Wednesday, October 21st – Manuel Bucher played a Combo deck at Pro Tour: Austin. It wasn’t Dark Depths, it wasn’t Hypergenesis… his intriguing choice involved Scapeshift and Valakut, a combo that promised much on the set’s release. Today, he tells us how he did, and touches on Zendikar draft too!
Wednesday, October 21st – Patrick Chapin recounts adventures with Brian Kibler, Gabriel Nassif, and the rest of his playtest team leading up to Pro Tour: Austin, with a focus on the cutting edge technology they developed for the new Extended format. He fits in thoughts on new Standard Control decks, and explains why he picks Goblin Shortcutter over Rampaging Baloth in Zendikar draft.
Tuesday, October 20th – The new Ally mechanic from Zendikar offers a number of possibilities to deckbuilders willing to put the effort in – and since they are mostly common and uncommon, they make a great place to start for cost-conscious players.
Tuesday, October 20th – This week, Doug interviews the third-place finisher at last week’s StarCityGames.com $5000 Legacy tournament in Philadelphia. Matthew played Bloodghast Dredge, a new take on a familiar Legacy deck that featured the new Vampire from Zendikar. The interview explores the advantages of this Dredge build over typical lists and discusses Matthew’s unorthodox sideboarding techniques. Check out the newest and techiest Dredge in this week’s Legacy’s Allure!
Tuesday, October 20th – A short while back, Matt Elias wrote a wonderful and entertaining article called “Your Format Sucks,†which slapped each format in the face one-by-one. Though clearly aiming at humor in the long run, Matt’s analysis of the formats was more or less spot-on: especially his take on Extended.
Tuesday, October 20th – The downfall of Blue in Standard is highly publicized. Cryptic Command is gone, and people are still mourning its departure. However, Richard Feldman has been searching for a worthy Blue deck in the new metagame… and in finding it, he believes he’s broken the format. Intrigued? Then read on…
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…
Monday, October 19th – I want to hop in our time machine and talk about an event that occurred in Magic’s history that still reverberates through the game today. The purpose of today’s article is to look back on one of the greatest changes this game ever had, and reflect on how it impacted the casual player at the time.
Monday, October 19th – One of the cards that jumped out at me in the Zendikar spoiler, along with everyone else, was Bloodchief Ascension; however, unlike everyone else, I felt like Pyromancer Ascension was a perhaps even more powerful enchantment. Just like at a sandwich shop, two-for-one deals make anyone stop and take notice.
Monday, October 19th – For many players, the jump to Legacy is a leap of faith into the unknown of Magic’s past. There are now as many “blocks†of Magic that are barred from Extended (seven: Ice Age, Mirage, Tempest, Masques, Invasion, Odyssey, Onslaught) as are allowed in it, and that doesn’t include the pre-Ice Age sets or Portal. This means that Legacy has over double the card pool allowed in Extended play.
Monday, October 19th – In today’s So Many Insane Plays, Vintage Maestro Stephen Menendian brings us an in-depth look at Dark Confidant, a.k.a. Bob. He presents Confidant Control, a deck that’s poised to pounce on the Vintage metagame. Bob has been heralded as the best draw engine in the format… Do you agree?
[Editor’s Note: The Pro Tour has thrown the schedule off kilter, and Patrick Chapin will be appearing later this week. Stay tuned!]
Friday, October 16th – The Pro Tour has officially begun, and Olivier Ruel is in fighting mood. Today, he shares his two choices for battle on the eve of the tournament, plus a few ideas on how to come out of the Magical Closet…
Friday, October 16th – Pro Tour: Austin competitor and former R&D intern Noah Weil sits down with Gavin Verhey to talk about Magic in a rousing hour long interview. Topics discussed include Zendikar in both Limited and Constructed; Noah’s experiences in R&D; how to get better at competitive play; the recent rules changes to Magic; whether the Vivid Lands, Reflecting Pool, and Bitterblossom were too good; and much, much, more!
Friday, October 16th – October has been an exciting time. We’ve finally shrugged off the oppressively powerful cards from Lorwyn/Shadowmoor that have been dominating Standard for so long. Add to that the rush of an exciting new set chock full of enticing new cards, and it all makes for a wild ride for Magic players as we try to figure out what to play now.
Friday, October 16th – So here’s the scenario. There’s this cool game Magic: The Gathering. You’ve not played it before or are coming back after a break from the game. You want to pick up some cards, but funds are limited. What do you get, or rather which cards will give you more Bang for your Buck?
