Back when I was a regular on the tournament scene, you’d see people show up with decks like that one that they peeled off a Pro Tour deck listing, and yet didn’t put in the requisite test drives. Believe it or not, no deck really drives itself, no matter how good the engine is. It may seem like it, but it just can’t, and people who say it does are really underestimating player ability as a deciding factor in deck creation and performance.
If yesterday’s exploration of a league build-in-progress_ was a departure from my typical article, then so will this be. A departure. Sort of. It’s about a new draft archetype that may or may not be good, but after this article will certainly exist at least, and that’s something.
Most writers have a file of articles and article ideas – stuff they’ve put off, or haven’t got quite right, or that they really want to write about when they get time. I was cleaning out that folder and pulled together – hey, who am I kidding? It’s a pile of unrelated topics, including my PT LA, MTGO rants and problems, poker, broken cards and other random topics. Enjoy.
Rizzo chokes a horse with his page count in this mammoth undertaking, but it includes his thoughts on basically everything Magic, Sex, and the Internet. Oh yeah, and it’s got a heaping helping of roguetastic decklists for those who enjoyed that element of the other Jonny Magic and pictures are back too.
When we last left our intrepid hero he was massaging a dredgeariffic budget deck online. How has the deck morphed since that time, and is it good enough for you to want to play for yourself? The answers are inside.
Why should you read this final part of a four-part series discussing Legacy Threshold decks? Because this past weekend, at the first Legacy Grand Prix ever, no less than three Threshold decks appeared in the Top 8, suddenly catapulting this archetype into “Deck to Beat” status, that’s why.
Those of you who have followed my work over the past few years will likely have noticed that I try to push the envelope in my writing, to stretch outside the boundaries of the standard Magic article, to innovate. Nothing evokes this sense of adventure and discovery like a bajillion draft walkthroughs. Sure, the Eisels and Willses of the world might give you umpteen or even eleventy walkthroughs, but I’m the first and last to break the bajillion walkthrough barrier – and they said it couldn’t be done.
Still, I’m not sure that’s enough, so this week I’m going to blow your mind. This means I’m going to do the same old thing, but also do some slightly different things. Shazam!
LA had all the potential to be the best memory ever. Sometimes memories are tarnished. Sometimes the game gets in the way. This is not a Gadiel-esque whine. This is about something that happened by the judges and the DCI that was wrong. It is not a tale of mana screw or of runner, runner gutshot. It is about something that went wrong that shouldn’t have, it is about an issue that needs to be brought to public attention.
Extended, fresh off rotation with that new car smell still in the air is ripe to be broken… with Beasts? Indeed, dear reader don’t look for technology in old Extended, nor even in good Type Two decks of now dead formats. You must dig deep into the likes of Onslaught Block Constructed for the golden technology I wish to impart.
Holy mother of pearl! I miss one week of Ben’s Corner and suddenly there’s a million new bits of news about StarCityGames.com. Come on in to Ben’s Corner and read about the new line of sleeves we’re carrying, the dozens of new promo cards we’ve added to the system, our buylist, and my 30th Birthday! All this and more in this week’s edition of Ben’s Corner.
I’ve had a Grim Long list built since early 2004, waiting and ready for the moment that I thought would never arrive. That moment arrived — and although the Vintage metagame has undergone many twists and turns in the intervening years, I knew that I had to play Grim Long. I was pleased to make the top 4 at the most recent StarCityGames.com Power Nine with Grim Long at its first (and hopefully not last) outing. This article will explain the tweaks I made to the deck, how to pilot it correctly, and describe the major matchups.
It is generally accepted that the Core Set is a little less exciting than an expansion. After all, if a mechanic is too complicated for the block it was in, there is no chance to bring it into the Core Set, as that is marketed to newer players. However, Core Sets are often seen as prime opportunities to try out new ideas, such as card faces, or rules adjustments. And in this case, that is exactly what is being done. The most notable change you will find to cards, especially if you’ve perused either the sortable spoiler from Wizards or just happened to be looking at the Oracle recently is the “Enchantment – Aura” type line. What does this mean?
Master Flores takes time out of his busy schedule of self-promotion to run a deck that someone else designed this week. Greater Good combo decks are a blast to play and did quite well in a number of states last month, but are they any good in the new metagame?
Many of you have enjoyed reading the trials and trevails of one Richard Feldman and his attempts to qualify for the Pro Tour. We’ll spoil this one a bit for you and tell you that he once again made the Top 8, but did he qualify? You’ll have to check inside for details on that and the 4-1-1 on his suggestions for improving your game in future PTQ seasons.
Chris’s special ode to the man that draws few hotties, but who Chris still feels produces the best Magic art out there.
