CategoryMagic The Gathering

The Beautiful Struggle – The Fastest Man Alive

While Time Spiral Block Constructed is due to change with the inclusion of Planar Chaos, that doesn’t stop the MTGO wheels a-turning. Today, Mark shares a few Block decks that rely on everyone’s current favorite legend — Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir. Yes folks, he really IS that good.

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #166 – Houston, We Have a Metagame!

With the Extended PTQ season grinding towards completion, Peter breaks down the January and February PTQ results, identifying the Tier 1 and Tier 2 strategies that feed into the post-Planar Chaos metagame. He also tackles the myth of the “Local Metagame,” and presents a G/W/r Beatdown deck for folks looking for something a little different.

From Right Field – We’re All Jerkwads

Read Chris Romeo... every Tuesday at
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Chris Romeo, casual deckbuilder and all-round nice guy, takes the opportunity to get a few things off his chest this week. In this remarkable return to his caustic roots, Mr Romeo unleashes both barrels at the population at large. No one is safe from his vitriol and spite. Remember — you have been warned.

Deep Analysis — Cause and Effect

After waxing lyrical about Tenacious Tron for a number of weeks, Richard turned his back on his baby and rolled up to a PTQ with a new and interesting deck. Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly that day… but does his subpar performance mean that his deck choice was a bad one? This enlightening article looks at cause and effect in Magic, and posits that the path to success is never as clear as it first appears.

Feature Article — Making Sunday at Pro Tour: Geneva *Top 8*

After Ervin’s breakthrough Top 8 performance at Pro Tour: LA, it’s safe to say that he faded a little from the Magical Map. Of course, a few Day 2 Grand Prix performances are nothing to be sniffed at… but the Big Time seemed slightly out of reach. Pro Tour: Geneva, however, set Mr Tormos up for greater things… and you can read about his journey to the Top 8 here!

TriscuitTron In Post-Planar Chaos Standard

Standard is a wide-open field right now, but many if not most of the Tier 1 decks are powered by the trifecta of the Power Plant, Mine and Tower; the mighty Urzatron. With the release of Planar Chaos, every deck gets a few new trinkets to toy with. The Tron-based decks are no exception. But who gets the best toys? You could make an argument for my personal favorite of the Trons, TriscuitTron.

You Lika The Juice? – President’s Day Special

Here in the States, the 2008 Presidential campaign is already in full gear, with all sorts of figures jumping in the race – Barak Obama, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton; even Britney Spears is shaving her head and getting tattoos in an effort to play to a more liberal base. In honor of President’s Day today, StarCityGames.com is pleased to interview a few of the less mainstream candidates who have either declared or are mulling over a run for President.

Magic Puzzles — Riding The Storm

With RidiculousHat taking the first Magic Puzzles crown, can YOU be the next winner of this prestigious award? The next competition starts here, with a tricky puzzle set in a Time Spiral / Planar Chaos draft…

Sealed Dissected – Second Round Planar Knockout

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Back from the kitchen, seasoned wanderer Eli (standing in for The Ferrett) offers up a fresh, complex blend of convoluted tastes in Time Spiral/Planar Chaos Sealed. See how your cardboard cookery stands up in this stadium showdown!

So Many Insane Plays — Deconstructing Combo versus Control

Vintage, the broken format of Magic, is packed with turns that can make an average spellslinger explode with options. Today’s article sees Stephen walk us through a three-game set between Grim Long and Meandeck Gifts. His analysis, as always, is exhaustive — and the matchup truly defines the column title of “So Many Insane Plays.”

Limited Lessons – Introducing Two-Headed Giant Draft

With the Top 8s of the approaching Two-Headed Giant Champs events being 2HG Draft, and with a Pro Tour looming that shares the format, Nick takes a timely look at the basics of the game. It’s safe to say that you can take your Time Spiral and Planar Chaos pick orders and throw them out of the window! Urborg Syphon-Mage over Errant Ephemeron? Cancel over Lightning Axe? It’s a strange new world, to be sure…

The Real Deal – Ben Bleiweiss’s Totally Complete Planar Chaos Set Review (Part 3 of 3)

Typically, the first part of a set review gets the most hits, and then subsequent parts get incrementally fewer hits. So, let’s just pretend like this is Part 1 of my Totally Complete Planar Chaos Set Review! That’s right, click on this article to get my wit, vigor, and other bodily fluids that contribute to everything you need or don’t need to know about Planar Chaos.

In This Week’s Ben’s Corner: Little Jack Horner! (And/or news about Extended Cards)

The Magic Show #31 — On Location SCG Extended $1k Open

Hello everybody and welcome to another show. Today we have footage of the Top 8, Top 4, and Top 2 rounds in the StarCityGames New Planar Chaos-legal Extended tournament that occurred last weekend. You ready for live footage, decklists and more? Let’s take a look!

Magical Hack – Heading For Adventure

Read Sean McKeown... every Friday at
StarCityGames.com!Magic, when played between two people, is probably the best game in the World. When played between four consenting adults, is it a case of double your pleasure, double your fun? With the Two-Headed Giant Champs mere weeks away, Sean takes a timely look at a sample cardpool, and builds a pair of strong decks with the sweetmeats therein.

Drafting With Rich – Time Spiral #46

Rich continues his excellent series of Time Spiral Draft walkthroughs, presenting each pick as it happened and highlighting each card chosen. He shares his final decklist, and gives us a brief overview of his results and processes. As usual, for more detailed draft deconstruction, come visit us in the forums!