Tag Archives: Magic the Gathering

On the Tabletop

Tabletop Game of the Year 2023

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Introduction

We finish our year here at 2 Generations Gaming with a renewed sense of purpose. I started a new podcast. We rebooted the original one. I updated our YouTube on a more regular basis. And the page got a fresh new look and content every month. Next year marks 10 years of the page and I want to bring even more. But, for today, we finish with the tabletop game of the year 2023.

For once, I actually played more tabletop than console or PC games. I wanted to say electronic games there, but I played plenty on my phone. Mostly just Hearthstone, Marvel SNAP, and MTG Arena, but daily. So, when I wrote the contender’s article the other day, I mentioned five or six games.

The Contenders

Before I reveal the big winner, let’s take a TLDR look at the contenders.

  1. 3 Honorable Mentions: Shadowrun, Pathfinder, and Dreams and Machines all received only a tutorial play through or read through. So, while I enjoyed all of them, I can’t really give them proper consideration this year. Maybe next year.
  2. Dungeons and Dragons: One of my favorite tabletop games from when I was a kid. I tried sharing it with my family a couple of years ago, but that failed miserably. Then, Quinn and I played through a duets adventure and he got hooked. I will try again on Sunday when Aiden’s girlfriend is over for New Year’s Eve.
  3. Magic the Gathering: MTG, it’s not just for phones anymore! Chris, Jason and I, as mentioned more than once here, put together a playgroup for Commander that met twice or three times. Chris is coming over tomorrow to record the podcast and I suggested getting the boys together to play some Commander, too.
  4. Warhammer 40k: Like the honorable mention, I only played this once for a tutorial lesson. But, it kick started my newfound obsession with miniatures. I even painted a few and entered a painting contest. I signed up for another one, but a time commitment prevented me from going.

Tabletop Game of the Year 2023

Magic the Gathering has been part of my life since the beginning of the game. I played during my brief first college career. I tried to show Christine how to play with the Portal decks. When Chris and I started hanging out and we both realized what nerds we were, we played every couple of months. Now, with another friend to play on a semi-regular basis and the possibility of getting my kids involved, Magic the Gathering is my obvious choice for tabletop game of the year.

The Verdict

Next year, I want to try again to play Dungeons and Dragons with the family. I just found a New Year’s Eve adventure for Sunday. I’m hoping that leads to more adventures next year. Perhaps it even becomes a monthly thing and next year I get to tell you all about it. One step at a time, young grasshopper…

On the Tabletop

Tabletop Gaming Contenders 2023

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Introduction

As mentioned in the previous article, 2023 brought many opportunities for tabletop gaming. Given that, there obviously should be more tabletop gaming contenders 2023 for our game of the year. While technically true, many of the tabletop games I tried only as a solo venture. These games are intended to be played with friends and family.

You get a group together. Put out some snacks. Start with the intention of being serious this time. Eventually, one of you breaks character and you all laugh hysterically. Things didn’t go as planned, but you don’t care. You’re having fun with the people you love.

Honorable Mention

Three games I played strictly on a trial basis, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, and Dreams and Machines. And, I never truly played Shadowrun. I only perused the reading material that I received through one of my Humble Bundles that I purchased several months ago. As you may know, Humble is both a boon and a bane to cheap gamers like myself. You can buy many games for cheap. Then, unfortunately, many of them sit on the shelf (both real and virtual) and get forgotten.

The other two games, I ordered physical copies. I think Pathfinder came as part of another Bundle. Dreams and Machines crossed my news feed and I purchased it. 40 or 50 bucks. Not bad, and made by the same people who made the Fallout tabletop RPG I bought a few years ago. Of the two, I liked Pathfinder better. The play style of Dreams and Machines is more unique and story driven. Pathfinder, though, is based on the D&D mechanics and, as a result, plays more familiar to me. The true test, though, comes if I can convince my family to play either.

Dungeons and Dragons

Quinn and I played Dungeons and Dragons last year after I researched ways to play the game as a duo. I put together a dinosaur adventure for us and we played through. As I wrote the adventure, I got a quick idea for a follow up and wrote that one, too. We haven’t sat down again to play, but I think I might try to get him to sit down this weekend and then I can give you a report next month. I also reviewed each of the new books that released this year until the latest release, Deck of Many Things, delayed until next month. I’ll pick up the reviews again then.

Magic the Gathering

Other than just playing Arena, as I’ve written about a few times, Chris, Jason, and I formed a playgroup for Commander. Both Chris and I enjoy the format. Jason tolerates it for the sake of being able to play Magic. We played twice this year. I hope that our schedules align and we get to play every other month or so in 2024. While I’m terrible at the game, I have fun and enjoy hanging out with the two of them That’s my Christmas wish, Santa.

Warhammer 40k

I only played the game once. Somehow I acquired a beginner box with a Space Marine and Necron army. I painted the Necrons and thought long and hard about which Space Marine faction to paint. I never actually settled on one, so they lie in my pile of shame. And, that, primarily is why I’m considering this one for game of the year. Even though I only played once, it inspired me to assemble and paint more than a dozen of my models. Plus, now that I work closer to home, I have more time than ever to paint the rest. I think my next project will be the Space Marines and then I can run another tutorial for the page.

The Verdict

Three tabletop gaming contenders 2023 enter. One leaves on Friday as our Tabletop Game of the Year. But, one more thing before I leave you in suspense for a few days. I completely forgot to mention that Quinn and I picked up Roll Player adventures again and played through a couple more of the books. If we played that more, it would definitely be on this list, too.

On the Tabletop

Tabletop Gaming is a Gift 2023

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Introduction

Surprisingly, we played more tabletop games this year than anything else. With the soldering mishap on the XBox, we saw a definite lack of opportunities to play console games. And, my mobile games are mostly just the same games I play on the tabletop. So, truly, tabletop gaming is a gift in 2023.

in addition to the literal gift that I bought my family for Christmas, Catan, I made alist of six different games that I played or tried through the year. So, the contenders article tomorrow is going to be busy. So, for today, let’s just kick our feet up and celebrate the relaxation that comes with Boxing Day.

What Are Those Six Games?

Well, I will go into more depth tomorrow with the games and their case for tabletop game of the year for 2023 here at 2 Generations Gaming. Today, I will just give a quick list and leave it at that. I have a ton of other things that I want to get done today. Wait, didn’t I just say that I wanted to relax? Well, thankfully, none of the tasks are terrily taxing, so I can get everything done and still relax.

I started the year with the Voidspark Chronicles, a daily RPG calendar from Sundial Games. That becamse a YouTube series that I intend to finish up this week and start on the next one on the first. Chris, Jason, and I got together to play Commander (including the brand new Lord of the Rings decks!) a couple of times and hope to do so again as soon as possible.

I wrote reviews of each of the new Dungeons and Dragons books as they released. Quinn and I played some D&D, but not as much as hoped. I tried out Pathfinder, Shadowrun, and Dreams and Machines to add to the new games that I played this year. Finally, I spent quite a bit of time painting minatures (even entering a contest) and played through one of the tutorial missions of Warhammer 40k

The Verdict

I told you. So much tabletop gaming this year. I think you all might be able to figure out which one is the actual game of the year just based on the articles this year. However, I will continue to keep you in suspense over this one. One more time I can say that tabletop gaming is a gift 2023. See you tomorrow with the contender’s article.

Episode 1.03 – Ixalan and Thankful

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Similar to the previous episode. I released this on the first of the month, technically missing our deadline. We respect tradition here at 2 Guys Gaming. This time, we recorded at my house. 3 cats, a dog, and 3 kids plus a pellet stove means there’s a lot more ambient noise. But, it’s all brought to you with love.’ The third episode: Ixalan and Thankful.

We start by talking about the cards that we like from Ixalan. Chris talks about cards he likes. A black card that doubles damage. white removal, a god that triples tokens, and a dragon and a dragon dinosaur. I bring the Millenium Calendar, a land that uses the graveyard, and a straight busted 2 mana 8/8. Obviously, those aren’t the only cards, but they’re the highlights.

Then, we discuss some about Old School 93/94, Jason’s preferred play style. Chris, having played before, teaches me about the meta and that it is as limiting as I thought. But, it still makes me want to try some decks on xMage.

We end the discussion with things we are thankful for. Amazon sales and friends made through Magic the Gathering top the list. Read my articles on the page for more. Thanks for listening to our Ixalan and Thankful episode and join us next month for more.

2 Guys Gaming
2 Guys Gaming
Episode 1.03 - Ixalan and Thankful
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On the Tabletop

Thankful for Tabletop Gaming 2023

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Introduction

Black Friday. I tell stories of working retail during Black Friday and people gasp. The truth of the matter is that I worked it almost 30 years ago before it became a thing. Back then, retail workers spoke of the term in hushed tones. But, there was no small business Saturday or Cyber Monday. There were no sales where people murdered one another for a blender. Just long lines and endless Garth Brooks on the PA. This year, I just call it the day after Thanksgiving. And a day off from work so I can write why I’m thankful for tabletop gaming 2023.

After talking about PC (mostly) and mobile earlier in the week, I fear that this, too, may be a bit of an anticlimax. I usually save the best for last with these articles. But, looking back on it now, the only real reason I can think of to be thankful for tabletop gaming this year is that Chris, Jason, and I were able to get together to play Magic the Gathering a couple of times.

Commander! Live and in Person!

Granted, that’s not that bad of a reason. But, I feel bad because I kept meaning to sit down with Quinn and play more Dungeons and Dragons. We compromised a couple of weeks ago with a session of Roll Player Adventures. Heck, even this weekend, I wanted to play some D&D with him to set up articles for next week. Maybe I can convince him and Chris to sit down for a quick session tomorrow before we record the next episode of 2 Guys Gaming.

But I, as I often do, digress.

Thankfully some things never change

The first time we played, we brought our own decks that we either built or, in my case, used an upgrade guide to make it better. I played my Naya landfall deck to some success. I think Chris knocked out Jason and then I stalled the game like I do for a few turns before misplaying and scooping. Hey, like I say, some things never change.

Then, Chris and Jason went halves on Lord of the Rings Commander decks. We played them fresh out of the boxes. I played an elves deck. Again, I found some early success in the game. I set up my board, made dudes, planned out a winning strategy. This time, instead of misplaying, Chris simply drew a board clear that killed all my dudes and left me exposed. And, so, back to the drawing board. Playing the deck gave me some ideas to improve it, but I haven’t actually implemented any of them yet. Once we nail down a time for the next meeting I’ll take care of it.

The Verdict

Again, perhaps underwhelming. But, I can’t say how much having a regular playgroup has improved my attitude and enjoyment of Magic the Gathering again. If only I could find one for D&D. Maybe that’s one of my resolutions for next year. Also, it inspired Chris and I to resurrect the podcast again. So, MtG is truly why I’m thankful for tabletop gaming 2023.

Digital Playground

Thankful for Mobile Gaming 2023

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Introduction

Tomorrow is the big day. One of my favorite, if not my favorite, holidays. Family, food, and football. And, with it, I started my thankful for gaming series. Yesterday, I talked about my adventures in console and PC. Today, I write about being thankful for mobile gaming 2023.

I played a couple of new games this year on mobile. Most of my time, though, I spent playing the old standards. Magic the Gathering, Hearthstone and, after an extended break, Marvel SNAP. Nevertheless, I still consider myself luck to live in a time that allows me to play all of those games on my phone.

A Couple of New Games

More than once, I typed into my Google machine, “best mobile game”. Every single time, I came away disappointed. I think most of the pages just listed the most popular or sponsored content. I mean, ads are the only way that we monetize our shitty web pages these days. Sorry, that was dark. Let me lighten the mood.

I spent more money in the original Candy Crush than I’m comfortable admitting. Recently, I take longer and longer breaks because the levels became nearly unpassable. The most recent level feels like a gate keeper level that requires me to spend more money. So, naturally, when I saw the Soda game pop up on one of the lists, I downloaded it. The game obviously plays identically to the original with a few “sodafied” alterations. I added it to my daily routine along with the first one.

I don’t remember when I saw this game, downloaded, or started playing it. I know that it still isn’t part of my daily rotation. I pick it up every now and then, play for a few levels to clear the daily quest, and then put it aside again for some time. I like the game, but always struggle with these tactics type games. They just don’t hook me for extended periods of time.

The Verdict

Other than that, I already mentioned the other games I played on a regular basis. For them all, I’m thankful for mobile gaming 2023. Do you have any others that you like and want to suggest? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter or Instagram.

Digital Playground, On the Tabletop

MTG vs. Hearthstone Part 2: Story/Art

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Introduction

It’s that time of year when things get pushed to the background, especially here on the page. But, I remain committed to updating as often as possible. And, so, MTG vs. Hearthstone Part 2 and Part 3 becomes Part 2 only. Who knows? I actually think this works better.

Again, similar to my previous article in this series, a direct comparison between the two feels ridiculous. Wizards of the Coast takes their art and story very seriously. They also worked tirelessly recently to clean up some loose ends and make the story more consistent and coherent. Blizzard went the route of making their stories sillier and their art less realistic. Being someone who likes that style less, I side with Magic the gathering on both.

Showdown in the Badlands Art

As if proof of concept, I found no art in the new Hearthstone set that impressed me other than the new Reno. And, honestly, I think that’s just because I like the card style of the hero cards. The art itself leaves much to be desired. It’s simply a portrait of the hero. Some of the new Druid dragons look cool, too. Other than that, though, the set art is very plain.

Showdown in the Badlands Story

From the Blizzard Hearthstone site:

“The Bloodrock Mining Company found powerful Azerite in the Badlands. They’re digging deep and bleeding the land dry, disrupting the Badlands and awakening slumbering elementals! Now mysterious outlaws are riding into town to set things right. Tumbleweeds roll by and high noon looms. Grab your horse and your hat, it’s nearly time for a Showdown in the Badlands!”

I mean, that’s not a terrible set up for a decent story. But, after that, the pay off lacks some punch. Some of the cards and the mechanics mention the Azurite and other parts of the storyline. However, Blizzard doesn’t weave their story into the game as much as Wizards. So, while I like the story, I wish they gave fans like me a little more to work with.

Lost Caverns of Ixalan Art

I picked these three cards for a reason. The only one I genuinely like as art is Hurl into History. The art matches the card description perfectly. It also gives a great sense of motion. I picked the dragon to give a comparison in art styles between the two games. The Fabrication Foundry does the same. Even when they come up with some ridiculous idea of a being, they still make it seem like it exists in a real and living world. That adds to my enjoyment and appreciation of the art.

Lost Caverns of Ixalan Story

I can’t hope to include the entire story here like I did with the Hearthstone excerpt. The story on the official Wizards page scrolls for thousands of words and follows several different characters. But, what I remember from Ixalan before, it features dinosaurs and pirates. What more can you ask for?

As far as I’m concerned, nothing. But, as Billy Mays always said, “There’s more!” WotC also gives us gods in this set. Unlike some other planes, these gods aren’t explicitly immortal. Rather, when they die, they transform into temple lands with a mana ability that allows the god to reascend later in the game. I like that twist because you can remove the god from the board for a time without having to use an exile spell.

The Verdict

Again, without directly comparing the two, I need to wrap up this MTG vs. Hearthstone Part 2 article. The art for Showdown in the Badlands doesn’t impress me at all. The story, on the other hand, works well enough. I always love looking at old Magic the Gathering sets to revisit the art. I keep track of the story when it’s interesting. Other than the pirates and dinosaurs, I don’t find Ixalan particularly compelling.

Digital Playground, On the Tabletop

MTG vs. Hearthstone Part 1: Mechanics and Keywords

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Introduction

I realized a few weeks ago that both Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone released expansions this week. Instead of reviewing both sets individually (who has time for that?), I decided to write a series comparing the two sets. I, then, further refined the series by splitting it into three parts, mechanics/keywords, story, and art. MTG vs. Hearthstone Part 1 brings mechanics and keywords.

Having never written this type of article before, I have no idea how to approach it. Do I write it as if it was a true battle of the card battlers and come up with a victor at the end? Or, simply give a summary of the two sets and allow the reader to make up their mind. Now that I see that written, that makes the most sense. So, be prepared to make a decision by the end of the week.

Showdown in the Badlands Mechanics and Keywords

According to the Blizzard expansion page, Showdown in the Badlands only introduces two new keywords, Quickdraw and Excavate. For those of you who play Eternal, Quickdraw sounds familiar. However, in Hearthstone it has a completely different effect. Cards with the keyword get a bonus if you play them the turn that they are drawn. The card below gives you an example. If you play this on the turn it enters your hand (so it can be discovered, not drawn is how I interpret that), you get a coin. If you combo it with another card, you get a coin. According to my rudimentary research, you can only generate one coin with this. So, small miracles. Yes, that pun was intended.

Excavate, on the other hand, only applies to certain classes. By my understanding, other classes can excavate cards through Discover, but you don’t get a pay off of the legendary treasure. You simply cycle through the Common-Rare-Epic treasures. If you want to see the various treasures and their rarity level, check out this guide at Hearthstone Top Decks.

Aside from the keywords, the only notable mechanic that I see returning in the set is “Highlander” decks. So called because they only contain one copy (get it?!) of each card, some cards in the game pay off for just such a deck. The most prominent is the original Reno, which healed your character back to full health in the case of only one card left in your deck. Others came along like Kazakus and Zephrys that were fun, but the only ones that really caught on long term were priest cards. Well, Reno is back and he wants your Highlander deck again.

Lost Caverns of Ixalan Keywords and Mechanics

The other reason I didn’t want to directly compare the two sets is that Magic the Gathering is a much more complex game than Hearthstone. Therefore, with each set release, they have more keywords and mechanics. They also have cycles in each set that share a commonality. If you’ve never played the game, you care nothing about those. On the other hand, if you have, then you probably already know all of this. If you somehow exist in another subset of those possibilities, you can read more here.

The two brand new keywords in the set are Craft and Descend. Craft allows you to transform an artifact into a more powerful artifact with a mana and additional cost. Descend refers to your graveyard. You can descend by putting a card into the graveyard. You can check your descend score with an “X” value.

The Verdict

No, I didn’t lie. You won’t find any actual verdict here at the end of MTG vs. Hearthstone Part 1. Instead, I leave you with a question. Which of the keywords has you most excited, interested, or wondering. Are there any that you can see yourself building a deck around? I, for one, love the idea of Reno and I’m putting that in my decks.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Wilds of Eldraine Miscellaneous Cards I Love

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Introduction

Time to finish out Wilds of Eldraine with the cards that are left article. After picking my favorite white, blue, and black and then my favorite red and green cards, that leaves multi-colored, colorless, and possibly lands. Full disclosure. Once upon a time (clever, huh?), I got a bit too excited by the gold border. I know every Magic the Gathering player feels the same. But, as a novice, the gold makes you think that a card is better than it really is. All that glitters is gold, as a wise man once sang. On with Wilds of Eldraine miscellaneous.

Wilds of Eldraine Multicolored Cards I Love

I tried to set this one up like the other articles, where I pick 3 honorable mention and one card as the clear favorite. But, then I looked at the cards. And, believe me, I looked. Several times I looked at those cards. And, I found exactly two that I wanted to include in this article. One, I played. The deck that I found included Beluna Grandsquall. Fun card that gave me some advantage in all of the games I played. The Goose Monther caught my eye, as you might figure, because Bird Hydra. How can I ignore that?

Wilds of Eldraine Colorless Cards I Love

They mailed it in on the colorless cards this time, too. While Soul-Guide Lantern probably won’t see play very often in my decks, even I know it’s a good card in the right deck. I picked the other one because it combines the two card types that I play the least. I wonder what it means that clues are in the set. That’s an Innistrad mechanic.

The Verdict

Wilds of Eldraine miscellaneous cards underwhelm. I realize that not all cards in a set an be great, but I usually expect to be wowed by one or two from each section. I can’t remember the last time I needed to work so hard to simply list 4 mediocre cards and convince myself that I love those cards. So, let’s move on to next week.

Images grabbed from Mythic Spoiler

On the Tabletop

Wilds of Eldraine Gruul Edition Cards I Love

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Introduction

I went through my picks for Esper edition Wilds of Eldraine cards on Monday. As I’ve done since coming up with this format a few years ago, Wednesday brings Wilds of Eldraine Gruul cards. It also brings an admission that I feel the least comfortable playing green and red.

I mitigated that some by building a Naya landfall deck as one of my Commander decks. Until I update my Lord of the Rings elf deck, it is my favorite deck currently to play. Both playing an elf deck on Arena and getting a chance to play with that elf deck gives me some hope when playing those green cards, at least.

There’s hope for me yet to figure out that missing piece of the color pie.

Wilds of Eldraine Red Honorable Mention (Almost Goldspan, Almost Lightning Bolt, and Almost Playable)

Decadent Dragon

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Of these three cards, I’ve actually played one of them. I wanted to record a first day video where I played a deck that I found online. I ended up recording two of them! However, I messed up the sound on both, so who knows if they lead to my big break as a content creator. Long story short, I clicked a link that took me to a Temur adventures deck. In that deck? Scalding Viper. It worked very well against the aggro decks I faced.

I just find the other two cards funny. Wizards of the Coast constantly pushes the envelope with new cards. When they go overboard, they try to find a more balanced version, like the new dragon vs. Goldspan Dragon. Other times, they try to balance unbalanced cards from the past. Then, you get the word salad of something like Torch the Tower.

Red Card I Love (Your Cards Are My Cards, Comrade)

I despise thief decks in Hearthstone. I don’t play a ton of thief cards in Magic the Gathering, but I remember one time Chris and I played and I stole his giant dummy and used it to kill him with. This one doesn’t let you use any mana as some cards do, but it does give you treasure tokens. Combo this with another treasure generator and you can be sitting pretty with a couple of your opponent’s cards.

Wilds of Eldraine Green Honorable Mention (Adventure Shenanigans, Some Ramp, and Card Draw)

Up the Beanstalk

Image 1 of 3

Honestly, I considered my Naya ramp deck when picking these cards. I think the only one I would really play is the enchantment. But the idea of playing the ramp, bouncing it, and playing it again fills my heart with such joy. Keep your eyes open for just that play. If it happens, you’ll be the first ones to hear about it.

Wilds of Eldraine Green Card I Love (Forest Tortoise)

Forget for a moment, if you can, the almost rhyme. Either Chris or Jason texted this card to the group chat. Then, Chris said, “There ya go, Shawn.” So, even if it hasn’t proven to be much of a threat, my Naya landfall deck is on their minds enough to text me cards that might be fun. This one, indeed, qualifies. The only thing that gives me pause is the mill condition. But, I can always make room for Gaea’s Blessing

The Verdict

I think that forcing myself outside of my comfort zone worked. I found the Wilds of Eldraine Gruul article much easier to write than any in the past. I actually played one of the cards in the article. Several others will most likely get play in my Naya landfall deck. Improvement, indeed.

Images taken from Mythic Spoiler.