It's the beginning of a new era, and I couldn't be more excited. Great Magic Writing of the Week is evolving into something new; something more personal and dynamic than it ever was before. We've got a pretty awesome cast of characters on Team Gathering Magic with a diverse set of interests - both Magical and otherwise - and we're excited to share a little more of ourselves with the community.

Check out some of our favorite games, media, and, of course, Magic content from across the web. Tell us what you think these picks mean about our crazy editorial team. Be on the lookout for exciting guest contributors. Most importantly, keep telling us what we're getting right and what you think we're missing. There are bound to be growing pains as we try to nail down the kinds of content we want to curate, but with your help we hope to make something awesome that features personalities you're excited to hear from week after week.

Picks of the Week: November 30, 2014

Adam Styborski is Content Manager for Gathering Magic, writer of Command Tower for magicthegathering.com, text coverage reporter at Grand Prix and Pro Tours for Wizards, a Pauper Cube developer, and known curmudgeon.You can find him sharing things on Twitter as @the_stybs.

Mana Miracles

I’m slowly becoming convinced Reid Duke is an android from the future programmed to change history by playing Magic. Each week, at the helm of Level One, he writes something with clarity and purpose that I learn from. I’ve long held that it’s mana that’s the most import feature of decks, and seeing validation from one of the game’s greats feels, well, great. While he didn’t touch on the unique nuance of mana in Commander, Duke broke down his core theory of mana for 60 card decks in a way I could understand. Unlike so many theory pieces where the exceptions and myriad of splitting paths of decisions lead writers to focus on the things that don’t matter when explaining something, Duke’s take on mana was deliberate and focused in a way almost any players with some games under their belt could appreciate. It’s that brevity with depth I admire most, and I think mana is a topic many of us could use a brush up on.

The Force Awakens

12 years ago, I went to see Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones at midnight dressed in a borrowed Jedi costume two days after it premiered. This is notable as it was after I was hit by the Whammie! that was Episode I:

If The Force Awakens lets me down I’m done. (And don’t get me started on the ravishingly stylish but functionally questionable red lightsaber from that trailer.)

Leagues of Disappointment

I’m aware that the Leagues update for Magic Online was shared the other week, but I missed it in my NyQuil-fueled bender. I’m also aware that “Leagues are coming back!” is a bit of a running joke in the community.

But I believe Leagues are absolutely critical to the future growth and success of Magic Online as a product.

I tried Hearthstone, but the pseudo-gimmicky randomness and lack of play variety left me uninterested. There are, effectively, four ways to play Hearthstone in descending order of occurrence: drafting a la Arena, competitive constructed, beating up on the AI, and manually matchmaking between friends using the same additional deck construction or play rule that cannot be enforced by the client. As a fan of Commander and other wacky ways to play, not having the wacky have-some-fun-tonight option left me unimpressed as AI-crushing and competitive constructed queuing aren’t my cup of tea.

The silver lining of Draft/Arena wasn’t the drafting itself, but the ability to come and go playing as I wanted. Arena is, effectively, Magic Online’s Leagues. It’s my preferred method of competitive playing as if I’m starting to feel irritated or find one of my toddling gremlins needs attention or Gathering Magic needs work or there’s something my wife needs or any other real-life situation that happens on an hourly basis for me I can just walk away.

The benefit of technology is the experiences and possibilities it unlocks for us all. Waiting “until next year” for Leagues isn’t ideal, but this year is the year I drew the line in the sand. There aren’t two clients to update, maintain, and fix. There isn’t a split focus between a legacy client (Full of its own issues and quirks!) and a refreshed, for better or worse, build.

One client gone, and it’s all hands on deck with the new. Now give me my one way to play. I’ll wait another couple years for Commander matchmaking. (If you’re reading this as a Magic Online developer and need a consultant or alpha tester you should know I’m already NDA’d.) I just want to play Sealed Khans of Tarkir without overcommitting myself to time I don’t have.

Let me give you my money. I want to, and I think legions more will too.

Heather Dawn Lafferty is the Community Manager for Gathering Magic, collector and creator of the 20 Tweets series, and resident Angel.Speaking of tweets, you can tweet her with your thoughts regarding Gathering Magic content, Magic, or Nintendo at @Revisedangel.

Gamer Children. What does  appropriate mean?

You could see cotton fields growing from my back porch. It was that kind of small town. The adults hooted around me, constantly clucking over everything under the sun. How I sat, how I spoke, who I spoke too, who I dated, how I dressed, what to do about my bra strap showing, what music I listened too (especially what music I listened too), and countless other details - from if I could wear make-up, to how much make-up I could wear. They really just had an opinion about everything. Except gaming.

None of them gamed. None of them were gamers. In fact, the only time I can remember any adult in my country, religious town speaking about a game I played was when the Circle K installed the very first Mortal Kombat. The local church decided to boycott the Circle K, not because of the violence in the game, but because - you know - bra straps were showing. Aside from this one instance, the adults in my life just didn’t give a hoot what we played. I really think having no experience with it and so many other great injustices to fight (like the New Kids on the Block corrupting their young women to sway their hips provactivly) left them little time to involve themselves in our gaming choices.

It has often occurred to me that the reason I fell so hard for gaming is because, for so long, that is the one place I was free. I played some truly scandalous, thoughtful, and provocative games at a very young age. I loved every minute of it. I honestly loved getting to play male characters and just strut the hell around with no one telling me to be nice, sit up straight, or smile. I could be a balls out bastard, blasting Zombies and ripping the heart out of someone’s chest in the ultimate fatality. Was it appropriate it? Probably not. My children won’t have this lack of parental oversight in their lives. Their Momma and Daddy are gamers, the original console generation. So like all the other squawking adults their parents will have opinions about what brand, game, and themes will be appropriate to play and when.

Being a gamer parent can be complicated. Deciding the maturity level and age to let your child play games your were playing at much younger age can be confusing and make you feel like a big ole hypocrite. To be fair, gaming when I was a child was the wild wild west and even now we are only at the industrial revolution - still plenty of shennagians to wade through. For this holiday season, i thought - from one gaming Momma to another - I would make this choice a little bit easier for you and highlight three of my favorite recently released games you can feel good about letting your youngest play with your oldest. Let them unwrap them and spend hours exploring awesome with their brothers, sisters and friends. I mean gamers gotta game, Mom.

Fantasy Life

Content is King. Fantasy Life has that in abundance. This was a game I picked up for my 3DS to substitute my Tomodachi Life addiction. It quickly overpowered all other games and became my primary time sink. It is an adventure game, collector’s game, crafter's game and a big ball of cuteness. I was worried the butterfly friend who travels throughout the story mode with you would get annoying (she is really, really chatty) but I found her endearing and the script clever and funny. If your kids have friends with 3DSes then they can local play together or over wifi connection. Now all that is left is to decide is what Life to choose.

Mario Kart 8

I mean, who doesn’t want to drive a golden kart with golden wheels while throwing turtle shells at your baby brother’s large noggin? This game is master class and if you don’t have a Wii U yet or you were waiting for games to come out for the system, now is the time. Smash Brothers is out and Mario Kart 8 is more fun than should be legal. It’s the perfect blend of hardcore racing and wacky fun. Your serious gamer can learn to drift and when to throw or hold items and your younger gamers can simply race and smash.

Tomodachi Life

The Mii answer to Sims for the 3DS franchize is a smashing success. I have created Mii’s ofevery family member, friend, hero or heroine, and favorite Pro Magic Players and moved them all onto my island. They fall in love, get married, have children, work, and dream big, wacky dreams. The fun and frustrating part of Tomodachi Life is that you can encourage your Miis to do something but can't make them do it. They make poor choices, get into relationships that don’t work, and get some really awkward situations. It is fun to log on for 20 minutes every day and see what my mini Mii Sister is up too or who my Mii Husband is walking around the park with. Your little gamers will have a blast creating, sharing, and exploring their Mii Metropolis.

If you aren’t a Nintendo freak you should be. Mario Kart 8 and Tomodachi Life were both nominated for best Family Game in the upcoming Game Awards. They make games for families. Your babies will have plenty of time to break hearts and perfect their sniper shots, this Christmas let a little cuteness into their little gamer lives.

Happy Cyber Monday.

Xoxo

@RevisedAngel

Alex Ullman is Associate Editor for Gathering Magic, a renowned Pauper (cube and Constructed) player, and member of the victorious 2009 Magic Online Community Cup team.You can find him on Twitter as @nerdtothecore.

So this is the first week of me selecting picks for the masses. This will set the tone for the rest of my offerings to you, the audience, for my tenure.

No pressure or anything.

My picks this week play right into my past and present. These are my picks of the week.

Domin-8 - Michael J. Flores

I am an avowed Flores Fanboy and I don’t hide this fact. I eagerly devour anything he writes and try to absorb lessons osmotically through his words. This piece is no exception.

If there is a word I would use to describe Flores’ catalogue it would be declarative. Michael J knows what he wants to say and gets that point across. His writing background shines through at times, weaving narratives to places they may not naturally reside. Domin-8 is no exception, managing to hit the Flores bingo despite not mentioning Jon Finkel’s US Nationals winning Napster deck.

One sentence paragraphs? Check

Name dropping Patrick Chapin? Not only that, there’s a mother-lovin interview of the Innovator.

Free space.

Old decklists from formats gone by? Do you even play the deck game, bro? Michael Flores can name that deck in one Giant Mantis.

Inaccuracies? There’s one or two, mixed in with a heady dose of hyperbole.

That’s a BINGO.

Mike Flores deserves respect. The man has probably deleted more words on Magic than many writers have put to the digital page. Being in the game for over two decades affords that man some leeway. For me, the callbacks, the name drops, and the character are all hard earned trophies from the trenches of inky wretches. Reading Flores is not only to know the history of the game (and his involvement in it), but also to absorb how to write about some cardboard.

Flores is Flores, through and through and Domin-8 is a pure execution of the zeitgeist.

Borders & Boundaries - Less Than Jake

When I was in high school my best friend (and soon to be Best Man) Danny tried to get me into punk. Granted, it was pop-punk in the vein of Lagwagon, but still it was way more aggressive than the junk that played on the radio in New York City. I held off on getting into the music for some reason.

Of course then there was a young woman in my class on whom I had a crush. And she liked this music. So Danny, being the good friend that he was and is, helped me get tickets to the Less Than Jake show that the object of my distant affection would be attending. He was already going anyway.

I went and fell in love with the music. It was loud and fast and energetic. It was music for people who felt that they were outside of the mainstream. The music spoke to me.

The girl did too - she wanted me to set her up with Danny.

Less Than Jake went on to be one of my favorite bands. Borders & Boundaries was the new album for the show I attended and it represents a maturation of the bands sound. Moving from Screeching Weasel with horns to something more slightly more experimental, the album is about growing up and moving away from comfort zones.

The lessons of the album are important for all elements of life. Testing boundaries and learning borders are vital to personal growth - one cannot increase limits without knowing them ahead of time. Borders & Boundaries is a perfect album to preface a change. Pick it up, and check out “Look What Happened” as a stellar track.

Carlos Gutierrez is an Associate Editor for Gathering Magic, an engineer-in-training, and a Commander and Pauper enthusiast. By day, he works as a STEM educator, but he spends his weekends hitting all his land drops and trying new board games, puzzles, and video games. You can find all of him sharing Commander craziness, baked goods on Twitter, and complaints about graduate school at @cag5383.

Level One - Building a Mana Base

For many players, spells are what Magic is all about and the lands you use to cast them are an afterthought. Not me. The only thing I love more than hitting my land drops is burying people in land-based advantage. I’ve written a billion articles on Child of Alara Lands in Commander, and recently put together something about building a better manabase in Commander. So you know that I am deadly serious when I say that Reid Duke has put together an incredible article on the fundamentals of building a functional manabase.

What are the advantages of adding more colors to your decks? What are the costs? How do you know how many sources you need? Lands aren’t glamorous, but answering these questions correctly leads to more wins than most of us care to admit. We’ve all lost games because a land entered the battlefield tapped at the wrong time, or because we whiffed on our second or third color for too many turns. There’s nothing more frustrating than being unable to cast your awesome spells on time or in the right sequence. Reid's article is incredibly focused without delving too deeply into corner cases to be generally useful. He manages to boil all of these questions down to a few simple principles that will make your decks better. Take Reid’s advice and put your mana first. You certainly can’t argue with his results.

Thankful for the Banned List

Most of my Magic these days is Commander, and I couldn’t be happier about it. No other format has the same kind of freedom of expression where literally anything could happen on the next turn. I’ve been killed by Bonfire of the Damned miracled at instant speed, seen Maetlrom Nexus Rite of Replicationed for actual infinite value, and even been killed by someone else’s Sorrow's Path. I love the format and the people who play it. I’ve had my issues with the people who manage it. That’s part of why I’m so excited to see Sheldon Menery’s article this week on the current state of the banned list.

I have tremendous respect for the people who grew Commander into the incredible format that it is today. They’ve put in innumerable hours cultivating the format into something that players around the world can enjoy. Through playing and writing about Commander, I’ve met all kinds of awesome people and had incredible experiences. I could not be more appreciative that the format exists. That doesn’t mean I agree with their banned list.

Personally, I think Painter’s Servant being banned when the likes of Hermit Druid and Helm of Obediance are legal is absurd; they’re all super degenerate and have a similar number of combotastic applications. Painter’s Servant also does a lot of fun things with cards like Eight-and-a-Half-Tails or Lyzolda, the Blood Witch. Similarly, I think it’s crazy that Survival of the Fittest and Intuition are legal when Gifts Ungiven is not. Sure, we’re all given the option to ignore the banned list, but it’s surprisingly difficult to do that, particularly at large events where you’re trying to game with people from across a region.

What I appreciate is the recent attempts to make the process more transparent and to give the community real opportunities to open discussions with Rules Committee members. It wasn’t that long ago that the community pushed to get Kokusho, the Evening Star unbanned. I love that we get to know why cards are banned so that we can have a more productive conversation about whether or not they deserve it.

Serial Podcast

There’s nothing in this world better than a good story. As I spend more and more of my life driving across the state of New Jersey to go to school, work, and assorted other responsibilities, I’ve appreciated storytelling podcasts more and more. Shows like This American Life and Radiolab have been staples of my podcast consumption for years, and if you’ve never listened to them then you’re doing it wrong. Serial is on another level.

Serial is hosted by Sarah Koenig and details a true story, told week by week, where not even the host knows where the tale will lead. The first season focuses on the story of Adnan Syed, a man who was convicted for murdering his ex-girlfriend back in 1999. Nine episodes have been released so far, starting with outlining the story and then beginning to fill in the details – witnesses, police reports, experts, acquaintances – someone is lying about what happened on January 13 of 1999. The podcast is a roller coaster of emotions and expectations. One week I’m convinced that Adnan committed the crime; the next I’m positive that one of his friends is lying. It’s an incredible storytelling experience, and I can’t wait for the final episode next Thursday or the second season that was just funded.

Super Smash Bros. Melee - APEX 2015

Super Smash Bros for WiiU was just released and people are understandably excited about their shiny new toys. I find myself looking forward to APEX 2015 instead, which is two months out. For those not in the know, APEX is an international Super Smash Bros. convention centered around competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee – a game that was released almost fourteen years ago.

If you’re like me, you played a lot of melee in your early teens. Through middle school and high school, this was the party game of choice, and we spent countless hours trying to kill each other with our favorite Nintendo characters and awesome items. Good times were had. I had no idea I was playing one of the deepest and most technically demanding games that had ever been made.

That changed in college, when I met Alex. We had a crowd of people that enjoyed Melee on our floor, and one day Alex and some of his friends happened to be walking through. He sat down for a game and demolished all of us. I don’t have words to express how not-close it was. It turns out that he’d had been nationally ranked in 2005, and competed with old school titans like PC Chris and Ken. He started teaching us the ways of wavedashing, L-canceling, and all other manner of assorted technical nonsense. we never looked back.

The game has been out for almost fourteen years and the competitive metgame is still evolving. The game was featured at EVO 2014 and broke viewership records. To put this in perspective, more events with more than 100 entrants fired between August and October of this year than did in all of 2006, when Melee was sponsored by Major League Gaming. People are still discovering new techniques, still pushing the boundaries of a human’s ability to execute frame-perfect actions with unbelievable consistency. Melee is a game that is played at the speed of thought, with hundreds of unique inputs per minute, razor thin margins of error, and where any game can turn around in an instant. There are all manner of incredible personalities and rivalries, players with dominant reigns and rising stars alike assemble from around the world to share their love of a game that may well be the most beautiful accident ever to happen in gaming.

APEX 2015 is coming, and this is your chance to get hyped and tune in.