AuthorBen Bleiweiss

Bleiweiss’s practical joke masterpiece has once again returned to our database. And there was much rejoicing…

Today Ben retells the tale of the first ever Pro Tour Qualifier and how he won it. He also revisits his tournament report for that qualifier and ridicules the younger Bleiweiss until he has no choice but to curl into a little ball, sobbing from the intensity of old Bleiweiss’s literary beating. Okay, we might be making that last part up, but if you’re an aspiring Magic writer or historian, then this article is for you.

This past weekend, I finally, finally got a chance to fiddle around with Champions of Kamigawa. I arranged with none other than our esteemed site editor Ted Knutson to come down to Roanoke so that we could do back to back to back to back to back Champions of Kamigawa drafts until our eyes fell out of our heads. This is what I learned from what looks to be an excellent new set for Limited play.

To those Pro Players who showed up to Pro Tour: Atlanta, the entire Mirage set was a mystery. There was no spoiler, and no block rules were given out ahead of time in the player packet. The only hints players had about the new abilities were from nine preview cards on a flyer that dotted the Atlanta tournament hall, which showed Sandbar Crocodile and a couple of flankers. The player meeting would be the first time the new rules and mechanics were explained to players, so it was imperative that the meeting go smoothly. What actually happened was one of the more amusing and frustrating player meetings in Pro Tour history.

Join Ben as he recounts brief, comic tales from his Magic history. If you’ve never heard”And then I hit grandpa with a Flowstone Brick”, then this is the article for you. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, perhaps the story of how Snapple made the entire Neutral Ground staff fat might be more appealing. Then again, maybe you like hearing about incredibly bad plays made by people on their way to the top 8 of a Pro Tour instead. Regardless of your interest, this article has something for everyone!

Me:”Bob, what’s going on?”

Bob:”Oh, so now you talk to me?”

Me:”(Puzzled) Bob, what are you talking about?”

Bob:”Why have you been avoiding me for a year now?”

Me:”Bob, my parents got divorced and I moved back up North. I told you that last year!”

Bob:”(Gruffer) What, and you never wrote?”
That’s Bob for you.

Today’s column is advice to those of you who are looking to improve your game and become better players. I’d like to think it’s good advice. I’ve played the game for over a decade now, and I’ve come to learn many a lesson in my time. Some were learned early on, and some have come to me with age and maturity. What’s my motivation for passing on these pieces of advice? I’d like to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and I wholeheartedly stand behind the seven tips I’m about to post as ways to improve both your game and yourselves. Without further ado, here are my seven tips to become a better player.

Mark Rosewater once talked about the three types of players in Wizards’s eyes: Johnny, Spike, and Timmy. They represent the hardcore win-at-all costs player, the win with combos player, and the win with big creatures player. I don’t like the terms Timmy, Johnny and Spike. To me, there are two types of Magic players in the end — those who play to win, and those who don’t.

Ben opens up the reader mailbag, where he answers your pressing questions! Thrill along with Ben as he responds to the burning issues such as this one from Christopher Feliciano, who writes “You are a stupid *** fat bald **** who knows nothing about magic and needs to go kill himself and get it over with! Your articles on starcitygames are pointless and suck! – A better player than you.”

Ben has repeatedly taken Wizards of the Coast R&D to task for their failure to boost the power level of White, easily the worst color in Magic. White’s the worst color in Vintage, the worst color in Extended, the worst color in Onslaught Block, the worst color in Mirrodin Block, and arguably the worst color in Standard. How bad was White this past year? It was so bad that Ben devotes an entire column bemoaning the fate of his favorite color.

I’m taking the day off to work on a super-secret project for StarCityGames.com, but I want your mail! Do you have any questions for me? Are there any stories that you’ve been burning to have me tell? Have you wanted to hear more about Bob, Anthony, Eric, Vinny "The Pimp" Falcone or any of the other cast of characters from the blog? Send your e-mails to [email protected] and the best of these e-mails will be compiled into an upcoming reader mailbag extravaganza!

Box draft is my favorite Magic format. I’ve been doing box drafts for five years now, and the games have stayed fresh and interesting. Pete Hoefling has stated that box draft is the most fun he’s had playing Magic, ever. I agree. There’s just something about drafting from the Big Box that really takes you back to the roots of the game while simultaneously teaching you new strategies each time out. What is box draft, you ask? Check inside, my friends, check inside.