Hey guys, I live in Robbinsdale really close to the Outpost 2000 in Crystal. I work every other weekend but if you guys would like to meet up sometime let me know. I actually was at the Source Saturday and had a pick-up game with a guy who had never played before. Worked out nice. Anyways, send a message and maybe we can get a game going. Outpost has a few players and an ambassador there. I also got my bro in law to start up.  Slowly but surely we will bring more into MW.

You were at the Source this last Saturday and played? The desk worker told me all space was reserved for the Magic event. That is a little demoralizing though i am glad to hear you were able to get a game in. We run Mage Wars the second and fourth Saturday of the month at the Source any time you or your friends want to drop by. What days do you guys get together at Outpost 2000? Even if I cannot drop by personally I will spread the word to everyone in my play group. The more Mage Wars in our area the better for all of us.

Acid Ball does damage before the Corrode is applied, and has a 1/3 chance of only applying 1 Corrode. Overall, due to enchantments being more fragile than conditions except against the Priestess, I would probably give the edge to Acid Ball in a vacuum, but I value Rust more highly for Warlocks. In addition, Rust can't be dodged with defenses. Corrode is the big reason I've started to value Defenses more than I did before, as it makes casting Acid Ball on my creatures (in particular my mage) more uncertain. So I wouldn't say it's as cut and dried as Acid Ball is statistically better than Rust. There are more factors at play.

In the context of this books design Acid Ball is statistically better. An action that does potential damage is better than an action that does no potential damage when the goal is to kill the opponent in the shortest possible time frame. In an attrition scenario it would be more of a debate with many points going towards Rust but we are talking a burst damage scenario. I will break down the merits and flaws of both cards for new players reading this.

ACID BALL: An Attack spell that statistically does 2  acid damage and 2 corrodes. 1 of the damage is statistically a critical hit that bypasses armor.
STRENGTHS: Causes minor damage while removing armor. Against 1 or less armored opponents damage is potentially 1 or 2 points higher. Removing Corrodes can be action and mana intensive.
WEAKNESSES: Subject to defense rolls. Results vary based on dice rolls. Corrodes are removable by replacing the armor source (if you have a duplicate), a Priestesses ability, and a select few rarely included cards. Vulnerable to Block.

RUST: A Curse Enchantment that gives a creature -2 armor.
STRENGTHS: Reliable application with an effect that is not based on dice rolls. Not subject to removal using methods that remove Corrodes. Synergy in curse or enchantment focused books.
WEAKNESSES: Removed by vast array of cards a few of which are auto includes in most spellbooks. Vulnerable to Harshforged Monolith or effects that swap enchantments between creatures. Completely ineffective on unarmored creatures. Vulnerable to Nullify.

Sorry for the late replies I have been away from the forums for a bit.

Talos was included as an Easter egg to see if people were paying attention. Yes he cannot be summoned but as he was free I thought it would be funny to throw him in anyways. I also have the ability to tell my opponents between games that "I run Talos in this book so watch out!". I am a sick person I know. 

On the issue of Rust vs. Acid Ball. Acid Ball was included with the idea that by the time you would actually cast it the damage race has already begun. Any mana expenditure or action on your part had better be doing damage of some sort unless you have a very good reason to the contrary. In theory and according to the math it works perfectly. However in practice I am noticing I only ever roll 1 corrode with acid ball and all the damage is absorbed by the remaining armor of my opponent. I am considering replacing one of the Acid Balls with a Rust purely because my dice rolls are so terrible. However for people who were not cursed by the dice gods during a lunar eclipse while the planets were aligned I would recommend sticking to the Acid Balls as statistically they are the superior choice.

The Skeletal Knights have won me a few games now and I can vouch for how awesome they are. They do need a bit more support then the Knight of Westlock in the armor department but otherwise have a lot of staying power and damage potential. The Standard bearer and the Armory usually solve the armor issue. Don't forget your Veteran tokens because the Skeletal Knights benefit immensely from the extra armor they provide.

During a game this weekend Harshforged Monolith was recommended to me by another player as well. I know it is a great card but this deck is starved for book points and I am not sure what I would drop to put it in. It is a consideration I am giving a lot of thought though. Honestly there are a ton of cards I would like to include but the core book concept of out of school creatures forces me to run a pretty lean set of cards. Still, I can vouch it is worth it from my results.

Which podcast episode spoiled the Archmage? I need to take a listen!

Welcome to our new forum punching bag! Just kidding! We have a great community here and you will love your new job.

Your build style and tactics look very similar to my Knightmare book. You could probably find a lot of good data if you take a look at my turn by turn summary. So far the book is undefeated in the 7 matches I have had with it.

Is there a creature with sweeping 3? The only effect I can think of with that effect is the incantation Whirling strike.

The ruling on it is"The additional targets work in same manner as the Sweeping trait, except there are two (2) additional targets instead of one (1) additional target. If an attack with additional strikes (such as a “Doublestrike” or “Triplestrike” attack) is made using Whirling Strike, the additional strikes will only be applied to the first target; the subsequent targets will only receive one strike each."

So rules as written cover this situation. If there is no valid target for the final strike it is canceled. If applicable your own controlled objects are valid per the ruling in this thread.

Wow, so I definitely called it by saying this was a taboo subject. To me I think it is unfair to people who acquire promo's by participating in organized play to be denied the right to use them. I also think it should be perfectly fine to proxy them for other players who have a more limited selection. The goal of organized play is to encourage people to seek these promo's out as an incentive to actually show up and play. Denying their use directly conflicts with the whole purpose of the promo's existence and the incentive they provide.

I am hesitant to disagree with the marketing and design process of a company whose products I so very much enjoy but this is a very real problem. The incentive to play (ie. prize support) for the game is a taboo subject within the community for that game. As opposed to negative feedback I will attempt to offer solutions.

1. Release every promo currently out in a near future expansion. The theme of the expansion should just be "Promo Cards". Get them out there and make them available to everyone. Officially legalize them for organized play. As the cards are already designed with art and everything this should be inexpensive and very profitable compared to other released sets.

2. In addition to the above make all future promo cards alternate art versions of currently released cards instead of new card releases. It will still be cool enough to be sought after but will not remove the incentive of people to go to live organized events. More people at organized events = bigger community =  more sales for company. Help your Ambassador's help you.