AuthorDoug Linn

Monday, July 21st – Doug gives us a short and sweet Eventide evaluation, considering some new building-block cards that will have a strong impact on the Legacy format. Will the enemy-colored Cairn cycle fill in for our missing enemy-color fetchlands, bringing Rock decks to the forefront? Will Wake Thrasher make those mighty Merfolk playable? All this, plus a breakdown of last month’s major Legacy events serve to prepare you for the country’s biggest Legacy events in August.

Monday, June 23rd – Legacy has the unique position of supporting decks that combine multiple strategies in the same build. Doug looks at three such decks, from subtle blendings to outright absurd combinations. See what happens when you combine Life from the Loam with Dark Confidant, Imperial Recruiter with Grindstone, and… every single combo in the format in one deck. Do these decks ultimately succeed with hybrid vigor or fall apart from an incoherent strategy? Find out inside!

Monday, May 26th – Do these decks have what it takes to survive? Doug pores over four new Survival of the Fittest builds, evaluating their potential for current play and seeing if they solve the problems that have typically plagued Survival decks. Should you play the straightforward Survival Advantage deck, planning for a consistent stream of Green men? Is the classic Full English Breakfast kill worth revisiting? What would it take to make Slivers playable in Legacy? All this, plus the hottest Survival tech cards in this week’s Unlocking Legacy!

Monday, April 28th – Take a look at some of the most powerful combos from Magic’s newest set! Doug takes a look at the new staples, compelling combo cards and others that just barely missed the cut for playability. Consider sure-fire hits like Painter’s Servant and oddball enablers like Ghastly Discovery. Is Demigod of Revenge playable without support cards to enable its brothers to come and play? Doug tackles these and more in this week’s Unlocking Legacy.

Monday, March 31st – This month, Doug highlights a combo deck that’s been flying mostly under the radar for a few months. It uses that broken classic engine, Food Chain, with some oddball creatures from Lorwyn and beyond. See how to integrate the Future Sight Pacts into a consistent and powerful combination. Additionally, get an update on the Enchantress deck profiled last month in Unlocking Legacy.

Monday, March 3rd – Learn about a deck that’s ripe for beginners, rewarding for experienced gunslingers and endorsed by U.S. National Champion and brainiac Luis Scott-Vargas! Doug takes a look at Enchantress this week, exploring the ins and outs of the deck and presenting an inexpensive introductory deck for players who are new to the format. Learn general strategies and techy plays in this feature of Unlocking Legacy!

Learn new strategies and SAT words this week as Doug covers a mixture of topics in the format, ranging from the paucity of Legacy events to the effect of Morningtide on the Eternal scene. Do Earwig Squad and Bitterblossom have a place in Legacy? Will Maralen of the Mornsong be welcomed into Magic’s greatest format? Also, find out what Extended deck could be the next hot thing in Legacy and check out a Morningtide-ready Landstill list!

In the wake of Worlds, we have several new and revitalized decks to pore over. Doug takes a look at Welder Survival, long a deck sitting just beyond the horizon in the metagame, and brought to new attention by Worlds coverage. Find out how it ranks and tests and read Stuart Wright’s thoughts on the deck. Also, read about the importance of testing to learn and not to win and what makes a good testing partner!

What’s going on over the pond? Doug takes a look at several large-attendance Legacy events in Europe and beyond, highlighting new decks like Doran Aggro and interesting twists on old ones like Faerie Stompy. Join him as he scours results for tech and discusses its adaptability in the American metagame. Then, pull it all together with metagame analysis that spans continents!

When in the course of deckbuilding, sometimes you end up stepping back from your project and asking why you’re even trying to make a new deck. Players get all sorts of satisfaction out of Magic, and much of that can come from tinkering with new ideas. Timmy, Johnny and Spike all get a chance to play. I admit that all three kids come play with me when I want to make something new. Do I want to play with ridiculous cards like Mindslaver, Timmy asks? Spike wants me to beat everyone in the room. But I succumb the opiate whispers of Johnny, telling me that together, we can be clever.

In several of his articles, Mark Rosewater has suggested the book “A Whack on the Side of the Head,” by Roger van Oech, as a staple for those wishing to be more creative. Naturally, as a writer, deckbuilder, and player, being creative is important for success. One of the most interesting chapters involved playing the fool. Van Oech exhorts us to question everyday things that we take for granted and ask if we can do them other ways. Questioning common routines and ideas can lead to fruitful avenues of creativity.

Today, Doug takes a look at two of the hottest new decks from Gencon and evaluates how they play against each other. Find out whether the Aether Vials in Cephalid Breakfast can create an inevitability that Threshold cannot match, or if the Spell Snares from the other side of the table are simply too much to combo out against! Take part in the forum and discuss whether Doug made the right plays or if his sideboarding plans were incorrect!

In this article, Doug looks at understanding in a post-Tarmogoyf metagame and suggests a deck featuring old favorites as a solution to the Jolly Green Giant. Can Pernicious Deed hang in Legacy or is it too slow? Are there times when selective discard is superior to random discard? As a bonus, see what uncommons are essential for a die-hard Legacy player’s collection!

Today, Doug digs through recent tournament results and explores several breakout decks that you’ll be seeing at your next Legacy event. Find out what cards are heating up on the tournament scene and which are just hype. Join in for discussion on everyone’s favorite 1G creature, hot card stock tips, and musings on the difficulties of metagaming for Legacy events!

Legacy is home to a surprising number of decks that can kill on the first turn, with Belcher at the forefront in speed and reliability. In contrast, U/W/B Fish has all the tools it needs to shut down combo decks like Belcher and contain their secondary attempts. See how tactics change when the most important decisions happen before either player has a turn!