Hey,

Some people will go to great lengths to fulfill their dreams of working for the company that creates Magic the Gathering.  Imagine being able to design the next Tarmogoyf, Jace, or Tolarian Academy whilst rubbing elbows with designers like Mark Rosewater.  For years you have bought the product, played the game, and encouraged your friends to try it out.  And for once, you can use your creative abilities to give back to the game.

The Great Designer Search 2 did just that.  Contestants have to participate in a series of trials to separate the amateurs from the real designers, ranging from design rules to card generation.  While the opening rounds of the contest have been completed, the contest is continuing for those have survived the first tests.  Good luck to all of you who are still in it.

The winner of the search gets a position at headquarters in Renton, Washington.  So how many of you would head to the location to work for Wizards?

Hey,

According to the latest press release by Wizards of the Coast, the following changes have been made to the banned/restricted list in Legacy:

Time Spiral is UNRESTRICTED
Survival of the Fittest is BANNED

Excellent news for players who are tired of seeing the same creature tutoring antics.  When games come down to a race to who gets a key card in play first (see Disciple of the Vault/Skullclamp Affinity for a great past example), much of the strategy that appeals to players disappears.  The gamebreaking Survival of the Fittest decks utilized one turn kills paired with counterspells to protect the setup.  With over 50% of the field Darwinning it up with the card, you were either playing Survival or playing against it.


That field domination is the main reason Survival of the Fittest got smashed by the banhammer.  If the company's cool with banning Survival, why hasn't it banned Jace the Mind Sculptor?