Different shuffling styles
General forum
Posted on Oct. 3, 2014, 1:20 p.m. by ThisIsBullshit
I hope this isn't supposed to go in Q and A. If it does, I apologize in advance.
Anyways, what's the difference between the different kinds of shuffling? I've heard of mash, pile, and riffle shuffling. I've heard different things about each one, what's the difference and why does it matter?
VampireArmy says... #3
October 3, 2014 1:26 p.m.
I usually mash/riffle shuffle, but I also ascribe to pile shuffling. But whenever I pile shuffle I try to mash/riffle shuffle the deck 5-6 times afterward to ensure the deck is randomized before I present it for cutting. You may be aware that it is possible to stack your deck via pile shuffling, so pile shuffling alone is not true randomization. And if someone ONLY pile shuffles their deck and hands it to me, I'm going to shuffle it at least 5 times before handing it back to them.
October 3, 2014 2:36 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #6
What's it called when you hold half of the deck and slide the other half randomly into the held half atb random several times? That's what i do
October 3, 2014 2:41 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #7
MIND MASH!
My buddy got really worked up about somebody riffling his deck they had borrowed. Funny times.
October 3, 2014 2:45 p.m.
If you riffle shuffle properly there's no damage done to the cards. So long as you aren't straining to start the "riffle"
If you can't do it properly though then don't do it at all. It's just a pain when I see people flexing their cards at 45 Degrees to start shuffling.
/facepalm.
I pile shuffle if my deck has recently been sorted out as it's the best way to ensure random placement.
October 3, 2014 2:56 p.m.
To be honest, a lot of people don't like their cards being riffled, so if they don't do it to their deck, you should pretty much default to mashing. There is no real advantage to riffling in terms of randomization. A proper mash will do just fine.
October 3, 2014 3:03 p.m.
MSU_Iced_Z says... #10
Pile shuffling does NOT randomize your deck. The only purpose of a pile shuffle (and it's an important one at competitive REL) is to count your deck quickly and accurately before you present.
October 3, 2014 3:03 p.m.
I don't like mashing so much, I mean yes I'll always ask first how they prefer their deck shuffled.
But mashing really takes the life away from your sleeves, I notice it all the time with bent corners because people just get to aggressive, Sleeves start to split, and if they have those designer sleeves I notice that the actual graphic starts to peel away from the sleeve itself.
October 3, 2014 3:05 p.m.
MSU_Iced_Z I guess I should have clarified.
I pile them out and then shuffle afterwards.
Just to ensure that lands and playsets are "evenly" split amongst the deck
October 3, 2014 3:06 p.m.
MSU_Iced_Z says... #13
Caligula I totally understand. Sorry if that came off more pointed towards you than I intended, my mistake.
Mathematically, though, it isn't true. If you "randomize" your deck, then by definition it should make no difference (or at least not a statistically relevant one) what order they were in before. If the previous state has a noticeable impact on the outcome, then your deck hasn't been randomized.
That said, I do the same thing, for the same reason. Sometimes the math just doesn't make you feel prepared the way a habit like that does. That's human nature for you. lol
October 3, 2014 3:15 p.m.
Pile Shuffling makes you feel safe. Just like your blankey as a kid. It doesn't ACTUALLY keep the monsters away, but just having it around makes you feel better :)
October 3, 2014 3:49 p.m.
Dalektable says... #16
Personally, I riffle shuffle into mash shuffling. Seven is my number of choice for shuffling. I'll riffle 2-3 times, then mash the rest. Just don't be too aggressive.
October 3, 2014 5:36 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #17
I do random placement overhead shuffling, hindu shuffling, strip shuffling, and fray-weave shuffling. Fray-weave shuffling is similar to your guys' mash shuffling, but I fray the cards out in my hand so that the cards just fall into place without ever having to "mash" them.
October 6, 2014 1:04 a.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #18
I've been trying to get out of the overhead shuffling, because it is very easy to cheat with. Hindu shuffling is a little hard with massive card sleeves, especially those who double sleeve them.
As for others, there is another alternative to mash shuffling. Take your deck and split it into two piles, one pile in each hand. Now with the deck in your right hand (I'm assuming most are right handed here), set the left side of that deck against the bottom part of the deck in your left hand. Then, pivot the right deck against the bottom right corner of the left deck pressing lightly till the right side of your left deck and the left side of the right deck line up. This pivot should have slotted the cards into their place and all you have to do is lightly press down to finish the shuffle.
Interesting to note, I believe the characters in the anime yugioh all hindu shuffle their decks. The decks are small enough to do so effectively after all.
Arvail says... #2
Shuffling matters mostly because people like to ensure decks are properly randomized while minimizing the chance of either player gaining knowledge of the contents and order of the deck. If you're confused about what those names mean, just give it a quick search on Google. Most pro players riffle into mashing. People often don't like to riffle because they're concerned about bending cards. It's really not as big of a deal as it's often made out to be.
October 3, 2014 1:25 p.m.