Joe Black stormed to a Hawaiian Sunday slot, courtesy of a fine U/R Izzetron deck tweaked by Mike Flores. Would you like detailed matchup data and analysis? Have you ever wondered what it’s like to test with Mike? Or are you simply here for the jokes? Read on for a comprehensive and entertaining report, from one of the funniest Pro Players on the tour.
Is it just me, or are there a lot of issues spiraling around the Magic community recently? From lawsuits to cheating accusations, Magic is a hotbed of excitement, and I figured now was a good time to start writing again. However, the problem with all of the issues taking place is that they can all be summed up in one or two paragraphs, and I won’t get paid for that. Instead, I decided to write about my experiences at Grand Prix Richmond, and tell you what I learned.
Think Goblins is dead in Extended? Think again. The number one Goblins player at the Pro Tour tells you today that with some sideboard tweaks and correct play, Goblins is still good enough to take home the title.
I plan on playing at States this year, however considering how expensive the new lands are I’m not sure if it’s even worth trying to construct a deck. My dream would be to play Battle of Wits…
The title probably did not make it quite clear but this article is in fact a tournament report of the 9th Edition prerelease held in Russia recently. For those of you who were unaware, Wizards of the Coast recently printed Magic cards in Russian for the first time. To commemorate the event, Wizards of the Coast Europe, led by level 5 judge Gis Hoogjendsiisklmnopk, invited 16 of the best players in the world to compete in a special event to be held in Moscow versus 16 of the best Eastern Europe has to offer. The actual Magic events have already been covered on official sites, but the parts with belly dancers, drunken Masashi Oisos, and the Bluffmaster deserve some time as well. The combination of people, scenery and experiences really made this one of the best trips I’ve ever been on.
Being the subject of a recent documentary for G4 TV hasn’t gone entirely to Joe Black’s head, in fact he seems downright humble discussing his recent mistakes at Grand Prix: Seattle and Pro Tour: Atlanta. In addition to those tasty tidbits, Osyp riffs on “The Falling Star Ballot” for the Magic Invitational, shows you what card he plans to propose, and much, much more.
Osyp is the first StarCityGames.com writer to reveal his ballot for the Internet Writers Vote. Which big men of Magic made the list and why? Find out on… The Black Perspective!
It’s not very often that you can Top 10 a Pro Tour and then go undefeated in the Swiss of Grand Prix in an entirely different format the very next weekend, but that’s exactly what Joe Black did last week. Want to know the decklist he piloted in Boston and a complete sideboarding guide to U/W Desire, what he thinks about the Pro Tour players lounge, or maybe you’re just looking for a picture of Gabe Walls in public, with cake all over his face… it’s all here, folks.
As I promised last week, today we will go over the two most popular “combo” decks in the format – Desire and Aluren – and see what their place is in this metagame. Now I know some people consider Life a combo deck, but I don’t. I mean, gaining infinite life is kind of lame, wouldn’t you say? Now casting a ton of free spells, that’s more like it!
After doing some testing at Grand Prix: Chicago, Osyp reports back that Affinity is not the deck to play at the first few Extended PTQs if you want to be successful, but he has a good idea about two decks that might be winners in the new metagame.
The Extended season is rapidly approaching and I thought I would take some time to look at the decks you’ll be seeing. There’s really no better place to begin than with the deck that won the whole show, Affinity. Can this deck be improved and is it really the best deck in the format?
Osyp takes a look back at the weekend that was, explaining Affinity’s success, the poor deck choices of Team Togit, and investigating Eugene Harvey’s choices in hand bags (or should we say man-purse?). All this and more on the latest “The Black Perspective”.
Fresh off a twelfth place finish at Grand Prix: Austin, Osyp takes time out of his busy schedule and turns his thoughts back towards Standard for a day to take a look at what Red has to offer players who are participating in Champs. Is Red good enough to compete in a metagame ruled by Affinity and Tooth and Nail? See what Joe Black has to say before you make up your own mind.
On Friday, Mike Flores kicked off our Deck Challenge with his Mono-Blue control deck, but today is Osyp’s turn. Like michaelj, Osyp has made a control deck heavy on the Blue cards and light on the White, but unlike Flores, Joe Black’s deck includes… The Unspeakable? This is an Osyp article, so he must be kidding, right? There’s only one way to find out folks, as we continue to bring you the best new decks from some of the best deckbuilders on the planet – only at StarCityGames.com.
I heard that Mike Turian recently got the new R&D job that Wizards had been advertising. I was just wondering would you or any other Pro still playing the game ever consider taking a job in R&D, or is playing on the Pro Tour too important?
