Don't laugh, I'm completely serious...part 1

ACPA is here! That means I'm in DC!
That's all, update over.

Just kidding. Today was easily one of the more exhausting days I have had in a long long long long time. Let's start at the beginning, which of any good exhausting day is actually the night before.
I had work, which isn't too bad. It was just the culmination of an incredibly long and taxing week. I love my job, but sometimes you just have days that make you go "seriously?" And work did not end until 2am, in all the loud sweaty glory of a college toga party (I love my job!).
Highlight of the night: my boss (hi boss) finally understanding why I get uncomfortable at parties after witnessing too many scantily clad individuals.
So since I was going to drive myself down from Westchester to Maryland (where I'm currently sitting in bed), I thought that I'd get up at around 11:00am and lounge my way down I-95.
My body had different ideas, waking my tired ass up at 8:00am. Thanks biorhythm.
So I'm out the door at a quarter past ten and nothing of note happens, aside from me seeing another car with a Manhattanville decal down in New Jersey.
No, nothing major happens until I hit Maryland, at which point, my directions are worth precisely diddley shit. What should have been a simple 4 hour trip turns into a 7 hour opus as I somehow end up in Virginia, crying at the top of my lungs as I dial my savior, Trish, who gives me three different sets of directions to finally get me to my hotel.
And not a moment too son, as I was mere moments away from trying to find a way to pee in a discarded water bottle.
So I check in and find a place to eat, gorging on my first cheeseburger in six weeks. It was nothing special, but I tipped the guy five bucks on a ten dollar bill because it hit the spot.
Even though registration is closed, I haul my ass over to the conference site. Lo and behold, in the car ride over I find someone who has a connection to me: she knows my cousin who currently is a first year at her school, and has met my aunt. Small. Fucking. World.
I end up at the site and run into some of my old program mates from Buffalo. Of course, then I run into Dr. Pope, and it was just great. Dr. Pope is the reason I am still in this profession, and just seeing her...well it made my day. Even after that horrid trip that proves that I am a horrible navigator...the day was a sum positive.
So, here I go again, trying to be a professional and keep my youthful streak alive.
I think it's time to pass out.

Here we go...again

It's time for me to make my third annual trip to the ACPA Conference, this time in lovely Metro DC.
I leave tomorrow. I still have to:
*Take out money
*Fill the tank in Obi-Wan (that's the Honda folks)
*Pack
*Get directions to my hotel
*Copy down important phone numbers
*See everyone I intend to see
*Save the princess
*Set up my iPod playlist for the long ride there and back
Oh, I also have work until 2:00am. Good times.
This conference is different though; for the firs time I am attending one of these shindigs as a full fledged professional and representative of an institution. I don't have to carry around that "student" tag anymore. In one sense, it is liberating, as I do not have to concern myself as much with impressing potential employers. This is a huge relief. At the same time, I am a real professional now, which means that, you know, I have to act professional (which I do...just ask my boss...who said she'd be reading this. Hi Boss!).
I'll be missing the second Pauper PE, which sucks, but thus is life.
I will be blogging from the conference, thanks to my new super awesome deluxe lap top.
Off to work.

25 Random Commons

So back when the 25 Song shuffle was popular on facebook, Brian David-Marshall told me I should do 25 random notes about 25 random commons. I'm going to do that now, well after the meme has passed.
How I did this: I hit random card on Gatherer Beta until I hit a common.
All commons must be potentially legal for online Pauper play, meaning common and from a set beyond Mirage (even if the set isn't on MTGO yet).
I will skip Basic Lands.
Here we go:
1: Crown of Flames- A strictly better Firebreathing, I am sure people want Auras to be good, but they just aren't. In order for one to be good, it really has to do something special, like Armadillo Cloak.
2: Keeper of Kookus- I remember years ago, for my birthday I got a box of Visions. As far as Pauper, this card could be tech in the Goblins mirror match. Of course, Goblins are not a popular choice right now.
3: Sandstorm Eidolon: The Eidolons provide a free form of card advantage, if you pack your deck with enough multicolored cards that is. As of now, there just aren't enough cards to make a deck featuring these cards viable.
4: Craw Wurm- The iconic common green fatty. I remember seeing this card in my first packs of revised and being instantly hooked. Totally worthless in Pauper.
5: Coordinated Barrage- One of the biggest problems with Pauper is that Wizards uses commons to help push a set's theme and make interesting cards for draft. That often leaves a healthy portion of commons absolutely worthless for most serious Pauper decks. This is such a card, unless a great Soldier deck shows up.
6: Barbarian Bully- What was I just talking about? Sometimes there are cards that aren't there to show off the theme as much as to be limited filler with the theme tacked on.
7: Whimwarder- I like this card as some MUC sideboard tech for those decks featuring Errant Ephemeron.
8: Footbottom Feast- some people like these types of cards. I do not, as they require far too much work to make work well.
9: Reckless Abandon- This will appear in some mono-red weenie decks when it comes online. I remember a humorous article in a Duelist years ago about a deckthat ran 8 of this card.
10: Giant Growth- Another iconic green card. This one rarely makes the cut, as (Predator's Strike) is far more exciting.
11: Restless Dreams- I really love the tensions of this card. It used to be on my short list of black refuel cards until Grim Harvest came along. My first exposure to this card was as a great late game breaking in Prismatic Stairwell Highlander (like Stairwell Highlander, only 5 of each color in each casting cost slot).
12: Nacatl Savage- I love cards like this, but sometimes i wish Wizards would be a little more creative in retreads.
13: Rat's Feast- I do not think anyone has ever cast this gainst me. It is far too slow to matter.
14: Magma Spray- I love elegant cards like this. If Stinkweed Imp and Blind Hunter make a serious comeback, I am prepared to run this bad boy out there.
15: Enfeeblement- I have no idea what to say. This card could be good for Pauper if it was not black. I think that sums it up.
16: Strangling Soot- I love non-traditional card advantage. Soot is not only a fantastic limited card, but an under appreciated removal spell. If a Rakdos Midrange deck ever emerges, or the Rock wants to splash red, this card makes the cut, no doubt.
17: Taunting Elf- So many people want Elves to be a good deck. Those people eventually run into Crypt rats and cry.
18: Goblin Sledder- Goblins, on the other hand, have the burn to back up the beats. My first successful Pauper deck ran these guys as a way to increase damage output. Now, this card helps to fight off Tendrils of Corruption.
19: Rofello's Gift- Sucks. No constructed Pauper applications. However, I did attend the Urza's Destiny Prerelease in Florida, after I scrubbed out of the JSS Open. MaRo was the head judge (I think), and I passed up an opportunity to take a picture with Richard Garfield, who my father had started talking to (not knowing who he was at the time). My reasoning: I was busy in a game. Apparently, when told this, Dr. Garfield smiled.
20: Regeneration- Another aura. I do love the original Quinton Hoover art, though.
21: Keldon Mantle- So many auras.
22: Path of Peace- At some point, this might have been a staple. Now, with cards like Oblivion Ring and Sunlance, it's just another bad card for theme decks.
23: Sonic Seizure- I love this card; I love this art, I love dealing damage. Sadly, this card just is just not good enough for competitive Pauper (yet).
24: Zombie Cannibal- Once again, another card that fills a role for limited. Come on random algorithm, give me some something good for number 25!
25: Norwood Ranger- I could not have asked for a better punch line.

-Alex

I have been working here for six months, and already I have had more snow days here than I had during my entire career at Binghamton. Speaking of snow...
There are albums that really just seem to be made for snowy cold days. Polar Bear Club's "Sometimes Things Just Disappear" is one such album. If I wasn't such a lazy bastard, I was going to put on that album and walk around the in snow. The anthems that are drenched in the despair of Western New York seem perfect for a day like today.
Instead, I was a lazy ass and took a nap on my couch. No Polar Bear Club, although I doubt they would have approved of my waling, unless of course I was drunk. Which I was not. Sorry to disappoint.
Spring Training is underway, and I for one am excited. I can't wait to start rooting for the Mets and watch them lose in the clutch again. Baseball is the ultimate nerd sport- it's all about statistics and absurd arguments. I mean, that's what nerds to for fun?
it's also the game most nerds think they can play- guess what, you are wrong nerds. Baseball seems to me to be incredibly difficult to play at any level and most people who proselytize about the game that aren't professional broadcasters probably stink at the sport. Unless, of course you don't. In which case...don't hurt me!

EDIT: This song is really doing it for me today.

Grixis teachings, part 2

A supplement to my article here, for all you Magic folk.

I am not a fan of Teachings in Pauper for this reason: there is no need for such specialized answers. The best part of Teachings is just being able to go get multiple answers.
But is that enough? I don't think so. Unlike formats where Teachings was popular, there is no one overwhelming card you can go get that will send you over the top with card advantage. In other formats, you would be able to go get a Tendrils of Corruption and, with an Urborg in play, generating an immense tempo advantage in the form of life gain. No such combo exists in Pauper.
So what is the appeal about Teachings? It is for all those Blue control players who want to survive in a field of aggressive strategies but also for those who don't like to yield to formats. To me, Teachings lacks the ability to dominate against the field, but rather has the ability to be slightly above average or slightly below average to everyone out there. This does not suit my style of play.
Yes, those with great skill and perfect knowledge will succeed in a given metagame, but even the top Teachings deck at the recent Premier Event, I felt, was not well prepared for a field with a healthy dose of aggro- only one Echoing Decay main, for example. Teachings, rather, is strongest in a field on control, where the counters fetched represent a real advantage.
Why is this the case? The flat power level of Pauper means that getting one, or two, or even three cards does not really matter. Instead, it is when these advantages begin to stack that they actually matter. Teachings requires a huge mana and time investment to make such an advantage possible. In a format with a fundamental turn of four, this is just too slow for my liking. There are no big game changing plays, aside from Corrupt, that come after that turn.
This is why I favor aggro with disruption and midrange control decks. They have the ability to apply consistent pressure across the span of the game. They react to the flat power level of the format with an even amount of pressure, which serves me well.

-Alex

I got called old yesterday.
I was called old because I was listening to punk rock.
Huh?
I was at work on a Saturday night, helping the students put on the rock show. It was a blast, although one of the bands showed up an hour early. Seriously? What kind if rock band shows up an hour early for a show? Aren't they supposed to show up late, and snort cocaine off of the penises of transvestite prostitutes? I mean, an hour early? It's a good thing they rocked (the Looking Glass Wars).
So in between sets, I set up my iPod to play some tunes and I switch on "Ruby Soho" by Rancid, and the guys from the second band, Searching for Skylines, basically go "Holy Shit, how old are you? I mean, this song is way too old for these kids to listen to!"
Fuck, listening to Rancid makes me old? I'm 25 (coincidentally, the song "25" on the latest Bomb the Music Industry! album is nothing short of fantastic.
Working at a college, things are interesting. I am constantly surrounded by people that, if I were a few years younger or in a different profession, I could easily be their friend. However, given my role, I am actually a supervisor and administrator, even if I am only three years older than some of the students.
Fuck, I am old..aren't I?
No, no I'm to old, I'm just dealing with the fact that I'm older. I mean, everyone goes through this at some point- learning how to cope with life after college (or grad school, or whatever).
You know, the media has a ton of movies and shows about life in college or the early 30's, but nothing in between. You know why? That time tends to be rather boring if you're just a cog in the machine.
Oh, I'm just complaining again. I just did not like getting called old.
Now I'm going to bed and going to watch CBS.

Fuck.

EDIT: Man, I was so depressed, I forgot to talk about nerd stuff. I picked up the second volume of Moon Knight, and it was pretty amazing. I mean, I am a sucker for characters who are based around vengeance (see Ghost rider). But this guy, Moon Knight, takes the cake. A former mercenary, he ends up dying, but gets resurrected by an Egyptian deity of revenge. Of course, we don't know if he actually talks to the god, of if he's just fucking nuts. Either way, it makes from some great character study.
The "god" appears to our hero in the guise of a dead nemesis, of who MK has relieved of his face. It's pretty graphic but also adds a hint of black comedy to an otherwise bleak, and character driven piece.
Unlike the other books I've picked up, this one feels like it rests squarely on the shoulders of our lead. Iron Fist has the entire history of the Iron Fist and really seems to focus on the mythology of the piece and the relationships of our main character to the world around him. Ghost Rider, well, again, with the mythology but also the internal struggle between justice and vengeance. But Moon Knight, the greatness is, we're not sure whether or not some of these characters are real or just fractured parts of MK's psyche. Coupled with amazing detailed and brutal art and pulp story telling, the entire book feels as if you are along for the ride on this mental roller coaster.

So last week I came into possession of a Squirtgun album. These guys are a ton of fun. I was brought into punk by the left coast style of bands like MxPx and the saccharine like tunes of The Ataris. While I still listen to these bands once in a while, I have problems relating to the lyrics the way I once did. Squirtgun, somehow changes that- they play the same pop sensible music but manage to mature it like a fine wine. The lyrics are older and the rhythm section is absolutely fantastic. For all those who are embarrassed by some of the lighter records in their collection, I recommend you dive into this band- quality stuff.
Speaking of rhythm, (Shit's Fucked" by The Copyirghts has one of the best drum and bass interludes I have ever heard. I mean, I must have listened to that song a hundred or more times, and only this past week did I realize how absurdly tight and explosive the breakdown was. Being a total sucker for drums and bass, it comes as no surprise, but I'm pissed at myself for missing such awesome stuff for so long.
Way to be guy, way to be.
I have recently discovered a love of comic books. I've picked up the three most recent volumes of the Immortal Iron Fist, and I have to say I think I'm in love. The art is wonderful and the writing has this impeccable sense of timing. It manages to blend cheesy kung-fu flicks with dry wit and the Venture Bros. Total classic.