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Build Your Own Expansion, Operators Are Standing By: Part I

At long last, I can finally sleep now: I have discovered the true meaning of the word "rhystic." Does anyone remember a very seldom-played card from Ice Age called ? For those who don’t remember the card text, it read: U Enchantment Cumulative Upkeep: 1 Whenever target opponent successfully casts a non-creature spell, you may…

Ooo — A Game!

My darlings, Here’s an extract from a recent e-mail I (may have) received: "Dear Tony, "When will you bring back your entertaining cryptic clue quiz thing – you know the one I mean? Love, Mrs Trellis North Wales" This e-mail is typical of hundreds of e-mails that I get … (comedy pause) … from Mrs….

Six Of One And Half-Dozen Of Another?

Twice! Twice in a row I’ve gotten on Meridian Magic. Well, ain’t I just the most honored writer on the ‘Net? (Answer: No.) But, last week, I promised my faithful readers a serious article – so enough about me. I was having a discussion about how two cards added up to each other a little…

Apparently, I Suck TWICE As Much!: The End of an Interminable Contest

It has been officially proved that I suck. And not just because of this contest, either! Chris "Better Lucky Than Good" Cade combed my article to find that I had said: "(And incidentally to the incidentally, Sealed Deck and Draft are the closest thing to "fun" you’ll find in tournaments. I like Sealed Deck, even…

FINAL JUDGEMENT: The State-Based Effects

Want to make a casual Magic player go "Huh?". Just say "State-based effect". You might as well have aliens crawling out of your belly. But I’m here, Sigourney Weaver-like, to banish that all away. State-based effects (SBEs) are a special set of rules that are applied whenever a player is going to receive priority, prior…

Casual Fridays #51: Leveraging Your Full Collection For Maximum Utility And Efficiency In A Dot.Com Age

I read an item in Newsweek recently that quoted a guy running for town council in Southwest Ranches, Florida: "I would really appreciate if people didn’t vote for me." Why on earth would he say this? Well, it turns out he’s a fireman, and three years away from retirement (and, I assume, significant pension and…

The Metagame: Is it a Multiplayer Concept?

In the parallel universe that I used to live in, was a truly killer card. Here’s what I had to say about at the time when it came out: ": Okay, I , then I . Now I . Is there anything left on the board? Say, my big flying Dragon is? Great! Not the…

The More I Learn About Magic, The More I Suck

– Draw a card. Play all the cards in your hand that you can. Attack. Done. – main phase and Tim you for one. – this guy, attack you. – , make 3 tokens, tap ’em for stuff…and I keep ’em forever. Yes, the fun days. End of turn – what’s that? The stack –…

There Is No Choice At All

This week there’ll be no irreverent nonsense, no puns or bad jokes, because I need to share my predicament with you: My wife hates Magic: The Gathering Not in a "fire and brimstone" or "choose between me or it"-type way, but it’s getting close. She plays other games, but has never found any particular appeal…

Prove That I’m Human, Win The Greatest Prize Ever

That’s right, I’m offering a completely unique contest. did just such a thing, and his article has remained on the front page for ages. It’s become a staple of StarCityCCG. I wonder if the editor himself might have something to do with that . . . Nevertheless, I have decided to run a mini contest…

I Don’t Know Much About Art, But I Know What I Like

First off: I never claimed I was all that sexy, although Cathy Nicoloff has taken to posting my stuff on Meridian Magic as "2 Sexy Meddish" on occasion. While I seriously doubt that I can truly be put in the same class as George Clooney, in the greater scheme of things, it’s far better to…

Weapons of Mass Distraction: Going Rogue in Five Easy Steps

Well, I claimed last week that I was going to talk about MBC combo decks, and I will … sort of. The reason I shifted the focus this week was because I just read article on NeutralGround.net, where he lambasted the PTQ-playing public for being little guppies and playing "Follow the Leader" when it came…

Facts Disagree With Me

My pre-tournament preparation always leaves me feeling like a pile of stale garbage. This has everything to do with the fact that I refuse to sleep more than four hours beforehand. The one time I violated this rule was the Nemesis prerelease, and only then because I was comatose. I ended up sleeping eighteen hours,…

Casual Fridays Turns Fifty: Where’s My Cake?

On July 9, 1999, Charles "Tuna" Hwa over at the Dojo made a mistake. (Really. I’m not being self-effacing; told me this himself.) Mike told him to post a little ditty on multiplayer black life drain in the casual section, maybe somewhere toward the top. Whether Tuna was seeking to stage a coup, or just…

The Great Red/Blue Misdirection

Nothing gets my bile rising like a good thing gone bad. Not since Zardoz have I had such a self-contradictory movie experience. To be sure, that was a lot more extreme. It’s hard to top spending thirty minutes trying to suffocate yourself with a pillow in hopes of ending prematurely a film that you proclaim…