Richard continues his informative series on the philosophy behind the perfect Constructed manabase. Last time, he took a long look at Aggro decks and builds, concentrating on decks with a low mana requirement. Today he looks at decks with a more mana-intensive outlook, and investigates the relationship between cantirps, acceleration, and land-count.
In the first of what promises to be an excellent series, Richard examines the process behind building the perfect manabase. In today’s introductory article, Mr Feldman takes a look at some of the strongest Aggro decks produced in the current Standard metagame. Why do some decks require a mere 21 land, while some flounder on a more cumbersome 23?
Richard talks us through his latest incarnation of the B/W Orzhova Maxima deck, with specific reference to his performance – and the performance of team-mates – at the U.S. Nationals (and Grinders). While the results weren’t exactly as planned, the development of the deck was perfect for their proposed metagame… sadly, their opponents didn’t get the memo. This frank and enlightening article highlights the strengths – and weaknesses – of high-level tournament playtesting.
As we know, Magic strategy is largely a forum of opinion. Everyone has their own take on the strongest deck, the first-pick card, the bombiest of bomb rares… but how, in this age of Information Overload, can we sort the wheat from the chaff? Richard brings us an insightful article that tackles this most nebulous of concepts…
We’ve had Ben’s take on affairs… now it’s the turn of the gallant loser, Richard. He takes the beats in his stride, and analyses his deck and performance with an accute eye. An excellent report detailing some of the pitfalls we face in both our play and our deck design.
Fresh from his victory over Chris Romeo, the indomitable Richard Feldman returns to the Battle Royale arena to face a fresh challenge with a fresh deck. His opponent this week? Ben “Ridiculous Hat” Goodman. The Rules? A Standard deck built with $25 or less. The Battle? A best-of-five showdown on MTGO. The Details? Read on to find out…
Richard faced Chris in the first round of StarCityGames.com’s Battle Royale tournament, piloting a budget Firemane Angel Control deck. He was heavy favorite before the match began… but how did the best-of-five contest pan out? You’ve heard Chris’s take on the battle – now it’s Richard’s turn…
Chris has presented his deck… now it’s the turn of Richard. In this Sunday’s Battle Royale, only one can survive to the next round. Where do your loyalties lie?
In the third of our Regionals-based Premium articles, Richard takes us through the play-by-play with his Black/White Orzhova Maxima deck. It qualified three people for the Nationals… out of the four that played it. This proves it will be a force in the growing metagame, but was Richard one of the lucky three? Read on to find out!
Richard takes a peek at B/W decks… and presents the list he’ll be piloting to his own Regionals tournament. We all know that Black and White have been supremely popular of late, be they Hand in Hand, or Ghosts of both the Dad and Husk variety. Does Richard’s build have the pedigree to take it all? He thinks it does… and has the testing to prove it.
The forums clamored for it… and Richard obliged! A comprehensive primer article on the entertaining Enduring Ideal deck in Standard. Cards dissected, sideboards analysed, plays and strategies shared for all… can this unsung archetype be a force in the Standard metagame? Can it make waves in the murky waters of Team Standard? Read on to find out…
I’ll be honest with you. I couldn’t think up a title for this article, but I wanted something more interesting than “Grand Prix Madison Report 2006,” and this was the first thing that came to mind. I guess I must be hungry or something; nothing relating to pancakes or meatballs actually happened (to us) at this tournament.
After a not-so impressive performance at Pro Tour Honolulu, Richard asked himself some difficult questions regarding his preparation. Just how can you predict a metagame with any degree of success? The answers are a simple click away!
Sometimes you lose in Magic because you get manascrewed, sometimes you lose because you get land-flooded, sometimes you lose because you’re playing the wrong deck, and sometimes you lose because you misplayed.
A lot of Magic players seem to have an… interesting idea of what typically happens in the late game. They’ve gotten it into their heads that the late game is where Genesis comes online, and recurs things for, like forever! Where Treasure Trove draws infinity cards! And where you recur Cranial Extraction with Hana Kami to remove from game all your opponent’s win conditions!
