CategoryMagic The Gathering

The Beautiful Struggle – Inside My Attack Step

Across the board sat a Merfolk Thaumaturgist, a Dream Stalker, and a recently played morph with UB open. My opponent had three cards in hand. It’s the start of the combat step, I’m at 10 from the Stalker / Thaumaturgist combo, and he’s at 17 from my Shaman attack last turn.

This article is all about the question: What’s the play for me?

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #172 – The Ultimate Extended Tournament: Round 1 Results!

I’m continuing with the Ultimate Extended Tournament. The concept is simple — take two dozen of the best Extended decks from seasons past, add some of the best decks from this season, and let them all battle it out. Round one is now over. We have upsets! The number one seed — JarGrim — is out!

From Right Field – Necromancing the Stone: The Sequel

When I left you last week, I was doing quite badly with a Black and White deck inspired by and built around Necrotic Sliver. Part of the reason was that I had run in directly into a gauntlet of tournament-winning decks. The other part was that the deck sucked. I was in a bit of a pickle. I have called Necrotic Sliver one of the two best non-rare creatures in Planar Chaos. Of course, I had to build a deck to prove that point, or no one would believe it.

Deep Analysis – Poor Play and Top 8

Today’s Deep Analysis brings us Richard’s take on an interesting “tournament report” from an Extended PTQ Top 8, in which the writer involved made a series of terrible plays yet still managed to make the final table. Mr Feldman dissects the report from top to toe, and highlights each mistake in order to stop us falling into similar traps. Another excellent article from one of the top writers in the game today.

The Combat Phase — Being In The Moment

Can it be true? Has Jamie finally succumbed? Has he joined the Dark Side, and picked up an Island or two? Is he coming round to the Way of the Control Mage, ready to leave mana open and counter spells left, right, and center? There’s only one way to find out… Read on!

Flores Friday michaelj Monday – Cutting off the End Game

Last week’s Flores Friday has mutated into a special michaelj Monday… and it’s a corker! Mike discusses that most elusive of skills: cohesive strategy. By fixing a blueprint of plays, one path to success involves cutting off the important end game of your opponent. Just how do we go about this? Plus, Mike brings us a Standard deck to throw against the field: White Wafo-Tapa, updated.

Sealed Dissected – Planar KO, Round 3

Eli greets us from a blustery Japan, and brings us an interesting Time Spiral Sealed cardpool for us to dissect and discuss. White, Blue, Black, Red, Green… a rainbow of options for us to investigate. Grab a pen and paper, or fire up Magic Online, and play along at home!

Magic Puzzles — The Lost Questions

When it comes to video games, I am a big fan of the “lost game” genre. For example, Mario the Lost Levels, and all of the previously unreleased Final Fantasy games are among my favorites. When it comes to Magic cards? Let’s just say that Coldsnap was not my choice set. Today, and next week, we will explore a different direction with lost Magic cards: the lost puzzle. Enjoy!

You Lika The Juice? – I, Golgari

Bennie Smith, a.k.a. King Dredge, reveals the very moments he fell in love with the graveyard-abusing mechanic, and shares some of the original decks that inspired his allegiance with the Green/Black guild. He also takes a peek at the current Standard metagame, and has a few words of warning for those misguided folk planning on selling their card collections…

So Many Insane Plays – Vintage Spotlight on the Belcher Deck

The Turn 1 Kill… it’s an achievement as celebrated as it is derided. No deck in Vintage, despite many attempts, has ever been truly successful at executing a consistent turn 1 kill. However, Stephen believes that the surprising Goblin Charbelcher deck may have finally achieved the unthinkable. If you’re looking for a fun and competitive alternative to the usual Vintage powerhouses, then this could be the deck for you!

Limited Lessons — It’s Fun To Be In The IPA

Before setting out for Grand Prix: Boston, Nick played an IPA Qualifying event on Magic Online. He walks us through his Sealed cardpool and deckbuilding choices, and brings us a game-by-game rundown of his journey toward the Top 8. Did he qualify for the chance to rip a foil Pernicious Deed? Read on to find out!

Insert Column Name Here – In Which The Ferrett Goes Mad

Read The Ferrett... every Monday at
StarCityGames.com!This week, my brain arguably melted down. I’m about to tell you that what I built was almost certainly the wrong thing, and by a large margin, and I turned away from a reasonably easy, fattie-based build into something needlessly tricky. But what happened?

Magical Hack: April Fools, or The Long Road To Regionals

Really, I don’t know where to begin with the intro for this one. Sean, it seems, has gone mad… and handed over the bulk of his column to someone else. I won’t spoil the surprise, but if you’re looking for top-notch Standard matchup analysis, this will be the best — and strangest — you’ll see this dec(k)ade…

The Real Deal – What’s Hot and What’s Not?

In today’s edition of The Real Deal, Ben gives you hot tips about which cards are burning up in price, and which are going cold! Find out the ten biggest movers in Standard, the most desired foil cards in Magic, and much more! This is an absolute must-read article!

The Magic Show #37 — A Conversation With Chris Romeo

Hello everybody, this week’s show was built on the idea of sending cards to a soldier in Baghdad. But four hours of play can take conversations in a lot of places. Inside you’ll see what myself, Romeo, and our friend Joe think about the current state of Magic and more!