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Embracing The Chaos – They Built It

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Tuesday, June 8th – I had previously mentioned that for the new iteration of the Armada Games EDH League that I wanted to build a deck with cards I hadn’t previously played or wasn’t currently playing. I started thinking about what I’d do, knowing that I’d have two weeks (the week of PT San Juan and the following) to cook up something before the League restarted. Then, just before I left for San Juan, fellow L5 Toby Elliott linked me to a thread on MTGSalvation where they a) called me a geezer and b) had decided to build a deck for me.

The Nose Knows – Everything You Know is Wrong: Standard and Legacy

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Tuesday, June 8th – Constructed metagames adapt with each new tournament, and the more successful mages always seems a step ahead of the crowd. Today, Kyle Boggemes looks at both Standard and Legacy, suggesting lists for both formats, and shares some interesting tips to help us get to grips with any given format…

Legacy’s Allure – Figuring Out the Philadelphia StarCityGames.com Legacy Open

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Tuesday, June 8th – What’s beefier and more filling than a Philly cheesesteak sandwich? Sixteen hot, steamy new Legacy decklists from this weekend’s StarCityGames.com Legacy Open in Philadelphia! You don’t need to fight over Pat’s or Geno’s to figure out what decks topped out this weekend. From sleek Zoo to hearty Lands, a variety of decks made the cutoff with lots of new tech and interesting innovations. Check out this week’s Legacy’s Allure for a full run-down on what to expect for your Legacy summer!

Feature Article – Beastmaster in Block Constructed: Building The Deck

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Monday, June 7th – Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz rocked into Pro Tour: San Juan with the breakout deck of the tournament: Beastmaster Green. Today, he shares some initial lists that he and his team created and discarded, and lets us into the processes that inspire one of the strongest deckbuilding minds in history.

Removed From Game – How Neil Rigby Will Win Pro Tour: Amsterdam (And So Can You)

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Monday, June 7th – If you’re not part of a global Superteam, there’s never been a better opportunity to reach the Top 8 of a Pro Tour than the forthcoming event in Amsterdam. Rich explains how three months of hard work and dedication, plus one or two very important shortcuts, can give you the chance to mix it up with the very best.

The Pro Perspective – Pro Tour: San Juan Disappointments

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Monday, June 7th – For Raphael Levy, Pro Tour: San Juan capped of a rather uninspiring six months of Magic. Today, he shares his thoughts on the format, and outlines his deck choice and team inputs. He also has a few kind words to say for an overlooked Black rare in Limited play…

Innovations – Grand Prix: Sendai, M11 Discussion, and Vegas

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Monday, June 7th – In this week’s edition of Innovations, Patrick Chapin discusses Brian Kibler’s successful changes to the Next Level Bant deck for Grand Prix: Sendai (Congratulations, Brian!), what the M11 Core Set has to offer, and much more!

The Long & Winding Road – Rethinking DCI Restriction Policy

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Monday, June 7th – I want to clarify some points from my article last week, and at the same time, I expect some of what I say here will serve to set off a larger and more heated debate. In discussion on part of my last article (the part that wasn’t deck lists), it became clear that I may not have communicated some of my opinions on Vintage accurately or clearly, so I will try to do so this week in greater detail. [Editor’s Note – Congratulations, Matt!]

The Combat Phase – Hi! I’m Jamie Wakefield

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Monday, June 7th – King of the Fatties Jamie Wakefield introduces himself for those unfamiliar with his legacy, and has a few strong words for those who doubt him. He also tries a different spin on his Green-loving deckbuilding, and returns to a pair of numbers that have been synonymous with him since he started playing…

Flow of Ideas – The Lost Journal of a Pro Tour: San Juan Beach House Participant (Part 1)

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Monday, June 7th – After three crazy days in DC, I am finally in San Juan. I am back on the Pro Tour again – and I hope this time I can stay on. I am only two hours in, and this already reminds me how awesome the Pro Tour is.

The Chump Block – Block Constructed After San Juan

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Friday, June 4th – During my short tenure here at StarCityGames.com, I’ve written two articles on a subject that is generally shoved to the wayside: Block Constructed. I posed the not-so-subtle “should I write about this subject again” question at the end of my last article, and the response was a fairly enthusiastic “sure, whatever.” In all seriousness, people seemed to enjoy the articles, as it’s a subject that doesn’t receive too much attention, which of course is because it’s not too applicable in our everyday Magic-playing universe.

Live Coverage of StarCityGames.com Open: Philadelphia

Live coverage of the StarCityGames.com Open Series in Philadelphia!

Another successful StarCityGames.com Open weekend has come and gone! Approximately 800 competitors battled it out over the two days of competition. Sunday was all about Legacy. Pro Tour champion Jacob Van Lunen made waves early with his Monoblue Control deck, lurking at the top tables. Chris Woltereck and company were in the house with a brand new version of 43 Lands, this one with Living Wish, but when teammate Ken Adams unintentionally drew himself out of the Top 8 in the last round, hopes of seeing a copy of their deck in the single elimination rounds were destroyed.

In a repeat of Saturday action, two players made their second Open Top 8s on Sunday: Jesse Hatfield and David Price. Both had their previous top performance in Legacy, and David Price was even using the same deck he had played then. They made it through the Quarterfinals, but had their hopes of a championship crushed by Jim Orr and Matt Elias.

That set up a Finals featuring two of the defining archetypes of the Legacy format: Elias’ Zoo deck and Jim’s Counterbalance deck. Orr’s quiet demeanor hinted at his preparedness for the event, but his deck simply couldn’t keep up with the Cats and burn of Matt Elias’ Zoo list. A lucky Path to Exile to clear enough attackers to get through past a Progenitus meant Matt Elias was the official champion!

StarCityGames.com Open Series Event Photos on Facebook

StarCityGames.com Open Series

StarCityGames.com Open Series Event Coverage Photos on Facebook!


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The Justice League – Asking the Judge

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Friday, June 4th – I’m afraid to say this is not the revival of the old Chris Richter articles to solve your rules questions, but thankfully, the forums have a wonderful section for just that issue. No, this is a whole other kind of frequently asked questions. As a judge, I get a lot of questions that don’t involve the rules, or policy. Many players can be very social with us, and want to get to know us, and learn about what we do.

Positive EV – Planeswalkers versus Mythic Conscription: The Mythic Perspective

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Friday, June 4th – Antoine Ruel brought us the Planeswalker Perspective above… Now it’s Manu’s turn, with Mythic Conscription. Antoine believes the Mythic deck is the perfect choice for your next Standard tournament. Will it do the business this weekend at the StarCityGames.com Open in Philadelphia?

At the Gathering – Bant Land

The StarCityGames.com Open Series comes to Seattle!
Friday, June 4th – Earlier this week, while playing in a mid-week draft, I got into a discussion with one of the players about the particularly poor quality of the rares in our box. No Gideon, Sarkhan, or Vengevine made for a definitely sub-standard value box. I ended up grabbing a Realms Uncharted…