Posted on by Jed Fowler · 2 Comments

Introducing the raptor hatchling

A brief introduction to my daughter, the Raptor Hatchling (her fault for inventing a weird, guttural screech when hungry). Born in August, she has proven to be a delightful addition to the family. Her mother–perhaps foolishly–has deferred an awful lot of the naming conventions to me. Thus the stuffies now have names like Paladine, Elune, &c. It’s not her sleep sack, it’s her Robe of Protection +2. Her sleep-song is from Final Fantasy IX (You’re Not Alone) And so forth.

But first we must ask: who wore it better?

 

 

Posted on by Jed Fowler · 1 Comment

Channel CJed 2-24-18

Let’s break in this channel with some throwback CJed action! Had a great binge with Chris on Saturday, broken up only by my computer throwing a gasket, dropping the connection, then politely requesting a fresh install of Windows. Fortunately the computer was really just protecting you, loyal viewer, as our drafts went RAPIDLY downhill.

Draft Viewer

 

A respectable finish, though certainly not one for the recordbooks. Broken unbeatable rare is broken and unbeatable! I did like how we totally failed on the ‘alpha’ strike, not realizing that the first-strike damage would turn all of our mighty 3/3 Saprolings into 1/1 pumpkins. This is what happens when I’m left unsupervised.

Other lessons from the binge and horrific drafts were missing more subtle signals. Yes, it’s one thing when pretty good removal comes to you 4th & 5th pick, but it’s another when a very good Vampire wheels around the table and is available 9th. Even if black isn’t “open” in your seat, a strong signal that no one else is in BW vampires is something worth considering very carefully.

Posted on by Jed Fowler

The Journey Continues

You’re staring down a remorseless opponent, one absolutely dedicated to destroying this delicate equilibrium you’ve worked so hard to create. The clock is ticking and it appears you now have to face a wildly new set of threats and dangerous patterns than what you just got used to. What are you going to do?

Welcome to Benalish Dad, a blog dedicated to Magic cards, parenting hilarity, and the cross-section between the two. For reasons possibly linked to a mid-life crisis, I’ve really enjoyed delving into Magic cards lately. Of course time is also a premium and it’s difficult to explain to my offspring that dad is down to 11 minutes on his timer and he still has a third game to play. Maybe you want to chew on this toy instead of a while? No? Okay then, let me just mash F6 and see if I can come up with a different idea.

So this will be an area as I think about Magic cards (almost entirely Limited, barring some truly radical life change), post some drafts, occasionally throw in a picture of the Raptor Hatchling, and mess around with WordPress. Should be good times!

And yes, that is a Galaxy Quest reference for the post title. Well done