The Extended PTQs are fast approaching. Extended has always been a favorite format of mine. I have written a lot (extensively?) about Extended, more than anything else, and enjoyed Extended events more than practically any other format. Extended season has a certain history and rhythm — and that rhythm will remain, despite the impact of the card pool, the combo decks and Magic Online.
Naoki Shimizu, the creator of the popular Solar Flare Standard deck, has recently turned his back on his most prized creation. In the first part of this interesting series, he takes us through the design of his current favorite deck: Scryb & Force. It has posted fine results for him, and he believes it has merit in the post-Worlds metagame. Today’s installment deals with the origins of the deck, and its first outing at the Lord of Magic Championships…
In his last article, Paul shared the U.S. Team’s preparation for Worlds. Today’s follow-up deals with Day 1 of the main event itself. Paul audibled at the last minute to a new deck, and posted a positive result. Of course, that’s not the whole story… as with all tournament reports, there’s a healthy dose of humor and color to be had.
Rich continues his excellent series of Time Spiral Draft walkthroughs, presenting each pick as it happened and highlighting each card chosen. He shares his final decklist, and gives us a brief overview of his results and processes. As usual, for more detailed draft deconstruction, come visit us in the forums!
Blisterguy rounds out his Parisian journal with a look at Day 4 and Day 5 of his trip… including an account of the infamous blistermugging. He also brings us the lowdown on the Premier Events in both Standard and (more importantly) Extended…
Stuart took one of his favorite strategies – Mana Denial – and aimed to break down Kyle’s Combo by removing the precious, precious land. On paper, this matchup was a blowout. In reality? Well, it was a blowout. Still, it;s good to read about one-sided matches… they need winning too!
All in all, Kyle has not had a good Christmas. Battle Royale loss, unwanted gifts, and a car accident on Christmas Eve… not a great way to spend the holidays. Still, the New Year is coming, and things can only get better… or can they?
It’s Christmas, and you’re here. Why? Come on. There are presents to be unwrapped, relatives to be hugged, friends to be visited. The world is alive with cheer and good will, and you probably have the day off from work. Go spend it with someone you love. But I do have something I’ve been thinking about, if you want it. It’s not Magic, entirely, but it’s about Christmas — specifically, the flip side of Christmas.
Everyone’s been reading Drafting With Rich, right? You all know that Blue is the best color, don’t you? Even if the grumpy Canadian loves his Black and Red spells, there’s no doubting the power of the sea. However, while we all know the obvious cards to look for, it’s our 21st-23rd cards in any given deck that separate the good builds from the great ones. Today, Limited expert Quentin Martin takes a look at some of the more marginal cards that can shine in the triple Time Spiral format. Some of the cards he champions, and some of the theories he posits, are definitely worth discussion…
Rich continues his excellent series of Time Spiral Draft walkthroughs, presenting each pick as it happened and highlighting each card chosen. He shares his final decklist, and gives us a brief overview of his results and processes. As usual, for more detailed draft deconstruction, come visit us in the forums!
It’s the 26th of December… Boxing Day. Chris celebrates this marginal and obtuse holiday by returning to his much-loved Quick Hits article format. He opens the boxes on a number of topics today, including Battle Royale, deck names, Mishra, and College Football (*shudder* – football is played with the feet, damnit!). All this, plus a decklist too! Happy Holidays!
EOTFOFYL – A common acronym back in the day. It stands for “End of Turn Fact or Fiction; You Lose,” and it will be heard a lot in the coming Extended PTQ season. There’s an art to splitting a Fact or Fiction, and perfection comes only once a number of factors have been considered. Today’s Flores Friday examines a sackful of practical Fact or Fiction decisions; Mike takes us through each one, and Heezy shares his own philosophies.
By the time Extended rolled around, Worlds was over bar the shouting for poor Josh. Even though his lack of desire and unfortunate pairings led to a subpar personal performance on this third day, the deck he ran with was one of the breakout stars of the format – Dirty Kitty. Today he shares his thoughts on the deck, and looks at a number of other interesting creations that performed well in Paris.
Rich continues his excellent series of Time Spiral Draft walkthroughs, presenting each pick as it happened and highlighting each card chosen. He shares his final decklist, and gives us a brief overview of his results and processes. As usual, for more detailed draft deconstruction, come visit us in the forums!
With Worlds behind us and 2007 looming, Sean looks forward to what tomorrow brings… specifically, Extended. He waxes lyrical on his choice for the coming PTQ season – at least, his choice for Week 1 – and gives his thoughts on the coming City Championships. All this, plus a possible metagame-wrecking Standard deck!
