==ISLANDHOME #10==
May 7th 2008 ---- $free
==IN THIS ISSUE...==
Shadowmoor Release Event Wrap-Up
Penalties: The dirty part of a judge's job.
Rules Corner: A few more rules questions.
The Metagame: Shadowmoor's top uncommons!
Upcoming Events: Events that are upcoming.
==THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE==
Friday: Brothers Grim Standard & Draft @ 7 PM
Saturday: FNC Standard @ 1 PM
Note: Starting May 10th, FNC events will begin at 1 PM!
==RULES CORNER==
Q. I block my opponent's Boggart Ram-Gang with my newly-played Dusk Urchins, which of course immediately gets a counter. When damage resolves, how many cards do I draw?==IN THIS ISSUE...==
Shadowmoor Release Event Wrap-Up
Penalties: The dirty part of a judge's job.
Rules Corner: A few more rules questions.
The Metagame: Shadowmoor's top uncommons!
Upcoming Events: Events that are upcoming.
==THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE==
Friday: Brothers Grim Standard & Draft @ 7 PM
Saturday: FNC Standard @ 1 PM
Note: Starting May 10th, FNC events will begin at 1 PM!
==SHADOWMOOR RELEASE EVENTS==
The Shadowmoor release events at Brothers Grim and FNC were equally successful, each one bringing in 31 players. Grim's lasted a bit longer than FNC's due to everyone in the top 8 deciding to hold a draft to build all new decks for the top 8 playoffs, which can only be described as intense. We had enough product and promos for everyone, and since every store gets sixty-four Vexing Shusher promos, both stores had plenty left-over. Since they're not allowed to be sold, you might see them pop up if you do well enough at other tournaments....
With the new deck reconfiguration rule in effect that lets you change your deck between rounds, it was interesting to see decks evolve over the course of the tournament as players realized which cards were good or bad in their build. Any sealed/draft event where decklists aren't used are fair game for changing your deck around between rounds, so feel free to experiment! Constructed events still make you keep your deck the way it was when you started the event, however.
Oh, we'd also like to congradulate Bryan Fazio on his first top 4 appearance at FNC in like seven months. The Faz rode his Goldenglow Moths all the way to the semi-finals, a card most pro players wouldn't think of playing, and hopefully he'll never think of playing again, god help him. You the man!
With the new deck reconfiguration rule in effect that lets you change your deck between rounds, it was interesting to see decks evolve over the course of the tournament as players realized which cards were good or bad in their build. Any sealed/draft event where decklists aren't used are fair game for changing your deck around between rounds, so feel free to experiment! Constructed events still make you keep your deck the way it was when you started the event, however.
Oh, we'd also like to congradulate Bryan Fazio on his first top 4 appearance at FNC in like seven months. The Faz rode his Goldenglow Moths all the way to the semi-finals, a card most pro players wouldn't think of playing, and hopefully he'll never think of playing again, god help him. You the man!
==PENALTIES==
On a local level, giving out penalties are the hardest part of a judge's job. No one wants to be the "bad guy", especially when local judges (like myself) are friends with almost every player. Investigating your friends for cheating isn't fun, and neither is giving out penalties... but the only alternatives are unsanctioned events. I actually think that in the past I've been too lax in regards to catching wrong things going on, something I'm trying to fix: and the best prevention is an ounce of pre-emptive strike, or however that saying goes. So I want to go into the three most common infractions that can happen during local tournaments so everyone knows what's right and wrong.
Unsporting Conduct - Randomly Determining a Winner
Using or even offering to use any kind of random non-Magic way of figuring out the winner of a match is forbidden. Even if two players in a match think the only way one of them can make top 8 is if one of them scoops to the other, there's still no way to randomly determine that. Either one player will have to humbly step down so the other can get in, or they'll have to take their chances with a draw. Unfortunately this is one of the most common DQ-worthy infractions done by well-meaning players, because choosing who wins in a random way seems fair to both players... but it's not fair to everyone else who had to make it to the top legitimately! The "good" part of this infraction is that if the head judge believes the player truly didn't know offering to flip a coin was wrong, they can issue a Match Loss instead of a DQ. Not a very happy alternative, but it's still less harsh than a DQ.
Unsporting Conduct - Bribery & Wagering
Bribery is probably the most common infraction done by not-so-well-meaning players. Offering anything for a match win is very bad, and so is accepting a bribe, but probably the most common belief is the idea that a "prize split" is legal - it isn't. In the finals of a tournament, the top two players can agree to a prize split. But, one player has to agree to drop from the tournament in exchange for part of the prize. "Getting the win" in this case is just on paper, no rating points are gained or lost if you "win" or "lose" this way. If you want the points, play it out! You can legally agree beforehand to split the prize evenly no matter who wins or loses, as long as it doesn't change the outcome of the match.
Wagering's part of this too - you can't bet on the outcome of a match, not that I've ever heard of players doing that. I'm sure there are some bookies in Vegas making a killing on the Duprez vs. Innace matchups....
Cheating - Stalling
The most common time this happens is during the last round, after players read the standings and figure out they can draw in... if another match goes the way they want it to. Playing slowly in order to wait for the results of that match is stalling. Another common way this infraction takes place is taking time to run out the clock and hope for a draw, or the win if the offending player has won the only game played so far. Thankfully, I've never seen an example of stalling in the second sense, but unfortunately I have seen the first. There are lots of signs a player is actively stalling as opposed to just playing slowly, and judges are trained to pick up on them.
Unsporting Conduct - Randomly Determining a Winner
Using or even offering to use any kind of random non-Magic way of figuring out the winner of a match is forbidden. Even if two players in a match think the only way one of them can make top 8 is if one of them scoops to the other, there's still no way to randomly determine that. Either one player will have to humbly step down so the other can get in, or they'll have to take their chances with a draw. Unfortunately this is one of the most common DQ-worthy infractions done by well-meaning players, because choosing who wins in a random way seems fair to both players... but it's not fair to everyone else who had to make it to the top legitimately! The "good" part of this infraction is that if the head judge believes the player truly didn't know offering to flip a coin was wrong, they can issue a Match Loss instead of a DQ. Not a very happy alternative, but it's still less harsh than a DQ.
Unsporting Conduct - Bribery & Wagering
Bribery is probably the most common infraction done by not-so-well-meaning players. Offering anything for a match win is very bad, and so is accepting a bribe, but probably the most common belief is the idea that a "prize split" is legal - it isn't. In the finals of a tournament, the top two players can agree to a prize split. But, one player has to agree to drop from the tournament in exchange for part of the prize. "Getting the win" in this case is just on paper, no rating points are gained or lost if you "win" or "lose" this way. If you want the points, play it out! You can legally agree beforehand to split the prize evenly no matter who wins or loses, as long as it doesn't change the outcome of the match.
Wagering's part of this too - you can't bet on the outcome of a match, not that I've ever heard of players doing that. I'm sure there are some bookies in Vegas making a killing on the Duprez vs. Innace matchups....
Cheating - Stalling
The most common time this happens is during the last round, after players read the standings and figure out they can draw in... if another match goes the way they want it to. Playing slowly in order to wait for the results of that match is stalling. Another common way this infraction takes place is taking time to run out the clock and hope for a draw, or the win if the offending player has won the only game played so far. Thankfully, I've never seen an example of stalling in the second sense, but unfortunately I have seen the first. There are lots of signs a player is actively stalling as opposed to just playing slowly, and judges are trained to pick up on them.
A. All the -1/-1 counters from Boggart Ram-Gang will go on your Dusk Urchins at the same time. Just like a creature can be dealt damage to it greater than it's toughness, a creature can also have more -1/-1 counters on it than its toughness would seem to allow. So your Dusk Urchins gets three -1/-1 counters put onto it during the combat damage step, and once state-based effects are applied, you'll draw four cards, one for each -1/-1 counter the Urchins had on it when it left play.
Q. If I target my creature that's enchanted by my opponent's Curse of Chains with my Pale Wayfarer's ability to give it protection from blue, what happens to the aura?
A. Since Curse of Chains is blue (and white), giving a creature protection from blue will cause the Curse to fall off right into the graveyard. Just remember the DEBT acronym: A creature with protection from foo can't be Damaged, Enchanted (or Equipped, or Fortified), Blocked, or Targeted by a source with the quality foo.
Q. I control a Wingrattle Scarecrow without any -1/-1 counters on it and an Ashenmoor Cohort, when my opponent plays Wrath of God. Does Wingrattle Scarecrow see that I control a black creature so it comes back because of the persist ability?
A. Persist is a "leaves play" trigger, and all those types of triggers look back and check the prior state of the game. You controlled a black creature when Wingrattle Scarecrow left play, so it had persist and comes back with a -1/-1 counter on it.
Q. I've got a Corrosive Mentor in play and I play a Murderous Redcap. If I target my opponent's creature with the Redcap's ability, will it put two -1/-1 counters on the creature it hits?
A. All damage dealt by creatures with wither to other creatures is in the form of -1/-1 counters, not just combat damage, so the Redcap will put two -1/-1 counters on whatever it deals damage to when it comes into play.
Q. Can I name Bitterblossom with Runed Halo?
A. Yes!
Q. Oh, I see what you did there. Will it do anything?
A. Unless your opponent somehow animates Bitterblossom and attacks with it, no. While you can name Bitterblossom, it only prevents you from being damaged, enchanted, blocked, or targeted by it, none of which Bitterblossom does. Its tokens are named Faerie Rogue, which brings me to the next question....
Q. Can I name Faerie Rogue with Runed Halo?
A. Even though Wizards has printed inserts to use as tokens, Faerie Rogue still isn't an actual card name, so it's not legal to name it with Runed Halo.
Q. Okay, last Runed Halo question. My opponent names Faerie Rogue with his Runed Halo and says "go". Do I have to tell him he can't pick it?
A. Sadly there's no way to let your opponent make that bad of a play - you'll have to call a judge, who'll tell him to choose a legal card name. If he picks Bitterblossom though, feel free to laugh at him as you swing with your Faerie Rogue tokens next turn.
==THE METAGAME: SHADOWMOOR'S TOP UNCOMMONS==
==UPCOMING EVENTS==
Not since Ravnica, with the likes of Remand, Lightning Helix, and others has a Magic set had this many powerful uncommons. It's so much that many players have been theorizing that Wizards booted some rares down to the uncommon level during development to give players a "gift". It's probably just a myth, but the power level of some of the uncommons in this set is definitely above average, and some of them would easily be some of the top money-rares in the set had they been printed with that shiny gold symbol on them. As it is, all of these uncommons are going for over a dollar already!
Boggart Ram-Gang: Well this is what an aggro creature should look like! Three power for three mana, with haste and wither and no drawback other than having to wait a turn if you play an early Mutavault, Boggart Ram-Gang is going to be a staple of red/green aggro decks for as long as it's in Standard, and will be even bigger in Block should a red/green aggro deck make the top tier.
Firespout: Now Firespout's probably right on the power level for uncommons, where this kind of board-sweep-by-damage effect has stuck for a long time: just look at Pyroclasm. It's an extra damage for one extra mana, and if you want, it can sweep all the Faeries out of the sky while leaving your flightless dudes free to swing in.
Flame Javelin: In mono-red decks, this is almost strictly better than Char! Having to wait an extra turn to play it if you drop a Mutavault early shouldn't be that big of a deal if you use the Javelin as a finisher, though getting mana-screwed with lots of colorless mana can be a hassle. However, Char was much more splashable than Flame Javelin - decks where non-Mutavault lands don't produce red mana shouldn't even try to include this.
Guttural Response: Red Elemental Blast is back! Well, the "destroy target blue permanent" effect would be too powerful for one mana these days, even at rare, and Guttural Response can only target blue instants, not even cards with flash. So is its admittedly narrow usefulness too narrow to make a home in Standard/Extended sideboards? We'll see!
Kitchen Finks: Persist is a great ability in Standard, where the sheer amount of Wrath effects and spot removal keep all but the most efficient creatures from being played. Loxodon Hierarch saw a lot of play because it was an efficient beater attached to some lifegain, and there's no reason why Kitchen Finks won't get played for the same reasons. It's a 3/2 for 3 that gives you a total of 4 life, and comes back after a Wrath!
Murderous Redcap: This is a card that's going to have a tough place existing in decks with Shriekmaw. Both cards are probably equally good overall, though they of course have certain situations where their usefulness doesn't overlap. With the Redcap in Standard, Goblins have yet another creature that survives a Wrath. Just thinking about it coming into play, dealing 2 damage, attacking for 2, then sacced to Gargadon or Marsh Flitter twice for 1 extra damage has got me wanting to build Goblins!
Raking Canopy: As if Faeries didn't have enough hate against them with Firespout and Cloudthresher in the format, Raking Canopy makes it impossible for Faeries to attack with anything less than four Scion of Oonas in play. Still, many players are saying that this card just won't make the cut, as it's bad against every other deck, and Cloudthresher is a much better answer.
Tattermunge Maniac: Not only has Shadowmoor brought back Char and Red Elemental Blast, it's also given beatdown decks a new Jackal Pup! Tattermunge Maniac was one of the most anticipated cards all rumor season, and now that it's finally out in paper form, expect many decks to be packing it.
Boggart Ram-Gang: Well this is what an aggro creature should look like! Three power for three mana, with haste and wither and no drawback other than having to wait a turn if you play an early Mutavault, Boggart Ram-Gang is going to be a staple of red/green aggro decks for as long as it's in Standard, and will be even bigger in Block should a red/green aggro deck make the top tier.
Firespout: Now Firespout's probably right on the power level for uncommons, where this kind of board-sweep-by-damage effect has stuck for a long time: just look at Pyroclasm. It's an extra damage for one extra mana, and if you want, it can sweep all the Faeries out of the sky while leaving your flightless dudes free to swing in.
Flame Javelin: In mono-red decks, this is almost strictly better than Char! Having to wait an extra turn to play it if you drop a Mutavault early shouldn't be that big of a deal if you use the Javelin as a finisher, though getting mana-screwed with lots of colorless mana can be a hassle. However, Char was much more splashable than Flame Javelin - decks where non-Mutavault lands don't produce red mana shouldn't even try to include this.
Guttural Response: Red Elemental Blast is back! Well, the "destroy target blue permanent" effect would be too powerful for one mana these days, even at rare, and Guttural Response can only target blue instants, not even cards with flash. So is its admittedly narrow usefulness too narrow to make a home in Standard/Extended sideboards? We'll see!
Kitchen Finks: Persist is a great ability in Standard, where the sheer amount of Wrath effects and spot removal keep all but the most efficient creatures from being played. Loxodon Hierarch saw a lot of play because it was an efficient beater attached to some lifegain, and there's no reason why Kitchen Finks won't get played for the same reasons. It's a 3/2 for 3 that gives you a total of 4 life, and comes back after a Wrath!
Murderous Redcap: This is a card that's going to have a tough place existing in decks with Shriekmaw. Both cards are probably equally good overall, though they of course have certain situations where their usefulness doesn't overlap. With the Redcap in Standard, Goblins have yet another creature that survives a Wrath. Just thinking about it coming into play, dealing 2 damage, attacking for 2, then sacced to Gargadon or Marsh Flitter twice for 1 extra damage has got me wanting to build Goblins!
Raking Canopy: As if Faeries didn't have enough hate against them with Firespout and Cloudthresher in the format, Raking Canopy makes it impossible for Faeries to attack with anything less than four Scion of Oonas in play. Still, many players are saying that this card just won't make the cut, as it's bad against every other deck, and Cloudthresher is a much better answer.
Tattermunge Maniac: Not only has Shadowmoor brought back Char and Red Elemental Blast, it's also given beatdown decks a new Jackal Pup! Tattermunge Maniac was one of the most anticipated cards all rumor season, and now that it's finally out in paper form, expect many decks to be packing it.
==UPCOMING EVENTS==
June 7th - August 31st: PTQ Season for PT Berlin
The next PTQ season starts this summer, and it's going to be Lorwyn Block Constructed! Lorwyn block will consist of Lorwyn, Morningtide, and Shadowmoor. Eventide won't be available during the beginning of the PTQ season, but will be legal before it ends. To help prepare for it, I'm going to try to sanction some Block Constructed tournaments after Shadowmoor is released.
PTQs in our general area this season:
- 6/21 - Philadelphia, PA
- 6/28 - Edison, NJ
- 8/9 - Philadelphia, PA
- 8/16 - New York, NY
- 8/30 - Edison, NJ
- 8/30 - Hartford, CT
- 8/31 - Rochester, NY
Gray Matter is hosting the regionals for our area in the basement of St. Matthew the Apostle church in Edison, NJ. The format is Standard constructed, and I'll have more details as I hear about them. I'm sure I'll be judging it, so I'll find out ahead of time what's going to happen with Grim and FNC that weekend.
==FIN==
See everyone Friday or Saturday!
-Brian Paskoff
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