Let's Build Something #16

Terence fills in for Ken and discusses online Spoils!

Gamble to Win

Terence returns from a small vacation to write about one of his favorite mechanics in The Spoils.

Rescuing the Spoils #15

Michael checks in with some quick updates from behind the scenes.

What Is In Your Meta?

Phillip Burkholder is back, this time looking at shifts in local metagames.

The Fifth Tuesday #5

Terence quickly discusses multimedia and its interaction with gaming.

The Worst Card in The Spoils

Terence picks his choice for the worst card in the game. Which card do you think it is?

Organizing Organized Play #15

Ian announces three new Revolution formats and more in this Blarg!

Resource Management

Terence provides a number of handy tips for managing your resources.

From the Judge's Chambers #16

Terence talks about ways to incentivise players to become judges.

Shade Expectations

Terence talks about what effects he expects Shade of the Devoured Emperor will have on The Spoils gameplay.

Let's Build Something #15

Ken keeps it short this week but spoils a Shade of the Devoured Emperor card!

Articles Inbound!

Terence here, just letting you guys know that a new article AND a new Blarg will be posted either late tonight or during the day tomorrow. Be sure to check back here for the updates!

Grassroots Gaming

Terence provides some tips regarding how to grow The Spoils at the local level.

Rescuing the Spoils #14

Michael provides a quick update regarding Shade printing.

Top Five Rarities

Terence shares five cards that he considers to be among the rarest Spoils has to offer.

Organizing Organized Play #14

Terence takes a look at the OP program from a player's perspective.

Top Five Metagame-Shifting Shade Previews

Terence looks at five Shade cards he feels will change the Constructed scene.

From the Judge's Chambers #15

Terence talks about conventions and why you should go them.

Combo Drafting

Phillip Burkholder takes a look at some powerful combos you can pull of when drafting Second Edition or Seed

Let's Build Something #14

Covering for Ken, Terence provides some news regarding exciting new goodies coming to The Spoils.

Spice Up Your Life

Terence takes a look at the multiplayer format and provides a bunch of reasons regarding why you should try it.

Rescuing the Spoils #13

Michael talks about his chores at AT and an interesting new prospect in today's Blarg.

6r4wny 60dy9u4rd5

A deeper look at the newest and beefiest of 31v35, the 6r4wny 60dy9u4rd5!

Organizing Organized Play #13

Ian provides a WLC update, a shout out to an ambassador, a new tournament format, and more in this week's Blarg!

6r4wny 60dy9u4rd5

Nerds Do It Better, a community on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nerdsdoitbetter) spoiled a new Shade card today!

Siluriformes Flaxenscale

Phillip Burkholder is back, this time with a Shade preview!

From the Judge's Chambers #14

Being picked on because of your judging abilities? Fear no more!

Draconic Lutoderm Suit

Lester analyzes another new Gearsmith card previewed by The fine folks at Anime & Games in Lafayette, LA! This one, may be a biggy!

How I Used to Draft and Why It Was Awful

All you have to do to be good at drafting is to do the exact opposite of what Terence used to do.

Let's Build Something #13

Terence builds the hype for Shade of the Devoured Emperor in this special guest edition of Let's Build Something.

Selling The Spoils

Phillip Burkholder shares his advice for how to sell the Spoils to gamers and non-gamers alike!

Rescuing the Spoils #12

Michael updates the status of Shade and Holy Heist, as well as making some resolutions for 2013.

UPDATED Organizing Organized Play #12

The tournament prizes have changed to remove purple sleeves and replace them with red sleeves. Check out the updated prizes inside!

Man Shark

National Champion Dan Sotelo is here to show you the Man Shark in all its mansharky glory.

The Fifth Tuesday #4

Terence hopes to revive lively team discussions in this month's Blarg!

Get your game on!

Want even more tournaments? Well we will be hosting some at MegaCon 2013 in Orlando Florida!

Top Five Shade Previews

Terence shares what he considers to be the Top Five most exciting Shade of the Devoured Emperor preview cards.

Organizing Organized Play #12

Want more tournaments? Well Ian announced some!

Quotidian Concealer

The French gaming blog Run4games.com has posted the most recent Shade preview. Be sure to check out their article and comment discuss this new card on the forums!

Getting Ahead: Resource Ramping

Lester E. Tisdale IV is back, this time talking about how to accelerate your resource advantage.

From the Judge's Chambers #13

What is a Playgroup Error? Does your playgroup have one? Find out!

Fanatical Shriever

Jonathan “Big Red” Gallo Talks about the new Warlord character previewed by the awesome guys at Tap N' Atk Games in PA!

What's the Deal with Gold Summit?

Terence ponders why many forum members think this card is worthy of being banned.

Let's Build Something #12

Ken gives us a guided tour of the Community Card Game concept.

Clockman Junk Picker

Lester analyzes the new Gearsmith character previewed by The fine folks at Anime & Games in Lafayette, LA!

Research Investment

Terence quickly analyzes the merits of building your own decks versus grabbing them online.

The Dirty Dozen: Part Two

Terence finishes his study of the twelve must unknown or misused rules in The Spoils with the second half of his list.

Organizing Organized Play #11

Ian makes his first Blarg post as the new Director of Organized Play.

Christmas Ornaments

Which cards do Terence wish were Christmas ornaments! Find out by clicking through!

From the Judge's Chambers #12

Terence has some Spoils related New Year's Resolutions and, for some reason, he wants you all to know them.

The Dirty Dozen: Part One

Terence takes a look at the twelve most forgotten and/or misunderstood rules.

Let's Build Something #11

Ken shares quite a few exciting details regarding Shade of the Devoured Emperor.

Holiday Gift Shopping

If you don't know what to buy for your favorite Spoils player this holiday season, this article is for you!

Rescuing the Spoils #11

Michael says goodbye to Will, welcomes Ian, and shares other exciting news in his latest Blarg.

Torchlight District

Terence takes a look at the latest Shade of the Devoured Emperor preview card!

Organizing Organized Play #10

Will shares some good news, sad news, and more good news in his latest Blarg.

Game Universe Demo Report

Kenneth Johnson gives a detailed report of his experiences as an Ambassador and provides coverage of his Demo tournament at Game Universe.

From the Judge's Chambers #11

Terence makes a quick list of what he is thankful for this Thanksgiving regarding The Spoils.

Epic Halloween

Terence takes a look at the five Universal Monster themed Epic promos and just how good they really are.

Let's Build Something #10

Terence shares his thoughts on teaching old dogs (cards) new tricks.

Rescuing the Spoils #10

Michael talks about his experiences at Essen Spiel 2012 and ideas that came from it.

German Nationals 2012

It is time for another round of German Nationals, so get ready to battle once more for the spoils of war!!

Metagame thoughts

Johan Bisenius shares his thoughts on the metagame of The Spoils. Is RI OTK still the deck to beat despite not succeeding at US Nationals?

German Nationals 2012

It is time for another round of German Nationals, so get ready to battle once more for the spoils of war!!

Blarg: OP Galore!

Lotsa Organized Play announcements from Will Clark.

Blarg: EMERGENCY blarg!

Dangerous disease afoot - be sure you don't catch "Stupid Eyes"!!

Blarg: 3-Judge System Explained

Want to play in the events you judge? Well, here is how to do it.

Trimming The Fat

Whether they be Constructed or Limited decks, many early versions of decks have tons of fat that needs to be trimmed. Terence takes you and your decks out for exercise.

Essen Spiel: Oct. 18-21 - Booth 6-416

It's Essen time once again, and as last year we look forward to meeting many new players at the Essen Spiel game fair in Essen, Germany.

Asides from demo games – we have also something for players that look for some com-pe-ti-tion!!

Blarg: Set Sizes

How many cards does it take to build a proper set?

Blarg: The Ambassador Program

The newly renovated Ambassador Program is almost two months old and it's time for an update.

The Lords of Paper

Bankers lust after power and wealth with an unalloyed greed. Their tools are exchange, litigation, brokering and sometimes a good honest murder.

Another honest and insightful article by the Right Honorable Basel E. Corgington, Esq.

The Quiet Times

What can Spoils players do during the quiet times?

Blarg: A New Special Championship

A special tournament format is announced by Will in his blarg this week!

Card analysis: Backdoor Brigand

Today's article highlights Backdoor Brigand, a Rogue Character from the upcoming Shade of the Devoured Emperor.

Blarg: Those "Other Games" and Their "Rules"

It can be really hard to learn and abide by rules of many different games!

Favorite Card: Witty Worm

Passionate Spoils player explains why he thinks Witty Worm is pure awesomeness.

Blarg: Cons, Print Runs, & the Community

Ken delves into some exciting topics in this week's Blarg - things are surely looking good!

Research Investment

John Westcott takes the art of playtesting to a whole new level, and shares his knowledge on a very talked about deck: The Research Investment OTK.

Blarg: Short news and a possible contest

New blarg from Michael - and what is this talk of possibly making deck boxes?

Gen Con Deck Lists - pt. 2

Get an overview of the metagame when Terence walks you through the wide variety of decks at Gen Con. This time we go all the way to the top!

Blarg: OOP: Gen Con Afterthoughts

A very happy OP Director looks back at Gen Con!

Gen Con Deck Lists - pt. 1

Get an overview of the metagame when Terence walks you through the wide variety of decks at Gen Con.

Another Con!

This year, Dragon*Con will be held Labor Day weekend (August 31 - September 3, 2012) in Atlanta, GA. The Spoils will be there!

Blarg: Gen Con 2012 - looking back at success!

Terence finally admits to not reporting live, and looks back at the four best days in gaming.

Blarg: Gen Con report - US National Limited

Terence reports live (well, increasingly less and less live) from Gen Con and the events he is playing in. US Nationals Limited Style Time. With a tough field including some olden, golden guys.

Blarg: Gen Con - Patron Booze Draft Report

Terence reports live (well, almost live) from Gen Con and the events he is playing in. It is time for the BOOZE DRAFT - find out if Terence can hold his liquor (title)?

Blarg: Gen Con - US National Constructed Report

Terence reports live (well, almost live) from Gen Con and the events he is playing in. It is time for the US Nationals Constructed and Terence wonders if he should have chosen a different deck.

Blarg: Gen Con Tournament Reports

Terence reports live (well, almost live) from Gen Con and the events he is playing in. First stop is the 2nd Edition Sealed Event on Thursday.

Blarg: Fun and Lore in the Shade

Terence fills in for Ken, but references a talk he had with the very same Ken about the future of The Spoils. And one of the things that will happen is opening up of the storyline with the players. Read all about it in the blarg!!

Gen Con Event Breakdown

Here's help for those of you attending Gen Con next weekend that are struggling to figure out how to set up your schedule and play in all the events you want to play in. Terence has more...

Blarg: Shade, HH, Ambassadors and a Preview!

Michael is back with another Blarg entry! This time he covers a wide range of topics so be sure to check out the Blarg for some interesting updates.

Meet the Pro: Nick Dorman

Nick "Lowercase" Dorman, the youngest of our pros and a Top 8 player from last year's National Limited Championships.

Australian Championships

Australia is heating up with a series of upcoming Championships. Come join the good times:
* Australian National Championships
* Victorian Coast Winter Limited Championships
* NSW North Coast Winter Limited Championships
* NSW South Coast Winter Limited Championships

Blarg: Gen Con Survival Guide

Terence brings some much needed tips on how to survive and enjoy the four best days in gaming!

Meet the Pro: Vince Chuan

Vince is our current reigning National Constructed Champion - and also one of the few pros who didn't answer the question "How Long have you been playing Spoils?" with "Since Open Beta in 2006." We won't hold that against him, though.

Blarg: Gen Con Strategies and Events

Will shares some insight into how events like Gen Con come together and what goes in to running multiple events at a gaming convention.

Ambassadors & Micromajig Street Team

Do you have a passion for The Spoils? Are you fiending for a venue to play at and a player-base to compete with? Are you willing to help?

Now you can!!

Meet the Pro: John Maldonado

This week we have the distinct pleasure of meeting the 2011 Origins Champion. And since The Spoils was not present at Origins this year, this week's pro, John Maldonado, is still the reigning Origins Champion!

Blarg: Actual Text vs. Intent of Text

Should judges rule by the actual text on the cards or what the obvious intent of the card is? Join the discussion!

Meet the Pro: Hans Joachim Hoeh

He is the reigning World of Warcraft TCG World Champion. He is a former German Nationals Spoils Champion. He is the first person, to my knowledge, to have his likeness featured on the artwork of a Spoils card. He is Hans Joachim Hoeh!

Blarg: Errata vs. Ban

Terence voices his opinion on banning versus errataing cards. Join the discussion!

Meet the Pro: Matthew "Moxless" Kucklinca

This time we have the pleasure of meeting Matthew "Moxless" Kucklinca, who had the distinct pleasure of being in the finals of both the National Limited Championships and the National Constructed Championships in 2011.

Blarg: Seed-3, SotDE and Foils

Michael talks about the release of Seed-3, foils and spills the name of the next block.

The Best One Threshold Splashes

Terence claims that decks that run more than one trade tend to be extremely effective as they blend the strengths and weaknesses of both trades. Can he prove his point? Is he right?

Organizing Organized Play blog

Will is back with an summer update regarding the Organized Play program and the exciting events at Gen Con

Spread The Love!

As a celebration of our upcoming new set, Seed III: Fall of Marmothoa, to be released July 2nd and prereleased in the upcoming weekend, we would like to present to you our Seed 3 promotional videos!

Meet the Pro: Bernie Makino

Next bit in our series on meeting the pros allows us to meet up with Bernie Makino, whose has a victory of two under his belt!!

Community Card Game

The Spoils will no longer be a TCG - instead it will now be a CCG. Read on to discover the big difference between these two!

Spring Limited Tournament Report

El Pez reports from Armada Games in Florida - read all about their great Spring Limited Championship!

Seed III Prerelease Flyers

Seed-3 release is indeed fast approaching - so it is time to get those prereleases planned and booked. We would have liked to be out with this earlier, but there was a lot of timing issues. But we hope you will still be able to get the events planned into your busy schedules!.

Please click on the links below to download the flyers for the prerelease events:

• Seed-3 prerelease info - USA
• Seed-3 prerelease info - Rest of the World

Let's Build Something #5: Seed 3 Pre-Release

With the pre- release for Seed 3 being only two and a half weeks away, Ken figured he would give some insight into the direction we decided to go with the format. (and give you one more peek)

Mind Expansion

How does one get to know all the rules for The Spoils? And would you ever be able to pull that off for yourself?

Seed III Sell Sheets

Be sure to pass these onto your local retailer :-)
Sales Sheet - Seed 3 - USD
Sales Sheet - Seed 3 - EUR

Meet the Pro: Dan Sotelo

We start out our series of interviews with the top players by visiting Long Island and Daniel Sotelo. Find out why Dan plays The Spoils and what his favorite cards are.

Shade of the Devoured Emperor

So what is Padamose doing 200-300 years later in the world of 1st edition? He seems to be dropping some hints off to a few select individuals regarding information that may or may not be important to their futures.

Written Secrets?

What would YOU like to see us writing about? A strategy guide, a webcomic, short stories, or...?

Card analysis: Ensmallment Ray

Today's article highlights Ensmallment Ray, a Gearsmith Item. Gearsmith cards tend to be very versatile and lend themselves to being utility or combo cards in a lot of decks. This card is no exception and will certainly provide a lot of deck builders with new and creative ideas.

A word on ASS

Will has returned to the Blarg with an update about the ASS program! Head over to the Blarg to see what he has to say, as well as see a spoiled new ASS promo!

Two Card Combos

Today's article shines it light on the simplest form of combos; the two card combos. Not necessarily the kind of combos that win games with the moment they go off, but they are the kind of combos that help you win games if you can execute them at the right time or a couple times over the course of a game.

Judging Big Events

Ever considering judging or volunteering at the big leagues, like the upcoming Gen Con in August? Then do read on!

Seed-3 Sneak

Will Clark spoils some more Seed-3 stuff in this interview. You don't want to miss this!

Spring Limited Championships

To give you a much needed respite from the day to day grind, The Spoils is proud to announce the Spring Limited Championships!!!!!

Seed III Preview

The Fall of Marmathoa is approaching! To celebrate, I'm pleased to unveil the latest preview card. Behold... the mighty demon knight, Geiseric, the Souleater!

Constructed History - Lesson 3

Terence Dorman dips into the past and looks back on the Constructed format. With this third installment of the two part series have reached the conclusion of the Constructed History Lessons . Enjoy! ;-)

Shade of the Devoured Emperor

Ken Pilcher opens the door to the next set after Seed-3 and talks about balancing storyline and mechanics.

Constructed History - Lesson 2

Terence Dorman dips into the past and looks back on the Constructed format.

Seed 3, SotDE, and Dragon Shield

In his latest blog Michael shares some news on Seed-3, the new set SotDE, and the running of a Spoils promotion on the Dragon Shield boxes.

Constructed History - Lesson 1

Terence Dorman dips into the past and looks back on the Constructed format.

Check out all of the latest blarg entries!

This week Terence takes you through his experience being the Tournament Organizer for a local gaming store.

Over One Million Served

Terence Dorman takes The Billionaire to the Vast Mastabatorium for him to spend all of his easily earned money.

Be Personable

Terence shares thoughts on why judges and players should interact and be personable in their contact with each other. Read it all here.

Buying Wisely

Johan 'Bizze' Bisenius guides you into the best ways to go about buying boosters and getting some good value for your money. He'll also help with some fundamental deck ideas or combos that you can build on to create a deck that suits your style of play.

Within the Rules?

Terence talks about his cooperation with Ken on new R&D cards and the importance of making them work within the rules. Read it all here.

Get Weird!

In his new article Terence invites all of us to go a little nuts when creating new decks!!

Seed III schedule

Michael's latest blog post is live! Be sure to check it out as he discusses the Seed 3 production schedule. Read it all here.

MegaCon 2012 report

John Westcott brings you an inspiring report on what he achieved at MegaCon this year.

Should any of you reading become inspired from reading John's report, and want to set up The Spoils at a gaming convention near you, then do get in touch with us at "info (at) arcanetinmen (dot) dk" and we can do some great magic, nay Spoils, together!!

How Will became the OP Manager

In his latest blog post Will complete's his journey to becoming the Director of North American Operations. Be sure to check it out for the conclusion to his two part introductory story.. Read it all here.

What's the fun in that?

Terence Dorman's mental state is threatened when his good friend Mark proclaims that The Spoils is not fun. Surely he must be crazy - or is he right? Join Terence as he discovers the truth...!

Judge Pressure

Terence Dorman invites you to his class on how to deal with the pressure and power of being a judge. Read it all here.

Card analysis: Redonkulous

With a cost of three Redonkulous is easily affordable. It fits nicely into many situations as most players will always have at least three resources unattached during a turn so they have the option to draw cards if need be. Follow Terence Dorman as he take you on a guided tour through donkeyland!

The Player Arena

Ken takes you on a guided tour to the battlegrounds of player archetypes.. Read it all here.

Push The Spoils to your local store

New help document designed for anyone who wishes to help share The Spoils with other gamers or card players by demonstrating to them just how great The Spoils is. In this document you will learn what you need to run a demo as well as learn some tips on how to conduct the demo itself.

The Seed 3 rollercoaster

Michael shares some insight on what goes into the decision of chosing a suitable printer for The Spoils. Read it all here.

New Judge of Great Justice

Please put together your hands for our new Judge of Great Justice. His name is Kettil and he loves rules! Read his origin story here.

Gen Con: Slighing Rage

Relive Nationals at Gen Con with insight from the man that topped the game in 2011 in USA!