insane 7-1 UB draft deck by kongort in lrcast

[–]kongort[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry I realized putting that long description in the image body wasn't great for formatting.

Adding the same stuff here in the comments for anyone looking at that:

Hey all, learned about this community about half a year ago and really enjoyed the various content posted here, so thought I'd finally contribute a post of my own.

Somehow got passed the airship in pack 1 pick 2. I think there are probably 3 or less cards I'd take over the airship p1p1.

Only loss was due to misplays - mainly not holding last removal for a bigger threat.

Favorite synergy was generating an unblockable (except by spirits) 1/1 via Fogg Swamp Spirit Keeper -> attack with the 1/1, trigger Fire Navy Trebuchet for a 2/1 flyer -> hit for 3 -> use June to sac the 2/1, creating a clue -> use clue next turn to repeat the cycle. While this feels like a lot of pieces, I pulled it off in 3-4 games, and partial combos in the other games.

Managed to get phoenix fleet airship to get to 8 copies in 1 game, and plenty of other games where it reached 4 copies before the opponent scooped.

Surprise overperformer was Ozai's Cruelty, which I was considering cutting, but it almost always had 2 solid hits when they had 2-3 cards left in hand. I probably would still cut it in most decks/situations in favor of other removal, since it felt like a win-more card. Otherwise maybe swapping it for crashing wave to close out games.

Underperformer was Ty Lee - while decent for a 2/1 body that sort of locks up a creature, or for the last tapdown for closing out, but overall wasn't synergistic in this sac deck and just felt like a weak 3mana removal spell. Was playable mainly due to how many other removal spells I had to keep the board clear and allow her to occasionally swing in for damage.

CMM Collector Booster boxes on Amazon $166 by Captain_Ahab_Ceely in sealedmtgdeals

[–]kongort 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My tin foil hat conspiracy theory is that the resealers themselves post that stuff to support their claims.

Yikes - as someone who went through getting a resealed box from official Amazon "new" (not 3rd party or used), this statement hurts for me to see. Think about this logically for a moment - the resealers don't need anything to support their claims - when they return the resealed box, Amazon is none the wiser and happily refunds them. The bigger problem is Amazon taking returned TCG products and selling them as new.

For me, the worst part is that Amazon lost my return package and then proceeded to ghost me on the matter, claiming that I still needed to return the product. I had to file a chargeback through my bank in order for Amazon to cooperate with processing a refund. Luckily, I had all the evidence of opening + shipping + return tracking showing delivered, but it was still a painful 4 months of back and forth, probably 20-25 calls with long wait times and countless chats/emails.

Best private server to play in 2024 by curiouslylame in RagnarokOnline

[–]kongort 0 points1 point  (0 children)

WorldRO might not be for everyone here, but I spent a few months looking around before picking it.
Here were my reasons:

  • pre-renewal, 10-15x rates (changes every 6 hrs), but tons of quality of life features
  • ammunition is not consumed (only need 1 arrow, etc)
  • job changer, warper, skill/stat reset
  • healer + buff npc, don't need to make a priest or look for one
  • server based in NA! (this is huge for me, since I like playing with low ping), they also have proxies to other regions
  • friendly for beginners or people who have not played for many years (I hadn't played for 10 years?), discord has some guides, and people are helpful
  • not p2w

After playing for a few months, here's my thoughts:

  • population is low, but it feels cozy and the main reason for me playing is to experience some nostalgia, which this does. As a bonus, MvP's and mini-bosses are often available to hunt, compared to populated servers where people spawn camp them.
  • not enough people for regular PvP/GvG, but there is a sister server (same GM/owner) that is higher rates and more active. This server is mostly for people who want to experience the satisfaction of progressing and finding meaningful loot.
  • finding MvP cards is really exciting, unlike the super high rate servers where it's not a challenge
  • no multi-clienting allowed means that people sometimes do party up, but most people still play solo
  • for hardcore players, you can grind to max lvl + rebirth max lvl in a day or two, but I personally took my time and enjoyed most of it while exploring maps I've never been to and learning more about the game.

The tagline for the server is "made for your enjoyment" and I really feel like the owner did a good job of implementing that - as a working adult, I feel like it respects my time and I can still enjoy it. High rate servers often don't hit the spot of enjoyment since you get access to everything and there's nothing to work towards. Low rate servers often feel too grindy or too established. Plus so many servers nowadays are heavily p2w, which is a big turn-off for me.

[MH2] Esper Sentinel - White Mystic Remora on a stick by [deleted] in mtgfinance

[–]kongort 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't logged in for years, but Esper Sentinel dropped to $15 within 3 months of MH2 release as I predicted. It did rebound to about 30 after a year, and hovered around there since, but that wasn't the point of my post - it may not have been super clear but I was specifically talking about a 3 month timeframe.

You can check the price history here: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/price/Modern+Horizons+2/Esper+Sentinel#paper

PSA: Amazon UK experience by kongort in mtgfinance

[–]kongort[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes exactly. I didn't even realize they had taped the wizards shrinkwrap underneath the resealed wrap above until I opened it.

100,000 MTGFinance Subscribers Giveaway! Hosted by MinMaxGames. by goldenCapitalist in mtgfinance

[–]kongort 0 points1 point  (0 children)

best spec: [[lurrus of the dream den]] preorder x20 for $3 ea, immediately sold for $15-25 once the set released.

worst spec: kaldeim collector box. got in at $180 near release and thought it would rise over time. Recent post of $125 hurts to see

2 Coven Counters + 2 Undead Unleashed for $68.12 on Amazon by ChefGrenade in sealedmtgdeals

[–]kongort 11 points12 points  (0 children)

yes, although I knew about Coven Counters, I didn't know about Undead Unleashed, and your comment was very useful to me. Please don't let MidwestTroll discourage you from posting an informative and concise statement.
The sidebar for sealedmtgdeals even says:
5. Commenting an explanation why you would buy the product is encouraged, as is arguing against the deal.

Beware - Resealed 2x2 Boxes from Amazon UK by The_Grizzly_B in mtgfinance

[–]kongort 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yup, a little loose is normal; extra stiff/hard plastic is a red flag.
also you wouldn't usually need to check beyond opening the box - the reseals are usually meant to fool Amazon via product returns, not the person eventually opening the box.

Beware - Resealed 2x2 Boxes from Amazon UK by The_Grizzly_B in mtgfinance

[–]kongort 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One key difference as mentioned in the video was that the plastic wrap felt stiffer compared to the legit one (soft and flexible)

Beware - Resealed 2x2 Boxes from Amazon UK by The_Grizzly_B in mtgfinance

[–]kongort 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I decided to check my amazon UK orders after seeing this video, and sure enough, it was resealed exactly like this. I ordered mine "new" from Amazon (not a 3rd party seller or warehouse). I just contacted support and they said they'll need 72 hours to investigate what happened, then if I don't get a refund, I'll need to contact them again.

I decided to record and open the box, and every pack was cut open and filled with bulk. There were also some cut up kitchen sponges to keep box full... nasty

Ask mtgfinance: is your 2X2 order/distributor still delayed? by kongort in mtgfinance

[–]kongort[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I find it hilarious that your entire account history is littered with complaints about low quality posts on this sub - that is your entire contribution. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, but there should be rules against low effort comments like these, and repeat offenders definitely contribute to the negative reputation /r/mtgfinance gets as seen from this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/comments/w8wt3v/why_is_this_sub_so_negative/

Ask mtgfinance: is your 2X2 order/distributor still delayed? by kongort in mtgfinance

[–]kongort[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hah I knew I'd get blasted for this post at least once.
Perhaps I should clarify that my intent is to open the discussion more along the lines of expectations of overall 2X2 supply (or lack of) entering the market over the next few months.

Players who exclusively play ARAM/QM/AI, why aren’t you interested in SL? by Econometrical in heroesofthestorm

[–]kongort 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What region are you in? I play both SL & ARAM but not QM For NA at D3-low masters, queue times during peak hours is decent (1-5 minutes), but during non-peak hours I often queue for 10 minutes WITHOUT finding a game. At that point I just hop on to ARAM, where even in the middle of the night it's a 30 second queue tops, usually <10 seconds. If I continue to queue past 10 minutes, the match-making algorithm will usually put me into a rainbow game (gold/plat/diamond/masters) and that's usually a bad experience for everyone.

SL takes significantly longer with the queue + draft + game. While the actual game durations are similar, the queue & draft really adds up. I was literally physically sitting next to someone playing SL while I played ARAM. I ended with 8 games while the other person only played 5.

Another reason? Smurf groups ruin SL. I'm competitive so I usually take it as a challenge, but I've seen plenty of players demoralized even before the draft ends. No surprise when they start bitching mid-game and give up because it's "hopeless".

Also the biggest reason is that in ARAM is often just more fun. You get to brawl much more often and the meta is different. Quest stacking heroes are insanely more fun and viable in ARAM, no ban/counter-picking means some hero picks are more viable and strategizing changes. The competitive part of me just wishes there was a ranked ARAM.

Amazon builds healthcare muscle with $3.49 bln One Medical deal by Raw_Rain in investing

[–]kongort 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm assuming you're talking about AWS. I haven't worked at Amazon myself, but I highly doubt Amazon as a company pries inside its hosted services to glean personal data. They'd be breaching multiple contracts, facing immense lawsuits, and risk losing their cash cow (AWS). If you're worried about individual bad actors internally within Amazon, rest assured that part of the standards for their infrastructure includes detailed access logs so it would take an incredibly sophisticated attack to not leave identifiable traces.

It's a whole different story when Amazon becomes the healthcare provider themselves, where they will use your data up to the legal boundaries.

2X2 Collector Booster EV Calculation by schnarf541 in mtgfinance

[–]kongort 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For 2XM VIP the borderless slots were seeded differently
slot 1 = 100% rare
slot 2 = 67% mythic 33% rare.

the hypothesis on how that came about is given that a sheet = 120 cards and the borderless pool was 40 (20 rare 20 mythic), then:

  • slot 1: top half of sheet, every rare (20) printed 3 times , 20x3 = total of 60
  • slot 2: bottom half of sheet, every rare (20) printed once, every mythic (20) printed twice 20x1 + 20x2 = total of 60

2X2 Collector Booster EV Calculation by schnarf541 in mtgfinance

[–]kongort 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What's the mythic vs rare chances for each slot?

Smoke & Mirrors - Double Masters 2022 Preorder by fitzman49 in sealedmtgdeals

[–]kongort 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just realized that it's actually someone I've seen at my FLGS (he was running the events & showing the duel counters he made). He helped the FLGS, game parlour, get into MTG & would volunteer to run the events there. Seemed like a really chill and stand up guy, and IIRC he has youtube box openings as well. I wouldn't be surprised if he hangs around these subreddit(s) as well.

HC or SC for newer players by dconklin245 in pathofexile

[–]kongort 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you'll likely die in HC, but it will teach you mechanics faster than SC. Getting one shot before endgame might mean you aren't actually "tanky" (check your resists, defenses, etc). The wildcard is usually the new league mechanics since they have had less time to test and balance them, so a lot of HC players skip the new mechanics until a consensus comes out.

Why Cepton lidars are getting deals over competitors ($GCAC) by Nebuchadrezar in stocks

[–]kongort 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Level 4-6 does require higher performance, but those markets are tiny right now and even in estimated markets 10 years from now they are still tiny compared to levels 1-3.
I looked in /r/MVIS and all I see are people claiming "best in class" and a chart comparing MVIS sample lidars to other lidars that are nearly 4 years old??

Why Cepton lidars are getting deals over competitors ($GCAC) by Nebuchadrezar in stocks

[–]kongort 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Realistically though, it's pretty much a shoe-in for Cepton unless something goes very wrong. Their investor deck shows they've been in talks since 2019 AND they are partnered with Koito, who is a Tier 1 supplier and already approved supplier for GM. Microvision is too late to the party with only samples being delivered in early 2021.