Damage On The Stack

We dive into the business of creating a deck from scratch. We discuss the ideas of mana curve, land distribution and sideboard selection. We also go through the process of choosing cards for a new Naya themed deck. Deck research resources http://magiccards.info http://gatherer.wizards.com http://deckcheck.net Crystal’s Example Deck —————— 4 Wooly Thoctar 4 Marisi’s Twinclaws 2 Uril, the Miststalker 3 Spellbreaker Beheamoth 4 Wilt-Leaf Liege 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Trace of Abundance 4 Naya Charm 3 Garruk Wildspeaker 3 Shield of the Oversoul 2 Primal Command 4 Wooded Bastion 4 Jungle Shrine 2 Fire-Lit Thicket 6 Forest 4 Plains 1 Mountain 2 Brushland Sideboard: 3 Gaddock Teeg 4 Path to Exile 4 Naturalize 4 Gutteral Response Jim’s Example Deck —————— 4 Tattermunge Maniac 4 Wild Nacatl 4 Birds of Paradise 2 Gaddock Teeg 4 Kitchen Finks 4 Wooly Thoctar 1 Ranger of Eos 3 Kight of the Reliquary 4 Path to Exile 4 Rampant Growth 2 Naya Charm 4 Ancient Ziggurat 4 Jungle Shrine 3 Treetop Village 4 Terramorphic Expanse 5 Forest 2 Mountain 2 Plains Sideboard: 4 Vexing Shusher 1 Wall of Reverence 1 Gaddock Teeg 2 Naya Charm 4 Oblivion Ring 3 Mercy Killing This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

You know the kind of card. You look at it, say “meh”, and pass it on by. But for some reason other people get excited by the card. What are they seeing? Why do seemingly “bad” cards get played in winning decks? We explore several examples of different kinds of “bad” cards that are, of course, very good when looked at the right way. For discussions of the cards referenced in the show I would suggest searching your favorite forums. An example of such a conversation is: Why is Dark Confidant good? http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=33939 This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Lots of listener feedback this week including several game play situations. We then investigate playing Aggro decks, how they operate and what trips them up. Some aggro deck related resources: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/academy/30 http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Aggro_deck This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

We answer listener feedback and review a few game situations that were sent in. Crystal has a format she’d like to encourage new players to try out. Finally we talk about Evasion and ways of getting damage through when you turn your creatures sideways. http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Evasion_ability Some history about Portal Three Kingdoms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_Three_Kingdoms This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, and Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Combat, the setting for most interactions in Magic. Also, one of the easiest places to make a mistake. We break down the combat phase into its discreet steps, explain some of the tricks that can be performed, including our namesake, and hopefully clarify some of the more subtle interactions with trample, lifelink and regeneration. As brought up during the show, here are a few ways to put creatures into play directly attacking in Standard: – Militia’s Pride – Preeminent Captain Comprehensive rules excerpt: http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Combat_phase Article by Sheldon Menery with more examples of Combat Phase interactions: http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=733 This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

We discuss what is a netdeck, why do some people consider it a bad practice, and how can using a netdeck make you a better player. http://deckcheck.net http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Default.aspx http://mtgsalvation.com http://starcitygames.com http://www.mtgthesource.com This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Play mistakes? Who makes mistakes? We probably all recognize that Magic is a game of mistakes, and we all make plenty of them. We explore many of the common mistakes that are often habitual and then delve into some of the more subtle practices that should be recognized as mistakes that you should be aware of. Articles about play mistakes Not Losing at Magic by Hugh Moore http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=8345 The Effects of Misplays by Richard Feldman http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/fundamentals/11401_SCG_Daily_The_Effects_of_Misplays.html This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, and Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Who’s this Bob guy, or Tim, and why do people keep referring to their Grizzly Bears? We delve into some of the slang of Magic and what it all means. We also have lots of feedback from last week’s show and a follow-up to last week’s puzzler. Articles about Interaction Advantage http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/17038_Chatter_of_the_Squirrel_Interaction_Advantage_or_Card_Advantage_Is_Wrong_Kinda.html http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/17077_Chatter_of_the_Squirrel_Applied_Interaction_Advantage.html Magic slang reference http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Category:Magic_slang This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, and Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

We’re joined this week by a new co-host, Jim Gorz. We are discussing The Stack, that most intimidating of constructs that is so essential to higher level Magic play. We look at different timings of effects in Magic, the main ways of generating those effects, and some of the many ways they can interact. We even cover some advanced stack tomfoolery such as Reveillark and the ever popular Demigod of Revenge. This episode is also our first attempt at a puzzle of the week segment. We present a situation and ask for feedback and discussion on what the optimal play would be in the situation and some of the possible plays our opponent might make. Another explanation of the stack – http://www.essentialmagic.com/Articles/TheStack.asp The down and dirty comprehensive rules for the stack – http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Stack Mark Rosewater describing why Wizards usually doesn’t refer to the stack on cards – http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr255 This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Kootnz, Crystal Koontz, and Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

We explore the different basic archetypes of Magic: aggro, control and combo. We discuss what it is that makes a deck “aggro” or “control” and why it’s important to know which one your deck is. We discuss what an aggro deck needs to accomplish vs a control deck and why you need to understand the goals of your opponent’s deck. We also explore some combo decks that exist in the current standard and extended metagames. Finally we respond to listener feedback with some clarifications about dumb things David said last episode. Wikipedia article on archetypes of Magic – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_Deck Archetypes article on MTG home page – http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/academy/22 Star City Games article on Magic archetypes – http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/fundamentals/12302_Deck_Archetypes_and_Player_Styles.html Database of decks from all formats – http://www.deckcheck.net/ This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David and Crystal Koontz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Damage On The Stack focuses on the technical aspects of Magic, specifically, how do we become better players. This is not a news show, although examples and references to the current metagame will certainly be brought up. Episodes are focused on various aspects of Magic such as how the tricker parts of combat work or how activated abilities use the stack and can be interacted with. If your goal is to become a better player, this is the show for you. Do you know your PTQ from your DCI? The world of Magic is huge with a rich history and a great variety of events and formats. This episode is a whirlwind tour through the world of Magic. Topics include how cards are organized into sets and blocks, an overview of the different formats (both sanctioned and unsanctioned) and the major events that happen throughout the Magic year. This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Sign up for the DCI at your local game store or at http://thedci.com Learn about the various Magic formats – http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/academy/21 Learn about the Pro Tour – http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/events/protour Your Host(s): David and Crystal Koontz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Diving into “that other part of Magic” we look at the limited format. If you’re new to Magic or perhaps just a constructed stalwart, this episode introduces the basic ideas behind limited and some basic strategy. How do you evaluate cards in limited vs constructed, how do you decide what to draft, and how to sort out your sealed pool. Feeling a Draft: An Introduction to 40-Card Decks http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/academy/13 Limited Resources podcast on MTG Cast http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=65 This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Our follow-up to the playing aggro episode. We talk about the different kinds of control decks, why they play different cards and the basic strategies they use to win. Playing Control http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/17667.html – “The Power of Making More Decisions” by Gavin Verhey This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

WARNING: THIS IS AN EPISODE FULL OF SPOILERS! We discuss some upcoming cards and our process for evaluating how those cards fit into various formats. Is card X constructed playable? Why might a seemingly bomb card not be so hot? This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website

Damage On The Stack #15 – M10 rules changes The great upheaval of the M10 rules changes are upon us! We discuss what these changes mean for how we play Magic. What gets better, what gets worse and how will it effect (or not) your typical game of Magic? Show Notes: Aaron Forsythe and Mark L. Gottlieb article on M10 Rules Changes – http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a Gavin’s post about floor rules on MTGS – http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=168313 This podcast is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Music provided by Roots of Rebellion from their album The Looking Glass, used under a Creative Commons license. Your Host(s): David Koontz, Crystal Koontz, Jim Gorz Show’s Email: damageonthestack@gmail.com chewieMore Posts - Website