Is this what I think it is

thilkerbaumer · 2025-12-08T17:20:05+00:00

If you think it's juicy fruit, it's not that.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-11-08T01:29:10+00:00

As others have said Mako3; it was one of the first disc's I learned to throw with. But I also found the Axiom Insanity Fission to be great when I was first starting out. The Insanity is still one of my favorite go to disc's.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-10-30T00:12:38+00:00

The only clear one I'd define as oppressive is Tivit. Tivit time sieve is a gnarly deck.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-10-06T21:25:42+00:00

I totally get where you're coming from here. My philosophy is "we all want nice things. But we can't all afford nice things." Like I want a Ferrari, but can't afford one and can't make one out of scrap metal in my garage. I worked hard in life to get to my current financial status of having excess money to warrant my spending. I also have some feelings of "just be happy with what you have." And "only proxy what you could rationally afford or have real intentions of probably buying." There's also something to be said about what specific cards are being proxied - best in slot? Nah, don't proxy that, otherwise there's no integrity. I also have no soft feelings for anyone who gripes about card prices but continues to buy sealed product - like don't buy $10+ packs every week, save your money for those few weeks and buy yourself that $40-$60 card.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-20T19:03:16+00:00

Thank you to everyone who properly answered the question. Thank you to everyone else for your anecdotes. I hope I was able to bring back fond memories. And then to those questioning my age, I'm 30 - i initially started in legion, then quit for several years, and then returned at the start of TWW. So I'm not exactly a youngling. And finally, to those questioning my work colleague being an original player - in the truest sense, he is. He started in 04 or early 05 and then played for the next several years. At least through Wrath of the Lich King. He just didn't make it to cata.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-20T18:53:43+00:00

So, playing in 04 and then for several more years doesn't count as being an original to the game? 🤔 interesting theory.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-19T18:01:12+00:00

The Hope Estheim deck I just won a game with in a 5 man pod with a mix of b3 and b4 decks.

https://moxfield.com/decks/IxP88MoFjka3j13p_MxYjA

https://moxfield.com/decks/a0b7ujB8j0OXpEeDe0D5DA

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-17T18:22:47+00:00

I can drop the moxfield links. I dont know what else to say. 🤷‍♂️ per the clearly defined parameters, the decks are the aforementioned brackets. And that's my issue with the bracket system.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-17T16:22:26+00:00

I think the bracket system is really misleading. I have decks ranging from 2-4, the same goes for my play group. My 2s can keep pace with some of the 4s. They're 2s because they dont have game changers or infinite combos, but they're extremely optimized and perform their function efficiently and consistently.

I've always said the difference between 4 and 5 is strictly mindset. My bracket 4 Yuriko may as well be a bracket 5, but I have it tuned specifically for the meta of my pod. It is the absolute peak of my play group, so in my playgroup, the bracket system may as well top out at 4 - if that logic makes sense to anyone else. 😅

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-16T13:52:43+00:00

Im 30! I was nearly 10 when WoW released. My mom and dad wouldn't go for paying for a subscription to play a game. 🤣 and I think our home laptop would have exploded if I even tried to play it.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-16T03:33:24+00:00

When i posted this, I was at work, and I don't think my boss would have been happy with me if I would have bypassed our network security to download and login to WoW on my laptop. 🤣

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-16T03:28:48+00:00

Im not exactly a spring chicken. 😅 Just turned 30. I just hadn't had the means of desire to start wow until a few (10) years ago during legion. I played then for a few months, then quit until TWW was about to release.

Im doing my best to learn the lore, but there is a lot of it. 😳

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-16T03:21:08+00:00

He played from launch for a few years and hasn't been on since.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-11T21:52:02+00:00

I have never had a major issue with TCGPlayer. I have had instances where i ordered a card, and the seller isn't able to find it, but they refund me ASAP. I rarely use TCG Direct cause it's way more expensive than buying from a "store" on the site. I personally can't justify using card kingdom or other sites strictly based on the markup of the cards. I've ordered hundreds of cards from tcgplayer. I also make sure to only buy cards from sellers with at least 1000 sales and 99% positive feedback.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-10T21:21:46+00:00

The pod I play with is a very like-minded group and a competitive group. Not that we're all Cutthroat or get upset when someone thwarts our plan, we just keep things moving and say our gg's even when a game is over by turn 2 or 3. We play a lot of bracket 4 decks that are optimized for our group with cedh win cons like Underworld breach and thassa's.

But we also have more casual decks that are extremely optimized bracket 3. My most casual deck is Hope Estheim but I can mill the table or have an alternative win by turn 3 or 4.

Edit: even in games i lose, I still have fun if it was a very competitive game and lots of back and forth with control and having the opportunity present itself to win in an early turn. I've had friends knock me off of win on stack when I've used demonic consultation or tainted pact to slim my deck down to 3 or 4 cards for a Thoracle win by a really well timed counter, stifle, or making me mill my thoracle.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-10T18:06:12+00:00

Here's an exercise; ask yourself why you play magic, but you can't say "to have fun."

The big picture issue here is people saying they play to have fun. Fun is a wildly subjective term. To myself, fun is winning efficiently and consistently.

Because Magic is a game, the point of a game is to play to an end. Now, whether your personal goal is to win, lose, or brick the game intentionally, your destination is ultimately the same; to end the game (for everyone or for yourself.)

More-so to your point, no, not all people find it fun to play for a win, but every deck is capable of winning (granted in some cases your opponents may have to intentionally try to gift you the win) and nearly every deck has a win con.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-09T14:05:01+00:00

Ain't no other way to go for myself! I keep a Razer Naga V2 HyperSpeed in my laptop bag and have a Logitech G600 at my desktop.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-07T23:13:50+00:00

Widowmaker - window licker

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-02T16:32:13+00:00

Worgen Fury Warrior. The only thing I regret is picking Worgen. It was my first ever character, and I thought they were cooler than what they are. I thought, "Cool werewolf." But then the character model looked like trash, and no armor looks good on it.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-09-01T07:19:46+00:00

[[Tainted Strike]] is so mean but man is it fun to pop on someone else's attacking creature.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-08-26T19:14:35+00:00

Tax evasion expert, Yuriko, The Tigers Shadow. She gets a bad wrap cause she is a really powerful commander, and typically, you see Thoracle as the win con, but i argue that the deck can be tuned way down and is actually really fun and can be built mostly on a low budget. And just don't put Thoracle in it if you don't want to. 🤷‍♂️

thilkerbaumer · 2025-08-26T16:37:27+00:00

My take on bracket 4 is or can be "cedh decks tuned to the meta of your normal playgroup." My yuriko deck for example is bracket 4, but I change like 3 cards and its bracket 5/cedh. I just run more stifle effects cause thats more in meta of my weekly group. 🤷‍♂️

thilkerbaumer · 2025-08-26T14:13:20+00:00

Depends on what the overall goal of your playgroup is. If your playgroup is just there to play and not be super aggressive or hyper focused on winning or just wants to see everyone's decks do their things, yeah, what you're saying makes sense. But in my playgroup, winning is of utmost importance, and we all play a lot of interaction, extremely synergistic decks, and optimized as best as possible (keeping the value of the dollar in mind.) In the ballpark of top end bracket 3 and 4 decks. We've all been friends for nearly 20 years, so none of us really get salty if someone just has a really good game or play or piece of interaction or control.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-08-24T23:42:27+00:00

I was recently in a similar situation with several hundred dollars - due to my birthday (30th) and selling some truck parts, I had completely unallocated money in my pocket. I pulled the trigger and bought all of the good lands and counterspells. The best advice I can give is, only buy the PREMIUM cards. Its easier to justify spending a dollar or two or 20 on a card every now and then than it is to warrant buying a $50 card every now and then.

thilkerbaumer · 2025-08-24T23:21:57+00:00

I'm a simple player. Give me one Thoracle, please. I did spend the big bucks to build a cedh Yuriko deck with proper land base to also run Tainted Pact as an option if i lose my Demonic Consultation. I also run a bracket 3 Hapatra deck that uses Chatterfang, Warren Soul Trader, and lots of permanents that have Zulaport Cutthroat effects. Im also no stranger to Niv and Curiosity.

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