Archive for December, 2010

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Kakashi Hatake (N-966) and Mangekyo Sharingan (J-750): Release the Power of the Eye!

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on December 30th, 2010 by

I should probably preface this by saying that Mangekyo Sharingan (J-750), no matter how good a match it is for Kakashi Hatake (N-966), won’t come cheap. It’s a super rare foil card, and can sometimes command a decent price. However, it might be worth it depending on how it’s used and how well it ends up being applied.

As I had previously mentioned, the Path of Pain Naruto card series version of Kakashi Hatake has a particularly useful effect that allows a wielder to place a -1/-1 ninja blade coin on a ninja that Kakashi is fighting. However, it is required that Kakashi become the user of a jutsu to activate this ‘Dangerous Opponent’ talent.

The Mangekyou Sharingan, which can also be used by Itachi Uchiha, immediately removes a ninja from the game. This combo can be used to suddenly gain a lot of ground in a game. For instance, if there are multiple ninja who are fighting against Kakashi, one can suddenly be removed with the Mangekyou Sharingan.

After applying the Sharingan Eye, the user has the opportunity to place the removed ninja wherever they’d like in their opponent’s team set at the end of the turn. That target is placed into an area that effectively neutralizes it, and then Kakashi has the opportunity to place the -1/-1 ninja blade coin on another ninja that’s battling against him.

Of course, this kind of combo strategy is only effective if it is properly deployed. Otherwise, it’s probably a waste of an expensive card. If you intend to play it, make sure that you have some experience picking out which targets are the most difficult to neutralize in a game, and be sure to play it on one of them. Playing it on another card is a waste.

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A Flexible Jutsu: Toad Mouth Trap (J-759)

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on December 29th, 2010 by

I know that I’m often extolling the virtues of non-human characters in the Naruto game, and that’s why so happy with the Toad Mouth Trap (J-759) jutsu card and its related combos. As a ninja toad combination card, the Toad Mouth Trap focuses on another jutsu being played at the time. As might be expected, it grants a substantial bonus of +2/+2 onto the user during that turn.

This might initially seem like a rather large modifier to some people, since a number of previous cards weren’t so generous and free with both the allotment and the parameters to play the card. However, fans of the series might remember the scene in which Jiraiya had used his prized toads to have his enemies swallowed. Quite a tricky position to get stuck in!

Therefore, the +2/+2 addition to the user does make good canon sense. While it’s tempting to flat out pair this card with a Jiraiya card for the purpose of staging something that happened in the actual story line, it doesn’t actually require the Toad Sage, and can be paired with numerous ninja. This makes the card extremely flexible.

In fact, many of the combos that Toad Mouth Trap can be used in will come about by pure accident. Since it simply targets a jutsu, rather than a particular ninja card, it will probably just end up getting deployed as it becomes available. This is particularly useful in a sudden pinch. For this reason, there may be players who will focus on it as a card that could be useful to have multiple copies of. Since it retails less than a dollar, despite the uncommon status and it’s membership in the Path of Pain Series 19 set, it may be easy to get a full set of them in a trade.

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A New Spin on an Old Favorite: Thopter Assembly

Huzzah! An article about Magic: The Gathering posted on December 27th, 2010 by

I’ve always loved weenie decks in Magic. The idea that seemingly innoculous or potentially harmless creatures cold be beefed up, modified, or brought out in mass quantities in order to overwhelm an opponent is just flat out fun as a playstyle. In that Vein, the Ornithopter fit perfectly. I mean a flying creature that had no cost at all? Forget about the fact that it was 0/2, that had some potential. Well it looks like Wizards of the Coast thought so too, and they’ve fleshed out the idea to include a number of other cards to keep your Ornithopters flying and battle ready.

This Thopter Assembly is part of the new Mirrodin Besieged set and although it is much more expensive than it’s 0 cost counterpart, it comes with some great abilities. Most important is this:

At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control no Thopters other than Thopter Assembly, return Thopter Assembly to its owners hand and put five 1/1 colorless Thopter artifcat creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.

That can make for a serious thopter assault when used under the right circumstances, such as Tempered Steel or a Time Sieve deck. Sign me up.

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Kakashi Hatake (N-966) and Kakashi’s Test (M-712): An Outlet for Those Jutsu!

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on December 21st, 2010 by

I’ve covered a pair of combos involving Kakashi Hatake (N-966), but so far they’ve both been jutsu. The Mangekyo Sharingan (J-750) and Lightning Blade (J-749) cards are both powerful, but they are both able to be effectively coupled with a mission card. One such mission card, which really needs a jutsu to be pared with, is Kakashi’s Test (M-712).

While Kakashi-sensei may have been routed rather easily in this scene in the anime (he was defeated by being confused with a copy of a book from his favorite Make Out series), this mission is sure to put you in better condition to gain ground on an opponent. Kakashi himself will, as I’ve said before, place a -1/-1 ninja blade coin on a target once a jutsu of his has been deployed. I’ve suggested Mangekyo Sharingan as particularly useful, and Lightning Blade as a less expensive jutsu for those who can’t acquire that version of the Sharingan eye. Both are strong combos, however, that can be made stronger with an extra addition.

Either of these pairs well with Kakashi’s Test. When a jutsu is played, this mission allows the player to draw a card and discard a card. Perhaps i should say forces instead of allows, depending on how you want to look at the situation. This can help to go through a deck quickly for players that have a great number of ninja specific jutsu. Likewise, people who play a machine of different jutsu and need to speed through their deck will find it very useful.

The effect is permanent, and will therefore really mess with your opponent’s head, depending on their style of play. It is particularly devastating whenever paired with one of the abovementioned jutsu. After all, you do need a jutsu to come down in order for Kakashi to gain his Dangerous Opponent specialty as well as deploy the Kakashi’s Test mission.

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Kakashi Hatake (N-966) and Lightning Blade (J-749): Unleash an Exclusive Jutsu

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on December 20th, 2010 by

The Path of Pain series contains some pretty interesting combos; Kakashi Hatake (N-966) and Lightning Blade (J-749) are one of several that feature Kakashi-sensei in a prominent role. The anime and manga depict him as a relatively unstoppable force, at least unless his mind is occupied with one of Jiraiya’s books. In this version of his card, he has pretty decent stats and a strong effect even before any combination jutsu is applied to his offense.

Kakashi-sensei features a 3/1 5/3 stat set that can make him very useful for growth players. This probably makes sense when you consider the number of times that we’ve seen him build up before completing releasing his power. Moreover, I’ve seen some decks that really could have used a Jonin rank ninja and didn’t have any. Rank limited jutsu and mission cards are actually more common than some people realize, and can lead to some very embarrassing mistakes. His Dangerous Opponent effect places a -1/-1 ninja blade coin on a ninja battling against him when he uses a jutsu.

One of the better Jutsu to use with him is Lightning Blade, which is Kakashi Hatake-specific. This card causes the target ninja to receive a shocking (no pun intended) -10/+0 modifier. When you consider the fact that the actual Kakashi card is lending a -1/-1 modifier to the target, it becomes all the more apparent just what a ‘Dangerous Opponent’ Kakashi really is.

Many lower level shinobi can be taken out by this kind of attack, and it can certainly hold off some stronger ones. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt that it would be quite effective against some of my beloved animal ninja. In the future, I should probably start watching how I play my summoning jutsu!

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Magic: The Gathering Banned/Restricted List Update

Huzzah! An article about Magic: The Gathering posted on December 20th, 2010 by

Whenever a new banned/restricted list is announced by Wizards, I always see a look of anxiousness and dread on the faces of my fellow players. After all, no one wants to see their favorite card combination go the way of the dodo, no matter how horribly unbalanced it might be.

With that said, the most recent list update has been posted, and it isn’t all that bad. Standard, Extended, and Vintage modes have all remained unchanged. Tere is some big news in the Legacy format though. Survival of the Fittest is now banned for the format. Interestingly, though, Time Spiral has now been unbanned. Admittedly I do hate survival decks, but the re-introduction of Time Spiral should definitely be interesting.

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Stand Behind a Fortress of Earth: Detonating Clay: C2 Dragon (J-744) and Detonating Clay: Mines (J-745)

Huzzah! An article about NARUTO posted on December 19th, 2010 by

Detonating Clay: C2 Dragon (J-744) and Detonating Clay: Mines (J-745) are two sequential jutsu cards that can work together very well in an Earth mono deck. In my last post, I mentioned that the Naruto Series 19 Path of Pain releases feature a number of cards that really look like they can fit well together. These two cards are excellent for these sorts of players, and can be deployed in quick succession to strengthen a position.

I’ve always found that Earth had some very good strategies for defensive players. Detonating Clay: Mines fits well into this kind of an ideology. When played, the user gets +5/+0 and if a higher cost of the jutsu was paid, then the player draws 2 cards. In this condition, your opponent’s moves cannot affect this jutsu. This maneuver sets up a great defensive position that really typifies just what it is that comes to my mind when I think about Earth ninja.

Then Detonating Clay: C2 Dragon can further be used to build up this fine Earth defense. One ninja that is battling against the user of this card goes into stand-by. If the opposition has three or more face-up Battle Rewards, the ninja goes to the top of their deck. Afterwards, three of your opponent’s Battle Rewards get turned down. This is particularly devastating if you have an opponent who uses a number of attacks that are based on Battle Rewards.

Sure, it’s nice to shred through your opponents with ease. However, too much offense can sometimes leave you unguarded. That’s why this kind of strategy can work for even the most bloodthirsty of players if it’s adequately deployed. It might also be effective if combined with another idea, such as the Earth/Water combined offense that I tried describing in my last post.

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Holiday Gift Ideas: MTG Shirts

Huzzah! An article about Magic: The Gathering posted on December 17th, 2010 by

Can’t think of a good gift for your geeky friend? Are they an avid player of Magic: The Gathering? Well then Swagdog has you covered with these Planeswalker T-shirts. The shirts feature your favorite icons and logos from the more basic mana symbols to the latest Mirran expansion set.

Interestingly, there’s also some shirts featuring the artwork of your favorite Planeswalker characters like Jace and Ajani. You can check out the whole set over at Swagdog listed here.

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Having all the answers

Huzzah! An article about Magic: The Gathering posted on December 17th, 2010 by

Having all the answers can prove to be a difficult task, but it can be done by compromising depending on the situation.

Let me put it another way. When you play Scars of Mirrodin standard, you’re bound to run into indestructible things some or other time. You best be prepared for it. Don’t bring a Doom Blade deck to a darksteel fight, if you know what I mean.

That said, you can’t have an answer for every single card in the game, nor will it help you much if you have one card to take out enchantments in the Rise of Eldrazi block (I’m referring to the Umbras). For best results, you should concentrate on what is common in decks for the format you’re planning to play. As for Legacy, well, good luck with that. The best advice I can give in that respect is to put in your best defence and hope for the best, or switch to full on attack and kill your opponent before you need any answers.

As for Scars and Mirrodin in general, I’d suggest you make sure you add some cards to combat darksteel, infect and tokens. Still, look at decks making names and adjust accordingly. Many people craft their decks around strategies that has proved to be successful. Either do the same and be prepared for a mirror, or make your own deck and make sure you’ve got answers.

Best of luck in getting the answers you’re looking for. Hm.

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Mirrodin Besieged Spoilers: Mirran and Phyrexian Crusader

Huzzah! An article about Magic: The Gathering, News posted on December 16th, 2010 by

It looks like we’re seeing some additional spoilers over the past few days for the upcoming set to be released in February, Mirrodin Besieged. The latest are two cards that act as mirrors for White and Black: Phyrexian Crusader and Mirran Crusader.

As you can see, both cards will see some play in say, a black/green deck or a weenie deck in the case of the Mirran Crusader. Plenty of casual players will find use for these much like the oft-quoted Paladin-en-Vec.

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