5/29/11 - PT Philadelphia Qualifier Top 8 Deck Lists (Click to Comment)

Posted on June 1, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, A Skeptic's Perspective, Grand Prix, Trading Card Games, MTG

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Trading Up - I'm a Hustler :D (Click to Comment)

Posted on May 31, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, FNM, Trading Card Games, Trading Up, MTG

Trading Up - I'm a hustler :D

 

Hi everyone! I have two really good Pack to Power trades for you today and some good stock tips for cards to pick up. Let's starts with my favorite addition to my mono blue EDH deck...

 

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur!

 

 

My:
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur $2.49

Their:
Divine Offering (Foil) $1.99
Memoricide $1.49
Day of Judgment $2.49

Profit/Loss:
+$3.48

There are some people that love mythics even though they hurt the game. Some people will give you premium value on mythic rares because they are different and special compared to regular rares. I love those people! One thing to look out for is these kind of people usually don't value their playable foils very highly. Divine Offering is HOT right now and I knew I could move it for way more than it's worth. I'm a hustler, what can I say? :D

My:
Divine Offering (Foil) $1.99

Their:
Mental Misstep $3.99

Profit/Loss:
+$2.00

This trade is straight up value for me. I knew when I acquired the foil Divine Offering that there would be someone that very day that would want it for the price I was asking ($5). The great thing here is that Mental Misstep can be traded as high as $7! 

Good Pick Ups:

Mental Misstep
I said above that this card is hot and that is the truest statement about Magic you can make right now. You can trade for these at $4 and trade them away at $6 or $7 easily. Blue Legacy decks need this card and you can capitalize on that.

Phyrexian Obliterator
Caleb Durwald's Legacy deck list with this card is nuts! Look that up if you haven't seen it yet. He can power it out on turn one or two with Chrome Mox and Dark Ritual. That's a 5/5 nearly unblockable creature on the first turn of the game. Mental Misstep that! :-P If you can pick these up between $15 and $18 then trade them at $25. This is a case where the price has been burned into people's minds from the pre-order price. It will be another month or two before people really know what they are worth.
 
Batterskull
Earlier this week I traded a Batterskull for 3 Zenidikar fetchlands. The people that want this card are fine with giving you as much as $30 in trade. The people that don't want this card can ship it as low as $15. I bought one at a store for $15 last Monday. No discount. No store credit. This card can be low balled if they don't see the value in playing Stoneforge Mystic right now.

 

Thanks and see you next week!
Brian Ruble

Iflyforsj@aol.com

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Trading Up - Catch Up Time (Click to Comment)

Posted on May 23, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, Grand Prix, FNM, Trading Card Games, Trading Up

 

Trading up - Catch Up Time

 

Hi everyone! This week I am going to catch up on what I didn't put up last week in my Pack to Power trades. Here it is...

 

 

My:

Elspeth Tirel $9.49

 

Their:

Green Sun's Zenith $5.89

Emeria, the Sky Ruin $1.59

Jace Beleren $9.49

 

Profit/Loss:

+$7.48

 

There are still a ton of people that overvalue Elspeth and I love it! Since Jace is rotating (possibly) people tend to undervalue him, as well. At the same time, Jace Beleren is played in UB Poison and some Caw Blade variants so it has appeal to tournament players. [Due to images from Magic 2012, we know that a Jace card is being reprinted. -Chris]

 

 

 

My:

Sword of Body and Mind $11.99

 

Their:

Inkmoth Nexus $9.49

Deceiver Exarch $0.24

Chancellor of the Tangle $0.89

 

Profit/Loss:

-$1.37

 

This trade wasn't completely even for me, but I know I can move the Chancellor of the Tangle and Deceiver Exarch at $2 each. I use it below to gain some value with a Jace Beleren. A lot of value trading is knowing who you can trade, what people want, and what people think cards are valued at. It can be mentally strenuous sometimes, but once you get going the habits are formed and you don't have to map as many things out anymore. Practice makes perfect.  :) 

 

 

My:

Jace Beleren $9.49

Deceiver Exarch $0.24

 

Their:

Skithyrx, the Blight Dragon (Japanese) $???

 

Profit/Loss:

+$

 

I went for the Japanese Skithyrx in this one because I have a guy that I know is trying to pimp out UB Poison at my home shop. I know he would want this and he has things I want as well. Marketing 101 says know your market and this is knowing it and using it to my advantage. My trade partner for this one didn't want to to do it for Jace straight up, so I offered aa throw in.  He looked at the Deceiver Exarch and I became a salesman. I told him about the Splinter twin combo and he was sold. I've been teaching Martial Arts and selling programs since I was 17, so it was natural to explain the benefits of him getting that card.

 

 

My: 

2 Inkmoth Nexus $18.98

 

Their:

2 Verdant Catacombs $23.58

 

Profit/Loss:

+$4.60

 

I traded a Verdant Catacombs for an Inkmoth Nexus a couple weeks ago and wasn't too happy to do this trade, but he wanted both the Nexi and I didn't have a solid reason not to do this trade. I did say that Inkmoth Nexus was going to go up, but it hasn't been moving too quickly, so I decided to eat my words a little. You have to admit when you are wrong, I guess... 

 

 

My:

2 Darkslick Shores $11.58  

 

Their:

Dark Ritual (Beta) [played] $14.99??

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur $2.49

 

Profit/Loss:

+$5.90

 

This is my favorite pack to power trade so far! I love Beta commons and uncommons and I love gaining value. This captured both at the same time. Once again, I gained value on a trade by not setting values for each card. I asked what value they wanted the Darkslick Shores at and they said 5 each. I then asked for the Dark Ritual and Jin-Gitaxias and he agreed. I am a big supporter of not setting values for each individual card in trades because people either do math wrong in their head or missvalue cards. I agree this can work against you sometimes if people overvalue their cards, but if it starts to go that direction then you can start asking about values and set things straight with solid reasoning for said values . 

 

The thing to take away from this week's trade examples are:

 

• Know your market
• Don't be afraid to lose value
• Don't value your cards all the time

Thanks and see you next week!

Brian Ruble

Iflyforsj@aol.com

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Must-Have New Phyrexia Cards for Limited by Daniel DeSantis (Click to Comment)

Posted on May 11, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, FNM, Trading Card Games, MTG

With the release and Launch Party of New Phyrexia happening soon, it is vital to assemble a strategy for yourself in order to do well. Some people go over the set personally, others run simulations online in order to prepare themselves. Typically what I like to do is to make a list of the commons and uncommons that would belong to each color that would be advantageous in the sealed format. Orienting yourself with what cards are in the set if one of the best ways to better yourself in the limited format. Unfortunately many people don’t have the spare time to analyze what cards would be best to pick. Fortunately for these people, I have ample time to list some cards of each color that need to be in your sealed deck. Not only will I give hints to what cards to run, but in the end of this blog I’ll share my own strategy for the events. So without further ado, let’s start in on the list.

White:

Auriok Survivors- Great mid-late game bomb if your running equipment, which you should.

Cathedral Membrane- A one mana wall for any color that trades with their largest creature, sounds good to me.

Dispatch- Just because chances are if you’re playing a limited event in this set you should have metal craft, even if you don’t, fine card.

Suture Priest- No better format for this guy, with all the creatures needing to be played in every deck, this card alone could kill your opponent.

Forced Worship- Imprison their best guy, If they play a better one, return it and imprison that creature, amazing card.

Inquisitor Exarch- A 2/2 for two mana with a great ability, what’s not to like?

Lost Leonin- A cheap 2/1 infect creature that can be used to either make their guy smaller, or poison out your opponent.

Porcelain Legionnaire- 3/1 first strike for two colorless mana and 2 life, gives a great early game advantage.

Remember the Fallen- With a limited number of resources in your deck filling up your hand late game with this card is devastating.


Blue:

Arm with Æther- Take advantage of your opponent’s over extension and demolish their field.

Blighted Agent- Unblockable infect? Now that’s just cheating.

Chained Throatseeker- These being uncommon is ridiculous, if your running blue and going the infect route, load your deck with these and kill your opponent in two turns.

Corrupted Resolve- A pseudo Counterspell if your opponent is infected, and there is a good chance they will be.

Impaler Shrike- In my opinion this is the best card for blue to get. This guy is cheat to play, has evasion, and draws you three cards.

Psychic Barrier- This is a creature heavy format, so why not counter their best creature AND hurt them in the process.

Tezzeret's Gambit- When isn’t drawing cards good?

Viral Drake- 1/4 flying infect will slowly whither down your opponent’s creatures all while proliferating the poison counters it gives out.

Wing Splicer- Four mana for a 3/3 flyer and a 1/1 gives both a great threat and board advantage.


Black:

Blind Zealot- a 2/2 beater that if you need to will destroy their largest creature.

Despise- Strip their hand for one mana, I dig it.

Dismember- Cheap removal to use when you need it.

Entomber Exarch- 2/2 that either fills your hand or wrecks your opponent’s.

Mortis Dogs- Decent sized creature that deals the combat damage even if it dies.

Parasitic Implant- Gets rid of any creature you need gone, if you need removal, this will do the trick.

Toxic Nim- Once out on the field, your opponent wont attack with anything that this can block.

Geth's Verdict- Instant speed creature removal for 2, I like it.


Red:

Artillerize- A common that takes away five life for cheap!

Fallen Ferromancer- An infect pinger, enough said.

Furnace Scamp- Four Damage turn 2, enough said.

Gut Shot- Early game removal or late game burn? You decide.

Ogre Menial- A wall that breathes poison.

Priest of Urabrask- Essentially a free 2/1, why not?

Rage Extractor- There is so much phyrexian mana in this set that this can easily kill your opponent.

Tormentor Exarch- Kill a creature or swing for extra, your choice.

Volt Charge- Cheap instant burn and proliferation, love it.

Vulshok Refugee- 3/ 2 for three mana, that has protection from a color, great card.


Green:

Beast Within- Destroy their larger threat, or at the end of their turn transform an unneeded land of yours into a beater.

Death-Hood Cobra- a 2/ 2 for two with amazing abilities.

Glissa's Scorn- Cheap artifact destruction is a must-have in this set.

Glistener Elf- Get in there.

Leeching Bite- Kill a Creature, pump a creature.

Mutagenic Growth- Hurts you, but will hurt them more :D

Triumph of the Hordes- Woah, just about an instant win!

Vital Splicer- The 3/3 it pumps out is NOT going away.


Artifacts:

Immolating Souleater- The card is amazing if your running red.

Hovermyr- Cheap flying guy that doesn’t tap to attack, best when equipped.

Darksteel Relic- Just Kidding.

Isolation Cell- One slows your opponent significantly, two kills them.

Kiln Walker- basically a colorless 3/ 3 for three, good filler.

Mycosynth Wellspring- Thin your deck, fix your land.

Shrine of Loyal Legions- If your running white, this can overwhelm any opponent.

Shrine of Burning Rage- Your already burning them, why not add injury to…erm… well.. injury.

Sickleslicer- It’s a weapon that lives! : P

Trespassing Souleater- 2/ 2 unblock able for three mana, amazing!

Now that everything is properly covered, you should now be well acquainted for the new set and you are now ready to kick butt in the release/pre-release events. What will my strategy be you ask? Well if able I’m going to be packing serious heat, burn that is! This set has so much phyrexian mana that your opponent will be burning themselves and direct damage is the best strategy, but of course my strategy will vary depending on what is in my pack. One thing is for sure though, I will be prepared.

Keep having fun Magic enthusiasts I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

-Dan De Santis

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Trading Up - Ship 'Em by Brian Ruble (Click to Comment)

Posted on May 6, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, FNM, Trading Card Games, Trading Up, MTG

 

Trading Up - Ship 'Em!

 

 

Hi everyone! 

 

Here's the latest from my Pack to Power..

 

 

My: 

Verdant Catacombs ($11.99)

Their:

Inkmoth Nexus ($9.89)

Profit/Loss:

-$2.10

 

 

My:

2 Sun Titan [promo] ($9.58)

Their:

2 Darkslick Shores ($6.98)

Profit/Loss:

-$2.60

 

 

 

My:

Verdant Catacombs ($11.99)

Their:

Phyrexian Crusader ($5.99)

Black Sun's Zenith ($3.99)

Profit/Loss:

-$2.01

 

I didn't mind losing some value this week as I am gaining longevity. Inkmoth Nexus is going to demand $12 - $15 in trades and Phyrexian Crusader will be a Constructed power house very soon and I plan to capitalize on that. Infect will only get better with New Phyrexia, Inistrad, and the next Standard rotation. I have no doubt in my mind that I can get $6 in trade for the Darkslick Shores, plus I was happy to get rid of the Sun Titans before people started planning out what they would build post New Phyrexia. I doubt it will include any titans except Inferno Titan. Watch out for RDW because it will be really good.

 

Good Pick Ups:

Goblin Guide

Moltensteel Dragon

Urabrask the Hidden

Dismember

 

Red Deck Wins will be very good very soon. The big thing to hold it down would be Phyrexian Crusader, but there are ways to deal with that. Things like Goblin Guide are good pick ups because not many people have it on their radar as good things to have for the new Standard metagame. Pick them up at $6 or $7 and you can probably ship them at $10 in the coming weeks. Prerelease is this weekend so go to as many as you can and trade for all the Mental Misstep, Dismember, Moltensteel Dragon, and Urabrask the Hidden that you can. Dismember is the new go to removal spell and will be in almost every deck because of Phyrexian mana. Don't pull the trigger on Mental Misstep unless you can pick them up at $2 or $3.

 

Get Rid Of:

Splinter Twin

Deceiver Exarch

 

Ship 'Em!!!!

Get rid of these combo cards as soon as you can. You'll probably be opening a few of this New Phyrexian uncommon, so ship it now while the combo hype is still high.

 

Happy trading! 

Brian Ruble

Iflyforsj@aol.com

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Trading Up - Rotation is Approaching by Brian Ruble (Click to Comment)

Posted on April 29, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, FNM, Trading Card Games, Trading Up

Trading Up - Rotation is Approaching

 

Here's the latest from my TJ Collectibles Pack to Power:

 

My:

Chinese Thoughtseize ($19.49)

His:

4 Sun Titan [Promo] ($4.79 each)

Elspeth Tirel ($10.49)

Profit/Loss:

+$10.16

This trade was great! I would make these all day long! The guy was building Team America for Legacy and didn't need his Sun Titans. Would you believe me if I told you that he offered all that stuff for my Thoughtseize? He looked at my stuff and I looked at his. I asked what he was interested in and he pointed to the Thoughtseize. I told him I was interested in the titans and the Elsepth and left it at that. Without asking about values he said he would give me all of them. There's a really important lesson to taken from this trade: 

 

Don't get too caught up in talking prices and values in trades

If I would have asked him what the cards were worth to him and had him think about prices then he would have probably done the math and seen the difference in numbers. Some people, especially casual players, like to trade one for one. In this case, he knew my card was a Legacy staple and that it was worth something, but I doubt he knew the right numbers. This lead him to offer up what I wanted to ensure he got what he wanted.

 

 

 

My:

2 Sun Titan [Promo] ($4.79 each)

His:

Sword of Body and Mind ($12.99)

Profit/Loss:

+$3.41

This trade was tough to do. A friend needed two Sun Titan, but didn't have anything else of interest except this sword. I told him I couldn't mix my regular trades with my Pack to Power trades, so after long debating on what to do he gave up the sword for the two titans. He didn't have a use for the sword right now, so the titans put him closer to a UW Control deck based around Venser. Once again a perfect example of someone needing something so they don't mind giving up a little value. Fine by me! :)

The closer we get to New Phyrexia, the closer we get to the next Standard rotation and now is the time to prepare if you want to profit from it. There will be a big shift in the archetypes of Standard just as we saw when Jund rotated to leave us with a Jace heavy control metagame. We will be moving to a more aggressive meta based on going into the red zone with either lots of creatures or one equipped creature. I expect Inistrad and the next Core Set to hold some artifact fetching cards to aid in finding a sword to put on a creature. 

 

This Week's Stock Tips

 

Good Pick Ups

Phyrexian Crusader

 

These are selling for about $4 right now, but I expect it to go waaaaaaay up after New Phyrexia comes out and poison becomes an even better deck. Pick them up now at $4-$5 and ship them after the new set for $8-$10. Can't argue with doubling your money!

Inkmoth Nexus

This is the same as the crusader. This has less potential to double your money, but they will be in high demand very soon. If you can pick them up at $8 or $9 then you can ship them off in the new set's release wake for as much as $15.

Thanks, play hard, and see you next week!

Brian Ruble

Iflyforsj@aol.com

 

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U.S. National Qualifier 2011 Top 4 Deck Lists (Click to Comment)

Posted on April 27, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, A Skeptic's Perspective, Grand Prix, FNM, Trading Card Games

1st Place - Black/Red Vampires, as played by David Feinstein

2011 Nationals Qualifier at TJ Collectibles

4 Lavaclaw Reaches

4 Dragonskull Summit

6 Swamp

3 Verdant Catacombs

2 Marsh Flats

4 Blackcleave Cliffs

2 Hero of Oxid Ridge

4 Gatekeeper of Malakir

4 Vampire Hexmage

4 Bloodghast

4 Kalastria Highborn

4 Pulse Tracker

4 Vampire Lacerator

2 Go for the Throat

3 Inquisition of Kozilek

2 Burst Lightning

4 Lightning Bolt

Sideboard:

2 Go for the Throat

4 Tunnel Ignus

2 Duress

2 Crush

3 Arc Trail

2 Vampire Nighthawk

2nd Place - Caw-Blade, as played by Micah Greenbaum

2011 Nationals Qualifier at TJ Collectibles

4 Celestial Colonnade

4 Glacial Fortress

4 Seachrome Coast

4 Island

4 Plains

4 Tectonic Edge

2 Inkmoth Nexus

1 Scalding Tarn

4 Squadron Hawk

4 Stoneforge Mystic

3 Gideon Jura

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Preordain

2 Day of Judgment

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Mortarpod

2 Tumble Magnet

1 Into the Roil

2 Condemn

3 Spell Pierce

3 Mana Leak

Sideboard:

1 Sun Titan

1 Condemn

1 Day of Judgment

1 Volition Reins

2 Journey to Nowhere

1 Deprive

2 Flashfreeze

2 Divine Offering

2 Baneslayer Angel

1 Sylvok Lifestaff

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

3rd Place - RUG, as played by James Lee

2011 Nationals Qualifier at TJ Collectibles

4 Misty Rainforest

4 Scalding Tarn

4 Raging Ravine

3 Copperline Gorge

2 Halimar Depths

2 Mountain

4 Forest

4 Island

1 Avenger of Zendikar

4 Inferno Titan

3 Precursor Golem

4 Lotus Cobra

1 Garruk Wildspeaker

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Explore

4 Mana Leak

4 Preordain

4 Lightning Bolt

Sideboard:

4 Pyroclasm

2 Flashfreeze

2 Negate

2 Tumble Magnet

3 Obstinate Baloth

1 Chandra Nalaar

1 Consecrated Sphinx

4th Place - Spark-Blade, as played by Chris Alexander

2011 Nationals Qualifier at TJ Collectibles

4 Plains

3 Island

2 Mountain

1 Tectonic Edge

4 Celestial Colonnade

4 Seachrome Coast

2 Glacial Fortress

3 Arid Mesa

3 Scalding Tarn

4 Squadron Hawk

4 Stoneforge Mystic

2 Emeria Angel

3 Gideon Jura

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Preordain

1 Mortarpod

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Into the Roil

1 Day of Judgment

3 Spell Pierce

2 Mana Leak

4 Lightning Bolt

Sideboard:

2 Kor Firewalker

1 Divine Offering

1 Sun Titan

3 Cunning Sparkmage

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Basilisk Collar

2 Flashfreeze

1 Deprive

1 Day of Judgment

1 Jace Beleren

1 Tectonic Edge

Rounding out the top eight we have:

5th Place - Caw-Blade, as played by Patrick Crane

6th Place - Red-deck Wins, as played by Barret Guild

7th Place - Boros, as played by Eric Halnon

8th Place - WGB Junk, as played by Nate Simpson

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About Nationals Qualifier, 4/23/11 (Click to Comment)

Posted on April 26, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, A Word From Tom Shea, Collective Thoughts Archive, FNM, Trading Card Games

I want to thank everyone who came to TJ's this past Saturday to play in our Nats qualifier! Congratulations to Dave Feinstein for winning. 2nd to 8th place all got booster boxes. I encourage everyone to go an play in a National Qualifier next weekend. These programs from WOTC only get support if players support them.

Tom

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Trading Up - Tezzeret, Agent of Dolla$ by Brian Ruble (Click to Comment)

Posted on April 22, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, Grand Prix, FNM, Trading Card Games

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Mono-Black: Making a Come Back? by Daniel DeSantis (Click to Comment)

Posted on April 22, 2011

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Chris Alexander Magic: the Gathering, Grand Prix, FNM, Trading Card Games

Everyone in who plays magic has a favorite color to play. This color may reflect a certain aspect about yourself or just may be something in common with your favorite cards. One thing is for certain, everyone has a favorite color. Being a black metal musician, of course my favorite color is black.

Unfortunately mono-black decks have not been seen for a while but I suspect this will change very soon. A few weeks ago, a certain mythic rare from New Phyrexia has been spoiled, Phyrexian Obliterator. This horror is a 5/5 trampling beast with an effect that really makes your opponent think. Whenever the creature is dealt damage, the controller of the damage source sacrifices permanents equal to the amount of damage dealt to the Obliterator. This creature is exactly what mono-black decks are looking for. When the Obliterator hits the board creature based decks will think twice about attacking. Decks that rely on burn as removal will find that they have no way to deal with this bad boy. Long story short, Phyrexian Obliterator is a good card. How much does it take to make this creature hit the board you ask? Just the simple cost of four black mana. If the rumors of Grave Titan being reprinted in M12 are true, than you will likely be seeing this card more often. Being the deck brewer that I am, I of course already built a deck that looks very strong when New Phyrexia is released.

Mono-Black by Dan De Santis

Artifacts:
4x Sphere of the Suns
4x Tumble Magnet
2x Mimic Vat

Creatures:
3x Phyrexian Obliterator
2x Grave Titan
4x Skinrender
2x Vampire Hexmage
2x Wurmcoil Engine
3x Phylactery Lich

Sorcery:
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Sign in Blood

Instant:
2x Go for the Throat
1x Consume the Meek
4x Disfigure

Land:
18x Swamp
4x Tectonic Edge

This deck is an updated version of the many mono-black control decks that were brewed shortly after Scars of Mirrodin was released, with a few differences. The number one problem that the original deck had was that is was hard to establish a strong mana base. Either the deck got land flooded or the deck just would not draw any land at all. This problem of course was remedied with the arrival of the colorless ramp spell: Sphere of the Suns. Sphere of the Suns is ramp for decks that need it and is a very under estimated card. Exactly what the deck needs, I say. As you can notice from the deck list there is an abundance of Artifacts. This is no mistake. Artifacts have taken over standard as we know it. Tumble magnets are great in any deck, and anyone that has played against Mimic Vat could tell you that the card is a huge threat. Another great advantage to running all these artifacts is that it allows for a cheap ringer to be used in the deck, Phylactery Lich. There is a steady gradient of playable creatures from converted mana cost two up to six, giving this deck a strong board presence the entire game. Now we can only hope for Wizards of the Coast to reprint Dark Ritual in M12 to easily make mono-black the best deck in the format.

Currently, only very few cards from the upcoming set New Phyrexia have been spoiled so this deck list can easily be manipulated accordingly. [Not so. The whole set is live and available to pre-order! -Chris, excited]. From what I can see this set already have many amazing cards to take advantage of. I encourage you to build decks no matter how silly the idea sounds, play them online, and test them out. Heck, even take the deck to a local FNM. If you brew up a unique playable deck, not only will you have more fun but you will earn respect wherever you play.


That’s all for this week. Thank you for reading and feel free to comment.

-Dan

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