The Apprentice Magician, Part Two. - by Amadeus

[Streetz]

This thread is reserved for the dicussion of the following article:

http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0307.htm

Please read it, enjoy it and discuss it here.

What did you like about the article? Was it inspiring, informational, ingenius? Was it inappropriate? Was there anything you really liked or didn't like about it?

Let the author know here!

Thanks!

**NOTE: This thread is posted before the article goes live. If the article isn't up yet, please check back later.

[Streetz]

Great article, Amadeus. I can't wait to see the next installment of this fantastically written series.

[Tynion]

I enjoyed it too. Too bad that I think Dave is getting ripped off for a pack of card a week

[jimtop]

this serie of articles is very useful and the context helps to get my attention i think. Its the kind of notions that help to make better decks, and i cant wait for another of those! I personally find it hard to see all those concept by myself cause i try to put crazy combos in my decks most of the time, and i forget the basics. Since i look at internet for this kind of articles, my deckbuilding is better. thanks.

[FreezeDried]

News of the strike has encouraged me to let you writers know when something sticks out for me (and got me to register so that I can do so a lot easier). This series is the first thing that came to mind. It was a real surprise when I found Apprentice Magician 1 here a couple weeks ago. I'm already familiar with 'the basics' myself, but I really enjoy your 'novel' approach to condensing it into a easy-to-digest series. Things like Magic Academt have tried to do so in the past, but the Apprentice Magician really sticks out as something fresh and new (even if the theory it brings to the table is old). Some people learn/care more when there's a story to go with, and this is for them. I think that's awesome, because Magic can be a frighteningly technical game when you get into the theory and rules part, and I think that scares a lot of people away from learning more. This series is doing a great thing in making 'advanced magic' more accessible to those who shudder at the thought of even looking at the Comprehensive rules. (Me, I'm a scientist/engineer....I enjoyed reading the Comp Rules. But I'm enjoying the Apprentice Magician, too ^_^.)

Keep up the good work. It's innovation like this that can make MDV shine.

PS: I agree that that kid's getting shafted at a booster a week (perhaps something to consider for your next storyline (make sure the premise is believable) (unless, of course, you mean for the kid to be kinda dumb, or desperate, and the shopowner to be kind of selfish/mean in taking 'advantage' of this kid))

[Amadeus]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback.

First note: Streetz - I think that the last "diagram" should have an image of Story Circle rather than Wrath of God.

To be honest, I initially wrote this series in "textbook" fashion, and was slaughtered by the editors because it was just too dry. So I was hoping to make it more interesting by taking the story approach.

I'm really just writing what I was looking for a year ago when I got back into the game. It took me quite awhile to find the articles that I ultimately used as research, and I found that there weren't too many that were really "accessable" - most were either heavy theory or not worth reading, so hopefully we can strike a balance.

I appreciate the feedback.

Also, don't worry, Sam isn't as heartless as he seems. Have you seen him open any of the booster packs as yet?

Cheers,
Amadeus

[FreezeDried]

Ah, wonderful...author-induced intrigue ^_^

I had thought that there might be a reason why it was explicitly stated that Sam put the booster in his bag (My first thought was "Maybe he's a limited player, and he'll save up for three then draft" followed by "maybe he doesn't plan to open them...")

Thank you for the little spoiler. Now I'm extra-excited to see what happens. And thanks again for the 'Strike Forum' post; it really opened up my eyes to who I was talking to/about. MDV writers are real down-to-earth people who enjoy what they do; but mostly because they think it makes people happy, or teaches other people. But you really have no way of being reassured of that if we don't tell you. You can only 'just assume you're being appreciated/heard' for so long before doubt sets in; and that's no fun at all; and not something you guys deserve to deal with. [A Flores/Beisweiss is not a real people. which is not entirely true.....I bet they'd get just as doubtful if they didn't get any response.....but by this point; if just that fanatical 2% (made up figure) of readers that has an opinion about everything and needs to tell the whole world about it responded to their articles; they'd still be swamped. MDV writers play to a seemingly smaller and reserved audience; and so each and every one of us should show our support for the writers, and this site, by communicating]

[Einsteinmonkey]

Originally Posted by FreezeDried

I'm already familiar with 'the basics' myself, but I really enjoy your 'novel' approach to condensing it into a easy-to-digest series. Things like Magic Academt have tried to do so in the past, but the Apprentice Magician really sticks out as something fresh and new (even if the theory it brings to the table is old). Some people learn/care more when there's a story to go with, and this is for them. I think that's awesome, because Magic can be a frighteningly technical game when you get into the theory and rules part, and I think that scares a lot of people away from learning more. This series is doing a great thing in making 'advanced magic' more accessible to those who shudder at the thought of even looking at the Comprehensive rules. (Me, I'm a scientist/engineer....I enjoyed reading the Comp Rules. But I'm enjoying the Apprentice Magician, too ^_^.)

I am vindicated!

[SKEITH]

I too am liking this novel approach I have a friend who despratly needs to read this serious so he can get rid of his table top nickname Mr. Clueless.

Also I think your missing the aspect of player to player interaction that happens at the table such as under handed art of table-talking or the use of the "force". Playing styles, deck building, as well as knowledge of what the opponent is caple of also can create these line-up advantages

[Amadeus]

Thanks to all for the responses. I do apologize for the slow response on my part as I've been away for a few days.

Originally posted in another thread:

Originally Posted by Drantin

Amadeus, love the Apprentice Magician series you've started, but I'm getting as frustrated as the apprentice was in the first article, the story is moving too damned slow!

Drantin, thanks for the feedback. Before I can address it, I need to be sure that I understand exactly what you mean. When you state that it's moving too slowly, is it the theory that is too slow? Should that be summarized more quickly? Or do you mean the actual story/plotline? If that's the case, what do you think would make it more enjoyable to read?

Originally Posted by SKEITH

Also I think your missing the aspect of player to player interaction that happens at the table such as under handed art of table-talking or the use of the "force". Playing styles, deck building, as well as knowledge of what the opponent is caple of also can create these line-up advantages

SKEITH, thank you too for the constructive criticism. At first blush, I think that some of the issues that you mention could be the topic of another article. But I also want to be clear about what you mean here. The article was focused purely on the theory itself and you're adding in the human factor, I think. When you talk about using the "force", do you mean bluffing or getting the opponent to behave differently because of what he thinks you may have in your hand? As an example, Force Spike (or now Mana Tithe) is a card that can sometimes alter the behaviour of an opponent because after being spiked once, they usually think "I should never be countered by such a bad spell". So, they often end up holding back each spell until 1 turn after it could normally be played just to keep an extra land open. Is this the type of thing that you mean?

If not, I invite you to expand upon your comments.

Again, thanks to all and I'm keen to address any issues that you feel could make this a better series.

Cheers,
Amadeus

[SKEITH]

Yes, that is one way of using it another would be to use cards like black vise to "force" your opponent to preform a certain action, in this case dump cards out of hand early than they normaly would usually leaving there mana tapped and there cards unprotected. The "force" is what gives cards like Hypnotic specter there teeth.

[ddscout]

Amadeus,

Great series. In fact it's the reason I starting visiting the site recently after a friend pointed me to it. And as I promised on the writer's strike thread, I'll try and give more feedback when I can.

And so...take this from the standpoint of someone who's just started playing MTG, and doesn't really get all of the arcane references to cards and combos and strategies that you guys throw around so easily - but this is exactly the type of article I needed. A group of us at work just started getting together to play, and reading your articles is making the concepts of becoming a better player easier to grasp. Doing it in a narrative style made a big difference too. I like that.

I would agree that it seems to be moving along slowly though. By that I mean both in the amount of content per article, and in how often they get posted (and with the strike, the next one might be a looong time coming if at all). Both of these issues might not be solvable for practical reasons; the content is determined in part by a narrative, that unlike a direct list of how-to's, has to move at a different pace, and timing-wise you can only write and have it edited so fast. Still, if I had a criticism I'd ask to try and tell more of the story (give more playing info) per article, and tell it more quickly. So as far as criticisms go, having someone ask for more, and ask and for it to be delivered quicker isn't all that bad I don't think.

[Ragabol]

Nice Series. I like how he showed simple charts to show what spells can do.

[BurnBait]

I particulary liked it as well, especially considering how it took a new approach towards learning the game. I think, so far, this is the best resource for teaching my friends how to play. It makes sure to cover all teh relevant, and progresses in a logical fashion. However, I think that this series is going to have a lot of parts, and condensing material wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Einsteinmonkey]

Originally Posted by BurnBait

I particulary liked it as well, especially considering how it took a new approach towards learning the game. I think, so far, this is the best resource for teaching my friends how to play. It makes sure to cover all teh relevant, and progresses in a logical fashion. However, I think that this series is going to have a lot of parts, and condensing material wouldn't be a bad idea.

Doesn't the last paragraph contain something of a summary, relating the points made to their relevance in the larger picture? What sort of thing would you be looking for?