One of the things about being a Christian Magic player is that the instructions are right in the Bible: You shall have no other gods besides Me. But it’s hard to remember that when the Mana Gods are crapping on your forehead.
For my last column of the daily series, I didn’t have a subject yet as I hoped something would pop up to me while I was busy doing the others. It didn’t, so I settled for another Limited article, this time about the Golgari guild.
In the last Limited format (CBS), I mulliganned a lot less often than usually only because of the cards-in-hand cards like Okiba Nightwatch or Spiraling Embers. The current Limited format seems as if it’s stabilized to a “normal” amount of mulligans that should be taken. You might even mulligan more often than usual because of the common dual lands; they are the easiest way to catch up with your opponent in cards. I’m sure you’ve all read an article that thoroughly discusses the theory of mulliganning, so I’ll list the criteria once more and discuss them briefly.
When your buddy walks up to you after a round to check up on your result, do you think he’s interested in the bad beat story? As Josh Ravitz always says, “Not interested in the story, just tell me your record,” yet we share the story anyway. It’s useful for us to be able to disregard the bad plays we made and blame it all on random chance.
This week in Ben’s Corner: What was hot at Grand Prix: Charlotte? Which great new rarities did we pick up at the event? What are the three Guildpact Mechanics? Which block of sets have had their prices slashed this week? Find the answers to these questions in this week’s edition of Ben’s Corner!
When you talk to someone about Ravnica booster drafts in general, they will very often mention how bad it is to be the Boros drafter. I’m saying the Boros drafter because in my experience about one in three drafts has only one person drafting that guild, and there are very rarely more than two. Here are a few hints on drafting this guild that should save you from having one of those oh-so-common miserable Boros draft decks I keep seeing.
Today, I’ll talk about an unorthodox method of turning a game around in your favor. Often referred to as Jedi Mind Tricks or bluffs, this is the kind of thing that separates the good plays from the masterful ones, and will always produce a good story. First, I’ll show you a situation from an old Standard format in which a bluff could be justified…
Chris wraps up his quest for a winning Mono-Black Control deck in Standard.
Due to travel to/from Grand Prix: Charlotte, Ben’s Corner will be appearing Tuesday this week. Tune in tomorrow to find out what was hot in North Carolina, and which rare cards StarCityGames.com picked up at the tournament!
The Big Secret Of SCG is that its Editor-in-Chief stopped playing Magic almost eighteen months ago. I have retained enough knowledge from reading articles to know what the must-picks are in Draft, and I have some general idea of the trends in every Constructed format… But it’s time I got back on the horse. So let’s see what happens when I step back into the new, exciting world of Ravnica Sealed!
It’s rare that a submissionist comes along who writes well enough to make us promote them after only a couple of articles, but that’s exactly what happened last week with Kelly Digges. Check out the funniest new writer on the site as he tackles the truth and the lies behind Coldsnap.
Yesterday, I told tale of my Second Grand Prix. I placed fourth, winning the allotted prize for my finish plus the cash bonanza that accompanies the title of Highest Placed Amateur. My Constructed ranking gained almost 300 points overnight and I was able to treat my friends in Team Leeds to a slap-up Chinese meal. But most importantly… I was qualified for the Pro Tour!
My first Grand Prix, GP: London 2001, was fun. At least, I think it was. I can’t remember a single thing about it. According to the DCI, I went 2-4, or something. Nothing special happened, or I’m sure I’d remember. My second Grand Prix, however, saw fireworks.
Yesterday, I spoke of my first Magic match. While it wasn’t at a tournament, and thus it never counted as a true competitive contest, it was my first series of games against a tournament-savvy opponent.
