In a tragic and senseless move that caused onlookers to question his grasp of the fundamentals of Magic: The Gathering, area player Frank Kirkendal launched an ill-advised, full-scale attack on opponent Alex Green at a critical moment in a hard-fought duel in which both participants were at 4 life.

The attack, which according to Kirkendal's strategy would have dealt 7 points of damage to Green, reducing his life total to 0 and ending the game, instead ended with Green sacrificing a total of 4 lands to gain 8 life, effectively nullifying Kirkendal's attack and leaving him without blockers, completely at Green's mercy.

Upon realizing the full extent of his blunder, Kirkendal let out a hollow groan and stared at his opponent's Dwarven Vigilante, Spark Mage and Subterranean Spirit, before desperately combing the remaining cards in his hand to find something that would save him. No such cards were found by either Kirkendal or any of the onlookers present.

During his turn, Green was observed to smirk several times as he slowly untapped his lands and creatures, drew his card and uttered the words that completely destroyed Kirkendal's futile hope of winning the duel: "I attack with everything."

Green's victory precipated a torrent of self-abuse from Kirkendal for his game-ending mistake and inability to register the presence of crucial permanents on the table. "Goddamn it, do I have my head up my ass?" asked Kirkendal bitterly and savagely, his head slightly lowered as he gathered up his cards and tried to ignore the pitying stares of other players. "That was awful. I've been playing Magic for five years and I lost a game because I forgot Alex had Zuran Orb out? Why do I waste my time?"

Though Kirkendal's last query was clearly audible to the other players, none of them volunteered an answer to the clearly rhetorical question.

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In a tragic and senseless move that caused onlookers to question his grasp of the fundamentals of Magic: The Gathering, area player Frank Kirkendal launched an ill-advised, full-scale attack on opponent Alex Green at a critical moment in a hard-fought duel in which both participants were at 4 life.

The attack, which according to Kirkendal's strategy would have dealt 7 points of damage to Green, reducing his life total to 0 and ending the game, instead ended with Green sacrificing a total of 4 lands to gain 8 life, effectively nullifying Kirkendal's attack and leaving him without blockers, completely at Green's mercy.

Upon realizing the full extent of his blunder, Kirkendal let out a hollow groan and stared at his opponent's Dwarven Vigilante, Spark Mage and Subterranean Spirit, before desperately combing the remaining cards in his hand to find something that would save him. No such cards were found by either Kirkendal or any of the onlookers present.

During his turn, Green was observed to smirk several times as he slowly untapped his lands and creatures, drew his card and uttered the words that completely destroyed Kirkendal's futile hope of winning the duel: "I attack with everything."

Green's victory precipated a torrent of self-abuse from Kirkendal for his game-ending mistake and inability to register the presence of crucial permanents on the table. "Goddamn it, do I have my head up my ass?" asked Kirkendal bitterly and savagely, his head slightly lowered as he gathered up his cards and tried to ignore the pitying stares of other players. "That was awful. I've been playing Magic for five years and I lost a game because I forgot Alex had Zuran Orb out? Why do I waste my time?"

Though Kirkendal's last query was clearly audible to the other players, none of them volunteered an answer to the clearly rhetorical question.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!