AuthorJon Becker

This article written by Jon Becker, originally published in 2003, is one that deserves a rereading every year. SCG Classics brings you one of the best articles on improving your Magic game.

Jon Becker only writes once or twice a year, but when he does it always ends up being one of the best articles you read all month or sometimes all year. This article is no different, as our favorite crank covers spiders vs. elves, a dearth of Jay Schneider articles, a superior Ravnica sealed deck, and soliciting for charity in his usual laugh-out-loud style.

Magic’s greatest crank makes a return today dissecting Magic Online etiquette, the difference between a bad draft and a Nick Eisel draft, and instructs you how to raise your Magic Online rating by an easy 20 points in one simple step. If you’ve never read a Jon Becker article before you are in for a treat, and if you have, how can you not click?

Magic’s greatest crank succumbs to Flores’s relentless pestering, and finally writes another article! Today, Jon discusses the idea of one correct play, set reviews, pokes fun at Elliot Fertik (again), and goes no holds barred with his opinion of Geordie Tait’s recent theoretical excursions.

I asked my friend Tom Kelleher, who has so much confidence that we call it”Tomfidence” whether when he goes to a PTQ, he expects to Top 8. He said,”Of course, since I expect to win, I would necessarily have to Top 8 first.” And, not infrequently, he does. Three times, on the way to Maryland PTQs, Tom has stated that”since he was winning today, the rest of you must be along for the ride. Though I appreciate the company.” Twice, he won. So what effect does this ridiculous confidence have on your game, and how can you develop it?

Becker goes off on his usual mixture of strategy, issues, and flat-out tirades, discussing Wolfgang Eder’s mistakes at Worlds, why good decks don’t have two-ofs in them, the ethics of concessions, a surprise discussion of Mike Flores’ hidden talents – and, of course, the mandatory Jay-bashing!

People seemed to generally enjoy the last installment of Blasts from the Past, so here is another trip to yesteryear, with five (well, five and a half) articles ranging from 1997 to 2002 that you probably have not read. Okay, well, if you are an ancient dinosaur like me, or you used to post on Usenet back when your computer had a vacuum tube and the best game machine on earth was an Amiga, you have… But otherwise, these may have slipped under your radar.

Ted Knutson recently sparked a pretty robust debate on the”best” writers in Magic’s brief history with his article Love’s Labour Found. One thing that struck me while reading the forum chat on this was that a lot of the newer players have not been exposed to a lot of the historical pieces upon which Flores and others base their conclusion. There is a lot of really good stuff out there that many people will never get to read… Well, maybe they will get to read a little bit.

I realize that asking players to prepare for two similar things is very unfair. In school, I am sure none of you are forced to take, say, two related classes at the same time. Calculus and Chemistry? Probability and Statistics? That would be crazy! Give me a break.

Poor poor Masters players…

Okay, I promise this will be a short grouse this time. That promise may or may not turn out to be a filthy lie, depending upon how worked up I get…