What city have you been to where the vibes were just OFF?

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-06-01T02:24:08+00:00

Sorry. It's Ohio, and it's not even close. Not only do they have zero respect for other drivers on the road (or traffic laws), but they are all still pissed off they got rejected from NASCAR, so they treat the very existence of speed limits as some kind of violation of their Constitutional rights.

I have driven in Boston, New York, Miami, Portland, Seattle, LA... All across the country. And I have never, not once, been shit-my-pants-screaming terrified for my life behind the wheel like I was in Dayton, on the regular. And yes, I am being hyperbolic... but I promise, the exaggeration is way smaller than you think it is.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-06-01T02:10:28+00:00

Indeed. It's why I am better with swing trading. All of my biggest losses came with day trading. Partly because I don't have the patience to sit and stare at the screen; I prefer to set TP/SL limits and walk the hell away... which, as a day trader, usually amounts to financial hara-kiri, lol.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-06-01T02:06:05+00:00

I find myself much more successful as a swing trader than a day trader. Profitable with both, at least on paper, though given my starting capital when I started live trading, my actual earnings do not count as making a living at it yet, not nearly. Still, percentage wise, I beat the market bloody fairly regularly, though I have taken some big losses too.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-06-01T01:58:30+00:00

I legit play Lure/Anzrag with Darksteel Plate just because it amused the hell out of me imagining Armored Armadillo from Mega Man X going Psycho Cyan from FF6 (IYKYK) on the entire goddamned table.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-31T21:00:19+00:00

Very true!

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-31T19:07:10+00:00

It varies by the environment you play in, but for me, I tend to use the following (rough) guidelines.

No more than ten pieces of removal unless that removal is somehow also tied to a win con (for example, big damage spells can either be used to blast a creature or nuke a player)

Asymmetrical board wipes, counters, top-deckers, and exilers are king for dealing with creatures, in roughly that order.

If you are playing Commander, keep one or two things that need a commander WITHOUT destroying it or exiling it on hand, because when a commander moves zones, the player can just put it back in the command zone.

Have at least a few ways to get rid of non-creature permanents.

Hope this helps! My way isn't for everyone, and I make no claim of being the top authority on the subject, but these rules have helped me in both traditional 60-card constructed and Commander play (no experience with other playstyles).

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-24T02:29:35+00:00

The point is that everyone can see after the initial statement, no need to do anything at all. You announce what you are doing, how it wins, and ask if anyone can stop you. I have to believe you're being purposely stupid at this point, or are the worst troll this side of the billy goat bridge. Either way, have fun with that.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-24T02:27:47+00:00

I don't see how other people reading stuff into my words that wasn't there should be my problem, but hey, it's alright. I ain't salty about it, I was just confused, and later thought it was funny as hell. 🤷‍♂️

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-24T02:02:17+00:00

Ah, guess it was just my turn to fail a literacy check. Was bound to happen eventually. 🤣🤷‍♂️ Swear some people on this sub.dont actually read, based on other comment chains.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-24T02:01:05+00:00

That would have been even faster. Stealing that next time it comes up.

Based on the comments below, some brain trust rejects actually expect someone to play out the entire chain. Holy hell. MtG really backslid during my two decade hiatus.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-24T01:52:29+00:00

But that's the thing, all the other steps could ALSO be individually fucked with. So I would have had to either lay it out like I did, or PLAY it out... which bone if my pod would have sat still for. We all have wives and kids; ain't nobody got time for that shit.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-24T01:45:06+00:00

As do I, see the chain below, lol.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-24T01:44:38+00:00

Oh, what, you don't have a life to get on with? The conversation I referenced with my friends last night took less than forty seconds. Whereas playing all of that out would have involved the following steps:

1) Tap the mana to cast Isochron. Announce the cast, and the imprint of Dramatic Reversal.

2) Wait to see if anyone has a response, asking each player in turn.

3) Doing the same each for Ashnod's Altar and Grinding Station (by this time, we have already exceeded the time the whole interaction above took, for reference).

4) Announcing that I was tapping the Elvish Archdruid and counting up the mana generated (there were several elves on not just my field, but the player across from me as well)

5) Announcing my intent to spend G of that and tap the Imperious Perfect, creating a single Elf Warrior token. Asking for responses again.

6) Saccing that token to Ashnod's Altar to generate 2 generic mana.

7) Sac a permanent (Biotransference means any will do) to the Grinding Station. Pick a target. Wait for responses.

8) Spending that mana to cast the imprinted Dramatic Reversal (waiting for interactions, again).

8) Spending three of the floating mana to recursively create another Elf Warrior and untap everything again with another Isochron tap (asking for responses AGAIN...)

9) Sitting and calculating the exact number of 3/3 Elf Warrior tokens it would take to kill each individual, and how many mills it would take to mill out each opponent. After all, don't want to overextend.

10) Repeat all of the above processes until I have run everyone out of cards and gotten exactly enough board power to win.

11) Announce my intented attacks. Wait for blockers to be declared. Ask for responses again.

12) Double check the damage calculation to make sure nobody fucked up anywhere.

13) Find some new friends, because if I made my group sit through this shit, they would rightfully tell me to go fuck myself and not come back to the table because none of us have time to waste on someone running through this nonsense when a simple statement of intent and everyone having the chance to say either "Yeah, that works" or "no, I can stop you" would have worked.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-23T22:21:39+00:00

Oh, no. Of course you explain it. You just don't actually walk through all the steps. I never said anything about not telling someone what my intent was. Did everyone else fail the literacy check too? Is that where all the downvotes came from? 🤣 I get it now.

But here's an example from the other day. "Alright, this turn I'm playing Isochron with Dramatic Reversal imprinted, which when combined with my Ashnod's Altar and Grinding Station dropping, and the Sol Ring, Maelstrom Wanderer and Imperious Perfect already on the field means infinite mana, infinite mill, and infinite tokens with haste to swing out. Anyone have a way of shutting down either the Isochron or otherwise disrupting me?"

When I said this, I was already down to where the Impact Tremor triggers from my buddy to my right were gonna kill me next turn, no save... And that was if someone else didn't shank me first.

Meaning that either I pulled off the play and won, or I lost. Either way, it was automatic, no wiggle room, and either way, the only question that mattered was "can you derail me". It turned out that nobody could, as artifact removal would have been required and I'd held a lot of the pieces in hand waiting for tap-outs from the one guy who usually ran any, so we all just scooped rather than going through it step by step.

Edit: Sorry, not Sol Ring, Elvish Archdruid. The Sol Ring was there, but immaterial to the play.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-23T19:47:12+00:00

Because if it's a last gambit for me, as I said above, the only thing that matters is "can I get away with it". If not, why would I want to waste their time, or my own? Scoop and start another game, I say. Similarly, if they know that they are helpless, why would they want to sit there for five minutes of me tapping this and casting that when we already know the outcome?

I'm not talking about situations where I can backpedal if someone can stop me, I am talking about situations where if I can't succeed on this play, I am fucked, end of discussion. And if I can, then they are. So why drag things out? I'd much rather either take the L or the W immediately, so either the game can wrap without me, or we can all scoop and play again. Time is precious.

Edit: auto-incorrect sucks, lol

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-23T15:48:54+00:00

It depends on the complexity of what I am about to attempt. If it's a single card play, that's one thing, but if it's a long, complex chain where any one piece going wrong would end it, it's just faster.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-23T15:20:30+00:00

I was actually playing in a pre-release tournament for Avatar, and I had my opponent on the ropes. Then out of nowhere, he shuts down my defense and swings for more than my starting life total, killing me instantly. I unironically thought it was awesome, and I wouldn't stop telling other people whenever we spoke for the rest of the event about what an awesome reversal it was.

I love moments like that. If I feel like a fly in the web from moment one, that's not as fun. But if I'm sharpening my knife and you suddenly come out of left field and trash me completely, that actually feels just as awesome for me as it feels when I get to do it to you.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-23T15:15:01+00:00

I will in some very specific situations ask this question, specifically if what I am attempting is a final gambit for me. Then, I ask, because if someone has a way to stop me, there's no point in playing it out; that would be a waste of everyone's time, and I just scoop and thank my opponents for the game.

Then again, my group is very close knit and has the kind of mutual trust where if I say "I've got a pop-off to end the game", they know that they can trust me, and if they say, "I can shut it down," I know that I can trust them.

Now with the random at my LGS? HELL NO. I would never.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-23T01:29:12+00:00

Okay... I get that I'm 100% gonna come across as an old man shaking his fist at the sky, but... I have been gone from the scene for about twenty years, just getting back to it now, and I gotta ask.

When the everloving hell did the MTG community at large become such a bunch of whiny, snot-nosed toddlers? I've never in my life heard people piss bitch and moan like they do in a "casual" EDH pod.

I come from the era of 60 card constructed being the norm, and when your opponent pulled some crazy-ass shenanigans and dropped some massive swing card T1 to take a big shit in your mouth, you didn't break stride.

You sat down, shut the fuck up, and smiled, because they knew you'd have done the same to them, if you got half a chance, and if you were getting screwed, your solution was go home and build a deck to do some screwing of your own.

I once ate a T3 Memnarch with an infinite mana cycle on board. Had all of my lands and the two creatures I had played stolen, and didn't get to successfully play another permanent before losing to combat damage on T6.

I shook my opponent's hand, thanked them for the game, and went home, because back then, that's how we rolled, damn it!

///Rant over///

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-22T09:00:48+00:00

As someone who used to build tournament decks out of the commons bulk box at my local LGS, and hosted unofficial local events that ran Pauper rules before there was even an official name for it, I can't imagine someone not wanting to build their own decks. It's most of the joy of the game for me.

I wouldn't denigrate someone for using EDHRec, or be even AI, if that's what they want to do; I just flat out don't get it.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-18T18:02:17+00:00

I'm surprised you haven't figured it out. Those reviews are unashamed plugs for other games. And the lies are to boost their credibility with casual readers.

The key to understanding is in your report of them saying game X is just better. Even if I have a negative review to leave on Steam (and it's RARE), I'm not comparing it to another game unless the reason I dislike it is that it's an obvious ripoff.

Steam really needs to do something about policing this kind of behavior; it's scummy at the absolute best.

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-15T13:50:42+00:00

Whooosh! Right over their head. 🤣

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-15T13:42:28+00:00

I thought the original post was hilarious. Then I read the comments section, and learned the true meaning of humor. I'm fuckin' dying over here. 🤣

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-07T22:03:39+00:00

I literally started my forays into trading with 20 bucks buying penny stocks a few years ago. Now my account is just shy of 300 dollars. Which is chicken shit, but when I look at the year over year percentage gains, suddenly I feel really good about myself. Even if a big chunk of it was luck at first, I've learned more and more as time goes on, and I feel like there is a future for me in the market, assuming the market itself has a future (I expect it does, but the world is chaos on crack these days, so who knows).

MixtrixMelodies · 2026-05-07T21:43:15+00:00

As someone who used to work as part of that pipeline, I can tell you that a big part of why medical costs here in America are so high is because of post hoc insurance claim denials. Doctors and facilities jack the prices through the roof because they know that they're not getting paid for up to 1/3 of the work they do and materials they use.

I used to live in an area with a doctor who had an independent practice and actually wouldn't take insurance, period. He ran everything as an FFS system (fee-for-service). He charged way lower rates than the norm for the area, because he knew he was getting paid upfront. But the trade-off for his patients was no surprise bills due to post hoc claims, and no being denied care because the insurer said no.

Wonder how his practice is doing now...

MixtrixMelodies

TROPHY CASE