AuthorRoss Merriam

Ross Merriam has been a fixture on the SCG Tour since 2012 and is one of its most decorated players with over twenty top 8s. He currently serves as the beardliest member of Team BCW and a content creator for StarCityGames.com, focusing on the Modern format as well as Magic fundamentals and theory designed to help you elevate your game.

Video Daily Digest: Monastery Mentor Dominates, As Foretold

U/W Control can just counter spells, remove creatures, and eventually win, but what’s the fun in that? Ross Merriam revs things up with a deck sporting both Monastery Mentor and As Foretold!

Video Daily Digest: The Tezzerator Returns!

The Tezzerator archetype has lain dormant for a while in Modern, but a recent Magic Online result has restarted the hype machine! Get Ross Merriam’s take on the list and watch it in action!

Video Daily Digest: Sultai Energy With A Splash

Most Four-Color Energy decks are effectively Temur Energy with a small black splash, but what if that’s the wrong way around? Ross Merriam highlights a twist on the formula that could shake up Pro Tour Ixalan!

A Different Kind Of Pro Tour

So the Pro Tour is happening well after a set release. Big deal. That can’t possibly make a difference in how it shapes out, right? Wrong. Ross Merriam explains why this PT is going to be a different animal entirely and why it’s going to change everyone’s strategy for Grand Prix Atlanta.

Video Daily Digest: First Down With The Sickness

This is an urgent public announcement! A deadly strand of something dangerous has spread throughout the Modern metagame! For more information on SCG Regionals and this situation, we now consult the esteemed Dr. Ross Merriam.

Why I Love Combo, Explained In A Single Turn

Ross Merriam explores his love of combo decks through an intriguing turn he took at SCG Washington DC! It didn’t turn out the way he wanted, but the complexities were beautiful…

Video Daily Digest: Pyromancer Ascension Rises Again

U/R Gifts Storm has taken Modern by…well, that pun’s just way too easy. But amid all the hoopla, the metagame has forgotten about Pyromancer Ascension, and today’s deck just might catch the SCG Regionals field off-guard!

Video Daily Digest: Opt For The Free Frogurt

Opt has received comparisons to Serum Visions in Modern combo decks like U/R Gifts Storm, but what if the real comparison is Thought Scour? Ross Merriam explores an unusual Esper Control deck from Magic Online!

Video Daily Digest: All Red, All-In

Skred Red has a Grand Prix-winning pedigree, but what happens when you take out Skred and the Snow-Covered Mountains? You get this Red Prison deck that went 5-0 in a Magic Online League! Who needs snow with a list like this!

How To Build A Collected Company Deck That Doesn’t Suck

Collected Company is here to stay in Modern, but what goes into the successful decks playing it? Ross Merriam has the essential breakdown for not messing up a card this powerful at SCG’s Washington DC Modern Classic this weekend!

Video Daily Digest: The Company Rally

Renegade Rallier in Modern is like a hotshot rookie who’s now sitting on the bench. Ross Merriam highlights a recent Invitational Qualifier list that could make waves in the Modern portion of SCG Washington DC!

Video Daily Digest: A Different Approach To The Second Sun

The narrowness of the Standard metagame has been greatly oversold! Ross Merriam highlights a combo-centric R/W Approach deck from the Top 16 of U.S. Nationals ahead of SCG Cincinnati’s Standard Classic!

Video Daily Digest: When Modern Is The Pits

Delve spells in Modern have generally been sorted into “banned” and “unplayable,” but today’s deck turns Empty the Pits, an infamous bust of Tarkir preview season, into a legitimate finisher for SCG Cincinnati!

My Three Options For SCG Cincinnati

After Nationals, Ross Merriam is playing catch-up in Modern! Check out the three archetypes (and several more variants) he’s considering for SCG Cincinnati. Will he take the weekend by…Storm?

Video Daily Digest: Vraska Jund

Jund isn’t just for Modern! Ross Merriam highlights a successful Standard list featuring Vraska, Relic Seeker that might provide a change of pace at the SCG Cincinnati Standard Classic!