CategoryMagic The Gathering

Beating Psychatog – B/G Aggro in Extended

Today I will try to introduce you the deck I played in at PT: LA and GP: Copenhagen, posting satisfying results both times (respectively 14th and 15th), while unfortunately missing the Top 8. I will try to explain the choices I made for the deck, why I played it, the matchups and what I would change. I’ll even go through the two events I played with the deck and give you a little analysis of the deck in action and explain why I think B/G Aggro is an excellent choice for the current Extended metagame.

By

Legacy Prep: I Told You So, Or the Recap of the GP: Philly Results

Landstill doesn’t make Top 8, but still produces a respectable finish. Solidarity hated out. Suicide Black Revisited makes it to the final. Flame Vault is awesome but super-hard to play. And you all mocked me. Shame on you.

By

Suicidal Tendencies – Grand Prix: Philadelphia *2nd*

The man on the Meddling Mage takes you behind the scenes on the deck development for his B/W homebrew at Philadelphia and then details the story of yet another Grand Prix second place finish.

By

Ben’s Corner on Hiatus for Two Weeks

I’m on vacation in California and so Ben’s Corner will be on hiatus for the next two weeks. Our new buyer (Josh) will be attending both of our Pro Tour Qualifiers this weekend (in Roanoke, Virginia this Saturday and in Charleston, West Virginia this Sunday) so come on down and sell your cards!

Josh will also be buying cards through our buylist while I am on the West Coast. Expect the same fast turnaround on approvals and payments from him as you would from me.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, and see you in two weeks!

– Ben Bleiweiss
– General Manager, StarCityGames.com

By

SCG Daily: The Other Rainbow Push Coalition

Magic’s favorite cartoon bartender wraps up another excellent week on the Daily with the rallying cry, “Bouncelands are people too!” or something similarly drunken and entertaining.

By

A Force of Nature

Last time I looked at Mono-Green Aggro, I suggested that it was an excellent metagame option against Tooth and Nail and MUC. I loved Molder Slug as if it was a barely-clothed, barely-legal slice of cheesecake and my name was Chris Romeo. Since Mirrodin rotated into oblivion, Mono-Green has lost the Slug, Viridian Zealot, Troll Ascetic, Fangren Firstborn, Fangren Pathcutter, and Elvish Pioneer. Of the deck’s ideological core, only Blanchwood Armor, Jukai Messenger, Okiba-Gang Shinobi, and Rushwood Dryad/Zodiac Monkey are still around. And yet Mostly-Green Aggro has gained so much!

By

My Own Private PTQ

Flores puts a new Zoo variation through the flames of battle and discovers that it might just be a very solid contender for the PTQ and Worlds metagames.

By

Vote Pedro for PTQs!

One of the more interesting decks that no one noticed in Los Angeles was a deck called Crazy Pedro, an aggro deck designed by last year’s Extended Pro Tour winner Pierre Canali. Tiago Chan made Day 2 with the deck and says that it’s better his performance would indicate. If you are looking for a rogue creation to battle with at your local PTQs, this may be your lucky day.

By

SCG Daily: Pugg Fuggly and the Amazing Technicolor Walkthrough

So this is the one where I wade into an honest-to-goodness draft queue and force that five-color thing I so relentlessly promoted. Does the deck live up to the hype, or will I lose the scant remainder of my already depleted reserves of credibility? Read on!

By

Legacy in Hindsight

It will take some time to unpack and understand the results of Grand Prix: Philadelphia. Two Goblins decks, one Lion’s Eye Diamond/Auriok Salvagers combo, three aggro-control Threshold decks, a Black/White disruption deck, and a Lightning Rift cycling deck is a Top 8 that nobody could have predicted. To the passing observer, the Top 8 decklists will suggest a metagame and an environment that did not exist, so today I’m going discuss Legacy in general, the metagame, and the Flame Vault deck variations in some detail.

By

If It Ain’t Broke, Break It – The Payoff

Johnny “hasn’t played Magic in five years” Rizzo takes his homebrew to the first Extended PTQ of the year. How does the man do when battling against the likes of Mouth and the legendary Go Anan? The answer is inside… somewhere.

By

If It Ain’t Broke, Break It Part 2

The most controversial writer in Magic produces more of the same, except completely different stuff from yesterday in his quest to explain where he’s been, where he’s going, and how he came up with his latest Extended creation.

By

Stinking Big in Copenhagen

Julien Nuijten is “The Champ” for at least a couple more weeks and he’s not letting the world forget about it, nabbing two Grand Prix victories in the last three months. Today Julien discusses his Extended Psychatog build (complete with matchup analysis and sideboarding guide) while telling you how Dr. Teeth and Big Stinks play nice together.

By

Going Rogue at Pro Tour: LA

Today we submit to you one Johnathan Pelcak, who, while reviewing his Pro Tour: Los Angeles experience, also attempts to explain why he thought playing a Dragonstorm deck was “a good idea.”

By

Rule of Law 13 — Lessons from Ravnica, or Holding the Guilded Rose

A well-written and even moderately amusing look at some of Ravnica’s more peculiar rules issues. Even Ravnica experts can learn a thing or two this time from Mr. Riesland’s writing.

By