On the morning of a new dawn in Minnesota, I woke up thanking my lucky stars for The Donkey Club. Not only to they raise the bar for the competition, but like the hated Yankees I can't wait to see if Goliath goes down in this one. Can anyone out there actually beat Doug Tice?

Go Underdogs!

Yes. He may be like a piece of iron, but he is still, only human. :p

And to expand on the topic: It is very difficult to be good at this game on a pro level by yourself. I am not saying it can't be done. Graham's story is interesting and I'd like to hear him comment on how he prepared himself for this latest PC (i.e. does he have a playtest group locally, did he just go through match-ups mentally while in science class, etc.)

But to be good as a pro you must be solid in playing both constructed and draft. Having a group of strong players to train with is invaluable. Fortunately the online programs makes it easier for people that don't live within driving distance.

The hardest thing to coordinate practice on is draft. You need to get 8 people together and get the boxes. I know FTN had (has) a killer draft program. If there was something as readily available as VSed or OCTGN for draft that would be great (I know VSed has a feature for draft, but I haven't really delved into it - does anyone know if it is any good?)

Also, if you don't know any serious players in your area, you will be hard pressed to run the gauntlet of the potential top decks (and your guess on the 'most played decks') in the constructed format. Playing a matchup two or three times with a deck and against a deck makes it easier to play against in a tournament. And post game analysis of the matchup with teammates/friends helps reveal things you may not have thought about before playtesting.

Which is why I think Prosak does a great job with his articles - he goes through his thought process for the match. And if you notice, as he plays more games in the match he is able to get a better feel for his opponent's deck and make adjustments in his play style in later games. Do you think he would want to sit down at a tournament against X-Faces and 'learn' how to play against them by losing the first few matches? Or to 'learn' at the kitchen table and be in a position to win the matchup in a tournament from the start? Of course the latter makes the most sense, and is why having a 'solid playtest group of strong players' (i.e. team) is smart.

While FTN doesn't use VSed (cause our program keeps track of all picks and lets us go back and analyze the draft to see what went wrong, or what went well), I personally do a lot of VSed drafts w/ other teams/players and it's great too. The drafts go really quick, and you get practice w/ a lot of useful skills like filling a curve, sensing what's being underdrafted, knowing what to do when your team(s) dry up, etc. A lot of people don't actually play out the games w/ the decks they draft which is something you should really try to do, since if you don't play your deck you own't know what was good or bad about it (aside from the blatantly obvious). Also from time to time FTN gets people to fill in for the team drafts (for one reason or another), if you're interested in that PM me w/ a AIM name (this goes for anyone, no promises, but you might get asked).

I'm writing a tournament report on the whole ordeal, and hopefully Metagame will accept it and post it in about a week. I plan to do some final editing touches tomorrow and submit it to Mr. Wachter, and hopefully show the community that your average scrub can make some cash if he puts his mind to it.

To answer your basic questions really quickly though, I don't have a local playgroup but I do play online a lot. I was part of Team Online prior to PC Atlanta, but since then have left their ranks in search of a more 'advanced' group of players. Although I have to admit, sometimes during History and Math in particular I can't resist thinking about how Card X would affect a certain matchup ;)

I would have been here sooner, but I just saw this thread. I think teams full of excellent players are good for the game. Period. What I don't think is good for the game is when the players, in addition to being good, are disrespectful of others who may not be as talented or have access to the same card pool as them or simply because they aren't a "name".

Example: At the Sealed PCQ in Austin, one of my teammates was 6-0 and at the top table, at one point Wiitanen walks into the other room and referred to him as a "nobody", and it's been sticking in my craw since then. The teammate in question is the 2nd ranked Sealed player in Kansas, behind Kyle D. I think Josh was just pissed because my teammate beat him in round 5 when Josh made a not-great play.

He could have just as easily learned his name, or better still given him props for doing well.

I've always believed that when you are one of the best players, like Josh, you should be an ambassador for the game.

You meant the Austin 10K, and Dave says Josh doesn't always act like that.

We always are doing 8 mans on VSEd almost everyday. If you want to get in on it just send me a PM , or my AIM is ConvictedMobster .


That goes for anyone else who is interested

There was a sealed PCQ during day two while the top 8 did their respective things.

I think there was a constructed one too, but that's netiher here nor there.

This thing.

I want everyone to realize that the phenomenon were are discussing is a universal function of public team sports combined with media attention. For example, this quote is taken from the front page of ESPN online. It is their lead story for Easter Sunday:

"Gasp! After Saturday's loss, the Yankees are under .500. Although the grumbling in Gotham is already rumbling, Jayson Stark says the Yankees are clearly still contenders."

Good fun for all.

Happy Easter, everyone!

From another thread:

That right there is good for the game. Anyone can see that, there is no room for debate. Well said, so far that is my favorite Easter surprise. All trash talk aside, and no matter how many members you end up with, we need more of that from everyone... teamed or not.

It's a glorious new morning, let's resurrect the helpful nurturing spirit of the Realms! Hallelujah!

Gee, stu, how much did they pay you, again? :) ;)

I only work for the underdogs, for free.

Publicizing The Donkey Club, writing articles for Metagame and Star City, and being an all-around swell guy? That's play for me... and I get paid very well for it.

-grin- and I don't even want to THINK of what the currency was;)

Aren't these wooden nickels still worth more than the Canadian dollar?

Speaking of Canada...

How about those Leafs???

(Now Pat Quinn has enough down time to get the head reduction surgery.)

this thread : (