[easybox]This Week in Magic is being guest written by Alexander Shearer of GiftsUngiven.com and writer for ChannelFireball.com. I'm in DC for the Grand Prix and knew I would be on the road and at the event on Friday so I wouldn't be able to write the article. Little did I know how crazy the GP would be, and that I would need to chip in with the sponsor's booth, helping CoolStuffInc.com out all day. So I apologize for the lateness of this guest-written "This Week in Magic." -- Trick[/easybox]

Standard

• A Story of Standard – Mike Flores gives us a Karsten-style rundown of all the major contenders from the National Qualifier weekend.
• Australian National Qualifiers Report: Top 8 – Russell Tassicker played his way to a nationals slot by casting 15-mana spells for 7 mana.
• Green in Standard: Jund and Vengevine Naya – Check out the 32-creature Naya list that qualified a bevy of players at last week's National Qualifiers.
• A Mythical Nats Q Tourney Report - 1st – Tom Cheung tells us the tale of his qualification for Nationals with Conscription Mythic.
• Nationals Q and Effin'-A! – Mike Flores and BDM both qualified for Nationals in NYC last weekend. This podcast series spans the Qualifiers day and ends with a Monday-morning roundup from Michael J.
• Pieces of Cake – Listened to the podcast? Read the article. BDM uses his column this week to give us a tournament report from his winning National Qualifiers.
• Bukowski – An evocative National Quals tournament report following a blind deck decision.
• 2010 National Qualifiers: Top 8 Standard Deck Lists – Exactly what it says on the tin.

Legacy

• I'm a Landlubber: The Land Deck in Legacy – Stephen Menendian gives us a detailed breakdown of the Lands deck and how to play it.

Limited

• Solving the Rise Riddle in Lyon – Lino Burgold recounts tales of Sealed and Draft from his day two performance at GP Lyon.

Casual

• Rating the Generals – Bennie Smith rates all the EDH generals. With links!
• Retiring the Most Underused Cards of All Time: Volume VI – Abe Sargent saves ten more cards from undeserved obscurity.

Theory

• From the Ground Up – Conley Woods lays out a step-by-step guide to designing a new deck.
• Choosing the Right Deck – PV gives his rules for picking a deck - what makes the cut, and what doesn't.
• For the Good of the Order – Sam Stoddard outlines the ideal play group.
• Learn to Have Fun – Success starts with the right attitude.

Other

• Middle School Teacher Wields Magic in the Classroom – What would you do with a box of Rise? Adam Clark used it as the ultimate teaching tool.
• Tournament Organizer: Bonding Experience – Bruce Richard talks about making the transition from cool dad to TO (and still cool dad).
• How the WPN Changes are Like Herpes – Ben McDole breaks down some potentially negative unexpected consequences of recent changes to the WPN.
• What Went Wrong at Nats Qualifiers? – It looks like attendance was down at last weekend's Qualifiers. Peter Jahn throws out some possible explanations, and a lively discussion ensues in the forums.
• Wrapping Up the BYOS Season – Nafiz Erman breaks down his progress through the recent Build Your Own Standard season with five decks for five tournaments.
• Trades 7-10 – Pack to Power continues with four more trades, and John Medina tells us about opportunity and why even random Uncommons are worthwhile.

In Case You Missed It

• Archenemy Rules Revealed – Wizards unveils the Schemes that power Archenemy's "one versus many" action.
• Rise of the Eldrazi Game Day – This weekend is game day weekend. Play at your nearest WPN location for full-art promos.

Thanks again to Alex for filling for me! -- Trick