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So we have a section for "Newbie Tips" but I was wondering if anyone had any tips they would maybe considered advanced they wanted to share. Whether it be card combo, mechanic, mind game, etc.

Pay Attention to Deck and "Timer Stops"
The timer stopping a player at each main phase (aka not just flowing through it) can be your greatest advantage:

For example the other day I was playing against Mono Red Burn, he had 1 card in his hand and I wasn't sure whether to hold for a counter or blow my mana on creatures...UNTIL he had 1 land left untapped and the timer stopped at his second main phase, waiting for him to play the card. I know there is no 1 mana burn in that deck so he was either bluffing with a 1 mana creature or a land. This allows me to (confidently) tap out and what do you know, he drops the land next turn. 

I'm not exactly sure what would be "advanced" that couldn't go into the newbie thread (probably because I'm not an advanced player ). Anyways, I'd figure this thread will mainly be reserved for "tactics" as opposed to the common "misplays" seen in the other thread.

I'm not sure if this was mentioned in the other thread, but I usually hold back lands once I hit a certain point. This is typically at whatever my deck tops out at. If 6 converted mana cost is my most expensive payment, I'll start holding land when I have around 6 and 7 on the battlefield. Sometimes I'll dump a land after every third turn that passes so that it's not blantantly obvious I'm holding lands back. I found this method works best for me.

Obviously this rule can be broken depending on a card on the battlefield. Dungrove Elder and Grazing Gladehart spring to mind. But you don't have to drop every land if you're in a winning position. Just enough to stay ahead.

PS. Does anyone get "chewed out" because they have hold priority on? I've played against some people who hate that I use it because I tend to "take my time" during my turns. It's like people are in a rush to finish the game. That's how misplays happen people! I'm not really a slow player, I just typically like to make a check of the board state before I pass my turn to the other player. A couple of times I've missed a card at a glance because I rushed my playstyle.

Jul 1, 2011 -- 1:26AM, MightyHeff wrote:

I use hold option set, I hate it ending my phase for me because it thinks I've no cards.

As for tips... If you take Argentenum Armour in Weilding Steel and an opponent gains control of the equipped creature. Let them attack. You're still tge controller of the armour, so you choose the target it removes still. Don't know if that's 'advanced' enough, but it's good to know if you don't have the mana to re-equip the card.

You also don't want your opponent to know you have nothing playable in your hands.

In regards to the tip: good call, that should be good fun to use...

Some other tips (maybe advanced, maybe not...).
- Vampire Aristocrat ability can be used as a "Giant Growth" surprise when you have a 1/1 on the field and the opponent attacks with a 2/2, 3/3 or 4/4, or blocks you with one you want to get rid of badly. Yesterday I used it to sac a Vampire Nocturnus under the influence of Arrest to beat an equiped Kor Duelist by luring it into blocking me.

-When you get a Stoneforge Mystic in your opening hand but not a Kor outfitter , get Sword of War and Peace as it's EtB effect. It's much better opening game then the Argentum Armor I see most people grab due to it's very low equip cost AND the "cards in hand" effect.

- brave the elements sounds defensive, and been using it as such for a while, untill something clicked and made me win a few games with it yesterday: as an offensive spell it is a great way to finish the job with an Alpha Strike

And a less advanced tip but more of er  "well duh" tip:
-Don't put down your last card in hand when you have Psychosis Crawler x2 on the field thanks to Mirrorworks ....much less when that last card is a land (happened twice sofar to me now).

This ones pretty obvious but i see people doing it wrong all the time. When playing Apex Predators and you have a creature you want to cast that will make you tap out but you also have a Cudgel Troll and/or Thrun, the Last Troll on the battlefield and want to attack with them but need the mana for regeneration, don't cast your creature in the first main phase and attack as normal with the mana open, your opponent may chump block with a 1/1 but they won't block with multiples blockers to take it down as they know you will just regenerate (you obviously don't attack them if they have a 5/5+ unless you've got a Giant Growth or are planning on bluffing one but thats a different tip altogether). If they only chump block or let the attack get through them there's no need to regenerate and you score some nice damage or kill off a little blocker, and you've still got all your mana available to cast your creature or whatever on your second main phase. If for some reason they decide to block with multiples to take it down you can regenerate as normal. The main point is CAST MOST OF YOUR SPELLS DURING YOUR SECOND MAIN PHASE, this applies to all decks. Like i said this is pretty blatant but i see lots of people not leaving mana open for their combat phase and missing out on an attack.

Another example is say you are the burn deck and again you need to tap out to play something. You have a 2/2 (not the hellhound, maybe the phoenix or something) and your opponent has a 5/5 that is quite precious to him, you should attack, he probably won't block as he will be scared of you finishing the creature off with a burn spell like Incinerate or Volcanic Hammer , but the point is you should attack even if you don't have one, as long as you have the mana open he will be scared to block. Then you are free to tap out if you want to in your second main phase. Obviously if he does call your bluff and block and you don't have the burn spell you'll look quite stupid, but it all comes down to knowing your opponent, like poker, are they a competent enough player to think about whats in your hand aswell as their own?

NOTE: I just noticed this post paraphrases what Midguy already posted above in this thread. Legitimacy!

While I don't claim to be an experienced player (all of my Magic training comes from casually playing as a kid in '95-'97 and the DotP games), there is one advanced strategy that I think occasionally proves effective in 1v1 online games - bluffing.

Bluffing probably isn't going to work if your opponent isn't very good (they're unlikely to care or notice how much mana you have open). There are certain tell-tale signs that you're playing a crafty planeswalker - a 60 card deck, no lifegain artifacts or questionable unlocks, playing their turns quickly and assertively). An experienced Magic player is more apt to notice and be influenced by open mana on the other side of the table. In this format where every playable deck is a known commodity, bluffing that you have one of the "gotcha" cards can change the dynamic and give you more turns to draw a game-winner. Purposefully leaving 2 or 3 mana open with Realm of Illusion or Machinations may buy you some turns if your skilled opponent is scared of you countering his Flameblast Dragon or Vampire Nocturnus . Likewise, while playing Guardians of the Wood or Apex Predators leaving just one forest untapped may make your opponent wary of a Might of the Masses or Giant Growth , convincing them not to attack when they have a creature advantage. You can even stop the timer to mimic a player mulling over whether to counter or not, giving even more authenticity to your charade. The problem with bluffing like this is that oftentimes your opponent will (correctly) value speed and efficiency over the danger of having you spoil their immediate plans. Sometimes it really is the best move to tap completely out to play your best card, because your opponent is going to play their best card regardless, sort of a, "Show me the counterspell and let's move on" decision.

This strategy goes hand in hand with another savvy move - in the lategame when both players are topdecking to break a stalemate and turn the tide, sometimes it's best not to play that 7th or 8th land you just drew. If the highest cost card in the deck is 6, and you only have 1 card in your hand, is that 7th land really going to make a difference? That land card may be more valuable hidden in your hand. You may catch your opponent thinking along the lines of, "What did he just draw? If it was a creature or land he would have played it, right? It MUST be a counter!" Obviously leaving mana open to bluff is less effective the fewer cards you have in your hand. Of course, in certain decks that run stuff like Blaze and Corrupt , having that extra land already out may be beneficial in some situations, but it's not like stockpiling 1 land in your hand prevents you from playing it right before doing X damage to the face for the win.