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Last week I made the semifinals of a PTQ in Cost Mesa, CA, playing a Heartbeat of Spring/Gifts Ungiven deck I worked on with Rob Owen. Being an absolute mastermind when it comes to deck titles, I dubbed this creation Rob.dec. After the results of GP: Minneapolis, I was still convinced the deck was strong enough to qualify with, so I brought it to another PTQ in Mesa, Arizona. What follows is the story of that tournament, the lessons we learned from it, and the latest iteration of the infamous Rob.dec.

Yesterday’s version of this labor of love received a very warm reception from StarCityGames.com readers, and today’s article is arguably even better, including guest spots from Josh Ravitz, Geoffrey Siron, Anton Jonsson, and the one and only Kai Budde.

It’s not often that we get an article that unexpectedly amuses the editor with just how clever and a fun it is, but that’s exactly what this one did. Today Quentin gets in touch with his Pro Tour friends and forces them to talk about their favorite creatures in the game, while explaining exactly why they fell in love. This first article contains snarky segments from Ruud Warmenhoven, Jelger Wiegersman, World Champion Julien Nuijten, and Martin himself and should be a delight for anyone who simply likes to play the game.

In the past Nick Eisel has produced some of the most creative and interesting Limited articles around as part of his Snapping Thragg series. That series is back today, as Nick takes a chance to examine one particular matchup in full block Limited at a very detailed level to see which archetype is clearly superior.

The controversial Mr. Szleifer returns with the conclusion of his London report, which includes more than a little discussion of bad beats, getting smashed by Nicolai Herzog, and a hint of self-reflection. Love him or hate him, this sixteen-year-old Pro Tour winner certainly gets a reaction out of his readers.

Are you losing games because you keep bad hands? Are you unsure what makes the difference between a good hand and a bad hand? Are you the type of player that knows what hands to keep when playing a Constructed deck but are clueless in Limited or vice versa? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Terry Soh is here to help you and hopefully add a few more wins to your tournament experiences.

The King of Fatties is off to Montreal, Quebec to PTQ with his friends. Did he manage to qualify this time, or is it yet another chapter in the Wakefield string of brilliant disasters? Whatever it is, you know the article will be amusing and enlightening, so come along for the ride!

It’s Friday! Another awesome Flores article. How surprising! This time it’s on maximizing your plays and options when you are the beatdown or the control. In other words, it’s yet another Mike Flores article that will go a long way toward making you a much better Magic player, whether you are a newbie or just made the Top 8 at a Pro Tour.

Last week I took Tsuyoshi Fujita’s deck to a PTQ with practically no preparation, and posted a lackluster 3-2-1 finish. The main thing I took away from the tournament was a newfound respect for Manriki-Gusari in the war for Jitte advantage. Simply put, it is almost impossible for slow decks without Manriki-Gusari to obtain Jitte advantage over fast decks that have it. This caused me to abandon Fujita’s deck and the deck I ended up playing this time around was a bit goofy, but turned out to be highly effective.

In addition to covering the topics mentioned in the title, Zvi also gives you an overview of draft archetypes in 9th Edition Limited, valuable information if you plan to play in this weekend’s 9th Edition Release events.

Me, I’m an honest guy. Last time I regaled you with stories about winning a Pro Tour. Sadly, you don’t always win. That’s why this time I’m here to tell you about losing matches. Lots of them. Seven. In the same tournament, actually. That’s right, folks, this one is all about my miserable spiraling downfall from first to eightieth in just one Pro Tour.

The one, the only, the Zvi Mowshowitz produces what may be his last set review ever before he disappears behind the ivory walls at Wizard of the Coast. Want to know what the master thinks about 9th Edition cards in both Limited and Constructed? We’ve got it all here, and only on StarCityGames.com.

Okay, I can’t take it anymore. I wanted to take a step back from writing because I just didn’t feel like writing anymore, but I am starting to lose my mind. This could possibly be the most misunderstood draft format since triple Mirrodin. Listening to Sam Gomersall call Green the best color in both his article and in an interview at the Pro Tour nearly made me pass out. You won’t get any pick orders here, but you will be saved from all the misinformation that has been being spread about the format.

Bowing to popular demand and trying to make up for only writing four of his five daily articles, Tim Aten steps to the fore with an awesome London report written as only Tim Aten can.