Thursday, June 10th – At the end of last week’s article, I was in Madison, WI at the home of Brian Kowal and we had just begun to crack the draft format, and had Mono-Red and Summoning Trap as archetypes we thought were viable in the Block Constructed format.
Thursday, June 10th – Adrian Sullivan returns to writing after a scholastic break, and takes a long and hard look at the current Standard metagame. He suggests a number of intriguing approaches to the format – including a Red deck – and provides some excellent food for thought for those playing the StarCityGames.com Open Series events in Seattle this weekend!
Wednesday, June 9th – Standard, it seems, is packed with powerful options. Thankfully, there are many viable decks, and the all-conquering strategy is largely a thing of the past. However, this creates its own problems. Today, Sam Black examines one of the lynchpins in the current metagame: the power of the four-mana spells. How will you approach your next Constructed tournament?
Wednesday, June 9th – Hall of Famer Olivier Ruel takes us through an 8-4 draft queue on Magic Online. He shares some comprehensive thoughts about both the picks and the games, and talks us through each step of the way! If you’re looking to improve your Limited game, this is the article series for you!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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…
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!
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.
