AuthorGavin Verhey

Thursday, December 17th – Burnout… the affliction of PTQ road warriors, playtesting junkies, and even professional players. Burnout is a mental condition many Magic players go through without even realizing it that threatens your success as a player, the longevity of your competitive Magic run, and, most of all, your level of fun. Fortunately, there are ways you can identify and combat burnout.

Thursday, December 10th – Subgames are prevalent throughout games of Magic. No, not the kind of subgame created by Shahrazad, but mini-games within Magic that send the game down another path entirely. When you can set up a subgame you force your opponent to end it or lose, and when your opponent sets up a subgame you need to do the same.

Thursday, November 26th – No matter how many PTQs from which I have dropped, or GPs at which I have failed to make Day 2, the life skills I have learned from Magic are firmly encrusted in my psyche. Magic has taught me more than just complex words and basic mathematical equations. It has improved my skills dramatically on all levels.

Thursday, November 19th – Zendikar is an extremely fast draft format. While initially popular, a lot of players have began to bemoan its speed, saying games are over too quick and, as a result, there is a smaller chance for skill to impact each game. While that statement is partially true, a quicker format puts the skill emphasis not on play, but on drafting.

Thursday, November 12th – Magic is a game filled with thousands of individual cards. Each is unique in its own way, and each is good at doing particular jobs. Serra Angel attacks and blocks. Lightning Bolt can kill your opponent, or your opponent’s creatures. Mind Rot removes your opponent’s options.

Thursday, November 5th – The next leg of my journey to qualify for Pro Tour San Diego took me to Tampa. Or not. As I’m sure you’ve read in other reports by now, the GP actually occurred in a town called Palmetto, located a good 50 minutes from the Tampa airport, where the only options were take a 100+ dollar cab ride or a 40 dollar per person shuttle.

Thursday, October 15th – By the time you read this article, I will have touched down in Austin, Texas. I will have successfully flown halfway across the USA to be in close proximity to the event site for a main event for which I’m not even currently qualified…

Thursday, October 1st – I had high hopes for Zendikar at the prerelease, and they panned out remarkably. I can’t remember being this excited for a Limited format in a long time. Zendikar has a lot of really interesting archetypes and dynamics, and between the different themes pushed in the set, solid fixing and acceleration, and aggressive creatures, there are a lot of ways you can take your deck.

Thursday, September 24th – New cards can be tricky to evaluate in limited. Inevitably, there are always a few overlooked cards that slip through your initial card evaluation. After all, how many times have you looked at your pre-release sealed pool months afterward and wondered, “how in the world did I not realize that I had all of Blue’s best commons sitting in my sideboard?”

Thursday, September 17th – The commitment behind our choices drives us forward in all of our pursuits, and crafts the spinning clay that is our pliable future. When you decide to do something – really, truly, decide to follow it – you gain the ability to influence your future.