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A Dish Best Served Cold: The role of Revenge in the Vintage 2004 Metagame

The field of the Championships was wide open with a variety of decks from all aspects of the metagame represented in one form or another. Even combo, Tendrils-based or otherwise, had a decent showing with a Goblin Charbelcher deck making it to the semifinals, something most wouldn’t have expected before the event. There was also another deck flying under the radar. Only a select few had the privilege of seeing it in action, and the name of the deck, whispered only in the dark, shadowy catacombs of the convention hall was… Revenge.

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The Return of Ask Joe Black – 09/15/2004

I heard that Mike Turian recently got the new R&D job that Wizards had been advertising. I was just wondering would you or any other Pro still playing the game ever consider taking a job in R&D, or is playing on the Pro Tour too important?

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Blog Fanatic: Send me Your Mail!

I’m taking the day off to work on a super-secret project for StarCityGames.com, but I want your mail! Do you have any questions for me? Are there any stories that you’ve been burning to have me tell? Have you wanted to hear more about Bob, Anthony, Eric, Vinny "The Pimp" Falcone or any of the other cast of characters from the blog? Send your e-mails to [email protected] and the best of these e-mails will be compiled into an upcoming reader mailbag extravaganza!

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Magic Puzzles in Play, Vol. 4 – The Solutions

The cunning solutions to Jeff’s puzzles, including the very tricky Thieve’s Auction play and a puzzle that will probably occur hundreds of times at the various State tournaments.

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The Return of Ask Joe Black

You’ve been on the Pro Tour for some time now and it seems like you are friends with a majority of the pros. I was just curious if you ever get intimidated when playing against someone?

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Ken’s Reflection

Magic players don’t reflect enough. I constantly see players crying to high heaven that they were mana screwed right out of a game/match/tournament. Rarely do these players take a moment to re-examine the game and determine if they may have missed out on a road to victory. The second the first card of a new set appears on mtgnews.com, everyone looks forward to the new set. They don’t take time to learn lessons from the current set and see how they may be able to apply these lessons to future tournaments. Today I’m going to look back at what we learned from Mirrodin Limited and exmaine the lessons you should hang on to.

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Magic Puzzles in Play Vol. 4

Welcome back to the fourth installment of this puzzling series. In addition to the standard question of”what do I need to do in order to win right now”, this article will pose a couple more open-ended challenges. You might find yourself thinking,”What is the mathematically best play at this point?”, and”What do I need to do now in order to win later?” After all, if you do not make good choices up front, you’ll never be in position to win at all.

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Blog Fanatic: The Box Draft

Box draft is my favorite Magic format. I’ve been doing box drafts for five years now, and the games have stayed fresh and interesting. Pete Hoefling has stated that box draft is the most fun he’s had playing Magic, ever. I agree. There’s just something about drafting from the Big Box that really takes you back to the roots of the game while simultaneously teaching you new strategies each time out. What is box draft, you ask? Check inside, my friends, check inside.

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Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #109: The Post-Worlds MD5 Metagame and Whupping Sheldon

Once again, I compiled statistics from all of the PTQ T8s I could find. Here are the numbers for the entire period this format has been played. Is there a secret Affinity-killer that is on the rise in Block? The answer to this question and more is but a click away, plus bonus coverage of Sheldon Menery’s Multiplayer Challenge at the World Championships.

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The August Vintage Metagame Breakdown

In the latest edition, Pip brings you the August Metagame Breakdown, the perceived fallout from the Banned and Restricted List changes, and the skinny on which cards might get restricted next!

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The Return of Ask Joe Black – 09/13/2004

I was just wondering how various pros handle losing? I heard a story that noted Pro Tour tree stump Eric Froehlich once ate an entire jar of peanut butter after losing a draft on Magic Online. Is that a typical reaction pros have to losing, or do they take it in stride?

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Ookubo’s 3-D World

Some of you may have read about the 3-D cards of Master Seishiro Ookubo this past weekend, but you probably didn’t get a chance to see many of the special cards that he made for Wizards staff. If you’ve ever wondered what a 3-D Jester’s Cap looks like, or a 3-D City of Brass, or perhaps a 3-D Foil DCI Balance… well look no further, because we have photos inside.

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What Decks Can Make the Transition to Post-Champions Standard?

There is a fair chance that, come States, you will be playing a deck that you are already playing with, or at least are aware of. The question is what deck will this be? This article will look at all the big decks in the current Standard metagame, and assess whether they can survive the transition to new Standard. If you are looking to get a head start on your testing for States, you’ve come to the right place.

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Blog Fanatic: My Interview With Jamie Wakefield (Part 3 of 3)

In this final installment of Ben’s interview with the King of Fatties, find out what games Jamie has been playing recently, what he thinks of his old arch-nemesis Geordie Tait, and the answer to the question,”If I were to pay entry for you and Mare, would you two consider playing in the Champions of Kamigawa Prerelease?”

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CHK It Out! The Week in Preview

Pugg picks up where he left off and takes a look at the entire week of Champions of Kamigawa cards previewed on MagictheGathering.com, offering insightful analysis, Constructed and Limited takes, and a healthy dollop of humor to make the bad cards go down easier.

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