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[Obligatory apology if these types threads annoy some of you, but I've been playing since launch and am thrilled to have made it! I'm adding some thoughts on the grind to hopefully add some value to the post]
-I had taken a Silver Surfer build to Vibranium a couple times before this, but I had really wanted Bast and got her to start this season. I ran a Bast-Negative-Surfer build all the way to 100, so I'm glad it paid off. I stuck with a Wong version of it, despite being telegraphed before turn 6, it's nice to have the option for it when you can't get Negative out early, or already have Iron Man/Mystique in your hand pre-Negative.
-Relatively speaking, I cruised to Galactic before halfway through the month, and then was hard stuck bouncing from 93-99 for a week of grinding. I started to doubt the deck after being stuck int he 90s for a while, knowing full well it was off meta, but I knew it so well that I stuck with it. I'm glad I was able to accomplish it without leaning on Shuri or Aero
-I was at 96 when the patch came through last night, which may have helped me along the way against Thanos decks--still lost to plenty of Shuri-Red Skull though! As many have said, I think that deck is just as tough to beat, and perhaps the best outright now.
-Thanos really was ridiculous to play against pre-nerf, even when you had the upper hand, or even if I destroyed most of the stones with Killmonger. The amount of different things it can do is wild--which is fun--but Lockjaw into Leech is still easily the most annoying aspect of it. Leech is really pretty ridiculous if you compare it to almost anything else, pretty surprised it escaped a rework.
-Not saying anything new here, but the matchmaking is definitely frustrating for players around 70--feels like you should not be getting so many top end players at that rating and it's not fairly using your CL or deck or rank to match you (thanks MMR). Not unique to Snap, fully, but it's a pretty disadvantageous form of matchmaking in a card game.
-I hope we see more deck variation going forward, as much Thanos & Shuri as I saw in the 90s, there were a handful of other dangerous decks. I'm glad that Surfer was viable as I enjoy the logistics of playing this type of deck compared to power spiking big cards. Think we'll still be seeing plenty of that with Shuri still, though.
Finally, my full deck:
# (1) Bast
# (2) Zabu
# (3) Ironheart
# (3) Mystique
# (3) Rogue
# (3) Wolfsbane
# (3) Brood
# (3) Silver Surfer
# (3) Killmonger
# (4) Mister Negative
# (4) Wong
# (5) Iron Man
#
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Q: Hey Coach how is your day going? I hope things are going awesome for you. I just wanted to drop you a line and say thank you for giving us some great information on such a wide variety of topics.
I like the fact that you are multi-faceted and not just talking about the drug end of the sport. I do like that contents as well don't get me wrong but I also really enjoy all the recipes, health and longevity info, as well as your crazy stories. Damn bro you have some crazy shit happen to you often eh?
My question is about training videos from the Pro's. I have all of Ronnie Coleman's videos and I love watching them. Is there another one you could recommend for me that would be motivational yet informative as well?
I am not biased to any one single Pro so it could even be someone I am not familiar with. Let me know your thoughts as I know you give amazing recommendations for just about everything.
Thanks Coach
Shadow Warrior is a Classic!
A: Hey man thanks for writing in. I always look forward to guys sending me DM's with their questions and I do my best to help them. So you are looking for a good motivational and educational video are you? No worries I have one that you will really like for sure. I will recommend a video series that is by none other than Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. So let's take a look at what this is all about.
What an Amazing Trailer!
The “Shadow” as Dorian was called during his competitive heyday was a term that would invoke fear into the hearts of his competition. It was the 1990’s and Dorian was tearing up the Olympia stage like a true warrior and he wasn’t taking any prisoners. His domination on the platform was truly out of this world because he ushered in a new era of the mass monster. I remember as a teenager the amazing transformation Dorian did back in 1993 and those black and white photographs of him posing in the offseason.
One of the Best Backs in Bodybuilding History!
Just looking at those photos still motivates me to this day as they are truly legendary. Now in my opinion Dorian brought together the ultimate physique that will be remembered for decades to come. He packed on slabs of lean dense muscle, but at the same time, he never lost the aesthetic and symmetric proportions that seem to have disappeared within this last decade. He also was known for his conditioning and paper-thin skin. He would come in more dry and peeled than an onion. He was the perfect mix of mass, symmetry, and conditioning. A combination in my opinion, that has yet to be matched to this day.
The 1992 Transformation that Blew Everyone's Mind!
One Hell of a Video!
Dorian has recently released his new training video called “Shadow Warrior” and for all of you who are Dorian fans, it is a must-see. I have seen just about every bodybuilding video produced. Some of them are good, but then you have many that are too predictable following the same format. It consists of bodybuilder X working out then eating a meal. That gets boring pretty fast for even the most simple-minded bodybuilder. I want to give a huge thumbs up to Garry Phillips and Abhijit Chattaraj for producing one of the best bodybuilding films ever! Yes, folks, it’s that good and isn’t something I can say for the other dozen or so bodybuilding films produced every year. I was very impressed not only with the layout of the film but also the direction was superb.
Rowing 200 Pound Dumbbells for the Cover of FLEX Magazine!
Welcome to Temple Gym
This is not one of your simple hour and half bodybuilding flicks where it’s a back and forth mixes of training and eating and training and eating. It is a hell of a lot more than that and should be a reminder for others producing films to take as an example. It is set on two discs and contains close to 6 hours of amazing footage. The first disc covers the main feature and it was nothing short of amazing. It starts off with Dorian giving us a tour of Temple Gym and welcoming some different pros like Tony Freeman and Dennis Wolf in for a workout.
Dorian also spends time with all his fans that come and visit him no matter how big or small. He is well known to give back to the sport and is always helpful to everyone that comes to Temple Gym. One part I really liked about this is that he included some awesome archive footage from the 1990s. It contained some video footage of photoshoots and guest posing appearances that I have not seen anywhere else. It also covers a lot about his history in the sport from the time he got started as a teenager and his amazing progression over the years to become a 6 time Mr. Olympia. Included on this disc is also his 1996 interview at the Grand Prix. This was something that I never saw before and was very interesting to take a look back at one of his famous interviews.
Dry Dense Mass Monster!
Blood and Guts
Now just when you thought it was over think again. Next up is over 2 hours of one of his seminars at Liberty’s nightclub way back in 1990 after his Night of the Champions win. Now for those of you who are into volume training and have never tried his hardcore approach then I suggest you give it a try. In my opinion, for those that complain that they don’t get enough out of this style of training, I believe it’s because you don’t train with the intensity needed to make it work. Let’s be honest most guys that call themselves bodybuilders train with the intensity of a yoga instructor and simply don’t have the balls to destroy the weights with ten percent of what Dorian put into his workouts.
Very Few Trained as Intense as Dorian!
This is why high volume is so popular these days. We all know that Dorian trained like an animal in the gym and for those of you who didn’t see “Blood and Guts” then you don’t know what you are missing. Second many who try this system are not properly educated on how to incorporate it effectively. If you fail at these two most important pillars of this method you are doomed to fail. During this seminar, Dorian covers a treasure chest of training and nutrition knowledge. This info alone could have been a complete DVD and would have provided more useful information than most videos out there.
Teenage Dorian Never Giving Up!
Time for Pain
My favourite part of this video collection is where Dorian takes some top pro bodybuilders and gives them a taste of his style of training. This is kick ass because not only are you learning from him directly in the gym but also watching him punish his clients is worth the price of admission alone. It shows some footage of him training back with Zack Khan before the British Championships.
One quote I really liked is when he punishes them into the ground he mentions how all the weights at Temple Gym are heavier than other gyms. This goes to show that even with advanced pro’s that have been training for 15 to 20 years, Dorian still is teaching them how to maximize muscle contraction and perfect their form. In my opinion, no one in bodybuilding was more critical about proper biomechanics of exercise than Dorian, who looked for every angle to fully decimate the muscle.
Dorian Stayed Lean in the Off Season!
A Workout from Hell!
He puts the most renowned writer in bodybuilding history, Ron Harris through one hell of a leg workout. I am sure that workout left him limping in pain for at least a week to come. He also puts Evan Centropani through a back workout that is truly legendary. But the most inspiring part is his training sessions with Chris Cormier. As Chris mentioned, he’s been training for 30 years and the intensity of Dorian’s workouts are off the charts. Dorian puts him through a leg workout that will stay etched in Chris’ frontal lobe for the rest of his life.
Pain and Suffering To Create a Champion!
Dorian punishes him on a gauntlet of exercise all the while training like a beast himself. But the hack squats at the end of his workout leaves Chris on the verge of an out of body experience. Chris was suffering in pain and was swearing more than someone with Tourette’s. He stumbles up the gym stairs to lie in the dirty alley outside to multiple episodes of dry heaving and vomiting. Dorian brings him some water and tells him to get up because he’s making the place look untidy. This is classic footage of the reality of Dorian’s training sessions on one of the sport’s most experienced pro bodybuilders. It finishes off with a major photo collection of Dorian from his early training days and competitions all the way to the Olympia stage.
The Original Mass Monster!
Classic Footage
Now for those of you who were thinking about ordering this video all I can say is that it will be a classic added to your collection. It has tons of valuable educational information that you can apply to your training and nutrition program. But best of all the raw footage seen here is not available anywhere else and believe me it is truly priceless.
Dorian is a Big Fan of Medical Cannabis!
I was very impressed not only with the content but the layout and production were fantastic. This is without a doubt my favourite bodybuilding video released in over a decade. If you are looking to add one new bodybuilding video to your stash this year then this is the one to have. Yes, it’s that good so get yourself a copy while you can! You can find it at www.theshadow-warrior.com
A True Bodybuilding Legend!