Ertai’s Lament’s One-Year Anniversary Giveaway Extravaganza
On 03 June, 2010, Ertai’s Lament launched with about as little fanfare as one might imagine for what was a simple labour of love. With the Duels of the Planeswalkers decks just released, we used them as a jumping-off point with a review- quite primitive by today’s site standards- of the Liliana Vess deck, Eyes of Shadow. We pledged then that we would release a new review every 48 hours, and challenged ourselves to maintain that same pace for an entire year. With our analytical review of Time Spiral’s Fun with Fungus, I’m proud to say we succeeded. Though beset by events ranging from my monthlong bout with pneumonia (I don’t recommend it) to the birth of our son Liam (which I do recommend), we’ve managed at the very least to have something new to read every other day. Again, a labour of love.
When we began Lament, we had no idea that there was a ‘Precon Community’ out there looking for a place all their own. To be sure, precon decks had varying degrees of online coverage on the main sites of Magic, but until now it didn’t seem they had a place devoted to them alone. While we’re glad that we were able to create that place, it would be an empty house without the readers and commentators who fill article after article with thoughts, reflects, insights, and, yes… the occasional correction. We are grateful to you all!
Last September as we celebrating Lament’s three-month anniversary, we had a tremendous giveaway sponsored by our outstanding local gaming store, Moonlite Comics of Frankfort, Kentucky. It is a truth that without their enthusiastic support for us and this site, we would have had a much rougher go of things, and for that we are deeply thankful. All the moreso now that they’ve stepped up yet again and sponsored our One-Year Anniversary Giveaway Extravaganza, because extravagant is precisely what this is!
For one thing, we’ll be selecting nine winners, which means that anyone entering has a good chance of winning. And wait until you see our prizes! With Commander season right around the corner, a format well known for an appreciation of foils and promo cards- the timing couldn’t be better!
The Prizes
New Phyrexia: War of Attrition Review (Part 1 of 2)
The story of the Stoneforge Mystic is a story about patience as a virtue. Released in 2010’s Worldwake expansion, she was recognised by many for her card advantage and tutoring, but in the environment she was born into, this wasn’t very exciting. Luis Scott Vargas of Channel Fireball- noted for his set reviews (and dreadful punnery)- spoke with the voice of many when he said that she was “unlikely to make a splash in Standard.” And he was right… for a little while.
Then came word that the next block was a return to Mirrodin, and with the artifact pool about to get a huge boost, canny minds thought back to this belle-of-the-ball-to-be still waiting for her chance in the spotlight. The actual release of Scars of Mirrodin brought even more around, and slowly her price started to move. According to the Black Lotus Project, which tracks price trending for Magic cards, 19 October 2010 was the day that Stoneforge Mystic became a débutante. Long languishing as an inexpensive rare, she crested $5 in value for the first time after some nine months in waiting and slowly began climbing as more people gave her a look.
Then things changed overnight- as they can- with a Pro Tour. The Caw-Go deck, which Brian Kiber had played to no small notice in Worlds the previous December had been given a gift in Mirrodin Besieged: the Sword of Feast and Famine. With the Stoneforge Mystic perfectly positioned to take advantage of this new mythic equipment, Ben Stark’s upgraded “CawBlade” list took him top honours at Pro Tour Paris in mid-February. Over the course of that weekend, whispers and mentions leaked out that saw the Mystic crest $8 in value. By two weeks after the event- with the full decklists spoiled- she was already on her way to $12 and climbing fast. She would soon reach her zenith at over $18 and become one of the Standard environment’s most sought-after cards.
Not bad for a wee slip of a thing from nomadic paths of the Kor, no? And while the story of the Stoneforge Mystic is not the story of War of Attrition, you could not tell the story of War of Attrition without it. According to Wizards Director of R&D Aaron Forsythe, Stoneforge Mystic was $4 when the deck was shipped off to the printers. It is the Mystic’s rise to prominence which has given this latest round of Event Decks the commanding attention denied the first two.
MBtB: The Precon Buyer’s Guide Concludes!
Today on Quiet Speculation, the final installment of the Precon Buyer’s Guide has been posted for this week’s Magic Beyond the Box. In today’s piece, I cover the Core Set precons from 7th Edition through Magic 2011, and other products ranging from Duel Decks to Archenemy to Duels of the Planeswalkers!
For those who haven’t been following the series, the Buyer’s Guide looks at a number of Magic’s top internet retailers and compares their pricing for every deck we cover, as well as offering suggestions and insights as to what you can expect to pay (or should pay) for any precon deck. The previous entries are:
The Vintage Era (Tempest through Judgment)
The Classic Era (Onslaught through Coldsnap)
The Modern Era (Time Spiral through Mirrodin Besieged)
Time Spiral: Sliver Evolution Review (Part 2 of 2)
Having reached our fourth and final playtest of Time Spiral, today we’ll be taking Sliver Evolution into battle. A heavily aggressive deck capable of random bursts of obscene violence, our opponent is Hope’s Crusaders. Piloted by Jimi, they’re going to need more than hope to withstand the carnage and onslaught to follow. Will Jimi be able to take her mono-White deck to victory, or will the swarm overcome all that stand before it? Here are our notes from this epic battle.
2008-09 Precon Deck Championships: Lauer Division
Welcome back to Magic’s premiere preconstructed gaming event, the Precon Deck Championships! Three Divisions have already been decided, and their representative decks are waiting anxiously for the battle lines to be drawn and to get their shot at the title. Before then, we have one more Division to go: the Lauer. In our last installment, we saw the Turian Division through to its conclusion, so we know that the winner of today’s clashes will be taking on Dead Ahead for the honour of representing the Forsythe Conference against whichever deck wins between Jace’s Deck and Esper Artifice.
Time Spiral: Sliver Evolution Review (Part 1 of 2)
Our fourth and final deck for Time Spiral is one that was guaranteed to be a hit from the moment it was hatched, and has consistently maintained some of the highest value amongst collectors. This was certainly not a coincidence- what better way to get tongues wagging about a new set than to reintroduce a fan favourite? Given the amount of ground that has been covered on the topic of the Sliver tribe, however, we’ll be doing very little backgrounding here today. For those wanting an exhaustive history of Slivers, you’ll find that in our review here. For others who might be curious as to the ‘collector value’ alluded to above, you may want to check out the Precon Buyer’s Guide series at Quiet Speculation. No, today we’ll be focusing on the deck itself, and what it tells us about throttling.
Time Spiral: Fun with Fungus Review (Part 2 of 2)
In our last piece, we discussed the care and feeding of Thallids- in addition to a review of their extensive pedigree. We found that the Thallids are like seeds- somewhat insignificant early, but when left unmolested to grow they can become quite sizable indeed! Today we’ll be reviewing the field notes we took while taking them into battle. Playing the part of the opposition is Jimi, who selected a similarly exponential deck- Sliver Evolution. Rather than time, Slivers grow with the addition of their fellows. With two decks having a tight connection to the theme of growth, we were looking forward to seeing the outcome. Here are our notes.
MBtB: The Five Worst Intro Decks of Scars Block
I tend to be a proponent of balance and moderation, so as I brought you The Five Best Intro Decks of Scars Block last week, it’s only fair that I turn my attention now to the five worst. On today’s Magic Beyond the Box, I call them out by name and explain why they’re deserving of such ill-distinction… come check it out!
Time Spiral: Fun with Fungus Review (Part 1 of 2)
Certainly blessed with one of the sillier names in the precon environment, Fun with Fungus is something rather akin to a Kentucky Derby horse- ridiculous name, but established pedigree, one that hearkens back all the way to 1994’s Fallen Empires. It is there that we shall begin our tale of Thelon of Havenwood and the downfall of the elves.
At the end of the ill-fated Brothers’ War between Mishra and Urza (documented mainly in 1994’s Antiquities expansion), Urza triggered a globally cataclysmic event to wipe out Mishra and the Phyrexians that had corrupted (compleated?) him by triggering the Golgothian Sylex. This precipitated a shift in the global climate, not unlike a nuclear Winter, which would culminate in the onset of an ice age (unsurprisingly, documented in the Ice Age expansion). Although this would have far-reaching consequences- not least in the creation of time rifts which themselves were to become the subject of the Time Spiral expansion- for Fallen Empires, the story was centered on a single, small continent in the Southern Hemisphere (most known places in Magic up to that point, such as Shiv and Benalia, were in the Nothern) known as Sarpadia.
Sarpadia was home to an established and flourishing cluster of civilisations. Humans, Elves, and Merfolk enjoyed structured societies and, yes, there were Goblins too. As the climate change rapidly onset, the crops of the Elves began to fail. One failed crop often means anger and frustration, but not ruin. A succession of them, however, brings on hunger, panic, and desperation, a fertile bed in which even the craziest of ideas can, over time, begin to sound sane. The Elves initially supplemented their diet with fungus found in the region- a sensible enough idea- but it wasn’t adequate to meet their nutritional needs. Something more had to be done, lest the Elvish civilisation collapse under the emptiness of its own stomach.
Enter Thelon of Havenwood.
Time Spiral: Reality Fracture Review (Part 2 of 2)
Time to playtest, and I feel a most excellent gaming experience is in my future. Reality Fracture had all the look of one of the decks I most enjoy when we broke it down and analysed it. It appears to be intricately built around a well-developed theme, and one that isn’t based solely on creature combat.
Of course, the table wouldn’t be set without the introduction of our villain, and playing the role of spoiler is Jimi. She’s selected Fun with Fungus as her deck of choice, a creature deck with a very novel twist- you grow your own army! We sat down for the usual three, and here are our notes.
Ertai's Lament 