Monday, June 16th – By the time you read this, the first PTQs of the season will be over, and Lorwyn Block Constructed Season will be underway. Over the coming weeks I will try, as so many of you will do the same, to win one a Test of Endurance, a Battle of Wits, in Mortal Combat with my peers in an Epic Struggle to… I can’t figure out how to fit Chance Encounter in here, but you get the point.
Monday, June 16th – The graveyard is a very powerful resource in Legacy. Many different decks make use of it, for very different purposes. Threshold uses it to fuel Nimble Mongoose and Tarmogoyf. Eva Green cheats Tombstalker into play by delving its graveyard. There are many other examples, but there is one deck in Legacy that relies almost entirely on its graveyard to win the match…
Friday, June 13th – Going into Regionals, Mike was at a loss for what to play. So, faced with a surfeit of appealing options, he did the one thing guaranteed to serve up the goods: he looked towards Japan for innovation. While he won’t be gracing the stage of U.S. Nationals this year, his Regionals report is full of strategy, focus, and fun… and he does indeed learn a valuable lesson about the game we all love.
Friday, June 13th – By his own admission, Adrian only posted a “passable” record at Pro Tour: Hollywood. While he made a little money with his 10-6, he feels he punted two matches. His deck choice, however, was not a mistake. In fact, despite some kooky looking inclusions, he still feels it’s the best way to build a Red deck in Standard…
Friday, June 13th – This week we tackle the monstrous changes that are coming to our game this fall, all filtered through the brilliant mind of Patrick Chapin. You also get a full deck tech on his latest block deck, Burnt Toast featuring the ‘best’ command, Incendiary Command…
Friday, June 13th – With Regionals now behind us, and not enough results on the books to actually work up a good post-script on the U.S. Regionals by my weekly deadline, I seem to have permission to do what I’ve wanted to do for some time now: discuss Block Constructed.
Friday, June 13th – It’s fair to say that, down the years, I’ve had a hate/hate relationship with tiebreakers. No matter what I try, then always seem out to get me. I’ve no idea why this is the case. Perhaps I murdered a statistician in a previous life, or maybe I once angered a witch’s accountant and thus am cursed with mathematical bias for all eternity. All I do know is that if someone’s gonna come ninth, there’s a fair chance it’ll be me.
Thursday, June 12th – The results from Grand Prix: Birmingham would have us believe that there are a finite number of Block Constructed strategies in the current metagame… and Midrange “Rock†style decks are not welcome at the table. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard Feldman discussing exactly why decks like Doran have no chance to flourish in Lorwyn / Shadowmoor Block Constructed…
Thursday, June 12th – Kyle Sanchez brings us the hotly anticipated results from not one, but two Regionals tournaments: Houston and Dallas. While there is a fair share of Faerie, Elven, and Merfolk shenanigans in the Top 8 lists, there is innovation to be found. Can it really be true that Zur took down a Nationals invite? Read on to find out!
Thursday, June 12th – I was going to write about IDs in MTGO last week, but I ran out of time. It’s a bit less topical now, since the Wizards folks have made their announcement, but I can talk a bit about why IDs are allowed in the paper world, why they are problematic, and what changes when they are gone.
Thursday, June 12th – Dave sets aside the balanced checkbook and coupon pouch for just one week to recount his tale from Regionals – a tale featuring heartbreak, heirs, revenge, corruption, more revenge, and at the end, not so much the heartbreak.
Thursday, June 12th – Although I find the name “Mythic Rare†to be a bit ostentatious, the idea of a super rare has become industry standard for a while. Last year, WizKids moved to the more traditional common/uncommon/rare/super rare model, and their sales increased as a result. You simply cannot argue with facts.
Wednesday, June 11th – After innovating his way to a respectable finish at Pro Tour: Hollywood with his Furystoke Giant token deck, perennial professional Stuart Wright turned his deckbuilding prowess to Block Constructed. At Grand Prix: Birmingham, he took his Five-Color Control deck to a respectable 25th place finish. Today he shares his thoughts on the three main players in Block Constructed, and brings us his exciting GP decklist…
Wednesday, June 11th – Benjamin Peebles-Mundy likes Reveillark. Of that, there’s no doubt. However, after the shenanigans at Pro Tour: Hollywood, with Reveillark coming from nowhere to place two decks in the Top 8, would the long-ignored combo deck be the right call for a diverse Regionals metagame? BPM sleeved up his seventy-five, and went to find out…
Wednesday, June 11th – I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few weeks thinking how decks evolve – how the finished product we see posted online in a Top 8 somewhere looked when it was fresh out of its creator’s brain. Particularly right now, in a new Block PTQ format that has been largely unexplored, it can be extremely useful to see the avenues through which the game’s masterminds chose to perfect their lists…
