A Journey Through History, MTGPQ edition

Mburn7

With the new events (and the theme of Dominaria in general) being focused on history, why don't we spend some time telling the epic stories of the past here in MTGPQ?  Let us old farts get together and regale the younglings with the epic stories of our past.  

Some story ideas (epic names optional):

The Rise of the Coalitions
The Fall of the Alliance
Tournament of Champions:  Garruk
Tournament of Champions:  Saheeli
The Domination of the Carriage
Harnessing the Playground and Seasoning the Past, a study on infinite loops.
Pre-Nerf Chandra and Jace, dominating the meta.

Or come up with your own!

FindingHeart8

yesyesyesyesyes all the yes

*fetches cane*

"Back in my day, ye young wipper snappers..."

Mburn7

My Story:  The Rise of the Coalitions, and The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

In the beginning, there was only solo play.
Then, an update:  Coalitions.  The promise of a better system, one where individuals would work together for a common goal.
But a catch!  The coalitions existed, but the events did not.  It was an extra feature with no use.
But people started organizing anyway, waiting for the day when their teams would have use.

A great seer foresaw the need for an organized group of coalitions, working together to keep the competition fun and fair.  He created the Alliance, a group that would contain all the top coalitions, working together under the same banner.

To get in, simply fill out an application on the forums and get an invite to a Slack chat where all could trade tips and tricks, and get placed in a group (most of which were named after old MTG cards).  We had a shared charter, and a goal:  to win top rewards and get a Fat Pack (600 crystal packs with over twice the cards found in a premium pack now and a guaranteed rare or mythic) and a guaranteed Mythic.

Then the first event, a new type never seen before:  Avacyn's Madness, the first PvE.

Of course it didn't work the first time, the app crashed harder and faster than an inappropriate reference I'd probably get in trouble for saying here.

But the second time, it did work.  And to battle we went. 

It was an epic fight, with new strategies being thought up on the fly to combat enemies with more health and odder abilities than we had ever seen before.  Many were slain by the Nighmare of the Fourth Node, many points were lost to the feared Wolf of Devil's Breach, and the Archangel tormented us all in her madness.  Endless forum posts were written about how confusing it was for a red enemy to play blue mythics.  For days the battle raged, but finally a top 2 were decided, with my Deadapult teammates holding strong in second place with 1% health left.  But alas, we were too confident in our abilities.  A rival (Necropotence, if I remember correctly) swooped in and stole second place with the boss at 0%!!  In the final seconds they made a push and stole their way into MTGPQ history and epic bragging rights. 

Deadapult would never get top 2 again.  But top 10 still had a guaranteed mythic, so all was good. 

The guaranteed mythic from that day?  Deploy the Gatewatch (in fairness, there were only 6 possible options:  Deploy, Pig, Iskana, Odric, Tree of Perdition, and Mind's Dilation.  I still don't have a Pig, but I did get 7 Odrics).

Also, fun fact:  The minimum for each member of the coalition was progression+10%, which was enough to get top 10 and usually top 5 back then.  

FindingHeart8

In the kinda-but-not-quite-beginning, there were coalitions...which winded up in being one of the only reasons for a while that most of us are still here.

And then there was quick battle, any many were happy, but it was broken.

And then there wasn't quick battle, any many others were happy; but, alas, the original QB fans were not, and their rage would echo down the thread hallways until the end of time.

Origins cards held much power, Zendikar had tentacles, Innistrad was the Mirridon of mtgpq (and I loved every minute of it)

Acacyn's Madness was the peak of the Old Gods life-cycle, but we didn't know it yet...

And then there was cycling, and the rage intensified, leading to a civil war on these threads.

And then the Old Gods abandoned us in the land of Amonkhet...leaving us with an uncertain future.

And there was much darkness and sadness.

But then Octagon descended from the clouds and shined a light in the darkness with Booster Crafting

But that darkness returned really really quickly in the jungles of Ixalan.

But we escaped the jungle, saw some pretty temples, and now we're returning to the place where it all began, the home planet of Magic the Gathering.

Hey!  You youngin's wake up!  You betta listen to your elders when they're talking

DumasAG

Back in the day, when Harbinger ruled the meta and we all lived in fear of "The Bounce"

ArielSira

(Does anyone have screenshots of old cards or walkers before they were nerfed (jace1, baral, carriage etc?)

DumasAG

ArielSira said:

(Does anyone have screenshots of old cards or walkers before they were nerfed (jace1, baral, carriage etc?)

No, only nightmares

Mburn7

ArielSira said:

(Does anyone have screenshots of old cards or walkers before they were nerfed (jace1, baral, carriage etc?)

No screencaps, but definitely memories.

Carriage:  Hexproof, Prevent Damage, loses prevent damage when being blocked.  Uncommon. (cost and size the same 5/2 for 10 or whatever it is)

Baral:  Whenever you draw a spell, it gains 3 mana.  Whenever you cast a spell draw a card (changed to start of turn only to prevent looping).

Chandra 1:  1st ability used to cost 3.  I think her ult was different for a while too, but that was before my time.

Harness the Storm/Season's Past:  Used to return the cards to your hand before giving mana, not after.  Season's Past could fetch itself.  It was infinite (usually literally)

Undergrowth Champion:  Used to be immune to spells too (also just gave -1/-1)

Nissa 1:  1st ability used to cost 6, could spam almost every turn (actually, almost all 1st abilities used to cost 6)

Jace 1:  This was before my time, but I believe his 2nd used to make the spell free, not reduced by 4.

Skiglass6

Mburn7 said:

My Story:  The Rise of the Coalitions, and The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

In the beginning, there was only solo play.
Then, an update:  Coalitions.  The promise of a better system, one where individuals would work together for a common goal.
But a catch!  The coalitions existed, but the events did not.  It was an extra feature with no use.
But people started organizing anyway, waiting for the day when their teams would have use.

A great seer foresaw the need for an organized group of coalitions, working together to keep the competition fun and fair.  He created the Alliance, a group that would contain all the top coalitions, working together under the same banner.

To get in, simply fill out an application on the forums and get an invite to a Slack chat where all could trade tips and tricks, and get placed in a group (most of which were named after old MTG cards).  We had a shared charter, and a goal:  to win top rewards and get a Fat Pack (600 crystal packs with over twice the cards found in a premium pack now and a guaranteed rare or mythic) and a guaranteed Mythic.

Then the first event, a new type never seen before:  Avacyn's Madness, the first PvE.

Of course it didn't work the first time, the app crashed harder and faster than an inappropriate reference I'd probably get in trouble for saying here.

But the second time, it did work.  And to battle we went. 

It was an epic fight, with new strategies being thought up on the fly to combat enemies with more health and odder abilities than we had ever seen before.  Many were slain by the Nighmare of the Fourth Node, many points were lost to the feared Wolf of Devil's Breach, and the Archangel tormented us all in her madness.  Endless forum posts were written about how confusing it was for a red enemy to play blue mythics.  For days the battle raged, but finally a top 2 were decided, with my Deadapult teammates holding strong in second place with 1% health left.  But alas, we were too confident in our abilities.  A rival (Necropotence, if I remember correctly) swooped in and stole second place with the boss at 0%!!  In the final seconds they made a push and stole their way into MTGPQ history and epic bragging rights. 

Deadapult would never get top 2 again.  But top 10 still had a guaranteed mythic, so all was good. 

The guaranteed mythic from that day?  Deploy the Gatewatch (in fairness, there were only 6 possible options:  Deploy, Pig, Iskana, Odric, Tree of Perdition, and Mind's Dilation.  I still don't have a Pig, but I did get 7 Odrics).

Also, fun fact:  The minimum for each member of the coalition was progression+10%, which was enough to get top 10 and usually top 5 back then.  

Ah yes, the time in history where top ten coalition members received Mythic rewards. This created two factions. The toxic elite and the not toxic elite. Well there should be a neutral option so the third faction will be the others. I received Tree of Perdition as one of those top ten coalition rewards while playing as a toxic elite. 
 
Ah Tree of Perdition. I wanted so bad for that card to work but I never got Mirrorpool. I took quite some time, several new expansions, a new PW and finally respectable Tree deck emerges. 

Edited post to be more on topic. -SG

Mburn7

Skiglass6 said:

Mburn7 said:

My Story:  The Rise of the Coalitions, and The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

In the beginning, there was only solo play.
Then, an update:  Coalitions.  The promise of a better system, one where individuals would work together for a common goal.
But a catch!  The coalitions existed, but the events did not.  It was an extra feature with no use.
But people started organizing anyway, waiting for the day when their teams would have use.

A great seer foresaw the need for an organized group of coalitions, working together to keep the competition fun and fair.  He created the Alliance, a group that would contain all the top coalitions, working together under the same banner.

To get in, simply fill out an application on the forums and get an invite to a Slack chat where all could trade tips and tricks, and get placed in a group (most of which were named after old MTG cards).  We had a shared charter, and a goal:  to win top rewards and get a Fat Pack (600 crystal packs with over twice the cards found in a premium pack now and a guaranteed rare or mythic) and a guaranteed Mythic.

Then the first event, a new type never seen before:  Avacyn's Madness, the first PvE.

Of course it didn't work the first time, the app crashed harder and faster than an inappropriate reference I'd probably get in trouble for saying here.

But the second time, it did work.  And to battle we went. 

It was an epic fight, with new strategies being thought up on the fly to combat enemies with more health and odder abilities than we had ever seen before.  Many were slain by the Nighmare of the Fourth Node, many points were lost to the feared Wolf of Devil's Breach, and the Archangel tormented us all in her madness.  Endless forum posts were written about how confusing it was for a red enemy to play blue mythics.  For days the battle raged, but finally a top 2 were decided, with my Deadapult teammates holding strong in second place with 1% health left.  But alas, we were too confident in our abilities.  A rival (Necropotence, if I remember correctly) swooped in and stole second place with the boss at 0%!!  In the final seconds they made a push and stole their way into MTGPQ history and epic bragging rights. 

Deadapult would never get top 2 again.  But top 10 still had a guaranteed mythic, so all was good. 

The guaranteed mythic from that day?  Deploy the Gatewatch (in fairness, there were only 6 possible options:  Deploy, Pig, Iskana, Odric, Tree of Perdition, and Mind's Dilation.  I still don't have a Pig, but I did get 7 Odrics).

Also, fun fact:  The minimum for each member of the coalition was progression+10%, which was enough to get top 10 and usually top 5 back then.  

Ah Tree of Perdition. I wanted so bad for that card to work but I never got Mirrorpool. I took quite some time, several new expansions, a new PW and finally respectable Tree deck emerges. 

I made a fun deck with it with L1 and Grave Mist.  Its a fun build around card (that is really good against non-flying creatures), but definitely a niche mythic.  

Skiglass6

Well I packed it with Brontodon, evo leap, journey to eternity, gather the pack as the deck starter.

bk1234

[MOD NOTE] Please keep discussions on topic — thank you!  [[//MOD NOTE]

Mburn7

Well, since NOBODY IS PARTICIPATING I guess I'll just do another one.

Today's Story:  The Domination of the Carriage

The shadows were falling on Innistrad as madness took over the plane.  Sadly, even MTGPQ was susceptible to the infection, and the madness came here too.

With this set came werewolves and spirits, zombies and vampires, angels and humans, and delirium and madness, and a brand new event with a brand new mechanic:  Enraged.  Battles were being finished faster than ever before, kill spells and berserk creatures were overwhelming the meta, and the (in)famous Nahiri Zoo was being unleashed on the Quick Battle brackets.

And then there was the carriage.  

But, some of you are saying, that's just an uncommon!  And only a 5/1 hexproof trample!  For 10 mana!  How could it possibly be so terrifying?

But what you don't know, what was lost to the sands of time and the shadows of Innistrad, is there was another ability.  When Runaway Carriage first came out, it had an extra line of text (similar to its ability in paper), "Ignore all damage dealt to Runaway Carriage until it is blocked."  

With that 1 line Runaway Carriage became the most feared creature in MTGPQ history.  Deals 10 damage per turn in an enraged match, and can't be killed by spells or berserkers (there was no untargeted removal back then).  Give in Defender or Reach, and you had an unkillable blocker.  It was the perfect creature, and colorless!  So it went in every deck.  Every.  Single.  Deck.

Immediately, everyone started trying to find ways to stop it.  Mass disable followed by a kill spell was possible, but difficult to set up in time.  Defenders were possible, but to susceptible to the removal that all carriages packed for that exact reason.  Cards like Supression Bonds and Hixus were too rare for most, and too easy to destroy for those that had them.  Chaos reigned.  Most matches came down to who could cast the first carriage, and the second, and the third.  Red and its reliance on damage and berserkers was completely lost.  Gideon 1's first ability became the best in the game (again), and lord help you if you ran into a Nahiri with the carriage.

People tried other strategies.  Forcing you to discard your hand every turn before you could play a carriage.  Trying to blitz a win fast enough that the carriage couldn't bring you down first.  Making troll decks to crash the game first, forcing others to lose as well (Yes, that was a thing.  There were cards that would immediately freeze a game back then, and people made decks with all of them).  Any card with a unique ability was immediately eliminated (Westvale Abbey was nerfed before it even came out because of this)

But finally, the madness ended.  The extra line was removed, and the Carriage was immediately banished to the junk pile, never to be seen again.  And no stupidly broken card was ever released again (for like 2 weeks until the next set came out with Olivia and Ulrich and Piggy and Deploy and Emrakul and, well, you know the rest)

FindingHeart8

Mburn7 said:

But finally, the madness ended.  The extra line was removed, and the Carriage was immediately banished to the junk pile, never to be seen again.  And no stupidly broken card was ever released again (for like 2 weeks until the next set came out with Olivia and Ulrich and Piggy and Deploy and Emrakul and, well, you know the rest)

Very true story on Runaway Carriage, those were indeed very dark times

However, I think Piggy, Deploy + Olivia were from the same set as Runaway Carriage.  Easy mistake to make as we were all cute 'lil newbies back then and nobody except a very lucky few had them (because ya know...Booster Crafting hadn't been born yet)

Mburn7

FindingHeart8 said:

Mburn7 said:

But finally, the madness ended.  The extra line was removed, and the Carriage was immediately banished to the junk pile, never to be seen again.  And no stupidly broken card was ever released again (for like 2 weeks until the next set came out with Olivia and Ulrich and Piggy and Deploy and Emrakul and, well, you know the rest)

Very true story on Runaway Carriage, those were indeed very dark times

However, I think Piggy, Deploy + Olivia were from the same set as Runaway Carriage.  Easy mistake to make as we were all cute 'lil newbies back then and nobody except a very lucky few had them (because ya know...Booster Crafting hadn't been born yet)

You're partially right.  Olivia and Carriage were from Shadows over Innistrad (Return to Innistrad pt 1).

The rest were from the Eldritch Moon (Return to Innistrad pt 2)

FindingHeart8

Mburn7 said:

FindingHeart8 said:

Mburn7 said:

But finally, the madness ended.  The extra line was removed, and the Carriage was immediately banished to the junk pile, never to be seen again.  And no stupidly broken card was ever released again (for like 2 weeks until the next set came out with Olivia and Ulrich and Piggy and Deploy and Emrakul and, well, you know the rest)

Very true story on Runaway Carriage, those were indeed very dark times

However, I think Piggy, Deploy + Olivia were from the same set as Runaway Carriage.  Easy mistake to make as we were all cute 'lil newbies back then and nobody except a very lucky few had them (because ya know...Booster Crafting hadn't been born yet)

You're partially right.  Olivia and Carriage were from Shadows over Innistrad (Return to Innistrad pt 1).

The rest were from the Eldritch Moon (Return to Innistrad pt 2)

Ah yes, I lumped the sets together in my head.  Just getting into the coffee this morning now

Sarahschmara

Ooh. I remember The Sundering of the Alliance.

Dark times, indeed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Mburn7

Cycling was the opposite, actually.  Made for nothing but easy wins (both playing with it or playing against).

Better:

Chapter VI HUF is broken and kicks everybody's ****

GrizzoMtGPQ

You forget the original version of Seasons Past

bk1234

Don’t forget the original Days Undoing and UH.