With two days of the World Championships behind him, Craig “The Professor” Jones had a possible dash-for-cash situation: with a decent performance in the Extended portion of the event, Prof could finish in the money. After a few false starts in the deck-choice arena, he settled on a deck that posted an immaculate 6-0 record… but not by him. Craig shares his thoughts on the deck, and the metagame, with his usual insight and wit.
We last left our hero torn and broken in the wilderness. Read on now as we regale you with his triumphant return to fame, glory, riches and women (actually I might be lying on that last point, but we can still hope).
Things go very badly… but don’t worry, we’ll be laughing and singing all the way. Well, you will. I’ll be butchering small puppies and teddy bears because somebody needs to.
Beware as we now enter the wilderness years…
Last time out, Craig “The Professor” Jones shared his thoughts and findings on the Worlds Standard format. After posting a creditable 4-2 performance with Dragonstorm, he took to the field on Draft Day with a heavy heart. After all, Limited is not his strength. The forty-card decks he produced were built out of the wreckage of his carefully laid plans. One was so bad it was banned from the official coverage! Intrigued? Then read on!
In which our hero continues his faltering journey around the Pro Circuit. Battles are won and lost, but mainly lost. Watch as the bright light of a Sunday berth is shone on our hero, then cruelly blinked off as he leaps.
So when we left off yesterday I’d just won a Grand Prix in Birmingham with a random Red deck, beating Kai Budde in the final. Kai then went on to win the next three European Grand Prix tournaments, and the world trembled beneath the feet of the German Juggernaut. While I… I… uh…
While I sucked.
So it’s time to finally get my stint on the weekly series of articles known as SCG Daily. Yes that’s right, for one week I get to hijack the entire StarCityGames.com website and turn it into a shrine to my favorite subject… namely, me. And you can’t escape! Bwahahahahaha!
Craig “The Professor” Jones’s preparation for Worlds was not as exhaustive as one might expect. With mere hours to go before the start of play, he audibled from his pet Reb/Back Pact Husk deck into what is inarguably the most powerful deck in the format – Dragonstorm. His Day 1 performance, while hardly blistering, smoldered along merrily. He learnt a few important magical lessons on his way to a 4-2 record, lessons he shares with us today. Fancy playing Dragonstorm in the current Standard? Prof has the tricks for you!
Craig “The Professor” Jones has been beavering away at Constructed testing this past month… and as a member of his testing team for Worlds, I can safely say that we’re doing our best to break the formats. The metaphorical night is young, and today Prof presents us with one of the “nearly-decks” that has occupied our testing time. Fun, powerful food for thought… and just maybe, with a little tweaking, it can go all the way…
Craig “The Professor” Jones brings us tales of high drama from both Athens and Kobe, and shares his Level 4 Mage insight on the new Limited format. His draft experience thus far swings from total destruction to utter dejection, will a call at all stations in between. What’s the best color in the format? Is control a viable strategy? Was the Pro Tour Top 8 draft a lie? All this, and more, revealed inside!
The Timeshifted cards read like a “who’s who” of star players from tried and tested decks. There is a heckuva lot of power sporting those natty purple expansion symbols, and anyone thinking they can just turn up to a Standard tournament in the next few months with a tweaked version of an existing archetype is going to be in for a nasty shock. That shock can be alleviated by actually indulging in some *shudder* history, and looking back at these decks might give some clues as to how the purple cards might impact the forthcoming Standard format.
Craig “The Professor” Jones takes us through his Time Spiral Prerelease experience in his signature comic style. He shares his views on the new Limited format, and spreads the love toward some of the unsung cards from Magic’s newest, yet oldest set…
Craig “The Professor” Jones entered this year’s English Nationals as the probable favorite. Unfortunately for Mr Helix, things went very badly. Today’s article explores the nature of “Playing on Tilt,” with reference to his horrendous day at the office. Are you a player that succumbs to emotion? Are you a player that lets the heart override the head? Never fear. Craig Jones can help.
Craig “The Professor” Jones originally submitted this article, covering his experiences at the Coldsnap prerelease, some time ago. We present it now, updated with new thoughts on the Coldsnap Limited format, as a fine tool for those entering the MTGO Coldsnap Release Leagues. Prof also shares some Coldsnap Draft stories with his usual humorous style. If you’ve not read any Craig Jones before, you’re in for a treat!
Craig “The Professor” Jones laments the passing of the most intricate Block format ever devised: Ravnica Block Constructed. With a frank dissection of his team’s testing techniques in the run-up to Pro Tour Charleston, Prof brings us some of the better – and worse – decks they ran through their gauntlet. Their Charleston performance is also reported with Craig’s customary wit.
