Friday, June 20th – Losing… as Magic players, losing games and matches must surely come as second nature. After all, even the best players in the world lose a third of their matches. When we face defeat, what matters most is that we learn from our position… and that we’ve done our best. Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike investigate his own philosophy of loss, while offering sage advice to those who struggle in defeat.
Thursday, June 19th – With Grand Prix: Indianapolis this coming weekend, Kyle Sanchez is preparing in style! Today’s Down And Dirty sees the curly-haired Kyle examine three separate Shadowmoor Sealed cardpools, looking for those important synergies and top-notch bombs. He also outlines his personal five picks for the Grand Prix Top 8, including one guy he fingers as the winner…
Thursday, June 19th – With the Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed metagame seemingly solidifying around Faeries, Kithkin, and Five-Color Control, Richard Feldman is suggesting a different strategy: Five-Color Fatty Beatdown. Today, he shares his exciting list, plus informative deck evolution data and comprehensive sideboarding plans against the three main offenders. Will this deck be the next big thing in Block? Read on to find out!
Wednesday, June 18th – When Manuel Bucher rocked the Top 8 of Grand Prix: Birmingham, Benjamin Peebles-Mundy knew he’d found his deck for the coming PTQ season. Today’s Peebles Primers sees BPM share the details of his latest PTQ attempt, which saw him storm the Swiss before falling from the final table in the semifinals. If you’re looking for a primer on this incredibly taxing deck, look no further!
Wednesday, June 18th – In his debut article for StarCityGames.com, Belgian pro Marijn Lybaert takes us through his Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed that nearly made Top 8 at Grand Prix: Birmingham… Faeries with a twist! He also updates the list for the coming PTQ season, walks us through sideboarding for the relevant matchups, and shares his latest version of the Red/Green Mana Ramp Standard deck that took him to the Pro Tour: Hollywood Top 8.
Tuesday, June 17th – For his final article before he is swallowed by the Wizards Machine, Tom LaPille takes a look at the Kithkin mirror match in Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed. While it appears to be little more than luck at first glance, there are tried and tested strategies that can tip the balance in the battle of the Little White Men. Good luck at Wizards, Tom!
Tuesday, June 17th – While Regionals is in the books, the Standard format is never dead… and today, Luis Scott-Vargas brings us a funky looking deck based on two popular strategies: Quick n’ Toast and Reveillark. By smashing the concepts together, LSV produces something with game across the board and a possible powerhouse in the current metagame. And if that’s not enough, he shares a speedy Red deck too!
Monday, June 16th – With the latest upheaval to the Vintage metagame, a whole host of tried and tested strategies must adapt to survive. Today’s So Many Insane Plays sees Stephen reporting on the Vintage metagame in the months leading up to the so-called Vintage Apocalypse. What can these tournaments tell us of the state of the metagame today?
Monday, June 16th – It seems that while Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed has a proven trio of strong decks at the top, there is a huge amount of room for innovation. Today, Patrick Chapin brings us a fantastic-looking deck fresh from his frenzied Amp-addled brainpan, designed in collaboration with… Mike Long.
Friday, June 13th – By his own admission, Adrian only posted a “passable” record at Pro Tour: Hollywood. While he made a little money with his 10-6, he feels he punted two matches. His deck choice, however, was not a mistake. In fact, despite some kooky looking inclusions, he still feels it’s the best way to build a Red deck in Standard…
Friday, June 13th – Going into Regionals, Mike was at a loss for what to play. So, faced with a surfeit of appealing options, he did the one thing guaranteed to serve up the goods: he looked towards Japan for innovation. While he won’t be gracing the stage of U.S. Nationals this year, his Regionals report is full of strategy, focus, and fun… and he does indeed learn a valuable lesson about the game we all love.
Thursday, June 12th – Kyle Sanchez brings us the hotly anticipated results from not one, but two Regionals tournaments: Houston and Dallas. While there is a fair share of Faerie, Elven, and Merfolk shenanigans in the Top 8 lists, there is innovation to be found. Can it really be true that Zur took down a Nationals invite? Read on to find out!
Thursday, June 12th – The results from Grand Prix: Birmingham would have us believe that there are a finite number of Block Constructed strategies in the current metagame… and Midrange “Rock†style decks are not welcome at the table. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard Feldman discussing exactly why decks like Doran have no chance to flourish in Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed…
Wednesday, June 11th – Benjamin Peebles-Mundy likes Reveillark. Of that, there’s no doubt. However, after the shenanigans at Pro Tour: Hollywood, with Reveillark coming from nowhere to place two decks in the Top 8, would the long-ignored combo deck be the right call for a diverse Regionals metagame? BPM sleeved up his seventy-five, and went to find out…
Wednesday, June 11th – After innovating his way to a respectable finish at Pro Tour: Hollywood with his Furystoke Giant token deck, perennial professional Stuart Wright turned his deckbuilding prowess to Block Constructed. At Grand Prix: Birmingham, he took his Five-Color Control deck to a respectable 25th place finish. Today he shares his thoughts on the three main players in Block Constructed, and brings us his exciting GP decklist…
