CategoryMagic The Gathering

Innovations – Metagaming and Deckbuilding: The Three Laws of Prediction

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Tuesday, July 13th – Magic is a complex game with a myriad of deck possibilities. Why, then, is it relatively easy to predict the archetypes you’re likely to face at any given tournament? Patrick Chapin discusses the art of deckbuilding and metagaming, and examines how the decline of the expert deck builder may be something we can exploit…

Embracing The Chaos – Dragons at War… Savage War

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Tuesday, July 13th – I will confess a weakness for Jund colors. I’ve been playing Mythic Bant in Standard recently, and although I love the idea of attacking with 17/17 Baneslayers, I really love the savagery of BRG, so I hope you’ll understand why I keep going back to the Kresh and Karrthus wells. This week, it was Karrthus.

Duel With Ruel – Mythic Bant versus Turboland: The Turboland Perspective

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Monday, July 12th – M11 is here, but it will take a few weeks for the new cards to make an impact on the current Standard metagame. Antoine Ruel continues his Duel With Ruel series today with a look at Mythic Bant versus Turboland, two decks that promise much with the changes in the coming weeks…

Legacy’s Allure – M11’s Eternal Hits

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Monday, July 12th – Endlessly recurring skeletons, powerful Green enchantments on legs, and the best combo hoser we’ve seen yet? It’s all in M11, along with several other cool cards that could find a home in Legacy! This week, Doug looks over the full spoiler for the most likely Eternal candidates, pulling them out for in-depth analysis. Find out why Fauna Shaman resembles a certain Shards of Alara card more than Survival of the Fittest and much more, in this week’s Legacy’s Allure!

Flow of Ideas – Staying at Zero Degrees: How to Prevent Tilt

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Monday, July 12th – The thing about tilt is it seldom just grabs you and throttles you. That’d be easy to prepare for. You could tell when it was coming and try to cut it off. Occasionally tilt will surprise you when your opponent does something entirely inane and it works out, but even then, players with enough experience should be able to shrug off a single blow.

At the Gathering – The Conundrum of Formats

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Monday, July 12th – Magic is an ever-changing game. Every three months, we get a new set of mostly new cards with which to tinker and play. Each set is meticulously examined by hundreds of thousands of players for potential in every format imaginable, be it Standard, Draft, Vintage, or EDH. Each format is similarly analyzed to try to find new trends, powerful new (or renewed) archetypes and other synergies.

So Many Insane Plays – M11 Is Amazing in Vintage: A Core Set Review

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Monday, July 12th – While M10 sold in record Core Set numbers, it added very little to Vintage. M11, however, is a different story. Today, Stephen Menendian scours the set for the cards that’ll have an impact on Magic’s most powerful format. He also brings us his latest Complete Vintage Checklist![Editor’s Note: Patrick Chapin will be here later in the week!]

You Lika The Juice? – Carrots & Sticks & Purple Hippos

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Friday, July 9th – Magic is a complex and dynamic game, which is why it’s thrived for so long, and it doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. No matter how smart or clever you are, you can’t sit alone in a bubble and suss out all the implications for each card in a new set. Everyone brings their own bias and point of view when evaluating something new. You can learn something from just about anyone if you keep an open mind, which is why I read every set review I can get my hands on.

Tribal Thriftiness #118 – M11 Top Uncommons

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Friday, July 9th – The M11 Prerelease is right around the corner, and Dave presents his thoughts on the best uncommons to start picking up for Constructed play.

The Magic Show #196 – This One Goes To M11!

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Friday, July 9th – Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going over Magic 2011 – the hyped, the underhyped, and the just plain awesome. You ready? Let’s go!

Feature Article – Rocking Red at Belgian Nationals (Top 8)

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Friday, July 9th – Despite an excellent Magical history, Marijn Lybaert has never set his Nationals competition alight. By selecting Mono Red this year, however, he had the fire behind him to burn everything in his path. He tells his story today.

Black Magic – The Ins and Outs of M11 (Part 1)

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Friday, July 9th – When M11 arrives, it rings the death knell from a selection of M10 cards that, come rotation, will disappear from Standard. Today, Sam Black looks at what’s coming and what’s going, and posits whether the color concerned has gained or lost in the exchange. White, Blue, and Black are offered up today, with the rest coming next week!

Yo! MTG Taps! Episode 29 – M11 Spoiler Roundtable

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Friday, July 9th – In this special 2-hour episode, the guys discuss the topic on everyone’s mind… the brilliance of M11!

The Chump Block – Fauna Shaman Examined

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010Friday, July 9th – I haven’t been this excited for a set since Time Spiral block. I am a man who is easily impressed by nostalgia – one of the many reasons why Pogs make a common cameo in a vast majority of my jokes – and there are plenty of cards in M11 that pluck that particular heartstrings of mine.

Sullivan Library – The M11 Cards That Matter For Standard Now

Grand Prix GP Columbus July 30-August 1, 2010
Thursday, July 8th – The M11 Prerelease happens this weekend, and deckbuilders across the world are looking forward to getting their hands on the new cardboard. Adrian Sullivan takes us through a selection of cards that promise much in Standard and beyond. Will the new Core Set re-invent Standard as we know it? Adrian reveals all…