The Deck Tease

On today's show, Oestrus has the guys from Booster Victim, Trevor and Jer as her guests. The three of them talk about their experiences being new or returning players to the Magic scene and what they feel the current environment is like. Trevor talks about a group he recently created to help promote equality, called Planeswalkers for Diversity. Lastly, Oestrus puts both of them on the couch to find out what Jer really thinks about being the "Victim" to Trevor's "Booster."

Oestrus has change on her mind - changes to The Deck Tease, changes in the community, and changes with Magic the Gathering itself. She kicks off Episode 19 by talking about some ways she might be able to expand her audience, followed by what she really thinks about Dragon's Maze. Then, she discusses her excitement at being able to enjoy Friday Night Magic again and the next PTQ she has her sights on attending. Finally, Oestrus wraps things up by sharing some thoughts about Feline Longmore, the winner of the recent Star Citiy Games Legacy Event in Seattle and what it means to her and for the community.

Oestrus is back from Grand Prix Chicago, and she is not only naming names, but taking them! Despite some last minute financial setbacks and a disappointing string of losses, she still managed to cross paths with a few famous faces (both old and new) and obtain enough fodder to fuel a rant about sportsmanship and the difference between people being friendly to you at tournaments and being condescending.

This week Oestrus sits down with the new man in charge of 60 Cards, Chris Gravelle, and picks his brain about a wide variety of topics - including his background in gaming and Magic the Gathering, what went on behind the scenes during the change of ownership at 60 Cards, what they feel other websites do or don't do well, and the long term goals that Chris has set for both the site and those that are committed to helping make the site a success. Candid, funny, and full of opinions - this is Episode 17 of The Deck Tease.

On this episode of The Deck Tease, Oestrus elaborates on some Tweets that she had posted about a States champion who had written a blog post about his journey for a popular website that she is a huge fan of. When she was initially asked to elaborate on her feelings, she came up a bit short. But after giving it some thought, Oestrus had enough to say to fill up an entire episode. She covers a wide range of topics, ranging from the differences in habits between players in World of Warcraft and Magic the Gathering, how much it does or does not matter where you get your cards from, what leads her to lose respect for her opponents, and just how skill plays into all of this.

After a week long hiatus, Oestrus is back with a brand new episode of The Deck Tease! In this episode, Oestrus explains why Episode 14 took longer than usual to get published and what really went on behind the scenes. She also talks about a new blogging endeavor that she is going to be taking part in, what she really thinks about Game Day, and whether or not her plans to attend Grand Prix Chicago are still a go.

Breaking with the usual format of the Deck Tease, Oestrus spends a lovely afternoon having a chat with Adrienne Reynolds, a respected member of the Magic community who is becoming more widely known for her opinions and theories on what it might take to make the Magic community and the scene at large a much better place. The two of them do away with the usual show notes and instead share stories about what games led to them becoming interested in Magic the Gathering, their views on the lack of resources in the community for new or intermediate level players, ideas on how to bridge the gap between low level and competitive play, what it would take to make Magic as an online sporting event more interesting, and much, much more. This special episode clocks in at an impressive 2.5 hours long and is largely uncensored and unedited, but is sure to not disappoint.

Despite catching the worst cold she has had in years, Oestrus still managed to make it to the Return to Ravnica pre-release events in her hometown and she is here to tell you all about it! After discussing the disappointing run she had while representing Golgari on Saturday, Oestrus takes some time to vent about some very real concerns that she has regarding the Two-Headed Giant format that she feels makes it less fun or even cheapens it. She finds herself in a much better place on Sunday with Selesnya, but is still curious about the two guilds that she didn't play this weekend - Azorius and Izzet. Is there a reason that she didn't play them? Will she give them a try when the pre-release events hit Magic Online in two weeks? Tune in and find out!

Despite a scheduling mishap and some technical difficulties, Oestrus is back with another fact and fun filled episode of the Deck Tease! With her is Vigabool (Nick) from the website 60Cards and together they discuss what 60Cards does like no other and whether innovation really has a place in the competitive scene. Next, they talk about Vig's recent shift from playing paper Magic (with actual cards) to playing solely on Magic Online and the pros and cons of that format. Vig then offers Oestrus a brief explanation of how Magic Online works, including how to shop around for Magic singles, and what the tournament scene is like there. They close out the episode by gushing about Return to Ravnica and the specific cards and decks they are looking to build or that they are just plain looking forward to.

Oestrus returns from a horrible showing at her first ever TCGPlayer event and finds herself having a lot to talk about, regarding the venue, her performance, and what she needs to do in order to become a better player. She fills in the gap with talk about future events that she is looking forward to, including the upcoming release of Return to Ravnica, and the thing she isn't looking forward to as much as she thought she would. What does it all mean? Tune in to find out!

New intro! New contest! A guest host! Episode 10 of the Deck Tease has it all. Oestrus welcomes Brendan Weiskotten from GatheringMagic to the show and the two of them take part in a lengthy conversation about all things Magic the Gathering that clocks in at almost 90 minutes in length. The show kicks off with Brendan talking about how he got started with GatheringMagic, then Oestrus brings up the apparent lack of resources for the casual player, followed by an in depth discussion about the various competitive formats that are out there. Last but not least, Oestrus and Branden talk about some of their favorite decks from the past and present and whether or not it is possible to quit Magic for good.

How much does one's reputation matter? That's the question that is on Oestrus' mind as she tells a story about an incident that took place at GenCon which she just can't seem to stop obsessing about. After that, she talks about the suggested protocol for apologies (both giving and receiving them), the difference between liking someone and respecting them, and the different ways in which you can like someone. Oestrus tops things off with a rant about her reputation, the reputations of others, and how important she feels your reputation should be to other people..

Can we really have it all? That is the question that Oestrus finds herself mulling over, as she tries to juggle the increasing demands of World of Warcraft, Magic the Gathering, and various aspects of her personal life. In this episode, Oestrus talks about how her priorities have changed, how to know when it is time to put something you love on the back burner, and a few things that she has planned for the show in the near future.

Oestrus is back from a four day weekend at Gen Con and spends this episode talking about the various formats that she played in, the famous faces she encountered, and what conventions like Gen Con really mean to her. She also takes a moment to talk about what she took away from the experience and what she feels she and others could have done better while they were there.

Before she heads off to GenCon later this week, Oestrus takes some time out of her day to share her thoughts and feelings about 'netdecking." She talks about why netdecking is not right for her, why it doesn't always work as intended, and how similar practices are common in World of Warcraft. Oestrus closes out the episode by talking about how far people are willing to go to win and whether or not it is really worth it.