This week, I could try to be one of the “cool kids” and tell you how 1337 my Extended deck is, and that Scepter-Chant is one of highest-quality decks to play in the current Extended field. After all, PJ talked about how Boros is great (again), and Flores will tell you that his Green/White deck must be great because it won someone some PTQ somewhere… but not him. Instead of following the trend, we’re going to look at progress in motion and the herd mentality.
If your local testing group isn’t around, and you have a reasonable collection on Magic Online, you can always just build the deck you fancy and get your game on in the Tournament Practice Room. But if you’re by yourself and the Internet isn’t a realistic option, you can always just play with yourself…
Last week, I had said my goal for this week was to get into a Premier Event, and try my hand at playing my theorized City Championships season deck “Snakes on a Desert” in a Standard tournament of at least some worth or impact. Lacking in other recourses during the holiday season, it seemed that Magic Online with its ever-in-motion Standard tournament cycle was to be the plan…
With Worlds behind us and 2007 looming, Sean looks forward to what tomorrow brings… specifically, Extended. He waxes lyrical on his choice for the coming PTQ season – at least, his choice for Week 1 – and gives his thoughts on the coming City Championships. All this, plus a possible metagame-wrecking Standard deck!
Coming out of Worlds, we have a reasonably defined Extended metagame, identifying a few “best” decks and about a dozen different deck strategies that are actually worth playing. What is interesting, however, is how this format will change between the World Championships and the subsequent PTQ season, as the matchups are tested out extensively and ideas are brought forward for improving upon the small stable of decks that are worth honest consideration.
The Extended coverage of Worlds provides an excellent pile of information: what was played the most, what “dark horse” decks made themselves known over the course of the six rounds of the format, and even plenty of decklists besides. Of course, I like to go data-mining and play with numbers, so I was disappointed… after all, there wasn’t a complete tally of decklists for all 350 people still playing…
A list of archetypes was thankfully made available to us via Brian David-Marshall’s time-shifted “Swimming with Sharks” article – which, when stacked up next to the Round 6 Standings from Worlds, neatly sums up to a list of archetypes matched with the players who played them and the results they had after six rounds of play. This gives us the opportunity to go running with numbers some more, and to learn some very interesting things about the Standard metagame in motion.
Sean’s personal report from the trenches of Grand Prix: New Jersey is well written, entertaining, illuminating, and fun. While he didn’t make Day 2 play, he came close enough to taste it. With game walkthroughs, cardpool and deck information, and anecdotes galore, this is one report that you don’t want to miss!
Worlds is just around the corner, and Sean is ready for action! While he’s not attending the event, today’s article takes a timely look at each of the formats that’ll see play in the 2006 Parisian Big Show. How will the metagames shape up? Read on to find out!
If there’s one thing New Jersey showed, it’s that it’s a beautiful thing when a plan comes together. All too frequently, one will see forum posters responding to the “Drafting With Rich” columns in a derogatory and negative way, even going so far as to say “Have you ever even drafted this format before!?!” Rich Hoaen is considered by most to be the best Limited player in the world, a title of respect not given out lightly amongst the highly-contentious Pro Tour players’ community… and has held this title, in ever-widening circles of recognition, for several years now.
Sean takes us through not one, not two, but three triple Time Spiral drafts, each pick lovingly recreated for us readers! It’s clear that the newest set on the block has everyone talking… but will this practice be enough to take Sean to the top tables at Grand Prix: New Jersey?
Instead of losing himself in a sea of Standard Champs data, Sean concentrates on the forty-card format this week. He takes a look at the winning strategies from Pro Tour: Kobe, with an eye on improving the Limited game of everyone who believes that Blue is the strongest color and Green should be avoided…
Last week, we had a look at a lot of different viable options for the upcoming State Championships. One of the key contenders for “deck I would play at States” was discussed there in its non-final form; one of the key contenders for “best deck to play for States” was discussed there (I just don’t want to play it); and the second deck I would consider playing at States hadn’t even been born yet…
This upcoming weekend is the last weekend before the most of the major State Championships, and I have heard of several places that will be running unsanctioned post-Time Spiral Standard tournaments as a State Championships “warm-up”… So talking about what I have seen developing in recent weeks seems like an interesting way to have a good jam session talking about Standard and riffing on what overarching trends are developing. That said, let’s introduce you to an unlikely candidate for “The most influential land in Standard…”
With Grand Prix: Sydney now behind us, Sean takes us through the make-up of the undefeated decks of Day 1. We know that the balmy days of Ravnica multicolored goodness are now behind us… can Sean guide our Limited hands in a winning direction?
