We’re up to part 4… and that means Legacy preparation! Going into Worlds, Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz, aided admirably by Legacy Grand Prix winner Steve Sadin, looked to crack the format wide open. Zvi reveals all about his Legacy thought process going into the event, and shares the list that he proclaims as the Best Deck in Legacy bar none!
[Part 1 – Standard Preparation] – [Part 2 – Draft Preparation]
[Part 3 – Drafting With Zvi]
Yesterday, Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz shared his preliminary thoughts on the triple Lorwyn draft format. Today he puts his money where his mouth is, and talks us through his two drafts from Worlds 2007. With an open and flexible view to the format, did he manage to ride the early signals to draft success? Read on to find out!
[Part 1 – Standard Preparation.] – [Part 2 – Draft Preparation.]
Last Friday, Zvi Mowshowitz talked us through the decision processes that led him to his powerful Blue/Black Faeries deck for the Standard portion of Worlds 2007. Today we see the deck in action – five rounds against the best players the world has to offer. Zvi then moves on to tales of his preparations for triple Lorwyn draft…
That’s right, folks… Zvi’s back! Today we start a multi-part series that chronicles Hall of Famer and Magic Legend Zvi Mowshowitz’s preparation and play at the 2007 World Championships. The first part deals with his thoughts going into the event, and his extensive preparation for the five rounds of Standard. He also updates his deck for the post-Worlds metagame! Check back in on Monday for part 2…
Zvi says goodbye to StarCityGames.com with a list of how to make your Magic: the Gathering gaming experiences better than they have ever been before. Looking to become a dealer, a Pro Tour player, or something in between? Zvi shares his thoughts on each of these including his opinion as to what the most important element in any gamer’s life happens to be.
The faster you can play, the more matches you will win. Of course, you have to counterbalance that with the fact that playing too quickly will cause you to make bad decisions, costing you more than you gain by playing fast. There are a lot of good reasons to play fast, some of which are not well known, but none of them will save you if you’re making a lot of mistakes. The good news is that speed can be learned, both in general and for a particular deck or format. I consciously developed my ability to play at a hyper-fast pace and rather than weaken my play it made it better. First, I’m going to offer some motivation.
Have you ever ended up with an unintentional draw or a loss when you felt like if only your opponent would have played faster, you would have had a chance to win? That’s the topic that Zvi tackles today, first tackling the legality of slow play, then giving you signs that will tell you whether your opponent is deliberately wasting time, and last providing advice for what you can do to prevent this. If you ever have played or plan to play tournament Magic, then this article is a must read.
In addition to covering the topics mentioned in the title, Zvi also gives you an overview of draft archetypes in 9th Edition Limited, valuable information if you plan to play in this weekend’s 9th Edition Release events.
The one, the only, the Zvi Mowshowitz produces what may be his last set review ever before he disappears behind the ivory walls at Wizard of the Coast. Want to know what the master thinks about 9th Edition cards in both Limited and Constructed? We’ve got it all here, and only on StarCityGames.com.
This is it folks, the final installment telling the tale of how one goofy young Type One player turned into a Pro Tour powerhouse and deckbuilding master.
Zvi answers more of your questions in this final installment, including “Are there killer combos in formats that are never discovered?”, “What’s the best combo in Standard that doesn’t involve a nine-mana sorcery?”, and “Will your love of combo inadvertently push the combo archetypes when you’re working for Wizards R&D?” Plus, the question that Zvi couldn’t answer!
Zvi asked for questions… and man, did you flood him! Zvi answers questions on just about every topic around, from “How do you become a better player?” to “How far should R&D push the design envelope?” to “Why did Netrunner fail?” to “How dangerous is Blue, anyway?”
I don’t remember how I found it. Chances are someone at school told me about the place. My guess is it was Steven O’Mahoney-Shwartz. The first time I heard about him, he was in the lunch room buying Moxen for fifty each and then reselling them for ninety. Smart kid. Regardless of where the information came from, let’s just say that nothing in my life would have been the same if I hadn’t discovered Neutral Ground.
How exactly does one go from geeky chess club kid to Pro Tour champion and now employee of Wizards of the Coast R&D? Was he bitten by a radioactive mosquito? Or perhaps struck by a bolt of lightning? Today Zvi shares the story of his Magical origins including providing readers with some of his earliest deck designs.
Master Mowshowitz examines all your online Magical gaming options and comes up with some surprising verdicts about the form versus the function of the various programs.
