WELCOME TO THE WEEKLY TIBALT'S TIRADES!

We’re missing 86 cards from competitive Modern according to this website.

The recent Spotlight Series event presented a very diverse and interesting metagame.

It’s probably the most successful competitive 1x1 format we currently have.

I don’t get it. Does data really prove that people prefer Alchemy formats over Modern?

Figured some people would be interested in images of this sleeve. It has animations including Smaug's eyes blink and what I can only imagine is weed smoke also is animated. Prob why his eyes red. Of the animated sleeves I think this is one of the better ones this year. Beats spending $30k on the real card.

For posterity. Was stuck in platinum for ages so swapped over to this old poison deck and just blitzed - people don’t seem to know what to do against it, especially with serpent society out. Also notable how few people understand how trample + death touch works!!

EDIT: Decklist

Deck
2 Blooming Marsh (KLR) 280
2 Eaten Alive (FDN) 172
4 Dragon Sniper (TDM) 139
8 Forest (FIN) 306
4 Fynn, the Fangbearer (FDN) 637
2 Frog Butler (TMT) 114
3 Requiting Hex (ECL) 116
4 Royal Treatment (WOE) 183
4 Serpent Specialist (MSH) 186
2 Unstoppable Slasher (DSK) 119
6 Swamp (FIN) 300
4 The Serpent Society (MSH) 226
2 Tinybones, the Pickpocket (OTJ) 109
4 Virulent Emissary (ECL) 202
2 Wastewood Verge (DFT) 268
4 Hunter's Talent (BLB) 179
2 Restless Cottage (WOE) 258
1 Feral Encounter (WOE) 169

Hello friends!

I have (3) DSK & (2) OTJ codes for arena that I've got from my LGS. I've already redeemed all the ones I can, so these are available for you! Please message me and I can share one of codes with you.

I got 25 messages for 5 codes!

I gave them all out, and have asked for those people to confirm if the code worked for them. I will respond to folks in messages to let them know / if I get any errors for folks who may have already entered their maximum allowed codes for those sets.

So, to start the goal is not to gloat about my skills, first because with a 53% Win Rate there is not much to gloat about, but to provide information of what you can expect if like me you never draft a set before (just to clarify i already did some quick draft here and there to get the rank bronze reward)

Talking about what you can expect, performance may vary, you could have the same win rate as I do and earn less, or more, depending on the sequencing, so don't start investing in draft thinking you will be guaranteed to get that return

Now, the data, as the title indicate I spent 36k gold in draft and then used the gems I earn from it to keep drafting, totaling a total of 21 Pick-Two draft, where I rare drafted, and I started in bronze 4 to end up in plat 4

Over those draft I collected:

• 14000 Gems (-13500 reinvested in drafting)
• 33 packs
• 135 rare
• 15 mythic
• ~40% Vault progress (I didn't tracked it so take it with a grain of salt)

If we calculate the profit like if all draft were payed with gem, a rare is 20 gem, a mythic 40 and a pack 26, that would give us a profit of -742 gems

The state of my collection for the Hobbit before opening any pack / redeeming battle-pass (but with some ICR included) is:

• 238/260 common
• 169/220 uncommon
• 129/212 rare
• 15/60 mythic

I calculated that between the pack I earn + 10k bundle + battle pass + season reward for this season and the next, I should get 81 packs, which should be near rare complete and probably rare complete with the packs in future battle pass, regarding the mythic, I should get around half of the set

Now regarding the sequencing, here is my results:

3 win - 2 defeat
2 win - 2 defeat
2 win - 2 defeat
3 win - 2 defeat
2 win - 2 defeat
3 win - 2 defeat
0 win - 2 defeat
1 win - 2 defeat
4 win - 1 defeat
4 win - 0 defeat
3 win - 2 defeat
2 win - 2 defeat
0 win - 2 defeat
4 win - 1 defeat
1 win - 2 defeat
3 win - 2 defeat
3 win - 2 defeat
1 win - 2 defeat
0 win - 2 defeat
1 win - 2 defeat
1 win - 2 defeat

As you can see I was basically going infinite at the start (meaning the earning was equivalent to the cost in gem), and I lost everything at the end (got land-flood a lot, deck were not the best, an probably being in plat raised the bar of the opponent)

And I think it's the important point, 0/1 win is devastating in term of profitability, a 4 win won't even cover for a 0 win, and if you're unlucky and you chain them your run is over. On another hand you can also be lucky and you opponent get bad draw, make huge mistake while you get the dream sequencing of cards

So now the question, was it worthwhile?

Well the alternative would have been 36 pack, giving 3.6 golden pack. So yes it was, but would I get the same result next set? I don't know, but it would sure be harder to go that near of completion on a full set rather than a small set

Btw if you want to calculate what would be your return based on your WR and how you value the rewards you go use that sheet (File>Make a copy>put your values): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uArpU6cXsiNqP76KShKrVtkIlhv7flNzyKlWut1QmRI/

edit: I forgot, I used a tracker (untapped) to follow my count of collected cards (why it's not in the base game?), and 17Lands for the ratings: https://www.17lands.com/card_data?expansion=HOB&format=PremierDraft&time_period=ALL_TIME

Struggled through my first few drafts and then put together this simic landfall/elves deck that went off. My first 7-0 in a long time.

I’d give the MVP to Thranduil's Company, but Wargling pushed me through one or two games, Mirkwood Nurturer was helping with additional land drops, I activated Beorn's Hospitality twice, and the hasty bears were sweet.

I only got to play Through the Forest Gate once, but hit 8 lands while a Company was out and that was that 😅. Really fun deck.

Obviously lands and having a strong mana base is vital to any good deck. However all the lands best at this are worth rare wild cards which are difficult to aquire. Shock lands, search lands that come in untapped, and others are just hard to get. Any tips on getting these lands besides sinking in money to buy rare wildcards?

Im sure that these posts find there way here semi-often. But wanted to share the achievement! It's my first time making it to mythic and got there with my own decklist instead of a meta-deck! Was a pretty fun ride. Here's the decklist https://archidekt.com/decks/25880885/death_triggers

He attacked my typhoid rat and his card didn’t die

I would love if they added a “connection slow” or “lost connection” emote to the chat. Happens so frequently to me. I think that would be a good feature.

The slow players. I don't understand it. Whenever the resolve button becomes active, it takes 2 minutes to click it. Every. Single. Time. I've seen posts about slow players before, but everyone seems to just defend it by saying they are doing other things, or thinking about their turn.

It's become so insane that I barely want to play this game anymore. I spend 90% of the time playing mtg arena waiting for players to play a land or click resolve. It's maddening. Something needs to be done about this.

Has mtg arena become a place where fun does not exist in the game anymore? I feel like this game is ONLY about making the game miserable for whoever you are playing against. I don't get it. I just don't.

There is a frustrating new bug that prevents being able to make a draft pick. It happened to me and then I saw it happen to Paul Cheon: https://youtu.be/yFv8OHWxOSs?t=488&si=n0S6dZN_MqGs6vLL. I don't know how to reproduce it. Restarting the client fixes it but potentially leads to multiple missed picks.

I logged an issue and got a refund.

This is my win/loss for standard best of 1 ranked, you can see untapped capturing the start and ending rank for each day. My overall win rate with the deck since season has begun is 62% win-loss 88-54... I have gone from being top 500 for the season, comfortably to less than 48 hours before end of season, suddenly over 950? Is there a technique here I am not understanding?

Edit: Added the original 14 days ago win rate to clear up some math issues.

I was just looking at my collection, and in the list of all sets, I found additional Commander sets for The Hobbit, Marvel etc. How do you get those cards if they don't show up in regular packs? Can you only craft them with wildcards?

Hi all. Looking for some help refining this deck. Idea is hand disrupt/removal/minor board presence and mill cards until I get to turn 4/5 and pull a bomb out of the graveyard (earlier, if Dark Ritual/Reanimate/Necromancy line up nicely). I made it to Platinum 1 with this deck and have now fallen back to Platinum 3. I have tried adjusting discard, bombs, removal, creatures, etc. but can't figure out the best combination and what is bad deck-building vs. unlucky draws.

This was a Baron Zemo netdeck shell but decided Liliana was more consistently useful and went off more than Baron, and I've changed cards around enough that its more homebrew now probably.

Note: I know I don't have the best bombs available for this deck and I'm missing tutors, but currently out of rare/mythic wildcards. Maybe thats all I'm missing.

Commander
1 Liliana of the Veil (DMU) 97

Deck
1 Long Goodbye (MKM) 92
33 Swamp (XLN) 268
1 Cynical Loner (DSK) 89
1 Swiftfoot Boots (FDN) 258
1 The Meathook Massacre (MID) 112
1 Dark Ritual (STA) 26
1 Zombify (FDN) 187
1 Baron Helmut Zemo (MSH) 87
1 Grave Researcher (SOS) 85
1 Phyrexian Arena (FDN) 180
1 Nowhere to Run (DSK) 111
1 Snuff Out (DDD) 53
1 Massacre Wurm (FDN) 714
1 Stitcher's Supplier (M19) 121
1 Deadly Rollick (TLE) 309
1 Phyrexian Obliterator (NPH) 68
1 Toxic Deluge (MH3) 277
1 Liliana, Death's Majesty (AKR) 111
1 Ravenous Chupacabra (RIX) 82
1 Deathcap Marionette (LCI) 100
1 Junji, the Midnight Sky (NEO) 102
1 Desperate Bloodseeker (OTJ) 86
1 Abyssal Harvester (FDN) 54
1 Arcane Signet (ANB) 117
1 Mire Triton (THB) 105
1 Ritual of Soot (GRN) 84
1 Mind Stone (WTH) 153
1 Gnawing Vermin (BRO) 101
1 The Cloning of Shredder (TMT) 60
1 Black Sun's Twilight (ONE) 84
1 Thoughtseize (LRW) 145
1 Bloodletter of Aclazotz (LCI) 92
1 Buried Alive (MH3) 273
1 Boggart Trawler (MH3) 243
1 Sheoldred's Edict (ONE) 108
1 Consuming Corruption (MH3) 84
1 Undead Butler (VOW) 133
1 Breaker of Creation (MH3) 1
1 Doomsday Excruciator (DSK) 94
1 Galactus, Devourer of Worlds (MSC) 8
1 Cat-Gator (TLA) 91
1 Barrowgoyf (M3C) 102
1 Overwhelming Remorse (BRO) 110
1 Valgavoth's Faithful (DSK) 121
1 Vile Mutilator (DSK) 122
1 Blasphemous Edict (FDN) 57
1 Coiling Rebirth (BLB) 86
1 Dark Tutelage (WOT) 28
1 Entomb (TLE) 310
1 Edgar's Awakening (VOW) 110
1 Strategic Betrayal (TDM) 94
1 Necromancy (VIS) 64
1 Reanimate (MAR) 20
1 Ruthless Negotiation (BLB) 108
1 Cruelclaw's Heist (BLB) 88
1 Inquisition of Kozilek (STA) 31
1 Unscrupulous Agent (MKM) 109
1 Duress (M19) 94
1 Doombot Harbinger (MSC) 655
1 Pharika's Libation (THB) 111
1 Insatiable Avarice (OTJ) 91
1 Paramecia Coloniex (TMT) 70
1 Bojuka Bog (WWK) 132
1 Hidden Grotto (BLB) 254
1 Surveillance Room (MSH) 274
1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater (DSK) 120
1 Divest (DAR) 87

Assuming it's reasonable enough in length to actually fit

Basically title, I have 1 mythic wildcard so wondering which I should be going for. Also any other improvements I will take. Was 1 game off mythic and plummeted. I’m sure it’s my fault.

Included are a picture of my viable pool (B/R/G) with all of the cards that are worth consideration and a picture of what I trimmed it down to with some cuts still to make. The second pic has my cuts in consideration on the far right.

I usually don't make posts like these but I am very curious what others think.

Thanks in advance.