Zvi Mowshowitz dubbed the Meandeck Tendrils deck “the fastest deck in the history of Magic.” Stephen Menendian, the original creator, has found a way to make it even faster. With a SCG Power 9 tournament looming on the Vintage horizon, is it time to revisit this archetype and brush it up for tournament play? Steve presents some sample goldfishes, and the power of the build is undeniable.
Standard is very diverse right now. Just looking at the Top 8 decklists doesn’t do that diversity justice: at Northern Regionals, 195 players competed and a lot of good decks missed the Top 8. The Top 8 lists are here, but I’ll also review the entire field to show you just what Dissension has added to the mix.
Besides the occasional foray into the Limited realm, I also enjoy dabbling with the intersection of Real Life and this silly fantasy game. In that vein, this week the offer is five articles detailing the interaction between Magic and our five senses. Five senses, five articles. It’s nice when things work out.
Mike Flores describes the deck he and apprentice Julian Levin use to a combined 12-2-2 Swiss record at Southern New England Regionals. This mysterious deck – which plays essentially no Guildpact or Dissension spells – was passed over for States when they finished first and second in New York… but was reappropriated for a tournament with two more sets added. The answers to all your questions and the round-by-round blow-by-blows are contained within!
While Nick is primarily known for his forty-card prowess, it wasn’t always that way… Constructed Magic played a big part in his development. Today, he gives us the lowdown on the base-Green Dovescape deck that propelled him to second place at Pennsylvania Regionals! In-depth game-by-game analysis, sideboarding tips, and a full matchup breakdown… what more do you need?
In the third of our Regionals-based Premium articles, Richard takes us through the play-by-play with his Black/White Orzhova Maxima deck. It qualified three people for the Nationals… out of the four that played it. This proves it will be a force in the growing metagame, but was Richard one of the lucky three? Read on to find out!
Sean took an innovative Blue-White Control build to his Regionals tournament. In a metagame packed with aggro, it seemed a strong choice. Did our Magical Hack make it to the top, or was the lure of the LARP too much to bear?
Mr. Rizzo rounds out the week with, predictably, his run-down of the Five-Mana Powerhouses in Magic. The number one… will it be Meloku? Will it be Morphling? Will it be Psychatog with a Wild Mongrel stapled to it? Only John has the answer!
As one of the greatest players of Limited Magic the world has seen, Rich Hoaen was a surefire favorite to make Top 8 at Pro Tour Prague… and few would’ve bet against him taking top honors. With practice drafts galore before the event, he felt confident of success. While he performed well, it wasn’t quite enough. Where did he go wrong? Read on to find out…
John Friggin’ Rizzo took his Black/Green aggro-discard deck, sporting inexplicable Breeding Pools, to his Regional championships. The inventor of Friggorid had a merry old time, signing Ichorids galore and administering hardcore beats. He overcame a few personal barriers, including one that involved urinal abuse, and finished far higher than expected. A fabulous report, full of the fun that only Rizzo can command…
I recently fell in love with Shandalar again. It’s always been a fond memory of mine, and I decided to reinstall and replay it. “What is Shandalar?” you may ask…
What is Shandalar? Are you kidding me? You honestly don’t know what Shandalar is? Wow.
The deck I’m going to talk about is the deck that placed me third at Northwest (Seattle) Regionals: URg Urzatron-Wildfire, which, before Flores calls it something silly that sticks like “Flores SkyTron”, I have dubbed Sizzetron.
Thursday means the four-mana fellas, and John has the list to end them all! Do you think that Ichorid will feature? I think it might just sneak in there somewhere…
The Cak travelled to Pro Tour Prague with high hopes. Unfortunately for him, those hopes proved fruitless, as he failed to make Day 2 play. Of course, this didn’t stop him from enjoying the Pro Tour Experience… And he has the pictures to prove it. His report is packed with fun stories and match runthroughs.
Vintage is a format overflowing with powerful decks. While innovation is certainly possible, new decks invariably face a trial by fire as soon as they are suggested: after all, the established players are all adept at winning matches with their long-played creations. Today, Stephen introduces a quantifiable way of measuring playskill, and presents us with the tools to increase our understanding of the true nature of Vintage power.
