I’m sorry. I’m sorry I haven’t written anything lately. My life has been rather hectic. I’ve been flying between Charlottesville and Seattle, spending a lot of time organizing a move, finding a new apartment and dealing with other miscellaneous stuff. This is all the fun stuff that happens when you move across the country. I’ve…
July 3rd is my birthday, and the first day on my new job as Editor-In-Chief at StarCityCCG. There are definitely worse ways to start off a new year. With that in mind, I figured I’d better answer some questions that ch’all might have about the new guy, and what plans he has in store for…
July 3rd is my birthday, and the first day on my new job as Editor-In-Chief at StarCityCCG. There are definitely worse ways to start off a new year. With that in mind, I figured I’d better answer some questions that ch’all might have about the new guy, and what plans he has in store for…
After Team Paradox’s pitiful performance in Grand Prix – St. Louis, I was a bit worried about our prospects for future Grand Prixs and the Pro Tour. The last minute team of David Bartholow, Rich Frangiosa, and myself managed to ease into 5th place at Grand Prix – Frankfurt with only one bye – one…
Katie Smith, it may interest you to know, is the leading scorer in the WNBA. Why on Earth should you care? Well, my daughter and I have season tickets for the Minnesota , the team on which the talented Ms. Smith plays. We don’t miss a home game. And in a cruel test of devotion…
The DCI generally is heaped with scorn, not praise, but when you think about it, they do a darn fine job under less than optimal circumstances. If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far in the bulk of my MBC testing so far, it’s that there is no one deck that stands above the rest….
As I’ve mentioned in many articles before, I like to build my own decks. One of the things that frustrates me most is when I build a deck that should do well and it doesn’t. What I’d like to explore in this article is the difference between a good deck and an amazing deck. The…
By GOD, Magic should be fun! Good Magic should make you leap out of bed in the morning and think, "Laws-a-mercy! I have a deck I need to build today!" Good Magic gives you something to think about when you’re bored at work. It creates friendships. It livens up an otherwise dull and dreary existence….
When Richard Garfield created Magic, he did a very wise thing: He made sure all of the colors had weaknesses. This was a very wise choice, because it ensured that everyone would have to buy five tons of cards in order to get a deck that worked. You think that the color limitations actually affected…
I entered Star City Comics & Games for the first time. I walked into the smallish room that’s now used as storage or accounting or something. There were a handful of people there ready to compete in the weekly Type II tournament. I was packing my only deck: a Blue/White control deck featuring TONS of…
First, I know you’re all dying to know how I did at the prerelease. Well, the news is mixed, but largely good. I roared out of the gate to a 4-1 start — a much more pleasant mirror reflection of my Nemesis record. Since I was a mere match win away from prizes, I kept…
If I’m not lynched for this one, it’ll be a miracle. And not the nice, Frank Capra kind of miracle, either. No, if I do manage to escape untorn, it will only serve to secure a more terrifying fate later. I hope you can all live with yourselves knowing that you’ve driven me to this….
I know what your thinking,“Not another analysis of the deck from MBC! We’ve had enough of those already!” And you may be right. I may be crazy. But it just might be a lunatic you’re looking for. But it was either this or another random thoughts column, and two in one month would make me…
I had high hopes for US Nationals. I’d been playing in a great deal of Standard tournaments at the local stores in Denver, CO. It took me a few tries to find a deck that I liked, but once I found it, I kept playing and tuning it. And I kept winning. Things were looking…
There’s basically three-and-a-half approaches to designing effective multiplayer decks: 1) Create a totally unstoppable deck that’s a constant threat — if anyone takes their eye off of you for a split-second, you win. EXAMPLE: A recursion deck that uses Elves to generate quick mana, Coats Of Arms for beef, and for a final attack with…
