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Cerberus

22:18

@Vitaly Wow, lucky. Did you rank high?

Vitaly

3 hours ago, by Vitaly

Cerberus

Ah I was just reading that, well done.

Or did you expect more?

Vitaly

Cerberus

I'm afraid I don't know what those numbers are.

Vitaly

@Cerberus Well, at 50m left and with all those you-know-whats who take the full 30 seconds to play a card, I didn't expect to get 1%.

Cerberus

22:22

Ah OK.

Vitaly

@Cerberus They mean that in the last 9 tournaments I joined (sealed, with random cards from 4 purchased packs), I never went lower than Top 50%.

Cerberus

50 % of what? You mean you never scored lower than the 50th percentile?

I guess 1000 is the average score?

Vitaly

Yeah, it's the default score.

Cerberus

OK.

Not bad.

Vitaly

If you lose, you go below 1000. If you win, you go above 1000. If you win against a high-ranked player, you win about 13 points. If you win against a low-ranked player, you win about 4 points. If you win against someone in your vicinity, you win 10 points. You need 1150 points for Top 1% (which means the full 2 hours, Atlas, one or two EMPs, Tiamat, and Omega/Apex).

Cerberus

22:25

Ah.

Vitaly

And remember that you get random cards. They can be quite bad.

Cerberus

Yes.

Vitaly

I fought at least 5 battles in each tournament, and that 1000 is from a series of wins and losses with Lord Alexander (commander, low HP, no special abilities), 2 Legendaries (you can only use one per deck), and 2 useless rares.

Having Atlas alone gives you at least Top 25%.

And that last column is the number of players participating in the tournament.

Cerberus

Ah yes.

Is Apollo still popular?

Vitaly

No.

But tournaments give you Capacitors (if you win, of course). And you need them for Heracles.

I have to get Top 5% 10 more times or Top 10% 20 more times to get enough Capacitors fot Heracles.

Remember when you supported that thread about excessive grinding?

I am still grinding, and I am not even halfway there. Only 1/3.

Just for that one single card.

Missions    | Wars | Raids
Tournaments | Wars | Daily_Chance

Cerberus

22:38

@Vitaly Awful.

And when you have it, some new card may have appeared that whoops its behind...

sueddeutsche.de/kultur/…

Very impressive.

Günter Grass on the Greek crisis and the meaning of Greece for our culture.

I am so glad that a poem like this appears in newspapers all over the continent.

The metaphor with Antigone is superb. Very well found.

I did have to use the dictionary a lot.

"**Europas Schande**

*Ein Gedicht von Günter Grass*

Dem Chaos nah, weil dem Markt nicht gerecht,
bist fern Du dem Land, das die Wiege Dir lieh.

Was mit der Seele gesucht, gefunden Dir galt,
wird abgetan nun, unter Schrottwert taxiert.

Als Schuldner nackt an den Pranger gestellt, leidet ein Land,
dem Dank zu schulden Dir Redensart war.

Zur Armut verurteiltes Land, dessen Reichtum
gepflegt Museen schmückt: von Dir gehütete Beute.

Die mit der Waffen Gewalt das inselgesegnete Land
heimgesucht, trugen zur Uniform Hölderlin im Tornister.

Why not post it whole.

Vitaly

Ah yes. Impressive.

I am afraid I don't know what those words mean, though.

Cerberus

@All Europeans: You must read this. Read a translation if necessary.

Vitaly

Are Russians considered Europeans?

Cerberus

To some extent. In this case, not being in the Eurozone makes it less emotive for you, probably.

Vitaly

Ah OK.

Good to know.

So is Greece the country where you can buy cheap fur coats in summer?

Cerberus

22:46

It is a reflection on Greece, its "guilt", it's legacy, its people, and our relation to them and Europe.

Vitaly

Or was it Turkey?

Cerberus

That was Russia I think.

Vitaly

I am quite certain that Russians visit one of those countries in summer just to buy a fur coat.

Cerberus

It is possible.

Although I would have expected stuff to be fairly cheap in Russia...

Except in Moscow, probably.

But even Petersburg is quite cheap.

Unless I did something wrong.

Vitaly

@Cerberus If that statement of yours doesn't have double meaning, stuff is more expensive outside of large cities.

Cerberus

22:51

It does not, but that surprises me.

Vitaly

(Where large means with a population of 5 million upwards)

Cerberus

Including supermarkets?

How many inhabitants does Petersburg have?

Vitaly

Yes.

5 million.

Cerberus

Prices were about half or 1/3 of what we pay here I'd say.

Supermarkets, restaurants.

How come supermarkets are more expensive in the country?

Vitaly

Because almost everything ultimately comes through or from Moscow. (Transportation and other costs.)

Cerberus

22:52

One would expect them to be more expensive where richer people live, and tourists.

Hmm.

Here everything probably comes through Rotterdam.

But I don't think that makes any difference. Then again, your country is slightly larger.

Vitaly

@Cerberus That was a bit British of you.

Cerberus

Was it?

The understatement?

Vitaly

Yeah.

Cerberus

I am very English.

Vitaly

When I think of England-2012, an image of an arrogant teenager whose values lay far outside the educational plane comes to mind.

Cerberus

22:58

Values?

Vitaly

> the principles and beliefs that influence the behaviour and way of life of a particular group or community

Cerberus

When I think of England, I think of proper English and tea and cucumber sandwiches and refined manners on the one hand, and fat, loud people in Adidas track suits on the other.

Vitaly

Haven't they been enforcing a culture that is almost diametrically opposite to the traditional stereotype of a reserved Englishman?

Cerberus

Ah. I suppose the lower-middle and lower-classes have always been like that.

Vitaly

But I would very surprised to hear that there were many such teenagers in, say, the 70s.

Cerberus

23:00

The island has always been loaded with cross barbarians.

That's why they drink so much.

They may have manifested themselves differently in the past.

Vitaly

Where by “such teenagers” I mean kids who have never been told off for disruptive public behavior, who take it for granted that they may do whatever they please; and kids who are somehow ashamed of their being more educated than others and try to be ‘politically correct’ and behave like the lowest common denominator does.

Cerberus

Being spoiled and ashamed at the same time is a bit hard to picture.

Vitaly

I am describing two different groups.

Cerberus

Ah.

Well, political correctness is typically American, and things American have influenced English society more than other European countries over the past decades, somehow.

Vitaly

Note the scare quotes.

Cerberus

23:04

As to the spoiled kids, I don't know whether those are more prevalent on the island than here.

@Vitaly They are pretty.

Vitaly

@Cerberus And hasn't the whole of Poland emigrated to London?

Cerberus

Have they?

I thought they were here.

Vitaly