Yawgmoth’s Whimsy #199: Whither Extended?
Pro Tour: Valencia is over. The results are in. Where does Extended go from here? What does Lorwyn do to the format? Should we care — and is it worth the price? Let’s look at some numbers…
CategoryMagic The Gathering
Chatter of the Squirrel – The Pro Tour That Almost Never Was, or, The Apologia of Bill Stark
Sure, the tournament went well, from a certain point of view. Covered my costs, picked up a decent amount of Pro Points, designed a great deck. That’s for another time. We’ll talk matchups and why it’s a great choice for the PTQ season, deal with all of that. Now, though, my mind’s on the Magic experience. Put the academia aside and indulge me, just for this column. “Playing the game” is only half of it. For right now, it’s time to see the world.
You Lika The Juice? – Anybody Get the Name of that Kithkin Truck?
I have a funky deck idea I threw together as a lark that actually crushes the Kithkin deck fairly well as I cast about for something to stop the White Weenie menace. It’s a weird mutant blend of Haakon/Nameless Inversion recursion with Slivers, tied together by an innocent looking Bear named Woodland Changeling…
Peebles Primers – Faeries in Lorwyn
Tribes, tribes, tribes… in Lorwyn Draft, you must pledge your allegiance early. Yesterday saw Nick Eisel walk us through some of the finer points of Goblin drafting. Today, it’s the turn of Benjamin Peebles-Mundy, championing the Faerie tribe. While their synergies may not be as eye-pokingly obvious as some of the other tribes, their raw power when combined cannot be denied. Removal, evasion, and trickery… it’s all here!
Lorwyn Sealed Dissected – Gobs and Robbers
The new PTQ season is coming. The road to Kuala Lumpur runs through Lorwyn Sealed. It’s time to sweep up the cobwebs and start practicing a new format. Eli steers us through a potent pool of 75 in search of the perfect build.
Removed From Game – Dredge Wins In Valencia
With almost a full two weeks on the road doing nothing but playing, talking and writing Magic, it’s easy to see why Rich Hagon thinks he’s the luckiest man in the world. Join him for the first week of tall tales, a large dose of Metagame theory and definitive proof that he knows what he’s talking about (see article title for details.)
Deconstructing Constructed – Lorwyn Aggro
Picking up from where we left off last week, I’ll be taking a look at a few of the aggro decks that are available in the current Standard metagame. To ensure a little diversity, I picked a deck that has been close to optimized, one that’s largely in the concept stage still, and one that needs to be refined a little more.
Limited Lessons – Goblins in Lorwyn
Lorwyn is here, and drafting decks that adhere to strict tribal guidelines is obviously the key to success. But in a format awash with tribal options, which tribe is the correct way to go? While early wisdom suggests Merfolk or Faeries as the Lorwyn powerhouses, it’s clear that the Goblin tribe has a lot to offer. Removal, efficient guys, evasion, finishers… it’s all here! Let Nick show us how it’s done…
Sullivan Library – The Bittersweet Return and a Few Lessons
Pro Tour: Valencia was destined to become Adrian Sullivan’s triumphant return to the higher echelons of the game. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as well as he’d hoped… but he still left the sunny Spanish shores with plenty of lessons by which we can all hope to improve our game. If you’re serious about reaching the next level, let Adrian show you how…
Unlocking Legacy – Playing The Fool
In several of his articles, Mark Rosewater has suggested the book “A Whack on the Side of the Head,” by Roger van Oech, as a staple for those wishing to be more creative. Naturally, as a writer, deckbuilder, and player, being creative is important for success. One of the most interesting chapters involved playing the fool. Van Oech exhorts us to question everyday things that we take for granted and ask if we can do them other ways. Questioning common routines and ideas can lead to fruitful avenues of creativity.
Down And Dirty – Fishy Mountains
I’m not sure how, but one of these days I’m going to put together an article called America’s Next Top Magician. It would take place at a GP, and I’d do interviews with the top 5 amateurs. Then I’d get seasoned pros and Magic veterans like LSCheonV, BDM, Aten, and Ant to help me pick out who is the best of the bunch. I was thinking about doing drafts or something to whittle them down… maybe making Constructed decks and having them face off against each other blindfolded.
Innovations – Untold Tales of a Pro (Me), and Thoughts on Eternal Players being Pros
Worlds is fast approaching, and Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin is excited. Today’s issue of Innovations sees Patrick share some entertaining stories from Magic’s glory years, before striding manfully into the No Man’s Land that is the Pro Player versus Eternal Player debate. No matter which side of the fence you set yourself, you’re inevitably caught in the crossfire. Can Patrick bring peace to the table? Read on to find out!
Feature Article – Elves in Lorwyn
Lorwyn Limited is shaping up to be a diverse and fun format… even so, it pays to limit your potions early and stick to a rigid tribal draft strategy. John Pelcak takes us through one of the hardiest of the tribes in the new set… those tree-hugging elves. He breaks down the common and uncommon elvish sweetmeats and presents a strategic guide for everyone looking to beat down with the pointy-eared monsters. Dan Paskins, look away now…
Insert Column Name Here – Wizards’ Incredibly Lazy Secret Card-Naming Formula
A whopping twenty percent of the cards in my deck this week are named using this same, trite formula. Oh, sure, it’s easy to port the card’s name into German or Japanese – but it’s also hackneyed, light on flavor, and is probably done by some sort of automated Card-Name-O-Matic 3000(tm) in the back room to save Wizards’ some time. So what is the lamest card naming process ever?
The Real Deal – Farewell To Ravnica: A Top 10 Look Back!
Lorwyn is here — and that means Ravnica is about to be gone from Standard! Ben returns to his weekly column on StarCityGames.com with a look back at Ravnica done entirely with Top 10 lists! Goodbye, gold-block, we will miss you well and good.