Hello everyone, I’m back. August is not an easy month for someone whose job is to write about tournament Magic, but at least we have Block Constructed season to talk about. Plus, some Lorwyn information is starting to leak out; MTGSalvation has already spoiled 21 cards*. And there are always the random strategic concepts that I’ll see applied in a game and I think, “that would make a great article.”
My last two columns were about staple rares that I think that budget players should try to pick up. Many people commented on the fact that the lists were “too long” and had “too many cards” on them to be considered “staples.” While I addressed that issue at the beginning of last week’s column, I want to come back to it from a different angle.
Richie Hoaen, our resident draft expert for many a month, has decided to hang up his boots… and in his place we’re proud to announce Kenji Tsumura! As before, Kenji will take us through a Time Spiral draft from pick 1 to pick 45, before sharing his draft deck and commenting briefly on the games. Thanks for the great run, Rich, we’ll miss you… and hello Kenji!
Richard Feldman, fresh off a harrowing Teachings-fueled run of “nearly” performances in Time Spiral Block Constructed PTQs, has decided to try something a little different. Green/Black Rock-style decks have been a staple of every Constructed format for many a year… so why should TSP Block be any different? Richard brings us the decklist, the sideboard plans, and some crafty strategic knowledge that enables us to Rock Out With Our Rock Out (In Block Out). Or something.
Adrian Sullivan, one of the finest deckbuilding minds in the game, has done it again. Today’s Sullivan Library takes us through a fantastic new Green/White deck that has positive matchups against four of the top five decks in Standard. If that isn’t enough, the article also divulges some of the Master Builder’s deck design secrets. Looking to smash at a Standard tournament, or hoping to hone your deckbuilding skills? Then this is the article for you!
Last week was a long, hard slog, with too much work, a nasty cold and no Magic. In short, exciting things failed to happen. What was worse was that I had already bought some online Tenth Edition packs, but the release events didn’t start until Friday. I knew the packs were there, and that I had to wait to open them. It was like being a kid two weeks before Christmas. The weekend, however, promised to be better. My goal was to play a lot of Magic, and to hit as many formats as possible.
I have to say, Aaron Forsythe’s column last Friday put a huge grin on my face. When they first listed the categories for the Magic Invitational this year, the “Storyteller” category certainly raised an eyebrow and got the imagination working. Then, when they pushed back the ballot announcement, that raised expectations further – why the delay? What had changed? What was going on behind the scenes? Let’s dig into what Aaron said and figure out what’s going on…
Last week’s piece generated some substantial commotion on the forums. One thing that really stood out from that discussion, though, was that a lot of people didn’t really seem to have a good idea of what it meant to receive a signal in a draft. While most experienced players have figured signaling out, I want to take the time to really spell out what a signal is for some of my readers who might be newer to booster draft.
Richie Hoaen, our resident draft expert for many a month, has decided to hang up his boots… and in his place we’re proud to announce Kenji Tsumura! As before, Kenji will take us through a Time Spiral draft from pick 1 to pick 45, before sharing his draft deck and commenting briefly on the games. Thanks for the great run, Rich, we’ll miss you… and hello Kenji!
Zac Hill recently offered the opinion that, in Limited at least, “blocking is loose.” Benjamin Peebles-Mundy disagrees. In part 1 of today’s Peebles Primer, he offers a very persuasive counterpoint to Zac’s claim. Once the Limited theory has finished, BPM moves onto some fun Dredge versus Aggro game descriptions in Standard, showing us the way to beat those tricky beatdown decks with fuel and fire from the grave…
On June 20th, the DCI dropped a megaton bomb. Gifts Ungiven was restricted, and Gush, Mind Twist, Black Vise, and Voltaic Key were all unrestricted. In combination with the errata on Flash and the unleashing of Future Sight, the Vintage metagame experienced a massive transformation. Today, Stephen Menendian examines the fallout from this monumental shift, and shows us where we stand amid the rubble.
It’s time to vote with Rich Hagon this week. First he shares with you the Gordian Knot that is the Hall Of Fame ballot, invites you to educate him on all things Hall-like, and then explores the carnage that is the Storyteller vote for the Invitational. Join Rich, and feel thoroughly enfranchised – after all, there’s nothing quite like a good enfranchising…
Today, instead of just hearing me blather on about the awesomeness of Vintage, I’ve decided to have one of my friend’s talk about his thoughts on the format too. All while giving some guesstimates for the Top 8 of not only the Vintage, but the Legacy Championships this weekend!
Richie Hoaen, our resident draft expert for many a month, has decided to hang up his boots… and in his place we’re proud to announce Kenji Tsumura! As before, Kenji will take us through a Time Spiral draft from pick 1 to pick 45, before sharing his draft deck and commenting briefly on the games. Thanks for the great run, Rich, we’ll miss you… and hello Kenji!
Today marks the opening of the Tenth Edition Draft queues on Magic Online… and Nick Eisel is here to help. In this illuminating article, Nick breaks down the top commons in each of the colors, and looks at some of the stronger draft archetypes. Is U/W the way to go with White? Is Four-Color Green, or even Five-Color Green, viable in a format bursting with mana fixing? Nick reveals all…
