AuthorStephen Menendian

Stephen Menendian was the 2007 Vintage World Champion and the Season 1 Vintage Super League Champion. He's also the author of "Understanding Gush: Strategies and Tactics."

So Many Insane Players – My 2007 Magic Invitational Report, Part 1: Cubing with Kenji

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
The 2007 Invitational was not without its fair share of controversy, particularly over the choice of competitors. And once the dust had settled after the first three rounds of Cube Draft, the current Vintage World Champion Stephen Menendian sat proudly at 3-0. Unfortunately, the Auction of the People did not go quite so well… for more details on Stephen’s performance in the first half of the tournament, read on!

By

So Many Insane Plays – The View From Valencia: Demystifying the Pro Tour

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!

In today’s article, Stephen reflects upon his first Pro Tour experience as seen through the eyes of a Vintage player, and reveals his 2007 Magic Invitational submission! As you can probably guess, it’s pretty strong… but if made, would it see Vintage play?

By

So Many Insane Plays – Win Win Lorwyn: A Vintage Set Review

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
When a new set hits the shelves, Magic players the world over clamor for information on the strengths and weaknesses of the fresh cards. The Vintage crowd, of course, is no exception… except that their standards for possible playability are considerably higher. Today, Vintage World Champion Stephen Menendian takes a look at the highlights that Lorwyn has to offer our game’s most broken format…

By

So Many Insane Plays — Time Walking Back to the Future

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
The unrestriction of Gush has thrown a spanner in the works of Vintage, with GroAtog deck making Top 8s left, right, and center. Today’s So Many Insane Plays looks at the forgotten draw spell of the format, Fact or Fiction. It’s currently restricted… but should it be? Stephen argues its case. He also explains the difference between Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast, and goes through the math behind popular decks and Top 8 appearances.

By

So Many Insane Plays – Gush, Gush, Gush, Gush, Win

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Vintage World Champion and 2007 Magic Invitational R&D Pick Stephen Menendian took his favorite GroAtog deck to the recent “StarCityGames Vintage Grand Prix,” his first tournament since taking the GenCon title. Today, he talks us through the tournament play-by-play, and crunches some of the numbers from the Top 8. Gush, it seems, is everywhere. Was unrestricting it a huge blunder?

By

So Many Insane Plays — The 2007 Stephen Menendian Type Four Invitational!

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Last week, Stephen took us through an entire Type Four draft, and highlighted the difficult decisions made in this most frenetic of formats. This week’s follow up article takes us through the entire game, play by play and chat by chat, with some of the most powerful cards in the history of the game being thrown about left, right, and center. If you’re looking for something a little different, then this is the format for you!

By

So Many Insane Plays — Drafting With Stephen

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
No, you’ve not misread the title… today’s So Many Insane Plays is indeed Drafting With Stephen. However, this is no mere TPF or XXX draft. It’s Type Four, one of the most fun and powerful ways to play Magic ever created! Stephen takes us through each pick from a powerful Type Four stack, alongside the creators of the format itself, and brings us an illicit peek into the strategy behind this wild and popular game variant.

By

So Many Insane Plays – Crashing The Invitational

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Unsurprisingly, Stephen Menendian’s Magical thoughts are currently mired in the Invitational. Today’s So Many Insane Plays details the Voice of Vintage’s thoughts on hearing of his Invitation invite, and takes us through some his ideas on the possible upcoming formats. He breaks down the Invitational info from the past, and highlights the mammoth task ahead of him…

By

So Many Insane Plays — Vintage Championship Report: 1st Place!

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
As you’re no doubt aware, Stephen Menendian — the Voice of Vintage — is the new Vintage World Champion! At GenCon, piloting his much-lauded GroAtog list, he grabbed the tournament field by the throat and walked off with the title. Today, he takes us through his exhaustive preparation for the event, and shares each match, each game, and each play with his signature analytical style. Congratulations again, Stephen… you definitely deserve it!

By

So Many Insane Plays – Figures Don’t Lie, But Liars Figure: A Vintage Metagame Report

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
On June 20th, the DCI dropped a megaton bomb. Gifts Ungiven was restricted, and Gush, Mind Twist, Black Vise, and Voltaic Key were all unrestricted. In combination with the errata on Flash and the unleashing of Future Sight, the Vintage metagame experienced a massive transformation. Today, Stephen Menendian examines the fallout from this monumental shift, and shows us where we stand amid the rubble.

By

So Many Insane Plays – Everyone Should Quit Magic

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
A provocative title, no doubt… but does Stephen really believe it? Well, yes… but not in the way you think. The Voice of Vintage is in reflective mood today, sharing with us his thoughts on the place of Magic in the life of a well-rounded individual. And if that’s not enough, he also takes us through some more of the intricacies in the Flash versus GroAtog matchup.

By

So Many Insane Plays — Fireworks in the First Few Turns: Analyzing the GAT versus Flash Matchup

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Stephen Menendian, the Voice of Vintage, continues his championing of GroAtog as the premier deck in Vintage. However, there’s always another option in such a broken format. The Vintage Flash deck, obviously faster and more resilient that its now-deceased Legacy counterpart, is another Tier 1 deck with game and pedigree. Stephen analyzes the matchup from both sides of the table, and deconstructs the strategies needed for success no matter what your deck.

By

So Many Insane Plays – How to GroAtog and (Almost) Clip a Lotus

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Stephen Menendian, the Voice of Vintage, is currently proclaiming that GroAtog is the most powerful force in the Vintage metagame. Today, he enters a tournament in order to back up his lofty claims… and this article chronicles each game, play-by-play, as Stephen powers toward the Top 8. Did he make it? Read on to find out!

By

So Many Insane Plays – How to Build GroAtog to Win Vintage Tournaments

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Stephen is a firm believer that, with the unrestriction of Gush, the GroAtog deck is the most powerful — and most versatile — deck in the current Vintage metagame. Today’s So Many Insane Plays sees the Vintage mastermind take us through an exciting five-step plan of GroAtog deck design, a plan that is designed to optimize your chances at winning any specific Vintage tournament. This is a wonderful article, and the five-step plan is fine advice for Vintage and non-Vintage players alike…

By

So Many Insane Plays – The Decks of Vintage

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Stephen takes a break from brain-melting play-by-play action in order to bring us an overview of the runners and riders in today’s Vintage metagame. He brings us five of the strongest players in the format, and talks us through their strengths and weaknesses in order to fully prepare anyone coming fresh to the Vintage tournament scene. This is an excellent primer article on the current state of Vintage, and a fine refresher for those coming in with more experienced eyes…

By