CategoryMagic The Gathering

SCG Daily – The Fine Art of Doing It Yourself #3

Welcome back to Talen Lee telling amateur card designers they suck. Amusingly, I know there’s at least one professional in this field who will almost assuredly be telling me I’m full of crap. But that’s just because he’s an old grouch. Anyway. So far we’ve discussed both what you want to do — make a set — and then, what you’re going to use to do that — the themes and mechanics of a set. Today, we’re going to talk about how everything sits together.

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Magic Online Musings: This Week on MTGO #30 – Tribute to Steve Irwin

Read The Blisterguy... every Wednesday at StarCityGames.com!

Once again, the incomparable blisterguy brings us the lowdown on the MTGO metagame and marketplace. This, the thirtieth article in the series, is also a fitting tribute to Australia’s finest son, the late Steve Irwin…

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My Magical Life: Scrubbing Out at Grand Prix: Phoenix

Billy’s experience at Grand Prix: Phoenix was a good one. Not for the playing – he performed hideously – but for the company, the side events, and the good times. Today’s rollercoaster article chronicles each high and each low in the customary Moreno style, and shares his GP cardpool for those who wish to play along at home. “Moreno Monday” comes two days late this week… but we forgive him!

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The Intricacies of Improvement, and Dissecting the Counterbalance Deck

Last week, facing down a lack of questions, Jeroen sent out a cry for help. It seems that people responded kindly, and Jeroen’s inbox is bursting at the seams once more! This week, Jeroen looks at how a player can improve from adequate to exceptional, and gives a nod to the Japanese deckbuilding masters with a fan’s-eye look at the Conterbalance deck thet destroyed the field at Japanese Nationals.

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SCG Daily – The Fine Art of Doing It Yourself #2

For those of you who just tuned in, yesterday I insulted basically everyone who does amateur card designs and set myself up as an authority enough to tell them how to do it right. Surely nothing bad could come of this degree of hubris.

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Avoiding the Obvious – A Non-R/G Coldsnap Draft

Triple Coldsnap draft continues to divide the community in equal measure. Some love it, some hate it… but no-one can ignore it. Today, Nick takes us through a sample draft, one in which he eschews his usual strategy of “force Red/Green,” with mixed (and interesting) results. Do you agree with his choices and evaluations?

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Tribal Knowledge: Snow Birds And Compromises

For this tenth Standard Tribal article, I knew that I wanted to focus on Coldsnap. I wanted a tribe or feature card that spoke to Coldsnap’s central themes and that resulted in a very Coldsnappian deck. I wanted to look at the final decklist and immediately think “cool,” or “snappy.”

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From Right Field: From the Files of Police Squad

Read Chris Romeo... every Tuesday at StarCityGames.com!

One of my favorite things about Magic: The Gathering: Online: The Colon Game is that people remind me of cards that I’d forgotten were even Standard legal. Like the other day. I was working on this White (with a little Blue) deck when I faced off against another player working on W/u. On his fourth turn, he dropped Ballista Squad…

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Drafting With Rich – Coldsnap #12

Rich continues his excellent series of Coldsnap 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!

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I Heart Rimerunner: Drafting Mono-Red in Coldsnap

Martin Dingler, winner of Grand Prix: Cardiff, turns his attentions to the icy wastelands of Coldsnap… and injects a little fire into game! The notorious “draft the Big Green Monsters” guy has turned his back on the high-cost goliaths, favoring instead a mono-Red draft strategy that is both powerful and fun. Full pick orders, strategies, and sample builds, all available with a single click…

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How to Win a PTQ – Exploring Sealed, and Drafting B/G in Coldsnap

Shaheen, in his first submission for StarCityGames.com, shares his recent experiences at a qualifier tournament for Pro Tour: Kobe. He found success that day with some excellent Sealed advice and a strong Black/Green draft strategy. It worked for him… can it work for you?

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SCG Daily – The Fine Art of Doing It Yourself #1

You can admit it. You’ve designed a card or two. Thinking about combo engines, or ways to utilize cards, you’ve glanced at cards your opponents have, then idly speculated about cards that would interact. Magic is a game about the way things interact, so it’s natural that after some time playing, you find yourself exploring those interactions…

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Food For Thought: Black/Red Haakon

If this were one of my typical articles, this whole discussion would simply have been an elaborate bridge into a Haakon, Stromgald Scourge/Ashes of the Fallen/Hounds deck. As it is, however, the bridge is lacking, and we’re left with something merely elaborate. But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

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Drafting With Rich – Coldsnap #11

Rich continues his excellent series of Coldsnap 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!

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An Introduction to Competitive Vintage

Curious about Vintage? Confused by all the crazy terminology? Overwhelmed by the enormous card pool? Stephen has written this article for you. He’s put together, in a single place, a concise description of the top six decks in Vintage. An excellent primer for those looking to compete in Magic’s broken format. Take a look…

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