Sadly, what something like this does is remind us who thieves and cheats are. They take advantage of trust. Too often we picture them as "others"; people who don't look like us, or are newer to our playgroups/lgs, or don't know the people we know...you get the idea. We never like to think that they are right in front of us sometimes. And then something like this comes around. I think it's still a hot topic, even with a week of no other news or comment from those involved, because it makes people uncomfortable in a way cheating at SCG never could.
Well, he changed the account name to eldraziseller from "gregsonsw" in 2010 as the announcement noted. He certainly wasn't being thorough when it came to hiding his identity, but it's wrong to say he wasn't hiding anything.
Indeed. Both the eBay and the PayPal accounts used aliases, and not his real name. This is rather important.
3. It says the failure to communicate took place after the police questioning. This does not suggest guilt to me. Whether he's innocent or guilty, given that CF had already gotten the police involved, he may have declined to talk to them on advice of his lawyer. Or he may simply be on vacation.
He's not. He's been "at home" the last few weeks, according to his twitter posts.
4. Selling a bunch of the top cards isn't that remarkable. If he had speculated on the set by buying lots of sealed product and/or singles early, it would make sense to sell now the cards which are top-selling now while keeping the non-top cards in hopes they might go up later.
There is the possibility of this being mere coincidence, but the CF post indicates there was more than just the same cards being sold which set off the red flags; it was the quantity. And remember, they didn't research his e-Bay history out of suspicion of theft; the trail they followed led to his auctions.
I agree that jumping to conclusions with only this information is kinda foolish, however acting like TSG hasn't had a chance to speak is likewise foolish. He had his chances to speak with ChannelFireball before this went public, and I'm almost certain any attorney would have preferred he do that then deal with what it's come to now.
Regarding the idea that CF crossed a line putting this out in the public:
LSV on Twitter has pointed out that enough people knew that it was going to be public knowledge sooner or later. Nothing like that stays a secret, and even writers at StarCity have claimed to know of this ahead of time. And speaking of StarCity, it has recently taken a few PR beatings for things like Bertocini; lack of transparency was among the complaints lobbed at SCG for their handling of these incidents. So ChannelFireball decided to take the other path, and just lay out all the cards so to speak.
The article mentions nothing of charges, and makes no clear accusations. It merely presents the facts according to LSV/ChannelFireball, and makes clear that they are cutting off ties only after TSG's refusal to communicate with them after being questioned by police. They know that they can't just throw things out there without being able to back it up, and they walked a very thin line perfectly with this. It's unfortunate it's public, but they had not other choice.
His drafts were horrible, its no personal loss for me really, but the CF guys always seemed so close-knit. How could he just go and crap on that friendship? That's just awful.
And that's why I'm inclined to hear channelfireball out about this. They were friends with the guy, and so I don't think they'd come out with this publicly like this very lightly.
EDIT: And yes, the better call to stay low profile was to take recent stuff that would move faster. The mistake seems to be making it so easy to find the exact missing inventory. Older cards would have been even easier to spot.
TSG has a pimped and foiled out cube worth well over 20k. (beta power and duals). This theft could not have come from the need of money as he easily could have sold his cube to make up the money for whatever he needed.
The statement says he changed his eBay account 2 years ago, which leads me to believe he was planning to do something like this, or has been doing it for awhile.
Unfortunately, that's the first thing I thought of too. However, the changes were such that most anyone could have found out who owned the account rather easily. On top of that, selling the collection of cards at once on one account made it pretty easy for CF to find. So it looks like this is something he's either planned or has been doing for a long while, but is also pretty sloppy about it.
Fatal Frenzy has won me games, whether using it to kill their creature before end of turn or stomp them before they top deck the winning spell. It also serves as good counter bait.
Can you explain this, because otherwise I think you need to read your card again.
Also, sorry, running anything CMC less than 3 in a deck which uses Cascade as it's primary engine is foolish.
I picked up a similar list as a way to dig into Legacy for the first time without selling all my fingers. I did some tinkering because while "budget" is nice and all, winning is nicer most of the time. This is what I've got up my sleeve right now:
Invisible Stalker is a champ. Ledgewalker wishes she was him.
Slippery Bogle is your mid-way guy. Hexproof is key to MOST of the removal you'll have thrown at you. Not quite a Stalker, but he'll do.
Academy Researchers are the quick option. You COULD build up a hexproof chump over a few turns, leaving yourself open to aura-kill until you get to have fun. Or you COULD wait until you can afford the 5 mana to drop and pop Arcanum Wings in one go. Or you just drop these guys on turn 3. However, no Hexproof and no Haste means awkward time while you hope he lives to get in an attack step or two.
Drake is neat, but a bit of a trap. I wouldn't ever run more than 2, and I'm quite happy at 1. A great trick, and a good back-up, but he's pretty much as bad as the Researchers...just with evasion.
PROTECTIONS
Bounce is so clutch. Get rid of a blocker or buy yourself another turn or two.
Counters were always going to be a weakness for this deck, so why not fight fire with fire? Spell Pierce and Daze in the main give you room to breath early on and give you a hope of getting your stuff together before the end. Dispel in the side is for the extra naughty control players out there.
CANTRIPS
With 8 fatty Auras to drop, I'm hardly ever short a nice pair of pants to put on a dude. This may have to do with running 8 cantrips which dig deep to find whatever it is I need. Brainstorm and Ponder make this deck go.
SIDEBOARD
I've little experience in Legacy, and this is where I would like to improve. I kinda just threw in a few bits of what I think I'd need and I'll be adjusting it as I go forward with testing.
The people at your LGS show up to do one thing: play. When you fold to them constantly, they aren't playing. In their eye, they are wasting their time. What's the point in playing with someone who's going to scoop 'em up anytime they get going with their game plan? I get that you are bored facing the same things over and over...oh man, do I get it. But hey, you said yourself it's a small LGS with no other alternatives around; repetition is a given at that point.
Others, here and there (it seems) have labelled you a "sore loser", a title you deny on the grounds that you don't care about win or lose. Understandable. But perhaps the term isn't as baseless as it seems. You clearly do not like losing to something that you've seen before. It causes you to concede from any game where you feel like you don't have a chance, which seems like most all of them.
My point here is that you should only be conceding when death is on the stack. When the end is right there, staring you in face only a few phases away. A concession is premature when it's when your opponent sets up shop and you have no answer for it right away. Stick it out to the end, damnit. Maybe the answer is the next draw for you.
Vorthos:
I highly highly highly doubt the issue is that you're a Vorthos. By that I mean that I highly doubt these kids players all congregate and go "Oh, I think he's Vorthos! Yeah, let's get him!". I'm not denying that the peeps may in fact be ********s; humanity seems to be full of those types. But considering that even you yourself have hinted that they don't actually have any idea what Vorthos really means, I think this whole argument of yours (as stated in the OP and even in the title of the thread) is a bit flawed.
The issue is you and your relation to your group. It has nothing to do with being Vorthos. No offense (and I sincerely mean that), but that just reeks of trying shift the focus off of yourself and onto some perceived prejudice on behalf of the playgroup towards art nerds.
Self Respect:
To me, where this all begins and ends is that you just don't fit into the playgroup. It's unfortunate, and I do feel for you in that regard. These people do not sound like friends. So why are you linked to them on Facebook? Why do you care what they say or think? They've made clear that they are not going to be respectful or friendly towards you, so why are you still trying to? Yeah, I get that it's your only outlet to play Magic, but have a little more respect for yourself than to subject yourself to this kind of crap on a regular basis. Take a break from Magic. Pursue other endeavors.
Your brother sounds like an asshat, and I'd advise either finding some common ground with him from which to improve your relationship or just avoiding being in a situation in which you are surrounded by him and his friends. Didn't you say your other siblings play too? Play with them, then. Let him go hang with the douchebags. Have more respect for yourself than to put yourself through what sounds like hell for the sake of a damn card game.
Yeah, I'm loving Loaming Shaman against Control. Extra shots at Living End make you able to force out Cascade spells to flush out counters. As he's also useful as anti-Graveyard tech, he's been a valuable add to my sideboard.
Guttural Response won't work because of Cascade, homey.
Splinter Twin combo hasn't ever bothered me since I went 3 Krosan Grip and 2 Sudden Death in my 75. Just play smart. Violent Outburst at the end of their turn. Don't tap out after you get some dudes out. They'll have to start playing Pestermites and Exarchs as defense, and you'll run right over them. DON'T TAP OUT. Get an answer or two in hand and wait for them. They can't deal with ALL of your dudes, and if you are patient you'll get there. Also, if you're relying on Grip or Beast Within, know that most of them know to tap down green sources EOT with Mites/Exarch. Be ready for that.
I've done a mirror a few times, and it's always interesting to say the least.
Generally, the player with the last Living End to cast wins. I've found that it pays to fill your yard and be patient; let them pull the trigger first. The more GY hate you have, the better. The game is going to have multiple Living Ends being cast. It may pay to sandbag a few cyclers, to keep from having ALL of your forces exiled from the yard. Overall, be patient, try to keep some card advantage over your opponent, and always always always let them shoot first.
I would say it's up to the meta of the individual player. If you're seeing more control or combo, go Land D all the way. If you're seeing more aggro, go faster. Where things get sticky is a meta with rather even distribution.
Indeed. Both the eBay and the PayPal accounts used aliases, and not his real name. This is rather important.
Macabre HOSES Unburial Rites. Why mess with that anyway?
He's not. He's been "at home" the last few weeks, according to his twitter posts.
There is the possibility of this being mere coincidence, but the CF post indicates there was more than just the same cards being sold which set off the red flags; it was the quantity. And remember, they didn't research his e-Bay history out of suspicion of theft; the trail they followed led to his auctions.
I agree that jumping to conclusions with only this information is kinda foolish, however acting like TSG hasn't had a chance to speak is likewise foolish. He had his chances to speak with ChannelFireball before this went public, and I'm almost certain any attorney would have preferred he do that then deal with what it's come to now.
LSV on Twitter has pointed out that enough people knew that it was going to be public knowledge sooner or later. Nothing like that stays a secret, and even writers at StarCity have claimed to know of this ahead of time. And speaking of StarCity, it has recently taken a few PR beatings for things like Bertocini; lack of transparency was among the complaints lobbed at SCG for their handling of these incidents. So ChannelFireball decided to take the other path, and just lay out all the cards so to speak.
The article mentions nothing of charges, and makes no clear accusations. It merely presents the facts according to LSV/ChannelFireball, and makes clear that they are cutting off ties only after TSG's refusal to communicate with them after being questioned by police. They know that they can't just throw things out there without being able to back it up, and they walked a very thin line perfectly with this. It's unfortunate it's public, but they had not other choice.
And that's why I'm inclined to hear channelfireball out about this. They were friends with the guy, and so I don't think they'd come out with this publicly like this very lightly.
EDIT: And yes, the better call to stay low profile was to take recent stuff that would move faster. The mistake seems to be making it so easy to find the exact missing inventory. Older cards would have been even easier to spot.
Unfortunately, that's the first thing I thought of too. However, the changes were such that most anyone could have found out who owned the account rather easily. On top of that, selling the collection of cards at once on one account made it pretty easy for CF to find. So it looks like this is something he's either planned or has been doing for a long while, but is also pretty sloppy about it.
Can you explain this, because otherwise I think you need to read your card again.
Also, sorry, running anything CMC less than 3 in a deck which uses Cascade as it's primary engine is foolish.
4 Scalding Tarn
15 Island
Creatures
4 Slippery Bogle
4 Invisible Stalker
4 Academy Researchers
1 Iridescent Drake
Auras
4 Eldrazi Conscription
4 Mythic Proportions
4 Arcanum Wings
4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
Protection
3 Daze
3 Spell Pierce
2 Vapor Snag
3 Echoing Truth
3 Dispel
1 Spell Pierce
3 Ravenous Trap
2 Dismember
3 Grafdigger's Cage
CREATURES:
Invisible Stalker is a champ. Ledgewalker wishes she was him.
Slippery Bogle is your mid-way guy. Hexproof is key to MOST of the removal you'll have thrown at you. Not quite a Stalker, but he'll do.
Academy Researchers are the quick option. You COULD build up a hexproof chump over a few turns, leaving yourself open to aura-kill until you get to have fun. Or you COULD wait until you can afford the 5 mana to drop and pop Arcanum Wings in one go. Or you just drop these guys on turn 3. However, no Hexproof and no Haste means awkward time while you hope he lives to get in an attack step or two.
Drake is neat, but a bit of a trap. I wouldn't ever run more than 2, and I'm quite happy at 1. A great trick, and a good back-up, but he's pretty much as bad as the Researchers...just with evasion.
PROTECTIONS
Bounce is so clutch. Get rid of a blocker or buy yourself another turn or two.
Counters were always going to be a weakness for this deck, so why not fight fire with fire? Spell Pierce and Daze in the main give you room to breath early on and give you a hope of getting your stuff together before the end. Dispel in the side is for the extra naughty control players out there.
CANTRIPS
With 8 fatty Auras to drop, I'm hardly ever short a nice pair of pants to put on a dude. This may have to do with running 8 cantrips which dig deep to find whatever it is I need. Brainstorm and Ponder make this deck go.
SIDEBOARD
I've little experience in Legacy, and this is where I would like to improve. I kinda just threw in a few bits of what I think I'd need and I'll be adjusting it as I go forward with testing.
The people at your LGS show up to do one thing: play. When you fold to them constantly, they aren't playing. In their eye, they are wasting their time. What's the point in playing with someone who's going to scoop 'em up anytime they get going with their game plan? I get that you are bored facing the same things over and over...oh man, do I get it. But hey, you said yourself it's a small LGS with no other alternatives around; repetition is a given at that point.
Others, here and there (it seems) have labelled you a "sore loser", a title you deny on the grounds that you don't care about win or lose. Understandable. But perhaps the term isn't as baseless as it seems. You clearly do not like losing to something that you've seen before. It causes you to concede from any game where you feel like you don't have a chance, which seems like most all of them.
My point here is that you should only be conceding when death is on the stack. When the end is right there, staring you in face only a few phases away. A concession is premature when it's when your opponent sets up shop and you have no answer for it right away. Stick it out to the end, damnit. Maybe the answer is the next draw for you.
Vorthos:
I highly highly highly doubt the issue is that you're a Vorthos. By that I mean that I highly doubt these
kidsplayers all congregate and go "Oh, I think he's Vorthos! Yeah, let's get him!". I'm not denying that the peeps may in fact be ********s; humanity seems to be full of those types. But considering that even you yourself have hinted that they don't actually have any idea what Vorthos really means, I think this whole argument of yours (as stated in the OP and even in the title of the thread) is a bit flawed.The issue is you and your relation to your group. It has nothing to do with being Vorthos. No offense (and I sincerely mean that), but that just reeks of trying shift the focus off of yourself and onto some perceived prejudice on behalf of the playgroup towards art nerds.
Self Respect:
To me, where this all begins and ends is that you just don't fit into the playgroup. It's unfortunate, and I do feel for you in that regard. These people do not sound like friends. So why are you linked to them on Facebook? Why do you care what they say or think? They've made clear that they are not going to be respectful or friendly towards you, so why are you still trying to? Yeah, I get that it's your only outlet to play Magic, but have a little more respect for yourself than to subject yourself to this kind of crap on a regular basis. Take a break from Magic. Pursue other endeavors.
Your brother sounds like an asshat, and I'd advise either finding some common ground with him from which to improve your relationship or just avoiding being in a situation in which you are surrounded by him and his friends. Didn't you say your other siblings play too? Play with them, then. Let him go hang with the douchebags. Have more respect for yourself than to put yourself through what sounds like hell for the sake of a damn card game.
Splinter Twin combo hasn't ever bothered me since I went 3 Krosan Grip and 2 Sudden Death in my 75. Just play smart. Violent Outburst at the end of their turn. Don't tap out after you get some dudes out. They'll have to start playing Pestermites and Exarchs as defense, and you'll run right over them. DON'T TAP OUT. Get an answer or two in hand and wait for them. They can't deal with ALL of your dudes, and if you are patient you'll get there. Also, if you're relying on Grip or Beast Within, know that most of them know to tap down green sources EOT with Mites/Exarch. Be ready for that.
Generally, the player with the last Living End to cast wins. I've found that it pays to fill your yard and be patient; let them pull the trigger first. The more GY hate you have, the better. The game is going to have multiple Living Ends being cast. It may pay to sandbag a few cyclers, to keep from having ALL of your forces exiled from the yard. Overall, be patient, try to keep some card advantage over your opponent, and always always always let them shoot first.