Friday, October 3rd – White Weenie, especially Kithkin, has been a constant blip on the metagame radar in both Standard and Block Constructed ever since the release of Lorwyn. With Shards of Alara bringing fresh meat to the table, is the most potent way to build Aggro White still centered on maximizing the synergy of the cheeky Hobbits? Adrian investigates some potent non-tribal alternatives…
Friday, September 26th – Shards of Alara is set to shake up Standard when it makes its debut in a little over a week’s time. With 249 cards to be added to the format, it’s easy to forget that, as cards disappear into the Extended twilight, one of the best paths to success comes through focusing on what we already have. Adrian examines the cards available in 10th Edition, and how they could impact the Block Constructed strategies that will form the spine of the New Standard.
Friday, September 19th – The current Standard format is preparing for a shake-up with the introduction of the highly-anticipated Shards of Alara. With an undiscovered country ahead, Adrian looks at the recent Top 8 decks from the Minnesota $5K event as preparation for the coming rotation.
Friday, September 12th – Mike Flores, in his famous “Who’s The Beatdown?” article, told us that “Misassignment of Role = Game Loss.” However, words such as “Role” can be notoriously nebulous… Role is not Archetype. Today, Adrian Sullivan talks us through the principle of the Strategic Moment, and shows us that even the most counter-heavy decks can have their day in the aggro sun…
Friday, September 5th – The Block Constructed season is all but over, and it’s time to take stock of the lessons learned and the pitfalls avoided. Adrian looks at his deck of choice this season – Mono Black – and warns us about the dangers of unwarranted perseverance. He also brings us the updated version of the deck, for those players looking to rock out the Boxborough 5k this weekend.
Friday, August 29th – With one weekend of Block Constructed PTQ action left to run, it seems that the smart money is on Five-Color Control. Patrick Chapin and Gerry Thompson all hail the deck as the best in the format, and Adrian agrees. Today he shares his views on the archetype, and brings us his Hall of Fame ballot nominees.
Friday, August 22nd – Standard is constantly evolving, with a plethora of diverse decks occupying the top slots across a number of high-profile events. Faeries, Red, Swans, Elves… as always, the question is What To Play. Adrian answers some of the questions posed by the format, talks more on his Hall of Fame selection process, and presents a new take on Kithkin in Block Constructed!
Friday, August 15th – Today’s Sullivan Library comes in two parts. First, Adrian talks about the Magic Hall of Fame, and his spot on this year’s selection committee… and opens the floor to your suggestions. Second, Adrian looks at the new Quick n’ Toast decks from Grand Prix: Denver, and brings us a little bit of White Weenie action too…
Friday, August 8th – With Mono-Red, Faeries, Elves, and Reveillark being some of the stronger Standard options at present, Adrian believes he has the best Elves build around… but is he right? Some of his numbers seems strange to the casual observer, but the deck won Sam Black a Nationals final spot. Adrian explains the genesis of the deck, and runs us through some of the strategies for success…
Friday, August 1st – Block Constructed, it seems, may not be the ultimate playground of those frisky Fae after all… Richard Feldman managed to rock out a Top 8 performance backed by Elves and Cryptic Command. It seems that harnessing the so-called “Blue Wrath” may be the key to the format… Adrian investigates this Brave New World.
Friday, July 25th – U.S. Nationals is coming, and Magic’s great and good are beavering away in the search for super-crazy Standard tech. With Eventide firmly in the mix, Adrian takes a long look at the Red decks of the format, and offers a build he believes may have the strength to make a splash in the upcoming metagame…
Friday, July 18th – Eventide is coming to a Constructed format near you… but before the release, there’s the little problem of a weekend of Block Constructed PTQs. With Faeries being the undisputed kings of the castle, perceived wisdom suggests that preboarding your deck to thrash the Fae is the only sensible choice. Today, Adrian throws caution to the wind and brings us a Red deck with the Fae set firmly in its sights.
Thursday, July 10th – As the new set approaches, everyone is looking for the cards that’ll make a splash in Constructed formats. The biggest question being asked is this: is there anything in Eventide that can bring down the Block Constructed Faerie behemoth? Adrian takes a look at the spoiled cards thus far in search of anti-Fae technology… Warning: Contains Spoilers.
Friday, July 4th – With Faeries dominating the Block Constructed PTQ scene, Adrian Sullivan is reeling rather discouraged. However, there is room for innovation – the Green/Black Assassin deck by Michael Pinnegar proves this, and the deck’s designer pipes up with his thoughts on the metagame. Adrian also brings us his personal philosophy on success in the format…
Friday, June 27th – So, your PTQ is tomorrow, and you don’t wanna sleeve up stock Kithkin, Faeries, or Five-Color Control. Where do you turn? Adrian Sullivan brings us a look at some of the more innovative decks from the PTQs held so far. We have Assassins, Dusk Urchins, Elementals, and much more!
