Monday, April 13th – Vintage tournaments across the U.S. have generally adopted the five- or ten-proxy environment. The impact on the Vintage card market, especially in regard to the Power 9, has been dramatic, and Vintage tournament attendance is suffering. Today, Stephen Menendian examines a selection of possible solutions to the problems faced by the format…
Monday, April 6th – At the Day 2 competition at the Waterbury, Vintage maestro Stephen Menendian returned to a deck that is close to his heart… Grim Long. While he didn’t rock out to the top spot, he had fun playing the so-called Fastest Deck in Vintage. Today, he shares his play-by-play roundup, packed with the strategic gems for which Stephen in renowned…
Monday, March 30th – After diluting his format focus for Grand Prix: Chicago, Stephen Menendian returned to competitive Vintage with a fine performance at the recenty Mana Drain Open. Today, he shared the development stories behind his deck of choice, plus the usual intriguing play-by-play data for which Stephen is famed…
Monday, March 23rd – In this excellent primer from the Vintage Maestro, Stephen Menendian shares some top-shelf tips of how to maximize your chances with format favorite The Perfect Storm. By breaking down his advice into salient points, Stephen shares his wisdom on one of Vintage’s most powerful archetypes…
Monday, March 16th – Stephen Menendian entered Grand Prix: Chicago with high hopes. He’d tweaked his deck of choice to attack the more powerful archetypes in the format, but his technical play let him down. Today, he shares the design process behind his choices, and discusses the format in general, before bringing us his timely Vintage Metagame Report…
Monday, March 9th – Grand Prix: Chicago is now in the books, with attendance figures higher than anyone imagined. Despite failing to make Day 2, Stephen Menendian prepared well for the event, and today’s So Many Insane Plays chronicles this preparation. He outlines his final build, and shares his thoughts on the format in general.
Monday, March 2nd – Stephen takes a break from his preparations for the Legacy Grand Prix in Chicago this coming weekend, turning his eye toward the next Waterbury Vintage tournament, or “Mana Drain Open.” Today’s article sees Stephen developing the GroAtog archetype in face of the bannings and recent inclusions. Will the deck be good enough to take home the prize?
Monday, February 23rd– In the second part of this excellent Legacy series, Stephen Menendian and Matthieu Durand take us through the Engines of Legacy. Counterbalance/Top, Life from the Loam, Ancient Tomb… all these and more come under scrutiny. Grand Prix: Chicago is drawing near… be prepared!
[Editor’s Note – This article was written by Stephen Menendian and Matthieu Durand.]
Monday, February 16th – In the first of a promising series, Stephen Menendian and Matthieu Durand examine Legacy from the ground up. Today, they concentrate on the tribes that make up a slew of powerful creature-fueled options in the format.
Monday, February 9th – In the pre-Conflux Vintage metagame, statistics prove that those players who desire to make the most of their tournament chances opt to run with multi-colored Tezzeret Control. With fifty percent of Vintage tournament wins under its belt, Stephen Menendian investigates the composite figures and suggest a winning list for your next Eternal outing…
Monday, February 2nd – Vintage maestro Stephen Menendian is determined to make a splash at the upcoming Legacy Grand Prix in Chicago. He believes it is essential to have a good grounding in the format fundamentals in order to achieve success, and his comprehensive Legacy tournament report today is the second step on his journey to Legacy understanding…
Monday, January 26th – Conflux is coming, and everyone is hot for the new cardboard. Today’s So Many Insane Plays sees Vintage maestro and Type Four fan Stephen Menendian take us through some of the major players in his favorite formats… Warning: Contains Spoilers.
Monday, January 19th – The Vintage metagame, it seems, is forever in flux. However, if you take a closer look at the most successful decks of the past two months, there are interesting similarities to be found, and Mana Drain appears to be dominant. Should something be done about this powerful counterspell? With a breakdown of the relevant statistics, Stephen reveals all… [Editor’s Note – Patrick Chapin, fresh from Grand Prix: Los Angeles, will run later in the week!]
Monday, January 12th – For a format with a relatively static cardpool, Vintage can mutate and evolve at a surprising rate. Today, Stephen Menendian brings us an invaluable insight into every viable deck in the current metagame. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a Vintage virgin, you can’t miss this!
Monday, January 5th – With a Legacy Grand Prix on the horizon, Vintage maestro Stephen Menendian is looking to establish a solid foundation of knowledge about the format before committing to a strategy. Today, he details his exploits in a local Legacy tournament, outlining the lessons learnt along the way…
