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Chatter of the Squirrel – The Pro Tour That Almost Never Was, or, The Apologia of Bill Stark

Read Zac Hill every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Sure, the tournament went well, from a certain point of view. Covered my costs, picked up a decent amount of Pro Points, designed a great deck. That’s for another time. We’ll talk matchups and why it’s a great choice for the PTQ season, deal with all of that. Now, though, my mind’s on the Magic experience. Put the academia aside and indulge me, just for this column. “Playing the game” is only half of it. For right now, it’s time to see the world.

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Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #199: Whither Extended?

Read Peter Jahn... at StarCityGames.com!
Pro Tour: Valencia is over. The results are in. Where does Extended go from here? What does Lorwyn do to the format? Should we care — and is it worth the price? Let’s look at some numbers…

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So Many Insane Plays – The View From Valencia: Demystifying the Pro Tour

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!

In today’s article, Stephen reflects upon his first Pro Tour experience as seen through the eyes of a Vintage player, and reveals his 2007 Magic Invitational submission! As you can probably guess, it’s pretty strong… but if made, would it see Vintage play?

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Sullivan Library – The Bittersweet Return and a Few Lessons

Read Adrian Sullivan every Tuesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Pro Tour: Valencia was destined to become Adrian Sullivan’s triumphant return to the higher echelons of the game. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as well as he’d hoped… but he still left the sunny Spanish shores with plenty of lessons by which we can all hope to improve our game. If you’re serious about reaching the next level, let Adrian show you how…

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Limited Lessons – Goblins in Lorwyn

Click here for more info on Grand Prix Daytona Beach!
Lorwyn is here, and drafting decks that adhere to strict tribal guidelines is obviously the key to success. But in a format awash with tribal options, which tribe is the correct way to go? While early wisdom suggests Merfolk or Faeries as the Lorwyn powerhouses, it’s clear that the Goblin tribe has a lot to offer. Removal, efficient guys, evasion, finishers… it’s all here! Let Nick show us how it’s done…

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Deconstructing Constructed – Lorwyn Aggro

States is coming!
Picking up from where we left off last week, I’ll be taking a look at a few of the aggro decks that are available in the current Standard metagame. To ensure a little diversity, I picked a deck that has been close to optimized, one that’s largely in the concept stage still, and one that needs to be refined a little more.

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Removed From Game – Dredge Wins In Valencia

Read Rich Hagon every week... at StarCityGames.com!
With almost a full two weeks on the road doing nothing but playing, talking and writing Magic, it’s easy to see why Rich Hagon thinks he’s the luckiest man in the world. Join him for the first week of tall tales, a large dose of Metagame theory and definitive proof that he knows what he’s talking about (see article title for details.)

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Lorwyn Sealed Dissected – Gobs and Robbers

Click here for more info on Grand Prix Daytona Beach!
The new PTQ season is coming. The road to Kuala Lumpur runs through Lorwyn Sealed. It’s time to sweep up the cobwebs and start practicing a new format. Eli steers us through a potent pool of 75 in search of the perfect build.

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Insert Column Name Here – Wizards’ Incredibly Lazy Secret Card-Naming Formula

Read The Ferrett every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!A whopping twenty percent of the cards in my deck this week are named using this same, trite formula. Oh, sure, it’s easy to port the card’s name into German or Japanese – but it’s also hackneyed, light on flavor, and is probably done by some sort of automated Card-Name-O-Matic 3000(tm) in the back room to save Wizards’ some time. So what is the lamest card naming process ever?

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Feature Article – Elves in Lorwyn

Click here for more info on Grand Prix Daytona Beach!
Lorwyn Limited is shaping up to be a diverse and fun format… even so, it pays to limit your potions early and stick to a rigid tribal draft strategy. John Pelcak takes us through one of the hardiest of the tribes in the new set… those tree-hugging elves. He breaks down the common and uncommon elvish sweetmeats and presents a strategic guide for everyone looking to beat down with the pointy-eared monsters. Dan Paskins, look away now…

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Innovations – Untold Tales of a Pro (Me), and Thoughts on Eternal Players being Pros

Read Patrick Chapin every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!
Worlds is fast approaching, and Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin is excited. Today’s issue of Innovations sees Patrick share some entertaining stories from Magic’s glory years, before striding manfully into the No Man’s Land that is the Pro Player versus Eternal Player debate. No matter which side of the fence you set yourself, you’re inevitably caught in the crossfire. Can Patrick bring peace to the table? Read on to find out!

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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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