Happy new year. I obviously didn't make a resolution to blog more this year what with it being the twelfth and this is my first post of the year. Such is life. Anyway lets see what's been going on.

I played some magic last night, first games fo the new year. Picked 6 decks from the Commander Project at random to take to the pub and then a final random selection gave me Vorel. If there's something that deck is good at it's making big dumb monsters. Lots of them. Winning... not as much. Oh well. I'm holding off on building any new decks this month as I need to get more sleeves and deck boxes and it's the post holiday money drought.

Also I'm currently working on Trevallis knocking up a GURPS Dungeon Fantasy sandbox that I hope to run over Roll 20. Expect more there soon. Assuming anyone is reading this.

That's always my biggest problem with creating anything, the deep dark yawning pit that asks "What's the point?".... Sigh. 40+ years on this planet and I still don't believe in myself. So that's one thing that I might change, I might start writing my thoughts here. I used to, when I first started writing a blog I wrote all about my life and my feelings and stuff. And then my ex wife got angry at my for sharing that our relationship wasn't super perfect with the world. So I started hiding, again.

Anyway, the rambling shall stop for now. At lunchtime I aim to explain wo the last two PC playable races fit into the Trevallis setting. So that'll be cool.

There are times when the world is an unmitigated cess pool of crap. Where the people who run our lives are lying evil bastards...

Not sure where I was going with that, except for to say that at these times being able to site down with friends and play some games is always nice. Having a random chap in the pub shake your hand for having an awesome t-shirt is cool too (my Game of Thrones Christmas T-shirt in this case).

Anyway, I took 6 of my more recent Commander decks to the pub to meet up with the usual suspects for the first time in a couple of weeks. A dice roll before we started picked Kozilek as my weapon of choice. The deck performed quite well, but was taken down because it turns out summoning Kozilek and giving him Darksteel Plate and Lightning Greaves makes him a bit of a threat. Still fun was had an some things learnt.

Mainly I need to focus the deck more, get some more artifact creatures in and some removal. I am thinking on looking at that deck and Breya making Breya more focussed on Energy, pulling in some cards from Kaladesh and the upcoming Aether Revolt. (I do hope they keep Energy in that), while moving some of the Artifacts from her deck to Kozilek.

Then before leaving myself and the yougest of our cohort Luca had a one of one battle where I tried out Ruric Thar. The deck was as much fun as I thought it would be bringing out massive stompy creaures and Thar has the chilling effect I hoped for. Tips for playing it include makde sure I pump Thar as much as possible (I Scavenged a DeadBridge Goliath onto the wrong target) and I need more Trample Brawn and Nylea may be required.

Still lots of fun was had and that's the important thing in these trying times. More soon. Have fun.

So I've been a bit worse for wear today after being out with work colleagues last night. But I've managed to put topether another deck in the Commmander Project this time it's mono white with Avacyn, Angel of Hope.

So my Wednesday night Commander game last left my try out my new Sidisi deck which performed well. I managed to fight my way to a victory with 3 life to spare. Sheoldred is a stand out in this deck and I was lucky enough to draw her, play her and reanimate her at least twice. Having played the deck now I think I need some non creature recursion to really make it horrible Eternal Witness and Archaeomancer will probably be useful and Regrowth to get back my various reamination.

Meanwhile at work it's that weird period. We're REALLY busy (Christmas is our busiest time, why not buy a canvas?) but I'm not doing much as we go into code freeze for a few weeks. Lots of planning though. Yay?

So on Sunday I met up with my regular Commander group for breakfast and Commander, which is a great way for me to start the day (beats my previous Sundys of sleeping int until midday). As part of the ongoing craziness that is The Commander Project. I took 10 decks (all I currently have boxed) and randomly rolled for what I was going to play. This gave me Vorel.

I will admit I did not start the game with high hopes. I was playing against a Breya deck which was slightly updated, an Atraxa deck that was more updated and a partnered Tana and Ravos deck whose owner had decided Saskia is too dangerous to play in multiplayer. Not sure he's wrong.

The game started going crazy early on as Breya got Daretti into play and managed to keep him alive to ulitmate him. Things were looking worrying, after I failed to steal Atraxa for more than a turn I cloned here which meant we had two people proliferating my Otherworld Atlas. Ahh group hugs. Then the young man running Breya decideds to Alhpa strike and take out Atraxa (who was not managing to get board presence). I sat there behind a small but solid wall ticking up Jace and trying to come up with a plan.

Next turn Breya turns on me, leaving his father for last, a shocking turn of events. I manage to stay alive but my board was seriously depleted. Things did not look well, not only was Breya preapring to do it again but I was pretty sure I was about to be repaid for my card drawing largesse with a Saskia to the face. Luckily Jace had been hiding at the back being ignored and making all attacking creatures a bit smaller, so one ultimate later I have Grave Upheaval and Ring of Three Wishes on the stack (and something else... I cannot remember what). This lets me put Pili-Pala from my graveyard into play with haste. This combined with the Grand Architect in my hand give me near infinite mana. The Ring lets me search up Biomass Mutation and then this, the millions of mana Pili-Pala and the Grand Architect gave me plus the two Beast tokens I had in play after my Thragtusk and it's token copy died last turn and Thassa who had been sitting giving me a bit of scry every turn meant I swung with 2 2,000,000/2,000,000 unblockable creatures.

Which was I felt a lovely way to spend the morning. I'd love to say I had it planned but it was mostly luck and deck synergy. I got home to then continue the 22,000 light year trek to Colonia in Elite Dangerous where I plan on spending some time. As each 2K part of the journey take a couple of hours it's going to take a while. It's relaxing though and I can listen to a podcast while I travel.