CategoryMagic The Gathering

A Time Spiral Review for Vintage

Some point in the not too distant past it simultaneously dawned upon the Magic community that this game was going to be here for a lot longer than most of us ever expected. Long after every other fad – from the hula hoop to the pog – had faded into Americana novelty, Magic has continued to thrive. Building on the past is the theme of Time Spiral. And while set designers have mined Alpha for ideas since the earliest expansions, until Time Spiral we have never seen a set thematically centered on nostalgia. And nostalgia — or at least building upon the past — is what Vintage is all about. That’s why, good or not, Time Spiral is the first set review I’ve ever written for Vintage.

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Hijackin’ the TARDIS

The Timeshifted cards read like a “who’s who” of star players from tried and tested decks. There is a heckuva lot of power sporting those natty purple expansion symbols, and anyone thinking they can just turn up to a Standard tournament in the next few months with a tweaked version of an existing archetype is going to be in for a nasty shock. That shock can be alleviated by actually indulging in some *shudder* history, and looking back at these decks might give some clues as to how the purple cards might impact the forthcoming Standard format.

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Time Spiral In Limited – Black and Artifacts

Jeron sizes up the darkest color in all of Magic, chock-full of removal and… Well, what else does it have? Jeroen talks about the viability of Black in Limited and discovers that his Word spellchecker actually recognizes “Phthisis”!

[Time Spiral Limited Review, Part I: White] – [Time Spiral Limited Review, Part II: Blue]
[Time Spiral Limited Review, Part III: Red] – [Time Spiral Limited Review, Part IV: Green]

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Magical Hack: States Jam Session

This upcoming weekend is the last weekend before the most of the major State Championships, and I have heard of several places that will be running unsanctioned post-Time Spiral Standard tournaments as a State Championships “warm-up”… So talking about what I have seen developing in recent weeks seems like an interesting way to have a good jam session talking about Standard and riffing on what overarching trends are developing. That said, let’s introduce you to an unlikely candidate for “The most influential land in Standard…”

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Time Spiraling Out of Control: Five Theoretical Standard Decks

I present to you, dear reader, five U/x control decks, and I ask you to consider them and perhaps comment on them in the forums. I know that they’re not all Tier 1, but each of them has a different intent and focuses on a different area of Blue-style control. Take a look, see what you think, and get to work controlling your games!

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Star City Daily: A Geezer’s Guide to Purple, Pt 4

Back in the day, we used White Out to fuel Stormbind. Then we used Squee, Goblin Nabob. But what oh what can we use to fuel Stormbind for fun decks everywhere? Bennie has an answer!

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The Problems With Prismatic

Now that no one’s talking about Prismatic much, I figured it was time to give the format a shot. I’d dabbled in Prismatic before, and found myself really frustrated. Initial forays into Prismatic Magic were stymied quickly by the presence of opposing power, and the gulf between the haves and the have-nots. So let’s run down a quick check for the impediments for the casual Prismatic player…

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Testing for the New Standard: U/G Versus Solar Flare!

Put your Champs deck to the test at the StarCityGames.com $1500 Standard Open!While I’ve devoted most of my free time to testing for Pro Tour: Kobe, I had the opportunity this past weekend to play some Constructed against Mike Flores. I took Mike’s U/G Beatdown deck and took it for a spin against U/G/W Solar Flare. Mike predicted it would be 7-3 in my favor – but I’ll tell you how it really played out, how to play the deck, and what kind of a matchup you can expect.

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Grape Nuts, Flag Burner, and Turbo Balance: The World of Non-Firemane U/R/W

Put your Champs deck to the test at the StarCityGames.com $1500 Standard Open!Champs is right around the corner, and what are you going to choose? Well, just in case you’re still on the fence, Pat Chapin presents three decks, discussing the turn 6 kill of Grapeshot/Enduring Renewal, talks about the deck he’d bring to Champs because it crushes random decks, and a deck that needs a little love (and a little tuning) to work! And as an extra-special bonus at no charge… Chapin Sligh!

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And Now For Somebody Completely Different…

Put your Champs deck to the test at the StarCityGames.com $1500 Standard Open!

Mike Flores does not create his decks in a vacuum; he tests his decks with the help of his friends at Neutral Ground and Top8Magic, and they do not always agree with the mighty Mike! So rather than just giving you his opinion on Champs, Mike interviews his teammates to ask them what they think the best deck for States is going to be. (And as an extra-special bonus, Mike Flores interviews… Mike Flores!)

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Time Spiral In Limited – Green

Jeroen turns his attention to the color of massive beef: Green. As usual, Jeroen gives us a full common pick-order, a breakdown of the uncommons and rares, and as an extra-special bonus he goes over the best gold cards!

[Time Spiral Limited Review, Part I: White] – [Time Spiral Limited Review, Part II: Blue] – [Time Spiral Limited Review, Part III: Red]

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Star City Daily: A Geezer’s Guide to Purple, Pt 3

Being a Magic antediluvian has some advantages beyond gray hairs and worrying about Alzheimer’s. I’ve actually enthusiastically shuffled up some of these cards the first time around and can give you some ideas that you may find helpful. I won’t bother with the newer cards, since I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that Akroma and Call of the Herd are awesome. So, on with the Purple traipse through time…

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Battle Royale Round 10 — WWAP (What Would Abe Play?)

StarCityGames.com - Battle Royale!Abe has bravely stepped to the plate… the King of Casual up against a Pro Tour Winner? Can he win this one? With the deck he’s chosen to pilot, he has more than a fighting chance…

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Battle Royale Round 10: I Like Men

StarCityGames.com - Battle Royale!Jeroen has a secret… He loves swinging with men. Big men, small men… He loves them all. Today, he faces off against the King of the Kitchen Table, Abe Sargent. Will the Pro Tour veteran prevail?

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The Constructed Manabase, Part 3: Color Balancing

Richard continues his comprehensive series detailing the construction of the perfect manabase. Today’s offering is a travel through history… by looking at successful manabases from decks past, Richard gives us some excellent tips with which we can improve our own building technique.

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