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Every day we are filled with thousands of distractions, dividing our focus and making it difficult to see what we should catch. And once we begin to move on it's rare we can look back again. If you find you have a few extra minutes today, this is the weekly roundup of articles you can full that precious time with.
The Growth and Diversity of the Magic Community
With such spectaular blocks as Innistrad and Return to Ravnica, the Magic community has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years. The gaming community is larger and more diverse than ever. Trevor and Jer are players returning to the game, and provided a unique perspective on the topic of diversity in 2013.
BoosterVictim.com: Trevor Murdock (@tqmurdock) - How Everything Changed for Magic This Year
The Noblest of All Creature Types
Tribal decks are a classic component of Magic, and are enjoyed by all kinds of players, from the most casual to the seasoned tournament grinder. James took a unique look at a tribal cross-section of Magic by looking at how the Knight tribe has been represented throughout its history.
GatheringMagic.com: James Arnold (@thatguyjames2) - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Knights
Budget Brews
There are no two ways about it; Magic is an expensive hobby, and is only getting more expensive as it becomes increasingly popular. There have always been decks and strategies that are easier on your wallet, but Travis has some tips for stretching your dollar as far as you can while staying competitive. If you know what your goals are you can get into Magic no matter how tight your budget is.
ChannelFireball.com: Travis Woo (@travisdwoo) - How to get into Magic when you're BROKE
Judging in 2012 and Beyond
A lot has happened for Magic judges in 2012. Not only was there a significant increase in the number of Grand Prix, but there were multiple attempts at new Infraction Procedure Guides (IPG) to fix issues with missed triggers in competitive events. The increased number of Grand Prix gave players and judges alike many opportunities to see the new rules in action, and to discuss how these procedures might be improved. Even if there were some awkward moments, 2012 was a good year for Magic and its judges.
Blackborder.com: Riccardo Tessitori - 2012 (and the Missed Trigger Policy) in Review
Well, I’ve often been taught that I should speak up if I believe that something can be improved; giving feedback in a constructive way should be a method to help our friends.
I found a few but significant examples where I would like the rule about missed triggers to be different, in several ways; I have been thinking about it, and I came to what seems to me a nice solution for these few situations...
Cleaving Perspective from Reality
One of the hot discussions in 2012 isn't over. While the reasoning behind awareness is straightforward, it's going to take time and effort to reshape our culture. MJ's unique and humorous style brings the discussion to bear in a way only she can wield.
GatheringMagic.com: MJ Scott (@moxymtg) - Let's Talk About Breasts, Baby
I like breasts. I like killer women who use their breasts to whatever ends they see fit. I do not like disembodied, misplaced, out-of-context, or afterthought breasts in art. This is offensive. I hate when potentially cool art is ruined by the lazy or gratuitous slopping of ill-advised breasts into the picture. This is a tragedy.
The Best in the Rest
The amount of Magic content published annually is immense. Last year, Content Manager Adam Styborski learned a lot guiding Gathering Magic to publish more than 1,000 articles. For sites like StarCityGames, that figure could be tripled. But within the quantity there's always quality, and Lauren Lee turned her eye inward to share what will stand the test of time from 2012.
StarCityGames.com: Lauren Lee (@mulldrifting) - Best Articles of 2012
It can be really difficult to articulate some things, especially when there seems to be such a large gulf between you and your audience. And you're not going to get everyone, or even most people, on board with the message with a single article. But it shouldn't discourage anyone from trying, and Jackie nailed it on the head in this one.
On Top of Their Game
One of the greatest features of Magic is how interactive those in control of the game are. Aaron Forsythe is Director of R&D for Magic, and his annual review of the good (and bad) delivered for the game is always insightful for those looking ahead to where we'll go.
DailyMTG.com: Aaron Forsythe (@mtgaaron) - From the Director's Chair: 2012
Return to Ravnica was probably the most hyped and most anticipated set in Magic's history, and it has certainly delivered!
I originally thought putting this set together was going to be easy—a year in which we could all take it easy, as we had the blueprint for success all ready with the previous Ravnica block. But that was far from the truth—our standards have gone up considerably in the years since Ravnica: City of Guilds was put together, on everything from block structure to format development to art. We worked long and hard balancing new with familiar, trying to figure out how to be derivative without being a copy, fixing problems with the first set many of you didn't realize were there, and making Ravnica every bit as cool the second time around as it was the first.
If you have suggestions for next week's recap you can send them through to us on Twitter or share throughout the week in the comments below.
