MTG Salvation

My quick takes on all the new cards from today:

Basic landcycling commons - Pretty junky filler, and not even particularly good in limited. Not a fan. I think Gleam of Resistance might be the best in limited as a combat trick, but that's about it. Obviously none of these will be played in constructed unless someone breaks the landcycling... which is unlikely.

Sigil of the Empty Throne - Love this card. It won't do much in T2, but it has a place in Legacy. I like it to replace Sacred Mesa as the finisher in Enchantress there, as it doesn't require a huge combo finish to beat down your opponent or stall a creature attack.

Goblin Razerunners - Cool card, but I can't see it doing a whole lot. Pretty good in limited, but I don't think it's useful anywhere else.

Countersquall - Pretty strong card. Probably will be a decent sideboard option if there's a T2 combo deck. Possibly in Extended, but I think there's probably better options there. Definitely not going to get played in Legacy or Vintage. This is one that people might over-hype a bit.

Volcanic Fallout - Pretty obvious Faerie hoser, but a really really strong card. Probably the best of the set so far. It's probably going to be MD in some kind of large creatures deck (I don't follow T2 much) and it wouldn't surprise me if it spilled into other formats as well.

As much as I enjoy the things normally associated with blogging like writing and angry venting, I've always been too lazy to keep one updated. As a result, I've decided to try one here. I have no idea if anyone actually reads MTGS blogs but I'll be using this as sort of an outlet for various thoughts, MTG related or not.

I hope people enjoy it. I'm planning on majoring in English/Writing so it's important to me to keep a decent blog going. Since this will be on a site I regularly visit I like my chances a bit more.

CynicalSquirrel returns with another Cynical look at Magic News!

As far as competitive Legacy goes, Time Spiral was a major disappointment. Promising to bring back old mechanics and possibly return to some of the roots of the eternal formats, Time Spiral gave almost nothing to the Legacy format. Fortunately, along comes Planar Chaos, full of fun color pie shifting that is sure to shake things up one way or another, and a few powerful cards in between.

After a disappointing tournament in which he went 0-2, losing all four games he played, and then dropped, local magic player Greg Johnson seemed surprisingly happy about the result. The reason: he emerged from the tournament still in possession of every card in his collection he brought, getting none of them stolen by the loser thiefs that populate most magic tournaments.

MTG Update: The Magic: the Gathering news so shocking we can't put it on the front page! Wait, this article's appearing on the front page. CURSES!

Ravnica block is over, and the block that was promised to be a huge set for the Legacy player overall has been somewhat of a dissapointment. One card in particular has caused many a Legacy player to scratch his head in wonder, and that card is Life from the Loam. Everyone knows the card is insanely powerful, and has absolutely loads of combo potential.

It seems that nothing in Magic sparks more water cooler discussion than lists. With that in mind, I've decided to rile up the masses and try my hand at deciding the best of the best in various categories of Magic. So, after much thinking and sleeping, I have decided to bring forth my first list: the top 10 keyword abilities of all time.

By: CynicalSquirrel

Legacy players have awaited the arrival of GP Philly for months, ever since Wizards made the surprising announcement on their main page that Legacy, the least played of the four major formats, was going to get its very own Grand Prix. After this, months of rigorous playtesting and trashtalking ensued. Would the pros break the format that has unrestricted mana accelerators...

by CynicalSquirrel
RG Survival is currently one of the top contenders in the blossoming Legacy format. It has the tools and recurring threats to beat control, the lifegain and creature advantage to beat aggro, and open sideboard options against combo. This article will give you a walking tour of the land of RG Survival, and also tell you why you should take it to your next Legacy tournament ...

Legacy, formerly known as 1.5, is one of the most wide-open formats in Magic. It is a format where almost any kind of deck can win a tournament, and where rogue decks and netdecks alike can compete. However, it is still a format trying to find its identity, and many players who are used to formats such as Type II may not be able to understand everything. This article is a guide to new players; It ...