Before I get into the weirdness, I figure I’d toss out some red meat for Spike to feast upon. Last week I got a message from Thomas Leveille, the guy playing in the Virginia Beach City Champs program that was kicking ass on points about halfway through. So, how did it pan out? Thomas pinged me on AIM with this message last week…
Now that the entirety of Time Spiral block is released I think it’s starting to sink in just how ridiculous they’ve made Blue… again. People are chatting about it in the forums and such, and I wanted to spend my time this week adding my two cents on the subject before we shift into Regionals high gear. Imagine for a second if Teferi was Green… the cynical answer would be that they’d strip away Flash and add three generic mana to the casting cost.
Bennie brings us a potpourri of topics today, including the uselessness of Steamflogger boss, the etiquette behind Internet Messaging, and some Two-Headed Giant decks. He also shows us a draft deck that, quite frankly, made my eyes bleed… one that not even Craig Jones would play.
So what’s everybody think of the new Standard with Future Sight? It’s hard for me to gage the impact of Future Sight because I go nuts whenever a new set is released, making up all sorts of new decks that I’m eager to try. New cards are like bright, new shiny objects, and like a crow I get hypnotized and obsessed. And so I present… Standard decklists!
Future Sight is here and I see that I’ve been Timeshifted to Wednesdays. Apparently Craig wanted to get the MTGO jump on MagictheGathering.com’s column, so I’ve been moved and now get to go up against the fellow who bumped me from my weekly gig over there. So revenge is mine – I get to challenge Mr. Karsten head on!
I’d like to start things off by touching on last week’s official Future Sight previews, namely the latest ridiculous Blue wizard Venser, Shaper Savant. The online response seemed mixed, with a majority of people seeming to fall somewhere between “meh” and “ugh.” All I have to say is…
What are you, people? On dope?
Bennie faces off in this week’s Battle of the Bens with a few choice words for our own Mr Bleiweiss! He follows them up with a look at one of the new graveyard-acquainted cards from the approaching Future Sight, talks us through some Magic Online games, an jumps on the Wild Pair bandwagon with a few Time Spiral Block Constructed decks of his own…
Bennie Smith, a.k.a. King Dredge, reveals the very moments he fell in love with the graveyard-abusing mechanic, and shares some of the original decks that inspired his allegiance with the Green/Black guild. He also takes a peek at the current Standard metagame, and has a few words of warning for those misguided folk planning on selling their card collections…
Bennie has sent the last week playing a number of tournaments on Magic Online. Today he walks us through his Pauper Deck Challenge experience, and shares his cardpool from a Time Spiral Sealed IPA QT. Did he manage to take his cheap Dredge deck all the way? Did he open a sealed cardpool full of lovely bombs? Read on to find out!
In the past, Bennie had a beta beef with the availability of City Champs… but that doesn’t stop him hunting down new tech! This week’s You Lika The Juice brings us an interview with a runaway points leader Tom Leveille, and the Standard decklist that his behind his success…
While Bennie and his second head didn’t manage to rock their particular Two-Headed Giant Champs tournament, they know some guys who did. Today’s You Lika The Juice? sees Bennie holding court with Daniel Sale and Zack Jesse of local finalists “The Awesomes.” He also gives us an update on his love for Saffi Eriksdotter, and his hatred for pesky squirrels…
Bennie had high hopes for his Two-Headed Giant Champs this weekend… sadly, with a weak cardpool and some questionable play mistakes, the glory was out of reach. He shares his team’s decklists, and brings us an update on his Standard Deck of Choice: Green/Black Dredge!
Bennie takes on a new challenge today… a Two-Headed Giant draft conducted entirely by email. Pack by pack, pick by pick, he walks us through every step of the process, just as Nick Eisel has done above. Two-Headed Champs is this weekend… make sure you’re ready!
Here in the States, the 2008 Presidential campaign is already in full gear, with all sorts of figures jumping in the race – Barak Obama, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton; even Britney Spears is shaving her head and getting tattoos in an effort to play to a more liberal base. In honor of President’s Day today, StarCityGames.com is pleased to interview a few of the less mainstream candidates who have either declared or are mulling over a run for President.
When the prerelease hits and everyone gets to see the full spoilers, I eagerly check around and see what cards people are chattering about, compare ideas, and stumble across new ones; all that fun happy new set chaos as millions of Magic fans around the world weigh in with their thoughts. Then I run across the Eeyores…
