I just thought id throw this out...
What does everyone think the best way to shuffle a deck is? How do you guys do it? By this I mean not only the method, but the actual WAY. ie- riffle the long way pusshing them together, cutting and forcing half the deck into the other via the side etc etc.. does anyone find it better to shuffle on the open or closed side of the protectors?
Also does anyone have any recomendations on how to shuffle a Battle of Wits deck?
I do a standard Vegas riffle shuffle. Split your deck into halves, riffle together (not push together, but riffle) then straighten it up. I always make sure that the top card from the bottom half of the deck lands on top of the deck.
As for the Battle of Wits deck...help. Lots of help. Recruit judges if you have to.
What I do is pile shuffle, that is:
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
and so on, and the cards get very well randomized. After that, take the small piles and slide them together sideways, so they mix well. Rinse & repeat as necessary.
I know that I should end on the 4 to get to a 60 card deck, and I should end on the 8 to get to my 40 card draft deck. You'd be amazed how many times in draft I'll end on the 7 or 1, and be like, I've got one too many cards, or I've got a card missing, and it turns out to be like a Pacifism that either I played on my opponent's creature, or was played on one of my creatures.
LordLamneth
Well, mathematically the only foolproof way to completely randomize a deck is the "pick up 60" method.
why is the pile shuffle always 8 piles ? is it mathematically better than 3 or 15 piles ?
Never just push them together without sleeves, especially if you're not using proxies.
With the sleeves, you should always use the closed end or the sides, whether pushing them together or whatever, because if you don't you can end up forcing one sleeve into another and splitting it.
Without sleeves I don't know the name of the shuffle I use. I pick the deck up sideways and let it fall into my other hand so that the bottom cards are now on top and the middle cards are on the bottom, and the top cards are in the middle.
I usually do it 3 or 4 times.
With sleeves I riffle the sides together, or just push them.
I always avoid cuts because it ruins my hand. I don't rig the deck, but when I shuffle things just seem to fall into place. I think its leftover enchantments on my cards from when I was a Holy Sorcerer. Case in point:
Eric Kretzschmar was complaining with his Elvish Casino deck that he just couldn't get a Fog at the right time. I shuffled his deck, and he drew 4 Fogs, 2 Llanowars, and a Forest. There were a whole bunch of witnesses and it was immediatley ruled that I must shuffle everybody's deck. :^)
Pile shuffling is not a method of any degree of
randomness. Pile shuffling does not randomize
a deck at all. Basically, by pile shuffling, you
are just wasting your and your opponent's time.
Once or twice during a tournament you can do a
pile shuffle, some people claim it helps to avoid
mana screws. However, remember to properly
randomize, that is riffle etc shuffle, your deck
afterwards, or it will be interpreted as cheating.
Yrs
Thaurwylth
student of mathematics and statistics
University of Oulu, Finland
What I'll usually do is take what's in play, hand, graveyard, and removed from game zones, and file in one land between nonland cards. I then take that pile and riffle shuffle it into what was left of my library at least 8-10 times. Simple enough for me.