Welcome to Lil Liliana! The dark hair is almost as much of a surprise as Chandra’s reddish, but that does make picking her nom de planeswalker a bit easier. Plus I always felt like Liliana had strong “younger sibling” energy. That might even be canonical with her brother Josu!
Ah the classic conundrum: keeping a one land hand when on the draw. Oppo is also playing an aggressive deck and this is game three. Each previous game whoever was on the play was the winner, just through front-foot aggression (god bless you SNC). So, what do we do here?
What’s the play?
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This was one of the better fought games lately. Facing a quasi-Maestros mirror in the rubber match. Oppo got out to a fast start, removed my blocker, and has me pretty firmly on the back foot. But now it’s Echo Inspector time!
Do I pitch a card to make the E.I. a 3/4? That can block the 3/1 initiate but *can’t* block the Body Dropper due to threat of activation. Is that worth a card? Potential lines include:
If I pitch a spell, I probably pitch the Slip out the Back, looking to build up my own Body Droppers with a blitzed Night Clubber.
If I pitch a land, I’m priced into trading the E.I. for the Initiate, which doesn’t feel great. I set up a double Body Dropper next turn along with a Slip out the Back to protect them (or buy a turn with a block). What to do?
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For me, the best part of parenting is indoctrination. We talked about this with music, we’re getting close to Magic cards, but it’s also interesting what they pick up on their own. Since I do the cooking in the house (Benalish Momma, as a scientist, is an excellent baker but can’t get dinner on the table) Lil Chandra watches me cook a lot. And then wants to do what I do. With knives!
Like all things in late stage capitalism, Big Childrearing is delighted to sell you things interact with your child. I have found the following two things helpful.
Bought on an impulse, I was shocked by how utilitarian this is. The knife has a real edge, but not pointy. So it cuts nicely but is unlikely to take out an eye. The peeler is right in that sweet spot of satisfying and easy to accomplish: a.k.a. perfect for a four-year old. I tossed the finger guard.
Opinel Le Petit Chef Complete 3 Piece Kitchen Set,
These are straight construction-site kevlar gloves. But they come in tiny sizes! And while a bad grip can be more dangerous than just holding a knife, the gloves give me permission to hand her the knife in the first place.
With knives came a new policy. “Is there a grownup that can help?” When using a tool that is potentially dangerous, Lil Chandra is instructed to always ask that question before grasping. Ask before picking up a knife. Same goes for turning on the fireplace. Fortunately, she inherited a double-dose of teacher’s pet recessives so this has been a breeze to implement.
Keep or mull is usually a bit more straightforward than the multiple facets of a What’s the Play. But it’s still good to keep one’s hand in. So here’s a good one. We are on the draw in game 1, already mulled once.
Pretty self-evident keep with good removal and early plays and a pretty powerful card. But what to toss? Normally when on the draw I pitch the third land automatically. However, is that the best choice here?
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Mana advantage is a real thing, and being able to triple-spell on turn 5 is usually a pretty delightful thing. While I doubt there’s a wrong answer, it’s important to squeeze out every angle of value.
It’s clear that we’re casting all of our spells, but at what?
I don’t love that Arena automatically gives tells when oppo has an something they can do at instant speed. But it’s available and I’d be a fool not to use it. Oppo has something at instant speed and this is the second round of attacking into my 4/4 (my 2/2 traded with their 2/2 last turn). What’s the play?
Okay, at last a welcome change from being cornered in a bad situation. I’ve finally stabilized versus a pretty good UW deck. I just countered their 7-mana shattered Seraph, some good card advantage in Evelyn’s exile pile and a big-honking flier. Of note, we are both in some danger of decking (I have 9 cards, oppo has 5) What’s the play
What’s the play?
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Deck and details found here
This turn found here
I’ve fallen behind and oppo has a pretty threatening flier. That said, I’ve stabilized and have a great steal n sack in my hand. There are really only two choices
Which do you choose and why?
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Benalish Dad 