Drafting into Nyx (Brainz)

This week I will be discussing how I draft MTG and what to look for while drafting Theros block. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to draft Theros block with Journey into Nyx yet because I have been busy. I have done some virtual drafts using a free website called Bestiaire. It is a great way to simulate a ton of drafting for free before you go spend money to do the real thing at your local shop.

First thing you should do before drafting is to familiarize yourself with the cards from the sets you will be drafting. This can be easily accomplished via the official Card Image Gallery for a particular set. Another way to familiarize yourself with the cards and how someone else would draft them is to check out the many different set reviews. My favorite set reviewer is Conley Woods. Even thought our strategies or opinions on certain cards may differ, he provides a great review of the cards and how they affect draft. My strategy for drafting in general is the BREAD philosophy. This philosophy/strategy is not perfect but it will provide you with some very helpful guidelines. It stands for Bombs, Removal, Evasion, Aggro, and Duds. That is the order you should usually pick cards from packs.

For the first pack, I generally try to pick really good cards, in my opinion, without stressing too much about color. I still keep color choices in my mind of course. Then for the second and third pack I usually try to stick to the color(s) that I have chosen in the first pack. If I see something very strong that I am able to splash reasonably then I will take that over something more on color. If I see something that is super strong, or a bomb, in an off color and  there is nothing really good in the colors I am drafting then I will "hate draft" that card so I do not see it across the table from me when it is time to play.

There are other, more advanced, strategies that you should at least be aware of and eventually incorporate. These strategies include forcing, which is trying to force your picks into a color. Signaling is also a more advanced strategy which means that if you are getting passed a bunch of black cards then no one is probably in black and it is a good idea to start drafting that color. On the other hand if you start drafting one color and suddenly stop seeing any of that color it is a good idea to switch to a color that is more readily available. Hate drafting is when you take a really good card or bomb that is not in your color to prevent other drafters from including it in their decks. These strategies are more advanced and may be a topic for another post.

I hope to draft this block soon with my friends and in a more competitive environment at my local gaming store. Drafting is mostly about solid commons and creating a synergistic deck that is consistent. I'll leave you with some cards that I would be happy drafting. 

Sit up Straight! (Brawn)

This week's topic is all about posture and healthy snack options. Posture is an essential part of our health. We are usually sitting or standing for the majority of our day. Whether it is at your job, playing in a Magic: the Gathering tournament (or at home), exercising, playing video games, or watching television, having proper posture is needed to prevent future damage.

This article from clevlandclinic.org provides some really great tips on how to sit, stand, and lay with proper posture. They pulled their information from the American ChiropracticAssociation as well as the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. The link to the latter of the two organizations provides some easy exercises you can do to help strengthen the muscles around your spine to assist you in maintaining proper posture. Some basic tips, when sitting, are to keep your shoulders back without sticking your chest out and to keep your feet flat on the floor. Another good tip is to get up and walk around every so often as it is not advisable to sit for extended periods of time. This helps me to reset my posture so that I am not slowly slipping into a slouching posture. Poor posture can lead to many things like arthritis, backaches, and muscular pain. Proper posture can lead to prevention of those aches and pains as well as a confident appearance.

It is sometimes difficult for anyone to resist the urge to just grab a snack from the pantry or grocery store that may not be the best choice for them. I find it hard to resist the temptation of sticking to just one snack. The good news is that there are plenty of healthy snack options and many of them are portable. I feel that healthy snacks are a great way to keep hunger down so you can eat smaller, healthier portions for your main meals. Healthy snacks are also great for work, to keep your stamina and energy up, and other places where you may stay for an extended amount of time like a tournament at your local gaming store. I found this list of many healthy snack options on a blog about reducing dependency on processed foods. Some of my favorite snacks include bananas with peanut butter, or pretty much anything with peanut butter, in moderation of course, cucumbers, and cashews. Some healthy portable snacks that are easy to take wherever you may be for a long period of time are nuts and seeds, as well as whole grain crackers.

Posture is important for everyone to consider because we all sit, stand, and lay. Eating healthier can start with filling your pantry/cupboards or refrigerator with healthy options so you limit your ability to choose the bad things. As with anything in life, moderation is key as well as easing into a new process with confidence and small steps towards your goals.

Journey into Standard (Brainz)

This past weekend I attended the Journey into Nyx prerelease at my local nerd store Gamer's Gauntlet. I ended up choosing the Green prerelease pack (Forged in Pursuit) as Gamer's Gauntlet was limited on the White packs. I opened some great, and some not so great, cards. I formed a deck utilizing two of my deepest colors, Green and Blue. Some of the better cards I opened, in my colors, were Fleetfeather Cockatrice, Prophet of Kruphix, Thassa's Emissary, Kruphix, God of Horizons, Hubris, War-Wing Siren, Chariot of Victory, and of course the Green promo card Heroes' Bane. Those are the cards that really helped to make my decision to construct a Green/Blue deck. They were also instrumental in assisting in my victories.

Some other great cards that I opened, that were unfortunately not in my colors, were Temple of Silence, Nyx Weaver, and Iroas, God of Victory. It is almost as if the Gods of Nyx were teasing me by getting my hopes up of going Red/White. I did pilot my deck to a 10th place finish in the Limited tournament at Gamer's Gauntlet.

Some really good new card that showed up at my prerelease were Godsend (which was pretty much unbeatable unless you had artifact hate), Lagonna-Band Trailblazer (which is surprising but it locked down the early game then became a threat with its heroic trigger), of course Dawnbringer Charioteers (which is the White promo that I wanted to choose), Brain Maggot (which took away threats from your hand until you removed them), Master of the Feast (which, despite its drawback, is a really powerful card), Silence the Believers (great removal spell), Hydra Broodmaster (massive body that can run the battlefield over late game), and Pharika, God of Affliction (which was in a very synergistic, graveyard based strategy).

Overall I think that Journey into Nyx will provide a much needed shock to the Standard format. I am excited to see the new brews that Journey into Nyx will bring to Standard. I am also excited to see what Wizards has in store for the next few sets that will help to define Standard. This week I will be reading all of Conley Woods' set reviews on Journey into Nyx to see what his thoughts are about the changing face of Standard. The single card that I am most excited for is Athreos, God of Passage because I have a deck he would be perfect for. I will leave you all with some cards that I feel will be awesome in the upcoming standard season.

First Post (Brainz)

Hello and welcome to my blog Brainz & Brawn. This is the first post of many to come. I intend this space to be a creative outlet for me to talk about and express my passion for both being a nerd and fitness/wellness. I will alternate each week between the Brainz section and the Brawn section, unless the readers (you) would like me to mix the two subjects. The topics for the Brainz portion will revolve around anything nerdy/geeky such as: video games, Magic: the Gathering, computers, technology, or anything else I can think of that fits my passion for being a nerd. The Brawn portion will be posts about how to keep fit while still expressing both mine and your passion for being a nerd. These Brawn posts will include topics such as: how to do basic and easy exercises at home, how to properly lift at the gym, how to make the most of your time at the gym, some eating tips, and anything else I can think of that relates to my passion of being fit. 

This week I will start off by talking about the new spoilers for Magic: the Gathering's newest set, Journey into Nyx. I have been into Magic: the Gathering (MTG) since around 2009, although I wish I had found it sooner. I absolutely love getting together with my friends and playing Magic. I also enjoy going to my local store (Gamer's Gauntlet) and competing to win prizes. Mythicspoiler.com is a site that contains the most comprehensive list, and images, of the newly spoiled cards. Keranos, God of Storms, Iroas, God of Victory, and Godsend are the three cards so far that I am excited about. I feel that these cards will see quite a bit of play in standard. I personally want to create a deck around both Keranos and Iroas.

I plan on going to the Journey into Nyx prerelease event on the weekend of April 26th. I am not sure yet which color I will choose for the event based on these promo cards. I am leaning towards either White or Green at the moment, although Black doesn't look that terrible either.

Thanks for reading and be sure to tune in the following weeks for more exciting information about how we can find balance between Brainz & Brawn. We don't have to choose just one. Also, be sure to check me out on Twitter and Facebook using the links in the About Me section, and leave constructive comments.