Wednesday, February 20th – In case you’ve forgotten, the next update to the Vintage Banned and Restricted list is about to occur. In the past, Stephen has largely shied away from commenting before the updates occurred. This time, however, he’s brimming with ideas! But why should there be any changes to the most varied and enjoyable Vintage metagame for years? Stephen reveals all…
Wednesday, February 20th – While the story of Pro Tour: Kuala Lumpur rightfully revolves around Jonny Magic, there was more than mere drafting going on in the tournament venue. Today’s Peebles Primers takes a look at an interesting Standard deck that made Top 8 at the $2000 Amateur Challenge. Green and Black have been popular for quite some time… but does this customizable deck have the power to make a mark on the metagame?
Wednesday, February 20th – Years ago, people wrote tournament reports. The good ones covered the event, gave round by round results – including information on both how the match played out and on play and sideboarding strategies. They were once the best source of strategic advice. Times change – but I want to revive a lost art. I’ll also promise lots of decklists, and some under the radar deck ideas, since I spent most of the tournament out of Top 8 contention.
Wednesday, February 20th – I loved Reveillark the minute I saw it; I love recursion, and I especially love the progress Wizards has made in giving fans of creatures a good number of ways to fight the menace of Wrath of God and Damnation. Saffi Eriksdotter, Deadwood Treefolk, flash creatures, Epochrasite… Reveillark was a potent addition to the suite of creatures that give a lot of resistance to mass removal.
Tuesday, February 19th – On Sunday, Magic legend Jon Finkel rolled back the years to remind us exactly how good at the game he can be. With a 16-1-1 record across three days, he simply demolished the field. Today, Nick Eisel stands over his shoulder and reviews Jon€™s wonderful Top 8 draft in depth. Believe me, it€™s an eye-opener. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 19th – Through practice, observation, and selective reading, we all hope to improve our Magic game. But what, exactly, is “Good” Magic? And what, exactly, is “Bad” Magic? How do we quantify these nebulous definitions in a way that helps us actively improve our chances of success? Adrian Sullivan takes us through the finer points of getting “Better” at our glorious game…
Tuesday, February 19th – Extended has once again experienced a major shift, when compared to the first few weeks of the season. Before we had a number of midrange decks and Dredge as the most played and generally “best†decks… but the format has shifted week after week, back toward a new set of expected and top decks. Red decks of various sorts – Goblins, Red Deck Wins, and even Burn – have all been successful to some extent.
Tuesday, February 19th – This is going to be a tricky one to write, for several reasons. I can talk nicely about people forever, but telling people that they’ve got things wrong isn’t my strong suit. Still, that’s what’s coming…
Monday, February 18th – The Vice President of Organized Play sat down with everyone and had a nice little chat. And according to Raphael Levy, thankfully, that first meeting went fairly well (though as I write this, we’re currently short on details from the Union’s side). But I think that the story’s not quite over yet, so let an old-time Magic grognard tell you what he thinks has to be done for the Union to thrive and flourish.
Monday, February 18th – Extended PTQs continue apace across the world. With a metagame so vibrant, the format is proving to be fun, intricate, and popular. The most popular control strategy, Next Level Blue, is a deck that requires great skill and patience to pilot correctly. And the mirror match… to the uninitiated, it’s the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully, Patrick is here to help…
Monday, February 18th – John Friggin’ Rizzo is ready for some hot and heavy PTQ action! He has his deck of choice – Big Mana Rock – sleeved, tweaked, and ready to go. Today, he takes us through his thoughts on the deck and matchups, before telling us that he feels the deck is very good indeed. The last time he felt that was the day he brought us Friggorid…
Monday, February 18th – I’ve been very fortunate to meet some truly wonderful people through Magic. Some of those are people I work with on decks, some are people I practice with on Magic Online, and some are people I hang out with at tournaments. Two recent conversations with two such people resulted in some interesting shifts in how I think about Magic, life, and the universe, and this article centers around those conversations.
Monday, February 18th – Threshold is here to stay, and it has begun to cast a Counterbalance-sized shadow over the metagame. Kevin is here to light your way and present his thoughts on how to deal with the Tarmogoyf menace.
Friday, February 15th – We’re all trying to improve our game in a myriad of different ways. Magic is a game of inches, and improvement comes in tiny increments. Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike turn from the world’s best 60-card game to the tables of a popular 52-card game, to see if there are lessons to be learned that transfer to the realm of the spellslinger.
Friday, February 15th – Portugal’s Tiago Chan, currently slugging it out in the hot Malaysian sun, is now eligible for PTQ competition. He recently returned to the trenches, hoping to pick up a Hollywood plane ticket to go with his invitation. Sadly, he never made it, but he saw a lot of interesting plays along the way. This is his story…
