Tuesday, August 12th – Following up from last week’s commentary on Doran, we now move onto Kithkin, which have posted quite the numbers at both Grand Prix tournaments, Kobe and Denver. Let’s take a look at what actually worked: both Kithkin decks that made Top 8 at their respective Grand Prix, and the two Day 1 undefeated Kithkin builds.
Tuesday, August 12th – It’s the busiest time of the Magic year, with National teams being decided across multiple continents. With Pro Points on the line this time around, the quest for team berths becomes even more critical to the Pro season. From Australia to America, it’s time to go inside the numbers and find out who did what, when, and how.
Tuesday, August 12th – It’s another busy week for me. I was home for just a few days before heading back out for GP Denver. But my column is still a week behind, so here’s a few random stories from U.S. Nationals…
Tuesday, August 12th – A beat-up playset of Power Nine will run you in the thousands. A playset of Force of Will? Three-digits if you want them in Near Mint. The cost of entry into older formats keeps rising with each year, as cards get harder and harder to find. Could the financial barrier for Vintage, Legacy, and (to a degree) Extended be eased? Yes! Read inside for Ben’s thoughts on a solution.
Monday, August 11th – It seems that The Innovator has done it again! While he wasn’t the tournament-winning pilot of the hottest tech at Grand Prix: Denver – that honor fell to Gerry Thompson – Patrick Chapin was the driving force behind the deck’s creation. For the story of the deck’s inception, written and submitted before Gerry T took the crown, read on! And congratulations Gerry!
Monday, August 11th – Last week, Stephen Menendian brought us part 1 of his sterling attempt to defend his Vintage World Champion crown… today, he rounds out the report in fine style! He brings us a literal play-by-play of his entire tournament, and even throws us a complete play-by-play of the final! Classic Menendian… enjoy!
Monday, August 11th – This year’s United States National Championships in Chicago taught me a few very important things. One, Kithkin is still good and Soul Snuffers saw no play, like I said. Two, you know how nobody really knew if the “control red deck†would ever be good? Well, I think that two copies in the Top 4 should end that discussion…
Monday, August 11th – Red Death was a Legacy deck based on the Suicide Black archetype. It was a deck built around heavy disruption, efficient creatures, and burn spells. This Suicide variant became untenable after the printing of Tarmogoyf. It was in need of a serious overhaul if it were ever to compete again… This article was a joint effort by Dan Signorini and Anwar Ahmad.
Friday, August 8th – With Mono-Red, Faeries, Elves, and Reveillark being some of the stronger Standard options at present, Adrian believes he has the best Elves build around… but is he right? Some of his numbers seems strange to the casual observer, but the deck won Sam Black a Nationals final spot. Adrian explains the genesis of the deck, and runs us through some of the strategies for success…
Friday, August 8th – In this, our first week of Nationals coverage, we talk with the absolute biggest names in U.S. Magic, including Patrick Chapin, Paul Cheon, new National Champ Michael Jacob, our own Reuben Bresler, Zac Hill, Billy Moreno, rising stars David Sharfman and Carl Dillahay, and more. Let’s go!
Friday, August 8th – We could have hoped for a bigger impact… but we have to deal with what we’ve got. Grand Prix: Kobe has come and gone, and once again the Fae hoist the trophy… but one cannot forget that it was one mistake away from being knocked down in the finals 2-0.
Friday, August 8th – U.S. Nationals is a tournament with a proud pedigree. When the Top 8 is paired, there’s always a tale or two to tell. This year’s U.S. Nationals was no exception… but perhaps the talk of the tournament was grinder Carl Dillahay, who powered all the way to the final table after three days of sterling Magical play. This is his story…
Thursday, August 7th – It was a safe bet that, going into U.S. Nationals last weekend, Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin would have something, well, innovative for the Standard portion of the event. He didn’t disappoint. Today he walks us through his own personal Nationals competition, that saw him come close to Sunday play…
Thursday, August 7th – Kyle’s Nationals tale begins at the airport, and takes us through the highs and lows of his tournament from a Magical and non-Magical perspective. While he didn’t exactly rock the house – he posted a Scarwood Treefolk, after all – he did learn a few things about his deck and the formats, and have a bucketful of fun…
Thursday, August 7th – Dave’s going to Grand Prix: Denver after all. But with no testing and no time to go out and buy the latest deck, he’s got to rely on the cards that he’s got… and you. It’s up to you to pick Dave’s deck!
