rhysticstudies posts
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The Edge | A Distant Locus of a Dying Star
In a parallel space between chaos and oblivion, two opposing faiths are warring over the fate of a dying star. Hanging in the balance is the future of The Edge – an eternity collapsed into a single point, or an endless expanse into nothingness.
Rhystic Cast #25 - The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
This old poem came to mind today, so I gave it a recitation. Thought it might be nice to share.The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915)
Rhystic Cast #24 - The Good, the Bad, and the Final...Fantasy
Tonight, I'm chewing on all my successes, failures, and controversies with the Final Fantasy set and the video I made on the subject. What happens when we put our pride aside to celebrate the joys of others, even at the expense of our own? Maybe we find something to love in it ourselves.Music:ãƒ...
Impressions of a Monolith | On Magic's Adaptation of Final Fantasy
Over the past three months, I learned everything I could about Final Fantasy – from its rich history to its massive cultural impact and the many in-jokes shared among its fans.In time, I understood why it has captured the hearts of players everywhere.
Two videos...
I've found myself in the unique position of having written two, full-length scripts simultaneously (for reasons that will become clear once both are posted). As a result, the time between the previous upload and the next will be longer, as I now have to assemble video for both, but the time betw...
100 Ornithopters in a Cube-Shaped Box
This video is about Andy Mangold's unconventional Ornithopter cube and the community that has become its champion.
Rhystic Cast #23 - Oblivion is Vibes
Today, I'm riffing about Oblivion's infinite charm and how its remaster fully delivers on its most beloved features. And no, it's not the nostalgia speaking. Music:Reign of the Septims - Jeremy Soule
Rhystic Cast #22 - Make It Real, Keep It Real
Today, I'm thinking about the lasting power of physical objects and the people who keep real.Links:Secret Economics of Dungeons and DragonsCasual Magic 269 - Sam from Rhystic StudiesMusic:Dwight Yoakam - A Thousand Miles From Nowhere
50 Magic Cards about Everything & Nothing
Our stories are atomized and fragmented, but through shared memories and experiences they become footnotes in a history and icons of a culture.
Explaining The Card, Explains The Card | Magic's Most Ambiguous Designs
This video is about Magic cards that need further explanation.
Rhystic Cast #21 - Balatro Forever
Today, I'm speaking with love and esteem about Balatro, a tiny passion project turned award-winning indie phenomenon. The game is genius in its simplicity and its delivery, but the story of its development is even more charming and inspired. Listening to LocalThunk speak reminds me a lot of Garf...
The New Iconic | A Retrospective of Seventh Edition
Seventh Edition is a Magic icon. From the old-school frames to the fancy foils and the hit-or-miss illustrations, this enormous core set remains a beloved mainstay of the game’s history and culture.
Rhystic Cast #20 - The Houses We Live and Leave
Tonight, I'm speaking about the process of working with Wizards of the Coast to produce my video on Duskmourn — the misconceptions of sponsorships, the power of concept art, the common criticisms of the set, and the cosmic coincidences surrounding it."No live organism can continue for long...
The Molting House | A Guided Tour of Duskmourn
This video investigates the haunted plane of Duskmourn – an endless labyrinth of chimeric monstrosities, manifest anxieties, and outdated technologies. Below, a moth feeds on all its fear.
Rhystic Cast #19 - Fuck "Content"
Fuck "content." Be specific!Further reading and viewing:World of Warcraft Documentary (2006)The Need For Game Critique by Richard Garfield - Duelist #7 (pp.74-75)Music in this episode:Comin' Thru - Chali 2na
The Misbegotten Mascot | A History of Hurloon Minotaur
This video traces a vignette of Hurloon Minotaur – Magic’s first mascot – and its uneven role in marketing the game through the early years.
Rhystic Cast #18 - Hacks from Dreamhack
Today, I'm unpacking my recent trip to Dallas for Dreamhack 2024. I attended the event as a guest with BASILISKand spent the weekend actively taking notes from the floor. What can MagicCons borrow from an eSports convention? How can we incorporate non-Magic games and experiences to help round ...
The Zugzwang Machine | A History of Lantern Control
This video follows the unlikely ascent of Magic’s most peculiar deck: Lantern Control. From a fleeting idea in a forum thread to winning the Pro Tour, Lantern Control challenged our understanding of Magic and forever changed how we think about its core game systems.
Rhystic Cast #17 - The Bigger You Get, The Dumber Your Audience Gets
Today, I'm discussing the increasing desire in audiences for media experiences made by smaller teams of inspired creatives. In the face of AAA budgets and outrageous demands for returns on investment, what happens when you downsize and make something non-commercial and jagged and weird? What hap...
The Red Temperance
This video examines Carly Mazur's striking illustration of Faithless Looting and the backlash that befell it.
Rhystic Cast #16 - The Hard Questions
Today, I'm answering ten difficult questions from Patrons in the Rhystic Studies Discord. Why are your videos on Seb and Terese still up? Has Magic's worldbuilding suffered as a result of the pace of production? How can we create a productive forum for art criticism without insulting artists...
The Glimmer | 25 Years of Foil Magic Cards
This video traces a 25-year history of the production, development, and evolution of foil Magic cards.Full script here
Rhystic Cast #15 - What Do You Want This Year?
What do you want this year? Today, I'm answering that question for myself, for Rhystic Studies as a creative endeavor, and for Rhystic Studies as a business. What do I want to make this year, and why? How do I continue to commit to quality in a hyper-saturated and high-velocity media environment...
Thank You + Next Video
Hey everyone,I'm writing to thank you for all of your support this year. This was a pivotal one for both the channel and my freelance work in its periphery. Your contributions are the lifeline for independent creators, the sole reason that we can work on our own, and I'll never take that for...
Rhystic Cast #14 - We Need to Get Weird
Magic media is stale.We need to cultivate guerrilla scholarship. We need to preserve our history and represent it meaningfully. We need to create spaces that connect people to objects. We need to get away from the commercial and reconnect with the community. We need to work with serious intention. W...
There Are Skeletons Within Us
"Quod fuimus, estis; quod sumus, vos eritis."
Hogaaks Shipped + Halloween Video
Hey all,1) Hogaaks are shipped. Thank you all for your patience and support as I gathered, signed, numbered, and packaged all of these cards. It became a much bigger project than I anticipated, and I've spent all my free time over the past two months working hard to get the envelopes in order. I...
The Shape of a Format | A Data-Driven Retrospective of Dominaria United
Dominaria United was an outlier of contemporary Magic design. How can running the numbers on draft logs help illustrate its many charming anomalies?
Signed Hogaak - Action Needed
Hey all,the response to the Hogaak promo has been far greater than anticipated - thank you so much for the support. I have a few items to address:1) If you became a Patron after the Hogaak video was posted - no action required. You are accounted for in my system.2) If you were a Patron at the $5 tie...
Rhystic Cast #13 - Sunflowers
Today, I'm speaking about the recent challenges and successes of life as a freelance creator, including the touring cycle of Magic Cons and the financial pressure from taking sponsorships. I've been working on Rhystic Studies full-time for 2 years now (and part-time for 10!), and ultimately,...
