Eli Kassis (Esper Midrange) vs. Nathan Steuer (Grixis Midrange) Find full coverage, decklists, and more from Magic World Championship XXVIII here: magic.gg/events/magic-world-c... #mtg #MagicTheGathering #MTGWorlds #Magic30
hate on me if you want but i think watching an arena format is a lot more viewer friendly for ppl that are newer to MTG (like myself) arena is also a lot cheaper to play and build a deck over time than paper. as much as i like playing card games against my friends in person, arena has a lot more ease of access for everyone
I can see how it's probably much friendlier to new players, but for people like me who used to play paper magic only, there is a sort of "magic" (no pun intended) to going to your local card shop on Friday nights and playing till dark, trading cards, hanging out with the community, seeing familiar faces, etc. that you just don't get with Arena. The feeling of sleeving your cards, rolling out your custom play mat, rolling your shiny new set of dice, and ripping a card of the top of your deck is just unmatchable. But I'm glad that it's more accessible because paper magic is a huge money sink 😅
@@kaleblavender6093 There are pros and cons to both sides. You can come across some real douchebags in person (happened to me enough that I quit going) and then you kinda lose that sense of "the gathering" in the name, which is a bummer. On the flip side, I also grew up with collecting the physical cards and I do miss that aspect a lot. I tried playing Arena and just felt like it wasn't for me. I don't think you can go wrong either way, personally. Seeing gatekeeping comments like the one above ("L take") ruins the experience. We all enjoy MtG - why does it matter hoe we enjoy it, if we ain't hurting others?
@@escobarisanoctopus I definitely agree that there are a lot of people with attitude problems who play Magic (seems to be a problem in all competitive gaming, like COD and Overwatch and LOL) and it can make an in-person experience miserable. I was lucky to be in a community of mostly supportive and friendly players, but there would always be that guy who came to FNM and told you your deck sucked, or tells you you're playing too slow. I don't personally care how anyone plays magic, but I wish there were still strong in-person communities, and I wish everyone got to have that kind of experience that is hard to replicate online.
MTG is also heavily dependend on removals and counters making it way too stale. The first game Nathan won literally for flooding his make disappears and removals. Most stupid game I have seen.
You know, even if the decks are homogenized and all, I have to admit I kinda like watching midrange slugfests a million times. Curse you Reid Duke for making me enjoy this!
With Tom Bombadil's effect in the upcoming set, I can see Fable of the Mirror Breaker being a massive problem for a long time in casual, unless the set adds something to counter it.
I really liked how Marshall was like “WOW how is this happening, this must be so frustrating”. It’s on arena, that’s how, this is like every 3rd game you flood or screw and then it asks you if you had fun in the game lol
That last match really showed that there might be too much variance in the game of magic. I always had thoughts of a card game where you could choose the cards you start with in your hand, and possibly even the order of which cards you draw after that. Could be interesting idk. Kind of disappointing to see losses due to randomness/shuffler
It's a good question. Luck is absolutely a factor, but deck choice and strategy also make a huge difference. These players spend a lot of time choosing and tuning their decklists and sideboard plans. Plus, while everyone in the world championship is an excellent player, all the small decisions they make over the course of the games add up in a really significant way, and many of these decisions are so difficult that you can study them without the time constraint and still not be sure of the right call. For instance, if we take a look at game 2 of match 3 between the Nathan and Eli, it's pretty clear that Nathan was unlucky not to draw his lands. However, if you examine the hand he kept closely (again, without the pressure or time constraint or the mental exhaustion of playing so many games), you'll probably agree that he shouldn't have kept it. It's sketchy enough that in such a high-stakes match (and being on the draw) he probably would have done better on a mulligan. But that said, it's also defensible to keep. The point is, it takes a lot of skill to make the right call there. So sometimes what looks like mana-screw arguably has more to do with nuanced decision-making and I think it's easy to overlook that. Luck is a totally a thing, but if it were overwhelmingly luck at this level, we'd probably see a lot more variety at the top tables of the big events than we do. PVDDR is a great example--he's got absurd accolades because he's just absurdly good at the game (definitely check out his matches or YT channel if you're not familiar). Guy's just brilliant--leagues above even your average pro.
Welcome to card games. Poker, magic, blackjack, all have skill to maximize you chances to win, but at the end of the day it comes down to the heart of the cards
Another great match ending in flooding or screw in a high stakes game where RNG literally decides the outcome! Yay! Great commentary, lovely and sharp play, and the fundamental game design failing to provide reasonably fair outcomes yet again!
paper is just horrible to watch - not that i don't like paper mtg, but as a view i better have it digital with all the benefits of editing as well as showing hands and stuff
I think it was easier to follow. For the last few years every new card drawn would be put up so everyone could read. But I understand I may be biased, from watching many years on paper tournaments.
@@shieldtablet942 it’s not only the cards drawn but the table is too cluttered and even if u put a 4K camera it can get confusing specially for new players like me I’ve watched some old wc matches and I get the paper argument but imho arena or mtgo is better for live-streaming
pretty much how all tcgs work man, draw better than the opponent and win. nothing new really, especially not anything you can blame wotc for, if it wasnt fable and invoke it would be something else.
@@danielfreer8487 So how the fuck can I not blame wotc for this? They print cards like lucky clover and ban them. These cards have lucky clover imprinted on them. Only wotc is responsible here, ain't it somewaht like that?
@@THEdentist86 it does not matter what TCG you are playing, there will always be cards like this. People who draw better than their opponents will always win, its pretty much a given my dude, been playing multiple TCGs at the competitive level since before i got out of high school and thats just how it has always been. if something like this existing was rare, then i would say blame wotc, but the fact of the matter is drawing your best cards while your opponent does not, will almost always mean you win.
@@danielfreer8487 - Exactly. It's basically like so many other sports/competitions. Obviously the match is going to play out how it plays out, but ultimately the proper planning and preparation will favor the competitors who do that part properly--well before any matches are even played. Let's also make note that these are the two TOP PLAYERS that made the finals off a lot of prelim rounds against a monstrously stellar field. Do you really think a game is going to be decided because a player makes some silly mistake in the way they order their play? Or one player will play their hand exceptionally suboptimally? Come on now.
@@lordpye pretty much this lol, granted there have been some pretty harsh misplays done at this level because nobody is perfect, but by that same token the finals here were 3x best of 3 series, its pretty damn hard to claim its just luck as the only factor, and not skill when you do this many best of 3s.
@@robarnold8248 What you say is dumb. And obviously so. Great things are more than just the sum of their parts. It's not just about the parts being individually good, it's about the parts synergizing with each other. I shouldn't have to say this. You are a grown man.
Watching people lose to mana flood or bad mana in general in 2022 feels really bad. Wish they would come up with something like Hearthstone to have consistency and... actually be able to play every game.
really they just need a better mana base, this current iteration of standard has the worst mana base i've seen in a while. We are really missing the pathways and strixhaven lands.
MTG's resource system with lands is simultaneously one of the best and worst things about MTG. It's one of the best things because the constraints it creates provides interesting and meaningful deckbuilding considerations as well as provide a cohesive and clear sense of identity and theme among the different colors. It's also one of the worst things because its nature can lead to a lot of non-games in not drawing enough lands to cast the spells in hand or drawing too many lands and thus not having spells in hand. I think in the grand scheme, with that significant downside being what it is, MTG is better with the land system than without. I don't think the game would be nearly as engaging with Hearthstone style mana - that's just a different game at the end of the day.
@@rayndeon1 yep completely agree, and lets be real here, there is a reason way more people play mtg than hearthstone lmao. MTG does not need to rip off a game that is lesser than itself.
@@rayndeon1 i would love to have them evolve the game even more. lands are the bane of the game since ever. i wish they would untie it from the general grand scheme and have it on the side as a macro part. i agree on identity - but there must be some cool ideas out there, that just lead to a more consistent - skill focused approach of the game. especially in a clash with those decks tinkered to perfection, it's a shame someone loses just to not playing the game at all. no skill no nothing, but RNG - killing all the tension and excitement in a tournament format. i remember (vaguely) a time where decks got played with so few lands and tons of methodes to "force draw" out the right amount (some G/W stuff 15years ago or so) - that decision making was actually a thing. but it eventually got banned back then. so my take - divide ressource management and libary and have an interessting consitent "land system" i don't mind of manipulating it from your main stack / library or what not - just erase "non-games"
any1 else find it kinda perverse that they are both in the same room, televised, playing on computers instead of paper?? what is mtg anymore. we live in a society
There is definitely the charm of paper play, but given how cheating can affect even high level play, I'd rather have digital play that can avoid that altogether. Also from a presentation / viewability perspective from spectators, it's a lot more viewable and followable compared to paper.
@@rayndeon1 yeah as a viewer digital is way more accessable. taking out cheating and relying on a shuffler that pretty much decides games by unknown parameters / giving manaflood or no - is quite the same for me in the end. they really have to fix that mana/land stuipidty they can't handle since ages
Anyone else wonder if these are orchestrated? Why's it always seem like there's never a 4 game and out title match. Or at least the first few games, I know the players are making their own choices, but from a programming standpoint they could be live stacking decks
Not impressed by an Arena championship....the draw rates and win rates on a computer generated algorithm, is basically already choosing the winner before the game starts...agitating that humans are excited for computer generated play...disgusting
Slight of hand is a thing in mtg competitions .there algorithm needs tweaking for sure but u can stack ur deck if u practice enough without anyone knowing
@@brichardson342 wow really, cheating is real?...30 years of playing MTG and i never knew....thank you wise one for gracing me with your profound knowledge..
@@brichardson342 the biggest legal cheat is, use cards that allow you to search your deck...look through whole deck, while smoothly stacking a pile of your big combowambo's together, if you know your opponent always wants to cut your deck, pay attention to "how" they generally cut, and shuffle so your combo's have the most likely chance of drawing into your hand...a legal way to "tutor stack" your decks
Idk, I can’t follow paper as easy because you can’t read the cards unless they do the little digital image of the card all big on the side of the screen. I way prefer watching digital.
