Review: Magic 2013 Wrap-up

Today I'm going to finish up my review of Magic 2013. First up I'll look at the Artifacts, Lands and the sole Gold card, then I'll make my decisions on best flavor, best design and best overall for the entire set.

Review: Green in Magic 2013

Green is my other favorite color, next to Blue. My first named deck (Psuedo-Stompy) was Green, and it performed admirably for years despite only have 13 land, which makes NO SENSE. Hey, maybe I can remake it? Or maybe it will still be a terrible idea! Let's find out!

Review: Red in Magic 2013

I'm really excited for this post. I personally identify with Red the most (being Red/Blue) and it's also been one of my favorite colors to play in the past.

Review: Black in Magic 2013

I'm actually pretty excited to talk about Black. While it's never been my favorite color, my first deck that did well at tournaments was a black/red control deck built around the Torment nightmare horrors. Faceless Butcher in particular has a lot of nostalgia for me, so I'm always interested in building a new black/red control deck. Maybe I can do it this time?

A note; if I don't mention a card, that means I like the flavor but not enough to call it out.

Review: Blue in Magic 2013

Today we're talking about Blue in Magic 2013! What a surprise!

Review: White in Magic 2013

This is going to be a series of 6 posts, reviewing Magic 2013 from both a game design and a flavor perspective. The first five posts will each cover one color, while the final post will be review the remainder (multicolor, artifacts, lands) and the overall set.

WWE Raw 5/7/12

Tonight: Laurinitis is abusing his power! What a twist!

Johnny boy comes out, saying he was defending his honor from John Cena, after he was called an idiot and a corporate jackass. He goes on saying that he's going to humble Cena at Over the Limit. He gets most of the crowd chanting Cena's name, which is great. He's a fantastic heel. He then starts bragging about how big he was in Japan. After he's done but before he leaves the ring, Punk comes out. I love it every time he comes out to talk. Everything is pretty predictable, though I love the dig at Johnny Ace's “Republican tie.”

There's a nice segment backstage where Laurinitis gets mad at Big Show, who then imitates his voice. Eve catches him, and it's clear why he's going to lose his match with Cody Rhodes for the title. It's a short match, with Cody abandoning the match. Eve comes out, demanding that Big Show apologize for making fun of Laurinitis's voice. She mocks him, calling him a freak and saying that he couldn't get a job outside of the WWE. Not sure where this is going.

Up next is Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler. AW is watching the match with Epico, Primo and Rosa. This is a good match, and Dolph has an amazing dropkick to knock them down. Weirdly, Mason Ryan joins AW and EPR in the back. Ziggler wins off a Zigzag made possible by Swagger's intervention.

After the break is John Cena via satellite, being interviewed by Michael Cole. They're both good and play their roles well, but there isn't uch to say. Next match is Layla and Kelly Kelly vs. Natalya and Maxine. Natalya doesn't even get a chance to tag in, though Maxine is pretty good.

It's amazing how much better Jericho and Alberto del Rio's entrances are, compared to Randy Orton and Sheamus. This is a great match – all these men clearly deserve to their main event status. Jericho ends up getting the pin off a Codebreaker, after Sheamus accidentally hit Orton with a Brogue Kick. After the match, Orton hits Sheamus with an RKO. After the break, Jericho goes to talk to Laurinitis, followed by Alberto. Orton comes in and attacks, followed by Sheamus, leading to a four way brawl. Once they clear out, Laurinitis tells Sheamus that the World Heavyweight Championship match at Over the Limit will be a Fatal Fourway.

I love The Miz's nerd reference to Mike Tyson's Punchout on his way to face Brodus Clay. I think this is the longest singles match Brodus has been in as the Funkasaurus. Miz doesn't give Brodus any space once he gains control. This is definitely the hardest that Brodus has to fight so far, though he ends up winning off the big splash. They show a new B.A.Star video package, and I find it hard to believe that Mark Henry has been bullied. Who would bully that?

A new video package, this time recapping the showdown between HHH and Brock Lesnar last Monday. Then Paul Heyman comes out, and I'm pretty surprised to see him. He is representing Brock Lesnar, and he does a great job talking up Brock Lesnar. He gets a brief bit of applause, then it gets turned into boos. He reads a great letter that Lesnar allegedly wrote, saying that he's never coming back and that he quit. There's a cute sketch between Big Show and the two actors from that new show, Common Law.

Punk comes out for his match against Lord Tensai, but Laurinitis changes it to a handicap match against Tensai and Daniel Bryan. This is a great match, with Tensai and Daniel Bryan keeping Punk on the defensive for most of the match. Punk gets a comeback against Bryan, almost hitting a GTS before Bryan tags out. Punk manages to knock down Tensai and almost hits the Macho Elbow, if not for Bryan interfering. Lord Tensai uses the green mist, hitting Punk with the claw for the win. Afterwards, Bryan attacks Punk and locks in the Yes Lock.

Overall a good episode. The Brodus Clay match was surprisingly good, and the handicap match was excellent.