It isn’t preview season until The Innovator starts breaking cards and formats in half! Luckily for Patrick Chapin, he doesn’t have to try as hard this time because Aether Revolt is pretty powerful to begin with! Let’s take a look at the beginning of our very welcome new Standard format, shall we?
Aether Revolt previews are out in force, but Shaun McLaren couldn’t take shelter from them even if he wanted to! In his inimitable fashion, the Canadian Pro Tour Champion explores several cards about to shake the foundations of Standard and Modern…and a few that are just plain fun!
Aether Revolt seems poised to shake up more than Standard! Todd Stevens gives his take on what it means for Modern, including a “sleeper” pick!
Standard may have concluded on a Promised End, but before that, there were lots of archetypes vying for attention at the top tournament tables! Ross Merriam thinks its time for those archetypes to return to the forefront, and he’s got lists to prove it!
Jeremy Noell wakes up from a long holiday slumber to catch up on Aether Revolt! And he doesn’t even get the year wrong! This is Split Second!
Adrian Sullivan reviews his Magic events of 2016 and draws lessons from the highs and lows to help you with your game in the New Year!
Tom Ross ended 2016 as the top points earner on the SCG Tour and its Player of the Year, but don’t think for a minute that he’s resting on his laurels! Even a player of his accomplishments has things to improve, and today he shares the resolutions he’s made for an even more Magical 2017!
Aether Revolt preview season is only just beginning, but Emma has a card she wants to brew with right now!
Would Sam reduce the power level of one of his favorite decks in the name of keeping a format fair? What would he do about Standard and Emrakul? Does he feel Sensei’s Divining Top should be a legal card at #GPLouisville?
“This format is bad.” “Ban this card.” These are base level solutions that don’t truly solve anything. Fortunately, Ari Lax has the podium, and he wants to explore and study the reasons things are what they are right now in order to provide Standard with a much healthier future!
Some players think banning Emrakul, the Promised End in Standard is the way to go. Others think it wouldn’t do much or do even more harm. Who is right? Mark lays out both sides of the Promised End debate.
Brad Nelson found his way into the Players’ Championship again this year, but something felt very different. Through all his playtesting, his discussion with colleagues, and his own reflections, he now understands what’s missing from Standard! And he wants to help fix it!
The rights and wrongs of unbans and bans are a lot more deep than just looking at decklists or declaring you want that card that always beats you to get axed. It requires critical thinking and a brilliant Magic mind. Patrick Chapin takes you down the rabbit hole of creating and curating Magic formats in 2017!
Sure, you could wait for Aether Revolt to change the metagame, but what about Players’ Champion Joe Lossett crushing with an Energy-based deck? Adrian excitedly studies a new dimension in Standard!
Bennie Smith still has plenty of ideas for all the new Commander 2016 legends, even the ones that are already forgotten! He’s also breaking out his Standard rogue deck that is crushing his local meta! Check it out!
