It’s autumn in my part of the world. The new big expansion has been out for a month. The Champs tournaments are behind us. The Limited PTQ season is under way. That can only mean one thing. It’s time for me to write about Aluren.
To describe today’s card pool, Craig says, “Roll up, roll up! We got wonders to see here, folks! We got lions and tigers and monsters, we got bearded ladies and strong-men, we got five-legged horses and Basil the Three-Eyed Fox! For the price of a nickel, you can see the World and all that’s in it! Step right up, sir. Through the curtain, and bear left. That’s where we keep the miracles…”
This article presents a new variation on the Mindslaver theme. The deck I’m introducing here can be considered as an hybrid between the standard Drain Slaver deck Kim Kluck created about a year ago and “Turbo Titan”, the Sundering Titan based control deck designed by my MeanDeck teammate Doug Linn. It tries to abuse one of the best artifacts from Fifth Dawn, Crucible of Worlds, in a way no one did before: setting up Mindslaver nastiness.
Greetings to everyone in the land of Magic Online. While StarCityGames.com has done an excellent job of posting informative pieces on Kamigawa, be it for Limited or individual card analysis, few have touched on its impact on Magic Online casual formats. Since Champions of Kamigawa (CHK) is now available online, it merits examining.
Yann Hamon, one of the top 20 players in the world for the 2003-2004 season, takes a break from his preparations for Pro Tour: Columbus to chime in with his opinions for what he calls “The Best Color in Champions.” Why does he feel it’s the best Limited color in CHK, and which cards does he feel stand above the rest? You’ll just have to tune in and find out.
Top 8 coverage from this past weekend’s Power 9. Looking to see exactly how MeanDeck’s new Oath deck plays in a real match? Ben’s got that covered plus a whole lot more.
Richmond marked the debut of a new Vintage archetype… “Mean Deck Oath”. A majority of the field seemed unprepared to face the Oath of Druids/Forbidden Orchard “combo” and four members of Team Mean Deck piloted “Mean Deck Oath” straight to the top eight. What sort of impact will this have on Chicago? Will Team Mean Deck dominate again? There’s only one way to find out! Join us on Saturday, November 6th when the Star City “Power Nine” Tournament Series comes to Chicago!
Laura Mills takes her first real look at Champions and uncovers the power of soulshift, both in Limited formats and in… Constructed? While the shifty souls might not quite be ready for primetime in sixty-card decks, this is definitely a mechanic to keep an eye on.
Level 2 Judge (and all-around hipster) Seamus Campbell responds to John Davis’s article yesterday with a reasoned look at the complaints in the article and the responsibilities of judges in general.
Since at this point it’s safe to assume that you know what’s going on in this outstanding series, we figure it’s easier to give you a sample of today’s article as incentive to read: “The Deceiver cycle have very unpleasant names. Cruel, Brutal, Feral, Harsh, Callous. They’re getting such a bad press… Where are the nice Deceivers? The Fluffy Deceiver, the Is-Kind-to-Animals Deceiver, the Generous-to-a-Fault Deceiver? Remember, kids: Deceivers have feelings too. Equal Rights for Deceivers!“
While the guys are playable, the White in this pool ain’t particularly inspiring. There’s nothing here to make me rip off my clothes, put my underpants on my head and run screaming down the High Street yelling “don’t trust the monkeys.” Which of course, is a bonus. Especially since the court-order.
On the ballot this month are issues dealing with Mana Crypt, Gifts Ungiven, Recurring Nightmare, Restock, and the Judgment Wishes.
To better prepare our readers for Champs, StarCityGames.com hired some of the best Constructed deckbuilders and writers in the world to explore the new Standard format, and according to the feedback we received on this project, it was one of our most successful ideas ever. Today Mike looks back on everything that he learned from designing and testing decks for the Challenge and shares with you ten lessons that will help you rise above the competition tomorrow and secure a spot in the top 8.
Jim brings you both the good and the bad of his Champs testing experiences, complete with not one, but two tribute decks to Indiana Jones. There’s something here for both casual and competitive players alike, so dig in and see what your opponents just might be playing tomorrow.
Fresh off his top 16 finish in Austin, the man they call “The Cak” is back to share his experience and give his thoughts about the top 5 commons in each color. If you are looking for someone with a proven track record to give you his opinion on this fresh format, The Cak is your man.
