Hello everybody and welcome to the Magic Show. Today we’re going over my Top Ten Articles of 2006. We’ve seen a lot of good reads go by this year, and this is my list for the best of the best.
Warning! Contains spoilers!
[The following is a transcript of the video, which you really should check out.]
I’m sure I’m forgetting someone’s favorite article and to that I say, write your own damn Top 10 list. So, beginning with #10…
#10 The $16,000 Lightning Helix – A PT Honolulu Report, Part 1
Craig Jones
The $16,000 Lightning Helix – A PT Honolulu Report, Part 2
Craig Jones
We begin with a famous quote: “Faith’s Fetters and Wrath of God are not enough to beat Zoo.”
Famous words from a now well-known and respected Magic writer. I’m sure he was well-known years ago, as he eloquently noted in his ass-kicking Daily for earlier this year, but I found Craig through this report and his subsequently excellent work on StarCityGames.com and coverage for MagicTheGathering.com.
The Lighting Helix story is as old as time by this point, but for those under a rock or new to the game, one amazing topdeck gave us the geeky thrill of our lives this year, and Craig relives it all for us as he takes his wacky Zoo all the way to the #2 Pro Tour spot next to Heezy Street.
#9 The Ten Principles of Vintage
Stephen Menendian
It’s no secret that Mr. Menendian carries a lot of Vintage hopes and dreams on his shoulders. No one is as well known or as well spoken about the subject. And as such, I chose this article as the one I favored most this year, as it gives you the building blocks of understanding the format. What are the primary win conditions of the format? What are the best engines? What is the path to success?
There simply isn’t anyone doing “The Ten Principles of Extended” because they believe the format changes so frequently. With each new set, there are tweaks and changes. But Vintage doesn’t suffer from this, and as such Stephen gives us a precise breakdown that will still be relevant for some time.
This article is quintessential Rizzo. But not only do we get Sealed decks, Standard decklists, Extended decklists, Legacy decklists and more, but we get his tale of Bad Beats. Of stopping by the Boss’s office on a Friday only to find out that you were going to be fired on Monday. Of having to carry out the company’s office equipment from your garage to the waiting coworker in front of a distraught wife and kids.
It’s heart-wrenching and it’s long and it’s awesome and it’s Rizzo and hell, even I’m mentioned in there. I could cite Rizzo work all year round, because I think he’s the best free-form writer the game has right now, but if you have to read just one, read this one.
#7 A Grand Prix Toronto Report – Introduction and Trial *T32*
Geordie Tait
A Grand Prix Toronto Report – Day 1 *T32*
Geordie Tait
A Grand Prix Toronto Report – Day 2 *T32*
Geordie Tait
One of the most controversial writers returns in 2006 for his only opus of the year. Lucky for us, it’s friggin brilliant. Mr. Tait brought us another Magic culture staple with the phrase “PS Demonfire you.” I do not believe there is any Magic player out there who cannot die laughing as he reads the horrible, horrible way Ken Krouner utterly crushes Mr. Tait’s hopes and dreams with such an offhand remark.
“I guess I’ll just Demonfire you.”
Earth. Crushing. Power. That’s all I’m saying. This article is pure fun, wit, and angst. One article per year and the Tait still has it.
#6 Focus on the Tipping Point
Mike Flores
In this piece, Flores basically talks about how netdecking works and how tweaks to netdecks either work or don’t, and if they don’t you’re an idiot, and if they do you’re a genius. I mean, how long did Aether Vial take to get into Affinity decks? Longer than you’d think.
The article goes in depth in how a deck such as Kuroda Style Red, a.k.a. Mono Red Control, worked with both Sensei’s Divining Top and Culling Scales to win match after match. Each iteration improved on the original, and in important ways. He also notes that when deckbuilders go off the beaten path, such as removing Culling Scales from Mono Red Control because you don’t understand why it’s there, inevitably find themselves checking the Drop box on the slip.
#5 The Twenty Worst Legends Of Kamigawa, Part 1
Eric Engelhard
The Twenty Worst Legends Of Kamigawa, Part 2
Eric Engelhard
The Twenty Worst Legends Of Kamigawa, Part 3
Eric Engelhard
The Twenty Worst Legends Of Kamigawa, Part 4
Eric Engelhard
Undeniably one of the most entertaining reads of the year. It was so damn good StarCityGames.com ran this baby twice just to make sure everyone got a look.
In it, as you could guess, Eric takes apart the ridiculous Kamigawa legends that Wizards threw our way—and there were plenty—with hilarious results.
For example, he writes of the awful flip rare Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant, “I do have to give Rune-Tail some credit for having his big floppy ears tattooed. That had to hurt.”
Of the horrid Bounteous Kirin he writes,
“You can’t make it through a block without stumbling over three or four useless life gain members of some cycle that R&D worked hard on with the blue or black cards, and then ran out of ideas and went with lifegain again for Green or White.
But then you’re all like, “Okay, the life gain part is bad, but it’s still a 4/4 flyer! In Green! You don’t get that every day!”
And then I’m all witty and come back, “Yeah, your mom is a 4/4 Green flyer! I hear she costs seven, too.”
And then it all ends in fisticuffs, as usual. Intellectual discourse is not my strong point.”
I could go on and on folks. This is really first class stuff. If you’re familiar with the cards, let alone the culture behind it, this is a fantastic read.
#4 The Only Thing That Matters
Mike Flores.
What is that thing? Is it picking the right deck or playing the control / beatdown role correctly? What is that thing?
The thing is figuring out just what variant of a popular deck they may be playing. As few as four cards and a manabase shift can take from Sea Stompy with just Blue and Green to Sea Stompy with Kird Apes, Ninjas and Thoughts of Ruin.
With each different build going off in a different direction, misplaying against it is a sure way to lose. It’s not quite as simple as misassignment of role = game loss, but it’s not far off either.
#3 Playing and Winning in The Zone
Noah Weil
Do you know what The Zone is? Have you ever been there? Do you know what feels like to be in pure focus? Do you know what your basic human needs are? Do you know what Self-Actualization is, let alone how tough it is to achieve?
This and more is a mere article away. Certainly one of the best articles I’ve ever seen from Noah, and a big highlight of the year. Inside he explains what the three Pillars of Hitting the Zone are, how you can identify them and improve on them yourself.
One of the best and most interesting on the list, this is a great read.
#2 Get Big or Die Trying: The 2006 Magic Invitational (Part 1)
Jeff Cunningham
Get Big or Die Trying: The 2006 Magic Invitational (Part 2)
Jeff Cunningham
Get Big or Die Trying: The 2006 Magic Invitational (Part 3)
Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham is legend in these here Magic parts. Long time Pro, Jeff has mastered the ways of geek lit.
He begins with his hopes and dreams as a long-time Magic Pro. Of watching others do well and himself fall somewhere in the middle. Krouner’s Disease, he calls it. This is then followed by the tragedy at Honolulu where he got a Faith’s Fetters in the eye and missed the money by four spots after going 7-3-1 on Day 1.
I could go on, but it gets both worse, better, kinda bad, sorta okay, then great, then not-so-great before it’s blazing finish.
This series is also one of the best you’ll ever read that also includes the phrase, “My mom imposes a 12:30am curfew that prevents me from doing more than one moneydraft in a night.”
#1 Information Cascades in Magic
Patrick Chapin
You can’t really explain this article without hearing this first:
“In the early part of the Twentieth Century, the American naturalist William Beebe came upon a strange sight in the Guyana jungle. A group of army ants was moving in a huge circle. The circle was 1,200 feet in circumference, and it took each ant two and a half hours to complete the loop. The ants went around and around the circle for two days until most of them dropped dead.
“What Beebe saw was what biologists call a ‘circular mill.’ The mill is created when army ants find themselves separated from their colony. Once they’re last, they obey a single rule: follow the ant in front of you. The result is the mill, which usually only breaks up when a few ants struggle off by chance and the others follow them away.”
The Wisdom of Crowds
Pg. 40, James Swrowiecki
Mr. Chapin defines an “Information Cascade” as “…a chain reaction of decision-making where almost everyone involved is basing their decision on the decisions of others, who in turn base their decisions on others, regardless of personal information.”
He then explains the phenomenon that was Ghost Dad in the Summer of ‘06, and it’s strictly better companion, Ghost Husk. Now both were good decks, but one was strictly better. Ghost Husk simply won more games week in and week out at PTQs than Ghost Dad did in the qualifiers. But first, the cascade began with Ghost Dad. Ben Goodman brought his baby into the world and everyone couldn’t wait to play with it.
While the Husk variant was getting around, Shining Shoals were being purchased the world over from $1 rare bins and finding their ways to the top tables. Why? Sheer numbers. But as those number dwindled and chose the more powerful Husk, the cascade began again.
He demonstrates it best with this quote:
Say that someone organizes an unusual tournament. Fifty of the players are given identical U/W decks in some new format. They are matched up against another fifty players piloting R/G decks in this same new format. There is one round played and no one sees the results of anyone else’s match. A person at random is asked which deck he thinks won the most matches. Everyone else is able to hear his answer, though not his result. Then a second person is asked, then a third, and so on. Each person who guesses the “winningest deck” receives a box of product. Everyone, beyond the first person, has private and public information to base their decisions on. The private information is the result of your match. The public information is what everyone else chose before you were asked.
Clearly, the first person will base his decision on the result of his match and how it played out. Now, let’s say you are the fourth person asked. Your goal is to guess correctly and win the product. In your match, U/W won easily. However, the first three players all select R/G as the deck they think won the most… What do you name?
Most people would go with the group (against their own results), which is the rational thing to do. This would produce the correct answer more often than not, but would also usually start a cascade, essentially dooming everyone else if they were wrong.
On the other hand, let’s suppose the participants were each paid a box if the group arrived at the correct answer by a vote. Now the group can essentially assure itself of success if everyone places their vote based on their private information rather than the group’s decisions. Even if the first three vote R/G, you would still say U/W to give the group the most useful information about your match. This would make you more likely to “guess” wrong, however the group is more likely to be collectively right. Encouraging people to make incorrect guesses actually makes the group as a whole smarter. Quantity and variety are actually better for the group than focusing on quality.
This goes far beyond Magic, far beyond mere gaming to life in general. The idea that information flows from one place to another is a fascinating concept, from the way people respond to lights turning green to crossing the street without looking at the crosswalk sign, Information Cascades are everywhere, and hopefully you too can recognize them.
Well done Patrick!
The Weekly Planar Chaos File – BEWARE SPOILERS!
Holy crap did the fit hit the shan this week. Ladies and gentlemen: Damnation, Damnation, Damnation. This is…I don’t even know where to begin with this card.
Does it give Wizards a reason to take Wrath out of 10th? Sure. But since Planar Chaos is how the colors “might” have been, that won’t happen. Now in Extended you’re free to include four Duress, four Cabal Therapy and not even need to venture into White for Wrath of God.
A Black Wrath of God. Black. Wrath. Of. God. Welcome to $25 cash at the prerelease, foils for at least $75, playsets so wanted and desperately needed for ridiculous formats like Extended that dealer tables will turn into a freak show. Magic players bloodletting just to make their Psychatog builds just a little more ridiculous.
It also appears we’ll have Ball Lightning in Green, so Cap’n Tickles will have a new, 6/1 friend to hang out with. Where’s that first strike when you need it most?
So we have Wrath of God in Black and Drop of Honey in White. Green gets Ball Lightning…so where does that leave Blue and Red?
Red is getting, and I hope you’re sitting down for this…
Oh. Mah. Dear. Sweet. Aching. Merciful…
I don’t know what to say. And I thought a black Wrath of God was the end-all-be-all-you-can’t-impress-me-from-this-point. I’m impressed. I am impressed.
Now this is currently not confirmed as it’s only a piece of art on the minisite but…just look at it!
Blue is rumored to get Demonic Consultation. And somewhere every Vintage player just had a simultaneous emission. This is still a rumor, so keep that in mind.
Wizards, I gotta hand it to you: You know how to sell cards. This is masterful. I’m already imagining the money I will be spending on this set. Thank you.
And that is another show. Thank you very much for watching. It’s been an awesome 2006 and it’s going to be a killer 2007. And next week we’re going to jump right into Magic Online and it’s going to be awesome.
Evan “misterorange” Erwin
dubya dubya dubya dot misterorange dot com
eerwin +at+ gmail +dot+ com
Written while freaking out over Planar Chaos