Hey you.
You might know me from Twitter (@mulldrifting) or my blog, Mulldrifting.com, or you might remember me as the newly acquired writer for StarCityGames.com. (Guess what the
name of my column is. Go on. Just guess. I dare ya.) However I am now also your new SCG Copy Editor, which means I get to do fun
little things like last week’s Premium recap.
Ted asked me to do a recap of all the StarCityGames.com Premium articles from last week as well as the best of Select. Those articles move down the
page so fast, don’t they? Not to worry, I’m here to give you the rundown once more — let’s jump into the pool starting
with…
Monday
Innovations — New Standard Decks with Scars of Mirrodin
by Patrick Chapin
Who doesn’t like a Chapin article? The man is prolific. This article contains four new decklists with cards from the new set. And…
what’s this? Only two of them use Jace, the Mind Sculptor? (Joking, joking.) Standard is a brave new world, and Chapin prepares
us to face it with some prototype gauntlet decks like U/W Control and Big Red as well as some rogue builds only possible with the interactions from
Scars.
So Many Insane Plays — My Black Lotuses Attack for Two
by Stephen Menendian
I don’t even play Vintage, and I appreciated this article. Many cards from recent sets have seriously impacted Vintage, particularly Jace, the
Mind Sculptor. The deck Stephen played — called Snake City Vault — used Jaces, Time Vault/Voltaic Key combo, and a secret ingredient…
(The title gives it away.) The deck put all three of its pilots into the top 20 of the Waterbury tournament and contained a whopping twenty-two cards
from Zendikar block alone.
Going Infinite — Losing Value
by Jonathan Medina
How much value can you get out of taking a loss? Jon Medina explains why taking hits with “bad” trades is just another tool every trader
should have. The man has no end to his bag of tricks, it seems.
Tuesday
Meet Your New Lords — Grand Architect Decks in Legacy!
by Matt Sperling
I enjoyed the before/after pictures of Paul Rietzl in this article, but that’s beside the point. Grand Architect has caught Matt’s eye for
Legacy. He updates various shells with Painter’s Grindstone and Affinity. Will Scars of Mirrodin be able to push these Tier 2 decks into Tier 1?
Drafting with Anton — M11 #3!
by Anton Jonsson
Anton drafts a U/G deck with a splashy red card or two. This archetype is one of my favorites from M11 draft and definitely one I recommend learning
how to draft. Practice makes perfect!
Reflecting Ruel — How Much Fun Can You Have With A Deck?
by Olivier Ruel
Olivier updates the deck he ran at Pro Tour Amsterdam for Extended. It’s a bit late now in the season, but Five Color Control will continue to
play a role in the upcoming Extended.Â
Wednesday
Sullivan Library — The Killing Fog: A Different Take on Standard U/W
by Adrian Sullivan
Turbo Fog is always a deck people try to build and run in Standard. Traditionally, Turbo Fog tries to endure and outlast its opponents, wearing them
down until there’s no escape. Adrian’s build adapts to more recent Standard environments, where achieving a complete lock on the opponent
can be difficult. It’s Turbo Fog with bite!
Black Magic — A Return to Standard and a Call to Sideboard Differently
by Sam Black
Sam Black loves a Preordain, and these Standard decks show no exception to that rule. You’d be surprised by what kinds of decks can use a good
scry. My personal favorite part of this article, though, was the section about sideboarding and how we should think about siding out lands more often
than we probably do. Check it out!
Drafting with Oli — M11 #5
by Olivier Ruel
Olivier departs SCG with this final draft recap. (Bye, Oli! You’ll be missed.) He builds a U/R deck with a black splash after a slightly
greedy pick 3 in pack 1. Spoiler alert: it works out pretty well.
Thursday
Always Order Your Ticket In Advance — Building Decks Around a Linchpin
by Michael Jacob
The fundamentals MJ lays out in this article will serve deckbuilders down the line for ages. He describes how to build decks around a linchpin, a
build-around-me card, taking you step by step. He then puts theory into practice and builds a deck around Destructive Force. If you want to learn how
to fish, this is pretty much the article for you.Â
One Step Ahead — Green Is the Best
by Gerry Thompson
Green has rarely looked as good as it has in recent months (which makes
Ken Nagle happy
). Gerry describes the six engines that put green at the top of Standard’s food chain and provides the most recent update of his Dredgevine list
(now with all five colors).
Drafting with Anton — M11 #4!
by Anton Jonsson
Anton drafts the classic mono-white aggro archetype in this draft report. As always, the draft shows each pick as well as Anton’s thoughts behind
his decisions.
Friday
The Financial Value of Scars of Mirrodin
by Ben Bleiweiss
Ben reviews the entire set for valuable cards, each with its current price and projected price in one month. Which are the sleeper cards? Which will
retain their value and which will drop?
Innovations — Mostly Sane, Mostly
by Patrick Chapin
People will be talking about this one for weeks for the stories alone… oh wait, Chapin also included six new decks for the new Standard
environment? I guess we’ll be seeing the impact of this article months from now. There’s so much good stuff in this article, no
mere summary does it justice. Read it, and you won’t regret it.
The Dragonmaster’s Lair — A Farewell to Shards
by Brian Kibler
It’s important to realize exactly the impact the leaving of a set will have on a format. Brian analyzes in-depth the changes to the Standard
format: what strategies and archetypes will rise to the top and what loses the most.
Insider Information — Goblins in Legacy
by Cedric Phillips
Cedric is touting a new deck for metagaming against today’s Legacy format full of Vengevine Survival, Merfolk, ANT, Zoo, Counterbalance, and
Painter’s Servant. Take it to the next StarCityGames.com Legacy Open!
Select
In Select this week, there were a ton of good ones. But the following are must-reads!
Your Ideas Aren’t As Bad As People Say They Are
by Brian DeMars
He gives the perfect overview of Vintage and talks about the same deck that put three people — the only ones running it — into the top 20
at Waterbury. The deck everyone keeps talking about? Snake City Vault. The addition of Lotus Cobra is incredibly spicy, particularly with Jace, the
Mind Sculptor. Who knew?
 Real Songs with B.I.G.
by Geordie Tait
A really enjoyable read by Geordie Tait, which may ruffle your feathers. Do you design cards and sets in your spare time? Well, GT may have a
few words you need to hear… even if you don’t like what he has to say.
Truck Driver Divorce
by The Ferrett
Oh my god, he’s back! Well, all right, I wasn’t really around for much of Ferrett’s reign on SCG, and maybe some of you weren’t
either. But trust me, he’s one to read, even if you don’t play multiplayer formats. I promise some laughs, some good times, and fun card
evaluations from Scars of Mirrodin.
There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Sealed Deck
by Sam Stoddard
I wish I’d had this article much earlier. (I’m terrible at Sealed Deck.) But this article definitely helps, especially when you open those
pools that sink you into your stomach. Don’t Panic, and just follow the advice within.