Josh takes a look at Ichorid in Vintage, and underlines a few principles from the current Extended format that could aid those looking to succeed in Magic’s most broken format. He also takes us through a Vintage Threshold build that substitutes power for options… has it the pedigree to affect the metagame?
I will be phrasing my Burning Issue in the form of a question, even though I am not on Jeopardy, and I will not give a definite answer once again. Last week, because I was looking for opinions, this week because I’m going to discuss the big, scary unknown. Shall we get started?
Very simply, my question is, “Could Armageddon be making a return in Tenth Edition?”
It’s Release Week on Magic Online, and that means one thing… Planar Chaos Sealed Deck! In today’s Online Outlook I share four complete Release Week cardpools, and the decks I built. I’m looking for your input… come share your views in the forums!
Richard Feldman, authority on Extended U/W Tron, took great delight at seeing a deck of his (and Zac Hill’s) design Rocking the Kasbah at GP: Singapore. Of course, with Japanese Giant Tomoharu Saito at the helm, inevitable changes to the 75 were made. Today, Richard examines each of those changes in detail, and takes us into the mind of a Japanese deckbuilder…
Romeo makes with the Sarpadian Empires volume of Quick Hits, tackling a number of Magical and non-Magical topics in machine-gun fashion. He brings us a couple of new budget Standard decks, talks a little about his sometime-“Angry Man” persona, and gives us some much-missed cheesecake!
What is the best Extended deck ever played? How do current Tier 1 decks fare against the decks your grandparents played? We’re about to find out. It’s a single elimination tournament featuring 32 of the best Extended decks ever, going head to head.
With the Magic Online Planar Chaos Release Events in full swing, Mark takes time out to run through some rookie tips in regards to the mulligan. He takes us through the math behind the mulligan, and investigates some of the more esoteric reasons behind keeping or ditching our opening seven.
Jamie is currently on holiday — he’ll be back next week — but in his place we have a real treat from Osyp “Joe Black” Lebedowicz. He brings us a rundown of his experiences in Pro Tour: Geneva, in which he placed a creditable 30th, and follows it with an irreverent and hilarious look at the Stars of Pro Tour: Geneva, a la Rich Hagon. Remember folks, it’s all in good humor…
This whole “Wait a month” crap isn’t cutting it any more, guys. I mean, I kind of assume you fine folks at Wizards want my money, so I can’t really fathom why you’re waiting so long to translate Planar Chaos cards into the rarified air of Magic Online. And it’s hard to write strategy when your inability to attend real-life tournaments means that you’re three weeks and a Grand Prix or two behind the curve…
With Extended finally receding into the Aether, Patrick presents an update on his excellent Four-Color Red mid-range beatdown deck (his definition, not mine). He also brings us some interesting Extended food for thought, with a few strategies thrown against the wall to see what sticks. All this, and the story of a Penthouse Pet! What more do you need?
Last week, Nick took us through a Two-Headed Giant Draft pick-by-pick. Today’s Limited Lessons takes us through the crucial deckbuilding process. How do card considerations differ in the slower and trickier format? Is it wise to take the stronger cards and be greedy over building once the draft is over? Nick reveals all…
Stephen Menendian’s innovative Manaless Ichorid deck continues to evolve. Sure, it’s fought its way through various hate in the form of Tormod’s Crypt and Jotun Grunt… but can it handle the heat from the new boy in town, the mighty Extirpate? Stephen refines his deck further, and puts it through the mill of a local Vintage tournament…
Bennie had high hopes for his Two-Headed Giant Champs this weekend… sadly, with a weak cardpool and some questionable play mistakes, the glory was out of reach. He shares his team’s decklists, and brings us an update on his Standard Deck of Choice: Green/Black Dredge!
Morphs are not the most trustworthy fellows. They go parading around like Gray Ogres for a while and then all of the sudden… surprise! Before you know if you’ve lost a quarter of your life and you’re skipping your next untap step. Despite (or perhaps fact due to) their deceptive nature, though, morphs are a lot of fun to play. As you take on “Bad Beat” Phil this week, will your morph hordes be enough to overwhelm him, or are all your tricks for naught?
While we wait for the dust to settle from the first round of global Grand Prix, Rich Hagon takes a two-part look at deckbuilding for Time Spiral Block Constructed, starting from the very, very begining and going extremely slowly. Assume nothing, and join him on a ten-deck voyage of discovery through the nursery slopes of mono-color goodness, before throwing all decorum and good manners in the bin next time as he looks at decks that – gasp – might be good.
