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When you think of a deck “engine,” what comes to mind? Is it the fueling of resources, a la Affinity? Is it the fueling via tutors, a la Tooth and Nail? Is it the synergy of types, such as Kamigawa Block Legends decks?

All of these decks work with one another in different ways. Whenever you think of two cards providing each other an advantage (fueling a win condition with an Urzatron piece, making another spell cheaper as a result of it being play), then that is a part of the deck’s engine to win.

In the days of yore, back when I was the managing editor of This Here Site Here, I used to hold an amnesty day, wherein all articles sent to me to be published on my birthday were published without any editing at all. This is now a proud tradition of StarCityGames.com, and it helps to make you all understand just how much work we do here to make the articles appear, you know, readable. But alas, what can I do to give myself a birthday prezzie in an article?

Ingrid, my wife, was out of town for a few days. I had Thursday off, and nothing but some chores over the weekend. I had a couple dozen tix, a virtual pile of unopened packs, and some ideas for new decks I wanted to try out. I was ready to play Magic — what could possibly go wrong?

Engines in Magic are relative to the cards around them. They are, at their best, pure synergy. The cards in an “Engine,” whether that is a combo, aggro, or control deck, work best when they’re all in play. When you draw all of them, you almost always win. Your “engine” is running. Your “game” has begun.

In today’s edition of Magical Hack, Sean looks back at the results from Grand Prix Tolouse. As we know, the Japanese ran rampant through the field… but does their deck construction technique follow the pattern of four-color “greedy” madness that others espouse as the Great Way Forward?

It was, charitably, a disaster. Though my venture at the Two-Headed Giant Limited State Championship ended in the Top 4, the Individual Limited Championship last Saturday saw my Two-Headed teammate David and I collectively going 2-7-1 over the course of the main event and two side drafts, with our friend Chris contributing an additional 2-3. I myself managed to play two rounds in the main event and another in a side draft without winning a single game.

Troll Ascetic is one of the finest Green creatures ever printed. Ravenous Baloth is also one of the finest Green creatures ever printed. Why should you vote Troll over Baloth? The answer, my friends, is freedom of design constraint. Read on!

Teddy Card Game, fresh from his glorious victory with the mighty Paladin en-Vec, is convinced that this vote is a complete no-brainer. In the battle between Beasts and Trolls, it’s Boom Boom all the way…

“I am not a bum. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends, and my thermos. My story? I was born a poor Green child…”