Magic the Gathering RSS Feed
  ONLINE STORE


  SUBSCRIBERS


  DRAFT UTILITY


  METAPAGES


  DECKS


  ARTICLES


  FORUMS


  CARD INFO


  SITE INFO




Welcome to the Magic the Gathering Classroom at TCGplayer.com. This comprehensive guide is your path to becoming a better player, and ensuring that you have the skills to succeed! We here at TCGplayer.com have put together the best articles from the best players and authors, and have ordered them into a step by step lesson plan that will teach you every facet of Magic playskill. The authors of these articles have over 50 Pro Tour top 8 finishes, so you know that you are learning from the most experienced players to ever shuffle cards.

These articles are ordered in such a way that each one builds upon the last, so we suggest that you take your time and digest each step before moving on. Also, much like in sports where the most important thing is solid fundaments, we suggest that you come back and read these articles from time to time to keep your skills sharp and focused.

So step in, sharpen your pencil, and get ready for your first lesson. Class is in session!


Lesson 1 - Basic Theory
  • The Learning Curve: Magic Foundations
  • Magical Myths That Are Bad for You
  • Getting Better – The Art of Mulliganing
  • To Mulligan or Not to Mulligan?
  • What Are You Not Doing?
  • Practice your Magic
  • The Decision Matrix
  • Enter the Matrix!
  • Playing the Stack
  • What to Learn From Other People's Mistakes
  • Turning a Loss into a Win
  • 10 Ways to Win Bad Matchups
  • Stepping Up: There is No Luck
  • Stepping Up: It's All In Your Head
  • Managing Tournaments
  • Managing Tournaments II: Math and Draws
  • Reading Your Opponent
  • The Fundamentals of an Effective Team
  • How to Win With Your Deck
  • Skill-Intensive Magic
  • Ten Reasons Not to Concede


  • Lesson 2 - Deckbuilding
  • Deck Construction and Evaluating Testing
  • From Net Deck to Best Deck
  • The Opening Hand of Deck Construction
  • Developing the Plan
  • Taking it to Extremes
  • The Sixtieth Card
  • Sideboarding as Art
  • Deckbuilding - In Defined Formats


  • Lesson 3 - Playtesting
  • Playtesting for Results - Introduction
  • Playtesting for Results: The Alpha Stage
  • Playtesting for Results: Test Decks
  • Playtesting for Results: Play Decks and Refining
  • Playtesting for Results: Sideboards
  • Forming a Playtesting Team
  • Taking Aim at the Metagame
  • The Traps of Testing
  • Methods of Playtesting
  • Playtesting on a Pro Level


  • Lesson 4 - Metagaming
  • The Myth of Rocks, Paper, Scissors
  • Getting Better III: The Metagame
  • Playing the Percentages
  • Deck Selection and Multi-Day Events


  • Lesson 5 - Sealed Strategies
  • Getting Better VI - Limited Skills, Sealed Deck
  • Getting Better VII - Sealed Deck, The Solution
  • Creating Combo Decks
  • Winning at a Prerelease
  • Lesson 6 - Draft Strategies
  • Getting Better VIII - Limited Skills: Drafting
  • Drafting for a Specific Record
  • Drafting for a Specific Record - Conclusion
  • Maximizing your Draft
  • Making a Killing
  • Angry Little Men
  • Fat Guys and Dead Guys
  • Drafting Competitively


  • Lesson 7 - Improving Your Play
  • Weak Among the Strong: A New Beginning
  • Change Your Mindset
  • Magic of the Mind
  • The Information War
  • The Information War: Behavioral Clues
  • Imperfect Information and The Perfect Play
  • Retrograde Analysis and Virtual Information
  • Lies, Damned Lies and Magic Players' Excuses
  • Play Skills and Attitude
  • Getting better - The First Step
  • I Came to Play (Second)
  • Information Puzzles
  • Ruthless Honesty
  • Recognizing Bluff Situations
  • Preparing for the Tour
  • A Competitor's Mind
  • Bluff Masta!
  • Getting Over the Hill
  • Like a Pro!
  • Pro Tour Tournament Tips


  • Lesson 8 - Card Advantage
  • Advantage: The Grand Unified Theory
  • Advantage - VCA and Tempo
  • The Rule of Reflection Applied
  • Advantage Theory - Land Effect Analysis
  • Advantage Theory - Putting it all Together


  • Lesson 9 - Tempo
  • Revisiting Tempo
  • Tempo Revisited *Conclusion*


  • Lesson 10 - Advanced Game Theory
  • Classic and Romantic Game Theory
  • Game Theory - The Marketplace
  • THE END of Virtual Card Advantage
  • Who’s The Beatdown II: Multitasking
  • Magic Theory: The Uno Principle
  • The Scarce Resource
  • The Principles of Magic: Opportunity and Evaluation
  • Identifying Your Game Plan



  • All original content herein is Copyright 2000-2008 Ascension Gaming Network, Inc.
    No portion of this web site may be used in any way without expressed written consent.
    All rights reserved.
    Privacy Policy



    LATEST DECKS
    Color Deck Name Creator Format


    LATEST DISCUSSION