Mike Flores does not create his decks in a vacuum; he tests his decks with the help of his friends at Neutral Ground and Top8Magic, and they do not always agree with the mighty Mike! So rather than just giving you his opinion on Champs, Mike interviews his teammates to ask them what they think the best deck for States is going to be. (And as an extra-special bonus, Mike Flores interviews… Mike Flores!)
Mike has a voracious appetite for Standard Constructed playtesting. Today’s Flores Friday sees the Resident Genius bring us his Top 10 tips on how to thrive and survive in the coming Time Spiral Standard maelstrom. He shares two strong decklists – one U/G, and one more experimental – and waxes lyrical on some of the stronger threats and answers available in the fledgling format.
With Standard States just around the corner, and Time Spiral officially released today, Constructed testing has kicked off in fine style. Mike takes a powerful updated Solar Flare deck and throws it against a gauntlet of possible Standard contenders… and reveals the deck he would take to States if they were to be played tomorrow.
It’s Flores Friday, and Mike’s here to do what he does best… deck design! Today’s excellent article takes a first look at the probable Aggro decks that’ll see play at the approaching Standard Champs tournaments in October. The Time Spiral Standard metagame is slowly being forged, in theory at least. Will one of the many decks on offer today ignite your creative fires?
Last week, a couple of StarCityGames.com columnists decided to speculate as to how existing Standard decks would survive the rotation of Kamigawa Block, assessing to varying degrees their respective viabilities in, presumably, Time Spiral Standard. Instead of approaching the problem of the format from this direction, Mike decided to look at the upcoming Standard from the other direction: Rather than asking how the loss of cards might affect existing archetypes, how might the new cards shape our outlook and strategies as a whole?
Mike discusses the fundamental differences between decks that are labelled under the same erroneous banner. When you face a deck such as Sea Stompy, your subtle plans for victory can be thrown off course if you don’t correctly assess your opponent’s true strategy. Incremental mistakes such as these can greatly impact your chance at success… An essential article for those serious about improving their game.
Once upon a time, Mike told us that Sakura-Tribe Elder was the best card in Standard. Today, however, he reveals a new love… one that, he believes, will warp the Standard metagame for as long as it’s available. He supplies decklists and analysis to reinforce his claim… and one deck is heralded as both competitive and hideously fun to play. Intrigued? Then read on…
Mike and Josh collaborate on a pair of articles with a single topic: the investigation of the deck that Mike believes may be the best deck in the current Coldsnap metagame. While the online meta is lightning fast, there are packs and matches to be won… could this Standard offering be the New Deck To Beat?
Mike takes a break from high strategy to discuss the intricacies of the Hall of Fame. He shares his voting thoughts for this year’s ballot, drawing comparisons from a number of surprising places. The writing is evocative, giving us a fine example of the thrill and excitement that dwells within our hobby of choice…
Maximilian Bracht took home all the marbles at German Nationals 2006 with an innovative Erayo / Ninja deck… and Mike liked the look of it. Today’s article sees Mr. Flores fling the quirky Standard creation against all comers in the Magic Online 8-Man Standard Queues. He documents each game, and waxes lyrical on the strengths and weaknesses of the deck in the current metagame. Overall, it worked for Mike… can it work for you?
With Solar Flare being the deck of choice, and with Heartbeat taking its rightful place atop the metagame mountain, Mike revisits old ground to find a solution to the skewed matchup problem. White Wafo-Tapa, born from a U/R Wildfire list, attempts to harness power and consistency, proving to be surprisingly durable against the top contenders…Is it the deck that’ll win you your next Standard tournament?
Mike completes his examination of the Aggro-Ideal archetype with a look at the matchups to be faced in the current Standard environment. He supplies handy sideboarding tips, and outlines the strategies you need to pilot the deck to a successful finish. Yes, the deck has a couple of high-profile bad matchups… but the good matchups are abundant. Is this the deck for you? Read on to find out!
Flores comes a day early to bring us the tale of the best deck he’s ever created. Spawned by an article by Richard Feldman, Mike’s Aggro-Ideal deck has been providing strong results across the board, and today’s article deals with its creation, development, and game-plan. However, a rather large spanner has been thrown into the works of late… read on to find out why.
Mike presents a new Standard deck for us today, one that’s been through the wringer for a number of weeks. While it posts some fantastic results against a plethora of powerful metagame decks, it’s not quite there yet. It’s a pure blast to play… but can Mike and the forums find the perfect build in time to shake up the Standard scene? Read, discuss, enjoy!
Last week, Mike introduced us to his latest Standard creation… the Icicle. Fueled by raw card advantage from Scrying Sheets and Sensei’s Divining Top, it posted excellent results against the aggresive decks in the metagame. Today’s article deals with the control matchups… in one of the most interesting and innovative matchup articles you’ll ever read. Think you’ve got Mike pegged? Think again…
