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Down And Dirty – Fishy Mountains

Read Kyle Sanchez every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!
I’m not sure how, but one of these days I’m going to put together an article called America’s Next Top Magician. It would take place at a GP, and I’d do interviews with the top 5 amateurs. Then I’d get seasoned pros and Magic veterans like LSCheonV, BDM, Aten, and Ant to help me pick out who is the best of the bunch. I was thinking about doing drafts or something to whittle them down… maybe making Constructed decks and having them face off against each other blindfolded.

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Unlocking Legacy – Playing The Fool

Read Legacy articles every week... at StarCityGames.com!
In several of his articles, Mark Rosewater has suggested the book “A Whack on the Side of the Head,” by Roger van Oech, as a staple for those wishing to be more creative. Naturally, as a writer, deckbuilder, and player, being creative is important for success. One of the most interesting chapters involved playing the fool. Van Oech exhorts us to question everyday things that we take for granted and ask if we can do them other ways. Questioning common routines and ideas can lead to fruitful avenues of creativity.

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Flores Friday – Mockvitational Ends and Some New Lorwyn Action

States is coming!
Mike rounds out his Mockvitational experience, sharing his Bring Your Own Block deck and personal performance, before diving deep into the coming Standard Champs metagame with a couple of interesting decks powered by the new Lorwyn cards. Everyone is attempting to lash Green with White to abuse Gaddock Teeg… but what are the other aggro strategies available to us? Read on to find out!

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Levelling Up – Pro Tour: Valencia Extended Preview

Read Tiago Chan every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
Tiago is currently bunkered up in Valencia, cracking fetchlands and preparing for Extended onslaught. Today’s Levelling Up takes us through his playtesting regime and shares his opinions on the format going in. He brings us an excellent overview of the metagame as he sees it, with sample decklists for all the major players. Will his testing translate into a Top 8 performance?

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The Magic Show #65 – A Brave New World

Watch Evan Erwin every Friday... on StarCityGames.com!
Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re returning to our roots by inspecting the new Lorwyn Standard landscape, and we’re also detailing what may or may not occur in Valencia at the Pro Tour I’m attending. Did I also mention that Cap’n Tickles is due for a new mana cost? Let’s go!

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Magical Hack – Preparing for Kuala Lumpur

Click here for more info on Grand Prix Daytona Beach!
With the State Championships right around the corner in two weeks’ time, it’s very easy to forget that even before States we will be seeing the start of the next Pro Tour Qualifier season. Starting as early as a week from tomorrow, players around the world are going to start having the joy of deciphering piles of 75 Lorwyn cards to craft playable Limited decks, and then navigating the tribal ebbs and flows of a draft to earn a flight to Kuala Lumpur.

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The Real Deal – Farewell To Ravnica: A Top 10 Look Back!

Read Ben Bleiweiss every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
Lorwyn is here — and that means Ravnica is about to be gone from Standard! Ben returns to his weekly column on StarCityGames.com with a look back at Ravnica done entirely with Top 10 lists! Goodbye, gold-block, we will miss you well and good.

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Feature Article — Making The Leap

Read Feature Articles every Monday and Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Steve Sadin is one of the emerging talents of Magic. Of course, he was once a complete

beginner, battling to learn the rules and collect the cards. His growth as a Magic player has seen him

become confident enough to pay thousands of dollars in travel money to attend top events. The stories

behind his decision to make the leap to the big leagues may inspire others to do the same.

Ever dreamt of shuffling up at the Pro Tour? Then read on!

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Deep Analysis – Standard Beatdown Options

States is coming!
Standard Champs are looming large, and with Lorwyn promising to shake the metagame like a Polaroid picture, Richard Feldman offers up some decklists for those beatdown fans among us. There’s the perennial Red/Green offerings, another look at the popular Green/White Kithkin deck, a few interesting versions of Haakon Aggro, and an excellent build featuring Doran, the Siege Tower…

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From Right Field – Anna Karenina: Battlemage

Read Chris Romeo every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Two weeks ago, as a way to focus my time and attention, I asked you kind and thoughtful readers to vote on which of five cards I should feature in this week’s article. You voted for Ana Battlemage. Let me deconstruct this card and see what I’ve gotten myself into…

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The Beautiful Struggle – The Mockvitational, Un-Uncensored

Read Mark Young every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Just as promised last week, an invitation-only Magic tournament took place last Saturday at the New Yorker hotel in New York City. Sponsored by top8magic.com, it was known as the Mockvitational. I played in it, and here is my story of what happened. Sadly, some deadline problems related to Fearless Leader’s trip to Valencia means that I will be unable to give you the Standard results until next week. Up until then…

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The Kitchen Table #202 – Lorwyn and Five

Read Abe Sargent every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Hello folks, and welcome back to your regularly scheduled articles, already in progress. This is my traditional Five Color review of the latest set. I’ve done these for years, and you can expect to see me continue for a long time.

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Feature Article – It’s Madness I Tell You!

States is coming!
Stephen is having a well-earned break in preparation for Pro Tour: Valencia and The Invitational. In his place we have the irreplaceable John Friggin’ Rizzo with another entertaining rant! This week, JFR takes a look at Standard decks that discard cards for fun and profit, featuring the 3/1 flyer for two mana that may well be the sleeper hit of Lorwyn: Oona’s Prowler. So, has JFR broke the format? Read on to find out!

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Peebles Primers — Wrath Decks in Lorwyn Standard

States is coming!
If you haven’t noticed, Lorwyn is a block about creatures. You know what’s really good in a format where a whole ton of creatures just appeared? Wrath of God. Damnation. Molten Disaster. Today’s Peebles Primers takes a look at some of the more entertaining directions such a strategy may take for Champs, and throws up a slew of interesting decklists and ideas. If you’re looking for an edge on the Standard competition, look no further!

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You Lika the Juice? – Seeing What Sticks

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Over on the premium side of StarCityGames.com, I imagine those guys are busy testing, tuning, and working through the strategic nuances of new, post-Lorwyn Standard decks for the upcoming States/Champs tournaments that will be here before we know it. Over here on the free side, we’re all in the strategic vat together, stirring a big ol’ pot of Standard spaghetti, throwing noodles at the wall and seeing what sticks.

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