I’ve started playing out some of the matches for the Ultimate Extended Tourney. It’s taking longer than I had expected, mainly because we need more practice games to get comfortable with the decks. I’ve a lot to get through today, and not much time to do it… let’s go!
Whenever I say that it’s easier for me to get to Neutral Ground in New York City for a PTQ than many locations that are geographically closer to Washington, it raises the usual set of eyebrows. It’s a non-trivial amount of money, and a mighty long trip, just to suffer through the crush of gamers and the mental pressure of seven or eight rounds of Magic. Why I would bother going all that way for competition that is some of the toughest in the country?
Richard Feldman, having significantly altered the Extended format with Zac Hill and Tenacious Tron, nevertheless sees himself without a Blue Envelope for his trouble. It’s true that he put the hours in this time… so what went wrong? Today’s Deep Analysis attempts to find out, and suggests that ditching a deck in the face of extreme hate may not be a wise move at all…
Mike takes on classical Magic theory and expands an area that’s never gotten much press, walking through Extended seasons past and present to explore this new concept. You know Card Advantage. You Tempo. But do you know… Trump?
Tiago was prepared for Grand Prix: Dallas. In testing, he ran a gauntlet of six decks before settling on the Feldman / Hill / Tsumura inspired U/W Tron list. He takes us through his preparation in great detail, and walks us through some of the more entertaining games he played in his heartbreaking ninth-place performance.
You wait nine years for a Grand Prix win, and then two come along at once. Raphael Levy, proving that lightning can indeed strike twice in the period of seven days, took his Gaea’s Might Get There five-color Zoo deck to the balmy climes of Grand Prix: Singapore… and, as in Dallas, he came home with the novelty check. Wanna know how he did it? Look no further!
What is the best Extended deck ever played? How do current Tier 1 decks fare against the decks your grandparents played? We’re about to find out. It’s a single elimination tournament featuring 32 of the best Extended decks ever, going head to head.
Richard Feldman, authority on Extended U/W Tron, took great delight at seeing a deck of his (and Zac Hill’s) design Rocking the Kasbah at GP: Singapore. Of course, with Japanese Giant Tomoharu Saito at the helm, inevitable changes to the 75 were made. Today, Richard examines each of those changes in detail, and takes us into the mind of a Japanese deckbuilder…
With Extended finally receding into the Aether, Patrick presents an update on his excellent Four-Color Red mid-range beatdown deck (his definition, not mine). He also brings us some interesting Extended food for thought, with a few strategies thrown against the wall to see what sticks. All this, and the story of a Penthouse Pet! What more do you need?
Earlier this week, Richard Feldman offered his “Rules of Engagement” for the current complex Extended format. While his argument held weight, Mike Flores respectfully disagrees with his assertions. Indeed, Mike believes that the current Extended format, far from being an ornery bramble-patch of treachery, is actually one of the more simplistic formats we’ve ever faced. Intrigued? Then read on…
With one Extended PTQ left for poor Zac, he’s furiously attempting to break the format in time to win a precious blue envelope. Today’s article brings us an interesting combo deck that has, and I quote, “the fastest goldfish in Extended.” Does Cephalid Breakfast have the requisite plums to swing with the Big Dogs in this furious environment?
Raphael Levy set off for Grand Prix: Dallas with a pocketful of decks and a confused mind. While he had options, he hadn’t a clue on the final 75-card conficuration he’d be running. After much back and forth deliberation, and a modicum of advice from some of the Magic Elite, he settled with Gaea’s Might Get There… and it paid out in spades. For more fun tales of preparation and play, read on!
Another Extended season is wrapping up. This is my ninth so far. I wondered which season was best / my favorite / most broken — and how decks from various years stack up against one another. What is the “best” Extended deck ever? Let’s find out. I’m proposing a tournament: all the great decks, in a single elimination shootout.
There was a PTQ in Rockville, Maryland last Saturday. I went 0-2 and dropped to play a City Champs event (in which I finished second, so the day wasn’t a complete loss). You might think that there’s not much to be learned from an 0-2, and sometimes there certainly isn’t. This time, however, my lesson learned comes in two parts…
With GP: Dallas behind us, it’s time to take stock of the most varied and entertaining Extended format for some years. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard attempt to define exactly what became of the metagame, and create a workable set of format provisos (the Rules of Engagement) from which we can move forward. In this open and troubling format, how can we approach our future deck decisions with any level of success?
