When Chris attempted to break Standard with Necrotic Sliver, his ideas fell on stony ground. Two weeks of testing and tweaking, and nothing to show for his time. So he threw the doors open to the forum folk, and begged for ideas. They replied in their droves… and today’s article bears the fruit of their labors. Three deck, each with differing degrees of success… and one deck that may well be the Next Big Thing. Intrigued? Then read on!
Don’t take this article’s title the wrong way: I’m not advocating actual cheating at Regionals. What I mean is, this year’s Regionals format allows you to play an unusually high number of decks and cards so powerful that they are like cheating. Part of this is due to the Storm mechanic, which is inherently strong. However, another part comes simply from the ways in which the Wizards of the Coast are toying with costs, drawbacks, and power levels: is it okay to have a Black Lotus if you have to wait three turns for it?
The Ultimate Extended Tournament took far longer than I thought. Even though I was stuck in the past, the world moved on. I’ll fast-forward my way through a recap, but I have a lot to catch up on: City Champs. Vintage. Future Sight. Magic Online. The scarcity of PTQs. And more.
This is a companion article to the classic article “Who’s The Beatdown?” by Mike Flores. It explores the different ways to play aggressive decks, and the ways to win more while doing so. It was inspired by Mike’s recent comment that there was no more strategy worth writing about for beatdown or burn decks. It is suitable for players and Goblins of all ages, though those with Elvish sympathies may find some scenes distressing.
Nick climbs aboard the Draft Express this week, taking us through our paces in a Time Spiral / Planar Chaos / Future Sight draft. Each pick is dissected in detail, and each success and failure is discussed at length. The three-set format is always a major jolt when we emigrate from the two-set game, and the addition of Future Sight throws some industrial-strength spanners in the works. If you’re looking to improve your 40-card game, then this is a fine place to start!
Stephen loves broken decks. This much is obvious. As Grand Prix: Columbus lurches into view, it seems that everyone has an opinion on the menacing potential of Hulk Flash. As a well-respected Vintage veteran, Stephen is in a prime position to examine the interactions behind the deck. Does the reworking of Flash mean that Legacy is spawning into a “Vintage Lite” format? And is Stephen’s list really the Fastest Deck in Magic History? Read on to find out!
The Ferrett is laboring under intense dental pain today, so in his place we have Eli Kaplan! He brings us a feisty TSP Sealed cardpool, and invites us all to play along at home. Do you agree with his card evaluations?
Welcome back to Magic Puzzles. Before I throw this week’s challenge at you, let me tell you about the unique gift that I got for my most recent birthday. Imagine being able to take a piano lesson from Mozart, or perhaps being given Wushu instructions by Jet Li. The gift I received was in the same vein, but perhaps not so mainstream. So in honor of that, this week’s puzzles will be all about this particular art form…
Countdown to Grand Prix: Columbus! In this article, Christopher Coppola rebuilds a classic Aggro-Control deck, and examines the relevance of Aggro-Control at the upcoming Grand Prix.
Today’s Online Outlook charts the past week’s Metagame Shift on Magic Online. I present twelve Top 8 breakdowns for your pleasure and perusal, and we can see just what’s winning — and what’s losing — in the ever-changing world of Magic Online. Does Dragonstorm still destroy? Is Gruul Cruel? Does Gruul actually rhyme with Cruel? Inquiring minds want to know!
Ah, the problem with Green… a subject taxing the minds of the Magic Internet Community since 1766. Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike tackle this most elusive of topics with his usual incisive thinking, in a direct response to Jamie Wakefield’s take on the subject from earlier this week (and from the last ten years). He also shares his own forays into the Hulk Flash arena, and brings us what he believes to be the strongest Hulk Flash strategy created to date.
Craig “The Professor” Jones, fresh from narrowly missing Day 2 in Grand Prix: Stockholm, brings us his thoughts on the Red cards from Future Sight. He updates a number of Standard and Block offerings with the new cards, and tosses out a few ideas and strategies. With Regionals just weeks away, it’s time to break Standard… maybe Prof can help!
Sean has been steadily preparing for Grand Prix: Columbus for six months… only to see his plans dashed upon the hideous altar of Hulk Flash. Still, all is not lost, and today’s Magical Hack looks to update his deck of choice in the face of the possible turn zero kill. Is there anything that can be done to slow the ascent of the diabolical green menace? Sean certainly hopes so… read on to find out if he is right!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a special guest host edition of The Magic Show. This week I’m on vacation at the beach with my family. Instead of leaving you high and dry, two avid fans of the show – Nick Miller and Reuben Dresler – are here to provide you with some viewing entertainment.
Grand Prix: Columbus is next week, and the format is Legacy. With all the talk of Hulk Flash, will the Legacy Community rise to the occasion and champion their format in a positive light? In this week’s edition of The Real Deal, Ben gives some tips about how to make the Grand Prix and the format appealing to non-Legacy regulars!
Plus, in Ben’s Corner: StarCityGames.com is bringing what to Grand Prix: Columbus?
