Automation

This is a section which automats stuff while playing. Making the game less clickable and thus better playable.

Actually these settings are not a match settings, but a human player interface setting, since the match doesn´t do the passing, its the HumanPlayer-class internally.

The section is diveded into two sub categories:

1. Stack stuff

2. "auto" - stuff

Automation switches

Stack stuff

These are settings whether passing a stack request should be done "automatically" or done by "clicking". The (official MTG-) rules say that at almost all phases you can play an instant. To be able to do that well you must be given the opportunity to do so. But giving this opportunity also means asking you what todo, and asking usually means that one expects an answer.

An answer in a computer game very often is a mouseclick. So asking at every possible location for a instant cast is very tedious for the player. And for the now implemented portal set not even does it make sense, since cards that might be asked for do not even exist.

In the picture shown above are the current default settings, which make a great deal of sense.

Short comments:

• Pass active stack on own creature - means, as a player when you just played a creature you have the "stack" activity. You have to pass to give your opponent the activity. I can´t really think of any reason why after playing a creature the player should cast another instant directly afterwords. But again - I don't know all cards...

• all the checked checkboxes mean that you won´t be asked for stack activity

• Declare attacker steps - here it makes sense to be asked, sinse even in portal there are some instances to be played.

• Combat damage step - I left out the check here, because it is nice to see the results of a combat. If this checkbox is checked, the game steps automatically thru all battle stages and you only get a glimps of the combat results.

Automation

These settings in general make the game even less clicky. These are automations which save "stupid" questions. Like "please untap creatures" (even if there is nothing to untap).

I hope the names of the checkboxes are more or less self describing. Here a few bullit words:

• upkeep - as yet there are no cards that need update, it makes a whole lot of sense to autopass...

• auto untap saves clicking. But if you like the "real" feeling of a table game - leave the checkbox unchecked. In that case you have to "manually" click all tapped cards in the untap phase to - well - to untap them.

• The last checkbox is worth noting!
  Here the default might be strange for seasoned players, but you can allways uncheck :-). I encountered very often, that I spend all mana in the first main phase and there is often nothing left to do especiall if I didn't engage my opponent in a battle (in that case most of the time the second main phase is directly after the first, so I could have done everything in the first phase...). So this option passes the second main phase automatically!