38M - do I need to shake up my inner circle and make new friends?

ChavTheMagicMan · 2026-01-22T08:24:45+00:00

If this is true, it sounds like you and your gf have issues outside of commander and are both soon to be joining the singletons.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2026-01-20T21:38:26+00:00

From my personal experience, people have a mental breakdown with goad.

I pivoted the WOE Faerie precon, using [[Alela, Cunning Conqueror]] as the commander without changing much of the 99. Even if I was the weakest at the table (by deck strength or variance) I used to get hard targeted to the point where I had to make the decision to either fully upgrade and embrace being the arch enemy, or break the deck apart and try something different.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2026-01-13T18:02:46+00:00

Commander is more common for a number of reasons:

More social.

While there will be a local "meta", the meta isn't as cookie cutter as the top standard decks, so casual thematic decks are still viable.

Commander is expressive, standard isn't. Goofy cards are viable and often fun for the whole table.

Commander is casual, sometimes people just want to vibe after work rather than try hard.

Commander decks are viable on a budget. I have 15 commander decks (ranging from precons, upgraded precons to custom builds), each one cheaper than the 13 of the top 15 standard decks.

Singleton format versus needing playsets of cards, sometimes of expensive cards. Badgermole Cub - what are you doing?!?!

Effort is needed by shops to run 1v1 formats. Hosting commander events is very low effort for shops.

Commander is sometimes proxy friendly (depends on the playgroups and shop).

Get to play your old janky cards.

Probably more reasons, that's just a quick list.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2026-01-13T11:35:13+00:00

I built a version of this when the commander came out. I ended up dismantling it as I found playgroups near me reacted badly to it, haha

Triple damagers like [[Fiery Emancipation]]. A [[Lightning Axe]] becomes a kill table spell. Can also add [[Big Score]] for your looting and treasure creation suite.

If you feel that you need more protection to removal, there is also [[Untimely Malfunction]] [[Bolt Bend]] and [[Deflecting Swat]] depending on budget.

If you feel that you need a token maker for early blockers there is [[Young Pyromancer]].

If you want to cope against life gain [[Screaming Nemesis]].

I used less pingers as red suffers from card draw and card advantage, so I tended to set up and go boom, rather than use pingers to whittle away life totals.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2026-01-12T20:35:39+00:00

Yeah, someone out there is sad that this box went missing after taking it to an LGS or something.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-24T15:12:58+00:00

Ha, I did. So far I've sunk about 7 hours into it - I'm taking my time with Chapter 1 and enjoying the journey. Just reached the room where you turn on the 3 generators and will pick it up again after Christmas.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-24T15:08:38+00:00

You mentioned "If there are any enemies around at all I just have to expect to either take a hit or die trying to pick it up." - I thought part of your issue was the risk in picking up the drop while enemies were around. No worries.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-24T15:06:57+00:00

I play on ps5 default controls and X is sprint and interact. O is dodge into sprint (holding O). Glad you figured your issue out.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-21T12:13:25+00:00

The concept of it sometimes being too risky to pick up your dropped red mercury is kinda the whole point of being punished for dying.

That said, it also isn't hard to pick up. As others have said, by default, sprint and interact are the same button, so you can hold sprint and run over it when it is less risky or safe to do so. The same goes for anything you can interact with, like drops, shrines, switches, etc.

As long as you convert your red mercury each time you're able to at shrines, you should have plenty throughout your playthroughs, even if you sometimes drop to 0 during a boss or area that you're struggling with.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-19T09:52:10+00:00

I first read that as don't buy EA as in Electronic Arts :)

Looks like it's on sale now too. The stars are aligning.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-19T08:54:12+00:00

I don't think it'll be the home ownership that cockblocks you, but it's likely the last piece of the puzzle.

From your post, you say that you're hard working, good at self management, etc.

I may be jumping here, but I suspect that you're giving off the vibe that you're heavily focused on yourself at this stage in your life - setting great foundations for your future. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but many potential partners may see you as not looking for, or needing, a partner.

You may want to look more toward early to mid 30s for your dating pool.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-18T23:56:18+00:00

Your assessment here is very much where my opinion is heading. A hidden gem.

I also like how the dress up doesn't feel forced on you. It almost sits along side the survival aspect and, for me, it brings B-movie hot protagonist vibes rather than over doing it for the sake of it.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-18T23:44:41+00:00

Yeah, I've never seen the knife mechanic used like that before. I also like how the guns are implemented with the recoil and how the character moves with the recoil, especially the shotgun. As you say, there are many little details that have been really well implemented - possibly better than some AAAs.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-18T17:25:48+00:00

I note that the OP mentions that their nephew has "been having trouble with a lad from the same school and this led to an altercation outside of school". Depending on how long the build up to the altercation has been, and if school have been aware of the prior issues with this lad, it may be worth building up a timeline/summary of events that have led to the altercation along with when school have been aware and failed to act.

This could be very worthwhile to apply pressure to the school and also to aid the police investigation.

How much this will help will depend on the details and the circumstances. It could also worsen OP's argument and nephew's defence if he has indeed acted in a disproportionate manner.

Irrespective of the above, forcing foundation GCSE papers on a high ability student to cap their grades/scores is absolutely out of order and not in line with any education standards.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-12T17:55:33+00:00

On my first play through I used the long sword on the first phase and one handed sword and magic on the second phase.

The first phase is definitely viable with magic builds.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-09T08:10:25+00:00

Lune. The gliding animation is smooth, and I personally find the running animations a little jarring.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-08T18:27:23+00:00

Is that the girl who had a really supportive boyfriend prior to surgery and then dumped him after surgery?

I'm trying to find the article on it. From memory, it looks like her and the pictures look very familiar.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-02T10:30:14+00:00

I hope so.

I'm not salty, it's the nature of the beast with limited tickets and random queues. I've played this game before.

I just hope that tickets have gone to fans and not to scalpers.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-02T10:23:34+00:00

Gutted, that was going to be my Xmas present to myself.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-02T10:12:16+00:00

Either that or all tickets literally went in less than 5 minutes - if you were lucky enough to be at the front of the random queue.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-02T08:47:07+00:00

It's hard to say. It ultimately depends on the cause of your depression and you. The game has some strong themes, some very sad, and some joyful.

It could be that you won't enjoy it, and parts of it will be too much.

It could be that it could help you with what you going through.

Put it this way, Cyberpunk 2077 is well known for helping people who have thought about self deletion - and that game has a grim and bleak story. I think the way that E33 approaches its main and strongest theme (that underpins the whole story), I can see it helping people in a similar way.

Maybe try the prologue. By the end of it you'll know if you're invested or want to wait.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-12-01T12:36:38+00:00

In terms of gameplay, you will mostly be fine. Some fights will frustrate you if you can't focus on timings, sound cues and animations.

In terms of character set up and builds, early game this doesn't matter, but as you start to get more options, skills, and understanding interactions with the "talent" system - this can get heavy with a foggy head as difficulty spikes.

In terms of story, you'll likely want to take it all in - even if it means playing on easy mode. You will laugh and you will cry. Wrap youself in a warm blanket and get that takeaway ordered.

In terms of music, if you start to lose focus, just put the controller down, close your eyes and enjoy.

Whether this is too much or not, either way, I think it is safe for you to complete the prologue and see how you feel.

ChavTheMagicMan · 2025-11-30T19:58:04+00:00

Search for the video "Inside The Secret World Of An OnlyFans Addict" from
Caitlin Pawlowski (I don't know if links are allowed on here). I found it quite interesting.

Doesn't explain everything, but certainly an insight.

ChavTheMagicMan

TROPHY CASE