u/OlegRu

I played MtG as a kid from roughly early '95 thru ~'98/'99. I'm getting back into Magic and want to play Shandalar also.

I've played the original + this 2010 edition (from this YT video) on/off. I've read thru the sticky + many other posts, and I still got a bit lost in the many different versions/patches/mods.

Here's my preferences/situation:

• More stable/less glitchy than what I've been playing. (Any graphics + QoL improvements would be nice bonuses)
• Manageable card pool: Probably not thousands of cards - like I remember many of the old cards pretty well, especially from my core playing years, but also want to relearn the card pool well enough to recognize cards, interactions, combos, and what I should be looking for while building a deck.
• I'd like to improve as a player/deck builder. I'm naturally not a great strategist, and wasn't at all as a kid, but now I'm quite interested in learning and experimenting with good decks/combos.
• My core era was roughly 4th Edition/Ice Age thru Mirage/Visions/Weatherlight, and I was decently familiar w/Revised + earlier sets. I remember Tempest too, but that's when I started fading out.
• Currently doing some 5th Ed. drafts w/the 2 friends I played with as a kid, so overlap with that card pool would be useful practice.

I've no idea what number of cards/sets is the sweet spot before it all becomes too diluted and difficult to learn/build around, so I don't necessarily need to have every card/set from my era.

Given all that, what Shandalar version/mod/patch setup would you recommend?

I thought there used to be a way to tell, unless I’m misremembering.

Right now, it seems like the preview only lets me distinguish Maxi from levels 1–3, but not tell which of levels 1, 2, or 3 it actually is.

For example, I get the screenshot above in the preview, showing:

• 5-9 Green Dragons
• 5-9 Red Dragons
• 1-4 Gold Dragons
• 1-4 Black Dragons

Those ranges seem to fit levels 1-3, so the preview doesn’t narrow it down any further. Only a Maxi, with 5 Black Dragons, would display differently.

Is there some other way to tell whether a Utopia is level 1, 2, or 3 from the preview, or is that only possible from entering it now?

A group of top world-renowned EDS-related specialists united to form a new initiative called Neuro-EDS (and continuing to bring in more related experts) and establish in in the mainstream. It's a phenotype - a recurring pattern of how a disease shows up - for a patient population like mine, who have EDS together with a big list of complex, multisystem conditions. The idea is to unite all of these issues under one framework, recognizing that they're interconnected and have similar underlying roots, and so it's as commonly accepted and known as i.e. diabetes etc.

Potential Implications include:

• Being able to see one specialist/coordinated team instead of a list of disconnected providers.
• More focused, large-scale research + significantly more funding
• Mainstream, government & insurance recognition/coverage
• Earlier & more accurate diagnoses
• Better treatments & potential cures
• More doctors who understand and can treat it

Video of Dr. Bolognese + Dr. Bloom explaining the initiative

Preprint Article detailing the initiative (authored by several top EDS docs, including Dr. Klinge)

Many, including myself, are sharing this w/EDS-related patients, activists/orgs, and providers - the more we can help them get it out there and "viral", the more chance it could benefit us all!

I've used the machine for 10 nights (skipped 1) and trying to remove as much friction as possible from it feeling comfortable to use, so I can keep it on all night and give it a fair trial!

I'm looking for advice on what to prioritize trying, given my case, to improve the experience.

Sleep background/testing

Through adulthood, my main issue has been nightly/early morning wake ups, with periods of time when it's difficult to fall back asleep, and now currently - how increasingly unrefreshing my sleep feels. Falling asleep is usually pretty quick, esp. if reading.

Over the last few years, I started to need an hour more of sleep (solid 8+, instead of ~7hrs.), feel way more run down if getting less than that, and have strong inertia/grogginess that lasts for hours. When waking too early, sleep quality is much poorer once I fall back asleep.

I've been using Fitbits for years, and weirdly, while my score/details used to strongly correlate to how I felt, in the last couple of years, it generally shows great scores & details.

In 2025 I had 2 home + 1 in-lab sleep study. The in-lab was interpreted as mild, strongly positional sleep apnea: Overall 3% AHI of 6.9 (1.4 if using 4%), and 22 RERAs. Pretty normal oxygen (mean SpO₂ 95%, min. 91%, never below 88%). It also showed moderate fragmentation, so my doctor thinks the RERAs/UARS component could be contributing to my unrefreshing sleep.

Relevant health issues

I have hEDS (hypermobility/connective-tissue disorder) and ongoing spinal/neck issues (i.e. instability). Also, OCD, Adhd, anxiety etc. and a pretty sensitive nervous system. These all make it more difficult to get comfortable/settled and sleep easy, especially when another variable (i.e. PAP) is introduced.

It's all worsened over time, and I'm not sure what's the chicken/egg - causing the other - the health issues or sleep, so want to see if improving sleep-breathing helps.

Current PAP setup

ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet w/ AirFit N30i nasal cradle (med.) and ClimateLine heated tube

• APAP 4-18 cmH₂O
• EPR/Pressure Relief 3, full-time
• 20-minute ramp starting at 4
• Climate Control Auto / Tube Temp Auto (edit: feel like I'd prefer cooler air)
• SmartStart: On / SmartStop: Off

My first 10 days experience

I still fall asleep fairly quickly w/the PAP (once I stop fiddling w/it), but keep it on for ~1.5-4.5 hours (4+ is in 2 x 2hr. chunks) before waking up and ditching it.

Experiencing 2 major obstacles:

1. Pressure/breathing comfort
   1. The more straightforward issue: higher pressures I've experienced (roughly 9-12) have felt overly forceful - almost like my nose/mouth are being inflated/turned into a wind tunnel, and feeling uncomfortable to exhale against.
   2. The very odd, bigger issue: At various times/pressures, I feel like I can't get a satisfying in/exhale - not like choking, but just feeling like in/exhales are somewhat "resisted"/don't flow easily. It's happened at diff. settings (i.e. pressure 4-8 etc.) where other times they felt completely fine. Edit: despite it not being tight (no marks etc.), loosening the straps seems to slightly improve this(?)
   3. Note on both of the above: they happen when I wake up at night, and it's the main trigger to ditch mask. Interestingly, opening my mouth seemingly makes breathing easier as I'm doing it - almost as if when you make an airhole in a bottle and it flows freely (AFAIK, my mouth is generally closed, just an observation I noticed).
2. Positioning/mask: Due to my neck/spinal issues, positioning is quite limited/finicky. I mostly sleep on my left, but often roll into a partially right-side prone position w/my head between raised arms. The mask cheek straps, top hose etc. can often make it harder to settle. I've been getting by, but it definitely complicates reading to fall asleep + keeping mask on at night, so any setup/equipment tweaks would be appreciated.

I'd really appreciate any advice on how to make it more comfortable/less disruptive, so I can keep it on all night and give it a fair trial! Also, it'd be great to hear from those w/similar sleep/other issues.

Preferably, simplest/highest-impact things to try first, so I don't get overwhelmed.

• I have an SD card, downloaded OSCAR (screenshots here), and made a SleepHQ (link here) - Sharing but don't know anything about them.
• My in-lab study report GDrive link (redacted for sharing).

Thank you!

I got a Pulsetto FIT to trial to see if I could calm my nervous system/improve mental health because I'm very sympathetic-dominnant, and my friend said it's improved his life significantly.

It makes your neck, and often jaw/shoulder muscles twitch pretty significantly.

Is this safe for someone w/moderate CCI but that's relatively functional?