Roy Tang

Programmer, engineer, scientist, critic, gamer, dreamer, and kid-at-heart.

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All entries tagged mtg.

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Apr 2020

Feb 2020

Jan 2020

Nov 2019

  • MTG: The bannings will continue until morale improves
    The past few years have not been good for competitive balance in MTG. Following yesterday’s deservedly heavy-handed B&R announcement, standard is now at 14 cards banned since 2017. Before 2017, the standard bannings have been relatively sparse. Working backwards: 2011 - cawblade standard, 2 cards banned 2005 - affinity standard, 8 cards banned 2004 - skullclamp banned 1998-1999 - the infamous combo winter, 9 cards banned So this period from 2017-2019 has seen the most bannings since the affinity era, and may even be comparable to the unquestionably disaster that was Urza block in `98-99.

    read more (411 words)

    Posted by under post at #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0 / 411 words

  • Getting my licks in before the banhammer drops. B&R prediction: Noxious Grasp and Aether Gust banned in Standard. loljk #MTG

    Getting my licks in before the banhammer drops. B&R prediction: Noxious Grasp and Aether Gust banned in Standard. loljk #MTG
    Posted by under photos at #MTG
    Also on: twitter / 3

  • OMG I’m finally done with this horrible coin flip of an #MagicArena event. This was only slightly worse than last week’s Elk madness. Only 1/3 of this months events were great, bleh. Should’ve just had one of them be brawl!

    OMG I’m finally done with this horrible coin flip of an #MagicArena event. This was only slightly worse than last week’s Elk madness. Only 1/3 of this months events were great, bleh. Should’ve just had one of them be brawl!
    Posted by under photos at #magicarena #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • Charging monstrosaur from ixalan rough sketch #sketchdaily #mtg. This is one of those things where I’d like to flesh it out and color it but I don’t have time and I’m already a few days behind on the daily sketches. maybe I’ll revisit it in the future

    Charging monstrosaur from ixalan rough sketch #sketchdaily #mtg. This is one of those things where I’d like to flesh it out and color it but I don’t have time and I’m already a few days behind on the daily sketches. maybe I’ll revisit it in the future
    Posted by under photos at #sketchdaily #mtg sketchbook instagram
    Also on: twitter instagram reddit / 0

Oct 2019

  • Brawl is the most fun I’ve had playing #mtg arena since it started. I play it even when I’m out of rewards for the day because it’s so fun, even against the Oko decks (I won this one!)

    Brawl is the most fun I’ve had playing #mtg arena since it started. I play it even when I’m out of rewards for the day because it’s so fun, even against the Oko decks (I won this one!)
    Posted by under photos at #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • 2nd ELD draft. This archetype is great (maybe until the bots find out about it), but I only went 6-3 due to a misplay #mtg

    2nd ELD draft. This archetype is great (maybe until the bots find out about it), but I only went 6-3 due to a misplay #mtg
    Posted by under photos at #mtg #mtgeld
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • The Second Set of Legends Block
    I like Wikis (probably because a previous employer used them a lot) so in 2005, I got an account at PBWiki (now PBWorks) which let you set up your own Wiki. Unfortunately, I never did end up using it for anything significant, and every couple of years they have to warn me they’re going to delete it, so I figured I’d just get the content off of it and let it die.

    read more (3380 words)

    Posted by under post at #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0 / 3380 words

Sep 2019

  • My #mtg arena beta stats email finally came in. 437 packs opened isn’t too bad for a f2p account, considering I was able to build a few top tier standard decks and even hit mythic once.

    My #mtg arena beta stats email finally came in. 437 packs opened isn’t too bad for a f2p account, considering I was able to build a few top tier standard decks and even hit mythic once.
    Posted by under photos at #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • I didnt have a deck yet for the #mtg arena standard challenge and so i ran this one and jeez 5/5 easy wins so far even beating the t2 oko. Cc: @switchfollows you might wanna try it

    Quoted JoeyPascoMTG's tweet:
    @misterorange @BryanGo @FandomLegends @OndrejStrasky Ah yes! There it is πŸ™‚
    I didnt have a deck yet for the #mtg arena standard challenge and so i ran this one and jeez 5/5 easy wins so far even beating the t2 oko. Cc: @switchfollows you might wanna try it Quoted JoeyPascoMTG's tweet: @misterorange @BryanGo @FandomLegends @OndrejStrasky Ah yes! There it is πŸ™‚
    Posted by under notes at #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • Did an #mtg eldraine paper prerelease as well today Went 3-0-1 with this pile

    Did an #mtg eldraine paper prerelease as well today Went 3-0-1 with this pile
    Did an #mtg eldraine paper prerelease as well today Went 3-0-1 with this pile
    Did an #mtg eldraine paper prerelease as well today Went 3-0-1 with this pile
    Posted by under photos at #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 6

  • Went 5-3 with my first Eldraine sealed. Not bad, but not very good either =/ #mtg

    2 of my losses were to Garruk and Oko so Β―_(ツ)_/Β―

    Went 5-3 with my first Eldraine sealed. Not bad, but not very good either =/ #mtg 2 of my losses were to Garruk and Oko so Β―_(ツ)_/Β―
    Posted by under photos at #mtg #mtgeld
    Also on: twitter twitter / 0

  • The interface for the standard 2020 event on #mtg arena is so clunky. They could have at least default the deck selection to what I was playing last time

    Posted by under notes at #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • MTG: Trying out pauper
    I am aware of the existence of Pauper as a format in MTG, but I never paid too much attention to it before. A couple of weeks ago, a friend pointed out that I might enjoy playing the recent Jeskai Nuneca decks that had become popular recently. I checked out a sample decklist, and you bet I jumped at the chance to play Mulldrifters again lol. We set about to gather the cards.

    read more (510 words)

    Posted by under post at #ccgs #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0 / 510 words

  • MTG Arena: Thoughts on Historic
    Magic Arena’s community was in an uproar this past weekend over the latest state of the beta, mostly over the announced plans for Arena’s eternal Historic format that will become relevant with the coming rotation. It’s likely that Wizards will backpedal in some way in response to the community, but here are my thoughts for now: Historic cards to cost double wildcards to craft This is the universally-reviled bit and has been the target of much outrage, accursing Wizards of being greedy etc.

    read more (1273 words)

    Posted by under post at #ccgs #mtg #gaming
    Also on: twitter / 0 / 1273 words

Aug 2019

  • MCQ Richmond (Modern) with Grixis Death Shadow
    Should I still write tournament reports even though I did poorly? Spoilers, but the answer is that has never stopped me before! In today’s installment of “I thought you were quitting paper Magic?”, I attended an MCQ yesterday for MC Richmond. The format was Modern constructed. I initially wasn’t planning to play because (a) the entrance fee was kind of ridiculous; (b) modern is a bit of an unbalanced debacle right now because of Hogaak; and (c ) my one assembled Modern deck (Grixis Death Shadow) hasn’t been used since 2017, and was completely absent in the meta for the recent MC Barcelona.

    read more (1688 words)

    Posted by under post at #mtg #modern
    Also on: twitter / 1 0 / 1688 words

Jul 2019

  • Grand Prix Seattle 2019
    Grand Prix / MagicFest Seattle Photo Dump: I wasn’t actually planning to play much competitive Magic this year, at least not on paper, but when the family planned a US trip in June, I figured I’d take a short side trip to attend and experience a US GP. I had the choices of Washington DC on the 14th-16th (Limited), Seattle on 20th-23rd (Limited), or Dallas on 28th-30th (Modern). After some wrangling with the family’s schedule, Seattle was the one most convenient to go to, and Limited meant I didn’t have to try and put together a decent deck.

    read more (2442 words)

    Posted by under post at #grand prix #limited #mtg #mfseattle
    Also on: twitter / 0 / 2442 words

Jun 2019

  • Very humbling that as i was dropping out of #MTGSeattle, Kai Budde, who’s about the same age as me and started playing #MTG around the same time, made top 4 of the Mythic Championship, after having been semiretired for almost a decade!

    Posted by under notes at #mtg #mtgseattle #mfseattle
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • Did another sealed today at #MFSeattle for practice. Deck felt better than yesterday, but did not go as well, finishing 1-2 on some bad draws #mtg

    Did another sealed today at #MFSeattle for practice. Deck felt better than yesterday, but did not go as well, finishing 1-2 on some bad draws #mtg
    Did another sealed today at #MFSeattle for practice. Deck felt better than yesterday, but did not go as well, finishing 1-2 on some bad draws #mtg
    Did another sealed today at #MFSeattle for practice. Deck felt better than yesterday, but did not go as well, finishing 1-2 on some bad draws #mtg
    Posted by under photos at #MFSeattle #mtg
    Also on: twitter / 0

  • Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg

    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Rob Alexander painting demo earlier at MagicFest Seattle. He did this in about 2 hours; “I can’t do it in 30 minutes so I don’t have a TV show.” Pretty great! #mfseattle #mtg
    Posted by under photos at #mfseattle #mtg instagram
    Also on: instagram / 0

  • Lost in the finals of a trial today at GP seattle. Here’s the deck I built from my mediocre pool, if that interests you. Hopefully I have better luck in the main event #mtg #MFSeattle

    Lost in the finals of a trial today at GP seattle. Here’s the deck I built from my mediocre pool, if that interests you. Hopefully I have better luck in the main event #mtg #MFSeattle
    Lost in the finals of a trial today at GP seattle. Here’s the deck I built from my mediocre pool, if that interests you. Hopefully I have better luck in the main event #mtg #MFSeattle
    Lost in the finals of a trial today at GP seattle. Here’s the deck I built from my mediocre pool, if that interests you. Hopefully I have better luck in the main event #mtg #MFSeattle
    Posted by under photos at #mtg #MFSeattle
    Also on: twitter / 0
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