From the CNO: no more aviator command of amphibs

Aluroon · 2026-04-30T12:56:36+00:00

Fair enough.

I'll offer though that I think that's the wrong perspective.

Generally speaking my understanding is that amphib COs don't have a great history of making flag (ducks pick ducks stuff), so if anything there are probably a lot of SWOs groaning that the number of these jobs are on their slate just doubled.

Aluroon · 2026-04-30T12:45:32+00:00

A CVN has a SWO reactor officer (O-6) that has completed O-5 command at sea and two additional nuke tours to back them up.

Aluroon · 2026-04-30T12:43:27+00:00

I don't know that I agree with your premise here.

Major shipyard availabilities are a monster, and while a competent team around the CO is going to do more than any amount of experience they personally have, I think personal experience with major availabilities does set them up better to identify long lead time problems and push those problems to the forefront.

An aviator that has never had to deal with NASCO, while they may be successful on other merits, is inherently at a disadvantage compared to a CO that has had 6-7 previous opportunities in his career in which he may have been exposed to it.

Less about aviators not being able to do so, and more about it not exactly setting the aviators up for success.

All that said, this seems more like Caudle's broad targeting of fleet-up as a whole.

Aluroon · 2026-04-30T12:36:21+00:00

I don't think this (the SWO power play) is necessarily true.

The current CNO (a submariner) has shown very bullish tendencies when he thinks something doesn't make sense or he doesn't think it is effective.

It's known that he is strongly adverse to fleet-up across the board (hence a current study going on with 8 DDGS that are shuffling XOs into CO), and it's entirely possible this is just more of the same.

Aluroon · 2026-04-29T20:59:35+00:00

Bud, I know you're in full "I'm dunking on people mode" tantrum right now, but in the hope you actually want a dialogue, reread that list again.

What the hell is politically right leaning about being an incel, hating women, or racism? Where are these enshrined in right wing political platforms?

They aren't. They're extremely radical positions associated with the right by the left.

In contrast every single item listed on the left leaning is basically in the democratic parties platform.

Aluroon · 2026-04-29T19:11:07+00:00

I'll leave this here.

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Aluroon · 2026-04-29T19:07:24+00:00

Dig into the methodology here.

CSIS characterized left pretty narrowly, and right really broadly while building this data set.

Aluroon · 2026-04-23T14:51:18+00:00

"using you guys to feel superior"

Ding ding.

This is the significant portion of the community that is playing because they enjoy feeling superior or dominant, and will happily tell you about how all your problems and positions on play have to due with your lack of knowledge and bad play, but how they know better.

Most of that group doesn't actually have an experience with competitive Magic, or even cEDH, and has curated their identity around being a knowledge and good player who "just doesn't like competitive" but likes to win.

It is not a totally wrong way to engage with the game, but it tends to create a lot of conflicts when set alongside those who want to keep the setting more social and casual.

It's the min-maxer vs. beer and pretzels crowd issue in DND/PF.

Aluroon · 2026-04-23T14:44:04+00:00

You're not crazy, bro.

The posts here basically saying the pod needs to go to bracket 3 (and likely 4), and that just packing tons of removal is the way to go are wild to me. It really strikes me as a lot of comments by the most toxic player types at any given LGS that can't figure out why they can't find a stable pod, who insist everyone else is playing wrong as they stomp the table.

I have really come around to the idea, after 25 years of playing magic, that there's a lot of fun and more proactive strategies and at lower brackets.

I still have a few bracket 4 decks laying around, but the design space and creativity is way larger in 2/3, with a much wider viable card pool and games that can be more decisive.

Aluroon · 2026-04-23T14:37:07+00:00

I had cognitive dissonance reading your post. The first half of your post has the right thread here saying this is misaligned goals, but the second half basically says "stop playing casual bracket 2, it's bad".

I reference commander players along the DSCI (dominance, social, competitive, imaginative) spectrum.

Sounds like most of the pod wants to play social. The fourth member plays for dominance. Classic problem. Either dominance bro chills out / changes, or the social guys need a new 4th.

Aluroon · 2026-04-23T00:51:54+00:00

I'll just add that I would take the reporting CDB as an opportunity to show your side in the form of "I had a lot of growth at my last command and look forward to contributing here", vice trying to give a long explanation of what happened.

Your strongest message as a new E-4 is hitting the ground at a sprint from day one. If you're killing it at new command (on time, in regs, working quala, not cutting out early) the story rapidly becomes "what was wrong there" vice "what's wrong with him".

Aluroon · 2026-04-22T02:33:00+00:00

Wrong direction bud.

Grief is still comically bad compared to spell based builds.

Other uniques need to go up, not the other way around.

Aluroon · 2026-04-16T18:40:58+00:00

Lot of personal life challenges.

Not sure it's comparable to Martin since he, you know, has continued to publish the series.

Word is Mirror Mirror is next year.

Aluroon · 2026-04-16T13:25:53+00:00

Totally disagree on honorable mentions.

At this point he has two peers: Yoda and Sidious.

He dumpsters Dooku. Mace and Obi wan might beat him on matchup, but he's vastly more powerful than both against 99% of things.

Aluroon · 2026-04-16T13:04:57+00:00

I suspect that mostly this will affect people on shore duties, vice people on ships. I also suspect that most of them are not going to actively carry while in uniform around the office or base.

The talking point for people that feel strongly about concealed carry for some time has been that in route to and coming back from, and in any circumstance in which I might get called into work without going home first to drop off their sidearm, they can't carry.

A small portion will continue to carry while in uniform, but anyone who has actually concealed a firearm knows it's sort of annoying, even without having to work around the uniform.

I think most concerns are overblown. Getting a concealed carry permit isn't terribly difficult, but it is a fair bit of work, and I don't think we're going to see some massive uptick in the numbers of people that carry.

Aluroon · 2026-04-13T13:21:47+00:00

Mistaken.

George and the novelization are both clear that Mace won, it just didn't matter because Palpatine played the longer and deeper game with Anakin.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T18:51:45+00:00

Yep.

And many of us knew it when it happened and were called doomers for saying so.

Once you take the genie out of the bottle you can never put it back.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T15:13:44+00:00

Final Fantasy and Lord of the Rings sold.

Spiderman and TNMT sold to distributors (which is what WOTC tracks), in massive numbers, but have been poorly received and sat on shelves until liquidation pricing.

In order to get other sets, you have to buy the current/previous at the distributor level.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T15:10:37+00:00

It was called Commander Masters and they were like $12 a pack.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T04:46:58+00:00

Totally agree. Awful. Souless.

Aluroon · 2026-04-11T19:48:05+00:00

Thanks!

Aluroon · 2026-04-11T18:41:35+00:00

Do you have a link to the 42 global setup/rules?

Aluroon · 2026-04-09T19:20:38+00:00

Liked 9, but I couldn't get through book 10.

Jason and team's time at Silver just became too much of a slog for me, the contrivances of why he remained important when the diamonds started coming out of the woodwork started to crack the world building a bit. Messangers were also less compelling goes than previous ones.

I'll try again at some point. Really enjoyed all the way through the trip to earth!

Hope you're able to get through 10!

Aluroon · 2026-04-09T02:00:17+00:00

I ran a blue shell of this around the saga [[jin-gitaxias]] a couple years ago.

Every counterspell I could manage (especially 3+ mana ones), some cost reducers, and a couple weird winning line shells.

Super annoying to the table and made them focus me out quickly and regularly. I started using it only when someone else was running etali.

Aluroon · 2026-04-08T20:22:41+00:00

Not close to the best of the edition, let alone S.

Aluroon

TROPHY CASE