Friday, August 14th – With the heat of summer upon us, Standard is taking some interesting twists and turns as we explore the format more and get a feel for how the metagame plays through. Boston and now Brighton are behind us, and unfortunately it seems that even if people feel as if they can control their destiny in M10 Sealed Deck, I have yet to really hear of anyone who said they had fun.
Thursday, August 13th – One deck which shouldn’t need any introduction is Faeries. The deck has controlled Standard with its winged legion since Bitterblossom was manifested into existence, and throughout its reign cards have slowly been released to counteract its dominance. With the recent addition of Great Sable Stag to the ranks of anti-Faeries cards, the empire of Faeries looked to finally be crumbling.
Wednesday, August 12th – Kyle Sanchez has a soft spot for the rogue homebrew strategy, and this past week’s PTQ was no exception. He utilized a powerful yet thoroughly ignored card from Lorwyn to make the Top 8. If you’re looking for something very different, Kyle has the tech for you!
Wednesday, August 12th – Last week I mentioned that I would be battling in Ohio this past weekend at a PTQ in Columbus, but I was unfortunately unable to make it to that event. Regardless, I’ll still talk about the deck I would’ve played: Five-Color Control.
Tuesday, August 11th – Standard has had a long time in the sun, but with a plethora of PTQs on the horizon, plus the StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open in Dallas, the metagame is still vibrant. Adrian Sullivan examines the Top 8 from a local PTQ, including a few decks that are somewhat off the radar.
Friday, August 7th – Today’s Reflecting Ruel sees Olivier share his highs and lows from Day 2 of the recent French National Championship. Time Sieve Combo has proved itself to be a strong contender in the metagame, and Oli brings us some tips and strategies for success with artifacts…
Thursday, August 6th – When we last left our hero, Tenth Edition was about to rotate out and U/W Reveillark was about to lose two important tools: Mind Stone and Wrath of God. What I immediately realized after playing around with new builds of Reveillark is that there were two viable paths the deck could deviate into…
Wednesday, August 5th – This past weekend I attended a PTQ in Chicago. . Going into the event, I was convinced that Conley’s deck from U.S. Nationals was the deck to play, as it had few bad match-ups and actually was testing very well against Five-Color, a match-up that I wanted to be sure that I could beat when the time came.
Wednesday, August 5th – Last week, Kyle promised us fireworks in his quest to qualify for Pro Tour: Austin. With a PTQ this weekend, our curly-haired assassin has been brewing something spicy in preparation. Will this deck be enough to take home the Blue Envelope? Read on to find out!
Wednesday, August 5th – It’s official: Five-Color control is the deck to beat. However, when a deck is powered by multicoloured mana and the best spells in the format. Just how does one bring it crashing down? Manu believes he has the answer. He also discusses M10 Sealed, in perfect time for this weekend’s Grand Prix: Brighton.
Tuesday, August 4th – Looking for a good starting point to further develop the only true “budget” deck in the format, Dave applies Adrian Sullivan’s amalgamation technique to Chris Boomer’s Warp World Revolution deck.
Tuesday, August 4th – Adrian Sullivan swam into Nationals in the wake of the littlest fish. However, as Merfolk didn’t manage to propel him very far in the tournament proper, he cast his net wide in search for something fresh. Today, he presents a couple of exciting lists, including one rogue build that looks like a total blast to play…
Tuesday, August 4th – While working for Canadian Nationals, Quentin Martin explored the Five-Color Control archetype in depth. While he opted to play Tokens to his Top 4 finish, he’s been tinkering away on his own Five-Color list ever since. If you’re looking for a fresh take on the Five-Color strategy, look no further.
Monday, August 3rd – “I think I’ll just play some old school Five-Color Control this week,†Christian texted me on Wednesday, anticipating our return to Standard after getting our draft on with M10. “Yeah, pretty safe bet,†I replied, planning to shuffle up my Cruel Ultimatums as well. “Top 3 spots in U.S. Nationals… Guess it could be okay for FNM!†he sent back. Talk about an understatement.
Monday, August 3rd – In the first round of the second draft, I see I am paired against Sam Stein. I’ve never actually played against him, but I hear he is a pretty good player. However, I am very happy with my deck and don’t think I should lose unless my opponent has some sick bomb like Martial Coup or Lavalanche.
