Author Archives: Casual Magicking

September 23, 2020 contingency – noun : a provision for an unforeseen event or circumstance Every fall my wife, son, and I drive about 3 hours into the mountains to spend a weekend in a cabin in the miniature town of Twin Lakes, Colorado. My wife calls Twin Lakes her “happy place.” It’s fairly quietContinue reading “Fall Back”

September 16, 2020 dismantle – verb : take (a machine or structure) to pieces My favorite Magic content creator, Seth at Mountain Man Magic, released a video recently wherein he attempts to answer the question “should you buy Zendikar Rising set boosters?” It’s a good video, and I unreservedly recommend watching it. He’s probably gotContinue reading “Up-Setting the Paradigm”

September 4, 2020 quesy – adjective : feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit Full and fair disclosure: I came up with the article title before I knew the Trap mechanic wasn’t returning for Zendikar Rising. D’oh! I missed the original Zendikar set when it was released in the fall of 2009. Much to my eventualContinue reading “Zendikari Trapidations”

August 27, 2020 prudence – noun : 1 : the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. 2 : sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs. 3 : skill and good judgment in the use of resources. 4 : caution or circumspection as to danger or risk Suppose you wentContinue reading “Restraint / Constraint”

August 20, 2020 clutch – noun : a tight grasp or an act of grasping something Is a curse static and resolute, clinging to your very being, until lifted through some heroic deed or sacrificial payment? Or can it be ephemeral and fleeting, flitting off to dissipate in the wind, or perhaps to haunt anotherContinue reading “When the Curse Had a ‘Hold of Me”

August 14, 2020 offiziersmesser – noun [German] : a penknife incorporating several blades and other tools such as scissors and screwdrivers It pains me to start here. Almost as much as is pains me to play against this ^&@#!*ing card. Uro is incredibly powerful. Uro is ubiquitous. And as of this writing, Uro is valuedContinue reading “Uro: Magic Maker of Julienne Fries”

August 7, 2020 rubric – noun : a statement of purpose or function I didn’t finish my next article (i.e. rambling rant) on optimization. It’ll hopefully arrive next week. Today you get…this. Play Magic long enough and you learn (and sometimes willfully ignore) the ingrained mantras (jargon?) about how to properly play the game thatContinue reading “Rue-Brick”

July 31, 2020 oppressive – adjective : unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint, especially on a minority or other subordinate group Nobody believes Teferi, Time Raveler is a fun or interesting card. Hyperbole? Quite possibly not. Like most of the strongest planeswalkers, the entire game changes the instant Teferi appears. Except Teferi’s static ability actually changesContinue reading “The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Fun”

July 23, 2020 bonkers – adjective : mad; crazy Two and a half weeks. Two and a half weeks without posting, my longest stretch since starting this blog. Why so quiet? Over that stretch I’ve started multiple posts, only to abandon them when they didn’t come together. I’m still not even sure where this postContinue reading “No Purple (or Red) Mountain’s Majesty”

June 30, 2020 peripeteia – noun : a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal, especially in a literary work Did you know that home security systems run on something akin to a mini car battery that you have to change from time to time? I did not. So the damn thing suddenly chimingContinue reading “From Ugh to Ugin”