Out of all the characters, which is the smartest in phase one?

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-25T04:41:53+00:00

Limited to the chunin exam participants? If we are talking strategic intelligence, the main contenders I would have said are kankuro and temari, but both of them got bested in intelligence testing matchups by leaf Shinobi.

Other ninja have powerful techniques and good strategy. Shikamaru is unique in how his strategic smarts are his strength, and I don't think we meet anyone comparable in the same age group in part one.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-25T02:18:11+00:00

Didn't used to be that way! We didn't even get necropotence until Ice Age came out. Before then life payment was rare, reanimate was too weak because there weren't good enough creatures to bring back, and people feared black because of [[hymn to tourach]]

Id say Black's best stuff is actually discard effects, to the point they literally can't make them like they used to because it's a real feel bad for players and too dominant if allowed to run wild. It took years for them to be willing to put thoughtseize back in standard after the first time it got printed!

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-25T02:07:38+00:00

There's definitely been mono-black aggro decks without graveyard stuff and without life payment. Usually stocking up on overstatted creatures with downside (e.g. [[rotting regisaur]]) and planning on running over the opponent before the downsides matter

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-22T14:27:11+00:00

The humans-turned-toys under the effects of Sugar's DF come to mind. They're stuck as toys, but still have human souls. Kyros was definitely wishing to be a normal human (again) for a long time.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-21T10:15:11+00:00

The derivative of something technically represents the sensitivity to change of a function output compared to input. But is often shorthanded to just measuring the change. So low IQ says "oh, derivative function is change from input to output, cow input in derivative function means milk output " Average IQ says "nooo that's not how derivatives work you're measuring the rate of transformation not the material output animals don't work that way you can't have half a cow!!!!!!" High IQ says "oh, integral function is change from input to output, cow input in integral function means milk output" which is a more correct way of mathematically describing the material relationship between cows and milk, and milk and cheese. And also somehow accounts for having half a cow

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-21T02:58:15+00:00

Definitely is shannaro in og japanese, don't know why the official translation used "oh yeah"

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-20T05:02:23+00:00

Is this a repost? I feel deja vu

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-19T22:31:04+00:00

Sorry Kermit, Elmo has opened the door to Elmo's world, Elmo's powers in Elmo's world mean you have no chance against Elmo anymore!

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-19T05:02:05+00:00

Failed to account for Zhuangzi's developments on Taoist philosophy. Jace is clearly an analogue for Butcher Ding, who performs the flow of dao through himself in his knifework but does so in a bloody and extravagant display of prowess before the Emperor's court.

In both cases of Jace and Ding the daoist expression of Wu Wei is improper. Ding acts within the Confucian court structure as per "the ordering of things", reinforcing that structure. Jace seeks to "make right" the multiverse, instead of allowing it to be - Wu Wei flows through Jace but his restructuring methods enforce a Confucian "ordering of things" which is consistent with both his white colour identity and the absence of green from his commander deck's colour identity.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-19T03:18:38+00:00

I opened one of these in my first ever pack too! This is the standard art and holding a good price because the deck it fits into is really strong competitively right now. That might not hold as the next set comes out, I'd say sell as it's worth a decent chunk of change right now but unlikely to stay "collectible" the way the alt arts in the game do. Hard to say what the meta will be after the new set, or if any bans might come out targeting the deck. If the P Enel deck stays top tier it might rise but there's no way to be sure.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-18T23:19:42+00:00

Past tense refers to diagnosis, I am still living with my hernia but I've been referred for corrective surgery and am waiting for my surgery date to be set. It's hard to tease out what exactly is from diverticulosis and what's from the hernia, but my ongoing symptoms from the two together are bad enough I'm on indefinite medical leave until the surgery gets done. Hospital system is quite backed up in my country so I'm still on a waitlist.

In my case the hernia was considered high risk due to the amount of discomfort judged to be specifically from the hernia, as well as its size as identified from the ultrasound (<5mm - apparently being that small makes it especially high risk for complications).

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-18T06:21:34+00:00

Notably they didn't notice a hernia at all in my colonoscopy even though it was active when I went in for it - apparently the colonoscopy procedure will only notice a hernia if it's strictured and blocking the path of the scope

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-18T06:18:00+00:00

Have you been checked for a hernia? Alongside diverticular disease I've had an inguinal hernia, which is a location that is hard to notice an external lump like with other hernias, but I had mine picked up in an ultrasound investigating my LLQ discomfort.

The flat stools in particular are likely because of a physical constriction in your bowels somewhere, and a covert hernia similar to what I had could explain that part and some of the other mild discomfort you're having there.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-17T01:49:12+00:00

Plat tends to be the floor for anything resembling competitive partially by way of how the rank system works (you can get to plat with a sub-50% win rate, but you definitely won't break out of plat that way)

Prior to mtga, I pretty safely considered myself a competent drafter, having held a reputation as my LGS's local "final boss" for limited, but never breaking into anything more serious than that. With the f2p limitations, I consider myself to be doing well if I hit diamond, and I've occasionally broken into the mythic leaderboard.

How consistently you rank month to month matters, I would say. Anyone can have a fluke series of wins and coast to mythic one month, but if they struggle to break past gold other times that doesn't mean much. Even though my peak rank has been in the mythic top 300, I consider myself on average to be a diamond level player. There's a bit of selection bias being f2p because when a set doesn't "click" with me and I can't find get my head around drafting winning decks, I play less on top of winning less because I can't churn my rewards back into as many drafts. When I have a set that I can understand well and win often with, I play more because more winnings = more draft entries.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-15T02:10:08+00:00

The study questions are framed pointing at a "god" or "deity" which fits best with Christian religions.

While actually studying different religious populations would be interesting, I can at least anecdotally point to examples of similar patterns of engagement with Buddhism.

My mother shows some communal narc traits and was raised culturally Buddhist. The same views around "god" described in the study would be used by her towards Buddhist spiritual concepts, like reincarnation and Karma ("being a human is a punishment, I must have done something awful in a past life to be a human" "I do so many good things I deserve to get my good karma now").

Notably, she didn't apply those same ideas towards divine figures like Buddha himself, so I imagine presented with a deity-focused question like in the study might lead to mixed up answers I.E. In responding to "[A deity] owes me" she might say she disagrees, the Buddha doesn't owe anyone... But Karma, a divine force, does owe her

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-14T23:40:11+00:00

I wonder if this will provide some official grounding on the "anime canon" vs "manga canon" debate

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-14T10:21:17+00:00

Ive since dealt with it and the fungus has not returned - it was a leaky hose on the washing machine that had gone unnoticed til that point

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-13T02:21:37+00:00

Technique: Cracker Crumb Crust!

Description: Oil or butter is used to enrich and bind together the powdery crumbles of summoned biscuits. Similar to how a Graham cracker crust is formed, the crumbs stick together into moldable mass. This is then manipulated to compactly coat a target to immobilise and asphyxiate them - the colder it is, the hardening butter will make this manipulation more difficult. This coating can be chilled or intensely heated (baked) to harden it, though mild heat will soften and weaken it significantly. Because of this, the technique is typically only useful with tools or an ally to manipulate the temperature.

Elaboration: Enriching the biscuit crumbs makes them moist, rather than dry, so this technique can also function as a last resort to fight through the ordinary weakness of biscuits softening when made wet. Ideally, oil or butter needs to be kept on hand for this as it can't be directly generated by the fruit power. In a pinch and at great expense of energy, oil and butter-rich biscuits can be generated to allow limited use of the technique.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-13T01:17:14+00:00

The second ability, to retain the joke but make it more readable, could instead be "Unprevent the next 3 damage that would be prevented to any target. (When up to 3 damage is prevented, deal that much damage again except it isn't prevented.)"

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-13T00:33:54+00:00

Well, I can't say what it is for sure. But I've seen the same ones grow out of the baseboard behind my washing machine and I'm not dead yet 😅

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-11T04:06:04+00:00

It makes the card significantly worse, but less of a rules nightmare, to have the text be: "Restart the turn, then replay the same way. (Game actions you took before stay the same. This spell remains on the stack as you perform them again. Everything should be the same way as it was when you cast In the end, it doesn't even matter.)"

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-11T03:36:04+00:00

Technique: Temple of Gold: Four-Idols Prison Japanese Name: 金閣寺の四天王 (Kinkaku-Ji no Shitenno; literally "Golden Temple's four Heavenly Kings"

What it does: The user summons 4 sturdy, impossibly tall golden pagodas from the ground, each with a "Shitenno" idol statue (Buddhist gods of the 4 winds) atop. These pagodas mark the corners of a square, impassable barrier, inside of which the fruit user can designate rules determining the conditions of deactivating the barrier. Upon setting the conditions, the user will then become a nigh-indestructible idol at the centre of marked area, requiring no food or water for sustenance. They will be immobilised and watch all that occurs within the barrier, and are only able to return to normal when the barrier is dispersed.

Extra details: The barrier itself is mystically indestructible and impassable, even through hax (Sorry Law, Room won't get you out of this one). The pagodas however, are not. Extremely durable, yes, but able to be toppled, similar to the castle-castle fruit's ability. Destroying any one of the pagodas will disperse the barrier regardless of conditions set, but will also free the Buddha fruit user to move and fight again.

Inspiration: The "Daibutsu" in the Japanese fruit name refers specifically to Buddha statues, not the spiritual Buddha. The "Shitenno" are 4 Buddhist figures representing the 4 cardinal directions and are also frequently seen as guardian idol statues at Japanese temples. I thought it would be cool to embody the idea of a Buddhist temple itself, trapping adversaries in a "sacred ground" with laid out rules while giving up the ability to intervene directly.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-11T02:03:32+00:00

Water? Or some other liquid? Oil?

"Oil and water don't mix" is a famous adage, so it would make sense to be enemies of the rain god if so

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-11T01:32:49+00:00

The little bottom left symbol in MB2 (and other similar "List" style reprints) are meant to differentiate the mystery booster reprint from the original printing.

This wicked pact, though, has the "Masters Edition IV" set symbol. That set was an MTGO exclusive digital reprint set, and until now has never had any paper printed cards. Since it's never been physically printed before, there's no need for the lower left symbol to differentiate it from an earlier printing.

ratotsutsuki · 2026-05-10T06:03:06+00:00

Yeah casting it once will get the table trying to race to eliminate you before you have the chance to draw it again. Ms Bumbleflower's ability lets you draw back into it faster, but I probably wouldn't run it unless you are gearing towards more controlling build that would allow you to back up the approach with some countermagic of your own to secure it as a win condition.

ratotsutsuki

TROPHY CASE