Friday, August 8th – U.S. Nationals is a tournament with a proud pedigree. When the Top 8 is paired, there’s always a tale or two to tell. This year’s U.S. Nationals was no exception… but perhaps the talk of the tournament was grinder Carl Dillahay, who powered all the way to the final table after three days of sterling Magical play. This is his story…
Thursday, August 7th – It was a safe bet that, going into U.S. Nationals last weekend, Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin would have something, well, innovative for the Standard portion of the event. He didn’t disappoint. Today he walks us through his own personal Nationals competition, that saw him come close to Sunday play…
Thursday, August 7th – Kyle’s Nationals tale begins at the airport, and takes us through the highs and lows of his tournament from a Magical and non-Magical perspective. While he didn’t exactly rock the house – he posted a Scarwood Treefolk, after all – he did learn a few things about his deck and the formats, and have a bucketful of fun…
Thursday, August 7th – Dave’s going to Grand Prix: Denver after all. But with no testing and no time to go out and buy the latest deck, he’s got to rely on the cards that he’s got… and you. It’s up to you to pick Dave’s deck!
Thursday, August 7th – Zvi got about a hundred articles out of his My Fires series. I wonder how many I can get off an EDH deck. Well, let’s start – it’s not like anyone would want to hear about my experiences at U.S. Nationals…
Thursday, August 7th – Today is my normal scheduled article assessing the latest set according to the Five Color format, finally getting published. My computer is back so I have the extra articles I wrote available to me. In addition to Five Color, I will also be highlighting cards that I like for multiplayer, when one is good enough to get some press.
Wednesday, August 6th – Ben’s back from the U.S. National Championships in Chicago, and he’s got the goods on which cards were hot, and which were not! Which Vintage cards are on the rise? And what is the hottest block tech right now? Read today’s article to find out!
Wednesday, August 6th – Alongside Nationals competitions in a multitude of colors, last weekend also saw the latest Block Constructed Grand Prix in Kobe, Japan. While the winning deck was depressingly Blue and Black, the Top 8 did contain a few surprises. Marijn Lybaert takes us through some of the cooler cards on show, in preparation for the approaching Grand Prix: Denver…
Wednesday, August 6th – A stampeding herd of buffalo. The thunderous rhythm of Hannibal’s army storming through the Pyrenees. Volcanic eruptions. Supernovae. I would fancy each of these a “loud thing,†but only because, prior to this past weekend at Nationals, I had yet to room with Grand Prix: Indianapolis Top 8 competitor Ben Rasmussen.
Wednesday, August 6th – Apologies in advance for those of you looking for the typical Bennie-romp through some fun Magic topic. This week is not going to be one of those. I debated begging off this week, but… despite the many roles I play in Life, at heart I’m a writer, and writing is often how I make sense of things, how I connect with the world, how I cope…
Tuesday, August 5th – At last weekend’s U.S. Nationals, 2007 Vintage World Champion Stephen Menendian attempted to repeat his victory of last year. Unfortunately for Stephen, he fell at the final hurdle… but he answered a variety of questions on the metagame along the way. Today’s So Many Insane Plays is part 1 of an epic-length tournament report… enjoy!
Tuesday, August 5th – Drafting with Eventide allows a plethora of options and opinions, and the debate over the strongest available archetype rages across the world. Many of the top players at U.S. Nationals enjoy drafting White… if that’s your own view, you’ll enjoy today’s draft walkthrough. Is drafting to your preference a key to the new format? Read on to find out!
Tuesday, August 5th – Faeries wins… again. That said, for those of you who haven’t read the coverage, if not for a missed Treefolk Harbinger attack (Doran was in play) we’d likely have a different champion and I’d be prancing in the streets. So all hope has not been erased… yet.
Tuesday, August 5th – Magic’s 15th birthday party took place over the weekend at the home of U.S. Nationals. From Standard to Vintage and back again, join Rich for a cornucopia of tales from the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Tuesday, August 5th – Turning 30 is supposed to be one of major turning points in life. I think I’m supposed to buy a new sports car, or have a kid. Neither seems likely, but I did do my share of soul searching as it were. At this time last year, just after turning 29, the highest level event I’d worked at was a PTQ. One year later I’ve certified for Level 2, judged at 3 GPs (soon to be 4), 1 PT, and my first Nationals.
