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Ask The Drama — Playtesting, Pros, and Two-Headed Giant

After Jeroen’s impassioned plea for questions last week, the Magic community rallied round and sent ‘em in by the dozen. Mr Remie casts his experienced eye over topics as diverse as proper playtesting techniques, the lack of characters on the Pro circuit, and Two-Headed Giant Sealed deck. And in light of his perceived reputation — that of negativity — he promises to be super-positive today!

Deconstructing Constructed – Spiralling into Chaos: A Look at Time Spiral Block

Extended season is officially winding down, so it’s time to shift focus to the baby of the Constructed formats: Block! Today’s Deconstructing Constructed takes an overview of Time Spiral Block Constructed and hints at some of the highlights we can come to expect when Planar Chaos filters through into the Block Metagame. Volcano Hellion my Stuffy Doll? Gee Gee, my friend…

Magic Grab Bag #7 — Turtle Power

Mono-White Control, an old favorite of some back in the days of Onslaught (though why anyone shunned Goblins back then is beyond me), may now be more than viable in Planar Chaos Standard. Powered by Gauntlet of Power, does this classic “Turtle” archetype have the tools to get the job done in a world dominated by Dralnu du Louvre and Dragonstorm? Read on to find out!

The Online Outlook #2 — How Low Can You Go?

It’s a funny old time for Magic Online. The metagame has shifted to incorporate Planar Chaos, but nobody has had any real access to the cards. You can buy them, and play them in Constructed events… but you can’t play Sanctioned Limited (until 9am tomorrow). So, while the true MTGO Metagame remains in limbo, I’ve turned my back on Premier Event results, to take a little look at Premier Event playing….

The Combat Phase — Green Arena

Green is the topic du jour amongst the Magic populace at large… and who better to wade into the debate but the King of the Fatties himself? Jamie adds his own two cents to the Power of Green Debate, and shares a nifty Time Spiral Block deck that harnesses the power of the Forest. Looking for something more visceral than the trickiness of Vesuvan Shapeshifter and pals? Then this is the deck for you!

Deep Analysis – The Rules of Engagement

With GP: Dallas behind us, it’s time to take stock of the most varied and entertaining Extended format for some years. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard attempt to define exactly what became of the metagame, and create a workable set of format provisos (the Rules of Engagement) from which we can move forward. In this open and troubling format, how can we approach our future deck decisions with any level of success?

From Right Field – You Hear Me, but Do You Listen?

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Chris continues with his Angry Man persona and complains long and hard about the blurring of the color pie. He also swallows his pride and champions the very card he rails against so mightily. A rant, some comedy, and an interesting Rakdos Standard decklist… what more could you possibly need?

The Beautiful Struggle – The Little Things

There was a PTQ in Rockville, Maryland last Saturday. I went 0-2 and dropped to play a City Champs event (in which I finished second, so the day wasn’t a complete loss). You might think that there’s not much to be learned from an 0-2, and sometimes there certainly isn’t. This time, however, my lesson learned comes in two parts…

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #167 – The Ultimate Extended Tournament

Another Extended season is wrapping up. This is my ninth so far. I wondered which season was best / my favorite / most broken — and how decks from various years stack up against one another. What is the “best” Extended deck ever? Let’s find out. I’m proposing a tournament: all the great decks, in a single elimination shootout.

Limited Lessons — A Two-Headed Giant Draft Walkthrough

The forums demanded, and Nick delivers! Today’s Limited Lessons examines a complete Two-Headed Giant Draft from picks 1 and 2 to the very end. Nick leads us by the hand through the rocky waters of bizarre pick orders and differing card evaluations. There is some strange fruit to be sampled in this format… don’t be left behind!

So Many Insane Plays – An Honest Look At the Vintage Restricted List

The Vintage Restricted list is a source of constant controversy. In Magic’s broken format, it’s safe to say that constant policing of degenerate possibility is a must in order to promote a healty balance for the game. Stephen takes a brutal and honest look at the policy in years gone by, and comes up with some startling suggestions for improvement.

Insert Column Name Here — The Worst Rule in Magic

The Ferrett is away adventuring on the High Seas, but that doesn’t stop him ponitificating on the Worst Rule in Magic. I must admit that I was sceptical when he outlined his qualms, but the force of his forthright opinion swayed me to his views double-quick. Do you agree with his assertions?

You Lika The Juice? – A Drafty Walk in Giant Shoes

Bennie takes on a new challenge today… a Two-Headed Giant draft conducted entirely by email. Pack by pack, pick by pick, he walks us through every step of the process, just as Nick Eisel has done above. Two-Headed Champs is this weekend… make sure you’re ready!

Magic Puzzles – Large Numbers

Those mean judges like to tell us that there is no such thing as infinity in Magic, only arbitrarily large numbers. I think they say that just to ruin our fun. So to put some fun back into arbitrarily large numbers, today’s challenge will be to create unlimited supplies of various Magical things.

Feature Article – Making Top 8 at Pro Tour: Geneva

Kenji Tsumura is on a roll. Of course, you all know this… Top 8 perfomances litter his biography like so much cheap confetti. Today, Kenji brings us the story of his Top 8 performance at Pro Tour: Geneva, in ideal time for the online release of Planar Chaos. He also shares his own personal breakdown of the cards to draft in TTP. The Japanese are the current powerhouses of Magic, and their advice is unmissable.