Juuudddgggeee!

By: Mark Young

Greetings all.

I hope that everyone had a good holiday and a great new year.

I thought that I would start 2013 with something a little lighter than what happens at Comp events.
Also, I would like some feedback from everyone as to what they would like to see me write about as
coming up with topics from the top of my head is a little difficult some times.

Any way, I thought we could look at a few areas where I know I made mistakes in my rules
interpretations in the past or areas that I regularly see players struggle with.

The first has to do with first strike.
When a creature with first strike is involved in combat, and additional step is created in which any
creatures with first strike will deal their combat damage before creatures that do not have first
strike.
Once this combat damage step happens, giving a creature first strike will do nothing as the first
strike damage phase is now over.
If a creature had double strike it will then get to deal damage in the normal combat damage step,
otherwise its’ part in combat is now done.
Secondly, if a creature with double strike kills its blocker in the first strike damage step, the creature
is still blocked and will deal no combat damage to the defending player unless said creature has
trample.

Marvelous Modern - The Great Transition From Standard

By: Dale Pon

Most of the Magic players reading this article are going to be Standard players, and thus it makes sense to write about how one would go about getting into Modern from a Standard player’s point of view.  I’ve already talked about the lands so I won’t talk any more about them.  In this article, instead of just listing which current Standard cards are staples in Modern and which aren’t, I will explain a little about how one should go about evaluating a card’s potential in Modern, as well as providing some examples.

 A good illustrative example in current Standard is Searing Spear.  In Standard, Searing Spear is the backbone of nearly any deck with red in it, and it’s usually a 4-of as well.  However take a look at any Modern deck with red and there’s not a single Searing Spear to be seen; why is this?  Well, if you only started playing from M12 onwards the answer might not be clear, but anyone playing longer than that will know of the infamous Lightning Bolt, which is strictly better than Searing Spear (for those unaware, the term “strictly better” is used to describe a particular card which is better than another card in almost every conceivable situation, which means it is usually cheaper for the same effect, or the same cost, but additional effects).


Thus, from the above example, a useful question to first ask about a Standard card is, “Is there a Modern-legal card that is strictly better than this card?”

Another point to consider is the speed and efficiency of a particular card and if it is fast enough for Modern.  Spells having a CMC of 4 or more need to be particularly powerful to be included in a Modern deck, and as a general rule of thumb, one never wants to have any Vanilla creatures (i.e. creatures with no abilities) in a deck.Standard staples such as Geist of Saint Traft, Snapcaster Mage, Restoration Angel, and more recently Thundermaw Hellkite have all found their way into Modern due their efficiency, (Geist of Saint Traft is one of the best 3 drops out there; Snappie is a 2/1 Flash for 2 mana and a relevant ability; Restoration Angel is an efficient and effective 4 drop, being a 3/4 flier with flash and the ability to flicker; and Thundermaw Hellkite, because, well he’s a giant 5 CMC 5/5 flying facebasher).  Deathrite Shaman is also now a well-entrenched Modern staple due to its incredible versatility and low mana cost; for 1 mana you get a 1/2 with 3 very relevant abilities

Getting to Know: Clint van Alten

On this edition of Getting to Know, I have the privilege of interviewing arguably the best limited mind in South Africa. Clint van Alten may not be a name that is familiar with some of our newer players but in my opinion he is easily the best drafter this country has ever seen. Let's see what the Limited Master has to say...

Tell us a bit about yourself (Occupation, hobbies anything of interest)?

Hi Keraan, thanks for the interview. I lecture at Wits University in the computer science department. I started playing Magic in Durban in 1996 and haven't stopped since. I lived in Chicago for two years and learned a lot from playing in some of the massive tournaments there. Since coming to Joburg I've drafted almost every week at Russel's Draft. I used to play lots of Standard at Outer Limits and all major events until I had kids - now I really only have time to Draft. So most of my favourite formats and favourite decks are a bit dated.

How long ago did you start playing magic the gathering and why?

I started just before Mirage came out - Fourth Edition and The Dark and Homelands were out. Some friends introduced me to the game. Initially, I played lots of multiplayer until I realised that was stupid and started playing at competitive events around Durban.

Marvelous Modern - Getting into It

By: Dale Pon
Last time I wrote an introduction to Modern, a basic overview and outline. So you may be sitting there thinking “This format sounds interesting and a lot of fun, but it doesn’t rotate, so it’s going to be rather expensive to actually get into”.

In the beginning, Modern requires a decent investment, however over time it works out cheaper than Standard, since in Standard each year you have to invest more when rotation comes round and cards cycle out.

In this article I begin explaining about how I’d recommend getting into Modern.

Marvelous Modern - The Dawn of a new “Eternal” Format

By: Dale Pon

For anyone who doesn’t know who I am, my name is Dale Pon, and I’m just an average Magic player with an avid interest in Modern.  Most of you have probably seen my name on the various Magic Facebook groups since I’ve been on an “academic sabbatical” and have had a fair amount of time to troll/post comments on the
group.

In light of the upcoming Modern PTQ as well as the introduction of Modern FNM’s there is an increased interest in Modern, and when I was asked to write an article introducing Modern I was rather keen, especially since I’ve been trying to convince many Standard players to start playing Modern for a while.

Modern is a very new addition to the constructed formats of Magic, only having been officially designated in August 2011, thus it hasn’t become exceptionally popular yet.  It comprises cards printed in the modern card frame from 8^th Edition onwards (including Time shifted cards), but excludes cards only reprinted in special sets such as Duel Decks, Premium Decks and From the Vault sets.  The full list can be found at http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrmodern. (Side note: One can use older versions of cards if they are Modern-legal, e.g. one can use an Alpha Lightning Bolt if they really want to).

The main idea of Modern is to bridge the gap of Legacy and Standard, since many Legacy staples (such as Force of Will, Wasteland and the original dual lands) are very expensive and quite difficult to get hold of; while Standard rotates and changes every year.  Thus you have Modern, which is a non-rotating format (i.e. cards that are Modern-legal will always be), and the staples are much easier to get hold, although a few are still rather expensive, such as Tarmogoyf and Dark Confidant (but this will hopefully change after the release of Modern Masters later this year).  Contrary to the popular belief of many Standard players, Modern is not a blazingly-fast format in which you lose on Turn 1 or 2 to some degenerate combo.  Since there is a substantially larger card pool than Standard, Combo is viable but usually takes at least until Turn 4 or 5. In addition, there are numerous ways to disrupt or even out race a Combo deck.

There are some people who are apprehensive to get into Modern due to the  regular additions to the banned list, but that is not likely to change significantlynow that the format has somewhat stabilised unless Wizards do something really stupid (like when they printed Mental Misstep) in future sets.

Since Modern is still a young format there is a lot of room for creativity and innovation, even though several decks are emerging as popular choices, such as Jund, Tron, and Affinity.

Ultimately, my goal is to try and promote Modern and get as many Magic players, particularly Standard players, into Modern since the Ravnica dual lands (aka Shocklands) are currently in Standard and are thus easy to get hold of.

In the future I may write more articles about Modern, looking at particular aspects more in-depth; but until then I hope you enjoyed reading.

References & Further Reading:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrmodern
http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Modern
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=427518

Principles for building a good Control Deck in Magic.

By: Sanjay Roopnah

I have been playing magic since the release of Urza's Legacy. I used to play quite a bit, but because of this thing called work, I only get to play at prereleases, a weekly draft and maybe FNM. I am a degenerate Control addict and will only play a control deck at constructed tournaments; if I ever play a non control deck, you can safely assume that aliens have abducted me and done 'bad' things to me. My love for control decks is so great that even my draft decks tend to sway towards control. Today, I will give beginners insight on how to build a good blue based control deck.

Getting to Know: Stefan Vesely

Tell us a bit about yourself (Occupation, hobbies anything of interest)? 

I'm an IT technician, married to a Asian and besides playing Magic Online, I play DOTA, HeroesOfNeweart and Starcraft 2.

How long ago did you start playing magic the gathering and why? 

I have been playing Magic since I was in grade 6. I started it cause the black cards looked cool!

Do you play MTGO? If so do you prefer online or paper play? 

I enjoy online as I am a father and my work is very taxing on my time...

What is your favourite Magic format? 

I love Modern, its amazing, interactive and I love doing crazy things with Magic cards!

What are your top 3 draft sets of all time? 

Ravnica, Innistrad, and although most people don't enjoy this I love Invasion.

Your thoughts on the current Standard/Modern/Legacy/Draft (Choose one)

I have been drafting a lot of the new Ravnica!! It's a very good set I love this set, it's very interactive and it's very difficult to find a good balance of aggression and suppression. My favourite colour combination is Black Red; It is aggressive and it has more tools that serve as removal and anti opponent, think Stab Wound.

What are your top 3 favourite cards of all time? 

Dominating Licid, Counterspell and for when I was new Giant Caterpillar.

If you were given the opportunity to design a card what would it be? 

"Volcanic Birds of Paradise" RG;
Flying, Haste,
"T":add "R" or "G" to your mana pool and Volcanic Birds of Paradise deals one damage to its controller.
2/1
(Niiice, KC)

What is your favourite deck of all time? 

Blue/White/Black Dump Truck.

In your opinion who are the best magic players/personalities in South Africa?  

I started competitive Magic just when team scrub was taking home all the PTQ titles; I envied the likes of Werner Coete and Richard Cheeseman, but they did the community many injustices, and I vowed never to be like that when I started winning. Just to give you a hint when you lost to them and you were feeling like you can’t break the ceiling, they would smash your confidence even more. They would make you feel like you played badly and they would make you feel like you needed to stop playing as you would never be that good (I was like that too for a little bit).

Although they didn't mean to be like this, I spoke and became friends with them later, I realized that they didn't know what they were doing.

...But there was another group of players and they were also good but when you lost to them they would shake your hand and say "well fought".

After I got better I realized that the skill gap between us Bloemies and the rest of South Africa was huge, not because we had bad players but because the card pool was tiny and the players with the best cards would build the best decks and win but it wasn't all on skill...

There was a player who helped me who made me see the light; His name was Keraan Chetty, I remember in the Mirrodin Block constructed he was playing a stock Tooth and Nail deck and I was playing a UG Crystal Shard deck, and after the game ended he said one thing that ultimately changed the way I approached tournament play. He said "Dude, that list is sick! I wish I had played it, you have skills! But you need to spend more time online... Thanks for the awesome game!"
This wasn't exactly what he said but it was the just of it, and I was blown away, I was no longer afraid to play magic seriously and I realized that fear is definitely the path to the dark side.

Keraan showed me that even though you are good you can forget to be nice to people about it... and that the internet is the one and only resource you really need to take your game to the next level... Soon after, I came second at a ptq and this top 8 streak would last for years until on Keraans home turf I would win a PTQ.

Best South African Player of all time? Well that's difficult, I like to think that for a time I was, Mike Nurse is definitely up there, Keraan himself makes magic look like poetry, Adam Katz takes technical play to the next level and hardly ever makes mistakes Craig Leach is a machine at numbers and there are many more honourable mentions... ZAF is a well of talent and we need to tap it and form a stronger community of Competitive players if we want to take it to the Pro tour, at the moment, there is no one who can play and be honestly serious... We need a few people to fill that role. (thanks your cheque will reach you by mail ED)

What are your magic accomplishments?

Five Second-place PTQ finishes; seven additional Top 8s, 5 PTQ wins in a row, Top-100 at a Pro Tour and forming a friendship with one of the best Hall of Fame players of all time Raph...
Can't forget most 2nd place finishes in the Beach house Cube draft Shenanigans!

You mention the beach house draft shenanigans, could you please elaborate on the setting and the events that unfolded? 

In June this year I was invited to the wmcq's in Durban and as it was my last official tournament of my offline career I wanted to have as much fun as possible... There were 6 people I knew who really wanted to go but were looking for a place to stay. Pierre Venter, one of my best friends has a house and I know I wanted to stay for at least a week. So I contacted two friends of mine from CT (Adam Katz and Craig Leach) and Keraan Chetty and offered them shared room accommodation. They were all keen and obviously no magic trip of mine is complete without my super ninja sidekick Seone "the chief"! So there we were 6 guys in a house playing magic for a whole week. I had a modern cube constructed and Craig bought 2 boxes of Avacyn Restored.

I decided that if I was going to eat and avoid the chore I hate the most that it would be strategic for me to do all the cooking, it was very difficult as we were missing my legendary spice rack and cooking on gas stoves... something that, even though I have many years of restaurant management behind me, I have never got the hang of... but it was still better than the effort any of the others could make...

We played many games of drafting with the cube, it is the most fun you can have playing magic and it also helps with your skill level too, we played roughly 50 cube drafts/sealed/rochesters and I or the team I played in came second in 90% of them, and that was an amazing feat considering we had 6 of the best players to play with us. It was awesome... Too bad I didn't get that much testing in, but I still had the best week of my magic career life...

There is just one question... Craig brought a giant box of Condoms... 6 men one house + condoms?? LOL

Speaking of condoms and blokes, is it true that you recently asked a bloke to be your date to your year-end party?

Yes, I asked the man of my dreams Keraan, to my yearend function at work…but he had other plans…baking, knitting or something like that. Hahaha kidding he had to hang with his girlfriend. (why on earth would anyone turn you down ED)

Most fun or memorable match played/Any epic story about a Magic game?

The firsts will always stick with me till I die,
The first time I played Magic, I built a red/green beat down deck, it had incinerates giant Caterpillar and a whole lot of burn and accel, man that deck was fun, I piloted it to a t16 finish in JHB Edenvale in my first tournament, no one told me that it was only new players and we couldn't play rares; I didn’t even know what rares were.

The first time I made a friend at magic, John William Lotriet, new school, new everything and I found the magic community.

The first time I went to JHB for a tournament, Icon 2001, Man this was the most crazy thing I had ever seen...

The first time I made long distance friends, Keraan, Werner, Cheese, Winslow and many more, made my trips awesome!

The first time I t8ed! what a rush, thank you Ravnica sealed and draft!!

First 2nd place finish, Krayola (Kaloyan Petkov), dude had a sick top deck at 1 life... was mad skillz!

First PTQ win, it was mid summer in Durban, the humidity was so crazy you could jump face first towards the ground and swim to a stop before you hit the ground, the air-cons weren't working and we wanted to play in the passage outside for the Top 8. The rules of the Varsity didn't allow us.
I had been piling hours and hours into Shards drafting and I realized that Jund was the guild of choice. Seone and I both had sick jund decks and I Remember passing my 4th jund charm as I had no creatures in my deck pack one... pack two I got 2 of those creatures that pump when other creatures die, I had a another few removal spells and 2 more pump creatures. The deck was almost constructed it had 3 Sprouting Thrinax's and 2 Bone Shards... Rueben Cronje had no chance in the finals with his 4/5 colour Cruel Ultimatum deck...

My first Pro Tour was amazing, Kyoto was freezing and between the rain and snow I couldn't get a dry pair of socks for days, but I knew that I had put enough hours into the constructed format the drafting day two is what really let me down... I made 2 mistakes that were really telling of my nerves, one I Played a Oblivion ring targeting a really bad creature and another one that ate me was trying to burn a faerie on 2 life when he had a bitter blossom in play... I should have waited with the burn in hand for something to happen, he was going to die anyway!

Have you ever considered quitting magic and if so what has kept you going?

The PTQ when I came second to Mr Krayola, was devastating at the time, coming sooo close to winning (1 life point) and falling short is not easy… I wrote to “ask the pro’ column of www.dailymtg.com that Raphael Levy was responding and he wrote something that took me to the Pro Tour…

he said, “if you come t8 and 2nd a lot but miss it then you are good enough to take it, unfortunately and fortunately magic is a game of luck and skill, sometimes the luck makes it difficult but it is also what we love about the game…don’t give up on your dream and play..” This isn’t exactly what he said but it was the just of it.

When I finally made it to the tour I thanked him and became his friend…so I’ll pass on that advice to you. If it is your dream then use it.

Any other things you want to add, just throw it in here. Funny stories, dos and don’ts etc.

Remember Magic is first and foremost fun, one Icon they were giving double prizes to any "mixed Gender" teams so we played around with that a bit and came in dresses and claimed 2 boxes of boosters over the weekend... Sure we were laughed at but it was loads of fun... Do what makes you feel good! Have fun!

I’ve heard a rumour that Seone has recently become a pimp and that you and Pierre are just a couple of his 'hos'? 

No no no, I'm the pimp and They be my Ho's!

The most important question of the lot…If the pimps are in the crib then what should you do?

Drop it like its hot…

Thanks,
Keraan