The Kitchen Table #231 – Abeth Edition, Part Five
Thursday, May 1st – Hello, and welcome to the final installment of Ye Olde Core Set. Today I’m serving the final meal, featuring a cavalcade of decks that we used to playtest the format.
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Feature Article – Guild Wars, Insanity, And A Sixty Dollar Playmat: Shadowmoor Prerelease
Wednesday, April 30th – Shadowmoor is here, and the world has gone Hybrid Crazy! Of course, the descent into craziness isn’t so far for some… and for John Friggin’ Rizzo, it’s not even a spin around the block! Today, he shares his prerelease experience in his own unique and opinionated fashion. As usual with JFR… buyer beware!
Peebles Primers – Investigating Standard and Discarding Red Aggro
Wednesday, April 30th – Whenever new cards are added to the Constructed mix, the first port of call is often the Red Aggressive deck. With Shadowmoor packing a number of fantastic additions to the archetype, all should be good… right? Today, Benjamin Peebles-Mundy puts Red Aggro to the test, and explains why the deck may not be the strongest choice for your next Standard soiree. And of course, he offers an exciting alternative…
Chatter of the Squirrel – Shadowmoor Signals
Wednesday, April 30th – I’ve always hated “pick orders,†because they’re often very arbitrary and many cards relate to one another in a tier-system, anyway. How do you qualify how much better (or worse) Oblivion Ring is to Eyeblight’s Ending in a manner that outweighs the simple factor of color preference?
You Lika The Juice? – Cauldron (Persistence, Part 2)
Wednesday, April 30th – Last week I wrote about the Persistence mechanic, touching on some ideas and concepts that I hope inspired some of you to give the Persistence cards a try. In the deckbuilding forums I’ve seen a lot of folks adopting my Juniper Order Ranger idea into Persistence engines.
Limited Lessons – Blue/White in Shadowmoor Draft
Tuesday, April 29th – Triple Shadowmoor is, or soon will be, the draft beverage of choice across the globe… yet even before the set sees its official release, Nick Eisel believes he’s found the Best Draft Archetype. Backed with numerous drafts and the opinions of some of the best drafters alive, Nick presents a comprehensive examination of Blue/White. Is it all that Nick claims it to be?
Arcane Teachings – Tackling Triple Shadowmoor: Blue/White Aggression
Tuesday, April 29th – Today’s Nick Eisel article saw Nick sharing his thoughts on the powerful U/W decks available when drafting triple Shadowmoor. Not to be outdone, Tom wades into the fray and brings us his own thoughts on the newly proclaimed Best Archetype In The Format. Where do you agree with Tom, and where does Tom disagree with Nick? Read on to find out!
Deconstructing Constructed – Red Deck Wins, Maybe
Tuesday, April 29th – With the release of Shadowmoor, the Red deck has once again come to the forefront of many designers’ and players’ minds. Today, I’d like to go over some of the more debatable inclusions and possible design choices the deck will likely face in the future, all of which spring from player preference and metagame consideration.
Removed From Game – The Judge Sideboard
Tuesday, April 29th – Fresh out of a two day conference on Continuous Effects, Building a Local Community, hyper-linked Comp Rules, Professional Conduct as a Player, and a dozen more seminars and lectures covering the full range of global issues affecting the men and women who keep the game fair, Rich Hagon shares his own lecture with us, showcasing the skills and attitudes that go into making the best judges. If you think you have nothing to learn from how a judge goes about their business, this could change your mind.
Very Good Decks From Very Crappy Cards – The Last of a Long Contest
Monday, April 28th – Some of the “crap” cards suggested for my “Crap Rare Contest” turned out not to be crap, but actually format-defining. And you broke them in half! Tune in to see how one man’s terrible card is the bane of Vintage… And it’s not just Deathly Gamble!
Innovations – Reader Mailbag (Includes Two Very Different Swan Decks)
Monday, April 28th – Today’s Innovations sees Patrick Chapin open up his hefty mailbag, packed to the brim with requests for help from the great and good of the StarCityGames.com readership. He brings us two takes on the Swan deck, his thoughts on the current Standard and Extended metagames, and the most important paragraph on improvement at Magic that you’ll ever read…
So Many Insane Plays – Winning In Vintage On a Budget
Monday, April 28th – Vintage… the Format of Kings. Traditionally, a successful Vintage deck would both require a king-sized brain to pilot, and a king’s ransom to assemble. However, in these modern times, it seems that tournament structure allows a lot more flexibility in deck creation, and the ultra-diverse metagame means there are many options open to the cash-strapped Eternal spellslinger…
There And Back Again – Revisiting Red Deck Wins
strong>Monday, April 28th – Last week we discussed a RDW list that received a lot of response both on the forums and via email. It was clear players wanted to discuss the deck further due either to confusion over the initial list or to comment on it both positively and negatively… so, here we go!
Unlocking Legacy – Practical Shadowmoor Applications
Monday, April 28th – Take a look at some of the most powerful combos from Magic’s newest set! Doug takes a look at the new staples, compelling combo cards and others that just barely missed the cut for playability. Consider sure-fire hits like Painter’s Servant and oddball enablers like Ghastly Discovery. Is Demigod of Revenge playable without support cards to enable its brothers to come and play? Doug tackles these and more in this week’s Unlocking Legacy.
Flores Friday – Burn Brew versus Monster Island: Flame in the Standard Metagame
Friday, April 25th – One of the stronger fringe strategies from Extended, Mono-Red Burn, has a number of excellent cards in the current Standard environment. Could it be a contender today? Mike runs the Shadowmoor-friendly burn deck against two of the more creature-packed powerhouses in the modern metagame: Merfolk, and the all-conquering Faeries. Do Mountains hold the key to success in these interesting times?