Thoughts on M2010

So this morning I thought it might be a good idea to write a bit about the upcoming “core set”, Magic 2010, while its still largely in the realm of speculation rather than absolute. So far we’ve only heard rumors, so it’s a good time to weigh in before things become a bit more defined.

 

FNM Card for June

Hey, found a picture. Mise well post it.

 

I liked it better when it was grinning at me.

Under the Hood: Sarkhan Vol

Hello there, welcome to an “Under the Hood” entry! The idea here is to discuss a single card, look at some of the design strategies that went into it, and then talk about how it fits into the game. I’ll finish things off with a decklist. Sound good? Good! 

This first installment is going to be about the most aggro-oriented planeswalker to date, good ‘ol Sarkhan Vol.

 

Redefining the Metagame

In the tournament world, the “metagame” refers to the relationships various decks in the format have to each other. It is a well-explored term that now carries a concrete meaning within the game of Magic. That said, the meaning of the word itself is extremely valuable, and personally I believe it can also be used in a design context.

Expected Value in Multiplayer

It’s a busy first day. I want to start this thing with a nice burst of content so people can get an idea of what sort of entries they can expect. I have some other stuff in mind too, but the sort of stuff I posted today should be my bread and butter. That said, time to get to some discussion.

Tournament (or two player) Magic is, by necessity, a zero-sum game. For every winner of a match, a loser is also produced. Pretty obvious. Multiplayer, however, is negative sum- every winner produces multiple losers. Going into a multiplayer game, then, a player ought to expect to lose.

Abe Sargent is a Petulant Child, part 1

I figured the best way to start this thing off is to do it in style: a clean shot across the bow of one of the writers I used to respect but have sadly began to loathe over time. I’m speaking, of course, of Abe Sargent, SCG’s resident casual “expert.” We all know he is an expert because he informs of us of this in a laboriously written paragraph at the beginning of each of his weekly ravings.

Hello world!

…an auspicious start. I suppose I’ll begin with a mission statement. The purpose of this blog is to discuss my (oh-so-important) opinions on Magic: The Gathering. I plan on splitting my entries between casual and design discussion, as well as offering commentary (read: trolling) on articles posted from the Mothership, SCG and other Magic blogs and sites. Hope it will be fun!