If you play a lot of table-top Magic, then you’ve probably heard of the Commander format by now (though you may still know it as Elder Dragon Highlander, or EDH). For those unfamiliar with the format, here’s a simple breakdown of the rules. Each player chooses a legendary creature and builds a 100 card deck using only cards of that creature’s color(s). Commander is a singleton format, so you can’t use more than one copy of a given card (other than Basic Lands). At the beginning of each game, each player removes their chosen creature (referred to as their Commander or General) from their deck and sets them aside in the Command Zone. You can cast your Commander from this zone any time you could normally cast them, and if they would die or be exiled, you can simply return to the Command Zone. The caveat is that they cost two colorless mana more to cast for each time you’ve cast them that game. For more specifics on the rules and banlists, see the official Commander site.
Finding a Commander that works for you is not always an easy task. Not counting the six banned legendary creatures, there are 510 creatures to choose from. Now, if you don’t feel like buying singles and just want to use cards from your current collection, this process is much easier. If you want to survey all the potential options, then you’re going to need to know what you’re looking for. There are numerous ways to tell which Commander will work for you, and everyone is going to have different ways of figuring this out. Since I can’t really tell you how to go about it, I’m going to give a few examples from decks I’ve built.
The first major way you’re going to decide on a Commander is by looking at the aforementioned list of legendary creatures and finding one that just jumps out at you. That’s what happened to me during previews for Wizards’s official Commander product. I love Oozes, I love cloning things, and I love wonky combo shenanigans. When I first laid eyes on The Mimeoplasm, I was sold. This was going to be a deck. From there, I searched out cards that would work in favor of The Mimeoplasm’s unique set of abilities. This was a “build around me!” opportunity that really focused on the Commander. It wants big, difficult to kill creatures in my graveyard. Meshing with this fact is a type of reanimator play style. The Mimeoplasm can also eat your opponents’ creatures, so the deck would also need plenty of creature destruction. This was a Commander that just wanted to be surrounded by cards that help it.
The other main method is having a deck idea and finding the right Commander to fit that deck. The first Commander deck I ever built was motivated by a deck construction challenge. I wanted to try and build a colorless Commander deck. This is a particularly difficult challenge because you do not have access to Basic Lands and you cannot use any colored cards or cards with colored mana symbols on them. This restricts you to Artifacts, colorless nonbasic Lands, and the colorless Eldrazi cards. Thankfully, choosing a Commander for this kind of deck is easy, as I was restricted to a grand total of four cards (Emrakul wasn’t banned yet). I ended up choosing Kozilek, Butcher of Truth because the deck’s main weakness was card draw. Having Kozilek as my Commander allowed me to fill up my hand at almost any point in the game. Being a 12/12 with Annihilator 4 sure doesn’t hurt either.
Finally, there’s a lot of middle ground where these two methods kind of blend together. This occurred when I purchased Planechase 2012 and received a brand new Thromok the Insatiable. Hellions are one of my favorite creature types, and now I had access to two Hellion Commanders: Thromok and Ulasht, the Hate Seed. At the same time, I had a lot of good red cards for Commander that did not have a home. Thirdly, I love tokens, and both Hellions benefit from having lots of expendable creatures on the battlefield. Thus, a slew of half-baked ideas came together to form a single coherent deck.
Picking your first Commander is no easy task, and it rarely becomes easier the more Commander decks you build. For those new to the format, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s a lot of fun and leads to a ton of weird, exciting, and novel game experiences that you don’t get in other formats. For those seasoned Commander players, keep enjoying the format and (hopefully) winning big!
Oh what a glorious night it was last night. The culmination of one of the major dream team plans I’ve had. Today’s post is a story time journey into part of what makes Pokémon such an amazing franchise for me. In Pokémon Black, I played through with what I would assemble as the weakest team of fully evolved Pokémon I could get.
Obviously a few ground rules had to be set: No Ditto and no Smeargle. Ditto is just too terribad, and Smeargle’s negatives are offset by his wondrous movepool. Also, he gets Moody. The next rule was that I need a flier and a surfer (a rule for any of my teams). I would select these first, taking the weakest fully evolved flier and surfer, respectively. Well, the weakest flier is Delibird, and not only have I used it before, but I was (at the time this began), planning on using it in White 2. The goal of this was to use Pokémon I never use, so I skipped on ahead to the next weakest flier: Farfetch’d. Shortly after Delibird is the weakest surfer: Luvdisc. The problem was, I was already using Luvdisc in a playthrough. So, once again, I moved on to the next weakest surfer: Corsola.
It was a good start. Two Pokémon I had never used before that I had always wanted to. The rest were filled in accordingly: Spinda, Mawile, Volbeat, and Ledian (Ledian is my favorite Pokémon ever, so there was no was I was going to do a low base stat total run without it.) Very early in this process I realized that I want to use all their hidden abilities, as they are all good. So I set out with a Defiant Farfetch’d, a Regenerator Corsola, a Contrary Spinda, a Sheer Force Mawile, a Prankster Volbeat, and an Iron Fist Ledian. Oh boy was this an awesome team. They looked like this by the Elite Four:
Farfetch’d-Scope Lens
Defiant
-Fly
-Leaf Blade
-Night Slash
-Swords Dance
Corsola-Quick Claw
Regenerator
-Blizzard
-Surf
-Earth Power
-Power Gem
Spinda-Silk Scarf
Contrary
-Thrash
-Superpower
-Sucker Punch
-Hypnosis
Mawile-Rocky Helmet
Sheer Force
-Iron Head
-Crunch
-Rock Slide
-Fire Fang
Volbeat-Silverpowder
Prankster
-Thunderbolt
-Bug Buzz
-Shadow Ball
-Tail Glow
Ledian-Bright Powder
Iron Fist
-Drain Punch
-Thunderpunch
-Ice Punch
-Swords Dance
My motley crew and I waged an uphill war with Unova, but we came out on top. The Elite Four actually caused a lot of problems for me. Shauntal and Grimsley were fairly straightforward, but my big issue against Caitlin was the bulk of her Pokémon. It was difficult to get OHKOs on them, so they ended up doing a lot of damage to my team. Marshal was, however, by far the toughest battle in the whole game. Half my team is weak to Fighting and the other half is weak to Rock. By the end of the battle, all I had was a Farfetch’d with 8HP (that had been Max Revived already anyway). But I made it through. It was time for the real test.
I obviously made the decision early on that when I got to N and Ghetsis I would not use Reshiram. That would be cheating the intent of the playthrough. But, like all good Pokémon trainers, I had a game plan. I knew N would be leading with Zekrom. This gave me a huge advantage. I led with Spinda. As long as I could survive a hit from Fusion Bolt I would be ok. Turn 1 begins. Zekrom uses Fusion Bolt. Spinda survives to Superpower. Contrary boosts my attack and defense one stage. I know Full Restore my way back up until Zekrom runs out of Fusion Bolts. Now it’s go time. Superpower. Superpower. Superpower. Relentless stat-boosting assaults, healing as necessary. Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon, has just fallen to a panda bear that can’t even pass a field sobriety test. I was thinking that I could maybe make a Spinda sweep, but even at +5 attack it couldn’t OHKO N’s Zoroark with Sucker Punch. The Focus Blast hit and OKHO’d Spinda, so it was onto plan B: play the type matchups like usual. N didn’t go too badly, and the Team Plasma king fell. Well that’s all well and good, but the real challenge of Black and White is Ghetsis. Oh lordy.
Also what annoys me about the Ghetsis battle is that Cheren just stands there the whole time, even though his Pokémon are perfectly healthy. He could have at least helped. What an asshole.
Anyway, so Spinda goes out against Cofagrigus. This is not the matchup I want. Spinda uses Hypnosis, putting Cofagrigus to bed. I switch in Volbeat. Stupid BW sleep mechanics have Cofagrigus asleep for only one turn, so he uses Toxic on the switch-in. Well that’s ok, I plan on Full Restoring anyway. Volbeat uses Tail Glow while Cofagrigus wastes a Protect. I know he can’t OHKO me. He uses Shadow Ball. Toxic damage takes Volbeat to the brink. But I smile. I know he’s going to Protect again. Full Restore time. Cofagrigus’s Protect fails. And now, at +6 SpAtk, it’s time for Volbeat to kick some serious Poké-butt. Shadow Ball. Cofagrigus goes down easy. Ghetsis sends in Hydreigon. This is the real test. I know Fire Blast will OHKO Volbeat. But I believe in my shiny-assed partner. I click Bug Buzz. Volbeat outspeeds. Hilariously easy OHKO. Volbeat Bug Buzz’s Bisharp. Then Eelektross. Then Bouffalant. Then Seismitoad. Ghetsis, leader of Team Plasma, has fallen. The day is won. All on the vibrant tushy of a firefly.
Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites.
-Karen
Since my last post about the new Pokémon at E3, Game Freak has officially revealed four additional new Pokémon for the upcoming games Pokémon X Version and Pokémon Y Version. I figure today I will go through each of them like I did in that previous post and give my brief opinion on them and throw in a bit of speculation as well. So without further delay, here are our brand new Pokémon friends!
Scatterbug-Scatterbug is (presumably one of) the Kalos Region’s early game Bug types. It’s the base form of Vivillon, and is known as the Powder Blowing Pokémon. I’m wondering if this means a return of Shield Dust as the entire line’s ability. I’m sort of amused by Scatterbug’s design as it reminds me of the worms in Adventure Time with Finn and Jake. It’s got a pretty goofy looking mouth too. It’s not a very exciting Pokémon, but at least it’s different from all the other worm Pokémon.
Spewpa-And here we have Scatterbug’s evolution and the bridging Pokémon to Vivillon. First, I want to go on record that Spewpa is one of the most hilariously awkward sounding Pokémon names ever. I will never tire of it. Second, it learns Protect. That means it’s going to be just as annoying as Swadloon and Whirlipede were in Black and White. There’s not much to say about Spewpa. It’s not awful, but it’s not exciting. Like Scatterbug, it’s different enough to not be boring, but not different enough to be exciting.
Litleo-Ah, now here we go. Here’s a Pokémon with a lot to talk about. We’ll start at the obvious place: Fire/Normal typing. Like Helioptile, Litleo has a Normal secondary type tacked on to it. This is going to be awesome for the STAB Tackles early in the game. Second, it’s neat that we’re getting another lion-based Pokémon line. I’m hoping that, unlike Luxray, the final evolution of Litleo will actually have a gender difference with the presence/absence of a fiery mane. That is, assuming Litleo stays a lion. I want to draw attention to its tail for a moment. While the shape on the end might just be mimicking a tuft of hair, it also bears resemblance to a scorpion tail. While another lion Pokémon would be neat, I think it would be even cooler if Litleo evolved into a manticore Pokémon. Along with such an evolution could be a unique Fire/Poison typing (assuming there isn’t another Fire/Poison Pokémon in X & Y). I’m not sure which route Game Freak has taken, but it’s a Pokémon that I’m going to be very interested in following up on as we get more information.
Flabébé-Finally, we have another new Fairy type Pokémon revealed. Flabébé is the second pure Fairy type Pokémon we know about (Sylveon being the first) and comes with the distinction of being the smallest Pokémon ever (suck it, Joltik). It’s also part of the group of Pokémon that share visual differences between individuals, as there will be a variety of different types of flowers that a Flabébé clings to. It’s a facet I like about the Pokémon that have such distinctions (such as Spinda and Shellos), so in that regard I think it’s a fantastic addition to the game. I do, however, glean much laughter from the idea of Flabébé as a mighty dragon-slaying beast. That will also never get old.
And that does it for the post-E3 new Pokémon reveals. With each bit of new information we get I will make a post similar to this one, and maybe one of these days I will go back and look at the Pokémon we already knew about before E3. Until then, enjoy biting your withdrawal as the news for Pokémon X & Y slows back down to a crawl.
Holy hell it’s terrifying when nightmarish things from fantasy turn out to be real.
For anyone who has played Super Metroid, there are few enemies that instill fear quite like the Yapping Maw. First encountered in the depths of Brinstar, these large, mandibled worms lurk just under the surface of water in a few passages before Kraid. At first they seem to be stationary enemies that are easily avoided by jumping over them. You stand nearby, planning your aerial trajectory in order to preserve your precious energy tanks. SNATCH! Before you know it, that stationary enemy has extended out and gripped you in its powerful jaws. It drags you down, chomping on your delicious human flesh as you try to escape. I bet you won’t make that mistake again. From now on, you’re going to do everything possible to stay as far away from those bastards as you can. The good news is, the Yapping Maw appears in almost every part of Zebes! Wait, that’s not good news at all. That is nightmare-inducing news. Oh well, at least we can go play other Metroid games and not have to be freaked out by their accordion necks of death.
…Unless we go play Metroid: Zero Mission. Zero Mission revamped the original Metroid, adding energy tanks worth of content and experiences. One of the major changes was adding a slew of minibosses for you to fight to help fill in the added abilities. Thankfully, two of these minibosses are callbacks to the Yapping Maw. Wait, not thankfully. That’s a terrifying allusion to make.
First we have the King Worm. This armored guy attacks Samus in Brinstar, blocking her path on either side with its very long and very pointy body. The head then pokes out and snaps a pair of very familiar looking mandibles. The attack style of the King Worm is very similar to the Yapping Maw (with the caveat that it’s on the ceiling instead of the floor). It stays mostly retracted into the rock, and then launches its jaws at Samus in a similar fashion to Super Metroid’s death-worm. The bristles that cover its body also shoot off to damage Samus (and provide some useful pickups if you need them). Upon defeat of the King Worm, Samus is rewarded with the charge beam.
But I did say that there are two minibosses that reinvent the Yapping Maw experience. The second of these demons is the Mua (also referred to as the Acid Worm). After powering up Brinstar Depths’s zipline system, the Mua traps Samus in a room with a large acid pool. It then tries to grab Samus with its toothy maw and drag her into its acid home for dinner (not the friendly kind, the murderous kind). The Mua’s basic attack pattern is just like the Yapping Maw’s. It sits mostly retracted, but then quickly lashes out sideways to attack Samus.
What’s largely terrifying about all three beasties is the lack of control you have in a situation where you’re struck by their attacks. So much of Metroid’s sidescrolling gameplay is rooted in quick, but smooth, action: running, jumping, shinesparking, all in a fluid-like dance. To get ripped out of this constant motion against your will is unsettling at best.
It’s a good thing these aren’t real. They’d be even more terrifying if there was an actual animal like this. Good news that this is all fiction then. Oh crud, that’s not true either. Meet Eunice aphroditois, also known as the Bobbit worm. It burrows its 3’+ body into the silt on the floor of shallow waters and waits for prey to pass nearby. Then, when one of its five antennae senses a nearby meal, it launches its head in that meal’s direction, clamping down on them with very large and powerful mandibles. It then drags the helpless critter down into its burrow for consumption (assuming it doesn’t accidentally chop it in half with the power and speed of its strike). Did I mention that the longest one on record was over 9 feet long? Did I mention that their bristles also cause permanent nerve damage, so you can’t even touch one without getting severely injured? Did I mention that they occasionally wind up in home aquariums because they hide in corals and rocks and accidently get transported into your place of dwelling? It’s a good thing I missed all those points, because otherwise you might throw up in your mouth a little out of sheer terror.
And that’s it. I have to stop this phobia-inducing knowledge-train. Even I can’t take this anymore. Enjoy your nightmares, folks.
Let me begin today’s post by adding a bit more to yesterday’s entry. I forgot one obvious inclusion that will be updated with the Fairy type: our lord and savior Arceus. The introduction of the new type will likely also be the introduction of the 17th plate item. I can only assume Arceus will take on a more baby pink color scheme.
With that out of the way, let’s move onto today’s topic: the brand new Pokémon revealed in Nintendo’s conferences at E3 this year. I’m just going to go one-by-one and share my opinion on each Pokémon. Without wasting any more time (besides this sentence), here they are:
Vivillon-Let’s get things rolling with the newest addition to the “early game Bug type” club. I, for one, enjoy that this new butterfly/moth Pokémon looks drastically different than the others. Its stark magenta and black color scheme really separates it from the other early Bug types. The hard edges on the top of the wings is also another subtle characteristic that differentiates Vivillon from the rest of the pack. I think the name also has a nice ring to it, being a combination of vivid and papillon, the French word for butterfly. If it keeps basic moveset trends from the other butterfly/moth Pokémon, then it will also learn Quiver Dance, which is always fun.
Noivern-Our first real badass/grimdark/whatever Pokémon to be revealed, Noivern is a Flying/Dragon type. It’s obviously based on a bat, utilizing sound based attacks, but also shares many visual cues with traditional European wyverns (notably the spined tail and “spiney” back hair). I think the most interesting thing about Noivern is that Flying is listed first in its typing. Every single other Flying type has it as a secondary type (barring Tornadus and Arceus-Flying). What could this mean? Given Noivern’s size and general look, it seems to be an evolved Pokémon. Could its pre-evolution be a pure Flying type? I guess we will have to wait and find out.
Talonflame-The evolved form of Fletchling, Pokémon X & Y’s new regional early-game bird Pokémon. Talonflame has one major distinction, however: it’s a Fire/Flying type. I like that this breaks the mold of one of the standard categories of Pokémon that appear in every generation. Overall, it seems like it’s going to be a pretty cool Pokémon, although it’s catching a lot of flak for its name. I just want to remind people that this is the game where we have Seel, Spheal, Mr. Mime, Deerling, Sandshrew, etc. I think it’s a bit of a lackluster name, but not because of the kenning. I don’t think it really rolls off the tongue smoothly enough for an official name. At least it’s not Cofagrigus. Name aside, Pokémon X & Y might be the first time I incorporate the regional bird into my initial playthrough team.
Clauncher-Speaking of names, Clauncher is already one of the best the localization team has ever come up with. Unsurprisingly, Clauncher was shown to know Crabhammer at E3. This is awesome, as Crabhammer is one of my favorite moves. It’s also nice to see a crustacean Pokémon that isn’t red-orange for once. Clauncher clearly looks like a basic Pokémon, so I am expecting an awesome evolution (at least on par with Crawdaunt). Hopefully it has a name as awesome as Clauncher too.
Skrelp-The last of the new Pokémon revealed at E3, Skrelp is a Poison/water type seahorse. Based off of the leafy/weedy sea dragons (like Kingdra), Skrelp has that ragged design that lends itself well to the Poison type. I also think its head looks sort of like an Octorok from the Legend of Zelda series. This is probably the one I’m least excited about, but I also assume it is going to evolve at some point. I may like the line as a whole more, but for now Skrelp just doesn’t do it for me. Not to mention Skrelp’s typing just reignites my Tentacool PTSD.
There you have it, an introduction to the brand new Pokémon revealed this week at E3. Check out the official Pokémon X & Y website for even more new information, and look for the release of this month’s CoroCoro Magazine for even more news (I hear you can probably find some leaks if you look.)
