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Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books for the Intermediate Magic Player!
Review: Full color illustrations, and great advice from Mark Justice rock. Info on Sealed deck, how to evaluate cards, deck construction advice, etc. You want it, its in here!
Rating: 
Summary: Good For The Newcommer...In 1998!
Review: I won't waste much typing on this review. The title says it all. With about 3 new Magic editions released since this book was published, don't waste a cent on this stinker (8th Edition due out in July 2003). It was great when first released, but thye need to get on the ball and write a new one.
Rating: 
Summary: Sadly Out of Date
Review: I won't waste much typing on this review. The title says it all. With about 3 new Magic editions released since this book was published, don't waste a cent on this stinker (8th Edition due out in July 2003). It was great when first released, but thye need to get on the ball and write a new one.
Rating: 
Summary: well...
Review: This book is good... it'll help you understand booster and rochester (i didn't knew nothing , but now i'm well informed) and it has some cool stuff BUT... -and this is the problem- it takes alot , and i mean alot of pages evaluating stronghold cards , not some intersting examples or something , the whole thing , it ends up boring you because you don't need to know what he thinks about every card of a set , he could just say 5 or 6 good examples and thats it.It didn't help much with deck construction , though those "rules" of how to build good decks will be followed by this MTG player. In short , when they said advanced player theyh mean ADVANCED , they expect you to have 4 cursed scrolls , your own set of moxes and al the rares in tempest! (kidding) Its a good book overall , but not i expected
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for building a base for future deckbuilding
Review: This book is quite good in that it takes you through the author's thought processes in how to assess new card sets and as such is not limited to the latest set.It is not a speed read as you need to take in the reasons why a particular card is good or not, otherwise you may miss the point. Not enough detail for some cards in his stronghold example as to why they were good or bad. Without description/pictures of cards, it was also difficult for me to follow some of his analysis. I needed to have a reference book with separate descriptions of each card to get full value from his comments. His detailed example of drafting for sealed deck play would have been better if it was easier to follow but does provide some insight into how one can build a good deck without having to go through the experience the hard way. But again would have liked more detail as to why he would have picked a certain card and not another. All in all, I would recommend highly for players looking to move from beginner/intermediate to expert to read this.
Rating:
Summary: Good For The Newcommer...In 1998!
Review: This is one of the only real strategy guides for Magic that I could get my hands on when I was still starting out. Written by one of the great masters of the game, Tim Deopulos, the book gives instructions on the more advanced aspects of the game, including tournament formats, deck history, tips and tricks, and even bluffing advice. In my mind, it acts as mostly as an "advanced rulebook." However, it is now six years old. The game changed so much since Tempest was in Standard, which seems like ages to any Magic player now (Honestly, since when did you play Tempest Booster Draft?). This was even before the Sixth Edition rules upheaval, which tried to simplify the game not only for newcomers, but also for tournament players. Due to this large expansion of the games rules, this guide is now a relic of a forgotten time; when the Auratog deck was still considered a cool idea (I remind you that this is before Urza's Saga) and when Standard was still fresh out of infancy. So, in conclusion, it was a great buy way back when, but now it's just part of the discount section, along with the Homelands boosters and The Wheel of Time CCG.
Rating:
Summary: Mark is one of the best in the business
Review: When I was a serious tournament player I met Mark in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mark is a friendly, intelligent, and generous person. He's a great example of someone who found what he was meant to do in life. Mark is committed to the game and sharing his knowledge, which he demonstrated when I saw him in person. He also imparts his knowledge to fellow gamers in this well written book.
Obviously, the book went out of date (in a sense) soon after it was published. However, it contains a treasure trove of knowledge for the serious player. Magic is about strategy first and tactics second. Of course the game will change as WOTC develops new cards and different rules. I particularly liked the rigorous way the book delineates how to create an effective tournament deck. Mark also gives great tips about how to analyze new cards (how will that ever go out of date?).
I disagree with the foreward of the book - it states that anyone can become a great magic player with enough hard work. I've been around and I know that some people are naturally talented at Magic playing and will be better players than everyone else. However, using the book's advice will probably result in more wins for the committed student and player of Magic. econ
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