Search Content

Feature Article – Toast is Bland: Taking Down Five-Color Control in Standard

The StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open Returns to Richmond!
Friday, October 17th – With Faeries at the top of the Standard pile, the other stand-out strategy appears to be Five-Color Control, or “Quick n’ Toast.” While there are many variants of this Reflecting-Pool-packing monster, they all seem to stumble to similar weaknesses… and today, Billy Moreno exploits these weaknesses with a couple of new decks! If you’re attending the StarCityGames.com $5K Standard Open, you can’t afford to miss this!

By

The Magic Show #118 – Watch and Learn

Watch Evan Erwin every week... on StarCityGames.com!
Friday, October 17th – Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re getting you prepared for two big tournaments at the same time: For those preparing for next week’s huge $5K Tournament in Richmond, Virginia we’ll have interviews with the top two Cruise Qualifier finishers and complete deck techs from both. For those headed to Kansas City like me this weekend, we’ve got another even more in-depth sealed breakdown from Patrick Chapin & Friends. Let’s go!

By

Magical Hack – The Road To States, Part I

Read Sean McKeown every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, October 17th – The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but the road to States is littered with decklists. Some are good, some are bad, and I’m sure that things will begin to change as more strategies are tried out and things begin to hone in towards the razor-sharp edge of good technology.

By

Insider Trading – Preventing Card Theft

read Ben Bleiweiss every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, October 16th – In today’s edition of Insider Trading, Ben takes a look at the unfortunate reality of card theft. How can you prevent your cards from being stolen? What steps should you take to protect your collection? Read today’s article for tips on how to protect your Magic investment!

By

Deep Analysis – Faeries versus Five Color Ultimatum in Standard

The StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open Returns to Richmond!
Thursday, October 16th – With the Standard metagame taking shape, the smart money is on the format being dominated by perennial contenders Faeries and Five-Color Control. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard Feldman thrash the two gladiators together in order to gain valuable insight into how this important matchup plays out. The StarCityGames.com $5K Standard Open is approaching fast… Be Prepared!

By

You Lika The Juice? – Joy: Welcome to the Crypti-pocalypse…

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, October 16th – Star City’s deck database has a great jump on the fall Standard metagame, recently uploading the Top 16 decks from their “Mana Overboard” Magic boat cruise qualifier Sunday. Not only is this great information for building your gauntlet for States, but it also gives particularly relevant insight into what you might expect to show up at the Star City $5K Standard Open two weeks prior.

By

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #246 – A Modest Proposal

Read Peter Jahn... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, October 16th – I have been looking at the prices for Classic set rares on MTGO. The Classic rares are from sets that are only legal in the online Classic format. These sets include Masters Edition I & II, Mirage / Visions / Weatherlight, and the two blocks that just rotated out of Extended. The rotating blocks are out of print, but MED I & II and Mirage block packs are still for sale. Sales stink. I’m wondering if this could justify “throwback” pricing on these packs, as a way to stimulate drafting.

By

The Kitchen Table #255 – The Compendium of Alternate Formats, Entry #11: Pauper Prismatic Singleton

Read Abe Sargent every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, October 16th – Today I want to focus on an online format from the casual rooms, and then bring it offline for all to enjoy. There is an online variant of Five Color called Prismatic. Highlander is referred to as Singleton. Pauper is a variant of Peasant Magic that simply allows only commons instead of a few uncommons. What some casual players have been doing online is combining these three formats into one, called PPS…

By

One Step Ahead – Five-Color Control in the New Standard

The StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open Returns to Richmond!
Wednesday, October 15th – The New Standard Metagame is slowly taking shape… and while some things change, some things stay the same. With Faeries and Five-Color Control still proving popular and powerful options, Gerry Thompson takes us through his own personal vision of the ideal Five-Color Control configuration, without a Cruel Ultimatum in sight…

By

Down And Dirty – Four Sealed Pools

Visit the StarCityGames.com booth at Grand Prix Kansas City!
Wednesday, October 15th – The Limited PTQ season is now in full swing, and we’ve a couple of high-profile Grand Prix tournaments on the horizon. Today’s Down And Dirty sees Kyle crack and stack four Shards of Alara Sealed Cardpools, offering his own special insights into the deckbuilding process…

By

Removed From Game – Shards By The Numbers

Read Rich Hagon every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, October 15th – Short on opinion and long on fact, this week Rich brings you something only a nerd could love, a comprehensive breakdown of a Shards PTQ, with analysis of all 53 decklists, and pools, featuring in-depth under the hoodness about battlemages, mythics, removal, manafixing, archetypes and more. A real resource for the aspiring PTQ-er. And STILL no Elvis jokes, with Worlds just two months away…

By

The Main Phase Video Show – Spare Some Change?

Read Reuben Bresler every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, October 15th – Reuben Bresler brings us the latest installment of The Main Phase Video Show, with talk on Grand Prix: Kansas City, the missing Invitational, and the “suit up” idea for Pro Tour: Berlin…

By

MTGCast #125 – Shiny Shrapnel Blasts, Sealed PTQ’s and Star City Games!

Wednesday, October 15th – Today, we’re pleased to announce that the popular MTGCast podcast, looking at the state of Magic week by week, has made its way to the pages of StarCityGames.com! We’ll be showcasing their podcast each Wednesday… enjoy!

By

Limited Lessons – Drafting Greedy in Triple Shards

Visit the StarCityGames.com booth at Grand Prix Kansas City!
Tuesday, October 14th – Perceived wisdom suggests that triple Shards of Alara Draft is a blisteringly fast format, with great aggressive options across numerous archetypes. However, what if you fly in the face of this… is it possible to best the quick beats with a greedier strategy? Nick Eisel brings us a primer on a wonderful new draft archetype, powered by obscene amounts of mana fixing. If you’re after a strategy that’s powerful, rogue, and fun, look no further!

By

Peebles Primers – Mana Options in Triple Shards Draft

Visit the StarCityGames.com booth at Grand Prix Kansas City!
Tuesday, October 14th – Drafting with three packs of Shards of Alara is proving to be flexible, funky, and fun. There are options open for both aggro and control drafters, and being greedy can reap considerable benefits. The mana fixing available across the board is outstanding, but what strategies represent the best fixing the format has to offer? BPM investigates the Taplands, Obelisks, and Panoramas, and points the way to perfectly balanced manabases. There’s also a bonus Standard section too!

By