With Regionals now behind us, it’s time to turn to our Limited game. Qualifiers for Pro Tour Kobe are looming large, and the RGD Draft format is still a confusing miasma of ideas and themes. Today, Nick attempts to shine a torch through the fog, and shows us the strengths – and weaknesses – of basing your drafts in the traditionally control-crazy Blue White Azorius guild. Can the White guys live up to the crushing R/U/G archetype? Nick reveals all…
Terry came close. Very close. Going into his last pod, he needed a result of 1-1-1 or better to slide into the Top 8. Sadly, the wheels fell off his wagon… Even so, he believes he’s cracked the RGD draft format, and he’s positive there’s only one archetype worth drafting if you’re serious about success. He drafted the same colors in every single pod at the Pro Tour… can it work for you?
Yes, that’s right… a second Tim Aten article in less than a month! Before the inevitable deluge of Regionals reports and Standard tech threatens to devour us all, Mr Aten brings us an irreverent look back at the players and performers of Pro Tour Prague. He also highlights some of the important additions that Dissension brings to the Limited arena…
For our final Premium article before Regionals, Steve Sadin shares the matchup data behind his recent testing session with Mike Flores. Piloting both Heartbeat and Ghost Husk, he faced off against Annex Wildfire, with remarkably stable results. Are you planning to run with one of the best two decks in the current Standard? Be prepared – Read Steve today!
Richard takes a peek at B/W decks… and presents the list he’ll be piloting to his own Regionals tournament. We all know that Black and White have been supremely popular of late, be they Hand in Hand, or Ghosts of both the Dad and Husk variety. Does Richard’s build have the pedigree to take it all? He thinks it does… and has the testing to prove it.
As is customary for any large Constructed tournament, the esteemed Theodore Cardgame presents his metagame breakdown… or does he? We know Regionals is gonna be huge, but we also know that the current Standard metagame is mesmerizing in its complexity. So, has Ted pulled it off? Or has he fallen by the wayside, blind and impotent, raging at the sky? You’ll have to read on to find out…
We welcome Patrick Chapin to our swelling ranks of Featured Writers, in perfect time to share an innovative “Tribal” deck that has power and consistency. Can the whipping-boy of the Kamigawa tribe pull together to form a contender in the Regionals metagame? Plus, Patrick provides a detailed tournament report, where he faced off against a number of colorful characters. An excellent read, and a deck that’s definitely off the radar.
Regionals is tomorrow, and today we have five Premium articles devoted to the subject! The first is Mike Flores, who recently pitted his wits, and Annex Wildfire, against a pair of decks piloted by Steve Sadin. Steve’s take on the matchups is presented below… How did Flores fare? Is the unheralded Annex Wildfire a contender for the coming metagame? Can it cope with with Heartbeat and Ghost Husk? Click here to find out!
In the fourth of today’s Premium “Road to Regionals” articles, Sean shares his opinions on the coming metagame. While conservative opinion claims that Aggro and Beatdown will be the prevalent metagame theme across the board, Sean isn’t so sure… Will there be an upsurge of Control options, led by the all-powerful Azorius guild?
The Mighty JFR takes his Nearly Mono Black in Standard deck apart, and rebuilds it from the ground up. This, he feels, will be his chosen deck for Regionals. Is it a contender? Will it propel him to the Top 8? After the unquestionable success of Friggorid in Extended, it’s difficult to write it off completely… Maybe this deck will be the one that yields results.
In the second of today’s Premium “Road to Regionals” articles, Rogier takes a look at a number of controlling archetypes, each constructed for the Regionals metagame. He outlines the neccessary tools needed for a control deck to succeed in an unknown metagame, and provides three decklists for our examination. If you like to be in control, these may be the decks for you.
Craig Jones, Constructed specialist, takes a wander through the garden of Dissension Standard. He presents a number of innovative decks that span a variety of archetypes, from UW Control to Rakdos Beats. In addition, he presents some more outlandish ideas for those planning to go rogue. Still undecided on your Regionals weapon of choice? Look no further…
Craig “Professor” Jones, fresh from his $16,000 topdeck at Pro Tour Honolulu, turned his considerable talents to Limited at Pro Tour Prague. He expected to fare badly, as a forty-card deck is twenty cards too few. However, while he never recaptured the heights of Hawaii, he found success beyond his wildest expectations. His Pro Tour report is a fantastic read, full of wit, humor, and Limited play tips.
Today, Jeroen’s column tackles a number of reader-sent questions, each concerning the upcoming Regionals tournaments. He gives us a primer on Regionals preparation, discusses the Politics of the Bluff, and critiques a pair of fledgling Regionals decklists. Time is ticking down to one of the most important tournaments of the year… are you ready?
Tiago went into Pro Tour: Prague with a few RGD Drafts under his belt. His performance didn’t see him make the Top 8, but his two Pro Tour drafts (and subsequent Limited play since) helped him formulate some strong ideas on how to achieve success in this guild-based Limited minefield. Today, he shares his thoughts and ideas on maximizing your draft strategy, and gives us a run-down of his choices and thought processes while playing at the Big Show!
