Episode 7 — It's Not Just Magic with Rick Glassman

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Happy New Year and welcome to It’s Not Just Magic with Rick Glassman! Today Rick is joined by professional Magic: The Gathering player Damien Forceright. Rick and Damien talk about the road that lead Damien to becoming a pro Magic player, the 4 facts about men & women, do a little role-playing to see what it would be like for Rick to walk through the world as a woman, and break down motivational sayings. Later, Traci Reardon arrives to offer advice on the secret to happiness and more to Twitter followers in her recurring segment, “Help Me, Rhonda.”

[clever username 35]

At 14:08, the proper grammar should have been "if it weren't for my mother." Rick was right the first time. If/then statements always call for the subjunctive mood.

 

I've alerted the Grammar Gestapo.

[HotSaucerman 2051]

Does this one get funny at some point? I turned it off 13 minutes in.

[HipsterNonsense 402]

Does this one get funny at some point? I turned it off 13 minutes in.

 

You want a refund?

[NicholasArthurTallidis 247]

I actually really enjoy the pacing in WSGLL and the fact that some eps really test the listener's patience. I love the in-your-face improv of CBB, but it is nice to hear something more subtle.

[AstronomicalCat 241]

Rick: "I'm a casual player"

Damien: "Sorry to hear that"

 

Goddamn dying here. Funniest podcast of the year. Can't breathe. Smacking my tablet in a frenzy trying to make it's assault of hyper-niche hilarity stop. As a FORMER BIG TIME PROFESSIONAL MAGIC PLAYER, this is the best thing ever.

[BagguhMcGuirk 104]

Does this one get funny at some point? I turned it off 13 minutes in.

Yeah it gets really funny! Now are you going to listen to it again or were you just being a dick?

[hypnotizingchickens 1025]

I don't wanna come of as somebody who's just coming off as somebody, but it filled me with so much rage every time they said the b-word...

[DirkBender 31]

I actually really enjoy the pacing in WSGLL and the fact that some eps really test the listener's patience. I love the in-your-face improv of CBB, but it is nice to hear something more subtle.

Ditto, except to note that CBB certainly tests the limits of one's patience at times as well, and certainly has its 13-minute dry spells.

[Kickpuncher 5012]

Working with Chris D'Elia on Undateable must have been great research for Rick to play this character.

 

Very funny episode. Lauren definitely has a good grasp on how funny it is to create lists or to try to say something in unison in improv.

[NicholasArthurTallidis 247]

Ditto, except to note that CBB certainly tests the limits of one's patience at times as well, and certainly has its 13-minute dry spells.

 

Very true. Nothing can be said about CBB as a rule, but Lapkus so far has avoided getting overly cartoon-y with this and I like that. If you were flipping stations in the car, you wouldn't instantly know if was a spoof.

[HotSaucerman 2051]

 

You want a refund?

No need. I turned it off. I've enjoyed all the previous episodes, but this one just didn't grab me so I passed on it.

[DanEngler 5249]

No need. I turned it off. I've enjoyed all the previous episodes, but this one just didn't grab me so I passed on it.

Next time, try passing on posting shitty non-constructive comments as well!

 

---===☆ The More You Know

[Bernard_Shakey 3484]

As a FORMER BIG TIME PROFESSIONAL MAGIC PLAYER, this is the best thing ever.

How accurate are the cards names and terms they're using? Sounds like the real stuff.

[Kickpuncher 5012]

How accurate are the cards names and terms they're using? Sounds like the real stuff.

 

Probably pretty accurate:

 

Let it be known @RickGlassman loves Magic and brought in a real deck (which I really did drop)

[GregJ.Hansen 316]

How accurate are the cards names and terms they're using? Sounds like the real stuff.

 

Looks like Rick Glassman has talked about playing Magic on some other podcasts. I am way too deep into M:tG myself, and I can confirm that his opening spiel is 100% accurate, legal plays, and actually pretty impressive how he pulled it off. Enchanting Birds of Paradise with a Pattern of Rebirth, then using Phyrexian Tower's ability to sacrifice the Birds and trigger Pattern's effect, turning it into a Progenitus? Nice. And a foil Progenitus! I bet it's the alternate art version they printed in "From the Vault: Legends".

 

I was hoping the studio pictures would show him with everything laid out on the table. Alas!

[robinsbruce 4985]

Is Rick wearing hi-top pumps? FUCK yes.

 

EDIT: enjoyed this episode a lot. Wish I could go see the live taping coming up. Any of you L.A. peoples going to be there?

[Mathey 419]

Mmm, Waffle Dippers!

[AstronomicalCat 241]

How accurate are the cards names and terms they're using? Sounds like the real stuff.

 

Probably pretty accurate:

 

Extremely accurate, except of course Obscene Wizard which certainly needs to be made now.

The deck they were playing with is actually one that was somewhat relevant for a while. There was a few small smudged details. First of all, they said they had it for about ten years, which doesn't exactly add up with Progentius as the set it was released in was in 2009. However, there has been a number of Pattern of Rebirth-style decks, including its much more played older brother, Natural Order. Secondly, while the deck was certainly Type 1 legal(Also called Vintage), it would certainly have trouble competing against other decks in that format as they are all extremely high powered. Like gaining infinite turns on turns 1-2 or just outright winning with Force of Will back up. It's more a tier 2 legacy(Type 1.5) deck now. Additionally, most pro players play Standard(Type 2) or Legacy as Vintage lacks a lot of player base and tournament support.

 

Also Damien Forceright sounds alot like Aaron Forsythe who is a former pro player and the current director of Magic: The Gathering. However, he is a man and not a fat short haired woman(who I find myself powerfully attracted to).

 

Mechanically, the turn-by-turn at the beginning was perfect and hilariously done with the Plains, pass turn on turn 3. That is pitch perfect comedic timing translated into MTG.

Fetching the Savanna was extremely legit.

 

Despite the itty-bitty details that they got wrong, it still showed a lot of attention to getting it right and the attitudes of both players were incredibly familiar with a majority of the player base. Waaaaay more authentic than the South Park episode, which was also extremely good.

By far my favorite part was their early exchange.

Rick: I'm a casual player.

Damien: Sorry to hear that.

 

THEY FUCKING NAILED THAT. Not that I agree with that sentiment, but its one that dominates the perception of like... 99% of the players you'd meet at Star City Opens or Pro Tour Qualifiers.

 

Classy as hell over all. C+ to use the CBB scale of quality.

 

[mattman92ish 823]

Evweeething on my feet fo fwee dont make me buy it you're not meeee

[joeyjoejoejrshabadoo 13]

Was this a very subtle lampooning of gamergaters and gamer culture in general? That's how I interpreted it, and it was really funny when taken in that context.

[Bumpy 1674]

Was this a very subtle lampooning of gamergaters and gamer culture in general? That's how I interpreted it, and it was really funny when taken in that context.

 

Possibly, although in my experience that sort of attitiude doesn't really fly in tabletop gaming. In-person communities are too social and self-regulated for that kind of thing to flourish.

 

It feels like the sexism stuff could have made a good ten or fifteen minute digression, but it got a little uncomfortable as a whole episode for me. Not enough to give up on the podcast, though.

[So Upsettting 94]

I was super confused by this one.

[HunterJE 618]

Few minutes in: Oh man, given that it's been over 15 years since I've touched a Magic card, I'm surprised how much of the stuff at the top still feels pretty familiar...

 

That said, I've continued to be involved in the gaming community in other aspects, and the attitudes on the satire block are unfortunately entirely familiar. The satire is almost so spot-on as to be unbearable. Almost. Well done.

[HunterJE 618]

 

Possibly, although in my experience that sort of attitiude doesn't really fly in tabletop gaming. In-person communities are too social and self-regulated for that kind of thing to flourish.

 

It feels like the sexism stuff could have made a good ten or fifteen minute digression, but it got a little uncomfortable as a whole episode for me. Not enough to give up on the podcast, though.

 

Wow, we've had very different tabletop experiences. It's true, there's more room for self-selection, since you can choose your group from real people you know aren't terrible more readily than in online gaming (my boardgame group is super awesome, mostly because our organizers are strong assertive women who do not tolerate shitty behavior), but in my experience "random" play (conventions, game shop play) is as sexist and troglodytic as video gaming if not moreso (which is why I tend to avoid those settings).