One final Conspiracy

Dalmuti's in Suwon will be hosting their last conspiracy draft for some time this Sunday.
The week after that M15 season kicks off with the full spoiler due today.

I have been having a hoot playing conspiracy as there is a lot going on and many different strategies and combos you can try and put together. Feels like you can really go deep when compared to Theros block.

It's not for everyone though because it's multiplayer and more social. If that's not your bag you are not going to enjoy it. If playing magic while drinking beer is your idea of a good time then don't miss it.


I haven't been playing Hearthstone as much recently. I am waiting for the expansion to hit because after hitting the 12 win mark in Arena there doesn't feel like there is much more to accomplish as a FTP (free to play) player right now. Constructed is not bad but I don't have the time or the passion to grind to be ranked Legend.
I still think it's a fantastic game though.

A Magic players guide to Hearthstone Part 1 (E - explicit language)

I held of on trying Hearthstone for a long time.
I don't have an Ipad and don't use my PC for gaming. Hearthstone is now the only game I have installed on it. I previously had Magic Online installed on it but it was hardly used and is now gone.
The other problem was that that there was a problem with my authenticator and it was out of sync so I had to jump through some major hoops to log into Battlenet.

It was worth it.
My first reaction, was to turn the sound way down. My second was "Wizards are lazy as fuck".
Magic Online has been around for 10 or so years and is a piece of shit program wise.  It does feature Magic the Gathering though and you can draft, which is still my favourite thing to do in gaming.

Hearthstones version of draft is a weird hybrid draft sealed thing. It's designed to give you that rush of choosing cards but without the need for 7 people.
It works pretty well but it's doesn't replicate match the fun I get from Magic drafting.
A Magic draft pulls from a bigger pool of cards and there are a lot more possibilities in addition to the social aspect.
Hearthstone like Magic Online can't really replicate that social aspect but you get a mini draft rush that feels pretty similar to what I get when making a pick in Magic. It's not as exciting but it's still good and it is A LOT cheaper and more convenient.
One costs me W18,000 plus travel time and the other is FREE.
I have solved this problem by playing both games. I still love drafting Magic in person and will continue to so, but I don't think I will ever ever EVER re-install Magic Online.

There is one more aspect about a Magic draft that adds a lot of excitement. You get to keep the cards.
In Hearthsone you only keep your prizes so opening a super duper legendary in arena is nowhere near the excitement of  pulling a $20 Planeswalker.

That said I am not exactly using any of my Magic cards post draft except for in some EDH decks. I don't have the time or drive to invest in standard and modern tournaments seem so far away that I'm thinking of cashing out on my modern collection.

On the other hand I am really enjoying playing constructed in Hearthstone (usually to complete the daily quests and earn more gold for arena runs). It feels like that time when I started playing Magic and everyone made their own decks. In the lower ranks I was playing and winning with level one Heroes (so weaker than a starter deck) and just having a good time unlocking cards.
Obviously the better ranks are more like standard with fewer viable deck choices and more expensive decks.

Most beginner guides suggest staying out of arena (sealed/draft) and ranked play until you have played against the A.I a bunch of times and got your heroes up to level 10 but if you have competitive Magic experience you can make the jump A LOT earlier.  I still haven't got round to unlocking all the free cards and am rank 17 in constructed while averaging about 60% in Arena.

So that is the end of part 1 which is basically my first impression of Hearthstone 1 week in.