Friday, July 31st – With Grand Prix: Boston starting tomorrow, I have been putting in as much effort as I can to get in Limited practice, be it real-life M10 experience or just MTGO tournament play to at least have a sharp Limited game (if not actually practice with the set we’re working with).
Friday, July 31st – I almost took a bet to replace the singleton Liliana in the sideboard with a singleton Balefire Liege, just in case I made Top 8. I didn’t cast her a single time in the swiss, and I lost the only game where it was cast in the Top 8, so I missed out on $20 and a story. Luckily, I’m still in the middle of this other story…
Friday, July 31st – I’ve decided to power down my critique of the current Standard for the duration, even while some of the bigger names in Magic analysis seem to be coming ‘round to my way of thinking. Yes, I still think it sucks, but since I’m not going to be competing in any big tournaments with anything large on the line, why let it bother me?
Friday, July 31st – In his first article for StarCityGames.com, Team RIW’s Chris Jobin examines the fallout from U.S. Nationals, and takes us through his own personal metagame predictions for the immediate future of Standard. Welcome aboard, Chris!
Friday, July 31st – Jim Butcher has written a series of books about Harry Dresden, a wizard operating in present-day Chicago. Highly recommended. In the books, wizards have problems with modern technologies, including computers and the Internet. It must be true, because I am having plenty of problems with computers and the Internet whenever I do anything involving Wizards of the Coast…
Friday, July 31st – Magic is a useful game in that it tells us who our opponent is, what we’re fighting against. More often than not, it’s Faeries (or Kithkin, or whatever the Hot New Deck is nowadays). Sometimes it’s the fatigue of staying up until four in the morning playtesting, then waking up at six and driving four hours to a PTQ and getting there just in time to sign up.
Friday, July 31st – At Brazilian Nationals, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa went on an incredible tear with his Faeries deck, finishing top of the swiss in style. As part of an excellent Brazilian National team, he promises to give the other nations a run for their money. This is his story…
Friday, July 31st – Olivier Ruel was ready to play Five-Color Control at French Nationals. However, after scouting the field, he audibled into the funky Time Sieve Combo deck… and it took him to a Top 8 berth. Today, he recounts Day 1 of the tournament…
Friday, July 31st – 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!
Thursday, July 30th – At U.S. Nationals, Cedric played Kithkin. Unfortunately, the metagame wasn’t ripe for the little White men, and Ced couldn’t manage a run at the final table. Today, he takes us through his personal highs and lows from KC, sharing match recaps and fun stories galore!
Thursday, July 30th – Innovation is often the combination of great effort and a moment of inspiration. Regardless of the pursuit, a great deal of time and energy is spent to achieve anything worthwhile. This applies to virtually every human endeavor, whether designing a piece of software, writing a novel, playing a musical piece, building and playing Magic decks as well as many others.
Thursday, July 30th – Today is the 6th iteration of a series of articles that goes back to Shandalar decks, updates them once, then again, and gives various rules for each. These are some classic decks and ideas, made modern with a few new touches. With M10 a mixture of new and old, it felt like time to continue this series.
Thursday, July 30th – After a great 4-0 start at this year’s U.S. Nationals, the wheels fell of Brian’s wagon some time into Day 2 play. While a lot of players would simply throw up their hands and blame their luck, Brian is more reflective. He shares a series of his own mistakes, and advises on how we can avoid making such errors ourselves.
Wednesday, July 29th – In today’s edition of Black Magic, Sam reflects on his deck choice and performance at last weekend’s U.S. Nationals. While a 10th place finish is hardly shabby, he knows that an extra push could have taken him all the way. He also interrogates Top 4 competitor Brad Nelson over his performance, and discusses the shape of the emerging metagame.
Wednesday, July 29th – Kyle Sanchez set off for Nationals with grinders in mind and rogue decks in his pocket. Unfortunately, his dreams didn’t come true this time around. Today he shares his secret tech, and discusses what it means to dedicate your life to our favorite game…
