This week in Editors’ Picks: A goodbye, a return, and a correctly spelled Vally.
James’ pick: Geekosystem
After over two years working here, ascending from a lowly intern to the all-powerful Managing Editor who regularly goes Kaio-ken times ten whenever his fingers strike a keyboard, I’m taking my bittersweet leave. Instead of regaling you too much with the many fun times I’ve had here, like drinking what was basically poison for a taste test, or working for a place that likes to blindside you faithful readers with terror every chance we got, I’ll keep this short.
It’s largely been a good ol’ time here at Geekosystem, and the site will be left in the great (and comforting, sensual) hands of Rollin and Ian, and whatever new challengers that may come along. I want to thank everyone here for giving me the opportunity to do what I love and write about things I want to write about. It’s been great.
For my last recommendation, I recommend Geekosystem. The place will stay strong without me, and we should all look forward to what’s coming down the line, whether or not the site will be a little less focused on how much a certain one of us loathes a particular gaming company. If you want to see what I’m up to, Twitter is always a good stalking ground, but hey, so is Geekosystem, and you should continue to hide in its bushes.
Rollin’s pick: Deap Vally
Somewhere deep inside, there’s a love for bands made of only two musicians that only grows stronger with time. The White Stripes, Death From Above 1979, and Matt & Kim have all held my rapt attention from time to time. I’m not what one might call talented when it comes to music, so I have to live vicariously through these bands like any good fan might.
Though I’ve only recently come to discover them, Deap Vally now resides with the rest of these bands in my heart and mind. Lindsey Troy brings the vocals and guitar riffs to the mix whilst Julie Edwards drums along. Though I’m not one to give labels, they definitely appear to fall well within the confines of blues rock.
They’ve not even released their debut album yet, which drops next year, but I’m already in love. From “Baby I Call Hell” to “End of the World,” Deap Vally is the preferred soundtrack to my life at current. None of their songs feel excessively complicated or intricate, but they hit me right in the feels every time.
Ian’s pick: Return to Ravnica
I’ve only recently returned to the world of Magic: The Gathering after a long absence from the game. It was one I didn’t think would end until a buddy drew me back in with the latest horror-themed expansion set, the Innistrad block. Because I’ll consume pretty much any form of media with a werewolf or zombie on it, I decided to test the waters of MTG once more. Before I knew it, I was (predictably) back in the deep end.
So while the latest expansion, Return to Ravnica, feels like a whole new world to me, it’s got a lot to offer. As someone who has always relished the slightly more complicated play involved in multicolored cards, Ravnica, with its variety of color-blending guilds, makes for one heck of a playground.
The guild system also makes playing MTG feel a little more cost effective — an important boon for what can sometimes feel like an all-too-expensive hobby. With just a couple bucks worth of boosters, I could build a couple of decks around different colors, guilds and themes — I wouldn’t necessarily take them to a tournament, but for a couple of hands among friends, they serve admirably.
Each guild and deck has a distinctly different style of play, and forces you to think about the way you play the game every single time you sit down. It’s not exactly groundbreaking stuff, but it injects some great new blood into the game, and ensures that I won’t be bailing on my CCG of choice any time in the near future.
