I love the sleeves, but am not a fan of the side-loading deckboxes. I used to like them - the design is neat and all - but the velcro they've used lately just doesn't last.
I've seen this complaint about these deck boxes before. Hobby Lobbies sell adhesive velcro pieces. I've felt they're a godsend for these deck boxes.
Anyway, did they do playmats for the original shocks?
There's a guy at my FNM who seems to think lifegain is good everywhere all the time, no matter the card. Without fail every round of every tournament I can walk by his game and see him at 21+ life, at the beginning of the round. He's almost always single-handedly the reason the rounds go to time everytime, he'll still play Angel's Mercy in the extra turns as well, to include the 5th turn.
I'm usually one of the fastest players at my shop, with my rounds ending in about 15 min. I played against him once, and was lucky to finish in 50. He looked at the clock after we were done, he was so happy to see some time he could spend between rounds.
I know FNM is casual, but don't just draft bad, always, without learning from several tournament results.
I sleeve mine so that the opening of the Perfect Fit is at the bottom of the card. It does make it a little more difficult to push the air out, but once you get the air out, it tends to not puff up after that. The only reason I say this is because I do know a few people who sleeve the Perfect Fit the opposite way so that the opening is at the top of the card, which would let air in alot more easily. I don't quite see the point in sleeving that way, but whatever.
I too swear by the Perfect Fits except for my EDH decks. I can one-handed palm a basketball, but a double-sleeved EDH deck is way too bulky to try and shuffle and use. All my 60 card decks are double sleeved though. The airy-ness and bulky-ness will get better with time and, as our local judge said so precisely, "Damn things are like Pringles. Once you pop, you just can't stop."
How do accomplish doing that? I bought some recently, but I can only manage to go in there so far before the perfect fit sleeve loses grip of the card and refuses to go further down into the sleeve.
You will not be able to sufficiently randomize a 200+ (likely 220+) card deck in the time alloted. Battle of wits, as a deck, was primarily an MTGO deck, where shuffling is a matter of a click.
I had a friend who played it competitively IRL. Back then, he had a cadre of friends (including myself) who shuffled for him in order to meet the time limit. Of course, some people argued that people shuffling for you isn't allowed in the rules, which I'm not sure of.
Anyway, here's a tip: Play with at least 60% mana sources. At that many cards in the library, playing with only 40-45% land (the usual land ratio in constructed) is suicidal.
You guys are crazy! Do you know what this means? We get to play Battle of Wits decks in standard! I've only heard distant legends of back when these were played in standard. The best thing is that people would bring them to tournaments and they'd eventually get in the same bracket, so that one round would definitely go to time.
Does anybody have some particular resources in order to get a good starting spot with this deck?
Those "deck slots" are just land slots, which would probably just have some basics there anyway. The colorless factor is really a very minor thing, it's really not that bad at all. It doesn't force you to tap three for three turns, that's only if you want to. There's a huge difference there, it gives you options, you can either A) Use a land that is slightly worse than a basic, but gets nullified by your dual lands pretty much. Or B) Have a threat on board when you have nothing in hand. IDK about you, but that sounds always better than always tapping for red mana, ala mountain. Options are always better than no options.
Anyway, did they do playmats for the original shocks?
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
I'm usually one of the fastest players at my shop, with my rounds ending in about 15 min. I played against him once, and was lucky to finish in 50. He looked at the clock after we were done, he was so happy to see some time he could spend between rounds.
Also, that's awful advice about the lands, don't change the ratio, that's why it's a ratio.
New cards:
Battleflight Eagle
Courtly Provocateur
Mark of the Vampire
Craterize
Spiked Baloth
Chronomaton
Does anybody have some particular resources in order to get a good starting spot with this deck?