Moving forward into 2018

Hello everyone! I hope you have all entered the new year in good form, and things are going well. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year (March will be my 1 year anniversary here), and although things may not have gone how I wished I’m glad I got to take another trip around the sun.

There’s a lot that happened last year that I want to touch on briefly, and I also want to let you know what will be happening here in The Arcane Sanctum this year (which include some new series of articles).

What I have learned

I’ve learned quite a bit on my journey through 2017, and here’s a brief list of what I was able to read through the tea-leaves:

• Stick to one deck for at least a month. I only play paper once a week (unless I get snowed in), and changing from one deck to another doesn’t do any good.
• Stop playing the main events at SCG Opens. I don’t play enough for those events. Sticking to the side events is a better use of my time, and money.
• Never stop thinking outside of the box. Ever. Too often we in the community hear suggestions to only play stock lists. Don’t be afraid to try new things, however don’t be surprised if it fails.
• Use your time wisely. This is not a job, nor did you ever intend for it to be one. This is your hobby.
• Take time to talk to your opponent either before, during, or after the match. You may make a new friend.
• Magic can be enjoyed a number of different ways than just playing Constructed tournaments. There are many podcasts out there, and other content creators playing or talking about Magic that can be enjoyed.
• Take care of yourself. Enjoy life.

That last one I want to highlight a little bit. My job (which I appreciate) has given me a lot of opportunity for the things I want in life, however I sit all day at my desk. Being in my 40s the last thing on my mind is to sit for another 3-4 hours to practice a deck, or even be in front of a computer. It’s different when you have a casual environment with friends, but hitting multiple FNM level events during the week is not ideal right now. It’s time for me to really take care of myself physically as well as mentally as both would improve my enjoyment of the game (as well as life in general).

So with that out of the way let’s talk about what types of articles to expect from me in 2018!

More Modern…and Legacy…and…Standard?

We’ll start with the obvious one here. I love playing Modern. The large card pool, access to cards that I was introduced to when I came back to Magic (with Time Spiral’s release for those keeping score), and the variety of options available make it a great format. Does it have it’s flaws? You bet, but we’ll get to how we discuss that here in a moment. I also play Standard (no that’s not a typo), and Legacy. I’ll be going over decks I play as I am always building new decks. Many of these will be ones you’re familiar with, but it will be my take on them. I hope to be writing articles a little bit more frequently in 2018.

Magic Online…and Streaming?

Yes. You read that correctly. I am back on MTGO, and have been for about a month. I built Azorius Control for Modern not too long ago, and plan to spend more time with it in the coming weeks. This will also lead me to streaming as I have taken my first step into that. I haven’t played around with it too much yet, and want to properly set up a schedule for you all to watch as well. I don’t have a web cam set up, and that may be something I’ll do at a later date.

Speaking Casually

Without a doubt my favorite article series. I love looking back at old Standard decks. It brings me back to a time where the only level of Magic I knew was FNM. I hope you all have enjoyed them, and some of the decks I still have built. I hope to have all of the old Standard decks I mentioned built by the end of the year.

By Your Command

NEW TO 2018! On the back of “Speaking Casually” will be a new article series talking about EDH, or what many of your call Commander. I haven’t spent a lot of time with this format recently, however after a near 4 year hiatus I jumped back into it last year. I now have 3 decks built, and am looking to get more time with them.

Something to Ponder

NEW TO 2018! This will be my (surprise) opinion based article discussing what we have been given with Magic, and things that I think could be done to make it better. This will also be used to address certain issues with the game itself. I hope to have the first in this series really soon for you all.

More Tournaments

From PPTQs to GPs I’ll try to attend as many as I can. I’ll be looking to meet as many of you as possible, and for the first time ever I’ll be part of a team for the GP in Cincinnati this March. I am very excited for this unique opportunity, and can’t wait for it. I just need to figure out how to Approach the expected metagame.

 

That’s all for this article.

I want to thank you all for taking a moment to stop by my page, for liking, and for sharing my articles. Please continue to do so. Also follow me on Twitter, and Facebook as well.

Until next time…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

-MTGPackFoils