The Paper Champion is Moving!

A few months ago, I had mentioned in an article that the Paper Champion would be making strides to bring you more comprehensive coverage of Magic: The Gathering. One year and one hundred posts later we have taken the first step in doing so.

The Paper Champion will be moving to a new and improved site. From this point forward, you will be able to find new posts and news at www.paperchampion.net

This move, while somewhat awkward at first will be the open door leading the site in the direction for my vision of what the site should be. All the articles previously written to this point can be found there and will be accessible to all readers.

I appreciate all my readers and I hope you enjoy the changes that are still to come.

Swing Last

Aiokii

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Like this article? Visit www.paperchampion.net or contact Aiokii in the comments below or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Aiokii can also be found on MTGO, hit him up for a game sometime. Also, take the time to check out Reddit Budgetdecks for cheap discussion and deck ideas.

Happy Birthday Paper Champion!

Greetings again from the Paper Champion. One year ago I started this project, not really knowing what I was going for other than helping others play magic cheaply and teaching others the game. I feel I’ve done a fairly good job in that and to reward myself, I’ve purchased three old school packs from the first set I played with as a young planeswalker, Fallen Empires.

You may chuckle to yourself and say that Fallen Empires is the worst set ever printed. While that may be true to some degree, with many under powered cards printed, there are multiple gems including Hymn to Tourach  that have seen multiple tournament lists over the last 21 years.

With that said, let’s open our birthday presents and relive some old school Magic.

Creature Feature – Myr

When I first laid eyes on the toucan nosed Myr, I knew I’d be going out of my way to create a tribal deck involving them.They seem to be the cutest thing I could possibly wrap my mind around to include in a deck.

The Myr first surfaced in the set Mirrodin. This plane, made of metal, was inhibited by this diminutive race of creatures. At first they were a mystery to all until their true purpose was revealed.

Despite only 35 Myr being printed over the years, it has contributed to the card pool to choose from when making a tribal deck with these little guys. Today, we will go over a fun deck I’ve created.

Being the Best Gaming Store In Town

We all have stories, both good and bad in regards to our local game store experiences. I for one have been on both sides of this coin and have plenty of stories to tell.

Over Battle for Zendikar release events, I revisited an old store I’ve played at on occasion. Originally I had left with a sour taste in my mouth for several reasons, but decided to give it another chance after over a year away. I was amazed at how much it had changed for the better.

So often, game store owners neglect those people that keep their stores open. Today, on the Paper Champion, we will discuss what makes a gaming store good.

Creature Feature – Angels

The creature type Angel has been in Magic: The Gathering since day one. Over the years, copies of spectacular winged assistants of the gods have graced the cardboard faces in decks everywhere.

I remember the first time my eyes gazed at the beautiful Serra Angel. Immediately I chased after her and managed to get two copies in my deck. Instantly, my deck has firepower and could win with style. Years later, I managed to get my hands on signed copies by Douglas Shuler.

As the years went on other angels found homes in my decks. Usually more expensive in casting cost and widely varied in abilities. Each angel is unique and no angel is ever boring in Magic.

Out of the 118 angels currently available, I’ve broke it down to my top ten.

Best Uncommons of Battle of Zendikar

Welcome back to the Paper Champion. Today we continue our review of the best Uncommons in the Battle For Zendikar set. The commons seemed to be a bit weaker than usual and no creatures were featured, so let’s take a look at what the uncommons have in store…

Creature Feature – Eldrazi

In light of the recent set Battle For Zendikar, today for the Friday Creature Feature we will highlight the Eldrazi.

The Eldrazi are massive beings with no real motive past their hunger for mana. These titans of Zendikar stop at nothing to consume. So powerful, their appetite, planeswalkers have gathered to take on these foes and save the plane.

Today, we focus on five of the best Eldraz in in Magic: The Gathering.

Best Commons of Battle of Zendikar

It’s that time again. Wizard’s newest installment, Battle for Zendikar is hitting stores and the Paper Champion will be reviewing the best commons you will be seeing in your packs.

It seems that Wizards is slowing the game down in this set. (Not that I’m complaining.) With this in mind, decks containing new tricks will be played by even more people and casual players will enjoy new deck themes as we revisit Landfall and Rally with the new abilities, Awaken, Ingest and Converge.

None of these commons will be game breaking or be staples in any non-rotating format but many will find homes in Limited formats like Draft or Sealed.

Creature Feaure – Snakes

Welcome back to our Friday Night Creature Feature. Today, we will be focusing on Indiana Jones’ mortal enemy, the Snake.

Currently, there are 68 Snakes in Magic with multiple ways to make snake tokens. Most snake tribal decks would end up being a swarming type deck since snakes lack the really hard hitters some other tribal decks can muster. Not all snakes are equal however as we will find out as I roll out my top ten list.

Battle For Zedikar Review

It’s report card time. when Battle of Zendikar was announced, we mentioned what the Paper Champion was looking for in the set. Today we grade Wizards on how well they met our criteria for what has the potential to be the best set ever.