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Building with Wicker #3: Elements of Wicker Man Decks

A recent example of how Wicker Man deck theory has seeped into tournament play is the presence of Disciple of the Vault in Clerics decks running very few artifacts. Here, Disciple of the Vault is made to negate one of Ravager Affinity’s win conditions. In the Clerics v. Ravager Affinity matchup, the Affinity player has to go to all the trouble of setting up a pseudo-combo kill only to discover that the Clerics player has been preparing for her own win condition and can take advantage of Affinity’s exertions. Over all, however, Clerics is not a Wicker Man deck, if only because Disciple of the Vault is a secondary (and exceedingly narrow) win condition.

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Teaching Yourself to Win: A Top 10 List

I’ve always had a burning desire to win and an equal, no less fiery desire to improve. The culmination of almost ten years of heartburn has finally started to pay off, with some top 8’s, a trip to the Pro Tour, and a near-miss at Regionals with yet another deck that no one believed in but me. These are some of the things that I’ve learned over those ten years while continually striving to improve.

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Who Needs the Clamp? A Mid-Atlantic Regionals Report

After many weeks of playtesting, I couldn’t find a rogue deck that pleased me. My G/R Urzatron Tooth and Nail deck promised to be the most fun. But an important part of fun for me is earning a winning record and coming as close to qualifying for Nationals as possible… so Tooth was a bad choice. I eventually settled on Paskins Red, and this is my tale.

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Ask Ken, 05/18/2004

I’m playing in a sealed deck league. I have a Blue/Black evasion deck with two Nims and a (but no other affinity guys). I also have two bomb equipment in Sword of Fire and Ice and Specter’s Shroud. Should I play Welding Jar?

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Ask Ken, 05/17/2004

Would you ever choose to draw in Mirrodin-Darksteel draft?

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From Right Field: It’s Marryin’ Time!

As I type this sentence, I’m getting married in 104 hours. There are a ton (literally) of things to move and a ton (figuratively) of little things to do. So, I’ll have to give you a form that you can fill in to write your own column.

[Congratulations to Chris Romeo, who either got hitched this weekend or was shot and killed as he tried to escape the bonds of holy matrimony. StarCityGames.com would like to wish him our very best. – Knut]

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The College Dropout: Ohio Valley Regionals 2004

Even with the hundreds of hours of play testing underneath my belt, I have yet to actually do particularly well at any Regionals, with this year’s 6-3 record being far from qualifying. What you came here for was a decklist, and a story explaining how after starting the day with five straight match wins, it all came crashing down around me, so let’s get started.

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Stupid Tooth and Nail: B/G at Midwest Regionals

This is the story of some Black cards, some Green cards, and a little card called Tooth and Nail.

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Why Dave Price Goes Second

Price will forever be remembered for liking to attack. Which begs the question… If Dave, like Brian Hacker, taught us to beat down, if Dave himself chose simple, focused, attack decks and eschewed complex strategies, Why In The World Would He Choose To Go Second?

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The Ultimate Prize: Evaluating the Magic Invitationalists’ Card Submissions

As a long-time player of the game, I have to admit to being particularly intrigued by the prize given away each year to the winner of the Magic Invitational. The opportunity for a player to make his or her mark on the game with a card based on your own design, and sporting your likeness, is quite a gift back to the Magic community by Wizards of the Coast. I mean, what true fan of the game wouldn’t love this opportunity? Since I’m not very likely to get to make my own card, I thought it would be entertaining to look at this year’s proposed cards and separate the wheat from the chaff.

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18,000 Words: R&D’s New Mistake

You’re going to hear a complaint aired here today that probably has never been aired before in Magic’s history. The upcoming discussion I’m foisting on you today is partly about the power level of a card. It’s partly about the mana cost of a card. It’s partly about the mechanic of a card. But mostly, it’s about You, the consumer.

What card am I talking about? Well, hold on just one second…

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Ask Ken, 05/14/2004

Ken, please help me stop making so many mistakes!

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Running the Vintage Gauntlet: G through M (Part I)

In part one, I reviewed decks A-F on the SCG gauntlet – tracing through each deck’s game plan, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and describing the relevant matchups. The purpose of this effort is to assist readers trying to figure out what they might want to play and how to shore up archetype weaknesses by describing the decks of Type One in a candid light – free (hopefully) from the distortions you might see from someone promoting their pet deck. In this article we look at decks that start with the letter G-M. We begin with what is undoubtedly one of the best decks in Type One and yet is the most confounding, irritating, and mystifying:

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Running the Vintage Gauntlet: G through M (Part II)

In this half, Steve covers Landstill and U/G Madness.

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Are You Ready For Ben’s Deck Challenge?

On Sunday, May 16th, the Star City Game Center will be hosting Ben’s Deck Challenge. What are the thirty-two decks and their prizes? Read inside to find out!

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