A Quantum Immortal

It’s been a while since I posted a draft walkthrough.

I blogged before about the StackExchange platform for questions and answers.

A few months have passed, and a whopping 218 different “stacks” emerged (there might be some more off the radar). While most of them are still ghost towns, a few are starting to be rather useful (some more and some less):

• MathOverflow – Higher math. I haven’t personally used this one myself, but it seems to really take off.
• Force Close – Android
• Basically Money – Money & investments
• Smarter Gamer – Gaming. Not super active right now, but still.
• Draw3Cards – my own site about Magic: The Gathering. Picking up quite nicely over the last few months.
• Epic Advice – World of Warcraft, one of the largest stacks.
• Outflopped – Poker
• ZergOverflow – Starcarft
• Moms4Mom – Parenting
• AskSci/Science Stack – Science (These two should merge IMO)

Regarding my own experience, I am nowhere close to breaking even. Until now, StackExchange has been a free (beta) platform. When it come out of beta, they will start charging $120/month. But, I’m optimistic, and I don’t mind funding Draw3Cards from my own money for the next year – it is picking up in terms of traffic. Meanwhile, I have also done a little bit of development of a similar open source, though I hadn’t perused it beyond a “programming exercise” yet.

P.S.

Needless to say, the original Trilogy – StackOverflow, SuperUser and ServerFault – continue to be an invaluble assent in programming, using a computer and IT. Rock on!

P.S.S.

I just found Shapado, a free, open source hosted version of Stack Exchange. They are taking a lot of heat from some of StackExchange’s users, but I think their existence can only be good news to StackExchange’s users. I probably won’t be switching Draw3Cards to Shapado any time soon because the platform is still not ready (less features, not as smooth), but time will tell.

For the last couple of days I’ve been obsessing over a new toy. Jeol & Jeff, the powers behind StackOverflow, have launched a public beta of StackExchange – a platform for hosting Q&A sites. Browsing the list of stack exchange sites, I saw several more and less successful sites, including:

• The (already-profiting) site on World of Warcraft (and site has barely been online for 2 weeks!)
• AskSci, in which I’ve been made moderator, but has been rather desolate since
• And MathOverflow, which seem to be already useful

I decided to try and open my own site, about Magic: The Gathering. The setup itself was rather easy. I:

• Bought a domain and set it up, with some help
• Seeded the site with some questions and answers
• Tweaked the color scheme, logo and favicon (thanks Eran)
• Got some friends to help out (though so far they’ve only posted answers, not questions)
• Setup Google Analytics, and noticed incoming search traffic only stayed for 42 seconds on the site
• Opened a small AdWords campaign, paying 1.5$ a day to test the water.
• Post the site on this blog, of course.

Now what remains to be seen is whether the site can accumulate the needed critical mass. For now, the site is in beta, meaning I don’t have to pay anything to keep it running (except time and effort). When the beta is over, the cost will be $129 a month, which is quite challenging to make using adsense.

Keep your fingers crossed for me

P.S.

Just got a $100 coupon for AdWords by visiting Google Webmasters Tools – how cool is that? In a second look, it appears the coupon was lying in my Webmasters Tools inbox for two months now, just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

I also forgot to mention opening a uservoice forum (+ adding the widget to my site).

I admit, I enjoy success. This is why I tend to write walkthroughs that are about drafts in which I succeed, and keep those unlucky drafts tucked away in my ‘replays’ directory. Today’s draft is of the second type.

Before you continue on to the draft itself, I’d like to ask you to take a look at an experiment I’m launching – it’s a Q&A site about Magic called Draw3Cards. It’s built around the technology behind the successfully Q&A site for programmers, StackOverflow. I believe this site would benefit the Magic community, but I need help starting it up (as you might see, I asked most of the questions so far).

So, if you can spare 10 minutes, please go in and ask or answer a few questions. You won’t be able to vote right away, because of the built-in reputation system (to keep the bad bots away). Don’t worry though, the reputation required to vote is a measly 15, and I’m sure you’ll get there in no time.

Well, on with the draft then!

Pack 1

Pick 1

Spoiler:

Wow, what a pack! I would be happy with the rare or any of the uncommons here. I pick Inferno Trap because it's not commiting and Rite is only a bomb if you get to 9 mana. Let's see what I'll be passed next pick...
My pick:

Pick 2

Spoiler:

Since I passed good green, I avoid the Basilisk. I wonder if I spend too much thought on signaling and less on card quality. I pick Burst Lightning which is a fine card, but I'm not sure it's 2nd-pick grade.
My pick:

Pick 3

Spoiler:

A huge mistake here, I take Lavaball Trap, which is problematic and situational. I think Paralyzing Grasp would have been a better choice here.
My pick:

Pick 4

Spoiler:

I'm rather happy with Torch Slinger in this pack. Hmm, shall I go mono-red?
My pick:

Pick 5

Spoiler:

I believe this is a mispick too. The giant is less fragile, and I'm not drafting an aggro deck but rather a control deck.
My pick:

Pick 6

Spoiler:

I can't resist Valakut, as it fits my mono-red control deck. Yes, more often than not it will just be a mountain that comes into play tapped. Still, if it's playable, then it's in a deck like I'm drafting right now.
My pick:

Pick 7

Spoiler:

Nothing I like here, Quest might be playable, but most likely not.
My pick:

Pick 8

Spoiler:

Another mistake, I think both Molten Ravager and the Baloth are better. The reason I did pick the fetchland is to allow me to maintain an almost pure monodeck, with one planes, for a quality white splash.
My pick:

Pick 9

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 10

Spoiler:

No, that's not the "quality splash" I'm waiting for.
My pick:

Pick 11

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 12

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 13

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 14

Pack 2

Pick 1

Spoiler:

Much less quality in this pack, though the Geopede's first strike might work nicely with instant burn.
My pick:

Pick 2

Spoiler:

I'm desparately in need of good creatures, and Geyser Glider is as good as they get in red.
My pick:

Pick 3

Spoiler:

Burn, burn, and more burn.
My pick:

Pick 4

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 5

Spoiler:

The two players in front of me are not playing red, as I didn't pass them any.
My pick:

Pick 6

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 7

Spoiler:

The bushwhacker is a total misfit in my deck, but I'm desparate for creatures at this stage. The equipment would sit on the ground useless in my deck.
My pick:

Pick 8

Spoiler:

Nothing even remotely possible in my colors.
My pick:

Pick 9

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 10

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 11

Spoiler:

Enter any comments here
My pick:

Pick 12

Spoiler:

I knew I'd get a ravager eventually (but two would have worked out better than one).
My pick:

Pick 13

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 14

Pack 3

Pick 1

Spoiler:

It's great even in a two color deck, but it shines in mono-red.
My pick:

Pick 2

Spoiler:

Meat is good.
My pick:

Pick 3

Spoiler:

Have to have some way to attack, after my burn clears the board.
My pick:

Pick 4

Spoiler:

Another Arid Mesa! No, another Spire Barrage.
My pick:

Pick 5

Spoiler:

Ah-ha! This is the splash I was waiting for. There are some creatures red just can't take care of, and the trap is perfect for those.
My pick:

Pick 6

Spoiler:

Another of these burn-card-advantage package.
My pick:

Pick 7

Spoiler:

I'm thinking about using Zektar defensively here. Nothing wrong with keeping it, and spewing out a 7/1 elemental to block at instant speed.
My pick:

Pick 8

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 9

Spoiler:

I don't want my opponents to have it, and it could be useful in the mirror - pretty good odds that my opponent (across from me) is playing red.
My pick:

Pick 10

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 11

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 12

Spoiler:

Enter any comments here
My pick:

Pick 13

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 14

* This walkthrough was created by Create Your Own Magic Draft Walkthrough

The decklist:

Spells:

• 2 X Inferno Trap
• Burst Lightning
• Lavaball Trap
• 2 X Seismic Shudder
• Punishing Fire
• Magma Rift
• 2 X Spire Barrage
• Pitfall Trap

Creatures:

• 2 X Torch Slinger
• 2 X Ruinous Minotaur
• Plated Geopede
• Geyser Glider
• Goblin Ruinblaster
• 2 X Tuktuk Grunts
• Hellfire Mongrel
• Skatterskull Giant
• Molten Ravager

Lands:

• Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
• Arid Mesa
• 14 X Mountain
• Planes

A total of 12 playable removals (counting pitfall trap and the goblins, but not Lavaball Trap because … well … I never got to 8 mana and played the damn thing). This is not including all mountains past the 5th that come into play when Valakut is around. I was quite happy with the deck … until it saw the light of battle, that is.

I went 0-3 against my opponent. A couple of games were really bad mana, but my opponent’s Sea Gate Loremaster, Sorin Markov, Blood Tributes, Baloths and Halo Hunter sealed the deal. He also had a Scuta mob which came into play with plenty of lands to pump him next turn, only to be shot down by a random burn spell on my turn.

What would you have done differently? A different first pick here could lead to an entirely different deck. What is your first pick here?

A new year, a new Magic block. Get the latest draft walkthrough here.

Ok people Zendikar is upon us, let the drafts begin! I rather like this set, but I tend to like most new blocks after a year of playing with the same cards. I wonder if I’ll get to draft an aggro deck, this block certainly have interesting aggro possibilities with red and black. I usually get pulled to draft control decks, just like in this case.

Before you continue on to the draft itself, I’d like to ask you to take a look at an experiment I’m launching – it’s a Q&A site about Magic called Draw3Cards. It’s built around the technology behind the successfully Q&A site for programmers, StackOverflow. I believe this site would benefit the Magic community, but I need help starting it up. On with the draft!

Pack 1

Pick 1

Spoiler:

Rite of Replication is not that relevant without kicker. Mind sludge is only useful if you commit to black, and not in every deck. The only card that stands out is Geyser Glider - 4/4 for 5 is a nice deal, and it should punch through some defenses when it flies, which should be often enough.
My pick:

Pick 2

Spoiler:

Spire Barrage is an easy pick here, not too bad removal (even if it's sorcery).
My pick:

Pick 3

Spoiler:

The mythic rare doesn't look all that useful to me, requiring a sacrifice every turn. Quests for gemblades did very nice things for me at the prerelase, but I prefer to take the efficient removal. Burst lightning is at worst a shock, and at best can take out many of Zendikar's inhabitants. While Magma rift is playable, I don't like saccing lands.
My pick:

Pick 4

Spoiler:

The red removal keeps flowing :)
My pick:

Pick 5

Spoiler:

Red finally ran out. Grunts could be playable if you have several other allies, but I prefer to start branching out into other colors, and Into the Roil is not a bad bounce spell.
My pick:

Pick 6

Spoiler:

I suspect I'll be able to find other copies of Demolish going late, so I keep at my attempts at finding a second color. Skyfisher is a good package, and can bounce your own lands so you can enjoy the landfall recursion.
My pick:

Pick 7

Spoiler:

Not great but acceptable, Shudder is a removal you can cast on turn 2. Ther other noteworthy candidates are Mold Shambler and the wurm. In retrospective I suspect either would have been a better choice, but I didn't want to scatter my efforts at picking my second color.
My pick:

Pick 8

Spoiler:

Soaring Seacliff is useful as a splash because it actually doesn't require any mana for its bang. You can fly a large critter over the opponent's head with the easiest splash ever.
My pick:

Pick 9

Spoiler:

Red's giant growth
My pick:

Pick 10

Spoiler:

Yeap, here's my sideboard tech.
My pick:

Pick 11

Spoiler:

I suspect we won't be seeing Quest for the Gemblades going this late when people figure out its power. Seriously guys, in the prerelease I played two of these in a GU deck, and got 6/6 fliers often. I still decide to hold out this time and wait for a better signal for my alt color, though I should have taken this as a signal that green is availble.
My pick:

Pick 12

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 13

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 14

Pack 2

Pick 1

Spoiler:

Nothing red, so I finally take a second color. Harrow smells good in every way, and I don't see anything else I like as a first pick.
My pick:

Pick 2

Spoiler:

Eternity Vessel ftw - this card can be simply amazing for you and frustrating for you opponent. With the proper acceleration you'll gain 6-10 life for every land you play.
My pick:

Pick 3

Spoiler:

Out of luck - after seeing Harrow I really wanted to go green as my second color, yet nothing green nor red in this pack. If I were blue then Aether Figment is really god, even if I'm only splashing for it. Oh well.
My pick:

Pick 4

Spoiler:

I really like this card, for the simple fact it's an instant. I'm used to so many sorcery burn spells in the last sets (if I recall correctly, that is).
My pick:

Pick 5

Spoiler:

I believe this is a mispick - Gorger would have been more appropriate. I wonder how late Murasa Pyromancer has to go before I pick it.
My pick:

Pick 6

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 7

Spoiler:

Having enough burn, I take the green accelerator. It combos with Eternity Vessel and with Spire Barrage as well.
My pick:

Pick 8

Spoiler:

Not elite, but definitely playable.
My pick:

Pick 9

Spoiler:

Molten Ravager could actually turn out rather nice in this deck. It's similar to Wall of Fire only less color intensive and without defender.
My pick:

Pick 10

Spoiler:

Absolutely nothing here so I "hate draft" the Owl, as much as anyone can hate draft it :)
My pick:

Pick 11

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 12

Spoiler:

Beast Hunt is 100% unplayable in this deck
My pick:

Pick 13

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 14

Pack 3

Pick 1

Spoiler:

Several cards are worthy here: Shatterskull Giant is a decent bang-for-buck, Shudder is always at least playable, the quest for the 7/1 elemental is worth considering at least. I prefer Vines here because +4/+4 for GG with shround for G sounds too good to pass. In the games the follow it does manage to save one of my dude without the kicker.
My pick:

Pick 2

Spoiler:

Turntimber should trade for a removal spell most of the time, otherwise it would just gain obscene amounts of life.
My pick:

Pick 3

Spoiler:

Torch slinger is not the most efficient of removals, but it gets the job done.
My pick:

Pick 4

Spoiler:

Woot, fourth pick Terra Stomper! Yes please.
My pick:

Pick 5

Spoiler:

Not sure if I'll play both, but what the hell.
My pick:

Pick 6

Spoiler:

Another dud pack.
My pick:

Pick 7

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 8

Spoiler:

This would do nicely. Hmm, do I have too much mana fixing? Perhaps, but this is card advantage as well, and the thinning this can do to my deck comes at a low price.
My pick:

Pick 9

Spoiler:

Meat. I'll take it.
My pick:

Pick 10

Spoiler:

I prefer not to face this if I can help it.
My pick:

Pick 11

Spoiler:

A late shambler, it takes on the many artifacts, enchantments, lands and might kill an occaisonal planeswalker. And it's a 3/3 for 4 mana!
My pick:

Pick 12

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 13

Spoiler:

My pick:

Pick 14

* This walkthrough was created by Create Your Own Magic Draft Walkthrough

The decklist:

Creatures:

• Frontier Guide
• Cobra Trap
• Grazing Gladehart
• Terra Stomper
• Mold Shambler
• Geyser Glider
• Shutterskull Giant
• Torch Slinger
• Molten Ravager

Spells:

• Harrow
• 2 X Khalni Heart Expeditition
• Vines of Vastwood
• Spire Barrage
• Burst Lightning
• 2 X Inferno Trap
• Seismic Shudder
• Eternity Vessel
• Explorer’s Scope

Lands:

• Kazandu Refuge
• 8 Forests
• 9 Mountains

I went 1-1 against my opponent before Magic Workstation crashed on me. Didn’t draw any of my bombs, but the games were fun. Looking forward for the next draft.

I have been programming in C# for several years now, and recently made the switch to Java (at least for now). I noticed that Java, as a language, is “less magical” than C#.

What do I mean by that is that in C# things are usually done for you, behind the scenes, magically, while Java is much more explicit in the toolset it provides. For example, take thread-local storage. The concept is identical in both langauges – there is often a need for a copy of a member variable that’s unique to the current thread, so it can be used without any locks or fear of concurrency problems.

The implementation in C# is based on attributes. You basically take a static field, annotate it with [ThreadStatic], and that’s it:

[ThreadStatic]
private static ThreadUnsafeClass foo = null;
 
private ThreadUnsafeClass Foo
{
  get
  {
    if (foo != null)
      foo = new ThreadUnsafeClass(...);
 
    // no other thread will have access to this copy of foo
    // note - foo is still static, so it will be shared between instances of this class.
    return foo;
  }
}

How does it work? Magic. Sure, one can find the implementation if he digs deep enough, but the first time I encountered it I just had to try it to make sure it actually works, because it seemed too mysterious.

Let’s take a look at Java’s equivalent, ThreadLocal. This is how it works (amusingly enough, from a documentation bug report):

public class SerialNum {
     // The next serial number to be assigned
     private static int nextSerialNum = 0;
 
     private static ThreadLocal<Integer> serialNum = new ThreadLocal<Integer>() {
         protected synchronized Integer initialValue() {
             return new Integer(nextSerialNum++);
         }
     };
 
     public static int get() {
         return serialNum.get();
     }
 }

No magic is involved here – get() gets the value from a map, stored on the calling Thread object (source code here, but the real beauty is that’s it’s available from inside your IDE without any special effort to install it).

Let’s look at another example – closures.

In C#, you can write this useful piece of code:

var list = new List<int>();
...
// find an element larger than 10
list.Find(x => x > 10);

You can also make this mistake:

var printers = new List<Action>();
...
foreach (var item in list)
{
  printers.Add(() => Console.WriteLine(item));
}
Parallel.Foreach(printers, p => p())

An innocent reader might think this prints all the items in list, but actually this only prints the last items list.Count times. This is how closures work. This happens because the item referred to in the closure is not a new copy of item, it’s actually the same item that’s being modified by the loop. A workaround is to add a new temporary variable like this:

foreach (var item in list)
{
  int tempItem = item;
  printers.add(() => Console.WriteLine(tempItem));
}

And in Java? Instead of closures, one uses anonymous classes. In fact, this is how they are implemented under the hood in C#. Here the same example, in Java:

for (Integer item : list)
{
  final int tempItem = item;
  printers.add(new Action(){
    public void doAction()
    {
      // can't reference item here because it's not final.
      // this would have been a compilation error
      // system.out.println(item);
      System.out.println(tempItem);
    });
}
...

Notice it’s impossible to make the mistake and capture the loop variable instead of a copy of it, because Java requires it to be final. So … less powerful perhaps than C#, but more predictable. As a side note, Resharper catches the ill-advised capturing of local variables and warns about it.

I myself rather prefer the magic of C#, because it does save a lot of the trouble. Lambdas, properties, auto-typing variables… all these are so convenient it’s addictive. But I have to give Java a bit of credit, as the explicit way of doing stuff sometimes teaches you things that you just wouldn’t have learn cruising away in C# land.

Another Alara Reborn draft, this time a Naya deck with some 5-color & bombs.

Check out this lucky Esper walkthrough (Alara Reborn).

A new Magic set has been released, check out my new draft walkthrough.