http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/ RSS Feed of the latest MDV articles and content. 27 Aug 2008 02:31:00 CST en-us http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0447.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0447.htm 27 Aug 2008 02:30:00 CST Hey guys, and welcome to the column! I am the almighty Potatobrain, and it is my pleasure to invite you into my wonderful world of whacky deck building. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0446.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0446.htm 25 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST 8/25/08 - The Writers Guild of MDV is the external shell of the MDV forum: A collection of the greatest writers, deckbuilders, rule-checkers, and artists all in one place. And you want to join? http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_shards_of_alara.htm#082408 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_shards_of_alara.htm#082408 24 Aug 2008 12:00:00 CST 8/24/08 - Added five more card arts from Shards found on MTGS. Names include: Prince of Thralls, Druid of the Anima, Sedris, the Traitor King, Master of Etherium, Kresh the Bloodbraided and Sharuum the Hegemon. Also added some other art and product images that I was missing. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0334.htm#082408 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0334.htm#082408 24 Aug 2008 12:00:00 CST In this episode these concepts are pulled together into a discussion of card advantage, one of the most essential theoretical concepts for budding deck builders and players alike. ~Amadeus~ Discuss Here. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_masters_edition_2.htm#082108 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_masters_edition_2.htm#082108 22 Aug 2008 01:31:00 CST 8/22/08 - Magic Online will be getting another exclusive expansion set called Masters Edition II. I.E. You can only get these cards if you purchase them on Magic Online. As usual, MDV will attempt to keep up with the spoilers from www.wizards.com. You can see what we have so far here. If you want to check out the first Edition, go here. ~Streetz~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_shards_of_alara.htm#082108 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_shards_of_alara.htm#082108 22 Aug 2008 01:31:00 CST 8/22/08 - Added two cards and a LOT of images. Please enjoy the rumor season. Please know I will do my best to keep up with the rumor season given how busy I have been lately. Worst case, check out MDV's rumor mill. Or, better yet, become a part of the rumor mill and help out. Thanks for visiting MDV! ~Streetz~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/links_featured.htm#082108 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/links_featured.htm#082108 21 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST 8/21/08 - Four of the five links I'm posted for August 2008 have never been featured before on Magic Deck Vortex. The fifth link, however, you should recognize... and if you don't I would highly encourage your to check it out. You'll just have to read up on them a little more to see what I'm talking about... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0445.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0445.htm 20 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST 8/20/08 - Welcome all casual wanderers! Remember, of course, that not all who wander are lost. In fact, some of us make it a point to wander quite a bit. I'd like to talk today about a necessary mechanic found at, most likely, all kitchen tables. I'm talking about tutoring. When you're not buying booster boxes, or stopping by the card shop to pick up a playset of your favorite rares, alot of us are often found trying to play a deck with one copy(maybe two) of the best card we pulled out of the three or four(or one) booster packs we could afford this week. Many times we try to play with one card in a deck, only to remove it several games later out of frustration and a lack of consistency. Today I hope to lay out in front of you some excellent options to keep you playing those cards. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0444.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0444.htm 18 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST Did you miss me? Hmmph. What I really should be asking is ‘did you miss this series?’ I’ve had a number of people email me asking me when I’m going to pick this one back up and the answer is: NOW! I won’t be able to kick it into overdrive and finish off all of the sets in today’s article. I will, however, talk a little about Shadowmoor, a little about Eventide and a lot about the Onslaught block. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0307.htm#081408 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0307.htm#081408 15 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST 8/15/08 - Part Two adds to the basic foundation of Magic theory with a discussion of lineup theory. ~Amadeus~ Discuss Here. This is the second run for this article. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0443.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0443.htm 14 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST 8/14/08 - Join Drathro on his journey to feature the card Spiritmonger... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0442.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0442.htm 12 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST 8/12/08 - Luther: Damn that DBB; even in a budget contest he still manages to beat me down! I'll have to practice against a few people; but who... *Sound of cups being knocked over, coming from the direction of the water cooler….* Luther: You, new kid—ham! Come over here! Ham: Who, uh, me? Luther: Yes you; Daz has spent enough time away from the water cooler to actually be considered a crew member. You on the other hand... *blank stare from hamsandwich*... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0441.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0441.htm 11 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST At some point in the life of many spell slingers, there comes a realization that building decks that are flashy and fun to play is not always the same as building decks that are good. For some this spawns a desire to advance to an intermediate skill level of deck construction. Whether acquired intuitively through experience or by a deliberate effort to study the game, or often a little of both, this advance is characterized by an understanding of some of the foundational theoretical concepts of Magic: the Gathering.... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0301.htm#2 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0301.htm#2 8 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST At some point in the life of many spell slingers, there comes a realization that building decks that are flashy and fun to play is not always the same as building decks that are good. For some this spawns a desire to advance to an intermediate skill level of deck construction. Whether acquired intuitively through experience or by a deliberate effort to study the game, or often a little of both, this advance is characterized by an understanding of some of the foundational theoretical concepts of Magic: the Gathering.... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0440.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0440.htm 7 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST 8/7/08 - Warning: The opinions expressed in the following are those of the Author, and do not express Magic Deck Vortex in anyway. Here it is, the last set in the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block, Eventide. What new cards has Eventide brought us? Well I'm going to look at them in what I like to call. ~AlasterEisaroh~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0439.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0439.htm 6 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST Last week was First Impressions Week here at MDV, and like all the other articles from last week, this week I’ll be reviewing the latest set, Eventide, for your casual playing pleasure. Eventide has got some pretty amazing cards in it, and it’s got some uncommons that are definitely worth playing around. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0438.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0438.htm 1 Aug 2008 01:30:00 CST Article Pending.. .. .. .......... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0437.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0437.htm 31 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST Eventide, the follow-up to Shadowmoor and giving us several new things while repeating more of the same. Hybrids are now Enemy Paired, A new set of Demigods, more Lieges, and A few cards worth building a deck around. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0436.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0436.htm 30 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST So here we are, smack in the middle of First Impressions Week, getting geared up to take a look at our Green and artifact cards from Eventide. I can honestly say that after playing with Shadowmoor at my casual table I have become a fan of the hybrids and the seemingly disenfranchising of tribal cards. I felt like Lorwyn had us choosing a race or class and having to stick with those cards. Shadowmoor blew the doors wide open making tribes matter less, and colors matter more. So you can imagine my excitement (being a Simic man) when I first heard that Eventide would breach the enemy hybrids once again, possibly harking back to the days of the Ravnica block.... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0435.htm# http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0435.htm# 29 Jul 2008 09:30:00 CST Since I am not heading up this series this time around, Ryu made the executive decision (which also makes me duck and head for cover) to slap me with Black in addition to Red. Look, we all know that I hate Black. We all know that you guys hate it when I bash on Black. But we all have to face the facts of life. I win and you lose because you are reading my article! HA! *EHEM!!* Let’s start with Black and just get it out of the way. I’ll try not to be too rough on you guys. No promises though… http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0434.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0434.htm 28 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST The last time Wizards of the Coast made a set themed around "enemy" color pairings (colors opposite one another on the color wheel), it was a powerful set indeed. For instance, Apocalypse had cards like Vindicate, Pernicious Deed, Spectral Lynx, Desolation Angel and Spiritmonger. While that’s just naming a few, those are some powerful cards! So now that Eventide is officially spoiled thanks to the recent pre-release and last weekend's release events, I’m wondering as I’m sure you are too, will Eventide be a good set? Will it have as many or as powerful of cards as Apocalypse had? Will it be more Johnny orientated? Or will it even, gasp, be more casual minded than any other set before it? I hope to answer all of these questions, with a twist. While you’ll have to keep reading to find out that twist, I’ll be forward enough to tell you I’m feeling mono-white and mono-blue in First Impressions: Eventide!!! http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0433.htm# http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0433.htm# 26 Jul 2008 04:30:00 CST Welcome to another set of First Impressions! This time around we're looking at Eventide. Now there seems to be a bit of discussion on how bad Eventide is, and how little hope there seems to be with the set. Some are holding out until every last card just to be sure, and some have already packed their stuff and left! Maybe they're making a big deal out of it, we'll find out today! Eventide is the second set of the Shadowmoor block, and is expanding on the multi-color theme that we saw in Shadowmoor. With new creature types, and odd mechanics, what's to be expected of Eventide? http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0432.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0432.htm 23 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST 7/23/08 - I have a question for you. Do you like playing chess? Do you like to metagame? Perhaps you are just an instant gratification kind of person? If so, then we have a game for you, and it is called X Card Blind. Do yourself a favor, step inside and let me show you around this quick little game that will give you a different perspective of Magic and let you skip that whole boring part of the game. You know, the waiting around, building up resources to blow your opponent away part of the game. ~Chris Newton~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/links_featured.htm#72308 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/links_featured.htm#72308 23 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST 7/23/08 - Sorry about being late for July's featured links. This month we have three new sites that have never been featured and two sites that are well established and already well-known. Click on the link to read up on each of this month's links... ~Streetz~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0431.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0431.htm 21 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST 7/21/08 - Here it is… the Fourth and Final Round of the contest. There are a lot of people still alive and in the hunt. How badly do you want to win? You are going to have your chance, as you can score big points here in Round 4. Let’s get the show started! http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0430.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0430.htm 18 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST For everyone that remembers my previous writings for the site, you’ll remember that I’m a big fan of Limited Magic. Give me a booster draft over a T2 tournament any day of the week. Give me a cube draft over just about everything any day of the week. So when I saw this format being proposed over at MTG Salvation, I knew I had to write about it. Unfortunately I couldn’t get involved in the actual testing of it, but I hope writing about it brings it some popularity and more people willing to try it out. They call it Market Sealed. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/links_all.htm#071708 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/links_all.htm#071708 17 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST 7/17/08 - I went through every link on the ALL LINKS page and removed quite a few. It appears since I did this last (which was several years ago) there have been a number of sites that have died or became idle. Most notable losses include MiseTings, Londes.com and Fireshui. My heart saddens a bit for my fellow webmasters. In any events, enjoy the all links page. I've added a few new ones. ~Streetz~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0429.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0429.htm 16 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST We’re back to Nephilim this week, and now we’re going to be looking at the most interesting combat-oriented Nephilim, Glint-Eye Nephilim. It grows by discarding cards, and then draws you a card for each damage it does to your opponent. It’s clear that any deck using this creature is going to have to turn its obvious weakness into a strength. So, how do you cheat a discard? That’s simple: play the spell anyway! Glint Eastwood is ready to fight and is taking no prisoners in this week's Raiding the Dollar Bins! http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0428.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0428.htm 15 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST Welcome back, fellow spell casters, to the article series best known for using the cards that most of us don’t. If you haven’t read the first part of this two-part article, you can find it here. Last time we discussed the finer points of our friend the Cytoplast Manipulator, and explored a few ways to use and abuse her creature-stealing ability. We also covered a deck built with the troublesome Dovescape. Of course, I’m sure many of us were left wondering, “Well, what happened to this dragon in the title of the article? I mean, was it all a clever ruse to get us to read this drivel?” In response, I will just have to say, "Maybe." Well… no, we are going to do something dragon-like. But first, we’re going to dust off one of the bad boys of broken cards (cue theme music to Knight Rider): ... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0427.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0427.htm 14 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST 7/14/08 - Thanks can be offered to the guys who all did really well in round two. Why should you be thanking them? It is because of them (almost half of the players received perfect scores) that I have been forced to sit at the drawing board and figure out how exactly to increase the difficulty level of this competition. As I told them in the discussion forum, I have a plan; I always have a plan. It just so happened that I did not have a plan for this situation, but that does not mean that the creative evil genius that lives in my head doesn’t thrive on competition. You are going to have to step inside to see what is in store for you this week however. ~Chris Newton~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_eventide.htm#071308 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/VS_eventide.htm#071308 13 Jul 2008 02:30:00 CST I think that says it all. The images were made available on www.magicthegathering.com and after changing the file names for all 180 images, the spoiler is complete. Please enjoy MDV's Visual Spoilers! ~Streetz~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/visual_spoilers_lands.htm#071308 http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/visual_spoilers_lands.htm#071308 13 Jul 2008 02:30:00 CST 7/13/08 - Eventide only brings us six new lands -- five enemy color filters and one goat generating land capable of gaining life! I have updated the visual spoilers for lands accordingly. Please enjoy! ~Streetz~ http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0426.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0426.htm 11 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST It may sound a little odd to say, but I'm new to casual Magic. Having participated mainly in semi-competitive Standard and Legacy for quite some time, I find it fascinating here at MDV to be part of an entire sub-culture of MTG that loves alternate win conditions, theme decks, and White mana. I realized that, if other players have similar experiences to myself, it is likely that many casual players have friends who only play Standard and aren't really interested in playing their FNM deck against their friend's Spike deck from the Tempest block. So I set out to build some Standard decks that casual players might enjoy, while hopefully providing a moderate challenge for their more tournament-minded buddies. I also decided to include sample sideboards, because I know that there are folks who use them, even in casual settings... ~Drathro~ Discuss Here. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0425.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0425.htm 7 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST For this column, I like to have theme of what I’m going to talk about over the course of the article. For instance, last time was all about math, and the time before that was a tactical look at the game. While today’s variants do have a theme they follow, it is tough to put that theme into a one or two word description. So for now, I’ll describe it like this: every card in your deck serves a specific purpose. Yes, every card in a deck serves a specific purpose, but as you read on, you’ll see what I mean. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0101.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0101.htm 4 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST For this column, I like to have theme of what I’m going to talk about over the course of the article. For instance, last time was all about math, and the time before that was a tactical look at the game. While today’s variants do have a theme they follow, it is tough to put that theme into a one or two word description. So for now, I’ll describe it like this: every card in your deck serves a specific purpose. Yes, every card in a deck serves a specific purpose, but as you read on, you’ll see what I mean. http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0424.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0424.htm 3 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST 7/3/08 - At some point in the life of many spell slingers there comes a realization that building decks that are flashy and fun to play is not always the same as building decks that are good. For some this spawns a desire to advance to an intermediate skill level of deck construction. Whether acquired intuitively through experience or by a deliberate effort to study the game, or often a little of both, this advance is characterized by an understanding of some of the foundational theoretical concepts of Magic: the Gathering... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0423.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0423.htm 2 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST 7/2/08 - It would appear that the voting from the previous article has solidified the title for this series. Yup! That’s right, Uncommon and Common Magical Treasures is here to stay for the foreseeable future. I do apologize it has been several weeks since my last article in this series, but as I’m sure you can understand, things have been hectic. Magic is changing on a day-to-day basis, set sizes are getting smaller, Eventide is being spoiled more and more each day and I’m constantly trying to update more than just the articles portion of the site… phew! And that’s just to name a few... http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0422.htm http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0422.htm 1 Jul 2008 01:30:00 CST You’re surprised, I know it. I promised a few weeks of Nephilim fun for you, and now I’m not doing a Nephilim deck. To be honest, it’s more like postponing the Nephilim decks. So what’s keeping me from writing about Nephilim this week? Mechanics, that’s what and an email from a member of the MDV Forums. I’ve got some reader mail to get through, and I’ve got some decks that are going to be great for your pocketbook. Check out in this edition of Raiding the Dollar Bins!\