I’m going to take two Dailies to do this. The first – today’s, for those of you that need it spelled out real clear – is going to cover several of the archetypes in trips CS that you may or may not know about, since the format is an awful lot like Constructed and there is an actual metagame you’ll need to learn how to deal with.
Paul took his untested Solar Flare deck, armed with a single Kokusho, to the very top of the U.S. Nationals pile! His entertaining report on the tournament, covering the match-ups and sideboarding plans in great detail, is an excellent read. Part 1 deals with the full fourteen rounds of swiss play… join us tomorrow for the exciting Top 8 conclusion!
The Cak has a deck which, he claims, has “no bad matchups” in the current Standard environment. With the metagame as diverse as it is, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a mighty bold statement. However, with recent results in high-level events bearing out his assertion, and with a bevy of match analysis and gameplay tips behind it, perhaps this particular Black/White offering has the strength to go all the way…
Rich continues his excellent series of RGD 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 a Standard rotation much closer than we’d perhaps like, Chris takes a timely look at the cards of Kamigawa that have passed us by. With a little re-evaluation, and maybe a kick up the rear from Coldsnap, are these forgotten gems now ready to shine on like crazy diamonds?
Joshua, determined to improve his Limited game, presents an admittedly-disastrous triple-Coldsnap draft experience… and begs for your help. Where did it all go wrong? Where could Mr. Claytor have salvaged things? And what could be done with the resultant forty-five cards of shame? Come to the forums and share your views!
We’re all going to make play mistakes, we’re all going to get out-topdecked, we’re all going to want to beleaguer our friends with some horribly tedious bad-beat story that makes them fantasize about how nice it would be to bore a corkscrew into our brains and shut us up. Despite all that, though, research has shown that retroactively winning the game in our heads by drawing one of our 43650345621 outs instead of that pesky basic land does not actually count as a win to the DCI.
The Innovator Patrick Chapin updates his powerful Shredder.dec, an Extended offering that has positive matchups against the majority of the field – especially that ornery Friggorid. Last time, the deck felt more Necro than Prison… this time, it feels more Rock than Domain. This article is packed with dedicated matchup strategy and explicit sideboarding advice… could Shredder v2.0 be the deck for you?
In his first article for StarCityGames, Luis Scott-Vargas takes us through a blow-by-blow account of his recent wonderful run in the U.S. National Championship. Mulligans, mana, monsters, and madness… all are present, with highs and lows aplenty! His fine run only stuttered in the Top 8, where he fell to eventual champion and playtest partner Paul Cheon… A strong performance, and a strong debut article!
Rich continues his excellent series of RGD 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!
I’m starting up a week off, capped off by Grand Prix: Hiroshima. Lord knows, I’ve got enough writing on my plate at the moment. The fact that my builds haven’t had actual battle testing irks me, so I’ll note that my next installment will cover a Top 8 Sealed deck helmed by myself. A little taste of victory enlivens the writer’s wit. (It has nothing to do with bragging. No, not in the slightest.)
Last article, I wrote about the cost of Magic, specifically Standard. In the forums, the debate developed two sidetracks; the “you just hate dual lands” and “play Vintage, it’s cheaper in the long run.” The first sidetrack is just stupid — read the fu- err, fine article, I don’t hate the duals. As for the second sidetrack, well, let’s do the math…
After four months’ absence, this is all I can muster. I’m really slipping. Must be all that time hanging around Tim Aten and bathing in a fountain of pure unadulterated apathy. I’ve already learnt better than to try and berate myself in the presence of The Master Himself, and without an avalanche of self-loathing I realized that my writing is completely bereft of content. But I’m assigned to a daily, so I have to try.
With Solar Flare being the deck of choice, and with Heartbeat taking its rightful place atop the metagame mountain, Mike revisits old ground to find a solution to the skewed matchup problem. White Wafo-Tapa, born from a U/R Wildfire list, attempts to harness power and consistency, proving to be surprisingly durable against the top contenders…Is it the deck that’ll win you your next Standard tournament?
Solar Flare, the worst kept secret in Magic, continues to show strong at the top tables of high-level events. This child of Magic Online held a unique position in the metagame… and sadly, it appears that Solar Flare’s day in the sun may soon be coming to an end. Will the deck surpass its shelf-life, or will it remain a mere flash in the pan?
