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Magic the Gathering: Arena |OT| Tapped Out of Witty Titles

Lyng

Lyng

Editor at Popaco.dk
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
2,206
This is event has almost completely taken my will to play magic arena away. Loosing on the second game feels horrible and you are more or less forced to grind this to have any chance of completing the battlepass.
Definately not buying the next battlepass, and I have a feeling several players wont. Like the Professor said about the paper brawl packs not including codes for arena, WotC just seem completely unable to make business decisions that make long term sense.
 
Carthago Delenda Est

Carthago Delenda Est

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
6,119
Lyng said:
This is event has almost completely taken my will to play magic arena away. Loosing on the second game feels horrible and you are more or less forced to grind this to have any chance of completing the battlepass.
Definately not buying the next battlepass, and I have a feeling several players wont. Like the Professor said about the paper brawl packs not including codes for arena, WotC just seem completely unable to make business decisions that make long term sense.
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I felt the same and then I realized that completing the battlepass doesn't matter. The rewards are not any better at the end so I've already got the vast majority of the benefit at level 90. That's good enough.
 
ZeroCoin

ZeroCoin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
431
Not sure if anyone here saw this calculator on Reddit or not. It's a simple xp calculator that tells you how much xp you have remaining from daily / weekly wins, and how many wins you'd need to get through the catch up event to max out the mastery pass. Very useful and showed me that I don't need to bother with the event at all and I'll be fine on the mastery pass.

 
filkry

filkry

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,890
Maybe I'm in the minority, but the mastery pass seems like great value to me even if you end up far from finishing it. Would folks rather finish it easily and stop getting additional rewards partway through the season?
 

Deleted member 12224

user requested account closure
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Oct 27, 2017
6,113
filkry said:
Maybe I'm in the minority, but the mastery pass seems like great value to me even if you end up far from finishing it. Would folks rather finish it easily and stop getting additional rewards partway through the season?
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A lot of the variance in perceived value between players is how you value cosmetics.

They're worthless to me, for example.
 
Forerunner

Forerunner

Resetufologist
The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
14,542
I hit 100 a few weeks ago and haven't played since. I just like card backs so that's the main reason I wanted to hit it. I hope they have a random card back option one day, were it'll just randomly select one of yours before each match, like HS has. Right now I'm just waiting for ToE before diving back in.
 

Deleted member 29682

User requested account closure
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Nov 1, 2017
12,290
filkry said:
Maybe I'm in the minority, but the mastery pass seems like great value to me even if you end up far from finishing it. Would folks rather finish it easily and stop getting additional rewards partway through the season?
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As I understand it, the break-even point is apparently level 43, though obviously how much you care about cosmetics is going to influence that.
 
The Adder

The Adder

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,085
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This is turn 10 and there are 25 lands in this deck. I still won, but this is some bullshit.
 
Lyng

Lyng

Editor at Popaco.dk
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Oct 27, 2017
2,206
Copenap said:
thisisrandomness.gif
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Yeah this event should only be played if you dont like your gold.

Had my second loss to an opponent who got three "gain control of creatures" in a row. disgusting

Played the event twice now. 4 straight losses strickly because my opponent got bombs and I got duds. Yeah this event is not for me. This will be for people who like the crossroads event in hearthstone.
 
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Sande

Sande

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,971
filkry said:
Maybe I'm in the minority, but the mastery pass seems like great value to me even if you end up far from finishing it. Would folks rather finish it easily and stop getting additional rewards partway through the season?
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Who said easily? Now you had to grind consistently for almost the whole season to make it, or grind insanely in a single event in the last couple of weeks. I missed maybe a month at the beginning of the season, but made sure to complete every quest and get all weekly XP after that, and I've exclusively played the event after it launched. Still, according to that calculator I gotta win the event 18 more times.

The problem is that there are no catch-up mechanics. You fall behind on the pass, you're left behind. The 2020 event is a really awkward way to fix that.
 

Deleted member 29682

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12,290
I'd definitely not buy the mastery pass until the end of a season, then I can judge for myself whether then price is worth what I get out of it. I don't want to have to buy it early on based on the promise that I'll get value out of it by playing Arena a whole bunch, especially if I'm getting burned out and feel like taking a few weeks off the game (like I did last month). That'd be harder if I spend that time feeling like I'm actively wasting money I've already spent, rather than just deciding not to spend it a few days before the next set.
 
ZeroCoin

ZeroCoin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
431
Sande said:
Who said easily? Now you had to grind consistently for almost the whole season to make it, or grind insanely in a single event in the last couple of weeks. I missed maybe a month at the beginning of the season, but made sure to complete every quest and get all weekly XP after that, and I've exclusively played the event after it launched. Still, according to that calculator I gotta win the event 18 more times.

The problem is that there are no catch-up mechanics. You fall behind on the pass, you're left behind. The 2020 event is a really awkward way to fix that.
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Still, missing a month and being able to get within 3-4 levels of max isn't that bad. I totally agree that the xp could be more generous. I'm guessing that we'll see an easier time getting xp for the Eldraine mastery pass. In the end, the intent is to get people to buy the passes, so getting people upset at the xp grind isn't going to help them sell more. I still can't stress enough that there's no reason to buy the pass until the very end when you know exactly what you'll be getting.
 
ZeroCoin

ZeroCoin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
431
Arena just got a small patch. Standard 2020 event is now play until you lose twice. 1 win gets you 50 xp, 2 wins gets you 150 xp, and a 3rd win gives 250 xp. Hopefully that'll make the grind a little easier for anyone who needs it.
 
IceMarker

IceMarker

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,267
United States
ZeroCoin said:
Arena just got a small patch. Standard 2020 event is now play until you lose twice. 1 win gets you 50 xp, 2 wins gets you 150 xp, and a 3rd win gives 250 xp. Hopefully that'll make the grind a little easier for anyone who needs it.
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Good change for people behind on the Mastery Pass. Thankfully I've played nearly every day since the pass released and I'm at 95 right now and shouldn't have to play the event at all.
 

Deleted member 29682

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Nov 1, 2017
12,290
Been trying out my new rotation-proof mono-black control deck for the Standard 2020 event.

4 Sanitarium Skeleton (M20) 112
4 Yarok's Fenlurker (M20) 123
4 Plaguecrafter (GRN) 82
3 Cavalier of Night (M20) 94

3 Duress (M20) 97
3 Disfigure (M20) 95
3 Discovery // Dispersal (GRN) 223
4 Liliana's Triumph (WAR) 98
3 Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage (WAR) 83
2 Ritual of Soot (GRN) 84
3 Liliana, Dreadhorde General (WAR) 97

24 Swamp (M20) 271
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It's fun, if a bit slow. Ritual of Soot helps tremendously against Cavalcade decks (provided Sanitarium Skeleton, Disfigure and Duress let me survive long enough to cast it) and Liliana's Triumph is great against Simic Flash. I'm a bit torn between Yarok's Fenlurker and Orzhov Enforcer for the 2-drop slot but being able to buff up the former against an empty board is handy.

There's not too much in the upcoming set that could be added, but Castle of Locthwain is a must have rare land and Murderous Rider will probably replace Plaguecrafter.
 
jph139

jph139

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,359
That video was super amateur, but in a charming way I guess.

Hyped for Brawl, knew it would be coming soon. I just feel bad I didn't get to play with my Arcades deck while he was in standard...
 
f0rk

f0rk

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,692
Would bots be better or worse at cube draft? They don't have MTGO data to go off, but there's no rare drafting issues.
 
robox

robox

Member
Nov 10, 2017
964
so with my last 2 mythic card rewards, i got 2 nicol bolas dragon gods.
guess i have to make the grixis deck now
 
Giant Panda

Giant Panda

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,688
Just played some Mormir Vig, and it was strange seeing some pretty old cards that that they bothered to program into Arena. An opponent got a Bringer of the Blue Dawn, and a Stratadon (can't think they were happy with that investment). When that same opponent tried 11 mana they got nothing lol.
 
filkry

filkry

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,890
Giant Panda said:
Just played some Mormir Vig, and it was strange seeing some pretty old cards that that they bothered to program into Arena. An opponent got a Bringer of the Blue Dawn, and a Stratadon (can't think they were happy with that investment). When that same opponent tried 11 mana they got nothing lol.
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Wait, you can get pre-Ixalan cards in Momir now?
 
Yeef

Yeef

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,439
New York
They added a bunch of older stuff to the high end to make it less deterministic. There's stuff like Borborygmos Enraged, Griselbrand, Jin-Gitaxis ,all of the Bringers, etc.
 

Deleted member 29682

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I can't remember what happened with the other sets, but would I be correct in assuming that sealed will be the only Eldraine draft event initially available when it launches on Thursday?
 
Sande

Sande

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,971
Redeem code: 5BonusLevels

btw. I hatehatehate this arbitrary code system they have. You wanna give me something, just give it. I don't want to maybe randomly run into it if I'm lucky.
 
Lyng

Lyng

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Oct 27, 2017
2,206
So ended up reaching 100. Really like the sleeve, even if I hardly ever play red decks.
 
Izzy

Izzy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
683
I don't know if it's very popular here, but does anyone know if MTGAHelper broke? I just tried uploading my log for the first time in a few weeks and it's not giving me any new collection info or match history.
 
ZeroCoin

ZeroCoin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
431
Izzy said:
I don't know if it's very popular here, but does anyone know if MTGAHelper broke? I just tried uploading my log for the first time in a few weeks and it's not giving me any new collection info or match history.
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There was an update that needs a setting to be changed in Arena now to get trackers to work. Go into the account settings in Arena and turn on detailed log, or something like that.
 

Deleted member 12224

user requested account closure
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Oct 27, 2017
6,113
Brian Damage said:
That's the trick though, you use the Chandra avatar and sleeve then play Simic flash to catch people off guard.
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Beyond being boring, part of the reason I use the standard cardback and don't use the card styles is to make it seem like a relatively new dumb player on Mythic.

Edit -- no idea how often it works, but I'm sure there's at least the occasional opponent who assumes the more tricked out the deck, the better the player.
 
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Deleted member 29682

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cagey said:
Beyond being boring, part of the reason I use the standard cardback and don't use the card styles is to make it seem like a relatively new dumb player on Mythic.
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I pick cardbacks fairly arbitrarily and the card styles that I think look nice (ones without visible edge-mirroring and a few of the stained-glass walkers). I reckon the go-to aesthetic reward for upcoming Eldraine events will be the alternate Adventure arts, and there are some very nice looking ones there.
 

Deleted member 12224

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Brian Damage said:
I pick cardbacks fairly arbitrarily and the card styles that I think look nice (ones without visible edge-mirroring and a few of the stained-glass walkers). I reckon the go-to aesthetic reward for upcoming Eldraine events will be the alternate Adventure arts, and there are some very nice looking ones there.
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Those are going to have me break my usual routine for sure. Many of them are so good.
 
Carthago Delenda Est

Carthago Delenda Est

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
6,119
If I'd known they were going to give 5 levels for free, I'd have played and gone for 100. Instead I stopped a couple weeks ago and ended up at 87. Oh well.
 
f0rk

f0rk

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,692
cagey said:
Beyond being boring, part of the reason I use the standard cardback and don't use the card styles is to make it seem like a relatively new dumb player on Mythic.

Edit -- no idea how often it works, but I'm sure there's at least the occasional opponent who assumes the more tricked out the deck, the better the player.
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In paper magic it can be the opposite. There was a whole thing a while ago about making negative assumptions on a player based on if they are using a playmat
 
Lyng

Lyng

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Oct 27, 2017
2,206
I have been having alot of fun and quite decent success with a red/white cavalcade deck. in fact my winrate with this is much higher than the mono red version. This is actually not strictly a aggro deck but more of a OTK-ish deck. Dont expect to reach mythic with it, but if you guys have the cards give it a shot and let me hear your thoughts.
4 Cavalcade of Calamity (RNA) 95
9 Plains (ANA) 61
4 Haazda Marshal (GRN) 13
4 Healer's Hawk (GRN) 14
2 Temple of Triumph (M20) 257
1 Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin (WAR) 137
4 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame (M20) 126
3 Scampering Scorcher (M20) 158
3 Skyknight Vanguard (M20) 218
4 Scorch Spitter (M20) 159
12 Mountain (ANA) 64
4 Light Up the Stage (RNA) 107
1 Chandra's Regulator (M20) 131
1 Sacred Foundry (GRN) 254
4 Chandra's Spitfire (M20) 132
 
Izzy

Izzy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
683
Whew! Finished up my grinding on the event, and I should be good to hit 100 by tomorrow with new quests. I did buy the super mastery pass with the extra 10 levels, mostly because I had been gone for nearly a month during this season. Had I not be traveling, I'm sure I wouldn't have needed the extra levels. Now that we're at the end of this first season, I think I'm okay with the current value proposition of the mastery pass. Mostly because I generally don't draft with gems. But man, it took a good bit of forum rage to nudge wotc over to where we're at right now.
 
Habaneroguy

Habaneroguy

Member
Nov 4, 2018
154
Just hit level 100 yesterday. Phew! Felt like I was cutting it a bit close. I think overall the mastery pass was worth it. Gave me a good incentive to keep playing. Use the code FIVEBONUSLEVELS if you haven't already. It expires 5pm pt.
 

CrimsonN0

Member
Oct 25, 2017
463
Well, looks like I'll hit 80 at most.
Still, pretty high for not playing for a couple weeks.
Also, really liking the Risen Reef, Yarok, Dread Presence combo.
Managed to go from silver to platinum in the last week or two using it.
 
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