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Magical Hack — Grand Prix Spree

Click here for more info on Grand Prix Daytona Beach!
I held out writing this article as long as I could in the hopes of having access to the States decklists to begin a thorough metagame analysis… but it’s Halloween, and I’ve lost several days of prime article-writing time. I must put analyzing States and Standard off another week and instead have a look at a pair of Grand Prix tournaments that have passed by recently. In the hype for most players to prepare for States, these have gone largely unnoticed, and having a look at the available information for trends might have some benefits.

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Unlocking Legacy – Mythbusters

Read Legacy articles every week... at StarCityGames.com!
I decided this month I would take a stab at whittling away all the baggage that comes along with being a Legacy player, and try to take an objective view of the format. I’ve gone out to the frightening wilderness known as Friday Night Magic, in order to interview some of the local non-Eternal players, hopefully to get an appreciation of what the outsiders’ perception of the format is.

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Deep Analysis – The Real Deal on 61+

Read Richard Feldman every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Last weekend, Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin took a 66-card Teachings deck into the trenches. Was he insane, or was there method behind his madness. Richard Feldman believes that, maybe, playing more than sixty cards in certain situations may be the right move. With a healthy does of theory and logic, he attempts to convince us of his beliefs. If you’re stuck in the “Sixty Is Wrong” dogmatic groove, maybe this is the article that’ll open your mind…

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Down and Dirty — Sanchez Sealed

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Today’s Down and Dirty, fresh off a move from Monday to Thursday, concentrates on Lorwyn Sealed Deck. Kyle brings us a tricky cardpool packed with obvious power, but without a clear direction in which we should build. He shares a number of interesting builds, and packs his article with his usual brand of hi-jinks and hilarity.

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From Right Field – As My Life Flashes Before My Eyes

Read Chris Romeo every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
This week, Chris makes good on his promise to build Standard decks around the much-maligned Shivan Wumpus. He brings us not one, not two, but three decks that pack the punishing 6/6. SO how did they fare in the maelstrom of Magic Online testing? Click here to find out!

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The Beautiful Struggle – Snapshots from States

Read Mark Young every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
You won’t be hearing much about my States deck this year. I went 1-2 and dropped. This year you’ll be hearing about other people’s decks, but let’s get my story out of the way first…

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The Kitchen Table #205 — The Nexus, Part 2

Read Abe Sargent every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Welcome back! Today I am going to revisit a deck of mine that I outlined near the beginning of the year called the Nexus. The Nexus was a highlander deck almost 100 cards deep that focused on the intersection of several different tribes — rebel, mercenary, elf, goblin, merfolk, and zombie. It included multiple samples from each races designed to work around the same themes.

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So Many Insane Plays — Drafting Against Kenji

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
In last week’s So Many Insane Plays, we left Stephen Menendian at 3-3 heading into the entertaining Winston Draft format. With multiple practice drafts under his belt, Stephen felt confident… but was this confidence enough to post a winning record? As we know, the wheels fell of Stephen’s wagon after his sterling 3-0 Cube performance… with pick-by-pick and play-by-play analysis of his Winston drafts, it’s time to see if we could have done anything different.

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Peebles Primers — U/W Control at States

Read Benjamin Peebles-Mundy every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Benjamin Peebles-Mundy planned on running a White Weenie build at States this past weekend. However, a few lost rounds at a pre-States tournament made him change his mind, and his deck. Instead, he ran with a U/W Control build that completely dominates aggro decks, on paper at least. Was this last-minute change enough to propel him into the Top 8? And is the U/W Control deck a serious contender in the new metagame? Read on to find out!

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Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #201 – Wisconsin States

Read Peter Jahn... at StarCityGames.com!
Wisconsin States was last weekend. I have decklists. I was Head Judge, so I have a few anecdotes from the event, plus decklists. I have a few thoughts on the format, plus decklists. I also compiled stats of the Top 16 decks. Most importantly, I have even more decklists!

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Chatter of the Squirrel — U/B Control and Mono-Red Aggro

Read Zac Hill every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
I’ve really got to try this “talking about Standard” thing more often. It’s a welcome relief, for example, when people actually read my articles. Now, personally I have no idea why anyone would rather look at a deck they can point at, build, and play when they could be discussing the minutiae of polar gradient theory over tea and crumpets, but that’s why there are red bicycles and blue bicycles.

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You Lika The Juice? – Mmmmm, Tasty Hobbits!

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
I had a sense of pride and accomplishment walking into Virginia State Champs this past Saturday with a deck in which I had total confidence. I rarely have that feeling anymore because playtest time is so hard to come by, but this time around I had a great idea, some great playtest partners, and the time to tighten it up. If you regularly check in with You Lika The Juice you know I was working on a Saffi/Blink deck with Galepowder Mage technology…

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Sullivan Library – A Wisconsin States Retrospective

Read Adrian Sullivan every Tuesday... at StarCityGames.com!
States has been and gone, and it’s time to review the aftermath. In the grim light of day, were the seventy-five cards we sleeved and shuffled the correct call for this blossoming metagame? Today’s Sullivan Library is in a reflective mood… Adrian looks back at Wisconsin States down the years, sharing deck designs and inspirational stories. He finishes with an excellent Green/Blue deck that placed in the final of this year’s competition in the hands of the formidable Brian Kowal…

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Limited Lessons — Elementals in Lorwyn

Click here for more info on Grand Prix Daytona Beach!
Nick Eisel, after bringing us the Lorwyn lowdown on Goblins and Merfolk in Lorwyn draft, turns his eye toward perhaps the most underrated tribe that the new set has to offer: Elementals. At the lower end of the curve, the guys sure look anemic… but their abilities can power up some insane plays. If you’re looking for a draft strategy with both power and guile, maybe the Elementals are for you…

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Deconstructing Constructed – Faeries: The Reckoning

Read Josh Silvestri every Tuesday... at StarCityGames.com!
At California States, I’d say there was a hefty chunk of Blue decks complimented by a bunch of Tarmogoyf decks. At the upper tables you could see Cryptic Command being flung around in practically every other match, probably more during the later rounds. A huge number of Teachings and Pickles decks were hanging around the top twenty tables or so, many of which looked like the TSP Block Pickles decks but with Cryptic kicked in…

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