M15 testing.

Well I'm using the new MODO client, and not noticing a great many bugs. I have to point out that this is likely because of my new computer though.

I won the first phantom M15x6 sealed, and didn't realise it was only 3 rounds. It was quite casual considering, and it's easy to notice how much better I played when I didn't think it was for all the marbles, yet. Of course this leads any player to realise that a lot of what makes for a bad play session is simply feeling like it's a big, important game.

So the value of any game is zero, regardless of what's riding on it. Practicing at FNM, play more games, and quicker. Only stop when a really interesting situation comes up, and not flavour matches/mismatches (Yes, how CAN a Bird of Paradise wield a Sword of Body and Mind?).

When I'm at FNM or playing at a kitchen table I wonder what choice I would make if it was the finals match of a GP, and go with that decision. Do I like this 1 lander? What if $6,000 was riding on the result? Well certainly not, I'd prefer an "ok, playable 6" to a "don't draw a land and you're dead 7". Right?

I dd a second flight and went 2-1, but my first round opponent had a greater deck than I did, round 2 was a normal fight, and round 3 my opponent took ten minutes to show up, I killed them for exactsies after that attacked me DOWN to 1, but whilst trading off all their creations, and then I drew Lava Axe, Lightning Strike, and remembered that Sign in Blood targets ANYONE and ah ha ha, got them.

I do notice the small, bad plays, however. I had the sweet combo of Xathrid Slyblade with the lifelink/when a critter dies, +1/+1 counter enchantment, and my first two opponents in the first flight were green/white. I joked at the end of the last article (read it, I interviewed Sasha Markovic!) that Triplicate Spirits is a crap card when your opponent is playing Festergloom. Well I had two copies of Festergloom and my opponent had 3 creatures that were green/white and had 1 toughness, so I had a 4/4 lifelink hexproof monster!

There was plays where I killed a creature, THEN put the enchantment on, which was obviously sloppy. I catch it now, sure, but what other mistakes am I missing that will occur at the GP? I think the attitude is better to attain now, to take into it, moreso than situational mistakes.

The other mistake was when I cast Lava Axe, Sign in Blood and Lightning Strike to win. It was my second main phase, and I cast them in that order. My opponent had mana untapped, and I was at 1 life, so if I had've drawn him into any burn he could've used it against me when I let off the final Lightning Strike. Bad play, absolutely would cost you the game in certain situations, but luckily not this one.

That's the other interesting "map of play" that seems to develop as I play more. Playing U/W at GP Melbourne earlier in the year, I had a design for how I wanted my turns to go.

"Draw first." That meant if you had Jace, use his -2. Then, scry if you had a scry land. Then after that, did we need to cast any PWs before combat? Maybe Elspeth could clear the way, blocked by fatties? If we've drawn, and didn't have Jace, do we cast him now and then draw?

All of these lines of thought get vague once you're inside a deck/game/match, but they seem to stay basically true, as follows:

Draw all your cards. This doesn't include your draw for the turn, you can't avoid that one. Maybe you've got Sign in Blood, or Miss 2/2 four Green Blossom of Card Drawness. Whatever. Draw that card before you even play your land for the turn.
Next, spells to better your position. Usually board position, so you can clear a blocker for your monsters to mash face.
Next, ready to attack? What spells really wreck you, should the opponent have it?
OK, snapshot that image, and ponder how we can rebuild IF that is the case. Do we still like how it looks? We're not going to trade off all our creatures to leave our opponent on a minscule-but-still-alive 1, are we?
After attackers and all the smoke is cleared, do we need to redeploy anyone? Haven't we got some PW we didn't activate yet?
Then finally, pass. Get ready for end of turn, kill your guy shinanigans.

Do also note the time, it is 5:09am as I write this. It's sloppier, and unedited, but I think that's another key point I'd like to make. As the day goes on, you'll get sloppier if you don't rest. Just read through this! Disgusting!!

Fox Murdoch.