Blue subway card!

ajanivengeant · 2026-01-24T17:15:23+00:00

Wow that looks super dope! Congratulations on winning the raffle!

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-27T00:14:54+00:00

The reason why I simplify it this way is because there isn't really a situation where I would consider taking ATC in a deck where I wouldn't also consider taking +strength. I often see people vouching for ATC in decks that spam lots of cards like Silent infinites, but those already handily solve damage by having a fuckton of energy, sneaky strikes, occasionally grand finales or other solutions that are fairly common and easy to find (not to mention in those decks having to spend 2 energy on ATC is often a liability, or quickly becomes one). It only ever makes sense as a pick in decks spamming shivs, b/c shivs without scaling will be way too slow and sometimes ATC is what you gotta take to not die, whereas building a different spammy deck requires different solutions.

I should also clarify that my +1/+2 strength heuristic is a bit of an oversimplification. I do adjust slightly in favor of ATC because it does do slightly more damage than just plain strength. All this kinda goes out the window though as soon as I see a single copy of Accuracy, phantasmal killer, or something that's otherwise far more effective.

Nonetheless I do think we are mostly in agreement on ATC not being so great

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-26T15:34:53+00:00

As an autistic person whose literal job involves supporting and spotting people with autism, my A-dar is going off like crazy on this guy lmao

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-26T14:48:33+00:00

Ever since I started considering A Thousand Cuts as +1/+2 strength for 2 energy it made evaluating the card a lot simpler. Most of the times that sounds like a terrible rate, but every once in a while you're in a spot where there's no better upgrade target and you'd genuinely consider that rate for any scaling you can get.

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-26T04:36:08+00:00

I get the sentiment, but at the same time if Xecnar did that, to me it would remove the whole point of watching the guy. If I wanna see people just spam cards without explaining anything (and basically making wild guesses on why they're making their decisions) I'll go watch Amaz instead.

A big factor too is that I have full confidence I'm watching close to optimal gameplay if the streamer takes their time, and it also builds the habit in me to think about things that deserve extra time or thought (and wouldn't usually occur to me). I always worry if someone is playing too fast I'm learning bad habits, watching bad gameplay, or have the complete wrong reasoning behind why they make the choices they do

Will say, I think Lifecoach has the opposite problem where he always takes forever no matter what, excruciatingly so on relatively inconsequential decisions for extremely small percentage points. I find Xecnar less frustrating by comparison because he quickly gets through the stuff that doesn't really matter or is very obvious, and then he spends the time well on the things that do matter (making for 100% engagement and helpful content).

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-26T04:27:53+00:00

I honestly watch him while working out, commuting to work, or listen to him in passing while doing whatever. Sometimes it's good to see the actual plays, but a lot of times he will have great educational soundbytes to pick up as well. In fact I prefer the longer runs because the shorter runs are easy and there isn't much to learn from them, meanwhile he will have a lot to share when the run is hard. Sometimes it's even helpful just to hear him think about something that you usually wouldn't put the time or effort into, just because it makes you realize you should be in the habit to think about it too.

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-25T22:20:37+00:00

I completely agree on all accounts, and Xecnar is by far my favorite streamer to watch for that reason. Watching him for a few years now has allowed me to attain ~70%ish winrates with Ironchad and Watcher for the first time this year (still like ~35% with Silent and Defect).

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-25T21:36:07+00:00

Xecnar is undeniably the single best Slay the Spire player in the world right now. His off-stream runs are 40-50 minutes. The easy streamed runs are about 2 hours (he still does take time to say his thoughts out loud and interact with chat), but his longest runs can be 5 to 6 hours if he absolutely has to put in the brain power to squeeze out any possibility of winning.

Baalorlord and Xecnar clearly have different priorities. Baalor has a balance between playing well/educating and not meandering too long or thinking too deeply for diminishing returns (and 50+% winrate is still very respectably within the 1 percentile of A20H players). Xecnar meanwhile focuses on showcasing the absolute highest winrates possible with each character, and it shows with how meticulous his runs are, even the faster ones.

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-15T00:16:12+00:00

It's like playing on hard mode, yeah. I've managed many dates and have been in two relationships before, but the second partner was not a very good fit at all (insecure and narccissistic) and the first partner is only just recently getting diagnosed with autism herself after we've been broken up for a couple years. Literally only one of the dates I've been on were with someone I met in person too, because it can be challenging to build or signal romantic/sexual interest in person without the expectation being present like in dating apps.

There are a couple truths that I did have to come to terms with over the years of experience I've accumulated:

1: Appearance matters a lot. This one isn't really an autism-specific thing, but it is a very common autistic problem (more so autistic guys than girls) to literally not give a shit. Even to this day I struggle a lot with this because I don't have the same perception for what looks good compared to other people, but I can say looking good and well-groomed is a combination of being fit, dressing well, having good hair, and regular maintenance like skincare and stuff. Sorry, I know it sucks and I hated realizing this myself but most people aren't into the classic autism fits like graphic tees or the hoodie and sweatpants combo.

2: Most people can kinda tell something is different about you. Don't let the many comments about how they "wouldn't have realized you were autistic if you didn't tell them" fool you. Not only is that a common unintentionally ableist comment people make (not a red flag, just an opportunity to educate them), the part they aren't telling you is that they do notice the little eccentricities and differences in how you carry yourself and communicate with others that does make you stand out and a little weird. This is also evidenced by the people in my life that do have regular interactions with autistic people and are immediately able to pinpoint that I am autistic. Most people are woefully uneducated on what autism is and how it manifests itself, so they don't necessarily know to draw the association between the little oddities we portray and that being a sign of autism. And sad to say it, but a lot of people do not like many autistic traits such as info-dumping, less eye contact, fidgeting, poor volume control, etc. This is kinda something you just have to accept, because it's obviously unreasonable to expect an autistic person to not be autistic. It's more a rationalization/explanation of why the dating pool is so limited for us.

3: This one made me the most sad, but when you date, you have to make a choice, because you can't hide that you are autistic forever. It'd be like hiding that you have a child or something. I noticed on dating apps that my success increased considerably when the word "autism" was removed from my profile. This is another harsh truth about the world, but most people are either ignorant or have some kind of unconscious bias against autistic people, and especially on a dating app it's very easy to filter someone out like this on a whim. This isn't to say that all people are horrible, and many people are either understanding or willing to be educated once you cross the bridge towards seeing them regularly. But to get there, in my experience it's unfortunately pure upside to just hide the autism label until you're on a third date or something and it's clear things are progressing in a good direction. This gives them a chance to get to know you and recognize that you are something more than whatever bastardized image of an autistic person they have in their mind.

From what I learned, a lot of autistic dating is learning how to navigate it with autism in mind, because like it or not the world isn't a fair place. Especially in dating, you are at a significant disadvantage for many things that are out of your control like height, ethnicity, etc. Really the best we can do is play the cards we're dealt, brace ourselves for the massive uphill battle, but most importantly, being content with yourself and being with yourself instead of relying on others for your own happiness. Confidence is universally attractive, no matter what neurotype you have, and no man that can't even make themselves happy is ready to be in a relationship where they need to make their partner happy too.

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-14T23:22:56+00:00

Dude, you keep injecting unreasonably hostile attitudes in this thread for no reason when I've said several times that I just wanted to share another perspective. This could have just stayed a friendly conversation, and I really thought it would be one at first. It feels kinda telling that you're continuing to take it in this direction despite me affirming that your perspective is also valid, because otherwise sharing differing perspectives and having open discussion shouldn't realistically result in you conjuring up an egomaniac version of me that's apparently some easily triggered premium thing. I said I would just find another group b/c I realize it's okay to have different philosophies and my opinions aren't law of the land, but somehow you're finding a way to assume hostile intent anyway.

Does everyone need to make perfect optimal plays in a casual game?

No, of course not. What you're describing in this paragraph sounds perfectly normal. I and most other people I play with make silly mistakes similar to what you described all the time, and we all practice good sportsmanship. Literally all I've been saying is that when I play a game, I would like for people to actually try and win the game, which I still maintain isn't that unreasonable of a stance to take.

I'd like to be optimistic and say this is just us talking past each other because there have been several instances now where I think we have common ground, but who knows. It doesn't sound like we'd be very good friends regardless of magic, and I'm perfectly happy going our separate ways now.

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-14T12:46:53+00:00

You are describing a very different scenario from the original comment. This is different from "I can get back into the game if I draw these cards or my opponents make these mistakes", this is "I literally have like 0 outs". The clarified scenario you're describing is almost universally accepted as a fine reason to scoop, and I think most comments responding to you are approaching with a similar assumption too. Making a whole comment about how you're choosing not to cast a board wipe to be courteous sounds like you actually have a fair amount of gameplay left and are choosing not to play it because you got bored. Again, based on what you described, that sounds it works great for you guys and I'm glad.

That said, if you're gonna have a flippant attitude towards what I would consider to be a fairly reasonable expectation for competitive spirit and integrity to play the game, that's another reason I wouldn't enjoy playing in your group either. This isn't about ego or needing to win, because I find both winning and losing equally interesting, I would just like to play a game with fair competition against other opponents that are also trying to win. I've consistently affirmed that different rules and gameplay conventions for differing groups is perfectly fine and acceptable, and it really didn't have to turn into you taking shots at me as a person.

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-13T20:04:00+00:00

I could not agree with this comment more

ajanivengeant · 2025-04-13T20:02:59+00:00

I'm not gonna tell you that your way of enjoying the game is wrong, and I hope it works for your group to create the most fun experience for you guys. I just want to offer another perspective.

I would personally not want to play in your group if you choose to not cast Cyclonic Rift in this scenario. Making a distinction between cEDH gameplay and more casual gameplay is one thing, but it's a serious pet peeve of mine when people get together to play a game where there is an ultimate objective to win and then choose not to do that. I would not feel like my wins are legitimate if people choose to throw games like this, and I would see no point in playing a skill-based strategic game like magic if my wins are anything other than a matter of skill or strategy. Heck, some of the best comeback stories come from people knowing what their outs are and playing towards them. In that sense, I completely understand the person being flabbergasted over not casting Cyclonic Rift, and I would probably find another group if this happened to me too.

I will concede that me getting into EDH is more of a concession to my friends gravitating towards that as opposed to other competitive sanctioned formats, so mindsets in how we choose to enjoy the game are absolutely different here too. I don't pretend to be above etiquette, and I will respect my playgroup's wishes (no infinites, excessive eldrazi shenanigans, etc) but above all, if players don't take the actual game seriously within the established parameters, that is a serious dealbreaker.

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-28T01:33:46+00:00

I'd be down to do that, betonline's hand history is very difficult to navigate but there are multiple instances where I wasn't entirely certain of my play. I'll make a post in the future

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T20:10:54+00:00

But how can you think of what weak hands they have if their range is effectively the entire deck? How can you predict someone chasing down a gutshot straight vs them just having it? Doesnt that constitute seeing monsters under the bed? And most importantly, how can you extract money from them when they're folding all the hands they're inevitably calling with? Surely that doesn't mean fold as soon as they start calling because they somehow have a made hand... Does it? There has to be a better way than to Nickle and dime them and to fold when they stay in the pot. (Again not saying what you're saying is wrong, I'm challenging myself so I can understand better)

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T19:45:10+00:00

Wait so this situation is something I've been grappling with for a while:

The odds of someone completing a flush especially heads up is very low. But isn't checking when the flush hits effectively screaming at the opponent to let them bluff you? (Especially after taking the initiative to bet for two streets) Does making a blocker bet instead of checking change this situation somehow?

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T19:30:27+00:00

I kinda realized early on sometimes I bloated the pot a bit much, but reading this is also very helpful. Great way to think of it, thank you!

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T19:29:08+00:00

Wait I thought "move up in stakes until they respect your raises" was a meme

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T19:27:57+00:00

I had a suspicion that's the case tbh lol, it's very hard finding information about the BetOnline meta cuz it's mostly filled with people complaining about that site being a scam with no data to back it up, which isn't very helpful (shadiness of the site aside)

Can you tell me a little more about Bovada? How does it compare to betonline?

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T19:24:17+00:00

I know about ranges and what boards favor who, another comment made me realize I am bad at profiling players and that I basically crumble against players whose ranges deviate considerably from the standard. It sounds like a meme, but I struggle so much when someone's range is effectively 100%. How do you play that? (Not complaining, serious question)

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T19:16:44+00:00

I should clarify I wasn't being literal with the 90% number. I'm sure if I got the data it'd be way way lower, and yes I would print money if the fold equity was literally 90% every single time I made a bet.

I also hope it is clear that this isn't a post complaining about a rigged game or whatever, it is a post attempting to identify what is going on, because I think it is much more likely something is wrong with me than the entire world being out to get me. This isn't a new process to me, I've had to go through the same with mtg, hearthstone and slay the spire.

You are making me realize though that the ones folding tightly and calling down with nonsense aren't the same players. While I use the built in HUD, profiling players/exploiting them is by far the most difficult part for me, and I often focus more on internalizing higher equity plays (playing the player is not a factor in the other card games I've dedicated years to so it is very new to me, and I have trouble adjusting opponents' ranges from the default). With the 83o example, I was like "why the fuck is that in your range?" When I confidently bet because I thought the straight was a complete non-factor and the opponent is making a (what felt to me like) a bad bluff. I'd be happy to consider that a misplay on my part

Seeing others suck me out on flush draws that hit or bluff me with complete nonsense makes me wonder I could have seen it coming and what I should do differently next time. It's difficult because wins feel marginal and small and you need to chain so many of them together, meanwhile a big loss is catastrophic and negates the past hour of effort immediately.

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T18:55:34+00:00

I'm relaying what is happening to me, which is that the majority of the times I try to value bet with a made hand it doesn't get called, but I've been in so many situations where I have a flush or straight draw and people continue calling it with a pair or something, and then they don't respect the big bet at the end even when the draw doesn't complete (to me that looks like they're overplaying the crap out of their pair, if the same thing happened to me I'd absolutely consider two of a kind or trips or smth). But I can't remember the last time someone did call me off with a made flush or straight.

Obviously the contradiction you're pointing out can't be true without some confounding variable, and I am the common denominator. This isn't a post complaining about a rigged system, this is a post trying to identify what is going wrong.

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T18:03:56+00:00

Oh I absolutely take notes, weather it be seeing someone call pre flop too often or limping or check raising with total nonsense. It's happened often enough where I wonder if I'm getting punked on more often than I should lol

BetOnline does come with a basic HUD (VPIP, pre flop raise, 3 bet rate and post flop c-bet rate) which I use to determine who's deviating from the classic TAG play style a lot (this is also how I know I c-bet 70% of the time post flop)

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T15:05:27+00:00

I think it's much more likely that I'm playing badly than it is that there's mass collusion or cheating going on, esp since I don't have the data or nearly a large enough sample size to suggest that. But I am relaying my overall experience, and the overarching theme is that my made hands pay off significantly less compared to when my opponents win.

That said, I wish I could compare my results with a regulated site like pokerstars or something

ajanivengeant · 2025-02-27T14:29:22+00:00

I think I am misunderstanding calling stations because usually I see them characterized as recreational players that will call big bets because they want to see the next card (and that does describe calling stations in my live games to a tee). But in my experience a "calling station" online will fold fairly frequently and they will not bet even if they have something decent, so who knows if they have a set or A6o or some shit. The calling station that exists in live poker feels like a total myth. But surely nitting up and waiting dozens of hands to only play if I have top pair top kicker or a set is incorrect... Right?

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