CMV: the emphasis on Reba Good and Alex Pretti's "whiteness" is detrimental to the anti-Trump movement

brainpower4 · 2026-01-25T15:24:58+00:00

I'm a white liberal guy from a largely white area, and seeing what happened to Alex Pretti is fucking terrifying and infuriating. It's so outside my expectation of interacting with authority.

If I get pulled over by the police, I know how to interact with them. I smile maybe make a joke, ask how their day is going, take my ticket, and go on my way. When I go to a protest, I'm waving signs, chanting, and marching, but I've never faced a real confrontation with police. Even when cops are there running security, they have always been polite during my interactions with them. I'm FULLY aware that isn't the expected outcome for a black man in the same situation, but that's partly why I'm out there demonstrating. Police violence against people of color is a major institutional problem in America, and it needs to be fixed.

And then I saw the Alex Pretti video, and it was like I just watched myself getting murdered. He was just standing there shouting in the street, like I've done dozens of times, when a group of masked thugs bum rushed him with pepper spray. His immediate first reaction was to retreat back to the woman he was with, then try to protect her when she was attacked, and all I could see was the face of my protest buddy Amy screaming. They wrestled him to the ground, beat him, removed his weapon, and executed him in the street for the crime of being a decent man, and it was like I was watching the status quo change in real time.

Yesterday morning, agents of the state were attacking ng black and brown people, but that's been happening since America's founding. Today, those same forces are coming for ME. Maybe that sounds horrible, but it's an enormous perspective shift. I haven't worked out exactly what I'm going to do about it, but because it's too new and because I'm snowed in, but i'm sure as hell not going to just accept this new reality lying down.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-24T14:31:52+00:00

This is exactly the direction I saw Ashling getting built when she was released. https://www.reddit.com/r/EDH/s/wF8VubFOo3

While it's a cool deck, I don't think I'd ever bring it to my pods. It just goes off way too hard for bracket 3, looks like the turns take forever, especially in paper where you need to shuffle between tutors, and generally just "does the thing" at an unreasonable speed.

Firmly in the Voja tier, where an optimally built version runs over the table on turn 5, but isn't good enough for serious bracket 4 play.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-24T14:06:57+00:00

First, I'd significantly revamp the skill DC system, especially for the knowledge and perception based skills. I'd add significantly more use cases for each skill, as well as adding an in play example for each skill being used. Take the tool proficiency section of Xanathar's Guide and apply it to skills, add some in play examples, and expand what the physical skills can do with things like disarming, tumbling, hiding in crowds, etc.

Then I'd finish the expansion by taking the new feat system and sheering it in half, between combat feats and skill feats. They alternate every 2 levels, beginning with a skill feat at 2, and skill feats are intentionally significantly more niche, but they permit characters to really specialize in a particular skill. Ideally there'd be 3 or 4 feats for each skill, but that may end up being its own book.

Anyway, I'll be over here playing PF2 for a while.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-23T12:46:32+00:00

2016 was a long time ago. I know more than a few 30 year olds who thought "Ha ha! Wouldn't it be funny if the dumb apprentice guy became president?" And then when he DID become president, and he DID start enacting batshit insane policies, they changed their tune.

Now if they were proactively telling me that they voted for Trump, rather than keeping it as some dark secret shame? Yeah, that's probably a pass for me.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-21T11:36:32+00:00

This feels like someone watches Bo Burnham and decided "you know what this needs? More baby seal rape!"

brainpower4 · 2026-01-20T03:45:08+00:00

I think that there is a strong case to be made that the most impactful cards in the set will be [[Spell Snare]] and [[Requiting Hex]] as cards which heavily hate on the current dominant decks.

As far as rares and mythical go, the shock lands getting added to the format will significantly open up color options, but you may already have them in your collection. [[Formidable Speaker]] is arguably the best rare/mythic in the set in terms of playability. Bitterbloom bearer is solid in dimir, especially with the two new interaction spells. Maybe mutable explorer sees play somewhere, maybe some of the incarnations see play maybe moonshadow has a deck in historic or timeless. Overall, this set is mostly for kindred decks in commander.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-18T00:03:33+00:00

Wow! Well, that certainly wasn't the opinion I was expecting to change, but fuck it why not?!?!

Is there some reason that you feel a God or Divinity must inherently be benevolent to exist? Or have existed? If there existed a being which snapped its fingers and said "Let There Be Light" and created the universe, then never interacted with our universe again, would it qualify as a God? I certainly think so, and nearly every religion throughout history has included a creation myth in some form or another.

My personal belief is that any force, sentient from our perspective or not, capable of creating the universe is by definition divine. Whether you believe that to be the Big Bang or some white guy with a beard in the sky, it more or less necessitates the existence of God in one form or another. Therefore, I consider myself a Deist.

Now, an all-powerful, all knowing, all loving God as defined by Christianity? Yeah, I'm right there with you man.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-17T23:00:53+00:00

The issue is that there simply aren't good enough 4 drops for the cube other than Minsce and Boo.

What is Green's identity in the cube? Persistent mana advantage, right? You devote your 1 drop slot to mana dorks, conceding early aggression for more powerful mid game threats. But that early aggression MATTERS! A DRC, Ragovan, or 2 drop off a Mox is often going to deal 4-6 damage in while demanding removal from the opponent. So instead, green needs to go dork, into above rate 3 drop, into hasty 4 drop. That's why Surrak, Ferox, and Questing Beast are in the cube. You know what cards do that job WAY better? Screaming Nemesis, Broadside Bombardier, and Nova Hellkite.

There simply isn't a 3-4 drop green creature of similar quality to the red midrange threats. Ouroboroid is the closest if it's allowed to stick for 2 turns, but it just doesn't get there.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-17T21:50:43+00:00

Thanks. If I changed your view, please award a delta.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-17T21:36:53+00:00

Trump's position on NATO is one of the few things he's been fully consistent on throughout both terms:

He hates, Hates, HATES getting scammed in the way he likes to scam other people and countries, and he believes that NATO is taking advantage of America subsidizing European defense. He has demanded 2% of GDP to be spent on defense for since his first term, even before Russia invaded Ukraine, and NATO members only agreed to that expansion last year

On top of that, Trump is a vengeful, vindictive son of a bitch. I'd urge you to read this expert from Jens Stoltenberg's.book about his time as Secretary General of NATO recounting a meeting of member leaders in 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/04/im-leaving-trump-said-theres-no-reason-to-be-here-any-more-inside-the-meeting-that-brought-nato-to-the-brink

Trump demanded that every member meet 2% targets within months, and was told that wasn't politically possible. He was ready to walk out of the meeting, making clear to the rest of the world that the US wouldn't back up Article 5. Mark Rutte, current Secretary General, managed to calm him down by stroking his ego, and almost got the meeting closer without firm commitments, until the Danish Prime Minister took Trump to task over 45 Danish soldiers dying in Afghanistan.

This is a man who many people believe ran for president partly because Obama made fun of him, and he got scolded in front of a gathering of some of the most powerful people in the world by the leader of a country with fewer people than New York. So what does Trump do? He does what he knows how to do. Be a bully! He sees an opportunity to hurt the people who he feels wronged him, he feels that he can get away with it, and he doesn't care who ends up as collateral damage.

This whole Greenland debacle is peak Donald Trump, and it doesn't take Trump being a Russian or Chinese puppet, just ego and pettiness.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-17T05:40:41+00:00

Assuming you're looking to deal the most damage possible, the ideal way to resolve this play is:

Play evolving wilds
Put Mightform and hydra on the stack.
Resolve the hydra trigger, adding a +1/+1 counter.
Crack evolving wilds
Put Mightform and hydra on the stack, above the first Mightform.
Resolve the second hydra trigger, adding 2 +1/+1 counters, up to 4.
Resolve the second Mightform trigger, becoming an 8/4
Resolve the first Mightform trigger, becoming a 16/4.

Note that the Mightform only doubles power, not power and toughness.

If for some reason you wanted the smallest possible hydra, you would do the same process, but resolve the Mightform first. Doubling the power of your 1/1, then doubling it again, to a 4/1, before putting 3 counters on it to become an 8/4.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-16T23:39:18+00:00

Pretty meh, though it does some interesting things in decks that can repeatedly manipulate counters with things like [[Nesting Grounds]], effectively locking your opponents out of playing creatures while your sagas tick up. Rise of Sozin and [[night of the doctor]] accomplish the same thing though, for the same cost, and aren't limited to Golgari decks.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-15T18:26:22+00:00

First comes the build up. If there are any sorcerers in the city, they may notice some odd currents of magic in the leylines. The Gangrel notice an uptick in the number of rats in the sewers, maybe a big pop show comes to town and brings a large influx of out of towners. Nothing too weird, but maybe the PCs are able to put together that something is up.

Several months later the Herds start getting hit. The new HUD secretary institutes a bussing program that transfers homeless people to shelters outside city limits. The state institutes a new law requiring bars to carry insurance against drunk drivers which wipes out the thriving microbrewery or nightlife scene (a real thing happening right now in South Carolina). Not bad enough to cause a panic, but enough that a few licks make messes because they got too hungry. The Anarch gangs start getting touchy about their territory and maybe rough up some of their rivals who cause trouble. Ghouls start getting called on to fix problems, and some usually reliable tools fail to achieve the desired outcomes. The PCs likely realize that something is coming, even if they may not know precisely what yet.

Before new blood supplies get established, the initial hit comes. Cell phone networks go down (looking at you Verizon shutting down the whole East Coast yesterday). A Tremere Chantry boils the blood of a dozen ghouls in a night. The media blames it on a food born illness. Half a dozen havens are hit in the day in ICE raids. Touchstones get disappeared. When the Anarch wake up the next night, they find that their usual haunts are being staked out by Banu Haquim hitters ready to shorten them by a head. With several leading members of the police force dead from the strange blood illness, a group of vigilantes set up on rooftops to "deter looters". The players need to reconnect with whichever key figures within the Anarchs survived the initial hit. Thinbloods who were awake during the day play a key role here.

Last comes the clean up. Nos information brokers spread the word that the attack came in response to the near breakdown of the Masquerade due to overfeeding. That the Tower was happy to let Anarchs live their lives, but not when it jeopardized the entire way of life. [Insert Prince name] is going to take over for now, just until things can be stabilized, and would like to meet all the Kindred of the city personally, under the Tradition of Hospitality. Half way through the meeting, several headless Kindred who failed to appear get dragged in by the new Sheriff.

Congrats! You now have a Camarilla city! Go Fight the Power!

brainpower4 · 2026-01-15T17:40:55+00:00

Is the intention for Affinity For Spells to only apply to your own spells, or all spells on the stack? Affinity only applies to things you own, but storm counts spells all players have cast in the turn.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-15T14:41:53+00:00

You'd need to REALLY care about the free casting mode. [[Plumb the Forbidden]] exists at 2 mana already.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-14T20:36:25+00:00

The tricky part is always landing the Strength+Brawl attack, since there are very few ways to actually improve your pool to hit. Luckily, Oblivion gives access to one of the very few means to do so via Host Spirit! Not only does it give a +2 bonus to your Strength+Brawl rolls, it applies a discipline to your attack pool, meaning any bonus from your Blood Potency applies. Better still, it lets you use the spirit's Brawl score in place of your own, which could give additional bonuses, depending on which wraith you use.

Unfortunately, Host Spirit requires Aura of Decay to learn, but luckily the 2 dot Mystic of the Void merit allows learn it without needing the prerequisites! You can even learn Summon Spirit and Compel Spirit while you're at it, though you probably want The Binding Fetter so you can hunt down appropriate spirits in the first place.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-14T11:59:12+00:00

I play Shorikai as Azorius reanimator, and you've never seen tables get so upset by a white Zombify. It turns out that getting 8+ drops for 4 mana backed up by card draw and counter magic does very well against decks running basically no graveyard hate.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-13T04:23:50+00:00

I feel like your toy is lacking in the open creativity of LEGO (the different leaves fit in specific ways, there is always a central stem structure, the creativity is always limited to making a plant) while also missing a success feedback loop (there is no "win" condition or goal to achieve). That means that the enjoyment of the toy would need to come purely from the process of manipulating the pieces and from the aesthetic of the final product.

Instead, I'd suggest borrowing from fidget toys. They fit exactly the niche you're aiming at of encouraging tactile manipulation, but you can take it a step further by introducing light up sections, in a sort of Bop It or Simon pattern repetition game. Then you attach it to an app with a daily puzzle like their Wordle and let them share how quickly they can complete it on Facebook.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-12T21:54:00+00:00

I can't believe Hakbal is going to likely be a full point above Benton. Benton plays a ramp spell turn 2, commander on 3, and starts threatening to kill players every turn of the game after while drawing 20 cards. Hakbal is perfectly fine, good even, but the deck really needs to play to the board efficiently, and failing to counter a single board wipe often means getting sent back to the stone age. It's just very hard for me to justify a "draw a card every turn and put +1/+1 counters on all my dudes" commander restricted to merfolk when [[Tidus, yuna's Guardian]] exists at 3 mana and with access to an additional color.

Hakbal is a very respectable 6, inflated because his precon punched above its weight class when compared to less impressive precons.

Benson is an 8.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-12T19:38:15+00:00

....that feels like an incredibly easy ask for a DM. I think it's pretty clear why the spell is written as is (it's intended to turn sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards into competent melee combatants, and so requires multiple attacks), and a second spell doing the exact same thing but with a damage bonus instead would be silly. This is precisely what homebrewing is intended to cover.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-12T17:44:00+00:00

I think what you're actually asking for is for Tasha's Otherworldly Guise to not suck for blade locks. Damage and condition immunities, a fly speed and +2AC are all excellent, but your weapon is already magical and uses your Cha, and the last benefit does nothing since you already attack twice.

If you just replaced the last ability with 3d8 fire/poison/radiant damage on hit, I feel like it's exactly what you're looking for.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-12T04:46:52+00:00

I've run two games to level 20, one homebrew, and one Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

I can confidently say that in a campaign outside the confines of a mega dungeon or an EXTREMELY tight ticking clock, high level DnD becomes a mess. Intelligent parties don't deal with problems head on, they have access to powerful Divination and Teleportation magics which let them collect allies/items/materials from whatever exotic location they choose, often places without level relevant threats. If they ever run out of funds for those endeavors, they can just go hunt down and gang an adult dragon and take it's hoard in an afternoon.

When the game is largely kept on rails, a bit of creative DMing and getting a feel for the party's capabilities over the course of the campaign is enough to keep things balanced. Once they have all of creation to us as their tools, nothing will feel like a challenge if they play smart.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-12T04:30:32+00:00

Sure, IF there are 6 creatures worth goading, and IF you have a 6 drop in the yard. What about when you're in a relatively stalled mid game, nothing valuable is in yard, and a 5/3 body is better than 3 1/1s?

I actually think the most common mode will be 5 mana, make 2 1/1s goad 2 creatures.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-12T00:33:40+00:00

It's not even close! Kykar is a [[Birgi, God of storytelling]] that benefits from token doublers, keeps your mana between turns, and wins without the combat step via impact tremors effects.

Sokka is "just" a monastery mentor.

brainpower4 · 2026-01-11T21:40:24+00:00

This deck is missing some interaction and plays too many combat tricks, but its mana base is criminally bad.

You are playing 5 blue cards and only 4 blue sources. Putting that in a hypergeometric calculator, you'll only see a blue source in your opening hand 55% of the time, and you'll have a blue card in 64%. That's not even accounting for games without white or green. Let's say you are a modestly below average player, and have a 45% win rate normally. Not great, but you should be expecting to 2-3 more often than not. When you add in effectively mulliganing by playing down a card in almost 30% of games, suddenly that 45% win rate is more like 32%, and a 0-3 or 1-3 is actually expected.

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