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Magical Hack: Second Thoughts on Guildpact

Read Sean McKeown... every Friday at
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In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks, welcome to what is quite possibly the hardest Limited format we’ve ever encountered. Sean guides us through some of the more powerful cards in the environment, looking for the strongest contenders in the common slot. Plus, a little fun with the Pro Player cards…

Data Mining in Action: Could Dave Price be Wrong?

There are many universal truths held high in Magic Theory. One notable example is “there are no wrong threats, only wrong answers,” an idea put forth by the great Dave Price. In today’s Flores Friday, Mike scrutinizes this Sacred Cow under the white-heat of examination. Could Dave Price actually be wrong? Backed by extensive data mining, Mike vows to find out…

SCG Daily – Mox Takes On The World!

While we’re all extricably linked though cardboard elves, it’s true that different countries have different outlooks regarding our fair game. Spanish Magic players, for example, don’t play cards in the afternoon, preferring to spend their time being chased by bulls. French Magic games usually last a little under five minutes before someone concedes, and the English metagame largely revolves around crumpets.

Following the Herd

John F. Rizzo, at his ridiculous best.

Dwelling on the professed shortcomings of the game is one of the most beloved indoor spectator sports, and one in which I often played the supporting role of Joiner Adept. You may offer a laundry list, but I’ll ignore them and get cozy with Snuggle Bear since he’s so damn cute and makes everything clean and soft, like a fresh blanket of snow that lets you skip work or school and play with those silly cards all day.

It’s the Mana, Stupid!

Rick takes us through his card pool from Grand Prix Richmond, exploring many avenues of deck construction. What is the correct path? The forums will surely find out…

The Kitchen Table #119: A Large Deck with a Large Attitude

Read Abe Sargent... every Thursday at
StarCityGames.com!

Welcome to the fourth week anniversary of our weekly dosage of all thing casual. One of the charges I was given with this column by my esteemed editor was to revisit some of my older ideas and revamp them. Maybe you weren’t one of my readers three years ago. Maybe some new cards have come out since then, and a topic needs to be revisited. Or, maybe I just have new ideas on old articles.

A Ravnica-Ravnica-Guildpact Draft Walkthrough

Following his excellent article on the Undervalued Gems of Guildpact, Nick takes us through a Ravnica/Ravnica/Guildpact draft, with each pick examined under a microscope. It’s all here: strengths and weaknesses, pick choices, draft summary, match reports and more! Whether you’re looking to qualify for Pro Tour Prague or just improve your understanding of the Ravnica/Ravnica/Guildpact draft format, you won’t want to miss this one!

The Black Perspective: A Little Ham And Eggs Comin’ At Ya!

Is it just me, or are there a lot of issues spiraling around the Magic community recently? From lawsuits to cheating accusations, Magic is a hotbed of excitement, and I figured now was a good time to start writing again. However, the problem with all of the issues taking place is that they can all be summed up in one or two paragraphs, and I won’t get paid for that. Instead, I decided to write about my experiences at Grand Prix Richmond, and tell you what I learned.

Peace of Mind: Guildpact Mechanics, Part III

So far, we’ve taken a look at Bloodthirst and Replicate, two of the three mechanics introduced with the latest expansion, Guildpact. The last mechanic, Haunt, is the one that many analysts can’t quite seem to figure out yet. We should have known Orzhov wouldn’t make it easy on us – after all, they’re the ones in charge, not us, and if they wanted us to be able to easily figure out their secrets, they’d tell us.

Magic Online Musings: This Week on MTGO #2

Read blisterguy... every Wednesday at
StarCityGames.com!

Blisterguy takes us through this week’s developments on Magic Online, and gives us a comprehensive rundown of the fluctuating online singles market.

Introducing Shuhei Nakamura: Japan, by the Japanese

We at StarCityGames.com are proud to introduce the newest member of the Feature Writer team: Shuhei Nakamura, finalist of Pro Tour Columbus and Top Eight competitor at Worlds 2005! While his future articles are to be Premium, we thought we’d kick off with a free taster. Today, Shuhei tells us what it means to be Japanese, and what it means to play Magic.

Guildpact Sealed: Getting It Wrong At Richmond

The Ravnica block Limited environment, with Guildpact, has proven to be one of a kind. Some have celebrated the challenge that it presents to players in maximizing deck power while minimizing losses due to poor mana bases. Others complain about the impossibility of building a solid, consistent two-color deck like we did this time last year. Mark takes us through his highly taxing Grand Prix Richmond card pool. How would YOU build it?

SCG Daily – Doctor Mox and the Savage Cheatorz

The incomparable Doctor Mox helps us spot the most savage of cheaters with his usual wit and vivacity. Plus, more ramblings on MagicTheGathering.com’s inexplicable Legends voting bonanza.

The Weekly Guild Build: Your Mana Or Your Life

Read The Ferrett... every Monday at
StarCityGames.com!

In Ravnica Sealed, you’ll often wind up with a conundrum: you can play twenty-three killer cards, where every card is worth having in the deck, but you have to go four colors. Or you can go with three colors and throw a few marginal cards in to bring it up to twenty-three, lowering the number of late-game elbow drops but also minimizing your manascrew. And so comes the question: consistency or power? With that in mind, The Ferrett looks at the decks that went undefeated on Day One to try to draw some conclusions about the format.

The Virtues of Planning

Ravnica-Guildpact Sealed is a complex beast. Should we run three, four, even five colors? Is mana the key, or should we compromise for power? How can we ensure we beat the decks at the top tables? In this enlightening article, Chad shares his golden rules of Sealed deckbuilding, focusing his advice for the Pro Tour Qualifier crowd.