Josh takes a theoretical look at his personal choice for the three strongest decks in the Extended field, and shares some thoughts and ideas regarding playing and each of them, invaluable advice for those hoping to bring home a blue envelope this weekend. He rounds out the article with a sad farewell – Josh has decided to hang up his sleeves and quit the game, moving on to pastures new. Thanks for the memories, Josh, and good luck in the future!
By the time Extended rolled around, Worlds was over bar the shouting for poor Josh. Even though his lack of desire and unfortunate pairings led to a subpar personal performance on this third day, the deck he ran with was one of the breakout stars of the format – Dirty Kitty. Today he shares his thoughts on the deck, and looks at a number of other interesting creations that performed well in Paris.
After a self-confessed average day at the office during the Standard portion of Worlds, Josh had high hopes going into the Time Spiral drafts. He has been extremely vocal on his tactics and thoughts on the format, and was feeling confident of at least posting a 3-0 in the first pod. So, how did he do? Read on to find out!
Last week, Josh took a look at the Standard metagame both before and after Worlds 2006. Today, he expands on this theme and shares his own personal performance. Over six gruelling rounds, his Flores-designed deck took him to a 3-3 performance. What went wrong? What went right? Read on to find out…
As we all know, Dragonstorm took the top spot at Worlds this year. Of course, the top deck – or even a list of the Top 8 decks – doesn’t tell the whole story. There are many rounds of Magic at Worlds, and a fair few decks that posted 5-1 or better. Today, Josh looks at some of the more interesting ways to battle Dragonstorm, and shares his thoughts on the ideal build for Boros in Standard.
Josh takes aim at the sacred cows of Time Spiral Limited, telling you why the cards you love aren’t as good as you think. (Some of his picks? Controversial, to say the least.) And as an extra-special bonus, he’ll tell you what cards aren’t being picked high enough!
There are many ways to gain an advantage in any given format. The power of the cards in Limited, for example, coupled with the knowledge of how to exploit card synergies. Deck advantage in any given matchup is an example that is paramount in Constructed formats, especially traditional Standard. Josh is here to theorize on the trump card in the current “bloated” Extended environment – the use and abuse of the sideboard.
There’s a Grand Prix in Josh’s home state this weekend; nothing will stop him from attending! Today’s article looks at an interesting Sealed pool cracked in preparation for the big event. Josh takes us through each color and highlights the strengths and weaknesses, evaluating each card as he goes. Do YOU agree with his choices?
Josh took Solar Pox to Champs. After all, the deck had pedigree – it placed first in the recent StarCityGames.com $1500 Standard Tournament. Unfortunately for Mr. Ravitz, it was not enough to propel him to the top tables… nevertheless, he shares his insights on the deck, and reports on the full day of play.
Despite a number of high-profile events attempting to define the ongoing Standard metagame, the field is officially wide open. Josh takes a look at some of the myths and fallacies that are present in the respective tournament results. He looks at some of the stronger decks fielded thus far, and draws some interesting conclusions…
While I’ve devoted most of my free time to testing for Pro Tour: Kobe, I had the opportunity this past weekend to play some Constructed against Mike Flores. I took Mike’s U/G Beatdown deck and took it for a spin against U/G/W Solar Flare. Mike predicted it would be 7-3 in my favor – but I’ll tell you how it really played out, how to play the deck, and what kind of a matchup you can expect.
Josh is keen to avail himself of a free trip to Geneva, and has climbed off the Gravy Train in order to slum it on the PTQ circut with the rest of us. He failed last weekend, but has high hopes for the season as a whole. Last weekend’s cardpool is presented today, for us to dissect and discuss, alongside some Time Spiral Limited theory and a dose of tournament reporting. Attending Athens this weekend? Or planning to ace a PTQ? Then maybe Josh can help…
With a few more matches under his Magical belt, Josh feels he has a fine preliminary grasp of the evolving format. Today’s article sees him dissect the power commons for each color of Time Spiral, and rank the colors in order of power and depth. He also touches on possible strong color combinations; invaluable information for those looking to ace their PTQ Top 8 Drafts this weekend.
While a number of top players weren’t particularly impressed with Coldsnap, it’s safe to say that Time Spiral has got everyone’s juices flowing. Josh is a big fan of the new set, and is excited about its impact on Limited play theory. This article takes a look at some of the stronger colors, cards, and ideas that are slowly emerging from Magic’s most intriguing Limited format…
As we head into the prerelease weekend, excitement for the new set is at fever pitch. We say goodbye to Ravnica – and good riddance to Coldsnap – for Limited play at least. In preparation for a Brave New World of Time Spiral Limited fun, Josh looks at the sweeping changes in Limited philosophy that are required for a quick and successful adaptation to the new format…
