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.