MTGCast #210 – Baby Powder and Revenge Crabs
Wednesday, June 9th – In this week’s edition of MTGCast, the guys discuss M11 speculation, Grand Prix: Sendai, the StarCityGames.com Philadelphia Open, and much more!
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Ideas Unbound – Mystical Teaching
Wednesday, June 9th – Teaching Magic is pretty hard because there is so much information the new player has to absorb at once. Land and the mana system is fairly straightforward. Explaining creatures, power and toughness, and how combat works is relatively simple. Explaining other card types is also pretty easy. Instants are a little tricky because it’s not necessarily intuitive that you are allowed to do things during another person’s turn, but once you clear that hurdle, instants aren’t that complicated. Taken all together, however, the system is incredibly complex.
One Step Ahead – Legacy Reanimator and Standard Bant
Wednesday, June 9th – In this two-pronged article, Gerry Thompson examines his favored Reanimator deck in Legacy, presenting a new list for the archetype he believes to be the best in the format by far. He then discusses Patrick Chapin’s Next Level Bant strategy in Standard, and suggests a few ways in which the deck could adapt for the current metagame.
Thirst for Knowledge – A Little Standard, A Little Legacy
Wednesday, June 9th – It’s been a busy weekend for a lot of Magic players, hasn’t it? Brian Kibler was over in Japan smashing face to net his third Grand Prix win, and over in Philadelphia the StarCityGames.com Open Weekend attracted over 800 players for some Standard and Legacy action. We have two tournaments’ worth of Standard data as well as a small taste of what the Legacy metagame is moving towards with Grand Prix: Columbus right around the corner.
Fishing Lessons – Story Time with AJ Sacher
Wednesday, June 9th – This is not an article of strategy or theory. This is the story of man defeated. What is the point of this story, you may ask. The truth is, I’m not sure. I just like stories. What you take out of it is up to you, and there are definitely lessons to be taken from it. The fact that it is entertaining doesn’t hurt either.
Constructed Criticism – Solving Standard: A Conundrum
Tuesday, June 8th – For weeks, I’ve done nothing but try to solve the equation that is Standard. Each week, a different deck rises to the top, only to be crushed the next week by that deck’s bad matchup, and the cycle repeats over and over again. In the last few weeks, Blue-White Control took down GP: Washington in the hands of Brad Nelson, but many other decks continue to perform on different stages.
So Many Insane Plays – Five Cards to Unrestrict in Vintage
Tuesday, June 8th – Each June for the last three years, the DCI has made huge changes to the Vintage format by altering the Banned and Restricted list. Today, Stephen Menendian makes the case for unrestriction for five cards, each of which he believes will only add to the fun that is Magic’s most broken format. Do you agree with his choices?
Embracing The Chaos – They Built It
Tuesday, June 8th – I had previously mentioned that for the new iteration of the Armada Games EDH League that I wanted to build a deck with cards I hadn’t previously played or wasn’t currently playing. I started thinking about what I’d do, knowing that I’d have two weeks (the week of PT San Juan and the following) to cook up something before the League restarted. Then, just before I left for San Juan, fellow L5 Toby Elliott linked me to a thread on MTGSalvation where they a) called me a geezer and b) had decided to build a deck for me.
The Nose Knows – Everything You Know is Wrong: Standard and Legacy
Tuesday, June 8th – Constructed metagames adapt with each new tournament, and the more successful mages always seems a step ahead of the crowd. Today, Kyle Boggemes looks at both Standard and Legacy, suggesting lists for both formats, and shares some interesting tips to help us get to grips with any given format…
Legacy’s Allure – Figuring Out the Philadelphia StarCityGames.com Legacy Open
Tuesday, June 8th – What’s beefier and more filling than a Philly cheesesteak sandwich? Sixteen hot, steamy new Legacy decklists from this weekend’s StarCityGames.com Legacy Open in Philadelphia! You don’t need to fight over Pat’s or Geno’s to figure out what decks topped out this weekend. From sleek Zoo to hearty Lands, a variety of decks made the cutoff with lots of new tech and interesting innovations. Check out this week’s Legacy’s Allure for a full run-down on what to expect for your Legacy summer!
Feature Article – Beastmaster in Block Constructed: Building The Deck
Monday, June 7th – Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz rocked into Pro Tour: San Juan with the breakout deck of the tournament: Beastmaster Green. Today, he shares some initial lists that he and his team created and discarded, and lets us into the processes that inspire one of the strongest deckbuilding minds in history.
Removed From Game – How Neil Rigby Will Win Pro Tour: Amsterdam (And So Can You)
Monday, June 7th – If you’re not part of a global Superteam, there’s never been a better opportunity to reach the Top 8 of a Pro Tour than the forthcoming event in Amsterdam. Rich explains how three months of hard work and dedication, plus one or two very important shortcuts, can give you the chance to mix it up with the very best.
The Pro Perspective – Pro Tour: San Juan Disappointments
Monday, June 7th – For Raphael Levy, Pro Tour: San Juan capped of a rather uninspiring six months of Magic. Today, he shares his thoughts on the format, and outlines his deck choice and team inputs. He also has a few kind words to say for an overlooked Black rare in Limited play…
Innovations – Grand Prix: Sendai, M11 Discussion, and Vegas
Monday, June 7th – In this week’s edition of Innovations, Patrick Chapin discusses Brian Kibler’s successful changes to the Next Level Bant deck for Grand Prix: Sendai (Congratulations, Brian!), what the M11 Core Set has to offer, and much more!
The Long & Winding Road – Rethinking DCI Restriction Policy
Monday, June 7th – I want to clarify some points from my article last week, and at the same time, I expect some of what I say here will serve to set off a larger and more heated debate. In discussion on part of my last article (the part that wasn’t deck lists), it became clear that I may not have communicated some of my opinions on Vintage accurately or clearly, so I will try to do so this week in greater detail. [Editor’s Note – Congratulations, Matt!]