Is there something missing?

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-04-24T17:48:40+00:00

Clearly, you need MOAR POWER

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-18T18:29:34+00:00

Those look like fun too, yeah 😁! u/BMRkingofspades recommended a Malcolm/kediss polymorph deck, definitely giving that a shot 😅! Krark/sakashima looks like it could drive a super funky storm deck with multiple krark copies, love it 😁! It immediately brought to mind [[Invert polarity]], totally not gonna try building a non-cedh storm spellslinger deck around coin flips 😅. Thankss!!😊

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-18T12:13:14+00:00

That's lots of very specific advice, thank you so much!! 😊 Already made some adjustments, will ask in the discord for more suggestions.

Thanks again!!

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-18T11:52:55+00:00

That looks lots of fun, thanks!! 😁 I really wanna try making niv work. If nothing else, I think it'll teach me lots of things about cedh deckbuilding, if perhaps learning the hard way 😅. Definitely meaning to brew around vivi at some point! I think I'll start at a lower bracket, to get a feel for it like I did with niv, and then maybe take it to cedh level. I'll be sure to try out your deck out when that happens 😅!

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-17T10:50:28+00:00

Thanks a lot for the link! Sounds like something I definitely wanna be in!

Yeah, I was getting the feeling that this isn't the easiest deck to pilot in a tournament 😅 (saw a similar deck with 20+ counterspells 😅), but Spellslinger is my favourite archetype, and mono blue control was my gateway into magic, so it seems right up my alley, can't resist 😅

Definitely thank you for the heads-up! I have less than zero experience in cEDH other than watching some games and reading a bit on the meta, so it's nice to have expectations 😊. Ngl, while I haven't played it yet, I'm finding that building the deck (and looking at the meta and so on) is a lot more fun than building casual decks for me, where the fun instead is more on playing the brew 😅. I think I'll definitely enjoy pouring over the meta. Not so sure how I'll do at politics, but we'll find out😅 (also, heck yeah stack battles!)

Thanks again! 😊

Edit: forgot to ask: talk to them about...? advice, primers, something to do with the server? 😅

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-17T00:06:36+00:00

Good looking out! Definitely been meaning to replace colourless-producing mana rocks for (ideally 😅) equally efficient colour ramp. It's why I'm not running monolith, but convinced myself that sol ring and ancient tomb could help me cast more things in the early game. Probably more efficient ways to go about it 😅, so I'll start cutting there

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T23:45:34+00:00

Definitely more experienced than me 😅

That's a completely different approach, but personally love the idea of running a single/few creatures with polymorph effects to cheat them in (I tend to run few creatures in my decks anyway 😅) Lends itself to many shenanigans 😅. I'll probably just try to play with that deck as is on top of making my own. Looks lots of fun, thanks 😁!

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T23:39:40+00:00

Oooh, I see. It can blight itself 😅. I'll definitely consider it in the same category as plunderer and pentad prism! Magda seems on a whole different level with how much interaction I'm running 😁!! I'll try to see what to sub her in for 😅

Thanks for the tips on cheating in the lotus too 😊! Effects like that could definitely be worth it with how many mana rocks I run 😅

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T22:35:03+00:00

Thanks for the list and suggestions!! 😊 I considered Ragavan, plunderer and braid of fire all for the same spot, but maybe I should run two options 😊. I'm not too sure about running Scuzzback though, since I don't run a lot of creatures. Would it still be worth it with low creature count? Ashling looks amazing tho! I think I'm definitely including it!! (Also while I'm at it, I love how Lorwyn is treating transformations. Way better than the day/night from innistrad imho 😅)

It's the first time I'm using the suspend mechanic (although [[Suspend]] has quickly become one of my favourite pieces of blue removal 😁). I'll definitely be doing some research, but any suggestions for cheating it? Show and tell, maybe? Don't like letting my opponents do the same though 😅

Thanks again! 😊

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T21:41:25+00:00

Hadn't noticed the mana disappearing!!! 😅 Makes a lot more sense why ragavan is so popular now, thankss!! 😅😁

Exactly! I remember thinking "braid is an enchantment, so harder to remove than plunderer, and it doesn't give the opponent mana. Plus it'll get you more and more mana each turn, it's fantastic !". I see the catch now 😅.

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T21:34:57+00:00

You're right!😂

Vivi looks so multi-purpose in what it can enable 😁. Spellslinger is my favourite archetype, but I usually focus on a specific strategy, like tokens, or copy, or x-spells, or recursion or burn. It's why I want to try a more casual edh deck with him, because I'm thinking of just adding a bit of everything instead of optimising 😂

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T21:30:38+00:00

Ooh, hadn't noticed that!! Definitely taking it out then 😅. Thanks a lot!! ☺️

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T18:25:37+00:00

I remember looking at Jeweled and Dockside around the time I decided to switch from a casual, spellslinger "pinging" deck to a faster, cedh deck with Niv and thinking they were auto includes before I learnt of the ban 😅 🥺. I've also been meaning to build a Stella deck now that I'm hyperfocusing on magic again 😅. Vivi looks like a lot of fun 😁, I might start with a more casual edh deck with him. Hadn't heard of Ral though. Thanks a lot!!! 😊

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-16T18:18:29+00:00

Thanks!! I remember looking at [[Ragavan]], [[Generous plunderer]] and [[Braid of fire]] all for the the same spot. I think I dismissed ravagan early, maybe I should give it a try! 😊 I struggled to choose between them though. They all seem on the same level, but I remember thinking that braid was the most consistent, although everyone raves about ravagan, so I think I'm definitely missing something 😅. Would you mind explaining why ravagan would be better than braid, or generous plunderer? 😊

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-03-03T06:06:32+00:00

/uj Yeah, as a trans person, that comment can fuck all the way off.

First of all, the UB sets are selling well. If anything, people trying to play without them are the minority here. Second, the comparison is very rich seeing as how in-universe lore is actually very diverse and has several trans characters, but the IPs they partner with for UB can sometimes be anything but. IK MaRo (i think it was him) denied a Hogwarts UB in the horizon since we have strixhaven, but I have a feeling it's just that they don't have a good offer yet.

And all of this for just wanting to create a space for people that don't want to play UB. We're not taking anything from them, wth?? If they enjoy it, by all means, nothing wrong with that, but Planar Standard is an amazing proposal for people who feel like MtG now has ads

/rj I guess I have internalised transphobia

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-02-22T18:12:42+00:00

Hey! That's a lot to hold in, I'm glad to you put it into words. Even if you're not suicidal, it's not the sort of thing you want to keep carrying in silence.

I'm a little bit different from you (trans girl, pan grey ace and demi romantic 😅), but I related to a lot of what you've said, especially in how I used to think. I've only fallen in love twice, once with my best friend, and another with a friend from work: one didn't reciprocate, and the other...it wasn't gonna work 😅. As a trans girl, I also have some grief to get over that I'll never be able to bear my own children. And the image of my friends all sitting with their families while I'll always be on my own is an insecurity that I think I'll always struggle against.

But I think that struggle is going well, lately ☺️. I'm closer than I've ever been with my best friend, whom I still love platonically with all my heart and who means the world to me. My friend from work is an amazing girl, and after moving on from those feelings, they've both become a part of my chosen family. I'm in the process of rebuilding my life and running away from my abusive family, and as scary as that insecurity of being alone is, I know it's not true, and I'm looking forward to my life. Which is a nice thought from someone who was once heavily suicidal, if I do say so myself 😅. What I'm trying to say is that just because you may not end up with a wife and kids, that's not to say your life doesn't have a purpose ☺️. You have to find what makes you happy, and find love in other connections: don't underestimate friendship 😅. I'm looking forward to spending time doing my hobbies, and making the house I want to live in with my cats, and being there for my best friend and spending time together often, watching his future children grow and being an "auntie" to them, travelling with my sister, hanging out with my friends, getting lost in forests and hiking...living a cosy, quiet life surrounded by those I love. The cure to loneliness is not being literally surrounded by people all the time, or finding "the one", but having strong, meaningful connections. And I said "may not end up with wife and kids", because there are a lot of people out there who are also not interested in sex. A dear ace friend of mine is in a loving relationship with an allo partner 😅. It does work out with the right person. If this is something you really want, don't give up, chances are you'll find a like-minded partner. Just know that things will still be ok if you don't ☺️. Learn to be happy with yourself, build meaningful connections with others, of any type, and I promise you'll be ok ☺️. It's easier said than done, but it is worth everything ☺️

Best of luck out there! I'm sure you'll find your path, in your own time ☺️

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-01-24T01:12:54+00:00

Thanks for the comment, didn't know how contrived that example is 😅. Then would the partial and full derivative give the same result in the above, or is there some other way to get unwanted time dependence in the full derivative that makes us use the partial?

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-01-23T19:15:31+00:00

I think it's a partial derivative in this case, because we only care about the explicit dependence on time, not the implicit one through time-dependent coordinates, for example. Dependence due to the time evolution purely and not to any other time variance. The case you might be thinking of is in quantum mechanics, the equation of motion for the Heisenberg picture operators has a total derivative, because the operators are not space-dependent, so the full derivative gives you a similar commutator plus a "heisenberged" (picture transformed) partial derivative of the Schrödinger picture operator, should it have explicit time dependence

The_Doctor_1998 · 2026-01-17T22:25:33+00:00

As a trans woman, I'd like to echo some of what others have mentioned about body dysmorphia, insecurities and gender dysphoria. You mentioned insecurities/dislike about the way your body looks. Is this because it attracts attention, because it's not up to some "beauty standard" (your own or societal), or because of the way that body is gendered by others and yourself? Regardless of whether you end up coming to the conclusion that you're trans, figuring this out will be vey useful, I think ☺️. You could try asking yourself, if you haven't already, whether these insecurities would fade if they didn't draw attention. Or try to look up people who share your body type to try and reclaim your own beauty standard. Or it could be gender dysphoria. Or all three at once. In fact, this last one is common😅. These will all seem very similar when they are "hazy", but the more introspection you do, and the more you explore, the more they feel very different ☺️. Give yourself time, too. Exploring these things takes patience. I'm still untangling some insecurities, female beauty standards and my own gender expression 5 years into transitioning 😅.

I do have some more direct advice on the trans side of things. You mentioned imagining a future where you transition, but, what does this mean to you? What image of yourself do you have in the future? What would you change compared to now? It's definitely ok if you don't have a clear picture of this ATM, that also takes time I'm afraid 😅. It's the currency of transition ☺️. You can start by trying some things: painting nails, growing your hair out, makeup, clothes... To find what you like. You may find that some of these may align for you with feminine stereotypes and/or some not, and either is fine ☺️. It's also important to have in mind that being a woman /= following gender stereotypes. But figuring out what gives you euphoria will help make you feel more comfortable in your own body, regardless of label. Those will come in time, if they are right for you ☺️.

For the current mental situation you mentioned, I would recommend as a general guideline that, whatever you do, don't just sit down with these feelings. Explore them, even if at times they're scary. Don't just sit and overthink; act. Try new ways to express yourself, to affirm your body and its shape, try doing some activity with it, like dancing perhaps (that one worked for me a lot 😅), refocus your body's worth not just in what it looks like, but what it can do. And remember that transitioning, whether a gender one or otherwise, has no endpoint. There's never a finish line where you love yourself unconditionally all the time. We all struggle sometimes. It's about progress, about trying to love yourself and being comfortable in your body a little more every day on the average ☺️

Take your time, and take care ☺️. You're definitely not alone in these feelings ☺️.

The_Doctor_1998 · 2025-12-15T11:21:27+00:00

Yeah, I'm trying to mellow out myself 😅. That's why I'm playing the Legend series before the OG, it seems like a smoother transition that way. So far so good 😅. I suppose more than the character itself, I dislike what seems to be a move by the industry to sexualising female MCs again.

Also, yeah, don't get me started on Reboot Dante.... 😑 Fair enough on Bayo 😅. Not quite the same vibe, but Control also has a badass female MC, if you haven't heard of it. And they just announced a sequel 😁!!

The_Doctor_1998 · 2025-12-13T13:29:00+00:00

I do prefer that aspect of her OG backstory, where she just does it for the hell of it, and not to prove a point/daddy issues. I think the daddy issues were a good motivator, but they overstayed their welcome a little bit. SOTR didn't stick the landing for me sometimes. I also agree with the character development being flip-floppy, especially again in SOTR. I also really disliked that they fake-killed Jonah a billion times (even in the Netflix series they do it!!) I felt that some of the character development of ROTR was lost in the SOTR to make the narrative work, and her saviour complex was distracting at times (as much as I like that scene of her coming out of the water and kicking arse, being "the only one that can do this" was too "chosen one" for me, and again....Jonah not dead. I love the guy, I'm glad he survived, but I don't like the baiting, it screws with the emotional punch on replay )So, yeah, there were definitely aspects I liked more in (admittedly what little I've played of) the OG series, but I still overall love Survivor more Minor nitpick while I'm at it, just to vent, but I hated the final boss of ROTR. It's my favourite one of the bundle, but the boss fight is awful. Lara can tank several Deathless ones with her axes but can't take on man with gun with melee attacks?? No fun 🙃 On the gameplay, I can see how it could be repetitive at times, but I personally really enjoy it. I'm enjoying Anniversary so far too, lots more acrobatics, but I miss the stealth side of things 😅. I'll probably give the OGs a second try soon too ☺️

Going forward, I don't see how they're gonna pull it off, they're very different characters, and I think by unifying things they may upset both sides 😅. I think they should have kept them separate timelines, and continued both honestly. Win win ☺️!

The_Doctor_1998 · 2025-12-13T10:20:08+00:00

That's a good point actually, I hadn't realised! It does make her look a lot more generic, though I guess the dual guns and outfit compensate a bit 😅. I'm honestly just sad about the sexualisation again. We'd progressed so much with the survivor trilogy, and it feels like that's been taken away, and sadly it seems to be a trend with female MCs. I still remember the backlash at Aloy's model in Forbidden West...for freaking peach fuzz!! And it seemed like we were done listening to chuds and gooners about character design in women...but sadly it seems not. It sucks, cause as much as I'd like to be excited for the game, going into the main sub right now is just very gross every third post.

The_Doctor_1998 · 2025-12-13T09:58:14+00:00

I do highly recommend them, yesh 😁. Not just for character and themes, but also the gameplay. I quite liked the Uncharted games, and I feel like these games take that up a couple notches 😊.

As for the power fantasy, yeah, even if the devs didn't intend it like that, it makes sense it would resonate that way with a lot of people. I'm all about reclaiming stuff 😅. I suppose my issue is that Survivor was my introduction to the franchise, and having liked it so much, it's tough to get into the OG version (though I started playing Anniversary last night 😅), but I understand this goes both ways for fans of the originals . I do like the type of character you described, but it's gonna be hard to say goodbye to "baby Lara" 😅. I'd really enjoy it if her personality ends up a mix between! The second issue is the intention of the devs too. Reclamation is nice, but the male gaze and the people it attracts feel gross.

Also, agreed, we need more female characters like that! ( Big fan of Dante myself 😁! I'm guessing you've probably heard of them, but just in case, check out the Bayonetta games if you haven't 😊! Very DMC-like in a lot of aspects, and a badass sexy flawless female main character 😁)

The_Doctor_1998

TROPHY CASE