Hi! Are you tired of all of these Magic terms and words getting tossed around like lunch in an old sailor’s stomach? Ever wonder if you prefer control, combo, or aggro decks? Do you prefer winning, being clever, or playing big effects? Are you competitive or casual? Are you more inclined to be rogue or run a netdeck? Whew! All of these Magic identities running around! What kind of Magic player are you? Take this simple test and find out!
Kanoot wraps up his travel diary to Japan and Australia with tales of barhopping in Yokohama and pictures of toilets. Seriously.
You can’t have the name “Knuts” and be a quality writer/editor/metagame predictor/website administrator/tournament reporter/deck builder/card evaluator.
Who’s doing your writing? It’s time to come clean!
Is there a competitive Type Two deck out there built around the splice mechanic? John Matthew Upton has been researching this very question for a couple of weeks now and is finally ready to detail his answers.
This week I’d like to talk about a draft archetype that is near and dear to my heart: R/W jank. I was reading an article by Ken Krouner the other week and he said, “I have even heard rumors about Akki Avalanchers and Lava Spike making their way into highly aggressive decks built around Kami of Fire’s Roar,” while talking about red pick orders. Now if you’re anything like I was a few weeks back before Brian-David Marshall ushered in the era of the R/W jank deck here at Neutral Ground, you probably laughed whenever you saw someone play a Lava Spike without shocking something. That said, if you’ll give me a few minutes of your time, I’d like to introduce you to this deck, and maybe you too can whimsically debate around the draft table if there is any deck better than R/W jank.
In one of the best submissions we’ve received all year, Mark covers a variety of methods and mindsets to help you turn a losing situation into a win. We’re sure you will judge this for yourself, but Gene Siskel returned from the dead to give this article a big fat thumbs up, so you should at least check it out.
I’m going to kick a few hornets’ nests today. I think that everyone who has written about most challenging format gets it wrong, so I’m going to cover that. I will also discuss the whole issue of Contract from Below and ante in 5color. Abe Sargent has described banning Contract as the abortion issue of 5color — it raises heated debates, with zealots on both sides. Time to feed the flames.
Kanoot takes a look at the events of the second Vs. System Pro Circuit and investigates some similarities and differences between the Pro Tours, while delivering quotes like this: ‘Antonino actually had the best quote of Sunday when he said “Oh my God, I’ve been sitting here so long that I can actually feel myself growing fatter waiting for you to figure out the right play.”‘ He’d also like your help in answering a pressing question that’s on his mind after witnessing this weekend’s events.
Kanoot is stuck in a hotel room and can’t sleep again, but this time he has something besides jet lag and the bright Australian sun to blame.
The one and only michaelj takes a look at the best and worst things you can do with one Black mana, and talks about some of the theory behind proper use of Vampiric Tutor.
Why do you draft Green? Don’t say it’s for the mana fixing. I’ve seen those pick orders that put Sakura-Tribe Elder and Kodama’s Reach over every other Green common. It’s true: Sakura-Tribe Elder and Kodama’s Reach are the best. And next comes Orochi Sustainer. But that’s not why you draft Green. Nope, you draft Green because you like fat. So why are you consistently overlooking some of the best fat in the set? Is it because it’s not Green?
Kanoot returns to answering your most pressing questions today, including: Who is the biggest ladies’ man on the Tour?
Nick drafts a four-color pile of awfulness in his latest Champions of Kamigawa Draft Walkthrough. Think I’m kidding or wondering how he ended up with the deck? See for yourself.
“As you probably surmised, the premise behind this deck is to run your opponent out of cards by repeatedly splicing Dampen Thought.” Yes, it’s a draft archetype. Yes, it’s actually good. Yep, Tim’s going to go into detail on how to draft this deck and include information on how to beat it as well. Need we say more?
Pip takes a second look at the biggest table of Magic cards you’ve ever seen, unveiling trends in the Vintage metagame for the last year like it ain’t no thang.
