Top 10 New Phyrexia First Picks for Draft (Tips & Strategy) May 2, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, previews, strategy, tips, limited, draft , add a comment
The following are the my favorite common and uncommon cards from New Phyrexia that I will take a look out for while drafting New Phyrexia: (more…)
Top 10 Cards for Standard from New Phyrexia April 28, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, previews, strategy, tips, constructed, standard , 6commentsHere are my current favorite cards for Standard from New Phyrexia. (more…)
First Impressions of New Phyrexia April 24, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, previews , 3comments
The New Phyrexia spoiler is finished, so I will start previewing it now. In this installment I will review the themes found in New Phrexia: Phyrexian Mana, Golems, Infect, and Metalcraft. (more…)
DeQuan Watson’s Big Deck: A Magic Format April 11, 2011
Posted by James in : all, game rules , add a commentIn 2005 DeQuan Watson discussed a Magic format he called “Big Deck.” I found out about this format because I know someone else thought of the exact same idea except he only used one of each card. The idea is basically just to play Magic with one big deck instead of requiring players to have their own decks. It’s a great way to play Magic “off the top” given a moment’s notice. I am a big fan of this format, but I prefer for players to split the big deck into pieces. One big deck of 160 cards can be turned into up to four 40 card decks. A 320 card deck can be used for up to eight 40 card decks. (more…)
Drafting Mirrodin Besieged Part 4: 5 More Cards Good in Metalcraft (Strategy & Tips) March 26, 2011
Posted by James in : all, strategy, limited, draft , 8comments 
Update (4/24/11): I added Ichor Wellspring to the list.
I have already discussed my 10 favorite common & uncommon cards to draft from Mirrodin Besieged and 5 other common and uncommon cards good in both metalcraft and infect. I will now discuss five more common and uncommon cards that I would want if I wanted to try to commit to making a metalcraft deck. (Actually, a few of these cards are actually decent in any non-infect deck anyway.) (more…)
Standard Red Deck Wins (Post-Mirrodin Besieged) March 15, 2011
Posted by James in : all, strategy, standard , 5commentsNot much has changed about Red Deck Wins since I discussed it last (almost two months ago), but I did well in a couple large events with my newest version: (more…)
Drafting Mirrodin Besieged Part 3: 5 More Cards Good in Infect (Strategy & Tips) March 4, 2011
Posted by James in : all, strategy, limited, draft , 2comments
I have already mentioned various great cards drafting Mirrodin Besieged. Many of these are good in Infect. Viridian Corrupter, Go for the Throat, Plague Myr, Flayer Husk, Spread the Sickness, Sphere of the Suns, and Signal Pest are all my favorite non-rare cards to use when drafting Mirrodin Besieged and I discuss these cards here and here. The point of the first two articles was to make it clear what cards you should take before you know if you are going to play a certain theme. The point of this piece is to discuss what cards Infect players should be taking almost exclusively based on the fact that they are committed to the infect theme. My top 5 cards include the following: (more…)
Drafting Mirrodin Besieged Part 2: 5 Cards Good in Infect & Metalcraft (Strategy & Tips) February 25, 2011
Posted by James in : all, strategy, limited, draft , 6comments
Welcome to my second post about Mirrodin Besieged draft strategy & tips. Part 1 was “Top 10 Commons & Uncommons” and was meant to help you decide what colors to play. In today’s installment I will discuss more cards worth taking early on that don’t commit you to any theme in particular. These cards are good in just about any deck (as long as you are playing the right colors). It’s a good idea to stay flexible and to take cards that will be useful no matter what deck you end up playing. If you don’t see any cards from my top 10 list, then one of these cards should do fine. (more…)
My Third New Phyrexia Prediction: Plutonium Myr February 18, 2011
Posted by James in : all, fake cards, speculation , 7comments
This card could actually exist in New Phyrexia.
And it should. I’m not sure why it wasn’t made yet.
Let me know what you think. (more…)
Speculation: Why The Next Set Will Be “New Phyrexia” February 14, 2011
Posted by James in : all, speculation , 7comments
The next set could be either “New Phyrexia” or “Mirrodin Pure.” However, I have little doubt that the next set will be New Phyrexia. Consider the following: (more…)
Drafting Mirrodin Besieged Part 1: Top 10 Commons & Uncommons (Strategy & Tips) February 7, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, strategy, tips, limited, draft , 14commentsAlthough great rares can help determine what colors you want to play, commons and uncommons are much more reliable and are likely to play an even greater role for that reason. Additionally, the first cards you take are likely to tell you what colors you should play and what colors other people aren’t playing — and they aren’t likely to be rares. The cards on this top 10 list are the cards you hope to take and they will help you choose what colors to play.
Updated 3/21/2011: Added Mortarpod to the list. (more…)
Another New Phyrexia Prediction: Threesome Dragon February 2, 2011
Posted by James in : all, fake cards, speculation , 6comments
Fans of Broodmate Dragon might finally get a new an improved version.
Let me know what you think. (more…)
Why Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas, is a Game Design Failure February 1, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, previews, constructed , 8comments
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is quite powerful, and I agree that it’s not broken. So what’s the problem? The problem is that we can’t ignore it because it’s good. And the problem is that it’s the wrong colors. The problem is Tezzeret is wrong for the constructed metalcraft decks we should be able to make using cards from Scars of Mirrodin block. (more…)
A New Phyrexia Prediction: Precursor Mox January 31, 2011
Posted by James in : all, fake cards, speculation , 5commentsThis is the card I want to get.
Let me know what you think. (more…)
Top 10 Cards for Standard in Mirrodin Besieged January 27, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, previews, strategy, constructed , 2commentsI mentioned my 3 personal favorite cards from Mirrodin Besieged, but they aren’t necessarily going to be the most important cards in Standard. Here are the top 10 cards I think will be powerful (or highly useful) for Standard: (more…)
Mirrodin Besieged First Impressions January 26, 2011
Posted by James in : all, reviews, previews , 4comments
The Mirrodin Besieged spoiler is finished, and I will discuss my favorite new cards, implications Mirrodin Besieged will have on draft, and the theme. (more…)
Scars of Mirrodin Critique January 24, 2011
Posted by James in : all, random, reviews, design , add a comment
Ravnica, Time Spiral, Lorwyn, and Eventide are my four favorite sets — I think they were well designed and well balanced (for draft and sealed events in particular). Scars of Mirrodin doesn’t quite live up to them, but it’s a well made set. I like it better than Shards of Alara and perhaps even Zendikar. I like the synergy found in Scars of Mirrodin, but I dislike (a) that there are only two major themes and (b) I don’t like how bombs affect the game. (more…)
Standard Red Deck Wins (Post-Scars of Mirrodin) January 18, 2011
Posted by James in : all, strategy, constructed, standard , add a commentYou might want to see my newer discussion about Red Deck Wins here: Standard Red Deck Wins (With Return to Ravnica)
I don’t know what Red Deck Wins will look like after Mirrodin Besieged, but I finally got a new red deck that did pretty well. I was able to beat 5 players in a row, then I tied to make it into the top 8. I ended up tying for fourth place. (more…)
My Top 10 Articles of 2010 January 10, 2011
Posted by James in : all , add a commentRecoculous.com has continued to have regular content for over two years, and I have actually had something interesting to say from time to time. If you don’t have time to read everything I’ve ever said, you might want to skip to the good stuff. My top 10 lists will help. (more…)
Predicting the Future Part 9: Magic 2080 (Part 3) December 31, 2010
Posted by James in : all, fake cards, speculation , 4comments 
Today I am going to reveal a game mechanic from M80 that could actually exist in the near future. It’s hybrid mana with a twist: (more…)