Although the Magic world has gotten a bit stale in the constructed arena as of late, I’m never short of topics to write about when it comes to the real world- you know, the one that takes place outside of Magic. This month alone, more news has been made than I care to take in. In just two weeks, I’ve lost two heroes in Tim Russert and George Carlin; and that has left a gaping hole in my soul. Iowa and Missouri are underwater, and China is recovering from a devastating earthquake that left many families without their only child. Fuel prices are spiraling out of control, and the US Dollar is now worth less than the Canadian Dollar. Both Italy and the Netherlands have been eliminated from Euro Cup, and a Spain-Germany final is imminent. Among all of that, Wizards says Magic will now have mythic Rares and that Pre-releases can now be held anywhere within a 1 mile radius of McDonald’s. Some would argue that Mythic Rares in Magic are to blame for tearing a hole in the universe and causing all of these other tragedies, but I beg to differ. Quite contrary, the latter two pieces of “news” hardly seem important in the grand scheme of things.

Not only dedicated to the news and his career, Russert was also a family man who has managed to help many fathers and sons connect in ways they have never before been capable of. His relationship with his father lead him to write and publish the book Big Russ and Me, which was a bestseller around Father’s day in 2007. His untimely death just 2 days before Father’s Day this year caused his book to once again soar to the top of the list in sales for Father’s Day weekend. Russert will be missed greatly. For those of you looking to do a tribute to Tim Russert at a local tournament this week and don’t mind the possibility of losing; try a discard-based list that runs cards like The Rack, Hypnotic Specter, Thoughtseize, and Nath of the Gilt-Leaf. Use discard effects to simulate his interrogation techniques, and in his own words: “Go Get ‘Em.” Rest well, Tim- a gentleman and a powerhouse.

Just as I was beginning to get past Russert’s death, I get wind that one of my favorite comedians, George Carlin, died of heart failure at the age of 71 on Sunday. Carlin is regarded by many to be one of the few comedic legends that were able to endure the test of time. With over 50 years of experience as a stand-up comedian, Carlin still performed in front of sold-out crowds straight up until the night before he died, and had more shows booked in these coming months. A genius and a pioneer, Carlin constantly challenged authority, the norms, and any established values as long as it was good for a laugh. His infamous seven words segment is what truly catapulted his career to the heights it has reached today. George Carlin forces people to rethink their beliefs and to think about things in ways we never would have otherwise. Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways? Carlin was always the first to stand up and call B.S. on people and situations when they warranted it, and even sometimes when they didn’t. Carlin deserves credit for pushing the envelope all of those years and for helping Americans get through some rough times with a good laugh and an alternative viewpoint on so many major issues.

If you’re in the George Carlin spirit this weekend at your local tournament, take something like a deck based on Thrumming Stone and Relentless Rats or any other deck you can think of that bends or breaks the traditional rules of Magic. If you are trying to actually win, do something like playing 61 cards instead of the normal 60. If drafting, try to build a deck with 41 cards. It’s simple to tribute Mr. Carlin this week, and I wish all of you the best with bending the rules, raging against the establishment, or pushing the envelope against the norms.

So what’s next in our morose discussion this week? It seems all of the news I listed above is bad news, and that I’ve failed to include any form of good news. Well, amidst bad news, there tends to be good sequential actions on behalf of people hoping to help those in need. For those of you that are interested in helping people in the Midwest and in China to deal with recent disasters, there are ways to get involved that don’t require donating money or volunteering time. Last month, I started a non-profit organization and built a website to help other charitable organizations with their missions. By visiting my website each day and voting in a poll, you can raise money for the organizations you most wish to support. At the end of the month, we compile all of the money we’ve earned from donations as well as advertising revenue from the website and donate it to the organizations according to the percentages of votes they receive in the poll. If you are interested, it takes only ten seconds out of your day to raise ten cents for a charity of your choice (our average based on the number of votes we get and the amount of money we receive says that each vote is worth approximately 9.7 cents). Please take the time to care, and make a difference in the world. Add us to your bookmarks, and whenever you find yourself online checking your email, facebook, myspace, or looking at Brainburst, just go over to the website and take another 10 seconds to help. Tell everyone you know how easy it is, and just by doing that, you will help us raise more money for these charities.

Click Here to Visit the Website and Make a Difference

So, those things aside, let’s talk money. You know the economy is in trouble when the Canadian Dollar catches up to and surpasses our own, with no disrespect to our neighbors to the north. With the increase in CPI that is causing a reduction in the purchasing power of the dollar these days, it’s important to think about how to make the most of your Magic money in the coming months. The best thing you can do is pretend that it’s already September or October, and start unloading all of the Time Spiral block cards you own that are still hot, and use that money to buy hot cards from Morningtide or Eventide. The reason I leave Lorwyn, Shadowmoor, and Shards of Alara out of the discussion is not because I think they don’t have any money worthy cards, but rather because money cards in larger sets hardly ever hold their value as well as chase rares from small sets. Small sets are less used in limited tournaments, which is the largest source of people buying sealed product instead of singles. I’ve always made more money in the long run on cards from small sets than cards from large ones. The only thing I can promise you is that demand will fall for your Time Spiral Block cards will fall by about 80% after August, so you might as well capitalize on the last major standard event (Nationals) before Time Spiral Block becomes irrelevant.

Related to: Magic: the Gathering

Bookmark: