I know it has been a while since the last set of cast but with cards flooding into the M11 Visual Spoiler page on the mothership Mike and I got together, with a special guest appearance from the hirsute Steve Sadin, to discuss Conundrum Sphinx and his spoiled friends from M11. It was a fun set of ‘casts to record as the three of us have not done anything together in quite some time and there were plenty of exciting cards to discuss. Topics of discussion included the tournament worthiness of Sphinx of Jwar Isle, which cards will win the most money for the rest of the year, and which cards seem like they are being overrated (Hint: It rhymes with with Rhyme Dispersal).

Make sure to check the Visual Spoiler page and the various weekly columns for the rest of this week and next as more cards are revealed every day. And of course, don’t forget to make your plans for the M11 Prerelease in a little over a week.

Sphinx or Sub-Sphinx? Part 4

I know it has been a while since the last set of cast but with cards flooding into the M11 Visual Spoiler page on the mothership Mike and I got together, with a special guest appearance from the hirsute Steve Sadin, to discuss Conundrum Sphinx and his spoiled friends from M11. It was a fun set of ‘casts to record as the three of us have not done anything together in quite some time and there were plenty of exciting cards to discuss. Topics of discussion included the tournament worthiness of Sphinx of Jwar Isle, which cards will win the most money for the rest of the year, and which cards seem like they are being overrated (Hint: It rhymes with with Rhyme Dispersal).

Make sure to check the Visual Spoiler page and the various weekly columns for the rest of this week and next as more cards are revealed every day. And of course, don’t forget to make your plans for the M11 Prerelease in a little over a week.

Sphinx or Sub-Sphinx? Part 3

I know it has been a while since the last set of cast but with cards flooding into the M11 Visual Spoiler page on the mothership Mike and I got together, with a special guest appearance from the hirsute Steve Sadin, to discuss Conundrum Sphinx and his spoiled friends from M11. It was a fun set of ‘casts to record as the three of us have not done anything together in quite some time and there were plenty of exciting cards to discuss. Topics of discussion included the tournament worthiness of Sphinx of Jwar Isle, which cards will win the most money for the rest of the year, and which cards seem like they are being overrated (Hint: It rhymes with with Rhyme Dispersal).

Make sure to check the Visual Spoiler page and the various weekly columns for the rest of this week and next as more cards are revealed every day. And of course, don’t forget to make your plans for the M11 Prerelease in a little over a week.

Sphinx or Sub-Sphinx? Part 2

I know it has been a while since the last set of cast but with cards flooding into the M11 Visual Spoiler page on the mothership Mike and I got together, with a special guest appearance from the hirsute Steve Sadin, to discuss Conundrum Sphinx and his spoiled friends from M11. It was a fun set of ‘casts to record as the three of us have not done anything together in quite some time and there were plenty of exciting cards to discuss. Topics of discussion included the tournament worthiness of Sphinx of Jwar Isle, which cards will win the most money for the rest of the year, and which cards seem like they are being overrated (Hint: It rhymes with with Rhyme Dispersal).

Make sure to check the Visual Spoiler page and the various weekly columns for the rest of this week and next as more cards are revealed every day. And of course, don’t forget to make your plans for the M11 Prerelease in a little over a week.

Sphinx or Sub-Sphinx? Part 1

I made a post earlier this week on twitter via @top8games that  “I am amused by people who say “Tier 1 only, no red deck pls” in the Tournament Practice room.” I was trying to test out a PTQ winning decklist and as soon I would play Quest for the Pure Flame, Howling Mine, or Goblin Arsonist I could not get any “serious” players to stay in the game. I ended up hopping over to the 2-Man queues and picking up a virtual third of a box in pretty short order — call it collecting on Goblin insurance Money.

Goblin Insurance Money
Hugh Raynor — Winner
PTQ Amsterdam: Sydney 6/21/10

3 Howling Mine
4 Quest of the Pure Flame
1 Searing Blaze
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Burst Lightning
4 Staggershock
4 Forked Bolt
4 Hell’s Thunder
4 Goblin Arsonist
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Goblin Guide
16 Mountain
4 Teetering Peaks
Sideboard:
3 Mana Barbs
3 Unstable Footing
3 Mark of Mutiny
3 Punishing Fire
3 Earthquake

According to tournament organizer Lindsay Heming the finals — which saw Hugh facing off against the wildly popular Turboland deck — went something like this:

Hugh led off with Mountain and Goblin Arsonist. His opponent Martin played a land of his own. Hugh untapped and played another Arsonist, laid Quest for the Pure Flame and attacked for one. His opponent played land number two. Hugh topped off his Quest at four counters by playing Hellspark Elemental and attacking with all three creatures — his opponent fell to 14. The opponent played Explore and two lands and passed the turn. Hugh sacrificed the Quest, unearthed the Elemental and attacked for 10 and finished him off with a doubled Burst Lightning.

I did not get the play by play notation for game two but despite his opponent turboing out Jace and a sideboarded Pelakka Wurm the red deck was able to win easily.

I don’t know if Mike has actually mentioned this anywhere or not but both of us qualified for US Nationals this past weekend at the NYC Nats Qualifier run by Gray Matter Conventions. Top8Magic.com Mockvitational winner Christian Calcano also won a berth at the same event. All three of us were running very different decks with Mike running Grixis Hits, me running GerryT’s Naya Like-Saber, and Calcano running blue-white control. This set of podcasts include Mike and I talking during the early rounds of the tournament, a post-Top 8 migration to Shake Shack, and a post mortem by Mike and from Monday.

hNationals Q \’n Effin-A! Part Six

I don’t know if Mike has actually mentioned this anywhere or not but both of us qualified for US Nationals this past weekend at the NYC Nats Qualifier run by Gray Matter Conventions. Top8Magic.com Mockvitational winner Christian Calcano also won a berth at the same event. All three of us were running very different decks with Mike running Grixis Hits, me running GerryT’s Naya Like-Saber, and Calcano running blue-white control. This set of podcasts include Mike and I talking during the early rounds of the tournament, a post-Top 8 migration to Shake Shack, and a post mortem by Mike and from Monday.

I don’t know if Mike has actually mentioned this anywhere or not but both of us qualified for US Nationals this past weekend at the NYC Nats Qualifier run by Gray Matter Conventions. Top8Magic.com Mockvitational winner Christian Calcano also won a berth at the same event. All three of us were running very different decks with Mike running Grixis Hits, me running GerryT’s Naya Like-Saber, and Calcano running blue-white control. This set of podcasts include Mike and I talking during the early rounds of the tournament, a post-Top 8 migration to Shake Shack, and a post mortem by Mike and from Monday.

I don’t know if Mike has actually mentioned this anywhere or not but both of us qualified for US Nationals this past weekend at the NYC Nats Qualifier run by Gray Matter Conventions. Top8Magic.com Mockvitational winner Christian Calcano also won a berth at the same event. All three of us were running very different decks with Mike running Grixis Hits, me running GerryT’s Naya Like-Saber, and Calcano running blue-white control. This set of podcasts include Mike and I talking during the early rounds of the tournament, a post-Top 8 migration to Shake Shack, and a post mortem by Mike and from Monday.

Nationals Q \’n Effin-A! Part Three

Here is the deck Calcano played:

Good ol Blue White Control

1  Arid Mesa
4  Celestial Colonnade
4  Glacial Fortress
5  Island
7  Plains
1  Scalding Tarn
2  Sejiri Refuge
2  Tectonic Edge
4  Baneslayer Angel
4  Wall of Omens
2  Day of Judgment
1  Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3  Everflowing Chalice
1  Gideon Jura
3  Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1  Martial Coup
3  Mind Spring
2  Negate
3  Oblivion Ring
3  Path to Exile
4  Spreading Seas

Sideboard:

2  Cancel
2  Celestial Purge
2  Flashfreeze
4  Kor Firewalker
1  Kor Sanctifiers
2  Negate
1  Oblivion Ring
1  Path to Exile

I don’t know if Mike has actually mentioned this anywhere or not but both of us qualified for US Nationals this past weekend at the NYC Nats Qualifier run by Gray Matter Conventions. Top8Magic.com Mockvitational winner Christian Calcano also won a berth at the same event. All three of us were running very different decks with Mike running Grixis Hits, me running GerryT’s Naya Like-Saber, and Calcano running blue-white control. This set of podcasts include Mike and I talking during the early rounds of the tournament, a post-Top 8 migration to Shake Shack, and a post mortem by Mike and from Monday.

Nationals Q \’n Effin-A! Part Two