Casual

Ruric Thar Brings It Back To Reality

Sometimes, when things get a bit too ridiculous, a bit too unfair, one needs a return to the basics. A simpler time. A time when we just played sweet creatures and theme decks, with no wrath effects or busted artifacts. [card]Shivan Dragon[/card]s and [card]Craw Wurm[/card]s everywhere. Well, not for me, I played [card]Hamletback Goliath[/card] and…

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Mono Brew #2 – Ignoring Reality

It’s been a few months since the first edition of Mono Brew, which I ended with the promise that my next article would be a primer on my Modern pet deck, “Bringing Gifts” (five color [card]Gifts Ungiven[/card] with [card]Bring to Light[/card]). Much has changed in the world of Magic since then, as the release of Oath of the Gatewatch turned Modern season into “Eldrazi Winter”. I’m sure that most of…

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The Hero, The Saint, The Chieftain & The Interview

(Spoilers: There’s no heroes or saints here. It’s just based off a great song.) Welcome, dear readers, to the first of my interview articles. I promised in my first article that as this column goes on, you will begin to meet more and more of the diverse cast of characters that makes up my weekly…

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The Grandest Truths: An Origin Story

In the beginning, there was Jesus. Adrian De Jesus. Adrian is a friend of mine, who I first met towards the end of my freshman year of university. He’s been a pretty influential figure in my Magic life, having been the one who first introduced me to the Commander format. When we first met, I…

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Kozilek and the Four Es of Running a Commander Night

Life is hectic. Our schedules are conflicting. We can never seem to find the time to get a group together for a game. Many people have trouble trying to get games together, or are forced into Commander nights at local game stores (LGSs) that can often involve griefing or gaming whatever prize support system is…

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Nothing but Value: An Introduction to Ephara, God of the Polis

I’ve been struggling to put words on the page. For years now, I’ve been wanting, nay, dreaming of being a Magic writer. Until now, I’d not found a topic I’ve really wanted to write about. Due to ever-tightening life constraints, I’ve been forced from grinding 4 local tournaments and a PPTQ or an SCG Open…

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Brewing With Battle for Zendikar

Welcome back for Brewing With Battle for Zendikar. First off let me apologize for the delay in this article, my computer died the day I was going to start and was down for a week. On the plus side it did give me some extra time to make even more decks. This time I brought…

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Kitchen Table Magic: Brewing Dragons – Ojutai Advantage

Hello. My name is Dave, and I am a Magiholic. [Editor’s note: Hi, Dave!] At almost 40 years old, I still collect and play with Magic cards. My relationship with Magic began over 20 years ago in high school, but I kicked it for four years, dumping all my Alpha and Beta cards in a…

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Three Ways to Draft With Two People

Welcome back, brewers. Today we are going to take a step back from Constructed, at least until the new set comes out, and take a look at Limited. Playing Limited Magic is as fun as it is rewarding. Building your deck is very challenging and playing against a wide variety of different cards offers up…

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Rollin’ with my Clique

Modern is an eternal format. Legacy-light to some, perhaps, but regardless a format with a high skill cap that rewards knowing the cards, the format, and how interactions work. This will be my first entry in a series where I cover some of the more widely played cards that I see both new and old players incorrectly…

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Getting LUCKy: Mulligans

If I had to guess why most games are won and lost in Magic,  the first stop on the blame train would be mulligans. A good number of players have a hard time knowing what is keepable and what would be better as a random six.  An even larger number of players don’t know when…

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C(ube) + C(ommander) Magic Factory #8: Disruption in EDH, Part 1

Play more spot removal. Play less spot removal. Play enchantment removal, some of which must exile or tuck. Play counters. Play mana ramp. Play wraths. Play enough threats. Don’t dilute your game plan. Play artifact removal. Play board wipes. Play enough lands (seriously, play enough lands.) Deckbuilding mantras for EDH come at us constantly.  If we…

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Puzzle Box – Twos Four-Man Format, Black Section

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to The Puzzle Box! This week, we are going to be continuing our in-depth look at the Twos four-man format. We’ll be replacing some  of the black cards in the current Puzzle Box list with cards that are better suited to the aggressive nature of this variant. If you have never…

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Growing a Commander Playgroup

I recently moved about 200 miles from my previous local game store and wanted to find another place to play Commander. In early March 2014, I scouted online for pictures of different nearby shops to gauge size, cleanliness, and player feedback. My search dug up Cybertek Games near Louisville, KY. The store looked nice and…

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Serum Visions: Twos Four-Man Format, Blue Section

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Puzzle Box! This week we are going to be continuing our exploration of the four-man cube format called Twos. If you are just tuning into this little mini-series, you can go back and find what this format is about and if it is right for you play group…

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The Puzzle Box: Twos Four-Man Format, White Section

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Puzzle Box! A couple of weeks ago, I introduced you to what is a staple format in my hometown of Winnipeg, called Twos. I also mentioned how card evaluation changes when you are considering this format. I linked to a really good list that has been built to…

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C(ube) + C(ommander) Magic Factory – Journey into Cube

Now that the full spoiler for Journey into Nyx is out, it’s time to theory-craft what the impact on Cube will be.  I will be holding off on a full review like the ones I did for the Commander 2013 series until I have a chance to play with these cards and see how they…

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Puzzle Box – Four-Person Cube Format: Twos

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Puzzle Box! These last couple weeks have been pretty fun! I know there are at least a few of you who have been trying out the formats I’ve presented here. That is really flattering—thanks, guys! This week, I am going to be continuing of this meta-series (as Mark…

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Funning For Your Playgroup: Silver-Bordered Cards in Gold and Artifacts Appropriate for Commander

This article is the final part in the Funning For Your Playgroup series, which explores silver-bordered cards appropriate for Commander. Un- cards offer a lot to a casual Commander playgroup with a strong social contract. Unfortunately, there is only one multicolored card suitable for a rules update in the Un- sets. There are quite a…

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Funning For Your Playgroup: Silver-Bordered Cards in Red and Green Appropriate for Commander

This article is the third part in the Funning For Your Playgroup series, which explores silver-bordered cards appropriate for Commander. Like with previous colors, red and green Un- cards offer a lot to a casual Commander playgroup with a strong social contract. Red [card]Blast from the Past[/card] 2R Instant Madness R, cycling 1R, kicker 2R, flashback 3R,…

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Funning For Your Playgroup: Silver-Bordered Cards in Blue and Black Appropriate for Commander

This article is the second part in the Funning For Your Playgroup series, which explores silver-bordered cards appropriate for Commander. Like white, blue and black Un- cards offer a lot to a casual Commander playgroup with a strong social contract. Blue [card]Carnivorous Death-Parrot[/card] 1U Creature — Bird Flying 2/2   [card]Checks and Balances[/card] 2U Enchantment…

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Funning For Your Playgroup: Silver-Bordered Cards in White Appropriate for Commander

In an interview on CommanderCast #137, during a rapid-fire question-and-answer session, the hosts asked Sheldon Menery, “Would [the Rules Committee] ever consider making the Un- sets legal?” Sheldon’s answer was an expectedly simple, “No.” Sheldon’s justification behind the answer was not explored, but it can be easily intuited. Mainly, many of the silver-bordered cards require…

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Standard Commander Gatecrash Archetypes and Example Decks (Part 2)

Author’s note: Since this article series was started, Born of the Gods has been released. Its addition altered the Dimir, Simic, and Gruul decks enough to warrant a revision of the example deck lists. For the Standard Commander format including Return to Ravnica block and Theros block, the addition of the Born of the Gods…

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C+C Magic Factory #3 – Eternal Bargain Review

For the third installment of C+C, we’ll be reviewing the Eternal Bargain preconstructed deck, looking at the impact of new cards and notable reprints for Cube and Commander.  The first two installments can be found here and here. Here’s a review of the grading system we’ll be using.  I’m switching it up to match the…

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Standard Commander Gatecrash Archetypes and Example Decks, Part 1

Author’s note: Since this article series was started, Born of the Gods has been released. Its addition alters the Dimir, Simic, and Gruul decks enough to warrant a revision of the example deck lists. Those lists will be included in part two of this article. For a Standard Commander format, Gatecrash guilds are going to…

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