Did you know that the Chinese use the same word for "crisis" as they do for "opportunity?" If you answered "yeah, crisitunity!" score yourself three points. In Magic, I think we’re getting a bit of a crisitunity right now. That crisitunity is better known as Nemesis. When , president of www.starcitygames.com, asked me which Nemesis…
NLY A SMALL RANT IN THE GRAND SCOPE OF THINGS I wanted to start out this week’s column by sharing some feedback from you, my not-so-humble readers. Please note that I’m going to probably take these horribly out of context, just so I can feel justified ranting. "… It’s hard to put forth your ideas…
You know, I just don’t get enough email with one column on one web site. I’ve decided I need more. So here I am, expanding my miniature empire, regaling you with yet more stories, thoughts, and meanderings on casual Magic play. This column doesn’t have a title yet – I wanted to call it "Star…
Well folks, it has been quite a long time since my last article. Down but not out, I’m back to talk about extended. The last article you got from me was my last attempt at PT Chicago. I lost in the top 8. Since then I have competed in four qualifiers for PT LA, missing…
I’m feeling a little frustrated with Magic these days. More specifically, I’m feeling a little frustrated with how little I play. I fully expected to head to Neutral Ground: SF’s weekly Type 2 this weekend until I realized it would mean missing both NFL championship games. That makes three weeks in a row that something…
I love Type II. Um, I guess everyone knows that. I’d like to thank everyone who has signed my petition for a Type II Pro Tour – the response has been better than I imagined. One last time, if you haven’t signed it, please do so. It should be lying around starcityccg.com for a little…
Something has gone horribly, horribly awry. In many important ways, reality is not matching my expectations of it. This is cramping my style. For instance, why do I not get top billing on this site? It seems to me that my columns are a shining jewel in the crown that we call the internet. Yet…
Last weekend kicked off the Extended season, with all eyes peeled on Grand Prix Seattle to glean the latest tech from the pro’s. However, some of us made the trek to Star City in Roanoke, Virginia to jump into Extended feet first, to try out decks first hand in the quest for the coveted Pro…
Part of me wishes I had better news for you. I wanted to be able to start this week’s foray into the realm of words with a screamed-out "I’M ON THE TOUR!," and I really can’t. I mean, would I lie to you? Of course, but I wouldn’t lie if I knew I’d be found…
Okay, now, go pick up a Magic card. I know you’ve got some lying around or, if you don’t, go slip one out of those black-backed sleeves. Did you do it? Good. Now, look at the back of that card. Notice the colored orbs. Notice their placement. In clockwise order, from the top, they are…
You know, when you want to change something inside a system as large and autocratic as Wizards of the Coast, there are two ways to accomplish your goal: 1) Go through the proper channels. 2) Bloody revolution. Since there is absolutely no way that I’m going to storm Seattle, slaughtering WotC employees (they’ve had enough…
is so broken. is so broken. is so broken. is so broken. Notice the trend? All the above cards are "broken." "But what’s so broken about an ?" you say. Well, let me tell you. There are so many uses for an , it boggles the mind. Not only does it have a 0 casting…
I spent much of this past weekend playtesting my Extended white weenie deck. I’ve learned a few things, not the least of which is that affects only your opponents and that is four casting cost, not five. I’ve also received quite a few e-mails on the topic of white weenie, so I’m feeling smarter each…
It’s a real shame that you, my rabid readership, can’t share in what I’m experiencing right now: . Total, blessed silence. Once again I’m writing into the total vacuum of the internet, with no feedback whatsoever. I’m free to believe whatever I please about you folks. It’s all pretty flattering stuff. You’re all really intelligent,…
"O Miserable of happy! Is this the end Of this glorious new world.?" Extremely literate people recognize this as a passage from John Milton’s masterpiece, Paradise Lost, one of the greatest, not to mention longest, poems in the English language. Magic players will note that this quotation appears on the Portal I . The addition…
