Poll: Start Times and When to Implement if Changed, Part 1

We've got a slight issue with our start times.

Although we advertise 10:00 AM start times, rarely do we have the majority of our players at the church at 10:00 AM...or even close to 10:00 AM.

Our church overseer, Rachel, gets to the church right when we say our start time is. The more weekends she waits for someone to show up after 10:00 AM, the more I'm sure her patience for it wears thin as she could be doing other things while waiting for us.

So here's the proposal: Since the majority of us don't make it until 10:30 - 11:00 when we do make it in, I suggest we move the start time back and keep a 4-hour block like we have now (so if we start at 10:30, we'll be done at 2:30).

The other question is, if we change things, when should be implement this change? A week from Saturday? The middle of May? The start of June?


So we'll do this in a 3-part poll. It will be 3 parts only if the majority answer to Part 1 is "yes."

Part 1 of 3: Should we change the start time of the "league" to a later time than 10:00 AM? (If you think we should, please do not suggest times yet).

While this poll is on-going, we'll stick to 10:00 AM as our start time (and consequently, 2:00 PM as our end time). We will not make changes as the poll continues.

Either E-mail me or post a comment here with your preference of either keeping the time or changing it. Please have your responses by no later than Saturday, April 30th.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Let's make our time at the church the best we can. :)

Open Poll: DCI Sanctioning?

I've got a question about a move we're contemplating making.

We've got some more tournament-level players recently, and with our potential weekly attendance we could possibly do DCI-sanctioned tournaments (if the church allows us to).

My question is...would you be more willing to come to SMM if we had DCI sanctioning on Saturday mornings?

Register for the blog and leave your comments below with your opinion.

Thanks!

Cube Poll 2: Brainstorm Version Poll

Hey guys!

Well, by a score of 1-0, Lotus Bloom beat Lion's Eye Diamond for preference in the Cube. So unless I get more input of which would be a better add-in for the Cube, I'm gonna keep Lotus Bloom until I maybe get a Black Lotus.

This Cube Draft poll is pretty simple: Brainstorm will stay in the Cube, but which version would you prefer?

The options are pictured below (all pictures come from MagicCards.info):

A)

 B)

 C)

 D)

(The promo version, D, is the only foil version available)

In a reply here or in an E-mail, select option A, B, C, or D. The version with the highest total gets preference.

Thanks for your input!

Cube Poll: Edition Preferences of Older Cards

(NOTE: All pictures come from http://magiccards.info 's database except the From the Vaults Sol Ring, which is from Kelley Reid of QuietSpeculation.com ) 

Good day, everyone!

Today I want to get a feel for how people feel about the Cube Drafting. Specifically, I'm curious how I should be updating the Cube with different versions of cards.

The Cube is interesting because not only does it represent the general best of Magic but also the personalities of the players who build and play it. Does the person building it love broken cards? In go Time Walk, Sol Ring, Winter Orb, Yawgmoth's Will, etc. Does the player base love newer power cards? Grave Titan, Enclave Cryptologist, and others might be fairly plentiful.

But one thing all Cubists agree on is "We want our Cube to be uber-pimp!!!"

So then we go...what's cool enough to be "pimp"?

Let's take, for example, Black Knight.

I think we can all agree that a card as classic as Black Knight shouldn't have its M10/M11 artwork in the Cube unless there's no way around it:

New modernistic art and reminder text? For the Cube...BLECH!

And ever since White Bordered cards were introduced, "1337" players have hated White Bordered cards, so any version in a Core Set after Beta and not a promo is out:

Nice...if it were black bordered. :(

So what is cool enough to make it in? Generally...

A) Killer artwork, even if it's on a newer-framed card.

B) Foils.

C) The oldest version available in Black Borders (when not ridiculously high in price).

For Black Knight, then, that leaves two versions:

1) Alpha/Beta

2) An FNM Foil with this older artwork and no reminder text:

This may be fairly easy. I'd be tempted to go with Alpha as that's the oldest printing. BUT...if I wanted to "bling" the deck out and be super-shiny wherever possible, I'd be tempted to go with the FNM promo (especially since it uses the original artwork and is still old bordered).

Now let's introduce Sol Ring in.

Sol Ring's had 3 versions available:

1) Alpha/Beta/Unlimited/Revised (here, White Border is pretty well a necessity since Alpha/Beta versions are too expensive, but the older the better, even if it's White Bordered):

The oldest White-Bordered (read: "reasonably priced") Sol Ring from Unlimited.

Then, you've got the Judge Promo. Even though it's the newer 8th Edition border/framing, it's the iconic artwork from Alpha with a beautiful foil artifact frame.

Iconic Art + Foil New-Frame Artifact = ZOMG!!!

AND THEN...we've got the new From the Vault: Relics version with new art but still looking sexy as all get out.

DAMN!!! Stop making sexy foil artwork, Wizards!

I think you see the dilemma now among Cube builders. When we go to upgrade the Cube to its absolute best, we go "...so which version is best? Which one will WOW! my players, maybe even influencing if they'll even play it and build around it in order to get it to work?"

So here's the poll:

If I'm looking to update the Cube for you all and I'm battling between different versions of cards, what's your order of preference of what's considered "cool"/"pimp"/"shiny"?

1) Old Cards with Black Borders: The older, the better...especially if the card's older than me!

2) Foil Cards: Ohh, shiny!!!!  *drools* I don't care if it's new art or new border or whatever, just...SHINY!!!

3) Whatever works: The card's function doesn't change just because it's Old or Foil, so it doesn't matter to me.

Just leave a comment or E-mail me directly (cardgamenut@gmail.com) and let your voice be heard! I want to have the most fun Cube experience possible, even down to what versions of the cards you'd love to see.

(PS: Just because you're not in the area or don't come to SMM, don't think your input's less influential. I'd love whatever opinions I can get. :)  )