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Deconstructing Constructed – Metagaming the Extended Field

Read Josh Silvestri every Tuesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Going into an Extended PTQ with a true plan in mind is one of the more daunting tasks I’ve seen in recent memory, thanks to the wide range of strategies and brokenness being employed. On some level this is ironic, since I remember a number of writers (including myself) whining about how difficult it was to metagame, as there were approximately more viable decks than Lasagna Cat videos last year. That said, there are some basic tenets you can follow, and certain assumptions you can make.

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Removed From Game – On The Prerelease Front Line

Read Rich Hagon every week... at StarCityGames.com!
The Pre-Release is about cards. The Pre-Release is about players. But it’s about a lot more besides, and Rich Hagon brings you some unique perspectives on the celebration of Magic that sees us hurrying to our local tourney in search of fresh Magical produce. Xylophone, cacophony, and penicillin are just three of the words not appearing in this vibrant article.

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You Lika The Juice? – High on Morningtide!

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
It’s amusing the expressions of horror I get from the surprising number of Magic players who view cellophane-wrapped booster box of product as several evenings of draft fodder instead of the wondrous trove of singles treasure that I see. I love cracking those packs, accumulating a small mountain of foil booster wrapping to the side as I stack rares, uncommons, and commons.

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Innovations – Mono-Black Rogues in Standard and Block

Read Patrick Chapin every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!
Morningtide is finally here (functionally), so it’s time to break out the hot new Constructed tech! Today’s Innovations does just that: Patrick Chapin brings us a Mono-Black Standard Rogue deck that has great game against the format’s front-runners. And, as it’s mainly comprised of Lorwyn Block goodies, it can port over into Block Constructed too!

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Feature Article – LSV on Doran in Extended

Read Feature Articles every Monday and Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Luis Scott-Vargas, America’s Level 7 Mage, isn’t a particular fan of beating down. That said, when offered the chance to drop a virtual 5/5 monster on turn 2, one that meddles with the opposition in incremental but significant ways, he found he was unable to refuse. Today he runs through his successful Doran Extended build, and shares wise words on the matchups that matter in the current metagame.

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Drafting With Tiago – LLL #43

Draft With Tiago Chan... every day at StarCityGames.com!
Tiago Chan, Portugal’s 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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Arcane Teachings – Project Hollywood Week 3: So Close and Yet So Far

Read Feature Articles every Monday and Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Most Extended decks are built with one goal in mind, and that makes them very good at doing what they do and strategically simple to play. When you play Red deck or Domain Zoo in Extended, every game you win will involve small creatures attacking and some burn. When you play Doran, every game you win will end when your large creatures finally get through for twenty…

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Unlocking Legacy – The Threshold Mirror

Read Legacy articles every week... at StarCityGames.com!
At 2007 Worlds, Threshold claimed the title of “Best Deck in Legacy,” making the Threshold mirror match the most important and prevalent matchup for the deck. Kevin Binswanger has a guide to building, playing, and sideboarding for the mirror.

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Red Deck Wins (Or Does It?) in 2008

I had my doubts about the venerable Red Deck Wins in this current Extended environment. It didn’t have a good showing in Valencia. Too much hate in the environment. From Counterbalance to Vedalken Shackles to Engineered Explosives to Doran to…

Well, you get the point.

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The Financial Value of Morningtide

Order Morningtide at StarCityGames.com!
Want to know which cards will be hot at your prerelease this weekend? Which cards should you pick up now while they are undervalued, and which should you trade away while they are overhyped? Which Lorwyn cards will suddenly jump in value because of Morningtide? If you want to be informed at your prerelease, you must read Ben’s analysis of the Financial Value of Morningtide!

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Flores Friday – Three Ways to Skin a Cat

Read Mike Flores every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
With Extended PTQs continuing apace, it seems that Doran and pals are forcing the metagame to fight in the mid-game. How can we win this fight? Mike presents three ways in which to battle the latest incarnation of the ever-popular Rock decks. If you’re looking for an edge for your next PTQ, especially in the mirror match, this is the article for you!

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Levelling Up – Ups and Downs in Lorwyn Draft

Read Tiago Chan every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
With over forty triple-Lorwyn drafts under his belt for Drafting With Tiago, Portugal’s Mr Chan investigates some of the cards that fluctuated in his estimation through the course of the series thus far. With the Morningtide prerelease mere hours away, this final fling to Lorwyn Only Limited serves as an excellent reminder of what works, and what doesn’t, in the land of the Tribal troubles…

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Drafting With Tiago – LLL #42

Draft With Tiago Chan... every day at StarCityGames.com!
Tiago Chan, Portugal’s 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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The Magic Show #79 – The Morningtide After

Watch Evan Erwin every Friday... on StarCityGames.com!
Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we have a whole bunch of great content, from interviews with Mark Rosewater and Erik Lauer on the direction of Magic and design of Morningtide, to a review of the hottest cards to pick up this weekend at the prerelease, to a kick ass Magic puzzle by Jeff Till. Let’s go!

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Magical Hack – Science Fiction Double Feature

Read Sean McKeown every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
Lorwyn Sealed Deck and Lorwyn Booster Draft were seen by some as ‘too repetitive,’ ‘inbred,’ and ‘boring’ because they felt you always had to focus on one of the same eight archetypes with nary a thought slipped in edgewise to distract us from that hyper-attenuated focus of “Tribe Matters.” Sure, you could have your preferences… after all, who doesn’t like Faeries or Merfolk if they are plentiful?

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