You want to become a better player? What better way to learn than to see the analyzing processes of players better than you? I’ve joked before that when I play Control Slaver, I “just do whatever Rich Shay would do.” This led to the idea of actually asking what he was thinking at a given moment. So, I’ll be presenting play scenarios and then asking some solid technical Vintage players what they’d do.
There are strong decks, and there are pretty decks. Do you know the difference? When it comes to the crunch, what would you rather have… beauty or strength?
It’s voting time again — this time, the Invitational Vote 2006 revolves around the Asia/Pacific region. On the ballot, we have two Feature Writers from StarCityGames.com.
In his first article since taking the role of Managing Editor, Craig reprises his popular “Sealed Revealed” series, taking a Ravnica/Guildpact Sealed Deck cardpool and evaluating the cards therein!
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…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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.
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!
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.
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.
Blisterguy takes us through this week’s developments on Magic Online, and gives us a comprehensive rundown of the fluctuating online singles market.
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.
