Murdoch Monthly - M11 review Part 2
17 Jul 2010 | Fox Murdoch
Welcome back dear readers to part 2 of my M11 sealed/draft review. Last time I went through White, Blue and Black. This time I’ll finish up with Red, Green and Artifact/Nonbasic Land. As well as that I’ll look at some of the archetypes that work. Straight into it then! RED Act of Treason – common 2 full mana cheaper than Mind Control, but only temporary. Being a sorcery means you’ll only ever borrow an attacker, too. The value of Act of Treason goes up if you have any... more
Murdoch Monthly -M11 Review Part 1
16 Jul 2010 | Fox Murdoch
Cast, dear readers, immediately into the Magic 2011 sealed/draft evaluation!! Only instead of just Commons, I’m going to do the entire set, so it will be in colours as opposed to rarities. This does mean you’ll hear what I think on 249 different cards, but let’s assume Plains Island Swamp Mountain and Forests are all spoken for. So that’s 229 cards to get through. I wouldn’t subject you to all 229 cards in one seating though, this article will be White, Blue and... more
Building 5 Colour Control in Extended Part 1
15 Jul 2010 | David Li Wang
Building 5 Colour Control in Extended Part 1 Warning! This is the longest article I have ever written and so feel free to take a break anytime if you need to as it will be difficult to read in one sitting. Introduction The purpose of this article is both to explain the 5 Colour Control archetype, and my opinion on how it can possibly be built for the new Extended metagame, mostly without the inclusion of Time-Spiral Block cards, as Time-Spiral Block cards will be rotating from Extended in... more
Quest for Renewal: Introductions & Perth PTQ Report
13 Jul 2010 | Brandon Lau
The first article is always the hardest one to write, but since I got that out of the way with a fairly textbook tournament report, I can just try to keep the ball rolling. In fact, it seems like it might be a good time to talk about who I am, why I’m writing for this site, and why you should care (if indeed you should care at all!). Previously based in Western Australia, I am a Magic player that now lives in Sydney. I have achieved a small amount of success at this game over the past few... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money – M11 Pre-release Preparation and Trading
08 Jul 2010 | David Li Wang
The Magic 2011 Core Set Pre-release is quickly approaching, with less than 4 days to go. For some of you reading, you may not even be sure about whether you should go or not but I’ll convince you hopefully. For others the pre-release is a must-go event, providing you with the first opportunity to play with the newest cards, meet up with some good old friends and also trade for the cards you need, whether they’re from M11 or other cards you need for decks. Most importantly though, the M11... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money – Preparing For The New Extended Part 3
07 Jul 2010 | David Li Wang
This is the third part of my series of articles on preparing for the new Extended. For the first part of the articles and an introduction on the issue, go to http://community.goodgames.com.au/articles/magic/2010/06/21/making-the-most-of-your-magic-money-preparing-for-the-new-extended-part-1/. The second part can be found at http://community.goodgames.com.au/articles/magic/2010/06/28/making-the-most-of-your-magic-money-preparing-for-the-new-extended-part-2/. The Archetypes Continued (Again…... more
Fox Murdoch Lite - Eldrazi Draftin
02 Jul 2010 | By Fox Murdoch
Welcome readers, to Fox Murdoch Lite, it’s time for a draft evaluation! Now I’ve read about a billion already, being so super focused on getting better and better at drafting – but I’m not about to say I’m the best at card evaluation or indeed how to interpret a draft format – All I know is Eldrazi was a lot of fun to play. And with M11 just around the corner it’s best to be brushing up on your evaluation skills. New set, new hot picks. I’ve... more
Quest for Renewal: A PTQ Amsterdam Report
30 Jun 2010 | Brandon Lau
Quest for Renewal: A PTQ Amsterdam Report I’ve been in and out of the game for some time, but no Magic player worth his salt can sit idly by when it’s PTQ time! This intermittent contact with the game of late has led to my personal card collection diminishing greatly which, in turn, reduced my deck choice options. In essence, I could only pilot a non-Jace deck to this tournament and that led to play the bogeyman of yesterday’s Standard, Jund. I pieced together my own decklist by... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money – Preparing For The New Extended Part 2
28 Jun 2010 | David Li Wang
Last week I started discussing the impacts of the change on Extended while exploring some of the old Extended archetypes, while this article will focus on the vast variety of old Standard archetypes that have a chance at being viable. For the last article, go to http://community.goodgames.com.au/articles/magic/2010/06/21/making-the-most-of-your-magic-money-preparing-for-the-new-extended-part-1/ The Archetypes Continued – Old Standard Archetypes Now, I will be addressing some of the old... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money-Preparing For The New Extended Part 1
21 Jun 2010 | David Li Wang
Magic is always changing but Wizards has certainly surprised us with their massive overhaul for the Extended format, revolutionising the size of its card pool. As of July 1, 2010, the following sets: Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight, Tenth Edition, Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide, Shards of Alara, Conflux, Alara Reborn, Magic 2010, Zendikar, Worldwake, and Rise of the Eldrazi will be legal in the Extended format. Other details such as the banning of Sword of the Meek and... more
EDH Deckbuilding for Dummies
17 Jun 2010 | Graham Croucher
EDH Deckbuilding for Dummies So it’s been quite a while since my last articles, and they were about standard, which I currently loathe. As such, I’ve been playing more EDH and hence having more fun. This is why I wish to share some of my wisdom with you all in regards to building an EDH deck. We’ll start this (hopefully) series with a very very simple build, just to show you the basics of building your EDH decks. As an amusing aside, I actually have this deck ready to play, so if you... more
Zombie Murdoch Monthly
16 Jun 2010 | Fox Murdoch
It’s from a dark and dreary place I write. Long has the sun avoided my skin, hair fallen out and my teeth been eaten away by maggots. Zombie Fox Murdoch is amongst you! At least, I was, then the harsh cruel mistress that is university saw fit to lay pity upon me, and she hath opened my stone tomb with a stern motion that I leave… Weirdo… ‘Cause it’s the THRILL-ER!! Thriller night, yeah!! So my mortal readers, welcome to a format where 7/7s get to be uncommon and... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money - After ROE's Release Part 2
14 Jun 2010 | David Li Wang
This article is continued from http://community.goodgames.com.au/articles/magic/2010/06/08/making-the-most-of-your-magic-money—-after-roes-release-part-1/ 4. Next Level Bant Brian Kibler’s Grand Prix Sendai 2010 winning list Lands (24) 4 Celestial Colonnade $40.00 4 Misty Rainforest $64.00 4 Seaside Citadel $8.00 1 Stirring Wildwood $8.00 3 Sunpetal Grove $30.00 5 Forest 2 Island 1 Plains Creatures (24) 2 Birds of Paradise $24.00 1 Borderland Ranger $0.25 4 Noble Hierarch $80.00 2... more
Breaking Dawn - Not Another Zoo Report
08 Jun 2010 | Jack Ding
Some people like to undertake torturous physical activities such as scaling up artificial vertical surfaces. However, in the words of PV; ‘that just seems crazy to me’. I would much prefer to be playing with warm and furry animals. This Saturday I played in the GGs 5k Qualifier. The format was Legacy and any excuse to play Legacy is good enough for me. Originally I was intending to pilot Faerie Stompy but the last few Sea Drakes did not arrive in the mail in time for the event so I had... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money - After ROE's Release Part 1
08 Jun 2010 | David Li Wang
The Value of 5 Different Decks in Standard After ROE’s Release Part 1 Since Rise of the Eldrazi’s release, Standard has changed a fair bit and so now that prices have mostly stabilised, I will bring you the analysis on monetary value of 5 decks in Standard at the moment. 1. Jund (Lists may vary but for the purpose of this article, Owen Turtenwald’s Grand Prix Washington DC 2010 – Top 8 list is used) Lands (26) 4 Dragonskull Summit $60.00 1 Lavaclaw Reaches $8.00 4 Raging Ravine... more
Malicious Advice - Vintage Tezzeret
02 Jun 2010 | Desmond Ng
Malicious Advice – Vintage Tezzeret Good Games Sydney held a Vintage tournament on May 2nd 2010. It is the first Vintage tournament that I’ve heard of in Sydney, and I have a strong interest in the format (although I’m still new to the format) so I decided to give it a go. I don’t have enough cards to field a full power deck, so I joined forces with Justin Cheung (Juzza from now on) and we put together a Tezzeret and Dredge deck. Thus I ended up fielding this deck: Lands (16) 2... more
Breaking Dawn - Positioning in Standard
25 May 2010 | Jack Ding
When this card was first spoiled people discussed that it would be format warping and it hasn’t disappointed. Previously decent cards such as Hellspark Elemental have become completely unplayable and even previously contenders for the best card in Standard such as Bloodbraid Elf have become much weaker as a result. However, the format is attempting to adapt to this incredibly annoying speedbump as we see through the adoption of Plated Geopede in some Jund lists and more emphasis on... more
Rogue and Budget Decks – My Persecutor Jund
22 May 2010 | David Li Wang
I’m back again! Sadly to those of you who’ve personally told me you missed reading about some of the budget deck lists I’ve come up with, I won’t be able to give you one this week. However, I promise to bring you an innovative budget deck soon. Recently since coming back from exams, I’ve been playing a bit of Jund online and testing different builds, ranging from lists with Plated Geopede and Sedraxis Specter to lists with Abyssal Persecutor shown to me by a friend. The strengths... more
Breaking Dawn - UW Control Part 2
21 May 2010 | Jack Ding
Here is the list again for reference: Lands: (22) 4 [M10] Island (1) 6 [M10] Plains (1) 4 [M10] Glacial Fortress 4 [WWK] Celestial Colonnade 2 [WWK] Tectonic Edge 1 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn 1 [ZEN] Arid Mesa Creatures: (9) 3 [ALA] Knight of the White Orchid 3 [M10] Baneslayer Angel 3 [ROE] Wall of Omens Spells: (29) 3 [CNF] Path to Exile 2 [ZEN] Day of Judgment 3 [ALA] Oblivion Ring 2 [CNF] Martial Coup 3 [ROE] Gideon Jura 4 [ZEN] Spreading Seas 2 [ALA] Elspeth Knight-Errant 2 [WWK] Everflowing... more
Malicious Advice – Mythic Conscription at Regionals
20 May 2010 | Desmond Ng
Malicious Advice – Mythic Conscription at Regionals Before deciding on what I want to play at a big tournament, I always check the results of recent large events of the relevant format. The stand-out tournament before regionals was the Starcity Games $5,000 Standard, Atlanta Open. The vast majority of players are net-deckers, and you can estimate what you expect Standard meta-games to be using recent performances in big tournaments with coverage. From the results of the top 8, the new... more
Breaking Dawn - UW Control Part 1
18 May 2010 | Jack Ding
This weekend I played in the National Qualifiers. This was more for testing purposes than to actually make Top 8 as I am already qualified on rating. Admittedly there was some element of dream crushing in as well. This is the list I registered. I will go more in-depth into specific card choices in Part 2 of this article so just bear with me for now. Lands: (22) 4 [M10] Island (1) 6 [M10] Plains (1) 4 [M10] Glacial Fortress 4 [WWK] Celestial Colonnade 2 [WWK] Tectonic Edge 1 [ZEN] Scalding... more
Malicious Advice – Control in Depth
15 May 2010 | Desmond Ng
Malicious Advice – Control in Depth In my previous article, I discussed the various deck-types in Magic. In this article I’m going to focus on Control, which is my personal specialty and really the only type of deck I know how to play properly. The aim of Control decks is to win via attrition, where your opponent has exhausted their immediate threats or are in a position where they can no longer come back. In order to accomplish this, you will be playing cards that deal with various... more
Breaking Dawn - Revolutionising Legacy
11 May 2010 | Jack Ding
With National Qualifiers on this weekend I figure most people will be deep in the tank over what they will bring to battle. However, instead of exploring the new face of T2 I am instead bringing some urgent news which has been making headlines all over the world in the Legacy scene. Tournaments all over the world have been falling to this new menace. Whispers about how unfair the deck are building and it is even rumoured that the next update of the B&R list could include as many as half... more
Breaking Dawn - Blightning Aggro
30 Apr 2010 | Jack Ding
Rise of the Eldrazi is finally legal and everyone is hoping that Standard will be less of a Jundfest as a result. Most of the articles on the new format have been centered on awful janky combo decks such as Open the Vaults or Polymorph. If that is your cup of tea then by all means drink it but I happen to dislike playing jank of any form. Up till now that has meant that I have been playing Jund and Bad Jund (aka Naya) almost exclusively. However, with the introduction of RoE I have been... more
Breaking Dawn - Extended Faeries 2
24 Apr 2010 | Jack Ding
Some of you may notice that this article has been uploaded earlier than usual and that is because I have something more relevant for next week’s column and decided to post this up early and before Extended becomes an even more distant memory. In Part Two of this article I will cover the manabase as well as the possible sideboard options available to Extended Faeries. The Manabase: I will start with the obvious inclusions. Every Extended Fae list I have seen runs a playset of both with good... more
My Future Sight – My View on the Rumoured New Format
21 Apr 2010 | David Li Wang
Today (18.4.10), on the MTG Salvation Rumor Mill, the following was posted: [DCI] New Competitive Format Coming First, some background. The people at WoTC want to support Eternal formats at all levels of competitive play. Unfortunately, the format is simply too expensive for something like a Pro Tour and associated qualifier season to be economically viable. The price of key staples would be even higher they are now if they did this, due to increased demand. And because of the reserve list,... more
Breaking Dawn - Rise of the Eldrazi Prerelease
20 Apr 2010 | By Jack Ding
Rise of the Eldrazi has arrived and I played in the Sydney Pre-Release. Here is the pool I opened: 2 x Ancient Stirrings Leaf Arrow Irresistible Prey Naturalize Overgrown Battlement Ondu Giant Kozilek’s Predator Wildfire Invoker Boar Umbra 2 x Stomper Cub 2 x Nest Invader Pelakka Wurm Kazandu Tuskcaller Snake Umbra Might of the Masses Spider Umbra Living Destiny Magmaw Brimstone Mage Ogre Sentry Wrap in Flames Surreal Memoir Spawning Breath Emrakul’s Hatcher Vent Sentinel Forked Bolt... more
My Future Sight – Extending A Helping Hand
18 Apr 2010 | David Li Wang
If you think about how you started playing Magic, I’m positive that the majority of you learnt from your friends when you were young and at some point loved slamming down some of your favourite bomby rares. Some of you have developed and changed drastically from those days, now playing competitively, forgetting about those casual games and the FNM’s, and have been concentrating on that next PTQ you want to win or top 8. Let’s not forget that Magic isn’t just about playing and... more
What Type of Player Are You?
15 Apr 2010 | Desmond Ng
What Type of Player Are You? Due to the upcoming release of Rise of the Eldrazi (RoE), there is little point in discussing the current formats any further until it is clear how RoE will affect Standard, Draft, etc and thus I will be discussing a more general topic. This article is aimed more at newcomers to Magic, but may provide useful insights for the veterans too. It is very common to categorise players based on the decks they tend to play. A lot of people will stick to a certain style of... more
Murdoch Monthly - Bizarre Habits
14 Apr 2010 | Fox Murdoch
Creature – Engineer Human The dream of a lot of Magic players is to design the next best thing. The next Jund, the Affinity crusher, all that jazz. The problem is that a lot of people fall into the trap of thinking they have to start from scratch. A totally new “best deck” needs a totally new start, void of previously good cards. The problem with this is that it’s faulty thinking: consider the light bulb. When it was invented, it was a brand new invention. Using... more
Breaking Dawn - Extended Faeries 1
13 Apr 2010 | Jack Ding
For the past 4 weeks I have been playing Faeries in Extended. Most of you will probably remember when Faeries were the scourge of Standard (although nothing like Jund) and wonder why I have chosen to play the deck again in a different format. The answer is simple. It is very good at winning. It is good at winning because it is exceptionally good at punishing mistakes made by your opponent. However, there is substantial differentiation between Extended Faeries lists. In Part 1 of this article... more
Rogue and Budget Decks – Extended Ideas to Consider and Test
10 Apr 2010 | David Li Wang
Extended season may have got boring for some people, constantly facing the various concoctions of Zoo, DDT, Hypergenesis, Faeries, Scapeshift and Brozek Boros. I’m sure some of you wouldn’t mind playing a different deck for a change if not in a tournament, at least casually, to avoid the horrid dropping of that first turn Wild Nacatl, and the second turn follow up of Tarmogoyf. Extended Idea No. 1 – Wildfire Back in the days of Kamigawa and Ravnica Standard, U/R Wildfire was quite... more
Breaking Dawn - Friday Night PTQ
06 Apr 2010 | Jack Ding
‘Apparently Easter is for Magic’ – Kuan Tian For this week I thought I would take a break from Extended as, to be honest I am somewhat tired of the format. There is a limit to how much Bad Legacy one can play before it gets old. So I thought I would report on a T2 event this week instead. It was a miracle that I was even at this week’s FNM as I normally do not play FNM. The last minute cancellation of a family engagement left me free and when a friend of mine asked if I wanted to... moreMaking The Most of Your Magic Money – To Buy, Or Not To Buy – That Is The Question
05 Apr 2010 | David Li Wang
“To buy, or not to buy– that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The junk and cards of outrageous fortune, Or to wait for the Scars of Mirrodin And, by waiting, beat them.” – Hamlet (Now playing Magic and pondering whether to buy Rise of the Eldrazi booster boxes or wait, and beat up his friends with his artifacts from the Scars of Mirrodin). Without a doubt from the cards spoiled so far, Rise of the Eldrazi looks like a unique set, especially for limited... more
Fox Murdoch Lite: PTQ San Juan
01 Apr 2010 | Fox Murdoch
Welcome, readers, to the first ever, better-for-your-waistline Fox Murdoch Lite! This doesn’t replace my regular monthly article, it’s just a format I’m going to use for quick tournament reports on recent big events. I know GPs and PTs are “big events” but I mean something more relevant, like the recent PTQ San Juan. Considering the want of coverage for recent events, and seeing most of them are from the winners/good performances point of view, I thought... more
FOW Legacy – Landstill
31 Mar 2010 | Desmond Ng
On Saturday 13/3/2010, Good Games Sydney held a legacy tournament, with first place winning a set of Force of Wills. Ever since Lorwyn and Shadowmoor rotated out of standard, I have been gaining interest in the eternal formats because I find Standard to be incredibly dull. Thus I decided to take my first step onto the Legacy scene and play in my first ever legacy tournament. First off I needed to choose a deck, and the best aspect about Legacy in my opinion is the diversity of decks... more
Breaking Dawn - PTQ Report Next Level Zoo
30 Mar 2010 | Jack Ding
Most of you reading this are probably expecting a PTQ Report on Zoo in Extended so I should show you my latest list first: OK so I lied. This obviously is not Zoo. So why did I change decks. I have played Zoo multiple times in the Extended League (not to mention in other formats) and partly I just wanted a change. The other reason was that I was tired of not being able to take advantage of my opponent’s misplays. While Extended Fae is not the hardest deck to play, it is much harder to play... more
Magic Memories – My Return to the Gathering Part 2
28 Mar 2010 | David Li Wang
If you haven’t read Magic Memories – My Return to the Gathering Part 1, please go to http://community.goodgames.com.au/articles/magic/2010/03/21/magic-memories-my-return-to-the-gathering-part-1/ . When Andy started playing Magic after Conflux had been released, he was your typical Timmy who loved fatties, with his favourites including Meglonoth and Progenitus, loving them not just because of their abilities but also for the awesome art. The more he played, the more competitive Magic... more
Breaking Dawn - Legacy Zoo Report
24 Mar 2010 | Jack Ding
Most of you reading this will know about the Extended and Legacy Zoo Primer that I have written for this site. So I decided to put my money where my mouth was so to speak and run Zoo in the Legacy Force of Will tournament held at Good Games on the 13th of March. There would be four rounds of Swiss with a Top 8 playoff. Without further ado here is the list I brought: Lands: (21) 4 [ZEN] Arid Mesa 3 [B] Taiga 2 [ON] Windswept Heath 2 [A] Plateau 1 {R} Savannah 1 [ZEN] Forest (1) 4 [ON] Wooded... more
PTQ San Juan Sydney *Top 4*
24 Mar 2010 | Clyde Drexler
PTQ San Juan Sydney Top 4 Format: Extended I figured I’d write an article as I learnt many lessons from this tourney which I hope would be useful and/or insightful. Now, when one does not want to get caught playing this wonderful game we love, one does not endeavour to get published on the internet. So for all intensive purposes I will be writing under the pseudonym Clyde Drexler ala Fox Murdoch. Those who know me know that I have had to run the cheats many times already. Yes, I cheat on... more
Magic Memories – My Return to the Gathering Part 1
21 Mar 2010 | David Li Wang
Exactly one year ago, Magic peaked in popularity with my friends. Back then, it was Year 10 and we were free from the worries of the problems that we face in Year 11. There were around 15 of us playing and also our good friend from Year 12 who played with us in the corridors of our school, with some of us playing in fear of confiscation, some in fear of our reputations being tarnished and others just not caring. We wanted to play Magic. So how did it all start? How did a bunch of schoolkids... more
Extended and Legacy Zoo Primer Part 2
16 Mar 2010 | Jack Ding
In Part 2 of this Primer I will cover the common non-creature spells that Extended and Legacy Zoo decks include. They have been divided up into Burn and Utility for conceptualization purposes. Burn: The classic and still the most efficient burn spell. Not much that I need to say. Both Legacy and Extended Zoo lists start their burn suit with a playset. In Legacy casting cost is prioritized as a result of the heavy mana denial themes of many decks. The mana base of the Zoo deck is one of its... more
Extended and Legacy Zoo Primer Part 3
16 Mar 2010 | Jack Ding
In the 3rd and final part of this Primer I will provide sample manabases for both Legacy and Extended Zoo decks and discuss the non-basics that are included (or not included but could potentially be included). I will conclude this Primer with some comments about sideboarding for Zoo in general. Legacy Manabases: 4 [ZEN] Arid Mesa 4 [B] Taiga 1 [ON] Windswept Heath 2 [A] Plateau 1® Savannah 1 [ZEN] Forest 4 [ON] Wooded Foothills 2 [FUT] Horizon Canopy 1 [ZEN] Plains 1 [ZEN] Mountain... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money – Worldwaking Value
14 Mar 2010 | David Li Wang
This week I will look at a few cards from Worldwake and how well they are selling, their current value and future value. First of all let’s take a look at Jace, the Mind Sculptor! How well it is selling: Jace is selling incredibly well, owing its success to its Mythic status, Planeswalker card type and obviously last but not least, its incredible abilities. The popular U/W control deck is the natural home of Jace and those who have been building the deck, have been driving its price up due... more
Worldwake Games Day – 4CLD
09 Mar 2010 | Dion Wong
After the successful 5k Qualifier, I decided to sling 4 Colour Land Destruction once more; hopefully at a larger event with better coverage. I played a very similar 75, just changing the manabase marginally. Lands 4 Scalding Tarn 2 Glacial Fortress 4 Jungle Shrine 2 Forest 1 Rootbound Crag 2 Mountain 3 Misty Rainforest 2 Island 2 Tectonic Edge 1 Raging Ravine 1 Plains 1 Stirring Wildwood 1 Seaside Citadel Creatures 4 Goblin Ruinblaster 4 Bloodbraid Elf 3 Sphinx of Jwar Isle 4 Noble Hierarch... moreMurdoch Monthly - Romancing the Zen(dikar)
08 Mar 2010 | Fox Murdoch
A dizzy blur is your vision, your hair is ruffled something awful and there’s the scent of… of romance in the air. You’ve just woken up and remembered, it’s Valentine’s day! Get out the wine and break out the romance readers, it’s a love and flowers themed article this time! And to celebrate I wanted to make some pink lovey-dovey decks! Trouble is thought that Magic only has so many colours, and apparently “romantic pink” isn’t one of... more
Extended and Legacy Zoo Primer Part 1
06 Mar 2010 | Jack Ding
Introduction: There has been a lot of discussion on the rise of Zoo in both Legacy and Extended to become a clear Tier 1 archtype. This has resulted in a lot of development resulted in huge variation between different builds. In this first part of this primer I will outline all of the possible creatures available to Zoo decks in both Extended and Legacy and discussing their advantages, disadvantages, what build they fit in and their role. While there are some obvious differences between... more
Extended League - Saito Zoo
02 Mar 2010 | Jack Ding
For the third week of the Extended League I decided to run a midrange zoo or Saito Zoo as you may know it as. With first semester starting I did not have much time to test a list and so this is mostly copied straight from deckcheck with a modified sideboard. Even though this deck plays all the best cards in the format this report is a good example of how to lose games. A lot of games. Lands: (23) 1 [DIS] Hallowed Fountain 1 [GP] Steam Vents 1 [M10] Forest (1) 2 [GP] Stomping Ground 1 [M10]... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money – Worldwake’s Impact
28 Feb 2010 | David Li Wang
As some of you probably know from watching and reading Pro Tour San Diego coverage, Worldwake had quite a major impact on Standard. Prominent cards that have starred in decks include: - The Manlands - Jace, the Mindsculptor - Stoneforge Mystic along with Basilisk Collar - Cunning Sparkmage - Kor Firewalker - Kalastria Highborn - Everflowing Chalice - Sejiri Steppe (to a lesser degree) It would be right to say that the two ‘new’ major decks to emerge from San Diego in terms of ‘deck... more
Extended League - Bant
26 Feb 2010 | Jack Ding
After watching the coverage of GP San Diego I decided to take Conley Woods’ Bant deck which made Top 8 for a spin in Week 2 of the Extended League. While my list is not the exact 75 that Conley ran the changes are minor and the basic premise of the deck is the same. The most relevant maindeck change is that I replaced the Aven Mindcensors with Rhox War Monk. While Conley had Rhox War Monk in the sideboard I decided that it would be much more relevant due to the unusually high numbers of... more
Good Games 5k Qualifier 2 Standard Constructed Burwood– 4CLD
23 Feb 2010 | Dion Wong
With the reported demise of Red Deck Wins with the printing of Worldwake, I set out to make a new deck to play in the Standard scene. Here is the first version of 4 Colour Land Destruction I made up: Lands 2 Scalding Tarn 2 Glacial Fortress 4 Jungle Shrine 1 Sunpetal Grove 3 Forest 1 Rootbound Crag 2 Mountain 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Island 1 Plains 1 Tectonic Edge Creatures 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Goblin Ruinblaster 4 Bloodbraid Elf 2 Mold Shambler 4 Acidic Slime Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Spreading... more
Extended League - Three Drop Zoo
20 Feb 2010 | Jack Ding
Much like Week 1 of the Legacy League, I decided to run Zoo for Week 1 of the Extended League. I generally like to run aggressive decks when I do not know what the format looks like and Zoo is the best aggressive deck in the format. This was my list: Lands: (22) 1 [ARE] Mountain (3) 1 [WWK] Stirring Brush 1 [DIS] Hallowed Fountain 4 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn 2 [GP] Stomping Ground 1 [RAV] Temple Garden 1 [ARE] Forest (8) 1 [RAV] Sacred Foundry 1 [ARE] Plains (4) 4 [ZEN] Arid Mesa 4 [ZEN] Misty... more
Murdoch Monthly - Waking Days
17 Feb 2010 | Fox Murdoch
Undulating upkeeps to you all, eager readers! Welcome to a sped-out issue 2 of Murdoch Monthly. My name is Fox Murdoch and I will be your columnist for this evening. Last time we brushed over what Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) was. This time I’m talking about your stinkin’ untrustworthy Allies and then something really fun, combo-rific Worldwake! A lie? No I’m real, I swear! Not just a short version of Allison, Allies have been around long enough for you to know them.... more
Pirates
14 Feb 2010 | Mal Barsing
Pirates, they lurk insidiously at the back of games rooms, and seemingly at the forefront of boisterous activities at certain major events, and never without alcohol. Increasingly of late, groups of this menace have been seen in capital (and large) cities around Australia. Pirate sightings occur as far North as Townsville and as far south as Melbourne. Major sightings occur in Newcastle (a favourite pillaging ground), Morriset (a new playground), Cessnock and Albury. Seen this logo? Chances... more
Good Times at Good Games - My Worldwake Pre-Release Experience
09 Feb 2010 | David Li Wang
Good Times at Good Games – My Worldwake Pre-Release Experience Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed your pre-release or launch party, as I certainly enjoyed mine, despite it being the shortest event I had ever played at. The long story short why it didn’t last long was because I had a lot of homework and assignments to do, and so I went to the pre-release with the intention of dropping at 12:00pm. I arrived at Good Games Sydney at 9:50, 10 minutes early and joked around with a few people,... more
Murdoch Monthly
05 Feb 2010 | Fox Murdoch
Welcome readers once again to Murdoch Monthly! My name is Fox Murdoch and I’ll be your host for this evening. Last time I had a writing stint (back in the mtgparadise.com days) I wrote about random topics related to Magic. This time around I’m more active out and about so expect more store based shinanigans. I’m still keeping this as a predominantly casual column and to that extent I’m starting off with the funnest casual format I know of (well, second) Elder Dragon... more
Will the Worldwake Me Up? – Some Worldwake Spoilers
25 Jan 2010 | David Li Wang
Will the Worldwake Me Up? – Some Worldwake Spoilers (Warning: Spoilers inside if you don’t want to read, don’t click) As several sites have been previewing cards, why shouldn’t the Good Games Community Site jump on the bandwagon? As a self confessed MTG Salvation ‘Freak/Fanatic’, I’ll bring you some of the latest cards, as well as a few other older spoiled ones and discuss their possible use and value. Hada Freeblade W Creature – Human Soldier Ally Uncommon Whenever Hada... more
Making The Most of Your Magic Money
20 Jan 2010 | David Li Wang
Making The Most of Your Magic Money – The Value of 5 Different Decks in Standard Before Worldwake’s Release Instead of writing my usual Budget and Rogue decks, I’ve decided to take a different approach that hasn’t been done yet for this site, to appeal to some different people. The financial aspect of Magic is a part of Magic that I really enjoy dealing with. I often give advice to friends on how to best spend their last $10 on Magic or how to anticipate a card’s changing value, in... more
I still have crabs!
14 Jan 2010 | Graham Croucher
I still have crabs! a Standard Tournament Report for FNM at Good Games Sydney 08/01/2010 By Graham Croucher Apologies for the length of time between my last article and this, holiday season got in the way of FNMs. My only tournament in the holidays was the Sydney 500, where I played UW Iona control and went 0-2 drop. In hindsight I really should have named Red with Iona against Grixis. Anyway, on to tonight’s FNM: I had been reading articles from Kyle Sanchez about his “Ruel gets... more
Legacy League - Win a mox
08 Jan 2010 | Adam Douglas
For those that don’t know I am Buster “Adam” Douglas or zeepug on the forums, I have participated in the legacy league for the entire 10 weeks with the same deck each time. I also managed to win the Mox. Originally I saw the deck played in a top 8 at GP Chicago and as I really like playing these colours I thought I would make the deck up and it helped that I already had most of the cards. Here is that list: Original deck: The Rock A Legacy Magic deck, by Brian Kowal 5th... more
Rogue and Budget Decks – Rampin’ Up Something Hot
05 Jan 2010 | David Li Wang
Rogue and Budget Decks – Rampin’ Up Something Hot aka R/G Valakut Ramp I’m a massive fan of combo decks. Although I’m a Johnny/Spike/Timmy, the Johnny in me has always been far more dominant than the Spike, until early this year, when they became roughly equal. Nevertheless, I’ve still got the Johnny instinct. Whenever a card is spoiled on MTG Salvation, think of synergies and combos with the card. When Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle was spoiled, the first card I thought of was…... more
Rogue and Budget Decks – Underworld Dreams Part 2
19 Dec 2009 | David Li Wang
Rogue and Budget Decks – Encel’s Chthonian Head Trip aka Underworld Dreams Part 2 Before I move on to the testing, I just want to reiterate (I love the actual card too) that the decks I write about, aren’t designed to win the next PTQ and they aren’t always by designed by me, as shown by this deck, designed by my friend Ben Encel. These decks are there as Tier 2 alternatives you can play that are enjoyable. I know many Spikes read these articles but remember, not everyone is a Spike.... more
Standard Dredge is fun!
17 Dec 2009 | Graham Croucher
Standard Dredge is fun! a Standard Tournament Report for FNM at Good Games Sydney By Graham Croucher Last Friday I got another chance to hit up GGs Sydney FNM and play Dredge. This time I changed it up a little, which worked out to have the same result, but give me a bit more game against things I’d lost to last time (control, walls) I maindecked the Kederekt Leviathans which last time came in against every deck except Boros. To fit these I cut a Ponder and a Tome Scour. I also dropped... more
Legacy League - Meathooks
15 Dec 2009 | Jack Ding
Week 9 of the Legacy League was the last week I would be able to play in and I was running out of ideas for what to play. I decided that I wanted to play a deck with Aether Vial in it at least once so that was where I started. I did not want to play Merfolk or Goblins as neither of those decks have a very good matchup against Zoo which is rather prevalent in our metagame. One of my friends suggested I play Meathooks or Countersliver as it is also known as. I had not played with Slivers since... more
Rogue and Budget Decks – Encel’s Chthonian Head Trip aka Underworld Dreams Part 1
11 Dec 2009 | David Li Wang
For those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, the Chthonians from my understanding as a current Classical Greek student, were deities of the underworld and the dark counterparts of the Olympians. This name, created by the deck’s creator Ben Encel, is inspired by the card Underworld Dreams and is a fitting name flavourfully, as the deck is an alternative that can potentially match the ‘Olympian’ decks of the current standard metagame. Let’s move on to the deck! The deck is a distinct... more
Legacy League - Eva Green
10 Dec 2009 | Jack Ding
For Week 8 of the Legacy League I decided to play Eva Green. While I am not in the race for the Grand Prize the weekly first place prize is still well worth turning up for. Here is what I played: Lands (21) 4 [ON] Polluted Delta 5 [ZEN] Swamp (3) 4 [TE] Wasteland 3 [A] Bayou 4 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs 1 [ZEN] Forest (3) Creatures (16) 4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf 4 [FUT] Tombstalker 4 [TO] Nantuko Shade 4 [ZEN] Vampire Nighthawk Spells (23) 3 [MM] Snuff Out 4 [LRW] Thoughtseize 4 [A] Sinkhole 2 [BOK]... more
The Best Format Ever
09 Dec 2009 | Nick .B. (Blackadder)
I haven’t played in many highlander tournaments, but I have built a great many decks…. and most are terrible. The great majority of these decks had two qualities: I never got beyond proxying them and they contained blue. The second attribute is fine, the first isn’t so great. So when I started building this deck for the Highlander at Cancon 2010 it needed to fit a couple of requirements: 1) Be either cheap or have cards which would hold their value. 2) Be entertaining to... more
Aggro Loam
05 Dec 2009 | Jack Ding
The Sydney Legacy League is now into its 7th week and the race is heating up. While Adam Douglas is in the lead there are five people within two matches and every week becomes more important as the finish line draws closer. For this week (29th November) I decided to play aggro loam and here is the list I brought: Lands (26) 1 [ZEN] Forest (1) 1 [ZEN] Mountain (1) 1 [ZEN] Swamp (3) 4 [ON] Wooded Foothills 3 [ON] Bloodstained Mire 4 [TE] Wasteland 3 [ON] Tranquil Thicket 3 [EVG] Forgotten Cave... more
Rogue and Budget Decks – Standard Blue Red Control Part 2
04 Dec 2009 | David Li Wang
(Testing as requested by several people) Last week I left you with this deck, which costs $230 at Good Games ($147.50 for the main deck and $82.50 for the sideboard). For information on the deck check out last week’s article at: http://community.goodgames.com.au/articles/magic/2009/11/25/rogue-and-budget-decks-standard-blue-red-control/. Lands (24) 4 Scalding Tarn $68.00 13 Islands 7 Mountains Creatures (7) 4 Sphinx Jwar Isle $24.00 3 Siege-Gang Commander $21.00 Non-Creature Spells (29) 4... more
Pyromancer Ascension
30 Nov 2009 | Dion Wong
Pyromancer Ascension After seeing a list for a Pyromancer Ascension deck on SCG, I began testing a version and this is what I have come up with. Lands 4 Dragonskull Summit 4 Drowned Catacomb 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Crumbling Necropolis 3 Swamp 3 Island (1) 2 Mountain (2) Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Terminate 4 Ponder 4 Time Warp 4 Divination 4 Duress 3 Earthquake 3 Cruel Ultimatum 2 Negate 4 Pyromancer Ascension Sideboard SB: 3 Gatekeeper of Malakir SB: 3 Zombie Outlander SB: 3 Flashfreeze SB: 3... more
Rogue and Budget Decks – Standard Blue Red Control
25 Nov 2009 | David Li Wang
This is my first week and so I decided to choose a deck that uses my favourite colour combination: Red and Blue! The standard metagame is still open at this stage, despite being dominated by Jund at the moment all over the world. Several decent rogue decks have emerged, but I believe the key to dominating the current metagame, is the element of surprise. Playing a deck that people are unfamiliar with, is definitely the way to go, as errors can easily be forced upon your opponents, due to... more
Good Games $5000 Magic the Gathering Championships
24 Nov 2009 | Paul Van Der Werk
Good Games Organised Play 2010 Information In 2010 Good Games will be running an Organised Play program for Magic the Gathering and Yugioh! There will be a $5000 prize pool for each game and will be a State based tournament with the winners of each fighting it out for the title of Good Games Champion! How do I qualify for the Championships? Both Magic the Gathering and Yugioh! will have a series of qualifying events throughout 2010 at all of our stores. Each store will be running one... more
Slow Down
25 Jun 2008 | Mat Bowman
I realised that it’s been a little while between articles for me and well, a lot has happened in both life and my MTG career since I last graced these hallowed pages. I now have a mortgage and a Labrador, for example. I have also had the absolute privilege to compete in Pro Tour in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, where I met new friends, caught up with others and yes, met Jon Finkel! (Ask me about it some time, I’m happy to tell!) So, I got to play against the big guns. I got to witness... more
Rob Stuart
20 Oct 2008 | Mat Bowman
We will miss you! Known by many as Brest, Chops, Alistair, the guy who loves foils or Sexy Ninja Stripper judge, Rob is a pillar of the Melbourne and Australian Magic community and all round top bloke. I know I have mentioned it before, but I first met Robbie at Card Heaven after a Mirrodin block draft. He, along with a couple of other guys spent a few hours with me, working on my first ever tournament deck. Robbie stood out from most Magic players for a few reasons. First of all, we are all... more