Friday, March 27th – Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going to talk about Extended, what was winning and what was not, this weekend’s StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open in Indianapolis, and live coverage of a PTQ finals featuring StarCityGames.com’s own Sean McKeown. Let’s go!
Friday, March 27th – By now, it’s Friday and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d seen this past weekend’s results updated on the MagicTheGathering.com weekly update of Top 8 results. I certainly like to discuss them as part of my analysis of the metagame, and it never hurts to congratulate the people who turn up with interesting results that get you thinking about new and interesting card choices.
Friday, March 27th – This past Sunday I had the pleasure of playing in a 9-man Elder Dragon Highlander game at Richmond Comix, and as tradition has it I’m going to present the deck I played and a recap of the how the game played out.
Thursday, March 27th – Today’s Reflecting Ruel sees Olivier in fine form. He dissects exactly what’s required to improve your game through a set of theoretical skill levels, and supplies the triggers on which we should concentrate if we want to join him at the top of the Magical tree. This is a must-read for any player serious in improving their game!
Thursday, March 26th – With Extended on everyone’s mind, for the next week or so at least, Manuel Bucher takes us through his ups and downs at the hand of the competition at Grand Prix: Singapore. His deck of choice? Faeries, of course.
Thursday, March 26th – The Extended PTQ season is slowly winding down, but there are still a few Blue Envelopes to be won. Richard Feldman came close last weekend, reaching the quarterfinals with Gifts Loam. With a number of prominent writers claiming that Faeries are the way to go if you’re serious about winning, Richard is a dissenting voice with a contrary opinion…
Thursday, March 26th – There is an undeniable aspect of Magic which never gets much press. Beneath the sea of matchup percentages, decklists, and card interactions, there is a less binary element of the game. Not just merely getting lucky, but something else entirely. Something a little harder to describe. Something that must be shown, not told, to be understood….
Thursday, March 26th – Legion Events ran a $3k event last Saturday. The format was mixed – an Alara Sealed event in the morning, and a Standard event after lunch. I got to head judge the Standard, which means I got the decklists when we were done. I have the Top 8 lists, the complete field breakdown, and some just plain interesting lists.
Thursday, March 26th – Unfortunately, most of the penalties we give are to good, honest folk, the kind you really want to sit across from during a match, and they’re out there getting penalized for a simple mistake or misunderstanding. These penalties are necessary to keep the integrity and fairness of an event, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy handing them out. In an effort to save both players and judges from heartache, here are some of the most common and easily avoidable penalties.
Wednesday, March 25th – In today’s enlightening edition of Down And Dirty, Kyle Sanchez discusses the relevance of reaching an apex in both deck design and personal confidence. He suggests that the key to success on the Magic stage in comprised of a basic five-step process of confidence of deck design. Intrigued? Then read on!
Wednesday, March 25th – 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, March 25th – The feeling that comes with truly reaching the next level is almost indescribable. It feels like you’re walking in one smooth transition from the brown dense rush hour of Jakarta into one of those pure-100%-oxygen chambers inside which I imagine Michael Jackson chooses to sleep.
Wednesday, March 25th – Last week, we left off after acquiring new players from scratch. We had attracted people with no exposure to Magic, and who have probably have never played a Collectible Card Game in their life. We covered how to get them in and intrigued by the game. But now what? You don’t just let them jump in head first…
Wednesday, March 25th – I have long touted the value of Shandalar in this column. Designed by no less a game star than Sid Meier himself, the 1997 PC game Magic: the Gathering was one of the best games of all time (in my not-usually-humble opinion). The campaign was entitled Shandalar.
Wednesday, March 25th – In this week’s edition of MTGCast, there’s talk about MTGO Pauper play, Alara Reborn, and much more!
