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AuthorGerry Thompson

Gerry Thompson is a Constructed specialist, Platinum pro, and former SCG Tour end boss. His career highlights include twelve Grand Prix Top 8s with two wins and seven SCG Invitational Top 8s with two wins. He won Pro Tour Amonkhet, lost in the finals of Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan, and made the Top 8 of Pro Tour Gatecrash. Many of the first SCG Tour records were set by him.

One Step Ahead – Extended Elves Revisited

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Thursday, February 19th – Looking back at the Pro Tour: Berlin coverage, it would be fair to assume the sky was falling. Elves were everywhere, and people clamored for bannings. However, as the format mutated, the Green Machine became nothing more than another strong deck in the metagame ocean. Now, with TEPS being the combo deck of choice, and the Elves hate at an all time low, is the stage set for the glorious return of the pointy-eared tribe? Gerry Thompson investigates…

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One Step Ahead – Post-Conflux Standard Brainstorm

Richmond, Virginia hosts the first StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open of 2009!
Thursday, February 12th – Conflux, as with all new sets, throws a selection of interesting strategies and ideas into the metagame mix. Today’s One Step Ahead sees Constructed master Gerry Thompson brainstorming on how the fresh cardboard impacts the prominent archetypes in modern Standard. He also deflates the hype surrounding a number of the more popular cards to spring from the new set, starting with the much-vaunted Path to Exile…

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One Step Ahead – Examining the PTQ Results

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, February 5th – Taking home the blue envelope is tricky at the best of times, but the current Extended format makes the task almost impossible. With so many Tier 1 strategies in the mix, how can we properly evaluate the metagame? Gerry Thompson takes a look at the PTQ results thus far, and draws a bevy of conclusions as to where we should place our faith come the day of the tournament…

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One Step Ahead – Fae, Loam, and Zoo in Extended

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, January 28th – The top decks in Extended seem to change almost daily, and our strategies and sideboards need to alter to reflect the shifting metagame. Gerry Thompson, mindful of such movements, brings us fresh updates and sideboarding plans to three of the more popular strategies in the format: Fae, Loam, and Zoo.

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One Step Ahead – A Grand Prix: Los Angeles Overview

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, January 22nd – At Grand Prix: Los Angeles, Gerry Thompson put up a good fight but failed to impact on Top 8 play. Today, he takes us through his own opinions on the decks that cracked the final table, plus a couple more that caught his eye. He also supplies a recap report on his own personal LA finish.

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One Step Ahead – Green/Black Death Cloud in Extended

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Thursday, January 15th – Earlier this week, Marijn Lybaert took a look at the Green/Black Death Cloud archetype for the current Extended metagame. Today, Gerry Thompson brings us his version of the deck. While he agrees with Marijn on a number of points, there are clear differences between the two approaches. If you’re looking to rock our with midrange at Grand Prix: LA this weekend, this is the article for you!

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One Step Ahead – Two-Headed Matchup Article 2 – Zoo versus Faeries

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Wednesday, January 7th – Yesterday, Luis Scott-Vargas walked us through a recent Extended testing session with Gerry Thompson, in which Gerry ran Zoo and LSV played Faeries. Today, we have Gerry’s take on the proceedings. With both of these decks looking to make a considerable splash in the coming PTQ season, get the inside scoop on the matchup from two of the game’s top Constructed minds!

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One Step Ahead – Two-Headed Matchup Article 1: White/Black Tokens versus Faeries

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, December 31st – Today, we have a Standard treat. Luis Scott-Vargas and Gerry Thompson, both respected Constructed minds, go head-to-head to examine the White/Black Tokens versus Faeries matchup. Gerry handles the matches from a Token perspective, while LSV pilots the fiery Fae. Enjoy!

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One Step Ahead – Attacking With Kird Apes in Extended

Buy, Sell and Trade with StarCityGames.com at Grand Prix Los Angeles!
Wednesday, December 24th – When Gerry Thompson decides to attack for two at a Pro Tour event, it’s a sure sign of the coming Apocalypse. Nevertheless, in the Extended portion of Worlds 2008, GerryT sleeved up the Zoo deck in order to take him to Level 6 status. Today, he shares his decklist and sideboarding strategies for the coming PTQ season…

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One Step Ahead – White/Black Tokens in Standard

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, December 16th – Newly-promoted Level 6 mage Gerry Thompson stepped away from Five-Color Control for Worlds in order to bust heads with the popular White/Black Token Standard deck. He came away from Day 1 with a solid 5-1 record. Today, he takes us through the deck he played, the build he’d run today, and the sideboarding plans he’d implement for the major players in the field…

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One Step Ahead – Anatomy of a Control Deck

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, December 10th – Gerry Thompson has long been a supporter of the “grind ‘em out” style of control deck. As the dust settles on the “Cruel Ultimatum of No” battlefield, Thompson brings us an insight into the grinding strategy he finds so appealing. With Tap-Out Control strategies being the control weapon of choice in recent times, has the tide turned toward the traditional attrition plan? Gerry reveals all!

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One Step Ahead – Combo and Non-Combo Elves in Standard

The StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard open Comes to Philadelphia!
Wednesday, December 3rd – Combo Elves was by far the standout attraction at the recent Extended Pro Tour in Berlin. While the Standard counterparts are not as powerful as their wise old Extended cousins, they still pack a mean punch. Today, Gerry looks at the archetype and compares it to the regular Green/Black Elf strategy that has traditionally done so well. He also fires off the next volley in the “Cruel Ultimatum or No” battle between himself and Patrick Chapin…

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One Step Ahead – The Correct Way to Build Faeries

The StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard open Comes to Philadelphia!
Wednesday, November 26th – Last week, Gerry Thompson told us exactly where we’d been going wrong in our thinking about the modern Faeries archetype in Standard. After many calls for his decklists and sideboard strategies in the forums, Gerry steps to the plate and delivers. If you’re looking for a Fae list for the upcoming StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open, look no further!

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One Step Ahead – Pitfalls in Standard

The StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard open Comes to Philadelphia!
Wednesday, November 19th – Grand Prix: Atlanta finalist Gerry Thompson lays down the law in today’s One Step Ahead… he tears through a selection of the more successful States decklists and strategies, offering sage advice and expert tips with an acerbic “take it or leave it” wit. With the StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open on the horizon, let Gerry guide the way!

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One Step Ahead – Faeries in Extended

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, November 12th – With Extended apparently overrun with Elves Combo, Gerry T brings us a guiding light. At Pro Tour: Berlin, Gerry played Faeries… and he believes that the sky is not falling just yet. Today, he brings us his definitive guide to Faeries in Extended, with sideboarding plans for a variety of important matchups.

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