Point Cards and Prepping for Dark Ascension

Only 2 more days until the pre-release of Dark Ascension hits Japan. Games will be finishing or finished by the time people in other parts of the world even crack open a pack. I really want to play on both Saturday and Sunday, but due to prior engagements, I’ll be likely only doing the Sunday pre-release in Nagoya, and the Launch Party the following Sunday in Hamamatsu at Master’s Guild. If anybody is interested in going to that shop, let me know and I’ll give you directions.

First things first, I wanted to quickly touch on point card systems at Card Shops in Nagoya. At the moment, I’ve only been to three places that have point cards for their customers. Those stores are Amenity Dream, Card Brunch, and Big Magic. Here are the details about how they work at each store.

Card Brunch: For every 500 yen spent, you get a stamp. Every 20 stamps (or 10,000 yen) nets you a 500 yen discount. 500 yen is added to the discount for each additional 20 stamps you get, for a maximum of 2000 yen off for spending 40,000 yen. Not sure if this is only for single cards, or for packs too.

Amenity Dream: They have point cards only for those who purchase single cards. Since I don’t buy singles, I don’t have a point card there, nor know the details. If I find something out I’ll update the info.

Big Magic: Big Magic probably has the best point system. 1 point is received for each 100 yen you spend, or for each 100 yen you sell in cards to the store. For example, if you sell a card for 1000 yen, you receive 10 points. The points can be used to discount your next purchase, whatever it maybe be. Each point is a 1 yen discount, so 10 points is a 10 yen discount. Every Monday, you can earn TRIPLE points on all sales/purchases, and on the last Monday of every month, you can receive 9 times the points! Monday’s are the best day to shop and sell!

Yellow Submarine: You receive points for every 1000 yen you spend. I’ve yet to spend that much in that store so I can’t give you any more details at the moment. Please let me know if you find out what the benefits are.

The other places don’t seem to have a point card system, but if somebody starts one or if my information is wrong, I will update this post.

Before I end today’s post, I wanted to put in my two cents on Dark Ascension and how I believe the metagame will change, as well as which cards I think will be hot.

Metagames:

• U/W Human+Spirits: This deck will only get stronger with the new cards that put spirit cards into play, as well as all the new spirits that have been added in DKA.
• B Zombie: So many zombies in DKA plus Zombie benefitting cards that it’s hard not to see this as becoming a popular deck to run.
• U/G Mill: There are tons of discard and library destruction cards in blue with flashback, and Green has lots of cards that reward you for having tons of cards in your graveyard. I see lots of synergy with this deck in the future.
• U/R Burning Vengeance: Holy shit, red just got tons of awesome flashback cards and blue added tons of cool flashback cards as well. This deck is going to get popular quick.
• W/G Tokens: Tokens didn’t go away, they’ll get stronger with DKA cards too, but this deck isn’t benefitting as much as all of the spirit based decks are. I’d take 1/1 flying tokens over 1/1 regular tokens any day.
• U/B Zombies: Lots of fun cards like the Zombie Wizard that plays cards from graveyards. I see milling them then playing their cards for yourself. Control/Mill/returning from the graveyard. This is gonna be big.
• B/G Undying: You’ll see a lot of these. Big creatures dying, then returning to play with a +1/+1 on them, or cards that require a sacrifice but then with Undying the cards come right back into play. Proliferation will be nice to play with this deck as well.

I think those decks will be seen a lot in the opening weeks of play with Dark Ascension cards. There will also be some people playing RUG, R/G wolf, and U/W Spirit+Token+Sacrifice decks (with Sorin), but I think the above decks will be the big ones.

I also have a Top 20 list of cards from Dark Ascension that I can’t wait to get a hold. So many possibilities!

1. Hellrider (awesome with beatdown)
2. Increasing Vengeance (double up your red damage spells!)
3. Niblis of the Urn (tap tap tap it in)
4. Sudden Disappearance (clear the board before attacking)
5. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben (want to cast Doomblade? Pay more mana!)
6. Dawntreader Elk (built in Rampant Growth)
7. Curse of Echoes (I’ll dissipate your dissipate)
8. Hunger of the Howlpack (great in undying decks. Sac a creature, put 3 +1/+1 counters on)
9. Thought Scour (great for mill or just for drawing a card)
10. Diregraf Captain (blue and black zombies +1/+1, and when they die 1 damage to a player)
11. Geralf’s Messenger (4 of these coupled with sudden disappearance would be nice)
12. Havengul Lich
13. Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
14. Gravecrawler
15. Mikaeus, The Unhallowed
16. Spiteful Shadows
17. Undying Evil
18. Tragic Slip
19. Zombie Apocalypse
20. Vault of the Archangel

Thanks again for reading. If you’re in Nagoya and going to play, keep in mind all matches will be in Japanese, so print out the spoiler list and take it with you! I’ll probably be at Amenity Dream on Sunday, so see you there if you decide to play!