Tuesday, April 6th – Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Sam Black, a proponent of Faeries in Standard for a very long time, has finally found an Extended Fae list he believes is a Tier 1 contender in the format. With a handful of PTQs left, is this strategy the key to obtaining a coveted Blue Envelope?
Tuesday, March 30th – At last weekend’s Standard Grand Prix in Brussels this past weekend, Sam Black was excited to be playing his version of Blue White Control in a high level tournament. Today, he shares his tales from the tournament floor across two days of play, and presents a few thoughts on the evolution of the format going forward…
Wednesday, March 24th – Sam Black has spent the last few weeks traveling the globe in search of Pro Points. In Kuala Lumpur, Sam’s plan was successful. In Yokohama, Phase 2 went just as well. Today, he shares his Extended Faeries list, and walks us through his tournament ups and downs…
Tuesday, March 16th – Going into Grand Prix: Kuala Lumpur, Sam Black was set on playing Zvi Mowshowitz’s excellent Mythic list. However, he decided to audible into an innovative U/W build at the last minute, and it paid dividends. Today, he takes us through the reasons why, explains the decklist, and brings us a game-by-game breakdown of his performance.
Wednesday, March 10th – Legacy is becoming a hugely popular format, with a host of powerful decks and strategies. With this weekend’s StarCityGames.com Legacy Open in Indianapolis looming, Sam Black investigates building a Counterbalance Control deck… is this the deck that can power you to the top of this Sunday’s tournament?
Tuesday, March 2nd – Sam Black made the long trip to Grand Prix: Madrid, looking to make the top table with his Lands deck. While he didn’t quite crack the Top 8, he did make Day 2, posting a healthy finish in the world’s largest Magic tournament. He shares his highs and lows today.
Tuesday, February 23rd – Sam Black set off for Pro Tour: San Diego feeling confident, focused, and well prepared. Armed with an excellent deck from Zvi Mowshowitz, and some great Limited skills, he posted an excellent finish, one that ranks as a personal Pro Tour best. He tells his tale today… [Editor’s Note – Patrick is experiencing travel difficulties, and will be here tomorrow!]
Tuesday, February 16th – At last weekend’s Grand Prix: Oakland, Sam Black piloted Faeries into Day 2 play before a slew of Zoo decks brought him down. Today, he recaps the highlights of his tournament, and discusses some of the stronger decks to succeed at the tournament. He also makes a few suggestions regarding the metagame going forward.
Tuesday, February 9th – In preparation for the approaching Pro Tour in San Diego, Sam Black is in an unusual position. He is currently unaffiliated with a team, and thus he’s able to share his decklists and thoughts on the Standard format so far! In this edition of Black Magic, he shares five popular strategies, updated with the new cards…
Tuesday, February 2nd – With the world of Drafting turning its focus towards the Zendikar / Zendikar / Worldwake format, players are clamoring for the inside scoop on the top playable commons and uncommon in the new set. Today, Sam Black goes beyond such mere card rankings, and investigates precisely how the third pack from Worldwake informs your drafting of Zendikar for packs one and two…
Tuesday, January 26th – The new Worldwake cards are looking good, and everyone has plans and strategies built around their powerful effects. Today, Sam Black shares his outlook on a number of fresh offerings, suggesting a selection of interesting brainstormed decklists for experimentation in the new Standard metagame…
Tuesday, January 19th – In Limited, correctly evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of cards is a surefire way to improve your forty-card play. However, such evaluations also serve to hold you back, as a lot of “bad†cards have excellent uses outside the usual framework of the format. Sam Black shares a selection of overlooked cards, and outlines the ways in which they can be situationally superb.
Tuesday, January 11th – With the StarCityGames.com Legacy Open events proving extremely popular, Sam Black discusses the heavily-played Merfolk archetype. With a power, disruption, and a manabase to die for, can Sam’s improvements take the deck over the top? Read on to find out!
Tuesday, January 5th – This past weekend, Luis Scott-Vargas rocked through the field at the StarCityGames.com Los Angeles Standard Open, piloting a powerful UWR Control deck that posted great numbers against the metagame. Today, Sam Black analyses the numbers behind the tournament, and suggests why Vargas’s UWR could spell a New Age of Standard for the StarCityGames.com Dallas / Fort Worth Open this coming weekend…
Tuesday, December 29th – With the New Year looming large, and people focussing on their future development, Sam Black takes a look at the formats he intends to play and the tournaments he’s looking to enter. Such analysis and preparation is necessary for anyone looking to excel, and Sam is ready to go!
