To make the copper waxing a little less painful, you can wax the copper blocks at the stage during the oxidisation state, then cut them at the stonecutter. It saves up to 7 wax for cut copper slabs and you'll never need to pillar up later to wax them, nor carry your wax-n-ax on your hotbar as you build. It's the weirdest thing about how you can wax copper before cutting it and it stays waxed, but for some reason that's a thing that works. It's as strange as breaking a stone slab with normal pickaxe and not getting a cobblestone slab.

a true untouchable base, excited to see where this goes 🏆

Thanks for playing the Elytra course Etho! That editing voice was wild :-D EDIT: You can do multiple runs and update your score!

We all knew Etho got immediately addicted to the Hermit TCG. But I’m amazed by how much he built since last episode

When seeing Etho editing I still imagine his minecraft skin sitting behind the pc to edit his adventures

It's worth visiting Pearl's base, she's also doing alien stuff

It's always good to hear that "we're having too much fun" is why you're busy not "life is trouble". Here's hoping Beef's game continues to be fun for you all! I love your drafting machine. Maybe, like a MTG draft, you can fill in basic Item(land) cards as needed at the end for free, so you don't have to pick them against other more useful cards?

Etho, I'd love to watch a 5 hour compilation of all the TCG games you played

Honestly, if you're enjoying the TCG, you can upload the gameplay! I think there's enough viewers who'd love to see how your deck plays.

Already can state it’s a certified etho classic

I love that the other Hermits all watch Etho’s videos like the Etho fangirls we all are. X already commented, and the last video or two ago had Grian making shorts with what he learned, Bdubs referring to the last one too geeking out over his editing… Etho is just so lovable!

You really just said "I might add some trees here," and then smash cut to one of the prettiest custom trees I've ever seen 😳 I continue to be enarmoured with your build style! ! 💕

So happy for Beef he grinded so long to finish glad its a big hit

I would personally love to see a full video of just beefs card game

Why not show us the games of TCG if you love it we would love to see it too! Maybe upload a dedicated video or something. The other hermits have just been adding the games to their videos.

Every time Etho shows a redstone thing he’s made I’m always impressed. He casually doubled the fun of Beef’s game with the draft mode

Ethoslab is the only person that can instantly switch my bad day to a good one. Absolutely love him.

Idea for ice track: put in booster spots with Blue Ice!

i remember watching Ren’s let’s play series back in the day, in the mole hole. He’d always talk about how Etho was one of his favorite minecraft players. And now here they are, making a boat race together. Awesome!

Maybe you could add a chest to the drafting system which get one dirt (fx) block added each time you've picked a card. That way you'd have a counter for how far into the draft you are rather than having to sum up all your chosen cards.

I mentioned this in the previous video, but when making a curves of some fixed width you want to start by defining the inside of the curve and then build out perpendicular to the tangent of the curve. It works a fair bit better then trying to build out on both sides of the middle.

"Man what am I going to do now?" *sees Etho uploaded a video "Fate has spoken. Now where are my snacks?"

Definitely go check out Pearls build. She’s gone for the alien aesthetic this season, and Pearl being Pearl - it just looks incredible. She has some lore behind it, including an alien ancient civilisation, and a man made civilisation that built on top of the ruins. Maybe you could have some accompanying lore of a different alien civilisation, who occupied the same world? Can’t wait to see where you take this.

As soon as he started talking about his competitiveness I knew exactly what he was gonna say, and still chuckled a little when he said it.

Hearing Etho's voice after a difficult day is like a soothing balm for the soul 😭❤

Etho: "I'm not very competitive bc that is not me" Also Etho: "As long as I get 1st place I'll be happy!" 😂🤣😂🤣

I'm still amazed at the sheer amount of content that TCG has inspired. Your deck drafting machine is crazy cool!

You mentioned you went into the rough when you went into snow, you’ve probably thought of this but you could totally incorporate it as bunkers or to design a high risk high reward shortcut.

For the race course, instead of one single, large course, you could break it up into 4 or so medium sized themed courses (Think of the grand prix's from Mario Kart) That way, if someone screws up horribly, they won't have to just give up on the entire race, but instead have a chance to catch back up points-wise in the next races. For themes they don't have to be crazy, something like an ice spike theme, a spruce forest theme, a mountain river theme, etc.

The TCG draft is so cool! I would maybe consider structuring it more like a mtg draft where the draft pool excludes the basic land/energy and then the lands/energy cards are free to add after the draft? That way deckbuilding and drafting can be more forgiving 👍

Viewers gathering excitedly to watch Etho and Ren working on the new boat race! When asked about the boat race, Etho was heard saying, “...its pretty cool though.” This was after he assured us the aim of the boat race was not to, “burn out.” Loving the base design and the ice track, Etho!

Etho, I just want you to know, as someone who struggles with Aphantasia, seeing you and Bdubs just expand your building practices really make me happy. Its hard for me to visualize buildings that you and bdubs make, but every time I see the completed product its just a full blown amazing thing. I know its not much to you to see this comment, or the want to even respond to it, but you and bdubs really do make my life fun and exciting when I play Minecraft because I like to use your building habits.

Cool drafting machine etho, good idea about creating that so the game doesn't get stale from everyone just using pre-chosen hands. The only issue I saw was that you can't tell which book cards are which- it'd be good if there was a way to access the cards to read them in a case like that

It only occurred to me just now but you and Ren don’t have to be the only ones to work on this. Meaning some of the Terraforming and decor can be done by the other Hermits and you can make this a really cool massive server project that lasts and provides content to other Hermits.

I can really feel etho pushing himself to build differently on this build, I'm living it so far !

for retexturing the stairs, it might feel better to have the jungle wood where you walk and the mud on the edges.... this will guide your eye to the center of the path where its brighter:) this also matches what you did in the gate (darker dirt outside, lighter mud center) base is looking great etho! loving the projects youre doing this season!

The most surefire way of making my day a little better is seeing a notification that Etho just posted another video

You could have all players throw some amount of cards into the pool, then combine the pools and reshuffle them out between the players involved. That way the distribution is always fair regardless of what cards are brought, it offers a great way for hermits to use cards they otherwise have no use for, and it does some fun shuffling of collections outside of trading.

I love how the melon tree joke will never die

You probably hear this way to often, seeing as I believe that I've already said it twice or thrice in the last two years. But I really love the build style you've developed over the years. Your work with colours, shaped and concepts (such as constricting a tunnel or doing the opposite for effect) us really good. You where once the crazy redstone chap who build a mancave cause he was afraid off exteriors, but you've flowered into a real builder with a unique style, and a great redstoner. Anyhow, when will you build an ugly brick thing ladders ;p Love your stuff, keep being awesome

Etho's "Ahaaa"s and "Uhumm"s are the best. So wholesome. I think I've started doing that IRL.

You should add like little sections of blue ice as booster pads

i love where you're going with your base! i've always been a big fan of the colour scheme that you used in your ender chest room in s7, so i love that you're working with a more updated version of that colour scheme! thank you for the wonderful videos as always, i really needed a pick-me-up like this today :)

You could always post videos of you playing TCG. I'm sure we all wouldn't mind. Glad you're having fun!

For the archway mountain thing on your base, you should mix in some other types of grays (andesite, tuff, cobblestone, gravel, etc.) so it sort of breaks up the smoothness and monotony (similar to how you mixed in leaves and moss on the gateway)

The draft system is a great idea and looks so fun. Great vid.

i'm VIBRATING i'm so excited to see where this base goes this season. just the entrance already looks so cool and jfncjdjfkd. the s7 Monstrosity™ was my favourite base you've ever done (even unfinished) but i think that this one could probably take the trophy for favourite depending on how things go! that block palette is amazing.

I feel like adding things seen on real tracks could add a lot to the ice boat track. Things like chicanes and hairpins can add places for people to lose/gain time, rewarding people for following the correct line!

Etho has the greatest personality and humor ❤

I just have to say, that nether hub tunnel for the race track is glorious.

9:16 Etho, you can right-click the bamboo using shears to stop the growth!

Love the video!!! Glad you put in about the boat race. I watched Ren's side of it, so I'm glad you were recording too. Had to work later than usual and so glad to see a video of yours when I got on!!!! Great theme for your base, love the color palette you have chosen. Can't wait for the next video!!!!

This is literaly the thing in my whole week. Always happy to see a video from you Etho :)

you can wax copper before you cut it, etho! just to save you some time and honeycomb next time xD Love what you're doing! those colors are sick!

Boat Race: would be cool to have some patches of blue ice as “speed boosts”, also maybe some simple dispensors with target blocks that allow the players to throw snowballs and dispense water to slow down other players

I had starting watching Doc's playlist and it's always a real treat to see you showing up in his videos! Glad to hear you're having fun after that burnout concern a while back.

I am absolutely stunned by how the base is coming along, the alien gate looks great and the color combinations, the details, chefs kiss and that draft tcg, I am lost for words, as a tcg fan, this is so cool, very excited to see this in action, the loading time at the start is pretty slow but worth!

The use of existing natural enviroment in the boat race project really reminds me of rally racing and how they would transform nature scapes into race courses for drivers to beat. It's amazing how you and rendog were able to capture that feeling, and how efficient the plan is in terms of setting it up. It is just a really cool project in my opinion.

That area with the ice hills and the polar bear spawns would be perfect for an endgame gauntlet of some kind, IMO. Haven't seen if Ren's done anything on that end of the track, but it creates multiple benefits for the health of the game, IMO. Also, it's a cool environment. (Both literally, and aesthetically)

I love how you always work in how your build look when entering and leaving! It's so cool and thoughtful! And I love the drafting machine, it would definitely add more to TCG!

That dirt mushroom is perhaps my favorite feature of Etho's base

Would the mud brick texturing on the staircase look better on the outside? and the lighter wood on the inside? Shows wear and tear maybe. Awesome build! I always love seeing your style.

Your build style is always so unique and cozy! I've loved watching the improvement over the years! As always, thanks for being such a joy to watch and learn from!

The boat course was great! Many of the tight sections probably don't need barriers to tell you where to stay between, and maybe it's better to drive in F5 mode so you can see the bends coming up. As for the deck randomiser from 3 decks, I think that's a great idea! It'd fit perfectly into the sides of cubs arena where the beacons are, perhaps Etho could work with Beef to make a super technically advanced arena, I'm sure doc would wanna get in on this too! Base is looking awesome Etho! Feel like it needs a massive Etho head at the top of those gates like the statue in your single player world

you know its a good day when etho uploads a vid. also you could make like a seperate series to show all your tcg battles. i actually like watching tcg battle vids

It looks phenomenal from the thumbnail!!

A cool and quick 2-player draft mechanic I know from MTG is called Winchester Draft. Basically you deal 1 card to each of 4 piles face up, then the first player choses one pile and takes all the cards in that pile. Then you deal anoher card to each pile (so 3 of them have 2 cards, and the last has 1 card), then the second player chooses a pile. Then you go back and forth choosing piles until you run out of cards. The "worst" piles will eventually have so many cards that you pick them just for aggregate quality, so it's self-limiting. It goes quickly because you draft multiple cards at once instead of needing a choice for every single card, and is pretty fair, as "good" cards are balanced out with more cards to build with. Then depending on how many cards you draft, you just pick your best 42 cards (or even fewer is possible to play with) and make a deck from them.

Great idea with the drafting machine. I suspect a lot of hermits will enjoy the challenge of varied decks.

Etho can you record the TCG games and upload them as their own series? I would love to see them and see you dominate the competition lol

the way a new episode from Etho always makes my day. Thank you for your content!

etho! as a bit of a tcg nerd who played a ton of magic in the day, i LOVE the draft system! i think its a perfectly natural addition to beef's tcg. i personally enjoy the "pick your best 126" idea; it seems easier to grok and more freeform as opposed to specifically "typing" your card pool. another interesting idea would be to somehow include a mechanic whereby players could draft from the same card set, like in a magic "cube" where players make packs out of a shuffled large collection and pass them around to grab cards. this way, the focus would be more on the players' drafting ability as opposed to the cards they put in a box. dunno how difficult that would be to implement but just throwing some ideas out for consideration!

That gateway is so beautiful! I always love seeing what you do with block combinations!

Always excited to see a new Etho video!!!

I'd love to see TCG content from you!

On the boat track, I think it would be nice to have more "natural" edges, especially since you're using the rivers as a starting point. So only use the big red/white walls to define the course where absolutely necessary. If you want to make the path more apparent, you can even put the walls a few blocks back on the banks of the river, so that you get the walls clearly telling the direction to go, while keeping the nice edges. Of course, you still might want to use walls in certain places to prevent jagged catch points. My suggestion on track design: - When possible, define the inside of the corners with some other blocks at the same level as the ice. This makes it so you're still slowed down if you go too tight, but you aren't brought to a sudden stop like with a jagged wall. - On the exits of corners, keep the walls smooth for a little while where possible. Hitting the wall will still slow you down, but won't stop you dead. - On narrow, almost straight sections, again take advantage of putting blocks on the same level as the ice, to make the boundary a little more forgiving. These tips should make for a very fun, fast course that lets you do lots of high-speed drifting through the turns. The race around the island was a great example of how this would play, where you both hit little patches that slowed you down, but didn't get totally bounced backward like hitting a jagged wall.

The build's looking really good Etho! Excited to see how you're gonna develop the landscape and environment. The new game mode to TCG is great too! I love the challenge and variety it adds. I've watched most of your matches (at least those that were live) via other Hermits' streams and while I never tire of them, it does get predictable to a certain extent especially with players using the same deck most of the time. This new addition should be fun! Thanks for yet another great episode!

Snacks have been grabbed. Always excited to see Etho upload!!

you could make parts of the track have dirt with snow on top simulating an unpaved part of the track like in the mario kart games, it's not as punishing as a collision and sometimes it can be used as a high risk shortcut too

Once you get the drafter tested, you'll probably want to build a second one next to the first; that way, both players can draft at the same time :)

I think "Grand Freeze" would be a great name for the boat race (pun on Grand Prix, like Etho said during the meeting with Ren)

I love the mangrove roots hanging over the cliff! I wonder if it might look cool to extend them with fences like they get thinner on the ends? Anyway awesome video your upload makes my day :)

Well we got to love more YugEtho

Your videos always bring me joy, Etho. Thanks for all of the years of content, i absolutely love following you

The Ice Race definitely needs some arrows around curves! Like in Mario Kart

Green and purple are often used for villains. So it fits Etho perfectly! :D In the actual structure, I think the brown kind of detracts from the alien look, especially the more natural browns and less the reddish or pinkish browns. It makes it feel more down to earth. But as plants around it works as making it seem old and abandoned.

An issue with the draft system are the enchanted book cards. Other than the common-rare-ultra rare item colors, there's no way to differentiate between them in item form

Hey Etho, I think for the ice track you should leave parts of it without barriers on the sides, just the natural terrain (maybe with occasional markers). It really makes it feel like you're racing through the natural paths rather than on a course, it makes hitting the sides more or less forgiving depending on how you hit it, and for some reason gives me Star Wars pod racing vibes which is really neat.

I think you should maybe ask some other hermits to decorate or improve specific little sections of the ice boat track in their own style once you've got the course laid out, I think it'd really help build hype for the race in general and would reduce the load on you and Ren to finish it all, plus give you extra motivation.

Yet again I am dropping a like before I even have time to watch. Etho has earned that much

I know you said you didn't really want to make the tree bigger, but I think if you want it to span the whole entrance you should go for a willow type tree, so you'd need to add more height and width to drape the leaves from above

I think you should copy how magic handles energy resources in draft formats. Since you need a certain ratio of lands and spells in your deck for it to function, you don't include basic lands in the draft pool and only draft from spells and special lands. After you draft your cards, you finish the deck with whatever basic lands you want, so you're guaranteed to have the correct type of lands and ratios for your deck and you don't have to worry about it during the draft phase. The equivalent here would be to remove single items from the draft pool and add them in after you build your deck. You can keep the double items in the draft pool. It might also be interesting to make it a sealed draft system where instead of putting your own cards in the draft, you open a set number of new packs and you get to keep whatever you draft afterwards. You'd have to make it a paid entry since people would be getting new cards from it. This also adds some interesting decision making to the draft phase since you might want to take a rare card that you need for your collection even if it isn't good in the draft deck. Making it so you draft more cards than you can use in a deck also helps since it improves the consistency of building a viable deck and lets you take cards that aren't good in your deck for your collection without ruing your run by filling your deck with unplayable cards. tl;dr: Look up how sealed magic the gathering drafts work.

Your draft machine looks like so much fun! I can’t wait to see it in full action!

MTG draft is my favourite game type of any game! The hermits will be addicted to this even more than the base game IMO. Especially if the prizes/pods are worked out correctly. If you would like more info on pods/ REAL drafting 😉 let me know. Edit: A good start would be to remove all energy cards from the draft. Add them in temporarily at the end. Allows more hermit/item cards for each pick.

Hey Etho! In order to spice up and streamline the draft machine, how about a timer for each card that picks for you when it runs out? That way it won't take forever for people to draft a deck. Some noteblock bg music would also make it even more fun :)

your builds are always so inspiring! There are so many great builder on the server but your builds just feel special for some reason.

Etho putting in the work to extend the TCG madness with draft! Awesome work! And nice work smoothing the kink out of those stairs

Pearl is also doing an Alien themed base this season. It’s such a good color palette.

We all can agree, we be so ready for an entire episode of TCG

Great to see a new episode, loved the variety of things in this one, it’s all looking so good! 🎉

Awesome Episode! Love the base! Also coll drafting sytem! Will be fun to see the drafted matches :)