CategoryMagic The Gathering

Magic Online Musings: This Week on MTGO #27

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

Blisterguy shares the ups and downs of the Magic Online metagame, and his personal price guide for all things MTGO. Plus, he spins more tales from his Nationals tournament. Ever drafted a deck so bad that you can’t even burn the cards? Blisterguy sympathises…

Drafting With Rich #33

Rich shares his Drafting technique in today’s installment of “Drafting With Rich!” As usual, he runs through a complete RGD draft from pick one to pick forty-five, and adds a brief commentary on his performance and final build. If you’d like some more detailed deconstruction, come visit the forums!

Drafting Coldsnap at U.S. Nationals

Ben, the writer behind the Definitive Coldsnap Draft Primer, takes a long look at the decks that posted a 3-0 record in the Coldsnap Draft portion of U.S. Nationals 2006. He shows us why they were strong, and what could be done to improve them further. This excellent article also sees him share his views on some of the more intricate Coldsnap Draft strategies. Looking for an edge in triple Coldsnap? Look no further…

2006 U.S. Nationals Report – *1st Place* – Part 2

Paul concludes his exciting report on U.S. Nationals 2006! With fourteen rounds of swiss play behind him, seven men stood between him and an oversized comedy check. Yesterday’s opener had thrills and spills galore… today’s installment is packed with high drama! The best writers, the best players… only at StarCityGames.com!

SCG Daily – Thoughts From St. Louis

We’re all going to make play mistakes, we’re all going to get out-topdecked, we’re all going to want to beleaguer our friends with some horribly tedious bad-beat story that makes them fantasize about how nice it would be to bore a corkscrew into our brains and shut us up. Despite all that, though, research has shown that retroactively winning the game in our heads by drawing one of our 43650345621 outs instead of that pesky basic land does not actually count as a win to the DCI.

The Other Side: A Coldsnap Draft with a Donkey

Joshua, determined to improve his Limited game, presents an admittedly-disastrous triple-Coldsnap draft experience… and begs for your help. Where did it all go wrong? Where could Mr. Claytor have salvaged things? And what could be done with the resultant forty-five cards of shame? Come to the forums and share your views!

From Right Field: Oh, Dang, I Missed Again

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

With a Standard rotation much closer than we’d perhaps like, Chris takes a timely look at the cards of Kamigawa that have passed us by. With a little re-evaluation, and maybe a kick up the rear from Coldsnap, are these forgotten gems now ready to shine on like crazy diamonds?

Drafting With Rich #32

Rich continues his excellent series of RGD 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!

No Bad Matchups – A B/W Deck for Standard

The Cak has a deck which, he claims, has “no bad matchups” in the current Standard environment. With the metagame as diverse as it is, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a mighty bold statement. However, with recent results in high-level events bearing out his assertion, and with a bevy of match analysis and gameplay tips behind it, perhaps this particular Black/White offering has the strength to go all the way…

2006 U.S. Nationals Report – *1st Place* – Part 1

Paul took his untested Solar Flare deck, armed with a single Kokusho, to the very top of the U.S. Nationals pile! His entertaining report on the tournament, covering the match-ups and sideboarding plans in great detail, is an excellent read. Part 1 deals with the full fourteen rounds of swiss play… join us tomorrow for the exciting Top 8 conclusion!

SCG Daily – Learning From The Basic Game

After four months’ absence, this is all I can muster. I’m really slipping. Must be all that time hanging around Tim Aten and bathing in a fountain of pure unadulterated apathy. I’ve already learnt better than to try and berate myself in the presence of The Master Himself, and without an avalanche of self-loathing I realized that my writing is completely bereft of content. But I’m assigned to a daily, so I have to try.

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #148: Vintage Versus Standard, One More Time

Last article, I wrote about the cost of Magic, specifically Standard. In the forums, the debate developed two sidetracks; the “you just hate dual lands” and “play Vintage, it’s cheaper in the long run.” The first sidetrack is just stupid — read the fu- err, fine article, I don’t hate the duals. As for the second sidetrack, well, let’s do the math…

The Weekly Guild Build: Obey the Cow God

Read Eli... every Monday (for 3 weeks) at
StarCityGames.com!I’m starting up a week off, capped off by Grand Prix: Hiroshima. Lord knows, I’ve got enough writing on my plate at the moment. The fact that my builds haven’t had actual battle testing irks me, so I’ll note that my next installment will cover a Top 8 Sealed deck helmed by myself. A little taste of victory enlivens the writer’s wit. (It has nothing to do with bragging. No, not in the slightest.)

Drafting With Rich #31

Rich continues his excellent series of RGD 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!

Flaring Up at Nationals – A U.S. Nationals Report *3rd*

In his first article for StarCityGames, Luis Scott-Vargas takes us through a blow-by-blow account of his recent wonderful run in the U.S. National Championship. Mulligans, mana, monsters, and madness… all are present, with highs and lows aplenty! His fine run only stuttered in the Top 8, where he fell to eventual champion and playtest partner Paul Cheon… A strong performance, and a strong debut article!