Bennie Smith returns with a preliminary look at the more aggresively costed cards from Coldsnap. As the madness of the weekend’s prereleases begins to fade from memory, it’s time to turn our attention to the coming Constructed formats. What cards are gliding sweetly below the mana barriers? Bennie vows to find out!
The Coldsnap Prerelease has come and gone, and the cards that looked oh-so-good on the spoiler have been actually, you know, played. What Coldsnap cards were better than they appeared? (Hint: There were at least three Marit Lage deaths in The Ferrett’s prerelease flight.) What cards were worse? Click the link and find out!
Today I’m going to show you my favorite new deck. It’s been performing very well in testing, and I think it’s ready for prime time. This article will take into consideration the principles I’ve spoken of this week, and how they can relate to deckbuilding and play-style.
This week’s Selecting 10th Edition has become more than the face-off between Warhammer and Plate… as Knut licks his Baloth-related wounds, a Ridiculous Hat steps to the… erm… plate, elevating the contest into a Battle of the Bens! Which Ben will be victorious? Read on to find out!
Oh, who am I kidding? Loxodon Warhammer is going to win this vote. In fact, this is the first Selecting 10th Edition vote where I’d bet a testicle against money on one card winning over the other. Plus, wouldn’t you rather be reading my premium article for today? The one about Coldsnap? Let’s see how many hits this article gets, when you have no clue what it’s about ahead of time!
Plus: The results of my Psychatog in Standard contest!
Finally we earn a reprieve from the complicated wiles of Ravnica Block Sealed Deck, to take a look at this weekend’s chilly festivities… the pre-release of the Coldsnap set and an interesting turn to follow in the Pro Tour: Kobe qualifier season…
I, like a lot of Americans, have an SUV as my main vehicle (technically it’s my only vehicle). This means I use up a lot of gasoline getting from place to place. My car, by definition of its V6 gas-guzzling engine, has bad mileage. But that’s not the type of mileage I’m talking about today…
Recently there’s been a spate of writers on various sites that have tried to explain some basic staple cards for everybody to collect. The problem with this is simple. I don’t think some of these guys have ever seriously played Casual Magic.
You want to know how I know? It’s simple…
We’ve had Ben’s take on affairs… now it’s the turn of the gallant loser, Richard. He takes the beats in his stride, and analyses his deck and performance with an accute eye. An excellent report detailing some of the pitfalls we face in both our play and our deck design.
By the title of this article, you can assume that Mr Hat was victorious in the battle of the snakes. Of course, the result is never the whole story, and this report has some excellent tips for those wanting to pilot the budget snakes deck. Enjoy!
The best cars are made with the best components. The same goes for Magic decks.
It’s real simple in the world of Magic. The cards which accomplish the most, at the cheapest cost, at the most efficiency (in terms of cost and return on investment), and just plain outshine all others in their type (i.e. the best creature in this color, the best enchantment in that color) are those which define the format.
Blisterguy returns with his weekly round-up of the Premium Event action on Magic Online. He produces his buy-and-sell price findings, and has some rather interesting ideas on re-vamping the MTGO Marketplace…
When you think of a deck “engine,” what comes to mind? Is it the fueling of resources, a la Affinity? Is it the fueling via tutors, a la Tooth and Nail? Is it the synergy of types, such as Kamigawa Block Legends decks?
All of these decks work with one another in different ways. Whenever you think of two cards providing each other an advantage (fueling a win condition with an Urzatron piece, making another spell cheaper as a result of it being play), then that is a part of the deck’s engine to win.
For his Independence Day article, Chris cooks up a Red, White, and Blue special! If you’re looking for a patriotic deck to cut a swathe through your local tournament scene, then this is the deck for you. Even so… Izzet Chronarch? In Standard? Surely some mistake! Ah well, if the deck don’t thrill ya, the cheesecake will…
Engines in Magic are relative to the cards around them. They are, at their best, pure synergy. The cards in an “Engine,” whether that is a combo, aggro, or control deck, work best when they’re all in play. When you draw all of them, you almost always win. Your “engine” is running. Your “game” has begun.
