Tuesday, December 22nd – In today’s edition of Black Magic, Sam looks back at a milestone year for his own personal Magic progression. He discusses a number of his high-profile tournament performances, both good and bad, and shares the lessons he’s learned along the way.
Tuesday, December 15th – Sam Black had high hopes for the Standard portion of last weekend’s SCG $10K Open St. Louis. Unfortunately, his Turbo Fog deck never made it out of the starting blocks. On Sunday, however, his Legacy Fish deck came out fighting…
Tuesday, December 8th – Sam Black decided to try something a little different for States this year, and tuned a Jund build dedicated to beat the mirror. However, while the deck was perfectly fine, Sam found another powerful strategy: Green/White Tokens. Will it be enough to take the top prize at this weekend’s SCG 10K St. Louis?
Tuesday, December 1st – With the 2009 State Championships this weekend, and a StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open in St Louis the following week, all eyes are turning to the current Standard metagame. Sam Black investigates the stronger decks emerging from Worlds, and predicts the makeup of the field for the big day…
Tuesday, November 24th – Sam Black went to Worlds with high hopes of a fantastic finish. Unfortunately for Sam, the wheels fell off his wagon early on in the Standard rounds. Today, he tells the tale of his tournament failings, focusing on one thing over which he had a modicum of control: his preparation.
Wednesday, November 18th – With Worlds just around the corner, Sam Black examines Green/White Baneslayer in Standard. He focuses on a selection of maindeck questions and sideboard options, and presents a pair of interesting lists. Will such strategies be on top of the metagame heap come Sunday?
Wednesday, November 11th – With the StarCityGames.com $5000 Nashville Standard Open in the books, and a selection of other op Standard Open tournaments recently completed, Sam Black takes a detailed look at the current state of the metagame. He collates all the recent results and presents a comprehensive thirteen-deck Gauntlet, along with thoughts on each deck.
Tuesday, November 3rd – During any given game of Magic, there are countless decisions to be made. When the situation gets tricky, we need to employ our entire mental arsenal to the myriad problems at hand. Yet when we are actually contemplating our plays, what are the things upon which we should concentrate? Sam Black reveals all…
Thursday, October 29th – After a disappointing Pro Tour: Austin, Sam Black turns his attention to Standard in preparation for Worlds. With Jund being the top dog in the metagame, Sam brainstorms a selection of strategies designed with the Jund menace in mind…
Tuesday, October 20th – Sam Black tells a Texan tale today, sharing his preparation and choices for Pro Tour: Austin. While his performance didn’t set the tournament alight, the lessons he learned before the event are helpful to all. He also highlights the strength of drafting Mono Red in Zendikar Draft…
Tuesday, October 13th – The Standard metagame is currently forming thanks to tournaments like the StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open. Sam Black looks at the current state of Standard, with reference to last Saturday’s Open in Philadelphia. He suggests that the demise of Blue is greatly overstated, and believes that lifegain is a much maligned resource…
Tuesday, October 6th – When a new set hits the Constructed scene, its fresh mechanics have the potential to cause a mighty stir. Sam Black believes that Zendikar’s Landfall mechanic is sufficiently strong to crash the sixty-card party. Today, he provides some fledgling Landfall strategies and decks for Standard play.
Tuesday, September 29th – Sam Black rocked up to his local prereleases this past weekend, and he had a blast! In today’s Black Magic, he shares his thoughts on the newborn Limited format, including his fledgling lists for the Top Commons in each color.
Tuesday, September 22nd – With the Zendikar prerelease mere days away, Sam highlights a handful of cards he feels will have an impact on Constructed. He also shares his opinion on the much-debated Lotus Cobra. Will this powerful mythic change the face of Magic as we know it?
Tuesday, September 15th – Zendikar continues to surprise and excite everyone who’s looking for some fresh blood in Standard, and Sam Black is no exception. Today, he takes a look at some of the more exciting spoiled gems from the new set. He bypasses the obvious contenders to examine a selection of the thus-far underappreciated offerings, including the “new Tarmogoyf†and a certain Green planeswalker that fetches her friends…
