My approach to this format is pretty close to just forcing 5c soup since it is fairly easy to do in this format. I very rarely end up in a deck focused on a particular synergy.

For this type of deck you need to prioritize one and two mana ramp, rocks, and dorks so you can get your game plan moving and not just skip the first several turns of the game. Along with that, you want to be sure to pick up a suite of 8+ nonbasics so you can cast your spells. The cube is full of game-winning expensive spells so those are the lowest priority because you can just grab them later in packs once your ramp/fixing is in place.

Outside of that particular strategy, I think my main advice for this cube is just to prioritize those one and two mana plays. Everyone gets to do broken stuff so advancing your gameplan earlier is a huge advantage.

Agree. I basically never draft a synergy-focused color pair or trio and I'm basically always drafting 5c soup and it works really well.

He’s still alive and playing regular shows in Vegas at the spry age of 82

Isn’t Jesus hurt? I imagine he would be pretty high up if he were playing.

Just got my facebook reminder that I defended my thesis at UW 8 years ago today. I feel so old.

I lived in Seattle (Ravenna) back around 2014-2016 and I am planning a trip back with some family and friends. We're all in our mid 30s. I want to prioritize staying in a fun active neighborhood with a good bar scene and access to transit/touristy things.

Is Capitol Hill the best choice for that? I'm not sure if it has changed but being on the light rail seems like a big plus. We are fun but I'm also not sure if it would be too young for us?

that can barely support a single EPL backer bar.

There's actually a small network of EPL supporter bars out there. McShane's is Arsenal, Spurs fans go to Mercury Burger Bar at least as of a few years ago, Man U fans go to Loaded Dice in Troy, and Crystal Palace fans go to DCFC Fieldhouse.

There are probably more that I don't know about.

I generally carry a decoy wallet in all four pockets + two or three extra if I'm wearing a jacket. One decoy is filled with cement so I can use it as a projectile if needed and another is filled with bees.

It makes me feel very safe but taking care of the bees is kind of expensive.

Do you really think it won't sell out? I'm hoping to get some tickets for the Michigan game but I'm worried that it's going to sell out quickly. Would have thought that the Apple Cup would be a bigger draw but maybe not.

Just a recommendation that if you are going to be posting a question in this thread, please be specific about where you are staying and what are you looking for because it's a big metro area with a lot of businesses.

When somebody says something like "I'm visiting, what restaurants should I go to?" I don't know if I'm supposed to recommend $$$$ award-winning tasting menu restaurants or cheap hole-in-the-wall restaurants. It also definitely matters where you are staying because I don't want to list a bunch of places in downtown Detroit and then find out that you are staying in Novi or something.

I'm relatively new to tennis but I appreciate players with big on-court personalities or very pronounced playing styles. I like to follow Danielle Collins because she fits both of those criteria and also because she seems so unpredictable. I was reading about Alexander Bublik and he seems like a big personality too.

Is there anybody left in the French Open that I might want to learn about?

Having an in-state rival and an out-of-state rival, I disagree with this.

I have a lot of friends who went to MSU and who are MSU fans. Usually we all get together to watch UM/MSU games. I don't have any friends who are Ohio State fans. It adds to the experience having an entire state full of enemies and hostile territory.

IIRC it's also traditionally the only game on when it's on which is a big deal.

This thread happens every year.

Thomas Magees will probably have the best crowd. They will also probably get pretty full and in the past have reached capacity (at least when Liverpool was playing). They are opening at 10am. In the past, they were charging a $20 cover for US World Cup games so it's possible that they could have a hefty cover Saturday.

Detroit City Fieldhouse hasn't announced anything but they will probably have the game on with audio.

McShane's hasn't announced anything either but I would guess that they will have the game on with audio.

I can't speak for anything in the suburbs.

As another commenter said, downtown Florence itself is just a wonderfully historic place to walk around. But here are the famous things. You won't be able to do all of it, so do some research and figure out your choices.

Uffizzi - Top art museum in town, one of the best in the world. Full of Renaissance art because Florence drove the Renaissance.

The Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) - The top landmark in town. A giant cathedral that towers over the rest of the city. You can walk in the ground floor or take stairs up to the top of the dome.

Ponte Vecchio - Famous bridge across the Arno River with jewelry shops on it.

Accademia - Small art museum with Michelangelo's David.

Pitti Palace - Renaissance Palace museum with all sorts of art and history and gardens.

Overwise--Piazza della Signoria is a nice plaza with a reproduction of the David statue. Santa Croce basilica has the tombs of some very famous Italians along with the beautiful church art you would expect. Nearby Vivoli makes the best gelato in town, maybe in all of Italy.

And the USA and other countries no matter where we stand agree to stay out of this other than humanitarian aid.

I think this means you side with the protestors

The name is a reference to people in Indiana having "basketball fever."

Still kind of dumb but makes more sense that way.

Detroit Shock, singular. Never had an issue with it. Somewhat related to the Pistons and cars while remaining its own thing.

"Starzz" is because Utah has a thing for Z names. I understand that it's still kind of dumb.

I think cruise ships generally have a pretty limited selection of channels and as far as I know most televised matches this year were on USA Network with a small number of matches on NBC proper.

I would bet that the ship gets NBC but could not tell you if they get USA Network.

This is the first I'm hearing of Sharpe. Worth a watch?

Somewhere along the line, in the pursuit of the exotic, our Chinese restaurants became a way of escape, to some far off land serving something resembling food

I'm going to butcher this but at some point I read that American dining out culture around the 1920s wasn't the way it is now where we have a huge variety of restaurants and that back then, the experience of going out was centered around dressing very fancy and having a very fancy meal at a traditional French-ish restaurant. Early Chinese restaurants and tiki evolved in opposition to this concept by heavily leaning into the exotic aspects of the food, decor, and so on.

If you feel like driving or taking an uber, Mink in Corktown is very well-regarded for its seafood tasting menu and Oak & Reel in New Center is another well-reviewed restaurant with a seafood tasting menu (and I think they have an a la carte menu as well). Google maps has a listing for Oak & Reel downtown but I think that's just a food truck.

Other than those, the other top seafood restaurant is probably going to be Joe Muer at the Renaissance Center which is an expensive (but all of these places are expensive) old-school dining experience with a focus on seafood. If you don't want to drive or take an uber to the other places and don't mind spending some money, they are a solid choice.

Have you tried calling them?

Where are the seminar locations? Are they in Detroit proper?