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AuthorPaul Jordan

Paul has been playing Magic since the summer of 1994, and has been playing competitively since 1998. He was the NJ state Champ in 1998 and has qualified for approximately one Pro Tour per year since 1999. Paul is generally considered a better team player than individual, as is evidenced by his results, placing in the money in 3 Team PTs and playing for Top 4 each time, as well as in two Grand Prixes.

Feature Article – Extended PTQ Analysis 2

Read Feature Articles every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, February 26th – A few weeks ago, Paul Jordan brought us a statistical explosion. Working with an entire PTQ’s worth of pairings and archetype data, he thrashed out the runners and riders in the developing metagame. Today, he brings us Stat Attack 2, with data compiled from two recent tournaments. As before, Paul wrings every ounce of pertinent data from the information. Warning: This is not for the faint of heart…

Feature Analysis – Extended PTQ Analysis

Read Feature Articles every Monday and Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
If there’s one thing that aspiring Pro Tour Qualifier winners look for above all, it’s the latest in deck technology. While Paul cannot promise that today, he can bring us the next best thing: oodles and oodles of PTQ statistics. With unprecedented access to the data from the recent New York PTQ, Paul wrings every ounce of pertinent data from the information. Warning: This is not for the faint of heart…

The Stats of the JohnnyDraft — How to Track Your Casual Drafts

Hall of Famer Raphael Levy is taking a week off this week, and in his place we have an intriguing article from Paul Jordan. His “The Stats of the JohnnyDraft” series has been well-received thus far… and in today’s article he goes through a step-by-step guide that will enable you to track your own DraftStats in the same way. WARNING: This is a highly technical article, definitely not your usual Magic fare… and thus it may cause your brain to leak out of your ears.

Feature Article – Anatomy of a Season

By his own admission, Paul is not the powerhouse of PTQ-level Constructed Magic that he used to be. As a young man with a flighty lifestyle, a PTQ each weekend was the very least of his Magic experience. Now a man with commitments and responsibilities, he can only manage two or three a season. However, he has a fine tactic to lessen the pressure and get the most from his game. Who knows, maybe it can help you too…

Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

Are you forever losing, despite the hours of practice you throw into the game each week? Do you play and play, only to fall at the final hurdle? Today, Paul Jordan examimes some of the reasons why the practice you’re doing may not be the road to success that you’re promised. This is an excellent article, unmissable for anyone serious about improving their game.

Concentrate on the Boros Mirror — PTQ Two and Out

Boros Deck Wins. That’s more than a deck-name… it’s a fact. Swinging with the Little Red and White Men is a noble pursuit, but it is also extremely popular. With the mirror-match descending into little more than a coin flip, what exactly can we do to gain those important percentage points that’ll translate into game and match wins? With detailed description of his recent PTQ performance, Paul tries to smash the mirror into pieces.

Boros Deck Wins in Extended – Rocking the Mock Tournament

Last weekend, Brian David-Marshall ran a small Extended mock tournament at Neutral Ground, inviting some of Magic’s great and good to sling the overpowered spells. Paul rocked up with Boros Deck Wins, and attempted to fathom Frank Karsten’s sideboard plans for matchups across the board. While he didn’t win the whole thing, his thoughs on the deck are very interesting… invaluable for those running the Little Red (and White) Men at their coming PTQ.

The Stats of the JohnnyDraft – Two Walkthroughs, and a Stat Explosion

Paul continues his intriguing “JohnnyDraft” article series, which today delivers not one but two complete triple Time Spiral Draft walkthroughs. If that weren’t enough, Mr Jordan also brings us a plethora of statistics and related detail, and chronicles his attempt to rid himself of his personal Time Spiral Draft Demons…

The Stats of the JohnnyDraft – Triple Time Spiral with Finkel and Company

What better way to spend the holidays than drafting with one of the best players this game has ever seen? Indeed, the rest of the hallowed eight are no slouches… Paul Jordan shares some of his Drafting With Finkel experience, and brings us some interesting statistics regarding his personal performance in the format. All this, plus a full draft walkthrough!

My Trials at Grand Prix: New Jersey, Part 2

Paul concludes his enlightening report on his strong finish at Grand Prix: New Jersey. He shares the details of his two Day 2 drafts, with pick choices and deck archetypes dissected and discussed. Looking for the edge in your next draft pod? Maybe Paul has the answer…

My Trials at Grand Prix: New Jersey, Part 1

As we all know, a Grand Prix in our own back yard is simply too good to miss… and Paul was determined to make the most of it. Armed with a solitary bye, he entered a Grand Prix Trial and attempted to ride the wave to three free rounds. The story of that, plus his Day 1 performance in the Grand Prix itself, is contained within…

Preparing for Grand Prix: New Jersey

This coming weekend sees the Grand Prix circuit stop in New Jersey, and Paul Jordan has been practicing hard for the event. Today’s article is packed with two things – Sealed deck advice, and interesting New Jersey facts. Did you know that using Scryb Ranger’s ability is a fine foil to Assassinate? Fair enough… but did you know that New Jersey is the diner capital of the world? All this, and more, inside!

This Girl at the NY State Championships

Paul, along with various other Magic stalwarts in the NY area, audibled at the last minute before last weekend’s major tournament. Instead of the tried and tested U/G lists, they ran something a little more… angelic. While Paul himself did not scale the heights to the top tables, another familiar name did just that… read about his triumph – and get that all-important decklist – right here!

Either Mirari Breaks Or I Do: Mirari In Standard

While many people out there prefer beatdown, control, midrange, or something else, I prefer something degenerate. I don’t care if it is a degenerate beatdown deck (Affinity), control deck (Psychatog) or combo (Trix), I simply want it to be the least fair deck possible. I want to cheat as much as the rules will allow me to. And the one card that jumped out at me as being cheatastic was Mirari.

Designing Cards for Fun and Profit

Wizards of the Coast are currently searching for a new designer. They’re holding a competition, in which the winner earns the right to an intern position at the Magic Mothership. Paul, along with countless others, longed for a shot at the big time… today, he shares his design questionnaire answers with candor and humor. An off-beat article, but one that should inspire debate.