Before he wings his way to Yokohama for the Time Spiral Block Constructed Pro Tour, Raphael Levy brings us one last edition of the popular Pimp My Draft series! And today we have a little extra… not one, but TWO complete draft walkthroughs for us to enjoy! Remember, if you’d like to draft along with Raph, be sure to mak your voice head in this forum!
Jeroen is back to basics this week, with an article jammed full of reader-posed questions. From the mailbag this week, Jeroen tackles a an interesting Standard Rack deck, valuates the true power of Prismatic Lens, and wades into the debate on the validity of Two-Headed Giant.
With the Time Spiral Block Pro Tour kicking off at the end of the week, Josh Silvestri is here with some ideal preparation — a mock Block Constructed tournament that includes sixteen of the format’s strongest contenders! If you’re wondering what decks will make a splash come Sunday, maybe Josh has the information you’re looking for…
Right now in Standard, the strongest reasons to play mono-color are either Mono-Green Aggro, or some sort of Gauntlet of Power deck. I’d suggest that Korlash might be a good sign, but on the other hand, Black is the one color who’s always wanted all of your attention. Black has the strongest tendencies towards putting multiple mana symbols on all of its good cards, and borrowing abilities from other colors in order to make itself more self-sufficient.
Now how’s that for an intriguing title! Jamie regales us with his usual mixture of flavor, tech, and good times. Today’s installment of The Combat Phase sees our hero journey to Paris, share an intimate clinch with a man on a scooter, play a myriad of matches on Magic Online, and actually cast Remand. Will these wonders ever cease?
Last week, Richard set out on a mighty quest… a journey of self-discovery that would hopefully lead to him breaking Standard with a deck of his own design! He brought us Red Gold, a greedy deckbuilder’s dream. Today, he runs the deck through a tough set of matches against a tournament favorite. And to cap it all, he brings us a fresh new deck.
When you last left me – you cold, heartless, fickle person, you — I was working on smooshing together two copies of the Ritual of Rebirth precon deck into something that might win you a few matches at your local Saturday Standard tourney. Today, I continue that journey… and what a journey it was!
I am (wisely) not the official set reviewer for StarCityGames.com. However, in one possible future, I might be. In another possible future, the MTGSalvation.com spoiler for Future Sight would be 100% accurate (I didn’t say it was a likely future, just a possible one). So, I think that my random observations about selected cards on the MTGSalvation.com spoiler can substitute for a Future Sight review, at least for those of you who do not have Premium accounts. WARNING! Contains spoilers!
The Ultimate Extended Tournament began with 32 great Extended decks — including five from the season just ended. It is down to eight (or so), and these are playing it out. Can any of the modern decks compete with the best of 1999, or 2002, or the decks from PT Tinker? We are answering those questions.
Last week, some of you said that Ferrett should have gone with a Green/White-based build for his card pool… So he decided, in this last gasp before Planar Chaos strategy becomes extinct, to take your build for a spin around the block! How did he do with the deck suggested by the folks in the forum? Click the link and see!
Nick takes a break from archetype breakdowns and card evaluations in order to break down some of the more nebulous aspects of draft strategy. Playing to your subconscious, controlling the pace of play, and the understanding the draft tendencies of your own game (and those of others)… it’s all here in this thought-provoking and masterful article.
Last week, Stephen Menendian walked us through five pre-sideboard games between the innovative Belcher deck and the perennial warhorse Gifts deck. Today, he continues the match-up analysis with a look at five post-sideboard games. In a format packed with ridiculous turns and ultra-quick wins, does Belcher have the tools to make a splash in the metagame?
I’d like to start things off by touching on last week’s official Future Sight previews, namely the latest ridiculous Blue wizard Venser, Shaper Savant. The online response seemed mixed, with a majority of people seeming to fall somewhere between “meh” and “ugh.” All I have to say is…
What are you, people? On dope?
A quarter of a year has passed since I started this weekly column. Over the last thirteen weeks I’ve presented you with all kinds of Magic puzzles, from the obvious to the obscure. I have only stumped you a couple times, while you have gotten the better of me at least three times! How, you ask? By submitting an answer to a puzzle that I did not at all expect. This week I will take the opportunity to revisit those three wayward puzzles, and attempt to set things straight.
Countdown to GP: Columbus! Christopher Coppola analyzes a successful Legacy deck that is also very easy to build, and discusses how to play the deck properly in a competitive environment.
