I just returned from Grand Prix: Columbus, after watching it explode past everyone’s expectations with a gigantic 883 people showing up to slap dual lands and crazy old cards down. But what format were those people really playing? Was Hulk Flash actually – *gasp* – good for Legacy? And what in heck should we ban?
He’s been away for a while, but Mr Rizzo is back with a bang! Today’s dose of Rizzo Genius takes us through his long hard haul towards this year’s Regionals, with update after update to his popular Nearly Mono-Black in Standard deck. Expect no maindeck Black cards by the end of the article. He also recounts something rather frightening… I’ll let the great man tell that tale in his own irreverent fashion.
Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a popular TTT draft strategy called U/R. It was the biggest and strongest draft strategy in the kingdom. Then, suddenly, along came Planar Chaos, and the strategy got a little weaker. Then came Future Sight, and the strategy fell to pieces. What went wrong? Nick answers that question, and provides an excellent breakdown of all the U/x color parings for TPF draft!
Stephen takes a split-level look at the two older formats today. First up, he looks at Vintage. He brings us an interesting Doomsday list for those Vintage players who enjoy a good puzzle, and says a few words on the hardy perennial Meandeck Gifts. In Legacy, he shares his personal build of Hulk Flash, a build that he believes is the definitive version of the deck thus far…
Ahoy, puzzle fans. After the well-received paragraph puzzle from a couple weeks ago, I thought I’d present another class puzzle archetype, fitted to Magic: the 3×3. In a 3×3 puzzle you are be presented with nine words. Your job is to group the words into three sets of three, each of which are connected by another word. After you make this grouping, you once again group the three new words to get the final answer. Simple, right? Now win those RGD draft sets!
This week, I’m forgoing the usual metagame breakdowns — the format is about to radically shift, after all — and I’m bringing you an interesting little Black/White Control deck for the current Online Standard. It has a brilliant matchup against Dragonstorm and a good game versus Gruul. Intrigued? Then read on…
With Regionals just around the corner, Mike ups the ante… with not one, not two, but three Standard decks packed with Future Sight cards! Each deck has a controlling feel, and there’s copious input from Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin, who “fixes” one of Mike’s deck (much to the Resident Genius’s delight). Mike’s creations constantly warp the Constructed metagame, and these decks are no exception. If you’re looking for an edge in the coming Standard environment, look no further!
Craig “The Professor” Jones takes a long hard look at the Blue cards from Future Sight… and decides that they’re simply not worth the bother. Instead, he talks about his preparation for this weekend’s big Grand Prix event, and his hopes and fears concerning the format. Those of you who believe this article will cover Strasbourg and Time Spiral Block Constructed… think again.
Sean McKeown, now officially terrified of Flash and opting out of Grand Prix: Columbus, turns his mercurial eye to the results from Grand Prix: Stockholm. He breaks down the successful 9-0 Sealed Deck builds, and investigates the make-up of the Top 8 draft decks in order to get to grips with the format. Limited play is an ever-mutating beast… do Sean’s statistics hold the key to the Top Tables?
Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of The Magic Show. Today we’re going to talk about Flash, we’re going to talk about Flores, and we’re going to talk about This Week in Magic.
In today’s edition of The Real Deal, Ben dishes about Magic’s Card Stock. From Alpha to today, Magic’s Card Stock has been in fluctuation. Find out what Ben’s figured out about Magic Card Stock over the years!
Plus: Ben has a big announcement to make!
Dragonstorm is the best deck in Standard. Coming in a (not-so) close second is R/G Aggro, a.k.a. Gruul. Since this game began, folk have enjoyed beating down with little Green and Red men, and finishing the job with red burn to the face. Future Sight has brought some interesting Red and Green cards to the table… just how do they fit into the grand scheme of reducing your opponent from twenty to zero? BPM reveals all!
Today, we’re going to talk about Fatties. We’re going to look over historically good fatties, a hall of fame of real king-hitters, those heavyweights and the few rare super-heavyweights. To qualify for this discussion, it’s not enough to be played. Once upon a time, Zvi said a spell that cost five mana or more, “had better win me the game right there.” This quote is trotted out many, many times by better players than you or I, and these players are almost universally wrong to mention it.
Hello all, and welcome back to both my next Kitchen Table article – the next installment in the Compendium. Today I am going to tackle a fairly common format as has been mentioned in several writers’ articles, including a surge from MagictheGathering.com page all the way over here… Elder Dragon Highlander!
Intentional Draws… a blight on the game, or a harmless level of strategy? Today’s Chatter of the Squirrel puts the humble ID under the spotlight. Zac attempts to drain the moral quagmire and present the dilemma in easy-to-digest terms. So, are Intentional Draws the last refuge of pure evil? Whatever your stance, this is one article that’s guaranteed to put the cat amongst the pigeons…
