
ÛßßÜßßÛ ßÛ  ßÛ ÜßÛßßßß                                Vol. #2 Iss. #2
   Û     Û   Û   Û
   Û    ßÛßßßÛ  ÜÛÜÜ
   Û     Û   Û ß Û
  ÜÛÜ   Üß  Üß  ÜßÜÜÜÜ


                         ÜßßßÜ  ßÛßßÜ  Û   ßÛÜ   ÛÜ  ÜßßßÜ ßÛßßÜ  ÜßÛßßßß
                        Û        Û   Û  Û   Û Û Û Û Û    Û  Û   Û   Û
                        Û   ÜÜß ßÛßÛß   Û   Û  Û  Û Û    Û ßÛßÛß   ÜÛÜÜ
                        Û  ß Û   Û  ßÜ  Û   Û     Û Û    Û  Û  ßÜ ß Û
                        ßÜÜÜÜß  ß    ß  ßÜ Üß    Üß ßÜÜÜÜß ß    ß  ÜßÜÜÜÜ



|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|
                 Your On-Line guide to Magic the Gathering. 
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|
**  The Grimore, and its staff are not in anyway officially affiliated with 
    Wizards of the Coast, All items, or products within are the official 
    property of their respective companies, and copyrighted in that way.

**  Please do not reproduce or re-post this information without leaving the 
    Grimore staff's names on it!  Don't take credit for something you didn't 
    write!  

**  Please feel free to distribute this 'zine as much, or as 
    far as you want!  All we ask is that you leave our header on 
    it.  And distribute it free of charge, also if people you give 
    it to without a modem like it, please e-mail us with their 
    feedback.  We always want to hear suggestions!

**  Copyright Notice

    This publication includes card names and/or text derived from Magic: The
    Gathering, a product of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  Magic: The Gathering,
    Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Fallen Empires, Ice Age, 
    Chronicals, and Homelands are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

    Wizards of the Coast, Inc. does not endorse this product or its use.

|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                        Table of Contents
                        -----------------

"Editor's Note"

"The Mailbag"

"The Grimore Top Ten"

"Strategemos"

"The Most Under-rated and Over-rated cards in the Game"
 (Fallen Empires-Homelands)

"The Drawing Board"

"Trading: How to Avoid Getting Screwed"

"Your Complete Guide to Tournament Play!"
 (Part II, Cheez on the Battlefield)

"The M.A.T. (Magic Aptitude Test) I"

"Grim-Con: The Proposal"

"Rating the Competition"
           
"Reader's Ballot"

"Mox Drawing Update"

appendix I: "Deck Submission Form"

appendix II: "M.A.T. Awnsers"

appendix III: "The Complete MTG Fanzine 'Net Address Book Submission Form"

"Subscription, and Distribution Site Information"

"Looking ahead..."
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                              Editor's Note
                              -------------

        Whew!  Welcome to issue #2 (or #5, if you've read the 
three issues that comprise The Grimore Volume One), the 
reaction to the 'zine has been great, a lot of people have 
been submitting decks, and article ideas which is what I hoped 
for, and the feedback has not all been positive (which is good 
as I wanted to put one or two negative letters in the Mailbag section 
so it didn't look like I only replied to kiss-up mail so, if you 
have a complaint about the mag.  or something you think we should 
add be sure to let us know, the best way to make the 'zine more 
readable is to play to our readers, hey we're here to serve) 
so I know what needs improvement.  Our subscriber list (that is, 
the people who get every issue mailed to them) jumped from 7 to 500 
in the space of a month!!!!!  (shows what giving away a Mox can do :)), 
making The Grimore the most widely read MTG data fanzine around (at 
least the most widely read I know of), but that's just the 
beginning, because here at the Grimore we have GOALS! (we think 
we've been watching to many of those motivation InfoMercials, 
but they're just so darn addicting...)  And since you took the 
time to download/read this article we thought we would share 
them with you, so here goes:

The Grimore General Staff'ers Goals (v .001)

*       To have over 1,000 subscribers by the end of our first 6 
        months (or 6 issues, which even comes first).

*       To sponsor a Con this summer (tentatively called 
        Grim-Con) for MTG lovers, here in Utah (Salt Lake City) for 
        players nation-wide (for more info on this see "Grim-Con: The 
        Proposal," later in the issue).
                 
*       To serve our readers to the best of our abilities.

*       To come out with a paper-version of The Grimore (#7 or 
        #8) complete with art and everything to be given out at 
        Grim-Con (probably with an admission, since we have to pay for 
        printing fees :( ).  

*       To finally complete our (ok my) Beta Mox set!

*       To prove that you don't have to fork over $5.00 for a 
        good (or more often lame) MTG 'zine!

        O.k., I know those are some pretty lofty goals, after 
all we're just a small data 'zine from UTAH of all places (but 
hey, we have a lot of wives to help out! :) ), but if we can 
just reach the first couple we'll be satisfied.  So if you 
know how we can meet them (besides the obvious ways, like buy 
the last @#$#@$@#ing Mox you need) or know someone who plays 
and hasn't signed up for his/her (FREE!!!!!) subscription drop them 
(or us) a line and let them in on our little mag, the last thing 
we want to be is a secret!!!!   

        Thanks for reading, and as always your comments are 
welcome.

                                --Zzzayxx

**ERRATA**

        Obviously we that write the Grimore are human (else 
we would have these nifty opposable thumbs that allow us to 
type!), and so like most humans make mistakes (sometimes lots 
of them...see last issue) here are a few that we caught:

-       There are a LOT more than 10 new MTG fanzines on AOL now, 
        more like 30!

-       The Chaos Orb, mentioned in the Cornicopia deck should 
        be swapped out for a Zuran Orb.

-       You cannot deflect Counterspells with a Reflecting 
        Mirror.

-       In the poll question about tournament types, Type I 
        should be changed to Type II.

|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                               The Mailbag
                               -----------
        
      **  Thanks for all your replys to issue number one!!  
          For the most part they were very kind, because of space 
          limitations we could only print a few here, but keep them 
          coming!!!!  Let us know what you like about our little 'zine, 
          and what you think needs improvement (or addition)!  
          Thanks again! **

----------
Subj:  The God Is Back
From:  JonPKibble
To:    Zzzayxx

I never thought you would be back!!!!! great mag!!!!!!! You are king of 
the mags!!!!! (Now I am only #2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) .

p.s. read Library of Leng!!!!!

your avid fan,
JonPKibble (Jon Prywes)

p.p.s. I believe in older player supremacy!!!!!!

*          

        Thanks for the kind words Jon, your over-use of the 
exclamation point lets us know your really sincere :).  As for 
being king of the mags, I don't know if I'd go that far, after 
all Scrye and Inquest have a lot more readers than us here at 
the Grimore, but then again they've been around longer, so 
maybe in a year we'll be able to rival their readership (which 
is one of the above mentioned goals).  As for older player 
supremacy, I don't know if I am with you on this belief, I 
got into Magic right after "The Dark", and now about a year 
and a half later I can routinely crush guys that have been 
playing since Beta.  I think it's more how you play, and the 
strategy you use than how long you've been playing, or how 
much $$ you've put into the game (though, at times all the Moxes, 
Timethings, and a Lotus make up for a lack of a good 
strategy...unfortunately).
        Also for those of you wondering, The Library of Leng 
is an AOL based MTG fanzine (which is reviewed later in the 
mag).  

----------
Subj:  SUBSCRIPTION          plus mail       read this
From:  EthanAJ
To:    Zzzayxx

I loved your mag.  IT is the truely best of the magazines I've ever read.  
(and I've read every one of them)  The articles were more insightful than in 
InQuest and the likes.  Real professional.  The overrated, under rated cards 
were very true and well put, though in my area the colossus is much more on 
the underrated side.

*

        Thanks for the comparison to (my personal 2nd favorite 
paper-mag) InQuest, and the "professional" remark, I'd like to 
think those of us that write The Grimore do it as well (or 
better) than a lot of paper-zines out there, but that might 
just be my ego :).  After all just 'cause you get this 'zine 
free, it has no pictures (or wimpy combos) doesn't mean it 
can't be a quality product!  At least we hope it is...
        I thought the UR&OR (Under-Rated and Over-Rated) were 
close to the mark also, though with many of the cards being 
re-printed they have lost their under-rated status (ie Erhnam 
Djinn, Abu Jafar), but most of the over-rated cards are still 
just that (in our eyes at least).

----------
Subj:  Grimore Zine
From:  Drool9
To:    Zzzayxx



     Hey Zzzayxx,

    I am a great fan of your grimore magazine. I have read every single issue 
since it was released last year. You mentioned you lived in Utah. I was in 
Utah last winter and I brought my cards along and I am wondering if I met you. 
I played almost every day at the store, "Comics Utah." There were several 
good players there and I was looking to pick up my second set of Mox. If that 
is where you play, then I met you. 

I am writing because I am part of a group that has created an online 
consolidated magic magazine. We have 10 writers right now and I believe if 
you contributed to the magazine it would really be better than the "printed" 
magazines. The editor of the magazine each month rotates to another person. 
This means that we are all on equal terms. The magazine is called AOL Magic 
and many of the smaller magazines dissolved and created this consolidated 
zine. It was the idea of StupidJock. 

The first issue of the AOL Magic was good for the first one. I believe it to 
be lacking in many areas but as mail comes in and we get feedback I believe 
that it will succeed to be one of the best data zines out there. 

Tuom

*

        In response to your question, yes the Grimore is 
located in Utah (Ogden, Utah actually), unfortunately I didn't 
get a chance to meet you, since I play at a local store called 
Heros & Hobbs, some of the other staff members may have seen 
you there though since they get out a lot more than I do :).  
        As for your consolidated 'zine idea, I support what 
you are trying to do.  AOL (sorry, Internet subscribers, this 
probably won't make sense to you unless you have been on AOL 
recently, has been plagues by 200 line 'zines 
printing and re-printing the same combos one has seen in 
paper-mags months (or years!) before.  Obviously no one 
wants to waste time (time they are PAYING for) downloading a 
fanzine claiming to have Super-Ultra NEW Combos, and seeing 
Lich-Mirror Universe in it!  So I do think that something 
should be done to limit the number of 'zine uploaded, 
something like a quality control committee that would read the 
'zine then vote whether to allow it or not could be 
established, but the same committee would have to keep an open 
mind, and unbiased opinion (something none of us humans 
have).  A more viable solution is instead of writing you own 
'zine pair up with a friend, room-mate etc...  Or just pop 
into the MTG conference and ask for people who would like to 
contribute to a CCG fanzine, not only will the size of your 
'zine increase, but so will the quality!!
        Now for the facets of you (or Stupidjock's) idea I do 
not support.  I have downloaded the last 10 posted 'zines in 
the Gaming Information Exchange file section, and was pleased 
to find that the quality of the 'zines is improving 
dramatically, it looks like those people with little to say, 
said it over the last few months, and have stopped 
publishing...however, I also downloaded the recent issue of 
MegaZine, the first (though re-named) issue of AOL Magic you 
mention above, and found it less entertaining and a lot less 
informative than most of the 'zines individuals have 
published!  Admittedly this was the first issue, and I hope it 
will improve.  I also think the idea of multiple-editors is 
kinda lacking, yes it does make you all equal.  But also it 
gives the mag. a kind of jumbled look, this is just my opinion 
of course, but it may be shared by others (and it may not...).  
        In summation, I think MegaZine will be a quality 
download once it has been tuned (of course, all the 
publication magazines need to be tuned, paper or data, the one 
your reading now included!) a little more, I like the 
idea, but some of the parts are (in my eyes) lacking.  Also, 
if your even in Utah again stop by Heros & Hobbs in Ogden 
(40th and Washington) I'll meet you then :).

----------
Subj:  Re: The Grimore Vol. 2 Iss. 1
From: DaknBlkbld
To:     Zzzayxx

Thanx for putting me on the list. I already got ish 1 w/ the mail you sent 
last week but I guess it would be a lot of trouble since I was already on your 
mailing list. I read it as soon as I got it. I was glad to see that it kept a 
lot of the feel of the origonal Grimore but without being an exact copy. 
With the new decks section which, while a little lengthy, is the best format 
I've seen, and the twenty page full price guide thankfully gone, the new 
Grimore has the potential to become one of the best. With all the new 
competition it may not get the 700+ downloads it got a year ago, but it 
will be leading the pack.

DaknBlkbld
 
*        

        Sorry about the double-mailing, you weren't the only 
one to get it (and if your getting a double dose of this issue 
drop me a line and let me know!) unfortunately, I don't 
have time 'till after Christmas to go through and erase the 10 or so 
double e-mail addresses I have on the list.  I agree with you 
on the deck submission section, it is the best I've seen 
(data-wise, no print 'zine offers you the chance to submit 
decks) but it is long, if I didn't have to work in ASCII and 
could layout the 'zine on PageMaker, or Word I could shrink 
the text, use italics, organize into columns and all sorts of neat stuff, 
unfortunately many of our readers can't view that type of text 
so for now I guess I'm stuck with the long-hand version :(.  I 
agree the deletion of the price guide did save space, though 
another Grimore Sponsored Price Guide will see print later 
this month, not as a part of the 'zine itself, but as an 
add-on put up for download on GIX, the Etext site 
(/zines/Grimore), and sent out to all subscribers, because 
(and this might be just me) all the current price guides seem 
to be out of touch with what a card really costs!  
        As for not getting the 700+ downloads, I'm not to 
worried about it, if only 200 AOL'ers pick up my magazine 
that's fine, I'm more interested now in expanding the 'zines 
readership to Internet, where no MTG fanzine (at least none I have 
seen) has gone before.

----------
Subject: Re: \*\* Win a Mox of your choice!! (No strings) \*\*
From:   joh6@lehigh.edu (Jon Ho)
To:     zzzayxx@aol.com (Zzzayxx)

Hi-

I'm interested in a free subscription of Grimore.  What exactly is Grimore,
are they published?
Well here's my address:

** Address Withheld **

*        

        The Grimore is a data based fanzine, so all of you 
subscribers that sent me your snail mail address I really 
didn't need them, but didn't make it clear in my posting I 
guess.  Also, the subscription is FREE!!  Let me repeat that 
FREE!!!!!!!!!  I have had almost 50 e-mails asking me to tell 
them if it really was free or not and it IS!!!!!!  (I still 
have one guy e-mailing me to tell him if it's free when I've 
told him 3 times!)  I guess nothing is given away on the 
Internet, but we're willing to do it to increase our 
reader-base, and do not plan to charge for subscriptions as 
long as the 'zine stays in data format (which it will for the 
foreseable future).  Of course contributions are welcome :)

----------
Subj:   Re: The Grimore Mailing List Test!
From:   phil@miracle.com (Phil Hill)
To:     Zzzayxx@aol.com ('Zzzayxx@aol.com')

1)  If you are going to send this in MIME format, don't name the file *.DOC.  
    It is a plaintext file so should have the extention .TXT.  .DOC implies 
    Microsoft Word or Word Perfect or some other word processor format.  
    You document looks awful in MS word.

2)  Lose the ASCII graphics.  You can't count on people reading the file with 
    under DOS.  If people don't have the correct font, it looks like garbage.  
    The same goes for most of your indentations and tables, they look awful 
    in a proportional font.

3)                       Unlimited/Alpha/Beta
                         -------------------
 
                          #1  Black Lotus
                          #2  Mox Ruby
                          #3  Mox Jet
                          #4  Mox Emerald
                          #5  Mox Sapphire
                          #6  Mox Pearl

    Why break the Moxes down, later on you say things like 'sacrifice lands' 
    and lump them into a single slot.

    Besides, we all know the order is Pearl, Sapphire, Ruby, Jet, Emerald.  
    The only other fast mana white has is Trade Caravan, and that's a joke.  
    Blue only has Apprentice Wizard and High Tide.  Red has Mana Flare, GoM, 
    and the Sisters.  Black has Dark Ritual, and Sacrifice.  And Green has so 
    much fast mana (Elves, Birds, Druids, Wild Growth) that often a Mox is 
    too slow!  (With a Orcish Lumberjack, a Forest becomes 4 mana for 0 
    casting cost, better than a Lotus!)

4)                              Legends
                                -------

                         #1  Mirror Universe
                         #2  Mana Drain
                         #3  Thunder Spirit
                         #4  Moat
                         #5  Nova Pentacle
                         #6  All Hallow's Eve
                         #7  Underworld Dreams
                         #8  Firestorm Phoenix
                         #9  Acid Rain
                         #10 Disharmony   

    Mirror Universe??  One of the most over-rated cards.  You've got to be 
    kidding.  I've never seen All Hallow's Eve do anything useful.  Most of 
    the time it ends up helping your opponent as much as you, the rest of 
    the time it gets Disenchanted before it counts down.
    And Firestorm Phoenix???  For the same casting cost, I could get a 
    Shivan!

5)                         Homelands
                           ---------

                         #1  Marjhan
                         #2  Faerie Noble
                         #3  Baron Sengir
                         #4  Abbey Gargoyles
                         #5  Autumn Willow
                         #6  Ihsan's Shade
                         #7  Mystic Decree
                         #8  Willow Priestess
                         #9  Joven's Ferrets
                         #10 AEther Storm   

    I'm still rolling on the floor laughing!  You are completely off here.

    Marjhan is just another big-ugly blue creature with a too-high casting 
    cost and a gross untap cost.  It's better then Leviatian, but not as good 
    as Deep Spawn It doesn't even belong on the list.

    What about Primal Order?  It's the best card in Homelands, and you didn't
    even put it in the top ten.

    And Death Speaker, a 1 casting cost creature that can safely block that
    Juzam *forever* (while you opponent is still taking the 1 damage per turn
    from his own Juzam)

    And Sea Sprites, a 2 casting cost flying creature that will totally 
    neutralize that Shivan coming down your throat.

    And Spectral Bears!!!!  2 casting cost 3/3.  Even if you don't attack 
    with them, they are a wonderful blocker.  And with a single Deathlace, 
    they become totally lost their minor drawback.

6)  Underrated & Over rated.

    Natural Selection is a waste of time.  There are plenty of other effects 
    that allow you to look *and* rearrange the top three cards, and they 
    are all pretty much useless!

    Dark Sphere - 

    I'm incredibly surprised more people don't play with these 
    wonders!  Not only is the casting cost just right (0), its 
    ability is one of the better ones in the game.  How many times 
    haven't you wanted to half that 10 point fireball?  Or with 
    multiple spheres reduce it to 0?!?!  ...

    You can't reduce damage to zero with multiple Dark Spheres.  The first 
    one would reduce 10 to 5, the second from 5 to 3, the third from 3 to 2, 
    the fourth from 2 to 1, and the fifth+ would have no effect.  (Remember
    round UP, and the effects happen sequentially.)

    Reflecting Mirror - 

    Possibly the MOST under-rated card in the game, the only thing 
    that makes the mirror even close to clumsy is its casting 
    cost (4), but its still a easy 2nd round card.  More useful 
    now than even now that Wizards has seen fit to give red a 
    potential of 12 (!!!!!!) lightning boltish things in a single 
    legal deck!  Not to mention the chance of reflecting something 
    big like a 15 point fireball with the use of Basalts, Mana 
    Vaults, and a High Tide or Two!  Even Counterspells can be 
    reflected, mind twists, hymns to tourach and many more!  While 
    not good against a creature deck the Reflecting Mirror should 
    find a comfortable place in many decks.
   
    If you can reflect back a 15 point fireball (total cost 32 mana) why don't 
    you just take all that mana and blast your opponent back to the stone age 
    with your own fireball??

    You can *not* reflect Counterspells.  Counterspell targets a spell you 
    are casting, not you.
    
*

        WOW!!!!!!!  Now that's what I call a long e-mail :), 
thanks for putting the time in on it even if it does point out 
my many mistakes (even if I already noticed some of them, see 
the Errata).  Because of the size of your mail, and the number 
of questions I will take them sequentially:

1)      .DOC and .TXT files are used interchangeably here in 
        Utah (maybe we're just a back-water state), so I didn't even 
        think of changing it from .DOC (Document) to .TXT (Text), both 
        are ASCII and if one implies the other and I didn't know about 
        it I am sorry, but perhaps .DOC doesn't imply the same thing for 
        all people (is there some guy in Hong Kong trying to view this 
        'zine on his Atari, because there .DOC stands for "Only viewable on 
        machines made before 1980," its a possibility).  But just for 
        you, I'll send the rest .TXT, I don't think anyone will mind.

2)      I like the ASCII graphics, they make me feel all warm 
        and fuzzy inside, but since it appears the ASCII 
        divider was a pain to view I've compromised by switching it to 
        DOS text (not weird characters), but left the "The Grimore" 
        header at the beginning.

3)      The Moxes are separated because locally (and I can, 
        for now, only go off local trends) Duel Lands, and Sacrificial 
        Lands are valued about the same no matter what type they are, 
        while Moxes are valued more by color (it takes a Pearl + 
        Duel lands to get a Ruby out here).  As for your own ratings,
        I could probably poll 50 players and get at least 25 different 
        variations, we all have our own priorities.  Your's lie in mana 
        production, (by they way you only get three mana per 
        Forest with Orcish Lumberjack) where as mine lie more in the 
        favorite colors, more people (sorry to break it to you) 
        play Red than Blue, Black than White and so the more played 
        Moxes are in higher demand.

4)      I don't think Mirror Universe is over-rated at all (ok 
        maybe a little) it does exactly what it says, lets you switch 
        life with your opponent, now THAT is an ability.  Sure it has 
        to stay out for a round, and COULD be Disenchanted but even if 
        it is 2 out of 3 times that 3rd time is going to make all the 
        difference in the world.  All Hallows Eve is a very specific 
        card, but with Jokluhapps (that is spelled wrong I am sure), 
        and Nether Voids paired in decks it might be the only way you 
        ever get something out!!!  Also, with the growing popularity 
        of creatureless decks All Hallow's is still useful, as for it 
        being disenchanted, just like Mirror Universe above, that 3rd 
        time makes all the difference.  I agree with you on Firestorm 
        Phoenix, I don't know what I was thinking putting it on there 
        it is a hard-to-find collectors card but useless in playing.  
        And remember just because you haven't seen something used 
        well, or at all, doesn't mean it can't be or isn't.

5)      Well I had hoped you would discount at lest 4 of our
        choices for Homelands Top 10, when you told me I was totally 
        off...but one it ok I guess...  I personally like Marjhan, 
        that is only requires 2 blue make it easy to bring out early 
        in the game (with Basalt Monoliths, Moxes, Loti, etc...), its 
        upkeep is the easiest to pay of all the big blues 
        (think...Breeding Pit, or Homarid Spawning Bed to get the 
        token creatures), it has a great special ability and is 
        8/8!!!!  It's not for every deck but deffinatly suited for 
        more than you're giving it credit for.  Primal Order is a nice 
        sideboard card, but if you play in an area devoid of anything 
        but all green decks, or if you yourself play more than 2 
        colors it looses a lot of its playability.  Death Speaker is a 
        good creature, especially for white weenie, but in comparing 
        it to a Juzam Djinn your assuming your opponent who took the 
        time to get 4 Djinns is playing all black, with no pyroclasms, 
        swords to plowshares and/or lightening bolts and didn't plan 
        on playing against someone using protection from black 
        creatures? somehow I think not...  Sea Sprites will save you 
        from that Shivan, for one round, then he just comes back 
        bigger!  Hope you have a lot of Sprites.  I also like Spectral 
        Bears, but if your slotting in Deathlaces just to make them 
        useful you make them worthless in a tuned deck, by requiring 2 
        colors of mana to use them effectively.

6)      Actually only Portent does what Natural Selection 
        does, Visions lets you re-shuffle but that's far from 
        rearranging, what other cards were you thinking of?  
        Useless?!?  I beg to differ, anything I can do to keep you 
        from drawing that lightening bolt when I'm at 2 is worth it to 
        me!  The text on Dark Sphere reads "T: Sacrifice Dark Sphere 
        to prevent half of the damage rounded down done to you by a 
        single source" one of us was reading the card wrong, and it 
        wasn't me (this time), or maybe my Dark Spheres are just 
        special?   You might not be playing red, so you wouldn't have 
        a Fireball (there are 4 other colors out there you know), and 
        no it cannot reflect Counterspells, I noticed that error the 
        day after I sent it out (see the Errata) good to see I wasn't 
        the only one who picked up on it.

----------
Subject: Re: The Grimore Mailing List Test!
From:   barth@wam.umd.edu (Doctor Demento)
To:     Zzzayxx@aol.com

Comments on THE GRIMORE 2:1
----------------------------

First of all, thanks for letting me know about "The Grimore".  I read it 
over and generally was positively impressed by it.  Since you complained 
about not receiving any feedback to the 1st edition, I would like to take 
the time to offer you my thoughts about the fanzine.

SPECIFIC COLUMN COMMENTS
------------------------
        Top 10 Lists
        ------------
        This has been done to death in every magazine from Scrye to 
        InQuest.  While you make an original departure by doing your list
        on a set-by-set basis, I have to wonder whether this list is 
        going to change enough on a monthly basis to make it valuable as 
        a continuing column.
 
        In addition, you should make it more clear why the cards you choose
        are on the list.  For most of the magazines, the reason is clear 
        - be it reader opinion, the  reports of national vendors, or 
        whatever.  Since you and your staff are doing this alone, some 
        indication of what you are doing will be more useful than just a 
        list of cards.

        ***

        Strategemos
        -----------
        Not bad.  Essentially this is information that will be of use to 
        beginners more than experienced players, I feel, but that's not a 
        bad thing in and of itself.  You succeed in not talking down to your
        audience, and the information you provide is quite good. You 
        might consider demonstrating your points using one or two 
        specific decks of the type being featured, so players can get the 
        "big picture."

        ***

        Overrated/Underrated
        --------------------
        Nice concept, but once again I have to question whether this is 
        going to change sufficiently to make it a regular feature.  I 
        like the way you explain WHY you list each card, and some of the 
        explanations are quite novel.  You might consider offering full
        text and/or summaries of the less common cards, so those without 
        extensive knowledge of Legends, say, will understand what you are 
        talking about.

        ***

        Drawing Board
        -------------
        Please, please, PLEASE reformat this.  It was impossible to read 
        without going back several times.  Place the general ratings, 
        colors, and price together at the beginning or end of the article so 
        someone who wants to skim through can do a quick and dirty comparison 
        of the decks that are listed that month.  Limit your comments to 
        the end - they are rather distracting to keep breaking into the main 
        text. 

        ***

        Tourney Guide
        -------------
        Nothing I haven't seen before, but you said as much.  Looking forward
        to next month's column.

        ***

        Rating the Competition
        ----------------------
        Much too short - you missed all of the zines I read on a regular 
        basis.  Where do I get information about subscribing to these zines?
        All in all, efforts made to rate competitors tends to make you look
        petty - this may not be a great idea for someone trying to 
        publish a zine, although it would be very welcome as something 
        standing alone on the net.

        ***

        Reader's Ballot
        ---------------
        Pretty Generic. Most zines are doing something similar, but it 
        makes for an outlet for reader feedback.  Maybe some more 
        controversial questions would be interesting.


GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS
--------------------
        Formatting changes would be nice to increase legibility.  The 
lengthy strings of ASCII characters which you used to separate the 
sections did nothing to add to the document's legibility, and in fact 
cluttered it up.  You might try adding regular formatted headers to the 
sections to make it easier to search for section headers.

        An HTML version of this would be really nice, also - it seems 
that this fanzine would be admirably suited for distribution on the WWW.

        You should also look at doing more of interest to the collector.  
Not all collectors are players, so the occasional article aimed at the 
collector (such as the upcoming "trading" article) would be welcome.  I 
would even be interested in writing such a column if you are interested 
in having it.  Let me know and I can work up a proposal.

Kevin "Demento" Barth

*

        Geez!  Another long letter (not that I'm complaining, 
I like to get them!!!), thanks for the mail Kevin allow me to 
awnser/respond to some of your questions:

Top Ten Lists - I agree that this has been done to death, and 
while I like my set-by-set breakdown better than an overall 
list it probably won't change to often (until 5th Ed. or 
Chronicles II) but, also I have to remember that we will get 
new readers with every issue (at least I hope we do!) so I 
want to give them an idea of what we think is hot, that's why I 
keep the list in...Starting next issue (#3) we will begin 
explaining why we choose the Top 10 we do (I would have gone 
back an done it this issue but your mail arrived about an hour 
before this is scheduled to go out, and I'm lazy), mostly its 
just our opinion and that of local shop owners, I'd love to 
get feedback from players/retailers from all over though so 
e-mail your suggestions!!!
                          
Stratagemos - I hope I don't talk down to my readers, a good 
author doesn't (though that's about all they do in InQuest), 
but there is another reason I try not to, that is that I don't 
know everything!!!  It's hard to be conceited when you realize 
that you may know 1,001 uses for Nether Void, but couldn't 
build a good land destruction deck to save your life...As 
for including decks I will try to put one or two of each type 
talked about in Stratagemos in the "Drawing Board" section 
from now on. 

Over Rated/Under Rated - This isn't an ongoing feature, it 
concludes this issue, and will be replaced by the 
one-issue-spanning feature "The Just Plain Stupid!" in #3, 
while I don't feel that I've covered all (or even a fraction) 
of the useful, and useless cards out there,  OR/UR will 
probably appear again around issue 5 or 6 with some new ideas 
(and hopefully a new expansion to discuss).  As for people 
not knowing what certain cards do, since some of them are 
obscure this could be a problem, I guess I'm just spoiled with 
my Spoilers list, similar lists that detail what the cards do 
and their casting cost can be found all over the 'Net, I'd 
include one in the 'zine itself, but the sheer length would 
kinda eclipse the articles, and besides some subscribers may 
not need it.  If you need a list like this (not you Kevin, 
anyone reading this) just check any of the MTG newsgroups for 
FTP or WWW addresses, should be no problem to find one.

Drawing Board - I agree on the formatting, issue #1 was out 
first "test-run" of the new format and it got more than a 
little messy, it has been cleaned-up and re-done hope its 
easier to read!

Tourney Guide - Like I said, and you re-stated nothing I say 
about tournament play is going to be new to everyone (perhaps 
anyone), or original but hopefully it'll help a few readers 
out, and provide a few insights or laughs for competent 
tournament players.

Rating the Competition - Because this is an on going column I 
limit myself to reviewing only 2 magazines per issue.  As for being 
petty I guess it is, the concept was to rate other home-brew 'zines on 
AOL (which is choked with 100-200 line commentaries, repeating things over 
and over) with one print mag thrown in to make it something Internet 
readers could stomach, I tried to point out both pro and cons and 
explain my complaints.  I wanted to review other 'zines the way I would 
want The Grimore reviewed with enough commentary to give the 
Editors an idea of how to make their 'zines more reader 
friendly, though I doubt the guys over at Wizards of the Coast 
or Wizard Press are going to take much notice.  Also beginning 
next issue I'm going to try and compile the "Complete MTG 
'zine Address Book" listing all the fanzines print run, 
subscriber #, where you can e-mail for an subscription and a 
little 3-5 line write-up by the editors.

Reader's Ballot - Yeah, it is REALLY generic, the favorite 
color question among others was pretty lame.  I thought the 
question about the creation of a MTG association to rival the 
Duelist's Convocation was semi-controversial but that's about 
it.  Check this month's ballot for more in depth questions.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS - The ASCII divider has been replaced as 
per your (and other reader's) request.  I would love to set up 
a Grimore Web Page, but running off AOL I don't think I 
can!!!  I'll look into it though...  An (as yet unnamed) 'zine 
will be published beginning in January for those people 
interested in collecting/trading (the trading article in this 
issue will be the last to appear in the pages of The Grimore, 
all the rest will appear in our sister 'zine), I understand 
that some collectors aren't players, and some players aren't 
collectors and want to cater to both sides of the fence, so 
look for that publication in the near future (now if I could 
only think of a good name....)...
==========

That's it for "The Mailbag" this month, hoped you enjoyed 
reading it, and I hope my responses weren't too vague, keep 
those letters coming it's the best way we get feedback to 
serve you better!

|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                           The Grimore Top Ten          
                           -------------------

        ** Remember, the ranking expressed below are based on the 
        views of the Grimore staff (usually based more on play use, 
        than hype, picture, or $$$ value...though the first and last 
        seem to go together), and players in our area, if things are 
        different where you play and would like to make a suggestion 
        on a new card to add or slot change for a card that has 
        already made the list feel free to e-mail us with your 
        suggestion! **

                         Unlimited/Alpha/Beta
                         -------------------

                          #1.  Black Lotus
                          #2.  Mox Ruby
                          #3.  Mox Jet
                          #4.  Mox Emerald
                          #5.  Mox Pearl
                          #6.  Mox Sapphire
                          #7.  Time Walk
                          #8.  Time Twister
                          #9.  Ancestral Recall
                          #10. Forcefield
           
                            Arabian Nights
                            -]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

                          #1.  Juzam Djinn
                          #2.  Ali from Cairo
                          #3.  Jihad
                          #4.  Diamond Valley
                          #5.  Ring of Ma'Ruf
                          #6.  Iff-Biff Efreet
                          #7.  Singing Tree
                          #8.  Serendib Djinn
                          #9.  Old Man of the Sea
                          #10. Elephant Graveyard


                              Antiquities
                              -----------

                          #1.  Candelabra of Tawnos
                          #2.  Mishra's Workshop
                          #3.  Argivan Archeologist
                          #4.  Gaea's Avenger
                          #5.  Power Leech
                          #6.  Citanul Druid
                          #7.  Urza's Miter
                          #8.  Might Stone
                          #9.  Martyrs of Korilis     
                          #10. Mishra's Factory (Snow/Fall)   

                               Legends
                               -------

                          #1.  Mirror Universe
                          #2.  Mana Drain
                          #3.  Thunder Spirit
                          #4.  Moat
                          #5.  All Hallow's Eve
                          #6.  Underworld Dreams
                          #7.  Acid Rain
                          #8.  Tabernacle at Pendrall Vale
                          #9.  Nether Void
                          #10. Greater Realm of Preservation   

                              The Dark
                              --------

                          #1.  Preacher
                          #2.  Tracker
                          #3.  Maze of Ith
                          #4.  Exorcist
                          #5.  Psychic Allergy
                          #6.  Knights of the Thorn
                          #7.  Reflecting Mirror
                          #8.  Frankenstein's Monster
                          #9.  Hidden Path
                          #10. Dark Sphere

                             Fallen Empires
                             -]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

                          #1.  Hand of Justice
                          #2.  Ebon Praetor
                          #3.  Icatian Town
                          #4.  Icatian Skirmishers
                          #5.  Fungal Bloom
                          #6.  Breeding Pit
                          #7.  Orgg
                          #8.  Deralor
                          #9.  Elvish Farmer
                          #10. Thrull Retainer

                           Revised (3rd & 4th)
                           -------------------

                          #1.  Multi-Lands
                          #2.  Vesuvan Doppleganger
                          #3.  Fork
                          #4.  Shivan Dragon
                          #5.  Nightmare
                          #6.  Royal Assassin
                          #7.  Ball Lightening
                          #8.  Mahamoti Djinn
                          #9.  Serra Angel
                          #10. Sengir Vampire

                             Ice Age
                             -------

                          #1.  Deflection
                          #2.  Jester's Cap
                          #3.  Jester's Mask
                          #4.  Marton Stromgald 
                          #5.  Icy Manipulator
                          #6.  Enduring Renewal
                          #7.  Zuran Orb
                          #8.  Ice Cauldron
                          #9.  Energy Storm
                          #10. Ghostly Flame

                             Homelands
                             ---------

                          #1.  Baron Sengir
                          #2.  Autumn Willow
                          #3.  Primal Order
                          #4.  Marjhan
                          #5.  Faerie Noble
                          #6.  Apocalypse Chime
                          #7.  Koskun Falls
                          #8.  Abbey Gargoyles 
                          #9.  Eron the Relentless
                          #10. An-Zerrin Ruins       
                                           
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                              Strategemos
                              -----------

        Even more popular than Direct Damage decks 
(discussed last issue), are decks that rely on big creatures 
coming out fast supported by Direct Damage, and Permission 
spells.  A typical deck of this type will be played with a lot 
of fast mana (Dark Rituals, Orcish Lumberjacks, Lotus, Moxes), 
and big creatures, usually with only 1 (or less) colored mana required 
to cast (Deralor, Ernham, Juggernaut).  Once the player has a 
creature on the board (usually round 2 or 3 at the latest) he 
will attempt to keep it alive while stopping his opponents 
creatures with Counterspells, Lightening Bolts, Pyroclasms, 
Mind Twist, or Hymns to Tourach.  Land Destruction and Hand 
Destruction spells really help this type of deck, as do Nether 
Voids, Blood Moons, AEther Storms, Feroz's Ban, or Invoke 
Prejudiced anything that slows your opponent down (and you, 
but only after you have a creature or two on the board) 
will work here, single cards are the best, double card combos 
may be slow in coming (ie Relic Barrier/Winter Orb) but since 
a lot of them don't hurt you they might not be a bad idea.  
Stay away from any combos over three cards (not just here, but 
in an competitive deck!!!).  
        This deck type, while being quick has damage from varied 
sources (both creature, direct, and artifact) almost assuring 
you some damage during the game.  The fact that it can 
encompass almost any combination of colors makes it hard to 
sideboard against.  Add to this the fact that this deck type 
can be either Type I or Type II makes it one of the most 
versatile around.  A Type I deck of this genre could include; 
4-5 Moxes, Lotus, Juzam Djinns, Chain Lightenings, Nether 
Voids, Relic Barriers, Seredib Djinns, Ali From Cairo, and the 
Blue spoilers.  While a Type II version can be just as deadly 
by combining; Orcish Lumberjacks, Incinerates, AEther Storms, 
Winter Orbs, Goblin War Drums, Smokes, Winters Chills and Dark 
Spheres.  Of course these Types can be combined into a number 
of crushing combinations.  All that coupled with the fact that 
this deck type doesn't rely on 3 or 4 certain cards to make it 
work (making it Jester's Cap proof), and the varied colors 
make sideboard really effective allowing the player to deal 
with virtually every situation!
        The major fear one needs to have when playing a deck 
like this is land oriented.  The fact that Mana/Card ratio 
tends to be low makes tuned Land Destruction a threat.  Primal 
Order and Blood Moon can hurt, but Disenchants and 
Tranquilites can take care of them no problem.  Another big 
fear is playing another deck of this type, when this happens 
the game is more a matter of luck and play skill than cards.  
Forgetting to attack for even 1 point one round may cost you 
the game.  
        This deck type is incredibly effective, hard to 
play, and even harder to beat.  Effective side-boarding is a 
must!  The White, Red, and Green utilities (Swords to 
Plowshares, Disenchant, Smoke, Goblin War Drums, Ali from 
Cairo, Tranquility, Primal Order etc...) are a must.  While 
playing this deck in Type I is VERY expensive Type II variants 
should be easier to make, and be just as effective (if a round 
ot two slower).  Overall possible the best deck type out there!

        ** In "The Drawing Board" the first to decks profiled 
           "Steel" and "Null and Void" are good examples of Type I takes 
           on this theme, check them out!**
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                          The Most Underrated
                                 And,
                            Overrated Cards 
                                In MTG!
                          -------------------
                            (FE-Homelands)


Fallen Empires
-]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

----------
Over-Rated
----------

Fungal Bloom - 

While its hard to find anything really over-rated about Fallen 
Empires (it's the most under-rated expansion out there!) 
Fungal Bloom does qualify in the "it-looks-good-at-first" 
category.  Sure Fungal Bloom is great for putting that last 
minute spore counter on your Spore Flower, or maybe giving you 
a couple extra life via your Elvish Farmer (eating it, not 
making it, he is not a fungus after all!), but in a tournament 
level game, while Thallids aren't a bad idea, Fungal Bloom 
usually is.  It has the right casting cost (GG) allowing it to 
come out early, but its activation cost (also GG) and the fact 
that it can only effect a target fungus make it almost useless 
unless you have 6 mana to spend every round fogging your 
opponent.  The only time I have seen Fungal Bloom used 
effectively is in an all Green tourament (where most of the 
damage comes from creatures) in an all Thallid deck, the game 
was probably in its 40th round, and they guy had about 500 
Thallids in play (of course his opponent had Spore Flowers, 
Fogs, and Spore Clouds in reserve so it was more like a boring 
stand-off) and couldn't do ANYTHING with them (he refused to 
sacrifice them for life of course), see preceding 
parentheses.  Not the most fortunate of situations, so while 
the Bloom can be useful (rarely) it is usually just a slot in 
your deck where a Craw Giant, or Ernahm Djinn could have gone.

Hand of Justice - 

Like the Fungal Bloom, Hand of Justice falls into the 
"it-looks-good-at-first" category, I mean who wouldn't want to 
destroy any creature in play just for tapping 3 white 
creatures and the Hand?  But, playing with a HoJ (Hand of 
Justice) in your deck you might never get to kill anything 
with him!  First theres the problem of getting the 3 creatures 
out needed to use his ability, no problem with White Weenie 
right?  Wrong, with Lightening Blots, Fireballs, Pyroclasms, 
Jovial evils, and Winter's Chills all avalible for you 
opponents deck or sideboard the chances of him/her letting 
you have three creatures on the board (especially with a few 
Crusades and/or Jihads in play) are slim to say the least.  
Then theres the fact that HoJ very slooooooooow to get out, 
his casting cost (one White, 5 colorless) keeps him in your 
had for a least the first 3-4 turns, so hope you opponent 
isn't playing a quick deck!  Then, what if your opponent 
isn't even playing creatures?  HoJ looses a lot of its 
playability right there.  But ok, lets say your opponent is at 
1, has an Ali from Cairo (with Anti-Magic Aura) out against your 
Red/White weenie hoard and you have a Lightening Blot in your 
had, it doesn't help against Ali but wait!  You just drew a 
HoJ, you cast him out with a grin and declare you turn over, 
next turn you can use the HoJ and finish your opponent off.  
But if you think your opponent is going let that HoJ live until 
your next turn (or just kill off all but 2 of your creatures) 
you've been playing for too many straight hours my friend!  If 
its in the other players power the HoJ is dead, he's even a 
bigger target in Multi-Player (Melee) games!!!!!!  But hey, 
2/6 isn't a bad (if expensive) blocker...

-----------
Under-Rated
-----------

High Tide - 

While it's true this card isn't incredibly useful in the first 
2 turns of the game, nor after about round 6.  For the 
in-between rounds High Tide adds something Blue doesn't have a 
lot of, speed mana.  Sure there is Black Lotus, Mox Sapphire, 
and Apprentice Wizard, but the first two are kicked out 
because of scarcity and the fact that most players haven't 
been in the game since Unlimited, and don't have the money to 
buy them at current prices and Apprentice Wizard isn't the 
mana producing stud some people hype him to be, he only 
produces colorless, and his casting cost requires two blue 
making him hard to bring out on turns one and two.  High Tide 
however is easy to get (its a common!) but just like the 
Wizard useless in the first two rounds, but then round three 
rolls around, how just a Juggernaut sound?  Round four, a 
Mahamoti?  Round 5 a Marjahn?  And so on, the fact that High 
Tide is an instant make is useful for countering that 14 point 
Fireball with a Power Sink, or Spell Blast.  In a color like 
Blue with little fast mana, High Tide is a must especially 
with creature decks, and when playing against Winter Orb-Relic 
Barrier combos, or Nether Voids.  Who says Fallen Empires was 
a Useless expansion?

Spore Flower - 

A great sideboard card for almost any type of deck (assuming 
it has Green in it of course!).  Who wouldn't want a fog every 
three rounds?  The fact that more than one of them in play 
(assuming you put them in play in the right order, that is one 
on turn two, one on turn three, and one on turn four) can give 
you a fog every round!  While Spore Flower is easy to kill 
with Lightening Bolts, Fireballs etc.. it is not so easy to 
get rid of with say, Royal Assassins.  Still having one on the 
board makes it a target (sometimes a Disenchant target if your 
playing someone inexperienced) for all kinds of things, so 
Spectral Clock wouldn't be such a bad idea!  This card is 
especially effective in all creature tournaments because of 
its ability and the fact that it is hard to kill with the 
creature-killing staple Royal Assassin (whoops, repeating 
myself there).  Not for everyone (but what card is?) but still 
a nice card that not a lot of people use.


Ice Age 
-------

----------
Over-Rated
----------

Jester's Cap - 

Now I'm not saying this card isn't useful, it is!  Really 
useful in some cases, but not every case and infact not more 
than a few.  For example, if your playing someone with a 
discard deck and the only damage in the deck is Racks, then a 
Cap is great for getting rid of three of them, and taking 
little or no damage the entire game, same thing goes for 
Vices.  But in most cases deck strategies are varied enough to 
allow someone to remove three cards from your deck without 
ruining it.  The point is that all the hype that has been 
going on about this card is not deserved, play a tournament 
level, competitive deck and the Cap won't do much to hurt you 
(unless your opponents Archeologist brings it back again, and 
again, and again etc...).  Wizards knows this (that's why the 
Cap hasn't been restricted yet), and by making the Cap they 
have tried to make deck strategies more varied and not let 
them rely on just one or two cards.  Also, adding to the 
ineffectiveness of the Cap is that most people that use them 
don't know how to use them (redundant isn't it?).  The Cap 
usually comes out late in the game (it really isn't a card 
that needs to come out and be used in the first 5 rounds) so 
can be used the turn it is brought into play, if you opponent 
is smart he will go for the sideboarded cards, and/or utility 
cards (Ghostly Flame, Disenchant, Pyroclams, Swords to 
Plowshares) that can hurt his deck or one-of-a-kinders 
(Underworld Dreams, Timewalk, Ancestral).  But most players 
will go for creatures (removing 3 creatures from an all 
creature deck won't hurt it!), direct damage (he can get rid 
of 3 of your 12 lightening bolts!), or $$$ (its round 30 and 
he decides to toss out 3 Moxes...whew!).  So while at first 
glance Jester's Cap might look like a God card, upon closer 
inspection one finds it deffinatly is not...
                                            
Elder Druid - 

Now this is a card I need explained to me, I can see hundreds 
of uses for it, but with its high casting cost, and high 
activation cost in a quick game who has the mana?  In an all 
Green deck it is possible to get the Elder Druid out by round 
2 or 3 since his casting cost includes a lot of colorless (3 
colorless 1 Green), but most Green decks rely on speed, and 
supporting this guy for 3G a round doesn't exactly speed up a 
deck!  The fact that he is 2/2 only makes him more susceptible 
to Lightening Bolts and other creature killer things if you 
even do make him useful.  It seems simple Ley Druids, Icys, 
Relic Barriers etc... would be a lot more useful, and mana 
economic than the Elder Druid.  While it's true most people 
don't play with them, some people do (for some unknown 
reason).  I can see it being in demand because it's an Ice Age 
rare and needed to complete sets, but can't see another 
reason anyone would put one in a deck...

-----------
Under-Rated
-----------

Jester's Mask - 

While still in demand (more for its trade power, than 
playability) the Jester's Mask seems to spend a lot of its 
time in its twin's (the Jester's Cap) shadow.  Why?  The main 
reason is that the Mask is even harder to use than the Cap.  
What if you give you opponent exactly what they want?  Or 
what if they draw the card to make their new hand work?  What 
if there isn't anything you can give them they don't already 
have in their hand?!?!?!  There are a lot of variables when 
using the Mask, and so most people don't bother with it.  But 
in many cases the Mask can slow your opponent down a lot more 
than the Cap.  The Mask's 5 colorless casting cost make it 
easy to bring out by turn 3, it comes into play tapped so 
unless you have a twiddles or (god forbid) an Elder Druid in 
play it'll probably be a big Disenchant/Shatter target until 
your next turn.  But should it survive, the Mask is a great 
one for making your opponent sweat.  Just leave it untapped 
until you do a Wheel of Fortune, Armegeddon, Jokkulhaups 
etc... use the Mask as a fast effect and replace his hand with 
whatever you want (all mana, no mana, etc...).  But still one 
runs into a problem with a lot of tournament decks, they are 
the same all the way through!  So while you may have gotten 
rid of your opponents Fireball for now, it will probably be 
back in short order.  When this is the case it is best to wait 
and use Jester's Mask after your opponent draws and gets that 
evil gleam in his/her eye, when you see it (or hear him 
chuckling under his breath) use the Mask (hope he doesn't 
have an instant!) and replace it.  That should give you at 
least one round of safety if not more.  Other strategies 
include filling your opponents hand with a all his/her good 
cards and Mind Twisting them away.  But instead of going after 
the 3 Shivans and 4 Juzam's go for his land (especially if he 
plays a lot of multi-lands), then choose one color, ie Red, 
fill his hands will all Red producing lands then Mind Twist or 
Wheel of Fortune them away, you won't have to worry about 
Lightening bolts, Shivan Dragons, or Disentigrates anymore...

Urza's Bauble - 

One of the best (and least played) cards from Ice Age, 
especially for tournament play!  Slotting in four Urza's 
Baubles can turn your 60 cards deck into a 56 card deck no 
problem.  While that might not be useful for big creature 
decks, or denial decks.  For direct damage, and land 
destruction there is nothing better for getting you to the 
card you need fast (except perhaps Jalum Tome).  The Bauble's 
casting cost is perfect (0), it ability to let you look at one 
card in opponent's hand sucks, but that's not why your using 
it!  Urza's Bauble is the first deck-overdrive card printed 
(Brainstorm and Portent could be also, but they are to color 
specific and have a casting cost), and while it remains to be 
seen if Wizards will print more cantrips, if they do 
tournament decks will deffinatly be speeding up!  Not only 
that but Urza's Baubles are nice to sideboard out when needed 
since they take little (except speed, which isn't important if 
your being crushed!) out and open a slot in your deck.


Homelands
---------

----------
Over-Rated
----------

Feast of the Unicorn - 

Sure the +3/+0 isn't bad, but it isn't great either.  First of 
all the casting cost is high (3 colorless 1 black), sure with 
Black's Dark Rituals its not hard to get 4 mana by round 2, 
but you have to decide what you want to do, have a first round 
Juzam or a second round 3/1 Will-o-Wisp?  If that weren't bad 
enough Feast doesn't increase a creatures toughness, making 
that 5/2 Black Knight an easy Lightening Bolt target.  Lets 
face it Unholy Strength a better addition to your deck, not 
only is it cheaper, it provides all the bonuses Feast does 
(minus +1 to power and plus +1 to power) for 3 mana less!!!!  
Feast may have a place in some decks, but just hope you play 
against them, not with them!

Primal Order - 

This card is a great addition to any sideboard, with the 
abundance of all multi-land decks, Mazes of Ith, Librarys of 
Alexandira, Arenas, and Legendary Lands.  Primal Order could 
do some serious damage to your opponent.  But it's not all 
its cracked up to be, since in most competitive tournaments 
both you and your opponent will probably by playing at least a 
few non-basic lands, also since White is the most popular 
"support" color for tournament play the Order will probably 
just end up being Disenchanted before it can do any read 
damage.  Primal Order becomes even more useless in Type II 
tournaments, when the only none basic lands include the Fallen 
Empires lands, Ice Age pseudo-multi's and the Homelands triple 
lands (*gag*), needless to say these are the most played with 
card out there.  So while Primal Order (like almost any other 
card) is great in specific situations slotting it into your 
deck may just lead to you holding a useless (or harmful) card 
in your hand for the entire game...

-----------
Under-Rated
-----------

Marjhan - 

O.k., lets face it no new expansion would be complete without 
an all new big Blue creature, and for Homelands Marjhan is 
it.  But unlike Leviathan and Polar Krakan, Marjhan's upkeep 
isn't lethal.  With Merfolk, Breeding Pits, Hives, Homarid 
Spawning Beds etc... you can keep token creatures coming to 
feed him forever!  No only are his 8/8 stats impressive but he 
even has a cool ability, and doesn't even enter play 
tapped!!!!  Deffinatly one of the best cards in Homelands, and 
potentially one of the best Blue creatures avalible, pair him 
with a High Tide and give your opponent a round 4 surprise.  
Back to the upkeep, no only is it (relatively) cheap but if
don't (unlike Leviathan and Polar Kraken) pay it Marjhan stays 
in play and does no damage to you!!  While he may not pack the 
punch of his bigger forebearers Marjhan makes up for this 
heavily in raw playability!!

Faerie Noble - 

You've probably got boxes of extra Scryb Sprites, Shelkin 
Brownies, Aisling Leprechauns, Argothian Pixies, and Fire 
Sprites sitting around somewhere, and with the addition of 
Willow Faeries and Sea Sprites to your army you've got the 
makings for a competitive deck!  Not only all are the creatures
low casting cost (from 1 to 4 mana), all but 1 of them is 
Green which (as everyone knows) means fast mana, fast mana 
means fast creatures, and fast creatures means a fast kill.  
Toss in 4 Faerie Nobles (which is the card we're here to talk 
about) some Willow Priestesses, a few Cockatrices (for that 
annoying Shivan), and some Counterspells (just incase) and 
you've got everything you need.  With the avalibility of 
Faeries (28 total), the Faerie Noble is effective 
no matter when he's brought out, the permanent toughness bonus 
he gives (and the fact that they are cumulative) helps to foil the ever 
threatening Pyroclasm, the power bonus can make Vampires run 
from your innocent little Brownie, and the fact that a good 
number of these Faeries fly makes them great for getting 
through unblocked (having trouble, just throw in some Goblin 
War Drums).  A few Giant Growths, Fanatical Frenzies, a 
Berserk, and of course 4 Stampedes and your unstoppable Faerie 
hoard will make your opponent wish he hadn't made that "Oooooh 
a Scryb Sprite I'm sooooooooo afraid" crack after the first 
turn!


The Revised (3rd-4th)
---------------------

----------
Over-Rated
----------

Nightmare -

O.k. O.k., I know Nightmare is HUGE when you get him out on 
like round 30, with an Aggression and Fear on him, but lets 
face it how many tournament level games do you play that even 
go to round 30!?!? (how many do you play that go to round 15?)  
Nightmare is a classic "wow" card, when a new player sees on 
he goes (appropriately) "wow!" and tries to trade his 5 mint 
Giant Growths for it, when really he should be keeping the 
Giant Growths because they will be a lot more useful to him 
than this over-glorified pony.  Nightmares high casting cost 
make him hard to get out (even with Black's Dark Ritual) 
before the 3rd round, and even then he's just Lightening Bolt 
fodder until round 4 or 5.  Hypnotic Specteres, or Sengir 
Vampires would be better for a deck, not only are they cheaper 
but they have a useful ability to boot.  Nightmare is just a 
waste of card stock (unless you can trade him off for a Shivan 
Dragon), and remember anything that can be killed with a 
Magical Hack is probably lame...

Royal Assassin - 

More a sideboard card than an deck card (unless your playing 
in an all creature tournament), this little guy is in high 
demand now since everyone want to get four of him.  But is he 
really worth it?  In most cases, no, lets face it if your 
opponent has a way to get rid of the Assassin he will whether 
it be Lightening Bolt, Pyroclasm, Paralyze, Drain Life, 
Control Magic, Counter Spell, Brainwash etc...  if the 
Assassin poses some threat.  Unfortunately with the advent of 
creatureless or low creature decks the Assassin might just end 
up being another 1/1 creature for 3 mana.  Sure he is great 
with an Icy Manipulator to back him up, but lets face it that 
doesn't happen often in duels (though it seems to pop-up more 
and more in Multi-Player, and Melee games).  You almost need 
an Anti-Magic Aura on the Assassin to protect him at all and 
even that doesn't work for a lot of "mass effect" spells.  
While the Assassin is great in some situations (all-creature, 
multi-player) he's downright useless in most others...

-----------
Under-Rated
-----------

Zombie Master - 

There's this big craze over all Faerie decks, but so far I 
haven't seen an all Zombie deck.  This was understandable when 
the only Zombies out there were Scathe (ick) Zombies, but with 
Ice Age we got Gangrenous Zombies and Lim-Dul's Cohorts (not 
to mention the Dark's addition of the Drowned) while this only gives 
us 15 Zombies max, along with 4 Zombie Masters (giving all our 
undead Regeneration and Swampwalk), a few Evil Presences, some 
Paralyzes, Drain Lifes, Dark Rituals, Unholy Strengths, Thrull 
Retainers, and Feasts of the Unicorn (ugh!) you've got yourself 
one kick-ass All Zombie deck with enough Swampwalkers to inflict 
damage and some defense thrown in to boot.  The fact that Zombie 
masters aren't exactly in high demand (people give them away locally!) 
makes them easy to get, and considering all the Zombies printed 
so far are common they should be no problem to acquire also.  
While the deck might not be tournament level it should at 
least provide a few fun duels to teach beginners, or at least 
a good multi-player game or two.  Who says Zombie Masters are 
useless??

Mijae Djinn - 

Someone explain this to me, the Mijae Djinn is a 6/2 for three 
Red.  Why don't more people play with them?!?!  They can come 
out on the second round with no problem (third max.), and 
while they do have their drawback (he's prime Lightening Bolt 
material), and he only hits your opponent roughly half the 
time.  But still his low casting cost and high power make him 
a great tournament card (even if you just use him as a 
blocker).  Toss on an Aggression and/or a few Blood Lusts and 
he becomes a rolling death-machine, much easier to outfit 
than that Shivan.  While I'll admit he might not be useful for 
everyone in every deck, he sure is a lot more useful than 
people give him credit for...don't be scared away by flipping 
a coin...


        That's it for Over Rated/Under Rated, obviously we 
didn't cover all the cards we could have (in both categories), 
but we think we covered a good number of them.  Next issue 
this space will be filled by one-issue-spanning column "The 
Just Plain Stupid", so be watching for that.  Also OR/UR will 
return sometime around issue #6, so if you have a suggestion 
about a card we should include (Under or Over Rated) drop us a 
line and let us know!
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                          The Drawing Board
                          -----------------

        ** Note: The format has been changed a little to make this 
        feature more reader-friendly, hope you enjoy.  And if you have 
        a killer tournament deck submit it (see appendix I), we'd love 
        to see it! **

        This month we present 3 decks for your perusal, feel 
        free to build and play them yourself, tell us how they do!!

Ratings:
--------

        *     - You based this deck on a combo you saw in Conjure 
                didn't you?
        **    - A 3 year old, who has been playing for 2 weeks 
                could come up with this much depth in a deck!
        ***   - You actually had to use a brain cell for this one!
        ****  - Hmmmmm, this just might work.
        ***** - We bow to you oh great Magic god!!!!


Deck Name; "Steel"
Overall Rating; ***
Primary Colors; Black, Green
Support Colors; White, Blue
Win-Loss Ratio; 5 to 1
Average # of Rounds to kill; 5
Fastest # of Rounds to kill; 3
Artifacts; Mox Sapphire
           Mox Emerald
           Mox Jet
           Mox Pearl
           Black Lotus
           Mana Vault x4
Enchantments; Sylvan Library
Instants/Interrupts; Counterspell x4
                     Disenchant x2
                     Swords to Plowshares x4
                     Dark Ritual x4
Sorceries; Demonic Tutor
           Regrowth
Creatures; Derelor x4
           Erhnam Djinn x4
           Juzam Djinn x2 
           Sengir Vampire x4
Lands; Mishra's Factory x2
       Bayou x4
       Tropical Island x3
       Underground Sea x3
       Tundra x3
       Scrubland x3
       Savannah x2
Total Cards; 60
Sideboard; None Provided
Total Sideboard Cards; ?

-= Comments =-

Pro;    This deck is a perfect example of what is becoming more 
        and more popular in tournaments (it is also a good example of 
        deck types discussed in Stratagemos this month), its main 
        weapon is speed, and lots of it.  The Lotus, Moxes, Rituals, 
        and Mana Vaults make a creature first round almost guaranteed, 
        and the fact that the aforementioned creature will be at least 
        4/4 takes it out of Lightening Bolt range, at least for the 
        first round.  The Swords to Plowshares, Disenchants, and 
        Counterspells beef up the defense and provide a few early 
        rounds of dominance.  This deck is very well tuned, a lot of 
        the extra cards that could have been added haven't, and some 
        staples of quick creature decks (ie Juggernauts) have been cut 
        to make room for more versatile attackers (ie Vampires).  The 
        use of the Mishra's Factories is good also because they are 
        cheap blockers, and if push comes to shove can inflict a few 
        points of damage.

Con;    This deck's primary weapon is speed, and if it looses 
        momentum it really gets bogged down.  A few well placed 
        Terrors, Swords to Plowshares, or Abu Jafars and the attackers 
        that are supposed to be inflicting mucho damage are in the 
        graveyard with nothing but one Regrowth the bring them back.  
        Also, all the damage is creature based, what about Island 
        Sancturarys or Moats?  (remember only a 1 in 30 chance of 
        drawing that Disenchant)  Relying only on one specific type of 
        damage to kill you opponent always leads to trouble.  If this 
        deck gets going early on, and is unopposed for the first 
        couple of rounds it works incredibly well, but once slowed 
        down it stays slowed down.

Suggestions; Move 2 of the Swords to Plowshares into the 
             Sideboard, and replace them with the final 2 Disenchants.  
             Instead of Counter Spells use Power Sinks, you've got more 
             than enough mana!  Replace the 4 Mana Vaults with 4 Eurekas 
             (if possible) this will really make the first round 
             interesting.  Toss in some direct damage, Psionic Blasts, or a 
             Hurricane or two, nothings worse than pummeling your opponent 
             down to 3 life and then loosing the game because none of your 
             creatures could get through!  Try replacing 2 of 
             the Vampires with Serra Angels while you can't Dark Ritual 
             them out as fast they offer both defense and offense.  Also 
             replacing 2 of those Deralors with two more Juzam Djinns 
             wouldn't hurt either :).
----------

Deck Name; "Null and Void"
Overall Rating; ****
Primary Colors; Black, Red
Support Colors; White, Green
Win-Loss Ratio; 5 to 1
Average # of Rounds to kill; 6
Fastest # of Rounds to kill; 4
Artifacts; Black Lotus
           Sol Ring
           Jalum Tome
           Zuran Orb
           Feldon's Cane
Enchantments; Nether Void x3
 ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]Underworld Dreams
Instants/Interrupts; Lightening Bolt x4
                     Incinterate x4
                     Dark Ritual x4
                     Disenchant x2          
Sorceries; Chain Lightening x4
           Demonic Tutor
           Wheel of Fortune
           Regrowth
           Mind Twist
           Eureka x2
           Fireball x2
Creatures; Juggernaut x3
           Serra Angel  
           Sengir Vampire
           Ernham Djinn x2
           Deralor x2
Lands; Bayou x4
       Plateau x4
       Badlands x4
       Taiga x4
Total Cards; 60
Sideboard; Arboria x3
           Disenchant x2
           Terror x2
           Swords to Plowshares x2
           Pyroclasm x3
           Forethought Amulet x2
           Tabornacell at Penderall Vale          
Total Sideboard Cards; 15

-= Comments =-

Pro; While this deck lacks the speed of "Steel" above, but it 
     still has its fair share.  Also, the fact that this decks 
     damage comes from more than just creatures (or just direct 
     damage) make it harder to deal with, couple that with the 
     Nether Voids (guaranteed to slow your opponent down) make this 
     deck pretty well rounded.  Another perk is that this deck can 
     make for a really fast game when it gets rolling, and if 
     needed it can slow down to "Permission Deck" speed if needed.  
     Also the sideboard covers all the normal bases, which is 
     always a plus.  On the whole a really well-rounded, 
     competitive deck.

Con; Timing is important with this deck, if you bring out the 
     Nether Void to early it will probably hurt you more than it 
     hurts your opponent.  Also, if you enemy is playing a weenie 
     deck the Nether Void probably won't effect him/her at all.  
     Blood Moons are a big problem also, since the only think that 
     can save you from it is the Lotus (after it is cast of 
     course).  CoP: Red may be annoying also, in the direct damage 
     area but shouldn't be too big a problem if you can get big 
     creatures out early.  

Suggestions; If you can, get the Moxes to go with the 4 colors 
             your playing, a few Juzams wouldn't hurt either.  Think about 
             putting in one Ernahm and taking out a Juggernaut both can 
             come out on the first or second round but the Jug. is a lot 
             easier to kill.  Replace the Forethought Amultes with 
             Simulacrums and/or Reverse Damages, they are more of a 
             surprise and don't take a 3 mana upkeep.  Think about swapping 
             the Jalum Tome out for a Sylvan Library, no discard.  
             Something cool to add to this deck would be Chains of 
             Mephistopheles and Howling Mines (this would be better for 
             multi-player games however).  One more Eureka wouldn't hurt 
             either.
----------

Deck Name; Mind Games
Overall Rating; ***
Primary Colors; Blue, White
Support Colors; Black, Green
Win-Loss Ratio; ?
Average # of Rounds to kill; 30
Fastest # of Rounds to kill; 30
Artifacts; Black Lotus
           Sol Ring
           Mox Sapphire
           Mox Emerald
           Mox Ruby
           Mox Jet
           Mox Pearl
           Jayemdae Tome x2
           Disrupting Scepter x2
           Chaos Orb (Replace with Zuran Orb, or N's Disk)
Enchantments; 
Instants/Interrupts; Counterspell x4
                     Mana Drain x4
                     Psionic Blast x4
                     Swords to Plowshares x4
                     Disenchant x2
                     Ancestral Recall 
Sorceries; Mind Twist
           Demonic Tutor
           Recall
           Regrowth
           Balance
           Timetwister
           Time Walk
Creatures; Serra Angel x2
Lands; Library of Alexandria
       Maze of Ith
       Tundra x4
       Scrubland x3
       Underground Sea x3
       Savannah x3
       Tropical Island x3
       City of Brass x2
Total Cards; 60
Sideboard; Moat x3
           Blue Elemental Blast x4
           Control Magic x2
           Disenchant x2
           Tranquility
           Lifeforce x3
Total Sideboard Cards; 15

-= Comments =-

Pro; Talk about a slow down deck, this apparatus looks like it 
     has a lot of possibilites.  The slotted cards, along with the 
     balanced sideboard make it very versatile.  Damage is little, 
     but varied enough to make it hard to deal with.  All the Moxes 
     and a multitude of dual lands make it hard for you to get mana 
     screwed in any game.  The sideboard is really well done, and 
     should be useful when facing any type of deck.

Con; This deck seems to rely WAY to much on Blue, while its 
     true Blue is one of the harder colors to hurt, it's still a 
     bad idea to stake so much on one color.  The fact that you 
     only have 8 Counterspells, 2 Serras, and 16 points of direct 
     damage (in the form of Psionic Blasts) limit what you can and 
     can't do quite a bit.  Land destruction decks (especially if 
     they get going on round one) can be a real pain, as can over 
     run decks (Moats in the sideboard help, though Disenchants and 
     Tranquilites can take care of them quite easily).  You side 
     board is really color specific to Red and Black, but what 
     about Green and White?  Those are the chief weenie colors and 
     you should have some defense against them (Holy Days?  Fogs?).  

Suggestions; Replace the Jayemdae Tomes with Jalum Tome, while 
             they require discarding they are cheaper to cast and to use.  
             Why the Disrupting Scepters, while its nice to make your 
             opponent discard, Amnesias will do this better, or you could 
             just throw in 2 more Angels.  Swap the Mana Drains for some other 
             type of Counterspell (Power Sink for example, or even better 
             Deflection) excepting the Serras, and Tomes you have no place to 
             put the mana.  Move 2 Swords to Plowshares to your sideboard 
             (loose the Lifeforces there, Black shouldn't be a huge threat 
             with Moats out), and replace them with 2 Mahamoti Djinns (or 
             some other big creature) with your quick mana these guys will 
             come out quick and are a lot more effective than Serras.  Vices 
             or Racks might be a good idea also.  If you want to slow down 
             the game nothing works better than Nether Voids, or (since you 
             Mana/Card ratio isn't very high) the old Winter Orb/Relic 
             Barrier combo, with Disrupting Scepters this is devastating.
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                Trading: How to Avoid Getting Screwed
                -------------------------------------

        ** This article really shouldn't be here, but we 
           promised it last issue and so we delivered.  We want to cater 
           to collectors as well as players, and to do this a sister 
           'zine to the Grimore dealing just with trading, selling, and 
           market trends will be coming out in January about the same 
           time Grimore #3 hits you mail box (this 'zine will also 
           include a price guide for those people e-mailing me to include 
           one in The Grimore) this way if you don't want one or the 
           other 'zine you don't have to get it.  **

        An interagal part to the game of Magic is trading, 
because A) You probably don't have the $$ to buy all the cards 
you need, and B) The specific cards you need change often, 
sometimes weekly!  And so in writing this article we will 
assume you have traded some, for those of us reading this 
there are to major places we trade in person (at a store, Con, 
wedding, wherever...) and on the Internet (in newsgroups, or 
IRC).  In both venues you need to do things a little 
differently to avoid getting ripped off, or sending 8 dual 
lands for a Timewalk and never getting them back!!! (not that 
I'm bitter...), and to get the best trade possible.  They 
include:

In Person - Trading in person is the easiest most reliable way 
            to get cards without getting ripped off, because you see the 
            cards first and get them without waiting for them.  The only 
            real danger is that the cards are either counterfieted, in 
            which case you should do what WotC tells you look for 
            inflexible card backs, thicker cards, and creases.  Or stolen, 
            you can never really tell if a card is stolen or not (by 
            looking at it) so you just have to play this one by ear and 
            hope the guy/gal your trading will isn't a jerk.  Other than 
            those ways, trading in person is pretty safe.  Sure you might 
            end up giving more than you wanted to for that fourth Eureka, 
            but if you want it bad enough, and the deck works well enough 
            you'll get over it.
            
Via Computer - In moving from Person-to-Person, to 
               Person-to-Modem-Network-Modem-Person you loose a lot of 
               security.  Because there are people out there looking to rip 
               unsuspecting people off, and they do do it often.  There are 
               several ways to aviod getting screwed via the 'net though;

               References - While these can be faked (or even the same 
                            person's other alias!) they still are pretty 
                            reliable.  Mail one or two of them at random, 
                            tell them you have a trade in the works with 
                            so-and-so and should you do it.  
                            They'll probably respond yes (why else would he 
                            have named them as references?) but it's still a 
                            good idea to make sure they exist!

               Verify - Make sure to get the person's address 
                        AND telephone number (with area code), call and make 
                        sure they exist not only does this give you some 
                        reassurance, it also makes it hard for the person to 
                        avoid you (since you'll be calling him all the time) 
                        if he does stiff you. 

               Contact - Make it, and keep it.  It would be 
                         ideal if the person your trading with lived 10 miles 
                         away and you could meet to make the trade but 
                         unfortunatly this is usually not the case.  Make 
                         initial contact through the phone (see Verify above), 
                         and keep it via e-mail even if your talking about 
                         first round kills, or side-boarding.  Not only will 
                         this give you a chance to remind the person of the 
                         trade (something like "P.S.  Still eagerly awaiting 
                         that Beta Shivan!") it will also allow you to make 
                         sure Mr. X doesn't all of the sudden cancel his 
                         account!  

               Sending - Ideally the person your trading with 
                         will send his cards first, then once you've received 
                         them you can send yours.  But, since everyone that 
                         has traded extensively on the 'net has probably been 
                         shafted at least once this probably will not happen.  
                         Suggest alternate sending methods like sending 
                         one-half the cards then when you get what 
                         your trading for send the other half.  Send at the 
                         same time, this isn't guaranteed though since some 
                         people will wait until what you sent "at the same 
                         time" arrives before they send.  Send your cards 
                         certified mail, this way you can make sure Mr. X got 
                         them (and it counts as evidence if he scams you).  
                         Finally if you are paying for your cards instead of 
                         trading for them you can wire the money via Western 
                         Union, and set a password on the account.  The person 
                         will get a letter telling him WU has his cash but he 
                         needs the password to get it out, all he has to do 
                         is send you the cards to get the password.  
                         This should only be used in extreme cases (like when 
                         you shell out $2,000+ for 4 Mox Sets), and it costs 
                         money ($25-$35).

               Suspicion - O.k., not everyone who wants to trade with you 
                           over the modem is going to be out to get you 
                           (probably).  But if you suspect everyone, you 
                           will take enough precautions to ensure that you 
                           don't get scammed.  Be especially wary of people 
                           posting or sending messages saying things like 
                           "Trade with me I have EVERYTHING!!!", "Looking to 
                           trade Moxes for Fallen Empires" and "My Lotus for 
                           your 5 Dual Lands".  Also watch out for people 
                           who are willing to make incredible deals fast, 
                           while you should be looking for a good deal you 
                           probably won't get an outlandish one just because 
                           you go into a chat forum.  People making trade 
                           offers on multiples of the same card (especially 
                           if that card is restricted or banned) should also 
                           be watched either he's going to turn someone down, 
                           or he really needs that 5th Chaos Orb.  

               Threats - As a last resort, if you haven't gotten your cards 
                         after 2 weeks, or if you got them and they were 
                         counterfeit, make threats (this only works if you 
                         have his real name, home address, and verified phone 
                         number).  Not coming through on trades is Mail Fraud, 
                         and because he scammed you via the modem over state 
                         lines he has just committed a Federal offense that 
                         at the very least carries a stiff fine.  
                         If he still doesn't respond notify his local Police
                         (only if your looking at near or over $100 in losses, 
                         anything less and you'll just be wasting their time) 
                         they won't send in the S.W.A.T team, but a uniformed 
                         officer giving him a visit (especially if he's a 
                         teenager) will probably be enough to get him 
                         straightened out.  If the cards you received were 
                         counterfeited notifying the Police probably won't 
                         help, instead notify Wizards of the Coast themselves 
                         via phone call or e-mail.  They have been working to 
                         stop card counterfeiting for awhile now and will 
                         help you if they can (again only do this if you have 
                         his real name, address, and verified phone number).

        Hope these tips help, scamming over the Internet is an 
everyday occurance and is killing trading!  The more we can 
do to prevent it the less people will try it and the greater 
your chance will be of getting the desired card.  The Internet 
is the best place to trade because of the variety and 
avalibility of cards, don't let a few jerks ruin it!
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                Your Complete Guide to Tournament Play II
                       "Cheez on the Battlefield"
                -----------------------------------------

        The ultimate "Cheez" combo has been eliminated!!!! 
*waits for applause to die down*  Yup, Channel/Fireball is 
gone, does that mean all "Cheez" will follow???  Doubtful...
        The banning of the cheez'd out cards Chaos Orb and 
Channel are just making cheezheads think more creatively, not 
getting rid of them all together.  But is Cheez all that bad?  
The awnser to that has two parts, if you are playing a "fun" 
game with friends or a kid that's been playing for a week 
bringing out your all Lightening deck isn't the best idea, it 
shows a lack of creativity and will probably get you ganged up 
on.  In a tournament situation however Cheez can be a matter 
of life and death.  If everyone else is playing their first 
round kill deck there is no reason you shouldn't, when you 
want to win and win quick nothing works better than a healthy 
serving of Cheez.  
        The best idea is to keep two decks handy, your "fun" 
deck and your "competitive" deck (or if ante is heavily played 
in your area your "4 Dark Pact, 4 Demonic Attourny, 4 Demonic 
Consultation, 48 Swamp Deck" might be a good idea also), this 
will enable you to play both types of game without 
dismantling and re-building a new deck for each game.  Most 
of all don't let yourself be talked out of playing Cheez, what 
is considered Cheez at your local comic shop's daily ante 
tournament is probably considered fair game at major Cons.  And 
more than likely the guy trying to talk you out of playing 
will be playing something just as Cheezy or worse, if it works 
play it, if it helps you win play it, if it makes another 
person loose and feel worthless well...buy their cards when 
they decide to quit.  I know it sounds harsh, but you don't 
think you local champ got to the top by playing his semi-fast 
all Dwarf deck do you?  
        While Cheez is scorned all over (and different brands 
of Cheez are scorned in different areas) it does have its place.

To Be Continued in "The Art of the Game"...wherein the author 
will discuss playing tips, bluffing, and how to get your 
opponent mad/irritated enough to make mistakes (which is also 
Cheezy, but hey, it works!)...
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                            The M.A.T. (.001)
                            -----------------

        ** This is a new ongoing feature, you think you know 
           everything about the game?  Test your skills against the 
           Grimore staff, see if your a REAL Magic-Fanatic!! **

        ------------------------------------------------------
        Rate yourself!  Each question is worth one point:

        15     You either work for Wizards of the Coast, or 
               took this test with reference material in hand.
        
        10-14  Not bad, you know your stuff!
        
        5-10   Average, your not a complete idiot.

        0-5    You took this quiz without reference material, 
               and apparently without a frontal lobe...
        ------------------------------------------------------

1. How many creatures have Protection from Red?

A. 5
B. 3
C. 4
D. 6

2. What creature is the hardest to kill, without inflicting 
   any damage?

A. Shivan Dragon
B. Black Knight
C. White Knight
D. Granite Gargoyles

3. Which of the following cards stops Mountainwalk?

A. Gauntlet of Might
B. Smoke
C. Crevasse
D. Caverns of Despair

4.  Which Legend has Legendary Landwalk?

A. Livonya Silone
B. Pavel Maliki 
C. Ramses Overdark
D. Lord Magnus    

5. Rampage originated with what expansion set?

A. The Dark
B. Antiquities
C. Arabian Nights
D. Legends    

6. Lord Of Atlantis gives all Merfolk +1/+1 and which special 
   ability?

A. Regeneration
B. Islandwalk
C. First Strike
D. Trample

7. According the Duelist Convocation rules you may use Ring of 
   Ma'ruf to get cards from where during a tournament?

A. Anywhere!
B. Inside your deck.
C. Your Sideboard.
D. Both B & C.

8. Righteousness give attacking creatures what bonuses?

A. +7/+7
B. +3/+3
C. +4/-4
D. None of the above

9. How many Enchant World cards can be in play at any one time?

A. None, they are banned
B. 1
C. 2 
D. There is no set limit

10. How many cards have the word "Mana" in their name?

A. 5
B. 7
C. 12
D. 9

11. If you have 2 Kobold Drill Seargents in play along with 3 
    Taskmasters, 1 Overlord, and one normal Kobold what is that 
    Kobold's power, toughness and special abilities?

A. 3/4, First Strike, Trample
B. 3/4, First Strike, Trample, Mountainwalk
C. 3/3, First Strike, Trample
D. 3/2, First Strike, Trample

12. Red is to Blue as White is to...

A. Blue
B. Red
C. Black
D. Green

13. Can you Disenchant a Chaos Orb once is has been activated, 
    but before it is flipped?

A. Yes
B. No

14. What abilities does Moorish Cavalry have?  What is its 
    power and toughness?

A. 4/4, First Strike, Trample
B. 3/2, First Strike
C. 3/3, Trample
D. 4/4, First Strike

15. How many creatures are Avatars?

A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3

        ** Awnsers are given in Appendix III **                              
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                          Grim-Con: The Proposal
                          ----------------------

        Recently I went to a local Con, to play in their Type 
I tournament (lost to a Zuran Orb!  Damn that card!).  I have 
been to Cons in the past (mostly for Role Playing) and while 
since I live in Utah I haven't been in any of the really 
big/prestigious ones (ie Gen-Con, Origins), I have gotten 
around a little bit.  One think I notice about these events, 
while on the whole they are pretty well run (with a few 
hitches) but they try to cater to a really wide variety of 
people and so alienated some of us.  So back to the recent 
Con, after it I got to thinking that while this Con wasn't 
geared toward Magic enthusiasts we were in the majority, and 
while comic and collectable dealers abounded the ones that got 
the biggest crowds sold MTG or MTG related items!  So, I 
thought why not organize an all MTG Con!!!  If they can do it 
so can we (this is also the line of thinking that brought me 
to write The Grimore after seeing Scyre and Conjure, so maybe 
it's not such a good idea...), and so we are.

        Grim-Con will be held in Salt Lake City, in one of two 
convention centers either the Delta Center, or the Expomart.  
It will be a 2-3 day event (in these early stages everything 
can change though, plans will be firmed up 3 months prior to 
the event), centering mostly on the Master's Tournament (see 
below) with enough contests, dealers, and other stuff to keep 
people who are waiting for their matches or already eliminated 
busy.  Entry will be about $10-$15, that'll get you entry into 
all 3 parts of the tournament (it will be reduced if you don't 
want to play), Get you a free copy of the Grimore (paper!!), 
and get you in (of course).  
        The Master's Tourament will be a point based system 
consisting of three parts, probably held one a day the parts 
are:

                Type I Tournament

                Type II Tournament

                *Variable*

        In the variable slot can go anything from a 
one-of-a-kind tournament, to sealed deck, to single color 
(it's pretty much up to you readers).  Points will be awarded 
for how far you advance, with the winner of each tournament 
being awarded the highest amount of points.  Prizes include 
(so far) a complete set of dual lands, and an UL Black Lotus 
(this is the "prize pool" prize packages will be awarded for 
the top 3 point getters).  We are planning to ask retailers 
from across the country to "sponsor" this event, by donating 
prizes, the bigger the prize the bigger the plug they get 
during the Con, and in The Grimore.  Dealers interested in 
coming will be able to rent tables for $25.00 each.

        What do you think?  This is the first time I've tried 
this and am hoping I can pull it off!!!  Not only would it be 
great to meet some of my readers, but I'd love to see how 
different regions compete against one another.  Also you will 
not need to be a Duelist Convocation member to play (since 
some MTG players aren't), give me your opinions what can we do 
to get this idea off the ground?  
        Those people who want to come can RSVP me starting in 
April, and I'll get complete map packets, air fare info, and 
hotel info to you ASAP.
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                        Rating the Competition
                        ---------------------

**      This column is meant to rate other Magic the Gathering 
        'zines out there digital and paper.  Remember, this is all in 
        OUR opinion if you don't agree and just love X 'zine drop us a 
        line and tell us why, you might even convince us, **

                           Rating System
                           -------------

        *     =  A waste of paper/hard drive space.
        **    =  Might help mentally retarded beginners.
        ***   =  One or two redeeming qualities.
        ****  =  Worth the $$ (or download time).
        ***** =  A must read!!!


InQuest - 

Pro; The people that brought you Wizard strike again!  Their 
     foray into Gaming (Collectable Card Gaming to be specific) is 
     not only an enjoyable read but also informative (something you 
     can't say for a lot of 'zines out there!).  The Wizard staff 
     carries its humor and irreverence over to this mag well, and 
     while it doesn't have near the readership Wizard does, chances 
     are it will sooner or later.  Their price guide is the most 
     reliable (though that isn't saying a whole lot) of those put 
     out in paper 'zines.  Overall a quality publication.

Con; Unfortunately the "irreverence" while entertaining can 
     sometimes venture into the pompous side, add to this the fact 
     that almost all InQuests "Combos" are either copied from old 
     issues of Duelist or things everyone has heard off months 
     before.  Also for a mag. that claims to be a guide to 
     "collectable card games" it sure has a lot of computer, and 
     misc. fantasy articles (like the recent Werewolf one).  Now 
     these things are good reads, but not what I bought the 
     magazine for!  Also, why the artist reviews?  We get enough of 
     those in Duelist, if they need something to fill pages slap in 
     another contest (god knows they have the $$ backing to do 
     it!).  Still one of the best mags out there but Wizard Press 
     needs to decide if InQuest is going to be a CCG Mag. and 
     Computer Mag, or a Fantasy RPG Mag.  Not all three!!

Overall Rating; ****

Library of Leng - 

Pro; This 'zine is very well presented and deffinatly one of 
the top data 'zines out there (for info on how to subscribe 
see next issue's "The Complete MTG Faznine 'Net Address 
Book"), this mag not only has some work put into it (the last 
issue was about 25 pages long), but, more importantly, it 
actually has some original thought!  Worth taking a look at!

Con; Now it might just be me, but it seems the Editor of LoL 
     has a chip on his shoulder (or he did in the issue I'm basing 
     this review on), it's understandable considering something of 
     his was plaugerized (though it is just a copyright thing 
     nothing big) and he got bashed in another 'zine.  But still 
     it's not very professional to rage on for 200 words yelling at 
     someone and bragging about subscriber lists, # of downloads 
     etc..  I know the guy, and I am sure it won't happen again 
     he's a nice fellow.  The 'zine has some PC graphics that I 
     can't read, and if he wants to expand to a broader audience he 
     might want to think about putting the 'zine in straight 
     ASCII.  The articles are nice, but short and could use a 
     little fleshing out.  The fiction is entertaining, but kinda 
     simplistic.  A little more tuning and this 'zine will be 
     better than a lot of paper ones your shelling out $3.50 for!

Overall Rating; ***                                                          
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                             Reader's Ballot
                             ---------------

        ** Got an opinion?  Wanna voice it?  Just fill out the ballot 
           below, cut and paste it into mail and send it off to us 
           (zzzayxx@aol.com) with "VOTE" in the title line, results of 
           each ballot will be posted in the mag the issue after it is 
           presented.  Also please use extra space in your 
           e-mail to awnser the "Why" portion of the question if 
           necessary we want to hear your views. **

? #1
----

If you had the choice between being on a date with a hot 
male/female, or playing Magic for 4 hours which would you do?  
Why?

? #2
----

Should Wizards make the change complete and only sponsor Type II 
tournaments?

( ) Yes                 Why?:
( ) No

? #3
----

Should the "Duelist's Convocation" be the only international
association of MTG players?

( ) No                  Why?:
( ) Yes

? #4
----

What is your favorite Magic Munchie?

? #5
----

What is the longest stretch of time you've ever played Magic 
continuously?

|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                           Mox Drawing Update
                           ------------------

The drawing for the Mox of your choice will be held Jan. 1, 
1996.  Current chance to win is 1 in 451.  Good luck!
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

Appendix I: Deck Submission Form (for the "Drawing Board" column)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                       Deck Submission Form
                       --------------------

Deck Name;

Primary Colors; 

Support Colors;

Win-Loss Ratio; 

Average # of Rounds to kill; 

Fastest # of Rounds to kill;

Artifacts; 

Enchantments;

Instants/Interrupts;

Sorceries;

Creatures;

Lands;

Total Cards; 

Sideboard; 

Total Sideboard Cards; 
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

Appendix II: Magic Aptitude Test Awnsers
----------------------------------------

        #1. A           #8.  D          #15. D
        #2. B           #9.  B
        #3. C           #10. D
        #4. A           #11. A
        #5. D           #12. C
        #6. B           #13. A
        #7. D           #14. C                                               
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

Appendix III: The Complete MTG Fanzine 'Net Address Book Submission Form
------------------------------------------------------------------------

        ** Do you write for or or Edit an on-line MTG 
           fanzine?  Do you want to broaden your subscriber base?  Just 
           fill out the form below and send it it Zzzayxx@aol.com, and 
           you'll be included in next issue's 'Net Address Book!! **

'Zine Name:

Editor:

Subscription Service Mail Address:

Current Issue:

Average Length (in pages):

Format:

Frequency:

Brief Description:

|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

 ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]Subscription, and Distribution Site Information
 ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]-----------------------------------------------

Subscribers:

        We have started a mailing list, recipients get the 'zine over 
e-mail the day it's released, they will also get updates about 
Grimore sponsored tournaments, contests, and will be entered in 
our year-end drawing for a Mox (winner's choice of color).  If 
your interested in subscribing simply drop us a line at 
Zzzayxx@aol.com with SUBSCRIPTION in the title line, you'll be 
notified ASAP of your addition to the list!

Submissions:

        We here are Grimore would be very happy to get all the 
submissions we could.  However there have to be a few 
guidelines (as always).  Therefore we suggest you submit you 
idea for an article, or perhaps a short excerpt from it, we'll 
let you know if were interested and ask you to send us the 
whole thing or complete it.  We are always looking for 
consistent contributing authors, and as long as you've put 
some thought into your article, and it doesn't have to much 
profanity ( :) ) it'll probably see print.  Please no articles 
about card selling, or magic variations.  However articles on 
card trading, magic related fiction, tournament play, current 
card/deck building trends etc.. are accepted whole heartedly.  
Just send your proposal with SUBMISSION in the title line and 
we'll get back to you within 48 hours.
|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

                               Looking Ahead...
                               ----------------

        Whew!!!  Done with issue #2, and just in time for 
Christmas!  Be on the lookout for next issue, in which we plan 
to; include "The Complete MTG Fanzine 'Net Address Book", 
comment on the dumbest cards ever made for Magic.  We ask 
ourselves why? WHY? WHY!?! Zuran Orb?  Explore ante games, and 
how to make a profit at Magic (possible?).  Also (of course) 
Your Complete Guide to Tournament Play, Stratagemos, The 
M.A.T. and all out other on-going columns return better (we 
hope) than ever, until then see you in 30...

|=-------------------------------------------------------------------------=|

