-----Original Message-----
From: Kelvin Richardson [mailto:ellgieff@hotmail.com]



Isn't it amazing how attached you can get to something that has no 
importance whatsoever?

I mean, I'm attached to my partner, but that's pretty important.  It'd be 
stupid to have a partner you weren't attached to.  And I'm attached to my 
head, which is also rather important, because if my head wasn't attached I 
couldn't be writing this amazingly intresting piece for you to read.

It is rather silly, however, how attached one can get to something like a 
particular set of cards in a card game that is supposed to be just 
entertainment.  See, my primary Duel Masters deck is Darkness.  This isn't 
for a good reason like "black is my favourite colour" or "Occasionally I 
feel like selling my soul" or even "the voices told me to".  I play Darkness

because it was all that was left.

I first started playing Duel Masters just over a month ago.  And how I 
started was basically by being dragged into it by my 10 year old son.  Once 
he and I had scored our "free" starter decks at a pulp culture event, my 
daughter and my partner decided that they wanted to get into it too.

So, we bought some boosters, and built some decks.  My partner picked Water,

because she thought the cards were pretty (true story.  It just so happens 
that waters style suits her, but that was purely a happy coincidence).  My 
son picked Light and Nature, because he pulled Ladia Bale from his first 
booster, and his first trade netted him an Earthstomp Giant for some rare I 
can't even remember (score!).  My daughter picked Light and Fire, because 
the Light was yellow, and Fire was red.

So I got Darkness, because it was what was left over.

Now anybody should be able to tell you that Darkness is somewhat shorted in 
terms of power ... but us Darkness players get some tricksy, sneaksy, 
Gollumy ways to do things.  And it turned out that Darkness was a pretty 
good fit for me, because I'm a tricksy, sneaksy, Gollumy sort of person (go 
on, turn your back on me, I promise I won't strangle you and eat you).  But 
I've been struggling and struggling to build a competitive deck, when played

against people who know what they're doing.

Still, I've persevered ... and finally thought I'd got it all to pay off.  
And what was the secret?  Jack Viper, and the Mongrel Man.

Finally, I had draw power.  OK, it couldn't match the power of the Water 
draw ... or even the power of the Light Draw via Mist Rias.  But it was draw

power, and it was mine, and I could finally try a mono-Dark build without 
having to run half Nature just for Dimension Gate.

And when I combo'd in Jack Viper, the fact that most of my creatures are 
underpowered, over costed and basically meat for the grinder wasn't such a 
drawback.  In fact, the Slayer ability became an asset.  I mean, I'd still 
like to have a creature whose power matches his cost (although I suppose you

could look at Baraga's effect as a card draw, if you were full of 
self-loathing), or a blocker that can block more than one time, but 
recursion a la Mr Viper will do.

I even roll off to the local league with my Jacky/Mongy deck, and play well,

and kick some serious tail, and get my Groblav promo (nice card, BTW) and 
find I have a way to deal with any deck that comes at me ... and then I see 
it once I get home.  On another site.  A report that an official ruling has 
come down: If they don't go to the graveyard, you don't get a draw.

And the bottom of my world fell out.

I mean, seriously, I was heart-broken.  I was so proud of myself, and my 
deck, and having come up with something that alleviated some of the 
disadvantages inherent in the civilization I'd "chosen", and then some guy 
from WoTC comes along apparently saying that the R&D people don't want it to

work like that because that's not the way Magic works.  Gutted.

I was about ready to throw in the towel.  Even though we'd just bought a box

of boosters today (Ultracide, 2 Valdios, Paladin, 3 Bolzard, Plasma Chaser &

Ethel!) I was considering saying "sod this, I'm going back to the Sims".  
And then it hit me: it's a game.

It's not actually that important.  And when I think about it, I'm not sure 
how many times today I had both Jack and Mongrel in play ... so maybe it 
won't matter that much if I have to choose between recursion and card draw.

Just adds another layer of tactical complexity.  It'll all be OK.

It'll make it that much sweeter when I finally come up with a design that 
suits me, and that I can win with.  So, fear not denizens of the Dark realm.

  I shall not forsake you!  At least until I find out exactly how nerfed 
Aquan is ... and remember how hard it is to get to 8 mana.

What is it that I'm saying?  The point of games is to have fun.  Yes, by all

means, be competitive.  Play well, play hard, play to win.  But enjoy what 
you're doing ... if your happiness rests on a ruling about the interaction 
between two cards, you should probably reconsider your entertainment 
options.

Or make sure there's a rubber room ready for you to move in to.

Any offers of sympathy, Zagaan's or money gratefully accepted.  Heck, if all

you feel like doing is pointing and laughing at me: ellgieff@hotmail.com

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