tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post3547063684350706988..comments2024-03-11T02:32:15.295-04:00Comments on Goblin Artisans: At What Price Variance?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-80529597885109542452019-05-22T17:31:23.993-04:002019-05-22T17:31:23.993-04:00My point is more that you can’t go into a game say...My point is more that you can’t go into a game saying “I will pop off a removal spell at my opponent’s flyer” like you can go into a game of chess saying “I will use this opening”. Improvising your play to better fulfill your strategy is much more important in Magic than in lower-variance games.Jeremy Geisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-50787337574194280992019-05-22T12:01:20.147-04:002019-05-22T12:01:20.147-04:00I classify Magic as being highly strategic and hig...I classify Magic as being highly strategic and highly tactical. The two are in now way opposed, like luck and skill (which Magic is also full of).Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-47147409799937490732019-05-22T11:00:21.659-04:002019-05-22T11:00:21.659-04:00I don't think I agree that Magic focuses more ...I don't think I agree that Magic focuses more heavily on short-term tactics than long-term strategies. Almost every short-term decision in Magic is made (or should be made) in the context of the long-term goal. That's exactly the point of the MTG strategy staple "Who's the Beatdown?". Perhaps the most important Magic 'tactic' is card advantage, which in itself is only an advantage in the long-term.<br /><br />Deckbuilding as a whole certainly leans to the more strategic side of things, while sideboard hate and silver bullets are more tactical. Transformational sideboards like those of Mardu Vehicles or Abzan Midrange are also much more strategic in nature. The whole goal of those sideboards is to make sure the strategy your opponent plans for matches up poorly against your own.<br /><br />I'm not saying that short-term decisions don't happen and that you don't have to deal with the unexpected at every turn, but the context of all of your short-term decisions should be relative to your long-term goal. <br /><br />Do I develop my board or pop off a removal on my opponent's flyer? Well that depends on if I'm looking to pressure my opponent's life total or simply preserve my own. Do I think I can win the long game or do I need to race to have a chance to win? Who's the beatdown? There is no tactic without the strategy.Sagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02090253014943762842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-86598521177541487062019-05-21T23:02:09.481-04:002019-05-21T23:02:09.481-04:00In some ways, my use of "strategy" to re...In some ways, my use of "strategy" to refer to rote game-winning moves was hyperbole; I was commenting on the difference between a strategy as a long-term plan to win the game and a tactic a short-term way to accomplish a goal, and that Magic focuses more heavily on the short-term because there'll be situations that you have never encountered before.<br /><br />Magic absolutely has an element of strategy to it, I've listened to too much LR to forget that "have a plan" is an important way to be good at Magic, but the components of that plan are so variant from game to game that it frequently relies on execution on the spur of the moment rather than sticking to a plan.Jeremy Geisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-23751202809517228402019-05-21T22:55:57.857-04:002019-05-21T22:55:57.857-04:00Oops, my bad. I'll link it now.Oops, my bad. I'll link it now.Jeremy Geisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07249133114127608655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-91790998055087960902019-05-21T22:31:16.757-04:002019-05-21T22:31:16.757-04:00"This is something I wrote about more in my a..."This is something I wrote about more in my article on impact." Can you link that article? The blog doesn't have a way to search by author, at least not that I've found.Jenesishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356037137564501914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-48266185616701329462019-05-21T12:23:05.889-04:002019-05-21T12:23:05.889-04:00I'm not sure what your definition of 'stra...I'm not sure what your definition of 'strategy' is, but it's quite unlike mine: A plan of action. In any game, I have a plan to win the game from the first moment information is revealed until I win or lose, or concede because I cannot fathom a winning plan. In Magic, I have a plan before I even sit down.<br /><br />The details of how I execute that plan shift game to game—and within a single game, if it's dynamic enough—but that doesn't mean I don't have a strategy. Strategies can be vague (gain control of the game / be as aggressive as possible / claim the most resources) and they can be specific (use <a rel="nofollow">Ad Nauseam</a> to fuel a lethal <a rel="nofollow">Lightning Storm</a> or empty my deck for <a rel="nofollow">Laboratory Maniac</a>). They can also shift during a game, as we adapt to our opponent's play.<br /><br />That games play out differently doesn't mean there's no strategy, only that there isn't a single sequence to execute my strategy.<br /><br />The difference between Commander and Battle Box <i>is</i> strategy: I can build my Commander deck around an ability and expect to hammer certain kinds of plays; I can plan to be aggressive or controlling, disruptive or unpredictable.<br /><br />I thoroughly agree that Magic is flawed—largely because there is too much variance—and that it overcomes those flaws by providing a variety of rich experiences.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.com