I have a handful of bones today. Bits and pieces of decks that might have a full structure if you can find them. Nuts and bolts, structures that I’ve been busy bashing against one another, trying to find the right angle at which they become round pegs. Then, once I have properly-functioning not-good-enough decks, I can waste my time trying to make them good enough to compete in metagame of square holes.
Today’s article investigates a format where you are required to play only those cards with a one-star rating, based on the most current Inquest magazine. I found this format on a website with several alternate formats listed, and it sounded like fun to try. I love alternate formats, as long as they are deckbuilding formats.
With only Grand Prix: not Boston between us and the next Pro Tour event of the year in Yokohama, it’s time to bring you up to speed with all the goings on in the world of Pro Magic. For reference, here’s my 100% unofficial database of what’s happened so far. This time around, we’ll be taking a top-down approach, meaning that if you’re looking for a pithy comment on the juicy two-point brigade, you’re going to need either a lot of patience or a scroll button. Let’s rock ‘n’ roll…
Last week’s introduction to this exciting series proved to be insanely popular, and so Raph is back with another installment! With the help of a willing guinea-pig, Raph takes us through a draft from beginning to end, with the first picks being made by the non-Levy player. If you wanna get in on the action, stay tuned!
This week’s Ask The Drama has some juicy questions! Jeroen updates his Mono-Black Time Spiral Block Constructed deck, rectifying a few startling omissions and veering from the mono-colored path. He also provides some handy tips for those attending their first Pro Tour, and lays out some common cheating methods that we should all do our best to eradicate from the Beautiful Game.
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 TTP Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analysed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
Josh tales a long hard look at the blossoming Time Spiral Block Constructed format, and breaks down the various questions and answers that any prospective deckbuilder will need to consider when trying to smash the metagame. If you’re looking for a handle on this exciting Constructed format, then this article will prove invaluable.
This week I’m coming to you with something I’ve been kicking around with some other writers and friends that I find does pretty well casually. Some people appreciated its mostly budget nature, others like the mechanics of it, some people thought it just looked fun to play (it is), and Talen gets to feel giddy for indirectly inspiring it. So, gentlemen… what is it?
Today’s Online Outlook doesn’t mess about… it offers two IPA Qualifying tournament reports, and the complete rundown of the Top 8 Standard Premier Event results this past week. It also offers commentary on said results, and cries out for help with a Time Spiral Sealed cardpool. Yes folks, there’s something for everyone!
Jamie brings us another taste of his weekly ramblings on all things Spanish and Green. In his own words…
It’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel! And it’s Disaster Week on the Wakefield Channel! Tune in to see gruesome footage of bad food, pulled muscles, and sea foam beatings around the head and neck!
Richard hits another home run with this excellent article discussing the role of investment in Magic. When is it prudent to dump that well-loved deck in favor of the bright and shiny? When does the clever Mage change his plan in any given game, and – more importantly — when does he change it back?
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 TTP Draft on Magic Online. From pick 1 to pick 45, Rich shares them all, and his final deck and draft performance are analysed in the article, the forums, and beyond. Come join in the fun!
As promised last week, Chris brings us his newest Standard creation — Black/White Slivers. He takes us through five different iterations of the deck, and shares some of his thoughts in testing and beyond. All this, plus a few match walkthroughs to boot! Looking to abuse the power of Necrotic Sliver? Then maybe this is the deck for you…
Today’s Beautiful Struggle sees Mark go Math Crazy! With the aid of some high-level mathematics, Mr Young attempts to cure the Magic populace of one of its cardinal sins… the belief that a winning play is the correct play regardless of the probabilities behind it. We’ve all made mistakes such as these, but Mark suggests we let math be our guide.
Pete takes a break from racking up the results in the Ultimate Extended Tournament to take a strong R/G deck into the MTGO Metagame in order to kick ass and take names. He fires the deck against a number of high-quality archetypes in the MTGO eight-man Standard queues, and is extremely pleased with the results…
