Subject: Re: Mike Long = Cheating Bastard
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 23:53:05 GMT
From: edt@umich.edu (Eric Taylor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy

Kevin Grumball (kgrumball@cix.compulink.co.uk) wrote:

: suit. When you deal the cards out to the 4 players, each gets one card
: of that suit. The result is that you get _fewer_ clumps. It actually
: changed the probabilities of the game.

Most bridge players (I admit I do it too when I play bridge) don't pile
shuffle, riffle, pile shuffle, riffle 7 more times, pile shuffle,
riffle 3 times, cut, and riffle again.  They just do a few casual
riffles.  Of course you see more "no trump" distribution than is
statistically expected with shuffling like this.

On the other hand, if I carefully randomize my deck while you mana
weave you will win.  Your cards will be in better order.

I don't see how you think this is fair.  To me its cheating if you mana
weave first and then riffle while I actually randomize my deck.

The only option left for someone who is honest and doesn't mana weave
is to shuffle his opponent's deck for several minutes because
apparently his opponent is not very committed to randomizing his deck.
Maybe you're right about it being easier to mana weave than shuffle
well.  Maybe that's why people like to mana weave.

If it really is true that it is impossible for a human to suffiently
randomize a 60 card deck by riffling and piling then I cry uncle.  If
human beings really are unable to shuffle cards this well, ok you win.

You do prove my point that many people think there is nothing wrong
with mana weaving and "unclumping."

I often watch my opponent while he sideboards.  Many of my opponents
pretend to sideboad cards.  But they don't actually sideboard.  They
are just going through by hand fixing mana clumps or moving spells
around a little.  They are fixing the problems that shuffling too much
causes.  The deck gets "too" random.  Some opponents like to put blue
spells next to islands and color stack their deck while others are
content to merely make sure the entire deck is unclumped, with a nearly
perfect 2-1, 2-1 mix.  To me it is all the same.  The guy who puts his
rituals next to his hypnotic spectors or the "unclumper", they are both
stacking their decks.

Another thing.  Many people have this idea that "If you shuffle your
deck too much you'll get mana clumps."  I wonder if these people mana
weave their decks.  I wonder.

--- edt