Well the interwebz is starting to quiet down for the holidays, and most of what's out there is still Worlds reports, but there are a few pieces out this week I wanted to talk about.
Jesse Hartman {Name fixed, sorry}over at 60cards.com wrote about his new UW list. As always he puts forward a well thought out decklist. UW is always my default deck, as I already have most of the pieces. I typically bounce back to it while i'm working on a new homebrew. (Lately, I haven't been able to put down the Mono R Control deck I've been constantly tweaking, also originated from 60cards.com) I could see myself running a version like this, but I wish he had addressed why there's not Jace Beleren's in the main board of a deck sporting Sun Titan. That is by far the best interaction for Sun Titan. His deck does have other great targets like Calcite Snapper and Tectonic Edge, but recurring Planeswalkers is, indeed, busted.
We also got a super sweet tactics article from Conrad Kolos spiced up fro Extended Season. He covers How to Beat Cryptic Command. Not only does he gush about how amazing the card is, he discusses why he thinks he wont be playing it this season, and the 5 (not-so) simple ways to beat it. This was a well thought out article. It provided me a way to think about playing around your opponents key spells, and/or punishing them with your card choice. This article will likely be influential to the minimal amount of Extended I'll be playing.
I have to say, when Kelly Reid puts out an article, anyone who isn't paying for MTG with allowance from their mommy should listen. He writes about spikes in prices in the Legacy format. I've been slowly pawning off all my legacy legal stuff, but never really owned most of the good stuff, just a few duals here, few fetches there. Lately, I've been interested in Legacy, and been put off by the cost of just the manabase. Seeing as I don't follow legacy pricing much, I was appalled to see that Tarmogoyf is now worth double it's price when it was in Standard, and Legacy is the only format where it's legal! This is a bit intimidating, but I need to give props to Kelly, as I remember him making this general call not long ago.
Patrick Chapin promised me, via twitter, that his next article on Monday would be about a Spring Tide deck. You'll certainly see me comment on this next week. Islands are cheap :).
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The MTG Review is Back!
Welcome back to the MTG Review, folks. I'm all done tutoring Toreros over at USD for this school year, and have been slowly catching up on my MTG reading. I'm not going to try and backtrack to stuff I've missed, but rather stay contemporary. There may be some down time over the holidays where I'll go over some stuff for earlier in the month.
We'll start with one by one of my favorite bloggers/writers who we haven't seen much from lately. @wrongwaygoback put up another article at TopDeckHero.com yesterday, where he interviews Mark Rosewater. He focuses his questions around the Great Designer Search 2, and really picks at some information that we don't get to see in the coverage of the contest. It appears that this was a list of questions sent by email, which came back with a list of responses. This is probably because both parties are extremely busy and in different time zones, but it was clear it wasn't an actual dialogue or interview taking place. A blurb about that at the beginning would have slightly enhanced the experience for me. If I'm wrong about this, then it would have been cool to see follow-up questions to Mark's responses. I highly recommend reading this. I always jump on his content, as he's a great writer and his style is enjoyable to read. You won't see much of that in this piece, as its more of a straight Q/A, but keep this column on your favorites bar.
I'll say this over and over and over and over, but I hate Tournament Reports. However, here's one that's certainly worth reading. Brian Kibler's Worlds report, over on SCG Premium, was not your typical report.
It was more about how it felt to be the favorite going into the final day and to throw it away. He ties in "Searching for Bobby Fischer" which is such an amazing movie, and it really goes to show how much he disappointed himself. That was what I liked the best about it. He really convinced me that he was disappointed. Not angry, not unlucky, not blaming anyone, but that he knew he had a chance to win it all, and he failed. This time.
Now that Worlds is over, and the Sealed PTQ season is winding down, most people are turning their focus towards Extended. Gregory Marques, on the other hand, is teaching us how to brew up something fresh for Standard. He writes Prototyping a New Deck on QuietSpeculation.com. A really great insight to how a former Future-Future-League player takes cards he feels are underutilized and builds a deck around them. We see different iterations and notes about what does and doesn't work, and get to literally see the gears turn as he tweaks the deck every which way. I've really grown to enjoy this column, and look for it each time it is posted.
The most creative Extended brew I've seen so far comes from Gavin Verhey on the Free portion of Star City Games. He writes How I broke Rage Forger. This deck looks extremely fun, and I'm not sure how awesome it actually is without testing, but I'm certainly going to try it. I have a fond place in my heart for the Treefolk of the Lorwyn Block, and while this isn't a Treefolk deck, it features one of my favorite cards from my old Treefolk deck, Leaf-Crowned Elder. I really like the linear-tribal strategies from that block, as they are really fun ways to get some powerful effects. I guess the only sacrifice is non-creature spells, but whatever. ;) He also gives some ideas how you could make a more greedy build (which is almost certainly what I'd do).
Then, I found the Mother lode. Not sure how I missed the original publishing of this article in August, but ManaNation.com recently reposted this article, and boy am I glad they did. I'm a game theory enthusiast, and stuff like this really gets me pumped up. I love when people actually try to progress the way we think about the game, and I know Sam Stoddard (@samstod) is another big proponent of this. The old school writers of the Dojo set the framework, but many have stopped trying to come up with a Grand Unified Theory of Magic. Chingsung Chang hasn't given up on this, and presents his new metric: Marginal Mana.
This may not be for everyone, but I'm really excited about this. Putting together the concept of Stock Mana and Life Total in one idea is something at the level of what Einstein dreamed could happen for Physics. He promises to continue the vein to include Card Advantage in the next installment, and I'm literally drooling to consume more of this goodness. MUST READ! NOW!
Well, that's all I've got for today, now that I'm less busy hopefully you'll see more of this. Lately most of the crap out there is Tournament Reports from worlds, and I just can't really bring myself to review them. Kibler's was awesome and well worth reading, but for the most part, they're all the same. I think most people have some favorite writers, and they will read the reports from those people. It's nice to get an idea of what the scene was like at Worlds, but just not from 1/3 of the players that went. As the season changes I'm looking forward to fresh brews in extended. I'm also waiting for the pros to put together something respectable in the form of Limited writing. Lately, it's been non-existent, or just bad. Maybe Mirrodin Besieged will break them out of their slumber. It's really hard to peel me away from reading draft articles, or watching the pros draft, but honestly, I feel like I understand the format better than they do right now, and I think the time spent prepping for Worlds has something to do with that. I'm not a good magic player, and I'm certainly not a World Class player, but this set has been one of my best yet, and it doesn't seem to stop.
Also, I want to give a big shout out to the future champion of Pro-Tour Paris @ITOmarHernandez. He recently Q'd and you should follow him on Twitter, if you know what's good for you.
Withstand Death FTW!
We'll start with one by one of my favorite bloggers/writers who we haven't seen much from lately. @wrongwaygoback put up another article at TopDeckHero.com yesterday, where he interviews Mark Rosewater. He focuses his questions around the Great Designer Search 2, and really picks at some information that we don't get to see in the coverage of the contest. It appears that this was a list of questions sent by email, which came back with a list of responses. This is probably because both parties are extremely busy and in different time zones, but it was clear it wasn't an actual dialogue or interview taking place. A blurb about that at the beginning would have slightly enhanced the experience for me. If I'm wrong about this, then it would have been cool to see follow-up questions to Mark's responses. I highly recommend reading this. I always jump on his content, as he's a great writer and his style is enjoyable to read. You won't see much of that in this piece, as its more of a straight Q/A, but keep this column on your favorites bar.
I'll say this over and over and over and over, but I hate Tournament Reports. However, here's one that's certainly worth reading. Brian Kibler's Worlds report, over on SCG Premium, was not your typical report.
It was more about how it felt to be the favorite going into the final day and to throw it away. He ties in "Searching for Bobby Fischer" which is such an amazing movie, and it really goes to show how much he disappointed himself. That was what I liked the best about it. He really convinced me that he was disappointed. Not angry, not unlucky, not blaming anyone, but that he knew he had a chance to win it all, and he failed. This time.
Now that Worlds is over, and the Sealed PTQ season is winding down, most people are turning their focus towards Extended. Gregory Marques, on the other hand, is teaching us how to brew up something fresh for Standard. He writes Prototyping a New Deck on QuietSpeculation.com. A really great insight to how a former Future-Future-League player takes cards he feels are underutilized and builds a deck around them. We see different iterations and notes about what does and doesn't work, and get to literally see the gears turn as he tweaks the deck every which way. I've really grown to enjoy this column, and look for it each time it is posted.
The most creative Extended brew I've seen so far comes from Gavin Verhey on the Free portion of Star City Games. He writes How I broke Rage Forger. This deck looks extremely fun, and I'm not sure how awesome it actually is without testing, but I'm certainly going to try it. I have a fond place in my heart for the Treefolk of the Lorwyn Block, and while this isn't a Treefolk deck, it features one of my favorite cards from my old Treefolk deck, Leaf-Crowned Elder. I really like the linear-tribal strategies from that block, as they are really fun ways to get some powerful effects. I guess the only sacrifice is non-creature spells, but whatever. ;) He also gives some ideas how you could make a more greedy build (which is almost certainly what I'd do).
Then, I found the Mother lode. Not sure how I missed the original publishing of this article in August, but ManaNation.com recently reposted this article, and boy am I glad they did. I'm a game theory enthusiast, and stuff like this really gets me pumped up. I love when people actually try to progress the way we think about the game, and I know Sam Stoddard (@samstod) is another big proponent of this. The old school writers of the Dojo set the framework, but many have stopped trying to come up with a Grand Unified Theory of Magic. Chingsung Chang hasn't given up on this, and presents his new metric: Marginal Mana.
This may not be for everyone, but I'm really excited about this. Putting together the concept of Stock Mana and Life Total in one idea is something at the level of what Einstein dreamed could happen for Physics. He promises to continue the vein to include Card Advantage in the next installment, and I'm literally drooling to consume more of this goodness. MUST READ! NOW!
Well, that's all I've got for today, now that I'm less busy hopefully you'll see more of this. Lately most of the crap out there is Tournament Reports from worlds, and I just can't really bring myself to review them. Kibler's was awesome and well worth reading, but for the most part, they're all the same. I think most people have some favorite writers, and they will read the reports from those people. It's nice to get an idea of what the scene was like at Worlds, but just not from 1/3 of the players that went. As the season changes I'm looking forward to fresh brews in extended. I'm also waiting for the pros to put together something respectable in the form of Limited writing. Lately, it's been non-existent, or just bad. Maybe Mirrodin Besieged will break them out of their slumber. It's really hard to peel me away from reading draft articles, or watching the pros draft, but honestly, I feel like I understand the format better than they do right now, and I think the time spent prepping for Worlds has something to do with that. I'm not a good magic player, and I'm certainly not a World Class player, but this set has been one of my best yet, and it doesn't seem to stop.
Also, I want to give a big shout out to the future champion of Pro-Tour Paris @ITOmarHernandez. He recently Q'd and you should follow him on Twitter, if you know what's good for you.
Withstand Death FTW!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Mid Week Update
Well, I'm under the weather a bit and been busy with work. Believe it or not, my nickname of ToreroTutor does not mean i help you find combo pieces from your library, but actually my job. Finals season is a busy time for me. Anyhow, where to start!?
Howzaboutz over with the SCG talent search?
Molten Between Two Volcanoes by Valeriy Shunkov is one of the best SCG articles I've seen thus far. He does an amazing job of breaking down all matchups from the perspective of the Valakut pilot. While there's many good decks in Standard, anyone who's "in the know", is saying that Valakut is far and away the best deck. He breaks down his own decklist and compares it to @G3rryT's list, talks about strengths of both decks. I also like that he provided a bit of strategy of how to play against the deck at the end. Sweet article, that was well written and easy to read. Earned my vote this week.
While over on SCG, I ran across one from one of my favorites. They really have to separate the Talent Search stuff from the other "Select" writers. I feel like Sam's stuff gets lost in the spam of articles that all go up at once on that half of the page. When Sam tweeted, "How many decklists are too many in a format overview?" I was worried. But, as usual, he delivered with: Extended 7 Ways by Sam Stoddard. A really great overview of the upcoming extended season, and combine this with the tech we should be seeing coming out of Worlds, and I'll be able to slam together something for the first wave of PTQs.
Speaking of World's tech, the Brewery over at QuietSpeculation.com was way ahead of the curve in talking about the new Caw-Go deck revealed at Worlds yesterday. Even SCG said that they won't be releasing Kibler's article on the deck until tomorrow. Dylan Lerch put together Dissecting Standard Caw-Go. His analysis, as always, was extremely detailed. He discussed all the card choices in detail, as well as the strengths of the deck, and also raises some points on the card chocies that weren't obvious. One thing that I belive he overlooked about this deck, is Squadron Hawks synergy with Jace TMS. He mentions that it can be used as a post-brainstorm shuffle, which is certainly a plus. My first reaction was: "Holy shit, how did I not think of this before? I can put 3 hawks in my hand, brainstorm, and put 2 back. Cast another, and get my 2 squadron hawks back." The Brainstorm+Squadron Hawk combo becomes a true Draw 3 + fliers. I love me a draw-3.
Yet another World's tech article came from PV at ChannelFireball.com. This is the first enjoyable read I've picked up from there recently. He talks about the version of U/B control he is playing at Worlds. In My Standard Deck for Worlds, he talks about card choices and sideboard plan against the field. Talks about sweet tech like Mindbreak Trap also. Another thing he does is drop some knowledge form his other testing matchups like Demon of Death's Gate in B/r Vampires against Valakut as a sideboard tech option. While very informative, the article was somewhat dry.
Twitter-spam-a-holic @smi77y put up a piece over at ManaNation.com about his most recent brewing success: G/W Tokens. I was somewhat surprised to see this. He does a great job constantly promoting his own site, 60cards.com, and had written about this deck at length there. Perhaps this was an opportunity for him to plug his site, and he jumped on it. In either case, it was a great article. The deck is a blast, as I've toyed around with it myself, but isn't the type of thing I'd typically sleeve up for an FNM. The sideboard guide is complete, and the deck is strong enough on its own merit that one could pick this up and play it successfully right away. He really cuts right to the chase describing the general game plan in most matchups as well as his reccomended sideboard options.
I wish I could have done more on the blog this week, but illness/business prevailed this time. Here's to hoping I can get a regular schedule going for next week!
Howzaboutz over with the SCG talent search?
Molten Between Two Volcanoes by Valeriy Shunkov is one of the best SCG articles I've seen thus far. He does an amazing job of breaking down all matchups from the perspective of the Valakut pilot. While there's many good decks in Standard, anyone who's "in the know", is saying that Valakut is far and away the best deck. He breaks down his own decklist and compares it to @G3rryT's list, talks about strengths of both decks. I also like that he provided a bit of strategy of how to play against the deck at the end. Sweet article, that was well written and easy to read. Earned my vote this week.
While over on SCG, I ran across one from one of my favorites. They really have to separate the Talent Search stuff from the other "Select" writers. I feel like Sam's stuff gets lost in the spam of articles that all go up at once on that half of the page. When Sam tweeted, "How many decklists are too many in a format overview?" I was worried. But, as usual, he delivered with: Extended 7 Ways by Sam Stoddard. A really great overview of the upcoming extended season, and combine this with the tech we should be seeing coming out of Worlds, and I'll be able to slam together something for the first wave of PTQs.
Speaking of World's tech, the Brewery over at QuietSpeculation.com was way ahead of the curve in talking about the new Caw-Go deck revealed at Worlds yesterday. Even SCG said that they won't be releasing Kibler's article on the deck until tomorrow. Dylan Lerch put together Dissecting Standard Caw-Go. His analysis, as always, was extremely detailed. He discussed all the card choices in detail, as well as the strengths of the deck, and also raises some points on the card chocies that weren't obvious. One thing that I belive he overlooked about this deck, is Squadron Hawks synergy with Jace TMS. He mentions that it can be used as a post-brainstorm shuffle, which is certainly a plus. My first reaction was: "Holy shit, how did I not think of this before? I can put 3 hawks in my hand, brainstorm, and put 2 back. Cast another, and get my 2 squadron hawks back." The Brainstorm+Squadron Hawk combo becomes a true Draw 3 + fliers. I love me a draw-3.
Yet another World's tech article came from PV at ChannelFireball.com. This is the first enjoyable read I've picked up from there recently. He talks about the version of U/B control he is playing at Worlds. In My Standard Deck for Worlds, he talks about card choices and sideboard plan against the field. Talks about sweet tech like Mindbreak Trap also. Another thing he does is drop some knowledge form his other testing matchups like Demon of Death's Gate in B/r Vampires against Valakut as a sideboard tech option. While very informative, the article was somewhat dry.
Twitter-spam-a-holic @smi77y put up a piece over at ManaNation.com about his most recent brewing success: G/W Tokens. I was somewhat surprised to see this. He does a great job constantly promoting his own site, 60cards.com, and had written about this deck at length there. Perhaps this was an opportunity for him to plug his site, and he jumped on it. In either case, it was a great article. The deck is a blast, as I've toyed around with it myself, but isn't the type of thing I'd typically sleeve up for an FNM. The sideboard guide is complete, and the deck is strong enough on its own merit that one could pick this up and play it successfully right away. He really cuts right to the chase describing the general game plan in most matchups as well as his reccomended sideboard options.
I wish I could have done more on the blog this week, but illness/business prevailed this time. Here's to hoping I can get a regular schedule going for next week!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday's 12/6 Updates
Monday edition! Kinda slow out there today, but some noteworthy ones...
Real Play Improvements by Mike Flores, Of course I jump all over the Mikey Flores goodness, and I'm sure most have you have already read this one. I really enjoy nearly all of his articles, because very few of them are directed at a specific snapshot of time in a format. Sometimes, when he has a sick brew, he'll focus on the metagame, but typically we get timeless, thought provoking stuff. I liked this article, like the rest of his, and this topic specifically I wondered why no one really writes about. For my personal taste, was a bit surface level; although, I really enjoyed this article, I hope he (or someone else) takes it one step further. Of course every n00b knows not to chump block a 2/2 with your Llanowar Elf on turn 3 when you're at 20, but where do you draw the line? Obviously it's deck/matchup dependent, but some actual tactical articles would be interesting. Going one step further, when to counter a spell, when not? This is a much, much deeper tactics/strategy concept, but I think would really be great for players trying to get the hang of the game. (Aside: AJ Sacher wrote a great one about Pondering Brainstorm a while back, a must read for anyone playing blue in Legacy.)Although, those people are probably learning from their friends more than surfing the web for tips. He gives an example highlighting Accumulated Knowledge, that was pretty interesting, and exactly in the vein of what I'd personally be interested in an article about improving one's play. There's also some bits that may be helpful for anyone who's going to an all-day premier event for the first time, about being prepared and comfortable for a long day. Great read if it was from anyone else, but I know Mike could have given us a little bit more here. Sequel next week Mike?
ManaLeaks: Banning Survival and Saito Patrick Chapin (SCG Premium)
I'm not going to spend too much time on this one. If you have premium, its no question you're reading Chapin. This was an interesting read, but not really aimed at anything I'm personally interested in. He goes in depth on his thoughts on the rumored banning of Survival of the Fittest. He also comments at length about the Saito suspension. To be brutally honest, I could have stopped after I read the title. Luckily, Chapin has a way with words, and even when the content isn't exciting to me, I always enjoy the read. Not sure why this would be something you'd need to pay an annual fee to get access to. I'm certainly not dogging on Chapin, because some weeks he'll put out multiple pieces, and other weeks 10000+ word epics that break down every thing you wanted to know about a topic. With Worlds on the horizon, and tech held close under lock and key, I wasn't too shocked to see an article like this.
Friends Are Important Ben Hayes This was a pretty interesting Introspective, over on Mananation.com. We got one gamers perspective on how he used Magic and his friends to get through a tough time. Everyone has had those times, and having a support system is always important. I found I could relate to it, and was smiling as I read the whole thing. Nothing surprising or shocking to read here, but the article was extremely readable.
Gamers of a Certain Age Robby Rothe Jr
I picked this one up off the new "Timmy" section of Quietspeculation.com. I don't play EDH, and I really don't play casual magic at all, this article was really interesting to someone in my position. Not sure that its everyone's cup of tea though. He talks about the balance of Magic and Relationships/Work to a gamer as they get older. It has me worried that I may end up an EDHer *cough* Commander player soon enough. I love birding the EDH games between rounds at our store, the crazy interactions are comical, but taking the time to build/maintain an EDH deck is intimidating. I got into competitive magic a little "late". Gave up on it early in high school, and just didn't pick it back up until well after college. While I've met some great friends, it took me longer than most to network with good players than most would. There are plenty of guys about my age, or even slightly older who show up to drafts, and they are solid players, but that draft time (appears to me) to be their only time thinking or trying to improve their game. I totally understand the reasons why this is the case, because I experience it too. I draft very frequently, but on multiple occasions I've had to drop from the draft to make it to work on time. People ask, "Why even come?" Or suggest, "Call in sick." But the fact is, I don't have the opportunity to practice my game with good players much, so I show up at the scheduled time, and get as much in as I can. At the end of the day, someone's gotta bring home, cook, and eat the bacon.
Mind-Boggling Technology - Preparing for Worlds by Kyle Boggemes over on ChannelFireball.com. I know they just "lost" Saito, but not been very impressed with the content on this site lately. The All Star drafts are cool, but as I've posted previously, I really just don't have the time to watch a jillion videos. The actual writing has dwindled, and it looks like that's the format they're leaning towards. Kyle's article missed me completely this time. It appears he wanted to give us a recap of how he felt about each format coming up for Worlds, but I think he would have been better off picking one of them and focusing on that. Each section was so surface level, that really the only takeaway was the stock decklists. The farther I go through these articles, the pros seem to be a little sub-par in my opinion in recent weeks, and perhaps its the balance of preparing for a multi-format tournament that is affecting the time they have available to write. I would have liked to see more information about the decks he was recommending, what types of problems he runs into, sideboard variations he recommends if the meta is shifted one way or another in your local area, etc.
Chandra Unleashed Duncan MacCallum from 60cards.com
Here we go! This was sweet. Now, I've got no idea if this deck is good, but you can bet the farm I'll be running it this coming Friday. He sold the deck on it's fun level. Described how a few matches played out, and punched me in the face when I realized that Chandra Ablaze has an ability that says "Draw 3 cards" on it. Did anyone else notice that? I didn't. Did anyone else notice you can "Draw 3 cards" with her -2 ability TWICE before having to +1 again (if thats what the situation called for)? Not to mention, she punishes other planeswalkers by dealing 4 to the dome if needed, or by emptying that jace players hand down to 3, while you're drawing back up to 3. Wow. Yes, yes, she cost 6. I get it. He admitted he hasn't played the deck quite enough yet, but took it to a local tournament with some success, and I think players like me, who like to play something fresh in Standard, would love taking this for a whirl one weekend. Kudos on this very creative idea. I hope he's still playing it, and will update us all on any revisions as he tests it more.
Drafting with Nico Nico Bohny on Blackborder.com
Nico is a great drafter, and it's hard to argue with a Level 5 pro, who deems themselves a "Draft expert". But, I'll try. This draft was pretty bad, and fairly lacking in the "insightful information" department. He opens a Argent Sphinx P1P1, and explains why he took it over Tumble Magnet and Paladium Myr. That'd normally be interesting, except the fact the pack also had a Corpse Cur and an Ichorclaw Myr, along with no other black cards at all, and some very late pick green cards (Molder Beast, and Withstand Death). Not only that, but he completely ignores infect cards going forward, and hate-picks sub-par cards in empty packs, instead of solid infect dudes. I had trouble seeing past the picks I disagreed with, but for the purposes of the blog, I'm going to try and be constructive about how this article could have been better. 1- Address the fact you're obviously avoiding infect like it's actually infectious. 2-Give more than one sentence explainations. Things like: "Another rather weak pack. Neurok Replica is just the best card in here, followed by Rust Tick, which I don't like too much in draft, because there are decks that don't play too many artifacts." Really doesn't explain WHY you like it better. I guess it explains why you don’t like the Rust Tick. Then why is the Rust Tick the 2nd best card here? I flat out disagree, especially since there was a Sylvok Lifestaff in the pack, that Iwould have taken over either one of those cards, but apparently I'm the only one that thinks it’s the best non-rare equipment. If I were to support that idea, I might say: "The Lifestaff is great in this deck because it comes down turn 1 allows me to potentially hit turn 2 myr, turn 3 4/4 steed. Any 1 drop artifacts that are actually useful, and not filler are a premium in this archetype. Also, my colors have a large number of defensive creatures available, and while the Replica is one of the best of them, I can probably find a solid replacement for it, In fantasy baseball speak, we call this VORP (Value over replacement player, See: Opportunity cost). Furthermore, the lifestaff will gain me life as my blockers die, which is helpful against non-infect decks, and the cheap equip cost makes it useful as I'm attaching to mana myr to trade with infectors."
Anyway, that's where I weigh in on today's stuff. It may be easier for me to just write these up each day, so I don't get overwhelmed during the week. I thrive on feedback, lemme know what you think!
Also, big thanks to those who have given feedback/comments thus far, its made this much more enjoyable for me knowing people are actually reading it.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Blog Post #2 - Catching up...
So, yesterdays post met the minimum threshold of page views for me to try another installment. Be sure to spread the word if you want to see more.
I spent the first post gushing about some of my favorites, as those were the ones I was most excited to write about. Corbin Hosler (and others) told me that I can't just give positive reviews, and he was right. As most people who have followed me for a while already know, I'm a commited troll, so I have plenty of negative things to say. However, I do like to give credit when it's due, and that's that.
For those of you who thought I was spreading too much love to SCG Premium, this next one is for you.
I just read Michael Jacob's most recent piece. Don't get me wrong, I have mad respect for this guy, but he clearly just mailed it in on this one. We got a half-assed tournament report (have I mentioned I hate tournament reports?), followed by a non-existent "revelation" he had about drafting Scars. Seriously? You discovered that infect guys are good if you have a lot of them? Oh, and power pumping equipment is even better when you're playing infect? Wow! I didn't think of that the first time I read the spoiler 3 months ago. The worst part is he says it took him 18 drafts of straight practicing to figure that out. Thanks MJ! Wait! That's not all, we then got 2 bullet points about his experience playing Valakut on MTGO. "Mulligan if you don't have a Forest" and "Don't let your Harrow be Mana Leaked". Holy SHIT! You mean, I need green mana to play my accellerants? And turning my accellerants to a Self-Stone-Rain is bad? I'm ready to run Valakut now! MJ obviously is a GENIUS deck brewer, and typically a very insightful writer. I revisit his post about sideboarding frequently (which should now be free in the archives). This is why I jump all over his content when it goes up. This time, pretty disappointing. MJ is where I go for new tech, not 3 month stale Limited floundering.
The selfish upsides of this blog have already become apparent; being introduced to new content I didn't already know about, is pretty sweet. I was contacted by James Dykes (@stillhadthese), and spent some time looking over his site. Recently, most of the posts are his analysis of the Great Designer Search. At first, I was reluctant to spend much time reading them, as I have been generally less-than-impressed with the GDS2. When it was first announced, it seemed like a cool idea to watch the process the "to-be-designer" goes through, but I found there was way too much crap to filter through to find entertaining bits. This is actually why I endorse James' articles. I read his most recent two posts, where he plays the role of "judge from the outside". His analysis, however, is much more in depth than you see from the actual judges in the search. Not to mention, the layout of the site and his articles are much more readable than over on the mothership. Any GDS2 fans should certainly be checking this out. Non-fans like myself, may still find this useful as a place to get all the info from the GDS2, with insight, and one clean place to find it all.
Over at ManaNation.com, I read an article that was about Building Off Mistakes by Christopher Walton.
The intro on the main page seemed pretty readable: "Christopher Walton shares mistakes to help make you better." Make me better? Sweet, that's exactly why I'm here. *snap-click* To my surprise, I got a story about a really bad dragon combo deck, that lost to a really bad goblin deck which somehow slammed 4 copies of Force of Will post-board, and managed the amazing luck of drawing 2 of them to counter the combo FTW. So, lesson here? Play around Force of Will post-board against goblins? What exactly was the mistake to learn from here? I'm lost. Later, he tells a story about how he got attacked by a hasty Emrakul on Turn 2. He then proceeded to lambast this deck. I'm sure the combo was janky, but attacking with a hasty Emrakul on turn 2 is a pretty powerful effect. I'd go to great lengths to have that pleasure. So props to whoever did the face smashing in that match! In the second half of the article we get, what I'm sure he considered to be, the meat of the article. He gave 3 sections, about what makes decks bad. In reality, he just rehashed the same bad decks discussed in the first half of the article, and said some of the most obvious observations about how Force of Will shouldn't be the only blue card in a deck that runs no blue sources, and continues to shoot down horrible ideas that I'm pretty sure no one is trying. If this was directed at his casual play group, just tell them. He closes by saying that the solution to these problems is tp use a netdeck. Wow. So, in this article about learning from my mistakes, which is actually about deck design, closes by telling me to net-deck? I can't even bring myself to say another word about this article.
Soon-to-be Player of the year, Brad Nelson, put up his latest edition of Fffreaky Friday. Talk about awesome. Seems like the interwebz have been-a-buzzing with people moping about the current Standard format. This is an excellent summary, and brings a lot of insight to see a top pro's preparation for Worlds. However, he did put WW quest at #5 deck in standard right now. How is that still even a deck? It seems so bad, and cold to nearly all the sideboard cards people are already running. If you're looking for a solid list to sleeve up tonight for FNM, or looking to dig deep into the format so you can brew up something fresh, no doubt you'll find what you're lookign for here.
Right next to that gem, was a post from one of my personal favorites, Conley Woods, who writes about Credit Where Credit's Due. I typically really enjoy his wacky brews, and especially his new Deck Doctor series. This, however, was about the people who influenced his magic career in a positive way. But why is this post even an article? It has even less relevant content than this blog does. This should have been an email, cc'd to the people he's talking about, as a lengthly "I love you, bro" letter. Appears to be an ego-stroke for his closest friends. Cool, glad I could oblige.
I don't plan on doing too many reviews of podcasts and videos. Here's my reasoning: I can read nearly all the MTG articles posted on a given day. Most podcasts run an hour+, and most draft/constructed videos are also quite long. The amount of content/hour is so minimal. How am I supposed to spend time actually brewing and testing, if I'm spending my entire lot of free time watching one draft video or listening to a podcast? So when I do reccomend a podcast, it's saying a lot. I haven't taken the time to listen to the newest cast, but Limited Resources is far and away the only podcast I religiously listen to, and I look forward to listening to it tomorrow. Anyone who takes their limited game seriously, should be checking this out. Specifically, the set review they put out for Scars of Mirrodin was phenomenal. We're talking hours and hours of the most indepth analysis of archetypes, card strength, pick orders, all put you miles beyond the competition when Pre-Release hits. Keep these guys on your radar. Also, they welcome people to their MTGO Limited Resources clan, which hosts a great collection of 500+ limited players who are always chatting away, filling my time between rounds of draft, or when I'm simply bored. I will occasionally comment on these casts, but don't get your hopes up for various video/podcast reviews. Podcasts are typically for entertainment value, and for that, they are great. But for consuming tech and content, it simply doesn't cut the mustard. Limited Resources is the exeption to that rule.
This blog has also forced me to do the unthinkable: Attempt to navigate TCGPlayer.com. This site is seriously the most awful thing on the internet. The font is tiny on the main page, making finding the relevant information nearly impossible. The advertisments take up almost the whole page, while the listing of articles looks like its the side-bar google ads in tiny font off to the side. Not only that, but the content is less than desirable. With the exception of Mike Flores or AJ Sacher (if you haven't, read his non-mtg blog, very enjoyable read) this site is just full of noise. I just finished reading Wescoe's newest travesty to Magic, writing and the internet. A formal apology to Al Gore should follow. He begins the article posting his results testing out his new deck. A losing record which he blames on various bad versions of the deck that he's since given up on. Yes, good observation Craig, Masticore does not fit in a deck with only 5 creatures in it. So glad I look to the pro's for sick tech! If you've identified the problem, why don't you rebuild your deck, and post the records of THAT deck, not the version that you say sucks?! Not to mention, the list is simply a worse version of the U/b control decks that already exist. I do agree, that Mind Rot isn't a terrible card right now, but this deck isn't doing anything amazing, and boasts finishers like a singleton Wurmcoil Engine, Creeping Tar pits, and Jace's ultimate. I just don't see how he expects to win the game with this deck. I'm certainly not in a place to be criticizing card choices, but this article really brings nothing to the table. He does cover his reasons for a handful of his card choices, which i'm glad he did, and DID have some useful insight there; however, IMHO, the real issue at hand is rule #1. How is this deck any better than the existing U/b deck in the format that is performing well? I can think of some ways its worse. It has less threats than an already threat-light deck! Also, Calcite Snapper should really never be a 2-of. You either want it turn 3 every game, or you don't want it. 3 would be a minimum, but if you want this card, seems you would want 4 copies.
So, today you got a few more of the "thumbs down" reviews, but some diamonds in the rough as well. Now that I'm caught up on all the stuff I've read this week, updates will be more regular (as long as interest in the site remains).
I guess we'll see if any of the authors above want to yell at me. Let the trolling begin.
Chad
chad at torerotutor dot com (for review requests)
@torerotutor (for twitter trolling)
chaders (for beating my ass on MTGO)
I spent the first post gushing about some of my favorites, as those were the ones I was most excited to write about. Corbin Hosler (and others) told me that I can't just give positive reviews, and he was right. As most people who have followed me for a while already know, I'm a commited troll, so I have plenty of negative things to say. However, I do like to give credit when it's due, and that's that.
For those of you who thought I was spreading too much love to SCG Premium, this next one is for you.
I just read Michael Jacob's most recent piece. Don't get me wrong, I have mad respect for this guy, but he clearly just mailed it in on this one. We got a half-assed tournament report (have I mentioned I hate tournament reports?), followed by a non-existent "revelation" he had about drafting Scars. Seriously? You discovered that infect guys are good if you have a lot of them? Oh, and power pumping equipment is even better when you're playing infect? Wow! I didn't think of that the first time I read the spoiler 3 months ago. The worst part is he says it took him 18 drafts of straight practicing to figure that out. Thanks MJ! Wait! That's not all, we then got 2 bullet points about his experience playing Valakut on MTGO. "Mulligan if you don't have a Forest" and "Don't let your Harrow be Mana Leaked". Holy SHIT! You mean, I need green mana to play my accellerants? And turning my accellerants to a Self-Stone-Rain is bad? I'm ready to run Valakut now! MJ obviously is a GENIUS deck brewer, and typically a very insightful writer. I revisit his post about sideboarding frequently (which should now be free in the archives). This is why I jump all over his content when it goes up. This time, pretty disappointing. MJ is where I go for new tech, not 3 month stale Limited floundering.
The selfish upsides of this blog have already become apparent; being introduced to new content I didn't already know about, is pretty sweet. I was contacted by James Dykes (@stillhadthese), and spent some time looking over his site. Recently, most of the posts are his analysis of the Great Designer Search. At first, I was reluctant to spend much time reading them, as I have been generally less-than-impressed with the GDS2. When it was first announced, it seemed like a cool idea to watch the process the "to-be-designer" goes through, but I found there was way too much crap to filter through to find entertaining bits. This is actually why I endorse James' articles. I read his most recent two posts, where he plays the role of "judge from the outside". His analysis, however, is much more in depth than you see from the actual judges in the search. Not to mention, the layout of the site and his articles are much more readable than over on the mothership. Any GDS2 fans should certainly be checking this out. Non-fans like myself, may still find this useful as a place to get all the info from the GDS2, with insight, and one clean place to find it all.
Over at ManaNation.com, I read an article that was about Building Off Mistakes by Christopher Walton.
The intro on the main page seemed pretty readable: "Christopher Walton shares mistakes to help make you better." Make me better? Sweet, that's exactly why I'm here. *snap-click* To my surprise, I got a story about a really bad dragon combo deck, that lost to a really bad goblin deck which somehow slammed 4 copies of Force of Will post-board, and managed the amazing luck of drawing 2 of them to counter the combo FTW. So, lesson here? Play around Force of Will post-board against goblins? What exactly was the mistake to learn from here? I'm lost. Later, he tells a story about how he got attacked by a hasty Emrakul on Turn 2. He then proceeded to lambast this deck. I'm sure the combo was janky, but attacking with a hasty Emrakul on turn 2 is a pretty powerful effect. I'd go to great lengths to have that pleasure. So props to whoever did the face smashing in that match! In the second half of the article we get, what I'm sure he considered to be, the meat of the article. He gave 3 sections, about what makes decks bad. In reality, he just rehashed the same bad decks discussed in the first half of the article, and said some of the most obvious observations about how Force of Will shouldn't be the only blue card in a deck that runs no blue sources, and continues to shoot down horrible ideas that I'm pretty sure no one is trying. If this was directed at his casual play group, just tell them. He closes by saying that the solution to these problems is tp use a netdeck. Wow. So, in this article about learning from my mistakes, which is actually about deck design, closes by telling me to net-deck? I can't even bring myself to say another word about this article.
Soon-to-be Player of the year, Brad Nelson, put up his latest edition of Fffreaky Friday. Talk about awesome. Seems like the interwebz have been-a-buzzing with people moping about the current Standard format. This is an excellent summary, and brings a lot of insight to see a top pro's preparation for Worlds. However, he did put WW quest at #5 deck in standard right now. How is that still even a deck? It seems so bad, and cold to nearly all the sideboard cards people are already running. If you're looking for a solid list to sleeve up tonight for FNM, or looking to dig deep into the format so you can brew up something fresh, no doubt you'll find what you're lookign for here.
Right next to that gem, was a post from one of my personal favorites, Conley Woods, who writes about Credit Where Credit's Due. I typically really enjoy his wacky brews, and especially his new Deck Doctor series. This, however, was about the people who influenced his magic career in a positive way. But why is this post even an article? It has even less relevant content than this blog does. This should have been an email, cc'd to the people he's talking about, as a lengthly "I love you, bro" letter. Appears to be an ego-stroke for his closest friends. Cool, glad I could oblige.
I don't plan on doing too many reviews of podcasts and videos. Here's my reasoning: I can read nearly all the MTG articles posted on a given day. Most podcasts run an hour+, and most draft/constructed videos are also quite long. The amount of content/hour is so minimal. How am I supposed to spend time actually brewing and testing, if I'm spending my entire lot of free time watching one draft video or listening to a podcast? So when I do reccomend a podcast, it's saying a lot. I haven't taken the time to listen to the newest cast, but Limited Resources is far and away the only podcast I religiously listen to, and I look forward to listening to it tomorrow. Anyone who takes their limited game seriously, should be checking this out. Specifically, the set review they put out for Scars of Mirrodin was phenomenal. We're talking hours and hours of the most indepth analysis of archetypes, card strength, pick orders, all put you miles beyond the competition when Pre-Release hits. Keep these guys on your radar. Also, they welcome people to their MTGO Limited Resources clan, which hosts a great collection of 500+ limited players who are always chatting away, filling my time between rounds of draft, or when I'm simply bored. I will occasionally comment on these casts, but don't get your hopes up for various video/podcast reviews. Podcasts are typically for entertainment value, and for that, they are great. But for consuming tech and content, it simply doesn't cut the mustard. Limited Resources is the exeption to that rule.
This blog has also forced me to do the unthinkable: Attempt to navigate TCGPlayer.com. This site is seriously the most awful thing on the internet. The font is tiny on the main page, making finding the relevant information nearly impossible. The advertisments take up almost the whole page, while the listing of articles looks like its the side-bar google ads in tiny font off to the side. Not only that, but the content is less than desirable. With the exception of Mike Flores or AJ Sacher (if you haven't, read his non-mtg blog, very enjoyable read) this site is just full of noise. I just finished reading Wescoe's newest travesty to Magic, writing and the internet. A formal apology to Al Gore should follow. He begins the article posting his results testing out his new deck. A losing record which he blames on various bad versions of the deck that he's since given up on. Yes, good observation Craig, Masticore does not fit in a deck with only 5 creatures in it. So glad I look to the pro's for sick tech! If you've identified the problem, why don't you rebuild your deck, and post the records of THAT deck, not the version that you say sucks?! Not to mention, the list is simply a worse version of the U/b control decks that already exist. I do agree, that Mind Rot isn't a terrible card right now, but this deck isn't doing anything amazing, and boasts finishers like a singleton Wurmcoil Engine, Creeping Tar pits, and Jace's ultimate. I just don't see how he expects to win the game with this deck. I'm certainly not in a place to be criticizing card choices, but this article really brings nothing to the table. He does cover his reasons for a handful of his card choices, which i'm glad he did, and DID have some useful insight there; however, IMHO, the real issue at hand is rule #1. How is this deck any better than the existing U/b deck in the format that is performing well? I can think of some ways its worse. It has less threats than an already threat-light deck! Also, Calcite Snapper should really never be a 2-of. You either want it turn 3 every game, or you don't want it. 3 would be a minimum, but if you want this card, seems you would want 4 copies.
So, today you got a few more of the "thumbs down" reviews, but some diamonds in the rough as well. Now that I'm caught up on all the stuff I've read this week, updates will be more regular (as long as interest in the site remains).
I guess we'll see if any of the authors above want to yell at me. Let the trolling begin.
Chad
chad at torerotutor dot com (for review requests)
@torerotutor (for twitter trolling)
chaders (for beating my ass on MTGO)
Thursday, December 2, 2010
New Blog for MTG fans!
Hello people.
On this site, I'll be reviewing the MTG material I read each week. I have yet to solidify what the format will be. So for now, I'll be posting reviews as I have time. Anyone who wants their material reviewed, and it's not already included here. Send me an email: chad at torerotutor dot com
I'm not a good writer, so for the many talented writers out there in the MTG community... Cope.
So, let's jump right into it.
First, I want to backtrack a couple weeks;I want to make sure to highlight this one. There was an article that I think will some day find its way into the list of "classic" writings that talk about timeless topics as they pertain to MTG. Sam Stoddard (@samstod) wrote a piece entitled: Where We're Coming From. This article, is my odds-on favorite for article of the year. For me, reading it a few times, and forcing myself to "forget" shortcuts in my thought process, really helped me elevate my limited game. I don't think it is a coincidence that my first PTQ Top-8 came shortly after being motivated by this article, to study the format again with a new mindset.
On to more recent material: (and again, I don't have a solidified format, so I'm starting with stuff that's still fresh in my memory. Going forward, I'll be taking notes of everything I read, and will develop a more defined schedule/format)
My favorite article this week, I read yesterday, over on SCG premium*. It was written by Sam Black: Snippets from the Grind . This was a great article, I normally enjoy Sam's writing, and this was no exception. Sam did a great job of explaning how his view of the limited format has changed since the release, and what general truisms you can take from his 100+drafts. He also has an interesting view on the current Standard format, and breaks down his matchups. He mentions a spreadsheet he uses to track his results. Maybe we can get him to post it publically on google docs?
Next is an article I'm glad I read, but am not sure how much I really enjoyed. PV over on ChannelFireball wrote: Wizard's First Rule. This article had some interesting interactions in it, but mostly the article discussed making sub-optimal plays to let your opponent believe they had an easy win, and encourage them to mis-step. I'm not so sure how I feel about this strategy, in some cases, I can see it being pretty hot, but in others, fairly embarassing. In either case, I'm glad I read it, because I can look out for those situations and not make the mis-step when my opponent tries to trap me.
Another one that I think is worth a read is Roundtable #1 over on 60cards.com. Although I don't agree with all the comments made, it was nice to see a spectrum of opinions, to see when the group thought alike, and when they didn't. It was also simply a good exercise to force myself to think about those questions myself.
Tim Aten put up a tournament report (in two parts) on SCG premium* this week also: All Fairness. It was a very enjoyable read, but not stacked with strategy content. I enjoyed the writing, but missed his usual "Drafting with Tim" series. I guess I'm just not big on tournament reports.
I've only recently been introduced to the work of Dylan Lerch, and his exhaustive work collecting all relevant information on the Pyromancer Asencion deck. More recently, he's taken up the job of editor of the "Spike" section of Quiet Speculation. He wrote up an amazing break down of UG/x control. I'm really digging the new "digs" of QS.
Also on QS, Corbin Hosler brought his latest version of the "Revenue Review" in Selling Your Binder. I've got such a extensive collection of junk, that I've been slowly pawning off to dealers, and trading into Standard/Extended Fodder. Corbin always has a great insight on how to make the most out of your trading dollar, but in this case, how to get the most dollars out of your trading collection.
Speaking of financial articles, Kelly Reid's newest at ManaNation entitled Extended Season Portfolio Tracking provided me with awesome insight as to how prices of cards will be moving as the seasons are changing. I'm not a constructed nut, but if I was, I'd be following Kelly Reid's words closely.
Also, Lewis Laskin has his first piece up over on the Select side of StarCityGames. Stag em Up and Knock em Down. You may know him better as the creator of the Super Friends deck from last year. He walks us through his thoughts of control decks in the format, and how he built his freshest brew. I tested it out, and it's fun!
This has turned out to be really long (or at least it feels that way), and there's still tons of stuff I haven't reviewed yet. Thus far I've focused on the positives, as it's hard for me to bash on people who write infinitely better than I do. I keep that nonsense to my forum trolling.
I'll let the comments/criticism determine how often/detailed I'll be updating this blog, so let me know.
Chad
@torerotutor on twitter
chaders on mtgo
*I know I reviewed a handful of SCG Premium articles. It should be said, I am not in any way affiliated with them. I know not everyone has access to premium, but from my perspective, since I am paying for it, I certainly read it all. Also, could probably note, that I feel the material there is quite good. It costs less than the price of a booster pack each month. If you don't have premium, you can use this site to reference the ones I liked the best, so you can revisit them after they become free in the archives after 1 month.
On this site, I'll be reviewing the MTG material I read each week. I have yet to solidify what the format will be. So for now, I'll be posting reviews as I have time. Anyone who wants their material reviewed, and it's not already included here. Send me an email: chad at torerotutor dot com
I'm not a good writer, so for the many talented writers out there in the MTG community... Cope.
So, let's jump right into it.
First, I want to backtrack a couple weeks;I want to make sure to highlight this one. There was an article that I think will some day find its way into the list of "classic" writings that talk about timeless topics as they pertain to MTG. Sam Stoddard (@samstod) wrote a piece entitled: Where We're Coming From. This article, is my odds-on favorite for article of the year. For me, reading it a few times, and forcing myself to "forget" shortcuts in my thought process, really helped me elevate my limited game. I don't think it is a coincidence that my first PTQ Top-8 came shortly after being motivated by this article, to study the format again with a new mindset.
On to more recent material: (and again, I don't have a solidified format, so I'm starting with stuff that's still fresh in my memory. Going forward, I'll be taking notes of everything I read, and will develop a more defined schedule/format)
My favorite article this week, I read yesterday, over on SCG premium*. It was written by Sam Black: Snippets from the Grind . This was a great article, I normally enjoy Sam's writing, and this was no exception. Sam did a great job of explaning how his view of the limited format has changed since the release, and what general truisms you can take from his 100+drafts. He also has an interesting view on the current Standard format, and breaks down his matchups. He mentions a spreadsheet he uses to track his results. Maybe we can get him to post it publically on google docs?
Next is an article I'm glad I read, but am not sure how much I really enjoyed. PV over on ChannelFireball wrote: Wizard's First Rule. This article had some interesting interactions in it, but mostly the article discussed making sub-optimal plays to let your opponent believe they had an easy win, and encourage them to mis-step. I'm not so sure how I feel about this strategy, in some cases, I can see it being pretty hot, but in others, fairly embarassing. In either case, I'm glad I read it, because I can look out for those situations and not make the mis-step when my opponent tries to trap me.
Another one that I think is worth a read is Roundtable #1 over on 60cards.com. Although I don't agree with all the comments made, it was nice to see a spectrum of opinions, to see when the group thought alike, and when they didn't. It was also simply a good exercise to force myself to think about those questions myself.
Tim Aten put up a tournament report (in two parts) on SCG premium* this week also: All Fairness. It was a very enjoyable read, but not stacked with strategy content. I enjoyed the writing, but missed his usual "Drafting with Tim" series. I guess I'm just not big on tournament reports.
I've only recently been introduced to the work of Dylan Lerch, and his exhaustive work collecting all relevant information on the Pyromancer Asencion deck. More recently, he's taken up the job of editor of the "Spike" section of Quiet Speculation. He wrote up an amazing break down of UG/x control. I'm really digging the new "digs" of QS.
Also on QS, Corbin Hosler brought his latest version of the "Revenue Review" in Selling Your Binder. I've got such a extensive collection of junk, that I've been slowly pawning off to dealers, and trading into Standard/Extended Fodder. Corbin always has a great insight on how to make the most out of your trading dollar, but in this case, how to get the most dollars out of your trading collection.
Speaking of financial articles, Kelly Reid's newest at ManaNation entitled Extended Season Portfolio Tracking provided me with awesome insight as to how prices of cards will be moving as the seasons are changing. I'm not a constructed nut, but if I was, I'd be following Kelly Reid's words closely.
Also, Lewis Laskin has his first piece up over on the Select side of StarCityGames. Stag em Up and Knock em Down. You may know him better as the creator of the Super Friends deck from last year. He walks us through his thoughts of control decks in the format, and how he built his freshest brew. I tested it out, and it's fun!
This has turned out to be really long (or at least it feels that way), and there's still tons of stuff I haven't reviewed yet. Thus far I've focused on the positives, as it's hard for me to bash on people who write infinitely better than I do. I keep that nonsense to my forum trolling.
I'll let the comments/criticism determine how often/detailed I'll be updating this blog, so let me know.
Chad
@torerotutor on twitter
chaders on mtgo
*I know I reviewed a handful of SCG Premium articles. It should be said, I am not in any way affiliated with them. I know not everyone has access to premium, but from my perspective, since I am paying for it, I certainly read it all. Also, could probably note, that I feel the material there is quite good. It costs less than the price of a booster pack each month. If you don't have premium, you can use this site to reference the ones I liked the best, so you can revisit them after they become free in the archives after 1 month.
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