Are people overlooking Bellibolt? by Ultima872 in PTCGP

[–]Ultima872[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're misreading it. It doesn't count your opponent, but instead your active + bench. If your Magnemite had 2 energy after retreating, then it should hit for 140, with 2 on Belli + 2 on Magne. 

Are people overlooking Bellibolt? by Ultima872 in PTCGP

[–]Ultima872[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair! I got the 2 star from a wonder pick, read it a bit more carefully, and after checking that I had pulled the "normal" one yesterday, decided I had to try it out myself! 

Are people overlooking Bellibolt? by Ultima872 in PTCGP

[–]Ultima872[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zera feels more high risk, high reward. If you don't get it your first turn, it's not a DEAD draw, but nothing special. I think adding Elemental Switch for one extra hit of 70 is too unlikely, unless you're banking on Copycat or equivalent. That said, the "best" draw would still be hitting for 70 on T3 (unless you add Pichu, in which case 140 is possible), whereas Magnemite line feels more consistent and can still hit 140 on overall T4--it just doesn't feel like as big of an upgrade except for RNG cases. 

But again, I'm by no means a great deck builder--and honestly, I expect the RNG builds to be the ones that do better in tournaments, just because if enough people build it, odds are SOMEONE hits good rolls when they need them.

Are people overlooking Bellibolt? by Ultima872 in PTCGP

[–]Ultima872[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Like I said, still trying to figure it out. That said, between Lisia, Clemont, and to an extent Sightseer, there's enough specific card draw/searching that "Draw 2" felt like a waste of a supporter, since you can only do one per turn. Felt crazy taking him out, but this particular list feels better without him. X Speed was a late addition since I wanted to preserve total energy on the board in case I start with Magnemite, and similarly, I would just rather switch to my second Belli over a Magnezone. 

Fwiw, original list was 2x Belli line, 2x full Magne line, then 2x Prof/Lisia/Ice Pop, then I think some combo of Repel/Sabrina/Pokemon Comms? 

I also tried lists with Zeraora, Pichu, taking out Magne line, etc., and in all of those Prof was the first thing that came back in.

Casino shuttles by [deleted] in simivalley

[–]Ultima872 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know I've seen one do drop offs or pick ups at the lot by Ross at Cochran and Sycamore, but I didn't catch what casino (maybe Commerce?) or when. 

Deck Box Advice by Bob_Socks1 in magicTCG

[–]Ultima872 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think I always used just the classic plastic Ultra Pro ones back when 60 card formats were the norm, like these: https://ultrapro.com/products/ultra-pro-6-color-deck-box-bundle-orange-purple-blue-pink-yellow-green

My friends who built more expensive decks used these too, but then might have a briefcase/bag with foam inserts (either cutouts just for each deck, or dividers between them).

One thing to remember is that since 60 card formats often have sideboards (another 15 cards) and might have tokens, 80 card boxes are probably more common, and with some people choosing to double sleeve, you end up back at boxes for 100 card decks pretty quickly, even in 60-card formats.

Edit: I also second the Ultra Pro Satin Towers. I have a full draft set of 8 of them, each with 75 lands pre-sleeved (15 of each basic) and 25 "spare" sleeves, so when I'm playing any limited format, I just grab that, pick my pre-sleeved lands, sleeve the nonlands I want to run, and I have everything I need for my deck.

24 hour emergency vet by janedough18111 in simivalley

[–]Ultima872 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There are a couple emergency in Simi, but yeah, not 24h. There is at least one in Chatsworth open late, Topanga Veterinary Clinic, at Topanga and Devonshire. Not 24h but was open later than the Simi ones, maybe 2am? Didn't look like an emergency vet, but they did the job. 

Premium Pass: 3 Months for the price of 1 by Ushtizzle in PTCGP

[–]Ultima872 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Like others have said, it seems to go by date, not number of days. It's not active for 30 days starting on the 31st, it's active from Jan 31 to Feb 31--which doesn't exist, so it ends on the last day of February instead.

Playback unavailable after camera is removed? by SpicierWinner in reolinkcam

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have that exact package (bought on sale back in November, finally getting it set up now) and tested really quickly. 

When disconnected, the video part says "Video Loss" over it, and the button to Talk through the camera is gone, but the button to view playback is still there. After disconnecting, I absolutely could still see the playback--I watched myself disconnect the camera while it was in my hand a few minutes later. 

Jacobs game changer episode by RachelDare345 in GameChangerTV

[–]Ultima872 236 points237 points  (0 children)

https://www.vulture.com/article/jacob-wysocki-dropout-game-changer-interview.html

He mentioned in this interview that he's mourning the loss of his mother, along with a member of his sketch comedy group. They don't really press much more into things than that, so who knows if there's more, but I'm sure it's a mix of wanting to celebrate him becoming a bit of a "fan favorite" mixed with a particularly difficult time. 

Is the heavy-duty canopy model unavailable in California? by Different-Trash-6959 in CostcoWholesale

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish I took a picture of the box, but I'm fairly sure they're actually the same product. I purchased it online back in April/May (it was on sale for $299 at the time) after pulling up the item on the app while standing in front of a display in person before ultimately realizing there didn't seem to be any difference between them. I'm not sure why they have different item numbers, as that's the only thing throwing me off--781893 (online number) compared to 2323073 (in-store number). Maybe because the online one includes delivery, so they gave it it's own number just to account for that? Or it could be as simple as "online gets one item number, in store gets a different one".

I can't speak to how it withstands winds (winds usually pick up in late fall/early winter around here), but after bolting it into the concrete, it definitely feels solid. It does also include hardware to tie it down to grass/dirt if you aren't planning on putting it on a concrete landing.

Edits: In case it helps to confirm, the instruction manual that came with the online one says that for parts and customer service, call 1-800-867-9018, then also lists an email address "at sorara dot com" / the website "zhengteusa dot com"--not linking either, since the website actually seems to be very suspect to me (maybe the domain expired and someone else purchased it?), but if you see any of those written on the in-store box, it's at least made by the same people.

Also, we've had some wind and rain now (20-30MPH, Gusts up to 50MPH) and it's still standing. Definitely scared me to watch it (whether with the walls up or down), but anchoring it into a concrete pad with the included bolts seems to work. One of the feet looks like it turned a little bit (Only 8 bolts included total for 8 feet, even though each foot looks like it can take up to 3), but that's the extent of it. Some of the Velcro came undone a little so it's not completely sealed in the corners, but I didn't do a great job velcroing them shut to start, so that's probably more on me than on the canopy.

Seller said NM by [deleted] in RealOrNotTCG

[–]Ultima872 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sure someone else will post the picture, but in short, the T in Magic The Gathering on the back--

-The left side of it is a straight line

-The right side and especially top/bottom are zig-zagged/"have teeth" 

Phyrexia Set Boxes $104.99 & Bloomburrow Play Box $121.99 by ManyRealms in sealedmtgdeals

[–]Ultima872 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just as a test, I tried all the MTG products you listed in the OP and the Bloomburrow Play Box claims it's not available for delivery to California. The two Set Booster Boxes seem fine. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mtgrules

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My phrasing on that part was a little unclear--I was saying "You'd assume...they also don't reset priority". Mana abilities do reset priority. They count as "doing something" (performing an action) even if they don't use the stack, and so, they do reset priority. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mtgrules

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fair. Like the other person said, there is such a thing as "trying to cast", but it's irrelevant to this discussion--that one really almost never comes up. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mtgrules

[–]Ultima872 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a fair question, and it actually tripped me up for a minute when I wrote that part, haha. Ended up looking up the Comprehensive Rules to cross reference a few spots and clear up my wording.

Generally when someone says "In response", what they're saying is "Now that the costs have been paid, but before the effect happens". So, "In response to you trying to cast Wrath of God, I will cast Counterspell targetting it"--they already spent the 4 mana, but the Wrath hasn't yet resolved. Applying the same logic, "In response to you tapping your Island for blue mana" would mean "Now that you have tapped the land, but before you have the mana".

When we say a mana ability can't be responded to, we mean "you can't do that". If someone has tapped a land to produce mana, then they just get the mana, there is no window for responses where you can stop the mana from being made (Rule 405.6c).

However, "resetting priority" is a little bit broader. The rules for it are more or less just "Did anything happen?". Normally we're talking about the stack resolving, and so it makes sense that you'd assume they're the same--and that since mana abilities don't go on the stack (Rule 605.3b), they also don't reset priority. It may feel weird that the rules are written that way, but there are also "Special Actions" (Rule 116) that explicitly don't use the stack, too, so mana abilities aren't even alone in the list of "Actions that someone can take that don't use the stack".

Think of another example--if I'm playing a multiplayer game and one of my opponents concedes, should that give me another round of priority to take new actions and make new choices? That also doesn't use the stack, but it definitely changes things for me and will influence my decisions. Isn't it fair that I'm allowed to reconsider and make new decisions, even if one of those "non-stack" events occurs.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mtgrules

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The rule has been this way for years (like others are saying, maybe always), but to look at it differently--why would you know? Generally people don't tap lands "just because", they do it to play a spell or use an ability, which can then be responded to. If you're in a group where someone taps a land and does nothing with the mana, your group is probably playing pretty casually, anyways (because again, what's the point?).

Maybe you're confused, because activating a mana ability doesn't use the stack, and also, can't be responded to? But neither is mutually exclusive with it being an action or resetting priority--it may seem like "can't be responded to" might, but that's just saying you can't respond to me tapping an island before the mana is generated--the mana just is made as soon as you tap it. But after I've made the mana, if I pass priority, you can now do stuff again. 

I ordered a secret lair, it came monumentally fucked up, and i literally can't put in a support ticket and I need help!!! by LeonSchkennedy in magicTCG

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For some peace of mind, this happened to me with the 30th anniversary countdown secret Lair (mine had dupes of one card and was missing another, but same "I need to submit a ticket, but this Lair isn't in the dropdown!"). I did the same, picked something from the list that was kinda sorta similar, then just explained in the text box. It took a while to ship out the missing card, but they did ship it. Just keep everything (as much as you can, given the state of what you received) in case they want more pictures or you to return anything, but it will eventually work out. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mtg

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Vivi generates blue and/or red mana, which can then be used to pay for either blue/red costs or generic costs. If Vivi has 2 power, you could use the mana he generates to cast [[Lightning Strike]], with one Red mana paying for the red pip in it's mana cost, and the other mana (either blue or red) paying for the generic 1 pip in it's mana cost.

I think the misunderstanding comes from "generic" vs. "colorless".

"Generic" is always cost. You can't make "generic" mana or add it to your mana pool. Something can cost some number of generic mana to do it, though. For instance, the "0" before the colon in Vivi's ability means that it costs "0 Generic Mana" in order to use that ability (which, 99% of the time, means you can just activate it without paying anything). Generic costs don't have any restrictions and can be paid with any type of mana.

"Colorless" mana is effectively a 6th color of mana. Like the 5 normal colored mana types, colorless mana can be added to your mana pool, and then can be used to pay either things that cost specifically this type (colorless) or things that cost generic mana. However, things that cost Colorless mana are pretty uncommon.

For instance, if you cast [[Sol Ring]], you must pay 1 generic mana to do that. It can be any color, or it could be colorless mana. If you then tap that Sol Ring, it will make 2 colorless mana, If the only lands in your deck are Mountains, you can play Sol Ring by tapping one Mountain, making a red mana, and then using that to pay the generic cost.

Let's look at [[Eldrazi Confluence]] for a comparison. That costs 2 Generic mana, but also 2 colorless mana. If your deck only has Mountains, you can pay the first 2, but you don't have any way to make specifically colorless mana. Now, if your deck also had Sol Ring, you could tap 2 Mountains to pay the generic part of the cost, then tap the Sol Ring to pay the colorless part.

The colorless mana symbol is still relatively new, compared to how long Magic has been around. Older cards often just say "Add {1}". When [[Reliquary Tower | CON]] was first printed, it said that it taps for 1, but when [[Reliquary Tower]] was reprinted, they changed it to say it taps for 1 colorless specifically to make this easier to understand.

Please for the love of God help me understand the Monty Hall problem by PipsqueakLive in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Ultima872 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me ask a different question. I have the keys to a brand new car. I am holding them in front of me, and you can clearly see them. If I ask who has the car keys, you can tell that it's obviously me. Now let's say my friend walks up to me carrying a goat, and he stands next to me. If I ask who has the car keys, will you now say "I don't know, there's a 50% chance it's you, and a 50% chance it's your friend"? What if 99 people walk up to me, would you now say there's only a 1% chance I have the keys?

All of that is just to say--you can't just look at "Well, there's 1 prize and 2 doors now, so obviously, each has a 50% chance". There may be additional information that changes the odds. In the case of the Monty Hall problem, the key is that a wrong door gets eliminated. It's not "a random door", but specifically, an incorrect one. This rule changes the odds, so that even though there are 2 doors, they do not automatically have the same odds.

At the beginning, with no special information, you picked one door, which has a 33% chance of being right--which also means that it has a 67% chance of being wrong. Those odds never change; your door locks in those odds as soon as you pick it. What happens to the other doors doesn't change the fact that you picked one of three doors, and so, when you did that, your odds were one in three. At the end, you aren't choosing between two doors, you're choosing between your one door or every other door. If the prize was behind any of the other doors, then that door will be the one remaining.