CategoryMagic The Gathering

Legacy’s Allure – The Merfolk Breakdown

Read Doug Linn every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, March 31st – Merfolk, one of Legacy’s newest decks, showed up on the scene in Lorwyn and quickly made an impact in tournaments around the world. Today, Doug complies the results from over two dozen winning Merfolk lists and shows the most common cards, as well as some curious outliers. Take a look at the consistently-built archetype and gather insights about why the deck has become so strong. Doug presents a composite maindeck and sideboard for Merfolk, along with new and controversial additions to the standard list!

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Sullivan Library – Examining 432 Decklists: The Actual Standard Metagame

Read Adrian Sullivan every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, March 31st – At the StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open, an impressive 432 players came to battle it out for the top prize. Adrian Sullivan, armed with all 432 decklists, examines the statistics and trends behind those successful – and not so successful – archetypes…

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Black Magic – A Response to Triggers for Success

Read Sam Black every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, March 31st – Last week, Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel outlined his triggers for success. He shaped the ten levels of Magic Player, and shared the important trigger points at which a player can move up from one level to the next. Today, Sam Black investigates exactly what’s required to take advantage of these trigger points, and gives us pointers on exactly how we need to approach our games in order to gain advantage over the competition.

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The Long And Winding Road – Tweaks: Refining My Extended Deck

Read Matt Elias every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Monday, March 30th – I know most of you have absolutely had it with Faeries. You’ve circled its rotation out of Standard and Extended on your calendars, and have already ordered the strippers, balloons, and cake to celebrate the joyous days ahead. I’m with you. However, there is some value in taking a look at the process of PTQ preparation as far as what changes need to be made to a deck, and more importantly, why.

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Constructed Criticism – Standard Examined

Read Todd Anderson every week... at StarCityGames.com
Monday, March 30th – The format for Pro Tour: Austin Qualifiers is Standard. Can you believe it? For the first time in as long as I’ve been playing Magic, Wizards of the Coast has finally decided to make Standard the format of choice for players battling for a blue envelop. Seriously? Check. Awesome? Check again.

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Drafting With Olivier – Shards/Shards/Conflux #12

Draft with Olivier Ruel... at StarCityGames.com!
Monday, March 30th – 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!

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So Many Insane Plays – Third Place at the Waterbury

Read Stephen Menendian every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Monday, March 30th – After diluting his format focus for Grand Prix: Chicago, Stephen Menendian returned to competitive Vintage with a fine performance at the recenty Mana Drain Open. Today, he shared the development stories behind his deck of choice, plus the usual intriguing play-by-play data for which Stephen is famed…

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Innovations – A New Take on Doran in Standard

Read Patrick Chapin every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Monday, March 30th – At the StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open in Indianapolis a few days ago, Patrick Chapin cast aside his Five-Color Control deck for something a little more aggressive. He piloted this new deck to a commendable Top 16 finish. So, what on earth could have persuaded the Innovator to leave his Cryptic Commands at home? Read on to find out!

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Reflecting Ruel – Triggers for Success

Read Olivier Ruel every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, March 27th – Today’s Reflecting Ruel sees Olivier in fine form. He dissects exactly what’s required to improve your game through a set of theoretical skill levels, and supplies the triggers on which we should concentrate if we want to join him at the top of the Magical tree. This is a must-read for any player serious in improving their game!

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You Lika The Juice? – EDH Persistence

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, March 27th – This past Sunday I had the pleasure of playing in a 9-man Elder Dragon Highlander game at Richmond Comix, and as tradition has it I’m going to present the deck I played and a recap of the how the game played out.

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Magical Hack – I Would Drive 500 Miles: A PTQ Story

Read Sean McKeown every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, March 27th – By now, it’s Friday and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d seen this past weekend’s results updated on the MagicTheGathering.com weekly update of Top 8 results. I certainly like to discuss them as part of my analysis of the metagame, and it never hurts to congratulate the people who turn up with interesting results that get you thinking about new and interesting card choices.

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The Magic Show #136 – A Tale of Two PTQs

Watch Evan Erwin every week... on StarCityGames.com!
Friday, March 27th – Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going to talk about Extended, what was winning and what was not, this weekend’s StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open in Indianapolis, and live coverage of a PTQ finals featuring StarCityGames.com’s own Sean McKeown. Let’s go!

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Drafting With Olivier – Shards/Shards/Conflux #11

Draft with Olivier Ruel... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, March 27th – 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!

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Black Magic – Extended Musings: Faeries and Astral Slide

Read Sam Black every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, March 27th – As you’re probably aware, Sam Black made Top 8 of the recent Grand Prix: Singapore. He piloted the popular Faeries deck drummed up by Martin Juza, Manuel Bucher, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, and Zac Hill. Of course, his secondary choice was the emergent Astral Slide deck. Today, he takes a look at both decks, as he believes that either strategy could lead a player to PTQ success.

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The Justice League – Top Penalties

Read The Justice League every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, March 26th – Unfortunately, most of the penalties we give are to good, honest folk, the kind you really want to sit across from during a match, and they’re out there getting penalized for a simple mistake or misunderstanding. These penalties are necessary to keep the integrity and fairness of an event, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy handing them out. In an effort to save both players and judges from heartache, here are some of the most common and easily avoidable penalties.

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