New Redemption Grab Bag now includes an assortment of 500 cards from five (5) different expansion sets. Available at Cactus website.
Start by thoroughly shuffling your deck. Your opponent(s) may also shuffle your deck.
I like stack shuffling more and more, the more I do it. Bridge shuffles tend to take a while to really randomize the cards; mine always come in clumps after a mere bridge(s).Also, there are some people who do not wish to bridge their cards or have another person bridge for them. As much as we all want to help, be on the lookout for people who will feed your deck to you if you try this with their cards.
"Stack shuffling" also seems to work pretty well. Start each stack with a LS, mix the rest of the deck and then place the cards in the stacks. Pile up the stacks and do a couple hand shuffles. If your deck was sorted previous to starting the process, maybe do a second stack shuffle.
The piles method is generally accepted as the better method for shuffling. It makes a statistically well-shuffled deck, and is very gentle to the cards.
While the second part is true, the first is not. What a pile shuffle does is provide a means of evenly distributing LS in a deck. While this may be desirable from a player's point of view it is distinct from being a statistically well-shuffled deck.
I know you've all heard the same story before of poor little jimmy had the perfect draw but couldn't win because bob just wouldn't draw any lost souls during the game. This one thing is super annoying and takes away from the game, and many times determined Nats. I had a couple of thoughts on how to make this problem be less of a game damper. What if we increased the lost soul count to like 10 per fifty cards. Or start the game with the lost souls already out on the board. I think the lost soul issue is something that really needs to be addressed. You're just taking away so much from the game if player A has a better deck, but can't beat player B's noob deck because all his lost souls are on the bottom the whole game. What do you guys think?
I like stack shuffling more and more, the more I do it. Bridge shuffles tend to take a while to really randomize the cards; mine always come in clumps after a mere bridge(s).
I know opponents may shuffle, but in tourneys is enough time given to shuffle well? I like the idea of a Shuffling station where you can get your cards shuffled. Maybe we should make it mandatory so it would be fair. Poor shuffling seems to be rampant in the tournament scene.
Mabye just have everyone who is shuffled and ready hold their hand up, then once everyones hand is up, the clock starts and they all d8.
Quote from: EmJayBee83 on July 14, 2009, 04:53:47 PMWhile the second part is true, the first is not. What a pile shuffle does is provide a means of evenly distributing LS in a deck. While this may be desirable from a player's point of view it is distinct from being a statistically well-shuffled deck.If the piles are only done once, yes, the souls are evenly distributed. If it's done three times, which Chris Bany once told me is proper, they will not be evenly distributed.