Welcome to day two of the Hipsters of the Coast 4th Anniversary Celebration Countdown! All week we’ll be counting down the top 25 articles of all time on Hipsters of the Coast. We’ll include some updated commentary where we can so you can relive all of the excitement of the past four years in the Magic community. If you haven’t checked out Chief Hipster Rich Stein’s welcome article for Anniversary Week, make sure you check it out first.
Each day we’ll also highlight more great content. First, prior to the countdown, will be an honorable-mention article. This list was primarily compiled by page views but some of the earliest articles from the site’s history did not have the benefit of the audience size we currently hold. These are still incredibly important articles for Hipsters of the Coast’s history and we want to highlight them. After each day’s countdown checkout a bonus Top 10 countdown list, sans commentary.
Today’s honorable mention features the Scrub Report, a column that was one of Hipsters of the Coast’s mainstays in the first few years, originated by Giaco Furino. Carrie, our editor, has some commentary on the specific article we’re highlighting below. Before we get into today’s lists, here are Giaco’s thoughts about Scrub Report:
The Scrub Report started with a simple premise: on a website where tournaments were reported, cards were evaluated, and the intricacies of decklists were explored, could it be useful to hear from someone who didn’t know what the hell they were doing? I was that person and that someone. And, years later, out of practice and fairly unplugged, I remain. We chose The Scrub Report as the title because the word “Scrub” is one of my least favorite words in Magic culture. In my mind it always seemed so bratty and childish. The type of player who would call someone new to the game (or not great at it) a “scrub” is, in my opinion, the worst type of player. So taking a little bit of piss out of the word, and making it very clear that my column would be self-effacing and a little less serious was crucial to me. As the website grew, it became extremely important to feature the voices of other new players, other “scrubs” (though I hope they know we never thought of them as such), and if we could give an outlet to underrepresented new players, even better!
Day 2 Honorable Mention: How to Pack for GP Vegas by Giaco Furino
Commentary by Carrie O’Hara
Giaco was a formative contributor to Hipsters of the Coast who now has a burgeoning writing career. Seriously, go check out his latest Vice article, in which the protagonist plays roles at Wizards of the Coast. There are some real gems in Giaco’s Scrub Report back catalog, which you can browse from the “columns” dropdown menu above. “How to Pack for GP Vegas” is brilliant, funny, insightful, warm, and true. It also has the best deck list in the history of this site.
#20 – No Reserved List or Let’s Kill Legacy by Kate Donnelly
Hope Eternal has been a core part of Hipsters of the Coast since the early days. Since taking over the column, Kate has written many great pieces about Legacy. This is one of her best. Making Legacy accessible to more players is a recurring challenge for the eternal community, and nobody is more passionate about expanding opportunities to play Legacy than Kate. When someone suggested gutting Legacy of its defining cards that cannot be reprinted, Kate brought the big guns to defend her beloved format. Wizards heard her and released Eternal Masters in response. Hipsters of the Coast: solving existential crises since before it was cool.
#19 – Crushing Drafts at Pro Tour M15 by Hunter Slaton
For months after his Pro Tour debut in Portland during the summer of 2014, Hunter was known in Team Draft League as the Hornet Queen. I don’t think we ever did shots of Hornitos to celebrate, but there might have been some karaoke renditions along these lines: “young and sweet, only six and three, Hornet Queen, here come the Siege Wurm beats.” Hunter was having the time of his life, and the joy jumps off the page. Or the screen. Do people read words on paper anymore?
#18 – How Magic Got Me Sober by Hunter Slaton
One of the best Magic articles ever written. What more can I say?
#17 – Evolving Wilds: Faith and Fetchlands by Stef Black
One of the perils of writing these synopses out of order is that I can’t make a follow-up joke about Hardest Hugh, the light than shone briefly and bright, and expect anyone to know what the hell I’m talking about. But yeah, man, Stefano brought some real truth to the Bargaining Table. Go read them, and read them again, and then go back, and read them once more, like Cheerios, for the first time. Also, why couldn’t they reprint Terminal Moraine instead of making Warped Landscape? I assume it was for story flavor purposes, but I’d like to think they just knew they could never improve the OG art.
#16 – Every Last M14 Common Reviewed by Hunter Slaton and Zach Barash
In the heady days of Hipsters of the Coast circa 2013, Hunter and Zach bravely set out to do exactly what they claim they will do in the title. Seven thousand words later, they were almost done. Who says hipsters are insincere? This article is a masterpiece snapshot, a champagne supernova, a fleeting memory. I believe Robert Frost had some wise words on this topic. Something there is that doesn’t love a Rootwalla? Yeah, that’s it.
Bonus Countdown: Top 10 Social Justice Articles
- The Imagined Hygeine Problem by Shawn Massak
- Convicted Sex Offender Wins Magic the Gathering Pro Tour by Rich Stein
- Crackgate by Rich Stein
- The View From Here by Kate Donnelly
- How do you Feel About Women in Magic by Monique Garraud
- Bathroom Bans by Jess Stirba
- Why We Can’t Have Nice Things by Rich Stein
- Fantasy Statements by Jess Stirba
- Alesha, Who’s Thankful for the Internet by Jess Stirba
- Perpetuating Propaganda by Jess Stirba and Curtis Wiemann