The last major event in the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block constructed season is coming up next weekend with Grand Prix Rimini 2008.
Rimini is on Italy's eastern coast, southeast of Bologna and east of Firenze. I was in Firenze earlier this year -- quite nice. Good churches, good food. If I were magically transported to the GP next week I'd bring my final worked Romper Room variant, as described at the end of this post.
Following Rimini, we step into the qualifier season for Kyoto, which will be Alara sealed (the full PTQ season for 2009 can be found here). This brings me to my goal for the coming PTQ season:
Figure it out sooner.
This was my second full PTQ season where I attended the majority of events I could reach, and the first where I've really had full access to the cards I'd need. One thing I realized, going along through this season, is that it took me a while to realize what was fundamentally important for succeeding in the format. Obviously, PTQ seasons are scheduled such that the metagame is a moving target as you go along (with new sets coming into the format), but that only adds pressure to be able to quickly figure out what's going to matter for allowing a win.
In my case, I realized soon after starting the last PTQ of the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor season that I really should have just bit the bullet, accepted that Vivids were a good idea, and had four Firespouts in addition to my Hallowed Burials. Basically, I need to be less in love with a concept (in this case "not having lands come into play tapped") and more willing to be flexible in what I push into my final build.
How will this apply for Alara sealed? Well, I recall from my single outing for the Kuala Lumpur PTQ season that I decided to go two colors, despite seeing triple Avian Changeling in the deck and thinking "It would be good to have flyers..." In the upcoming Alara season, I think it'll be similar -- trying to teach myself to make the best choices, considering not just what's in my pool but also what one can expect to see in everyone else's pools.
I'm looking forward to all the upcoming qualifiers for the 2009 season. Alara Sealed, then Extended, then Standard, along with Standard Regionals. That's a lot of fun queued up for 2009.