Back from the slippery slopes of Geneva, Rich Hagon gives you the first ProTour Report Card of the year. From first to last, and missing out all the non-Pros in between, you’ll see what went down, what it means, and who you should be looking for in the months ahead. Plus, zero gratuitous mentions of Craig Stevenson. Bargain.
Doug takes a look at the history of Survival of the Fittest decks and highlights why they were successful. He applies these principles to modern Legacy Survival decks and presents the cutting edge in Survival deckbuilding.
Today I’m going to talk about one of the elements that has come to define many aspects of the Pro Tour experience, and indeed in many ways can make or break people’s general perception of how a Pro Tour is run. I’m talking, of course, about the Lounge…
Raphael Levy is currently winging his way to Dallas in order to sling Extended spells with the rest of Magic’s great and good. As a parting gift, he brings us the final part of his Planar Chaos Draft series. Thus far, he’s tackled the major archetypes involving Blue and Red. Today he rounds out the colors with Green, White, and Black. Planar Chaos comes online next week… be prepared!
Jeroen’s mailbag is running dry, folks! Today’s article represents the last questions in his inbox. Be sure to send some more ASAP. As usual, he tackles a variety of subjects, from Mono Green Aggro in Standard; to a detailed deck clinic; to an overview of Extended acceleration; to World of Warcraft, Pirates, and Ninjas. Still undecided on which is cooler? Jeroen will set you straight!
Josh takes a broad overview of the Extended PTQ format, and comes to the conclusion that conclusions are hard to come by. He dissects the more powerful strategies available in the format, and shows us why, at the end of the day, deck choice hardly matters in such a vibrant metagame.
As fantastic as White is as a support color right now – due in large part to being the primary casting cost on Momentary Blink – it does a fairly poor job of being the backbone of decks anymore, and many worry that Damnation is going to be a rather large, if not final, nail in that coffin.
So this week, I propose solutions.
With blisterguy toddling off to a retirement home in the sun, it’s now my turn to tread the online boards and act out your MTGO metagame fantasies. This first article takes a detailed look at both the Standard and Extended online metagames this past week, and interviews a high-placed finisher in a 4x Extended event. Looking for the electronic edge? Look no further!
After waxing lyrical about Tenacious Tron for a number of weeks, Richard turned his back on his baby and rolled up to a PTQ with a new and interesting deck. Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly that day… but does his subpar performance mean that his deck choice was a bad one? This enlightening article looks at cause and effect in Magic, and posits that the path to success is never as clear as it first appears.
Chris Romeo, casual deckbuilder and all-round nice guy, takes the opportunity to get a few things off his chest this week. In this remarkable return to his caustic roots, Mr Romeo unleashes both barrels at the population at large. No one is safe from his vitriol and spite. Remember — you have been warned.
With the Extended PTQ season grinding towards completion, Peter breaks down the January and February PTQ results, identifying the Tier 1 and Tier 2 strategies that feed into the post-Planar Chaos metagame. He also tackles the myth of the “Local Metagame,” and presents a G/W/r Beatdown deck for folks looking for something a little different.
While Time Spiral Block Constructed is due to change with the inclusion of Planar Chaos, that doesn’t stop the MTGO wheels a-turning. Today, Mark shares a few Block decks that rely on everyone’s current favorite legend — Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir. Yes folks, he really IS that good.
With Jamie’s Mid-Range Green in Extended strategy suffering a few knocks in recent articles, he decides it’s back to the drawing board. His new deck — Tramplampler — takes all he’s learnt about the format and hones it to a diamond edge, albeit a diamond edge riding on the back of flabby Green monsters. This Extended deck has done wonders for Jamie’s online rating… can it do the same for you?
With the Top 8s of the approaching Two-Headed Giant Champs events being 2HG Draft, and with a Pro Tour looming that shares the format, Nick takes a timely look at the basics of the game. It’s safe to say that you can take your Time Spiral and Planar Chaos pick orders and throw them out of the window! Urborg Syphon-Mage over Errant Ephemeron? Cancel over Lightning Axe? It’s a strange new world, to be sure…
Vintage, the broken format of Magic, is packed with turns that can make an average spellslinger explode with options. Today’s article sees Stephen walk us through a three-game set between Grim Long and Meandeck Gifts. His analysis, as always, is exhaustive — and the matchup truly defines the column title of “So Many Insane Plays.”
