Thursday, September 26, 2013

It's almost cliche at this point

No Denver 5 just yet. I'll work on it this afternoon. Had a splitting headache yesterday and I couldn't format it right.

Sorry again.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Slight Delay Again

Denver 5 should be up this afternoon.

Denver 5 Comics 76-80

Denver 5 is an unillustrated comic strip about a group of dicks that are vaguely acquainted with one another because they are all endowed with metahuman abilities. Character descriptions are here.

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Comic 076
1. THE DENVER FACILITY BREAK ROOM (See Comic 11 for reference). In addition, there's a Key Rack on the side of the refrigerator, towards the front so it doesn't catch on the door. THE SPIDER is sitting in the couch, reading a copy of The Rocky Mountain News (a newspaper which is defunct IRL). Through the interior wooden door behind him, TYLER FOSS is leaning through.

TYLER FOSS
"Hey. I'm going to the mall. Wanna come?"

2. We're looking at The Spider head-on, from a POV just inside of the newspaper. He's pointing his left hand at his face.

THE SPIDER
"This is not a mask. I'm a violent vigilante."

3. We're back to the POV from Panel 1. The Spider's word bubble continues across to this panel. His hands are both back on the newspaper. Tyler is standing in the room now.

THE SPIDER
"I'm hated by criminals, wanted by the police, and loathed by activists hunting for a cause."

4. Same POV. Tyler is curious and has stepped a bit closer to The Spider.

TYLER FOSS
"You're worried they'll catch you?"

THE SPIDER
"I'm worried your ego will be collateral damage when they do."
 

Monday, September 16, 2013

A Layperson's History of Getting {U} from a Stone, Part 4, Part II of II

For the past few weeks, I've been idly speaking about artifacts (and lands) in Magic's history that give mana of any color. Some of those colorless cards give you mana, but attach a high cost to each of their uses. Some are more forgiving. In this final installment, I get to talk about some of my favorites.


Forbidden Orchard straight-up gives an opponent a 1/1 creature. A creature with a strong tribal type no less. Is one mana worth giving your opponent another body? As someone who's died to a 1/2 Hunted Ghoul, I have my doubts. Those who've never suffered that fate may disagree.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Denver 5 Comics 71-75

Denver 5 is an unillustrated comic strip about a group of dicks that are vaguely acquainted with one another because they are all endowed with metahuman abilities. Character descriptions are here. 

<-Previous           First               Next->

Strip 71
1. CYBERPARANOID exits Professor Wilson's office, MARCUS and ALEXANDER are waiting outside. Marcus is a short man with a bookbag and thin-rimmed glasses. He's wearing a polo shirt and slacks. Alexander is taller and thinner, but still shorter than Cyberparanoid. He has long, dirty hair that could be blonde on a good day. He carries a beaten spiral notebook. Both are white and about the same age as Cyberparanoid. Both have been waiting for CP for a while, with Alexander leaning on the wall and Marcus standing, facing the direction they are about to walk.

Marcus
"About time. We're probably going to be late to Lit."

Cyberparanoid *smugly*
"Don't worry about it."

2. Alexander is looking over his shoulder while they walk down the hall, which has white paint over large bricks that come halfway up the wall. Other students pass behind them, including CLIFF WHITE, who has just passed them and is giving Cyperparanoid the stink-eye.

Alexander
"Took long enough. He suckin' off his best student in there?"

Marcus *rolling his eyes; he's a bit tired of Alexander's crudeness*
"Ugh."


3. They continue walking through the building, passing Rockin' Fuel vending machines.

Cyberparanoid *smiling*
"Actually, he wanted to say he expected better work out of me in the future."

Marcus
"Only you could make that sound like a compliment."

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Monday, September 02, 2013

A Layperson's History of Getting {U} from a Stone, Part 4, Part I of II

For the past few weeks, I've been idly speaking about artifacts (and lands) in Magic's history that give mana of any color. Some give a few mana up and then sacrifice themselves, some convert generic mana or life into the color of mana you need, and others can produce mana of any color, but usually don't, or restrict how you can spend it.

Because generating mana of any color is so powerful and because lands are so cheap, the drawbacks and conditions for those types of lands are widely varied and quite unpredictable. Almost wild, really. 


In each Magic game, you have a total amount of mana you generate between each of your untap steps. If there's a land that isn't tapped when you start your turn, it's wasted potential (mostly). The goal is to have a progression of mana that you've used every turn until you've won. If you stall at four lands, that total for the first five turns looks like 1+2+3+4+4. By that fifth turn, your first land has given you five mana.

If you have Undiscovered Paradise in your hand, you're going to have to decide at some point whether to play a land that's going to churn out mana every turn or play UP again to cast a spell now and face the same dilemma next turn. Undiscovered Paradise doesn't cost you one land drop or one mana, but one mana every turn you have to replay it. If you tap it for a color of mana you can already produce, it's even more futile.