Friday, August 14th – Any time someone approaches me with interest in becoming a judge, there is one thing I will always ask them: “Why do you want to become a judge?” I’ve gotten a wide range of responses, but one of the ones I hear more than almost any other is: “I want to know the rules really well.”
Thursday, August 13th – In today’s contemplative edition of Innovations, Patrick Chapin trawls the Magic history books to find the most powerful and influential decks from throughout the game’s illustrious past. He selects a deck from each year of competitive play, from 1993 to the present day, and shares insights on how lessons from the past can prepare us for the future.
Thursday, August 13th – Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa rocked up to Grand Prix: Brighton and received a completely insane card pool. While it was not enough to catapult him to Day 2 play, it certainly had power in spades. Today, he takes us through his deck construction process, and recaps the games from the tournament floor. Did he misbuild his deck?
Thursday, August 13th – One deck which shouldn’t need any introduction is Faeries. The deck has controlled Standard with its winged legion since Bitterblossom was manifested into existence, and throughout its reign cards have slowly been released to counteract its dominance. With the recent addition of Great Sable Stag to the ranks of anti-Faeries cards, the empire of Faeries looked to finally be crumbling.
Thursday, August 13th – In years past, this would be the summer doldrums – the period where Magic has been slowing down while we all wait for the fall set release. This year, M10 has changed that. I’ve been monkeying around with a lot of Standard decks, which has got me wondering. How do the current batch of Standard decks stack up against the best decks from years past?
Thursday, August 13th – Goblins was one of Legacy’s defining decks. In the past, it was both very successful, and usually had a large presence at many of the larger tournaments. Recently, not only has its success become more limited, but so has its appearance at tournaments, especially on the East Coast of the United States. This decline did not occur overnight, but much can be learned from why it was successful in Legacy, and why it is no longer winning.
Wednesday, August 12th – This past weekend, Manuel Bucher played Grand Prix: Brighton. His Sealed cardpool had a lot of power, but it wasn’t quite up to the challenge of propelling him to Day 2 play. Today, he takes us through his deckbuilding process, and asks if you’d build the deck in the same way…
Wednesday, August 12th – 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!
Wednesday, August 12th – Last week I mentioned that I would be battling in Ohio this past weekend at a PTQ in Columbus, but I was unfortunately unable to make it to that event. Regardless, I’ll still talk about the deck I would’ve played: Five-Color Control.
Wednesday, August 12th – My very first major Convention was GenCon 2006. Before that, I’d been to small, local conventions, the kind that draws a few hundred, maybe a thousand attendees. The kind of Convention small enough that I was a Guest of Honor… for two years in a row. But GenCon ’06 was my first time on the big stage.
Wednesday, August 12th – Last week I introduced the new and improved Five Color format, and today I want to talk about one of the issues that people bring up when they are confronted with Five Color. “I don’t have the cards!â€
Wednesday, August 12th – On today’s edition of MTGCast, the guys discuss Planechase, ME3, FTV: Exiled, and more! (But I guess you knew that from the title, hehe!)
Wednesday, August 12th – Kyle Sanchez has a soft spot for the rogue homebrew strategy, and this past week’s PTQ was no exception. He utilized a powerful yet thoroughly ignored card from Lorwyn to make the Top 8. If you’re looking for something very different, Kyle has the tech for you!
Tuesday, August 11th – M10 Sealed is proving to be a polarizing format. Some folk love it, some folk hate it. Sam Black has recently been putting in the hours on MTGO, trying to crack the format for future Grand Prix play. Today, he shares some of the tips and tricks he’s learned, before sharing an intriguing Red/Green Standard list from a recent PTQ Top 8…
Tuesday, August 11th – Standard has had a long time in the sun, but with a plethora of PTQs on the horizon, plus the StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open in Dallas, the metagame is still vibrant. Adrian Sullivan examines the Top 8 from a local PTQ, including a few decks that are somewhat off the radar.
