Last time, I talked about the effect of Wizards’ new multiplayer rules on Two-Headed Giant. Wizards’ new multiplayer rules also define the Emperor format – and the new rules will also change that format, which is a good thing. As it is currently played, the format is about as enjoyable as battling a blazing manure pile on a hot summer day. Let me explain what decks are sucking all the fun out of the format, and why.
After the release of 9th Edition, a lot of people were wondering how much the loss of Plow Under hurts the Green monster deck. Well, certainly, without Plow Under anymore, Medium Green has lost its strong position in Standard, which spells good news for TNN. But the bad news is TNN now has lost four essential spells against those annoying Blue decks, which is a huge drawback. Is this deck still playable in the current environment, and if so, what does the decklist look like?
When writing my last article, I touched upon Drop of Honey in a Legacy sideboard. After playing with it for a while, I’ve come to appreciate how much awesome sauce can be packed in to one card. Therefore I decided to see what can be done with this card and built three Legacy decks designed to exploit the Arabian Nights rare.
Decrying the results of so-called “democracy” on MagictheGathering.com, the man the ladies call Dr. Romeo sets off on his own to see if a winning deck can be designed around abusing Eternal Dominion. I think we can all see where this one is going…
Pugg takes old Kamigawa around the block for one last spin while pondering a variety of issues facing Magic writers today. No one works harder to bring you your daily dose of Star City goodness than this animated pseudonym.
Less than a year ago, Mike Long released a deck dubbed The Suicide Virus. The immediate reaction to this deck was incredulity. Most readers dismissed the deck as “a pile.” A few players tinkered with it before moving onto something else. Regardless of what people thought at the time, no major structural improvements to the deck have been published since. Since then, I have been furiously working in my secret Vintage laboratory pouring creative energies into improving this deck and today I’m set to unveil my latest creation.
Recently I began to wonder if the phenomenon of one-ofs in decklists is purely a Vintage-centric phenomenon, related to the absurd power level of the format? Does increasing a two-of to a three-of, or chopping it down to one copy, have an appreciable effect on a Standard or Block deck? To put it bluntly: just how important is one slot? I took some time exploring this question and I thought I would share the results.
Today Mr. Fuggly completes his draft review and also lets Magic Online players in on a huge secret that reinstates one of the original (but now disabled) functions of Magic Online.
Pugg Fuggly returns to do Pugg Fuggly like things, but this time he needs your help. Read the article, send him e-mail, and enjoy one of the finest cartoon writers in Magic.
In this whopper of a tournament report, Gadiel thoroughly recaps his Grand Prix: Salt Lake City T8 journey, answers some key strategy questions and speaks on a series of hotbutton issues that are sure to have people talking!
Rich Hoaen steps forward with a timely dissection of the new 9th Edition Limited format that just went live on Magic Online and is the addiction of choice for draft junkies awaiting the release of Ravnica.
At long last, Wizards is supporting multiplayer games with official multiplayer rules and sanctioned multiplayer tournaments. The first Two-Headed Giant tourneys are already in the books, and more will follow. So let’s look at the format, and decks to break it.
It’s good stuff.
More Draft and Standard action from StarCityGames.com’s baldest writer. In today’s installment Dave battles a poker hero, drafts an abysmal deck, and wraps up the weekend with a few words of sage advice.
Is it Friday already? It looks like my time with you is almost up, and so much I didn’t get to talk about! I could probably go one for another entire week or two about everything that Gencon had to offer, but I suppose all good things must come to an end eventually. Before I wrap up, though, let me drop a couple more game recommendations on you, especially for the multiplayer/casual aficionados.
Want sleeves? We’ve got a great deal on right now for KMC brand deck protectors!
Also in Ben’s Corner: More of Ravnica revealed, and a list of some pretty major cards being added to inventory – including sets of Arabian Nights, Portal 3 Kingdoms, and a ton of higher demand foils!
Check out Ben’s Corner each week for the latest news from the card side of StarCityGames.com.
