Search Content

You CAN Play Type I #129: Revisiting Counter Magic

A while ago I said that countermagic is a key component of Type I. Since that time, Wizards has seen fit to add more and more spells that counters things. As always, the Type I environment is changing, and it is obvious that the need for counters changes with it. One of Stephen Menendian’s recent StarCity forum discussion pieces has been on the utility of Stifle. That’s a valid recognition of one facet of the Counterspell problem that I want to examine today.

By

Dr. Teeth vs. Dr. Doom: The Ultimate Showdown

My constant requests for article ideas finally yielded the suggestion from Oscar”Cinnamon Buns” Tan that, in lieu of a substantial issue to discuss, I develop a new deck, like in the days of olde tyme Tog-Growing. So I skimmed over a list of set mechanics, figuring it shouldn’t be too hard to find one that hadn’t been broken yet. Kicker was wicked bad, so I finally settled on Threshold.

By

What the Hell Are You Lookin’ At?

Johnnny-who-ain’t-written-‘bout-Magic-in-a-while is back for a one-shot. One shot, and I’ll be spent. But, you’ll really enjoy it and say how good it was. Heh.

By

Firing Flying Fries

Aoccdrnig to rseracaeh cnodutced at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

By

Strapping Young Lad

So, long story longer a favor was called in and I was compelled to put my level two judging skills to use at a National Qualifier in the tiny nation of Wachovia in Eastern Europe somewhere. I’m not sure exactly where it is, but as long as the pilot knew where we were going, and the taxi man after him, well… why worry? Everyone is somewhere, and as long as I didn’t lose track of myself I wasn’t going to worry about finding myself on a map.

By

Top 10 Ways To Have A Good Time At Grand Prix D.C.

9. Enter the event! Why come to a Grand Prix, if you’re not going to enter in it? Don’t have a team? Don’t worry! A JSS event will be held on Sunday and plenty of younger players will turn out early, most of which will be teamless. This will provide you with a plethora of players to select from, as well as the few other players who turn out to watch the event. The tournament will also be held in a highly populated area with many people with which you could teach to play and have join up with you. This will also help increase the community of players and longevity of the game.

By

Oh America!

Three weeks ago, I did something that I had thought I had sworn off – slinging of the magical spells. Last year, at PT: Boston I laid down the cardboard and called it quits, but I came back, and just like everything else, it’s all Flores’s fault.

By

Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #97: You CAN Dominate T1

I haven’t done a tournament report for a while. It’s time. I also haven’t written about T1 for a while. It’s time. I also haven’t won a big tournament for a while. It was about time. March 20, 2004. The big 5-Proxy T1 tourney. It was time.

By

Reinventing the Metagame – Tinkering Through The Hate

Mize well play Goblins, amiright?

By

Whispers of My Muse: Dissecting Standard

My aim is to give a broad overview of the current Standard format with an eye towards some of the general concepts that I believe to define the environment. I also want to talk about what decks are likely to be successful for Regionals in light of these same concepts. Why should you listen to me? I mean, who am I to say what’s what? Well, I’ve designed a successful metagame deck for almost every iteration of Standard that I’ve ever played in. If there’s anything that I know how to do, it’s how to come up with a plan of attack for the Standard environment.

By

How Having Your Eyebrow Explode Affects Tournament Play

So I’m actually playing Type 1 again. Along with this comes reading and posting on TheManaDrain.com about all sorts of things. One of these things was an announcement for a Type 1 tournament in Connecticut. This gave me a warm, happy feeling, because I thought it was a posting for one of Ray Robillard’s awesome sauce Waterbury tournaments. Alas, it was not, but there was still the allure of first and second place getting a Lotus. I decided to play Tog a bit more against people, and it was still doing well, but I had seen how broken Slavery was and I really wanted to play it…

By

Ask Ken, 03/31/2004

First off, you have the congrats of all of #mtgplaty for your
engagement/marriage to JB Smith, documented and revealed in
this weekend’s Sideboard coverage, but i must ask: is this true?

By

Splish Splash

Splash Damage is shorthand that I and some of my friends use when designing decks. After reading this article, you will be empowered to use it as well. When the Rabbit shows me a Black deck with Diabolic Tutor for card selection, and I ask him why he didn’t use Undead Gladiator and Twisted Abomination instead (like I have largely adopted), Rabbit can say”Splash Damage on Stabilizer.” I immediately know what he means and the matter is settled.

By

Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?

It has been said that Magic’s color pie rotates. If so, then why does Green always end up at the bottom? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is not that Green always gets the pie’s smallest slice. In fact, even if it’s not immediately evident, Green has recently received a larger slice of the pie than any other color. In terms of versatility, today’s Green can’t be beat. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t have much of a place in the current Standard environment…

By

Ask Ken, 03/30/2004

In a recent online draft I took Fireball over Barbed Lightning (which is obviously correct,) but I think the main reason it’s better is because it can hit two creatures at once instead of a creature and a player. It always seems correct to split a Fireball in the early game. Six mana kills two creatures with two toughness each, which is very powerful. So splitting seems right to me usually, especially since it can kill two decent creatures for 6 mana. What do you think?

By