1. Quick! Everyone Panic!
The buyout plague has been a hot-button topic recently, but it ignores a lot of very common sense solutions.
Let’s be honest: None of us were buying this card anyway.
Fortunately, Chas Andres has pushed back the rest of his Eldritch Moon finance review to be the voice of reason in the face of a lot of really imprudent reactions to the tyranny. You can read his thorough and welcome breakdown of the situation and how you can combat the nonsense here.
2. Todd Stevens Is Good at Every Magic Format
#SCGWOR was the story of the weekend, and while the Top 8 had a handful of SCG Tour® stars like Joe Lossett, Ben Friedman, Jeff Hoogland, and eventual winner Ed Demicco, it was Todd Stevens putting up yet another great performance that made us all feel stupid for being surprised. He’s nearly always in contention in Standard and Modern SCG Tour® events, and since picking up the Legacy format for the first time in February at #SCGPHILLY, Todd has added yet another Top 8 to his growing history.
Creatures (26)
- 4 Reflector Mage
- 3 Eldrazi Displacer
- 3 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Thalia's Lieutenant
- 4 Tireless Tracker
- 4 Lambholt Pacifist
- 4 Duskwatch Recruiter
Lands (25)
Spells (9)
Creatures (26)
- 4 Tarmogoyf
- 4 Wild Nacatl
- 4 Noble Hierarch
- 4 Knight of the Reliquary
- 2 Qasali Pridemage
- 2 Scavenging Ooze
- 3 Loxodon Smiter
- 3 Voice of Resurgence
Lands (22)
Spells (12)
Creatures (12)
Lands (19)
Spells (29)
Four Top 8s in 2016. Three different formats.
Worcester is a long way from Stevens’s home in Texas. It appears nowhere is safe.
See the breakdown of the Legacy format—the one he’s apparently very adept at—here.
3. Jeff Hoogland Will Play (and Win) with Whatever He Wants
Say what you want about the SCG Tour® Leader Jeff Hoogland: the guy can build strange Magic decks and pilot them extraordinarily well.
A huge portion of the playerbase is very complacent and safe with their deck choices. Jeff Hoogland isn’t just a rogue deckbuilder; he’s a guy that proves that you can do Magic the way you want to. You just have to get good enough.
Creatures (15)
- 2 Godo, Bandit Warlord
- 4 Simian Spirit Guide
- 2 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- 2 Inferno Titan
- 3 Griselbrand
- 2 Worldspine Wurm
Lands (19)
Spells (26)
- 4 Through the Breach
- 4 Blood Moon
- 4 Seething Song
- 4 Sneak Attack
- 4 Lotus Petal
- 4 Chalice of the Void
- 2 Batterskull
Sideboard
While he still has a ways to go before he reaches Conley Woods levels of rogue fame, it’s important to recognize and appreciate this rare talent when it comes up. And Jeff has it.
4. Daily Digest Knows the Future
Rob Blocher and his unusual list were the sentimental favorites going into the #SCGWOR Top 8.
Creatures (24)
- 4 Moggcatcher
- 1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
- 1 Siege-Gang Commander
- 1 Goblin Settler
- 2 Imperial Recruiter
- 4 Simian Spirit Guide
- 1 Stingscourger
- 4 Magus of the Moon
- 1 Murderous Redcap
- 4 Goblin Rabblemaster
- 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
Lands (20)
Spells (16)
Goblins is one of the oldest strategies in Legacy, and it’s always great to see an old friend. This deck is a sweet new innovation.
Or is it?
Gerry Thompson highlighted this whacky archetype a few years back in the now-famous Daily Digest segment he helped build into the delightful column we all enjoy today. Remember, kids: If you want to know how to spike an event with something out of nowhere, Daily Digest is your best friend.
5. Unexpectedly Absent
A lot of different decks made up the Top 32 of #SCGWOR this weekend. Death and Taxes was not one of them.
Eternal Masters provided a lot of new copies of cards for this deck, yet it underperformed. What gives? Did you pilot the little white good creatures at the event? What went wrong?
It’s important to note that two copies made Day 2, according to SCGLive’s Nick Miller. Is this an outlier? Or are this deck’s best days behind it?
6. Quelling the Competition
In case anyone’s forgotten, Collected Company is a very powerful Magic card. As a result, creatures that cost three or less mana are a little more dangerous than they would be in most other Standard formats. Reflector Mage started life as a decent Limited card in R&D, and we all know how that turned out.
Enter this thing.
Several big-time players think this card will make enormous waves. Patrick Chapin is the latest in a long line of believers, and his breakdown of this future Standard star is here for you to enjoy.
7. Elder Deep-Fiend and Emerge Very Well May Be Busted
Is it possible that we’ll all look back at this innocent time and laugh in a few Eldritch Moon months? Is it possible that this card is all hype and no delivery? Yes. But it’s also possible that Gerry Thompson and Michael Majors are onto something and we’re experiencing yet another mana-cheating mechanic that will dramatically shape the future of Standard.
Emerge is probably fine.
Probably.
8. Speaking of Eldritch Moon…
Spoiler season is over! The entire set is out there for all the world to see, which means you can get started on your #SCGCOL deckbuilding! Wizards of the Coast has the entire card image gallery open for business, and StarCityGames.com has all the singles available for pre-order.
Emrakul is going to kill us all. Act accordingly.