We now return to our continuing saga of Chad Ellis, the young…well, the not old…okay fine, he’s really old, former Pro Tour player. Extended season now beckons – the format that took Chad to his first Pro Tour ever. Will he be able to continue his streak by winning GP: Boston? Will he even make Day 2, or will he have to try his luck at the Day 2 PTQ? Read on, and see things from Chad’s own perspective, as he writes both before and after the event.
I can’t remember a time when Blue wasn’t my favorite color in Magic. I’ve heard a number of top-notch players say it is one of the worst colors in triple Champions draft, and while I believe they have some good arguments to back this statement, I simply cannot agree with it. It could be a matter of personal preference, my extreme dislike for Black, or a number of other things, but I still draft Blue quite often in CCC (on MTGO) and believe it to be one of the top colors in the format. With that in mind, it’s time to look at the impact that Betrayers will have on my beloved color.
Well, I was gonna start off with a nice review of Betrayers White for Limited but “someone” beat me to the punch. Someone always seems to beat me to the punch, although sometimes someone is someone else. Or something. That notwithstanding, I feel that it’s my civic duty to write a Limited set review. It’s my “area of expertise.” I guess I’ll start with Green and work backwards, tragically overlapping with Eisel in one of the weeks. And since you’re paying for this advice now, as a signup bonus, I’ll toss in Red this week at absolutely no extra charge. You’re actually saving money by purchasing a StarCity premium account. If you have any questions about the math on that, allow me to refer you to my business associate Rodman. He’ll explain everything.
Wrapping up our Extended Mega-Event is none other than Brian David-Marshall. Instead of covering Solitary Confinement as he originally planned, today BDM brings you a staggering array of potential rogue decks that are already making their impact on this Extended season. If you are looking for something off the beaten path (and in some cases way off) to play this weekend, or maybe just trying to survey some of the randomness you might see at your local PTQ, then you must read this article.
During 1999’s Extended PTQ season, a mistake by his teammate forced Michael Flores to ask the question “Who’s the Beatdown?” Six years later, another Extended format prompts him to re-examine the strategies he advocated in what may be the greatest single Magic article of all time. The Limit of Interactivity challenges Michael’s own conclusions, and, while it categorizes Extended decks into two distinct groups, this time they aren’t “beatdown” and “control.”
In the first part of this series, I introduced a new Type One deck. It was an attempt to break the format – A deck that will take a great deal of time to completely master, will test your limits, hone your skills, and demand elevated focus. In this article, I’m going to explain and justify the various card choices and show how to play them correctly.
In Zvi’s wrap-up, he details whether or not Green got the shaft in Betrayers (as usual), checks under the hood for playable artifacts and lands, and lists his Top 9 cards of the set. If you’ve been following along, or even if you haven’t, this is not to be missed!
“That’s an impressive list of interesting cards in a color not known for producing a lot of midlevel playable cards. Red gets some creatures for block, a few for Standard, and with XXXXX, quite possibly one for the ages.” Which cards is Zvi talking about? You’ll have to read it to find out!
It’s not very often that you can Top 10 a Pro Tour and then go undefeated in the Swiss of Grand Prix in an entirely different format the very next weekend, but that’s exactly what Joe Black did last week. Want to know the decklist he piloted in Boston and a complete sideboarding guide to U/W Desire, what he thinks about the Pro Tour players lounge, or maybe you’re just looking for a picture of Gabe Walls in public, with cake all over his face… it’s all here, folks.
We decided to switch things up today and step away from the established metagame into the realm of the rogues. How does a deck like Dump Truck stack up in this very diverse and hard-to-predict environment? JMU has tested it and the evidence is not as bad as you might think.
Zvi continues his review today with the Blue and the Black cards. Which cards does he signify as platinum hits and which hyped cards does he say you can pass on? You’ll have to check inside for the goods.
Continuing our two-week long Extended blow out, today we bring you Gadiel Szleifer, “Magic’s latest teenage bad boy.” Who better to guide you through the ins and outs of Reanimator for the upcoming PTQ season than the kid who took it to the Pro Tour Top 8?
The set review master returns to deliver insight and analysis only he is capable of. Today Zvi starts with the White cards, ranking every card for Constructed use, and even includes his own personalized flavor text for each review. If you’ve never read a Zvi set review before, we recommend that you sign up now and check it out!
So much more than an article about under-represented Extended Goblins decks, Sculpting the Perfect Hand introduces the idea of breaking the rules of Standard Operating Procedure in order to reverse a locked board or break through from a nearly hopeless game position. Integrating the tools of strategic plan development over the course of a decision-ridden game, this article also synergizes the best elements of PT Columbus’s most innovative Goblin decks.
Zvi returns with an incredibly thorough fourteen-page analysis of Extended Affinity. Learn why he’s not holding back any of his tech, then check out his four updated versions of this Extended powerhouse!
