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Feature Article – Redefining a Moniker, Part 1

If you’re like me, you’ve gone through various stages in your Magic career. You likely started out as a random scrub, impressed by the power of a Dragon Whelp but willing to trade it for some Jumps. Gradually you fine-tuned the rules and became more competitive, until either all the local players left or you were happy where you were. In time, you also likely discovered that you had an affinity for a particular color or play style. In my case, the style was the mid-range U/G deck. Over the years since Fallen Empires, I found I had built far too many of these decks, and all those Walls of Blossoms and Ertai, Wizard Adepts were starting to run together. So I set myself a simple-sounding project…

[Editor’s Note: Mark Young is ALSO having a week off… he too will be back next Thursday!]

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So Many Insane Plays – Building Your Own Standard

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!Today’s So Many Insane Plays concentrates on two things. The first is a thorough breakdown of the Bring Your Own Standard format, played at this year’s Invitational. If Mark Rosewater has his way, this could be coming to a sanctioned tournament near you! Second, Stephen takes us through the rest of his Invitational experience, including the long awaited Vintage portion…

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Peebles Primers – Elves in Triple Lorwyn

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Another day, another tribal drafting guide for triple Lorwyn. While this particular race is popular in Standard, it seems that they’re falling from favor in Limited, at least according to the pros in the know. That said, you can’t deny then power of cards such as Imperious Perfect, Lys Alana Huntmaster, and Nath’s Elite. Benjamin Peebles-Mundy brings us the lowdown on the Green/Black Elves archetype, bringing out the pointy-eared freak in us all…

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Chatter of the Squirrel – A Lesson From Sealed Deck

Read Zac Hill every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
As of late I’ve notice myself slipping into a bad habit, and I don’t like it. It makes me uncomfortable. It’s a habit I see a lot of people doing from the early stages of a tournament up until the very final round, and for several years I successfully ridded its pernicious presence from my mind. Over the past couple of months, though, it’s crept back, whispering into my ear in the middle of a game, pulling at my concentration in between rounds, lurking. What is it?

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Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #203: – A Magical Weekend

Read Peter Jahn... at StarCityGames.com!
Last weekend I went from the newest format to the oldest, and back again. Both went pretty well. The old stuff: I judged the StarCityGames.com Vintage event in Chicago. The new stuff: drafting Lorwyn online. I’ve got some comments, some observations and some anecdotes. Enjoy – I did.

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You Lika The Juice? – The Amateur Spark (and the Problem with City Champs)

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Last week I was reading various articles on Lorwyn Limited in order to bone up for my first foray into LOR draft at FNM, so of course I checked out Nick Eisel’s Limited Lessons columns on this here site here. In his first article on Lorwyn (Approaching Lorwyn) there was a paragraph he wrote that really got under my skin…

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Sullivan Library – One

Read Adrian Sullivan every Tuesday... at StarCityGames.com!
One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do… and singleton cards in Constructed Magic can seem very lonely indeed. Today’s Sullivan Library examines the theory behind including one-of cards in your ultra-honed sixty-card machine. By defining the roles such inclusions need to play, we can refine our choices and increase our chances of tournament success.

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Limited Lessons – A Lorwyn Draft Walkthrough

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Lorwyn Drafts on Magic Online are now in full swing… well, half swing at least. Despite the downtime and the hideous lag, Nick has managed to compile a few drafts for walkthroughs. Today’s walkthrough contains a number of tricky decisions, and highlights the importance of rating cards for both power and tribal concerns…

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Deconstructing Constructed – Faeries Versus Control

Read Josh Silvestri every Tuesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Hello and welcome to another article about those lovable Blue miscreants, the Faerie tribe. Today I’ll be going over the general matches, tips, and some testing results against the top three control decks from GP: Krakow: Mono Blue Guile, UW Pickles and UB Mannequin. I’ve received a number of e-mails asking for match advice, and some general questions on how the deck holds up against Pickles-esque decks, so instead of answering each individually it seemed easier to do it all at once.

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Removed From Game – Drafting and Drafting and Drafting and Drafting With Rich

Read Rich Hagon every week... at StarCityGames.com!
It turns out that given a theoretically unlimited supply of boosters, starters, and tix, the only thing stopping you playing MODO 24/7 is stamina, and servers. With a little bit of downtime for both, join Rich on an epic journey through online Magicland as he Drafts… and Drafts… and Drafts… and occasionally enters a Premier Event for artistic licence purposes. It’s Drafting With Rich, but a Rich with 400 fewer ranking points than the last one…

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Insert Column Name Here – The Power Of Lammastide Weave

Read The Ferrett every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!The Ferrett gets a sturdy card pool this time around, with a lot of bombs… And for once, he builds it correctly! (Or hey, at least correctly enough to do well in the actual tournament.) Take a look at the sheer power inherent in the system!

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Feature Article – Sealed Deck Disconnect

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Building the perfect Sealed deck is a fine art. Sure, there are times that you get all the good Green and all the good Red, but even then there are decisions to be made. Steve Sadin believes that, along with the usual card power concerns, building a successful Sealed deck relies on understanding exactly what type of deck you need. If you’ve three byes at your next Grand Prix, the art of building a Sealed deck can be radically different to those building to ensure PTQ success. Intrigued? Then read on!

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Innovations – Thermodynamics in Magic

Read Patrick Chapin every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!
One of the most important questions players are forced to answer during a game of Magic is “What is my role?” Mike Flores tells us that Misassignment of Role = Game Loss, and while that is certainly true, there is more to the theory behind that statement than meets the eye. Today, in a contender for Article of the Year, Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin explores the novel concept of Thermodynamics in Magic. One deck is warm, the other is cool… just where do the boundaries lie?

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Unlocking Legacy – Built On Squares

Read Legacy articles every week... at StarCityGames.com!
When in the course of deckbuilding, sometimes you end up stepping back from your project and asking why you’re even trying to make a new deck. Players get all sorts of satisfaction out of Magic, and much of that can come from tinkering with new ideas. Timmy, Johnny and Spike all get a chance to play. I admit that all three kids come play with me when I want to make something new. Do I want to play with ridiculous cards like Mindslaver, Timmy asks? Spike wants me to beat everyone in the room. But I succumb the opiate whispers of Johnny, telling me that together, we can be clever.

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Scouse of Cards #2 – A Journeyman’s Tale

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Today, I share the tales and torments from Saturday’s PTQ, an event that saw 60-plus players take to the Bradford playing fields. I share my cardpool, and my build, and recount the wacky hijinks that ensued! Did I make Top 8? Did I scrub out and draft? Did I punch the head judge and get banned for life? All is revealed within!

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