When a new set comes out – before it even comes out, just seeing the preview cards and the spoiler – I become a Frenzied Deckbuilding Goblin. There are many types of Magic players. I’m a deckbuilder. I wish I were a better player, but I know that if I spent half the time playing that I waste fooling around with my Filemaker Pro deck database, designing, dreaming, and tuning, I’d have made it on the Pro Tour years ago.
It is a month before Standard changes. It’s set review season, but everyone does those. Instead, I want to look at the cards that are underplayed — perchance forgotten — in Standard. These may be the tools that win your Regionals — if you remember they exist.
Osyp continues to bring the beats in his amusing daily series. Today, six Pro Tours (and Worlds) come under the hammer of nostalgia…
The drive back from the prerelease in Livonia, Michigan to my home in Rocky River, Ohio takes 2.5 hours…. Unless I’m so tired that I make three mistakes in driving home, at which point it takes four hours. And in that sleepy, error-prone haze, hopping on my keyboard to write my usual Monday essay on Dissension is not a wise choice, which is why today’s offering is a day late. But that said… What things did I learn at the Prerelease?
Mike continues his Constructed rundown of Dissension with a look at both the Blue cards and the Azorius guild. Yesterday’s article brought us three cards with genuine Constructed application… will the Blue cards offer more? And is the Azorius guild everything that the control mage desires? The answers, as always, lie within…
Regionals are just around the corner… and Chris has a new deck for you! Do you enjoy sending burn to the face? Would you like to drop permanents into play before the game begins? Are you a fan of the flame? Then look no further.
Joe Black continues his excellent odyssey through his personal Pro Tour history. Feisty, fact-filled, and fun.
Wizards has databases full of wonderful information from thousands of Limited games. In the bottomless reservoir that is MTGO they hold draft pick orders, Sealed pools, maindecks, sideboarded decks, and tournament results. That just makes the little geek inside of me twitch with desire. Okay, he’s not that little… okay, he’s not inside of me… okay, I am that geek, just let me be.
The prereleases are officially over, and Dissension is upon us! Each day this week, Mike tackles a selection of the new cards, examining them for their playability in the Constructed arena. Some cards will be hits, some cards will be misses… can you tell the difference?
When I was asked to write a daily series this week I was hard pressed to come up with an idea that could top Billy Moreno’s insane ramblings. However, I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately and it seemed like a trip in the way-back machine could be interesting… Each day this week I’ll take a look at the past Pro Tour seasons, starting with my rookie year, the 2001-2002 season.
Tim is back! After a fair few begging emails, a fortuitous meeting on Modo, and some thinly-veiled threats, Mr Aten has finally put virtual pen to virtual paper. Today, he takes us through the last waltz of the RRG draft format with a comprehensive draft walkthrough. Remember to take everything he says with a pinch of salt… and enjoy!
There’s something about the jumble of colors that Ravnica brings that just makes mid-level players freeze in weird ways — and when faced with a near-infinite number of choices to make, often you just don’t see the obvious until it’s too late. This is the Sealed blackout. You go into a trance, and awake with the wrong cards registered in your deck. And if this can happen to people who are used to playing Sealed, what hope does the poor first-timer have at building his deck properly?
Today, Mike’s article is packed with different topics. Standard decklists, Limited advice, tales from the Deckade signing tournament, MTGO hints and tips… and much, much more. Looking to improve your odds when drafting Ravnica/Guildpact/Dissension? Mike has the early draft metagame, planned out and dissected. A perfect primer for this weekend’s Dissension prereleases!
The Dissension Prerelease tournaments kick off this weekend… and Ben is here to help! In his traditional “new set” address, he spills the beans on the hottest Dissension cards, giving advice on what to trade for, and what to trade away. His hit rate for Guildpact was phenomenal… His Dissension advice is invaluable! A must-read article for anyone attending a prerelease this weekend!
When playtesting, it’s easy to fall into the “Playing, Not Testing” trap. How can we maximize our testing to ensure an improvement in our game? How does our sideboarding strategy relate to our overall gameplan? In this excellent and enlightening article, Chad offers some sage advice on planning for success.
