I’ve been really theory-intensive for the last several weeks, so I’m going to shift gears today and simply talk about decks. We’ve got two rogue lists to look at – both of which were designed by other people—and a concept I’ve been toying with that I bet some of y’all could make work if you put the time and effort into it.
By the time this goes up, I’m sure my fellow columnists (and likely those on) other sites will have weighed in on the significance of the Tenth (X) Edition rotation. Typically, these columns will talk about specific cards leaving the base set, specific cards being added, and how that will impact various metagames. As someone who spends far too much time musing on Magic, I’ve got my own opinions on this too, but I thought I’d approach it a little differently…
As you read this, Magic Game Day will be just three days away. Magic Game Day is the equivalent of a prerelease for Tenth Edition, and a lot of stores will have special events. It’s more widespread than official prereleases — almost any store that runs FNM may well have Magic Game Day events. These stores will have special foils, etc — but the main reason to attend is because the cards look good.
After falling at the final Day 1 hurdle in Grand Prix: Montreal, Craig “The Professor” Jones headed for the sunny shores of San Diego, ready to thrash the Two-Headed Giant format into oblivion. As we know, he failed in a spectacular fashion… but that didn’t stop him having a grand old time. Prof shares some snapshots from the city, and brings us an intriguing snippet of Game Theory that could explain why the success of the Sliver Kids was not as random as it might appear…
Drafting TPF is a peculiar thing… Future Sight, it seems, has definitely thrown the cat amongst the pigeons. One of the classic Limited aggro strategies, Green/Red is proving both popular and powerful, but the marquee cards such as Sprout Swarm appear to be of a controlling bent. So what do we do? Thankfully, Nick Eisel is here today to bring us the lowdown on the archetype. Pack-by-pack pick orders, card analysis, sample decklists… it’s all here!
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
There are two basic types of Reanimator deck shells that are proven to work in the Block Constructed format. The first is the basic aggro Reanimator shell, which involves Gathan Raiders and Looter Il-Kor backed by Bridge from Below, Body Double, and Dread Return. Akroma, Angel of Wrath and Bogardan Hellkite are the two main reanimation targets in just about every Reanimator build seen thus far.
This article’s designed for the aid of players with moderate experience and aims to help them do well and enjoy the release tournaments at Magic Game Day. (Or whenever Tenth happens to hit Magic Online.) If you’re an old hand and are bringing a less experienced friend to Magic Game Day, print this out and hand it to them. I know the article’s long, but it’s important for newer players to grasp the idea of evaluating cards.
July 3rd was, as noted previously, The Ferrett’s birthday. And the universe gifted him with a whopping beauty of a card pool to make the day more special! What sort of sweet cards did he get? Tune in to find out!
Osyp “Joe Black” Lebedowicz is no stranger to high-level competition. However, he’s not attended many events of late, for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, the two-week period that held Grand Prix: Montreal and Pro Tour: San Diego proved too much to resist, and today Osyp takes us through each event! He spins his usual tall tales, and brings us the latest build of his innovative G/W Tarmogoyf Block deck…
That’s right, folks… Tenth Edition is officially just around the corner. This coming weekend sees Magic Game Day, and everyone is going wild over the hot Core Set action! Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin takes us through the White and Blue cards that take his fancy, before he teases us with more Pro Tour tales HE rounds out with two presents: decklists for both Tenth Edition Standard and Time Spiral Block Constructed.
You all know the drill by now… Rich Hoaen, Canada’s finest and grumpiest draft export, takes us by the hand and drags us through the rollercoaster ride of an 8-4 TPF Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analyzed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
Kyle continues his epic tale of Grand Prix: Montreal madness. This week he brings us a look at the tournament itself, and runs through his wins and losses in detail. He also brings us the latest build of his U/W Pickles deck, his weapon of choice for the upcoming PTQ season. And, as usual, there’s a sprinkling of the usual Sanchez insanity…
In a change from our advertized schedule, I’m veering away from the Online world this week, into the murkier, flabbier, and more pungent world of the Real Life PTQ. Join me for this inspiring tale of control mirrors, 13/13 regenerators, and Terry.
Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike take a fine-tooth comb through the gains and losses coming in Tenth Edition. What cards will we miss, and what cards will we banish with a cheery wave? What are the cards that will make the biggest impact on U/S. Nationals Standard, and what cards are the dead ducks? Plus Mike’s take on a popular Time Spiral Block Constructed control strategy… what more could you possible want?
