Patrick Chapin
5 articles · 2006–2013
The Art of the Mulligan
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2010Chapin's canonical treatment of when to keep, when to mull, and why. The article that made the mulligan a skill instead of a reflex.
Chapin wrote this in 2010 and it's still cited in 2026 pro-level discussions. He treats the mulligan as a mini-game you can train for, with a framework every beginner needs before their first tournament.
61 Cards — Magic Russian Roulette
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2013Chapin on why cutting your deck to 60 cards is a harder decision than it looks — decision theory applied to a problem every deckbuilder faces.
Every time you choose between 60 and 61 cards you're making a decision-theory problem into an ego problem. Chapin forces you to think clearly about it. One of the purest 'theory' articles ever written about Magic.
Information Cascades in Magic
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2006Chapin on how testing groups converge on flawed conclusions when each member trusts others' tests more than their own. The information theory framework that explains why entire metagames sometimes get stuck in local optima.
The article every competitive Magic player should read once a year. Chapin shows how 'information cascades' lead testing teams astray — and how to break the loop. The intellectual ancestor of every modern 'why is this deck still tier 1' debate.
Next Level Deckbuilding
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2013Chapin's deckbuilding theory book (eBook on StarCityGames). Archetype theory, innovation cycles, and the discipline of building decks that punch above their individual card quality.
Next Level Magic Preview — Tempo
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2009Excerpt from Next Level Magic on tempo: a framework linking mana resources, card economy, and initiative beyond "play on curve".
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