Thursday, May 30, 2013

Magical Boy Scouts

Three months ago, the Boy Scouts of America introduced a new merit badge to their constellation.   Scouts would now have a chance to learn the principles of Game Design from qualified counselors.   I'm a volunteer adult leader in Boys Scouts in addition to being a father, gamer, and all around swell guy (alright, the last bit may be fiction, as I have no one that can confirm or deny it).   I have to say that the gamer portion of my brain went into overdrive when I heard about it.   Before the actual launch date, I had put into my local Council to be a counselor.

The BSA recognizes that the theory that goes into creating a game is a teachable and worthwhile skill for Scouts to learn.   All Scouts who wish to take the merit badge have to complete eight different requirements, several of them with multiple steps.   The general idea behind merit badges is to allow Boy Scouts to learn new and interesting hobbies, fields of study and even vocations.   Perhaps one day a Scout that I teach could go on to be a professional public speaker, enjoy kayaking as a lifetime pursuit, or even become a designer of a game loved by millions.

About a month ago, I received word that I could teach the newest offering of the Boy Scouts.   I was an official counselor of the newest Merit Badge offered by the Boy Scouts.   In order to teach the class though, I had to come up with a plan.

Relationships
Before teaching the class, I had a few details to work out.   I had to decide if I should teach it upon request (which is fairly common) or if I should teach it using a classroom method.   The benefits of teaching this particular merit badge - let's just call it an MB for now on - in a class far outweighed teaching it one-on-one.   I consider the best games to be those that encourage some type of interaction between players.   The next decision to resolve was where to teach it.   I had several options.   I could teach it out of my home, at the meeting place my Troop uses, or at some other suitable location.   The place obviously had to have tables and chairs, decent lighting, and room for up to twelve boys plus myself.   Once I thought of it that way, the choice became obvious.   My local game store had an ideal space - but would they want us there?

A quick conversation during MTG league play on a Sunday afternoon let me know I had the right idea.   The new co-owner of the store was immediately excited.   He asked me to put something together and send it in to him as soon as I could.   Within a few weeks, I had sent in an outline for two different versions of the class along with pricing, expected turn-out and a brief outline of what I wanted to teach and what I needed help with teaching.

After a few more such communications, we had a date, a plan and a few ideas for expanding the program at a later date.   The most important part of setting this up was to pick a date and time that worked for both parties.   I couldn't do it too early on a weekday, kids are in school and parents are in work.   Weekends for the store wasn't a good solution, as they they are often very busy with tourneys.   So we had to strike a balance.   In picking a Thursday night, the LGS and I were both satisfied.

When I set this up, I knew I had a few goals.   There were in order of importance: introduce the Scouts to the MB, teach them a new game, introduce them (and their parents) to the LGS, generate new customers for the LGS.   Why was generating new customers a goal?   Simple enough.   I wanted to be a good steward.   Call it a fringe benefit, getting kids into the store that had never been there before would hopefully result in new customers and repeat visits.   It's a match that will help the LGS and will benefit me long term as I build a better relationship with the owners to continue to host classes.

Keeping it Familiar
The very first time you teach someone any skill that you've never taught before, there are steps you should take to make things easier for you.   To make things easier for me, I had elected to keep the group small.   I originally only allowed 10 Scouts to sign up - and due to conflicts only 9 actually made it.   Of the nine, seven had never played a game of MTG before in their life, although several had played other trading card games.   Another way to keep it friendly was for this class I used my extended family for the inaugural class.   My Troop has about 40 Scouts.   This gave me a ready pool of Scouts that I was already familiar with to offer the class to.   That's a big plus when it comes to interactions and pairings for a one versus one game.

I also had a well-defined plan for the class worked out in advance.   I knew I had to go over several specific topics, and I had them mapped out in an order that made sense to me.   My smartest move was I enlisted the aid of someone who knew the game well enough to patiently teach it and offer guidance to new students of the game.   My ace in the hole was my younger son, Jacob.   At only 12 years old, he's a year ahead of some of the younger Scouts and has held a couple of youth leadership positions - plus, he's been playing MTG for a year and a half in various settings from casual to limited to competitive standard.   I have to state that without Jake, the night would have certainly been more stressful.

My helper, explaining to another Scout a finer point of the rules.

Lastly, to teach anyone a new skill from scratch it helps to have a model for teaching.   In the Boy Scouts, we use the EDGE method.   EDGE is an acronym for: Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, & Enable.  This model parallels how we learn something new in the best and easiest to understand manner.   The EDGE method is just a more formal way of looking at this.   By following EDGE, I knew we'd be fine.

Teaching Game Design
Confession time - I'm not a game design professional.   *GASP*   But, I do have a love for games from the simplest to the most complex.   I've played good games.   I've played some very bad games.   And I've even played a fair number of games that were simply missing something.   My particular experience is wide ranging.   From field games such as soccer and lacrosse which I've spent half a lifetime playing to word games, if it's interested me in some way, I've likely either played it or have been a spectator with an active interest.   For a long time, computer games occupied hours of each day.   Diablo, Quake, Descent, Baldur's Gate, Metroid...the list goes on for some time.   So how does one teach Scouts to design a game?

Ask yourself, what did I enjoy about any one game and you're off to a good start.   People play games because they challenge or divert you in some way you find entertaining.   Designing a game is the art of looking at what experiences you've enjoyed in the past and figuring out a way to capitalize on them in a fun and meaningful manner.   The MB takes these many experiences into account, and starts with laying some very important groundwork.

Last Thursday night, I had a chance to impress these core ideals in a group of young minds.   After all the Scouts arrived and made themselves comfortable, we started.   I asked Scouts take turns talking about four different games they've played and analyze them.   Their analysis covered basic building blocks of game theory, such as medium, format, objectives, rules, resources and theme.   Every game has at least 4 of these, most that have been professionally developed and sold have all six.   Once they expressed a baseline for what requirements go into making a game, then they move onto learning some very important terms used to describe games.   Some of the answers were interesting and led to brief side conversations.   I made sure to stress some concepts that I considered important.   First, while I considered Minecraft to be a game (some of the Scouts didn't), I made no such provisions for Candyland.   The other important point I tried to drive home during this discussion was the difference between official rules and 'house' rules.   I told them that house rules are just as important, but if you have to play the game purely as designed, it's important to understand the official rules.

Scouts were asked to define thematic elements such as story, setting and characters.   They're asked to explain play sequence, level design and interface design.   There are almost 20 different terms that they have to understand before moving forward from this point.   While learning vocabulary is hardly exciting, gripping stuff, it is required to progress.   One can possibly build a desk without knowing how to define a hammer, screwdriver or how to put Part A into Part B.   But to really understand the process, you have to know how to define and use the terms.   Having a conversation about designing a game forces Scouts to look at games they've played in the past in a more top-down view.   No longer are they the consumers and end users.   Now, they take on the role of the creator.

Before we moved into the really exciting material, we had to cover one more area of study in relation to designing games.   Possibly the driest of topics that would only excite a lawyer, those earning the MB must spend a little time learning about intellectual property.   Scouts may not realize it, but the lessons learned hear can be well extended beyond Game Design.   Hopefully, they gained something from the examples of what is and isn't a licensed property.

Teaching Magic
So the Scouts have had a taste of what it means to be a designer.   They've learned some new terms and have had a chance to listen to me wax poetical about the finer points of trademark law (actually, we keep this part very simple - it's not quite poetry to an eleven year old).

What's next?   Let's crack a pack!

To earn this MB, Scouts have to play a game.   The game has to be variables that can be introduced.   It can be a game they've played before, but I wanted to offer something new to many of them.   While I knew that two of the nine Scouts had some experience before with MTG, I knew that there was at least one format they've likely never played.   Working with the local game store, I had made arrangements in advance to have two packs of M13 per participant waiting in advance for me.   I decided that it would be fun to use one pack per person to run a Mini-masters, and then offer the second pack for each Scout as a item to take home with them and open on their own time.

As we finished up going over Intellectual Property, I was pulling out my mono-red standard deck.   Jacob was doing the same with his janky blue-black Stuffy Doll deck (don't ask, but I will qualify this with he's finished in the Top-8 at a PTQ with it).   Using our two decks, we briefly explained the game, from drawing your hand, playing land and on to the first few plays of a game.   I showed the Scouts the different parts of a card, from name to power and toughness.   We also went over life totals and different card types.   It was a whirlwind tour of how to play the game that lasted all of eight minutes.   I do talk fast, but I didn't want to take too long belaboring any one point.   I wanted to get them playing

The next move was to distribute their packs.   Each Scout opened their pack of M13 as per my instructions, discarding the cards that were unnecessary (the extra land and token cards).   Leaving the deck face down, we passed around the holiest of holy LGS game store relics, the 'bin-o-lands'.   Instructing them to take three of each land type, we soon had them shuffling.   As soon as they were ready, I passed out six-sided dice to determine who would get to decide who could decide as to which player would draw or play.   Before I knew it, I had all of them playing MTG.   And it was good.

An older Scout showing what it means to turn cards sideways.

The Scouts were lined up so they faced their opponents down the length of three tables (graciously set up in advance by the LGS with chairs and reserved for our use).   Jacob took one side of the table, I took the other.   As this was both meant to be both friendly and a teaching environment, occasionally he'd outright make play recommendations.   Sometimes I stopped play to get everyone's attention regarding a gamestate (mostly to explain common evergreen keywords such as lifelink).   At the end of the first round of games, I changed the rules.   Feeling that they knew what they were doing at this point, I introduced a couple of new wrinkles.   The first thing I did was paired up Scouts on either side of the table - the next round would be 2HG.   I knew that this would be a more complicated, but I had faith the pay-off would be worth it.   Scouts learn to work together under difficult circumstances.   Knowing how bright the boys were and they're naturally proclivity to work together made the decision easy for me.   The added benefit if having them help each other how to play while limiting the number of shoulders Jacob or I had to watch over made it a no-brainer for me.

The other change we introduced was one I had prepared for in advance.   Not all packs of a core set are created equal.   No one really expects to play well with just what you can open in a single pack, as balancing issues are sure to come up.   Either the pack could be heavier in instants and sorceries or it could have a larger number of low cost or high cost cards was something I knew going into this.   So I took a simple precaution.   Out of my stockpile at home, I had grabbed a dozen or so low cost, big pay off creatures to bring with me.   Flyers, haste and protection type creatures featured heavily.   Before they started their 2HG round, I shuffled the cards I brought with me and gave out one per Scout.   In hindsight, I did one thing wrong here.   I should have loaded them up with two or three creatures each at this step.   Teaching is about learning though, as much for me as for the Scouts.   Future classes will incorporate this idea.

With the changes in effect, we launched straight into another round.   The games took a little bit longer than before, but the Scouts adapted well to the change.   Before I knew it, my help was no longer really necessary.   They were plotting strategies and working out the best way to approach difficult problems presented by their opponents.   It really was amazing to watch them enjoy playing a game I've spent so much time learning in the past year and a half.

Winning
It's hard to actually capture for you all of the little victories that evening.   One that I remember distinctly was one Scout playing a creature during his first main phase.   It wasn't that he played it for the right cost (he did).   It wasn't that he played it at the exact time he needed it.   No...it was as he played it, he said, "I summon..."   Wow.   Future Vorthos player right there.

Now that I think about it though, there were nine victories that day.   Not all the Scouts found themselves in a winning position.   Not all of them opened up a pack for a choice rare.   All of them did learn a new game (or a new format) and every last one of them left that night smiling.    Before they did though, I handed them two packets and their second pack of M13.   The first is packet is one I provide most Scouts when they take a class I teach.   It's a workbook that will help to guide them in the next steps they have to take to finish the class.   The other packet had a pair of articles written by the maven of game design, Mark Rosewater.

In setting up for the class, I figured I could find a good article or two by Mark on the topic.   Author of some ridiculous number of articles on Daily MTG, I went to my dear friend Google and asked it to search, "Magic the Gathering Game Design".   It set me on the path to this pair of articles:

Ten Things Every Game Needs, Part 1
Ten Things Every Game Needs, Part 2

No one is better on this topic than Mark.   When I handed this packet out to the Scouts, I made sure they understood how important it was to read them and what Mark's done for the game in terms of design and a vision for the evolution of MTG.

I know the evening was a success.   Scouts will still have to develop and demonstrate an original game for me, but the first seeds have been planted.   From the LGS giving us big props on their Facebook page to Mike Robles doing a write up in a Gathering Magic article, we've received no small amount of attention.   The Scouts from my Troop were gentlemen throughout the night.   Even a few of the store regulars who were in the game room gave me a hand at one point or another (thanks Toby, Garrett and Jon).   All of this doesn't measure up to the one perfect moment that happened as I was cleaning up.   Probably the youngest Scout in the room went up to his father before leaving and asked the all important question, "Dad, can I buy some Magic stuff before we leave?"

And that my friends is a win, no matter how you slice it.



Endnotes
This event wouldn't have come together without some very special help.   Sue W. of Jersey Shore Council helped to get my Counselor status approved for Game Design.   Robbie and Rich of Jester's Playhouse in Northfield, NJ, hosted us for this event and have promised to lend a hand.   In fact, Robbie came over to talk to the Scouts at the end of the evening about his role in promoting games and giving feedback to designers.   We already have another session planned to teach a board game, with discussions to run this as a repeating event that I'll open up to Boy Scouts in my area, not just for my Troop.   Mike Robles of Gathering Magic helped to get the word out about our program, and I can't thank him enough.   I also want to encourage LGS's to reach out to their local Scout Troops and Councils to find out how they can sponsor an event like this, either by hosting or by going through the process to become Merit Badge Counselors.   Lastly, without the continued help and support of Troop 94 this would likely not have happened.   Before I sign off, here's a link to Jester's with some additional photos (just scroll down if interested), along with a link to Gathering Magic article by Mike.

Jester's Playhouse
Gathering Magic: Treasure Hunt

Until next time, remember this.   Playing Magic may be fun, but teaching it is even better!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Magic Lexicon

Playing a game like MTG with a 20 year history, means players have developed their own lexicon.   Here are some of the more commonly heard terms and expressions assembled in one place, defined as I understand them.   This list does include slang and lesser known terms that I've come across.   As I'm always learning, this list will be updated as I come across new terms.

Ultimately, this is to serve as a personal reminder and to help my youngest learn and use terms correctly.   I hope sharing this list benefits you as well.


Aggro - 1. A deck designed to turn creatures sideways early and often. 2. In BREAD, Aggro represents a card type - creatures that can be brought out to attack.

America - Slang term for playing the colors red, white and blue.

Alternate Win Condition - Winning by a method other than reducing a player's life total to 0.   Poison Counters, Mill, and specific cards such as Battle of Wits.   Getting a player to concede may also, by some players, be considered an alternate win condition but it is not an official one.

Azorius - Color combination blue and white.

Bant - A color shard.   Colors are green, white, blue.

Bear - A slang term for any basic 2/2 create for 2 mana.  A MTG staple and an important unit of measurement when comparing creature casting costs versus abilities.

Block - 1. To prevent creatures your opponent controls attacking with creatures you control. 2. A group of 2, 3, or 4 sets released between annual editions (the most recent block is Return to Ravnica and includes RTR, GTC, and DMZ). 3. To not get playable or strong cards in the color you are drafting (as in, "I was into the second pack and was blocked from red and white").

Bombs - Cards that in most cases can end a game on their own - ie, a big, bad bomb - or are powerful enough to send your opponent back to the drawing board.   Every drafter hopes for 2-3, but is often satisfied with finding one.   In Constructed, many decks are built around the concept of getting bombs out as early as possible (particularly Aggro decks).

Boros - Color combination red and white.

Bounce - To send a card from the battlefield back to a player's hand.

BREAD - An acronym that refers to drafting priority.  Bombs, Removal, Evasion/Efficiency, Aggro, Duds.

BUG - Color combination Black, blue, and green.

Casual - Apparently, most MTG games are 'casual'.   The rules are what two players decide.  Decks may be constructed using established guidelines or some other mutually agreed upon system.   A good way to learn the game and enjoy oneself, but not necessarily a good way to prepare for regulation play.

Catacomb Slug - I'll go ahead an say it.   The art is offensive.   The card cost is too high.   I can't imagine a situation where I'm playing black where I need a wall that there isn't a better option out there.   So...this is probably the card I personally dislike the most, and it will be an ongoing butt of jokes for as long as I write about Magic.   I know it's not the worst card ever, but it's the worst card I know.   One day, I shall write a poem explaining how much I loathe thee.

Combat Tricks - Cards that work to create advantage over an opponent using methods other than outright removal.

Control - A deck designed to prevent your opponent from playing to their strengths.   Many players enjoy playing this deck, even more hate playing against it. (Fact, you can look it up).

Counters - Bring them in quantity and variety enough for you and your opponent.   Counters can be small flat glass beads, coins, smaller sized d6 dice, or many other items.   The idea here is they should be, you guessed it, small. (see Dice and Tokens).

Curve - Casting cost per card for your deck.   If you have more 1 and 2 drops than 3 or more drops, you have a 'low' curve.   If you have more higher casting cost cards, then you have a 'high' curve.   For a format such as limited, you want to have in most cases a lower curve (ie, you can get cards out earlier in the game).

Dice - Bring them in quantity and variety enough for you and your opponent.   (see Counters and Tokens).

Dimir - Color combination black and blue.   Often the source of in jokes, as House Dimir is said to be highly secretive.   In-jokes run the gamut from 'There is no such thing as House Dimir' to 'I'm not playing Dimir' (when you actually are).

Draft - Often argued as being the 'purest' form of the game.   Everyone seated is on equal footing when the packs are opened, everyone has a chance at great cards.   Anyone can develop a winning strategy.   This is where luck meets skill and results in an overwhelming challenge of play styles.

Draft Droppings - Cards left behind after a draft on the tables, often by players that have full sets already of the cards left behind.   Most often, draft droppings are lands, commons and tokens, although sometimes they include uncommons or 'junk' rares.

Duds - Cards no one wants.   (see Catacomb Slug).

Edge Cases - Situations and card combinations that very rarely occur.   ie - Picking up Possibility Storm may  work in one edge case, but most of the time it's garbage.

EDH - Elder Dragon Highlander, aka Commander.   An increasingly popular format for players based on a 99 card deck with an additional Legendary Creature card that serves as your 'commander'.   Claimed to be the only format that Magic Judges play or play well (wholly untrue - more of a slanderous claim at this point than in-joke, but the truth is this is a format many Judges love - likely because of the strange rules interactions that this format encourages).

Esper - A color shard.   Colors are white, blue, black.

Evasion/Efficiency - Depending on the set, this may mean more of one than the other.   Evasion creatures/spells allow you to bypass blockers in some way and Efficiency spells are those that get you a strong return for limited cost.

FNM - Friday Night Magic.   Game stores offer different formats, but the most common seem to be Standard and Draft.

Golgari - Color combination of black and green.

Grixis - A color shard.   Colors are black, red, blue.

Grok - A synonym of the word understand.   ie, "Do you grok how Searing Spear kills a creature?   It's not the spear, it's a state based action."

Gruul - Color combination of red and green.

Guilds - Two color combinations from Ravinica.

Hate Draft - To select a card that you don't believe you'll use to keep other players from using it.   Often done to select a powerful, low-value card, pick up a card you don't have an answer for, or to choose one that you simply have had bad luck opposing in the past.   Unless you have a good reason to do this (such as you know you'll do poorly against it AND you don't see anything else you need), it's bad form to draft this way.

Homebrew - To develop a constructed deck based around principles you determine.   The opposite of 'netdecking'.

Izzet - Color combination red and blue.

Johnny - A middle of the road skill level player.   Spell slinging is important.   Often plays decks that include control schemes are a favorite of Johnnies.

Jank - A poor hand or deck.

Judge - The Men in Black.  They know the rules, they enforce the rules, they play EDH (sorry, had to do it).   Seriously, Magic Judges are your friends.   Respect them for their willingness to give up their time playing so you an enjoy your game more.   Thank them for their devotion to the game.   Remember, as bad as your day is, oftentimes Judges have had a worse day.

Judge! - The call of a confused, threatened, or ticked off MTG player (or one who suddenly has to run to the bathroom).

Jund - A color shard.   Colors are red, black, and green.

Junk - A color grouping.   Colors are white, black, and green.

Junk Rares - Rare cards that have little to no replay or resale value.   They never see play in any of the constructed formats.

LGS - Local Game Store, a place to play Magic with complete strangers and lose in a humiliating fashion.   They are your supplier to the greater world that is MTG.   Make friends with the owners, help other people who play there and generally try to make yourself useful.

Life Counter - A device to track you life total in a game.  Often a 20-sided die that descends in a sequential pattern, a program on a smartphone or iPad, or a pad of paper & pen.   Other methods exist.   Optimal method is to use pen and paper.

Limited - Any of the sealed or draft formats, where the pool of cards available come from packs opened at the time of the event.

Mana Fixing - Cards that help supply mana in colors that you need to splash or run multiple colors.  Dual lands, some artifacts and creatures can all help supply mana in colors needed.

Mana Flood - Top decking mana instead of spells to play.   Often results in game loss.

Mana Screw - Not getting enough land to play cards in your hand and/or not getting mana in the right color to support your hand.   Often results in game loss.

Melvin - Someone who looks at MTG purely as a card game and evaluates it as such.   Personally, I think this is a bit of a mythological creature - surely if you play MTG, you were drawn to it for a reason other than this creature is a 2/2 and has a special ability.

Melvin/Vorthos - A means of identifying player types beyond the typical Timmy/Johnny/Spike method.   A player can be a Melvin, or he/she can be a Timmy/Melvin or a Johnny/Melvin.

Mid-Range - Used to describe a deck that tries to be both aggressive and controlling, sometimes doing neither well and other times frustrating opponents until a killing move can be made with what is typically a larger creature.

Mill - An action that results in cards being moved from the library directly to the graveyard.   This can be at the disadvantage of the opponent (to win by an alternate win condition) or at the advantage of the player (to put cards in the graveyard for later use).   Also a term used to describe a deck whose purpose is to remove cards from the library to the graveyard.

Mono (COLOR) - A deck type that focuses on one color.   Sometimes a 'mono' deck may splash a second color, but true 'mono' decks are only one of the five colors uses in MTG.

Mothership, The - In default usage this refers to Wizards of the Coast.   Depending on context, can also make reference to companies such as Star City Games, TCG, and more.

MTG - Magic: The Gathering.

Naya - A color shard.   Colors are red, green, white.

Netdecking - Taking a deck list from the Internet and building your own deck from the list.   Used in reference to constructed play.   This manner of deck development lacks originality.   Folks, this is a fine way to create a deck - but it's more fun to create something for yourself that fits your play style and abilities.

Opponent - A person invested enough in the game to play with you.   Regardless of the results, they deserve your respect for playing with you, buttercup.

Orzhov - Color combination black and white.

Pimped Cards/Deck/Lands - Full card art and/or foils.   It's an increasing trend to try to make entire decks out of these pretty cards, even if the name is derogatory.

Playmat - A player's playmat is his castle...or near enough that sometimes you think that.   Most oftentimes, these objects are pretty on one side, black on the other and the only defense against people who sat there before you and their messy/filthy habits.   It's a portable clean tabletop.   I'm not sure what it says about players who use them vs. players who don't, but I'm sure it's important.   Never leave home without it.
/end sarcasm filter

Pro - A player of MTG that somehow makes enough money from playing to do so almost exclusively.   It's not easy and the more I learn about it the more I wonder if it's fun at all.   Pro players spend a great deal of time travelling, chasing a few points against fields of hundreds or thousands of other players.

Rakdos - Color combination black and red.

REL - Rules Enforcement Level.   There are three levels, Regular, Competitive and Professional.   The different levels indicate increasing penalties that may result from rules violations.   The best way to avoid violations is to be a sporting player, read the rules (a lot), and spend time practicing against other people to get better.

Removal - Cards that help you get rid of other cards; typically creature cards are the number one target.   Removal is often an instant or a sorcery, but it can be any of the other types that performs this behavior.

RUG - Color combination red, blue, and green.

Salty - Feeling bitter.   Often as a result of a poor finish or a negative occurrence (forgetting your favorite lands as an example).  ie, "Boy, John sure was salty after top decking that catacomb slug."   Note, while there is some overlap, being salty is an emotional state that is more akin to feeling upset at oneself or a poor draft, while tilting is more akin to being off one's game.

Scoop - To concede the game and/or match by picking up your cards in play, ie 'To scoop them up,' or by stating, 'I scoop.'   It's far from formal, but it is universally accepted as acknowledging a losing position.

Selesnya - Color combination of green and white.

Shard - Look at Magic color wheel.   Colors in order: white, blue, black, red, green.   A shard is a group of three colors in order as they go around the wheel.   Based on Alara.

Simic - Color combination of green and blue.

Sleeves - Vinyl covers to protect your cards from damage during shuffling and play.   Think about your sleeves before you use them.   Don't buy any sleeves you wish to put on a deck that have a see through back.   Pleeeeease, don't buy sleeves you intend to play in public that feature scantily clad characters.   Or do, knowing your maturity level does help in assessing your skill level.   Always put your deck into a new set of sleeves before playing in a larger competition (and bring spares).

Sleeve Up - To put your deck in sleeves.   Considered important if you care about card value.   Decks must be either entirely sleeved or not sleeved at all.

Spike - A player whose driving interest is to win.

Sportsmanship - Acting in a manner you wish to be treated.   Greeting your opponent by name, wishing them good luck in the match to come, and shaking their hand at the conclusion of the match are all positive examples of sportsmanship.   Whether you win or lose, you must always offer to shake your opponent's hand at the end of a match.

Swing - Sometimes said at the start of the actual attack step.   Instead of stating, "I'll attack with..." a player may state, "I'll swing with..." or simply, "Swing."

Table Flipping - This is bad.   Don't do it.

Team - A group of players that works together to test and find decks that are optimal for competition.   Most teams are either based through an LGS, an online presence (such as Channel Fireball), or some other grouping of like skilled players.

Tilt - Something that affects your gamestate in a negative manner - often mental.   Missed triggers, misplays, and not reading your opponent's likely counters can all contribute.

Timmy - Me.   I love dragons and angels and big swingy creatures.

Timmy, Johnny, Spike - A scale that measures a player's interest and skill level in the game.

TO - Tournament Organizer.   Used to describe a person/company that has provided space so all of us can come play a little game called Magic.   They deserve respect, if not your allegiance, as they make the gas  that fuels FNM, GP, and Open tournament engines.

Tokens - Bring them in quantity and variety enough for you and your opponent.   (see Counters and Dice).   When playing in a store or at a competition, leave the tokens of scantily clad persons and those that are offensive at home (better yet, just burn them).   It is easy enough to have the appropriate tokens for almost any deck you play, so don't be a hoser.

Top Deck - Pulling the card you need on your draw step from your library.   For instance, having 5 mountains in play and drawing a Thundermaw Hellkite and needing to do exactly 5 points of damage to win.

Trade - 1. The act of exchange cards between players in an effort both engage in to improve their decks or trade binders. 2. When a card is blocked by another card and both creatures die.

Trade Binder - A binder that has cards you wish to trade in it.   Point of advice - when your Rare and Mythic Rare collection starts to become remotely valuable, only bring your trade binder with you to public events - leave the stuff you value and won't trade at home.   Theft of binders has become more common and can only be prevented through vigilance and other steps to protect yourself.

Trash Talk - Making brash proclamations, often derogatory or inflammatory in nature.   Can be funny in the right group and under the right conditions, but most of the time it just makes you look like a jerk.

Turn Creatures (or Cards) Sideways - A slang expression used to describe an aggressive deck - one meant to be on the attack.   Also used to describe a play style, as in, "I just want to turn cards sideways."

Value Draft - To select a card you likely won't play simply because you can trade or sell it later to your advantage.   Mostly done for cards that are worth $5 or more.

Vorthos - A player who treats MTG as a representation of an actual, magical place.   Remember, the player is a Planeswalker, and we're all just slinging spells.

WotC - Wizards of the Coast, creators of Magic the Gathering.  Owned by Hasbro.


If you know a term I should have in this list, add it in the comments along with your best definition.   If you've heard a term used and don't know what it means, let me know in the comments section.

[After I finished about 90% of my list, I found about about this resource and this resource.   They have many more terms, but are missing some of mine.   The reason for the missing terms can be attributed to regional terms or evolution of the lexicon to include new terms.   No list can ever be complete.]

Monday, May 13, 2013

$300

This week, I wrestled with what to write about.   The same beastly thought kept popping back into my head, regardless of how many times I tried to feed it a nice medium rare t-bone and ignore it until it went away.   I have a short list of topics that I keep in a separate folder that I very much wanted to cut into instead of this topic.   This time I thought I'd get to one of them.   Unfortunately, I simply couldn't kick this idea to the curb.

I'm like many writers in that I wrestle with an idea quite a bit before I commit to it.   I look at a topic from as many angles as possible, trying to shine a light into the darkest corners until I feel I understand something well enough to show it to everyone else.   This weeks topic I feel is a little bit controversial.   I don't want to always write something that pokes at the establishment, but sometimes I have to exorcise a demon or a kitchen fink.   Sorry to disappoint anyone who wanted something shiny and pretty - this is going to be one of those days.

Background
Before we delve into today's version of, "Things that bother Magic Dad," I must offer a small qualification or three.   I very nearly hold a bachelors degree in Business Administration.   I work in a field that is customer service oriented and have done so for twenty years.   I have a very small amount of common sense.

My point, is that for the purposes of this article I have some both learning and experience in the area I'm about to talk about.  I am not a WotC employee, nor do I have any time as an employee in a supportive role for the industry.   I am wholly independent as a writer of a blog about Magic: The Gathering, even though I do seek the advice of a few people who own stores, websites or otherwise are involved in the game.   I'm establishing these points so that if you want to, you can tell me in the comments why I'm wrong and just scroll up to cite something I've said in these two paragraphs as to why I don't know anything.   Go ahead, it won't hurt my feelings.   With over fourteen years in Boy Scouts and dealing with sometimes irrational people while I don't get paid a dime means one thing - I'm a big boy and I can take your criticisms.

This is my opinion.   And it's just that, an opinion.   I believe it is an informed one that I hope you'll share when I'm done.

Economics 101
There are a thousand things one learns in business.   But business is no different than the George Carlin bit about the 10 Commandments.   If you haven't seen it yet, search for it on YouTube (this is on you, I'm assuming you're an adult or at least allowed to view it by your parental units).   To summarize, George takes on the Church and about 1700 years worth of doctrine in a spiel that eviscerates the commonly held belief that man needs 10 laws to live by to be saved.   In just about 6 minutes, he distills the 10 Commandments down to two simple rules.   And there isn't a person who watches him do it that doesn't at least for a few seconds think, "Wow, that is so true."   Business, like Carlin's take on the 10 Commandments can be distilled to a very simple phrase of 3 words.   Supply and Demand.   So simple, even a parrot can learn it.   Maybe that's the real reason why a Business MBA is practically valueless.

I really did want to write about something else this week or post my Magic Lexicon that I've been working on recently.   Sometimes though, my fingers do things I don't anticipate.   If you've been anywhere near a computer recently you should watch out folks, most of you know what is coming and Magic Dad is about to step in it.

Actually, I'm not.   But we're not there yet, so bear with me.   I assure you, the ending may be interesting but the real reason we're all here is for the ride.

Bull//Horns
Here it is.  I'm going to say it.   Are you ready?

I strongly feel mistakes were made with Commander's Arsenal.   But the real travesty is what is happening right now with Modern Masters.   There is an online MTG store that started the weekend pre-selling Modern Masters for $225.   It wasn't long before it jumped to $250.   Then it really moved in price.   Their current asking price, per box, is $300.   That is on a product that has an MSRP (if I'm not mistaken) of $167.76 (24 packs at $6.99 MSRP per pack).   That is a mark-up of nearly 80%.   Before the product has been released, before any real preview has been conducted, a retailer has speculated that the value of this product is completely misrepresented.   That's not the punchline.   The punchline is on Sunday alone I watched them sell 9 boxes at this highly inflated price point.

That store a proverbial 800 lb. gorilla that other online and brick and mortar stores tend to follow when it comes to pricing guidelines on Magic product.   That statement isn't disparaging, it's fact.   The amount of volume this store pushes of Magic product is the highest of any retailer, likely by large margin but I can't confirm that.   They are E.F. Hutton, and when they set a price, people listen.

Casting Blame
You think this article is about casting blame and calling this store a bad egg who profits off of a broken system.   Well, you'd be partially right.   This article is about casting blame.   Some of it anyway.   And it is about a broken system.   What it's not about is calling the store a bad egg, as they are a cog in a very big machine.

The current system is rather interesting.   Wizards of the Coast creates product.   They sell it to retailers (making WotC the Manufacturer) and everyone else is a retailer or consumer.   Wizards, using market data and a divining rod (actually, they have Fblthp chained to a desk with a Ouija board) comes up with a formula for how many units of any one product type they produce.   The manufacturer sells to retailers at a set percentage value of the MSRP and likely uses some type of volume discount formula for larger retailers.   Ultimately Wizards knows based on how many units they produce as to how much profit they will make for a given product.   That value is a hard number for something that they determine will have a limited release (ie, a set number of units produced).   At this point, WotC washes their hands of any future profits or transactions of said product for the purposes of this illustration.

The store in question, as a representative of the retailer community, pays for the product at this set price.   They then have a decision to make.   Do we sell the units at the MSRP, or do they charge more or less?   In this case, given the limited print run of the product and the increased consumer interest, they realize they have a situation where Demand far outstrips Supply.   This is when economics see systems break down.

Consumers for their part are sheep (I'm one too, so stop looking at me like that).   We all 'vote' with our dollars.   A difference of a few dollars on a low priced item can send us looking for alternate means of fulfillment.   Yet this is a special case.   Fans of Magic are willing to occasionally pay a premium when they see a product that has an increased reward attached to it.   Spoiling that players can open a pack with the revered Tarmogoyf is enough in this case to get them salivating.   This store is capitalizing on that desire.   Surprisingly enough, they have judged that the market will bear this practically ludicrous price point for a box of cardboard.   Many others have followed suit (not all, but enough to be disturbing).   And all they are selling is pretty cardboard.   We can argue they are speculating on a futures market, but when it comes down to it, it's cardboard.

Neither Wizards nor the retailer market is wholly to blame.   Consumers, with their credit cards certainly carry some of the burden as well.   The end result is a perfectly functioning example of capitalism.   But it is still broken.

Busted
Before we resolve to actually find a fix for this system, it is important we look at what part of it really is broken.   For that, I'm going to refer to a Twitter post on Sunday afternoon (May 12th) by a character affectionately known as, Dr. Jeebus.   The good doctor posted, "Am I the only who thinks Modern Masters is going to do exactly what it's intended to?"   I'm no mind reader, but my take on this question is that he is asking this simple question.   Is Modern Masters going to promote a new generation of players to be interested in playing the Modern format?

This is why the $300 is representative of a broken system.   Wizard's intent, when they created this product was to generate new interest in a format that could use a bolster of fresh blood.   Players who have been playing MTG for a while often observe that Modern is a great format, but cost prohibitive to enter.   Eureka, says someone in development at Wizards, "We shall create a product called Modern Master and bolster interest in the format at a reasonably accessible price point!"   Someone forget to send the retailers the memo though.

A $300 price point is not accessible for a box product that could or could not contain enough cards to create outright or through crafty trading allow a player to build a reasonably competitive Modern deck.   Wizards and by extension, retailers have missed the mark.

The Fix is In
That leaves us all with a heavy question to answer.   We need to find a way to encourage retailers and Wizards to find an equitable solution that benefits everyone - especially consumers.   The horse as they say, is out of the barn on this product release.   In this case, I wish all consumers of MTG luck in finding Modern Masters at a price point they (and possibly more importantly their SOs) can live with spending.   Not all retailers will go the route of the 800 lb. gorilla.   I think anyone who doesn't though will likely sell out incredibly fast of any stock they manage to obtain.

Looking to the future, it's not an unreasonable expectation that three policies should be considered.   I believe they are legal and should be of interest, particularly to WotC.   Retailers will eventually get on board as well for it will level the playing field for all parties.   If for no other reason than to seek an equilibrium that does not alienate fan base over perceived price gouging this should be considered.

1. Limited Print Run should be changed to Available for a Limited Time for all future productions of special MTG card sets.   Shorten the availability cycle of a product, but don't set the print run at a X number of product units produced.   This will lessen the impact of demand initially outstripping supply and will still place value on a product that isn't produced in mass for an entire production cycle.   Yes, if WotC really thinks a product should be a collectible item they can create something that befits the moniker - the legends series for instance.   But by and large, WotC is in business to produce a product that consumers want to play.

2. WotC should consider holding all authorized retailers to a reasonable mark-up of product for a set period of time.   This means, WotC should outright contractually obligate retailers to sign contracts that state, "CompanyName will not sell ProductName for more than 5% above MSRP during pre-orders and until the product reaches the end of its production cycle date."   Can they do this?   Yes they can.   It is a free market system.   But as an authorized retailer, WotC has a right as a manufacturer to expect certain behaviors from the retailer.   If J.K. Rowling can get retailers to sign contracts that opening boxes before the sell by date of her latest works that have been delivered in advance will result in censure and legal action, then WotC can surely do this or a reasonable variation.

3. As an immediate actionable step, WotC can make the effort to create some parity for the drafting of Modern Masters.   For a limited period of time (perhaps 4-6 months following the release of Modern Masters), WotC can demand that all TO's run drafts at a price point based on the MSRP.   The penalty for this violating this would be simple and transferable to the other two changes.   Violators of said rules will either see their future guaranteed orders of new product reduced or they would lose the distinction of being an authorized retailer.

WotC representatives are quick to point out, they make no money from the secondary card market.   Truth is though, they aren't getting their share of the primary card market right now.   Why shouldn't they profit 40-60% on the $300 being charged?   They've designed an intellectual property that has value and as a manufacturer they should be able to receive a commensurate return on their investment in development.   Retailers who have promoted this insane marketplace whereby they can sell product at highly inflated prices are literally walking along the street picking up $100 bills.   For them, in a market as broken as this one is, it's simply found money.

There is a small saving grace to be noted.   There are retailers, who for lack of a better term are honorable.   Perhaps they'll be forced to pick and choose who they sell their boxes of MM to, but they will sell them at the MSRP recommended by Wizards.   I don't know what the percentage will be of boxes sold at the MSRP versus boxes sold at inflated prices, but I would hope it's high enough that this product will do as intended.   Dr. Jeebus isn't wrong in what he interrupts as the reasoning behind releasing Modern Masters.   But his expectation that it will bring new players to the format is largely folly given the current price point.   Wizards needs to find a formula that allows entry-level players to enter into the Modern format without breaking the bank.   If you really want to be one of those consumers, I strongly suggest you contact your LGS, for I believe many online retailers will fold to the pressure of greed of the higher price point.

It's time to put some of that money back where it belongs.   Let's all as gamers and fans ask WotC and retailers to become better stewards of a tremendous franchise.   Let's tell our LGS and online retailers what we think of price gouging, then back it up by being smart consumers.   It's not a bad thing to ask.   In the end, we all can win.   WotC will receive a larger profit from printing more units, retailers will win through volume instead of pricing, and consumers will win when they go to check their bank statement and realize they can pay for gas this week.



[Edited: Here is a response article from Dr. Jeebus.   Enjoy!  MM: Separating Fact from Fiction]

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Kids Just Want to be Spikes

As I've written about before, I was drawn into MTG by the simple desire to give my younger son someone to play against.   There is an age difference of 9 years between by boys.   With the my older son's schedule and commitments, I knew there was no way he'd end up playing with Jake consistently enough to keep him entertained.   Plus, I figured sooner or later he'd find someone else his age to play with and I'd be able to retire.

That was a year and a half ago.

I'm still playing with Jacob and enjoying every minute of it.   Mostly.   Every once in a while though, I forget he's 12.   Happy Birthday, buddy.

Which leads me to the topic of the day.   Playing a family member in any game can be an emotional roller coaster.   You both want to do well, especially when there are prizes on the line.   You're playing for personal pride as well.   Playing at a limited draft event, with seeding first randomly and then by wins/losses, it is inevitable that if you do it often enough you'll end up playing each other.

Not long ago, Jake and I played at a Gatecrash FNM draft with about 30 other players.   Both of us played two rounds.   Our records were 2-0 against our opponents when the pairings for the third round came up from the computer.   Not surprisingly, we were paired against each other.

I could see Jake was ready to go.   He thought his deck that night was pretty strong.   He had only been telling me minutes before how he controlled his last to games from beginning to end.   I hadn't seen his deck yet (sometimes he shares willingly, at other times like tonight he wants to keep it to himself), but his deckbuilding skills were definitely improving.   I was looking forward to the challenge that he would bring, seeing him as another player who wanted to win.   Not as an 11 year-old boy still learning the game.

We arranged our playmats, electing to sit at one of the main tables.   He put out his dice tray and I found a clean page to keep score.   We shuffled, cut and drew seven.  "Keep."  "Keep."   Just like that, it was on like Donkey Kong.

I don't remember the games as well as I wished (I really need to start taking better notes).   I'm not even sure what I was playing (although I'm pretty sure that night he was trying something with Dimir or Simic and I was way into Gruul).   Here is what I do remember...

Game 1
We both started slow, testing the waters.   Land for each of us to start, then passing turns.   On the second and third round, we were starting to lay out our strategies.   Jacob seemed to be off to a slow to mid-range start.   I was being a little bit more aggressive, trying to get him to show me what he had.

And then...BOOM.   It was over.   I played reasonably smart, bloodrushed when he didn't block my creatures and won the game.   I don't think we went past 6 turns.

Jacob wasn't happy.   He thought he was controlling the board.   Maybe he was and I just happened to top-deck one of my two Zhur-Taa Swines.   I was thinking about his last play or two, wondering if there was something he held back or misplayed - but I couldn't think of anything wrong.   My hand and my board position was simply better than his.

I told him to keep his chin up, that it's only a draft.   Before I knew it, we were into the next game.

Game 2
Jacob mulliganed his first draw, mine was pretty much a snap keep.   Even so, I thought about mulliganing just to keep things sporting.   Unfortunately, that little part of my brain that is left over from our reptilian ancestors took control of my brain and I kept.

Ah, our reptilian ancestors.   Always wanting to be the biggest, baddest kids on the block.   Moving up the evolutionary ladder by sheer desire to be the best little lizards they could be.   When will I ever learn, following that lizard brain isn't always sporting.

So here's the play.   Jacob and I both have creatures on the board, he's building up and I'm doing the same.   Neither of us have a visibly overwhelming board state - but what my son doesn't know is I've got two bloodrush creatures in my hand - one is my buddy the Swine - and mana to spare.   And then it happens.   I top-deck my second Swine.

I attacked tentatively, testing the waters.   Jacob realizes he has to start blocking and does so, leaving one of my lower powered creatures open.   Then I bloodrushed him.  Twice.   With Zhur-Taa Swines.   You could hear a pin drop - five states away.

Game, set, match.   I've defeated this little upstart kid...

Oh.

Oh no, I've messed up.

This is my kid.

And he's folding himself into his chair like he doesn't want anyone to see him.

He's trying to turn his head down, hiding from me.   "Jake?"..."Jacob??"   No response.   His lower lip isn't quite quivering, but his really never does.   It's hard to lose to someone when you're 2-0.   It's harder when you think you've got game.   And it's really hard to lose when you've got a good record, you think you've got game, and you're playing dad.   I won't say what happened next exactly, but it wasn't yelling or acting out - it was more of a quite display of sadness.

[The remaining awkward moments of this scene have been deleted to maintain a modicum of decorum, avert your gaze and move onward].

As badly as he felt in that moment, I think I felt worse.   (Parents will understand this, I don't think kids have the capacity).

The Parent Trap
Being a parent is not an easy role to play.   As parents, we try to balance what is right versus wrong in many of our interactions with our children.   I know we react to situations with our children differently based upon a host of environmental/genetic factors, preconceived notions, and weighing a scale of pros/cons the size of a small passenger plane.

To understand why I beat him, you have to understand me - just a little bit.  I'm not a super-aggro, beat my chest, and howl at the moon competitor.   I want to win, obviously (no one plays who doesn't have a little bit of Spike in them).   I also want to be a good steward of this young man before me, teaching him values that are important to life.   Teaching him to win is important.   Teaching him to lose with some dignity though, I think takes greater skill and is more important.   I want him to win every race, competition, and sweepstakes he enters.   What parent doesn't?   But at the same time, I want him to know how to deal with the eventual disappoint that life brings.   What would MTG be like if we all won, all the time?   Even better yet, what would life be like without some adversity?   As a parent, it is my job to help my boys learn this.   Nothing is free, winning isn't guaranteed, and even the people you love most sometimes beat you up.   Magic allows that to happen in a safe and fun environment.

If I had purposely played poorly game one or two, I could have set him up for the win.   But that doesn't teach him how to cope with losing.   Full disclosure time - environmental factors.   When I was in my young twenties, I played a computer game called Descent 2.   Imagine any first-person shooter made today, only swap out the gamepad or mouse for a flight stick/keyboard combo and throw the protagonist into a single-seat fighter in a zero-g environment.   If you've never played, it is the standard all shooters should be held to in terms of skill/difficulty curve in multiplayer environments.   It had the most brutal learning curve of any FPS before or since, chasing away many would be players.   Learning the game well enough to survive multiplayer more than a minute at a time took most people months (not days, not weeks...MONTHS).   It may not have been easy - but it was fun.   Especially once you got past the learning curve and started to dance through the levels.   Clans held training sessions for all new recruits that took weeks or months to finish, just because the mechanics of being able to move in '6 directions' was that hard.   The point is, I learned the game by dying/losing and by sheer attrition.  I was not going to get good at Descent by dreaming about it, mowing the lawn or talking about it with my dog.   I had to play, lose, and learn from my mistakes.   I played Descent and it's variants for 2-3 years.   I'm sure, given how difficult the game was that even when I played my last game I learned yet another lesson about how to improve my skills.

That experience enters into my thinking when dealing with both of my sons in any competitive setting.   I don't like to take it easy on them during the game.   They have to want it.   It was different when they were young and we'd play Go Fish.   Magic though doesn't reward chance very often.   It rewards knowledge and skill.   When we play, I can't help him by being a simpering push-over.   (Full Disclosure - this doesn't mean I haven't tossed a game or two.   But out of 100 games, I've done everything I could do to win over 95% of the time).

All of this leads to a problem.   I had just handily crushed my son in 2 games.   He's not coping with it well.   So I have a decision to make.   I have to decide (and I have about 3 seconds to do so before I can't make an adjustment to his behavior that will be meaningful) what to do.   The possibilities flash through my head: let him report it as a win, play a 'tie-breaker' game to give him one more shot, tell him to suck it up and man up,   try to show him where he can improve his game or offer to review his deck, and/or offer him a consolation.

He's spiraling fast, and I'm losing my window of opportunity.   One more moment of indecision and I may as well pack my bags for the night.   Trying to judge where he is mentally, I dismiss most of the possible ideas and simply reach for my wallet.   I push a five dollar bill at him and say, "I'm going up to report.   When you feel like it you can go buy a pack if you want."   I'm keeping the win, giving it up doesn't teach him anything.   He doesn't want to hear from me about what cards he should have or should not have in his deck right now.   He won't learn anything if I play another game and do something stupid, giving him the win.   And telling him to man up would be about as effective as pouring gasoline on the fire.   Instead, he's going to get a chance at a choice rare. And hopefully, just maybe, I judged him correctly and he'll turn around so he can enjoy the other two games he'll play before leaving.

So how did that work?

That night I went 4-1.   He finished out pretty strong at 3-2.   His deck, when I did finally get to look at it wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as it needed to be.   If I had let him win, there's almost no way he would have ended up with a record better than 3-2 for the night.   Also, the pack I let him buy had a shockland in it.

It took a little while before he was able to talk to me, but we did review the game a little bit and what choices he had made.   He probably should have mulled game one, but kept the hand believing it would pull him through.   As we left that night, he asked me if he could have a pack from my winnings.

"Not a chance, buddy."

I'm sure some of you think that's a cruel answer.   But in that moment, he and I both understood sometimes the dice don't fall in your favor.   Deal with it and try to make better choices next time.   Until you do, remember that while you may fall, I'll be there to pick you up.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Learning Limited: 3 Basic Concepts

Drafting is an acquired skill.   That is a universal truth.   No one is a pro at it from the start, and everyone has a pretty steep learning curve to overcome.   Some people do apply this skill better than others.   For the first six months my son and I drafted, we rarely won more than 1 in 5 games.   Both of us felt we were doomed to failure.   And before you start writing in and telling me the magic formula or I should just read more - believe me, I was reading.

I was eventually taught the BREAD method by a friend and LGS owner (we'll get to that in a minute).   A few days later, I passed it on to my son during a 20 minute car ride.   That night, we lost in a more spectacular fashion than any combined 3 previous experiences.   He was ready to throw in the towel.   I wasn't so happy either.

The only problem was, we didn't know we needed more pieces of the puzzle.   After some trial and error, we found to be good at drafting you have to be in control of 3 key areas.   And I'm going to give them to you right now, in a no-nonsense way that can help anyone who's new to drafting immediately improve their game.

I am by no means a drafting pro, but I'm becoming more confident.   Of the past 6 times I've drafted at my LGS, I have had winning records 5 times (and out of twenty or so other competitors on average, I've come very close to making it to the top 4 once).   The improvements in my son's game have given him confidence that one day soon he'll beat everyone in the room - and he turns twelve in just 2 days.  That is a big difference from where we were just two months ago.   It's all due to three important skills that I'm going to share with you now.

Curve (aka, The Casting Cost Conundrum)
Before we talk about BREAD, let's talk about curve - specifically, mana curve.   When you select your cards, if you're new to drafting, you need to do two things until this becomes second nature.

First, you need to sort your cards into piles.   From left to right (or whatever system works for you), the piles represent casting cost.   Keep one pile off to the side for 'junk' picks, things you know you can't use in limited because it doesn't match your colors, is way too top-heavy to use, or is a value rare you selected but won't play.   Pile one is 1 mana, pile two is 2 mana and so on.   As you draft, the piles on the left half of your space must grow faster than the piles to the right.   Drafting in a limited format, with 8 man pods on average is about 80% sending out small creatures to do quick initial damage and get your opponent on the ropes before they knew what hit them.   If you happen to select a card with X in its casting cost, consider X=1 for this task placing it in a pile.  (Yes, the more I learn the more I find out about different archtypes and formulas and on and on and on...but really, this is the basis for learning limited).

Ideally, you should have no less than 3-4 1 mana items in colors you can use (more can be better, depending on the set, strategy and colors you're trying for), 5-7 2 mana items, 3-5 3 mana items and the remainder spread out as you see fit.   Yes, it seems like a lot.   And to do this you may have to pass on a few uncommons or rares you'd be otherwise tempted to select.   But would you rather be in a position post draw where you can envision your next 4 plays cleanly?   Or would you want to be in a play position where after turn 3 you finally might be able to play a creature?   I know which position I'd rather be in, every time.

You do end up with more cards than you should use in your deck.   Keep in mind mana curve as you make selections to winnow down to 40 total cards.

Curve doesn't end with picking your initial cards.   The other, simple rule you need to follow is keep your library between 40 and 42 cards (40 is better, but 41 to pull an extra Land isn't going to open the gates of hell, and 42 is possible to run...but there should be a definite plan that justifies running that many).   Of those 40 cards, 16-17 should be creatures, 6-7 should be spells (artifacts, enchantments, instants, and sorceries), and the remainder should be Lands.   This rule is a good starting guideline.   You'll find (as I have with current block of RTR, GTC, and DMZ) that this model depends on your colors and plan of attack, but you'll do well enough using those numbers as a starting point.

That's Curve in a nutshell.   There is some variation between sets, but until you learn to identify them, this process will help you a tremendous amount.   There are plenty of theory driven, probability laden, extensively research articles out there, but in the end this is what they all seem to come down to.   I'll likely end up writing separate articles on all of these topics later, but if you want to learn Curve in a way that will help you right out of the starting gate, stick with this.   It will win you games.

B.R.E.A.D.
BREAD is a useful, but sometimes misleading acronym.   It's misleading because without knowing Curve, you have the potential to do great things - or royally screw up.

My LGS friend who taught me BREAD obviously thought I knew about Curve first, otherwise he would have spent time on it.   He's a bright guy and wants to see me winning just as much as he wants to see me teaching my 11 year old how to win.   So let's look at BREAD and why it's not just for making a sandwich:

  • Bombs - You need between 1 and 3...probably.   Bombs are higher cost, more potent cards that can either swing for big damage or give you multiple .   In Gatecrash, cards like Assemble the Legion and Aurelia the Warleader are bombs.   Every set has its share, most of them are Rare or Mythic.   Most bombs though are higher cost or strong commons that have favorable attributes for the late game - a 6/7 could be considered a bomb in the right deck.
  • Removal - This is tricky and depends largely on the style of deck you build.   Think of removal as the great big answer to 'What If' situations.   Optimally, you want removal that either A. Takes a card out by simply removing it from the battlefield or B. Does X amount of damage (2-3 points are best).   Ideally, you want removal to be flexible and powerful.   You should get at few of these for your deck, and more may be better depending on what you're attempting to do.
  • Evasion or Efficient - Evasion refers to fliers, creatures with protection, hexproof, and Landwalk abilities (or anything else that limits what can block them).   Efficient refers cards like an artifact that give you a two for one like a keyrune or a creature that is low cost but higher power.   Compare a 2/2 for 2 to a 3/2 for 2 mana and you'll start to get the idea.
  • Aggressive - I think of aggressive as your core creatures.   What are you going to be attacking with?   If it helps, I more often think the A in BREAD refers to 'Army'.   Even though this is at the bottom of the list, you will spend the most time of your draft likely looking for creatures to fit this category.
  • Deadwood/Dregs/Dross/Dipsticks/Deadweight - Whatever you call them, these are the cards that end up in your sideboard and will sit there most of the night.   They are that 2/2 flier for 6 mana (literally worthless) or that card that doesn't do anything useful in this format (there are cards that sneak into a block that are not there for the block you're drafting, but rather to solve some earlier problem or future problem you don't know about).
How does BREAD help a new drafter?   That's easy enough to explain.   BREAD is the order you should make your picks in your average pack.   Sometimes.   Maybe.   Actually, BREAD only works for the first five or so picks and it REALLY depends on a whole bunch of factors that may or may not be important from pack to pack.   I know that doesn't help much right now, but if you've drafted more than a few times, you know already how confusing it can be.

So here is how you can use it more effectively than some robotic, "Must search for bombs first," technique.

For the first 2-3 packs after starting a round of selecting cards, look for Bombs, Removal and Evasion/Efficient cards.   Don't look for them to be in any one color.   Just pick what seems to be the best card at the moment.   In Gatecrash, it could be Basilica Screecher, Frontline Medic, or even a Charm.   After that, try to get the best, punchiest creatures you can.   Remember your curve!

As you start each new pack, remember two things.   First, sometimes your first pick should be a Common - if the Rare and uncommons are low value cards in terms of play ability  look for a strong common that can help you.   I'd go so far as to say almost half of my first picks out of a pack are commons.   Be flexible.  Once you are into pack 2 and definitely into pack 3, you should have your color strategy pretty well solidified and you should be looking to score cards that will support you.   Even if this means passing the Mythic valued at $5, remember your strategy (don't pass the one worth $10, I'm not suggesting we loose our minds).   Secondly, bombs come in many forms.   Depending on what you're drafting, bombs could show up as many as 6 or 7 picks into a pack.   So don't panic if it's not there at the beginning.   These are two concepts my son and I really didn't get when we first started using BREAD - and wow, did we end up with some unplayable messes.

This is BREAD shorthand.   Usable, friendly, easy to grasp.   There is no reason to complicate it beyond this until you gain a base understanding in Curve, BREAD and some color strategy.

Speaking of color strategy...

Color Strategy
Knowing the information above simply isn't enough.   You also need one more important piece of the puzzle to draft effectively.   This is possibly one of the most confusing concepts, so I'm going to keep it short and to the point.   If you want to read about in depth color strategy, there are plenty of options out there.   This is meant to get your feet wet and give you enough info to start to figure it out some on your own.

'Reading signals' is the process by which you look at what is being passed to you and make educated guesses as to what colors others are selecting.   For each pack, it will probably take at least three to four passes to be sent your way before you have a sense of what the people passing in your direction are selecting.   The earlier you can make a correct guess (such as red and blue are becoming scarce while you've seen a most packs still contain decent green and white) can help your draft considerably.

It's important to remember that draft pack disbursement is left, right, left.   The smaller the pod (group of players in your draft selection pool), the better your chance of reading most of the table while still in Pack 1.   While you may make your guess by the third or fourth pack, keep an eye on the rest of the packs as they come to you.   If you're in an 8 man draft, packs 7 and 9 of the first turn are almost as important in figuring out your draft strategy as the first few packs sent your way.   Let me put it another way.   When packs 6, 7, and 8 hit you and they each have 2-3 blue cards and 2-3 green cards in them, then NO one at your table is likely to be playing Simic (a guild that uses those colors).   This is a GREAT time to start going in that direction if you haven't already.

When playing in sets that are designed around color pairings (such as Return to Ravnica and Alara), it's also important to remember that you can keep yourself more open to later shifts in color selection by picking strong mono-colored cards over gold cards.

Getting Salty
Sometimes, there is no strategy that will help.   You could misread what signals are being passed to you when you establish your color strategy.   You could open packs (and be passed more of them) that just don't have strong cards.   You could end up with almost nothing worth playing because you changed strategy mid-draft due to adjustments from signals you thought you were receiving.   Even worse, depending on the skill levels of your fellow LGS players and how many show up to play, improvement can take some serious time on your part.

Don't get salty over it.   First off, you'll never learn by quitting early.   Try to play it out, making adjustments to your deck as you go.   You'll learn more through adversity than you will by playing two rounds and going home.   Look at every game of MTG as a learning experience, even when you feel you know every card interaction.   When you do stick it out, you have a chance for some late round wins as well as an opportunity to win a random drawing for a pack and a promo card.

Most importantly, you may find a great combination either by accident or by watching others play you.   It doesn't pay to quit - and it certainly doesn't pay to get mad about it.   Sooner, rather than later, you'll put together Curve, BREAD, and Color Strategy.   Until then, remember, it IS just a game.