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Whimsies

Because I haven’t had a voice in a few weeks, I have this miscellany of things to say, deck ideas and so forth. Entailed in this article are decks, musings, opinions, and more — all wrapped into one neat package.

One-Eyed Ophie Romps His Way to Top 8: Vintage World Championship Report

More than one hundred and fifty players came to Gencon to win an amazing piece of artwork and a sweet trophy. More importantly, they came to take their shot at the mantle of Vintage World Champion, but none of them were prepared to handle the return of Mono-Blue.

Blog Fanatic: My Interview With Jamie Wakefield (Part 1 of 3)

Years ago, Jamie Wakefield was the most popular Magic writer anywhere. His books still go for $100 on eBay, and and when Mike Flores pretended to be Jamie on April Fool’s Day, we were flooded with emails from disappointed fans who thought that the King of Fatties himself had returned.

Well, this is the real deal! Ben Bleiweiss has finally tracked Jamie down. Find out what Jamie has been doing for the past five years, and hear his thoughts what he thinks about Green these days! Plus, an update on the lovely Mare!

What’s the Build?

Let’s begin with one of the more difficult draft decks I’ve had to build in the past few weeks from MTGO. I was constantly getting good cards late, but the problem was that they were all heavy on the mana requirements and in three different colors to boot. I’m going to list all of the relevant picks in order first and then go over some of the builds I went through during deck construction after some discussion about the draft.

Blog Fanatic: The Legends Rule Revisited plus Fun with Banning and Restricting!

There have been a plethora of changes in the Magic world over the past week – Wizards of the Coast released a new banned and restricted list, MagictheGathering.com began previewing Champions of Kamigawa cards, and the entire Legends rule was changed. Last things first, shall we?

CHK It Out! He’s a Radical Rat

Today’s article is best appreciated by having Microsoft Narrator read it for you while you scan the latest Worlds coverage for Kai Budde’s name. It’ll feel like I’m in the room with you! I’m even creepier in person!

CHK It Out! Collaborate and Listen

Blue is back with a brand new invention! |*_*| No, I’m not starry-eyed because of Mike Flores’ boyish good looks; I’m genuinely impressed by the card.

Sleeping With Brian Kibler – Your Guide to Guaranteed Results at GP:NJ *9th*

Some people will go to any lengths, just to get results and improve their Magic games. Star Wars Kid is not one of those people, but you can still learn from the story of how he went from never having qualified for a Pro Tour to ninth place at the largest American Grand Prix, all in the course of a single weekend. This scrub’s for you!

My Top Ten Mistakes from Mirrodin Block Limited

We all make mistakes – some of us are just better at admitting them. Therefore, I bring you the top 10 mistakes made by Kartin’ Ken Krouner during Mirrodin Block Limited.

Notes from Grand Prix Nagoya 2004

Standard hasn’t received the same level of focus as Mirrodin Block Constructed. You can draw some conclusions from the coverage at Kuala Lumpur and Nagoya, but here’s some more detailed notes and thoughts gleaned from the floor. I make few suggestions as to how to play or build the decks here, instead just analyzing what I learned from last weekend.

The New Legend Rule is GOOD!

I suspect that with Champions of Kamigawa, Wizards will revolutionize the way they design Legends. Being a Legend is an inherent enough drawback to warrant ramping up the power level. Not only do you run the risk of”dead” draws by drawing multiple copies of the Legend, but now the Legend is vulnerable to a unique form of removal: a copy of itself played by your opponent. With Champions, if you’re willing to run the deckbuilding risks, you can be rewarded with great power.

Blog Fanatic: Adventures in Urza Block (Part 2 of 2)

Pro Tour: New York ‘99 took place on the weekend of April 31st. The format was Urza Block Constructed, with Urza’s Saga and Urza’s Legacy being the only two sets released in the block thus far. Team Tulane had been hard at work practicing the format with the inclusion of Legacy, and we felt very confident in our abilities to win so we made a bold decision: we would fly up to New York with the sole intent of money drafting pros on the side.

CHK It Out! Hold This While I Look for Something Nice to Say

At least it’s not a seven-mana legend! Actually, I was pretty impressed when I first saw this. At only three times the cost of Righteousness, it’s got the capacity for twenty seven and three sixteenths times the card advantage!

Selecting 9th Edition Dilemma: Furnace of Rath

Furnace of Rath is the flaming engine for the pyromaniac in all of us. If you are the type of player whose fingers leave little trails of smoke behind when you sling your spells and there are scorch marks on your seat after you’ve reduced your opponent to nothing more than a pile of burning embers, the choice is obvious.

Selecting 9th Edition Dilemma: Gratuitous Violence

Bleiweiss tries on a new sales pitch in his latest attempt to either get you to vote his way or drive you all criminally insane. You have to see this one to believe it!