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rhysticstudies posts

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 sing...

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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.

2025-07-22 01:55:57 +0000 UTC View Post

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 ...

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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 u...

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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 previ...

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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.

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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 2025-04-26 18:16:29 +0000 UTC View Post

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:
2025-04-01 00:29:32 +0000 UTC View Post

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.

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Explaining The Card, Explains The Card | Magic's Most Ambiguous Designs

This video is about Magic cards that need further explanation.

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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 dev...

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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 cultu...

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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...

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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.

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Rhystic Cast #19 - Fuck "Content"

Fuck "content." Be specific!

Further reading and viewing:
World of Warcraft Documentary (2006)
<...

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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.

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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 BASILISK and spent the weeke...

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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...

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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 investme...

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The Red Temperance

This video examines Carly Mazur's striking illustration of Faithless Looting and the backlash that befell it.

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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 ...

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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.

2024-02-04 13:31:32 +0000 UTC View Post

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 yea...

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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 lifeli...

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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....

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There Are Skeletons Within Us

"Quod fuimus, estis; quod sumus, vos eritis."

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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...

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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?

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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 Patr...

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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 bee...

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