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Insider Information – Thopter Foundry Combo in Extended


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Thursday, January 21st – While Cedric is a purveyor of the weenie aggro strategy, he is not averse to playing Blue deck if they’ve proved themselves to be significantly stronger that their format counterparts. According to Ced, Thopter Foundry Combo is one such dominant deck. He takes us through his initial builds of the strategy, and presents us with a tweaked list that has seen some success…

Embracing The Chaos – Attitude is the Best Slump-Buster


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Thursday, January 21st – I started writing about Magic again last year, with the intention of exploding the myth that judges are bad players. It was intended mostly light-heartedly, but with the message that Judge-as-Player shouldn’t be so lightly discounted. It morphed into the mostly-EDH column that’s become Embracing the Chaos, but I’d like to return occasionally to the roots of the idea…

Thirst For Knowledge – Lessons Learned, Perspectives Gained: An Article For Everyone


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Thursday, January 21st – A good friend of mine recently updated his Facebook claiming that he was going to take a break from Magic after a crushing defeat at a local FNM. He said that Standard was too luck-based, and that he had grown very tired of playing the game. This person is a good friend of mine, and someone that I’ve not only tested with and partied with, but also competed alongside at many PTQs. Let me show you what I told him…

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #310 – Extended Number Crunching


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Thursday, January 21st – The Extended PTQ season is upon us, and we finally have enough data to do some analysis. I break down the PTQs, online and off, as well as the MTGO tournaments that might help define the upcoming metagame. I’ll finish with some decklists that you may have overlooked.

Sullivan Library – Getting Value From Discourse


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Wednesday, January 20th – In Magic, strong opinions abound. Of course, without the proper framework for intelligent debate and discussion, disagreements regarding our game often lead nowhere. Today, Adrian Sullivan shares his insight on gaining the most out of strategic discourse…

Down And Dirty – Understanding Extended: A PTQ Early Exit


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Wednesday, January 20th – Extended is packed with unfair decks. There are 20/20 guys on turn 2, seemingly infinite flyer/lifegain combos, one-card land-fueled combo decks, and much more. Kyle Sanchez, however, believes in the power of mid-range fairness. He shares his latest Extended Bant list inside!

Flow of Ideas – Extended’s Best Kept Secret… Again: Elves


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Wednesday, January 20th – With the rotation of Wirewood Symbiote, Wirewood Hivemaster, and Birchlore Rangers, many set the Elves deck aside. Like a good story retold slightly worse, an elf deck appeared on the Standard scene after M10’s release which had pieces of the Berlin deck. But, with the rotation of Lorwyn block, it vanished…

The Justice League – MMS in Indianapolis


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Wednesday, January 20th – Q: Player calls you over and says he’s in his post combat main phase and has only just remembered his Eldrazi Monument trigger. He has two 1/1 saproling tokens and a Vampire Nighthawk that he just cast this turn. What do you do?

The Kitchen Table #321 – The Limited 250 Revealed


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Wednesday, January 20th – Today I am going to pull the curtain back from behind one of my teases in the column, and reveal one of my classic decks. Is it Abe’s Deck of Happiness and Joy? Nope. The JV Squad? Nope. I am going to spend a whole article on the Limited 250.

MTGCast #190 – David-Bowie-in-Labyrinth Cool!


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Wednesday, January 20th – In this week’s edition of MTGCast, the guys discuss Worldwake spoilers, the Magic Cruise, the Orb of Insight, and much more!

Drafting With Olivier – Zendikar #31


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Wednesday, January 20th – Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel takes us through an 8-4 draft queue on Magic Online. He shares some comprehensive thoughts about both the picks and the games, and talks us through each step of the way! If you’re looking to improve your Limited game, this is the article series for you!

Reflecting Ruel – Deducing Your Opponent’s Hand in Zendikar Limited


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Tuesday, January 19th – Zendikar Limited is a fast format, and tricks are relatively thin on the ground. Happily, this means that they can be rather easy to spot. In today’s Reflecting Ruel, Oli talks us through the signs that should telegraph our opponent’s cards in hand. Such information is invaluable to anyone looking to improve their forty-card game…

Black Magic – Sideboarding in Zendikar Limited and the Importance of Situational Cards


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Tuesday, January 19th – In Limited, correctly evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of cards is a surefire way to improve your forty-card play. However, such evaluations also serve to hold you back, as a lot of “bad” cards have excellent uses outside the usual framework of the format. Sam Black shares a selection of overlooked cards, and outlines the ways in which they can be situationally superb.

Legacy’s Allure – Delving Into Dream Halls


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Tuesday, January 19th – The Dream Halls deck has been getting a lot of attention recently, and in this article, Doug explains how the deck works and what to watch out for. Is Cruel Ultimatum right for Dream Halls? Can the deck pack a more efficient kill? Find out the various configurations of the Dream Halls deck and get tips for playing with and against the new combination deck. Find this, plus a bonus Mono Blue Dream Halls deck, in this week’s Legacy’s Allure!

Tribal Thriftiness #99 – Friday Night Molten Magic


Grand Prix: Oakland!

Tuesday, January 19th – The StarCityGames.com Open in Dallas showcased a powerful budget deck in the Top 8. Dave gives the Valakut Ramp deck a spin through his local Friday Night Magic, and gives some thoughts on the deck.