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…However, two mana and two cards for one Shock is a terrible deal, and three mana and three cards for…

It’s the greatest trick in the book. How the hell do writers put together a set analysis when they probably haven’t even physically seen half the cards, let alone played with them? With just four days to go, Rich Hagon gives you all the tools you need to fully understand your Lorwyn spoiler. Find out the Magic behind the Magic, and let the Noetic Scales drop from your eyes. You’ll never look at a Spoiler the same way again!

…for 2 damage with some kind of bonus (Sudden Shock) <br> 2 mana for 3 damage is seriously good (Incinerate…

…and I serve for a while until he plays Shock Troops, which kills my bouncer, I think, but by then…

…Vents is one of my favorite arts for the shock land, and this simple but gorgeous extension makes me quite…

Today’s So Many Insane Plays concentrates on two things. The first is a thorough breakdown of the Bring Your Own Standard format, played at this year’s Invitational. If Mark Rosewater has his way, this could be coming to a sanctioned tournament near you! Second, Stephen takes us through the rest of his Invitational experience, including the long awaited Vintage portion…

…of them? The Counterbalance flip revealed Isamaru, countering the Shock and the game was mine. While we rebuilt our hands…

Learning a Limited format on the fly, AJ analyzes his San Diego performance with a student’s perspective. If you’re interested in improving your Innistrad skills for a St. Louis Draft Open, class is in session!

…to kill him outright while he chains flashbackers to shock me to death. So, I draw a land and back…

This was originally 15,000 words, was based on the MTGNews spoiler and was submitted way back before the prerelease, but that was the straw that broke Knut’s back. He put up some of my other articles first, then got so sick of set reviews he begged a rewrite. A shorter rewrite. Much shorter. So I combined and rewrote it, and cut anything already said by others. I’m also looking at the set from a multiplayer / casual standpoint, and I’m skipping anything that is not new and interesting for that format. That keeps it short.

…This is better than a Shock, but not be better than Incinerate. That said, Magma Jet would be cool on…

…Azure Drake<br> 1 Argent Commander<br> 2 Earth Shock<br> 2 Lightning Bolt<br> 2 Rockbiter Weapon<br> 2…

…Kamigawa standard had a critical number of two, owing to Shock being the one mana removal of choice, which is…

…More damaging than a shock land and faster than Temple of the False God, but often times, so worth the…

Last week, Stephen took us through an entire Type Four draft, and highlighted the difficult decisions made in this most frenetic of formats. This week’s follow up article takes us through the entire game, play by play and chat by chat, with some of the most powerful cards in the history of the game being thrown about left, right, and center. If you’re looking for something a little different, then this is the format for you!

…because of that.” DOUG: “Chaos Orb?” Everyone is in shock! Steve: (Pointing at Bomholt and Paul) “You can’t move…

Teddy Card Game continues his overview of the Time Spiral cards for Constructed play. Monday was White, Tuesday was Blue… and Wednesday brings the Black cards under the spotlight. Is Sengir Nosferatu direct competition for Skeletal Vampire? Will Smallpox be big? And how do you pronounce Phthisis? Click here to find out! [Time Spiral Constructed Review, Part I: White] [Time Spiral Constructed Review, Part II: Blue]

…land.<br> *“Great losses often bring only a numb shock. To truly plunge a victim into misery, you must overwhelm…

Monday, June 14th – M111 is fast approaching, and Patrick Chapin is prepared! Today, he takes a look at a selection of common and uncommon cards spoiled thus far, both new stock and reprint, and suggests how the various formats may look when the new Core Set arrives! [Warning: M11 Spoilers!]

…If you try to kill him, he gets a free Shock in. Even if you have the board totally locked…

…I stand there a moment, frozen from shock, from the ache of broken trust. . .but then my staff pulses in…

…time that Keldon 'all your creatures gain the ability ' Shock Troops'' Necropolis will be mentioned in this report) . Round 4…

…They make fantastic shock troops, some of the best in your army. Don’t forget to support them, though, otherwise…

…Maybe it's the shock of the hit, maybe it was me putting him in his place, but his flames…

The discussion is deeper than anyone has talked about. In fact, it relates directly to the advancement of knowledge for our game. And aside from Ben Bleiweiss complaining to me over AIM, nobody else is discussing it. So it looks like it’s up to me to eat the parfait, and explain why not having decklists for every deck played at a Grand Prix or Pro Tour is the biggest problem in the game today .

…Osyp did have a deck containing a Sparksmith, a Shock, a Solar Blast, a Lightning Rift, *and* a Starstorm and…

…3 mana is too much to pay for a Shock when the back half costs a whopping 6 mana in…

In today’s installment of The Magic University, I’m going to take a look at card quality, a concept that is inherently understood by most Magic players, but one that is rarely examined in detail. I’m also going to take a look at a couple of the cards from Fifth Dawn that made Ben Bleiweiss say,”I think we may have the new Urza’s Block on our hands.”

…It isn’t just applied to creatures, it is also frequently applied to burn spells (Shock vs. Volcanic Hammer), removal…

…been found by a hunting party, wandering around in shock after having seen Sea Gate. They had come from Akoum…

Join Rich Hagon as he gives you all the tools for Sealed play that you need to have Conversations With Your Deck. Marvel as such household favourites as Basal Sliver, Skulking Knight, Drudge Reavers and Angel’s Grace come alive before your disbelieving eyes. Soon you too can be mumbling into your beard, and heading for the asylum. All the world’s a stage!

…This might come as a Shock to you, but that’s what you might turn out to be, a two…

Chas Andres spends the day discussing the casual card market’s fluctuations with annual supplemental set releases and where he thinks the market on these new Commander cards is going!

…All the Khans of Tarkir cards are dropping–not a shock–but M15 and<br> Theros Block cards are also…

Scrubdom forever, or a true start to a tourney career? The choice was mine, and I made it. I vowed to, yes, finally claw my way up, to make some kind of showing at a real tournament. I swore to emerge from my warm and snuggly prerelease cocoon and stretch my damp little wings in the cold and unforgiving world of PTQs, GPTs, MREs, etc. This article series will detail my antics and hi-jinks along the way, and, if you’re lucky, maybe even an honest-to-God caper .

…But we can always keep that big bubble of a sports arena in sight, and like a noob playing Shock…

June 25th: Beyond Dominia finally dies – not with a bang, but with a whimper. July 8th: Oscar Tan goes bang.

…We were never made privy to the details, and imagine my shock when I found out – from others – that he…

Watching at home to get a full view of what happened at #SCGCHI through the coverage and results, Ari takes a round-by-round look as the Week One Magic Origins Standard metagame develops.

…Ted winning is a real shock to me. There’s so many cards lining up poorly just among the ones…

…if exposure to this odd predicament is enough to shock these two into improving their weakest areas, they might *both…

…with anything from a Slaughter Pact to a Sudden Shock. For that reason I tend to make my early plays…

Season 2008 is upon us, so now’s the time to bid farewell to 2007 with an Award ceremony featuring the contenders and winners of such need-to-know categories as the Fall From Grace, the Redemption award, the Country on the Decline, Match of the Year, the Most Fashionable Player, and over a dozen more. So put on your dinner jacket, or get your ballgown dusted down for the star-studded event of the year.

…And of course it’s partly about the Magic, whether it be for catastrophic misplays, unheard of shock results, yet…

…been found by a hunting party, wandering around in shock after having seen Sea Gate. They had come from Akoum…

It’s probably no surprise that I felt that Bonesplitter needed to be in here. Nothing says”aggressive” like a spell that gives +2/+0 and keeps on giving even after the creature dies. I also wanted something cheap to stop other creatures. Pacifism had been my spell of choice ever since those impotent, slack-jawed cretins in R&D decided to drop Reprisal from 8th Edition. Why did you do that? Why? Why, dear, God, oh, why? What Rhodes Scholar decided that a White spell that costs 1W and only blows up creatures that are really big was too good? I’m sorry, what were we talking about?

…However, a Shock would have meant the Slith could keep pounding. In addition, if she got a Blistering Firecat out…

…their strength and skill, or even lash out with shock waves of sonic power. Mardu chiefs trace this tradition back…

Craig “The Professor” Jones originally submitted this article, covering his experiences at the Coldsnap prerelease, some time ago. We present it now, updated with new thoughts on the Coldsnap Limited format, as a fine tool for those entering the MTGO Coldsnap Release Leagues. Prof also shares some Coldsnap Draft stories with his usual humorous style. If you’ve not read any Craig Jones before, you’re in for a treat!

…with the high price of staples such as the shock lands. The Viper has obvious Constructed applications and is the…

…Captain …” Sami whirls in shock. Something terrible has happened. Tannuk's armor is cracked and burnt. Huge spines of black…

It’s time I put my own spin on the whole “look at the new cards” thing. Hey, I was right about The Patriots not winning The Super Bowl this year. I could be right about some cards, too. Because I love you guys so much, I’m not going to be cheesy and do this in six parts. Because I love you, you get all of Guildpact at once. You’re welcome.

…Turn two, you drop a Mountain, Shock your opponent, and drop this guy as a 3/3. Okay, he’s…

I’m tired of people giving diluted, hackneyed set reviews every time there’s a new release. A lot of players try rating cards in both Limited and Constructed, but it ends up diluting their valuations. Others attempt to rate each and every card in the set. My approach is more holistic: I have no ratings at all. Instead, I’m going to talk about the cards that will see Constructed play (sorry guys, no Limited strategy here), or that have potential to see Constructed play in the not-too-distant future. I’m gonna throw out some thoughts and ideas, and I’d like to hear what you have to say about these cards!

…Suddenly White Knights become 4/4 First Strikers against Shock, or Savannah Lions lives as a slightly larger kitty after…

…4 Lightning Strike 4 Razorkin Needlehead 1 Shock 4 Burnout Bashtronaut 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Burst Lightning 18 Mountain 4…

…Pia and Chandra alike both stare at her in shock. *You owe me, Nalaar.* That's what Spitfire would say…

It’s been three weeks of 150 cards from the uncommon and common sections of Magicdom. Today we count down the Top 50 cards remaining. The previous 150 were all at approximately the same level, but today’s cards are going to be in the form of a countdown, taking you all the way to number one. [Editor’s Note — 200 Articles! Nice work, Abe!]

…Red can then supplement this removal with its own burn, such as Shock or Bloodfire Kavu. Even a crappy Rod…

Monday, December 20th – How can you be a hero in the Standard format? Patrick Chapin feels it’s time for you to step up and find the fringe strategies to take down the powerhouses in Standard, as laid out in this article.

…Preordain - Lightning Bolt Sleight of Hand – Shock Serum Visions - Rift Bolt Ponder - Flame Slash (though alternatively, you might think of…

…With a body that ignores Pyrite Spellbomb, one Lightning Rift hit, Shock and Terror, you are given a clock that…

Most people have some idea of what signalling is, but nearly everyone thinks they are bad at it. But on the plus side, it’s one of those areas that you can claim to be bad and still sound good. By acknowledging you are bad at signalling, you are basically saying,”Okay, I suck – but at least I suck at something very cool and mysterious, while the rest of you are busy sucking at ordinary things.” But how do we signal? I looked at four drafts I did, and asked people what colors they had actually wanted me to play, and what the people I had signalled actually did play, all in order to see how it’s done.

…Although a first-pick Visara makes it worth fighting tooth and nail for black, a first pick Shock, Pacifism or…

…throughout the system and a chaos of propagating ion shock fronts expected to continue for several thousand to tens of…

…She opened her eyes and saw Josu recoiling from her, his shrunken face twisted in shock. She stretched her hands…

…Red can either shock twice or make two Spark Elementals as a way to just break everything and be angry…

On Wednesday, Jeff brought us the first part of what promises to be an excellent report, detailing his experiences at the 2006 Magic Invitational. Today’s installment continues where he left off, and heads into the tournament proper. Another fantastic read, from a master of the written word. Experience the highs and lows of top-level play, as ffeJ shares his memories from the Magical journey… [Get Big or Die Trying: The 2006 Magic Invitational (Part 1)]

…I can’t believe my mistake, but don’t slow down while I’m in shock. I play the Viashino…

…The shock of my own birth. Depala's scream as I accidentally killed her beloved pet. My firm losing more…

Of all the decks in Standard today, I personally feel that Dredge is the most difficult to design correctly. This mainly stems from the fact that each matchup plays completely differently, and you must know your most effective gameplan against each deck. Certain cards are MVPs in certain matchups, and it’s not always clear why until you have logged many games. I see a lot of play mistakes, even in premiere event Top 8 replays. Knowing the matchups inside and out is key.

…Seal of Fire and Shock may not be so hot against Loxodon Hierarchs, but they are solid against us. Some…

…Assault / Battery – A Sorcery Shock justifies the second ability of making a 3/3 creature for 4 mana, sure. While…

Sean McKeown sets out to construct a Doran, the Siege Tower Commander deck using the pieces given to him by reader Mike. Submit your own deck to Sean for a chance to win $20 in store credit.

…heavy on the price tag for you and sticker shock should not be as huge of an<br> issue—there…