Craig “The Professor” Jones takes time from his busy Mad Scientist schedule to give his own personal view of the upcoming Regionals. He also looks at the Black offering from Future Sight, and throws up a few interesting decklists that may be the sixty-card piles strong enough to pilot you to Regionals success! Plus, for those with no Standard agenda, there’s a little Block tech to whet your whistle.
For Mike’s first Road to Regionals article this year, the 2006 Resident Genius takes the good fight to the 2007 Resident Genius, Mark Herberholz! Mike and Heezy slug it out in a ten-game set, Gruul versus NarcoDredge. Mike’s disdain for the dredge deck is well documented. After a quick ten versus Mark H, is the Price suddenly Right?
While Tiago has little knowledge of the current Standard metagame (those pesky pros needn’t play it as often as us commoners), it’s safe to say that his strategic knowledge is beyond reproach. Today’s Levelling Up is a timely reminder on how to avoid mistakes by identifying a game plan. With Regionals fast approaching, formulating clear objectives for any given scenario is a sure passport to increased success. Everyone needs a game plan… let Tiago help!
We’re trundling down the Road to Regionals today with a look at one of Japan’s finest sixty-card imports… Solar Flare! Once a proud Tier 1 deck, this U/B/W Control deck took a beating with new set releases, but it’s seeing a Renaissance of late. If you like your decks packed with card drawing and broken plays, then Solar Flare may be the choice for you come Regionals…
When it comes to the big Constructed tournaments, Adrian Sullivan can always be relied upon to produce something special. Grand Prix: Columbus was no different, and Adrian rocked up the leaderboard with a spicy deck of his own design. It utilizes the silver bullet strategy powered by Enlightened Tutor, and it took him all the way to 32nd place! With Flash likely to disappear from view pretty soon, the future is very bright for Club Gitmo…
In today’s instalment of the Road to Regionals series, Jeroen Remie sifts through his mailbag in search of questions on Standard. He has a look at Solar Pox, at another interesting Black/White deck, and discusses at length some of the ways to combat Dragonstorm. He also looks at a Blue/White Control deck and discusses countermagic. If you’re looking for that all-important edge for Regionals, Jeroen has the article for you!
Raph is back with a brand new column idea… Challenge Raph! Card analysis and format understanding are two facets of our mental game that could always use a polish, and this exciting new column idea will help us hone those skills. Challenge Raph will also give our readers the opportunity to do just that — play a best-of-three match against the Hall of Famer himself! Intrigued? Then read on!
We start our Road to Regionals series with an all new Feldman creation: the Orzhova Suicide Squad! Richard was hell-bent on finding a mind-range deck with game against the Big Three of Dragonstorm, Gruul, and Dralnu du Louvre. In recent weeks, that quest was sidelined for other Magical endeavors. However, the Suicide Squad has been putting up great numbers against both the Big Three and the some of the new pretenders to the throne! If you’re looking for a deck for Regionals, this could be the one.
Jamie takes a break from the usual Green Constructed experiments to try a deck with twenty fewer cards… Yes, he’s playing in the MTGO Sealed Deck Leagues! Today he brings us an interesting cardpool, and talks us through some of his builds. He also asks for our help in the forums, and brings us the latest version of his Busted at Three Green/Black Standard deck.
With Grand Prix: Columbus not consigned to the history books, and folk across the globe wondering What Now For Flash, Stephen takes a look at the aftermath from the latest Legacy GP from both a personal and analytical standpoint. HE questions the very nature of why we play — the Fun Factor — and then proposes some healthy ideas under which the Legacy format can continue to grow. All this, and talk of unbannings too!
Grand Prix: Strasbourg helped set the metagame for the approaching Block Constructed PTQ season. Mono Red and U/B/x control seem to be the order of the day. Today’s Limited Lessons forgoes the 40-card piles in favor of a sixty-card setup that has a fair matchup against both of the format’s main contenders. Looking for the latest tech? Look no further!
It’s official: Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is no fan of Eternal formats. Still, this didn’t stop him rocking up to Grand Prix: Columbus with a supercharged sixty and a strong will to win. He finished a creditable 24th with a Flash deck of his own devising… and even though the current format is now largely dead, it’s interesting to hear his thoughts on the future of Legacy and the Flash deck itself.
After two Constructed performances that, under examination, can’t be described as successful, Craig “The Professor” Jones is taking stock. While he made Day 2 at Grand Prix: Columbus with a strange hybrid Fish Flash deck, he admits he fell prey to the deadly curse of Fancy Deck Syndrome. Today’s From The Lab sees Prof offer up some sage advice on how to avoid such a perilous fate.
Mike continues his exploration of the B/U/R Control deck in Standard, and reveals that this is the deck he is currently planning to take to Regionals. Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike throw the deck against the format’s behemoth, Dragonstorm. Ten games, ten results, and a favorable matchup overall. If that’s not enough, he also brings us a powerful Mono-Blue Control build, both with and without Future Sight!
So far this year, Tiago Chan hasn’t quite lived up to his Level 6 billing. Going into the tournament, he was looking to put a few uninspired results behind him, and power himself back into the running for Player of the Year. While he didn’t quite crack the final table, he finished high on Day 2 and picked up some cash and an extra point or two. With Block Constructed the format of the approaching PTQ season, now’s the time to get aquainted with the top tech…
