MTG "Problem" (like Chess problems, poker problems

bakert · Joined: 21 Aug 2008 Posts: 4

Does such a thing exist?

I guess it would go along the lines of:

- Board state
- Your hand
- Life totals
- What turn/phase it is and who has priority

"What's the right play?"

Yes, because it is a game without perfect information the answer is less unequivocal than it is in chess but they do poker problems (see Harrington on Hold 'Em Vol. 3 which is 300 pages of problems like this) so I wonder if such a thing might be useful/instructional for Magic?

I'm new to the game and could probably do with some basic stuff. But more advanced thorny problems might be interesting too?

Or is Magic just too complicated to be bottled like that?

I'm interested in your thoughts, especially if you know of any existing books/websites that do this. I might run up a website to store/rate/answer problems if anyone thinks it would be even vaguely useful.

(Apologies if this post is in the wrong place, there didn't quite seem to be a good area for it.)

Trotsky1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 940

www.magicthegathering.com run a magic the puzzling once every year or so, I belive there are a few offical books on the stuff as well. Though if you want to get good at the game these are not really that helpfull as they often involve cards that will not see constructed play, are not grouped together in a limited set and involve obscure rulings.

In magic to get better at the game the most essential thing is to establish yourself as part of a good playtest group. www.modosharks.com is also a useful site, it focuses more on limited than constucted but it has video recordings and although the qulity of the players in the videos has gone down a little from what it use to be, its still very helpfull for new players. There are plenty of other sites you can easily find using goggle etc.

lucabil · Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 23

With respect to poker, Magic has a metagame (because it is constructed).

So you should add at least:

- Which deck am I playing?
- Which deck is playing my opponent?

If you then take into account a multiplayer game, then you shold add all the politics:

- Who is perceived as the most dangerous?
- Who should be taken out early?
- Who should I avoid attacking?
- Other 100 questions like that ...

I'm not an experienced Magic player, but what I've learned so far is that Magic is something in between a poker game (the aspects you were talking about) and a car race: you are the pilot, the deck is the car.
But a car race is not a good model, because it doesn't describe well matchup problems. Mabe you should think about robots battles in which you can decide to win the battle using so many different ways.

goat314 · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 17

Perhaps, I am dating myself here, but InQuest CCG magazine used to do exactly that. They'd have 3 scenarios, this is your hand, this is opponent's graveyard, next turn he will recall and Hammer you to death, beat him with Saprolings this turn. Maybe they called the Magic the Puzzling. I always enjoyed those.

Acid_Christ · Joined: 28 Aug 2004 Posts: 567

ant900 · Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 2486 Location: somewhere

zvi also used to have an article on mtg.com about stuff like this, was pretty awesome.

Ggerg · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 485

i miss zvi's articles. his and anthony alongi's were the only ones i've ever enjoyed reading.

Trotsky1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 940

anthony alongi's articles were always hilarious, he has to the funniest mtg.com author by far perhasp only maro is close and thats only sometimes.