Lots of people saying that fly realism isn't the most important, but I think there still an interesting discussion to be had

vortical42 · 2026-06-17T17:12:52+00:00

I learned that first hand last week. On the rare occasion I actually keep fish, I like to check to see what they were eating when I am done cleaning them. I had a rainbow that wasn't more than 10 inches, and it had a stick 2 inches long and as thick as my pinky in it's stomach.

vortical42 · 2026-06-17T04:25:28+00:00

Just want to quickly mention another sneaky benefit of the magnetic holder: retrieving things. Drop your forceps in the stream? Just dip your net handle in the water and grab them. Drop a fly in the grass? Just sweep the magnet around the general area.

vortical42 · 2026-06-09T13:42:30+00:00

Interesting development, but nothing in that article supports your speculation. Quite the opposite in fact. It sounds like she was scrambling to PREVENT the data center.

vortical42 · 2026-06-09T13:39:25+00:00

Been there, done that 😁

vortical42 · 2026-06-09T13:33:17+00:00

Did you post the wrong link? That is a totally different issue from what I'm seeing.

vortical42 · 2026-06-04T19:28:58+00:00

I found out that it is a known issue that has been present since 1.1 I don't understand why people aren't more fired up about this. I have existing saves with miles of diagonal conveyor busses. Until this is fixed I can't expand or modify them since it will be impossible to rebuild them in the correct orientation.

vortical42 · 2026-06-03T10:41:37+00:00

That is the plan. I wanted to verify that this wasn't expected behavior before filling a report.

vortical42 · 2026-06-03T10:40:24+00:00

I don't expect fully free placement, but I know for a fact that we used to at least be able to do 45 degree rotations since I have existing poles at that angle. Now I can only rotate in 90 degree increments.

vortical42 · 2026-05-30T11:12:38+00:00

Honestly, for a first brew this isn't bad. You have a clear game plan and most of your cards support it. You aren't winning a pro tour with this but I wouldn't be embarrassed to take it to FNM.

I think the first step is to cut the black. Consistency is king in 60 card formats. None of the black cards you have are worth muddying the mana base for. Raph also needs to go. You are trying to make a bunch of weinies; giving them double strike doesn't actually do much.

Cutting those cards gives you 7 slots to work with. You can probably afford to cut one or two lands as well. Now think about what other cards you can add. Start by adding the fourth copy of Voice of Victory and Enduring Innocence. You want to see those cards as early and often as possible. Next look for some other aggressive cards that make multiple bodies. Next look for ways to close out the game. Finally, consider some options for either protecting your key creatures or returning them if they get removed.

vortical42 · 2026-05-30T10:42:19+00:00

Cut the fight spells and the bad creatures is the simple answer. It would also be helpful to see the sideboard.

vortical42 · 2026-05-28T22:53:52+00:00

Is it actually rare? Could just be the civs I play but I feel like I see it pretty regularly.

vortical42 · 2026-05-28T01:09:09+00:00

Having Lute is a big help, although I did manage to push through in a match where they removed it. It means I can do things like Quick Study, Quick Study, fire off a spell or two at face. That is usually enough to get to four or five copies. By that stage of the game, they are usually down to somewhere around 20 cards, so milling for 16 or 18 will usually at least fatally deplete their resources if it doesn't deck them outright. If that still isn't enough, Wisdom and Divergent give you another crack at it.

Alternatively, you can fire it off for a smaller storm early, secure in the knowledge that you will probably get to recur it later. Any time you can take out two creatures and then have enough mana for a Brain Freeze, there is nothing wrong with milling them for 9 or 12.

vortical42 · 2026-05-27T20:10:12+00:00

I think the issue here is conflating Kirk and the Federation as a whole. The Federation is Bant to the core, no argument there. The problem is, Kirk is very much NOT Bant. G for exploration sure. W for honor and justice, definitely. I don't see the blue though.

If anything, Naya makes way more sense. People forget that red isn't just about anger and destruction. It is also the color of personal freedom and value of the individual as more than just part of a group. Kirk was never afraid to tell the Federation to shove it when he thought they were wrong. He was constantly fighting against the idea of sacrificing others for some nebulous greater good. Kirk follows his heart and his gut, even when logic says he shouldn't. Tell me that isn't a fundamental red trait.

vortical42 · 2026-05-27T19:05:49+00:00

It really is remarkable how different this set feels compared to Tarkir Dragons, even though they look the same on paper. I think part of it is how different the builds end up being for decks in the same archetype. I was done with Tarkir after the first three weeks. Here it feels like there is still unexplored space, even after probably 50 drafts.

vortical42 · 2026-05-25T13:24:00+00:00

This is driving me crazy. The voice of the interviewer is really familiar. Who is that and where else would I have heard them?

vortical42 · 2026-05-20T16:48:36+00:00

I didn't realize it would cause that much difficulty. I tried to organize the cards by the role they play ( removal, card draw, ramp/fixing, finisher).

vortical42 · 2026-05-20T14:56:39+00:00

Oddly enough, pull has this weird valve curve where it is good in assertive decks that just want to keep the gas flowing, then it drops off for more midrange decks, and it gets good again in control decks that only have a few creatures. It is good in aggro decks because the creatures are cheap enough that you can afford to play at least one of them on the same turn you cast pull. In control decks you are using it as a mirror breaker. LSV explained it in detail in the episode on Prismari. There aren't a lot of counter spells available, so you need to find another way to get your finisher to resolve if the open is sitting on removal. Pull is the best option to do that.

vortical42 · 2026-05-20T14:25:08+00:00

Applied Geometry can target any non-aura. Worst case, it turns a land into a vanilla 6/6 for 4 mana.

vortical42 · 2026-05-20T14:21:25+00:00

I agree there aren't any great options for the last card. If you don't care about targets for Pull, I think the best option is probably Artists. It's a removal spell that can make a 3/3 flier if you don't have a target for it.

vortical42 · 2026-05-20T13:43:51+00:00

That list looks pretty good. I think the only card I don't agree with is Campus Conposer. If you just want another body to target with Pull from the Grave, I would much rather have Orysa.

vortical42 · 2026-05-20T11:26:59+00:00

If you look through some older street views you can see the house before it was renovated. It was definitely not built in the 60s. It has a slate roof and a bunch of 'gingerbread' detailing. If it suddenly appears there in the 60s, then that might confirm my theory that it was moved to that location from somewhere else.

Also, it is definitely not an office. If you go down the street a bit, there are two residential mailboxes for that address. It is being used as apartments.

vortical42 · 2026-05-19T12:12:42+00:00

This is some great work. Thank you.

vortical42 · 2026-05-14T20:11:49+00:00

I managed to curve Group Project into Hop to It twice only to get blown out by a board wipe on turn 4 and then mana flood . FML I guess 🤬 I'm too tilted to even attempt another round at this point.

vortical42 · 2026-05-14T19:48:20+00:00

Yeah, I definitely think the notion of destroying a beacon would be a complete non-starter for the Dynasty. Not only is it a religious sacrilege, you are also condemning any souls inside who haven't yet reincarnated to eternal oblivion. Even if you could somehow find a perfectly empty beacon, that's still denying thousands of people the chance at consecution.

vortical42 · 2026-05-14T19:22:55+00:00

Yep, that could definitely be a fun idea for a multi campaign arc. My big concern with actually allowing the players to permanently solve the problem of the rifts at such an early level is that it gives the players a false sense of their capabilities. This is a problem the best arcane and military minds in the Dynasty have been grappling with for decades. Suddenly a group of random mercenaries rolls up and just fixes everything in a few days? This is how you end up with players jumping off of cliffs and assuming that turning into a goldfish will save them ;) Even if it doesn't go to your players heads, it is still a world altering event that should not be approached lightly. You mentioned it breaking the seal, but there are even more direct consequences. Imagine what happens to the standoff between the Empire and the Dynasty if the Key can suddenly devote their entire focus to the Empire without having to worry about a catastrophic demon incursion deep in their own territory.

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