacts. Although the lead-up didn't run flawlessly because of the delay between the actual product release and the release events. Magic players worldwide showed their intense desire to finally get a taste of Mirrodin online as the usually desolate "Casual Play- Limited" area became money draft central (well ticket draft central anyway). Prizes were replaced by ticket entry fees held by trustworthy online denizens who for the most part lived up to the solid reputations that behooved them being deemed worthy of the great responsibility of holding the kitty and distributing it to winners of the prearranged basis. Some drafts were run where all you needed was a willing spirit and 3 boosters. Drafts were firing and the world seemed good, and Wizards hadn't even come to the party yet! I however was unable to participate in these impromptu events as my new account had been deactivated with all of my freshly purchased boosters and tournament packs locked away by an unseen gatekeeper. After some frantic emails and phone calls to all and sundry I finally found out that nobody online could help me and that a phone call to the good old U.S of A was required to get my account back. After waiting on hold for what seemed like an eternity (although the response time was actually quite reasonable, time seems to move far faster when you are calling internationally) I was informed that yes indeed, my account had been deactivated, the current operator could not help me and I would have to be transferred to the WOTC Fraud Division!?!?! Anyway, as it turns out my purchasing habits and process were a little abnormal for the average user and appeared to the system to be more akin to the habits and processes of the average credit card thief. However once I confirmed that I did own the Credit Card and the Magic Online Account in question it was only a matter of minutes before I was able to log back in and retrieve my precious Mirrodin stock. Despite the initial fear of loss and later annoyance that this episode caused, it was refreshing to know that the Wizards seem to be incredibly security conscious and that protection of the Magic Online product and it's users is a paramount concern for the company, add to that the fact that the telephone Customer Service staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, I would give Wizards a big pass mark on this little test. Total call time 8.59. When Wizards did come to the party it was a cracker, double prize leagues, hardly any server downtime and a relaxed atmosphere made the release event incredibly enjoyable. Though the top of the standings would require a lot of wins to bring home the prizes as some leagues saw well over 100 matches played by the top 4, many (myself included) deemed the prizes and the chance to see almost every Mirrodin card in action more than justified playing a heck of a lot of Magic. After the final spells were slung players received their booty and eagerly entered the draft queues. While my release league went incredibly well with my meager playskill ably carried by a team including Mindslaver, Solemn Simulacrum, Solar Tide, Whammer, Spikeshot a smatter of removal, tidy creatures and a splash for Deconstruct and Shaman. My second place finish was rewarded not with 42 boosters but rather with bupkiss. Frantic emails where once again fired off and I once again found myself once again listening to music which sounds quite a lot like "Sexual Healing" whilst holding for Wizards of the Coast Customer Service. When I finally got through I was able to speak to Joshua at Wizards who resolved to look into the issue for me, a few emails to tech support and another phone call to Wizards later and I had a voucher to the value of the boosters and all was well again. Joshua was also able to handle another problem for me at the same time, again he was courteous and helpful, traits which seem to epitomize the staff answering the phones at Wizards. Total Call time 31.35 (Over 2 calls) So basically everything turned out alright, if anyone at Wizards wants to make my Customer Service experience complete by reimbursing me for the international phone calls email me at securitron_ch@hotmail.com. So finally we had what we had waited so long for. No crashes, no excuses, just Magic, and up until recently that is what we were getting. The Avatars hadn't come but nobody seemed to care too much. Loxdon Warhammers were winning games, people were whining about Loxdon Warhammer- finally Magic Online again mirrored the real world. When the Bosh avatars did arrive they brought some maliciousness with them, as Bosh avatars started to appear, the servers started to stutter, to drop out and to flat out crash. Drafts went haywire, in one draft I was forced to beat my opponent not twice but thrice, with another half a game where I was well in control of a mana-short and card depleted mulliganing opponent with an Icy and a Platinum Angel to come. The servers have stabilised since and all things look clear for now and in this writers opinion the Bosh Avatars are pretty saucy too, they look kind of like a darker version of the Thing and the rune ratings upgrade looks great. Just a Platinum Angel delivery to come and we can all set our sights on a lot more drafts and a future of Darksteel and Premier Events. SPEAKING OF DARKSTEEL The expansion to Mirrodin is just around the corner. I won't ruin any surprises yet but the information is starting to leak out. For those of you who want the cards as they appear there's plenty of rumour and speculation already getting around and there's even some facts thrown in for good measure. While I'll leave any searching for Darksteel goodies to you gentle reader, as finding tidbits is half the fun. I will address the price rise rumours. Although there is nothing official confirming this yet, the rumblings are growing ever louder regarding a potential price rise to magic products. Rest assured that when and if there is official word or confirmation on these rumours that the Paradise Post will bring you all the news relevant to your hip pocket. HOW TO HAVE A MAGICAL CHRISTMAS Tis the season and what better excuse than the Festive season to stock up your friends and families with the gift of Magic. Now it is a FACT that a couple of Starters of Mirrodin is hardly going to win over your Grandmother this Christmas. With that in mind though, there's a good chance that you'll know someone that will appreciate some Christmas Magic and if not perhaps you can nudge some benevolent souls towards some of these products on your own behalf, I'll leave it to you to determine which suggestions can or should be taken literally. · Boosters- Like little individual presents you get to unwrap each one to see what treasures lie inside, besides the boon to constructed decks players will enjoy the hours of fun that can be had by drafting these little beauties · Singles- hard up for Christmas decorations? Perhaps you could crown the Christmas tree with an Exalted Angel. A playset of Wrath of Gods will not only be a great present to the avid Magic player but also a keen reminder of the solemnity of the occasion. Or you could celebrate the Birth of Christ with a card featuring the (other) saviour- a Shadowmage Infiltrator. · Accessories- what better Redzone than declaring an attack on Santa's belly with a Christmas themed playmat? Green and Red life counters will complement this wonderfully. · MTG battlegrounds- I'm sure a few of you already have this one on your Santa wishlist as this was released just this month. Available for Xbox and PC, you can finally see what a game of magic might be like as you step into the shoes of a planeswalker and start slinging spells right up there on the screen as summoned creatures duke it out while instants and sorceries fly around. Though I haven't had a chance to play yet, I've had a bit of a look at the box and the screenshots look quite cool. Copping a Ghitu Fire to the nugget never felt so real before! · 8E Core Set- Probably the gift I'm getting behind the most for this Holiday season, go out and pick one of these up for someone that you think might enjoy the game. By doing this you aren't just giving a gift to one person, you are giving each and every one of us another chance to play against yet another player. A whole new set of ideas and more support for the game we all love, sounds like a pretty darn good gift to me. Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Post, have an enjoyable and safe Christmas and New Years and I'll see you all again in the new year. Craig Hong