DemonDragonJ on Will Each Plane Still Have …

1 week ago

I definitely am interested to see how the opening of omenpaths between planes shall affect the multiverse, but I am worried that the planes may start to feel less distinct from each other, as inhabitants of each plane visit others, because one of my favorite aspects of this game is how each plane feels unique and has its own identity, and too much crossover between the planes could cause them to feel too similar and less distinct from each other.

What does everyone else say about this? Will each plane still have its own distinct identity?

DemonDragonJ on Should I Put Altar of …

1 week ago

I am contemplating putting a copy of Altar of Dementia into my Tariel, Reckoner of Souls EDH deck, likely replacing either Searing Meditation or possibly Fists of the Demigod, but I wish to ask the other users here for advice, before I do that.

Since that deck focuses on stealing my opponents' creatures for both combat and sacrificing, AoD would provide both an additional sacrifice outlet and an additional way to put creature cards into my opponents' graveyard, for me to steal, which is obviously a good thing.

What does everyone else say about this? Should I put Altar of Dementia into my Tariel deck?

DemonDragonJ on Should I Put Doom Whisperer …

2 weeks ago

I am considering putting Doom Whisperer into my Liesa, Shroud of Dusk EDH deck, because of its obvious synergy with that deck, but I would like to ask for advice, first.

The demon would be an easy replacement for Crystal Ball, because, while it does have a higher casting cost, its ability costs no mana, only life, which this deck excels at gaining. If the demon had the scry mechanic, rather than surveil, I would already have had it in that deck, but, since that is not the case, I need to be more cautious.

Does my Liesa deck have a sufficient amount of graveyard recursion to justify putting Doom Whisperer into it? What does everyone else say about this subject?

DemonDragonJ on Should I Put FotVD in …

2 weeks ago

I would like to put Feast of the Victorious Dead into these two decks, but I am not certain what cards to remove from those decks to make room for the feast.

In my Tariel, Reckoner of Souls deck, I feel that Glory of Warfare may be rather expensive (although I admit that Fists of the Demigod or Searing Meditation may also be rather superfluous in that deck, as well; Pain Magnification at least helps to fill my opponents' graveyards, for me to plunder them), but I am less certain about my Teneb, the Harvester deck; I am not certain that that deck contains a sufficient number of artifacts to justify it containing Glissa, the Traitor, but she also is an easy way to get creatures into my opponents' graveyards, for me to then steal with Teneb.

What does everyone else say about this? Should I put Feast of the Victorious Dead into those two decks?

DemonDragonJ on Return of the Jedi: the …

3 weeks ago

This year is the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi, the third and final installment in the original Star Wars trilogy.

After the phenomenal debut of the previous movie, The Empire Strikes Back, which ended with one of the most shocking plot twists in motion picture history and the heroes being completely and utterly defeated, audiences were eager for the conclusion of this epic storyline, so hype and anticipation were very high. RotJ underperformed compared to its predecessor, but that simply was because ESB had been such a phenomenal film, and not due to any failing by RotJ.

Some elements of RotJ did feel somewhat corny and campy compared to the previous two films, such as the various quirky critters in Jabba the Hutt's palace or especially the Ewoks, but the film did also introduce Emperor Palpatine, who is unquestionably one of cinema's greatest villains, played to absolute perfection by Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid, and it also contained its own plot twist, which is nearly as famous as the plot twist from the previous movie, although, unlike the previous plot twist, which was very subtly foreshadowed in the first two films, that plot twist was a complete surprise that had no foreshadowing, at all (as a side note, I wonder if the writers of this film took inspiration from Halloween II, which was released in 1981, two years earlier, and featured a very similar plot twist that also made little sense). Also, this movie was the first time in the franchise's history that merchandising influenced the production of the film, since actions figures for the character of general Crix Madine, released only shortly before the film, had beards, which forced Dermot Crowley, the actor who played him, to wear a fake beard, which I think was a severe travesty. Even more egregious are the changes that George Lucas has made each time that the film has been re-issued; replacing Lapti Nek with Jedi Rocks was already a highly questionable decision, but having Darth Vader shout "no!" while Palpatine was torturing Luke and also replacing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin with Hayden Christiansen was absolutely unforgivable; I shall confess that I like the new victory song in the 1997 version over the original 1983 victory song, but that is the only change of which I approve.

Naturally, with any film of this magnitude, especially one made before the internet was commonplace, rumors have spread about this film, and one rumor that I heard was that an early script of the movie had the entire plot be focused on rescuing Han, with the heroes fighting Boba Fett at the climax of the film, saving the confrontation with Vader and Palpatine, and the final battle against the empire, for a future film. I also heard a rumor that Luke's sister was originally intended to be a completely new character, but that Leia was revealed to be his sister after Lucas and the other producers chose to end the story after three movies. Has anyone here ever heard any rumors about this film?

RotJ does contain a number of flaws, but I definitely think that it was a fitting conclusion to an epic film trilogy, and helped to ensure that Star Wars had a permanent place in popular culture. With this year being the film's 40th anniversary, I expect that Lucasfilm shall promote and celebrate that milestone, since this film definitely deserves to be honored in such a way.

How does everyone else feel about this year being the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi?

DemonDragonJ on Why Are Game Stores Charging …

3 weeks ago

There are several game stores near where I live, and all of them charge customers a fee to use their tables for playing games, even if those players do not enter any events that the store is holding, which I severely dislike, since I feel that supporting the store should be a voluntary decision, and not a requirement, and it severely bothers me that some customers are willingly supporting stores who employ this practice.

What does everyone else say about this? Why are game stores charging customers money to simply use their tables, and how can they get away with that?

DemonDragonJ on How to Properly Execute a …

3 weeks ago

A plot twist is an essential part of telling a good story; catching the audience by surprise is a great way to add drama and increase tension, but being able to properly execute a plot twist is not an easy task; too often, a plot twist either is too easy to predict, such as the true identity of the eighth chosen child in Digimon Adventure or the true identity of the Digimon Kaiser in Digimon Adventure 02, or makes no sense, such as the truth about Itachi Uchiha in Naruto. In my mind, the best plot twists are those that cannot be easily predicted before they occur, but, after they occur, they prompt the audience to re-evaluate the earlier parts of the story and realize that the writers had been foreshadowing them, without being too obvious about it, such as the fact that Darth Vader was Luke's father in Star Wars or

What does everyone else here have to say on this subject? What is the best way to properly execute a plot twist in a story, without it either being too predictable or having no foreshadowing or otherwise making no sense? If you shall provide any examples of such plot twists, please be certain to cover them with spoiler tags.