When I originally posted my Splice list, which I playtested right up until the week before the Pro Tour that I top 8’d in, it was discarded as being unplayable. My team was afraid of the lack of win conditions and the time issues in a Pro Tour, where draws count as losses. But I stuck to my guns and kept posting the list, claiming that it wasn’t losing to any single deck. This claim was true…. until we sideboarded.
Several tournament organizers have begun the practice of having players swap their decklist information before each match of the Top 8 in Pro Tour Qualifiers. This open exchange of information is patented after similar types of sharing that occurs before the Top 8 of Pro Tours and Grand Prix. This practice began as a way to level the playing field due to scouting – but is this practice fair on the Pro Tour Qualifier level?
I have two unique qualifications, both of which allow me to tell you exactly why Abe Sargent’s proposed “Abeth Edition” Core Set would be disastrous for the future of Magic… and why, despite the fact that it would be a disaster, Wizards may have to follow Abe’s lead in the next Core Set anyway.
Martin’s been wildly popular with this excellent new series detailing his various builds of Sealed as he grinds through the PTQ season. The last Englishman who made a habit out of writing up his decks for StarCityGames.com qualified… but though it’s obvious that Martin makes two Top 8s, does one of them lead to the big finish? You’ll have to read on to find out.
One of the things that strikes me as odd in Constructed decks — and Standard decks in particular — is the lack of Two-Headed Dragons. I often consider different cards to be “good” than most players, but Two-Headed Dragon seems like an obvious omission to me. So why aren’t more people playing it… and more importantly, why should you be playing it?
The Bleiweiss has always viewed the world a little differently than most mortals, which is why his list of the most annoying cards ever is unique among those that have been published to our site. What annoys the annoying? Find out today, as Ben returns to the helm of SCG Daily for a week of rabble-rousing and good-natured fun.
Zvi Mowshowitz. The new decklists. The format review of Kamigawa Block Constructed and advice on what to play now. You know you want it…
Along with Tooth and Nail, you have Mono-Blue Control, Blue/Green Control, Ponza, and Green/Black Cloud Control leading the pack of what comprises Standard. White Weenie exists and you have a few other types, but in general, this is what you see the most of.
One deck in particular has been very enjoyable for me to play and today I’m going to talk about that very competitive deck, plus give you a glimpse of a fun deck for PTQ and FNM players alike.
The last set in a block has always held some surprises that stir the pot: Eternal Witness showed up to help fight Affinity last year, while Goblin Warchief and Eternal Dragon completely overpowered the decks spawned for Pro Tour: Venice. Perhaps the best way to learn about Saviors (and how it might affect both Kamigawa Block and Standard) is to get it straight from the source: official previews. We’ve just had our first full week of official previews at magicthegathering.com, and it’s not too early to at least pretend to understand what these cards are going to mean to Constructed and Limited formats alike.
Ben Snyder is rapidly becoming known for two different things: detailed articles about whatever combo deck catches his attention and articles about crazy rogue creations that just might work in Standard. Today’s article is one of the latter, and it should provide some interesting fodder for the Friday Night Magic crowd to play around with.
Sometimes, I just abhor Wizards of the Coast, The DCI, and, of course, penguins. Damn all of their tuxedo-wearing souls. Want to know why I’m ranting this time? Step inside my friends, as I talk about Regionals, metagames, and more Regionals. Oh, and penguins.
Andy once again takes a savage beating from the GP: Detroit attendees but in the process churns out an article that is pure fun to read.
When looking at a new Standard season, it’s always a good idea to peak back at the previous year’s Block Constructed Pro Tour and see what ideas you can take from that tournament. Today Flores uses Masashiro Kuroda’s winning deck from Kobe and turns it into what may once again be one of the best decks in the format.
This week, I have been taking 8th Edition precons, adding enough lands and commons to make them Constructed legal, then turning them into turbocharged racing machines. It’s like NASCAR… if NASCAR started with lawn tractors. Little lawn tractors. It’s Friday, and the only deck I haven’t powered up is Speed Scorch, the goblin thing, so fire up the torches and let’s start cutting.
While Kenji Tsumura and Gadiel Szleifer were battling for $10,000, Rick was over playing in the $2,000 Amateur Standard event and learned quite a few things about how Red decks work in this environment.
