Today’s Deep Analysis brings us Richard’s take on an interesting “tournament report” from an Extended PTQ Top 8, in which the writer involved made a series of terrible plays yet still managed to make the final table. Mr Feldman dissects the report from top to toe, and highlights each mistake in order to stop us falling into similar traps. Another excellent article from one of the top writers in the game today.
Richard hits another home run with this excellent article discussing the role of investment in Magic. When is it prudent to dump that well-loved deck in favor of the bright and shiny? When does the clever Mage change his plan in any given game, and – more importantly — when does he change it back?
What is a Good card? What is a Bad card? In specific scenarios, these definitions can be handy short-cuts… but in the abstract, they are doing us a disservice. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard break down the definitions into manageable chunks, and in the process he walks us through the differences between power and synergy.
Richard Feldman, having significantly altered the Extended format with Zac Hill and Tenacious Tron, nevertheless sees himself without a Blue Envelope for his trouble. It’s true that he put the hours in this time… so what went wrong? Today’s Deep Analysis attempts to find out, and suggests that ditching a deck in the face of extreme hate may not be a wise move at all…
Richard Feldman, authority on Extended U/W Tron, took great delight at seeing a deck of his (and Zac Hill’s) design Rocking the Kasbah at GP: Singapore. Of course, with Japanese Giant Tomoharu Saito at the helm, inevitable changes to the 75 were made. Today, Richard examines each of those changes in detail, and takes us into the mind of a Japanese deckbuilder…
With GP: Dallas behind us, it’s time to take stock of the most varied and entertaining Extended format for some years. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard attempt to define exactly what became of the metagame, and create a workable set of format provisos (the Rules of Engagement) from which we can move forward. In this open and troubling format, how can we approach our future deck decisions with any level of success?
After waxing lyrical about Tenacious Tron for a number of weeks, Richard turned his back on his baby and rolled up to a PTQ with a new and interesting deck. Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly that day… but does his subpar performance mean that his deck choice was a bad one? This enlightening article looks at cause and effect in Magic, and posits that the path to success is never as clear as it first appears.
For his fiftieth article, Richard Feldman reflects on the process of creation both he and test-partner Zac Hill underwent in the creation of their popular four-Chalice Tenacious Tron U/W Extended deck. He explains the genesis of the deck, shares every step of the design process, and takes us through a pair of strong PTQ performances. Thanks for the first fifty, Richard… here’s to the next fifty!
In the second part of our Impact series on Planar Chaos, Richard Feldman looks at the cards that’ll make waves in the format du jour – Extended. Sure, everyone is going ga-ga for Extirpate, and by now the world and his dog are sick to death of Damnation… but what other cards look likely to make waves in the diverse Extended metagame? Will your pet deck flourish under the Planar Chaos regime?
Following on from last week’s “Big Mana Blue” article, Richard – with the aid of free columnist Zac Hill – brings us the latest innovation in Extended U/W Tron decks. According to Richard and Zac, this is the best deck in the format… and they have the results to prove it. Today’s article sees Richard explain the game-plan of this deck, and he delves deep into the reasons behind the choices made for this build. For more on the deck, be sure to tune in to Zac’s article on Thursday!
Despite taking on many forms, it’s safe to say that Big Mana Blue – be it U/W Tron or U/W Vesuvapost – is one of the more powerful control options in the current Extended metagame. Today’s “Deep Analysis” examines its position in the Grand Scheme, and looks at how it can be improved to shore up those tricky matchups. Personally, I think this is the best deck in the Extended field, and I hope everyone plays it at my next PTQ. Then again, I play Boros Deck Wins…
Richard Feldman is here to make you a better player. Not by bringing you a teched-out decklist – although he’s done that before, and will do so again. And not by leading you by the hand through a tricky playskill minefield – again, something he excels at. Today, Richard Feldman is here to make you speed up your game. Such skills are invaluable to the tournament player looking to gain that elusive percentile edge over their worthy opponents…
Bringing a deck that packs to a commonly played archetype is something I’ve come to term “bringing the Glass Cannon Deck.” It’s where you launch yourself head-on at the tournament with a deck whose only chance is to avoid your few nightmare matchups the whole way through. Encountering that matchup more than once — a possibility you can neither avoid nor control — will likely end your tournament on the spot. But when do you bring a Glass Cannon on purpose?
Richard completes his excellent series on building a Constructed manabase with the most intricate installment yet – honing the color and mana requirements of any given deck. He looks at a number of recent examples to emphasize his theories, and shares a mass of insight that can only aid us in our quest to become superior deckbuilders. A fine conclusion to a strong series.
Richard continues his comprehensive series detailing the construction of the perfect manabase. Today’s offering is a travel through history… by looking at successful manabases from decks past, Richard gives us some excellent tips with which we can improve our own building technique.
