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Insert Column Name Here – Why Magic Online Failed

Read The Ferrett every Monday... at StarCityGames.com!There have been apocalypses predicted for every change to this game that I’ve ever seen…. And none more so than Magic Online. Magic Online would be the death of Magic, it would fail miserably, it would get hacked. We all knew it, and people wrote tons of articles at the time telling us what would happen. So I went back to the halcyon days of 2002 to see what people were saying at the time, and I compared what they were worried about to what actually happened, just to see how accurate the Magic community is as a whole at seeing things coming. Which led, in turn, to kind of a snapshot of Magic Online as it stands today.

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Innovations – Half a Dozen Insane Cameos

Patrick Chapin promises innovations… and this week, he certainly delivers! This is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill Magic article. As the world lies in the pre-Lorwyn doldrums, Patrick gathers some entertaining snippets from great Magic writers and pros, past and present. Cunningham, Sullivan, Aten, Sanchez, Herberholz, Erwin. Each snippet has been written with a twist… can you spot them all?

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Flores Friday – Popularity Contests

Read Mike Flores every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
It’s August, Lorwyn is just around the corner, and eyes have turned to the upcoming inauguration of the third class of Magic’s Hall of Fame. It’s safe to say that, of this year’s illustrious nominees, there are one or two locks for inclusion. Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike share his opinion on the class of 2007, with a rundown of his final five picks.

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The Magic Show #58 — Post-Ballot Bliss

Watch Evan Erwin every Friday... on StarCityGames.com!
Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we see some important events happening in the Magic universe, and none quite so important as me being your official 2007 Invitational Storyteller. What do I think of this honor and why did my nomination stir up such intense debate? Let’s get started! Warning: Contains Spoilers.

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Unlocking Legacy — A New Era

Read Legacy articles every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
Christopher Coppola reports on his performances at two Legacy events, and discusses the dramatic changes currently taking place in the format. He goes into detail about the development of the GenCon 3rd place deck, and mentions his influence on the winning Threshold list!

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Not Magical Hack — Prismagically Hacking Master’s Edition

Read Sean McKeown every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
With all of the attention being paid to TPF drafting, Standard, Block Constructed, and all those other great formats that will soon cease to be relevant, I thought I’d take a look at Prismatic, a format that is never relevant – specifically the changes we can expect from Tenth Edition and the newly spoiled Master’s Edition. Warning: Contains Spoilers.

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Levelling Up – Ten Things I Hate About Magic

Read Tiago Chan every Friday... at StarCityGames.com!
Tiago has a couple of things he’d like to get off his chest. Today’s Levelling up takes us through ten aspects of Magic that really grind his gears. We all know Tiago as a rather happy fella, without a bad word to say about anyone. This time, he lets loose with both barrels. Mana screw, Magic Online, and even getting out of bed… nothing escapes his wrath. And everyone who’s missed a Pact trigger will understand what he’s saying…

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Feature Article – A Prelude to Grand Prix: San Francisco

Read Feature Articles every Monday and Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
John Pelcak has spent the last six weeks in China. Surrounded by some of the most breathtaking scenery and architecture imaginable, he’s been busy brainstorming Time Spiral Block Constructed decks for Grand Prix: San Francisco. Today, he brings us five decklists to dissect and discuss. Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something splashing Blue. If you’re after a new direction for the GP, maybe the Cak has the answer…

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Deep Analysis – Four Heartbreaking Punts… er, Bad Beats

Read Richard Feldman every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
The Bad Beat story… as timeless as Magic itself. We’ve all been there: our opponent needs a ridiculous series of luck in order to turn our surefire win into a crushing defeat. Does he get there? You betcha. However, Richard believes that at the core of most Bad Beat stories lies a lurking evil, an insidious demon that tells us we could have played better. Today’s Deep Analysis looks at four Bad Beat stories, and translates them into lessons from which we can improve. Another winner from Mr. Feldman!

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From Right Field – Living on a Prayer: The First Xth Edition Precon-Decon

Read Chris Romeo every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
Aside from the fact that I have to spend more money that I don’t really have, I love it when a new set comes out. That’s true even if, like Tenth Edition (a.k.a. Xth), it’s mostly comprised of cards that I already have, thanks to years of hoarding the ones that I’ve purchased. That’s because the fun isn’t necessarily in getting new cards but in using old cards in new ways. At a minimum, it’s the chance to use old cards in combinations and in formats in which I’ve never gotten to use them.

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The Beautiful Struggle: All We Need…

Read Mark Young every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
I’ve been playing a lot of Tenth Edition Release Events on Magic Online lately, for a lot of reasons. In part it’s because I do most of my Constructed work online these days, and thus I’ll need the cards; in part because I love the format and hate drafting Time Spiral block; and in part because I’ve done pretty well in them, especially if you count events that crashed after I was able to draw into Top 8.

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The Kitchen Table #195 — I Love Peanuts

Read Abe Sargent every Thursday... at StarCityGames.com!
In my opinion, some silver-bordered cards are self-banned. My personal rule is to eschew cards that are too powerful in order to get a laugh. Mox Lotus may be funny when you see it in a pack, but it is far from hilarious when you see it kill you and everybody else at the table reliably via the use of cards like Tinker. Someone who tries to abuse the broken cards in the silver sets is not playing with the spirit of the silver sets.

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So Many Insane Plays — Vintage Championship Report: 1st Place!

Read Stephen Menendian every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
As you’re no doubt aware, Stephen Menendian — the Voice of Vintage — is the new Vintage World Champion! At GenCon, piloting his much-lauded GroAtog list, he grabbed the tournament field by the throat and walked off with the title. Today, he takes us through his exhaustive preparation for the event, and shares each match, each game, and each play with his signature analytical style. Congratulations again, Stephen… you definitely deserve it!

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Peebles Primers — Tenth Edition Sealed

Read Benjamin Peebles-Mundy every Wednesday... at StarCityGames.com!
Today’s Peebles Primers sees Benjamin take us through two tricky Tenth Edition Sealed card pools, breaking down each color of cards into a distinct three-tier system. Reviewing the possibilities and maxing the power has always been the road to success in Sealed play, and BPM demonstrates how he tackles such questions when presented with a fresh seventy-five…

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You Lika The Juice? – Pondering Elder Dragon Highlander

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
If you regularly follow some of the columnists who are also DCI judges, or read the “behind the scenes” coverage of pro tours, you’ve probably heard about Elder Dragon Highlander, a format that is quite popular for judges to run casually after hours on the Pro Tour. Right now I have zero interest in Time Spiral Block Constructed, and little interest in Standard. So I decided to set up a multiplayer game at our local game shop on Sept 1st… and just to make it interesting, I’m making it Elder Dragon Highlander!

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