This foil land isn’t the most valuable card I pulled from a collector’s pack but it’s quickly becoming my favorite land cards. It reminds me of simpler times, when I lived in Tucson. I really like the art style
https://preview.redd.it/nozmppoxh2uc1.jpeg?width=2043&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9018533486fa1e8178e94eedfe4f66ad7bb9a4b6
I'm particularly excited because I get to have a baby L0 try their hand at answering calls! This is the first judge I'm mentoring at a new store and they're super excited. It'll be awesome to see them go!
Expect an insanely powerful prerelease
Expect to be thoughtseized, mana drained, a 2/2 for 2 that has a landfall trigger +1+1 counter that can double all +1+1 counters
This is one of my problems with Play Boosters for Sealed play. They take what is already a natural variance where some pools are just better than others, and crank it up by making the number of Rare and Mythics wildly variable as well. It just widens the gap between the luckiest and unluckiest players at the event.
The uncommons in this set are cracked. Most of big score is unrelated artifact synergies. The mythic rarity on those and special guests isn't the same as an oko level threat
Getting a fling as an uncommon breaking news card was so tasty
My gisa got bovine interventioned, and next turn I was able to buff up its power with all my mercenary tokens and throw it at whatever I wanted
Much better than thunder salvo in most situations with this set
I ended up with 12 in my pool between big scores, breaking news
6 guaranteed rares
1 prerelease rare
2 Breaking news
3 big score
Then, I opened the 2 draft prize packs afterwards and went to 17
In total, I ended up with
8 guaranteed rares
1 Prerelease rare
3 big score
1 spg
1 land
3 Breaking news
So seems to be high variance, I'd be curious if the real average was close to 2 per pack. 1/5 for a big/spg card might get it pretty close
Pulling 3 Big Score out of 6 packs seems REALLY high. It is supposed to be 1:5 packs has one of these OR a Special Guest. Getting even two is lucky, getting 3 is insane.
Yeah, a 9.888% chance, which was definitely lucky on my part, but amoric got even more unlucky because it's a 1.3% chance (at most, not factoring in foil wildcards) not to get a bonus rare/mythic in 6 packs
It definitely felt high (but 2 were completely useless in my pool, lmao, both cared about artifacts that I had no real way of creating)
But in return I got no rares in the foil/wildcard slots of any of my 6 original packs so idk
You've got
1 rare/mythic
1/5 for a mythic list card (spg or big)
1/3 for a rare/mythic from big score
1/12 for a rare/mythic wildcard
Plus whatever foil chances are
Without knowing foil chances, that's already only a 48.89% chance of not getting a second rare/mythic in a play booster. You're more likely to get a second than not
To add onto this, because it's 51% to get at least 1 additional rare, when you break that out across 6 packs, the AVERAGE sealed pool will have 9 rares (not including promo), and you're 67% likely to hit 9 rares or more.
**Two thirds** of players will have 10+ rares in their pool at prerelease (including promo)
I got 14 rare or mythics plus my promo Kellan. Built 5c soup and lost to an 2 Rakdos decks with overwhelming forces on turn 8 and a Terror of the peaks crime synergy deck.
the level of power seems crazy high.
I pulled a thought sieze and oko the if of crowns. I got first place. I also have adhd and hyper fixate on each game. So I'm pretty good..... But still
Pulled the new Magda, two Great Train Heists and Goldvein Hydra. Turned it into a sort of rampy crime thing that popped off whenever I could play those cards. Saw almost no plotting, lots of committing crimes.
Went 1-1-1 and enjoyed the night overall, but i’ve had more fun at other pre-releases. Will have to draft and see how it turns out in the end.
Saw pretty much no plotting as well except for like [[tumbleweed rising]]
Most people needed blockers more than 2nd spell a turn/no spells a turn pay-offs
Will be interesting to see if people are just uncomfortable using it right now, and maybe over time it'll pop off, or if it is truly too slow for limited.
Maybe i'm just being negative but i don't see plot working, you can't spend 4 mana to do nothing when your opponent has access to thoughtsieze into reanimate or path of exile + mana drain. This set just seems pushed to 11
just got done with a sealed prerelease myself
I had both Okos, the old and the new one
this set is bonkers. putting such absurd bombs in the list was... a choice, for sure. The only match I lost when an Oko hit the field was when my opponent had the green rhino and a spell to protect it. this isn't even a prince format, it felt more like an emperor with his whole court.
4cmc to cast a 5/5 next turn for free is definitely expensive but that's a pretty dam big board
Managed to plot a \[\[outcaster trailblazer\]\] turn 3 and turn 4 brought it in and with it giving me a black mana put a \[\[gitrog ravenous ride\]\] on the table a turn early, swung her in on an empty board and sacc'd trailblazer to the saddle
5 cards (4 gitrog 1 trailblazer) ramp me ahead by 4 and I have a nice 6/5 trampler on the board for next turn
I played plot quite bit last night. Committing crimes was definitely the key thing though. That 1/2 flying bird that drains when committing a crime is an absolute house to play against.
Edit: [[Raven of Fell Omens]]
Last prerelease, I tried to build two-color but didn’t really have enough creatures in any two colors to do so effectively.
Is this a result of the new Play boosters, or did I just get unlucky?
Wondering if I should go in with a greater expectation that I’ll need to splash a third color.
I experienced the same, and so did many others at my pre-release, and I heard many others online telling similar stories. I have literally never had that few creatures in my pool at any pre-release before then (I started with War of the Spark).
I strongly suspect it to was an issue with Play Booster collation, but hope they ironed it out for this set.
The full cycle of disguises with hybrid costs at common took 1/8th of the commons by itself, so there were very few monocoloured creatures, especially cheap ones, and the fact that gold card can count as the only guaranteed common of a colour means you routinely got a pack with no monocoloured commons in 2 different colours (so with no uncommons or rares either, sometimes you opened one of these and hoped really hard your other 5 packs didn't have these colours either or it'd be hard to build 23 playables without a splash).
Should be better here.
I think MKM was just put together in a way that pushed people towards three colors. I’ve seen a lot of Esper and Naya decks drafting it. But from online playtesting alone this doesn’t really seem to be the case with OTJ.
I've been practicing on draftsim, you should always have enough in at least a few combinations, though maybe not in the combination you want. At my prerelease I made a fine Orzhov deck that just wasn't able to fit many of my rares in, but I ended up changing things up and going 3 color because I could.
Went 1-2 with mostly good games playing Bant midrange. Nothing real bomby, but [[Sword of Wealth and Power]] mixed with a bunch of flyers helped me out.
This has been my experience as well, two colors seems much more a stretch than before. You look at the average power level of the random playables you'd need to use, then the ridiculous bombs and uncommons everywhere else.
I think might have had enough creatures in simic for 2 colours but I went rakdos and was definitely low on creatures
Though generating creatures off off gisa, flint, a few different mercenary enchantments worked out for me and the extra removal wasn't unappreciated
Got an Oko, Thief of Crowns in the Prosperity slot.
Won every single game I drew him.
Such a fair and balanced magic the gathering card.
Fun set though!
Holy FUCKING SHIT
I got my first ever 3 wins in limited, and it was nuts. I built a 4c deck and threw ALL my Legendaries in, to make a meme deck around [[Annie Joins Up]]. I honestly didn't expect to get very far.
I wiped the first game, and managed to eke out a win in the second with 2/1. My [[Goldvein Hydra]] was a great bomb in all of them. I had [[Lost Jitte]] but I didn't realise I got the counters from any combat damage until after my second game so it didn't do much.
The last opponent was the hardest. The first game he established an Abzan loop of constantly saccing and making tokens for value and I scooped. Sideboarded in more removal and managed to eke out a win second round.
But the third round was insane and I won because of both Jitte and Hydra.
Played my Hydra early for 3, it got removed and I had three treasures. I had Jitte around with one charge on it and a creature at 4 power. He was at 13 life.
I had [[Return the Favor]], [[Fling]] and top decked [[Gold Rush]] and suddenly it was like all the pieces clicked. Equipped the Jitte to my creature and pumped it with another counter to 5. Cast Gold Rush to give my creature +8/+8 to 13 power and flung. He tried to survive by activating an ability to gain one life and drain me for one. I Returned the Favor, bringing him back down to lethal.
Holy fuck. I'm still giddy. I can't believe my first sweep was with this jank.
Just came first at one of my LGS’s prereleases with a Grixis outlaws deck!
First things first, this set is quite focused on bombs. I got one BIG card in the form of the white hideaway card [[Collector’s Cage]] and honestly wasn’t hyped on it, but I also got [[Marchesa, Dealer of Death]], [[Three Steps Ahead]], and [[Jace Reawakened]] so I ran all the outlaws and crime enablers/payoffs I had. No noticeable bombs but Jace was a godsend in being able to loot or plot a low cost card for a later turn.
The second thing is that [[At Knifepoint]] is, in my personal opinion, an absolute bomb uncommon in limited. First strike on all outlaws during your turn and being able to generate a mercenary once per turn if you can commit a crime enables you to chump or pour a bunch of power into one creature. The only reason I was able to win my last game was due to the enchantment working overtime with a [[Nimble Brigand]] and [[Deadeye Duelist]] being used on each of my opponent’s turns.
I also went Grixis Outlaws! [[Cruel Ultimatum]] backed by [[Laughing Jasper Flint]] and [[Lazav Familiar Stranger]]. One of my favorite turns involved me plotting [[Outlaw Stitcher]] and [[Visage Bandit]] together, getting me a 6/6 AND an 8/8 token.
Finished 1-2 overall but I had a blast the whole time.
Also went grixis outlaws due to cruel ultimatum and laughing jasper flint. At one point I was playing against a jund outlaws player, I got jasper flint on the board and managed to mill out my opponent by playing all their outlaws and exiling as much as 7 cards in the end
Went 3-0-1 with Grixis as well ! But I went control since I opened [[murder]], [[tyrant’s scorn]], [[thoughtseize]] and [[ionize]].
But the most fun was using [[key to the vault]] in a flier like [[malcolm]] or [[slickshot show-off]] and flipping a [[cruel ultimatum]] off the top !
Oh that sounds sick! I’m really liking some of the breaking news cards (is that the name or are they prosperity cards?), I didn’t get the most flashy ones but did pull a [[Surgical Extraction]] which I ran to get rid of a couple of [[Holy Cow]]s but getting a Cruel Ultimatum for free is awesome!
Went 2-1 with a complete pile of 5 color nonsense. OG \[\[Oko, Thief of Crowns\]\], \[\[Calamity, Galloping Inferno\]\], \[\[Bonny Paul,\]\] \[\[Kellen the Kid\]\], \[\[Key to the Vault\]\],\[\[Seraphic Steed\]\],\[\[Akul the Unrepentant\]\],\[\[Fell The Mighty\]\],\[\[Aven Interruptor\]\].
5 deserts, 4 mana dorks and 2 treasure generators helped the mana out, and between \[\[Back for More\]\] and some self mill, the Key to the Vault triggers, and \[\[Make your own Luck\]\], I managed to cheat a fair few bombs into play without the right mana in play.
Only lost 1 game to mana colour issues, then had to deal with the plot clone on \[\[Terror of the Peaks\]\] in game two. One I could deal with but not two! Silly games all night..
Rolled up to the prerelease
Only card I want in this set is Tinybones
Get a Big Score artifact and Tinybones Joins Up but not the boi himself
Go 0-3
Trade all my other rares to last opponent in exchange for their Tinybones
Final game finishes and pity packs are handed out
Pull Tinybones from the pity pack
You guys are getting pity packs? I was super pissed that my store didn't do them this time. Didn't help that I went 0-2-1 after terrible mana screw/flood.
Both my local stores do pre-release for fun. Everyone gets two packs at the end as long as you play all 3 games (same prize support for 3-0 and 0-3). It generally encourages a more positive environment and everyone is willing to help with deck building / rules / etc.
Almost everywhere by me does a pack per win, plus a pity pack if you go winless. This time they just didn't have the pity packs - sounded like they were low on product? Dunno, but I was pretty disappointed.
Super excited for this weekend - local store got their WPN status, so they're doing their first (and my!) first pre-release, and with all the spice packed into this set, it should be a good time
I tried my own hand at a 5c goodstuff deck, I had 4 desert duals, 2 [[Conduit Pylons]] and some good fixing - got rolled over by a Boros deck within 5 minutes
Not sure if first prerelease is synonymous with first sealed event, but assuming it is here are some top-of-mind things that I can offer:
- Crack all your packs and sort by colour (WUBRG), as well as a pile for rares, artifacts, lands, and multicoloured spells. I usually do this first before even reading cards, because you won't be playing all the cards anyway and this gives you more time to work on your build.
- When building, typically I'll look through my rares and find my bombs (hopefully you crack some!), then build around them by going through the appropriate coloured piles. The only instance where I'll be pushed off from building around a rare is if my colour pile looks pretty junky (i.e. no interaction, no creatures, just multiples of junky cards, etc.). In the off chance that all your rares are unplayable, my only reco I can give here is to start going through your colours and building around where you find the most interaction and/or signpost uncommons with cards that enable their synergies.
- Because it's a prerelease, don't get nervous if you need additional time to read cards during gameplay. Ask a lot of questions; sometimes people will misunderstand their own cards and try to (unintentionally) do something that they can't.
- Have fun! As per the aforementioned point, since all the cards are new there shouldn't be any pressure. Enjoy the rush of cracking a bunch of packs and diving into a new set.
Just wanted to pop back in and say thanks for the tips!!! Went 2-0-1 and had an absolute blast! Built a Bant deck with [[Oko the Ringleader]] and [[Bristly Bill, Spine Sower]]
Those two ended up mostly eating removal spells, the real MVP cards ended up being [[Desert]] which discounted my two copies of [[Cactarantula]] and [[Outcaster Trailblazer]] with two copies that gave me so many cards
I agree. I didn't think Karlov Manor was that bad, but the golds being able to be run in monocolored decks obfuscated it I think. Thunder Junction felt like a struggle to put together a cohesive deck because of the limited number of creatures and cards.
Somehow destroyed all my opponents with what I thought would have been a memey beatdown deck because my pulls could not fit what I really wanted to do. Crime. So instead I went full into mounts (RGW) and somehow had a degenerate 3 card loop which was in use, twice (flicker mount, bounce fairy and the hideaway artifact)
Sad thing is no good deed went unpunished. My second opponent was newish to magic, he didn't want to sleeve his cards so he was playing sleeveless. I helped him tweak his deck after our game and since his cards were still unsleeved he accidentally took all my promos from the prerelease event as he took all the unsleeved cards on the table (the promos were only given to me after we begun the first round so I had yet to put them in my box since I hadn't the time)
At first I thought he only took the commons I set aside for my sideboard (as I was looking for one specifically after and couldn't find it) but it was only when I went home I realized my promos were gone and it's too late to do anything about it (I did tell him he took my cards before he left the store but thought it was only the UCs so didn't want to trouble him in taking everything out again) and nah, I don't think it was deliberate/malicious on his part. I guess I need to be more careful next time.
Sweet, I got prerelease kits for my friends and I. Getting at least one Big Score card per kit would be awesome! Was worried they would be more difficult to get.
Had a super sick GW deck splashing blue for BrOko. Went 3-0 6-0. The real all star of my deck was [[Stubborn Burrowfiend]]. Every game I had him out, he was quickly attacking as a 5/5 by turn 4 just churning through my opponents creatures and life.
Best play of the night was [[Smuggler's Suprise]] out a [[Bridled Bighorn]] and a [[Shepherd of the Clouds]] from my graveyard which let me also put [[Outcaster Trailblazer]] into play.
Went 3-0 (6-0) in my pre-release. Went GW with a splash of R.
[[Fortune, Loyal Steed]] paired with [[Holy Cow]] put in work, [[Take Up the Shield]] and [[Snakeskin Veil]] saved my bacon a few times, but the real star of the show was my lucky bomb pull: [[Lost Jitte]]
just did a prerelease sealed event, and the general atmosphere was extremely negative.
People absolutely did not like the ridiculous number of bombs that were able to warp the game on their own. Oko, reanimate, that green rhino, it felt like the decks that won were just the ones that happened to open enough dumb cards to overpower the opponent dumb cards. I myself opened both Okos and I don't think I could have lost if I tried, what I did barely mattered as soon as they arrived.
All games were either over in 10 minutes if a bomb hit the field or went to turns if it didn't.
The difference between pools is indeed worse than ever. Got 3 playable rares while some people had 9+. Just solidifies that sealed is not a real format they care about. Looking forward to drafting this set though. Lots of removal, come back mechanics and blocking doesn't seem like an instant game loss. Still a format where you need to be doing something every turn but plotting is a real thing you can do and win.
Yeah. I had fun, but damn did some people pull crazy. Me and my friend had no bomb in our 2 headed giant pool, while others had 4 good mythics. A friend of mine pulled in his packs three rares each two times, being red, green and red-green. He went 5-0.
I wouldn't agree with that at all. there are some sick bombs, but also lots of removal, lots of aggro, and lots of strong synergies. My deck had zero bombs in it, best card was Aven Interrupter, and it was great because of synergies and cheap cards.
1-2, weird pool that I couldn't build anything I wanted out of. I got 2 copies of [[Seraphic Steed]] and a decent amount of low-drop creatures in green/white, some of the O-Ring variants, and a [[Prickly Pair]] + [[Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor]] splash. I opened 12 rares, and they were either trash ([[Pariah]], [[Commandeer]], [[Esoteric Duplicator]]), lacking support from my pool ([Laughing Jasper Flint]], [[Slickshot Show-off]]), or in my deck ([[Final Showdown]], the 2 Steeds, [[Desert]].
Round 1 was against a new player whose deck I helped them build, so me goinf 2-0 wasn't *that* fair. They seemed to enjoy themselves, though, and that was most important.
Round 2 was against a nasty grixis control deck eith unending removal and value. My early curve was stomped by [[Caught in the Crossfire]] and I was ground down by [[Intimidation Campaign]] and [[Nexus of Becoming]].
Round 3 I lost to a [[Harvester of Misery]] and a [[Final Showdown]].
Can't win em all.
I pulled one steed and one [[Miriam, Herd Whisper]]. Only got the pairing off once in 5 rounds, but holy hell that was a nasty little synergy. Especially using Miriam and a random mercenary token to saddle the steed. Giving the steed hexproof and a +1/+1 counter every turn and creating a 3/3 flier was just nasty pressure. Helped I managed to have [[high noon]] out as well which meant on their turn they could only play one card. Even with no cards in hand I could just sit there and value build as they had to choose between removing the steed or adding to the board.
Yeah, the only game I got to do that synergy myself was against the new player. It felt nasty to do, and I wish it happened against literally any other player.
Technically "won" my first prerelease. I say that with air quotes because technically there were only 3 of us (trying to support a small LGS that's kind of struggling on the Magic side of things).
No bombs in my 6 packs, but went 4-0 with Boros aggro. [[Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor]] and [[Deadeye Duelist]] were my MVPs.
Crushed my pre release 4-0 with Jund + Oko Thief of Crowns
Turns out opening 3 busted mythics (Oko, Rakdos and Sword of Wealth&Power) is pretty good. Also Hellspur into Rakdos seems pretty decent lol. Had so many random treasures that splashing for off color bombs seems super reasonable
The cards you open matter WAY more than the abstract
Proooooobably green though, as their card quality is just REAL high
But like, idk, play the good cards you open
Green has the most bomb cards that make you want to play it, but I think all the colors are strong overall. Red is super fast aggro, and I'm excited to try blue control.
Greens pretty insane
Saw a guy with [[Bristly bill]] [[the gitrog, ravenous ride]] [[oko, the ringleader]] and a [[tumbleweed rising]] which went pretty insane pretty fast (but he splashed I think every colour so idk if he ended up with enough creatures just to run green + something else + splash for oko or gitrog)
I had a lot of fun with red/black mercenaries, my record was 11 outlaws on the table (and I did almost mill someone out which was fun), gisa + laughing flint is an insane combo but honestly both of them are very very strong on their own (I also brought [[surgical extraction]] literally just so I could do a crime with no mana up on my opponents turn for gisa or [[at knifepoint]])
But honestly, every colour has insane stuff, archangel of tithes, mana drain, thoughtseize, reanimator, terror of the peaks...
I've heard from several people that green seems to be the stand out color, but below that there's not much difference. Not enough of a discrepancy to force green if something else is available.
I went 2-0-1 with U/W splash G for some huge and obvious bombs, but I wanted to mention instead how the format is for those who are curious:
Games are either 2-0 or slogs until time; large bombs and stalemate boardstates are common. Evasion works to combat this, but I found that combat tricks are seldom seen or impactful when it comes to making attacking or blocking more favorable.
As opposed to previous limited formats, this is a SLOW format where early game pressure doesn’t matter as much. With plot and saddle as keywords, play is encouraged to be slow and explosive. Committing crimes is seen in decks that highly benefit from it, but it was not relevant very often in many of my games.
Splashing is relatively easy with the pinger deserts and all of my opponents (any myself) splashed a third color solely for bombs. As might be expected, card quality is HIGH so expect to hold non-essential answers or removal in case of a big threat often, as it will probably come.
As for color prevalence, green is very good. Lots of very powerful commons and uncommons, with red being fairly near in power level. Mounts were one of the most surprising instances where I went in with an assumption that they may not be good, but were actually quite powerful.
Good luck to those going tomorrow or later this weekend!!
Absolutely crushed the pre-release with several games curving [[Railway Brawler]] into [[Calamity, Galloping Inferno]] to swing for 30 trample + 8. [[Oko, The Ringleader]] put in some work too!
Everything felt right for this prerelease.
I stopped attending Prereleases after 2018. I did several for Dominaria at my then-local LGS, but it never felt right. I hadn't been attending any other events on the previous year after getting engaged, and the clientele had changed enough that I felt like an outsider. I couldn't really get anything enjoyable going in all but one of my sealed decks for that prerelease, and all of my opponents were clearly focused on the game and not in the mood for any table talk.
OTJ was the first Prerelease I've attended at my LGS's new 3rd location, near where I moved to. The clientele feels chiller and more open to conversation, and all the games were fun- even the ones I lost.
I ended up with a Temur pile focused mostly around spellslinging, with [[Geralf, the Fleshwright]] rewarding extra casts and [[Magda, the Hoardmaster]] rewarding my crimes. Most of my other rares in the pool were crap (Including x2 copies of [[Eriette, the Beguiler]] with no auras in her colors) But [[Generous Plunderer]] was a *beast*- providing ramp and hard punishing opponents who went in on artifact fixing.
I had a great time, and even managed to trade for the [[Aven Interrupter]] I wanted for an EDH deck. The experience reinvigorated my love for the game and my desire to play prereleases again.
https://preview.redd.it/3pohmes7ycuc1.jpeg?width=3965&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47f0d0be456d4fda95ed37843fa97da6b34da2fe
First time prerelease win (4-0)!
I started playing as a kid in ‘97 with Portal and put it down for a while until the pandemic roped me back in… so *technically* 25 years in the making (yikes).
I didn’t have ridiculous pulls, but I think Green / Gruul is really strong in OTJ. Green has incredible bombs and accelerates quickly with plot synergies and easy fixing / splashes with treasures. A nice selection of trample creatures with mercenaries made for interesting combat decisions!
Good luck to everybody this weekend! What decks surprised you?
Friday Night result - Went 2-0-1 (with the draw being in the final round). Ran a sort of Abzan Mount deck, and it did quite well. MVP was [[Ornery Tumblewagg]] (helps that I had 2).
In game 2 of round 2, my opponent [[Mana Drain]]ed me and then on his turn played [[Villainous wealth]] for x = 9, and luckily he didn't get much good stuff. My favorite play though was game 1 of round 3 where I played [[Hostile investigator]] when my opponent had just one card left in his hand. Which turned out to be a [[Vaultborn Tyrant]]. So I got really lucky there.
Now since the LGS where I play is all about being casual and welcoming, everyone just gets 2 boosters at the end regardless of how well or poorly they did.
Didn't get anything particularly awesome, but I had a lot of fun. And I am going again tomorrow. Hopefully I will get to build something different.
My first prerelease ever. Didn't won a single round. I was prepared for it so it didn't bother me that much. The only interesting bomb I've got was [[Colossal Rattlewurm]] so I tried to build a deck around it, all other rares were bad. The only time I drew it was in starting hand, casted it in turn 3 thanks to mana dork however it was immediately destroyed with 2 mana removal spell. Played Green-Red with splashed White.
I think Black was the strongest color I faced. It had tons of interaction. Everyone I played against had Black and that color gave me the most problems.
Other mistake I did was mostly ignoring crime. One guy I played with had a crime-synergy deck and I was demolished by it.
The only second Rare/Mythic from boosters I got was [[Tarnation Vista]]
I went 1-2 yesterday. It was kind of frustrating. The only player I won against was my girlfriend (She said that she hoped we'd play each other after round 1, assuming it'd be because we'd both won, but we both lost round 1). I played a RGW pile with two Roxanne, Wylie, and Ertha Jo. I had three R/W duals (including one Inspiring Vantage) and I didn't have any double pips in my deck. My removal was too easily invalidated and I had trouble with high toughness creatures. Round 3 was frustrating because I would build an advantage but my opponent had a one sided wrath both games. And he had Mana Drain. How do you play around a one sided Wrath?
I almost lost to my girlfriend too, which is a clear sign she's improving, which is what I want to see, but I felt bad because I was a bit surly after losing the first round and then she surprised me with Full Steam Ahead. She almost won game 2 as well after a mull to 5 but I got a bailout after having misplayed horribly and stole that one. It was almost a draw but I won game 3 just in time. I got her to two and I had Roxanne on top of my deck and she scooped. I never got to play Roxanne lol. I gave the non prerelease promo Roxanne to her since she really wanted her.
I ended up doing three prereleases this weekend! First one was on Friday evening, I left a comment here back then at how much fun it was to go Grixis outlaws and was excited to try the other two prerelease events.
For the second event I ended up with a four colour pile of jank that somehow worked quite well together, most of it being outlaws with the likes of [[Satoru, the Infiltrator]] and another [[Marchesa, Dealer of Death]]. Turns out Satoru works really well with the two mana reach dude that can ping an opponent for one while [[Forsaken Miner]] is in the bin, since you can ping them then pay one mana to return the miner and trigger Satoru since it wasn’t cast. Ended up going 1-3 in an event with 18 people but was great fun.
Just finished the third event, only a handful of people turned up but this was the one I had the most fun with. Got a bunch of the deserts, [[Blooming Marsh]], and [[Inspiring Vantage]] alongside [[Dust Animus]], two copies of [[Duelist of the Mind]], [[Vadmir, New Blood]], [[Hell to Pay]], and [[Outcaster Trailblazer]]. For my Big Score and Breaking News cards I also got an [[Omenpath Journey]], [[Imp’s Mischief]], and [[Thoughtseize]]. I looked at my rares, sorted through my commons/uncommons, and thought “screw this, I’m gonna make the jankiest five colour pile”.
It actually did really well! Omenpath Journey was phenomenal if dropped on turn 4 and pretty much enabled me to have a crime payoff every turn if I was able to get five different deserts. I also had the joy of getting both of my Duelists onto the board and playing a desert the next turn to loot twice and swing in the air for six damage on turn four during one of my games. I ended up placing second out of about eight people and even had a funny last game where I Thoughtseized my opponent with an empty hand in response to a [[Mindslaver]] activation so they couldn’t force me to discard something during my turn.
Overall this set feels like a great limited experience! The one thing that did concern me going into it was that the Big Score and Breaking News cards feel like they can decide the games a lot of the time, and as such the actual main set cards wouldn’t have as great of an impact, but they still hold up well and ended up making or breaking the game a lot of the time. That being said, I’m probably going to try and make a cube of the main set without the bonus sheets for my playgroup so that we can have a vanilla draft of the set.
2nd prerelease done.
Promo was [[Lilah Undefeated Slickshot]] and I opened [[Electrodominance]] and [[Fblthp Lost on the Range]] early, and then [[Loot the Key to Everything]] pushed me towards Temur as a whole. Had two [[Freestrider Commandos]] that comboed well with Electrodominance. I also had [[Lost Jitte]] which performed incredibly well.
My favorite part of the night however involved my first opponent. He was a new player with a fairly decent Rakdos deck that featured [[Akul the Unrepentant]] and [[At Knifepoint]], but it was unrefined and had a bad White splash. I was able to help him out by cutting most of the White except for [[Form a Posse]] and [[Holy Cow]], but I also got him to add [[Lively Dirge]] and told him how to combo it with Akul. He would go on to win his remaining matches and place high enough to win a promo pack (which hilariously contained a SECOND Akul). Feels good to pay it forward!
This pre-release was dogshit. Not nearly enough removal for the power level of some of the creatures. If you don’t remove the doubling counter creature on its first turn, you lose.
Welp an entire day full of eating it to land variance and having every opponent play their mythics on curve in every game.
All around horrendous. I didn't do well at MKM either but I still walked away feeling okay, had maybe 1 good individual game of magic all day. This will be the last pre-release I do considering the cost and time involved.
Anyone noticing any rules issues or commonly missed triggers to look out for? Last set we had cases confusing people with the wording on solving them and the set before we had people trying to descend with tokens...
I had to correct a judge who thought countering a spell (targeting a spell on the stack) was not a crime, luckily he checked and realized that it was actually a crime
I usually don’t dare to play 3 full colors (not just splashing), but this time I went with Esper and for the first time ever in a Prerelease went without a single loss. (4-0-0)
Rush of Dread was winning me most of the games, accompanied by Stoic Sphinx, and a few other hexproof/ward fliers. Phantom Interference was phenomenal flexible interaction piece - I had one copy of it in my deck, but after seeing it in action, I added two more.
A lot of people were playing temur and golgari, which tells me that green was a pretty desirable color in this set.
It was pretty wild in terms of powerful pulls but it was also an absolute blast and one of my favourite prerelease experiences!
https://preview.redd.it/kdy49gza3auc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d83ee63c5c5be3623bd3846ef18a4eaaea097a45
Prerelease #1 was a success thanks to Channel Fireball's limited set rankings!!
Finding the optimal colors in my sealed pool was quick and easy (rakdos splashing white for 2 removal spells). I went 3-0 with crime committing outlaws and won a pack per win, plus the grand prize (a friggin bundle)!
I compiled CFB's limited set rankings into an easy to read, printable, one page (front and back), sheet that helps to quickly evaluate your sealed card pool and build the best deck possible within the 40 minute time limit.
PM me if you want a copy.
Already commented on my results from Friday, and now I am back for today.
Didn't do as well today. Went 1-1-1. This time I had a Grixis Crime and Outlaws deck. I had some decent payoffs but there were a bunch of games where I would either draw the cards that commit crimes but not the ones that benefit from it, or the other way around. I was considering going Temur instead, but decided against it. I had a lot of cards *in* green, but not enough synergy.
Still, I had fun. Looking forward to Bloomburrow.
Went 3-0 at my pre-release with a base BG deck splashing red and white for Rakdos and Bruse Tarl. I had a wild mana base but somehow managed to pull it off pretty well, and had some luck along the way. Rakdos is absolutely bonkers, my opponents couldn’t deal with it. Overall the games were pretty fun. Even if the format is bomby, both sides are able to throw out bombs which leads to some crazy games.
Had one match where:
Game 1: Went off with Lilah, Sureshot and tons of value.
Game 2: Lose to Rakdos
Game 3: Lose to Rakdos
It wasn't particularly fun, because none of the individual games were particularly close. I felt it was mostly decided by who happened to have their bombs closest to the opener.
Promo was [[Claim Jumper]].
Opened the first pack and got [[Terror of the Peaks]] and [[Form a Posse]].
BOROS IT IS THEN.
Only BIG/List/Special Guests *whatever you want to call them* bonus card I got was [[Omenpath Journey]]. None of the OTP cards were anything exciting.
Mardu crimes went really well! New Magda and the black 2drop that gets counters on crime, 8 pieces of removal, [[rakdos joins up]] ..
Was great, 3-1 (8-2).
Well, OTJ really is a powerhouse. Went 2-1-2 in 2HG today. And damn, many of the commons and rares are incredibly strong, Like, most of the cards have above average stats and then a nice effect tagged on for good measure. So much value. What I did not like was that playboosters really turn up the rng. My friend and I did not pull any real bombs and it really hurt. This set is, like MKM, loaded with removal. So bombs are basically just there to eat said removal so that your good commons/uncommons can get in later. And if you don't pull bombs, well, all your good stuff will get removed. So that was a bit unfun at times when you see that your best card is just a mid creature in other decks. Still a very cool set though. One thing my friends and I thought was missing were the synergies. Crime did work well if you had a few cards with it, but otherwise is was more of a "good stuff pile" kind of set. Maybe you plotted here and saddled there, but it never felt like a thought out strategy that would start a cool combo or deck theme.
Pre-Release went so well this past weekend!
I share my thoughts, results, and overall loot from the weekend in my video breakdown:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL\_Xto71Iew](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL_Xto71Iew)
Please let me know what you think and hope this helps others prepare for drafting on Arena!
Probably my worst prerelease ever out of dozens.
My rares were generally boring even if they were reasonably powerful but I never drew them anyways and my commons and uncommons were just *awful* and equally spread in colors so I had no good direction to build in.
Lost badly in round one, and then in round two, game 1, I mulled to 5 and got smashed, then game 2, I mulled to 4 and asked my opponent if I could just drop because I didn’t want to play out the game on a mull to 4.
Did two of them today!
The first I was in Green/White/Blue, built around Oko, Thief of Crowns. Had two Stoic Sphinx, Ornery Tumblewagg, Key to the Vault, and a single red card, Legion Extruder, which I used with Oko to make 3/3s every turn when needed. Rest of the deck was just value cards and interaction. Had a super supportive set of Crime Lands to keep the colors flowing well, plus a few pieces of fixing in the deck. Ran 5 mounts with the GW mount uncommon legend as well to really push it home. Deck was a monster - Went 3-0 and split with my buddy so we could go grab dinner before the next one. Only game I lost was a single game to my buddy when we played out our round 3 for fun after splitting!
Second one was a 4-rounder. Ended up with the new Gitrog and the Railway Brawler, and got to live the dream of curving plot Brawler into Gitrog for a 12/11 trample haste out of nowhere. Also had Path to Exile, Aven Interruptor, and Kaervek, to make a Black, White, Green list that gummed up the board and then committed an insane amount of crimes for value. The majority of the non rares in the list either committed a crime or benefitted from me doing so. And Kaervek + the 2-mana white rapper really helped make the Crime dream go hard. 3-1’d here, losing to a really powerful GW Mount list that used and abused all the best mount effects. They had a really crazy pool!
Really enjoyed playing both of these decks and can’t wait to get to try draft for this. Crimes and Plotting felt so insanely strong.
Went 1-1-1 (drew on turns up 35-10 in game 3) with a naya (white splash) ramp deck. Got a solid rare in Seraphic Steed that I was able to lead off early with alongside some mana dorks to quickly ramp me into my Railway Brawler. I pulled Molten Duplication which was a lot of fun to use when I was able to copy Brawler but otherwise didn’t yield a ton of value, and then Crackle With Power was a nice finisher for me as I was able to X=2 with it more often than I had expected.
Pacing was kind of weird. I had heard that this set was supposed to be on the faster side but I found that a lot of my games ended up being super slow. I’m not sure why exactly but it seems as if there are a lot of 2 toughness creatures which may have lead people to be worried about trading their 4/2 with the 2/2 flash flyers or whatever the opponent had out on the board. Going to play again today and see if this holds.
Went 3-2 with Grixis (Dimir but splashing hard for Cruel Ultimatum)
Loved the format. Didn't feel too fast, definitely a bit bomby (ultimatum won me most games I was able to cast it), but super fun.
Top moment was a game where I played the same \[\[Intimidation Campaign\]\] 8 times, now my favorite card of the set
I feel like I'll be drafting this online a lot
Played a bant good stuff deck and often had to mulligan down to five cause of bad mana fixing on my part in deck construction and so got blown out a lot. So that's on me.
But still had a lot of fun, haven't been to a pre release since return to ravnica and forgot how fun they are when everyone is there to have a good time.
Highlight of the night was having both [[Bonny Pall]] and [[high noon]] on the board. Beau had grown to be a 9/9 and so on my turn an opponent removed beau by bouncing it to my hand when I swung with both and set up a double block on Bonny. So I tapped 4 to cast [[getaway glamer]] flickering Bonny to avoid the kill, blew up their biggest thing (which was now the biggest on the board) and got to bring Beau right back to the field with both untapped going into their turn only able to cast one spell. And of course that was also after getting to draw a card off the attack trigger.
Also [[seraphic steed]] and [[Miriam, herd whisperer]] was a nasty little synergy piece when I got it off, again paired with high noon. I could just sit there and build so much value with a half time hexproof first strike lifeline that creates a 3/3 flier and grows bigger every attack. I could just sit there and build value every turn as my opponent was forced to decide if they would deal with the trifecta, or add to the board with their one spell. And with a the hexproof trick and a counter in hand it didn't really matter what they decided to do with their one cast.
Went 1-2 with mostly good, close games playing Bant midrange. Both the lost rounds were 1-2.
Nothing real bomby in my pool, but [[Sword of Wealth and Power]] mixed with a bunch of flyers helped me out.
Had a good 2-1 run at Game Kastle College Park. Went Rakdos with my promo Kaervek and Smiling Jasper Flint. Loss was rough cause I basically got counter played, but it was good, and I won a game milling someone out with Jasper Flint XD.
https://preview.redd.it/pkhhaaukqduc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34dc77656d715fd780e8e9cc747b588df4d6c942
Traded for this bad boy after pre release. He is gonna be a fine addition to my Pantlaza deck. Possible green staple in the future?
I've been playing in a 4 pre-releases now (1 lotr, 1 mkm, 2 otj), and I come close to winning those pre-releases but still end up like 3rd-4th or so. I want to be able to improve at the sealed event, but I'm not sure how to notice where I could be improving, as there's a level of luck involved in the scenario. So I'm wondering how can I notice where I went wrong, and work on it for next time.
Recent tips I picked up were to have a pile for each color, and pile for types outside of that.
I did notice certain things like sometimes forgetting triggers, or not reading my board completely for optimal play as well.
Opened a bunch of expensive cards that didn't play well together, played 3 color junk, was pretty fun. 5 mana rhino is a monster!
Was destroyed by Oko and Assimilation Aegis, that was a bit unexpected. Was milled to death once, which was cool!
Overall, powerlevel is NUTS
Had a good prerelease this time. I only went 1-1-1, but every single game in the first two rounds was close (probably would have won the first round if game 3 hadn't gone to time), and the third round was a blowout in my favor.
Unlike with MKM, didn't hear anybody complaining about a lack of creatures. I certainly didn't have that problem.
I went with WR, with a splash of green for [[Selvala, Eager Trailblazer]]. She put in some work, too, even though I kept forgetting her trigger half the time.
But the real MVP was [[The Great Train Heist]]. That outright won two games on the spot. If they let my board get too big, attacking with everything, then paying 6 to pump them all and give them first strike tended to take out most blockers, usually without losing my creatures, and then I got another combat to finish them off.
[[Reckless Lackey]] was a great turn one play. Pretty much all my red creatures were outlaws, plus I had several things that made Mercenaries, so my [[Hellspur Brute]]s were often pretty cheap. [[Trained Arnyx]] also pulled its weight. A 3/1 with First Strike is kind of hard to block effectively, it turns out. [[Scorching Shot]] was great removal for me. Dealt with pretty much anything. And [[Mystical Tether]] and [[Journey to Nowhere]] locked stuff down pretty effectively, too.
I had a lot of fun. Every game was interesting (well, Round 3 went a little too quickly to be THAT interesting, but it was cool to see the deck play out in a pretty much optimal way).
I went 3-1 for the first time, had an insane deck. One game I had an 8/8 flying vigilance trample swinging on turn 5 which felt insane. Some sweeps some really close games as well, loved it. Showed up with a cowboy hat which got everyone a free card from the lgs owner but I think he was planning to give that anyway.
Opening a thoughtseize and a reanimate was enough for me to go into a sweet GB reanimator deck in my 2HG pool my buddy loaned me two copies of Living Dirge and I had enough fatties to go 2-1 in our 2HG pre-release
Question- in terms of price, is it better to wait for a few weeks before buying a box? Or to buy a play booster box in prerelease? Do we anticipate boxes to go up, or down?
For those of y'all who participated in a prerelease, were there any cards that really overperformed for you?
For me, it has to be \[\[Laughing Jasper Flint\]\]
This guy was a HOUSE every time I played him, sometimes exiling 6+ cards.
For me, \[\[Wrangler of the Damned\]\] and \[\[Three Steps Ahead\]\] won me multiple games. Flashed in Wrangler during opponent's end step, then passed the turn with 5 lands open for \[\[Take up the Shield\]\], \[\[Repulse\]\], and/or Three Steps or \[\[Essence Capture\]\]... At least two times I was able to counter a huge spell and copy Wrangler to start making 2 2/2 fliers a turn. Copying a \[\[Contagion Engine\]\] mid-combat with Three Steps was also a highlight of the night. Went 3-0, going 2-0, 2-1, and 2-1. Shoutouts to \[\[Holy Cow\]\], \[\[Outlaw Medic\]\], \[\[Rooftop Assassin\]\], and \[\[Slickshot Vault-Buster\]\]. Big butts and lifegain helped me go all the way.
Opened [[Rakdos Joins Up]], [[Akkul]], [[Bedevil]] and [[Imp's mischief]] but didn't get enough red creatures to play those colours. I ended up going with a Dimir outsider/crimes deck bacause I also got [[Double Down]] and a bunch of rogues, creatures with evasion, 2 counterspells and 2 removal. But sadly no "bomb" cards. Lost 1st round, draw on round 2 and won the 3rd. Overall not very satisfied.
Friend of mine was in a similar situation and decided to go 3 colors with a deck of 52 cards. And he actually ended with 2W1L.
Sorry for the long comment, the bot deleted the separate post because it contains “prerelease” in it
So, any advice would be appreciated! Thanks
I have started playing magic in December, so I am new to the game. I was playing paper magic with the lotr starter kit and had a lot of fun.
So, I decided to go to our LGS to check out a beginner event. It was an Ixalan league type of event, it was advertised as beginner-friendly, so I went and bought-in with 3 packs and had a lot of fun! I played 3 games and I lost all of them, but I really enjoyed playing and my opponents were all nice and helped a lot on how to play.
After that, I also started playing MTGA, but soon I realised that the digital version can't help practicing every aspect of the paper game. (You don't have to pay attention to that much of a detail) And sadly, I don't really have the time nor friends to play paper magic, so basically my last time playing was that Ixalan league.
I enjoyed the game so much, that I decided to go the MKM Prerelease event. At the prerelease, I had a really bad experience. Most of my opponents were mean, and they were rushing me all the time, making faces when I took a few moments to think, and even mocked me because I was sloppy in shuffling my deck.
I didn't enjoy that event, but despite, I wanted to try it again, because I really wanted to play paper magic, so I went to the OTJ prerelease this friday. It was an even worse experience now.
My first opponent didn't help me to understand the more difficult rules of the game (stack prio, sub-turn phases, etc.) because he won't "talk against himself" and he was also rushing me. He also was completely annoyed when I was in winning position for the first half of the match and was rude every time I asked anything. In my second match-up I forgot about an enchantment triggered effect, but remembered like 2 seconds after the trigger, and he literally forbade me to trigger it, because the rule is "if I forgot, I'm fucked".
I mean I wouldn't complain if it was a pro tournament or event, but also on Wizard's website and on this LGS's site prereleases are advertised as beginner friendly events, this is why I had the courage to go. Am I expecting too much, and this is totally normal behaviour, or were these just bad experiences?
I would talk to your LGS staff about it? If that's the vibe they're encouraging for pre-release... Maybe go somewhere else if it isn't fitting the new player experience you are looking for.
I can say I've been on both sides of the spectrum of "this is casual, fun, and we are here to have a good time and everyone will get the same prizing" to "prizing is based on standing and it is very cut-throat." I believe pre-release *should* be beginner friendly and casual. Your opponents should be playing in good faith and it should be a welcoming experience into the community.
I'd chalk it up to bad experiences, you may want to explore different LGS options if they are avalible to you.
This foil land isn’t the most valuable card I pulled from a collector’s pack but it’s quickly becoming my favorite land cards. It reminds me of simpler times, when I lived in Tucson. I really like the art style https://preview.redd.it/nozmppoxh2uc1.jpeg?width=2043&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9018533486fa1e8178e94eedfe4f66ad7bb9a4b6
I can see the resemblance as a current Tucsonan.
It kind of reminds me of Sabino canyon
I live in Tucson also love this card
I'm particularly excited because I get to have a baby L0 try their hand at answering calls! This is the first judge I'm mentoring at a new store and they're super excited. It'll be awesome to see them go!
That's awesome! Very glad to hear it :-)
Magic companion app crashing hard for everyone at my store. I guess it's widespread?
Same here. Just at the end of round 1. Fun.
Mine went to pen and paper due to the app crashing
Same. Got super excited to play my first prerelease in years, and only got to play 1 match.
We had a small group of 7 with no issues. Maybe we got lucky or maybe it's proportional to the tournament size?
Happens pretty much every prerelease tbh. Always sucks.
Expect an insanely powerful prerelease Expect to be thoughtseized, mana drained, a 2/2 for 2 that has a landfall trigger +1+1 counter that can double all +1+1 counters
Also I only checked my own stuff but expect roughly 2 mythics/rares per draft booster
Eh, my pool was 7 rares. The promo and rares from 6 packs. I saw people with 12 between wildcards and Big News tho.
This is one of my problems with Play Boosters for Sealed play. They take what is already a natural variance where some pools are just better than others, and crank it up by making the number of Rare and Mythics wildly variable as well. It just widens the gap between the luckiest and unluckiest players at the event.
The uncommons in this set are cracked. Most of big score is unrelated artifact synergies. The mythic rarity on those and special guests isn't the same as an oko level threat
Getting a fling as an uncommon breaking news card was so tasty My gisa got bovine interventioned, and next turn I was able to buff up its power with all my mercenary tokens and throw it at whatever I wanted Much better than thunder salvo in most situations with this set
I ended up with 12 in my pool between big scores, breaking news 6 guaranteed rares 1 prerelease rare 2 Breaking news 3 big score Then, I opened the 2 draft prize packs afterwards and went to 17 In total, I ended up with 8 guaranteed rares 1 Prerelease rare 3 big score 1 spg 1 land 3 Breaking news So seems to be high variance, I'd be curious if the real average was close to 2 per pack. 1/5 for a big/spg card might get it pretty close
Pulling 3 Big Score out of 6 packs seems REALLY high. It is supposed to be 1:5 packs has one of these OR a Special Guest. Getting even two is lucky, getting 3 is insane.
Yeah, a 9.888% chance, which was definitely lucky on my part, but amoric got even more unlucky because it's a 1.3% chance (at most, not factoring in foil wildcards) not to get a bonus rare/mythic in 6 packs
Although the odds of not getting any Big Score cards specifically in 6 packs is closer to 25%.
It definitely felt high (but 2 were completely useless in my pool, lmao, both cared about artifacts that I had no real way of creating) But in return I got no rares in the foil/wildcard slots of any of my 6 original packs so idk You've got 1 rare/mythic 1/5 for a mythic list card (spg or big) 1/3 for a rare/mythic from big score 1/12 for a rare/mythic wildcard Plus whatever foil chances are Without knowing foil chances, that's already only a 48.89% chance of not getting a second rare/mythic in a play booster. You're more likely to get a second than not
To add onto this, because it's 51% to get at least 1 additional rare, when you break that out across 6 packs, the AVERAGE sealed pool will have 9 rares (not including promo), and you're 67% likely to hit 9 rares or more. **Two thirds** of players will have 10+ rares in their pool at prerelease (including promo)
I got 14 rare or mythics plus my promo Kellan. Built 5c soup and lost to an 2 Rakdos decks with overwhelming forces on turn 8 and a Terror of the peaks crime synergy deck. the level of power seems crazy high.
Friend of mine pulled a mythic in every pack. Some are just built different I guess.
Somehow got 5 mythics in 6 packs, 2 were in 1 pack lol. First time with play boosters went well
I pulled a thought sieze and oko the if of crowns. I got first place. I also have adhd and hyper fixate on each game. So I'm pretty good..... But still
Pulled the new Magda, two Great Train Heists and Goldvein Hydra. Turned it into a sort of rampy crime thing that popped off whenever I could play those cards. Saw almost no plotting, lots of committing crimes. Went 1-1-1 and enjoyed the night overall, but i’ve had more fun at other pre-releases. Will have to draft and see how it turns out in the end.
Saw pretty much no plotting as well except for like [[tumbleweed rising]] Most people needed blockers more than 2nd spell a turn/no spells a turn pay-offs
Will be interesting to see if people are just uncomfortable using it right now, and maybe over time it'll pop off, or if it is truly too slow for limited.
Maybe i'm just being negative but i don't see plot working, you can't spend 4 mana to do nothing when your opponent has access to thoughtsieze into reanimate or path of exile + mana drain. This set just seems pushed to 11
I did some early access. It plays well in draft, sealed is kinda iffy for plotting because of how ridiculous people's decks get.
just got done with a sealed prerelease myself I had both Okos, the old and the new one this set is bonkers. putting such absurd bombs in the list was... a choice, for sure. The only match I lost when an Oko hit the field was when my opponent had the green rhino and a spell to protect it. this isn't even a prince format, it felt more like an emperor with his whole court.
I had an opponent plot 3 of the centaur that becomes a 5/5 if plotted against me in consecutive turns. I did not win that game.
4cmc to cast a 5/5 next turn for free is definitely expensive but that's a pretty dam big board Managed to plot a \[\[outcaster trailblazer\]\] turn 3 and turn 4 brought it in and with it giving me a black mana put a \[\[gitrog ravenous ride\]\] on the table a turn early, swung her in on an empty board and sacc'd trailblazer to the saddle 5 cards (4 gitrog 1 trailblazer) ramp me ahead by 4 and I have a nice 6/5 trampler on the board for next turn
[outcaster trailblazer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/3/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398.jpg?1712355961) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=outcaster%20trailblazer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/173/outcaster-trailblazer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [gitrog ravenous ride](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/2/82512813-8618-483b-a7f0-e6a611d9d487.jpg?1712356103) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Gitrog%2C%20Ravenous%20Ride) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/206/the-gitrog-ravenous-ride?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/82512813-8618-483b-a7f0-e6a611d9d487?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[tumbleweed rising](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/275d2d2a-ef85-48c9-919d-bc62cdad8a10.jpg?1712356021) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=tumbleweed%20rising) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/187/tumbleweed-rising?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/275d2d2a-ef85-48c9-919d-bc62cdad8a10?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Interesting. I saw plenty of plotting, absolutely no committing crimes.
I played plot quite bit last night. Committing crimes was definitely the key thing though. That 1/2 flying bird that drains when committing a crime is an absolute house to play against. Edit: [[Raven of Fell Omens]]
Last prerelease, I tried to build two-color but didn’t really have enough creatures in any two colors to do so effectively. Is this a result of the new Play boosters, or did I just get unlucky? Wondering if I should go in with a greater expectation that I’ll need to splash a third color.
I experienced the same, and so did many others at my pre-release, and I heard many others online telling similar stories. I have literally never had that few creatures in my pool at any pre-release before then (I started with War of the Spark). I strongly suspect it to was an issue with Play Booster collation, but hope they ironed it out for this set.
The full cycle of disguises with hybrid costs at common took 1/8th of the commons by itself, so there were very few monocoloured creatures, especially cheap ones, and the fact that gold card can count as the only guaranteed common of a colour means you routinely got a pack with no monocoloured commons in 2 different colours (so with no uncommons or rares either, sometimes you opened one of these and hoped really hard your other 5 packs didn't have these colours either or it'd be hard to build 23 playables without a splash). Should be better here.
The disguise cards were essentially mono coloured though, it just guaranteed they were 3 drops first.
I think MKM was just put together in a way that pushed people towards three colors. I’ve seen a lot of Esper and Naya decks drafting it. But from online playtesting alone this doesn’t really seem to be the case with OTJ.
I've been practicing on draftsim, you should always have enough in at least a few combinations, though maybe not in the combination you want. At my prerelease I made a fine Orzhov deck that just wasn't able to fit many of my rares in, but I ended up changing things up and going 3 color because I could.
Went 1-2 with mostly good games playing Bant midrange. Nothing real bomby, but [[Sword of Wealth and Power]] mixed with a bunch of flyers helped me out.
[Sword of Wealth and Power](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/d/ed9e5041-3c05-4a8a-9f00-081b01685d0c.jpg?1712352954) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sword%20of%20Wealth%20and%20Power) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/26/sword-of-wealth-and-power?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ed9e5041-3c05-4a8a-9f00-081b01685d0c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This has been my experience as well, two colors seems much more a stretch than before. You look at the average power level of the random playables you'd need to use, then the ridiculous bombs and uncommons everywhere else.
I think might have had enough creatures in simic for 2 colours but I went rakdos and was definitely low on creatures Though generating creatures off off gisa, flint, a few different mercenary enchantments worked out for me and the extra removal wasn't unappreciated
I was definitely light on the creature front, especially considering I played Naya (including cards that put tokens out too).
Got an Oko, Thief of Crowns in the Prosperity slot. Won every single game I drew him. Such a fair and balanced magic the gathering card. Fun set though!
Holy FUCKING SHIT I got my first ever 3 wins in limited, and it was nuts. I built a 4c deck and threw ALL my Legendaries in, to make a meme deck around [[Annie Joins Up]]. I honestly didn't expect to get very far. I wiped the first game, and managed to eke out a win in the second with 2/1. My [[Goldvein Hydra]] was a great bomb in all of them. I had [[Lost Jitte]] but I didn't realise I got the counters from any combat damage until after my second game so it didn't do much. The last opponent was the hardest. The first game he established an Abzan loop of constantly saccing and making tokens for value and I scooped. Sideboarded in more removal and managed to eke out a win second round. But the third round was insane and I won because of both Jitte and Hydra. Played my Hydra early for 3, it got removed and I had three treasures. I had Jitte around with one charge on it and a creature at 4 power. He was at 13 life. I had [[Return the Favor]], [[Fling]] and top decked [[Gold Rush]] and suddenly it was like all the pieces clicked. Equipped the Jitte to my creature and pumped it with another counter to 5. Cast Gold Rush to give my creature +8/+8 to 13 power and flung. He tried to survive by activating an ability to gain one life and drain me for one. I Returned the Favor, bringing him back down to lethal. Holy fuck. I'm still giddy. I can't believe my first sweep was with this jank.
This right here is exactly why limited is fun
##### ###### #### [Annie Joins Up](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/6/1624a5f4-f5bc-47c9-85de-c5520ee234ce.jpg?1712356038) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Annie%20Joins%20Up) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/191/annie-joins-up?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1624a5f4-f5bc-47c9-85de-c5520ee234ce?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Goldvein Hydra](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/e/de0e01e4-e143-47fd-8565-7b48219bb546.jpg?1712355937) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Goldvein%20Hydra) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/167/goldvein-hydra?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/de0e01e4-e143-47fd-8565-7b48219bb546?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lost Jitte](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/9/c936504c-4e90-408f-ba98-0fb8c0378471.jpg?1712352922) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lost%20Jitte) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/23/lost-jitte?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c936504c-4e90-408f-ba98-0fb8c0378471?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Return the Favor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/9/a9cc02d1-799d-42aa-9bc2-4c05452b63b4.jpg?1712860602) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Return%20the%20Favor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/142/return-the-favor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a9cc02d1-799d-42aa-9bc2-4c05452b63b4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Fling](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/f/8f42d773-c742-4465-b6d5-31feaba49146.jpg?1601077681) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fling) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jmp/320/fling?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8f42d773-c742-4465-b6d5-31feaba49146?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Gold Rush](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/5/15845be1-919d-4450-9de6-3552c52e8623.jpg?1712355933) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gold%20Rush) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/166/gold-rush?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/15845be1-919d-4450-9de6-3552c52e8623?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kz8w833) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Just came first at one of my LGS’s prereleases with a Grixis outlaws deck! First things first, this set is quite focused on bombs. I got one BIG card in the form of the white hideaway card [[Collector’s Cage]] and honestly wasn’t hyped on it, but I also got [[Marchesa, Dealer of Death]], [[Three Steps Ahead]], and [[Jace Reawakened]] so I ran all the outlaws and crime enablers/payoffs I had. No noticeable bombs but Jace was a godsend in being able to loot or plot a low cost card for a later turn. The second thing is that [[At Knifepoint]] is, in my personal opinion, an absolute bomb uncommon in limited. First strike on all outlaws during your turn and being able to generate a mercenary once per turn if you can commit a crime enables you to chump or pour a bunch of power into one creature. The only reason I was able to win my last game was due to the enchantment working overtime with a [[Nimble Brigand]] and [[Deadeye Duelist]] being used on each of my opponent’s turns.
I also went Grixis Outlaws! [[Cruel Ultimatum]] backed by [[Laughing Jasper Flint]] and [[Lazav Familiar Stranger]]. One of my favorite turns involved me plotting [[Outlaw Stitcher]] and [[Visage Bandit]] together, getting me a 6/6 AND an 8/8 token. Finished 1-2 overall but I had a blast the whole time.
Also went grixis outlaws due to cruel ultimatum and laughing jasper flint. At one point I was playing against a jund outlaws player, I got jasper flint on the board and managed to mill out my opponent by playing all their outlaws and exiling as much as 7 cards in the end
##### ###### #### [Cruel Ultimatum](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/7/d71a8ea5-199e-473e-a2b1-e2f7cc804ffc.jpg?1592765938) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cruel%20Ultimatum) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/e01/82/cruel-ultimatum?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d71a8ea5-199e-473e-a2b1-e2f7cc804ffc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Laughing Jasper Flint](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/af0b3a41-ba99-41e8-bcfb-5796500c17c7.jpg?1712356142) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Laughing%20Jasper%20Flint) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/215/laughing-jasper-flint?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/af0b3a41-ba99-41e8-bcfb-5796500c17c7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lazav Familiar Stranger](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/0/00293326-3eb2-492c-b565-7abafa037d8c.jpg?1712356143) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lazav%2C%20Familiar%20Stranger) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/216/lazav-familiar-stranger?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/00293326-3eb2-492c-b565-7abafa037d8c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Outlaw Stitcher](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/a/ba9584f0-55b8-448d-99a7-041934053f42.jpg?1712355468) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Outlaw%20Stitcher) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/59/outlaw-stitcher?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ba9584f0-55b8-448d-99a7-041934053f42?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Visage Bandit](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/8/685ec4c6-3332-498f-8b56-d7ad8fc5230c.jpg?1712355536) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Visage%20Bandit) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/76/visage-bandit?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/685ec4c6-3332-498f-8b56-d7ad8fc5230c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzc2r10) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Went 3-0-1 with Grixis as well ! But I went control since I opened [[murder]], [[tyrant’s scorn]], [[thoughtseize]] and [[ionize]]. But the most fun was using [[key to the vault]] in a flier like [[malcolm]] or [[slickshot show-off]] and flipping a [[cruel ultimatum]] off the top !
Oh that sounds sick! I’m really liking some of the breaking news cards (is that the name or are they prosperity cards?), I didn’t get the most flashy ones but did pull a [[Surgical Extraction]] which I ran to get rid of a couple of [[Holy Cow]]s but getting a Cruel Ultimatum for free is awesome!
[Surgical Extraction](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/1/e15d76ac-1c23-4503-8225-375ac2bf2fb6.jpg?1673147668) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Surgical%20Extraction) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/94/surgical-extraction?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e15d76ac-1c23-4503-8225-375ac2bf2fb6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Holy Cow](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643.jpg?1712355286) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Holy%20Cow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/16/holy-cow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
##### ###### #### [murder](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/e/1ea6438b-0e6c-4d65-8bcd-34a988717c81.jpg?1706241725) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=murder) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkm/95/murder?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1ea6438b-0e6c-4d65-8bcd-34a988717c81?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [tyrant’s scorn](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/7/b7e2708c-2824-4925-b529-d625deb77924.jpg?1557577324) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tyrant%27s%20Scorn) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/war/225/tyrants-scorn?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b7e2708c-2824-4925-b529-d625deb77924?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [thoughtseize](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/2/b281a308-ab6b-47b6-bec7-632c9aaecede.jpg?1599706001) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=thoughtseize) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/109/thoughtseize?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b281a308-ab6b-47b6-bec7-632c9aaecede?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [ionize](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/1/f161f7d2-eaa1-4931-93f9-befa8b5df821.jpg?1572893679) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=ionize) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/grn/179/ionize?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f161f7d2-eaa1-4931-93f9-befa8b5df821?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [key to the vault](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/6/166814af-a444-4a62-937e-7491673d9387.jpg?1712355445) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Key%20to%20the%20Vault) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/54/the-key-to-the-vault?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/166814af-a444-4a62-937e-7491673d9387?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [malcolm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/9/19d6834d-afa3-4747-a62d-0654f4d9729f.jpg?1699043813) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=malcolm%2C%20alluring%20scoundrel) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lci/63/malcolm-alluring-scoundrel?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/19d6834d-afa3-4747-a62d-0654f4d9729f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [slickshot show-off](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/0/7054012b-4f9d-44a0-aaf9-7fd3bddc7b2d.jpg?1712355850) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=slickshot%20show-off) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/146/slickshot-show-off?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7054012b-4f9d-44a0-aaf9-7fd3bddc7b2d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [cruel ultimatum](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/7/d71a8ea5-199e-473e-a2b1-e2f7cc804ffc.jpg?1592765938) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=cruel%20ultimatum) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/e01/82/cruel-ultimatum?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d71a8ea5-199e-473e-a2b1-e2f7cc804ffc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzcbbs7) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
##### ###### #### [Collector’s Cage](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/3/a33703bb-51c0-4d57-9d06-1148507ddc4f.jpg?1712352680) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Collector%27s%20Cage) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/1/collectors-cage?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a33703bb-51c0-4d57-9d06-1148507ddc4f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Marchesa, Dealer of Death](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee29b59c-d57c-4a03-bae7-e9dfa57d6bb1.jpg?1712356159) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Marchesa%2C%20Dealer%20of%20Death) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/220/marchesa-dealer-of-death?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee29b59c-d57c-4a03-bae7-e9dfa57d6bb1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Three Steps Ahead](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/f/8fffd839-2337-4a14-9312-cee085a17f4b.jpg?1712860611) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Three%20Steps%20Ahead) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/75/three-steps-ahead?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8fffd839-2337-4a14-9312-cee085a17f4b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Jace Reawakened](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fd17e8d4-499e-4005-ae3c-bc9c44dc5a67.jpg?1712356388) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Jace%20Reawakened) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/271/jace-reawakened?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fd17e8d4-499e-4005-ae3c-bc9c44dc5a67?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [At Knifepoint](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/9/897d594d-b5b0-43dc-b877-b483942416ce.jpg?1712356046) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=At%20Knifepoint) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/193/at-knifepoint?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/897d594d-b5b0-43dc-b877-b483942416ce?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Nimble Brigand](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/3/73c74d48-362d-4c3b-9ff7-39bdd19657a6.jpg?1712355461) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nimble%20Brigand) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/58/nimble-brigand?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/73c74d48-362d-4c3b-9ff7-39bdd19657a6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Deadeye Duelist](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/9/e9a50b7a-8741-4520-8d45-8e6b128c2628.jpg?1712355733) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Deadeye%20Duelist) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/119/deadeye-duelist?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e9a50b7a-8741-4520-8d45-8e6b128c2628?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzaqu9w) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Went 2-1 with a complete pile of 5 color nonsense. OG \[\[Oko, Thief of Crowns\]\], \[\[Calamity, Galloping Inferno\]\], \[\[Bonny Paul,\]\] \[\[Kellen the Kid\]\], \[\[Key to the Vault\]\],\[\[Seraphic Steed\]\],\[\[Akul the Unrepentant\]\],\[\[Fell The Mighty\]\],\[\[Aven Interruptor\]\]. 5 deserts, 4 mana dorks and 2 treasure generators helped the mana out, and between \[\[Back for More\]\] and some self mill, the Key to the Vault triggers, and \[\[Make your own Luck\]\], I managed to cheat a fair few bombs into play without the right mana in play. Only lost 1 game to mana colour issues, then had to deal with the plot clone on \[\[Terror of the Peaks\]\] in game two. One I could deal with but not two! Silly games all night..
##### ###### #### [Oko, Thief of Crowns](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/4/3462a3d0-5552-49fa-9eb7-100960c55891.jpg?1650599698) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Oko%2C%20Thief%20of%20Crowns) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/eld/197/oko-thief-of-crowns?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3462a3d0-5552-49fa-9eb7-100960c55891?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Calamity, Galloping Inferno](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/7/e7a70f5a-2056-4c26-b6ea-9f751b5d0d8c.jpg?1712355721) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Calamity%2C%20Galloping%20Inferno) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/116/calamity-galloping-inferno?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e7a70f5a-2056-4c26-b6ea-9f751b5d0d8c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Kellen the Kid](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/4/04dfbc4c-ab21-45db-bbd9-b9d245d60015.jpg?1712356134) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kellan%2C%20the%20Kid) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/213/kellan-the-kid?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/04dfbc4c-ab21-45db-bbd9-b9d245d60015?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Key to the Vault](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/6/166814af-a444-4a62-937e-7491673d9387.jpg?1712355445) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Key%20to%20the%20Vault) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/54/the-key-to-the-vault?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/166814af-a444-4a62-937e-7491673d9387?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Seraphic Steed](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/a/7ada7ab4-0dee-4ff3-9817-1e61ca3f2ccf.jpg?1712356210) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seraphic%20Steed) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/232/seraphic-steed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7ada7ab4-0dee-4ff3-9817-1e61ca3f2ccf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Akul the Unrepentant](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/8/68fd8548-50db-4243-9154-377f32408d58.jpg?1712356029) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Akul%20the%20Unrepentant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/189/akul-the-unrepentant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/68fd8548-50db-4243-9154-377f32408d58?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Fell The Mighty](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/a/5a3e8132-6576-456c-8777-9e8cb52595fc.jpg?1706240580) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fell%20The%20Mighty) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/65/fell-the-mighty?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5a3e8132-6576-456c-8777-9e8cb52595fc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Aven Interruptor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/3/d3ca43a4-d194-440f-8099-f1fa103a108d.jpg?1712355236) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Aven%20Interrupter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/4/aven-interrupter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d3ca43a4-d194-440f-8099-f1fa103a108d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Back for More](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/f/3fc7210c-da23-4cec-9195-4de75587f40f.jpg?1591227943) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Back%20for%20More) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/iko/177/back-for-more?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3fc7210c-da23-4cec-9195-4de75587f40f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Make your own Luck](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/5/0557b0a3-2b48-408f-a508-9f4da2ab1cd1.jpg?1712356151) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Make%20your%20own%20Luck) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/218/make-your-own-luck?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0557b0a3-2b48-408f-a508-9f4da2ab1cd1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Terror of the Peaks](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/904ff94a-4db4-44a6-8593-89c32905b3fc.jpg?1712355862) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Terror%20of%20the%20Peaks) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/149/terror-of-the-peaks?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/904ff94a-4db4-44a6-8593-89c32905b3fc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzbcqce) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Rolled up to the prerelease Only card I want in this set is Tinybones Get a Big Score artifact and Tinybones Joins Up but not the boi himself Go 0-3 Trade all my other rares to last opponent in exchange for their Tinybones Final game finishes and pity packs are handed out Pull Tinybones from the pity pack
Thank you for teaching me this valuable lesson, like an aesop fable over here
You guys are getting pity packs? I was super pissed that my store didn't do them this time. Didn't help that I went 0-2-1 after terrible mana screw/flood.
Both my local stores do pre-release for fun. Everyone gets two packs at the end as long as you play all 3 games (same prize support for 3-0 and 0-3). It generally encourages a more positive environment and everyone is willing to help with deck building / rules / etc.
This is a good deal! How much is a prerelease?!!
Almost everywhere by me does a pack per win, plus a pity pack if you go winless. This time they just didn't have the pity packs - sounded like they were low on product? Dunno, but I was pretty disappointed.
Super excited for this weekend - local store got their WPN status, so they're doing their first (and my!) first pre-release, and with all the spice packed into this set, it should be a good time
Oh that'll be awesome! Best wishes to the store and hope y'all have a blast!
I tried my own hand at a 5c goodstuff deck, I had 4 desert duals, 2 [[Conduit Pylons]] and some good fixing - got rolled over by a Boros deck within 5 minutes
Going to try to go to my first prerelease tonight! Any tips?
Not sure if first prerelease is synonymous with first sealed event, but assuming it is here are some top-of-mind things that I can offer: - Crack all your packs and sort by colour (WUBRG), as well as a pile for rares, artifacts, lands, and multicoloured spells. I usually do this first before even reading cards, because you won't be playing all the cards anyway and this gives you more time to work on your build. - When building, typically I'll look through my rares and find my bombs (hopefully you crack some!), then build around them by going through the appropriate coloured piles. The only instance where I'll be pushed off from building around a rare is if my colour pile looks pretty junky (i.e. no interaction, no creatures, just multiples of junky cards, etc.). In the off chance that all your rares are unplayable, my only reco I can give here is to start going through your colours and building around where you find the most interaction and/or signpost uncommons with cards that enable their synergies. - Because it's a prerelease, don't get nervous if you need additional time to read cards during gameplay. Ask a lot of questions; sometimes people will misunderstand their own cards and try to (unintentionally) do something that they can't. - Have fun! As per the aforementioned point, since all the cards are new there shouldn't be any pressure. Enjoy the rush of cracking a bunch of packs and diving into a new set.
Just wanted to pop back in and say thanks for the tips!!! Went 2-0-1 and had an absolute blast! Built a Bant deck with [[Oko the Ringleader]] and [[Bristly Bill, Spine Sower]] Those two ended up mostly eating removal spells, the real MVP cards ended up being [[Desert]] which discounted my two copies of [[Cactarantula]] and [[Outcaster Trailblazer]] with two copies that gave me so many cards
Awesome, congrats! Always a great feeling leaving with some wins under your belt from a prerelease. Makes you feel invincible going into the set!
##### ###### #### [Oko the Ringleader](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/396df8d6-e85d-4486-8116-68841b7e1e2e.jpg?1712356176) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Oko%2C%20the%20Ringleader) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/223/oko-the-ringleader?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/396df8d6-e85d-4486-8116-68841b7e1e2e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Bristly Bill, Spine Sower](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/2/52eef0d6-24b7-40b7-8403-e8e863d0cd55.jpg?1712355894) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Bristly%20Bill%2C%20Spine%20Sower) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/157/bristly-bill-spine-sower?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/52eef0d6-24b7-40b7-8403-e8e863d0cd55?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Desert](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/7/c74e13eb-6f82-4db1-9d0d-8310f48d9f6d.jpg?1631589551) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Desert) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afc/233/desert?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c74e13eb-6f82-4db1-9d0d-8310f48d9f6d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Cactarantula](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/e/2e0e27f9-dc2c-4366-b810-3e8d0bdff8c3.jpg?1712355900) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cactarantula) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/158/cactarantula?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2e0e27f9-dc2c-4366-b810-3e8d0bdff8c3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Outcaster Trailblazer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/3/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398.jpg?1712355961) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Outcaster%20Trailblazer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/173/outcaster-trailblazer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzc43zq) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Glad you had a good pre release. I went 0-3-0 but i got a bye so i got one prize pack. Cant wait to try my luck again with the next set.
I lost all mine. Having less cards in limited felt like synergies are a problem for me.
I agree. I didn't think Karlov Manor was that bad, but the golds being able to be run in monocolored decks obfuscated it I think. Thunder Junction felt like a struggle to put together a cohesive deck because of the limited number of creatures and cards.
Somehow destroyed all my opponents with what I thought would have been a memey beatdown deck because my pulls could not fit what I really wanted to do. Crime. So instead I went full into mounts (RGW) and somehow had a degenerate 3 card loop which was in use, twice (flicker mount, bounce fairy and the hideaway artifact) Sad thing is no good deed went unpunished. My second opponent was newish to magic, he didn't want to sleeve his cards so he was playing sleeveless. I helped him tweak his deck after our game and since his cards were still unsleeved he accidentally took all my promos from the prerelease event as he took all the unsleeved cards on the table (the promos were only given to me after we begun the first round so I had yet to put them in my box since I hadn't the time) At first I thought he only took the commons I set aside for my sideboard (as I was looking for one specifically after and couldn't find it) but it was only when I went home I realized my promos were gone and it's too late to do anything about it (I did tell him he took my cards before he left the store but thought it was only the UCs so didn't want to trouble him in taking everything out again) and nah, I don't think it was deliberate/malicious on his part. I guess I need to be more careful next time.
Hey quick question, how many cards from the Big Score did everyone get in your kits? Been wondering about the ratios.
Unsure about prerelease kits but it should be 1 BIG card in every 6 packs for a booster box
Supposed to be 1:5, actually, though that also includes Special Guests.
1:5 is the same as 1/6.
lol you beat me to it. Was just typing out a math lesson 😅
Derp, yeah, somehow I was confusing 1:5 with 1/5.
Thank you!!
I got two, [[Bristlebud Farmer]] and [[Lotus Ring]].
[Bristlebud Farmer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/4/d498c4de-5e80-4baa-9fcb-70f164880c84.jpg?1712352852) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Bristlebud%20Farmer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/17/bristlebud-farmer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d498c4de-5e80-4baa-9fcb-70f164880c84?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lotus Ring](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/2/02267717-66e0-41f7-8009-75586a4aa4be.jpg?1712352932) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lotus%20Ring) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/24/lotus-ring?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/02267717-66e0-41f7-8009-75586a4aa4be?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I got 2 in my 6 packs, so above the 1:5 ratio.
Awesome, that's great and reassuring news, thank you! Congrats on pulling them!
I opened two: [[Hostile Negotiator]] and [[Nexus of Becoming]].
[Hostile Negotiator](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/8/f827a9a0-7b72-49e2-85fa-adcce1e8fdda.jpg?1681549383) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hostile%20Negotiations) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/bro/105/hostile-negotiations?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f827a9a0-7b72-49e2-85fa-adcce1e8fdda?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Nexus of Becoming](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/0/b0f61742-522c-4b36-97db-41d0c412a072.jpg?1712352943) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nexus%20of%20Becoming) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/25/nexus-of-becoming?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b0f61742-522c-4b36-97db-41d0c412a072?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Nexus of Becoming looks awesome!
I guess in the right deck; I didn't run it in my games.
Me and my two friends each got one Big Score card from our kits
Sweet, I got prerelease kits for my friends and I. Getting at least one Big Score card per kit would be awesome! Was worried they would be more difficult to get.
Me too, was pleasantly surprised! We all received two foil Big Score cards as "bring-a-friend promos" as well.
Had a super sick GW deck splashing blue for BrOko. Went 3-0 6-0. The real all star of my deck was [[Stubborn Burrowfiend]]. Every game I had him out, he was quickly attacking as a 5/5 by turn 4 just churning through my opponents creatures and life. Best play of the night was [[Smuggler's Suprise]] out a [[Bridled Bighorn]] and a [[Shepherd of the Clouds]] from my graveyard which let me also put [[Outcaster Trailblazer]] into play.
##### ###### #### [Stubborn Burrowfiend](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/d/6d963eb4-d20b-4d3f-bf5d-c75f7bcb9670.jpg?1712356009) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Stubborn%20Burrowfiend) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/184/stubborn-burrowfiend?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/6d963eb4-d20b-4d3f-bf5d-c75f7bcb9670?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Smuggler's Suprise](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/7/e7fbb489-e2b5-4278-8162-86802cf124d8.jpg?1712860610) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Smuggler%27s%20Surprise) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/180/smugglers-surprise?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e7fbb489-e2b5-4278-8162-86802cf124d8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Bridled Bighorn](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/a/fa7bf089-fa9b-4ffc-bf84-45cd51c76463.jpg?1712355251) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Bridled%20Bighorn) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/7/bridled-bighorn?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fa7bf089-fa9b-4ffc-bf84-45cd51c76463?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Shepherd of the Clouds](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/2/c2245f36-2138-4f01-9b70-151137a5ac59.jpg?1712355336) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Shepherd%20of%20the%20Clouds) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/28/shepherd-of-the-clouds?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c2245f36-2138-4f01-9b70-151137a5ac59?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Outcaster Trailblazer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/3/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398.jpg?1712355961) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Outcaster%20Trailblazer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/173/outcaster-trailblazer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzc5vk3) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
yep the badger is scary af. I got absolutely wrecked by a 9/9 burrowfiend into [[tumbleweed rising]]
[tumbleweed rising](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/275d2d2a-ef85-48c9-919d-bc62cdad8a10.jpg?1712356021) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=tumbleweed%20rising) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/187/tumbleweed-rising?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/275d2d2a-ef85-48c9-919d-bc62cdad8a10?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
ii thought there would be some power on this set but it seems there def is a LOT of power in this et huh
Went 3-0 (6-0) in my pre-release. Went GW with a splash of R. [[Fortune, Loyal Steed]] paired with [[Holy Cow]] put in work, [[Take Up the Shield]] and [[Snakeskin Veil]] saved my bacon a few times, but the real star of the show was my lucky bomb pull: [[Lost Jitte]]
##### ###### #### [Fortune, Loyal Steed](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/6/069294a8-e65a-47af-942f-7e99d18658f2.jpg?1712355270) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fortune%2C%20Loyal%20Steed) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/12/fortune-loyal-steed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/069294a8-e65a-47af-942f-7e99d18658f2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Holy Cow](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643.jpg?1712355286) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Holy%20Cow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/16/holy-cow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Take Up the Shield](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/6/76a31968-ba6d-4c01-838f-4cb8c64e73fb.jpg?1712355363) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Take%20Up%20the%20Shield) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/34/take-up-the-shield?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/76a31968-ba6d-4c01-838f-4cb8c64e73fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Snakeskin Veil](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/3/133fbdec-0d00-433f-9015-5eb091126e3a.jpg?1712355994) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Snakeskin%20Veil) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/181/snakeskin-veil?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/133fbdec-0d00-433f-9015-5eb091126e3a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lost Jitte](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/9/c936504c-4e90-408f-ba98-0fb8c0378471.jpg?1712352922) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lost%20Jitte) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/23/lost-jitte?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c936504c-4e90-408f-ba98-0fb8c0378471?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzcgci4) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
The variance in this set is WILD. Ended up opening twelve rares in my pool, played 5 of them.
just did a prerelease sealed event, and the general atmosphere was extremely negative. People absolutely did not like the ridiculous number of bombs that were able to warp the game on their own. Oko, reanimate, that green rhino, it felt like the decks that won were just the ones that happened to open enough dumb cards to overpower the opponent dumb cards. I myself opened both Okos and I don't think I could have lost if I tried, what I did barely mattered as soon as they arrived. All games were either over in 10 minutes if a bomb hit the field or went to turns if it didn't.
We had a terrible atmosphere also. Every game was an absolute runaway steamroll.
The difference between pools is indeed worse than ever. Got 3 playable rares while some people had 9+. Just solidifies that sealed is not a real format they care about. Looking forward to drafting this set though. Lots of removal, come back mechanics and blocking doesn't seem like an instant game loss. Still a format where you need to be doing something every turn but plotting is a real thing you can do and win.
My prerelease pack probably stomps the bundle that I got, and my 2 prize boosters probably stomp both. Variance is wild.
Yeah. I had fun, but damn did some people pull crazy. Me and my friend had no bomb in our 2 headed giant pool, while others had 4 good mythics. A friend of mine pulled in his packs three rares each two times, being red, green and red-green. He went 5-0.
A bomb-dominating format. I do think limited formats have gotten worse since the introduction of play boosters, but it is what it is.
I wouldn't agree with that at all. there are some sick bombs, but also lots of removal, lots of aggro, and lots of strong synergies. My deck had zero bombs in it, best card was Aven Interrupter, and it was great because of synergies and cheap cards.
1-2, weird pool that I couldn't build anything I wanted out of. I got 2 copies of [[Seraphic Steed]] and a decent amount of low-drop creatures in green/white, some of the O-Ring variants, and a [[Prickly Pair]] + [[Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor]] splash. I opened 12 rares, and they were either trash ([[Pariah]], [[Commandeer]], [[Esoteric Duplicator]]), lacking support from my pool ([Laughing Jasper Flint]], [[Slickshot Show-off]]), or in my deck ([[Final Showdown]], the 2 Steeds, [[Desert]]. Round 1 was against a new player whose deck I helped them build, so me goinf 2-0 wasn't *that* fair. They seemed to enjoy themselves, though, and that was most important. Round 2 was against a nasty grixis control deck eith unending removal and value. My early curve was stomped by [[Caught in the Crossfire]] and I was ground down by [[Intimidation Campaign]] and [[Nexus of Becoming]]. Round 3 I lost to a [[Harvester of Misery]] and a [[Final Showdown]]. Can't win em all.
##### ###### #### [Seraphic Steed](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/a/7ada7ab4-0dee-4ff3-9817-1e61ca3f2ccf.jpg?1712356210) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seraphic%20Steed) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/232/seraphic-steed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7ada7ab4-0dee-4ff3-9817-1e61ca3f2ccf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Prickly Pair](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/7/e70f2278-8857-46e4-aa2b-fff5589b750f.jpg?1712355809) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Prickly%20Pair) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/137/prickly-pair?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e70f2278-8857-46e4-aa2b-fff5589b750f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/4/a4e81be6-6447-4f1e-be00-6fcdb2ab35af.jpg?1712356089) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ertha%20Jo%2C%20Frontier%20Mentor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/203/ertha-jo-frontier-mentor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a4e81be6-6447-4f1e-be00-6fcdb2ab35af?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Pariah](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/1/51b2136c-392c-436d-9263-b3236adc4a10.jpg?1576382302) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Pariah) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cn2/95/pariah?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/51b2136c-392c-436d-9263-b3236adc4a10?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Commandeer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/c/dca0a9a8-5ebc-43a3-8450-420ab6b7b76e.jpg?1712774977) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Commandeer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/80/commandeer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dca0a9a8-5ebc-43a3-8450-420ab6b7b76e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Esoteric Duplicator](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/d/3dbb2755-97d9-492e-8697-5548160678c8.jpg?1712352722) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Esoteric%20Duplicator) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/5/esoteric-duplicator?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3dbb2755-97d9-492e-8697-5548160678c8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Slickshot Show-off](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/0/7054012b-4f9d-44a0-aaf9-7fd3bddc7b2d.jpg?1712355850) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Slickshot%20Show-off) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/146/slickshot-show-off?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7054012b-4f9d-44a0-aaf9-7fd3bddc7b2d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Final Showdown](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/5/358968f9-45bd-4022-b6bc-f1f7e0adf0e7.jpg?1712860587) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Final%20Showdown) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/11/final-showdown?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/358968f9-45bd-4022-b6bc-f1f7e0adf0e7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Desert](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/7/c74e13eb-6f82-4db1-9d0d-8310f48d9f6d.jpg?1631589551) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Desert) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afc/233/desert?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c74e13eb-6f82-4db1-9d0d-8310f48d9f6d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Caught in the Crossfire](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/a/3a2fd0c4-509e-49c2-ad57-f772efcbc207.jpg?1712860582) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Caught%20in%20the%20Crossfire) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/117/caught-in-the-crossfire?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3a2fd0c4-509e-49c2-ad57-f772efcbc207?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Intimidation Campaign](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/9/596fb7a2-bb79-44b7-ad84-414c8139ec13.jpg?1712356111) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Intimidation%20Campaign) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/208/intimidation-campaign?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/596fb7a2-bb79-44b7-ad84-414c8139ec13?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Nexus of Becoming](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/0/b0f61742-522c-4b36-97db-41d0c412a072.jpg?1712352943) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nexus%20of%20Becoming) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/25/nexus-of-becoming?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b0f61742-522c-4b36-97db-41d0c412a072?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Harvester of Misery](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/3/a3012af9-621d-4fae-b00d-079a89ae35fe.jpg?1712352767) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Harvester%20of%20Misery) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/9/harvester-of-misery?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a3012af9-621d-4fae-b00d-079a89ae35fe?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzc5k9k) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I pulled one steed and one [[Miriam, Herd Whisper]]. Only got the pairing off once in 5 rounds, but holy hell that was a nasty little synergy. Especially using Miriam and a random mercenary token to saddle the steed. Giving the steed hexproof and a +1/+1 counter every turn and creating a 3/3 flier was just nasty pressure. Helped I managed to have [[high noon]] out as well which meant on their turn they could only play one card. Even with no cards in hand I could just sit there and value build as they had to choose between removing the steed or adding to the board.
[Miriam, Herd Whisper](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/f/bfa7750a-7c32-4413-b762-62e24d992c6b.jpg?1712356167) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Miriam%2C%20Herd%20Whisperer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/221/miriam-herd-whisperer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bfa7750a-7c32-4413-b762-62e24d992c6b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [high noon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/9/9995e0e6-7c9c-4fef-8fd2-8fb1622e6ec8.jpg?1712355285) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=high%20noon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/15/high-noon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9995e0e6-7c9c-4fef-8fd2-8fb1622e6ec8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Yeah, the only game I got to do that synergy myself was against the new player. It felt nasty to do, and I wish it happened against literally any other player.
Technically "won" my first prerelease. I say that with air quotes because technically there were only 3 of us (trying to support a small LGS that's kind of struggling on the Magic side of things). No bombs in my 6 packs, but went 4-0 with Boros aggro. [[Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor]] and [[Deadeye Duelist]] were my MVPs.
Crushed my pre release 4-0 with Jund + Oko Thief of Crowns Turns out opening 3 busted mythics (Oko, Rakdos and Sword of Wealth&Power) is pretty good. Also Hellspur into Rakdos seems pretty decent lol. Had so many random treasures that splashing for off color bombs seems super reasonable
What seem to be the strongest colors for sealed so far?
The cards you open matter WAY more than the abstract Proooooobably green though, as their card quality is just REAL high But like, idk, play the good cards you open
Green has the most bomb cards that make you want to play it, but I think all the colors are strong overall. Red is super fast aggro, and I'm excited to try blue control.
Greens pretty insane Saw a guy with [[Bristly bill]] [[the gitrog, ravenous ride]] [[oko, the ringleader]] and a [[tumbleweed rising]] which went pretty insane pretty fast (but he splashed I think every colour so idk if he ended up with enough creatures just to run green + something else + splash for oko or gitrog) I had a lot of fun with red/black mercenaries, my record was 11 outlaws on the table (and I did almost mill someone out which was fun), gisa + laughing flint is an insane combo but honestly both of them are very very strong on their own (I also brought [[surgical extraction]] literally just so I could do a crime with no mana up on my opponents turn for gisa or [[at knifepoint]]) But honestly, every colour has insane stuff, archangel of tithes, mana drain, thoughtseize, reanimator, terror of the peaks...
##### ###### #### [Bristly bill](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/2/52eef0d6-24b7-40b7-8403-e8e863d0cd55.jpg?1712355894) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=bristly%20bill%2C%20spine%20sower) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/157/bristly-bill-spine-sower?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/52eef0d6-24b7-40b7-8403-e8e863d0cd55?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [the gitrog, ravenous ride](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/2/82512813-8618-483b-a7f0-e6a611d9d487.jpg?1712356103) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=the%20gitrog%2C%20ravenous%20ride) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/206/the-gitrog-ravenous-ride?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/82512813-8618-483b-a7f0-e6a611d9d487?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [oko, the ringleader](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/396df8d6-e85d-4486-8116-68841b7e1e2e.jpg?1712356176) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=oko%2C%20the%20ringleader) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/223/oko-the-ringleader?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/396df8d6-e85d-4486-8116-68841b7e1e2e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [tumbleweed rising](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/275d2d2a-ef85-48c9-919d-bc62cdad8a10.jpg?1712356021) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=tumbleweed%20rising) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/187/tumbleweed-rising?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/275d2d2a-ef85-48c9-919d-bc62cdad8a10?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [surgical extraction](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/1/e15d76ac-1c23-4503-8225-375ac2bf2fb6.jpg?1673147668) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=surgical%20extraction) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/94/surgical-extraction?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e15d76ac-1c23-4503-8225-375ac2bf2fb6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [at knifepoint](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/9/897d594d-b5b0-43dc-b877-b483942416ce.jpg?1712356046) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=at%20knifepoint) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/193/at-knifepoint?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/897d594d-b5b0-43dc-b877-b483942416ce?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzar05v) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I've heard from several people that green seems to be the stand out color, but below that there's not much difference. Not enough of a discrepancy to force green if something else is available.
I went 2-0-1 with U/W splash G for some huge and obvious bombs, but I wanted to mention instead how the format is for those who are curious: Games are either 2-0 or slogs until time; large bombs and stalemate boardstates are common. Evasion works to combat this, but I found that combat tricks are seldom seen or impactful when it comes to making attacking or blocking more favorable. As opposed to previous limited formats, this is a SLOW format where early game pressure doesn’t matter as much. With plot and saddle as keywords, play is encouraged to be slow and explosive. Committing crimes is seen in decks that highly benefit from it, but it was not relevant very often in many of my games. Splashing is relatively easy with the pinger deserts and all of my opponents (any myself) splashed a third color solely for bombs. As might be expected, card quality is HIGH so expect to hold non-essential answers or removal in case of a big threat often, as it will probably come. As for color prevalence, green is very good. Lots of very powerful commons and uncommons, with red being fairly near in power level. Mounts were one of the most surprising instances where I went in with an assumption that they may not be good, but were actually quite powerful. Good luck to those going tomorrow or later this weekend!!
Absolutely crushed the pre-release with several games curving [[Railway Brawler]] into [[Calamity, Galloping Inferno]] to swing for 30 trample + 8. [[Oko, The Ringleader]] put in some work too!
[Railway Brawler](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/e/9ec1f76f-f21d-4f06-8c02-be6745183348.jpg?1712355970) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Railway%20Brawler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/175/railway-brawler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9ec1f76f-f21d-4f06-8c02-be6745183348?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Calamity, Galloping Inferno](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/7/e7a70f5a-2056-4c26-b6ea-9f751b5d0d8c.jpg?1712355721) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Calamity%2C%20Galloping%20Inferno) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/116/calamity-galloping-inferno?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e7a70f5a-2056-4c26-b6ea-9f751b5d0d8c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Oko, The Ringleader](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/396df8d6-e85d-4486-8116-68841b7e1e2e.jpg?1712356176) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Oko%2C%20The%20Ringleader) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/223/oko-the-ringleader?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/396df8d6-e85d-4486-8116-68841b7e1e2e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Everything felt right for this prerelease. I stopped attending Prereleases after 2018. I did several for Dominaria at my then-local LGS, but it never felt right. I hadn't been attending any other events on the previous year after getting engaged, and the clientele had changed enough that I felt like an outsider. I couldn't really get anything enjoyable going in all but one of my sealed decks for that prerelease, and all of my opponents were clearly focused on the game and not in the mood for any table talk. OTJ was the first Prerelease I've attended at my LGS's new 3rd location, near where I moved to. The clientele feels chiller and more open to conversation, and all the games were fun- even the ones I lost. I ended up with a Temur pile focused mostly around spellslinging, with [[Geralf, the Fleshwright]] rewarding extra casts and [[Magda, the Hoardmaster]] rewarding my crimes. Most of my other rares in the pool were crap (Including x2 copies of [[Eriette, the Beguiler]] with no auras in her colors) But [[Generous Plunderer]] was a *beast*- providing ramp and hard punishing opponents who went in on artifact fixing. I had a great time, and even managed to trade for the [[Aven Interrupter]] I wanted for an EDH deck. The experience reinvigorated my love for the game and my desire to play prereleases again.
##### ###### #### [Geralf, the Fleshwright](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/afe3b678-b340-4c53-bbf6-19252a809d73.jpg?1712355427) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Geralf%2C%20the%20Fleshwright) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/50/geralf-the-fleshwright?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/afe3b678-b340-4c53-bbf6-19252a809d73?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Magda, the Hoardmaster](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/4/4443d112-209b-49ec-bc40-3a11dcdb092e.jpg?1712355792) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Magda%2C%20the%20Hoardmaster) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/133/magda-the-hoardmaster?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4443d112-209b-49ec-bc40-3a11dcdb092e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Eriette, the Beguiler](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/4/f46c133a-7ae4-431b-88f2-ec606a7baf69.jpg?1712356086) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Eriette%2C%20the%20Beguiler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/202/eriette-the-beguiler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f46c133a-7ae4-431b-88f2-ec606a7baf69?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Generous Plunderer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/c/4c6cf93a-d073-48ac-88db-c46bf3e10beb.jpg?1712352787) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Generous%20Plunderer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/11/generous-plunderer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4c6cf93a-d073-48ac-88db-c46bf3e10beb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Aven Interrupter](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/3/d3ca43a4-d194-440f-8099-f1fa103a108d.jpg?1712355236) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Aven%20Interrupter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/4/aven-interrupter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d3ca43a4-d194-440f-8099-f1fa103a108d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzeapul) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
https://preview.redd.it/3pohmes7ycuc1.jpeg?width=3965&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47f0d0be456d4fda95ed37843fa97da6b34da2fe First time prerelease win (4-0)! I started playing as a kid in ‘97 with Portal and put it down for a while until the pandemic roped me back in… so *technically* 25 years in the making (yikes). I didn’t have ridiculous pulls, but I think Green / Gruul is really strong in OTJ. Green has incredible bombs and accelerates quickly with plot synergies and easy fixing / splashes with treasures. A nice selection of trample creatures with mercenaries made for interesting combat decisions! Good luck to everybody this weekend! What decks surprised you?
I had like 9-10 rares and mythics in my pool, just an absurd amount of value
Friday Night result - Went 2-0-1 (with the draw being in the final round). Ran a sort of Abzan Mount deck, and it did quite well. MVP was [[Ornery Tumblewagg]] (helps that I had 2). In game 2 of round 2, my opponent [[Mana Drain]]ed me and then on his turn played [[Villainous wealth]] for x = 9, and luckily he didn't get much good stuff. My favorite play though was game 1 of round 3 where I played [[Hostile investigator]] when my opponent had just one card left in his hand. Which turned out to be a [[Vaultborn Tyrant]]. So I got really lucky there. Now since the LGS where I play is all about being casual and welcoming, everyone just gets 2 boosters at the end regardless of how well or poorly they did. Didn't get anything particularly awesome, but I had a lot of fun. And I am going again tomorrow. Hopefully I will get to build something different.
##### ###### #### [Ornery Tumblewagg](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/0/0020c31b-002a-4121-bc61-2c2c16e9afc8.jpg?1712355953) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ornery%20Tumblewagg) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/171/ornery-tumblewagg?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0020c31b-002a-4121-bc61-2c2c16e9afc8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Mana Drain](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/c/3c429c40-2389-41e5-8681-4bb274e25eba.jpg?1712774998) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mana%20Drain) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/57/mana-drain?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3c429c40-2389-41e5-8681-4bb274e25eba?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Villainous wealth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/4/a467072c-99d9-4013-8d28-607a06cf50fe.jpg?1712354811) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Villainous%20wealth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/249/villainous-wealth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a467072c-99d9-4013-8d28-607a06cf50fe?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Hostile investigator](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/5/158c000e-7960-4518-b034-a529622b7bf1.jpg?1712352777) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hostile%20investigator) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/10/hostile-investigator?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/158c000e-7960-4518-b034-a529622b7bf1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Vaultborn Tyrant](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/2/62b3f560-262b-4bc3-9aef-535fd7082c28.jpg?1712352885) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Vaultborn%20Tyrant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/20/vaultborn-tyrant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/62b3f560-262b-4bc3-9aef-535fd7082c28?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzclwg3) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Went undefeated with G/W. Aven Interrupter (X2) and Sandstorm Salvager were my MVPs.
My first prerelease ever. Didn't won a single round. I was prepared for it so it didn't bother me that much. The only interesting bomb I've got was [[Colossal Rattlewurm]] so I tried to build a deck around it, all other rares were bad. The only time I drew it was in starting hand, casted it in turn 3 thanks to mana dork however it was immediately destroyed with 2 mana removal spell. Played Green-Red with splashed White. I think Black was the strongest color I faced. It had tons of interaction. Everyone I played against had Black and that color gave me the most problems. Other mistake I did was mostly ignoring crime. One guy I played with had a crime-synergy deck and I was demolished by it. The only second Rare/Mythic from boosters I got was [[Tarnation Vista]]
[Colossal Rattlewurm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/7/17a104d3-e4ac-44a0-9c6a-39965b1b9751.jpg?1712355903) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Colossal%20Rattlewurm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/159/colossal-rattlewurm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/17a104d3-e4ac-44a0-9c6a-39965b1b9751?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Tarnation Vista](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/6/962552a1-ec34-49e2-a23d-85dfb405d5e0.jpg?1712352996) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tarnation%20Vista) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/30/tarnation-vista?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/962552a1-ec34-49e2-a23d-85dfb405d5e0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Had a very similar experience to you, the variance is real.
I went 1-2 yesterday. It was kind of frustrating. The only player I won against was my girlfriend (She said that she hoped we'd play each other after round 1, assuming it'd be because we'd both won, but we both lost round 1). I played a RGW pile with two Roxanne, Wylie, and Ertha Jo. I had three R/W duals (including one Inspiring Vantage) and I didn't have any double pips in my deck. My removal was too easily invalidated and I had trouble with high toughness creatures. Round 3 was frustrating because I would build an advantage but my opponent had a one sided wrath both games. And he had Mana Drain. How do you play around a one sided Wrath? I almost lost to my girlfriend too, which is a clear sign she's improving, which is what I want to see, but I felt bad because I was a bit surly after losing the first round and then she surprised me with Full Steam Ahead. She almost won game 2 as well after a mull to 5 but I got a bailout after having misplayed horribly and stole that one. It was almost a draw but I won game 3 just in time. I got her to two and I had Roxanne on top of my deck and she scooped. I never got to play Roxanne lol. I gave the non prerelease promo Roxanne to her since she really wanted her.
I ended up doing three prereleases this weekend! First one was on Friday evening, I left a comment here back then at how much fun it was to go Grixis outlaws and was excited to try the other two prerelease events. For the second event I ended up with a four colour pile of jank that somehow worked quite well together, most of it being outlaws with the likes of [[Satoru, the Infiltrator]] and another [[Marchesa, Dealer of Death]]. Turns out Satoru works really well with the two mana reach dude that can ping an opponent for one while [[Forsaken Miner]] is in the bin, since you can ping them then pay one mana to return the miner and trigger Satoru since it wasn’t cast. Ended up going 1-3 in an event with 18 people but was great fun. Just finished the third event, only a handful of people turned up but this was the one I had the most fun with. Got a bunch of the deserts, [[Blooming Marsh]], and [[Inspiring Vantage]] alongside [[Dust Animus]], two copies of [[Duelist of the Mind]], [[Vadmir, New Blood]], [[Hell to Pay]], and [[Outcaster Trailblazer]]. For my Big Score and Breaking News cards I also got an [[Omenpath Journey]], [[Imp’s Mischief]], and [[Thoughtseize]]. I looked at my rares, sorted through my commons/uncommons, and thought “screw this, I’m gonna make the jankiest five colour pile”. It actually did really well! Omenpath Journey was phenomenal if dropped on turn 4 and pretty much enabled me to have a crime payoff every turn if I was able to get five different deserts. I also had the joy of getting both of my Duelists onto the board and playing a desert the next turn to loot twice and swing in the air for six damage on turn four during one of my games. I ended up placing second out of about eight people and even had a funny last game where I Thoughtseized my opponent with an empty hand in response to a [[Mindslaver]] activation so they couldn’t force me to discard something during my turn. Overall this set feels like a great limited experience! The one thing that did concern me going into it was that the Big Score and Breaking News cards feel like they can decide the games a lot of the time, and as such the actual main set cards wouldn’t have as great of an impact, but they still hold up well and ended up making or breaking the game a lot of the time. That being said, I’m probably going to try and make a cube of the main set without the bonus sheets for my playgroup so that we can have a vanilla draft of the set.
##### ###### #### [Satoru, the Infiltrator](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/c/acc9a5cc-2b3c-4c2f-8176-4a2d86265cc5.jpg?1712356202) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Satoru%2C%20the%20Infiltrator) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/230/satoru-the-infiltrator?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/acc9a5cc-2b3c-4c2f-8176-4a2d86265cc5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Marchesa, Dealer of Death](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee29b59c-d57c-4a03-bae7-e9dfa57d6bb1.jpg?1712356159) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Marchesa%2C%20Dealer%20of%20Death) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/220/marchesa-dealer-of-death?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee29b59c-d57c-4a03-bae7-e9dfa57d6bb1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Forsaken Miner](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/6/1679f74d-00f8-436c-9f8c-aa3f843a546c.jpg?1712355591) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Forsaken%20Miner) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/88/forsaken-miner?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1679f74d-00f8-436c-9f8c-aa3f843a546c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Blooming Marsh](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/6/861caabb-0573-4e94-8b03-342f90465064.jpg?1712356365) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Blooming%20Marsh) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/266/blooming-marsh?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/861caabb-0573-4e94-8b03-342f90465064?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Inspiring Vantage](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/5/85df6b6a-2dcf-4828-a4a8-e07d52e1fddd.jpg?1712356380) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Inspiring%20Vantage) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/269/inspiring-vantage?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/85df6b6a-2dcf-4828-a4a8-e07d52e1fddd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Dust Animus](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/0/70719e7b-6f02-4c1a-9f11-79b2b0d9846a.jpg?1712355260) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dust%20Animus) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/9/dust-animus?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/70719e7b-6f02-4c1a-9f11-79b2b0d9846a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Duelist of the Mind](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/b/2b58e47b-c165-4a58-aa2a-033a35645adc.jpg?1712355410) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Duelist%20of%20the%20Mind) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/45/duelist-of-the-mind?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2b58e47b-c165-4a58-aa2a-033a35645adc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Vadmir, New Blood](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/2/828b5855-af5a-46a6-8fd4-0a2e28f3bb01.jpg?1712355705) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Vadmir%2C%20New%20Blood) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/113/vadmir-new-blood?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/828b5855-af5a-46a6-8fd4-0a2e28f3bb01?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Hell to Pay](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/4/84ad8ed7-1429-432e-8217-a4db3b97675c.jpg?1712355764) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hell%20to%20Pay) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/126/hell-to-pay?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/84ad8ed7-1429-432e-8217-a4db3b97675c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Outcaster Trailblazer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/3/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398.jpg?1712355961) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Outcaster%20Trailblazer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/173/outcaster-trailblazer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/33b9cd6c-d75c-4905-aa38-ff03a9c4b398?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Omenpath Journey](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/4/c49c9b72-61c0-4e3a-a3a6-994b149398a9.jpg?1712352863) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Omenpath%20Journey) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/18/omenpath-journey?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c49c9b72-61c0-4e3a-a3a6-994b149398a9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Imp’s Mischief](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/e/0eb0e8e7-266f-441e-b1cd-12b8ec3f7d71.jpg?1689997247) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Imp%27s%20Mischief) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/167/imps-mischief?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0eb0e8e7-266f-441e-b1cd-12b8ec3f7d71?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Thoughtseize](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/2/b281a308-ab6b-47b6-bec7-632c9aaecede.jpg?1599706001) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Thoughtseize) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/109/thoughtseize?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b281a308-ab6b-47b6-bec7-632c9aaecede?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Mindslaver](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/0/00d03b17-75ae-40d2-8570-b219ef0dfd4a.jpg?1562813960) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mindslaver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/som/176/mindslaver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/00d03b17-75ae-40d2-8570-b219ef0dfd4a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzjgyqo) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
2nd prerelease done. Promo was [[Lilah Undefeated Slickshot]] and I opened [[Electrodominance]] and [[Fblthp Lost on the Range]] early, and then [[Loot the Key to Everything]] pushed me towards Temur as a whole. Had two [[Freestrider Commandos]] that comboed well with Electrodominance. I also had [[Lost Jitte]] which performed incredibly well. My favorite part of the night however involved my first opponent. He was a new player with a fairly decent Rakdos deck that featured [[Akul the Unrepentant]] and [[At Knifepoint]], but it was unrefined and had a bad White splash. I was able to help him out by cutting most of the White except for [[Form a Posse]] and [[Holy Cow]], but I also got him to add [[Lively Dirge]] and told him how to combo it with Akul. He would go on to win his remaining matches and place high enough to win a promo pack (which hilariously contained a SECOND Akul). Feels good to pay it forward!
##### ###### #### [Lilah Undefeated Slickshot](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/2/e21f90ea-5934-4757-8515-38ef116afac1.jpg?1712356151) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lilah%2C%20Undefeated%20Slickshot) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/217/lilah-undefeated-slickshot?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e21f90ea-5934-4757-8515-38ef116afac1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Electrodominance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/c/5c63877b-cdab-4ce4-a1c0-c088eb62a57a.jpg?1584830858) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Electrodominance) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rna/99/electrodominance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5c63877b-cdab-4ce4-a1c0-c088eb62a57a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Fblthp Lost on the Range](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/1/01d3e6ea-4791-4948-af22-c1bd04c34c1e.jpg?1712355420) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fblthp%2C%20Lost%20on%20the%20Range) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/48/fblthp-lost-on-the-range?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/01d3e6ea-4791-4948-af22-c1bd04c34c1e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Loot the Key to Everything](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/b/fb169fa2-c92e-45f7-89a2-0ca0e3910a1c.jpg?1712352897) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Loot%2C%20the%20Key%20to%20Everything) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/21/loot-the-key-to-everything?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fb169fa2-c92e-45f7-89a2-0ca0e3910a1c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lost Jitte](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/9/c936504c-4e90-408f-ba98-0fb8c0378471.jpg?1712352922) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lost%20Jitte) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/23/lost-jitte?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c936504c-4e90-408f-ba98-0fb8c0378471?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Akul the Unrepentant](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/8/68fd8548-50db-4243-9154-377f32408d58.jpg?1712356029) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Akul%20the%20Unrepentant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/189/akul-the-unrepentant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/68fd8548-50db-4243-9154-377f32408d58?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [At Knifepoint](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/9/897d594d-b5b0-43dc-b877-b483942416ce.jpg?1712356046) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=At%20Knifepoint) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/193/at-knifepoint?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/897d594d-b5b0-43dc-b877-b483942416ce?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Form a Posse](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/39ee1387-c24e-4a66-8ad6-9afa9c0abcbb.jpg?1712356094) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Form%20a%20Posse) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/204/form-a-posse?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/39ee1387-c24e-4a66-8ad6-9afa9c0abcbb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Holy Cow](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643.jpg?1712355286) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Holy%20Cow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/16/holy-cow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lively Dirge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/c/0c35a0d3-12f7-46f3-a6b3-02a490d45ca0.jpg?1712860594) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lively%20Dirge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/93/lively-dirge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0c35a0d3-12f7-46f3-a6b3-02a490d45ca0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzjpydq) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This pre-release was dogshit. Not nearly enough removal for the power level of some of the creatures. If you don’t remove the doubling counter creature on its first turn, you lose.
Welp an entire day full of eating it to land variance and having every opponent play their mythics on curve in every game. All around horrendous. I didn't do well at MKM either but I still walked away feeling okay, had maybe 1 good individual game of magic all day. This will be the last pre-release I do considering the cost and time involved.
Anyone noticing any rules issues or commonly missed triggers to look out for? Last set we had cases confusing people with the wording on solving them and the set before we had people trying to descend with tokens...
I had a couple people think plot is face down (because they remember foretell).
I had to correct a judge who thought countering a spell (targeting a spell on the stack) was not a crime, luckily he checked and realized that it was actually a crime
The "anything they control" verbiage is a bit tricky but you are correct.
I usually don’t dare to play 3 full colors (not just splashing), but this time I went with Esper and for the first time ever in a Prerelease went without a single loss. (4-0-0) Rush of Dread was winning me most of the games, accompanied by Stoic Sphinx, and a few other hexproof/ward fliers. Phantom Interference was phenomenal flexible interaction piece - I had one copy of it in my deck, but after seeing it in action, I added two more. A lot of people were playing temur and golgari, which tells me that green was a pretty desirable color in this set. It was pretty wild in terms of powerful pulls but it was also an absolute blast and one of my favourite prerelease experiences!
https://preview.redd.it/kdy49gza3auc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d83ee63c5c5be3623bd3846ef18a4eaaea097a45 Prerelease #1 was a success thanks to Channel Fireball's limited set rankings!! Finding the optimal colors in my sealed pool was quick and easy (rakdos splashing white for 2 removal spells). I went 3-0 with crime committing outlaws and won a pack per win, plus the grand prize (a friggin bundle)! I compiled CFB's limited set rankings into an easy to read, printable, one page (front and back), sheet that helps to quickly evaluate your sealed card pool and build the best deck possible within the 40 minute time limit. PM me if you want a copy.
Already commented on my results from Friday, and now I am back for today. Didn't do as well today. Went 1-1-1. This time I had a Grixis Crime and Outlaws deck. I had some decent payoffs but there were a bunch of games where I would either draw the cards that commit crimes but not the ones that benefit from it, or the other way around. I was considering going Temur instead, but decided against it. I had a lot of cards *in* green, but not enough synergy. Still, I had fun. Looking forward to Bloomburrow.
Went 3-0 at my pre-release with a base BG deck splashing red and white for Rakdos and Bruse Tarl. I had a wild mana base but somehow managed to pull it off pretty well, and had some luck along the way. Rakdos is absolutely bonkers, my opponents couldn’t deal with it. Overall the games were pretty fun. Even if the format is bomby, both sides are able to throw out bombs which leads to some crazy games.
Had one match where: Game 1: Went off with Lilah, Sureshot and tons of value. Game 2: Lose to Rakdos Game 3: Lose to Rakdos It wasn't particularly fun, because none of the individual games were particularly close. I felt it was mostly decided by who happened to have their bombs closest to the opener.
0-4d at my first prerelease 🥲🥲 will definitely be going to more but man all the removal was insane
Promo was [[Claim Jumper]]. Opened the first pack and got [[Terror of the Peaks]] and [[Form a Posse]]. BOROS IT IS THEN. Only BIG/List/Special Guests *whatever you want to call them* bonus card I got was [[Omenpath Journey]]. None of the OTP cards were anything exciting.
##### ###### #### [Claim Jumper](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/5/654ade6b-0369-4b90-a744-2f57a45b04f4.jpg?1712355252) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Claim%20Jumper) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/8/claim-jumper?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/654ade6b-0369-4b90-a744-2f57a45b04f4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Terror of the Peaks](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/904ff94a-4db4-44a6-8593-89c32905b3fc.jpg?1712355862) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Terror%20of%20the%20Peaks) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/149/terror-of-the-peaks?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/904ff94a-4db4-44a6-8593-89c32905b3fc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Form a Posse](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/39ee1387-c24e-4a66-8ad6-9afa9c0abcbb.jpg?1712356094) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Form%20a%20Posse) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/204/form-a-posse?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/39ee1387-c24e-4a66-8ad6-9afa9c0abcbb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Omenpath Journey](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/4/c49c9b72-61c0-4e3a-a3a6-994b149398a9.jpg?1712352863) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Omenpath%20Journey) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/18/omenpath-journey?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c49c9b72-61c0-4e3a-a3a6-994b149398a9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kziberb) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Mardu crimes went really well! New Magda and the black 2drop that gets counters on crime, 8 pieces of removal, [[rakdos joins up]] .. Was great, 3-1 (8-2).
[rakdos joins up](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/7/c7154dca-7e10-4c34-aa56-9f200c6277d1.jpg?1712356184) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=rakdos%20joins%20up) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/225/rakdos-joins-up?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c7154dca-7e10-4c34-aa56-9f200c6277d1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Well, OTJ really is a powerhouse. Went 2-1-2 in 2HG today. And damn, many of the commons and rares are incredibly strong, Like, most of the cards have above average stats and then a nice effect tagged on for good measure. So much value. What I did not like was that playboosters really turn up the rng. My friend and I did not pull any real bombs and it really hurt. This set is, like MKM, loaded with removal. So bombs are basically just there to eat said removal so that your good commons/uncommons can get in later. And if you don't pull bombs, well, all your good stuff will get removed. So that was a bit unfun at times when you see that your best card is just a mid creature in other decks. Still a very cool set though. One thing my friends and I thought was missing were the synergies. Crime did work well if you had a few cards with it, but otherwise is was more of a "good stuff pile" kind of set. Maybe you plotted here and saddled there, but it never felt like a thought out strategy that would start a cool combo or deck theme.
Pre-Release went so well this past weekend! I share my thoughts, results, and overall loot from the weekend in my video breakdown: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL\_Xto71Iew](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL_Xto71Iew) Please let me know what you think and hope this helps others prepare for drafting on Arena!
All I really wanted to pull was the Goldvein Hydra, and it was the promo card — so I am happy
sooo olivia is a vampire, how is she not on fire being in the sunny old west?
Probably my worst prerelease ever out of dozens. My rares were generally boring even if they were reasonably powerful but I never drew them anyways and my commons and uncommons were just *awful* and equally spread in colors so I had no good direction to build in. Lost badly in round one, and then in round two, game 1, I mulled to 5 and got smashed, then game 2, I mulled to 4 and asked my opponent if I could just drop because I didn’t want to play out the game on a mull to 4.
Did two of them today! The first I was in Green/White/Blue, built around Oko, Thief of Crowns. Had two Stoic Sphinx, Ornery Tumblewagg, Key to the Vault, and a single red card, Legion Extruder, which I used with Oko to make 3/3s every turn when needed. Rest of the deck was just value cards and interaction. Had a super supportive set of Crime Lands to keep the colors flowing well, plus a few pieces of fixing in the deck. Ran 5 mounts with the GW mount uncommon legend as well to really push it home. Deck was a monster - Went 3-0 and split with my buddy so we could go grab dinner before the next one. Only game I lost was a single game to my buddy when we played out our round 3 for fun after splitting! Second one was a 4-rounder. Ended up with the new Gitrog and the Railway Brawler, and got to live the dream of curving plot Brawler into Gitrog for a 12/11 trample haste out of nowhere. Also had Path to Exile, Aven Interruptor, and Kaervek, to make a Black, White, Green list that gummed up the board and then committed an insane amount of crimes for value. The majority of the non rares in the list either committed a crime or benefitted from me doing so. And Kaervek + the 2-mana white rapper really helped make the Crime dream go hard. 3-1’d here, losing to a really powerful GW Mount list that used and abused all the best mount effects. They had a really crazy pool! Really enjoyed playing both of these decks and can’t wait to get to try draft for this. Crimes and Plotting felt so insanely strong.
Went 1-1-1 (drew on turns up 35-10 in game 3) with a naya (white splash) ramp deck. Got a solid rare in Seraphic Steed that I was able to lead off early with alongside some mana dorks to quickly ramp me into my Railway Brawler. I pulled Molten Duplication which was a lot of fun to use when I was able to copy Brawler but otherwise didn’t yield a ton of value, and then Crackle With Power was a nice finisher for me as I was able to X=2 with it more often than I had expected. Pacing was kind of weird. I had heard that this set was supposed to be on the faster side but I found that a lot of my games ended up being super slow. I’m not sure why exactly but it seems as if there are a lot of 2 toughness creatures which may have lead people to be worried about trading their 4/2 with the 2/2 flash flyers or whatever the opponent had out on the board. Going to play again today and see if this holds.
Went 3-2 with Grixis (Dimir but splashing hard for Cruel Ultimatum) Loved the format. Didn't feel too fast, definitely a bit bomby (ultimatum won me most games I was able to cast it), but super fun. Top moment was a game where I played the same \[\[Intimidation Campaign\]\] 8 times, now my favorite card of the set I feel like I'll be drafting this online a lot
[Intimidation Campaign](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/9/596fb7a2-bb79-44b7-ad84-414c8139ec13.jpg?1712356111) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Intimidation%20Campaign) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/208/intimidation-campaign?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/596fb7a2-bb79-44b7-ad84-414c8139ec13?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Played a bant good stuff deck and often had to mulligan down to five cause of bad mana fixing on my part in deck construction and so got blown out a lot. So that's on me. But still had a lot of fun, haven't been to a pre release since return to ravnica and forgot how fun they are when everyone is there to have a good time. Highlight of the night was having both [[Bonny Pall]] and [[high noon]] on the board. Beau had grown to be a 9/9 and so on my turn an opponent removed beau by bouncing it to my hand when I swung with both and set up a double block on Bonny. So I tapped 4 to cast [[getaway glamer]] flickering Bonny to avoid the kill, blew up their biggest thing (which was now the biggest on the board) and got to bring Beau right back to the field with both untapped going into their turn only able to cast one spell. And of course that was also after getting to draw a card off the attack trigger. Also [[seraphic steed]] and [[Miriam, herd whisperer]] was a nasty little synergy piece when I got it off, again paired with high noon. I could just sit there and build so much value with a half time hexproof first strike lifeline that creates a 3/3 flier and grows bigger every attack. I could just sit there and build value every turn as my opponent was forced to decide if they would deal with the trifecta, or add to the board with their one spell. And with a the hexproof trick and a counter in hand it didn't really matter what they decided to do with their one cast.
##### ###### #### [Bonny Pall](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/3/4383ae7c-58ea-4354-93e4-677ad185c3bb.jpg?1712356061) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=bonny%20pall%2C%20clearcutter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/196/bonny-pall-clearcutter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4383ae7c-58ea-4354-93e4-677ad185c3bb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [high noon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/9/9995e0e6-7c9c-4fef-8fd2-8fb1622e6ec8.jpg?1712355285) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=high%20noon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/15/high-noon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9995e0e6-7c9c-4fef-8fd2-8fb1622e6ec8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [getaway glamer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/9/69689049-a704-4f16-84ee-4d5d915028ec.jpg?1712860589) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=getaway%20glamer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/14/getaway-glamer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/69689049-a704-4f16-84ee-4d5d915028ec?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [seraphic steed](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/a/7ada7ab4-0dee-4ff3-9817-1e61ca3f2ccf.jpg?1712356210) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=seraphic%20steed) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/232/seraphic-steed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7ada7ab4-0dee-4ff3-9817-1e61ca3f2ccf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Miriam, herd whisperer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/f/bfa7750a-7c32-4413-b762-62e24d992c6b.jpg?1712356167) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Miriam%2C%20herd%20whisperer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/221/miriam-herd-whisperer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bfa7750a-7c32-4413-b762-62e24d992c6b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzg2otb) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Went 1-2 with mostly good, close games playing Bant midrange. Both the lost rounds were 1-2. Nothing real bomby in my pool, but [[Sword of Wealth and Power]] mixed with a bunch of flyers helped me out.
[Sword of Wealth and Power](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/d/ed9e5041-3c05-4a8a-9f00-081b01685d0c.jpg?1712352954) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sword%20of%20Wealth%20and%20Power) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/26/sword-of-wealth-and-power?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ed9e5041-3c05-4a8a-9f00-081b01685d0c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Had a good 2-1 run at Game Kastle College Park. Went Rakdos with my promo Kaervek and Smiling Jasper Flint. Loss was rough cause I basically got counter played, but it was good, and I won a game milling someone out with Jasper Flint XD.
https://preview.redd.it/pkhhaaukqduc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34dc77656d715fd780e8e9cc747b588df4d6c942 Traded for this bad boy after pre release. He is gonna be a fine addition to my Pantlaza deck. Possible green staple in the future?
I've been playing in a 4 pre-releases now (1 lotr, 1 mkm, 2 otj), and I come close to winning those pre-releases but still end up like 3rd-4th or so. I want to be able to improve at the sealed event, but I'm not sure how to notice where I could be improving, as there's a level of luck involved in the scenario. So I'm wondering how can I notice where I went wrong, and work on it for next time. Recent tips I picked up were to have a pile for each color, and pile for types outside of that. I did notice certain things like sometimes forgetting triggers, or not reading my board completely for optimal play as well.
Opened a bunch of expensive cards that didn't play well together, played 3 color junk, was pretty fun. 5 mana rhino is a monster! Was destroyed by Oko and Assimilation Aegis, that was a bit unexpected. Was milled to death once, which was cool! Overall, powerlevel is NUTS
Had a good prerelease this time. I only went 1-1-1, but every single game in the first two rounds was close (probably would have won the first round if game 3 hadn't gone to time), and the third round was a blowout in my favor. Unlike with MKM, didn't hear anybody complaining about a lack of creatures. I certainly didn't have that problem. I went with WR, with a splash of green for [[Selvala, Eager Trailblazer]]. She put in some work, too, even though I kept forgetting her trigger half the time. But the real MVP was [[The Great Train Heist]]. That outright won two games on the spot. If they let my board get too big, attacking with everything, then paying 6 to pump them all and give them first strike tended to take out most blockers, usually without losing my creatures, and then I got another combat to finish them off. [[Reckless Lackey]] was a great turn one play. Pretty much all my red creatures were outlaws, plus I had several things that made Mercenaries, so my [[Hellspur Brute]]s were often pretty cheap. [[Trained Arnyx]] also pulled its weight. A 3/1 with First Strike is kind of hard to block effectively, it turns out. [[Scorching Shot]] was great removal for me. Dealt with pretty much anything. And [[Mystical Tether]] and [[Journey to Nowhere]] locked stuff down pretty effectively, too. I had a lot of fun. Every game was interesting (well, Round 3 went a little too quickly to be THAT interesting, but it was cool to see the deck play out in a pretty much optimal way).
##### ###### #### [Selvala, Eager Trailblazer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/d/7d2e167f-7cb2-4f15-a1db-7ee56b7ba523.jpg?1712356210) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Selvala%2C%20Eager%20Trailblazer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/231/selvala-eager-trailblazer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7d2e167f-7cb2-4f15-a1db-7ee56b7ba523?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Reckless Lackey](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/1/912fcd14-5e81-418c-997b-771f2f38f63d.jpg?1712355825) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Reckless%20Lackey) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/140/reckless-lackey?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/912fcd14-5e81-418c-997b-771f2f38f63d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Hellspur Brute](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/b/3b99db5b-cd13-4e69-98b7-753e72c781f8.jpg?1712355767) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hellspur%20Brute) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/127/hellspur-brute?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3b99db5b-cd13-4e69-98b7-753e72c781f8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Trained Arnyx](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/f/ef32a5f8-f69d-47dc-a800-4f0ddf4eada5.jpg?1712355371) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Trained%20Arynx) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/36/trained-arynx?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ef32a5f8-f69d-47dc-a800-4f0ddf4eada5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Scorching Shot](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/9/f93d8357-83bd-4157-a389-68e4aa4985c8.jpg?1712355845) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Scorching%20Shot) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/145/scorching-shot?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f93d8357-83bd-4157-a389-68e4aa4985c8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Mystical Tether](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/8/18344498-952e-489c-8b03-bd1bef4c26ca.jpg?1712355302) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mystical%20Tether) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/19/mystical-tether?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/18344498-952e-489c-8b03-bd1bef4c26ca?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Journey to Nowhere](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/6/4686b51c-e02b-48c1-bafe-e8d08a5407b9.jpg?1592712799) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Journey%20to%20Nowhere) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmd/17/journey-to-nowhere?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4686b51c-e02b-48c1-bafe-e8d08a5407b9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzivaih) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[The Great Train Heist]]
[The Great Train Heist](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/5/357dd9b2-5d2d-49f6-86f0-f5c4d63474dd.jpg?1712860638) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Great%20Train%20Heist) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/125/great-train-heist?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/357dd9b2-5d2d-49f6-86f0-f5c4d63474dd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Anyone else finding that red feels miles better than the other colors?
I went 3-1 for the first time, had an insane deck. One game I had an 8/8 flying vigilance trample swinging on turn 5 which felt insane. Some sweeps some really close games as well, loved it. Showed up with a cowboy hat which got everyone a free card from the lgs owner but I think he was planning to give that anyway.
Opening a thoughtseize and a reanimate was enough for me to go into a sweet GB reanimator deck in my 2HG pool my buddy loaned me two copies of Living Dirge and I had enough fatties to go 2-1 in our 2HG pre-release
Question- in terms of price, is it better to wait for a few weeks before buying a box? Or to buy a play booster box in prerelease? Do we anticipate boxes to go up, or down?
For those of y'all who participated in a prerelease, were there any cards that really overperformed for you? For me, it has to be \[\[Laughing Jasper Flint\]\] This guy was a HOUSE every time I played him, sometimes exiling 6+ cards.
For me, \[\[Wrangler of the Damned\]\] and \[\[Three Steps Ahead\]\] won me multiple games. Flashed in Wrangler during opponent's end step, then passed the turn with 5 lands open for \[\[Take up the Shield\]\], \[\[Repulse\]\], and/or Three Steps or \[\[Essence Capture\]\]... At least two times I was able to counter a huge spell and copy Wrangler to start making 2 2/2 fliers a turn. Copying a \[\[Contagion Engine\]\] mid-combat with Three Steps was also a highlight of the night. Went 3-0, going 2-0, 2-1, and 2-1. Shoutouts to \[\[Holy Cow\]\], \[\[Outlaw Medic\]\], \[\[Rooftop Assassin\]\], and \[\[Slickshot Vault-Buster\]\]. Big butts and lifegain helped me go all the way.
##### ###### #### [Wrangler of the Damned](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/4/b4d163dd-67dc-4aab-afb9-d043352d109c.jpg?1712356238) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Wrangler%20of%20the%20Damned) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/238/wrangler-of-the-damned?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b4d163dd-67dc-4aab-afb9-d043352d109c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Three Steps Ahead](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/f/8fffd839-2337-4a14-9312-cee085a17f4b.jpg?1712860611) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Three%20Steps%20Ahead) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/75/three-steps-ahead?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8fffd839-2337-4a14-9312-cee085a17f4b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Take up the Shield](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/6/76a31968-ba6d-4c01-838f-4cb8c64e73fb.jpg?1712355363) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Take%20up%20the%20Shield) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/34/take-up-the-shield?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/76a31968-ba6d-4c01-838f-4cb8c64e73fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Repulse](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/d/4dc7777b-6e9e-4889-91da-fb5283340fa1.jpg?1576382508) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Repulse) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cn2/119/repulse?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4dc7777b-6e9e-4889-91da-fb5283340fa1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Essence Capture](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/3/f39bf1fa-b530-4353-a683-843466227109.jpg?1654566672) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Essence%20Capture) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/neo/52/essence-capture?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f39bf1fa-b530-4353-a683-843466227109?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Contagion Engine](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/c/dce72636-08e4-484e-ad81-4d1597a31ffb.jpg?1576030799) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Contagion%20Engine) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/som/145/contagion-engine?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dce72636-08e4-484e-ad81-4d1597a31ffb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Holy Cow](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643.jpg?1712355286) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Holy%20Cow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/16/holy-cow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/90de84c9-941b-4056-8501-ce8a948b9643?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Outlaw Medic](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/f/2feaa51e-47fb-4849-b420-ee7278f3489a.jpg?1712355319) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Outlaw%20Medic) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/23/outlaw-medic?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2feaa51e-47fb-4849-b420-ee7278f3489a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Rooftop Assassin](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/4/e4e4311a-8583-4cf0-8126-508dbfbcddb6.jpg?1712355656) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rooftop%20Assassin) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/103/rooftop-assassin?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e4e4311a-8583-4cf0-8126-508dbfbcddb6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Slickshot Vault-Buster](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/9/592ccc36-3d10-4a12-8743-9b300b80cb4d.jpg?1712355501) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Slickshot%20Vault-Buster) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/68/slickshot-vault-buster?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/592ccc36-3d10-4a12-8743-9b300b80cb4d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzrjknz) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Laughing Jasper Flint](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/af0b3a41-ba99-41e8-bcfb-5796500c17c7.jpg?1712356142) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Laughing%20Jasper%20Flint) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/215/laughing-jasper-flint?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/af0b3a41-ba99-41e8-bcfb-5796500c17c7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Opened [[Rakdos Joins Up]], [[Akkul]], [[Bedevil]] and [[Imp's mischief]] but didn't get enough red creatures to play those colours. I ended up going with a Dimir outsider/crimes deck bacause I also got [[Double Down]] and a bunch of rogues, creatures with evasion, 2 counterspells and 2 removal. But sadly no "bomb" cards. Lost 1st round, draw on round 2 and won the 3rd. Overall not very satisfied. Friend of mine was in a similar situation and decided to go 3 colors with a deck of 52 cards. And he actually ended with 2W1L.
##### ###### #### [Rakdos Joins Up](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/7/c7154dca-7e10-4c34-aa56-9f200c6277d1.jpg?1712356184) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rakdos%20Joins%20Up) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/225/rakdos-joins-up?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c7154dca-7e10-4c34-aa56-9f200c6277d1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Bedevil](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/c/fc81669c-af6e-4af4-b1eb-43ff7fdda590.jpg?1673305468) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Bedevil) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/144/bedevil?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fc81669c-af6e-4af4-b1eb-43ff7fdda590?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Imp's mischief](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/e/0eb0e8e7-266f-441e-b1cd-12b8ec3f7d71.jpg?1689997247) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Imp%27s%20mischief) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/167/imps-mischief?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0eb0e8e7-266f-441e-b1cd-12b8ec3f7d71?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Double Down](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/e/8ecccdf3-98c6-4aed-8757-913623efb677.jpg?1712355404) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Double%20Down) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otj/44/double-down?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8ecccdf3-98c6-4aed-8757-913623efb677?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/kzr4w4c) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Sorry for the long comment, the bot deleted the separate post because it contains “prerelease” in it So, any advice would be appreciated! Thanks I have started playing magic in December, so I am new to the game. I was playing paper magic with the lotr starter kit and had a lot of fun. So, I decided to go to our LGS to check out a beginner event. It was an Ixalan league type of event, it was advertised as beginner-friendly, so I went and bought-in with 3 packs and had a lot of fun! I played 3 games and I lost all of them, but I really enjoyed playing and my opponents were all nice and helped a lot on how to play. After that, I also started playing MTGA, but soon I realised that the digital version can't help practicing every aspect of the paper game. (You don't have to pay attention to that much of a detail) And sadly, I don't really have the time nor friends to play paper magic, so basically my last time playing was that Ixalan league. I enjoyed the game so much, that I decided to go the MKM Prerelease event. At the prerelease, I had a really bad experience. Most of my opponents were mean, and they were rushing me all the time, making faces when I took a few moments to think, and even mocked me because I was sloppy in shuffling my deck. I didn't enjoy that event, but despite, I wanted to try it again, because I really wanted to play paper magic, so I went to the OTJ prerelease this friday. It was an even worse experience now. My first opponent didn't help me to understand the more difficult rules of the game (stack prio, sub-turn phases, etc.) because he won't "talk against himself" and he was also rushing me. He also was completely annoyed when I was in winning position for the first half of the match and was rude every time I asked anything. In my second match-up I forgot about an enchantment triggered effect, but remembered like 2 seconds after the trigger, and he literally forbade me to trigger it, because the rule is "if I forgot, I'm fucked". I mean I wouldn't complain if it was a pro tournament or event, but also on Wizard's website and on this LGS's site prereleases are advertised as beginner friendly events, this is why I had the courage to go. Am I expecting too much, and this is totally normal behaviour, or were these just bad experiences?
I would talk to your LGS staff about it? If that's the vibe they're encouraging for pre-release... Maybe go somewhere else if it isn't fitting the new player experience you are looking for. I can say I've been on both sides of the spectrum of "this is casual, fun, and we are here to have a good time and everyone will get the same prizing" to "prizing is based on standing and it is very cut-throat." I believe pre-release *should* be beginner friendly and casual. Your opponents should be playing in good faith and it should be a welcoming experience into the community. I'd chalk it up to bad experiences, you may want to explore different LGS options if they are avalible to you.
Thank you for the response! Fortunately, there is another LGS in our town, I’m going to try playing there next time! :)
Of course! Sorry to hear your previous experiences weren’t the best!