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Walk With Me: Planar Chaos!

This week, I decided to take a break from talking about Two-Headed Giant. I haven’t done a regular draft walkthrough in a while – and with the recent release of Planar Chaos on Magic Online, I thought it’d be a good change of pace.

So Many Insane Plays – Gearing Up For Grand Prix: Columbus

Grand Prix: Columbus on May 19-20 inaugurates the return of the Legacy Format to the highest levels of competitive play. This article is your one-stop click to everything you need to know about Grand Prix: Columbus. Even if you have never played Legacy or attended a Grand Prix before, don’t worry — Stephen will have answered your questions by the end of this article.

Feature Article — Encore

Tim Aten – two parts genius and three parts idiot — finally returns to grace the fair pages of StarCityGames.com… only to break the news of his eminent retirement from the game! In this frenetic article, Tim shares his experiences from the sidelines of GP: Dallas, and sets out the date of his coming departure. Plus, he tells us why Paul Cheon is the Greatest Thing in Magic.

The Big Idea

Mike takes on classical Magic theory and expands an area that’s never gotten much press, walking through Extended seasons past and present to explore this new concept. You know Card Advantage. You Tempo. But do you know… Trump?

From The Lab – Beware the Spraggle! A Look at Two-Headed Giant

Craig “The Professor” Jones has high hopes for Grand Prix: Amsterdam. This Level 4 Pro is currently the highest-ranked Two-Headed Giant player in the UK… of course, it’s a Limited format, which means his English heritage proves he’s likely no more than passable. Today’s From The Lab takes a detailed look at both 2HG Sealed and Draft. And after this weekend, maybe Prof will be a Grand Prix Champion once again…

Feature Article – Mistakes Were Made

Today’s Feature Article looks at the bane of any Magic player’s life… avoidable mistakes. Chad shares two clear-cut game states in which he dropped the ball, and talks us through the thought processes behind each correct play. In order to banish such mistakes from our game, we must do more than identify such errors… we must try our best to eliminate them from future play.

Levelling Up – U/W Tron and GP: Dallas

Tiago was prepared for Grand Prix: Dallas. In testing, he ran a gauntlet of six decks before settling on the Feldman / Hill / Tsumura inspired U/W Tron list. He takes us through his preparation in great detail, and walks us through some of the more entertaining games he played in his heartbreaking ninth-place performance.

Peebles Primer — Mono-Green Aggro in Planar Chaos Standard

Damnation, Damnation, Damnation… everyone wants four. If you’re a noble Aggro mage, I’ll bet you’re pig-sick of hearing about the New Black Wrath, and how it’s gonna smash your world into smithereens. However, all is not lost! Benjamin Peebles-Mundy updates his MGA list for the Planar Chaos Standard metagame as he sees it. Looking to beat down with Green monsters? Then this is the article for you!

Ask The Drama — Two-Headed Giant, and Standard Madness

In preparation for his home Grand Prix, Jeroen answers some reader-posed questions regarding everyone’s favorite four-player format: Two-Headed Giant! For those looking for some Constructed tech, Jeroen also critiques a fun Madness / Reanimator deck, and offers up some helpful tips on how to approach Time Spiral Block.

Pro Perspective — Extracts From A Pro Diary: Singapore Fling

You wait nine years for a Grand Prix win, and then two come along at once. Raphael Levy, proving that lightning can indeed strike twice in the period of seven days, took his Gaea’s Might Get There five-color Zoo deck to the balmy climes of Grand Prix: Singapore… and, as in Dallas, he came home with the novelty check. Wanna know how he did it? Look no further!

The Black Perspective – The Pro Players Club

Jamie is currently on holiday — he’ll be back next week — but in his place we have a real treat from Osyp “Joe Black” Lebedowicz. He brings us a rundown of his experiences in Pro Tour: Geneva, in which he placed a creditable 30th, and follows it with an irreverent and hilarious look at the Stars of Pro Tour: Geneva, a la Rich Hagon. Remember folks, it’s all in good humor…

Deep Analysis — Updates

Richard Feldman, authority on Extended U/W Tron, took great delight at seeing a deck of his (and Zac Hill’s) design Rocking the Kasbah at GP: Singapore. Of course, with Japanese Giant Tomoharu Saito at the helm, inevitable changes to the 75 were made. Today, Richard examines each of those changes in detail, and takes us into the mind of a Japanese deckbuilder…

So Many Insane Plays — Long Live Ichorid

Stephen Menendian’s innovative Manaless Ichorid deck continues to evolve. Sure, it’s fought its way through various hate in the form of Tormod’s Crypt and Jotun Grunt… but can it handle the heat from the new boy in town, the mighty Extirpate? Stephen refines his deck further, and puts it through the mill of a local Vintage tournament…

Limited Lessons — A Two-Headed Giant Draft Build Session

Last week, Nick took us through a Two-Headed Giant Draft pick-by-pick. Today’s Limited Lessons takes us through the crucial deckbuilding process. How do card considerations differ in the slower and trickier format? Is it wise to take the stronger cards and be greedy over building once the draft is over? Nick reveals all…

Feature Article – A Great Deck, Some Deck Ideas, and Hot Girls

With Extended finally receding into the Aether, Patrick presents an update on his excellent Four-Color Red mid-range beatdown deck (his definition, not mine). He also brings us some interesting Extended food for thought, with a few strategies thrown against the wall to see what sticks. All this, and the story of a Penthouse Pet! What more do you need?