Mailbag for Smmenen for SCG article

[EotGiftsGG?]

the "inspiring story" of team meandeck..
a breakdown of the top teams, members, their tech, and acomplishments..

[Matt]

1) Are you the only remaining Paragon who has not quit competitive Magic or retired?

((that´s it, who continues testing and creating new decks and playing to win tournaments))

2) If you were hired by WoTC, what would you do to increase Vintage´s popularity?

I'm pretty sure Steve was never a Paragon. He joined later, after that team had metastasized into Meandeck.

[kirdape3]

I'm absolutely sure he was, as was I at that time.

[Bram]

1. What's the weirdest non-magic-related thing you've ever done with an actual magic card?

2. Timmy, Johnny and Spike are boring names for the player profiles. Which well-known Vintage scene player names would you attach to each of the three  stereotypes?

3. What card would you most want to see print for Vintage to help break the supposed stalemate? (in other words: submit a damn card to the card creation forum already!)

4. What, in your humble opinion, is the point of anything?

I know that last question isn't really very Steve-specific, but I'd like to have the matter resolved regardless.

[Harlequin]

1. What's the weirdest non-magic-related thing you've ever done with an actual magic card?

If it invovles Lost Soul or Earthbind  ... I think we'd rather not hear about it...  =/

---

When someone offers you there deck at a tournement, whats your perferd "cut?"  quick shuffle? single cut? ninja cut? etc...

[LordHomerCat]

1) Aren't you like a Lawyer or something?  I thought they worked long hours and such.  Where do you find the time to test and write 37 pages about Ichorid, for example?  Do you have a time machine, or are you on Speed?

[Anusien]

Hey, we're upholding a proud tradition of moderators getting no respect!

On a more serious note, what is your favorite casual format, and why? And what is the casual format that you've been introduced to most recently and liked, and why?

You typoed there.  You meant to write:

Write an article about Skittles

No, because I'm already writing one of those.

[freakish777]

If anyone can play Meandeck Tendrils "near flawlessly", then my hat goes off to them.

Life isn't fun without hypotheticals.  Additionally, seeing as how T1 never rotates (simply fluctuates its metagame) its entirely possible that determined enough people begin putting the hours into playing with the deck to become significantly better with it.

[Mr. Nightmare]

You typoed there.  You meant to write:

Write an article about Mana Storm

Fixed.

[Hi-Val]

1) Aren't you like a Lawyer or something?  I thought they worked long hours and such.  Where do you find the time to test and write 37 pages about Ichorid, for example?  Do you have a time machine, or are you on Speed?

We figured Steve had hypomania or hypomaniac tendencies (wiki it) awhile back. When we share hotel rooms on trips, most of us are sleeping or spooning and Steve is often found awake and scaling the walls with his fingernails or smearing his name in feces on the celing.

[Matt]

I'm absolutely sure he was, as was I at that time.

Well I am wrong then. But he wasn't a founding member...?

[Summit]

Which one of these questions did you enjoy answering the most?

Thank you sir, may I have.....another?

---OH...how about a real question I just thought up. 

If Wizards were to ban hammer Yawg Will would Vintage turn into Legacy?

[Machinus]

I'm absolutely sure he was, as was I at that time.

Well I am wrong then. But he wasn't a founding member...?

Wait, was it Oscar?

[Jacob Orlove]

Smmenen, Rian, and JP were all Paragons. Azhrei was apparently the founder of the team (http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=11534.msg216637#msg216637). It split into Meandeck and Shortbus, but only after Carl and Smmenen had joined (who remembers when they were both "baby paragons"?).

[Machinus]

Ah, Darren, that's right. Well I think there has been plenty of publicity for the older teams. Smmenen should talk about things that don't get other opportunities for discussion on SCG or TMD.

[jpmeyer]

1) Are you the only remaining Paragon who has not quit competitive Magic or retired?

((that´s it, who continues testing and creating new decks and playing to win tournaments))

2) If you were hired by WoTC, what would you do to increase Vintage´s popularity?

I'm pretty sure Steve was never a Paragon. He joined later, after that team had metastasized into Meandeck.

I was asked about this when I did some requests:

You Asked For It!
And by you, I mean everyone's favorite number cruncher, Philip Stanton asked for me to add a section where we go behind the scenes with Team Paragons. I thought it'd be a great idea and a nice sendoff for the team, since like 90% of it is retired now. Anyway, Team Paragons was founded about three years ago, sometime between when my mom made Darren"Azhrei" Di Battista breakfast and when Matt D'Avanzo IM'd me to ask what he should do, since he just spilled boiling water on his unclothed genitals. The original membership consisted of the three of us along with lovable scamp, Oscar Tan. Our ranks swelled as we added the other members of our playing circles, like Eric"The Luke Skywalker to Dr. Ruth's Yoda," Rian"The Original Nut-Low All-Star" Litchard, Shane"MILF Hunter" Stoots, and Carl"I'm the Black One" Winter.

We originally started the team as a bulwark against the hell that is internet forums and as a good way to disseminate testing data. We also spread other useful information, of course. Carl Devos explained the difference between hardcore punk and Rock Francais, Eric Spinelli taught us that if you've gotta be a wingman at a party, that you can't go wrong with telling stories that your partner was the stuntman that got set on fire at the beginning of Lethal Weapon 4, and your hero gave a very special lesson on the evils of unknowingly reinforcing negative gender stereotypes. Nowadays, since pretty much everyone has retired, the discussion has shifted more to discussing good gifts to buy the missus, or exciting new techniques for telling those damn kids to get off the lawn.

[B166ER]

Smmenen: I know some of the older Magic players (age 20+) play competitive poker, especially with the recent "poker boom."  Do you have an interest in poker, even if Magic still outranks it?

Also, with passing the Bar Exam somewhat recently, do you foresee anything in the future overcoming Magic as your top (??) priority in life?  Such as career and/or family like some of the "retired" TMDers have done?  Zherbus springs to mind here.

[Yare]

If you change the B/R list to exactly what you want, what would be on it?  (You can mention errata-ing Time Vault if you'd like).

What do you like about Vintage magic the most?

[Jacob Orlove]

If you change the B/R list to exactly what you want, what would be on it?  (You can mention errata-ing Time Vault if you'd like).

Answer that, but then tell us what actually should and should not be on the list.

[Smmenen]

hope you've had your fill, cause this is my next article.

[Yare]

I'm going to post again because I fear that an edit may not get noticed and I feel like you could incorporate this pretty easily.

Continuing along the lines of what you like about Vintage:
What do you DISLIKE about Vintage magic the most?

That being said, I might discourage you from saying this in your article for fear of starting a flame war.  But, as Captain Planet says, "The power is yours."

[freakish777]

Which, if any, of the following cards do you consider too good for Type 4:

Train of Thought
Sealed Fate
Prosperity
Read the Runes
Bond of Agony
Pemmin's Aura/Simic Ragworm (infinite untap, Aura can't give infinite power)
Flaming Gambit
Flash of Insight
Shining Shoal
Gleemax

Do you support 2 card combos that win the game automatically in Type 4?

[arj]

What is your favorite fictional book?

Any good ressources for writing and thinking as clearly as you do? I've been reading "A rulebook for arguments" by Anthony Weston, but you might have come across other resources during your study as a lawyer.