http://www.mtgfanatic.com/articlesCompetitive play articles. Deck building tips and strategies for advanced players wanting to compete. May include premium articles from World-Tour Players.Copyright 2001 - 2013 MtgFanatic.com. All rights reserved.The idea for this article started when Mr. Safety and I started talking and sharing thoughts about Red, White and Blue Aggro after my article written several months ago about facing off against Caleb Surette with Jund. We decided it’d be fun to test a new version of that American deck against a Quick n’ Toast list that Mr. Safety has been working on.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=208202Fri, 03 May 2013 18:04:55 GMTI gave my ‘Rock’ deck a break this month and shelved it in favor of a rogue combo brew featuring Hypergenesis. I only played in two tournaments before this month, but I’m already feeling the urge to diversify. My good friend Russ spanned out with a couple of other decks rather than just always going for the same tried-and-true technology, and it inspired me to do the same. I was going into this event looking to bring a quirky, fun deck and see what I could do with it. Much to my surprise I did quite well with the deck and saw some of the craziest interactions you can imagine.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=207785Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:37:57 GMTI write this while still in, I must confess, rather a shock of disbelief, since I had no idea when I walked through the door at Boxborough that I’d be sitting pretty at 6-1 in 9th place seven rounds later with what turned out to be a finely honed killing machine. Then I lost in round eight to a guy who I know from the area named Pedro that I see semi-regularly. I dropped ten places in the standings with that loss, and that was pretty much it for me. I intentionally drew with my last opponent because at that point I didn’t really care much about my finish and wanted to just wind down for a bit. We played a casual couple of games just to pass the time but I was just dead tired after eight rounds of serious play and ready to go home as soon as possible if I wasn’t playing for the top spot. It was a good day though, and I am proud of my finish. MTGFanatic represent!http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=207293Wed, 17 Apr 2013 02:30:45 GMTStandard constructed isn’t just the name of Magic’s most popular format, it’s an apt description of what my decks have looked like lately. Very standard. Red, white and blue, or else Reanimator or Turbo Aura or, since Gatecrash arrived, aggro Boros featuring Boros Reckoner. I wanted to play something new. I spent some time paging through new decklists on this website and that, the same way a girl might page through hair styles at the beauty parlor, when I saw something different. I knew I wanted to play it right away. Something a little less standard for Standard, and all the cards were black.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=207234Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:36:37 GMTYou know when you’ve got a good deck when you lose to your own misplays and not because the deck failed you. I was [i]this close[/i]… again. And in more dominating fashion than last time.[/p][p] Originally this column was going to be about my night on Wednesday when I took my Boros deck to that area, but Friday night was actually a better story. I finished 3-2 on Friday, losing my first and last matches to misplays, a miscalculation in the first match, desperation in the second. In between were three straight 2-0 victories. Altogether, I was two misplays away from being undefeated. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=206659Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:55:22 GMTToday’s article is about sideboarding. I wanted to offer my thoughts on the topic since I believe there’s a good deal to be said about “ordinary” sideboarding, where you put in a few cards to answer various matchup problems, and fill out a fifteen card sideboard using that philosophy versus transformational sideboarding, where you put a package of 7-10 cards together in order to entirely transition your deck to a different type of deck from what you started with in game one of a match.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=206568Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:29 GMTAggressive red and green decks ruled the day at the Modern PTQ in Austin, filling up the top eight with cards like Experiment One, Flinthoof Boar and Burning-Tree Emissary. Although I was far from reaching the playoffs this week, I was somewhere in the neighborhood of the right deck with my five color Zoo variant. In the end, it was, indeed, an aggro deck that prevailed and took home the little blue envelope, but it wasn’t what you would expect. The winning deck was a back-to-basics Jund design running more basic lands than usual as well as one, two, three, FOUR main deck copies of Blood Moon. Man and boy, that’s some serious mayhem!http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=206225Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:54:21 GMTI was this close… this close to my first trip to the playoffs in any tournament. The Grand Prix Trial I attended had a turnout of eleven, so we played some Swiss rounds and cut to the top four for the playoffs. I finished fifth. I feel like I sideboarded correctly and made the correct plays when possible, played as well as I’m capable of playing the deck as currently constructed, but came up just short. That’s the breaks I suppose.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=205727Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:28:10 GMTGood morning Mages! I have returned more triumphant than last time, thank goodness… On Friday, March 1, I went to an FNM where I finished sixth with a record of 2-1-1, earning $10 in store credit for my efforts. Vindication feels good, my deck performed more or less the exact way it’s supposed to throughout the course of the night and I am happier with how it works now. After my miserable night on Wednesday, I took out Chandra, the Firebrand and replaced her in the main deck with Rakdos’s Returns and put into the sideboard a Devour Flesh and a Tribute to Hunger. A second Tribute will go into the sideboard as soon as I can pick one up.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=205272Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:46:08 GMTI have been officially bitten by the competitive bug. While I have no ambitions of becoming a professional Magic player, the desire to win the local Legacy event is strong. I have to thank my good buddy Russ for getting me involved in competitive Magic, something he dove into after only a few weeks of getting back into the game. I have always been short on time and really too timid to ever get out to a local event and compete. I also didn’t think there was a genuine Legacy scene to become involved in.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=204824Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:43:14 GMTOn Wednesday, I went to Wednesday Night Standard at Pandemonium Games in Cambridge. I took my recently completed Grixis Standard Control deck, and didn’t really do all that well. I went 1-3 in match play, winning only against RDW.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=204753Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:19:23 GMT Many players, myself included, were surprised to see Seething Song and Bloodbraid Elf banned last month. I’m a big fan of Jund in Modern (and in Extended a few years ago) and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like playing Jund without Bloodbraid Elf. My thirteen-year-old has been playing Storm for a couple of years and is equally bummed about Seething Song. How do these bans affect the Modern format? That’s an interesting question, and one that I’m interested in digging deeper into. The current Pro Tour Qualifier season began the last week in December and continues until the middle of March. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=204369Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:43:04 GMTLast week on my birthday, January 28th, Wizards of the Coast announced two bans in Modern, of Bloodbraid Elf and of Seething Song. Bloodbraid Elf’s ban was because Jund, as of late, has been winning or placing highly in every major tournament, and, as it stood, it was the best deck in the format by a long shot. Seething Song was banned because it was the prime enabler of Storm decks. They were using it to get turn three kills on a consistent basis. I disagree with the choice of that particular card as being ban-worthy, but it is consistent with WOTC’s policy of “ban the enabler.”http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=203152Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:14:06 GMTThis edition of Roots brings the very first tournament report from yours truly. I was pleasantly surprised to get an authentic ‘Top Eight’ MTGFanatic die from Jeff Zandi and Chris Tremblay, part of a Christmas gift to the staff. It was great to have such a rare piece of Magic memorabilia, but I hadn’t earned it. I didn’t place in the top eight of any tournament in 2012, and in fact participated in no tournaments at all. That was simple enough to fix: I needed to get out of my comfort zone and go battle it out so I could earn my dice. I didn’t go to Friday Night Magic and I didn’t try and get involved in Modern. I went straight to one of the most competitive formats in the history of the game: Legacy.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=202822Sat, 09 Feb 2013 22:06:53 GMTNow that Gatecrash has finally dropped and the Prereleases have been done, I’ve started working on what I believe will become a major force in the Standard metagame: Boros, both straight and “American Flag” versions with blue added. Today we’ll be looking at the R/W aggressive Boros version, which has been very powerful so far in testing.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=202377Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:23:16 GMTTomas shares his thoughts on some of the spoiled cards from Gatecrash and their impact on constructed formats.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=201323Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:10:28 GMTAt the moment, GP Denver is in the books and its results have solidified what is already a growing movement in this format of ours. Once again, the fall set release gave Legacy a few goodies, and with these goodies people are playing decks that haven't seen much success as of late. Today we're going over what's good in Legacy looking out over the year 2013 ahead of us. This year there will be a slew of StarCity Legacy Open events, two Invitationals, two Legacy Grand Prix, and the Bazaar of Moxen, the European equivalent to a Star City Invitational. That's a lot of prize money for the competitive-minded Legacy grinder, not to mention the weeklies and locals around the world. One can't exactly go pro playing Eternal Formats, but a lot of good tournament opportunities exist. The point is, people are going to always play what's good. And if you know what's good, you know what's out there.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=201097Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:31:15 GMTIf the year 2012 wasn't just a measurement of time, I’d say it was one of the best things to happen to Legacy in a long time. Support of the format worldwide is on the rise, the card pool got some pretty sweet new toys, and the WOTC-sponsored Grand Prix tournaments were front stage affirmations of the format's health and stability. As the US government gears up to save money and look ahead, I took the opportunity and a little inspiration to go over this format of ours with money on my mind.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=200089Sat, 05 Jan 2013 13:36:25 GMTA request was made from editor Julian Marin in my last article to see a game of Modern pitting Jund against the RUW Aggro deck that I unveiled recently. I decided that this was indeed a fantastic idea. That very night, I got in touch with my friend Caleb Surette, who won a GPT recently in Maine with a Jund deck and attended Grand Prix: Toronto. Below you will find lists for each deck, as well as full play-by-play from the two of us with reasons for the way we played things. I feel that this three-game match shows off a good deal of what each deck is capable of.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=200002Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:12:37 GMTBeing a Boros fan going back to the original Ravnica sets, I have of late been investigating what is currently possible with Boros-themed decks in both Standard and Modern. Both of the decks below are things that I’ve come up with. The WUR one is not exactly Boros in that it doesn’t generate lots of fast, efficient creatures, but the damage capability is definitely there. It is also fairly powerful. I’ve found that most of the time if you get a Geist of Saint Traft down successfully and make it stick, you will win the game almost no matter what your opponent does.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=199442Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:51:55 GMTDespite being an aggro player at heart, I’ve always been fascinated by both the Control and Aggro sides of Grixis. Patrick Chapin has been one of the strongest proponents of Grixis Control, ever since he first saw the card Cruel Ultimatum, and although it wasn’t terribly viable at the time, it didn’t stop him from churning out some articles on the subject.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=198965Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:25:09 GMTAs some of you may know from the comments in my article “Story of a Homebrew,” I mentioned that I would be taking my Grixis deck to the Grand Prix Trial in Boston. Well, I did, and had a fairly successful and competitive run there.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=197860Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:50:46 GMTI’m back after a week of hell because of Hurricane Sandy. I hope all of you are doing well after the storm and didn’t have too much damage. Well, we all know that no matter what is going on we always go back to Magic and that’s what I did. Checking the results of GP Bochum I discovered that the winning deck was…..Hoof, there it is!? What is this? This deck is unheard of! Why are there FOUR Craterhoof Behemoths in the main deck?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=197617Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:20:16 GMTWilliam Faulkner is known to have advised writers to kill their "darlings," those little pieces of flare that tend to enamor them. To the reader lacking that maternal attitude, Faulkner has said, they are at best distracting, at worst a reason to stop reading. When we left off, we were focusing on the sideboard of our deck and not the main itself. I took time to jam this list through a gauntlet of popular Legacy decks in order to find leaks and hopefully plug them. In the end, this ship had too many holes in it. So what do you do? Heeding the advice of Faulkner, there's only one thing left to do; murder our little darlings.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=197388Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:55:27 GMTToday’s article is less aimed solely at Modern than it is at constructed Magic on the whole. Constructed formats seem to have gotten entirely away from combat tricks that would otherwise offer ways to improve your board situation. As a quick glance around the Standard, Modern, and Legacy metagames will show you, the vast majority of decks operate on either spells that directly affect the board or creatures that do good things within the deck, (such as the recently created Detain mechanic in Return to Ravnica, Undying in the Innistrad set, and Infect in the Scars of Mirrodin block) but there is very little attention paid to the Combat phase.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=197252Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:27:28 GMTToday, I’d like to tell you a story. This story is about a homebrew that suddenly turned into an absolute hell-on-wheels, fun-loving, mega-competitive machine, and how it got that way.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=196202Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:10:49 GMTOne of the things that’s been most on my mind lately is the feeling that Modern seems to be rather a one-trick-pony of sorts at the moment. To start with, there is no dedicated control deck at all present in the current metagame. Everything is aggro, tempo-oriented, combo, or aggro-control that switches easily back and forth between the two roles… but no dedicated control deck exists in any popular form. There are also some cards on the banned list that I believe make no sense to be banned in the current power level of the format.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=195414Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:54:10 GMTNow that Return to Ravnica has been released and is in full swing, Standard and Modern have been considerably changed. New cards bring new strategies, of course, and that means new ways to evolve Modern decks.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=195212Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:47:13 GMTReturn to Ravnica has just come out, which is essentially Wizards giving us a Christmas gift. Ever since RTR has come out there have been a bunch of archetypes developing in Standard. With the rotation of the Scars block and M12, we lose the fast lands, Ponder, Mana Leak, all of the phyrexian mana spells, and the infect mechanic. This is a lot to lose but I don’t know anyone who wasn’t excited to return back to Ravnica. With it has come a range of new archetypes for Standard.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=194990Sat, 03 Nov 2012 02:59:05 GMTThere is a two lane road connecting our experiences playing [i]Magic[/i] and our experiences in real life. The traffic heading in the right direction in one lane can just as easily go the other way. As we live, we learn. As we learn, we find out what's best for us as individuals. It's instinctive to flee from distress and seek pleasure, so it only follows we should be looking for a better place to die.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=192155Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:29:22 GMTModern is an interesting beast and I am still trying to wrap my brain around it. After bouncing some things off of George (my Modern coach), I have decided that a white weenie deck with some hate bears is the way to go for now, until I can splurge for Boros. I have decided that as good as Spectral Procession is, I don’t think it belongs in a deck with AEther Vial. I’m also thinking about going Honor-free as that allows more creatures.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=190392Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:45:15 GMTIn the waning days before Richard Garfield and Co. were to release [i]Magic: the Gathering[/i] onto the market, as many things were as clear as they were a little hazy. The DeckMaster series of cards that would go on to change all of our lives had its now-familiar format, basic mechanics and more importantly, basic strategies in place for future sets to expand upon. We had our creatures and our spells, and our lands to produce the mana to cast them all. However, not even the crystal clear view hindsight provides could have shed light on what was to come not only to the game's creators but to the players as well.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=187401Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:56:58 GMTAt the request of a good friend I’m putting some attention towards the Modern format this week. Modern has fascinated me since its inception due to its deep potential alongside its inherent identity crisis. Is it Legacy Junior, Extended Plus, or its own brave new world, yet to be defined? Early on it was apparent that folks wanted Legacy Junior: a powerful, eternal format with a lower entry cost than Legacy. All of the same decks are in the mix, just slightly modified for the lack of Wasteland, Force of Will, Brainstorm, and other notable cards.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=184308Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:04:53 GMT When the metagame becomes predictable, it's time to pull out the stops. It doesn't matter if you're playing to pay the rent, or getting together with some old friends for a day or weekend of fun. When playing some Magic for fun and profit, a little risk is worth a greater reward. This coming week will see host to the European Legacy Grand Prix of the year in Ghent, Belgium. Already a big Eternal scene, Ghent playing host to the Grand Prix should be a showcase of European Eternal strategies. A welcome contrast to the well-covered stateside tournaments.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=184010Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:24:46 GMTAnyone who has stood at the front of a classroom can attest to one thing for certain; you can't really know something unless you can really teach it. Anyone who has had someone under their wing can relate. In the military, one is taught to follow before they can lead. Real life is bleeding into the realm of Magic.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=179363Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:33:02 GMTI haven’t written in some time, issues have been interfering lately, and I didn’t want to produce an article about things we’ve already covered. The metagame was stale and the decklists were pretty obvious. I guess I should’ve updated you all on what I found were the two best lists to run with, but every time I wanted to, I was already brewing and re-inventing to beat those decks.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=178375Wed, 23 May 2012 16:26:00 GMTIt’s time to put away the Modern decks for a few months but before I do, I have one little project I want to complete. I’ve been playing my best eight Modern decks against each other in a Modern clash of titans. This week, I’m wrapping up the action with two semi finals matches as well as a tight final match.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=174363Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:09:19 GMTDo you remember how your parents would ask you what Santa could bring you for Christmas? And do you remember that feeling that since they asked a while in advance, you were pretty sure to get what you really wanted on Christmas morning?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=173757Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:25:52 GMTI took the best eight of the eleven Modern decks that I’ve built this season and put them into a seeded single elimination bracket. The seeding for each deck was based on how many times that archetype had cracked the top eight of North American PTQs this season. Last week, Affinity (1) defeated Kher Bears BWR Toolbox (8) two games to zero. In the other match on that side of the bracket, RWU Delver (4) defeated GR Tron (5) in a tight three game match. This week tests the quarterfinal matchups between Jund (2) versus Storm (7) and Splinter Twin (3) versus Seismic Assault Loam (6).http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=173585Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:49:34 GMTI’m hip-deep in Modern decks this season. I’ve examined the top eight finishers from each Pro Tour Qualifier listed on magicthegathering.com and I’ve built no less than eleven separate Modern decks. There might be a few proxies in a few of the decks… how many Steam Vents can one person possibly own?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=172877Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:12:49 GMTFor the past ten years, until a few months ago in December, I ran three PTQs each season as tournament manager and head judge, for an Australian tournament organizer from Kansas called Edward Fox. Wizards of the Coast, in their infinite wisdom, moved Pro Tour Qualifiers away from standalone tournament organizers like Ed Fox and into the hands of store owners. Game stores are, after all, the backbone of our game. The point is, I’ve been judging less and playing more. Which is a good thing. After battling at the Grand Prix in Austin, I turned my attention to Modern Constructed. In fact, I just finished playing in three Modern PTQs in three straight weeks in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. I played the same deck in all three tournaments. While I was filling out my deck list in Houston, I overheard someone at another table talking. “Jund’s okay, I guess, it’s probably a pretty good tier two deck…”http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=171741Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:06:28 GMTThis third installment of The Hitchhiker's Guide encompasses the theory behind the three archetypal pillars of deck building strategies. Like in any constructed tournament, we need a deck to play. That's why in part one and two we attempted to find out what kind of player we were, what it takes to build a Legacy collection. The next bend in the road leads us to the three pillars; Aggro (or Beatdown, semantics), Combo and Control.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=171014Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:48:02 GMTAs of recently, I've been putting some time into Storm combo as the deck of choice for this season. There are lots of Islands around these days, which usually means rough waters for a Storm player. However, at least in my metagame, there is a distinct lack of strategies that play cards like Chalice of the Void and Counterbalance. All those islands are helping cast things like Stoneforge Mystic and Green Sun's Zenith.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=168819Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:15:02 GMTSomething about the format recently gave me a Eureka moment. The coverage of Legacy tournaments, the internet forums, it seemed everything was pointing towards a shift in the format. It took me a little time to figure it out, because Eureka moments don’t come often enough. Hopefully we can take an exercise in choosing the right deck for the right tournament. This won't require anyone to run out and drop a few bills on staple cards for a new deck. We'll work with lists, the idea is to construct a shortcut in your head for choosing the right deck for competition.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=168618Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:18:10 GMTThe two Eternal formats, Legacy and Vintage, are unique among constructed formats. The former has the deepest card pool of any other format, and the latter has long been the arena for Mages to do battle with their iconic Power Nine cards. Along with the new and improved Modern, these three formats provide deck builders with something they can't get anywhere else; a non-rotating pool of cards. When the card pool is only getting deeper, what is one to do?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=168118Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:40:13 GMTWhen one is forced to abide by rules for building a deck to play in tournaments, we rarely see how much we have helping us get the most bang for the buck. For whatever reason, we all chose to play Legacy, and getting down to asking why is going to help us move forward. What follows is the attempt to cover all bases necessary for anyone interested in playing Legacy, or competitive Magic in any format.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=167420Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:49:26 GMTDark Ascension is finally being spoiled, and not a moment too soon. We have some amazing cards coming our way, and the best thing I can advise is to pick up these choice cards before they are realized for their potential. That’s why this is the edge, and you get it here on MtgFanatic.com.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=165963Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:02:54 GMTBefore you begin practicing for the next upcoming tournament, you should ask yourself a stupid question: “Am I here to have fun, or am I here to win?” Magic is not fun to me, not at all. I do not have fun playing Magic in a tournament. I have fun on the ride home with money in my pocket and a trophy on the dashboard. When it comes to testing with your teammate, you need to understand some fundamentals to practicing. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=162989Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:51:20 GMTLast week we left off with a bit still on our plate. This week, we're changing gears and focusing on user-submitted decks. This doesn't mean Mana Junkies won't be bringing you the hardcore Legacy fix you Junkies need. Let's just think of this as the “Fix Clinic”. First up, we're back with more results from testing our latest brew. After some diligent gaming, I'm pretty proud to say that the list I have for you guys is one capable of winning. Not much of a bold claim, but it's still one that can be backed up. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=159626Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:48:35 GMTAnother Bant deck takes down a Legacy Grand Prix tournament in 2011. This one had Force of Will, and the first one didn't, by the way. If you're looking for a Top X article, besides the flood of first time tournament report writers with their States writeup, here's the beginning of something fresh and new. If you Junkies are tuning in from last week before the GP, here also is the beginning of something fresh and new.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=158939Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:39:22 GMTThis weekend I hope all you Junkies are going to be following the last big Legacy event of the year, Grand Prix: Amsterdam. Time has been moving at a steady crawl since last year when the GP schedule was announced. A year ago, the first Mana Junkies column was published, and to celebrate that, we get to gear up for a Legacy Grand Prix!http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=157924Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:06:21 GMTInnistrad entering and Mental Misstep leaving the format has given us a lot to consider about how to move forward with Legacy. Last time we started up a discussion, and today we're going to follow that up as well as go over some new lists that have been popping up. A lot of you have posted your lists and some thoughts as to what changes need to be made. You Junkies gave me a lot of food for thought, and after a bout of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and some mad proxying, I've pieced together a couple lists to share.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=157120Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:33:17 GMTIn any facet of life, one needs to take time away from devoted activities and let the brain unwind. Vacations, spring and summer breaks, and especially weekends give us the necessary breaks from our real lives. But before jumping back in, to capitalize on the reset means to not pick up where one left off but to figure out a new and better way to move forward. Recently I took a little trip to unwind, and coincidentally while on leave Legacy got upended with the banning of Mental Misstep.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=155378Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:05:57 GMTHi everyone! My name is Brandon Downs, and I am a PTQ grinder from Minnesota.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=153559Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:28:24 GMTThe Grand Prix Trials for Amsterdam have begun here in Holland, the first one taking place last Sunday. Beforehand, there was just no time to play any games. Everyone at work was on vacation, except me, therefore there was not enough time to split between my better half and Legacy. Since then, there has been a new format announcement, a Pro Tour of said surprise format, and a ratings system overhaul. Glad I have a copious internet habit so there was no missing out on those items.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=153130Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:08:55 GMTWhile I was writing the previous article about my personal gauntlet, I was keeping an eye on the Japanese Nationals. Ryuuichirou Ishida ran a hyper aggressive version of hawkward. Using a total of four Mox Opal, as well as four Ornithopter and four Memnite, his idea was to play a turn two Tempered Steel and destroy his opponent. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=151477Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:59:18 GMTFor the Legacy Junkie in all of us, our fix comes often enough from what we have at hand. However, knowing what the good stuff is helps the experience even more. The topic for today is what people are playing around the world and what you need to know about it. Regardless of what deck or decks you have built now, keeping close knowledge of your own deck isn't as important as knowing what your opponents can or will do against you. Hopefully, there's something to take away for Junkies on all levels of the format.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=150243Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:51:49 GMTLast week we looked at a one sided view on how to approach a single tournament. The intent was to give an example of coming to terms with where you are in your Legacy metagame, and also where you want to stand. Never mind what I bring to the table, what's more important is what you Junkies have sleeved up. And also what you want to do to move on or move up.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=148488Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:14:22 GMTTempered Steel is my deck of choice these days. I have believed in it for a long time and was wise enough to trade for a play set of the amazing enchantment when it came out. I looked at the power of the card and said to myself, “If I’m playing Honor of the Pure right now, why not pick up Tempered Steel and see what they come out with?” This was one of the best decisions in Magic that I have made in a while.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=148162Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:59:27 GMTBack in middle school, we had an in-school suspension program called CHOICES. If a student acted up and required punishment, they were sent there, a room in the library supervised by some staff member. Every other school in the district had an in-school suspension program, which they just called ISSP. But ours was different, we had the reminder that our choices got us stuck in a room with nothing to do.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=147670Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:52:17 GMTWhile I missed writing my fix for last week, I didn't necessarily miss home for a short holiday with the ol' lady. Last week, I took a break from real life, but you Junkies know no one takes more than a break from Magic. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=146774Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:13:03 GMTBirthing Pod has been the talk of sleeper deck design, the card being very powerful. But only the bravest and most intuitive should attempt this deck when the entry fee is $25.00 at the 5K that comes your way once a year. Here’s the comprehensive decklist I’ve designed.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=146280Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:39:13 GMTThis week we're going to be gearing up with the top decks in Legacy. We're halfway through the calendar year, and there are yet lots of top eights to make. Whether you are an SCG Open grinder, or just getting into the Eternal side of Magic, knowing what's running the top tables is but one brick in a long and winding road.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=144702Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:55:55 GMTIt has been almost two weeks since the announcement of Standard's loss of Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic. The singles aftermarket has seen a few waves of players dumping their copies. Personally, I couldn't resist an eBay auction to pick up two more at $45 a piece. However, this isn't a financial article. We're looking to stay ahead of the curve and bring the right deck to the next show. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=144118Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:36:53 GMTI haven't been able to shuffle cards in a few weeks. That hasn't stopped me from keeping a Legacy Grinder's best tool sharp: the Gauntlet. New Phyrexia has provided some influential cards to the pool, and dozens of sizable events around the world, including a Legacy Grand Prix, have given those cards some real life testing. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=143400Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:01:16 GMTIn my first article I wrote about how to play in the tournament, how to think outside the box, and how not to fall for simple tricks that the opponents are hoping will give them an advantage. We also talked about how to take a loss and climb up the ladder, and how to keep your cool when the winning hands are on your side of the table. So in this article, we’ll talk about maximizing resources to achieve a win when the situation seems helpless and bleak. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=142802Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:09:01 GMTI have to confess that I've found a simple and painfully obvious flaw in my deck choice at a six round Legacy side event this past weekend. Sure, along the way I made some play errors that cost me, but live tournaments are the best practice. Getting to that point, it really helps the most to register the right seventy-five instead of a worse version of the deck. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=142415Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:03:53 GMTWe’ll be taking a short break from the casual environment today to talk at length about some deck options I encountered at New Phyrexia Game Day as well as the odds and ends I tried out myself. Caw Blade was of course represented but in the small, contained environment of the frigid North here in Canada, it struggled against the ingenuity of several other players who rode their rogue decks to the top on a gas tank full of nothing but moxie. So that you know the context I’m writing from, I played blue/black control. What I’d like to do here is provide a small compendium of what a mostly-casual but occasionally competitive player like me may want to consider for a once-in-a-while competitive event. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=142264Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:05:07 GMTA mere forty-nine players convened in the Sedgwick County Extension center to play Standard for a chance to represent Wichita, Kansas at Pro Tour Philadelphia. For the pasty contingent assembled in the 4-H hall today, the story was all about how to beat the big deck in the field, blue/white Caw Blade.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=142087Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:25:13 GMTFor those of you who’ve been playing Magic for some time, you may remember when the only real control decks were either blue/white or mono black. Every so often, the color pie switches and colors like red and green pick up on subtle cards that can offer a control concept, potentially strong enough to be competitive. A recent example would be Urabrask the Hidden.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=141955Sun, 12 Jun 2011 22:31:29 GMTWhat do GP Providence and a Legacy PTQ side event have in common? Both were almost taken down by rogue decks. While I'm sure you've followed the coverage of the GP and know what happened, the side event was a less renowned tournament here in town. What happened at both gigs was a reaffirmation that clever people can play to their opponents' weaknesses to good effect.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=141611Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:39:34 GMTA smaller than expected crowd of eighty-four players showed up at the Fort Worth Convention Center on May 28th to qualify for Pro Tour Philadelphia. The cold man-made air inside was much appreciated as temperatures outside reached the mid-nineties. Of course, many of us were inside the building the entire day and never experienced the day-time weather. Interest was high in seeing exactly what effect New Phyrexia would have on the most competitive Standard decks. As suspected, there were a lot of new cards in the old decks. Have you heard? It was my understanding that everyone had heard. The bird is the word.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=141148Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:38:17 GMTI didn’t want to write anything until I was sure I had something motivating and powerful to present to you. I give you one of the most obvious talking points of the Standard FNM round-table, Beast Within. So simple, so defining to the “New Phyrexia” set, among one of the most powerful uncommons ever printed. After playing around with this card in a number of builds, some including Birthing Pod and some including Journey to Nowhere, I found a nice place for this card as a solid strategic advantage to previous builds that just couldn’t stand up to the top decks. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=140958Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:36:35 GMTThe spotlight has been on BUG Tempo for a long time now, and after all the testing it feels like some conclusions can be made. When working with this archetype, one has to have a broad knowledge of the format to best utilize resources at hand. Your worst matchup is a competent opponent.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=140313Sun, 29 May 2011 12:53:07 GMTKeeping up with Tempo is a full time job. We've been at it for a little while now, covering a lot of bases. This past weekend I got to put that practice in play at a side event for a Nationals Qualifier tournament. While the Qualifier was Standard, the Legacy side event actually drew more entrants than the “main” event did. Around forty people showed up to game, and New Phyrexia was already Legacy legal for a few hours. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=139362Sat, 21 May 2011 23:08:33 GMTWe left off with BUG Brew squaring up against an Aether Tribe, Goblins. Now we're taking the time to go through Aether Vial matchups because that single card blanks counter magic like no other. Goblins is an explosive beatdown deck, but it has a hard time protecting its Vials. In order for Goblins to operate more in the “not fair” spectrum, it needs to land an Aether Vial, Goblin Lackey, or Warren Instigator in order to be able to pump out the little green men. Its strategy is to swarm the opponent with overwhelming force in the early game, but this strategy isn't without its own flaws. Up next is a different kind of threat compared to a gaggle of goblins, another Aether Vial deck that can actually protect its Vial. Merfolk has been a top deck for a while, and isn't going anywhere.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=139266Sat, 21 May 2011 01:44:34 GMTJeremy Scott looks at two archetypes for the new Standard, Mono-Black Control and Splinter Twin Combo.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=138941Wed, 18 May 2011 22:09:08 GMTOver the past several weeks we've been running the Gauntlet on BUG Tempo, and today it goes up against Tribal Beatdown. Merfolk and Goblins are ever popular and staple decks of the format. It's good to know how to fight Aether Vial decks in general, and these employ some of the same strategies. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=138344Sun, 15 May 2011 00:22:56 GMTThis week we're in for some discussion of one of the most hyped cards from New Phyrexia, Mental Misstep. On just about any article site, one can find some collection of words ranging from a doomsday rant to an imperialistic data gathering approach. Is any one camp wrong or right? That's for you to decide, so let's get down to it!http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=137267Sat, 07 May 2011 00:12:26 GMTLast week I was checking out tournament results and looking at deck lists when I suddenly realized that I had failed to build an extremely relevant deck. I have Caw-Blade, obviously, and I have Valakut and Boros and blue/black control. I have Tezzeret built but have yet to take it seriously. I have mono white control built because my highly skilled teammate Hunter Burton really opened my eyes about that deck right before Grand Prix Dallas. But I was missing a very important deck, a very obvious choice considering the decks that have done well in the past few weeks. If you are the dude on your squad that takes on the challenge of building and maintaining the test decks, maybe this has happened to you. I was missing the one deck that can really pull a room together. I was missing the RUG deck.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=136847Tue, 03 May 2011 15:23:49 GMTThe previous episode introduced the newcomer to the ring, Cephalid Breakfast, or CB for short. This deck uses the targeting abilities of Nomads en-Kor and Shaman en-Kor to target Cephalid Illusionist. This combo is used to start milling its library until a reanimation package with Dread Return brings back Karmic Guide and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker to create a loop in order to make infinite Sky Hussar copies with haste. Turn them sideways and ask for combat damage.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=136543Sun, 01 May 2011 14:01:59 GMTWe're back with the next round of Match by Match, the micro view of our Legacy metagame. Returning to the table is BUG Tempo, a strategy revolving about “free” permission spells to keep the opponent guessing in the early stage of a game. In the opposite corner, Cephalid Breakfast is an increasingly popular combo deck that catch many opponents off guard. Tempo is statistically good against combo, so will this new flavor be enough to take it down?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=136375Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:17:19 GMTOver the past couple of weeks we've delved into the mindset of Legacy, not merely the card pool. We've covered the basics of getting into the format, now let's get back into the grind. This episode will be the first in a few Match by Match pieces going into an archetype that is often overlooked; Tempo. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=135602Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:48:41 GMTIn that limited pool of cards called Standard you need to find the perfect combination of fifteen cards, your arsenal of silver bullets against the top decks you don’t want to face. When it comes to sideboarding, you must first decide “what’s my worst matchup,” and from there begin your card search for the cards that best assist that match up.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=135487Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:59:59 GMTWe all start from zero. Keeping things in perspective ultimately helps one to better realize their goals, no matter how small or large. Playing in a competitive scene is a wonderful experience, and for the diligent a sustainable hobby. Making new friends and traveling to battle is part of it all, and networking in this format can be one of the best things to happen outside of the game. It all leads to greater opportunities, so don't miss out on yours.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=135245Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:22:24 GMTFor some, Valakut is an evil force you refuse to align yourself with. Some may think it’s mundane and simple-minded. The same could be said for RDW, however even there it’s not the case. I’m going to show you different builds of Valakut, each one has placed very well in top tournaments, but all of them have flaws. You may have a favorite, and hopefully I’ll cover it for you. Then I’ll show you my favorite deck list for Valakut.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=134897Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:15:17 GMTMy phone felt funny. Right, that's just it blowing up in my cargo pocket. It's died down at work so I step out to see what's been going on. Four text messages, all from a testing partner. Four messages and a missed call? This has to be some kind of Magic related emergency, because I doubt I'm the first person he'd call if his house were on fire. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=134789Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:58:09 GMTIt was Christmas 1996. Portal was introduced as the basic set for players to start with. “Sword and Shield” illustrations on the cards, preset decks that corresponded with the beginners’ handbook. I still remember the first time I looked at the colors, artwork, and story behind it all. I was hooked from the beginning. I was only eleven, so my scope of interest was limited to Game Boy and candy. But there I was at the coffee table, tearing apart the pre-made decks and making my own. An eighty card deck that I thought was amazing. It was green/blue with Craw Wurms, Boomerangs, and Counterspells. I had no idea how far all of this would go.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=133685Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:12:12 GMTWhen the user Manadrain on MTGthesource.com introduced the community to a deck he and some other users built, Ugwr Intuition CounterTop, I immediately fell in love with it. Just like the name suggests, the deck features Intuition, Counterbalance and everyones' favorite scrying gyroscope: Sensei's Divining Top. Testing revealed that Intuition was a large improvement compared to regular Ugwr CounterTop builds. However, it still had problems with fast Aggro and Vial Aggro, a deck type that is quite prevalent in today’s metagame and is an archetype you should be able to beat.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=133644Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:14:10 GMTEverybody who knows me knows I love to kill people with Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. It’s one of my two favorite things to do in the game of Magic. The other is tapping UU to counter target spell. It’s been far too long since I’ve done the latter, and for about two years, a nearly daily occurrence that I’ve done the former. I’ve been working since Mirrodin Besieged became available on Magic Online to create an optimal list for Valakut, and just as I was narrowing in on it, something awful happened. People discovered how good Sword of Feast and Famine was. Suddenly every other match on Magic Online was against the U/W Caw-Blade deck, and traditional Valakut just wasn’t cutting it.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=133128Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:11:46 GMTDecks with win conditions outside of the combat zone are the usual suspects running the top tables. To dedicate oneself into a specific strategy is to limit oneself in a good or bad way. We want to take the next option: Being limited only through our options.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=133066Fri, 01 Apr 2011 23:38:01 GMTThree of the top eight decks from the SCG Indianapolis Legacy event were decks that can be labeled as Vial Aggro. Vial Aggro is the term used to describe a whole lot of decks. Some of these decks are veterans of the format, some are relatively new, but they have some glaring similarities – in this article I'll give you a short overview over the decks we call Vial Aggro – and how to beat them.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=132797Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:53:29 GMTAlong with native Kansans, players traveled in from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. Sometimes Wichita draws from as far away as Nebraska and Iowa. There are usually a few players from Texas, sometimes because they sneak into my car before I leave Dallas. Not this weekend, there was a Star City Games Open in Fort Worth.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=132094Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:54:07 GMTIt is the first round. You and your team have practiced. Many hours of match after match, round after round play testing have lead to your appearance at this tournament. Everyone is focused, and before the start you're going over last-minute changes in your head. It all culminates into the first decision of a long day of quick and often costly decisions. Deagle-Rush them or save for Body Armor and Ammo for the next round?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=132089Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:16:53 GMTThe Extended PTQ season for Pro Tour Nagoya continues for another month. In the quest for a winning deck, some wizards are choosing designs that allow them to go ALL IN for speed. This strategy can be achieved with quite a variety of decks that look absolutely nothing like each other. These decks, however, do have something very important in common with each other. They all have the same plan, win on turn four or five. By pursuing such an aggressive angle on their matches, these decks have the ability to ignore a lot of the things their opponents are doing.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=130651Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:53:47 GMTIt's back. That void after the banned/restricted announcements has been slowly filled. Combo is taking over a ripe meta game. Again.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=130246Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:30:29 GMTIsn't it sad when it is rare that a single card might shape or heavily impact a format? Backed by hope for a balanced card pool, people often find themselves disappointed with what is really at hand. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=129292Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:51:40 GMTWalking against the wind, heading down the street towards the tournament site. It was a restaurant, sparse on décor with a kitchen that fried and sliced the things on its menu. It'd be the perfect place for around ninety gamers to come do their thing.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=128364Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:35:08 GMTLast week's episode covered a match between a Zombie and Kitty army, and for once the Kitties won. Continuing with the micro approach to testing, Dredge sits down across from an Eternal Tribal Elder, Merfolk.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=127285Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:52:01 GMTWe're going to be switching gears this week and trying something new. Match-by-Match is the idea of a micro approach to testing rather than a macro one. The learning process comes from specific angles instead of an overview. What we're going to do is look at a specific deck in a specific match up, taking one round at a time, and covering every turn of the match. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=126414Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:46:56 GMTWith last weekend's epic battle between Phyrexia and Mirrodin, why not scavenge through the battlefield for some valuables?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=125397Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:05:33 GMTOnce in a while, it's healthy to have a reality check to help one remain centered. The Mental Game of Magic is one so deep that it can never be played perfectly. Throw in a Human element, and the game that is played simply becomes a projection of the player.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=124656Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:54:02 GMTWhen one doesn't have to worry about Force of Will, things tend to fall into perspective. You might not believe the mental burden one has when dealing with “free” spells. Playing your opening hand with Daze in mind, or fetching a basic land in fear of a potential Wasteland is just another fork in the road. When playing in a Standard FNM, or drafting Scars of Mirrodin, it's less of a mental game when one isn't playing blue or playing to beat blue. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=123771Sat, 22 Jan 2011 19:48:26 GMTGiven the availability of a wide open field, there's technically no wrong deck choices. It's a perfect time to dust off a shelved deck that went nowhere in tournaments thanks to Deck X. Now that Mirrodin Besieged is right around the corner, and spoiler season is in swing, a couple constituents of mine have been rewiring a pet deck, Berserk Stompy.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=122733Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:04:17 GMTForty-six people showed up to battle the day after Survival of the Fittest was officially banned from Legacy. For a €500 ($1000) tournament, it could have been bigger but a fair-sized field would be easier to navigate. Here's a quick aside to Jelmer; thanks for getting my butt out of bed on a nice Sunday morning and driving us an hour and a half to the event… and the lashing on the ride back.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=121815Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:11:46 GMTPart of slinging spells is who is slinging them back. This actually began a while back, early in the spring. The hype of the Worldwake spoiler season turned into some real decks in Standard. I was playing a fair amount of poker at that time, and the practice of playing two card games with such strong strategic interaction between the players paid off. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=120873Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:17:05 GMTThis episode is dedicated to the pointy eared tribe who get the job done en masse, whether it's for Santa Claus or a few Legacy Junkies. Elves, as a deck archetype, has been around for a while. It spans formats in some incarnation or another, but they all revolve around the inherent card advantage Elves provide for themselves. We're going to look at how the archetype stands against the new non-Survival of the Fittest format. Elf also happens to be eleven in Dutch (I live in Holland) and this is the eleventh episode of The Mana Junkies. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=119983Fri, 24 Dec 2010 03:19:34 GMTAnother Worlds has come and gone, and with the Extended PTQ season on the horizon, we now have the beginnings of an Extended metagame. Today I wanted to cover a new aggro deck that did extremely well at the tournament, despite having a low amount of players running the deck (finishing 6-0 and 5-1): Esper Steel. I will concede that any given deck going x-0 at Worlds doesn’t necessarily mean the deck is the best in the format. Extended is only played in the last six rounds of Worlds, many people can have a low amount of match wins and then proceed to go x-0 the Extended portion. However, after having played the deck on Magic Online several times, I can say that it is definitely the fastest aggro deck yet in the format.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=119760Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:21:37 GMTDecember will be the month where our beloved format sees a lot of change. We have the last significant Legacy tournament of the year, the portion of the Team Worlds event in Chiba, as well as the amendments to the Banned/Restricted lists. There is, it seems, a ton of hype around Survival of the Fittest and its place within the format.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=118498Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:21:48 GMTWhen play testing to provide quantifiable data for this column, I usually go at it in a macro analytical way. Overall strategy is usually more helpful than specific tactical plays, therefore grinding away test games is better for one’s broadening horizons. However, that doesn’t mean that taking a micro approach would be a bad thing. Taking a match up under a microscope for one game or one match could provide some insight onto undiscovered lines of play, or it’d reinforce proper tactical assessment of a given game state.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=117599Sun, 05 Dec 2010 13:48:30 GMTWe’re looking at just a few more weeks until Wizards of the Coast amends the Banned/Restricted list. The market is going to shift to a degree, all because certain decks are going to get affected. I almost typed infected there. Thanks, Scars of Mirrodin Limited. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=116673Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:17:41 GMT guys, Sorry I didn’t have anything last week. I just closed on my first house, and was busy with packing/moving/etc. Even though I had a lot on my plate, I still managed to dedicate a fair amount of time to playing Standard on Magic Online. This week I want to talk about my current two favorite Standard decks, and why you should be playing one of them.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=115796Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:54:49 GMTBeauty through text has taken its form in many different media. There is both text and beauty on every Magic card. Everyone has their own favorite artwork, or flavor text, or card in general. Everyone should. This hasn’t stopped many a Mage from playing a card *cough* Precious… *cough* even though they probably shouldn’t.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=115032Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:58:11 GMTThe last week we set our base line. Taking things for granted is a catalyst for making bad habits, so it is important to focus on what matters. Our Birds and the Bees story took us through the basics of Legacy, the three pillars of strategy. With established decks defined, it is time to build a Gauntlet.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=114146Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:41:00 GMTThis week, I’ll be covering the cards and decks from the State Champs that I think have major potential in the evolving Standard metagame. I’ll start with a deck that a lot of people wanted to make work in the previous Standard format, and it seems to slowly be gaining the tools to be viable: Mono-Black Control.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=114123Sat, 06 Nov 2010 13:19:31 GMTLast time we began the task of defining this format via its most popular and best performing decks. I likened the format to the Rock-Paper-Scissors metaphor, where one beats the other that beats the other that looses to the first one. Rock is our control pillar, not to be confused with the archetype. Paper represents the agro or beatdown pillar. In this episode, we are going to be exploring the Scissors pillar, or Combo archetypes that see play at the top tables.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=113208Sun, 31 Oct 2010 13:59:19 GMTWe have a metric ton of Legacy to talk about! First on our agenda is defining the format in which we play. In its purest form, Legacy as a format is a triangle, a rock-paper-scissors format that embodies the best of what Magic can offer a player. The rock-paper-scissors metaphor boils down to the three basic archetypes of Magic decks: Control, Beatdown, and Combo. Beatdown keeps Control in check, otherwise it is busy watching Combo play with themselves. Combo does a mental or visible fist pump when paired against Beatdown. Welcome to Frowntown when a Force of Will deck is sitting across the table.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=113205Sun, 31 Oct 2010 13:43:44 GMTSo State Champs have come and gone, bringing with it a slew of new (and old) strategies for players to try out. While I was unable to attend States this year, I did find the top eight results to be very interesting. Today, my focus will be covering my favorite archetypes that have emerged thus far. I am foregoing decklists for the most part this time around, as there are simply too many to go over, but you should be able to find them fairly easily. Let’s get at it!http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=112639Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:25:05 GMTThe Mana Junkies is a column dedicated to the exploration and discussion of the Legacy constructed format of our beloved game, Magic: the Gathering. This column will indeed be a discussion, as I implore you, the audience, to provide input on content, as well as provide ideas and critique for further episodes. I intend on taking us through a case study of Legacy, using systematic and empirical data gathering methods to distill this wide open format into useful information for players on all levels.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=112063Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:51:27 GMTHey folks. It’s been a while since I had time to sit and write some words, but I’ve been real busy. I recently started a Magic team, Team Power Ten, so named because we regularly play at a spiffy new library in my hometown of Alexandria and not because there are ten members. In fact, there are only four. I have also been getting addicted to Archenemy and trying to break the new Standard (bye-bye Jund). I’ve had plenty on my mind.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=106629Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:59:45 GMTSo, I'm feeling lucky. I think my Baby Boros deck is pretty good, especially after adding Blightning. I'm confident enough in it to run it in this week's XPDC Extended tournament, despite it being nearly Standard-legal. I've updated the sideboard accordingly, but this is pretty much the same deck from a few weeks ago.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=106363Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:07:13 GMTThis past week, I had the pleasure of entertaining my stepfather and brother while they stayed in Houston at my apartment for a few days. I took it upon myself to teach my younger brother the game that we know and love so well, and he helped to raise a few points I wanted to discuss here today regarding building a Standard-playable collection from scratch when you are just entering (or returning to) the game.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=106156Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:57:20 GMTRight now is a special time for the Valakut deck. We currently have access to both Rampant Growth and Cultivate, which allows the deck to do some very powerful things very consistently. In fact, right now I would easily consider Valakut to be a tier one deck. This may or may not last once M10 and Shards have rotated out of Standard. I’m going to take a look at a couple of successful builds of Valakut and discuss why they are successful. I’ll discuss some of the possible options for how to build the deck and give my opinion on what works and what is bad. I’ll even give my idea of what the deck might look like post-rotation. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=105931Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:51:06 GMTLast week, I covered the possible impact of M11 on Jund, Mythic Conscription, and Red Deck Wins. This week, I will cover Turboland, UW(x) Control, Next Level Bant, and Nayahttp://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=105875Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:28:52 GMTSo M11 is finally here, and with its release the Standard card pool has been finalized for the rest of the season. Now it’s time to take a look at just how the major decks could be affected in this revised environment.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=105243Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:51:18 GMTLately, I’ve found myself brainstorming ideas regarding the new Extended format we find ourselves in. I’m not qualified for Amsterdam, but the thought of playing with my Lorwyn block cards once more has me chomping at the bit to dive in to this new format, PT qualification or no. While this is a new format, I find it hard to believe that some old Standard archetypes won’t become tier one contenders. Faeries, obviously, will be among them, but that isn’t news to anyone.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=104900Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:26:57 GMTIt’s set review time again and I’m as excited as ever. This is probably the most powerful core set in history, which was something that was easily true about M10 one year ago. Today I want to go over the way this set will impact the Standard competitive metagame. If I may sound a little annoyed at this set occasionally, it is simply my out-there honest nature trying to be objective. I think Magic 2011 is awesome and I’m also aware that not every card has to be awesome on its own.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=104845Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:28:17 GMTI thought that after my last M11 preview I would be done until the rest of the set had been spoiled, but after seeing some of the new bombastic cards spoiled in the last few days, all I have to say is holy tiny infant baby Jesus was I wrong! This go-round, I’ll focus just on specific new cards that interest me, rather than do a shakedown of each color again. Let’s get on with some more cards!http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=104666Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:17:06 GMTI’ve been in a slump. It happens from time to time, most players go through cycles of bad and good runs, and I’ve been on a bad run since well before Pro Tour San Juan. I’ve been trying really hard not to let it get to me, but inevitably I’ve noticed that it’s been affecting my game.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=104115Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:58:35 GMTI have often heard people explaining Magic to non-players as a blend of Chess and Poker, which it really is. I’ve used this example myself, as it alludes to the complexity and depth of the game and the minds of its players. There are many articles on this concept, but I want to define some skills and highlight areas for “Cross-Training”. In the same way some athletes do supplemental activities because it aids their performance in the sport they play professionally, it is something Magic players can adopt.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=104042Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:10:08 GMTIf you're playing Magic often, chances are you're aware of the current tournament scene. If we're not playing these decks that dominate tournaments, there's a good chance we're trying to dream up ways to build them without taking out a second mortgage. Using competitive decks as inspiration can be a good thing, but sometimes it narrows our approach too much. Instead of copying archetypes, perhaps we should be looking at strong cards in our budget and finding new ways to use them.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=103889Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:57:25 GMTWe have been through the mental preparation and most of the basic theory about how to enter a tournament in the best possible state of mind. With that state of mind and the new take on the game, you should already see your stats improve. But of course, knowing that you can win and having the mentality of a winner will not be enough. You will have to know how to play and improve your game. We will try to go through basic situations and see where your game can be improved in later issues. To close the theoretical part of this strategy guide, I will guide you step by step into the way in how you should enter the tournament.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=103846Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:02:19 GMTI’m sure that by the time this article goes to press, most everyone that cares has read about the new structural changes to the Extended format. Talk about a bombshell. So far, for the most part, all I’ve heard is complaining about how “shocklands are basically worthless”, “sell your Tarmogoyfs now”, “it’s a format of Jund vs Faeries”, etc etc. I’ll admit, I wasn’t very pleased about it either at first, but the more I think about it, whenever Wizards releases big changes to the game, they usually end up working out for the best, despite all of the hooting and hollering that immediately follows a change announcement.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=103721Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:15:44 GMTRecently, while reviewing an article I was working on, a friend pointed out to me that I shouldn’t hold back when writing because I don’t view myself as enough of an expert, which I half-viewed as a challenge. Although he is correct that generally I write with a sort of modest and unassuming attitude, I do have the mindset of being sort of an expert. I feel that you should view yourself similarly. I believe that all Magic players need to hold themselves in a certain high regard, and they should expect their opponent to do the same.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=103643Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:24:59 GMTEvery time I sit down to write my article for MTGFanatic, the first thing that pops into my head is: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Every time. I wonder if I am a Timmy-in-denial. Well, no. I believe Emrakul is equally usable by Timmy, Spike and Johnny. That’s part of his allure. It’s certainly a Timmy card; a look at its power/toughness alone can pretty much confirm that. Johnny uses it as the punctuation of his combo in many formats, and Spike has been trying to break him (with some success) since his printing.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=103462Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:57:16 GMTThis week, I thought I would discuss some of the recently spoiled cards for Magic 2011, and their possible implications on limited and Standard play. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=103255Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:17:41 GMTI like to write about pauper every few months, since this commons-only format is the pinnacle of budget deckbuilding. Pauper forces you to use cards you may not have considered, and if you're new to the format, you'll be surprised at the power level some of these decks have. I've always been interested in Pauper Standard, so I decided to take a new deck for a spin.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=103068Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:15:40 GMTLast week I discussed the changes Jund needed to make in order to stay competitive against all of the control decks running rampant in the current Standard metagame. This week, with Gerry Thompson once again breaking the format, I thought it time to discuss his latest creation, which earned Nationals invites for several players a couple weeks ago.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=102548Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:15:00 GMTTesting, testing, 1..2..3… Okay, sorry for the bad joke, but this article really is about how I test, and everything that pertains to it. I’m going to go over all the different methods I use while preparing for a tournament, and how you can benefit from them.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=102159Wed, 26 May 2010 14:22:34 GMTAt present, it seems that what was once considered to be the undisputed king of the format, Jund, has finally been toppled from its resident perch atop the hill by the various U/W/x control and Mythic decks. However, don’t start counting Jund out as a competitor. All it will take is some tweaks in its card choices for the deck to get its match percentages back up. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=101984Sun, 23 May 2010 21:04:03 GMTThe first chapter of this column was focusing on preparation. I covered what I think are the essential elements to take into consideration when you intend to do well in tournaments. I have not spoken of specific game situations much. These examples will come later and they are really just exercises after the lessons. Preparation is not only about having cards in your hand. It is about understanding the rules of what you signed up for. I told you about what you should think about the theory of the game, luck, odds, strategy, board situations, best plays… Now is the time to put all this into practice.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=101913Sat, 22 May 2010 11:08:25 GMTI've touched on attempting to play competitively on a budget in the past, but it has been a while since I last discussed this topic. However, the pitfalls remain the same. You still need good cards, you still need versatility, and you still need to respect what's been built. Competitive decks don't appear overnight without any testing. They're battle-hardened, well-designed decks, so we must take care when building something to compete with them on a lesser budget.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=101855Fri, 21 May 2010 13:45:01 GMTA misunderstood resource and its value in your game: Often demonized, frowned upon, and in some circles outright disallowed is the process most often referred to as “netdecking”. In competitive Magic, the reality is that players use this resource more often than not.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=101595Mon, 17 May 2010 16:23:47 GMTUS Nationals Qualifiers are this weekend, and if you’re planning on attending, you need to know what to expect. I’m going to briefly go over six of the most successful strategies in standard and why you should or shouldn’t choose one of them. Let’s get started.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=101266Thu, 13 May 2010 18:16:40 GMTPro Tour San Juan is less than a month away. I thought it would be a good idea to go over one of the deck options I am considering for the tournament. While I am exploring other deck options, I still believe that this deck is very powerful for the Zendikar block format.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=101098Tue, 11 May 2010 16:11:20 GMTDeck selection for any tournament can be a tricky process, and can vary greatly from player to player. It can be a result of hours and hours of playtesting, wheedling down choices until one emerges that just seems to consistently beat the rest of your gauntlet; or it can be a last-minute decision, handing in one out of two (or three, or four…) printed decklists right as the judges are collecting them. Certain methods of selection are better than others, and while I certainly wouldn’t advocate the latter method, I know in the past that I never had enough time for the former, either.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=100618Tue, 04 May 2010 17:21:49 GMTSorry, it’s been over a week now since I got down to some writing. I've got a ton going on in my not-Magic branch of life: A promotion at work, a death in the family, and lots of judging (okay, well, some Magic). All is well though and I’m back with more words. Today I’m going to talk about a fun deck and a little about the deck I’ve been using competitively in Standard.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=100492Mon, 03 May 2010 07:00:19 GMTWhen I wrote my first article for MTGFanatic, I just jumped headfirst into the strategy and didn’t really give you guys a good look at how my Magic career began. I’d like to do that now. I started playing Magic in seventh grade, at the age of twelve. I was in the scouts, and some of my friends had been playing D&D for a couple of years already. My parents wouldn’t let me play D&D because of the bad rep that the media had given it. Luckily for me, it took the media a long time to begin campaigning against MTG, and they never attacked it as hard as some other games.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=100274Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:00:20 GMTRemember the previous chapter, when I was referring to reflex vs automatism. I mentioned that you tend to repeat in tournament games what you have been getting used to in practice games. Unfortunately, nothing tells you that what you have been doing so far was the correct play every time. Sure, you can figure out that some plays have worked out better for you over your training period than others. But in order to optimize your plays, you need to find the best play.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=99694Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:13:16 GMTMy name is Jody Dubrawsky and I'm a DCI judge and competitive player from central Louisiana. I was approached by the guys here at MTGFanatic, while head judging a 1k for them, about maybe writing some words for their ever-growing site. I figured “Sure, I have words." Once I decided that I would be writing something, the topic that couldn't escape my attention was Rise of the Eldrazi. This set is unique and the possibilities seem endless. Here are the cards that have really grabbed my attention, in one way or another, and I'm going to explain why:http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=99646Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:28:48 GMTFor those of you who may not know me, I’m Shaun Rodriguez, a Houston native who has been playing Magic since junior high in 1994. I’ll be writing weekly here at MTGFanatic, and I thought I would begin my “Reign of Terror” by introducing myself, and by telling the tale of how I came to be the Magic player that I am today. Everyone has to start somewhere!http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=99570Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:19:26 GMTThis past weekend was the MTGFanatic 1k trial event in Louisiana. I had planned to attend, but due to my wife breaking her ankle and complications at work, I was unable. If I had made it, I would’ve played the same standard deck I have been playing for months now. Which deck is that? Valakut Ramp.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=99467Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:12:35 GMTMost of you don’t know me yet, and since this is my first article, I’d like to take a few minutes to introduce myself. My name is Justin Corbett. I’m from Houston Texas, and I love playing Magic. I’ve been playing off and on for the past 15 years, and recently made my foray into the highest level of competitive play. I’m going to cover a mixture of constructed ideas, limited strategies, and pretty much anything else that I find interesting and would like to share in this column. I really do hope you enjoy it.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=99282Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:55:22 GMTIn order to play better, you have to understand how to avoid basic mistakes first. In part one, we covered that making mistakes allows your opponent to take an advantage he was not supposed to have in the first place. We will stick to that definition for now, as making a mistake also means not taking full advantage of your opponent’s mistakes...http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=96967Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:01:42 GMTMost of you know me as the budget deck building guy. However, you'll also notice that many of my articles are focused on Standard decks, or, more specifically, playing Standard on a budget. I want to veer away from the budget side of things for a bit, and focus on the Standard metagame as a whole. As it stands, we've got ourselves a pretty interesting field at the moment.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=96738Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:22:44 GMTRecently I’ve been dipping my toes in the comparatively shallow waters of the Type 2 (Standard) environment to see how you tourney types manage yourselves and see if competitive play in any way helps to sharpen your casual skills. In short, it depends on the person. Just like in every aspect of the game, competitive play requires attention to detail and a good eye for opportunity. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=93613Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:53:16 GMTThe whole concept of getting better at Magic does not mean much on its own. Do you want to build better decks? Do you want to play better? Do you want to win tournaments? Of course, all these questions are connected. You will not win tournaments on a regular basis if you can not play the game well. You will not win tournaments if you play bad decks. But how exactly do you improve your chances? What do you have to practice in order to reach another level? What are the priorities?http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=93545Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:05:04 GMTI'm getting geared up for Worldwake, but in the meantime, I thought I'd do a bit more Pauper stuff. Pauper is a great casual format, as it lets you build decks for next to nothing on Magic: Online. In addition, there're always lots of people to play with, and plenty of tournaments. Speaking of tournaments, I decided to enter my first Pauper tournament the other day.http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=93152Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:25:08 GMTFor those who do not know me, I am Raphael Levy, seasoned Magic veteran and Pro Tour Hall of famer. I have been playing Magic for 15 years and on the Pro Tour since Paris in ’97. You might have read some of my articles on mtg.com where I was writing the column “Ask the Pro” in 2006-2007, and on another famous strategy website where I was telling about the Pro Tour lifestyle. I now want to share some of my experience with you, mtgfanatic readers. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=91654Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:34:09 GMTMagic’s State Championship rules, as well as the rules of physics, only allow players to compete in one State Championship. However, if you hustle, it is possible to cover two states at the same time. If you are willing to drive a lot and aren’t afraid of deer. This year, it was my pleasure and responsibility to run the State Champs tournaments for both Oklahoma and Kansas...http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=88919Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:56:21 GMTA few weeks ago, I looked at playing competitively in Extended on a budget with a Hypergenesis build. Now, I'm going to look at doing so in Standard. http://www.mtgfanatic.com/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=88618Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:39:06 GMT