Spelling and Grammar

The biggest impediment to getting an article published is improper spelling and grammar. No matter how good the advice or how strong the deck, a poorly written article will not be accepted.

Card names should appear exactly as they do on the card. Examples: Seat of the Synod; Confusion in the Ranks; Krark-Clan Shaman; Krark's Thumb; Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Short forms of card names should also be capitalized. For example, Swords for Swords to Plowshares.

If a Magic term is in common usage and refers to objects, actions or phases within the game, it is usually acceptable. Examples: untap, matchup, decklist, beatdown. Slang and/or derogatory terms that refer to other players are unacceptable.

Do not use "one" as a pronoun. Although "One could imagine a scenario where Shock is better than Lightning Bolt," is perfectly fine English, it sounds too formal for a Magic article. Instead, substitute "I" or "you" in its place.

Every ellipses (...) should be either three dots or four dots. Never two dots, never five dots. If the ellipses ends the sentence, there are four dots. Otherwise there are three. Ellipses should be used sparingly.

The color words (white, blue, black, red, green, artifact) should not be capitalized. For example, "While blue has always been 'the flying color, white has been catching up rapidly in recent expansions."

Submission Format

Submissions should be sent as an attached plain text file (.txt), an attached Word document (.doc), or as plain text email. HTML tags can be used for any special formatting or tables that are included in the submission if you feel knowledgeable enough to do so.

Paragraphs should be separated by a blank line and should not be indented.

Section headings are useful for organizing an article, and they break the article down into manageable chunks for the reader. Headings should be capitalized and separated by a blank line from both the preceding and following paragraph. Do not format your headings, and please do not use all caps.

At the top of your article, you should put your name, email address, suggested title, any any accomplishments you may have.

The accepted names for tournament formats are: "Standard", "Extended", "Type 1.5", "Type 1", and "Classic". Although "Type 2" is in common usage, for the sake of consistency, we most often use "Standard". It seems that most people use "Type 1" when referring to the format, as opposed to its official name, "Classic," so either are acceptable.

Within reason, all numbers in the text of the article should be spelled out. Very large numbers or numbers in formulas can be in numeral form.

Decklists should be formatted like this:

Maindeck:
4 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Read the Runes
4 Trash for Treasure
4 Seething Song
4 Gilded Lotus
2 Decree of Annihilation
3 Talisman of Indulgence
3 Talisman of Dominance
4 Starstorm
3 Mindslaver
2 Bosh, Iron Golem
1 Rorix Bladewing
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Great Furnace
9 Mountain
6 Island

Sideboard:
4 March of the Machines
3 Pyroclasm
1 Rorix Bladewing
4 Mana Leak
3 Electrostatic Bolt

Each line should just contain the quantity of the card followed by the name of the card. Do not include subheadings like "Creatures" and "Spells".

After periods or other punctuation marks, there should be one space, not two.

General Article Guidelines

Although there is no strict length requirement for articles, anything under 1,500 words should be examined carefully to see if it covers the topic in enough detail. Articles under 1,000 words are almost always too brief; if it seems impossible to say more on a particular topic, the topic is probably too narrow.

Try to anticipate any questions or doubts the reader will have and answer them preemptively. Some people will not take the time to email an author or post in the forums asking for clarification of a point. If they read something that seems unjustified and incorrect, they will most likely just dismiss the article entirely.

Articles should be structured to encourage the reader to keep reading. They should not have to trust that it will get better later on - the introductory paragraphs should draw them in and make them want to read more.

Maintain a consistent tense throughout your article. Although there are times when switching tenses is appropriate, it is usually best to just pick a tense and stick to it. Most articles should be written in past tense ("I played a Raging Goblin and then swung in for one."), but present tense ("I play a Raging Goblin and swing in for one.") is okay as well, as long as you are consistent.

Constructed Articles

There are two purposes of an article about a new deck (or a new take on an old deck): First, to convince the reader that the deck is worth their time to build and test. Second, to explain to the reader how to play the deck correctly. Every deck analysis article should try to accomplish both of these goals.

These articles should, at a minimum, include:

• A full decklist and sideboard legal for the deck's intended environment.
• Justification of the cards included in the deck (not necessarily card-for-card).
• Matchup strategy detailing how to play against the popular decks in the environment, and the exact sideboard ins and outs for each of them.

Every deck submitted along with an article should be playtested thoroughly, and the results should be noted when discussing the deck's matchups. Do not be afraid to include some negative testing results. Readers are more likely to trust a deck's results if some of them are negative - very few Magic decks have winning records against all potential opponents.

Limited Articles

Solid reasoning is the most important component of a good limited article. Avoid presenting advice as gospel - explain why the advice is valuable.

Articles that rate cards require more work and are less rewarding than any other type of article. They can be very helpful to someone new to the set, but they usually become forgotten or obsolete within a few weeks of a set's release. It is generally better to look for a more focused area to write about than to try and rate each card in the set.

Tournament Reports

It is not necessary to have done well at a tournament to write about it. It is necessary, however, to have learned something. Fortunately, we all learn something at each tournament we attend; the trick is figuring out what it was. Try to give the reader the benefit of your tournament experience - let them learn from your mistakes, the mistakes of others at the tournament, and from the good or exceptional plays as well.

Tournament reports should also try to be entertaining. The most popular reports are both useful and fun to read.

Round by round, game by game coverage is not necessary. It is better to cover the interesting moments in-depth than to cover everything superficially. That being said, the report needs to be complete, and leave the reader feeling satisfied - do not use this as an excuse to submit a brief report.

For constructed tournaments, always include a full decklist and sideboard. Constructed reports should at least include each opponent's decktype and the match result. If possible, record the sideboard swaps in every round.

Don't be afraid to do coverage of the final rounds of a tournament even if you are not participating. This kind of bonus material can turn a solid report into a great one.