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Ted Knutson recently sparked a pretty robust debate on the”best” writers in Magic’s brief history with his article Love’s Labour Found. One thing that struck me while reading the forum chat on this was that a lot of the newer players have not been exposed to a lot of the historical pieces upon which Flores and others base their conclusion. There is a lot of really good stuff out there that many people will never get to read… Well, maybe they will get to read a little bit.

At this time, Yu-Gi-Oh outsells Magic, but not quite as much as appearances would suggest. I watch Yu-Gi-Oh players of ages eight to twelve wander into the store and throw down more money than I’d care to admit. I have no idea where these tykes are getting their hands on freshly-printed, unmarked one hundred dollar bills, but as I wipe off the cocaine left over on the textured bling I am struck considering what exactly is better than Magic in this game.

There were still a lot of Beasts decks there, but there were plenty of Goblins running around as well. It seemed like Astral Slide was an acceptable metagame call – and even though I did well, I should have sat this one out. This is what I played. Be warned, it indeed is a pile. I credit the performance to having really really good matchups.

Ever seen a Magic card that was misprinted or defective in some manner? Quite a unique find, no? Now… how about over FIVE-HUNDRED different ones?!?!

After collecting misprinted Magic the Gathering cards for years, I have decided to sell my collection. If you’re into this sort of thing, you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!

At the risk of looking like a scrub (okay – more like a scrub), I am going to build dragon decks. This is partly because the new set is so dragon-friendly – and partly because I am getting some flak for playing too many combo decks. Even my beatdown decks generally have some”surprise, you all lose” elements. I’m trying to build something that only wins by beating down.

Tournament Operator Mike Guptil found another (slightly less well-known) player passed out in the elevators. Upon being awoken, that player was very drunk and very disoriented, and was asked to leave the premises (though I doubt he could find the exit without some help). In case you’re missing the point, Grand Prixs are great times – but try not to destroy the hotel and venue, and also do your best to pass out in your room or a friend’s room. This can result in compromising photos of you that get posted on the internet.

While flavor was the primary motivation for Form of the Dragon, and while it did end up being rather flavorful, it’s also ridiculously powerful in Limited. The”non-flying creatures can’t attack you” gives you an excellent way to”not lose,” while the”five to any target each turn” provides you the complimentary way to”win.” In case this is too complex for you all, I’ve enlisted my friend Joey Bags to help round out advanced strategy like this.

Wizards totally dropped the ball on the cards, at least in terms of the storyline. The cards do not do the novel justice. The flavor texts in Legions supported the storyline to some extent, although there was also a great deal of supplementary information not covered in the novels. Even though Scourge doesn’t add anything significant to the Scourge storyline, it certainly does not support the story put forth by J. Robert King. The flavor texts are bland, boring, and weak – especially in the wake of the strong pool of ideas in the novel.

Starr Kaplan told me,”It may be useful for Magic players themselves to know… What they can do to change society’s perception of the average Magic player.”
I have a better idea! Perhaps it would be more useful for members of so-called”society” to know what they could do to change the perception that the average Magic player has of them.

Magic players are notorious for complaining about bad luck and wishing that skill was a bigger factor in determining the winner of the game. What’s that old expression?”Be careful what you wish for”? Team Rochester Draft is the most skill-intensive format Magic has to offer. That’s great news if your team is better prepared than the opposing team, and really bad news if you’re not. There are no excuses. If you want the edge (and in this format, it can be a big one), you’re going to have to work for it – and I’ll show you how.