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Top 5 Colorless Cards from M13

As we always say, love is colorblind. But for those of you who only see color (you goddamn racists), here are some cards you simply can't judge. Also, maybe you should go listen to some Paul Simon, get some culture there, Jethro.


5. Gem of Becoming



Some people will look at Gem of Becoming and say, "It only makes sense in a blue/black/red deck." And that's partly true; to reap the full benefits of the card, you need ways to make effective use of an Island, a Swamp, and a Mountain.

Is that so tough? There are cards in each of those colors, even at the common level, that would be worth splashing. Searing Spear, Divination, Bloodhunter Bat, they're all cards that would make it nice to have just a little of their respective manas. Gem of Becoming is particularly useful in red decks, because in the worst case, if you end up drawing more Swamps or Islands than you need, you can use Wild Guess or Rummaging Goblin to turn those unnecessary cards into good ones.


4. Ring of Xathrid



Each of the rings is pretty much limited to its own color as far as the best benefit, but for my money, Ring of Xathrid has the most broad appeal. Being able to save a creature by regenerating it is a very nice effect. Additionally, with so few artifacts in this set, many opponents simply won't use main deck space to incorporate artifact removal.

Also, and this is more of a "feel" thing than anything else, but it seems like black creatures could really use a little help in the form of counters. Even just getting one counter on Giant Scorpion puts him out of Searing Spear or Essence Drain range, and that's a big, big thing.


3. Chronomaton



Chronomaton seems to be a divisive card among Magic players. Some people love its cheap cost, its ability to pump itself over time, and its ability to trick rookie opponents into attacking, then blocking and pumping. Others dismiss its predictability against better players, its weakness as an early attacker, and its general lack of elegance.

Both groups are right; I just happen to be in the former.

I like the idea of having a card that gets bigger over time, and I especially like the ability to use extra mana I might have lying around. I think sometimes people get caught up in leaving the mana up, preventing themselves from casting a much better spell. Chronomaton takes some judgment and a willingness to let it sit for a round or two if necessary, but I like its usefulness far more than I worry about its limitations.


2. Evolving Wilds



The most complete mana-fixing card in the set, a card like Evolving Wilds gets printed for most sets these days. The reason being that it's important to give any color deck a way to get another color in, and the way to do that is by making the fixer itself a land card. Truthfully, if you're drafting, you want at least one Evolving Wilds, and you wouldn't be wrong to set out to draft four or five of them, if the packs comply.


1. Cathedral of War



It took me some time, but I've really come around to the Exalted mechanic. It gives you a reason to be more aggressive, and my biggest problem in Magic tends to be that I'm not aggressive enough. Putting Exalted on a land makes it fit into nearly any deck, which explains why it comes into the battlefield tapped.

I have dreams of pairing Cathedral of War with a couple Chronomatons, but as of yet, it's not happened. Dare to dream though, right?


The rest of the articles are coming. Be prepared.

Top 5 Most Fun Green Cards in M13 Limited

Some of these aren't the best cards you can hope to open, and some of them are. But most decidedly, these are my favorite cards to play when I make a green deck in M13 Limited.

1. Thragtusk

This one is an easy choice of course. But the fun level is just undeniable. I mean two good sized creatures and 5 life all in 1 card? Yes please. Every time you play this card your opponent will immediately say "mother @#$%er", whether it is out loud or in his/her head. And don't get me started with how amazing this is when you have my number two most fun card...



2. Roaring Primadox

Now this is a card that you have to build around, but when you do it correctly, you end up playing some of the most fun MTG games ever. You want to gain two life and make your opponent lose two life every turn? Run this with Bloodhunter Bat. You want to draw an extra card every turn? Just ask The Elvish Visionary what's up. Wanna kill all of yor opponents land (with occasionally the odd artifact or enchantment)? Oh, hey Acidic Slime! I didn't see you there. I get chills just thinking about it.

3. Arbor Elf

Arbor Elf isn't very fun by itself, but it makes eveything in your deck that much better. Why is Duskdale Wurm not that great in Limited? Because 7 mana is not the easiest to come across without help. Enter Arbor Elf. Casting Centaur Courser on turn two or Sentinel Spider on turn four is pretty fun. And the more the merrier in my opinion. I've cast Duskdale Wurm on turn 5 and would love to break that record some day.

4. Rancor

Is there anyone in the world who does not love playing with Rancor? The answer is no. Not only is the card powerful as all get up, it is crazy fun to play with. All you need are the right (cheap) creatures, and tons of them. Perhaps a few ways to gain some card draw wouldn't be bad. I have yet to have Rancor in my opening hand and lose that game. Just wach out for instant speed removal and the dreaded...Unsummon.











5. Fungal Sprouting

Now remember, I said most "fun" cards to play with. On it's own it's not very good. Even with a bunch of 4/4 or 5/6 creatures it is not a high quality deck to play with. But is it fun? Hell yeah!! I don't draft these high but if one falls to me later on in a draft and I have some large creatures and a Titanic Growth or two, you can bet the house I will snap pick this over the other late going green cards in drafts. Making 7-9 1/1 creatures is not bad for a comined 6 mana. Also, chances are you killed an opponent's creature, or snuck in for some damage with your Titanic Growth infused Primal Huntbeast or Roaring Primadox prior to casting this baby.

Next, I will divulge my choice for the most fun Red cards. And soon enough, Return to Ravnica will be playing online, as well as IRL. Stay tuned for more lolz to come...

Good Point Episode #1

With M13 quickly giving way to Return to Ravnica, we didn't want anyone to forget about Archaeomancer, Serra Angel, Mogg Flunkies and all the other ladies that helped keep our Core Set playing nights a little more fun...

...with their boobs.

To that end, I created this vid. Grab a drink and enjoy the Good Point Bros review of the girls of M13.



Now go take a shot will ya?

Top 5 Favorite White Cards from M13

So here's a little exercise for the bros.  We've split up the cards from M13 into six sections, and one bro is going to write a list of his five favorite cards from the set that fall into that section.  Here's how they'll be handled:

White: Joe
Green: Nick
Red: Nick
Black: James
Blue: James
Colorless (artifacts and lands): Joe

We toyed with the idea of excluding rares from our discussion, but the reality is that we like all sorts of cards for different reasons.  And besides, anyone worth their salt can tell you that it's much more important to have commons and uncommons that you really like, because you're probably not going to see Xathrid Gorgon every draft.

To kick us off, here are my Top 5 Favorite White Cards from M13:

5. Prized Elephant



I might be kind of a knucklehead when it comes to Magic, but I like the idea of cards that have the potential to be worth more than their cost. The most obvious way this happens is in circumstances where the card becomes more valuable in a particular situation, like Metalcraft, or Morbid, or, as with Prized Elephant, when you choose a particular combination of colors. Now, I've looked at some of the Return to Ravnica cards, and the complexity is pretty daunting. But in simple situations like this one, I like the card a lot.

4. Attended Knight



If you know me at all, you know that one of the main reasons I like white is the abundance of first strike. I think what caused that a lot is that, when I first started playing, it took me a while to truly grasp the concept (and several dozen frustrating moments of play). After getting pummeled enough by it, you start to realize its value. Attended Knight would be a decent card if it were a 2/2 first strike 3-drop, but on top of that you get a little soldier token. Not wildly valuable, but it helps when you need a chump blocker, or if you've got a Trumpet Blast in your pocket.

3. Pacifism



Truthfully, Pacifism feels just as "lame" as picking some rare bomb like Captain of the Watch, because it's so, so good. But it does have a tiny bit of elegance to it, because it embodies its name. The creature cannot attack or block; however, if it's got activated abilities it can use outside of combat, those are still an option. It's not as strong as Arrest, and nor is it quite as expensive. But it's very, very good. And in a color without a ton of removal, it's crucial.

2. Aven Squire



White is also known for its cheap flyers, and this set is no different. War Falcon is a neat card, but for this list I'm going with Aven Squire. It's a very powerful early game card. On its own, it can often get in for a few beats, and it often takes some time for opponents to handle flyers. Additionally, it doesn't LOOK that powerful, so people can feel bad burning a Plummet or Deadly Recluse on it. Late game it loses some mustard, but hey, most 2 drops do. As a last bonus, it's a Soldier type card, so it gets benefits from Captain of the Watch, and allows War Falcon to attack (making it a 3 power flying attacker when Exalted pops).

1. Intrepid Hero



Intrepid Hero is 100% my kind of card. It's single-white, so it fits nicely into multicolor decks (which are basically all you have when you're drafting). And its ability is just fantastic. White is a color that has some trouble handling opposing creatures outside of combat, so it runs into some difficulty when face with big ass creatures, like the ones green can dish out. Intrepid Hero is also a nice way to stifle combat tricks like Trumpet Blast or Titanic Growth: "Pump him and he dies." And as a last plus, soldier bonus.

But what about...

• Oblivion Ring - Come on, everybody loves Oblivion Ring. It may not be overrated, because it's a fantastic piece of removal, but there's no real elegance to it.  It's just insanely powerful.
• Serra Angel - Serra Angel is a wildly popular and very useful card. It's been reprinted a dozen times, and it's perhaps the most prototypical white card out there. Which means that, while it's powerful, it's not noteworthy. We've seen Serra Angel for over a decade, over and over again.
  
• Knight of Glory - I like Knight of Glory, I really do.  But, I don't know...if he's a white knight, he should have first strike or vigilance.  That's just where I stand.
• Captain of the Watch, Serra Avenger, Sublime Archangel - Yeah, they're all rad. There's no real explanation of how good they are, though. They're obviously great. But us bros are all about elegance.

Look for my bros to share their thoughts in the near future.

2011-2012 Washington Capitals Year In Review

Well, this was a roller coaster ride.

The Washington Capitals started 2011-2012 off with a bang, winning their first seven games, the seventh game a 7-1 drubbing of the then-undefeated Detroit Red Wings. I won't deny that the quick jump got me excited for the possibility of great things this year. But the Caps went 5-9-1 over the next 15 games, and following a listless performance against the Buffalo Sabres, former Jack Adams winner Bruce Boudreau was fired. His replacement was longtime Capital Dale Hunter, who figured to implement a much more gritty, defensive, abrasive style of hockey.

And he did, to the tune of 30-23-7. That is, they won as many games as they lost. But it was a much steadier pace, as the Caps never lost more than three games in a row, which gave a preview of the Caps' playoff performance.

Washington entered the playoffs as the #7 seed, facing off against the defending champion Bruins. A rough and tumble series with all seven games being decided by a single goal ended with an overtime game-winner by Joel Ward, sending the champs back to Boston and the Caps into a second round matchup against the #1 seed New York Rangers. Again, the Caps went toe-to-toe with the Rangers, but in the end found themselves on the short end of the stick this time. And after scoring only 13 goals in 7 games, there's no one to blame except the Caps themselves, who all series couldn't score a goal when they needed one. Whether that was the fault of coaching or under-performing players, we may never know.

What we do know is this: the Capitals were a very different team this year than they have been for the past few years, and while it might feel like they had a better playoff run, they actually only got to the second round, the same distance as two of the past three seasons (in both of which the Caps actually managed to beat the Rangers).

We also know that Dale Hunter won't be back, and that whoever comes in to coach this team is going to have the opportunity to help shape the team's identity going forward. And I think it's that fact most of all that explains why GM George McPhee is in no rush to name a coach. This decision will likely have ramifications for the rest of Alex Ovechkin's career. It's worth taking the time to make sure you're happy with it.

Look for my Caps offseason preview post in the next couple weeks.

2012 NHL Playoffs - Conference Finals

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

#8 Los Angeles Kings over #3 Phoenix Coyotes, 7 games

This is a matchup of the two hottest playoff goalies this year, which is actually pretty common come playoff time. A hot goalie is going to win most games, and a team that wins most of their games usually progresses deeply into the playoffs.

Jonathan Quick might be the best goalie in the world right now, and he's got a team in front of him that's hitting stride at exactly the right time. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar, and especially Dustin Brown are showing a lot of chemistry, and grit, and skill, and that combination is deadly. Drew Doughty had a rough regular season, but finally looks comfortable again at the point. But perhaps the most noteworthy point to make about the Kings is that they've beaten the #1 seed Canucks and #2 seed Blues, and lost a total of one game in those two series. They obviously know how to handle top-end talent.

Then again, the Coyotes don't have a ton of top end talent. Keith Yandle is an elite defenseman, and Shane Doan is skilled and tough, but outside of them, most of the Coyotes big-minute guys are guys past their prime, not yet in their prime, or quiet, shut-down players.

I've become a big fan of the way the Coyotes play, and every interview I see with Doan or their blossoming goalie Mike Smith makes me like the guys personally. I've been a Kings fan for a while, too, so I'm torn on who I'd like to see win this series. In the end, I'll have to actually watch some games to see who I find myself cheering for, but as far as predictions, I think the Kings will be too much for the 'Yotes to handle. They can counter every strength of Phoenix, and then they've got dynamic young playmakers that Phoenix just doesn't have an answer for.

Mostly I just hope whoever wins this series is able to bludgeon the Eastern Conference representative in the Stanley Cup Finals.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

#6 New Jersey Devils over #1 New York Rangers, 6 games

I'll admit, I haven't seen a ton of Devils games during these playoffs. I caught a couple half-games from their first-round series against the Panthers, and I saw maybe 5 total periods between the Devils and Flyers. But from what I saw, the Devils seem like a pretty complete team. They've got the ability and the dedication to commit to shutting down an opposing team's top offensive players, particularly on the penalty kill. They've got a few high-caliber scorers in Patrick Elias, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Zach Parise. And they've got the winningest goalie in NHL history in Martin Brodeur.

The Rangers, meanwhile...well, it's tough to say exactly what they have. Brad Richards is a veteran who's playing like a kid; it seems like he's in on every scoring play, and he's both responsible and talented, a combination that made him the highest-paid free agent from hockey's last offseason. Marian Gaborik is an elite goal-scorer, but he goes through droughts as long as Alex Semin on the ice, or me at bars. The rest of their team is built to funnel easy shots to all-world goalie Henrik Lundqvist and grind the opposition on both ends of the ice.

The Rangers were able to disrupt Washington last round, but Washington was a team with a strong-minded midseason replacement coach, coming into a team that was built for a completely different style of hockey. New Jersey is all pulling in the same direction, and when that kind of talent and experience gets all their momentum together, they're tough to stop.

I won't dismiss the idea that after watching 9 hours of Rangers hockey over the past two weeks, I may have simply been exposed to a more complete picture of the team than I have of the Devils, but after watching New York, I'm just not convinced they're very good. And although I'm not at all a fan of New Jersey, between these two teams, you'd better believe I'm rooting against the Rangers.


Maybe I'll write a season debriefing for the Capitals sometime in the next couple weeks...if I can find a way to clean up all these tears.

Ah ah ah, you didn't say the magic word!

The Capitals' phenom goalie says you're locked out, New York Rangers.

A Washington Capitals Constellation Energy Power Play

I like hockey, specifically the Washington Capitals.  I also enjoy imbibing in the occasional adult beverage.  So, naturally, I set out to find a common ground for the two.  I give you the Washington Capitals Constellation Energy Power Play!

It's a shooter.

1 oz. Hot Damn (100 proof)
.5 oz. sour apple schnapps
splash Red Bull

2012 NHL Playoffs - Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers Preview

Last year, the Capitals bounced the Rangers in five games, though the series was a bit closer than it might seem after the fact. Three years ago, the Caps ousted the Rangers in seven games, and that series was exactly as close as it seems after the fact. So our boys are facing off against New York for the third time in four years; what is there to expect this time around?

The Rich Get Richards

Brad Richards was the jewel of last offseason's free agency, and the Rangers were the favorite to sign him. So while it was no surprise when New York picked him up, the consensus in hockey was that this team just catapulted up the power rankings. Many people (including myself) had them finishing first or second in the vaunted Atlantic Division, and they ended up finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference, due in no small part to Richards.

These playoffs, Richards has continued to be productive, posting 5 points in their seven game series with the Ottawa Senators. Perhaps most notable is that 4 of those points came on Rangers power plays. If the Capitals are going to win the series, they'll need to make sure not to take bad penalties (against a team with considerable skill in drawing them), and when they do find themselves short-handed, they've got to clamp down, block shots, and hold out for reinforcements.

New Era Caps

When the Capitals fired Bruce Boudreau back in late November, Dale Hunter was expected to bring a very different style of play to Washington. Early on, that "style of play" seemed to be just scoring less goals, and the Caps had to scramble to even make the playoffs after back-to-back #1 seeds in the East.

I can tell you, at least from a fan's perspective, being the #7 seed is very different from being the #1 seed. The games are just as exciting, and your reaction to individual goals is still the same. But the overall mentality between games is completely different. The past three years, I'd been stressed, worried, and afraid of what every game was going to bring  This year, while of course there's still stress, there's also some excitement. And now that the Caps are into the second round after a big upset, the excitement is continuing to overshadow the worry. Not that I don't like locking up a playoff spot early, but rooting from down here is probably a lot better for you.

The Goalie vs. Holtby

Henrik Lundqvist had a fantastic season, and he's a nominee for both the Vezina and Hart trophies, and I think he'll win the Vezina (predictions on trophies will come later). He's got six straight seasons of at least 35 wins, and has been considered among the league's best for years. By contrast, Braden Holtby has 21 career NHL games (in which he's 14-4-3). Each of them is coming off of a grueling seven-game series in which they had to single-handedly save games at certain points. Lundqvist's save percentage was .945; Holtby's was .940. Holtby faced the most shots in the first round of any goaltender at 248, though Lundqvist was peppered as well, facing 217 shots.

I don't know how to look beyond the stats with goalies, because so much of goalie play relies on defense, and because a lot of goalie stats rely on the play of the opposing offense; if they take a lot of bad shots, a goalie can rack up a ton of easy saves. All I can say is that Holtby is playing like an elite goalie with some not-so-good defensemen in front of him (Mike Green is a shadow of his old self...as is Dennis Wideman...as is Roman Hamrlik).

The Last Word


Listen, I don't know a ton about hockey. I'm still unsure of the rules on faceoffs (I'd be delighted if someone would teach me about them), and I know I miss stuff developing or not developing because of a play made or missed by this guy or that guy. But I also know that experts don't know all that much about hockey either, or about any sport. Because most people (including me) picked the Penguins to win it all this year. Because most people (including me) expected the Canucks to oust the Kings. Because most of us figured the Patriots would obliterate the Giants in the 2007 Super Bowl. Because, because, because.

I see a Capitals team here that can match defenses with any team in the East (Nashville and St. Louis are frighteningly good). And I know the Caps have as much offensive talent as anybody in hockey. To top it all off, Braden Holtby is playing like a goalie of legend. The Rangers are a damn good team, but the Caps just beat a damn good team.

I've got the Capitals over the Rangers in six games.

LET'S GO CAPS!

2012 NHL Second Round Playoff Preview

Since I'm a fan of accountability, let's look back at how I did with my first round predictions. My "off by _ games" math accounts for both missed wins and missed losses. For example, I predicted the Penguins to win 4-3, but they lost 4-2. So I got one Penguins win wrong (3 vs 4) and two Flyers wins wrong (4 vs 2), making me off by 3 games total.

My predictions
Rangers over Senators (correct, off by 2 games)
Capitals over Bruins (correct)
Devils over Panthers (correct, off by 1 game)
Penguins over Flyers (incorrect, off by 3 games)

Canucks over Kings (incorrect, off by 3 games)
Blues over Sharks (correct, off by 2 games)
Blackhawks over Coyotes (incorrect, off by 4 games)
Predators over Red Wings (correct, off by 1 game)

Generally not too bad, I vastly under-estimated the Coyotes, and the Flyers/Penguins series was a bloodbath on all counts.  The nice thing is, I really don't like the Canucks or Blackhawks, so even where I was wrong, I was able to take some pleasure out of the result.

Now, on to round two.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#7 Washington Capitals over #1 New York Rangers, 6 games

(separate preview forthcoming)

#5 Philadelphia Flyers over #6 New Jersey Devils, 6 games

Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise are two of the more underrated scorers in hockey, and certainly Martin Brodeur has the potential to shut down anybody on any given night. But the Flyers have better scoring depth than the Devils, and while the Devils seemed to act like a physical team against Florida, they're going to run into a real deal physical squad in Philadelphia.

If this series were starting immediately after the Pens/Flyers series concluded, I'd have it as a toss-up.  But I think the time off has given Philadelphia a chance to gather themselves, both physically and mentally, and I have a hard time not seeing them overwhelm New Jersey with three strong scoring lines.  We'll be seeing Scott Hartnell's golden locks in the conference finals.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#8 Los Angeles Kings over #2 St. Louis Blues, 7 games

This is a matchup between two of my favorite Western Conference teams, and yet two very different teams.  The Blues are a gritty, defense-first team that had low expectations coming into this year and could, in fact, already view the season as a success.  The Kings, meanwhile, made a huge splash in the offseason by trading for Mike Richards, then followed that with a similarly impressive splash mid-season, trading for Richards' former Flyer teammate Jeff Carter.  They've got a dynamic set of scorers who'll give St. Louis' stout defense all it can handle.

It's going to be an epic struggle of offense versus defense, but I think the X-factor is Vezina finalist Jonathan Quick.  The Blues have a nice tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, but neither of them is on the same level as Quick.  He'll end up stealing a game that the Blues should win, and that'll be the difference in the series.

And I have no idea who I'm rooting for.

#4 Nashville Predators over #3 Phoenix Coyotes, 6 games

What kind of sucks is that I decided sometime last week that I like the Coyotes enough to root for them against most teams.  I've been a big Shane Doan fan ever since my Xbox 360 NHL '09 Dallas Stars team traded for him in our playoff surge.  And the fact that the Lightning cast aside Mike Smith only to see him flourish elsewhere makes me smile (after last year's sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay, I severely dislike the Lightning).

But the reality is that Nashville is an extremely strong team.  They had the fifth-most points in all of hockey in 2011-2012, and they boast absolutely, unequivocally the best defensive pairing in the sport with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.  Both teams are responsible defensively, and have strong goaltenders.  This is going to be an Big Ten kind of matchup, with plenty of low-scoring, tight games, and multiple overtime games.  It's really either team's series to lose, and it's going to come down to a couple of small mistakes deciding this series.  Which is what playoff hockey should be all about, right?  There's nothing like the utter disappointment of losing to a team you know you're just as good as, simply because of a bad bounce or some chipped ice or a flash bulb.

God, the playoffs are nerve-wracking.

Guild Wars 2...out of digital copies?

Apparently Guild Wars 2 is sold out of digital copies.  This sounds ridiculous, but the reasoning is actually sound, and in fact speaks to ArenaNet being good citizens in the gaming community.

When you release an MMO, players have to go somewhere to play, that somewhere being your servers.  If the servers are overloaded, nobody has a good time.  So, in order to make sure that the game's early adopters get the chance to play it as intended right from the start, a cap was put on the number of digital copies to be made available.  I say good for you guys...

...besides, I won't be trying the game for years anyways.

Sporcle Quiz - WWF Royal Rumble (SNES) Wrestlers

Trying out a new quiz style, it's a "minefield" style quiz. Basically, if you click a wrong answer, the quiz ends. For those of you who played WWF Royal Rumble for the Super Nintendo, you should be able to name at least a few. Good luck!

http://www.sporcle.com/games/jargonfacer/wwf-royal-rumble-snes-wrestlers-minefield

Erasers and Weirdness

Hahaha, you're such a cut-up Tethers!

2012 NHL Playoff Preview

Not much time before the games start, so here's a quick-hitter version of my playoff predictions.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 New York Rangers over #8 Ottawa Senators, 5 games

Ottawa's got a potent offense, but the Rangers are built to stuff. When they added Brad Richards in the offseason, they became a much more dynamic team, and Henrik Lundqvist is a superstar. It was a nice run for the Sens, but this is where it ends.

#7 Washington Capitals over #2 Boston Bruins, 7 games

Call it a homer pick if you want, but it feels like the Caps are headed in the right direction, finally. The Bruins were up and down enough, and Tim Thomas isn't what he was last year. Braden Holtby being thrust into the starting goaltender role for Washington could be one of the best stories of the playoffs...assuming he doesn't fall flat.

#6 New Jersey Devils over #3 Florida Panthers, 6 games

Is it possible that the Panthers at #3 actually have a harder opening round matchup than the #7 Capitals? The Devils' offense is explosive, and they have, you know, a pretty solid goalie. One thing Florida has working in their favor is their depth of scoring. They had eleven different players with 20 or more points this season, so you can't gameplan against a particular line. Don't really need to, though.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins over #5 Philadelphia Flyers, 7 games

Based purely on talent and coaching, I'd expect Pittsburgh to win in five or six, but the simple distaste these teams have for each other makes it hard for me to imagine them not playing as many games as possible. Sidney Crosby is back, and he joins Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal to make the strongest top three centers in the world. Side note: it should be fun as hell to see Jagr come back to Pittsburgh in a playoff setting.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Vancouver Canucks over #8 Los Angeles Kings, 7 games

The Kings picked up Mike Richards last offseason, and Jeff Carter during the season. Add them to Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown and you've got a pretty solid set of lines. The real matchup here is from crease to crease, Jonathan Quick versus Roberto Luongo, two of the best goalies in hockey. I think in the end, Luongo's got a little more playoff experience and he'll help his team pull out the series, but this will be a nail-biter.

#2 St. Louis Blues over #7 San Jose Sharks, 7 games

The Blues have been playing playoff-style hockey all season, bruising opponents and getting incredible goalie play from Brian Elliott. But the Sharks have a ton of playoff experience (albeit mostly disappointing experience), and they'll give St. Louis all they can handle. I don't know how much the two will match up, but every moment when David Backes is skating against Joe Thornton is precisely what playoff hockey is all about.

#6 Chicago Blackhawks over #3 Phoenix Coyotes, 6 games

I wish I could predict the Coyotes to win their first playoff series since they became the Coyotes, but I just can't. Mike Smith has been incredible for Phoenix, and I'm expecting him to steal two games. In the end, though, unless Jonathan Toews doesn't play at all, the Blackhawks are just too strong top to bottom.

#4 Nashville Predators over #5 Detroit Red Wings, 6 games

The Red Wings were great at home, but decidedly unimpressive on the road, and as most of you know, teams play both at home and on the road during the playoffs. Pavel Datsyuk is one of my favorite players, but with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, the Preds can counter pretty much any team's best line. The Wings' forward depth doesn't wow me like it used to, so I'm taking Nashville.

This Letter in Gaming - A

So I've finally put together a Sporcle quiz that I think is decent. It's got a good variety to it, and hopefully a wide range of questions, from simple to challenging. The quiz link is below. Basically, all answers to the questions will begin with the letter A, but the questions refer to games from the past 15+ years of gaming, from the NES to the Xbox 360. Feedback welcome.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/jargonfacer/this-letter-in-gaming---a

Dead Island Music Video

The last time I posted a video on YouTube with music, it had its audio track removed after a few days, so who knows how long this video will stay up and visible. And truthfully, it's not that good; you get a window into how I'm actually not all that good at video games. BUT, there's a moment (at time index 1:29) where the music syncs up perfectly with the mayhem. It's only a single moment, and probably not worth the build-up, but watch it anyways. Be a pal.

Sporcle Quiz - River City Ransom Shops

Hey guys, I posted a new quiz over on Sporcle. This one's about the classic NES game River City Ransom, asking you to name each of the shops in the game. Not super-exciting, but hey, I'm still getting my feet wet, still getting the hang of the mechanics. My next quiz will be epic...or at least a bit more fun.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/jargonfacer/river-city-ransom-shops

Big MFin' Trees

Nothing fancy today, no witty comments or bizarre pictures. Just some tall ass trees from Terraria.

Nice Work, Dungeon Defenders

There aren't a ton of things that I unequivocally like. Jurassic Park is one of those things. So beating those fifteen levels of Dungeon Defenders was all worth it, just for this gimmick poster in my secret room.

Well, that's a bit graphic.

Say what you will about Dead Island, but they do not pull any punches on the gore.

March Madness - Jake and Amir

Jake and Amir is a web series that I've been watching pretty consistently for a couple years now. And while it's gone a little downhill, the one thing I can always come back to when I'm looking for a laugh is the March Madness episodes. So, with the madness upon us, enjoy:






http://www.collegehumor.com/video/5983226/jake-and-amir-march-madness-pt-3

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6453550/jake-and-amir-march-madness-part-4

Sporcle - Diablo Quiz

As a sports fan, I love trivia. Trying to remember the minutiae of decades of happenings, even if I'm not particularly good at it, is fun as hell.

Enter Sporcle. The site is basically a wiki-trivia page. Any user can create a quiz on any topic, and post it for others to play. It's fairly simple, but with a good number of options. I spend most of my time on the sports section, but there are quizzes on entertainment, geography, history, and yes, video games.

So anyways, I made a tiny little quiz. And I'll make more. Promise.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/jargonfacer/original-diablo-npcs

Puzzle Agent 2...EPIC

Honestly, this picture only tells you about 4% of the epicness of Puzzle Agent 2.

Actually, if we're being truthful here, the puzzles in this game aren't as good as in the original. And the story is a little more hokey. But it's a fun time-killer, and has low system requirements, so it runs on my work machine. And that's clutch.

Close Call, Jace

It's okay to have 1 life...as long as your opponent has zero!

Space Time Caps Tickets

Do you see the issue with the ad in the middle of the screen? I'll give you a clue: it's not that the ticket prices are outrageous (though I believe they are).

Need another clue?

Look at the bottom right. They're advertising tickets for a game gone by. They did win the game 4-3, though, so if you could travel back in time to go to the game, at least it's a win.