It’s that magical, Magical time of year.
A time for reflection, for introspection, for looking back at the passing year with a carafe of mulled wine and a whimsical eye.
A time for revisiting those writers who, in the past twelve months, have poured blood, sweat, gravy, and egg into their craft in equal measure. A time for returning to catalogue old favorites, re-reading the tech and tips and downright funny stuff from the greatest players and pensmiths the game has ever seen.
The gold envelopes are ready, and the nominations are in. The mics have been tested, and the entrees have been served.
Pray silence please… for the 2006 StarCityGames.com Awards.
Funniest Title of 2006
From Right Field: Hulk Smash! Or at Least Hulk Break Some Things So Badly That It’s Just Easier to Throw Them Out — Chris Romeo
Smells Like Team Spirit – A Pro Tour: Charleston Report *4th* – Gadiel Szleifer
Penetrating Tony Danza: A PTQ Report — John Friggin’ Rizzo
Your Favorite Decks Suck — Mike Flores
The Black Perspective: A Little Ham And Eggs Comin’ At Ya! — Osyp Lebedowicz
Magical Hack: Turning Japanese — Sean McKeown
Humor is a subjective beast. Take me, for example. I know for a fact that I am the funniest person in the world. Each joke I crack is a delicious meaty morsel of fun, basted in a smooth chucklesome sauce and wrapped in the filo pastry of hilarity.
Of course, the next guy is also the funniest person in the world. And the next.
For the majority of articles, the titling job falls down to the editor. Some writers simply neglect the important titling stage; some give descriptive yet bland titles such as “Extended Article #3,” which are little more than placeholders; and some supply titles that are frankly ridiculous, obscene, and — in certain cases — criminal.
A couple of those listed above are mine. Most are not. However, I cannot allow myself the luxury of picking a winner… I am biased, after all. Therefore, this task falls to you, the reader. Come vote for your favorite in the forums. And if the article title that tweaked your particular funny bone is not one of those listed above, be sure to shout it loud for all to hear.
Winner: Choose in the forums.
Most Promising Up And Comer
Benjamin Peebles-Mundy
Patrick Chapin
Kyle Sanchez
Zac Hill
There are a number of viable candidates for this award, and I’m almost certain I’ve not listed everyone. That said, the four guys above are the ones that stand proudest in my memory, so these are the guys in the running. So, in no particular order…
Kyle Sanchez, the famous second head of Team Moreno, has had a fruitful year both in and out of the Red Zone. Magically, he’s had some fine results, and his articles are full of inspiration and riotously funny. Kyle spent a part of this writing year “out in the wilderness,” before returning in October and performing well in the Battle Royale series. Of course, it’s obvious that Kyle’s legacy will be much greater than the game itself — ask Steve Sadin about Diana, if you don’t believe me.
Mr Peebles-Mundy roared onto the writing scene in August with the Definitive Coldsnap Draft Primer, an article praised by everyone who read it, from pros to kitchen table players. Of course, the format itself proved to be a dry slap to the plums, but that wasn’t Ben’s fault (unless he’s keeping a rather large secret from us). He’s currently looking at the various colors of Time Spiral draft… let’s hope he continues in the same vein for Planar Chaos and beyond.
Zac Hill feels like he’s been around forever, though his first article for StarCityGames.com was printed mid-December of 2005. During 2006, Mr Hill has notched up four stints in the Star City Daily series, and peppered that record with a number of standalone offerings. He even found the time to make the final of Grand Prix: St Louis. I had the pleasure of meeting Zac at Pro Tour: Kobe earlier this year, and was surprised to discover that, contrary to his author photo, Zac isn’t actually an eleven-year-old boy.
It seems rather strange to place The Innovator in the “Best Up and Comer” category… after all, he is truly an elder statesman of this fair game. However, his personal circumstances have seen him out of the limelight for a fair few years, and his first article for StarCityGames arrived on my virtual desk as recently as May 2006. Since then, his analysis, deckbuilding, game breakdown, and self-deprecating humor has lightened my days immeasurably… and the number of guys who voted for Pat as Writer of the Year attests to the fantastic impact he’s had since putting pen to paper for this here site here. He’s back in the game with a vengeance come PTQ time, folks… and I’m sure he’ll be better than ever.
And so, it is with a clear conscience that I present this award to Mr Chapin. Good luck with your comeback, Pat… in every sense.
Winner: Patrick Chapin
Best SCG Daily Series
Craig Jones — “10 Years of Magic” series
Dave Meddish — “What’s in a Name?” series
John Friggin’ Rizzo — The “Breaking” series
Peter Jahn — “One on One” series
Richard Feldman — “Better Right Than Pretty” series
The Ferrett — “How I Became An Editor” series
Tim Aten — “Hello and Good Luck” series
Ah, the Star City Daily series… how I love it so. The Daily Shot is usually the last thing I edit each day, as it’s a nice (less-than 1000 word) change of pace from a technically taxing Menendian piece or a Rizzo novella.
There have been a number of outstanding SCG Daily articles this year, but my personal favorites are those listed above. The Ferrett “How I Became an Editor” series was a forthright look at the processes and thinking behind the Happy Hundroog himself… but of course, his stories of editorship and the pitfalls therein had a special resonance for me. Pete Jahn’s excellent (and largely overlooked) series of “One on One” interviews was very inventive, as was Dave Meddish look at the definitions of some of the Magical words we see in our card names and effects.
Richard Feldman gave us a week of excellent technical insight. Indeed, this Daily Series was voted as one of the best this year, by Evan Erwin in his latest Magic Show video article. I loved Rizzo’s daily stint not only because it was a dose of Good Mr Friggin’ that wasn’t a billion worlds long, but also because it had a structure and sense of fun that belied the excellent subject matter. And Tim Aten? Man, I’m just grateful to see Tim Aten write anything.
However, the overall vote goes to Craig Jones recent “10 Years of Magic” series, even if it was a carbon copy of my own unheralded non-award-winning daily series from back in December 2005 (i never win awards sob sob omg i am so emo). Mr Jones always raises a smile with his prose. I actually edited Craig’s dailies as my first articles each day rather than my last — I couldn’t wait for my fix.
And of course, if I give the award to Craig, at least half of my name is on a plaque this year (emo yay).
Winner: Craig Jones and the “10 Years of Magic” series
Best Article Series
The Magic Show — Evan Erwin
Battle Royale — Multiple Authors
Ask Jeroen — Jeroen Remie
The Quest for Level 5 — Raphael Levy
Drafting With Rich — Rich Hoaen
This year saw StarCityGames.com embark on a number of article series. Most of them, of course, were one-, two-, or three-parters: Jeff Cunningham‘s Get Big or Die Trying Invitational tournament report, for example, or Geordie Tait‘s three-part Grand Prix: Toronto report. There were many multi-part strategy guides for drafting, a fair few tournament reports, some set reviews, and all manner of metagame breakdowns and decklist analyses.
The most popular of these “standard” series was The Quest for Level 5, by Hall of Famer Raphael Levy. This weekly series tackled Raph’s ongoing quest to earn the requisite Pro Player Points to cement him into Level 5 Pro Player status for the coming year. It culminated with a highly emotional article from Worlds 2006 in which Raph… well, you’ll just have to go read it yourself. You’ll not regret it.
Aside for these “normal” series, there were a few more long-reaching projects this year. There was Battle Royale, a popular casual series pitting writers against each other in a casual MTGO challenge. This proved popular with both readers and players alike… and I’m glad it did, because it was my idea (borne out of a chance conversation with Chris Romeo). Evan treated us to the Magic Show, a series of excellent video-based Magic articles on a variety of topics. These too proved popular, although his singing in the Christmas Special is something that shan’t be forgotten in a hurry. While Evan doesn’t receive the top honors here, his excellent work merits a special award for Innovation in Magic Writing.
Jeroen Remie proved a lot of folk wrong in keeping up a fresh, relevant article series for a number of weeks, answering reader’s questions with intelligence and humor. He succeeded where a number of writers failed this year (I’m looking at you, BDM), keeping it up through thick and thin before taking a well-earned break over the holidays. Rest assured he’ll be back soon.
Yeah, there have been other fine series throughout the year… but Drafting With Rich is the series, and I’d be lying if I claimed otherwise.
Winner: Drafting With Rich
Special Award for Innovation in Magic Writing – The Magic Show
The Rizzo Memorial Editing Award
When I took this gig, Ted was full of sound advice. He taught me the hows, whys, and whens of updating the site, plus gave me pointers in general theme and content. He shared insider information about the writers, the job, the processes.
And he told me about John.
He told me to be extra vigilant when reading Mr Rizzo’s material, lest he slip some obscure obscenity past the sensors.
He told me to check each pop culture reference he makes, to make sure the great man is actually talking sense.
Little did I know what Ted meant. His definition of “pages, and pages, and pages” paled in comparison to the reams I actually received.
I have a personal rule when approaching an unedited forty-page behemoth from the brainpan of Rizzo. If it makes me laugh out loud twice in the preliminary reading, it’s a definite keeper. So far, there hasn’t been an article that’s even skirted that particular boundary. Rizzo’s unedited work is an enigma — I sit and wade through obtuse joke after grammatical abortion, doing my level best to differentiate between the honest-to-goodness mistakes and the “stylistic choices.” And then the funnay sneaks up like a puma and pounces on my brain. It’s like editing a ninja attack.
While work currently hangs heavy over the inestimable Mr Friggin, thus reducing his output to a mere whispling of its former self, I hope the day soon comes in which the Rizzonian Keyboard is battered into submission once more. I miss the big guy.
Winner: John Friggin’ Rizzo
The Workhorse Award
Mike Flores
Abe Sargent
Rich Hoaen
Stephen Menendian
Sean McKeown
Jeroen Remie
The Workhorse Award… not exactly the most flattering title. Even so, I believe the award itself is one that merits special attention.
If we look at Magical writing in all its various forms, it’s hard to argue that Mike Flores wins this hands down. He gives us an article each week, and also does a weekly stint over at the Mother Ship. The man has an incredible work ethic. I only wish had half his energy. However, this is an award for StarCityGames.com output… so while Mike is close, it’s not cigar this time.
Sean McKeown, the man behind Magical Hack (a column title I am desperately jealous of), produces intricate articles week in week out. There’s no denying he deserves a nomination… especially since some of his individual sentences are longer that the average Daily article. Jeroen and Stephen brought us quality articles with startling regularity — in fact, Stephen’s articles usually come thick and fast, and each one is packed with so much Vintage insight that I feel myself growing a long white beard every time I read one. As for Rich Hoaen… he’s brought us a draft each day for the best part of the year. Of course, as the great man said himself… Constructed is like homework, while Drafting is skipping classes.
In the end, the Workhorse Award has to go to the Casual Champion, Abe Sargent. In addition to his weekly Kitchen Table article, Abe has delivered six stints on the SCG Daily bandwagon, and a noble challenge against Jeroen on Battle Royale. Now that’s dedication. Abe even provided me with an SCG Daily series with naught but 45 minutes notice! He’s definitely my go-to guy if I’m in desperate need of content.
Thanks for the hard work this year, Abe. You’re a star.
Winner: Abe Sargent
The “Author I Wish Would Write More Often” Award
My word, there are countless writers who fit into this category. In no particular order…
Ben Goodman
Anton Jonsson
Geordie Tait
John F. Rizzo
Jamie Wakefield
Julien Nuijten
Dan Paskins
Brian David-Marshall
Billy Moreno
Ted Knutson
Jeff Cunningham
Osyp Lebedowicz
Gadiel Szleifer
Tim Aten
Craig Stevenson
Wow.
That’s a roll-call of writers that, for a variety of reasons, do not write enough to placate my own voracious Magical Writing Appetite. Some of those reasons, as we know, are painfully understandable. Others — such as my own innate laziness — are a little harder to stomach.
I’ll not dwell on the specific details of those illustrious absentees, nor will I spend the next few paragraphs waxing lyrical about the authors’ incredible talents. They all know how good they are.
Still, I must choose a winner, the writer whose prose I ache to read on a much more regular basis. While the easy (and somewhat true) choice is “Craig Stevenson,” I’ll not be treading down that particular murky alley…
I wish each and every writer listed above would send me an article each week. And maybe the New Year will spurn them on to a more prolific output. But if I had to choose one, a single writer whose prose I could count on week in week out… it would have to be ffeJ.
Jeff’s writing is a fine mix of craft and information. He can share both aspects of this wonderful game — the brains and the heart — with a single stroke of his pen. His writing accomplishes two special things — it makes you think, and it makes you feel. While many writers can lay claim to this, the Mighty ffeJ is a true master at weaving the two facets together. I fancy myself as a bit of a wordsmith, but sometimes Jeff makes me green with envy. On many occasions, his prose has taken my breath away.
Jeff, Jeff, Jeff… just write more. Please. Do it for the children.
Winner: Jeff Cunningham
The Jon Becker Award for Greatest Unrealized Potential
The “A is for…” series — Brian David-Marshall
Billy Moreno
The Magic Show — Evan Erwin
Ben Goodman
After showing such early promise, both Billy and Ben disappeared from the Magical Writing radar. Losing one would seen careless… losing both is a great shame indeed. If the rumors I’ve heard are correct, Billy is currently riding the rails, and Ben is taking a short vacation in Spare Oom. Hopefully they’ll be back in the coming months, with tales of both Ghost Dad redux and the hobo lifestyle.
On the other hand, The Magic Show is a popular, entertaining, and regular series that garners great support in the forums. Hell, it’s even won an award in this article. How, then, do I justify placing this series in the “Unrealized Potential” category?
The Magic Show is excellent… but it could be spectacular.
Evan does a mighty fine job. The articles are brilliant. However, as with all innovation, there is room to achieve so much more. As a pioneer of a fledgling format, Evan is doing a sterling job… but while the Wright Brothers invented powered, human flight, they could never have predicted just how far that dream would soar. Hence, “Unrealized Potential.” It’s like any invention or technological advance… I predict many good things to come in the field of video-based Magic articles. And Evan, I’m sure, will be at the cutting edge.
So, that’s Billy, Ben, and the Magic Show, each with a strong case for the title. However, the Jon Becker Award this year has to go to Brian David-Marshall.
Brian, Brian, Brian… you tantalized us the nebulous promises of the A to Z of Magic, and how far did you get? “D is for Dogpile.” I was hoping for such great articles as “F is for F** My Hat, That’s A Big Creature,” “Q is for Qumulox,” and “W is for Why We Were Beaten By The British In A Team Draft.”
The four articles in the series were fine reads… I just wish there had been many more. C’mon, BDM… it’s still not to late…
Winner: The “A is for…” series — Brian David-Marshall
The Funniest Article
Magic Online Musings: This Week on MTGO #30 – Tribute to Steve Irwin, by blisterguy
The Black Perspective: That Legacy Article! by Osyp Lebedowicz
The Magic Show #23 — Christmas Special! by Evan Erwin
Randy, Mark, and Matt April Fools Articles, by… Randy, Mark, and Matt
SCG Daily – Doctor Mox and the Savage Cheatorz, by Doctor Mox
Nationals 2006: All The News That Wasn’t Fit To Print, by John F. Rizzo
So You Think You’re A Vintage Expert? by Stephen Menedian
The Set That Could Not Be Spelled, by Kelly Digges
Again, humor is subjective. And humor in Magic? Man, that’s a thorny issue if ever there was one… Even so, there have been a few articles this year that have tweaked this particular Scouser’s happy spot.
We all miss Mr Digges and his fantastic set reviews, and the humor of JFR should by now be cemented into your psyche. Both Doctor Mox and blisterguy are constant sources of mirth (even if blisterbloke’s tribute to Steve Irwin skirted the fine line between humor and bad taste), and Stephen surprised us all with a fine parody article on Vintage that had me literally crying with laughter at one point. You’ll have to read the article to find out exactly where, of course…
Our April Fool’s offering this year — three spoof articles “written by” Mark Rosewater, Matt Cavotta, and Randy Buehler — were very well crafted and a gaggle-bag of laughs… but then again, I wrote one of them myself, so I can’t vote for these in clear conscience. (For the record, my favorite aspect of that particular day was the Ferrett’s splendid “Super Morphling” reprinted card (with props, natch, going to the incomparable Yawgatog.)
So, it’s a week or so after the German Nationals, and I receive an email from one Max Bracht, with a tournament report attached…
“Cool!” I think. Max is a fine player (Worlds performance notwithstanding), and a long-time contributor to another Magic site. I cracked open the article and began to read.
While reading, I receive an AIM message. From “mBracht.”
“I’ve just sent you an article… do you like?”
“Hi Max!” I reply. “I’m reading it now. It’s very good.”
“Thanks.”
“Would you like to write for us on a regular basis? We could use a man of your talents on our Featured Writer books…”
“Sounds good.”
“Cool, we can offer you a payment rate of…”
And so the conversation continued, discussing articles and writing and Magic and StarCityGames.com. At the end of our lengthy chat, Max was on board. Sure, he’d quietened down a little as our talk progressed, but there’s nothing wrong with that. We parted with a cheery virtual wave.
About ten minutes later, Osyp logged in.
“Erm… Hi Craig.”
“Hi Osyp. ‘Sup?”
“You’ve just been chatting to Max Bracht, yeah?”
“… yeah …?”
“Well… mBracht was actually… me.”
In a few brief messages, Osyp confessed all. He chose to reveal himself as he was scared he was “in too deep.”
That’s right, folks. After springing an excellent ruse, Osyp bottled it at the eleventh hour. What a wuss.
Of course, we managed to print Max’s “report” after all… a little good-natured ribbing is part and parcel of success.
Now if only Osyp wrote more often… then we’d all be laughing.
Winner: The Black Perspective: That Legacy Article! — Osyp Lebedowicz
Article of the Year
Now we get to the nitty-gritty, folks. The Article, and Writer, of the year. Always hotly contested, and always widely debated, this year was no different.
I sent out a ballot to each member of our writing staff, and the votes came in thick and fast. A number of articles received votes. I’ll chronicle some of the more popular choices below, along with a few testimonials from those writers who shared their choices (printed with permission). Of course, not every vote was accompanied by a testimonial blurb. It was difficult motivating people to put pen to paper for a few sentences in praise of their fellow writers… so imagine how tough it is to coax articles out of the lazy swines.
Without further ado, I present a brief look at the runners and riders from this year’s contest. Others received votes, of course, but it’s impractical to list each and every one here. Let’s face it, this article is long enough as it is.
A Grand Prix: Toronto Report – Introduction and Trial *T32*, by Geordie Tait
Geordie Tait… the man, the myth, the legend. Oh, how he is missed. It’s a little known fact that my personal calendar is marked each month with a Geordie Day — the day I send my pestering email to Chez Inbox du Tait in the vain hope he’ll start writing about Magic again. This year, Geordie graced us with a three-part report chronicling his Top 32 finish at Grand Prix: Toronto. I suggest that whenever Geordie attends a top-flight event, his opponents should scoop to him on principle. After all, if success is the only way to get him writing, here’s hoping Mr Tait wins Worlds 2007.
My vote for the best written, most memorable and just generally awesomest article this year… has to be Geordie Tait Grand Prix: Toronto report. PS: Demonfire you. Need I say more?
Martin Dingler, on the GP: Toronto Report.
One Man’s Ballot, by Mike Flores
It’s strange, but sometimes the best Magic articles aren’t actually about Magic at all. Mike’s choices for the Hall of Fames ballot this year — while not indicative of those who were actually voted in — was a superbly-written color piece that evoked the spirit of the game in each paragraph. While his choices were intensely personal, it was impossible not to warm to each and every candidate that Mike graced with his fluid prose. An excellent piece, and a fine candidate for Article of the Year.
Of course, any Hall of Fame vote that didn’t include Raphael Levy was clearly wrong. Don’t worry, Mike… we forgive you anyway.
What Level Are You? Evaluating Magic Play, by Raphael Levy
While a number of Levy’s articles received votes, his “Evaluating Magic Play” offering tackled a subject that many writers would’ve been afraid to touch — how to truly gauge our skill level in relation to the game as a whole. He set up a point scale of one to ten, and invited us to place our bets and choose our own level… without lying to ourselves in the process.
I placed myself squarely in the “5 to 7” range — that of a “Good Player.” This article, however, scored at least a 9.5
I mean, what can I say? This was the best article I remember reading in a very long time. It seems so simple, but actually putting all of your thoughts together like that is much more difficult than it seems.
Tiago Chan, on Evaluating Magic Play.
Get Big or Die Trying: The 2006 Magic Invitational, by Jeff Cunningham
I’ve made it clear that I love Jeff’s work. I was rooting for him at the Invitational, and I pestered him long and hard for his report. When it finally arrived… it blew me away.
The best thing about this report wasn’t the match data, or the theoretical decisions behind Jeff’s play — it was the emotion, the color, the sheer thrill of the Invitational, captured wonderfully, red in tooth and claw. I read this report, and I was there.
Magical. It doesn’t get better than this.
Never has Magic seemed so epic and engaging as when it is described by Canada’s own Jeff Cunningham.
J Evan Dean, on Jeff Cunningham.
There were other articles that received votes… Shuhei Nakamura first article “Japan, By The Japanese,” Zac Hill “Avoiding Idiocy,” and Kelly Digges “The Set That Could Not Be Spelled,” to name but three. There was also a glut of Flores articles… “Blunt,” “Sixteen,” “Snow Plow,” “You Make The Call” … the list is literally endless.
But Article of the Year? In truth, there was only one winner, and it won by a clear margin.
Ladies and Gentlemen… hell, who am I kidding? Let me rephrase that.
Gentlemen… it gives me great pleasure to present the Article of the Year.
Article of the Year: Information Cascades in Magic, by Patrick Chapin
Undoubtedly the most impacting, interesting, and original of the year in my opinion. I’m pretty confident that everyone looked at the metagame (and upcoming decks) differently after having read that article.
Evan Erwin, on Information Cascades in Magic
While the vote for Writer of the Year was very close this year, the vote for Article of the Year was a little more one-sided. Part of that, I think is down to Mike Flores producing a number of excellent articles, and thus having the votes of the “Flores Massive” somewhat diluted by design.
However, when Mike sent me the original copy of Pat’s Information Cascades (Mike typed up Pat’s articles throughout the time Pat had limited computer access), he himself led with this phrase…
Here’s your Article of the Year.
Mike Flores, on Information Cascades.
Information Cascades in Magic: one of the classic articles, and without a doubt the strongest and most influential article of 2006.
Congratulations, Mr Chapin. Now write some more.
Winner: Information Cascades in Magic, by Patrick Chapin
Runner-Up: Get Big or Die Trying: The 2006 Magic Invitational, by Jeff Cunningham
And now, the most coveted award of the evening…
Writer of the Year
So we now know that Mr Chapin took the coveted title of “Article of the Year,” with his marvellous “Information Cascades in Magic.” The Innovator has already received the award for Best Up and Comer… can he complete the Triple Crown and take home the award for Writer of the Year too?
Let me tell you… this category was close. In the words of Joshua Claytor, when asked his vote…
Honestly, finding just one best writer on a site with such high quality is a huge task. We have some of the best writers and players on both the Premium and Free side of the site. I’m having trouble narrowing down my choices to FIVE, never mind ONE…
Joshua Claytor, on the voting process.
Before we get on to the actual winner, let’s have a few more testimonials from our collected Featured Writer staff. Each word they write is a word less from me… and that makes everyone happy.
The Mighty Abe, casual deck designer extraordinaire and winner of the Workhorse of the Year award, received a number of votes in the WoTY category. As I said above, this man is an article-writing machine, my go-to guy at the top of the ninth, when I need a wicket to win the touchdown (or something). Now, if only we could prize him away from his pet Equinaut deck… rumor has it that he sleeps with that particular sixty cards. Thank heavens they’re sleeved.
The workhorse of workhorses, the pumper-outer of the articles, the writer of writers. I’m always impressed how he can produce SO MUCH material yet continually keep it interesting, relevant, or just plain fun.
Evan Erwin, on Abe Sargent.
Raphael has had a mighty fine year. He’s achieved Level 5 for 2007, he placed highly in Worlds 2006, and he was voted into the coveted Hall of Fame. But all of that pales into insignificance with this award, which — if he wins — will eclipse all his Magical achievements this far.
Raph’s articles this year tackled a number of topics. While everyone raved on about the wonderful Quest For Level 5 series — which was indeed exceptional, especially the fifth and final part — my own personal “Raph” highlight was the “Drake Drafting” articles on Ravnica Limited. Not only is the man a fine writer and exceptional player, he constantly thinks outside the box regarding tech and strategy.
2007 looks to be a busy year for Mr Ask The Pro… here’s hoping the articles come thick and fast.
When Craig Jones pulled the Lightning Helix from the top of his deck to win the PT: Honolulu semi-final — eliciting a weasel-squeak from the man-on-the-spot Ted Knutson — I stood up and did a little dance around the room. My fiancée, happily, was in bed at the time, although I did have to endure the scorn of our two cats, Corky and Jupitus. Similarly, whenever I see an email from Prof gracing my inbox, I feel like doing a little soft-shoe shuffle.
Witty, talented, intelligent, popular, and funny… Craig Jones actually sickens me. I mean, he even has a Pro Player card, and cool nickname — “The Prof.” Still, I’ve gotta give credit where it’s due; Prof’s articles make me believe that, maybe one day, I will be there under the harsh neon glow, ripping the Lightning Helix from the top. In fact, the strength of his writing makes me believe I’ve been there already.
My favorite author this year, the one who combined good advice with writing that always made me smile, was Craig Jones. Each day, when I read the articles on StarCityGames.com, I pick out my favorite article of the day, and every single time that Craig wrote, I thought his was the best article of that day. I particularly liked his Daily series, as well as the Honolulu report, but every single one of his articles is exceptional.
Dan Paskins, on Craig Jones
Talen Lee is probably the most controversial choice on the ballot. He angered a number of readers and players early on in his career as a Featured Writer, especially with the evocative “Get The Hell Out Of My Casual Room, You Self-Centered Jerk,” a diatribe bemoaning the selfish attitude of those toting tournament-worth decks in MTGO’s “Fun Zone.” However, his exceptional stint in the Battle Royale won him a number of fans, and later articles such as “An Ode to Tallowisp – Snow Dad” and “Better” show him to be a writer capable of much more that simple bombast.
Be they on Casual Standard decks, fringe formats, or opinionated Issues articles, Talen’s articles always inspire intense debate. As an editor, I’ll admit that I find that commodity to be priceless.
I vote for Talen Lee as Writer of the Year. No one more consistently made me laugh and wince.
Chris Romeo, on Talen Lee.
I know, I’ve tackled ffeJ’s brilliance earlier in the article. Don’t worry, I’ll be brief this time. I’ll just add the following:
Jeff Cunningham: he doesn’t write often. But when he does, his articles are simply unmissable.
Oh yeah, and he’s got hair like a carpet. (Says the bald bloke.)
The brilliance of Pat lies in his dedication. His personal circumstances of 2006 and before dictated that he had few outlets for Magical play. Of course, that didn’t stop him — once he began writing, he simply didn’t stop. As I’ve mentioned, each article was hand-written and passed to Mike Flores, who did a sterling secretarial job on each and every one. All of Pat’s playtesting was done with a pack of 52 playing cards, a notebook, and a phenomenal memory. Hell, he even took the time to chime in on the forums… I’ve no idea how he wangled that.
Vintage, Extended, Standard, Theory, Matchups, Analysis… Pat tackles it all, with insight and a fair does of good humor. He pushed the eventual winner mighty close this year… and rightly so.
Pat Chapin harkens to a day when the top flight of Internet writing were people who had insights into the game that most people hadn’t even dreamed of. While Flores was a pioneer in the field as well, Pat’s style is a breath of fresh air. No offense to Mike, but I’ve missed Pat’s theory.
Ken Krouner, on Patrick Chapin
Other writers, of course, received votes. Writers such as Tiago Chan, Jeroen Remie, Ben Bleiweiss, Evan Erwin, Stephen Menendian, John F. Rizzo, Kelly Digges, and many more. In fact, Kelly Digges outstripped the competition by a clear twenty votes. Unfortunately for Kelly, 90% of his votes came from blisterguy.
So we’ve seen the competition, and boy was it stiff. But enough of my yackin’… it’s time to reveal the winner.
*drumroll*
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Writer of the Year: Mike Flores
Was there ever any question?
Writer of the Year is – and yes, I am biased – Michael J Flores. Mike continues to write about game in an entertaining way while sharing cutting edge decks and advanced theory. Hands down Writer of the Year.
Brian David-Marshall, on Mike Flores.
He is consistently putting out good articles that are helpful to players of all levels, and it seems that he cares the most about his readers, as he is always willing to follow up details on the forums. As much as some people may flame him, I have to applaud his work.
Ben Lundquist, on Mike Flores.
Writer of the Year? I don’t know how it could be anyone other than Magic Invitationalist and New York State Champion and Deckade author and the undisputed WBC Heavyweight Champion of the world Rocky Balb- er, Mike Flores.
John F. Rizzo, on Mike Flores.
Yes, it was a contest this year – Pat Chapin pushed him right down to the wire — but if we face the stark facts, there simply isn’t another sensible choice to be made.
Mike has produced an article a week, and sometimes more, for the best part of three years. His articles change the metagame, his decks win tournaments, and his prose can make heads turn. Sure, his self-promotion is legendary… but if I were half as prolific, I’d shout it from the rooftops. If only he’d learn to use Microsoft Word instead of supplying his copy in Notepad… it’s the 21st Century, Mike! Get with the hip kids!
Mike Flores is, without overstatement and hyperbole, the most influential Magic writer the game has ever seen. He constantly raises the bar, and most of us can only hope to be half as good as he is.
Thanks for the great articles this year, Mike. Here’s to many more in 2007.
Winner: Mike Flores
Runner-Up: Patrick Chapin
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And that’s the Awards Show over for another year. The champagne has been quaffed, and the cleaners are bagging the paper plates. 2006 has been a wild and crazy ride: let’s hope 2007 holds similar excitement.
Thanks again to everyone who sent me an article this year… each and every one is appreciated. And if you’re a writer who hasn’t had your name mentioned here today, never fear — you’re all winners in my book. StarCityGames.com is the best independent Magic strategy site on the Internet, bar none. Long may it continue.
Until next time,
Thanks for listening.
Craig Stevenson
Mail us at https://sales.starcitygames.com/contactus/contactform.php?emailid=2
Scouseboy on MTGO
PS: I’ll leave you with the Man of the Moment, Mr Michael J Flores…
Writer of the Year? I voted for me because, well, I am the best. Why even pretend?
Mike Flores, on Mike Flores
Mike, did you steal that from a Gadiel article?
Joshua Ravitz