4 ms·

I have never played MTG, never even read the rules (are there rules?) But I watched the video [1] linked from this text: > Whether it’s a crazy top-decked Lig

• klodolph 4y ago
  I took a quick look at the video. Quick info—you can deal damage to creatures and players. Creatures die if they take enough damage in a turn, and the damage resets each turn. Players die if they take 20 damage total over the course of the game. Craig is “chump blocking”—he’s getting attacked by strong creatures, and uses weak creatures to block them. The weak creatures (the “chumps”) die, and the strong creatures remain. This leaves him extremely vulnerable, but alive. The strong creatures can attack again next turn, and he will be even less able to block them because the creatures he used to block are now dead. He has a spell called “Char” which deals 4 damage to a target creature or player and 2 damage to himself. This could be used to destroy the attacking creature, but destroying the creature won’t win him the game. At that moment, he is at 3 life, his opponent is at 7. After chump blocking, the opponent will be able to attack and win the game next turn. Craig decides to Char the player, rather than targeting any creature. This brings his life total to 1 and the opponent to 3. It's then Craig’s turn (because he played Char at the end of his opponent’s turn). At the beginning of his turn he gets to draw a card. He draws a card that can deal 3 points of damage. (That card is Lightning Helix.) It was exciting because it was a gamble. He could only win if the right card was on top of his deck, and therefore, it was the right move to play assuming that he had the right card. There’s a maximum of 4 copies of any card (except basic lands) in your deck, which must be at least 60 cards. By that math, you get 1:15 odds of drawing the right card here (undoubtedly the odds were not exactly 1:15 but some other number, based on however many cards were left in the deck and however many Lightning Helix were left). The commentary on the game was that this was the “only correct play”. Edit: And he won $31,000. Second place was $16,000.
  • lisper 4y ago
    So... he drew to an inside straight and won? But... don't players get to stack their own decks? Would he not have known what was on top?
    • rcxdude 4y ago
      No, you shuffle your deck (and in tournament play your opponent will cut your deck as well). There are some cards which allow you to partially manipulate or inspect your deck by looking at the top card and/or putting cards on the top or bottom, as well as cards which allow you search your deck for cards, but anything which allows you to look at your whole deck will generally also require you to shuffle it afterwards. (there are combos which allow you to stack your whole deck but they're generally not as good as combos which just let you draw your whole deck).
• rcxdude 4y ago
  In terms of the length of the rules, generally people don't read them all, especially not in the process of learning the game. The comprehensive rules are basically just a way to resolve disputes about exactly what happens in a given scenario, and the only people who will be familiar with the whole of it are judges at tournaments.
• nerdponx 4y ago
  Don't be derisive of things that other people enjoy.
• astura 4y ago
  A top comment on the video you linked explains it. >FOR YOU GUYS WHO COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED: CRAIG JONES HAD 1 TURN TO DEAL AT LEAST 7 DAMAGE TO OLIVIER, SO: AT THE END PHASE, CRAIG USED A CARD CALLED "CHAR", DEALING 4 DAMAGE TO OLIVER AND 2 TO HIMSELF, BRINGING HIM DOWN TO 1 LIFE POINT. AT THE DRAW PHASE, HE DRAWS LIGHTNING HELIX, DEALING 3 MORE DAMAGE, DEALING A TOTAL OF 7 DAMAGE TO OLIVER AND WINNING THE GAME WITH 1 LIFE POINT.