Ben, the recent second-place finisher in the 2006 U.S. Nationals, takes us through the design of his successful U/R Tron deck. With strong matchups across the board, these Blue/Red mana-mad decks are proving to be a powerful force in the metagame. Ben, in his first article, shares the card choices and sideboard strategies that almost propelled him to the top!
The legend that is John F. Rizzo recently covered the U.S. Nationals 2006… and you knew he’d have an article dedicated to his experiences there! An epic read of mammoth proportions, packed with John’s signature style. Learn just what goes on behind-the-scenes of a major tournament… and learn the truth about Kelly Digges. As per with JFR, this is not for the timid reader…
Welcome to my new series, Tribal Bible, dedicated to exploring the murky depths of our new format, Standard Tribal. My goal is to provide insights on three decks per week, hopefully each with a different tribe. A slant towards quirky, small tribes should be expected – partly because smaller tribes are more interesting to me, and also because the more members a tribe has, the more paths there are to take.
After a brief sabbatical for Canadian Nationals, Rich Hoaen is back! In this popular series, the Draft Master takes us through an RGD draft from pick 1 to pick 45, sharing his draft process every step of the way. He supplies a final decklist, and comments on the build and performance. For more detailed deconstruction, come visit the forums!
Adam continues his Folklore daily series with a look at witchcraft in Magic.
Set reviews are like asses. Everyone has one. They all stink. Yet, we still want to see what everyone else’s look like. Here’s mine. Breathe deep the stench of my enlightenment.
Craig (me) finishes his (my) report on English Nationals 2006. When we left him (me), he (I) was poised at a precarious 5-2 after one day of play, looking to pose a strong challenge for a Top 8 spot. This concluding article deals with every match of Day 2, including an epic five-game final. Highs, lows, some startling and entertaining plays… and a mulligan to three.
Three weeks ago I went to the Coldsnap prerelease. The next day my cat died. These are not, on the surface, related phenomena…
Kelly shares his thoughts on Magic’s newest set, and tells a poignant tale with a strong, affirmative message.
Adam returns with further tales of Magic folklore. Today, he talks of the nature of folklore, and sets the scene for the coming week, promising a thought-provoking series of intellectual debates.
With the Ferrett on vacation in sunny England, Eli fills his considerable clown shoes with another Ravnica Sealed excercise! The cards this week are juicy… can Eli extract the fruiy goodness and make a deck fit for a king? As always, the forums will be packed with alternate builds and strategies… come join the discussion.
What to cut? The eternal question. While sixty cards is the benchmark, many mages refuse to acknowledge the detrimental effect suffered when forcing those extra power-cards maindeck. Pat breaks down the logistics of such a ploy, and argues that while it may seem innocuous on the surface, the damage it can do can be telling….
After two consecutive English Nationals failures, Craig went to the 2006 tournament with a self-confessed “good feeling.” That good feeling was enough to send him to the top of the standings and see him crowned the last English National Champion! Indeed, his win was so mighty he began referring to himself in third person. (Seriously, how am I meant to introduce this with any dignity?) Part one of his entertaining – and long – report is within!
Nobody likes a scab, right? Well, why vote for that scab doing the other Selecting 10th article or his scab card Nantuko Husk? He crossed the picket line buddy! Up with Angel! Down with Scabs!
At least I can say I help up my part of the bargain the last time I went through this. Unfortunately, the other Ben resorted to babbling buffoonery bereft of brainpower and proved that he was the weaker half of the Ben squad. No more, I say. From here on out, I will only follow in the footsteps of Papa Knut, patron saint of correct choices and dashing good looks. And Papa Knut spoke unto me and said:
“You are doing Nantuko Husk. That is all.”
And the heavens shook with his words.
In desperate times, there are many promises you make that eventually you don’t keep. For me, “never go back to Scandinavia” was one of them. It started with Grand Prix: Copenhagen 2002. I was chilled to the bone even though I was wearing all my winter clothes. Funny thing was, old people were walking on the street wearing only short-sleeved shirts, and young people were riding bikes while wearing only t-shirts.
