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A Grand Prix: St. Louis Report

With the PTQs for Pro Tour: Kobe continuing apace, Nick Eisel presents his Ravnica Cardpool and Coldsnap Drafts from GP: St. Louis. He chronicles his performance in the event with detailed match data, and shares some handy tips for those hoping to do well in their upcoming Limited tournaments. Looking for an edge in your PTQ field? Nick can help…

Prepping for the Vintage World Championship

Stephen supplied this article with the following request: “Do not publish this article until after the Vintage World Championship.” In this revealing piece, he discusses his preparation for the biggest tournament on the Vintage calendar. He explains the tweaks and tech he considered for his weapon of choice, and he gives a lowdown of the tournament metagame going in. His actual thoughts on the tournament proper are coming next week!

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!

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!

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!

Shredder v2.0 – More Rock than Domain

The Innovator Patrick Chapin updates his powerful Shredder.dec, an Extended offering that has positive matchups against the majority of the field – especially that ornery Friggorid. Last time, the deck felt more Necro than Prison… this time, it feels more Rock than Domain. This article is packed with dedicated matchup strategy and explicit sideboarding advice… could Shredder v2.0 be the deck for you?

Drafting With Rich #30

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!

Discussing Solar Flare

Solar Flare, the worst kept secret in Magic, continues to show strong at the top tables of high-level events. This child of Magic Online held a unique position in the metagame… and sadly, it appears that Solar Flare’s day in the sun may soon be coming to an end. Will the deck surpass its shelf-life, or will it remain a mere flash in the pan?

The Continuing, Somewhat Confusing, Adventures of White Wafo-Tapa

With Solar Flare being the deck of choice, and with Heartbeat taking its rightful place atop the metagame mountain, Mike revisits old ground to find a solution to the skewed matchup problem. White Wafo-Tapa, born from a U/R Wildfire list, attempts to harness power and consistency, proving to be surprisingly durable against the top contenders…Is it the deck that’ll win you your next Standard tournament?

Drafting With Rich #29

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!