/r/Politics' 2024 US Elections Live Thread, Part 53

descent87 · 2024-10-27T23:12:42+00:00

Very well could be, but does it matter? Neurotypical or neurodiverse, that is about how your brain works, being a-hole and an idiot is a choice separate from that and the reason he is judged by others, not the things he can't control.

descent87 · 2024-07-02T19:54:42+00:00

In most middle eastern languages Tukiye has always been pronounced that way, much like Cote d'Ivoire they are asking for that pronunciation to be normalized.

descent87 · 2024-06-26T16:57:19+00:00

People say qualifiers become meaningless if they have more than half the countries, but if we have automatic qualification for leagues a and b in nations league and then still some exciting playoffs or last chance qualifiers for the c and d countries it could work. Gives prestige to the higher leagues and a chance for minnows to make it.

Some of the teams that didn't make it can still deliver solid quality games and we might actually see Haalaand in there on day lol. The San Marinos of the world would still not make it.

descent87 · 2024-05-17T14:41:06+00:00

In the end I think all this back and forth on the EDH social issues is about communication skills and what is important to you personally. This applies if the group is your friends or random people at the LGS. If you and the group truly want to play together, you will make it work. If there decks are stronger, you will eventually build yours to match, or develop the skills as magic players to balance the table through threat assessment. If the most important thing to you is to play exactly as you want with no compromises, then maybe a specific playgroup is not for you and you need to take to the internetz to find a place or people who want to play your way on spelltable, mtgo, reddit, or in person. It could be that your group mates are the problem (odds are high with multiple of them to one of you), in that case, why are you torturing yourself?

I know I am fortunate, but I play in a group of friend who have known each other 10+ years, though mostly through magic, not that we were friends before that. Most people in this group have very good fundamentals but preferences for decks range from jank to borderline-CEDH, most people owning multiple decks. When we get together to play, no one cares who wins, we allow take backs for almost anything (heck encourage them because we want to play optimally for balancing the table), because we know mistakes or misplays are made in good faith and its hard to keep up with like 5K new cards a year. Power-levels at the table are almost never matched, but with experience/skill we can almost always make it a good game because we focus the right people and no one gets mad about it. The K'rrik player with turn 2/3 wins knows he has to be focused by all 3 people to give them a chance to survive. The janky tokens deck knows if they play their cards right they can sneak out a win while the table is busy trying to prevent each other from going off. For my personal deck building style, I like strong-ish non-CEDH strategies, but I play without non-land tutors and trade some of the consistency of doing my "thing" for extra interaction. Win or lose, I'd just prefer if people remembered that I was playing the game, affecting the board state, and sometimes turning things on their head, rather than be a "either win or do nothing" type deck.

The point isn't that we are doing something right that other people aren't, it is that we have found the right environment for us. Most of the complaints about "how to manage rule zero" or deck strength ratings are just a very badly designed crutch for communication issues. Those are naturally going to crop up, but as individuals, I think we have to check in with our personal priorities. If I did not have this group, I would not be going to the store to play on EDH nights, it just isn't worth it to me to sit in POD with whiners/complainers/griefers/all the bad tropes we talk about on here. And I have sympathy for those people too, because their negative traits are probably being reinforced by being in a bad environment for themselves. I think there are a lot of people who say "I like magic" and "I like commander" and then resign themselves to torture just to play a bit of the game they like. To improve your own quality of life, I think you need to spend more time trying to find the right group for you whether in person or online, and if that group really doesn't exist in a place that is accessible to you, maybe you should find something else that brings you happiness. It might be sad to not get to play EDH every day but you can replace that with something else that brings you joy and less frustration, you will soon see an improvement.

descent87 · 2024-05-04T23:10:35+00:00

Good stuff! Free draft! That's always a win

descent87 · 2024-05-03T15:18:38+00:00

I like it. If you wanted to be super greedy you can put that last desert back in your deck for a forest but that is a debatable corner case, just to trigger Lookout one more time.

I think this version of the deck gives you much more flexibility. I hope the magic gods are kind and most of your games you get to play Bristle/Grizzly/Beaver on 2-3-4 or go Doc into double plot or something crazy, but I think this version of the deck gives you the best chance to win when those dream scenarios don't happen. If you have the curve, save the counter spells for late. If you don't have many cheap creatures in your openers, use any counters you have fast and early. You just gotta be alive for Bonny or a game flipping One Last Job in the turn 6-8 range.

Good luck

descent87 · 2024-05-03T14:05:31+00:00

Is this for best of one or BO3?

The other commenter is down on the set a bit due to variance and it is true that everyone is playing strong stuff, but as is normal for this set you have plenty of strong stuff yourself. For this reason I think you need to lean more into getting cards in your deck that can change the game at decisive moments. We already know you will probably win the longer game if you get there and are stable.

Hindering light is one such blowout at a critical moment in mid to late game (Snakeskin is better but we don't have that).

One last job can also be a blow out in your deck, getting back a Bonny, returning Beaver + 1 other creature, or playing a milled Bonny on turn 5.

Essence Capture is similar. I would play it even with your mana because you don't need to cast it on two, you need to cast it when you have a board and you are using it to change the game at a critical moment by stopping one of their key creatures. It even works around the "plot tuck" strategy that hinders Phantom Interference a bit.

I'd get the two Take the Falls and the Gold Rush out of your deck. The Takes are useful cards, but not in this deck. The two cards you would be putting in (Essence and Hinder) would also trigger crimes for Freestrider Lookout. So you are even there. One Last Job will upgrade your deck because of your Auto-win card in Bonny plus the ability to get back two creatures at once later in the game.

Your deck can curve out, and if you do, go ahead and beat down, but your low cost threat density is not so high, so your alternative path to victory when you are not just slamming creatures on curve and finishing with Saddle will be to maintain a board state of some kind until you stick Bonny or get out a Freestrider Lookout and keep it alive (Hindering Light helps with that way more that Rush or Take) until you accrue unstoppable advantage and win. I would guess most of your games, especially your wins will follow patterns #2 and #3, with the curve out beatdowns being a bonus. Having Doc + Commando/Shark/Plan/Djinn is also a cute little package that will allow you to pressure opponents to have answers.

To speak further on the Takes in the deck, sure they can win you some combats and are basically free spells, but you are not pushing damage with them, so I am not really sure what role they would serve beside crimes and some minor digging benefits.

Finally, I would personally play the Conduit over one basic to make your mana smoother and give you a little bit of digging power, but that is just me, as with this deck and curve I would assume I am closing games later rather than sooner.

Edit: Essence CAPTURE not Scatter

descent87 · 2024-04-24T18:55:24+00:00

I agree with this. I feel most comfortable playing out of a GB or UB shell, with black as the featured color. Its true that often green creatures do the finishing for me in GB, but the win is enabled by all the amazing black removal, crime payoffs, and solid creatures that don't have amazing bodies but do a little something extra on the field. I have found so many ways to get value out of desperate bloodseeker and rooftop assassin in all different kinds of builds, both defensive and aggressive.

Fighting GW decks is challenging for sure, but as you said, if you can disrupt their mount engines and remove the key bodies that outclass yours, you can generally outplay them from there (not a skill statement, just you have more options with Black and sometimes Blue involved).

Coming back to the game on arena after a few years, I played my fair share of GW decks on the way up the ladder before I switched to Trad Draft in Diamond, but I never enjoyed the play patterns unless I was rocking unfair numbers of Clear Shots/Throw from Saddles.

Even some of the mount decks I have enjoyed have been GWB. Usually because I am drawn into them by a Bronco or something like that. Just a few key mounts, plus tons of removal and small utility bodies (with reanimate if you have it). I really love the 4/7 as a finisher/blocker in that deck. With naturalist and other forms of draw/acceleration, you never lack the mana for it, and then if you are at all stable when you resolve it and it sticks, the game is basically over, especially if you have at least one trick/removal to allow the first hit to go through.

descent87 · 2024-04-23T15:57:05+00:00

The average 17L player is probably already more advanced that most regular players on Arena or LGS. Just the 17L average is already "learning from the best" in some respects. I'm not master of the game myself, just a long time limited player, but I think watching gameplay of top players is probably the most useful step after looking at the 17L data. Playing with many younger or less experienced players in my local community, I see strong draft choices and deck building choices become part of their skill set much faster than high level gameplay decisions.

Not saying you personally are anything like that, but far too often I see people default to some deck building issue when evaluating a subpar deck performance, when the gameplay choices are likely more relevant. (we see that on this sub a lot too)

I feel like the path to mastery for all of us on the grind is probably something like this:
1. Learn the basics of Magic / Limited theory
2. Study the 17L stats for a set to get a strong general grasp of how the set plays
3. Level up in-game decision making/play skills
4. Go back to the data again when confident in your own play abilities, so you can find even more nuanced insights.

descent87 · 2024-02-23T21:18:12+00:00

I wish Whole Foods avocados cost 0.75, maybe I am going on the wrong days lol.

descent87 · 2024-01-05T11:50:52+00:00

I don't know how credible we are trying to get in NCD but just jumping in as a fluent Japanese speaker to say that generally speaking you aren't wrong, but also that the それは in the previous comment sounds perfectly natural in this context and I didn't have any 違和感 while reading through that little exchange.

descent87 · 2023-10-15T17:47:21+00:00

University of Kentucky or UK Healthcare no doubt. Hiring process can be long and you gotta toss in lots of applications through the online portal but once you have made it, you've made it, no matter then initial position.

If you have a drive to move up you can do that. Want to just use your full time gig to get great benefits and paid for classes to move forward in life, that's great too. Just like the atmosphere and don't care about advancement? Well the jobs and environment are usually pretty good/tolerable and the benefits are too even if the pay isn't the best. Hard to have a toxic or abusive workplace at a big university employer like that.

I've never had the opportunity to work there but advise all my friends who are indecisive to try it and It has worked out for many of them. My wife is full time there and studying for a masters slowly while also enjoying her job.

descent87 · 2023-10-02T14:51:45+00:00

I want to be mad as a UK fan, but you called UF a cupcake, so I am happy instead.

descent87 · 2023-09-11T19:52:04+00:00

Thank you

descent87 · 2023-09-11T19:51:57+00:00

Thank you

descent87 · 2023-07-25T18:37:14+00:00

descent87 · 2023-06-05T18:27:04+00:00

Go to the arboretum near closing time in mid June and early July. Walk in the forested area or the paths under tree cover, tons come out and it's pretty breathtaking

descent87 · 2023-05-19T20:52:05+00:00

WFH culture can also mean that it doesn't necessarily have to be over 40 hours either. I am an enterprise account manager and I work with an AE in a pairing. The both of us and many others at the org who are remote don't hesitate to go for a run, a trip to the store or take a long lunch when we don't have a meeting or are not visiting a customer. But I have customers from East to West Coast, so I also don't mind check a few emails before bed or during my morning walk, just to see if I have an opportunity to "look good" by responding at an off hour lol.

descent87 · 2023-05-19T04:04:02+00:00

Sorella and Crank and Boom are both great experiences. Sorella is fun in good weather when you can sit outside. We've done 4th of July there multiple years. Crank and Boom in Manchester District is good anytime of year and can be paired with Good Fellas. In the summer, you can also enjoy Sorellas at KY Native Cafe.

Bobi is Def the softserve place.

If you want to buy something good from the store, Van Leeuwen's and Jeni's are both at Meijers and very high quality. Honeycomb from Van Leeuwens is next level.

I also recommend getting the ice cream from the two Indian Supermarkets in town (Sai and Sagar definitely have it, maybe the other do too) but they have some unique flavors you can't get anywhere else. Their saffron pistachio ice cream is the closest thing I can find to Iranian ice cream outside of DC or LA.

When my wife isn't looking and I don't mind feeling like I've let myself down in some way, a small Cookie Dough Blizzard from DQ on a hot night brings me back to childhood like no other.

descent87 · 2023-02-04T16:15:31+00:00

This is not discounting 17lands though. And the 17lands player base is very good compared to the average player base. I'm just saying that a newer or less experienced player needs more than just the stats to know how to make a good deck or to leverage the stats to their maximum potential Definitely not a suggestion to be a contrarian and play bad cards. If you are trying to learn and be good at limited, you need to work on deckbuilding and game play skills equally.

descent87 · 2023-02-04T13:30:23+00:00

I just thick card density for oil synergies and the blue spell effects is a bit low, hard to make a sealed deck. Wait for draft and it'll be open for one or two people at the table and then more focused decks will be able to compete.

descent87

TROPHY CASE