Introducing Team "Constantly"

I figure it's time to introduce my team. I call it mine, because I know the fun and importance of having a proper outfit, and of all the Australian team of magic players I know, none are distinct enough to remember. I can only recall something, once, about pirates.

My testing team consists of my friends who consider themselves good yet ever improving players, who're also fantastic collectors and sellers. If we need a specific something fixed, one of us can do it.

For rules, that's me. Lvl 1 who all the judges say should really be level 2. Plus article writer afficionado, for the past 3 years and 1 year previous to that to (though year 1 of Murdoch Monthly is hardly worth the recollection).

Next we have Rony, who's been my faithful bestest mate since ages and ages ago. We're the closest together, and we've travelled to ACT before for Magic, though more for the side event fun. I tend to think of Rony as the rogue deck player of the group. It doesn't matter who built it or found it, but Rony will test it. If he needs money, I just buy up all his Goyfs and Steam Vents and hopefully one day his bobs.

The next member is a members, plural. Ammy and James. Ammy first. One trip to the ACT Rony and I met Ammy. Female Magic players aren't very common, certainly less so good players who improve dramatically fast, catching up to me in about one year. I started playing 1999 and still make mistakes like walking right into That Obvious Mana LeakTM. She's fantastically good at player, probably a better pilot then I am while in the seat, and yet still capable of missing something like having lethal on the board whilst playing white weenie against a Primeval Titan. Pro green + sword equals win, but like EVERYBODY the right creature on the opposite side of the board throws you into reverse. I tend to think of Ammy as our best player, which is, I guess, odd to say considering her brief amount of time playing, but I include all aspects of her as a gamer, Magic player, intellectual and female.

The next member is James, who is an awesome fella and introduced me to ginger beer when I wanted something that wasn't coke. He's a fantastic sharp mind and only as cool as a cucumber. As in "cool as a". In play level I'm not sure where I place James in our group, possibly at the same level as Amy, but he comes from Poker and simply being great at talking with people, dealing with them and otherwise handling "the situation" moreso than playing a game. And all without being a jerk, pushy, or forth-right about it. Always a gentlemen. He's also the best at trading selling and buying cards, because he just understands a fantastic quantity about cards, and nonmoney value, such as trading cards to people who need them now for cards later on. I tend to think of James as the managerial brains of things, and if we had a collective Magic website we all wrote on, he'd run it. ChannelFoxball, you know?

The last member is myself. I played Magic because it was fun at school, took up writing and judging it because I thought I was a crap player, and proved myself right up until this year. I took Magic and made it the main focus, over work and other things, and it's proved both my writing and my playing, so I can only say I'm happy about that. I have the best knowledge of any player I know personally (that means players I know and would want to have a drink at the bar with, completely unrelated to some Magic event on the day) and I'm always trying to figure out the best way to maintain control, and therefore composure, even without any mana or any way to interact. Think of a blue player without any Islands untapped whatsoever, and the fact that they can still Pact of Negation your anything, or Commandeer any noncreature you cast. That's me, waiting in the wings, with the rules and sharp timing as my glinting knife in the moonlight.

I tend to think of myself as the best "would be" player of the group, seeing I would be better if I paid more attention and practiced a lot more, but my location compared to people I like as people AND as players makes it hard to practice together, or often. So I keep myself busy and my rules knowledge sharp. I'm also the community heart of the group, seeing I organised GP Melbourne and contacted all my mates on things like flights and accomodation. This group of "mates" refers to other players than those listed above. None of them made it saves Gibbers, who I'd love to have on the team, but the effort of organising everything into a simple "yes" or "no" for the others is what I do, and it's because I know having a micro community whenever you go to an event makes it more fun, etc.

There is also that group of Lismore players I'm totally down with, run by Liam. They're team Lismore. They exist in Lismore.

SO what's brought on this pouring out of the mind? GP Auckland isn't that far away. AND we now which cards our new Standard wont have, but we have scant few ideas of what Ravnica's return will bring -- so it's time to get ready. As far as I know, the Team will be myself, Ammy and James for GP Auckland, plus Liam from Lismore may be playing or judging, depends. But that's the Team. There's the study, and training, and deck building/testing/fixing.

I'll keep you posted.

Fox Murdoch.

ps.
The topic of team name constantly comes up, and I always like grand things. Think like "The Fox Murdoch experience, featuring Ammy +2, Introducing JDNoice." The number changes as you get and lose numbers, depending on the event and ability of players to come along with the team. GP Sydney next year (2013!) for example could be +7, considering we all live in Sydney Australia. Travel is cheap, and no accomodation! Though GP Auckland? Planeflights and accomodation ain't cheap, so +0 in this case =(

Suggestions welcome!