Lab Notes!

  Lab Report 047: Diamond Felt Different — Here's Why 🎯 So, here's the deal: I hit Diamond on Arena three days before the month ended. Feels great—until I realized… it's not all it's cracked up to be. The grind, the uncertainty… it can be a grind. Some days I feel the system’s pushing me off balance, and man, it's tiring. But here's what stands out: Diamond feels different . The games feel more fair . I see more deck variety. I’m no longer getting mana-screwed immediately after a win. It’s like I’ve passed a “glass ceiling” of randomness. Below this—Bronze to Platinum—every win seems matched with a punishing loss. Win, then boom—mana flood or screw, stuck in a never-ending equilibrium. That sense isn't just me being salty. Arena itself confirms it : for Best‑of‑One Play , they use something called “hand‑smoothing” and “deck‑weight matchmaking.” This means your opening hand is subtly adjusted, and you’re paired based on how powerful your deck looks (by i...

  Lab Report 046: Front Row Card Show – A Little Chaos, A Lotta Fun So we made it to the Front Row Card Show today in Phoenix—and what did I learn? Well… I love people, but wow do I hate crowds. Actually, I already knew that. My anxiety was ready to go full Planeswalker Ultimate at any moment, but I held it together. My wife and I still managed to enjoy the show, and yes—we grabbed a few pictures. You can check them out over on the Tibalt’s_Apprentice Instagram. This was billed as a “small” event with about 250 vendors—which cracked me up, because the shows I used to attend back in California often had 500+ tables. Still, this wasn’t one to skip. Even with a smaller footprint, there was a lot to see, a ton of awesome cards to browse, and a few great deals to snag. Honestly, I wish I’d had the time and budget to go back on day two. Now that I’m writing this after midnight, I can already think of ten things I’d do differently to prep for the next one. That’s half the fun, rig...

  Lab Report 045: The Climb to Diamond… and Why It Doesn’t Shine So it's 12:10 AM on June 27th, and I just hit Diamond on MTG Arena. I should be thrilled, right? But honestly… it doesn’t feel worth it. Don't get me wrong—I love Magic. But Arena? It feels like a hollow grind sometimes. The system doesn't feel fair. Two wins in a row, and suddenly you're mana screwed for the next five games? It's hard not to feel like the matchmaking is rigged, like it’s nudging you toward spending money just to stay afloat. And I’m just not buying into that. I’ll still play Arena—don’t worry—and I’ll still make videos about it too. But my heart? My heart belongs to paper Magic . There's something real and refreshing about sitting across from someone, cracking packs, slinging spells, laughing at bad draws and wild topdecks. That’s where the true joy lives. So from now on, I’m going to lean into what brings me actual joy: playing paper Magic , selling cards , and continuing t...

  Lab Report 044: Deckbuilding With a Sting in the Tail So it’s my birthday, and I’ve been thinking about what my decks feel like when I play them. Somewhere along the line, I realized the perfect image to represent how I build and play Magic: The Gathering decks… is a scorpion . Yep. A scorpion. Let me explain. The right claw ? That’s the creature base. The obvious threat you see across the table. “Oh, cool—big stompy beasties, maybe some tokens, nothing I can’t handle,” you think. The left claw ? That’s the spells. Removal, recursion, maybe a board wipe or two. You know I’m packing something spicy, but you might feel like you’ve got a read on me. And then, wham! That tail strike comes over the top. That’s the real finisher. Maybe it’s Approach of the Second Sun . Maybe it’s Triumph of the Hordes . Maybe it’s a combo so obscure you’d need an archaeology degree to recognize it. But it hits, and if you weren’t ready, you’re toast. That’s how I love to build—layers of t...

  Lab Report 043: The Cat King Returns Let’s be honest—some Commanders just feel right. And Lord Windgrace ? He doesn’t just play Magic... he commands the scorched earth like a post-apocalyptic value engine in a stylish hooded robe. He’s a planeswalker-commander hybrid, which already turns heads at the table. But what makes him so fun is the raw synergy: discard a land to draw two cards, recur lands from your graveyard, and if the game drags on long enough, you can flood the board with 2/2 Forestwalking cats like it’s the weirdest nature documentary ever made. I’ll be real—I can’t promise there’s no salt in the deck. There are some spicy wipes, a few grindy engines, and the occasional “did he just cast Gaze of Granite for ten?” moment. But I’m not playing Lord Windgrace to win every table—I’m playing it because it feels good. It’s my comfort deck. My pocket chaos. My dirt-fueled therapy session. This is also the deck I grab when I don’t know who I’m playing with. It’s fl...

  Lab Report 042: Platinum Blues and Desert Dreams One week left in the season… and I’m still sitting at Platinum 2 . Oof. I’ve tried pushing hard on MTG Arena, but let me tell you—after two glorious wins in a row, nothing kills the vibe faster than five straight games of mana screw. It’s hard not to feel like the system is conspiring against me. Is it rigged? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it sure isn’t fun. And that’s the biggest takeaway this week: pushing the game doesn’t make it better , it just makes it less fun . Arena’s “win or die” atmosphere leaves no room for the joyful chaos I love. After a few refreshing games of paper Magic and some Spelltable slinging, I’m reminded just how different the vibe is. Those formats give you room to breathe —to chat, to laugh, to build wild decks and pilot them badly but with style. So here’s my new game plan: I’m trading the digital grind for the real-life grind. Arizona’s got some new stores I haven’t even played at yet. It’s time t...

  🔥 TIBALT: THE FIEND THAT FAILED 🔥 “You know what's funny? He never even had a plan.” ✍️ By Tibalt’s Apprentice Tibalt wasn’t born a monster. He made himself one. Once a student of pain magic on Innistrad, Tibalt was a frail man mocked by peers and rejected by his own body. But he craved understanding—of torment, of terror, of what makes a scream sing. So he stitched demons into his soul and lit the fuse. His spark ignited mid-transformation, tearing him across the planes—a half-demon planeswalker driven by agony and rage. He didn’t seek power to conquer. He sought it to hurt first —before the world hurt him again. 🩸 Planeswalker, Menace, Nobody Tibalt's greatest hits: Torturing planes for fun Starting the Kaldheim War of the Realms by impersonating Valki, god of lies Getting clowned by Kaya and exiled by Tyvar Being just annoying enough for the Phyrexians to corrupt He was never a big bad. He was a small one with big dreams and no brakes . While others ...

  Lab Report 040 – Fewer Games, Better Decks? Playing less means playing better decks! Well… sort of. Since moving from California to Arizona, my Magic life has changed in a big way. I’ve gone from jamming 24+ games a month to maybe six games total across SpellTable and in-person over the past two months. That’s a big drop, and it’s forced me to think differently—not just about how I play, but what I bring to the table. The truth is, I don’t need to win every game. That was never the goal. But I do need to feel like my deck did something —that it hummed along, played its part, and wasn’t just dead weight until turn eight. That’s the kind of game that keeps me engaged and excited. So I’ve been going through my decks and spending a humble $5–$10 on each, not to crank the power level, but to add just a little synergy. Just enough to make things smoother. Fewer clunky draws, fewer “why is this even in here?” cards, and more of those satisfying little moments where everything cl...

  Lab Report 039 – Joy of the Shuffle Ahhh, the joy of paper Magic. There’s nothing quite like it. For the first time in months— literally —I got to crack open a deck box, slide a playmat across a real table, and shuffle up with actual people. No screens, no webcams, no lag, no "whoops, Arena crashed." Just cardboard, conversation, and that unmistakable tactile joy of flicking cards between your fingers like you're weaving spells in real-time. The journey started with a 35-minute drive to the nearest local game store. Now, if you’re thinking, “That’s a bit of a trek,” you’re not wrong. But let me tell you—it was worth every. single. mile. Walking into a shop that smells like sleeves, strategy, and maybe just a hint of gamer funk felt like coming home. I met up with a friend, my wife joined in and the three of us just jammed some good old-fashioned Commander. We were soon joined by a fourth for one last round before FNM. It wasn’t about spiking wins or pulling off flash...

Lab Report 038: “Lupin the Who?!” – How a Forgotten Arcade Game Unlocked a Criminally Cool Anime Legend Back in the arcade’s sticky-carpet golden age, wedged between Dig Dug and Donkey Kong, there was this weird laserdisc game called Cliff Hanger. I didn’t know it at the time, but that machine was a bootleg time machine. One stolen quarter at a time, it introduced me to a legend: Lupin the Third — anime’s most chaotic gentleman thief. 🎮 Cliff Hanger – The Game That Lied to Me So here’s the deal: Cliff Hanger wasn’t really Cliff or a hanger of anything. It was a bizarre localization of two Lupin III movies — The Mystery of Mamo and The Castle of Cagliostro — jammed into an early '80s arcade cabinet. The footage? Gorgeous. The plot? A fever dream. The dub? Painfully American. They renamed Lupin “Cliff,” gave Goemon the name “Jeff” (why tho?), and chopped the story into twitchy quick-time events. It made zero sense… and I loved it. Even then, I knew something about that animation hit...

🧠 Cannibalize, Rebuild, Profit: Upgrading Prosper with Budget Bones Sometimes you crack open a deck, pull out the big-ticket cards, and suddenly you’re left staring at a pile of dusty commons and B-sides thinking, could I make something with this? That’s exactly what happened after I gutted a Rakdos list for trade stock. It was supposed to be a simple break-apart job: salvage the value, junk the rest. But while sorting the leftovers, I started seeing patterns — synergy, even. And the more I looked, the more one thought formed: These budget bones could breathe new life into Prosper. 💥 The Old Deck: Fun, But... Clunky The base list had all the vibes I like: exile casting, treasure synergies, drain engines. It was trying to do Prosper things… just a little too inefficiently. You know the cards I’m talking about:     Apex of Power – Cool in theory. In practice? Expensive setup for a big “meh.”     Dream Devourer – Foretell doesn’t trigger Prosper. Rookie mistake. ...

  Lab Report 035 — The Time Musashi Brought a Stick to a Swordfight Legend has it that Miyamoto Musashi, the undefeated swordsman of Japan, once showed up to a duel… late . But this wasn’t a dramatic entrance. No, this was psychological warfare, Musashi-style. His opponent, Kojiro, famous for his oversized sword and razor-sharp technique, was fuming, waiting in the sun, fully armored, fully irritated, and definitely not ready for what came next. Musashi strolled up—casual, confident, holding a wooden oar . Yes, a bokken he carved out of a boat paddle . Kojiro was livid. Musashi just nodded like he had all the time in the world and said something like, “Nice sword. Shame if it got outplayed by driftwood.” Now, imagine trying that today: showing up to a Magic tournament without sleeves, deck in a sandwich bag, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s budget, but it slaps .” The duel didn’t last long. Musashi, disheveled and unconventional, beat Kojiro soundly and calmly walked away, proving th...

  Stoicism as a Deck Strategy: Playing Life Like a Commander Game (Ancient wisdom for MTG players who know the stack... and the salt.) Ever keep a sketchy hand, miss your first two land drops, and still claw your way to victory? Congrats—you’ve unintentionally practiced Stoicism. Stoic philosophy was cooked up by ancient Greeks and Romans trying to figure out how to stay chill in a chaotic world. Turns out, it's also perfect for Commander players juggling triggers, salt, and table politics. Here’s the vibe: Stoicism isn’t about being a robot. It’s about knowing what’s in your control (your plays, your mindset) and letting go of what isn’t (your topdeck, your opponents, your life total after a surprise Craterhoof). Sound familiar? 1. Your Commander = Your Mindset You lead your life the same way your Commander leads your deck. In Stoicism, your "Commander" is a calm, reasoned mindset. In MTG? It’s knowing you can’t control the chaos—just your next move. Stoic takeaway: You ...

  Lab Report 33: Topdecking Life Sometimes I catch myself topdecking my way through life. You know that feeling—just pulling the next idea off the top of your brain and running with it. Hit record. Toss it on YouTube. Move on. There’s something wild and satisfying about that spontaneity, and I won’t lie… it’s fun. A little chaotic maybe, but fun. But lately, I’ve been thinking a little deeper about it. I’ve talked before about how I’m trying to play more chess—not just for fun, but to teach myself patience. The same lesson applies here: maybe I don’t need to topdeck every piece of content. Maybe I'd get better results if I slowed down just a bit and spent more time polishing the projects I care about. Here’s the real struggle though: I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who follows me—on YouTube, Instagram, the store, wherever. That support means everything. And sometimes that gratitude turns into pressure. I catch myself thinking, “I need to hurry up and post something—anythi...

  Lab Report 32: Stoke the Fire Being a content creator isn’t just posting videos, slapping up blog entries, or showing off a few cards on Instagram. It’s waking up with that spark—or at least trying to. Creativity needs fuel, and sometimes that fuel is running on fumes. There’s a delicate balance we all try to strike: staying consistent so folks know what to expect, while still finding ways to keep things fresh and exciting—for our audience and ourselves. If it becomes just a routine, the joy seeps out. If it becomes too experimental, we risk alienating the people who came for the stuff they already love. That’s why a simple “like” can mean more than you think. A comment can feel like a handshake from across the digital void. A follow, a share, even a “hey, that was cool” message—that’s oxygen to a creator’s fire. It keeps us going when algorithms get cold, or views dip, or we wonder if shouting into the internet is even worth it. So if you’re reading this and enjoying the ri...

  Lab Report 31: Bottles, Cows, and the Joy of Logging Out Every so often, it’s good to close the laptop, shuffle your deck back in the box, and just get out into the world. Recently, I did exactly that—and stumbled upon two absolute gems tucked away on the historic Route 66: The Bottle Farm and The Cross Eyed Cow Pizza . The Bottle Farm is a wonderfully oddball roadside attraction, a shimmering testament to eccentric Americana. Located near Oro Grande, California, this quirky spot is a mosaic of recycled glass and folk art, where bottles hang from trees and handmade sculptures dot the landscape. It’s like walking into a post-apocalyptic garden where every weird piece has a story to tell. Started by Elmer Long and now lovingly maintained by family and volunteers, it’s part living art installation, part roadside memorial to creativity and reuse. Not far down the road, we found The Cross Eyed Cow Pizza—a place as flavorful in personality as it is in crust. With a kitschy-cool dec...

  Lab Report 30: Breaking the Arena Rut Lately, logging into MTG Arena has felt like déjà vu—every match a mirror of the last with the same handful of aggro or control decks steamrolling the ladder. That happens because players chase the quickest win for rank, net-deck the “safe” lists, and reinforce a cycle that favors consistency over creativity. But you don’t have to settle for monotony. Switch it up: dive into Historic or Alchemy to rediscover oddball mechanics, queue Brawl or Momir for pure silliness, or even try off-peak hours when the meta softens. Better yet, brew your own 60-card rogue list—mix 30% proven hits with 70% personal favorites—and give yourself mini-challenges like “only one-drop wins” or “no mulligans below six.” Join a community league with house rules or bans to force fresh strategies. Arena’s default shows you what’s “best” right now, but your real fun comes from breaking that mold. Shake up your queues, embrace the weird, and remember why you fell in love ...

  Lab Report 29: Stuck in Platinum (Send Help!) So here we are, only four days into the new month, and my climb to Mythic has already hit its first major snag. I breezed into Platinum in about 45 minutes. That felt great—clean games, solid decisions, fast climb. But now? I’m just ping-ponging around the Platinum ranks like a rubber ball in a dryer. Up, down, up, down. I get it. This is the part where I’m supposed to buckle down and keep grinding. I even promised myself I’d treat this climb seriously this month. But man...it’s hard. Platinum is the wall. And pushing through it means playing tight, making clean decisions, and not letting tilt get the better of me. Here’s the kicker: It’s not even that my decks are bad. I’m running two builds right now (details to come once I lock one in), and both feel strong. But what I’m learning is that solid lists don’t carry you—you’ve got to stay focused, adapt, and be ready to lose five in a row without spiraling. This is a real test of discip...

  🧪 Lab Report 28: The Game Store That Wasn't The other day, my wife asked me a seemingly simple question: “When was the first time you went to a game store?” Not a toy store. Not a comic book shop. But a store just for games. At first, I laughed—because that question? It’s a time machine. The answer is weirdly complicated. I’ve always gone to “game stores”... but like many people my age, those stores shifted forms over time. When I was a kid, it was all about toy stores . That’s where games lived. As I got older, those places transformed—morphing into game-focused stores or comic book shops with RPGs in the back corner. But the first time I really remember seeing a game and thinking, “This is different… this is for me ,” was when I found The Fantasy Trip . This wasn’t in some dedicated game shop in a big city. Nope. It was at Radio Shack . Yes, Radio Shack . This was around 1980 or 1981 . I lived in a tiny town in Michigan—so small the entire downtown was just one...

  🧪 Lab Report 27: The Great Dalmuti – A Forgotten Feast of Cards? I want to talk about a game that has quietly held a little piece of my heart for years: The Great Dalmuti . Now, most people know Magic: The Gathering , and some even know Kingdoms , Archenemy , or other alt-format side games we Magic players love to break out for a change of pace. But this one? The Great Dalmuti ? It’s obscure . So obscure, in fact, that I almost never get to play it anymore. And honestly? That makes me a little sad. Because The Great Dalmuti is brilliant . It’s easy to teach, hard to master, and hilarious in the right group. It’s got just enough strategy to keep things interesting and just enough social chaos to get people roleplaying the Dalmuti and Peon roles like they were born to boss—or be bossed. Designed by Richard Garfield (yes, that Richard Garfield), it’s a ladder-style shedding game where your rank matters. If you win, you’re the Great Dalmuti . If you lose? Well, welcome to li...

  Lab Report 26: I Went Back to Chess to Get Better at Magic I’m not here to tell you chess is cooler than Magic—because it’s not. It doesn’t have dragons, doesn’t have combo turns, and it sure as hell doesn’t have Tibalt. But I am here to tell you that it might be one of the best tools for leveling up your game. See, about two months ago, I had to face a hard truth: I was playing sloppy. Not every game. Not in some explosive, embarrassing way. But in the quiet, insidious way that creeps in when you think, “Ah, this one doesn’t really matter.” And that's where it starts. You start playing whatever card you draw off the top just because you can. You make the same obvious play you always do without thinking one turn ahead. You stop asking yourself, “What’s my opponent holding?” or “What happens if they remove this?” You get lazy. I was in that rut. So I went back to something that doesn't let you coast: chess . 🎯 Why Chess? Because chess punishes bad habits instantly...

  Lab Report 25: 5 Obscure Movies MTG Players Secretly Love By madsaxxon, Tibalt's Apprentice If you love Magic: the Gathering, you’re already a fan of strategy, story, and spells that go way off the stack . But when you’re not slinging cardboard or scheming up your next win-con, what do you watch? Sure, everyone knows Lord of the Rings or Stranger Things scratches the fantasy itch, but what about the deep cuts? The VHS-fueled fever dreams? The stuff you’d find on a dusty shelf behind a stack of outdated rulebooks and someone's unopened Homelands booster? Here are five cult-favorite movies that MTG players will probably vibe with—whether you run mono-green stompy or five-color chaos. 1. The Secret of NIMH (1982) What it is: A mother mouse taps into arcane secrets to save her child. Also includes: sword-wielding rats, bio-magic, and betrayal. MTG energy: This is a black-green saga waiting to happen. Think Descendants' Path meets Deadly Dispute . Why it’s a h...

  Lab Report 24: Why Archenemy is the Perfect Format for Streaming by madsaxxon, Tibalt’s Apprentice So here’s a spicy take for the streamers, the guests, and the chaos gremlins alike: Archenemy might just be the perfect way to play Commander on stream. I had the chance to join a streamed Archenemy game hosted by Jake the Lithomancer . Jake’s known for combining janky brews, flavorful storytelling, and just enough chaos to keep things unpredictable. You’ll find him streaming these wild Commander sessions on Twitch and sharing game highlights and deckbuilding thoughts over at @jake_the_lithomancer . Now, let’s get the basics out of the way—Archenemy is a variant format where one player becomes “the archenemy” and takes on a team of three opponents. The twist? The archenemy starts with 40 life, draws two cards per turn, and gets a ridiculous bonus each turn from a deck of scheme cards—oversized, splashy effects that feel like a blend between cheating and plot armor. And yes, it’...

  Lab Report 23: The Climb Begins It’s the first of June, and I’m officially beginning my climb to Mythic. It’s not flashy—I’m currently sitting at Gold II —but I’m not here to tear things up. A slow and steady climb is perfectly fine if I’m learning along the way . Right now, I’m using two decks to make the push. I don’t think just one will cut it. I’ll talk more about the decks once I’ve put them through their paces and know they can hold their own. I’ve never been a “competitive” player. I’ve always prized fun over victory , flavor over meta, and jank over efficiency. But now, I want to test myself. I want to see if I can grow—not just as a deckbuilder, but as a pilot. Let’s find out.   – madsaxxon, Tibalt’s Apprentice 

 Lab Report 22 : Now for something diffrent...        

  Lab Report 21: Choose the Light – Why Positivity Still Matters in Magic Let’s face it—Magic can stir up big emotions. We care deeply about the game, the community, and yes, even the companies and platforms that make our hobby possible. And when things change, especially in ways that don’t feel fair or player-first, it’s easy to get swept up in frustration. The internet loves a good outrage spiral. But here's the thing: magic —real Magic—is built by people like us. People who brew rogue decks. People who make alters, run events, ship cards from home, or spend hours making a local table feel like the Pro Tour. And when we throw our weight behind negativity, we risk hitting the very folks we claim to support. You don’t need to cheerlead every move made by a company. You don’t have to keep spending money where your values don’t align. Regardless of if we can choose quiet defiance or loud condemnation we can try to keep it positive. We can vote with our wallets without making others ...

  Lab Report 20: Playing With Purpose – Solving MTG Arena There was a time when every loss on MTG Arena felt like a personal failing. I’d stew over each misplay, curse the algorithm, or tilt after getting mana-screwed for the third game in a row. But recently, something shifted: I stopped trying to emotionally muscle my way through matches and started treating Arena like a solvable system. It turns out that mindset matters. Once I decided to view MTG Arena not just as a game, but as a puzzle to be cracked, I got a lot less frustrated and a lot more strategic. Patterns emerged. Opponents’ playstyles and deck choices were predictable. My own sequencing, mulligan decisions, and tech card selections became part of a feedback loop I could actually learn from. The big turning point came when I started logging games and outcomes with intention—not just "did I win or lose?" but why . Was I keeping too many sketchy hands? Was I not respecting common meta decks like Boros Convoke or Di...