Yeah, so, this work trip is eating my life. I'm hoping to be back to a somewhat normal life schedule by next week, then I can start adding some relevant posts. I've been playing a tweaked Pauper Stars 'n Bars deck on MTGO that I want to discuss. WoW is also showing some changes so I want to discuss those.
This could prove to be a bit of a touchy subject, as some people who I associate with in game feel I am a braggart or similarly do "crazy" things on the AH. This couldn't be further from the truth. I only tell people about making money to spark interest in hopes I can find just one person willing to learn what I have discovered.
I will likely make some follow-up posts regarding this that are more specific. As for generalities; I finally broke 100,000g on my AH character about 2 weeks ago. Most of the income came from flask and frost lotus sales. The rest came from selling cut gems and some mild speculation.
Before I get into the weeds, I want to give credit where it's due. Check out Markco's information on his blog and YouTube channel and visit the JMTC Forums, where I am one of the moderators. Markco and the community members on the forums helped me make the changes I discuss below that eventually led to my moneymaking.
I'm on the road for the release. I'd doubt I'll partake in any festivities, however I'm debating picking up a booster box while I'm here versus ordering one online. I'll have to call the local shop and see what they are asking for the box. The various online sources have boxes at around $100 shipped.
I may also call Wal-Mart; who usually gets some small inventory of stuff like this and most people don't even know about it. I'm just hoping I can convince someone to sell me at a booster box price and not "36 booster packs," which would run closer to $180.
I was pleasantly surprised with WWK at the prerelease. My sealed deck went 2-2 (my first MtG play with real cards in 13 years!) with Black/Blue/spice White. I see a lot of potential with this set, and people who were denouncing it will likely be eating their words in the next couple of weeks.
It may not affect the meta in Standard too much (Vamps, WW and Eldrazi Green get the most love from WWK), but it's already rocking the foundations of Limited. I will not be surprised if a tournament viable Allies deck finally shows up as well.
Thanks to the WWK prerelease, I've been giving MtG a lot of love. I've also been on a lot of work travel, so I've been fighting the Lag Beast; which has been keeping me from playing WoW as much as I normally do.
At any rate, the Frost Wing recently opened, which means Arthas himself is now killable. Our raid is still working through some coordination and execution issues, so we're still working through both Putricide and Blood Queen before focusing on (two dragons and then) Arthas.
Much as I hate cross-commenting and cross-posting, I'm not going to rewrite this stuff.
From Joe Panuska's most recent blog post
I posted the following comment:
A few things:
1) That podcast would make a lot more sense if Flores wrote down his thoughts first.
2) Also, if they had recorded it properly instead of in what sounds like a busy coffee shop, I would be able to understand it better. The Podcast is so overmodulated I can't understand half of what they are saying or trying to say.
3) That all being said, I think Mike is on the right path. Insomuch as it's better to step back from card advantage as a metric and look more to mana efficiency. Of course, that's assuming I'm understanding the podcast correctly. Similar to what Alton says, you guys are using too many examples and the result is a "moving metric" that makes it difficult to come to any conclusion
I apologize to anyone reading this. I've been bad about adding new posts lately because a work trip has gotten in the way. The good news is I should be home for Prerelease Weekend at my LGS. I should have some posts up this weekend regarding how it all went for me.
It will be my first time playing any "public Magic" (i.e. playing MtG in person but not with friends/relatives), so I'll have a lot to reflect on.
I'm still trying to make a decision on my preorders for WWK, so feel free to leave suggestions. Currently, I'm thinking I'll pick up a set of precons for my wife and me to play, for sure. However, I'm not sure if I want to invest in a full box on a set that is relatively small. I'm trying to convince a friend of mine to split a box with me, but we haven't seriously discussed it in a while.
All of WWK is now spoiled. A fun combo that jumped out at me:
Bazaar Trader + Abyssal Persecutor
The trader taps to give someone control of one of your permanents. The Persecutor says that you can't win the game and your opponent can't lose.
The Persecutor is too big and expensive to see play in standard, but this combo is going to be a lot of fun for kitchen table Magic. If you can protect the Trader long enough for the Persecutor to get out, or give it haste, this can swing a bad game for you into a win.