Monday, June 23rd – I want to talk about the decks available in the Block Constructed format. A lot of people have complained about the monotony of Lorwyn Block, saying that there are only 3-4 real decks that have a chance at winning. Those decks of course are Kithkin, Faeries, and Vivid-Pool decks… But that’s just phooey.
Monday, June 23rd – Legacy has the unique position of supporting decks that combine multiple strategies in the same build. Doug looks at three such decks, from subtle blendings to outright absurd combinations. See what happens when you combine Life from the Loam with Dark Confidant, Imperial Recruiter with Grindstone, and… every single combo in the format in one deck. Do these decks ultimately succeed with hybrid vigor or fall apart from an incoherent strategy? Find out inside!
Friday, June 20th – Losing… as Magic players, losing games and matches must surely come as second nature. After all, even the best players in the world lose a third of their matches. When we face defeat, what matters most is that we learn from our position… and that we’ve done our best. Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike investigate his own philosophy of loss, while offering sage advice to those who struggle in defeat.
Friday, June 20th – One of the stronger selling points of Shadowmoor can be found in the Hybrid mana cards. When the Hybrid concept made its debut in Ravnica, it proved extremely popular, and the Shadowmoor versions are no different. Today, Adrian examines some of the stronger and weaker Hybrid cards available in Constructed today, and attempts to answer some of the questions they pose…
Friday, June 20th – Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going to be talking about what’s so Mythic about a rare, what in the world Wizards of the Coast are doing to our beloved prereleases, take a look at Lorwyn Block Constructed, and what Richie Proffitt’s amazing Memorial Tournament has in store. Let’s go!
Friday, June 20th – With a brand-new PTQ season starting, we begin to see the development of a metagame that at first glance seems inbred and static. With literally only three good decks – because really, the difference between one Mannequin-Firespout Elemental deck and another is a matter of greed, not ultimately something that creates a unique archetype – our first impressions could not help but be “Faeries / Kithkin / Mannequin.”
Thursday, June 19th – With the Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed metagame seemingly solidifying around Faeries, Kithkin, and Five-Color Control, Richard Feldman is suggesting a different strategy: Five-Color Fatty Beatdown. Today, he shares his exciting list, plus informative deck evolution data and comprehensive sideboarding plans against the three main offenders. Will this deck be the next big thing in Block? Read on to find out!
Thursday, June 19th – With Grand Prix: Indianapolis this coming weekend, Kyle Sanchez is preparing in style! Today’s Down And Dirty sees the curly-haired Kyle examine three separate Shadowmoor Sealed cardpools, looking for those important synergies and top-notch bombs. He also outlines his personal five picks for the Grand Prix Top 8, including one guy he fingers as the winner…
Thursday, June 19th – I have been playing a little in the online Shadowmoor Release events, and playing some paper Magic. I have also been thinking about what Wizards can do to pull more people into the game – both in paper and online. To figure that out, I want to look at why Magic is not like other games.
Thursday, June 19th – Hey, we all start out as Timmies. Okay, maybe not some of the hardcore Pros… but Dave certainly did. Shadowmoor has sent Dave on a trip down Memory Lane, fondly remembering the big tramply creatures with which he used to attack.
Thursday, June 19th – Hello readers! I am your Charon, charting a course across the River Styx of Magic. Today I am going to concentrate on some happy decks with the main card determined by casting lots. (Otherwise known as rolling dice.) However, this time I am going to do something different. Each time I roll a new card, I have to use all of the old cards in the new deck…
Wednesday, June 18th – In his debut article for StarCityGames.com, Belgian pro Marijn Lybaert takes us through his Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed that nearly made Top 8 at Grand Prix: Birmingham… Faeries with a twist! He also updates the list for the coming PTQ season, walks us through sideboarding for the relevant matchups, and shares his latest version of the Red/Green Mana Ramp Standard deck that took him to the Pro Tour: Hollywood Top 8.
Wednesday, June 18th – When Manuel Bucher rocked the Top 8 of Grand Prix: Birmingham, Benjamin Peebles-Mundy knew he’d found his deck for the coming PTQ season. Today’s Peebles Primers sees BPM share the details of his latest PTQ attempt, which saw him storm the Swiss before falling from the final table in the semifinals. If you’re looking for a primer on this incredibly taxing deck, look no further!
Wednesday, June 18th – My experiences over the course of the last several Pro Tours have demonstrated more than anything else the tremendous role of play skill in determining wins and losses. This is not to say that your choice of deck doesn’t matter, or that people don’t get lucksacked out of tournaments. That’s not the point. What I am saying, simply, is that in most cases the degree to which a given deck has an “advantage†in a given matchup is frequently within the gradient that can be determined by playskill.
Wednesday, June 18th – Mark Rosewater recently mentioned that, starting with Shards of Alara, each set is going to be comparably smaller than the sets sizes we’ve currently been seeing. Personally, this thrills me. As someone who likes to play competitively, it’s difficult to acquire a playset of so many cards out there that you want to build decks with, especially since we’re living in the era of Tier 2 cards, which widens the pool of “must-have” playables.
