fbpx

AuthorBennie Smith

Bennie Smith began playing Magic in 1994 and started writing about it shortly after. A Virginia State Champion, he enjoys few things better than winning at tournaments with home brews. Commander is one of those things. He loved the format so much he literally wrote the book on it: The Complete Commander.

How To Pick Your First Commander

Inspired by a questioned asked on his Facebook page, Bennie tells new Commander players what they should consider when choosing their first legend to build a Commander deck around.

Flailing Away With Zombies

Need a sweet brew to try at FNM tonight? Then take a look at Bennie’s latest Standard creation that includes the usual Zombie suspects along with a few surprises.

Of Walking Graves And Skull Briars

Check out Bennie’s Skullbriar, the Walking Grave Commander deck that he’s finally gotten together just in time for Halloween!

Reanimator For Dummies

Bennie Smith continues to experiment with reanimation strategies in the new Standard. Read inside for his thoughts about Seance, Pack Rat, and more. You might find inspiration just before the SCG Standard Open this weekend in Indianapolis!

Give Commander A Try With Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius

If you’ve been considering giving Commander a try and you like the idea of having a red and blue Dracogenius lead the charge for you, Bennie’s got just the deck!

Selesnya Bennie Brews For New Standard

Bennie continues the celebration of green/white during Selesnya Week by telling you about the G/W decks for Standard with Return to Ravnica that he’s been working on for Friday Night Magic.

Give Commander A Try With Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice

With Return to Ravnica about to come out, right now is the perfect time to get into Commander! Bennie writes about a nice starting point for a Selesnya deck using Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice.

Lot Less Troll?!

Bennie can’t wait to play with Return to Ravnica’s Lotleth Troll! See what ideas he has for it in Standard and one deck he’s brewed up with it for Legacy.

He Went To Jarad

Since Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord is already available in Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari for us to scavenge for Commander, Bennie figured why not go ahead and work on building a deck around him?

Composting For Golgari

Want to join the Golgari Swarm in Return to Ravnica? Bennie Smith digs into the current Standard card pool that will survive rotation to see which cards might be a part of competitive black/green decks.

Ripples, Reflections, And The Golgari Way

Bennie shares some of how his dad, who recently passed away, impacted his love of gaming. He also tells you why you should join him and the Golgari Swarm guild for Return to Ravnica.

Letting Go Of Tutors In Commander

Read the reasons why Bennie thinks players should minimize the number of Tutors they include when building their Commander decks. Also see how he did in an M13 Draft event at SCG Open Series: Washington, DC.

The Old Man In DC

Last weekend Bennie attended SCG Open Series: Washington, DC and played his Traitor Post brew in Standard and Maverick in Legacy. Read about his experiences to get ready for SCG Open Series: Kansas City!

Jumping Back Into Magic Events!

Bennie’s super-stoked to be attending the SCG Open Series in Washington, DC this weekend! See what decks he’s planning on playing in Standard and Legacy and tell him what you think in the comments.

Nefarious Nefarox For Commander

Bennie hits up another new legend from M13 to build a sweet Commander deck around this week: Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis! Check out this mono-black Commander brew.