The unrestriction of Gush has thrown a spanner in the works of Vintage, with GroAtog deck making Top 8s left, right, and center. Today’s So Many Insane Plays looks at the forgotten draw spell of the format, Fact or Fiction. It’s currently restricted… but should it be? Stephen argues its case. He also explains the difference between Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast, and goes through the math behind popular decks and Top 8 appearances.
After a blunder with the topic of today’s Sullivan Library, Adrian turned to Patrick Chapin for help. Ever the scholar, The Innovator delivered in spades. He presented Adrian with a list of 25 of the most exciting Constructed cards from the Lorwyn spoiler, and told Adrian to examine them. This article, packed with fresh ideas, is the result… and if I have to tell you, be warned: this contains spoilers.
This weekend, we finally get our hands on Lorwyn! The prerelease is one of the most eagerly awaited weekends in the Magic calendar… but how can we maximize our chances of success? Without experience in playing the cards, we must rely on our evaluation techniques when faced with all-new pristine cardboard. Today’s Limited Lessons sees Nick Eisel present us with some fine advice on card evaluation…
Be it lovers, decklists, friends, or fish, it always hurts when one gets away. In this entertaining article, Patrick opens the doors to his life, sharing stories and insight in equal measure. He peppers the prose with many Magical morsels — Extended decklists, advice for Evan Erwin regarding his Invitational submission, and an interview with the winner of GenCon’s 112-player Grand Melee…
In an open metagame, such as the current Extended, it’s advisable to pack your deckbox with threats rather than answers. However, if everyone is playing threats, and Red aggro decks abound, how on earth do you gain an edge in the aggro mirror? With Pro Tour: Valencia fast approaching, Steve examines a variety of Red decks and shares a few tips to improve them for aggro-on-aggro battles.
Tiago has some strong opinions on Portuguese Nationals. While other countries compete for thousands of dollars, the top prize in Portugal is a Fat Pack and a handful of boosters. Even so, there’s the little matter of national pride at stake… and everyone wants to win. Tiago takes us though his tournament preparations, bringing us match-by-match recaps from the tournament floor, in the last great hurrah for TPF and Standard before Lorwyn comes a’knockin’…
Last week, Mike took a long look at some of the contenders in the current Extended metagame, highlighting their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This week, he delivers more of the same: a cavalcade of Extended goodness, and the metagame laid bare. If you’re serious about cracking this format for the Pro Tour, or even for the PTQ season that looms large, this article is an invaluable stepping stone.
Richard continues his Pro Tour Preparation series with a look at, unsurprisingly, the Extended Graveyard decks. However, instead of bringing us fresh lists that utilize the power of the ‘yard, instead it’s the turn to showcase a few decks that attempt to bring down the dredge-based menace. Domain Zoo, Affinity, and a promising Wizards build, all built with the graveyard in mind. Will strategies such as these grace the final day of Pro Tour: Valencia?
Today’s Feature Article sees John Friggin’ Rizzo is fine fettle. HE questions some of the more prosaic names appearing in the forthcoming Lorwyn expansion, he shares some last gasp Standard decks before the rotation, he wades into the 4/1 versus 3/2 card debate, and he shows us just why Tarmogoyf is the cod’s pods. All in his own firebrand signature style…
It’s a quiet time for Magic. The Rumor Mills aren’t quite in full swing, and the Extended Pro Tour, while important, is largely irrelevant to the Magic populace. Today, Benjamin Peebles-Mundy takes advantage of the stillness to wax lyrical on both Constructed and Limited, sharing his thoughts on the formats as they stand. He also looks ahead to Lorwyn, and suggests we all take a look at the Token Deck in Standard.
Vintage World Champion and 2007 Magic Invitational R&D Pick Stephen Menendian took his favorite GroAtog deck to the recent “StarCityGames Vintage Grand Prix,” his first tournament since taking the GenCon title. Today, he talks us through the tournament play-by-play, and crunches some of the numbers from the Top 8. Gush, it seems, is everywhere. Was unrestricting it a huge blunder?
Masters Edition has been released, and MTGO folk everywhere are waiting for the lag to end in order to get their old-fashioned fix. MXX drafts MMM drafts, everyone praying they’ll open a foil Force of Will… it’s a retro maelstrom! Today’s Limited Lessons sees Nick walk us through some of the finer points of MMX draft, bringing us the lowdown on the format and the skills required to max out our Masters profits.
Life From The Loam is a fantastic source of card advantage in any format. Burning Wish, or as Adrian calls it, “the Good Wish,” is also extremely powerful. Put them together, and sprinkle in some expert synergy and devastating removal, and we have one of the powerhouse Extended decks going into Pro Tour: Valencia. Today’s Sullivan Library takes a long look at the ways to play — and to beat — this behemoth…
Extended, the format on everyone’s mind at the moment, is plagued by a proverbial 800lb Gorilla in the room… at least, that’s the view of Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin. Dredge, he feels, is significantly warping the young metagame, to the point where the hate is generally not enough. Is the grave-born strategy that much of an issue, or can it be taken down with a little application? Decklists, matchup tips, game walkthroughs, and more!
Craig “The Professor” Jones was almost one of the Nearly Men at this year’s Magic Invitational. He nearly made it in via the Storyteller ballot. Then he nearly made it in via the Fan Favorite. To cap it all, he even nearly made it in as the R&D choice. After missing out three times, it seems that certain absentees have paved the way for his inclusion in the hallowed sixteen! Today, he shares a few Invitational card ideas… and asks for our help in honing the finished version.
