As is the annual tradition around Thanksgiving, not just with Gathering Magic, it is time to give thanks for what great things life has brought us this past year.  Because just about all the non-Magic related events are either boring, or boring to hear about (except Reinhart’s wedding of course!) we’re keeping this list strictly MTG themed.  Besides, after the lashing WotC has taken for MPR cuts, and crappy pre-cons, it’s a good time to take a peek at some of their better moments from 2010.

Five Titan Cycle from M11 – There may not have been a more ambitious project this year than the cycle of five Titans that helped define the latest core set.  Initially there may have been some hesitation from the non-Timmy crowd regarding the actual effectiveness of these giants.  After all, they broke the Rule of Five, or the unwritten understanding that ant spell with a CMC over 5 should win the game outright or it isn’t worth playing at all (at least outside of heavy control decks).  How do we know that the entire group was a resounding success both competitively and casually?  Duelists have come to conclusions about who is the ‘best’ at least three different times, from Grave to Primeval, to Frost.  These massive beings are certainly something we are thankful for this year.

Jace 2.0 Saves Planeswalkers – Again, the title of this thanks might sound a little ridiculous to many, but it is too-true for those of us with a memory over 12 months.  Zendikar was a very cool, and popular set, but the triad of PWs it printed were underwhelming.  Add that to the watered-down Lorwyn Five being released again, the excitement over Magic’s newest card-type was dying.  Enter Jace, the Mind-Sculptor, one the most important cards ever printed (and one of the most hyperbole inspiring).  Jace’s true blend of flavor, power, and mass-appeal, and sheer value created a frenzy for collectors, casual gamers, and PTQ contenders like we haven’t seen since the hey-day of Tarmogoyf.  On top of that, Jace managed to save the idea of Planeswalkers being the center of the MTG universe, and sparked a run of supremely popular Walkers like Gideon Jura, and Koth of the Hammer.  Here is a big, if controversial, thanks for Jace 2.0!

The End of Jund – Sure, this is some low hanging fruit (like saying ‘family’ when it comes your turn to tell what you’re most thankful for), but it’s the Gods own truth!  Jund just wasn’t any fun to play against, and after a while, it had become pretty stagnant for those playing with it.  What else could explain the sudden rush of new non-Jund builds in Top 8s earlier in the year, even though the boogey-man was still in his prime?  Players had simply gotten sick of the darn thing.  We had gotten sick of talking about him, and WotC had probably gotten sick of hearing about him.  There will often be a dominant deck in Standard formats, but few were so easy to play, and so awful to compete against.  Then Scars of Mirrodin sent Blightning and his Cascade buddies packing, and for that, we are all thankful.

The Year of Timmy – There may have never been a more Timmy friendly year of MTG than 2010.  Starting early with the most bombastic expansion ever in Rise of the Eldrazi, only to be followed up with the Titans we already thanked.  Then rounding out 2010 with an artifact set with a 'bigger is better' motto.  But looking past the jaw-dropping raw numbers of these sets, perhaps the more important theme is that these cards are ‘good’.  That can be a touchy word around Magic, because it means so many things to so many people, but these cards are good.  No qualifiers needed.  The M11 Titans are not the only huge spells that are seeing play in every format.  Since the original Mirrodin, this may be the closest to agreement Timmy and Spike have ever been on deck building.  Sounds like something to be grateful for to us, right?

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