Showing posts with label WotC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WotC. Show all posts

Monday, November 12, 2012

Magic Player of the Year, Competitive Legacy Update

As we are getting closer to the end of the year, I thought more players might like to know the Top 8 standings in each area of our Magic Player of the Year here at the Dragon's Den. If you are curious about the whole list, I posted last month complete lists. I'll also have a hard copy printed out in the store if you really want a look and hate being online...

Magic Player of the Year, Competitive Standard Update

As we are getting closer to the end of the year, I thought more players might like to know the Top 8 standings in each area of our Magic Player of the Year here at the Dragon's Den. If you are curious about the whole list, I posted last month complete lists. I'll also have a hard copy printed out in the store if you really want a look and hate being online...

Magic Player of the Year, Limited Update

As we are getting closer to the end of the year, I thought more players might like to know the Top 8 standings in each area of our Magic Player of the Year here at the Dragon's Den. If you are curious about the whole list, I posted last month complete lists. I'll also have a hard copy printed out in the store if you really want a look and hate being online...

Magic Player of the Year, Standard Update

As we are getting closer to the end of the year, I thought more players might like to know the Top 8 standings in each area of our Magic Player of the Year here at the Dragon's Den.  If you are curious about the whole list, I posted last month complete lists.  I'll also have a hard copy printed out in the store if you really want a look and hate being online...

Monday, July 9, 2012

Dragon's Den Player of the Year for Magic Update

Now that we have made it half way through the year, I thought we should post a quick summary of the top 8 players in each of the four different categories, as well as some statistics about the number of players we have seen for the different events we have run.  Also, this Friday I'll be giving small gift to the Top player for each category. 

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Just as a side note, I've been asked about why we run so many different events so I thought I would throw a quick answer here.  I like to run a Free and a Paid event at the same time on Friday nights so that the competitive players can play the tougher decks and the casual players don't feel like they are getting crushed all the time.  It is a work in progress as we still get many players in the Free event that could play in the Paid, but the hope is that the new players and more casual players can build up to playing more competitive over time.

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Free Standard has seen 235 unique players.

FREE Standard 7/4/2012
Rank Name Points Matches
1 Evan Odden 267 167
2 Dave Oppenheimer 221 100
3 Carl Naumann 204 109
4 John Franczak 199 105
5 Mike Cox 198 111
6 Scott Fish 183 105
7 Will Shost 163 67
8 Niko Peone 152 73


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Legacy has seen 58 unique players.

Legacy 7/4/2012
Rank Name Points Matches
1 Paul Lake 123 52
2 Rich Cali 105 56
3 James Rynkiewicz 98 42
4 Casey Madrick 89 50
5 Steve Carpenter 88 40
6 Frank Kick 88 57
7 Janene Andersen 76 53
8 Darryl Moss 64 49

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Competitive Standard has seen 82 unique players.

Competitive Standard 7/4/2012
Rank Name Points Matches
1 Doug Kimball 70 34
2 Chris Brellochs 58 31
3 Kevin Jones 51 25
4 Steve Carpenter 51 25
5 Alex Sherman 51 31
6 Lyon Kressner 44 25
7 Alex Kobes 40 19
8 Mica Buchanan 36 30

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Limited has seen 227 unique players.


Limited 7/4/2012
Rank Name Points Matches
1 Paul Lake 85 34
2 Will Shost 61 32
3 Mike Cox 53 28
4 Alex Sherman 51 23
5 Doug Kimball 49 20
6 James Rynkiewicz 48 23
7 Jonah Acosta 39 19
8 Mica Buchanan 36 22

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We are excited to see how the rest of the year plays out as many of the Top 8 players have changed in the past several months.  We will be posting some more information about what the players are getting for winning as well as changes to the Top 8 as the year goes on.  If you have not played yet, don't despair We have had several player climb the ranks by playing every week in the different events.  If you want to see what we have to offer each week check out our calendar of events!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Friday, March 23, 2012

Lords of Waterdeep Boardgame

Well, it is finally here...the first Euro-style game made by Wizards of the Coast...Lords of Waterdeep! Journey back to the Forgotten Realms and try your hand at the game of intrigue, adventure and bribery as one of the many rulers of Waterdeep, the City of Splendors.


A new attempt at Euro-gaming, the Lords of Waterdeep is a beautifully made 2-5 player game.  According to the selling blurb, it is meant to be played in about 1 hour by players 12 yrs. and older, though I'm sure any child who has been introduced to the Forgotten Realms campaigns or novels would certainly be able to play. The fact that every game only takes 8 rounds should be able to keep every one's attention. Now, without further ado, let's see what's inside...


Upon first cracking the box, we first notice a folded board, many different colored tokens/markers, a rulebook, player mats and various cards. On the right side, we have buildings and 1GP coins.  On the left, 5GP coins, control markers, and various Victory Point tokens. Everything is well-packaged, but will take a while to sort! Quite luckily, you have me to do that for you...


While I'm punching everything out, let's take a look at the board. It represents all the Wards that you will need to build on and assign Agents to, and has spaces for Quest Cards, Buildings, the Intrigue Deck, and various Discard piles. The "stones" around the perimeter track player points, and the golden "track" near the bottom right marks the current round.


Alright, everything is set up now, so let's take a look...First, there are the player-specific Mats, one each for the groups controlling Waterdeep. These are (from left to right); City Guard, Harpers, Knights of the Shield, Silverstars and Red Sashes. Underneath each Mat, I've placed each of the relevant pieces. The meeple is an Agent, the circle is the Score Marker, the small token is the Building Control Marker and the large token is the specific Victory Point Counter. The amount of Agents each player has depends on the number of players per game.


In addition, there are two Neutral Agents; the Ambassador and the Lieutenant. They can only be added to your Agent Pool by use of certain effects. The Tower piece is given to the First Player, and events occur toward the left. There are also four types of Adventurers; Fighter/Orange, Wizard/Purple, Rogue/Black and Cleric/White. They are required to accomplish Quests, and form part of the Supply. The second part of the Supply is made up of Gold Pieces and Victory Points. Below are the fronts (top) and backs (bottom) of the 5GP, 1 GP and Victory Points.


And now...on to the cards. Below we have each of the Lords of Waterdeep. The bonuses listed for your chosen Lord are based on various combinations of Buildings, Piety, Commerce, Warfare, Arcana and Skullduggery. Choose carefully, as your Victory Point bonus could make or break the game for you!


Next, we have the Intrigue Cards, which include everything from "Call in a Favor" and "Assassination" to "Sample Wares" and "Research Agreement", and many others besides. By judicious use of these cards, you'll be able to both advance your agenda and foil those of your opponents...or will you?


Remember, not only do you have to watch out for the opposing Agents, but you must gain your own Victory Points and Gold by completing Quest Cards and the much-sought-after Plot Quests, which give other bonuses! Although you may perform one Quest per turn, beware of adversaries who play a Mandatory Quest on you. No other Quests can be completed until the Mandatory Quest has been fully accomplished. Don't let yourself be sucked into too much Intrigue!


Last, but definitely not least, and the Buildings. There are nine Basic Buildings, and 24 Advanced Buildings. All nine Basics are always available to assign Agents to, but the remaining 24 must be purchased during the game. Each Building has a bit of information on what effects it does, as well as where it is located in traditional Waterdeep. However, the purchaser is not limited by this "history" and can place an Advanced Building wherever she wants. Anywhere up to three Advanced Buildings are available for purchase, but there are only ten empty spaces, so buy carefully!


Having trouble keeping track of it all? Don't worry, the rulebook is a wonderfully simple 24 pages of game mastery. It contains full color pictures, photos of items, play sequences and even FOUR illustrated appendixes for the Lords, Clarifications, Agents and Buildings! Concerned about needing plastic bags or boxes to keep all the meeples and tokens in place? Fear not, as the WotC design crew have made not only the best compartments with which to hold their creation, but what is conceivably the most aesthetic as well. If I may be so bold, I would suggest this is a new step towards something trully fulfilling and sucessful for our friends at Wizards of the Coast!


-Stasi "Dengirl" King


Monday, March 19, 2012

Star City Games Invitational Qualifier March 2012

Welcome to our Star City Games Invitational Qualifier for March 2012!


We had a really nice turnout for our first Star City Games Invitational Qualifier (SCGIQ) with 40 players.  We had players come in from as far away as Long Island and NY City.  What was really great was the number of local players that did so well.  Thanks to Steve Carpenter for being a Head Judge for this event!


We also have a resident Magic Card painter.  He will alter cards and custom paint on them for players.  He has done many cards for the store and is doing a nice job. Check out his site: Alterated




Congrats to James Rynkiewicz for winning the event.  He and Chris Brellochs played out an epic game lasting almost 2 hours to complete best 2 out of 3.  


Here are the players and deck lists who were Top 8 in the event:

James Rynkiewicz
UW Delver

4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Mana Leak
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Invisible Stalker
4 Vapor Snag
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Thought Scour
2 Dismember
2 Sword of War and Peace
2 Runechanter’s Pike
9 Island
1 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Moorland Haunt

Sideboard
2 Corrosive Gale
2 Celestial Purge
2 Dissipate
2 Phantasmal Image
1 Batterskull
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Revoke Existence
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Divine Offering
2 Timely Reinforcements


Dave Oppenheimer
UB Zombies

4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Geralf’s Messenger
4 Diregraf Captain
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Tragic Slip
4 Geth’s Verdict
2 Phyrexian Obliterator
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Sword of War and Peace
2 Fume Spitter
3 Mortar Pod
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Drownyard Catacomb
14 Swamp

Sideboard
3 Ratchet Bomb
1 Sever the Bloodline
1 Corrosive Gale
1 Mental Misstep
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Black Sun’s Zenith
1 Phyrexian Obliterator
1 Dismember
1 Go for the Throat
2 Nihil Spellbomb


Frank Demerie
UB Zombies

4 Mortarpod
4 Diregraf Captain
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Skirgsdag High Priest
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Geralf’s Messenger
3 Geth’s Verdict
2 Fume Spitter
3 Porcelain Legionnaire
2 Phantasmal Image
3 Tragic Slip
1 Go for the Throat
14 Swamp
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Drowned Catacomb

Sideboard
3 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Corrosive Gale
3 Distress
2 Go for the Throat
1 Cemetary Reaper
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Fumespitter


Jason Arensini
UW Humans

3 Moorland Haunt
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Seachrome Coast
11 Plains
4 Doomed Traveler
4 Champion of the Parish
2 Gideon’s Lawkeeper
3 Gather the Townsfolk
3 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Elspeth Tirel
4 Honor of the Pure
4 Intangible Virtue
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Midnight Haunting
1 Island

Sideboard
2 Revoke Existence
2 Celestial Purge
2 Day of Judgment
3 Mirran Crusader
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Leonin Arbiter
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Surgical Extraction


Christopher Brellochs
UB Tokens

4 Doomed Traveler
3 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Elspeth Tirel
4 Intangible Virtue
4 Honor of the Pure
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Gather the Townsfolk
4 Lingering Souls
4 Day of Judgment
2 Midnight Haunting
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Vault of the Archangel
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Isolated Chapel
10 Plains
2 Swamp

Sideboard
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Hero of Bladehold
3 Mirran Crusader
2 Celestial Purge
2 Divine Offering
1 White Sun’s Zenith
2 Doom Blade
2 Surgical Extraction


Douglas Kimball
Wolf-Run Ramp

6 Forest
2 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
3 Sunpetal Grove
3 Copperline Gorge
1 Clifftop Retreat
2 Batterskull
2 Green Sun’s Zenith
1 Birds of Paradise
2 Acidic Slime
4 Primeval Titan
2 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
2 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Gideon Jura
4 Rampant Growth
4 Sphere of the Suns
4 Day of Judgment
2 Ratchet Bomb

Sideboard
2 White Sun’s Zenith
1 Autumns Veil
2 Karn Liberated
2 Ratchet Bomb
3 Celestial Purge
2 Combust
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Ray of Revelation


Lyon Kressner
RG Aggro

2 Hellrider
2 Galvanic Blast
2 Sword of War and Peace
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Green Sun’s Zenith
1 Garruk Relentless
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Strangleroot Geist
1 Vorapede
1 Devil’s Play
2 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Acidic Slime
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Incinerate
1 Daybreak Ranger
2 Kessig Wolf Run
10 Forest
3 Mountain

Sideboard
2 Slagstorm
2 Traitorous Blood
2 Autumn’s Veil
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Naturalize
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
2 Combust
1 Bellowing Tanglewurm


David Reed
UB Zombies

12 Swamp
1 Island
1 Buried Ruin
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Drowned Catacomb
2 Fumespitter
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Porcelain Legionnaire
3 Diregraf Captain
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Geralf’s Messenger
2 Lilliana of the Veil
1 Go for the Throat
2 Mortarpod
3 Tragic Slip
3 Geth’s Verdict
3 Mana Leak

Sideboard
2 Mimic Vat
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Distress
1 Sever the Bloodline
2 Black Sun’s Zenith
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Cemetary Reaper

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks