Magic Booster Battle Packs Through the Years

Last night I played some Friday Night Magic - not the kind where you go to a game store and draft with a bunch of strangers, but rather just three old friends gathering around the coffee table for some casual formats. In honor of the impending return of Nicol Bolas to the Standard environment in Hour of Devastation next month (and because we're all sick of each other's Commander decks - our own included), I decided to break out some vintage Two Player Booster Battle Packs from way back in Magic 2013. Not only was this the last tournament legal set to feature a Nicol Bolas planeswalker card, but it was also accompanied by a markedly superior Booster Battle Pack experience than its more recent counterparts - at least in my opinion.

The idea behind a Booster Battle Pack is simple: each player receives a pre-constructed deck and a 15-card booster pack, from which they can pick a up to five (5) cards to add to their deck. In the days of Magic 2013, the base decks were two colors and consisted of 20 cards each, all from the M13 Core Set. This basic format continued through Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash, and Magic 2014 (with decks from the former two sets being Guild-specific) before the product was replaced with the Duel Decks-esque Clash Packs for Magic 2015. I was a little disappointed with this change, not least because these customizable mini-decks were the only way I could get my wife somewhat interested in playing Magic with me.

Then, a little over three years after the last Booster Battle Packs were released, I was surprised to find that they had returned for Shadows over Innistrad last year! I picked up a couple of these for nostalgia's sake, and was equally surprised to see some pretty big changes. First of all, the two-color 20-card decks were replaced by mono-color 30-card decks, which means that you get a larger base selection in exchange of roughly half the available options of cards to add to the deck from the booster pack... which kind of cheapens the appeal of a BOOSTER battle pack, don't you think?

The other biggest change from previous BBP's was that the cards in the deck were not just from the set featured on the box. In addition to some cards from Shadows over Innistrad, the deck also included cards from both sets in the previous block (Battle for Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch), but also some new reprints from the "Welcome Deck 2016" mini-set. These consist of one rare, one uncommon, and one common per color (with an extra common for Black), which immediately put the thought in my head that I had to collect them all, which I'm sure was the Wizards of the Coast product designers' intentions.

I never achieved that goal: I never got a red deck, despite purchasing no fewer than five of the new BBP's before they changed over to the Kaladesh branding. I even picked up a couple of the Kaladesh packs, only to find that the decks inside disappointingly stayed the same - only the booster pack was updated. What's more, I didn't even get any cool accessories for my troubles: in the old format, each player's materials came packed in a classy cardboard mini-deck box. These included both the pre-constructed deck and a booster pack, leaving no doubt as to which booster pack belonged to which player. Conversely, the new battle packs just throw the decks and two boosters in with some flimsy packaging, leaving you with no way to store your new cards after you're done playing with them. It might not seem like much, but going the extra mile in terms of presentation can have a big impact on how much players enjoy the overall experience.

As for the actual games we played last night, since there were three of us, we had to open up two battle packs and leave one of the decks on the sidelines. Fortunately, the unplayed deck happened to be a repeat of one of the decks we had in the three-for-all game: a red/black deck with some lesser dragons and enhanced with a Mark of Mutiny from the booster pack, which made Bloodthrone Vampire that much better. My other opponent had the same blue/white deck that my wife had all those years ago (fliers with a milling subtheme), although she was lucky enough to pull an Odric, Master Tactician, whereas my opponent last night had to make due with a Odric's lowly Crusader. The W/U deck won the first game, thanks to a well-timed counterspell, while I took the second game with a green/black deck that had a somewhat conflicting strategy of green critical mass of creatures and black exalted.

Even though nobody pulled a Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker (or any planeswalker for that matter), it was still a quick and unique gaming experience that I would wholeheartedly recommend over the likes of the booster battle packs that are out now. But who knows: considering that Wizards is going back to printing Core Sets just two years after removing them from the lineup, maybe they'll go back to the superior battle pack format as well.

Tape Delay Blogging Thursday - COL vs ARI

In a bit of a throwback to one of my previous features on this blog, if the season ended today, the 2017 NL Wild Card game would be between the teams that are facing off today on MLB.tv's free game, the Rockies and Diamondbacks. Of course Colorado is just a half a game behind Los Angeles for the NL West lead, so these rankings could be very fluid over the more than half a season left in 2017, but given that it's the rubber match between these two today, let's take a little measurement of how these teams are doing. And the fact that it's just about a week before All-Star voting concludes should allow us to take stock of what this year's midsummer classic might look like:


Top 1st
Charlie Blackmon hits a leadoff homer (1 RBI)

Speaking of All-Stars, I would vote for Charlie Blackmon as the top National League outfielder. This is not just because he and I share an astrological sign (Cancer), but because he's objectively outscored his nearest competition of Bryce Harper and Marcell Ozuna. I would also put Blackmon on my shortlist of Best Facial Hair in Baseball '17, no matter how much my mother in law would disapprove of his personal stylings.

Top 2nd
Jeff Mathis grounds out to short, Rey Fuentes scores (1 RBI)

The game then gets tied by two players who are not technically starters for Arizona, but keep in mind that the notion of "starting catcher" has been somewhat foreign to the Diamondbacks this year.


Top 3rd
Paul Goldschmidt singles, scoring Jeremy Hazelbaker
Chris Owings homers to left field, Jake Lamb scores (2 RBI)

Back to the All-Star voting, I've voted for both Diamondbacks corner infielders, although since I did a statistical sounding, Nolan Arenado has overtaken Jake Lamb at third base in terms of fantasy points. Meanwhile, Paul Goldschmidt has hit like he has a chip on his shoulder ever since he sat on the bench for Team USA through most of the WBC in favor of Eric Hosmer.

Top 4th
Nick Ahmed singles to drive in Jeff Mathis (1 RBI)
Paul Goldschmidt homers to right, scoring Nick Ahmed and Jeremy Hazelbaker (3 RBI)

Seriously, Eric Hosmer? He of the 841 points and 11.8 points per game fantasy line on the season? And what's more, he just pulled ahead of A's first bagger Yonder Alonso (903 / 14.3) in All-Star voting? (Let's not talk about how Justin Smoak (1,019 / 14.6) and Logan Morrison (1,012 / 14.3) might technically be more deserving candidates, but you have to follow the ballots.) Whatever happens, it's too bad that home field advantage in this year's World Series will be so influenced by ballot-stuffing.


Top 8th
Zack Godley singles, scoring Chris Herrmann (1 RBI)

If this really were the NL Wild Card game, you can believe Zack Greinke would get the ball. He and lefty Robbie Ray have performed pretty similarly, but barring a huge change of fortunes, money usually does the talking in these situations. However, given how he's pitched AND hit tonight, the DBacks might want to consider giving Zack Godley the ball. If the mostly unheralded pitcher can  live up to his lofty name, he will surely be a boon to the Developed Chicago Cubs roster... but that's an entirely different feature.

#VoteAlonso

Liveblogging Thursday - NYM vs WAS

The last time I watched one of MLB.tv's free games, I liveblogged about some of the Astrological implications of the scoring plays in that game. While I likely won't be able to tune into the entire game today, I thought I'd continue the tradition, at least for the first few innings or so.

Top 1st
Bryce Harper homers to right (1 RBI)

In my last entry, I talked at length about the Libra lineup of which Bryce Harper is arguably the offensive anchor, and he just added to his very impressive 2017 stat sheet with a laser beam shot into the right field bleachers to open the scoring. I haven't submitted anything near my maximum 35 All-Star ballots (per email address), but every time I have voted, I made sure to check the box for Harper.


Top 2nd
Gio Gonzalez comes up lame while running to first base

I'm not sticking to scoring plays in this game because Gio Gonzalez's last at bat gives me the opportunity to say a few more words about my favorite baseball hot button issue, pitchers hitting vs. the designated hitter. Gio Gonzalez is currently the No. 2 starter on a Virgo pitching staff that has been decimated by injuries in the early going - they've lost Noah Syndergaard and Alex Reyes for most of the year, and just recently welcomed back David Price from the DL - and if the Nats' resurgent lefty goes down due to running hard out of the box after a groundout, it will be just another chapter in the fans missing out on the chance to watch a highly talented player for an extended period of time due to an archaic rule and a few stubbornly nostalgic decision makers.

Anyway, speaking of players missing time due to running hard after a groundout, second baseman for both the New York Mets and the Virgo Maidens, Neil Walker, will likely miss a number of weeks after partially tearing his hamstring trying to beat out a bunt single. Fortunately, Jose Ramirez's new eligibility at 2B should allow VIR to not miss a step, but since I only change the lineups once per month, they're going to have to play shorthanded for the next two weeks or so. That's also the reason why the stats I'm presenting below are from closer to 6/1 than 6/15.

Top 3rd
Daniel Murphy ALMOST drives in Bryce Harper on a single,
except for he's thrown out at the plate by Juan Lagares

If the Nationals didn't have a left hander on the mound today, it's very likely Bryce Harper scores on that single up the middle from Daniel Murphy. Let me explain: the Mets' leader in appearances in center field (by just one game, but still) is Curtis Granderson, who hits left handed, and thus is obligated to sit against lefty starting pitchers. Granderson's arm pales in comparison to defensive wizard Juan Lagares, who made another brilliant play to save a run. But mostly I just wanted to talk about Aries, which is once again shaping up to be a very strong contender this year. The most interesting thing about the Rams is not the expected performers such as Nolan Arenado and Chris Sale, but the surprise stars like Yonder Alonso and Travis Shaw whose hot starts have eclipsed long-time contributors like Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Santana. Also worth mentioning: Mets right fielder Jay Bruce is inexplicably in the lineup, even though he does not have the platoon advantage against tonight's opposing starter.

Top 4th
Gio Gonzalez redeems himself by driving in a run with a single (1 RBI)

I guess I could have saved the Virgo entry for when a Virgo player actually did something to contribute to the game's score, but I couldn't resist a chance to speak out in favor of the universal implementation of the DH. Kudos to Gio for staying in the game and not only pitching well enough to keep his team in it, but also for helping his own cause!


Bottom 4th
Jay Bruce drives in Yoenis Cespedes with a double to right (1 RBI)

Maybe I spoke too soon about Gio pitching well enough, as Jay Bruce has just done the unthinkable and gotten an extra base hit off a same-handed pitcher to bring the Mets within one run. But since I've already talked about Aries (the batter) and Virgo (the pitcher) and even Libra (the runner who scored), I have nothing more to say about this play.

Tape Delay Blogging Wednesday - OAK vs TOR

Sometimes my schedule gets complicated and I don't get to sit down and watch a baseball game in real time. Which means I'm not technically liveblogging if I start writing about it, but I noticed some interesting Astrology parallels regarding the scoring plays. These are worth bringing up now because we're close to my monthly lineup rebalancing, so the numbers and changes are more relevant.

TOP 2nd
Kevin Pillar homers to left center (3 RBI)

The stars haven't seen fit to punish Pillar's offensive performance for a homophobic gaffe earlier in the season, as the play of Toronto's leadoff hitter has surpassed that of incumbent Capricorn center fielder Odubel Herrera. Pillar would hit also bat leadoff for a hypothetical CAP batting order that would also include his real life opponent's first baseman Ryon Healy. As an interesting hot stove related wrinkle, Healy was also a mid-season addition to the starting lineup, and the incumbent 1B he replaced? Former Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion. However, these lineup tinkering machinations will likely mean very little by the end of the season, as the Capricorn Goats rank 11th in the 12 team league, as of June 1.

ALSO TOP 2nd
Justin Smoak homers to left center (1 RBI)

The guy whose incredible production has made Encarnacion's departure more palatable plays for the only astrology team currently worse than Capricorn, the Sagittarius Archers. Maybe one of the reasons for SAG's struggles could be the lengthy absence of their top ranked player and Smoak's real life teammate Josh Donaldson. Also outfielders Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock are currently out to injury, as is Athletics right hander Kendall Graveman. However, to make this even more relevant to today's game, Graveman's real life teammate Khris Davis is currently plugging away quite nicely in the middle of the Sagittarius lineup.

BOTTOM 3rd
Rajai Davis singles and scores on a groundout (1 R)

Oakland's elder Davis is a Libra, but he's far down on the depth chart of the most successful Astrology sign on record, so let's skip over him for now.


BOTTOM 4th
Trevor Plouffe homers to left (1 RBI)

Oakland's stopgap third baseman is a Gemini, but Plouffe is stuck firmly behind not just Anthony Rendon, but also Yuli Gurriel (thanks to his eligibility from last year) and Eduardo Nunez.


BOTTOM 5th
Rajai Davis triples and scores on a sacrifice fly (1 R)

Well, since Rajai Davis just scored his second run and helped tie the game, let's look deeper into his standing in the Libra hierarchy. Although he's not counted among 2017's elite fantasy base stealing assets, even though he led the AL in thefts as recently as last year. Instead, he's relegated to a Libra second tier of center fielders, placing behind not just breakout star Aaron Hicks, but also pressed-back-into-service Andrew McCutchen (and that's even when Yoenis Cespedes and Starling Marte return to the field). The still-very-talented group of Libra Scales backups also includes a couple of players on the opposing side of Rajai's real life A's. An injury-shortened first third for Troy Tulowitzki kept him from catching up to Netherlands star Xander Bogaerts at shortstop. And not even Jose Bautista's recent hot streak pushes him past Matt Kemp for the DH spot (not even to mention LIB's top two corner outfielders Bryce Harper and Mookie Betts).

BOTTOM 8th

Well now I'm back up to live, and the game's still tied, so if I post it now, it's technically liveblogging, so here we go!


TOP 10th
Josh Donaldson homers to left (2 RBI)
Justin Smoak homers to right (1 RBI)

We've already covered Sagittarius, which is good, because I need a moment to cry and fume to myself about how evil genius mastermind Billy Beane supposedly hamstrung his own team by trading away his best player due to a personal vendetta, and how Josh Donaldson always seems to remind his former boss of that fact by hitting like gangbusters every time he returns to the Oakland Colisseum. The only consolation is that the better he does, the better the hypothetical fortunes of a developed A's team, which is also helped by the possibility of adding Chad Pinder to the outfield...


BOTTOM 10th
Roberto Osuna strikes out Jed Lowrie to end the game and earn the save

I was hoping to be able to use this chart in the bottom of the 9th with the context, "A's walk it off without having to face Blue Jays closer, and Aquarius ace reliever, Roberto Osuna." Unfortunately, the standout Mexican pitcher came in with a save opportunity against the boys in green and gold, and succeeded, despite giving up another run to, who else, Rajai Davis. Not that he pitched in this game, but Oakland lefty Sean Manaea is one of two astrology-relevant A's starters (the other being Andrew Triggs for Pisces). The Blue Jays also currently have just two starting pitchers on fantasy astrology staffs (Marco Estrada for Cancer and Marcus Stroman for Taurus), but injuries to Aaron Sanchez (CAN) and J.A. Happ (LIB) could see that number rise in a hurry. Other notes from the Water Carriers roster: if you checked back in April or May, you would have seen Toronto catcher Russell Martin behind the plate instead of the red hot Alex Avila. And while you wouldn't find him starting in any month, Blue Jays middle infielder Ryan Goins is also on the Aquarius depth chart.