Michael Peter Conine
Bio
Retired Navy vet, served eight years in the Army, then 17 more in the Navy. Married, two kids. I play cards, write and fix stuff. Maybe I will write more in here later...
Stories (17/0)
Magic's Concours D' Elegance
Hey Folks, I haven't written in a while but I had a little bone to pick with the Magic: the Gathering (M:tG) community. The Reserved List. There are many strong opinions concerning this list and the inability for Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) to reprint the cards on it. Should it be abolished? Why keep it, it alienates a huge portion of the community! Kill Boomers! I am here to clarify why the issue is settled once and for all. The Reserved List should, and probably will never, go away.
By Michael Peter Conine4 months ago in Gamers
Making Copies with Krothuss
Okay, I know it's been a while since I wrote anything. I've been busy okay?!? Anyways, I have been a little disappointed with Standard since they banned The Meathook Massacre. Black's only real mass removal spell is missed without a doubt in the casual Standard realm. Ever since I found out about the synergy with Mirror Box, I was having some fun building around legendaries.
By Michael Peter Conineabout a year ago in Gamers
The Blackguard
His cell was quite damp. Water dripped quietly down the slimy cobbles of the walls and pooled onto the worn stones of the floor. The iron bars were etched with complex golden glyphs to prevent his patron from speaking to him and to keep his powers from getting him out. The dread and guilt haunted him as well as the awful nightmares, day and night. When Vol’mar’Ek entered his life several decades ago with a promise to remove these fears and his remorse over the loss of his wife.
By Michael Peter Conine2 years ago in Gamers
Getting the Party Back Together – Pt 2
Her last job was low-hanging fruit so Hyrga vowed that the next one would be from a much higher branch. In this she was half right. This earl certainly had a horde of guards and it appeared that he was determined to prevent the light fingers of experienced thieves from touching his coffers. She noted the presence of a hedge wizard, who must be providing some magical defense, probably traps and detection spells, that would stymie the majority of little cutpurses and burglars in the city.
By Michael Peter Conine2 years ago in Gamers
The Ranger
The forest was quiet. Nothing seemed to break the silence. Not insects nor animals, not even the wind stirred. Ancient elm and oak trees abounded with a few evergreens scattered about. The ground was far from clear, with piles of fallen branches everywhere and dozens of tiny branches obscuring the view. An observer would possibly notice the minutely incremental movement of a caterpillar on an elm branch, but the faint scuffling to the west gave away the position of the intruder. The deer bounded into view past the old man who appeared to be sleeping. Chasing the deer was a pack of very large wolves. The creatures had riders, goblins with bows. As they leapt over his position, the sleeping giant awoke.
By Michael Peter Conine2 years ago in Gamers
Spite Beats Tier One Decks in Arena
So, I am a fairly casual player. I like building decks on Arena and trying out new ideas without regard for actual win statistics (usually). On occasion, I find an idea that (sort of) works. Lately, I have been testing out some new concepts in creatureless design due to a preponderance of very efficient creatures in Standard. The main problem with creatureless decks is how to beat your opponent. You must have a win condition of some kind, right?
By Michael Peter Conine3 years ago in Gamers
Ten Lands That You Might Have Overlooked in Commander
Well guys (and gals), it has finally arrived. This will be the last article in this series Lands! In case you missed out on all the other articles, here are the links: Gold, Green, Red, Black, Blue, White, Artifact.
By Michael Peter Conine3 years ago in Gamers
Ten Great Gold Cards Often Overlooked in Commander
So, this is the penultimate article in this series. I went over every color so far as well as artifacts (Artifacts, White, Blue, Black, Red, Green). This week I am going for the gold! With the Olympics just ending too, I could probably have timed it a little better, but - oh well. This was a tough one to find a lot of cards for this list, as most folks already know about anything of value in the multicolored department! This is evidenced by the real gems being relatively high-priced, like Reparations and Wellspring. Not to mention Phyrexian Purge (which is most awesome in my demon deck - "Oh, my Living End put your dudes back on the table? NOT ON MY WATCH!").
By Michael Peter Conine3 years ago in Gamers
Ten Green Cards That Would Rock in Commander
Hello again! These past few weeks I went over a bunch of cards that I like to use in commander in a number of colors: Red, Black, Blue, White, and Artifact (Click the color word for links to previous articles) By this point you should be well-acquainted with my focus and intent, but in case you aren’t…(skip to the meaty bits if you must)
By Michael Peter Conine3 years ago in Gamers
Ten Unusual Red Cards for Commander
Oh hey, I didn’t see you there. If you’ve been following along with my past commander articles (Black, Blue, White, and Artifact), you should be aware of how this goes. In this series I go over some strange cards that may or may not interest the Spikes, but the Timmys/Tammys and Johnnys/Jennys might have their attention piqued.
By Michael Peter Conine3 years ago in Gamers
Ten Unusual Black Cards for Commander
Why hello again! If you have been following along, this series focuses on interesting cards for commander. Most of them are from the ancient, hoary days of Magic when cards more-or-less sucked just after the apocalyptic abominations presented in Alpha through Legends. Over time, some of these nearly useless cards acquired a use (yes, even Sorrow’s Path, the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel Magic card ever printed). This week I am taking a look at black cards – my favorite color! I love the cost-versus-reward nature of black as I am by nature a fairly bitter person. I also love board wipes and black has a bunch of them - some even exile!
By Michael Peter Conine3 years ago in Gamers
