When I was asked to write a daily series this week I was hard pressed to come up with an idea that could top Billy Moreno’s insane ramblings. However, I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately and it seemed like a trip in the way-back machine could be interesting… Each day this week I’ll take a look at the past Pro Tour seasons, starting with my rookie year, the 2001-2002 season.
Tim is back! After a fair few begging emails, a fortuitous meeting on Modo, and some thinly-veiled threats, Mr Aten has finally put virtual pen to virtual paper. Today, he takes us through the last waltz of the RRG draft format with a comprehensive draft walkthrough. Remember to take everything he says with a pinch of salt… and enjoy!
There’s something about the jumble of colors that Ravnica brings that just makes mid-level players freeze in weird ways — and when faced with a near-infinite number of choices to make, often you just don’t see the obvious until it’s too late. This is the Sealed blackout. You go into a trance, and awake with the wrong cards registered in your deck. And if this can happen to people who are used to playing Sealed, what hope does the poor first-timer have at building his deck properly?
Today, Mike’s article is packed with different topics. Standard decklists, Limited advice, tales from the Deckade signing tournament, MTGO hints and tips… and much, much more. Looking to improve your odds when drafting Ravnica/Guildpact/Dissension? Mike has the early draft metagame, planned out and dissected. A perfect primer for this weekend’s Dissension prereleases!
The Dissension Prerelease tournaments kick off this weekend… and Ben is here to help! In his traditional “new set” address, he spills the beans on the hottest Dissension cards, giving advice on what to trade for, and what to trade away. His hit rate for Guildpact was phenomenal… His Dissension advice is invaluable! A must-read article for anyone attending a prerelease this weekend!
When playtesting, it’s easy to fall into the “Playing, Not Testing” trap. How can we maximize our testing to ensure an improvement in our game? How does our sideboarding strategy relate to our overall gameplan? In this excellent and enlightening article, Chad offers some sage advice on planning for success.
Sean turns his eye toward the spoilered cards of Dissension, giving us a thorough exploration of each guild and its place in the Limited game. Want the low-down on the cards to watch out for in the weekend’s prerelease tournaments? This article is for you…
For the final article in this Daily Series, I’m going to respond to something my roommate wanted to see awhile back. He mentioned that he noticed the little things people will do in a game that aren’t necessarily related to the game state itself, but nevertheless can generate match wins out of thin air. In other words, he wanted to know what he could do to win a game in real life that couldn’t be done on Magic Online.
Today’s article title stems from one of the more creative pieces of spam I’ve found in my inbox. It seems that this particular e-mail stemmed from a company who specialised in telling people who may or may not have the appropriate need exactly how much money they could save investing in pills and a crème that, combined, would lead to the spontaneous coalescence of a lardge pebnis.
As the world waits for Dissension, Nick branches away from his usual Ravnica/Guildpact play to take part in the Visions Release Events on Magic Online. Are you tired of drafting RRG? Do you fancy shaking your booty with the older cards? If so, Nick has the low-down on the format, and the results to prove it. A break from the norm, before the Dissension madness hits town this weekend…
The Vintage game can be daunting to the casual observer. Powerful cards, insane plays, games won and lost on the very first turn… Luckily, Stephen is here to help. By running through, play by play, four actual matches featuring Meandeck Ichorid versus Brassman Gifts, he dissects each and every possible twist, and the thought process behind every move. An excellent article, destined to spawn many others…
My Team Standard Pro Tour Qualifier didn’t turn out too well. I just found out that I won’t be doing Regionals because it’s on the exact same day as my sister’s wedding. Playing qualifiers in That Other Game tends to put me on full-blown, yelling-at-people-for-no-good-reason tilt. So how do I get enthusiastic about gaming again? Why, at a Grand Prix Trial for Toronto, of course!
Abe ventures into the Magic Online Casual Room, and comes out smelling of roses. Three new decks, all examined with his critical Casual eye… Want some fresh ideas? Look no further.
“When you play out a match, you should have some idea within the first few turns of what you want the end of the game to look like. Then you need to do everything you can to ensure that the game ends up that way.” – Matt Schmaltz
I find this quote from Schmaltz particularly insightful because, in my mind, it’s what separates the good players from the great ones. MS is a great player, and most of us are not, because he thinks of these types of things. I want to figure out how to do that.
Raphael returns with another edition of Hidden Gems. As with his previous article, Raph examines a number of supposedly weak cards in the Ravnica Limited arena, and talks us through the pros and cons of each. His recent form on the Limited GP circuit is second to none… his advice will help improve your game. Plus drafting tips from Olivier Ruel and Anton Jonsson!
