Limited Skills
Advantages and Disadvantages, Part II
By Anthony Calabrese

Basically, to have true control over the tempo of the game is like being a policeman controlling traffic. If you are able to successfully put up a stop sign for your opponent’s plans and/or consistently make a green light for yourself, you have achieved tempo advantage.

http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/wow/en/news/article.aspx?aid=6173

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Come play at C & Js in Newark, CA

The key to tempo in limited is card control if you have any way to draw or make your opp discard you will be at a huge advantage.  Most limited games turn into who was better top decking skills you just want to load up with fat allys and some kill stuff if you can then draw away.

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Smart people know when to stop great people know they can't be

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The key to tempo in limited is card control if you have any way to draw or make your opp discard you will be at a huge advantage.  Most limited games turn into who was better top decking skills you just want to load up with fat allys and some kill stuff if you can then draw away.

I don't think the key is drawing/discard. A specific example i can recall happened when i played a priest who made me discard 4 cards on his turn 3. After that i was set on top decking and playing which led me to still win. Discarding by itself doesn't help in a limited sense. You need to provide some threats and have a decent board position. All you need to do is threaten without over extending into penance, engulfing blaze, heartburn, etc. Easier said than done with your opponent trying desperately to do the same thing.

While I agree that drawing and making your opponent discard will give you an advantage in a limited game, I would argue that it has nothing to do with Tempo Advantage.
For example, if your opponent plays solid aggressive allies on turns 1, 2, 3, and 4, while you spend your turn 3 and 4 playing discard and draw abilities, you haven't gained tempo on your opponent at all, and you will likely still lose, even though you have a hand full of cards while your opponent has none.
Discard and Draw are best described as examples of Card Advantage. It is one of the types of advantage that can help you win a game, but on its own is rarely enough.

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Nice Article Anthony.  I like your nuanced look at tempo, but i think you focused a bit too much on the attacking side of it.  You can out-tempo someone without attacking thier hero at all, although thats not going to happen in limited.

I think you should discuss the concept of inevitability and role (whos the beatdown?) and how it has special applications in limited (decking, etc) in a future article.  I really think it will help bring it all together.

Phil

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Check out my Article Series "Tools of the Trade" here at wowtcg.com!

You two should actually collaborate on an article.

Now there's an article I would look forward to. Athony and Phil discuss Limited!

Cheers.

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Come play at C & Js in Newark, CA

I found Eye of the Storm to be a fantastic location in limited as well, having the same sort of power that Horkin can have, shutting down the opponent's attack during their turn, then opening up the field to slaughter by your side of the board, untargetables aside.

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