Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin, fresh from his sterling performance at this year’s U.S. Nationals, brings us the entertaining story of The Greatest Deck That Never Was. While the creation of this deck proved to be in vain, it does highlight how difficult it is to position yourself correctly in order to break a format. Plus, we have Patrick’s U.S. Standard decklist, and a fresh take on beatdown for Time Spiral Block Constructed.
In a change to our usual schedule, Nick Eisel brings us the latest edition of Limited Lessons a day early. Today’s article takes us through a TPF draft… but this is not your run-of-the-mill walkthrough. Instead, Nick zooms in on the trickier picks in the draft, and finishes with some intricate in-game decisions that are invaluable tools for those looking to increase their Limited prowess.
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
No, you’re not misreading the title… Tiago Chan, Level 6 Mage, spent last weekend at the front line of competitive Magic, supporting friends in their quest to qualify for Pro Tour: Valencia. Today’s Levelling Up sees Portugal’s finest walk us through the PTQ from his two friends’ perspectives, as they battle valiantly with U/B Teachings. He reminisces over the sights, sounds, and smells of the Portuguese PTQ scene…
In preparation for U.S. Nationals, and for the meatgrinders in particular, this week’s Flores Friday sees Mike bring us a selection of fun and powerful Standard decks across a number of popular archetypes. Looking for the best of Gruul beatdown? Or something more mid-range and controlling? How about a Green/White deck with plenty of trickery? Mike’s got all the bases covered…
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
Richard continues his fine run of form with yet another masterclass on the U/B Teachings deck in Time Spiral Block Constructed. With Poison Slivers taking a chunk out of the metagame, and Mono-Red making a tiny comeback, just how does the U/B mage cope? And, more importantly, how does the U/B mage cope when faced with another U/B mage of a similar mind? Just how on earth can you reliably win the mirror match? Richard reveals all…
With the Standard metagame finally taking shape in this Post-Tenth Edition era, Adrian Sullivan opens another weighty tome from the Sullivan Library. By looking back at some pre-Tenth Mono-Black shenanigans, he creates an exciting new deck that may just be the weapon of choice for 2007’s National champion! Intrigued? Then read on…
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
Nationals competition really heat up this coming weekend, with both the U.S. and UK tournaments scheduled to highlight the cream of both nations. But how can we gauge the evolving metagame now the new core set has been integrated into Standard play? Ben looks back at Australian Nationals, the first major tournament to showcase the new card-pool, and walk us through some of the highs and lows we can expect to face…
Stephen Menendian, the Voice of Vintage, is currently proclaiming that GroAtog is the most powerful force in the Vintage metagame. Today, he enters a tournament in order to back up his lofty claims… and this article chronicles each game, play-by-play, as Stephen powers toward the Top 8. Did he make it? Read on to find out!
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
Last week’s Limited Lessons saw Nick take us through a TPF draft walkthrough pick by pick. One particular early choice saw Nick take an on-color Gemhide Sliver over the more powerful Griffin Guide… and he faced some heat for this in the forums. Such picks, however, are definitely worth examining with the overall draft dynamic in mind. Today’s excellent article begins to explain why abstract picks such as these are never cut and dried, and touches on why parroting picks from ordered lists and published walkthroughs is by no means the path to success…
With a Block Constructed PTQ season in full swing, and with Nationals competition fast approaching, today’s From The Lab seed Craig “The Professor” Jones in a theoretical metagame-shaping mood. By boiling the metagame conundrum down to the macro level of a small tourney, he makes some interesting positional claims and posits some intriguing theories. All this, and bonus Tenth Edition Sealed!
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
