Tuesday, June 17th – For his final article before he is swallowed by the Wizards Machine, Tom LaPille takes a look at the Kithkin mirror match in Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed. While it appears to be little more than luck at first glance, there are tried and tested strategies that can tip the balance in the battle of the Little White Men. Good luck at Wizards, Tom!
Tuesday, June 10th – On July 23rd, Tom LaPille begins a six month internship at Wizards of the Coast, in Research and Development. A lot of folk would give their shuffling hand for such an opportunity. Tom shares his journey from Pro Tour wannabe to newest Magic employee, and does his best to Teach Us How To Get A Job At Wizards.
Tuesday, June 3rd – We’re in a busy period of Magic right now. We’ve just had a Standard Pro Tour, and Regionals are fast approaching. Last weekend saw a Block Constructed GP, and the upcoming Pro Tour season is the same format. And Vintage… we all know what’s happening there. Today, Tom LaPille looks at all three disciplines, and suggests the deck he’d play at Regionals if he weren’t leaving to work for Wizards of the Coast…
Wednesday, May 28th – Last weekend, Tom played in his last Pro Tour for the foreseeable future. Low on preparation, and bereft of options, he decided to rock out with the Red spells. While he didn’t cause a splash in the grand scheme of things, he did learn some significant lessons on the evolving Standard format. To learn these lessons, and to discover why PT: Hollywood may well be his last, read on!
Tuesday, May 20th – With Pro Tour: Hollywood only days away, the debate still rages over what can be done to curb the Blue/Black Faerie menace. One popular option is Mono-Red Aggression, with copious amounts of burn ready to keep the Bitterblossom players on their toes. Is such a strategy ready for the big time, or will the Fae seize the day?
Tuesday, May 6th – When we roll up to a large Constructed tournament, we like to think we’re prepared. We’ve quietly and thoroughly honed our deck and sideboard with a myriad of tweaks and a plethora of gauntlet test games… right? If things haven’t gone to plan, we could be scrambling for cards in the hour before the tournament. So how do we maximize our chance of success when we’re working on no preparation whatsoever? Let Tom show us how!
Tuesday, April 29th – Today’s Nick Eisel article saw Nick sharing his thoughts on the powerful U/W decks available when drafting triple Shadowmoor. Not to be outdone, Tom wades into the fray and brings us his own thoughts on the newly proclaimed Best Archetype In The Format. Where do you agree with Tom, and where does Tom disagree with Nick? Read on to find out!
Tuesday, April 22nd – Tom rocked up to the Shadowmoor prerelease looking to relive the halcyon days of powerful multicolored Limited formats such as Invasion and Ravnica. He soon discovered that while the fun was still there in spades, the power of the Hybrid strategies wasn’t the gleeful joyride he expected. In today’s Arcane Teachings, he investigates why…
Tuesday, April 15th – With the re-emergence of a certain Black sorcery into the Standard arena, a far few players are hoping that hardy perennial Mono-Black Control will return to the metagame as a timely response to the tribal creature builds that plague Constructed. Today, Tom LaPille talks with Grand Prix: Vancouver Top 4 competitor Zack Hall, and together they flesh out the Mono-Black idea…
Tuesday, April 8th – In the realm of innovative deckbuilding, it seems that we can be held back by our preconceived notions of what should and should not be played. Today, Tom attempts to cure us of this creative malaise, offering a few choice tips to help us break free of such constrictions. If you’re looking to build the next metagame-warping deck, this is the article for you!
Tuesday, April 1st – With Lorwyn tribes apparently ruling the roost in the current Standard metagame, a number of what can only be described as “fringe cards†are finding their way into decks across the globe. Tom LaPille believes that while such choices are good for deck synergy, you can’t beat a pile of high quality cards…
Tuesday, March 25th – Extended season is winding down, and PTQ players have likely chosen their deck of choice for this coming weekend. Of course, not all preparation is flawless… with mere days until the Last Chance Saloon opens its doors, those folk requiring a change of deck direction could do worse than turn their eyes to Domain Zoo. Tom LaPille walks us through the details…
Tuesday, March 18th – Tom finished Grand Prix: Philadelphia in twelfth place, and he did it with Domain Zoo – a far cry from the Next Level Blue variants he has been playing all season. He explains why he changed decks and the logic behind the decklist that he and Ben Wienburg played to the Top 16 and Top 8 respectively, then walks you through the matchups that he played in the tournament.
Tuesday, March 11th – Magic Online: a blessing and a curse. Testing and drafting on MTGO can be a fantastic experience when flowing smoothly… but throw a server crash in there, and we have tears and tantrums galore. Today’s Arcane Teachings sees Tom look at the strengths and weaknesses to online play from a self-improvement perspective, and argues that although the benefits are there, they maybe aren’t as tangible as it appears…
Tuesday, March 4th – In his first Premium article, Tom LaPille examines the nature of being “under the radar†in the current Extended metagame. With so many options, and a plethora of powerful decks, how can we leverage our deck choice into those vital wins? Can we capitalize on the size of the format in order to run through the rounds without facing hate? Maybe we can… and Tom shows us how. [Editor’s Note: Adrian Sullivan will now run later in the week… so stay tuned!]
