As is customary for any large Constructed tournament, the esteemed Theodore Cardgame presents his metagame breakdown… or does he? We know Regionals is gonna be huge, but we also know that the current Standard metagame is mesmerizing in its complexity. So, has Ted pulled it off? Or has he fallen by the wayside, blind and impotent, raging at the sky? You’ll have to read on to find out…
Yesterday, I discussed the logic behind how Dissension is likely to change the post-Honolulu metagame that evolved during the Team Standard Qualifier season for Pro Tour: Charleston. Today, we’ll be covering some of the same territory but with decklists this time, to try and figure out where the tolerances of each deck lie so as to get a good sense for what changes might attune the deck to different potential metagames.
Standard, as people have been saying time and time again, is a very open environment. So open that despite hours of testing, as of this writing, I am no closer to being confident in any Regionals deck. Oh sure, I know B/W Husk is still quite good, and Heartbeat is probably excellent in capable hands. I’ve been trying to incorporate Dissension into the mix, assuming there must be some nonland card in the set that is maindeck-worthy.
Richard takes a peek at B/W decks… and presents the list he’ll be piloting to his own Regionals tournament. We all know that Black and White have been supremely popular of late, be they Hand in Hand, or Ghosts of both the Dad and Husk variety. Does Richard’s build have the pedigree to take it all? He thinks it does… and has the testing to prove it.
For our final Premium article before Regionals, Steve Sadin shares the matchup data behind his recent testing session with Mike Flores. Piloting both Heartbeat and Ghost Husk, he faced off against Annex Wildfire, with remarkably stable results. Are you planning to run with one of the best two decks in the current Standard? Be prepared – Read Steve today!
Talen and Fox round off their entertaining look at Dissension. Today, it’s the turn of the White and Split cards. Art critique, card evaluation, flavor text mockery… it’s all here!
Craig Jones, Constructed specialist, takes a wander through the garden of Dissension Standard. He presents a number of innovative decks that span a variety of archetypes, from UW Control to Rakdos Beats. In addition, he presents some more outlandish ideas for those planning to go rogue. Still undecided on your Regionals weapon of choice? Look no further…
In the second of today’s Premium “Road to Regionals” articles, Rogier takes a look at a number of controlling archetypes, each constructed for the Regionals metagame. He outlines the neccessary tools needed for a control deck to succeed in an unknown metagame, and provides three decklists for our examination. If you like to be in control, these may be the decks for you.
The Mighty JFR takes his Nearly Mono Black in Standard deck apart, and rebuilds it from the ground up. This, he feels, will be his chosen deck for Regionals. Is it a contender? Will it propel him to the Top 8? After the unquestionable success of Friggorid in Extended, it’s difficult to write it off completely… Maybe this deck will be the one that yields results.
In the fourth of today’s Premium “Road to Regionals” articles, Sean shares his opinions on the coming metagame. While conservative opinion claims that Aggro and Beatdown will be the prevalent metagame theme across the board, Sean isn’t so sure… Will there be an upsurge of Control options, led by the all-powerful Azorius guild?
Regionals is drawing near and now is a pretty ideal time to make your final decisions and revisions, to allow yourself some time to become acquainted with your deck. This article contains twelve of the most popular deck types for Regionals.
Abe revisists his infamous “Bad Rares Box,” and plucks out some tasty Magic nuggets with which to concoct delicious decks. Looking for an edge at your Kitchen Table? As always, Abe is here to help.
When I heard about the Simic initially, I was over the moon; the idea of a guild of individuals who represented Green and Blue together was fascinating to me. The notion of a group of super-magical biologists — those who appreciated a flower for its beauty, and considered every perfectly arranged genetic helix as part of that beauty — was such a flavor kick for me, I was salivating in anticipation.
I recently participated in Pro Tour Prague. If you are a fan of the game, and by reading this website you demonstrate you are, you have already read the coverage of the event. If you are wondering how I did, and if that determines whether you should read this article or not, I’ll save you the time: I finished 399th. So if all you want is the tech in drafting RGD so that you’ll be a MTGO stud and embarrass your friends, go look somewhere else.
Today, Jeroen’s column tackles a number of reader-sent questions, each concerning the upcoming Regionals tournaments. He gives us a primer on Regionals preparation, discusses the Politics of the Bluff, and critiques a pair of fledgling Regionals decklists. Time is ticking down to one of the most important tournaments of the year… are you ready?
