In this week’s Flores Friday, Mike takes a retrospective look at his origins as a deckbuilder. He also tips his hat to his own personal muse, and presents in intriguing five-color Extended deck that wins in a variety of entertaining ways. The current Extended format is packed with a myriad of known and popular decks… Maybe this rogue choice is the true path to success.
Today I’m going to talk about one of the elements that has come to define many aspects of the Pro Tour experience, and indeed in many ways can make or break people’s general perception of how a Pro Tour is run. I’m talking, of course, about the Lounge…
Doug takes a look at the history of Survival of the Fittest decks and highlights why they were successful. He applies these principles to modern Legacy Survival decks and presents the cutting edge in Survival deckbuilding.
Back from the slippery slopes of Geneva, Rich Hagon gives you the first ProTour Report Card of the year. From first to last, and missing out all the non-Pros in between, you’ll see what went down, what it means, and who you should be looking for in the months ahead. Plus, zero gratuitous mentions of Craig Stevenson. Bargain.
White hasn’t got a lot of ways to play at the big boy’s table. Historically, White Weenie has only been good when it’s been riding the back of Armageddon (a good disruption spell and a card-advantage spell). Hell, I see people putting Wrath in the sideboards of their White Weenie decks because other aggro decks are a problem. Not really a winning thought process…
A while ago I was brainstorming ideas for my column. When I was initially charged with writing this, I was told that all things casual were in my purview. Yay! I can write on tribal, five color, peasant, highlander, set reviews, multiplayer — anything I want! After creating a list of ideas for the column, I decided to ask the readers if you wanted to see anything, and gave a few ideas. One of those ideas was a regular deck doctor entry with a casual look to building good decks…
The current Extended format is a mulit-headed monster. Just when you think you’ve grasped the marrow of the metagame, a new deck springs up and kicks you in the kidneys. A few weeks back, the U/G Opposition deck caused a Top 8 splash, and this unappreciated strategy has been gathering momentum ever since. Fancy winning in Extended with three-mana 1/1 guys? Then this is the article for you!
Tiago went into Pro Tour: Geneva as a firm favorite for the 2007 Player of the Year title. He was looking for a strong performance to get the season off to a flying start. After posting a 0-2 record in his first two matches, things were looking bleak. However, armed with an exciting draft strategy and a boatload of talent, he powered himself into Day 2 competition. His Day 1 journey is chronicled within…
Earlier this week, Ervin took us through his journey to the Top 8 of Pro Tour: Geneva. Today, he takes us through the draft itself in exquisite detail. He shares the thought process behind each and every pick, and has some sage advice for anyone wishing to ace a draft pod rather than posting a 2-1 or similar. Although it didn’t work for him this time, the advice he gives can improve your Limited game no end.
With blisterguy toddling off to a retirement home in the sun, it’s now my turn to tread the online boards and act out your MTGO metagame fantasies. This first article takes a detailed look at both the Standard and Extended online metagames this past week, and interviews a high-placed finisher in a 4x Extended event. Looking for the electronic edge? Look no further!
As fantastic as White is as a support color right now – due in large part to being the primary casting cost on Momentary Blink – it does a fairly poor job of being the backbone of decks anymore, and many worry that Damnation is going to be a rather large, if not final, nail in that coffin.
So this week, I propose solutions.
Josh takes a broad overview of the Extended PTQ format, and comes to the conclusion that conclusions are hard to come by. He dissects the more powerful strategies available in the format, and shows us why, at the end of the day, deck choice hardly matters in such a vibrant metagame.
Jeroen’s mailbag is running dry, folks! Today’s article represents the last questions in his inbox. Be sure to send some more ASAP. As usual, he tackles a variety of subjects, from Mono Green Aggro in Standard; to a detailed deck clinic; to an overview of Extended acceleration; to World of Warcraft, Pirates, and Ninjas. Still undecided on which is cooler? Jeroen will set you straight!
Raphael Levy is currently winging his way to Dallas in order to sling Extended spells with the rest of Magic’s great and good. As a parting gift, he brings us the final part of his Planar Chaos Draft series. Thus far, he’s tackled the major archetypes involving Blue and Red. Today he rounds out the colors with Green, White, and Black. Planar Chaos comes online next week… be prepared!
With Jamie’s Mid-Range Green in Extended strategy suffering a few knocks in recent articles, he decides it’s back to the drawing board. His new deck — Tramplampler — takes all he’s learnt about the format and hones it to a diamond edge, albeit a diamond edge riding on the back of flabby Green monsters. This Extended deck has done wonders for Jamie’s online rating… can it do the same for you?
