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Magical Hack – Meta Extended

Read Sean McKeown every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
With the first week of open Extended gaming upon us, I wanted to step back a little from the churning of deck concepts to have a look at the “why” of doing things in this format. Conceptually, it’s a busy format with a wide metagame, but there are certainly trends that deserve attention when we try to pick a deck (or design a new one) to run through a PTQ. In a format where you can arguably play anything, with five colors of mana at your disposal, big mana available with just a bit of work to get it, there are two competing factors: the fact that any deck can be potent, and the fact that any new strategy has to compete heavily for “room” at the Extended table.

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Removed From Game – Bill and Ted’s Winston Adventure

Read Rich Hagon every week... at StarCityGames.com!
As we start the New Year, what better way to clear the Magical cobwebs from our befuddled brains than getting ourselves the ultimate six-pack? Yes, it’s time to dust off those unopened Lorwyn boosters and get back into the Limited swing of things with this Winston Draft extravaganza, taking you through a head to head showdown from first pick to final turn. Synergy – it’s what you use when you’re naughty. No other jokes inside. Promise.

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Deep Analysis – The Importance of Plan B in Extended PTQs

Read Richard Feldman every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
At your next Extended PTQ, you’re sure to be taking a powerful deck. You may have broken plans up your sleeve, ready to smash face and win on turns three through five. However, what can you do if your Plan A fails? In fact, does your deck even have a Plan B? Richard investigates the importance of honing your deck to take advantage of the times when good ideas go bad…

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Down And Dirty – The Perfect Two-Card Combo

Read Kyle Sanchez every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Extended decks come in all shapes and sizes – that’s what makes the current metagame so great. There’s aggro for you beatdown fans, control in the all-powerful Counterbalance / Top, and a myriad of combo decks that pile out a win in the first few turns. Today’s Down And Dirty sees Kyle take us through a combo deck with a difference: It needs two spells, and you only need to cast one! Intrigued? Then read on…

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Drafting With Tiago – LLL #31

Draft With Tiago Chan... every day at StarCityGames.com!
Tiago Chan, Portugal’s Level 6 Magic dynamo, takes us by the hand and leads us through the choppy waters of a triple-Lorwyn draft on Magic Online. He shares each and every pick, from one to forty-five, and supplies expert commentary on the draft and the games. For more detailed information, visit the forums!

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Tribal Thriftiness – Turning a New Leaf

Sure, the Faeries are great, and the Elves certainly are powerful in their own right. But no one seems to be talking about the Treefolk, outside of that three-colored fella. Is there a decent deck out there, in the tribe that seems destined to be the budget builder’s favorite?

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The Kitchen Table #214 – The Challenge Results

Read Abe Sargent every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Hello folks, and welcome to the first article of the new year! This is your weekly column committed to bringing you the casual. Three weeks ago, I submitted an official challenge to deckbuilders and readers of the column to submit decks that met various criteria. Today, I will be bringing these decks to you.

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Insert Column Name Here – New Year’s Resolutions

Read The Ferrett every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!I took a cold hard look in the mirror. I’d prepared for this day: a couple of weeks ago, I laid the groundwork by listing my major faults. Now, it’s time to list my Magic New Year’s Resolutions. And at the end of it, I’ll ask the all-important question: What’s yours?

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Feature Article – Winning Worlds, Part 2

Read Uri Peleg's Worlds report... only at StarCityGames.com!
On Monday, World Champion Uri Peleg brought us a rundown of his Standard play at Worlds 2007 in New York. Today, he moves onto his two Lorwyn drafts… wanna see how the World Champion chooses his cards for his Limited decks? Look no further!

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So Many Insane Plays – Rounding Out The Vintage Year

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Today’s So Many Insane Plays sees Vintage Champion Stephen Menendian take one last look at the Vintage scene of 2007. He rounds out the Top 8 statistics from the latest Vintage tournaments that matter, and casts his eye over some of the more pertinent questions raised by the current metagame…

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Peebles Primers – Lorwyn Block Constructed

Read Benjamin Peebles-Mundy every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
With Standard waiting for the Next Big Thing, and Extended being mined by the world and his dog, Benjamin Peebles-Mundy has turned an eye to Lorwyn Block Constructed. With Morningtide just around the corner, now is the perfect time to get a decent foothold in the format. According to Ben, there are four truly competitive decks… do you agree?

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Drafting With Tiago – LLL #30

Draft With Tiago Chan... every day at StarCityGames.com!
Tiago Chan, Portugal’s Level 6 Magic dynamo, takes us by the hand and leads us through the choppy waters of a triple-Lorwyn draft on Magic Online. He shares each and every pick, from one to forty-five, and supplies expert commentary on the draft and the games. For more detailed information, visit the forums!

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Chatter of the Squirrel – What We Think About When We Think About Extended

Read Zac Hill every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
I’ve become a fan of linear strategies this season. Extended has traditionally gone very well for me, but most of the time I succeed it’s because I’ve pursued one particular type of strategy. Across the history of the format, there has been one thing per season that is so objectively powerful that it warps the metagame around it. This thing isn’t necessarily a particular deck; usually, it’s the exploitation of one particular type of resource.

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You Lika The Juice? – Extended Hideaway

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
The reasons I love playing original Rogue decks so much are twofold: first, if you create a deck yourself, you’re automatically familiar with the reasons certain cards are in the deck. Second, if you build something off the radar, your opponent won’t know what’s coming; he might not know what you’ve got planned, and might not even have any clue how to counteract it.

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Feature Article – Winning Worlds, Part 1

Read Uri Peleg's Worlds report... only at StarCityGames.com!
While a fine Magic player in his own right, it’s safe to say that Uri Peleg was hardly a pre-tournament favorite going into the 2007 World Championships. However, after three days of intense competition, the Israeli national team member came away with the glittering trophy and the oversized check. In the first part of his entertaining winner’s report, he describes his preparation before leading us through five rounds of Doran-fueled Standard…

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