MTG Salvation

Whoops, thought I clicked on tumblr.

If you’re unaware, Extended is the coming PTQ season. If you’re even more astutely unaware, I’ve been an Extended moderator here for what seems like forever. In case you have actually time traveled from the past into the future and have gained and understand internet use and somehow stumbled onto my article about a card game that doesn’t even exist yet (hi, by the way; take me to the past where my meager bank account can make me a world power), this is my idea of an Extended primer.

Raw, raw, fight the power.

The problem with writing about a new set rotating into Extended at present is less what's going in and more what's going on. What cards would normally have an effect? What cards will have an effect with so many old cards leaving the format, with the still somewhat ambiguous effect that has on Extended?

Raw raw, fight the power.

Originally, this article was going to be this linear storytelling experience leading into an in-depth look at the decks that don't change all that much this coming Extended season that, length aside, the editors on MTGS seemed to approve of. Then Sensei's Divining Top got banned and I had to rethink pretty much my entire assessment of the Extended format. There's much to be said when a bunch of decks have to go back to the drawing board before we can even attempt to get a grasp at what's to come in Extended.

Being out of class for your entire school week (which, for me, is 4 days) plus the weekend, plus the "freebie" Friday, plus missing assignments that ambiguously impact your grade are all gravely disconcerning matters. For everyone who cares (read as: none of you), I've had a fever during this time that has, for maybe double digit minute spans, ever dipped below 100 degrees (**** Celcius). During this time, I've been on the forums for, at the most, 10 minutes a day. Most stops were only long enough to reply to PMs for sales or forum editing. I lost a lot of weight because I couldn't eat (I was so ready for Katsu next week) and basically it was a big pile of poop.

During the portions of the illness where I could get out of bed and/or stay on the computer for more than 15 minutes at a time, I was able to download new songs, start 2 other transactions, make my banner, post my now-running Hollocaustment on Myspace (if you are my friend, which you are not, do not post requests for comments as bulletins unless you enjoy pictures of piles of corpses). I came back to the Extended section of the forum and wanted to hit my head against the screen, but that would undo a lot of the progress I've made. It's 1 and I should be asleep instead of typing this vial batch of compressed lingual *****.

Ask Jeeves.

One of my new favorite internet passtimes is the 50 Hitler Post. The 50 Hitler post is a forum technique in which discussion has become so retarded and stagnant that the only way to completely remove oneself from it is through the act of a 50 Hitler Post, usually resulting in a ban or other form of excising. In my case, I drop 50HPs on LJ and Myspace. So far I haven't been banned, but I've involved myself in discussions on other user's entries or pages through the act of the 50 Hitler Post to let them know where I stand on who they are. It's liberating, if nothing else, to put yourself in the targeting rectical of bannination from crap heaps such as Myspace and Livejournal, both of which I only maintain for the friendships that "depend" solely on the existance of said Myspace or Livejournal (though my group, Fileundersexy, is usually a pretty good heap where I post serious entries on newsworthy topics... despite my latest entry was about leaving a macro'd picture of Holocaust victims as a comment on someone's Myspace). The 50 Hitler Post requires a google search for a picture of the fhurer himself, basic knowledge of HTML, and cutting and pasting 10 rows of 5 images of the man himself. Submit comment once done and you're set.

I was going to add something here but I don't remember what it was.

In other news, Phoenix Wright: Justice for All is out now. Buy it if you know what's good for you... and you own a DS. Being a defense lawyer is lots of fun.

Current Song: Investigation ~ Overtaked (Variation)

Finished two projects tonight, got another back, and every first page of the Times for a news quiz tomorrow. What's up with that? And then I have another assignment to do this weekend. I have no idea what I should write my article on, though I'm assuming I should find some blacks and women. And maybe I'll find some black women.

In case you didn't pick up, my next assignment is on the upcoming presidential race; Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton are vying for the seat of Democratic candidate for the 2008 election. I have to interview people, at least 3, about that subject. I have to find 15 relevant facts on that. That doesn't really narrow down what I'm supposed to be interviewing about.

My other assignment was something I volunteered to do. My professor apparently is a-1337, meaning when I brought up Habbo Hotel and MyCoke in class, he was amazed at the shiny lights. I'm pretty surprised, since he's only like... 28 at the oldest. Maybe 35, if he has some kind of magic communist anti-aging juice (he's a Marxist x a lot). The essay (notice- this is an essay, not an article) was on the history of the MMORPG. I started with the basics of DND and MUD as the foundation, followed by whatever 59 on the Commodore 64. Then moved on to UO, EverQuest, and finally onto WoW, which is currently ~7 million active users strong. With a 14.99 monthly fee. Someone's getting rich off of a bunch of socially inept retards who can't take reality enough to dish out a fortune to create a new one.

Unfortunately, I didn't include the Habbo raids in my discussion of Habbo Hotel. The servers were down when I tried to do some reasearch on it, so... I dunno, I guess it was fate.

Current Music: Alienating Our Audience - Mindless Self Indulgence

My Topics in Modern Society course is asking me to keep a log of all the waste I create (limited to things I throw out, not like... pooping). It's an interesting practice, though I've only thrown out some Poland Spring bottles, tissues, and an iced tea can. (Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey in case you were curious, which I know you are because I can smell it on you... it smells like feces)

In other news, blogging is stupid and I have nothing interesting to talk about in this entry. Next entry I'll probably post my topics paper about the history of MMORPGs because my teacher's eyes light up when I can tell him about internet culture since it's a fairly foreign thing to him.

Current Mood: Shoop da woop.

CHAPTER 1: In Soviet Russia, Deck Builds You!

What pulled me out of hiding? Well, I started playing Magic again, obviously. However, this didn't get me writing. What got me writing started out as a slow day in my Cultural Foundations class:
Kijin Deck Wins - Kijin's Notebook 9/26  Creatures:4 Savannah Lions4 Grim Lavamancer4 Boros Swiftblade4 Silver Knight4 Goblin Legionnaire3 Exalte...

Red Deck Wins has long been an essential part of the Extended format. To many, that statement is as basic as, "You need air to breathe!" and, "Ice is very cold". However, Red Deck Wins has remained almost unchanged in the five years it's been around since the Extended rotation. In the same way, unlike the Psychatog archetype (that, at some point, decided that UB just wasn't enough) or the newcomers like Life, Temporary Solution, and UW Control, Red Deck Wins' strategy is one that has always existed in Magic and remains unchanged: play lots of red spells that deal as much damage to your opponent as quickly as possible and if you opponent is still alive when you've thrown everything, you did something wrong. Red Deck Wins has been a true contender for the aforementioned five years. And why not? The deck has winning built into its title! With so many newcomers in the Extended metagame, what needs to change, if anything, in Red Deck Wins if RDW is to keep its title true?

Aaron Forsythe has informed the Magic community in his recent article that Affinity will be sentenced to some bannings. A key element in this foreshadowing is that Aaron states that specifically Affinity will be at the short end when March first rolls around. Whether you're for or against Affinity, the most troubling questions in this matter are what will be banned and is Affinity getting the chair because of it?