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- Nemesis of the week: Imbalance of work days as to weekend days until the GP and my annual leave.

- Soundtrack of the week: Albums "Help" by the Beatles/"Everything you want" by Vertical Horizon.

- Number of GP Trials judged: 2 :)

I am a notorious planner. Not with all things, but when it comes to my leisure time and anything involving my passion for travelling, the thinking time that goes into it is immense. I booked my flight for the GP somewhere around early July (too early? - I'll let my under $200 return Qantas one way airfare stand as testament that it wasn't.)

In less than four weeks time I take a week of work (bwooha!) and head down to my other job. I'll be judging GP Sydney. This GP diary will follow the events on my journey to the GP, my local players' thoughts, judges' thoughts and commentary on Mirrodin - the set to come and will culminate in the GP itself.

In the interest of further evolving myself into a better judge I have really immersed myself in Magic (both playing and judging) in the lead up to the GP and will continue to do so right up to when I fly out to Sydney on Thursday night. Previously, I have not made such a consistent effort to get out there in the local magic community playing and judging but I should have, because so far I have found it to be a really beneficial experience. Not only have I been able to get to know my local players better, but my confidence as a judge and my rules application have also improved. It's all still very much a work in progress and I would be dubious of any judge who feels they have no areas of which they could potentially improve, but I am pleased with my progress to date. Still, I have a long way to go and when you have a long way to go, you have the opportunity to make your destination all but a sweet consequence of your journey.

And last week there was a sign that the GP is really bearing down upon me. The email came from Wizards came finalising the judges accommodation details. This usually bears some sort of mark that there is a month or less to go until a huge weekend of questions, helping out, setting up, rulings, advice, standing up, getting no sleep, having a draft or a game where ever possible and loving every minute of it.

In the preceeding month I have had the privilege of being able to judge two really good GP Trials: Wargames Warehouse and Arena CCG. Yesterday's FNM at Wargames had seventeen players, always seems to happen when a pre-release is pending.

I took a copy of the spoiler to my FNM venue and showed it to a few of my local players who had not yet seen it. The comments were a telling sign, I think, of what the future with this set has to offer. There was stunned looks of "that is so broken" and minds ticking over and over of how to abuse Guilded Lotus and Isochron Scepter in particular, two cards which have already stood up and said, "I am a power card" before the set has even been released.

The Mirrodin discussion thread continues to hot up, tonight, it has over 200 posts. We all know that we are looking at a new mechanics in the set - see this clip from MTGNews.com

"Equipment" is a sub-type of artifact, and they enhance creatures. Each Equipment has an "Equip cost" which is colorless mana, and attaches the Equipment to target creature (as a sorcery). If an equipped creature leaves play, the equipment remains in play and can be put onto another creature. Official rules information can be found here.

Affinity for Artifacts is a keyword that means the spell's cost is reduced by one colorless mana for each artifact you control.

Entwine is similar to kicker - the instant or sorcery offers a choice between two things... but if you pay the Entwine cost, you get to do both of them. There are also some non-keyworded themes.

Imprint removes a card in some zone from the game (can be in play, your hand or elsewhere) as specified when artifacts with it come into play and imprints it on the artifact, controlling the way the card works (source).

The full spoiler can be downloaded from www.mtgnews.com. My thoughts at this stage are as follows:

Combo players (combomen and women) from all round will have a field day with Isochron Scepter and talk continues to surround Platinum Angel and the building of all artifact decks again - it seems they've been away too long.

My prediction, which I am sure I will regret putting into print, is that Platinum Angel will suffer the same fate as Phage the Unplayable, and following the GP will be put aside for more playable options in the commons and uncommons of this set, which I think is the best set I have seen in some time. I love Magic, I love the game and I love to play and judge it, but it takes a lot to get me excited about a new set. I am, however, excited about Mirrodin and how it will steer change in Type 2. To me, Onslaught Block Constructed has become very predictable and very boring. Sure, this is probably going to happen to Mirrodin by the time a new block comes rolling around again, but I intend to remain starry-eyed about it all at least until the GP.

Entwine inparticular appears to be just so strong for combat (see cards such as Wail of the Nib, Promise of Power etc), the costs aren't cheap, but I think they are well supported by the mana acceleration through cards such as Seething Song, Guilded Lotus and the new Talismans.

My props for the set, especially for social and multiplayer magic will include (especially given my love for soldier decks and multiplayer), Raise the Alarm, with Isochron Scepter to bring soldier chaos reminiscent of my old squirrel deck chaos.

Consume Spirit appears to be the viable replacement for Corrupt for my beloved mono black control with new MB deck ideas coming from cards such as Grim Reminder (for something like Guilded Lotus?), Dross Harvester, Promise of Power, Woebearer and Wail of the Nim.

There also appears to be some feasible and interesting burn in my opinion. Electrostatic Bolt is playable and appears relatively cheap given the number of artifact creatures in particular with four toughness or less, if nothing else it's a shock. Atog has returned, with a dreadful picture in my opinion (bring back the original!!) and naturally artifact destruction. Krark Clan cards support ongoing strength for goblin decks in the current format as well.

I'm also partial to Fiery Gambit (who doesn't love flipping coins?) - make it more chaotic with Krark's Thumb!

There's also a wealth of new cards to feed those greedy folk who just can't get enough of drawing cards (which I think is pretty much everyone). See Mind's Eye for 5 colourless, Liar's Pendulum and Tower of Fortunes (whose activated ability is over costed even for this set in my opinion) amongst so many other options.

Slops so far for the set: Well I have none at this stage, but wait until I have my behind kicked by an Ornithopter at the pre-release or sneak peak and I might revise the slops section :)

One thing is for sure though, son of a gun we'll have big fun at the pre-releases and sneak peaks with this set.

The next entry to my GP diary will include a round up of the pre-release or a sneak peak and my ongoing long road through the world of reality and work, to the bright lights of annual leave and the fun that is a Magic GP.

Good Luck
Samantha Hepworth
emailsam@mail2sam.com

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