CategoryMagic The Gathering

Removed From Game – First Steps in Block Constructed

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Thursday, May 27th – With the Pro Tour hours away, Rich brings you the beginnings of Block Constructed. It may seem as if the Pros have plucked extraordinary decklists out of thin air, but it’s a lot less arcane than that. Hard work, common sense, and a bit of method can take you a long way, even if you’ve never built a deck in your life. Grab a pen and paper, and take your first steps in Block Constructed.

At the Gathering – Tuesdays With Jund

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Wednesday, May 26th – I’m a somewhat recent convert to the Church of Jund. I haven’t been on the bandwagon as long as some players. In fact, after last year’s StarCityGames.com Philadelphia Open, more than one local player shot- gunned onto Jund, one of which was Christian, my testing partner. He acquired a full boat of Maelstrom Pulses, and that was it. He was riding the Jund train until it derailed on him.

The Long & Winding Road – As Legacy Turns

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Wednesday, May 26th – If you’re preparing for this summer’s StarCityGames.com Legacy Open series (including the upcoming Philadelphia stop), Grand Prix: Columbus, and Legacy Champs 2010, it is absolutely essential that you frame your understanding of the format within the new order, as the format exists today. Let’s take a look at some of these decks, frame the new players in our understanding of the unfair decks in the format, and review some options the fair decks have available in their struggle to fight back.

MTGCast #208 – Archenemy is the Arch Deluxe of Multiplayer Magic

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Wednesday, May 26th – On this week’s edition of MTGCast, Tom talks about Archenemy, the StarCityGames.com Gazette, Grand Prix: Washington D.C. and much more!

Drafting With Olivier – Rise of the Eldrazi #1

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Wednesday, May 26th – Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel takes us through an 8-4 draft queue on Magic Online. He shares some comprehensive thoughts about both the picks and the games, and talks us through each step of the way! If you’re looking to improve your Limited game, this is the article series for you!

Innovations – A Grand Prix: Washington D.C. Tournament Report

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Wednesday, May 26th – Patrick Chapin decries the demise of the tournament report as a Magic art form. Today, he rectifies things with a deliciously Old School report from the trenches and benches of Grand Prix: Washington, complete with hijinks, decklists, and massive amounts of chicken.

Black Magic – Grand Prix: Washington D.C.

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Wednesday, May 26th – Instead of focusing on Standard, Sam Black has been knee-deep in Block Constructed in preparation for Pro Tour: San Juan. Nevertheless, he shares his insight on the current post-GP Standard metagame today, with a look at his weapon of choice in D.C. and an examination of the Top 8 decks!

Constructed Criticism – Grand Prix: Washington D.C. Part 1 *45th*

StarCityGames.com Open Series: Philadelphia June 5th - 6th
Wednesday, May 26th – This week we’ll be diving right back into Standard with a Grand Prix: Washington D.C. tournament report, where I was ever-so-close to making Top 16 and qualifying for Amsterdam. The weeks leading up to the tournament were full of me testing both Standard and Block, cementing myself in Blue-White as long as I could get the cards for it.

The Kitchen Table #339 – Multiplayer Theory: Subtlety

Read Abe Sargent every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, May 25th – When you play Magic, you want to win. You can certainly hamstring your deck by playing bad cards or a 2000 card highlander deck or whatever. Still, the very playing of a game implies trying to win. It may not be the goal of playing – I’ve long talked about the goal of playing Magic is to socialize with others and spend times with your friends. You are playing a game, though, and that means you should at least put some effort into trying to win.

Duel With Ruel – Vintage and Legacy Tournament Reports

Tuesday, May 25th – In a break from our advertized scheduling, Antoine Ruel avoids Standard to play a few Magic formats in which the spells are more powerful than the creatures: Legacy and Vintage! Antoine shares his decks, matches, and stories from the recent Bazaar of Moxen weekend in France, packed with broken turns and massive prizes!

The Nose Knows – Mr. Boggemes Goes To Washington *Top 4*

Tuesday, May 25th – Going into Grand Prix: Washington, Kyle was looking for a strong performance to cement him into Level 6 Pro Player status for next year. On the back of a powerful Blue/White Control list, he achieved his desired goal, and more! Today he shares his list, his tournament, and his sideboarding plans. Congratulations Kyle!

Embracing The Chaos – Chthulu Chicken Dinner

read Sheldon Menery every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, May 25th – As you’re reading this, I’m on a flight to San Juan for the Pro Tour, after having finished the final week of v.4 of the Armada Games EDH League, in which Emrakul makes a turn 4 appearance at Table 1. Read on…

Feature Article – The Masters of the Vintageverse

Read Feature Articles every Monday and Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Monday, May 24th – The five individuals I chose to talk Vintage with in this article are clearly five of the most revered Vintage card-slingers ever to answer this metaphorical ‘call of the wild’: Luis Scott Vargas, Paul Mastriano, Rich Shay, Stephen Menendian, and Tommy Kolowith.

Legacy’s Allure – Making The Upheaval Deck

Read Doug Linn every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Monday, May 24th – This week, Doug brings an interesting, original and innovative deck running Upheaval alongside some very old and powerful cards. Find out how to exploit the Stronghold classic Horn of Greed and how a Zendikar uncommon is the key to this Blue-Green deck that aims to reset the board two or three times in a game. You’ll see how the engine works, get rules information regarding how to utilize parts of the deck effectively, and suggested avenues for developing the deck in the future. Don’t miss this chance to read about how to use Upheaval, one of the most powerful cards in Magic, in one of the game’s most popular formats!

Flow of Ideas – The Myth of Playtesting: Switching Decks, Playthinking, and Why Max McCall is Wrong

Read Gavin Verhey every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Monday, May 24th – Playtesting is overrated. How many Magic writers have penned down that phrase? None come to mind. But if you’ve ever spent time at a high level event, there’s a reason why you can see hundreds of pro levels worth of players running around to find a deck with less than 24 hours before a tournament – and how they can still do well at the event despite a last minute switch.