$5 Draft at Superstars (Downtown San Jose) August 1, 2010
Posted by James in : all, random , add a commentSuperstars is now offering a deal for each Friday Night Magic in August 2010. If you pay for your Friday Night Magic event and preregister for the main Saturday Standard event simultaneously, you can get to draft for $5 or play in a free Standard event. (Every Friday night you get to choose between drafting or playing Standard.)
Superstars was already giving $10 drafts on Friday Night, but this deal is even better.
Also, this Sunday August 8, 2010 Superstars is having a $10 sealed deck event with $1,000 of prizes. (more…)
How to Get a Free Deck Box! July 1, 2010
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I got 100 blue deck boxes for Magic the Gathering decks, and you can get one free whenever you buy a deck worth $19.99 or more at my ebay store, The Magic Deck. The deck box will be used to protect your deck in the mail. (more…)
Predicting the Future Part 1: Magic 2011 to 2019 June 16, 2010
Posted by James in : all, random, fake cards, reviews, previews, design, speculation , 2comments
The power creep continues to make Magic cards more powerful. I will be suggesting what cards I think we could be seeing any time now due to the fact that cards are getting more powerful and will continue to do so. These cards could appear in Magic 2011, and I expect to see them before Magic 2020. (more…)
$0.99 Magic the Gathering Decks on Ebay May 13, 2010
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I have listed some decks on ebay with bidding starting at 99 cents, which can be found in my ebay store, the Magic Deck. I will continue to list decks for this price for quite some time. The economy is hurting my finances and I know that others are being hurt as well. This sale will help my problem by giving you a good deal. My loss is your gain.
Additionally, I still have over 50 deck boxes that will be given out for free while supplies last.
Critique of “New” Magic the Gathering & Rise of Eldrazi April 16, 2010
Posted by James in : all, random, theory, reviews, previews, design , 6comments
From Onslaught to Eventide was a golden age for Magic. The sets were extraordinarily very well balanced and fun for drafting and other limited events. Shards of Alara, Magic 2010, and Zendikar missed the mark. What about Rise of Eldrazi? I will examine the design flaws of each of these sets and give my first impressions for Rise of Eldrazi. (more…)
Who is Timmy? January 10, 2010
Posted by James in : all, random , add a commentWe should all know who Timmy, Johnny, and Spike are. In particular, they all enjoy playing Magic for different reasons:
- Timmy wants to “experience something.”
- Johnny wants to express himself and be creative.
- Spike wants to win through skill.
My Top 10 Articles of 2009 December 30, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random , add a commentI have now had a website with regular updates for over a year. I was usually able to think of something I wanted to write every week, and I have no idea how I do it. It might not last forever. Not only have I had many updates, but sometimes I have something interesting to say. You probably don’t want to read everything that I write about, so I will let you know my favorite 10 articles of 2009. (more…)
Why We Like Magic December 20, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, theory , 5commentsMark Rosewater describes how different people play Magic for different reasons. He has three main categories of people who play it for different reasons: Timmy, Johnny, and Spike. Timmy wants to “experience something.” Johnny wants to be creative and express himself. Spike wants to play because of the competition. The problem with these categories is that Spike doesn’t good reason to play Magic instead of some other game, such as Poker, Chess, Go Fish, Uno, War, and so on. Spike can be competitive at other games, and Chess would actually reward his skill level more than Magic. Here are some real reasons to want to play Magic instead of the other games out there:
- The game looks cool.
- The game creates its own story.
- It helps to know what you are doing.
- There is a random element.
- You can make your own deck.
Magic the Gathering Etiquette Part 2 December 6, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, theory , 2commentsThis is a list of my personal etiquette rules for Magic: the Gathering. These are rules of thumb based on my personal experience. They are only rules to follow “if you want to have good etiquette” and/or “want to make Magic: the Gathering more fun.” (An obligation of etiquette is only a requirement to have good sportsmanship.) (more…)
Magic: the Gathering Etiquette November 26, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, theory , 4commentsThe main reason to play Magic is to have fun, so etiquette demands that we constrain our behavior in order to make sure people can enjoy themselves. Not everyone will object to the same behavior, but there are some rules of thumb that will help “lead to the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people.” Although etiquette is not technically the same thing as morality, some actions of etiquette are “right” or “wrong” to a minor degree. There are at least three main categories of etiquette: obligations, above the call of duty, and indifferent. (more…)
Historical Progress of Magic November 16, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, reviews, design , add a commentWe experience a lot of progress in our personal lives. We evolve from someone willing to touch fire and walk into traffic into a much more reasonable kind of person. Society also has progress when it comes to technological improvements. What about Magic? Is Magic better now than it used to be? Consider the following points: (more…)
Why I hate Fetch Lands November 3, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, reviews, design , 13comments
When Revised was around, I decided that I should sell my dual lands for $5 each. They were worth too much money. Then when Ravnica came out the shock duals were worth around $20. That was pure insanity, and we had little choice but get them to play Magic because Ravnica was all about multicolor decks! (more…)
Wizards of the Coast Tried October 30, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, fake cards, game rules, theory, design, speculation , 3comments
Zendikar has proven to have inadequate mana fixing. The inevitable advice for us is, “Play 18 or 19 lands in a 40 card deck!” Yes, that helps, but then you often end up drawing all lands the whole game. However, Wizards did try. They designed cards that would help with mana fixing, but those cards were rejected… and apparently they were never replaced with appropriate mana fixing. (more…)
What is Type 3? October 17, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, rules variant , 8commentsWhat is Type 3? Standard (Type 2) but without rares. That’s it. You can play the same cards that are allowed in Standard other than the rares.
Another name for Type 3 can be “Affordable Magic.” (more…)
Expect Smaller Print Runs & Higher Prices October 9, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random , 3commentsMagic 2010 was released a little bit at a time. Stores would only get so many booster packs at a time, and sometimes ran out of them when people wanted to play Magic 2010 booster drafts. The same thing is happening again with Zendikar. (more…)
Zendikar Review Part 1: Mana Fixing September 25, 2009
Posted by James in : all, reviews, previews, design , 4comments
The Zendikar Spoiler is complete, so I will now begin my Zendikar reviews, starting with mana fixing. Mana fixing comes in three forms. Color fixing, help with not enough mana, and help with too much mana. (more…)
Perverse Sexuality Art Awards September 15, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random , 1 comment so far
Some parents complained that the artwork on some Magic cards were too sexy. They didn’t want their children to know that human beings could be attractive or wear bikinis. This is the wrong way of thinking. What parents should complain about is when the artwork isn’t sexy enough. If children aren’t exposed to sexy pictures, they might attribute sexuality to something kind of scary. These scary pictures all compete for the Perverse Sexuality Art Awards. (Some perverse cards were already shown on my Easter Eggs post.) (more…)
Wizards of the Coast and Profit September 13, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, theory , 4comments
The bottom line of Magic: the Gathering is profit. It could have existed “just for fun” as a game you play on index cards, but that’s not what happened. This can be a good thing in the sense that it motivates stores to provide us with a place to play, it assures us that the cards look professional, it makes it possible for the cards to use original artwork and keep artists employed, it helps motivate people to provide us with tournaments, and it encourages the game developers to make us a great game. But being for profit can also come with baggage: There are certain tricks that can be played against us in order to encourage us to buy cards. I will discuss the fact that Wizards of the Coast seems more concerned about profit than usual, the positive consequences of the motivation for profit, and the negative consequences of the motivation for profit. (more…)
Why Magic Cards Are Worth So Much September 5, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, theory, speculation , 2commentsThere at least seven main reasons that Magic cards are worth so much money: (more…)
Zendikar: The New Mechanic & The Returning Mechanic September 1, 2009
Posted by James in : all, random, reviews, previews, design , 1 comment so farWe now know what mechanic has returned in Zendikar and we know what makes Zendikar such a dangerous place.
Warning: This article contains spoilers. (more…)