CategoryMagic The Gathering

Magical Hack – Hacking Seattle

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Friday, June 5th – Watching the metagame change around Grand Prix: Barcelona, it seemed to me that the biggest shifts were perception rather than reality. We stopped kidding ourselves that Faeries wasn€™t good, for example, now that the metagame had grown more mature and we could prove that the things we were being afraid of just weren€™t as terrifying as we thought.

Drafting With Olivier – Shards/Conflux/Reborn #6

Draft with Olivier Ruel... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, June 5th – 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!

Feature Article – Standard (Windborn) Musings

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Friday, June 5th – The Standard metagame is teeming with decks dwelling on the fringe of Tier 1. One such strategy is Blue/White Reveillark. Today, Brian Kibler discusses his personal build of the deck, which he played in Grand Prix: Seattle. He updates it with the developing metagame in mind, and shares his sideboarding strategies against the format’s major players.

PV’s Playhouse – Swans in Barcelona, Part 2

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Friday, June 5th – Last week, Paulo took us through his triumphant Day 1 performance at Grand Prix: Barcelona. Today he continues his story, piloting his innovative Swans deck, through many a turn 4 win, onto the final table. PV is certainly on a hot streak right now, with back-to-back Grand Prix Top 8s… Can he translate this mastery to a high finish in Hawaii?

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #278 – Training Judges

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Thursday, June 4th – Do you ever dream that you have woken up? I had one such dream at Worlds last year. It was Sunday morning, after three 12-hour work days (plus a few hours of drafts and EDH), and I was really beat. I dreamt I woke up, fumbled for my glasses, then staggered into the bathroom. I pulled aside the shower curtain, and… A judge leaped out, shouting “Battlewand Oak with Lignify, Runed Stalactite, and a +1/+1 counter on it – quick, what’s its power and toughness?”

At the Gathering – Travelin’ Man

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Thursday, June 4th – Grand Prix: Seattle Tacoma was a blast. I had the chance to catch up with a lot of old friends, meet a few new ones, and overall just have a fantastic time. Because I’m a sheep, I’ll be writing a tournament report, just like everyone else. Hopefully, it’s entertaining. If not, there’s some bonus stuff at the end. And here we go.

Flow of Ideas – The Return of the King: Faeries at Grand Prix: Seattle

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Thursday, June 4th – Our story begins the week after Grand Prix: Barcelona. As I thought would likely happen, the tournament signaled the beginning of a slope down for token-based decks and the uprising of Cascade Swans. With this in mind, I had planned to play Faeries at the Grand Prix…

Next Level Magic Preview – Tempo

Thursday, June 4th – The following are passages from “Next Level Magic,” Patrick Chapin’s Strategy Guide that is being released as an e-book, here on StarCityGames.com, in one week’s time. Today’s preview is the last in the series, and it concerns… Tempo

Insider Information – Seattle Smackdown

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Thursday, June 4th – Last week, Cedric Phillips shared his tales of Kithkin debauchery at the game tables of Grand Prix: Barcelona. Today, he spins stories of his modified White Weenie build smashing faces across two days of Grand Prix: Seattle. As usual with Ced, there’s a high dose of humor thrown in for good measure… Enjoy!

Black Magic – Understanding Grand Prix: Seattle

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Thursday, June 4th – Sam Black followed up a strong Faerie performance at Grand Prix: Barcelona with another Faerie performance at Grand Prix: Seattle. While he didn’t ascend as high as he did in Spain, he’s in the perfect position to comment on the New Fae Metagame. With more Standard tournaments on the horizon, Mr. Black examines the metagame going forward…

MTGCast #157 – Hrbek the Planeswalker

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Wednesday, June 3rd – Grand Prix Seattle was this past weekend, and the winner was Yann Massicard playing Doran. Faeries was popular, and we have a ton of MTGCast hosts in the running, including Stan Bessey of Deck Builders placing 14th, Gavin in 73rd, and Conley 187th.

The Kitchen Table #288 – Chess Magic Updates and Decks

Read Abe Sargent every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, June 3rd – Way back in April of 2005, I wrote Entry Six for the Compendium of Alternate Formats. This was a newly updated version of the Chess Magic format that debuted way back in Duelist #4. The great thing about Chess Magic is that is simply is not like a lot of other formats, so it feels really different…

The Justice League – Managing Expectations

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Wednesday, June 3rd – When Riki Hayashi introduced me (and the rest of the Justice League) to all you fine StarCityGames.com readers, he mentioned that I am an asker of questions. Now, to be truthful, I ask lots of questions. I like poking and prodding at the assumptions we hold in the DCI as judges. Now that I have an audience, allow me to poke and prod at the assumptions that we – yes, we, even though I don’t think I’ve played FNM in a year – hold as players. So let me ask you this…

Drafting With Olivier – Shards/Conflux/Reborn #5

Draft with Olivier Ruel... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, June 3rd – 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!

Down And Dirty – Tough Times In Tacoma

Saturday, June 13th - SCG 5K Atlanta!
Wednesday, June 3rd – Kyle rocked up to Grand Prix: Seattle with his fresh and funky Jund Cascade deck. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite make it over the Day 2 hurdle. His report today is another Sanchez classic, full of tall tales and eye-popping stories. As usual with Kyle, those of a nervous disposition should handle with care…