2008-09 Precon Championships: The Finals
Welcome back to the final installment of the 2008-09 Precon Championships, and today we’ll be crowning a winner! The deck pool has been smaller for this season than it was for the 2009-10, so it’s made for a very quick and unpredictable format! That said, it would seem that the playing field was quite the level one, because every set represented has seen at least one of their decks advance to the Elite Eight. Jund and Esper had the most to be proud of, watching their decks climb over the field and reach for the top, while others like Bant had to suffer the indignity of coming up on the short end of every match they played.
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
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)
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.
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!
Announcing the Winner of our New Phyrexia Intro Deck Giveaway
First of all, we’d like to thank everyone who participated in our latest comment contest for a New Phyrexia Intro Pack- we had a lot of great remarks and insights, and they always make the site richer. It would be impossible to pick just one for distinction- so thank goodness we do these randomly and let Random.org do all the work!
The contest this time had a twist, as we let the readers decide the deck to be given away based on the amount of feedback (a bit like an “applause-o-meter”). The deck that had the most discussion around it- and the one we’ll be awarding- is Artful Destruction!
Thanks to the mighty powers of Random.org, we’re pleased to announce that the winner of the contest is btspike. We’ll be sending btspike an email shortly, and get the deck out the door!
If you didn’t win, don’t worry- there’s another deck giveaway going on right now… and a few other surprises ahead!
2008-09 Precon Championships: Turian Division
Welcome back, fans of competition from across the Blind Eternities! We have a full plate of matches lined up for you today as five different decks are battling it out to see who will be the last deck standing- and the one to represent the Turian Division in the race for the finals! Only two victories will stand between today’s Divisional winner and the Championship, and each of these decks can lay claim to a shot at it all! Without further ado, let’s look at today’s contestants.
New MBtB: The Five Best Intro Decks of Scars Block
With New Phyrexia having been fully reviewed here on Ertai’s Lament, it’s time to take a look at the block as a whole. Join us for this week’s Magic Beyond the Box, our weekly precon-themed feature over at Quiet Speculation, as we pick the top five Intro Decks- you might be surprised at what makes the list!
Time Spiral Theme Deck Giveaway
It’s that time again- a new set and a new comment contest! We’ll be handing out a brand-new copy of Reality Fracture, one of the more intriguing of the set’s decks:
The Reality Fracture deck highlights the interaction between suspend and storm. Manipulate the time stream just right, and you’ll set up a single, explosive, game-winning turn!
More MBtb: On Stoneforges and Event Decks
Although we’ll have today’s Part 2 of our Ravaging Swarm review up this evening, those wanting their fix of precon coverage before then will be happy to know there’s a bonus Magic Beyond the Box piece up on Quiet Speculation! In today’s article, I discuss the preorder experience for the upcoming Event Decks in the wake of the discovery that a pair of Stoneforge Mystic will be included in one of the decks. Come check it out!
Ertai's Lament 